The Highlander March 2014

The Highlander

www.scotscoop.com

What’s inside

March 2014, Vol V Issue VI

Why Chipotle? By Josh Fagel Staff Writer

Socially accepted depresssion Pages 14-15

All about Food Pages 6-7

The Dating Game 21st century edition Page 12-13

The Chipotle line extended out the door and around the corner. Meanwhile, Taquerria Castillo B2, a cheap but well-reviewed taqueria down the street, was empty. Instinctively, I got in line at Chipotle. I’m not the only teenager who experiences frequent Chipotle cravings; according to a school poll, 35 percent of students go to Chipotle at least once a week. This high percentage at one American high school would explain how Chipotle has raked in revenue of $3.21 billion in the last year. Steve Ells, Chipotle CEO, said in an Esquire interview that the company’s success was a result of the company’s investment in "better ingredients." Like any product, different consumers have different reasons for liking Chipotle. Junior Gigi Vlahos praised the fact that she “can get a consistently delicious meal every time [she] go[es].” Senior Lauren Naismith said, “I appreciate how fast and easy it is to get food there.” However, one of the main factors of Chipotle’s success in the teenage market derives from what senior Sandip Srinivas calls a “teenage cultural imperative.” “Kids hear so much about places like Chipotle on a daily basis, and as a result, they feel the need to go there,” said Srinivas. In practice, Chipotle, to an extent, domi-

Carlmont students flock to popular eateries like Chipotle, Cream, and T-Pumps.

nates the lunch and dinner markets for teenage consumers. “When I go out to dinner with friends, we always end up going to Chipotle. It’s like we are afraid to go anywhere else,” said senior Nate Fischer. The ability of restaurants to effortlessly gain teenage consumers relies on the psychological tendencies of adolescents. “Many adolescents are in a stage of wanting to belong and having their belonging needs (from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs) met. This

By Veronika Dvorakova

could include conforming with a peer group to meet those belonging needs,” said psychology teacher Michelle McKee. While Chipotle may be the epitome of a company that capitalizes on a teenage trend, people will also generally go to Chipotle because, as Vlahos said, “The food is tasty.” Meanwhile, some destinations succeed almost entirely based on their image with teens, such as Tpumps, a boba tea shop in San Mateo, and CREAM, an ice cream sandwich shop ~Continued on pg. 24~

Helicopter parents: a high schooler’s worst nightmare The fighter’s point of view

By Alex Wildman Staff Writer

By Brooke Buckley Staff Writer

Infogrpahic by Sarah Adams

School is very easy for some kids… because their parents do their homework for them. It is understandable that parents want what’s best for their kids, but sometimes they can take it a little too far. The moment that a parent starts doing their kid’s homework for them, completing their projects for them, and intervening at the first sign of conflict, they stop helping and start hovering, hence the title helicopter parents. Helicopter parenting, formally known as overparenting, was first given the nickname by Jim Fay and Foster W. Cline, M.D. in 1977. Even though the term has been around for over three decades scientists have only begun conducting studies in the past ten years. A study led by Neil Montgomery, a psychologist at Keene State College, found that out of 300 college freshmen, about ten percent of the participants had what they had defined as helicopter parents. In a CBS News interview, adolescent and child development expert Dr. Robyn Silverman said, “A helicopter parent is somebody who hovers around their child and swoops in at a moments notice whenever they see their child in any distress, discomfort, or even having a little bit of a challenge, even if it’s really not appropriate.” The effects of helicopter parenting usually don’t appear until a student reaches college

because that is the first time that the parents aren’t present and available for extended periods of time. It must be kept in mind that helicopter parenting isn’t always bad. A study done by Dr. Chris Segrin and colleagues commented that “At younger ages, many of these same parenting behaviors may be beneficial to the child. However, evidence

is rapidly accumulating to indicate that the opposite is the case when applied to emerging adult children.” High school students and teachers generally feel the negative effects of helicopter parenting. Teachers often instruct students to come to them first if they have any concerns because ~Continued on pg. 25~

For many people the best way to handle suppressed emotions is through physical violence. The amount of physical fights among teenagers has declined substantially since the 1990’s, but fighting is still a very relevant problem throughout high schools. The Sequoia Union High School District Board of Education prohibits bullying, harassment, discrimination, intimidation, or cyber bullying of any student by any employee student, or other person. Junior Sam Hernandez, who has witnessed fights at Carlmont said, “There are a wide variety of people at our school and everyone is so different that it can create a lot of problems.” “I think compared to other schools, Carlmont has a relatively low amount of fighting,” said junior Megan Guillermo. The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center held a national survey in high schools in 1999 and found that: 1 in 3 students had been in a physical fight. 1 in 7 had been in a physical fight on school property. 1 in 9 of those who fought had been hurt badly enough to need medical treatment. With one in three students being involved ~Continued on pg. 25~

Page 2 The Highlander

Opinion

March 2014

The ties that bind us Internal pressure Photo illustration by Veronika Dvorakova

By Arianna Bayangos News & Opinion Editor

We have ties that bind us. Some believe that they have an obligation to conform to the beliefs and values that their family has because of their connection or bond they have with them. In Jerome Kagan’s article “The Role of Parents in Children’s Psychological Development,” Kagan said, “Children can identify with the class, ethnic, or religious group to which their family belongs and often feel an imperative to honor the identification.” Kagan also states that identification is important for personality development, which means that the child’s perception of his or her parents’ personality, talents, and character is significant. Carlmont junior James Xie said, “[My parents] have had a great impact on my character. Parenting basically molds a child, and while societal constraints and expectations do play a key role in child development, in the life of an introverted Asian student I was ten years ago, not so much. Most of what I value and believe in was given to me by my parents, like ethics and an emphasis on academic success.” Many Carlmont students feel that they have to succumb to these beliefs and values that their family holds. Grant Chen, a junior at Carlmont said, “Sometimes my family puts pressure on me to make me work harder and do better in school.” Because Chen’s family believed that education should be a high priority, he began to believe it also. Chen said, “They believe that education will lead me to a better career path. I believe this because many people have expressed this idea. It’s because I have heard this idea from so many adults that are around me, and all those adults are have successful careers. So I think the idea they express must be accurate.”

Even though some care about what their family believes, they can still develop their own values of their own. It is important for family members to guide their children towards creating their own values and beliefs. In Kwalombota Mahalihali’s article, “Family Influences on the Development of Child Behavior,” Mahalihali states that “families, especially parents, play a fundamental role in forming the values of children. The ability to cope with and adjust to life problems and demands is based upon the psychological foundations of early family experiences.” A female Carlmont senior used to practice Buddhism by going to temples and performing ceremonies with her grandmother. The senior said, “I would just go through the motions, not actually meaning anything I was doing whether it was praying, or worshipping.” Her mother decided to go to a Christian church and the senior came with her. The senior eventually became involved in the ministries of the church. When her extended family found out that her family was no longer Buddhist, they were not happy about it. She said, “It caused my mom a lot of stress and it has definitely affected every family member. It has caused some sort of tension between my mother and the family, but I’ve definitely tried to be as open and loving towards my family members so they are not awkward around me.” “Even now, they find it odd when we pray before eating, but they are not as alarmed or possibly frustrated as before. They are not fully adjusted or maybe ‘okay’ with the matter, but that’s okay with me,” she stated. As a teenager grows, he or she begins to develop his or her own identity with the help of parents. Alexis Wilson, a senior, said, “My parents have always told me that I’m in charge of my own life; make good decisions and do what makes me happy. This made me look at life more seriously, and to believe that in a lot of ways, you dictate everything that’s in front of you.”

By Grace Yi Staff Writer

Students across the country are experiencing high levels of pressure that they say are negatively affecting their lives. According to the latest Stress in America conducted by the American Psychological Association, 27 percent of students experience “extreme” stress during school versus the 13 percent experienced during the summer. There are students who pressure themselves to reach perfection in all aspects of achievement, such as playing a solo on the clarinet, getting all A’s in school, or being the star on the baseball team. Some say that self-imposed pressure gives the individual a drive to improve and it gives an indirect sense of perseverance. “If people are pressuring me to improve in an insensitive way, I’m less likely to do anything about it. However, if the motivation comes from myself, I’m more likely to achieve from it,” said sophomore Sierra Segal. However, others say they put pressure on themselves because of the society’s “standard” demands. “In this society, nothing short of perfect will get me into college. I feel that society won’t accept me otherwise,” said Carlmont junior Liam Young. Some students may feel pressured to do well for an upcoming audition or performance or any event where they have to show their practiced or innate talent. They say that it is more important to impress the audience than impressing themselves first. “As a performing arts kid, I’m not happy with my performance unless the audience is,” said Segal. Similarly, senior John Fu feels the same way when playing hockey: “I play hockey in front of a big crowd with the Hong Kong National team on TV. Personally I try to impress the audience, by making people say, ‘OMG he’s so good.’ It makes me feel like I’ve achieved a big thing.”

However, giving oneself too much pressure can caused some serious consequences. Too much pressure has led some to become angry, sad, and depressed. Senior Lexie Liu said that self pressure has its limits and results in a need for a “pressure release valve” where people can relieve themselves from their compiled stress. “It’s like a hose. If you plug the end and just keep on shooting water, it increases the pressure, so the water will need to be released somehow or else the hose might explode. Likewise, a person can only take so much pressure before he or she explodes,” said Liu. Extreme stress has affected teens’ performance in all aspects of life. Time management, neglected responsibilities, change in sleep habits, and unstable emotions, are all examples that stress has affected teens. Studies done by Stress in America suggest that more than 1,000 teens and 2,000 adults have unhealthy coping behaviors to stress start early in the high school years and continue on throughout adulthood leading to a lifetime of high stress levels and chronic illnesses. Unhealthy stress coping behaviors include “eating their stress away,” and decreasing stress with longer screen time: 42 percent of students go online, 42 percent watch two or more hours of TV or movies a day, and 21 percent play video games. In addition, a review of mental health among adolescents by Child Trends announced in 2012 that one in four high school students showed symptoms of mild depression. Symptoms included unrelenting irritability, anger withdrawn behavior and deviations from normal eating and sleeping habits. All the while students try to find the middle ground where they can balance the stress of societal expectations and achieve self- satisfaction. “Personally, I do what I want because I want to, not to be perfect because I don’t believe perfection is really feasible,” said junior Sophie Fox.

Opinion

The Highlander

Page 3 March 2014

Pressure of choosing a career at a young age By Alex Lay Junior Editor

Students in current society are pressured to make early decisions about what their lives will amount to as an adult. High school students have to choose which subjects to focus on in high school, their majors in college, and careers based on those decisions. At such a young age, high school students can struggle with these decisions. “The human brain is not fully developed until around age 25. And the last part of the brain that develops, the prefrontal cortex, is the part that helps with good decision making. This is not behavioral or by choice - it is just a physical fact,” said Family Coach and Motivational Speaker Susan Stone Belton. The school education system often forces life-changing decisions as a high school student. Many adults regret the decisions they make as teenagers, such as choosing a major they did not enjoy, due to a lack of experience outside of high school and a lack of full development of their brains. The teenage brain has not fully reached its final stages of growth until the student is in college or even past that stage, and this can limit decision-making abilities and opinions formed in earlier years, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

“When it comes to making decisions about things like drugs, drinking, sexuality, working hard, it is difficult for some people to make the right choice because they are impulsive or in denial about the negative consequences that can come from making the wrong choice. But every action is a choice, and every choice has a consequence,” said Stone Belton. Many students in high school are not prepared for the adult world and they do not understand how much their minds can change after they choose their career paths. According to statistics from La Verne University, 50-70 percent of students change their majors after entering college. “I feel like there are a variety of students who must make adult decisions, and it is very tough. Adults should make those decisions, however if a student is mature enough then it is totally fine for them to trust their judgement,” said sophomore Natalie Stainton. Senior Charlotte Jackman believes there is a lot of pressure put on young students, especially by colleges. “I think it is frustrating that some colleges don’t let you go in undeclared, and you’re forced to decide what you want to major in before you have a chance to try it out,” said Jackman. The parts of the brain responsible for more “top-down” control, controlling impulses, and planning ahead—the hallmarks of adult behavior—are among the last to mature, according to

NIMH. “Students in high school having to choose their career is wrong because it’s an early time for them to be thinking about such major decisions. College should be where you should be able to choose your career as you start to try out new things,” said sophomore Michael Lima. Many colleges don’t let you change your major after students commit, and that can make students very upset and regretful because they are stuck with the decisions they made. It’s not always bad news as some enjoy the classes they choose to take. “Some children know at age five what they want to be when they grow up and never waver. Other children change their minds a lot. I think it is hard for 17 and 18 year olds to know exactly what they want to major in. Part of the fun of growing up is trying new things and then deciding what you like,” said psychologist Kennon McDonough. McDonough said, “Interdisciplinary studies are rapidly expanding. Even if you know what to major in, it may be wise to try or combine disciplines. Most of all, it is important to enjoy what you study at the college level.” Stone Belton recommended that teenagers leave high school with the mindset of “I am smart, I am capable, and I can do anything!”

Pressure on students to succeed By Kristen Friis Business Manager

agers do not realize that they aren’t the most important ones. “It is really hard for people these days to think of a successful person who isn’t considered rich,” said Stewart. Ever since we were children, we were taught that monThis kind of society has been ‘the norm’ by not only teenagey was the answer to everything. This is probably because ers but observed by adults as well. as young and naive kids, we believed everything we heard, “The allure of more money is addicting,” said activities diwhether it was from our parents or the media. rector Jim Kelly. “With more money, you can buy and have For example, The Game of Life taught me that no matter what I went through in life, the only thing that mattered in the end was if I was rich or not. It seemed like my success would only be measured by how much money I made. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, success is defined as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” But over the past few decades, society has drastically changed the meaning of the word, “success.” Success used to be measured by the goals one achieved, or the skills they gained or challenges they faced. John Wooden, a UCLA men’s basketball coach who led his team to 665 wins once said, “Success is the self-satisfaction in knowing that you did your best to become the best that you can be.” To students like sophomore Spencer Stewart, someone who is seen as successful is someone “with money hanging out of his pants and with hot blondes under both of his arms. Basically Hugh Hefner.” But the image of success seen as a teenager is quite different than that of an adult. “I am forced to believe that success will just come easy to me if I take the hardest classes possible and get the highest test scores to get into prestigious colleges,” said junior Pierre Llorach. Although these are all helpful factors for a successful future, teen-

Editor-in-Chief: Ryan Freeman

Editorial Director: Sabrina Leung

Business Manager: Kristen Friis

News and Opinion

Campus: Karissa Tom

Junior Editors: Zoe Wildman Alex Lay Sarah Boro Michael Bastaki Claudia Leist

Arianna Bayangos

Online:

Entertainment:

Sarah Klieves Shira Stein

Dominic Gialdini

Features:

Ashley Kawakami

Sports: Kellan McDonough

Art Director:

Veronika Dvorakova

Faculty Adviser: Justin Raisner

more stuff. You can keep up with your friends who have a bigger house or a better car. And I should know because before I became a teacher, I chased that. But now, with my wife and I both being teachers, we’ve had summers and Christmas and Spring breaks to be with and watch our kids grow up. I was able to swim in the Baltic Sea with my son one summer. My daughter and I swam with wild dolphins one Spring Break. All the money in the world could not replace those types of memories.” Take for example a 25 year-old graduate from a top notch university. He or she is applying for a job in which he or she has met all of the requirements. There is one position and ten applicants. All applying have the requirements, but only one gets the job. The person who will get hired will most likely be the one with the better personality. One who is very confident, has a great work ethic, is glad to meet new people, tries new things and communicates. Now with adults, who have lived a much longer time than teenagers, and have seen and experienced the progression and changes of our society, have a whole different opinion on success. “Money is important to pay bills and to allow us to lead a comfortable life. However, making money should not be our sole focus,” said Kelly. “As long as you’ve taken care of the basics in life, free time becomes much more valuable than money. With time, you can be with your family and friends. You can go outside on a new adventure. You can learn something new. Or, you can simply sit back, close your eyes, smile, and do nothing.” Overall, success should not be measured by your income. Even though pushing yourself academically is good in most cases, it will not bring you a life full of happiness and content.

Cartoon by Isabella Paragas

the highlander

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.

Staff Writers: Ayesha Abbasi Jessica Adair Reggie Chatman Jr. Gabriela D’Souza Tara Ebrahimpour Graham Godwin Conrad May Isabella Paragas John Russell Katherine Savin Scott Schulze Daniel Wang Maxwell Ware Grace Yi Sarah Adams

Naomi Asrir Angelina Castillo Tracy Chu Ariana Crame Matthew DeGraff Elizabeth Doctorov Athena Duran Alyssa Espiritu Rebecca Fradkin Aria Frangos Melanie Hamaguchi Danielle Hamer Alex Wildman Alex Yang Minh Han Vu

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Claire Porter Nathan Rosenthal Sarah Schisla Gianna Schuster Marco Sevilla Victoria Shanefelter Julian Smith Alisa Takahashi Lauren Tierney

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Page 4

Opinion

The Highlander

Intolerant liberals By Dominic Gialdini Entertainment Editor The Bay Area, where you can express yourself freely and feel accepted by all -- as long as your views are aligned with the majority’s. What people at Carlmont either fail to acknowledge or willingly ignore is that there are kids at this very school who feel the need to suppress who they are and what they stand for due to their fear of being discriminated against by other students and possibly even members of the staff. I was one of these kids. I believe that it is time that I come out of the conservative closet: I am a Republican (or at least I would be if I was old enough to register to vote) and I am a devout Roman Catholic. I am against gay marriage and I despise the very idea of abortion. I go to Mass on a weekly basis and I believe in the Ten Commandments. Oh, and I don’t like Obama either. Don’t think that I haven’t seen the looks of disgust on people’s faces upon hearing that I am against gay marriage. Don’t think that I haven’t seen the outrage in people’s eyes upon finding out that I believe that whether it is a single cell or a fully developed body, human life should be held sacred. Don’t think that I haven’t felt the pressure to keep my views secret in order to keep from being chastised by those around me. Unfortunately, I am not the only one who has felt this way. Recently, one of my Catholic friends at school told me that a girl approached him and told him that she had heard that he is against abortion. When he verified this, her reply was “I’m judging you.” I find it troubling that people like this girl feel that they have the liberty to look down upon others due to their stances on certain issues while feeling that their own opinions should be uncontested. Surely my friend would be seen as a bigot had he said something along the same lines in response to someone in favor of abortion. This double standard is wrong, and yet this society almost encourages it. There are instances in which the media openly ridicules conservatives, and yet people have no problem with this; they quite often embrace it. In the popular song “Same Love,” which was performed at a Carlmont assembly last year, Macklemore raps that “If you preach hate at the service, those words aren’t anointed / That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned.” Macklemore, who was raised Catholic, so openly criticizes the Church. Perhaps this false assertion that Catholicism teaches people to hate others is merely rooted in a common ignorance toward the topic at hand. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (basically the go-to book of Catholic laws), paragraph 2358 states that homosexuals “must be treated with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.” I don’t know about you, but I definitely wouldn’t consider such a proclamation to be laced with hate. I do, however, acknowledge that there are religious people who do proceed in mistreating and marginalizing homosexuals, but I must stress that such people are actually failing to accurately and properly represent the true Catholic Church, a church of love, charity and compassion. While the Church does take a stance against homosexual acts, it in no way advocates the mistreatment of gays. It seems that at school, all people except for the religious are taken into consideration when formulating policies of what is acceptable behavior. For example, if I were to scream “faggot,” I would surely be reprimanded, and rightly so. However, if I were to scream “God damn it” or “Jesus Christ,” very few people would think much of it. How do I know this? Because I have even heard teachers say these phrases before. Now, I am not trying to force anyone to follow my beliefs, but it should be pointed out that the latter utterances are just as offensive, if not worse, to the more religious among us. So why should we have to live by your social restrictions while you are exempt from ours? Even if you disagree with my perspective, which most of you do, I hope that you acknowledge that there is, indeed, a double standard, something that I believe is wrong. I have two more grievances toward the school that I find problematic. One is that in the non-discrimination statement which can be found on numerous school documents, it says that “The Sequoia Union High School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or disability in its educational programs or employment practices.” Nothing is stated about religion or political ideology. Those issues can only be found in the Carlmont’s respect policy, which you can look at for yourself on page 17 of your student planner. I don’t believe that Carlmont would try to discriminate against these minorities, as it would be illegal to discriminate on the basis of religion in public secondary schools (thanks to the Civil Rights Act of 1964), but I find it odd that these topics aren’t covered in the non-discrimination policy section. Lastly, I must call to attention the inherent inequality of priorities evident on most every classroom wall at school. I am speaking about the “No Room for Homophobia” signs around campus. The message is just, but the implications are not. By making these signs prevalent, the school has effectively expressed its opposition of one form of discrimination while brushing all others under the rug. I see no signs that read “No Room for Discriminating Against Religion” or “No Room for Racism.” I believe that all issues should be represented equally. Why not replace the existing exclusive signs with ones that read “No Room for Intolerance”? That way, it wouldn’t seem as if the school cared less about the more prevalent and more accepted feelings of animosity toward contrarians like me. We as people must accept each other. However, this doesn’t mean that we must also accept each other’s personal convictions; we only need to tolerate them. While you don’t have to accept my traditional perspective on important matters, I believe that you should tolerate them, as I tolerate yours. Even if your opinions diverge from mine, that is no reason for you to treat me with contempt. I see no reason why people with drastic differences in opinion wouldn’t be able to treat others with respect which, may I remind you, is a two-way street.

March 2014

Chivalry is on life-support By Shira Stein

Scotscoop Editor-In-Chief Many people have heard the phrase “chivalry is dead,” but I suggest that the phrase be changed to “chivalry is dying, but respect is being born.” In today’s society, there are still some men who open doors for women, pay the bill, and pull out chairs. But with the ever-changing dynamic between men, women, and non-binary* genders, those chivalrous norms are being questioned more and more. When there is a couple that does not consist of a man and a women, then there is no social norm expected by society. By having no expectations placed upon them, the couple can decide on their own what they want to do. This takes the pressure off of the relationship to abide by the social norms and stigma that surrounds traditional heterosexual couples. As feminism becomes more widespread, some women have become offended by men who act chivalrous, citing that these interactions imply that women are weak and need to be taken care of. This causes some men to be nervous when they are attempting to be polite by holding a door open or doing something similar. Furthermore, some would say that men are placing women on a pedestal by being chivalrous. Men expect the women to be perfect and to never show any errors or emotions. These expectations are unrealistic and cause men to have romanticized versions of the perfect person, which no person can live up to. Today more women combat the negative implications of chivalry by learning to do things on their

own, so that others don’t think that men are needed for the jobs, like putting together furniture. Women are becoming less dependent on having a significant other around, and they want to show it through small things, such as splitting the bill or helping that significant other. Rather than expecting one’s partner to be chivalrous, people should expect a basic respect from the person/persons that they are in a relationship with. They should each consider what each person wants from the relationship. The building of a healthy relationship comes from respect. When partners communicate with each other about their wishes, compromise with each other, and let each other know their feelings are valid, then the partnership is about a mutual regard for one another. Respect still matters because it is a two-way street that people of all genders can participate in. It is something that is traded back and forth between two people. Chivalry is something that is given from one person to another, without both people engaging with one another. Treating each other with respect causes less conflicts over seeing women as weak and men as disrespectful and leads to open communication between friends and partners. When a partnership is unequal, as it is when chivalry is involved, then the partnership has become unhealthy. Equality in partnerships is declining because society is seeing that partnerships should be equal and balanced. Although chivalry is antiquated, there should be certain aspects of it that endure. The respect that is evident in chivalry should continue. Partners should respect boundaries, treat each other equally, but also treat one another to dinner once in awhile, and be generally courteous.

*Non-Binary genders are gender identities that don't fit within the accepted social ideals of male and female. People can feel they are both, neither, or some mixture thereof.

Slaves to your parents By Sarah Klieves

Scotscoop Editor-In-Chief Age is the chain that keeps students bound to their parents until the day they turn 18. But being forced to grow up so fast in order to help out around the house over the course of those 18 years often leaves high schoolers counting down the days until they are adults and get to go out on their own. Age 13. Welcome to being a teenager. Yes, you’re in that awkward middle school stage where you don’t really know where you belong. But you are now old enough to start learning everything you will need to know as an adult. Hurry up and learn because you only have five years to learn it all. Welcome to the beginning of a boatload of responsibilities. Since you are 13, let’s hope that you are old enough to stay home alone after school until your parents get home. Another year or two goes by and your parents tell you to cook dinner one night a week while they go out. Don’t get too excited, in another year you’ll be wishing you didn’t have this simple responsibility. Age 16. Congratulations! You have learned how to drive and now have received your license. This is a huge milestone in anyone’s life, and now you have the means of transportation that opens up endless possibilities, which include going places with friends, getting to and from school much easier, and driving all over the Earth to run errands for your parents. Many students might think, “It’s okay. I have a car, how bad can a few errands be?” Well guess again. The longer you are licensed, the more responsibilities pile up. First it starts with the occasional trip to the grocery store to pick up some milk on the way home from school. Then it’s things like taking your brother to and from the orthodontist, driving him to baseball practice -- which eventually turns into running his social calendar before yours. When you get to this point, you may find yourself asking, “Okay, when did I sign up for this? Last time I checked, I don’t have any kids. Just one more year and I can be free!” Now you are only one year away from being a legal adult. Age 17. Your parents make you act more like a parent than a young adult that wants to have fun. I’m 17. My parents still let me go out on the weekends and have fun with my friends. But that’s only if I’ve done everything I needed to. And oh, if my brother needs a ride to a friends on my way, of course I’ll take him. Okay, it’s not that big of a deal but still, I think Dry Cleaning, Laundry, Alteration, and more that I am considered to be “off duty” now that 1114 So. El Camino Real my parents are home. San Mateo, CA 94402 There are pros and cons to the various amounts of responsibilities older high school M-F: 8am-6pm students are forced to take on at home.

Cleaning by Eddie

~Continued on pg. 25~

Sat: 9am- 2pm 650 . 312 .1259

The Highlander

Opinion

Page 5 March 2014

The decision: pro-choice or pro-life? By Claire Porter Staff Writer Some argue it’s killing a life while some argue it’s saving one. Regardless of what people believe, abortion has become a more prominent concern both politically and socially over the last couple of years. This past summer, Texas Senator Wendy Davis held a filibuster to block a restrictive abortion bill, and even more recently, Alabama approved a bill banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is heard. Abortion, a legal termination of pregnancy, is a highly controversial topic simply by its name and action. There are two ways to perform an abortion: through oral medication or a surgical procedure. Conservatives tend to argue that life begins at conception, and therefore, abortion is the killing of a human life and either should be restricted or should be illegal. This view on abortion is considered “pro-life,” because it is believed that by restricting or banning abortion, they are saving the developing lives of fetuses and protecting the fetus’s individual rights that are separate from their mother’s. Liberals disagree, and tend to argue that it is a female right to choose what is best for her body and her future. They may or may not like the idea of abortion, but believe that it is still a woman’s choice to govern her own body, which is why this view is considered “pro-choice.” Carlmont is located in a very liberal area of the country and people tend to sway to the left, which is showcased through the results of the Highlander poll in which 74 percent of students considered themselves pro-choice. However, there is still variance. One such opinion is one that advocates for a more restrictive, but still lawful and necessary abortion process. “Personally, I believe that women should have the right to an abortion, but only under severe circumstances...if you’re get-

ting an abortion because you didn’t want to use other forms of contraception, or consider adoption, then getting an abortion, in my opinion, just isn’t right,” said senior David Brinzo. Similarly, junior Sydney Carlier said, “I believe that women should have the option, especially when the women is a victim of rape. However I think making abortion too accessible can negatively affect people in that it will become casual, when it really is very serious.” According to Mayo Clinic, there are possible links between abortion and an increased risk of low birth rate and other complications. Thankfully for the patient, a surgical abortion rarely causes damage to the cervix or uterus. Some students understand the conflict, but also believe that nonetheless, abortion is too similar to murder. “I personally do not promote abortion as I see it as taking a life. I do think there are exceptions to this though, such as rape. In that case, I could see and understand why a women would get an abortion,” said junior Alenna Winfield. Junior James Xie has similar views. “While abortion is not murder, and will never be classified as such, it is just as bad. The prevention of the opportunity of life is undoubtedly just as bad as actually killing someone,” said Xie. “If America was to outlaw the practice of abortion, in my opinion the law would have to include an increase in access to birth control, or provisions that would ease the adoption process.” However, following a more liberal point of view, some students believe this is more of a female-centered issue, and less of an issue surrounding fetal rights. “I think that what happens to a woman’s body, or anyone’s body, should be their own decision,” said sophomore Emily Sevilla. Senior Kalila Kirk, a pro-choice supporter, spent her summer volunteering at a Planned Parenthood. “I believe that safe abortion should be available to women because deciding when and if to have children greatly impacts

women’s abilities to be autonomous human beings,” said Kirk. “Controlling my reproduction is a fundamental part of controlling my life. Abortion to me represents freedom and control for women.” Although Kirk explored her passion through volunteering, some students ground their view through religious faith. “I have been influenced by personal moral compass and my religion. In the Jewish faith, a baby is only real once it has left the woman’s body,” said junior Amanda Breslauer. Some also ground their view in constitutional rights, such as Roe v. Wade. “A woman should have the right to an abortion until the end of the second trimester because it’s a woman’s right to privacy and women’s personal health decisions shouldn’t be dictated by any other person beside her doctor and herself,” said junior Alan Yan. Abortion has become a hotly discussed political issue, which Kirk believes to be harmful to the reproductive rights of women. “The topic of abortion quickly becomes a political debate, which is unfortunate because it undermines the fact that decisions regarding pregnancy are central to women’s lives and well being. The voices of women get lost when the subject becomes politicized,” said Kirk. Some students believe that politics alone are not the sole cause of the conflict. Yan believes that it is embedded in society itself. “Some of the opposition is rooted in patriarchy because there is a lot of research showing that with the creation of the pill, women made advances in social, political, and economic rights,” said Yan. Regardless of one’s belief, abortion is, and will continue to be, a popular topic among politicians as states around the country begin to implement various laws restricting or supporting the controversial procedure.

Editorial: Is homework really worth all the effort? The average student at Carlmont spends about six hours a day sitting in classrooms. After school they partake in various extracurricular activities and familial obligations; or in other words: something that relaxes them and allows them to express their individuality. Unfortunately for students, this opportunity is usually cut short or minimized by the fact that the school day does not end after six grueling hours at school. Reading and annotations for English, outlines for history, practice problems for math, studying for tests, packets for language: this list is just the beginning of some students’ nightly workloads. Hours upon hours of extra class work are assigned, but in reality do little more than deprive the student of sleep and overwhelm their stress receptors due to the weight the assignments have in the grade book. Although there are benefits to homework, like reinforcing the day’s lecture or allowing a student who struggles with a concept to practice it, for the most part, the extent and substance to our current homework system is egregiously ineffec-

tive. For example, in Spanish class the basis of the curriculum is vocab and grammar. In an average class, the teacher presents a new tense to the class and then some sort of classroom activity involving the use of the tense is administered in order to reinforce what was just taught. This seems reasonable enough, but then for homework the students are assigned an assignment in which they repeatedly practice the exact same thing they had been doing all of class. Teachers feel the need to load up students with pages of sentences upon sentences to practice and translate words and sentences to the point where the student is turned off by the subject and may even completely reject learning it in the future. When it comes to homework packets, reading notes, annotations, etc. the central concept for teachers to understand is that it is all one big cost-benefit analysis. If the student feels doing a part of their homework will assist them in the learning process or in general is worth their time, they will do it. However, if teachers decide to overload students with busy-work or

pointless activities, students are going to despise the teacher for wasting their time, the class or subject for taking up their time, and school/learning in general because of the stress it is putting on them. Then why do students kill themselves by doing all of this homework? Because the grade book says to. Barring the lucky students who are proficient test-takers or have a photographic memory, most students have to turn in completed assignments to balance out their test, quiz and other categories that are not as easy to get 100 percent in. Unfortunately, what many teachers do not realize is that we have 5-6 other classes besides theirs and that we do not wake up every morning just to go to school. We all have lives outside of school that allow us to be individuals and explore our passions. Overloading us with unproductive and time consuming work is doing nothing more than creating the bad reputation that some teachers have and making us hate school.

People are never too old for Disneyland By Ariana Crame Staff Writer

At age three people stop wearing diapers. At age six they stop watching Backyardigans. In the teenage years they stop wanting to be seen with their parents. But when do people ever grow out of Disney? Never. Disneyland advertises itself as “Happiest Place on Earth.” When Walt Disney created Disneyland, he said that he wanted it to be a fun place for people of all ages. Sophomore Carly Hunter said, “I believe that no one is ever too old for Disney. My mom still loves going to Disneyland and she’s 50 years old. Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. It’s a place to escape and be a little kid for awhile.” Junior Andrew Wach, said, “Some people might think they’re ‘too old’ for Disneyland, but I completely disagree. Disneyland is amazing for anyone, at any age because there are so many things to do. Whenever I go with my family, we always go on all of the rides and do other activities like the animation studio in California Adventure.” Many people agree that Disneyland is a timeless place, and that the atmosphere in the park is different from anywhere else. BioTech teacher Tina Smith said, “The atmosphere is amazing, and the park is incredibly clean so it’s not like other amusement parks where there is trash everywhere. You can be standing in line for a ride like Alice in Wonderland and enjoy the

lights and everything around it.” Mickey Mouse’s smiling face is the first greeting for people stepping through the turn styles. Visitors walk under the railroad tracks at the entrance and immediately find themselves in Main Street, USA. Walt Disney told his imagineers in the very beginning that he didn’t want the area outside of the park to be visible to the guests inside Disneyland so they could leave the real world behind. It really is “a whole new world.” Wach said, “Disneyland is so timeless because of the Disney characters all over the park. It reminds me of when I was younger and all the amazing memories I have watching their movies. There is something for everyone to enjoy at Disneyland. The aromas of the food, the cheerful characters walking around, the fanfare of the parades, the burst of fireworks, and other shows are all parts of the Disney experience. Sophomore Isabelle de Wood said, “Everyone in Disneyland is in the same happy atmosphere so everyone is joyful and everyone just wants to have fun.” As people grow up and have children, they take them to Disneyland. With each trip, the parents experience it for the first time all over again through the eyes of their children. Not only that, each time they take their child to Disneyland at a different age, it’s a different experience. A child’s first trip to Disneyland is filled with awe and won-

der. On the second trip, the child is older so they may want to get Disney characters’ autographs and ride more rides. Eventually, the time comes when the entire family is tall enough to ride every ride and the experience is once again different. Smith said, “I don’t think that people are ever too old [for Disneyland]. It’s definitely all about the atmosphere so even if they hit an age where the rides aren’t their thing anymore, you can still go and enjoy all the little details. They call it the happiest place on earth because everyone is so happy there.” People think of Disneyland as one of their favorite places, but there are others who feel differently. Not everyone stays young at heart. Some people actually think Disney characters from cartoons are immature and childlike. Other anti-Disney critics feel if you’ve seen it once, why go back. Ethan Miller said, “I think that people can get tired of going to Disneyland if they go a lot. People can get too old for Disneyland because if you are older you might not enjoy the kid rides and walking around so much.” Walt Disney wanted people to love going to his park, he created it so it would be a fun place for people of all ages. “That’s the real problem with the world, too many people grow up,” said Disney. He wanted to create a place where everyone will stay young and feel like a little kid again. Disney said, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”

Page 6

Features

The Highlander

March 2014

The lies that are inside the lettuce Salad seems healthier than pizza, but is it really? By Alyssa Fagel Staff Writer

On any given day, over 40 percent of Carlmont students eat a salad for lunch. But that doesn’t mean salads are healthy. In the past, females, most specifically teenagers, have been declared the most self-critical of their appearance, as demonstrated by Social Issues Research Centre and Brown University Health Education. Afraid of being bullied for their weights, some girls pack their lunch based off of what they consider beneficial to their diets. Sophomore and salad lover Jacey Phipps said, “It’s yummy, but it’s also good for you. I need to eat healthy in order to be healthy.” But what these adolescent girls, like many other people, don’t realize is that these “healthy” foods aren’t necessarily as healthy as they are declared to be. Salads, for example, are not always “healthy.” Saying that they are always healthy is like saying there are never any benefits of eating chocolate, because although chocolate can be high in saturated fat and sugar, it can also be very helpful to the human diet. According to Women’s Health, eating dark chocolate helps prevent diabetes, relieve stress, and cut the risk of heart failure, all in addition to providing a tasty snack for the consumer. Salads work the same way. The main ingredient in salad is lettuce, a low-calorie vegetable full of protein that can help stimulate weight loss. Yet Esther Levy, Parent Coach of the Packard Pediatric Weight Control Program at Stanford, said, “I would not say that salads

cheeses, meat. etc, that salad can turn from healthy and low-fat to a lunch that is very high in fat and calories.” According to Calorie Count, Denny’s Deluxe Chicken Caesar Salad (with grilled chicken and dressing) has 600 calories and 41 grams of fat, whereas their Chicken Avocado Sandwich has 520 calories and 20 grams of fat, and their Bacon Lettuce Chipotle Chicken Skillet has 340 calories and 16 grams of fat. 3 cups 16 cal. Cheese Pizza A Carlmont poll showed that 14 percent of stuCucumbers dents said that they would define a “healthy food” 2 slices 336 cal. 8 cal. 1 sliced as a food with a minimal amount of calories and Olives fats. By this definition, a salad at Denny’s should Tomatoes be considered less healthy than chicken and bacon 1 tsp 10 cal. 48 cal. 1 sliced sandwiches. Onions And yet, there is a significant amount of people Chicken 1 peel 6 cal. who insist on chowing down on their “healthy” 1/2 breast 141 cal. salads every day. Sausage Ranch Dressing Levy said, “I think there are many misconcep1 link 44 cal. tions. There is so much messaging out there in the 1 serving 148 cal. media about what you should and shouldn’t eat, Croutons and it can get quite confusing. One misconception is 1 pack 48 cal. about the health benefits of nuts, avocado, olive oil, etc. Yes, the fat in these foods is the ‘healthier fat,’ but these foods are also very dense in fat and calories. They are not the foods that you would want to load up on if you are trying i to lose weight.” am ak w When it comes to making the difficult decision over what to Ka h le y s A pack for lunch, there are a lot of things to consider. Salads are by In fo gr a ph ic known to be a healthy option, but that could change. are always healthier for the human body than other common Levy said, “The key to everything is moderation.” And salads lunch foods. [They] can be very healthy, [but] I emphasize the are no exception. word ‘can’ because once you add heavy dressing, avocado, nuts,

Salad Pizza

409 cal. 396 cal.

I’ll Instagram it, I’ll tweet it, and then I’ll eat it By Tara Shahrvini Staff Writer

A Google search of the word food reveals over 100 web pages centered around local restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world. Today, food is the center of an endless stream of attention. Daily Instagram and Facebook posts, blogs, TV episodes, and YouTube uploads have a similar subject. Cuisine has become a means of mass entertainment in high schoolers’ lives. Teenagers devote much of their time to social media, and often times find themselves flipping through pages and pages of exotic foods they cannot find nearby. According to a study conducted by Compete Pulse, “57 percent of Pinterest users interact with food content daily.” Regardless of age and ethnicity, many teens and young adults feel obligated to comply with this new trend of sharing pictures of their every meal. Sophomore Alex Davidovich said, “Every time I go out and get food with my friends, one of us takes a picture and posts on some form of social media. It doesn’t matter how good or bad the food is, or where we got it from. So many people post pictures of their food that it has turned into a trend, and even I am guilty of following it.” Besides its satisfying taste, people seek out foods that they can’t find easily at home, as they want to be exposed to different cultures and ethnicities.

Images from Instagram public search

“When I lived in South Africa, there were numerous shopping centers. Food from the certain types of foods that weren’t available Middle East, Europe, and many other regions or easy to access. But, in America there are so are available with a short drive. many restaurants that sell food from all differWhile there are many local and relatively ent countries. I think people that post pictures cheap restaurants, few places offer traditional of their food, use their food as a way to explore foods from around the world. Finding such a different places of the world that they probably place is often very rewarding. will never visit,” said junior Tanita Singh. Freshman Lucas Moody said, “Whenever I Although America is not known for its cui- find a nice place that serves food with a twist sine, it is known for allowing people to try to it, I feel like I accomplished a mission. It’s new foods by supporting ethnic and cultural like winning Be a Friend ! a trophy for a scavenger hunt. A J a n u a r y i s lotN a tgood i ofood na diversity. of times isn’tl at the nice, fancy M e nSan to rin Mo nbet aththe food stand around “Walking down downtown Mateo, I g restaurant. It can love seeing restaurants representing different the corner or the food trucks that come out nations,” said Singh. every Monday.” The Bay Area is a diverse region filled with Today, food is more than just a way to satisfy

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hunger. It is a way to unite with different cultures and entertain. Parents often tell children not to play with their food. It seems as though they should also tell teens not to take pictures of and post their food. For people of all ages, food is a promising way to entertain. Children play with it. Teens pose with it. Adults use it as a way to minimize conversation with relatives. It is a wellintegrated part of our lives. Davidovich said, “Food is not just food anymore. Its sole purpose has gone from eliminating hunger to getting as many likes as possible. Food for teenagers is like a brand-new scooter that a child wants to brag about.”

Page 7

Features

The Highlander

March 2014

Athletes have different nutritional needs By Claudia Leist Junior Editor

Many students wrestle with the decision: should I eat that second Chipotle burrito? It really depends on if those people are continuously active or if they just sit and watch TV. Whether it is carbing up before a big race or shamelessly indulging in a super sized ice cream sundae, athletes of all ages need more energy to keep them going and can worry a bit less about their caloric intake. "I like to eat healthy food in general, but since I run so much, the amount doesn't really matter," said junior and cross country runner Michael Bereket. The University of Missouri estimates that "male athletes generally need more than 22.7 calories per pound of bodyweight each day, or more than 3,800 calories per day for a 170-pound man. Non-athletes should consume around 2,800 calories per day." "I like sticking with lean meats and veggies, and I like to keep my portions smaller," said junior and cross country runner Mark Vingralek. "I carb load before my races with pasta and stuff, and I drink a lot of water." Accoring to Dr. David L. Gee, athletes greatly increase their water loss when they sweat and only slightly increase it through urine exertion. They must consume a lot of water and rely less on food water and metabolic water. "I try to carb up before games because it gives me extra energy during the game and I try really hard to eat healthy all the time," said

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sophomore Cam Kondo. "If you're an athlete you're always in season and it's important you keep your body in good condition." According to the University of Missouri, "female athletes need about 20 to 23 calories per pound of bodyweight each day. This is equivalent to 2,600 to 2,990 calories a day for a 130-pound woman." "In the early stages of moderate exercise, carbohydrates provide 40 to 50 percent of the energy requirement," said the Colorado State

University Extension. "Consumption of fat should not fall below 15 percent of total energy intake because it may limit performance." A study done by the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs shows that "endurance athletes on a high-carbohydrate diet can exercise longer than athletes eating a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet." "I also eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, and I drink tons of water to keep my body going," said Kondo.

It is not recommended for athletes to constantly eat a high-carbohydrate diet because the body relies too much on the carbs for fuel and not enough on acids derived from fat. Even though it is always important to eat healthy food and only have small portions of the sweet stuff, as long as people stay active and aware, the flexibility of their diets can increase. If an athlete knows it will not affect them for the big game tomorrow, that second 500-calorie Chipotle burrito may be alright.

Food for thought: pros and cons of college campus food By Kellan McDonough Sports Editor

When deciding on where to attend college this coming May, it’s important to consider what you will be eating for the next four years. Campus dining options can be crucial to the college experience; after all, you don’t want to be eating the same food over and over again. Many college students return home for winter break craving a “home cooked” meal. It’s common to miss your family’s cooking but you shouldn’t dread the food at your college campus. Christina Rice, a Carlmont graduate who now attends UCLA, said, “[UCLA food] tastes like quality food. It's not gross cafeteria food. And there are so many options. A lot of it is really healthy but then there are also choices for when you don't want to eat healthy.” The Daily Meal did a survey in 2013 examining 2,000 fouryear colleges across America. They made a list of the top 60 colleges with the best food. UCLA made number five on that list. The list put together by The Daily Meal is competitive. For

Best

the

their 2013 list, they reevaluated all the colleges from the previous list and took account for new dining options and healthier changes. The list is based on health, sustainable, accessibility, nutritional education, events, unique-ness, and student feedback. New and different dining options help colleges get on the list. Rice said, “I actually like eating here. A lot of kids talk about how they can't wait to come home from college to get a home cooked meal but I don't feel like that because the food is so good. The food [at UCLA] isn't like eating fast food it's like eating actual food.” For some, going off to college means the end of “good food.” Certain colleges just don’t have the caliber that makes The Daily Meal’s Top 60 List. Anna Wheeler, who attends University of Tulsa, said, “Honestly, the food at the dining hall isn't what I expected. I thought it was going to be pretty good, but most of the time it's hard to find something that I really, sincerely want to eat. There's been one time that I actually enjoyed my meal at the dining hall.” Its common to have a disappointing dining hall experience.

and

Worst

Colleges have to find a way to feed mass amounts of kids, making the options not always so tasty. Jacob Rudger, who attends USC, said, “The food at USC is consistently subpar. The best part about college dining halls is that there are a lot of options, but the food is very rarely tasty. It's all hit or miss because one day they'll be serving some delicious chicken quesadillas or gyros, but the next day they'll be serving greasy cheap steak with sloppy grilled onions.” Of course there are ways to avoid the dining hall. Most colleges have other restaurants or fast food places on campus. Rudger said, “Our other non-dining hall food options are great. In the Campus Center there's a Panda Express, CPK, Habit, Mexican place, and a nice deli. Surrounding campus we have every fast food place imaginable, which is awesome. The food is by no means bad, but given the amount of money I pay for my meal plan I feel like I deserve better food.” It might get pretty hard to eat the same options over and over again. Then again, that’s all apart of the college experience. “You'll never appreciate a home-cooked meal as much as you will when you're in college,” said Rudger.

of college food

1. Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

1. Fordham College, New York City, NY

2. Bowdoin College, Bruinswick, MA

2. New College of Florida, Sarasota, FL

3. Washington University, St. Louis, MO

3. Wells College, Aurora, NY

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Page 8 The Highlander

Features

March 2014

Introverts vs. extroverts, the difference between the two By Danielle Schneider Staff Writer

A perfect day for junior Alex Listvinsky may involve staying home, sleeping, reading, watching TV, or talking to someone over the Internet. About 50 percent of the population, or 48 percent of Carlmont students might agree with him. Those people are introverts, who, according to Psychology teacher Michelle Mckee, are “reenergized by doing things on their own or with small groups of people.” They contrast with extroverts who are stimulated by interaction with other people, preferably in large groups. A perfect day for an extrovert might be just hanging out with people he or she enjoys talking to. Many students who identify as introverts or extroverts say they’ve felt that way for years and are confident with that label. “I’ve known I was an introvert since I was in seventh grade when I took a personality test, but I knew even before that,” said Listvinsky. It’s not just teenagers who feel this way, either. “I’ve been an introvert forever,” said

Mckee. “According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which I’ve taken several times, I always come out as an introvert.” The MyersBriggs test assesses psychological preferences in how people interact and perceive the world around them. Although there are 16 different possible personality types, each encompass introversion or extroversion as a main factor. Even with half of the population identifying as introverts, it can often seem as though many institutions ignore the fact that some find extended social interaction taxing. High school, for example, can leave many introverted students feeling tired at the end of a day spent talking with others for eight hours.

“I just get overwhelmed with interactions sometimes. High school is very social and sometimes I’d rather be by myself,” said senior Cameron Cumming. To him, “life is made for extroverts.” Senior Samantha Samuelsen, an extrovert, feels the opposite. “It’s really, really fun being an extrovert in high school. I get to interact with people and I have a good time doing it.” While students may have different experiences in school, some teachers remain mostly unaffected by their introversion or extroversion while they work. “I don’t feel like I’m really introverted in my classroom, and that’s why many people think

I’m actually extroverted,” said Mckee. “I tend to like my quiet break times, but I do enjoy interacting with students.” Even teachers whose students see as 100 percent extroverted enjoy their quiet moments away from students. History teacher Jarrod Harrison said, “When I’m at work I’m more extroverted, but when I go home I kind of want to be left alone.” Because some students learn better and are more comfortable with processing information by talking, and others by silent study, Harrison said that in his classes he “tries to balance out the five day week and do everything,” appealing to both introverts and extroverts. There are obvious personality differences between introverts and extroverts, and this can sometimes lead to conflict between the two. However, students should recognize the benefit of exposure to other ways of solving problems and dealing with the world. Understanding these differences can help a student to develop a more balanced perspective. As said by Mckee, “My extroverted friends can actually help pull me out of my introverted-ness a little bit.”

spend an hour and half talking to their significant others. You know you live in a scary day and age when phones are replacing real-life conversation. The future bodes even worse; numerous studies (such as a 2013 United Nations study that found that people now have more access to cell phones than toilets) suggest that more people will spend more time behind a screen than ever before. Not only are cell phones addicting, they can be plain dangerous. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 50 percent of U.S. high schoolers text and drive. This is a scary thought, especially considering the recent study done by Cohen Children’s Medical Center which found that distracted driving has surpassed alcohol and drugs as being the number one cause for teenage deaths. Furthermore, some studies have indicated that cell phones emit enough radiation to be considered cancer-causing.

As a result, the World Health Organization now lists cell phones in the same cancer-causing hazard category as lead, engine exhaust, and chloroform. Now, these studies are very inconclusive at best, but serve to show how little scientists know about the potential dangers of cell phone use. What we absolutely know is that there’s no substitute for real-life experiences. With your head buried in a screen, you’re primarily exposed to second-hand information. That’s information that is gathered by someone else, interpreted by someone else, along the way a company probably tries to elevate or dramatize the information to attract more people, and then it’s transferred to that tiny little screen in your hand. Think of it this way: if you didn’t have your phone, would you still be able to function as a human being? Would you know how to speak in a convincing and logical manner, primarily through making your own observations of the world

around you? Would you be able to recite from memory all the important information about you (Social security number, bank account statement, etc.)? Would you be able to write and mail a letter? My biggest fear of cell phones is that they are replacing the individualism and learning that is a crucial part of human development. Thirty years ago, if you wanted to know how something was done, you’d go out and find someone to show you how to do it. Nowadays, there’s an app for that, which allows you to find the desired information while staying cut off from the rest of the world. In order to combat this wave of technology, we have to practice living as our ancestors did. We need to learn through our experiences, educate ourselves by talking with others, and explore the world around us. We are all humans living on Earth. It’s time for us to put those phones down, and explore the world.

52% 48%

Extrovert Introvert

Carlmont students and society needs to disconnect By Michael Bastaki Staff Writer

Look at you, craning your neck to stare at your little screen. Look at you, shuffling like a zombie to stare at your little screen. Look at you, ignoring the world to stare at your little screen. A study down by the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association found that nearly 60 percent of American teens attribute their phones to improving their lives. How can a small artificial device made from glass, ceramics, paper, metal, and toxins be so important to our lives? When you stop to think about it, alarm bells should be ringing. We cannot, as a society, be so over-reliant and addicted to our cell phones. It’s gotten ridiculous how much cell phones dictate our lives, control our thoughts, pervade our minds. Just look at a study done by Telefonica Europe, which found that people spend two hours a day on their phones, whereas they only

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The Highlander

Page 9

Features

March 2014

Gender in friendship; and the importance

Getting through high school with friends

By Gen Kellis Staff Writer

High school can be a tough time for many teenagers. Having friends to provide moral support and comic relief is important in maintaining sanity throughout the rough years. There are many benefits of friendship. They help people shape future relationships, discover their priorities, build social skills, and keep a person grounded. The dynamics of friendship changes as people age. In elementary school, your best friend is whoever gives you a cookie at lunch and plays with you at recess, or the kid that lives down the block. They’re not always going to last and they’re not built on firm foundations. In middle school, your best friend may be who you have the most classes with and you hangout with almost everyday after school. Friendships during the early stages of a persons, life are more superficial and less substantial than friendships during high school. In high school, that all changes. Your friends become the people that help you through the difficult transition of becoming an adult. Starting as a freshman, it’s obvious that friendships change and develop into stronger bonds. Freshman Maya Paulo said, “During high school a person will face a lot of challenges.” Paulo highlights one of the many benefits of having friends which is providing moral support. Humans and teenagers need to feel that they’re not alone in what they’re going through. Having someone to rely on is one of the many benefits of having friends. If a teenager is left alone often bad things can happen. Junior Cole Castro said, “I think friendship is important because it gives a person somebody to hangout with and also somebody to help out in tough times.” According to WebMD, psychologists have said that building friendships in high school

2

1

builds the foundation for the rest of a person’s life. Junior Gigi Vlahos said, “I feel like friendship is really important because true friends are always there to support you. There’s always someone for everyone.” Generally, people look for qualities similar to their own in a new friend, like a good sense of humor. Junior Aniles Devoe said, “You know a friendship is real when you can act completely weird around someone and still be fully comfortable and just laugh everything off.” Over the years, people have discovered common interests with their friends ,whether it’s sports or TV shows, or going out. Vlahos said, “I look for people who are weird like me and who I bond with easily. I really like it when I can be myself around people and not have to worry about being judged.” It’s common to be drawn to people that you “click” with . Castro said, “In a friend I look for someone with common interests and who has good morals and someone I know I can trust, and someone who is nice to other people.” The value of a good friendship helps you through the problems and stress in high school, and leads you to be able to build future relationships.

“I feel like friendship is really important because true friends are always there to support you. There’s always someone for everyone.” -Junior Gigi Vlahos

3 What do you look for in friends? Looks 6 4% Sense of humor 89 65% Popularity 2 1% Mutual Friends 11 8% Other 29 21%

Infogaphic by Sarah Boro

It is often said that good friends are one of the most valuable part of someone’s life. Friends are there when life gets hard, and friends are the ones that have some of the best memories attached with them. Friendships come in all types as well, including same-gender and opposite-gender friendships When one thinks of friends of the same gender, it often goes something like this: two girls on the floor painting their nails talking about boys, or two boys playing video games talking about the latest “Collegehumor” video. “I prefer being around my girl friends,” said freshman Caroline Concilla. “I feel like I can be more personal with them.” Friends of the same gender are intrigued by the same things, which makes the friendship a more beneficial option for some. Not only do people of the same gender experience the same social issues, but they also process and think about things in the same way. “It’s easier to relate to my girl friends in the sense that we go through the same things,” said senior Jade Neyroud. “Different genders perceive things differently and I think its nice when I’m able to relate.” However even though same-gender friendships have their benefits, there are also factors about them that are not liked; for girls a common issue found among their other girl friends is the drama. In movies, female friendships often hold a certain level of “cattiness” to them, which some feel is apparent in real life friendships as well. “In most friendships where there are all girls, they will often try to live up to one another and out do each other,” said junior Donna Ghae-

mi. “There’s always that little bit of competition.” Boys also seem to feel a sense of competition about Do you have Do you prefer their other some friends same gender male friends as for personal or opposite well. gain? “We don’t gender friendreally compete Yes 34 25% ships? for girls and No 103 75% Same 68 50% typical stuff Opposite 69 50% like that,” said junior Cody Campbell, “But we do all try to compete for the best Hamdun said “It’s more fun to hang out cars, like whose can go the fastest and has the with people of the opposite gender, it’s a difbest engine.” ferent experience.” Despite the differences, both genders find it Females often like being friends with males easier to relate, and talk to their friends of the because of the lack of drama present in the same gender than friends of a different gender. friendship compared to that of their girl “It’s just easier to talk to people of the same friends. gender about problems and things that you “Boys are less catty,” said Ghaemi. “They’re can’t really talk to the opposite about.” said se- just more relaxed about stuff.” nior Joseph Hamdun. “I feel like there’s less drama in my opposite But what are the perks of having a friend- gender friendships.” said Concilla. ship with someone of the opposite gender? Girls feel as though they can joke around What is there to be offered that can’t be found with boys, and boys are much less uptight than in friends of the same gender? their girlfriends. “I like being friends with boys because their “It’s easier to be friends with guys,” said interests are different than those of my girl- Neyroud, “I can joke around with them and I friends,” said Ghaemi, “They’re more into just know they won’t get butthurt, whereas I’m not chillin’ and I like that.” sure with my girl friends.” It is apparent that both genders like hanging Regardless of how drama-free opposite genout with friends of the opposite gender due to der friendships are, there is always some suspito the fact that it offers a different experience cion that the infamous saying “boys and girls than their same gender friends.. can never be just friends” holds some truth to

it.

“You always wonder if something’s going to come out of the friendship, and if something’s going to happen,” said Neyroud. “Boys and girls can never just be completely platonic.” The thought of a relationship developing out of a boy-girl friendship is usually on the back of people’s minds. “There’s always a risk when being friends with a girl that feelings might develop,” said Hamdun, “and in that case, it can lead to drama and arguments.” However, in the end, what makes a good friendship is how compatible the two people are, not their gender. Two people can not be friends if their personalities clash, and that has nothing to do with being a boy or a girl. “To me, gender doesn’t really matter,” said Ghaemi. “People should decide to be friends with whoever they’re comfortable around, and to me, gender doesn’t play a role in that decision.”

Taking advantage of your friends By Kat Savin Staff Writer

ular or to be invited to social events, they are even used in ways to improve academics, for example the “smartest kid in class” is the one who many students feel the need to get to know so that if needed, they can use them to understand a lesson. Sexton said, “Forming a fake friendship could be when meeting the smartest kid in class and manipulating them to believing you are good friends just to get help on the subject.” “I took advantage of my friend,” said junior Komei Wang. “I wanted to get with his ex-girlfriend and now he doesn’t like me.” An exploitative friendship is one where a friend is only calling upon another when they are in need of something. Sexton said, “I think that friendships are important because they provide support for you, however there can easily be fake friendships when one gets manipulated or used. I do think that in high school there can be a lot of manipulated friendships.” At this point in high school, students are beginning to realize who their real friends are.

Are your friends really your friends or are they just taking advantage of you? There are friends and then there are “friends” who mooch for what you have. These “friends” take advantage of others for their own gain. The friendship has no real function or worth to them other than the benefit of themselves. People like this are not real friends. They feel no connection to others but to only better themselves. Friendships, as you go through life, can come and go, but the fake ones are the ones that can permanently affect you. Movies such as Mean Girls, which is a very popular movie among teens, portrays friendships as fake and backstabbing. In the movie, the backstabbing friends otherwise, known as “The Plastics,” manipulate each other to become the most popular girls in school and they use each other to gain popularity. Junior Taylor Sexton said, “In the movie Mean Girls the popular girls see their threat and they take advantage of it to make themselves look better.” Friend one and Friend two have been friends for a couple years now. Friend one is quite wealthy and Friend two is friends with all the cute girls at school. Friend two enjoys hanging out with Friend one because everytime they go out together Friend one always buys the meals and Friend two really enjoys this treat. Friend one has a crush on one of Friend two’s friends so Friend one likes to spend more time with Friend two in order to get closer to Friends Jacey Phipps, Joanna Tabacek, Sarah Schisla, Altheir crush. exa Zaino, Leisha Moroney, and Wesley Lim smile for a picIn high school, many stuture. dents use each other to get pop-

Photo by Sarah Boro

By Sonia Paulo Staff Writer

Page 10 The Highlander

Features

March 2014

Spring Break serves more than one purpose Angelina Castillo Staff Writer

While movies glamorize Spring break as a time to party and go out, many students use it as a week to relax from school or go on vacations. Junior Raine Kerhin said, “I think media does portray Spring break as a time to party and go to tropical islands with your friends when in reality its mostly a time to calm from school and relax before you go back and finish the year.” Hollywood has portrayed Spring break in several different ways; in 2012 Spring Breakers came out which portrayed a group of young girls making irresponsible decisions. According to New York Times, in 1958 Glendon Swarthout, an English professor at Michigan State University, overheard his students buzzing about their Easter-break trip to Fort Lauderdale. Students typically shuttled home to attend church services with their parents, but now word was spreading of another kind of Spring break. Swarthout decided to tag along so that he could observe the rituals like pool-hopping, pith helmets, beatnik jazz and capture the lingo as “beaucoup beers,” “schizoid,” “babyroo.” Upon his return, he dashed off a novel about coeds who cruise the beach and “play house” with students from other colleges — a 1950s version of “Girls Gone Wild.” The book became popular and turned into a movie — marketed with the phrase “Spring vacation” — as well as a Connie Francis song. Junior Pierre Llorch said, “Spring break is great and movies portray it as a time to party and leave your house, but most of us are under the age of 17 and our parents wouldn’t let us go to parties, it’s just unrealistic because in reality we are not legal. In movies its portrayed of ages between 18 and 21.” Eighty-eight percent of Carlmont students believe that media does portray Spring Break as a time to party because of the way it is advertised in movies. According to The Atlantic, just inside the armpit of Florida’s panhandle, sits Panama City Beach, widely known as the “Spring break capital of the world.” Every year, the area draws up to 500,000 college students. For many years, Panama City has been MTV’s home base for Spring break coverage, and partiers spend $170 million during sixweek period, according to a 2004 study. Sophomore Amelia Armstrong said, “I never thought of it as a party break for high schools, it’s more for colleges and usually everyone just wants to sleep. Over break I will visit my brother in college in Oregon but I usually stay home.” Spring break to many students is vacationing and relaxing. Seventeen percent of stu-

Infographic by Jocelyn Moran

dents go out of the county, 39 percent stay in state, 19 percent visit other states, and 10 percent go on a traditional family vacation. Kerhin said, “Over Spring break I will be going to Mexico to build houses for homeless people with Carlmont students. Junior Alenna Winfield said, “Spring break

is viewed as a party break because on MTV they have commercials of people in places like Cabo drinking and partying, and media has also displayed this in movies such as Spring Breakers.” According to TIME Magazine, the Spring break scene and its lusty young demographic

is getting noticed. In 1986, MTV launched its first spring break special from Daytona Beach, Florida, a program which has continued from varying locales ever since. The images it broadcasted only reinforced Spring break’s reputation for excessive intoxication and sexual situations.

Features

The Highlander

Page 11 March 2014

High school’s expectations and its reality Gianna Schuster Staff Writer

Maybe you thought that football players and cheerleaders would run the school. Maybe you thought that your walks to class would be a desperate attempt to avoid bullies. Or maybe you thought you would spend every weekend living it up with your best buds at wild parties. Instead you got reality. Exceptional students do not run the school -- the administration does. As for student harassments, no one has ever has ever been shoved into a locker during passing period. And weekends? Forget about wild parties. Try sitting at home with ten pounds of homework on your shoulders. Entering the realm of high school can be terrifying for students, and it can be thrilling for others. But for everyone, high school begins as a downright plunge into a world of confusion. Too often, this sudden bewilderment stems from the fact that the reality of high school does not exactly match up to its expectations. High school is dramatized through a myriad of rumors, movies, and stories passed down through generations. All of these factors take part in leading students to form bizarre perceptions of a reality that they have never even experienced. “Coming into high school was weird because I had so many different perceptions of what it would be like. There was the whole clique thing, there was stuff I had heard about the unbearable homework load and crazy parties, and then there was my own curiosity of what the real high school experience actually was,” said freshman Lexi Posey. There are both pros and cons to the way that high school unfolds itself. For starters, the whole popularity contest among peers becomes decreasingly prominent with every year. High school is not exactly a replica of the film “Jawbreaker,” which depicts an elite clique of teen queens who rule the

school. Eventually, you wake up and realize that your social status quo does not determine the next four years of your life. With our futures approaching faster than we can breathe, students simply don’t care as much about campus clique drama because “it is really irrelevant,” said senior Raj Aurora. “For instance, a lot of the people who think that they’re really popular, other people don’t look at them in high esteem.” Quite often, there is the expectation to “find yourself ” in high school. It may not even be noticeable while it is happening, but simply surrounding yourself with the right crowd allows countless students to figure out who they are. Senior Roxy Barker said, “There are so many people spread out over school. You end up focusing on what you like and what you’re interested in. You don’t care as much about what other people are interested in because you’re focused on your own interests. You surround yourself by people that you really like and enjoy being with.” A high school’s large population can seem like a giant city to those entering from a smaller school. Granted, your class may not be one tight-knit family anymore, but the plethora of students provides everyone with the advantage of a fresh start with new people and new experiences. “When you come from middle school, the amount of people is so much smaller and everyone knows each other. When you come to high school, you don’t know who anybody is,” said Barker. “Still to this day, I meet new people and I find out that they are seniors, even though I’ve been at this school for four years.” Despite how stressful it can be to find your way through a crowd of what can seem like millions of strangers, the diverse atmosphere of high school urges students to branch out, meet new people, and form new friendships. “People aren’t as rude as I thought they would be -- people are more friendly,” said junior Zach Govani. Needless to say, if you haven’t made an entirely new group

of friends by the end of the first month, this can easily change. “It kind of sucked being a freshman because coming in, you don’t really know anyone. But [as high school progresses] you end up knowing everyone which is pretty cool,” said junior Owen Lee. The academic life in high school is a rigorous one, and it devours a good portion of life from the day you set foot on campus. Teachers could not be more serious when they warn that they will no longer “hold your hand” through school. As young adults, high school students are expected to take their academic life into their own hands and go to the necessary measures to get the job done. “When I was a freshman, I thought I would be taught a lot more. [For many classes], the fact is that you outline and then you learn. And then after, the teacher might lecture,” said Aurora. “It would be nice if they would teach more.” With new assignments constantly on the agenda, spending time with friends becomes a privilege rather than a priority. Hitting the books is a serious matter and takes away many hours of social interaction. “High school gives a ton of schoolwork which is really annoying because I’m always busy, so I don’t get that much time to have a social life,” Lee said. Ultimately, creating your own high school experience is what determines the next four years of your life -- not wild expectations. It is all the things learned and all the memories made that determine how we can look back on these teenage years. As he inches toward his final year of high school, junior Douglas Muller has learned the element of time is the key ingredient to adaptation in high school. “When I was younger, I expected high school to be a lot more intimidating than it was,” said Muller. “But with each year, you get more experienced and more on top of everything. Eventually, it doesn’t seem as intimidating as it used to.”

Travel destinations and the ways to get there Lizzy Doctorov Staff Writer

There are a variety of destinations at one’s fingertips and dozens of ways to get to them. As the richest nation in the world, according to The World Bank, the United States has many possibilities for vacations composed of different routes, modes of travel, and destinations. These travel methods are not only for vacations. Many large companies, such as Symantec and HP, send workers on business trips while financing everything from hotels and flights to food at gourmet restaurants. Sophomore Cuyler Crandall said, “My dad used to go on business trips every two months or so. He was sent to South Korea, China, Switzerland, Germany, Scandinavia, and pretty much all over. Everything was paid for by his company.” Traveling didn’t always have so many options. According to the National Museum of American History, trains and boats were the only long-distance commercial transportation available in the 19th century. Approximately a century later came commercial automobiles that could be used by the wealthier people. Prices slowly decreased over the course of the next century to make them more readily available to the general public. At the same time, commercial flying was starting to take off the ground. Americans have a large variety of unique destinations to choose from when deciding where to go for their next vacation. According to Tripadvisor, the top travel destinations are similar to what one may imagine. Paris is the first choice, followed by New York City, London, Rome, and Barcelona. History teacher Jayson Waller said, “I’ve been to Latin America, Australia, Asia, North Africa, and Europe. The one I always want to go back to is Europe.” Although air travel is most certainly the fastest, especially over water, automobile travel seems to be the most common. According to the United States Department of Transportation, 90 percent of a total of 2.6 billion annual American trips are made by personal vehicles. Air travel comprises seven percent, bus travel takes up two percent, and 0.8 percent is accomplished by trains. The earliest

Nectar

Streetwear

form of transportation, travel by boat, makes up only 0.2 percent except when taking vacations on islands, where it increases to 14 percent. Sophomore Emily Rexer said, “I like family road trips because you get to see more of the country than you would if you just took a plane. On the other 23,753,441 licensed drivers in California hand, flying is [my favorite mode of 172,202 miles of public roads in travel] because it’s the fastest way to get California wherever you’re going.” After deciding how they’re going to get to their destinations, Americans have an abundant choice of ways to experience their vacations. 20,335,000 cruise ship passengers In 2013, there were a total of Sightseeing by a guidebook, aim43% of people think the Caribbean 168,535 ßights out of SFO lessly strolling around and taking in the is the most appealing destination to international airport sights, group or personal tours, cruises, cruise to. and bus tours are only some of the various methods to enjoy a foreign place. Crandall said, “My favorite way to travel is in any plane I have enough legroom in. Once we get there, [my family and I] usually wander around to see the 1,274 Amtrak cars in service in 2010 846,051 buses in service in 2010 city, the historical places, and taste the 342 million miles traveled 13,789 million miles food.” by commuter rail in 2010 traveled by bus in 2010 Traveling isn’t limited to vacations and business trips. In April, Carlmont’s instrumental music program first travels to Long http://gis.rita.dot.gov/StateFacts/StateFacts.aspx?StateName=California, American Association of Port Authorities, Caribbean Cruise Association Beach by motorcoach, where they then Infographic by Zoe Wildman board a Carnival cruise ship bound for performance open to all passengers aboard the ship. Each perEnsenada, Mexico. formance will be adjudicated by two professional musicians. The participating music classes are Concert Band, SymMusic teacher John DaBaldo said, “The trip has many purphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, String Orchestra, and Symphony poses: to tour universities and give students a chance to explore Orchestra. the possibility of making music a career path, to work with This experience isn’t all fun and games. On the way to Long university music professors and clinicians, to perform in a very Beach, the music program stops at UC Irvine and CSU Long different setting, to expose students to a different culture, and Beach for a college tour and clinics with the music professors. to enable our groups to bond with each other in a different way During the cruise, all the classes will have a rehearsal and a than they would otherwise be able to in a school situation.”

HOW DO YOU TRAVEL?

Page 12 The Highlander

Lifestyle

March 2014

Hug or handshake? The different ways we greet others A 16 year-old boy makes eye contact with his buddy as they walk towards each other down the hall. In a matter of a seconds the boy, who prefers to keep a barrier of personal space around him in most encounters at school, makes the initial gestures that will soon become a handshake. As the second passes each boy realizes that a dire miscommunication of body language has occurred. Before either boy can shift their actions to fit the other, they collide in what becomes the awkward squished-handshake body-bump. They break apart as quickly as possible in the hopes that this uncomfortable encounter went unnoticed. The moment is mutually brushed off with a light-hearted yet still slightly uncomfortable chuckle. Finally, both boys smile and walk away. The moment is over. Chances are, almost everyone has had an uncomfortable encounter like this one. They are an unpleasant, but unavoidable part of life as the actions of others are relatively unpredictable. Junior Griffin Kimura said, “When I meet people I usually give them a high-five. If they don’t high-five you back it’s sort of awkward, but then you both just go your separate ways.” There are various types of greetings such as a smile, a wave, a handshake, a bow, a hug, or a kiss on the cheek. Each type of greeting can be used in different social situations, whether they are formal, casual, friendly or reserved. “A few weeks ago, I went out to dinner with my mom and her friend who had met me when I was really young. When I saw him I tried to shake his hand, but he gave me a hug instead and I just thought ‘um, okay..I don’t really know you that

Photo by Minh-Han Vu

By Zoe Wildman Staff Writer

well,’” said sophomore Micaela Lopez. For those who value their personal space, a wave or a smile will suffice as a greeting in most informal situations. In many formal or business situations, a firm handshake is most appropriate, since it maintains personal space expectations, and it can give off a strong, confident presence. When encountering family and friends almost all forms of greeting are appropriate depending on the relation, level of comfort and timing of the meeting. “It depends on the age range. If it is a professional situation I’m going to try to keep it professional, but if not I just try to be as friendly as possible. When I am uncomfortable or don’t want to talk to someone I usually just avoid making eye contact,” said junior Amber Governale. Lopez said, “With friends we are super friendly and affectionate, but with adults we like to keep our distance,” said Lopez.

According to Saint Louis University’s website for international students, “Americans prefer to maintain about 18 inches (46cm) of space between themselves and the person with whom they are speaking. This personal space is very important and, if limited, the individual may become uncomfortable.” Depending on the level of comfort people have with the person they are greeting, exchanges can vary from polite to very casual. Junior Brian Palma said, “When I meet someone I usually just say ‘Hey, what’s up?’ and give them a handshake.” “If it’s someone I know I usually slap their ass,” said junior James Pak. In a poll of 137 Carlmont students, 49 percent of students prefer a smile or wave as an initial greeting when meeting someone. Outside of America, expectations for social greetings are different. According to an article by Susan Adams for Forbes.com, “Brazilians stand very close and use physical contact during conversations. In Brazil, closeness inspires trust, and trust inspires long-term relationships.” Adams also mentions that if going to Japan, “Japanese culture is very welcoming and formal. Expect each of your counterparts to bow during an introduction. Wait for them to initiate a handshake because it is less common, and sometimes avoided, in business.” Greetings are a personal choice and depend on a multitude of factors, but no matter where in the world the meeting is occurring, being polite, kind and respectful will always make a great first impression.

Dining out: a form of entertainment

The history of superstitious beliefs

In this generation, it is difficult to find entertainment that is affordable and captivates one’s attention. After a long day of work or school, many people would choose the easier route of going out to eat instead of preparing dinner. As a result, according to dosomething.org, 20 percent of all Americans’ meals are eaten in the car. However, teenagers are using going out to eat for entertainment. Junior Jenna Mourad said, “Personally, my friends and I go out to lunch and dinner because it’s fun to go out with your friends and talk and eat instead of going to the mall or the movies. It has gotten so bor-

Have you ever wondered why people wear green on St. Patrick’s Day? Or why black cats are considered bad luck and four-leaf clovers are considered good luck? According to Huffington Post, the color green was originally worn in Ireland on Saint Patrick’s Datbecause an Irish legend stated that wearing green made them invisible to leprechauns, who would pinch anyone they could see. In society today, people are often seen pinching those who neglect to wear green on March 17. Blue was the color that was originally associated with the holiday, but green became popular as a result of Ireland’s nickname, “The Emerald Isle.” The Irish also believed in the use of four-leaf clovers, or shamrocks, as good luck charms. This belief originates back to the biblical story of Adam and Eve. When Eve was cast out of the Garden of Eden, she took a four-leaf clover to remind her of the paradise. Since then, it has been regarded as a symbol for good fortune. Irish beliefs state that priests used shamrocks to heal the sick and in worship rituals. According to these myths, St. Patrick used the four-leaf clover to ward off evil. Freshman Ethan Miller said, “I wear green on St. Patrick’s Day because I’ve been told to wear green ever since I was a kid. I never knew that there were myths behind the tradition, I just do it because everyone else does.” Although they are a culture with one of the most widely celebrated superstitions, the Irish are not the only people who have superstitious values. One of the most popular superstitions that is still prevalent today is the belief that a black cat crossing one’s path is bad luck. This superstition originated in Europe during the middle ages, when many people hunted those they believed to be witches.

ing. It’s nice to just go out and have a nice meal and catch up with friends because school takes up so much time; it’s fun to get together and go out for some good food.” Emotions can be a common trigger to eating, even when you are not hungry. Happy? People go out to eat to celebrate. Sad? People stay home and eat a whole container of cookie dough ice cream. Moreover, according topsycheducation.org, the hippocampus is the part of the brain that is related to memory and learning; it also helps out with the feeling of hunger. But even the hippocampus can trick you to feel hungry even if you are not. There are health risks that can come along with constantly eating

out. Senior Brittney Benavidez said, “It’s really bad [going out to eat] all the time because it can be very expensive. Plus, you can always find free entertainment, such as go for walks in the park. You should switch it up every once in a while; you can eat out sometimes, but also have home cooked meals to balance it out.” According to statistic brain, 40 percent of the average American eat out at least once per week. Going out to eat regularly can also put a dent in the consumer's’ wallet. Mourad said, “I would think students spend about $80 to $100 monthly on just eating out alone.” In 2010, the average consumer spent $2,505 when eating food away from home, according to the United States Department of Labor. Marketing and advertising for eating in restaurants also increase dining out. Thanks to instant access to search engines, smartphones are already changing the retail landscape. Another key drive to attract consumers’ attention is the high-end interior decor. By spending a little more money on capital, it changes the restaurant’s atmosphere. It gives the customers a feeling of comfort. The “fast-casual” interior encourages guests to sit down, relax and stay for a while. All things considered, this explains why many people find dining out a form of entertainment. It is an activity often associated with special occasions and events. It is undeniably pleasurable and can be the source of great comfort. This is not to suggest that the delicious appetizers, entrées and deserts have no food value but that is not why people dine out. Most engage in this activity as a source of enjoyment. Infographic by Veronika Dvorakova

By Tian Chary Staff Writer

By Tracy Chu Staff Writer

According to folklore that originated in Lincolnshire during the 1560s, a father and son were traveling one moonless night when a black cat crossed their paths. They threw rocks at the cat until the injured feline took refuge in a suspected witch’s house. The next day, the pair encountered the woman again and noticed that she was limping and bruised, and believed it to be more than a coincidence. From then on, it was believed that witches practicing black magic had the ability to turn into cats at night. Another popular superstition is the belief that the number 13 is unlucky. According to history.com, at least 10 percent of the United States population has a fear of the number, resulting in $800 million lost annually as people avoid marrying, traveling, and other activities on Friday the 13th. One possible explanation for this fear dates back to the Sumerians, relating to Hammurabi’s Code. Hammurabi’s Code was a Babylonian law code from ancient Mesopotamia. The Code reportedly omitted the 13th law on the list, resulting in “unlucky number 13.” Sophomore Marion Demailly said, “I’ve always known that the number 13 has bad connotations to it- especially the day Friday the 13th. But, nothing bad has happened to me specifically on that day, so it’s not a big deal to me and I don’t really pay attention to it.” The number four is considered to be bad luck in Chinese beliefs and traditions. The number is considered unlucky because of its similar pronunciation in Mandarin to the word “death.” This belief is so strong that some buildings in China do not have a fourth floor. Sophomore Allison Yeh said, “Even though I know that the Chinese believe that four is an unlucky number, I’ve never consciously avoided it. But it’s true that people still avoid the number four in their daily lives, like not having four children.”

The Highlander

Lifestyle

Page 13 March 2014

Risky business of online dating Finding the perfect ‘match’ with online dating By Iris Berber Staff Writer

By Angela Perez de Tagle Staff Writer

The concept of online dating is generally considered to be taboo among most young people where the risks of meeting an undesirable match run too high. Especially with shows such as “Catfish,” which portray the horrors and deception that accompany meeting a potential loved one online, the risks become real. After the premier of this show, the phrase “being catfished” emerged as a common term. Today, the word “catfish” is used to describe a person who creates a false profile and develops a separate identity in the pursuit of an online relationship. Urban Dictionary describes a “catfish” as “often undesirable in comparison to their profile, Illustration by Amber Governale as an actual catfish would be undesireable compared to a premium ‘catch’ fish like Alaskan salmon.” Despite those who would rather meet their matches in person, online dating has become an increasingly popular trend. A recent study done by the online dating site eHarmony reported that by the year 2040 it is expected that “7 in 10 couples will have met online.” However, shows like “Catfish” reveal the risks and the harsh reality of finding love through social media. Senior Katie Aldrich said, “I don’t think people should take part in [online dating] because you don’t know who you are talking to and chances are that the person isn’t who they say they are.” Senior Lauren Adams said, “I think getting catfished is definitely a real thing and the TV show shows how often it actually happens. For all you know, you could be talking to an old man pretending to be 18 years old.” Given these risks that come along with online dating, many believe that it is purely unnecessary when there are alternative options available. Senior Annie Haslam said, “It is risky, and it is just not worth it. I suggest finding someone in real life without the Internet.” With growing usage of dating sites, the convenience of online dating has gone one step further with mobile dating. With phones constantly in hand, younger crowds are becoming more exposed to online romances through the development of dating applications. Though some standard sites for online dating remain such as eHarmony, Match.com, and Zoosk, the emergence of more manageable applications have attracted teenagers into a pool of online dating as well. Some believe that these developments as well as others have increased the reliability of online dating due to the difficulties of hiding a false persona. Senior Jenny Chen said, “I think that nowadays, [online dating] is less risky because of the advancement of technology and social media such as Snapchat and Instagram because another personality would be pretty hard to fake.” With several sources to indicate a valid identity of potential matches, “catfishing” may not be a lasting trend. Senior Sahand Janpass said, “There are a lot of new apps that encourage meeting people online where you make a profile, find people, rate them, and if they rate you back the same, the app sets you up as a possible match to talk to one another.” In addition, Janpass said, “I do still believe that it is dangerous and can be real easy to scam being someone else on the Internet.” While each individual maintains their own preference for finding love, the fact remains that one must be cautious in any case of online dating, for catfish will always be lurking within the waters of the Internet.

Finding love in the modern world has proven to be a difficult feat for some of today’s teenage generation. With balancing the necessity of keeping grades up and finding time to squeeze in extracurricular activities, meeting your one-and-only may not always be a particularly straightforward process. For most teens, the excitement of dating is flushed out by the fact that many students have been classmates and long-time friends for several years. In many cases, landing a spot in the friend-zone is easier than making your way out of it. In effect, this recycling of boyfriends and girlfriends brings about a generation of dull prospective partners that crave new and more interesting individuals to flirt with -- and in some situations, to develop long-term relationships with. Thus emerged the conception of online dating, a growing trend among teenagers today. Because younger generations are less likely to join websites commonly used by adults, such as Match and eHarmony, teenagers find engaging in social networking apps for smartphones much more accessible. Tinder, an application that has gained significant popularity for singles between the ages of 18 and 35, places an emphasis on mutual attraction based on physical appearance. The app is quite simple to use: swipe left or tap the X to pass and swipe right or tap the heart to “like” the other person. If both users “like” each other, the app notifies you of a “match.” If one user “likes” but the other does not, confidentiality remains intact and the person who swiped left will not be notified that the other user liked them. Private messaging cannot occur unless there is a match between two users. In this way, rejection is classified and “creeper-texts” are kept to a minimum. "It's a new way of meeting and socializing with people that don't go to your school. It's more entertaining that way," said senior Jorge Rodriguez. Though the number of teens jumping into the Tinder craze is increasing, some people remain strongly against it. "I honestly think it's stupid; I'd rather that people get to know each other face to face than on some app or site," said junior Brian Palma. Judging prospective matches on the basis of their looks may seem vain, but for many, its convenience surpasses its superficiality. "It's nice to know what [the people you're talking to] look like because for a lot of us, appearance really does matter. We just need to admit that that's the truth," said Rodriguez. In that sense, it's important to question whether or not the person you're talking to is legitimate. Are they really how old they say they are and do they really look like that underneath the filters and lighting adjustments? Taking precautions against potential frauds is both easy and essential if you plan to make the decision of meeting up with a Tinder match. There are several ways to ensure legitimacy without becoming super-stalkers. For starters, ask for their phone number. If the conversation on the app is going well, it is likely that the other person will eventually prefer to text you instead. Texting is much more efficient and does not require data usage. Note the area code of their number: is it of the same location they claim to be a resident of? In addition to this, ask for their Snapchat username. Snapchat is quick and will guarantee real-time photos of the other person. If they refuse to give you their username, or if they refuse to send you selfies that clearly exhibit their face, there is reason to be suspicious. Just to be extra cautious, you may want to consider using Skype. There is no method more certain of exposing phonies than video-chatting. Apart from only checking how legitimate the other person is based on age and appearance, you might want to consider double-checking whether or not the person's personality matches up with how they portray themselves to be over text or private Tinder messaging. Ask for their Instagram username and don't be afraid to stalk their photos in order to uncover their true characteristics. If, for whatever reason, the above “tests-of-truth” fail, you can resort to plain and simple Facebook stalking. Based on the information the person has given you -- which is usually, at the very least, first name and current school -- you should be able to find their Facebook page fairly easily. Tinder is an application that requires access to your Facebook account in order for you to join the app, therefore you can be assured that all your Tinder matches can be found on Facebook. Consider these steps of precaution before attempting to meet up with complete strangers. Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, but be safe and have fun in the process.

By Alisa Takahashi Staff Writer

S

ophomore Alex Singer sits at her desk and scrolls through her Tumblr feed on a Friday night, shocked yet familiar to the images she sees. Pitiful but also intriguing black and white photos of scars along wrists appear before her eyes with the words, “I want to die a lovely death.” She continues browsing and sees another photo, this time of a razor blade, with the caption “My sadness is beautiful.” These images are all too familiar to the average teenage girl like Singer who sees many posts that redefine and romanticize the meaning of depression. The line between clinical depression and simply negative emotions have increasingly been blurred through the mass publishing of posts on Tumblr that alter the actual definition of depression. It is not uncommon to see a group of teenagers bent over their phones, updating their various social media platforms, waiting for their tweets to be favorited or for their Tumblr posts to be reblogged. Just as the usage of the Internet has increased, so has the rate of teenage depression since the 20th century. According to the Nuffield Foundation’s Changing Adolescence Programme, the proportion of 15 and 16 year olds with clinical depression has doubled in the last 30 years, from 10 percent to 20 percent. Social media platforms like Tumblr are filled with posts glorifying depression as an increasing trend seen on more and more blogs in teenagers today. Tumblr posts have consisted of funny GIFs, imagines (stories of favorite celebrities), selfies, poetry and sappy

couple videos, but it is also filled with toxic things like the romanticizing of depression. With a simple search of the hashtag “depression” on Tumblr, over 5 billion posts appear with convincing photographs that hide the naive faces of innocent young girls. According to a news release from the American Psychological Association, teenagers who logged into social media on a constant basis are more likely to develop into depression because they are able to broadcast themselves 24 hours a day seven days a week voluntarily, which is the result of a culture that promotes narcissism and immediate self-gratification. The simplicity of posting a simple photograph on Tumblr with captions like, “my suffering is beautiful” and “sleep is better, but death is lovely,” makes this trend of a distorted idea of depression easy to be a part of. Some people post pictures of cuts with black and white filters (maybe an attempt to be artistic, or maybe too look less shocking than bright red blood). Razor blade shaped pendants have become popular necklace charms. These images drown out the real cries of clinical depression and are replaced with those who simply want recognition from others. “Teens self-identify with having depression because of everyday challenges, when they really don’t have depression. This just leads to more and more false claims from adolescents who really do not know what they are saying when they say they are ‘depressed’ on social media,” Shelley Bustamante, S.O.S. Coordinator and Crisis Counselor said. Adolescents today are confusing the clinical disease “depression” with minor conflicts in their regular lives. “It is really sad to see how the media is glorifying depression, like the idea of being sad is the new cool. A lot of depressed feelings are ignored because it is considered to be the new norm,” sophomore Sydney Cho said.

In a recent poll, 70 percent of Carlmont students said they have seen posts on Tumblr glorifying depression. “I think teens glorify depression because they can be someone else that they’re not. Girls in particular like to pretend they are dark and mysterious yet fascinating and use ‘depression’ to mask themselves. This is especially easy to do on social media because you sit behind a computer screen and you can’t see the other person you interact with,” Bustamante said. “Editing a picture black and white and posting a cliche quote underneath it is not depression, it’s using the trend to get attention, so people will feel bad for you and pity you,” freshman Connie Yi said. For the average teenager who convinces themselves they have depression to follow the ongoing trend, Tumblr seems to provide the perfect solution: support and attention. “I think people need to remember that sadness does not equal depressed. And people are taking advantage of that forgotten fact and using it to attract attention to themselves on social media, especially on Tumblr,” sophomore Kayla Fong said. Scrolling through the average teenager’s Tumblr dashboard has become comparable to “shopping through a grocery store-aisle one, sugar, flour, cooking utensils, aisle two, depression, anxiety, self-harm,” said sophomore Sage Shamsai. Teens who have grown up in today’s social media environment know that anyone in their online network can view their life publicly and are able to be judged through their online platforms. For this reason, they get the message that external values like how people perceive them is of greater importance than internal values like their personal goals and the development of a unique self.

Sophomore Abbey Holbrook said, “Girls do it for attention. If you are sad, people will care about you. They’ll start to follow you and reblog your post and leave you messages.” Young adults seize the opportunity to portray themselves differently than they would in real life, ultimately causing social media to redefine the meaning of depression. “The worst part of it all is that sometimes girls start to post and see so much of romanticized depression online that they start to convince themselves they are actually depressed,” Bustamante said. “The people in these posts that seem to glorify depression are still beautiful. They are wonderful and amazing people in spite of their struggle. But there is a difference between that and the comments on the pictures that say they are ‘tragically beautiful’ because of their scars,” said junior Elizabeth Staton.

By Kimiko Okumura Staff Writer

T

he halls were silent. The students have left and the teachers have returned to grading papers. Senior Danny Akkel walked through the empty hallways of Carlmont High School and heard somebody say “fag,” but when he turned around to see who it was, nobody was there. Akkel has experienced mental and verbal abuse throughout the majority of his life. And Akkel is not alone. “I would have much rather been physically abused than mentally and verbally abused. Mental abuse stays with me and I still think that I’m hearing stuff when I’m not,” said Akkel. In a recent poll taken by 137 Carlmont students, 88 percent said that they have been a victim of verbal abuse. Some teenagers mentally and verbally abuse others, which causes victims to have depression or commit suicide. Senior Jacob Orme said, “Sometimes kids know what they’re doing, but most of them don’t know what they’re doing, and they need to think about what they’re saying. They need to believe that what they say can hurt people.” Physical abuse is easy to notice. However, it is difficult to detect someone affected by verbal abuse, which makes it even more detrimental because teenagers cannot notice whether they are hurting someone’s feelings. In a recent report by the U.S. Surgeon General and the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, more than

By Athena Duran Staff Writer

“I

’ve been depressed since I was in seventh grade. My freshman year, I tried to commit suicide twice. The first time, I tried taking sleeping pills. The second time I tried hanging myself. I wish it would have worked the first time,” said junior John Smith. (Name has been changed for privacy reasons). According to the 2012 Mental Health America study, about 20 percent of adolescents have a depressive disorder by age 18. A study at the Stanford School of Medicine found that in most cases, 50 percent of the cause of depression is related to genetics. Someone who has a parent or sibling with major depression has a two or three times greater risk of developing depression compared with the average person. Depression in teenagers can be caused by a multitude of reasons. Whether it is genetic or has been triggered by emotional trauma, it continues to be the leading cause of teenage suicides. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has found that teen suicide is the third leading cause of death in youths 10-24 years of age. Smith hit a breaking point towards the end of his freshman year. He said, “At the end of my freshman year, I completely lost it. I felt like bashing my head against the wall. I was psychotic, I’d be shut up in my room laughing, screaming and crying all at the same time. ” Teenagers with depression can often be dismissed as being moody or difficult. Some teenagers suffering from depression feel that they do not have a comfortable place or person to go talk to about what they’re dealing with. “When I told two close friends that I had been having suicidal thoughts, they’re reactions were ‘What?! Why?!’” said Smith. Linda Mora, Ph.D. works with Starvista, a non-profit organization that offers paralleled counseling, prevention, early intervention and education resources and services for San Mateo County. She said, “When diagnosing someone with depression, I look for irritability, a sense of hope-

33,000 Americans died each year between 2001 and 2009 as a result of suicide, more than one person every 15 minutes. In 2010 alone, there were 38,364 suicides in the United States, an average of 105 lives lost each day. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide was the 10th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States in 2010. But among people 15 to 24, suicide was the third leading cause of death behind unintentional injury and homicide. According to the World Health Organization, global suicide rates have increased 60 percent in the past 45 years. According to CDC, at least 90 percent of all people who died by suicide were suffering from a mental illness, most often depression. One of the main causes of depression is verbal abuse. Sophomore Wesley Lim said, “Verbal abuse is really devastating to someone’s self confidence. It takes a long time to build that confidence back up. Sometimes people let comments slip by that don’t seem hurtful but they actually do hurt.” “Verbal abuse is worse than physical pain because it makes you think that you are not worth what you are worth and it makes you depressed and it makes you sad and it makes you angry that other people would do this,” said Akkel. Verbal abuse has become unconsciously conditioned into our culture. “People call me a geek and a satanist ginger. It makes me sad. Words have a more profound impact than physical abuse does,” said freshman David Skrenta. Skrenta is not the only freshman to have experienced verbal abuse. Freshman Dennis Zabluda has also experienced verbal abuse.

Zabluda said, “Some people call me Dennis the Menace. It makes me sad and angry. I don’t like that name. Do you know what verbal abuse and physical abuse have in common? They both hurt people.” Akkel’s verbal abuse originated from his strict parents when he was six years old but worsened in 6th grade when he came out of the closet. “I had my friends become not my friends, and call me a fag, call me a terrorist after 9/11 happened,” said Akkel. Akkel had to change his last name because it sounded Arab and people would call him a terrorist for it. In freshman year, Akkel attempted suicide because of the issues going on in his life, and the main issue was verbal and mental bullying. “People would call me so many different things, so many things that were so inappropriate that I don’t even want to repeat,” said Akkel. Orme, a member of the Students Offering Support (S.O.S) program, has also been verbally abused. In 9th and 10th grade, verbal abuse worsened for Orme. He thought the students that were bullying him were joking, but bystanders told Orme that the guys were being serious. “A couple people would make fun of my appearance, they would make fun of my personality. After a while instead of them verbally abusing me, I would just do it to myself. I have been diagnosed with clinical depression since 9th grade, so being verbally abused and having depression, it puts salt in the wound,” said Orme. “When people would verbally abuse me I would try and put those words in my head and I would believe what they would say,” said Orme. Akkel said, “I always say sticks and stones may break my bones but words will fester and mess me up completely.”

lessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and irregular sleeping or eating patterns.” For some teenagers, the root of their depression lies in a great amount of stress, and an unsupportive environment. The World Health Organization ranks depression as one of the world’s most disabling diseases. Two-thirds of people with depression do not seek the proper treatment. “To cope, I was told to cut myself. I tried it and it made me feel better because I was able to feel something. If I didn’t cut, I would draw pictures of what I was feeling,” said Smith. Treatment for teen depression may include addressing any medical conditions that cause or worsen the condition. It can also include lifestyle adjustments, psychotherapy, and medication for moderate to severe depression. Studies from the American Psychological Association have shown that cognitive behavioral therapy has demonstrated promise in treating anxiety and depression. It helps people identify and then change the thought and behavior patterns that add to their distress. High school counselors can provide a safe and inviting place for teenagers to go to if they are struggling with depression. “I don’t think depression is handled well in high school. Counselors do as much as they can, but too many people that are depressed, stay depressed,” said sophomore Abbey Holbrook. Unlike Holbrook, senior Jannah Perry said, “After a sudden relapse with self-destructive behaviors, I talked to my school counselor. She was extremely helpful with contacting my parents and letting them know about the situation. I was depressed for four years, and it took me a long time to get a healthy mindset and to be ‘recovered.’” Over 60 percent of all people who die by suicide suffer from major depression, but participating in afterschool activities, can help eliminate depression in a young person’s life, according to the research published by the American Psychological Association. If you or someone you know is struggling with depression and begins having suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Preven-

tion Line is available 24 hours: 1-800273-8255

Photo Illustration by Sabrina Leung

Page 16

Campus

The Highlander

March 2014

Money talks (and tells you where to go college) By Sabrina Leung Editorial Director

Joshua Fitch doesn’t get angry. It’s just not his thing. But the Carlmont senior is frustrated and upset, though he’ll never claim to be the victim. Maybe the culprit is University of Chicago, maybe it’s the government, or maybe it’s the complex equations used to calculate financial aid in the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and CSS (College Scholarship Service)/Financial Aid Profile. Fitch just wants to walk across the stage during graduation with the friends who have toiled beside him for the past four years and announce to the world where he’ll be attending college. Unfortunately for Fitch, University of Chicago is not able to provide him with enough financial aid. Now he must decide what other college he will attend because he can’t afford the tuition at the University of Chicago. “My parents are suddenly not able to contribute more money and I’m quite upset about it because it’s such a great school, and it offers exactly what I am looking for. And now, even though I was accepted, I can’t attend the school,” said Fitch. Fitch chose to apply to University of Chicago because he calculated that the private school’s generous financial aid package would end up being cheaper than any in-state public school--the California resident didn’t even have to apply to a UC to know that. Fitch is one of more than 20 million Americans currently enrolled in postsecondary education. However, as tuition prices continue to skyrocket and family incomes remain stagnant, students across the country are asking themselves--how fair is the cost of education and how will they afford it. A new survey conducted by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute found that the percentage attending their first-choice school has reached its lowest level in almost four decades, as cost and the availability of financial aid have come to play an influential role in decisions of where to enroll. “At this point, public schools, primarily UCs, are nearly as expensive as privates. Public schools are run by the state and funded by taxes, so logically, they should be more affordable than privates, which are funded by those who attend. But that’s not the case,” said senior Josephine Kraemer. The survey revealed that while more than three-quarters of the 165,000 students who started college last fall were admitted to the

Go to an expensive college, it’s mint to be

If you save money, you’ll be a-head

Change your mind and go to community college school they most wanted to attend, only 57 percent ended up going to their top school because they could not afford the college tuition. That was the lowest rate in the 39 years that the institute has asked first-time freshmen if they enrolled at their dream college. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the cost of attending any type of higher education increased across the board from 2000 to 2011 by 35 percent. College Board reports that the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2013–2014 school year was $30,094 at private colleges, $8,893 for state residents at public colleges, and $22,203 for out-of-state residents attending public universities. “I applied to to all the UC schools, some CSUs and some out of state schools. However, most of the tuition price is over our budget and we will need some financial aid. I won’t be able to attend some colleges if they don’t give me enough aid,” said senior Michael Kim. Within the same time frame, the average income dropped 15 percent in the poorest fifth and four percent in the wealthiest fifth. “I applied for FAFSA, although my family does not qualify for financial aid. No matter how well off a person may seem, it’s always a good idea to think ahead and have a back-up plan, just in case something happens along the way,” said Kraemer. The Federal Pell Grant, given to low income students, covered 98 percent of in-state tuition for public schools a decade ago, but now only covers 64 percent. Now, larger percentages of aid are going to merit scholarships or recruiting athletes instead of need-based ones. The financial aid process for colleges can be

complicated and confusing. The federal government calculates what it calls an “Expected Family Contribution” (EFC) for students who complete a FASFA. However, students and parents may find unpleasant surprises when the government sends them their EFC because the government’s formula for figuring out what families should be able to afford can be unrealistic. The U.S. College Campus News article “5 Big Financial Aid Lies,” says that the average public four-year college tells families earning about $56,000 a year that they have to kick in about $2,000 more than the federal government’s EFC. It also noted that more than 97 percent of colleges don’t have enough financial aid money to guarantee that every student will only have to pay their EFC. The percentage of students whose college bills actually match their EFC is surprisingly small. Some talented students end up paying less than their EFC. And millions of less fortunate students are expected to contribute much more than their often unaffordable EFC. The Wall Street Journal article “Many colleges bend rules to admit rich applicants” reported that for some colleges, students on the waitlist who can pay will get preference over poorer students so the school saves money on financial aid. Other schools practice “gapping,” in which a school offers a student enough money to incentivize coming to that school but not enough that it fills his or her demonstrated financial need. As a result, some students find themselves working longer hours or multiple jobs to cover the costs. The UCLA survey re-

Image by Karissa Tom

vealed that 10 percent of freshmen say they work more than 20 hours a week, which can lead to higher dropout rates. “I don’t want to graduate college with a huge debt. And because I don’t know if I will receive enough financial aid, I’m already looking for jobs to fund my education. I’m looking for the best deal,” said senior Iris Choi. But there are universities that can afford to spend as much money on financial aid. A group called 568s that receive special anti-trust exemptions because they are legally bound to be need-blind. These colleges are required to meet all demonstrated need for domestic students. The list includes Vanderbilt, MIT, University of Chicago, Northwestern and Notre Dame University. While some colleges practice need-based aid, some students advocate more counseling for those who will be the first in their families to go to college. “Colleges should continue their efforts to lower costs and create financial-aid packages that adequately address students’ financial needs. They should provide need-based aid to low-income students. Most students, including myself, tend to be skeptical of relying so heavily on loans,” said Choi. With the current debates over college tuition, factors ranging from markets to public sentiment will dictate the future of higher education. The question is how different it will be. For Fitch, high school will be over in three months as he prepares his life for college. But will his future college choice be worth the money? The answer is unclear.

The power and influence of the class officers Improving the school through Save the World projects, fundraisers, and school spirit

By Daniel Wang Staff Writer As the results of the annual student class officer elections are calculated, we see some student officers return, such as twotime class president and sophomore Timmy Miller. While for others, like senior class president Omid Afshar and vice president Nico Camerino, this is their first time in charge. Before the elections, almost all of the candidates running for an officer position had several changes they planned to enact by uploading a campaign video to YouTube. Among all the juniors running for a senior class officer position or as Associated Student Body (ASB) president, all of them advertised the notions of raising school spirit and increasing the number of fundraisers if elected. While slightly different, the plans each senior class president candidate had in their videos were essentially the same. This similarity in ideas brought about the question: what are senior class presidents and vice presidents allowed to do, if elected? Afshar said, “The class president has three main responsibilities: raising school spirit, raising fundraisers, and coming up with a Save the World idea.” As expected, the school spirit and fundraisers that Afshar and other class officer candidates advertised in their campaign vid-

eos are key responsibilities allotted to the class president and vice presidents. One idea Afshar had to raise school spirit was a spirit competition. Getting the idea from the House Cup in the “Harry Potter” book series, Afshar said, “[The senior class officers’] idea to raise school spirit is to have a competition between the four classes.” Adding on, Camerino said, “The class that participates the most on certain spirit days will receive a reward at the end of the year.” Afshar and Camerino believe that if there is a greater incentive to participate on spirit days, such as an ice cream party for the winning class, there will be more participants. Regarding the Save the World project, Afshar said, “A Save the World project is where (the class president and vice president) looks to better the campus or community.” According to ASB teacher Jim Kelly, in past years, Save the World projects have included “recycling projects, shoe drive, and feeder programs.” For their upcoming term, Afshar, Camerino, and Adam Cobb, the other 2014-2015 senior class vice president, are planning to perform beautification at local neighborhood parks. Fundraising, community service, and school spirit are their main duties, but class officers also have other powers and responsibilities not pertaining to those three. Camerino said, “[The class officers] are the bridge between

the students and administrators. We can suggest things to administrators and they decide what passes or doesn’t pass.” Serving as the intermediates, Camerino and Afshar stated that they already have some ideas to propose to the administrators in the near future. In addition to running for class president and vice president, juniors also have the opportunity to run for ASB president. This prior election was won by junior Elise Dimick. As ASB president, Dimick said, “I have a lot of responsibilities. I am in charge of the class as a whole, so I regulate meetings, plan field trip, and run the (ASB) class.” For her upcoming term as ASB president, Dimick said, “My main goal is to increase school spirit and to enhance the familylike nature of the class.” To accomplish this, Dimick is planning to have a pre-homecoming barbeque, spirit buttons, and to advertise school events a whole lot more. Dimick said, “I want to infuse enthusiasm, productivity, and passion in ASB… by having bonding activities for ASB outside of the class.” By representing both ASB and the student body as ASB president, Dimick has a lot of responsibilities on her plate. As much as her and all the other class officers have to do, Kelly isn’t deterred by all their responsibilities. Kelly said, “[Class officers] have a lot of responsibilities as class officers but they always end up doing a great job.”

Campus

The Highlander

Page 17 March 2014

Pre-prom planning: promposals and more By Alyssa Espiritu Staff Writer

The night of prom is usually full of glamour and grandeur; however, it is not always pretty behind the scenes of the big event. For juniors and seniors, prom is one of the greatest highlights of high school. It is the time when both boys and girls try look their best, go on dates, and of course, look forward to a party. Even though prom seems quite fun and memorable, the preparation for the big night does not come easily. “The preparation for prom usually starts about a year in advance. It’s a lot of work looking for a good venue, a DJ, and decorations to fit the budget,” said junior and co-supervisor of ASB’s dance commission Megan Guillermo. “Last year, prom was held at the California Academy of Sciences in the city. This year’s theme will be Cirque de la Lune and it will be held at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. We are expecting a little over 700 guests.” The 2013 prom was the first time it had been held in the city for many years. This year, students are looking forward to spending another night in San Francisco. In addition to ASB’s dance committee preparing the venue and planning the event, guests start preparing early as well. “I already have my hair appointment scheduled and I ordered my dress weeks ago. Like last year, I usually book everything a couple months in advance. It is important to start early just in case there are any problems later on,” said senior Samantha Corso. Like Corso, junior Toni Lupilin also started preparing, “I started thinking about prom in January and looked for my dress in February” At high schools, girls create groups dedicated to prom on social media sites such as Facebook as a way to share what girls are going to wear. It may sound a little over-the-top, but the online group was a success. “The junior girls’ prom dress group started in the beginning of Feb. and there are at least 100 girls on the group,” said junior Raine Kerhin. The group adds more excitement to the preparation because girls enjoy seeing what others were wearing to prom. It also was used as a tool to try to find a dress that no one else has. Looking for dresses and making hair and makeup appointments can be fun, but also

time consuming. Prom can also tend to be more stressful when it gets closer to the date. “I had to pick my dress a week before and get my nails, makeup, and hair done, as well as a spray tan. I was stressing out because I was running low on time,” said senior Lauren Naismith. “Prom is the one night out of the year that every girl wants to feel the prettiest they could be which is why it can be so stressful,” said Lupilin. “You really do not need all that extra stuff, but prom is made up to be so superficial that girls feel the need to spend a lot of money to look extravagant,” said Naismith. Costs of prom dresses range from about $100 to $700. Hair and makeup combined is at least $60. There are also additional expenses for spray tans, limos, and pre- or post-party plans. According to a national survey by Visa Inc., families spend an average of $1,079 for prom. In the Bay Area, the average expenses are about $744. It is not just girls who worry about the big event or strive for perfection. Boys stress about prom as well. “Us guys may not spend as much money as girls do, but there is a lot of pressure on us also. I would say it is just as stressful to be in the guy’s position,” said senior Ethan Wallace. For boys, they tend to be as nervous as girls when it comes to finding a date or planning a unique way to ask a girl to prom. There is also the fear of rejection that puts extra weight on a guy’s shoulder. To add more excitement and motivation to prom proposals, a Facebook group was created by ASB last year to start a competition for the most creative and cutest proposals. This group was a success with over 600 members. Each post received about 60 to over 70 likes. Different proposals consisted of scavenger hunts, public performances during school, or even a surprise at Disneyland. Many students constantly talked and were excited about the different proposals. This year is no different. “It’s my junior year and first year of prom so I’m really excited. I’m not sure who I want to ask yet, but when I do ask someone, I’m looking forward to planning something funny that everyone can remember,” said junior Nick Thompson. Like Thompson, other boys enjoy planning creative proposals. However, there still can be

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problems. “Last year, I did not have my license at the time so my mom had to drive me to this girl’s house. Not only that, but my phone died so then I had to use my mom’s phone. I asked my date to prom by Skyping her and she later realized that I was outside her house waiting for her with flowers. So at the end I guess it was pretty cute,” said Wallace. Just like girls, boys also try to look their best during the special night. “Guys really do try to look good during prom. We may not start planning as early as

girls do, but it is also exciting for us to buy a nice tuxedo because it is our special night as well. This year, I am looking forward to going to the city to buy a new vintage suit,” said Wallace. As it comes down to the actual day of the event, students tend to get more anxious. “During school, all I could think about was getting ready for the night, but when we arrived at the pre-party I completely forgot about how stressed out I was. My friends and I were just so excited to see everyone and take pictures,” said Naismith.

Gowns that come with a price By Lara Ostroff Staff Writer

What was once excitement to find the perfect prom dress that made one feel like a million bucks is now a struggle to find a dress that won’t be a million bucks. For teenage girls across America, becoming an upperclassman has exhilarating advantages, one of them being prom. “Everything about prom is enchanting. You get to dress up and go all out with your hair and your makeup and your dress and feel like a princess. It’s one of the many things I looked forward to entering high school,” said junior Savannah Grech. Unfortunately, the 21st century looks as if it holds regression for prom, as the night has turned from a rite of passage to a display of money. Prom is thought to have originated sometime in the late 1800s, back when it was a simple gathering to display social skills and etiquette. Now, prom is a much more complex event, and holds many more relevant traditions such as getting your hair, makeup, and nails done, and asking that special someone to attend with you. “[Prom] is one dance out of your life. You don’t need to get your hair done, you don’t need to get your makeup done. You don’t need to get a $500 dress,” said junior Alenna Winfield. 48 percent of the school body at Carlmont plan to spend more than $200 on prom, and that is exactly why prom companies target teenagers so

frequently. “The only reason people spend so much on prom is because their dresses are expensive. A lot of people feel the need to get the typical prom dresses from La Femme or Sherri Hill or Jovani, but no one’s going to care what brand your dress is,” said junior Mariko Kondo. Junior Sara Cadona continued, “If your friends judge you on what brand your dress is, they aren’t really being friends.” The average cost of a prom dress on newyorkdress.com, a popular online dress company, is $381.90. But more than just the rising cost of dresses can put teens across America in a financial struggle. The cost of prom tickets, limo rentals, and other expenses can add up quickly, yet few companies take action to make prom a more affordable night. According to a Visa survey in 2013, the national average that families will spend on prom is $1,139, a 5 percent increase from the previous year. “Wow, that’s pretty bad,” said senior Drew Jung. “I don’t have that kind of money to spend on prom, I don’t think anyone does.” Jung is not the only student at Carlmont who was taken by surprise by the amount of money families are willing to spend on one night. “That is a lot of money to spend on a one night type of event,” said Winfield.

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Learning how to take standardized tests By Isabella Paragas Staff Writer Tests. Finals. CAHSEE. SAT. ACT. AP. The number of tests that high school students take can seem endless to some. The pressure to excel on not only individual classroom tests and quizzes, but also on standardized tests, has become a trend in this generation’s students. “The teacher just basically teaches us the test and doesn’t bother teaching us the rest of the sections,” said junior Brian Palma. Similarly, teachers are facing pressure to simply teach students the exact material that will be covered on a test. But as AP Government and Economics teacher, Kris Weisman said, “Students sign up for AP class to pass the AP test. Teaching to the test is the whole purpose of the class.” Senior Leesan Kwok spoke about her experience in a class that was “the epitome“ of teaching to the test, she said, “While I enjoy the structured learning and extreme organization,

the result of hard work from the teachers, no doubt, I find it frustrating that learning isn’t as fun as I want it to be.” The overall attitude, to use Kwok’s words, was “test-oriented.” “It defeats the spirit of learning for the sake of learning,” stated Kwok. For not only Kwok, but also other students who may enjoy learning, it is discouraging to hear the dreaded phrase, “I’m teaching this section because it’s on the AP” because “I just lose interest and wonder if the teachers are even into their subject.” However, not every student or teacher believes that standardized, AP, and classroom tests are harming student learning and progression. AP English Literature teacher Joseph Hill, said that the AP English test is “one of the best things to happen” for English classes. He emphasizes that how well the test is formatted and rendered varies greatly with the subject matter it is attempting to assess. And while Palma said that “classroom experience gets a tad worse” because of the emphasis on tests, he understands that, as students,

SATs don’t show smarts By Becca Fradkin Staff Writer

“I have gotten the answer C seven times in a row, is that wrong? Or maybe they are trying to trick me?” On top of hours of homework, sports, and extracurriculars, upperclassman also feel the stress of standardized tests. The SAT and ACT, both similar in their multiple choice testing evaluation, have dictated college admission processes, and manipulated American standards. Senior Jay Aurora said, “College admissions are based too much on the SAT or ACT. If you are not a great test taker, that’s it. GPA and extracurricular don’t make a difference because standardized testing outweighs their importance.” Although the number of test optional schools has risen to around 800 universities, the dependence on the SAT and ACT prevails. Since the end of World War II, when IQ tests became mandatory for all soldiers, America indulged itself in a test that anyone can take- a test that measures general academic abilities; a test that emphasizes equal opportunity. “The SAT doesn’t accurately represent students because it measures their academic performance from one day. That one day has too much influence on their college admissions future,” said junior Amanda Breslauer. The supposed beauty of standardized testing is that any student worldwide has the same opportunity for success. However, in today’s society, pre-college standardized tests, which are supposed to measure a student’s academic abilities, often end up measuring the quantity of their parent’s bank account. The average American family spends a total of $4,425 on the entire testing and college application experience. Included in this cost are SAT tutoring sessions, college counselor meetings, one attempt at a precollege test, and college visits. The price paid for a “good score” or acceptance into a “good school” from these prep courses are not easily afforded. “I know that SAT tutoring is not cheap. Those who have more money have a greater access to tutoring to

raise their scores,” said junior Raffi Samarkashian. This advantage within the testing system is not the only problem. Modern standardized tests have become a robotic-like, repetitive system that measures one’s ability to accurately eliminate incorrect answers. Aurora said, “Another problem with standardized tests is that they do not represent a student’s work ethic or creativity. The only academic measurements they depict are how well a student can comprehend words on a page.” Critical thinking, self expression and academic involvement are all concepts lost within standardized testing. Other than the uniform, and direct essay, students have no control of how their scores represent them. A recent Carlmont poll shows that 76% of students don’t feel as though standardized testing accurately represents their work ethic or academic abilities. But that is all about to change. According to the New York Times, as of March 6, the College Board has reported a change in the SAT. An all around easier, more accurate test will be first implemented for current freshman in 2016. Away with penalties for wrong answers, unjustified guesses and unfair advantages. This new SAT will mend a trust with students, colleges, and educators that was broken years ago. Freshman Hannah Wright said, “The new test will be beneficial for the future because everything is already so competitive; it will relieve educational stress.” No matter this important breakthrough, some feel as though their time and money spent prepping for the current test was a waste that could have been avoided. Junior Adelyn Yau said, “I feel ripped off because the College Board is taking out the harder parts of the test. Eventually, everyone will receive higher scores and the meaning behind the score is rendered unimportant.” The uncertainty and unfair advantages associated with standardized testing encourages the public to ask whether they should influence a student’s future at all.

“We’re graded on how well we do on the tests because the tests show our superiority in the course.” “Teaching to the test has two sides: While it ensures that teachers are preparing their student for everything that will be on the test to a tee and keeps teachers from straying away from the curriculum, students can consequently lose their desire to learn,” said senior Josephine Kraemer.” Yet, at the same time it is difficult for students to not focus on a single question: “Will it be on the test?” “Teachers should not deviate too far from their curriculum, because then students will not feel like they’re receiving anything from the course. On the other hand, teachers should not adhere solely to what will be on the test, as it places a restriction on what the student will have learned,” said Kraemer. Kraemer suggested that for example, “Instead of practicing a broader vocabulary of 500 words, they’ll be focusing on the twenty words that will be on the vocab quiz this Friday. They’ll probably never use those twenty

words ever again anyway.” Though tests are an important part of assessing how well students understand the subject matter, balance is needed to make sure that students are learning key concepts, yet they are still actively engaged. “Standardized testing is such a defining feature of the American education system that if we screw up, we feel like we mess up our future. I know my main motivation to do well on tests is to be able to tell colleges that I know the material and I have an official report to prove that,” said Kwok. However with the changing teaching standards that are coming with new standardized tests, such as Common Core, Weisman pointed out that the discussion about standardized tests and class standards is now irrelevant. She says that there is going to be more emphasis on reading and analyzing, which she believes is a huge improvement from the past standards. “No one really knows what it’s going to be like [under the new standards and tests],” said Weisman. “It’s going to take a couple years for everything to play out.”

Stop student excuse abuse By Jessica Adair Staff Writer

It’s midnight, and the student has been doing her homework for over five hours. She has just finished her outline when she realizes she has an English essay due the next day. Instead of trying to complete it, she starts to think if she should make up an excuse instead. She begins to brain-storm different excuses; maybe she could say that her printer wasn’t working or she left her book at school or that she had a big family dinner and had no time to complete it. She doesn’t care about what the teacher will think of her and how it will affect the rest of the class, she only thinks about getting credit for her outline. Out of a poll of 137 Carlmont students, 64 percent of students said they have made up an excuse to get out of an assignment. These excuses can range from harmless excuses like a malfunctioning printer to more serious ones like family problems. Whatever the excuses may be, students often use excuses for a number of reasons. “I told my teacher I was celebrating a special holiday from my home country the entire weekend and couldn’t do any homework because of it. But to be honest, I was just too lazy to do the homework. My teacher believed me and gave me two extra days to finish it, “ said junior Brian Palma. Junior Emily Rudger added, “I’ve told my teachers that I left my homework at home and asked if I could still get credit, but I really just didn’t do it. But I think they just usually give me half credit.” These excuses are some of the most commonly used because they are very realistic. For example, if a student leaves their homework at home, there is a chance that that might actually be the case. If a situation like this presents itself, the teacher is responsible for deciding if the excuse is valid or not. “In terms of accepting assignments not done on time, it always depends on how it affects the class. If it’s an assignment that’s necessary for a class discussion, I won’t accept it late. But if it’s something like an essay that doesn’t require a class discussion, I will be more lenient,” said English teacher Susan Gold. But when a teacher is not lenient when it comes to accepting late work, students often form different types of opinions. “I mean it’s frustrating, but I understand why they [teachers] are that way because they give you a due date before hand and expect you to finish it then. And they’re also trying to be fair with everyone else who did the homework,” said Palma. Most excuses that students use are like the ones previously mentioned by Palma; little excuses that only result in one uncompleted assignment. But sometimes, things like illness or trouble at home come up and the situation becomes much more complicated. “Last year, I had the flu and physically could not do anything, and when I got back to school my teacher gave me a zero on the seminar because I

Image by Karissa Tom

“I just don’t know why our dog hasn’t been eating lately.” didn’t get it from someone else. Because we have such limited schedules, I think we should be allowed extensions. Especially when dealing with illnesses or family matters,” said Rudger. Even though Rudger was not exempt from certain assignments because she was sick, teachers like Gold think that other actions should be taken. “Personally, I understand why some students are not prepared for class and I am flexible about that. But I encourage them to talk to me in advance and anticipate their needs that they might have during the week. I believe that means a student is taking responsibility,” said Gold. This issue of responsibility also is present when students use excuses too frequently. When a student constantly makes up excuses, it can negatively affect their academic life and create bad habits that will harm them in their future. “If somebody continues to make up excuses for their homework, eventually they just won’t do it all. And the teacher’s image of them would plummet because they would just seem like a compulsive liar,” said Palma. Rudger said, “In my opinion, the habits you form now will affect your lifestyle later. If you always think about using false excuses for things so you won’t get in trouble, you’re not going to get very in a real life work atmosphere.” The relationship between the teacher and student can also change if the student starts to develop a pattern. “If students continue to use excuses repeatedly, I start to question what’s really going on. I do become a little frustrated but I’m more concerned about getting to the bottom of the issue so it doesn’t snowball. The students are the ones who are going to suffer if they don’t turn in work, it seems easier to just figure out the root of the problem from the start,” said Gold.

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Choosing courses: picking the right classes By Sarah Schisla Staff Writer

A recent poll shows that 81 percent of Carlmont students have regretted their class schedule. In the past, these students had the ability to transfer out. Next year however, students have no guarantee that they will be able to change their class schedule. As of May 15, students will be unable to make any alterations to their course requests for next year. Principal Lisa Gleaton said, “It makes no sense to waste the first two weeks of classes changing schedules. A parent recently told me he called this unfortunate waste of instructional time ‘the annual class shuffle.’ Our goal is that 100 percent of students are in the right classes the first day of school.” In order to complete this goal, there are resources that were not available in past years to help students choose their classes, such as the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) results for all 10th and 11th graders. Not only does this assessment serve as testfocused SAT preparation, but the results provide analysis about students’ readiness for AP classes on the College Board website (www. collegeboard.org/quickstart). The “My AP Potential” webpage suggests AP courses based on a student’s PSAT score.

Students are able to look at this new, personal analysis while choosing classes. In addition, students will have the same resources they had in past years. Gleaton said, “There’s nothing like a professionally trained guidance counselor to help you weigh all your options, [someone] whose job it is to help you be in the right place for your goals.” In the past, some students have still ended up over-scheduled. Sophomore Alisa Murray transferred out of AS Chemistry after the first semester. “I regretted taking AS Chemistry. It was too fast. The general speed of regular Chemistry works better for me. We go through things a lot more thoroughly, and it is explained more,” she said. To avoid having to take another unwanted course, Murray plans to talk to students currently taking the courses she is considering for next year. Because students will be unable to change course requests after May 15, they will have to be more careful when selecting their classes. Gleaton said, “Time management is everything. If you know you’re a procrastinator, then don’t take on everything. A certain percentage of students complaining are those who overloaded themselves.” The other students asking to change classes often feel that they are not challenged enough where they are. Carlmont’s College Counselor Connie Dominguez said, “You can be really good at

English, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to be an English major. You do want to be among the peers that enjoy the academic engagement of the subject [if you] find yourself wanting to engage in a more intellectually stimulating environment.” Senior Roger Romani, who generally focuses on math and science, debated whether taking AP US History and AP English his junior year was necessary. He eventually decided on taking them. “I’d be lying if I said it was completely disconnected to wanting to look good for college, but ultimately I’ve found that I’m a lot happier when I take more difficult classes, and I jibe well with kids who take [those] classes,” Romani said. Students aim to find the right balance: a course that will keep them interested but not take away from their performance in other areas of study they plan to continue in college. Dominguez said, “Many times students will overwhelm themselves, shooting for the Ivy Leagues, and miss out on a good grade in something they love. Don’t think of ‘what the colleges want you to do.’ It’s not about how many APs you take; it’s about why you take them.” Lately there has been speculation about how many APs or certain other classes will be allowed next year, but not all of the rumors are true. According to Gleaton, the district generally funds six classes per student. In some

cases, such as the AVID program, the district also funds a seventh period. “This is why we’ve asked students to rank their choices. The first six are guaranteed for everyone. The seventh is not [guaranteed] until we have funding,” Gleaton said. However, money is being raised by the Carlmont Academic Foundation in an attempt to make everyone’s desired schedule possible. Half of the money needed to fund these “extra” classes has already been raised. Regarding the source of the rumors, Gleaton said, “At a recent governance council, one idea brainstormed was that the limit could be three APs in a worst-case [funding] scenario. That’s the one people heard and ran with. Of course, we threw out that idea as it’s unfunded seventh classes, not APs, that are the problem.” When it comes down to choosing the right courses, that depends on the individual students. Not only should they consider how far they are willing to push themselves, their plans for the future, and what they are good at, but also what they enjoy. Gleaton is concerned that high school has become something for students to manage rather than to experience. Gleaton said, “If students take so many advanced classes that they have no time for their interests, families, sleeping, or breathing, they are taking too many! I want you guys to have fun. In my opinion, high school is not supposed to be drudgery.”

Students applying to be in ASB for the wrong reasons

By Mateen Nozzari Staff Writer

As the struggle to enter college grows larger each year, students are forced look for community activities to strengthen their resumes. ASB is a large part of Carlmont’s spirit, activities, and the overall governance of our school. Students are becoming more and more aware that the traditional 4.0 GPA won’t exactly cut it anymore, and the whole aspect of being a “leader” is the perfect addition to an ideal resume. “We try to find people who we think are joining ASB for what we consider to be all the right reasons,” said ASB teacher Jim Kelly. Each year, ASB holds open interviews in late March for all the students who are interested in joining the fourth period leadership class

the following year. However, some students may have a different motive to join than others. “It has probably happened in the past, but I’ve never actually confronted a student and accused them of it,” Kelly said. The ideal college applicant should not only have an outstanding academic prowess, but also a strong community standing. Furthermore, this may lead students to take on certain activities that don’t typically appeal to them but are required for a balanced resume. “I’ve definitely noticed an increase in ASB applicants this year as opposed to the last three years at Carlmont, yet I still haven’t seen any real changes around the school,” said senior Shawyon Fazel. The amount of students in the class has also increased by an extra 13 students since 2010.

“I’m sure it’s happening, but it can’t be the sole reason,” said junior James Xie. “Believe it or not, some people really do want to improve our school’s spirit and performance.” In addition to the interviews, students can also enter ASB by means of election. Therefore, if a student runs for an office and is victorious, he or she is automatically guaranteed a spot in the fourth period leadership class. “I know many people that have run for an office just to land a spot in ASB, but that’s really just a low percentage of them,” said senior Parsa Attari. The ASB class encourages more and more students each year to join the class and learn about being a leader. “During an interview, we have to take the student’s responses genuinely so it’s sometimes difficult to weed out weaker interviewees,” Kelly said. “Even if someone does end up in

the class for the wrong reasons, the spirit is almost contagious and will encourage anyone to get up and get involved.” Taking all of these things into account, should ASB take further aspects into account when students interview for a position/class officer position? “Things like false motives for joining ASB are always on our radar but these motives are one in one hundred,” Kelly said. ASB includes an extensive questionnaire that the applicants must fill out before their actual interview. This would include questions pertaining to availability throughout the year, personality questions, and many other general questions about the applicant. “Either way, it’s not really anybody’s choice. People who are more qualified will get in without a doubt,” said junior Jason Beard.

Short Wednesdays: late start versus early dismissal By Kian Karamdashti Staff Writer

Ask any Carlmont student and they will tell you, there’s not many feelings better than realizing that the next day is latestart Wednesdays “Late-start Wednesdays are great. I don’t think many students here would argue with me about that,” said junior Raine Kerhin Every Wednesday at Carlmont, first period starts at 8:53, almost an hour later than the usual 8:00 AM start. How students are using that extra hour, varies from student to student. “I use that extra hour to sleep in,” said sophomore Andy Cross. “Now that baseball season is starting, I’m going to need as much rest as I can. I’m definitely going to take advantage of those extra hours now that I have less time to do homework.” Other students use the extra time to go the Carlmont shopping center before school.

“You can usually tell if it’s a late-start Wednesday or not by how busy the Starbucks in the shopping center is,” said freshman Ethan Miller. “Everyone goes there on Wednesdays because of the extra hour. It can get packed, but it’s nice to have the time to get a drink before school.” Another benefit to the late-start Wednesday, is the lack of traffic around the school due to the school’s close proximity to Tierra Linda middle school. “The traffic can get really hectic during the normal-length school days because of all the kids at Tierra Linda,” said sophomore Chris Gehlen. “On Wednesdays, the middle schoolers are already in class so it is a lot easier to get in the school area and find a place to park.” There are undoubtedly many benefits to the late-start Wednesday, but not everybody is on board with this system. Some students would prefer their hour outside of school later in the day instead. “I think we should go back to the early dismissal Wednesday

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from middle school,” said sophomore Jay Russell. “What isn’t there to like? You can go to the shopping center to hang out or you can just go home and get your homework done early. Instead of just having your evening ahead of you, you have your whole afternoon too.” According to a poll of 137 Carlmont students, 42 percent of students would prefer an early dismissal schedule instead. In the San Carlos and Belmont school districts, each Wednesday, students are dismissed an hour earlier instead of getting in school an hour later. This system allows students to get home earlier and gives them more time to do homework. “Even though I like sleeping in, I would still probably prefer the early dismissal, said Cross. “I miss that part of middle school for sure. Even though we have the same amount of time outside of school, less people are going to use that hour in the morning to do productive things.” Even though an early dismissal may sound more appealing to some students, there are a few factors that go against the idea. “For some students, the late-start schedule is just way more convenient,” said Miller. “I know kids who have nowhere to go after school because their parents can’t leave work to pick them up. Sure, they can go to the library or shopping center, but most people do their homework at home anyway. The late-start Wednesday is easier for the parents because they can stick to one pick-up routine.” No matter which one they prefer, most Carlmont students will agree that every Wednesday will be received with open arms. Kerhin said, “Both schedules have their advantages and disadvantages. Either way though, kids are going to be happy with whatever Wednesday schedule they get.”

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Fluc it By Ayesha Abbasi Staff Writer

Entertainment If you are ever in need of fresh food delivered from restaurants around the Bay Area without even having to leave the house, the answer has become simple; just Fluc it. “Honestly, I love the idea of having someone bring Chipotle or Starbucks to my house. The best part is that I can track them on their way to the restaurant and see when they reach the location,” said junior Neeshae Wain. Fluc is short for Food Lovers United Company. This new and upcoming app’s services have just recently become available to Redwood City. The company originally started out delivering in Menlo Park and Palo Alto, allowing people to pick out foods from their favorite local restaurants and have them delivered to their homes for a small fee. Fluc was founded by Tim Davis, Adam Ahmad and Pako

Magdaleno, who all lived under the same roof. As the story goes, none of them wanted to use the kitchen. “Never again should we have to cook in a poisoned kitchen. Why can’t we just get food delivered to us from any restaurant?” said Davis. One thing led to the next and they began to create the idea of Fluc, something fast with popular items from restaurants nearby. Some basic necessities that they sought out for the app to include had to do with specifics such as being able to request extra guacamole with a burrito or no dressing on a salad. So far Fluc is delivering to multiple locations in the Bay Area from Mountain View to Palo Alto, and can deliver in any area requested if a petition is started and gets the required amount of signatures.

March 2014

“One of our friends, Bryce Nelson, started a petition for Redwood City for us since he works closely with Fluc and they actually started delivering here. I hope we can do the same for Belmont,” said junior Isabel Zwass. Unlike similar services in the Bay Area such as Grubhub, Fluc doesn’t work for the restaurants themselves, so the team inputs menu options on the website and app. The idea is basically a delivery guy that the restaurant doesn’t have to pay for but restaurants still benefit and make a profit from the orders. Not only is this startup different in the way it works with restaurants, but it also offers the ability to customize the order into extreme specifics even setting dates for when things should be delivered. “Fluc is a food logistics company, so handling hundreds of

scheduled orders gets quite complex,” Ahmad said in an interview with VentureBeat. “However, we’ve built algorithms using geo-spatial tracking to see where all the food lovers are and intelligently suggest them on which orders to deliver next. There are also lots of moving parts with restaurants including changing store times, new menu items and new pricing, which we handle.” People can use multiple cards and access their entire order history and receipts from their account. Fluc charges a $5.95 flat rate for each delivery, and has inflated prices of menu items slightly within the app — about 5-10 percent to make a small margin on those sales. “The best part of it all is the food is never served cold and my Starbucks is never spilled. That’s why I always give an extra tip and always will,” said Wain.

Photo by Scott Schulze

Uber: an alternative to conventional taxis By Miranda Irwin

get into a stranger’s car to get where they need to go. “I’ve taken a taxi alone and not felt safe at all but Staff Writer when I took Uber alone I felt completely safe,” said senior Bailee Roces. There comes a time when people realize that drivDrivers for both cab services and Uber have to ing home is not an option. Driving under the inundergo a background test, have a license to drive, fluence or even just past curfew has many potential be of legal age and complete many other tests. dangers that people are taught from a young age to “From a parent’s perspective, I would be a little avoid. hesitant to allow my kids to use Uber because of the Now there are new options people can choose unknown factor. From a non-parent’s point of view from when driving becomes unsafe. One of these it’s a company I would probably invest in because I new options is an application called Uber that prohear it’s going to be a big thing,” said math teacher vides transportation for individuals when and where Robert Tsuchiyama. they need it. The safety of Uber is questioned by many and reUber is a company that makes a profit off of consults in a hesitation to use it. However, teens who necting passengers with drivers of vehicles. Uber beuse Uber do not always take into consideration the gan around 2010 and originated in San Francisco. fact that they are getting into a stranger’s car and Since then it has expanded to a number of other that there are risks. cities around the world. “Parents are constantly worried about their kid “Uber is evolving the way the world moves. By getting into a car with anyone in general, but I don’t seamlessly connecting riders to drivers through our believe parents should be that concerned because all apps, we make cities more accessible, opening up drivers are registered with Uber and can always be more possibilities for riders and more business for tracked through their company iPhone,” said junior drivers,” the Uber website said. Jasmin Riedel. Uber is a sort of cab service that people can use Information from wikipedia.com, uber.com and taxifarefinder.com Infographic by Minh-Han Vu Different people have different opinions on takto get where they want to go by requesting a driver through the application. The app allows people to track where each car has its own tracking device, although that could prob- ing Uber versus taking a taxi and the safety of either one. Parents are hesitant to use Uber or allow their kids to do so. Dethe closest driver may be to their current location and how long ably be easily tampered with,” said senior Ethan Wallace. One problem that many people face with Uber is the safety spite this, teens would often say that they feel safer taking Uber. it will take for the drivers to arrive. “Overall I would say Uber is a very useful tool. The busi“From a face value perspective if someone explained it [Uber] of it. Kids are taught at a young age not to talk to strangers. How- ness is run very tightly and each driver has a background check to a parent, most people would believe that it’s not incredibly safe because it’s all volunteer-based. But from what I’ve heard ever, when kids grow older and become adults, they willingly which makes for a very safe system,” said Wallace.

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Entertainment

The Highlander

Page 21 March 2014

Shopping apps: all-day access By Gabriela D’Souza ScotCenter Editor-in-Chief Shopping online and on shopping apps enables users to have one-touch access to their favorite things. By choosing apps, or even bookmarking webpages, consumers are able to access all their favorite stores quickly and easily. Shopping via electronics in particular opens entire stores of products to consumers from the comfort of their very own cellular device. These apps are easy to use and in some cases much too easy. “I only shop online and through apps [because] it is much more convenient than looking at a browser,” said senior Eric He. In certain shopping apps and websites, including the Amazon and Zappos apps, two of the most popular apps according to the Apple App Store, customers are able to pick products that they would like and save them in a shopping cart or wishlist form. “I like how I don’t have to go out of my way to go shopping [online] and I can look for specific things easily,” said senior Alison Fitch. Some shopping apps even send periodic alerts to people’s phones about sales and exclusive deals that cause people to shop more. Exclusive deals available on shopping apps pull in consumers who normally would not spend their money in the store.

“The Victoria Secret app gives a freebie each month to app users to keep them checking the app,” said senior Cena Cook. Other apps and websites even give special benefits to customers. For example, every time a person uses the Starbucks app they can gain points toward free beverages. “I get all my stuff online, especially with the next day free shipping that websites have,” said senior Pasha Minkovsky. Shopping via cellular devices is very useful but does have its downfalls. Shopping online can be a distraction, especially in academic environments like a classroom or study room. “I shop online in almost all of my classes all the time, but I always go to the store to buy things so I can try them on” said senior Bailee Roces. Online shopping can even cause distress for certain stores. According to TIME Magazine electronic giant, Best Buy has become a showroom for Amazon.com. However, with Best Buy’s new pledge to price-match, the company has now become Amazon’s price list. This means that if a consumer wants a product they can look on Amazon for the cheapest price, show it to a Best Buy’s employee and get the best deal on a product. From a seller’s standpoint, online shopping and shopping via apps can be detrimental. From a consumer’s standpoint it’s a benefit that allows for an easier shopping experience. Photo by Grace Yi

Music meets videos By Sabrina Talpur Staff Writer Meet Mindie, the app the Internet is calling “MTV meets Vine.” Mindie is a video sharing app with a twist. This app allows you to record a video in a short span of time, like you could on Vine, and then choose a soundtrack to go with the video. “It’s like having a soundtrack to your life,” said senior Lauren Livengood. This app was released in October of last year, making it relatively new, small and unknown. But Mindie is gaining more and more users by the day, leading some to think it will be the next big thing. Junior Andrew Wach said, “I definitely think Mindie is going to be the next big thing. I was able to predict this about Vine and now I’m going to predict it with Mindie.” Mindie is considered to be an app revolved around music discovery and can be found in the app store under the music category for the

iPhone. It is said that the music in the seven second videos are meant to tell the stories rather than the moving images that make up the video itself. “The app is such a fun way to discover new music,” said senior Iman Fawahl. “I’ll just be looking through random Mindies and find so many new songs and artists I can listen to.” The app uses the iTunes store to pull their song previews so people can choose songs to go with their short videos. Users can specifically choose which part of the song preview they want to use for the video they are creating as well. There are also options on how to film your Mindies. There are three options as to how you can shoot your videos, either like a normal video, slow motion or fast motion. The app also chooses best Mindies and can choose one from any user if the staff likes it enough. If they like your Mindie they put it up on everyone’s newsfeed as a “Best Mindie.” “I’ve gotten a ‘Best Mindie’ around 17 times now and it’s such a great feeling. Once you get a ‘Best

Mindie’ you keep wanting to get more and so you make so many more Mindies,” said Wach. Within this app you are able to follow other users as well as “like” their Mindies. Also as an option, Mindie allows you to share your creations to Facebook and Twitter. The Paris-based Mindie team is now in the process of moving to San Francisco for bigger plans. The creation of the app is considered to be a story for many aspiring entrepreneurs. The team who launched Mindie first created the storytelling app Ever which turned out not to be successful. Now the team has raised $1.2 million on Mindie and even had to turn down some investors. “The Mindie team basically took the outcome of their first failed product and instead made a successful video sharing app. I think in the long run everything worked out for the Mindie team,” said Livengood. If interested, Mindie can be downloaded from the app store now for free with a device that runs on iOS 6.0 or above.

Images from Apple.com

Page 22 The Highlander

Future albums

Entertainment

March 2014

By John Russell Staff Writer

The only currency that matters is eyeballs. In the age of album leaks and a flood of free music nipping at the heels of established artists, how do the big boys keep themselves above the fray and in the eye of the public? In a time when small and grassroots is in vogue, how does one make mainstream cool? The answer is simple. Make a spectacle out of your product. Do things that the little guys can’t do. Anyone can drop an album online, but only those with pockets that are lined with label money can engineer an event that brings people in. Kanye West put projections of his face rapping “New Slaves,” in 66 cities across various continents. No one knew exactly what was going on, but it was something, and it was engrossing. Childish Gambino wiped his Internet footprint and six months later let a stream of small bits of information slowly build an online world that fleshed out the one he explored in his album. Not to mention the companion 75-page screenplay he wrote that he released for free online. Beyonce dropped her most ambitious project out of the sky, with no prior announcement. Her husband put his album next to the actual Magna Carta. “They can do better stuff with the Internet and all that connectivity … I don’t think we’ve even seen anything on the level we will in the next five years,” said senior Pasha Minkovsky. The common thread between all of these is the need for those artists to attract attention to their album; as an entity, as a cultural event, not just as a collection of songs. That idea has been appropriated by the Warner/ Sony/Universal complex; indie artists have been pulling stunts to attract attention since they existed at the fringes of the market. “I think being indie is cooler than being mainstream now; there’s artists who do both pretty well, and they’re the most successful, maybe not as well as biggest names in music, but ultimately the hip kids are not talking about Adele or Fun. And the hip kids are what drive everything, really,” said senior Eric He. When cool becomes a by-product of indie cred rather than an affirmation of the ability to move units at Target or on iTunes, the only thing major label artists are left to do is raise the bar. They have to engineer radical new events with the scale of a major release, and the ingenuity of an indie one. Blog buzz and innovative album rollouts can only get independent artists so far. When the big boys start to dip their toes into the little kids pool, they can cause quite a stir. Beyonce’s surprise album move was designed after she met and worked with Death Grips; the inspiration for her maneuver is fairly transparent. Kanye did what he did best and designed the anti-promotional campaign that perfectly hooked the young, plugged-in crowd that is so used to a glut of press releases and label bureaucracy, teasing the id out of every millennial with an internet connection. He publicly stated that he couldn’t care less about an album leak or anything for that matter. His album artwork was a band of red tape across a run of the mill CD case. All of this was secondary to the real stunt; release an album that couldn’t care less whether you liked it or not. It may have been a true toss into the wind, but with Kanye being the designer he is, it is more likely that this subversion was carefully designed to be impactful and timely. But what’s next? Artists have brave new worlds to explore; to build. They have unprecedented access to their fan bases, and an unquantifiably deep well of ideas to realize in this hyper-connected world we live in now. Digital release parties in the deep web, crowdsourced production, flash listening events, audiovisual albums; who knows what we as fans have to look forward to. Ultimately it’s the same goal trying to be achieved by big and small artists: our loyalty. Things have just more noise now. The little guys have been given a platform, but the big guys still have the power to cut through all the confusion. We will see more and more albums become events and their releases become more and more eccentric and interactive. Bottom line, we are in store for some interesting new content regardless of where the industry ends up.

Carmichael’s Day Off performs a gig at the DNA Club

Photo courtesy of Carmichael’s Day Off

Students display musical talents

By Kevin Juarez Staff Writer

Everyone knows the student artists in school orchestra and band, but there are some students that do not take part in these groups and still play music. Being part of high school bands is a popular trend with teenagers, whether for the dream of becoming rich and famous or for the fun of playing music. Many bands start with classmates that have a similar taste in music and want to try to reproduce the style of the band or try to make their own sound. “Me and a friend started a band just recently because we think that we can provide something to the genre that we want to focus when we actually finish all the little details to establish our band,” said senior Malone Ahern.

When these bands start, they have to settle issues of who can be in the band and whether they have enough members to actually perform. Once that is settled, the band has to practice the songs they want to perform. "It's hard to find a place to actually perform locally. More often than not, our band performs in San Francisco which is not far but not a lot of people show up to our gigs because it's difficult to actually get there," said senior Sahand Janpass. Even though these steps seem somewhat difficult, the hardest part of starting a band is figuring out where it should debut and where it can perform its music on a regular basis. These bands do not have the same attention as school-made bands such as orchestra and band, who have concerts made for them to showcase their talents in front of all their peers. “I think it is unfair that groups like or-

chestra and band have the school to back them up to play while other bands can’t have that type of promotion,”said Janpass. Bands try to promote themselves by performing at independent events and venues to showcase their music and post it on their social media pages to get more attention. Although these methods seem to not be as effective as the school-sponsored events, it is a good way to try to get the name out there. Bands often have a hard time actually performing in front of a crowd, so they mostly upload their performances to YouTube in hopes that they can gain more popularity in a broader audience. This way, students can subscribe and always hear new material. High school bands may not always be as well known as orchestra, but they provide a way for students to show individualism by showcasing their musical abilities in their own form.

Evolution of music: from past to present By Shayan Mandegarian Staff Writer

Music always changes. When rock and roll was first introduced, it was shunned by many, but later ended up becoming one of the most popular genres. People compared rock and roll to the older, more classical music and accused rock of not being real music. This is similar to how newer genres like rap and electronic music are called “not real music” while comparing it to music from decades ago. Nowadays, people can have instant access to any music they want anytime they want with their cell phones and iPods, but what do they listen to? Junior Bobby Solomon said, “People tend to listen to what they are used to hearing around them all the time rather than different, more abstract music.” One of the most talked about differences between older music and contemporary music is lyrics. Classic music fan senior Zhenya Farrington said, “Older music’s lyrics have meaning to them. Some songs can get really philosophical, while today’s music is all about dancing and break ups.” Sophomore Devon Mantoani said, “There are lyrics from today’s and from older music that have similar themes, but they are presented differently.” Even hardcore classic music lovers like Farrington admit that modern music has its good parts too. “Today’s music is really catchy, even if the lyrics are bad. Sometimes they’ll get stuck in my head.” Senior Katrine Petrov said, “Newer artists sometimes even use parts of older music in their songs, like Pitbull.” Farrington said, “Today, music is about the show. If an artist has a good show but the music isn’t that great, they will still be successful.” Junior Noa Garcia-Brown said, “Today, people use music in order to get attention by making controversial videos and dressing up in

crazy costumes, and they don’t focus on the actual music.” Mantoani said, “Not all music made today is bad, but a lot of it is just made to try to get popular and get more attention.” This can be easily shown in pop-star Miley Cyrus’s infamous music video for her song “We Can’t Stop,” which even shows her licking a toy doll at one point in the video. There are many reasons why older music tends to have the elements of the classic garage band like guitars, drums, bass and a singer. Modern bands tend to have one person as the center of the show and have electronically-made music in the background. For example, one of the most popular bands in the 70’s, Queen, consisted of a lead singer, guitarist, bass player and drummer. Justin Bieber’s music usually only consists of him singing, back-up singers and electronic sounds in the background. Farrington said, “You don’t even have to be good at instruments or singing to make a popular song nowadays, all you need to do is be good with electronics and make a catchy beat.” Garcia-Brown said, “In my opinion, older music has more meaningful lyrics and there’s no use of things like auto tune so you know there’s actual skill and talent in the music.” Junior Gabe Lorvan said, “Old music has actual instruments, that’s why I like it. There’s better orchestration.” Modern electronic music can even be made by just one person. A prime example of this is Skrillex, who can make fast-paced electronic music called dubstep using only software programs. Lorvan said, “I may be a hypocrite for this, but I actually do like dubstep.” Mantoani said, “Dubstep is my guilty pleasure because a lot of people say it’s not real music since it’s all electronic, but for me it’s just really fun to dance to.” Music will change, opinions will change; some people will ride with the changes while some will cling on to old ways. Considering this, there will never be and there cannot ever be a universal answer to a question of what makes a certain type of music the best.

The Highlander

Entertainment

Page 23 March 2014

Celebrity influence on society: good or bad? By Aria Frangos Staff Writer Just about everyone in America knows about Oprah Winfrey’s show, Miley Cyrus’s dancing, or Jennifer Lawrence’s acting. Celebrities are well-known public figures by definition, which puts them on an automatic pedestal from which they can hold significant influence in society. Tabloids, gossip magazines, Internet articles, television newscasts, and social media give a constant stream of updates on the doings of celebrities. With all of this information about the lives of those we consider stars and heroes, the extent of their impact on society is not a huge shock. “They are famous for a reason. Everyone wants to be famous in any way possible, and these people have the story to tell how to get there,” said sophomore Mario Valenzuela. Some celebrities have a reputation for being at the center of dramatic news stories. Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber are examples of young stars whose controversial actions have recently made top news headlines. Cyrus, once a squeaky-clean Disney star, has turned her persona into a wild child with a tendency for sexualized performances. Her performance with Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV Awards and music video for her single “Wrecking Ball” scandalized many with her provocative dancing and sexual innuendos. Her current Bangerz tour has been protested by parents of her fans for this continued behavior, complaining that it is too sexually suggestive for her young audience. Another one of Cyrus’ new habits includes the public display of her cannabis usage. In a 2014 interview, Cyrus told W Magazine, “I love weed. I just love getting stoned.” The home page of her website, mileycyrus.com, sports a GIF of a lit joint with a marijuana leaf at the end. In her Vancouver, Canada performance of her Bangerz tour, she gave out 24K gold rolling papers with the purchase of a tour book.

Have you seen Frozen? Omg it’s so good! I love Disney!

“I feel like a lot of people are influenced by celebrity fashions and what they consider ‘cool,’ like smoking and drinking and other ‘edgy behaviors,’” said junior Tori Hall. Yet despite the many poor opinions on her actions, Cyrus was the most Googled person of 2013 in the United States, and the music video for “Wrecking Ball” broke Vevo records with 19.3 million views within the first 24 hours of its release. Bieber was another celebrity whose recent actions have been seen as less than commendable. He has been charged with possession of marijuana on multiple occasions, has gotten in fights with paparazzi, and was arrested for DUI among other charges on Jan. 23. Bieber’s release from jail was met with a huge crowd of fans, whom he responded to by sitting on the roof of his car and waving. “Teens are very susceptible to being influenced, especially by the actions of celebrities because they’re already idolized,” said sophomore Kiera Pendleton-White. “Miley Cyrus

“There are some really great celebrities,” said Pendleton-White. “Tyler Oakley asked his fans to donate to the Trevor Who Project instead of getting him birthday watches Disney presents, and he raised about $30,000.” anymore? Look Oakley, a popular Youtuber and adwhat Miley Cyrus vocate for LGBT youth, used his influposted on Twitter! ence with his over four million Youtube subscribers to raise money for the Trevor Project, which funds text conversations for the benefit of LGBT youth struggling with personal crises or suicidal thoughts. “It’s an amazing cause,” said PendletonWhite, “and he’s fantastic for promoting it.” Other celebrities like Winfrey, Angelina Jolie, and Beyonce are looked up to for their donations of millions of dollars to many different charities. “I really like Beyonce not only because of her music, but because of all the charities she supports,” said freshman Paris Bartolo. Celebrities like Lawrence, Oakley, Winfrey, Jolie, and Beyonce have good Cartoon by Veronika Dvorakova reputations in the eyes of many, and can and Justin Bieber really have not been good be considered to use their influence in worthrole models with what they’ve done.” while ways like spreading knowledge and deSome celebrities effectively use their spot- sire to donate to charities. light to act in ways that are widely viewed as a Professional athletes can have strong influgood model for their fans. ences on aspiring youth who view them as role “I think the bad role models are the ones do- models because of their talent, work ethic, or ing really stupid stuff like Justin Bieber,” said values. Hall. “He's just being completely reckless and “It’s a different kind of influence than other really stupid about what he's doing. Good role celebrities,” said junior Michael Bereket. “It’s models are ones that have their public life to- more of a source of inspiration for the sport gether and aren't getting arrested or anything, than following what they do with their lives.” like Jennifer Lawrence. She really has every“People that I look up to are Michael Jorthing together.” dan and my dad,” said Valenzuela. “I follow Lawrence is known for many large roles in Michael Jordan on Instagram and Twitter and the recent past, including her roles as Katniss I see my dad every day. To me, they both porEverdeen in “The Hunger Games,” and Tif- tray what a good role model is because they fany Maxwell in “Silver Linings Playbook.” have both taught me to have grit, courage and Off-screen, Lawrence has been known for the will to succeed no matter what road I take.” having a joking and frank personality in funny Good role models are an important part of interviews and endearing commentaries. The human development in body, mind, and valimage she casts is viewed as realistic and in- ues. The influence of celebrities is strong in the spiring by many, as depicted by her feature in values and ideas held by society and may be Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2013. viewed as good or bad sources of guidance.

Society values entertainment over usefulness By Taran Sun Staff Writer There is a price that people will pay in order to receive happiness: millions of dollars. Professional entertainers earn millions to bring joy and distraction from daily life to people around the globe, while practical workers such as teachers receive miniscule salaries in comparison. Although this inequality may seem unjust to some, the current values of society justify entertainer’s extensive pay. This is the reality of the modern world, in which people value entertainment above all else. Sophomore Lucas Coley said, “It seems kind of unethical that people get paid so much to entertain the masses, but it is hard to put an actual value on entertainment. Although working to save lives is an admirable profession, the act of bringing joy and happiness to millions of people through something like creating a movie is incredibly valuable. People just want to be happy.” Carlmont English teacher Sarah Clarke said, “The amount of money that a profession makes parallels the desires of the community. Right now, the most important thing to people is entertainment, and so the value of entertainment is high. Until the values of our society change, I don’t necessarily see any change [in salary] being implemented in the near future. For major league athletes and movie stars, the place that entertainment occupies in the heart of society equates to profit. According to the online statistic site Paywizard, Robert Downey Jr., the star of the Iron Man movies, makes over $75 million per year bringing enjoyment to movie watchers by leading a life of make-believe. Junior Sydney Carlier didn’t see a significant issue with the salary of professional entertainers. Carlier said, “I think what entertainers get paid is a little ridiculous, but I don’t think a change is necessary. Obviously doctors and teachers and other people who directly contribute to society deserve respect and praise, but I think the sense of satisfaction that they get from

their work should outweigh the money.” Joe Brennan, a retired executive and owner of the Witco Chemical Corporation, shared the view that the role of entertainers was valuable in society. Brennan said,“I think that we all have a genius. The trick in life is to discover what that genius is. Sometimes the genius can be singing, or acting or playing a sport. People are able to generate a lot of revenue based on this genius, but it is valuable to share their genius with the world. I don't think that they necessarily earn too much or too little.” Sophomore Colleen Castro thought the pay of professional athletes was fair for the requirements of being a pro. Castro said, “I think pro sports players are overpaid, but I think that their pay can be justified. It is very hard to become a pro athlete and anyone who makes it, superstar or not, is very good.” Castro’s goal is to get a full ride for NCAA Division I hockey. The only thing standing in the way of her ambitions of playing professional hockey is that there is no professional league for girls. Castro said, “Pro sports players are few and far between and put their bodies on the line every night in front of the world. Not to say that first responders don’t also, but there are many more of them and the government can’t afford to pay hefty salaries to all of them. Sports teams get their money from fans that voluntarily pay the organization through merchandise and tickets and that sort of thing.” While the salaries of entertainers may be rationalized by the values of the modern day, many find the pay of people like teachers inadequate. Low attendance rates at Carlmont during past entertainment events such as the San Francisco Giants World Champions Homecoming Parade in 2012 exemplify how even education takes a backseat when the opportunity for pleasure presents itself. The parade was a reflection of how teachers and education are undervalued in comparison to happiness, and this is reflected in the salaries of teachers. The average yearly salary of a high school teacher in the United States is $45,000, small when sized up against the aforementioned millions of entertainers.

Brennan did have a very strong view on the difference in income between certain jobs. Brennan said, “While entertainment is important, I think that teachers are the most important transferrers of our culture, and therefore the most important building blocks for our future. They are grossly underpaid, and I think this is a disparity that should be corrected. Teachers should definitely earn more money than they do.” Junior Brandon Cuschieri said, “I think that keeping people happy is a good thing to do, but I think that things like educating the future of our country and helping save people’s lives should start taking priority because they are more important than doing things like playing sports.” Clarke voiced an opinion about money. She said,“Is money the only indicator of value? How many actors have died from overdoses or developed substance addiction? I don’t think that the high paying lifestyles are necessarily happy ones. When I got into teaching I knew I wasn't going to make too much money, but I knew that this was what I wanted to do. Money does not necessarily equate to happiness.” Entertainers are an irreplaceable aspect of society, and many say their immense salary reflects this. Teachers are also valued extremely highly by many people for their role in the future of our country, and our world, and should receive higher pay. The difference in money exhibits which of the two is valued more. The inequality shows the extent to which the human mind is, as Sydney Carlier said, “hard wired for happiness.”

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Page 24 The Highlander

March 2014

Carlmont students struggle to escape peers prejudice By Lauren Tierney Staff Writer

From page 1

look fully Asian and seem to fit the stereotype taking all AP classes and working hard in school are only infact half Asian. Anthony said, “For certain people I think race affects the way people look at them. For example, me being Asian and in a high level of math may be only a coincidence, but supports the stereotype that Asians are ‘overachievers.’” Half-black senior Simone McCarthy plays

Photo by Mariah Tao

Restaurant culture

~Mark Tulchinsky~

in Palo Alto and San Mateo. Senior Henson Kwok said, “Although I want to say Tpumps is a great drink, it really isn’t. We drink Tpumps to fit in and we carry the cup around like a fashion statement.” Alexis Limberakis, the former Director of Marketing at The Clorox Company, said, “Often, if the [restaurant’s] brand connects very

on the Carlmont varsity soccer team and has lived in San Carlos all her life, but still is aware of common stereotypes of people of her race. McCarthy said, “Having a different color skin hasn't affected the way I dress, but I worry about people perceiving me as being ghetto just because I’m Black. This influences the way I speak and present myself in order to avoid common stereotypes.” Junior Mark Tulchinsky has many piercings, facial hair, and wears a lot of black, but this doesn't necessarily denote that he is not a friendly person. Tulchinsky said, “Most would think that I'm some kind of druggy or some monster. But it really isn't true. People are just scared of different. I dress and act the way I do because I don't care what people really think. I've dealt with my own share of experiences, and the way I dress and act reflects that. Even if it's not visPhoto by Samantha Fong

According to Forbes Magazine it takes only seven seconds for people to characterize others upon meeting and three months for one change their opinion. Carlmont students often are characterized by their physical appearance, but are often not seen past what meets the eye. A common stereotype that a majority of Asians must get good grades and only focus on their school life is incorrect according to junior Rachel Lum. Lum said, "I feel like I have to be smart and be a good student just because I'm Asian but in reality I'm not very smart and I think it might surprise people that I'm actually not as smart as the stereotypical Asian." Some people like Jen Anthony who may

“People are just scared of different. I dress and act the way I do because I don't care what people really think.”

CREAM and Tpumps can both boast of lines that stretch down the sidewalks.

strongly to emotional drivers, the functional benefits (like proximity, quality, price) just need to be acceptable.”

In regard to how companies knowingly market their products to teenagers, Limberakis said, “I would suspect an emphasis on social me-

ible. Just because a person dresses a certain way doesn't make them bad.” Not only do people wrongly judge Tulchinskys for his reasons on presenting himself the way he does, but he’s also unable to be seen for his personal qualities that go beyond his appearance. Tulchinsky said, “I actually am a lot nicer than I look. I do all my homework. I work and take care of my life and problems myself. I like to cook for instance, I hate sports, and I can't go a day without music. I don't dress the way I do for ‘I cry from help’ or attention. I do it because it shows a small portion of the real me without scaring people to tears.” The way one presents himself says a lot about a person, but again says nothing at all. Tulchinsky put it best when he said, “Open your mind before your mouth.” Article originally appeared on Scotscoop.com

dia, so promotion of the restaurant comes across as more as an authentic, grassroots swell of interest by teens.” “I can’t go a weekend without seeing a picture of an ice cream sandwich from CREAM or a cup from Tpumps on Instagram, Snapchat, or Twitter,” said junior Christina Galisatus. “It certainly can’t hurt a business like Tpumps when all their advertising is done by their customers on social media.” According to Limberakis, restaurants that successfully brand their product will more likely obtain hefty economic profits. “[Successfully] branded products

can achieve premium pricing and stronger market share than store brands or generics even in cases where functionally they are comparable,” said Limberakis. The perception of Tpumps as “the place to be” explains why boba tea restaurants that provide comparable drinks, such as Ocha, Quickly, and Ya-Ua, don’t have lines down the block. There are countless models for restaurants to bring in customers, such as offering better food and lowering prices. But the most effective way may be to capture the teenage market by somehow becoming hip in the eyes of teen consumers.

braces by Dr. Kathleen Brennan Tavarez

1785 San Carlos Ave #7, San Carlos

650.592.3111

drtavarez.com

Extras

The Highlander

Fighting From page 1

in physical fights the reason behind these problems has become worth exploring. Junior Jen Anthony said, “Teenagers fight because of their egos.” Our ego’s are what makes us especially distinct from the world and people around us. For others, fighting is bigger than an ego; it is about respect. Respect is often described as the state of being regraded with honor or esteem. Junior Nicky Thompson was recently suspended for a fight at Carlmont and said, “Teenagers usually get into fights when they are disrespected.” The Central for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) found that In 2010 homicide was the second leading cause of death in the nation among persons ages 15 to 19 years, accounting for 1,832 deaths. Aside from fatal injuries, the CDC found that in 2011 more than 700,000 young people aged 10-24 years were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries sustained from assaults. Sequoia Hospital emergency department nurse Norm Burkowski said, “I think the main

reason teens come in for fights is because of gangs, alcohol, drugs, peer pressure, or girls.” “All of the stories are about the same fights at school over girls or friends (gangs). If not that, its kids that come in the morning after getting in a fight at a party because they were drunk, and had ‘no real reason for fighting, just being stupid.’” Carlmont student Brandon Cuschieri became a part of the statistic when he participated in a fight with former Carlmont student Nick Jasso. “I had to go to the hospital after the fight only to see if I had head trauma,” said Cuschieri. Burkowski said, “Nurses are required to call the police for every patient that comes in after a fight.” In 2011, the CDC found that for every 100,000 males ages 15-19, there were 62,118 arrested for violent crimes. For every 100,000 females ages 15-19, there were 12,232 arrested for violent crimes. It’s not often a student gets arrested on campus after a fight, but Carlmont uses suspension and expulsion to deal with punishments. “Usually the school suspends you after getting into a fight. After the third fight, you’re expelled,” said Thompson . “I don’t regret fighting, but I do regret doing it at school,” said Thompson.

Page 25 March 2014

Helicopter parents From page 1

they are trying to foster independence and confidence that will be useful later in life. Chemistry teacher Felix Guzman said, “In an ideal world … students approach their teachers to negotiate, and if that fails then they should go to their parents.” While there are surely students who are willing to go to their teachers, some helicopter parents just can’t stop themselves and call anyway, sometimes without their child even knowing about it. “If my grade goes down, my parents will immediately call the teacher and ask why, and then they volunteer me for extra credit work that I don’t want to do,” said sophomore Lauren Reo. It may be easy for parents to ask for extra work for their student, but it is ultimately the student who has to do the work, and therefore the student should be the one to ask. Sophomore Claire Wheeler said, “Every time my grade drops below a 93 percent my dad will make me have a meeting with my teacher to discuss it.” A student with a similar situation is senior Tristan Sobey. He said, “My parents are very active about checking my grades. They are constantly ask-

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ing about what I have coming up, what’s due, and what my projects are.” Parents have a hard time remembering that an average grade is a C, so anything above a 90 percent is at the very least an acceptable grade. Often times, helicopter parents don’t stop at high school. “My parents have mandated that they have the password to my grades [at college],” said Sobey. Though it is generally associated with school work, helicopter parenting can be present in everyday life too. As the name suggests, overparenting results from overprotective and overanxious parents who constantly want to know where their kids are at all times. Someone who has experienced this type of behavior first hand is sophomore Shant Narkizian who said, “My parents are always like ‘You have to call us at ten' and they try to monitor my iPhone.” Narkizian added that although his parent’s intervention can be helpful in preventing him from doing something he would regret, it can be a little too much at times. The Keene State study concluded by saying, “It appears that helicopter parenting paradoxically does not promote positive interpersonal relationships and social problem solving in emerging adults.”

Slaves to our parents From page 4

The older you get, the more you have to grow up, and the list of pros and cons will change. But the fact of life is you get older and you have to grow up someday. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing to have happen earlier on in life. What is important to remember is that becoming an adult isn’t because you are forced to act as your parents’ personal “slave.”

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Sports

Page 26 The Highlander

March 2014

Giants look to reclaim NL West What needs to happen for the Giants to make it back to the World Series By Graham Godwin Staff Writer

This is a massive year for the Giants organization; every year since the World Series win in 2010, the payroll has increased. The front office has made significant investments in their homegrown talent, most notably star catcher, Buster Posey and ace pitcher, Matt Cain. Last year was a wash for the Giants; they were doomed by injuries to the top of their lineup and a lackluster performance by every starting pitcher not named Madison Bumgarner. However, it’s a new season, and there is a whole new set of expectations. The NL West has improved exponentially the last few years, but the Giants can find success if these three things fall into place. 1. The Giants need to stay healthy - Last year the Giants were hurt by ongoing injuries to their leadoff hitter Angel Pagan. They only got 71 games from the Puerto Rican, and would be well pressed to get a whole season from Pagan, who consistently sets the table for Pablo Sandoval and Posey. Health problems may have already arisen during Spring Training; veteran second baseman Marco Scutaro has yet to

pick up a bat due to a troublesome back. His presence is critical in the Giants lineup; like Pagan, Scutaro has knack for getting on base and rarely has an unproductive out. If Scutaro is unable at the opening of the season, manager, Bruce Bochy, will look to Joaquin Arias and Tony Abreu to fill in, both are obvious downgrades. 2. The Giants need production from the backend of their rotation - It was a rather quiet offseason for general manager Brian Sabean and the rest of the Giant’s front office. One of the question marks going into the offseason for the Giants was the backend of their rotation. With Barry Zito leaving, Sabean was in the lookout for a potential innings eater who could take the lead as San Francisco’s fourth or fifth starter. The Giants found their man in Tim Hudson, a seasoned veteran who consistently puts up solid numbers. The Giants agreed to terms with Hudson, who is 37 years old and coming off an ankle surgery that ended his season last year with the Atlanta Braves. It is key for the Giants to get production from Hudson, who will be a massive upgrade over the incompetent Zito. Sabean also committed millions of dollars to fan favorite Tim

Lincecum by resigning him to a multiyear extension. Lincecum is no longer the Cy-Young pitcher he once was, but the Giants committed to much money for Lincecum to continue his subpar performances from the last two seasons. For the Giants to be competitive they will need at least 30 wins combined from both Lincecum and Hudson. It remains to be seen if that is too much to ask for. 3. Pablo Sandoval needs to deliver - Sandoval can still produce like the World Series MVP that he is, but the problem has been tapping into that potential. It seems that every year around this time Giant’s fans hold their breath when it comes to figuring out how much the Panda’s weight ballooned in his off-season excursions to his home, in Venezuela. Not this year. In his contract year the Panda is not screwing around, often tweeting out photos of his slimmed down physique. With his weight causing durability issues in the past, look for Sandoval to put together a monster season that will garner him a fat contract in the offseason. It’s a real possibility that Sandoval plays his way out of the Giant’s price range, especially after the huge contracts doled out to Hunter Pence, Cain and Posey.

What’s in store for the 2014 track and field season? By Tara Ebrahimpour Staff Writer

This season, the track team is changing things up with a new head coach. Louis Schuman, who played football for San Jose State, is the new head coach for the Carlmont track team. Although Schuman is new to Carlmont, he is no stranger to coaching. His previous coaching experiences include assistant soccer coach at Mercy High School in San Francisco for two years and assistant sprint (track) coach last year. When asked about why he decided to coach Carlmont track, Schuman said, “It’s a good program, it’s a nice school...I live down the street, so it’s really convenient with my commute." There has been a new head coach every year for the last few years, so many juniors and seniors weren’t surprised when Schuman took over. Many students are happy about the addition of a new coach. Junior Catherine Schulze said, “I'm happy they found someone who could do the job. I think the new coach is tough, which is good, because he gets us to work really hard during practice.”

Senior Franklin Rice said, “I think its great that we have a new coach who can get the team in order. Working out the kinks takes some time but I think he's doing a great job and working us hard!” When asked about what his goals were for the season, Schuman said, “To have a good win-loss record... I would like to see our seniors compete at the highest level. Maybe and hopefully move on to the next level of competition, which is college.” He later added, “And as an overall buildup for the track and field program where everybody feels like they are a good athlete, they have the potential to go far and everybody realizes their strengths and weaknesses.” Although the team lost their first meet of the season against Sequoia on March 6, they have many meets ahead of them and more opportunities to step up their game in the coming months. When asked about his goals for the season, Rice who has done track all four years at Carlmont said, “I'm doing it this year because its a great opportunity to be part of a wonderful team while getting exercise and competing athletically, which I love to do. My personal goals this year are to beat my past records and do well against other runners in the area. My

Michael Bereket jogs during track practice.

team goals are to help keep everyone uninjured and in good spirits. If everyone wants to be at practice everyone will have more fun.” The track team is like one big family, with all the athletes looking out for one another. New track athletes should feel welcome. Schuman’s advice for new track athletes is, “Keep working hard, nothing comes over-

Photo by Kellan McDonough

night, nothing is won overnight, everything is a process...everything is step by step. The hardest part is to make sure you focus and you stay on the track where you started. Be confident in who you are and be prepared to be somebody because everybody has the potential to be somebody.”

How the athletically uninterested participate during sports seasons By Julia Kranzler Staff Writer

It is easy to join the hype when a local sports team makes headlines, but how do the “Athletically Uninterested” participate otherwise? “Bandwagoning,” or rooting for a certain sports team only when they gain success, is a common trend amongst Bay Area residents. “I think the success of Bay Area sports teams has definitely 20p6.814 lead to more fans hopping on the bandwagon… Now that the niners have started to do well, people have definitely become more involved,” said senior Jordan Kiss. Watching a World Series game at a friend’s house can be fun when the Giants or the A’s make it there, however, trying to develop an interest in a sport proves to be almost impossible for those who “just don’t get it.” “When people ask me about [sports], I don’t really know

what’s going on. It’s like there’s no other conversation and they just kind of expect me to understand what’s happening in sports. I sometimes feel like the only one who isn’t participating in watching sports. I mean, sometimes I do feel left out,” said senior Logan McPherson. Not everyone is a sports fan. There are many people who couldn’t care less about what is happening in the athletic world. In fact, many of these “athletically uninterested” people have no problem remaining uninterested. “People can talk about sports but to a certain extent, it gets pretty annoying. When you scroll through your social media and all you see is what sports teams someone likes, it gets annoying, and they should be more considerate of which teams other people like because they might not like the same one or even watch that sport,” said senior Alison Fitch. These so-called “Anti-Sports Fans” can be bothersome for students who are active fans for multiple sports teams.

“I watch basketball, football, soccer, a little bit of baseball and some hockey… I do think its a little bit annoying when people complain about not understanding sports, but I think its even worse when someone tries to pretend like they know what they’re talking about,” said Kiss. Fitch said, ““Its kind of mean when people say things like ‘oh you don’t know that?’ when they try and talk to me about sports.” Students will continue to join in on the fun even if it doesn’t necessarily revolve around the sport itself. “I still go to the sporting events because it’s fun, but I don’t know any of the players on any teams,” said McPherson. Other students, including Fitch, added that sporting events also serve as social events. Though they may not actually be watching the sport, “Anti-Sports Fans” don’t let their lack of interest stop them from enjoying themselves.

The Highlander

Sports

Page 27 March 2014

By Alex Yang Staff Writer

Only one sport has linked the world together. Soccer, or football as called in other countries, is the most popular sport in the world and has influenced the world. Soccer historically has not had much attention in the United States, however a major increase in popularity for the sport came when the United States hosted the 1994 Men’s World Cup and the 1999 and 1993 Women’s World cups. In the United States alone, there were 2 million youth soccer registrations in 1995, and now 3 million registrations in 2012. In the U.S. soccer league, Major League Soccer (MLS), there are already 19 teams which host worldwide players, and the “soccer program is expected to expand,” said U.S. National Coach Jurgen Klinsmann in an interview with ESPN. Sophomore Sage Shamsai said, “Soccer has changed a lot over history and is still an important factor of people’s lives.” With multimillion dollar stadiums and expensive player contracts, the game of soccer has not always been how it is now. The first recorded soccer type games were from Ancient Greece in a game called Harpas-

tum. Over time, soccer has developed especially in England with new rules and the formation of the Football Association (FA). The rules of the game are now governed by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). Today, soccer is played at a professional level all over the world and millions of people go to soccer stadiums to support their favorite teams. Soccer is also watched by billions on television and has the highest global television audience in sport. Soccer has also brought together different countries of the world. Every four years, countries participate in the FIFA World Cup, to take home the Jules Rimet Cup trophy. Other famous soccer tournaments include the UEFA EURO Cup, con- Carlmont soccer won a thriller in the rain against San Benito High School in the CCS roound of 16. sisting of only European countries, Not only has soccer linked the world, it has been very proud to help,” said soccer superstar and the CONCACAF Champions League, created a line of superstars that are considered David Beckham in an interview with Forbes consisting of only North American, Central among most influential people of the world. Magazine. American, and Caribbean teams. Time Magazine has named numerous soccer Freshman Paul Bastaki said, “Soccer is a big Sophomore Max Storenzhenko said, “It’s players as being part of the top 100 influential part of my life. The players are like celebrities always fun watching a soccer team represent people in the world, including Mario Balo- to me and it’s exciting to see how the profestheir country. The spirit of the game is raised telli, Lionel Messi, Didier Drogba, and David sionals play. Mainly, soccer gives me an outlet during the International tournaments because Beckham. to do what I like to do and I can just have fun there is a sense of national pride.” “I still want to grow this sport, and I have with it.”

Sports scholarships open doorways for college By Tori Shanefelter Staff Writer

While many high school students struggle to decide which college they will go to, there are some students who not only know which college they will be attending, but have also received sports scholarships. However, the competition to get a college scholarship is exceedingly high. According to the National Letter of Intent on Athletic Scholarship website, “...only 2 percent of high school athletes are awarded athletic scholarships to compete in college.” Athletes who hope to pay for their college education through sports need to have realistic expectations rather than wishful dreaming in terms of whether or not a sports scholarship is really an option for them. “Sports scholarships are oversold and glamorized. Many students think that getting an athletic scholarship to a college is their only option, but there are many different ways to pay for college through other offered scholarships. The chances of an athlete actually getting a full ride scholarship is rare unless they are on everyone’s radar [Division I, Division II, and Division III] and are nationally ranked,” said Carlmont’s College Counselor, Connie Dominguez. Two percent of 6.4 million athletes across the country are accepted for scholarships.

Scholarships must be renewed each school year and an athlete can only play for a total of four years. However, that does not mean that the same scholarship is guaranteed each year. Varsity baseball head coach Rich Vallero said, “Getting a sports scholarship is great for the athlete and their families, to be able to get their education paid for through something that they love. The reality is that there’s not a lot of people who actually get to experience that. You either have to be naturally super talented or really work your tail off to be one of those lucky few.” Even if an athlete were to get a sport scholarship, the average scholarship given each year is $8,707, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Although that is a lot of money, it is only a small fraction of the total cost. For private colleges, the average tuition is $30,094; for state residents attending public universities, the cost is $8,893, according to collegeboard.org. Former varsity soccer player Melissa Wood said, “It’s really competitive to get a scholarship because colleges tend to only offer them to ODP [olympic development players]. But they also look at your credentials when offering a scholarship rather than just by how you well you play.” There are three sports Divisions [D-I, D-II, D-III] for college athletes with D-I being the

most competitive and intended for the elite athletes who are especially passionate about their sport. Athletes are expected to continue year round training after receiving a scholarship for a D-I school. “I was a D-I baseball player at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. After two years of junior college, I was given a 20 percent scholarship that only covered for boarding coming from California to Alabama,” Vallero said. “But through hard work and dedication, my coaches tripled my scholarship the following year.” D-II is a more intermediate level of competition compared to D-I. This division fits the needs of athletes who want to play in college, but do not wish to be at the level of competition as D-I. D-III does not give out athletic scholarships as the majority of athletes in this division are more academic oriented. It is intended for athletes that are focused more on academics, but still wish to participate in their sport. Even though D-III schools do not give out athletic scholarships, some athletes have been given academic scholarships. “I was given a scholarship to UC Berkeley, but it was not a full ride. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to choose from many different schools and get accepted

into one of my top choices even though their scholarship was smaller,” said Wood. Colleges decision of which athletes are potential scholarship candidates is also influenced by the student’s academic achievements. “Academics set the tone of everything. We play sports as something that we love to do, recreational or leisure, and very few are lucky to be able to do it as a career. But as an athlete were also one injury away from not being able to physically play at all anymore and if you don’t have a good education to fall back on what are you going to do for a living?” said Vallero. “Personally, I feel that an athlete's main focus needs to be in putting their all in their academics and if their sport doesn’t work out then they are always going to have their education to as a way to make a living. Doing it the other way can put someone in a bad situation for their future.” The aggressive competition for sports scholarships should not discourage athletes from trying to get a scholarship for themselves. “Sure, getting a scholarship is rare and hard, but colleges will be giving scholarships to somebody, so why not you?” said Vallero. “But you have to be that somebody who’s willing to work, pay the price, and commit around the clock [when no one’s watching], not just on the field when all eyes are on you,” said Vallero.

the parent’s own work fundraising for a team. “I was approached by a group of parents to start a boys team. At the time they did not think there would be enough interest for a girls team to be stated,” said Smith. The success of the team and high interest lead to the creation of an additional team, junior varsity. Likewise, after hard work, fundraising, and increase in interest, the Scots can afford a girls varsity team. The Lady Scots face a disadvantage due to a late start of the season with team tryouts starting on March 3, a month after the boys. After a week of tryouts and the guidance of coaches Anne Thompson and Kate Roberts, the team has learned many new skills and grown closer. Sophomore Megan Handley said, “I love the support on the team. After we drop a ball we encourage each other and it feels like a family.” With few experienced players and a small

roster of 23, the Lady Scots face a tough season ahead of them Handley said, “Entering the season, we had about five players with past experience playing lacrosse. The coaches have been really helpful and after two weeks, the team has made great progress.” The new addition to the sports program requires many changes in the spring sport schedule. “Adding a new team has created a set of challenges from finding it, to ordering the equipment, to making a schedule, and also working out practice times for all of the teams that use our field,” said Smith. The formation of this new team also leaves an impact on other spring sports taking place on the track. Smith said, “It would probably impact our track team the most as practice will have to end early or be moved to other areas on campus when the Lacrosse teams have a game.”

Senior Yefri Lopez, member of the track team supports the girls Lacrosse team. “I support every sport. If [Carlmont Sports Department] wants to see if a girls lacrosse team has potential and there is sufficient funding, then I do not see a reason why there should not be a team,” said Lopez. Despite possible field conflicts on lacrosse game days, the track team has many other options for workouts including the usage of the weight room. Battling for practice time on the field is another story. Lopez said, “The track team has been at Carlmont longer, and it is not fair to cut practices short for a new team, lacrosse. A new sport should not replace the older ones. Something must be worked out or else it could affect the both team’s results in competitions.” Varsity’s next home game is against Leland High School on April 2 at 7 p.m.

Girl’s lacrosse team expected to form, and now finally accomplished By Mia Hogan Staff Writer

This spring Carlmont has added a new sports team, girl’s lacrosse. With the perseverance of Sports Director Patrick Smith, Carlmont has finally secured a coach for the new team weeks late in season. Finding a coach is difficult because Lacrosse is a growing sport in the Bay Area. Furthermore, Carlmont seeks specific qualities in the sport coaching staff. Smith said, “A parent put up a coaching ad on baylax website and it slowly progressed. We needed to find a person with a work schedule that fits around coaching high school. Coaching experience is preferred as well as the ability to relate to high school aged students and to acknowledge the tie in between academics and athletics.” Two years ago in the spring of 2011, Carlmont had established a boys varsity team after

Highlander file photo

The sport that’s found in every corner of the world: soccer

Carlmont experiencing change over the years

Photo illustration by Veronika Dvorakova

By Justine Phipps

Staff Writer Imagine sitting at the dinner table with your parents discussing what happened at school today. You talk about your classes, what happened at lunch, the drama going on with your friends, and that huge math test you have tomorrow. They look at each other and smile. “Not a lot has changed since I was in high school,” they say. Wrong. A lot has changed since they were in high school. As high school has evolved over the years, the social, academic, athletic, and business aspects that parents claim they can relate to have transformed. Forget about iPhones and Androids. Let’s go back to Carlmont, 1970. You walk down the hallways and see groups of friends hanging out, eating, catching up, having a smoke in the parking lot, or heading off campus to get a quick bite to eat. “We socialized and communicated face to face, not through a device,” said Carlmont alumnus Robynne Morando, class of 1973. “We shared our thoughts and feelings [by] being present with one another. Gossip was all verbal, and even though it could travel like wildfire, it’s not like today with technology, [where] gossip spreads in warp speed.” Over the past three decades, the dependency on technology has increased greatly. While students in the past would take a walk to the local library to do research, students today rely on the Internet for their answers. “There was no technology like we know it today,” said Carlmont alumnus Tony Campagna, class of 1973. “You had to go to the library to do research, you had to speak to your friends face to face or over the telephone, and you had to pass notes in class.” With that being said, let’s take a walk down

the hallways of present-day Carlmont. Notice how almost everyone is holding a smart phone or an iPod, and how they look at it every five seconds for a new notification. The increase in technology owned by students on school campus has had different effects for different people. “I meet a lot of people through [social media such as] Instagram,” said freshman Lynsey Brydon. “I think [not having a phone] would be different because I wouldn’t necessarily know or remember people without it.” In a recent poll out of 137 Carlmont students, 28 percent said they are dependent on their phones for educational purposes, and 23 percent said they are dependent on their phones for personal purposes. “I would probably get better grades [if I didn’t have my phone] because I wouldn’t spend all my time playing Puzzle and Dragons,” said junior Zach Govani. The social aspects of high school, however, are only the beginning of a long list of differences between high school generations. Another major factor that has changed over the years is the amount of academic stress. “We had less homework, so it was less of a priority,” said Carlmont alumnus Michael Shipley, class of 1977. The pressure to get good grades was barely present in students in the 1970's. College was not a priority, and it was not looked down upon as much if you did not attend a UC school. This differs from students today, who face a great deal of pressure when it comes to advanced classes and college enrollment. While students who attended Carlmont in the 1970’s struggled with Algebra and World History, students who attend Carlmont now face more challenging classes such as Multivariable Calculus, AP United States History, AP Language and Literature, and honors language classes.

Senior Raj Aurora is currently enrolled in five AP classes. “My hardest class [junior year] was Chinese 3 Honors. After that, it was Mr. Turkis’ AP English class,” said Aurora. “[This year,] I am stressed out [from my AP classes], but that’s just because they are a lot of work.” Along with the stress of AP classes, students must pay $90 to take the tests for possible college credit. “This year, I bought 10 AP tests; five for me and five for my brother,” said Aurora, who, combined with his brother, spent close to $1,000 on tests alone. When interviewed, 6 out of 7 Carlmont alumni from 1970's and 1980's said they were not stressed out from academics. “I did not care [about my grades], but I should have,” said Carlmont alumnus David Cosgrave, class of 1983. “College was not a priority because I planned on going to College of San Mateo (CSM) Fire Science. I left school at noon and went to a Fire Academy, and trained with the in-service fire academy from San Mateo County.” Unlike a majority of past students, who weren’t as serious about turning in homework, Susan Bradfield (class of 1970), would often stay up “into the wee hours of the morning finishing big projects” or “studying for finals or midterms.” Students today, however, face great deals of stress from academics, and have college at the top of their to-do list. “I cut down on sleep [for homework and studying],” said Govani. Along with pounds of school work and the technological social scene, athletics is another category that has evolved over the years. “College [recruitment] was not the main reason I played sports,” said Shipley. “I played for fun and for competition.” While the passion to play remains, getting noticed by colleges has taken sports teams to a whole new level. The ethics of sports has

Carlmont’s Developments Over the Years

2003 Basketball courts

shifted from a team effort to a single effort for many high school sports. “[The competition] makes a more hostile team environment,” said Govani. “It’s more of an all for one instead of one for all.” Even with college recruitment as an option, Carlmont alumnus Bill Bradfield, class of 1966, said although he had colleges interested in him, he “did cross-country and track” because he “liked to run and compete.” Socially, academically, and athletically, high school has undergone significant changes over the years. One final aspect of high school that has not seen a major change is balancing a job and school work. “I worked in a liquor store as a stock boy, then [I became] a cashier for my dad,” said Carlmont alumnus Ron Gomez, class of 1973. “[I would work] a couple hours after school, and all day Saturday.” Like Gomez, Bradfield also worked parttime during school, and found it beneficial. “[Having a job] made me become much more efficient in doing my homework,” said Susan Bradfield. “I made 75 cents an hour [working at a restaurant], [some of which] was taken out for meals.” Similar to Bradfield, students today maintain a steady balance between the time they work and their independent studying. “Every weekday I go to work for about two hours, and after that I spend about two and a half hours doing homework,” said junior Douglas Muller. “[Work] has not had a negative effect on my homework and grades.” Overall, high school has undergone some major changes. When parents say they can relate to us, it may not be in the way they think. Fast forward 30 years. Imagine where technology will take us, and how high school with evolve from the time we attend it to the time our children or grandchildren go into high school.

2012 Field and lights

A timeline of Carlmont’s additions over the years

2003 Swimming pool 2010 Performing Arts Center

2012 The Biotech Wing Infographic by Ashley Kawakami