SpringRevival
555 Middlefield Road, Atherton, CA Volume V,
Menlo-Atherton High School
Photography Josh Allen
staff
Editors-in-Chief
letter from the editors
Copy Editor
katie webb
news editor
Gabe Cohen, Francesca gilles, and sara solomon art editor
ian robinson-lambert
op-ed editor
molly kearnan
Nina fox
sports editor sami andrew features editor
sofia bergmann
a&e editor sabina vitale
staff writers
Caraline albro ryan cole
kristin cwirla
sarah dairiki
tara fahimi
eliza fitz
kate flanagan
katie moffitt
theresa siri
joanna vollrath
Katrina Wijaya
adviser: Betsy Snow
Hey Bears! How have you been? Stressed? We don’t doubt that. As second semester begins to ramp up for students of all grades, and seniors await college decisions, tensions are undoubtedly high. That is why we at The Mark hope to bring some sort of relief and cleansing with our Spring revival issue.
As winter comes to a close, we believe that it is important to not only clean out your closets and drawers for the coming warm weather, but also your mind. Tuck away your stress and past worries along with your warmer coats. However, with this in mind, we also think that it is important to outline the connotation of revival. We feel that reviving spring is a positive step. Both literally and figuratively, preparing yourself for the coming season does not dismiss your past in negative light, but rather your future in a progressive light. In this sense, this revival is simply composed of ridding of the unnecessary or distracting, in hopes of streamlining for the future. We hope you keep this in mind, not only while reading this issue, but also as you reflect on your own life.
Enjoy!
Gabe, Francesca, and Sara
about the cover
The cover of this issue shows a somewhat simple, digital design. We believe that this visual aptly describes our theme, as the revival of Spring can produce an interesting, new perspective. Furthermore, the simplicity of the design does not undercut its beauty, which we here at The Mark believe is a fitting symbol of the coming season.
Reviving Integrity editorial
Since it was revealed that NBC’s anchor Brian Williams, misconstrued his 2003 experience in Iraq, he has come under heavy fire and criticism. Although a public figure having to apologize for inaccuracy is nothing new, our staff was particularly disappointed by Williams’ actions; for such a prominent journalist to misrepresent the truth is an insult to his, by definition, honest profession. What began in 2003 as a report on flying in a helicopter that was forced to ground because of a sandstorm, eventually evolved into a harrowing story of Williams’ survival in a direct attack on his helicopter. Veterans who had witnessed the event,
enraged by Williams’ report, drew the media’s attention to the inaccuracies, who in turn quickly alerted the public.
Williams’ intolerable lie considering one report of his past, subsequently draws into question any claim he has ever made -- a classic ‘boy-cries-wolf’ situation. Such is the importance of honesty as a journalist. In exaggerating his experience, Williams not only tarnished his own name but his network’s and associates’ names as well. There would be no feasible way to force everyone to be completely honest every waking moment of their lives; everyone is susceptible to the occasional white lie, but we, especially as
journalists, can at least start with ourselves. We can hold ourselves accountable for the accuracy of what we report, both here in The Mark and in our daily lives.
To retain credibility as a publication, it is vital that everyone from national corporations to high school magazines like The Mark can both promise and deliver accuracy to its audience. A successful, conscientious publication is one that its readers can trust. And such is The Mark’s promise to you, our readers, that we will continue to work and publish with honesty and in doing so, we hope to maintain your continuing support and loyalty. by the Editorial Board
high mark//low mark
From low to high (L-R), The Mark staff ranks recent events.
Time of growth for debate
by Theresa Siri
Debate Club grew in size from a small six member club, to a 20 person team this year. Debate Club President, senior Sarah Goodman, along with her fellow debaters from the 2013-14 school year, recruited enough members to triple the club’s size. During Club Rush, the veteran debaters enthusiastically signed students up for their club, as opposed to previous years where students seemed more or less disinterested in the Debate Club.
The Debate Club meets weekly and competes frequently on the weekends, so preparation for these debates includes mock debates within the team itself.
“We prepare for debates by reading a lot about debate and analyzing practice prompts,” junior Kevin Conrad comments.
Juniors and seniors describe the excitement from their most recent debate and how well they competed, but what changed in Debate Club that made
it gain so many members?
“We recruited a lot, through Club Rush, by passing out candy and practice prompts to show people what we do during Debate Club. We published announcements, along with people actually seeking us out; we also provided support for newcomers to show them that there is no judgment against people who have never debated before,” Goodman describes.
As a veteran from last year and vice president for next year, Ethan Oro, alongside future president Kyle Kranen, will lead the Debate Club with the same leadership as Goodman and recruit the same amount of debaters as this year, if not more.
“We’ll continue to advertise during Club Rush, but we also want people to be able to approach us. Debate Club is like a team sport because you’re always working with and talking to everyone else there, but you and your partner especially rely heavily on each
other,” Oro explains.
As Debate Club expands, other clubs would want to know how they recruited so many members as opposed to last year. Are students as the generations go by becoming more involved in current events?
“Debate gives you skills for the real world, it’s super fun, it’s not a big commitment, and it looks great on college applications for juniors and seniors applying to colleges. It’s also really helpful for the AP Language and Composition and AP U.S. History Exams because our practice prompts have to do with current and historical events,” Kranen expands.
The variety of skills students acquire through the debate competitions include public speaking, test-taking, and writing. Junior Julian Zucker shares, “You never write faster than during debate prep!”
Debate Club meets Thursdays in B-3.
Northern Inquiries
by Molly Kearnan
Let’s talk about Canada. Our friendly neighbor to the North, the nation of hockey, poutine, and far left liberals. Some know it only as their annual ski destination, others as that funny word they see on the back of their maple syrup jugs. After living in America as a Canadian for the past seven or so years, it’s come to my attention that the average American’s knowledge of Canada is, well, lacking to say the least. So here’s a list of some of the more common, albeit slightly ridiculous, borderline offensive questions I’ve been asked over the years with what I hope are helpful, educational answers.
1
So,like,yourpresidentistheQueen?
Queen Elizabeth II is our sovereign, yes, but our president ‘equivalent’ is our prime minister, Stephen Harper. But, you know, long live the queen and all that.
3
DoesCanadahaveamilitary?
Why yes we do, and we’ve helped you out of a number of sticky situations quite a few times. (And no, it’s not composed of moose (mooses? meese?).)
5
Ifallcanadiansarenice,explainJustinBieber. He was a sweet, innocent, slightly annoying kid with a questionable haircut before he came to America. Now look at what’s become of him. Think that over, America.
7
WhoisTimHorton?
Ah, Timmies. The man, the myth, the popular coffee and donut shop chain. Just think Starbucks, but bigger.
2
Whydoyoucallhambacon?
alright, I’m only going to say this once. Canadian bacon isn’t just ham, it’s sweetened ham. Sweetened. Very important.
4
BaggedMilk?!
Yeah, I can’t really help you with that one. Ask Eastern Canadians, who knows what they’re doing over there.
Ishockeyallyoucareabout?
6
I’m not even going to fight you on this. In Canada, even if you’re not a hockey fan, you’re a hockey fan. There’s no escaping it. I’m pretty sure the entirety of Canada woke up in the middle of the night last winter to watch the Canada-USA Olympic game.
With almost 7.5 billion people in the world, half of which are living in poverty, 12 percent
a college application essay. After taking a sufficient tour of the poverty, these vacationers continue on with the tourism
choosing to buy something that anyone else could buy. If they don’t get something out of it -- take it somewhere, do
it is a coincidence that many students begin community service near the end of high school. Students who are only motivated by college apps should not overshadow the pure intentions of others.” Volunteerism as well as voluntourism cannot be judged on the basis of the participants motivations, rather the impact and effects that come because of it.
Some believe that the world needs voluntourism. We thrive, flourish, build upon the selfless acts that we, as citizens of the world, are programmed to do. It is in our hearts. It is in our heads. It is our expectation. In the wise words of Muhammad Ali, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” Voluntourism has brought incredible light to places where help was needed. Some believe that voluntourists are selfish to take advantage of the needs of others to experience something new and different but it is difficult to believe that villages with new homes or schools are condemning the self-interest of those who improved their standard of living. With a surge of voluntourism the aforementioned disparity between the tourists and the do-gooders is being minimized.
Others see voluntourism as a
part of the ‘white hero complex’ or another way for the privileged to take advantage of the underprivileged, in this case indirectly. Masses of volunteers with a newfound interest in becoming global citizens have the ability to find a program based on what their interests are and more often, how the program will look on resumes and applications. There are programs for building schools, houses, or churches and helping in hospitals, reforestation projects, shelters, or orphanages. Ironically, problems arise out of these volunteers’ interest in solving present problems. Families living in poverty send their children to orphanages where they are coddled and grow attached to Westerners who bestow upon them things which they would otherwise not receive. But, when the summer ends and these voluntourists hear the call of their comfortable everyday lives, what happens to the kids left behind? They suffer from separation anxiety and abandonment. Orphanages are overflowing with children sent to pose for the voluntourists and with lacking support, space, and supplies, some of the children are forced onto the streets with less than they started with. Another example surrounds construction.
For building projects, many programs supply material and labor needed from outside of the country, unknowingly taking business away from the laborers and businesses of the area which produce the same materials or provide the same service. Whether voluntourism yields an altruistic result, as Kleeman commented, act upon it, otherwise it is meaningless.
Full Disclosure
I, for one, travelled to Senegal and built a school and am doing the same in Haiti this summer. I run a program at M-A to help others accomplish something similar, making me a firm believer that we must all do whatever we can to help others. The recent discussion has fueled my motivation and confirmed my commitment to pursue meaning from my service.
by Katie Moffitt
Photography Fadel Toure
pandemic Panic
The outbreak of measles in California has recently become a source of fear, anxiety, and even political grandstanding. Close to 100 cases of measles have been recorded since the start of the outbreak in December 2014, with more than 40 employees and visitors at Disneyland Park in Anaheim contracting measles. The disease has spread throughout California and across state lines. A disease that had been eradicated for years has returned due to the decline of vaccination in California.
The issue regarding vaccination is widely disputed, especially in liberal areas like Marin County, the largest unvaccinated community in California. It seems as though “the more educated areas are, the [more] ignorant when it comes to vaccines,” shares Sequoia Union High School District nurse Ruth Brown. She finds this outbreak “disturbing, because measles is easily preventable, has been eradicated, and it simply shouldn’t be happening.” As a
Measles is easly preventable, has been eradicated and it [the outbreak]simply shouldn’t be happening
district nurse for public schools, Brown believes that immunization should be required for entry to public school. “It is our responsibility as a community to look out for those who medically can not get vaccinated and are at great risk. These people, such as immunocompromised people, cancer patients, and infants, rely on us to be healthy so they do not contract life-threatening diseases.” This makes Brown’s job very difficult because she,Tonya Edgington, the health aide at Menlo-Atherton, and other district health professionals need to keep track of all the students who have yet to get vaccinated.
“It’s hard to enforce these state regulations because if a student does not have a personal, religious, or medical waiver to excuse themselves from vaccination, it is our job to ensure that every student enrolled is properly immunized,” Brown comments. “We run into problems when [students] have to receive follow up shots, and it’s our responsibility to remind them every
by Sofia Bergmann
few months, which is difficult when a large number isn’t vaccinated.”
State regulation requires all students to be vaccinated in order to enroll in public school. The most important of these vaccinations include polio, DTP (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis), hepatitis B, and versela. When children enter the 7th grade they are required to receive a pertussis booster called TDAP. In addition, students are required to be tested for tuberculosis before entering the 9th grade. Many healthcare providers give the district access to vaccination records through a program called CAIR. However, those whose health care providers do not allow access to the district have to be closely monitored by Brown and her colleagues to ensure a safe learning environment throughout the SUHSD. Those who decide to opt out of vaccination must obtain a personal, medical, or religious waiver signed to excuse them from immunization. According to Brown, this can be dangerous if families personally decide not to get vaccinated, because “that’s how outbreaks like this one start, and it’s scary as a nurse who is responsible for these students.”
The problem, according to an M-A junior who wishes remains anonymous, is the fear of “putting some remote disease in our system when the likelihood of actually contracting it is low if you live a healthy life,” which causes the unrest within Brown’s duty as a nurse. This kind of herd mentality that discourages people from vaccination is what scares people like Brown. Although this particular student’s refusal is not necessarily alarming, seeing that she is not “totally against all vaccines, but think[s] some are very useful like polio for example. [She] just find[s] it unnecessary for some people to get certain ones,” not everyone feels this lenient towards non-vaccinators.
and refrain from vaccinating their children, which is in fact dangerous. Not only are they not entirely protected, but they are also misinformed.”
why put some remote
disease in your system when the likelihood of actually contracting a disease is low.
There exists a belief that vaccines can cause autism, effects on neuropsychological outcomes, metabolic complications, along with many more health speculations. These theories, however, have all been discredited by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Studies testing the effects of antibody stimulating proteins like those in vaccines prove that “the odds of developing any of the three forms of autism studied did not rise with increased exposure to antibody-stimulating proteins and polysaccharides,” wrote Price F. DeStefano in the Weintraub ES. Journal of Pediatrics. Over 1,000 children born in between 1993 and 1997 were examined by their vaccination schedules, and were studied based on 42 different neuropsychological outcomes between seven and 10 years of age. Those vaccinated tended to perform better than those without vaccinations, disproving the theory regarding unstable neuropsychological tendencies. Studies testing children with congenital metabolism problems and exposure to vaccines did not show “any association between vaccination of children with inborn errors of metabolism and an increase in hospitalizations or emergency department visits within 30 days of vaccination.” In addition, Brown mentions, “The doctor who came out with the theory about autism linked to vaccines withdrew his statement, saying that he was misinformed, and lost his medical license. Yet some people continue to strongly support this belief
Regardless of the decisions individuals make in terms of vaccination, this absence of immunized individuals poses an enormous threat to more people than expected. Those who have received the vaccine for measles are neither at risk of contracting it nor responsible for the spread of the disease. However, those who are medically unable to get vaccinated remain in danger because of the few who refuse for personal reasons. The California Department of Public Health claims that “some babies are too young to be completely vaccinated and some people may not be able to receive certain vaccinations due to severe allergies, weakened immune systems from conditions like leukemia, or other reasons. To help keep them safe, it is important that you and your children who are able to get vaccinated are fully immunized. This not only protects your family, but also helps prevent the spread of these diseases to your friends and loved ones.”
The skepticism concerning vaccinations and outbreaks like the one at Disneyland has been taken to federal levels in which government involvement in mandating vaccinations has been considered by many political figures. California Governor Jerry Brown “believes that vaccinations are profoundly important and a major public health benefit and any bill that reaches his desk will be closely considered,” according to spokesperson Jim Evans in a statement for the San Jose Mercury News. However, this is not the belief among many families in California who deliberately choose not to vaccinate their children. M-A students live in an area where contracting a life-threatening disease is highly unlikely, and where many natural alternatives have become trendy. The dismissal of necessary vaccines has been evident as illnesses like measles that have been long eradicated are coming back. Ruth Brown speculates that “because we live in such luxury, here in the Bay Area, people choose not to get vaccinated because they don’t believe that diseases like polio will reach them. But if everyone does this, diseases may come back
and we run into problems, creating an unsafe community.”
This measles outbreak is far from plaguing all of California, and as Brown says, is partially “romanticized by the media.” It nonetheless raises question regarding regulations, policies, and possible government involvement. It is hard to decide how to distinguish what is absolutely necessary when it comes to vaccinating children. At the end of the day, it is everyone’s job to ensure a safe future for the next generation in which outbreaks like this one remain limited, and where all communities can feel safe and healthy to the largest extent possible.
By e Numbers
60 students were asked whether or not they got vaccinated.
52% are Vaccinated
38% Do not know 10% are not vaccinated
with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) estimating about 293,000 sexual assault cases in the United States per year. At M-A, three sexual assaults that occurred off campus were reported by females to Co-Principal Simone Kennel in the past year. No sexual assaults on school grounds have been reported to the administration. Regardless of where an assault takes place, all M-A staff members, as mandated reporters, are required to tell the police or Child Protective Services about it. In Claire’s case, she informed neither the police nor the school administration. I told a couple of friends who were there at the party. There was a lot of blood on the blankets on the bed, so my friend whose house we were at knew something had gone down. They didn’t do much of anything. One girlfriend said she was sorry and gave me a hug. One guy friend who I told offered to give me a ride home. When we got about a block away from my house, he stopped his car and tried to kiss me. I was totally repulsed. I got out of the car and ran home by myself. Strangely, I thought it was my fault because I was drinking underage. I thought that if I hadn’t been drinking, it wouldn’t have happened. I learned later that it absolutely wasn’t my fault. Even if you are drinking underage, it doesn’t give someone a license to rape you. I felt like I was carrying around a big burden. I felt like I was tainted. I wanted to wait until I was married to have sex and I felt like that was ruined. I still regret it to this day that I never said anything about it to the police and that he never got in trouble for what he did. Claire’s rapist never received any punishment for his actions because she chose to remain silent. However, at M-A, once a student reports a rape case to the administration, it will immediately investigate the rape to determine whether the education code was violated, and then act accordingly. If a sexual assault occurs on the way to school, at school, or on the way home from school, then the consequence according to the education code is suspension with a recommendation for expulsion. If a sexual assault does not occur during one of these times, then the perpetrator will not receive the school’s consequences unless the incident “is impeding someone’s ability to come to school,” according to Kennel.
Although M-A has a very strict policy regarding sexual assault, Claire concludes that the overall system in society “is set up to blame the victim and ruin the victim’s reputation, so a lot of people don’t come forward when it happens to them.”
In fact, RAINN approximates that only about 50 percent of rape victims report the incident to the police. As Claire suggests, victim blaming is a consequence of the initial assault. In a study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics, half of the perpetrators surveyed believed that their victim was entirely responsible for the rape. With victim blaming such a prominent issue, many victims choose to remain silent instead of facing the potential guilt.
For those victims who do come forward, M-A offers several counseling services. The counseling service StarVista attempts “to keep what is discussed with [it] confidential to maintain a trusting and open relationship with students; however, [its counselors] will always break confidentiality if [they] have a safety concern,” states Matt Cusick, a StarVista counselor. With sexual assault cases, the StarVista counselors are required to tell either Child Protective Services or a police department, but are not obligated to tell the school administration unless the case presents a safety threat to students. After dealing with the immediate crisis, StarVista attempts to connect students with medical attention and long-term psychological support, through places such as Rape Trauma Services in Burlingame. The police will also offer victim services to students, but those vary depending on where the case occurred and which department is handling it.
In addition to providing resources to victims, the M-A administration has discussed adding more education on sexual assault through assemblies, presentations, and fishbowl topics. With the recent rape accusation of Stanford University swimmer Brock Allen Turner, Kennel believes that providing education on the matter would be extremely valuable to college-bound juniors and seniors. For staff members, yearly sexual harassment training isw required. Information regarding mandated reporting is included in this training. Although sexual assault has
decreased by more than 50 percent since 1993 according to RAINN, it is still an issue with which society struggles. From Dartmouth College’s new four-year sexual assault education program to the StarVista counselors at M-A, both preventative measures and resources for sexual assault vitcims have spawned up all across the country. With such improvements to the state of rape culture, one can only hope that this trend continues on the same path for the years to come.
*The victim’s name has been changed to protect her privacy.
Where to Get Help:
• Call 911 (or have a friend call for you) to report an assault to the police.
• Call 1-800-656-HOPE to contact your local rape crisis center.
• Visit the emergency room or your own doctor to have a sexual assault forensic examination performed and/or have them call the police for you.
• Visit one of M-A’s counselors.
• To see a StarVista counselor, go to the the Guidance Office, or email matt.cusick@star-vista.org.
• To see Miki Cristerna, the Student Support Coordinator, go to B-20 or email: mcristerna@seq.org.
• Visit the Rape Trauma Center in Burlingame, or go to rapetraumaservices.org for more information.
Drawing Olivia Tai
The Case for Community College
by Sarah Dairiki
With President Obama’s public statement about community college, many high school students are weighing the benefits and consequences four year universities and community colleges have to offer.
Although many students would believe that going to a four year college is part of the norm, many brush past the idea of community college, a subject usually thought of as an alternative instead of attending a four year college. Even though many students head off to four year colleges after graduating from high school, a fair amount also attend community college before transferring to a four year college. There are currently 1,123 community colleges spanning the United States, and many students who believe a four year college is too large a jump from high school opt for community college instead, spending a few years refining their skills and taking the necessary classes to transfer to a four year college. Out of Menlo-Atherton’s class of 2014 graduates, around 33 percent of students chose to attend community college. According to the Community College Research Center, 45 percent of high school graduates are enrolled in community college. The reason for such a large number of students is a direct result of the low tuition to attend, costing around $2,200 with grants and up to $4,552 without grants according to U.S. News. Tuition for community colleges in the United States is much lower than that of four year colleges.
Due to this immense gap, many students find community college appealing, as they can pay less money by going to community college and transferring to a four year university instead of immediately going to a four year college. Many students coming from low-income families or other backgrounds may also find community college a more realistic option. Other students feel community college simply suits them more than a four year university. Senior Ina Franke, who is planning on attending community college this fall, believes that “community college can offer the same education and help someone figure out what they want to do before transferring to a college with a good program for that major.”
The American Association of Community Colleges states that community college is a “vital part of the post-secondary education delivery system” as it “prepares students for transfer to four year institutions, and provides workforce development and skills training.” By choosing to attend community college, students are given a substantial range of programs to choose from along with small class sizes and the ability to take specific classes if transferring to a four year college is a goal for the future. And with President Obama’s recent proposal to lower the
community college cost for students to zero, many are thinking about community college and the benefits it holds. “[Community college] is more practical, since you can plan time commitment more loosely, if you need to, and it’s cheaper, which allows you to save money for later,” says senior Sophi Bock. Alice Kleeman, the college and career adviser at M-A, hosts a yearly Community College night, where she educates students and families about community college. On this night, she discusses the process of applying as well as has visitors from local community colleges participate in a panel. She believes community college is a great option for students involved in financial issues or students who were accepted to four year colleges, but not ones they felt suited them. She believes students are given a second chance at community college, as community college “opens up every college option again” if transferring becomes a possibility in the future. Although there is no doubt a four year university is a better fit for some students, it is not necessarily for everyone. Kleeman believes that “it is not possible to say [one college] is better than the other without really knowing the student, the student’s goals, and knowing the student’s capabilities and interests.”
discussing mental Illness
by Caraline Albro
Photography Dana Wilks
Social emotional challenges. Mental health, illness, or impairment. Although some like to sugarcoat it and pretend that it doesn’t affect us, it does. It’s prevalent throughout the Menlo-Atherton community, in our households and classrooms. I’m referring to the student who goes home every day to six brothers and sisters to take care of. The girl who takes five AP classes and participates in three different sports teams to keep up with her parents’ expectations. The boy who sits behind you in chemistry but never does the labs because he’s preoccupied thinking about his father’s recent deportation. Even if it’s not always clear, each of these students deals with stress or trauma caused by genetic or environmental factors. This stress or trauma takes a toll on their mental health and can eventually lead to mental illness. These students loosely represent one part of the greater M-A population, most of whom are dealing with a form of mental illness, including but not limited to: depression, anxiety, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 20 percent of teenagers have a diagnosable mental health disorder. Furthermore, suicide is the third leading cause of death in young adults as 500,000 to one million teens attempt suicide every year. With the recent suicides in the area, The Mark decided to discuss the mental health of students at M-A.
In what follows, two anonymous students chose to share their stories. Their names have been changed to respect their privacy.
JJ dealt with immense pressure to fulfill his family and friends’ expectations. Attempting to please everyone resulted in the decline of JJ’s mental health, consequently leading to the drop in his academic and physical well-being. JJ lost the energy to get out of bed in the morning, participate in class, or complete schoolwork. His mental health was gradually dwindling, as he “would go to a quiet place where [he] could collect [his] thoughts and calm [him]self down […] [He] would talk to someone that would help [him] calm down a lot, knowing someone is there to talk to [him]” to deal with his tremendous stress level. When JJ realized that something had to change, he turned towards the M-A community, friends, and family as a support system. Ultimately, JJ decided to get out of bed and come to school when he considered his supporters. “In the back of my head I started thinking about people who are important to me, how they want to see me succeed.” This support system significantly helped JJ overcome his mental health challenge, especially when he found the mental health programs at M-A. “I didn’t realize how many resources were available here until I actually told someone what was going on.” M-A counseling services and their partnership with StarVista allow students to feel a sense of community and support among the daily challenges that come with fluctuating mental health. “It’s okay to open up and to talk about literally whatever is on your mind. It may not seem helpful at the time, it may not seem relevant, but it’s actually extremely helpful.”
Daniel, another student, faced an unsupportive environment and increasing stress imposed by family and
school. Something as simple as finding a way to get to school proved to be difficult for Daniel with his constantly changing family life. The decline in Daniel’s mental health resulted in him abandoning his social life, school absences, and using drugs as a way to cope with his challenges. However, drugs only served as a temporary fix for Daniel’s troubles before he began to endure hardships once again. Daniel turned towards his grandparents for the summer to take a step back from the difficulties at home. His decision to walk away and forget the past helped Daniel beat his mental health impairment and look towards the future. He began to realize that just talking to a counselor could provide him with someone who was not going to give up on him, despite the people who already had. With a new hobby of biking, Daniel established a true passion and interest to diverge from the negativity and hopelessness. He learned to make the best out of every situation, rather than lingering in the distress of undesirable circumstances. Daniel wants to tell students to reach out and get help instead of building up stress and affliction, which can lead to more misery in the long run.
Despite the differing variations in mental illnesses faced by students at Menlo-Atherton, it remains a uniform issue that plagues many young adolescents. It is our job as peers to reach out and provide the maximum support for our close friends, classmates and even strangers who rely on as much positive reinforcement as possible.
If your mental health is suffering, contact Miki Cristerna at the M-A student support center in room B-20 or email her at mcristerna@seq.org.
Photography Jackie Lopez
Photography Joselinne Cruz
Photography Jackie Lopez
Just like Waffles
M-A physics teacher Jeff DeCurtins on life, love, and His unpublished novel
by Francesca Gilles
It would be safe to say that Jeff DeCurtins is a man of many talents. “I went to UC Irvine and triple majored in math, physics, and computer science,” he remarks. “I almost had to drop the math major because it required either German or French [...] but that was bogus and they dropped [the requirement].” After undergraduate study in Southern California, DeCurtins moved to Oregon, where he received what he describes as “only a double masters’ degree” in physics and computer science.
“It was a great time to be in computer science. A lot of times have been great for computer science, but after I graduated I was flooded with job offers.”
After deciding to take a job in Oregon at Tektronix, an experience that lasted all of three days, DeCurtins moved back to California, where he ended up at a government contractor doing classified work. “I did something called threat assessment,” DeCurtins explains. “We would gauge military threats from around the world for the government. It
was a top-secret thing.”
Top-secret indeed. After accepting the job, DeCurtins underwent a year of FBI vetting and investigation, during which time he performed “stupid, pillowy” tasks. “Basically, you had to give the FBI a list of everyone you’d ever known or talked to, and then they’d travel around the country and ask them all questions about you.” A year of investigation and lie detectors later, DeCurtins was granted top-secret security clearance and was allowed
access to secrets of great importance to national security. “My clearance came through and I got all excited; I was going to learn all of these great secrets! It turns out that the secrets I got to know were just the frequencies of enemy radios.” After four years of working on projects for the NSA in Sunnyvale, DeCurtins decided that it was time for a change. “I wanted something a little more research-y. I knew someone who folk danced with a guy who worked in the SRI Robotics lab, so I interviewed there and ended up getting the job.”
“How could she have died without telling me?”
DeCurtins worked at SRI for 22 private companies such as FedEx. “The NSA was very interested in machines that could store large amounts of data in small spaces -- I really should have known then what they were up to,” DeCurtins reminisces. However, he began to feel that the relevance of his work at SRI went largely unnoticed. “The Department of Defense would come in and say, ‘Here’s a bunch of money, go work on this crazy project.’ So we’d break our necks for two years and the DoD would come in and review it, and they’d take it and we’d never hear about it again. I got the feeling like we were busting our butts for things that were getting put into warehouses.” DeCurtins obtained his teaching credential and came to Menlo-Atherton 12 years ago. “My kids went through the public school system in Menlo Park and would come home with the most ridiculous science projects. Eventually, I decided that I could do a better job than their teachers.” After becoming a teacher, however, he realized that this was nearly an impossible task.
Despite DeCurtins’ obvious affinity for math and science, he fostered a passion for writing while working for SRI. “I joined a writing group in the basement of the public library. We would write, read, and critique each others’ work.” After a couple of years of diligent meeting, writing, and rewriting, DeCurtins completed a novel. “The thing about novels is that I don’t quite have the knack for them. You have the beginning of the story, and the end of
the story, but then there’s this giant middle, and that’s where I really have trouble,” he remarks. However, DeCurtins’ novel left him unsatisfied with his work. “That’s the thing with novels,” he says, “They’re like waffles. You always need to throw the first one away.” Indeed he did. After the failure of his first novel to be published, DeCurtins abandoned the prospect for a couple of years. However, in the back of his mind lay a feeling, and that feeling eventually manifested itself into a completed 550 page novel. The subject? A girl he met in graduate school.
“When I was in graduate school at Oregon State, I ran a physics help session,” he explains. “There, I met someone who I ended up getting kind of interested in […] and you know how that goes, you arrange to be in the right place, because you [knew] that she would be there. And this went on for a couple of months until I finally thought that I should make it official that I was interested in her. I decided to make her a valentine card that was one square centimeter. I took it to the university photo lab and had them take a picture from way up so that the card was just a pinpoint on the negative. Then I mounted the negative on a slide for a microscope. Since she was a microbiology major, I arranged for her to see it in the lab on Valentine’s Day. After that, we didn’t speak for weeks.”
“
” Fiction really has to be structured to tell a different kind of truth.
Several years passed, and DeCurtins subsequently finished his masters’ degrees, got married, and had children. However, an encounter with an online phonebook and Social Security death records brought forth a series of events that inspired his second unpublished novel. While searching for a high school classmate, he decided to look up his old flame in the phonebook. Upon realizing her name was not present, a chill ran over him. “The page I was on linked to the Social Security death records
page, and I couldn’t resist,” DeCurtins explains. In short, he searched for her, and it appeared that she had died several years prior. “You know how there are people in your life, and you think that there’s a chance that you might see them again? That’s how I felt with this girl. The first thought that popped into my head was, ‘How could she have died without telling me?’ And I was so taken with that feeling that I started writing about it,” he remarks. Despite the apparent bleakness of the situation, DeCurtins could not lay the matter to rest. “I printed out the pages [from the Social Security website], wrote ‘are you still alive?’ on the bottom, and sent them to her husband’s address,” he explains. All the while, DeCurtins tried to capture his experience through writing. “Fiction really has to be structured to tell a different kind of truth,” he says. “It’s not a video recording of what actually happened; it’s sort of the next level, the meta of what actually happened. Description of reality can be boring as hell, so you have to go beyond that, and that’s what I tried to do.” For two years, DeCurtins catalogued his experience, ultimately ignoring the lack of closure. “I resolved that I was not going to pursue the truth about this woman any further, because it might have undermined whatever truth I was trying to get at through the novel,” DeCurtins explains. He kept his resolution for two years, at which point he had finished the first draft. In March of 1999, DeCurtins checked his email at work. The first email in his inbox had the subject line of “I am not dead.”
“She was not dead,” DeCurtins explains. “The person who was had the same name, in the same city, and was even around the same age. But I realized that I didn’t want to do anything about it, and I already had this novel. Unfortunately, it was about the time that I walked across the street to M-A, and once I started here I’ve had no time to do anything else. And after 12 years, that’s starting to annoy me. [The novel] is just sitting there, waiting.”
Spring Revival
Staff members of The Mark looked through their closets and shared what they found. These objects bring back memories of our past and remind us to revive our childhood spirit.
by Nina Fox and Sara Solomon
Sara Solomon
I was cleaning out my closest and found my old ballet shoes from when I was about seven years old. It made me think about how much I have changed -- I did ballet for seven years and quit in 2009. Ballet had been such a large part of my life; however, in these past six years, I have forgotten about the technique, steps, and the concept. It is interesting to see how much we develop and change as we grow.
1
I bought this record for two cents because of the design on it. I put it on my wall as decoration.
Sofia Bergmann
2 Sabina Vitale
It’s a hand-me-down. It was my grandmother’s, then my mom’s. She mostly wore it hiking.
2
Katie Moffitt
3
I found this compact looking around in my garage. I think it was my grandmother’s and came in a kit with the original powder brush.
3
Cohen
This was my shoe when I was a kid. It’s funny because I still wear shoes like this.
Kristin Cwirla
I got these mints as a gag-gift a couple years ago. They were re-gifted and I have never opened them. I think they might kill me.
Sara Solomon 1
This was the first of many Groovy Girls. My grandma got it for me along with plenty of accessories.
Theresa Siri 2
This was my first Webkinz. I got it at a birthday party in 2nd grade. It changed my life. I had 200 of them.
Molly Kearnan
3
I got this baseball as a gift at my going away party when I moved here from Vancouver. My then 8-year-old friends found it ironic to combine Canada with America’s sport.
2 6 5
Ryan Cole 4
I got this football when I went to see Stanford win the 2013 Rose Bowl. I later got it signed by a few players.
Katrina Wijaya 5
I got the drum from the 7th grade Renaissance Faire. I had to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle” for it.
Francesca Gilles
6
I got it at Oakville Grocery at the Stanford Mall. It’s a puppet, and my dad used it to do puppet shows before my brother and I went to bed. His name is Dust Bunny.
4
The hunt for A Principal ?
As the 2014-15 school year starts to come to a close, changes are occurring within the administration. Current Co-Principal Matthew Zito will be moving to a new position within the Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD), and Menlo-Atherton will be getting a new principal. While this transition is taking place, two new faces joined the M-A administration for the spring semester. Meanwhile, the multi-step process of getting a new principal, which involves current administrators, teachers, students, and parents, will begin in late February. According to Dr. James Lianides, the SUHSD superintendent, the “application period closes in early March” and they will b”egin the process of screening the applicants” so that the interview panel only has to interview those “that seem to be the strongest applicants on paper.” A new principal will be announced by April 15.
At a district board meeting on Nov. 19, the school board announced that Zito would become chief facilities officer,
a new position created to oversee the construction of new facilities throughout the district. Beginning in January, Zito began sharing the principal role with former Administrative Vice Principal Simone Kennel. To fill Kennel’s role, M-A brought in Maureen Campbell and Dr. Linda Common. Campbell and Common act as Co-Administrative Vice Principals, with Campbell working on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and Common working on Thursdays and Fridays. Prior to sharing M-A’s AVP position, Common worked at San Mateo High School as an AVP for 10 years. Armed with this experience, Common served as principal of Woodside High School for 12 years before leaving to become director of special education for the SUHSD in 2008. After retiring, Common was called back to M-A to facilitate the transition as M-A fills the principal’s position. Campbell worked alongside Common at Woodside as a counselor and later became AVP. Common says, “It’s hard to just have someone come in when [he or she isn’t]
by Katie Webb and Katrina Wijaya
used to this kind of work but [Campbell and I] are used to it.” Campbell and Common will not be staying at M-A for next year; their last day is graduation day, June 4.
Although the administration is going through a large change later this year, it is unlikely that there will be any major changes at M-A in the near future. Common shared, “I think [a new principal] has to see how [MA] runs. There [are] some things you maybe might tweak a little bit [...] but a good principal will come in and watch and maintain and find out what’s happening.” Rather than immediately changing major school policies, Common recommends taking the time to learn how the school is run, and talking to people on campus to learn about what is important to students and teachers. As M-A students start getting ready for summer, they can look forward to the upcoming changes in the administration building, but should get ready to say goodbye to Taylor the poodle.
With Zito’s move to the district office, the school board has begun the process of looking for a new principal. Drs. James Lianides and Linda Common share the steps.
1
A team of headhunters talks to current administrators and teachers about what they are looking for, then begins looking for possible applicants. The position is also advertised on Edjoin, a website where other people can apply.
*Administrators, teachers, parents, students, and classified employees (such as secretaries).
3
2
The application process closes in early March. There are expected to be close to 40 applicants. Six to eight candidates are selected, based on their qualifications and references.
Candidates begin an interview process with a panel of 11 to 13 stakeholders*. Each candidate is asked the same set of questions, and are ranked based on their responses and their other application materials.
5
The superintendent interviews each finalist with the three assistant superintendents.
4
The panel deliberates and then chooses two or three finalists to recommend to the superintendent.
The superintendent then conducts one-on-one interviews with the top two finalists and does additional reference checking, then selects his top choice and recommends that person to the school board.
6
7
The school board interviews the selection again, then either approves or rejects the superintendent’s nomination.
The new principal is announced at a school board meeting. For M-A, the new principal will be announced at a board meeting in April.
8
Story of Songs
by Aldin Verkler
High On Life-Kronos Quartet. Love Her Madly-The Doors. Fun, Fun, Fun-The Beach Boys. You’ve Got A Friend In Me-Randy Newman. Saturday In The ParkChicago. Red Wine- Manheim Steamroller. Let Me Take You Home Tonight- Boston. Headlights On Dark RoadsSnow Patrol. About To Crash-Dream Theater. Tons Of Steel-Grateful Dead. A Rush Of Blood To The HeadColdplay. Ambulance Blues-Neil Young. Hospital Beds- Cold War Kids. Broken Pieces-Clannad. Brain Damage-Pink Floyd. Wrapped Around Your FingerThe Police. Slipping Away-Moby. Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You-Led Zeppelin. I Can’t Stand Losing YouThe Police. I’m So Tired-The Beatles. Keep Your Eyes Open-Need To Breathe. Let Me Go, LoverDean Martin. Blackout-Muse. Bed Of Roses-Bon Jovi. Satin In A Coffin-Modest Mouse. Don’t Cry-Guns ‘n’ Roses. Black Cadillacs-Modest Mouse. Heaven’s Dead-Audioslave. WitherDream Theater. I’ll Never Be The SameDjango Reinhardt. Alcohol-The Kinks. Pills-Gary Joules. Who’ll Stop The RainCreedence Clearwater Revival. I Drink Alone-George Thorogood. Saturday Come Slow-Massive Attack. Seventeen YearsRatatat. I Still Remember-Bloc Party. Why Don’t You Kill Yourself?-The Only Ones. Heroin-The Velvet Underground. Let Me Drown-Soundgarden. Don’t Get Lost In Heaven-Gorillaz. Fade To BlackMetallica.
Photography Zoe Hafter-Manza
All About
The New CONGRESS
The year 2014 was a midterm year, and while that’s not the more exciting presidential election, it does ensure a new Congress for the United States. The 114th, to be exact, with a profound Republican majority: the last time the United States Congress had a Republican majority of this size was at the beginning of the Great Depression over 80 years ago. This is also the first time in 5 years that the Republican party has gotten control of all of Congress, both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
In terms of demographics, the 114th Congress is the most diverse it has ever been. Unfortunately, given how uniform the demographics of Congress have been, this isn’t as impressive as it might sound. Out of the 100 members of the Senate, three are Latino, two are African-American, and 20 are women. Out of the 435 members of the House, 84 are women and six are openly LGBTQ. Yes, these demographics prove diversity. While it is certainly more diverse than past years, there is simply no getting around the fact that Congress is mostly composed of older white men. These demographics could fill an entire second article. But the reason they’re being mentioned here is because the demographics of Congress members (as well as the party majority in the Senate and the House) tend to have an effect on what get’s done in Congress. Naturally, with a new Congress, there comes a flurry of new bills, each one proposed by one or more Congressmen in the hopes of it becoming a law. People don’t usually pay too much attention to these bills unless they’ll have a dramatic effect on day-to-daylife, but new bills are proposed every day by a wide variety of Congressmen. The Mark decided to examine a few of the bills currently on the table that concern education; while many of these do not have a high chance of actually being passed and becoming laws, they very aptly illustrate ‘the new Congress’ and their goals for the coming years.
The Pro Life Act:
by Ian Robinson-Lambert
This bill would cut federal funding for public schools that are connected to or work with institutions that provide abortions to teenage girls. Obviously, abortion is still a very intense, politicized issue that is far from over in the United States, but it is interesting that the effects of the controversy are now spreading into the eld of education as well.
Safety for our schoolchildren act:
A particularly shocking bill, this would mandate that all public school employees undergo FBI background checks before being hired. This is notable because it would only apply to public school employees, which only perpetuates many classic, and often untrue, stereotypes that people hold about public schools.
Teach Safe Relationships Act:
This bill would mandate 'safe relationship' training and classes in educational environments. This training would include education about healthy romantic relationships and signs of abuse in a relationship, and would hopefully decrease the rate of rape and domestic abuse by teaching safety at a Middle school and High school level.
No Name Calling Act:
This bill would support a week known as 'no name calling week,' which would raise awareness for bullying in schools, including name calling and other forms of taunting and emotional abuse, and would encourage more of a dialogue between schools, parents, and students. While the bill only has a 22 percent chance of being passed and becoming a law, it is certainly good to know that the issue of school bullying is being taken seriously.
When many people think about high school sports, they picture stands filled with cheering students, as they support their classmates on the court or on the field.
Menlo-Atherton’s cheering sections help make that image a reality for several of the school’s teams. Football’s 12th Man Club, volleyball’s 7th Woman Club, and basketball’s 6th Woman and 6th Man Clubs have had varying degrees of success over the years, but all of them hope to enlist spirited leaders to build on this year’s success and have an even better year next season.
Girls volleyball had a terrific season this past fall, winning a Central Coast Section (CCS) Division I title and just barely missing a trip to the state championship match. Led by a group of seniors, the 7th Woman Club had great showings at many CCS and Northern California (NorCal) playoff games, as the Bears finished the season with 13 wins and no losses at home in Ayers Gym.
“We definitely had a good, solid group of supporters. But I think for how great the team was this year, we lacked the support they deserved,” says Adam Scandlyn, one of the club captains. “That being said, the fans really came out when it counted in the playoffs. That really helped our team push forward and become CCS champs and get some home games for NorCals.”
Ellie Purpura echoes her cocaptain’s sentiments. “We showed a lot of support, especially for big games like Menlo and in the playoffs. But we really lacked representation from the
GET
underclassmen and that’s something we hope will get better next year. I think offering rides to games would help, because underclassmen usually have a hard time getting to and from games.”
Moving forward, they are unsure as to who will take over the reigns for next year’s club. “We really value and honor the club and only feel comfortable passing it on to people who will do the volleyball team justice,” says Purpura. Scandlyn adds, “Whoever leads it should work on taking more initiative to come up with themed nights, because I felt like we had a much bigger turn out when we did those. It also helps to go up to people in person at school and encourage them to come to the game that night.”
Next year, the team will look to make another run deep into the playoffs, returning many key players from last season, including Leanna Collins and Kirby Knapp, both of whom were first team all-league selections last year.
In its second year as an official club, the 12th Man drew fairly large crowds to most home football games, but some feel like they failed to achieve their potential as far as cheering goes. “There were about two rows of people making noise, and the rest were just sitting down,” says senior club captain Whittaker Jellins. “It’s not just about coming to the game, it’s also about making noise.”
Junior co-captain Justin Verbo, who also helps lead the 6th Man Club, agrees. “I think we did okay. A lot of people didn’t show up because the team wasn’t having their best season.”
While this could be an accurate assumption for why the crowds weren’t as big as they could have been, the team’s senior fullback Ondre “Big Seven” Mitchell III points out that the crowd can truly help the team win games. “A loud section helps a lot. It gets you energized, it turns you up, makes you feel like you have to do something for the fans.”
One of next year’s captains, Kailen Kershner, is confident that the 12th Man will be back and louder than ever next fall. “We need every senior out there to lead the way, and I have a couple of freshmen and sophomore recruits who are looking to ramp up the support from their grades,” says Kershner. “We need to get more sophomores and freshmen involved because they didn’t really contribute much to the cheering this season.” Verbo reiterates the importance of getting everyone involved. “Usually there are only four captains, but we’re tripling that next year with 12 captains. That will just bring new ideas, and more people that we know collectively.”
The Bears will feature many of the same players in their starting lineups as last season, but will have a new head coach, so a revamped student section will doubtlessly be vital to their success.
The 6th Woman Club made its first appearance in the 2013-14 basketball season, when a few players and spirited friends decided to create T-shirts and encourage students to come cheer on the girls varsity team instead of only the boys team. Although they chose not to make a new shirt for this
LOUD!
season, they still strongly encouraged all students to support the girls.
“It’s always nice to have people at our games, and I’m excited that the 6th Woman has grown this season. It makes it lot easier to hype up the team when we have fans, which hasn’t been traditional for girls basketball at M-A,” says senior sharpshooter Sarah Howell.
Only a few dedicated fans made a conscious effort to cheer on the girls, the most notable of whom was senior Sophia Bercow, who did all she could to publicize the girls games and convince people to come. “I feel like this was the first year that people started coming out for them at all. We were able to get crowds of about 20 to 30 for most games, which is a really good place to get the ball rolling for future years,” says Bercow. “All fan clubs have to start somewhere, and, while I don’t think they’re getting nearly as much recognition as they deserve, but they are definitely a growing love on campus.”
The Bears have proven that they deserve attention, with a 22 win, five loss season prior to CCS, including winning the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) championship game at Mills High School, where many students showed up to cheer the girls on to victory.
“This year has been awesome. Sophia has done a lot this year to get people to the games, and the turnout at the PAL championship was especially great. We were psyched to have people supporting us, especially all the way up at Mills,” comments Howell.
As the number two seed in Division I CCS playoffs, the Bears hope
to make a run at another championship, and appreciate all support from students. There is some concern, however, about continuing the support in future years. “We have a lot of young, great players that keep improving and the team has just as much, if not more potential for next year, so I’m hoping someone picks up the 6th Woman next year and gets people to games. Right now the group seems to mostly be seniors,” says Howell.
Bercow is on top of it, determined to ensure that the girls have just as much, if not more support next season. “I want to make sure that there is someone to carry on the newly-started tradition. However, they have to be just as passionate and excited about the team as I am, because the girls deserve that,” she says. With many freshmen and sophomores on this year’s team, the future looks bright for M-A girls basketball.
This year’s 6th Man Club had a lot to live up to after the end of last season, when over 200 students came to the CCS Finals in San Jose, and a handful of students even made the long trek to Fairfield on a Wednesday for a NorCal playoff game. After a somewhat slow start this season, the 6th Man has showed up in full force for the game at Menlo and at all Friday night home games.
While most of the club captains were seniors, they wanted to have at least one junior who they could train for next year, and Verbo has embraced that leadership role, encouraging students to come to as many games as possible.
“I wish we made it to more home games this year as a whole club, but we were definitely out there for the Friday nights. Those were really good. We’ll work on getting out there for more Wednesday night games next year,” says Verbo.
The team played an especially difficult schedule this season, losing a few close games, but pulling out big wins over Sacred Heart Prep and Sequoia High School. Entering the CCS playoffs, they are the sixth seed in Division I and are confident that they can play with any team when they are playing their best basketball.
A young team with only three seniors, the Bears will look to build on this year’s success next season, and the 6th Man is ready to be with them every step of the way. “Next year’s team is supposed to be really good with so many returning players,” says Verbo. “The student population is only getting bigger with so many freshmen and sophomores, so we should be able to take advantage of that and get even bigger fan bases. We know that other fan clubs are growing around the league, and we still want to be better than them always.”
For those who have not tried going to a high school sports game, be sure to give it a shot. Whether you prefer volleyball, football, girls basketball, or boys basketball, there is a fan club that will welcome all students and the energy they bring to help cheer their classmates on to victory.
by Ryan Cole
Photography Kathy LaPorte
WHO
“It’s really a luxury to have an identity and to know who you are.”
-Stedman Graham
tinyurl.com/themarkspecial2015
EcoDump: Spring Cleaning the Green Way
You’ve used this issue to help Revive your life for spring. Here you’ll find ways to help you get rid of the old in an earth-friendly way.
by Eliza Fitz
Haven Family House: Children’s Supplies, Clothing, and Kitchen Items
Haven House is part of the The InnVision Shelter Network, another local agency that helps to address homelessness in the community. Their mission is to “empower clients to regain permanent housing and become more self-sufficient.” They are located at 260 Van Buren Rd., Menlo Park. Drop off days are Monday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All Green: Electronics
All Green Recycling is a great place to donate your electronics—computers, monitors, cell phones, speakers, boomboxes (if you remember those), etc. They guarantee that your devices will not reach any landfill, local or overseas. They will even pick up your devices from your house. Electronics waste is the fastest growing category of solid waste, along with its new branch of radioactive debris. Donating your electro-waste to All Green (whose CEO was invited to speak at a TEDx event in California about responsible electronics disposal) can be your contribution to solving a worldwide issue.
Ecumenical Hunger Program:
Clothing, Furniture, and More
As you know, this is the organization that M-A supports every year in the Canned Food Drive. Their mission is to aid families and individuals who are experiencing economic and personal hardship. I have donated materials from jackets to lightly used sports gear, all of which they have been happy to accept. They are located at 2411 Pulgas Ave., East Palo Alto, CA 94303. If you have larger items (like a desk, for example), call them at 650-323-7781 ext. 23 and they will come to your house to pick it up.
Friends of the Menlo Park Library: Books and More
They accept more than books. Donate your DVDs, CDs, VHSs, maps, puzzles, encyclopedias, and eyeglasses, most of which they pass along to the Lions Club, an international organization which supports all people from those with vision or hearing loss, victims of natural disasters, and young children.
Located at the Menlo Park Public Library on Alma near the intersection of Alma St. and Ravenswood Ave., donations may be brought to the Library Delivery Entrance. They accept donations on Monday and from Wednesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.
Healthy Foods for Athletes
There are an abundance of diets that people subject themselves to, whether it is gluten free, dairy free, or fat free. Health fads such as açai bowls or green juices are sweeping the country, but high school athletes should not limit themselves to specific types of food. We are all growing adolescents who need to intake as much of a variety of foods as possible. Before a workout, it is recommended to eat carbohydrates and some protein so you have energy to perform at your highest level. After a workout, you need to help your body restore muscle and you should eat lots of protein.
by Sami Andrew
Afew months ago, an old friend and I went rock climbing at Donner Pass. On our way to the rock face, we noticed a shallow slab of angled rock that had a little kid climbing on it with his mother. She was belaying him from below and he was about half way up the wall, looking a little bit scared, slightly unsure of himself, and obviously out of his comfort zone. His mother was aware of this, and shouted words of encouragement, urging her child to make it to the top. My friend and I had only recently become interested in rock climbing and we both thought the same thing: “When that kid’s our age, he will be able to climb things we would think were impossible.” We both wished a little bit that our parents had been like that mom, bringing her young son out to the rocks to introduce him to something that might become a big part of his life, and then pushing him to the top.
Most children and teenagers usually don’t naturally have an activity
or discipline they really want to pursue. Without help, they don’t find a passion. When I was a child and I saw all of those young athletes doing incredible things, or those young musicians who practiced so hard they outgrew their teachers, I thought their parents must have demanded too much from them, and I was glad my parents didn’t make me do things I didn’t want to do. Now that I have grown up a little, I believe that a parent’s job is really to push their child to do things they don’t want to do and to introduce them to a variety of things. Hopefully, one of those things will stick, and eventually that child can find their passion, something that they can be great at and always look forward to. Looking back, I realize that my parents did introduce me to most of the things I love doing now--like skiing, climbing, and playing the piano. I never wanted to do these things as a child, but I’m now glad that my parents encouraged me, and often forced me, to do them. I can
with perspective
remember when my dad had to drag me to the ski slopes, and now skiing is all I look forward to from the moment the snow melts to the moment the first winter flakes start to fall.
Maybe that little boy on that bite-sized rock will grow up to be the best rock climber in the world, maybe he’ll grow to decide he really isn’t interested in climbing and never pursue the activity again. His mother most likely knew that both of these options were possibilities, but she also knew that she didn’t want to be responsible for him missing out on something that he might truly love. It was her job to show her son that the world is full of exciting options. As his mother continues to show him the world, one day that little boy will find his passion, something that he can call his own.
With a perspective, I’m Aldin Verkler.
Photography Zoe Hafter-Manza
Trending Now
by Sabina Vitale
Trends are constantly dominating teen behavior. From music to fashion, being ‘trendy’ is often on high schoolers’ minds. Motivated by a desire to fit in, teens tend to replicate the attributes we see in society, not necessarily because we like them, but rather because we think we need to emulate these standards in order to fit in. These trends vary between social groups, but within any given friend group, teens seem to be carbon copies of each other in attire, modes of communication, musical preferences, and much more.
One trend increasing in popularity is the anti-trend. Being constantly surrounded by the conformism of the 21st Century characterized by iPhones, Katy Perry, and Lululemon leggings, alternativism is become the new style. Buying destroyed jeans and combat boots, teens are putting huge
effort into looking as effortless as possible. This shift in trends is creating an ambiguity over the issue of self-expression. Is that person actually a Pink Floyd fan? Or did he or she just think that the Dark Side of the Moon logo looked cool? Sometimes, it is in fact a genuine appreciation for the work of Roger Waters and Richard Wright. Other times, it is teens conforming to popular societal trends. The definition of pop music has evolved incredibly since its creation. Originally coined in the 1950s referring to the emerging Rock and Roll movement because of its popularity amongst the nation’s youth, the term continued to shift definitions based on popular opinion throughout the end of the 1900s; today the term has a stricter definition. Artists are often described as pop musicians, when in reality this is a very arbitrary term. Musicians in this category range from Elvis Presley to David Bowie
to Justin Bieber, all with very distinct musical styles. This is because they are all from different musical eras. While their music was at once all characterized by extreme popularity, the only one who conforms to the modern definition of pop music is Justin Bieber. Although pop music has become its own genre, the focus of actual popularity is shifting. The alternative music scene championed by vinyl records and music festivals is becoming extremely popular. The most prevalent trend is becoming the opposite of trendy. While this movement to alternativism can help many students feel more comfortable in their own skin and give them the ability to express themselves freely and truly, it is also creating a new, dominating trend, leading to this important question: is alternativism still alternativism if everyone is doing it?
In the Shadows
by Narisa Trabosh
I see only black and white, black and white. Colors are an illusion, meant for humans alone. Life is an illusion of which I cannot take part. All I do all night and day is imitate you. I give you the illusion of logic where there really is none. I morph and shrink to make you think that I am nothing more but I am, I am. And someday you might look down, to see a world shattering thing, that your shadow has just walked away and all your illusions are gone.
Photography Lauren Bruce
The Impact of Injuries
When we were kids, sports injuries were almost glorious. The kid who came to school on crutches magically became the most popular person for the week. Kids almost hoped that they had sprained their ankle or broken their arm whenever they fell in a game. Now in high school, as sports become more serious and more pressured, this mindset has completely reversed. Athletes will overtrain and come back too early from injuries and harm themselves even further. It seems now that getting injured is so routine that it has become no big deal because, as one Menlo-Atherton athlete
are still growing. “Growing is generally uneven. Bones grow first, which pulls at tight muscles and tendons. This uneven growth pattern makes younger athletes more susceptible to muscle, tendon, and growth plate injuries,” according to Orthoinfo. This fact, combined with the increased rigor of high school sports, leads to more frequent, major injuries.
The fact that most high school sports are not year round and stop and start abruptly adds more danger when it comes to injuries. Many athletes begin rigorous exercise and training all at once, which greatly strains muscles and tendons, and makes injuries more prob-
by Joanna Vollrath
but some, especially when it comes to head injuries, there is absolutely no doubt that they need to recover, and then come back once the doctor and I say it’s ok.” Taking time off can make a real difference in an athlete’s career as well as life to come. James shares her view on the after effects of high school sports injuries. “You can have joint pain when you’re older, it can possibly lead to joint replacement, depending on the severity, and then you can also have the injury reoccur if you don’t do anything about it.”
A few M-A athletes shared their stories of continuing to play when
have all the athletes doing ankle rehab before they get taped. We also do a pre-concussion assessment for certain sports depending on their probability of getting concussions.” In addition to these important tests, sports teams are stepping up to the responsibility of injury prevention. For example, the girls soccer team is currently involved in ACL injury prevention, with Stanford University faculty coming once a week to train them. James also expressed interest in continuing and expanding the possibilities for injury prevention here at M-A.
High school sports injuries are common, dangerous, and important, but we can all do our part to acknowledge as well as prevent their powerful impact.
TRAINER
The fall of 2014 marked the beginning of a new school year here at M-A, as well as the start of Christine James’ time as our trainer. James is in charge of the health and wellness of all the athletes, which can range from preventative care to rehabbing after an injury. James has been working to ensure the safety of MA’s well-loved athletes. James described her time so far at M-A by saying, “I love it, it’s been great for me.” James herself does, not surprisingly, have a deep history as an athlete. “I have played pretty much every sport known to man, but in high school, I stuck with volleyball, and that was my main sport.” After her time as an athlete, James focused on her career as a trainer. James shares, “I graduated from Chapman University in Orange County, and I got my bachelor’s in athletic training. I did six internships throughout college, and then I had to sit for the board of certification which certifies athletic trainers, so I had to take a four hour test in order to get my certification. I also am certified in first aid and CPR and that has to be re-certified every two years.” James can be found in the athletic trainer’s room next to the baseball field. As James states, she is “here when the kids are,” so stop in after school to say hello!
The Mark, a feature magazine published by the students in MenloAtherton High School’s Journalism class, is an open forum for student expression and the discussion of issues of concern to its readership. The Mark is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost. The staff welcomes letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy, and obscenity. Submissions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of all M-A students or the staff of The Mark. Send all submissions to submittothemark@gmail.com.
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