The Panther Prints Informing and Educating the Pinewood Community and the Surrounding Area for 25 Years February 24, 2011
Volume I. Edition 5.
25th Annual Edition
Scheppler: Doctor of Linsanity MAX DARROW EDITOR-IN-CHIEF “He is amazing athlete who the epitome of greatness.” Pinewood’s very own varsity girls basketball coach Doc Scheppler said this in reference to 23-year-old Palo Alto native and rising NBA superstar, Jere- my Lin. Up until very recently, Lin was not a household name. He was known throughout the Bay Area for being a basketball star from Palo Alto High School, but the majority of Americans wouldn’t be able to tell someone who Lin was. Last year, Lin played off the bench as a point guard periodically for the Golden State Warriors. But due to the lockout, Lin was never able to work out with new head coach Mark Jackson, and was waived from the team on the first day of training camp this year. Since Lin could not work out with his NBA coach during the lockout, he had to find someone else to work with. And that is when he was reunited with Coach Scheppler. The duo worked together either at Pinewood or the gym on Fabian Way throughout the summer, up until the lockout was lifted. “I was his high school coach’s coach in high school and he was recommended to me by his high school coach. I had worked with is
Recent NBA sensation Jeremy Lin, who grew up in the Bay Area, has risen to fame and success recently, though not without the help of Pinewood’s Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Doc Scheppler, who worked with Lin throughout the summer. Photos taken from Google Images.
him once when he was in college,” Scheppler said. “Jeremy’s a great learner. He was highly motivated and always gave a onehundred percent effort into the workouts.” After being waived by the Warriors, the Houston Rockets picked Lin up for a few weeks, but had enough depth and waived him to clear the payroll to sign another player. But on Dec. 27, 2011, Lin was picked up by the New York Knicks. Between the Knicks’ head coach Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense and the work that he put in with Scheppler, some-
thing clicked in his game. In his first true appearance, Lin scored 25 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and had 7 assists, leading the Knicks to a victory over the New Jersey Nets. Many people turned their heads and thought it was a fluke—but it wasn’t. Within his first four games with the Knicks, he averaged 27.3 points, 8.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game and was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Some people still believed that he was getting lucky, playing against sub-par teams, and wouldn’t believe that he would
be any good against any strong teams. Days later, his first challenge was given to him: the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite being guarded periodically by legend Kobe Bryant, Lin managed to lead both teams in scoring with 38 points and had seven assists, leading the Knicks to a 92-85 victory. But the Linsanity didn’t stop there, as he would hit a game-winning three pointer with 0.5 seconds left of the game against the Toronto Raptors. A few games later, he led his team to a victory over the reigning NBA Champions, the Dallas Mavericks. “I’m happy for the game of basketball that we can now embrace a true hero in a sport that is infiltrated with players that don’t exemplify the spirit of playing a team sport,” Scheppler said. “It is so inspiring how he has personally turned a team around with his energy and style of play. Within a span of a few weeks, Lin has transformed from an unknown kid to an international hero. But despite his sudden fame, he still remains a very humble man, thanking the people around him for his success. “He includes everybody in his success and acknowledges those people in his life that have got him to this exciting point in his life. Family, friends, teammates, and coaches have all been thanked,” Scheppler said. “He is an amazing athlete who is the epitome of greatness.
ALL IN THE SPIRIT OF SPIRIT WEEK
From Left to Right: Junior Haley Longbottom and Senior Adi Rosenthal pose for “Under the Sea” day. Spirit Week posters reveal the “Planet Pinewood” ecosystems theme. Senior Erik Matousek holds the acorn as the squirrel from “Ice Age” for the senior lipsync. Senior John Bennet shows off his jellyfish costume. Photos by Emily Ng and Faiz Khan.
CITY R e g u l a t i o n s D r i v e Bridge Program Connects Resources Parking Issue to the Surface Pinewood to Outside be devoted enrichment activities ANNIE KONG STAFF WRITER On any given day, parents, students, teachers, and visitors jockey for one of the 150 parking spots in Pinewood’s ever-busy Upper Campus parking lot. During special events such as sporting events, the Jamboree, and graduation, the problem is even worse, with dozens of cars spilling onto nearby streets. Los Altos Hills town officials, responding to a neighbor complaint, are now cracking down on neighborhood parking. Those who park on nearby streets for Pinewood events now run the risk of being ticketed, and Pinewood administrators are considering using a shuttle service for the school’s larger scheduled events. The Los Altos Town Council sent Pinewood President Scott Riches a letter last November stating that no cars should be parked on the street at any time, even during special events. Two days after the letter was received, “No Parking, Tow Away” signs were placed in front of the school. Riches and Pinewood Principal Mark Gardner immediately set up a meeting with the Town of Los Altos Hills to express their concerns and to brainstorm possible solutions to the problem. “We felt it was unacceptable that there could not even be limited overflow parking for the dozen of so special events that happen at our school,” Riches said. Town officials told Riches and Gardner that no one is allowed to park on the street over the town pathways because this was one of the conditions laid out on Pinewood’s use permit. Vehicles parked on nearby streets will be given citations by the sheriff, officials warned. Both sides have come up with a solution: the town will pay for and create a new pathway closest to
Pinewood’s fence, where cars can park on the shoulder. The railroad ties and rocks outside Pinewood, now allow cars to park in front of the school. “The Town is happy with this solution and seems to be a good compromise for the school as this helps for the limited overflow parking for the smaller special events such as sporting events and performances, ” Riches said. For graduation, the Jamboree, back-to-school night, and the admissions open house, the four large special events of the year, Gardner and Riches are looking into other possible solutions for parking. One idea is to have offsite parking at either Gardner Bullis School or at the Town of Los Altos Hills, both which are just down the street. A shuttle service will then be provided for those who park in those parking lots after Pinewood’s parking lot is maxed out. Riches said that for the 36 years Pinewood has been at this location, people have been parking on the streets for special events, and there has never been an issue or complaint from neighbors or from the Town until now. Students and faculty at Pinewood follow the rule of no parking on the streets for day-to-day operations and have adhered to the Town’s policy. Pinewood has always been aware of this rule, Riches said, but given the limited number of special events – about a dozen or so per year-- where copious amounts of people attend, Pinewood’s small parking lot cannot accommodate so many, and people park out on the streets. Riches and Gardner stated that it is virtually impossible to accommodate all parking on Pinewood’s small parking lot for special events; however, the town was very adamant about prohibiting parking on their pathways for any occasion. Though the parking issue still remains a controversy, a compromise was reached between the town and Pinewood School.
KELLY RYAN STAFF WRITER
This summer Pinewood will participate in the Peninsula Bridge Summer Program, bringing intensive academics and enrichment activities to motivated middle school students. The Peninsula Bridge organization serves students from the top 25 percent of their class in grades 5-8. The students come from certain schools in the Ravenswood, Redwood City, San Mateo-Foster City, and Mountain View-Los Altos districts. Peninsula Bridge is a nonprofit group that helps underserved students prepare for accelerated programs in high school. Also, it provides a multitude of enrichment programs that have been cut in many of the public schools such as art and athletics. There is an Academic Year Program that provides a bridge to connect students to outside resources to help fill the gaps they have at their current schools such as tutoring and other enrichment activities. There is also a summer program in which Pinewood is participating. Nine schools, including Pinewood, provide their facilities and host the summer program. At Pinewood, the mornings will be spent on the academic classes and afternoons will
such as art and drama. From June 25 to July 27, Pinewood will host rising 7th and 8th grade students from the Mountain View-Los Altos school district. Many of our own students have signed up to be teaching assistants this summer. When asked why Pinewood wanted their students involved, site director Dr. Bonnie Traymore, said, “It gives them a chance to develop leadership skills and adds socioeconomic diversity to Pinewood.” Along with Dr. Traymore, English teacher Meghann Hummel will teach the Language Arts classes, Jackee Bruno, Pinewood’s Athletic Director, will teach the sports elective, and Kiara Boyle, a current public school teacher in Los Angeles, will teach the math classes. Pinewood interns will be responsible for developing and teaching the electives and for assisting the teachers. Some of the Pinewood interns include Annie Kong, Karina Uppal, Haley Longbottom, Emma Grillo, and Veronica Boyce. The Peninsula Bridge Summer Program not only helps the students from under-resourced schools but also provides a rewarding experience for the Pinewood students. This program also provides a unique opportunity to develop leadership and teamwork skill, as well as a socioeconomically diverse background.