Junior volunteers at the zoo.
Robotics teams participate in build season.
The Oracle explores Palo Alto psychological experiments.
PG. 13 FEATURES
Staff members voice their opinions on Camp Everytown.
THEORACLE PG. 11 FEATURES
PGS. 14 & 15 CENTERFOLD
PG. 6 FORUM
Palo Alto Unified School District Henry M. Gunn High School 780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. Postage
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Monday, March 4, 2013 Volume 50, Issue 6
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Audey Shen
Top left: The new building comprises 9,100 square feet of space. Top right: A French class reaches its conclusion in a new classroom setting. Bottom left: The complex incorporates several corridors and benches alongside a courtyard. Bottom right: Students converse beside moving boxes.
World language classes relocate to new building complex Rebecca Alger and Klaire Tan
Features Editor and Copy Editor
The newly constructed world language building opened for students on Feb. 11. The 9,100 square foot building consists of two separate structures connected by a canopy and makes extensive use of glass in order to increase natural light. “The rooms overall are just fantastic,” Assistant Principal of Facilities Kim Cowell said. “They are just much more airy and light, making learning much more enjoyable for the students.” According to Cowell, the world language department was initially scheduled to move into the building over winter break. However, the project’s move-in date was pushed back two months for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest problem and time constraint was that when the school was built in the 1960s, not all the utility plans were updated and written out. It took a considerable amount of time for the construction workers to figure out which utility lines were dead, and which were still being used. “[Figuring out which utility lines were dead] was probably the biggest challenge because they had to go through and locate everything,” Cowell said. The new building will provide the world language teachers more classroom and office space to teach and interact with students. According to world language Instructional Supervisor Audey Shen
BUILDINGS—p.4
TBN puts new technology to use, promotes app Eileen Qian
Centerfold Editor
This semester, Titan Broadcast Network (TBN), home of the morning video announcements, took steps towards improving the program’s visual content and accessibility by purchasing a new video switcher and releasing the TBN smartphone app.
With the new video switcher called the Tricaster 300, a device currently used in many professional studios, TBN can broadcast in high definition. TBN advisor Edward Corpuz believes that the availability and accessibility of the new technology is important for the students. “The biggest benefit of using the Tricaster is to allow students who are enrolled in broadcasting an opportunity to learn and use technology present in today’s broadcast industry,” he said. In addition, the Tricaster 300, in conjunction with the green screen, will allow TBN to create virtual sets so that TBN can customize
TBN Notifier App Available on iTunes
the setting of “The G” and project anchors in different places without having to spend more money on reconstruction or leave the confines of the studio. According to senior Andrew GerberDuffy, the Tricaster 300 will allow newscasters to be shown talking in front of a store without having to visit it, which would save time and allow TBN to allocate more time to focus on the content of the segment rather than how the content is shown. TBN’s growth in technology also proves useful in accomodating students in several different situations, such as having a preparatory period or being late, that could prevent students from viewing the announcements live. In order to ensure and improve communication TBN—p.2
Audey Shen
Scan this QR Code for exclusive previews about all elective courses to be offered during the next school year.
2
News
THEORACLE
UC system discontinues Chemistry Honors’ status as weighted class Ben Atlas
Forum Editor
For the 2013-14 school year, Chemistr y Honors will be losing its status as a weighted class in the University of California (UC) weighted grade point average (GPA). It will contribute a 4.0 rather than a 5.0 to the UC school’s calculated GPA, but will retain its weighted standing in the high school GPA that is sub-
mitted to non-UC schools. The change is due to the enforcement of a UC policy that prohibits underclassmen from taking weighted classes. According to Principal Katya Villalobos, Chemistry Honors slipped under the UC system’s radar because of a database change in which the class was not specified as available to sophomores. Palo Alto High School (Paly) applied for
a similarly weighted class, correct ly cit ing Gu nn’s Chemistry Honors as precedent. This caused UC system representatives to realize their mistake and remove the weighted grade from Chemistry Honors. The change will only come into effect for those taking the class in years 2013-14 and later, and will not affect the weighted GPA for any earlier classes. According to Chemistry Honors teacher Casey O’Connell, the change will
not result in a significant alteration in the course’s difficulty. “I would say that Chem H will continue to
“I view the removal of the weighted GPA as a really good, progressive move.” —Science Teacher Casey O’Connell be the challenging and rewarding course that is so fondly remembered by some students and haunted
by others,” O’Connell said. O’Connell believes that the change will cause fewer students who are only interested in an increase in GPA to take Chemistry Honors, consequently cultivating a higher level of motivation in the classroom. “I view the removal of the weighted GPA as a really good, progressive move,” O’Connell said. Although the lack of a weighted grade may cause some students to refrain from enrolling, measures will be taken to compensate for lack of participation.
According to Instructional Supervisor Laurie Pennington, one of these new measurements includes lowering the course prerequisite standards needed in order to take Chemistry Honors. The requirement grade to take Chemistry Honors in Biology 1AC will be shifted from a B+ to a B. According to Villalobos, the change should have been in order years ago, but was overlooked due to a bureaucratic error. “It’s been a long time coming that the system would catch up with us,” Pennington said.
TBN creates new cellphone app for students TBN—p.1
the TBN Notifier for iPhone and Android devices. Bahl developed the app under his company, The Palo Alto Apps, and released it on Jan. 25. With the TBN Notifier, students are not only linked to the Gunn TV website and TBN’s Facebook, Twitter and Youtube channel, but also notified about future events through detailed push-notifications. Broadcast students believe this will help “The G” become more efficient by creating more time on the show for other updates. Another unique aspect about the
app is the home page, which only direct link to the daily bulletin. shows the most recent message Although the process may be from TBN. arduous, Bahl is hoping to bring Although Bahl is working on a live video-streaming of “The G,” allowing users to search for prior in order to make the app more posts, he enjoys c o n v e n i e nt the simplicity of and accesthe page. “I think “I think one of the most sible for stuone of the most prominent features is dents. “Word prominent feathrough the tures is the app’s the app’s intuitive and grapevine is intuitive and clutter-free home screen.” that we may clutter-free home get a new —Junior Vivaan Bahl server screen,” he said. that Bahl is currently working to im- supports streaming to mobile deprove the app. vices,” Bahl said. “However, it is According to Bahl, one feature a rumor, and I don’t want to get viewers can look forward to is a anyone’s hopes up just yet.”
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NEWS BITES
SAT Ongoing 8-Week Prep Course
SEC plans Stanford Blood Center drive
This year, the annual Stanford Blood Center blood drive will be hosted by the Student Executive Council (SEC) on Friday, Mar. 22. Potential blood donors must be at least 17 years old or 16 with a parental consent, weigh at least 110 pounds and be generally healthy. In previous years, snacks were given to blood donors after they had given blood. The blood drive is typically hosted in February by math teacher Diane Gleason, but this year is the first time that the SEC will be organizing it. According to Student Activities Director Lisa Hall, the blood drive will take place in the library during school, which will require students to sign up for different times throughout the day.
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From Mar. 9 to 24, 114 Gunn and Palo Alto High School (Paly) student artists will come together for the “Youth Speaks Out” exhibit at the Palo Alto Art Center. Through their art, students will present their unique perspectives of what living life in Palo Alto is like; each piece will have a short narrative by the artist. The gallery will contain various types of art such as painting, drawing and photography. “The work really expresses the life experiences of youth,” Carolyn Digovich, member of the youth collobartive committee, said. “Some works are edgy and somber while others are suprisingly uplifting and inspiring.” According to art teacher Deanna Messinger, the exhibition is completely anonymous so that students can be as expressive as possible. “It’s a safer way to send a message to the community on what being a Gunn or Paly student is like,” Messinger said. For the event, students from Gunn and Paly used a specific curriculum designed by Messinger. Students in Messinger’s and photography teacher Jennifer Hogan’s classes participated in the exhibition. The gallery was prompted by a separate event, in which local businesses and Palo Alto City Hall put up student artwork in their buildings. “The artwork generated a lot of discussion,” Digovich said. “A lot of parents have a hard time visualizing the stress kids go through, but when they saw the art, they were better able to understand the pressure students face.” According to Digovich, some people were so moved by the art that they started crying, while others wanted to purchase the art for their homes. The opening reception begins on Mar. 9 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Attendees will be able to enjoy student performances and refreshments donated by local businesses. “We wanted other forms of expression at the exhibit,” Digovich said. “There’s going to be an Indian hip-hop troupe, singers, and perhaps a poetry reading.” Zoe Weisner
News THEORACLE 780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 354-8238 www.gunnoracle.com
Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Utkash Dubey Managing Editors Boot Bullwinkle Emily Yao News Cooper Aspegren Zoe Weisner Catalina Zhao Forum Ben Atlas Leon Cheong Features Rebecca Alger Chaewon Lee Centerfold Eileen Qian Stephanie Zhang Sports Mitch Donat Wayland Fong Rani Shiao Entertainment Misheel Enkhbat Ellen Lee Lucy Oyer Photo Michael Wu Graphics George Hwang
Staff Copy Lawrence Chen Klaire Tan Tech Alvin Wang Business/Circulation Erica Lee Shireen Ahsan (Asst.) Regina Tran (Asst.)
Monday, March 4, 2013
District calendar committee develops, sends out survey Matt Niksa Reporter
In January, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Calendar Committee sent out a survey asking Gunn students, parents and staff about their view of the timing of first semester finals. Members of the committee wanted to understand whether students and parents would prefer to see the exams taken before or after winter break. The survey had the same guidelines as a survey implemented in April 2012. Because the number of surveyors was not enough to make those results valid, this follow-up survey was created. The Calendar Committee hopes this follow-up survey will attract a greater audi-
ence to get accurate student opinions for the school board members. Calendar Committee Director Scott Bowers not only helps coordinate the committee but also helps facilitate the meetings, prepare materials, provide historical background and conduct the survey. According to Bowers, the committee surveyed students in April 2012 through a random survey of 450 students. The survey was created on SurveyMonkey and was then shared through a survey link to all students who had an Infinite Campus or Naviance account. “The reason we surveyed the students is because we are interested in knowing what they thought about the new calendar,” Bowers said.
Regina Tran
Asst. Business Manager
The Palo Alto History Museum Board will open a new museum in 2014 to share the history of Palo Alto and Stanford University with the community and visitors. According to President of the Palo Alto History Museum Board Steve Staiger, many Palo Alto citizens are unfamiliar with the city’s history, which is an extreme factor in the reasoning behind building the museum. “A local history museum is especially important for Palo Alto and Stanford because so many of our current residents did not grow up here and are unfamiliar with its history,” Staiger said. “To understand the history of your community will help you become a contributor to your community.” There will be a variety of different exhibits at the museum. According to Staiger, the Palo Alto History Museum will not be like any other museum in terms of the way the information is presented. The museum will cover the typical information that is usually presented at museums but will have an interactive aspect to it.
dents taking finals. “The Committee’s responsibility is to administer a fair survey to gauge student, parent and teacher opinions, and then make a recommendation for the school board on the 20142015 year and beyond,” Tention said. Although the new survey was just sent out, the Committee hopes to conduct even more surveys in the future. “We’re planning on sending out another survey late in the spring,” Guha said. “We’d like to see if opinions had changed given that it’s later in the year.” The follow-up survey results are still pending. Tention, Guha and Bowers hope the results will be available to them as soon as possible so that future improvement can be made.
The Palo Alto History Museum Board would draw people who might not ordinarily go to a also like to have full-size holograms of historic museum. We see the museum and the park outfigures at the entrance of the museum to wel- side becoming Palo Alto’s town square.” come visitors. “The idea of what kinds of exhibits would be suitable for our museum has followed the philosophy that this museum will not be your grandmother’s history museum,” Staiger said. “Many, if not most of the exhibits, will have a hands-on interactive element to the story being told.” According to Staiger, the board sees the new attraction to be much more than just a museum. “Once the museum opens, it will be more than a bunch of old Courtesy of Palo Alto History Museum Board dusty exhibits,” Staiger said. “There will be events [such The future site of the Palo Alto History Museum, which housed as talks, shows and other the Palo Alto Clinic, is located at 300 Homer Ave next to hands-on doings] that will Heritage Park. The museum will be open three days a week.
INBOX The Oracle strongly encourages and prints signed Letters to the Editor and Comments. Comments are generally shorter responses, while Letters are longer pieces of writing. Please include your name, grade and contact information should you choose to write one.
Letters and Comments may be edited to meet space requirements and the writer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the content. Letters to the Editor and Comments and ideas for coverage may be sent to oraclegunn@gmail.com or posted on our Facebook page. These letters need not be from current students.
The code red article was interesting, seeing that a school like this was unprepared. Arik Singh, 10
Graphics Artist Jasmine Garnett
Adviser Kristy Blackburn
Members hope the survey will effectively gauge the response to the new calendar. “I think the survey is a great way for the Calendar Committee to understand the opinions of everyone in the school district,” Calendar Committee student representative Neel Guha said. “It allows us to make an informed decision about the calendar.” According to Calendar Committee student representative Justice Tention, the committee hopes that this survey will change the way finals are conducted in the future. Since the new schedule was implemented this year for over 4,000 students in the school district, the survey hopefully will distinguish whether the change helped alleviate stress for the stu-
Opening of Palo Alto History Museum planned for next year
Photographers Stephanie Kim Audey Shen Anthony Tran
Reporters Sam Acker, Pooja Belur, Lena Campbell, Shawna Chen, Nabeel Chollampat, Aayush Dubey, Kush Dubey, Anuva Ganapathi, Lisa Hao, Emily Kvitko, Diana Lee, Rachel Lew, Christine Lin, Noa Livneh, Alex Man, Matt Niksa, Roy Shadmon, Henry Siu, Tim Wang, Erica Watkins, Danielle Yacobson, Andy Zhou, David Zhu, Katherine Zu
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The Oracle is hilarious and entertaining as always. I really enjoyed reading the article about people’s funny experiences and stories with their pets. It was great. Alexandra Gong, 10
January 29, 2013
I remember the “who made it better” article. It was really interesting to see the comparison on paper, because I always wanted to know if you could really taste the difference. Leah Hirsh, 10
I liked the article about the senior returning to PE and the article about the food brands. Cindy Yang, 10
This issue is very nice and the front page article was very well written, especially because of the school shooting. Jennifer Zhang, Adult
There are a lot of interesting articles and some funny ones. But I don’t like that the articles never mention junior varsity sports, only varsity. Noah Krigel, 10
I would like to see more student profiles of what the students like to do in their free time. It would be like a Titan profile, but in the newspaper. Josh Temes, 12
I would like it if there was a poetry section in The Oracle. A story I enjoyed reading was the article about “What’s in your trunk,” because it seemed interesting to see how people’s personalities affected what was found in their trunks, and how it was related to their organization. Anubhav Jaiswal, 11 I really enjoyed the Gunn trends article. I found it amusing. I also liked the Mitch and Ellen flirting page. I thought that section was really funny. Maytal Abramson, 11 A couple things I loved about the January issue of The Oracle were its terrific illustrations, articles everyone could relate to, and great coverage of all aspects of Gunn High School. A couple things I would have wanted different in this edition were more than just one article on the cover page, preferably a topic familiar to all Gunn students, and articles not just about Gunn, but instead a mix of articles from Gunn and some from the outside world. I hope to see more fantastic editions like this one in the future. Aaditya Divekar, 9
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News
THEORACLE
Language department moves into newly constructed classrooms LANGUAGE BUILDING—p.1
and French teacher Anne Jensen, the 14 language teachers originally shared nine desks for offices, preventing teachers from having a private area at which they can talk to students. The move into the new building complex has also been accompanied with small problems, both technical and emotional in nature. “When you move into a new space, [there are] always difficulties,” Jensen said. “It’s hard moving from a room that you’ve been in for 15, 20 years to a new space.
You get used to where everything was, and so now you have to find your new comfort space.” Overall, the World Language Department has made a smooth transition from the original language classrooms in the LWing to the new building. “The language department really was wonderful,” Cowell said. “They really banded together to make it all work.” Next, the department is planning to move current language classrooms in the Village to the now vacated L-Wing classrooms.
Once the move is completed, the entire language department will be able to interact with each other much more easily. “We pride ourselves on working together and collaborating,” Jensen said. “It’s much more difficult when we’re so far away from each other, but it’s great to see that the school is becoming more centrally located.” According to Principal Katya Villalobos, the moves will help the administrators prepare for the larger moves in the near future. The problems the World Language Department experienced will help administrators
gauge how to divide time and resources. “It was a good learning experience for our big move in the fall. We learned what we need to do to be especially prepared then,” Villalobos said. “[Relocating] is almost like a chess game. You need to make sure that all the pieces are moving simultaneously.” According to Jensen, the World Language Department is incredibly grateful for the new space they have to work in. “The building really shows how much our school and our community appreciate language,” Jensen said.
District approves to expand Terman campus as student enrollment increases Alex Man
Reporter
On Jan. 15, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) board approved the expansion of Terman Middle School onto Bowman International School’s campus, in the case that Bowman has the opportunity to relocate itself to another location. The steadily increasing enrollment in the school district prompted this decision. According to Superintendent Kevin Skelly and Head of Data Enrollment Ann Dunkin, Terman, with the smallest campus of the three PAUSD middle schools, requires more land to fit future students. The expansion onto the neighboring school all depends on whether Bowman finds another viable location to accomodate its growing student population.
According to Terman Principal Katherine Baker, student population issues have already resulted. “Due to a higher population of sixth graders, we had to cap our sixth grade enrollment and send overflow students to Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School (JLS),” Baker said. By sending those students to JLS, Baker kept the system of pairing teachers into teams intact. Dunkin linked the changing enrollment to the the calendar change for elementary schools. “Currently, the growth in middle school enrollment is a bit higher than that of elementary schools,” Dunkin said. “However this growth is due to an earlier cutoff date for kindergarten that has caused a slight decline in elementary school enrollment.” This does not affect the high school enrollment in any particular way. Dunkin stated that in later years,
there will be a slight decline in school boundaries to even out the students going to Paly or Gunn.” enrollment at the middle schools which would last for three years. In nine years, there is an expectation that the same pattern will occur in high schools. In 10 to 15 years from now, the board expects to see the process of planning out a new high school. According to Skelly, the future increase in student populations at the three middle schools may require additional planning on the part of district officials. “Right now, JLS is split two-thirds going to Gunn and one-third going to Palo Alto High School (Paly),” Skelly said. “The expansion may cause more George Hwang students to feed into Gunn more than Paly and as such, The school board approved the expansion of Terman Middle School’s we may have to change the campus onto the neighboring Bowman International School’s land.
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We did it!
PiE Donors Write Largest Check Ever To Support Local Schools – Like Gunn PiE Annual Gift 2013 gives Gunn students more:
Guidance / Electives / College & Career Counseling 4,600+ donors united in this year’s collective gift Thank you to Gunn H.S. families who chipped in!
Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) Foundation www.papie.org
Forum
Monday, March 4, 2013
5
EDITORIAL: The Opinion of The Oracle
Current GPA distribution table is superior to previous year’s decile system
In place of a decile ranking, a system which was formally abolished in the past school year, the Gunn administration has incorporated a grade point average (GPA) distribution table on the school profile it compiles and sends to colleges. The district superintendent, Gunn Principal and Gunn Assistant Principals initiated that removal of the decile system, which sorted students into groups of ten based on their three-year cumulative GPAs, in response to concerns that college admissions officers place too much emphasis on how a student compares to his or her peers, rather than on his or her status as an individual. By instituting GPA distribution table in the decile system’s place, the administration renders students far less vulnerable to rejection by officers who evaluate the individual most on how he or she compares to his or her classmates. GPA distributions prove less restrictive on college aspirations than the decile system. The placement of GPA distribution tables on the school profile renders it nearly impossible for colleges to determine a student’s exact decile rank position. For example, the
GPA distribution table that represents the class of 2013 indicates that a total of 42 students earned a weighted GPA between 4.26 and 4.41. Because there are 450 seniors this year and the GPA distribution table lists 81 of them as having a weighted GPA between 4.01 and 4.25, colleges cannot determine the point at which the cutoff for a placement within the top ten percent of the class lies. This allows students who, during the time in which the decile system was implemented, would not have been considered members of the top ten percent of the class the opportunity to be considered as if they occupied that position. Using GPA distribution tables results in an even greater advantage for students who would occupy a position within the third and fourth deciles. Employing the GPA distribution table system in lieu of the decile
system grants students a far greater safety cushion and allows them to be evaluated in a fairer manner as individuals. On this year’s school profile, the GPA distribution table indicates 161 students earned an unweighted
GPA between 3.75 and 4.00. During the time in which the decile system was set in place, students could earn no more than one “B” to earn a ranking within the top decile, unweighted. By extending the range of GPAs indicated by the top rung of its grade distribution system, the Gunn administration has ensured that students who earned more than one “B” within their first three semes-
ters at Gunn can be more heavily evaluated by admissions officers on the basis of their impressive individual academic achievements rather than how they specifically relate to their peers. While some might find a grade distribution system of any kind an unnecessary addition to Gunn’s school profile, continuing the practice of displaying distribution tables for both weighted and unweighted GPAs serves as an essential tool toward maintaining the school’s respectable academic standing. Without having access to a GPA distribution table, an admissions officer may not prove able to differentiate a 4.41 weighted GPA earned at Gunn from a 4.41 weighted GPA earned at a high school that offers more or fewer academic and GPA-boosting opportunities. Including a GPA distribution table on the school profile allows Gunn students to be more effectively and precisely evaluated within the context of their unique environment. —Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the staff (assenting: 44; dissenting: 1; abstaining: 4)
Language classes are key to well-rounded education Nabeel Chollampat
Another important facet of foreign language education is that it encourages students to embrace a wholly different culture. Too often students are mired in their solely American way of life that they fail to experience cultures from around the globe. It is this ignorance that hinders wholehearted acceptance of others, and nurtures the “fear of the unknown.” According to World Lan-
Within the current climate of valued skills and talents, communication still remains a fundamental aspect of society. People often lose sight of the importance of social interaction, however, because they don’t accord it the necessary attention. If students were to list their classes by their own standards of importance, world language would not, in most cases, rank near the top. Foreign languages, however, benefit students more than they care to believe. World language classes are a necessary aspect of modern education because they prepare students for a world of increasing international communication, foster an acceptance of cultures and improve overall intellectual progress. In today’s world, many corporations take a span across continents: their products are designed in one country, assembled and manufactured in another and sold all over the globe. Such a fast-paced business climate has no place for language barriers. Students, whose futures will indubitably be in some way tied to this global economy, need to recognize this. According to the Committee for Economic Development, 30 percent of large U.S. corporations in 2006 believed that they “failed to exploit fully their international business opportunities due to insufficient personnel with international skills.” Intercontinental interaction is often underestimated as a vital quality in today’s business world. Studying and understanding the languages and cultures of other nations can often be the key to mutual agreement between two parties. Students who have already learned new languages, then, would have the upper hand. Having already been educated and immersed in the culture of those they go into business with, students would have the knowledge necessary to succeed.
guage Instructional Supervisor Anne Jensen, language educators have a duty not only to teach the language, but also to help students see the world in a different way. By learning a new language, students can view the world through the lens of an entirely different culture, if only through an hourlong period four times a week. Learning a new language
Lisa Wu
comes hand-in-hand with learning about the corresponding culture, and by doing so, students will learn to embrace and even enjoy other parts of the world. Foreign language education has also been proven to improve students’ overall intellectual progress. Cognitive development is a broad but critical aspect of intellectual progress. In a 1991 study by Bamford and Mizokawa, students who received second language instruction were shown to be more creative and better at solving complex problems than those who didn’t. Creativity can only be described as one of life’s most sought-after qualities; that students who study a second language are proven to be more creative is a strong indication of bilingualism’s worth. Studies have also long shown that studying a second language early on, and staying with it, consistently improves scores in other subjects and standardized test scores. In 1992, the College Entrance Exmination Board reported that students who studied four years or more of foreign language scored higher on the verbal section than those who did not. This proves that the study of foreign language aids people in other academic areas, including but not limited to standardized exams. If students can improve test scores across the board, and languages help performance in other subjects, then there is no question as to whether they should be required classes. Students’ ability to learn a language is an overlooked and underappreciated skill; by way of different languages, they can understand, comprehend and communicate with others. The added benefits in other areas of life only serve to further strengthen the case that students should be required to take foreign language classes. —Chollampat, a junior, is a reporter.
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Forum
THEORACLE
Camp Everytown is conducive to a more inclusive community
PRO
Ben Atlas Every year, as student delegates return from Camp Everytown, informal debates ensue over the camp’s merits. Opponents of the program generally claim that the insulated atmosphere creates a “cult” that excludes those who do not have a chance to attend. Proponents of the program generally cite increases in empathy and understanding of major social problems that many students undergo. While the camp is far from perfect, it ultimately serves to promote inclusivity and provides a rare opportunity for self-improvement. At Camp Everytown, delegates are able to confront problems that often get hidden beneath a smiling face and socially acceptable behavior. Teenagers sometimes have nowhere to turn when it comes to any of various serious challenges, including domestic violence, substance abuse, academic stress, racial discrimination and a host of other familial, scholastic and social problems. Everytown’s atmosphere of relaxation and emotional openness creates a safe outlet for issues that otherwise can go unaddressed. Apart from allowing students the chance to discuss their own problems, delegates hear about others’ problems and become aware of the hardships that their peers undergo. Students who previously had little knowledge of the devastating effects of negative stereotypes are now confronted with a personal image of them. When one’s friend or peer describes an emotionally harmful experience, the awful effects of often unintentional cruelty resonate much more deeply. Thus, delegates are less likely to repeat the same behavior they now find so abhorrent. Before attending Camp Everytown, it is easy to judge individuals based on their actions rather than the content of their character. Everytown provides an insight into the lives and troubles of others, an experience which makes students think twice before judging. As students realize that almost everyone has gone through some sort of emotional experience, they become more hesitant to cast judgment on a person’s character without knowing what they’ve been through.
“Silicon Valley FACES’ Camp Everytown is a four-day residential, intensive leadership training program for high school students that reduces stereotyping and prejudice, and increases understanding and respect for others.” –FACES description of Camp Everytown The most common and strongest argument against the camp is that it creates an atmosphere of exclusive inclusivity: a cult of acceptance in which those admitted thrive but those not invited are left out, rejected by the cult members who claim moral superiority only because they were nominated to attend a one-weekend camp. To some extent, this sentiment is justified. Unfortunately, only a certain number of people can attend each year, so some students will inevitably get left out. It is also partially true that some attendees might act haughtily and sanctimonious. However, the camp preaches acceptance, and most delegates will honestly attempt to practice that acceptance. While it might be misinterpreted as arrogance, the fact remains that most attendees have undergone at least some personal growth. The results of this mindset shift are both short-term and far-reaching. At the very minimum, the campers themselves will mature emotionally and ethically. The Everytown experience creates empathy and understanding of various social problems and helps to search for solutions. It also helps delegates to deal with their own personal struggles. A more optimistic outlook of the camp’s success is that Camp Everytown plants the seed of social justice in the mind of each delegate, and helps them check the morality of their own actions. Once one’s eyes are opened to the pernicious damages callous words and careless actions can inflict, he subconsciously watches himself more carefully. Furthermore, a respected alum of Camp Everytown can influence those around him. As a former delegate’s friends see their peer begin to change previously insensitive behavior, they may seek to reform themselves in response. Because no one enjoys feeling morally inferior, a sort of moral competitiveness is fostered as delegates lead by example—providing benefits for the entire community. Ultimately, Camp Everytown is not a perfect institution. The fact that only 70 or so students are sent each session means that a large percentage of the school will never attend. However, the camp should still be recognized as a positive influence on those who do. Everytown provides personal growth, tempers judgment and helps change the school into a more accepting community. —Atlas, a junior, is a Forum Editor.
Rachel Lew There are two prevailing attitudes that surface when the subject of Camp Everytown is brought up at Gunn: sarcastic dismissal and unbridled enthusiasm. Naturally, the wide division of student opinion brings into question the success of the program. Held in Camp Harmon, Boulder Creek, Everytown claims online to promote racial understanding, interreligious respect, citizenship values, and personal empowerment, among a host of vague ideals. However, despite rave reviews by teachers and students, Camp Everytown has failed to significantly impact the school’s society. The primary issue is that the camp claims to work toward eliminating societal evils, but does not teach students how to do so. Instead, Everytown illustrates the amount of discrimination and abuse that exists in the world, to an unpleasant, emotion-ridden extent. And by telling students to be emotionally open, namely, in daily small-group discussions, Everytown can make students feel uncomfortable or left out. Moreover, students are not told what to expect before attending because they are told that any knowledge of camp activities has the potential to ruin the camp experience. In contrast to its policy of acceptance, Everytown inadvertently creates an environment in which less emotional individuals are discriminated against. For example, one activity involves the camp leader preaching to the students about letting their emotions out because a lack of tears is detrimental to mental stability. Those who are normally emotionally reserved are then unfairly labeled as cold-hearted. Naturally, some may argue that the awareness promoted by Camp Everytown is necessary to motivate students to take a stand. But only so much awareness is necessary for students to proactively prevent discrimination. “Eye-opening” activities, such as the famous Over-the-Line activity in which students step forward or back if they have experienced a certain traumatic experience, need not last the entire weekend of camp. Furthermore,
Faces in the Crowd
CON students should not be pressured to divulge private information for the benefit of awareness of others. The obvious fact that sharing is voluntary is outweighed by the presence of peer pressure. Telling students that it is not required for them to share personal experiences if the students feel uncomfortable would not, as might be expected, lower participation within the camp, provided that students come prepared with a clear idea of camp activities. Even if students are motivated by Everytown, they will be ill-equipped to utilize that motivation. The one activity designed to show students how to deal with issues outside the friendly, loving bubble of camp is brief and unguided; students are simply given twenty minutes to list several ways they will pledge to stop bullying. Moreover, as camp alumni have testified, motivation triggered by the camp’s countless in-depth discussions eventually fades away. It is unsurprising that some alumni find themselves at a loss upon returning to a normal school environment. Aside from encountering snide remarks accusing them of being cult members, alumni discover that they are not only more sensitive to the troubling issues of society, but even more at a loss for how to fix them. Those that come back from Everytown ready to take a stand are labeled as “brainwashed” by non-attendees, and the bitter attitude of these skeptical students can discourage former campers’ efforts at positive reform. The root of this issue is not the students’ jealousy and resultant derision, but the idealistic way in which alumni are taught to present their newfound morality; camp leaders tell students that by exuding love, understanding and political correctness, people around them will be similarly inspired to reform society. Camp Everytown’s intentions are admirable, but it does not accomplish what it claims to. To be truly inclusive, the camp should publicly acknowledge that not everyone is ready to express themselves, and should promote the acceptance of these campers as well. But most of all, camp staff should encourage more discussion on how to solve presented problems: Everytown needs to cut down on idealistic talk and emotional overload and focus more on real solutions. —Lew, a junior, is a reporter.
Was Camp Everytown a good experience for you?
“I thought it was good because I learned how different our society is.” Jesse Carlson (10)
“Yes, it changed my perspective on life.” Kyoko Inagawa (10)
“It didn’t have a large impact on me. Palo Alto is already very accepting.” Michael Abramavitch (11)
“I think it helps you see situations through other people’s eyes.” Giussepe Rischmoller (12) —Compiled by Shireen Ahsan
Monday, March 4, 2013
Assemblies needlessly interfere with school along through other mediums, such as e-mail or the morning announcements. It would be in students’ best interests for the administration to pursue these alternate avenues of communication. An assembly schedule on Tuesday Lucy Oyer automatically cuts out the week’s tutorial period. For those who were hoping All too often, Tuesday’s tutorial pe- to talk to a teacher or get extra help, riod is eliminated to make time for a tutorial can be crucial, and having to riveting mandatory assembly, inter- wait another week can disrupt studyrupting students’ scheduled activities. ing, especially if a student has an upThis could be forgivable if the assem- coming exam. When the reason for blies’ contents were of any sort of ur- a student not being able to seek help gency or necessity, but when the entire during tutorial is that they had to go purpose of the assembly is to watch watch a humorous video about Prom a preview of the theatre musical or as an underclassman, he or she is often screen the Prom video, which is ever understandably upset. Additionally, asso easily accessible on YouTube, one semblies are often poorly publicized, so must question whether his or her time students are unable to plan ahead. might be better spent studying or doing The later class release time on asjust about anything else. There is rarely sembly days can also have a negative efany information communicated that fect on planned after-school activities. could not be just as effectively passed Athletes who would usually not have to skip any class due to Tuesday’s 2:29 p.m. class release time end up having to skip part of G period in order to be on time. Other extra-curricular commitments can be affected for sports matches, too; all for something that is often not beneficial, such as a choir performance or the Homecoming video. Even though tutorial is technically required, there are fewer negative effects to missing tutorial than missing G period. With all the inconveniences that the assemblies cause, one would assume that they must be extraordinarily important, and Dave Zhu
the only option for communicating the content to the student body. This, however, is rarely the case. Most of the assemblies’ content is irrelevant to a majority of students, and the content that is important could easily be communicated through any number of alternative mediums. Prom and Homecoming videos are definitely fun, but it would be better to instead just post them on YouTube, Facebook and the Gunn website and not interrupt an entire Tuesday schedule. And, if one insists that it is only fun to watch those on the big screen in the Spangenberg theatre, an optional assembly could be held during tutorial. Similarly, though the speeches are no doubt engrossing, it seems unnecessary to hold an election assembly, when students could find all the same information on an easily-constructed webpage. It would not hurt to reconsider whether or not all of the assemblies are truly worth the extra stress they cause by interfering with student’s plans. There are many ways to cut down on the number of assemblies by seeking alternative ways to communicate the information to students. Every time an assembly rolls around, complaints are heard across campus. Rarely, however, has anyone lamented that there are too few assemblies. Eliminating some of the “fluffy” assemblies would be a widely welcomed change and the Student Executive Council and the administration should thoroughly consider this possibility. —Oyer, a junior, is an Entertainment Editor.
School should be about learning, not grades Anuva Ganapathi By this point, we have all experienced the immense stress that comes with finals week. We have found ourselves overwhelmed with the pressure of trying to remember a whole semester’s worth of information and considered ourselves lucky if we got more than three hours of sleep a night. As seniors begin to enjoy the perks of second semester, the rest of us are faced with yet another semester of endless work, late nights and last minute studying, simply to get a grade. But by focusing so much on how we do in class, we sometimes forget to concentrate on what is actually important: learning. Instead, we have created a stressful atmosphere that undermines the purpose of school. Unfortunately, we have grown accustomed to worrying more about when a teacher will update grades on Infinite Campus than viewing learning as a top priority. Each year, as the deadline for grades approaches, students generally begin to scramble to push their grades over the borderline. However, these grades only partially represent how much a student has actually learned and instead, may be more indicative of a student’s ability to do the minimum amount necessary to get a good grade. Grades can easily be influenced and changed, regardless of whether a stu-
dent knows the material. Throughout my freshman year, keeping up in biology was an uphill battle; I spent the entire year doing the bare minimum necessary to satisfy the prerequisites for Advanced Placement (AP) Biology. Now, as I face the same struggle in AP Biology, I realize how much easier my life would be had I spent a couple extra hours actually understanding the material in ninth grade. The hope of getting a good
George Hwang test grade always seems more important than the goal of really understanding the concepts. For me, the few days before a test always consist of immense amounts of procrastination, to the point where I am forced to pull a caffeine-fueled allnighter to cram as much information as possible into my head, only to forget it afterwards. The entire purpose of school is lost, as nothing is ultimately learned. I’m sure I am not the only one who has suffered the painful experience of getting
back a test that was spent hours studying for, only to see red marks all over the page and a disappointing grade at the top. When I first started high school, I was under the impression that each class would simply require a couple hours of work per week. The first test of my high school career made it abundantly clear that it would take a lot more than a few hours of studying and even made me start to dread going to some classes, for fear of getting back another failed test. In addition to preventing students from learning, grades can also discourage students from trying to perform well. When a student constantly associates a subject with bad grades and failure, there is no motivation to actually try and learn. With the pressures of getting a high grade point average and going to a good college, some students are willing to do anything to get a good grade. Many factors, such as extra credit opportunities and assignments that are meant to add free points, can change a grade. The idea of high school today has become more about a commitment to borderline grades, last-minute extra credit, and all-night cram sessions rather than a commitment to learning. The grade is only indicative of a student’s knowledge when he or she makes the effort to learn beyond the bare minimum, instead of focusing on their GPAs. By making grades a secondary priority, students can both avoid the stress of lastminute studying and truly be able to understand the subject. —Ganapathi, a junior, is a reporter.
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Take action against inequality Leon Cheong In a city as socially liberal as Palo Alto, blatant discrimination against gay people is hard to find. For the most part, people practice tolerance and good will towards people of all ethnic backgrounds, religious affiliations, political creeds and sexual orientation. These laudable efforts towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) acceptance can be seen through events such as Not In Our Schools (NIOS) week. However, I feel alarmed when I see that at times, people take this locally blissful tolerance for granted when, in other regions around the globe, homophobia is magnified to the point where legislation is passed to directly attack gay people. Even California has yet to repeal Proposition 8, which has banned gay marriage in the state. There have been instances when we have faced the weight of this problem, primarily when the Westboro Baptist Church brought a hate rally directly across the street from Gunn. Despite this, many Gunn students have yet to realize the gravity of the intolerance of gay people that exists outside of tolerant regions, as well as the nation’s general failure to address this problem. Aside from the occasional scattered protests many, Americans have failed to accrue a substantial public effort to curb these national and international injustices. Citizens must come to realize that this country cannot justly operate under these conditions of established inequality. The argument for and against LGBT rights undeniably spawns from people’s ideals that may come from upbringing, religion or other personal factors. So long as unique cultures, religions and ethnic groups exist, there will always be people who will struggle to keep their own feelings of discomfort or superiority at bay. This does not, however, give people the right to attempt to oppress a specific demographic. It is morally and constitutionally wrong to try and instigate one’s own principles, religious or otherwise, unto the American political system in a way that compromises the institution of equality. Things like bigotry and racism are not completely solvable problems. However, we must take action to prevent government support of these ideas, such as legislation that denies same-sex couples the right to marry. It is not constitutionally sound to perpetuate a system in which there will always be a certain group or groups of people who will be oppressed in some form or another. This is a dilemma that has encompassed many people and has plagued the nation for too long. In response, the American people must take action. The nature of today’s activism for gay rights has echoed across centuries of movements for equality. The efforts of people to create a nation blind to sexuality mirrors that of the people who made America a place where people of all races would be treated equally on political, social and economic spectrums. The progress that has been made between the era before the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century and now has been astounding on an exponential level. The strive for LGBT equality has the potential to become the Civil Rights Movement of our era. I see two movements side by side with different motives, different time periods and different demographics, but with identical goals, identical justifications and identical struggles. If people successfully mimic the vehement drive of vigor and determination of the people who fought for racial equality not long ago, then one day, America will find itself a nation blind to sexual orientation. At this moment, a social and legislative battle must be fought. The ultimate goal of equality and acceptance is far, but is not out of reach. —Cheong, a junior, is a Forum Editor.
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Forum
THEORACLE
Chinese New Year should warrant vacation days Leon Cheong On the Monday after Feb. 10, Chinese students came to school with smiles on their faces and wallets full of red pocket money. But the money is not the reason why they are smiling. An annual event, Chinese New Year is a time when families typically separated by the Pacific Ocean can come together in reunion. In some cases, it is the only time of year when students can see their relatives. However, even though a considerable number of students in Palo Alto are Chinese, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) does not recognize Chinese New Year as an official local holiday when students are granted a day off from school. While this year’s holiday was already on a weekend, the date fluctuates in accordance to the Chinese lunar calendar; next year, students will have to come to school on Chinese New Year. For several reasons, the PAUSD should formally consider Chinese New Year as a holiday.
Already, Palo Alto students have been missing ski week since 2008. Before it’s removal from the calendar, “ski week,” which was in February, served as a period in which students were given time that they could spend with their relatives. Although, Chinese New Year was not a holiday at the time, the overlapping weeklong break in February sufficed. However, for several years now, students have lacked a means of being with family. President’s Day can be seen as a substitute, but, as it does not occur on the same day as Chinese New Year, students still do not have sufficient time to engage in family festivities. Since PAUSD has already taken out ski week, it should at least return one day to allow students time to celebrate Chinese New Year ceremonies to their fullest, unobstructed by a school schedule. This is also an issue of fairness. Current PAUSD holidays encompass several other religions and cultures. Among these are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, holidays that attribute to specific
demographics. Chinese New Year is indubitably the most revered and celebrated holiday in Chinese culture. PAUSD, which already respects the holidays of several cultures, has failed to recognize the most important holiday of one. However, PAUSD must meet a quota of curricular days every school year. To resolve this, the district could simply take a day from summer to satisfy Palo Alto’s Chinese students. —Cheong, a junior, is a Forum Editor.
George Hwang
Math competition test should not be required Aayush Dubey
George Hwang
The American Mathematics Competition (AMC) is an ungraded math test that students in the highest math lanes are required to take by the math department. According to the mission statement of the AMC, the tests are meant to increase interest in mathematics and develop problem solving through a fun competition. In addition, students gain the opportunity to learn and achieve through competition with other students around the world. Despite all these benefits, there still are students who
do not wish to take the test, because it cuts time from their schedules. The AMC should be optional because it needlessly takes time from school and because uninterested students do not care about scoring well. According to the Gunn calendar, 75 minutes is allotted to completing the AMC. Because it is a national standardized test, it must be taken in the morning, which pushes the schedule to remove Tuesday tutorial. Tuesday tutorial is critical for students who are falling behind or want to work with any of their available teachers to keep up in class. Although the AMC tests replace tutorial for only one day, this is still a critical period of working time that students won’t be able to use. Students in the highest math lanes have to take it because, according to
the math department, it would be a good experience that is fruitful for students. The department also states that most students are or should be interested in taking the test. It could be justifiable to remove tutorial if everyone took the AMC seriously. However, many students are simply not interested in taking the AMC. The purpose of taking a quiz, test or final in any math class is for students to not only learn content, but also to encourage motivation and genuine interest in math. Forcing students to take the AMC forces them to take a test that they don’t care about and that doesn’t go on their transcript. Instead, the testing should be optional. —Dubey, a sophomore, is a reporter.
The Oracle’s Editorial Cartoon
“To be fair, ma’am, all points of view should be respected.”
Ally Gong
Features
Monday
9
Not In Our Schools Week
To kick-off Not In Our Schools (NIOS) Week celebrations, students arrived at school in “We’re All In This Together” T-shirts designed by graphics teacher Mark Gleason. As per the tradition, the shirts primarily featured the school colors red and black. Meanwhile, English and world language teachers were encouraged to involve their respective classes in thoughtprovoking discussions centered around promoting diversity within the school and local community.
Students show off their NIOS spirit with the new T-shirts.
Students and administration talk amongst themselves.
Wednesday
Wednesday was centered around school communitybuilding as the student population celebrated its strengths with a Mix It Up event at lunch. Students from all four classes gathered together with members from their assigned color group and ate lunch together on the quad. Simultaneously, Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) advisor Daisy Renazco handed out materials for Thursday’s Day of Silence. Further conversations were held in math and special education classes.
Balloons float through the sky.
Tuesday
To consider their differences, students donned clothes representing causes they were personally interested in supporting. Such shirts ranged from Talk to Me or Everytown-themed designs to that of Reach Out Care Know (ROCK)/Stressed Out Stressed (SOS) and anti-bullying clubs. Again, class discussions took place throughout the school day in students’ math and underclassmen physical education courses. Some reacted to ABC News’ “What Would You Do?” episodes, while others talked about gay marriage rights.
Students mingle with strangers on Mix It Up Day.
The Day of Silence participants let out a refreshing scream.
Striving to embrace their differences, the week long demonstration of togetherness culminated with a Lyrical Love musical celebration on the quad featuring Andrea Allen, Sarah Clem, and Allyna Melville. Students also headed out during their social studies classes to “dissolve” various stereotypes written on rice paper in a pool of water. During the evening, a Friday Night Everytown session took place as a final conclusion to the NIOS Week’s various events.
A student works on her NIOS chalk art.
“Gay? Fine By Me” shirts are sold on the quad.
A student reads the description for the Day of Silence the morning of.
Friday
Monday, March 4, 2013
Thursday
During the Day of Silence, students came together in support of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) population by taking a vow of silence in a demonstration of solidarity for many LGBTQ students’ inabilities to express their emotions. Due to their fears of discrimination, many of these students find themselves unable to speak freely of their sexual identities. At the end of the school day, the participants yelled out their pent-up feelings on the quad. Those who did not directly participate were invited to wear black clothes, “Gay? Fine By Me” T-shirts, or rainbow ribbons.
Students participate in dissolving stereotypes on the edge of the quad.
Students perform during lunch.
Faces in the Crowd
What does Not in Our Schools Week mean to you?
“NIOS means to let everyone express themselves and to accept them for who they are.” Monica Boerger (9)
“NIOS is a week where we take time to respect people who can’t so who they really are.” Victor Kao (10)
“NIOS is a week of community and acceptance for all students.” Clark Wu (11)
“NIOS is something to take seriously because for people whom bullying is a reality, it’s an affirmation that Gunn is a safe place.” David Bell (12) —Compiled by Lawrence Chen
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Features
THEORACLE
Students start online open education platform to help others Catalina Zhao News editor
“Of the students, by the students and for the students.” This is the motto of Club Academia, a student-run, non-profit educational organization that makes video tutorials for students. Club Academia founder junior Shilpa Yarlagadda always wanted to tackle the problem of helping students understand and learn academic material. “There are always students who don’t grasp the material in the classroom,” Yarlagadda said. “It’s hard for the teacher to accommodate each and every student, so students often turn to online resources and their peers for help.” After realizing the helpfulness of peerto-peer explanations, Yarlagadda founded Club Academia last summer when she started making video tutorials about SAT vocabulary. Three of her friends joined, each choosing her own topic to focus on, and in the period of one month, the four had made over 100 videos. By that point, the students thought that their idea was significant enough to market to other people, and they started recruiting other students and making a website to organize their videos. Unlike those of other educational sites, Club Academia’s videos are created by students, and incorporate the student perspective needed to explain material well. “We really understand the concepts we’re teaching because we just learned it a year ago or currently,” senior Roya Huang said. “We personally struggled, and we understand the explanations needed.”
In addition, the videos average two-anda-half minutes in length, which are much shorter than those of other educational sites. According to Yarlagadda, this time frame is beneficial because it captures the essence of the teenage attention span. The videos also focus on specific topics instead of a broad range of information. Club Academia has over 400 videos on topics that include music theory, calculus, algebra, physics and French. Club Academia’s videos not only help users understand and learn material, but also benef it t he video makers. “For the people that make t he v ideos, it’s beneficial to them too because they learn the materia l better by teach i ng it,” senior Mikaela Klein said. “We’re not regurgitating information that the teacher explained to us, but we’re explaining in a different way that made us learn, because we’re the students.” Club Academia has received numerous grants, such as $20,000 from the Westly Foundation. Advisor Esther Wojcicki helps to connect the organization with resources and companies such as Collegeboard and video software company Camtasia. Instead of having officer positions, Club Academia runs on a task-based management system. It has a list of all the tasks it must
complete, and students sign up for whichever ones they want. “It’s really efficient,” Huang said. “Everything gets done on time and every task has a team assigned to it.” The members decided on this type of management because they wanted to focus only on creating a product. “We’re trying to avoid the whole politics scene,” Yarlagadda said. “We put all the emphasis on work, and we’re amazed with how fast we’re moving.” Although Club Academia currently has only seventeen video makers, it hopes to reach a point where anyone can make videos. In order to accommodate this, Club Academia is developing a ranking mechanism, which they have filed a patent on, that will rank all videos in terms of relevance. It is also working on a teacher approval system, in which each newly-made video automatically goes into private mode until a teacher has watched and approved it to make it public. Even without any efforts towards publicizing yet Club Academia has already had over 8,000 views on its YouTube channel. Its beta launch took place in February at Gunn, Palo Alto High School and other local schools, while its national launch will be in August. Club Academia’s members have already presented at numerous conferences, like Florida Ed Tech, and they will share their idea at the Computer User Educator’s
conference. The members aim to expand Club Academia into an educational social network to connect students. “We really hope it becomes what we call a ‘social nerd-work,’ where students come together to learn the material, discuss the material, and from there foster new interests because of the similarities in what they’re watching,” Huang said. “We want students to create profiles. They would be putting in their own academic experiences, work experiences, and we want them to be able to communicate with each other via video discussion, forums and groups.” In addition to expanding Club Academia nationally and possibly internationally, the students hope that by the end of this summer, they will have over 1000 videos and will be able to create internships for students to focus solely on Club Academia. They also want to launch full courses and offer school credits or community service to students making videos. The members are dedicated, hardworking and willing to tackle difficult challenges. “The hardest thing is that it’s very time consuming,” Wojcicki said. “They are very dedicated, and they’ve got great goals. It’s admirable that they’re trying to do this themselves.” The educational solution that Club Academia proposes is unique and beneficial and motivates the members. “The fact that high school students can come up with a solution that other students value and appreciate is really great,” Yarlagadda said. “We’re really proud to be a nonprofit, because I don’t think education should come with a price.”
Artist of the Month: senior Lily Tsai The Oracle: Why do you like band/orchestra? Lily Tsai: It’s an opportunity to share and create music with other people, and we do quite a number of fun activities and concerts, such as smaller ensembles and tours. I’ve found orchestra has a very strong community and mentoring system, especially because we include students from every grade. TO: How much time do you spend practicing and performing in a given week? LT: On average, I have a performance, competition, or audition every one to two weeks—it can vary, especially if schoolwork interferes. If I have upcoming important performances, I usually practice two to three hours a day. Sometimes homework becomes an issue, and then I typically squeeze in only one hour.
Audey Shen
TO: How did you become interested in orchestra? LT: I joined my first symphony orchestra in 6th grade (ECYS Symphony), and I later went to SFSYO (San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra) for four years, which was an amazing experience. I’ve recently found my passion to be more in chamber music, and so currently I am only part of the Gunn Orchestra and in a quartet. Part of the reason I was initially interested in joining a symphony/orchestra was to gain experience playing with and leading groups of musicians; collaboration is an essential skill in any type of music-making. It’s like adding a new dimension to music (not to mention incredible repertoire), to share musical ideas with other people, whether it be one other person or ninety.
TO: Do you have any advice for other aspiring artists? LT: It has been a really long journey—I’ve been working at music for eleven years, and I don’t believe I’ve explored even a hundredth of what violin and music has to offer. There is no end to learning in music—if there is, no one has found it yet. And it’s a tough journey as well; one of the hardest things I’ve had to do is accept my natural limitations and work on developing my individual voice instead of “competing” with others. One of the good things about music is that even though we consider certain artists to be “better” than others, every musician has their own contribution to make, and something worth adding to the world of music. I personally believe that if someone is passionate enough about music, they’ll find a path unique to themselves, even if it’s one they never pictured themselves following. I love music and the violin, and I’d advise those who want to become musicians to work through their frustrations and develop their talents, because even just hard work can take people places they could never have imagined. TO: What are your plans this summer? LT: This summer, I will be touring the Washington D.C., London, and Russia with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, with Joshua Bell as soloist! I will probably also have a senior recital sometime early in the summer, maybe plan a few sight-reading or busking sessions with friends, and arrange some music for fun. Other than that, I’ll be relaxing in my last summer before college.
TO: What do you enjoy most about playing the violin? LT: Playing the violin is almost like speaking another language; I started playing before I consciously recognized how much can be said with notes and sounds, but now I know that all that hard work and practice has given me a means to express myself in ways that words simply cannot. Music, for me, has been the second half to my life, often invigorating my spirit after long school hours. While violin can often be frustrating, searching for the perfect tone or developing my fingers and ear— and knowing that I always will have room for improvement—has rewarded me both musically and mentally by teaching me the focus and discipline I know I have now. And of course, the greatest reward of all has been through performance; there is always this post-concert state of elation, knowing that through playing, I have been given the chance to touch different peoples lives. TO: Do you plan on playing professionally or in college? LT: I don’t know about professionally, but I will continue to play in college. I plan to double major in music performance and in engineering or another science-related field. In college, other than continuing violin studies, I’ll definitely join other orchestral groups and ensembles. I am not quite sure yet about what I will be doing after I graduate. I do know however that I will never really give violin up—it is much too integrated in my life for me to do that. —Compiled by Rani Shiao
Features
Monday, March 4, 2013
11
The Gunn Robotics Team, Space Cookies and VEX Robotics finish their 2013 build seasons that prepared them for the FIRST and VEX robotics competitions.
The gears turn and the contraptions screech, signifying the start of build season, a time for which Gunn Robotics Team (GRT) members means staying at school until 9 p.m. every day. Although saddened by the loss of many crucial seniors, the team has welcomed many new sophomores. The veterans hope that these new talents will be able to help them improve their performance in the upcoming competitions. “We are a little bit anxious about this season,” junior Samir Ghosh said. “However, we are still motivated as ever and are putting our full effort into being the best robotics team in the country.”
The goal this year is to build a frisbee shooter that shoots a frisbee 50 feet, approximately the length from the GRT room to Spangenberg Theater. In a typical day, GRT members show up at around 4 p.m. and grab a quick afternoon snack. Afterwards, the members quickly go to their individual stations. The team splits up the computer programming and the manual labor of building parts. “We all stay until nine in the evening every day, and although we are very tired, we really want to get the job done,” junior Ray Chen said. There are about 54 people in GRT. As a result, the team faces a variety of challenges.
“One problem is that it is hard to get everyone together because everyone is busy,” Chen said. “However, we still need full cooperation because every member does a unique job and only by having everyone complete their part can we make the full machine.” New mentor Kristina Granlund-Moyer has a background as a software engineer. “Although we don’t have advice of 16-year-veteran [former mentor] Bill Dunbar, Kristina is an integral part of our team by contributing her own advice and offering mental support for us,” senior Harrison Waschura said. Being in GRT is, for many, a reward in itself. “My favorite part is seeing all the dif-
ferent members, each with different skills come together and create one masterpiece that displays an equal contribution of all our talents,” Ghosh said. Overall, working for the robotics team is a unique experience that many savor and will want to remember, even past their high school years. “The hardest part is knowing that later on in life, we will never have another opportunity to experience something like GRT again, the ability to have a self-run and self-motivated robotics team that is in a great environment,” junior Trevor Nielson said.
Each spring, the debut of brightly colored hair reminds the school’s population of the upcoming robotics season. While Gunn boasts its own crimson-haired team, in the past few years, blue dye has also been seen throughout campus. Its members belong to a Bay Area all-girls team called the Space Cookies. From January through late April, the Space Cookies are busy designing, building and competing robots in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition. Senior Sarah Schlossberg considers this year’s competition to be one of the hardest ever due to the assigned challenge at hand. “We are responsible for designing a robot that
shoots frisbees and climbs up nine foot tall towers,” she said. “Few teams have figured out how to climb past the first couple towers.” Fortunately, according to sophomore Elizabeth Chang-Davidson, all the members are available to pitch in. “There are nearly 20 [of the 60] members in the lab on any given day,” Chang-Davidson said. “Plus, the team captains are there every day.” Chang-Davidson believes that the all-girls environment helps motivate the members to come to the lab and contribute during build season. “From what I’ve seen, most robotics teams have a strict organization system; a few people delegate tasks to everyone else,” she said. “In [Space Cookies] everyone gets the chance to work on what they want. It helps
encourage people to do their best.” Schlossberg feels similarly. “I love going to the lab because I know everyone will have great ideas, be motivated and be passionate about building,” she said. The team’s mentors, who are provided by National Aeronautics and Space Association (NASA), are also available to assist at the lab each and every day. “The mentors teach us how to build robots and guide us through the entire building process,” Schlossberg said. “They can be really helpful because they have worked in the field for years.” One of the team’s goals includes returning to the World Championships. “I definitely think we can do it,” senior Annie Shark said. “Our main goal right now is to focus on
shooting the frisbees. If we can accomplish that, I think Worlds is definitely within our reach.” The team also hopes to win the Chairman’s Award for the third year in a row. In the FIRST league, the award marks the highest level of accomplishment and automatically guarantees the winning team a ride to the World Championships. “It celebrates a team that is changing the culture of robotics and engineering,” Schlossberg said. “As an all-girls team, we bring women into engineering and celebrate their leadership in science, engineering, technology and mathematics.”
The objective of the VEX club is to build a strong, functional robot out of the parts in the kits. Competition is just as fierce. “[Our] main goal is to make it to the World Championships,” club president junior Margaret Qian wrote in an e-mail. This year, Gunn’s VEX team numbers are 192A, 192B and 192C. According to Qian, team 192B has already reached the final stage of building while team 192A is progressing on creating a working robot. “We have finished building and programming our entire robot, and now we are in the process of testing and refining,” Qian wrote. “192C does not have a finished robot, but they definitely are well on their way to finishing in time before the competition.”
For competition, VEX teams are designing robots that scoop up small square cloth sacks filled with bean-like beads and drop them in separate containers. Both skill and speed are need in the arena competition When time is up, the winning robot will be the one that has “cleaned up” the most number of bag pouches. “[It’s] a robot that addresses a specific problem, [because] you have to actually build it as opposed to a theoretical solution,” advisor Jacintha Kompella said. At the beginning of build season, members of VEX separated into teams, bought their kits and started their robots. According to Kompella, the individual teams of two to three people allow for creativity, teamwork and individual growth opportunities.
Although she offers guidance from time to time, Kompella mainly supervises the students. “They’re very self-driven,” she said. “They do their own designs, problem-solving, troubleshooting and testing.” Competing is a big part of VEX competitions, but Kompella says that VEX is more about having fun. “It’s a safe place to pursue interests, have fun and make friends,” she said. “The juniors and seniors teach the freshmen and sophomore kids to do the right things and model good behavior.” Qian notes the friendly atmosphere as well. “Working together with my teammates is a rewarding experience, and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it,” she wrote. “I’ve learned so much about the process of building a robot.”
Even though the ultimate achievement would be advancing to VEX World Championships, Scarborough has a more personal accomplishment in mind. “My goal [is] to have a robot I can be proud of and does well under the circumstances it was built,” he said. Kompella furthers this mindset with a hope for an increase in the number of participants. “My end goal would be to see the numbers grow,” she said. “[VEX] is a place for them to hang out, have fun, try out ideas, succeed in events. On occasion when [they] experience failure, they learn from their failures because you learn more when you hit a wall.”
—Alvin Wang
—Pooja –
—Shawna Chen
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Features
THEORACLE
Students make difference in community, share passions through school clubs
Happiness Through Service
make a small impact on random people,” Business Manager Kang said. The Happiness Through Service club During club day, the quad was packed joined up with Not In Our Schools Week to with students perusing through the eclectic create a random act of kindness wall. Stuclub stands. Among them was the Happiness dents wrote down Random Acts of Kindness Through Service club, started by juniors that they have done, seen or received on notes Isabella Costanza, Misheel Enkhbat and and stuck them on the wall. The purpose of Paul Kang. According to Costanza, the club’s the wall is to promote a sense of community goal is to relieve the stress that builds up for among fellow students. “The idea came to our students as the year goes on. “I’d like it to minds when we were brainstorming ideas of revamp the meaning of community service how to better the environment,” Costanza to change it from somewhat of a burden wrote. “Because Gunn has a more stressful and a dreaded obligation, into something atmosphere, we thought that the wall would that genuinely makes people happy, on both be a good way to bring a smile to any student the receiving and especially the giving end,” on campus.” Costanza wrote in an e-mail. The club is planning on having a teddy Although the club is brand new, they have bear drive, where students will be able to ideas on how to create a happy environment. donate teddy bears to patients at a children’s “We try to do small everyday things that can hospital. In order to ensure quality and safety, the teddy bears will have to be new and have their original tags. The size of the teddy bear will not matter. “Everyone loves teddy bears, and a teddy bear drive is a great way to spread the love,” Kang said. As a group, they plan on doing community service activities that are relevant to Gunn students and mean something personal. “We do not want to do something just for the sake of getting community service hours,” Kang said. “We want to create a club that will have an impact on the community and on people.” Stephanie Kim Students interested in the club A student writes on the Random Acts of Kind- should report to room M-1 during ness poster during Not in Our Schools Week. Tuesdays during lunch. Erica Lee
Math Circles
Emily Yao Managing editor
They’ve got 99 problems, and calculus, algebra and geometry are just a few of them. On Feb. 2, members of the Math Circles club participated in the annual Stanford Math Tournament (SMT), a student-run math competition held at Stanford University. Gunn Math Circles sent two teams: Gunn A and Gunn B. Gunn A, which consisted of seniors Helen Jiang, club president Utkash Dubey and Harrison Ho, juniors Calvin Huang and Charles Liu, sophomore Quinn Wu and freshmen James Shi and Justin Yang, placed 14th overall with 546.45 points. “Our team was a mix of a few veterans and some newcomers, so it was great to be able to place when math competitions get more competitive every year,” Liu said. In addition, Gunn A scored seven points out of 15 in the team test, which includes algebra, geometry and number theory among other topics. According to Liu, the problems are more difficult and require collaboration among team members to coordinate and solve all of the problems. Their score landed the team in a seven-way tie for fifth place out of 82 teams. In the individual tests, Huang placed sec-
Anuva Ganapathi Reporter
Ever y year, the Youth Communit y Service (YCS) club provides students with an opportunity to give back to their community in a variety of different ways. One of their biggest events of the year is Service Day, which allows students to get involved in their community and expose themselves to new situations and opportunities that they might not have otherwise explored. Students can choose from several locations and organizations to work with. “It is our hope that through Service Day students will create an impact in their community and in turn be inspired to continue serving the community outside of school,” said YCS Palo Alto Youth Program Director Alicia Gregory. Service Day started in the 1990s when former mayor Yiaway Yeh was looking for a way to get more involved in the Palo Alto community after participating in service at Jane Lanthrop Stanford Middle School (JLS). “Yeh wanted to create the same experience for students on his campus and create change in his community,” Gregory said. This year, in order to accommodate more students, YCS is adding on-campus projects for students to participate in during lunch. “We recognize that missing a day of school is simply not feasible for some students,” Gregory said. “However, we want to be sure to create a space for all students to participate in service.” Though Service Day is meant to benefit the numerous organizations involved, it is also meant to encourage high school students to participate in and enjoy community service. “To high schoolers, community service is often seen as an obligation,” YCS president junior Justice Tention said. “YCS uses Service Day as a means of highlighting not only how service benefits the entire
ond out of 144 participants in the calculus test, while Liu qualified for the algebra test tiebreakers. He was in the top 15 out of the 267 participants in the algebra test. The team also put their skills to the test on Feb. 16 at the Harvard-Massachusetts Institutute of Technology (MIT) Mathematics Tournament (HMMT), an annual math tournament for high school students that alternates between taking place at Harvard University and MIT. The club sent seniors Dubey, Jiang, George Yu, and sophomores Armin Namavari, Wu and Elizabeth Chang-Davidson to represent the club. The tournament consisted of three individual tests-in algebra, geometry and- combinatorics and two team events: the 60-minute Team Round and the 80-minute Though the team did not place, a few individuals, including Dubey and Jiang, improved significantly from last year’s HMMT standings. “We didn’t have a lot of preparation going into HMMT, but we still had a lot of fun at the tournament,” Jiang said. While the team prepares for the Berkeley Math Tournament, the members already have their sights on next year’s goals. “Right now we are building a strong foundation for the team with the underclassmen, so they can continue competing after the seniors leave,” Jiang said.
community, but also how it can be enjoyable and how the volunteers can get something out of it as well.” Participants all receive six community service hours along with free breakfast before they start volunteering. The club has continued to make changes in its plans in an effort to improve Service Day each year. Last year, almost every spot was filled up. This year, every single spot filled up a week before sign-ups closed. “Last year’s Service Day had a couple of locations that did not get the positive response we had hoped for,” Tention said. “This year, we have replaced those locations with a few new ones that will hopefully receive a more positive response, including the Nine Lives Foundation, where students will get to work with at-risk kittens.” Students have had positive responses towards Service Day, and most choose to participate in the event in ensuing years. “It’s a really good experience, and you feel really good about it afterwards,” freshman Elisa Alfonso, who participated at JLS, said. “You get to know the people you are working with, and you’re doing good for the community.” The variety of organizations available to work with also allows students to explore new fields and opportunities. “You can choose to work with certain organizations that might help you decide or learn more about certain careers,” Alfonso said. Regardless of where one chooses to work, Service Day is a great opportunity to bring the community closer because it allows students to help others and benefit themselves as well. Community service should be about more than volunteer hours recorded on a piece of paper. According to YCS members, Service Day is about bettering the community as a whole, helping a good cause and getting youth to continue service beyond high school.
Features
Monday, March 4, 2013
Student works as a Junior Zoologist Danielle Yacobson Reporter
Not many high school students can say that they work at the zoo, except for junior Katherine Berry, that is. Since the summer of seventh grade, the animal lover has been volunteering at the San Francisco Zoo and racking up hundreds of community service hours while taking care of animals and hanging out with her fellow workers. Having no pets of her own, Berry jumped at the opportunity to work with animals while she was in middle school after learning about a summer program at the San Francisco Zoo. In the beginning, her job mainly consisted of showing the animals to visitors and answering their questions. As she became more serious about her volunteering, Berry spent less time talking to the public and started working during the school year as a Junior Zoologist. Every other Saturday, she commutes to the San Francisco Zoo and works from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the childrens’ section of the park with the smaller animals, from iguanas and baby alligators to eagles and possums. “Owls are one of my favorite animals,” Berry said. “There is this tiny owl named Darwin the size of my hand but with these huge eyes. He’s so adorable.” According to Berry, many people expect that she spends all her time socializing with the animals. However, she acknowledges that about 60 percent of the job involves cleaning the animals and their enclosures. It is, however, easier said than done. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums sets specific regulations and procedures that describe how to clean the cages and which chemicals to use. This ensures the safest environment for the animals. In addition, many of the animals are rescues and need special medical attention and treatment. Berry is in charge of making sure that each animal is responding well to its medication by performing regular health checks. After the daily cleaning and health examinations, Berry and the other Junior Zoologists have an allocated
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chunk of time to interact with the animals. Before handling the animals, however, Junior Zoologists must be “tested-off ” to make sure they are thoroughly educated on the creature they are dealing with. A trainer will sit down and go over a binder filled with facts about each animal, ranging from its medical history to its diet and mating habits. After memorizing all the facts and passing the test, the Junior Zoologists are able to take the animals out of their cages at any time to feed, examine and play with them. After spending so much time at the zoo, it seems only natural that a strong bond develops between the workers and animals. “We name each animal that comes in, so after they get an adorable name you just get so attached to them, you can’t help but develop a bond,” Berry said. Each animal has its own personality, like a porcupine called Sassafrass, a possum named Lucy and a newt approprietly named Fig Newton. Berry’s favorite thing about working at the zoo used to be interacting and taking care of all the animals. Now she enjoys spending time with all the diverse teens from around the Bay Area who are also interested in zoology. Berry has made a close-knit group of friends working at the zoo throughout her many years of volunteering. “We all know we’re really weird because we’re all animal people, and animal people will talk to the animals and put flowers all over the tortoises, crazy stuff like that,” she said. While most of the Junior Zoologists hope to go into zoology or animal husbandry in the future, Berry is hoping to pursue a career in business, and may eventually consider running a non-profit zoo of her own. Being part of such a unique and selective program will help with job and college applications. According to Berry, not only is the Junior Zoologoy program the only one in the nation that lets high school students access the Couresty of Katherine Berry animals in such a personal way, but the years of listing off facts and talking to large groups of people have boosted Top: Junior Katherine Berry smiles with an iguana. Bother public speaking skills tremendously. tom: Berry holds a porcupine, Sassafrass, in her hands.
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Cente
Psychological exper
The Oracle revisits famous studies conducted in Palo Alto that involved student experimentat
The Third Wave History teacher Ron Jones at the former Cubberley High School conducted an experiment in 1967 which he called “the Third Wave.” According to Jones, the Third Wave started with the question, “How could the Holocaust happen?”. His goal was to further the class’s understanding of the Nazi government and its tactics on control and discipline. On the first day of the experiment, Jones set up only a few strict rules in one of his history classes that portrayed the experience of a totalitarian society. He forced students to move from outside the class into the classroom to their assigned seats without sound in less than 30 seconds. “To my surprise the students liked the order and power that comes with discipline,” he said. By the second bell, students had to answer or ask questions using only three words, standing up and beginning each remark with: “Mr. Jones.”His goal was to create a microcosm of the behaviors of the Nazi regime. He instantly noticed that in a small amount of time, students paid more attention in class and had better results on worksheets. Jones invented a salute that mimicked the salute of the Nazi regime and instructed the students to salute one another even outside of the classroom. Every student in the classroom complied to the demand, and as the experiment became more
publicized in the school, even the principal used the salute. In the beginning, the class consisted of 30 members, but by the end of the day, the experiment grew to 200 student participants who were intrigued by the movement. At first, Mark Hancock, a student from the experiment, thought that the Third Wave was a game. “So at first, it was nothing to be too serious about, but to go along to get a good grade in class,” he said. Jones issued students who were part of the experiment member cards and gave them special privileges. He was surprised when students started to report to Jones about other members who weren’t following the rules, and initial members of the group stood outside of classrooms to ensure that students didn’t enter their unassigned classes. Over the days of the experiment, grades of the participants drastically improved, but their behavior towards peers not part of the regime grew disparaging. Students were willing to give up their freedom for the prospect of being superior to their classmates. The psychology of the experiment was viewed as excessive peer pressure and youth gang behavior. “As a result of the Wave experience, I am very careful about trusting in others, and I do not join very many groups,” Hancock said. “I also try extra hard to be kind and do good things for other people.”
T he movement was not well documented when it was conducted, having only been mentioned twice in t he school newspaper at the time. Nine years af ter the experiment, Jones wrote a descriptive paper about the movement. He also called and attended a few interviews. “The Third Wave explains what can happen when we stop believing in ourselves and fall victim to fear and intimidation,” Jones said. “It shows us the price we pay when we lose the democratic process and respect of others to a world of bullies.” —Noa Livneh
The daily progression of The Third Wave Monday (Day 1): Cubberly History Teacher Ron Jones established strict rules that would enforce discipline. For instance, every time a student spoke, they were required to stand up and start each remark with “Mr. Jones.” If enthusiasm was lacking, the behavior was repeated until proper respect was displayed. Tuesday (Day 2): To instill a sense of community, Jones had the class recite in unison, “Strength through discipline, strength through community.” Students created a salute to greet each other with when outside of the classroom: they would raise their right hand in a curled position. Wednesday (Day 3): Jones issued membership cards to all students willing to continue the experiment. Certain students were given the privilege of reporting others who were disobeying rules. Students were given the task of recruiting new members by recommendation. The experiment was school-wide: students cut class to participate in lectures and even the principal greeted Jones with the salute. Thursday (Day 4): The situation became chaotic as members started punishing those not as serious about the experiment. Friday (Final Day): An Assembly was held in the auditorium, and Jones officially announced the end of the experiment. Only members were allowed to attend.
The Third Wave trivia
Because of the psychoBy Thursday, 200 logical trauma the prison- students not originally ers felt, the experiment in the course were was ended after five converted to members. days.
On the fifth day, The experiment caught the students had plans to attention of psychologist beat up three of the Philip Zimbardo, who later biggest skeptics of conducted the Stanford the experiment. Prison
Graphics by Jasm
erfold
Monday, March 4, 2013
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riments in Palo alto
tion and intended to observe human inclinations towards conformity, control and authority.
Stanford Prison Experiment When Dave Eshelman first found the ad for the Stanford prison experiment (SPE) in the classified, he simply thought the study would provide more interesting summer employment than working in the pizza parlor. However, neither he nor the other 23 study participants knew what they were getting into. By the end of the study, the SPE undoubtedly became more than “summer employment” for Eshelman and the other participants. They became victims and perpetrators of extreme emotional and psychological abuse. Conducted in the summer of 1971, the SPE was originally intended to investigate the psychological effects of prison life over the course of two weeks. Psychology professor Philip Zimbardo and his fellow researchers randomly assigned the 24 initial participants roles as prisoners or prison guards, who would reside in a makeshift prison at the university. Zimbardo made clear that prison guards couldn’t physically harm prisoners but were given control over all aspects of prisoner
behavior, according to an article in the Stanford Magazine. Within six days, the prison guards were enforcing punishments against their once peers in an effort to dehumanize, humiliate and impose their power. “When you have little or no supervision as to what you’re doing, and no one steps in and says, ‘Hey, you can’t do this’—things just keep escalating,” Eshelman wrote in the article. “You think, how can we top what we did yesterday?” According to the prison guards’ regimen of psychological abuse, prisoners were taunted, deprived of sleep and stripped naked. Bathroom use became a privilege that could be denied. Instead, prisoners were forced to resort to plastic buckets or their own cells as toilets. Under such treatment, one prisoner began to suffer an acute emotional disturbance less than 36 hours into the experiment, as well as disorganized thinking, uncontrollable crying and rage. As the experiment continued, prisoners began to react with rebellions, hysterics and intense depression. Meanwhile, Zimbardo and his fellow researchers had all immersed into their roles as the prison staff and failed to stop the abuse. “There was zero time for reflection. We had to feed the prisoners three meals a day, deal with the prisoner breakdowns, deal with their parents, run a parole board,” Zimbardo wrote. “By the third day I was sleeping in
my office. I had become the superintendent of the Stanford county jail. That was who I was: I’m not the researcher at all.” The chaos of the SPE only ended when Christina Maslach, a visiting psychologist, pointed out the anarchy the study had become. “[Maslach] said, ‘It’s terrible what you’re doing to these boys. How can you see what I saw and not care about the suffering?’ But I didn’t see what she saw. And I suddenly began to feel ashamed,” Zimbardo added. “This is when I realized I had been transformed by the prison study.” At that point, he decided to end the study. 42 years later after being conducted, the SPE remains one of the most infamous studies ever conducted at the university. The experiment has spawned documentaries, books and even a feature film. However, for key participants such as Zimbardo, the study remains memorable for personal reasons. “As a result of the prison study, I really became more aware of the central role of power in our lives,” he wrote. “I became more aware of the power I have as a teacher. I started consciously doing things to minimize the negative use of power in the classroom. I’m more generous and more open because of that experience. I think it made me a better person. —Klaire Tan
1) The expestripped and ringleaders were The progression of the rience began forced into solitary confineStanford Prison with humiliament while other participants Experiment tion. The prisonwere harassed. ers were searched, stripped naked and 3) To break the bond between the prissprayed for lice and oners, the prison guards started a system germs. After, they were of favoritism. One group of prisoners was given smocks and ID numput into a special cell, where they were givbers and forced to shave en better food and hygiene privileges. After their heads. Guards displayed a while, that group was put back into the “bad” their authority by making prisprisoner cell, causing confusion. This created tenoners do pushups; some stepped sion, and the prisoners turned against each other. on the prisoners’ backs. 4) Many of the prisoners started to suffer from 2) Even though the first day acute emotional disturbances and began plotting a went smoothly, the second mass escape plot. Although the escape did not hapday began with a rebellion. pen, conductors of the experiment decided it was Prisoners removed caps and time to halt the experiment one week early. ripped off their ID numbers. They barricaded 5) When the prisoners were released, many still themselves inside and assumed their status of their number identicursed at the guards. ty in prison. It was not until after they had As punishment, all been reminded of what their real names of the prisoners were that they were able to return to were reality. –Compiled by Eileen Qian and Stephanie Zhang
mine Garnett and George Hwang
Stanford Prison Experiment Trivia
24 male college students participated in the experiment.
Participants were paid $15 per day for 1 to 2 weeks of experimentation.
Due to the emotional trauma that resulted from the experiment, the American Psychological Association declared this type of human research unethical.
Although planned to last two weeks, the experiment was prematurely ended after six days.
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THEORACLE
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Sports
Sports
Steps To Doing a Switch Hospital Flip with senior Kakeru Imanaka
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Pop the tail of the skateboard down with the tip of your back foot, which should bring you up into the air.
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Using your front foot, flip the skateboard so that it is halfway upside down.
Simultaneously, rotate your front foot 180 degrees so that the skateboard follows the path your foot travels. The board should also rotate 180 degrees in the same direction.
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Continue flipping and spinning the skateboard until the grip tape at the top of the board is visible.
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Stomp down and land on your skateboard. Roll away smoothly. —Compiled by Rani Shiao Michael Wu
Sports
Monday, March 4, 2013
Varsity Athlete: Anna Jaffe
Varsity game: Castilleja Gators
Senior Anna Jaffe is a veteran of the Gunn track and field program. In her freshman year, she ran at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) for junior varsity, winning the 100 high hurdles, 100m, 4x100 relay, and 300 low hurdles. During that year she won junior varsity female MVP and also ran on varsity as a freshmen. Currently, Jaffe holds five all-time records: #4 in JV 100 meters at 13.27 seconds, #1 in JV 100 meter high hurdles at 16.67, #6 in JV 300 meter low hurdles at 49.90, and #5 in Varsity 100 meter high hurdles at 16.40.
Courtesy of Anna Jaffe
Junior Varsity athlete: Ricky Shin Starting as team captain of the Gunn’s badminton team, freshman Ricky Shin has high hopes and goals for the upcoming season. “A lot of the JV players are new players,” Shin said. “I intend to lead them in a correct and organized way so they can have a set goal and motive for playing for all four years.” Shin took a two-year break from badminton before this season. One of his personal goals for the season is to regain his skill from the past. Shin began playing badminton after watching his friend play at a gym. “I watched him play badminton and I was inspired by the way he played,” Shin said. S h i n’s f r i e nd t he n taught him about the fundamentals and tech n iques of t he ga me. “So I got a personal coach and I started training with him for about a year,” Shin said. Shin will be playing doubles this season.
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On February 27, the girls’ varsity softball team beat the Castilleja Gators 5-2. Freshmen Anna Tavanian and Katie Garvey and senior Casey Maltz each had two hits with one double. Sophomore Natalie Oda, Freshman Emma Wager, seniors Laura Tao and Roya Huang all had one run batted in. Maltz pitched seven innings with eight strikeouts. This was the girls’ first away game and the seasons first win. This was the girls’ first away game and the first season win. Both the coaches and the team were pleased with how the game finished. “I have high expectations this year, and with the addition of three talented freshmen, the team looks stronger than ever,” Maltz said.
MONTHLY AWARDS
Stephanie Kim
Junior Varsity game: Silver Creek After losing their first two home games, the junior varsity baseball team made an amazing comeback and finally won their first home game against Si lver Creek Hig h School on Satu rday, Feb. 23. With a final score of 15-3 and exceptional gameplay from all players, especially freshman Sam Woodbury, the team racked up as many as fifteen hits and had a couple of doubles and triples. According to sophomore Chris Vistnes, the team’s hitting was on fire. Woodbury hit six runs batted in. He first hit a double then a single that helped the team score a run. The team dominated since the start of the game by scoring their first run before t he end of the first inning. The team then powered t hrough t he game without allowing their opponents to come close. Courtesy of Sam Woodbury
Michael Wu
Q&A: Winter sports captains recount end-of-season performances Girls’ Basketball:
Girls’ Soccer:
Boys’ Soccer:
Graphics by George Hwang
“We got second in league and are advancing to the Central Coast Section (CCS) semifinals on Wednesday. Our best game was the last [league game] against Paly when we beat them by over 30. We had a lot of energy and our defense kept them from getting in any real offensive rhythm.” —senior Claire Klausner
“This isn’t the best performance we’ve ever seen, but for as many seniors as we’ve lost last year, we are doing really well. We’re just fighting to stay in the De Anza Division for next year. But I think that if we do well in our next couple games, we’ll be able to avoid getting relegated to the El Camino division.” —senior Catie Chun “We had a tough season that included losing six starters to season-ending injuries. But our biggest achievement was beating Homestead, who was coming off of winning the Christmas Cup Tournament. We developed a strong core of players for next year and finished the season with a hard-fought game.” —senior Ben Sampson
Boys’ Basketball:
Wrestling:
“The season has been a rather disappointing one, with such few wins. But we have done better recently and are heading in the right direction. Our best game was against Los Altos who is undefeated in league; they made a lastsecond shot to win which was disappointing but it was still a great game by us. Our most challenging game was against Santa Clara where our lack of size was exploited and scoring was very difficult. [Throughout the season] we fought through playing much larger teams [while] playing with several injured players.” —senior Chris Rea
“It’s probably been our best season in the past 10 to 15 years. We took second at the Santa Clara Valley Athletics League (SCVAL) finals and [senior] Daniel Papp, [junior] Sean Lydster, and I qualified for state. We played Wilcox and clinched the league title again, then won the Bianchini tournament for the first time. The special thing about our team is that we have girls and guys. Cadence Lee has won CCS three times, which is probably the most noteworthy tidbit out of everything we’ve had.” —senior Eric Cramer —Compiled by Lawrence Chen
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Sports
THEORACLE
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Anthony Tran
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Anthony Tran
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Stephanie Kim
Anthony Tran
Anthony Tran
Spring sports swing into season, start league Diving:
Swimming:
Baseball:
Softball:
The season is looking good for the diving team in the Santa Clara Valley Athletics League (SCVAL) De Anza Division. Senior Miko Mallari has high hopes and goals for the season. “A lot of the new athletes have experience with diving so this year looks promising for the team,” Mallari said. “My main goal for the season is primarily to make it back in time for leagues [because right now I am injured] and after that to win the league invitational, and place in the top five of Central Coast Sections (CCS).” One of the team’s main letdowns of the season so far is that the hot tub has not been working. “One thing that has been tough the last couple of years was dealing with the cold days,” Mallari said. “Before, the team was able to use a hot tub to keep the athletes warm and ready to go, but with the construction of the new pool, it has been difficult to do so.” The diving team will compete against Los Gatos in Wildcats’ territory Thursday, Mar. 7 at 3:30 p.m. The baseball team ended last season moving up a league and also qualifying for CCS. Currently, the team holds a 2-1 record in the SCVAL De Anza Division. According to senior Chris Rea, the team will continue to excel despite the loss of several players. “I believe that the players we do have returning are truly able to step up and lead the team,” he said. Rea has high expectations for the team this year. “My goals for the team are to prove that Gunn baseball is truly capable of playing with the best teams in the upper league. I also hope to beat [Palo Alto High School],” he said. Head coach John Harney is focused on other aspects of the game, however. “My goal is to make these players be the best they can be as individuals and as a team,” he said. “I also want the experience of playing high school baseball to be a positive one.” The baseball team will play their first league game at home against Saratoga on Wednesday, Mar. 6 at 3:30 p.m.
The swim team’s season is coming off to a great start in the SCVAL De Anza League. Despite the loss of several talented seniors, the team seems to be facing no problems thus far, as the incoming underclassmen have all stepped up to the task. “We are all really excited as there are quite a few fast freshmen joining our team this year,” senior Lauren Lesnya said. In addition, the team has bonded well and runs very smoothly. “There aren’t really any problems as we all get along pretty well and help each other to get better at practice everyday,” Lesnya said. Thus looking at the team composition, Lesnya is setting high but achievable goals for the team. “Last year our girls won CCS, so we would definitely like to repeat the performance this year,” Lesnya said. The team’s first league meet will be on Friday, Mar. 8 at 3:30 p.m. at Los Altos. The softball team ended the season last year with a strong 9-3 record in league. Head coach Matt Maltz is aiming even higher this year. “My goals for the season would be to bring home a league title in a run for a CCS appearance,” he said. Maltz places a large amount of emphasis on team unity. “My coaching philosophy is based on team pride, respect and effort,” he said. “I teach players to respect their teammates, parents and the game.” According to senior Laura Tao, the team’s diversity will help them throughout the season. “We have a pretty even balance of players from all grades, which bodes well for the future of the program,” she said. The team may have some issues due to its small size, however. “Our biggest weakness is probably the size of the varsity team—we’re only carrying 12 players this year, so keeping everyone healthy will be key,” Tao said. The softball team will play their next league game at home against Cupertino on Wednesday, Mar. 13 at 4 p.m.
Badminton:
The badminton team is practicing hard in order to follow its performance from last year. The team needs to work hard to make up for the loss of many of last year’s seniors, including former varsity one boys’ singles player Derek Lai. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the team in action this year,” badminton coach Marc Tsukakoshi said. “A lot of the freshmen are looking great, but it is still too early to tell if they will be at the same caliber as some of our varsity players.” In order to prepare for the new season, the team has undergone rigorous training. “Badminton is more than just technique,” Tsukakoshi said. “There is also a lot of mental willpower and physical endurance that needs to be factored in.” During practice, the players still condition but also scrimmage each other in order to improve their mechanics. “I really want to win CCS this year,” junior Eric Xue said. “We did lose a lot of seniors, so it might be rough, but I think we can still pull it off.”
Gymnastics:
Following a slow season last year, the girls’ gymnastics team is working towards qualifying for CCS. Because the team does not hold practices on campus, the girls must be dedicated enough to travel to the local Twisters Sports Center in Mountain View for daily practices after school. Senior Francesca Gencarella feels that this year’s team has the potential and skill to fight its way back into CCS. “Every single member of the team has so much drive and spirit,” Gencarella said. “I have a lot of faith in the team.” One of the biggest changes in the gymnastics program this year has been the abolishment of the junior varsity (JV) team. According to freshman Monica Boerger, this allows the varsity gymnasts to have more personal training time with the coaches. “The fact that there is no longer a JV team brings about a different dynamic,” Boerger said. “But in the end, I believe it will make us closer and stronger as a team.”
Sports
Monday, March 4, 2013
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Anthony Tran
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Stephanie Kim
Michael Wu
1. Senior Casey Maltz swings at the pitched softball. 2. Junior Coby Wayne comes up for a breath during practice. 3. Sophomore Lara Elcavage keeps her toes pointed and her arms straight while she dives into the pool. 4. Senior Eunice Wong raises her racket in preparation to return a clear shot from a fellow teammate. 5. Senior Chris Rea focuses on the baseball as he looks to catch it. 6. Senior Eric Price aims high as he leaps over the high jump bar. 7. Junior Luis Schubert prepares to throw the ball during a regular practive session. 8. Senior Sarah Varghese throws the ball as she attempts a shot at the goal. 9. Freshman Lina Osofsky-Ming appears to be floating as she leaps into the air while performing a pirouette at the local Twisters Sports Center.
competition after strong preseason training Boys’ Lacrosse:
As the spring season opens, the boys’ lacrosse team is hopeful for a successful year. After not qualifying for the playoffs last year, the coach and players are beginning to practice hard for a new season with new players. Coach Michael Blocho says one of the main goals for the team is to simply have a successful season, by all standards. “We have 12 or 13 seniors this year, so getting them to go out with a bang is probably the number one goal for them,” he said. “For me, obviously, it’s just getting them to be the best lacrosse players they can be.” The team is coming off the loss of three seniors from last season, but has added new players to the roster. Captain Anatole Colevas believes that the only way to cope with such a roster change is to just keep on playing. “We’ve got new players coming in,” he said. “But really, there’s no way to cope. We just have to play at a higher level.” The team’s first league game is on Friday, Mar. 8 at 7 p.m. at Leland High School.
Boys’ Tennis:
The tennis team is practicing hard in order to improve its record of 1-8 from last year. Although the team lost many crucial seniors such as Clifton Wolak and Roy Peleg, the team sees potential in the many returning sophomores and new varistiy players. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the team in action this year,” junior Eric Noh. “A lot of our sophomores have improved greatly and I think we’re going to be really strong this year.” “We have been conditioning ourselves and scrimmaging with each other in order to improve.” Sophomore Isaac Wang said. “I really want to win SCVALs this year.” Wang said. “Last year we placed 3rd so I feel we have a good chance of winning the tournament this year.” The team’s next faces Wilcox at home on Tuesday, Mar. 5 at 3 p.m.
Track and Field:
The track and field team hopes to improve on its 4-2 record from last year in the SCVAL De Anza Division. Because the team lost many seniors, it’s composed of mostly underclassmen, including talented hurdlers and sprinters. “One of our goals is to try include everyone because there are a lot of underclassmen this season. [We want] to see everyone participate,” senior Kirsten Baird said. In addition, new head coach PattiSue Plumer is looking forward to a strong start to the season. “I certainly hope we do well,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of determination and talent, and I’m impressed with the [team’s] work ethic.” According to Baird, the team faces some difficult rivals, but through time and effort they can win. “The competition will be challenging,” she said. “But with the enthusiasm I see during practice, I think we’ll be able to pull through.” The team’s next meet will be on Thursday, Mar. 7 against Los Altos at home.
Boys’ Golf:
Coming fresh off of a SCVAL title last season, the boys’ golf team is facing high expectations. Led by long-standing coach Chris Redfield, the team hopes to dominate in CCS this upcoming season. According to senior Avinash Sharma, the team’s consistency and chemistry are their greatest advantages in upcoming competitions. The team suffered the loss of two strong female players, who left to join the newly created girls’ golf team. “Luckily, we have a lot of returning players this year, so our experience will help us play well in matches,” Sharma said. Junior Anson Cheng says that the team’s greatest obstacle this year will be focusing during practice. “Everyone on the team has a lot of potential, but we sometimes don’t work hard,” Cheng said, “If we stay committed, I’m positive that we can go really far.” The golf teams plays its next tournament today at 3:00 p.m. against Cupertino at the Palo Alto golf course.
Girls’ Lacrosse:
The girls’ lacrosse team is coming out in full swing. Though the team has many newcomers replacing the nine seniors from last year, the girls are still hoping to return to the playoffs. Junior Victoria Nguyen believes the key to coping with the loss of many seniors is playing more as a team. “We’re going to work hard on plays that play to everyone’s strengths and we’ve got to work out more,” she said. “It’s pretty hard missing nine seniors, but we have a lot of people coming out to make up for the loss.” According to coach Doug Arakawa, strength of the team lies in its overall pool of talent and being more balanced. “We have a lot of good players rather than one superstar,” he said. “We have a lot of kids that are about equal in ability, so theoretically it should be harder to stop us because you can’t take one kid out.” The team has already gotten a head start on identifying its weaknesses. In response, Arakawa and the girls have set many specific goals for the upcoming season. “We need to work on passing the ball around and not forcing them into pressure,” Nguyen said. Arakwa remarks that a main challenge for them is the loss of seven seniors from last season. “I truly believe that the strength of the whole program needs to be the freshmen and the sophomores, the players coming up,” he said. To help prepare for the season, Arakawa says that team has been working on basic stick skills, such as throwing and catching on the run, and running a different set of offenses and defenses. The girls’ lacrosse team will play their next game on Tuesday, Mar. 5 at 7:30 p.m. against Sacred Heart Prep. —Compiled by Lawrence Chen, Nabeel Chollampat, Kush Dubey, Christine Li, Alvin Wang, and Andy Zhou
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Sports
THEORACLE
Students show off signature poses from famous athletes it z
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Aug. 2008: the Lightning Bolt Can anything travel faster than the speed of light? Probably Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. Before competing in the 200-meter race during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Bolt struck his famous “lightning” pose, extending his right arm out while bending the other one in front of his chest. It must have energized him, for Bolt set a new world and Olympic record of 19.30 seconds.
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July 2012: “Not Impressed” Face American artistic gymnast Mckayla Maroney was expected to be the 2012 Olympic vault gold medalist. Maroney’s talent shined when she scored 16.233 on vault for the team final at the Olympics. But during the vault final, many were shocked when Maroney failed to stick her second vault. Despite the costly mistake, Maroney was able to snag the silver medal. Standing on the podium with pursed lips, Maroney was definitely not impressed.
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Oct. 2011: Tebowing After the Denver Broncos’ huge comeback against the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 23, Tebowing instantly became the new trend. Denver was down 15-0 with less than three minutes to go, but former Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow threw two touchdown passes in the remaining time and then scored a two-point conversion by to send it into overtime. The Broncos eventually won with a 52-yard field goal. Tebow’s method of celebration was getting down on one knee and praying.
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Dec. 2012: Kaepernicking The act of flexing one’s biceps and kissing it turned into Colin Kaepernick’s famous pose. On Dec. 9, 2012, Twitter user @NFL_Memes featured a photo of the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback performing that pose with the caption, “Score a touchdown. Kiss your tattoo! #Kaepernicking,” and it instantly became the new football fad.
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Feb. 2012: Bradying The New England Patriots thought that the Super Bowl XLVI was their year to avenge the New York Giants for snatching their Super Bowl title back in 2008. But that was not the case. When Giants’ linebacker Chase Blackburn intercepted Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady’s pass in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl XLVI, New England knew, at that moment, that the game was over. A forlorn Brady stayed sitting on the field, head down with hands clasped, and unexpectedly inspired the Bradying pose.
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Q&A with
—Compiled by Emily Yao
Photos by Michael Wu
Track and Field Coach PattieSue Plumer
PattieSue Plumer
The Oracle: What were your experiences in the Olympics like? PattieSue Plumer: Being an athlete competing on an international level is an awesome experience. I competed during a time of historical changes that made everything you learn in school become relevant. I have made friends all over the world. I’ve known people who were born on one side, and couldn’t cross over. When I first started my Olympic career, my East German and Soviet friends weren’t allowed to leave the hotel—we weren’t supposed to talk with them. In addition, it was all very exciting and great fun (when I wasn’t racing). TO: What is the best thing about track and field? PP: The sport changed my life. I love all sports, but there is something about track, specifically distance running, that you really have to dig deep down to find what you are made of. Helping someone do something they didn’t think they are capable of doing is really rewarding, whether it is breaking a record or finishing a two-mile race for the first time. If you feel “I can’t do this” and then you do it, it makes you believe other things are possible.
TO: What is your best memory in your career? PP: I walked on at Stanford—that’s pretty unusual, I wasn’t supposed to make the team. When I made the team and I got to put on the Stanford uniform the first time I will never forget that moment when I looked in the mirror. When I made my first Olympic team, it was the same level of excitement. I was so sure it didn’t happen, I couldn’t talk at breakfast until I read the results in the paper. I was afraid I’d dreamt it. TO: What are your goals as an instructor? PP: It’s hard to come in mid year. I feel like you have to take some time to learn since everyone is different. You have to talk some time to learn the culture. My goal is to create an environment that allows success, a positive training environment that allows people to take chances, take risks, fail and be okay with it, knowing you can pick yourself up and brush yourself off. TO: What is your biggest blunder? PP: I’ve fallen in races—it’s not embarrassing, but not something I’m happy about. There are a lot of moments I’d like to take back, races I’d like to run over. I’m kind of fanatical about training through the finish line. I’ve seen so many people slow down before the finish line because they think they’ve won. One time I slowed down before the finish line and someone next to me started taking me over from the inside and I was so surprised that I didn’t notice someone coming from the outside. I went from third to sixth in the last ten yards. —Compiled by Shireen Ahsan
Sports
Monday, March 4, 2013
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Students take their athletic passions to school clubs Cycling Club
Cricket Club
Two years ago, junior Gabriel Chen was introduced to the Tour de Cure, a cycling event aimed to raise money for the American Diabetes Association. With the help of a family friend, he learned everything about the tour and how to prepare for it. Because Chen remained passionate after the event, he decided to start the Cycling Club in order to teach others about the sport. Through this club, Chen hopes to create a welcoming environment for those who are passionate about cycling—from enthusiasts to beginners who want to learn more. He wants his club to be a place where bikers can discuss routes and methods of biking. During meetings, members will be informed about times and places where people bike during the weekends and encourage them to join a group to bike with on a regular basis. “Each meeting will basically be a hangout for people who like to cycle where they can discuss with each other,” he said. In addition to holding discussions about members’ experiences and tips, the club will also discuss the mechanics and technology involved in biking. Meetings are held in V-3 every week on Wednesdays. While the club is not strict on attendance, Chen advises people to visit often as it would create more stimulating conversations and make the overall environment more fun.
Although the sport cricket originated in England and is widely popular in countries such as India and Australia, much of the Gunn community doesn’t know much about the sport. Because of this, cricket enthusiasts senior Nikhil Kumar and junior Neel Guha decided to start the cricket club. “My motivation for creating the club is the fact that I want to increase the popularity of one of the most popular international sports in the world,” Kumar said. Through the Cricket Club, Kumar hopes to teach beginners how to play the game. All members, regardless of experience, will be able to learn under the advisement of Guha, Kumar and club advisor Rajeev Virmani. “The club is open to anyone who is interested in learning how to play the sport,” Kumar said. “You do not need to know how to play. We will teach you. You only need to bring one thing: your enthusiasm.”While the main focus of the cricket club will be practicing the sport, Kumar also plans on educating members by watching tournaments and possibly entering ones themselves. Virmani supports Guha and Kumar’s efforts and intends to fully participate in club activities. “There are a few dedicated individuals at Gunn who are proud of the sport and hope to spread awareness,” Virmani said. “I just hope that students will gain a greater appreciation for the sport.”
Yogi Club
Fellowship of Christian Athletes The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a nation wide organization, and after a friend of senior Ben Sampson started a club at his own school, Sampson was encouraged to start one as well with the help of senior Emily Cottle, junior Joelle Kuehn, sophomore Natalie Perreault and freshman Josh Sampson. As a devoted Christian and a dedicated athlete, Sampson believes that a club that combines sports and faith will be beneficial to the Gunn community. “My main goal for this year is to create a long-lasting, open community within Gunn where people can share their faith on and off the field,” he said. The meetings generally start out with a quick prayer. Afterwards, members share stories about their experiences in sports and how their connection with God has helped them to compete with integrity, an aspect that senior Derek Lee appreciates. “As a Christian and a sports lover, I just like how this club focuses on more of a personal interaction with God from a sports standpoint,” he said. Professional guest speakers have visited to talk about how their faith has been rewarding in their life. Although the club is focused on athletics and Christianity, non-athletes and nonChristians are also encouraged to join. “Anyone is invited to come,” Sampson said. “We want to be as open as possible to people interested in sports or faith or both.”
Junior Maria Kosenko’s love for yoga started at age eight when she started taking yoga classes with her mother. As her skills improved, Kosenko and her mom made two appearances on a local TV channel called “Everyone’s Yoga.” Her experience and passion for yoga and pilates motivated her to spread her knowledge to others and led her to create the Yogi club. “I often found people asking me about the yoga I do, and I wanted to explain better than I could with words,” she said. The club meets weekly in the gym, where Kosenko will lead more George Hwang advanced students with a Hatha yoga workout, which incorporates elements of pilates. Junior Wonji Park, vice president of the club, will help less experienced members. Kosenko and Park aim to lead 15 to 20 minutes of exercises and incorporate multiple workouts that will stretch different parts of the body. However, the exercises will not include the same amount of meditation commonly seen in yoga but rather focus on working out the body. Kosenko hopes that club members will come to appreciate both the physical and mental aspects of yoga. “My ultimate goal is to let everyone focus on their own body and not care about how their neighbors are bending,” she said. Park believes that the exercises will be beneficial to overworked students. “This club may benefit stressed out students and athletes and would energize their afternoon with sun salutation and yoga poses,” Park said. “I feel stressed at times with my workload, and when I do yoga it relaxes my anxiety and stress. I wanted to share this with others, so they may feel relaxed, motivated and confident with themselves and their school work.” —Compiled by Eileen Qian
Trainer assists athletes in their injury, emotional recoveries Lisa Hao
Reporter
Stephanie Kim
Gunn Athletics would not be what it is without the various coaches, athletes and Dr. Brien Arakaki. After Arakaki was appointed as Head Athletic Trainer and Sports Medicine Coordinator in 2011, he has helped athletes recover both physically and emotionally from their injuries. Arakaki became interested in sports medicine after he fractured his hip playing hockey when he was younger. He decided to go see his high school trainer after going to physical training for one month and getting nowhere. His trainer encouraged him and helped speed up the recovery process. Arakaki hopes that he can do the same, while aiding athletes at Gunn with their wears and tears. Arakaki majored in biochem-
istry/pre-medical with a concentration in exercise physiology at the University of Oxford and then went on to major in kinesiology/athletic training at San Jose State University. He also received his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in integrated biology from UC Berkeley and graduated with his doctorate in osteopathic medicine at the Western University of Health Sciences. In addition to his vast knowledge, Arakaki’s personality and humor also benefit the recovery of athletes. “During injuries, it is really difficult to look on the bright side, but Brien’s always pushing me to go forward and to get through it,” sophomore varsity basketball player Paige Ogawa said. Arakaki’s patience is also beneficial with injured athletes. “He’s taught me to never rush an injury and that certain things take time,”
Ogawa said. Like Ogawa, athletes with every type and level of injuries come to see Arakaki. He can help with anything from a blister to micro tears. “I babysit,” Arakaki joked. “[But I also] oversee all of the athletes [and their safety].” However, Arakaki’s job also requires delivering bad news. As an athletic trainer, Arakaki can assess the extremity of an injury and decide what measures to recovery should be taken. “[The worst part] is telling an athlete they can no longer compete in a sport,” Arakaki said. In the end, the position is all worth it for Arakaki. He enjoys being able to help others through their injuries and witness the athlete’s physical and mental recovery process. “Seeing the progression between what athletes were when they were injured to what they can become [is what makes it all worth it],” Arakaki said.
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Entertainment
Senior Boot Bullwinkle becomes eighth grader one last time Boot Bullwinkle Middle school is a world filled with voice cracks, awkward social interactions and oversized backpacks. A buffer of the raging hormones that swirl around with the joys of puberty, middle school prepares students for high school and the maturity of adolescence. As I complete my education in Palo Alto and prepare myself for adulthood, I decided to take a journey back into the past: Just for a day, I decided to be an eighth grader once again. I returned to my alma mater Terman Middle School and was graciously greeted by the principal, Katherine Baker, who paired me up with eighth-grader Jackson. I was to follow and shadow Jackson and his class schedule for the day, while also socializing with the students I encountered during my classes, passing periods, brunch and lunch. I was essentially a 6-foot middle schooler with a cannon of a dodge ball throw—but we’ll get to that later. Instead of starting my day at 9:36 a.m. and ending at 12:51 p.m. on Tuesdays, my day would last from 8:05 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. As cheerful as I could possibly be with having to wake up an hour and a half before my normal 9:15 a.m. wake up time, I began my day as a middle schooler in Mr. Helsaple’s U.S. history class. I sat down in my desk that was in the front corner of the classroom, and I pretended like I couldn’t hear the whispers and murmurings that flowed through the classroom. The rumor mill qu iet e d down, a nd I was treated to a fun game of Jeopardy that was focused on the beginnings of U.S. independence. All was fine and well as I joined in a few giggles and adjusted to my chair, which I was grateful to have as it was detached from the desk. I was marveling at the comfort of the blue plastic chair and tapping my fingers in the cubby that sat below the desk, when suddenly my name was called. “Boot, what is the definition of bartering?” Helsaple asked me. I was suddenly alert and felt the wide judging eyes of 20 eighth graders. Of course I knew the definition of bartering, but what if I was wrong? What if I was laughed at by middle school kids? After what felt like five minutes, I blurted out my answer: “To trade things!” It certainly wasn’t the MerrianWebster of definitions, but it was correct nonetheless. I had gained 200 points for my team, and that was all that mattered. Feeling even more comfortable in my blue plastic chair, I was beginning to settle into my day as a middle schooler. Next up in my day was English. Now, I mean no disrespect to Ms. Duffy or anyone in the class, but I was so incredibly tired. It was probably just the day of silent reading time, but I spent the better part of that period fighting to stay awake and lamenting on the fact that I wouldn’t even have woken up yet if my school day was at Gunn. At the sound of the bell, I was dealt my first social challenge at brunch. I followed Jackson to the J-Wing where f locks of students fumbled at their lockers. Adorned with magnetic mirrors, pictures of friends and half of Office Depot, it amazed me that the students were still able to fit their oversized backpacks and lunch boxes amongst the disarray. Bewildered by each student’s own personal portal to Narnia, I was caught off guard when a group of middle schoolers flocked me. Clearly my three weeks of hard-
earned stubble weren’t enough to scare them off. Word must have spread that there was a high school student on campus, because I was flocked by students asking me questions about high school and even about college (that question really can’t be avoided, can it?). I was happy to answer their questions, but I really wanted to know what middle school life was like. Having gone through it, just like everyone else, I definitely had moments of happiness, sadness and plenty of awkwardness. But none of that was as apparent so far—at least at surface level. The next period was Home Economics. Mrs. Salmon with her Southern hospitality was incredibly gracious and welcoming to me, while she instructed her class on how to make teddy bear biscuits. The biscuits gave me a much needed sugar boost to get me through my extended day. Just as I was leaving, Mrs. Salmon also gave me a homemade cake pop that I savored like Charlie Bucket. As I sat in class, the conversations were extremely loud and fast paced. I remained relatively quiet as my eyes darted back in forth between the speakers like a ping-pong match. It was utterly impossible to absorb everything that was said, but I was quite content that there was still gossip being flung around. It wasn’t bullying by any means, but it was fun to listen to middle school students complain about homework and the struggles of their social life as 13 year olds. I was particularly amused that eighth g r a der s have mor e homework than I do as a second-semester senior. Lunch came around, and I decided to see if I could find the inside scoop by talk ing to my favorite teacher Ms. Gross. Wit h lu ncht i me dwi ndling away, I said goodbye to Ms. Gross and went to rejoin Jackson and his group Boot Bullwinkle of friends. They were a great group of kids who were very willing to include me in their reindeer games. We laughed and joked for five minutes as we played basketball in the gym, but the festivities were rudely interrupted by the bell. I wasn’t terribly upset though, because physical education (P.E.) was next, and that could only mean one thing: dodge ball. As the students went to change in the locker room, I stayed out in the gym to stretch and prepare myself. Headshots are completely legal in Terman dodge ball, and I had no intent of holding back. In my Sperry’s and chinos, I lined up against the wall of the gym. At the sound of the whistle, chaos was unleashed. I was ripping balls as hard as I could at the scampering middle school kids and making flamboyant dodges to stay out of prison. With sweat pouring down my face, the kids were sent back into the locker room to change before the bell rang. My last period of my middle school day was math in Algebra 1. It was a little anticlimactic, but it was a nice way to relax and reflect on my day. I was pleasantly surprised by the attitude of the kids. They were all very outgoing and really friendly to me, but they were also incredibly bright and hilarious. I’m not saying that I would ever return to my middle school years again, but I’m very glad to have had the chance to see life through a middle school student’s eyes once again.
Boot Bullwinkle
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Top: Senior Boot Bullwinkle focuses on a science assignment. Middle: The science class listens intently to the teacher’s lecture. Bottom: Bullwin—Bullwinkle, a senior, is a Managing Editor. kle is learning how to bake teddy bear biscuits.
Boot Bullwinkle
Dodgeballs are lined up as students wait to play a game of dodgeball during physical education.
Entertainment
Monday, March 4th, 2013
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video game throwbacks Mitch Donat
Lucy Oyer
Emily Yao
Flashback to seven years ago, and it would have been hard to find me anywhere but my couch, hunched over and staring at my television. I wasted so many hours working my thumb muscles playing one of the greatest video games ever launched: “Star Wars Battlefront II”. Playing this game again with its modern equivalent, “Call of Duty Black Ops,” reminded me why it had such an impact on me and showed me how it’s better than any role-playing game (RPG) to date. In “Battlefront II,” it’s the same old stuff: right trigger to shoot, left trigger to aim. However, “Battlefront II” succeeds in areas that each “Call of Duty” to date fails in. In “Call of Duty”, one of the biggest issues players face are the sinful “campers”—those who sit in corners waiting for their next victim to walk obliviously around them. In Battlefront II, campers are nowhere to be found.
After losing almost every single game of “Street Fighter II Turbo” to my dad 12 years ago, I wish I could proudly say, “I’ve got the power,” today. I dug up my Super Nintendo from the garage and was determined to get my revenge, but unfortunately, it was the same old story: I failed. Miserably. Thankfully, I have learned to roll with the punches because I will admit video games are not my forte. For me, my strategy has been to press buttons randomly and hope for the best. I have come to the conclusion that the more buttons I press, the less likely I will win. Playing “Street Fighter” after a 12-year hiatus made me realize how much my skills have deteriorated. In the two-person game, whoever wins two rounds first moves on to the bonus round, in which he or she plays against the system. While playing against my dad, the percentage of times I make it to t he bo-
These days I wouldn’t consider myself much of a gamer. Aside from the occasional game of “Llama or Duck” on my iPhone, I tend to shy away from the world of digital gaming. But this was not always the case. Flashback about eight years to the 2004 release of “Backyard Skateboarding,” and you will see a very different scene. I cannot begin to recount how many of my childhood weekends were spent in front of my computer playing the “Backyard Sports” computer game series. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, it features professional athletes as kids. In the case of “Backyard Skateboarding”, there is only one pro: Andy Mac. The premise of the game is that one must control Andy as he skates around the four different levels, completing various missions from “tour
Along with constant head-to-head action, “Battlefront II” has a better system of killstreaks than “Call of Duty.” Instead of rewarding you with unfair chopper-gunners, which scream “Game over!” the moment they are placed in the sky, “Battlefront II” rewards you with Jedi Knights. These Jedi Knights only last for a certain amount of time. This means that once you earn the Jedi, it isn’t game over for the other team. It’s clear that “Star Wars Battlefront II” holds the upper hand on newer video games. Playing “Battlefront II’s” traditional split-screen layout brings back the joys of what video games should be. This means having fun with your friends, together, rather than over internet servers. Instead of wasting up to 70 dollars on the next big “Call of Duty,” “Battlefront,” “Crysis” or any shooting RPG, go online and get a copy of “Battlefront II” for nearly a tenth of the price and experience ten times the enjoyment.
nus round has decreased from 5 percent in 2003 to 0.5 percent. He even admitted that most of the time he let me win. Part of moving up levels is experimenting with other characters in order to find the perfect one. When I was younger, I always chose Dhalsim, the Indian yoga master, because of his long legs and arms. A few weeks ago, I chose Dhalsim again and was ecstatic when I made him breathe out fire. That is, until my thumb became too sore. I knew I had to move on to someone else, so I chose E. Honda, the Japanese sumo wrestler. All I had to do was continuously press the punch button until my opponent passed out. Playing one of my favorite childhoodvideo games taught me many valuable life lessons, but most importantly, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone . Even though I’m far away from being as good as my dad or the system, I know that no matter what, I won’t give up without a fight.
officials” to move on to the next location. After a hiatus in my “Backyard Skateboarding” domination, I recently decided to give it another try. I found the challenges presented by the neighborhood kids and tour officials to be beyond easy for my able fingers, and advanced past the first level in record time. Next came the Boardwalk, then The Castle. At this point however, my patience began to wear thin. The first challenge of The Castle was difficult because every time I almost finished, Andy would get stuck due to a glitch in the graphics and he would reset to the beginning at which point there was no possible way to finish in the allotted time. Given that the particular official running this challenge held the keys to the drawbridge to enter the castle, it soon became apparent that it would take much too long to get into the castle and my interest was seriously waning. I got up to get a snack and have yet to return. It’s been two weeks.
Reasons I didn’t turn in my homework
1. I fell asleep while working on it and left it on my bedside table. 2. Oh, that was due today? I thought you said it was due tomorrow...
3. I never got the e-mail reminder. 4. I don’t know how to access my Infinite Campus. 5. I don’t know how to access my Schoology. 6. My dog literally ate my homework, like actually. 7. I left my notebook at home. 8. I had the common cold and had to go to bed early, can I turn it in tomorrow? 9. I accidentally did tomorrow’s homework instead. 10. I was in the bathroom when you announced the due date.
24
Entertainment
THEORACLE
Choir staff musical brings joy to all Rebecca Alger
“A Good Day to Die Hard”
John Moore’s “A Good Day to Die Hard” ranks as the worst of the now five-film franchise; a completely unnecessary addition to the previous installments. Bruce Willis returns as New York police officer John McClane, who finds himself in Russia this time around in an effort to help his estranged son Jack (Jai Courtney), a CIA operative, avoid prison. The film is devoid of any sense of fun and originality that earned its earliest predecessor its cultural cachet. Furthermore, its action scenes come off as completely uninspired, confusing and ineptly directed. In the end, “A Good Day to Die Hard” registers as a complete mess of a film.
“Identity Thief”
By building itself upon a completely implausible premise, Seth Gordon’s “Identity Thief” comes off as a contrived and lame farce that completely misuses the talents of its highly likable stars. The plot focuses on an androgynously-named financial executive (Jason Bateman) who must find the woman (Melissa McCarthy) who stole his identity and bring her to some form of justice. As it converts itself into a worn out road trip saga, the film devolves into a carbon-copy of the lackluster Todd Phillips comedy “Due Date.” Even up to that point, however, it should be noted that there proves little reason for the “Identity Thief’s” existence.
“Side Effects”
Steven Soderbergh’s “Side Effects” blends the soon-to-be-retired auteur’s slick style with the eerie suspense of a Hitchcockian thriller. Just as unsettling as some of Hitch’s finest features, the plot follows a psychiatrist, Jonathan Banks (Jude Law), who becomes too heavily involved in treating the depressed Emily (Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” ) whose husband (Channing Tatum) just finished a prison sentence. When prescribing a widely advertised drug to Emily leads to disastrous consequences, Banks finds himself in the center of a scandal of almost unprecedented proportions. As cerebral as any cinematic effort released in this new decade, “Side Effects” stands as quite possibly the most perfect effort of Soderbergh’s almost three-decade career.
—Compiled by Cooper Aspegren
The choir performed Nancy Gilsenan Hersage’s “I Want to Hold Your Babushka” on Feb. 13 and 14. The show was a collaboration between the staff and choir students. The show consisted of a plot to kidnap The Beatles, a plot to then release The Beatles, and a plot (from the choir) to make the audience laugh and come back to every choir show thereafter. The choir-staff musical raises money for the Gunn Choir Scholarship Fund to allow students to participate in the annual choir trip. This summer, the choir program will be performing in Spain and France. According to the choir director, Bill Liberatore, the entire show was put together in less than two months. “It’s so ruched, but that’s also part of the thrill,” math teacher Dave Deggeller said. Because The Beatles are so well known, everybody involved got a chance to perform and watch some of their favorite songs. “This year’s show was by far a lot better and more fun in my opinion,” senior Sadie Puicón said. “I’ve always loved The Beatles. It’s always more fun to work with something that both you and the audience are more familiar with.” The show also gave the choir students an opportunity to create even stronger connections with their fellow performers. “The best part of the choir show was spending time with all my fabulous friends, creatingnew friends, and strengthning bonds
with the choir as a whole,” sophomore Danny Golovinsky said. “I got to know a lot of the freshmen that I didn’t already know, and they’re all wonderful.” The singers and viewers all enjoy getting the opportunity to see their teachers in a more casual light. “It was a lot fun having the show with teachers because we got to see how they are when they’re not teaching,” junior Haley King said. The night was enjoyable for both students and teachers. “Working with teachers is such a great experience and it’s a great way to see the more fun and lax side of Gunn teachers,” Puicón said. The teachers also appreciate getting to build relationships with students and colleagues they might otherwise get the chance to interact with. “The best thing is the camaraderie with the teachers,” choir teacher Bill Liberatore said. “It’s great to make new connections and see people in a different setting.” The audience laughed the loudest during the unscripted portions of the show, making everything much more enjoyable for everyone. “Liberatore doesn’t put any pressure on the students or the teachers,” Deggeller said. “He knows it’s not going to be perfect, but that’s also part of the charm of it.” Having both teachers and students in a show brought people together in a way that normally wouldn’t have occured. “Putting a show together with teachers really brings the school community together,” Liberatore said. “It’s a very special experience for all involved.”
Monday, March 4, 2013
Personal Columns
25
Four simple steps to find your soulmate
Media affects high school expectations Lena Campbell Since I was a toddler, I’ve been developing an idea in my mind of what a “perfect” girl is. Stereotypes for everything in my life developed as I got older, and by the time I reached eighth grade, I had a very clear idea of what high school was going to be like. The strange thing about my expectations is that the people around me didn’t form them. Stereotypes usually come from the observation of the world and how one’s peers interact and behave. However, my high school expectations came from a different source of human interaction: the media. Throughout my youth, I watched countless movies and television shows about the vicious, gossipfilled world of high school, and from these I thought I knew exactly what awaited me. The most influential movie in my middle school years was “Mean Girls,” written by the comedic genius Tina Fey. With its snappy dialogue and an endearing protagonist, it was an instant hit among my friends and me. Among the many stereo-
types the film emphasized, the idea of a cafeteria came forth. This was no ordinary cafeteria; it was a carefully divided war zone with specifically designed seating areas for every type of teenager one can possibly imagine. There were the jocks, nerds, band geeks, cheerleaders, burnouts and every other cliché in the movie. Like warring countries, anyone caught fraternizing with the “enemy” received an all-out assault from their group’s leader. This idea of non-association stems from an all-powerful teenager: the Queen Bee. In “Mean Girls”, this character is Regina George, a malicious girl more than willing to inflict brutal discrimination towards anyone who doesn’t fit the mold of a perfect popular girl. And the ideal girl in my mind was blonde, skinny and surrounded by boys. I had very specific expectations for each type of person I would encounter in high school. So on my first day, I expected to see students separated into their own private little bubbles, with easily identifiable traits (cheerleading uniforms, dorky glasses, etc). It was terrifying for me, because I had no idea which group I would sit with. As a 13 year old, I was forced to think about what I was passionate about before even trying new classes and after school activities. The media piled on to my already high levels of stress by making me wonder
Michael Chen
Dave Zhu
how I could ever fit in to such a complicated world. Fortunately, Gunn completely surprised me. Instead of the stereotypical school atmosphere I had in mind, I was met with one that was free of isolated groups. Teens hung out with whomever they wanted and participated in activities without worrying about what other people thought. My passions have become a way of defining myself instead of a way for others to define me, and I don’t have to worry about where I belong. No matter what the media has told us and continues to tell us, Gunn students can be themselves without a label. —Campbell, a junior, is a reporter.
Love Match doesn’t create sparks Erica Watkins Let’s be honest here, Love Match does not work. I was matched with sophomore Alex Matthys, who I dated for probably 16 hours in sixth grade. To make it more awkward, these 16 hours were on Valentine’s Day. We broke up due to the stress of education, pressure from our peers and an utter lack of interest in the dating world on both ends. Nowadays, we see each other in the hall-
ways, and we have moved on from our “intense” past. Being matched with Alex was not the worst that could have happened; actually, it was far from it. He is one of the more suitable men on campus. My first issue with Love Match is that the questions are not detailed enough. They are questions that most people would answer similarly, despite the fact that they could be complete opposites. For example, when asked what I look for in another person, of course I hope they have good looks, but then again, so does everyone else in the world. Another problem I see is that not enough people participate. Comparing my Love Match list to my friend’s list was like comparing English essays: same content but different order. Since most of
Audey Shen
Sophomores Alex Matthys and Erica Watkins make a heart with their arms.
the people in our grade did not fill out a form, the options are limited. Potential love matches at Gunn are already scarce, so the lack of participation did not improve my chances of finding love. A third point is that similarity does not necessarily mean compatibility. Just because two people like their music loud does not mean they are soul mates. Lastly, Love Match is simply a game to many people. For me, love is a battlefield. I am not interested in someone who rigged his or her answers to be matched with a certain person; I want the real deal. I want a man who is six feet tall, muscular, has extreme beauty and makes bank. To test my love with Alex, we met up at brunch to ask each other simple questions, such as “Coke or Pepsi” and “What is your favorite thing about your mom?” This was an awkward brunch to say the least. We discussed our views on certain things, hoping that we would click and rekindle our love. I was pretty sure we weren’t meant for each other from the start, but it was made clear to me that it wasn’t love when his new interest walked by, and he immediately paid attention to her. Unfortunately, no sparks flew and no wedding bells rang. Most of our answers were the same, and we did not strongly disagree about anything, but it was for sure not love. I was truly hoping that I would find the man of my dreams through Love Match. Deep down, I knew that this dream would not be a reality, but that hopeless romantic inside of me still believed. And hoped. I am aware that Love Match is not specifically designed to find my true love, but I wish it were. —Watkins, a sophomore, is a reporter.
Well, some of you may know me as the person who writes the love posts on the “Updates from Gunn SEC.” I was invited by the lovely Utkash Dubey to give you single men and women a little advice to be successful in the love department at Gunn. I will help all you lovebirds out there to find your soulmate, as long as you follow these steps: Step One: first impressions. A first impression is the initial image that you give to that special someone. The first impression is important because that’s how they will remember you by. This will leave that special someone distracted for the rest of the day because he or she won’t be able to stop thinking about you. A good way to make a strong first impression is to initiate “the move” as soon as possible. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve resisted the first move, and then, she was stolen! Don’t be afraid to make the first move unique and different. Even if you have to be a little quirky, he or she will think it’s cool, and possibly attractive. You should try showing that special someone something you’re weirdly talented at. Or tell them what you learned in physical education (PE) last semester or rehearse the mole rap you made in Chemistry. They will be pretty amazed. Step Two: taking risks. Just take a risk. You will never have a chance with your baby boy or girl if you don’t. A little anxiety and sweat under the armpits is worth giving yourself the opportunity to make a connection. Just make sure you’re wearing deodorant and some sort of fragrance because you may hug each other at some point, and if you smell like someone rubbed onions all over you, the situation is all bad. Ladies, I advise you to please stay away from that cotton candy perfume, and boys, stay away from that chocolate Axe. Step Three: dating. The word “dating” can scare a few people away. However, dating is really an opportunity to sit down with that pretty one and connect with him or her on a deeper level. Connecting on a deeper level requires no skill other than to be yourself. Your date will go home wanting more if you two had fun and you were yourself. Also, don’t be overwhelming. Let him or her have some time to digest the first date. This means do not text them right after the date to hang out the next day. That’s just too much all at once. Even though it may be tempting because love is a strong feeling, just hold back and be patient. Step Four: confidence. You can use all of these dating tips, but you might still be stuck in the friend zone. Confidence is a quality that can either make or break being in a relationship with someone. Guys and gals love confidence in a person because it reassures them that the relationship means something to him or her. If you’re not confident with yourself, it shows your potential soulmate that you may not care at all for the relationship. However, there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Make sure you don’t cross the line because it’s a complete turnoff if you are an arrogant butt. Just trust what you have in the relationship and be confident in yourself and what you two have together. Overall, love is a crazy roller coaster. It goes up and down, then back up and back down. However, as long as you stay yourself and have fun with your special someone, it makes the rest of the ride a lot easier to handle. Life is too short to live in a cardboard box. You’re going to go through so many relationships in your life, so start now. —Chen, a junior, is a guest columnist.
26
Entertainment
From our kitchen to yours
In a celebration of our school’s great diversity, The Oracle staffers share their favorite family and cultural recipes which are sure to serve as unique, delectable and tasty dishes for any day.
Schnitzel Roy Shadmon
This is my mom’s Israeli schnitzel recipe and in my opinion it is the best fried chicken recipe ever. We Israelis know how to fry a chicken and this recipe is proof.
Ingredients: Boneless chicken breast 2 eggs (wet) 2 cups bread crumbs (dry) 1 teaspoon mustard (wet) 1 teaspoon salt (dry) 1/2 teaspoon pepper (dry) Canola oil
Instructions: 1. Take chicken breasts and put them between 2 pieces of baking parchment. 2. Hit the chicken with a baking hammer to thin. 3. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. 4. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl. 5. Coat the frying pan with oil and wait until oil is hot. 6. Put pieces of chicken in the egg mixture first and then in the dry mixture. 7. Put chicken in frying pan with the oil hot and let cook until golden brown on both sides of the chicken.
Roy Shadmon
Dumplings Stephanie Zhang Ingredients: 1 lb. ground pork 1 tablespoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons soy sauce 3 stalks of green onions 2 cups of diced cabbage 1 tablespoons rice wine
Stephanie Zhang
Ever since I was little, I’ve always wrapped dumplings with my family when Chinese New Year comes around. Every New Year’s Eve, many of our friends would come over and bring their own forms of meat to put into the dumplings. 1/8 teaspoon sugar 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 packet dumpling skin
Instructions: 1. In a big bowl, mix together ground pork, egg and green onions. 2. In separate bowl, mix sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine, then add to meat mixture. 3. Flavor meat with sugar, white pepper and salt. 4. Dice two cups of cabbage and add to mixture. 5. To wrap the dumplings, add 1 tablespoon of meat mixture to the center of the skin and fold the skin in half. 6. Before sealing, place a few drops of water on the edge of the dumpling skin to help the sides stick when cooking. 7. Seal the two sides of the skin creating little folds in the crease. 8. Place dumplings in a pot of boiling water. When the dumplings start to float to the top of the water, add 1/2 cup of cold water and wait for the water to boil again. 9. When water starts to boil, turn off heat. The whole process should take around 5 to 6 minutes. 10. Drain dumplings and transfer to a plate. Let cool and enjoy with soy sauce.
Kathi Rolls Kavya Padmanabhan
Growing up in a household where scents and spices were always mingled together has made me appreciate the Indian food I have eaten all my life. This recipe is my favorite and is great for every occasion and season.
Ingredients: 5 wraps (ready-made chappatis or rotis) 1/2 cup red bell pepper (cut into thin strips) 1/2 cup onion, thin sliced 1 cup cottage cheese or cubed paneer 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon curry powder 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves 1 teaspoon lemon juice Salt to your taste Green chutney (however much desired)
Instructions: 1. Heat vegetable oil in a pan, add onions and saute for a minute. 2. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry until the raw smell disappears. 3. Add the paneer and fry on a medium flame. 4. Next, add the curry powder and saute for two minutes 5. Switch off the flame, add lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves. The filling is then ready. 6. Put some butter on the pan and saute one side of the chappati on a low flame for 1 minute. 7. Remove from the flame and place on a plate. 8. Spread some green chutney. Then add the paneer filling. 9. Wrap the chappati around the filling and roll it tight. 10. Tuck in both the sides, and cut it diagonally. Enjoy. Kavya Padmanabhan
Entertainment
Monday, March 4, 2013
27
Find your outdoor adventure are you athletic?
Do you mind dirt?
No
Yes
Do you like Grass?
No
Yes
Yes
Do you like picnics?
No
Do you like Flowers?
Bear Gulch and Alambique Located in a park just outside of Woodside, these trails pass through beautiful landscape and wildlife. An athletic 8.7 mile round-trip makes for a difficult but rewarding hike through the terrain. The trail starts at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains and starts off mostly uphill. Allow about a half day for this trek through the redwoods.
No
Yes
Yes
Do you like sand?
No No
No
Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Located on 2.5 acres in a residential Palo Alto neighborhood, this Waverly Street garden is peaceful and ideal for flower-lovers. The garden is run by a non-profit horticulture foundation that was originally a private estate until it was donated to the City of Palo Alto. It features traditional gardens, and several educational programs are also offered.
Yes
Do you like to walk?
Yes The Nature Channel If you answered no to all of the questions, watch the Nature Channel and imagine the outdoors.
Foothills Park
Pearson-Arastradero Preserve
Half Moon Bay State Beach
Foothills Park is an oasis in the Palo Alto area. It takes about 15 minutes to arrive at this park located in Los Altos Hills. It is open exclusively to Palo Alto residents and is full of rolling hills of grass, picnic tables, a pond and various trails. The setting is perfect for a picnic with friends, and there is plenty of room to throw a frisbee or run around with one’s dog. Foothills park is just right for a picturesque picnic by the sunset.
This open space is a mixture of grassland and evergreen forest. Walkers will enjoy mild trails with the opportunity to witness various animals in their natural habitat and plants native to the area. It is on Arastradero Road in Palo Alto. Arastradero Lake can be reached after a 20 minute hike from the parking lot, and visitors can enjoy open space nature programs led by rangers.
This beach is just a 45-minute drive away. It offers calm waves and picturesque views of the Pacific Ocean. The beach also has a picnic area and a camp ground nearby in case any visitors want to stay the night. However, potential visitors should be cautious and bring a few cozy blankets because the weather can get chilly during the nights. —Compiled by Sam Acker
Graphics by George Hwang
28
Entertainment
Dreams can often be representative of a person’s inner thoughts and emotions. With the help of the online dream dictionary www.dreammoods.com, The Oracle staffer Ellen Lee has interpreted dreams submitted by Gunn students.
Dear Oracle,
Dear Royala,
I recently had a dream about a close friend of mine who lacks the ability to swim. The two of us were manning a sailboat, and my friend was in the middle of the boat tying a knot when the main mast suddenly swung around and hit her squarely on the shoulder. She bounced off the boat like a highly elastic rubber ball and landed with a plop into the water. I woke up crying for the death of my friend and laughing at the way her death came about. What does this dream mean? Worriedly waiting, Royala Huang
First and foremost, I apologize that you had such to experience such a morbid dream. Luckily for you, this dream doesn’t foreshadow any tragic events to occur, or any negative situation at all. It only makes sense that your dream took place on a sailboat, as this represents how you or your close friend navigates through certain situations, and in your case, your friend’s inability to swim. Your friend’s tying of the knot represents her desire for independence; not necessarily independence from you but merely independence that would better herself. Her death in your dream indicates that you lack a certain attribute of hers that you wish you had, in this case her willingness to fail. It could also mean that you wish to no longer have her in your life, but I hope with all my heart that the latter is false. Wishing you the best, Ellen Lee
Hi, I had a dream where I asked out a guy that I’m not sure if I like or not with a card. He gave me back a card that said no and I was heartbroken. I cried for a really long time and he explained that he was too busy to go out with me. Then he went and talked to Mr. Summers and came back and said that actually he would like to go out with me if I wanted to. Does this mean that I like him? Or that I should ask him out? Sincerely, Anonymous
Dear Anonymous, It seems like you are in for a bit of a surprise. Generally in dreams, greeting cards of any sort represent change and a newly paved road. Despite the boy’s initial rejection, he sought guidance from a teacher, which indicates that he needed advice and approval. Since he accepted your invitation after his conversation with Mr. Summers, this indicates that he was insecure about making the decision but, was in fact, in favor of going out with you. This could mean a great amount of things, and I have no way of telling you that you like him, but it seems that you are interested in him and I highly encourage you to act upon that. Much Luck, Ellen Lee
Dear Oracle, I had a dream I was at a juicebar with my friend (if you didn’t know, juicebars serve juice). We were sitting at a table; the juice bar is outside without like a roof and it overlooked a canyon like my old house used to, and the server is a peppy, short, over makeupped freak who comes up to me and my friend, and she says, “Hello. Today we are honoring transcendentalism and we are going to be serving all of our juices for free! She puts two juices on our table, separated into a pink strawberry layer, orange transparent layer and black sesame seed layer. Thanks, Kathleen
Dear Kathleen, The similarity between the view of the juicebar and the view of your old house hints that you long for security. The juice bar’s lack of a roof represents that you lack privacy and maybe feel overexposed. The “over makeupped freak’s” (your waitress) act of giving you free juices, shows your desire to feel nurtured. The presence of a strawberry layer in your juice means that your will soon develop goals. The orange layer stands for vitality and insinuates that you need to put yourself out of your comfort zone. The black sesame seed layer doesn’t mean anything, but it seemingly would ruin the taste of this juice. Truly yours, Ellen Lee
David Zhu