Students send in pictures of their food through Instagram
Centerfold examines the School Success and Opportunity Act
PG. 15 FEATURES
PG. 12-13 CENTERFOLD
The Oracle shows off dance moves
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Palo Alto Unified School District Henry M. Gunn High School 780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306 NON-PROFIT ORG
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Friday, September 20 , 2013
Volume 51, Issue 1
780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Homecoming 2013: “Turn the Page” TUESDAY: Brunch: Ten-man Pass Lunch: Obstacle Course
MONDAY: Brunch: Stuff-a-Bench Lunch: Tug of War
WEDNESDAY: Brunch: Balloon Stomp Lunch: Bottle Battle After School: Float Stuffing
THURSDAY: Brunch: Bucket Head Lunch: Lick-It Clean After-School: Night Rally
FRIDAY: Brunch: Scavenger Hunt Lunch: Sumo + Yell Competition After-School: Homecoming Game + Floats
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TU A S
Paige Anderson, Jasmine Garnett, Allison Paley, Mitch Donat
Parent activists protest district’s special education system Shawna Chen Reporter
A group of activists comprised of Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) parents protested on the sidewalk outside of Gunn at the start of the school year regarding a perceived lack of rights for Special Education students. With signs that read “Teachers: Stop Bullying Our Children” and “No Discrimination,” the protestors lobbied at Gunn for a few days before relocating to the district office on Churchill Ave. According to Principal Katya Villalobos, the protest was not directed solely at Gunn but at the district as a whole. When a student with a learning disability considers class selections, state policy dictates that his Special Ed. placement
Homecoming Numbers
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is decided by the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and an IEP team consisting of the student, his case manager, his parents and a district or site representative. “The decision is not made by one person,” she said. “The whole team makes the decision together.” According to protest organizer Marielena Gaona Mendoza,the protest was focused on placement, Special Ed. court cases and bullying. “[We want to] send the district a message,” she said. Mendoza believes that many Special Ed. students feel unchallenged in class and with extra support, can be fully incorporated into mainstream lanes. However, disagreement over placement, Mendoza said, has often led to families being taken to court. “[But] if parents don’t agree on placement, they shouldn’t be taken to court,”
Number of times the senior class has won Homecoming in the past ten years
240
she said. “[The district] should [arrange to] make it work.” Mendoza added that many Special Ed. students, particularly those in PAUSD middle schools, felt uncomfortable in class because of how their teachers were treating them. In response to the protest, superintendent Dr. Kevin Skelly released the district’s official statement, which read, “At the heart of this situation is the district’s belief that this child deserves appropriate educational support . . . Legally, the district does not have the ability to force children into special education without the consent of their parents. Further, in special education cases when parents do not agree with the services and placement, the district has a legal obligation to ensure that the student receives access to a free, appropriate public education.” PROTESTORS—p.4
Number of pages in the Signet Classics edition of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”
123
Number of seniors nominated for a spot on Homecoming Court
2
News
SEC organizes Fall Club Day
NEWS BITES
Kavya Padmanabhan
Overnight community centers closed, homeless face impact
Palo Alto councilmen—in a vote of 7-1—initiated an ordinance to close down the Cubberley Community Center from 10:30 p.m. to sunrise starting Oct. 9. The ordinance’s effects are broader than just Cubberley; it will close all overnight community centers throughout Palo Alto, as well as libraries and City Hall. The vote came just a week after the council had voted 7-2 in favor of banning vehicle dwelling, a decision that restricts Palo Alto residents and homeless citizens from making their vehicles temporary homes. The vote came after years of complaints from the Greenmeadow neighborhood, whose members live adjacent to the community center. A sharp spike in the homeless population and a recent string of crimes involving the homeless also led to the decision. In an effort to help the homeless find a temporary home, the Palo Alto City Council has devoted $150,000 to help the homeless obtain articles of clothing, toiletries and job openings. Another $100,000, a sum that will be matched by Santa Clara County, has been provided for subsidized housing. Councilman Lawrence Klein, who has been on the council board for eight years, believes that Greenmeadow residents have been patient long enough. “I think that the Greenmeadow people have been extraordinarily patient,” Klein said. “It’s only been in the last 6-9 months that things have really gotten a lot worse. In this situation, the numbers really count.” Klein also believes that the prohibition of vehicle dwelling combined with the overnight closing of Cubberley will create a safer environment. “I certainly hope the homeless population declines,” he said. “The two laws certainly go together, and they affect the entire city.” Matt Niksa
Defibrillators installed at 52 new locations in Palo Alto Palo Alto officials have installed 52 automated electronic defibrillators (AEDs) throughout August to save victims of cardiac arrest. Palo Alto Fire Chief Eric Nickel felt the plan was necessary for the community to increase a victim’s chance of survival. According to American Red Cross, that chance of survival decreases by 10 percent for every minute without defibrillation. “Defibrillators in the community makes life safer for everybody,” Nickel said. “The faster anyone can defibrillate a heart that stopped, [then] the person’s chance of survival goes up very significantly.” According to Nickel, the 52 AEDs were only a start to their program, and there would be hundreds of defibrillators installed throughout the city in public areas. In addition to the program, Nickel states that there will be partnerships with other organizations to get the community more involved. “It’s really about the Fire Department helping the community and the community helping the Fire Department,” Nickel said. Aayush Dubey
Copy Editor
On Friday, Sept. 13, all clubs convened on the quad and hosted a sneak peek of the different perspectives and attitudes of the school as part of Club Day. Club Day was not an easy process; a lot of hard work and effort goes into organizing the event to make the day a success. “Clubs submit charter applications then SEC, [Student Activities Director Lisa] Hall and I review them and make a decision about whether or not they will be chartered,” Student Executive Council (SEC) Clubs Commissioner Lucy Oyer said. “We have been planning Club Day since the beginning of the school year and it’s all came together really nicely. ” More than one hundred clubs participated in the event. According to Oyer, all chartered clubs participated in Club Day. Clubs put on displays and gave out free candy to members who signed up. Because of the large number of clubs, however, Oyer had some concerns. “Sometimes we have issues with the amount of space, but we [redid] the layout so it will be more conducive to comfort for everyone,” she said. Club Day helps to build the school community. “It’s a great way to build confidence and crucial life skills,” Model United Nations club president Hope Schroeder said. Oyer agreed. “I love the positive atmosphere and energy that’s always present on Club Day,” she said. “They all want you to join their club and they are willing to give you lots of great free stuff to prove it. People come for the free candy and stay for the great clubs and extracurricular opportunities.” Club Day represents the start of a new year for everyone involved in it. “I like Club Day because it’s cool to see all of the different interests of Gunn being displayed at the same time,” Speech and Debate club president David Patou said. Schroeder also thinks Club Day is a way to learn
more about Gunn. “Club Day is a great opportunity, especially for underclassmen, who may not know about all of the opportunities Gunn has to offer,” she said. “It’s a great way to promote the things that we offer here at Gunn.”
Anthony Tran
Top: Key Club officers unlock the door for aspiring club members. Bottom: Junior Jamie Shen and sophomore Yui Sasajima of TEDxGunnHighSchool hand out fliers to students passing by their booth on Club Day.
Staff pleased with new building
thus letting the teachers work together better. English teacher Justin Brown supports this very enthusiastically. “I think the best thing about [the Building N, the math and English building new building] is that for the first time ever since near the little theater, was completed over the I’ve been here at Gunn, all of us at the English desummer just in time for the respective teachers partment get to be in the same building,” Brown to settle in. The classrooms on the first f loor are said. “That’s huge for the camaraderie of our numbered in the 100s while the classrooms on the department, for building the community within second f loor are numbered in the 200s. Overall, our department—it makes a big difference. We the teachers’ reactions to the new buildings have are able to see each other more frequently and been mostly positive. we are able to collaborate more frequently.” In Many teachers appreciate the new building the new buildings, math and English teachers for its high ceilings and expanded space as it share space with their own departments and have added to bot h t he psycologica l and physica l additional conference room space. “The teachenvironment of the ers’ office space is cla s sro om s . “One great because we’re of the main differall in one room so ences f rom where i t ’s e a s y t o w o r k “I think the best thing about [the we were before is together to collabonew building] is that for the first that we have more rate,” Gleason said. space to spread Despite the many time ever since I’ve been here at out,” math teacher great things about Gunn, all of us at the English deDaniel Hahn said. t he new bui ld ing, partment get to be in the same “Last year, I taught there is one aspect a l l my c l a s s e s i n of the building building.” the same room, but t h at m a ny t e a c hduring my prep peers agree is a slight —English teacher Justin Brown riods, other teachnuisance: location. ers would come in Though not as isoand use my room and we shuff led around. But lated as the Village portables, the Building N is it’s nice to have our own spaces where we can still quite far from much of the action at Gunn. work and set up environments for our classes to “From my old classroom, I could see the quad keep the setting consistent.” Math teacher Diane so it was nice to be able to be in the middle of Gleason agrees with Hahn in that the new space everything and see whatever activities were gohas been a welcome change. “We have got trees ing on and then here I feel a little bit isolated,” and nice views [from the second f loor], it’s very Hahn said. “I feel a little bit removed from the pleasant,” Gleason said. “The high ceilings feel rest of school.” However, teachers who relocated a lot different. Overall, the new rooms are very from the village do not feel the impact of the light and airy, there is lots of space, making them location as much. “Now it’s as if the math and more comfortable and inviting.” English departments have our own little town Besides the actual building rooms being larger, down here so it feels a little bit cut off from the the fact that the teachers of the math and English main part of the action at school, but when I was departments are now together in a single building in the Village, I certainly felt very far removed,” has added much unity to the teachers’ community Brown said. Lawrence Chen News Editor
News
Friday, September 20, 2013
THEORACLE
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Ho m e c o m i n g 101
780 Arastradero Rd. Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 354-8238 www.gunnoracle.com
Turn the Page: Main events of the week
Editorial Board
Night Rally
Editor-in-Chief Catalina Zhao Managing Editors Mitch Donat Lucy Oyer News Cooper Aspegren Nabeel Chollampat Lawrence Chen
Features Rebecca Alger Chaewon Lee Danielle Yacobson
The homecoming dance is the first semi-formal dance of the year to finish off the exciting homecoming week. This year, the dance will be held in the new gym. It is a very fun occasion for students to either dance with friends or with their respective homecoming dates. If you want some dance tips, check out page 23 of Entertainment.
Floats
Centerfold Rachel Lew Stephanie Zhang Sports Lena Campbell Alvin Wang Erica Watkins
Photo Audey Shen Graphics Jasmine Garnett
Staff Copy Anuva Ganapathi Kavya Padmanabhan Tim Wang Tech Pooja Belur Roy Shadmon Business/Circulation Erica Lee Shireen Ahsan (Asst.) Matt Niksa (Asst.) Regina Tran (Asst.)
Every year during homecoming week, students dress up according to the general theme of the day. This year, the themes of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are Comics, Magazines, and Classics, respectively. However, the Monday and Friday of every Homecoming week are the same every year. On Monday, students wear their grade’s color. On Friday, all of the students band together to dress up in Gunn’s signature red and black colors.
Compiled by Roy Shadmon and Anuva Ganapathi Jasmine Garnett
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.
Reporters Elinor Aspegren, Shawna Chen, Ian Cramer, Aayush Dubey, Kush Dubey, Lisa Hao, Yuki Klotz-Burwell, Esther Kozakevich, Emily Kvitko, Christine Lin, Alex Man, Naina Murthy, Arjun Sahdev, Henry Siu, Justin Wenig, Andy Zhou Adviser Kristy Blackburn
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.
~Letter from the Editor~
Photographers Stephanie Kim Anthony Tran Graphics Artists Paige Anderson Alexandra Gong Anton Oyung Allison Paley Carolyn Zhou Dave Zhu
“The most difficult part about organizing and building floats has definitely been time. Especially since homecoming is really early this year, our time is quite limited and there is a lot of hours and effort that needs to be put in to make this the best float possible” —senior Julie Xin
Dressing up
Entertainment Samantha Acker Misheel Enkhbat Noa Livneh
Dance
Forum Ben Atlas Leon Cheong Klaire Tan
“With each year, the people in our class realize how cool homecoming is, and want to get more involved. For example, people who didn’t do airbands last year are joining this year after seeing how fun it was.” –junior Danny Golovinsky
Catalina Zhao Hello fellow Titans and citizens of Palo Alto. My name is Catalina Zhao and I am the Editor-in-Chief of The Oracle this year. It is my pleasure to announce that the National Scholastic Press Association named our publication a finalist for the 2013 Pacemaker Award, which is one of the highest national distinctions for student excellence in journalism. This year is the first time we have received this honor in the last ten years, so we are very proud of our accomplishment. My job is to maintain—and improve—the high quality of The Oracle and bring to readers like you a newspaper for your enjoyment and information. In order to make The Oracle the best it can be, I have some goals for myself and my staff this year. First of all, we want to eliminate the errors
in our stories to increase easy readability. Since we edit each page meticulously, no spelling or grammar mistakes should escape our notice. Our text should also adhere to Associated Press (AP) style guidelines. We cannot forget the stories either, which are the backbone of our paper. This year we aim to cover a diverse range of topics, and we especially want to take larger-scale subjects, such as those of the state or nation, and relate them to what is happening locally. In this issue, we have stories and spreads along those lines, such as Centerfold’s focus on the statewide School Success and Opportunity Act and how it relates to Gunn’s plans to accommodate transgender students. We encourage anyone, Gunn student or not, to submit story ideas to us. At at a first glance, our newspaper should be engaging and stimulating. Therefore, another goal this year is to experiment with new, more creative layouts. No newspaper is complete without its audience, so we plan to increase our readership. One of the ways we started involving Gunn students is through the Instagram food photo
submissions this cycle. The number of photos we received far exceeded our expectations, and we plan to hold more submission opportunities throughout the year to further engage our readers. We also plan to improve our website to attract more visitors. And since social media is all the hype, we are increasing our activity on Facebook and Twitter to update and involve our readers more often. Another piece of news I am excited to share is the Titan Broadcast Network (TBN) and The Oracle joint venture. The combination of these two mediums allows us numerous opportunities, such as featuring TBN-made videos based on our stories. We are also implementing Aurasma, which is a smartphone application that allows people to view photos and videos by scanning any linked photo printed in the paper. Our staff works hard every month to produce The Oracle. If you have any feedback, please do not hesitate to contact us because we value your opinions in improving our paper. Here’s to a great year! Thank you, Catalina Zhao
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Construction on walkway begins Nabeel Chollampat News Editor On Tuesday, Sept. 17, construction began on the corridor between Spangenberg Theatre and the new building. During the first weeks of school, students could use the walkway in front of the art building to get to the new building. Because the hallway is being fenced off for construction, the only access to the new building for the next six weeks will be through the freshman quad and around the little theater. According to Assistant Principal of Facilities Kimberley Cowell, the construction schedule is currently set for six weeks. She was worried that the bases of the columns that hold up the fences were a safety hazard. “They had originally fenced it off so that not only was it narrow, but there was a curve to maneuver,” she said. “I just knew someone was going to trip and fall over the roots, so we had to cut it off.” The finished project will include a wide corridor from the N building to the quad. It will also have steps going down to the N building as well as a ramp for disabled or injured students. An added benefit is that carts can now drive through the area in case of an emergency. Cowell believes that the project, which was implemented for safety’s sake, will be an necessary inconvenience. “Fortunately, it’s not a huge project, and relatively speaking, it’s not a long project, either,” she said. Cowell hopes the construction will end sooner than currently planned and that the walkway will be open as quickly as possible.
News
Protestors at Gunn challenge district practices
instructors, one core subject teacher and one Special Ed. teacher, Administrators say a student can also be considered for Spe- as well as a balance of regular lane and Special Ed. students. “We cial Ed. services after intervention services evaluate whether have moved into a full inclusion service delivery model,” Pulimhe or she is in need of further provision. An IEP team referral amidi said. “That means the student [is] being educated in the process begins whenever the answer is yes. If the process con- least restrictive environment, as deemed appropriate by the IEP firms the need for a complete examination and the family gives team [while we] provide as much support within that setting.” consent, then the student undergoes a full assessment and meets Skelly believes FAPE to be the district’s most important priority. with his IEP team over the course of a 60-day timeline to discuss “We work hard to achieve FAPE and with the vast majority of areas of strength and deficit and organize a plan for the student our [Special Ed.] families, this works very well,” he said. “We if he qualifies for Special Ed. services. In addition, annual IEP need to work for higher satisfaction among parents and students updates ensure that services are assisting in progress. When any with their education, whether the student is in Special Ed. or member of the IEP team, such as the student, a parent or a staff not.” Regardless of whether the district keeps in consideration member, feels that the Special Ed. services are no longer needed, an IEP meeting can be called to reassess whether the student can the true purpose behind the protest, Mendoza hopes that it will be placed in regular lanes. A meeting can also be called at any bring to light the issues associated with bullying and discriminatime if supplementary supports are deemed necessary by any tion against Special Ed. students. “Some of them were born like that [and] we don’t know why; some of them had accidents but IEP team member. Although Mendoza said that the protests took place in part to it’s not their fault,” she said. “If at least you’re not their friend, prevent families from being taken to court, according to Skelly, don’t make fun of them.” As for teachers and school officials, placement is never the center of any district-family court case she asks that they listen to Special Ed. students and treat every and that other options are explored to resolve the conflict. “Gen- child with respect. “Usually, they don’t make things up,” she said. erally, there’s some sort of third party that helps the district and “Usually, if they tell you this is going on, it is going on. Investifamily come to agreement,” he said. “The role of the mediator gate [and] –fix it before it gets out of hand. [Otherwise], it’s not is to facilitate discussion and understanding and bring things fair to the family, the child or the school.” to a conclusion.” However, a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) is what the district strives for. “Most of [these cases] are solved through IEP meetings and communication between schools and family,” Gunn Special Ed. Instructional Supervisor Shivani Pulimamidi said. “Everyone wants what’s right for the student.” In correspondence with reaching FAPE, Special Ed. services have been incorporating co-teaching. CoShawna Chen taught classes consist of two Protestors assembled on Arastradero at the bus stop across the street from the entrance to Gunn. PROTESTORS—p.1
News
Friday, September 20, 2013
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Orchestra prepares for nationwide conference Chaewon Lee Features Editor
For the first time in school history, the orchestra will be performing at the Annual Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference. The orchestra is one of just four string orchestras from all 50 states invited to the conference and the first orchestra from California to attend the event in ten years. The highly selective event, taking place in Chicago this December, will feature students and professional musicians from all over the world. The Midwest Conference will also mark the first time the orchestra has attended a national music event. “I’m excited to hear other orchestras outside of the Bay Area, because I’ve only heard school orchestras from here,” co-concertmaster junior Kyoko Inagawa said. According to orchestra director Sandra Lewis, acceptance to the conference stood as a significant milestone for the music department. Last year, Lewis had put down attending the Midwest conference as one of her goals for in the Visual and Performing Arts department’s five-year plan. Previously, the orchestra had been rejected three times after going through a rigorous audition process. However, last May, Lewis and her students learned that they had finally made the cut to perform. “Every year we submitted an application/ recording, we got better and better because there’s an intensity behind auditioning for [such a prestigious event],” band director Todd Summers said. According to Summers, the group is practicing at a much more intense pace
than they have done in previous years due to time constraints. “Normally, you hope that your group peaks at the end of the year with their best performance, but we need the students to peak in December with an end-of-the-year level performance, which is half the time amount of time [they usually have]” he said. “But we are excited to then see what we can accomplish during second semester. How far can we go musically?” According to Summers, the students are also practicing with a much more diverse repertoire than they are used to performing. Even with the extra work required at the beginning of the school year in an effort to prepare for the clinic, the teachers and students are eager to prove their talents by the end of the semester. “The biggest excitement for me as teacher is just having the opportunity to show several thousand music educators the quality of student work that we have here at Gunn High School,” Summers said. Inagawa is also looking forward to the invaluable learning opportunity that the experience will provide her and her fellow classmates. “You get to show off your orchestra [at the clinic], but you also get to listen to other orchestras and it helps you better yourself,” she said. Even though the orchestra’s hour-long repertoire is filled with a wide variety of selections, Lewis feels that one piece in particular, a jazzy improvisation manuscript, truly showcases not only the orchestra’s talent, but also its unique, bold side. “I’m excited for our string orchestra to play [the song] for the music educators and show them what it’s like to play pieces that are a
MakeX project opens Elinor Aspegren Reporter
In September, Mobile Makerspace (MakeX) opened at the Palo Alto City Library. In April 2013, the Palo Alto Art Center and the City of Palo Alto began to work on this project, which its official website defines as a place where “young people have an opportunity to explore their own interests.” MakeX will remain at the Palo Alto Art Center until Oct. 15. Then, it will move throughout Palo Alto. It will be open on Thursday nights, Saturdays and Sundays. Sophomore Emma Waldspurger, who was one of the 15 local teens involved in the project, describes the space as a
Audey Shen
Students work on handcrafted projects at the newly opened Mobile Makerspace.
place to explore and find inner creativity. “[You] can make things—anything you can dream of,” she said. “And there are many tools to help you do it.” Resources in the MakeX include a stamp maker, sketch pads and jewelry-making supplies, along with a sewing machine, an iron and a laser cutter. There are also many mentors employed in order to help students find supplies and learn how to work the various tools provided in the space. According to Waldspurger, the accessible supplies, although essential for students in pursuing their interests, are not the most important part of Makerspace. “The space is more defined by the ideas and the creativity and the people within it,” she said. The planning board, comprised primarily of teens, created MakeX after receiving a grant from the California City Library. “We decided we wanted to create a safe environment,” Waldspurger said. “When you are at school, you are getting graded on your work, but here you can safely try things out.” After deciding the focus of the project, Director of the Art Center Karen Kienzle and the teens began designing the furniture. “The teens used the design thinking method to start designing and prototyping the furniture,” Kienzle said. The teens then worked with architect Chris Nol to make their ideas a reality. “They picked a number of things that they thought would be useful and they did concepts and we talked to them about worked and what didn’t,” Nol said. According to Nol, after that, the teens critiqued each other’s models and started working on the full scale design. “[I] then had to make it work, so we did some computer designs and brought the designs back to the teens,” he said. “The teens had a lot of great ideas on what the space needed.”
Anthony Tran
Above: Cellist rehearses for the Annual Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference in December. Below: Band teacher Todd Summers conducts the orchestra in a rehearsal. little bit more outside of the normal string orchestra realm,” Lewis said. “That’s a huge achievement and a huge accomplishment for a group to able to go and present that.” Lewis’s ultimate goal in preparing her students for the conference is to ensure
that the students have the best experience that they possibly can at the conference. “I want them to be able to see what its like to work really hard on music and focus on their playing and to get music at a high level,” Lewis said.
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THEORACLE
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EDITORIAL: The Opinion of The Oracle
California bill prohibiting mandatory school fees is step in the right direction
This year, Palo Alto Unified summer ditional electives and courses. school students unexpectedly received Because extracurricular activities and full refunds for course fees and were able materials have remained mostly free of to attend classes free of charge. The clari- charge in the last few years, the biggest fication of California’s Assembly Bill (AB) change brought by AB 1575 will be seen in 1575, which took place in the assembly on the summer school program. This adjustMay 30, 2012, caused this sudden change. ment will give students who were not able In the past, the Palo Alto Unified School to afford more expensive summer courses District required a $400 to $500 fee for through the district equal opportunity for a summer school course. However, AB placement in classes of their choice. They 1575 removed the fees completely be- will not have to settle for second-best or cause it proask for hibits public p o t e n A free and equal education will schools from tially una c c e p t i n g be truly available, and students avai lable s t u d e n t s ’ will be able to absorb the mate- f i n a n money in aid. rial presented in class without ever cial payment for Wh e t h e r educational worrying about cost or money. they come resources from a such as summer school, extracurricular family of low or high income, students activities and class materials. Although can sign up for desired courses and enjoy this change may diminish district funds, interacting with teachers and classmates. the change is a step in the right direction A free and equal education will be truly because it grants greater access to educa- available, and students will be able to abtional opportunities for students in lower sorb the material presented in class withincome brackets. out ever worrying about cost or money. Along with the assurance of free sumIn the same way, underprivileged stumer school, students will no longer be dents will no longer face discrimination if required to pay for extracurricular activi- they are unable to pay for extracurricular ties and class supplies, which include fees activities and supplies. In the past, teachfor P.E. uniforms, textbooks and sports ers might write on the board the names equipment. Similarly, the district is not of students who did not bring in payment allowed to charge students for tutoring for items such as books. But for some, the sessions, after-school sports, clubs or ad- reason for this was not laziness or for-
getfulness—it was a lack of money. Since the public display often allowed other peers to deduce who could and could not afford to pay, many lowincome students felt embarrassed. Now, with AB 1575 fully enforced, these students will no longer have to face discomfort due to financial difficulties. School necessities will be provided at no cost to all students, regardless of socioeconomic class or staPaige Anderson bility. Students depend on the public school system for many resources. If the system denies them opportunities to grow as pupils, then it is denying them future prospects in college, careers and beyond. The responsibility of a school is to nurture students’ success, whether that be academically, physically, mentally or emotionally. If low-income students are being ignored and pushed
down, then the school has not done its duties. AB 1575 will give all students access to any materials they need without singling anyone out, and in the end, all students will benefit. A Sept. 2010 lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which accused public school officials of blatantly violating the free education guarantee decreed in the State Constitution, led to the full enforcement of AB 1575 across California. It is what all students deserve: easy access to aid in creating an enjoyable and secure learning environment. This way, students of high- and low-income families can participate freely without the constant fear of being discriminated or humiliated. The public school system is designed to provide opportunity for all, and if that is to be carried out to its full extent, then implementing the regulations outlined by AB 1575 will surely move us forward towards that goal by providing for all. —Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the staff (assenting: 32; dissenting: 7; abstaining: 7)
Limited government transparency is necessary to ensure national safety
Rachel Lew This May, British newspaper The Guardian received secret information on government surveillance programs from former Central Intelligence Agency analyst Edward Snowden. Since then, national debates have raged as citizens question the government’s choice to not relay information on spying tactics, including the fact that the U.S. government used the help of major technology companies, like Microsoft, Google and Yahoo, to gather information on the companies’ product users. The U.S. government is justified, however, in its reluctance toward embracing transparency on its surveillance programs. Because transparency can only be achieved through the media, which is globally accessible, information on surveillance methods leaked to U.S. citizens and allies is simultaneously leaked to the country’s enemies. According to The New York Times, at a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Jun. 18, 2013, General Keith B. Alexander, the head of the National Security Agency (NSA), defended the agency’s surveillance programs that he said had helped prevent “potential terrorist events over 50 times since 9/11.” He also insisted that
information on other surveillance programs remain undisclosed: “In the 12 years since the attacks on Sept. 11, we have lived in relative safety and security as a nation...That security is a direct result of the intelligence community’s quiet efforts to better connect the dots and learn from the mistakes that permitted those attacks to occur.” Gen. Alexander’s words illustrate that the government refuses to publicize details on how its programs have preve nt e d terrorism on the grounds of concealing those details from terrorists.
Some of those who opine that the government’s lack of transparency is a form of deceit also believe in the snowball effect and feel that secrecy will lead to lies and pervasive propaganda, culminating in totalitarianism. In a democratic state, however, this fear is far-fetched. U.S. authorities hold positions for terms and are voted on by the citizens; an individual does not stay
in power long enough to exercise totalitarianism and would forgo support in future elections
Dave Zhu
if he or she implemented such societal controls. President Barack Obama,
compelled by public uproar over the NSA’s revealed encroachments, recently made a public statement calling for greater
transparency in the government to the public. As demonstrated by his actions, transpar-
ency and the lack thereof have the same effect: both raise the citizens’ support of the government, which allows the government to manage the country more easily and to accomplish goals and be more progressive. For example, in the United Kingdom, the introduction of closed-circuit television (CCTV), a video surveillance system to prevent crime that set up one camera for every eleven people, the public reaction was not as negative as that of the U.S. to the PRISM surveillance program. Transparenc y does not carry a risk of causing even more public dissent in the future. However, it enables national security if the government uses it safely. The solution is a compromise: citizens must learn to accept some uncertainty and control by the government and trust the government to act for the good of the citizens. If not, they must organize and collectively take diplomatic action to ensure that the government acts accordingly. Without trust between a representative body and the people, progress for the people will never exist. —Lew, a senior, is a Centerfold Editor.
Friday, September 20, 2013
District should take aggressive action to combat student streaking PRO
Lisa Hao
CON
A llison Pa ley
Streaking has been a popular tradition in Palo Alto for longer than most can remember. For some students, their high school experience wouldn’t be the same without the occasional nude body sprinting across the quad. However, Palo Alto High School’s principal Kim Dioro has recently sent out a letter to her students reiterating the consequences of streaking. Although streaking is not a big part of the Gunn cu lt u re, it shou ld not be encouraged. One of the main issues of streaking is simply how distasteful it is. It breaches our right to be able to choose when, where and how we want to be introduced to t he complete human body. Although streaking is done all in good nature and for some laughs, most incoming Gunn students haven’t seen a fully naked body in public and have absolutely no desire to. Looking at the human anatomy in Biology class is quite different from seeing it run past you in person. One should be able to choose
Mitch Donat It’s not easy to find a high school where t here isn’t a group of seniors running naked through the campus at least once a year. Streaking is simply a lighthearted tradition a nd shou ld not be ta ken as somet hing more serious. However, following a hot streaking trend, Palo Alto High School (Paly) released a statement saying that they would attempt to crack down on the streaking tradition. This included increasing the severity of punishments and making suspension and police involvement a possibility. Paly Principal Kim Diorio justified this policy by describing streaking as unsafe and educationally disruptive. However, while streaking should not necessarily be condoned, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) also should not be putting in extra effort to punish students who participate in the age-old tradition of streaking. This attempt to more severely punish student streakers only encourages more riotous behavior and draws attention away from the more important issues that need to be dealt with. Currently, there are no Paly students on their quad throwing up after seeing a couple of streakers because they do not take it seriously. But if officials choose to run after a few streakers in order to detain and discipline them, it only provokes the students. An example of such has already been seen in Palo Alto—after Diorio made the statement on the school’s increased action against streaking, a group of students responded by streaking the week after. In this act of rebellion against the district, the streakers made it clear that they would not let the new policies affect their actions. What the district set out to accomplish in the first place completely backfired on it, as the strict anti-streaking code only encouraged students to show that they did not want to be controlled. There are those who will argue that streaking creates both a negative learning environment for students and a poor image of the school to outsiders. Whether such a claim is true is up for debate. However, many other elements that can create
the time and place that he feels mature enough to see his first bare, hairy body instead of having the image forced upon him. Private parts are called private for a reason. Furthermore, streaking often gives way to lots of gossip and rumors about who it was and what his or her body is like. Streakers are putting their naked bodies in public and making themselves vulnerable to the spiteful and mean comments high schoolers can make. However, it goes both ways. People who streak are usually the people who are decently confident in their body and the way it looks. Yet, the majority of teenagers are not satisfied with the way they look even though they wish they could be. Students who struggle with their self-image might compare themselves to the streakers and feel as though they do not suffice. The media constantly portrays the idea of what beauty is and makes it nearly impossible to be confident in one’s own looks. It has changed the typical mindset of appreciating what one has to wanting what one lacks. Streaking can help diminish feelings of confidence and create the feeling of not being good enough. Streaking is also disruptive and can pose a threat to Gunn’s learning environment. It is already hard enough for students to focus for the whole school day, but should streaking occur, students will be thinking about flying body parts and silly masks instead of trying to focus on class work. Gunn’s mission statement may be to “foster a community of creative thinkers,” but creativity should not interfere with learning. However, if students do decide to streak and happen to get caught, they will most likely be suspended. Police may even be involved and they can be labeled as a sex offender. No “tradition” should have so many drawbacks. Just because it is considered a “tradition” does not mean that it should be glorified or continued. —Hao, a sophomore, is a reporter a much more emotionally unsafe school env ironment exist. The district should not focus it s at tent ion on streaking because t here are ot her more prominent issues currently going on. Drug use, cheating and depression occur frequently, yet the district has not made any statements about how it plans to resolve t hose problems, even though they negatively affect students much more than streaking can. Just because the district and students do not actually see these issues during a school day, like they do with streaking, the learning environment of the school is harmed on a much larger scale. Compared to other problems happening in Palo Alto schools, streaking is insignificant. Paly’s administration and the rest of the district should dismiss any further action to suppress and punish the relatively harmless tradition of streaking. Although provocative in nature, streaking can be seen as a solidified ritual in high school, and, most of all, it is the least of the problems that the district has on its hands right now. —Donat, a senior, is a Managing Editor
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Society is overly critical of freaking Esther Kozakevich
I didn’t really know what to expect going into the first dance of freshman year. I didn’t have any older siblings or friends, so my knowledge of high school at the time consisted of a mix of “The Breakfast Club” and “Mean Girls.” You could say I was not prepared for the shenanigans that were about to ensue. No number of Molly Ringwald 80s movies could have emotionally equipped me to handle the sight of upperclassmen swapping spit and rubbing up against each other. I wasn’t so much disgusted as I was shocked and slightly perplexed. Why are they doing that in public? Are they actually receiving pleasure from such activities? However, within a short period of time, I grew to understand and even appreciate freaking, and I’m here to share my insights. If the thought of two people grinding against each other makes you want to upchuck your lunch, that’s all right, but hopefully you will keep an open mind as I explain why freaking is actually not so bad. Being a teenager can be confusing. When we’re not dealing with raging hormones, expectations regarding our futures or sleep deprivation, we are also forced to sort out the conflicting messages being sent to us concerning our sexuality. Girls are expected to be not only experienced and sexy like Victoria’s Secret models, but also to act and be modest like “good girls.” Meanwhile, guys are told that during this age it is normal for them to think about sex all the time. These mixed messages can often leave teens confused and frustrated. Freaking is a way for teens to express their sexuality while meeting societal standards. For both girls and guys, freaking is a safe and noncommittal way to dance and feel good. It allows people to have fun in a pleasurable way. As teens, we have all these hormones in us that are telling our bodies we are ready for sex. However, we might not be emotionally ready for sexual activity yet. Freaking is a good way to release all the tension these hormones are causing without compromising our safety with the risk of STDs or pregnancies. If you still think freaking is absolutely vile and want no part of it, that’s okay too. In fact, the consensual nature is the whole beauty of freaking. You cannot physically force someone to freak, so it’s always consensual. Although it’s not uncommon for certain guys to simply walk up behind girls and start furiously gyrating without even asking, it’s very simple to turn around and decline. If you are not interested in freaking, it is something you can easily avoid. The biggest argument people have against freaking is that it’s inappropriate. They say it is vile and immoral and that partaking in actions which simulate sex is a sin. However, I believe that everyone has different ideas of what constitutes as immoral and inappropriate. It seems that every generation has its own “hip” dance, and in every generation, there is a group of people who call it vulgar and disgusting. The Charleston, Jitterbug and Waltz, all considered harmless now, were once thought to be inappropriate amongst the higher class. Freaking is just a continuation of the history of dance, and in a few years, a new fad in the dancing world will surely arise. There is no need for there to be such strong moral controversy regarding such an inconstant culture. All in all, freaking is fun, safe and easily avoidable if you’re not interested. It’s a great way for teenagers to express their sexualities without breaching society’s norms, and it’s always safe and consensual. Just remember to stay safe, have fun and try not to be judgmental. —Kozakevich, a junior, is a reporter
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Forum
THEORACLE
Line-cutting must stop
New lunch an improvement in health and taste Dave Zhu
Klaire Tan When people say the world isn’t perfect, they’re usually referencing the bigger picture: the conflict in Syria, the shrinking ozone layer or the problems with healthcare. As a result, the majority of us live our lives passively accepting one dangerous excuse: the world’s problems are simply too big for us to fix as individuals. However, if we take a closer look, we might just realize that the world’s problems can be broken down into smaller components that can be reasonably addressed. The truth is that people can change the world for the better, and it all starts by dealing with the little things like cutting in line. While cutting in line might appear to simply be a matter of waiting a few minutes longer, it is, in reality, a phenomenon that reflects the moral character and strength of a society as a whole. Cutting in line (and the basic injustice the action represents) has become a daily and blatantly accepted occurrence at Gunn, and that speaks poorly of our student body’s ability to overcome social conformity and pressures. The student population needs to begin standing up to line cutters, regardless of who they are: a random stranger, a classmate, a friend or even oneself. After all, if we aren’t able to stand up against small injustices, how can we be expected to act when greater things are at stake? The first difficulty students need to overcome in curbing line cutting at Gunn is the attitude of broad acceptance most people hold. At our school, line jumping usually occurs in the form of friends joining up with someone who is already waiting. While this form of cutting in line is even more disrespectful and unfair than usual line jumping since several new individuals are allowed to enter the line, students have come to openly practice such behavior. Some have already acknowledged it as an expected fixture of Gunn’s lines. This tolerant attitude towards cutting in line at Gunn has bred an environment where line cutters fail to consider the ethics of what they’re doing. Consequently, when new students arrive at Gunn, they’re ushered into a pre-established system where it’s cut or get cut. From this emerges a vicious cycle in which new individuals are assimilated into the institution of line jumping and consequently provide the social pressure necessary to force future generations to follow. Students have to take a step back and realize that there is rarely any justification for cutting in line. When we decide to wait in line, we are agreeing that whatever service will be rendered in return is worth sacrificing time for. If we aren’t willing to put up with the wait, then we shouldn’t be permitted to receive whatever services or goods others are waiting for. At Gunn, long wait times and the risk of being tardy are issues every student has to consider when choosing to wait in line. Everyone can come up with an excuse for cutting in line. We can all say, “they’re going to run out of pizza” or “I have class in the village next.” However, once we allow any exceptions to occur and justify them with poor excuses, the line between what is acceptable and what is not blurs. To ensure justice is fairly distributed, lines should stick to serving people in the order they arrive, no matter what “legitimate” excuse an individual may have. Ultimately, the task of redefining social norms at Gunn should be, and is, one left up to the students. After all, we are the ones who originally allowed line jumping to become the status quo. Students should neither expect adults to reinforce fair social norms at Gunn nor fight our battles just because we fail to do so ourselves. We are the ones who decided that people could cut lines at our school, and we are also the ones who will decide whether students will continue to do so in the future. —Tan, a junior, is a Forum Editor.
Something new is brewing at Gunn High School. Renewed, revamped and fresher than ever, the school lunch menu has improved this year with tastier and healthier options. These new choices were suggested by the Gunn Student Executive Council and various parent groups. Better in both health and taste, the new entrees this year are well worth the relatively meager 25 cent increase. According to Nutrition Services Director Alva Spence, many more students have been eating school lunches now than they have in previous years. In a survey The Oracle conducted with 118 students, 63 percent of students who experienced last year’s lunch menu said that they were more likely to eat school lunch this year. The results can be seen everyday, as the lunch line has grown so considerably since the start of the school year that the cafeteria staff has had to open up several stations. Not only does this show the overwhelming satisfaction with the new menu, but it also shows increased demand for the higher quality meals,
which will ultimately increase the cafeteria’s revenue in the coming months. It is a win-win situation: the cafeteria receives the funding it needs to support itself and students happily walk away with tasty lunches. With the improved quality of the lunch menu comes increased nutrition. The new menu entrées are annually reconsidered for healthiness, and the culinary restructuring this year has been the largest one yet. In an increasingly health -conscious community, the district has been successful in keeping up with the nutritional wants of the student body, offering foods like teriyaki chicken and
tortellini instead of the daily dry burger. Along with the general improvements in food quality comes a price. The cost of school lunch has risen from $4.25 to $4.50, a 25 cent increase. But according to Spence, the price increase is necessary to maintain a positive balance with the costs of organic ingredients, as well as to accommodate the extra staff required in
preparing the new entrées. That said, 54 percent of students surveyed felt that the increase in price was a fair trade-off for the improved lunch menu, and the substantial increase in lunch sales proves that many are willing to pay a little extra. However, a glaring problem remains. Due to the student body’s heightened demand for school lunch, lunch itself has become less and less accessible as the line has grown too long for students to wait. In the survey, 92 percent of students were motivated to leave the lunch line because of the extended waiting time. However, the staff was able to create a simple yet effective solution. To combat the inefficiency of lunch distribution, the cafeteria set up an extra lunch stall outside that serves the same food as the indoor cafeteria does and will open more if the need arises, a plan that will allow students quicker access to their meals. Overall, the substantial increase in the lunch menu’s healthiness and general appeal is well worth the extra 25 cents. Also, unlike the previous cafeteria options, the Dave Zhu new selections promote a healthier diet. The school is now effectively fulfilling its duty to serve the student body with tasty and nutritious selection of lunch foods in order to improve students’ eating choices. Even with a marginal price increase, the school food this year is an exceptional choice for lunch. —Zhu, a junior, is a reporter.
Student involvement vital in bullying prevention
Aayush Dubey Over the past year, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) has worked to develop new bullying policies and procedures in response to new state laws and to fulfill requirements of its resolution agreement with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) regarding recent disabilitybased harassment cases. According to Superintendent Kevin Skelly in his Mar. 6 message to the community, the school board is now working to implement a “comprehensive training and outreach program... t hroughout t he District.” In light of the recent focus on bullying policies and awareness programs, it should be noted that the most effective methods of bullying prevention are those that engage the students on an emotional level. Gunn’s emphasis on student participation in its student wellness programs, such as Not In Our School
(NIOS) Week and the soonto-be-implemented digital citizenship lesson, is key to providing a safe environment for students at school. The district should similarly focus on student involvement in any programs implemented in the future for all schools in the district.
these activities challenge students to share their experiences and learn to understand their differences. For example, as part of the “Considering Our Differences” activity hosted on Tuesday of the week, freshmen participate in a learning disability simulation. This
Carolyn Zhou
N IO S We e k a i m s to impart students at Gunn with an important message of acceptance and respect through its activities, according to math teacher Daisy Renazco, who helps organize the campaign. Instead of students passively watching a presentation,
valuable exercise allows students to understand what it means to have a learning disability, thereby building empathy. Because such NIOS activities directly involve the students, they leave a longer-lasting message. The district should develop similar activities in all of its schools. Doing so will promote personal investment in bullying prevention throughout all schools, ultimately increasing the district’s safety overall. Gunn will also conduct a lesson plan on digita l citizenship in October. According to social studies
teacher Ronen Habib, who helped organize it, the lesson will teach students how to deal with digital drama through a series of exercises that will simulate cyber bullying scenarios students may encounter. After participating in the simulation within their B period class, students will discuss their thoughts with classmates in small groups. This emphasis of student involvement is key to ensuring students are receptive to a program’s message. By challenging the student to empathize with the situation on a personal level, such as in a simulation, lesson plans are more likely to have students respond to the message. Increased personal involvement by students is a significant and necessary change t hat t he district should adopt in its future student wellness programs. With NIOS Week and digital citizenship lesson plans in mind as effective examples, PAUSD can ensure students are receptive to the crucial idea of accepting their peers, no matter the differences that may exist among them. —Dubey, a junior, is a reporter.
Features
Friday, September 20, 2013
9
Photos courtesy of Grace and Ruby Robinson
Left: Junior Grace Robinson holds her sister, freshman Ruby Robinson, in a lift. Middle: The Robinson girls pose. Right: Grace balances while holding an arabesque.
Meet the Robinsons: equestrian vaulting sister duo Emily Kvitko Reporter
As they fly through the air, junior Grace and freshman Ruby Robinson are focused and in the zone. Landing a back flip off of a moving horse while ten feet above the ground is anything but easy. “There is simply no room for error,” Grace said. Through hours of intense training and determination and even after shattering her ankle last year, Grace was able to perfectly master this dangerous stunt. “Now it just comes naturally,” she said. Described as a combination of gymnastics and dance on horseback, equestrian vaulting challenges the athlete’s sense of balance, flexibility, strength and passion. The vaulter jumps onto the horse and performs various movements with the body as the stallion circles the ring. The girls certainly are not the only ones in their family to engage in activities with horses. “Our mom grew up on a ranch in Nevada and would ride horses everyday,” Grace said. “She wanted us to have the equestrian experience.” Tumbling around
the gym since the age of three, the sisters discovered equestrian vaulting on accident. “It just worked,” they said, smiling. Spending all day together doing what they love, the Robinsons have connected on a deeper level as sisters and friends. “I’ve done every sport in my entire life with my sister,” Grace said. She protectively worries about Ruby’s safety when Ruby executes risky stunts, particularly back flips in freestyle. “I can’t always watch and have to close my eyes because it makes me nervous,” Grace said. Extreme flexibility and strong muscles are both requisite to perform equestrian vaulting. According to Grace, whether she’s in a handstand on top of the horse or physically supporting her teammates, all of her muscles are engaged. “It takes a lot of strength no matter what position you’re in,” Grace said. Ruby is usually the person being lifted. She battles gravity and holds onto control. “I’ve fallen lots of times and have been dropped before while flying,” Ruby said. “It hurts a lot anytime you don’t land on your feet.” As Grace supports her sister’s body from below, Ruby does the repetitive splits in the
air. “I know she won’t drop me,” Ruby said with confidence. She believes that trust in a partner and oneself is key to maintain strong equestrian partnering. “I’d like to say it’s fun and makes you feel awesome, but you actually have to focus and keep track of your base,” she said. From competing separately to competing in teams of six, the girls are incredibly involved. Like many sisters, they occasionally get into heated disagreements. “If we have to do something together, we’re both really competitive and determined,” Grace said. “We usually blame each other for things like falling off the horse.” As August 2014 approaches, the girls continue train harder than ever to prepare for nationals. Equestrian competitions consist of three separate divisions: walk, trot and canter. According to the sisters, nationals hold the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win gold and qualify for the world game, where they would be competing at an Olympic level with some of the world’s best equestrian vaulters. Ruby has qualified for and competed in nationals before. Two years
ago, she won bronze, and last year she took second place. Through years together of perfecting dangerous moves, occasional fights and conquering fear, the Robinson sisters have grown closer than ever. Side by side, they share passion for their sport and believe that it sets them apart from others. “Equestrian vaulting is unique and different,” Grace said. “No one really knows about it.” Grace believes that Ruby looks up to her and holds her at a high standard. “Ruby definitely sees me much better than I see myself,” Grace said. With each others presence, they have learned to overcome fear, but, nevertheless, it remains a part of them as they perform. “It has always been, and is always going to be scary,” Grace said. As teammates, best friends and sisters, the Robinsons have expanded their horizons in different parts of life by learning from equestrian vaulting. “In terms of sports in general, it’s taught me a multitude of different things like working hard, balancing everything, being competitive, and accepting loss,” Grace said.
Artist of the Month: junior Emily Fitzgerald The Oracle: What is your medium? Emily Fitzgerald: It really depends on what I am creating. As a visual artist, most of my pieces are drawings, so it could be anything from ink to colored pencil. I love to use charcoal because it goes onto paper easily and that makes it really easy to be nice and loose with mark making. I also love to use acrylics for painting.
TO: Who or what got you started? EF: I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. I taught myself how to draw at a pretty young age by looking at Disney characters and copying them. By learning how to draw from observation I found myself being able to draw more than just cartoons and I’ve been sketching ever since.
TO: Where do you get your inspiration? EF: It is hard to pinpoint one source of inspiration because I feel like everything I see influences me. Conceptually, I’m affected by the experiences I share with people, music I listen to [and] stories I hear. I’m impacted by everything I see. I spend as much time as I can studying things like the way sunlight hits the leaves on a tree or the way the value change on someone’s facial features creates the appearance of mass. It helps me create more realistic compositions.
TO: Which artists inspire you and why? EF: I’m a big fan of Vincent Van Gogh’s artwork because his color schemes are brilliant. He could take something as simple as a bedroom and make it beautiful because his colors just pay tribute to one another. It’s awesome.
TO: Do you stick to a specific theme when creating art? EF: Like any artist, I go through phases. For example, there are some weeks or months that I’ll be really into a specific medium like ink or graphite. I’d say some of my pieces have the same message, but I don’t stick to a specific theme for all of my work because I would get bored.
TO: Do you typically create pieces of art based on the same theme? EF: Last year I was having a lot of problems with my time at Gunn. I was just really stressed out so a lot of my pieces were about how stressful the environment was. It really depends on what state of emotion you’re in. TO: What motivates you? EF: Honestly there’s not really a specific thing that motivates me besides my own personal interest in artwork. In other words, I do what I want and I want to make art.
TO: Do you want to continue in the future? EF: There’s this one part in “Finding Nemo” where Nemo’s at school and they show this beautiful piece of animation of the coral reef and I remember watching it and thinking “Wow, that’s what I want to do.” Animation would be the perfect career for me because I would get to do what I love and I would get paid—that’s awesome. So, yeah, I definitely want to continue drawing as a career. TO: Why did you choose to do art? EF: I do art because I like it. It’s mostly motivated by my boredom and lack of other talents. Sometimes I’ll see another painting by another artist that inspires me. It could be anything— photographs, the ocean, anything—and I’ll think to myself, “Oh I want to draw that.” TO: Any advice to beginners? EF: I think that anyone can draw. It’s just a matter of what you’re drawing and how much you want to draw it. In “Ratatouille,” I remember them saying “anyone can cook.” It’s the same thing. Anyone can draw, you just have to find the inspiration for it. It’s not what the art looks like, it’s what you make of it. —Compiled by Misheel Enkhbat
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THEORACLE
Math If you had to be a shape, which one would it be? NAME: Michael Bautista CLASSES: Introduction to Analysis and Calculus, Algebra 2 EDUCATION: Stanford University, San Francisco Con- servatory of Music, National University YEARS OF TEACHING: 9 ANSWER TO QUESTION: “A circle, because I consider myself to be a well-rounded person with lots of different interests.”
NAME: Jessica Kalka CLASSES: Geometry, Geometry Advanced, Focus on Success EDUCATION: California University of Pennsylvania, Notre Dame de Namur University YEARS OF TEACHING: 1 ANSWER: “Anything rectangular, because I’m very meticulous. It’s easiest to visualize how everything will fit into something rectangular.”
NAME: Emily Yuuki CLASSES: Geometry Advanced, Algebra 2/Trigonometry Advanced EDUCATION: Studied in Japan YEARS OF TEACHING: 11 ANSWER: “A heart, because it’s cute and it represents love.”
World Language What is your favorite word (in the language you teach)?
Science If you had to be a home appliance, what would you be? NAME: Dr. Heather Mellows CLASSES: Chemistry 1, Chemistry Honors EDUCATION: University of California (UC) Berkeley, Washington University, Stanford University YEARS OF TEACHING: 11 ANSWER: “A blender, because I like to mix things up.” NAME: Neeti Schworetzky CLASSES: Biology 1A, Chemistry 1 EDUCATION: UC Santa Cruz, UC Riverside YEARS OF TEACHING: no comment ANSWER: “A dishwasher, because it’s clean, organized and there’s lots of water (I majored in Marine Biol-
Social Studies What other time period would you have liked to live in? NAME: Alice McCraley CLASSES: AP Psychology EDUCATION: California State University (CSU) Northridge YEARS OF TEACHING: 13 ANSWER: The Victorian Era, because there was a lot of gentlemanly behavior and chivalry.
English If you had to be a book character, who would you be?
NAME: Connie Chen CLASSES: Chinese 2 EDUCATION: San Francisco State YEARS OF TEACHING: 2.5 ANSWER: “教学相长 (jiao xue xiang zhang), which means teaching others teaches yourself. I strongly believe that I, as a teacher, also learn every day from my students.”
NAME: Emily Cruze CLASSES: Communications Honors, World Classics Ad- vanced, World Literature Advanced EDUCATION: UC Berkeley, Stanford University YEARS OF TEACHING: 9 ANSWER: “Viola from ‘Twelfth Night,’ because she stands up for what she believes in, always speaks her mind and is always herself. She gets the guy in the end without having to be someone else.”
NAME: Stefanie Reinisch CLASSES: German 1, German 2, AP German EDUCATION: Studied in Austria YEARS OF TEACHING: 3 ANSWER: “My favorite word is “Kaffeeklatsch” (means “an informal social gathering at which coffee is served”). It doesn’t really have an English counterpart.”
NAME: Shaina Hora CLASSES: Communications, Western Culture, Western Literature EDUCATION: UC San Diego, Stanford University YEARS OF TEACHING: 1 ANSWER: “Hermione Granger. Who doesn’t like to do magic? And, she tells her friends when they are out of line, studies hard, works hard and gets things done.”
NAME: Tovah Skiles CLASSES: Spanish 2 EDUCATION: UC Davis YEARS OF TEACHING: 8 ANSWER: “My favorite word in Spanish is “albóndiga,” it means meatballs, but I love saying albóndiga!”
NAME: Terence Kitada CLASSES: Communications, Communications Advanced, Western Culture Advanced EDUCATION: Occidental College, Stanford University YEARS OF TEACHING: 5 ANSWER: “Oscar [from ‘The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao’]. He’s kind of nerdy and a little bit awkward at times, but he means well and he’s always trying to do the right thing.”
Friday, September 20, 2013
25 NEW STAFF MEMBERS 9 QUESTIONS
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Art What painting would you like to have been a subject in? NAME: Jordan King CLASSES: Art Spectrum, Ceramic Sculpture EDUCATION: San Diego State, San Jose State YEARS OF TEACHING: 1 ANSWER: “Georges Braque’s ‘Man With Guitar.’ By looking at it closely, you can find the man, but at first you might miss him.”
Special Education If you could choose one superpower to have, what would you choose? NAME: Courney Carlomagno CLASSES: Study Hall, Academic Support, Conceptual Physics EDUCATION: San Francisco State, Notre Dame de Namur YEARS OF TEACHING: 1 ANSWER: “Reading minds because I want to know every- thing.”
NAME: Mike Magliola CLASSES: Biology, Western Literature, Resource Lab EDUCATION: Sacramento State YEARS OF TEACHING: 10 ANSWER: “Flying, it’s probably the most efficient and exciting way to travel.”
NAME: Jen Larson CLASSES: Functional Academics, Vocational Training, Fu- tures Program EDUCATION: San Jose State University YEARS OF TEACHING: 10 ANSWER: “I would like to fly. It’s faster [than running] and running sucks.”
NAME: Kady Song CLASSES: Study Skills, Therapuetic Electives, Computers EDUCATION: UC Santa Barbara, National University, San Francisco State YEARS OF TEACHING 8 ANSWER: “I always feel like I’m running around, I would love to slow or stop time, get stuff done and not feel so hectic.”
Guidance What is one philosophy or “golden rule” that you try to live by, or a mentality that you try to have about life? NAME: Derek Johanson EDUCATION: Oregon State University, CSU Dominguez Hills YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 8 ANSWER: “Live life to the fullest and be the best you can.”
NAME: Challis Michael EDUCATION: 8 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: University of Arizonia, Univirsity of San Diego Extention Program ANSWER: “Only you are responsible for your choices in life, but making the best possible choices, puts you in the best place for the next moment.”
NAME: Molly Michaelis EDUCATION: UC San Diego, National University YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 8 ANSWER: “I try my best to be present throughout each day, and not focus too much on the past or worry too much about the future.”
NAME: Deanna Mistele YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: UC Davis, San Jose State EDUCATION: 3 ANSWER: “I live by the philosophy of balance and strive to find this in all areas of my life.”
Miscellaneous Staff What items would you most like to have with you if you were stranded on a deserted island (basic neccesities provided)? NAME: Pamela Garfield ROLE: Adolescent Counseling Services Coordinator EDUCATION: Ithaca College, New York University YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 16 ANSWER: “I’d probably bring photos of people, someone I love, if I’m allowed to have a phone. And I’d probably bring a phone, be- cause in the phone I would have music, communication.”
NAME: Samira Rastegar ROLE: Psychologist EDUCATION: Loyola Marymount University, CSU Los Angeles YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 11 ANSWER: “I would bring coffee, because I enjoy my morning coffee. I’d need the jolt of energy to figure out how to go about it, an iPad, to stay connected and to read and keep up friends and the news.”
NAME: Danny Lee ROLE: Technician EDUCATION: San Francisco State YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: over 6 ANSWER: “A laptop because—ah wait, there’s no Internet there. But I’ll bring a laptop because I always need a computer with me. I’m insecure without a computer.”
NAME: Melissa Clark ROLE: Pyschologist EDUCATION: University of Miami, Florida International Uni- versity YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: 7 ANSWER: “Chapstick or sunscreen and probably something to do. I don’t think you can ever be too safe when it comes to sunscreen.”
–Compiled by Rebecca Alger, Shireen Ahsan, Anuva Ganapathi, Erica Lee, Roy Shadmon, Henry Siu and Regina Tran.
12
Cente
OPPORTUNITY” D N A S S E C C U "S
The Oracle explores the implications of the new “School Su It ensures equal access to school facilities and
5%
8 out of 10 transgender students K-12 have reported being harassed at school
31%
of the American population is transgender
of transgender students have been physically assaulted at school
56%
California is one of 13 states with antidiscrimination policies for transgender students in public schools
17%
of trangende drop out of K due to fe unwelco
50%
of trangende percentage of transgender students who are more likely will attemp because of ha to be bullied at school. at sch
New transgender -frie for students pas Chaewon Lee Features Editor
Oracle staffer dresses as a boy to test school acceptance Noa Livneh Entertainment Editor
While there are more than 700,000 self-identified transgenders living in the United States, understanding their daily life is a struggle for most of us because we can’t put ourselves in their shoes. . . or can we? For an entire week, I wore stereotypical men’s clothes and shoes during school hours. The experience completely changed the way I perceive gender. As a full supporter of people’s freedoms, I had never really understood what transgender people go through to become who they are comfortable being. I was no longer on the outside—I finally had the chance to learn what life is like for girls and boys who feel as though they are living as the wrong gender. Tuesday was my first day in my new clothes. In the car on the way to school, I began to feel uneasy, not because the men’s clothes were uncomfortable (because, believe me, they are way more comfortable than tight jeans and a typical blouse), but because the outfit didn’t represent who I was. My wardrobe is my form of expression; it’s the way I want
people to perceive me. We are so used to wearing the same thing everyday; putting on clothes that were the opposite of “me” became unnatural. I felt practically naked, 100 percent vulnerable. As the day went on, it got more uncomfortable to be in the men’s clothes. I noticed the stares. Although no one offended me, I realized that if I were truly serious about expressing my gender choice through these clothes, my self-esteem would completely sink, not because they would be making fun of my clothes, but because they would be making fun of my true self. It felt as if no one supported me. The ones who didn’t know me wouldn’t look me in the face—they just gave me a weird facial expression and looked up and down at my outfit. My closer friends were much more vocal, saying things like: “Noa! What the heck are you wearing?” or “Noa, is anything wrong? What are you doing?” Some even guessed on the spot that it was an experiment. I believe that their comments were so forward and even rude because they already knew how I dressed on a regular basis.
Sometimes I had a hard time not telling people that it wasn’t really my wardrobe and that things would go back to normal in a week. However, most people who are trying to determine their true gender identifier would not want to say that their clothing choice is just a phase. Those comments and looks surprised me because I didn’t think that Gunn would be so judgmental. I have always been very proud of my school because there is an overwhelming amount of acceptance, but I never had to be on the receiving side of the judgments people make. I felt as if I had been put on a pedestal and the whole school was observing me, watching me walk from one class to another. I was disappointed to find an enormous number of students who made me feel uneasy in my temporary wardrobe, whether they said anything to me or not. All in all, the entire experiment proved to be a success in that people took notice of my transformation. It’s hard to judge whether they were taking notice because it’s not my usual attire or because I was actually wearing men’s clothes, but nonetheless, the reactions I got made me feel unwelcome in my own body. As accepting as Gunn is, I still believe that there is still an underlying vibe of prejudice and judgment that will only go away with greater awareness.
On Aug. 7, California Gov. Jerry Brown made Assembly Bill 1266, also known as the School Su tunity Act, into law, ensuring that transgender access to all public school activities and facilit their gender identity regardless of their sex. Eve generally liberal social bias, the bill had a highl Liberal groups generally praised the bill for nation against transgender students in scho support for the bill came from California’s Lesb and Transgender (LGBT) groups, such as E and Transgender Law Center. In a recent join aforementioned organizations, along with m that the bill “sent a powerful message to LGB them know their state and their government fu Members of the Los Angeles Unified (LAUSD) pointed to their own success with a der equality ruling, passed in 2005, as a rea cerned parents and students. “In all the years implemented [the gender equality] policy, tered nothing but positive results,” LAUSD bo Chiasson, wrote in an article titled “Success for transgender students.” “Our experience d discomfort should not dictate the way we tr On the other hand, conservatives criticize being invasive, radical and illogical. The mai conservative groups pointed out were the lar students’ privacy in locker rooms and ba complications that may arise from trying to dents fall under these new transgender right groups, such as the Capitol Resource Institu arms online and are now calling for Gov. Brow Some individuals also voiced their support to AB 1266 through the media. In a widely r “Transgender restroom law humiliates the 98% semblyman Tim Donnelly called the act “a re “[AB 1266] will put at risk the right of priva student, and will open our state to unlimited l
erfold
Friday, September 20, 2013
13
FOR TRANSGENDER STU DENTS
uccess and Opportunity” Act passed by the state legislature. d activities for California transgender students.
%
er students K-12 school feeling omed
%
er students pt suicide arrasment hool
endly act sses
e history by signing Success and Opporr students have full ties consistent with en with California’s ly mixed reception. r fighting discrimiools. The strongest bian, Gay, Bisexual Equality California nt release, the two many others, stated BT youth by letting ully support them.” d School District a very similar genassurance for cons since the LAUSD we have encounoard member, Judy s and opportunity demonstrates that reat our students.” ed the new law as in concerns many invasion of reguathrooms and the define which stuts. Several of these ute, have taken up wn to repeal the law. t for or opposition read column titled %,” Republican asecipe for disaster.” acy of every other liability,” he wrote.
Gunn welcomes legislation for gender-neutral facilities Catalina Zhao Editor-In-Chief
The School Success and Opportunity Act has been well received by transgender students. “I was hoping it would pass,” an anonymous transgender Gunn student said. “If you’re transgender, you can use the bathroom that corresponds to your gender, not your sex, and you can play on a sport team that corresponds and use the locker room that corresponds. I think it is really good, but honestly it isn’t going to affect me that much personally.” The student believes that the legislation is important to “stealth students,” whom others do not know are transgender. Regardless, the School Success and Opportunity Act may have larger implications for the stalled plans Gunn has to accommodate transgender students. In January 2013, Gunn admin discussed having unisex bathrooms on campus for transgender students, with math teacher Daisy Renazco, band teacher Todd Summers and Assistant Principal of Facilities Kim Cowell working on the project. “Gunn is trying to be proactive,” Renazco said. “We understand that we have transgender students on campus and in the district, and it might be uncomfortable for them to go into group bathrooms.” A few unisex bathrooms exist on campus, but they are off limits to students. One of the staff unisex restrooms by the senior quad was meant for student use, but it is impossible for transgender students to receive a key. If the bathroom is open, then there is the risk of students locking themselves in or trapping others. The school is considering locking the door from the inside and having the green “vacant” and red “in use” sign to monitor bathroom use. In addition to the unisex bathrooms, Gunn has discussed how to create a gender-neutral changing space in the locker rooms, but these plans have also stalled. “It comes down to where do we want that space to be, how will they be monitored,” Renazco said. “These have to be continued conversations, but they’re not happening.”
Q: Do you ever hate
yourself for being transgender?
The roadblock to carrying out these plans is the insufficiency of information about what Gunn could do for both these situations. The plans must comply with the Education Code and district policy, but the district’s lack of action prevents Gunn from moving forward. “We’ve not had a district policy around unisex bathrooms, so I have been trying for several months to get information about what we can do and what we’re allowed to do,” Cowell said. “I have asked the District to find out what is legal through the district attorneys.” The Gunn administration is now waiting for the district to specify any limitations. “It’s not that the district isn’t supportive—it just doesn’t feel like a priority for them,” Renazco said. “They’re pushing back but they’re not helping us brainstorm ways to make this a reality.” It is unknown when and how the plans will be completed. Much-needed support recently came in the form of the School Success and Opportunity Act. The law may not be the reason behind the proposed ideas, but Gunn hopes that it will be a catalyst for completing the plans for unisex bathrooms and gender-neutral changing spaces. However, the act has not defined rules about what schools could do. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to stop,” Cowell said. “We’re going to continue and push our plans.” Gunn is waiting for the District’s examination of the legislation so they can ensure the plans adhere to it. According to Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Charles Young, “the District strives to ensure that all of our students feel safe and comfortable on all our campuses. [It is] looking into the details of the new legislation and discussing best practices to ensure successful application.” Despite what the district does in response to the School Success and Opportunity Act and when it gives Gunn the necessary information, this legislation supports Gunn’s acceptance and its diversity. “The measures we’re taking and this act fit right along into Gunn culture and what we want to do,” Renazco said. “We’re thankful for this. We were already trying to do what we can to protect transgender students, and now we have more protection from the law.”
Q & A With a Gunn Transgender Student
Q : Have you ever told the
people who ask you that you are transgender?
A: I’ll still slip into slumps where I think I can change, but logically and realistically, I can’t, so it’s silly thinking otherwise. If I had the choice to not be trans, I would take that in a heartbeat.”
Q: What struggles have you faced as a transgender person?
A: People who I don’t even know have come up to me and asked me if I was a guy or a girl. I’ve always sincerely believed that they don’t really understand that having a football huddle in science class to determine my gender isn’t exactly that nice.”
?A: I don’t think I can tell people that I am transgender. If I just tell people I’m a guy,,I’m telling the truth, but I don’t know their level of understanding.”
Q:How
do you deal with the current bathrroom situation? A: I’m usually really good about hiding in bathrooms. But sometimes, I get yelled at a lot by people in public bathrooms,or by security guards,and other staff. Some people in public bathrooms just start swearing at me.”
Graphics and Photos by Alison Paley, Dave Zhu and Audey Shen
14
Features
THEORACLE
Student chefs blog their food creations Senior Kinsey Drake and sophomore Charlotte Fron blog their recipes and food creations on “Kinsey Cooks” and “Charlie Bakes” These days, everyone from Fortune 500 companies to family-run restaurants uses blogs to share thoughts, feelings, opinions and ideas. Senior Kinsey Drake is no exception. As of May 2013, she has used her blog, “Kinsey Cooks,” to showcase her culinary creations and innovative recipes. Since childhood, Drake has enjoyed experimenting with food. In elementary school, she would often help her mother cook for the family’s nightly dinners. She began to add her own twists to recipes and create completely original foods. Together, she and her father would invent something new every week. “Every Sunday night my dad and I make dinner,” she said. “It’s some- Kinsey thing that we have both done together for over seven years.” Drake’s cooking incorporates seasonal produce and fresh ingredients. “I love to cook anything spicy, anything vegetarian and anything I can make from scratch,” she said. One of her goals for her blog is to simplify some of her more complex dishes (like her recipe for fresh pasta sheets for ravioli) for her peers and beginning chefs. She spends extra time making sure her recipes contain specific directions and exact measurements. “I avoid using terms like ‘a pinch’ or ‘a drizzle’ because I understand that it can be confusing,”
Drake said. Since Drake’s friends and family always ask for her creative recipes, she realized that creating a blog would be a great way to make her recipes widely available. “I’ve always loved reading food blogs myself,” she said. “I figured this was the natural next step towards sharing my recipes and love of cooking with everyone.” Although her blog has been around for less than a year, “Kinsey Cooks” is already gaining popularity among the blogging community. Even Michael Pollan, the author of the food novel “Omnivore’s Dilemma,” recognized and commented on one of her recipes. “I met [Pollan] at a book signing Drake and told him about my blog,” Drake said. “He found [the blog] and commented: ‘Nice job. I love all the recipes and photography. Keep up the good work!’” Drake hopes to continue increasing awareness of her blog and improving the quality of her photography and website’s design. She is committed to incorporating food into her future. Although she does not want to become a head chef in a restaurant, she hopes to pursue nutrition, food sciences or another similar career. “Cooking is a part of me,” she said. “Food is something that I daydream about.” —Pooja Belur
Reverse Peanut Butter Blossoms Ingredients: 2/3 cup granulated sugar divided 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3/8 teaspoon table salt 1/2 cup dark corn syrup 1 egg white 1 teaspoon vanilla 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks), unsalted butter, softened 1/3 cup dark brown sugar 4 oz. (2/3 cup) chocolate chips 1/2 cup creamy salted peanut butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 tablespoons powdered sugar 1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place 1/3 cup granulated sugar in bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together corn syrup, egg white and vanilla until smooth. 2. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, brown sugar and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add corn syrup mixture, beating for about 20 seconds until well combined. Add flour mixture and chocolate chips and mix on low until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer, and hand stir a few times to ensure that all the flour is incorporated. Place dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill. 3. For the filling: mix together the peanut butter, vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth. Using floured hands, roll 1/2 teaspoon-sized balls of the peanut butter mixture and place them on a plate. Place the balls into the freezer until the cookies are ready to shape. 4. To form cookies, rolls 1 tablespoon-sized balls of dough in granulated sugar and place 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes until cracked and insides of fissures are still moist. The cookies may look underdone, but that is the goal. Immediately upon removing them from the oven, make a small indentation with the cylindrical end of a wooden spoon in the center of each cookie. The indentation should be 1/4 inch deep and 1/2 inch in diameter. Place one peanut butter ball in each indentation.
Sophomore Charlotte Fron not about stopping hunger throughout only creates magic in the confines the world. Every year she particiof her kitchen, but also shares her pates in The Great American Bake passion in the blog, “Charlie Bakes.” Sale, organized through Share our Her blog features recipes and bak- Strength, a non-profit organization ing projects that Fron has experi- that works to end childhood hunmented with. It is a way of sharing ger. Through her philanthropy, Fron her love of baking with her friends, has raised five thousand dollars for family and the outside world. the organization. She is passionate After watching her grandmoth- about helping others experience the ers and mother bake, Fron became same joy that she receives from bakenamored with making pastries, pies ing and eating treats. and cookies. She associates baking Her love for cooking ties in with with comfort and simplicity, and she her interest in chemistry. Fron loves to share her experiences with loves how the different elements others. and ingredients mix Noticing her passion together to create a and skill, Fron’s mother final product. Her encouraged her to look favorite moment is at some food blogs in right before she puts the summer of 2009. Ina finished recipe into trigued, Fron contacted the oven. “I feel very the creator of her favor- Charlotte Fron accomplished, but the ite baking blog. She asked questions, oven is scary. It can make or break learned about the process of blog- your recipe, but before it goes in evging and eventually decided to try erything looks perfect,” Fron said. it for herself. “I just thought: I’m goFron is not sure how baking will ing to do my own thing,” Fron said. fit into her future, but she is sure In October 2010, Fron was the that she will incorporate it in some youngest chef to attend BlogHer way. She has always wanted to be Food, a food blogging conference in fourth grade teacher, but she sees San Francisco. She learned to take a cooking instructor or the owner photos and improve her blog posts, of a vintage bake shop as possibiliand she picked up crucial food blog- ties as well. Either way, Fron wishes ging tips to apply to her blog. “The to continue to have baking as part one thing I like about baking is that of her family life and hopes that you can always grow,” Fron said. “[she’ll] be the cool mom that alThrough blogging, Fron has ways has the homemade food,” Fron grown as a baker and a philan- said. “Baking is bonding.” thropist; she is now passionate —Sam Acker
Creme Brulée Ingredients: 2 cups whipping cream 4 egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup sugar
1. Mix the egg yolks, the whipping cream, the vanilla extract and the sugar in a large bowl. 2. Pour the mixture evenly into five flat ramekins (taller ramekins will work as well). Place the ramekins in a shallow ovenproof dish. Place the dish into a 350°F oven and fill it with water halfway up the ramekins (this technique is called “bain-marie”). 3. Bake approximately for 25 minutes, the crème brulées are cooked when the custard moves like jelly. Do not overcook, or they will coagulate. 4. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. 5. Just before serving, sprinkle with some extra sugar and caramelize with a kitchen torch, letting the sugar melt and get brown. Baker’s Tip: If you do not have a kitchen torch, sprinkle some extra sugar on top of the crème brulées and place the ramekins in an ovenproof dish. Broil in an oven for about 30 seconds until the sugar melts and get brown, watching constantly. To read more about these young foodies and their recipes, visit: Kinsey Cooks - http://kinseycooks.com Charlie Bakes - http://www.charliebakes.com
Features
Friday, September 20, 2013
15
Instagramers show off their food with #OracleFoodGram
Jarar Zaidi - Sophomore
Dillon Yang - Sophomore
Mara Greene - Sophomore
Jonathan Alvarez - Senior
Larry Li - Sophomore
Kaitlin Yang - Senior
Emily Yao - Alumna ‘13
Natalie Byun - Junior
Mark Hernandez - Teacher
Ahran Cho - Senior
Grace Gandolfo - Junior
Michael Chen - Senior
Victoria Helmer - Freshman
Jordana Siegel - Sophomore
Isabelle Blanchard - Sophomore
Stacy Chang - Senior
Alberto Lombatti - Senior
Emily Wang - Senior
Kathleen DeCoste - Senior
Mei-Yun Tang - Sophomore
16
Sports
THEORACLE
Fall sports aim to dominate league competition Football
1
This year the football team hopes to adjust to new staffing changes and the loss of many crucial seniors. According to junior Mack Radin, this year’s team has great potential, and is aiming to make it to Central Coast Section (CCS). “We are a fairly young team—the majority of the varsity players are juniors—but every single player is committed to the team and to working towards our goals,” Radin said. Senior runningback Sean Lydster adds that while the line is young, the team is an experienced one. “Many of our juniors are already two-year varsity players, and every single player gives his all to each and every practice and game,” Lydster said. The team lost a fair number of seniors this year, but Radin says that the new players are ready to step up and fill vacated roles. New head coach Shinichi Hirano agrees that the team has the dedication and perseverance to make it far this season. Their next game takes place against Capuchino High School on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Girls’ Tennis
The girls’ tennis team hopes to step up to the competition after moving up a league from last year in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Athletic League (SCVAL). Junior Anjali Herekar believes that through teamwork, they can achieve their goals. “We’re up against a tough league, but as a team we can do our best to match up against the competition this year,” Herekar said. Senior Jenny Yoon says the increased difficulty of matches will have a positive effect on the team.“We’re looking forward to having more competitive matches,” Yoon said. “Even though we might not win as much we’ll still have a good time playing.” Despite the team having fewer experienced players than in previous years, Herekar thinks the incoming varsity players will be just as capable as before. “Right now the team is looking really good, and even though we lost a lot of good seniors from last year, I think with practice and dedication we can win,” Herekar said. The next game is against Milpitas on Monday, Sept. 23.
Boys’ Water Polo
As the season begins, coach Matt Johnson is already working on improving his team’s defensive skills. “We are a very offensive-minded team—we have a lot of boys who can put the ball away but we give up way too many goals,” Johnson said. The boy’s high-scoring 16-17 loss to Jesuit High School underscored their need for defensive improvement. Although the team aims for improvement, they were able to pull out a win against Paly with a score of 15-7. The team only lost three starters from last year and is looking strong for a CCS bid. “Last year we had a rough year,” senior captain Coby Wayne said. “But this year we have a really tight group of high caliber players who play on club teams and have a lot of experience.” The team is confident that they will have a good season. “We have more potential this year to win CCS than we have had in a very long time,” Wayne said. The team’s next competition will be in the Schimdt tournament on Friday, Sept. 27.
Girls’ Golf
2
Stephanie Kim
Audey Shen
3
4
Girls’ Water Polo
Anthony Tran
Audey Shen
5
6
Stephanie Kim
The girls’ water polo team started out their season strong, beating Paly 13-1. The team is hoping to continue winning during the season. “We want to go five times in a row to league championship finals and win our third in a row,” coach Mark Hernandez said. “We also feel we have a shot to compete for CCS champion, at the very least we want to make the final four of CCS.” The team lost four seniors this year but hopes to defend their two-year streak as De Anza division champions with a large crop of new underclassmen to support their four returning starters. “One challenge we have is that we’re a very young team,” senior captain Rachel Wong said. “We haven’t all played together as a team for very long.” The girl’s next game is an away game on Thursday, Oct. 3 in Saratoga and they encourage fans to come out for their games. “People are surprised to find that water polo is actually really fun to watch,” senior Lauren Johnson said. “Everyone should come to our games.”
Cross Country
Girls’ Volleyball
The girls’ varsity volleyball team has started off the season with skill and confidence. Senior captain Erica Johnston already has many goals for the team’s upcoming season. “I just want to win,” she said. “I think this year we have the best team we’ve had in a while.” Coach Craig Bankowski agrees. “Our goal is to play as a team, which will lead to beating Palo Alto High School and winning the most competitive De Anza division,” Bankowski said. “Our other primary goal is to fill our brand new gym for every home game.” Bankowski believes that the team is already strong. “Our strengths are limitless when we play as a team,” he said. “[We have] tough jump servers, huge hitters, fast diggers, big blockers and smart setters. We also have a tenacity to improve and attack the ball.” Junior Tahra Knudsen agrees. “We have a wellbalanced team skill-wise, and we all have that necessary competitive edge,” Knudsen said. As the season begins, positive thinking is leading the way. “Our team has made many improvements from last year,” Knudsen said. “We are all ready for the hard work that is necessary to achieve our goals.” The team competes in their next away game against Mountain View on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
With the tournament season starting up, the girls’ golf team is working hard. This is the second year of Gunn’s official all-girls golf team, as last year there was finally a large enough number of girls to create a formal team. The team is busy with practice and scrimmages every day at the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course (MUNI) and hopes to take home first place in CCS. “We really want to do better than last year,” sophomore Tiffany Yang said. “We got second place in CCS last year [and lost] by one point, which was frustrating and disappointing, so this year we are focusing on doing our best.” Both Yang and Lee also mentioned that making it to CCS was another goal. Coach Christopher Redfield has high hopes of making it to States this year. “We are much more experienced than last year,” Redfield said. “In golf, being confident at these competitions is important, so having done it before will really help us a lot this year.” The team’s next game will be at the Palo Alto Golf Course on Monday, Sept. 23.
Audey Shen
7
Anthony Tran
1. Senior Sean Lydster charges through the opponent defense 2. Sophomore Helen Foley hits a forehand shot 3. Junior Daniel Frozenfar scans the pool for a teammate to pass to 4. Junior Vivien Zhang prepares to serve the volleyball 5. Senior Jayshree Sarathy swings her golf club to putt the ball 6. Senior Zoe Zwerling blocks a throw 7. Seniors Antonio Puglisi and Sarah Robinson warm up in a jog across Gunn.
The cross country team hit the ground running this season. Although the team experienced the loss of crucial seniors, many freshmen have joined the team to close the gap. “I see a lot of potential in this year’s freshmen,” senior Justice Tention said. “We have a very motivated team and I would believe we do as well as, or even better than we did last year.” Team captain senior Jack Sloan has high hopes for his team. “I really want the new freshmen runners to improve because they are the future of our team,” Sloan said. “With their help, I believe that the team will be able to make state-level competition this year.” The motivated team started practice even before school started. “We would have practice starting from 6 pm during the summer,” Tention said. “We really wanted to be prepared for our upcoming season.” At a standard cross country practice, runners will do warm-ups for the first thirty minutes. After that, they split into groups to pick the route they run. While there are those that want a long rewarding run, others may simply want a short relaxing jog. Letting the runners choose their own path allows them to set their own running pace. At the team’s first meet, a lot of freshmen runners such as Tone Lee stood out of the crowd. Lee scored fourth place, despite being a newbie. “I am excited to take my talents to Gunn,” Lee said. “I really enjoy running not only to stay fit, but also because it keeps me happy. I’m looking forward to a fun year with the cross country team. It’s like everyone is family.” The team’s next meet will take place in Crystal Springs on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
—Compiled by Kush Dubey, Yuki Klotz-Burwell, Christine Lin, Lucy Oyer, Kavya Padmanabhan, and Alvin Wang
17
Sports
Three new athletic coaches begin their work at Gunn FOOTBALL COACH Shinichi Hirano
VOLLEYBALL COACH Craig Bankowski
CHEER COACH Michaela Guillory
Last year, Gunn’s football team came in second in the league. Now a new coach, Shinichi Hirano, has taken the reins of the Titan football team. “Our goal for this season is to win league and go to the playoffs.” Hirano is a veteran football player and coach. He started playing football in high school and has coached for over twenty years. “He knows what he’s talking about,” running-back Sean Lydster said. “Last year we came up a little short of our goals but this year we hope to win league and go to CCS.” It appears that the team is adjusting well to the new coach. Hirano joined the team last year as an assistant coach, so the players have already met and know him. However, this will be his first year leading the charge. “I really like our new coach and I feel like our team does too,” Lydster said. The players like him as a person and as a teacher. “He’s a great coach; I like him a lot,” quarterback Noah Riley agreed. According to Lydster, Hirano is helping the team improve by strengthening the team unity and overall physicality during games and practice. “The Titans’ strengths lie in the running game and the defense,” Hirano said. In practice the players are doing more conditioning and drills than they have done in years with different coaching staffs. “Our passing game needs to improve,” Hirano said, “We have the people to do it, now we just need to bring them all together.” The team has been hard at work since last spring. “We had a great spring and one of our best summers,” Hirano said. “I think this will be one of our most exciting seasons.” —Ian Cramer
The girls’ varsity volleyball team has a new head coach this year: Craig Bankowski. Bankowski is the director of the Palo Alto Elite volleyball club and has been coaching volleyball teams for many years. He coached the Castilleja junior varsity volleyball team for six years and the Palo Alto Elite All-Star team for three years. He has also coached the Stanford womens’ volleyball team and the Ball State mens’ and womens’ club volleyball teams for six years. During the time he spent coaching at Stanford and Ball State, his teams finished the Gold Division. On each team, he has created good relationships with many of the players and the players’ families. Despite his many connections to the players and their families, Bankowski feels that coaching a newer team is a challenge. His coaching philosophy also stems from his good relationships with the players. “I’m hoping to enable the players get their personalities out on the court,” Bankowski said. “That way the team will feel comfortable with each other and play to their fullest.” Senior Miranda Crothers feels that Bankowski’s coaching drives the team members to their fullest potential. “Craig really knows how to get the team talking to one another and communicating with each other,” Crothers said. “He is one of the most spirited people have ever met.” Bankowski believes that having a good audience will help the team by increasing the pressure to play well. Bankowski is determined to coach the varsity team to CCS. “I really want to make sure that other teams know that Gunn is on the map,” Bankowski said. —Alex Man
This year, Michaela Guillory will coach the cheer and dance teams. Guillory has been coaching gymnastics since she was sixteen years old. Guillory’s main goal is team unity. “I want to improve the skill level of the team and build a bond between the girls that they can have for the rest of their lives,” Guillory said. “My assistant and I want to help every athlete grow as a person and a cheerleader or dancer.” With extensive experience in stunting and choreography, Guillory hopes to help the girls create memorable routines. After-school practices are essential for the cheer and dance teams, and using this time efficiently guarantees successful performances at the games and competitions. “The girls practice twice a week and it is very structured,” Guillory said. “On Mondays and Wednesdays, the girls work on jumps, choreography, stunts and cheers.” In addition to practicing routines, the girls also have rigorous conditioning to get in shape for the season. The girls have been working hard during practice, so Guillory has high hopes for the year. “The team continues to surprise me every week,” Guillory said. “Stunts are getting stronger, team unity is better than ever, and they continue to strive for excellence in their performance each and every day.” Guillory sees potential in both the varsity and junior varsity teams and looks forward to the season. Overall, Guillory wants to continue the prestige of the cheer and dance teams. “I expect nothing more than their love, effort, and dedication to this program,” Guillory said. “We want them to help us create a positive reputation that the school will remember.” —Lena Campbell
Charity runs in the Bay Area
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The Moonlight Run, a Palo Alto event, is on Sept. 20 in the Baylands. The money raised benefits the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund, which supports local nonprofit organizations during the holidays. Runners in this event only have the moon to illuminate their path. This event is open to people of all ages.
The Color Vibe is a 5K race that is held on Sept. 28 at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo. Participants wear white clothing and get doused in colored powder while competing. All the proceeds of the race go to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.
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The Bridge to Bridge run, sponsored by Oral-B Glide Floss, is a 10K and 7K run that takes place around Fisherman Wharf and other landmarks in San Francisco on Oct. 6. The proceeds benefit the Special Olympics Northern California, which provide disabled athletes with opportunities to improve their abilities.
Lighting the Way is a 3K, 5K and 10K race helping to tie underdeveloped communities together. It is held on July 14th at Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos, and provides solar energy to more than 125 families in India without electricity.
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Giving to Life is a non-competitive charity run held on July 14 in Almaden Park, San Jose. The run raises money to help support cancer patients with the struggles and obstacles they face. As volunteers run to the finish line, scientists get one step close to finding a cure for cancer.
Graphic by Jasmine Garnett
Compiled by Yuki Klotz-Burwell and Arjun Sahdev
18
Sports
THEORACLE
FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFTING STRATEGIES Join the world of fantasy football Fantasy football is a two-way street: you either start off the season on the right foot and spend your time concocting lopsided trade offers, or you lose in week one and pretend you never entered the league in the first place. For those who have never played, fantasy football is a game in which participants, known as owners, select National Football League (NFL) players who they think will do well in the upcoming season. If the NFL players perform well on the stat sheet, then the owner that has the player in their lineup receives points. Teams compete for points until a few top teams make it into the playoffs. The winner of the playoffs is then crowned the fantasy football champion. Because the fantasy football draft dictates what players a team starts with on its roster, drafting well is the key to winning the league. The first thing any fantasy football player should know is that the stat sheet at the end of the weekend is all that matters. Just because a runningback broke ten straight tackles during one play means nothing if he only ran for fifteen yards. Conversely, if an unknown wide receiver is wide open in the end zone and scores a one-yard touchdown, it can be the boost that gives your fantasy team the win. Understanding what scores points and who is going to be given the opportunity to get
your team points is what wins leagues. Secondly, an owner must understand that in almost every fantasy football league, quarterbacks, runningbacks, and wide receivers score the majority of points. Even if the 49ers signed a gorilla to play defensive line, Adrian Peterson will probably get you more points. It’s simple: If you find the guys who rack up the most yards or touchdowns, you will win your league. If you draft a defensive player in the first round, you will likely create a new ESPN account so that your name can be cleared from the all time worst fantasy football teams. Lastly, the draft is all about selecting for value. Let’s say that you have inside info that an unknown player is actually a robot designed to score fantasy points. You probably will feel the urge to pick the robot in the first round. The problem is, nobody has ever heard of the robot, and so picking it in the first round essentially squanders a first round pick. Everyone knows you can win your league by picking players that perform well, but only the real fantasy gurus understand the importance of picking players for value. A good fantasy football draft is all about doing research on players, knowing who you want to pick and when to pick them, along with a little bit of luck. —Justin Wenig
Creating your first fantasy team With the school year now in full swing, we have also welcomed the return of another heralded event: the NFL season, and with it, fantasy football. While the season is already a few weeks in, here are a few of my personal tips for crafting the best possible team. If you’re in the running for a high-profile quarterback, and you don’t mind shelling out a firstround pick for one, the only ones worth taking a chance on are Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. These guys are proven players, and, barring any season-ending injuries, look to turn in great seasons. Other quarterbacks who could impress this year are Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick and the always-reliable Peyton Manning. Looking for a runningback can be a tougher endeavor because any team needs multiple on their depth chart. The top picks, for my money,
would be Adrian Peterson, Doug Martin and Arian Foster, but optimal secondary backs for this season would be CJ Spiller, Stevan Ridley, Jamaal Charles and others. Reliable options like Matt Forte and Reggie Bush are also valuable additions. In terms of wide receivers, the current pool is definitely full of possible points. Calvin Johnson and AJ Green aside, other receivers like Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant look poised to have huge years. For a rookie, Tavon Austin should be a solid pickup. Good defense and special teams units are hard to come by, but this season’s prized possessions should be the Seahawks and 49ers. The Cardinals, with Patrick Peterson and explosive rookie Tyrann Mathieu, are also primed for a breakout defensive year. —Nabeel Chollampat
Round-by-round drafting tips
First Round: Runningback (RB) It goes without saying—your first pick should go to a first-stringrunningback. If Doug Martin is still available by the time your pick comes around, snag him and scream in glee. For you first overall pickers out there, you might even consider drafting Martin over Adrian Peterson. Peterson amassed an astounding 2097 rushing yards last season, but, like with all other 2000+ yard season backs in NFL history, that number will likely drop down to the low 1000’s this season. If you are a late pick, try to get your hands on LeSean McCoy, who will thrive this season under Chip Kelly’s fast-paced offense. Second Round: Runningback Some people will try to draft top wide receivers (WR) with their second pick. However, the second round is simply too early to start looking away from the fleeting RBs. If you wait until the third round to draft your RB2, you will most likely get no one better than Darren McFadden, which will severely stunt your RB depth. There are plenty of good WRs to choose from later, so the wisest move here is to help yourself to another RB. Keep your eye on Reggie Bush, who will replace Lions’ halfback Jahvid Best. Third Round: Wide Receiver Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, A.J. Green and Brandon Marshall are all gone now, but that is okay. Your worst-case scenario is getting Roddy White as your WR1, but unless your third-round pick is last, you will most likely be able to snatch Julio Jones or Randall Cobb. Look out for Larry Fitzgerald, who will be catching more balls with the underrated Carson Palmer behind center. Fourth Round: Runningback For this round, you will want to fill up your flex slot with another RB. This will be the last round that you can draft a solid back before quality severely drops, so keep your hands off of those receivers. Rookie Le’Veon Bell is a nice sleeper to take here, but if someone else thought of that before you, try to pick up the consistently performing BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Fifth Round: Wide Receiver Make sure you secure a strong WR duo with a smart pick here. The depth dropoff will not be steep for receivers yet, so you will have a wide pool from which to pick your WR2. Pierre Garcon, who will most likely see more passes from a hindered Robert Griffin III, is someone to look for. If not, a nifty strategy is to choose a WR who is on the same team as one of your top RBs. This will create a tandem that will raise consistency throughout your season. Sixth Round: Wide Receiver You might be reluctant to start filling up your bench before you entire starting roster has been completed, but have patience. This is the last round you can clinch a solid WR before backups go down the drain. With Jeremy Maclin out this season, DeSean Jackson will be seeing twice as many passes coming his way, so take him if the opportunity arises. Seventh Round: Quarterback Surprised? Most people will try to get an elite quarterback (QB) like Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady with an early pick. Do not make this mistake. Waiting to pick your QB until the seventh round will be your smartest one. You have a better chance of winning by picking better RBs and WRs in the early rounds than by wasting a pick. The dropoff for QBs is simply too slow. That being said, it is important that your QB does not end up being Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger. However, nine times out of ten, Tony Romo will be available by the time your selection comes around. —Leon Cheong
Tennis court construction delayed Matt Niksa
Business Assistant
Students, tennis team members and teachers will have to wait a couple more weeks until the long-awaited opening of the new tennis courts. The tennis courts, which will be adorned with a freshly painted blue and green colorway, were in the final steps of being built when the district realized that it was not up to United States Tennis Association (USTA) sta nda rds. Gunn sta f f a nd district contractor Gilbane Management have created a new plan to fix the courts’ f laws and are looking to open the tennis courts in the beginning of October. The problem began during the end of last May when plans to create the new tennis courts were altered during the middle of construction. Hired subcontractor S.J. Amoroso Construction used plans that had not been approved by Gunn
staff and the building inspector in charge of construction. Consequently, as the project progressed, members of the P.E. staff and tennis coach Jim Norman noted that there was a raised area where the nets were located. This crown had raised the angle of the surface of the nets to greater than 1.5 deg rees, which caused t he center strap (midpoint) of the nets to be raised. Because the middle point of the nets were higher than a regulated tennis net, the courts were dubbed USTA i nel ig ible, mea n i ng Gunn would have to forfeit any matches held at home. Immediately after the discovery of the f law, construction was postponed and a meeting was held in order to review the specific problems of the tennis cour ts a nd how t he district would go about fixing the mistakes. This past summer, Gilbane Management, S.J. Amoroso and Gunn staff worked to-
gether to lower the angle of surface and have since redone the court surface to make it USTA approved. Assista nt Principa l Kimberly Cowell calls the situation extremely complicated, and a situation where it’s hard to bla me a cer ta i n g roup. “W hen you ask me about fault, it is very hard to pinpoint where it went wrong,” Cowell said. “Somewhere along the lines there was an error in communication.” Gunn’s tennis teams will continue to practice at the Cubberley tennis courts until the tennis courts are opened to the public. The tennis courts will also be newly equipped w it h a te a m ro om, w h ic h will include a sma ll locker room and a restroom. “We have weight training facilities available for both boys and girls tennis teams to enjoy,” Cowell said. “We’re all ready for t he cou r ts to be open. We’re all very excited.”
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Sports
Friday, September 20, 2013
19
Fun athletics classes hosted locally Steroids not worth Uforia Studios: 819 Ramona Street, Palo Alto
Uforia Studios offers a variety classes that will pump you up and make workouts fun and motivational. One of their classes, Grit, is focused on cardio and conditioning. The fun parts about this class are that there is always music playing and an instructor to help you get the best workouts possible. Another one of their classes is Zumba. Zumba is a unique experience because it turns excercising into dancing. The fast-paced moves create a very effective excercise routine, while the dancing keeps up the energy so it doesn’t even feel tiring!
Equinox: 440 Portage Ave, Palo Alto Equinox provides a variety of classes for its members. One of its most interesting classes is called the Welleki Aqua Challenge. The class is focused on the use of water in your workout. Sometimes the workout is yoga or pilates on a paddles board. Other times, the instructor leads strength workouts in the water. The class also focuses on cardio.This is a fun workout because there aren’t a lot of workouts focused completely on water so you won’t be stuck doing regular old workouts. This class can also be very fun during the summer.
Studio Kicks: 796 San Antonio Rd, Palo Alto Studio Kicks is a martial arts and cardio kickboxing gym. They offer four different levels of classes. Their classes are always high energy and you are always working. Although the workout is focused on kickboxing, you are working your whole body and after the class is over you feel extremely satisfied. The instructors are enthusiastic and encouraging. You are sure to get an efficient work out. Compiled by Erica Watkins, graphics by Carolyn Zhou
Make the most out of your workout Switch it up
Plan your meals
Ru n n i ng for an h ou r on a t re a d m i l l or swimming laps can get boring after a while. In order to stay in a healthy and active routine throughout the year, tr y out a new form of activity every now and then. Whether you decide to play frisbee with your friends at the park or take a yoga class at a local studio, a new type of workout can be a fun way to try something new and work muscles that you do not usually utilize. If Zumba is a class that interests you, try out “Ula Zumba” at the American Legion in downtown Los Altos. This one hour, high-energy class is the perfect way to relieve the built-up stress that accumulates throughout the week.
Many people choose to stock up on carbs right before engaging in high-intensity cardio exercise to maximize their energy. The body quickly digests simple carbohydrates, however, so the initial boost of energy will be shortlived. Furthermore, eating before a workout can make you feel bloated and unmotivated to do any sort of physical activity. Studies show that it is actually better to eat a light, energizing snack filled with high nutritional value before a workout and have your full meal afterwards. Try eating within 45 minutes after your workout when your metabolism is on full blast and pick foods with lots of protein so your muscles have the fuel to grow and repair.
Optimize, Don’t Maximize Try to engage in full-body exercises to get the most out of your workout instead of just focusing on individual parts of your body. For example, if you want to work on your arms and pecs, try doing some high-energy burpees instead of repeating sets of bicep curls. Not only will your upper body be burning from the pushups, but you’ll get in some cardio from the jumping up from your plank position to standing upright, too. If working on abs, try performing your usual exercises while using small weights or a medicine ball. The extra weight will engage your arms and upper body while strengthening your core at thes same time.
Be Consistent Sticking to a strict workout routine is easier said than done. The motivation to stay in shape or get toned is often overshadowed by the presence of homework, tests and countless extracurriculars. However, maintaining a light workout schedule that doesn’t take up too much of your time can be more efficient than sporadic, highintensity exercise. Rather than condensing a full weeks worth of working out in a single trip to the gym, try doing a few sets of sit-ups and push-ups at home during your homework break. Not only will you build some muscle, the physical activity can actually stimulate your brain to be more efficient with your work.
consequences Cooper Aspegren
As of this publication, Alex Rodriguez stands within eight home runs of surpassing Hall of Famer Willie Mays as the player with the fourth greatest number of career home runs in the over a hundred year-history of Major League Baseball (MLB). No one is particularly anxious for him to break 660, however. His entrances to the plate are met with boos rather than cheers and tossed popcorn rather than applause. A-Rod’s campaign for home run glory into the Hall of Fame is met, not with the usual anticipation and celebration associated with this kind of event, but with baseball fans realizing that his record is not a secure lock into a position within baseball’s pantheon of all time greats, but rather an almost meaningless farce. Rodriguez has been given a 211-game suspension by MLB for his involvement in a biogenesis clinic that gave him anabolic steroids. Eleven other players are currently serving 50-game suspensions for their roles in the clinic. These suspensions hardly constitute the beginning of a new era since the beginning of the federal investigation into steroid seller Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) in 2002. Suspensions revealed the extent to which players were and are willing to buy and use human growth hormones and other banned substances. The last few decades in baseball history have become subject to significant scrutiny. Players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa broke their single season and career home run records in the 1990s and 2000s, but were later linked to steroids. Because of these players’ willingness to obstruct the rules of the game, there is no way to compare this era of baseball to any prior period. There is no way to determine whether Bonds was a better player than Babe Ruth or whether Roger Clemens was better than Cy Young. Furthermore, it’s safe to assume that the record of baseball players who used steroids is not and will not ever be fully complete. As former player and current MLB network analyst Eric Byrnes put in a column on the baseball website www.checkswing.com, “If I had chosen the steroid route, I would not have felt as if I was cheating… I would have been doing what a large percentage of other guys around the league had made habitual within baseball.” Byrnes statement could be echoed amongst numerous baseball stars from the past and today. Because of these uncertainties, the Baseball Writer’s Association of America voted to not elect a single player to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013, preventing Bonds, Sosa and other alleged and confirmed steroids users from earning baseball’s most prestigious honor in their first year on the ballot. But even measures and actions like that have failed to keep the Hall of Fame steroid-clean. In the same column, Byrnes reports that a Hall of Famer from the 1970s and 1980s (which he refrained from naming) used steroids. Using steroids cannot ever be considered a moral course of action. Knowing that a high number of players use steroids does not change the fact that using steroids is an act of cheating. Even if steroid usage was as ubiquitous as lifting weights, the two exercises could hardly be considered comparable; while weightlifting is a natural process, steroid usage entails an artificial advantage that trivializes the contents of record books. If no baseball players used steroids in the past thirty years, the All-Star game line-ups, World Series championship winners, Hall of Fame ballots and even some international stars would have very likely appeared significantly different. MLB has every right to give Rodriguez such a hefty suspension, and as for the perpetrator, he better hope his lawyers can pull off a miracle. —Aspegren, a senior, is a News Editor
Compiled by Danielle Yacobson
20
THEORACLE
Sports
Entertainment
Friday, September 20, 2013
21
Gunn students reveal embarrassing stories One time I was walking around a blind corner and I bumped into someone and he fell on the ground on his butt and everyone was looking at me like I was a huge jerk. —Andy Zhao, 11
“I was in my Spanish class and we were doing presentations about ourselves. But when it was my turn I couldn’t read my own handwriting so I was standing in front of the class trying to read it for a good five minutes.” —Anonymous, 9
I shouted, “look at me,’” and danced around in Starbucks. —Winson Wong, 12
I went to Sadies with Edut and I forgot the tickets at home. We had to wait outside the dance while I called my mom so she could bring the tickets. Even though Sanchez knew me he wouldn’t let me in until I got my tickets because he thought it was funny. —Mack Radin, 11
In the new building bathrooms, the big stall doesn’t really lock well so I ran into the stall and someone was already on the toilet and we locked eye contact, so I just ran out and didn’t pee. —Sithara Kumar, 10
My friend at Club Day accidently dropped a bunch of candy on the ground so when she bent down to pick it up she fell straight into the table. —Danny Golovinsky, 11
One time I was peeing in the bathroom and my friend walked in and when I looked over at him I missed and it went on the floor. —Max Tannenwald, 10
One time I was taking a poop in the stall and I ran out of toilet paper so I had to wait till everyone was out of the bathroom so I could go to the other stall and get paper. —Anonymous, 12
My friend shook my porta-potty and it scared the crap out of me. Almost literally. —Anonymous, 12
Sophomore year, I peed my pants at a football game. —Alexia Ochoa, 12
Ally Gong
Bikram yoga adventure ends horribly
Danielle Yacobson I felt my sleep drifting away from me, as it does every morning, just as I am about to open my eyes. I’m in my bed in my room, waking up on a Saturday morning. Imagine my surprise when I open my eyes only to find myself lying on a sweaty gym mat with ten bewildered yoga-doers surrounding my limp body. My cousin had been raving about Bikram, a form of yoga that’s done in a room set to 105ºF in order to maximize strength and flexibility. She had found a studio near my house and invited me to try it out. Although my mother begged me not to go, for reasons that seemed absurd to me at the time, I ignored her overly protective rants and went anyways. Honestly, when are parents ever right? Flashback to an hour before “the incident.” Prior to starting the class, I had to
read the standard liability forms that ensure that the company is not responsible for any of the improbable events that will (most likely) not happen to you. I skimmed over the paper, signed at the bottom, and entered the 105ºF room with yoga mat in hand and water bottle at the ready. The heat wasn’t too bad at first. I felt like I was getting the hang of the whole “yoga” thing. After all, I was one of the youngest in the class and should have been in better shape than some of the older people. When the instructor said to go into some sort of a fancy backbend, I decided to be an overachiever and try it myself. At this point I was sweating buckets and the room was starting to sway, but I felt like I had something to prove. I miraculously did the backbend and even managed to stand back up, but that is the last thing I remember. Yes, I fainted in the middle of the class. Right in the smack-dab center of the room for everyone to see. The frantic yoga instructor had to drag me out by my feet into the cold lobby. To this day, my mother still does not know this story. I can only imagine the Itold-you-so look on her face.
Late entrance yields embarrassing results
Klaire Tan On a scale of awkwardness from one to ten, I would estimate myself to be right above a Michael Cera character. Therefore, to say I have a single embarrassing moment would be an outrageous understatement. Rather, I have many, many embarrassing moments, most of which have come back to randomly haunt me in the middle of the night. Out of all my mortifying memories, one moment from my freshman year stands out. The day started off poorly for two important reasons. One, it was raining. Two, I was running late. As a result, I was full-on sprinting towards my first class of the day in the Village. Things ended up turning out a lot worse than I expected. Instead of simply entering the classroom late, I ended up making a complete scene as I skid into the class-
room on my butt. Apparently, rain-slicked sneakers don’t go well with slippery ramps. I landed painfully prostrate in the doorway, fully spotlighted by the sunlight as the class was completely unlit. In that moment, I swear every single student in that classroom was staring at me. However, I’m sure you now think that it would all end there, that it couldn’t have possibly gotten any worse. You’re wrong. In my crazed flailing as I tried to get back on my feet, a leg of mine shot out and kicked a nearby trash can, sending it flying towards the metal desks closest to me. I doubt there was a single person who didn’t hear that metal trash can bounce across the room. If I was embarrassed earlier, I was mortified now. There was nothing more I wanted than to just lie back on the ground and disappear. However, I somehow managed to pick up the trash can, put it back and make my way to my seat. And surprisingly, not a single person laughed. The class period successfully ticked by, and the rest of the day simply followed, despite its humiliating start. By the end of school, the whole fiasco seemed to just have been a dream.
22
THEORACLE
Girl takes action and asks boy to homecoming
Stephanie Zhang Centerfold Editor
“Are you really that desperate?” and “I didn’t realize you were such a feminist” were the main responses I received when I told people that I was planning on asking a guy to homecoming. The truth is, as homecoming came around, I wasn’t obsessively concerned about who my date would be, nor do I have any particularly strong oppositions against gender roles. I simply wanted to try something new during my senior year, step out of my comfort zone and be bold. Throughout high school, I have always identified with the taciturn, short, Asian girl stereotype. Granted, I probably wouldn’t strike you as a reporter who would write a segment on being bold, so it might come as a surprise that
I voluntarily chose to write this article. Although I have enjoyed the benefits of keeping a low-profile at school, it has recently hit me that my time at Gunn is limited and coming to an end. I realized that although I have had made many achievements throughout high school, a missing piece in the puzzle of my Gunn career was a justified “YOLO” hash-tag moment. And so, in an effort to put myself out there, I found myself standing on the senior quad on a Monday afternoon, with flowers in my hands, asking a guy to homecoming. The moments leading up to the asking were quite nerveracking. I tried to remain calm as I stood awkwardly on the quad, observing people gather around to watch. My prospective homecoming date had decided that it would be a good idea to stay and sit in class for a few minutes after the bell rang, so my wait was agonizingly long. In these moments, I imagined the various reactions that my asking could be received with. Would he be intrigued by my boldness to ask him? Or would his face drop with a “you are so needy” expression as he grudgingly said yes? My thoughts were interrupted as I saw him round the
corner to the quad. As I met his gaze, I was comforted by the fact that he bore a befuddled yet excited facial expression. In that moment, I realized that my worries had been greatly exaggerated and that my nervousness was quite unnecessary. The words, “Will you go to homecoming with me?” stuttered out of my mouth despite the many times I had practiced it in the mirror. Nevertheless, the rest of my asking went as smoothly as I could have hoped: he said “yes” quite abruptly as the observing crowd cheered and took lots of pictures. Although I had anticipated that this attempt at boldness would be overpowered by my inclination to retreat into a state of embarrassment and shyness, I was surprised at how comfortable I felt throughout the whole situation. I have discovered that my personality does contain an audacious side, although too often I allow my meekness to overshadow it. In the future, I hope that I will not let prudence or diffidence deter me from engaging in adventurous or daring pursuits. Next up on my list: streaking (just kidding). —Zhang, a senior, is a Centerfold Editor.
Photos by Audey Shen
Top: Senior Stephanie Zhang awaits senior Ensay Kim on the quad with flowers. Kim accepts the homecoming invitation and they share a hug. Bottom: (from left to right) seniors Ensay Kim, Stephanie Zhang, Chrissy Kwon, Carolyn Zhou and Lucy Oyer participated in the Homecoming asking.
Friday, September 20, 2013
23
Be unique and bold on the dance floor with these groovy moves Ta
The tango is the best way to get close to your date while still being tasteful and classy.
Hip-Hop
Get down, wild and funky with your homecoming date while grooving to some rad hip-hop music. Photos by Audey Shen. Moves modeled by juniors Emily Kvitko and Justin Wenig
Ballet
Become the most graceful version of yourself when you do the arabesque with your significant other.
Line Dancing
o ng
Ladies and Gents, there’s nothing like line dancing with your partner over a classic Jay-Z or Justin Timberlake song.
—Compiled by Sam Acker
The bolder, the better: freshmen edition 1. Go all out. Don’t tone down your dress-up theme. The people who have the craziest outfits look the best.
6. Go to the football game and support your fellow Titans. Even if football isn’t your thing, the floats and court make it an experience not to be missed.
2. Run to brunch and lunch games. Freshmen are known for running to class, so you might as well run to the activities. You 7. Make sure your whole class participates in the tug-of-war will appreciate the good seats more than you know. lunch game. As freshmen, you do not have size as an advantage, so you will need every person in your grade to have any 3. Cheer loudly at the events. It will get you points in the long chance of beating the sophomores. run as well as help pump up your class when they’re competing. 8. Pack lunches. You will not want to wait in the lunch line and 4. Make your whole class go to Stuff-a-Bench. This is the one ac- risk missing the whole activity. tivity that freshmen always have the capability to do very well, so it will be a disappointment if you don’t have a lot of people 9. Help with the float. Everyone underestimates the effect your there. class float can have on the outcome of homecoming. First of all, it makes an impact on your overall homecoming score. Second 5. Take homecoming as an opportunity to bond with your class. of all, it makes an impact on the other grades and their opinion Remember, you will only be with these people for four years. of your class. At times they may annoy you, but your relationship with your peers will shape your high school experience. 10. Go to the night rally. It will change your life. —Compiled by Erica Watkins
24
Entertainment
THEORACLE
Student ponders hometown’s priorities
Lucy Oyer
MAP KEY:
1) Where seeing 20 Teslas and Priuses during a ten minute drive is definitely not out of the ordinary. 2) Where going to Happy Donuts in the middle of the night is the new rage. 3) Where
the only fun thing to do is run The Dish. 4) Where after being in downtown for 15 minutes you want to go home. 5) Where seventh and eighth graders take the SAT.
—Compiled by Naina Murthy and Arjun Sahdev
Graphic by Jasmine Garnett
There are some decisions that are very easy to make and others that are more difficult. To me, the choice of whether to stand in a line for two hours to buy a scoop of ice cream squished between two cookies at CREAM sounds like an easy one: no. Apparently to many other citizens of the fine city of Palo Alto, however, that decision is murky at best and on any given night, approximately 58 percent of the population goes with “Yes”. They line up in throngs along an already-crowded University Avenue to shell out three dollars for a modified version of an ice cream sandwich. Now, Palo Alto is a very educated city (with over 80 percent of adults holding at least a bachelor’s degree, it is the “most educated” city in California) so I find it hard to believe that such a large percentage of the population is unable to make rational decisions when it comes to allotment of their free time. One might think, therefore, that we could discard this one instance of illogical behavior as a fluke. But upon further research into the conduct of Palo Altans, it becomes clear that CREAM’s example of an inability to make judicious decisions about how to spend their free time and money is the rule, not an exception. We all know that people in Palo Alto are generally very hardworking. With kids starting to study for their SATs in sixth grade and endless opportunities for “enrichment” to supplement a heavy school workload, teenagers in particular are overloaded. In this world of overbooked schedules, spare time is rare and precious. So, it boggles the mind that when given a few hours to enjoy, people in Palo Alto make such odd choices about how to spend them. Take, for instance, the Happy Donuts phenomenon. When your average freshman is looking for something fun to do at night, instead of turning to any number of more reasonable options, he decides to head to a sketchy 24-hour donut shop. It is my understanding that in other places, fourteen-yearolds like to do things like go to the movies or the mall. But no, here they bike to a donut store at midnight to hang out. At least Happy Donuts is cheap—I’ll give them that. The same cannot be said for other Palo Alto trends. And I’m not just talking about the plethora of Teslas that fill the parking lots of the city or the fact that a dilapidated shack costs over a million dollars here. Even among high schoolers, overspending is rampant. Take a walk down University Avenue on any given Friday night and of the many teenage girls you see, at least half will be wearing Lululemon pants. Granted, I myself am very much guilty of buying into the upscale yoga pant trend, but even I can admit that spending 80 dollars on a piece of stretchy fabric is a bit ridiculous. I think I’ve been a bit harsh. Sure, people can make some pretty laughable decisions, but while it’s only in Palo Alto that you’ll see five Teslas parked in a row, it’s also true that only in Palo Alto will you get a fantastic free public education, perfect weather all year-round and streets that are safer than Disneyland. And that, my friends, is difficult to complain about. —Oyer, a senior, is a Managing Editor.