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Palo Alto Unified School District Henry M. Gunn High School 780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306

THEORACLE Henry M. Gunn High School

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Friday, September 12, 2014 Volume 52, Issue 1

780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306

PAUSD welcomes superintendent Matt Niksa

Business Editor

1966: First Gunn class graduates.

2003: PAUSD allows students to set their own dress code.

2010: Westboro Baptist Church pickets Gunn; Student body responds with successful counter-demonstration.

Elizabeth Zu

Shawna Chen Forum Editor

The 2014-2015 school year marks Gunn’s 50th anniversary. To honor the school’s five decades of achievement, a celebration will take place on campus from today to Sunday. “Everyone is welcome,” organizer and Gunn alumni Sheryl Humble said. “We hope to have a lot of alumni, a lot of former staff, current staff, and current students [in attendance].”

The event will begin with a barbecue this afternoon, where The Ace of Sandwiches will cater. At 7 p.m., the home football game will commence with alumni cheerleaders cheering alongside the current cheer team as alumni band members perform alongside the band. At half-time, there

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By the numbers

will be special presentation called the Parade of Decades while alumni and current students dressed in the fashions of different time periods will walk in between a procession of vintage cars carrying accessories that depict the important occurrences of each decade.

“It’s basically going to be a walking chronological history,” Humble said.

Junior Joowon Lee, who will lead the cheer team during the game, encourages all students to come out and participate in Friday night’s festivities.

“It’s going to be really cool seeing old alumni come back and see what Gunn used to be like,” Lee said. “It’s a time capsule of Gunn all wrapped up into one football game, and we get to be a part of that.”

Tomorrow, an official ceremony will begin in the Titan Gym at 10 a.m.,

Gunn’s 50th

»

where the jazz band will perform to welcome audience members. Keynote speakers, including new superintendent Glenn McGee, principal Denise Herrmann, Henry M. Gunn’s granddaughter and Gunn alumnus, news anchor Janelle Wang, will deliver speeches throughout the commemoration.

Herrmann will additionally conduct a rededication of all the buildings recognizing the individuals after which various campus structures are named. Afterwards, former and current teachers will perform a song written exclusively for the event. The ceremony will close at 11 a.m. with a video montage that “discusses history, who Henry M. Gunn was, the history of Gunn, then and now, why we should ANNIVERSARY—p.4

Number of students enrolled in Gunn in its first year, 1964 (2014 has 1,900 students)

800

On May 23rd, 2014, the Palo Alto Unified School District’s (PAUSD) Board of Education announced Dr. Glenn “Max” McGee, a long-time educator from Illinois, as the new district superintendent. McGee was chosen after an extensive interview process by the Board of Education. After interviewing administrators, teachers and education officials who worked with McGee at IHMSA (Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy), the Board confirmed McGee as the new superintendent on Fri. McGee’s superintendent contract stretches for four years, and includes a $1 million home loan to help him transition to living in Palo Alto.

McGee believes that there are many ways to improve the education system, but he has a list of goals he hopes to meet this year. McGee’s first goal is that he hopes to try and unite PAUSD by creating a balanced curriculum for all schools. “I am learning it would benefit our students to be more consistent in assessment, instruction, curriculum, etc.,” McGee said. McGee’s second goal is to encourage innovation in PAUSD schools.

He believes that in time, we will be able to share innovative ideas within our schools and beyond.

The third goal McGee hopes to accomplishment this year is to promote a culture conducive to academic and athletic excellence. “We need to prepare students for careers that don’t even exist yet. If we [the school district] do our job well, our students will be the ones to invent new careers and solve global problems,” he said. The final goal McGee hopes to complete in the 2014-2015 school year is establishing frequent, open communication among the superintendent, the Palo Alto Board of Education and all PAUSD schools.

McGee’s path to the position of PAUSD superintendent has taught him many lessons about working in public education. Between 1998 and 2001, McGee worked as the Illinois state superintendent, a role that involved overseeing two million students in 900 school districts. “It was the opportunity of a lifetime. People thought I was nuts for taking the job, they said [the job] was all politics, which it was,” McGee said. “But it was an opportunity to make such a change on a large scale, and some of those have endured. I look back on my career, I think I’m probably most proud, thus far anyway, of what I did as state superintendent to benefit a large number of students.”

During his three-year tenure, new programs were created to help to improve the Illinois public school system. To help improve the literacy rate for younger students as well as close the achievement gap, McGee helped to increase the funds for early childhood education. To kickstart Illinois’ public school system, McGee and Illinois legislators SUPERINTENDENT—p.3

Number of clubs, teams and organizations offered to students in 2014.

90

2

News

THEORACLE

SNAPSHOTS

Staff Parking Lot Snack Bar Courtesy of Pam Steward

Anthony Tran

“The glass is really creepy. [The E building] is really distracting and not a good learning environment.”

–Kevin Ji, 10

Miranda Drop-off “I’m really glad [Miranda is] finished. I have b e e n e xc i t e d for it to be built for a long time.”

– M a ck R a d i n, 12

Anthony Tran

“When school opened I was thrilled to be able to park in the back near my classroom. What I found was that the “no left turn” out of the parking lot rule made it hard to turn onto Arastradero or go on Foothill. ” –Science teacher Lettie Weinmann

“I like seeing the garden, because the concrete area would be very dull without it.”

–Aaditya Divekar, 11

New Bike Racks

Bike Repair

“[ The bike repair] is definitely helpful since I bike to school. If I have problems with my bike it’s nice to have a quick repair.”

–Alice Mazin, 11

“I like the bike racks by the science building because they let me access my bike right after school.”

–Claire Hu, 10

Anthony Tran

Lisa Cheong

New Areas

E Building Lisa Cheong

Organic Garden Anthony Tran

SEC implements Gunn Buddy System Matthew Hamilton

Assistant Business Manager

Gunn Student Executive Council (SEC) has revived a buddy program to assist new students in their transition to Gunn. The program assigns new students entering sophomore through senior year with returning Gunn students.

Mentors meet with mentees every week and provide new students with insight into Gunn that they would not have received from teachers or counselors. They can talk about classes, teachers, social happenings and things unique to Gunn, such as where to have lunch and why homecoming is such a big event.

According to junior Grace Park, this connection to another Gunn student can make adjusting to the school a lot easier. “The new students have someone who can show them the best of Gunn,” she said. “When you are new to Gunn, you don’t automatically see the best of Gunn. With a buddy you see all of the amazing things we have here. A buddy is somebody who can take you to the library and

Anthony Tran

show you all the amazing technology we have, to steer you into a club that they know would be good for you.”

Student Activities Director Lisa Hall explains that the goal of the Buddy System is to build communication between new and experienced students. “The goal is to provide a buddy or a mentor who is a current Gunn student and somebody who has been in the district for a long time to support a new transfer student,” she said.

According to Hall, Gunn receives on average 30 to 40 new students in grades 10 through 12 each year. Throughout the month, all of the mentor-mentee pairs are required to meet three times during lunch but Hall also hopes that some pairs choose to meet outside of school. During meetings, mentors check in on their students, answer questions and socialize.

The program was started by current Human Relations Commissioners senior Anastasiya Stasyuk and sophomore Tone Lee as well as Junior Class Vice President Cole McFaul.

McFaul decided to help with the program because of his experiences as a new student. “I came as a transfer student last year,” McFaul said.

“Everybody was really nice, but it is hard if you don’t know anyone to make that first step and introduce yourself. We are just trying to integrate them so they can meet more people quicker.”

The buddy system has been helpful for the new students. Junior Ian Li, who transferred to Gunn this fall, has moved a lot, and according to him, adjusting to Gunn has been the easiest transition because of the Buddy System. “It is nice to have a better understanding of the school instead of wandering around aimlessly looking for things,” Li said.

This process has been rewarding for the mentors as well. “It’s been great,” sophomore Luke Cheng said. “I really enjoy it, and I think the new students feel more welcomed.” Cheng even felt like students would benefit from a buddy system between freshmen and upper classmen.

Mentor-mentee meetings will continue ever until the end of this September. After that, the meetings will continue only if the new students still need them.

Anthony Tran

Anthony Tran

—Compiled by Ariel Pan

Miranda relieves congestion Hayley Krolik Sports Editor

After months of work, the “Miranda Drop-off ” was launched this school year as an effort to reduce traffic congestion by providing a roundabout where cars can drop off students. The drop-off was included in order to accommodate for the change in location of the “village” portables According to Assistant Principal James Lubbe, when plans were developed for the new N building, the opportunity arose to renovate the drop-off area in an area where traffic problems were prevalent.

“You could drive in there before, but you would drive in and you didn’t have a natural turn-around spot, so it created a lot of congestion and traffic,” he said.

The drop-off is advantageous for students and teachers coming from Los Altos Hills, as those from Palo Alto travel on Arastradero. Cars are also able to deposit students on either side of the drop off zone.

Senior Mack Radin feels that it has made a huge difference in the amount of traffic in his daily commute. “Before, I would be waiting at the light for three rounds,” Radin said. “At some points, Foothill would be completely blocked because everyone would be stuck in line to turn into Gunn at 8:23 and everyone would be late. Now, that doesn’t happen because people filter out to turn both ways.

According to Lubbe, the drop off has also improved safety through the addition of speed bumps and campus supervisors who monitor the traffic. “We try to get our campus supervisors out there; there is one in the front parking lot, and one in the back side [at the drop-off ],” Lubbe said. His main concern is whether or not drivers will follow the law when exiting the drop-off. “I would be concerned about drivers obeying the laws about not turning left out of the parking lot and not double-parking out on Miranda itself,” Lubbe said. In addition, Radin is worried about the limited space in the area. “It is kind of annoying that there is no parking there anymore. I used to park there after lunch because it was more convenient for me,” he said. “There is also less room. We need to store our materials for f loats and we used to do it in an area over there. Now we can’t.”

News

Friday, September 12, 2014

3

Palo Alto takes action on drought McGee chosen as programs for residents and businesses and expanded customer outreach about water supply conditions, have helped our water conservation efforts.”

On Jan. 17, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. deThe first, which went into action on May 20, includes clared a Drought State of Emergency for the State of California. a 5 to 10 percent reduction in water usage by prohibiting According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, conditions are the most drinkable water runoff, requiring shut-off valves for vehicle extreme in central and northern California, as reservoir water washing stations, sidewalks and buildings, using recycled levels become increasingly strained. water for construction and repairing broken plumbing or Palo Alto is also facing the reirrigation systems. In addition, decorative fountains have percussions of this situation. been shut off and outdoor irrigation has been restricted.

“While our water supply is “When we receive a report of an infraction, we place a door not quite as stressed as other hanger reminding them about our drought conditions, areas of the state, precipitacurrent water use regulations and resources available to tion and water storage levels assist their needs,” Elvert said. “If problems persist, sites are lower than average years,” may receive a follow-up letter and/or other notification Palo Alto Utilities Senior from the City and ultimately could face fines for continued Resource Planner Nicolas non-compliance.”

Procos said.

The second stage calls for a 10 to 20 percent reduction The State Water Resources through more intensive restrictions on water use as well as Control Board is issuing fines the use of a drought rate schedule. The third stage, with a to ensure that water agen20 to 35 percent water reduction goal, implements increased cies and their customers are fines and penalties for water usage violations as well as the abiding with the water conpossibility of water flow restriction devices. The fourth stage servation regulation. With involves a 35 to 50 percent water reduction goal which California facing the driest comprises of water allocation, or specified amounts of year in the state’s history, water, for each customer and severe water use restrictions many cities are taking and penalties. “We may be facing an extended drought measures to conserve waperiod, so it is important for all to continue efforts to use ter, and Palo Alto is no water as efficiently as possible,” Procos different. “The city is in said. “If the Bay Area’s conservathe process of recruiting tion efforts do not achieve the a Water Waste Coordinadesired results and we don’t tor who will be specifically meet our 10 percent wa58 percent of California is dedicated to drought reter use reduction goals in exceptional drought acsponse actions,” Palo Alto through the end of the cording to the state drought Utilities Director Valerie year, we may be asked to monitor.

Fong said. cut back even more.”

According to the City of Palo From Feb. to June, Alto’s City Council Staff Report, Palo Alto’s water usage has Elizabeth Zu Palo Alto is implementing drought dropped by 14 percent as compared measures in four stages. Fortunately, according to Communi- to last year. “It’s important to emphasize that residents and cations Manager Catherine Elvert, the people of Palo Alto are businesses in Palo Alto have done a good job reducing oversuccessfully cutting back on water usage on their own. “Most all water use,” Fong said. “Staff anticipates education-based people seem to be very aware of the State’s drought conditions, enforcement will be sufficient to achieve desired results.” and a lot of people are choosing to conserve water on their The statewide water use decreased by 5 percent as of May own,” Elvert said. “These factors, together with increased rebate 2014, and more campaigns are being launched to encourage amounts for key conservation programs, new water efficiency water conservation.

Prachi Kale

Copy Editor

superintendent SUPERINTENDENT—p.1

implemented a new Illinois Learning standard and distributed the first Prairie State Achievement Exams tests, which measure the reading, writing, mathematics and science skills of 11th graders.

Though those changes were promising, conflicts between McGee and members of the Illinois state government hindered progress and are aspects of McGee’s time as superintendent that he still regrets.

“I had some run-ins with the Governor Ryan [of Illinois] on policy. He and I did not see eye to eye, and we really had some significant conflicts,” McGee said.

While McGee’s time as state superintendent may have come to an unsatisfying end, he believes that the role of Illinois superintendent taught him valuable lessons on the importance of communicating well with others.

PAUSD board member Barb Mitchell, who interviewed McGee and many of his former peers at IHMSA, believes McGee has the qualities to be a strong superintendent. “[His colleagues] spoke of a strong, and inclusive leader who listens, builds bridges and communicates clear rationale for goals and actions,” Mitchell said. It is the well-being of his students that McGee believes is most important. “Whether in a tiny board school or a large school district, the best part of my job is working with students, and I hope to get to know a lot more of you,” he said.

THEORACLE

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780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 354-8238 www.gunnoracle.com

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 conveying a point of view.

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Danielle Yacobson News Lawrence Chen Kush Dubey Forum Shawna Chen Esther Kozakevich Kathleen Xue

Managing Editors Pooja Belur Klaire Tan

Features Lisa Hao Yuki KlotzBurwell Ryeri Lim

Lifestyle Sam Acker Noa Livneh Justin Wenig

Centerfold Emily Kvitko Naina Murthy

Sports Hayley Krolik Arjun Sahdev

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Please include your name, grade and contact information should you choose to write one.

Copy Elinor Aspegren Prachi Kale

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Tech Aayush Dubey

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Oracle/TBN Liaison Isaac Wang Adviser Kristy Blackburn

The Oracle is published by and for the students of Henry M. Gunn Senior High School. The unsigned editorials that appear in this publication represent the majority opinion of the editorial staff and The Oracle’s commitment to promoting student rights.

The Oracle publishes nine issues annually. Subscriptions cost $45 per year to receive all nine issues.

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 gunnoracle@yahoo.com or posted on our Facebook page. These letters need not be from current student.

Letter from the Editor

Staff Reporters Stina Chang, Michael Chen, Sabrina Chen, Lucy Fan, Ariel Pan, Wendy Shi, Erica Watkins, Lena Ye

Courtesy of Max McGee

Superintendent Max McGee gives the opening speech at the Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science in September 2013.

Welcome, readers, to this year’s first full installment of The Oracle. As you browse through the articles that our staff has put together this month, I hope that you get a sense of the diversity of stories and opinions that will be featured throughout the year.

As the news industry moves away from print publication to online news content, we decided that it was time to keep up with the changing times. Over the summer, we gave our website a major makeover and are now ready to launch the new and improved

gunnoracle.com. Make sure to check it out throughout the month as we upload breaking news stories and features on our fellow Gunn Titans. You will also be able to submit letters to the editor and story suggestions, as well as subscribe to The Oracle for a fresh paper delivered to your doorstep each month.

That being said, we are first and foremost a print publication. Nothing compares to the feeling of flipping through a tangible newspaper, and we plan to provide that priceless satisfaction each month. Last year, the staff received first place in the General Excellence category from the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club and we expect to live up to and surpass the standard we have set for ourselves.

We hope you enjoy your read and pick up a copy of The Oracle again next month.

Sincerely, Danielle Yacobson, EIC 2014-15

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News

THEORACLE

Gunn celebrates 50th anniversary in three-day event ANNIVERSARY—p.1 shaping the school through the last five decades. “It always should be proud of the school,” Humble said. was an academic stronghold, but there are even more acaFrom 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., current students will lead demic expectations now because people know the quality of guided tours around Gunn while other proceedings initiate the school,” Jacoubowsky said. “Honestly, Gunn’s best days across campus. An alumni art exhibit will be accessible in are today.” the library while club booths will be open for reception on Alumni Ross Helsaple and Tristan Ginanni, too, note how the quad.

Gunn’s academic environment is The weekend celebration will one to recognize and praise. “When draw to an end with a “bringI went away for college, I felt as “Something that has always your-own-lunch” picnic on Sunprepared as I could be,” Ginanni been there and will continue day morning, during which athsaid. “[That aspect] is something to grow is students supportletic games such as football and Gunn should definitely be proud basketball will be organized. of.” She also attributes Gunn’s ing each other, reaching out Through this occasion, Humble student-teacher relationships as a and getting people to conhopes that students will be able to factor in its academic accomplishinteract with alumni and see just ment. “I had a lot of respect for my nect with each other.” how special Gunn is through their teachers and always enjoyed going —Assistant Principal Tom Jacoubowsky eyes. “[The alums writing to us] to class,” Ginanni said. are remembering senior pranks, Today, Helsaple identifies stuwhen someone bombed the pool and how they used to dent success as a component of Gunn culture. “Kids these have tricycle races near Spangenberg,” organizer and Gunn days are so multi-talented,” he said. “Whether that’s a product parent Lynn Kidder said. “It’s really just jaw-dropping how of Gunn itself or not, it’s a part of this community.” they feel about the school.”

As Gunn enters its next 50 years of life, it is important Gunn culture has always revolved around its students, to reflect on its history and evolution through time. “You and for Lee, the anniversary celebration is an opportunity stand on the shoulders of those who came before you, and to appreciate the uniqueness of the community. “Gunn’s whether you’re an athlete or super student, there are gengreatest legacy is its people,” she said. “The community of erations before you that created the pathways that you’re in the school shaped who the alumni are, and it’s interesting to now. There are generations that established the foundation see how every year, Gunn’s different even though we’re the for the school we’ve become,” Jacoubowsky said. “It’s always same school.” good to recognize and honor that.”

Assistant Principal Tom Jacoubowsky also believes that Though the organizing committee acknowledges that Gunn’s students have been the biggest contributors to its students might have other plans for the weekend, Gunn only success over the years. “This school is the most inclusive turns fifty once, and Humble hopes to remind students of in terms of how students care about each other and how just how unique that experience is. “The way we live now, staff work together,” he said. “Something that has always with everything instant, we’re always looking for the next been there and will continue to grow is students support- jump, like ‘I have do this to get here,’ but I want students to ing each other, reaching out and getting people to connect just come and be in this moment and just really get a sense with each other.” of how phenomenal this high school is,” Humble said. “You However, Gunn’s innovation in education, student-staff aren’t going to realize how lucky and fortunate we are to collaboration and immersive classes have also played roles in have gone to Gunn High School until you’re older.”

Courtesy of Gunn Alumni

Above: The 50th Anniversary celebration honors the founder of Gunn High School, Henry M. Gunn.

Sept. 4:30-6:30: Welcome BBQ at Bol Park 6:50-9:30: Gunn football game 12

Sept.

13

10:00-11:00: Ceremony with special guest speakers 11:00-12:00: Campus Tours 12:00-12:30: Faculty Panel 12:30: Gunn tour of trees 11:30-1:30: Art exhibit 11:30-1:30: Explore student groups on the quad with music played by the Gunn band 1:00: Flag Ceremony

Sept. 11:30-2:30: Bring your own picnic lunch and play pick up games at all Gunn fields 14

Gunn seeks aid through WASC Kathleen Xue Forum Editor

Over the course of the 2014-2015 school year, Gunn staff and administration w i l l ta ke par t in Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a required self-study. The leadership team for the study will include staff, students and community members.

California high schools are required to undergo an accreditation process every six years. This is Gunn’s sixth year in the process, and by April 2015 the school will need to compile a report on the school’s status and overall organization in order to be accredited for the next six years.

Principal Denise Herrmann is helping administer WASC during her first year at Gunn and has already found areas of Gunn that need improvement.

“Something I learned coming in this year is that some of the data we need to keep well, wasn’t kept very well at all,” Dr. Herrmann said. “So for us to try and set some goals, such as attendance, because we don’t have a set system of measuring data, we don’t have this area to be able to analyze how we’re doing.”

Dr. Herrmann believes that WASC is essent ia l to t he school not on ly because of its requirement for government-recognized diplomas but also because of its beneficial effects. “The real purpose of WASC, I think, is for us to really do an inventory of what things we’re doing well, how can we expand those things and in what areas we’re lack ing,” Dr. Herrmann said.

“From the results so far, I think this is showing that we should be doing something like WASC more than once every six years.”

As coordinator of t he 2014-2015 WASC, Meg Omainsky is responsible for organizing the various aspects of the self study process. “The self-study coordination process involves inviting feedback from our broad community including students, parents, staff and district representatives as to how we can improve our services to our learning community,” Omainsky said. “The process culminates with a report that documents where we are, our analysis and our course of action through 2021.”

The WASC inspectors are expected to visit March 2015 to evaluate Gunn’s fulfillment of its past WASC plan.

This year, Omainsky hopes to get more student and community feedback on Gunn’s performance. “W hen we sit down to make our WASC plan, it should not just be teachers and administration,” she said. “It should include teachers, administration, students and community. It should be collaborative.” This year, Omainsky said, over 95 students where chosen to take part in focus groups to discuss the implementation of the new system drafted by the WASC team.

One of the student leaders on the WASC leadership team, senior Sulema Gama, believes that there is a lot of progress regarding WASC so far. Gama and the leadership team are working on evaluating the report written by the WASC writing team which is composed of teachers Todd Summers, Daisy Renazco, Tarn Wilson, Nicole Menache and Ethan Halter. Gama hopes that this coming WASC will address the issue of academic stress on students. “The stress level at Gunn can definitely be decreased,” she said. “And I hope that we can make that happen with a new set of standards.”

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Forum

Friday, September 12, 2014

The ALS ice bucket challenge perpetuates slacktivism The ALS ice bucket challenge • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

• The ALS ice bucket challenge involves either dumping ice water on oneself and posting a video of the reaction or donating $100.

Lawrence Chen

Ant

on O

y un

g

According to The Roan oke Times, AL S affects five out of every 100 ,000 people wo rldwide.

Today’s world is dominated by social media. While it can be useful, it should not be exploited for certain types of activism. In fact, it can negatively impact the organizations implementing such social media promotion. These programs ultimately suffer from “slacktivism,” in which the audience is asked to support a cause by performing simple actions that require little involvement such as signing an online petition or sharing a video.

A recent campaign sweeping through the online world is the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) ice bucket challenge. The most popular version of this challenge involves either dumping ice water on oneself and posting a video of the reaction or donating $100. Because the videos are entertaining to watch, they have attracted an abundance of attention. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing someone yelping and prancing around in the cold? However, though the campaign has gained a lot of attention, many participants have forgotten about the challenge’s original goal. Making the video has become less about spreading ALS awareness but a way to seek attention and rack up Facebook “likes” while still “contributing” to the cause.

Many videos even fail to mention how and where to donate to ALS. By substituting a $100 donation with a simple video, people are overlooking the true meaning of

the video and instead using it to artificially increase their social standing among their peers.

The ALS ice bucket challenge has attracted so much attention that celebrities such as Mark Zuckerberg and David Beckham have gone out of their way to participate. Usually, celebrity involvement can help boost support and awareness of a cause, but the ALS videos have instead turned the campaign into a joke and an opportunity for selfpublicity. For example, most of the participating celebrities have the money to donate, but instead, they decide to pour ice water on themselves. What kind of message does this send? If celebrities—some of the richest people in the world—choose not to donate, what average person would feel compelled to do so?

Obviously, instead of caring about raising cause for ALS, these celebrities only care about videotaping the challenge and nominating other individuals. Seeing this attitude discourages viewers from taking the ALS challenge seriously. When people watch celebrities wince and laugh in the cold, they see the ALS challenge as something to do for laughs and entertainment. Thus, while publicity grows through this ploy, real activism diminishes.

In addition, when people see celebrities—some of the richest people in the world—performing the ice bucket challenge rather than donating, they feel even less need to drop money for the cause.

And even if people say they’ll donate, who tracks whether they actually do?

ALS is one of the few social media campaigns that has drawn any significant success despite

suffering from slacktivism. It had raised at least $25 million by the end of August due to the awareness generated by the challenge.

Other causes, however, have died out because of slacktivism. These social media campaigns make the audience feel like a simple share, post, video or profile picture change is more than enough to substitute for a donation. This causes people to feel content and accomplished in clicking a button when in reality they are changing nothing. KONY 2012, for example, was a 30-minute video produced by Invisible Children Inc. to draw international attention to Joseph Kony, a man who became notorious for kidnapping and employing children in East Africa as sex slaves and soldiers. The KONY 2012 video exploded upon release and raked in millions of views and shares. However, the organization quickly died out due to people’s slacktivism, and now, two whole years later, Kony is still free. A few other programs that also failed to make any real progress on social media are Chevy’s #purpleyourprofile and Michelle Obama’s #bringourgirlsback.

Slacktivism plagues nearly every cause that encourages people to “contribute” by the click of a button. These causes seem to value that click just as much as they do a monetary donation or the will to actually research, learn and help. Therefore, by monitoring the shares and likes as genuine activism in the making, the cause assumes a state of fake success which ultimately leads to its collapse with no real action that follows.

—Chen, a senior, is a News Editor.

Real Headlines from the News: • Buzzfeed: “Henry Cavill And His Super Bulge Take The Ice Bucket Challenge” • CBS Local News: “Ha Ha—Check Out 22 Ice Bucket Challenge Fails”­ • ­­Just Jared: “Katy Perry Rocks Black Bikini For Ice Bucket Challenge” • Buzzfeed: “The 25 Most Important Shirtless Ice Challenges”

Out of 1,500 randomly selected #icebucketchallenge videos from YouTube, 26 percent did not allude to ALS.

rcent Only 20 pe of the afore 1,500 mentioned ti n oned videos me donations.

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Forum

THEORACLE

Should students aim for prestigious brand-name schools

PRO

It’s always hard to face the truth, but in the case of college, it’s even harder. It takes a while to come to terms with this but unfortunately, it’s the reality whether students like it or not: prestigious universities are worth the hype. Students often say that Ivy League universities aren’t a good fit for them, which can be right in some cases, but the majority of the time it is because they are hedging their bets due to the selectivity of these schools.

To say that an Ivy League education doesn’t fit a student is saying that having a wealth of resources and top-ranked professors isn’t a matter of interest. Now, let’s set aside the fact that just getting into a prestigious college will earn the student a strong academic reputation for life and look at the other benefits of these universities. After all, there’s a reason they’re

a top-ranking school on the resume. Most employers look at people who have gone to better schools first because they think that they are getting a little extra. They know how much work goes into getting into and graduating from an elite university, so they assume that the candidate will put just as much effort into their workplace. Another big advantage to graduating from a top-ranked university is that the student is now part of the alumni association of that school. Many employers and future business partners tend to favor those who have that special bond of sharing the same alma mater.

Looking at Ivy League schools from a financial point of view could seem a little scary at first but when one analyzes the numbers he or she will be able to see why they cost the small fortune. Firstly, it’s important to remember that education in college, whether it’s in or out of a classroom, is an investment. Professor Eric Eide, chairman of the economics department at Brigham Young University told the New York Times that “the costs of colleges are [not] going up faster than the returns on graduating from an elite private

at the top.

Firstly, there is never a black and white situation when it comes to college. There may have been people who have had tremendous success by going to “regular” schools, but they are outliers. In an article published in 2013 on CNN.com, eight out of ten universities on the list of the “highest paid grads” are all topranked. These were schools such as Harvey Mudd, Caltech, Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, Brown and more. This doesn’t mean that one cannot become successful by going to an alternative but, let’s face it, a career and paycheck will grow much faster with

As colleges become increasingly more difficult to get into and prices for education continue to inflate, there is an increasing trend of today’s high school students choosing their universities with misconception and misguidance. What were known as the beginnings of American higher education are now regarded as the ideal, one-size-fits-all schools that a majority of high-achieving American students strive to someday attend.

Though these Ivy League schools do have their merits, it is imperative that students do not discount less well-known universities simply due to the difference in prestige. In fact, overvaluing well-established schools is extremely dangerous because this mindset obliterates the value of gaining a well-rounded discipline in both academia and mentality that ultimately envelopes all higher education, be it a brand-name school or not.

Though many brand-name schools demonstrate a high caliber in academia across the board, prospective students should not simply consider the general education performance of a school. They should

Elizabeth Zu

college. This means that students are getting more from graduating from a top-notch school than what they pay initially. “It may be more painful to finance right now, but in my opinion, they should be looking over the long run of their child’s life” Eide said. Secondly, the prices of good public schools and prestigious private schools are almost the same. UC Davis’s total average cost is about $44,511 a year while Harvard’s tuition, room, board and fees combined average to about $59,950. The difference is about $15,000 but the opportunities available at Harvard are priceless.

School administrators and college counselors will often tell a student that whatever school makes him happy is the right school for him but the truth is that he will probably get more from his time at college by attending a better-ranked school. He will be exposed to better educators, more connections and endless job opportunities.

—Livneh, a senior, is a Lifestyle Editor.

Elizabeth Zu

also look at a school’s ability to offer exceptional education in the area of discipline the student hopes to major in. For instance, according to Online Colleges Database, the nonspecialized university offering the best art department is not an Ivy League but rather New York University, followed

by Suffolk University. Thus, someone hoping to study art or psychology may not necessarily choose an elite school.

Moreover, the teaching system of some of the founding institutions is outdated and obsolete. As a matter of fact, much of it does not offer an accurate view of 21st century living.

As Yale admissions officer William Deresiewicz pointed out in a recent New Republic article, “This system is exacerbating inequality, retarding social mobility, perpetuating privilege and creating an elite that is isolated from the society that it’s supposed to lead.” A look at the statistics further demonstrates this wide discrepancy. Though all top-tier universities seem to have high percentages of students graduating from Caltech, Stanford and Columbia ranking among the top ten universities for graduation rate, in truth to yield such a high percentage of matriculation within four years there is a large number of students who drop out of college before then. In fact, a larger portion of students in Ivy League schools drop out before their scheduled graduation than students in lower stress, lower echelon schools.

Seeing this, one must take into question

whether it is more important to learn in a comfortable environment or to challenge oneself to the extremes of sanity.

Finally, brand-name schools offer this top tier education at an outrageously high price. Middle-class residents, for example, would not be offered much financial aid and thus would often find it financially unfeasible to attend such schools. Dartmouth University, for instance, costs $65,523 annually to attend whereas schools like Brigham Young University cost much less, at $13,092 per year. Considering that both of these colleges offer many of the same degrees but one at a much lower price students should reconsider which college may be a better fit.

Though there are many advantages to attending an internationally recognized university, the idea of doing so has grown into an unhealthy obsession among high-achieving students. It is necessary to take a step back and see past the glitter of top tier schools. Should a student weigh both the benefits and downfalls, he may find that for him, the disadvantages exceed the advantages. It is time for today’s students to open their minds more when it comes to higher education and transcend the long-held stereotypes of what constitutes of a good college in favor of learning and looking toward the future.

CON

—Xue, a junior, is a Forum Editor.

Friday, September 12, 2014

7

Scheduling system needs work

Gunn 50 years later: academic stress has increased

Esther Kozakevich

1964 Emily Kvitko

1964

Trends come and go and things change, and Gunn has been no exception to this rule. However, not all change has been for the better, especially when it comes to Gunn’s academic environment.

Over the past 50 years, academic peer pressure, stress and anxiety have all increased. The result is an unhealthy school environment that is drastically worse than that of the Gunn from 1964.

A major cause of higher levels of stress at Gunn is the increased competition surrounding college admissions. Over the past decade, college acceptance rates have radically dropped. In the fall of 2000, 13.2 percent of applicants were accepted to Stanford University, while only 5.07 percent were accepted in 2014. This has led to competition in classrooms and changed how students regard their daily activities. Teens strive to take the hardest classes, get the highest grades and simply be the best, which ultimately creates pressure for other students to do the same.

As a result, high achievers turn into perfectionists rather than the creative and problem-solving adults that Gunn hopes to nurture. Focused only on capturing a spot at a top college, many teens are willing to change themselves to fit the image of the student they believe colleges “want,” a goal that is undoubtedly unhealthy and detrimental to the learning environment.

Furthermore, the Gunn community has become far less tightknit. In 1964, there were only 800 students on campus. According to Gunn’s first principal Dr. Robert McLean, Gunn had a more holistic community that helped ensure no student was left behind as students get to know their

classmates and teachers better.

But today there are more than 2000 students at Gunn, a nearly 250 percent increase. This increase in student body has ultimately caused the student experience at Gunn to be less personal than it was in the old days.

The change Gunn has undergone hasn’t been all bad, though.

After all, Gunn has evolved into a place where students can be challenged and surrounded by smart people. In addition, the school has taken steps toward tackling the issue of a more competitive college application process by opening a college and career center, hiring more counselors and buying useful technology for students to use in the college application process.

50 years ago, Naviance did not exist. Today, a student can look at statistics, keep track of college visits and compile a personalized list of desirable schools. Still, despite its success with making technical improvements in the college application process, Gunn has to do more to tackle the emotional issues that students experience.

The answer to fixing the heightened stress of competition isn’t simple. However, limiting the number of colleges that students are allowed to apply to can help. The student body would also benefit from cross-department collaboration of teachers which could allow them to better mitigate student workloads and stress. Anxiety-incuding situations such as having multiple tests on the same day can and should be avoided.

Over the last 50 years, Gunn’s academic environment has increasingly faced excessive academic competition, peer pressure and a larger, disconnected student body. However, with a new principal and the WASC process that is happening, Gunn is being presented with an opportunity for change and improvement.

—Kvitko, a senior, is a Centerfold Editor.

1966

1967

Alexandra Ting

1972

This year, as I opened up my Infinite Campus at precisely 8 p.m., I would be lying if I said I wasn’t panicking. I couldn’t help but feel that if I was stuck with a bad schedule for senior year, there would be little I could do to change it. I’m not the only student who feels this way, and that means something needs to change. A sense of helplessness is not a good feeling to have when it comes to something crucial like your schedule. This stress is perpetuated by Gunn’s scheduling system, which fails to accommodate a student’s learning needs. Although I realize the struggle of making an efficient scheduling system for 2000 students, Gunn needs a better system that gives students a say in their schedules instead of dismissing legitimate concerns such as incompatible teachers or class periods.

The first problem that should be addressed is the fact that we have little say in the structure of our schedule. We pick out the classes we want on Infinite Campus, but that’s it.

For example, if you’re the kind of person who works better in the morning and wants their more difficult classes earlier in the day, you have no say in the matter. Whether or not you get an A or E period math class is left completely up to chance, and if by some cruel twist of fate you end up with an F or G period slot, have fun explaining to your counselor why you deserve to be moved to a different period over the other panicked students.

Perhaps the main reason for Gunn’s inefficient scheduling system is the fact that we cannot switch out of a class because of a teacher. As someone whose family moved to Palo Alto so that I could receive a better education, I find this offensive. I don’t think that wanting to get the most out of your education should be discouraged. If a student wants to place particular emphasis on a certain class and wants to switch to a teacher who will help him learn more effectively, there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it should be seen as a positive thing, since, as a public school, Gunn’s main goal is to promote a passion for learning. By not letting students pick out the teachers they want in classes that are important to them, the scheduling system may be indirectly diverting students away from their interests. Not allowing students to switch out of classes because of specific teachers does neither student nor teacher any good, for the student will probably be bitter about being forced to remain in that class, and the respect that is vital for a teacher-student relationship will be impossible to attain.

A simple solution to the problems with our scheduling system would be to incorporate a college system, in which students drag and drop the classes with the teachers they want to form their own schedule. Priority for picking classes can be based on grade level (seniors first), and as classes fill up, students can’t drag them anymore. Of course the system would have some problems, but overall, the system would be much more efficient and yield much happier students. Also, if a student doesn’t get the optimal schedule with the drag-andson d er drop they’d have nobody to blame nsystem, A ige themselves.

Pabut Overall, the Gunn scheduling system definitely has room for improvement. In the future, Gunn should work on trying to make concerns such as individual teachers and specific periods more easily alterable.

—Kozakevich, a senior, is a Forum Editor.

8

Forum

THEORACLE

Global Spotlight Ebola epidemic won’t heavily impact the U.S. population

Ferguson protests highlight increased police militarization

Elinor Aspegren

Naina Murthy

Ebola is an infectious disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding that is currently spreading through West Africa. There, the death toll continues to accelerate, with 3,069 reported cases and 1,552 deaths since 2014.

A recent sur vey conducted by the Har vard School for Public Health revealed that four in ten Ameri“Advanced cans fear that there will be a large outbreak of Ebola in the United infrastructure St ate s , i n w h ic h 6 8 p erc ent and technology believe that Ebola spreads easily. According to the Center will prevent for Disease Cont rol (CDC), Ebola from there have been 68 U.S. Ebola scares in the past month alone. becoming a severe A ll of these scares have been epidemic.” false alarms. Although the CDC states that Ebola’s spread to the United States is inev itable due to plane travel, citizens have no reason to panic because advanced infrastructure and technology will prevent Ebola from becoming a severe epidemic.

Unlike the U.S., many West African countries suffer from deep poverty, poor healthcare and lack of sanitation that has allowed Ebola to keep spreading. Many of the people affected have never seen Ebola before, do not understand how it is spread and do not trust Western medicine. Sierra Leone, one of the countries most affected, has a population of over six million but has fewer than 200 doctors in its entire public health sector. Guinea has just one doctor for every 10,000 people. These numbers are decreasing since many health care workers refuse to work without basic means to protect themselves from infection. Furthermore, Guinea spends $67 per capita on health care while Liberia spends $20 and Sierra Leone only $16.

This isn’t the situation in the United States. The U.S. pays $8,508 per capita on health care and most citizens can get care if they become sick. In a medical setting, the spread of Ebola can be prevented by using “contact precautions” like gloves, gowns and hand-washing.

All U.S. hospitals have intensive care units that fulfill this requirement.

However, according to the Huffington Post, “many health centers [in West Africa] and hospitals lack adequate supplies as basic as gloves and gowns, and many also lack the running water or alcohol-based solutions required for health care professionals to cleanse their hands in between patients.”

Ebola’s outbreak in West Africa has caused fear about its arrival in the United States.

The main thing one can do to deter the Ebola outbreak is to fix the medical care in West Africa.

Measures are already underway to do that. The World Health Organization has promised to f ly hundreds more medical personnel into West Afwor ldp rica. The U.S. said it would send 50 public ubl icop inio health officials. USAid, the Global Fund, the n.o rg Rwanda Ministry of Health and a consortium of American universities are currently training emergency medicine and critical care physicians and nurses in Rwanda, one of the poorest countries in Africa. This experience should be an example for the future because it proves that African countries can fix their health care­— not overnight, but in time to prevent the next big epidemic.

Tensions reached a boiling point on Aug. 9 in St. Louis suburb Ferguson, MO, when Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed by a white police officer named Darren Wilson. The police said that Michael Brown was shot while fighting for the officer’s gun. However, several witnesses claimed that Brown’s hands were in the air when the six shots were fired. The situation has not only sparked protests but has also spurred nationwide doubt on the status of racial relations in the 21st century. Ferguson residents are justified in their mistrusting attitude towards law enforcement due to the actions by the Ferguson police and the lack of progress in the investigation of Brown’s death.

The tactics of Ferguson officers have been overly aggressive. The police responded to residents’ peaceful protesting against Brown’s death with militarystyle equipment. In early August, when riots had yet to occur, SWAT officers were monitoring the streets with excessive weaponry while equipped with tear gas, rif les and armored vehicles. Such deployment of military equipment only added fuel to the fire.

Trust between law enforcement and citizens has also been further eroded due to miscommunication. Nearly a week after the shooting, Chief of Police Thomas Jackson released video footage that he claimed showed Brown robbing a convenience store before he was shot. Attempting to justify Officer Wilson’s actions through the footage, the police claimed that Officer Wilson knew about the robbery and stopped Brown, believing him to be a suspect. However, the police chief later denied his previous statement when announced in a press conference that Officer Wilson had stopped Brow n because he was Police equipment walk ing in the middle of the road. across U.S. in Misleading and changing stories by the police have further instilled the 2014: 500 militaryFerguson public with doubt. grade aircraft, Not on ly d id t he Ferg uson au432 MRAPs, 93763 t h o r i t i e s u s e m i l i t a r y f o rc e a n d incoherent justifications but they assault weapons also made several unjustified arrests. Two reporters covering the situation in Ferguson were arrested at a local McDona ld ’s three days af ter the shooting with charges of trespassing. Though the reporters were released unharmed, the unlawful detainment clearly highlights the heavy-handed attitude of the police force and the low regard they have for fundamental First Amendment rights.

One of the main problems in Ferguson is the diversity gap. The city leadership and police force are both predominantly white, while 90 percent of the city’s residents are African-American.

One solution would be to increase efforts to diversif y t he depar tment so it ref lects t he community more closely. This will help bridge the gap in trust. Secondly, this country need to start looking at this tragedy with an open mind and acknowledge the racial disparities that exist in our society today. These incidents seem to be happening with increased regularity. The U.S. has made significant progress since the Civil Rights Act, but people need to stop denying the fact that we still have a long way to go.

Obviously, changes like these won’t happen overnig ht but t hey need to be d iscussed more openly and without fear of repercussions. The situation in Ferguson is not only about one man who was killed in one town; it is about all African-Americans in our society facing significant hurdles in order to progress in this country. There are many other cities in the U.S. today with similar power structures that are unrepresentative of the population. Sadly, it is a difficult problem to solve. This problem ultimately stems from racial prejudice that still lingers. The challenge to achieving these changes in cities with similar demographics rests in the oblivion that hides such disparities until a case like Michael Brown occurs.

World Public Opinion

• 66% of Israelis think Israel did not benefit from Gaza conflict • 54% of 24 polled countries view Russia negatively • 61% of Americans favor increasing sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program

ce ur So

:

—Murthy, a junior, is a Centerfold Editor.

Features

Friday, September 12, 2014

9

Student club eliminates plastic bottles at Gunn Kush Dubey

News Editor

vironmental and financial problems with plastic bottles haven’t been acknowledged by the Palo Alto community. According to Grossman, industrial chemicals used in the bottling process have a negative effect on users’ well being. “Plastic water bottles are made with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is a synthetic plastic that slowly

The second semester of Advanced Placement Environmental Science features the documentary “Tapped,” in which an investigative team analyzes the climate, economy and hea lth roles of the American bottled water industry.

The documentary inspired seniors Aitan Grossman and Josh Kaplan to create real change through the Tap Out Gunn campaign.

In May, the petition for the Gunn administration to elimiIt takes 1.4 pints nate the sale of single-use disposable water bottles and of water to make to install water bottle filling only one pint of stations on campus was forplastic bottled mally announced as part of water. the campaign called Tap Out Gunn. According to Grossman, the online petition currently has signatures from 530 students and teachers, meeting the amount needed to officially be recognized by Gunn officials. After finding Reusable Gunn and working with a water inwater bottles pay frastructure district official, Grossman and Kaplan will themselves off present the petition to the after only 5 pints.

Gunn administration possibly this school year.

Grossman and Kaplan -Tap Out Gunn believe prevalent health, enGraphic by Dave Zhu

Aitan Grossman leaches carcinogenic chem ic a ls i nto t he w ater i n side t he s e bot t les,” Grossma n said. “Especially when they’re stored for long periods of time or exposed to the sunlight.”

Despite public apprehension toward t he cleanliness of tap water, Kaplan says there is no reason to raise concern. “People are led into believing that

their plastic water bottle is in some way cleaner than a reusable one, which just isn’t the case,” he said. “In Palo Alto we have water that comes from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. It’s so clean that it’s not filtered in any way. It’s just monitored for contaminants.”

In addition to health issues, plastic water bottles have caused substantial damage to shore reg ions due to their widespread consumption according to a Palo Alto City Council study. Grossman explained the detrimenta l ef fects plastic usage has Josh Kaplan on the city’s surrounding ecosystems. “When there are plastic bits in aquatic ecosystems, animals don’t know better but to eat them,” he said. “The plastic gets into their system and never comes out, so they’ll either die of starvation because their stomachs are so full of plastic bits, or they die of poisoning from the PET.” In addition, Kaplan says that from a purely economic standpoint, plastic water bottles are a net expense to a customer.

The Tap Out Gunn team discovered that $5 reusable bottles are more cost beneficial in the long term. “We’ve met a lot of people who said that they’ve bought a plastic water bottle everyday,” Kaplan said. “If

they buy one of the subsidized ones from the cafeteria for $1, after one week they’re already losing money that they could have saved using a reusable bottle.”

To address all of the issues with the bottled water industry, Grossman and Kaplan have outlined their goals into a three-fold plan. The first goal is to raise awareness about the negative consequences of utilizing plastic water bottles. Their next task is to implement change at Gunn, and the third objective is to advance the campaign geographically.

At this point Grossman and Kaplan have created an infographic, social media pages, as well as an essay-format petition which have all set the foundation for success. In addition, Kaplan has connected the Tap Out campaign with a water bottle company called Bobble to receive 50 free reusable water bottles for distribution around the Gunn campus.

The public response has been welcoming according to Grossman and Kaplan, with students and staff members providing the campaign with official and informal support. Junior Grace Park believes Tap Out Gunn addresses the critical issue of plastic bottle usage, but doesn’t include other areas in the plastic industry that have just as important health consequences. “It’s a good cause, and most of their reasoning is solid,” she said. “But honestly, if you’re concerned about carcinogens in plastic water bottles, do you also not use toothbrushes? It’s a drop in the bucket.”

Artist of the Month:

junior Tiffany Yang

The Oracle: How long have you been singing for and what made you want to start?

Tiffany Yang: I have been singing ever since I was a little girl, approximately six years old. I always sang in the shower, and I started realizing my talent when I was 12 or so. I guess I started singing seriously when I was about 13.

TO: What do you like about singing that keeps you doing it?

TY: I love everything about singing. Music in general can make me so incredibly happy and I’m so honored to have the gift of music. As cheesy as it sounds, making music probably is the one thing that can make me genuinely happy. I keep on doing it because I have so much love for it, and I’m absolutely positive that I’ll be singing for the rest of my life.

TO: You were on a tour in L.A. this summer; what was that like and how did you get the opportunity?

TY: I sang at parks in L.A. to promote myself this summer, and it was the most adrenaline -filled thing that I have ever done. Being on stage really put things into perspective for me.

I realized that singing is what I want to do for as long as I live. I got the opportunity through my aunt who lives in L.A. with her family. She has a lot of connections because her eldest daughter is in the industry, so I lived with them in Tarzana. I did shows two to three times each week and I went to events because I was with a public relations group.

TO: What were some of your favorite moments from the tour?

TY: Aside from singing, my cousin and I got invited to a lot of events. I met so many artists, and I got to walk the red carpet with other celebrities. One time, I was walking the carpet, and I look to my right [and] the guy from “Teen Wolf ” smiled at me, and I got to talk to him.

TO: What did you learn from the tour?

TY: I learned how to perform on stage and I got so much better at public communication. When you go on stage, you can’t just start singing. You have to know how to work the crowd.

TO: Do you see yourself singing in the future?

TY: Singing is such a big part of my life. I record a new song every week, and I upload it to my SoundCloud. I spend two to four hours on every song because I usually have to record my vocals and the piano on different takes. In the future, I hope to be going to college in L.A. while also singing at events.

I want to find a good management company to manage me. I also want to sign with a record label, hopefully Atlantic or Capitol records.

TO: What is your favorite part about singing?

TY: My favorite part about singing is the adrenaline I feel before performing in front of a crowd. I like to see how people react to my voice and my style of singing. When people want my business card/ a picture/my autograph, I get super emotional because it makes me feel so blessed to be able to have an effect on people.

TO: What do you want people to get out of your singing, and what do you get out of it?

TY: I want people to relate to my singing or to simply just like my voice. If I could help someone go through a hard time because of my music, that would be enough for me. Music has done a lot for me, and I just hope to give it back. I only want to make a difference in people’s lives from my music.

TO: What are you working on at the moment?

TY: Right now, I’m working on just making more music and posting it everywhere. I really want to get myself out there and I want to open for new and upcoming artists in small venues. I’m trying to land any events or performance venues.

TO: What is your favorite genre to sing?

TY: I sing mostly indie music, and I’m glad I do because it’s a little more rare and less generic which will get you noticed in Los Angeles. I listen to mostly everything because I want to know what’s going on in the industry.

TO: Do you have any advice for those who aspire to sing?

TY: If you want to sing, my advice would be to go all out. Don’t say you want it and not do anything about it. If you want something, try and if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen.

—Compiled by Stina Chang

Lisa Cheong

10

Cente

Revisiting Our

A collection of mem

1966

50

years ago

1977

40

1982

years ag

o

30

years

“There used to be a lovely fountain in the main plaza in front of the former library, with a low concrete edge for sitting on—also made it easy to wade in on hot days. People would return to class after lunch dripping wet.” —Jeanie Smith, Class of ‘66

1983 1977

ell bot0’s , tota l b in short 7 e th s a girls “ T h is w yed shir ts, eople toms, tied-di sk ir ts, tube tops. P ened st in li shorts, m om boxes around, time carried bo nd danced at lunch ous, m a y c n to musi ter quad.” —Ano in the cen 8 Class of ‘7

1988

1971 1970

“There wa in being ths a lot of pride, I thin sense that e first graduates, an k, different frwe wanted Gunn to d a a nd it defi om Cubberly or P be Smit h, Cla nitely was.” —Jea a ly, nie ss of ‘66

ere a There wyou . l a e d t ig vel t ha wa s a b oming t not at t he le. We a lways l c e m o r u ey “H week b ha s c a r e low-k ties a ll o much mor at tradition m [t hat] It was sll game, so t hes in t he g y nd a lo footba d great danc live ba nds a our sch We ha to]. We had re k ids from k ids fr went [ he bands we nch of other , Class time, t and with a bu aggionca lda had a b s.” —Anne M school

“The stoners used to hang out on the hill behind the football field. The center quad people were more theatrical and artistic, but I remember the Bat Cave was the big place where we hung out.” —Sheri Hughs, Class of ‘80

Photos courtesy of Anne Maggioncalda, Matt Prior and past yearbooks, and graphics by Anton Oyung and Dave Zhu

“Senio to be a It was l huge, re k ids sto top of th to a loca ground e playgroun

erfold

Friday, Sept 12, 2014

11

Golden Years

mories from alumni

2006

20

0

1993

10

years ago

years ago

s ago

2006 1993

“All the computers in the computer lab were actually giant calculators.” —Yan Kvitko, Class of ‘98

activ iare at. lost t he. ried on le ] peop e h t f o ot at hool t h er h t o rom s of ‘83

“He found a nice fountain on [Stanford] campus and spelled out all the pennies beforehand in big letters. He brought the girl over, she saw P-R-O-M with a question mark, and he brought out the flowers and bam, all done, and obviously she said yes.” —Matt Prior, Class of ‘06

e fre sh man be at “I remember how than ds . Ba ck th en th e se ni or s in Ai rbserious at all, so the homecoming wasn’t are the [choreograseniors wouldn’t prep but the freshman phy] until the day of,d they set the tone came so prepared, anars to come.” -Yan for the rest of the ye Kv itko Class of ‘98

2000

1983

. It’s sig s tough s tough. a w n etitio but it wa UC ’s . w e comp “Collegt ly harder noc l a s s went to Dav is. nifican ht h of my k ids went to leav ing A n eighing li ke 50 ought I was —Matt Somet ke was, ‘I t h e with me.’”

The jo nd Gunn cam Gunn a lass of ‘06 Prior, C

1985

or pranks w place in S ere rea lly amazing like an amcott’s Va lley ca lled . There used ‘L ea list ic m usement park w it ost World.’ ole one of odels of dinosaurh a bunch of s he libra r those dinosaurs an. One yea r, a l [nursery. A nother time, se d put it on y equipmen ] school, stole a ll oniors went nd. ” —Ant and set up center f the playne Maggio q ncalda, Clauad as a ss of ‘83

1993 “Mr. Hernandez, Ms. Moser, Mr. Deggeller, Senora Strossner, Mr. Lyons and Mr. Dunbar made the list of favorite teachers in the early 2000’s.”

—Matt Prior, Class of ‘06

2000 Compiled by Elinor Aspegren, Shawna Chen, Lisa Hao, Emily Kvitko and Arjun Sahdev

12

THEORACLE

Meet Gunn’s Newest Teachers:

Neil Chai Special Education

Marie Durquet Visual Performing Arts

Danielle Kovacich English

Teri Lee Special Education

Shannon Elderon English

Scott Elfving Social Studies

"Rather than being on top of students all the time, sometimes letting them do their thing can have a better impact."

-Durquet

Wei Lu World Languages

Top: Special Education teacher Jeanette Tucker enjoys her hot chocolate after finishing her first 5K run in San Francisco.

Bottom: Special education teacher Shira Solomon explores Jaipur’s City Palace during her trip to the Rajasthan state of India.

What has been your best teaching experience?

“I took 19 kids to Honduras two summers ago. We spent a week in the rainforest and a week in the coral reefs. We helped scientists with their projects and learned a lot of research techniques.” —Thaler, eighth year teaching “I had a slacker student. [He] barely passed my tests, [and he] did his work late or barely at all. But on the last day of school last year, he came to my office and said ‘Ms. Durquet, your class is the best class I’ve ever had at Paly. I was always paying attention to your lectures. They totally influenced my own artwork.

You are the only teacher who has let me doodle the whole class period, and you never called my parents to complain about it.’” —Durquet, 20+ years teaching

If you had to be stranded in a country, which one would it be?

“I would probably pick the Netherlands because it’s like a community that really watches out for each other. But in New Zealand, I could fulfill that backpackers dream.” —Schroeppel, seventh year teaching “If New Orleans counted as a country, I would say New Orleans.” —Kovacich, first year teaching

What is your best high school memory?

“I made the winning goal for my high school to go to CCS.” —Chai, sixth year teaching “Fall football. Friday nights.” —Lee, sixth year teaching “My history [class] at Paly–to manipulate the trenches in World War I, we had to crawl along the grass and we each had a flour bomb; if we got hit by water then we were dead.” —Solomon, fourth year teaching “One time, a deaf boy went to his first dance. He heard but couldn’t really hear the drums. [So] he got down on the floor and everyone just kind of danced around him, and he was really happy.” —Tucker, fifth year teaching

Friday, September 12, 2014

13

In and Outside the Classroom "I love salsa, both the food and the dance. I'm not good at it, but I love it."

-Schroeppel

Christopher Romano Social Studies

Chris Saunders Social Studies

Claudia Schroeppel World Languages

Toni Smith Math

Shira Solomon Special Education

Megan Thaler Science

“When I was a camp counselor, my name was ‘Pickles’ because I loved pickles so much. One time, when there were no pickles, I drank pickle juice. Everyone thought it was disgusting but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.” -Kovacich

Jeanette Tucker Special Education

Above: Pictured catching a touchdown pass as a senior, social studies teacher Chris Saunders (#85) played tight-end for the Linfield College Wildcats before coaching football for the first time at Menlo College last year.

Why did you become a teacher?

“I really love working with kids, and that’s what keeps me teaching. It’s not the [work]. It’s the kids.” —Elderon, fourth year teaching “I can actually recall that exact day, sitting in kindergarten, that I thought, ‘I want to do this.’ I really liked being able to help clarify things to other students.” —Kovacich, first year teaching “I [want] to give students opportunities to use a [foreign] language. I believe that the best way to learn a language is to use every opportunity and to gain experience with using it.” —Lu, 14th year teaching “This might sound a little odd, but originally my goal was to open up my own backpacking [company]. That way I could combine my geography interests with my language interests, by leading tours to volcanoes and at the same time having my own language school.” —Schroeppel, seventh year teaching

Who has been the most influential person in your career?

“My husband, as he has been a principal, has taught me to work hard, accept challenges [and] makes sure that I meet all the needs of all my diverse students.” —Smith, 26th year teaching “I had a really great grad school mentor when I was getting my master’s degree in environmental education. He was really enthusiastic. He loves science and education.” —Thaler, eighth year

During which time period would you most want to live?

“I think it would be interesting to live in a simpler time, like Colonial America in the 1700’s. I’d probably be a farmer.” —Elfving, fifth year teaching “After World War I, because I would be home from the war and be able to afford a house.” —Romano, eighth year teaching “Early 90’s. The cost of living is cheap, the music is good and cell phones don’t control our lives.” —Saunders, first year teaching Graphics by Elizabeth Zu

14

Sports

Fall sports coaches set goals for upcoming season Mark Weisman

Danielle Hypolite

Anthony Tran

Football “We have more experience. Especially at the linebackers position and some of the more skilled positions, so that usually builds well for a good season.”

Josh Spain

Cheerleading/Dance “I am excited for the girls to show off the skills they learned this summer, and to not only improve individually and as a squad, but to promote and encourage school spirit.”

Anthony Tran

Chris Redfield

Josh Spain

Girls’ Tennis “It’s great to get these girls playing and having fun and getting better each year. We need to do a little more work with the doubles teams and get them a little bit stronger.”

Mark Hernandez

Patricia Plumer

Cross Country “I try to give each person what they need. I’m sure we will do well, but it’s going to be hard to recover from [the loss of runners]. Cross country is meant to be self motivating yet fun. We might not be quite as strong as before, but we can still do it.”

Jim Gorman

Anthony Tran

Girls’ Water Polo “We’ll make it back to CCS. I’m confident we’ll do that. We have a very good group, we have a very good defense, we’ve got two very good goalies, we can throw the ball hard, we’ve got a lot of senior leadership, and very smart players, so we think we’ve got a shot to win.”

Matthew Johnson

Craig Bankowski

Anthony Tran

Anthony Tran

Girls’ Golf “The team is very good, but that doesn’t mean that every player on the team is a superstar. We have all levels, but the main thing is that you’re really interested and you’re willing to work hard and get better.”

Anthony Tran

Boys’ Water Polo “We have three freshmen who will be on varsity.

They’re lacking in size a little bit but they’re smart. They know the game. It’s a younger team.

We have good senior leadership, but there will still be growing pains.”

Volleyball “What I think is so impressive is the kids that I coach have higher grades during the volleyball season than they do throughout the year because they are more on top of their schedules.”

—Compiled by Lawrence Chen, Aayush Dubey, Prachi Kale, Yuki Klotz-Burwell, Hayley Krolik, Wendy Shi, Erica Watkins

Sports

Friday, September 12, 2014

THE BEST GYMS AROUND 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto teen: $50 fee, $60 per month family: $375 fee, $220 per month

Palo Alto YMCA

3412 Ross Road, Palo Alto and 755 Page Mill Road, Building B, Palo Alto $30+ per month

Members of the YMCA benefit from the fitness facilities, as well as childcare, youth programs, camps and group classes. The YMCA is family friendly, with many classes offered, as well as a large indoor pool and basketball courts. The YMCA’s unique FitLinxx program allows customers to create individualized workouts with online fitness coaches.

Memberships can be used at YMCA locations across the country.

Jewish Community Center (JCC) The Jewish Community Center is a large facility with many bonuses for members, such as an indoor and outdoor pool, a sauna, multiple steam rooms, basketball courts and fitness classes of various ability levels. Many families are members who belong to the JCC, and there are exercise opportunities for everyone. These include personal training and massage therapy.

Equinox 440 Portage Ave, Palo Alto single: 165 per month with a $250 initiation fee

24 Hour Fitness 2535 California St., Mountain View basic: $139.97 fee, $64.99 per month.

Family prices are available by request.

Equ inox is perfect for someone who wishes to have state of t he a r t equ ipment and plenty of amenities. It is more expensive than other gyms, and does not have a family or group discount. They also have a spa.

24 Hour Fitness is a large gym with reasonable prices that is great for families. There is a Kid’s Club that provides childcare for people with busy schedules. They also offer Zumba and pilates classes, Team USA workouts and more. Personal training is available for twenty five or fifty minute sessions.

Core Studio $159 first month unlimited package $229 after 1st package Pay monthly, or by class Core is great for someone that wants to take group classes. They have unique activities such as cycling with bicycles that feel like you’re on an actual road and a ballet barre class. Since there is no family discount, this gym is better for a single person.

ISAAC’'S Top 8 steps to get back in shape

1. Start by rewarding yourself. Getting back into shape is a great idea, and you deserve some ice cream.

2. Rewarding yourself with ice cream? Also a great idea: go treat yourself to some cake.

3. Now it’s time to get some real work done... by taking someone’s real work! Get a Chem H student to chase you around the school by stealing their lab data.

4. Considering how sleep-deprived they are, Chem H students sure do run fast when their grades are on the line. You deserve a break—chill in the poolside jacuzzi on top of Spangenberg (seniors only).

5. In order to build muscle, you need protein. Do you know what’s a great source of protein? Me neither! Just eat a lot of everything to be safe.

6. Take a year off. I mean, you don’t want your biceps hitting you in the face every time you raise your hand, right?

7. A year later, those Chem H students are now in AP Chem, and they’re more highstrung than ever. Celebrate the past by “borrowing” their lab the morning it’s due.

8. Go to the gym. You deserve a reward and most gyms have some sort of vending machine.

15

How to survive freshman P.E. Ryeri Lim

Before graduation, all Gunn students must endure two years of physical education, whether in the gray mornings before school or during the sweaty heat of G period. P.E. in high school is an uncomfortably different experience—what with the mad dash to your next class, the newly raised state fitness standards and the mix of strangers you probably have as classmates. During the transition to my freshman year of P.E., the only remaining constant was that I—surprise!—still hated running.

Below are my tips for making it out alive of your first year of high school P.E. First, grit your teeth and continually remind yourself that this class is for your own good. Do your best to pick up some flexibility exercises, fitness tips or a sport you actually enjoy. For example, I left my last day of sophomore P.E. having discovered the perfect physical activity for me: walking across campus to the Titan Gym, though leisurely cycling in the weight room came in at a close second. Remember that daily exercise is beneficial to you, despite what your lungs silently scream. If you’re in zero period, as I was, think about how much rushing blood is warming up your brain for algebra next period. Do not think about how likely you are to fall asleep on your desk.

Secondly, have friends in P.E., or make them.

Complaining about muscle cramps and sticky sweat is one of the easiest ways to bond with others—you’ll never run out of conversation material. I can personally attest to the loneliness of not having someone to whom I could poorly toss a football.

While all our P.E. staff are kind and friendly, you don’t want to be your teacher’s partner in the badminton tournament. Backhanding the racquet straight into his face is too risky for your grade.

In all seriousness, any class is tough without a couple buddies to buffer you. It’s especially challenging if you entered high school determined to start fresh, because P.E. makes it impossible to present a perfectly polished version of yourself all the time. I think that’s why I found it hard to wholeheartedly participate in P.E.; shy and unathletic, I was out of my comfort zone in that scoop-neck gray shirt and black basketball shorts.

But emerging out of your shell is worth it, especially if sports aren’t your forte. It is always easier to laugh at yourself when you know someone’s definitely on your side. I didn’t figure this out for a whole semester, but Frisbee is a lot more fun when losing the game won’t result in a disappointed silence, but instead good-humored commiseration.

Make friends in P.E. as you would in any other class—painfully but optimistically. Pay a simple compliment to someone’s volleyball pass. Laugh together about your crushing victory over the opposing team. Make it a similar team effort when you beg the teacher not to detract points for your terrible sportsmanship.

My final piece of advice is this: just go for it. P.E. makes fools of us all as no one can be magically talented at every sport. Even if you’re absolutely sure you’ll break an ankle running after the soccer ball, take that chance—and not just because a doctor’s note might get you out of class. Feel free to look like a leaking tomato as you approach the end of the mile’s fourth lap, because you might actually break eight minutes that day. Simply refuse to let yourself think that you’ll contribute more to your team by standing out of the way. Given the chance, you really can be better than that.

But it takes an especially worthy person to fight me for the Star Wars healing noodle. Ask anyone: I’m really good at dodging flying balls. Years of avoiding my own tennis serves have trained me well.

—Lim, a junior, is a Features Editor.

16

Sports

THEORACLE

Sports facilities show improvement throughout the years Stina Chang Reporter

Bow Gym has been a historic landmark at Gunn since it was built. According to Physical Education (P.E.) teacher Don Briggs, the walls and floors of Bow Gym were the same when he attended Gunn. Although most of Bow Gym is the same as before, small changes were made to accommodate the larger student population. According to Briggs, within the past two years, Gunn expanded the wrestling room by adding the neighboring dance room next to it.

In 2012, Gunn introduced the Titan Gym. In addition to its modern appearance, Titan Gym is large enough to fit the entire student body.

According to staff, when P.E teachers teach in the Titan Gym they don’t have to worry about the roof interfering with student activities. “Titan Gym has a much higher

clearance,” P.E. teacher Steve Ames said.

With all new additional facilities, P.E teachers don’t have space concerns anymore. Every period there are usually four classes, so usage of the gym is limited. “Before when we had the Titan Gym only one class could use the gym,” Ames said. “Now we can have two classes using the gyms.”

Adding extra space also allows more P.E. classes to stay indoors during the rain. “It’s pretty hard to have a P.E. class [outside] when it’s [winter time].” Assistant Principal James Lubbe said.

The track field has also been at Gunn for a very long time. “The basic layout is the same,” Briggs said. Like the Bow Gym, changes needed to be made to accommodate the growing Gunn student body. According to Briggs, the original field in the middle of the track was a grass field. “[Football team] used to practice out where the lacrosse field exists,” Briggs said. “We try to save the field for the

games.”

Having two gyms also benefits the sports teams. Every season Gunn has 17 junior varsity and varsity teams.

Basketball, wrestling, cheer and dance all practice at the same time, and gym time used to be hard to schedule.

“Having the flexibility of the two gyms, it makes it much more convenient,” Lubbe said.

According to Briggs, before Gunn built advanced facilities such as the weight room and dance room, athletes trained with free weights and ran on the track and the hills behind the school. Today, the Gunn football team practices in the weight room with treadmills, selector weights, ellipticals and more. “The equipment is both safer and much nicer,” Briggs said.

Bow Gym is still used in the same way as it was many years ago. Over the past fifty years, it has held numerous dances, rallies, sporting events and P.E. classes.

Photos by Anthony Tran

Left: An outside view of the front of the Titan Gym, a state-of-the-art facility that was completed last year. Center: The high-ceiling interior of the Titan Gym where teams have performed in many recent competitions. Right: Gunn’s previous CCS victor y, banners decorate the walls of the Bow Gym.

Briggs reflects on past sports Sabrina Chen Reporter

Physical Education teacher Don Briggs not only went to Gunn but also played three sports during the school year. In the fall he was a quarterback for football, in the winter he was a center midfielder and forward for soccer and in the spring he was a shortstop for baseball.

During one football season, his team’s record was 10-0. His coach was extremely tough and was essential to the team’s success. Instead of water, players took salt tablets to keep them hydrated and help with cramping. “Our head coach played at UCLA. He did not give us water breaks, and we had to keep our helmets on the entire time,” Briggs said. “It taught us mental and physical toughness and, fortunately we never had a player collapse from heat exhaustion. Eliminating water is not something coaches would do today.”

Briggs has stayed close to his high school teammates through out the years. “We still see each other,” Briggs said. “We go to Rossotti’s and meet up every year or so in the fall.”

Soccer was very different from football.

According to Briggs, football was a very structured sport that involved lots of repetition. “You would have to practice handoffs over and over until the timing and steps were perfect,” he said.

Soccer, however, has continuous movement and requires adapting to a situation on the fly. “It wasn’t regimented at all,” Briggs said. “It was sort of fun to go from football

to soccer because you could move around without all the pads and helmets on and improvise as the situation changed.” His soccer team did well, making it to the CCS playoffs.

Similiarly, for two years in a row, Briggs’ baseball team made it to the CCS finals.

He believes that football helped him play baseball. “Being a quarterback in football, I threw a heavy ball over and over again from 10 to over 50 yards which improved my arm strength,” Briggs said. “In baseball for shortstop I could throw a light ball across the entire diamond.”

According to Briggs, playing sports taught him values including teamwork, learning to work out differences, stress release and the enjoyment of improving individually and as a team.

Playing three sports also taught him how to work efficiently. “I didn’t have much free time, never watched TV and did not have a personal phone during the school week,” Briggs said. “I had a 4.0 GPA my senior year while doing three sports, but it was hard work.”

Briggs notes that playing sports taught him discipline and time management.

“Through sports you get good at structuring your time and learning not to waste time when you have those little moments,” Briggs said. “The time management helped me in my college years and even today.”

With his background as an athlete, Briggs recognizes the importance of staying fit. “I continue to work out. I go skiing in the winter, I play tennis, go hiking and biking in the mountains, and still play softball and soccer in the Chico summer leagues,” Briggs said.

“I went on a 24-mile bike ride with my two sons up on the Tahoe Rim Trail up in the Sierras just a couple weeks ago.”

Lifestyle

17

Friday, September 12, 2014

Modern Warfare: Social Media Edition Lisa Hao Sometime after I graduated from eighth grade, Facebook statuses started to slowly disappear. No one posted about their weird day or updated people on t heir si l ly revelat ions.

People stopped writing each other the classic “truth is: I don’t know you very well but you seem really cool and we should be friends” post. Nobody even went on rants or wrote emotional messages. For the most part, public activity on Facebook seemed to have ceased.

It wasn’t until I entered high school when I rea l i z ed t hat most Gu n n students on ly check Facebook to chat, post pictures and checked study groups. People instead went to Twitter as the new platform to express their thoughts and complaints using 140 characters or less.

Tw it ter is t he per fec t place to upd ate ot hers on you r l i fe, post various thoughts, as well as subtweet

about people. The reason why subtweets get so much attention is because they are essentially compla i nt s or hate-t we et s about a speci f ic person or g roup w it hout t he s a id person or group directly ment ioned. T hese types of tweets usually sta r t r u mors about who the tweet could b e a b out a nd how rude or uncalled for it was. If the subtweet is dramatic enough, in my opinion the most entertaining thing o n t h e i nt e r n e t— Twitter wars—will follow.

Tw it ter wars begin when two or more users fight and argue online by tweeting at or about each other. These wars or fights can last anywhere f rom t h ree m i nutes to a whole day and will always create follow-up gossip and drama.

I am a Twitter-war veteran myself and have recognized the many tips and tricks for starting out there, so open

you r Tw it ters and use any of these methods to spice up your l i fe. However, before you get i nto a t w it ter war, remember that there are

Choose a “theme” for your Instagram. Do you like fast food? Are you a hardcore Belieber? Only post pictures relating to your theme.

Edit your photos like a pro. A famous instagrammer has on average 27 photoediting applications. If you can’t use those apps, you should definitely hire a professional. Do whatever you need to do to accomplish your claim to fame.

Post provocative photos. Enough said.

Transformation Tuesday: Take advantage of this day by breaking up with your girl/ boyfriend; post one pic of the two of you, and then one of you just by yourself!

Selfie Sunday: The more attractive you are, the more likes you’ll get. It's a scientific fact. hashtag!

1) Tweet somet h i ng vag ue t hat c a n be applied to a large group of people. Even if innocuously intended, people will interpret it as an attack on them.

2) Add t he hashtag “#subt weet” af ter a rude comment. Everyone will go ballistic about t he fact t hat you are consciously letting people know that you are hating on a specific person.

3) If you’re feeling especially malicious, go ahead and just hit the @ sign to tag whoever you are itching to fight with. Other twitter users will be more than happy to watch on.

4) Replying to tweets can also be an excellent way to tick people off. Respond extremely sarcastically or just with, “Nobody cares.”

5) Mention anything political and watch the Twitter world burn.

6) If you can catch someone going back on something they tweet, screenshot the earlier tweet and call them out for it. Now you’re basically calling them a hypocrite, which they cannot deny since you have evidence.

consequences.

Yo u m i g h t t a r n i sh you r reputation.

You may be matched in w it t i ness a nd beat i n sassiness, and worst of all, you may risk tweeting too much in one day, leading to unfollows. Twitter wars may seem like a joke but they are not. I’ve seen issues dueled out on Twitter that people could have hashed out in person, and the result is always a permanent feud.

For t hose who proceed, beware: you probably will be hurt, and you may lose.

Meanwhile, the rest of us will be watching on the side with a bucket of popcorn.

How to become Insta-famous

Don’t forget to #followforfollow

How to start a Twitter war

#likeforlike

Once you're famous, you're royalty. Treat your followers like the peasants they are.

—Hao, a junior, is a Features editor.

How often do you check your social media accounts during school hours each day?

235 students surveyed

17+ times

14.29%

13-16 times

29.02%

11.16%

19.20%

1-3 times

26.34%

8-12 times

4-7 times

Which social media site do you use the most?

Tumblr Twitter Instagram

5.56%

8.21%

13.68%

72.65%

Facebook Graphics by Anton Oyung Dave Zhu Photo illustration by Anton Oyung and Anthony Tran

18

LIFESTYLE

THEORACLE

A look back through

1989

This is an original mock up of a page from The Oracle, circa 1974.

Unlike current times, Oracle staffers had to physically type up, cut and paste stories onto a page like this one. It was then driven to the printers instead of uploading it electronically. The photos had to be developed in a dark room.

Photos by Alexandra Ting and Anthony Tran

19

LIFESTYLE

Friday, September 12, 2014

The Oracle’s history Headlines from other issues Confessions of a Stoner (1986)

Pants Permitted For Females (1969)

Sex: Can Beth Help? (1985) Anonymous bomb threat forces campus evaluation (1994)

What do you call the residue on your hands after eating Cheetos?

(1985) FRESHMEN: Things could be worse (1985) Americans must support draft (2001) Gearing up for Paly: Titans aim to beat rivals for third straight year (2001) Cheerleaders big breasts should not get in way of judging true ability (1986)

Cheerleaders’ big breasts should not get in the way of judging true ability (1985) Joaquin Hartman

In April, 1986, a Fountain Va l ley H ig h School st udent was barred from cheerleading because “her breasts were too large.”

A teacher at Fountain Valley, Jean Clower, told the girl, Vicki Guest, that although her cheerleading skills were better than those of the other girls, she could not become a cheerleader until she underwent breast reduction surgery.

After a suit in Superior Court, the school is finally apologizing, and is now adopting a new policy prohibiting the selection of students for school activities based “on the size or shape of a student’s breasts.”

This is an easy topic to make bad jokes about, but is actually a very serious situation. Can you imagine the humiliation Guest must have felt when she was told

the reason that she could not be a cheerleader?

This is one of the those things t hat ever yone i n t he school quickly finds out about, and I’m sure that Guest was the subject of unrelenting ridicule both to her face and behind her back, about her unfortunate situation.

What I want to know is what gives Clower the right to decide that someone else’s breasts are “too big.” Just exactly how big is “too big?”

If Clower can make arbitrary decisions about other people’s breast size, maybe that is justification for my claiming that Clower’s brain is too small to be a teacher, so she should either get smarter, or become a ditchdigger.

In any normal sport, a participant is judged by her ability to get the job done. For example, Spud Webb, despite being only 5’7’’, has a 42-inch vertical leap,

can slam dunk, and plays in the NBA. Cheerleaders, ideally, shou ld be judged ma inly on their cheerleading ability.

If Guest had been uncoordinated and a poor cheerleader, her dismissal could be justified by those factors. However, Clower openly admits that Guest was an outstanding cheerleader,

but could not be allowed on the squad until her breasts were reduced.

Think of how silly it would be if Lamont McCalister got kicked off Gunn’s football team because the coach didn’t like his hairstyle. That is basically equivalent to what happened to Guest.

Gay and lesbian advertisement launches controversy (1985) Priya Kailath and Allison Mnookin

On October 18, the Palo Alto High School newspaper, “The Campanile,” ran an advertisement for t he Penn Gay a nd Lesbian Youth Group offering “week ly topical discussions” and a “friendly, supportive atmosphere.” When the group is called, a recording offers “fun, friendship, and emotional support “ for homosexua ls from ages 15 to 23.”

Prior to the publication of the ad, a concerned substitute teacher, Virg inia Buggs, attended a school board meeting to inform the board of the problems that the ad would cause.

One of Buggs’ points against the ad was the possibility of inf luencing students towards homosexuality. She was also worried that the School Board cou ld be l iable i f a st udent contracted AIDS from contacts within the ad group.

“Campanile” ad manager, Ta ny a L ieb er ma n, felt t hat Brigg’s points were unrealistic.

She says that she understands

Streakers hit Gunn (1974)

parents’ concerns t hat t heir own kids may be “different,” but high school years are when one’s sexual preference may surface.

“The ad involves nothing more t ha n a suppor t group who’s helping those who are unsure, or having problems with their sexuality. I didn’t accept the ad so that homosexuals can come out of the closet—I accepted it like I would any other ad.”

Before t he ad was run, it was held by Lieberman and the “Campanile” for almost three week s. They had t he ad approved by Campanile Advisor, Esther Wojcicki who felt that the student paper should have the right to run whatever they feel is appropriate. “I initially felt that it wasn’t a good idea, but I lost—the students convinced me that there’s no reason not to run it, “ Wojcicki said.

Before printing, the ad also met the approval of Palo Alto Principa l Jim Shroyer, who, according to the “Campanile” staff, was very helpful and supportive. Shroyer feels that the main issue is whether or not ads would be included under

the free-speech amendment.

“People are questioning t he appropriateness of information given to the community and the students,” says Shroyer. This controversy has been a learning experience for the students, but Shroyer feels that adults in the community have learned from this too. “We don’t see any reason to change the policy system—we like it the way it is now,” says Shroyer.

Editor in Chief of the Oracle, Elizabeth Pearson, said t hat, because of f reedom of speech, t he whole ed itor ia l board agreed that they don’t have the right to refuse the ad.

“If you look at the actual ad, it’s not saying ‘become gay’—it’s simply providing a service, like any other ad.”

The Gunn Oracle realizes that it too could soon be involved in this controversy, and therefore will involve itself in setting up a district advertising policy.

Oracle Adv isor Ti m Fa rrell said, “We’ve had so few problems in the five years that I’ve been advisor, that I see no

Chewing tobacco banned in bat cave (1981)

reason to change the system. I trust the student’s’ judgment.”

Several different ways are being suggested to resolve the issues brought about by t he youth group’s ad. One possibility is for the school board to completely subsidize both the “Campanile” and the Oracle, so that there would be no ads in the newspapers at all. The other possibility would be for the unsolicited ads to either be screened and edited before printing, or not run at all.

A School Boa rd meet ing, with representatives from both the “Campanile” and the Oracle, is scheduled for Monday, November 18th. At the board meeting, a decision should be reached as to whether or not restrictions will be placed in printing the Gay and Lesbian ad in high school newspapers.

To read more archived articles, visit the Gunn library

First the streets, then the high schools: violence comes to Gunn (1981) Photos by Anthony Tran

—Compiled by: Sam Acker, Sabrina Chen, Noa Livneh, and Justin Wenig

20

Backpage

Hacked! Students got into the system The Oracle staffers crack the code and share some of their useful life hacks for school

Life Hack 1: Make a playlist exactly as long as you have to get ready. Once the last song starts playing, you’ll be rushing like never before.

Life Hack 3: When taking typed notes from printouts, use a skirt hanger: Clip one clamp to the paper, and the other to your screen. There is no need to constantly lose your place reading.

Life Hack 5: Chew the same kind of gum when you study and when you take a test. Your brain will connect what you studied with the taste of the gum.

Life Hack 2: Your flyaways just not cooperating this morning? Smooth them down with dryer sheets. It’ll offset the static in your hair.

Life Hack 4: Put your phone in a bowl to create instant speakers.

Life Hack 6: Wrap a wet towel around a bottle and place it in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

It’ll be chilly in no time.

Photos by Anthony Tran Graphics by Dave Zhu

—Compiled by Lucy Fan, Esther Kozakevich and Ryeri Lim