Raven Report Sequoia High School
Volume Viii, Issue 1
1201 Brewster Ave. Redwood City, CA 94062
september 10, 2014
New locks clamp down on unofficial locker-switching By CLAIRE BUGOS Managing Editor Rows of identical, black locks with keyholes on the back now adorn hallway lockers. This school year, Sequoia’s administration implemented a new locker policy to maintain a more organized system and also allow administrators to access lockers at any time. Each locker has a standard lock to which administration has a master key. Locker assignments were distributed
at Arena Check-in and throughout the first week of school. This eliminates the unofficial locker changing that was common practice in the past. The administration has no intention of granting requests to change the location of students’ lockers. “We will not be changing lockers. It will be a good opportunity to explore new spaces, and not necessarily be next to the person you speak with every day,” Administrative Vice Principal Sophia Olliver said.
The required locks also ensure unwanted substances aren’t left in vacant lockers. “It was a health hazard, believe it or not,” Olliver said. “People were using the lockers as trash cans and dumping food. Someone would go to the neighboring locker and say ‘my locker smells toxic and I don’t know why.’” Under California law, if the administration has reasonable suspicion that a student or group of students has violated a school rule, such as possessing drugs or alcohol, possessing a firearm or stealing
another student’s property, they may conduct a search of the students’ locker, car or backpack. “We have no right, just like with your backpack and materials, to do unprecedented locker searches, and have no intention of doing so. Only if there is a safety concern or reasonable suspicion, as with backpacks, would we check the locker,” Olliver said. “We’re not of a policy where we’re going to go late at night and undo every lock. That would be ridiculous—we trust you.”
IVP ‘Ready’ for administration major in Sociology and Interdisciplinary Studies. After graduating from Prior to working at Se- college, he taught high quoia and Menlo-Atherton, schoolers three miles from new Instructional Vice Prin- the Texas-Mexico border. He moved to Austin later cipal Stephen Ready worked as a teacher in a medium-se- and taught for seven years in Texas before moving to Mencurity prison. He taught English as a lo-Atherton. He taught and also served Second Language courses through the University of as the site Bilingual Resource Texas for 15 months to pris- teacher at Menlo-Atherton for 14 years. oners. Ready then moved on to “It was unique. Once I coordinate the would go into “I’ve always been im- English Learnthe prison, I had a rolling pressed with Sequoia. I er and Migrant set of students, think previous admin- Programs at the or whoever was istrators have hired very district office last year. in carc erate d well over the years.” —Stephen Ready, Like Princithat week,” he Instructional pal Sean Priest said. Vice Principal and Admin“Some of istrative Vice those students Principals were there the whole time, others I [only] Michael Kuliga and Sophia Olliver, Ready is a fluent saw two or three times.” Ready started at Sequoia Spanish speaker; he learned on July 1, making sure student informally from being on the and teacher schedules were border and going into Mexico to immerse himself in the correct. “I’ve always been im- culture. This is Ready’s first year of pressed with Sequoia. It’s such an old [and] beauti- being an administrator and ful building,” Ready said. “I 22nd year in education. “I want to come in and be think previous administrators have hired very well over the a part of the community, get to know the school, the culyears.” Ready graduated from ture of people and become University of Maryland-Balti- a citizen of Sequoia,” Ready more County with a double- said. By LILY FRIEBEL Sports Editor
Feature:
School survival guide
Page 4
Photo by Dalia Jude Photo by Dalia Jude
Seniors Edgar Aguirre, Sebastian Castillo, Blake Cudworth and Jimmy Avila collaborate on a biotechnology project using a Chromebook. Many classrooms have new Chromebook carts.
Increase in technology access aims to improve students’ digital literacy By EMILY DUCKER News Editor Technology usage will increase this year, most notably since School Loop accounts were created for all students and staff. On School Loop, students have access to schedules, assignments, grades and “LoopMail.” School Loop will cost Sequoia $55,830 for the first year. In addition, all students have a Gmail account with the domain @seq.org. These accounts will allow students to communicate and collaborate using Google’s wide range of apps and services such
Sports:
Day in the life of a waterpolo player Page 8
as Google Drive, Google Sites and book carts now used in more classGoogle Classroom. The district rooms. The student login formula is will save $15,000 by switching to the same Google apps. for School New Wi- Sequoia students are regularly using: L o o p , Fi networks • Lynda • Blogspot Google were created • Naviance • College Board and the for staff and • No Red Ink • CSU Mentor student students re• Padlet • Dropbox Wi-Fi nets p e c t i v e l y, • Quia • EasyBib work: the with im• Quizlet • Edmodo username proved Wi-Fi • Remind • EDpuzzle connectivity • School Loop is the stu• Google Apps dent’s ID t hr o u g h o u t • Turn It In • Infinite Campus num b er, campus. and the This WiFi will be stronger and more able password is the student’s initials + to handle the many new Chrome- 6-digit birthdate.
By the Numbers Record high enrollment
2,115
students
2
News
September 10, 2014
Getting to know your staff This school year, Sequoia welcomes 15 new staff members. We are featuring a few so you can get to know them as well as their impressions of Sequoia so far and their aspirations for their students.
Max Friedmann Math
Impression of Sequoia: “I feel like I can make instruction as high quality as possible in the classroom, because I don’t have to worry about policing the hallways, because I know there are other people who are doing that.”
Takeshi Kaneko Math
Davina Gazulla Science
What salad ingredient would you be and why? “I’d be the bacon bits, because they add some kick to a salad and make it a little bit more exciting.” Joel Rebello Guidance
Hopes for students: “Help my students, whether it’s getting into a college, [receiving] their high school diploma, or a personal goal not related to their academics.”
Salad Ingredient: I would want to be cranberries or some kind of fruit, because I think it adds that kind of unique twist that people aren’t expecting—I like to think I’m the same way, a little different.”
Hopes for Students: “I want my students to learn how to enjoy learning.”
Carlos Garcia Spanish
Salad ingredient? “I would probably be the lettuce, partly because I like to contribute a lot, but I don’t necessarily like to stand out.”
Hopes for this year: “I want to integrate into the campus as a whole, not just the science department. I just want to find out all the cool stuff that’s going on, and little by little get involved in things outside of the Academy and outside of the classroom.”
This is his fourth year at Sequoia, first year teaching. Play every instrument or know every language? “I wake up, I’m listening to music. I go to sleep, I’m listening to music. If I was able to create my own music, that’d be great.”
Steven Moreno History
Katie Talbot Physics
Salad Ingredient? “I would be a radish because they remind me of energy. The other ingredients just sit there, but the radishes come back to bite.”
Hope for students: “I want to learn something new—that’s one of the reasons I wanted to go somewhere new. I felt like I’d done as much as I could at my old school. Coming here with the new curriculum is different for me, so I already feel like I’m Catherine Sterne doing something to make me Math grow as a teacher.” —Compiled by Claire Bugos and Emily Ducker
Debated teacher tenure law, Vergara, awaits appeal By DALIA JUDE Editor-in-Chief The amount of time it takes a teacher to get tenure is unconstitutional, a judge in the California Superior Court for Los Angeles County ruled June 10. This ruling against five provisions of the California Education Code came as the result of the Vergara v. California court case and addresses teacher tenure, dismissals and layoffs. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan supported the ruling, but California Governor Jerry Brown and teachers unions appealed. For the rest of the appeal process, no changes will occur in California, and tenure of Sequoia’s teachers will not be impacted. The case was created by nine California students, including recent Sequoia graduate Kate Elliott, who were part of the organization “Students Matter.” They
claimed they had ineffective teachers who could not be fired due to their tenure status, and that this issue is more apparent in low-income areas. “There are some political motivations that are sort of anti-teacher that a lot of people engage in,” said history teacher and SDTA member Teresa Yeager. “I think it is sad that some kids don’t have teachers that they feel meet their needs, but I don’t necessarily know that change is going to happen from one lawsuit.” California law currently states that a teacher can receive tenure after only 18 months at a school. Once they have tenure, the process for dismissing a low-performing teacher is time-consuming, but possible. “I don’t think there should be this automatic ‘Congratulations you’ve won the lottery—you’re tenured.’ It should really mean something and [it] doesn’t necessarily [right now] because of the process. But tenure itself should exist, I just think the way we receive it should be
reevaluated,” English teacher Katie Karlin said. Teacher evaluations, both before and after tenure is granted, are minimal. English teacher Justine Rutigliano thinks Sequoia should implement a peer evaluation system among teachers and their departments. Regularly, a teacher would spend an allocated period evaluating another teacher’s lesson and providing feedback. While the appeal is in process and more conversations arise about tenure and its effects on education quality, Yeager urges education about teacher tenure. Though many Sequoia teachers have tenure, Karlin said it rarely affects her actions inside the classroom. “I feel like we’re really held accountable to being good teachers, regardless of our tenure, which I know is not everywhere,” Karlin said. “I haven’t for one minute felt like, ‘Oh I can slack off because I have tenure now,’ and that is not because of who I am but because of the kind of culture that our campus has created.”
Lifelong educators are in it for the long haul By XAVI BOLUÑA Staff Reporter For most of us, four years of school is enough to send us home in tears, but for some education heavyweights, it’s their motivation to wake up in the morning. Dedicated teachers have spent their whole careers tirelessly working for the education system. Science teacher Jamie Beacom has been roaming the halls of Sequoia for more than 25 years, and a great deal has changed during his time here. “It’s funny,” Beacom said. “The room that I [taught] in for 10 years is now a faculty room and where my desk was is where the toilet is now.”
As funny as relocated toilets are, it’s near the bottom of a very long list of drastic changes Sequoia has seen over the past few decades. In just 30 years, Sequoia has changed from open campus to closed campus, put into effect a block schedule, exponentially decreased gang culture and expanded the campus with new facilities. “[We’ve seen] a real turnaround in Sequoia,” said technology teacher Cameron Dodge, who is now approaching 26 years of teaching. “About 10 years ago, Sequoia was the school nobody wanted to go to, and now it’s the school everyone wants to go to.” Some teachers have been at Sequoia for so long that they’ve seen an entire
generation come and go. Beacom has recently encountered more students whose parents he’s had in the past. “The last couple years are the first times I’ve had children of previous students,” Beacom said. “If you think about it, the students that were in my very first class are now [about] 42 years old.” A few teachers at Sequoia are former students of Beacom. “It’s kind of neat to have a former teacher I had in my high school years still working at the school I went to. That doesn’t happen very often in life,” PE teacher Adrian Dilley said, who attended Beacom’s biology and chemistry classes in 1995 to 1998. Dilley even met his future wife in Bea-
com’s sophomore biology class. “[My friend and I] would always ask [her and her friend] questions,” Dilley said. “At the end of the year I [found out] that my wife kind of liked me.” While teachers made their way to 1201 Brewster on different trails, they all came through the discovery of teaching as their passion. “I started taking history classes about the same time I was working at a neuropsychiatric institute for disturbed children,” history teacher Nancy Berry said. “I got to meet these kids who were [notso-disturbed, but instead] very interesting. I put together somehow the idea of history and teaching and teens and here I am.”
Feature
September 10, 2014
R
Summer not just about beach bumming: programs challenge, enrich participants over break
—Compiled by Carmen Vescia and Abigail Wang
R R
Summer has come to a close, and the hallways are now full of students
with exciting summer stories to tell. Some return as world travelers, others with experience at local jobs and internships—the list goes on. We searched the school for unique stories, and here’s what we found:
Volunteer work at HIV/AIDS Clinic in Tanzania
Cara Green, senior
Where? Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania Time? Three weeks How? “My parents used to live in Africa in the 80s, so we knew a friend there who had worked in the clinic, and she recommended that [we] go volunteer.” What? “One day I worked at the reception helping file, and another day I worked in the pharmacy helping get medications, looking at doctors orders. I also worked with children there which was the main part because because they didn’t really have much to do, so we brought tons of suitcases of random art supplies and cool things for them to do, like making lanyards and bracelets.”
Brianna Rosales, junior
Photo courtesy of Cara Green
Favorite memory? “Probably just being exposed to the youth of Africa and playing with the children. That was really cool because that was something I couldn’t do in the US, just being able to interact with these kids.”
3
Theater camp in San Francisco
Elijah Punzal, junior
Where? Youth Out and Aware United Program, San Francisco Time? Five weeks How? “I was introduced by the GSA adviser, Ms. Nguyen, and she said, ‘Hey there’s this scholarship theater program that you could take in the city over the summer.’” What? “We learned how to do a lot of script writing and acting and taking LGBTQ issues and figures and everything of that culture and implementing it into realistic scenes to make a showcase at the end.” Why? “The people in this program were very insightful. The whole point of this program was to implement different perspectives from different parts of cultures and society and use them in queer community and from that bring up this form of theater and empowerment of youth.” Lesson learned? “You can always do more than you think you can. That applies to a lot of stuff. For acting I never knew I could write that many scripts, I never knew I could portray certain characters, particular roles. I didn’t know so much about myself.”
Internship at Facebook
Where? Facebook, Palo Alto Time? Six weeks How? “My counselor, Ms. Perez, told me about it. It was for people who live in East Palo Alto area and Benhaven area.” What? “I was part of two departments; one of them was the Events and Facilities Department, and the other was the Transportation Department. For events we set up tables, chairs, and tents for people from businesses who come to have an event [at Facebook]. For the Transportation Department, it was pretty interesting because we had to find routes from Facebook to get to, for example the San Jose airport. We had to figure out what was the cheapest and fastest way to get there.”
Why? “It was really worth it because I got a lot out of it, like raising my self-confidence; it can help me in the future, and I got a lot of friends out of it.” Perks?“There’s this place [on the Facebook campus] called the Sweet Shop and it’s really cool because it has desserts like ice cream and cupcakes, and it’s all for free, so whenever you’re on on your break you can just go and be like, ‘Can I have a scoop of rainbow sherbet?’” Celebrity run-ins? “Hillary Clinton came, and we didn’t get to meet her, but we got to see her in person, which was cool.” Photo courtesy of Brianna Rosales
Meanwhile, your teachers were just traveling the world:
—Compiled by Claire Bugos, Emily Ducker and Sabrina Villanueva Avalos
“John Kerry was just here and there’s the theory that when statesmen are visiting, the [government] shuts the factories down so the skies are blue.”
“[Sarajevo, which was under siege in 1994], is this beautiful town but there are also some visual reminders of the horrible things that happened there.”
—Lydia Cuffman, China
“English has somehow become the official language of the world; if you know English, you can almost always find someone you can communicate with.” —Takeshi Kaneko
—Karin Zarcone, the Balkans
“[In Chang Mai] we went to an elephant sanctuary... we got to bathe them and feed them and wander around the premises with them.”
—Ben Canning, Southeast Asia
Special
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Don’t go to the o side’s bleachers. ther We don’t care if you Woodside and Chave friends. Just, do arlmont n’t do it.
Concerned about a medical issue? The Teen Wellness Center is where you want to be. You can go on your own or with a parent. Don’t be embarrassed if you need to go there. Better safe than sorry.
What you need to know With six to seven classes, there’s no way you’ll remember all of your assignments without your planner.
favor and Do yourself a naitis. Ig go meet Ms. em se She may not your to imperative t now, but daily life righ junior, when you’re a r best u she will be yo friend.
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Surviving Sequoia:
You wouldn’t want to be caught dead on a Friday not showing your Sequoia purple pride.
ne ser ves Each lunch li . Read the different food and in the signs! Don’t std when n wrong line, a re, know e th p you get u t. Ever yn what you wa e to eat one would lik . ll before the be
You can look, but you can’t sit. An unwritten Sequoia law states that underclassmen can’t sit at the senior tables. Wait your turn.
You’ll need a Sequoia sweatshirt to get you through a block period in the overly air-conditioned language wing or an assembly in Carrington Hall.
Advice to new stud
Find a teacher that has a microwave. It will make your rubbery leftover pizza edible again.
oms: ym is o r h t g ba Best ss the new bathUnle , B-Quad best. open s are the s later. room l thank u You’l
Nov.
Oct.
Sept. 18th Club Day 19th Football @ Woodside 25th-26th: Freshman elections
Dearest freshmen. Welcome to high school, or as every adult likes to call it, the best four years of your life. That’s debatable, but it all depends on what you make of it. We’ve all been through it; your first day in a giant school with giant people and giant textbooks. It makes you feel so small, doesn’t it? But have no fear, because one day, you’ll be the giants. Until that time, however, you must learn how to survive in the wild. Except,
7-10th 10th 28th
Homecoming week Rally, game and dance Music concert
21st-23rd
Fall musical (“All Shook Up”)
Dec. 2nd 5th 16-19th
Winter concert Winter rally Finals week
it’s not the to grow up i gether, so th upperclassm you. We are al high school There’s no as a scary ex lightening fo tests and a f to pull your
Feature
5
Be sure to pack some healthy, energizing snacks to keep you alive and awake through seventh period.
If you are one of the poor unfortunate souls with a zero period, you’re going to need an insulated mug for a hot caffeinated beverage. Trust us.
When you’re stuck in the back of the world’s biggest classroom, you’ll need your glasses if you want a chance of knowing what’s going on in class. Once you’ve dipped into your life savings for a parking permit (that won’t guarantee you a spot), your keys might come in handy.
Stay hydrated—buy this high fashion Raven Report water bottle for $10 from a journalism student or in room 241.
The ever-useful Binder System will make it so you need seven of these for one semester.
—Compiled by Xavi Boluña, Emily Ducker, Dalia Jude and Sabrina Villanueva Avalos Staff Editorial
dents: your future is what you make it
wild: we’re all just kids trying in this hectic, stressful place tohere’s no need to be afraid of the men and new students around
ll just as scared, and each year of we enter, we have a new fear. o need to think of high school xperience, think of it as an enour year journey with a million few all-nighters when you want r hair out. Don’t worry, we can
help you avoid those nights, too. We have so many helpful programs at Sequoia. If you’re struggling, go to an after school SAFE Program. Teachers have office hours for you, take advantage of your resources. No question is stupid and struggling on something does not reflect poorly on you. Remember, it is OK to ask for help. For now, don’t be afraid to make friends—most of us don’t bite. Join a club. If you don’t like any, start your own! Or you can try out for a sport.
Mar.
Jan./Feb. Jan. 17th Feb. 20th-27th
Winter formal Winter play
20th 26th
Talent Show Open House
This is the time to find yourselves. And yes, this is cornier than corn, but this is the four years that sets you up for the rest of your lives. Would you rather live as an isolated hermit, or an involved social butterfly? So as you embark upon your journey through these uncomfortably fluorescent hallways, remember two things. One: high school will only be as wonderful as you’re willing to make it. Two: please don’t stand in the middle of the hallway. Trust me, one day you’ll have somewhere to be, too.
April 10-11th 17th 30-May 1st
Dance Show Spring rally Elections
May/June May 2nd May 8th-9th June 5th
Spring play Prom Graduation
6
Opinion
Sequoia High School
Staff Editorial
Teachers, please use caution as you go digital With multiple Chromebook carts, the introduction of School Loop and Google accounts, and new WiFi routers on classroom ceilings, many teachers are choosing to go the paperless route in having students complete and submit assignments. We are very fortunate to have all this technology available to us, but it shouldn’t be the only way we have to turn in work. Teachers should use caution as it is not always feasible for students to complete assignments entirely online. For example, teachers always tell students that if they don’t have Internet access at home, they can use computers at the school or public library. But many students have jobs, after-school activities, or obligations at home, and by the time they are free to work on homework, libraries are closed. Some teachers are requiring online submission by a certain time to encourage students to get to bed at a reasonable hour. While this is appreciated, sometimes it’s not possible to complete homework by that time, especially if a student gets home at 9:30 p.m. from a job or a sports practice. Or sometimes, a student just needs to go to sleep and wake up early to finish homework with a clear brain. Without online submission, assignments aren’t due until the time the class period
September 10, 2014
starts, but new online submissions require the assignment to be done sometimes as much as 12 or more hours before class. Another new technology issue coming up is that a Google Document can be edited even after it is submitted. To get around this, some teachers are requiring assignments to be submitted as a Microsoft Word file, but if students work on Chromebooks, they can’t save it in the required format. We hope teachers continue to embrace technology, but also acknowledge that this should not be the only way to submit assignments. Classwork done on Chromebooks is great when everyone has one, but perhaps this should be limited to just that—classwork. Sometimes, outside of school, a hard copy is the only practical option for a student. In the future, we also suggest a system to rent out Chromebooks, just as the math department rents out graphing calculators on a contract system. We have such a diverse school socioeconomically, but that shouldn’t turn into a problem because of technology. We are lucky to have access to such advanced resources, but we need to keep in mind that a lot of students don’t have unlimited access outside of school.
Raven Report 2014-2015
Editor-in-Chief Dalia Jude Managing Editors Claire Bugos Carmen Vescia News Editor Emily Ducker Feature Editor Abigail Wang Opinion Editor Sabrina Villanueva Avalos Sports Editor Lily Friebel Online Editor Glenn Billman Staff Reporters Rebekah Alesna, Emma Blumen-Green, Xavi Boluña, Sunaina Butler, Samantha Caswell, Lauren Cresta, Trevor Crowell, Isabel DeCastro, Nora Fossenier, Dominick Graham, Camryn Habecker, Erik Huisman, Madeline Pei, Jasleen Pelia-Lutzker, Cam Rebosio, Chaz Rosado, Zack Rosenblatt, Madalene Schorr, Mars Svec-Burdick, Philip Tyson, Iridian Villanueva, Erik West, Rebekah Westerlind Adviser Kim Vinh
Gender equality at Sequoia? Last year, the Raven Report examined the gender gap in terms of enrollment in higher-level math and science classes. Although class enrollment is more equal this year, students have recently called into question the friendliness of the environment Sequoia for half its student body—females. This issue, the Raven Report has compiled information from several areas of the school to continue examining gender at Sequoia. —Compiled by Glenn Billman
About participation: “The stereotypes [about female participation in science] exist—it’s certainly not equalized at all. It’s getting better, but it’s totally not there yet.” —Debolina Dutta, science teacher
About Achievement:
59%
IB Diplomas received by female students
About Enrollment:
About Climate: “We shouldn’t just focus on having zero fights, but zero cases of sexual harassment. If a boy is staring at me during a test, it won’t slow me down, only him.”
—Nicole Hwang, junior
41%
IB Diplomas received by male students
570
Signatures on an online petition to “end body shaming in the Sequoia dress code” as of Sept. 5
“I’d like to be evaluated by my brain and critical thinking. My bra straps are irrelevant. I should feel comfortable with the shoulders, legs and thighs that were given to me—not
ashamed.”
—Madison McKee, senior
“In my opinion, [wearing short shorts] is not good for female students. The research shows that the more skin that is shown in attire, the more likely someone is to be
objectified.
—Michael Kuliga, Administrative Vice Principal
7
OPINION
September 10, 2014
Broaden your horizons A how-to guide for studying abroad
By GLENN BILLMAN Online Editor Last year, I stepped out of my comfortable Sequoia bubble, flew halfway across the world with strangers and found myself stranded in a new culture, surrounded
by a language and lifestyle I didn’t understand. I was given six months to re-create my life more than 6,000 miles away, learn as much as I could and be sent away again. In short, I made the best decision of my life by choosing to study abroad in Italy. Over those six months— the best six
months of my life— I became fluent in Italian, made amazing friends and was forced to change my perspective on the world. An incredibly small percentage of American high schoolers study abroad, despite all of the programs designed to
bring teens around the world. With a little bit of research and some help from this guide, you can find out how to spend a semester in a Greek village, a year on the outskirts of Tokyo, or a summer volunteering in Nicaragua, with program costs ranging from free to $15,000.
5. Have fun.
Pick your 3. destination.
1.
Make sure you’re ready to leave your life.
The hard work has Depending on just begun, but you Before you sign up the program, are on your way to for any programs, countries all the becoming a new person know that you’re 100 way from Thailand to with a new family, differpercent ready to leave France to Senegal are your ent friends and a changed your family, friends and feasible new homes. When world view. Embrace the experibed. Consider if you will choosing a country, make sure ence, make the most out of the ups have to make up courses when Mentally and downs and a good time is guarFind the right you consider if you already speak you return home, if you will be IB prepare. the language, if the program will anteed. It may be hard to get used diploma or A-G eligible after goprogram. Once you’ve been accept you if you don’t speak to your new life, the new family ing abroad, if you’re independent accepted, be sure For philanthropic the language and if the way you’ve been thrust into and the enough to thrive away from that you’re emotionadventures abroad, their society functions new societal norms, but being your family and if you’re deally ready to leave the programs like Sumseems like a match for flexible and willing to adapt termined enough to stick it familiarity of your curmer Search, Amigos or your tastes. will make everything go out through the uncomrent life. To prepare for Italy, International Student Volmore smoothly. Good fortable phases. I gorged on Thai and Mexican unteers (ISV) are good opluck. food, which are hard to find there. tions to consider. To study and The little things that you take for see the culture of a new society, granted may or may not be availAmerican Field Service (AFS) or able to you abroad. Living Council on International Eduwithout cheddar cheese for cational Exchange (CIEE) six months isn’t as hard if are great programs to start you stuff yourself before researching. leaving—trust me.
2.
Ice bucket challenge spreads awareness through social media By LILY FRIEBEL Sports Editor Dumb, annoying, pointless, a waste of time: this is what people were saying as ice bucket videos were circulating on social
media. But actually, it’s more important than you think. The social network created to keep in touch with peers has turned into a worldwide philanthropic platform and a pilot in awareness for social causes. The ALS ice bucket challenge has taken over Facebook and other social media sites in the past few months. From celebrities’ contributions to videos of challenge fails, it has brought a great amount of positive attention to the ALS foundation. As of Sept. 5, 2.1 million people have donated and raised $109.1 million since July 29. They received $2.7 million in the same period last year. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” is a fatal disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Over 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed every year, with about 30,000 Americans currently suffering from this disease.
Watching the Youtube video about a U.S.-based photographer, Anthony Carbajal made me teary-eyed and changed my whole opinion on the challenge. Carbajal was diagnosed with ALS five months ago at only 26 years old. He has already seen firsthand what the disease will do to his body after watching both his mother and grandmother have ALS. He says that in the next five years, he won’t be able to walk, he won’t be able to speak and he will eventually lose all control over his body. “People are getting frustrated about the Ice Bucket Challenge, that means our awareness is working. It wouldn’t be successful if we weren’t irritating a few people, right?” Carbajal said in the video. California is in a severe drought, but that shouldn’t stop people from raising awareness and money for this worthy cause. It’s quite simple: reduce, reuse and recycle. If you are challenged, collect water in a bucket from your shower. Stand over a lawn or plants that need to be watered while doing the challenge. If you are challenged and are hesitant to complete it because of the drought, donating any amount is better than doing nothing. Before I watched Carbajal’s video, I would scroll past challenge videos because I thought they were pointless and had no power. Now that I know how much of a need there is for ALS research, I have donated and completed the challenge myself.
4.
Sequoia says:
If a vending machine on campus were to dispense anything, what would you want it to be? “Homework passes because I don’t like doing homework and I’ve got senioritis.” —Mele Lauese, senior
“Microwavable ravioli and money— you put in a dollar and get double the amount, or triple—it’s random.” —Gerard Chi, senior
“I would want it to dispense puppies because then we could play with the puppies and return them when we’re done.” —Sarah Gilbert, senior
“Snuggies, so I can sleep in class.” —Lily Leib, senior
— Compiled by Claire Bugos and Emily Ducker
8
Sports
September 10, 2014
Day in the life: Sinking, not swimming By CARMEN VESCIA Managing Editor
As I stepped on the pool deck with goggles in hand, wearing a suffocating one-piece and a swim cap so tight I already had a headache, two thoughts popped into my head. 1. Wow, I’m pale. 2. Wow, I’m weak. I surveyed the gaggle of tan, muscular, smiling girls that surrounded me and suddenly felt very underprepared. Despite the fact that I was only there for the Raven Report’s ‘A Day in the Life’ series as a journalist and not as a prospective player, my stomach churned with nerves. I can stay afloat, but I’m not a strong swimmer, and I hadn’t exercised for more than about 10 minutes straight all summer. Soon enough, however, my worries were interrupted as the girls around me all began jumping into the pool like lemmings, and I plunged in after them. I quickly found my place in lane one, or in other words, the slow lane. It didn’t take much time for me to deduce that I was both the slowest swimmer in the entire pool and the only one who couldn’t manage to swim in a straight line. After what seemed like an hour, but was actually 15 minutes, we grabbed our kickboards. I breathed a sigh of relief as I imagined lazily kicking across pool, as I was already winded
Photos by Claire Bugos
It’s not possible to fully comprehend a sport by just sitting on the sidelines. After nearly drowning at water polo practice, I think I have a pretty good idea of the strength and determination it takes to stay afloat. and had swallowed a gallon of pool water, but I was in for a rude awakening. We alternated laps of swimming and furiously kicking with our kickboards, turning the normally clear pool into froth, which I unfortunately kept drinking. Although I suspected that I was experiencing what death by exhaustion felt like during various moments in the workout, the encouragements and tips
from the team kept me afloat, both emotionally and physically. I was expecting to meet a team of tough, no nonsense girls who wouldn’t hesitate to push me under the water if I got in their way—I’ve always been told that water polo is a notoriously brutal sport—but they couldn’t have been nicer. After our laps while we tread water, I asked a girl if and when we got a break. To my dismay,
she informed me that treading water was our break. Thank goodness the water in the pool helped camouflage my tears. Finally, it was time to bring out the water polo balls and get down to business. We practiced catching (or dropping in my case), throwing, shooting at the goalie and dribbling, or pushing the ball along as we swam. This was definitely my favorite part. As practice drew to a
close, it was time for one final exercise:eggbeater kicking while trying to simultaneously push your partner backwards and stand your ground as she pushes back. At first I misunderstood and thought that we were trying to drown each other. Needless to say, I was somewhat terrified. Thankfully I was wrong, and I came out of the practice alive, although limp and exhausted. When I declared that practice was ‘really hard and very tiring,’ I was kindly informed that I had just experienced an ‘easy’ practice. This just goes to show how much dedication and physical ability water polo takes. These players practically spend more time in the pool than out of it, sometimes waking up early to make a morning practice in addition to the two hours after school. Water polo is definitely one of the most physically demanding sports I have ever attempted, and my respect for those who dare play it is enormous. I can’t even begin to imagine repeating my grueling experience at practice five days a week for an entire season. Thank you, Sequoia water polo for inviting me to join your elite ranks for a day, but if you need me, I’ll be on my couch watching “The Bachelorette,” where I belong. I think it’s best that I leave the pool to you.
New quarterback coach pushes team to next level By GLENN BILLMAN and CARMEN VESCIA Online and Managing Editors Greg Barber first coached football at Sequoia in 1958, and now, decades later, he’s back. Barber works with the varsity quarterbacks, senior Aidan Pierce and junior Faavae Brown, and hopes to take them to the next level. “I wanted to coach at a school that was doing something unusual, and Sequoia is doing some very innovative things,” Barber said. “It’s more fun to be innovative.” He’s been working with Pierce and Brown on passing accuracy in hopes of making the team more well-rounded, scoring more touchdowns and perform Photo by Carmen Vescia ing well in Bay, the highest division for Quarterback coach Greg Barber, a quadruple amputee, coaches senior CCS football. Aidan Pierce and junior Faavae Brown on the field from his wheelchair. He “He’s a lot stricter on our mechanaims to improve their passing accuracy. ics than the previous coaches were, and I think it’s really going to help us in the tion, they remain close. Although it’s Barber’s first season, he long run,” Pierce said. “We’re going to be “Faavae and I have a great relationship; has already created a strong bond with a lot more passwe do a handshake both boys. oriented this year, “They’re getting better, and they get along every single time we “I feel like [Coach Barber] is a good so we should be well with each other, which is really good walk out onto the friend because I’ve been working with more aggressive to see. That means that they have a good field,” Pierce said. him for so long. I’ve been to his house on offense.” “We’re always push- some times to work with him,”Brown chance to be successful.” Pierce and ing each other and said. —Quarterback coach Greg Barber Brown are comwe both decided that Barber is an experienced coach, having peting for the whoever wins, we’re played on Stanford’s freshman team himstarting position. Despite the competi- going to cheer for and support him.” self as an undergraduate and later coach-
ing there, at the University of Oregon and at a number of local high schools. “He’s a great coach,” Brown said. “Just by looking at him and the way he talks about football you can tell that he has a lot of experience.” Barber has hopes that Pierce and Brown will be able to lead the team to a successful season. “They’re getting better, and they get along well with each other, which is really good to see. That means that they have a good chance to be successful,” Barber said. “You have to want to be a quarterback because there’s so much work, and they both want to.” Barber enjoys the challenge coaching presents and the opportunity to influence and guide young players. “I like teaching, and coaching if you really do it well, is teaching,” Barber said. “[The boys] are very interested in learning, and if you’re a teacher, you can’t have anything better than a student [like that].” In the short time he’s been working with them, Barber has changed the way they think about the game as well as their goals. “He’s helped me a lot mentally, and I think that’s a huge part of coming to be a quarterback for the team,” Brown said. “ I want to play in college, and I think coach helped me to want it, and when you want it you can achieve anything.”