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A look at Paly’s drug habit, A6-A7

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Vol. XC, No. 3 http://voice.paly.net Monday, November 19, 2007

Safety concerns or censorship?

NEWS

ECO-FORMAL
GOES “PURE” Re-enactment meeting between McEvoy, McGovern leads to controversy
Paly clubs develop an envi-

Perspectives
she dismissed it as disingenuous,” McGovern
ronmentally friendly formal
said. “Such an administrative mindset sounds
with a nightclub feel. PAGE A3
the death knell not just to the Black Death re-
enactment, but to the entire program itself.” “This is an example
REVAMPING PLAZA Following the meeting, rumors alleging
that the principal was trying to shut down the
of how something
can be blown way
AND LIBRARY re-enactments flew around campus.
out of proportion.

Julia Benton/The Campanile

Students around campus reacted strongly
towards the allegations and overnight, they I had no intention
Downtown Palo Alto plans
remodel for Lytton Plaza signed petitions, formed a Facebook group, of cancelling the re-
and Mitchell Park. created shirts and designed posters to save the enactments.”
PAGE A3
re-enactments. Within the period of 24 hours,
more than 300 students had joined a Facebook
—Jacqueline
OPINION group titled “The New Principal is Trying to Shut McEvoy,
Down Mr. McGovern’s Reenactment.” Principal
THE TROOPS ROLL “No thoughtful person would execute the
cancellation of such a revered and cherished “The only thing that has been blown

ONTO CAMPUS program if they knew how much it means to

past participants,” junior Grace Morrison said.
out of proportion is the rumor that the
only item on the principal’s agenda at
“I don’t believe the principal would do that.” the meeting was safety issues. That is not
An analysis of military When news of student reactions reached the
recruiters visiting Paly’s true. Not only did
administration the following day, the principal
campus PAGE A5 denied any attempts to end the re-enactments. the content come
“I do not know where students got the idea up, but the principal
LIFESTYLES that I’m shutting down the re-enactments,” suggested I might

Julia Benton/The Campanile

McEvoy said. be using the Black
GANGSTER LIFE IN The news soon received media attention as
reporters from the Palo Alto Daily News, Palo
Death re-enactment
to promote my own
THE BAY AREA
Alto Weekly, San Jose Mercury News and The
religious or personal
Paly Voice covered the controversy.
Within a couple of days, the article regarding biases.”
A look at the gang scene
from the perspective of
the re-enactment controversy on Palo Alto On- —Mike McGovern
line had received more than 300 comments. World History teacher
Paly students. PAGE B1 While some parents voiced concerns about
both the safety and content of the re-enactments, “Everyone has their
SPORTS others strongly praised McGovern’s effort and own opinion. I like
his yearly re-enactment program.
the re-enactments.”
PALY SENIORS ROW
McEvoy first voiced her concerns surround-
ing the safety of the plays after seeing the “Black

Julia Benton/The Campanile

Death” production.
—Eric Bloom,
TO THE TOP “I was pushed while going up the stairs,”
McEvoy said. “I nearly hit my head on the tun-
History & Social
Studies Dept.
Two Paly students place nel on my way in.” Instructional
second at the prestigious McEvoy said she believes that there needs Supervisor
regatta in Boston, Head of Alek Milovidov/The Viking to be changes regarding the safety of the theater
the Charles. PAGE A11 A Paly student puts up flyers displaying phrases such as “Stop McEvoy” during that McGovern uses. She also said she believes “The re-enactments
the Homecoming football game, one day after McGovern and McEvoy’s meeting. that audience members need to know beforehand
are an integral part
if there is physical contact with the viewers
FOOTBALL RUSHES By Nanor Balabanian
Staff Writer
While McEvoy insisted that the meeting
was solely regarding safety issues, McGovern
during the production.
“Pushing and shoving is not okay,” McEvoy
of Paly. However,
people are quick to
THEIR WAY TO CCS
Stacy Levichv/The Campanile

argued that McEvoy questioned his teaching said. “It’s a problem if the audience doesn’t know judge what McEvoy
Controversy arose after Palo Alto High methods and offended him with regards to his if they are going to be touched.” is trying to do.”
Vikings enter final season School principal Jacqueline McEvoy and history program. McEvoy also clarified that she does not in-
game with second place in teacher Mike McGovern differed on the content “I citied years of overwhelming positive tend to shut down the re-enactments, nor does she
—Mohammed
De Anza League. PAGE A12 discussed in their Nov. 1 meeting concerning feedback from students and parents about the Abid,
McGovern’s re-enactment program. content of the Black Death re-enactment but See CONTROVERSY, Page A2 ASB President
FEATURES

HELPING OUT THIS Major decisions under Principal McEvoy

HOLIDAY SEASON Aug. 28 Sept. 19 Sept. 28 Oct. 16 Oct. 23 Nov. 1
The Campanile’s guide to
volunteer opportunities
Julia Benton/The Campanile
Beth Bergen/The Paly Voice

Courtesy of Google Images

Courtesy of Google Images

Courtesy of Google Images

for the holidays. PAGE B7

Courtesy of Sheila Tabrizi

A&E

UPPERCLASSMEN McEvoy promises a McEvoy says she wants McEvoy bans front-to-back McEvoy votes against McEvoy’s revised dance McEvoy meets with
DROP TO THE BEAT stricter enforcement of
the cut and tardy policy.
all students to take
California STAR tests.
dancing and discusses the use a closed campus at an
of breathalyzers at dances. administration meeting.
policy allows front-to-back
dancing above a 45° angle.
McGovern to discuss re-
enactment issues.
Two Paly students express
themselves through intense
breakdancing.

PALY DROPOUT
PAGE B8
TRAVELS THE WORLD
After exploring the world for
three years, a Paly dropout
writes a book. PAGE B8
INDEX
News...........................A1-A3
Opinion............A4-A5, A8-A9
Spotlight.....................A6-A7
Sports.....................A10-A12
Lifestyles...........................B1
,
New security camera system installed at Paly
By Michael Hamada “Last year we had lots of trouble multiple ways to pry into the gym “I had everything stolen a couple to the total number of thefts during
Staff Writer with unauthorized people with keys to
the locker rooms and gyms,” PAUSD
lockers.
Many lockers are popped open
years back,” Coe said. “They took my
wallet and MP3 player and nobody
the month.
The security cameras are Pana-
A new security system was set up assistant supervisor Chuck McDonald with screwdrivers or just pulled on saw because it was after school during sonic digital disc recorders that send
at Palo Alto High School earlier this said. “Old alumni and some students until the metal bends enough to slip football practice.” live feed to Berkson’s office. The
school year and has helped deter thefts even had keys to the gym. We needed a the door open. Some lockers are even Now there are two domed security video feed is then downloaded into
in and around the Physical Education way to make access to the gyms more broken into from neighboring lock- cameras on either end of the locker the school server and kept until it is
locker rooms. controlled and secure.” ers by ripping out the sheet metal in room hallways, but the PAUSD hopes overwritten.
The security system is a pilot McDonald said that with the new between two lockers. this will change now. According to McDonald, the
program currently installed at three cardkeys, the school can monitor who Sophomore Adrian Augman During the 2006-07 school year cameras are basic and do not have the
Palo Alto Unified School District opens up the doors and what time had his locker broken into during his there were nine reported thefts in the ability to zoom. Still, it is an effective
schools, the other two being Henry they do so. freshman year. boys’ locker room during the month form of security because the person
M. Gunn High School and Jordan “Last year Paly had a some “When I came back from my PE of October. monitoring the cameras has the ability
Middle School. trouble with thefts at Paly and the class, my locker door was hanging This year, that rate is down 44 to recognize the perpetrator.
The system is comprised of two most common places are the bike open and my iPod and everything I percent with only four reported thefts “The cameras are in color so that

fixed-dome security cameras and racks and the locker rooms,” Assistant had been carrying in my pockets was during the same month. helps us see all the people that pass
Features.......................B2-B7 electronic keycard door locks that Principal Jerry Berkson said. gone,” Augman said. Duran and Berkson both said through the hallways,” McDonald. “If
A&E...........................B8-B12 monitor the gym locker rooms at the Physical Education teacher Da- Junior Ryan Coe is also a victim most thefts still go unreported, but
three schools. vid Duran said students have found of theft in the locker rooms. reported thefts are still proportional See CAMERAS, Page A3
A2 • November 19, 2007 News The Campanile

NEWSBRIEFS Showroom offers new electric cars

By Crystal Wang
Administration denies rumors Staff Writer

over plan to close campus Hilt Auto’s Electric Green Show-

Contrary to student rumors, the Palo Alto High School ad-
ministration is not attempting to close the school’s campus. The
issue was brought up in a principal’s meeting on Tuesday, Oct.
16, but was quickly vetoed by both Paly principal Jacqueline
McEvoy and Gunn High School principal Noreen Likins.
“Closing the campus is not a priority of the administration,”
McEvoy said.
Palo Alto Unified School District business manager Robert
Golton put the topic on the meeting’s agenda. Golton was follow-
ing up on the actions of the district’s former business manager,
who told the Board of Education last spring that there would be
a discussion about making Paly a closed campus.
“This discussion was done just to ‘make good’ on his com-
mitment,” Golton said.
The proposal, which recommended closing the campus
to freshmen and sophomores, was put forward by Chartwells
Dining Service, the district’s food services provider. Each year,
Palo Alto Unified School District loses hundreds of thousands of
dollars in food services and Chartwells suggested keeping more
students on campus as a way to reduce the loss.
Paly’s open campus policy allows students to leave school
grounds during lunch, often to buy lunch from neighboring Town
and Country Village Shopping Center.
Although the food services deficit for the 2006-2007 school
year was approximately $701,000, neither of the high school
principals considers closing campuses an effective way to solve
the problem.
“I was at Aragon High School in the mid-90s when they
went from an open campus to closed campus,” McEvoy said.
“The school is close to the freeway and they had a number of car
accidents because of kids driving places at lunch. Safety-wise,
closing the campus made things better, but it didn’t help food
services at all. The deficit actually increased because they had
to serve more kids in such a limited amount of time.”
While the administration has the authority to close the
campus to specific students with attendance problems, McEvoy
is not considering extending those restrictions to the rest of the
student body.
“Even closing the campus to freshmen and sophomores would
create as many problems as solutions,” McEvoy said.
—Sara Reihani
A&E Editor
room opened its doors in San Carlos
on Oct. 12, offering affordable electric
vehicles to the public.
The showroom sells the whole line
of Bay Area electric car manufacturer
Zero Air Pollution’s products, including
the Zapino electric scooters, all terrain
vehicles, mini bikes and people movers.
It also sells ZAP’s latest products; the
Xebra truck and sedan.
The Xebra truck and sedan are 100
percent electric, three-wheeled vehicles.
According to Taylor Smith, general
manager of Hilt Auto’s Electric Green
Showroom, the Xebra sedan is made with
three wheels so that it can be registered
as a motorcycle and thus cost less to
manufacture.
The Xebra truck, a small two-seater
with flatbed and dump-truck variations,
also has right- and left-side steering for
buyers. Thus, the trucks can be used for
parking enforcement, meter reading and
postal work, Smith said.
The four-door sedan comes in Stacy Levichev/The Campanile
various colors including white, ocean The Hilt Auto’s Electric Green Showroom offers the three-wheeled Xebra truck and sedan, which present
blue, kiwi green, lipstick red and zebra- a cleaner way for people to travel locally. The electric cars emit fewer pollutants than gas-powered cars.
striped.
These vehicles are relatively in- Smith said. This percentage might be “I think they’re safer because you Smith then went to ZAP and told
expensive, with prices ranging from even higher for students. can’t speed as much and people don’t company members he was impressed.
about $9,900 to $12,000 for the Xebra “The Xebra is a clean way for people have to use gas so it’s good for the envi- “I decided at that time I would
and $2,995 for the Zapino. The Zappy3 to make local trips,” Smith said. “Instead ronment too,” senior Jeanna Ko said. concentrate on selling electric vehicles,”
Pro, a three-wheeled people mover, sells of getting into a gas car that sends out Smith believes that ZAP electric cars Smith said.
for $900. pollution into the air, a person can take are great buys for students. The Electric Green Showroom is
However, the vehicles can only be their Xebra without sending any pollu- “Not only are the vehicles afford- located on 963 Industrial Road in San
used for driving locally. Because the tion in the air.” able but also you wouldn’t have to work Carlos. It is open Monday through Friday
Xebra can only go up to 40 mph, they According to ZAP, the Xebra truck more to buy gas,” Smith said. “It is a lot from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday by
are not freeway legal yet. The Xebra has and sedan produce 98 percent fewer pol- easier to ask to use the outlet from the appointment.
a range of up to 25 miles per charge and lutants than gas cars. folks as opposed to getting gas money “I have had customers whose ages
the people movers typically get 12 miles With no dependency on gas, owners from them.” range from 16 to 76,” Smith said. “The
per charge. do not have to worry about increasing gas Smith has sold used cars for a year. reasons for buying are just as diverse,
Eighty percent of most people’s prices because the electric vehicles can Smith researched on the Internet about from protecting the environment to not
trips are within 10 miles of their homes, recharge using any electrical outlet. electric cars and found the Xebra. wanting to pay $3.50 for gas.”

Dance policy altered as result of

Student Council, student pressure
The administration has altered the dance policy again, this
time to include a video to be shown to students waiting to enter
dances. The video includes new rules, one being that students
must keep both feet on the floor while dancing.
Principal Jacqueline McEvoy said that the rules demonstrated
in the video are meant to instruct students on the respectful way
to dance at dances.
“Every kid has a sense of respect,” McEvoy said.
McEvoy maintains that the students are not trying to be
disrespectful in their dancing and that they just need to be taught
what is the respectful and safe way to carry themselves at dances,
that is what the new rules and the video are meant to do.
“[Teenagers behaving inappropriately] is a product of too
many kids getting caught up in the moment and making bad
choices,” McEvoy said.
The video is meant to be the first warning, but McEvoy said
that students will receive one more warning delivered in person
by a chaperone before they are removed from the dance.
McEvoy first heard of the video from the Gunn High School
Administration and she and Student Council decided that it would
be a good way to express the rules to students. The video contains
two people with painted faces demonstrating rules such as the
“both feet on the ground” rule and another that states that while
dancing, partners must maintain at least a 45 degree angle.
According to McEvoy, there never was a rule that stated
that partners must face each other but said that she has observed
that “most of the problems occurred when kids were dancing
back to front.”
McEvoy said that the policy will continue to change as she
becomes more familiar with the school and students, but said that
Student organizes charity drive for VA hospital
Hannah McGovern/The Campanile
Sacred Heart Preparatory senior Hunter Horsley holds
a chessboard for the Veterans Hospital’s charity drive.
By Jonathan Shan
Staff Writer
In the month leading up to Veteran’s Day,
senior Hunter Horsley of Sacred Heart Prepara-
tory organized a regional high school charity
drive collecting different kinds of board games
for the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Hospital’s new
recreational therapy division.
“When the veterans come home, these board
games are a starting point on the path to recovery
and an attempt for them to rehabilitate and func-
tion in society,” Horsley said.
Through a family friend, Horsley learned
about the therapy division, which offers support
for both mentally and physically traumatized
troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Both impressed and touched by the effort for
the cause, Horsley decided to organize a charity
drive at his high school.
“I was able to contact the therapist in charge
to ask how I could help,” Horsley said. “He told
me that what they really needed were board games,
which are the core of the program.”
Types of games that are requested by the VA
hospital include checkers, chess, dominoes and
bingo. Horsley hopes to raise 50 sets of Double-
Six Dominos Checkers, chessboards, and any
other board games from Menlo School and Emory
High School, both participating schools.
“Initially I wanted to only do it at my school,”
Horsley said. “But after talking with the therapist
at the VA, I realized that the number of board
games needed was more than my school could
muster, so I started to find other schools that
would be involved.”
With the help of his younger brother, Horsley
successfully ran the drive at his brother’s school,
Hillview Middle School, and collected a number
of games. Horsley is also working on finding
more interested high schools, such as Bellarmine
College Preparatory and Valley Christian High
School, to get involved in the charity drive.
Horsley prepared a kit for each school,
detailing the instructions for the drive. The kit
includes templates for mailing letters, suggestions
for logistical aspects, poster placement and local
community publicity.
Earlier this month, Horsley contacted Asso-
ciate Student Body President Mohammed Abid,
who referred Horsley to Youth Community Service
President Aditi Bellary, who will organize the
drive at Palo Alto High School. Both Bellary and
Horsley are now planning for the drive, which will
overlap with YCS’ Annual Canned Food Drive,
which started November 15.
Horsley remains determined to follow
through to bring about change.
“When you think of the word ‘veteran’ you
think of soldiers who returned from WWII, soldiers
from a long time ago,” Horsley said. “But it’s
when you see the pictures of young servicemen
returning from Iraq that you realize we still have
veterans who need our support.”

Stanford graduate student wins Re-enactments raise concern

she will try to listen to any input people are willing to give.
“[Any future policy] should be a collaboration of students,
teachers and adults,” McEvoy said.

—Laura Kurtz national Sudoku championship CONTROVERSY, Continued from A1 McEvoy declined to answer when
Senior Staff Writer
By Nolan Wong
Staff Writer
Stanford postdoctoral bioengineer-
ing student and puzzle master Thomas
Snyder won the first Philadelphia Inquirer
Sudoku National Championship on Oct.
19-21 after solving a puzzle in seven
minutes and seven seconds.
• Nov. 21-23: Thanksgiving Snyder beat the semi-finalists by
nearly three minutes to seize the U.S.
All students and staff enjoy Thanksgiving Sudoku national title and $10,000.
break with no school Wed. through Fri. Snyder also won the World Sudoku
Championship in Prague, Czech Repub-
• Nov. 24: Sing-along with lic earlier this year. The Stanford student
will travel with the U.S. Sudoku team
Choir Alumni this April to the next World Sudoku
Support the Paly Choir Alumni at the Championship in Goa, India.
Since he was four years old, Snyder
Stanford Shopping Center at 1 p.m. in front has enjoyed solving all kinds of puzzles.
of the Williams-Sonoma Home store. Snyder’s current puzzle of interest is
cryptic crosswords, which are crosswords
• Dec. 4: Career Day with clues that have literal definitions
and clues that use wordplay.
“I am trying to make it clear that I
care most about my postdoctoral work by
not bringing puzzles into my workplace,”
Snyder said.
Competitors are often separated
into categories, such as age or ability.
In elimination rounds, competitors race
through puzzles. In the final round, final-
ists often solve the Sudoku puzzles on
large whiteboards before spectators.
Sudoku, meaning “single number”
in Japanese, first appeared in the 1970s
as “Number Place” in the U.S. According
to www.sudokudaily.net, the Japanese
company Nikoli Inc. published Sudoku
in Japan in the mid-1980s.
“I really enjoy the fact that in
Sudoku, there are thousands of ways
of figuring out where to place certain
numbers,” junior Tamar Ben-Shachar, a
Sudoku participant, said. “Yet, in the
end, the numbers come together in a
cohesive way every time.”
Snyder is currently writing the book
asked about these statements, because
intend to require her approval of each of the meeting’s confidentiality.
script. Instead, she said her goal is to Students raised many concerns re-
ensure the safety of her students. garding the principal’s method of interfer-
“At this point I’m not that concerned ence with the re-enactment program.
about the content, I’m more concerned “I feel she [McEvoy] was merely
about the safety,” McEvoy said. expressing a concern about the re-
McGovern, however, said that had enactments in private to Mr. McGovern,”
McEvoy only been concerned with the a student said. “But if she had waited the
safety of the production, he would not customary year before making sugges-
have been so upset. tions she would have
“The discussion “She [McEvoy] believes that I am known that the re-en-
did veer off into content ‘preaching’ my own religious and actments are untouch-
and the very premise personal views to the students.” able to any principal or
upon which the Black administrator.”
Death re-enactment Mike McGovern Regardless of the
is based,” McGovern Social Studies Teacher controversy, students
said. “The students’ continue to feel pas-
worries and concerns are not unwar- sionate about performing in and watching
ranted.” McGovern’s re-enactments.
McGovern believes that the principal “The re-enactments have totally
questioned his methods of teaching and changed me,” freshman Manon de Fleu-
morals. rac said. “I don’t think Mr. McGovern is
“She [McEvoy] believes that I am trying to preach his own religion. He’s

Career representatives will speak to

students about their experiences in various
occupations.
• Dec. 8: Winter Formal
Action in Africa and New Global Citizens
will host the dance from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Tickets will be sold Dec. 3 through Dec. 7.
Surprisingly, Snyder only finishes
two or three Sudoku puzzles each week,
only because there are very few puzzle
strategies left for him to discover. How-
ever, Snyder will normally solve one to
two hundred puzzles the week before
a competition to practice his strategies
and speed.
Snyder also limits his Sudoku time
through a “no puzzles at work” policy.
Battleship Sudoku, planned to be released
this April. Players locate battleships by
solving Sudoku puzzles.
“Sudoku and other puzzles can test
so many things from your creativity and
observational skills to your knowledge
and ability to solve problems,” Snyder
said. “After finally solving a tough puzzle,
I always have a great sense of enjoyment
from completing the puzzle.”
‘preaching’ my own religious and per- simply teaching us a history lesson and
sonal views to the students,” McGovern trying to relate it to our lives.”
said. “I’ve done that production for 17 In the meantime, some teachers are
years, before almost 3000 people, the concerned with the over-exposure of
majority of whom were students, but also the “private” conversation between the
parents, staff members, principals and principal and teacher.
superintendents. Apart from a handful “I am fundamentally opposed to
of students and their parents, none of discussing this issue in public,” Social
them have ever questioned the integrity Studies Department Supervisor Eric
of the content of that or any other re- Bloom said. “We need to settle this among
enactments.” ourselves.”
The Campanile News November 19, 2007 • A3

Clubs prepare for green Winter Formal

Paly clubs collaborate on plans for eco-friendly “Pure Nightclub”-themed dance
By Cassie Wedemeyer
Staff Writer
Going along with this year’s
most common theme, the New Global
Citizens club and Action in Africa club
collaborated in the decision to create
an “eco-friendly” theme for this year’s
Winter Formal, which will take place
on Dec. 8.
In past years, the Youth Com-
munity Service and Action in Africa
clubs have organized the dance. This
year, NGC was determined to partici-
pate and help raise money for their
chosen charity.
“Action in Africa isn’t officially
tied to a legitimate nonprofit organi-
zation and New Global Citizens is,”
NGC co-president Grace Morrison
said. “So Action in Africa is working
with us to help [raise funds] for our
chosen cause: Women Empowerment
in Sierra Leone.”
Sierra Leone’s ten-year civil war
ended in 2002, but left over 160,000
girls out of schools and led to high
poverty rate for women.
“The center in Sierra Leone helps
women get sustainable jobs and educa-
tion and helps take care of their kids,”
NGC co-president Ahna Rao said. “Its
aim is to end the violence that still ex-
ists in Sierra Leone through starting
at the roots and bringing opportunity
to this impoverished region.”
The clubs are also donating the
proceeds to another cause that helps
prevent malaria.
“The other half of the money
is going to purchase bed nets that
prevent malaria, specifically for the
Holy Trinity Peace Village of Kuron
in Southern Sudan,” Action in Africa
vice-president Brooke Flohr said.
While helping a charity has al-
ways been the main reason for holding
the Winter Formal, the clubs are also
deciding some of the decorations and
theme for the formal.
The clubs already brainstormed
a number of ways to make the dance
more “green.”
“Green Winter Formal means that
we are going to use energy-efficient
light bulbs, recycle all waste and most
likely not use bottled water,” Flohr
said. “It is only little things, but little
things are what make a difference.”
NGC is also focused on using
environmentally friendly materials.
“We’re striving to use all recy-
clable materials,” NGC co-president
Cat Chiang said. “The dance tickets
will be on recycled paper.”
In order to have a successful
dance, the clubs will continue to host a
series of fundraisers before the dance,
such as a Chevy’s Fresh Mex dinner,
held on Nov. 14, where 25 percent of
proceeds went towards the dance.
As for the dress-up theme, the
clubs are aiming for a “Pure Night-
club” (a night club in Los Angeles)
dance theme.
“Think water, ice and snow,
which is great for Winter Formal,”
Flohr said. “We thought it would work
out great for Winter Formal because
there are different colors to choose
from like whites, blues, silvers and
greys. Even light purples and greens
would be fine.”
Although a few things are still
undecided, Action in Africa and NGC
are working hard to make this year’s
Winter Formal a success.
“I have only attended last year’s
Winter Formal, but it was very suc-
cessful and people liked it,” Flohr
said. “The consensus was that the $20
[ticket price] was worth [spending],
especially since the revenue went to
charity.”
Both clubs are looking forward
to hosting this year’s green Winter
Formal.
“It’s going to be so hot,” Mor-
rison said .“There will be a Wild 94.9
DJ, probably DJ High Top from last Hannah McGovern/The Campanile
year’s prom. It’s going to be an event Co-presidents of Paly club New Global Citizens Grace Morrison and Catherine Chiang brainstorm
to remember.” decorations, fund-raising and other aspects of the eco-friendly theme of this year’s Winter Formal.

Mitchell Park and Lytton Plaza await renovation plans

Time-worn, weather-beaten and outdated, downtown Palo Alto’s Lytton Plaza waits
for renovations which include the addition of a stage, a fountain and more trees.
By Yelly Bitton
Staff Writer
The Palo Alto Library Foundation and
the City of Palo Alto are discussing plans to
completely rebuild the Mitchell Park Library
and Community Center.
“We are looking to improve our libraries
as a whole,” Library Director Diane Jennings
Stacy Levichev/The Campanile
said. “We are making general improvements
across the entire library system. We just re-
opened the [Palo Alto] Children’s Library and
we are also discussing plans for remodeling
some of the Main Library.”
The Mitchell Park Library was built in
1958 and is currently the most widely-used
library in Palo Alto. The library holds just
under 80,000 items in its collection. However,
the small building accommodates seating for
only 61 people.
According to the Library Foundation, the
community’s current size and resources do not
fully supply the community size. In order to
meet the community’s needs, the library’s col-
lection size must double and the seating must
grow to accommodate up to 150 visitors.
“What’s being proposed for Mitchell Park
is to tear down the library and community
center and build a single, joint building to
hold both the library and community center,”
Jennings said.
A design for the library was drafted and
the board is currently making schematics. The
final estimated budget and plans will then be
sent to the City Council, who will then decide
which projects should be placed on the ballot
in either the spring or winter of 2008.
“The plan will increase the library size
to four times its current size,” Jennings said.
“It’s way undersized for its service area.”
The new library and community center
design features a joint two-story building to
house both facilities. New features would in-
clude various classrooms, a snack bar, a space
for computers, an open patio, a multipurpose
room and a rooftop garden.
“We’ll have better rooms for teen spaces
and children,” Jennings said. “For the first time
we’ll have space for meetings and study spaces
for groups or tutoring. We’ll just have many
new facilities to help the community.”
The plans place the building in the current
south parking lot, allowing the current library
and community center to remain open during
construction.
The new project will also create a safer
parking lot for pedestrians and children travel-
ing to the library from nearby Jane Lathrop
Stanford Middle School or Fairmeadow and
Hoover Elementary Schools.
The cost of construction is currently es-
timated to be $64 million and will be funded
by a 2008 bond measure, private fund-raising,
city infrastructure improvement funds and
potentially federal and state funds.
Many students support the proposed plans
for the library and community center.
“The expansion is a good idea because
there are lots of people who need the library
for resources,” junior Hrishi Srinagesh said.
“The more resources it can provide, the better
the facility will be.”
Henry M. Gunn High School junior
Aakash Prasad agrees.
“It’s a great idea and I support it,” Prasad
said. “The project will cost a lot of money,
but it’s worth it. It will be around for a very
long time for people to use. It’s a great in-
vestment.”
Similarly, libraries act as a key tool for
students researching school assignments.
“I go to the libraries for research,” Sri-
nagesh said. “The more books there are avail-
able, the better. Sometimes the books in the
library are really old, so by expanding their
collection there are more updated books and
information available.”
The City, the Palo Alto Downtown Busi-
ness and Professional Association and Friends
of the Palo Alto Parks are also considering
renovations to downtown’s Lytton Plaza.
Plans are drafted and include a stage, a
fountain and more trees.
Garden Court Hotel Manager Barbara
Gross is playing a key role in the plans between
the three groups.
“I think everybody has known for years
that Lytton Plaza needs work and has the po-
tential to be a prime, quintessential, keynote
spot downtown,” Gross said on an Oct. 22 in
a Palo Alto Weekly article.
Paly students have varying attitudes
towards the renovations considered for the
area.
“I think that Lytton Plaza is already a nice
place,” sophomore Dina Filler said. “I don’t
think it’s necessary to update it at all. It’s al-
ready fun, but if they can make it better for the
community though, I don’t see why not.”
Freshman Layla Moheimani visits Lytton
Plaza weekly and disagrees with Filler.
“I think it would be great to see some
changes there,” Moheimani said. “Right now
it looks pretty trashy, to be honest. I am kind
of curious to see how long the renovations
will last before the area begins to deteriorate
again.”

Security cameras installed

Stanford competition benefits microfinance
By Jillian Liu
Staff Writer
The Gumball Challenge began at
Stanford University the week of Nov.
5. The competition was held among
thirty Stanford students and was made
up of eight teams. Each team received
$27 and 27 gumballs as both a start-
ing point and inspiration to raise as
much money as possible. The funds
and profits raised by the teams will
be loans through Kiva Microfunds
to small businesses in the develop-
ing world.
This year, teams had plans rang-
ing from penny wars to penny towers;
from gumball jewelry to ping-pong
tournaments; from bake sales to de-
livering In-n-Out to giving haircuts
to raise the most money.
Gumball Capital, the organization
that is hosting the Gumball Challenge,
was inspired to host the competition
by Stanford’s Entrepreneurship Week
Challenge last February, during which
students had to raise money with
Post-Its. Gumball Capital’s founding
group decided to raise awareness of
microfinance and used their Post-Its
as pledge notes to pitch their ideas to
their fellow students. They raised over
$3,300 and lent the collected money
to 76 entrepreneurs in developing
countries.
“It was through this competition
[that] the idea of Gumball Capital
The founders of the Gumball
Challenge have a number of goals
for the competition. One of the goals
is simply to raise awareness and
funds for microfinance by engaging
participating student-competitors in
a small-loan fiscal model.
“By loaning each competitor
$27,” Mahmood said, “[students] get
a sense of the innovative ideas and
possibilities available to the working
poor in similar low-cost, low-time
activities.”
They also hope to engage students
in entrepreneurship for social impact.
According to Mahmood, there is
rising support for innovation in the
for-profit sector. On the other hand,
the public non-profit sector is lacking
enthusiasm.
“We hope to inspire students to
think creatively while tackling so-
cial issues and addressing domestic
or even international problems,”
Mahmood said. “At the same time,
focusing on microfinance would offer
students a great stepping-stone into the
world of social-entrepreneurship and
provide a bridge between domestic
and world entrepreneurs. This would
allow student-entrepreneurs to real-
ize their ambitions while at the same
time support the working poor around
the world.”
Gumball Capital also gives com-
petitors a guidebook, which explains
the key aspects, terms and figures of
The Gumball Challenge gives teams gumballs as inspiration to
raise money to help aid small businesses in developing countries.
Yale University, St. Olaf College and
Sewanee University. jobs, services, and goods to the rest.
Gumball Capital expects to raise
a total of $10,000. Stanford, St. Olaf
and Berkeley will redirect their funds
through Kiva, while Sewanee will
use funds from Grameen Bank for
individual entrepreneurs and Yale will
send funds to local businesses around
to prevent theft on campus
CAMERAS, Continued from A1 “I had no idea there were cameras
on campus,” junior Ahna Rao said.
we see you carrying something out of “It’s kind of strange knowing we’re
the lockers that isn’t yours, we will being watched.”
be sure to bring you into the office,” According to Peter Pearne,
Berkson said. PAUSD Manager of
This increase in I used to be in the locker Maintenance Opera-
security has helped room everyday last year tions and Construc-
deter many thieves looking for things to tion, PAUSD is not
from approaching the allowed to place cam-
locker rooms. take, but since I saw eras in classrooms
“I used to be in them put in those cam- or locker rooms, by
the locker room ev- eras, I haven’t risked it. state law.
eryday last year look- “We chose to
ing for things to take, put cameras outside
but since I saw them Jordan of the locker rooms
put in those cameras, junior because last year’s
I haven’t risked it,” principal Scott Lau-
“Jordan,” a junior who wished his rence was concerned about all the
name to be kept anonymous, said. gym thefts,” Perne said.
However, many students are still Berkson declined to comment
unaware of the all-seeing cameras on whether there are more cameras
outside of the locker rooms. around campus.
Michela Fossati-Bellani/The Campanile
REC step one
is lifted up would be able to provide camera records
footage
The entrepreneurs’ increased capital
would also allow them to provide
better education and health services
step four step two
for their families. files overwrite footage streamed
The metaphor of gumballs for three week to Berkson’s
microfinance arose from the idea old files computer
that inserting a small coin (loans)

was born,” Stanford junior Bilal
Mahmood said. “We decided to hold
a similar competition [the Gumball
Challenge] to inspire like-minded
students to raise awareness and funds
for microfinance.”
microfinance to peak the competitor’s
interest in the global issue.
This year the Gumball Challenge
will be held hosted at five chapters
across the nation at Stanford Univer-
sity, University of California Berkeley,
the United States.
Microfinance is the practice of
making small loans to low-income en-
trepreneurs. Gumball Capital believes
that each entrepreneur is intercon-
nected with others. The business that
step three
into a gumball machine would al-
low gumballs (small businesses) to
move towards the exit tunnel (out of
footage stored
poverty) and at the same time bring
the remaining gumballs a little closer in database
to the tunnel.
A4 November 19, 2007

Opinion The Campanile

Letters to the editors

Paly should maintain late many inaccuracies, such as how teacher advisors are
selected, trained and kept informed of current academic
Editorials The Opinion of The Campanile
starts on Thursdays issues.
While one of the erroneous statements was mini-
As a student, I find it very hard to wake up in time mally addressed in a short correction in your last issue,

for school and still feel rested. This is why I am very
opposed to the reformatting of the schedule next semes-
ter that eliminates the late start on Thursday morning.
The extra sleep I gain on Thursday morning powers me
through the second half of the week, and without it I
McEvoy needs
The Campanile still needs to correct the mistakes and
write a carefully researched history of the Teacher
Advisor program, how and why it came into existence
and how it functions. It has served as a model for many
other high schools and has been recognized and com-

better communication
feel that my performance in school may suffer. Many mended for its excellence and innovation in delivering
students also have after-school activities and copious counseling services. While the article was written as
amounts of homework to accomplish, so it is not pos- an “opinion” piece, it still needs to be fact based. As
sible to go to bed early for them, making the late start printed, it misrepresents the T.A. program to the larger
almost a necessity. Paly community. Before you write your next article
Not only does the late start add to the well being about the Teacher Advisor program, check and double Mutual communication, understanding between
of the students, but switching it to the afternoon may check your facts and interview people who know the
have a negative affect. Last year, four students were history, rationale and operating procedures for Paly’s students, faculty and McEvoy necessary
late to my 2nd period class after the switch because advisory program.
the overslept, and I would be willing to guess that this –Kaye Paugh, English Teacher, Teacher Advisor Recently, Principal Jacqueline According to Education World, Similarly, communicating ef-
phenomenon occurs in many of the classes. It adds an McEvoy has come under much student new administrators should wait at least fectively with staff and students
unnecessary element of confusion to the hectic lives of
high school students. Ending earlier in the day is not the
Hockey finally criticism.
Whether justified or not, these
a year before making any changes.
In an article titled “Principals on
would have prevented such backlash
towards the re-enactment and atten-
answer. Maintaining the current schedule is clearly the represented at Paly complaints have caused a deep rift the Move,” the education company dance policies.
best choice for the student body as a whole. between the new administration and writes, “Most school leaders agree that Parents and students both re-
––Jamie Blake, sophomore This letter originally appeared on Paly Voice the student body. any principal who is new to a school sponded harshly to McEvoy’s pro-
(www.voice.paly.net). It was written in response to The Campanile trusts that McE- will learn far more by observing and posed changes to the re-enactments.
Anne Vought’s article, published Oct. 22, “Students voy’s actions were undertaken to listening than by taking swift action Such a reaction might have been
Article on T.A. system fight hard out on the ice.” benefit the Palo Alto High School that might fail.” The Campanile be- prevented had McEvoy not forced her
community. lieves McEvoy should take this policy opinions upon World History teacher
misrepresentative I’m glad to see that more articles on hockey are
being published. As a Paly Alum I would love to see Unfortunately, most students into consideration. Mike McGovern.
hockey teams develop on the West Coast (i.e. Paly). It were quick to judge the new principal. Many of McEvoy’s actions have Additionally, McEvoy should
This letter was written in response to the article, In addition, false rumors and ridicu- demonstrated a lack of understanding have made her intentions clear from
published Oct. 1, “Teacher advisor system presents was even more difficult as a female to find competitive
hockey in the Bay Area, but now that I live on the East lous accusations have not helped the of Paly culture. Perhaps if McEvoy the beginning. This would have pre-
glaring flaws.” situation. had followed this common policy, a vented rumors and negative feelings
Coast it’s definitely more plentiful, especially women’s
As you are quite aware by my comments to the college hockey. The Campanile understands great amount of misunderstandings from spreading like wildfire.
Campanile Staff on Oct. 2, I was dismayed to read the Great job with the article. Keep spreading the that it is difficult to come in as a new would be prevented. McEvoy had an opportunity
attack on the Teacher Advisor program in the Oct. 1 hockey love. administrator, especially at a school For instance, the re-enactment to clear the air after students in all
edition of The Campanile. The article was replete with ––Cassie C., Paly alumni like Paly. The entire Palo Alto com- controversy could have avoided if classes angrily chanted “What’s the
munity can often be very opinionated McEvoy had fully comprehended class that is the best? McGovern’s!
and overwhelming. its importance on campus and to the McGovern’s!” during Spirit Week.
Though many are used to quickly extended Paly community. Instead, she angered students even
voicing their opinions, students By waiting, McEvoy would have more by simply shrugging.
should be more understanding and also learned that Paly students and staff So far this year, McEvoy has met
acknowledge McEvoy’s efforts and do not like policies being thrust upon with the Associated Student Body only
Corrections Please send any corrections requests Advertisements good intentions. them. Instead, they wish to be included three times. McEvoy and ASB should
The Palo Alto High School Class to theeds08@googlegoups.com. Advertisements with The Cam- At the same time, The Campanile in the decision-making process. definitely meet on a regular basis to
of 1957 alumnus’ name in the story panile are printed with signed has a few suggestions for McEvoy Most of McEvoy’s actions ap- discuss any issues she or students
“Paly alumnus confesses to prank Letters to the Editors contracts. to improve the relationship between pear to have been made unilaterally. might have.
after 50 years” (Oct. 22, 2007) is E-mail all letters to editors to For more information, contact students and herself and smooth her Communication with students and The Campanile sympathizes
spelled Charles Monsalve. theeds08@googlegroups.com. The Business Managers Geng Wang and transition to Paly. staff before making changes would with McEvoy’s position as the new
Campanile welcomes and prints Debbie Zhang by e-mail at campa- First, The Campanile feels McE- result in better-received and more- principal, and feels students should
The Campanile strives to only letters to the editors on a space- nile.ads@gmail.com. voy should not be so quick to imple- successful policies. as well.
include factual and unbiased content. available basis. ment any new changes. Instead, she For example, students would not But instead of rushing headlong
It is The Campanile’s policy to cor- The Campanile reserves the Printing should take a substantial amount of have resented McEvoy so much for into situations to fix them, McEvoy
rect any factual errors or misleading right to edit submissions for length. The Campanile is printed every time to observe the Paly community implementing the dance policy if she should remember that as much as Paly
statements. Significant corrections Please note that The Campanile three weeks by Fricke-Parks Press in and understand it before moving to had discussed it with them, or at least needs to accommodate her, she needs
will be noted in the upcoming edition. only publishes signed letters. Fremont, CA. make any changes. their teachers, beforehand. to accommodate Paly as well.

The Campanile
Editors in Chief
Administration must
Tyler Blake • Danielle Kim • Peter Lee
Ryan Pfleiderer • Mia Pond • Tomer Schwartz revise emergency plan
News Editor Lifestyles Editor Opinion Editor The recent false fire alarm revealed a flawed
Rebecca Allen Kairen Wong Chris­Clayton
evacuation plan and a lack of disaster preparedness
Features Editors A & E Editors Sports Editors
Henry Becker Sara Reihani Alexi Dagan
After the false fire alarm on course, the information provided by a across from the soccer field and could
Amy Stringer Austin Smith Sam Jones Oct. 31, The Campanile believes program like PANDA is not taught in therefore viably allow administrators
the administration lacks disaster the class or anywhere at Paly. to quickly organize students there.
Photo Manager Spotlight Editor preparedness and that the emergency Volunteers from the PANDA The administration also needs to
Hannah McGovern Sarah Stringer evacuation plan needs to be revised, program could teach students and staff establish an organized placard system
with a new plan to be in place im- how to prepare for a disaster, how to which will effectively guide students
Business Managers Advertising Manager mediately.
To ensure the safety of the stu-
provide medical assistance to the in-
jured and how to assist persons suffer-
to their fourth period teachers.
Although the placard system is
Geng Wang Debbie Zhang Erik Krasner-Karpen dents and staff, the administration ing from the psychological effects of currently alphabetized, during previ-
must develop a smart and effective a major catastrophe. The course could ous disaster drills the administrators
Staff Writers emergency plan. be offered over a two-week period and failed to place fourth period teachers
In order to help create a new emer- would conclude with a disaster drill in the correct order, and during the last
Nanor Balabanian Rye Druzin Laura Kurtz Annie Vought gency relief plan, the administration that would test the knowledge of both evacuation the administration failed
should model the new plan after Palo the students and staff. to provide teachers with placards,
Catherine Benson Christian Gallagher Yvonne Lin Anna Waldron leading to mass confusion and dem-
Alto Fire Department’s Emergency In addition to establishing an
Yelly Bitton Alex Greene Jillian Liu Crystal Wang Management Plan. emergency preparedness program, onstrated a major flaw in the current
Becky Byler Chris Gonnerman Josh Lo Cassie Wedemeyer The Emergency Management Paly administrators need to change emergency relief plan. It is unaccept-
Hannah Bystritsky Gabrielle Hadley Ryan McLeod Allison Whitson Plan, drafted by the Palo Alto Fire the current evacuation plan. able for the administration to tolerate
Department, covers all parts of a major In previous emergency drills, such ill confusion and to put the safety
Alan Chen Michael Hamada Mira Parekh Eliot Wilson disaster, including emergency pre- students have been escorted to the of students at risk.
Auster Chen Zach Harris Jonathan Shan Nolan Wong paredness and response. The plan also isolated football field, only to find jam- The Paly administration should
Alan Chu Kevin Harvey Julia Shapiro Lindsay Yang establishes an extremely beneficial packed entrance areas and confused collaborate with the PAFD to rewrite
Allison Coleman DJ Hsueh Kelley Shin Gloria Yu program, the Palo Alto Neighborhood students unable to locate their fourth the emergency relief plan, and it should
Disaster Activity. period teacher because of the disorga- incorporate PANDA-like programs to
Zal Dordi Mikaela Kenrick Pauline Slakey Kelly Zhou The PANDA program offers nization of the placard system. better prepare the student body.
knowledge about how to help others The Campanile believes the Paly administrators need to
Photographers in a disaster and what steps to take to
ensure the safety of the community.
evacuation location should be changed
from the distant football field to the
reconsider their current evacuation
program and change the evacuation
Mika Ben-Shaul • Julia Benton • Allie Bollella • Nora Brannen-Burt • This knowledge is crucial in a more accessible soccer field behind site to the soccer field, which would
Michela Fossati-Bellani • Stacy Levichev • Elizabeth Petit catastrophic event like an earthquake the science building or other smaller be a vastly superior location to the
or fire, and therefore the administra- fields around the campus. hardly-accessible football field.
Design Editor tion should provide a class that would This in turn would be more practi- The Campanile feels that exten-
Erik Krasner-Karpen teach students and staff how to prepare cal as they are central locations on the sive improvements must be made to
for a major disaster. Paly campus, and thus would allow the school’s emergency disaster plan
Adviser Although the mandatory Living
Skills class at Paly requires that stu-
each student to gain safety in the event
of a major disaster. Furthermore, the
as soon as possible in order to ensure
the safety of all of the students and
Esther Wojcicki dents complete a Red Cross first aid Tower Building is located directly staff at Paly.
The Campanile Opinion November 19, 2007 • A5

Military recruiters create campus debate

Students question ethics of No Child Left Behind Act-sanctioned lunchtime military recruiting
By Tyler Blake
Editor-in-Chief
Businesses advertising for stu-
dent work is a familiar sight among
veteran students of Palo Alto High
School. The familiar tables encircle
the Quad, students mill from table
to table and employers hand out free
pens to attract students to hear their
pitch. Always among these potential
employers are the major branches of
the United States Armed Services: the
Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine
the myriad of other options advertised
on Paly’s campus. Allowing the biases
of a few to inhibit the choices of the
many would make a mockery of the
free exchange of ideas that Palo Alto
High School promotes.
Disallowing the military to recruit
on campus is not only an unwise deci-
sion, but may also be an illegal one.
Under President Bush’s No Child Left
Behind Act, military recruiters must
be provided “the same access to sec-
ondary school students as is provided
generally to post-secondary educa-
of intentions when trying to remove
military recruiters from campus, the
drawbacks are immeasurably harsh
when compared with the relative in-
nocence of allowing military recruiters
on campus.
The severely limited options
or the potential decrease in funding
that would be a reality at Paly in the
By Kevin Harvey
Staff Writer
Military recruitment officers fre-
quently arrive on the Palo Alto High
School campus to offer students the
services of the United States military.
Like all government organizations, the
military has the undeniable right to
the recruiting officers. Around the
tables, several of them typically con-
struct a small area where students can
compete in short activities to test an
individuals’ endurance and strength.
On occasion, a small car or motorcycle
engine is placed inside the booths and
is activated to display its pure and
raw power.
After witnessing the engine’s
irrefutable power and participating
in the rigorous events, testosterone is
in the air. Boys are ready to become
men — ready to give their lives to the
they have a set time within an enclosed
room, such as the English Resource
Center, where they can talk about their
institution. However, the military is an
exception. Military recruiters set up
their booths around the quad, which
is the main thoroughfare on the school
campus.
Through this arrangement, the
military is better able to force students
to recognize the military presence and
is better able to target a larger number
of students to recruit.
It is easiest for recruiters to talk

PRO
Corps. There has been a movement
in the past to remove these tables
from the Quad to “protect” our chil-
dren from the “menace” of Army
recruiters. However, these attempts
are misguided at best and severely
prejudiced at worst.
Though many in the liberal haven
that is the Bay Area would not like
to admit it, the military is a legiti-
mate career choice for many young
Americans who are making their
way into the workforce for the first
time. The armed forces offer many
benefits not found in other entry-level
jobs, including guaranteed lifetime
employment, medical insurance and
a pension plan upon retirement. Of
course, the military is not the career
for everyone, but for some, it may just
be the best available option. Students
at Paly deserve the right to be exposed
to all possible career choices when
making a decision about their futures
and the military is just as legitimate as
tional institutions or to prospective
employers of those students,” which
simply means that military recruiters
must be offered the same ability to ad-
vertise on campus as other businesses.
If the Paly administration wanted to
ban military recruiters from campus,
they would have two options.
One, ban all employers and col-
leges from advertising in any way on
campus. This would end the College
Fair and Career Day, among others,
limiting Paly students’ exposure to
post-graduation opportunities im-
mensely.
Two, forfeit all federal money that
Paly currently uses in its day-to-day
operation. One can clearly see that
banning recruiters from campus would
cause undue hardship for the Paly
community, no matter which option
the Paly community chooses under
the No Child Left Behind Act.
Although the members of the Paly
community may have only the best
Military personnel frequently arrive on high school campuses to
distribute pamphlets and encourage students to join the military.
absence of military recruiters would
unfairly disadvantage students who
are still deciding on their futures by
eliminating a legitimate career choice
from consideration and undermine
the mission of the school as an in-
stitution.
Mika Ben-Shaul/The Campanile
enter public vicinities, such as the Paly
campus. However, once on campus,
officers misrepresent their branch of
the military as they attempt to recruit
students.
Pamphlets, fliers and stickers
lay on one or two tables erected by
CON
United States government.
Recruitment officers use these
types of techniques to lure students,
particularly males, into joining the
Unites States military. Officers convey
an image to students that competition,
endurance and strength are what the
military is all about. However, what
they don’t disclose to the students are
the painful and harsh aspects of war.
The decision of whether or not
to join the military is a complicated
and difficult one. Students trying to
decipher their goals for the future
need to know unbiased facts about
the military. It is imperative that mili-
tary recruiters on campus have strict
guidelines and boundaries that best
benefit the students and the campus
environment. Recruiting officers need
to disclose all the details about military
lifestyle, duties and obligations.
In addition, when other different
organizations for post-high school op-
tions come to Paly to recruit students,
with students at lunch because it is
when most students have free time
to talk. However, the quad is an inap-
propriate setting to discuss such a vital
issue as to what a student should do
with his or her life after high school.
In a lunch setting, there are numerous
opportunities for students to pressure
one another into giving their personal
information to the military.
As military officers are always
going to be allowed on campus and
the military is a career some Paly
students may choose, advertising for
their cause should be permissible.
However, to prevent students from
being pressured, recruiting officers
should not be allowed to request stu-
dents’ information on campus.
As an alternative, students should
be encouraged to sign up for a mail-
ing list from home where they would
be sent more information about the
military after discussing their career
opportunities with their parents.

Paly should provide access to online tool JSTOR to their students. If Paly is able to give students
By Yvonne Lin
Staff Writer access to JSTOR, students will benefit greatly.
Not only will they be able to produce quality
Almost all high school students who are research papers on any given topic with cred-
even mildly familiar with the Internet know ible references, but they will also be exposed
what Google, but few have heard of a search to an essential research resource tool that is
engine called Journal Storage (JSTOR). Many widely used in college.
students remain oblivious to online searchable Striking distinctions exist between the
academic archives that can aid their studies. materials found on JSTOR and those found
Searchable online archives such as JS- by using general search engines such as
TOR (pronounced jay-store), LexisNexis Google and other free Internet sources like
and Project Muse allow students to browse Wikipedia.
and search through thousands of copyrighted Most quality scholarly literature, because
publications, scientific findings and other it is copyrighted, is available exclusively on-
printed academic sources. Among those sites, line in archives that require browsers to pay
the content on JSTOR is most helpful to high for yearlong subscription fee. JSTOR, which
school students as JSTOR targets academic is dedicated to maintaining a trusted collection
institutions as its browsers. of knowledge written by scholars, contains a
Palo Alto High School should therefore wealth of rare information that students may
purchase access to JSTOR for Paly students. find useful in their research.
JSTOR is com- Since materi-
monly considered JSTOR, which is dedicated to maintain- als found on JSTOR
to be the leading are copyrighted
searchable archive ing a trusted collection of knowledge writings that pre-
dedicated to schol- written by scholars, contains a wealth viously appeared in www.jstor.org, muse.jhu.edu, global.lexisnexis.com/us
arly literature. A of rare information that students may important scholarly Online academic databases, such as (clockwise from left) Journal Storage (JSTOR), Project Muse and LexisNexis
non-profit organi- find useful in their research. journals, their cred- allow students to access high-quality and highly credible resources for in-depth learning and writing research papers.
zation, JSTOR cur- ibility is confirmed.
rently contains over Therefore, students that would take up about 15% of the library’s resort to inferior sources like Wikipedia to online databases, JSTOR, if purchased, would
720 academic journals across a spectrum of are relieved of the worry that their sources current budget. find information. high school student usage. The popularity of
disciplines including language, literature, his- may be inaccurate. Nevertheless, the multi-fold benefits that The History and Social Studies Depart- JSTOR amongst students would grow and
tory, political science, education and natural Equally important is the fact that JSTOR’s students will gain from having direct access to ment and English Department require that justify the large investment that Paly commits
sciences. contents are written by working academics. JSTOR at Paly will prove the purchase to be students enrolled in their respective classes in buying JSTOR.
Besides essays published in nationally JSTOR would expose students to the style a worthwhile investment that in the long term produce a minimum of one research paper Students at any high-achieving high
renowned academic and professional journals of academic writing that they will likely will cultivate many student minds and drasti- during the span of a course. Paly teachers and school like Paly should incorporate research
such as The Harvard Law Review and The encounter in college and later in life. By ab- cally elevate their learning experience. staff have made efforts to encourage students skills beyond the rudimentary use of Google
American Economic Review, students may sorbing information from materials of high While Paly currently subscribes to Pro- to fully utilize the library’s plentiful resources and Wikipedia. To be successful in rigorous
find on JSTOR unpublished opinions written caliber, students will gain more experience Quest Periodicals and four other databases, like the databases and book collections. For courses, students need to be able to digest dense
by university researchers that are otherwise in interpretation of academic papers early on those databases do not focus on academic instance, most teachers require students to academic writing and extract information
inaccessible. and become better prepared for college-level literature like JSTOR does. Unlike the ar- cite at least one book source and forbid the from highly credible sources for the purpose
Over 2000 U.S. institutions across the reading and writing. ticles found on JSTOR, the articles found use of secondary sources like Wikipedia in of writing accurate research. JSTOR offers
nation are JSTOR subscribers. Additionally, While JSTOR makes a large amount of on ProQuest are mainly germane to popular their research. prime opportunities for students to develop this
more than 380 secondary schools, including valuable information instantly available at topics and current events. The quality and These efforts, however, yield little result as needed skill. While high price and concern for
nearby high schools such as Castilleja School, students’ fingertips, this wealth of information amount of academic writing on JSTOR is students continue to revert to generic research frequency of use have been discouraging Paly
Harker School and Lynbrook High School, comes with a high price. The staggering esti- unquestionably superior to that of the content methods that they have been accustomed to from subscribing to JSTOR, having access to
have purchased access to JSTOR and currently mate of $1,500 that a yearlong subscription to found on ProQuest and similar Web resources since their elementary school days. its wealth of knowledge will truly enhance any
use it on a regular basis. JSTOR would cost Paly has been the primary of that kind. Requiring students to cite online database high school students’ learning experience.
Universities are now encouraging their deterrence against purchasing JSTOR. Another factor that may be preventing references, provided by Paly or the Palo Alto The task of persuading students to try out
students to use these archives in their research. With a budget of roughly $5 per student Paly from purchasing JSTOR is the doubt City Library, may be another measure that valuable resources provided by their school
The fact that many of Paly’s neighboring high on library resources, which covers book regarding frequency of use among students. teachers may impose to ensure that these lies in the hands of the Paly staff members. To
schools have purchased access to JSTOR maintenance, security doors and subscrip- Despite the fact that various classes at Paly resources purchased by Paly are used. With students, there is no harm in checking out new
signifies that other high schools recognize the tion to other online databases, subscribing to require students to write research papers, such a measure in place and continual en- techniques that will make the research process
educational value of the resources on JSTOR JSTOR would be a bold investment for Paly most students, impatient and pressed for time, couragement from staff for students to use less arduous and more effective.

Verbatim
Julia Benton/The Campanile

What are you most thankful “My friends, girl-

friend and snow.”
“Break so that I can
hibernate!”
“My friends.” “Being able to play
music.”

for this Thanksgiving? —Rob Rudy ­—Vrinda Khanna —Lillian Xie —Reed Carter
senior junior freshman sophomore
 A6 • November 19, 2007 Spotlight The Campanile

Club drug use surges at Paly

By Rebecca Allen
News Editor
Spinning rooms, limitless energy, bound-
less libidos and loosened inhibitions: club drugs
have come far from the dance clubs of the cities.
They have made it to Palo Alto.
Ecstasy and LSD, two drugs that were
catapulted to fame by the drug-fueled raves of
the 1990s, seem to have re-emerged in recent
years. This change is being felt by Palo Alto
High School students.
Paly senior “Midge,” who like all sources
in this article wishes to remain anonymous,
frequently uses ecstasy and LSD and has ex-
perienced the highs and the lows of both club
drugs. then, attempting to get patients to be completely
“These drugs do incredible things,” Midge
said. “I have done things I would have never
done and frankly never wanted to do. But ulti-
mately, the reward far outweighs the risk.”
Midge reports using both drugs at least
once every weekend, often visiting raves in
San Francisco to get them.
Raves are usually all-night dance parties
where club drugs such as ecstasy are common-
place. After becoming popular in the 1990s,
raves became an American subculture. Argu-
ably though, the United Kingdom now has the
largest rave market in the world with ecstasy
costing over £15 ($29) for one pill.
“I went to my first rave when I was 15,”
Midge said. “I did ecstasy and everything went
wild. The feelings that come over you, sex,
love, all of it is incredible.”
LSD is often used in outdoor parties,
similar to raves, but that have more relaxed
environments.
Ecstasy and LSD users often report feelings
of love and energy, coupled with an increased
sex drive. This feeling of complete happiness
has both positive and negative effects for club
drug users.
Ecstasy rose to prominence in the 1980s,
mainly in gay dance clubs. However, it is ru-
mored that psychiatrists used the drug in small
doses on their patients over 100 years prior to
honest with their emotions.
Ecstasy normally comes in the form of
a tab that looks like an Altoid, with different
colors and symbols printed on it, from the su-
perman symbol to a peace sign. LSD usually
comes in dissolvable tabs which users put in
their mouths and wait a few seconds before it
dissolves into their body.
“When I [use ecstasy and LSD] the feeling
of peacefulness and appreciation for the world
around me is incredible,” Midge said. “I’ve
never done anything that has caused me harm
but I can see where using a drug that makes you
feel invincible can cause problems.”
“Josh,” a Paly senior, experienced the tribu-
lations of club drugs. Rushed to the emergency
room for severe dehydration after taking the
drug, he spent four nights in a treatment center
to help his body recover. The following summer,
he entered a drug rehabilitation center, as he
was using LSD, ecstasy, cocaine and marijuana
on a daily basis.
“I did some incredibly stupid things when
I was on these drugs,” Josh said. “From jump-
ing off rooftops to hooking up at raves with the
wrong people, I did so many regrettable things
that I have no idea what I was thinking.”
The Center of Disease Control reports that
use of club drugs can lead to feelings of anxi-
ety, panic attacks, sleeplessness and paranoid
delusions when used chronically.
“In the weeks before I got really sick, I
couldn’t even sleep,” Josh said. “It was this
intense feeling of the walls caving in, like
something from a movie.”
The use of MDMA, the active ingredient in
ecstasy tablets, is rarely lethal on its own. But
when used in congruence with another drug,
even alcohol, it can often be deadly. Dehydra-
tion is the most common way to die strictly
from ecstasy and LSD use, with a percentage
of users also overdosing on water in an attempt
to fight the dehydration that they cause.
“One of my friends had a close call,”
Midge said. “He drank so much water that he
was vomiting all night and we had to take him “I think there was an initial spike in ecstasy
to the hospital. He stayed there for three weeks use when it became really popular in the ‘90s,”
because his body was in such bad shape.” Crystal said. “It has settled down a bit I’m sure
However, Midge continues to use ec- but the rave scene and people like me using
stasy. [ecstasy] and acid is still pretty big. There’s
“You have to be careful,” she said. “Treat definitely a market there.”
your body with care, eat, stay hydrated and For teenage users of ecstasy, the benefits
enjoy yourself. There is no point in spending — whether it be peacefulness, self-awareness,
all this money on drugs and all that if you are love, increased sex drive, energy or euphoria—
not going to wind up at a club and meet some outweigh the dangers, that is, until they are faced
people to chill with.” with the brutality of drug addiction.
“Crystal,” a Paly junior, recently began “When you are caught up in it, it seems
using club drugs. so normal,” Josh said. “But losing your mind
“My friends took me to this club at 2 a.m. every night is not healthy, and you lose your-
and the place was almost empty,” she said. “By self in it.
4:30 a.m., the place was packed, filled with However, Midge believes
dancing people kissing and doing some crazy negatives are non-
stuff. To have that freedom, to be who you have existent.
waited to be, is absolutely mind blowing.” “I’m a
Crystal only uses ecstasy and marijuana, smart girl,” she
though never together. According to Crystal, said. “These
marijuana helps her come down the next day drugs enhance
after a party where she used ecstasy. my life and I don’t
According to the National Institute of Drug see them caus-
Abuse, over 270,000 people in the past 30 days ing any
used ecstasy, with rates dropping in Europe and prob-
America, possibly due to anti-drug campaigns lems for
and stricter enforcement policies. medown
The rate of teenage ecstasy users has the road.
dropped from 5.6 percent of high school stu- And until
dents in 2003, and is currently at 4.1 percent. they do, I don’t care.”

Alcohol inhalation arouses curiosity

By Becky Byler
Staff Writer
Palo Alto High School junior
“Julia,” was ready for another amazing
Friday night. After she poured herself
a shot of vodka, she lowered her nose
to glass and inhaled deeply. The vodka
quickly went up her nose, causing Ju-
lia to wince. Shuddering, she paused
briefly before taking another. Julia was
excited; she was going to get drunk
quickly tonight.
Recently, some teenagers have
turned to new methods of alcohol con-
sumption, such as snorting and nasal
inhalation. Many believe that this gets
Stacey Levichev/The Campanile
intake alcohol. While traditional drink-
ing methods remain, experimentation
with new ways is on the rise.
“I was just interested in trying
something new,” said Julia, who like
all others in this article wishes to re-
main anonymous. “I think people are
taking this too seriously. It’s really just
something fun to do.”
When snorting, the alcohol is
placed between the fingertips or in a
tube and sucked into the nasal cavity.
The alcohol then spreads directly into
the bloodstream because of the large
number of blood vessels in the nose.
“It kind of stings when the alcohol
first gets into your nose, but it’s totally
“There’s definitely been a few
times when I thought I had damaged
something, but it can’t be any worse
than normal drinking, can it?” Julia
said.
Snorted alcohol bypasses the liver
and stomach, thus greatly increasing the
amount of toxins that enter the brain.
This can lead to long-term damage to
nerves, brain swelling and dementia, as
well as short-term nose damage.
“I like to think that I’m not exactly
harming myself anymore than if I were
getting drunk normally, but I definitely
try not to snort all the time,” Julia said.
“It’s nice to switch things up a bit.”
Another method of alcohol con-
“People can inhale alcohol for 20
minutes, get really drunk, drive and still
be able to pass a police breathalyzer
test,” Stanford Hospital physician Dr.
Oliver James said.
“I started inhaling because I was
tired of getting drunk the normal way,”
junior “Laura” said. “I hated the burn
in my throat, and now I don’t feel it
and I get drunk more quickly.”
Others decided to try smunking
because of the appealing nature of
inhaling alcohol in the media.
“We saw a YouTube video with
someone putting alcohol and dry ice
together, so we decided to try it as a
joke,” senior “Elizabeth” said.
he tried the alcohol-dry ice mix, and
“only got stupid for a minute” before
it lost its effectiveness. Nonetheless,
Mark said he plans on trying smunk-
ing again.
Others, such as Elizabeth, thought
it had worked when she “got really
light-headed,” but after returning to
normal 10 minutes later, she said she
thought the light-headedness was from
the carbon dioxide. Overall, she said
that smunking was “pretty pointless”
and would not try it again since it’s
“just not worth it.”
Despite rumors floating around
saying that breathing alcohol fumes
reduces total calories and the effects

them drunk quicker and easier.
“Personally, I think that snorting
vodka is the most stupid thing someone
can do,” junior Dana Latterell said. “It
just doesn’t seem appealing to have
alcohol up your nose.”
The method Latterell is referring
to, snorting, is part of a growing trend at
Paly to experiment with other ways to
worth it,” Julia said. “I feel like I get
drunk so much quicker.”
According to a 2004 study con-
ducted by Newcastle University, this
method of alcohol consumption does
allow the alcohol to spread quickly.
However, it also showed that it is one
of the most dangerous methods of
alcohol consumption.
sumption growing among Paly stu-
dents, involves the use of dry ice or
an inhalation machine, and can have
similar long-term effects as snorting.
Called “smunking,” the process
involves mixing alcohol and dry ice
to produce an alcoholic vapor that is
inhaled through the nose. The alcohol
then diffuses throughout the body.
The YouTube video, which shows
how to create alcoholic fumes with dry
ice, attempts to get viewers to smoke
alcohol by saying that it “definitely
works” to get the user drunk and that
the viewer should “try it.”
Senior “Mark” disagrees with the
idea that individuals can get drunk by
smunking, referencing the time when
of the morning-after hangover, doc-
tors maintain that inhalation is just as
detrimental to the body as any other
method of alcohol intake.
“People have to understand that
regardless of how they put the alcohol
into their body, it’s still harmful,” James
said. “It’s going to get back around to
them some way or another.”

High school students ignore caffeine’s hidden drug effects
By Amy Stringer
Features Editor
At 12 a.m. on a school day, an important decision must
be made: either stay up to complete the extra hour of unfin-
ished homework, or use that extra hour for much desired
sleep. In many cases, instead of catching some extra sleep,
one will likely reach for the books—and caffeine.
Caffeine is a drug that is naturally produced in the
beans, leaves and seeds of over 60 plants. Humans com-
monly consume it in extractions from coffee beans and tea
bush leaves. It is defined as a drug because it is a central
nervous system stimulant, and is able to temporarily ward
off drowsiness and causes increased alertness. It also gives
most people an energy boost and acts as a mood elevator.
Beverages containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea, soft
drinks and energy drinks are popular; caffeine is the world’s
most widely consumed psychoactive substance, consumed
by 90 percent of adults in North America. Some teens also
use caffeine pills, such as Vivarin or No Doz, to study late
at night or stay alert in morning classes.
While many feel that caffeine increases their mental
alertness, higher doses of caffeine may result in side ef-
fects such as anxiety, dizziness and headaches and can also
interfere with normal sleep patterns.
Paly senior Nicola Fiddes experienced a dependency
to caffeine at an early age for medical reasons.
“I started getting a lot of headaches in middle school,
so my doctors put me on extra strength eccedrin [a com-
bination of caffeine and acetaminophen],” Fiddes said.
“After taking that daily for a long period of time, my body
became dependant on it because of the caffeine in it so it
started giving me even more headaches. After realizing this,
I stopped taking the pill and drinking any sort of caffeine
for a while.”
Today, Fiddes continues to consume caffeine, yet with
more moderation.
“I have a cup of coffee every morning,” Fiddes said.
“I know that’s not the best habit to start as a teenager, but
it just wakes me up in the morning.”
At Paly, many students feel the need for an extra boost
to help them get through the day. However, once the caffeine
wears off, the drug drains the body of energy.
Like many Paly students, Fiddes uses energy drinks as
a way of staying up later to complete more homework.
“I occasionally have an energy drink, which are more
for when I feel really tired and have a lot of school work
ahead of me,” Fiddes said. “Caffeine doesn’t hinder my
performance in school. I use it more to just keep me going
if I have a lot of work to do.”
Though caffeine increases alertness, it does not affect of turning to chemical supplements, such as caffeine, are
decision-making and abstract thinking. There is a miscon- all extremely important.
ception that caffeine will accelerate all mental processes; In addition, teens who drink coffee should either drink
however, caffeine has little impact on intelligence. decaffeinated coffee or half-caffeinated coffee to avoid the
While an energy drink or a trip to Starbucks may keep adverse effects of caffeine. Teens should consume no more
students out of a typical morning fog, it will most likely than three caffeinated soft-drinks or one
not improve their overall performance in school. caffeinated coffee a day. It is
Caffeine can also disrupt short-term memory, decrease also crucial that students get
work efficiency and obstruct the ability to learn and fully more sleep, as nothing can
absorb new information, according to the American Dietetic replace the benefits of a
Association. It impairs sleep cycles as well, which leads good night’s rest.
to other problems like loss of behavioral control, negative
moods, excessive aggression and impulsiveness.
Another harmful side-effect of caffeine consumption is
a decrease in the amount of calcium in the body. According
to the American Dietetic Association, teens who drink coffee
are probably drinking smaller amounts of milk. Caffeine
also depletes the body’s already stored calcium.
Caffeine itself has no nutritional value and is not needed
for any physiological function, yet tired and stressed students
continue to abuse caffeine on a regular basis.
There are a handful of easy ways Paly students
can attempt to reduce caffeine reliance.
Maintaining a regulated sleep cycles,
exercising and eating a healthy diet instead
 The Campanile Spotlight November 19, 2007 • A7

‘Shroom’ trips evoke mixed feelings

By Cat Benson
Staff Writer
Euphoria, philosophical and cre-
ative thinking, sensations of insight
and life-changing spiritual encounters
are all effects of psilocybin mush-
rooms, commonly called “shrooms”
or “magic mushrooms” and one of
the most popular and available natural
psychedelics.
Shrooms are small, brown mush-
rooms containing the chemical psilo-
cybin, which, when ingested, produces
a high similar to a short LSD trip.
Psilocybin mushrooms can be ingested
either raw or dried.
When Palo Alto High School
senior “Peter,” who like the other
sources in this article wishes to remain
anonymous, took magic mushrooms
for the first time during spring break
of his junior year he did not know what
to expect.
“Nothing was happening at first so
my friends and I decided to put some
of the shroom crumbs in a blunt and
smoke them with weed,” Peter said.
“That’s when the shroom trip started
setting in.”
The threshold effects of psilocybin
mushroom include a buzzing feeling
in the peripheral limbs, mild vision
changes, increased sensitivity to light,
euphoria and emotional sensitivity.
“The first thing I really noticed was
the feeling like something was touch-
ing my legs or my back and whenever
I turned around or looked down there
was nothing there,” Peter said. “I was
really quiet and pretty much absorbed
in my own world of thoughts.”
Sophomore “Jeff” also noted that
the first time he tried shrooms was
mainly intrinsic and deeply personal.
“My first high was an extremely
intense experience,” Jeff said. “While I
did notice some sensory hallucinations,
the high was much more introspec-
tive and entheogenic. I felt as though
I had a telepathic connection with
everyone I knew and that everything
in the universe was perfectly in its
right place.”
Magic mushrooms users describe
experiencing life-changing emotional
events, such as emotions of “coming
home again,” feelings of belonging,
realizations about past feelings or life
and intense connections with others.
“The blinds in my room started
to sway like they were breathing and
a really intricate pattern was forming
on them,” Peter said. “When someone
would exhale smoke after taking a bong
hit, the smoke had rainbow streaks of
color running through it and the light
rays traveling through the blinds were
also streaked with rainbows.”
Medium-dosage effects of shrooms
include open-eye visuals like rainbows
around lighting, star-patterned effects,
entertaining visual fields and closed-
eye visuals.
“The coolest thing about the trip
was that whenever I closed my eyes,
I could see exactly what I was seeing
with my eyes open, complete with my
friends moving and talking except the
colors were off almost like a photo
negative,” Peter said.
When Paly senior “Aaron” first
used mushrooms during his junior
year, he only felt a slight marijuana-
like high, but with successive uses, his
highs developed intensity.
“Shrooms haven’t taken me into
another reality,” Aaron said. “Instead
what they’ve done is drastically alter
my view of this reality. Everything is
moving, breathing, shifting, changing.
When you trip, the best thing to do
is to completely immerse yourself in
nature, and get away from everything
man-made.”
High-dosage effects of magic
mushrooms can become very intense
and but mostly negative for inexpe-
rienced users. Such include nausea,
mental discomfort, loss of self, re-
membering repressed memories and
feelings of fear.
“Towards the end of the trip I
started getting very light-headed and
nauseous,” Peter said. “At one point
every part of my vision went yellow,
like when you stand up too fast and get
a head rush, except that I could not see
for about a minute. That and the fact
that for the rest of the day (after I came
down from the shroom high) I felt fried
and worn out. Those were the worst
parts of my shroom experience.”
In the 24 hours following the high,
users often suffer from “hangover”
type symptoms such as headaches and
dizziness.
“As I was coming off shrooms
early in the morning, I was scared for
no reason at all,” Jeff said. “When I
woke up I was really spaced out and
depressed.”
Hallucinogens can also cause users
to feel a suspension of logic, and as the
high from the drug ends, users may
find themselves in strange situations
that before seemed reasonable.
“Shrooms can make really ridicu-
lous things seem logical,” Jeff said.
“After eating four waffles and drinking
an enormous amount of syrup, I found
myself lying down on top of my dining
room table, making out with it for at
least thirty minutes. It turned out that
it was not, in fact, my girlfriend. I also
realized my legs were really bare and an
art canvas and I thought that I needed
to create a beautiful masterpiece on
them. I also thought I was gay, during
the table session, until I realized I didn’t
like guys.”
A pamphlet about hallucinogens
is available in the Paly Heath Office,
and addresses common facts such as
risks, signs and commonly asked ques-
tions like how to help a friend through
a bad trip.
Jeff, Peter, Aaron and senior
“Alex” all agree that shroom use is not
very popular at Paly.
“I know a fair amount of people
that have tried them once, twice, or
three times, but no one, or at
least very few people do
them regularly,”
Alex said.
Peter believes this as well, com-
menting that Paly students usually
prefer using other types of drugs to
shrooms.
“Personally I prefer weed to
shrooms but that’s just my opinion,”
Peter said. “I know a lot of people have
done shrooms at Paly, but marijuana
and alcohol are still by far the most
popular drugs on our high school
campus.”
The “Monitoring the Future Sur-
vey,” conducted by the University of
Michigan, reported that 7.8 percent of
all high school seniors in 2006 used a
hallucinogen other than LSD at some
point in their lives.
Chemicals in hallucinogens, such
as psilocybin in shrooms, cause a
high by disrupting the
communication of
neurotransmit-
ters and recep-
tors across
synapses in
t h e b o d y ’s
nerve cells.
Although there
are some shroom
users who believe that psilocybin
is safe because it is considered
“natural,” Jeff disagrees.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s
natural or not,” Jeff said. “Psilo-
cybin is a really complicated and
powerful chemical and it can do
really amazing things and really
terrible things, so whether it is bad
or good really depends entirely on
the circumstances. Being natural
doesn’t really play into it. However
I do know a lot of people who con-
sider shrooms a ‘natural alternative’
to LSD.”
Despite the risks of taking the
drug, Alex believes that the benefits
prove to be far better.
“I think it’s something that
people should experience at least
once in their life to broaden their
horizons,” Alex said.

Music becoming source for drug-like high

By Kelley Shin the effect of a particular drug and the state of While most students are unaware of this
Staff Writer consciousness it creates. new trend of listening to music in place of
According to i-doser, the methods are using drugs to induce emotions, many stu-
Music is no longer being used solely as a proven, scientific and safe. The methods in- dents do listen to certain types of music to
form of entertainment; it is also being used to volve synchronizing brainwaves to achieve a match a specific mood. Several students
trigger certain emotions and feelings in place simulated state through the use of advanced agree that different emotions
of recreational drugs. binaural methods. The soothing backtracks of can be experienced
Through binaural beats, two separate beats ambient soundscapes help the brain to induce a depending on the
played into each ear, along with white noise, state euphoria, sedation and hallucination. type of song they
which is essential to doses, music can serve as There are various types of files that us- listen to.
recreational simulations that creates a sensation ers can download and each file represents a “I’ve never
users describe as similar to the feeling of being specific type of sensation that users can heard of getting high
high on drugs. experience. On the Web site, many off of music before
As evoking certain sensations from users state that they were skeptical at and I don’t think you
listening to music becomes an increasingly first, but after testing the music them- can get high off of
popular trend, the question is whether or not selves, they claim that it really works. One o f music,” junior Haley
this trend will enter Palo Alto High School’s the users, “Matt,” describes the sensations he Dwight said. “But
social scene. felt when experimenting with the i-doser. music definitely
In a Wired magazine article dated Aug. 8, “I became very disconnected from real- enhances emotions
2006, Daniel J. Levitin, a neuroscientist as well ity.” Matt wrote. “My body and brain were in and depending on
as the author of This is Your Brain on Music, sync with the noises. It was mind- the sound of the
shared his take on music and the emotions it blowing.” music, it can
evokes in the brain. According to Stanford make me hap-
“Music activates the same parts of the brain Medical Center doctor py or sad.”
and causes the same neurochemical cocktail as Seung Kim, music can As for music replac-
a lot of other pleasurable activities like orgasms induce certain emo- ing recreational drugs
or eating chocolate -or if you’re a gambler tions, but it is im- socially, students are
winning a bet or using drugs if you’re a drug possible to liter- skeptical.
user,” Levitin said. ally get “high” “Even if you
Music is now starting to be used as an off of music. could actually get
antidepressant, according to Levitin. It is used Stanford Medical high off of mu-
to regulate a wide range of moods whether Center has not yet sic, I doubt that
by playing an upbeat song to evoke cheerful done any studies people would stop
vibes or a soothing song to relax at the end of on getting high off doing drugs and start
a hard day. of music. using music to get high,”
Listening to music to feel the sensations of “It’s an interest- Dwight said.
the effects of drugs is becoming increasingly ing concept though, and Numerous i-doser users
popular. There are several online Web sites perhaps the teens are making us claim that the doses really do work and
that offer different musical options to users to [adults] aware,” Kim said. match the feeling of the selected drug, but
experience a “music high.” Junior Emma Garst has reached the same according to i-doser, people fall into three
One of these Web sites is i-doser.com, conclusion as Kim, and agrees that music can- categories: susceptible to binaural beats,
where first-time users can experience free not create the same sensation of being high originally insusceptible to binaural beats
doses and even buy recreational simulation from drugs. Garst is currently researching the and immune to binaural beats.
packages. relationship between music and the brain for Whether or not it is scientifically pos-
Users can purchase a variety of doses, a science project. sible to get high off music as through drugs,
each mimicking the effects of a specific drug. “It’s not actually getting high off of music,” some students continue to use music instead
Then, the i-doser application plays the dose, a Garst said. “It is more about how your brain of recreational drugs while others remain
downloaded file, which attempts to simulate processes the cadences of the music.” altogether oblivious.
A8 • November 19, 2007
Who put Jackson
on the twenty?
Chris Clayton
Our currency is seriously messed
up. I speak not of the system itself,
but rather the design of the bills, into
which clearly nobody has put much
thought. We thus have people on our
bills who really should not be, and
people not on the bills who really
should be. The federal government,
absurd as this might seem, should
change the faces on our currency to
coincide with people’s actual eco-
nomic contributions.
For starters, who put Andrew
Jackson on the $20 bill? Jackson
was not a particularly great president
–– I mean, he forced the Cherokee
on their death march, the Trail of
Tears, and implemented other poli-
cies advocating the displacement of
Native Americans. More importantly,
Jackson simply hated the National
Bank, and gladly watched the charter
for the bank expire. Jackson would
never condone the monetary system
we currently implement, and thus
he should not be represented on it.
However, he was an advocate of
“hard money” –– he issued the specie
circular, which mandated that only
“hard specie” (i.e. coins) be used in
the purchase of land –– and therefore
he perhaps still deserves a place on
one of the coins (considering again
he contributed little to economics,
perhaps on the penny), though even
this much is stretching it. In any case,
get Jackson off the twenty, as he does
not merit his place on it.
Alexander Hamilton is drastically
underrepresented on our currency.
After all, he contributed largely to, if
not founded, our economic system by
advocating and eventually chartering
the first National Bank. This bank was
expanded upon until it finally became
the federal reserve and the rest of our
current, federally regulated economic
system. Truly, Hamilton deserves
more of our respect and more credit
for his contributions to our economic
system, which far exceed those of
Jackson. Yet he is placed on a bill half
the worth of the bill on which Jackson
is placed. Alexander Hamilton should
be on the $100 bill, not the ten, for his
enormous contributions to American
economics.
Science Department must alter laning
By Mira Parekh
Staff Writer
Students at Palo Alto High School
have a wide variety of course lanes
from which to choose, in both the
Math and Science Departments.
Although many students find the
laning in the math department confus-
ing, it provides maximum flexibility
for students who are not strong in math,
but who make an effort to learn and
understand the material.
The laning in the Science Depart-
ment, although not as extensive as the
math laning, still tries to help students
by splitting most science courses into
lower and higher lanes.
However, the Science Depart-
ment has some major laning defi-
ciencies.
In many classes, the disparity
in workload and curriculum is too
significant between lanes, and is
therefore detrimental to students en-
rolled in lower lanes who would not
perform as well in the higher level
classes, but who are still proficient
in the subject.
Such disparity is apparent in
Physics courses. While the Physics
1A class is a rigorous and fast-paced
course in which math is heavily in-
tegrated, Physics 1 is much slower
and focuses less on math and more
on concepts.
The two courses understandably
target different students and therefore
have varied curriculum.
However, due to the discrepan-
cies between the two courses, students
disinterested in physics must work
with students who display potential,
but who also may not be qualified for
the higher lane.
Currently, the Physics course lan-
ing is probably the biggest problem
with the laning system and therefore
must be addressed.
One way the Science Depart-
ment successfully divided lanes was
through the addition of the Chemistry
AC course last year.
The reason this division worked
well was because there was an overlap
between Chemistry AC and Chem-
istry 1A.
Chemistry 1A was lower than
Chemistry AC simply because
Chemistry1A did not cover first se-
mester topics that relied more on math
whereas Chemistry AC did.
However, the two lanes merged
quite successfully during the second
semester. Consequently, the students
had learned enough chemistry for
Opinion The Campanile
many students enrolled in either lane
to take the SAT II Subject Test in
chemistry.
These simple and relatively minor
differences in the courses during the
first semester offer a challenge for
students who are interested in chem-
istry and are considering enrolling in
the Advanced Placement Chemistry
course.
The Chemistry 1A course offers
a challenge to students but travels at
a slower pace and is less mathemati-
cally based.
If the same could be done for
other science lanes, students would
benefit greatly since a classroom en-
vironment strongly impacts a student’s
performance.
When a student is placed with
other students who are enrolled in
the same level course, it promotes
learning because the student does
not feel intimidated or hindered by
their peers.
It is in the Science Department’s
best interest to help students by
dividing the different lanes in order
to allow for intermediate lanes, or
alternatively, by simply making the
lower lanes more closely model the
higher lanes.
This tactic is used in the Math
Department, and can be seen between
the Algebra 2/Trigonometry H course
and the Trigonometry/Analytical Ge-
ometry ‘A’ course which is the higher
laned course.
The two classes cover the same
material.
However, one is considerably
slower, offering a class for students
who have interest and skill in math,
but would probably not do well in the
higher lane.
One other solution the Science
Department could employ would be
to simply make the order in which Stacy Levichev/The Campanile
students take the science courses
Students work on homework after school. Many students have not performed well in physics, chemistry
more flexible.
Instead of forcing students to take and biology courses due to the disparity in workload and curriculum between the different lanes.
biology as freshman, chemistry as rather take biology as a junior because the student might consider a higher Though these solutions might be
sophomores, and physics as juniors, they want to take AP Biology during priority. difficult to implement, they would
an alternative option would be if the senior year. There is no benefit students greatly benefit both students and
Science Department offered the option In the current system, most ju- receive from the need to complete teachers by ensuring different levels of
of taking a lower-laned science class niors usually take physics. a physics course during junior year classes that would help each individual
in earlier years. But most juniors in Physics 1 instead of earlier as a sophomore or student learn as much as possible.
One option in particular, would are only enrolled in the physics class freshman. It is advantageous to most stu-
allow freshman to take Physics 1, in order to fulfill the science require- If students had the option of tak- dents that there are separate lanes to
because lower lanes in the science ment. ing a physics course during freshman help students at different academic
department do not depend as heav- They also use the class to be year, and of taking a science class levels.
ily upon math as some of the higher eligible to take an AP science the during their junior years that would However, the disparity and inflex-
lanes do. next year. help them prepare for an AP science ibility between lanes combined with
For example, students should be Because of this lack of motiva- class, they would be considerably the rigid department requirements
able to take Physics 1 if they are not tion, the physics class often takes better prepared for AP Biology or AP compromise the advantages of this
as interested in physics and would a “backseat” to other classes that Chemistry. system.

Paly should provide students with “global” perspective

Then, of course, there are the
many vital presidents and other people
who, while crucial to the United States
at some time in its history, were not
notable for their contributions to market exchange of goods between
economics. While Abraham Lincoln
By Mia Pond
Editor in Chief The Three Phases of Globalization continents; and the most current era
certainly deserves the respect of of globalization, which began roughly
Americans and credit in history books Palo Alto High School must con-
according to Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat around 2000. Friedman describes
for his Emancipation Proclamation, this period as having “the newfound

he, alas, did not contribute greatly to
our actual economic system (although
maintained economic stability during
the American Civil War). Therefore,
he should neither be represented on the
dollar bill nor on the penny. I do not
mean to undermine Lincoln or his con-
tributions to our nation through this
assertion; I merely mean to suggest
that someone with greater economic
sider the addition of a Social Studies
course solely dedicated to the study
of globalization and its impact on the
current foreign and national market.
As Economics and United States
Foreign Policy Honors both strive
to incorporate such curriculum into
their semester-long courses, students
should have the opportunity to study
Macroeconomics in detail.
As a result, interested individu-
Pre-Columbus
power for individuals to collaborate
and compete globally.”
By designing a class that ad-
The opening of trade between the Old dresses and covers all three periods,
Paly would help students be better able
World and the New World led to the to understand the world’s economy
and it’s progression. For example,
emergence of global thought. instead of focusing on current politi-
cal conditions of US foreign policy
or the impact of outsourcing on In-

Birth and maturation

contributions should replace Lincoln
on these units of currency.
Similarly, Benjamin Franklin,
while important to the foundation of
our country, did not actually contribute
much to the founding of our economic
system. However, his face appears
on the $100 bill, a spot that should
be reserved for one of the greatest
economists in United States history.
als could both benefit from current dia’s market, students could learn of
information and better realize their both changes in the economy and of
potential to promote social change. creative entrepreneurship like mirco-
According to the Palo Alto High
School Course Catalogue, the Eco-
Increasing trade in goods finance, outsourcing, supply-chaining
and the impact that the United States
nomics class offers students “an in- between continents led to and foreign countries experience and
troduction to the American economic create.
system” and covers “the concepts of the beginnings of a global Furthermore, students thoroughly
supply and demand, business cycles,
economic measurement and growth,
economy. educated about the global economy
would be aware of current social prob-
lems that plague the national economy

Once again, I do not mean to demean
Franklin, nor to undermine his con-
tributions to our country. History will
remember him, regardless of whether
or not he is on the bill; therefore, we
should remove Franklin for the bill,
and replace him with a more suitable
person.
Where, however, are some of the
great economists? Many are absent
from our currency, instead replaced
by the aforementioned people. John
Maynard Keynes, for example, devel-
oped his set of economic principles,
dubbed Keynesian Economics, which
became a widely supported branch of
economics. Even Franklin Roosevelt
was influenced by Keynes, and he
adopted a policy of debt spending,
one aspect of Keynesian Economics,
although he had formerly asserted his
unwillingness to do so. For Keynes’s
contributions to economics, he should
be considered for representation on
one of our bills.
monetary and fiscal policy, plus inter-
national finance and trade.”
Similarly, the U.S. Foreign Policy
Honors class primarily focuses on the
history of national policy and current
U.S. involvement in today’s political
affairs.
In addition, the Contemporary
World History class’s curriculum
emphasizes “post World War II devel-
opments in Africa, Asia, the Middle
East and Latin America” and “reviews
historical economic and political con-
ditions giving rise to current problems
in each region.”
While these classes should be
commended for providing students
with the educational tools and neces-
sary social frameworks to understand
and evaluate different aspects of to-
day’s economies, more can be done
to increase this understanding.
By offering a class dedicated
solely to globalization, students would
not have to integrate information
Modern
Telecommunications and
transportation give individuals “the
newfound power to collaborate and
compete globally.”
and specific lectures from different
classes to gain perspective on the
global market.
Students could instead learn and
challenge themselves in a course that
paints a whole picture of today’s global
economy.
Furthermore, it is critical to
offer such a class not only to those
students who wish to further their
own studies in Economics, but also to
students who wish to understand and
gain a social foundation of what will
impact them and other individuals in
future years.
Paly’s History and Social Studies
Department can only improve with
this addition, allowing the department
to become a model for other academic
programs at Paly and at high schools
nationwide.
Such a class would exemplify a
key value of high school education:
coming to understand the modern
world in all respects. Specifically,
such a course would cover the history
of globalization, but would primarily
focus on the current global market.
According to Thomas Fried-
man’s 2005 book, The World is Flat,
there have been three “waves” of
globalization.
Friedman describes such chang-
es: the “Pre-Columbus” era, which
opened trade between the Old World
and the New World; the period be-
tween 1800 and 2000, during which
the “birth and maturation of a global
economy” took place, as there was a
as well as local markets. Thus, students
would be better equipped to change
the social problems they witness. For
example, if more students were aware
of mircofinancing organizations,
such as the commonly used Kiva
organization, they would be able to
participate in creating social change
in the economy.
All areas of education should
strive to help students realize poten-
tial and compel them to take action.
Learning about globalization could
do such as everyone is involved in
and affected by the global market’s
progression and consequences.
The Paly administration must
decide how it will specifically prepare
students for the future. Regardless of
whether a globalization class is added,
the Social Studies department must
stress to students that despite what
history may prove, Friedman is correct
in saying the world is flat.
The Campanile Opinion November 19, 2007 • A9

History courses need improvement

By Alan Chen is the fact that the some teachers skip ments. His re-enactments, ranging
Staff Writer subjects that other teachers cover. from Anne Frank to the Black Plague,
Students feel that some teachers are acted out by his students and are
To effectively learn history, cover specific subjects in more depth an example of interactive learning.
students must develop a solid foun- than others. Students enter into a live show in
dation and then expand their knowl- Junior Grace LaPier said that her which they relive a recreated time
edge as they reach more challenging class thoroughly covered Rome while period, teaching students even more
classes. leaving out Europe’s history from the about history.
Furthermore, students need to be 17th to 19th century. Though some students feel that
interested in the subject; unmotivated The History and Social Studies McGovern’s re-enactments take
students will not learn as well. Department, though, is not to blame too much time and are not helpful,
However, the Social Studies for the order of classes. studies show that interactive lessons
department does not follow these The department arranges them are an effective way to help students
guidelines. First, the history laning around the University of California’s learn. Furthermore, re-enactments
system is flawed: the classes that stu- requirements, which demands teach- allow students to directly experience
dents are placed into do not effectively ers to cover an extensive amount of history.
build upon the material presented in history. Rapaport, on the other hand, con-
previous history classes. To teach both subjects coherently ducts a “research project,” in which
Second, some of the teaching and meet UC requirements, the history students are given artifacts and told
methods used in Paly history classes lanes should be changed. to research about them without any
waste time and do not help students Freshmen history should teach guidance.
learn the material. ancient European history, sophomore This type of assignment is not
The History and Social Studies history teachers should teach contem- only hands-on, but teaches a consider-
Department must change its laning porary history, junior history teachers able amount of information, not only
system and teaching methods in or- would teach U.S. history and senior limited to their specific artifact.
der for students to learn more about teachers should teach U.S. Govern- Students learn how to conduct a
history. ment and Economics. research assignment and techniques
In the World History class, gen- Ancient European History would Julia Benton/The Campanile on searching for information, much
erally taken during freshman year, cover topics from sixth century to the Paly’s History and Social Studies Department must be reorganized. Teaching methods often waste like how many college students are
students cover information from the 17th century, while Contemporary time and lanes do not effectively build upon the basics students haven learned in previous courses. expected to search for information.
Middle Ages and Renaissance to the History would cover both European McGovern and Rapaport do also
two World Wars, the Cold War and and world history from the 18th cen- history and seem to neglect world his- would still have the option to take Students conduct similar activi- incorporate detailed lectures into their
some post-Cold War developments tury to the present. tory, they are organized in this manner other electives consecutively, such ties in Contemporary World History, lesson plans.
as time allows, according to the class Although the UC requires world to help Paly students learn about their as Advanced Placement Psychol- in which they learn about Asian Though other teachers are not
catalogue. history classes to cover specific in- own nation’s history. ogy or Foreign Policy Honors. The religions, such as Buddhism and obligated to organize events as large
This class, which covers about formation, the proposed ninth and Paly should focus on our nation’s teaching method is also important, Daoism. as McGovern and Rapaport do, a
1500 years of history, tenth grade classes history because, as American citizens, according to many Paly students. The Students do not effectively learn combination of interactive lessons
is vital to students The History and Social would cover the we should know how our nation came U.S. Government and Contemporary the assigned topic by skimming and lectures should be the basis on
because it provides a Studies Department must necessary informa- into existence and the principles on World History class lacks effective through the text to find answers with- which a teacher should build his or
background in world tion and still allow which it was founded. teaching methods, which hinders the out comprehending the material. her curriculum.
history and is the ba- change its laning system students to be eli- Since many students would like to education of students. In addition, this type of assign- It is necessary for Paly’s un-
sis for future history and teaching methods. gible for admission learn about world history and consider U.S. Government classes, which ment wastes students’ valuable time. derclassmen history classes to be
classes. If they do so, students to UC schools. it as equally relevant as European his- cover the U.S. Constitution, concepts Rather than to assign worksheets improved.
However, teach- would learn more about By changing tory, an Advanced Placement World of separation of powers, federalism to be completed in class, teachers Time management and inefficient
ers lack enough time the arrangement History class, a subject accepted by and political systems, among other should use more interesting teaching teaching methods are two major prob-
to teach the entire history. of the current his- the College Board, should be offered things, use repetitive and ineffective methods to engage their students, lems that should be fixed.
curriculum. tory lanes, teach- as a year-long course. techniques to teach students. For examples of which are Mike McGov- If history courses continue to
To cover 1500 years of history ers would be able to build upon the In addition, seniors would take example, when learning about the ern and David Rapaport’s teaching rush students through material and
in two semesters is nearly impos- knowledge of the students, maximiz- both U.S. Government and Econom- Constitution, students receive numer- methods. teach with excessive and pointless
sible, forcing teachers to skim over ing students’ learning. ics, both graduation requirements. ous worksheets that force students to McGovern, a World History worksheets, the result will be a gen-
some subjects and neglect important Although the alternative history Even though the seniors would have dig through the Constitution and find teacher, is known for his eccentric eration that will know less about their
information. Even more detrimental lanes are geared towards European to take these history classes, they answers. personality and his famous re-enact- country’s history.

Teachers should allow students to keep graded tests

By Kairen Wong
Lifestyles Editor
The bell rings. Students quickly zip up
their backpacks, stack the copies of their tests
in one pile, their graded responses in the other
and leave.
This scenario occurs in many classrooms
on the Palo Alto High School campus. Once
tests are graded and returned to students, many
teachers ask students to return their graded
tests, citing their plans to reuse test questions
in following years. However, this practice
undermines the core of Paly’s mission: to
teach effectively.
Teaching, in most classrooms, involves
a combination of lectures, homework, proj-
ects and assessments of curriculum mastery,
through tests and quizzes.
These assessments, however, also serve as
learning tools for students. In fact, graded tests
are, in some cases, the most useful learning
and studying tools students can use.
First, there is often a disparity between the
difficulty of homework and in-class activities
and the difficulty of tests. Tests demand more
understanding, more skill and more efficient
time use than normal class activities.
Thus, if students were able to keep the
graded tests, they could learn what they need
to know for an examination and master the
concepts that they may not have understood,
Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile
even while taking the test.
Teachers should allow students to keep their graded tests as a way for students Furthermore, graded tests, especially free-
to further examine and master the concepts that they do not fully understand. response tests, show the teacher’s standards
when grading, which can be useful for students
when studying.
Second, tests teach students how to work
in pressure situations, so they can learn what
to do and what not to do.
Simply reviewing a test in class is often
insufficient in improving students’ test-taking
skills, as it does not allow enough time for
students to fully understand their mistakes.
For example, in some math classes, the
time spent reviewing tests is mostly dedicated
to revealing the proper solution to the free-
response problems.
However, students can also learn from
analyzing their own solution, despite incorrect
answers, to see where they made mistakes and
if they worked properly.
Therefore, students benefit from being
allowed to take tests home in classes that
expect cumulative learning. However, this
group of classes includes nearly all the classes
at Paly.
Often, teachers who ask for their tests
back reuse the tests, or questions on it. Reusing
tests, however, even to avoid future cheating,
many times lessens the teacher’s ability to
assess students’ learning.
In many classes, teachers emphasize
different points in different years. Thus, a
test written for one year may not be the best
assessment of students’ knowledge in a sub-
sequent year.
Social Studies classes, for example, often
spend a certain amount of time on current
events, and the topics in the class’ curriculum
which relate to those events. If the test does
not effectively cover this material, it is unfair
to students who spent more time learning
current topics.
Although cheating is a concern, teachers
already run the risk of future classes knowing
test problems, the topics covered on the test
or the difficulty level of tests.
Writing new tests, in contrast, results
in a win-win situation because students are
able to keep tests for their own purposes and
teachers create a controlled way of avoiding
cheating.
Students also benefit, as they can then
take tests confidently, knowing that other
students have not received information from
prior classes.
Teachers who already rewrite tests, or
have the confidence to allow students to take
tests home when certain concepts or questions
will be tested again in the following year, show
admirable confidence in the student body and
a belief in students’ hard work.
Test questions are understandably hard
to write, but the benefits students gain from
being able to keep tests, both in education
and in the reduction of stress, and benefits
teachers gain from being able to more accu-
rately assess student knowledge and prevent
cheating, far surpass the inconveniences of
rewriting tests.
Paly’s core mission is to teach, and in
many classrooms, this mission is compro-
mised by the inability of students to keep
their graded tests.

English courses must teach grammar effectively

By Chris Clayton
Opinion Editor
An integral component of the English language is
grammar, which unfortunately, many Palo Alto High
School English teachers neglect to incorporate into their
course curriculum in favor of literary analysis and vocabu-
lary. While one cannot deny the importance of instruction
in these other aspects of English, one cannot excuse the
necessity of additional instruction in grammatical conven-
tions in Paly English courses.
Many English teachers do, in fact, effectively teach
grammar. Nonetheless, many other teachers fail to do
so, perhaps believing that their students already possess
a thorough and sufficient understanding of grammatical
conventions.
Unfortunately, this generalization does not necessar-
ily apply to the entire student body. In a society in which
many utilize “different than,” rather than the grammatically
correct “different from,” one cannot truthfully express the
aforementioned generalization.
Grammatical errors often hinder clarity of expres-
sion. Therefore, the English Department at Paly must
acknowledge and accommodate the necessity of additional
instruction in grammatical conventions.
Grammar effectively clarifies otherwise ambiguous
sentences by explicitly linking subjects with verbs, and
subjects with modifiers, among other such clarifications.
Without these grammatical conventions, one’s implicit as-
sertions and ideas will not necessarily coincide with those
explicitly asserted by the specific diction employed.
If one were to observe, for example, the difference
between the sentence “The criminal robbed the civilian,
so he should be punished” and “The criminal should be
punished because he robbed the civilian.” The first sentence
contains the ambiguous pronoun “he,” which could refer
to either the civilian or, as most probably per the author’s
intent, to the criminal, whereas, in the second sentence, the
pronoun “he” unequivocally refers to the criminal.
While many people may deem such ambiguity to be
inconsequential, indisputable clarity is essential to prevent
misinterpretations and unjust criticisms of one’s ideas that
derive from ambiguities (for example, interpretation of
the law by the courts derives from ascertaining the intent
of the legislators, an ascertainment in which grammar
factors greatly).
Other ambiguities are manifested in such areas as Grammatical conventions derive from a discrete
modifiers, whether of nouns or otherwise. Modifiers must set of rules that students can, once they have learned
also be correctly associated with the word or phrase that the conventions, easily apply in their compositions and
the author intends to modify. conversation.
For example, the sentence “Cruelly sharp, Matt cut Teachers would not need to devote much additional
the lemon with a knife,” gram- time to instructing students in
matically speaking, implies that grammar, yet the benefits derived
Matt is “cruelly sharp,” though Grammatical errors often hinder clar- therefrom — the abolition of
the writer clearly intends to thus ity of expression. Therefore, the Eng- ambiguous language — would
characterize the knife. However, lish Department must acknowledge greatly benefit students by allow-
the sentence “Matt cut the lemon and accommodate the necessity of ing them to unequivocally express
with a cruelly sharp knife” more their opinions and sentiments.
accurate defines what the author additional instruction in grammatical Grammatical conventions,
refers to as “cruelly sharp,” at conventions. despite the replacement thereof
least insofar as to coincide with by many vague colloquialisms,
the author’s intent. are an integral component of the
Incorrect grammar often results in sentences develop- English language that serve to clarify otherwise ambigu-
ing meanings different from, and perhaps even contrary ous sentences, thus facilitating comprehension of the true
to, the author’s intended meaning. intention of the author.
The English Department could drastically reduce the Thus, the Paly English Department must devote ad-
number of the aforementioned grammatical errors pres- ditional time to further instructing Paly students in the
ent in students’ compositions by further instructing the often-difficult grammatical conventions of the English
students in these conventions. language.
A10 • November 19, 2007 Sports The Campanile

Cross country runners head to state
Junior Charlie Avis leads a pack of runners during a league meet at Crystal Springs in Belmont. Avis, and sophomore Philip
MacQuitty, both qualified for the state meet on Nov. 24 after finishing ninth and first, respectively in the CCS finals meet.
By Lindsay Yang
Staff Writer
With a light shower dampening the Crystal
Springs course, sophomore Philip MacQuitty
steadily paced himself amid the lead pack of
runners maintaining the gradually increasing
speed.
About 300 meters from the finish line,
MacQuitty accelerated his strides to surpass
Mountain View runner Garrett Rowe winning
the Central Coast Section Division II race in
15:26 minutes.
Not far behind was junior Charlie Avis,
who followed in ninth place, 21 seconds after
MacQuitty. Both MacQuitty and Avis qualified
for the state meet in Woodward on Nov. 24.
However, their remarkable races on the
2.95-mile course were not enough for the
team to qualify as a whole, due to the fact
that three of the team’s top six runners were
too sick to compete.
The boys’ team finished fifth out of 15
teams, only 12 points from qualifying for
states. The girls’ team also finished with a
disappointing ninth place out of twelve.
However, girls’ coach Paul Jones said he is
proud of the team because it was the first cross
country season for five of the seven varsity
runners who ran at the meet, especially con-
sidering the highly competitive Division II.
Senior Leah Gaeta, one of the girls’s top
runners, could not participate because of the
flu, Jones said.
Despite the unfortunate setbacks, senior
Mia Lattanzi managed a 15th place finish with
a time of 18:55 and junior co-captain Gillian
Lui came in 35th at 20:03 minutes.
Despite her top finish, Lui was disap-
pointed by her race.
“I wanted to break 20 but I didn’t, and in
the middle somewhere I stopped focusing,”
Lui said.
Junior Elizabeth Scott followed Lui to
finish 38th in 20:11 minutes.
A short three seconds later, sophomores
Regina Wang and Kathleen Higgins placed
43rd and 44th, respectively.
Julia Benton/The Campanile
During their first Varsity race, freshmen
Leigh Diraghi and Erin Kiekhaefer crossed the
finish line in 59th place at 20:46 minutes and
61st place at 20:51 minutes, respectively.
Despite the lack of runners, there were
still many things to be proud of, boys’ coach
Jeff Billing said.
“Phil’s usually 10 seconds faster per
mile,” Avis said. “So to be with him after two
and a half miles really helped me. I was happy
just to be with that pack.”
Three seniors replaced third top runner
senior Brian Karvelas, fifth runner junior
Skyler Cummins and sixth runner senior
Sam Jones.
“The guys who stepped in ran the best
races of their lives,” Billing said.
Senior co-captain Rajan Narang ran 45
seconds faster than his previous time, placing
27th at 16 minutes and 34 seconds.
Seniors Julius Berezin, Gilbert Choi,
Jeremy Jacob and Brian Hsueh organized
the rest of the boys’ Varsity team and pulled
through for a proud finish.
The Varsity boys, who had won the
three meets leading up to the Central Coast
Sectional Championships, finished behind
tough competitors St. Francis, Los Gatos,
Mountain View and Santa Clara High Schools
on Saturday at CCS.
Because the boys beat three of those
four teams at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic
League Championships, the four teams are
basically dead even, boys’ head coach Jeff
Billing concluded.
“On any given day, any of those five teams
may perform well and win,” Hsueh said.
However, Mountain View and Los Gatos
High School defeated the girls’ team at the
SCVAL Championship.
Finishing third to qualify for the Division
II CCS race, both the girls’ head coach Paul
Jones and the Vikings felt that they had run
well at the SCVAL Championship.
“I’m really proud of how the girls ran,”
Jones said. “They decided to be aggressive
about the race and did well.”
Senior Mia Lattanzi was the first Paly
runner to cross the finish line at 19:22 minutes
which put her in seventh place.
Gaeta and Lui followed in 13th and 14th
places, respectively.
Gaeta and Lui ran most of the race side
by side, but in the end Gaeta pulled ahead by
one second to finish with a time of 20:03.
“For the team, honestly, I can’t think of
anything that went wrong,” Gaeta said. “That
was our best race this season. We prepared
well for it.”
Another pack of Viking runners followed
about 30 seconds later with Scott, Higgins
and Wang all placing within four seconds of
each other.
“They ran together and supported each
other,” Jones said. “That’s really important
in cross country.”
Running together also helped the Varsity
boys secure a victory during the SCVAL meet.
Berezin, Choi, Jones and Cummins all finished
10 seconds apart in fourth through seventh
place, respectively.
“We came in with nobody expecting us to
beat Mountain View and Los Gatos,” Hsueh
said. “Our fifth, sixth and seventh runners were
fast enough to displace some other team’s top
runners.”
Although he was distanced from other
Paly runners, MacQuitty won the race by
beating Mountain View runner Rowe by less
than a second.
Impressive races from Avis and Karvelas
with 13th and 16th places helped the team win
by a narrow margin of two points.
“The team had faith that they could win
and they did,” Billing said.
The Junior Varsity won and the Frosh-
Soph closed in at third, only two points
behind Gunn.
The Junior Varsity girls also performed
as expected and finished third. Kiekhaefer
crossed the finish line third overall at 20:43
minutes.
Compared to the SCVAL Preview,
Kiekhaefer destroyed her previous record on
the Crystal Springs course by over a minute.
In fact, according to Jones, everyone on the
girls’ team set a new personal record on the
Crystal Springs course.
The Vikings were also successful at the
City Championships on Oct. 23. The boys’
team proved the San Jose Mercury News rank-
ings wrong and beat the Gunn Varsity boys’
team, held on the opponent’s course.
Lattanzi, Lui and Gaeta ran solid races
in the City Championships to finish in fourth,
seventh and eighth places, respectively, in the
2.18 mile course.
Wang, Higgins and Scott seized 11th
through 13th places.
As for the boys’ Varsity, MacQuitty won
yet another race in 10:43 minutes.
Avis quickly followed in second, with
Karvelas crossing the finish line ten seconds
later in fourth overall.
The cross country team finished this year’s
season with considerable improvement and
hopes to carry out their unfulfilled goals for
CCS next year.
Courtesy of Philip MacQuitty
Sophomore Philip MacQuitty sprints
for first place in the final 300 meters.

Girls’ tennis aces competition Boys’ water polo thrives in CCS

By Zal Dordi “Overall, this year has been really good for me,”
Staff Writer Mira said. “Everything has gone well for just about
everyone.”
Varsity girls’ tennis ended its outstanding season with After winning 15 straight matches to begin the season,
a loss to defending CCS champion Monta Vista on Nov. the girls went into cruise control to set themselves up for
7 by a final score of 1-6. The loss snapped a 22-match the Central Coast Section tournament. With a command-
winning streak for the Vikings. ing 7-0 victory over Wilcox High School, the girls turned
The girls’ tennis team concluded its season in late their attention towards Milpitas High School, their only
October with a perfect 21-0 record. competition within the El Camino League.
The girls, who found themselves demoted from the After defeating Milpitas at home earlier on in the
De Anza League at the end of last year, went through a season with a score of 5-2, the girls traveled to Milpitas
huge personnel change by loading up their squad with a with a goal of maintaining their perfect season.
total of nine underclassmen. Without fail, the Vikings returned home with yet
Head Coach Andy Harader could not have predicted another victory in their hands, leaving only Santa Clara
the result of their season any better. High School between them and a perfect season. On Oct.
“This team could go undefeated,” Harader said at the 25, the girls played their final home match of the season,
beginning of the season. walloping Santa Clara 7-0 to bring their overall record
The contributions from the young players have been in regular season play to 109-17, giving them a winning
important for the Vikings. percentage of .865.
Freshman Janet Liu, who assumed the No. 1 singles po- The squad’s outstanding team effort this year has
sition early on in the season, received guidance from some landed the girls a first place finish in the El Camino League
of the veterans and has flourished with the Vikings. of the Central Coast Section, which will mean an upgrade
However, it is not just Liu who has been handing out to the De Anza league for next year’s season.
losses to other teams. However, before they begin thinking about next year,
Junior Vrinda Khanna, the regular No. 2 singles player, the girls had to focus on what lay ahead: CCS playoffs.
has also maintained an extremely high level of play. The girls entered the post season without a loss to their
Meanwhile, Khanna’s younger sister, freshman Mira name and they did their best to keep it that way.
Khanna, has surprised many with her very impressive After taking the top four spots during the Santa Clara
play. Valley Athletic League tournament, the girls ensured them-
Mira has done extremely well in her first season, not selves a berth into the second round of the CCS tournament
dropping a single game throughout the entire year. with an exciting victory over Stevenson High School. It
Playing in the No. 4 singles slot, Mira has not given was the kind of victory the girls had not experienced all
any opponent any chance of victory. season long.
“We really need a challenge, otherwise our skill will
just get worse,” Vrinda said.
The Vikings got that challenge Tuesday, Nov. 6 with
a 4-3 victory over the Stevenson Pirates.
The girls once again showed their depth is a match for
any team by making sure every point counted during their
victory. Paly gained the first point through a dominating
doubles performance by Gracie Dulik and Sophie Biffar,
beating their opponents 6-0, 6-0.
However, the Khanna sisters both dropped their singles
matches putting the girls in a 2-1 hole. The Vikings rallied
back, however, with Liu who took the No. 1 singles match
and the freshmen doubles team of Christine Koepnick and
Lauren Mah knocking off their opponents by a final score
of 6-0, 6-3. Juniors Lindsay Yang and Lisa Ke dropped
their doubles match drawing the match at 3 points per
side. Emma Marti capped off the victory for the Vikings
with 6-2, 6-2.
The girls’ next and final match was against powerhouse
Monta Vista, who had assembled varsity tennis dynasty
by taking three of the last five CCS championships. The
Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile Vikings proved to be no match for Monta Vista who took
Junior Vrinda Khanna serves the ball against the match 6-1, ending an outstanding 2007 season and the
Monta Vista. A 1-6 loss ended the team’s season. 22-match match winning streak for the girls in green.
Teams move on to CCS after disappointing performances in league tournament
By Sam Jones
Sports Editor
Despite disappointing perfor-
mances in the Santa Clara Valley
Athletic League championships, the
boys’ and girls’ water polo squads both
entered the Central Coast Section tour-
nament with first-round byes and high
hopes of capturing section titles.
However, the teams experienced
mixed results in their CCS berths.
The boys’ team had a bye in the
first round of the SCVAL tourna-
ment, thanks to its perfect 6-0 league
record.
The boys’ squad defeated Los
Gatos High School in the semifinals
11-6 on Nov. 2, setting the stage for
an epic contest against rival Los Altos
High School in the final on Nov. 3.
Despite winning four straight
matches against Los Altos in the pre-
and regular seasons, the Vikings could
not keep pace with their opponents in
the first half, falling behind 2-6.
“It’s not like we played particu-
larly badly,” co-captain Michael For-
tune said. “Los Altos was just having
an incredible game.”
However, following a fourth
quarter pep talk, the Vikings raged
back, scoring four unanswered goals to
tie the game 6-6 and force overtime.
“Since it was our last league
game, the senior guys didn’t want to
just sit back and give Los Altos the
win,” Fortune said.
Unfortunately, the momentum
from the late goals did not stay, as
Los Altos pulled off a 9-8 victory in
the second overtime period.
Despite the loss, the Vikings still
remain ahead of Los Altos in the CCS
tournament rankings which had Palo
Alto seeded second.
Since the Vikings remained in
one of the top four spots, they re-
ceived a first round bye in the CCS
tournament.
The Vikings used their extra
time well, seizing a 5-1 lead against
seventh-seeded Mountain View
High School in the first quarter of
the quarterfinal game, en route to a
9-6 victory.
Senior co-captain Geng Wang passes to his teammate during the Central Coast
Section quarterfinals game against Mountain View High School on Nov. 10.
“We got off to a really fast start,
which allowed us to control the
momentum of the whole game,” co-
captain Geng Wang said. “It was an
all-around dominating effort.”
The squad faced third-seeded
Leland High School in the semifinals.
They maintained their form and once
again opened up an early lead control-
ling the game in a 13-9 victory.
“We led early, which made
them get frustrated quickly,” Wang
said. “Once they were emotional,
it was easy to capitalize on their
mistakes.”
The Vikings moved on to face an
upstart Menlo-Atherton High school
squad in the CCS finals on Saturday,
Nov. 17. (Results were unavailable
at press time.)
“Until that match is played,
practice is just going to be business
as usual,” Head Coach Reid Particelli
said. “We are going to stay loose.”
The girls’ team began their league
tournament by crushing Fremont High
School in the first round of SCVALs
16-5, but followed up the huge win
with a tough 9-10 loss to Los Gatos.
“We came out really flat in the first
half against Gatos,” senior co-captain
Lizzie Abbott said. “Even though we
had a solid run at the end of the game
to make it close, it was just a tough
loss for the team.”
Julia Benton/The Campanile
The Vikings would go on to
soundly defeat Mountain View High
School 17-10 to capture third place
in the league.
Normally, this would have been
a poor result for a team that was look-
ing to capture the league title, but a
Los Altos victory over Los Gatos led
to a bizarre turn of events in favor of
the Vikings.
A seating technicality forced
Saint Francis High School into a dif-
ferent division of the CCS tournament,
thus giving Palo Alto the fourth seat
in the CCS instead of the fifth. This
gave the Vikings an automatic first
round bye in the tournament.
“Losing to Gatos actually turned
out to be the best thing that could
have happened for us,” Abbott said.
“Getting a bye definitely gave us a
legitimate shot at taking CCS.”
However, the girls’ squad found
their opposition to be much stronger
than expected in their CCS opener
against Leland High School. The
Vikings battled hard and led for much
of the game, but Leland capitalized on
several crucial mistakes and upended
Paly in a 9-10 upset victory.
“It definitely was a tough way
to end our season, losing like that,”
Abbott said. “But it has been an awe-
some year and a great experience to
play with this team.”
The Campanile Sports November 19, 2007 • A11

Varsity girls row towards victory

Paly seniors join thousands at Boston’s 43rd Head of the Charles Regatta
By DJ Hsueh Norcal also participated in other competi-
Staff Writer tions this year, but none as prestigious as the
Head of the Charles.
Palo Alto High School seniors Beth Nitzan “The only other well-known competition
and Andrea Panayides, along with seven other we’ve participated in this year is the Head of
members of the Northern California Crew the American, which is a regatta near Sacra-
Team (Norcal) took second place in the Youth mento,” Nitzan said.
Eights Women’s division at the 43rd Head of The one thing most people know about
the Charles rowing competition in Boston, rowers is that they wake up extremely early
MA on Oct. 27 and 28. in the morning to practice on icy cold waters.
The annual two-day competition is a Therefore, many members of the rowing com-
spectacle, attracting over 7,500 athletes and munity feel that there is a stigma around crew
300,000 spectators from all around the world. It that makes it very unattractive to outsiders and
is considered to be one of the most prestigious those possibly interested in the sport.
and famous regattas in the world. Both Nitzan and Panayides shared this
“The Head of the Charles Regatta is my common misconception about the sport before
favorite regatta — there are a ton of other row- they joined.
ers and it’s a huge event,” Panayides said. “It’s “I started crew because all my sister’s
like the mecca of the rowing world outside of friends did it and they encouraged me to join,”
the Olympics and World Championships.” Nitzan said. “I told them there was no way
Norcal crew consists of over 60 high I’d ever wake up that early in the morning
school boys and girls from all over the Bay to row, but for some reason I still joined. It
Area. They meet six times every week for a wasn’t as bad as I thought it was, and now I
total of 14 hours of practice in a channel off really enjoy it.”
the bay near the port of Redwood City by Panayides started crew after injuring
Seaport Boulevard. herself playing soccer.
“Everyone thinks we always practice early “I tore a ligament in my knee, so I couldn’t
in the morning but we only have two morning play soccer for a year,” Panayides said. “I
practices every week,” Nitzan said. “The rest started crew as knee rehab and training for
of the week, we meet after school.” soccer, but I ended up staying. It is cold and
Only nine girls from the Varsity Youth I hate waking up at four in the morning, but
Women’s division in Norcal participated in you get used to it.”
the Head of the Charles competition. To enter Photos courtesy of Beth Nitzan Crew is very much a team sport. Because
the competition, the girls had to place in the The Norcal Varsity team brought 10 girls from the Varsity Youth Women’s division to participate in the 43rd Head of the Charles the team spends so much time together, they
top half of all entrants. crew competition, among them Paly seniors Beth Nitzan and Andrea Panayides. Both students hope to continue crew high school. are often very close and there is a strong sense
“We had to practice extremely hard to of camaraderie between the rowers.
qualify, but it was mainly the length of the race Despite their apparent disadvantage, be racing there and even crazier that we ended “At one point, we were trying to pass “Every single person counts towards
that we really had to prepare for,” Panayides the Norcal Varsity girls were able to pull up placing second in the competition.” the boat in front of us,” Nitzan said. “We had the speed of the boat,” Nitzan said. “There
said. “It’s a really long race –– about three through. The girls were only able to practice once to reduce speed to set ourselves up for the isn’t one star rower who will win the race;
miles.” Their victory came as a surprise to the on the actual course before the competition best course and avoid collision with other everyone has to do it together. Each rower
Although the team and left the leaving them nervous before the race began. boats.” has to move in complete unison with the rest
Norcal Varsity girls girls feeling con- “That one practice row didn’t go very The atmosphere at the Head of the Charles of the boat.”
knew they were one
“It was really cool to be in a part of the fident about their well,” Panayides said. “But everything came event was also very different from a regular Both Nitzan and Panayides also plan
of the more experi- country where people actually pay at- future in rowing. together during the race. We all pulled together crew event. to continue participating in crew after they
enced teams, they tention to crew. In California, it’s often For the Norcal as a team. It was really amazing.” “There were booths everywhere with graduate from high school.
did not expect to neglected, but on the East Coast, it’s this Varsity girls, row- The Head of the Charles Regatta dif- tons of food and games, like a big carnival,” “UCLA recruited me to row for their
place very high as ing on the Head of ferentiates with an average crew course on Panayides said. “At the same time, it felt very school, so I’m really excited to go,” Panay-
they were compet-
huge tradition.” the Charles was a many levels. serious.” ides said. “They’ve have an amazing crew
ing against some great experience. “It’s a really tough course, not only be- Although crew is often not taken seriously program there so far, so it seems like it will
of the best rowers Beth Nitzan “Rowing on cause it’s really long, but also because there in the Bay Area, it is a integral part of the East be really fun.”
in the country. senior the Charles River are a lot of twists and turns,” Panayides said. Coast’s culture. Similarly, Nitzan also wants to continue
“All the con- was really special “Our coxswain had a really important job “It was really cool to be in a part of the crew.
testants at the race for me,” Nitzan keeping the boat on track.” country where people actually pay attention “I defiantly want to continue rowing as
were world-class teams so they are all very said. “It’s so famous, and I’ve been hearing The curves on the course can make or to crew,” Nitzan said. “In California, it’s often a hobby, as long as it doesn’t interfere with
good,” said Panayides. about it since freshman year. It was surreal to break a team’s race. neglected, but on the East Coast, it’s huge.” my academics.”

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A12 • November 19, 2007 Sports The Campanile

Vikings place second in De Anza League

By Austin Smith
A&E Editor
The Varsity football team’s early
season struggles are forgotten. With
six consecutive wins going into their
first postseason playoff game, the Vi-
kings own an 8-2 (5-1 league) record
and clinched a second place finish in
the De Anza League.
After starting the season at 2-2,
the Vikings are performing miracu-
lously on defense and are putting up
points on offense.
The team has thrived as the season
has progressed, even in hostile condi-
tions on the road.
At Wilcox High School on Oct.
19, the Vikings battled to stop the
Chargers’ power running game. Led
by senior running back Patrick Mitch-
ell, Wilcox ran for over 200 yards on
the night.
The Vikings, however, relied on
their own strengths to take the game
21-12.
Senior wide receiver Mike Scott
showed his play-making ability on a
90-yard kickoff return for a touch-
down. The offense, led by junior
quarterback Will Brandin, managed
the game effectively and put up two
scores.
After throwing two interceptions,
Brandin answered with a rushing
touchdown and a strike to junior wide
receiver Will Holder for another. He
finished the night having completed
13 of 22 passes for 148 yards and the
touchdown to Holder.
The defense continued its impres-
sive display, bending but not breaking
on many key drives.
The Chargers amassed 17 first
downs in the game but only put up
12 points. The storyline of the sea-
son continued for the defense, which
forced another turnover on junior
cornerback Harry Woolson’s intercep-
tion. The team has 14 interceptions
on the year.
The team hit the road again on
Oct. 27, taking on Santa Clara High
School.
The Vikings flexed their domi-
nance over the 0-9 Bruins by rushing
for 249 yards and smothering the
Santa Clara offense, winning by a
final score of 49-7. The passing game
Senior fullback Sione Mataele (99) breaks off a big gain against the Santa Clara Bruin defense in the Vikings’ 49-7 victory on Oct. 27.
Despite early struggles, the Vikings have stepped up and will enter the first round of CCS playoffs against El Camino High School.
was hardly a factor as senior fullback
Sione Mataele pounded the Bruin
defense for 72 yards on nine carries
in the first half alone.
Senior running back Brandon
Boyd rushed for 72 yards on seven
carries as the primary back in the
second half, leading a group of four
tailbacks that replaced Mataele after
he was pulled to enjoy some well-
earned rest.
Each back rushed for two touch-
downs apiece, setting up the passing
game for Brandin, who completed five
of six passes for 71 yards including a
27 yarder to Holder for a score.
Scott also came up big again,
taking his second kickoff back for a
touchdown in two games, this time
for 80 yards. He also maneuvered
through the defense for five receptions
and 53 yards.
Returning home the following
week, the Vikings hosted Los Altos
High School on Nov. 11. The offense
rolled once again as the Vikings tri-
umphed 49-16. Brandin was on target
all game, completing eight of 14 passes
on the night, three for touchdowns.
“He [Brandin] is adding to the
skill set he’s built,” senior tight end
and linebacker Jordan Jefferson said.
“He’s getting more familiar with the
receivers and the system.”
Boyd was the primary back, tak-
ing seven carries 86 yards, one for a
touchdown.
The defense made its presence
known immediately as senior line-
backer Kevin Johnson intercepted
the Eagles’ quarterback Daniel Young
on Los Altos’ first play from scrim-
mage, returning it eight yards for the
score.
Young, one of the league’s best
quarterbacks, answered with a quick
27 yard touchdown to receiver Ken-
neth Peterman. The ensuing kickoff
playing time, reaching the endzone
on two of his three receptions and on
his only run as well. Defensively, the
Vikings were at their best.
Woolson intercepted his fifth pass
of the season, a team-high. The Titan
offense did not cross midfield until
after the half.
The success of the team came
from all areas of play, and lifted the
Vikings into second place in the De
Anza League, good enough to clinch a
Central Coast Section playoff berth.
The players said, however, that
one squad on the field has influenced
the success the most.
“The offensive line has stepped
up the most,” Jefferson said. “Without
them we can’t get anything done,
either running or passing.”
The line is key to the Vikings’
winning streak, allowing only one
quarterback sack in the last three
games, while opening up huge holes
for Mataele and Boyd in the run
game.
“We’ve improved exponentially,”
senior lineman Michael Anderson
said. “We’re working more as a unit, as
a team, and we still have the potential
to be even better in the future.”
Ryan Pfleiderer/The Campanile The defense continues to improve
as well, only allowing more than
twenty points once on their six game
win streak.
was returned 65 yards by Woolson, the Vikings dominated a visibly infe- A huge part of their success is
giving the Vikings great starting field rior Titan team. The Vikings jumped turnovers, as the team leads the league
position in Eagle territory. to a 47-0 lead at halftime and held in interceptions.
Penalties stalled the drive, calling firm in the second half to embarrass “We all try to swarm to the ball,”
back a Mataele touchdown and forc- Gunn 49-0. Jefferson said. “There are no solo tack-
ing a third and long from the 21 yard Many of the starters saw lim- les on our defense. When somebody
line. Brandin hit senior wide receiver ited action. Brandin did not enter forces the ball out, there’s always
Brook Seaman the game all someone right there to pick it up.”
over the left “We’ve improved exponentially. night, leaving The team enters the CCS Large
shoulder with We’re working more as a unit, as a an opportu- Division playoffs on Nov. 17, facing
a beautiful fade nity for senior off against South San Francisco’s El
pass in the front team, and we still have the poten- quarterback Camino High School.
corner of the tial to be even better in the future.” Jeff Wilson The Colts are 7-3 (7-0 league)
endzone, eras- to shine in and took first place in the Ocean
ing the previ- Michael Anderson his last game League.
ous penalty. against the The Vikings have home field
T h e Vi k i n g senior lineman cross town advantage, but they know that playoff
offense took a rival. intensity is not something they have
14-7 lead and never looked back. Wilson was masterful behind cen- faced so far this season.
A big rivalry showdown at Henry ter. He was a perfect nine for nine in “The competition in CCS is top
M. Gunn High School on Nov. 9 got completions, passing for 180 yards and level,” Jefferson said. “We really
the players pumped up to play, despite a Paly season-high four touchdowns. need to step up our play. It’s going to
their number two league ranking Scott was taken out after the first quar- be physical, so we have to hit them
already in place. From the first snap, ter, but was effective during his limited before they hit us.”

Volleyball finishes season above the net as CCS quarterfinalist

By Eliot Wilson
Senior Staff Writer
After a victory at Homestead High School on Oct. 30, the girls’
Varsity volleyball team captured its second Santa Clara Valley
Athletic League title in two years.
The Vikings prevailed in the first round of the Central Coast
Section playoffs before falling to Saint Francis High School in
the quarterfinals.
At Homestead, the Vikings outmaneuvered the Mustangs three
games to two, as Homestead star Kat Fischer was sidelined with an
abdominal injury. The Vikings needed a little bit of luck to claim
the championship as Homestead was in first place for much of the
season while the Vikings trailed close behind.
Paly was two games behind Homestead and in second place
as the Vikings headed into the showdown with Mountain View
High School on Oct. 25. This game was also the team’s Senior
Night, which was celebrated with flowers, tiaras and individualized
shirts for each of the senior girls.
The Vikings, led by the powerful hitting of senior captain
Hillary Ford and junior Ally Whitson, quickly jumped ahead by
two games against the Spartans.
But the Spartans did not go down quietly and pushed for a
22-25 win in the third game. In the fourth game, the Vikings dis-
mantled the Spartans soundly winning 25-14.
Varsity Head Coach David Winn was particularly happy with
each of the individual performances on the squad.
“Euna [Oh] has been a stud at libero,” Winn said. “She did a
great job digging tonight. Jessie [Juarez], our setter, has been doing
great with her location. When Hillary and Ally get those strong
kills they really get our team and the crowd going.”
Winn was also impressed with his team’s resiliency when they
came back to win the fourth game after a harsh loss in the third.
“We played really well,” Winn said. “After the letdown in
game three we came out in the fourth very maturely. We are close
to peaking.”
While the Vikings were dismantling Mountain View on Senior
Night, Homestead High School struggled against Saratoga High
School and eventually lost three games to one. This loss set up
a showdown between Homestead and the Vikings for the league
crown.
The girls came into the game ready to play — even the 5.6
magnitude earthquake that occurred during the game could not stop
the Vikings from defeating Homestead for the first time this year.
After winning the first game the Vikings dropped the following
two games, but came back to win the final two.
Winn had strong words about the serving of seniors Ali Bis-
set and Ashley Acuff, who both helped lead the team to victory
against Homestead.
“Ashley has really stepped up,” Winn said. “It’s such a huge
advantage for us to have two girls who can do the float jump
serve. When Ali is on, she’s tough to stop. She once served a
25-0 game.”
Paly dominated cross-town rival Gunn High School earlier in
the year which set up their showdown with Mountain View. The
Trojans came into the match strong and emotional, but the Vikings
managed to remain levelheaded throughout the entire game, win-
ning three out of four games.
“We did really well overall,” Ford said. “Even when they had
some runs we didn’t get down on ourselves and didn’t let them
catch up.”
Gunn surprised Paly by winning the third game easily with a
final score of 25-16. The Titans came into the fourth game strong,
but Paly responded by crushing the Titans in one of the most excit-
ing games of the year. Both teams battled valiantly, with neither
team getting more than three points ahead, before Paly finally put
them away 25-22 in game four. For the seniors, it was a special
moment.
“Beating Gunn is always awesome,” Ford said. “It’s a great
feeling when your last game against Gunn is a victory.”
In the first round of CCS, the Vikings destroyed Lynbrook High
School for the second time and advanced to the quarterfinals against
Saint Francis. The Varsity won in three games, and Lynbrook never
scored more than 12 points in one game. The Vikings really got
on a roll in the third game, and jumped out to a 6-0 start on stellar
serving by Acuff before the Lynbrook coach called a timeout to
disrupt Acuff’s rhythm. The Vikings limited Lynbrook to only 10
points through the rest of the match thanks to stellar serving by Oh
and Bisset. Overall, the Vikings were proud of their play.
“The team played well,” Juarez said. “It was a slow match
but we really kept our energy up.”
Juarez feels that much credit should be given to the team’s
depth for the success they have had this season. The Vikings
already were looking ahead to their showdown with the Saint
Francis Lancers.
“We already beat Lynbrook,” Juarez said. “We knew what
they were about. We have focused in the last week on beating
Lynbrook.”
According to Juarez, since team depth is such as strong asset
in volleyball, many teams are hurt because they lack it.
“Some teams have one or two star players,” Juarez said.
“Every girl on our team is good and we help each other. We are
a big family.”
The Vikings’ season ended Nov.10 against Saint Francis in the
second round of the CCS playoffs. The Lancers swept all three games
in the match for a quick victory against the struggling Vikings.
The Vikings had really looked forward to facing teams such
as Archbishop Mitty High School in the championship game.
Their loss to the Lancers marked the end of Vikings’ road to CCS
championship. Despite the loss, the Vikings view their season as
a success.
“Being league champs, in our league, is really tough,” Winn
said. “We have some of the best teams in the area.
The Vikings relied on the senior leadership of Ford, Juarez
and Bisset throughout the year. For many Vikings, this was their
last game as high school volleyball players. Seniors Acuff, Oh,
Bisset, Juarez, Ford, Roxy Busch and Abbie Havern all graduate
at the end of the year.
Next year, juniors Whitson and Daniella Florant and sophomore
Marissa Florant will be asked to carry the load for the Vikings.
Many young and inexperienced players will fill out the starting
lineup for the Vikings next season. A few of the senior players will
look to continue their volleyball career in college.
Michela Fossati-Bellani/The Campanile
“I would love to continue playing volleyball in college,” Ford
said. “My top choices for school are Dartmouth, Princeton, Cornell, Junior Ally Whitson sets the ball across the net to Lynbrook High School. With many
Notre Dame and Lehigh.” strong players, the girls’ Varsity volleyball ended the season with an impressive record.
The Campanile
From the
President’s desk
Stacey Levichev/The Campanile
Mohammed Abid
Guest Columnist
What does it mean to be Asso-
ciated Student Body President? In
general, I kind of overlook a lot of
things about being president that I’d
like to point out now.
Besides running meetings, mak-
ing sure things run smoothly and
all that oh so fun stuff, there are a
few perks involved with being ASB
President.
For example, I go to Campanile
during their production weeks and
snag some food under the pretense
that I’m conducting “official presi-
dential business.”
Some people call me Mr. Presi-
dent and as weird as it sounds, that’s
rather titillating. Titillating is my
favorite word by the way, if you don’t
know what it means, look it up.
The last perk, my personal favor-
ite, is that girls find power attractive:
George Bush, Arnold Schwarzeneg-
ger and Kim Jong-Il are all extremely
powerful and look how many girls
are after them.
However, there are some draw-
backs to being president. I’ve
grouped these drawbacks together
and formally named them The Dark
Sides of Being El Presidente.
One of the most common of
these is that I’m confronted with
numerous ridiculous requests. I say
ridiculous because although they are
genius (for the most part), people fail
to recognize that I’m only the school
president so unfortunately I can’t
combine the girl’s and guy’s locker
rooms, overthrow the administration,
give everyone free dance tickets or
change our school colors to neon pink
and wild blue yonder (yes, it’s a color,
just open a box of 64 Crayola crayons
and you’ll find it right next to purple
pizzazz). If you ever make a request
like this and find me laughing at you,
I hope you will understand that while
I think you’re a very smart person,
you need a little bit of help.
Also, people seem to think that
I know every date, every event and
everything going on at Paly. I’m sad
to say, I don’t. I know it brings a tear
to your eye to hear that your president
can’t recite the Student Activities
Calendar off the top of his head but
I’m a Senior dealing with senioritis.
Give me a break.
The other day I was sitting in
the library when I got a sudden urge
to get a chocolate chip cookie from
the Student Center. I decided to make
the journey from the Library to the
Student Center with a close friend of
mine, Kushal Tantry. Once we arrived
at our school’s beloved Student Cen-
ter, the extremely long lines nearly
dissuaded us from getting a cookie
but then Kush looked at me and said
“Mo you’re president, get you’re a*#
to the front of the line.” “We’ve all been raised to represent
Surreptitiously, I tried to get my
a*# to the front of the line, but some-
one spotted me and shouted “Hey Mr.
President, stop cutting!”
It’s unfortunate, but I embar-
rassedly went to the end of the line.
The bell rang before I got to the front
and I didn’t get my cookie that day;
that’s the price of school fame.
I love Paly, such a lovely place,
such a lovely face, anything you want
you can find it here, any time of year.
I’m honored to be ASB President of
this amazing academic institution (I
know it’s cliché but work with me),
but with great power comes great
responsibility (okay, I promise the
next thing I say won’t be cliché)
and I’m just glad to have this op-
portunity (I lied, I’m a politician, it’s
what we do).
To finish off on a positive note,
if anyone has any ideas on how to
make this school better, or comments
or concerns about things that could
be improved, please tell me in person
or call me on my personal line (415)
228-0207. Together, we can make
Paly even better.
Life styles Features • A&E
Gangster’s
Paradise
system during the late 1960s.
Inmates identified with either
geographic group, the northerners or
the southerners, which is the English
translation of Norteños and Sureños.
At the time, the number of Sureños
within the prison system greatly
outnumbered inmates from the north.
The inmates from the south started
harassing inmates from the north,
trying to make them feel inferior for
being recent immigrants to California
and for taking low-paying field jobs.
The rivalry expanded as the conflict
reached the streets.
The two gangs further evolved
as specific colors became associated
with the respective gangs. According
to rumor, Los Angeles County jails
would hand out blue bandanas
to inmates.
Once released, the
former inmates would
continue to wear the
blue bandana on Los
Angeles streets in
hopes that others
would respect
them. Thus,
the Sure-
ños be-
came
By Chris Gonnerman
Staff Writer
As “Wolfgang” sits on the
edge of the wall outside the Student
Center facing the library, he looks
at the majority of Palo Alto High
School students walking across the
Quad going through their stressful
days, concerned with homework and
upcoming tests. As they rush to their
classes, the last thing on their minds is
the Norteño vs. Sureño gang conflict
that began in California during the
late 1960s and is still alive today.
The two gangs have come a long
way over the past 40 years, devel-
oping their own traditions and rules.
Though most students at Paly may
not be aware of any gang activity,
Norteño traditions have played a
considerable part in some students’
lives. Wolfgang, a Paly student who,
like all sources in this article, wishes
to remain anonymous, grew up in a
Norteño environment.
“I’ve been raised to represent
the Norteños, where I’m from and
I take pride in it,” Wolfgang said.
the north.”
The conflict between Norte-
ños and Sureños allegedly start-
ed within the California prison
The
A&E
Abra-
Syndicate
cadaver!
The Tech’s
latest exhibit
By Annie By Erik Krasner-Karpen
Vought B9
blue, and the Norteños chose red,
establishing the colors that are used
today.
Since the late 1960s, the Norte-
ños have established themselves
throughout Northern California as
one of the state’s most unified and
organized gangs. The Norteños have
been involved in the trafficking of
drugs and other contraband, as well as
armed conflict with police and other
gangs. Norteños can be found all
over the Bay Area, most commonly
in East Palo Alto, Oakland, San Jose,
San Francisco’s Mission District and
South San Francisco.
“I’d say the majority of Mexi-
cans in the Bay Area have some
connection with the Norteños
through family or friends,”
Wolfgang said.
Many Mexican-Ameri-
cans represent the Norteños
without participating in
illegal gang activity
simply because they
grew up in Norteño-
populated commu-
nities. They do
not join the gang
for fear of the
related conse-
quences.
T h e
Paly stu-
dents
w h o
asso-
ciate
FEATURES
B2
themselves with the Norteños are
considered “bangers,” people who
represent the Norteños and wear
their colors. On the other hand, a
“gang banger” who is a member of
the Norteños might partake in gang-
related activities like murder, drug
dealing, defending their communities
from Sureños or other opposing gangs
and other activities that help members
earn respect within the gang. To be
an official gang banger, one has to be
accepted by other Norteño members.
Becoming a gang banger is seen as
a personal decision and is not forced
upon an individual.
Furthermore, when a Norteño be-
comes a gang banger, he must earn his
“stripes” by performing tasks for the
gang, defending turf from Sureños,
or in some cases, murdering oppos-
ing gang members for the Norteños.
After accomplishing these tasks, the
member will gain more authority in
the gang and receive tattoos with
different meanings and importance.
During this process, the individual is
referred to as a foot soldier.
“In order to go from a banger to a
gang banger, you have to go through
an initiation,” Wolfgang said. “You
have to go to people who are already
in the gang, and tell them you want
in. They surround you and beat you
up so the person can prove how tough
they are. If they make it through that
and earn respect, then they can try to
start to earn their stripes.”
Bangers are more like-
ly to be reasonable with oppos-
ing gang members than gang
bangers, who are more inclined to
resort to violence during conflicts
with outside gang members.
“If we see a scrap [Sureño] disre-
specting us [Norteños] in some way,
we will go over to that person and talk
to them first, and if they continue to
disrespect us, we might have to rough
him up a bit,” Wolfgang said.
As part of the Norteño commu-
nity, Wolfgang and his friends experi-
ence the negative social connotation
that is attached to gangs. Wolfgang
said during Spirit Week, the Paly ad-
ministration asked some students who
are not Caucasian or Asian to decrease
the amount of red they wear so there
would be no gang association on cam-
Charmed
BY Anna Waldron - B6
Monday, November 19, 2007
pus. Moreover, Mexican-American
students at Paly sometimes feel that
they are socially isolated or looked
at differently, in the same way a white
student may feel out of place or os-
tracized if he or she went to a school
with the majority of the students being
Mexican and black.
“I think that most people at Paly
underestimate us and assume we are
not smart or that we won’t know an
answer [in class]” Wolfgang said. “It
feels good to surprise people that have
this assumption.”
Wolfgang claims that the Paly
administration monitors the dress and
behavior of Latino students and has
come under question from various
administrators.
The Palo Alto Police Department
has stopped Wolfgang and his friends
on various occasions for wearing
shoes or red-colored clothes that
may be associated with gangs. Once,
Wolfgang and his friends were biking
on Embarcadero Road when a police
officer stopped them.
“The Palo Alto police are con-
cerned that Mexicans bring trouble
into Palo Alto, and they want to keep
it a quiet, safe neighborhood,” Wolf-
gang said. “They think that Mexicans
will prevent this from happening.”
When a police officer suspects
someone of being a gang member,
they will gather personal information
about the suspect such as the name
and address of the person. Some
Paly students who have experienced
this believe that they came under
question purely because of their ap-
pearance, rather than because of their
behavior.
“I have very little trust in cops, be-
cause they always assume Mexicans
in Palo Alto are trying to steal things,”
Wolfgang said. “Police officers only
make our lives more difficult and they
don’t protect us at all. I know people
who have been shot and it took the
police department hours to get them
help. I think the violence is under-
reported by the media.”
However, despite the social
prejudice that some Paly Norteños
experience, the Norteño culture can be
a place for Mexican-Americans to feel
comfortable, and to join with people
whom they can identify with.
See GANGS, Page B4
FEATURES
student-
designed
jewelry
B2 • November 19, 2007 Features The Campanile

Re-enactments continue to captivate students

History teacher Mike McGovern and volunteers provide classes with an interactive and educational opportunity
By Ryan McLeod
Staff Writer

Some people write poetry. Others dream of the great

American novel or arrange grand symphonies in their heads.
History teacher Mike McGovern has a different sort of
magnum opus: his historical re-enactment program.
McGovern began teaching in 1979 at Logan High
School in Union City. Inspired by his teachers at Gunn
High School, McGovern was drawn to a profession where
he himself could help students.
Even as a young teacher, McGovern did things dif-
ferently and tried to liven up his lessons.
“I’ve always used drama in the classroom,” McGovern
said. “I’m a big ham.”
McGovern has enjoyed acting since childhood and
remembers dressing up as Superman and Zorro. As a
teacher, he replaced those superhero costumes with his-
torical dress.
“I began to dress up in different outfits to correspond
with whatever I was teaching,” McGovern said. “It was
like giving a glorified lecture in costume.”
By the time he came to Palo Alto High School in 1985,
McGovern was teaching while dressed as a Palestinian, a
World War One soldier, Hannibal and others.
For the next three years McGovern acted alone, but
he eventually students began to join him in his costumed
presentations.
“We wanted to make it less of a one-man show,”
McGovern said.
With the support of former Assistant Principal Bob
Alvarez and former history teacher Ron Anderson, McGov-
ern decided to change his lectures into something closer
to the re-enactments which he produces today.
“I can still feel how exciting that was,” McGovern
said.
The first production with his students was a recreation
of Hannibal’s famous journey through the Alps.
Although the costumes and settings were far from
the elaborate sets he uses today, this re-enactment was
a start.
“It was just us dressing up as Hannibal and the sol-
diers,” McGovern said. Courtesy of Mike McGovern
In the fall of 1990, McGovern was inspired by the Rachel Mewes, Manon de Fleurac and a group of elementary school students participate in Mike McGovern’s Black Death re-enactment. McGovern
success of Hannibal and became focused on making his began presenting his re-enactments in 1990 and continues to mesmerize Paly students with his accurate and realistic portrayals of historical events.
presentations more realistic.
His next lecture featured himself as the Grim Reaper, his grandmother’s lawn lights to replace the flashlights Three years after the re-enactments began, the princi- In the end, former History and Social Studies Depart-
who recounted the tale of the bubonic plague. He decided that lit actors in the Black Death production. pal asked him to join the new TEAM program. Although ment instructional supervisor Tom Roland persuaded him
to see if student participation would be as successful with “Using cardboard, string, chewing gum and love we McGovern was reluctant, he eventually acquiesced. to continue teaching at Paly.
the bubonic plague as it had been with Hannibal. put this set together,” McGovern said. “If you don’t have “I was afraid of the extra work,” he said. “[But] I did “I’m so grateful that he [kept me teaching],” McGov-
At the time, McGovern had five students in his people [like these], the vision remains a vision.” it because it was all about the kids.” ern said.
class who he described as “unusually creative.” One of McGovern’s next re-enactment was based on a mono- In the following years, McGovern saw his fears 17 years after Hannibal and his band of soldiers first
them brought up the idea of using spray foam to turn the logue for a single student, but over the years it evolved become reality as the TEAM program became larger and crossed the “Alps,” McGovern continues to add to his
classroom into a cave for the Black Death presentation, a into another full-scale production an adaptation of Anne more time-consuming. re-enactments and is still passionate about them.
design based on a Renaissance painting. Frank’s diary. “It started as an informal way to get together, which “The essence of the re-enactments hasn’t changed in
“We got all the refrigerator boxes we could find, rented While the previous productions all took place in was wonderful, but within a few years the demand on the 17 years,” McGovern said.
a U-Haul and spray painted them,” McGovern said. McGovern’s room in the 300 building, he felt that a more teachers had grown exponentially,” McGovern said. McGovern believes that he’s achieved with re-
For each performance, students were herded into the realistic setting was needed because the Frank family had McGovern left TEAM in 2005. enactments as something significant.
pitch-black classroom where handheld flashlights were hid in a secret attic. Since the 1990-91 school year McGovern’s oddball “Cumulatively, it was the most significant thing I have
used to light the individual actors. The large loft in the old custodial building, now “glorified lectures” had transformed into massive historical ever done as a teacher,” McGovern said.
McGovern’s next project was to recreate the Reign of the site of the science building, was converted into an re-enactments. However by the end of 2005, McGovern Re-enactments are truly his life’s work, his magnum
Terror, a project which takes students through the height attic which let students and actors in through a hidden was forced to decide whether or not he would continue opus. McGovern believes that it’s what the re-enactments
of the bloody French Revolution. bookcase door. to host them. mean to his students that keeps him working the hundreds
“[We thought to ourselves], ‘Of course we would need The re-enactment became one of the most popular at “Ironically, at the end of that year I was asked to be of hours a year that his re-enactments require.
the city of Paris for that,’” McGovern said. Paly due to its profound tragedy and stark realism. the youth pastor of the church that I go to,” McGovern “What we do as teachers impacts kids for life and I’ve
Thus, Paris was built inside his classroom. One student Although the script has changed many times since the said. “Had I not had the year that I had, I might have never seen anything impact their lives like this program,”
and his father constructed a guillotine. Another borrowed early days as a monologue, the impact is the same. considered that.” McGovern said.

The Syndicate teaches students the secrets of illusions

people who want to teach with those
who want to learn.
While it is an official Paly club,
it does not meet formally and teacher
sponsors have been minimally in-
volved.
“I connect people,” Sun said.
“People message me like ‘I want to
learn this’ and we find someone who
can teach it.”
The club’s name is reminiscent of
a Hong Kong gangster film, but it came
from a more mundane origin.
“I chose The Syndicate because
it sounds cool,” Sun said. “I could
have called it something like ‘the
Connections Club,’ but that sounds
weird. People hear ‘The Syndicate’
and say ‘Oh, what’s that?’”
Sun said that he also uses the
Syndicate to teach lessons in pho-
tography. He said he shows Paly
students advanced camera techniques
which they might be otherwise hard-
pressed to learn. As he showed off his
professional-quality Nikon camera
and telephoto lens. Sun spent a siz-
able chunk of his earnings from an
internship last summer.
“Most people in high school
don’t have access to a camera like
Courtesy of Alton Sun this,” Sun said.
Sun, who is taking a gap year
Alton Sun, a Paly graduate and creator of The Syndicate, practices contact juggling, which involves
before college, plans to leave on a
rolling clear glass balls to create visual illusions along with manipulating cards and butterfly knives. month-long trip to Japan once he
By Erik Krasner-Karpen hover. Sun swishes his hands and the ests I have,” Sun said. “It’s unique, orders a new set of lenses for his
Design Editor ball rolls around his fingers and palms it’s magical, it’s something people camera.
in mysterious patterns. enjoy.” Sophomore and current Syndicate
One word comes to mind after a Sun is performing contact jug- Sun practices magic tricks, which Club president Isaac Plant will have
look at recent Palo Alto High School gling, a form of juggling in which he likes to call “manipulations.” In to keep the club running smoothly in
graduate Alton Sun: showman. Sun the objects juggled remain in contact addition to contact juggling balls, his absence.
sports a dazzling, frilly white dress with the body. Sun manipulates cards, coins and Plant, an intent look on his face,
shirt, a hairstyle spiked at improbable The ball is made of acrylic, kept butterfly knives, among a myriad of rolls the ball from hand to hand in a
angles and an easygoing smile that perfectly smooth and featureless other things. smooth, fluid motion.
seems to say “watch this.” He draws to make it seem stationary while it Last year, when he saw demand “Right now I’m doing ‘The
what looks like a ball of glass from his spins. from his friends for him to teach Butterfly,’” Plant says. “You roll it
backpack. With a deft twist of fingers, “I think contact juggling is one manipulations, Sun created The Syn- from the front of your hand to the
he twirls the ball so that it seems to of the most attention-grabbing inter- dicate, an organization that connects back of your hand, then transfer to
the other hand, and keep on doing it The Syndicate, which mainly
endlessly.” depends on Sun’s personal contacts,
According to Plant, there are three will suffer somewhat when he leaves
main kinds of contact juggling: isola- for Japan, Plant said.
tions, in which the ball seems to hover; To keep the club running smooth-
body rolls, in which the ball rolls over ly, Plant has begun compiling a master
the arms and body and palm spinning, list of members’ skills.
which involves balancing one or more “Once we get over that first
balls in the palm of the hand. hurdle, I think it’ll work pretty well,
Plant, who has been contact but that’s a big hurdle,” Plant said.
juggling for about two months, pur- If Plant’s plans for the Syndicate
chases contact-juggling balls from a goes accordingly, its teaching model
wholesaler with the club’s educational will be able to spread to areas further
discount, then sells them to interested than magic and juggling.
students and gives them lessons. “It could go into how to play video
He said he has shown over 25 stu- games better, how to bake a cake, even
dents how to contact juggle so far. tutoring,” Plant said. “It really doesn’t
“It’s really relaxing, it’s fun to do matter what your skill is, it helps if
and nobody’s seen it,” Plant said. someone wants to learn it.”
Sophomore Arjun Singh, who has Contact juggling not only looks
been contact juggling for only a few impressive, but it has an almost hyp-
weeks, said he enjoys it so far. notic appeal, Sun said.
“It’s hard, but it’s not one of those “Just last Saturday I hypnotized
really frustrating things,” Singh said. a girl I met at a party after she asked
“You can master some basic things, me if I had ever used contact juggling
so you can feel to hypnotize peo-
happy and keep “People message me like ‘I ple,” Sun said. “I
working at it.”
While Plant
want to learn this’ and we find responded with
‘no, but it’s a good
is the club’s cur- someone who can teach it.” start,’ and took
rent official presi- her and several
dent, he said Sun Alton Sun of her friends to
has been its de
facto leader since
Paly Graduate a secluded room.
Since then, she’s
its inception. been much hap-
“Essentially, Alton [Sun] is the pier and productive. She even sent
Syndicate club,” Plant said. “Alton me a message the other day saying
knows a lot of people, and he knows what how weird and relaxing it was, the
everybody likes to do.” main point being that she no longer
Plant said that he would like to bites her nails.”
see the Syndicate reach a broader He plans to apply some of the
segment of Paly eventually. lessons he has learned from the Syn-
“Right now, it’s mostly the people dicate to his future career.
Alton hung out with,” Plant said. “The “I’m looking into developmental
people that the Syndicate was based psychology, the way people learn,”
on hang out together. Hopefully that’ll Sun said. “A lot of people have said I’d
change and we’ll have people from be good in psychotherapy. But I’d like
different social groups.” to stay in photography part-time.”
The Campanile Features November 19, 2007 • B3

ESL Program fosters confidence, community

Adult school language classes emphasize communication and cultural exchange
By Henry Becker
Features Editor

It is Halloween at Palo Alto Adult School

and Marta is dressed for the occasion in long
black robes and a three-foot witch’s hat.
“Oh Marta, I love those shoes,” teacher
Elizabeth Bales-Stutes exclaims.
Before replying, Marta appears confused.
She moves her lips first to form the words,
then measures them out.
“Yes, my step-daughter bought them,”
Marta replies.
Marta, an elderly Eastern European
woman, smiles.
She has performed her first task correctly.
“ESL Advanced Low,” Bales-Stutes writes
slowly on the board, signaling the class had
begun.
English as a Second Language (ESL), the
Palo Alto Adult School’s most popular class,
attracts a variety of foreign students and im-
migrants like Marta. The class convenes each
Monday and Wednesday night on the Palo
Alto High School campus and aims to provide
students with a better grasp of English, teach-
ing the adults a variety of speaking, reading
comprehension and cultural lessons.
As the class transitions to an opening iden-
tification exercise, Alfredo, a Mexican student,
tentatively asks another Hispanic named
Marta, her name and country of origin.
“I know Marta is from Guatemala.”
Marta laughs, as her native country of
El Salvador was clearly written on her name
card.
“No,” Marta says. Julia Benton/The Campanile
“Mexico?” Palo Alto Adult School’s English as a Second Language classes motivate immigrants, foreign students and their families to engage in the etiquettes and idioms of
“No.” the language. Students are different ages, originate from various countries and backgrounds and have different levels of experience with the English language.
“El Salvador?”
Japan, Mexico, El Salvador, Russia and For Robert Mandujano, who does mainte- “Sometimes we’re driving by school and “They seem more disciplined and mo- “What does it mean to give someone the
China each had representatives in class that nance for apartments on Sand Hill Road and is they stop and say, ‘That’s my school,’ and I tivated,” Cartier said. “They come to class creeps?” Bales-Stutes asked.
Halloween night. the father of two Paly students, ESL has taught say, ‘Hey that’s my school too,’” Mandujano because it’s their choice. They know they The students sat silently and uncomfort-
In general, the students of ESL come him how to communicate more effectively. He said. “We can challenge each other, like ‘I want to be here.” ably, looking back wide-eyed, while they
from across the globe, as they are attracted to says he has always felt a distance to overcome work harder in my school.’” ESL is run by the state and is, along with waited for inspiration. Finally, Izabella im-
Palo Alto’s unique educational and vocational because of his language barrier. The adults’ effort is substantial. Across Parent Education, one of the only free class patiently points to her arm.
opportunities. “I deal with new people and I’d like my the classroom, cultural barriers break down offered at the Adult School. “Creeps, like needles,” she said.
“Nearly all cultures can come together talking to be bet- to answer simple Along with its free tuition for ESL, Adult “Yes,” Bales-Stutes said. She wrote,
here,” ESL Coordinator Ann Cartier said. “You ter, with etiquette, “They seem more disciplined and motivat- English ques- School does not require students to live in “Getting the creeps is feeling uncomfortable”
see grandfathers coming so they can connect with nice Eng- tions. the Palo Alto Unified School District and on the board.
ed. They come to class because it’s their Students can its teachers are given more independence “For instance, scary men give me the
to their English-speaking grandchildren and lish,” Mandujano
those who need English for work.” said. “Not ‘yes,’ choice. They know they want to be here.” stay the whole than most teachers, Palo Alto Adult School creeps,” Bales-Stutes said.
Many students in the class come from ‘no.’ To improve seven-level ESL Principal Kara Rosenberg said. The joke was lost on the students. Idioms
Stanford University or have college degrees, myself. I think Ann Cartier course, beginning The Palo Alto Adult School does not are difficult for foreign speakers because of
only offer English language classes but other
Bales-Stutes said. Masato, from Japan, is a
traveling scholar. Izabella, from Russia, is
people without
ESL Coordinator in literacy, for
those unfamiliar classes as well.
their cultural roots.
“It’s impossible to extract language from
English, they un-
an epidemiologist. Students vary in culture derstand I am from with the alphabet, The other free class is Parent Education, culture,” Cartier said.
and class, whereas outside Palo Alto’s unique another country and they know I’m making and progress to rigid, advanced classes. which allows for parents to sit in on low-level Still, the students knew why they were
program, the students are commonly Latino the effort.” “There’s a student here in ESL who has classes with their sons and daughters to gain there, be it for tuition reasons, work advantages
and working-class. His children support him in his classes, moved up all the way from literacy,” Bales- insight on the educational system and how to or community amongst each other. Rosenberg
Palo Alto attracts a unique mix, accord- Mandujano said. He has a sense of pride in Stutes said. “She’s from Mexico and probably teach their children. said she appreciates their continuing effort.
ing to Cartier. Despite the differing origins, his taking classes on his own volition and has had six years of schooling in her life.” After opening the class, Bales-Stutes “Some have told me we give them some-
all students come equipped with a unifying believes his children see that he is going to Cartier finds a common purpose and drive started to teach idioms, keeping with the thing to live for because we give them some-
desire to learn English. adult school and are proud. in teaching adult students. Halloween theme. thing to come to at night,” Rosenberg said.

Paly Dance Company faces obstacles, gains experience

The Paly Dance Company performs one of their various routines on the Quad, emphasizing new styles of dance, forms of expression and student-led choreography.
The Dance Company separated from the Dance Team last year because of differences in opinion about styles and choreography and became its own club last year.
By Allison Whitson
Staff Writer
Humans have been interested
in the art of dancing for thousands
of years.
Even before written languages
were introduced, dance was used as a
method of passing stories down from
generation to generation.
Although the art of dance has
changed greatly over time, dance is
still a popular activity among many
people.
In 2000, the dance team at Palo
Alto High School officially formed,
capturing the interest of a handful of
students.
Six years later, five former Paly
Dance Team members decided to
form their own group, the Paly Dance
Company.
The Paly Dance Company is in its
second year as a club at Paly. Former
Paly Dance Team members junior
Alyssa Burton, seniors Kati Dahm and
Ruthie Ryan and recent alum Rachel
Williams formed the group mainly due
to scheduling conflicts and preferred
dance styles. After much debate, the
new squad was approved as a Paly
club last year.
“They are a Paly club,” Associat-
ed Student Body President Mohammd
Abid said. “But there are still a lot of
grey areas we have to figure out.”
Because it is a club, the com-
pany is required to have a faculty
advisor. English teacher Jeanne Loh
volunteered to be the club’s adviser,
after former adviser Principal Scott
Laurence left Paly last year.
Despite this factor, the girls
are glad that they formed their own
group.
“I believe that it was a good idea
to break away because we just didn’t
have the same feelings and plans as
Julia Benton/The Campanile
[Dance Team coach Hillary] McDan-
iel,” Burton said.
Another advantage of the com-
pany is control over their own styles
of choreography.
“We actually have brought in
some of my mom’s [Tami Burton]
friends to come in and choreograph,”
Burton said. “My mom’s been running
our rehearsals and has been really
helpful in making decisions that would
be hard to make on our own.”
Although the girls are glad that
they formed their own group, the 14-
member company has not progressed
much during the past year.
One of the major problems that
the squad still faces is the fact that
they are a club and not a team which
has caused the group to have a hard
time finding performance opportuni-
ties on campus.
“We don’t get the same respect as
the Dance Team,” Dahm said.
Paly Dance Team coach McDan-
iel said the Paly Dance Team is doing
very well.
“We have two returning members
and three freshmen,” McDaniel said.
“They all come from different back-
grounds and bring diverse abilities
to the team.”
Members of the Paly Dance
Team include Simone Verbaken, Talia
Moyal, Chloe Hunter, Amanda Miller
and Amanda Groziak.
Members of the Dance Team
practice after school two days a week
and are required to attend at least one
other dance class a week, at a studio
of their choice.
With this time commitment, the
team may receive physical education
credit for their sophomore, junior or
senior year.
After girls have chosen to enter
in optional competitions, they will
be competing locally from January
through March.
“With certain commitments come
certain privileges,” McDaniel said.
“The dance team, for example, gets
to perform at football and basketball
games.”
However, McDaniel hopes to
see more of the Dance Company in
the future.
“They have a lot of really talented
dancers,” McDaniel said. “I know it’s
hard for them to get organized and
on track, but I do hope to see them
performing at lunch more often.”
B4 • November 19, 2007 Features The Campanile

Stanford dorm promotes cooperative living

By Chris Gallagher
Staff Writer
Looking for a less-traditional dorm life-
style? One that includes vegetarian cooking,
gardening, consensus decision-making and
coed bathrooms?
Synergy is a cooperative community
dorm at Stanford University that allows stu-
dents to work together to maintain a lifestyle
of their own.
“There is a certain personal connection
that you can get from the people and the at-
mosphere of Synergy that you can’t get from a
regular dorm,” Stanford sophomore and Paly
alumnus Anjali Albuquerque said.
The house is spacious, featuring an
attic and basement with three floors in be-
tween. Most activity happens on the lower
floor, spilling onto the expansive deck and
clustering around large stone fireplaces with
soft couches.
This student-friendly environment is
one of acceptance, as exhibited by the sign
reading “Queer Safe Zone” and Synergy’s
reputation as a bastion for nudists.
“This is one of the most intellectually
stimulating places that I have ever lived in,”
Stanford junior Sean Hart said. “Most of
us are pretty liberal, but I would hope that a
person who professes to be otherwise would
feel comfortable here as well.”
Since Synergy is managed solely by
students, each individual contributes skills to
the community for the benefit of the whole
group. Job sign-ups occur on a weekly basis
and each task takes a different amount of
time, while quarterly jobs involve cleaning
large areas of the house. Some of the jobs
include baking bread, making hummus and
granola, cooking meals and cleaning various
parts of the building. Although there are a
few exceptions, everyone must contribute
in some way.
“Ultimately, if you can’t do your job,
it is your responsibility to make sure that it
is taken care of by someone else,” Stanford
sophomore Andrew Yarmola said. “But most
people do their jobs, partly because they
originally chose to live here.”
The community operates a large garden
because many residents put an emphasis on
local grown produce. The dorm tries to limit
all forms of consumption, from food quanti-
ties to recycled toilet paper usage. Through
this philosophy of conserving resources the
community hopes to preserve the world for
future generations.
Synergy also composts its biodegradable
wastes from eating and posts instructions on-
line on how to compost properly. The instruc-
tions ensure that the compost pile works well
and that by incorporating oxygenating layers
it does not smell. Some of the weekly jobs
circle around managing the compost pile.
“The jobs are really cool,” Hart said.
“For me, whenever I am baking bread or
doing any other job, I am able to relax and
let other things go for a while.”
The consensus system ensures that all
major decisions are made by the community
as a whole. Synergy’s philosophy is that the
majority is not always correct and that it is
important to find common ground in the
decision-making process.
Ideally, every person should benefit
from the decision and everyone maintains the
privileges that they possessed upon entering
the discussion.
“One of the hardest things about the
process is getting people to come to the meet-
ings,” Hart said. “But we are making it one
of our focuses this year to try and get more
people to attend.”
Voting is the most important part of a
consensus meeting. At Synergy, a “Fist of
Five” policy is used where one finger indi-
cates disagreement and five fingers means the
voter supports the decision. Although there
are established means for circumventing a
complete standstill, the community first tries
a “cool-off period” or attempts to obtain new
information.
“One time we had a three-hour debate
over whether to stock orange juice in the
fridge,” Stanford junior Brannon Klopfer
said.
According to the dorm’s Web site,
the Synergy House was established by the
dwellers of existing innovative dorms and
a “student-initiated course in alternative
lifestyles” in 1972. The group of students
renovated the Beta Chi house on campus to
prepare it for the students that should have
arrived the following year. However, Synergy
was plagued with vacancy dilemmas until it
was ruined in an earthquake in 1989. But the
community never died out and eventually
found residence in the Cooksey House.
The residence selection process for Stan-
ford is similar to a raffle, although the school
takes into account gender and other factors
when considering where to place students.
Synergy incorporates innovative and
fair methods of governing and encourages
a low-impact lifestyle. Those who live in
the dorm prove the feasibility of a small
communal society and the effectiveness of
consensus decision making while drawing
on a creative, free-thinking environment. The
dorm represents a larger movement towards www.stanford.edu/group/synergy
alternative lifestyles and universal acceptance Synergy is a cooperative dormitory at Stanford University that adheres to a stringent
of all types of individuals. consensus system and asks that all residents participate in daily chores and activities.

Gang members speak out against profiling from Palo Alto community
GANGS, Continued from B1
“The gang gives us a sense of a com-
munity, identity and something to take
pride in,” Wolfgang said. “We come
to school everyday, go to class, pay
attention, study and do our homework.
We’re not bad individuals.”
But Wolfgang recognizes the
consequences of the gang rivalry.
“Many people say the biggest
problems with the gangs is that you
have Mexican on Mexican violence
and hate,” Wolfgang said. “Also,
people are dying young or going to
jail.”
Gangs in the United States are
traditionally hierarchically organized.
The Norteños are no exception.
Norteño members, or older gang
bangers, are referred to as generals or
veterans since they have more power
over the younger members because of
their experience.
Typically, both generals and
Hannah McGovern/The Campanile veterans have committed numerous
(Staged photo) The majority of Paly “bangers” are part of the Norteños illegal acts for the gang. They have
gang, despite the recent influx of rival Sureño members in the Bay Area. acquired skill and respect in their
environment from being in the gang California heritage, and most continue “A Jeep Cherokee on Middlefield
for many more years than the younger to be a part of the Sureños. drove by me and slammed on the
members. This influx of Sureños caused ten- brakes. Six people got out of the
Similar to the military, members sion and violence in many Bay Area car and attempted to beat me up, but
with higher positions control and in- cities because in some cases opposing fortunately I had my dog with me.”
form members of lower rank. gang members end up living only Living side-by-side with gangs
Many young people join the gang streets apart. Initially, Norteños were is a hard concept for many Paly
because they want to be noticed and known for their newer immigrants, but students to understand. Regardless
earn respect. The common ages that this has changed. of general apa-
bangers will be inducted as a gang “I don’t know “A lot of times the elders in thy and oblivion,
banger is from 14 to 18. why so many Sure- gangs are a large
“A lot of times the elders in the ños come here and
the gang will influence the part of the Bay
gang will influence the younger kids why they represent younger kids into joining by Area’s popula-
into joining by trying to show them them,” “Ludwig” trying to show them that it’s tion. People could
that it’s cool and a good place to be,” said. “They look a cool place to be” be walking next
Wolfgang said. for trouble and to a gang mem-
In the past 10 years, there has they are getting us ber and not even
been a rapid influx of Sureños mov- into trouble.” Wolfgang know it.
ing into Northern California, leav- Today many Gang member Some stu-
ing densely-populated Los Angeles Sureños are begin- dents who are very
County in search of a better life for ning to move on much involved in
their families. the border of Mountain View and Palo gang life feel that other students fail
The overcrowding of the Sureño Alto. Mountain View is split between to understand them.
capital has had to do with the influx Norteños and Sureños. Wearing the “We’re not going to do anything
of Mexican immigrants coming into wrong color in the wrong part of town bad to people for no reason,” Wolf-
California, forcing more Mexican- can be very risky. gang said. “If you respect us, then we
Americans to move up north. The “This year I was walking my dog will give it back to you, like anyone
Sureños do not forget their Southern wearing hella purple,” Wolfgang said. else.”

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The Campanile Features November 19, 2007 • B5

Magician charms Paly community

Paly junior impresses people with his “magical” abilities and deceptive card tricks
“I get frustrated while learning
tricks, sometimes I stop practicing for
weeks and weeks,” Wycoff said.
While balancing school and a
social life, Wycoff devotes much of
his free time to focusing on learning
more magic tricks.
Wycoff met famous magician
David Copperfield, who gave him an
autographed poster as well as a few
wise words of encouragement. While
hanging out at Mostly Magic Shop,
Wycoff has also had the opportunity
to meet several local legends who have
offered him tips on performance.
“I’ve realized that you learn
how to deal with people in all kinds
of situations if you are a performer,”
Wycoff said.
In addition, Wycoff believes
that every trick has its own unique
quality.
“Someone must be truly dedi-
cated enough to really give the art
of magic the respect it deserves,”
Wycoff said.
As a result, Wycoff he has learned
more about himself and other people
through magic.
“Magic, in any form, is a hard
thing to learn,” Wycoff said. “It’s not
all about learning the moves. It’s about
performing in front of real people.”
Although Wycoff enjoys the pro-
cess of learning the tricks, his favorite
Courtesy of Chris Wycoff part about magic is the reaction of his
Aspiring magician Chris Wycoff dazzles Paly students and staff with magic tricks. Wycoff displays audience, from the smirk of disbelief
his talents on the InFocus segments “Trick of the Week” and performs at the Old Pro in Palo Alto. to the gasp of amazement.
“I think magic itself has really
By Gloria Yu and magician “Amazing Jonathan.” “It would take a lifetime to learn taught me nothing, but performing has
Staff Writer His combination of talents initiated and perfect all the tricks described given me more poise around people
Wycoff’s interest in pursuing magic in the books I have,” Wycoff said. and has definitely improved my social
The effect of magic first evokes card tricks. “But for some reason I keep buying skills,” Wycoff said.
a thought of doubt and then one of He learned his first trick freshman more.” Like most magicians, Wycoff
astonishment. Junior Chris Wycoff, year at Mostly Magic Shop, a magic To Wycoff, magic is an addic- does not simply remember magic
an aspiring magician, reaches the shop in Santa Rosa. From there, his tion. He spends any free time either tricks and shelve them into his memo-
Palo Alto High School community interest expanded. learning a new trick or perfecting an ry. He sees the art of performing magic
through his weekly InFocus segment Wycoff now owns over 20 large old one. The time it takes to learn a much like a quarterback carrying out
that astounds both students and teach- volumes of books on magic tricks, card trick depends on its level of dif- plays during a football game.
ers alike. though he has only learned a small ficulty. While some take only an hour “I mess up all the time,” Wycoff
Wycoff was first inspired by portion of the tricks described in the for Wycoff to master, others can take said. “The thing is nobody notices
the notorious stand-up comedian books. months to learn. because I always have a back up
plan, like a more basic trick I can tered many tricks that flabbergast the
fall into.” Paly community.
Masked behind the knowledge “When Chris pulled out his cards
gained from experience, this secret during Physics, everyone couldn’t
comes as a surprise to many audience believe what they saw,” junior Paul
members. Brown said. “No matter what trick he
“It may be that the trick you did, the response was always equally
see isn’t the trick I planned to do,” enthusiastic.”
Wycoff said. Even though Wycoff’s career
His favorite card trick is one is still in its early stages, his tricks
called Blizzard in which all the cards have never failed to bewilder audi-
in a deck turn blank except for the ences. Wycoff often practices in front
selected card. of his parents and brother but as a
Wycoff said the more tricks he performer, Wycoff still finds flaws
learns, the more he can change and in his performance and tries to find a
overlap his performance, provoking way to improve his talent after every
all kinds of reactions from audiences. performance.
The devotion and hard work he ap- “Even though people don’t no-
plies to his artwork is rewarded by tice, I always catch myself making
the audiences’ reactions. stupid mistakes and I get scared that
“I’d say don’t go and learn magic people see through them,” Wycoff
unless you’re sure you want to ruin said. “Whenever I practice a trick and
it for yourself,” Wycoff said. “Once I mess up, I try not to stop and finish
you know the secret, the wonder is the trick like I normally would for a
gone.” live crowd.”
Although his first exposure A popular icon on campus, Wy-
involved card tricks, Wycoff also coff has received many requests to
accumulated experience by perform- share the secret behind his tricks.
ing magic with “I don’t really
other objects. teach any magic
He is cur- “I’d say don’t go and learn to people because
rently work- magic unless you’re sure you most of the time
ing on multiple want to ruin it for yourself. they just want to
projects that Once you know the secret, the learn the secret and
primarily fo- won’t take the extra
cus on money wonder is gone.” few steps to perfect
appearing in and practice the
different kinds Chris Wycoff trick,” Wycoff said.
of fruit. junior “But if I truly be-
His cur- lieve they will give
rent project re- a trick the respect it
quires a dollar bill, a lighter or match, deserves, I am always happy to impart
an article of fruit and similar to all knowledge.”
magic tricks, a curious audience mem- For publicity Wycoff stars on
ber. First, the audience member signs recurring InFocus segments and per-
the dollar bill and returns it to Wycoff, forms on Saturday nights at the Old
who then lights the bill on fire. Pro in downtown Palo Alto.
Wycoff, who is holding a lemon, “I see magic as a hobby and a way
cuts it, showing viewers a signed to make extra money,” Wycoff said. “I
dollar bill in the middle of the fruit. don’t see myself being the next David
Learning mostly from books and the Blaine, more like the cool uncle who
occasional video, Wycoff has mas- does magic.”

Paly Girl Scouts strive for prestigious Gold Award

By Julia Shapiro “From an early age they teach us about After earning the Silver Award, the girls
Senior Staff Writer morals and how to help people around us,” are encouraged to work individually on receiv-
Hohbach said. “One of the Girl Scout mottos ing the Gold Award, the highest award a Girl
Everyone looks forward to that certain is to ‘leave it better than you found it.’” Scout can earn.
time of year when Girl Scouts are out and about, Hohbach and McComas belong to Troop In order to receive a Gold Award, each
selling cookies in surrounding neighborhoods. 339, along with one other girl from Paly and girl must complete her own project by the
However, there is more to Girls Scouts than seven girls from Gunn High School. end of her senior year in high school. The
just the cookies. The troop, led by Sue McComas, recently project is an opportunity for girls to help out
Most Girl Scouts stop selling cookies completed its Silver Award project by holding their community while gaining organizational
around the age of 12 and instead begin to a “fun run,” a three mile run/walk in the Palo skills. Baba hopes to plan a three-day row-
focus on numerous leadership opportunities Alto Baylands. ing event for her Gold Award project. Her
and different projects that give back to their “It was exciting that we actually pulled goal for the event is to teach Girl Scouts the
communities. the ‘fun run’ off because it was a lot of work basics of crew.
In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low started the and we weren’t sure that it was actually going “The Girl Scout council recommends that
Girl Scout program to provide young girls to happen,” Lucy said. we choose gold award ideas based around
with a nurturing environment in which to The “fun run” was the troop’s final step in something we feel passionate about, which
grow and mature. earning the Silver Award, the second highest is crew for me,” Baba said. “I’m hoping that
There are now 3.7 million Girl Scouts award in the Girl Scout program. this event will stir interest in this somewhat
in the U.S. looking to build character and Before receiving the award each Ca- unknown sport and inspire girls to join a local
leadership quali- dette Girl Scout crew team.”
ties among the has to meet four Lucy and Hohbach also plan on work-
five levels of Girl “Being a leader is a big part of being requirements de- ing towards receiving their Gold Awards,
Scouts. a Girl Scout. While doing a project a signed to “help however, they are still unsure which projects
The young- couple of girls have to take initiative and girls build skills, they will take on.
est Girl Scouts lead the troop in the right direction.” explore careers, Aside from receiving awards, Girl Scouts
start off as Daisies gain leadership also take part in Camporee, an annual event in
and transition into skills and make which local troops come together to compete
Brownies, Juniors, Lucy McComas a c o m m i t m e n t in skills such as nature identification, lashing,
Cadettes and fi- junior to self-improve- knot-tying and first aid.
nally, Senior Girl ment,” according “Camporee is my favorite part of being a
Scouts. to the official Girl Girl Scout,” Baba said. “My first memorable
Junior Lucy McComas has been a Girl Scout Web site. leadership position was being the captain of
Scout ever since she was in kindergarten. After receiving the award, the Cadette the lashing team for Camporee. I remember
While McComas’ favorite part of Girl Girl Scouts usually take part in a bridging organizing meetings with the girls and plan-
Scouts is the sense of community, she also ceremony to become Senior Girl Scouts. ning what we were going to make, as well as
enjoys the valuable leadership opportunities Junior Mariko Baba recently became a reviewing lashing skills.”
the program offers. Senior Girl Scout. Though many girls stop participating in
“Being a leader is a big part of being a She belongs to Troop 312, along with Girl Scouts at a young age, the program can
Girl Scout,” McComas said. “While doing a seven other girls from Paly and Gunn, who strongly benefit older girls, as members learn
project a couple of girls have to take initiative just finished working on their Silver Award important values and gain a sense of pride.
and lead the troop in the right direction.” project. For their Silver Award project, Baba They also make valuable friendships, one
Junior Amanda Hohbach also became a and several other girls held an “awareness aspect which McComas singled out as her
Girl Scout at a young age and decided to con- day” for Brownies. favorite part of being a Girl Scout.
tinue the program throughout high school. “It took about six to eight months to plan “You stay close with friends even as you Nora Brannen-Burt/The Campanile
Hohbach still remembers the lessons she and execute the event, but it was definitely go to different schools,” McComas said. “You Paly Girl Scouts Emma Garst, Nikki Huang, Jackie Rossiter, Mariko Baba
learned when she first joined the program. worth it,” Baba said. also get the opportunity to help people out.” and Jess Brooks (left to right) sit in front of the Girl Scout house in Palo Alto.

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B6 • November 19, 2007
Student turns boredom into business
Junior Alyssa Burton displays natural artistic talent through jewelry design
By Anna Waldron
Staff Writer
Sushi rolls, strawberries, lemon
chiffon cake, apples, Zodiac creatures,
letters of the alphabet and Nintendo
mushrooms. Junior Alyssa Burton is
the creator of these miniature charms
which she molds, hand paints and
fastens to jewelry and cell phone
key-chains.
What began as a cure for boredom
has morphed into gifts for friends
and a small business complete with
a Facebook group and a Web site of
its own (www.freewebs.com/smiley-
charms).
“I was bored at home and I want-
ed something to do,” Burton said. “I
like to doodle, so I took my designs
and turned them into tiny charms with
clay that I found in the house.”
Although Burton has never taken
an art class, she is no stranger to art.
She attributes her talents to her fam-
ily’s involvement in the arts.
“My grandmother is a seamstress
and my mother is a dance choreogra-
pher and does beading when she finds
the time,” Burton said. “I was always
interested in art in all its forms, even
at a young age.”
Burton, who has been deeply
involved in dance since the age of
three, belongs to Palo Alto High
School’s Dance Team and is training
in almost all forms of dance including
jazz, ballet, tap, hip-hop and contem-
porary dance.
“Everything but ballroom danc-
ing,” Burton said.
Burton said an interest in drawing
and doodling makes sense given her
background. Even before Burton be-
gan making her charms, she received
positive and encouraging feedback
on her sketches from family and
friends.
One of her friends and classmates,
junior Ashley Lamb, was impressed
with Burton’s drawings and her idea
of transforming them into charms.
“Alyssa and I take Humanities
together and we share our sketchbooks
with each other from time to time,”
Lamb said. “She told me about the idea
of making them into charms before she
did it and I told her she could make a
lot of money off of them.”
Junior Tom Marks, another friend
of Burton’s, learned about her busi-
ness ideas during chemistry class.
“She showed me her sketchbook
in class and I wanted to help out right
away,” Marks said.
The motivation  behind her
charms and design process resulted
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from Burton’s interests, such as Nin-
tendo video games and input from
friends. Marks has collaborated with
Burton in the creative process, but
believes that she comes up with the
best ideas.
“She has a really good knack for
coming up with creative ideas, not
just copying images from games,”
Marks said. “Her entire line of Chinese
Zodiac animals is so creative because
you can choose which animal you
want and what kind of face you want
it to have.”
Customizing charms is one of
Burton’s specialties. Lamb and Marks
believe it is this quality that makes
every charm unique and will lead to
her success.
Burton welcomes students to
approach her with requests for cus-
tom orders or to look at her growing
selection of charms on her Web site.
Charms sell for $2 each and sometimes
run a little higher depending on a
specialized order.
“I make special orders,” Burton
said. “My friends will come to me
with a request or a design.”
Lamb drew Burton a slice of
strawberry shortcake and asked her
to make it into a charm.
“She told me it’s finished, but
she’s waiting for the cell phone wrap
to come to attach the charm to it,”
Lamb said. “I’m really excited and I’ll
probably make more requests.”
Ice cream cones are another
example of charms Burton has hand-
crafted and given as birthday pres-
ents to friends. Holidays and special
events, such as Halloween and Spirit
Week, also serve as inspirations for
Burton’s designs. For Spirit Week,
Burton created class number charms
painted in their respective colors.
Even though this hobby began
in October Burton has sketched out
future months’designs in her notebook
and is already working on the line for
December. In the works are candy
canes and other holiday symbols.
As for the process of making
the charms, Burton said it is quite
simple.
“My designs are really basic
shapes, so they are easy to mold with
the clay,” Burton said.
Marks said Burton is a natural
and can sculpt them quickly
“She’s really quick,” Marks said.
“It probably takes her a few minutes
to sculpt one, but when a charm has
multiple pieces it takes a little bit more
time and caution.”
For her charms, Burton uses
Sculpey clay and  acrylic paint to
Features
Although she has no formal artistic training, Paly junior Alyssa Burton has transformed her charm-making hobby into her own business.
Burton gets her inspiration from her friends and video games and turns her ideas into specialized charms, which she usually sells for $2.
enhance the color and shine. She
then  hooks her charms onto clear,
stretchy plastic bands with bent
paperclips.
“I haven’t thought about chang-
ing my technique or clay because it
works really well,” Burton said.
Burton is hesitant to change the
materials because she is scared that
the quality of her brands might be
negatively affected.
“The charms are really durable,”
Burton said.  “I’ve dropped some
charms and they don’t break.”
Burton makes most of her charms
in batches because although the creat-
ing process is not difficult, it can be
time consuming.
“It probably takes about two
hours for me to make a batch,” Bur-
ton said. “What takes the longest is
the waiting for the clay to bake, cool
and dry.”
She molds her charms swiftly,
bakes  them in her kitchen oven at
275 degrees for 15 minutes and usu-
ally paints a cooled batch while she’s
waiting.
Friends of Burton were im-
pressed that she had no previous
artistic training. They believe she is
The Campanile
Julia Benton/The Campanile
very talented at drawing, designing
and painting.
“Detail painting on the charms
is difficult because they’re so small,”
Lamb said. “She’s very talented be-
cause her detailing is amazing.”
Lamb and Marks support Bur-
ton’s artistic talents and agree she has
a good eye for color and design.
“I hope she doesn’t stop making
charms,” Lamb said. “She could make
a really good mini-business and I think
they’ll be popular on campus.”
Marks has expressed concern for
Burton abandoning charm-making in
the future as well.
“I would love for her to keep
making them, but I want her to pursue
whatever makes her happy, whether
it’s profitable or not,” Marks said.
Burton’s friends agree that her
charms demonstrate her talent in
jewelry designing.
However to her friends’ dismay,
Burton said her charm-making is
solely a hobby she has taken on to have
fun, give gifts and make money.
“I have no plans of study-
ing design in college,” Burton
said. “Well, perhaps I will take a few
art classes.” 
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The Campanile
Charities supply necessities for needy Berkeley offers many
Local facilities offer volunteer opportunities for high school students
By Kelly Zhou
Staff Writer
The pervasive decorations of
Thanksgiving and Christmas, deli-
cious smells of homemade food and
plans for family gatherings remind
everyone of the holiday season.
However, while most people com-
fortably enjoy the holidays, easily
tucking in turkey and opening gifts
in their warm, cozy homes, others in
the community are surviving on very
little and welcome any support to get
by. To spread some of that abundant
holiday spirit, people can give back to
the community this winter by either
donating money or volunteering at the
following organizations.
Lytton Gardens
Lytton Gardens, a facility for
retired seniors, is looking for extra
volunteers to help out with upcom-
ing holiday activities. Volunteers are
encouraged to gather friends to sing
or play instruments for the numerous
concerts which will take place during
the holidays. Participants are also
needed to bring residents to and from
these concerts. Volunteers can also
pitch in to help at specific Hanukkah
and Christmas events, including the
Festival of Trees on Dec. 15 from 4
to 6 p.m.
Open to the public, the Festival of
Trees offers Lytton Gardens residents
and others the opportunity to partici-
pate in a variety of festive activities,
including arts and crafts making and
a Christmas tree decorating contest.
Volunteers can help decorate for
the event or assist attending senior
residents. Drop by at 649 University
Avenue or contact Alisa Dichter, Di-
rector of Volunteers, at adichter@
lyttongardens.org or (650) 617-7355
if interested in spreading holiday cheer
at Lytton Gardens.
InnVision: Urban Ministry of Palo
Alto and Opportunity Center of the
Midpeninsula
Students can bring some much
needed cheer into the lives of others by
donating goods or time to Urban Min-
istry of Palo Alto or the Opportunity
Every holiday season, local service organizations will distribute food (left) and other goods (right) to
underprivileged people all across the Bay Area. Make a difference by donating and volunteering.
Center, two divisions of InnVision,
an organization that provides services
to homeless and at-risk people. The
Opportunity Center provides housing
and services, including medical care
and job skills training. Volunteers
are needed to help at the Opportu-
nity Center’s Thanksgiving dinner,
Holiday Toy Shoppe and Christmas
Holiday dinner.
Donations of goods or money
for these charity events are also ap-
preciated. Other volunteer opportuni-
ties include helping categorize and
distribute clothes at the Opportunity
Center’s Clothes Closet, organizing
food for the Food Closet, serving din-
ner meals for the Hot Meals Program
and many more. If interested, come
to 400 Mitchell Lane or 33 Encina
Ave. or contact Trina Lovercheck at
tlovercheck@innvision.org or (650)
853-7076.
Features
Ecumenical Hunger Program
The Ecumenical Hunger Program
is a non-profit organization that sup-
plies food, clothing and other services
to underprivileged families in East
Palo Alto, Palo Alto and Menlo Park.
EHP encourages volunteers to come
and serve, especially during Nov.
19-21.
Those who attend will pack boxes
and organize food in preparation for
distribution preceding Thanksgiving.
EHP requires about 46 volunteers right
before Christmas to distribute food
and pack toys and gifts.
Donations of gifts for teenag-
ers, such as MP3 players and purses,
are desperately needed as well. To
volunteer with EHP, come to 2411
Pulgas Ave., East Palo Alto or talk to
Donald Hunter, volunteer coordina-
tor, at donald@ehpcares.org or (650)
323-7781.
Julia Benton/The Campanile
Second Harvest Food Bank
Second Harvest Food Bank is look-
ing for volunteers to distribute food
to needy families, operate their
hotline and perform office tasks.
Come downtown San Jose on Nov.
22, for the Applied Materials Silicon
Valley Turkey Trot 5K walk/run and
10K run. Volunteers can help out all
over the course, directing runners
and handling registration. Part of the
event’s proceeds will go to Second
Harvest Food Bank. People can also
participate in the organization’s Holi-
day Food and Fund Drive by donating
much needed supplies. If interested
in volunteering with Second Harvest
Food Bank, feel free to visit the San
Mateo County Distribution Center at
1051 Bing St, San Carlos or contact
Kristen Sulpizio, Director of Volunteer
Services, at ksulpizio@shfoodbank.
com or (408) 694-0011.
attractions for teens
By Hannah Bystritsky
Staff Writer
Every weekend, many teenagers
from all over the Bay Area make their
way to downtown Berkeley to enjoy
its various parks, theaters, restaurants
and other attractions. Here are a few
places to visit during an average day
in Berkeley.
Telegraph Avenue
The most popular place where
teenagers congregate is the famous
Telegraph Avenue.
With an interesting mix of college
students from the University of Cali-
fornia at Berkeley and local residents,
Telegraph attracts people to its variety
of shops, restaurants and interesting
tattoo parlors.
Throngs of people enjoy the scene
of the six-block stretch of musicians
playing instruments and booths sell-
ing tie-dyed shirts. At night, the street
transforms into a more relaxed and
trendy place. The streets are filled with
lights, teenagers and people looking
for entertainment.
From bookstores to vintage cloth-
ing, this avenue attracts even the most
transcontinental individuals. It is a
place for everyone to come and enjoy
themselves at their leisure.
Tilden Park
For those more interested in the
outdoors, Tilden Park is a place where
one can go and enjoy a hike.
The park provides a wide selec-
tion of trails of varying difficulty
and has an interesting assortment of
wildlife and plants throughout to keep
the hikes interesting.
There is also a beautiful lake in
the park where teenagers can enjoy a
picnic or a ride on the merry-go-round.
For golfers, Tilden Park is a great place
to host a tournament or to just play a
casual round with friends.
Also located in Tilden Park is a
petting zoo, The Little Farm, where
children and students can come to play
with cows, pigs, goats, geese and other
animals. It is a great place for families
to explore and a fun place for teens to
hang out with friends.
November 19, 2007 • B7
Places to Eat
Finding the perfect place to eat
in Berkeley is not a problem with the
wide range of cuisines and restau-
rants. For those craving a good slice
of pizza, Pie in the Sky Pizza serves
the best pizza in Berkeley at afford-
able prices.
However, if searching for a
delicious brunch menu, visit Venus,
a downtown Berkeley restaurant,
that offers great food and a casual
atmosphere mixed with students
and families. The food is served at
an amazing pace and the people are
very friendly.
Shen Hua, a great, yet slightly
pricey Chinese restaurant, serves some
of the best crispy potstickers and hot
soups in all of Berkeley. Located right
on Russell Street near College Avenue,
this restaurant is the perfect place to
join friends and enjoy an authentic
Chinese meal.
Music Stores
Many teenagers in Berkeley often
find themselves hanging out in the
city’s many music stores. Amoeba
Music, on Telegraph Avenue, has one
of the largest selections of music in
the Bay Area.
A wide selection of music fills the
store and draws music lovers from all
around Northern California. Amoeba
often holds events to bring people
together, such as costume contests for
Halloween or live concerts.
Rasputin Music Store, just down
the street from Amoeba, also attracts
many music enthusiasts, and is con-
sidered the best independent music
store in the Bay Area.
Rasputin also provides live music
performances to attract customers
and showcase artists; however, like
Amoeba, it also has a great selection
of used CDs and local labels.
Going to Berkeley isn’t only
exciting for college students, it is also
a great place for teenagers to come
and hangout.
It is an amusing area to visit
for those wanting to see a different
environment and those wanting to be
entertained.
B8 November 19, 2007

A&E The Campanile

Paly dancers break it down

Chu On This:
Spud Search

feet planted. The pike is a freeze with

Alan Chu
I punched the numbers into the
phone one last time. The muted ringing
was abruptly interrupted by a high-
pitched voice. It said something about
a saint; I was too tired to listen. I went
over the words in my mind, then drew
a breath and took the plunge: “Do you
serve any baked potatoes?”
The place I called was St. Mi-
chael’s Alley, a restaurant in down-
town Palo Alto. The squeak on the
other end said that the restaurant
did not serve any baked potatoes.
The voice then started to list out the
restaurant’s selection of potatoes,
from mashed to fried and moved on
to their selection of New York steaks
in a single breath. The voice spouted
out dishes like a drunken man shout-
ing out curses. So, like I do in both
situations, I tuned the voice out. After
the phone call, I crossed St. Michael’s
Alley off my list of restaurants. It was
4:44 p.m. and I was about 20 minutes
into my search for baked potatoes in
Palo Alto.
This all started with a hunger-
induced hallucination for potatoes.
There I was, sitting in front of the
television, until several potatoes
started to materialize in front of me.
I could even see the steam drifting up
from the spud, tantalizing me with
promises of immense flavors swirling
around in my mouth. I could not even
remember the last time I had eaten a
baked potato. Before I knew it, I was
at my computer, looking up restaurants
to go out to find one.
Five phone calls later, I had no
information to lead me to any potatoes.
I then called up Taxi’s. I asked the
Paly breakdancers, junior Mickey Luangviseth (left) and senior Kelvin Wang (middle, right) perform their power moves, some of the
most difficult moves in breakdancing. Wang began breakdancing at age 11 and inspired Luangviseth to start breakdancing as well.
By Josh Lo
Staff Writer
The lights are out and the room
is ablaze with neon lights. The
hypnotic music rocks the room and
the crowd is wild as the lights close
in on two dancers who are facing
off in the ultimate form of dancing:
breakdancing.
Breakdancing, a form of solo
dancing that involves rapid acro-
batics performed to the rhythm of
rap and hip-hop music, is quickly
gaining popularity at Palo Alto High
School. “When I saw a lot of well-known
Breakdancers, also known as
b-boys and b-girls, know that the art
form of breakdancing requires bal-
ance, strength and rhythm. Therefore,
many dancers begin learning at a
young age.
Senior Kelvin Wang began
learning breakdancing at the age of
11. He was inspired after watching
professional breakdancers dance in
a competition at Mitchell Park Com-
munity Center.
guys in the breakdance scene, it made
me want to start learning,” Wang
said.
Wang gained inspiration from
many renowned b-boys, in particular
B-boy Poison, who ranked first in the
competition.
“He pretty much started me off
and taught me a lot of basics,” Wang
said. “It all started from there.”
Michela Fossati-Bellani/The Campanile
Wang later inspired junior Mick-
ey Luangviseth to break.
“I started watching videos after
watching Kelvin [Wang] break,”
Luangviseth said. “Those got me all
pumped.”
Wang and Luangviseth have de-
veloped their own signature moves.
“I’d have to say that my signature
move would either be my front flip or
my pikes,” Wang said.
A front flip involves rotating the
entire body forward and landing it,
both legs in the air and the free hand
holding on to the feet.
Both Wang and Luangviseth can
do a number of other moves as well.
For freezes, Wang can perform a num-
ber of hallowbacks, which are bridges
with feet not touching the ground
that can be done in many variations
such as a headstand, handstand and
on the elbows.
Most impressively, Wang and
Luangviseth can also perform many
widely recognized power moves,
displaying the flashiest elements of
breakdancing.
“I can do some power moves
such as windmills, jackhammers and
crickets,” Wang said.
Power moves are moves that
require a lot of practice and experi-
ence to master because of their high
difficulty.
“Breaking utilizes almost every
action your body can do and requires
stamina,” Wang said.
Luangviseth also describes how
power moves are difficult to do.
“I’m what you call a style head,
but I love power too,” Luangviseth
said. “It’s just a little hard to learn
because you need so much energy
for power.”
Style and personality are some
of the most important aspects of
breakdancing.
“Rhythm is important,” Wang
said. “But to have your own per-
sonality and style to go with is what
counts.”
Both Wang and Luangviseth
continue to breakdance and advise
that future breakers do so as well in
order to improve.
“You gotta keep to it no matter
what, because things will only get
harder and harder,” Luangviseth
said. “You just gotta stick to it like
glue because afterwards, it’s worth
it in the end.”

Former Paly student finds her calling

well-worn question again. They said
yes, “We do serve baked potatoes.”
Several frantic minutes later, I was at
their counter ordering my first and last
baked potato in Palo Alto: a root the
size of my head, smothered with ched-
dar cheese, flat sour cream and stale
bacon. Despite the lackluster quality
of the toppings, I had already become
addicted. I didn’t know it then, but I
would soon learn that baked potatoes
are habit-forming, like Pringles or
banana cream pie.
After my first taste, I had to have
more. But it was too late to order again
at Taxi’s — I was already at home. The
urge for another potato was too much;
I rushed to my computer and once
again, to get help from the internet. Not
even Google could provide relief from
my gnawing hunger. The clock drew
slowly to 6:00 p.m. and I was getting
desperate for another succulent potato.
Then my mom heard my mumbling
about baked potatoes. She told me
Wendy’s serves baked potatoes. A red
flag went up; the closest Wendy’s was
in Redwood City, not in Palo Alto. I
decided to go anyway, as I was grow-
ing more desperate by the hour. I tried
to convince myself that I did not have
an addiction, but I knew that I was in
a state of pure denial
Upon my arrival, regret started to
wash over me. The place was dingy
and smelled faintly of burnt food. I
quickly glanced at the spud. Then I
stared at it full on, disbelieving. Only
sour cream and butter accompanied
the small potato. The vegetable was
puny, a mouse could probably carry
the thing if it were not so hot. Even
the sour cream was disappointing; it
came in a packet and oozed out in an
ominous white paste.
With one gentle poke, the po-
tato exploded into confetti. I was
desperate and managed to shove the
pieces down. Considering that it was
a fast food restaurant, it was almost
decent.
With a full stomach, I stopped my
quest. In two hours, I had called six
places and visited two. The only place
in which I found a decent spud was at
Taxi’s. It was Wendy’s tiny potato that
stopped my quest from getting out of
hand. “Maybe all the other restaurants
are like it,” I thought.
You should never give up reach-
ing for your goals, whether they are
baked potatoes or something bigger,
although I can’t imagine what could
be more important.
Ariel Gore’s memoir chronicles her world travels after dropping out of high school
By Sarah Stringer
Spotlight Editor
When she was 16, Ariel Gore, then a student at Palo Alto
High School, needed to escape. So she took the General Educa-
tion Development test, dropped out of school and spent the next
three years traveling the world.
“I was really losing my mind at 15, at 16,” Gore said. “I felt
like I needed to figure out what was me and what was geography.
Was I crazy or was I living in a crazy-making life? In Palo Alto
in those days, everything that seemed real and meaningful to
me was disappearing.”
After she returned, Gore continued to travel and lived in
Oakland until 2000. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon.
Looking back, she realizes the importance of her initial
travels. To document her experiences, Gore wrote Atlas of the
Human Heart (2003), using her teenage voice to portray her
journey from Asia to Europe and her flight from the oppressive-
ness of the Silicon Valley.
The narration begins with a description of Paly as she knew
it, where there was a spot on campus for everyone.
“Finding your place was simple once you understood the
rules,” Gore writes in the opening chapter. “You could get a map
of the campus from the guidance office and start by drawing three
concentric circles radiating out from the quad to the streets and
then calculating your family’s annual income.”
Much of Gore’s descriptions of Palo Alto are dominated This map shows various places that Ariel Gore traveled to. She flew to Hong Kong, China, then to Tibet and Nepal,
by her central idea that her hometown, once a haven for hippy India, Amsterdam, Netherlands and Italy. She came back to Palo Alto after living independently for three years.
ideals and laid-back liberalism, was quickly deteriorating into a
superficial suburban city. However, at the end of the school year she ran out of money Through her travels, Gore realized the value of instinct,
In the novel, she watches as the town’s landmarks disappear, and had to leave. Departing from compassionate and helpful courage and flexibility. Although she made impulsive decisions
as teenagers are pushed aside and as money starts to transform friends, Gore continued her exploration without a source of and found herself in difficult situations, she began to take life’s
her beautiful Palo Alto into what she calls “Shallow” Alto. income. events in stride.
Looking at the Bay Area today, Gore still notices the effects From then on, she experienced life as a penniless traveler, “I don’t think we’re ever prepared for the world,” Gore
of affluence shadowing its fundamental attractiveness. without any attachments and living from one moment to the said. “We just have to go out into it. We have to trust our guts
“There’s something about the soulfulness of the Bay Area next. irrationally. There is so much fear in the world right now. And
that has a very hard time with large influxes of money,” Gore She barely missed a political massacre in Tibet, traveled sure, we have to watch our backs, but all times are dangerous
said. “The money comes in and people seem to get very caught through Nepal with a young boy who both sold shoes and conned times. Safety is totally overrated.”
up in both greed and liberal guilt about their own greed. Then tourists, visited a holy temple with a French Buddhist, acted in Gore ends her novel with the birth of her daughter and
the money settles down a little bit, ebbs just enough and folks an amateur movie and ventured through India. her flight back to San Francisco as a 19-year-old, although her
can relax into the beauty again. And that beauty, miraculously, Finally, she became a smuggler in Asia and ended up experiences with travel have lasted much longer.
seems to survive.” stranded in Amsterdam. From there, she began journeying Gore is now the author of other books including The Mother
An adolescent spectator to the destruction of the town she through Europe, finding a group of drug-addicted young adults Trip, The Hip Mama Survival Guide and The Traveling Death
grew to love, Gore longed to find herself in the midst of all who helped each other find shelter and money and who stuck and Resurrection Show. She is also the editor of The Hip Mama
these changes. together to survive. Magazine.
Working to save money and only going to school for one The last stop of her trip was in Italy, where she lived as a Gore mentions that Palo Alto has not changed much since
class period a day — Tom Schellenberg’s creative writing class pregnant 19-year-old with an abusive boyfriend until her mother her years here. She returned last year to find that it is still a gor-
— Gore finally decided to leave Paly. traveled to meet her for the first time in three years and take her geous yet conflicted town, striving for moderation yet struggling
She bought a one-way ticket to Hong Kong and packed home. with greed.
only a carry-on with clothes and her copy of I Ching, leaving Although Gore gradually lost control of her life when To the students of her hometown, she offers her advice:
her home and starting a three-year journey in which she hoped her resources ran out, she learned valuable lessons that have “Drop out and get a real life and education. Don’t get plastic
to grow and discover who she truly was when stripped of all remained with her. surgery before you’re 30. And — I realize this will nullify all
she knew before. “It was difficult to start traveling completely broke,” Gore pervious and subsequent advice, but — don’t do what you’re told.
As a solitary 16-year-old traveler, Gore received many re- said. “As a girl particularly, you leave yourself pretty vulnerable. Don’t take my advice or anyone else’s, unless it lines up with
marks from strangers about how crazy she was. Without much of Having said that, I wouldn’t do anything differently. You live your own truth. You can be successful because you are smart and
a plan, she made it to the Beijing Language Institute, where she and learn. You live and develop your intuition — and the only creative and tenacious, or you can be successful because you are
arranged to live, take classes and tutor for a reduced price. way to do that is to start doing what it says.” obedient. I would suggest that the latter isn’t very satisfying.”
The Campanile A&E November 19, 2007 • B9

Tech Museum exposes bodies

Museum in San Jose features preserved human organs in new exhibit
By Annie Vought
Staff Writer
A woman’s eyes dart between
the pleasant smile of her companion
and the man sitting before them, her
expression aghast. “Can you imagine
that this is inside your body?” she
asks of her friend. “You look so nice
on the outside!”
It’s a reasonable question: the
man she is comparing her friend to is
separated into hundreds of individual
pieces. The organs hanging on the ceil-
ing belong to Exploded Man, one of
more than 20 fully preserved human
corpses exhibited at Body Worlds, now
on display at the Technology Museum
in San Jose.
Body Worlds is a critically ac-
claimed exhibit, an exploration of
the human body that includes over
200 preserved human specimens and
corpses. The show began its first stay in
Northern California in late September,
and will reside at the Tech Museum
until the end of January.
The Process
The bodies are preserved through
a special process known as “plastina-
tion,” the patented method developed
by the exhibit’s creator, German anato-
mist Dr. Gunther von Hagens. The ex-
hibit was originally intended to serve
as an aid for physicians and medical
students, but the world’s overwhelm-
ing fascination with the plastinated
bodies induced von Hagens to share
his work with the public.
The origin of the bodies remains
disputed ­— von Hagens claims that
all of bodies were those of willing
donors, though it is rumored that some
were illegally imported from Asian
prisons — but that hasn’t stopped
nearly 25 million people worldwide
from visiting Body Worlds since its
1996 debut in Tokyo.
During plastination, a chemical
called formalin is pumped through
the corpse to halt tissue decay, and
silicone is used to replace the water
and fat in the body. After this treatment
the body is sliced, diced, posed and
then hardened with heat.
The term “plastination” is derived
from the plastic-like qualities that the
flesh eventually retains, which enables
von Hagens and his colleagues to
freely manipulate the body. On aver-
age, each corpse takes a year to prepare
before it is ready for display.
Bones and Organs
At Body Worlds, every nook
and cranny of the human anatomy is
revealed. The exhibit begins subtly
enough. A femur is sliced length-
wise, each area and material of the
bone meticulously labeled, opens
the exhibit. The sections of a skull
are separated in order to illustrate
the various components which fuse
together during infancy to create the
human head. A long strand of verte-
brae lays on a table, the column of 35
individual bones snaking eerily into
a double-‘S’ shape with every bit of
cartilage still intact.
A plastinated hand and foot are
among the small bones and joints
at the starting line, offering visitors
their first look at plastinated flesh.
The muscle tissues of the specimens
are stringy and taught, stretched like
webs of beef jerky over the networks
bones, ligament and tendons.
A shoulder blade lays flat on the
table like a clam shell as light passes
through it; the bone is shockingly thin
and nearly paper-like.
Full Body Plastinates
Plastinated bodies of all ages and
sizes pack the gallery, arranged in a
variety of creative poses to highlight
various areas and functions of the
human body.
Muscle Man and Skeleton is
the first full human plastinate in the
show, a hauntingly rigid male figure
containing nothing but muscle tissue,
shadowed by the skeleton of the same
man. Plastination allows for muscle
structures to stand independently,
and here the two forms, both from
the same corpse, mirror each other’s
pose in order to illustrate the intricate
relationship between the muscular and
skeletal systems.
The skeleton is holding hands
with the bone structure of a child, its
young ribs still tipped with cartilage
and prepared for growth. There are
certain components of the body that
would not be seen on an artificial
model, like scars and pores, that are
reminders that each plastinate once
had a life of its own.
Visitors may be surprised to see
that the outer eyes of Muscle Man are
still garnished with a ghostly fringe of
lashes even after plastination, the hairs
still looming over the barren sockets
of the hollow head. Ringman hangs
from two gymnastic rings in the ceil-
ing, his arm and chest muscles tensed
with effort. Gaping holes in his body
reveal the blood vessels pathways and
visible nerves that run all throughout
the body. A few feet from Ringman
is an assortment of nervous-system
regulars, like an entire brain still at-
tached to a spinal cord, a brainstem
and spliced sections of gray matter. A
spaghetti plate of nerves stems from
the cord, its wiry appendages inching
across the table. The entire central ner-
vous system of a person hangs from a
string, the outline of a human formed
by literally nothing other than major
nerves, the tiny noodles that create all
the feelings in the body.
Baseball Player is a plastinated
man at bat, the tension in his muscles
perfectly illustrated as one half of his
body contracts and the other stays
at rest to compensate. The Baseball
Player’s back is slashed apart to further
expose the working muscle groups.
Across the room, Exploded Body
impresses visitors with its colossal size
and intricacy: every muscle, bone and
organ is separated from one another,
and each droops from the ceiling by
a fishing line.
The Mother and Baby
An entire room of Body Worlds
is dedicated to human development,
an incredible glimpse at the rapid
growth that occurs within the womb.
The umbilical cord, a dense braid of
veins and arteries, still protrudes from
each placenta.
In one corner, a tiny third-month
fetus lays curled up within the confines
of a woman’s open uterus, accom-
panied by two meandering fallopian
tubes and a pair of ovaries.
Even younger fetuses display the
shadows of eyes, ears, a nose and a
mouth after remarkably short periods
of development. A group of ten test
tubes show the incredible change that
a fetus undergoes during its second
month of growth. Woman Being Life
is a plastinated pregnant woman, her
bulging abdomen partially removed http://www.thetech.org/bodyworld/
to unmask the seven-inch fetus inside The San Jose Technology Museum features plastinated human bodies in their new exhibit, Body
her cavernous womb. A slit in the Worlds 2. The original Body Worlds has appeared all around the world, beginning in Japan in 1995.
plastinate’s back exposes the black
smoker’s lung of the mother. clearly portray the density, configura- rial. A child’s heart and lungs lay in Discover Yourself
tion, and texture of the subject. contrast next to the lungs of an adult, It’s through the peculiarities of
Joints and Cross Sections Throughout the exhibit, such a dense microcosm of bronchi, capil- the exhibit that Body Worlds really
Joints, too, make an appearance cross sections are used to describe laries and alveoli. shines. The careful attention to detail
at Body Worlds. The patella has been various areas of the body, from lungs, A rib cage stands complete with in preserving eyebrow muscles which
pried from a severed leg to show the to knees, to the entire thoracic com- a diaphragm and an acrylic block appear like two flat noodles plastered
hinge joint of the knee, displaying the partment. containing the vein structure of an to the forehead of a plasticate man or
pod-like protrusion which loosely nes- entire human arm are a mere sampling inadvertently humorous captions such
tles into the cartilage-filled, friction- An Educational Opportunity of the oddities on display. as “this skateboarder’s upside-down
reducing space between the femur, All of the information at Body The organs of the digestive sys- trick offers an insight into the anatomy
tibia and more than ten other bones, Worlds is highly accessible and is pre- tem sit uncoiled, so viewers can see of the buttocks,” display the creators’
muscles and cross ligaments. sented matter-of-factly, giving visitors for themselves the massive python of candid love for the mysteries of the
A deconstructed hip joint reveals a visual learning experience. digestive tract they too hold curled up human body and invite the visitor to
just how ball-like a ball and socket Specimens are joined by detailed inside of them. uncover their own inner workings.
joint really is. The spherical end of the placards, displaying educational but A sizable portion of the body parts As visitors exit Body Worlds, they
femur is perfectly round and polished. brief and easily digested descriptions are far from perfect, and are therefore are invited to leave feedback about
Healthy joints are contrasted with of the organ’s function, what may have nothing short of health-inspiring. “Fat the exhibit in one of several thick,
those of less fortunate specimens: caused the deformation of a particular livers” and livers with cirrhosis, the spiral-bound guestbooks.
with the artificial replacements hip that bone or what occurs at a fetus’s current blackened and shriveled lungs of a After only a few weeks at the
extends a metal rod into the marrow state of development. coal miner and the lumpy blue tissue Tech Museum, the volumes are almost
cavity of the femur, and with several Yet, despite the plethora of human of a collapsed lung with a lesion, full, with comments ranging from ap-
brittle, deteriorated joints affected by body parts, the twenty wholly pre- clogged aortas, degenerated hips, preciative to disgusted, perplexed to
disease like arthritis. served human bodies are what make preserved blobs of belly fat, enlarged enthralled. One visitor quoted from
Incredibly thinly-sliced cross sec- Body Worlds truly unforgettable. spleens and cancerous kidneys might the Bible; an ancient psalmist wrote a
tions of plastinates give the impression Another piece that sets Body persuade even the most skeptical of verse that perfectly embodies the spirit
of air-cured deli meat, cast in acrylic Worlds apart from other museum viewers to change their diets or other of Body Worlds: “In a fear-inspiring
and placed over a light box so as to shows is the utter lack of filler mate- unhealthy habits. way, I am wonderfully made.”

Ambitious student band strives to reach childhood dream

By Kairen Wong
Lifestyles Editor
Ambitious. That’s how Palo Alto High
School senior John Kutay describes his band
Alma de Ramona.
He is joined by senior Tim Hedge, on
drums, and sophomores Shawn Berry on bass,
and Jenner Fox on lead guitar.
Kutay hopes to perform and eventually
get a record deal. The four-month-old band
practices whenever all four have free time,
and has already written more than ten original
songs.
“We do not just ‘jam,’” Kutay said. “We
actually practice in the same way a pianist
would work for a recital or something. We
think about all the musical elements that make
the songs work. In rehearsal, every song we
have is sort of rewritten each time.”
The four members hope to perform soon,
but are still working out their style.
“Our genre is kind of hard to define since
we have not really found our sound yet,”
Kutay said.
Fox, who plays lead guitar and sings
back-up with Berry, said the group’s sound is
closer to rock than pop. Fox shares Kutay’s
ambition for the band.
“I have been in bands before, but they were
stuck in the garage phase,” Fox said. “We’re
going to try to play for people.”
The band recently played for an audience
at an Oct. 12 party. Possible venues for future
performances include the Jungle in downtown
Palo Alto, the Elks Club and the Paly Quad.
Alma de Ramona draws inspiration from
a variety of famous musicians.
“We all listen to different types of music,”
Fox said. “John and Tim are influenced by
The Police, and Shawn by alternative music.
I listen to all types of stuff.”
The band does have some common
sources of inspiration. Kutay names The
Beatles, The Police, Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Maroon 5 and John Mayer as well as the
genres of blues and reggae are the band’s main
influences Composing is left to either Jenner
and Shawn together or Kutay alone.
“We work out the chord progression, add
to it and then form the melody,” Fox said.
Playing in a band has been a dream for
most of the members. Fox and Berry have
played together for years.
Kutay is serious about becoming a musi-
cian and has taken all types of instruments at
the Preparatory Division of the San Francisco
Conservatory since a young age.
“I was writing songs as a little kid, before
I knew I was writing songs,” Kutay said. “In
the same way that little kids pretend to play
games like G.I. Joe or Power Rangers, I would
make songs on my guitar and pretend to be in
a world famous band when I was five.”
Alma de Ramona may encounter some
problems staying together when two of its
members, Kutay and Hedge, leave for col-
lege next year.
“If I somehow wind up living in the area
next year, I’d definitely keep on playing with
this band. It’s a very talented group of musi-
cians and great group of guys,” Kutay said.
Every member plays three or more in-
struments. Additionally, each contributes to
writing the melodies and lyrics.
“We basically just want to have a lot of
fun with it,” Kutay said. “We want to try to in-
corporate everything we’ve ever experienced
in music or life into the band.”
With broad talents and plenty of ambi-
tion, Alma de Ramona seems to have a bright
future.
“I have been in a lot of bands in my life-
time,” Kutay said. “This is definitely the best
one I have ever been in.”

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B10 • November 19, 2007 A&E The Campanile

Bagel vendors carry wide selections
While House of Bagels has bagels for the best value, Noah’s Bagels carries a wider selection of bagels,
spreads and alternatives. However, a toasted bagel with cream cheese still remains the most popular order.
By Alex Greene
Staff Writer
The average American eats a ba-
gel every two weeks, so where can one
find the best bagel in Palo Alto?
This question has long plagued
soccer moms, brunch hosts and hungry
teens alike. Three shops have long
dominated the bagel market in Palo
Alto: Noah’s Bagels and House of
Bagels, both on University Avenue,
and Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels on Cali-
fornia Avenue.
Noah’s Bagels
As a franchise with over 70 loca-
tions scattered across the West Coast,
Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile
Noah’s Bagels has a feel reminiscent
of Starbucks. When the small store
turned into a chain, it lost its homeli-
ness and comfort in the process.
Upon first walking into the store,
the first thing one notices is a hor-
rid burnt smell. One discovers later
that the smell is burnt sesame seeds
from globs of debris attached to the
sesame bagel for which one must
wait 25 minutes to get, despite the
uncrowded store.
The employees seem unhappy
and exhibit poor service, a common
characteristic of franchise employ-
ees.
As for the bagels, they tend to be
larger than those from the other two
restaurants, although the larger size
comes at a higher price: $0.99 per
bagel without spread or $2.29 with,
and $7.49 for a baker’s dozen.
The soft, chewy texture of Noah’s
bagels only suits the sweeter bagels.
Among the few advantages of
Noah’s is that they always have a
variety of new bagel flavors and other
meal options such as sandwiches,
salads and bagel dogs.
The blueberry, chocolate chip,
cinnamon sugar, pumpkin and cracked
peppercorn bagels are the best flavors
at Noah’s.
The cinnamon sugar has a but-
tery flavor to it, and the blueberry has
more berries than those from Izzy’s
and House of Bagels.
House of Bagels
House of Bagels is the best value
in Palo Alto. At $0.70 a bagel, or $6.95
for a baker’s dozen, it is far cheaper
than Noah’s or Izzy’s.
It also offers mini-bagels for
$0.35 each, for those with smaller
appetites.
While the selection is limited and
the bagels are slightly smaller, the
service is fast and there are plenty of
places to sit and eat.
In addition to bagels, House of
Bagels offers a small selection of
pastries and drinks.
The best flavors at House of
Bagels are the cinnamon sugar and
the everything (garlic, onion, poppy
and sesame seed) bagels. The cin-
namon sugar bagel has exactly the
right texture and an appropriate level
of sugar.
Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels
Izzy’s Brooklyn Bagels, which
still maintains the East Coast Jewish
bakery feel, has the best bagels in
Palo Alto. Everything on the menu
is kosher and Izzy’s offers a variety
of options.
The bagels are mid-sized and
have a wonderful crunch to them.
The poppy and sesame seed
bagels are covered in so many seeds
that the bread is not visible. The extra
seeds make the bagels even crunchier
and give them a fantastic texture.
Izzy’s also has the best cinnamon
raisin, plain and egg bagels. The cinna-
mon raisin actually has whole raisins
in it, as opposed to the pieces of raisins
that the other stores offer.
The bagels are $0.95 each without
spread, $2.50 for one with spread and
$9.25 for a baker’s dozen.
The most amazing thing about
Izzy’s is that the service is remarkably
fast. For the best and most authentic
New York bagel, Izzy’s is the place.
Noah’s Bagels is an expensive
excuse for a simple New York bagel.
While Noah’s offers options other
than bagels such as sandwiches, these
additions are unnecessary. Why go
to the bagel store for anything other
than a bagel?
Although Izzy’s had the best
bagels out of the three, it can be
quite expensive, especially in large
quantities.
For this reason, House of Bagels
has the best value because they are
cheap and simple, and service is quick.
For better bagels Izzy’s is the place,
but if cost is the most important factor,
head to the House of Bagels.

Delicious, crispy duck makes American Gangster

up for unsatisfactory service captures audience By Rye Druzin
Senior Staff Writer

American Gangster, starring Academy

Peking Duck, a typical Chinese restaurant located on the corner of El Camino Real and Cambridge Avenue, attracts
customers with its specialty: the crispy duck, which is served with sweet Hoisin sauce, tortillas and green onions.
By Auster Chen
Staff Writer
Squeezed between other businesses on
El Camino lies the Chinese restaurant Peking
Duck.
Despite the loud  traffic outside, the
atmosphere inside is calm and friendly. The
restaurant’s dim lighting makes the custom-
er feel even more at home. Marred only by
slow service, Peking Duck offers an enjoyable
dining experience.
This Chinese restaurant has a nice family
atmosphere. The moment a party arrives,  a
waiter immediately escorts it to a table and
presents the menu. All the tables are indoors.
Among the tables is a big table for large
parties.
Many seats are placed near the windows
to provide a view of the outside. Although the
food is fantastic, the wait between dishes can
last as long as 30 minutes.
Peking Duck serves the usual Chinese
staples such as fried rice ($6.50-$10.50) and
potstickers ($4.95).
Other than typical Chinese dishes, Peking
Duck also  serves its famous Peking duck,
which almost all customers order when they
dine at this restaurant.
The half Peking Duck ($12.95) comes
with wraps, Hoisin sauce and green onions.
To eat this, the sauce has to be put on the
wrap first, followed by the duck meat and
the green onions. The entire dish is delicious.
The duck is crispy on the outside and soft and
juicy on the inside.
Although the skin of the duck is crispy,
it is not to the point that it becomes hard to
eat. The Hoisin sauce adds a sweet flavor to
the duck.
The Deluxe Shredded Duck Soup
($6.50)  offers a great taste, which makes
up for the slow service. Shredded pieces of
duck, mushrooms and bamboo shoots all
come together to make the soup perfect. The
duck is cooked perfectly alongside the soup.
The mushrooms are soft and juicy while the
bamboo shoots are slightly crispy. The soup
has a perfect consistency.
Another great dish is the prawns with
honey-glazed walnuts ($12.50), which con-
sists of prawns coated with sauce that makes
them taste sweet and to the side there are honey
glazed walnuts.
The prawns are a bit too sweet. While
the dish is satisfactory,  the walnuts  cannot
compare to the taste of some other Chinese
restaurants’ honey-glazed walnuts.
The stuffed cornish hen with rice ($8.50)
is nothing special. The chicken is very crispy
on the outside but near the inside layer, there
is tender chicken meat. The center of each
piece is filled with rice. The dish is appeal-
ing, but the rice in the center is  too sticky.
Although the chicken is cooked well, the rice
ruins the dish.
The stir-fried beef fillet with Shiitake
mushroom ($10.50) is a delight. The beef
Allie Bolella/The Campanile
is chopped into medium-sized slices and
stir- fried, and is accompanied by barbecue
sauce. The beef and the mushroom also go
well with white rice.
The Hunan scallops and calamow with
broccoli ($12.95) is disappointing as it is
mainly filled with vegetables. Occasion-
ally, you can find a piece of scallop, which
tastes fresh and juicy.  transport large amounts of pure heroin to the
The fresh broccoli is neither overcooked
and mushy nor raw and crunchy. The dish has
a thin pool of thick broth underneath it to make
it even more flavorful.  Although never a heroin user himself,
After the delicious entrees, one can
order the  tapioca dessert ($2.95), which  is
extremely sweet and is served cold with tiny
tapioca pearls.
Overall, Peking Duck is a great restau-
rant that serves delicious food. Everything is
cooked perfectly.
However, the service  is slow and the
dishes come at 30  minutes intervals; some
are even forgotten.
Despite its slow service, the Peking Duck
is still a great restaurant that serves quality
Chinese food in a comfortable atmosphere.
Peking Duck
Location: 2310 El Camino Real,
Palo Alto
Hours: Mon.-Sun. 11:00-9:30 p.m.
Phone: (650) 856-3338
Prices: $3.00-$12.00
Award-winners Denzel Washington (Train-
ing Day) and Russell Crowe (Gladiator),
is a gripping drama that follows the lives
of Frank Lucas (Washington), the notorious
heroin kingpin of Harlem during the 1970s,
and Richie Roberts (Crowe), a detective who
works against Lucas to try to bring his opera-
tion down.
Washington plays Lucas superbly, dis-
playing Lucas’ determination to stay out of
prison and keep his business running. Wash-
ington’s quality acting deserves consideration
for another Academy Award.
Crowe’s acting is comparable, as he shows
how Detective Roberts pulls himself out of a
hole and is able to work with dedication and
hard work to take down Lucas.
The movie, based on a true story and set
in New York, follows Lucas’ climb through the http://www.fandango.com
ranks of drug dealers during a time when heroin Russell Crowe stars in this crime drama
was becoming Harlem’s drug of choice.
filled with drugs, money and suspense.
Insisting that he is a businessman, Lucas
goes directly to the source: Thailand. Using scenes where he gives out turkeys during
an Army contact in Bangkok, Lucas is able to Thanksgiving and pays rent for different
community members. Lucas is able to use this
United States using the coffins of American to his advantage, as many people, including
soldiers. This allows him to sell a more pure, family members, look up to him.
cheaper product than his competitors. The film captures the downturn that Har-
lem finds itself in, as many Harlem residents
Lucas is able to build up a huge operation turn to heroin.
without ever being directly involved in the Director Ridley Scott (Hannibal) gets into
selling of his product. the nitty-gritty of police work and heroin deal-
In the middle of all this is Roberts, a de- ing, showing how Lucas distinguished himself
tective, has fallen on hard times. His family from other heroin dealers as a businessman, not
leaves him and his partner overdoses on the a gangster. Scott’s use of close-ups gives the
same heroin that Lucas is selling. Determined impression of being in the room as well.
to rid the city of corrupt cops and heroin, American Gangster is a must-see film.
Roberts sets out to build up a case against The combination of Washington and Crowe
Lucas. Roberts, along with an informal team is a clincher and both give award-winning
of narcotics officers, goes after a drug opera- performances. Scott’s directing provides for
tion bigger than the Mafia. a constantly changing scene, with varying
Washington plays Lucas very well, show- camera angles and plot twists.
ing how Lucas rose above small time heroin
dealers to become bigger than the American American Gangster
mob, and how his intricate system of peddling
Director: Ridley Scott
heroin allowed him never to be in direct contact
Cast: Denzel Washington, Russell
with the drug. Instead, it was sold through his
family members via legitimate businesses. Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Running Time: 2hr. 37 min.
Washington also effectively shows how Lucas
is, ironically, “a man of the people” through Rating: R

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Bonafide Thai spices up downtown area
Bangkok Cuisine remains one of the best-kept secrets in Palo Alto
By Miki Kenrick
Staff Writer
Do not be fooled by the sparse number
of diners: Bangkok Cuisine on Lytton Avenue
in downtown Palo Alto is one of the best-kept
secrets in local dining.
A side table adorned with small ivory
elephants, lush green plants and other knick-
knacks greet customers as they enter. The
room holds 15 small tables, some of which
are pushed together to create a more family-
friendly atmosphere.
Each table is covered with a mint-green
cloth. Crystal glasses and white plates rest
on top, as well as green napkins folded into
a perfect spiral.
Bangkok Cuisine’s atmosphere is ex-
tremely cozy. It is not a large restaurant by
any means, but small enough to provide a
family atmosphere. The dimmed lighting and
candles create a soft, romantic glow around
the room. Along the walls hang paintings of
old Thai artwork and plants.
Near the entrance to the kitchen hangs a
picture of the King of Thailand, which wait-
ers acknowledge every time they pass. There
are two menus by each plate, one regular
and one vegetarian. Both are covered with
old Thai art.
Bangkok Cuisine’s prices are very reason-
able in relation to the generous portions served.
Appetizers start at $6.95 for spring rolls and
go as high as $9.95 for crab cakes. The menu
offers a variety of selections: appetizers, soups,
salads, beef, pork, poultry, seafood, noodles
and the house specials.
Entree prices range from $6.95 for a
Bangkok salad, which consists of assorted
vegetables, sliced chicken, broiled egg and
dressing, to $16.95 for the salmon green curry
with a deep-fried salmon, combo seafood,
eggplant, hot pepper, sweet basil, coconut
milk and green curry.
Other entrees include the Beef Bamboo
($8.95), Beef Curry ($8.95) and Thai Musalim
Chicken Curry ($8.95). The latter is a mild
dish with chicken, potato, carrot, pineapple,
and peanut cooked with a yellow curry sauce
and coconut milk.
Roti, a crispy bread served with peanut
sauce, is one of the most popular appetizers
A&E November 19, 2007 • B11
at Bangkok Cuisine. The sweet, thick sauce is
a perfect companion to the crispy bread that
lingers on the taste buds just long enough to
be finished with the tangy taste of the cucum-
bers. The sizable platter of roti disappears in
just minutes and is an incredible way to start
off the meal.
The Beef Curry is a spicy dish with beef,
red curry, bamboo shoots, bell peppers, sweet
basil and coconut milk, and contrasts with
the beef bamboo: sauteed beef with bamboo
shoots, bell peppers, sweet basil, chili and
garlic.
Each order is served on a large white china
plate decorated with blue designs. Every dish
has its own unique taste.
The Chicken Yellow Curry ($8.95),
comprised of chicken, potatoes and carrots,
is cooked in a yellow curry with coconut milk
and is a must-have.
Although the curry is a simple dish,
Bangkok Cuisine gives it a completely new
and refreshing taste. The tender chicken has
a unique texture and blends well with the
potatoes,carrots and other vegetables in the
dish.
The dish arrives simmering in a sweet
curry and coconut milk sauce. Mixing these
with rice, which comes on a separate silver
platter, creates an amazing combination. It is
the perfect dish for a picky eater, as mixing it
with rice dilutes the spice of the dish.
The Musalim Chicken Curry is similar
to the Chicken Yellow Curry but has more
spice to it. Although the sauce is more flavor-
ful, the pineapples are a perfect touch seldom
found in Thai cuisine. Each bite of sugary
pineapple explodes with a warm, sweet taste
that gives the dish a perfect balance between
sweet and spicy.
Dishes that are starred with an asterisk Stacy Levichev/The Campanile
on the menu, such as the Beef Curry and Beef One of several Palo Alto Thai restaurants, Bangkok Cuisine offers a fine dining experience without forcing customers
Bamboo, are especially spicy. The spiciness of
to empty their bank accounts. With a variety of different items, even the pickiest of eaters can find an enjoyable meal.
the dishes were balanced well with the minty
flavor of the bamboo shoots. one dish that stands out most is the Musalim wonderfully with the creamy center, and
In both dishes, the beef is surprisingly Chicken Curry. The sweet pineapple is a perfect perfectly complements the sweet vanilla ice Bangkok Cuisine
sweet, which complements the other spices addition to an already extraordinary meal. cream.
Location: 407 Lytton Ave, Palo Alto
in the dishes well. However, the meat was The fried banana ($2.50) is an amazing An unbelievable variety and the com-
also very chewy, as if it had been cooked for way to finish a meal at Bangkok Cuisine. A mendable quality of food, along with friendly Hours: Daily 11:00 a.m. to 3:00
too long. split banana is fried to a perfect golden brown service and an incredibly cozy ambience, p.m., 5:00 p.m. to 10:00
Overall, all four entrees are a miraculous and served with vanilla ice cream. The crispy combine to make Bangkok Cuisine a remark- p.m.
blend of sweet, spicy and minty flavors. The texture of the banana’s outer shell contrasts able restaurant. Prices: $6.95-$16.95

B12 • November 19, 2007
Rangoon serves up Burmese dishes
By Allison Coleman
Staff Writer
Rangoon, a small, well-decorated Chinese and Bur-
mese restaurant located on Bryant Street in downtown
Palo Alto, provides a comfortable setting and reasonably
good Burmese and Chinese food for prices that won’t
empty your wallet.
When customers step into the small dining room of
Rangoon, they enter a cozy area that is well-lit but not
obnoxiously bright.
The staff is friendly and always ready to seat guests
right after they walk in the door. The tables are spread
throughout the room and though the space is relatively
small, they don’t feel too cramped or too close together.
The waitresses take orders soon after guests are
seated and are very helpful in recommending dishes to
suit one’s taste, as well as in explaining details of dishes
for those who are not familiar with authentic Burmese
and Chinese cuisine.
The extensive menu boasts a wide variety of original
dishes. Most of the items on the menu are Chinese, but
the few Burmese dishes are worth ordering.
The Chinese pot stickers ($4.75) are nothing out of
the ordinary. The doughy exterior overwhelms the delicate
chicken and vegetable interior which unfortunately makes
them unflavorful and lacking zest and powerful spice.
On the other hand, the Samusas ($3.95) are served
with a vinegar-based sauce that ads flavor to the piping
hot pieces. The samusas are composed of a potato fill-
ing surrounded by a crunchy, deep-fried wrap. The dish
offers just the right variation of texture and a delicious
start to a meal.
For a main dish, the Burmese Curry Chicken with
Potatoes ($8.50) provides a delicious taste of flavorful
curry, soft potatoes, chicken and colorful vegetables for
an artful flourish.
The vegetables and potatoes are delightful, but the
chicken is a bit chewy. The flavors more than make up
for the less than tender meat, making this dish well-worth
trying.
Though the menu warns customers that the dish is
“hot and spicy,” it is not too spicy, even for people used
to mild food. If customers want a little extra spice, they
can specify this to the waitress and the chef will kindly
oblige.
The Bean Curd with Vegetable in Brown Sauce ($6.50)
is more bland than the Curry Chicken, but the vegetables
are very fresh. The dish is filled with carrots, bok choy
and other tasty vegetables. The brown sauce is slightly
salty and gives the bean curd some flavor, but overall the
dish lacks a powerful tang.
As far as rice and noodles go, the menu offers a wide
variety of choices from plain steamed rice ($1.50 per
person) to Ah Sone Thok ($7.25), a noodle salad replete
with tofu, noodles, potatoes and cilantro. The coconut
rice ($1.50 per person) tastes similar to plain rice, but
has a delicate sweet flavor that complements many of the
dishes on the menu.
The fried rice ($5.50) is available with a selection of
pork, beef, chicken or vegetarian. The vegetarian version is
A&E
Clockwise from top: curry chicken served with soft potatoes and vegetables, Rangoon’s main
dining room, and Chinese pot stickers filled with chicken and surrounded by a doughy exterior.
loaded with freshly cooked peas, egg and crunchy carrots,
and is topped with a sprig of parsley for show.
The Falooda ($3.50) dessert should be avoided. It
looks colorful and unique in its presentation of candied
red and green fruit, nuts and tapioca balls over pink ice
cream, but it tastes terrible. The melted ice cream is sweet,
but oddly flavored, and the candied fruit adds nothing to
the overall taste of the dish.
Rangoon provides decent food, but it does not offer
any extraordinary flavor. The Burmese dishes outshine the
Chinese selections, but guests should not expect amazing
spice or flavor in many of the dishes.
Spirit
Julia Benton
with Elizabeth Petit
The week of Oct. 29 concluded with a
bang as the senior class slipped past the
sophomores to win Spirit Week 2007.
The most exciting part of the week,
however, so was the unique attire worn
by Paly students and staff. Seniors
showed up at school on Tuesday
wearing togas and gold leafs (above)
indicating their preference for Caesar;
while freshman sported running shoes
and jerseys in the style of Healthy
Choice. On Friday, the school united
as all grades wore green clothes. A
number of students went so far as to
paint themselves green (left). Perhaps
encouraged by the green stands, the
Paly football team triumphed over the
Los Altos Eagles 49-17.
1
The Campanile
in
1700
Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile
This edition featuring
Alex Kershner
with The Campanile’s own
Sara Reihani
The Campanile: How’s being a freshman on
Varsity soccer?
Alex Kershner: Kind of intimidating. The other
goalies call me “freshmeat.”
TC: Favorite and least favorite parts of being on
Varsity?
AK: The best part is getting to play with the best
soccer players at Paly and having better competition.
The worst thing is not having my friends on the
team; I have lots of friends on Junior Varsity.
Some look up to me because I’m on the Varsity
team, but some are kind of mad at me.
TC: How do you get your kicks in soccer?
AK: The adrenaline and the rush of the game. Goalie
is a particularly rough position because you get to
tackle people, and it’s a way to get out all my anger.
Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile Tackling is a hobby of mine.
TC: What other sports have you played?
AK: I played basketball for a few years and gave it
up last year to focus on soccer full time. I just didn’t
have as much fun with basketball; I had bad experi-
Rangoon is worth the visit, if only because of its af- ences with coaches throughout my basketball
fordable prices. Customers should not expect much more experience, and it kind of ruined it for me. If I had to
than a well-priced, filling meal. play any other sport, I think it would be pretty cool
to play lacrosse or softball. Lacrosse, I have been
Rangoon told, is very much like soccer, brutal and intense.
TC: How intense is soccer?
Location: 565 Bryant Street, Palo Alto AK: Soccer is the most intense game there is. Unlike
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 11:30 football, there are no timeouts, no fouls every two
a.m.-2 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m. seconds, no pads for when you tackle. The people
Mon.-Thurs., 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. who play it are awesome. They are very in shape.
Prices: $4.50-$8.50 You have to be committed to play. It just kicks ass.
You have to play it to understand.
TC: If you could be any animal, what would you
be?
AK: I would be a lion. Lions are fierce. They take
down their prey, and they’re pretty.
TC: How do your goalie gloves smell?
AK: So bad. They are unbearable. I have glove
deodorizer but it doesn’t work. I wash them about
once every two weeks; The day that they are washed
they smell fine, and the next day they start smelling
again when I practice.
TC: How often do you practice?
AK: I have practice every day and sometimes two a
day, because I do extra goalie practice. The Stanford
keeper is my coach. Paly soccer is right after school,
until 5:00, then I’ll have keeper practice from 6:00 to
7:00. I work on a special skill, like diving or punting.
TC: What’s the Paly soccer scene like? Hot goss?
AK: Everybody is nice to each other. There’s no
bad drama or gossip. Some girls might be mad that
they didn’t make Varsity; other than that, everyone
is nice. It’s too early in the season for rumors.
TC: What’s your favorite pre-game meal?
AK: I like to have a carrot cake Cliff bar and a
Strawberry Nirvana Jamba Juice.
TC: What’s the audience at Paly soccer games
like?
AK: Soccer is a greatly underestimated sport, and
some people are really bored watching it. I can’t
blame them. Unless one team is really good and
one’s terrible, I can’t stand watching soccer on TV –
I fast forward to the goals. Loyal parents come to our
games, but as long as my teammates are there,
going strong, I don’t mind. It’d be nice to have more
Paly students come out to watch their teammates
play, but I’m not complaining.
TC: What is your favorite soccer team?
AK: I have many. Stanford is my favorite college
team, and professionally I like Chelsea. They’re a
powerhouse in Europe. They are amazingly good. I
can’t stand watching the games on TV, but I like
rooting for somebody.
TC: Do you feel strong enough to beat up on
upperclassmen?
AK: It’ll take a while for me to feel comfortable
enough to push them, but they are warming up to
me. It’s a little awkward. Everybody’s so big and
more mature. I’m kind of the jokester of the team…
some consider me a joke and some think I’m a funny
person. It’s a weird experience. They’re a little
scared of me because I’m the same size as most of
them.
TC: What would you do if you were at a
restaurant and the food started moving?
AK: I would scream and flip out. If my mom were
with me, she would probably sue the restaurant.
TC: If you had to get a tattoo, what would you get
and where?
AK: I’d get a ladybug or soccer ball on my ankle,
small enough that my parents wouldn’t see.
TC: Last words?
AK: Go Paly! Come watch our games, be-
cause we’re awesome. Ernesto is a good coach.