The State of the Senior

A Loose Thread

2010-12-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

The opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities seem to invoked to characterize every epoch, example and event from the current economic crisis to the disappearance of three young brothers in rural Michigan, from the annual holiday season to a looming journalism publication date.

We've so liberally applied an ever-thinning layer of literary consequence to the most mundane of activities that the effect has worn similarly thin. An overuse of pop literary references is but one of the innumerable reasons to darkly prophesy about the demise of American Culture, but it's not really worth it.

What's kind of worth thinking about is how literature has continued, to whatever faint degree, to pull together an increasingly diverse and, one might argue, disparate group of people - because in high school, they all had to sit in relatively uncomfortable chairs and stare at the words metaphor and symbol on the blackboard and write out quotes that might be useful in supporting their theses and more likely than not, read The Great Gatsby.

Our required reading, although seldom relevant and frequently irksome, means any given student and I share a literary history. If our conversational skills are abysmal enough, we can at least rely on finding common ground about The Awakening's dreadful pacing and how much English teachers tend to enjoy letting their classes in on the "secret" that Shakespeare actually had a relatively foul mouth and a dirty mind (see Romeo and Juliet).

It's not 'elite' to recall literature. We all read it. And odds are, it went something like this.

"Our freshmen schemes, best-laid but undone
Were for the east, and Harvard was the sun.
Then Lords of the Flies at last were we,
Brave New World of living skills and Chem AC.
Puritan dilemmas and APUSH all night
Fed American dreams of Gatsby’s green light.
Then the sun rose on our Neverland of seniority
East of our Edens, footloose, fancy free
This last time will required literature hold us akin.
But soft! – the light beckons! – Let the golden age begin."

Twitter: All in all, a good egg

2010-10-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

Conventional wisdom: Twitter is a time-waster for gossip-mongers, vapid celebrities, and other people who a) think people care enough to read how long they cooked their poached egg before sliding it onto their whole wheat toast or b) have so little self-esteem that they enjoy reading how long other people boil their ovoids before devouring.

Now, some of this is true. Twitter, if you check it as often as you do Facebook and email (which you will), takes up time.

It does take comparatively less time, as you're reading life in 140-character morsels and not in seven-paragraph wall posts or (even worse) 14-page Google Doc attachments, but Twitter is a distractor, no doubt about it.

And yes, most of what is on Twitter doesn't matter. (Some tweets don't even make sense.)

But there's something kind of cool about knowing that you can say something and A-N-Y-O-N-E can read it. Creepy, but cool.

Plus, if I were to post (hypothetically....of course) "OMG @msleamichele ur teen choice awards dress was SOOO gorgeous!!", there would be the possibility that she would respond...preferably in the manner of "aww thanks!! u can have it if u want!"

But in all practicality, Twitter is now all but essential in conducting any successful mass-marketing or media campaign - political, personal, or professional.

I happen to know at least one teacher who uses it to post homework for his students, which I happen to think is awesome (and soooo useful!).

There are certainly those (and always will be those) who still think Twitter's a useless time-waster, and they're certainly entitles to their opinion (and may even be a little bit right).

But if you don't mind, I will continue to be the first to know about Bergdorf's new leopard-print booties AND who will be the next guest start on Glee AND why there were sirens outside my window at 3am last night.

Signing off - follow me at @samaratrilling!

...or not. :)

An Endless Realm of Possibility

2010-08-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

You know that summer feeling? The one you get when you wake up on the first day of vacation and realize that you have two months ahead of you? The one where you can feel the time stretching out before you and yes, there's an end, but it doesn't matter because there's ALL THIS TIME in front of it?

That feeling can be incredibly wonderful. It can also be one of the single most frightening sensations possible.

The New York Times recently published an in-depth feature characterizing a new stage of life: 20-somethingness, or "emerging adulthood", distinct from adolescence. The story, which will also grace the cover of the upcoming Sunday magazine, paints a "psychological profile" of emerging adulthood, distinguished by "identity exploration, instability, self-focus, feeling in-between and a rather poetic characteristic...'a sense of possibilities.'"

These same qualities apply to an unplanned summer. The joy comes from the possibility that something amazingly wonderful will happen. The anxiety comes from the possibility that nothing will.

Obviously, planning a full summer reduces the impact of these feelings. I spent six weeks studying Arabic at the University of Chicago, and am now able to express my academic goals and meteorological preferences (see below), and I do not feel, as I have in the past, that my summer was wasted.

However, I realized on a profound level that for me, the way to limit the regrets I have about how I spend my summertime - the feeling that I've missed out on so many of the possibilities that were open to me at the beginning - is to do what I want and learn not to criticize my judgment later.

Did I start working on college essays in June and finish all my AP English assignments a week early and read the collected works of Charles Dickens and sign myself up for ballet classes and secure an internship for the year? No.

But I did wake up every morning. I got to class every day at 8:30am. I chilled with some 30-year old grad students and walked to the beach in Chicago and played soccer at midnight and went swimming in a fountain at 2am.

Objectively, I didn't do as much as I could have. I didn't fulfill the majority of possibilities that were open to me.

But I think it was a pretty damn good summer. And that's what matters.

This is my Arabic presentation.

July 19, 2010

.انا أحب مدينتي. الطقس في بالو التو جاميل دايما و ممطر اخيانا فقط. انا يحب الطقس الثلج لكن التقس ثلج ابدا. بالنسبة مها و انا احسن فصل هو
الخريف. نحب هو لان التقس لا حار جدا و لا برد جدا.
انا طالب في مدراسة ثانوية و حذ الصيف انا ادرس بجامعة شيكاغو. سادرس العلوم السياسية و اللغة العربية في جاميعة. الان اندي الصف خمسة ايام في الاسبوع - كل يوم لكن لا السبت و لا الاحد. ايام الصف طويلون و صعبون لكن احب هم. ـ

I like my city. The weather in Palo Alto is always pretty and it is only sometimes rainy. I like snowy weather but the weather is never snowy. According to Maha (the character in our textbook who is the most awesome person ever) and me, autumn is the best season. We like it because the weather is not very hot and not very cold.

I am a student at a high school and this summer I am studying at the University of Chicago. I will study political science and the Arabic language in college. Now, I have class five days a week; every day except for Saturday and Sunday. Class days are long and difficult but I like them.

UChicago for Dummies

2010-06-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

This summer, my horizon-broadening method of choice is studying intensive Arabic at the University of Chicago for six weeks. Classes start today and end on June 30 (for me). I’m staying in a dorm with 244 other high school students from around the country (and the world) who are also taking various college courses.

First day of classes! Beginning at 8:30 A.M! The weather is muggy and cloudy.

I was nervous so I only ate a spoonful of yogurt and a couple bites of apple for breakfast. Neither bookstore had the textbook I need, so that sucked.

The professor is cool, though – he’s from Iraq and he told us that if we don’t participate the class will be really boring (and we’ll fail the class because participation and attendance is 25% of our grade).

I was actually really surprised at how much we covered on the first day. We went through the first seven letters of the Alif-Baa and learned how to say “hello” two different ways, “My name is Samara,” “What’s your name?” “Welcome” “I’m sorry” and “thank you.”

Actually, we only learned “I’m sorry” because of me. We were introducing ourselves to the person next to us and I was concentrating so much on saying the right thing that I didn’t look up from my paper at all. I started to turn to the next person and ask them their name and the professor was like, “Samara, you didn’t even look at him.”

So I asked him how to say “I’m sorry” and now we’re all good. I think.

In any case, we don’t need our textbook until Thursday. I ordered it on Amazon.

I’m sitting in the lounge on the first floor with kids from New York City; Memphis, TN and Istanbul, Turkey. Two kids are doing their CompSci homework and dishing about this guy in their class who is hella annoying and really stupid to boot. And he’s an actual University of Chicago undergrad student.

The others are discussing how Stephen Hawking communicates and speculating about his sex life. But in all fairness, three of them are trying to get the fourth guy to stop talking about it.

Direct quote: “Do you ever get sad thinking about how many things you will never be able to understand?”

“No, I get sad because other people are stupid.”

The two kids who are going to be here for 10 weeks are also buying a minifridge from some random guy named Young Choi or something. Our RA said she’d go pick it up from him and bring it back to the dorm.

She’s cool.

Anyhow, signing off now. Tonight we can go to the top of Sears Tower or go see some hipster band in Millenium Park. Our RA group is planning to go to Europe instead. Ciao!

A Gift for the Next Generation

2010-05-31T13:34:00.000-07:00

Dear APUSH Class of 2010-11,

Congratulations on signing up for what may be the most challenging - and also the most incredible awesome - class available at Paly. Throughout the course of next year, you will discover the joys of the American Pageant (including Thomas "Long Tom" Jefferson's large hands and feet), bond with your classmates over DBQs at 3 in the morning, and learn more than you thought was possible about an era in which literally nothing happened (thank you, Gilded Age).

The following is my gift to you, for your edification and amusement: an essay I wrote for one extremely stressful test in less than an hour. I believe the essay prompt required students to determine whether foreign policy during the late 1800s and early 1900s was a departure from or continuation of previous policies. Good stuff.

Enjoy!

[See below for clarifications.]

1880-1900 Foreign Policy DBQ pg. 1 1880-1900 Foreign Policy DBQ pg. 2 1880-1900 Foreign Policy DBQ pg. 3 1880-1900 Foreign Policy DBQ pg. 4

pg. 1

A. I was quite proud of my grade on this paper, although I only got the extra point because the DBQ question required that you include information from the previous unit (which is unusual).

B. The reason "Doc G" is circled with a question mark is that I mistakenly thought that the document was referring to the Monroe Doctrine (it was actually the Open Door policy). Oops...

pg. 2

A. My teacher's handwriting is spectacularly unintelligible [upon occasion]. Here are the comments he wrote:

1. "Roosevelt Corollary?"

2. "Well, not sure about 'characteristic' - Mahan's ideas will be realized, especially by TR"

3. "OK - good. Reason you need a strong navy."

4. "Parallel to previous critics?"

5. "More nuanced - how did WW [Woodrow Wilson] act in Western hemisphere?"

pg. 3

Again, a translation of comments:

1. "Not exactly; good to see a common commercial motivation"

2. "Again, a qualification. Explain."

3. "How successful?"

4. [He took issue with my assertion that Wilson was forced to intervene in Latin America; hence the question mark.]

5. "Not clear to me; why is WWI involvement seen as an expansion-related issue?"

6. "Okay - but this is a straw man." [I'll note parenthetically that this is a widely-accepted device in many wonderful political speeches. Apparently not so much in APUSH papers.]

pg. 4

"Good essay; document use mixed, some done well; I appreciate you see nuances, but you must be clearer - hinting at nuance, (i.e. generalizing without support) - weakens your argument."

So there you have it. Even with as many less-than-complimentary comments as are on this page, it's still absolutely possible to get an A. And you'll probably learn some stuff from them too.

Best of luck, new APUSHers! Get out there and have some fun before junior year - but not too much fun. You've got three novels, two textbook chapters and two Spirit chapters to read and notes on the chapters and two one-page responses to write before August 24.

iTunes Senior High?

2010-04-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Deep breath - sigh.

I cannot wait for college. Days of two or three classes in moderately fascinating subjects, all starting well after 10am, with enough free time to sit down and read a book or even just breathe, will be a reality for me and my classmates in just about a year.

That vision (well, that and Glee) is one of the only things that's kept me going the past few months of junior year and through the long slog to next week's AP tests (wish me luck!).

In making the traditional pilgrimage to four-year educational institutions over Spring Break, I got to sit in a few college classes, which were at least edifying if not electrifying. Particularly in lecture classes, I noticed that there were not that many people there. And among those who were, the frenetic notetaking (or alternatively, silent stupor) that frequently pervades many of my classes was just not present. People listened; or they jotted down some thoughts; or they checked their Facebook on their computer; or they just weren't there.

These students have the benefit of something we in high school do not (besides frat parties and fifteen a cappella groups): iTunes U.

iTunes U is a free service from Apple that lets universities upload videos of classes. Obviously, it may have the effect of slightly decreasing student attendance, particularly at some of the dryer lectures, but it's also a fantastic resource and an easy way to make up work if you're sick.

And I, for one, think high schools should do the same thing.

Okay, so I'm not advocating that no one go to class and instead stay in bed and watch the forlorn teacher write a lot of stuff on the board and ask sadly, "Are there any questions?"

This would primarily be a resource for missed sick days. But in my book, there's nothing wrong with making high school a bit more like college, and this would certainly cut down on student stress.

If, you know, it's a nice day, and I know that all we're going to be doing in physics is taking notes (and yeah, maybe I stayed up a little late last night watching The Daily Show and making brownies) but I also wasn't feeling my best, I would like to have the option of staying home and later watching what my class did that day so I don't have to email my teacher, schedule a time to talk with him or her the next day about what I missed, and ask one of my friends if I can borrow her notebook to get the notes before she needs it to study for her AP Bio test.

This way I can hear exactly what my teacher said, take my own notes, and come back with a much better idea of the work I missed. Videotaping classes is also the only way students can catch up with class discussions and would make labs a lot easier to make up.

It's simple - once we outfit the classrooms with videocameras and the teacher with a small mike. (Hey, what's Measure A for, right?)

I wouldn't object if the administration kept the current rules for excusing absences and even the new Saturday School policy to keep students from abusing the privilege of full class periods on demand on their iPods.

We're all going to be in college pretty soon. Shouldn't we be getting used to taking more responsibility for our own education? Learning how to manage our own time? If the point of high school is truly to prepare us for college, there is a realistic value to letting students learn how to deal with freedom earlier than later.

So yes, this is my pet project for education reform. (Doesn't everyone have one?)

Is it likely to happen? No.

But hey! We are getting two new high-tech classrooms built. We are changing to a four-day block schedule.

Next year's a new year. Anything could happen.

Shedding Light on Night

2010-03-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

Discussing hate and prejudice in school is never easy. Talking about these sensitive issues in a group with school board members, your classmates, and your mom can be even more uncomfortable.

However, the Palo Alto community has risen to the challenge in an effort to bring these issues out into the open.

School board member Barbara Klausner said she hopes to address issues of cultural understanding with an upcoming forum called "Growing Up Asian in Palo Alto" from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31, at the Mitchell Park Community Center.

Panelists and community members of all ethnicities will discuss cultural issues of increasing prominence, including perspectives on the importance of getting into college and other related topics.

Klausner's event will follow a successful community dialogue centered on anti-Semitism hosted by sophomores from David Cohen's Facing History and Ourselves classes.

The 10th grade classes led a community discussion on Wednesday night in the library in concurrence with their study of the controversial Holocaust book Night by Elie Wiesel.

"We are here to face the racism and prejudice that, no matter how much we try to ignore it, thrives here, even at Paly," sophomore Al Brooks said. He cited insensitive remarks by a past city official, the swastikas graffitied on the Tower Building in 2007, and even the tendency of Paly students to eat lunch in groups segregated by race.

Klausner, who was also a participant in the discussion, said she takes these issues very seriously.

"Al's comment, especially about how everyone knows where the Asian kids and the black kids and the Latino kids eat lunch, really worried me," Klausner said.

Cohen said he first got the idea for an evening of discussion and dialogue from a teacher in Georgia, who tried to plan a similar event but gave up.

"It's one of the missing pieces in my teaching — bringing it out of the classroom," Cohen said. "In a way, this was kind of my new years' resolution. It was also a good way to get to know my students."

In the months leading up to the event, students have posted blog entries, chronicling their planning process and ruminations on the book's graphic content.

Six group sessions followed the opening remarks, with different groups of students leading discussions and presentations of different aspects of the book. One of the smaller group sessions focused on confronting hate in the 21st century, especially in online interactions.

"A lot of people do it [post hateful messages] as a joke," sophomore Gerrit Gerritsen said. "After a while it starts to become acceptable."

The student leaders and the session participants both recognized some benefits of anonymity on the Internet, including how it can allow individuals to make information public in whistle-blower situations.

"The truth can sometimes sneak out," participant Nancy Greene said, referring to the photos of prison abuse in Abu Ghraib that came to people's attention through wide dissemination on the Internet, "but sometimes it needs to be anonymous."

However, the group also talked about the widespread abuse of technology and its role in perpetrating hate, especially in cultural contexts.

"The first person can say something without repercussions and because of the anonymity, people feel free to add on," Klausner said. "You can get this mob mentality that allows these things to happen.

"Eventually, you get to where is that point at which we can no longer keep going with that sense of human-ness. What's amazing about Wiesel is that he managed to maintain that humanity throughout the book."

Cohen said he is open to planning another event next year to continue community involvement, possibly with a different book.

"I've been thrilled with the outpouring of support," Cohen said. "I definitely want to continue in this direction."

This article was previously published in the Paly Voice.

WHO DAT? Blogging the 2010 Super Bowl Ads

2010-02-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

At approximately 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2, I sat down to watch my very first Super Bowl.

The game actually turned out to be rather exciting, even to someone like myself who knows precisely zip about football, but I was even more interested in the famed Super Bowl ads, which collectively are supposed to reflect the economic, social, and moral temperature of the entire nation.

And while this method of taking America's pulse was quite a bit more entertaining than, say, watching Obama's State of the Union address, the portrait it painted was also more alarming. I mean, I knew that most Americans get excited about beer, cars and Doritos, but this must be one of the first times an ad for an online employment agency can elicit the same mouth-watering sensation. And what was with all those ads with people slapping each other?

But regardless, the experience was intriguing.

So here are my responses to some of the more notable ads of Super Bowl XLIV.

One of the first ads was for Bud Light, because in times of recession the one thing America needs is more beer. And also auto-tuners so that white people can sound like T-Pain .

Then there was TIM TEBOW'S STUPID PRO-LIFE AD. It was kind of anti-climactic but oddly amusing because Tebow tackled his mother while she was talking.

Here's the gist of it:

TIM TEBOW'S MOM: "I love my son. He's my little boy."

AUDIENCE: Awwww.

[TIM TEBOW tackles TIM TEBOW'S MOM]

AUDIENCE: WTF??

TIM TEBOW'S MOM: "Timmy! I'm trying to tell our story!"

TIM TEBOW: Oh. Uh. Hahaha.

[Both grin foolishly at camera.]

AUDIENCE: …

Hyundai dominated many of the commercial breaks. In addition to sponsoring basically the entire Super Bowl, the Korean car manufacturer proved that it is smarter than Toyota by playing classical music during practically all of its commercials. And naming one of its newest cars "The Sonata."

There's also a new movie out about Robin Hood, who apparently was a gladiator who liked blowing stuff up until he turned to philanthropy in his later years.

Doritos had a series of remarkably violent ads:

1.A dog tases a man over a bag of chips.

2.A young child smacks his mother's boyfriend for taking his Doritos.

3.A man is very nearly buried alive in a casket full of orange potato chips. This is actually a recurring nightmare that I have.

4.A Dorito embeds itself in a man's neck. And kills him. WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICA??

Cars.com had kind of an interesting ad in which a man who saves the world doesn't know how to go about buying a car. (I learned how to say "Olive oil neutralizes jellyfish stings" in Italian.)

One ad started with a football player saying "This is a message for all the women watching the Super Bowl. This is the actual sound of my heart."

I, of course, thought was another FRICKING ANTI-ABORTION AD until he said "Women's heart disease is a real problem. And you matter to me. Especially if you're watching the Super Bowl." Then I kind of liked it.

After that, there was a Careerbuilder ad in which wholly unattractive people go to work in nothing but underwear. This was immediately followed by an ad for Dockers in which men march through the grasslands singing "Weeeear noooo paaaants!!!!"

I can only assume the placement was intentional.

Universal Studios bought an ad for the new Harry Potter Theme Park, which I hadn't known existed until that moment. My childhood died a little.

The NFL gets the award for Deepest Statement in an Ad: "The seasons may change, but there's always football." Wait, but they don't play football in spring...or summer...

Then there was an ad for March Madness. During the Super Bowl. Isn't that kind of like advertising for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving? Oh, wait...

Then there was one in which Megan Fox wonders what would happen if she sent out a picture of herself nude in the bathtub. I honestly do not remember what this ad was for, but I know it was totally unrelated to the subject matter.

The Denny's ads featuring screaming chickens were more than slightly disturbing as well. Maybe it's just me, but an ad for a diner that virtually promises to abuse animals does not make me want to patronize aforementioned diner. However, judging by the apparent flock of Paly students who enjoyed a free Grand Slam this morning and felt compelled to share their experiences, the ads were effective.

Finally, a man uses Google to find out how to go to Paris, find a job, meet a girl, marry the girl, and have a kid. Ironically, that was probably the cheapest ad to produce, and it was legitimately one of the best.

There you have it: a year in commercials for a multitude of products, the majority of which will make you fatter, poorer, and marginally less intelligent than you were before you bought them.

So, America: we've got one year to buy a personal fitness machine, work off all the calories we gained from eating chips and Cheez Whiz in front of the television, and revel in the triumph of an underdog football team before we again indulge ourselves in the uniquely American macho gloryfest that will be the 2011 Super Bowl. Enjoy!

The Junior's Guide to College: 2010 Edition

2010-01-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

Q&A With Private College Counselor Frona Kahn

Between AP classes, SATs, and watching frantic seniors submit college applications, navigating the pitfalls of junior year can be tricky. Professional college counselor Frona Kahn answered some of the most pressing questions.

Q: Is it true that now universities want "angular" kids (i.e. extremely involved and successful in one activity) rather than "bright, well-rounded" kids?

A: In general terms, private colleges are looking for students who are more "angular." However, if you are applying to the Ivies, you need depth and success in two major areas.
I'd approach this from another angle as well--why do colleges want this? First, they want to see that a student goes way "beyond" the normal involvement, is self-motivated, and strives for excellence. Secondly, colleges want to know that students will be key contributors on campus. For instance, high school students involved in math may participate in the Putnam Competition in college. Admission officers don't want to see "resume fillers", they want to see leadership and passion. Show initiative and be able to differentiate yourself from other students.

Q: Should juniors send their SAT scores to colleges?
A: If you have scores well above the top scorers granted admission during the prior year and are interested in a specific college, you can certainly send them. However, there are many other ways to get noticed by college admission officers.

Q: Any tips for doing well on the essay portion of the SAT?
A: It is a formulaic essay. If you have good knowledge of 5-10 key figures, leaders, and changemakers from history, you can probably adapt whatever question you get to fit that knowledge. Make sure you give strong examples. Practice using the rubric and ask and an English teacher to give you feedback, if possible. Make sure you read the prompt carefully and answer it.

Q: How many SAT Subject tests should students take? How should we choose which ones to take?
A: Choose tests where you feel you can be most successful. Get a practice test book and take a couple of tests.
I generally recommend that students take 3-4 subject tests and use the highest scores. It's helpful if you don't have to take all the tests on one day. That said, you usually want to wait till the end of the year in which you are studying the subject to take the test.
If you are heading towards the math and science area, you want to show proficiency in those areas. For instance, my eldest son, who is getting his Ph.D in theoretical physics at MIT, took the SAT 2 Physics test. As in most standardized tests, practice helps, and reflecting on your answers right after you finish a practice test can also be beneficial.

What advice would you give to juniors in general?

Try to take the long view on this process. I've found that there's a great deal of maturation and change that goes on between the time that you apply for college (next fall) and the time you send in your housing deposit (next spring).

On choosing the right college: Look for and apply to a school that fits you. Schools have personalities, and you are in this process not just to get accepted, but to be happy, meet friends, learn and flourish. The school that "fits" you may surprise you--be open to many different kinds of colleges, because undergrad is just one step in your educational process. Many of you will go onto graduate school. And look outside the US if that works with your family; for instance, one of my sons is studying at McGill in Montreal, Canada.

On college visits: Know why you are applying to the colleges on your list. Visit during spring break if possible and plan your visit well. Connect with professors and students in departments of interest. Share your interests with them and ask lots of questions. The right preparation for a college visit can help you write a stronger essay of "why" you want this particular school -- and that counts with admissions. Learn how to be successful in admission and alum interviews and present yourself as a strong candidate.

On preparing for applications: Look at the common application online and the various supplements needed for different privates. See what is asked. Don't start on the applications now, but know what's coming up.
One of our students actually said that filling out apps was fun. She followed her passions, which were music and language. She became the student choir director at her high school and helped mentor younger students, select repertoire, and conduct the ensembles. By the time she reached the application season, despite all the SAT stress, she had a lot to say about herself, and where she wanted to study and why.

On resumés: Start working on your resume during the next break. Keep adding to it monthly/quarterly. It will be much easier to fill out college applications with an organized list.

On internships: During this next semester and summer, seek to deepen your involvement in outside activities. Internships are important. One of our students was accepted as a fashion design intern in NYC two summers in a row and worked with several big name firms. But it took her 300 letters, countless phone calls, resumes, portfolios and interviews to secure her first internship. Another student interned in the Genetics Counseling Department at Stanford--again, it took tremendous work, effort and initiative to make this happen.

On working: Admissions officers love students who have paying jobs. They like the commitment this shows. A summer job can be helpful experience without getting in the way of schoolwork.

On financial aid: Many parents and students ask me how to get scholarships to pay for college. When we develop lists for students, we include colleges that we know will give merit-based aid (not based on income level, but on accomplishments). One of the students we worked with is now at a private college on a large 4 year renewable merit scholarship. It can be done!

On leadership: Look for opportunities to develop leadership skills. It will help you on your applications and it also helps others. Admissions officers are interested in seeing that you care about helping the community.

On Ivy League pressure: Realize that some Ivies accept only 7-10% of students that apply. That means they turn down 93-90%. I firmly believe, and this is reflected in our practice with hundreds of students, that it’s possible to get into top grad schools if you have done extraordinarily well in your undergraduate programs (at non-Ivies).
Grades do matter, of course, and taking the most challenging academic load, however, please, please try to stay balanced. Easier said than done, but it is possible.

Know that all of you will get into wonderful colleges and universities. Relish the journey. Ask questions, and trust your instincts. Best of luck to all of you.

Frona Kahn is the president of DesignWorlds for College and an experienced college counselor. She has two sons who currently studying at MIT and McGill.

In the Year 2009

2009-12-31T13:26:00.000-08:00

After several weeks' silence on this blog, I figured it was only fitting to finish off the decade with a multimedia feature.

The following videos, in my opinion, capture about the right mood for the year that brought us the absurd healthcare town hall meetings, Governor Mark Sanford's apparent penchant for hiking the Appalachian Trail, and Kanye West's inopportune outburst at the VMAs.

Disclaimer: These videos may contain material unsuitable for children, pets, or anyone with an unhealthy amount of nostalgia for the year 2009. Contains bleeped obscenities, simulated consumption of alcohol, and some jokes in very bad taste. Enjoy!

And yet, this year also saw the sobering inauguration of Barack Obama, the triumphal landing in the Hudson of the plane piloted by Chesley B. Sullenberger III and, most recently, a reminder that we have a long way to go in overcoming threats to the safety of the international community, especially when we're airborne several thousand feet above the earth.

In that somber vein, I offer this uplifting article, published in the New York Times.

A MIDEAST BOND, STITCHED BY PAIN AND HEALING

By ETHAN BRONNER

Published: December 30, 2009

JERUSALEM — He can be impulsive. She has a touch of bossiness. Next-door neighbors for nearly a year, they talk, watch television and explore the world together, wandering into each other’s homes without a second thought. She likes his mother’s eggplant dish. He likes her father’s rice and lamb.

Friendship often starts with proximity, but Orel and Marya, both 8, have been thrust together in a way few elsewhere have. Their playground is a hospital corridor. He is an Israeli Jew severely wounded by a Hamas rocket. She is a Palestinian Muslim from Gaza paralyzed by an Israeli missile. Someone forgot to tell them that they are enemies.

Read the rest of the article here.

Happy New Year! Best wishes for a peaceful decade.

Journey to the Sacred Homeland

2009-10-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

Pilgrimage is a pillar of all three major world religions. Although prayer is possible from anywhere in the world, physical travel to sacred monuments allows for a tangible connection to the history of belief.

I had the privilege to travel to such a monument. It is perhaps not as well known as the Wailing Wall, the Dome of the Rock, or the Vatican, but it shares a beautiful location, extensive security, and famous inhabitants.

It’s Barack Obama’s house in Hyde Park, Chicago.

The leafy neighborhood of Hyde Park has wide, quiet streets and dignified craftsman and colonial houses. Concrete blockades and signs at the entrance to Obama’s street inform visitors that “by entering this area, you are consenting to a search of your person and belongings,” but pedestrian access to the street is otherwise unimpaired.

The Obamas’ modest house stands across the street from a brick synagogue, Temple KAM Isaiah Israel. The synagogue’s intriguing architecture includes a domed roof and a towering minaret, congruent with the Moorish style of the synagogue’s sanctuary.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, the synagogue endured stringent security measures, according to Executive Director Tal Rosen.

“If someone was coming to the synagogue, they had to wait at the checkpoint and have the Secret Service call in and confirm that they were going to the synagogue, and then we had to go out and meet them,” Rosen said. “It was a hassle, but it does make you feel safe.”

Secret Service agents on duty at the President’s house do inform passersby that unless they are headed to the synagogue, they should not be on the road. However, this policy does not seem to be incredibly strictly enforced.

The two agents on duty at the time were quite amiable. One of them, an officer in the Chicago Police Force, told us he used to be an attorney. When my 10-year-old brother said that he thought it would be cool to be a Secret Service agent, the officer advised him to “stay out of trouble, do well in school, and don’t do drugs. It’s an important job.” Then he gave my brother a Secret Service lapel pin and posed for a picture.

Yes, even Obama’s home security agents are chill.

And the coolest thing is that the house next door is for sale.

Oktoberfest

2009-10-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

Everything seems to happen in October: fall sports, choir concerts, new seasons of TV shows, college apps, APUSH projects, APUSH tests, College Awareness Day, PSATs, SATs, Nobel Peace Prizes, 6-year-old boys not actually floating away in balloons, and – just today – the Malaysian government's underwater meeting to protest climate change. Plus five million other things.

Just how busy is October? Several Paly students responded. Enjoy!

1. My October's so busy, I wish I was a freshman.

2. My October's so busy, I don't have time to watch Glee.

3. October's so busy, the weather obviously spent only those two rainy days on winter and now it's spring.

4. My October's so busy, I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pXfHLUlZf4 (Warning: Parental supervision not advised.)

5. October's so busy, the Nobel committee couldn't wait for Obama to make peace before giving him the prize.

And personally, my October's so busy, I didn't have time to post this on my blog.

Halloween: Too Old to Trick-or-Treat?

2009-09-22T22:37:00.000-07:00

For me, Halloween represents three basic childhood experiences:

1. Getting candy for free.

2. Having my mom yell at my drunk neighbor who wouldn't give money to UNICEF.

3. Wearing bits of fabric that I would otherwise never be caught dead in because they're much girlier/sluttier/less comfortable/weirder than what is generally deemed socially acceptable.

But really, the candy and the costume are the best parts. After all, what's more fun than celebrating a pagan holiday by disguising yourself to ensure your safety form the living imprints of departed souls who rise from their graves on this one night to terrorize their former communities?

And let me tell you how happy I am to not be dressing like Sarah Palin this year. It was highly emotionally taxing.

As I recently discovered, contrary to popular belief, the Great Pumpkin actually does not appear at midnight to hand out Snickers and Hershey's to all who believe in him.

However, trick-or-treating did start as far back as the Middle Ages, when poor people received food on All Souls Day in return for their prayers.

But the fascinating part is why we, who are clearly not medieval beggars, also claim the right to collect on America's most profitable day for candy sales. When does it stop being okay? When are you too old to march up to a stranger's door, ring the doorbell, hold out a pillowcase, and rake it in?

Paly junior Camille Ezran placed the age limit at 9th grade - and that's only if you have a costume. "If teenagers show up without a costume, it's just annoying," Ezran said.

"I think you're too old to go trick-or-treating as soon as you might possibly be taller than the person handing out candy," Paly sophomore Maddie Kau said. "This being said, I actually did go trick-or-treating last year, but felt incredibly guilty about it."

Of course, this rule of thumb may cause problems for tall kids, especially when trick-or-treating at homes with diminutive residents, but it's a start.

Paly juniors Hannah Ohlson and Irene Wang are less harsh on their fellow students.

"I don't think you're ever too old, as long as you dress up," Wang said.

Ohlson agreed. "I think if you're a teenager, it's fine to go trick-or-treating," Ohlson said, adding, "As long as you're polite and don't take, like, 25,000 pieces of candy."

So, Paly, go dress up and hit the neighborhood hot spots, but be nice.

Happy Halloween!

Paly Spirit Week this year will take place Oct. 26 through Oct. 30. Halloween is the following Saturday.

The Paly Problem

2009-08-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

I spent the last two days learning how to inspire and relate to my very own group of incoming freshmen through a new Paly program called LinkCrew.

LinkCrew, championed by choir teacher Michael Najar and 9th Grade Guidance Counselor Paige Johnson, is designed to smooth the transition from middle school to high school by training upperclassmen to welcome, get to know, and stay connected with groups of freshmen throughout the year.

I learned how to play a ridiculous number of icebreaker games, how to give a decent campus tour, and how to arrange 64 sheets of paper on the floor of a classroom already jammed with desks.

But more importantly, I learned that Paly has a problem.

When we witness a tragedy, a travesty, or any other event that might be expected to reasonably affect a community, we tend to minimize, marginalize, and sometimes outright ignore it. Whether it's a fistfight at school, a classmate's failing grade, or something as severe as a suicide, our initial response is to assure ourselves that it has nothing to do with us.

While avoiding conflict is sometimes the best goal, we have to realize that each one of us is deeply connected to the Paly community; the newest freshman, the oldest senior, and even the most apathetic parent has a stake in the well-being of our students, our school, and our society.

Even if you're not the one to step in and break up that fight, even if you don't tutor your classmate to bring them up to a C-average, even if you didn't personally know the student who decided to end his or her life, you have to care.

The Paly tradition of acting like we don't care has to end. We have to break the conventional wisdom that caring is lame, stupid, socially unacceptable, and weak.

Palo Alto is a fantastic place. Both our high schools are in the top 100 in America. Some of the smartest people in the world live here. We're too smart not to care.

And the ironic thing is, none of the top CEOs and engineers and doctors and lawyers and scientists and venture capitalists got to Palo Alto by not caring. Every single one had to care, and care a whole lot, for their endeavor to succeed and land them here. Caring is key to success.

I know that so many Paly kids are terrific. We're there for our friends when they need us, and we genuinely do think about how to make other people happy. We do.

But as a community, we all have to acknowledge the intertwined lives of everyone in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Stanford, and everyone else who has the privilege to attend our fantastic school.

You might think that it's just not possible to discard tradition and summon positive action from everyone in the community.

But I know that in Palo Alto, with our Mac computers, Google searches, Facebook profiles, medical advances, linear accelerators, and amazing students, we eat impossible for breakfast.

CARE.

Black Eyed Peas: Let's Do This!

2009-08-02T01:12:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for amazingly profitable companies that establish foundations for the promotion of the arts in inner cities and partner with the foundations of amazingly profitable music artists and orchestrate summits for teens all over the world that end with performances by said music artists. Because sitting right in front of me at Adobe Youth Voices Live in San Francisco tonight were the Black Eyed Peas.

The Peas, who really were literally sitting two feet in front of me, got up to perform “Imma Be” from their newest album “The E.N.D.” with a youth dance group comprised of teens from Imani’s Dream Dance Troupe, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, and Mt. Pleasant High School in San Jose.

Fergie wore a black romper with what looked like 6-or-7-inch black and red peep-toe heels. They did seem to somewhat inhibit her dancing ability, but she stepped around rather gracefully. Apl.de.ap was in jeans and sneakers, which allowed him to perform several backflips onstage, while Taboo rocked a pair of white skinny jeans and a leather jacket, his hair pulled tightly back.

The event was the culmination of the three-day first-ever global Adobe Youth Voices Live summit that did indeed bring youth together from as far as Uganda, New Zealand, Jordan, and the UK to learn new media skills and share their own stories through the videos they brought with them.

Adobe Youth Voices partnered with the Black Eyed Peas’ Peapod Foundation to open “two new state-of-the-art music and multimedia academies for youth in Oakland and Redwood City, Calif.” Read the entire press release HERE.

Shantanu Narayen, president of Adobe, thanked the Peas for their partnership and enthusiasm. He also apologized for will.i.am’s absence (“He’s sick,” apl.de.ap said with a mock pout).

Fergie, who sounded surprisingly normal and down-to-earth, said she was “so excited and so proud of all this new talent that I see and I can’t wait to hear the success stories coming out of these new academies.”

She, like all of her fellow Peas, thanked Adobe profusely. “Thanks to all of you. There’s a lot of creative talent in this room,” she said, prompting huge applause from the audience.

Taboo started in Spanish, “I’m here to represent all of the Latinos from LA,” to enormous cheers. “We are so excited about the tools that we’ll be bringing to the kids – no, I don’t want to say kids, because they’re more than just kids. They’re our people.”

Taboo’s eloquence and erudition were really quite extraordinary. He clearly has a way with words – and people.

“So with that I say Let’s Do This. When you go home tonight and think about the kids putting it down, my troop putting it down, you say Let’s Do This. When you look at another person who’s showing their dreams in their career you say Let’s Do This. When you see Adobe and Black Eyed Peas partnering up you say Let’s Do This. So on the count of three I need everybody to say Let’s Do This. ONE, TWO, THREE!”

“LET’S DO THIS!!!”

There was a lot of love in that room, and we all had a feeling it was going to be a good night.

And it was.

Legal Brief: Sotomayor Hearing Day 4

2009-07-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

The following exchange between Judge Sotomayor and our good friend Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC, serves to summarize today's hearing:

GRAHAM: You have, I think, consistently, as an advocate, took a point of view that was left of center. You have, as a judge, been generally in the mainstream.

The Ricci case, you missed one of the biggest issues in the country or you took a pass. I don't know what it is. But I am going to say this, that, as Senator Feinstein said, you have come a long way. You have worked very hard. You have earned the respect of Ken Starr. And I would like to put his statement in the record.

And you have said some things that just bugged the hell out of me.

The last question on the "wise Latina woman" comment. To those who may be bothered by that, what do you say?

SOTOMAYOR: I regret that I have offended some people. I believe that my life demonstrates that that was not my intent to leave the impression that some have taken from my words.

GRAHAM: You know what, Judge? I agree with you. Good luck.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Huffington Post did a remarkable summary, including video, of the best moments of today's hearing, and I don't wish to reinvent a superb blog entry.

Read it HERE.

Full transcript of the hearings HERE.

Live video of hearings HERE.

Judging the Judge: Day 2 of the Sotomayor Hearings

2009-07-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Hearings for the Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor continued today, with senators beginning the meat-and-potatoes of the hearings: questions.

Senator Patrick Leahy, D-VT, Chair of the Judiciary Committee, started the proceedings with a question about the Second Amendment, a topic on which Sotomayor continued to field questions throughout the day. "I've owned firearms since my early teen years," Leahy said. "I suspect a large majority of Vermonters do. I enjoy target shooting on a very regular basis at our home in Vermont." He asked about the distinction regarding whether Second Amendment rights are "fundamental" or "personal" (apparently, there's a difference) but overall got through his questions without incident.

All the Republican senators continued to attempt to paint Sotomayor as an activist judge who made rulings based upon her personal biases. Senator Jeff Sessions, R-AL, got in some trouble with his aggressive questioning, but Senator Jon Kyl, R-AZ, seemed to really get to the heart of all the allegations against the Judge and for the first time, Sotomayor responded directly to the "wise Latina" comment.

"The words I chose, taking the rhetorical flourish, it was a bad idea," she said. " I do understand that there are some who have read this differently, and I understand why they might have concern.

"But I have repeated -- more than once -- and I will repeat throughout, if you look at my history on the bench, you will know that I do not believe that any ethnic, gender or race group has an advantage in sound judging. You noted that my speech actually said that. And I also believe that every person, regardless of their background and life experiences, can be good and wise judges."

Kyl respectfully accepted this.

But Senator Orrin Hatch wins the Most Awkward Questioning award. He, like many of his other colleagues, decided to talk about the second amendment, and got into a very detailed discussion with Sotomayor regarding Maloney v. Cuomo:

HATCH: As a result of this very permissive legal standard -- and it is permissive -- doesn't your decision in Maloney mean that virtually any state or local weapons ban would be permissible?

SOTOMAYOR: Sir, in Maloney, we were talking about nunchuk sticks.

HATCH: I understand.

SOTOMAYOR: Those are martial arts sticks.

HATCH: Two sticks bound together by rawhide or some sort of a...

SOTOMAYOR: Exactly. And -- and when the sticks are swung, which is what you do with them, if there's anybody near you, you're going to be seriously injured, because that swinging mechanism can break arms, it can bust someone's skull –

HATCH: Sure.

He finished it off with, "I want you to know I've appreciated this little time we've had together."

And yet, even Hatch's nunchuks could not compare to Senator Grassley's reaction when a protester began shouting during one of Sotomayor's reponses to Grassley's questions.

Senator Leahy, Chair of the Judiciary Committee, banged his gavel right away and said, "Officer, remove that man immediately. We will stand in order – Officers, you will remove that man!" (The officers removed the man.)

Leahy joined in the audience's laughter. He reiterated his mantra of respect and order in the court, then turned to Senator Grassley again. "Senator Grassley, we did stop the clock, so it did not take away from your time."

Grassley responded, "Thank you. People always say I have the ability to turn people on."

Understandably, it took a couple minutes for the giggles over that one to die down, and even Sotomayor, wiping the tears from her eyes, said, laughing, "I hope I remember where we were."

Despite momentary lapses in etiquette, general tranquility, and (in some cases) sanity, there seemed to be a camaraderie forming between Sotomayor and the senators, even those who will likely vote against her. The relative civility in what could be a terribly chaotic process of choosing a Supreme Court Justice, involving all three branches of government, speaks well of our legislative and judicial system. We may not all agree that citizens should be allowed to swing numchuks around the Washington D.C. greater metropolitan area, but at least we're not in Iran.

Read the full transcript HERE. Watch the hearings live if you can wake up at 6:30am Pacific Time.

Who Wants to Be a Supreme Court Justice? Part I

2009-07-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's nominee to replace Justice David Souter on the United States Supreme Court, today endured the first of what will be many days of confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. [This is the lady who, if confirmed, will have the power to make decisions on such sizzling issues as abortion, stem-cell research, and perhaps even gay marriage.]

Each Senator on the committee made an opening statement, with Senator Patrick Leahy, D-VT, presiding over an assembly of 19 lawmakers. These included our very own Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, Arlen Specter, Republican-turned-Democrat-because-his-reelection-chances-were-higher-PA, and Al Franken, D-MN, who drew some appreciative laughter with his remark, "As most of you know, this is my fifth day in office."

Sotomayor's now-famous "wise Latina" remark got an indecent amount of airtime, mostly in opening statements from Republicans, almost all of whom voiced "concerns" with Sotomayor's comments which suggest a bias towards certain groups. Some GOP senators even criticized President Obama for his advocacy on behalf of "judicial empathy." However, Lindsey Graham, R-SC, said in his opening statement, "Unless you have a complete meltdown, you are going to be confirmed."

Graham's opening statement was, in my opinion, rather garbled and certainly heavy in folksy language. He started off on the right foot with "No Republican would have chosen you, Judge; that's just the way it is." He proceeded to reference conservative Judge Miguel Estrada, a Honduran immigrant whom George W. Bush nominated to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2001. Graham seemed to be trying to make the point that because there exist both conservative and liberal Hispanic justices, Judge Sotomayor's ethnicity is not the issue at hand; rather, it is a question of Republican vs. Democratic ideals, but managed to pour out a stream of vaguely ethnically insensitive phrases.

Judge Sotomayor also made a brief opening statement. In the face of so many allegations concerning her impartiality and bias, she stated, "In the past month, many Senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy. It is simple: fidelity to the law."

Much much more will come on this topic as hearings continue and this blog will include updates and summaries throughout the week. Watch the hearings live on C-SPAN.

On Sleeping Late

2009-06-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

I love going to bed late. Unfortunately, I hate waking up late. Therefore, I am perfectly suited to a job as a CEO of a very small startup company, Barack Obama, or a sanitation worker (read: garbageman) who also works the late shift as a bartender.

My aversion to awakening when the sun is already halfway across the sky may not be shared by many of my fellow high school students, who may prefer to raise their head from a pillow just before dinnertime or, indeed, not at all.

Waking up late and feeling good about it requires a confidence that nothing worthwhile ever goes on while you’re not conscious and able to participate. Be it an important email you’re expecting, your family’s spontaneous decision to go to Six Flags without you, or even just breakfast, there is always the anxiety of missing something by sleeping in.

On the other hand, sleeping in is the main attraction of summer, and, based on a voluntary poll, most of my peers are either able to overcome the fear of missing some vital morning event or just don’t really care what happens while they’re unconscious.

In summer, on average, Paly students hit the sack at 10:54pm. During the school year, the average bedtime is 11:24pm. This serves to dispel the myth that, when given the chance, teenagers stay up until all hours of the night behaving dangerously. (Well, I can’t vouch for that last part, but still.)

Students wake up around 9:30am in the summer but 6:48am during the year. This means that the majority of the discrepancy between total hours of sleep in summer and during the year is based upon wake-up time, not bedtime.

Given freedom, the majority of students sampled would go to sleep earlier than they do during school and wake up later. Later start times for school would not, contrary to popular opinion, encourage late night parties, or somehow let the kids know that the administration is “giving in” to their reckless teenage lifestyle. We wouldn’t party; we’d sleep.

During the year, the average Paly student gets seven hours of sleep. During the summer, he or she gets ELEVEN.

And it helps, too. “I can feel myself being way less tired in the morning,” said a junior girl. A sophomore confirmed, “It feels weird because during the school year I'm always having to keep myself awake during class and it distracts me, but now [in summer] I don't feel tired and everything I do feels so focused.”

Some Paly students also share my own affinity for waking early. “I wish I could sleep until noon but then I feel like I wasted my day,” said a junior girl. A junior boy said “I really like waking early because nobody is awake, it's dark, and I can get things done.”

The National Institute of Health says teenagers need nine or more hours of sleep. So do like the nice Surgeon General tells you and just sit back, relax, and take a nap.

21st Century Skills: The Movement

2009-05-28T19:39:00.001-07:00

This short video is part of a research project about 21st century learning for Congresswoman Anna Eshoo's Student Advisory Board. A copy is currently en route to the White House.

LINK TO THE YOUTUBE VERSION

Obama Cabinet Member Speaks - and Listens - in San Francisco

2009-05-22T18:28:00.001-07:00

With "listening tours" replacing "speaking engagements" as the most sophisticated method of gaining recognition and popularity, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is keeping in vogue.

Duncan, who stands around 6ft 5, gave a brief speech and answered student questions at the San Francisco School Alliance Luncheon at the San Francisco Palace Hotel on Friday.

Our new educator-in chief has an competent and reassuring aura, although his rhetoric lacks the inspirational quality that brings crowds to their feet cheering. He spoke apparently extemporaneously in his address to the assembled educator and his answers to students’ questions.

Duncan, who played professional basketball in Australia after finishing his American education, spoke sternly about the state of the California educational system. “I ask you, is California going to lead the race to the top or are you going to lead the retreat?” he said.

The recent failure of budget measures designed to bail California out of the state budget crisis will mean deep cuts and layoffs for education. In fact, according to an informational video at the luncheon, California ranks #1 in the nation in prison spending and #49 in public school spending.

“Rahm Emanuel has a great quote: ‘Never waste a good crisis,’ ” Duncan said. “California must use this crisis to drive the kind of change we need.”

The secretary ticked off some of the major challenges facing the California education system, including the achievement gap, dropout rates, and dumbed-down standards.

“Too many states are lying to children,” he said, emphasizing that fulfillment of the current “standards” is not an indication of true readiness for higher education. However, Duncan warned against simply adding more standards to the list. “Higher standards doesn’t mean more standards,” he said. “Fewer, higher, clearer standards, I think, make a lot of sense.”

Duncan also took the opportunity to offer his opinion on reform of No Child Left Behind, the Bush-era education policy that made public school funding dependent upon test scores. He said NCLB was sometimes too quick to label schools as failures: “It’s demoralizing, and it’s wrong.”

The secretary endeavored to end his remarks on an inspirational note. “We’ve lacked the political courage and will to do right by our children,” he said. “I challenge you all to find that courage and political will.”

Duncan fielded questions from San Francisco high school students about financial aid, SAT preparation, AP classes, and undocumented immigrant students. He answered most of them quite thoroughly. “I have two questions, but they’re quick,” one student said. “First: Who wins the pickup games - President Obama or you?” Duncan replied, “What’s the second question?”

San Francisco Superintendent Carlos Garcia also made remarks at the luncheon. A fiery and dynamic speaker with a passion for social justice, Garcia, when talking about the achievement gap, went so far as to say that the school system “unfortunately has some elements of institutional racism.” He recalled how because he started school speaking only Spanish, he was placed in classes for mentally and developmentally disabled students.

“Acceptance of the achievement gap is unacceptable,” he said. “It’s time to shut up and start doing.”

Blogging the 2009 STAR

2009-05-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

Filling in bubbles on a sheet of paper rarely sparks the flow of any creative juices, but there was something inspiring about hearing my normally fairly intelligent teacher say, “Look at the name in Section 1 on the front page of your answer document. If your name is not there, please raise your hand” for the eighth time.

The vast amounts of unstructured time fostered a certain awareness of my surroundings I guarantee I never would have had if iPods were allowed.

Here for your pleasure (or disdain) are some intricately detailed and thoroughly ordinary moments as recorded (and embellished) by myself and a few of my classmates.

She was blonde. She sat propped against the wall, legs crossed casually. Her hair was swept into an elegant bun, a few locks tumbling down to brush her tanned shoulders, which were hidden by her aged and well-loved black jacket. Her laptop keys clicked as she glanced around the room, recording her world.

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Her lips moved silently to the song only she could hear. Bent over her sketches, she turned her head this way and that, trying to find new eyes. The pearls sat in her ears next to the white earphone. She began to sketch.

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Her feet tapped against the ground to the rhythm of the music in her head. Her hand supported her chin thoughtfully as she glanced over her shoulder. Her legs formed artfully acute angles to the ground until she stretched them. She sighed, disturbed by the topic of her book. (The book was Hitler and the Nazis.)

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He was watching them. His flip-flops tapped on the ground at uneven intervals. Impatiently. When they glanced up at him, he quickly turned and pretended he had been opening a packet of trail mix the whole time. His eyes snapped to the teacher. And he began watching again.

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She sat sideways in her chair, nonchalantly cracking another bite off her half-eaten apple. She jotten down a few notes, one hand steadying her paper and the other on her pen. Her teeth held the apple firmly in place, her eyes daring it to fall. It didn’t. She slid her phone from her pocket and began to text.

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Her legs were crossed unconcernedly, her flip-flop dangling absentmindedly from her toes. Her hand went repeatedly to smooth her hair. Flipping it over her shoulder, she made a witty comment. She kept raising her voice, laughing louder than needed, waiting for them to turn their heads.

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Sitting in the chair, she stared up at the ceiling. Casually looking around the classroom, her eyes always darting back to the clock. Her expression was bored. But as the toxic Sharpie smell spread throughout the classroom and reached her nose, she snapped alert. Her eyes, idle no longer, swept the room for the source and the culprit.

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She slept.

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He stood up, sliding between the chairs blocking his path. He wasn’t needed, so he slid back down, waiting. When she tossed his essay on the desk in front of him, he took a look and smiled ruefully. His friend grabbed the report, glanced at the grade and threw him an apologetic look. He shrugged, a self-conscious smile still playing on his lips, and turned back to his thoughts.

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The flowers on the table lay wilting, forlorn, trailing into the white icing on the cake. Her head, covered by the hood of her green jacket, rested on her arm. Every so often, without looking up, she would slide her hand to the left to sneak a fingerful of icing.

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And the bell rang.

Note: This article is based upon factual events, but does not strictly adhere to the constraints of reality. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons is almost entirely accidental (except in maybe a few cases). But if you think you’re in this article: hey! That’s pretty cool.

Candidate Comparison

2009-05-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

High school government is traditionally focused on school spirit and planning enjoyable activities for the student body. Rarely does the occasion arise that a student brings a broader social issue to light before announcing his or her candidacy; indeed, high school candidates tend to announce and then endeavor to prove themselves to voters.

But this could be the year that everything changes.

Candidate #1: Kevin Ward (sophomore) is well-known for his advocacy for equality of minority groups at Paly.

As a member of freshman TEAM, Ward was not able to run for student government his freshman year, but took an active role in ASB this past year. After running unsuccessfully for the sophomore vice-presidency, Ward applied for the position of Sophomore Site Council Representative and was successful.

During his time in office, Ward created the new ASB office of Diversity Commissioner, a post he has filled and will continue to fill for the remainder of his term.

Ward's Facebook campaign page (Kevin Ward for ASB President) has 316 members.

Ward is head of the Paly UNITY club and was featured in the recently released film "Not in Our Town" by the Working Group.

Candidate #2: Olivia Diamond (junior) has been involved in student government since she was elected president her 8th grade year at Jordan Middle School. Diamond has most recently served as co-Spirit Commissioner with Lucy McComas.

Diamond's main campaign emphasis has been on increased student participation in ASB activities, and she has made herself more accessible by connecting with the electorate during lunchtime campaign stops at various lunch spots around campus.

Diamond's Facebook campaign page (Olivia Diamond for ASB President 2010) has 256 members. Diamond was also the only ASB presidential candidate to reply to a Facebook message requesting a campaign statement for use on this blog. (Ward denies having received the message and technical difficulties may be at fault for this.)

Diamond is also responsible for the creation of Spring Spirit Week, which will take place the week of May 19.

Candidate #3: Ivan Zhou (junior) is the current Junior Class President. His Facebook campaign page (Ivan Zhou for your 2010 ASB President) has 208 members and features an extensive statement including details of his past work and future policies. According to his page, Zhou is a strong advocate for the return of Paly's International Fair, a program which had been cut due to lack of interest. He also promises to recreate the election system with specific changes such as introducing mandatory speeches for all prospective officers and altered rules for campaigning. Finally, Zhou wholeheartedly supports the newly established LinkCrew, a team of upperclassmen who work to smooth the transition for incoming freshmen.

Best of luck to all the candidates and Paly, GET OUT THERE AND VOTE!!!

UPDATE: Kevin Ward will be the next president of Palo Alto High School ASB.

Berlin Wall: Palo Alto Edition

2009-04-06T16:50:00.001-07:00

On Friday, a Palo Alto Weekly post began like this:

"The sleek, blue train zips on elevated tracks along Churchill Avenue, soaring high above passing cars, traffic lights, meandering bicyclists and the occasional pedestrian."

Of course, the subject of the article was California's controversial high speed rail project, which, if it happens, will follow the current Caltrain tracks with four street crossings in Palo Alto, including one at Churchill Avenue.

City officials say the most cost-effective method of implementation is an elevated track, but according to the article, tunneling (subway style) and something sinister called "open trenching" are also on the table.

The post goes on to explain architect James McFall's endeavor to create an accurate representation of the appearance and impact of such a track. Complete with a video that is now on YouTube, McFall's computer-generated rendering presents a bleak future, and not just because of the primitive graphics.

A 21-foot concrete wall runs adjacent to the Paly football field with a square tunnel at Churchill Avenue for street-level transportation. The structure is the width of four train tracks and projects significantly into the current location of the bike path, also parallel to the football field. Atop this gray "train aqueduct" stand telephone poles, almost doubling the height of the entire construction. The landscape resembles that of either Tatooine made entirely out of dirty styrofoam or a town in Alaska. The video ends with a voiceover. The voice (presumably that of the architect) says, "High speed rail: it's going to be here for generations. Let's do it right."

Mr. McFall, I may not know much, but I know a good job when I see it. I've seen high speed rail done right. And sir, that is not high speed rail done right.

Now, to be fair, the rendering is rudimentary, only meant to show the essential aspects of construction. A full Palo Alto backdrop for the desolate rendering would no doubt make the prospect more attractive. And a wall really is less expensive than a system of tunnels, something that matters in an economic environment such as ours. Also, if elevated tracks really are built, it is highly unlikely that they would stand on an unadorned gray concrete wall.

But the fact remains that historically, a concrete wall through the middle of a city has not been the answer to the city's problems.

Commenters on the post have already begun to make their objections, with 80 responses so far.

One responded, "This high speed rail project just sucks. I hate the idea of having an ugly looking thing like that literally 10 feet away from some people's homes and from Paly's football field." And just to reinforce the point: "Geez, it just makes me so upset."

Others were more rational with their responses: "this is really terrible...but it does not give a good alternative...what does underground look like?"

And my personal favorite, "Mr. Diridon, tear down that wall."

I am not opposed to all high speed rail. I am opposed to dumb high speed rail. I would welcome the opportunity to get from SF to LA in 2 hours just as much as the next person. But my desire for fast transportation is in no way worth a split community, a blight on the face of Palo Alto, and the effective realization of a Palo Alto version of the Berlin Wall.

TV: Beloved American Pastime or Thing of the Past?

2009-03-31T15:59:00.000-07:00

"You don't have a TV? Dude, how do you live?"

How does one respond to that question?

"I read books"? Weird.

"I do homework"? Nerd.

But luckily for the handful of us whose parents were determined to deny us access to Elmo, Barney, and Miley Cyrus, there is now a moderately socially acceptable answer.

"I watch it online."

Thanks to online services that provide free access to full episodes of countless TV shows, we deprived children have been provided a chance at redemption.

Hulu, quite popular at Paly, invites you to "Watch your favorites. Anytime. For free." According to Hulu's "most popular of all time" section, those favorites include seven Family Guy episodes, 11 SNL excerpts, and, at #1, "Talkshow with Spike Feresten: Cable PSA." A click on the link to this last and ominous title leads to a video about an old lady who cannot figure out how to convert her analog television to digital. Given, it's quite entertaining, but the fact that this video is the most popular of all time may give some clues about general viewership demographics.

But regardless of the average viewer's strange fondness for struggling old people, Hulu appears to be quite profitable; according to TVByTheNumbers.com, the company will rake in as much as YouTube in 2009.

And the resources hardly end there. More mainstream favorites such as Gossip Girl, House, and Dancing with the Stars can be found at CWTV, HouseMDEpisodes.com, and Fancast, respectively.

Not all of these sites are legitimate or legal, and some are downright sketchy. But they are rampant on the internet. Many networks have given up fighting copyright law altogether and begun posting full episodes on their official websites. NBC offers full episodes for the majority of its shows, as does MTV.

Of course, conventional television may still be the most convenient and immediate way to stay up to date on the hottest shows. And there is a certain connection among those who share obsessions for certain shows. Knowing that everyone in your time zone who cares about One Tree Hill is watching the exact same episode at exactly the same time as you is exhilarating. And it's quite difficult to scream about how Rachael left that dude at the altar last night on Friends when everyone watches the episodes at different times.

It remains to be seen if more networks will follow NBC and MTV in posting entire episodes online, but if they can net just as much from online advertisers as television ones, there may be a major shift in how the majority of America watches American Idol.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch Celebrity Apprentice.

Restaurant Review: Passion in Every Spoonful at Junnoon

2009-03-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

“Life is short; eat dessert first.” This well-known piece of lighthearted advice is rarely taken literally. Instead, those who subscribe to the dessert-first policy live life passionately for the moment, take risks, and enjoy every minute of it.

As usual, a more concise translation can be found in another language: in this case, one word in Urdu: junnoon. The word stems from the Farsi junoon, meaning obsession, craziness, and passion, and the downtown Indian fusion restaurant of the same title takes its namesake seriously.

Trendy Indian décor infuses the atmosphere at Junnoon and promises a vibrant scene – if you can get in the door. Entrance to the restaurant is a challenge; the heavy copper-plated wooden door blends into the building façade, and one might accidentally walk through the window unless directed otherwise. As a party of 11, there was a 20 minute wait for a table, but the glowing glass coffee table, crystal ceiling hangings, and stack of bamboo near the door in the entry lounge made for easy and engaging conversation.

The main dining area was a deep carmine; dimly lit but comfortable and intimate. Almost as soon as we sat down, complimentary plates of the thin, round chips called papadum were placed before us, accompanied by a yogurt-peanut sauce. Although rather bland and unenhanced by the dense yogurt-peanut blend, the papadum came in handy later when trying to snag bites of curry from across the table.

When ordering, a dining companion mentioned his peanut allergy. The young blond waiter with an intriguing but unplaceable European accent swiftly pointed out the menu items that contained the offending legume and conjured up a peanut-free yogurt and avocado raita, on the house.

The temperature in the restaurant was warm enough to warrant comment; a nearby thermostat read 73. But all temperature concerns were soon remedied by passionfruit mango lassis ($6) and virgin mojitos (also $6). The lassi was full-bodied and velvety without being heavy. The sweetness of the mango was tempered by a light tart dash of passionfruit. The mojito, on the other hand, was downright sour. Refreshingly chilly and served in a tall tumbler, its raw flavors of mint, sugar, and lime did well to awaken the palate.

Junnoon’s kitchen closes at 9:30 p.m., so to get our order in on time, our obliging waiter brought dessert menus along with our main menus. Both were printed in an uninspired but quite legible font on thick yellow parchment. All menu selections strike the balance between providing patrons with variety but avoiding an overwhelming inundation of choices.

Appetizers Lamb kebab rolls ($9) were terrifically satisfying. Served with a flavorful and zesty green mint sauce, the appetizer was outstanding in its balance of substance and taste.
Spinach paneer parcels ($8), despite their endearing name, packed in some serious spice. Six quiche-like cups of puff pastry filled with a piquant spinach-cheese mixture had no need of the even hotter red garlic aioli sauce, but the flavors served as effective preparation for the heat of the entrées.

Entrées Tandoori black pepper steak ($20), served with roasted sesame yellow sweet potatoes, was juicy and substantial, but it was nothing without the sweet and sour pomegranate molasses. The sauce poured more like ponzu than molasses and brought out bitter, savory, and intriguingly dark undertones in the meat while adding its own tang.

“Old Delhi Style Chicken,” ($19), was essentially a colorfully named chicken tikka masala, also known as butter chicken. A spicy red curry carried the tender meat well, although the former lacked definition and could have been improved by evoking a measure of sweetness to balance the spice.

Tamil chicken ($19) incorporated cubed chunks of chicken into a more temperate yellow curry. Unfortunately, the yellow curry leaned toward chalkiness, but members of our party with lower spice tolerance appreciated the respite.

Sides Garlic and rosemary naan ($4 and $3, respectively) had a crispy exterior and a warm, tender interior. Four pieces per order left only a taste for each diner, but the flatbread soaked up excess curry remarkably well.

A side of black lentils took a little longer to arrive, but was well worth the wait; the lentils were suspended in a vaguely spicy mahogany sauce that provided a solid base for other more exotic dishes.

Dessert Dynamic and delicious though the appetizers and entrées were, the true caliber of a restaurant can almost always be measured by dessert. Here, Junnoon does not disappoint.
Because we had a birthday in our party, the icy vanilla kulfi (normally $7) was on the house. A wafer of caramelized sugar accompanied the rich vanilla ice cream, which carried hints of cardamom.

But the pièce de résistance and quite possibly one of the best desserts I have ever tasted was the spiced molten chocolate cake ($8). A petit cylinder of chocolate cake was filled with heaven in the form of hot chocolate sauce lightly touched with cinnamon. Alongside the cake of joy and happiness rested several grapefruit slices and ginger vanilla ice cream that was more vanilla than ginger. Both were pleasant, but neither could match their divine companion.

Like most upscale restaurants, Junnoon automatically adds an 18% gratuity for parties of eight or more. With eleven high school sophomores to wait on, our server more than earned his tip. But despite the lateness of the hour and the high energy level of the customers, the wait staff was courteous throughout. There was never a moment when they seemed exasperated or even mildly annoyed, and for this they are to be highly commended.

Indeed, there is little room for criticism at Junnoon. And although the “eat dessert first” philosophy evokes passion and a love of life, the overall quality of food, ambiance, and service at Junnoon merits a rather different aphorism: “save the best for last!”

Capitol Crisis

2009-02-19T15:15:00.000-08:00

The California state legislature has been in a budget stalemate for the past eight months, but I never fully appreciated the gravity of the situation until State Senator Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley) began handing out toothbrushes to his senate colleagues Tuesday morning.

One of the privileges extended to interns for State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), besides calling him "Joe", is an open invitation to the state Capitol in Sacramento, and that is where I spent my Tuesday.

The architecture of the building itself is actually quite fascinating; for example, the Capitol "dome" is really made up of two nestled domes, and if you know the right people, you can climb a spiral staircase through the gap between them to get a 360 degree view of Sacramento. On Tuesday, 30 mph winds and driving rain prevented us from making the ascent, but I am determined to get up there someday.

But by far the most intriguing part of my day was the part we spent on the floor of the Senate, listening to lawmakers yak about the final bill in the budget package, which concerned taxes. Always a hot-button issue, the subject of taxes tends to elicit hyper-partisan behavior on both sides of the aisle.

We were seated behind the press. "Don't say anything you don't want in the LA Times," Joe said with a wink, but the reporter assured us that everything was off the record.

The debate continued. The Senate was only one Republican vote shy of the required 2/3 to pass a budget, so the discourse was more procedural than substantive, and many senators left their seats to converse with colleagues or left the room entirely.

The most memorable quotes of the afternoon require the use of a broad range of adjectives.

Sincere: "Living within our means does not guarantee a meaningful life."

Cliché: "If we don't pass this, the California dream will become the California nightmare."

Failed analogy: "California is that plane. But this is no ordinary plane. This is the - big - jumbo plane."

Oh-screw-it: "Face it, we're in this mess because we didn't fix our fiscal a** back then."

The dialogue was interrupted by a brief appearance by Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, the pilot who safely landed a plane in the Hudson after a run-in with a Canadian goose. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had held a ceremony honoring the captain earlier. Several senators congratulated him on his courage and presence of mind.

"From one pilot to another, thank you," said Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria). Maldonado has a reputation for being a moderate Republican, and he was the one who cast the deciding vote on Thursday's ultimate budget compromise. Unfortunately, Gloria Romero (D-East LA) felt the need to respond to his comment with, "I'm not a pilot. I don't have a plane like some of my colleagues. But as a passenger, thank you, Captain."

We ended the day with a chat with Joe, who pointed to the air mattress he was going to be sleeping on that night as an illustration of the life of a legislator. Then the omnipresent loudspeaker on the ceiling announced the start of a Democratic caucus in five minutes, and Joe headed off.

Approximately 32 hours after I left the Capitol, our state had a budget.

And because the budget is effective until mid-2010, it's the earliest one we've ever had.

Spotlight: My Hero

2009-01-29T16:16:00.000-08:00

The first sentence of my script was, "The name Desmond Tutu resonates richly with people all across the world," but I could guarantee that 90% of the 7,000 high school students assembled in the field house of the University of Maryland had no idea who the guy was.

If you are included in that 90%, let me be the first to tell you that Desmond Tutu is an archbishop from Cape Town, South Africa, 77 years old, and one of the most adorable people I have ever met.

But the man is more than his lovable name. As a vigorously anti-apartheid activist and an Anglican Archbishop emeritus, Tutu is incredibly knowledgeable on issues ranging far and wide, from the current Gaza conflict and the Vietnam War to what Mary said when the archangel Gabriel told her that she would bear God's son.

Tutu was ordained to the priesthood in Johannesburg. In 1978, he left his post as Bishop of Lesotho to become the new General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches. This was the position from which he led a formidable movement for justice and racial reconciliation in South Africa. His tireless work was fully recognized in 1984, when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1996, President Nelson Mandela appointed Tutu to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the association set up to investigate human rights violations during apartheid. Since 1998, Tutu has been a visiting professor at several overseas universities and has published several books, the most recent of which is entitled God Has A Dream.

Right before I stepped onstage to introduce him, I grabbed a pen and burst out, "CanIpleasehaveyourautographplease?" He smiled obligingly, gently took the pen, and wrote on the back of my speech, "God bless you. Desmond." I can tell you, I nearly melted.

Tutu is a spectacularly charismatic speaker with calm amiability and warm South African accent that immediately puts people at ease. He connects with crowds artfully and quotes scripture effortlessly. He spoke about how, again and again, God chose young people to be, as he put it, "God's collaborators," citing examples like Jeremiah (a prophet), Francis of Assisi (founder of the Franciscan friars), and, of course, Mary (Jesus's mother).

And yet, the strict and uptight manner one might expect from one who has spent nearly his whole life in the clergy is just not there. At one point, Tutu, assuming both roles in a conversation between God and Jeremiah, said, "Jeremiah, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." Jeremiah responds, "Oh, God. You don't seem to know very much about human biology."

Desmond Tutu is one of those rare souls who radiates pure and simple joy to all those around him. Indeed, Tutu exemplifies the ideal religious leader: one who is at once deeply pious, inspirational, wholly morally upright, and a true advocate and activist for peace.

He stepped off the stage to a thunderous standing ovation. 90% of the people had just learned who Desmond Tutu was, and 100% loved him.

Everyone's Favorite Topic

2008-12-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

Ahhh. That wonderful Winter Break rhythm.

10AM: Roll out of bed wrapped in a soft blanket with fuzzy slippers.

10:15AM: Eat breakfast.

10:30AM: Laze around, go on Facebook, speculate on prospective holiday gifts.

12:00PM: Eat lunch.

12:15PM: Maybe go to a friend's house. Maybe go ice skating. Nah. Too much work.

6:00PM: Eat dinner.

7:30PM: Option A: Open a Hanukkah present, play dreidel, and eat chocolate gelt (the ones made in Israel, not China, because Chinese gelt has melamine in it)

Option B: Check Facebook. Speculate on prospective holiday gifts. Then watch a movie.

12AM: Go to bed. Unless you're at a party. In that case:

3AM: Stumble into bed.

So, obviously, the one and only subject that everyone wants to think about right now is FINALS, right?

Congratulations to those of you have already taken (and hopefully passed) those dreaded exams. Unfortunately, all we Paly kids have yet to partake in this infamous institution of higher education.

Several experts sounded off on whether the administrative decision to have Winter Break preceed finals is doing any favors for GPAs. And by experts, I do not mean the school administration (although they do perform the crucial functions of legislating, enforcin

g, AND interpreting school policy), nor do I mean those parents who remember exactly what it was like to be a high school student at finals time.

I mean us. We, the students, have spoken. And here is what we said.

So there you have it. The raw facts. This is straight talk, everyone.

Now that that's all over with, go out and have a stupendous, fantastic, fabulous, (relaxing), WINTER BREAK!

Winter Migratory Habits of the Palalius Studentis

2008-12-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

Palalius studentis

common in Western Coastal suburban environments, usually in communities proximal to prestigious universities

12/18/08

Startling new evidence has come to light that the migratory habits of the Palalius studentis are evolving and changing, as published in a recent study. More and more of these rare creatures are resisting their innate urge to embark upon a ritual and traditional migration during the approximately 2-3 week period before the Great Study Session, which precedes the tribal evaluations that mark the Semesterial End of Academic Cognitiation at the Tribal Academy.

Several members of the species, using a combination of sign language and grunts, were able to convey their own feelings on the subject of migration and whether or not they will be performing this sacred ritual.

NOTE: Translations may be slightly irregular due to the bulk of research having been performed in Kazakhstan.

Specimen 1, age 17: We will linger within our cottage and merely journey out of doors to locations that rest near at hand.

Specimen 2, age 15: I betake of myself to Beirut which is conveniently situated inside the sovereign state of Lebanon.

Specimen 3, age 14: I will not venture to a foreign clime, but rather reside directly in this spot.

Specimen 4, age 14: Los Angeles. (English: the village where habit the divine messengers and also the VIPs)

Specimen 5, from a neighboring tribe, age 16: Whilst at present I exist lodged in the interior of Oregon, I forsee myself proceeding into the zone encircling this city of the Sacred Mento. The reason I forsee myself voyaging to this location is owing to the fact that it is populated by my granny.

[Seventeen more specimens were interviewed, but they were unable to coherently answer interview question. Several became violent and began uprooting trees and flinging nearby objects at our researchers. It was concluded by the Kazakhstan lab team that this clearly signified that the specimens were in fact staying in their village during the winter months.]

Experts are worried by the implications of this extreme shift in what appeared to be a static societal institution in the classic hierarchy of this civilization. Several even went as far as to question the credibility of the data. However, Dr. Onevorschkiyeviblinsk, the head researcher in the Kazakhstan lab, has assured his fellow scientists that there could not possibly have been any discrepancies in the data collection processes nor in the subsequent translations that yielded the final conclusions, nor were any Palalius studentis specimens harmed in the research performed.

- Dmitri Gulyible, Kazakhstan News Service

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T14:44:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is bittersweet this year.

My thoughts are with the victims of terrorist attacks carried out yesterday on a hotel in Mumbai. The weather's a little gloomy. Piracy is still apparently rampant on the high seas; at least in Somalia. Jon Stewart won't have any new material until December 1. And the economy - well, you know.

But on the sweet side, we don't have school until Monday, I'm about to go stuff myself with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, three kinds of pie and four kinds of popcorn, I'm going to see Twilight with my friends this weekend, Ms. Sarah Palin is staying where she belongs in Alaska (so far), and we have an incredible new administration ready and waiting to get in there and start FIXING things.

I invite you to post your Thanksgiving thoughts, wishes, hopes, comments, shoutouts, admonitions, or anything else that happens to be going through your head on this wonderful autumn day.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

PYIC Attendees: Watch and Vote!

2008-11-03T20:50:00.000-08:00

These are the issues our country has to face. Can we fix them?

**If you're going to the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference this January, vote for this video!

GO HERE TO VOTE!!!!**

Homecoming '08!

2008-10-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

"Dance moves" is an oxymoronic phrase at Paly dances. Students are squished together so tightly on the floor of the gym that there's barely room to move enough to convince the parent chaperones that you are alive; I don't know how they expect to discern which dancers may have been under the influence.

Speaking of which, I almost failed my breathalyzer test. Not because I'd been drinking, but because I kept blowing incorrectly. The kind breathalyzer lady told me to blow into the funnel on the end of the air-horn shaped device just like I would if I was blowing out birthday candles. I blew. She was silent.

Oh my God, am I going to test positive for alcohol? Did the breath mint I just had somehow set off the trigger? I wasn't drinking, I swear it!

She peered at the air horn. "Blow harder," she said. I did.

She sighed. "Go on in."

After talking with several other breathalyzer virgins (who made up approximately 92% of my completely unbiased sample), I found comfort in the fact that I was not the only one who was seemingly incapable of blowing out birthday candles. One sophomore said that when she tried for the third time to get the device to register her breath, the administrator operating the breathalyzer snapped, "Moving your head around won't help anything. Look, blow on my hand."

But despite the indignities suffered, the procedure did seem to work the way it was intended to.

Two of Paly's assistant principals confirmed independently that there were no positive breathalyzer tests (although there was a rumor floating around the dance floor of at least one) and Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson maintained that the dance policy was much easier to enforce this year. "I've found that alcohol is a major contributor to raunchy dancing," he said, "and breathalyzers have really helped this year."

Assistant Principal Kim Diorio estimated over $3500 in ticket sales for a ticket count of 700, a figure substantiated by Principal Jacqueline McEvoy. According to Ms. Diorio, that number is about the same as last year.

Of course, this means that demand for tickets has actually fallen among, to quote a certain vice-presidential candidate, "real" Paly students, and it is only the extra 100 freshmen who have made up the difference.

But I don't begrudge the freshmen. They've provided us with a number of really ~~amusing~~ amazing dancers. I caught up with one of them - actually, I yelled questions at him over the music and he tried to yell back but I missed most of what he said (like his name). His style of dancing is quite unique and really fun to watch; it's a combination of octopus arm movements and moonwalking. Apparently, this new genre was developed quite recently; the man with moves like an extraterrestrial mollusk didn't go to any dances at Jordan, although he did go to the first Paly dance.

And so ended the 2008-09 Paly Homecoming Dance. Congratulations to Homecoming Queen and Senior Spirit Commissioner Lucy McComas, and to her male counterpart, whose name I did not catch.

Has the administration hit on the right balance between control and freedom, inconvenience and safety? Only you can say, but what I can say is, live from Palo Alto, that was Saturday night.

PSAT: Are you ready?

2008-10-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

Paly juniors this week are preparing to take the PSAT, a test that (supposedly) gives students an idea of how they will score on the all-powerful SAT, the mother of all tests.

Time was, anyone from the freshman with the overachieving parents to the senior who wanted one more practice round before the real deal could take the PSAT. This year, the Paly administration has decided to limit testing strictly to juniors.

The majority of freshmen, sophomores, and seniors probably couldn't care less, and I'm looking forward to that 10:45am Wednesday start time just as much as the next kid.

But shouldn't anybody be able to take the test if they want to?

Being a true Palo Alto kid, I trekked over to the tower building as soon as I heard about the test to ask the kind guidance staff if I could possibly take the PSAT this year. Pretty please?

This is what I got: "No. You'll have to make arrangements at another school."

Pause.

Um, could you maybe tell me which schools are allowing us lowly sophomores to partake in the sacred ritual of the PSAT? Give me a phone number? An email? A website? A name? Anything?

"No." Pause. We stared at each other.

Then, "I'm sorry. I don't know which other schools are offering it."

Um, lady, you're the supreme head of all standardized testing at Paly. You're sitting in front of a computer. There is a phone two inches from your right hand. And you can't make one call so that you can at least tell every overachieving Paly sophomore about another school to which they could pay money to sit for hours and take a test they don't really want to take anyway?

I left. We'd said all there was to be said. Well, I'd thought it, anyway.

Of course, there are legitimate reasons for the administration's decision. Yeah, there are a lot of Paly kids who'd like to take the PSAT. (Those extra 100 freshmen always ruin everything! :-) Yeah, that means more work for whoever fills out and files PSAT registration forms. Yes, I suppose if you really wanted to, you could make the warm-and-fuzzy-feel-good case that taking the PSAT as a sophomore and flunking it would kinda lower your self esteem.

But come on now. Kids as young as 7th grade are allowed to take the SAT! The real deal! And we, three years older, can't rely on our school to help us take the practice test? There isn't a way to register online for this test, like there is for the SAT. Collegeboard says, and I quote, "This test is administered by high schools, not through test centers. Online registration for the PSAT/NMSQT is not available."

It's like telling a 5-year-old at Great America that if they really want to go on Xtreme Skyflyer, they can go buy a ticket over there at the window. But a 10-year-old? No, you can't go on the carousel. You'll get hurt if you fall off the horse.

Eye Contact: The Presidential Debate

2008-09-26T20:41:00.001-07:00

Pundits have been saying for days that this debate would not be about what the candidates said, but how they said it and what their body language was like.

I think most people could agree that the debate was fairly equal in terms of substance; if you agreed with one candidate at 5:59pm, your opinion was no different at 7:31.

Jim Lehrer started off by encouraging the candidates to speak directly to each other. It was a legitimate request; Barack Obama and John McCain know each other. They've worked together in the Senate.

Obama immediately picked up on this and was completely open and direct in his body language. He addressed McCain directly as "John" and called him out when he strayed from the truth.

By contrast, McCain never even looked at Obama.

He directed all of his comments to Lehrer and never once called Barack by name. Obama might as well not have been there.

McCain's message was pretty clear. As far as he was concerned, Obama wasn't really there. And if he was, he certainly wasn't worthy of consideration.

If McCain was coached on this, and he most certainly was, that was very carefully calculated to send a certain message to the American people.

Now, not having a TV myself, I went to watch the debate in a hotel bar. After it was done, I talked with a hotel worker about the outcome. He said he thought both candidates were crazy, but he also said, "I just couldn't vote for Obama. I don't trust him."

And even though you didn't say it, you knew why.

And it's scary. It's scary that America is so racist. If we can't make the right decision, I'm all for California seceeding from the union.

Arnold can be our president.

And you know what the really scary thing is?

I'm not kidding.

UPDATE: If anyone saw Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric: Why does Sarah call her running mate by his full name? Are they not even on first-name terms yet? Yikes.

Palo Alto's Party of the Year

2008-09-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

A golden September twilight was sprinkled throughout the air. The light slowly faded into a shimmering darkness, illuminated only by occasional laughter and clinking of glasses. This being a Tuesday night, I had math homework, endless ions and compounds to memorize, and a complex number quiz to study for, but I could not have cared less.

I had just shaken hands with an Oscar-winner, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and the former vice-president of the United States of America.

I'd just met Al Gore.

My luck had come from a friend with connections to a certain company known for the incredible gourmet food it serves its employees, not to mention one of Silicon Valley's best-known companies.

The food at the party wasn't bad, but the company was phenomenal. You couldn't walk two steps without bumping into the CEO of FedEx, the author of a bestselling childrens' book series, or at least two journalists from the New Yorker. Barack Obama and Lance Armstrong had been on the guest list as well, but couldn't make it; Obama because he was down in LA at precisely that time at a fundraiser with his own celebrities, and Lance because he's busy training for his announced 2009 comeback to competitive cycling.

I forced myself to calm down as I stood a few feet away from the man who had been mere hanging chads from being the leader of the free world. Finally, he turned and fixed me with a piercingly intense stare. "It's such an honor to meet you," I said.

"Best of luck to you," he replied.

I already thought I was a pretty lucky girl. But a little extra from Al Gore doesn't hurt.

Wrapping Up the Torch

2008-08-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

Olympic. The word has come to mean the epitome of greatness. An Olympic feat is a task one step short of superhuman. After all, people are only human.

But the 2008 Olympics came about as close as is humanly possible to the superhuman. From the moment the fiery footsteps started on their path across Beijing, events that would never even have been possible 20 years ago (and still stretch our conception of what is possible today) became reality.

43 World Records and 132 Olympic records were broken at this Olympics. A single person garnered eight gold medals; more than any other in history. (By the way, this same person gave swimming lessons to 30 lucky youngsters last week at the New York YMCA as part of his Visa sponsorship.) And whether or not the pool depth or various other tweaked factors made any impact on the athletes' performance, the fact remains that it was a human who broke each and every record, who swam each stroke, who ran each step, and who launched themselves airborne for every flip.

And speaking of humans, approximately 3 billion humans worldwide watched the 2008 Olympics.

One of those people was Lindsay Y, a senior at Paly. And she was actually there.

So, how bad was the weather? "It was hot for a few days, but I could definitely breathe. It was so much better than Shanghai," said Lindsay.

Tickets were sold by event, but at $30 per ticket for evening track finals, the cost was definitely not the limiting factor. "A lot of the tickets were reserved for Chinese companies to hand out to their employees," Lindsay said.

An international rumor was going around back when the Beijing venue was announced that there'd been an American who offered several thousand dollars to any hotel who could guarantee him a room for the Olympics. As the story goes, the hotels told him they could not guarantee him a room. Of course, many international guests were able to secure accommodation for those so very important 3 weeks in August. "There were definitely more foreigners in Beijing than normal," Lindsay said.

And of course, these Olympics did not go down without some contention. Liu Xiang, the famed Chinese hurdler, pulled out of the 110 meter hurdles with a severe injury to his foot after one false start. Clearly in a lot of pain as he took his mark for the start of the race, China's track champion started off the block only to be called back because of a false start. And that's when he made the decision to sit out. "I personally was really surprised because I didn't hear about his injury being that serious," said Lindsay. "I think about 60% of Chinese felt that it was not a legitimate injury. He was under a lot of pressure, though. He's really big in China - he was in so many ads."

The international stage was anything but calm as the fireworks exploded over the Birds' Nest, though. George W. Bush was seen chatting amiably in his seat next to Vladimir Putin as Russian tanks rolled into the former Soviet country of Georgia, and China endured criticism about their violations of Tibetans' human rights all throughout the Games.

However, this Olympics, China, the most populous nation in the world, showed how much can be accomplished with people power. This is a lesson Barack Obama and John McCain must understand as they ready themselves for the homestretch of a campaign that went on longer than any other in history. This is a lesson the Chinese government must also take in if they are to continue to grow economically and socially in world society. And this is a lesson we all must internalize and remember every time we think, "What I do doesn't matter. Someone else will do it."

But in truth, every chorus member, every background dancer, every person who moved a box up and down and made cherry blossoms bloom on the Great Wall of China, and every drummer counts towards the whole production and every person who participated makes the performance that much more spectacular.

Biden His Time

2008-08-22T23:35:00.001-07:00

Complement or supplement?

That was the fundamental decision our two aspiring presidents had to make when selecting the top contender for Dick Cheney's soon-to-be-vacant position.

Is it better to fill in gaps in your resume or reinforce what you've already got? Obama, at least, has made his choice - at least according to the newspapers. Even though news of Obama's running mate is splashed all over online news sources, apparently he hasn't even made the formal announcement yet. CNN was the first to spill the news, and their source was a press leak, not a rousing speech by Barack himself. (By the way, today the Wall Street Journal released a headline news story naming Virginia Governor Tim Kaine as the running mate for the Obama; and retracted it hours later. They'd published information straight from the computer of some enterprising hoaxer.)

In naming Senator Joe Biden from Delaware as his right-hand man, it's clear Obama is looking to even out his credentials.

Here's the quick version:

Pros for Joe Biden: Well known in Washington. (Helps with experience issue.) Expert on foreign policy. (Helps there too.) Not too risky. (He's not going to make or break the election by himself.)

Cons for Joe Biden: Well known in Washington. (Undercuts Obama's message of change; Biden is a 6-term senator, which translates into 36 years as a Washington insider.) Expert on foreign policy. (Might be seen as better suited to the top job than Obama, given his knowledge of international affairs.) Not too risky. (He's not going to do much either way for polls.)

Conclusion: OK, Obama's going the safe route. Now who's his red elephant counterpart going to pick?

And speaking of John McCain, I half expected him to announce his running mate literally two minutes after Obama in order to dull the buzz surrounding the selected Democratic would-be VP.

And there are some radical choices out there for McCain VP's, including a woman (!!) from Alaska (!!).

But of course, we all know how McCain has been eyeing those 8 million votes Ms. Hillary Clinton could swing his way.

So hey! You never know.

Spotlight: International Soccer Camp in Holland!

2008-07-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

An international athletic camp in Holland with kids from all over the world that will look good on a college transcript and be a lot of fun along the way? Sign me up.

People to People's Youth Friendship Games through their Sports Ambassadors program sounds like a total blast. Incoming Paly sophomore Julia E gives us the inside scoop on her international athletic experience.

Founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, People to People was established in 1956 to promote peace and understanding through international conferences - not between government officials, but between individual citizens. Eisenhower famously said, "The people want peace; indeed, I believe they want peace so badly that they governments will just have to step aside and let them have it."

The Sports Ambassadors program (www.sportsambassadors.org) is fairly new; it has only been in existence since 2000. According to Julia, it shows. Athletes for the summer program are nominated by their coaches from AYSO (the recreational league of soccer); not, as the website boasts, "through a selective interview and recommendation process." Applicants did go to one interview, but "I think everyone who applied was accepted," said Julia. And when scheduled plans for the 2,000+ student athletes fell through, more often than not they went souvenir shopping. The venerated "Friendship Village," the hub of everyday activities, consisted of seven tents and several soccer fields.

One of the tents boasted Domino's and Ben and Jerry's franchises, but otherwise, "the food was really bad," said Julia, recounting their first lunch of two pieces of bread and a slice of ham. "And the drink sizes were really small. They gave us a small tumbler of soda and expected that to last the whole meal."

By the end of the week, one girl was making a list of everything she was going to eat when she got home. Top of the list? "Fudge," said Julia.

According to Julia, there were almost enough redeeming qualities to make up for substandard food and underscheduled days. A bike tour of the Dutch countryside provided beautiful scenery, while other morning cultural trips included a boat ride on Amsterdam's canals and visits to cheese and clog factories. However, some days' agendas fell short of expectations. "What are the two places Amsterdam is famous for? The Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum," said Julia. "We didn't go to either of them."

But the camp's main fault? "There was very little meaningful interaction with kids from other countries," stated Julia. "Mostly, it was American girls going up to non-American guys and going, "Hey, you're kinda cute." There was no, "Wow, what's it like to live in Brazil?"

Teams were mononational and assembled upon arrival at camp; there were US teams, Canadian teams, Saudi Arabian teams, etc. "We played a total of two international soccer matches," said Julia, "and we played four against American club teams."

The Sports Ambassadors Program participated in the Regional Haarlem Cup, which was open to club teams as well. "The club teams have been playing together for months, whereas we jest met days ago, so they had a huge advantage," said Julia.

That is not to say that no friendships were made. "We all bonded the most on the last day," said Julia, smiling ruefully. "Last summer, when I went to summer camp, I went in with one of my friends, so I didn't make very many new ones. But in Holland, all of us exchanged emails and Facebooks. One girl emailed me yesterday."

Last words? "I wish there had been more team-building with kids from difference countries." In other words, People to People is missing the "people" factor.

Spotlight: MODEL UN

2008-07-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

Palo Alto's weather has recently improved, now resembling something reasonable for a state known for its beaches, and I'm starting to feel like it's really summer. Unfortunately, if it's really summer, that means that school is really going to start again in August. And if you, like me, have a lot of free time on your hands, you're probably looking ahead to the next school year (or trying not to) and thinking about (or trying not to) what classes and extracurriculars are going to both be fun for you and look decently challenging when you apply to college in two summers.

Soccer, football, basketball, swimming, water polo, music, art, and debate all feature prominently in "Mr. or Ms. Average American High School Student." Fencing, wrestling, curling, underwater basket weaving, and Model United Nations do not.

Hmmmm...Model UN...I think that's the thing I heard about once on the Simpsons, right? Where people have to dress up and talk about a bunch of boring things?

Is is boring to talk to a kid from Cancun, Mexico (who happens to have the same birthday as you) about what happened in their hotel last night? Is it boring to (almost) trip and go flying across a sidewalk on Telegraph Ave in Berkeley because you tried to run in high heels and you have to eat dinner at some place that serves edible food in half an hour? Is it boring to spend an hour arguing with people about why the US should bomb Iran? (Don't answer that last one.)

Model UN can be a blast, according to last year's Paly participants. One freshman MUNer from last year recalls that in the Security Council, "China led an effort to burn all the marijuana in the world with funding from the International Monetary Fund and then drop food by hot air balloon to satisfy 'the munchies.' And it was allowed."

While debate, Mock Trial and Model UN are often grouped in the same "nerd" category, the goal of Model UN is to work with other students to come up with realistic solutions to actual world problems. "[Model UN] teaches you to stand up for what you believe in," said the Paly MUN participant.

Debate, from what I hear, involves pulling a red Radio Flyer wagon overflowing with large sized storage boxes containing all of the possible research, arguments, and speeches that could be helpful in a one-on-one argument. Apparently, debaters don't know whether they will have to argue for or against something until they arrive at the competition. Judges have been known to fall asleep.

Mock Trial, on the other hand, requires new members to argue both sides of why Goldilocks was committing a felony when she broke into the Three Bears' house and stole their porridge, inflicted cruel and unusual punishment on an undersized chair, and then ran from the scene of the crime.

While all of these intellectual extracurriculars provide an opportunity for social networking and a reasonable amount of actual brain use, Model UN is the best choice for those who value the essential 21st century skills "cooperation and collaboration" and want to improve their speaking skills. Unlike Mock Trial and debate, Model UN allows for flexibility in the amount of involvement. Technically, one could sit through an entire Model UN conference without speaking a word. Or, one could give several of their own speeches, raise their placard to comment on every speech made by another delegate, write their own solution to the problem and talk it up to other delegates. This flexibility makes Model UN a good choice for beginners who may want to do Mock Trial or debate later in their high school career.

Of course, as with anything, Model UN is definitely not for everyone, and if you are shy, only doing it because your parents told you to, or have issues with sitting for long periods of time, Model UN is probably not for you.

I will close with a story I first heard from a Berkeley Model UN student. Disclaimer: this is not intended to be discriminatory in any way against any of the groups involved.

A worldwide one-question survey was recently conducted by the UN. The one question was: Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world? The survey was a failure.

In Africa, they didn't know what "food" meant.

In Eastern Europe, they didn't know what "honest" meant.

In China, they didn't know what "opinion" meant.

In the Middle East, they didn't know what "solution" meant.

In Western Europe, they didn't know what "shortage" meant.

In South America, they didn't know what "please" meant.

And in the United States, they didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant.

A gloomy summer day

2008-06-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

62°F

Current:Cloudy
Wind: NE at 0 mph
Humidity: 79%

Mon

79°F | 54°F

Tue

77°F | 52°F

Wed

79°F | 54°F

Thu

79°F | 54°F

Summer is a time of sun. As Californians, we take this for granted. Everyone else wants our sun. Sunny beaches, sunny pools, sunny houses - wherever you are, a few rays of heavenly light have always seemed to find you.

Until now.

This year, Northern California's weather seems to be operating several seasons ahead. In fall, we had rain. In winter, we had sun. In spring, we had sun and rain, and now we're stuck in dreary midwinter gloom.

The 1,000+ wildfires eating up Northern California's dry grasses aren't helping. Smoke clouds our precious sunlight, making the process of venturing outside the house downright depressing. In the past few days, several Palo Altans have been known to wear coats outside at 2 in the afternoon.

And conditions will not improve throughout the week; out highest high will be 77 degrees, and our lowest low is a shocking 54.

But why sit around and complain? Just because NorCal's weather is stuck in a time-warp doesn't mean you don't have to stay. If you like it hot, check into Bullhead City, Arizona. At 10AM, it was 107.6, and tomorrow's high is 115. (And according to the latest edition of Via magazine, hotels drop their prices during the hot summer months.)

Of course, with fuel prices at nearly $5 a gallon, a "Great American Road Trip" with air conditioning and a blasting iPod remains a dream for most of us.

So stay home and blame it on global warming, but hey! Now you can do all those fun winter activities you didn't have time to do last year because you were studying for finals. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going ice skating.

*Thanks to www.wunderground.com for weather forecasts.

Racism '08...but against whom?

2008-06-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

We all know that "race is a crucial factor in the 2008 Presidential election."

Barack Obama, as the first major party black presidential nominee in American history, has been said to "transcend" race and is hailed as "post-racial."

But not all prejudices are centered on African Americans.

On Monday, June 16th, Al Gore, in a speech endorsing Obama, said, "If you bought poisoned, lead-filled toys from China or adulterated medicine made in China, if you bought tainted pet food made in China, you know elections matter."

The blame was clearly intended to fall on the Bush administration for not pressuring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enforce food safety regulations, but the phrase came off somewhat like a dig at China.

Obama, in an April 14th speech on manufacturing and trade, recalled that "a few months ago, when I called for a ban on any toys that have more than a trace amount of lead, an official at China's foreign ministry said I was being 'unobjective, unreasonable, and unfair.' "

Obama criticized the Chinese government's conduct on multiple fronts, including violating intellectual property rights, unjustly valuing their currency at less than it's worth to boost their exchange rate, and flooding US markets without opening up their own.

John McCain, on the other hand, has in the past emphasized maintaining a good trade relationship with China and opposed sanctions on the country if they were found to be producing weapons of mass destruction. He explicitly asserted in 2000, "I would tell the Taiwanese that they should observe the one China policy which calls for peaceful reunification."

However, as he emerged as the leading Republican presidential candidate, his positions have changed radically. In October 2007, McCain said, "If I were in Taiwan today, and I just saw what happened to Martin Lee in Hong Kong*, I would be very nervous about a peaceful integration into China. Remember the promises they made about what would happen in Hong Kong once they reintegrated back into China? None of those have come true."

*Martin Lee is a Chinese pro-democracy activist. His 2007 article about the Chinese government in the Wall Street Journal received harsh criticism from the government in Beijing.

In the election so far, there has not yet been one of those widely publicized political gaffes that requires an apology from a presidential candidate. However, there has been an undercurrent of resentment - conscious or not - toward China throughout the entire presidential campaign.

These seemingly innocuous comments are beginning to have an negative effect on Chinese-Americans' perceptions of presidential candidates as well.

One Chinese-American high school student said, "It always offends me a little if someone says something negative about China. It did take a while to sort of accept being Chinese [in America], because it always seemed to me like people looked down at us. I guess that feeling never really completely goes away."

Of course, it is unlikely that any one of the aforementioned comments in context would sway voters one way or the other. And there has been a lot of critical press focused on China because of the upcoming Olympics and tainted goods, so it's not surprising that politicians would pick up on that.

While there has been a lot of coverage of important voting demographics such as women, Jews, and the white working class, Chinese-Americans have not made the list. All the same, if candidates want to secure every possible vote - and this fall, it will be especially important for Obama and McCain - they'll need to closely examine their positions and watch their words when making comments relating to Americans of Chinese descent.

As Mao Zedong said, "Politics is war without bloodshed. War is politics with bloodshed."

TEAM Survey: Would You Do It Again?

2008-06-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

A poolside party last night for all of Paly's freshman TEAM students provided a fitting end to a momentous first year of high school.

Right. Whatever. Not like we don't still have three more years to go before we take off. But anyway - the real question is whether TEAM is "so-cool-I'd-do-it-every-year-if-I-could!" or "lame."

TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) is a freshman-only program of 100 students that attempts to integrate the four core subjects and show how they are applicable in real life. In the past, the stereotype of TEAM has been that it is for kids who, socially or academically, would have trouble making the transition from middle school to high school.

However, this year, almost the majority of students who signed up were outstanding academically and could certainly have coped easily with mainstream high school. This has changed somewhat the overall image of TEAM - for the better.

This year, the majority of answers to the "hot-or-not" question showed that who else signed up for TEAM was the deciding factor in the choice of whether or not to participate.

"Basically, I signed up because my friends did," said one male TEAM student.

In the same vein, many incoming freshmen who chose not to participate in TEAM said it was because their friends were not planning on doing TEAM.

One other common concern - for parents at least - is that "my child's social circle will be limited." Most TEAM students clamor to refute this claim.

One TEAM student from Jordan said, "For me, TEAM is a place to make friends and hang out with them."

A student from the Peninsula school agreed that all the team-building activities featured throughout the year make it easier for those who don't know many people or are shy to get to know other students well.

And as one student said, "100 people is a lot of people to know."

Knowing approximately 1/4 of the freshman class well, some say, is better than knowing 3/4 a little or not at all. TEAM students have three out of seven classes daily (PE plus two electives) with students not from TEAM, so their social options are not as limited as parents may think.

Of course, as with all specialized programs, TEAM is certainly not for everyone. For those students who prefer to have each class with a different group of friends, TEAM may not be such a good match. And TEAM does ask parents to be active in their child's education by volunteering to help set up events, so parents whose professions require a large amount of travel may find it difficult to stay connected.

But then there are the field trips. TEAM students this year traveled to Foothills Park, Merced County, Monterey, Sunset Beach, and, of course, Yosemite. When asked whether or not she would do TEAM again, a students said immediately, "Yes! Because of the field trips."

This year has been a turning point for TEAM in terms of interest and demographics. The hope is that this "school within a school" will continue to change and grow. After all, TEAM is only as good as the teachers - and the students - make it.

It Happened!

2008-06-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today, Saturday, June 7th, Senator Hillary Clinton conceded to Barack Obama, throwing her full support behind him and effectively launching the official start of the general election campaign.

Clinton's speech was well-written, but her delivery could have been more enthusiastic. She more or less read large sections of the half-hour speech, seeming tight and, and times, on the brink of tears. But the woman has just decided to end her historic campaign for President of the United States; of course she shows emotion.

Senator Clinton's website now asks visitors to sign up to support Barack Obama and, separately, to help her retire her campaign debt.

Senator Obama's website asks visitors to post comments thanking Senator Clinton for all she has done for the country.

The entire affair is slightly anticlimactic; Senator Clinton did what she had to do, and Senator Obama stayed largely out of it.

And so passes the campaign of the first major female candidate for President of the United States: in a quiet, sometimes painful concession.

This is what all the Democrats wanted, isn't it? To have Senator Clinton make way for the party hero, Barack Obama?

As George Bernard Shaw once said, "There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart's desire. The other is to get it."

On the brink of nomination: Obama's victory

2008-06-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

According to the press, Barack Obama has been "on the brink" of nomination for several weeks now. His website boasts his role as the leader of "the largest grassroots movement in the history of presidential politics." As you click onto his homepage, a splash greets you, reading "Barack Obama needs 10 delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination!"

So when's it gonna happen? When can the amazing phenomenon himself actually claim victory over Hillary Clinton?

Press and pundits alike give varied answers. "When Clinton concedes." "When he gets his 10 more delegates." "When it becomes clear that Clinton cannot win."
This last one expired several weeks ago, today the press said that Obama had "effectively sewed up the 2118 delegates needed for the nomination", and yet, Barack Obama has not officially declared himself the Democratic Party's nominee.

While his politeness in not edging out Ms. Clinton is certainly commendable, most Democrats agree that, as Obama himself said recently, "The sooner we bring the party together [presumably around him], the sooner we can start focusing on John McCain and the November election." A formal victory speech seems in order here.

But how much will the actual speech mean? It has been clear that Obama is the stronger candidate for a while now, and although the radio, the newspapers, and television all say that Obama will have clinched the nomination by tonight, the most the assertion can provide is, finally, a sense of satisfaction and stability for Democrats.

And, on a different note, what will Ms. Clinton's role be in the new administration? The media has delighted in publishing articles giving a plethora of reasons for stubbornly keeping her campaign alive.

"Ms. Clinton has privately consulted with Mr. Obama about his campaign helping her to retire her campaign's debt."

"Ms. Clinton is staying in the race to ensure that Obama will give her a prestigious place in his administration."

"Mr. Obama's campaign is working on recruiting Ms. Clinton's top fundraisers."

"Ms. Clinton said that she is open to being Barack Obama's running mate."

While few but Ms. Clinton herself could truthfully answer these questions, speculations will, no doubt, continue until she calls it quits.

And with John McCain not having had much to do in the past several months other than raise money and not spend it, there is certainly something to be said for the Democratic party finally coming together to support a candidate, not two.

But all three campaigns have certainly enlightened much of America, if not the world, to the inner workings of American presidential politics - whether we wanted to hear it or not.

And if all this talk of elections has got you down, laugh it off with the Capitol Steps' hilarious musical satire at www.capsteps.com!

Finally, in local news, go vote in Palo Alto's elections tonight!

Update: Barack Obama claimed the Democratic nomination tonight in St. Paul, Minnesota, becoming the first major party black candidate in American history.

STAR TESTING: PART II

2008-05-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

They're back again.

The dreaded, terrible, disgusting, epitome-of-the-absolute- demise-of-American- school-systems STAR tests. The mere name is so dastardly it demands all capitals.

And with them come the exemption letters from parents, the new rules dictating a required minimum score for AP participation, and the simplistic, almost insulting test questions.

Here's a little sample of what millions of students around California have had to put up with in the past few weeks.

"You are going to take a test that will assess what you have learned. Some questions will be easy and some will be harder. Don't worry about the ones that seem hard, just do your best and don't spend too much time on any one question.

Before you begin, please mark your ethnicity in the bubbles below.
o Asian
o Pacific Islander
o African American
o Hispanic
o White

Ready? Begin.

Read the sentence.
"And with them come the exemption letters from parents, the new rules dictating a required minimum score for AP participation, and the simplistic, almost insulting test questions."

What is the best way to rewrite the above sentence?
A) The STAR tests bring a barrage of letters, rules, and insulting test questions.
B) Exemption for come with them almost students and, future letters insulting.
C) Future AP students must now score a minimum of "Proficient" on the STAR tests, which by the way make parents write angry letters and insult students with stupid questions.
D) STAR tests are bad.

The following question is not related to a reading.

Which of the socially unjust institutions related to STAR testing is the worst? (Yes, there is a right answer.)
A) Making students who will be in college in a few years read about why the mother of the author decided to try and replicate her great-grandfather's recipe for a mint snowball.
B) Asking students who will be in college in a few years whether the word "volcano" comes from the name of the ancient fire god "Pele", "Hephaestus", or "Vulcan".
C) George Bush's decision to pass the NCLB (also known as nicklebee or, for those who can't spell but are creative when it comes to acronyms, NLotBC - Nothing Learned (or taught) By Choice)
D) The fact that there is SO much more one could do with their time than try to decide which circle with a little letter in it to color in.

STOP.

You still have an hour and a half left in your testing time.

You may not use a cell phone, iPod, or any other electronic device.

Your results will be mailed to you by next spring. Of course, these results really mean nothing because a) by next spring you won't care anymore, if you ever did in the first place, and b) if your school was really going to be closed because of atrocious test scores, it wouldn't matter what your score was anyway.

I think the quote that bests sums up standardized testing was uttered by President Bush. In a speech at Townsend Elementary School in Tennessee, he said quite simply,

"You teach a child to read and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test."

Enough said.

Politics: When enough is enough

2008-05-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

"Clinton Pledges to Fight On Despite Split Primary Result."
"Obama picks up superdelegates; undecideds moving his way."
"Clinton vows to press on as time, options running out."

These are just a few of the headlines from today's top AP stories. As the wills (and egos) of the candidates battle on without an end in sight, New York Times reporters must be finding it difficult to make their four-articles-per-day quota.

As the primary campaigns head into the summer home stretch, even diehard fans and politicos are beginning to wilt. "I was really excited at the beginning of the campaigns," said one Paly teacher. "But now, it's almost like I don't even care anymore."

Sure, all the buzz about Jeremiah Wright and Bill Clinton and the name-calling between candidates was fun for a while. I love a good debate as much as the next person. But after all the same scandals were discussed and all the same names were called, the market for new political information got thin - and now it's getting to the point where I'm tired of hearing our two favorite candidates bash each other with the same old hammers.

Of course, if most of the two Democratic candidates' faults are displayed to the public (and republicans) during the primary season, it could make for a less gruesome (or at least less shocking) general election in November.

And speaking of red elephants across the aisle, John McCain will be in Atherton on May 22. The event - and indeed, the candidate himself - have been receiving remarkably little press in the past month. We can only assume Mr. McCain is biding his time (and saving his money) for a harder general election campaign.

But on the whole, whether blue or red, the collective color of United States voters seems to be fading a little. I only hope the candidates still have the energy to inspire us into a darker shade of enthusiasm before November.

The Source, by James A Michener: If you read this, you don't have to read the book

2008-04-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

In light of my recent adventures abroad, I have summarized my experience with a book review of a novel that fits my voyage to Greece and Israel quite nicely.

The Source
by James A. Michener

It may be difficult to imagine that a ten thousand year history of the Jewish faith could be a #1 bestseller. It may be even more surprising that such a book can grab and hold the attention of a high school student. And although the novel is not without its fair share of tedious passages, the overall “Da Vinci Code” style with which it presents its content is enthralling.

The entire book takes place on a tell (a raised mound of earth some 200 yards long and 71 feet tall) in what is now Northern Israel, near the ancient city of Akko. The 1964 archaeologic dig that begins the novel introduces the amazing quality of this specific site: at some point in time, pagans, Jews, Christians, and Muslims have each occupied this most desirable piece of real estate. What’s more, the tell has witnessed a good majority of the major historical events that have occurred in the Holy Land since 9843 BCE.

The chapters are organized in chronological order, beginning with the oldest and working their way up through history. Although the reverse method of ordering could have been more realistic (archaeologists move backward through time as they uncover new layers of civilization), this way is more logical for one reading the book forwards.

The story of each era is heralded by an archaeological find that indicates a way of life at that time in history. For instance, the first artifact, several sharpened flints used as a sickle for reaping grain, precede a narrative of the first cave dweller to intentionally plant wild grain in a location convenient for harvesting, thereby becoming one of the first farmers in history.

Each mini-novel is infused with familiar societal institutions: the oppression and distrust of women, the wild animal turned tame friend for a young girl, the father desperate for a strong son just like him. This literary device effectively draws the reader in by recounting recognizable traits of legend and modern society.

The author also draws parallels more obviously by interspersing the ancient tales with short chapters about the four main characters working on the dig. These snatches of modernity are mostly limited to the thoughts of one Dr. John Cullinane, the only Catholic working on the dig and, to a certain extent, our hero. His heroic stature is not determined by his faith; rather, by the way he strives to immerse himself in and completely understand the Jewish faith with a slightly unrealistic passion. For instance, he is the only of the four who attends synagogue (as well as church) on Shabbat; the two Jews refuse and the Muslim explains quite drolly, “I find that if I enter a local synagogue dressed in full Arab robes, bow toward Mecca and cry, “Allah is Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet,” I am apt to cause resentment.”

However, the idea that a single place can have been host to so many different civilizations is quite a real one. In Greece, I learned that the Parthenon, after being a temple for Greek pagan worship, acquired a golden dome in its capacity as a Muslim mosque, and later lost its roof entirely under Ottoman rule because a Venetian shell struck the building, which was at the time being used for gunpowder storage. And Caesarea, King Herod’s opulent Roman port and resort city in Northern Israel, became a Crusader town as the Europeans strove to control the Holy Land.

One of the reasons Judaism is unique is because, at least in more conservative synagogues, many of the ancient customs are adhered to. However, one of the themes this book explores is that this unwillingness to change with the times has caused some of Judaism’s former adherents to convert or just to stop practicing. Michener has done a masterful job of capturing both sides: Judaism’s stubborn traditions and its ancient beauty.

DESTINATION: SPRING BREAK

2008-03-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

Sunwashed days in a Cancun resort, at the beach, in the pool, at cafes. Wild nights at crazy parties, dancing the night away to the sound of ocean surf. Midnight swims in hotel pools. Such is a typical Spring Break stereotype.

But is it true? Is it realistic? Where are Paly students REALLY going this March?

Exhibit A: Leadership Conference in San Jose. "It could have rained, snowed, hailed, or have been beautiful outside, I wouldn't know: we had to stay inside the hotel at all times."
Exhibit B: Brussels, Belgium and Oxford, England. "Right now it's two degrees above freezing."
Exhibit C: HAWAII!!! [No comment.]

As appealing as all these exotic locales may sound, Palo Alto's weather has been nothing to sneeze at in the past few days. Stubbornly sunny days should continue most of the week, with a slight chance of precipitation on Wednesday.

If you're looking for a pleasant lunch location to soak up some rays right here in Palo Alto, Stanford's Cantor Arts Museum has a great cafe that offers outdoor seating with plenty of sun.

Staying home doesn't have to be boring. Spring Break's a perfect time to shoot some hoops, practice guitar, or watch all those movies you never seem to have time to watch on weekends.

And if all this hasn't been enough and you still want to go to Cancun, let me know. I have connections.

The AP Question

2008-03-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

"I'm taking APUSH next year."
"I'm sorry, are you suicidal?"
This exchange is an example of just a few of students' views on AP classes.

Should I sign up for AP Environmental Science? Is BC Calc AP really worth it? How many AP's should I take to impress colleges and yet maintain my basic human sanity?

Stanford says, "Always sign up from among the most challenging courses that excite you the most." On the other hand, "Do not feel pressured to take Honors or Advanced Placement courses just because they are Honors or Advanced Placement Courses."

The question of how much is too much is too often forgotten in the average overachiever's quest for college admissions. Five AP's per year is regarded as ridiculous; one is not challenging enough. The magic number must lie somewhere between.

Advanced Placement classes, according to CollegeBoard, help you "enter a universe of knowledge that might otherwise remain unexplored in high school" and AP exams give you "the opportunity to earn credit or advanced standing at most of the nation's colleges and universities." However, most of the students who take AP courses in high school do not plan to finish college early, as the original purpose dictates. Has an AP course become just another ruler by which colleges measure their prospective applicants? And above all, is the result worth the rigors?

Six Paly students shared their experiences.
A, a senior, took AP US History her junior year and AP's in all core subjects her senior year. She wrote a piece on the unreliability of college admissions for Verde (http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=6146).

K, a senior, took one AP and one Honors class her junior year, and three AP's her senior year.

T, a senior, took one AP her junior year and three her senior year, but dropped one, leaving her with Spanish 5AP and AP Statistics in her schedule. "AP Stats is really different from the other math classes," she said, without saying it was harder or easier.

K, a junior, is taking no AP's this year, and expressed incredulity when I told her I planned on taking four my junior year.

E, a senior, took two AP's as a junior and four as a senior. A prospective Political Science major who recently interviewed for Brown, he manipulated his schedule to take multiple social studies classes his sophomore year "to make colleges see that I'm serious about the subject." In other areas, however, he did not plan quite as well. "Believe me, you do not want to take Living Skills your senior year," he said, referring to the traditionally sophomore-dominated class that includes First Aid training, among other "life skills."

M, a senior headed to Stanford for track, took two AP's her junior year and three her senior year. She also holds the school track record in the 400 and 800m.

Paly, a demanding school in itself, offers a wide array of honors and advanced placement classes, making it possible to sign up for an all-AP schedule of 7 classes in 12th grade, provided one has completed the prerequisites.

Favorite AP Environmental Science is looked upon as a less stressful AP, but requires a year of Physics. Senior A described the AP College English teacher as "crazy," but laughed as she said it. An endless combination of social studies electives begins with AP US History (dubbed "A-PUSH" by students) in junior year, and culminates, some would say, in AP Psychology, a class exclusively for seniors. And then there is the KING OF ALL AP CLASSES: BC Calculus AP. A Stanford engineering professor, whose child took the class, reportedly said it was excruciatingly and unnecessarily painful.

Of course, the moral of the story ought to be that it doesn't matter how many AP's you take if you do what you love. And to a certain degree, this is true; take senior M as proof. However, it is also true that colleges love to see you focusing on a challenging class in a subject about which you are passionate.

So, sign up for as many AP classes as you think you can handle, but take them with a pinch of realistic expectations, self-awareness, and - oh yeah - salt.

Palo Alto Theater Gets a Little Drama

2008-02-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

The set: Palo Alto. The scene: Children's Theater. Picture this: some cash goes missing. Then a video camera. Next to go is some "hard to find" equipment. Who is behind it? No one can say.

What happens? An anonymous person calls the police, who storm in, evacuate the building, place the four employees on paid leave, and promise to investigate while providing insubstantial "reports" on their actions to the public. Subplot: three of these four employees are union workers. What do the police do? They forbid the union members to talk to the union president. Subsubplot: one of these union workers is currently in the hospital dying of stomach cancer.

With Hollywood writers on strike, I think we might just have a blockbuster here.

This drama, of course, revolves around the shutdown of the Palo Alto Children's Theater.

Who called the police? Unknown to public. Why did the person call the police if they suspected inside theft instead of disciplining the suspects (as would any company with suspicions of employee misbehavior)? Unknown to anyone. What are the police really doing? Unknown to public. And what would theater staff be doing with a bunch of video and audio equipment?

Planning their comeback by making a music video, probably.

The two main directors, both long LONG time employees of the Children's Theater, are city employees. This means the city finances the Children's Theater even though it only makes a fraction of what it spends. However, when it comes to accountability, who is the boss of these two veteran directors? This is the question.

The Friends of the Children's Theater provides additional financial support to buy "extras" that are out of the $1 million annual budget. They are not financially responsible for the theater nor do they have any control over the theater management. They don't even see spending records.

If you understand all this, explain it to me.

As will happen with a scandal, there are those who accuse the police and the city of destroying the reputations of four honorable citizens. To a certain degree, it's a valid point. If there is no definitive evidence, what are the police hoping to find? A document saying, "I took the video camera?" And if there is definitive evidence, why are the police keeping so quiet about it?

Of course, there are also those who believe it's about time for some new blood; directors who don't insist upon a Jordan outreach show being performed to a CD instead of live music. (i.e. younger people who aren't quite so controlling and resistant to change.)

All you need now to nicely round out the plot is the sister of the box office worker secretly being in love with the former husband of the theater director, who coincidentally overheard some illegal dealings between the costume designer and her fiance, who is actually planning to escape to Swaziland by the next boat to cover up his 14 jail terms before the day of the wedding is set.

But hey! That's drama.

Update: Well-known long-time director Michael Litfin died of cancer on Friday, February 1. A celebration of his life will be held at the Childrens' Theatre on February 17.

Lunch Crisis!

2008-01-30T09:31:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you, lugging a 12-pound softball bag to school every day for a week is nobody's idea of fun. Especially when the load is accompanied by a 46 pound backpack, a small lunch bag, and exhausted shoulders from lobbing softballs for two hours after school.

So is it any wonder that I sought to consolidate by tucking my lunch in with my cleats and glove? Of course, you respond. It's perfectly sensible. However, when one forgets to take the lunch out of the bag when one leaves it in a certain PE teacher's office to be collected at 3pm, the plot thickens.

No matter, though. I begged a few friends to accompany me on the cross-campus trek to retrieve my wayward lunch. It was then that disaster struck. The door was locked! Now I was stuck on a Tuesday without a lunch right before a math quiz.

Having coerced a senior into buying me a decaf mocha during 4th per, I was not absolutely starving, but the fact remained: I needed food. And unfortunately, given the time, the only food available was - *gasp* - that's right. Cafeteria food.

I told myself it would be OK. I could get some overpriced, substandard, but filling Chinese food (orange chicken, I believe it was) and not collapse from exhaustion.

Then, it happened again. "Sorry, we're out of chicken."

I cringed, not believing I could sink this low. "Can I have...a...pepperoni...pizza?" I choked. Five second later, IT landed in front of me.

The cheese was mangled, displaying the thin layer of once frozen tomato sauce. The crust was puffy, belying the insubstantial air bubbles beneath the surface. When I turned IT over, the bottom crust had the consistency of an uncooked shortbread cookie full of partially hydrogenated soybean oil. (Fun, huh?)

I took a bite. It was greasy and disgusting, but I didn't collapse in math.

I guess we must all be thankful for the small things in life. Like not being poisoned by cafeteria food. Really puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

Freshman Finals!!!

2008-01-24T17:29:00.000-08:00

"Wow. This is the first time you guys have ever taken real finals."

This ominous quote was uttered by a particularly observant senior to a class of freshmen on the first day of official first semester finals. Needless to say, it did not calm my nerves as I anticipated the horrors to come.

Luckily, my first "final" consisted of watching a movie. Thanks to the first-per. teacher who knows what's important in life! (If anyone wants to snag this class for next year, it's Video Production.) Unfortunately, this film turned out to be possibly the most depressing piece of footage I have ever viewed. SPOILER WARNING. PLOT DETAILS FOLLOW. In a nutshell: A pair of sarcastic just-graduated high school misfits, (Scarlett Johansson and Thora Birch) decide not to go to college. The dark-haired one falls in love with another misfit guy 12 years older than her after helping him get a girlfriend in the first place. Her best friend, both concerned and annoyed at the amount of time Enid spends with her new "friend," grows farther and farther away from Enid. Eventually, Enid loses a college scholarship and her boyfriend, and, her life ruined, is seen boarding a bus to - we never find out. Exactly the movie that leaves you pumped up and ready to spend two hours taking a science final.

After a leisurely half hour spent with friends frantically recounting study habits and speculating on just how much the teachers would delight in giving us all F's when we failed each and every test (as we were all positive we would), I crossed the quad with two friends to the first hurdle.

Freshman biology is a relatively easy class, but of course I overstressed and overstudied for a final comprised of all previous test questions. Unless one didn't study, has amnesia, or possesses a particular aversion to paramecium, the final was not difficult. Accurate stress factor: 4 out of 10.

As the Supreme Dictator of All Finals (that would be math) was scheduled for Thursday, Wednesday night was spent somewhat like this: worry. study old quizzes. fret. study old quizzes. freak out. calm down. study review sheet. study social studies to take my mind off it. firmly tell myself that I have to study if I want a good grade. study everything. Reason that I've been studying for a week, so I have nothing to worry about. Remind myself that overconfidence is the pitfall of all test-takers. (I just made that up, but it sounded genuine at the time.)

I don't even remember what the weather was like on Thursday. Because my English final was all vocab, I breezed through that final and set my sights on the goal. (2/10.) As soon as I walked into the math classroom, I could tell something was out of the ordinary. (Besides the fact that my entire college and after-college career was to be decided in that very room, I mean.) (By the way, that was a joke. I am not actually that overly anxious.) Rearranged desks always put a feeling of unease in the air, but the multiple choice went all right. All in all, I was only worried about one proof and one algebra problem when the test was over. (9/10.) Exhausted, I thanked the Supreme Being of Schedule Making that I had PE next and could unwind by watching another movie - this time it was one of the "stupid", not the "depressing" genre. Oh well. (0/10).

About French, what can I say? Only that a certain celebrity whose first name resembles that of the capital city of said country could probably get an A on it. This was due in part to the fact that the students wrote the final questions. The only remotely challenging section was that of culture. (a.k.a. In Mahgreb (Francophone North Africa), do they praise the Lord for their food before or after the meal?) I was thankful for this respite from "killer" finals and used the extra study time to study for social studies. (1.5/10.)

After having heard from multiple people that a lot of the questions centered on the Enlightement, I brushed up on my philosophers and had a good time trying to remember why Phillip II declared war on Queen Elizabeth I. (Maybe he thought he could beat her because he had a greater number after his name.) (6/10).

All in all, most of my finals were not hard. Some even bordered on - dare I say it? - easy. Math was about as hard as I'd expected, and the rest were easier than I expected.

Congratulations to all on surviving the week! And for those who are sad finals are over (you know who you are), there's always Spring finals!

New Year's Resolutions: A Study in Societal Impact

2008-01-06T17:46:00.000-08:00

New years' resolutions, just like school rules (some would argue) are made to be broken. A firm "I will start studying for tests three days in advance", seeming a perfectly achievable goal during those relaxing days of Winter Break almost always dissolves after the first test, especially if the result was not ideal.

The categories of resolutions have been fairly standard this year. Present was the academic resolution (from a freshman: "I will stop procrastinating - doing homework in the morning is not a good idea.") The athletic goal made an appearance as well (from a freshman: "I want to make CCS."). And then there's the "aspirational resolution" - a resolution regarding an ability over which one doesn't actually have much control, which, technically, brands it a wish. (From a freshman: "To be able to see my true friends and never let them go.") Of course, if one fails to acquire this ability, there's always the safeguard that "it wasn't really a resolution." Milestones to be achieved through work are easy to make and easy to break. However, they also provide a high level of satisfaction. A sophomore from Mexico emphasized the opportunity to turn over a new leaf ("I'll try to erase my mistakes and start all over, be a better person and not fight with my sister.") A respectable but, again, difficult resolution to follow through on is "to be nice to people I don't like" (from a freshman).

But, taking a close look, what really is New Year's? The only reason January starts on this day and not on May 23 is because of Pope Gregory XIII, who decreed in a papal bull that this reformed version of Julius Caesar's calendar would be the norm. (Ironically, he decreed this on February 24, not at New Year's.) As put by a Jordan eighth-grader, "Every day is a new year, from that day one year ago." Why do we set so much store by this particular day? The answer is the same as the reason why celebrities are famous: we decide what events, things, and people are important. If we all decided not to buy movie and concert tickets, never watch TV shows, never Google celebrities, and generally ignore them, their status would disappear. A celebrity, by definition, must be famous. So if we decided to make the year start on July 4th, our year would start on July 4th, no questions asked (well, there would be some questions, but it would catch on eventually).

A new year, whatever its real societal significance, does give people hope for new ways, new promises, and renewed appreciation for life because people so designate it. Plus, it gives us all an excuse to sit around and drink Martinelli's.

Other: The Problem with Standardized Ethnicities

2007-12-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

We can all agree that the STAR tests have many faults, but one glaring issue that is usually overlooked is that of the choices included in the “Ethnicity” section of the bubble-test. “American Indian” always tops the list – perhaps it’s our idea of compensation for the mass genocide in the 1600’s. “Hispanic” is followed by several variations of “Pacific Islander,” then “Asian”, “African American”, and finally, “White or Caucasian”.

Although I consider myself a diverse and well-rounded as well as culturally sensitive individual, I always feel guilty marking “White,” as if it’s my fault that my grandparents were not Haitian. * sigh. * That’s life.

But what of the cultures completely omitted in this by-no-means comprehensive list of “acceptable” ethnicities? Indians (that is, those from the country of India), are nowhere to be found. Are they “Asian?” Doesn’t that imply almond shaped eyes, tan skin, and an exceptionally high math IQ? (I don’t actually stereotype “Asian” this way; the statement is for the sake of argument.) What could be the cause of this discrepancy?

To answer this question, we must first ask ourselves, “What is the purpose of the STAR testing masterminds knowing whether our skin is white, black, or purple?” An executive answer would probably come close to “In order to improve the test through enhanced data collection and ensure that all races have an equal opportunity to succeed.” In other words, so that they can quote the exact percentage of Pacific Islanders who scored above average on the STAR test, thereby proving that “Americans really aren’t prejudiced!”

What would a person whose mother is African American and whose father is Mexican bubble in? What if her grandmother was born in Spain? What if her great-uncle was born a native of Australia (of Aboriginal descent)? Is Spain “Hispanic”? If her grandmother was from Spain but her aunt was born in Florida, does that make her aunt American?

Although an individual might not think this deeply which black and white bubble to fill in during a week where teachers don’t give homework, the STAR test does, in essence, force participants to either categorize their identity or to abstain from answering the question (which, in reality, rarely anybody does). While for some it may be simple, for others it shoves the potentially touchy issue of their heritage right in their faces.

STAR tests are designed to categorize. They sort out students into types, making it easy for the analysts to throw together some numbers that supposedly represent the entire American population under the age of 18. STAR tests: progress reports, or offensive identity sorters? Only you can decide.

45 degrees: The Homecoming Dance

2007-11-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

A mass of humans, some wearing animal prints, moving strangely under the revolving flashes of light. The concentration of bodies seems to increase closer to the far end of the room, where a man with headphones on flicks and pushes hundreds of buttons and switches. Other attendees sitting in tables at the back of the room, some playing cards. One lone reporter, watching it all happen.

No, this scene is not from a bad science fiction movie. It's Paly. It's the homecoming dance.

Contrary to popular rumors, parent chaperones did not carry protractors with them as they prowled the dance floor, searching for violators of the "45 degree rule." In fact, most of them expressed indifference when asked about the new dance policy. "We were invited to watch the video," said one adult, referring to the two minute clip playing on a continuous loop just outside the gym. The short movie explained acceptable versus inappropriate dance behavior, but only enforced what the text of the policy states (you may not bend forwards at an angle of more than 45 degrees, you may not dance in a way that is unreasonably explicit). One chaperone said disparagingly, "There are so many more important things to pay attention to," suggesting that the administration could be wasting its time implementing and enforcing rules about the way students can dance.

Far more interesting were the reactions of students when informed that their parent would be a chaperone. "My daughter was almost in tears," replied an adult near the coatroom. Although it is undoubtedly embarrassing to see your mother at a dance, one might wonder precisely what the student had planned on doing so that she was so upset.

No extreme violations of school policy presented themselves, however. "There was one girl whose mother would not have been happy," reported a chaperone, recounting an incident of a "sandwich." The penalty is also not so severe as had been rumored. "I shone my flashlight twice on [this girl], but it wasn't really bad." Reports of alcohol use were also few. "One girl looked like she might have been under the influence, so another chaperone made sure she was okay."

This account contradicts the presence of two or three policemen at the dance. When asked why they were there, they replied, "some kids have been drinking." The cops walked around in the bleachers, surveying the scene below. Later, as the dance ended, they moved outside. "This is our first time here," said one. Perhaps some additional precautions have been put in place after all.

The Winter Formal will undoubtedly have a different atmosphere, and the circumstances regarding strictness remain to be seen. Stay tuned for the next article!

Lost Cell Phone Results in "Airport Security" at Paly

2007-10-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

In light of the recent "punknastying" segment on InFocus, it seems that students are not the only ones who feel free to literally turn others' backpacks inside out.

According to a 7th per. art student, Paly's vice principal arrived in the classroom to conduct a backpack search of everyone in the room after one student mentioned that he "lost his cell phone." The alarm was uttered half-way through the period. That, and the fact that the cell phone did not ring when called seemed to convince the teacher that the cell phone was stolen and not merely misplaced.

Again, in the words of this student, the teacher forbade anyone from leaving the room and called the vice principal. When the vice principal arrived on a golf cart, he and the driver of the cart searched the backpacks of every single student in the room.

Although the search of student possessions is legal according to the Constitution and Supreme Court, rules regarding reasonableness, excessive intrusion, and relativity to the specific suspected offense apply. Far more troubling were the reported parting words of the vice principal: "I didn't catch you this time, but you can be sure that I'll catch you doing something wrong sometime" [or equivalent: exact quote unavailable].

The student questioned the judgment of the teacher for so quickly calling the administration and the administration for dropping whatever it was doing at the time for the purpose of finding one student's lost cell phone. One would hope that a lost cell phone would be the greatest of the school's worries, but, of course, this is not the case. For instance, the high school task force has concluded that building another high school for the purpose of accommodating the steady increase of student enrollment is not realistic. Therefore, the task force says, schools should work on enhancing and enlarging their existing facilities and programs. This, surely, is one of Paly's concerns that deserves far more attention.

The author does not seek to criticize the administration, merely to comment on and encourage slightly better use of the administration's time. From the administration's point of view, it is understandable that in Palo Alto, the number of parents prepared to sue for circumstances just as trivial as a lost cell phone is quite high. Consequently, the actions of the school taken to recover lost property might be understandable. Also, our new principal may feel the need to come down hard on theft (real or alleged) and to make it clear that no stealing will be tolerated.

As a student, I hope there will be no veritable violations of student rights with regard to search and seizure. However, if you want to contribute to the prevention of these violations (and ensure that your classmates won't hunt you down after class for sinister purposes), hold onto your cell phones!

UPDATE: The student found his phone behind some paintings. He does believe that it was stolen, but that perhaps the culprit tossed the phone away to avoid incrimination. "Somebody probably just threw it back there," he shrugged.

Paly Profile: Accomplished Music Artist

2007-10-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

While some Paly students still cherish dreams of musical stardom, Molly Tuttle has been there, done that. Well, partly.

Molly's first album, "The Old Apple Tree," was released onto iTunes last April. It features country songs with vocals and guitar by Molly and her dad.

"I never really wanted to be a rock star or anything," Molly said. "I just started playing guitar when I was eight."

Since then, Molly has played and sang at talent shows, music festivals, and her eighth grade graduation. Just last week she performed at the Tennessee International Bluegrass Music Association festival.

A shy person by nature, Molly says she doesn't get stage fright - anymore. "When I was first starting, I did," she admitted. "But now, not so much."

Molly's father, Jack Tuttle, the main force behind her musical career, teaches bluegrass violin and is also featured on the album on violin and vocals. "We recorded "The Old Apple Tree" in our backyard studio," said Molly. "It used to be a shed, then it was my dad's office, but now it's got microphones and stuff in it."

So, can anyone put an album on iTunes? "Yeah, basically," said Molly. "You record the album and you call them and tell them you want it on iTunes." The company that does this is called TuneCore (www.tunecore.com).

When asked, "Is another album on the way?" Molly laughed. "Probably not, at least for awhile," she said. "It was a big project!"

PE Uniforms: What A Ripoff!

2007-09-12T07:42:00.000-07:00

On the first day of school, one student in my PE class asked if we were allowed to wear our Jordan PE clothes in addition to our Paly PE clothes; say, while we were washing the latter. "No! Of course not!" was the answer given my my teacher. Her vague explanation had something to do with "Paly pride," but I thought the idea of reusing a $10 shirt that you otherwise would never wear again had its merits. Added to the fact that a full set of Paly PE clothes costs $20, using a Jordan shirt for PE seems pretty ingenious.

The school should theoretically have more profitable fundraising techniques than selling $10 shirts that don't fit all that well and don't even have designer labels plastered over every square centimeter of fabric, but the element of requiring every student to buy at least one makes it more effective.

I could have gone with the masses and forked over another $20 for another set of clothes for alternates, but instead I decided to go the creative (if, on the whole, unnecessary) route by recreating the Paly logo on my computer, printing it onto a piece of special iron-on paper, and ironing it onto the inside back of my Jordan PE shirt.

I admit that actions like these, that people (comme moi) take every day just for the heck of it, are unnecessary, but hey! Extraneous actions (and the selling of PE uniforms) could potentially make the world go 'round.

Freshman Friday and The Dance

2007-08-31T17:09:00.001-07:00

Well, the events of Freshman Friday, (aside from the girls' water polo team's interesting accessories) were about as climactic as opening a pair of socks for your birthday. No one I know got egged, or water ballooned, or even pushed around. The worst was a few seniors yelling at the 7th per. freshman PE class to run faster. In fact, the uneventfulness was slightly disappointing. Oh well. Maybe the seniors will take us by surprise on Tuesday.

The number of people buying dance tickets was slightly more impressive. There was a decent sized crowd outside the Student Center at lunch, and although I didn't collect opinions from very many of them, I'm sure the allure of "a dance under the stars" was appealing.

Among those who did not plan on going to Paly at 7:30pm, reasons were fairly standard. The "I don't know how to dance" argument held its place as the most common, but "I'm going to play video games instead" was pretty high up there. One student said, "My boyfriend doesn't want to go, so there's no point." Other answers were more rational, like the facts that going to a dance with students three years older might seem intimidating to the average freshman. That the dance was on Freshman Friday decreased the appeal to freshmen as well. Then, there was the question of whether the dance was simply scheduled too early in the year. A student with this view replied that she didn't know enough people yet to want to go to a social function with 200 of them.

Those who bought tickets, have a great time at the dance!
And those who didn't, I hope you get to a new level on your favorite video game.

Freshman Orientation: Don't Go on The Deck.

2007-08-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

I was looking forward to Freshman Orientation as a chance to get my schedule, meet my teachers, catch up with friends, and get to know Paly a little better. Unfortunately, Freshman Orientation seemed not so much a welcome to new students but a warning that the seniors are the bosses and everybody else better get used to it.

That's not to say that the orientation was a waste of time. I definitely know my way around campus better, I talked with some friends, I got my schedule, and I registered my lock. However, the main points of the presentation in the theater seemed to be, "Freshmen: stay off the deck, don't ask seniors for help because they'll throw eggs at you, and have a great time!"

Paly is, as ASB president Mohammed Abid proclaimed, "One of the best schools in the nation." Why, then, should any member of our senior class see fit to engage in such activities as lobbing raw eggs at students whose only crime is not having previously attended Paly? The often grunted reply of "Tradition" hardly constitutes an excuse.

It is of course, possible that the small percentage of seniors who chose to participate in orientation do not accurately represent the dispositions of the rest of the senior class, or they may grow more mature as the year progresses.

I can't wait to observe the events (or lack thereof) of Freshman Friday, and to see if the senior class is really as formidable as they profess themselves to be.

Orientation Poll: Do you like Paly's historic but aging campus, of would you rather have a brand new campus with modern buildings?

2007-08-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

Do Paly's 88-year-old buildings change with the times? Can a group of buildings that were, 88 years ago, the center of higher education in Palo Alto, still represent that place of learning? Would students be happier with a cluster of more modern buildings?

"This looks too much like Stanford," said one freshman, perhaps hinting that he doesn't want this to feel too much like college yet. Others agreed. "I'd rather it was new and modern."
Of course, the issue of overcrowded high schools has prompted a possible solution including building a smaller, specialized high school, with a focus on performing arts, international studies, or environmental studies, among other options. A new school does give the impression of teaching material that is also new and up to date.

Predictably, many other students like Paly's unique buildings. Two seniors said they liked all the history Paly held.
"The tower building is really cool," said another freshman.
"I think it's cute. It's more authentic," two others agreed.
Still others couldn't care less. "Who really cares what the buildings look like?" a freshman tossed over her shoulder.

Whatever your opinion on the subject, Paly's buildings provide a certain atmosphere, one part very Californian and laid back, another deeper and more complex. If a new high school is built, it will be interesting to see if its style mirrors that of historic Paly, cement block Gunn, or a new, more modern building style.

Why do you only think of good summer projects two days before school starts?

2007-08-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

After a summer of playing the Sims 2, watching stupid TV shows, swimming, maybe traveling, shopping, and otherwise "just hanging out", you can at least look back upon your summer activities as "mentally preparing youself for the start of school." Then, on Sunday, August 25, it hits you. Bam! "I should have--" a) redone my room. b) learned how to do that new trick on my skateboard. c) made a movie about the squid in Monterey Bay. d) gone to Monterey. e) learned to surf. f) finished writing that novel. Alas, you have done none of these things. You may not even have known about the Humboldt squid invading Monterey Bay because of warming Pacific waters. Instead, you sigh, go to that one last summer barbecue, and try not to think of all those lost opportunities, consoling yourself with the fact that, unnervingly soon, you won't have time to mourn a wasted summer. Besides, there's always Winter Break.