What to do about CO2?

“going green” spotlight, A6-A7

The Campanile
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Vol. XC, No. 2 http://voice.paly.net Monday, October 22, 2007

NEWS Town and Country’s

SWIMMING IN A
POOL OF BEER Candidates vie for price spike dilemma
By Pauline Slakey
Staff Writer

School Board spots

Prank master donates
$500 to PAUSD for a Many of Town and Country Village’s stores are increas-
ing their prices due to the higher lease rates under the new
50-year-old prank. PAGE A2
ownership of Ellis Partners.

VIKING MAGAZINE
The Campanile could not reach the manager in charge
of the Town and Country purchase, but according to Town
and Country shops, Ellis Partners is increasing the rents of
SCORES AT PALY stores such as Douce France, The Cheese House, Spot’s
Pizza and Rojoz Gourmet Wraps.
The Viking, the nation’s Of the many stores in Town and Country, Douce France
only student sports maga- is the first to have made price changes. According to Douce
zine premieres. PAGE A3 France owner Victor Marku, the store’s rent increased by
35% on Aug. 1.
The higher rent and price of food imported from Europe
OPINION is hurting the store, forcing it to make changes.
“The Euro is going up in Europe, which means products

CODE RED CAUTION

such as cheese, bread, fruit and other goods are going to be
more expensive,” Marku said.
Consequently, the price of Douce France’s food rose
Paly’s new Code Red sys- eight to ten percent. The popular ham and cheese baguette,
tem against shooters: pro- originally $3.50, is now $4.00, while the focaccia has in-
tective or pitiful? PAGE A5 creased from $4.25 to $4.75.
Nevertheless, Marku has not seen a significant decrease
SPORTS in Palo Alto High School customers.
“I have not noticed a big change in the amount of stu-
GIRLS’ GOLF TEAM dents coming in,” Marku said. “If there is a change, it is a
very minor one at the moment.”

CHIPPED AWAY The Cheese House has a lease, but the store is more
concerned about a change in ownership. Rich Staehnke,
Coach Hansen cuts the owner of The Cheese House for the last 48 years, has decided
to discontinue leading his business.
girls’ golf team from the 2007 SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION | BY ZACH HARRIS “I’ve been doing this since 1959 and the store needs
Paly sports roster. PAGE A12
On Nov. 6, voters all across Palo Alto will head to the polls and a willingness to serve in the community some major remodeling and new equipment and it is more
are at the core of moral education. Every than I can take,” Staehnke said.
elect three candidates to the Palo Alto Unified School District
VIKINGS BOUNCE Board of Education. In charge of the superintendent and
student should serve their community.”
According to Liu, teaching phys-
The Cheese House will close Nov. 1, and will re-open
in February under new owners Nora and Sarah Hiken.
overseers of the whole district, the School Board has many ics and other sciences would hopefully Popular student locations such as Spot’s Pizza and Rojoz
BACK FROM LOSSES responsibilities. Here is a description of the candidates.
prepare future generations to better deal
with environmental problems.
are in the middle of their lease contract, which allows them
to temporarily dodge the increased rent price.
After two disappointing Barbara Klausner enrolled in or graduates of PAUSD “I want students and parents to know But both plan to make changes when their leases end
losses, Paly Football gets The only candidate who has taught schools, Klausner has three main focuses the importance of physics.” Liu said. next year.
back on track. PAGE A12 in the PAUSD, Klausner is focused on in her campaign. The first is to make spe- “Physics is so basic that each step of devel- “We will probably have to move to downtown Palo Alto
making the School Board arrive at quicker, cific targeted efforts and focus resources opment generates huge impacts on society. by Jun.1 when our lease is terminated,” Spot’s Pizza owner
more definitive decisions. to support the best practices. She also I believe mankind is waiting for physicists Kelly Marrik said.
LIFESTYLES “We must re-establish effective wants to open up educational opportuni- to make a big leap: to make endless and Charlie Martinez, manager of Rojoz since 1998, said
decision-making, informed by good lines ties to every student. Her last initiative is clean energy from the ocean.” that when his store’s lease is over, he will probably have to
of communication,” Klausner said. “By Liu also wants strong communication
NEVER A BOAR
to collaborate with parents, educators and increase the prices, but only by a few cents.
acting with the best information in a timely the rest of the community to create a sense between parents and students, and wants Paly students share common opinions regarding these
manner, the Board can develop fiscally of teamwork in the school system. to find out what parents want most for changes.
Exploring the world of wild their children’s education.
responsible, comprehensive, long-term “I would not continue to go to Town and Country if the
boar hunting with Paly solutions and win back the community’s Pingyu Liu “I will make the board more respon- prices were raised,” freshman Dianna Jansen said. “I think it’s
senior Lance Taylor. PAGE B1 trust.” Liu, a physicist and freelance writer, sive and interactive with parents by asking unreasonable to raise the prices any further since everything
With schooling from Cornell Univer- wants better physics and physical educa- them what they want from our schools.” is already so expensive. I think more and more students will
sity, Yale University’s Law School and tion programs, as well as higher moral Liu said. “I will direct the Board and discontinue going if prices are too high.”
FEATURES New York University, and three children standards in Palo Alto’s schools. help to put our children’s education as Freshman Anna Glaves said she would probably con-
“Moral education is at the heart of the first priority.” tinue to buy food at Town and Country, but would not buy

VIKINGS SAIL THE

community education,” Liu said. “A stu- as much as she might have in the past.
See The Campanile’s view on School dent with bad moral standards is a student See ELECTION, Page A3 “Although I would like to continue to buy the same
Board candidates, Page A4 whose education has failed. Honesty and Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile amount I used to, I probably won’t,” Glaves said.
OPEN SEAS
Sea Scouts, a branch of Boy
Scouts, teaches students
the tricks of sailing. PAGE B3
Spirit Week launches classes into competition
By Alan Chen Although many changes were made to Spirit
Staff Writer Week this year, the guidelines for how each class

NEW SPORT SWEEPS

ACROSS PALY
Broomball attracts Paly
students as a popular
recreational sport. PAGE B5
A&E
Students, pull out your neon green spandex
and togas: Spirit Week, the most anticipated
week of school is approaching.
This year, Palo Alto High School’s Spirit
Week will begin on Oct. 29 and last through
Nov. 2.
Following tradition, Spirit Week will consist
of themed days on which students dress up in
specific outfits, display class floats, compete
in lunch competitions, and take part in spirit
dances.
should dress will follow the traditional dress
code, with only a few exceptions.
On Monday, students dress up as their
theme, with the exception of seniors, who will
dress in the style of the 80’s. Tuesday will be
salad dressing day during which freshmen will be
diet dressing, sophomores will be ranch, juniors
will be Thousand Island and seniors as Caesar.
Wednesday is color day: with the freshmen,
sophomores, juniors and seniors in orange, red,
yellow and green, respectively. On Thursday,
freshmen will dress as babies, sophomores dress

ELEPHANT STOMPS
THE COMPETITION
The Green Elephant offers
unforgettable meals to res-
taurant goers. PAGE B11
INDEX
News...........................A1-A3
Opinion............A4-A5, A8-A9
Spotlight.....................A6-A7
Sports.....................A10-A12
Lifestyles...........................B1
,
As always, each class will have a specific
theme and each day of Spirit Week will be dif-
ferent from the others. Every day will feature a
lunch rally with games and activities that cost
points.
“We’re going to keep some of the activi-
ties from last year,” Paly Associated Student
Body President Mohammed Abid said. “There’s
definitely going to be a mattress race and a relay
race, but we’re thinking of adding some new
events as well.”
Not only will the lunch rally games change,
but the morning rally might change as well.
“Even though our tradition is to have a
morning rally,” Abid said. “We are considering
a more elaborate morning rally or a night rally,
much like the one at Gunn.”
Many students agree with the idea of having
as teeny boppers, juniors dress as sophisticates
and seniors dress as senior citizens. The entire
student body will wear green on Friday to close
out the week.
Furthermore, each class will have its own
theme that matches its class colors. This year,
the seniors have decided to make their theme
“Go Green,” also known as Pro-Environment,
and expect to win.
“Statistically, we are the best class,” Abid
said. “Last year, we only lost to last year’s
seniors by 2.5 points, so this year we should
win easily.”
To keep a competitive advantage, the
seniors’ float design is unknown and will be
unveiled at float judging.
Although the other classes dress to match
their respective class’ theme, seniors tradition-
Allie Bollella/The Campanile
Paly juniors (left to right) Alyssa Burton, Amin Ronaghi, Jessica Apple and Jean Kim
practice their choreography for the upcoming Spirit Dance, which is on Nov. 2.
Even though the seniors may not dress to the spirited junior class can win this year’s com-
match the eco-friendly theme, the seniors hope petition. Furthermore, Klingbeil predicts that
their class slogan, “Save a Tree, Hug a Senior,” the junior class float, which will be classroom
will catch the attention of the public. inspired, will also contribute to their chances
Although the senior class has historically of winning.
finished first, the junior class has high hopes “We’ve always had amazing floats and
to win this year, with the class theme of No. spirit dances,” Klingbeil said. “This year, the
2 pencils. dancers will be in desks on the float while other
“I think our theme will do well because we
dancers come out of the float. Hopefully it will

a rally at night. ally dress in the style of the 80’s. can tie it in with our costumes and float,” junior help us win.”
Features.......................B2-B7 “Having a night rally would be fun,” junior “Dressing up as 80’s sounds like fun,” senior Sarah Kurihara said. The sophomore class is equally as spirited
A&E...........................B8-B12 Alyssa Burton said. “I’ve been to the ones at Jenny Ji said. “I think it’s better than dressing Junior Class President Erik Klingbeil also
Gunn and they’re really amazing.” as Go Green.” agrees with Kurihara, and said he believes that See SPIRIT WEEK, Page A3
A2 • October 22, 2007
Palo Alto Children’s
NEWSBRIEFS after nearly two years of remodeling Library reopens
Seventh grader raises over 2,000
books for children in Botswana
Thousands of books collected, tens of hours worked and
hopefully hundreds of children helped: after a 10-day book drive,
Jordan Middle School seventh grader Tatiana Grossman has raised
over 2,000 books for the impoverished country of Botswana.
Located at the Palo Alto Children’s Library, the drive was
started by Grossman on Sept. 22. It continued until Oct. 1, and
raised over 350 books in the first two days.
“The purpose of this project is to supply kids in Africa with
books, so that they can be educated, go to secondary schools and
help their country,” Grossman said.
Grossman is a member of the Africa Library Project Network,
founded by Chris Bradshaw, a Portola Valley resident. The Africa
Library Project has been working on collecting books for African
countries for over two years and has since started many successful
drives’ including a Walter Hays Elementary School drive which
raised over 3,000 books in which Grossman’s brother assisted.
“Chris Bradshaw gave me all of the information I needed,”
Grossman said. “[She taught me] what I needed to do to collect
the books.”
During the 10-day drive, the Palo Alto Children’s Library
staff collected books for Grossman during the day, who then
came after school with a stand to make sure that residents and
library visitors were aware of the cause.
Know Knew Books, a used book store in Palo Alto, donated
over 100 books, by giving Grossman free reign to take any pa-
perback books. Additionally, the Friends of Palo Alto Library has
donated a hundred books including sets of “Boxcar Children”
and “Wee Sing.”
The first thousand books will be donated to a school in Bo-
tswana which currently does not even have a library.
“I have about 2,000 books,” Grossman said. “I’m planning
to send another 1,000 to another country in Africa.”
Grossman believes that going beyond the goal and getting
a sea of great books for students illustrates the generosity of
Palo Alto residents.
“It’s going better than I would have even dared to hope,”
Grossman said.
—Rebecca Allen
News Editor
Gunn discusses prohibiting athletes
from driving to sports competitions
News
Children enjoy the new Children’s Library, which opened Saturday after almost two years of renovation. The
library’s improvements include a “secret garden,” various landscaping and new furniture and equipment.
By Yelly Bitton
Staff Writer
The Palo Alto Children’s Library
reopened after approximately two years
of reconstruction on Sept. 29. The library
features the addition of the Tree Top
Room, located in the new north wing.
The library’s renovation began in De-
cember 2005 after the Palo Alto Library
Board found that the library did not meet
current seismic standards.
The renovation originally began as
a structural upgrade that included the
installation of energy-efficient heating
and cooling systems and the remodeling
of two of library’s bathrooms.
In addition, the newly renovated
building also features a remolded “secret
garden,” landscaping, and new furniture
and library equipment.
“The renovation went really well,”
Children’s Library Manager Melinda
Wing said. “We actually opened ahead
of schedule.”
The renovation added approximately
2,600 square feet to the 3,442 square feet
structure, enlarging the library by more
Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile
than 50%. The renovation and recon-
struction cost a total of $4.1 million, $3
million of which was covered by various
community donations, the City of Palo
Alto Infrastructure Reserve and the Palo
Alto Library Foundation.
“The project started as a city proj-
ect a number of years ago as a cycle of
infrastructure repairs for re-roofing and
earthquake safety,” Wing said. “They
decided to upgrade the heating and cool-
ing systems as well as the library features
then at the same time. We wanted to make
it more fun for the kids.”
The Campanile
The new library also features several
wings, including the “Tree Top Room.”
The room is designed as a space for quiet,
comfortable reading and holds programs
for the children. It includes an original,
full-wall mural painted by local artist
Jeff Peterson.
French doors open from the mural
room into the library’s landscaped out-
side garden.
There are special sections for
learning-to-read books and a new pro-
gram room used for themed story time
such as story time with pirates or under
the sea.
“We kind of outgrew the old space
and now we have the room needed for
story time and other programs,” Wing
said.
Considered the oldest children’s
library in the country, the library held a
grand reopening party, which began with
a “Parade of Books” to welcome back
supporters and patrons of the remodeled
library.
“It’s a historic building so we have
been really careful in the restorations,”
Wing said. “We hired someone special-
ized in historical renovations to be sure
everything went well.”
The library has been well received
by children and local parents.
Rosa Massoudi, a mother of two
children and Palo Alto resident, has been
a frequent patron of the children’s library
both before and after the renovation.
“It’s beautiful,” Massoudi said. “I am
really impressed. We’re spending more
time here after school, just coming and
doing our reading.”
Bowman International School third
grader Francesca Cohn is also a frequent
user of the Children’s Library and sup-
ports the new changes.
“I think it’s really cool,” Cohn said.
“It is a great place for kids to hang out and
just sit down with a book and put their
head in a story. It’s really nice.”

Paly alumnus confesses to prank after 50 years

After two Henry M. Gunn High School students were in-
volved in a car accident driving to a Sept. 19 water polo game
against Los Altos High School, Gunn may ban students from
driving to games, according to Gunn Assistant Principal Tom
By Yvonne Lin dedicated to drinking Olympia “I wanted to square things donation to Paly for the school’s press across the country and has
Jacoubowsky.
Staff Writer beer.” up before my [50 year] reunion,” use. been asked to speak on several
The students in question received extensive medical atten-
To execute the prank flaw- Monsalve said. “I had the idea “I originally thought about talk radio shows.
tion after the driver crashed into the freeway divider. One student
Fifty years after graduating lessly, the group planned escape of writing a letter for three some things that I had done in “I am glad people have
fractured his femur, while the other lost the tip of his toe.
from Palo Alto High School, routes with flashlight signals and months.” my younger days that I should a sense of humor,” Monsalve
Gunn’s current driving policy allows student drivers to drive
Charles Monsalve, 68, sent a students parked in cars at school He came forward 50 years probably make amends for as said.
themselves to athletic games, as long as a parent has signed a
note and a $500 donation to Palo entrances, using headlight sig- later in his classmates’ honor well,” Skelly said. Gale Randell, another mem-
note. Palo Alto High School also has a similar policy with student
Alto Unified School Superin- nals to warn those on campus and in remembrance of four co- At the Paly Class of 1957 ber of the 50th Reunion planning
athletes driving to athletic games.
tendent Kevin Skelly on Sept. of police intrusion. conspirators involved, who have reunion, which occurred the committee said it was hard to
Palo Alto High School Athletic Director Earl Hansen said
14 confessing his involvement A member of the Paly swim since passed away. Keeping a week of Oct. 6, Monsalve’s know who dumped the cans into
that Gunn’s policy, if implemented, will not affect Paly’s policy.
in a “dastardly deed” that went and water polo teams secured 50-year-old promise, Monsalve confession received press which the pool, but Monsalve seemed
Nevertheless, Hansen stresses the fact that Paly has no problem
unpunished. the combination of the locks to refuses to divulge the names of was “worth its weight in gold,” like a fun-loving guy who could
allowing students to drive themselves, but that students absolutely
According to Manslave’s the pool area. Having spent two other members. according to Joelle Simson, be up to pranks.
cannot drive other people.
letter, “the plot was a culmina- months conspiring, Monsalve To compensate for the $50 member of the 50th Reunion Monsalve graduated from
Questions about the school’s policy were raised by admin-
tion of two months of meticulous said his group of pranksters were spent in 1957 for the 16 hours planning committee. San Francisco State University
istrators and parents after the car accident, the second athletics
planning by these evil doers. not worried about failure. spent cleaning up the pool, and later married Darlynn Zees-
related incident at Gunn in the past few days.
I knew because I was one of “We were very careful,” Monsalve enclosed a check of “I wanted to square things man, whom he met in ninth
The first incident, involving a member of the cheerleading
them.” Monsalve said. “We could $500, adjusted due to currency up before my reunion. I had grade. He retired at the age of
team, was not related to Gunn’s driving policy, although it prompt-
The prank, instigated at the have been planning a bank inflation, to cover the costs. the idea of writing a letter for 39. Monsalve is now the owner
ed a second look at athletic safety in the two high schools.
end of the school year, involved robbery.” “I would like to donate it of Refinery Supply Company in
Hansen cites the lack of adequate bus numbers for school three months.”
the dumping of two carloads of The administration spotted to a needy student for a scholar- Tulsa, Oklahoma and has lived
sporting events as a main reason for why students drive them-
beer cans, a two-year accumu- the floating debris before class ship, or purchase something and in 38 different places during his
selves to games.
lation, into the Palo Alto High started on the last day of school, donate it to the Palo Alto High Charles Monslave lifetime.
“When I came to Paly, there were enough buses to send all
School swimming pool. but the prank still caused an School with the commemorate Paly Class of ‘57 “I do not want to encourage
the athletes to games,” Hansen said. “Now, I don’t see as many
“My friends and I had uproar and damage. For fifty line ‘The Class of 1957, Palo senior pranks, especially those
buses.”
been in an informal club that years, the culprits were never Alto High School,’ Monsalve that deface school property,”
Despite the reasons for the large number of individuals driv-
resembled fraternity; we called apprehended, until Monsalve wrote in his letter addressed to Since sending his confes- Monsalve said. “There are many
ing to athletic games, Jacoubowsky believes that letting students
ourselves ‘The Olympians’,” came forward and publicized his Skelly. Skelly said the district’s sion to the superintendent, Mon- good things with a sense of hu-
partake in unsafe actions is not a solution.
Monsalve said. “We were involvement in the prank. business office will direct the salve has been interviewed by mor that people can do.”
“It may be something we decide is just not worth the risk”

Alternative transportation explored by city

Jacoubowsky said in a Palo Alto Weekly interview.

—Auster Chen
Staff Writer
By Nolan Wong Kniss and Kishimoto kicked off ‘Walks
Staff Writer and Rolls’ on Sept. 28 before the Palo Alto
Baylands Moonlight Run and Walk. There
Palo Alto community members wheeled were four major ‘Walks and Rolls’ activi-
out their bicycles and put on their walking ties during the week. Many Palo Alto Uni-
shoes during the first week of October for fied School District students participated
the Palo Alto Walks and Rolls Week. in the “Walk and Roll to School” activity.
The pilot event, spearheaded by Santa Elementary school students were given
Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss and Palo rewards for choosing an alternative to driv-
• October 29: Spirit Week Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto, advocated ing to school.
Students dress up and compete in daily biking and walking to school, work or any
other place within Palo Alto.
“Walk and Roll to Lunch” was held on
California Avenue from Oct. 1-5. Community
activities to show class spirit through Nov. 2. “The idea of ‘Palo Alto Walks and Rolls’ members who walked, biked or took public
is to create a community event that is not only transportation to California Avenue were able
• November 3: Homecoming fun, but an event that promotes physical fit- to enter a drawing at participating restaurants
ness and raises awareness of safe alternative for a free lunch or other prizes.
The jungle-themed dance takes place from modes of transportation,” Kniss said. A “foot-powered parade” was held along
7:00p.m. to 10:30p.m. in the big gym. ‘Walks and Rolls’ also promoted a Bryant Street on the morning of Oct. 6, and
cleaner environment, less traffic congestion Neighborhood Walkability Workshops to
and utilization of public transportation such discuss street safety were held at various
• November 12: No School as the Palo Alto Shuttle, the Marguerite locations throughout the week.
All students and staff have the day off in Shuttle, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Kishimoto estimates that at least one or
honor of Veterans Day.
Authority and Caltrain. The event encouraged two thousand community members, largely
a decrease in greenhouse gas emission by comprised of elementary school students,
decreasing the number of personal vehicles participated in Palo Alto Walks and Rolls.
• November 16: Turkey Trot on the road. However, many PAUSD high school
Allie Bollella/The Campanile
Students enjoy an extended lunch with a The idea for ‘Walks and Rolls’ came as a students were unaware of the ‘Walks and
follow-up event to a “walkability workshop” In an effort to reduce greenhouse gasses, people all over Palo
Thanksgiving Day Feast benefiting charity. in June this year, Kishimoto said. See WALKS, Page A3 Alto biked and walked during the week of Oct. 1 through 5.
The Campanile News October 22, 2007 • A3

Fall play anticipates opening night

By Jillian Liu
Staff Writer
Palo Alto High School’s theater
program is currently working on its fall
play You Can’t Take It With You.
You Can’t Take It With You
revolves around an eccentric and
peculiar group of individuals, the
Sycamores, each of whom has his
own quirk.
After Alice Sycamore (senior
Mika Ben-Shaul) falls in love with
her boss’ son Tony Kirby (junior Alex
Nee), a clash occurs between the two
families. In contrast to the Sycamores,
the Kirbys are an uptight and rigid
family. As a result, both families must
handle the stresses of the problems that
arise, and eventually come to under-
stand themselves even more.
The characters include Paul
Sycamore, Alice’s father, played by
senior Alex Rose-Henig, who makes
rockets in the basement of their home.
He works with the family’s former
iceman Mr. De Pinna, who is played
by senior Alex Gaya.
“Essentially the Sycamores do
whatever strikes their fancies,” the-
ater teacher and director Kathleen
Woods said.
Senior Adrienne Losch plays
Penny Sycamore, the mother who is
a playwright who paints in her spare
time. Alice’s sister, Essie Carmichael,
who is played by senior Keely Flana-
gan, makes candy but aspires to be a
ballerina, taking ballet lessons from a
very Russian anti-communist named
Kolenkhov, played by sophomore
Nathan Wilen. Her husband Ed plays
the xylophone and prints anything that
comes into his head.
Senior Andrew Nizamian plays
Martin Vanderhof, the patriarch of the
household who collects snakes and
refuses to pay his income tax.
On the other side of the spectrum
are the Kirbys.
“The Kirbys are very stodgy
and proper, Wall Street types,” Gaya
said.
Adding to the mix are Kolenk-
hov’s friend, the Grand Duchess Olga
Katrina, played by senior Nanor Bala-
banian; a perpetually drunk actress,
Gay Wellington; and the Sycamores’
family maid Rheba and her boyfriend
Donald.
However, the obstacles that the
families must overcome show them
that they still function together, despite
their oddities.
“They are anything but dysfunc-
tional,” Flanagan said, “In fact, their
love and willingness to be themselves
contribute to the message of the
piece.”
You Can’t Take It With You is a
classic American comedy written by
Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
in 1936, according to Woods, It is a
short, three-act comedy, and it is the
first Palo Alto High School produc-
tion directed by Woods, who is new
to Paly this year.
“This play is very fast-paced
and involves a lot of complicated
entrances and exits, and more props
than you can shake a stick at, and the
main challenge, I would say, has been
just sorting that out and ensuring that
all the important action is visible and
whatnot,” Gaya said.
Woods is quite optimistic about
the play as well.
“It’s a fun show to work on,”
Woods said. “The students are won-
derful. They’re putting their all into
it.”
You Can’t Take It With You opens
on Nov. 8 at 7p.m. There will also be
performances on Nov. 15, 16 and 17 Julia Benton/ The Campanile
at 7:30p.m., and a matinee showing Paly’s new play, You Can’t Take It With You, opens Nov. 8. It features a romantic relationship between
on Nov. 10 at 4p.m. Alice Sycamore, played by senior Mika Ben-Shaul, and Tony Kirby, played by junior Alex Nee.

The Viking debuts ASB seeks a spirit week success

to positive reviews
By Alexi Dagan
Sports Editor
With the arrival of journalism teacher
Ellen Austin, Palo Alto High School’s sports
magazine, The Viking, published its first ever
edition on Monday, Oct. 8.
Juniors Noah Sneider, Peter Johnson and
Charlie Avis came up with the idea for a Paly
sports magazine at the end of the 2006-07
school year. Seniors Nina Gertsvolf, Steven
Tran and Austin Smith quickly signed on to
round out the group of six Editors in Chief.
After completing their first production
cycle and distributing out the first edition
of The Viking to positive reviews, the staff
recognizes that there are numerous things to
improve on.
“We definitely need to work on getting
stories in on time,” Sneider said. “People
wanted more communication between the
editors and the staff, but things will definitely
go more smoothly the next production.”
Johnson agrees that with one production
cycle’s worth of experience, things will con-
tinue to improve for the magazine.
“Production for the next issue will have
much more structure because we will actu-
ally have something to work off of,” Johnson
said.
Austin has been working in journalism
ever since high school where she was both a
staff writer and photographer at Rockford East
High School in Rockford, Illinois.
Austin then attended the University of
Illinois, where she was a staff photographer
for the university’s newspaper. After gradua-
tion, Austin moved to Minnesota in order to
work at Cannon Falls High School. She got
her first experience in working with a staff
when she started an entirely new publication,
the Cannon Falls Lantern, at Cannon Falls
High School.
Julia Benton/The Campanile
Ellen Austin’s journalism class has
finished its first edition of The Viking.
After working there, Austin became the
teacher advisor for the Rubicon, the newspaper
at St. Paul Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota.
After several years at St. Paul Academy,
Austin decided to take the job as Paly’s new-
est journalism teacher and the advisor for
The Viking.
“My experience at Paly so far has been
really wonderful,” Austin said.
After a successful first edition, the Viking
staff plans on producing five more issues
throughout the course of the school year.
“I am really happy with it,” Sneider said.
“The staff worked really hard, and we have
gotten a good response from the Paly com-
munity. People are really motivated to put
together a good second issue.”
SPIRIT WEEK, Continued from A1
and thinks that they also have a great chance
of winning.
“We got really close last year,” Sopho-
more Class President Alex Freeman said. “I
think that if we work hard, we could win.”
This year, the sophomores’ theme is
the red carpet, where they will dress like
celebrities.
“I think that the theme is really glamor-
ous,” sophomore Hillary Yuan said. “I’m really
excited to dress up like a movie star.”
Although the sophomores’theme has been
released, Freeman said that their float designs
are secret, in hopes of surprising the judges
during the float judging.
As always, the freshmen class is the un-
derdog in the competition, due to their lack
of experience. However, they hope that their
fresh and creative theme, Goldfish, will help
them take the win.
“We have a high chance of winning,”
Freshmen Class President Chirag Krishna said.
“The majority of our class is very spirited, and
if we all work hard, then we will win.”
The freshmen float, which will be a large
orange goldfish eating smaller fish of other
class colors, will hopefully attract the attention
of the judges, Krishna said.
Though all of the classes are prepared for
Spirit Week, there have been hurdles along the
Palo Alto promotes biking and walking
WALKS, Continued from A2
Rolls’ event because most of the “Walk
and Roll to School” campaign was focused
on the PAUSD elementary schools. Those
high school students who heard about Palo
Alto Walks and Rolls strongly supported the
idea.
“I bike everyday, so I think ‘Walks and
Rolls’ is an awesome idea,” junior Evan Berg
said. “’Walks and Rolls’ helps the environment
and it gets people to exercise more.”
way. Rumors about the legitimacy of the junior
classes’ previous and possibly current floats
have been floating around campus.
For the past two years, the class of 2009
has been accused of excessive outside help
on their floats.
“The only reason why their floats are so
good is because the parents build it for them,”
senior Carly Weinstein said.
Although many students agree with
Weinstein, Klingbeil said that this rumor is
a joke created by a previous Paly graduate
student. Furthermore, Klingbeil said that he
personally put in more than 40 hours into the
floats in the past, and that parents only helped
by managing power saws.
In addition to the accusations against
the class of 2009, juniors, sophomores and
freshmen have had a lack of male volunteers
for the spirit dance.
“We simply don’t have enough guys,”
Klingbeil said.
Krishna who also faced the same problem
that Klingbeil had, said that it has been difficult
to get male dancers.
“I think the guys are too embarrassed to
be in the spirit dance,” said Krishna.
Without enough male dancers, points will
be deducted from classes’total score. However,
classes aren’t entirely fazed.
“One way or the other, we’ll get some
guys to dance,” Klingbeil said.
There will probably be another ‘Walks
and Rolls’ Week next year to help increase
awareness of transportation alternatives,
Kishimoto said.
“Improvements to be made include
more banners and more advance publicity,”
Kishimoto said.
Additionally, a better plan will need to be
made for next year, according to Santa Clara
County Policy Analyst Paul Garcia.
“There were many things that we didn’t
anticipate, many things that went wrong and
The seniors on the other hand, did not
encounter this problem.
“It was really easy to find all our danc-
ers, even for the guys,” Abid said. “We even
needed to cut a few people out.”
Although Spirit Week is predominantly
for the students, Principal Jacqueline McEvoy
and Vice Principal Jerry Berkson can’t help
but be excited.
“Although I don’t know much about Spirit
Week at Paly, I’m extremely excited to see it,”
McEvoy said. “I know it’s a really big deal for
the school and I’m looking forward to it.”
Berkson feels similarly to McEvoy and
also feels that Spirit Week is a large part of
what makes Paly special.
“Many schools don’t have anything like
Spirit Week,” Berkson said. “And compared
with San Mateo, which also has a Spirit Week,
Paly is definitely equally or more spirited.”
Despite the changes and controversies,
Abid promises that Spirit Week will remain
the same.
“I think that this year is probably going
to be the best,” Abid said. “We’re going to
have a wide variety of games and it’s going
to appeal to everyone.”
Even though some of the activities will
change to better entertain the students, one
thing will ultimately remain: the drive, desire,
and competitiveness between all of the classes
that makes Spirit Week so memorable.
other things that went right,” Garcia said. “Next
year we hope to have more preparation time
and more involvement with more businesses
and schools.”
Nevertheless, with at least one thousand
participants, ‘Walks and Rolls’ was a relative
success on its first try.
“I think that the Palo Alto ‘Walks and
Rolls’ was successful,” Kishimoto said.
“Hopefully we made some strides to encourag-
ing more people to walk and roll throughout
Palo Alto.”

School Board candidates state their platforms and goals for PAUSD
ELECTION, Continued from A1
Claude Ezran
Ezran, a high tech executive and immigrant from
France, believes that strong management skills are neces-
sary for a successful school board.
“My business experience in managing people, project
teams and budgets will help the Board function better as
a team and become more effective,” Ezran said.
A strong advocate for better facilities planning, Ezran
believes that a third high school or 13th elementary school
in PAUSD may be necessary.
“We should not continue to add band-aid solutions
to band-aid solutions.” Ezran said. “We already have 147
portable classrooms throughout the District, so a third
non-comprehensive high school is definitely an option
that should be considered seriously in this long-term road
map. It could be intended for the 20 to 30 percent of our
students who are not interested in going to a four-year
college, to make sure that they still have an interesting
curriculum that keeps them motivated and prepares them
for a potential vocational or technical education after
graduation.”
In Ezran’s 10 to 15 year plan, he would expand
foreign language classes to sixth grade and eventually to
elementary school levels.
He also wants to try and reduce homework and stress
levels in Palo Alto’s middle and high schools.
“The homework workload could be more evenly
distributed throughout the week and throughout the year.”
Ezran said. “I also believe that more could be done to co-
ordinate the testing schedules between different teachers
to avoid having multiple tests on the same day.”
Camille Townsend
Townsend, an active PAUSD volunteer and current
School Board President, is focused on maintaining and
attracting good teachers to the district, and presenting a
curriculum that fulfils the needs of all PAUSD students.
“Great teachers change lives.” Townsend said. “They
engage students, stimulate imagination and raise perfor-
mance. One of the board’s prime responsibilities is to
attract and retain excellent teachers. We are committed
to competitive salaries, enabling teacher collaboration
and providing strong technology support. Innovation and
basics go hand-in-hand.”
With last year’s major budget cuts, Townsend prides
herself on the successful way that the School Board handled
the money deficit.
“I made difficult budget decisions, keeping cuts away
from the classroom while reducing the $6.5 million short-
fall,” Townsend said. “Our financial picture is stronger, and
under my presidency, we have hired a new superintendent goals and priorities and identify strengths, weaknesses,
and have a unique opportunity for renewed purpose.” opportunities and threats that need to be addressed.”
As last year’s president, Townsend also helped enact
healthy nutrition standards, green energy initiatives and a Melissa Baten Caswell
world languages initiative. A Dartmouth graduate and former PTA Council
President, Baten Caswell is dedicated to setting clear and
Wynn Hausser manageable goals that the community can get behind.
A strong community leader, Hausser is passionate “Representatives from our entire school community
about furthering the academic enrichment programs and must collaborate effectively so that the new plan can guide
correcting the enrolment and facilities problems facing the district reliably,” Baten Caswell said “Timelines and
the district. metrics will be critical for accurately tracking the district’s
“We must have a forward-thinking, district-wide, com- progress over time.”
prehensive facilities plans that reflects plans for growth, Another top priority for the candidate is making the
not just maintenance.” Hausser said. “It should flow from school board more accessible to PAUSD staff and the
a clear vision for what kind of school environments we community as a whole.
want to have. The plan must clearly show how adding “I will ensure that the Board works closely with our
school capacity will affect car, bike and pedestrian traf- new superintendent in order to take our evaluators’ work
fic, and be vetted with local residents. We also should be to its crucial next stage,” Baten Caswell said. “There be
environmentally conscientious by using energy-conserving specific, tangible systems and agreements which will
practices.” ensure that all stakeholders - administrators, teachers,
If elected, Hausser also has plans for a long-term school staff, families and above all, kids - feel welcomed,
strategic plan. respected and appropriately included.”
“A good strategic plan is a road map guiding the The three winners will be decided on Nov. 6 and
district’s direction for the next several years,” Hausser will take their positions immediately, and with a new
said. “It is a statement of what we intend to do, and by superintendent it looks like it’s going to be a busy year
implication, what we will not do. It should establish clear for the School Board.

A4 October 22, 2007

Opinion The Campanile

Letters to the editors

Students disagree with “no SAT testing times
Editorials The Opinion of The Campanile
bikes on campus” policy disadvantage students
Earlier this year, the administration announced that
if a student is caught riding a bicycle on the Paly campus,
he or she will be punished with community service work.
Banning bicycle riding on campus inconveniences the
In this age of testing, when we want to see the highest
possible scores, there is no justification for holding the
SAT tests at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning. The data
is clear. It has been shown that a proper night’s sleep is
Attendance policy
unfairly enforced
hundreds of students who ride bicycles to school and beneficial to test scores, yet the early start time persists.
does little to make students safer. Ironically, the people A later time such as 9:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. would be
who enforce this bike policy do so while riding in golf much more reasonable. The common reasons given for
carts or on bicycles. I think this policy should either school beginning so early, (jobs, daylight, sports practices,
be applied to both administrators and students or be etc.), do not apply here.
abandoned entirely. I am the parent of a Paly senior and I object to the While new attendance policy justified, enforcement
 ––Grant Audet, sophomore 8:00 a.m. start time of the SAT tests.
––Maureen Allen, Paly parent often accidentally punishes innocent students
Paly students should be allowed to ride their bicycles
on campus when arriving at school in the mornings and The staff of The Campanile attendance policy problematic. If a between the day cuts happen and the
strongly believes that while the new student was at a doctor’s appointment day teachers are notified shorter. If
when leaving campus after school. It is a waste of money
and effort having someone out by the art building with
Administration’s new policies Palo Alto High School administra- during third period on Tuesday, Oct. 2, teachers were notified of cuts within
their bikes or golf carts, waiting to tell students to walk unnecessary, excessive tion’s stringent enforcement of the the teacher would not have been able a few days of them happening and
their bikes. Alternatively, we could have a separate lane attendance policy is a step in the to inform the student whether or not actively confronted students who
for walking and biking, at least next to the art building, right direction towards cutting down that absence was excused until the fol- received those cuts, any student who
that could hopefully be extended through the rest of Though Paly students enjoy many liberties denied to on student truancy at Paly, there is a lowing Monday, 144 hours later. If the had wrongfully been given a cut could
the school. people attending other schools, one cannot fail to notice serious flaw in how the current policy student’s parent had forgotten to call still get his or her absence excused
 ––Elliot Sanborn, sophomore some of our draconian policies this year. Consider, for is being implemented. Paly’s attendance office to excuse the within the seven-day time window.
instance, the tardy policy: students can be dropped from Right now, students who are ab- absence or the excuse had accidentally This change in the attendance policy
Many Paly policies have been instated or more a course after only eight tardies in a semester, regardless sent from a class only have 48 hours been mis-entered, the student would would prevent students with verifiable
strictly enforced this year, the least effective of which is of the fact that students, when tardy, are normally only to get the absence excused. However, not be notified of his or her alleged excuses from accidentally receiving
the biking policy. Any student found biking on campus is so by a few seconds. students with legitimate absences that cut until long after the cut became unalterable cuts, something that is
likely to get a handbook waved in their face by Reese or There does not appear to be any point in punishing should have been excused often do “permanent.” Thus, the innocent frequently happening under the cur-
Mary. This policy seems to have no redeeming aspects such harmless mistakes, but, evidently, the administra- not find out that they have mistakenly student would have been given a cut rent policy.
and is not highly publicized. Biking on campus seems tion believes otherwise. Some people might even go so been given a cut until long after the for an absence that should have been Punishing innocent students
to do no apparent damage whatsoever to the school, so far to suggest that the policy is only a tool of oppressive 48-hour grace period has expired. excused, simply because he or she through the enforcement of a flawed
long as students wear their helmets. It is simply not clear authority, not a useful way to keep students in class; last While teachers are e-mailed daily didn’t know that he or she had been policy is unacceptable, no matter
why the biking policy is being enforced more strictly, year’s policy was more than sufficient. attendance printouts, these e-mails given a cut until long after the 48-hour how many “real” truants are being
and what purpose it might serve. It would also be nice The administration should consider reversing the detail students’ absences from several time window had passed. caught.
if students were not yelled at. unreasonable rules they have imposed on our school. days prior. For example, on Oct. 10, The simple solution to this prob- With this simple adjustment,
–– Shannee Braun, sophomore  ––Leslie Shen, sophomore teachers were emailed about cuts that lem is both extending the grace period the attendance policy could more
occurred on Oct. 2. Unfortunately, this within which cuts can still be excused accurately punish students who are
practice is what makes the existing to seven days and making the time lag actually cutting class.

Favorable candidates
E-mail all letters to editors to theeds08@googlegroups.com. The Campanile welcomes
and prints letters to the editors on a space-available basis. Letters may be edited to
meet space requires. Please note that The Campanile only publishes signed letters.

Corrections All teacher advisors apply for the

The statement in “Teacher advi-
sor system presents glaring flaws”
(Oct. 1, 2007) that teacher advisors
are chosen randomly is incorrect.
position and go through a selection
process that includes an interview.
The Campanile regrets this error.
The Campanile strives to only
include factual and unbiased con-
tent. It is The Campanile’s policy to
correct factual errors or misleading
statements. Significant corrections
emerge in Board election
will be noted in the upcoming edi-
tion. Ezran, Klausner, Townsend superior candidates
Please send corrections requests
to theeds08@googlegoups.com. for upcoming School Board elections
With the Palo Alto Unified School staunch support of the Mandarin Im- business experience and manage-

The Campanile
District School Board election tak- mersion program has demonstrated ment skills will greatly benefit the
ing place on Nov. 6, The Campanile her determination and willpower. At board. Ezran is definitely capable of
would like to endorse Claude Ezran, the same time, she has remained open a successful term as a school board
Barbara Klausner and incumbent to alternatives and has continually kept member.
Camille Townsend. the district’s needs in mind. The Campanile also recom-
Editors in Chief In light of current issues, like Business executive Ezran’s mends Klausner for School Board.
Tyler Blake • Danielle Kim • Peter Lee Mandarin Immersion and the arrival straightforward nature and outside Klausner’s experience as a PAUSD
of Superintendent Kevin Skelly, The experience bodes well for a term as educator would be a valuable addition
Ryan Pfleiderer • Mia Pond • Tomer Schwartz a School Board member. Ezran has to the School Board. Her clear interest
Campanile believes candidates must
be comfortable in leadership while consistently shown decisiveness on a in student opinions and thoughts is
News Editor Lifestyles Editor Opinion Editor remaining open to compromise. number of key issues, a welcome trait
on a board that has had trouble making
encouraging, from a student’s perspec-
tive.Hopefully, Klausner will continue
Rebecca Allen Kairen Wong Chris­Clayton Current School Board President
Townsend has certainly proven herself decisions efficiently.The French-born to take student ideas into account as
worthy of reelection. An experienced candidate’s emphasis on cooperation a School Board member.
Features Editors A & E Editors Sports Editors leader, she has sound knowledge of the will hopefully ensure that his resolve The Campanile endorses Claude
Henry Becker Sara Reihani Alexi Dagan PAUSD and has had two children go will not turn into stubbornness. The Ezran, Barbara Klausner and Camille
through district schools. Townsend’s Campanile also believes Ezran’s Townsend for School Board.
Amy Stringer Austin Smith Sam Jones

Photo Manager Spotlight Editor

Paly needs standardized
Hannah McGovern Sarah Stringer
Business Managers Advertising Manager
Geng Wang Debbie Zhang Erik Krasner-Karpen

Nanor Balabanian
Catherine Benson
Rye Druzin
Staff Writers
Christian Gallagher
Laura Kurtz
Yvonne Lin
Annie Vought
Anna Waldron
teacher evaluations
Yelly Bitton Alex Greene Jillian Liu Crystal Wang Standardized evaluations would allow students to
Becky Byler Chris Gonnerman Josh Lo Cassie Wedemeyer present honest criticism of Paly teachers
Hannah Bystritsky Gabby Hadley Ryan McLeod Allison Whitson
Alan Chen Michael Hamada Mira Parekh Eliot Wilson As Palo Alto High School strives forms, specific to the classes they the surveys, the instructional supervi-
Auster Chen Zach Harris Jonathan Shan Nolan Wong to provide its students with the best teach, and assign students to do them sor will be able to see the unfiltered
possible education through academi- during class. While these evaluations criticism of all students, and thus be
Alan Chu Kevin Harvey Julia Shapiro Lindsay Yang cally rigorous courses, computer labs, are submitted anonymously, the pres- able to best insure the improvement of
Allison Coleman DJ Hsueh Kelley Shin Gloria Yu and well-maintained facilities and ence of a teacher can dramatically teachers, students’ overall educational
Zal Dordi Mikaela Kenrick Pauline Slakey Kelly Zhou resources, The Campanile urges all influence students’ honesty and criti- experience and the relationship be-
instructional supervisors to implement cism. Students would be better able tween the two parties. Moreover, this
Photographers a standardized system for teacher
evaluations.
to express true opinions and feelings
towards specific classes if such forms
opportunity will allow instructional
supervisors to identify any common,
Julia Benton • Allie Bollella • Michela Fossati-Bellani Such reform could better estab- were sent to students’ houses or were structural complaints, apparent in the
Stacy Levichev • Elizabeth Petit lish a consistent and fair platform for filled out through an anonymous on- majority of a department’s courses
student voices. Other alternatives, line resource, allowing them to write and regardless of different lanes and
Design Editor like a monthly open forum between in private. area of subject.
Erik Krasner-Karpen students and an instructional supervi- While The Campanile commends The Campanile believes that
sor of an academic department, must each Paly department for distributing a semi-formal meeting between
Adviser also be considered to further promote
constructive discussion between stu-
surveys and feedback forms, these
results must be documented and
students and teachers, regarding the
overall strengths and weaknesses of
Esther Wojcicki dents and teachers. reviewed by the respective depart- Paly’s departments, would assist in
The Campanile is published by and for the students of Palo Alto High School. Unsigned editorials that appear in this publication represent both the majority opinion of Currently, the majority of Paly ment’s instructional supervisor, if not improving such addressed complaints
the editorial staff and The Campanile’s continuing commitment to the promotion of students’ rights. teachers use individual feedback already done so. By directly receiving and furthering students’ education.
The Campanile Opinion October 22, 2007 • A5

Code Red drill creates controversy

The recent Code Red drill offered many students security, while others felt apprehensive and uncertain
By Chris Gallagher
Staff Writer
The Code Red drill at Palo Alto
High School is not only a vital pro-
gram of principle, but an opportunity
to address the immediate reality that
all Paly students must come to terms
with.
The amount of stress and emo-
tional turmoil that Paly students expe-
rience is tremendous, as manifested by
the student suicides of 2002 and 2003
and the school-wide stress survey
Principal Charles Merritt said. “We
wanted to see what went smoothly
and what didn’t.”
Paly was prepared for the imagi-
nary shooter this time and if the pro-
gram continues, Paly will be much
better prepared for a real threat.
Reflecting the preparation put
into the drill, Paly had a plan for those
students who were on campus and not
in a classroom, and had established
numerous safe-zones around the
perimeter of the campus.
“We introduced the program last
of the drill involve the doors of class-
rooms. For those doors that open from
the outside, teachers must exit their
rooms to lock their doors. This puts
teachers in danger.
Also, the doors that connect each
individual class to the rest of the build-
ing open from the inside, giving easy
access to all other classrooms in any
given building. Although the cost to
replace these doors is high, the safety
By Cassie Wedemeyer
Staff Writer
After the first Code Red drill at
Palo Alto High School, many flaws
that could threaten the safety of Paly
students have surfaced.
Because this was the first official
Code Red drill, there was ample room
for error. These errors include circum-
stances in which a shooter’s access to
has followed the procedure properly.
There should not be any reasoning
that says that a shooter will not harm
some students but could probably
injure others.
Any kind of incident could be
cause for a student or teachers’ violent
behavior, so the school should be ready
for a Code Red drill at all times.
The drill on Oct. 2 proved that the
school is not completely prepared for
a Code Red drill if an actual incident
were to occur. Effort was shown; how-
ever, the execution was a failure.
The staff and students must protect
themselves if the shooter can access
these rooms.
The Palo Alto Unified School
District has failed to address all pos-
sible scenarios that necessitate a Code
Red drill. They should better analyze
the potential locations of students dur-
ing a Code Red drill and the means
by which to protect them.
Simple solutions exist to the
Code Red drill’s problems. PAUSD
should consider any and all possible
improvements to these problems.

PRO
taken in the past few years.
Due to these results and recent
events, the risk of a student shooting
at Paly is certainly no less than at any
other school across California and is
possibly more likely for this crisis.
Paly is wise to conduct a Code
Red drill in case of emergencies
involving a shooter or dangerous
individual on the school campus.
The horrific memory of both
Virginia Tech and Columbine High
School are only the most prominent
of recent school shootings. Even in
cities as close as Oroville, 80 miles
north of Sacramento, 30 students were
held hostage by a student gunman.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
According to Eric Baily of the Los
Angeles Times, the Oroville student
was depressed, possibly from a break-
up with his girlfriend. If something
like a break-up can cause a shooting,
the school must be prepared for an
emergency that could happen at any
point in time.
Although there is indeed some
room for improvement, the drill
held Oct. 2 was a success. Teachers
concealed the classes in darkness be-
hind locked, covered and barricaded
doors.
Paly Physics teacher Gul Eris
said that she instructed her class to
move to the other side of the build-
ing should the shooter gain access
to their room, distancing themselves
from the shooter and locking doors
behind them.
School officials, though, recog-
nize room for improvement.
“Drills are meant to be learning
experiences and this was our first
Code Red drill at Paly,” Assistant
year and the teachers had their train-
ing last spring,” Merritt said. “They
also had a refresher training session
a week before the drill.”
Eris said teachers were taught
situational knowledge and told how
the desperately violent mind works.
Teachers were taught that a shooter
will try to attack as many people as
he or she can, trying to find easily
accessible rooms.
The point of the barricades are
not necessarily to stop the shooter
completely, but simply to redirect and
slow down his or her movements.
The line of sight concept is also
important: due to the fact that the
shooter needs to make a visual con-
nection with his victim, something
as simple as a bush can protect a
student.
The school’s safety is clearly in
far more experienced and knowledge-
able hands than some students want
to believe.
Although the system may have
some flaws such as teachers having
to go outside to lock their doors, the
school is much better prepared in case
of a shooter because of the drill.
The new drill was created by the
Palo Alto Unified School District, and
has been taught to all staff on every
campus.
“Schools are an obvious target
for terrorists and others who want
to do harm,” Interim Chief Business
Official for PAUSD Bob Golton said.
“We therefore do Code Red training, in
collaboration with the Palo Alto Police
Department, to attempt to prepare for
these events.”
Some of the most fundamental,
but otherwise easily mended, flaws
CON
There were some tactics that
worked and others that did not. The
school has not told us what they are
going to do to improve what failed
to work.
In the first Code Red drill, a voice
over the intercom announced that a
Code Red drill was in progress and
each teacher was directed to exit the
classroom and lock the door from the
outside. This is a potential problem
because the shooter could be outside
of the classroom. The teacher would
be an easy target as well as present-
ing the shooter with an opportunity
to enter the unprotected classroom
and open fire.
The next part of the drill requires
desks to be stacked in front of the door.
Students and teachers then retreat to
the back of the classroom and are told
to remain quiet.
If the teacher is successful in lock-
ing the door, the next step in the drill is
to barricade the entryway with pieces
of furniture. This is a major flaw in
the drill because barricades would not
provide protection if the shooter were
to get inside the room. If anything, it
just increases the time victims have
Julia Benton/The Campanile to suffer knowing a shooter is trying
(Staged photo) Palo Alto High School students barricaded to get to them.
their classroom doors with furniture to hinder any intruders. The Code Red drill presents some
mistakes that can be fixed. The shooter
of Paly students should be the school’s students and staff members is slowed could decide to attack the main office,
top priority. down but not ultimately stopped by the rather than classrooms. This could cut
The Code Red drill was a success locked classroom doors and various off communication between adminis-
overall, as was exhibited by the excep- furniture stacked on the inside. The trators, teachers and students.
tional performances of the PAPD, the hope is that the shooter will move Also, both the Social Studies and
staff and the new administration. on to another room to avoid capture Science buildings have a central room
The amount of preparation that if it is too difficult to get inside of a that is accessible from all classrooms.
went into the drill proved useful and classroom. This means if the shooter could reach
will ensure the safety of students But it should be impossible for this central room, they could poten-
should there be an actual shooting. the shooter to get into any room that tially reach every room in the building.
Deadbolts should be installed on the
inside of classroom doors, eliminating
the inability of teachers to lock doors
from the inside. According to some
Paly teachers, the district claims that
the installation of the deadbolts would
be too expensive. However, deadbolts
are necessary to ensure the safety of
Paly students and staff.
Assistant Principal Charles
Merritt said he spent more time co-
ordinating with the Palo Alto Police
Department than actually organizing
the drill. Also, the PAPD’s plan of ac-
tion is different from the one created
by PAUSD, according to Merritt.
The district and the PAPD need to
collaborate to create a single plan to
effectively protect students from on-
campus threats and how to handle the
situation to the best of their ability.
The safety of Paly students is a
top priority of the community, and
the Code Red drill failed to ensure
the protection of the Paly students
and staff.
The drill needs to be revised and
improved, and the Paly administration
and PAPD need to develop a plan that
guarantees the safety of the students
and staff members.
The Code Red drills need to better
prepare Paly students and staff for an
emergency. As of now, they are not
sufficient to ensure such protection,
and need to be fixed to prevent dam-
ages to students and staff in the event
of an emergency.
The Code Red procedure must be
repaired and improved, before a legiti-
mate emergency occurs at Paly. The
solutions to this problem are simple,
and the administration should not
delay improvements on the drill.

Faults of teacher-tenure system need to be carefully corrected

By Ryan McLeod
Staff Writer
The number of teachers who deserve job
tenure far exceeds the number of mediocre
teachers, especially at Paly. Teaching requires
enormous dedication to one’s work and to
one’s students.
Teachers receive neither enormous sala-
ries nor great opportunities beyond those of-
fered by their work. Tenure is a small reward
of job security for their great dedication.
However, the administration does not dis-
miss teachers as easily as parents and students
would like due to the teacher-tenure program.
The state law establishing this dictates that any
teacher hired must be given protection under
tenure after a mandatory two-year probation-
ary period, during which the teacher can be
fired somewhat easily.
After those two years, the firing process
becomes infinitely more difficult. The laws
governing this process date as far back as
1921.
It has not been updated for over two
decades largely due to strong resistance from
the teacher’s union.
The only part of the law that prevents
teachers from abusing the benefits of tenure
dictates that every two years a teacher may
become subject to review, and if the school
deems the teacher’s performance sub-par, the
school may choose to fire that teacher.
If necessary, the school must prove in
court that the teacher is a poor instructor or
is otherwise detrimental to students.
Therefore, the school cannot discharge a
teacher without a compelling reason. In theory,
the system provides protection for teachers
from wrongful firing and also attracts new
teachers seeking job security.
Unfortunately, the “fail-safe” method of
detecting and dealing with poor teachers is
often too cumbersome to be effective. While
schools should be able to fire a teacher if a
justifiable rationale for the dismissal exists, the
red tape of the current tenure system prevents
many districts from doing so.
If a teacher performs unsatisfactorily, the
district cannot dismiss him or her prior to the
completion of an arduous 12-step plan that
can take over a decade.
Furthermore, legal fees involved in the
process can cost thousands of dollars, which
could be better spent on textbooks and other
supplies.
According to the California Journal, one
attempt to fire a teacher from the El Cajon
School District cost over $300,000 in legal
fees.
The state should alter tenure carefully.
The last time an overhaul of the system was
proposed was Prop. 74 of 2005, backed by
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The proposition would have extended the
probationary period to five years and would
have allowed tenured teachers to be fired after
two reports of incompetency.
Sadly, some teachers’ performances do
not coincide with the state’s expectations.
For the sake of the students, teacher tenure
must be amended.
However, selecting qualified teachers
through a longer probation period is an unpopu-
lar solution, and the possibility of simplifying
the firing process is likewise unlikely.
More attention should be devoted to stu-
dent feedback and correctional programs for
teachers. If student reviews were mandatory,
administrators could better realize problems
with certain teachers.
If a teacher proved problematic, that
teacher could undergo specialized training to
improve his or her skills, reserving suspension
or firing for truly ineffective teachers.
The protection of teachers and students
should not be negatively influenced by one
another. The state should not amend tenure by
sacrificing one for the other, but rather should
provide alternate paths to each goal.

Verbatim: If you could see Dr. McEvoy in a

Halloween costume, what would it be?
Julia Benton/The Campanile

“A nurse.” “A Christmas tree.” “A pumpkin.” “A nun.” “A skater.”

—Tess Christy, ­—Evan Hahn, —Monica Bhide, —Sam Juarez, —Hannah Mernyk,
senior sophomore junior freshman freshman
 October 22, 2007 • A6 Spotlight The Campanile

Palo Alto Green supports environmentalism

By Cat Benson Green’s revolutionary program gives Palo
Staff Writer Altans a way to support renewable energy
and help prevent carbon dioxide’s catastrophic
Melting polar ice caps effects on the environment.
and rising ocean levels are A part of the City of Palo Alto Utilities
results of extreme climate program, Palo Alto Green delivers local
change due to the communities and businesses with 100
earth’s global percent California renewable energy
warming. for an average additional cost
Palo Alto of $9.75 per month.
One household’s in-
volvement with the program
in one year is the equivalent
of growing 624 additional
trees or driving 11,000
fewer miles ac-
cording to
Palo Alto
Green’s
W e b
site.
“Each individual can make a difference;
combined together they are making a tre-
mendous impact,” Palo Alto Green Program
manager Brian Ward said in an interview
with CBS.
The renewable energy supplied to Palo
Alto comes from 97.5 percent wind energy
and 2.5 percent solar-generated energy. The
renewable energy funded by each subscriber
contracted by Palo Alto Green is mixed into
the power supply, offsetting exactly the home’s
total energy use.
Subscription to the program costs 1.5
cents per kilowatt-hour, in addition to regular
utility bills. One household enrolled in the
program can release five fewer tons of carbon
dioxide each year. If the entire Paly community
subscribed, emission of around 8,500 tons of
carbon dioxide would be eliminated.
“Most folks want to do something , but
they just don’t know what to do,” Ward said.
“Buying green power makes the most sense.
Not only does it have an immediate
impact, it has a long lasting one
as well.”
Due to this revolutionary renewable en-
ergy program, Palo Alto has been named the
first “green power community” in California
by the Environmental Protection Agency, one
of only five cities in the United States.
“Becoming an EPA-recognized Green
Power Community demonstrates that support-
ing renewable energy and renewable energy
technologies is not only feasible but easy,”
former Palo Alto Mayor Judy Kleinberg said
to CBS.
To qualify, a city Palo Alto’s size must
meet a standard of two percent renewable
energy. Palo Alto currently sources thirteen
percent and plans to increase the renewable
energy supply.
“We have a goal to be 20 percent renew-
able by 2015 and it looks like we’re going to hit
that goal five years earlier,” Palo Alto Council
member Peter Drekmeier said, according to a
Palo Alto Daily News article.
At the close of 2006, about 140 local busi-
nesses and almost 16 percent of Palo Alto’s
residents participated in the Palo Alto Green
program, totaling around 4,400 households
participating. A number of major businesses are
also involved in the program including Hewlett
Packard, Lockheed Martin, Palo Alto Medical
Foundation and Agilent Technologies.
Palo Alto Green began in June of 2003,
but just recently started to gain popularity.
“We had a program before and it was
called ‘Future Green’ but no one participated
in it. We decided to revamp the program and
give it a new name,” Ward said.
Programs like Palo Alto Green can help
reduce the United State’s dependence on fossil
fuels, support farmers who lease out their land
for windmills and provide more jobs in the
growing industries of wind and solar power.
Although issues exist between windmill
advocates and animal rights activists, Palo Alto
Green is trying to prevent safety hazards for
birds by installing large turbines that move
slowly to prevent injuries to birds and keep
the locations of the windmills out of migra-
tion paths.
Eventually, Palo Alto Green hopes to lead
the local community to self-sustaining future
with 100 percent renewable energy.

PG&E helps consumers

combat climate change
By Julia Shapiro
Senior Staff Writer
For the past 30 years, the Pacific Gas and Electric
Company has made a significant effort to improve the
environment through energy efficiency programs.
On top of preventing a total of 125 million
tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmo-
sphere, PG&E has also saved its customers
approximately nine billion dollars by of-
fering energy reduction rebates.
Although all of Palo Alto’s energy
comes from Palo Alto Utilities, PG&E’s
energy efficiency programs provide important and
beneficial ideas of how to reduce energy in Palo Alto
homes and utilities.
PG&E offers customers rebates for energy
efficient products, ranging from fluorescent lamps
to wall or attic insulation. Purchasing fluorescent
light bulbs is considered one of the easiest ways
to reduce energy use in residential homes.
Energy Star fluorescent lamps can save
customers up to 75 percent in energy costs while using
66 percent less energy than standard incandescent lamps.
Each lamp can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 315
pounds per year and up to 2,932 pounds over a product’s
lifetime.
In order to encourage more people to buy energy
saving products, PG&E guarantees a discounted price on
each fluorescent bulb at the time of purchase, which adds
to the amount of money a household can save by using
the bulbs.
PG&E also offers rebates ranging from $30 to $75 for
other Energy Star products such as dishwashers, clothes
washing machines and air conditioners, all of which use
10 to 50 percent less energy than standard appliances.
In addition, PG&E promotes larger energy-saving
products including cool roofs and insulation, with rebates
given per the square foot, as well as promoting natural gas
furnaces with rebates ranging from $200 to $300.
“Cool Roofs” reflect heat and reduce energy spent on
air conditioning during the summer by keeping roofs 50
to 60 degrees cooler in the sun.
Thermal insulation is another efficient way of keeping
houses at a constant temperature, as it decreases the use
of both air conditioning and heating systems.
When insulation is not enough to keep a house warm,
PG&E suggests using Energy Star qualified central natural
gas furnaces, which can save up to 20 percent more energy
than standard models.
In addition to the numerous energy-efficient rebates
the company offers, PG&E recently launched a voluntary
program called ClimateSmart, which enables customers
to reduce their personal impact on the climate.
The program gives individuals the option of neutral-
izing the amount of carbon dioxide they emit each month
by paying an added fee on their energy bill.
For residential customers, the payment is usually less
than five dollars and goes directly to funding new green-
house gas emission reduction projects in California.
PG&E’s ClimateSmart program is said to be the first
of its kind and hopefully will act as a role model for other
energy companies.
PG&E also helps reduce climate change is by invest-
ing in renewable energy sources such as solar panels.
PG&E recently began administering the California Solar
Initiative, a program committed to increasing the amount
of customers using solar energy.
According to the PG&E Web site, the program’s goal
is to install 3,000 megawatts of solar energy by 2017.
PG&E has also developed partnerships with other
companies such as AC Transit, AT&T Park and Google,
as a way of increasing the use of solar energy, as well as
implementing solar energy programs among businesses.
One of the programs PG&E started is called the Solar
Schools Program, which supports up to 40 public schools
per year by providing them with solar panels which turn
sunlight into electricity.
Through its extensive measures to help reduce climate
change, PG&E continues to have an influential impact on
the environment.
PG&E is considered the leading company in Califor-
nia’s energy efficient programs, providing a role model to
other companies throughout the United States and sending
a hopeful message of what individuals can do to help save
the environment.
 The Campanile Spotlight October 22, 2007 • A7

Environmental opinion
Global warming solutions backfire
Enthusiastic attempts to solve environmental issues inadequate, counterproductive
By Kelly Zhou Even if the entire world cuts best-selling non-hybrid sedan of Sep- of electricity, fuel to fly the art- produce does not magically disappear; From 2005-2013, China and India
Staff Writer emissions and uses entirely renew- tember 2007, the 2007 Toyota Camry ists, fuel for the viewers to merely, the consumers’ consciences are expecting to build around 775 coal
able sources of energy (which is (34 miles per gallon), to one travel to the concert, and are relieved. plants altogether, eliminating any pos-
A quick glance at any major highly unlikely), carbon dioxide of the best-selling hybrid various oth- er expenses. Second, because these people sible gains other countries make on
newspaper or news Web site will (a greenhouse gas that contributes SUVs of According to the organi- think they have taken care of their reducing emissions.
reveal countless articles bemoaning significantly to the earth’s rise in tem- 2006, zation Carbon carbon footprints, many act with In order to effectively and
the imminent disaster of global warm- perature) emissions will still surpass t h e Footprint, Live more abandon and harm the truly lessen the impact of
ing, advocating solutions supposedly 2003 levels, according to a 2006 study 2006 Earth pro- earth further. global warm- ing, the
guaranteed to resolve the growing by the International Energy Agency. duced a total Another “green” so- coun-
problem or complaining about various People rave, “We must stop o f about lution currently in tries of
“green”-related decisions the national global warming!” and demand with vogue the world
government has made. sanctimonious attitude that every- is us- all need
Just looking at major news ar- body recycle religiously and hold ga- ing can- to agree
ticles over the course of a day, there rage sales to donate money to the polar vas instead on radi-
were more than 37 different stories bears, but they must understand the fine 74,500 of plastic cal, clear
dedicated to the issue and possible print of the problem and stop tons of bags. Anya changes to
solutions to global warming. mis- leading carbon H i n d - their societies
The public fervor and media others; emissions, ma r ch , a and public
frenzy regarding the issue of global in our compared to well-known bag policies that
climate change have reached such modern the 10 tons an designer, created a $15 protect the
intensity that none of this media fixa- world, under average person cotton canvas tote bag environment
tion is at all surprising. As the media no circumstances produc- decorated with the and prepare for the
has increased publicity about global will global warming es in a bubbly words “I’m not impending effects of global
warming, most have eagerly jumped be stopped. y e a r. a plastic bag.” warming, including increased
onto the “fight-global-warming” band- Not only will our earth T h e The fad has already caught on, disease and dramatic weather
wagon without knowing exactly what steadily grow warmer, p o s - as the bags were used as goodie bags shifts.
they are supporting. Such individuals but some of the solutions sible increase for the 2007 Vanity Fair Oscar party While all of the propos-
embrace all solu- tions that are proposed are ironic contradictions in awareness is not and all 20,000 bags were sold within als for combating global
labeled with the claim of “stop- bordering on absurdity. Toyo- worth the immense, irrevo- seven hours. warming have understand-
ping global warming.” F o r example, one ta High- cable waste produced. Though the purpose of the cotton able aims and demonstrate
Howev- of the many land- The circumstances of bags is to eliminate some of the admirable effort, people need
er, this blind en- renewable fu- e r the Live Earth concerts 500 billion plastic bags used every to fully understand the com-
dorsement els people have (24 mpg). are fundamentally at odds year, the irony of the event is that plexities of the global warm-
without advocated The Highlander with reducing carbon many customers wrapped the designer ing issue in order to actually
close for is etha- travels significantly fewer miles emissions. bags in multiple plas- tic bags make a difference.
consid- nol, which is than the Camry per gallon of gas, re- Not only are to protect against Advocat-
eration produced from quiring more fossil fuels to travel the there blatantly coun- muggers, according ing fruit-
of the full corn. same distance and therefore adding terpro- ductive to Time Magazine. less solu-
details pro- greater amounts of carbon dioxide solutions to global Furthermore, tions while
motes seem- to the atmosphere. Even though warming, but Hindmarch refuses maintaining
ingly effective hybrid SUVs are more expensive also more wide- to use her bag a self-righ-
solutions that and less beneficial to the environment scale, smaller solutions when carrying teous attitude
actually than gasoline-powered sedans, they that are useless and nonsensi- strong- that one
may be are still quite popu- lar due to their cal, despite their good intentions. smelling is sup-
inconse- “green” con- nection. For example, carbon credits, items posedly
quential or Yet another a popular concept championed such as fish improv-
even harmful to Com- example of the by Al Gore, al- low people that can leak. ing the envi-
the planet. pared to the gasoline many inefficient to offset the amount of Hindmarch says “as ronment is ap-
Furthermore, we use in our cars to- global warm- carbon diox- a luxury fashion brand palling and does
these people, under day, ethanol has less ing “solutions” ide emissions we are in a position where we absolutely
the impression that their power and travels 25 was Live they produce can influence” according to BBC nothing to
methods of fighting global percent fewer miles per gal- Earth, a series every News, yet when she refuses to address the
warming are ef- fective lon, according to the Environmental of concerts year by actively support using her tote bag, rise in temperature
and benefi- cial, flaunt Protection Agency. donat- what message does that send to the our earth is currently
their work Moreover, ethanol requires ing a cer- people she “influences?” facing.
with undeserved more petroleum to make than it tain amount In addition, although small efforts Global warming cannot be
self-righteousness, saves. Accordingly, ethanol produces of money like turning off air conditioning and stopped and claims to do as much are
despite the inadequacy of more carbon dioxide emissions, thus (dependant on riding bikes instead of driving are misleading and damaging to both the
the solutions they wholeheartedly contributing further to the global the amount of important, they are negligible when environment and the perception of the
adopt. warming crisis. carbon di- looked at on a world-scale basis. world’s citizens.
The truth of the global warming In spite of this, people still oxide) to
situation is that it cannot be stopped, unreservedly embrace ethanol as a per- specific or-
especially not in our current society. possibility for the future because be- formed across ganizations
While many proposed solutions claim ing “green,” it carries a great deal of the globe in July involved in fighting
to be definitive answers, global warm-
ing cannot be halted or even reduced
importance.
Another example is the concept
2007 designed
to raise money
global warming.
However, there are clear For more environmental
significantly, according to numerous
organizations, including the prominent
of hybrid sport utility vehicles. SUVs,
defined by low fuel economy and large
and awareness
a b o u t g l o b a l warming.
problems with this initia-
tive. opinions, turn to page A8
British Association for the Advance- size, completely oppose the goal of re- A concert is inherently energy- First, no carbon is off-
ment of Science. ducing gas consumption. Compare the consuming, as it requires vast amounts set. The carbon people
A8 • October 22, 2007 Opinion The Campanile

Recycling: beneficial or detrimental?

By Allison Coleman
Staff Writer
Recycling conserves natural re-
sources and energy, protects the envi-
ronment and benefits the economy.
Finite natural resources used in
products and packaging, such as iron
ore, coal, limestone and trees are
New York State Department of Health,
women living near solid-waste land-
fills from which gas escapes are four
times more likely to acquire leukemia.
Landfills also produce carbon dioxide
and methane gases, both of which
contribute to global warming.
Reducing the consumption of
trees, which convert carbon dioxide
residents created last year, a record 54
percent of that was diverted by recy-
cling programs. That means only 42.2
million tons ended up in landfills.
Recycling also stimulates the
economy by creating 1.1 million jobs
and $37 billion in payrolls annually.
It creates four jobs for every one job
created in waste management.
By Sarah Stringer
Spotlight Editor
Most people learn the importance
of recycling at a young age and never
question it as they grow older. Society
expects them to embrace recycling
along with the other two “R’s,” reduce
and reuse. Yet this strong emphasis is
in landfills, creates jobs and, in
some cases, creates more valuable
resources. However, disadvantages
also exist. When studying the amount
of toxic substances involved in paper
manufacturing versus paper recycling
factories, the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency found that the latter often
had the highest amounts of toxic sub-
removes that incentive, reducing the
desire to plant new trees.
Humans cannot continue con-
suming and discarding; recycling
helps curb the amount of trash added to
landfills. Still, misleading information
about recycling leads to the idea that
the country is running out of room for
landfills. According to Daniel K. Ben-

CON
conserved when people recycle. By into oxygen, helps prevent global Energy-efficient recycling pro- misplaced and results in consequences stances. Similarly, recycling requires

recycling, people help reduce energy
consumption because using recycled
materials requires less energy than
creating new ones.
The process of collecting, pro-
cessing and transporting recycled
materials generally consumes less
energy than that of extracting, refin-
ing, processing and transporting new
materials, since the materials have
already been processed and therefore
need no additional refining.
Recycling paper cuts energy
usage in half and every ton of paper
recycled saves 17 trees. Just one
year of recycling paper at Stanford
University saved the equivalent of
33,913 trees. Every pound of steel
recycled saves enough energy to light
a 60-watt light bulb for over 26 hours
and recycling one ton of glass saves
nine gallons of oil.
Producing aluminum cans from
recycled products requires only five
percent of the energy needed to
produce aluminum and by recycling
aluminum, one can save enough en-
ergy to light a 100-watt light bulb for
more than three hours.
Recycling reduces greenhouse-
gas emissions and the emissions from
pollutants. A nationwide recycling rate
of just 30 percent reduces greenhouse-
gas emissions by an amount equivalent
to the output of greenhouse gases
produced by 25 million cars. Trans-
porting and refining virgin resources
requires the use of fossil fuels, which
release greenhouse gasses into the
atmosphere and increase the United
States’ dependence on oil.
Reducing waste, resulting from
recycling materials that would other-
wise be deposited in landfills, reduces
pollution created by incinerators and
landfills. Landfills harm the environ-
ment by polluting groundwater and
adding many harmful pollutants to
the air.
Gases that escape from landfills
typically carry dangerous chemicals
from items such as paint thinner, sol-
vents and pesticides. According to the
PRO
warming and therefore benefits the
environment.
In 2000, recycling and compost-
ing diverted almost 70 million tons
of matter away from landfills, saving
space and reducing habitat destruc-
tion and pollution. In 2004, recycling
reduced greenhouse gas emissions by
two million metric tons of carbon, air
emissions by 587,000 tons and water
emissions by 9,000 tons.
According to a recent article in
the San Francisco Chronicle, of the
92.2 million tons of waste California
Recycling saves energy, renews resources and provides jobs worldwide, but it may be more harmful than beneficial. According
to the Environmental Protection Agency, paper recycling factories produce more toxins than virgin paper manufacturers.
grams also save money because they
cost less to run than waste collection,
landfills and incineration. As more
people recycle, these costs diminishes
even further. Recycling clearly bene-
fits both the economy and the environ-
ment. It contributes to the maintenance
of clean, pollution-free air.
Without recycling, global warm-
ing poses an even more significant
problem. Greenhouse gases that
landfills and incinerators create are
hazardous and destructive to human
health.
not many realize.
Society too often portrays re-
cycling as the solution to all envi-
ronmental issues. Yet this view only
exacerbates environmental issues;
people consume carelessly, believing
that recycling negates their wasteful-
ness. It is not enough to use a plastic
bottle and then recycle it. One must
make a conscious effort to reduce
consumption and reuse what he or she
can to make the greatest impact.
Recycling involves certain ben-
efits: it reduces the amount of waste
energy, water and other resources, and
therefore produces the same pollutants
involved in manufacturing virgin ma-
terials. In a sense, recycling doubles
the materials that would be used if only
virgin manufacturers existed and con-
tributes the same amount of pollutants
involved in transportation of materials
as waste removal programs.
Another myth about recycling is
that it saves trees. Paper producers use
pulpwood forests, and have incentives
to replenish the population of trees
to stay in business. Recycling paper
Julia Benton/The Campanile
jamin, a senior fellow at the Property
and Environment Research Center,
a ten-square-mile landfill would be
enough to hold all of America’s waste
for the next century. The earth is not
quickly running out of space.
Also, trash trade between states
is a valuable market, worth up to $4
billion. If this contribution to the
economy ended, there would be major
consequences and the nation would
need to find a new way to make up
lost profits.
In many cities across the country,
including New York and Seattle, of-
ficials are proposing mandatory recy-
cling programs. However, recycling
is not the only option to help the en-
vironment. PERC, a group dedicated
to solving environmental problems
using market theory, believes that in-
stating mandatory recycling, granting
government subsidies or exaggerating
the benefits of recycling only harm
the environment. Just as in econom-
ics, the “invisible hand” — the idea
that individuals, in pursuing their
own goals, act to the greatest benefit
of society — and market incentives
will guide producers and consumers
to make conscious decisions and act
to preserve the environment.
Society overemphasizes the posi-
tive effects of recycling while ignoring
the detriments. Instead of focusing so
much on one flawed system, educa-
tion should shift to teach consumption
reduction. If consumers realize that
much of what they use is wasteful
and consequently reduce, people
would both recycle and consume less.
Likewise, if consumers reused materi-
als instead of discarding them, there
would be less demand for products,
virgin or recycled.
Recycling is not the quick-fix
solution to environmental problems.
Reducing consumption and reusing
resources should be the key focus of
environmental education.
Society must realize the full ef-
fects of recycling. No longer should
consumers rely solely on meaningless,
hyperbolic praise of the industry.

Paly should reduce unnecessary use of resources

By Nanor Balabanian To solve this problem, Paly must cold or warm, constantly circulates in class-
Staff Writer implement new policies to ensure energy rooms.
efficiency. The problem with the system is not that
Freezing classrooms during August and The first change Paly should make is
boiling temperatures during December are to switch to Henry M. Gunn High School’s
typical in some classrooms at Palo Alto High new electronic attendance system, with
the air does not circulate, but that the system
constantly uses hot or cold air, even when
heating or cooling is not necessary.
Palo Alto High School’s
School, where teachers are unable to control which teachers can take roll electronically.
the heating and cooling systems. Assistant Principal Chuck Merritt advocates
Moreover, teachers do not have control
over the air conditioning systems in their annual paper expenditures
The number of students who have binders this system and is trying to implement it at classrooms, so classrooms can become
packed with paper handouts further indicates Paly as well. freezing cold on warmer days and boiling
that Paly fails to allocate resources wisely. A second policy should be to encourage hot on colder days. Palo Alto rarely needs
Located in one of the most environ- teachers to rely more on InClass and other air conditioning, considering its Mediter-
mentally-conscious cities in California, Paly online services. ranean climate.

2004-05
should better represent how to be more energy Many teachers distribute various assign- Last year the school paid almost $8,928
efficient and how to conserve resources, ments that they could post online without for natural gases during May and June of
especially within its own classrooms.
The high demand for paper and the class.
wasting numerous sheets of paper in each 2007, a three percent increase from the
year before’s payment of $8,698. While gas $13,700
constant usage of the heating and cooling Teachers should also rely on digital prices have increased, Paly’s use of natural
system should influence projectors as much as gas has gone up as well. For instance, Paly
the Palo Alto Unified
School District School Located in one of the most
possible, instead of dis-
tributing unnecessary
used 6,624 Therms of natural gas in May and
June of 2006, compared to 6,901 Therms the 2005-06
Board to amend its policy environmentally-conscious papers that could easily following year.
$13,900
for the usage of energy cities in California, Paly be presented to the class The wisest solution to this problem
and resources. should better represent how on an overhead. would be to turn off the air conditioning
During the 2006- Towards the end of system completely, except during waves of
07 academic year, the to be more energy efficient, the year, students’ bind- unbearable heat.
school spent approxi- especially within its own ers and file folders are Furthermore, the heating system should
mately $15,000 on paper, classrooms.
according to Budget
filled with unnecessary
handouts, even though
only be turned on only during the cold months
between November and March. Although the
2006-07
Secretary Cheryle Eymil. teachers could have made
This equates to almost 545 reams of paper. many of these handouts available on InClass
state-required air-circulation in classrooms is
necessary, the air conditioning system should
$14,700
Paper usage has, in fact, increased since or displayed them on a screen, without print- be turned off when not needed.
2004. Though the cost of paper has remained ing them. Because of its location, Palo Alto pos-
constant, the amount of money spent on it The school will save much more paper sesses natural air conditioning. Students and
has increased from year to year. Accord- if both teachers and students thank about teachers need to accept that a small increase
ing to Eymil, the school spent $13,661 on what they are printing or copying before
paper during the 2004-05 school year. The they do it.
in temperature does not always require air
conditioning to be turned on. One can sit
2007-08 (projected)
following year, this expenditure increased to While many Paly staff and students
$13,866. Last year, this amount climaxed to recycle paper, not all of them may know
comfortably in a classroom that is not the
perfect temperature. In fact, it is blatantly
$15,100
approximately $14,700. exactly what occurs after they place paper in hypocritical for Paly to advertise its envi-
Certainly there are circumstances in a recycling bin. After all, the United States ronmentalist ideas when it wastes so much
which paper is necessary in classrooms. For has the highest rate of greenhouse gas emis- energy itself.
example, teachers need paper for exams, sions in the world. Finally, the school administration, the
letters to parents and important handouts. Another problem that Paly faces is the district, the staff and the students should all
Students may also need to print out essays wasteful heating and cooling system. reconsider their daily habits when consum-
and other homework. According to Assistant Principal Chuck ing energy and resources, and sacrifice a few
However, there seems to be an excessive Merritt, Paly employs a centralized heating comforts in the present to have a better, more
use of paper around the school. and cooling system in which air, whether rewarding future.
The Campanile Opinion October 22, 2007• A9

Curriculum requirements excessive

Unnecessary graduation requirements prevent students from pursuing subjects of interest
Mia
Ponders...

While the other graduation re-

By Chris Clayton
Opinion Editor
The state government of Cali-
fornia, under Article X of the federal
Constitution, establishes graduation
requirements for all public high-
school students under the jurisdiction
of the state government. Similarly,
colleges, both public and private,
establish such requirements for ad-
mission into each respective college.
Unfortunately, these requirements,
often unfairly disadvantage students
interested in particular subjects, by
requiring students to enroll in ad-
ditional classes in subjects in which
they profess less interest, thereby
disallowing said students to pursue
education in subjects they find inter-
esting and might thus aspire to pursue
a career in them.
While the high-school gradua-
tion requirements, as established by
the state of California, do not par-
ticularly inhibit students’ pursuit of
their interests, certain requirements
must be diminished or removed. The
two-year physical education require-
ment, which neither the University of
California nor most private colleges
require, occupies two years that stu-
dents could better utilize in pursuit of
their respective interests. The physical
education requirement has few, if any,
intellectual benefits for students, and
no significant physical improvement
for students already participating in
athletics. While Palo Alto High School
allows for a preparation period for
students participating in athletics, they
do not extend such courtesy to students
participating in athletics outside of
Paly. Thus, the district must, when
appropriate, exempt students from
the physical education requirement
through one of two methods: either
by demonstrating sufficient athletic
ability through a series of athletic
tests, or by certifying enrollment in
athletics, whether school based or
otherwise. Such would allow students
to better pursue their interests, sans the
inhibition of the physical education
requirement.
quirements are tolerable, certain of
the UC requirements unfairly inhibit
students interested in mathematics and
the sciences. For admission, students
must complete three-and-a-half years
of English courses and four years of
social science courses, versus only
three years of mathematics and two
years of science. Students interested
in different subjects should be al-
lowed equal opportunity to pursue
additional courses in their respective
fields, whereas those interested in
English and history gain two ad-
ditional year-long courses to pursue
their interests. Students interested in
the sciences and mathematics have
fewer year-long courses to pursue
their interests and therefore receive
an unfair advantage. Students should
therefore be granted equal opportunity
through the decrease in the number
of required English courses from
three-and-a-half to three, which would
allow those students interested in
mathematics or the sciences to pursue
additional courses in their respective
areas of interest.
Furthermore, the UC system
requires students to enroll in a year-
long visual and performing arts course,
thereby hindering students without
artistic aspirations, as this requirement
effectively forces these students to
uselessly expend a year-long course
from which they will derive little
actual educational benefit. A student
will benefit little from enrolling in such
a course if his career interests do not
coincide with the material presented,
and thus that student will effectively
lose an opportunity to enroll in a course
which they find more interesting and
could derive more benefit. Only stu-
dents interested in the aforementioned
areas should be required to enroll in
these respective classes, while the
rest need be permitted to enroll in
classes from which they shall derive
actual benefit, insofar as concerns
their education.
For similar rationale, the district
should also not require students to
enroll in a one-year-long career or
Course Requirements at Paly
s –4
die
l Stu
cia
So
g l i sh
– 4
En
vocational education course. Such
courses inadequately present infor-
mation regarding career opportuni-
ties to students, as these students
only receive information regarding
a single potential career. Therefore,
if students are dissatisfied with the
class in which they enroll and there-
fore determine they have little or no
interest in pursuing a career in the
corresponding field of study, they
effectively waste a year-long course
period through this requirement. The
only viable solution to this problem,
besides abolishing the requirement
altogether, is to require students to
enroll in even more of such courses,
which would drastically increase
the number of required courses for
students, thereby disallowing them to
enroll in courses of interest. Therefore,
to further enable students to enroll in
subjects pertaining to their respective
areas of interest, the district should
abolish this requirement entirely.
The requirement for students
to enroll in one semester of Living
3.5
3
nc e–
e
Sci
–2
ati
ma
ti cs
a lE
d uc
the sic
Ma y from West Plains, Missouri.
Ph
ts
Ar
Skills needs also to be modified, if
not removed entirely, for a variety of
rationale. First of all, neither the state
government nor most, if any, colleges,
mandate students to enroll in any
subject similar to the Living Skills
course. Therefore, Palo Alto Unified
School District could remove this
requirement without repercussions
from the state. Moreover, students
are already acquainted with much of
the Living Skills curriculum since,
for example, students cover sexu-
ally transmitted diseases, an integral
component of the curriculum, in
eighth-grade science. Furthermore,
the Living Skills curriculum consists
largely of ascertaining random facts
–– such as the legal blood-alcohol
level –– which have no practical use
in everyday life –– in the aforemen-
tioned example, because most people
do not regularly have Breathalyzers
on their person. In fact, the fulfillment
of the most useful aspect incorporated
into the Living Skills curriculum, the
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and
Mia Pond
4
I was once dubbed “that white
girl who looks different.” Typically
3 confused as Italian4and sometimes
–2
on classified as a Hispanic, I am what I
3
am: my mother is half Italian and half
Filipino, and my father’s parents are
2 side When my parents 4
3 stand side-by-
their differences are clear. My
–1
2height is contrasted with my
father’s white skin, strawberry blonde
hair and
/
mother’s olive skin tone, black hair
1 2
–
Sk
ills 1 and shortness. 2 3
ng Holiday dinners further distin-
ivi
L 1 just by the sheer volume of
guish my mother’s family from my
father’s;
the food consumed, the great contrast
between the two groups is shown.2
1
For example, my mother’s family
first-aid requirement, constitutes only
once ate two turkeys at Thanksgiving,
one eight-hour period, a hopelessly
while my father’s barely finished one
inadequate time period for students
and sent all family members home
1
to properly ascertain CPR and first-
with enough leftovers to last several
aid techniques, as well as process
days. And while my peers consider me
them in long-term memory. Instead,
talkative and loquacious, I look shy
many students simply memorize
and reticent compared to my maternal
such techniques for the test, which
cousins, aunts and uncles. My extro-
is administered on the same day as
version cannot even be compared to
the training, and then shortly there-
that of my maternal cousins. Once near
after forget most, if not all, of them.
the end of a holiday meal, I could hear
Therefore, PAUSD should abolish the
the roar of laughter of my Filipino and
Living Skills requirement, and instead
Italian family members from around
administer CPR and first-aid training
the neighborhood block.
through a separate means, and over
And yet, despite this clear char-
the course of many weeks so as to
acterization of my family, people are
ensure students retain the knowledge
typically confused by my race. I am
they acquire.
often asked the awkward question,
The state of California, and
“So what is your heritage exactly...
colleges, both public and private, in
What are you?” My father’s grand-
general, should require students to
father had even asked my mother
enroll in fewer mandatory courses,
where “her people” were from when
and thus permit students to enroll in
they had first met. Typically, after I
more courses that they actually find
explain my ethnic background, people
interesting, facilitating these stu-
nod their heads in approval and start
dents in determining potential career
to list of other Filipino people they
interests.
know or describe their own mix of

InClass lacks efficiency of current educational sites

The visually attractive layouts of the course tool sites displayed on Moodle Learning Center (right) contrast greatly with the old, cumbersome features offered by InClass (left).
InClass must add customization tools and an user-friendly interface such as those in use by the University of California at Los Angeles, Intel and The Carnage Foundation.
By Jonathan Shan
Staff Writer
At first glance, InClass appears to effec-
tively bridge the divide between technology
and education, allowing students to access their
assignments, review class notes and download
homework assignments, all necessary comple-
ments to classroom instruction. Upon closer
inspection, however, various flaws are apparent
in the program.
InClass fails to provide an intuitive, user-
friendly interface and severely restricts content
control, instead reserving powers such as course
selection and home page layout solely for ad-
ministrators. As a result, students and staff are
less inclined to use the program.
Some teachers who attempt to use InClass
are often frustrated and feel it is a waste of
their time. They criticize InClass for not being
user-friendly, an expected criticism given that
InClass has not updated its graphic design.
InClass has the aesthetics of Windows 98,
a far cry from current software and fails to have
a modern user interface, requiring excessive
clicks to navigate through the site. The fault lies
in the program’s inability to be easily accessed
and modified. This, in turn, affects students who
cannot access their classes via InClass.
ethnicities.
Simultaneously, my peers are
shocked when I reveal my Asian heri-
tage, unable to see a difference in my
appearance. While I wonder if their
lack of knowledge about Filipinos is
responsible for their surprise, I can
understand their astonishment — my
hair color and skin tone only stand out
among the whitest of Caucasians.
Although I am a quarter Filipino
and was once referred to as “that white
girl who looks different,” I do not see
myself as an ethnic minority. Ethnic
minorities are defined by the differ-
ences from the racial majority.
I do not identify with that: I
never experienced Filipino culture or
visited the Philippines, and have little
knowledge of appropriate customs
and family traditions.
Although being Filipino is a part
of my mother’s family background,
these roots do not affect or influence
me insofar that I never fully identified
with them. If anything, my curiosity
about my family’s heritage does not
Courtesy of http://k2.pausd.org and http://moodle.org
form a part of my identity.
However, while I do not see my-
self as a racial minority, I am different
The Palo Alto High School administration is unacceptably arcane. While its developers in- fornia at Los Angeles, Intel and The Carnegie from the majority of people.
has attempted to amend the inconsistency of sist that limited personalized features guarantees Foundation and can be a viable alternative to As I continue to evaluate my
program usage among staff, yet the adminis- consistency, the times have changed. the current beleaguered system. identity and observe the impact of
tration cannot expect to unilaterally amend the Users desire the ability to customize their Like Firefox, Moodle is open source, mean- different influences, I am not affected
flaws. The majority of the changes must come tabs, use graphic-driven buttons for naviga- ing the code is universally understandable and is by or shaped by the confusion of my
from the creators of InClass. tion, change course labels to better distinguish much more flexible, providing for diverse theme race and the mix of my different fam-
In addition, Paly students, despite their between classes and use graphical themes that and layout schemes for easier navigation. It of- ily heritages. Ostensibly, I may sound
technological abilities, go beyond the simple fers features that do not exist on InClass, such racially conflicted. But I have the same
are unable to customize While InClass fulfills its basic color schemes that have as surveys teachers can use for student feedback, concerns that everyone tries to avoid:
their accounts through long been abandoned by a user-friendly grade book and a more flexible I don’t want others’ perception of me
methods such as signing
requirement of posting files and most Web sites. file sharing program. to shape me.
up for classes on InClass. notes online, this capability is in- While InClass pro- In a 2005 study by Humboldt State Univer- Instead, my family has adopted
As a result, students who sufficient and lacks quick and easy vides a means of com- sity, students were divided into two groups, one its own culture, that has embraced
transfer classes find that navigation. munication between using Moodle and the other using Blackboard, the independent values, beliefs and mea-
they cannot access sev- teachers and students, it program that forms the basis of InClass. In the sures of character. While I do not limit
eral of their courses, and has no solid foundation study, students preferred Moodle (35.7 percent) myself to others’ confused views of
are therefore deprived of the benefits provided to ensure optimum capacity. The program does to Blackboard (21.4 percent) with 42.9 percent my race, I believe that I am only one
by InClass. not adequately connect teachers to the student of students declaring no preference. of many who feel this way.
The system must be revamped for addi- body due to the lack of user friendliness and By adopting an alternative like Moodle, In doing so, our generation must
tional flexibility so students are able to enroll compatibility. the Paly administration can allocate money redefine our racial identity. We should
in the courses they take, instead of waiting for Until InClass fulfills these requirements, the otherwise spent on InClass to other necessary focus less on racial precedent and
an administrator to grant them access to these Palo Alto Unified School District must upgrade programs. A new program would give students more on independently constructing
courses. the system to ease usage in order to encourage and staff a clean slate to communicate. our own identities. We are more than
While InClass fulfills its basic requirement participation, or alternatively replace it entirely At the same time, if Blackboard, the com- our family’s backgrounds and heri-
of posting files and notes online, this capabil- with a more effective alternative, which would pany that created InClass, completely revamped tages; we are only attached to family
ity is insufficient and lacks quick and easy provide the same results. the system to make it much more user friendly customs and traditions as much as we
navigation. Many alternatives for the program exist, and feature rich, then InClass may present future want to be.
In an age in which Yahoo! and Google home such as the free, open-source program Moodle, Paly classes with a better version that transcends And we will be courageous in our
pages cater to the user’s wants and needs, InClass http://moodle.org, used by University of Cali- the problems that currently exist. attempt to do so.

A10 October 22, 2007

Sports The Campanile

Cross country ahead of the pack
Junior co-captain Gillian Lui leads a pack of runners down the opening hill of the Crystal Springs cross country course.
Both the girls’ and boys’ cross country teams have been steadily improving this season, hoping to capture league titles. Coast Section Meet, crunch time has officially
By Lindsay Yang
Staff Writer
At the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 29,
one of the most prominent cross country meets
on the west coast, the Palo Alto High School
boys’ and girls’ teams finished 10th and 17th
overall, respectively.
Sophomore Philip MacQuitty finished
second out of 304 runners in the five-kilometer
course, coming in at 15:41 minutes. Junior
Charlie Avis placed 34th at 16:42.
Seniors Brian Karvelas and co-captain
Brian Hsueh also placed within the top 100
runners. Seniors Gilbert Choi and Jeremy
Jacob and junior Skyler Cummins crossed the
finish line as the fifth, sixth and seventh Paly
runners, respectively.
MacQuitty, the only Paly Varsity boys’
runner who participated in the Clovis Invi-
tational on Oct. 6, finished second out of 95
runners that ran the five-kilometer course with
a time of 15:32.
Although lacking runners for the Clovis
Invitational, the Paly girls’ cross country team
made up for it at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic
League Crystal Preview on Oct. 9. The hilly
2.95-mile course will also be the site for the
upcoming SCVAL Championship. Although
the SCVAL Crystal Preview was an unofficial
meet and some league schools did not attend,
the girls’ team dominated the competition and
performed exceptionally well.
“We had a strong race,” girls’ Head Coach
Paul Jones said. “A couple of them were taking
it easy because of the Hawaii meet.”
Race assignments were organized by
grade rather than Varsity and Junior Varsity
divisions. In the seniors’ race, the top senior
runner was Leah Gaeta who placed fifth with a
Julia Benton/The Campanile
time of 20:42. Although junior co-captain Gil-
lian Lui had finished behind Gaeta at previous
meets, she ran faster than her teammate and
finished with a time of 20:31, placing fifth in
the junior race and beating her previous course
record. Sophomore Regina Wang sped past the
finish line in third place at 20:48. Although less
experienced, the top Paly freshman was Erin
Kiekhaefer, who placed eighth at 21:55.
“Our top runners did really well,” Lui said.
“I’m proud of the team’s performance.”
Although senior Mia Lattanzi and juniors
Grace Park and Tamar Ben-Shachar did not
run, other schools were in similar situations
for the meet, Jones said.
The SCVAL Preview helped new runners
familiarize themselves with the course, which
they will run again at the end of the season.
“The meet was low-key,” boys’ Head
Coach Jeff Billing said. “Many of our runners
did not go all out because of the Punahou Invite,
but some of the freshmen did really well.”
Despite taking it easy, Avis finished third
in the junior race with a time of 16:37. Paly
senior co-captains Brain Hsueh and Rajan
Narang and senior Jeremy Jacob finished
11th, 12th and 13th, respectively.
The first Paly sophomore to finish was
Henry Jordan, coming in 16th with a time of
18:19. Freshman Brandon Dukovic finished
ninth in 19:20.
After bringing home first, third and fourth
place trophies from the Punahou Invite in
Hawaii on Oct. 13, the Paly Cross Country
team will finish the regular season at the City
Championship on Tuesday and the Santa
Clara Valley Athletic League Championship
on Oct. 30.
Paly’s cross country team sent 28 mem-
bers to run the 3.05-mile course for the first time
in school history, and was the only mainland
team in the competition.
“We decided to go this year because we
have a great group, and we really wanted to
make this a memorable experience,” Billing
said.
The 15-person Varsity boys’ team won
their division by three minutes, beating out
the competition by over 50 points.
The Varsity girls finished fourth, 25 points
away from winning a team trophy, and the
Junior Varsity girls’ team placed third.
“With four weeks [until the] Central
begun, and I challenged the boys before the
race to forget about race times, mile splits
and all those types of things, and to focus on
competing,” Billing said.
The boys’ team competed well. Junior
Charlie Avis finished fourth out of 162 runners
at 16:57, 29 seconds behind the winner. The
rest of the Paly team ran in packs for most of
Cross Country
Scores
Stanford Invitational
September 29, 10th (Boys), 17th (Girls)
Punahou Invitational
October 13, 1st (Boys), 4th (Girls)
the race, with the lead group of junior Skyler
Cummins, seniors Brian Karvelas, co-captain
Sam Jones and Jeremy Jacob finishing seventh,
eighth, ninth and tenth, respectively, all within
15 seconds of each other. Ten seconds behind
Jacob, seniors Julius Berezin, co-captain Brian
Hsueh and Gilbert Choi crossed the finish line
in 14th, 15th and 16th place, respectively.
Senior Mia Lattanzi came in first for the
Paly Varsity girls’ team, returning from an
injury, sped through the race in 20:41, finish-
ing 12th overall out of 103 runners. Junior
co-captain Gillian Lui placed 16th at 21:14
and senior Leah Gaeta finished 13 seconds
later in 19th place.
Sophomore Kathleen Higgins ran one of
her best races of the season, finishing 27th.
Junior Jessie Kuo placed 29th, just seven
seconds behind Higgins. Junior co-captain
Elizabeth Scott and senior co-captain Ariana
Hoyt ran solid races to finish 35th and 43rd,
respectively.
In the Junior Varsity race, junior Grace
Park battled junior Sarah Haydock for 12th
place, but Park finished ahead at 14:23. Hay-
dock finished 13th, just three seconds behind
the first place finisher.
Sophomore Min Kim, who started out
between 40th and 50th places for the first mile,
ended in 19th with a solid time of 14:46.
Rounding out the Junior Varsity, juniors
Lizzie Henehan and Tamar Ben-Shachar
finished 27th and 33rd with respected times
of 15:10 and 15:20. Sophomore Abby LaPier
completed her goal of finishing the race after
suffering a knee injury earlier this season.
After a season of constant improvements
and success, both the girls’ and boys’ cross
country teams face challenges in the SCVAL
Championships and the CCS Championships,
as they compete for the respective division
titles.
Upcoming meets
City Championship
October 23, 3:00 PM
SCVAL League Championships
October 30, 2:00 PM

Vikings volley back after two straight losses

After losses to Homestead and Los Gatos, Vikings regain their magical touch in a win over Los Altos
By Eliot Wilson The Vikings finally got back on track in and remain calm and play as well as we did
Senior Staff Writer their game against Los Altos High School, the against Los Altos.”
former team of Head Coach David Winn, who Coach Winn sees improvement in the
The Palo Alto High School Varsity volley- the Vikings had already beaten in league play young Paly team.
ball team’s five-game sectional unbeaten streak earlier in the year. “The season has had peaks and valleys,”
ended at home against unbeaten Homestead The Vikings regained their magic touch Winn said. “Everyone else is very good, but
on Oct. 8, one of the top teams in the Central against the young Los Altos team, beating the these girls are very resilient. They just need to
Coast Section. Eagles in three games. have fun and work hard, not letting anything
The Vikings played valiantly in the first Although the Vikings were favored in get them down.”
game during which Homestead’s star player the contest, senior co-captain Jessie Juarez Juarez has similar hope for the future of
was sitting out for an injury. wanted to make sure that the Vikings were the team.
Paly came away with the first game of still on their game after the two tough losses “There were a lot of new girls,” Juarez
the best-of-five-series. to Homestead and Los Gatos. said. “We connected really quickly. We may
However, the return of Homestead’s Kat “We wanted to get back to fundamen- have fallen apart a little during the middle,
Fischer doomed the Vikings, who were swept tals,” Juarez said. “We needed to work hard but I think we’ll pull it together and win in
in the next three games to lose 3-1. and finish.” the end.”
“Homestead is one of the toughest com- The Vikings needed no motivation from The Vikings’ upcoming schedule includes
petitors this year,” senior co-captain Hillary their coach going into the game; two losses a game against Mountain View High School
Ford said. “Kat Fischer is very good and the in league play was enough. on Oct. 25.
rest of the team is consistent around her.” “I didn’t have to tell them anything,” Paly dominated both Mountain View
After the tough Winn said. “We High School and Saratoga High School teams
loss to Homestead, “Everyone is very good, but these girls didn’t play well earlier this year and are expected to beat them
the Vikings trav- are very resilient. They just need to have last week, and this as well as Gunn on Oct. 23 before the rematch
eled to Los Gatos
fun and work hard, and don’t let anything week we’re com- against Homestead on Oct. 30.
High School on mitted to staying The Vikings are now in second place, two
Oct. 10, looking to get them down.” focused.” games behind undefeated Homestead and one
kick off the second After the game ahead of Los Gatos in the Santa Clara
half of their sea- Dave Winn losses in which Valley Athletic League.
son with a second the Vikings’ weak
Head Coach
victory over the serving game was
Wildcats. exposed, Coach Volleyball
Earlier in the year, the Vikings had domi- Winn focused on serving to elevate the Vikings
nated the Wildcats 3-1, but in the rematch the level of play.
Vikings failed to recapture that magic. “I put in a serving specialist and we Scores
“It was a very close game and a good practiced a lot of jump services,” Winn said. Paly @ Los Gatos
match,” Ford said. “It was disappointing; we “I told the girls they needed to take more October 10, 2-3 L
probably could have done better. But Los Gatos chances with their serves.” Los Altos @ Paly
is a good team and I give them credit.” Moving forward, the Vikings fully ex- October 16, 3-0 W
The Vikings are still a young team, and pect to pick up where they left off before the
they will look to the next half of the season for Homestead game. Michela Fossati-Bellani/The Campanile
Upcoming games
experience and in order to prove themselves “During our losses, I think we kind lost Sophomore hitter Marissa Florant jumps for the ball during Paly’s game against Gunn @ Paly
before CCS play begins. our team chemistry and got separated,” Juarez October 23, 6:45 PM
“Our last two losses exposed our weak- said. “This game, we really united. We need to Los Gatos High School on Oct. 10. The Vikings play Gunn at home on Oct. 23.
Mountain View @ Paly
ness and the fact that we need to keep playing play as a team for the rest of the season.” Saratoga High School, a team with a good “Saratoga is tenacious,” Winn said. “We October 25, 6:45 PM
well and finish the season strongly,” Ford Coach Winn cautions his team to expect defense and a wealth of talent. Paly has already need to expect that balls that normally are
said. the unexpected in their upcoming game against beaten Saratoga once this year. kills won’t be. We need to think differently,
The Campanile
Girls’ varsity tennis team maintains perfect record
After a demotion to the El Camino League, girls’ varsity tennis is proving to be more successful than last year’s squad
By Zal Dordi
Staff Writer
After an impressive 8-0 start in
the first half of the 2007 tennis season,
the Vikings have maintained their
perfect record with only a couple of
weeks left to play until they begin
competition in the Central Coast Sec-
tion tournament.
The team, which began the season
with nine consecutive victories before
heading into the Palo Alto Invitational
tournament, has not let a single match
get away from them.
The Vikings came into 2007
young, but strong, knowing that due
to their demotion to the El Camino
League they would have to step up
their game.
“The players on last season’s team
were not very serious when compared
to this year’s group,” Head Coach
Andy Harader said.
Harader elected to compose the
2007 season squad of younger play-
ers and with a large wave of up and
coming, and highly skilled under-
classmen.
The decision proved to be a good
one too. The Vikings have thus far
beaten every challenger they have
faced.
After taking the first five matches
of the season with a cumulative match
score of 27-8, the girls strung together
three consecutive match sweeps,
beating Castilleja School, Mountain
View High School and Fremont High
School.
After cruising through their first
eight matches, the girls finally met
formidable league competition in
Milpitas High School.
“The only real threat this year
is Milpitas, but they can’t match our
depth,” Harader said.
At the September match against
Milpitas, No. 1 singles player fresh-
man Janet Liu and No. 2 singles
PALY SPORTS COVERAGE WILL
NEVER BE THE SAME
player junior Vrinda Khanna lost
their matches.
Luckily, the team’s depth man-
aged to pull the Vikings through. After
the No. 3 and No. 4 singles pulled
the team even with wins, the three
doubles teams knocked off their op-
ponents without so much as a dropped
set on the way to a 5-2 victory for the
Vikings.
It has been a smooth ride for the
Vikings since the beginning of the
second half of the season.
The team won the Palo Alto In-
vitational Tournament with ease and
went on to sweep Santa Clara High
School 7-0.
The Vikings’ next match with
Henry M. Gunn High School did
not affect the league, as the Viking’s
demotion last season moved them out
of Gunn’s league. However, it was still
an important match.
“We always try to set up a meeting
with Gunn, it’s always a good chal-
lenge for us,” Harader said.
It seemed like it was more of
a challenge for Gunn. The Vikings
proved why they are the team to beat
in 2007 by handing the visiting Titans
a 5-2 loss.
Cupertino High School was the
third team to fall during a brilliant
first week of October as the girls
went 3-0 in match play, and won with
a cumulative score of 19-2 over op-
ponents. On Oct. 10 the girls traveled
to Menlo-Atherton High School for a
non-league match up and a possible
CCS pairing.
After dropping the No. 1 and No.
2 singles and No. 3 doubles matches,
the team used their depth to overcome
Menlo-Atherton by taking the No. 3
and No. 4 singles and then the No. 1
and No. 2 doubles matches to upset
Menlo-Atherton at their home ground
by a final score of 4-3.
On Oct. 16 the girls traveled
to face the Fremont High School
We’re creating the most comprehensive, up-to-date
online source for Paly sports information.
Sports October 22, 2007 • A11
Firebirds. Without fail, the Vikings
continued their dominance of their
league competition with a 7-0 romp
of the Firebirds to put the Vikings at
15-0 and 9-0 in league play.
The Vikings, with only two
matches left, will look to finish the
2007 season with a perfect record.
They will play Milpitas again
on Oct. 23, which should prove to
be their most important match of the
regular season.
On Oct. 25, the Vikings will be
back home to close out their incred-
ible season against Santa Clara, a
team whom they beat earlier in the
year 7-0.
Adversity has not escaped the
2007 tennis squad. Despite a perfect
season thus far, the girls have seen
injuries hamper some of their stron-
gest players.
Liu and freshmen Mira Khanna
and Emma Marti have each experi-
enced injuries that have slowed them
down this season, but they have main-
tained a strong level of play to keep
the Paly squad moving forward.
“Injuries have been the biggest
issue for us, but overall for me, the this
season is going really well,” Khanna
said. “But in CCS we’re going to be
facing some good teams like Monta
Vista High School. We really need
more of a challenge if we’re going to
be able to raise our games to beat a
team like them.”
Paly will attempt to capture the
Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile
Santa Clara Valley Athletic League
Championship, which takes place at Sophomore Sophie Biffar, one of the promising new varsity players, returns a serve in the game
Mountain View High School, starting against Mountain View High School. The Palo Alto Girls’Varsity Tennis Team has a record of 18-0-0.
on Oct. 30. untainted record.
However, winning the SCVAL
tournament is not their primary goal
Coupled with the Vikings’ abso-
lutely perfect showing in the standings
Tennis
as the team will enter the CCS tour- this season, the girls will also sport a Scores Upcoming games
nament during the second week of youthful and highly energetic spirit. Milpitas @ Palo Alto Palo Alto @ Milpitas
November. Going into the tournament, The girls have stepped up their play September 27, 5-2 W October 23, 3:30 PM
the team will hopefully have the El after last season’s disappointing fin-
Palo Alto @ Santa Clara Santa Clara @ Palo Alto
Camino League division champion- ish and will attempt to bring glory
October 2, 7-0 W October 25, 3:30 PM
ship under their belt as well as an back to the once weak varsity tennis
Online. Interactive. Whenever you need it.
PASportsOnline.comNew! From Palo Alto Online
A12 • October 22, 2007 Sports The Campanile

Varsity water polo teams off to solid starts

Vikings skillfully charge ahead with exceptional determination, winning records in leagues
By Sam Jones
Sports Editor

Palo Alto High School’s boys’ and girls’

Varsity water polo teams are playing in domi-
nant mid-season form, opening league play
with a combined 7-1 record.
Led by senior co-captains Michael For-
tune and Geng Wang, the boys’ squad is off to
a blistering beginning with an 11-4 start and an
impressive 4-0 De Anza League record.
“We are right on par with our expecta-
tions for this season so far,” Fortune said.
“We’ve been able to avoid having any bad
losses, and the only teams we lost to are seri-
ous contenders.”
The Vikings dominated in their league
opener, winning 11-4 at Monte Vista High
School on Sept. 27. The next day, the boys’
team placed second in the Saint Francis In-
vitational.
The team soundly defeated Archbishop
Mitty High School 9-4 in the first round, set-
ting the stage for a semifinal match against
rival Los Altos High School. The Vikings
prevailed with a score of 9-8 in a grueling
triple overtime contest, finally ended by a
goal from Wang.
The Vikings lost in the tournament final Hannah McGovern/The Campanile
to St. Francis High School 8-12. Paly Varsity water polo players seniors Scott Mielke (left) and Geng Wang (center) crash the Mountain View High School hole set as senior goalie Will Simon
However, the squad rebounded quickly,
(right) prepares for a shot. The girls’ team had a shaky start but both the girls’ and boys’ teams have demonstrated their strong potential to claim CCS titles.
beating Los Altos 5-4 at home in a critical
league match on Sept. 30. and more that we can take the Central Coast The Vikings then proceeded to defeat The Vikings bounced back just a few days
The Vikings then defeated Henry M. Gunn Section title this year.” Johansen High School 8-7 and won by forfeit later on Oct. 1, winning 16-9 on the road at Water polo
High School on the road 11-7 on Oct. 1 and Likewise, the girls’ team has greatly against Miramonte High School, setting up Gunn High School. They followed this game
extended their winning streak at home with a improved over the first month of competition, a challenging match against defending CCS up with a 17-3 win over Mountain View at Scores
12-8 win over Mountain View High School. overcoming an unsteady 2-3 start to reach an champion Archbishop Mitty. home on Oct. 9. BOYS
The boys’ team has continuously im- 8-7 overall and 3-1 league record. The squad lost to Mitty 5-9, finishing Although the team is playing well, the Vi-
Mountain View @ Paly
proved over the first month of the season, The Vikings opened their league play with with a solid 3-2 record in the tournament and kings are continuing to improve their game.
especially in terms of its depth. a monumental win at Fremont High School, placing sixth overall. “Each person is really realizing their October 9, 12-8 W
“Our bench players have really stepped crushing the opposition 22-4 on Sept. 27. “The girls played extremely well in the potential and stepping into their role,” Olcott GIRLS
up and gotten much stronger,” Fortune said. “It was definitely a fun game to play in,” NorCal tournament,” girls’ Head Coach Cory said. “We have made huge progress on both the Mountain View @ Paly
“It is awesome because now we can really senior captain Lizzie Abbott said. “Having Olcott said. “Their play really showed how far offensive and defensive sides of the ball.” October 9, 17-3 W
rely on our backups if our starters are tired
out mid- or late-game.”
such a huge lead enabled us to try some new
things, but after a while we did feel bad for
we have come in just half a season.”
However, after a strong weekend of play,
Both the boys’ and girls’ teams have met
expectations so far this season, and are look-
Upcoming games
The squad’s surprising success in the early the other team.” the Vikings dropped a crucial match to Los ing to capture league titles and have strong BOYS
season has the team feeling more confident The girls’ squad then placed sixth in the Altos 9-11 at home on Sept. 30. showings at the CCS tournament. Los Gatos @ Paly
after each victory. NorCal Championship Tournament on Sept. The Vikings led for most of the game, but “The team is playing hard each and every October 24, 3:00 PM
“The guys’ vision for the season has re- 28, beating Menlo Atherton High School 6-5 Los Altos came back and won in overtime. game to prepare for the postseason,” Particelli GIRLS
ally evolved over the past few weeks,” boys’ in the first round. In the second game, the “It was a really tough loss,” Abbott said. said. “Once the CCS tournament rolls around, Los Gatos @ Paly
Head Coach Reid Particelli said. “It seems Vikings lost to Rio Americano High School “It was our game to lose, and we dropped we are only going to have one gear and one October 24, 5:00 PM
like every time we win, they believe more 6-12, moving them to the losing bracket. the ball.” way to play, and that is all-out.”

Paly football finds success Girls’ golf team cut from roster
By Austin Smith
A&E Editor
After painful back-to-back losses, the Palo Alto High
School Varsity football team has found its winning ways
again, tallying two consecutive wins to improve to a 4-2
record (2-1 in league) and a number 13 ranking in the San
Jose Mercury News.
The Vikings started the year strong against McCly-
monds High School, running opponents into the ground
on offense and utilizing quickness on defense.
After beating Burlingame in their second game, the
Vikings offense fell stagnant, and the team was defeated
69-14 over a two-loss span that included a nightmare
42-7 loss to division rival Los Gatos High School. But
with a resurgence of gritty quarterback play from junior
Will Brandin and excellent play on defense, the Vikings
came alive once again.
During the Oct. 5 game against Mountain View High
School, Paly scraped out a 28-21 win thanks in part to
the defense’s three forced fumbles and long interception
returns by senior safety Mike Scott and junior safety Will
Holder. Brandin was solid in the passing game, relying
Philip Homnack/The Paly Voice
Junior Will Holder fights to break a tackle from the
opposing Mountain View High School secondary.
on his standout wide receiver Scott, whom he found eight
times for 119 yards.
With senior fullback Sione Mataele out sick, senior
Brandon Boyd skillfully filled in, with an impressive 74
yards on 21 carries. Brandin also ran for three touch-
downs.
The Vikings returned home to face Milpitas High
School on Oct. 11 in front of a live television audience on
Comcast Sports Net. With added pressure, Paly answered
the call, deftly cruising to a 27-7 victory.
“We played a very good football game against a very
good football team,” Head Coach Earl Hansen said.
The defense was once again effective, forcing four
turnovers and holding a solid Milpitas offense scoreless
until late in the fourth quarter.
“We had to tackle well and we did,” junior corner-
back Harry Woolson said. “We didn’t allow a lot of first
downs.”
Paly’s secondary played well, intercepting three
passes, including an interception return for touchdown
by senior linebacker Kevin Johnson.
“Milpitas has three solid receivers,” Woolson said.
“We played off them and just shut them down.”
The Paly defense has been almost completely rebuilt
this year, after all but four members graduated. The Viking
defense has swarmed opponents and taken pressure off the
offense, allowing no more than seven points in an impres-
sive three out of six games this season. They have forced
an incredible twelve turnovers in that span.
The offense finally put the pieces together, playing
consistently in all facets of the game. The running game
continued its steady success, with Mataele returning to rush
for 56 yards and a touchdown, and senior running back
James McCollough running for another 53 yards. Brandin
attributes the offense’s success to the players up front.
“The offensive line played their best game tonight,”
Brandin said. “We all played our best tonight.”
Brandin, a first year Varsity starter, struggled earlier
in the season but has exhibited poise as the season has
worn on.
“I’ve started to click with the receivers,” Brandin said.
“We’re getting to know each other better on the field.”
Brandin has done whatever the team needed him to
do in order to win, whether it is running the ball on the
ground or vastly improving his passing game. The most
telling sign of his maturity is how he has begun to run the
offense smoothly, even when key players around him are
taken out of the equation.
“They went after Mike [Scott],” Hansen said. “Will
[Brandin] was great at spreading the ball around.”
The team looks ahead to the season’s final four games.
Winning is a necessity should they look to defend last year’s
De Anza League title. The schedule plays in the Vikings’
favor, as they will face opponents with a combined record
of 8-15-1. But the team knows that they will need more
than luck to make it back to the playoffs.
“We really need to practice hard and prepare ourselves
well,” Woolson said.
By Kelly Zhou juniors got eight signatures from dif- they had all come last year, we’d have
Staff Writer ferent female golfers. Maemura and a team now.”
Hsu did not understand why Hansen Team members, however, strong-
Palo Alto High School’s girls’ would be reluctant to start a team, ly dispute this claim.
golf team was cancelled at the begin- but they, nevertheless, felt he did not “I definitely talked to him a few
ning of the school year due to lack of fully support their effort in founding times at the beginning of the year and
interest, according to Paly Athletic the team. I emailed him too,” Hsu said.
Director Earl Hansen. “[I don’t think he thought] it was The team members expressed
Hansen said he did not register the a priority,” Maemura said. “Trying outrage when they found out this fall
girls’ golf team in the Peninsula Ath- to communicate with him was really about Hansen’s bulletin announce-
letic League for the fall sports season frustrating.” ment and why the team had been
because support for the team dwin- However, Hansen eventually disbanded.
dled last year. approved the “I was shocked,” Hsu said. “I
Hansen said team. Expect- didn’t know about the [bulletin].
he posted an “I don’t think Hansen’s really ing to have an Personally, I don’t think it’s a good
announcement supportive of the team. I don’t official team way to publicize. If he had told me,
of a meeting for in the fall of I definitely would have made posters
think he understands how much 2006, the girls and put them all over the school.”
all those who
were interested we want it.” w e r e t h o r- Other members of the team
in joining the oughly con- voiced similar reactions.
team in Paly’s Young Hsu fused when “My immediate reaction was
Daily Bulletin the team did anger,” Maemura said. “I couldn’t
junior not material- believe that after all this time, after
last spring.
Hansen ize. two years of struggling and final suc-
said that when “I talked cess, in the end there was no team. He
no girls showed up, he was forced to to [former Paly assistant principal knew our names and phone numbers.
cancel the team. Doug] Walker during sophomore year If we spent two years trying to fight
However, juniors Young Hsu and because there wasn’t a team,” Hsu for something and then we didn’t show
Melanie Maemura, co-captains and said. “I don’t know why Mr. Hansen up for one meeting, I think he should
founders of the team, had a different didn’t sign us up for [the league], but have contacted us.”
take on the situation. They believe Mr. Walker supported [having a girls’ The girls on the team said they
Paly’s female golfers have continu- team] and he was happy we were ultimately felt disappointed and frus-
ously supported the formation of a initiating it.” trated about the situation.
team. Walker formerly oversaw Paly’s “I thought it was unfair that [only]
“I didn’t see the announcement on sports programs but left last year, the boys had a team,” potential team
the bulletin,” Maemura said. “I don’t handing off those responsibilities member junior Maddy Mihran said.
know if it was actually there. [Hansen] to the new assistant principal Jerry Maemura and Hsu said they up
knew we were passionate about golf. Berkson. their usual sports because they trusted
He had no evidence to suggest that As preparations for a team began that Hansen would register the team.
there was no interest.” again, Hsu and Maemura tried to make This fall, Hsu and Maemura would
Neither side remembers when the sure the team would not fall apart have been on the Varsity tennis and
bulletin announcement ran. before registration in the league. cross-country teams, respectively.
Though Hansen said he fully “We talked to Hansen a couple “Young and I practiced together,”
supports a new girls’ golf a team, times during sophomore year,” Mae- Maemura said. “It was so sad that all
team members said they felt he was mura said. our hours of practice over the summer
reluctant to create the new team. According to Maemura, Hansen were for nothing.”
“I don’t think Hansen’s really told her last spring that there would Hansen said he is willing to make
supportive of the team,” Hsu said. be a team this fall. There was a coach a girls’ golf team for next year, as
“He’s not that active about it. I don’t and enough funding and interest to long as “the girls show a long-term
think he understands how much we form one. commitment.”
want it.” However, to the girls’ surprise Despite all of the problems they
Hsu, Maemura and the other girls’ and disappointment, Hansen declared have faced, the team members refuse
fight to create a golf team began when there would not be a girls’ golf team to be deterred; the girls believe in
they were freshmen during the 2005- this year. making sure golf is available to all
06 school year. Numerous problems “I got all the names [of the team girls at Paly.
arose when they tried out for the boys’ members] and all the information “My hope is that next year, we
team, so Hsu and Maemura decided to so that we could do it, but no one will really have a girls’ golf team,”
form a girls’ team. Only five students showed interest last year or came in Hsu said. “I’m determined to make
are needed to form a team, and the and talked to me,” Hansen said. “If it possible.”
The Campanile
Life styles Features • A&E • People Monday, October 22, 2007

A giant among
Giants

Ryan Pfleiderer
It was a cool October Sunday
afternoon, and Pac Bell Park was filled
to the brim with 41,000 anxious fans.
I took my seat nine rows up from the
third base dugout. There was a slight
breeze coming off of McCovey Cove,
and the smell of fresh garlic fries and
hot dogs was in the air. It was the final
game of the season, Giants versus
Dodgers, and the end of a season that
would go down in history.
Barry Bonds stepped into the box
in the bottom of the first, no one on,
two out. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher
Dennis Springer went into his mo-
tion, and delivered a 3-2 knuckleball.
Bonds turned on it, and launched it
into the right field bleachers. 73 home
runs. I had just seen Barry Bonds make
history. I stood with 41,000 other fans
and watched Bonds trot around the
bases. I witnessed one of the greatest
moments in baseball history, and now,
six years later, Barry’s career is over,
or at least with the Giants.
I’ve grown up watching Barry
play for the Giants, and now I will
never see him in a San Francisco uni-
form again. Barry is the reason I went
to see the Giants play; I think that’s
why the Giants had sellout crowd after
sellout crowd. People can complain
that Barry is a jerk, that he may have
taken performance-enhancing drugs
and that he is the most arrogant person
who has ever walked the earth. But
when Barry hit a ball into McCovey
Cove, everyone was on their feet
cheering.
Even the anti-Barry fans were in
awe of his power, his speed, his field-
ing ability and the way he dominated
the game. I’ve been to dozens of Giants
games, but the best were the ones when
Barry hit a shot into the stands.
So go ahead, put an asterisk on
Barry’s 756th-homerun ball. It won’t
make a difference in the end. Barry
provided excitement, he kept base-
ball in San Francisco, he’s the sole
reason that fans continued to watch
the Giants.
So where will Barry go now?
Who would want to sign a 43-year-old,
injury-prone ballplayer that is con-
stantly surrounded by controversy?
Some would think of it as purchasing
a used Volkswagen with thousands
of miles and ripped seats. But very
few people realize that Barry can still
play. Barry still has the best hand-eye
coordination in all of baseball, he can
still drive a ball 400 feet and he is still
a leader. Barry would, even now, be
a valuable asset to any team, and it
is too bad that the Giants have given
up on him.
I would have loved to watch
Barry strap on the elbow armor over
his Giants uniform one more time,
and to hear Mike Krukow call another
Bonds homer: “He hits it high, he hits
it deep, it’s outta here!”
But we’ll never see Barry sport
number 25 on the back of a San Fran-
cisco uniform, we’ll never see him
walk up the third base dugout steps
and we’ll never see Barry round the
bases in orange and black.
All I hope is that Barry doesn’t
play for the Anaheim, excuse me, the
er of
a d
Le the Pa ck
Senior Lance Taylor draws his 50-pound wooden pull recurve hunting bow, which he uses to hunt all types of animals, including Wild Eurasian hogs, more commonly
called boar. He hunts with a pack of dogs at dusk or in the early morning, when the boars come out to feed. Below, Taylor performs various stages of gutting a boar.
By Michael Hamada
Staff Writer
On a recent trip to Monterey, California,
Palo Alto High School senior
Lance Taylor let loose a pack of
hunting dogs on a hog and fol-
lowed as they chased it, barking
and taking bites at the hog. He
shot the boar with a hunting bow
and then stabbed it twice in the
heart. Taylor then dragged the 95-
pound boar onto the back of his
All Terrain Vehicle and brought it
back to a ranch where he hung it
upside down, skinned it and gut-
ted it. The hog was then packed
up and sent to the butcher. Taylor
plans to eat the hog sometime
later this week.
Taylor has hunted his whole life. Whether
it be rabbits, deer or other small game, he has
hunted them all.
“I’m from the East Coast, where people
hunt all the time, so it’s a regular thing for
me,” Taylor said.
Different hunting parties go off with their
dogs usually around dusk or in the early morn-
ing and scour the hunting grounds for game.
“The boars come out to feed around dusk
and we will go around looking for tracks
or other markings to hunt down the hogs,”
Taylor said.
Sometimes a hunter will let their dogs
sniff out the boar, but normally they will go
out looking for them on their own. Taylor
hunts with a pack of pit bulls owned by other
people he hunts with. According to Taylor, most
people do not hunt with pit bulls because the
dogs are ferocious and the hunter needs a pole
to unlock their jaws. When a dog is to be bred
as a hunting dog, its owner will send the dog
on hunts with older dogs and it will naturally
pick up traits from them.
“A young dog will tag along with a pack
of hunting dogs and once they find a boar and
it gets its first taste of blood, it will just want
more and more,” Taylor said.
Hunters want a dog that will go straight
for the throat of the animal and corner it until
a hunter can come and finish off the kill.
“Last time I was there we spotted a good
sized boar and sent our dogs after it,” Taylor
said. “Then a few moments later they came
running back and when we were kind of con-
fused. We looked off through our scopes to
where the boar was and saw a mountain lion
disappear over the ridge.
Mountain lions are dangerous to hunters
and their dogs, so hunters immediately leave
hunting areas if a mountain lion is spotted.
“One of my good friends lost two dogs to
a mountain lion,” Taylor said.
While Taylor typically uses a hunting bow,
his father uses a scope rifle to pick off game
from hundreds of feet away.
“I remember this one time when my dad
shot a boar from 300 feet away, and the bullet
went through one eye of the hog and out the
other,” Taylor said.
Most hunters try to get as close as possible
and mount their rifles on some kind of stable
surface to get more control of their shots.
Taylor uses a 50-pound wooden pull recurve
bow, which is much less common than the
compound bow. Taylor’s bow is made of fine
Hannah McGovern/The Campanile
wood and heavy string. The tips curve away license all they have to do is get a permit if they are
from the archer. Only five percent of all bow going to be hunting on public land.
hunters use curve bows, which are significantly “I usually go to Fort Hunter Liggett to hunt,”
harder to use. Compound bows use cables Taylor said. “They have all sorts of game there.”
There are restrictions on how many
of each type of animal one can kill on a
single hunting trip or during a hunting
season. For game like deer, hunters must
purchase a tag from a hunting equipment
store that permits them to kill one deer.
While the Humane Society of the
United States pushes to end sport hunting,
many pro-hunting organizations argue
that it helps keep certain species from
overpopulating. Wild Eurasian hogs exist
in 56 of California’s 58 counties where
they overrun the environment, disrupt
the ecosystem and ruin species of life
indigenous to California.
Courtesy of Lance Taylor “Most of these groups are just wor-
and pulleys to make generating leverage and ried about excess use of guns and how there should
aiming much easier. According to Taylor, a be more gun limitations, but I’ve always believed that
hunter aims for the stomach area of the hog killing and eating your own game is more humane
to hit the vitals. than getting your meat from factories where all they
“I’ve hit hogs in the haunches or face and do is breed animals to be slaughtered and packaged
they just continue running,” Taylor said. “One away,” Taylor said. “It’s more fresh.”
time we chased a hog throughout the whole Taylor plans on going up to Alaska next year
night after I had wounded it, but it eventually along with his father and join a hunting outfit to
got away.” hunt elk and caribou. They have even talked about
Taylor also carries a Kimber .45 automatic going to Africa to hunting crocodiles.
pistol. Boars have been known to charge and “You can hunt pretty much anything with the
kill humans. According to Taylor they can spear right permits,” Taylor said.
you with their tusks or trample you to death. Taylor has hunted rabbits, squirrel, pigs, deer
“I have a friend who was hunting boar and boar throughout all of his hunting adventures.
and the boar charged him and its tusk pierced Of all the animals he has taken he says he enjoys
his leg and pinned him to a tree,” Taylor said. eating venison and pig the best. According to Taylor,
“He had to shoot the boar in the face to finally boar tastes just like pig.
get free.” Taylor also enjoys fishing and backpacking and
Even though there are many legal restric- plans to hike the John Muir Trail, which is a 211
tions, it is quite easy to go hunting in California. mile-long trail, from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney.
Once a person becomes 13, they can apply for “I like all sorts of things that have to do with the
a hunting license and take a two-day course to outdoors and just living off the land,” Taylor said.
learn about the different rules, regulations and Hunting is one of the world’s oldest practices
safety precautions of hunting. Taylor received and still has a strong following throughout the world.
his rifle training at Coyote Point Rifle and Pistol With proper licenses and permits, hunting can be an
Club in San Mateo. Once someone has their exciting adventure for anyone who dares to do it.
FEATURES FEATURES

fresh off
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (it’s A&E

Can You Kick it? Trick or treat

ridiculous, I know). But seriously,
could Giants fans watch Barry wear
an Angels uniform? I hope Barry ends

the grill
up playing for a talented ball club,
one that has the potential to win the
World Series. By Amy Stringer What to do this halloween
If there is one player in all of
baseball who deserves a champion-
ship ring, it’s Barry. As a devoted
B6 By Amy
Giants fan, it pains me to watch Peter
Magowan let Barry go, but I know it’s
the best for the club. The Giants are
in a rebuilding stage, and it’s time to
B12 Stringer
B7
clean up the veteran roster. Let’s hope
that Barry plays next year and takes
home a ring. by
Well, it was fun while it lasted. On
behalf of all Giants fans I thank you,
Barry Bonds, for an amazing 15 years
Anna
in San Francisco. No one can replace
you Barry, not even Pedro Feliz.
Okay, who am I kidding?
Waldron

B2 October 26, 2007

Features The Campanile

Paly family adopts girl from Ghana

By Miki Kenrick the streets of Sominya on her own for six
Staff Writer months before a local school teacher, Lamiti
Salami, took her to a local orphanage. Perpetua
When Palo Alto High School parents John lived at the orphanage for two-and-a-half years
and Marci Stevens traveled to remote African before the Stevens met and adopted her.
villages with a charity organization that aims The transition to the American lifestyle
to improve child orphan care in Ghana and has brought many changes to Perpetua.
other parts of Africa, they never imagined they “It is very different here,” Perpetua said. “I
would be adopting a child of their own. like swimming here, and playing hand games
Yet when they met a six-year-old girl, with my brothers and sisters.”
Perpetua, for the first time in a small run- down Perpetua also has a gift in art, but she did
orphanage in the village of Sominya, Ghana not have many opportunities to paint at her old
everything changed. school in Sominya. She is now a first grader
“We met Perpetua for the first time in at Addison Elementary School.
January of 2007, and we fell in love with her,” “School here is much better,” Perpetua
John said. “There was something magical said. “I get to paint and make new friends.
about her and how she was such a happy girl Here, they don’t cane you.”
after everything she had been through.” Students as young as six at Perpetua’s
In March of 2007, the Stevens’ went back former school in Ghana would get caned for
to the orphanage and spent more time with asking “bad” questions, or answering questions
Perpetua and the other local children. incorrectly. Once a student’s hands were too
“We just knew she was the right one,” wounded to be caned any longer, the teach-
John said. ers would beat the
P e r p e t u a ’s
adoption went rel-
“She was so sweet and we loved her so student’s body.
legs and

atively fast. John much that it just felt right. There was “Perpetua was
and Marci, along no barrier between the siblings. It feels thrilled to come
with their four bio- like she has been with us my whole life, here,” Michael-John
logical children said. “She was really
Eliza, Alison,
she’s my blood.” happy and excited
Michael-John and the first few days,
Matthew, adopted Eliza Stevens and always running
Perpetua in June junior around yelling.”
of 2007. Other members
It took one of the family also
month to get a United States visa for Per- think that Perpetua is adjusting well. “She has Hannah McGovern/The Campanile
petua and by July she was on her way to the gotten used to life here in the U.S. amazingly Six-year-old Perpetua poses with her new brother, Michael-John Stevens. Perpetua was adopted by a Palo Alto family
states. well,” Eliza said. “I would say her main feeling in June from Sominya, Ghana and currently attends Addison Elementary School where she enjoys soccer and painting.
While the process of attaining a legal visa when she first came here was shock. She went
can be disappointing and lengthy, Perpetua was from absolutely nothing, to everything. She During Perpetua’s first weeks with the “She always draws pictures for everyone,” Eliza said that by having Perpetua in her
able to obtain a visa relatively quickly after had never had someone love her until now, Stevens, there were a few small problems Eliza said. “And when she does, she’ll either life, she has realized and learned to accept
meeting some people who had compassion and she has adjusted amazingly.” within the family which mainly occurred draw us all white, or us all black. Either way, how lucky she is to be living in an affluent
for her story, John said. In the beginning, the Stevens were worried because of her previous background. she always draws all seven of us the same community such as Palo Alto.
“When Perpetua first came here, we were that there might be tension in their household. John said that because Perpetua had color. It’s adorable.” “I have an education, I have a house, I
at our beach house in San Diego, which was However, Perpetua and the family have never lived in a stable family environment, Michael-John is very excited to have a have clothes and most importantly, I have a
good because she wasn’t crowded by tons of adapted to their new lives extremely well. she sometimes felt as if she and her brothers new sister and has only positive things to say family that loves me and I love them back and
people and it was just our family,” Michael- “It was amazing when she first came were competing to get the most food or the about Perpetua. I am so lucky to have that,” Eliza said. “To
John said. here. There was no conflict,” Eliza said. “She most attention from John and Marci. Perpetua “I love having her around. It’s more fun hear about Ghana and their experiences, I’m
Perpetua was born in the remote village was so sweet and we loved her so much that has since adapted to her new family and so and exciting,” Michael-John said. “We used to amazed at how they are all still so happy. It
of Sominya, Ghana. After her mother passed it just felt right. have they. be always bored, and now we’re never bored. makes me so appreciative and grateful to be
away just two months following Perpetua’s There was no barrier between the siblings. “Matthew, Michael-John, Eliza and Aly It’s always a party and we love it.” where I am and to have the chance to meet
birth from an infection, Perpetua was cared It feels as if she has been with us for my whole all adore her,” John said. “She has come from The Steven family believes Perpetua’s Perpetua and have her in my life.”
for by her grandmother and her aunt for three life. She’s my blood.” the depths of poverty and abandonment, and new life in Palo Alto has given her several John believes that the addition of Perpetua
years. In her former village in Ghana, Perpetua brings a new perspective on life.” great opportunities. has positively impacted all of their lives.
Yet both of these guardians either became would eat two meals a day and had no running In addition, Perpetua has settled into the “There are millions of people who don’t “We realize that she has been blessed with
ill or were no longer able to care for her. At water in the orphanages. She would shower by Stevens’ lifestyle well. She plays soccer, paints have the chance to develop and change the this opportunity, but we feel just as blessed to
three-and-a-half years old, Perpetua roamed pouring pumped water over her body. and has friends over to her house frequently. world,” John said. have her in our lives,” John said.

Slam poetry enthusiasts start new club
By Tyler Blake
Editor in Chief
Slam Poetry, though unknown to
most Palo Alto High School students,
is making a name for itself on Paly’s
campus. Slam poetry is the pop on
the radio, the lullaby a father sings
to his child at night and even the
anger projected in a conflict. Simply
stated, slam poetry is the art of the
spoken word.
Paly's Slam Poetry Club started
late last year and kicked-off the new
school year under the guidance of Paly
English teacher Jeanne Loh. The club
now boasts over 40 members.
Junior Dan Schwartz, the club’s
president, expects to trigger interest in
slam poetry in the Paly community.
“Slam poetry is not only a form
of expression, but it is also a ways
of connecting with the audience,”
Schwartz said.
Paly's Slam Poetry Club aims
to hold monthly slams for sharing
poems and competing, but Schwartz
hopes to first gain a few dedicated
members to establish a team for local
competitions and possibly state and
national events.
The Palo Alto Slam Team already
holds frequent slams that occur on
the first Friday of every month at The
Jungle Cafe near downtown Palo Alto.
Those interested in poetry are encour-
aged to sign-up. Cash prizes will be
offered to participants who win first,
second or third place.
Paly's Slam Poetry Club encour-
ages members to take part in these
slams so that they become more
familiar with the style and flow of
Hannah McGovern/The Campanile
slam poetry.
“After I was exposed to this art
Slam Poetry Club President junior Dan Schwartz recites one of form, I grew familiar with the many
his original poems at a club meeting on Monday during lunch. shapes it came in and I realized that
it's actually easier than normal poetry,” slams last year. Gunn’s Slam Poetry become a team, which will be able to
Schwartz said. Club President senior Hanson Zhao partake in Nationals. Outside of Paly,
Schwartz first got into slam po- was introduced to slam poetry in his the City of Palo Alto also has a team.
etry after attending a Henry M. Gunn sophomore English class. However, The team which is mainly composed
High School poetry slam which was Zhao did not join the school’s slam of young adults.
held at the Mitchell Park Library late poetry team until his junior year. In their second year at Nationals,
last year. Zhao attended the National Youth the Slam Team placed 12, which is
At the slam, students from lo- Poetry Slam during the summer of considered to be impressive placing
cal middle schools and high schools 2006 in San Jose, California. He was for a second-year competitors.
competed in an "open slam,” the most then appointed president of Gunn’s Slam poems are written for
common form of slam competition. Slam Poetry Team. the purpose of being read out loud,
During open slams, any attendee who “It was really fun being immersed whether or not they have rhythm,
wishes to compete is welcome with in poetry for a week,” Zhao said. “I rhyme or any other sort of pattern.
five members are randomly chosen to was dead tired at the end though.” Marc Smith started the first poetry
be judges for the event. Both Gunn and Paly’s Slam Po- slam in November 1984 at the Get
Slams usually last multiple etry Clubs share the same motives. Me High Lounge in Chicago. Today,
rounds of elimi- Each of the clubs slam poets share their slam poems and
nation based on aim to provide compete in competitions.
point accumula- “Slam poetry is not only a a welcoming, The National Slam Poetry com-
tion and the win- form of expression, but it is relaxed environ- petition usually takes place in the Bay
ner is chosen by also a way of connecting with ment for poets. Area and features around 75 certified
the person who In opening teams each year who gather together
receives the most the audience.” up the world for five days of competition.
points from se- of slam poetry Slam poetry allows people of all
lected judges. Dan Schwartz to his peers, ages to vocalize their views and feel-
H o w e v e r, Slam Poetry Club President Schwartz hopes ings in a creative and fun form.
not all slam com- to promote lo- “Slam poetry is a nice outlet,”
petitions elimi- cal slams and Zhao said. “I can’t really picture my-
nate poets. The encourage peers self on a stage so it is a nice change to
Paly Slam Poetry Club seeks to to attend and participate in them. the norm. This may be self-centered
promote an environment where all “Since this is only our first year, but I guess I also like the feeling that
interested students can engage in the our club mainly focuses on getting what I say can affect people.”
art form. people interested and comfortable Paly’s Slam Poetry Club meets on
Along with the “open slam,” the with slam poetry,” Schwartz said. “It's Mondays during lunch in room 218.
Slam Poetry Club hopes to introduce not easy getting up and reading some- “The best thing about slam poetry
club members to the full range of the thing meaningful and authentic.” is that it's so free,” Schwartz said.
world of slam poetry. This year, Paly’s Slam Poetry “There are no rules or limits and you
These include Invitational Slams, Club hopes to collaborate with Gunn in can just be yourself. After I perform
which are only open to invited holding and attending local slams. [my poems], or read them out loud to
guests, Dead Poet Slams where all Their agenda also consists of a friend, I feel like I've accomplished
pieces must be by deceased poets, accumulating a portfolio of poems something.”
and Theme Slams in which all recited that any member can use in a slam or Schwartz is eager to lead the Slam
performances must display a specified refine themselves. Poetry Club into the school year and
theme such as goth and love. “Slam is as much acquired as it is hopefully come out of it with a pack
Open slam is only one of many natural talent,” Schwartz said. of poets behind him.
types of poetry events Gunn High The Club aims to participate in
School held at their invitational competitive slams and eventually Additional reporting by Gloria Yu.
 The Campanile Features October 22, 2007 •B3

Bias remains prevalent for Paly bisexuals

Students’ bisexuality remains controversial at Paly despite growing trend of tolerance
By Kevin Harvey
Staff Writer
Palo Alto High School has a relatively
diverse community, both racially and sexu-
ally. Many openly homosexual students and
heterosexual students interact every day.
However, there is a part of Paly’s culture
that is not typically addressed: the number of
bisexual students.
“A bisexual person has the potential to
be sexually and/or romantically attracted to
more than one sex, but not necessarily at the
same time or to the same extent,” editor of the
Bisexual Resource Guide, Robyn Ochs said.
According to “Kyle,” a Paly student who
wishes, like all sources in this article, to re-
main anonymous, bisexuality has a very vague
definition, which makes it difficult for many
people to establish their orientation.
“Bisexuality is like a non-identity,” Kyle
said. “It includes every sexual possibility
between straight and gay.”
Kyle believes that it is difficult to have
conversations about all sexual orientations
because Americans are taught to keep sexuality
private from a young age.
“Our culture isn’t honest about sexual-
ity,” Kyle said. “We’re taught to be this way
from a young age. If you’re a boy and have a
thought about another boy, it’s bad.”
According to Ochs, many children in
America are typically exposed to only hetero-
sexuality or homosexuality, which makes it
hard for many people to grasp bisexuality.
“Bisexuality stretches our imagination,
just like multiracial people do,” Ochs said.
“It forces us to acknowledge complexity, and
many people are uncomfortable with that.”
Many bisexual students at Paly, such
as “Michelle” refrain from exposing their
sexual orientation because of how their peers
might react.
(Photo staged) Bisexual students at Paly still feel uncomfortable telling peers about their sexual orientation. For many,
the source of this discomfort is the misconceptions and stereotypes that bisexuals feel the community has against them.
“I feel comfortable telling my friends and
people I know are okay with it,” Michelle said.
“But I choose not to explain myself to certain
people who seem too conservative or uptight.
I am afraid people will think that just because
I like men and women, I am promiscuous and
untrustworthy.”
“Erika,” another bisexual student at Paly,
said that the reason she chooses not to reveal
her sexual orientation is to prevent other people
from treating her differently.
“I completely understand that many
girls could feel uncomfortable around me.”
Erika said.
Kyle feels that stereotypes about bisexu-
ality are what hold him back from revealing
his sexual orientation. Some students feel un-
comfortable revealing their identity to people
who might misinterpret them.
“Stereotypes about bisexuals make me
feel very uneasy about coming out,” Kyle
said. “Some think that kids are saying they
Allie Bollella/The Campanile
are bisexual for attention, or that they are
just gay and can’t admit it to themselves or
the world.”
Paly student “Janet” agrees with Kyle and
feels that many stereotypes against bisexuality
are unfounded and unjust.
“I hate that there are these stereotypes
that bisexual girls are all sluts, or that bisexual
people will get with anyone,” Janet said.
Erika feels that many students think if
somebody is gay or bisexual, they are auto-
matically attracted to people of the same sex
and that such thinking needs to change.
“People need to know that gay and bi-
sexual people are capable of having perfectly
platonic relationships with other people of
their gender,” Erika said.
She feels that many people believe that
bisexual girls announce that they are bisexual
to make men more attracted to them.
“I don’t feel like anyone is going to com-
mit a hate crime against me or something,”
said Erika. “When people feel uncomfortable
they’ll make fun of gay people for no good
reason.”
Some of the Paly bisexual students feel
that being bisexual does not affect their daily
lives. However, Janet feels that because most
people assume she is straight, she gets into
awkward conversations.
“It makes me feel kind of uncomfort-
able sometimes because people assume I’m
straight,” Janet said. “It’s strange when I’m
with all girls, and we’re talking about boys,
and I’m actually getting a crush on a girl at
that moment.”
Most students who are bisexual discov-
ered their sexual orientation at a young age.
“I remember being in Europe the summer
after seventh grade and I kept checking out
women on the street,” Erika said.
However, some students realized their
sexual orientation later on.
“I first realized I was bisexual when I
met this gorgeous girl in ninth grade and she
asked me out on a date,” Michelle said. “It
just felt so right.”
A number of sex studies theories believe
that the majority of the population is somewhat
bisexual or encounter bisexuality during their
lifetime.
“A lot of people realize that it’s really
something that everyone comes across at some
point in their lives,” Erika said.

Viking sea scouts set sail for open waters

By Chris Ghallagher
Staff Writer
Lash three huge slabs of wood
together to make a tripod, attach a
pulley, hoist 55 gallons of water to the
top without spilling any, lower it back
down and disassemble everything in
an orderly manner in 44 seconds.
These are the instructions for
hoisting the scuttlebutt, one of many
events included in a normal tourna-
ment hosted by Sea Scouts Boys
Scouts of America, also known as
“scouting’s best-kept secret.”
“I was introduced to Sea Scouts
in eighth grade by my good friend
Peter Fraser and have been doing it
ever since,” Palo Alto High School
senior Andrew Hood said. “I love the
regattas with the rope climbs, drills,
sailing and navigating.”
As a nautical branch of the Ven-
turing program of the Boy Scouts of
America, this organization teaches
young adults the skills of proper boat
handling.
The organization also hosts huge
tournaments in spring, called regat-
tas, inviting crews from all around to
test teenagers’ abilities on the open
waters.
Some of the events in the tourna-
ment include knot tying, a mariner’s
quiz and the breeches buoy, an activity
that simulates rescuing fellow sailors
from a sinking vessel.
At the beginning and end of the
summer, the crew goes on a 10-day
cruise upriver to relax, water ski, wa-
ter tube and sail in the Stockton and
Sacramento Delta on their ship.
The Cape Romain, the crew’s
ship, is a 95-foot former U.S. Coast
Guard Cape-Class Cutter that can
sleep 20 people and muster 2,020
horsepower.
According to the crew’s Web
page, www.sssintrepid.org, the vessel
has had a long, adventure-filled career
with the Coast Guard and Navy, where
it performing search and rescue and
law enforcement operations.
Most of the semi-weekly meet-
ings and training activities are held
aboard the Cape Romain.
Paly senior Max Nelson-Gal, also
a Sea Scout, said that anyone from the
ages 14 to 21 can become a member
of the crew. Nelson-Gal heard about
the program through his neighbors and
has been attending ever since his first
summer cruise last year.
Unlike traditional Boy Scouts,
there are no merit badges that signify
achievement in specific skills in Sea
Scouts. However, projects need to
be completed to advance ranks in
the program.
These projects encourage the
youth to develop leadership, safety
and diagnostic skills that are not only
vital on the ship, but are also useful
in everyday life.
“The different ranks are Ap-
prentice, Ordinary, Able and Quar-
termaster,” Nelson-Gal said. “There
are also crew rankings like boatswain,
boatswain’s mate and the yeoman
purser.”
Nelson-Gal, only two require-
ments away from the Apprentice rank,
said that most 18 to 21-year-old Sea
Scouts are considered junior officers.
He also said that there are two different
crews on the ship: the deck crew and
the engineering crew.
The engineering crew studies
engines, motors, compressors, pumps
and other inner workings of the ship.
Each crew has its own leaders who
are voted into their positions.
Paly senior Josh Marcum partici-
pates in both the Sea Scouts and the
regular Boy Scouts.
Although he has been able to
manage both, he said it has been dif- Photo Courtesy of Rye Druzin
ficult because they meet on the same The Sea Scouts are part of Boy Scouts of America and compete in obstacles courses in order to reach
night. Despite this, he is almost an the next level of their training. Obstacles include rope climbing, sailing and navigating rough waters.
Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts and hopes The crew also has a skipper and an usually have the advantage of getting In fact, all girls , of the appropri-
to obtain that rank sometime in the executive officer, who both organize higher paying positions. ate age, are encouraged to come and
near future. and lead the crew. According to the Sea Scout web join the Sea Scouts.
Marcum said that in order to The skipper is the head of the ship site, the crew has been working with Girls interested in joining should
go on the open sea cruises, or be a and is very active in crew activities, the U.S. Navy since the Secretary of visit the separate female crew that
boatswain, it is necessary to obtain while the executive officer attends the Navy G. Mayor offered a helping docks in the same port as The Cape
at least the rank of Ordinary. all the meetings and does most of the hand in 1913, which happened only Romain.
Throughout a Sea Scouts career, organizational work. a year after Sea Scouts were founded The crew meets to discuss up-
one will also learn how to take advan- The program is geared towards in America. coming events every Tuesday and
tage of the wind and tides, approach a the Navy and the Coast Guard. Those Although run by Boy Scouts of Saturday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and 9
dock and tell the meanings of certain who have applied for jobs in the Coast America, the Sea Scouts is an organi- a.m. to 4 p.m. respectively at the Port
buoys and lights. Guard with a Sea Scout background zation open to both boys and girls. of Redwood City.

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 Features
B4 • October 1, 2007 The Campanile

Students fight hard out on the ice

Despite lack of support, Paly students compete in local ice hockey leagues
By Annie Vought
Staff Writer
While the words “Friday night’s
game” may bring to mind fresh-cut
grass, a blaring pep band and scream-
ing cheerleaders for most Palo Alto
High School students, they hold a very
different connotation for Paly junior
Eric Jones and senior Zach Peters.
Think rock-hard ice, violent hip-
checks and lightning-fast slapshots.
To those unfamiliar with the sport,
ice hockey seems a little more like
an excuse for muscular Canadians to
engage in fist fights while hoards of
observers cheer them on.
Despite the popularity of the
sport in Canada and Europe, hockey
has a significantly smaller following
in America.
Jones and Peters are two of a
small group of Paly students who play
competitive hockey.
“Hockey is like no other sport,”
Peters said. “The coolest part about it
is the feeling you get when you step
onto the ice.”
Today, Jones and Peters, who both
took up hockey as children, play in the
Midget 18A league for the Cupertino
Cougars and the San Jose Jr. Sharks,
respectively. But what makes Jones
and Peters truly unique as players is
the lack of support for hockey.
Although there are several other
Bay Area teams in the junior league
and California is tied with New York
for the most National Hockey League
teams in one state, hockey fans are
still particularly hard to come by on
the west coast.
Nevertheless, Peters and Jones
remain enthusiastic about their love
for the sport.
“I can’t get enough ice time,”
Jones said. “I breathe hockey. But
whenever I bring up hockey here,
nobody knows what I’m talking about.
My friends think that all we do is hit
people and get into fights.”
Peters experienced a huge culture
shock with regard to hockey when he
moved to the U.S. two years ago.
“Attitudes towards hockey be-
tween my friends here at Paly and
those back in Canada are very differ-
ent,” Peters said. “In Ontario, hockey
was an every day ritual. Families and
friends would get together to watch
their local team every week. Every-
one always talked about hockey and
it came second nature to most of my
friends and family.”
Peter feels his passion for hockey
would not have been as strong had
Though Paly doesn’t have its own
team, Peters and Jones enjoy compet-
ing with a wide variety of players.
“You meet a lot of new people
from different places, which is inter-
esting,” Peters said. “And most of the
fans watching are family members and
close friends, rather than students sup-
porting one of the school teams.”
Sports are a good way to make
friends and hockey is no exception.
“I get along with everyone on my
team, including the coaches,” Peters
said. “We all love and respect the
game, so it’s easy to relate and form
good friendships with your peers.”
Jones shares similar sentiments
about his teammates, but rarely meets
up with them outside of hockey.
“We see each other three to four
times a week at hockey,” Jones said. “I
think that’s enough time already.”
Hockey’s national audience
hardly increased despite the NHL’s
addition of nine new teams during
the 1990s.
“It’s hard to follow hockey when
they don’t show any of the games on
ESPN,” said Jones.
However, NHL teams like the San
Jose Sharks have been commended re-
cently for amping up local interest.
“I think American support for
hockey will keep growing here as long
as the San Jose Sharks keep promoting
it in the Bay Area,” Peters said.
As Americans begins to warm
Julia Benton/The Campanile up to their hockey big leagues, more
opportunities for amateur players
Paly hockey players like Zach Peters (above) and Eric Jones have traveled throughout the Bay Area competing against other teams.
like Peters and Jones will hopefully
Despite the large popularity of the sport in Canada and the eastern United States, hockey has not gained popularity on the west coast. arise throughout the country. In the
he grown up in the US and not in come by in America, a nation where Peters used to play 18AA, but “We practice every Tuesday meantime, Peter and Jones look for-
Canada. sports like basketball and football found the schedule tiresome. evening between 4 and 5 p.m. on the ward to playing hockey for the rest of
“Most people here do not under- reign supreme. “I decided to play 18A this year,” ice, and do dry land between 5 and 6,” high school and possibly into college
stand the game of hockey,” Peters said. Local hockey teams must also Peters said. “Last season, I had to leave Jones said. “After that, I play pickup as well. Peters, who is a year closer
“The atmospheres are very different, compete with figure skaters and other the state once a month for three days games at Valco from 9:30 p.m. to 11 to graduation than Jones, is already
so I most likely wouldn’t have played athletes for ice time. at a time to compete with teams all p.m. On Thursdays we have dry land working out the details.
hockey if I grew up here.” “I played adult hockey a few years over the U.S. I enjoyed traveling, but from 7:30 to 9:30 at night, and work “Next week, I have a meeting
These days Peters plays forward, ago at the Ice Oasis, [a Redwood City it was very time consuming.” on the ice from 9:45 to 11.” with the coach of the UCLA club,”
while Jones plays rink with a large For players in every league, the On days with no scheduled prac- Peters said. “I’m planning on playing
defense. “I can’t get enough ice time — number of figure season culminates with playoffs — an tices, Jones takes a run up to the Stan- club hockey in college. I used to want
“My favorite skaters],” Jones exciting but stressful event. ford dish or works out by himself. to play in the NCAA programs, but I
part about playing I breathe hockey.” said. “So we had “The toughest part of my season For both players, getting to prac- decided that it was better to focus on
center forward is really inconve- is the state playoffs,” Peters said. “The tice means hopping on 101 at rush school instead.”
getting to take the Eric Jones nient ice times games are very tense and I tend to get hour to reach their ice rinks in San As Peters finishes up his final
face-offs,” Peters junior ­— like at 6 a.m. nervous.” Jose and San Mateo. season with the Jr. Sharks, he and Jones
said. “I love scor- every Sunday.” The time commitment is still Peters practices at Logitech Ice, will have plenty of chances to compete
ing goals. I used There are ap- huge for players in the 18A league, the official practice facility for the against each other this year.
to be a goaltender but it was far too proximately 40 games a season for the with about 15 scheduled away games, NHL San Jose Sharks, while Jones “The Cougars are a pretty decent
boring. I need more action.” 18A players, including two or three including holiday tournaments in and the rest of the Cougars team hockey club,” Peters said. “Probably
But unfortunately for local monthly games in locations like Lake Phoenix and Boston. meet at Bridgepoint Ice Center in our toughest games of our season will
hockey enthusiasts such as Jones and Tahoe and Sacramento. Both the Cougars and the Jr. San Mateo. be against them.”
Peters, finding a hockey team to play The Jr. Sharks also have an Sharks have similarly intensive “My teammates have to travel Jones voices his predictions a bit
for in the Bay Area can be quite chal- 18AA team for players who wish to practice regimes and players are from all over the Bay Area, from more bluntly:
lenging. Hockey players require large participate in a more competitive and expected to condition on their own Morgan Hill, San Francisco and ev- “They have no chance,” Jones
ice facilities that can be quite hard to time-consuming league. time as well. erywhere in between.” said.

New Global Citizens call attention to global issues

By DJ Hsueh
Staff Writer
About a dozen Palo Alto High School
students meet during lunch every Wednesday
to discuss how to tackle some of the challenges
facing today’s world. This group of students,
known as the New Global Citizens, created
their club to address social issues and raise
money for global issues.
“New Global Citizens encourage youth
to take action,” NGC Publicity Officer Grace
Morrison said. “It’s not just about bake sales
or car washes. It’s about raising awareness,
especially among youth, about global prob-
lems.”
NGC’s mission is to help solve many of
the world’s problems.
“We started the club because we thought
it was important for kids our age to have the
opportunity of helping those who are less
fortunate,” Fundraising Officer Cat Chiang
said. “Each year we tackle a different prob-
lem around the world by raising money and
educating the public.”
This year, Paly’s NGC plans to support
women’s empowerment and education in
Sierra Leone.
“There’s a lot of armed conflict in Sierra
Leone right now between rebel groups and
the government, which has torn the country
apart and separated families,” Morrison said.
“The basic idea is to rebuild these families
by educating the women and helping them
support their children.”
Besides sponsored dinners, bake sales
and car washes, NGC plans to help raise
money for their cause this year by helping to
organize Paly’s Winter Formal with the Action
in Africa club.
“We’re really excited about organizing
the dance,” Communications Officer Ahna
Rao said. “We haven’t decided on the theme
of the dance yet, but we’ve got great ideas
and will be discussing them with Action in
Africa.”
Paly’s NGC was only founded during
the second semester of last year, so the club
is relatively new. Despite this, the club raised
approximately $1,600 towards helping the
Thai Youth AIDS Prevention Project.
To raise the money, NGC designed custom
T-shirts that said “Eliminate AIDS in Thailand”
on them and that were sold on the quad and
at Speed Limit 25.
“We started the club two months before
school ended, so we’re really proud of how
much money we were able to raise,” Chiang
said.
Besides helping to organize Winter For-
mal with Action in Africa, NGC also plans
to host dinners, bake sales and car washes in
the future to raise money for their cause in
Sierra Leone.
“We still have an entire year ahead of
us, so we expect to raise a lot more money,”
Chiang said.
Although the club is still relatively small,
the founders are very optimistic about recruit-
ing new members.
“We got a lot of new members on Club
Day,” Rao said. “It’s great that so many stu-
dents are interested in making a difference in
the world,” Rao said.
The club’s sponsor, Paly English teacher
Kindel Launer, is very proud of the club’s
achievements. Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile
“They’re a great hard-working group
of girls that are making a difference in the Paly junior Cat Chiang brainstorms ideas with the rest of NGC for fundraising ideas and Winter Formal themes. NGC is a
world,” Launer said. relatively new club that meets every Wednesday to tackle world problems and fundraise money to help global causes.
 Features
The Campanile October 22, 2007 • B5

Broomball sweeps into local ice rinks

By Crystal Wang the winner. If the score is tied at the end of the
Staff Writer overtime period, the referee may allow another
overtime period to follow.
Sliding across the ice, stick in hand, the For more serious players, there are now
player aims, shoots and scores a goal. Almost broomball shoes. The shoes have specially-
everything is the same as hockey except for designed soft rubber soles that help give more
one thing: shoes. friction and grip on the slippery ice.
Though it originated in Canada in the There are also broomball shoes that have
early 1900s, broomball is now an internation- other features such as improved toe, arch and
ally played sport. ankle support and waterproofing. Ordinary
Broomball is most commonly played as a tennis shoes do not have much traction on
recreational sport in a hockey rink indoors or the slippery ice.
outdoors, depending on climate and location. “It’s easy to slip since you’re running on
Because of the absence of skating, less skill is ice with shoes,” Kim said.
required to play broomball than ice hockey. Games are moderated by two on-ice
“At first, you’re scared that you’ll fall,” referees. As in hockey, broomball can cause
broomball player Palo Alto High School Junior minor injuries to players.
Jean Kim said. “But after a while, you just run “Broomball is actually a very violent
and if you fall, it’s funny.” sport,” junior Erik Klingbeil said. “I got lots
Men, women and children typically of bruises the time I played it.”
play together. Broomball facilities usually However, Klingbeil said his overall expe-
recommend 16 to 20 players at a time per rience with broomball was fun and exciting.
each game. Broomball is especially popular among
The basic objective of the game is to score high school and college students. It is seen as
more goals than the opposing team. a great sport for clubs, schools, church groups,
Most of the rules and tactics of broom- organizations and businesses.
ball are similar if not identical to the rules of Winter Lodge, an ice skating facility in
ice hockey. Broomball players may not use Palo Alto, is popular for broomball. Booking
their hands or feet to make a goal, and must for a broomball party is $325 per hour. Winter
hit the ball into the opponent’s net using the Lodge provides players with the brooms, balls,
broom. goals, helmets and elbow and knee pads.
Originally, players used a normal “Broomball is not a huge thing at Winter
household broom to play this game, hence Lodge, but it is popular,” Winter Lodge em-
Julia Benton/The Campanile
the name. ployee Rebecca Cotton said. “There are groups
Early players froze the broom’s bristles, Broomball is a sport very similar to hockey, except that players play in shoes instead of ice skates. The Winter Lodge in that come year after year.”
dipped them in rubber, or wrapped them in Palo Alto, the Cupertino Ice Center, Ice Oasis in Redwood City and the Sharks Ice Rink in Fremont all offer broomball. Other local opportunities include Cuper-
tape. Now, however, “brooms” are specially tino Ice Center near the Valco Shopping Center
made for the sport. at their sides, the maximum length being 54 larger than the regular four feet by six feet Some organizations, such as USA Broom- and the Ice Oasis Skating and Hockey Club in
“You don’t actually play with brooms,” inches. hockey goal. ball, also include intermediate, co-ed and Redwood City. The Sharks Ice Rink in Fremont
Kim said. “You use a stick with a rubber part Players use a rubber or leather ball in Players must wear helmets when playing recreational tournaments. also allows for group rentals.
at the end to push broomball instead broomball. Goaltenders usually wear a full- There are several differences in broomball At the Sharks Ice Rink, a game of broom-
the ball.” of a puck in hockey. face caged helmet and thick padding for their when played for recreational and competitive ball costs $340 per hour for 25 participants and
Manufacturers “At first, you’re scared that you’ll The small ball has a legs, chest and shoulders. Padding is optional purposes. $10 extra for each additional person.
make the triangular fall. But after a while, you just run circumference be- for the other players. One difference is the number of players Since broomball is so attractive to stu-
heads of brooms and if you fall, its funny.” tween 44 centimeters “Broomball’s kind of dangerous,” Kim on the ice at a time. In a real game, each team dents, rinks in shopping malls and near college
out of rubber or and 48 centimeters. said. “That’s why they make you sign waivers consists of only six players: one goaltender and campuses have been especially successful in
corn-straw dipped The balls come in and wear helmets.” five others. There is usually three offensive setting up recreational programs.
in rubber. The heads Jean Kim the colors of orange Other than recreational play, broomball is and two defensive players. Kim played recreational broomball at the
are then attached to junior and blue. also played competitively in many countries. Games are broken up into two periods. If Vallco Shopping Center with his friends and
a wooden or alumi- Similar to ice In the U.S., there were no leagues established there is a tie at the end of the game, the game church group.
num shaft. Brooms hockey, broomball until 1960. Today, there is a circuit of highly will continue onto an overtime period. “Broomball’s fun when you’re playing
may vary in length. The minimum length of has two netted goal cages always placed on competitive tournaments in North America. In the overtime period, the teams play with your friends,” Kim said. “You’re all
a broom is the distance from the ground to a opposite sides of the ice rink. These goals are Many tournaments provide cash prizes to the without goalies. Three players from each on the ice, running around, scoring and just
player’s wrists when their arms are resting typically six feet by eight feet in size, slightly winning teams. team will play for five minutes to determine having fun.”

Media Center helps student movies shine

Palo Alto teen center offers students tools for success for future careers in the media
By Yelly Bitton production,” Shore said. “Then I
Staff Writer started crewing for shows and now I
am on the YAC program.”
The studio is silent. The lighting The YAC aims to give opportu-
is perfectly set. The sound check is nities to students in order to expand
done. Three, two, one, action. upon the knowledge gained in regular
Palo Alto High School senior video production classes available at
Adam Shore is ready to shoot a tele- schools.
vision show at Palo Alto’s Media “The YAC is a way for high school
Center’s television studio. Shore has students to meet students from other
been involved with activities at the schools who are interested in media
Media Center for over two years. production and learn how to do it in a
The Media Center is a non- professional manner,” Fairbairn said.
profit public access television station. “Schools have a limited budget, so the
The local cable provider, currently equipment might be old or they might
Comcast Corporation, is required not have as much.”
by California state law to give back The Media Center offers lights,
to the community and does so in the a video studio, microphones and a
form of public access media centers, whole range of equipment.
such as the one on San Antonio Blvd. The YAC consists of 10 high
in Palo Alto. school students from the service area
The Media Center offers many who meet once a week for approxi-
programs for people of all ages. mately three hours. They are taught
“It is a place for the public to come field and studio production, as well as
in and learn how to make their own media criticism.
media,” Media Center Youth Services The students generally create six
Director Danielle Fairbairn said. to seven videos a year, with a focus on
The Media Center serves the lo- social activism. The videos are broad-
cal cable service area which includes cast on one of the five local television
Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Stanford, channels and are available online.
Atherton and Menlo Park. Anyone Hannah McGovern/The Campanile
The YAC also serves as an advi-
who lives or attends school in any of sor for the Media Center’s board of High school students familiarize themselves with the Media Center’s equipment, which ranges from simple cameras and microphones
the five areas has the opportunity to directors. to editing suites equipped with software. The students’ exposure to the equipment helps prepare them for careers in media and film.
come in and use the readily available “We have a board of directors
professional equipment. who are community members that Shore plans to pursue media as a about three hours and I got my project looked for an opportunity to volunteer “When I was in high school, there
Fairbairn oversees the numer- give their thoughts on the direction future career and has used the center done in the end.” and discovered the Media Center were many teen centers and different
ous programs for of the media cen- to learn more about what such a career Nielsen is currently editing a amidst her search. places I could hang out on weekends
the local youth, “It is a place for the public ter and what we might entail. video about a visit he made to Gua- “It’s a lot of fun,” Minno said. and bands would play,” Fairbairn said.
including the should do,” Fair- “At this point, I’m just trying to temala, where he helped tile the floor “It’s a really great opportunity to “It is a safe community space kids can
Youth Advisory to come in and learn how to bairn said. “The learn as much I can and prepare myself of a school. When Nielsen completes get involved in the community and hang out drug-and-alcohol-free.”
Council, and the make their own media.” YAC is a way for whatever I continue to pursue in the video it will be aired on one of start off in broadcast journalism. It While the Media Center contin-
Media Center’s we can get youth this field,” Shore said. the station’s five local television targets an age group that needs to ues to grow and expand its programs
summer camps Danielle Fairbairn involved with Paly sophomore Mikkel Nielsen channels. start figuring out what they want to and services for interested students,
such as Digiquest the board and took part in an internship at the Media The Media Center offers all of do and decide where they want to go one of the YAC’s oldest members,
and various in- Youth Services Coordinator get their voices Center this summer. He edited footage their equipment and space for the with their life.” Shore, desires to not only benefit from
ternships. heard on how from different events such as the Not public to rent for a small fee. Available Programs are always going on it but also to help the other members
Paly students like Shore are in- the media center can serve the youth in Our School board meeting. equipment ranges from simple cam- at the Media Center. Fairbairn is cur- as well.
volved in many of the Media Center’s in the area.” “It was really flexible,” Nielsen eras and microphones to editing suites rently planning a new program, The “The whole point of the Media
programs. The Media Center provides tools said. “I would just call and see if there equipped with necessary software. Sound, that will be offered on Saturday Center is to get kids interested,” Shore
“I did a summer camp in 2005 for teens considering a career in media was an edit suite available. I would Junior Mary Minno is also a new nights. The television studio will also said. “I would just like to have a posi-
and it sparked my interest in video to get a taste of the field. come in up to four times a week for member of the YAC this year. Minno be available for local teen bands. tive impact on the group.”
B6 • October 22, 2007
Senior gets his kicks from customizing shoes
Hannah McGovern/The Campanile
Paly senior Marco Behtash customizes a pair of Nike shoes. Behtash’s hobby
began as a final project for his Humanities class and has become a business.
Features
By Amy Stringer
Features Editor
Two to three coats of a solid paint called
angelus begins the process of shoe-customiza-
tion. After hours, and sometimes even days,
of painting and airbrushing, a protective fin-
ish is finally applied to the shoe, completing
the artwork.
Whether living in Palo Alto or his native
Italy, Palo Alto High School senior Marco
Behtash finds art to be an integral part of
his life.
Since childhood, Behtash has taken pri-
vate art lessons and currently plays the double
bass in the San Francisco Symphony Youth
Orchestra, both of which have contributed to
his artistic sense.
While art has become part of Behtash’s
everyday existence, one of his most unique
forms of expression is customizing shoes.
Behtash began his shoe-designing career
when he tried it out for his Humanities class
final last year.
Having shown an enthusiastic interest
for art and shoes throughout his life, Behtash
decided to take his two favorite pastimes to
a new level and combine them to create his
own hand-painted shoe designs.
“My brother gave me the idea for the
Humanities final,” Behtash said. “He was
interested in shoes and he told me about dif-
ferent types of shoes and what made them
special, rare and expensive, so I decided I
could do something related to that.”
The shoes made by Behtash for his final
project, a pair of lime-green Nikes with in-
tricate designs painted on each side, quickly
became his favorite.
“I do it because I love art,” Behtash said.
“It is really gratifying when it is finished.”
After experimenting with all types of art
mediums, Behtash found that customizing
shoes was an outlet through which he could
let his creativity flow.
“I took private art classes when I was
little, and art class was required in Italy,”
Behtash said.
As a young boy, Behtash took classes
at the University of California at Berkeley.
These classes proved to be both helpful and
influential in his shoe-customizing hobby.
“I remember I had this huge desk and I
would go there and draw on white print paper,”
Behtash said. “The classes got me started and
now, even outside of art classes, I’m always
drawing and sketching.”
Unfortunately, designing shoes can be a
costly hobby, both in time and expenses. One
pair of shoes can cost around $90, and can take
several days to decorate. Painting materials
and other art supplies can cost up to $50 per
pair. Luckily for Behtash, both of his parents
support him in his artistic endeavors.
The Campanile
“My parents always encourage me to
draw and paint,” Behtash said. “They are
supportive of art in general, but with shoes,
the only thing they did was pay for the sup-
plies.”
Behtash’s artistic hobby has even
prompted him to start an informal business
designing shoes for friends for a set price.
While he paints shoes as an outlet for his own
creativity, the designs for his customers are
always up to their own discretion.
“I paid Marco $50 for his work, and it
actually turned out a lot better than I expected,”
senior Jordan Jefferson said. “What I like most
about my customs is that I know no one else
out there has a shoe that looks like mine.”
Although he does not see shoe-designing
as a potential career, Behtash intends to have
a career that involves design.
“Shoe-customizing could be a Plan B,
and I know a bunch of people who start their
own little companies, so it’s not something
unreasonable,” Behtash said.
While his hobby of designing shoes may
remain merely a hobby and a casual service
for friends, Behtash will always remain a
collector and a designer at heart.
“There are some people who dedicate
their entire lives to collecting shoes,” Behtash
said. “As a collector, I’ll always take really
good care of my shoes and I will never throw
them away.”
The Campanile
Halloween filled with tricks and treats
By Amy Stringer
Features Editor
The month of October marks a significant
point in the year. As fall begins, the days get
shorter, the nights get longer and with the
end of the first quarter, there is no reason not
to celebrate. As Halloween approaches, it is
imperative to plan accordingly. For those who
have outgrown traditional trick-or-treating,
here are some events that will ensure a night
of treats.
Stanford Shopping Center
On Oct. 27, the Simon Kidgits Club will
hold its annual Halloween event. The club is
a fun group for kids that provides games and
special events at Stanford Shopping Center.
Many types of candy, games and entertainment
will be provided for kids and teens while par-
ents can sit back and relax at a nearby café.
11th Annual
“Halloween Heroes” Benefit
Trick-or-treaters of all ages will be able
to enjoy a night of “thrilling sights, fun-loving
frights and an array of delights,” when the
Wender Weis Foundation for Children takes
over San Francisco’s Exploratorium for its
11th annual “Halloween Heroes” benefit on
Oct. 29. Proceeds from this special evening
will benefit the Giants Community Fund’s
Junior Giants Baseball Program and the Ex-
ploratorium Children’s Educational Outreach
Program. The Exploratorium is located at the
Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.
Halloween Happenings
Join friends and family on Oct. 31 at the
King Community Center in San Mateo for
this traditional Halloween event. The night
will be filled with games and entertainment.
The festivities will begin at 6 p.m. with the
King House Carnival, followed by a costume
contest, games and a haunted castle.
Winchester Mystery House
At this classic haunted mansion built in
1884, learn a bit of history while enjoying
the delights of the Halloween season. Special
flashlight tours of the Winchester Mansion
will make the experience even more exciting.
Features October 22, 2007 • B7
During this tour, guests will venture through
Halloween Haunts
the mysterious mansion at night with nothing
but a flashlight. Special entertainment and
trick-or-treating in the gardens will provide
fun and amusement for the entire family on Stanford Shopping Center
Halloween. Simon Kidgits Club
The Haunted Lake Halloween Heroes Benefit
On Oct. 26 and 27 from 6-9 p.m., join 3601 Lyon St.
friends and family at Foothills Park for a night
San Francisco
of tricks and treats filled with ghost stories,
crafts, refreshments and of course, the haunted
Halloween Happenings
lake. Admission is $8 for Palo Alto residents
and $10 for non-residents. King Community Center
725 Monte Diablo Ave.
Halloween Monster Bash San Mateo
On Oct. 31 from 5-6 p.m. Hillsdale
Mall invites children of all ages to a trick-or- Winchester Mystery House
treating event. At 6 and 6:45 p.m. there will 525 So. Winchester Blvd.
then be two twenty-minute “Monster Bash” San Jose
shows. There will also be many other games
and entertainment going on at the same time, The Haunted Lake
including a slime booth and pictures with the Foothills Park
Great Pumpkin. 3300 Page Mill Rd.
Los Altos Hills
Trunk or Treat
On Oct. 31 from 6-9 p.m., join the Moun- Halloween Monster Bash
tain View community for the Trunk or Treat, Hillsdale Mall
hosted by the New Life Church. Cars will be 60 31st Ave.
decorated and dressed up in costumes, and San Mateo
the drivers will be giving away candy from
the trunks of their cars. The event will also Trunk or Treat
include puppet shows, skits, a bounce house, New Life Church
refreshments, games and all sorts of entertain-
1912 San Luis Ave.
ment for the entire family.
Mountain View
Horror Movie Screening
On Halloween from 3:30-5:30 p.m., the Horror Movie Screening
Santa Clara Teen Center will open its doors Santa Clara Teen Center
to middle and high school students who are 2446 Cabrillo Ave.
interested in seeing a montage of some of the Santa Clara
greatest horror movies throughout history. Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile
Admission is free. Gyro’s Scream Fest
Numerous locations in the Bay Area offer fun, safe alternatives to trick-or-treating
Westfield Oakridge Shopping Center
in the neighborhood and plenty of candy for anyone who comes in a costume. San Jose
Gyro’s Scream Fest
Check out one of the nation’s premier Japantown Halloween treating in Japantown, or participate in the
haunted houses in San Jose. Open from 7 p.m. For those who are willing to commute to games and entertainment offered at the San Japantown Halloween
until midnight on Halloween, the three large San Jose, Japantown merchants will be giving Jose event. Wesley United Methodist Church
haunted attractions occupy 100,000 square feet away candy to everyone dressed in costume. So, instead of spending another night 566 N. 5th St.
of the Westfield Oakridge Shopping Center. San Jose Taiko begins the festivities with doing homework and handing out candy to San Jose
Director Rob Zombie will feature his movie, a performance at Wesley United Methodist costumed trick-or-treaters, take a night off
The Devil’s Playground. Church. From 5-6:30 p.m., enjoy trick-or- from work and have fun. Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile

B8 October 22, 2007

A&E The Campanile

Halo 3 explodes onto small screen
Halo 3 arrives with improved graphics, game play and artificial intelligence in comparison to Halo 2, making it a magnificent ending to the video game trilogy. The
popular online multiplayer option includes free-for-all team battles, as pictured above. In free-for-all matches, gamers can ride new vehicles and wield new weapons.
By Alan Chu
Courtesy of www.360.advancedmn.com
painfully noticeable noise is the sing- The game play is all about
player now controls a character from
the story.
In previous Halo’s, the second
player would just be a clone in the
game play and completely disap-
pear in the cinemas of the game. Not
anymore.
This time both characters are
featured in the cinema and game play.
However, the size of the split screen
is still quite small.
With the different format on
the screen, information such as am-
munition and enemy position merely
becomes a dot on the screen, no matter
how big the television.
Online, it is similar to Halo 2,
but with more user-friendly features.
For instance, there are now levels in
the Forge, and one can save videos of
game play in Theater. Both are new
additions to the online options.
The first Halo game, released
on November 15, 2001, became the
only reason to get an Xbox. From epic
scores to futuristic battles, it was a fan
boy’s dream come true.
It was obvious that a sequel ought
to be made and on Nov. 9, 2004, Halo
2 came in, riding on its predecessor’s
coattails. It built upon the game play
that Halo had already established, but
with a spit-shine polish and online
capabilities.
Much to the chagrin of gamers,
the story ended with an abrupt cliff-
hanger, leaving their flagship Xbox
game dead in the water until another
sequel came out. Halo 3, released for
the Xbox 360 on Sept. 25, 2007 came
with great fanfare and anticipation.
The hype swirling around Halo
3 made it seem like it was a gift from

Senior Staff Writer
Space monks vocalize in har-
mony to create a haunting melody.
Killer mutant parasites lurk around
every corner. Green blood is splat-
tered everywhere. Death screams echo
throughout the area. Welcome to the
world of Halo 3.
Halo 3 does not take place directly
after Halo 2; instead, a comic mini-
series links the two games. Regardless,
Halo 3 starts with a bang.
The story offers closure, in all
senses of the word. The protagonist
single-handedly ends the war being
fought in the Halo universe.
Since the story is not the cohesive
bind that makes gamers devote their
life to the game, it can be excused for
being slightly thin. In the title screen,
medleys of songs come and go. One
ing monks who do not harmonize with
the theme song.
In the first Halo game, the monks
would vocalize in an epic beginning
and would trail off for the orchestra
to play the rest of the theme song.
It is a small difference, but the little
things add up.
At the start of the game, the
title screen’s music soon fades from
memory. The music still retains the
epic feeling from the first game but
is slightly more melodious than the
previous two.
Throughout the game, the music
plays in pockets, meaning that the only
“music” for some time in the game is
the death screams of fallen enemies.
The other noises heard are curses
screamed by various enemies or the
gunshots ripping through the air. This
gives the game a realistic feeling,
Halo 3
•$170 million opening-day sales
•1.7 million preorders
•1 million players on first day
but it does get tiring just waiting for
the music to start back up from its
intermission.
The graphics of the game are not
as smooth or defined as promised by
the various trailers floating around
the Internet.
The Xbox could probably handle
Halo 3’s graphics, which look like an
by the
numbers
upgraded version of Halo 2’s visuals.
Although, with all the action going
on at one time, using last genera-
tion’s graphics is probably a shrewd
choice.
Keeping the action as smooth and
fluid as possible requires less power
behind the visuals and more behind
the controls and physics.
shooting. In Halo 3, there are new
and improved elements added to the
whole game, but the newest addition
to Halo 3 is the equipment.
The equipment is new to the
series, but is so seamlessly added to
the fight that it feels like it was there
all along.
Equipment can turn the tide in a
gun fight. New equipment includes the
bubble shield, which blocks bullets
from going in and out and the trip mine,
a huge explosive pack that is activated
if anyone comes into its range.
There are a total of nine pieces
of equipment that are available to the
player. This can be a double-edged
sword, as the enemies are smart
enough to deploy their own equipment
into the fight.
The multiplayer cooperation
mode is unique because the second
the heavens. The game did not disap-
point, but it did not completely fulfill
promises.
All in all, it is more of the same for
the series. That is not necessarily a bad
thing, as it includes polished game-
play and online features. But it could
be bad, as the same problems plaguing
the other Halo titles, such as tiring
death screams and small multiplayer
split screen, are still present.
It takes a trained eye to spot all the
imperfections in Halo 3. So despite all
this, the whole game meshes beauti-
fully into one next generation game.
Halo 3
Price: $59.99
Rated: M (Mature)
Platform: XBox 360

Yesterday’s hot bands make new comebacks

By Becky Byler
Staff Writer

It took 38 seconds for one million fans to buy all avail-

able tickets to the Spice Girls Reunion concert in London,
prompting the addition of three more concerts in the city
alone. The Spice Girls are one of numerous groups from
the 1990s that will reunite this year.

Spice Girls
The Spice Girls split in 1998, when Geri Halliwell
(Ginger Spice) left the group due to a fallout with Melanie
Brown (Sporty Spice). Since then, the five Spice Girls
have gone in different directions, becoming mothers, solo
singers, dancers and UN ambassadors.
“The Spice Girls Reunion Tour,” stopping in 14 cit-
ies worldwide, is the most anticipated tour this year and
will help to support the November release of A Spice
Girls Greatest Hits album. The Spice Girls expect this
comeback tour to be a “final good bye and thank you,”
denying rumors that they plan on recording a new album.
Tickets have already sold out on many online venues
for the Dec. 4 concert at HP Pavilion in San Jose, where
initial ticket prices were between $300 and $1,000.

Backstreet Boys
The reunion of the Backstreet Boys has sent preteen
girls everywhere running to the nearest music store. After
a three-year hiatus and a lackluster album, the Backstreet
Boys have reformed with only four of the five original
members. Kevin Richardson did not return to the group,
deciding to pursue a solo career he felt he could not have
done while he was a member of the Backstreet Boys.
The group’s promising new album, Unbreakable, is
set to release on Oct. 30. AJ McLean described the new
album as a “blend of everything we’ve done in the past
15 years,” and said he is excited for the end result, which
should have a more pop sound than the Backstreet Boys’
last album, Never Gone.
“Inconsolable,” one of the singles released this
summer has already generated good reviews, mak-
Clockwise from left: Courtesy of http://www.dailymail.co.uk, http://www.play.rhapsody.com, http://wallpapers.dpics.org
Popular bands of the 1990s such as the Spice Girls (left), the Backstreet Boys and Matchbox Twenty are making comebacks this year by going on tour for
their new albums. The Spice Girls will take the stage at HP Pavilion in San Jose on Dec. 4, in what is one of the most anticipated concerts of the year.
ing the United States’ Billboard Hot 100 at #86. Rob Thomas, the band’s lead singer and songwriter went The reunion of these groups has already sparked interest
At the moment, the Backstreet Boys are not plan- on to begin his successful solo career. among other popular ‘90s groups, such as *NSYNC, who
ning to go on tour, but group members say that any- Thomas hopes to continue his solo career despite the may also reunite in 2007. Despite rumors of a reunion,
thing is possible when it comes to the band’s future. reunion of Matchbox Twenty, and plans to record his next band members say that they are “just seeing how things
album in 2008. Matchbox Twenty’s comeback album, go.” Nevertheless, Justin Timberlake’s successful solo
Matchbox Twenty Exile on Mainstream, features the Top 100 Billboard hit career may be holding off an *NSYNC reunion, or at
Matchbox Twenty’s reunion, while not given as much “How Far We’ve Come,” released on Oct. 2. The group least for now.
press as that of the Spice Girls or the Backstreet Boys, simultaneously released video interviews and memorabilia Only time will tell if the bands’ reunions were worth
has nevertheless generated a huge fan response. Adam to go with the CD. Plans for a new album, set to release the trouble, but they are definitely earning a fair profit
Gaynor’s departure in 2005 triggered the band’s break-up. in 2009, are underway. from their colossal fan base.
The Campanile A&E October 22, 2007 • B9

Spicy Indian flavor delights diners

Hyderabad House offers unique menu of Indian cuisine of curries, kabobs and soups
By Alan Chu
Senior Staff Writer
Nestled on University Avenue is an
Indian restaurant called Hyderabad House.
This quaint little building has a unique color
scheme that invades the senses.
The restaurant walls are painted with a
salmon color reminiscent of an ancient monas-
tery. Various pictures of bazaars and buildings
hang on the walls, interrupting the salmon pink
and give the building a homey feeling. The
restaurant can only hold 30 people before it
bursts at the seams; the small tables that seat
only two people emphasize this even more.
In the background, music plays softly.
If the sweet sound of traffic outside is not
dominating, diners are able to listen to the
music, which is a mix of incoherent singing,
mandolins and drums.
Relative to the entrance, the cash register
is all the way in the back of the restaurant,
where the staff, the cashier and the waiter
reside. The place is thoroughly understaffed so
some responsibilities are handed to the custom-
ers. From fetching the sharp laminated menus
to refilling the beverages, the customer has to
do it all like a lowly pack mule. This in itself is
not unreasonable. If the two-man staff tried to
fulfill these duties, service would lag behind.
Once an order has been placed, the customer
takes a numbered stand back to a table. The
food arrives within several minutes.
The naan ($1.50) comes in four pieces cut
from one whole bread. The bread is a hybrid of
several different cultures’ taste. The naan has
a floury texture, similar to that of a tortilla.
Even the aftertaste is reminiscent of an-
other culture: its buttery smoothness is usually
associated with its French counterpart, the
croissant. This combination of textures and
flavors is the perfect complement to all of
the curries available at the Hyderabad House.
The lentil soup ($3.95) is exactly like split pea
soup, right down to the texture. However, the
soup contains lumps, like mashed potatoes.
The sickly yellowish-green color of the soup
distinguishes itself from split pea soup and
echoes of regurgitated peas.
Once diners see past the aesthetics of
the soup, the dish’s taste is unique to say the
least. The taste is similar to split pea soup
with a tinge of sourness; lemon juice can be
squeezed in for more zing.
The eggplant curry ($9.95) is served in
a gravy boat-type of bowl. Along with the
eggplants, various vegetables, including peas
and tomatoes, are served. The only “flavor”
in the curry is spice. While eating the dish, a
pepper seed pops out every now and then to
show off how spicy the curry really is.
However, like the lentil soup, the aesthet-
ics are not pleasing. First off, the ingredients
are mixed in a mysterious brown “sauce”, in
what appears to be a transitory stage between
liquid and solid. Secondly, the pieces of egg-
plant are not solid; they are more along the
lines of mush.
The Rogan Josh ($9.95), or lamb curry,
conversely appears like it is in a thin stew
instead of being blanketed by the brown sauce
like the eggplant curry. In fact the curry’s only
ingredient is lamb, with the brown sauce sur-
rounding several pieces of meat.
The lamb comes off as salty, rather than Alan Chu/The Campanile
spicy ­— so much so that if it was not soft to
The naan (center, $1.50), eggplant curry (top right, $9.95), Rogan Josh (bottom, $9.95), and chicken kabob roll (bottom
chew, it could be called lamb jerky. Fortunately,
the salty taste eventually wears off and the left, $7.95) lie on the table ready to be eaten by hungry diners. Hyderabad House offers patrons authentic Indian food.
flavor of the lamb appears in the aftertaste of The chicken kabob roll ($7.95) is made nice little spicy kick to send the taste buds But this is just another example of
the dish. Even though the lamb comes off as up of onions, tomatoes and chicken, all held on their way. The only reason why the roll wrongly judging a book by its cover. Or in
too salty, it is oddly addicting. together by naan, creating an Indian version should be left half-eaten is that it is simply this case, wrongly judging curries by their
The chicken tikka kabob ($7.95) comes of a burrito.Inside the naan, the contents are too big to finish. mysterious brown sauce.
in six pieces. However, while it is not served mixed within a spicy creamy sauce that tastes Hyderabad House seems to be an authentic
upon a stick, there is a gaping hole in each of like spicy mayonnaise. The tomatoes, because Indian hole in the wall. The place is packed
the pieces where the stick was originally.The of the sauce, look like drowned pieces of red with a crowd of 30 people and the service, Hyderabad House
color of the chicken is an off-beat yellow with pepper. or lack thereof, is nostalgic of a buffet style
black charred pieces around the edges. The naan is immediately overridden by restaurant; the staff only handles the money Location: 448 University Avenue,
The chicken first tastes peppery, but all of the ingredients, and the meat tastes like and places orders. However, the dishes come Palo Alto
Hours: Mon. 4:00 p.m.-10:00p.m.
gradually shifts into the familiar chicken flavor bland chicken since no other spices or flavors out relatively fast, with only two people. The
Tues-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
with the occasional burnt crunchy part. The are added. The onions only add a crunch to food itself is a wonderful sensation, if spici- Sat.-Sun. 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
chicken has a sour aftertaste, reminiscent of the roll, adding texture but no flavor. After ness is not an obstacle. Yet the aesthetics are
Prices: $2-$10
the lentil soup. all this, the tomatoes and the sauce leave a not very pleasing to the eye.

We Own the Night shows human side of the drug war

Bobby Green (Joaqin Phoenix) talks with girlfriend Amanda (Eva Mendes) in his nightclub, located in Brooklyn. Green’s club attracts
a variety of seedy characters which brings him into direct conflict with his brother Joseph (Mark Wahlberg), a New York policeman.
By Kelley Shin
Staff Writer
We Own the Night starts off with
black and white snapshots of crime
scenes, which outline the movie’s plot.
Directed by James Gray, this crime
drama captures the suspense and hor-
ror of the drug war, but also contains
logical flaws and slow moments that
are boring and unnecessary.
Nevertheless, We Own the Night
has creative plot twists make this
movie riveting enough to be worth
two hours and $10.
Set in Brooklyn in 1988, We Own
the Night tells the story of two brothers
distanced by their choices regarding
the drug war.
One brother, Bobby Green
(Joaquin Phoenix), is the owner of
a nightclub that is frequently visited
by gangsters. Bobby’s life is full of
parties and danger due to the fact that
his nightclub is the haven of notorious
drug dealer Vadim Nezhinski (Alex
Veodov).
In contrast, his brother Joseph
(Mark Wahlberg) is following in their
father’s footsteps and upholding a
family tradition by joining the New
York Police Department.
Bobby looks the other way when
drug deals occur in his nightclub and
tries to stay neutral in the drug war,
but is ultimately forced to choose a
side when his brother is shot.
Throughout the movie, the
themes of family, loyalty and violence
come up.
In the beginning, Green tries his
hardest to stay separated from his
family of cops and even changes his
last name to Green to cut all family
ties. However, as drug deals increase
Courtesy of http://www.canmag.com
and the casualties turn personal, Green
realizes the importance of family.
Gray manages to develop the
characters’ relationships and create
perfect on-screen chemistry.
The theme of loyalty never leaves
the plot as Green remains loyal to
his family over the gangsters at his
club.
When Green agrees to help
Nezhinski in a major drug deal, he
betrays Nezhinski by wearing a track-
ing device.
Seemingly every scene in this
crime drama seems to be a violent one.
There are a number of shooting scenes
in which the audience is exposed to
gory wounds and excessive amounts
of blood.
The many gory scenes may
cause the movie goers to cringe and
turn away.
However, although the images are
unpleasant, they do help to portray the
emotions and circumstances that are a
part of the movie. Violence is, after all,
a major factor in the drug war.
The cinematography is excellent,
with a wide range of different shots
and angles.
During suspenseful moments
with more anticipation than action,
the camera zooms into the actor’s
face and the subject that the actor is
looking at, allowing the audience to
feel like they are right there with the
characters in that moment.
Then, for more chaotic, active
scenes, the camera is unfocused and
shaky, which adds to the sense of
chaos.
While We Own the Night has a
strong theme and an impressive cast,
there are still flaws to this movie. The
acting is not always good, as Phoenix
mumbles many of his lines making it
difficult and frustrating to watch.
However, the actors manage to
express the emotions of the characters
they portray; allowing the audience
to feel the emotions with them and to
better understand the circumstances
of the scene.
We Own the Night
Director: James Gray
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes
Running Time: 117 min.
Rating: R
There are some logical flaws
throughout the entire movie, making
the plot confusing.
For example, Green initially leads
a very different lifestyle from the rest
of his family and tries to hide that all
of his family are distinguished New
York City cops.
No one other than his girlfriend
Amanda (Eva Mendes) knows of his
family connection — not even his
boss or any of the other people he
works with.
However, a big-time drug dealer
like Nezhinski would certainly do a
background check on Green before
doing business.
Perhaps this clumsy error made
it easier for Gray to advance the plot,
but it was quite obvious.
At times the story progresses too
slowly, bringing the audience from
anxiety and suspense to boredom and
impatience.
The movie runs for two hours,
and there are a couple of scenes that
are unworthy of screen time and un-
important to the plot.
Overall, We Own the Night does
a little better than a decent job in por-
traying the time period of drug wars
by adding in the emotional family ties
and by implementing some creative
twists to the plot.
We Own The Night is worth
watching, but not for someone who
has a weak stomach since there are a
number of violent scenes.

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 B10 • October 22, 2007 A&E The Campanile

Soulja Boy cranks out disappointing debut

By Alex Greene
Staff Writer

Three months after Soulja Boy

released his hit single “Crank That,”
his debut album SouljaBoyTellEm.
com has arrived.
Released Oct. 2, the album proves
that for now, at least, Soulja Boy, born
DeAndre Way, is just a one-hit wonder.
Although the new album is riddled
with mediocre songs, a few demon-
strate Soulja Boy’s potential talent.
After all, he is only seventeen.
“Crank That,” the album’s only
gem, uses steel drums in the beat to
produce a unique sound. Other rappers
have also begun to add a wave of exotic
sounds to their traditional beats.
The one decent song on the album
other than “Crank That” is “Don’t
Get Mad.”
The song discusses adults’ in-
ability to understand Soulja Boy’s
music as well as his rise into the music
industry.
In the chorus Soulja Boy repeats
“Don’t get mad cause the kids like
me.” Most of his verses are about how
amazing his story is: “It’s amazing
what I did with a mic and the Internet/
No deals, just a lot of fads and the fads
stayed on my side.”
While Soulja Boy’s music is
terrible, his story has proved him Courtesy of www.souljaboytellem.com
an excellent performer as well as Soulja Boy’s popular dance song “Crank That” has given the 17-year-old singer instant fame and fortune. Through Web sites like YouTube and Google, Soulja Boy’s
businessman.
unique dance has made him a popular icon, but the initial media frenzy is also the only reason anyone would be tricked into buying one of the worst albums of 2007.
Soulja Boy uses the Internet as the
primary means of promoting his songs Boy says in “Don’t Get Mad,” “the by Rich Boy, and talks about Soulja the chorus, it might have become an is so bad it is almost worth a listen to repetitive in their lyrics. It seems as if
and merchandise. His music videos on biggest form of flattery is a lot of Boy’s school troubles. excellent track. get a good laugh. Even Soulja Boy Soulja Boy is trying to come up with
YouTube have attracted more than 30 copycats.” The chorus is essentially Soulja Unfortunately, while there are a starts laughing at one point during new original ways to say a**, but ends
million plays and they have become However, Soulja Boy was never a Boy begging his teacher to give him few decent songs, the uninspired ones the song. up coming off just as offensive.
some of the most viewed videos on copycat himself. He began his career Ds instead of Fs. It is a comic song, far outweigh them. “Soulja Girl” is Adding to the list of mediocre While Soulja Boy might be a ter-
the internet. in high school by teaming up with a but it reflects Soulja Boy’s transforma- probably the most bland song of the songs is “Sidekick,” about Soulja rific businessman and performer, his
The Soulja Boy dance is so popu- classmate named Arab to form the tion from a straight A to a straight F album. It is a horrid attempt to piece Boy’s phone. The four-note, electron- album does not showcase his talents.
lar that hundreds of home videos with 30/30 Boys. student as music started becoming a with “Crank That.” ic-beat sounds like a broken tuba and Better luck next time, Soulja Boy.
people and even cartoon characters Eventually, the pair drew the at- bigger part of his life. “Yahhh!” is about the annoyance is so repetitive and monotonous that
doing his dance have been posted on tention of Mr. Collipark, a producer Though the lyrics to “Pass It To of fans asking for autographs when is almost painful to listen to. Tell ‘Em
YouTube, some of which are nearly for Interscope Records. Arab” are horrible, the beat makes it one is famous. Just when one thinks the album Artist: Soulja Boy
as popular as the original. None of the other songs on the worth a listen. “Pass It To Arab” is a The chorus is comprised of Soulja can’t get any worse, along come the
A group of white guys even re-
Label: Interscope
album will ever be hits, but many have very upbeat song. If it had lyrics other Boy interrupting fans trying to talk to songs “Donk” and “Booty Meat.”
ceived almost three million hits for Records
redeeming qualities. “Report Card” than “Pass it to Arab,” which Soulja him by shouting out “Yahhh! Trick The titles speak for themselves,
their version of the dance. As Soulja is a parody of “Throw Some D’s” Boy repeats over and over again in yahhh! Get out my face!” This song but both songs are also extremely Running Time: 78 minutes

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The Campanile A&E October 22, 2007 • B11

The Green Elephant offers appealing cuisines

Restaurant offers friendly atmosphere and appealing blend of authentic Burmese and Chinese dishes
By Mira Parekh
Staff Writer

Nestled in the Charleston Shopping Center on Middle-

field Road, Green Elephant’s location is not where one
would expect to find an extensive Burmese and Chinese
gourmet. This, however, is exactly what Green Elephant
offers. Guests are welcomed into the surprisingly well-
decorated restaurant, which offers a warm atmosphere
and has an oriental door.
The well-lit and well-decorated space retains a ca-
sual mood, giving the restaurant a very comfortable and
home-like feeling. The dark carpet and mellow green walls
compliment each other well, radiating a calm ambiance.
The bamboo shoots that separate the entrance from the
dining area and the golden slumbering Buddha statue add
to the elegance of decor. The interior is reasonably spacious
and seats groups of seven to eight without overcrowding
the dining area.
While most of the restaurant is staffed by mostly
Mandarin speaking waitresses, Green Elephant’s head
chef is from Burma and Green Elephant, which he co-
owns with his wife is his first restaurant.
Although identified as a Burmese restaurant, Green
Elephant draws many influences from Burma’s neighbors,
such as India and Thailand, and the majority of the menu
boasts dishes from China.
The menu is divided into Chinese and Burmese cui-
sines, with vegetable and meat dishes in each. Although
the Chinese cuisine offers a variety of vegetarian dishes,
the Burmese side of the menu has none. The menu also
offers six dish family meals that range from $13.95 to
$17.95 per person.
Appetizers are listed under both sections of the menu,
and although the Chinese appetizers are the standard affair
of spring rolls and wontons, the Burmese menu offers an
interesting selection of appetizers that are worth taking
a look at.
Samusas ($4.95), a Burmese twist of the classic
potato dumpling, is served on a bed of lettuce with a side
of dipping sauce. The samusas’ crispy exterior is stuffed
with potatoes and a flavorful spice, reminiscent of a warm
pastry. Although the samusas are slightly greasy, the bold
spices give the potato filling much needed depth and the
dipping sauce adds tang and spice to an already satisfy-
Hannah McGovern/The Campanile
ing experience.
The chabade ($5.95) proves to be an even more The Green Elephant, a popular restaurant in Charleston Shopping Center, provides a comfortable atmosphere with attractive oriental decorations
unique and tasty appetizer. Consisting simply of flour such as an elegant slumbering Buddha. The well-decorated restaurant has an extensive menu with dishes from Burmese and Chinese cultures.
tortillas and a coconut sauce, the dish does not look very
promising at first sight. flavors brought out by the peanuts and sesame seeds makes of flavor with a fruity, citric flavor that complements the The Green Elephant offers both delicious Burmese and
The sauce resembles a smooth, creamy gravy with this salad a healthy and tasty option. spicy flavor of the sauce. Chinese cuisine at a convenient, neighborhood location.
blended curry spices and fresh coconut to produce a taste Another Burmese dish that is worth trying is Poodi The Mongolian beef ($11.50), a dish of stir-fried beef Although set an inconspicuous setting, its simple elegance
that lingers lightly and is not overpowering. The creamy ($8.50), a dish of potatoes in a delicious sauce of tama- with leeks and onions which is served with hot and spicy and quality matches that of many great restaurants found
coconut acts as a base that helps mellow the spices. The rind, tomato, mint and chili. The dish comes with warm sauce, is a let down in comparison to other meat dishes. in Palo Alto.
warm tortillas are the perfect combination for the smooth flour tortillas that are to be eaten with the potatoes. The The beef is cooked well, but the hot and spicy sauce did The Green Elephant’s varied menu houses something
coconut sauce. potatoes are delightful and have a unique contrast of mint not add any flavor to the beef. The leeks, although plentiful, that everyone is bound to enjoy.
From the Burmese menu, one must have the tea leaf and sweetness from the tomato based sauce. do not seem to have any presence in the dish. Overall, the
salad ($8.25). The salad consists of imported Burmese On the Chinese side of the menu, the delectable orange Mongolian beef completely lacks any of the strong flavor
tea leaves, chopped tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, sesame chicken ($10.50) is a clear winner. The dish is served with and satisfaction that is found in the other dishes. Green Elephant
seeds and peanuts. The salad is covered in a tea leaf salad chunks of chicken dressed with orange sauce and presented Although the dinner menu is extensive, the desert
dressing which provides the right amount of zest without in a porcelain dish surrounded by fresh greens. menu consists of just one mediocre item. The fried banana Location: 3950 Middlefield Road,
overpowering the fresh vegetables. The chicken, which is deep fried for a crispy exterior ($3.50) is a dish that can be found at many Asian cuisine Palo Alto
Hours: Lunch 11 a.m-2:30 p.m. daily
The dish arrives with the ingredients separated from and then stir fried with orange peel, is done to perfection. restaurants and is served in the traditional style with ice
Dinner 4:30-9 p.m. daily
each other and the waitress tosses the salad at the table. The outside is light and crispy with a perfectly tender, cream and crispy warm bananas that have been cooked to
Prices: $5.00- $18.00
A perfect balance between crisp, fresh greens and nutty delectable inside. The orange peel is a primary component a golden brown color. It’s a great finish to a tasty meal.

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B12 • October 22, 2007
Diners grab retro burgers at Jeffrey’s
By Anna Waldron
Staff Writer
Jeffrey’s Hamburgers epitomizes the
diner experience. Even before stepping
into the restaurant, customers are drawn in
by the salty smells of french fries and fish
and chips that guarantee a lip-smackingly
delicious meal.
Inside, the restaurant is big and airy
with high ceilings, reminiscent of diners
from the 1950s. Coca-Cola paraphernalia,
models of Thunderbirds and street signs
line the white walls to capture the essence
of a retro drive-thru.
Red leather booths add fun to the oth-
erwise white and gray atmosphere.
Almost all of the seating is composed
of wide booths, making it an enjoyable and
comfortable place to share a scrumptious
meal with family, friends or a large party.
Customers seated at the stainless steel
counter get to watch the cooks grill and
flip patties to fill the never-ending burger
orders.
Although Jeffrey’s is usually crowded
and a line is always present, waiting for
a table or placing an order goes by fairly
quickly.
Deciding what to order may take a
while because Jeffrey’s offers a wide variety
of low-priced classics including hot dogs,
chili, fries, sandwiches and burgers.
The assorted options not only sound
mouth-watering, but may be healthier than
what other diners dish up.
Jeffrey’s advertises that the ham-
burger meat used is “personally ground
and hand-packed daily from the USDA
Choice shoulder chuck.” Turkey burgers
and gardenburgers are offered as healthy
alternatives.
Even french fries and onion rings are
given a healthy twist as they are fried in
canola oil which, according to Jeffrey’s,
lowers the saturated fat content and elimi-
nates cholesterol.
Once the order has been placed, a ca-
shier gives the customer a plastic number.
A host guides diners to the next available
table. Milkshakes and salads are served
first and fairly promptly for a restaurant
that is booming with business.
The milkshakes ($3.59) are available
in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. Served
in a classic tall glass, the milkshake has a
hefty swirl of whipped cream and is finished
with a cherry on top.
Two people can easily share this treat
because the portion in the accompanying
steel cup completely refills the glass. The
New thriller a Rendition of generic melodrama
Academy Award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon plays the wife of a terrorism suspect in
Gavin Hood’s political thriller Rendition, also starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Meryl Streep.
By Sara Reihani
A&E Editor
Critically acclaimed director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi, A terrorist activity, his wife Isabella (Reese Witherspoon)
Reasonable Man) leads an all-star cast in the new political embarks on a search for him, aided by senator’s aide Alan
drama Rendition.
The film’s title refers to the
legal practice of “extraordinary Dull writing and cardboard characters
rendition:” the government’s turn what could have been a potent
authority to move suspected
political thriller into what was instead Naor) and CIA agent Douglas
terrorists to prisons outside their
home country to undergo harsh a stunningly generic treatment of a re-
interrogation. markably controversial current issue.
It sounds like a formula
for great success, but the dull
writing and cardboard characters turn what could have is part of a fundamentalist Islamic group.
been a potent political thriller into what is instead a stun-
ningly generic treatment of a remarkably controversial between them remains coherent, but none of the conflicts
current issue.
shakes are thick, almost to the point that
it has to sit awhile before it can be slurped
through a straw. Once the mixture is given
time to melt, it is velvety smooth and pleas-
ingly sweet.
Jeffrey’s has three types of salads: the
baby greens salad, the Caesar salad and the
side salad. The side salad ($2.99) is a big
portion of finely chopped hunks of iceberg
lettuce, flecks of romaine, shredded carrots
and cabbage with slices of cucumber.
Customers can choose from a variety
of dressings for their salad. The dressing
is commercial and the salad is similar to
a prepackaged bag of lettuce bought at a
nearby grocery store that is neither fresh
nor satisfying.
A couple nice aspects about the salads
are that they are presented on white, oval
plates and come with freshly cracked pep-
per. These qualities are uncharacteristic for
diners and are usually expected at more
expensive restaurants.
Customers do not come to diners for
the salads, but for the burgers and Jeffrey’s
knows how to make them succulent and
juicy while still serving them in a timely
fashion.
There are ten burgers to choose from
and customers can dress up their burger with
all the toppings they desire at the condiment
bar. Like all the burgers and sandwiches,
the cheeseburger ($5.39) is served in a
plastic basket lined with parchment paper.
The fluffy white bun is lightly toasted and
perfectly melted American cheese com-
pletely covers a flat meat patty.
After a trip to the condiment bar, which
neatly displays fresh hamburger toppings,
the burger is ready to be enjoyed. Even
though the patty is thin, it packs a lot of
flavor and punch.
The turkey and meat patties are nicely
grilled to the customer’s specification, and
are not greasy.
Only the gardenburger ($4.99) comes
served on a wheat bun, but customers can
select it for other burgers.
The wheat bun is a nice and healthy
change from the regular white bun and
is just as airy and soft. There is a tad of
sweetness in the bread and tiny oat bits are
sprinkled and baked on top.
The patty melt ($6.19) is inspired by
the classic Reuben sandwich. Served open
face, the patty lies on thinly sliced and
toasted rye bread and is smothered with
caramelized grilled onions.
A layer of melted Swiss cheese cov-
ers the accompanying slice of bread. The
sandwich is savory and rich and does not
When Egyptian-born American chemical engineer
Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally) is detained by the
CIA on his way back from South Africa on suspicion of
Smith (Peter Sarsgaard).
El-Ibrahimi is subjected to
torturous interrogation under the
direction of Abasi Fawal (Igal
Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal).
On the side is the story
of Fawal’s teenage daughter
Fatima (Zineb Oukach), whose
boyfriend Khalid (Moa Khouas)
As the threads of each story intertwine, alternation
have real impact.
A&E
Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile
The peninsula’s new hamburger joint, Jeffrey’s Hamburgers, offers
a wide variety of milkshakes and burgers in a 50s-style restaurant.
need any other toppings as it is delicious and let off some steam, the rings are easier
the way it is presented. to bite into.
French fries and onion rings are mar- Jeffrey’s appeals to all ages. With its
ried to hamburgers, but they have to be sizeable parking lot, it is easy to quickly
ordered on the side. The french fries ($1.39) grab a delicious, fresh and healthier burger
arrive steaming hot. Cut to a perfect size, the at Jeffrey’s. The restaurant’s fun, 1950’s
fries are firm and crunchy on the outside and style vibe creates a pleasant and comfort-
can hold a lot of ketchup without crumbling able atmosphere perfect for enjoying a
into a soggy mess. They have the classic good meal and gives customers the full
salty crust and a moist center. diner experience.
Another side order that comes piping
hot to the table in a generous pile is the
onion rings ($2.99).
Jeffrey’s
They are initially difficult to eat be- Address: 888 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
cause though the crust is a lovely, golden Hours: Mon-Sun 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
brown, the onions are tough and slightly Phone: (650) 322-1959
undercooked. After they sit on the table Price Range: $4.00-$8.00
Insistence on giving every big name a main part means
that each character is major but underdeveloped; only basic
facts about each character are revealed.
The film vainly attempts to portray the ethics of
extraordinary rendition as a profound and multifaceted
subject but seems satisfied with the slightest suggestion
of depth, as if vaguely hinting at another side to the issue
turned the film into a complex exploration of the murky
ethics of homeland security policy.
The pacing is sluggish and the tone is shallow; con-
stant navigation through multiple storylines results in none
being given serious treatment.
The graphic, disturbing scenes of El-Ibrahimi being
interrogated speak loudly against torture tactics, but the
characters that are supposed to point out the government’s
justification for the practice fall short.
CIA Head of Terrorism Corinne Whitman (Meryl
Streep) delivers one line in defense of rendition and ends
up looking like a stock villain instead of a human being
with noble intentions and substantial justification for her
actions.
Although the writing is lacking, the cast is more
than adequate. Naor is especially powerful as interroga-
tor Fawal, whose family life influences his treatment of
torture victims.
Newcomers Khouas and Oukach are outstandingly
convincing as star-crossed lovers trying to keep their rela-
tionship intact even as fundamentalism, political ties and
http://www.allmoviephoto.com socioeconomic class conflict threatens to tear it apart.
Numerous references to September 11 underscore the
film’s relevance: characters mention the 9/11 Commission
Report, Freeman is said to have signed up for the CIA “on
September 12” and a silhouette shot of a plane flying past
the Washington Monument is hauntingly reminiscent of
the iconic photographs of the planes that crashed into the
World Trade Center.
Despite the various viewpoints depicted through the
different stories, the film ends up making no point at all,
except that torture is inhumane.
The issue Rendition addresses is pertinent and interest-
ing, but ultimately, its relentlessly superficial perspective
makes it forgettable.
Rendition
Director: Gavin Hood
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal,
Meryl Streep, Peter Sarsgaard
Running Time: 120 minutes
Rating: R deep and meaningful. “So long and thanks for all the
The Campanile
1 in
1700
Elizabeth Petit/The Campanile
This edition featuring
Jake Briskin
with The Campanile’s own
Stacy Levichev
The Campanile: What do you think about the
struggle of the youth?
Jake Briskin: I think youth have always struggled
and always will struggle for as long as there continue
to be youth and non-youth.
TC: Right. Do you believe in vibes?
JB: Yeah. Very often, when I meet someone, and
especially if I hug someone – I hug a lot, I’m a very
huggy person – I can kind of tell, like, how they’re
feeling. Especially if it’s someone I’ve just met, I can
get a sense of who they are and how our relationship
might be in the future.
TC: Does Judaism conflict with your views on sex?
JB: Hella. I just want to make clear that I’m not even
that Jewish.
TC: Your middle name is Israel.
JB: I’m Jewish by upbringing. I have a very Jewish
outlook on the world, but that doesn’t mean I agree
with everything that traditional Judaism is. Here’s
something I bet you didn’t know about Judaism,
check it out: in a marriage contract between a
man and a woman, the woman is guaranteed food,
clothing and conjugal rights… in other words, nookie.
TC: Favorite class?
JB: Freshman history with Mr. McGovern was
amazing. That year sucked so bad, I think that class
was the only reason that I had to drag my carcass out
of bed in the morning and come to school.
TC: Do you consider yourself metro?
JB: No. Very often I do things that are not remotely
metro, like walk around the house in my underwear.
Really, I have no compunctions about coming to class
commando in baggy jeans and a baggy sweatshirt
that’s not even mine and smells faintly of Giovanni
musk eau de cologne. These jeans are pretty baggy.
Actually, if I didn’t have such jacked quads, they’d
probably slide right down my hips.
TC: Tell us about your legs.
JB: Tell you about my legs?
Henry Becker: Jake, every year you try to talk to me
about your legs. Now you can.
JB: When do I try to talk to you about my legs?
HB: Remember when we were driving back from
Campamento de Español?
JB: Yeah.
HB: Remember how every five minutes you would
ask me to feel your legs?
JB: No.
HB: You would lift your pants and go, “Hey, Henry,
look how strong my legs are. Don’t you want to feel
them?”
JB: I – do – what – I never said that!
HB: Yes, you did.
JB: So, uh, my legs... are hairier than I would like
them to be. I have a razor comb at home; it doesn’t
cut the hairs all the way down. It like, lifts them away
from the skin and cuts off, like, part of it.
TC: You use a manscaper?
JB: Yeah, whatever. I do crew, which requires a lot
of explosive power… in the legs… so the interesting
thing about my legs is, my upper body and lower
body are kind of disproportionate because the training
focuses a lot more on leg power.
TC: What happened to your Jew-fro?
JB: I was really into heavy metal music and I wanted
to be able to head-bang, for which you really need a
long, full head of hair. I thought that maybe if I kept
growing it longer, it would eventually start growing
down, but it just kept getting bigger and bigger, and
birds started nesting on my head.
TC: Do you think sexual energy can be sensed?
JB: I don’t know if everyone can sense it, but often,
I will meet a person and be like, ‘Oh, yeah. That
person is… a sexual person.’
TC: If you had to get a tattoo, what would you get
and where would it be?
JB: I would probably get the symbol for “Om”
tattooed on my chest; my left… pectoral.
TC: Favorite books?
JB: I really like the Hyperion Cantos series. It’s very
deep, very multifaceted. It deals with a wide array of
aspects of the human experience. Also Shakespeare.
Lolita and The Odyssey.
TC: Last words for the Paly community?
JB: Now the pressure’s on me to say something, like,
fish.”