Prospector issue 7

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FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2014 T HE P ROSPECTOR Student Newspaper of Cupertino High School 10100 FINCH AVENUE, CUPERTINO, CA 95014 VOLUME 55 NO. 7 CHSPROSPECTOR.ORG Vaping: Superior alternative Popular Sports Events Band’s Hawaii Trip Too Many Thus LIFESTYLES page 8 Sports page 11 FEATURES pages 6 & 7 FLIPSIDE page 12 e names of all student TAs interviewed for this article have been changed to protect their confidentiality. Over the past several years, an increase in the student popu- lation has led to a rise in the importance of teacher assistants, or TAs, in grading student work. As teachers face growing volumes of graded assignments, many have turned to TAs as an easy, ef- ficient way to keep up with grading. However, the rapid swell in the size of the TA program has brought unexpected problems, some of which directly defy the Fremont Union High School District’s legal and ethical codes. e most glaring problem with the TA system is that of legality, or which tasks students are legally allowed to perform under the title of “Teacher Assistant.” e district’s Board Policy outlines the specific duties of TAs, which include filing paper- work and delivering messages. Nowhere among these enumer- ated tasks is a mention of grading of any sort — in fact, the policy expressly forbids it, stating that “the teachers are solely respon- sible for information in grade books and for maintaining confi- dentiality of student records.” Furthermore, the school has instituted its own policy against TAs grading student work, as outlined by Principal Kami Tomberlain. “TA’s should not be grading subjective work,” Tomberlain said. “ey should be grading things for which there is an answer [that is] either right or wrong.” Work that is “subjective” includes any type of writing, ac- cording to Tomberlain — and even specifically outlining what should be in the writing is not enough to guarantee a lack of sub- jectivity. us, this type of grading is supposed to be leſt up to the teachers; however, in reality, student TAs are grading subjec- tive work more and more oſten. Science TA Kenneth Hammond has graded numerous student essays, lab reports and quizzes — all of which can be considered subjective work. Although he uses a key, his work is almost never checked by a teacher, in yet another violation of both the school’s and the district’s policy. “We are the last eyes, the last people to look at [an essay],” Hammond said, referring to himself and his fellow TAs. Although each essay passes through the hands of three different TAs in an aempt to establish equitable grading, the lack of teacher super- vision stands in clear opposition to the school code. “e teacher should look at the material … a TA should not be tallying a grade and writing it in the gradebook [if ] at no point does it ever pass through the teacher’s hands,” Tomberlain said. e main reason for this opposition to student grading stems from the fact that under the eyes of the law, students are not qualified to issue grades, as they lack any formal training. According to Tomberlain, the authority of TAs in issuing grades “depends... on how well they are trained.” However, when Hammond was asked whether he received any formal training, he said this was not the case. Furthermore, there is no grade re- quirement to be a TA — for example, a student does not have to receive an A in a class in order to serve as a TA for that class the next school year. “e only thing really required is your enthusiasm,” Ham- mond said. “[Anyone] could ask [the teachers] to be a TA and would let you.” Another violation — this time of the Academic Honesty Policy — occurs when teachers neglect to secure all student work, leaving it readily accessible to TAs. Teacher Assistants “have easy access to cabinets [containing] student assignments [as well as] lab books,” according to science TA Sean Carter. is series of legal and ethical violations has far-reaching Excerpts from FUHSD’s Academic Policy The Michael Project One student’s initiative to support a friend SERENA NGAN photo crew MARVIN WANG news assistant Last February, sophomore Michael Munson’s father suf- fered a severe injury aſter falling into Calabazas Creek, where he was walking his dog. e fall paralyzed him from the chest down, a condition called partial quadriplegia. Because of this incident, Munson now faces the possibility of moving away from his residency here in Cupertino, as his father is not able to earn money to pay for their housing and the family is un- able to afford everyday necessities such as groceries and cloth- ing, things that students take for granted everyday. Despite QUESTIONABLE PRACTICES, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 MICHAEL MUNSON PROJECT, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THU DAM LEAN ON ME | Ishan Sharma poses with friend and fellow sophomore Michael Munson. Sharma’s efforts to help Munson through a difficult time have been dubbed “The Michael Project” “Student assistants shall not record student grades in teach- er’s grade book or computer program” “The teacher will ensure that grades in mark documents and the grade book are private and safe, not allow teaching assis- tants (TAs) to make or maintain grade entries” “Educators accept responsibil- ity to practice their profession according to the highest ethical standards. Educators recognize the magnitude of the respon- sibility they have accepted in choosing a career in education ...” An inside look at questionable TA grading practices STAFF REPORT GRADE THE TRADE

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Transcript of Prospector issue 7

Page 1: Prospector issue 7

F RI DAY, A P RI L 25, 2014

The ProsPecTorStudent Newspaper of Cupertino High School 10100 FINCH AVENUE, CUPERTINO, CA 95014VOLUME 55 NO. 7 CHSPROSPECTOR.ORG

Vaping: Superior alternative

Popular Sports Events

Band’s Hawaii

Trip

Too Many Thus

LIFESTYLESpage 8

Sportspage 11

FEATURESpages 6 & 7

FLIPSIDEpage 12

The names of all student TAs interviewed for this article have been changed to protect their confidentiality.

Over the past several years, an increase in the student popu-lation has led to a rise in the importance of teacher assistants, or TAs, in grading student work. As teachers face growing volumes of graded assignments, many have turned to TAs as an easy, ef-ficient way to keep up with grading. However, the rapid swell in the size of the TA program has brought unexpected problems, some of which directly defy the Fremont Union High School District’s legal and ethical codes.

The most glaring problem with the TA system is that of legality, or which tasks students are legally allowed to perform under the title of “Teacher Assistant.” The district’s Board Policy outlines the specific duties of TAs, which include filing paper-work and delivering messages. Nowhere among these enumer-ated tasks is a mention of grading of any sort — in fact, the policy expressly forbids it, stating that “the teachers are solely respon-sible for information in grade books and for maintaining confi-dentiality of student records.”

Furthermore, the school has instituted its own policy against TAs grading student work, as outlined by Principal Kami Tomberlain.

“TA’s should not be grading subjective work,” Tomberlain said. “They should be grading things for which there is an answer [that is] either right or wrong.”

Work that is “subjective” includes any type of writing, ac-cording to Tomberlain — and even specifically outlining what should be in the writing is not enough to guarantee a lack of sub-jectivity. Thus, this type of grading is supposed to be left up to the teachers; however, in reality, student TAs are grading subjec-tive work more and more often.

Science TA Kenneth Hammond has graded numerous student essays, lab reports and quizzes — all of which can be considered subjective work. Although he uses a key, his work is almost never checked by a teacher, in yet another violation of both the school’s and the district’s policy.

“We are the last eyes, the last people to look at [an essay],” Hammond said, referring to himself and his fellow TAs. Although each essay passes through the hands of three different TAs in an attempt to establish equitable grading, the lack of teacher super-vision stands in clear opposition to the school code.

“The teacher should look at the material … a TA should not be tallying a grade and writing it in the gradebook [if] at no point does it ever pass through the teacher’s hands,” Tomberlain said.

The main reason for this opposition to student grading stems from the fact that under the eyes of the law, students are not qualified to issue grades, as they lack any formal training.

According to Tomberlain, the authority of TAs in issuing grades “depends... on how well they are trained.” However, when Hammond was asked whether he received any formal training, he said this was not the case. Furthermore, there is no grade re-quirement to be a TA — for example, a student does not have to receive an A in a class in order to serve as a TA for that class the next school year.

“The only thing really required is your enthusiasm,” Ham-mond said. “[Anyone] could ask [the teachers] to be a TA and would let you.”

Another violation — this time of the Academic Honesty Policy — occurs when teachers neglect to secure all student work, leaving it readily accessible to TAs. Teacher Assistants “have easy access to cabinets [containing] student assignments [as well as] lab books,” according to science TA Sean Carter.

This series of legal and ethical violations has far-reaching

Excerpts from FUHSD’s Academic Policy

The Michael ProjectOne student’s initiative to support a friend

SERENA NGANphoto crew

MARVIN WANGnews assistant

Last February, sophomore Michael Munson’s father suf-fered a severe injury after falling into Calabazas Creek, where he was walking his dog. The fall paralyzed him from the chest down, a condition called partial quadriplegia. Because of this incident, Munson now faces the possibility of moving away from his residency here in Cupertino, as his father is not able to earn money to pay for their housing and the family is un-able to afford everyday necessities such as groceries and cloth-ing, things that students take for granted everyday. Despite

QUESTIONABLE PRACTICES, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2MICHAEL MUNSON PROJECT, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

THU DAM

LEAN ON ME | Ishan Sharma poses with friend and fellow sophomore Michael Munson. Sharma’s efforts to help Munson through a difficult time have been dubbed “The Michael Project”

“Student assistants shall not record student grades in teach-er’s grade book or computer program”

“The teacher will ensure that grades in mark documents and the grade book are private and safe, not allow teaching assis-tants (TAs) to make or maintain grade entries”

“Educators accept responsibil-ity to practice their profession according to the highest ethical standards. Educators recognize the magnitude of the respon-sibility they have accepted in choosing a career in education ...”

An inside look at questionable TA grading practicesSTAFF REPORT

GRADETHETRADE

Page 2: Prospector issue 7

2 The ProspectorNews April 25, 2014

Cupertino High SchoolEstablished 1958

Vol LV, No. 7 | 2014

editors-in-chiefdiana kruzman

michael li

news editorbrian zhong

opinions editorlaura shkouratoff

features editorjeremy xue

lifestyles editormaithilee kanthi

sports editornikita devdhar

flip side editordelanie medina

copy editorsgloria choirishi nair

jessica shintanay tandon

photo editorthu dam

business managerashley liu

news assistants

opinionsassistants

featuresassistants

lifestyles assistants

sportsassistants

flip sideassistant

copyassistant

photo crew

chris yoonmarvin wang

alex levinealex shieh

keely zhangjoyce ye

ashley liuyane ahn

nirmit shahjay shroff

myung-ju song

katie martin

serena ngananirudh pai

adviserann peck

Editorial Policy“The Prospector” is an open fo-

rum of expression for student editors to inform and educate their readers. It will not be reviewed by or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisors may and should coach and discuss content during the writing process.

The staff of “The Prospector” seeks to recognize individuals, events and ideas and bring news to the Cu-pertino community in an accurate, pro-fessional and unbiased manner. “The Prospector” will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy.

If you believe an error has been made or wish to have your opinion expressed in “The Prospector,” please contact us via mail or email. Letters sent become the sole property of “The Prospector” and can be edited for length, clarity or accuracy.

“The Prospector” editorial board reserves the right to accept or reject any ad in accordance with its advertis-ing policy.

Contact UsThe Prospector10100 Finch AvenueCupertino, CA [email protected]

The ProsPecTor

S TA F F2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4

Grading practices create controversy QUESTIONABLE PRACTICES, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Gina Kim advances to USABO semifinals

ALEX LEVINEopinions assistant

News Briefs APRIL

A state-of-the-art tele-scope termed BICEP (Background Imaging of Cos-mic Extragalactic Polarization) 2 detected traces of gravita-tional waves, which many sci-entists believe are tremors of the Big Bang. The scientists credited for this discovery are frontrunners for the Nobel Prize.

An American teenager deter-mined that the government could save upwards of $370 million on printing costs by switching its default font from Times New Roman to Garamond. While many hail the idea as one that can save the government millions, others, including experts, doubt the teenager’s claims.

On March 29 of this year, gay marriage was legalized in Britain and Wales. Prime Minister David Cameron extolled the legislation as one that will continue to honour its proud traditions of respect, tol-erance and equal worth. How-ever, some religious groups re-main opposed to gay marriage.

A company called WiTricity has developed wireless elec-tricity that can power elec-tronic devices without power cables. The electricity is trans-ferred using magnetic fields, which do not pose any hazard. This new technology can also be applied to transplanted medical devices that rely on electricity to function.

The death toll of the Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Western Africa has reached 78 as the outbreak transformed into an unprecedented epidem-ic. This disease is rare, but it’s fatal in up to 90% of cases.

Pediapress, a German-based organization, is raising funds to create a print version of Wikipedia. The copy, which will comprise over one mil-lion pages, will allow viewers to comprehend just how mas-sive the online encyclopedia is. Many criticize the undertaking as one that will waste tons of paper, but Pediapress promises to plant trees to compensate for the resources that it expends.

In South Korea, a ferry trans-porting passengers to JeJu Island capsized. As of press time, the incident claimed the lives of 121 people. However, 181 are still missing, The captain and other crew members have been arrested and accused of abandoning the ship, negligence, and causing bodily injury, among other offe-ses. The captain could face five years to life in prison.

On April 8, a 16 year-old teen-ager at a Pennsylvania high school stabbed nineteen students and a security guard. All victims are ex-pected to survive. An assistant principal was reported to have subdued the teenager.

The USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) is an annual biology competition in which students from across the nation participate in written and practical exams, with the victors ultimately representing the United States at the International Biology Olympiad. Many [find out how many] students from Cuper-tino High participated in the USABO Open Exam, a 50-minute multiple choice exam administered at school in the AP Biology room. However, only one student, senior Gina Kim, placed in the top 10% of the nation and advanced to the semifinal round.

It was Kim’s second time taking the exam; her in-terest in biology and her former AP Biology teacher, Allannah Ujifusa, inspired her to try again.

“[Mrs. Ujifusa] reminded that there was [the USABO]. I wanted to take it because I like bio and I felt like it would be a fun thing to do … I’ve always been interested in biology because I find it’s really fas-cinating to see how living things work on the larger and the smaller scale,” said Kim.

Although Kim did not study intensely for the USABO, she found that her prior experience helped her be prepared for the exam.

“A lot of what I learned in AP Bio did carry over,” she said.

Though Kim does not yet know if she will ad-vance to the national finals at Purdue University or the International Biology Olympiad in Bali, Indone-sia, she has hopes for her future in the field of biology.

Said Kim, “I’m going to major in Computational Biology, so I’m interested in the data aspect, like the Human Genome Project. There’s a lot of potential in that.”

For future students wanting to participate in the USABO, Kim suggested, “If you’re going to study, don’t just study in the classroom, but try to make it a thing you always do. Do outside learning, too. Learn-ing isn’t restricted to the classroom.”

THU DAM

implications on academic integrity and stu-dent academic performance. When students are allowed to grade other students’ work, the potential for corruption — including bias, bribery and favoritism — increases ex-ponentially; for example, teacher assistants are known to give their friends slight advan-tages over other students.

“TAs [purposefully] look for the as-signments of their friends to grade,” Carter said. “Additionally, we have discovered that in many cases, more points were awarded than should have been [on a test].”

Although some teachers have taken measures to prevent corruption and ensure objectivity — for example, using class-spe-cific student ID numbers in place of names — these methods are far from foolproof.

Said Carter, “It is possible [for TAs] to get the ID numbers of their friends [to give them an unfair advantage] … it is definitely

not hard to do.”Even when TAs are not influenced by

favoritism or outside intervention, the sub-jectivity that comes with grading student work is hard to avoid.

“Some TAs grade harder than others,” current TA Nikki James said. “The period be-fore us had much lower [test] scores, so there is [definitely] some discrepancy in grading.”

The dramatic increase in the size of the TA program has had significant consequenc-es, impacting both ethical and academic codes. As the student population continues to grow and teachers are flooded with more assignments and work to grade, the school will have to develop a solution to this grow-ing time management issue. For now, how-ever, the most pressing concern is for the subjective and illicit nature of the TA pro-gram — one that is on the minds of students, teachers and administration alike.

Helping a friend through difficultyMICHAEL MUNSON PROJECT, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

the hardship, the story does not end here. After sophomore Ishan Sharma heard about Mun-son’s situation, Sharma decided to partner with Munson to work on a project with a target goal of $25,000 that would raise funds in order to pay for the wheelchair that Munson’s father needs.

The idea of this project was first instigated when Sharma noticed that Munson was un-comfortable after a friend talked about his fa-

ther. Curious about the cause of his normally energetic friend’s behaviour, Sharma asked why Munson was upset.

“I turned around and saw that there were tears in his eyes and I talked to Michael for the rest of brunch about his father’s incident — how he broke his neck and all the financial burden,” Sharma said. “I work with leaders ev-eryday and I consider myself as a leader in a privileged position… and I thought about how I could help Michael.

“With this in mind, I knew that Michael

did not have to do this alone,” Sharma contin-ued. “All of the community should see the situ-ation he is in right now, so I came up with the idea by evaluating my options and by just think-ing big.”

To kickstart the campaign, Munson and Sharma are planning to use the power of social media to spread awareness about the Munson family’s situation. So far, Munson and Sharma have posted a video about the campaign on Facebook that they are hoping will gain likes and shares. They have also presented the idea to ASB in the hopes that it will incorporate their message into upcoming rallies. Lastly, they have talked to outside organizations to help spread awareness and raise funds for the Munson fam-ily.

Said Munson, “We want [my father] to understand that the community is here to [sup-port] him.”

Munson and Sharma ultimately hope that both students and those in the outside commu-nity alike help spread their campaign message and donate to the cause.

“I read some things about quadriplegia, and I came across this quote, ‘Life’s challenge isn’t to paralyze you, but to help you discover who you are’” Sharma said. “This speaks vol-umes — as a community, we should ask, who are we as Cupertino High School? Are we just [students that go to school] every day, or are we [part of] a community that sticks to one anoth-er and helps when someone needs it?”

COMPILED BY BRIAN ZHONG

I consider myself a leader in a privileged position… I thought about how I could help Michael

- Sophomore Ishan Sharma

Page 3: Prospector issue 7

The Prospector NewsApril 25, 2014

As the race for California’s 17th Congressional District Repre-sentative approaches its June 3 voting date, campaigning has heated up amongst the candidates. Initial pre-voting polls indicate incumbent Mike Honda and challenger Ro Khanna emerging as the two top can-didates vying for the position of Congressman. As with many local elections, the Khanna-Honda battle has found its way into high school campuses, with the candidates enlisting the aid of students to help sup-port them in the contest for the congressional post.

Students interning for campaigns often help with tasks such as conducting campaign research, organizing paperwork and presenting data collected through surveys. Their work is often presented along-side that of full-time members of the teams. For the campaign season specifically, students are often asked to help with door-to-door discus-sions, phone calling in support of the campaign and participation in rallies for the candidate.

Junior Siddhant Nikam currently serves as a Research Team member for Mike Honda’s Student Advisory Council (SAC). His work entails the collection of political surveys, presentation of data and dis-cussion with committee members regarding surfaced issues.

“As a SAC Research member, I work with Congressman Honda’s

team to analyze survey data regarding issues in the community,” Nikam said. “Currently we are working on the topic of Financial Aid and Aca-demic Equality.”

On a personal level, Nikam strongly supports many of the plat-forms taken on by Congressman Honda and states that this played a strong role in his decision to intern for Honda’s team. The key factor of experience in office played a large role in making Nikam’s decision.

“Congressman Honda has served this district and nation since 1990, the last 12 years being in the House,” Nikam said. “He clearly knows what it means to be a public servant. Furthermore, what many fail to recognize is that Honda has made sure that Silicon Valley’s tech-nological progression has been at the forefront of his congressional agenda.”

Similarly, junior Michelle Pyke volunteers as part of challenger Ro Khanna’s Youth Group. She works once to twice a week to conduct campaign activities that include phone banking and door to door can-vassing.

“When we phone bank, we meet up at someone’s house and use an online list to call voters,” Pyke explained. “This list includes people [who] are ‘likely voters’ and have at least some chance of voting for Ro in the upcoming election. For door to door canvassing we spread information about the candidate and his background.”

Pyke says that while conducting door to door campaigns students are encouraged to make conversation as naturally as possible, and fo-cus on spreading the message as to why they personally believe in the candidate.

Said Pyke, “The main reason why I support Ro Khanna is because he has proven to be a worthy candidate for our area through his sup-port for STEM programs in schools and also just having the knowledge about how the tech industry works.”

Nikam and Pyke both plan to attend rallies for their respective candidates to show support publically, and hope to continue work for the Congressman and challenger as the election progresses into its final stages. Both also believe it is important for students on campus to ac-tively support a candidate as a way of performing their civic duty.

The main reason why I support Ro Khanna is because he [has] the knowledge about how the tech in-dustry works

- Sophomore Michelle Pyke“

TANAY TANDONcopy editor

The 2014 17th District Congressional ElectionIn June, the first round of elections will determine the two candidates running to represent California’s 17th Congressional District in November. Here’s what you need to know

Part three of a three-part seriesTHE VOICES OF THE VOTERS

THU DAM

THU DAM

COMPILED BY MICHAEL LI

STUDENT SUPPORTER | Junior Siddhant Nikam has helped Mike Honda with his re-elecction campaign, and serves on Honda’s Student Advisory Council (SAC).

Page 4: Prospector issue 7

4 Opinions April 25, 2014

Why California’s new testing system is a step in the right direction

STAFF EDITORIAL

Smarter, Balanced

11

in8%

ONLY nearly

When it was established in 1998, the STAR — Stan-dardized Testing and Reporting — program aimed to re-habilitate a failing educational code and bring new life to a long-outdated system. Sixteen years later — after years of criticism denouncing it as unchallenging, irrelevant, and not a fair measure of students’ educational progress — STAR is being overhauled once again. Its replacement — the Smarter Balanced test — has been modernized, revitalized, and changed to correspond with the new Common Core State Standards, and is a step in the right direction for California’s ailing education system.

The Common Core State Standards initiative is a nationwide program, adopted on a state-by-state basis, that has re-written public school standards for math and language arts. Among the many changes is an increased emphasis on college and career readiness; the standards have been crafted to prepare students for college-level English and test practical, applicable mathematics. The emphasis for language arts is creating “logical arguments based on claims, solid reasoning, and relevant evidence” in order to make the skills students learn in school more applicable to their lives and careers. The standards also place a greater emphasis on student-produced work, making it more than just test-taking strategy; students are pressed to formulate their own responses and explain their reasoning, ensuring that they are understanding and not simply memorizing.

The Smarter Balanced test, in turn, was crafted to be as relevant and fair as possible, in order to effectively assess students’ learning. In alignment with the distinct

name change, the test features superior altera-tions such as the format of the test, which is now computer-based. The test is self-adaptive, meaning that it changes depending on a particular student’s aptitudes and abilities; for example, the test displays easier questions if a student misses multiple questions in a row. Similarly, it increases in difficulty if a student an-swers questions correctly.

The computerization of the test allows teachers to collect data on the progress of their students, and con-tinue this evaluation throughout the year. Teachers can administer “interim assessments” over the course of the school year to assess the progress of their students and individually track the needs of each student. This also allows the teachers to have feedback on which teaching methods work and which areas need greater emphasis.

Many have expressed concern over the is-sue of necessary technology; some schools in the state of California have very few computers at their disposal, and the cost of the devices would re-duce the already-low budget of schools. However, the advantages of the new testing system far outweigh the $175 million price tag. Incorporating technology into testing improves efficiency, helps conserve paper, and teaches computer literacy in an increasingly technologi-cal world.

California’s standardized testing system has been struggling to provide its students with adequate educa-tion, testing, and college preparation for years. With the

ad-v e n t o f Smarter Balanced testing, the state has a chance to make its education system relevant, challenging, and effec-tive — hopefully, this time, for good.

Th

ePrison Probleman aspect of our country that tends to be overlooked may be causing more problems than it is fixing

It’s hard to imagine spending one’s life in a small cement cube, ears constantly ringing from the shouting of neighbors sticking their hands through metal bars in an attempt to set themselves free. As the United States has risen as the larg-est incarcerator in the world, however, this unfortunate lifestyle has become a harsh reality for many Americans. A large portion of these inmates are people of color from poor, urban areas and convicted of low-level drug crimes — victims of an unfair system that needs to be reformed.

The United States houses the largest number of prisoners in the world. In the past 40 years, the prison population has risen dramatically due to the Reagan-imposed War on Drugs. Inmates

who are imprisoned for nonviolent drug violations make up 50 percent of federal prison populations, while only 8 percent of fed-eral prisoners are perpetrators of violent crimes. While the goal of these actions is to lower drug demands nationwide, the results of incarcerating such a large amount of the population cannot be called a success, as the United States’ drug predicament remains as serious as ever.

Another factor has contributed to the increase in prison pop-ulations: the privatization of prisons. Starting in the 1980s, private prisons — for- profit organizations paid by the government to hold inmates — gained popular- ity, and in the past 20 years, inmate populations in private prisons have risen by over 1,600 percent. These prisons make billions of dollars annually,

meaning they have a monetary incentive to maintain high prison populations. They have also been proven in many cases to mis-treat prisoners and provide them with unsafe living conditions. The fact that there is an entire business that profits off of incar-ceration indicates a major problem within the prison system, as the potential for corruption and conflict of interest is high.

Private or not, the flaws in the U.S. prison system have a large effect on the nation’s people. The cost, per year, to house an in-mate in California is over $48,000, while the cost per high school student dwindles at around $10,000. This puts incarceration up as one of the largest costs borne by taxpayers, at an average of $52 to $70 billion in taxes per year. Considering the fact that most inmates are convicted of nonviolent crime and thus pose little threat to society, it is clear that imprisoning these people is simultaneously counterproductive and unnecessarily expensive, all while making no efforts to rehabilitate drug users.

LAURA SHKOURATOFFopinions editor

U.S. adults are behind barsof prisoners are in for violent crime

of the world’s inmates are held in the U.S.

COURTESY OF HUFFINGTON POST

1 4in

$10K

$20K

$30K

$40K

$50K

per student

per inmate

California’s yearly spending

Page 5: Prospector issue 7

5The Prospector OpinionsApril 25, 2014

TEACHER-STUDENT

FRIENDSHIPS

MAITHILEE KANTHIlifestyles editor

mutually positive relationships help enhance our school lives

According to the results of the recent Stanford survey taken at school, less than one percent of students feel that they have an adult on campus that they can speak to in confidence. This finding is hardly a surprise when those who do reach out to connect with their teachers are often branded as kiss-ups by the student population. This student-driven stigma has cheapened a rich and mutually beneficial relationship into a selfish power play.

The accusers believe that anyone who pursues conversation with their teachers past the given curriculum has some ulterior agenda in mind. The name-callers label the students as a ‘teachers pet’. Yet those that kindly start a conversation with their teacher aren’t generally doing so just to secure a high grade. They may just want to connect with an adult they admire and respect. After all, it just makes sense to chat every now and then with a per-son in whose presence one spends five hours every week.

There is some validity to the claim that ‘teacher’s pets’ get higher grades after they’ve struck up that link with their teacher. However, this is not because of favoritism, but rather due to the student’s newfound motiva-tion in the class. Having that bond pushes students to impress their teach-ers and earn their respect. They can participate more comfortably and take more away from the class when they are personally and often even emo-tionally invested.

Furthermore, if a student believes there is an adult on campus who genuinely cares for his or her well-being, the stress of a competitive school is slightly eased. There is a great sense of comfort in knowing that someone mature is available in the student’s daily environment. The teacher is able to give better advice than parents in some situations, because of his or her fa-miliarity with the situation. In cases where students do not have supportive family lives, the guidance of their teachers is the only positive adult influ-ence in their lives. In such cases it is more than imperative for the student to develop a healthy relationship with a teacher.

The relationships are beneficial to the teachers as well. Day after day of lesson plans, department meetings, and grading papers tends to wear them down; on top of that, the presence of harsh, impersonal students could re-ally dampen the joy of the job. So when those few students make the effort to simply talk to a teacher and show their appreciation, the teacher’s entire day could be made. The reason many teachers chose their profession is their desire to shape the lives of young people and guide them as they mature. When a teacher personally sees that in his or her students, the experience creates a strong sense of fulfillment and pride.

It only makes sense for students to connect with their teachers, as in the long run they are destined to spend four years on the same campus. Stu-dents should feel comfortable striking up a conversation or sharing home baked goods with their teacher. And the term “sucking up” should really just be shelved.

suicide is the third most common cause of death in American youth

in a recent study of 16 million tumblr blogs, 12.5% contained self-harm tags

1 in 12 teens have cut themselves

76% of anorexic people are between the ages of 11 and 20

COURTESY OF PEW RESEARCH

Upon keying in the “depression” tag on blogging site Tumblr, the follow-ing disclaimer is shown: “If you or someone you know is dealing with an eating disorder, self harm issues, or sui-cidal thoughts, please visit our Counseling & Prevention Resources page for a list of services that may be able to help.” With a click of the mouse, however, the disclaimer disappears to display thousands of haunting photos de-picting emaciated women, wrists with bleeding cuts and more. For teenagers frequently exposed to such social media, the barrage of seemingly artistic and mystical im-ages and .GIFs tagged with #depression can be arresting and even intriguing. Alas, these images have redefined what it means to be depressed and have created commu-nities of depressed individuals influenced with twisted conceptions of depression. This romanticized portrayal of depression on social media is a critical problem that must be stopped through the recognition of depression as a severe mental illness.

The plethora of romanticized images of depression on Tumblr — ranging from .GIFs of teenagers cutting themselves with razor blades to morbid quotes like “peo-ple who die by suicide don’t want to end their lives, they want to end their pain” — has given depression a danger-ously incorrect representation. Such images attempt to justify self harm by claiming that inflicting self harm is an effective way to cope with sadness and that dying al-lows an individual to go to a better place. An even greater number of images combine torment and beauty in the same photograph, portraying psychological disorders in a beautiful way.

By glorifying disorders like anorexia, depression

and self-harm, Tumblr has painted these critical illnesses into a fascinating vision of mystery and allure. Tumblr, however, is not the only site that has perpetuated the ide-alized version of depression; Prettythin, a site for pro-an-orexics, also encourages the glorification of self-pity and self-starvation. Furthermore, because teenagers tend to get information from social media rather than traditional news sources, more and more adolescents are confusing depression — a clinical disorder — with everyday chal-lenges, and thus are failing to seek proper medical atten-tion.

Alongside redefining depression, the romanticized portrayal of depression has also encouraged teenagers to join and remain in communities of depressed people. The cycle begins when an individual takes an artsy photo depicting depression and adds a quote about inner tur-moil. When the surrounding community responds with pity and compassion and the individual is recognized as a strong, beautiful person, he or she loses the motivation to leave the community, as doing so would mean losing these supposedly understanding people. In order to fit in and be accepted by others, individuals subconsciously choose to continue suffering. In this way, more and more teenagers have come to believe that they are depressed; sites like Tumblr have become havens for people to share negative images and exacerbate depressing feelings.

To continue the circulation of romanticized images of depression is to further worsen the growing issue of falsely representing depression. Depression is more than just a photo of artfully running mascara — it is a critical psychological disorder that takes away the lives of over 38,000 people every year. Though it is an illness that cannot be eliminated, society can certainly be more con-siderate by discouraging the continuance of depression romanticism.

ISABEL LINflip side assistant

Page 6: Prospector issue 7

UP(load) in the (SOUND)CLOUDs

Over the April break, Facebook feeds were bombarded with pictures of sunsets and students in

aloha shirts, often alongside chiseled Hawaiian dancers lacking any sort of shirt at all.

Accompanied by six parent chaper-ones, Principal Kami Tomberlain, and

Band Director Gilbert Iruegas, sixty-seven students from the school’s

Proud Pioneer Marching Band flew to the island of Oahu in

Hawaii the Thursday before Spring Break. This group

constituted the larg-est such trip in the

music depart-ment’s recent

history.

The band performed a patriotic repertoire in front of the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor, includ-ing Semper Fidelis, God Bless the USA, and The Star Spangled Banner.

“[The trip provided] the students with an in-valuable education performance experience,” said Iruegas. “Performing patriotic music is one thing, but doing so with Pearl Harbor as the backdrop takes it to a whole new level. [It] is an experience and an honor that the students will never forget.”

The Marching Band is known for fostering close-knit relationships, and this trip further bol-stered the bonds between the students in attendance.

“Nothing brings a group closer than… per-forming together, eating together, playing together, and seeing each other in a whole new way. I am sure that friendship bonds were strengthened, and new bonds were made,” stated Iruegas.

The trip included plenty of time to relax and en-joy the various attractions of the island. The group embarked on a cruise, snorkelled at Hanauma bay, and swam in the waters of Waikiki Beach. Fresh-man Miguel Lopez demonstrated his very spirited Hawaiian Hula dancing abilities on stage with two

professional Hula dancers in front of hundreds at the

Paradise Cove Luau.

In the growing world of technology, a musician’s ability to put his or her name out into the market has evolved as well. Unlike earlier artists like 90s rapper Tupac Shakur, who made their debuts in school concerts and film soundtracks, the Inter-net has allowed musicians to broadcast their work to a much larger audience via new platforms, namely Soundcloud and Spotify.

Soundcloud, which started in Swe-den with the intention of creating a Flickr-esque medium for musicians, has easily become a staple for rising musicians.

“I use Soundcloud simply because it is easy to use and upload music,” senior and producer Jonathan Lin said. “It is also extremely easy to connect with fel-low musicians; I follow and talk to many [producers] who make similar music.

Soundcloud’s basically just the industry standard.”

Spotify, another company started in Sweden, works under a similar concept. As Spotify CEO Daniel Ek explained, “the focus of the artist ought to be how [to] maximize the number of streams, because that, in turn, will be better long-term for [him or her].”

Now among the most popular streaming sources, Spotify gives rise to a venue in which multiple artists can upload and share their music. While not as versa-tile and effective for small, independent artists, Spotify allows musicians to make more money by ensuring that consumers who would not have originally bought the music indirectly pay via listening to adver-tisements or buying a premium account.

Band says “hi” from HIFeatures April 25, 2014

turn up the MUSIC

JEREMY XUEfeatures editor

NIRMIT SHAHsports assistant

Spotify and Soundcloud become industry standards

for music sharing

6

NIRMIT SHAHsports assistant

Page 7: Prospector issue 7

For most students in the school, music may only be a hobby or something that they enjoy in their free time. For senior and aspiring

rock artist Darius Dadfar, however, music represents some-thing much more than simple vibrations.

“I started learning the guitar a little less than two years ago after being inspired by my favorite rock artists,”

Dadfar said. “I wanted to become [like] such mu-sicians [as] Muse and Radiohead, [and] deliver

that same spiritual thrill as I feel when I hear their songs.”

Playing music has helped Dadfar overcome many problems throughout his life. As he plays his favorite music on the guitar, he relieves stress and finds motivation to be a different, im-

proved person each day. “Music has helped me through

literally everything,” Dadfar said. “I have been through a lot of bad things and

good things recently and music has always been there out for me.”

In addition to his hobby, Dadfar is also the musical DJ for the drama department, and

played a significant role in the orchestra pit for the recent spring musical “The Who’s Tommy.”

Initially, he had doubts about being a guitar player for CAT, but he knew that experience with every aspect of

music in his life would teach him valuable lessons. “I spent the entirety of winter break and March perfect-

ing unfamiliar songs in ‘The Who’s Tommy’ on the guitar… and with the help of the orchestra, we managed to deliver a

powerful performance of Tommy,” Dadfar said. “It is really im-portant as an artist to expose yourself to different experiences

of music and genres because if you are limited to a specific genre … you are excluded and missing out from all the potential great-

ness around you.” Recently, Dadfar worked toward his dream of becoming a

rock artist by practicing with his friends to play for the school’s an-nual talent show. Although he and his friends have not formed an of-ficial band and mostly practice on an individual level, they decided to

get together under Dadfar’s leadership for the talent show.

“We actually ended up de-ciding to call it ‘The Darius Dadfar Experience,’” Dadfar said with a laugh. “It is an in-terim band with Manmeet Virdee at the bass, Martin Coder singing the vocals, Idean Nakhjavani playing the drums and me play-ing the guitar.”

The tal-ent show, though ultimately resched-uled for a lunchtime performance in the quad, was success-ful and enlightening for Dadfar and his friends.

“We got some very positive feed-back from other students and also learned impor-tant lessons about performing,” Dadfar said. “The audience really liked ‘Hotel California’; some even sang with us as we played through it. I realized at the height of the performance that I belong here, playing the songs I love on stage.”

Dadfar plans to pursue a degree in music in college and make his own music in the near future.

Said Dadfar, “To me, music is more than just some simple notes scribbled across the paper. It isn’t a thing, it becomes a person, and that person is me.”

“ T h e crowd loved it and it is some-thing I will never forget,” said Iruegas. “I would like to thank the stu-dents for being awesome young ladies and gentlemen throughout the trip. I was approached on nu-merous occasions by tourists and lo-cals who complimented the students on the respectful manner in which they [carried] themselves. I would also like to thank our awesome parent chaperones, our trip planner, and our princi-pal, for making this trip possible and memorable.”

Band says “hi” from HI

If asked to describe music, some students might comment on an unusual beat. Others might point towards lyrics that they find particularly compelling. It’s not often that a student would com-ment on its layers of sound — however, senior Isabel Park does just that and more.

“In a beat, there’s a base, snare, and bells,” Park said. “To make it easier to adjust sounds and balances, I do all of that in separate layers... so it becomes simultaneous sounds just playing together.”

Recently, Park began producing music on GarageBand and uploading original songs to SoundCloud, a hobby that stemmed from her exploration of a recent gift, a MacBook Pro.

Although Park has just recently begun producing music electronically, she had originally become involved in music as a classical pianist. While she discussed the translation of her clas-sical background into her contemporary hobby, Park noted that although she enjoyed producing, she felt that its musical capacity was limited.

“It’s not the same as... playing it yourself, so I sometimes find that kind of frustrating,” Park explained. “I feel like [it oversimpli-fies] the music I grew up with.”

Nevertheless, Park also found that producing allowed her to synthesize different concepts and ideas from the two genres. For example, if there was a chord that she particularly enjoyed with-in whatever classical piece she happened to be playing, such as Beethoven or Rachmaninov, she might integrate the same chord progression into her current electronic production.

“For the last [song] I made, I actually just started out with a chord that … I just kind of liked,” Park said. “It turns out that [there is a similar chord] in one of my favorite Korean songs. I was able to incorporate the melody into it ... completely unintentionally … you kind of just mix different parts of things you hear.”

Although Park will study piano in college, with the aim of teaching music in underdeveloped countries as a career, she is con-sidering music production as something that she will continue to do, at least in the near future.

“I don’t know if I want to take it seriously … in some ways, this is just a way to expand my creativity for classical music, so it’ll always be just a hobby,” Park explained. “But I think I’ll continue doing it.”

The Prospector FeaturesApril 25, 2014

The Darius Dadfar Experience

Piano, guitar and violin: Over the years, these instruments have become more and more common all around the world. People with an interest in

such instruments face millions of competitors with the same de-

sire; however, a few develop a passion for unconvention-al instruments.

Junior Amit Ranga-nathan is one of the few students with an immense devotion to the Mrudan-gam, a South Indian clas-sical drum. This unique drum has two sides: one side produces a sharp,

resonating noise, while the other produces a rich bass sound. The pitch of the drum is determined by the size of the wood and the amount of hollow space inside the drum.

Ranganathan’s parents originally wanted him to learn Mrudangam, a traditional accompaniment instru-ment, in order to complement his two sisters, who are both singing enthusiasts. He attributes his success as an advanced Mrudangam player to years of practice and regular attendance at recitals and concerts.

“I have been learning this instrument for just over seven years,” Ranganathan said. “As a matter of fact, I gave my solo debut in September 2013 in which I accompa-nied an esteemed vocalist from India. It was a three and a half hour-long concert and was attended by over 800 people.”

Junior Monica Nissen has a similar passion for an equally rare instrument. She has played the harp for eight years and even plans to become a music therapist.

“I remember that when I was little, sometimes my

family would go to see a ballet or orchestra and I loved to watch the harpist the most,” Nissen recalled. “So even-tually I kept begging and begging my parents to let me take lessons. When they finally realized that it wasn’t just a passing phase, they gave in to my demands.”

In high school, many students are forced to aban-don their instruments because of the increased workload. However, Nissen continued playing the harp, which, sur-prisingly, has helped her in high school.

“Often times when I’m buried under homework or I have looming deadlines, I turn to my harp,” said Nissen

As Ranganathan and Nissen approach the last year of their high school careers, both are looking for-ward to pursue music in the future.

Said Ranganathan, “I definitely do plan on con-tinuing this art form.”

“I’ve always loved music.” Nissen added. “It’s the one thing that I truly love with all of my soul. There’s nothing better than feeling that connec-tion between you and a song.”

Rare Instruments

turn up the MUSIC

MYUNG-JU SONGflip side assistant

PROD. ISABEL PARKASHLEY LIUlifestyles assistant

ALEX SHIEHopinions assistant

ANGELA LIN

PAUL KNAACK

PAUL KNAACK

THU DAM

ISABEL PARK

PAUL KNAACK

7

THU DAM

Page 8: Prospector issue 7

8 Lifestyles April 25, 2014

A.I . FLICKSArtificial intelligence films bring up crucial ques-tions to ask ourselves as technology advances.

Spike Jonze’s futuristic film, Her, is centered around Theodore Twombly, a distraught man who becomes romantically involved with his operat-ing system, Samantha, who possesses Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence, also known as AI, is the intelligence exhibited by software with human-like intelligence. The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix (Theodore) and Scarlett Johansson (Samantha), focuses heavily on the difficulties of their relationship.

Theodore purchases Samantha after he hears an ad claiming that the newly released OS’s are “intuitive [entities] that listen to you and understand you”. She first begins by doing what all OS’s are designed to do, but because of her Artificial Intelligence, she begins to change her ways. Soon after this change, they begin bonding over their shared ideas regarding love and life, further escalating their romantic relationship.

Similarly to Jonze, Director Wally Pfister uses the ideas of Artificial Intelligence in his new sci-fi movie, Transcendence, starring Johnny Depp (Will) and Rebecca Hall (Evelyn). Dr. Will Caster, a genius researcher in the race to create Artificial Intelligence, is poisoned by a group of “terrorists”. In an act of desperation, his wife uploads his mind onto a computer.

Her tells the heartbreaking story of a lonely man and an ambitious operating system in Los Angeles, where machines have been embedded into everyday life, whereas Transcendence tells the story of a man living from within a computer.

HER ( 2 0 1 3 )

In Her, every scene is influenced by honest emotion — and by the burning desire to escape from one’s limited self to connect with another be-ing. The abiding question, though unexpressed, is whether we truly need our bodies to love or if the experience can be solely mental.

Unlike Jonze, however, Pfister uses the ideas of Artificial Intelligence in a mundane and tedious way, despite the film’s big budget and star-studded lineup. The script produced no compelling dialogue and there is little excitement following the first scene. However, despite its flaws, Transcendence expresses relevant doubts about the future of humanity and raises questions surrounding what makes us human, much like Her does.

However, because Will and his wife are never shown to be having lighthearted conversations, there is no sense of a real relationship like the one shared between Theodore and Samantha, and since much of the movie focuses on Caster’s wife struggling to adapt to her husband’s rise to power, the film’s other characters, Kate Mara and Morgan Freeman, go underutilized.

TRANSCENDENCE ( 2 0 1 4 )

DELANIE MEDINAflipside editor

behind the smoke

Sitting cross-legged on the edge of the sidewalk and enjoy-ing the tiny sliver of shade cast by neighboring trees, senior John Lee* takes a long drag on his vape pen before exhaling a cloud of smoke that drifts lazily through the hot, stagnant late afternoon air. As bicyclists and pedestrians pass through the quiet residen-tial neighborhood, Lee unscrews the mouthpiece to add some additional liquid to the vape — liquid by the name of Cucumber Honey. This, he says, he ordered online.

Lee buys much of his vaping merchandise online for the same reason he requested anonymity in this article — he is un-der 18 years old. With supplies easily available and largely un-regulated on the Web, vaping has become a popular alternative to traditional means of smoking among young people, due not only to the accessibility but also because many students view the battery-powered, vapor-producing electronic cigarettes, also known as vapes, as less dangerous than cigarettes or marijuana.

Although little research has been conducted regarding the effects of vapes on smoking cessation, some, like Lee, have used vaping as a tool to wean themselves off nicotine.

“I’ve smoked cigarettes since [I was] 12 years old, so it’s been a bad habit,” Lee said. “I bought nicotine patches, I bought nicotine gum … I used to smoke a pack a day — $5 a day, ridicu-lous — then I bought one of those small, cigarette-sized [vapes] … it worked for me.”

Though Lee still smokes cigarettes regularly, vaping has al-lowed him to alleviate many of the consequences that accom-pany tobacco usage. Now, he says with a laugh, he is able to ride his bike without difficulty breathing and no longer has to worry

about ash coating his clothes.While vapes have seen a rapid increase in usage among

smokers and nonsmokers alike over the past several years, with annual sales rising from 50,000 in 2008 to over 3.5 million just four years later, scientific debate surrounding the benefits and drawbacks of e-cigarettes has yet to be settled or even thoroughly explored. In a 2012 study published in the British Medical Jour-nal, researchers estimated that vapor from e-cigarettes contains anywhere between 9 to 450 times fewer toxins than typical ciga-rette smoke — however, with a range this wide, the true impact of vape-related chemicals remains unknown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to caution against vapes, noting that the substances present may be less harmful than those in cigarettes but not necessarily benign.

Furthermore, as many users opt for liquid containing nico-tine, often in an effort to curb cigarette dependency, addiction is still a risk. Both Lee and senior Justin Cheng were looking for cigarette substitutes when they turned to vape pens, but have found that vapes satisfy even the simplest desire for activity.

“[Vaping] satiates the need for cigarettes [and] … for the nicotine,” Cheng said. “Also, it gives me something to do on my commute, because traffic is just God-awful. So I just turn up some tunes and vape in the car without needing to worry about smell or ash.”

Not all users, however, are in pursuit of nicotine. Senior Me-lissa Leung is among those who vape with zero-nicotine liquid, noting that the e-cigarettes are simply “fun to play with when you’re bored.”

Furthermore, she states, much of the public is unaware that many users are not smokers but just looking to “show off tricks or play around.”

“I feel like a lot of people don’t know what vapes are,” Leung

said. “They see smoke and they freak out and assume I’m addicted to cigarettes when I’ve never smoked one whatsoever.”

But as the effects of e-cigarettes are currently unknown, some cities are begin-ning to propose and approve bans on the us-age of vapes in public spaces such as businesses and restaurants, citing concerns of secondhand toxins and influence on children. In March, San Francisco passed sweeping regulations that place e-cigarettes under the same laws as conventional cigarettes, while Santa Clara County recently added vaporizing devices to the tobacco policies in area health clinics.

Though Cheng and Lee believe that the vapor re-leased from e-cigarettes is incomparable to secondhand smoke, they both acknowledge that these laws are indeed a reasonable response to this growing trend.

“If it’s private property, like if you’re vaping in a Starbucks, [then] there’s people and there’s children,” Lee said. “People shouldn’t be exposing that kind of thing to children.”

But as the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes spurs political and scientific discussion, Cheng continues to emphasize the role of substitution that vapes often play in breaking smoking hab-its — not unlike, he says, the numerous choices of weight loss methods available today.

“One way to [become healthier] is eating those special diet bars or all those dietary supplements and fiber cereals,” Cheng said. “I just see vapes as those little snacks that altogether help people reduce smoking.”

KATIE MARTINcopy assistant

KEELY ZHANGfeatures assistant

V A P I N G and mirrors

Page 9: Prospector issue 7

9The Prospector LifestylesApril 25, 2014

theist GatheringA first glance at

the home page reads a simple description:

“The Sunday Assembly is a global network of people who want to make the most of this one life we know we have.” The Sunday Assembly is a visionary group that aims to improve life without bringing any kind of doctrine into the picture. Started in London by two British comedians, Sand-erson Jones and Pippa Evans, the idea of the Sunday Assembly went international, branching out into the UK, Australia, and the US — finally reaching Silicon Valley.

Gillian Claus, an alumnus from this school and the president of Sunday Assembly Silicon Valley, described the open approach of the congregation: “Everyone is welcome. Whatever your views on religion, you will find an energized group of people who know how to celebrate this one life we know we have.”

The process is like that of a church. There are secular versions of worship, service, prayer and even offering. The speak-er usually talks about arts or sciences, resembling a TedTalk, while the reading is often from a local poet. The worship is similar to an animated, energetic karaoke session. The goal is to “inspire the audience with a sense of wonder,” Claus described.

The Sunday Assembly was quickly nicknamed “The Atheist Church,” a label the congregation disagreed with. Athe-ists are only a small proportion of the population that shows up, with many people considering themselves simply nonreligious. And the population is huge — the first Silicon Valley meetup had nearly 150 people come together at the theatre at San Pedro Square in Downtown San Jose. Instead, “[it is] better to focus on what we do have, which is lots of fun and some big ideas,” Claus said.

I stumbled into a “smoup” — small group — meeting on Sunday. It was a small round table meetup that meets every

YANE AHNlifestyles assistant

third Sunday to play games. They were amiable, ordinary people. One middle-aged man told me he worked with computers. A col-lege student said he worked with sound tech.

When I asked, “You guys meet even on Easter?”, I received the reply, “Especially on Easter!”

A woman told me this was her first time coming to the game meetup, but that she had explored a lot of different types of non-reli-gious groups. She told me she also was a part of a more liberal Quak-er group, in which the members — called “friends” — meditated together; normally a religious group, the movement accepted those who identified as non-religious. The sound tech student discussed his association in the Atheist Community of San Jose, a group which started coincidentally around the same time as the Sunday Assem-bly London.

The experience was, overall, positive. Everyone was friend-ly, while jokes about beginner’s luck were shared as I won the Fluxx game we were playing. One of the game players suggested that I try different smoups, like the recently popular Beer Tasting Smoup, al-though I politely declined due to being underage.

I asked what people should expect going into a Sunday As-sembly and “just be friendly; we don’t bite!” was the sentiment ex-pressed by everyone. The members conveyed appreciation for what the Sunday Assembly had done for them, helping them meet a lot of people and learn to love the non-spiritual side of life. The Sunday Assembly may mean a lot of things for different people — respite for tired employees, a change of scenery for the ex-religious or a place of refuge for the average citizen — but, according to Claus, it has one message for everyone: to “live the life you have as well as you can, help people who need help and never lose the sense of wonder at this world we get to spend a little time in.”

JOYCE YEfeatures assistant

U R B A N F A R M I N G

of urban farming

The Silicon Valley is well known throughout the world as a capital of technology and innovation — but it was not always so. Before the 1960s, the Bay Area was a huge agricul-tural powerhouse. Although these times are long gone, some residents still preserve the Valley’s agricultural roots through urban farming.

Urban farming, defined as the act of growing fruits, herbs and vegetables and raising animals in cities, is more common in the Bay Area than one might think. Several students at the school, including sophomore Vivi-an Kung, raise chickens and other farm animals at their homes.

“[Urban farming has] taught me a lot about where my food comes from and is a great opportunity to become more responsible,” Kung said. “Furthermore, fresh food is much better for you than processed food, and gardening is good exercise!”

In addition, urban farming vastly decreases each city’s carbon foot-print by reducing the distance food has to travel to get to the customer, thereby

lowering carbon dioxide emissions in the process. Plants themselves also help absorb carbon dioxide, all while producing breathable oxygen. Indeed, the benefits go far be-yond the dinner table, impacting the planet on a much larger scale.

Aside from its beneficial impacts on the environment, urban farming also improves the general health of citizens. As stated by the North American Initiative on Urban Agri-culture, urban farming is often linked to increased consumption of healthier milk, eggs, and fruits and vegetables.

For low-income families, urban farming provides quality nutrition at a lower cost. Instead of only being able to afford cheap and low quality food, fami-

lies can invest a few dollars in seeds for farming and reap the benefits over time.

Granted, urban farming does not come without hardships, as Kung was quick to describe the process as “an everyday job.”

Said Kung, “You have to be dedicated and responsible be-cause everything you tend to is a living organism that needs to

be at its best health to provide the most resources.”Even with the added responsibility, however, Kung still believes that the

benefits of urban farming are more than enough to outweigh any difficulties.

Is 100% celebration of life. We are born from nothing and go to nothing. Let’s enjoy it together.

- The Sunday Assembly “

promotes healthy eating

reduces car-bon emission

job creation

food securityBENeFITS

Smoup (n.): small group

movie smoup

beer-tasting smoup

Free to attendNot-for-profit

Volunteer Run

Page 10: Prospector issue 7

10 Sports May 31, 2013

NCAA unionizing; is the move detrimental or beneficial?

On Wednesday, March 26, the National Labor Rela-tions Board (NLRB) ruled that Northwestern University football players had the right to unionize. This unprec-edented decision came as a shock to the collegiate sports community and raised numerous questions regarding the future of NCAA intercollegiate sports.

The NLRB said that football players are essentially the school’s employees; the players claimed that they were “hired” by the school coaches and “paid,” in turn, through scholarships. Peter Sung Ohr, the Region 13 di-rector of the NLRB who issued the ruling, claimed that unlike the precedent case, in which graduate students at Brown University working as teacher assistants were not classified as employees since they were students first and employees second, football has nothing to do with aca-demics. In fact, Ohr stated that many of the players would not have been admit- ted to the university in the first place had it not been for their prowess in the sport.

“We want stu- dent athletes — 99 percent of whom will never turn pro — focused on what matters most: finding suc- cess in the classroom, on the field and in life,”

stated a memo drafted by the NCAA in response to this ruling. “We know we have work to do. But do we really want to signal to society and high school stu-dents that making money is the reason to come play a sport in college, as opposed to getting an education, which will benefit you for a lifetime?”

The memo further argues in opposition to “pay-for-play” and unions and states that “the over-whelming majority of student-athletes play college sports as part of their educational experience and because they love their sport, not to be paid a salary.”

According to Milo Lewis, a former col-lege football player and current paraeducator at the school, the players need financial support after their graduation due to injuries inflicted during their time with the team.

“I think it’s a good idea for players to unionize because a lot of players, when they’re done playing, are still going to need medical attention,” Lewis said. “[Without unionization], people who have rods in-serted in their legs or who have their knees blown out have nothing to fall back on after they graduate.”

Although athlete unions can guarantee more rights, such as health insurance, to the players, they can also bring a drastic change to the entire collegiate sport program. According to the NCAA, athletic scholarships can be cut or eliminated, the number of championships can be reduced, small sports can lose funding, and support services such as academic sup-port and career counseling can be severely affected.

The next step for the players is to hold an election among eli- gible Northwestern scholarship foot- ball players. This,

however, would likely ex-

A splash of color

Run.This word can provoke various responses from various people.

While those who run miles in less than five minutes may get excited, the not-so-athletic might not share the same emotion. However, a re-cent ongoing trend has found a way to make even those not-so-athletic people excited about runs.

Various races have decided to include elements such as throwing paint at the runners and setting up obstacle courses in order to take away the emphasis on fatigue and focus more on the fun and experience. The Color Run founded the idea of throwing paint on runners, and it has in-spired many other companies to create similar opportunities for people to have an unforgettable experience. Some of the most popular races in-clude Run or Dye and Hit and Run 5K, an obstacle course with whack-ing walls and bouncy bridges.

Due to the increased amount of workers that are required in these fun runs, many more student volunteers have been needed. Large com-

munity service clubs on campus, such as California Scholarship Federation (CSF) and National Honor Society (NHS), have been sending numerous volunteers for these events.

“Color run events are very popular with our members, mostly because they have an obvious “fun factor” to them,” said Jonathan Mo (11), the Events Officer for CSF. “From what I’ve heard, they’re a blast to take part in.”

These events are popular not only because of the event cred-its and volunteer hours that are granted, but also because of the fun that the volunteers also get to indulge in. Color runs provide the volunteers with a simple yet exciting task.

“We were assigned … to a particular station with one color and [had to] throw dye at the runners,” said junior Mahima Dutt. “It is similar to Holi, which is an Indian festival [that] I’ve cel-ebrated before but I do not get to go to as often, so it was nice playing around with colors in a similar way again!”

Through the implementation of fun into exercise, many stu-dents that may not have the fastest mile time push themselves to run races at least for the fun and experience. After all, there is no better motivation to run faster than the desire to flee from flying gallons of paint.

JESSICA SHINcopy editor

CHRIS S. YOONnews assistant

REVENUE OF NCAA $ 871. 6 million dol lars

AVERAGE SALARY OF NCAA FOOTBALL C O A C H

1 . 4 M I L L I O N

D O L L A R S

TOP 5 HIGHEST PAID C O A C H E S I N T H E

NCAA1) Nick Saban — Alabama2) Mack Brown — Texas3) Bret Beliema — Arkansas

clude the union movement leader and former Wildcat quarterback Kain Colter. Northwest-ern, in turn, has appealed the case to the full NLRB in Washington, D.C.

“Northwestern believes strongly that our student-athletes are not employ-ees, but students. Unionization and collective bargaining are not the ap-propriate methods to address the concerns raised by student-ath-letes,” the university stated.

Lewis strongly believes that this is only a short-term win for the players and that in the long run, the university will ultimately prevail. However, the struggle will continue as student athletes continue to explore their rights and boundaries under the law.

RUN OR DYE | Runners have fun during the 5K event, waving colorful banners.

how color runs and other fun sport-ing events are revolutionizing fitness

MAHIMA DUTT

Page 11: Prospector issue 7

11The Prospector SportsMay 31, 2013

The great outdoors

In an area where most people engage in popular sports such as basketball, soccer, or football, outdoor ac-tivities such as hiking are quickly gaining ground. The Bay Area offers many great hiking trails and opportunities to explore, opportunities with which Boy Scout Sajan Sawh-ney (10) is very familiar.

“I’ve been hiking for about six years, since the third grade when I joined the Cub Scouts of America,” Sawhney said. “Hiking for me started out pretty casually; we hiked easier trails like Mount Madonna and Sunset Beach. [But] then I knew I wanted to go into the Boy Scouts, so my dad and I started hiking more difficult trails, like the PG&E trail. I’ve also done some backpacking.”

Hiking is an excellent way to get some exercise and is also a great learning and bonding experience. However, the difficulties associated with this strenuous activity can be difficult, as Sawhney, with a laugh, admitted that he himself “used to hate” many aspects of hiking.

“In the beginning, not being as experienced as my troop members, where most of the kids had been hik-ing with their families from a younger age, was difficult,” Sawhney said. “I would be dead tired

[after a hike],

and I twisted my ankle on both of my first backpacking trips, but I learned a lot and improved along the way with help from my troop members. That’s where the bonding experience comes in.”

Bicycling, another popular outdoor activity, is also gaining popularity among students. Bicycling is excellent cardiovascular exercise and builds both muscle and endur-ance. Many cyclists, including junior Ankit Bhutani, enjoy the adrenaline rush gained from speeding 40 miles per hour down a hill.

“Biking is one of the most fun sports because anyone can do it, and it’s good for fitness,” Bhutani said. “It also improves your focus and just makes you feel really alive.”

Both Sawhney and Bhutani can vouch for the benefits of less popular outdoor activities such as hiking and bik-ing, as the two have connected with nature through these endeavors and, along the way, gained some rewarding ex-periences.

For Sawhney, the “beautiful scenery” and the “eye-opening and spiritual” experience that accompany hiking are by far more powerful than any negativity associated with the activity.

“We live in such a beautiful area, near all these beauti-ful national parks, but I did not realize this until I started hiking,” Sawhney said. “So definitely my favorite part of hiking is being able to experience the wonders of n a -ture.”

One month ago, James Gilmore’s Total Fitness class was introduced to “My Fitness Pal,” a free, online calorie counter that records daily in-take. For five consecutive days, students were required to record their calorie intake and outtake, whether this was through daily activities such as walking home from school or deliberate exercise at the gym. The goal was not to lose weight, but rather to become aware of one’s habits and food consumption.

Inspired by the assignment, I set out to keep count of my calories for a term of 16 days. The following are my experiences.

Day 5: The FBLA State Leadership Conference has proven itself a problem. It is only day five, yet I’ve already given in to the complemen-tary chocolate treats and vegetable samosas from the Indian Cuisine down the street. 620 calories. Luckily, I’ve convinced my roommates to go down to the gym for a run. After 30 minutes we’ve given up. I record my exercise time, but wait, I’ve only burned 124 calories? I haven’t even lost a single cookie!

Day 8: Spring Break has begun. No more temptations and luxuries of eating out. I’m home, I’m comfortable, but it is now that the real war has begun. I’ve been in front of a screen for at least 5 hours. But wait! Suddenly, a notification appears and I remember, I have to record my calorie count! In my inactivity, I have consumed 3 madeline cookies of 67 calories each, 300 calories of pearl milk tea, and a meal of rice and Kimchi, amounting to 614 calories (+1 for Korea!). At 9 p.m., I’ve finally convinced myself that I need to go out for a run.

Day 16: Upon reflection of the past sixteen days, I immediately ac-knowledge the beneficial results of tracking my diet. Although I had only the obligation to record my daily diet, I found that, as I became more aware of what was going into my body, I was prone to think twice before ordering at a restaurant or scavenging through my food pantry. It came to my attention that losing calories was much more difficult than gaining them, and upon this realization, I was motivated to exercise in an effort to balance my consumption.

Contrary to popular belief, fulfilling a resolution is no easy task. Neither is Total Fitness. Oftentimes, however, it is not the goal that is difficult, but the motivations. By simply taking the time to become more aware of the foods I eat, I was able to take one step forward in maintain-ing a healthier lifestyle.

Counting Pal(ories)GLORIA CHOIcopy editor

RISHI NAIRcopy editor

Average number of calories consumed daily by Americans 3800

Average Number of Calories recommended for daily intake 2000

STATISTICS

hiking and bicycling are gaining popularity

MICHAEL LI

THU DAM

Page 12: Prospector issue 7

Flip Side April 23, 2014 12APRIL IN PHOTOS

Hi, my name is Thu Dam, and I am a living pun. Thu Dam cool. Thu Dam funny. Insert any adjective after my name, and I guarantee it will make sense, as my first name is pronounced like the number “two.” My last name is self explanatory. There has seldom been a day without at least one person coming up with a name pun; while most of the time they are incredibly lame, once in a while someone comes up with a pun that is so original it even manages to make me laugh. And trust me, that is not an easy task, considering how many of these I hear on a daily basis.

Whenever I used to walk into math class, I would have to brace myself. Numbers do not exactly work in favor of my name. While it is inevitable that my classmates will come up with some kind of pun, there are moments when even my teachers cannot refrain. For example:

Teacher: “Thu, could you answer number two on page two-hundred and twenty two?”

The class laughs. And can you guess what the answer was? Yup. Two. All I could do was smile and shake my head.

Luckily, my 16 years of experience have granted me immuni-ty from turning around every time someone uses the words “two,” “to,” or “too.” Well, most of the time, at least. On occasion, I will think someone is talking to me, but when I am met with a quizzi-cal look, I have to turn around slowly as I bathe in embarrassment.

As if the puns were not enough, pronouncing my name itself poses countless issues. Substitutes in particular seem to have a lot of difficulty figuring out that my name is not pronounced with the “th,” as “toe,” or “true” (yes, someone has oddly pronounced my name as true). I am now automatically programmed to say, “My name is pronounced Thu, like the number”.

Many people ask, especially after cracking a terrible name pun, whether I get annoyed with hearing the constant jokes or dealing with the mispronunciations. Although I almost always roll my eyes, the puns never really bothered me to any large extent, and I have learned to be ready for new renditions of my name. Of course, it poses problems and unnecessary trouble sometimes and there have been times when I have considered changing my name or taking up a nickname. But I know I could never follow through with it, because I consider my name a blessing as well as a curse. My name allows me to be more memorable and stand out; it is always a way to strike up conversation. People enjoy at-tempting to come up with puns that are original enough to make me laugh and I find it amusing to discover how badly the next stranger can butcher my name. My name is what makes me who I am, so I guess it is not Thu bad after all.

COMPILED BY NIKITA DEVDHAR

TRACK AND FIELD | Freshman Melissa Silva extends her arm to take the baton from fellow Freshman Monica Shehata during a Track and Field meet.

CLUB’S DAY | Students eagerly crowd in the quad and await their turn to pur-chase food during Club’s Day at lunch.

INTERNATIONAL WEEK | Juniors Valeria Floria and Donaji Espitia pose during an International Week Fashion Show hosted by Fashion Club.

ELECTIONS WEEK | Freshmen Roei Coen and Amruta Talwakar campaign for votes during election week with homemade posters.

THE WHO’S TOMMY | Senior Gabriel Olagov and Sophomore on Emerald Lacy act out a scene during a showing of The Who’s Tommy.

THU DAMphoto editor

THU MANY THU’S

what’s the laziest thing you’ve ever done?

One Acts Thursday - Saturday May 1-3 AP Testing Monday - Friday May 5-16 Senior Prom Saturday, May 17

Memorial Day Monday, May 26 Yearbook Dance/Comedy Showcase Friday, May 30

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