[Forum] SAT subject tests. SAT reasoning test. ACT. Standardized tests engulf students’ lives, typically beginning with the PSAT in the fall of sophomore year and culminating with a frantic last-minute SAT reasoning test in the fall of senior year. The tests are offered far too infrequently during the year, and the College Board, in addition to the ACT, should support students’ busy schedules by establishing more testing dates.—Sasha Guttentag
[Entertainment] The choir belted its way up to a $5,000 prize in the 98.5 KFOX radio station’s annual “School of Rock” contest. The contest, dependent on on-line votes, was from Apr. 11 to 17. —Danielle Edelman & Sasha Guttentag
[Forum] It’s been a long day, and it’s not going by any quicker. You step into the Student Activities Center (SAC) and immediately want to step back outside.—Sasha Guttentag
[Sports] Junior takes first in San Francisco international golf tournament—Sasha Guttentag
[News] On Jan. 26, the Gunn boys’ basketball teams faced cross-town rival Palo Alto High School (Paly), and the administration faced the worst Sixth Man Club scheme ever, Assistant Principal Tom Jacoubowsky said.—Sasha Guttentag & Tenny Zhang
[Sports] For the typical teenager, going to the gym and hitting the bicycle for an hour at a 9.4 mile per hour pace burns about 330 calories. Playing pick-up basketball with some buddies down the street burns around 450. But squash, a sport which is slowly but surely gaining popularity for numerous reasons, burns almost 700 calories per hour. You’re probably thinking, “Okay it’s a good workout, but I prefer the treadmill, why squash?” Squash is an enjoyable, interactive and extremely rigorous sport and can provide what people of all ages desire in a pastime. —Sasha Guttentag
[Forum] No longer are there chestnuts roasting on an open fire during the Christmas season, and on the night before Christmas nothing is stirring, not even a mouse. That’s because on the night before Christmas, and on every day during the month leading up to it, Americans are not at home with their families—they’re emptying their pockets and weighing down their hands with gifts for the increasingly commercialized holiday season.—Sasha Guttentag
[Sports] An anonymous parent recently donated the almost $3 million dollars necessary to build turf fields on both the Gunn and Palo Alto High School campuses.—Sasha Guttentag
[News] Safety has become a pressing issue after the abduction late last month, some students said. —Sasha Guttentag
[Features] Junior Max Rubin expresses his creativity through flash video animations. His interest in animation began when he was 10 years old and frequently visited web sites with hand drawn cartoons. “[Seeing them] inspired me to make my own,” he said. Rubin started the physical process of making animations after he installed the FlashMX video program on his computer on July 11, 2004, a date he fondly remembers.—Sasha Guttentag
[Forum] Although Gunn already offers a wide variety of Advanced Placement (AP) courses, more can still be added, namely the AP English Language and Composition (separate from AP English Literature and Composition). The reasoning is simple—if the AP Language class is offered for French, Japanese and Spanish, then it should also be offered for English. —Sasha Guttentag
[Forum] Gunn, in conjunction with the Silicon Valley Conference for Community and Justice (SVCCJ), annually offers 120 lucky students the opportunity to visit Camp Everytown. The participants spend four days and three nights in the Santa Cruz Mountains, engaging in various diversity and leadership training activities. Yet not everyone who wants to can go to the camp–Gunn has rules regarding who can and cannot go. In order to be eligible to participate in Camp Everytown, a student must first be recommended by at least one teacher. Those lucky few who are recommended must then be selected from a lottery to secure a spot. Though it is only logical to have Everytown once a year due to time constraints and school activities, the selection process should be improved so that all students have an equal opportunity to attend the retreat. —Sasha Guttentag
[Sports] With a tournament championship and a nearly perfect record of 14-1 under their belt, the varsity volleyball team is off to a successful start. —Sasha Guttentag
[News] From public to secluded places, from daytime to after dark, the campus is the site of inappropriate and lascivious activity that has recently gained widespread attention. The administration tries to keep from getting involved in students’ personal lives, but lately the administration has had no option but to interfere into teens’ personal business. —Libby Craig & Sasha Guttentag
[Forum] Even one of the best public high schools in the nation has its set of flaws. One of the main blemishes at Gunn, and the entire Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD), is the lack of student input in the tenure system. Being tenured means that PAUSD is required to secure a teaching spot in the district for that person. This guarantee should be contingent upon approval by students. Under PAUSD's current tenure system, so-so or even terrible teachers receive tenure, largely because of the lack of student feedback in the process. —Sasha Guttentag
[Centerfold] Watching soccer in the soccer capital of the world is one thing. Playing soccer in the soccer capital of the world is something completely different. —Sasha Guttentag
[Sports] Though many students choose to huddle under the blankets rather than exercise during the winter months, the foundation of a teen-only gym negates that idea and offers a better, healthier one.—Sasha Guttentag
[Sports] Captains lead the way in basketball and soccer teams. —Libby Craig, Sasha Guttentag & Adrienne Nguyen
[Centerfold] For sophomore Jara Montez, winter break doesn’t signify time off for Christmas but for her favorite holiday, Kwanzaa. Montez’s parents, Stacye Montez and Roqua Montez, decided to celebrate Kwanzaa after Montez’s birth. This year they will be celebrating the holiday for the 15th year. “Kwanzaa allows us to celebrate the African-American culture in our suburban environment,” Stacye Montez said.—Sasha Guttentag
[Forum] Today, more than 90 percent of the 80 million Americans voters will either cast their vote on a computer or have it tabulated electronically. While electronic voting is more efficient than traditional paper tallying, it jeopardizes fair election results. These machines can be easily manipulated by party officials and do not ensure that votes are tabulated in accordance with a voter’s intent. —Sasha Guttentag
[Features] Junior Andrew Post always strives to do his best, and his unrelenting dedication was made apparent in his scholarship win.—Sasha Guttentag
[News] For students who want to get an enlightening liberal arts or science education in a small, intimate environment, liberal arts colleges are a great choice. Mixing small class sizes and the ability to have a social life with outstanding academic reputations, these colleges are a perfect match for many students.—Boris Burkov, Sasha Guttentag & Fi Kazi
[Entertainment] The Oracle takes a refreshing look at Homecoming dining. —Sasha Guttentag
[Sports] The Oracle interviews math teacher Daisy Renazco and economics teacher Dawna Linsdell on their athletic passions. —Stéphanie Keller-Busque & Sasha Guttentag
[News] Residents of Los Altos Hills have begun speaking up about their displeasure with the absence of a school district in their city. —Sasha Guttentag
[Forum] Starting next year, the administration is making students make time somewhere during their eight semesters of high school to take a semester-long living skills class. Formerly, the course was taught in four weeks, two weeks in freshman science classes and two weeks in P.E. A semester-long course that is not only required but only offers credits solely towards graduation? This is not a fair deal for students or teachers. —Sasha Guttentag
[Sports] A crucial member of the Gunn gymnastics team, junior Kaylyn Reyes started gymnastics as a toddler and is now a level 10 gymnast, the level preceding that of Olympic athletes. Having started with one class a week, she now practices five days a week at Airborne Gym in Santa Clara. —Sasha Guttentag
[News] The class of 2006 put a spin on fundraising when dates with seniors were auctioned off during the first ever senior week.—Libby Craig & Sasha Guttentag