Gunn High School's Student Newspaper
Search results: articles by "Sophie Cheng"
[News] In response to the recent suicides and in an attempt to improve the community’s well-being, students are reaching out to each other through online means and events on campus.—Sophie Cheng & Linda Yu
[Forum] Everyone knows that when you come down with the flu, you’re likely to get your friends sick, too. But did you know that obesity, smoking and happiness are also contagious between friends?—Sophie Cheng
[Features] Senior Simon Kaubisch, who began playing the Xbox game Halo in 2001, has since developed his skills to compete semi-professionally.—Sophie Cheng
[News] The Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Board of Education approved conceptual design plans on Sept. 22 to construct two new academic buildings and a second gym at Gunn in the next 10 years. The construction will cost about $80 million and will be funded by bond Measure A, passed in June 2008. “The construction plans have our full support,” Assistant Principal of Facilities Tom Jacoubowsky said. “It is a necessary step for us to cope with Gunn’s growing enrollment.”—Sophie Cheng & Sarah-Jean Zubair
[Forum] No, I’m not referring to the common teenage reaction to academic stress or social drama. This is about the more vulgar practice of “freaking.” —Sophie Cheng
[News] In the wake of three student suicides, the school community is emphasizing the need for action and is working to improve students’ mental health. —Sophie Cheng & Niki Mata
[News] Senior Miles Mathews and his father, Guy Mathews, brought a whole new meaning to the word “adventure” this summer when they biked 4,225 miles across the country through 14 states in 59 days. —Sophie Cheng
[Features] The Oracle staff takes a look at teacher weddings of this year. —Sophie Cheng, Eugenah Chou, Alvin Man, Mati Pluska-Renaud & Hannah Plank-Schwartz
[Forum] Dogs have often been called man’s best friend, and the Obamas’ new Portuguese water dog Bo is no exception. However, publishing a series of books (see Bo: America’s Commander in Leash by Naren Aryal) based on this new addition to the presidential family is simply excessive publicity. Mass exposure in the media has turned what began as a harmless human interest story into full-blown commercialism. —Sophie Cheng
[Sports] The Oracle staff takes a look at some sports teams at Gunn. —Sophie Cheng, Rupali Raju & Sarah-Jean Zubair
[News] Beginning with the class of 2012, students will no longer be required to take two SAT subject tests as part of the University of California (UC) admissions process. —Sophie Cheng
[Features] This June, junior Ben Gardiner and sophomore John Boyle will be leaving Gunn—Sophie Cheng
[Centerfold] Astronomy and astrology–though they both begin with astro (Greek for “constellation” and “star”), the similarities essentially end there. —Sophie Cheng
[Forum] The idea behind giving students prep periods is to provide them with sufficient time to balance academic and athletic commitments. Denying preps to certain student-athletes simply because they do not represent school sports teams is biased and unjustified.—Sophie Cheng
[Entertainment] Students usually can only daydream of their teachers singing and dancing around in silly costumes, but they will get to experience it firsthand on Wednesday evening when And Then There Were Nuns, the choir-staff musical, opens. —Sophie Cheng
[Features] In 2005, people across the United States watched as the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and devastated coast areas around the Gulf of Mexico. Many donated food and supplies to the survivors, but there were other volunteers like senior Beatrice Strnad who actually went to the affected areas and directly helped out. —Sophie Cheng
[Features] ‘Tis the season for giving, and with winter break coming up, why not dedicate some of your time to the poor and needy? The Oracle staff takes a look at some of the places to volunteer over the holidays.—Sophie Cheng
[Sports] Some grandparents enjoy bragging about the achievements of their grandchildren, but how many teenagers can say that they have a former Olympic team member for a grandfather? Junior Lizzy Burhenne grew up in a family with a strong skiing tradition that began when Lizzy’s grandfather, Hans Joachim Burhenne, made the German ski team for the 1940 Winter Olympics, which was canceled due to the onset of World War II. —Sophie Cheng
[Features] For many people, becoming a successful musical composer is nothing but a distant dream. For junior Ian Zalles, it may well become a reality. —Sophie Cheng
[Entertainment] Ever encountered a problem in your life that you couldn’t solve, no matter whom you consulted? Perhaps you should try reading a self-help book. Teenagers turn to these self-help books for advice, the want for improvement or the feeling of insecurity in their lives. The Oracle staff takes a look at some of the most common self-help books for teenagers. —Sophie Cheng
[Sports] The Oracle goes off campus to get the scoop on guys’ lacrosse and volleyball—Sophie Cheng
[Forum] Last Tuesday, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) considered a petition from families living in the complex located at 670 San Antonio Rd. to allow their children to attend Palo Alto schools instead of the Mountain View schools that they are currently assigned to. If these residents live in and pay their taxes to the city of Palo Alto, their children should be attending public schools in Palo Alto. —Sophie Cheng
[Sports] Girls’ tennis team struggling through season, still hopes to gain more experience —Sophie Cheng
[News] Funds from the Parent Teacher Student Association and other school organizations paid for 40 new computers that were installed in the language lab in L-23 over the summer. They were originally placed in a temporary computer lab in P-20 last semester before replacing the old Sony cassette players and recorders in the language lab. “They had to completely pull out the cassette recording boxes in each station,” World Languages Instructional Supervisor Anne Jensen said. “Then, the district sent over technology experts to install the Internet access cables and wiring for each station. Each computer then had to be configured.” —Sophie Cheng
[Features] The Oracle interviews fresh faces at Gunn. —Sophie Cheng, Mari Ju, Alvin Man, Jeffrey Wang, Amy Yu & Sarah-Jean Zubair
[Forum] Palo Alto High PTSA president threatens First Amendment rights—Sophie Cheng
[Features] Food cravings, mood swings, swollen feet and more–most women do not enjoy going through these side effects of pregnancy even once, but 5-months-pregnant English teacher Ginny Moyer is expecting her second child in September, two years after her first son Matthew was born. —Sophie Cheng
[Entertainment] What would it be like to write the music, choreography or script of a play? Students normally act in school productions, but in the annual One Acts, they also directed and wrote the plays, including the student-written plays Español 3…the MUSICAL! and Mood Indigo. —Sophie Cheng
[News] Not in Our School (NIOS) Week, an event aimed at raising awareness about the hate and discrimination that occurs at Gunn, was held the week of April 14 through 18. —Sophie Cheng
[Features] Sophomore Charles Chen is the mastermind behind the recent transformation of the Gunn Web site as well as the updated Oracle Web site; in addition, he is the president and founder of the Web Design Club. —Sophie Cheng
[Sports] The Oracle staff compiles obscure jargon for fans.—Sophie Cheng
[Features] Scientists may believe that video games are linked to increased violence and crime, but for the members of the Interscholastic Gaming League (IGL) club, video games are both an outlet for stress reduction and social interaction.—Sophie Cheng