Gunn High School's Student Newspaper
Search results: articles in "Volume 45, Issue 4"
[News] In the nation’s current financial crisis, the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) college systems have found themselves at the short end of the stick. A $48 million cut in state funding will result in a drop of 10,000 students in enrollment for the next fall’s school year.—Melissa Chan
[News] In the wake of difficult economic times, schools in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) have fallen victim to many thefts of computers and laptops. Burglaries at Terman Middle School and Addison Elementary School are just some of the most recent in a string of robberies of nine PAUSD schools this year.—Jon Proctor & Tenny Zhang
[News] Recent and past incidents of academic dishonesty bring issue to light, question students’ integrity and call for proper punishment—Emily Glider & Carissa Ratanaphanyarat
[News] 1. Writing test answers or equations on: erasers, rubber bands, inside of water bottles, calculators, rolled up inside pens, pencil pouch, bill of a hat or body parts.—Jon Proctor
[News] The Oracle staff takes a look at some local cases of academic dishonesty. —Jocelyn Ma
[News] Specifically for first offenses and repeated acts of cheating—Carissa Ratanaphanyarat
[News] The Oracle staff interviews Brenda Stern, Director of Adolescent Counseling Services Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program (ACS-ASAP).—Eugenah Chou
[News] While Americans were celebrating the holidays last month, citizens of Mumbai were giving thanks for something else—their lives. Nov. 26 marked the beginning of a three-day siege on India’s largest city, which resulted in the deaths of over 170 people, including 22 foreigners. —Eugenah Chou
[News] New courses will be added to the 2009-2010 class catalog including Model United Nations (MUN), Introduction to Engineering and French Civilization and Culture Honors. Some are extensions of classes that are already in existence while others are completely new. “Some of these classes are to fill the gap between middle and high school,” Principal Noreen Likins said. “Quite a few of middle school kids take classes at middle school and when they come to Gunn, they do not find similar programs available to 9th and 10th graders.”—Alvin Man
[News] President-elect Barack Obama said he will act with “deliberate haste” in the transition period, but he wants to “emphasize ‘deliberate’ as much as ‘haste.’” True to his word, Obama has been continuously rolling out picks for future cabinet and White House Staff members since shortly after his election. Here, The Oracle takes a closer look at the roles of six White House Staff positions and the political histories of the people selected to fill those roles. —Libby Craig & Tenny Zhang
[Forum] Increasing enrollments and reduced funding will likely induce a crisis—
[Forum] With regards to cheating, or the educationally preferred euphemism “academic dishonesty,” most of us have probably heard nothing but negativity directed towards the topic. But as expectations to perform in our high-pressure cooker of a community have risen, more and more students have opted out to take the easy road to good grades. With Duke University’s 2005 survey statistics stating 75 percent of high school students admit to cheating, we have to wonder if the future of our country is destined for more Enron and Watergate scandals. It’s often been said that “cheating only hurts the cheater”—but is this necessarily true? —Jocelyn Ma
[Forum] Tasty turkey at the Turkey Feast, gratifying gelato during International Week, scrumptious sausages at Oktoberfest and those oh-so-coveted crêpes at Crêpe Fest—are you salivating yet? One generalization that can be made about the Gunn population is that we are a bunch of foodies. Remember spring 2007? A student yelled, “Ice cream truck!” and pointed to the gym. A mob followed and ran—yes, ran—towards the area in search of the truck. Considering this enormous demand, students should be able to sell more food on their own.—Joyce Liu
[Forum] It’s finally here: the day you get the grade for the project you worked so hard on. Here it comes. It’s a…B minus? This confusion occurs frequently in schools, with students unsure of how their letter grades are calculated. In some courses, a letter grade is a representation of a numerical score, but other curricula are not so easily converted to quantitative assessment. The A to F scale is an inaccurate system that must be reevaluated.—Danielle Edelman
[Forum] It’s a typical Monday and your printer is low on toner for the third time this month, which puts you in quite a predicament, as you have no other means of printing out your eight-page The Grapes of Wrath essay. Perhaps if you hadn’t used up your cartridge on the countless worksheets that could have been passed out during class, you might not have gotten into such a sticky situation. Forcing students to print material out at home rather than at school does nothing to aid the environment.—Veronica Polivanaya
[Forum] Selling your organs? It sounds sinister, like something out of a morbid science fiction novel. But it could likely save countless lives.—Maya Itah
[Forum] A thespian comments on play attendance—
[Forum] The holiday season conjures thoughts of friends and family converging to share time together. And the anticipation of the material gifts we love to receive is a given—we don’t even think twice about receiving during the holidays. With a warm generosity inside, we all strive to make the too perfect ending of Frank Capra’s film It’s a Wonderful Life a reality. But honestly, that’s not realistic. —Sarah-Jean Zubair
[Forum] When former Palo Alto Police Chief Lynne Johnson claimed to have instructed officers to stop and question African American men on Oct. 30, she inadvertently set off the latest scandal in the long history of racial profiling. Although Johnson has since apologized and retired from the force, questions remain as to whether or not her original remarks were appropriate. Racial profiling is a hot button issue in many areas of society, but nowhere is it as constantly debated as it is in the context of the law. It is true that racism exists within the justice system, but not every mention of a suspect’s ethnicity is a display of bigotry. When applied in a reasonable, unprejudiced context, racial profiling is not a weapon of bigotry, but rather a tool to aid the justice system.—Danielle Edelman
[Forum] Race is a broad unification of people based on geographical and ethnic origin, containing a large group of people with varying personal traits. While race is sometimes a valid characteristic in describing a person, using race to clump an entire group of people is completely uncalled for. While racial profiling may help the FBI pinpoint suspects, it promotes the belief that everyone within a race behaves in the same manner. —Danielle Aspitz
[Forum] Over the past few years, the anti-Israel movement has developed a new strategy: comparing the current situation in Israel to that of apartheid in South Africa, which ended in the 1990s. However, this analogy is completely flawed.—Beth Holtzman
[Features] From Nov. 17 to Nov. 21, Gunn’s student-run branch of the non-profit organization One Dollar for Life (ODFL) held its third annual fundraising drive. ODFL was founded in 2006 by Los Altos High School teacher Robert Freeman. The organization works with Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to work on small-scale infrastructure projects in third-world countries that promote self-sustainability.—Sarah-Jean Zubair
[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
[Features] The Oracle staff interviews senior artist Anastasia Ionkin, winner of the Art Piece of the Month feature. —Bauer Wann
[Features] The Oracle staff teaches you how to make your own holiday gifts. —Shaya Christensen
[Features] The Oracle offers tips on protecting yourself and your home—Joseph Lin & Joyce Liu
[Features] Is Palo Alto really the “safe and secure” residential community we think it is? Just this year, a series of robberies occurred, and one of them, I am still shocked to say, happened in my very own home. —Niki Mata
[Features] The Oracle staff interview Dan Ryan, Palo Alto Police Agent. —Joseph Lin
[Features] Each time you venture out on a bathroom break, the first thing that captures your attention is undoubtedly the bathroom graffiti. From huge eyes that seem to watch your every move to scratched-out derogatory terms, bathroom graffiti is anything but boring. But who draws these creations, and what are the motives behind them?—Joseph Lin & Veronica Polivanaya
[Features] Participants travel to Latin America to experience cultural exchange and spend time with new families —Wen Yi Chin
[Centerfold] Picture students wearing tie-dye and pooka shells from Hawaii—that was Gunn High School in 1976, Assistant Principal Kim Cowell’s senior year. Despite the deceptively laid-back fashions, Gunn has always been an academically rigorous school. “The first question is not if you’re going to college but where you are going to college,” Cowell said.—Ann Abraham
[Centerfold] Long before it became known for its technological industries and Stanford University, Palo Alto was simply a barren lowland, inhabited only by some flora and fauna and a few Ohlone settlements in the area. —Ryan Tan
[Centerfold] In the wake of the classic movies Chicago and Casablanca, films that are odes to the city they are set in, comes Palo Alto, an independent film based in Gunn’s hometown. The first screenplay by fledgling filmmakers and Palo Alto natives Brad Leong, Tony Vallone and Daniel Engelhart, the plot of Palo Alto follows four college students on their last night home of Thanksgiving break. The four friends visit old hangouts and delve back into the lives they left behind.—Dana Li
[Centerfold] 10. Cars don’t own the road—bikers and pedestrians do.—Mari Ju
[Entertainment] This month, I want to talk about hurtful stereotypes. Forget about ethnicity, religion and nationality. Forget about high school labels. Fellow students: I may listen to electronica, but that doesn’t mean I have no soul. I don’t spend my weekends tripping on Ecstasy, I don’t have neon green hair and I most certainly do not dream of a world ruled by cyborgs. In fact, I wish I could say I’m that interesting, but I’m really not. I’m just an ordinary high school kid with a deep love of Daft Punk. —Maya Itah
[Entertainment] Since its appearance in 2001, iTunes has emerged as a staple in the lives of millions worldwide as a revolutionary way to purchase and listen to music.—Melissa Chan
[Entertainment] Following the success of last year’s original-composition winter choir concert, “December Moon,” choir director Bill Liberatore is renewing the tradition this year. “This Winter Light” will showcase original Gunn-based compositions by students, staff, parents and alumni on Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Spangenberg Theater.—Tenny Zhang
[Entertainment] Family opens The Oaxacan Kitchen/em> on California Avenue, teaches Oaxacan cooking classes—Shaya Christensen
[Entertainment] For Gunn’s dance lovers and party enthusiasts, the Bay Area’s burgeoning teen club scene is shaping up to offer all of the scintillating social scenes and bass-pumping entertainment in new, high school-friendly events.—Dana Li
[Entertainment] From fun day trips to unforgettable evenings, these seasonal date ideas are sure to inspire. —Amarelle Hanyecz
[Sports] The Oracle staff interviews Travis Cottle, Sports Announcer. —Alvin Man
[Sports] Consistently ranked as one of the top teams in the Central Coast Section (CCS), the boys’ varsity soccer team proved they are ready to do the same this year by kicking off the season with a 3-0 record. —Niki Mata
[Sports] On Dec. 8, the boys’ varsity soccer team suited up in the cold air to face-off against opponent Santa Teresa High School of San Jose. The Santa Teresa Saints started playing aggressively, and the Titans never managed to catch up, dropping the match 0-1.—Mari Ju
[Sports] A new coach, playing field and division has set the girls’ varsity soccer team off to a new start. —Danielle Aspitz
[Sports] On the evening of Dec. 10, the Los Altos Eagles defeated the Titans 2-1 in the varsity girls’ seventh match of the season. Coach Ed Cervantes said that although Los Altos took the win, Gunn played well. —Sarah-Jean Zubair
[Sports] The Oracle recommends premier ski locations outside of California. —Jeffrey Wang
[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