The Ethnic Studies Committee includes Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education Dr. Gulliermo Lopez, Gunn Social Studies Instructional Lead Jeff Patrick, Paly Social Studies Instructional Lead Mary Sano and other Gunn and Paly teachers. The group was founded during the 2022-23 school year in response to A.B. 101, which mandates that all California high schools make ethnic studies a graduation requirement for the Class of 2030 — current sixth graders — or earlier.

During the meeting, Lopez, Patrick and Sano presented on the course’s new curriculum. Ethnic studies at PAUSD will be segmented into five units, starting with unit zero, Why Ethnic Studies, and continuing with Identity; Power, Privilege and Systems of Opression; Resilience and Resistance; and Action and Civic Engagement, a capstone project. Units one through three will include case studies centered around different primary sources from four ethnic groups: African Americans, Chicanx and Latinx Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Next year, Gunn and Paly will each pilot one ethnic studies class of 20 ninth graders, who will be selected through lottery at each site. According to Sano, one of the main goals of these classes is to garner feedback from students and teachers.

In response to the presentation, Paly Student School Board Representative junior Karthi Gottipati said that students should play a bigger role in the course design process, and warned that if unable to give input, students might feel less interested in to the finished course.

“It is entirely pointless to have an ethnic studies course that is designed for adults and by adults if students don’t know and don’t care what’s being taught,” he said during the meeting.

Gunn Student School Board Representative senior Chris Lee (who is also managing editor for The Oracle) also emphasized the importance of considering the intended recipients of the new course.

“The (students) who I talked to felt like the conversation surrounding ethnic studies — especially at these Board meetings — was getting further and further away from them and their priorities,” he said during the meeting. “It’s important for parents and other community members to understand that the course is ultimately for students.”

After the ethnic studies presentation, the AI ad hoc committees from Gunn, Paly and PAUSD — composed of mostly high school students, staff and technology experts at the district level — shared generative AI goals for the district. These goals included furthering equity and inclusion by using generative AI to summarize texts for English Language Learners and neurodiverse students, as well as developing alternate lesson plans that prevent — or render ineffective — the use of AI by covering topics that software such as ChatGPT hasn’t learned about.

Gunn committee member sophomore Sujay Dorai presented his hopes for AI’s future in the district.

“I think it’ll be a positive change because it’s really a really powerful technology,” he said. “I hope that the district can use this to get rid of busy work.”

Board member Shounak Dharap was appreciative of the AI committee’s work and saw it as an important focus point for the district.

“(The AI committee) is the most important thing the district is doing,” Dharap said during the meeting. “It touches every single other thing we’re doing. I’m really interested in what we’re doing and really supportive of everything.”

This trend is a product of the recent growth in preteen social media presence, driven by peer pressure and a lack of parental control. Children who frequently use technology and social media prevent themselves from creating important real-life connections and developing social-emotional skills crucial for adulthood. At the same time, they risk addiction, mental health issues and exposure to harmful content.

The ages 9 through 12 bridge the early-childhood and teenage years, and comprise a vital developmental period during which the brain is sensitive to outside influences. During this period, building connections and friendships with peers is essential. According to Mount Saint Mary College psychology professor Paul Schwartz, childhood friendships help develop social skills, including respecting others’ views and understanding conversational etiquette. Friendships also help children build a support system, decreasing their stress and increasing self-esteem.

Children who frequently use social media sites, however, are less likely to build friendships and more likely to have online-only peers, as a study led by research scientist Linda Charmaraman found in 2022. These digital relationships tend to be more superficial and less personal than in-person friendships, and therefore don’t serve as a proper support network. At the same time, preteens are more likely to engage in cyberbullying, and victims are at risk of psychological complications such as anxiety and isolation.

Access to social media has also created an environment that often promotes unrealistic standards. If children believe that their physiques fall short of the artificial image they compare themselves to, for example, they are likely to develop body dissatisfaction and eating disorders, according to a 2022 study headed by research scientist David Bickham. In a 2023 study from the American Psychological Association, adolescents who reduced their social media usage by 50% for a few weeks felt significantly better about their body and appearance.

Furthermore, younger children with unrestricted internet access may stumble upon sexual or violent content, leading them to become desensitized at an early age or to seek out such content of their own accord, as the American Academy of Pediatrics found. The Academy also found that adolescents lack the ability to regulate themselves online compared to adult users.

Parents of preteens can protect their children from the adverse effects of technology usage. To reduce the impact of addictive algorithms, parents should limit their children’s time on devices and prevent them from using certain social media sites, such as Instagram and Snapchat, until they are older. Social media companies must also realize the harm their products have inflicted and revise their policies to keep younger users from accessing their apps, with stricter age verification, better screening of mature content and increased parental-control options. Ultimately, parents must work with their children to minimize the pitfalls of technology so they learn how to use it in a healthy manner.

Concussions, ever plaguing athletes in contact sports, are especially dangerous because it is unclear precisely which types of impacts cause them. For professional athletes, concussion-prevention solutions mostly involve being sidelined for extended periods. One organization tackling this issue is Prevent, crafting a mouthguard able to record a collision’s impact and determine its severity.

The Impact Monitoring Mouthguard, a wearable device that still functions as a mouthguard, sends information about head trauma to devices. It records everything from the force to the location of the hit, which aids medical professionals in making informed decisions about athletes’ health.

After the mouthguard underwent a thorough testing process, Prevent created partnerships with several college athletic
programs and even some major sports tournaments, such as the World Rugby Cup, in which a majority of players in the league wear IMMs. Rugby is a contact-heavy sport, with frequent concussions and other injuries, so many are hopeful that the IMM will improve treatment for players. In collegiate partnerships, IMMs are mostly worn by football players and wrestlers.

Nike’s carbon-plated shoes

In 2017, Nike released its first carbon-plated shoe, the Nike Vaporfly 4% Flyknit. Introduced to the market shortly after the 2016 Rio Olympics, the shoes were heavily rumored to “make you faster.” These Vaporfly models have proven effective, helping athletes break countless records in long-distance running. The three athletes in the 2021 games who wore the Vaporfly prototype — Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya), Feyisa Lilesa (Ethiopia) and Galen Rupp (U.S.) — all medaled in the marathon event.

Following the Vaporfly models’ success, Nike continued experimenting, releasing the first version of its Alphafly shoes to the market shortly after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). The current world-record holder for the marathon, Kelvin Kiptum, wore them when he made history at the 2023 Chicago marathon, breaking the world record by 34 seconds.

While Vaporflys and Alphaflys may be the heroes of distance, Nike has also proved to be the frontrunner in shoes for sprinters. Dubbed the “super spikes,” Nike’s high-tech carbon-plated spikes dominated at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Many parents are aware of the risks of the internet: A December 2022 study from the Pew Research Center found that a majority of parents with children aged 13 to 18 are at least somewhat worried about their children’s online activity, with 71% concerned about explicit content, 70% concerned about large amounts of time spent online and 59% concerned about peer pressure. However, the way that parents choose to combat these dangers vary, with some choosing a hands-off approach and others adopting more stringent regulations.

Some parents, concerned that their children are being exposed to inappropriate content, track online history and block specific social media and entertainment platforms, among other websites. Although blocking apps may give parents the illusion that they are protecting their children, this form of monitoring does not reduce — and can even exacerbate — the online dangers that children face. For already rebellious teenagers, imposing app or website bans to curb online activity may have the opposite effect, since children become more likely to attempt to hide their usage from their parents. This tendency is explained by the forbidden fruit theory, which says that there is a human tendency to want something more if it is off-limits or challenging to obtain. Teens’ hiding their online activity lead to an unhealthy relationship with technology and sever trust, since teenagers can feel as though their parents have a lack of appreciation for their privacy.

Online tracking also prevents teenagers from developing responsibility. If teenagers are only motivated by parental rules or surveillance, they are unprepared for a future where their guardians are less involved.

This doesn’t mean that parents should leave their children entirely to their own devices. When teenagers, who are still developing judgment skills, are left to explore the internet freely without parental regulations, they can form unhealthy habits that lead to lifelong consequences. Rather than relying on online tracking or blocking, however, parents can model acceptable behaviors and help their children become aware of the dangers that exist online through open discussion.

They can also set rules and consequences relating to online behavior and limit screen time. These alternatives could help teenagers feel as though their opinions are heard and encourage them to learn more about online safety. Teenagers also resist restrictions less when they are part of the conversation and have the opportunity to understand their parents’ point of view.

Additionally, limiting screen time through parental controls or setting no-technology zones can counter technology overuse, bringing teenagers out of the online world into reality. With clear communication from both sides, these practices set teenagers up for a healthy childhood without infringing on their rights.

As schools increasingly incorporate technology as a learning tool, they should also support parents in educating students on online safety, especially for younger students who are being introduced to online resources for the first time. Technology in itself is not inherently good or bad. Thus, as children mature and change, parents should be observant and respond accordingly.

There are bound to be obstacles in parenting with technology. However, by establishing connection and understanding, parents can help their children develop healthy relationships with technology and with their community.

According to Robin Jacobsen’s elder brother Brandon Jacobsen, who graduated from Gunn in 2016, having other siblings who went to Gunn helped when it came to course and activity selection. “I think one of the coolest things about having all of us go to Gunn was that we were able to relate and help each other out when we had the
same teachers,” he said.

At the same time, the siblings were able to explore different activities. Robin Jacobsen’s elder sister Maren Jacobsen, who graduated in 2021, carved her own path in high school. “I definitely got a variety of things I could get involved in, but I also found my own interests,” she said.

Beyond advice on classes and extracurriculars, having siblings at Gunn also allows the Jacobsens to share experiences with one another. For example, Robin Jacobsen’s elder sister Camille Jacobsen, who graduated in 2019, participated in track her freshman year with Brandon Jacobsen. “It was something completely out of her comfort zone, but I encouraged her a little to do it,” Brandon Jacobsen said. “We ran in meets together and got to share those experiences.”

On the other hand, Maren Jacobsen and Robin Jacobsen both enjoyed choir. According to their mother Julia Jacobsen, a long-term sub for English teacher Ethan Halter, the sisters had fun singing together and brought joy to others during the pandemic. “It was like a bright light in that time,” she said. “It was just so inspiring
that they could still be making music. It was definitely not like singing in person at all, but at least they were able to do something they loved.”

However, Camille Jacobsen found that going to the same school as her siblings could foster unwanted pressure. “Sometimes, I’d have some of the same teachers and they’d compare me to my older siblings,” she said. “That was annoying sometimes.”

From a broader perspective, the Jacobsens’ long-term relationship with Gunn also provides valuable insight into cultural changes over the past decade. One major paradigm shift the Jacobsens have observed has been in the school’s approach to mental health. According to Brandon Jacobsen, this transition began to occur when he was an upperclassman and experienced one of the suicide contagions at Gunn, which included someone he knew. “That year, they spent a lot of resources and time trying to help students,” he said. “I think that period of time was when they realized that they needed to shift in focus to actually helping kids with mental health.”

This shift is evident from Robin Jacobsen’s experience at Gunn thus far. “I think that Gunn’s definitely gotten better about putting people’s mental health into the equation,” Robin Jacobsen said. “When my sister [Nicole Jacobsen] was going here, I don’t think there was any of that [mental health support].”

Another change in the past decade has been the usage of technology at Gunn. Maren Jacobsen, the second youngest of the five, cited an increase in dependence on technology in the past decade. “I remember when my oldest sister was there [at Gunn], iPhones were just starting to become a thing,” she said. “They weren’t using a ton of technology for school. Now, we did Zoom school for a whole year, and we were using our computers
for everything.”

Although there may have been many changes over the years, including the unexpected twist of the pandemic, one thing has stayed constant: the siblings’ connection to each other. According to Camille Jacobsen, it’s always comforting to have someone familiar on campus. “It was fun to have somebody that I could relate
to with all the stuff that was going on,” she said.

The XBox Kinect and the PlayStation Move were two of the biggest gaming consoles of the decade, both released worldwide in late 2010. Following suit of the Wii in 2006, motion-sensored consoles have become a house-hold item. Countless of games have swept the nation, including dance and sporting games.

iPad (2010):

Tablets with larger screens than phones flooded the technology market this decade, with the first edition of the popular iPad being released in 2010. With new accessories being released each year, including attachable keyboards and 2015’s Apple Pencil, tablets—and the iPad in particular—are becoming ever more modern and used for an even wider variety of activities.

Uber/Lyft (2010):

Almost everyone these days has one of two applications on their smart phones: Uber or Lyft. A beta launch of the former occurred in early 2010, with Lyft being founded in 2012. These two tools for everyday transportation have changed the way people get around.

Siri (2011):

Apple’s iPhone 4S was the first phone with Siri, a virtual assistant. Following Apple’s lead, other companies such as Google and Microsoft crafted their own respective Google Assistant and Cortana.

Airpods (2016):

Bluetooth technology has grown and developed, and subsequently wireless earbuds are becoming increasingly more popular. With Apple hopping on the trend in late 2016, the company just further pushed along the popularity of these devices.

VR (2016):

The mainstream release of virtual reality quite literally brought about a new, and unexplored world to Internet users. Two of the biggest VR headsets—the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive—were released in March 2016 and in June 2016, respectively. Hundreds of new games flooded the market with new digital worlds for users to dive into.