Angela Wong – The Oracle

Looking on the bright side: community and neighborhood

Angela Wong, News Editor — Sat, 23 May 2020 04:40:12 +0000

Our current shelter-in-place order, which has infiltrated seemingly every corner of our lives, is undoubtedly a stressor that has caused much financial and mental anguish. This does not necessarily mean that we’re alone. In fact, now more than ever, the local Palo Alto community has come together to show support for our essential workers and to spread hope and love to everyone affected. Economic and emotional support, of course, is a unified effort, and there are a myriad of ways that you can show resilience and empathy amid these unprecedented times.

Checking in with neighbors and loved ones is a great way to help out your community. This can be done in quite a few ways: try calling or texting your relatives to make sure they’re staying safe and have someone to talk to, especially during these dreary times indoors. They may not outwardly show it, but friends could also be going through a rough time, so taking a few minutes out of your day to let them know you’re thinking of them could be immensely helpful.

Additionally, there are many people in our community who are especially vulnerable to the virus—pregnant women and the elderly, for example—so consider asking if they need help, whether it be taking their dog on their daily walks (you’d be helping out someone in need while taking a much-needed walk outside) or shopping for groceries (and, while following safety precautions, leaving the necessary goods on their doorstep).

While there are many ways to become more involved, it can be difficult to know where to start. Consider, then, joining Gunn Cares: a Facebook group of like-minded students, alumni and local community members who share safe and generous ways to help out those who may also be going through a difficult time amid the shelter-in-place. This includes tutoring students who need help in understanding their online school work or studying for their upcoming standardized tests, writing inspirational notes and letters to front-line workers or senior citizens and donating to raise money to support essential workers.

Certain businesses have also contributed to bringing the local community together by offering free goods to essential workers and citizens. Starbucks, for one, had offered free coffee to health care workers and police officers for months. Krispy Kreme had likewise offered a free dozen donuts to anyone who works in the medical sector. And Headspace, a meditation service, is still offering a free subscription and full access to its libraries of meditations for everyone who needs a moment of relaxation and mindfulness amid these difficult times.

Lately, there have also been various community-wide acts of appreciation for the essential workers that risk their lives for the safety of ours each and every day they step outside of their homes. In lateate April, for instance, public safety officers from across Silicon Valley formed “clapping zones” to cheer for the doctors and health care workers at Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. In fact, various “clapping zones” and gratuitous, celebratory drive-by parades have become increasingly common amid the shelter-in-place order.

If you’re still wondering how to contribute, remember that every act of kindness, both big and small, is important. If you’d rather stay safe indoors and not have direct contact with others, consider making a few signs of appreciation for essential workers and community members that you can place in your front yard or by your door. For the last several months, we’ve shown collective resilience in the face of fear, panic and danger. Let’s continue finding the courage within ourselves, even in the bleakest and loneliest of times, to fight the virus together—six feet at a time.

Shelter-in-place brings student a new appreciation for exercise

Angela Wong, News Editor — Sat, 23 May 2020 04:34:42 +0000

It’s true, folks: the shelter-in-place order is among us, and there are only so many Netflix shows to binge-watch, sugar cookies to bake and Schoology updates to peruse. Luckily for us, though, spring is also upon us, and with it brings warm weather, cool breezes and excellent opportunities to exercise. While I hadn’t ever previously considered leaving the dreamy wonderland that you may call a bed for the sake of so-called “physical activity,” I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood on a sunny afternoon on a whim. Now, most of my whims either end in pain-stricken tragedy or in immediate success. Luckily for me, it was the latter.

This walk-on-a-whim has also led me to a certain conclusion that, given our current circumstances, regularly incorporating exercise into my daily schedule inspires me to be more productive at home, allows me to maintain my physical health and—most importantly—reminds me to stay calm during these unprecedented times. Despite these benefits, students may find it difficult to exercise amid the pandemic. After all, many fitness centers, playgrounds and parking lots to trails are currently closed, so those who regularly depend on these sites for exercise need to find another source. However, the sedentary behavior that I and many others are exhibiting can have negative effects on our health, well-being and quality of life. With COVID-19 as a major source of stress, physical activity can help you remain calm and protect your health.

After all, a recent study conducted by Evidation Health, a health and measurement company that tracks everyday behaviors through an app, showed that 49% of the roughly 160,000 participants reported increased anxiety during recent shelter-in-place orders. With anxiety up in every state, it has become incredibly crucial to maintain a sense of physical activity while staying safe. For reference, the American Heart Association recommends at least two and a half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity,
or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, per week.

And that’s exactly what I did. My week consisted of a combination of jogging, walking and biking, sometimes alone with my headphones plugged in and other times with my mask-donning family. Yes, even under our county’s restrictions, we’re still allowed to step out of our homes and take advantage of the warm weather. Be sure, though, to limit your contact with others. If you don’t own a mask, consider covering your nose and mouth with a cloth or another type of breathable fabric. Additionally, try your best to stay at least six feet away from your fellow exercise-doers and even cross the street and walk down a different sidewalk to help avoid such close contact, if possible.

If you’d still like to exercise but want to do so in the safety of your own home, do not fret! There are still many physical activities you can do inside. If you don’t have any exercise machines, try yoga, dancing, planks, squats, or, if you’d like to try something that no one has ever done before, pushups and situps.

So, consider taking some time out of your day to head outdoors for what feels like the first time in forever. We’re facing difficult times, but there are a myriad of outlets—exercise, for example—that can help make your days feel a bit less bleak. Simply grab your mask, a comfortable pair and shoes and remember that we’re all in this together… six feet apart!

Students balance school and work responsibilities: Retail worker senior Katarina Hamady

Angela Wong, News Editor — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 10:39:19 +0000

Take a stroll through Stanford Shopping Center, and you may come across a particular clothing store. You can spot it from a mile away—just look out for the line of mannequins, right behind the row of long-paneled windows, showcasing outfits of myriad configurations of fabrics and accessories that are available inside and the glass door inviting you in.

The storefront calls it Free People, but senior Katarina Hamady will always recognize it as her home away from home.

Since January, Hamady has worked as a sales associate and stylist and helped countless clients pick out the clothes of their dreams. Since the 1970s, the bohemian apparel company—which carries anything from shoes to swimwear to beauty products—has prided itself on catering to clients’ creativity and individuality apparent in the clothes they wear. As such, Hamady can commonly be found among the racks of clothing, conversing with clients to learn more about their individual styles and best help them decide on their next purchases. “I typically ask clients what they wear on an everyday basis,” Hamady said. “[Creating the perfect outfit] really depends on the age and style of the client, both of which I can usually tell by some of the clothes they pick out.”

For the past few months, Hamady has enjoyed communicating with clients and appreciated the variety of tastes and styles they each have. Some clients have styles that can be described as bobo chic, which is known for its flowy clothing and cool patterns. Others lean more toward an “everyday” style with a trendy, yet casual, flair. No matter the style, Hamady believes that her open-minded and social character allows her to perform her job successfully. “It helps that I’m bubbly and love conversations,” she said. “I’m also a people’s person, so, as an extrovert, speaking to clients comes super naturally.”

While Free People’s sheer diversity in the clothing it sells to all age groups contributed to Hammady’s interest in working there, the close friendships between co-workers are what sealed the deal for her. “My sister worked here, and I loved how close all the employees were with each other,” Hammdy said. “My best experience on the job has actually been meeting all my co-workers and making friendships with some really dope girls.”

Much to her expectations, Hamady soon created many special bonds with her co-workers that were similarly passionate about exploring their own tastes of fashion—but the benefits of working at Free People did not end there. Hamady has also found that the experiences she’s gained while working with fashion are invaluable and have even begun influencing her own style. “I’m really into fashion and all the current trends, so working in retail is the perfect way to explore these interests,” Hamady said. “And my style has really evolved [since January], which is super cool. I feel like it’s gotten more mature and less basic.”

Hamady works three days a week, with each shift being roughly six hours long, and has consequently encountered a few issues with balancing school, work and her social life. “I have such bad senioritis, and it has been hard managing my free time and hanging out with friends since I work a lot on the weekends,” she said.

From her time at Free People, though, Hamady has developed better organizational skills that have proved helpful in many different aspects of life. “Working in retail really made me grow in the organizational sense, whether I’m styling the store or taking inventory in the back,” Hamady said.

Ultimately, Hamady acknowledges that while working in retail has its ups and downs—like most jobs do—being a stylist has led to making irreplaceable memories with co-workers and clients, and gaining critical social and organizational skills. “Retail is hard, and you need to be able to deal with all different types of people and situations, but it’s so worth it,” she said. “Plus, there’s an employee discount.”

So, the next time you find yourself ambling through the mall, keep an eye out for the mannequin-lined windows of bohemian bliss. Whether you’d like to walk away with a new outfit crafted perfectly to your tastes, or you simply seek a dash of inspiration to enhance your style, waltz right into this fashion wonderland. Inside, you may find Hamady who’ll help you find your own type of freedom in the clothes you wear.

Wildlife roams campus, local community: Seagulls

Angela Wong, News Editor — Sun, 05 Apr 2020 10:36:56 +0000

I still remember the first time I saw a seagull. It was a rainy afternoon, and I—an exhausted sophomore—trudged past loud construction sites and whirring golf carts until a small but swift shadow sprawled on the pavement caught my eye. ‘Twas a plane! ‘Twas Superman!

No, ‘twas not. It was a bird!

The majestic creature—later determined to be a California Gull, but can also be called the larus californicus if you want to sound smarter—soared high above me, its distinctive, sharp beak piercing through the air and its expansive gray feathers flapping in the wind. In fact, these seagulls have wingspans anywhere from 48 to 54 inches, and an overall length of 21 to 22 inches.

Recognized by their ear splitting huoh-huoh-huoh call, the seagulls have a diet that consists primarily of insects, rodents, fish, the eggs and young of other birds and garbage. So, to the eyes of these squawking birds, landfills and garbage bins are essentially sources of endless food supplies. Take a look around trash cans around Gunn’s campus, or anywhere that food is present, and you might just find a seagull about to dig into a yummy meal! Be careful, though: one impatient seagull once accidentally dropped a half-eaten ham sandwich on my head as I exited the batcave.

These gulls, commonly associated with the beach, are mostly found along the coasts of the San Francisco Bay and are fortunately becoming more easy to spot. In fact, scientists recorded only 24 seagulls in the area in 1980; this number jumped to over 53,000 today. This increase may be the result of seagulls having decided that the levees of the bay were great to build nests and lay eggs. However, lately more gulls have been colliding with airplanes or swarming landfills and local neighborhoods.

So, be kind to our fellow seagulls, which can be found anywhere from Alcatraz Island, Union City to even the quads of Palo Alto schools. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next lucky student to be ambushed with lunch leftovers.

Seasoned teachers reflect on their changes, experiences throughout time spent at Gunn: Paul Dunlap

Angela Wong, News Editor — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 20:26:53 +0000

A sea of adults fresh out of college, eyes wide in anticipation of the next stage of their professional lives, swam up and down the stands of potential teaching positions at the Santa Clara job fair. One face in particular—a California Polytechnic State University San Louis Obispo graduate with degrees in English and School Administration now better known as English teacher Paul Dunlap—floated among the crowds, eyes set on the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) stand. “Don’t bother applying,” his friends advised. “Nobody ever gets a job because it’s a desirable district. The people that get hired never leave.” Dunlap grabbed an application, determined to prove his friends wrong—he was hired in Sept. 1994.

Nonetheless, he knew that Gunn was his second home from the moment he had stepped on campus. “I was walking across the quad, and I couldn’t believe students were voluntarily talking to teachers,” he said. “It was so foreign to my experience.”

While Dunlap spent his entire teaching career at PAUSD, he attended 13 different schools before high school. These frequent changes led to Dunlap’s interest in holding leadership positions, translating into a love for teaching. “I was always leaving my friends, so I decided to prioritize school work instead, because that was constant,” he said. “In every school, hard work pays off. In high school, I had some really great teachers, which planted the idea that I can be like them one day, too.”

Throughout his 26 years at Gunn, Dunlap has noticed an array of technological shifts in his classroom, such as the replacement of chalkboards with SmartBoards. Even so,he maintains an intentionally old-school teaching style. “If the power goes off, we still have our books—and they work!” Dunlap said. “We spend less time silently thinking and reading, yet we cheat this by quickly moving from one task to another rather than sustaining a longer thought.” Likewise, cellphone usage has been increasingly excessive over the years. “Before, students weren’t on their phones,” he said. “They were on life. On person-to-person interaction.”

Despite it all, Dunlap remains bewildered by how fast his years at Gunn have seemingly passed. “I’ve always looked up to Mr. Shelby and Mr. Liberatore, so to be grouped with them is an honor,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for them.”

Decade in Review: News

Angela Wong, News Editor — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 20:07:45 +0000

Xi Jinping elected president of China (2012): Xi Jinping, the son of a revolutionary veteran, was appointed to the Communist Party’s top post as president of China.

Pope Benedict resigns (2013): Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope to resign since Gregory XII almost 600 years ago. He was replaced by Pope Francis, who was the first Pope to say that homosexuality was “not a sin.”

Ebola virus Outbreak (2014): The Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa became the most widespread and severe outbreak of the disease in history and caused 11,000 deaths.

Same-sex Marriage Legalized (2015): The Supreme Court of the U.S. ruled that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges.

Trump Elected (2016): Donald John Trump of the Republican party was elected as the 45th president of the United States, with 304 electoral votes, compared to 227 votes for democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. Coming in as a long-shot candidate, Trump rose through the Republican party ranks.

Solar Eclipse (2017): A total solar eclipse stretched from Oregon to South Carolina and was the first to cross the U.S. since 1918.

Cathedral Fire (2019): An accidental fire broke out beneath the roof of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in France, which led to a destroyed spire and damaged ceilings.

Remake vs. Original: “The Karate Kid”

Angela Wong, News Editor — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 18:58:56 +0000

In “The Karate Kid” (1984), Daniel LaRusso (played by Ralph Macchio) kept audiences at the edge of their seats as his momentous crane kick led the young martial artist to victory. Audiences were able to relive the somewhat nostalgic magic of karate kicks and roaring cheers from the crowd 26 years later in its 2010 remake. “The Karate Kid” (2010), starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, while integrating various differences into a similarly structured plotline, managed to offer viewers an exciting take on the beloved story of overcoming hardships.

The original film follows LaRusso as he moves from New Jersey to Southern California with his mother. He soon becomes the target of a group of bullies from his high school; with the help of martial arts master Mr. Miyagi, LaRusso trains to compete against them. In its remake, it’s 12-year-old Dre Parker that is train- ing alongside Mr. Han in an attempt to improve his kung fu to defeat his school bully, Cheng. While there is a considerable age difference between LaRusso and Parker, the stakes are high for both, and there is the same amount of physical violence shown on screen.

While the framework of the two films is similar, even down to the title, the remake’s plot takes on a few variations: for one, Parker learns kung fu to defend himself, contrary to the title, thus resulting in the change from a Japanese to Chinese martial arts master. Furthermore, Parker does not move across the country; rather, he and his mother experience a cultural and linguistic shift as they leave the U.S. for China. “The Karate Kid” undergoes a cultural shift of its own: the 1984 film featured a heavily white cast and was fully in English; in 2010, the film stemmed out from this original plotline to offer bilingual dialogue and more cultural representation behind kung fu. While “jacket on, jacket off” can’t replace “wax on, wax off,” the landscape shots of China pull the remake together and truly captivate the audience with more high-quality filming than what was available in the original.

This top-tier filming comes into play in the most famous scene of the movie: the last moments of the tournament where the bully loses to the now empowered karate kid. The crane kick is surely iconic and leads LaRusso to victory as his mother and schoolmates rush to him, ending the film with a sweet happily ever after. Yet, the moment audiences have been waiting for is exactly that: short and sweet. The scene lacks close-ups of the kid who has everything to lose or the worried parent on the sidelines, thus lacking in complexity. This is where the remake wins: the camera focuses in on Parker and the mental anguish he experiences as he stands face-to-face with his enemy, Cheng, who faces extreme pressure from his kung fu teacher and from his own determination to defeat Parker, Mr. Han, who, unlike Mr. Miyagi’s glare at the Cobra Kai teacher, wears a face of caution and worry for his student and Mrs. Parker, who’s uncertain over her sons’ safety in the tournament. While the 1984 film is indeed a classic, the remake successfully offers a varying outlook on a similar plot and added touches of complexity that audiences will cherish.

Students find creative outlet through passion for art, design: Senior Nina Chen

Angela Wong, News Editor — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 18:53:40 +0000

Late at night past her bedtime, when the only noises that could be heard were the snoring of her brothers deep in sleep and the chirping of the crickets outside, nine-year-old Nina Chen sat cross-legged in front of her mother’s sewing machine. Without the internet’s help, Chen was left with only one option: fiddle with the machine until she could make shirts with fixed buttons come out from the other end. Chen would soon learn that the power to create clothing was not contained in the machine itself, but within her own hands.

Chen, who is now a senior, has always been naturally drawn to admire different fashion styles as she passed store windows. “I used to be into really high-end fashion and how people designed and embroidered those elaborate pieces of clothing,” she said. “So, I would look at the clothing and break them down in my head to figure out how each piece was created. Then, I would test it out with some materials, and I’d be like, ‘Oh, I want to try to make that with this piece of fabric.”

In second grade, Chen attended a colonial fair where where students were able to work with embroidery and needle work. “I just really liked sticking my needle through the fabric and making nice designs,” she said. “I officially started sewing when I was in late elementary to middle school when I got a decent sewing machine. I would start to make small clothing for my dolls, and then I upgraded to a bigger sewing machine.”

Chen’s lifelong interest in fashion may seem like destiny, but the combination of cultural stigma and gender biases had often dissuaded her from pursuing it further. “There’s this Asian pressure that you shouldn’t do anything artsy, and that you should do business or [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] instead,” she said. “I thought it’d be cool if I could do fashion design. But then I thought, ‘I’m probably going to get disowned by my parents if I do fashion design.’ So, I went on and off of wanting to do fashion but also not wanting to do fashion.” Chen’s uncertainty was highlighted by her own siblings. “I was very much a tomboy when I was younger because I grew up with two brothers, so I didn’t want to be different from them,” she said. “Fashion design was out of the question if I wanted to fit in with them.”

Chen now sees her passion as self-sustaining. “Now, I don’t really care,” Chen said. “I do what I want. If it makes me happy, then I’m going to go do it.”

Her dedication and persistence in expanding her skills will continue into Chen’s college life, where she plans to major in fashion design. Later, she hopes to start her own fashion line and create affordable, sustainable clothing in order to help the environment.

In the meantime, Chen spends her summers teaching elementary and middle schoolers how to sew clothing to donate to charity.

Chen has indeed come full circle in her fashion design journey. She is no longer the second grader that was completely clueless about how to make simple pieces of clothing. Now, Chen spends her hours unveiling to current second graders the exact magic that she once found when tinkering with her mother’s sewing machine in the second grade. “It’s really cool to have little kids look up to me and be like, ‘Oh, my gosh. She made that.’ I say, ‘Yes, I did make that. And so can you.’”

What to do when you outgrow trick-or-treating (because Halloween is for all ages)

Angela Wong, News Editor — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 19:16:01 +0000

What do you commonly associate the beloved October holiday, Halloween, with? Students may picture the sweet taste of candy corn, visualize streets lined with children’s flamboyant costumes or envision the shimmering fire behind each jack-o’-lantern. Halloween is certainly a fun-filled day for the children, but where does this leave the average Gunn teenager that has outgrown trick-or-treating but still wants to unleash their inner spooky spirit? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Watch spooky Halloween-themed movies

Nothing beats the comfort of staying home on an October night to take a break from the sometimes overwhelming life outside. While you may not be parading around the streets in a bulky costume, there is still Halloween spirit indoors! The spooky feeling in the air on Oct. 31makes it the perfect night to watch a horror movie. If you seek a good scare, go for the classics: Scream (1996) and Halloween (1978). That will have you on the edge of your seat…or hiding under the blanket. If horror isn’t what you like, Ghostbusters (1984) and Halloweentown (1998) are both fantasy films that are equally as entertaining. So, grab a blanket, make some popcorn and prepare to become lost in another world for an hour or two!

2. Eat Halloween and fall-themed snacks

Like most holidays, Halloween comes equipped with its own yummy themed snacks that fortunately, don’t have an age limit! If you’re feeling crafty and creative, try out some Halloween-themed recipes, many of which can be found online. A few personal favorites of mine are the Witch’s Broomstick and Halloween Veggie Tray: they’re both incredibly fun to make and both contain vegetables (to stay healthy after eating all of that candy)! If you don’t feel like cooking, buy pre-made candy apples or pumpkin pie from any store. In a matter of bites, you’ll surely be in the fall spirit!

3. Attend local Halloween-centered events

Who said trick-or-treating was the only fun activity available on Halloween? No one! There are countless of local events in the Bay Area that may intrigue you. Mountain View will have pumpkin painting and carving at their Annual Shoreline Pumpkin Splash, starting on Oct. 13. For a scarier time, visit the Fear Overload Scream Park in San Leandro if you dare.Voted as the best haunted house in the Bay Area, you must be at least 15 years old to walk through dark corridors where monsters and demons lurk just around the corner.

4. Buy a lot of Halloween candy

A highlight of Halloween is the mountains of candy that you see piled up in every store! Why not take advantage of these bags of assorted candy, especially when it’s likely on sale? Binge-eating these sweets may not be the healthiest choice for a snack, but dentists everywhere will excuse it this one time, all in the name of Halloween. If you’d rather not eat it all, save some for the children that’ll knock on your door as they trick-or-treat. You may have outgrown the beloved tradition, but you can still make the holiday memorable for others!

Kristy and Grant Blackburn: Married teachers from opposing schools embrace their relationships

Angela Wong, News Editor — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 19:09:10 +0000

Two high schools, both alike in dignity; at the fair Palo Alto Unified School District Office on a sunny April afternoon in 2004 is where we lay our scene. It was just a normal day for Palo Alto (Paly) High School economics teacher Grant Blackburn, until English teacher and The Oracle adviser Kristy Garcia made a beeline toward him and said, “Let’s go out for those beers.” To this day, Grant Blackburn is certain that it was fate that brought them together.

The two first fatefully met in September at a beginning teachers’ support program being held at the District Office that year. At one meeting in particular, Kristy Blackburn invited Grant Blackburn to sit at her table with an offer no one can resist: “Join us. We have snacks!”

For Kristy Blackburn, it only took one “zero date”—her term for testing the waters with Grant—to realize how well she and Grant Blackburn get along. “We just had a lot of fun and were both like, ‘Wow, you’re really easy to talk to,’” she said.

As two halves of a whole, Grant Blackburn and Kristy Blackburn soon experienced the myriad benefits that come with an inter-district relationship once they started dating in 2004. “I actually like the balance we have,” Grant Blackburn said. “It’s great because we understand what we go through on a daily basis.” Furthermore, the two share vacation days, can ‘substitute’ for their partner’s class when they’re busy at ameeting, and have extended their social circus to a district-wide radius.

The couple has seen quite a few astonished faces when they mention to their students that they married someone from a rival school. “When I told my students in the past, they were like, ‘What? How could you do that?’ It’s like Romeo and Juliet,” Kristy Blackburn said. The two do enjoy participating in this friendly rivalry. “We would go to football and basketball games together wearing green and red,” Grant Blackburn said. “We’d sit on one side of the stadium, and then halfway through the game switch to the other side.”

Grant Blackburn agrees that their relationship is unique and their love for one another is as large as, say, an entire school district. “We’re proof that love can persist and cross town boundaries,” he said.