Gunn High School's Student Newspaper
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[2/22] In a recent survey conducted by The Oracle of 347 Gunn students, 52 percent believe that hookah is less dangerous than cigarettes. However, hookah, which 32 percent of the students claim to have tried, is slowly laying the foundation for cancers and other detrimental diseases more commonly associated with cigarettes, according to experts.
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[News] Biotechnology is a science elective for juniors and seniors designed to teach students primarily through labs. “In a typical science class, one usually begins with the theory and then selects labs to support the theory,” biotechnology teacher Geri Horsma wrote in an e-mail. “In biotech we lead with the labs and then connect the theory related to the labs.” —Lydia Zhang
[News] Animation in a Virtual World, a class taught by math teacher Josh Paley, gives students a chance to discover how digital animation works. The class provides students a fun and creative approach to use the computer to express themselves. Each student creates their own “world,” in which various objects can move around. The tool, called “Alice,” makes it quite simple to create animation sequences. Simply click on the object, choose a path (or paths) for it to follow and drag and drop them together. These actions create a sequence of animation that the objects will then flow through.—Jennie Robinson
[News] Advance Placement (AP) Computer Science appeals to students who are interested in both programming and math. It gives students a chance to analyze computer code, and the course covers the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems. —Jennie Robinson
[News] Problem Solving is a math class that combines quick thinking, a competitive edge and a love for math that solves difficult problems. —Mia Howard
[News] Every other year an interdisciplinary history and English class is offered to juniors, combining American Literature and U.S. History in two back-to-back classes called American Studies. The class is divided into an English period and history period, which are taught by English teacher Diane Ichikawa and social studies teacher Lynne Navarro respectively. —Divya Shiv
[News] “Holocaust,” the official name for “Facing History and Ourselves: The Sociology of Genocide” invites students eager to learn more about the causes of genocides and the role human behavior plays in bringing them about. “Most people think it’s just a history class,” history teacher Roni Habib said. “It’s not just a history class.” —Nicola Park
[News] “Regardless of if you’ve played at Gunn or somewhere else, we’d love to have you in our music program,” Band teacher Todd Summers said. Gunn’s music program offers band, orchestra and choir. “We offer highly intensive programs, meant to challenge the most talented kids on campus,” Summers said. —Maya Ambady
[News] This interdisciplinary English and theatre course is available to juniors and seniors during the fall semester and is taught by both theatre teacher Jim Shelby and English teacher Paul Dunlap. The class spans C and D period, so students taking it essentially have a two-hour course. “When you go Dramatic Lit, your C and D periods are back to back so that’s two hours a day, except days when there’s only D or C,” Shelby said. “So the bell will ring in the middle and we don’t have to get up and go—we’ll continue.” —Lydia Zhang
[News] For students who have always desired to take center stage, Theatre 1 is a great way to get in on the “ground floor of Gunn Theatre,” theatre teacher Jim Shelby said—Lisa Wu
[News] If you’re interested in art, you can take Drawing and Painting regardless of your artistic ability. “I want to make it really clear that anyone can draw and paint,” art teacher Deanna Messinger said. “All it takes is a lot of motivation and passion.” —Eden Lauffer
[News] Headed by art teacher Erik Bowman, the sculpture program encourages students to dream up their own original creations and build them out of materials like clay, wood, metal and plaster. “We have a lot to offer and sculpture is a great artistic medium,” Bowman said. “We do a variety of really interesting processes and use lots of different materials.”—Ashley Ngu
[News] Some people quiver at the sound of having to complete an art credit. Most think the only option is drawing or painting but in Photo 1 students get to utilize technology to make art. “I have had athletic students and very academic students who were wary about taking an art class,” photo teacher Jennifer Hogan said. “But they have found that they have a good eye and really enjoy it.” Hogan recommends this class to sophomores and juniors so they have time in the next couple of years to continue with photo. —Jesse Klein
[News] Next year students enrolled in the new yearlong Introduction to Engineering Design course will be able to use 3-D design software to create almost anything within their imaginations. —Ashley Ngu
[News] Fiber Arts is an artistic getaway for students craving something a little different and relaxing. It’s a class for anyone interested in learning new skills and who likes hands-on activities. —May Wu
[News] Like playing piano is to the pianist, building and fixing cars is to the automotive technician. Though becoming a master grease monkey takes years of practice, Automotive Technology (Auto) brings students one step closer by teaching the ins and outs of properly owning a car. —Leon Sung
[News] According to science teacher Bakari Holmes, schools in the area need to do a better job of exposing students to engineering. “[The students have] heard of it, their parents are in it, but they’ve never done it,” Holmes said. —Tara Golshan
[News] In Spanish Civilization and Culture, students learn about Spanish speaking countries through geography, food, customs and traditions. —Elise Lee
[News] The World Languages Instructional Supervisor Anne Jensen created this course to continue French for students who had taken the Advanced Placement (AP) French Language course. “It is a thematic-oriented course,” Jensen said. “Students pursue their own interests in French.” The class mainly consists of completing projects, watching films and exploring the history, art and literature of different French eras.—Anne Hsiao
[News] Starting next year, Chinese teacher Yanan Vrudny will be teaching a new class: Mandarin Chinese Advance Placement (AP) Language and Culture. This new course will replace the current course Mandarin Chinese 4.—Jazreel Cheung
[News] Students looking for reading material shorter than novels will be happy in Short Fiction. During the course of the semester, English teacher Marc Vincenti guides students through over 30 short stories, all by different authors. —Samantha Donat