Curves benefit classes October 29, 2013 — by Andrew Jiang and Devin Zhao What is this magical “curving” that saves grades from plummeting after a hard test and even boosts some students’ grades above the 100 percent mark? Curving is the distribution of grades among a class to form a bell curve, but to students, it means a whole lot more. read more »
Link Crew is not beneficial for entire year October 29, 2013 — by Andrew Jiang and Miles Abert It’s Monday tutorial and freshmen sluggishly walk into classrooms for Freshman Focus, a monthly meeting with teachers and Link Crew leaders that is mandatory for them. They are sadly aware that their entire tutorial will be spent answering questions from Link leaders such as, “How was your week?” and “How’s freshman year?” read more »
Digital libraries: The worst idea to be printed in 2013 October 29, 2013 — by Nelson Wang This September, the Bexar County Digital Library opened in San Antonio, Texas. That’s right, it’s a digital library. In other words, there are no books. read more »
High school midterms are too extreme October 29, 2013 — by Nelson Wang Around the halfway mark of every semester, the campus is full of upperclassmen, whining endlessly about their midterms. Their complaints are completely justified. read more »
Scheduling conflicts put the ‘bomb’ in Bombay in the Bay October 28, 2013 — by Jade Bisht Amid the stressful chaos of tests, projects and homework overwhelming students is the saddening news that the Indian Cultural Awareness Club’s annual Bombay in the Bay (BNB) has been moved two months earlier. The show will take place on Feb. 15 rather than on its usual weekend at the beginning of April break due to scheduling conflicts regarding the spring musical. Thinking about BNB taking place in less than five months compared to the usual seven is frightening — there are too many unnecessary conflicts to fret about in so little time. read more »
Lunch trucks should be allowed on high school campuses October 28, 2013 — by Derek Sun A big part of a student’s initiation to high school is having his first lunch off campus. Even though the cafeteria food has improved recently, students still prefer eating food made in off-campus restaurants. So why not bring students’ favorite eateries to the school? For a long time, students have proposed that food trucks be allowed on campus to further improve the school's food quality. read more »
College sports recruiting spirals out of control October 28, 2013 — by Derek Sun Ten years ago, 90 percent of prospective college athletes committed during their senior year and signed their National Letter of Intent during the holiday season. Fast forward to the present, and that is no longer true. College recruiting is spiraling out of control nowadays with top-flight athletes committing to college as early as eighth grade or freshman year. These commitments are absurd, both for the athlete and for the school. read more »
Fixed fee for sports participation is fair for everyone October 28, 2013 — by Ashley Chen $275. That’s how much money you’re asked to contribute to play any of the sports at our school. Whether you play your sport in the pool, which costs thousands of dollars to heat every year, or are part of the badminton team, which requires athletes to buy their own rackets, the fee is constant. read more »
Has the Nobel Peace Prize lost its credibility? October 28, 2013 — by Ashley Chen and Arman Vaziri In the last couple of years, the Nobel Peace Prize seems to have strayed from its initial purpose. It seems like the prize has lost the credibility and prestige that it once had. read more »
Stricter policy enforced on clubs is essential in making sure that clubs stay active October 10, 2013 — by Melissa Magner and Candice Zheng Recently, the Clubs Commissioner and ASB have tightened their enforcement of the clubs policy. This policy ensures that all clubs stay active, adding value to our campus and benefiting all students. read more »