Junior volunteers at the zoo.
Robotics teams participate in build season.
The Oracle explores Palo Alto psychological experiments.
PG. 13 FEATURES
Staff members voice their opinions on Camp Everytown.
THEORACLE PG. 11 FEATURES
PGS. 14 & 15 CENTERFOLD
PG. 6 FORUM
Palo Alto Unified School District Henry M. Gunn High School 780 Arastradero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94306 NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. Postage
PA I D
Permit #44 Palo Alto, Calif.
Henry M. Gunn High School
http://gunnoracle.com/
Monday, March 4, 2013 Volume 50, Issue 6
780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Audey Shen
Top left: The new building comprises 9,100 square feet of space. Top right: A French class reaches its conclusion in a new classroom setting. Bottom left: The complex incorporates several corridors and benches alongside a courtyard. Bottom right: Students converse beside moving boxes.
World language classes relocate to new building complex Rebecca Alger and Klaire Tan
Features Editor and Copy Editor
The newly constructed world language building opened for students on Feb. 11. The 9,100 square foot building consists of two separate structures connected by a canopy and makes extensive use of glass in order to increase natural light. “The rooms overall are just fantastic,” Assistant Principal of Facilities Kim Cowell said. “They are just much more airy and light, making learning much more enjoyable for the students.” According to Cowell, the world language department was initially scheduled to move into the building over winter break. However, the project’s move-in date was pushed back two months for a variety of reasons. One of the biggest problem and time constraint was that when the school was built in the 1960s, not all the utility plans were updated and written out. It took a considerable amount of time for the construction workers to figure out which utility lines were dead, and which were still being used. “[Figuring out which utility lines were dead] was probably the biggest challenge because they had to go through and locate everything,” Cowell said. The new building will provide the world language teachers more classroom and office space to teach and interact with students. According to world language Instructional Supervisor Audey Shen
BUILDINGS—p.4
TBN puts new technology to use, promotes app Eileen Qian
Centerfold Editor
This semester, Titan Broadcast Network (TBN), home of the morning video announcements, took steps towards improving the program’s visual content and accessibility by purchasing a new video switcher and releasing the TBN smartphone app.
With the new video switcher called the Tricaster 300, a device currently used in many professional studios, TBN can broadcast in high definition. TBN advisor Edward Corpuz believes that the availability and accessibility of the new technology is important for the students. “The biggest benefit of using the Tricaster is to allow students who are enrolled in broadcasting an opportunity to learn and use technology present in today’s broadcast industry,” he said. In addition, the Tricaster 300, in conjunction with the green screen, will allow TBN to create virtual sets so that TBN can customize
TBN Notifier App Available on iTunes
the setting of “The G” and project anchors in different places without having to spend more money on reconstruction or leave the confines of the studio. According to senior Andrew GerberDuffy, the Tricaster 300 will allow newscasters to be shown talking in front of a store without having to visit it, which would save time and allow TBN to allocate more time to focus on the content of the segment rather than how the content is shown. TBN’s growth in technology also proves useful in accomodating students in several different situations, such as having a preparatory period or being late, that could prevent students from viewing the announcements live. In order to ensure and improve communication TBN—p.2
Audey Shen
Scan this QR Code for exclusive previews about all elective courses to be offered during the next school year.