Issuu

Features

Sports

Editorial

Arts & Cultures

Addison follows sophmore Alexander Watanabe’s journey toward earning the prestigious Eagle Scout badge.

Kayden highlights excitement surrounding Pinewood’s new boys volleyball team.

Violet reflects on college applications and the most debilitating time of high school.

Esha explores the creation of a mural inspired by ‘East of Eden’ – a tribute to the literary and artistic community.

READ MORE ON PAGE 7

Check out our website!

FEBRUARY 6, 2025

INSTAGRAM: @PINEWOODPERENNIAL

PINEWOOD SCHOOL, LOS ALTOS HILLS, CA

VOLUME IX, ISSUE III

THEPERENNIAL.ORG

From School Bells to Church Bells: A Love Story Unfolds NEREA AMEZCUA Staff Writer

Most people in the Pinewood community know that Bill and Jennifer Bates are married, but not many know that their story began at Pinewood in 1993, where they first met and spent time together as class advisors. As they went on multiple field trips with students, a friendship and connection between them formed. “I remember on one was to the wharf in San Francisco, and the kids would all go off, and then we’re like, together,” Jennifer said. “So we hung out and got to know each other pretty well.” The couple had a mutual friend: Andy Gibson, who helped bring Bill out to California and to Pinewood.

“Pinewood has the same values that we have, so I feel like we get to live it all the time.” “It was him that I was visiting, and ended up working at the school for about six months, and then I went back to Massachusetts,” Bill said. Then, in March, Bill got a call from Victor Riches, who offered him a long term position at Pinewood. “Mr. Riches gave me a call and said, ‘We’d like you to come out and start our computer science department,’ because they didn’t have one at the time,” Bill said. After accepting Riches’ offer, Bill came back to Pinewood and that is when the friendship between Jennifer, whose maiden name is Payne, and Bill blossomed into a deeper connection. “Because we were friends with Andy, the three of us would go out on the weekends and do fun things and hang out as friends,” Jennifer said. “We were friends first, and then…it just kind of happened.” Once they started dating, in their 20’s, none of their students knew that the two were a couple, yet they kept

Photo courtesy of PINEWOOD SCHOOL

Bill and Jennifer Bates at Pinewood school dance, Spring of 1997 (top).

Photo by GABBY YANG

The couple in 2025 after 27 years together (bottom).

trying to get Jennifer and Bill together. After they started dating, their relationship flourished

and the pair grew closer, ultimately leading to Bill’s decision to propose to Jennifer. Charles Oliver, a close friend and teacher at Pinewood at the time, helped Bill make a plan. “So Charles and I went around to pick an engagement ring and he helped me pick one out,” Bill said. Bill proposed to Jennifer over the intercom system at Pinewood in May 1996. At the time, the intercom system had a cassette player, so Bill recorded his proposal and played it over the loudspeaker while he was outside of Room 1 ready to ask Jennifer to marry him. “So, when it got to the part in my speech where I was about to say …‘would you marry me?’, I walked in the door to her classroom and I got down on one knee, and I opened the ring,” Bill said. Everybody cheered out and congratulated the couple. They got married in June 1997. Years later, they welcomed two children, Casey and Quinn Bates, both of whom attended Pinewood. Casey graduated in 2018 and was part of the Pinewood Performing Arts (PPA), football, and baseball teams. Quinn graduated in 2020 and was also part of the PPA, cross-country, and baseball teams at Pinewood. “We heard so much about Pinewood growing up, like how our parents met, how our dad proposed on campus, the friends they’d made working there,” Casey Bates said. “When we eventually came to Pinewood as students, we thought it was special to not only experience the place that held such significance in our parents lives, but also to make cherished memories of our own there.” The Bates’ relationship is a testament of the connections that are created here at Pinewood School, among our staff and members of the community alike. “Pinewood has the same values that we have, so I feel like we get to live it all the time, all day, and our kids went here, and our kids loved it,” Jennifer said. “Our whole family benefited from it.”

Adulting 101 Workshops Equip Seniors With Key Life Skills ZACHARY CHOI Staff Writer

“Am I ready for life as an adult?” That is a question many seniors ask themselves as they near the end of their high school careers. This spring, Pinewood’s Adulting 101 Workshops plan to prepare seniors for adult life through addressing topics such as personal finance, cooking and nutrition, apartment skills (like reading a lease), and navigating healthcare. Between spring break and AP exam week, four of these optional workshops will be offered during office hours. Previously, Pinewood conducted a similar program developed by current Associate Director of College Counseling and Academic Advising Carolyn Siegel named “Onward.” This year, Upper Head of School Eve Kulbieda and Alumni Relations and Events Associate Kayla Whitehouse are working to continue Siegel’s vision. Kulbieda believes that the Adulting 101 Workshops will help seniors gain the tools necessary to succeed in life. “It’s all about confidence,” Kulbieda said. “I think not providing confidence holds them back from feeling like they can lean into all the things.” Still, much of the program remains unknown. One remaining unknown is who will instruct the workshops.

In fact, Kulbieda said that members of the Pinewood community, other than teachers, might teach as well. “It’s evolving,” Kulbieda said. Kayla Whitehouse is looking for alumni to run some of the workshops.” Regardless of the decisions yet to be made, Kulbieda remains focused on supporting the needs and desires of each senior. “Part of our discussions when I meet with the seniors next will be about these seminars and exactly what they want,” Kulbieda said. Despite the high school graduate stereotype of needing to learn basic house chores, senior Jared Bowman hopes to familiarize himself with more difficult skills such as tax jargon and legal paperwork. “Taxes and the legal system are really confusing,” Bowman said. “I have no idea what I need to fill out.” Alternatively, senior Prisha Mohapatra believes that finding different ways to manage time will be even more valuable in adult life. “In high school you’re told when to do what, but then in the adult world, you don’t really get guidance, so learning different ways to be able to do that will be helpful.” Mohapatra said. Despite these uncertainties, seniors are ready to embrace adulthood through the workshops.

“I feel excited and ready to learn how to be prepared, but I don’t think I’m prepared yet,” Bowman said. “I don’t think anyone would really be prepared at the start.” Thinking back to her experiences of becoming an adult, Kulbieda said that confidence and experience allowed for her to adjust to adulthood.

“It’s all about confidence. I think not providing confidence holds them back from feeling like they can lean into all the things.” “Because I was already doing those things, that really set me up for success,” Kulbieda said. “It made me more resilient, but also more confident when I went out into the wide world.” Kulbieda believes that the Adulting 101 Workshops are important for seniors and their growth as individuals beginning to navigate real life. “These workshops will help build confidence and self-esteem and provide seniors with a skill set that they may not have been exposed to yet,” Kulbieda said.