The Alexander Most Perspective

Had you been at the showing of Race To Nowhere, you would have noticed one predominate fact about the crowd that had gathered to watch: they were all middle aged mothers. Outside of the PAC lay an ocean of parents coming to hear about how their children were overworked -even the news reporter who showed up to report on the film was a middle aged woman.
It was this composition of the crowd that helped define the film. Race To Nowhere is a documentary about parent’s growing concern for their children’s education, presenting issues such as childhood depression, excessive and potentially useless amounts of homework, teaching to the test and neglecting to teach to learn. These issues are presented in conjunction with how the race to be in the top their students going to the top tier schools is crippling students with absurd and expanding expectations.
The film’s maker, Vicki Abeles, was inspired by the overstressing of her own children and growing medical problems stemming from this stress, and a local suicide of a 13 year old girl because on stress at school. She attempts to reveal the deep-seated issues in our school system that hurt students and force students into habits such as cheating and stimulant drug use. Essentially, she hopes to expose “the dark side of America’s achievement culture”.

Before actual commentary on the message, a quick comment on the production. This film was excellently produced; everything from the introduction screen to end credits looked beautiful. Interviews and tapes of classes came together seamlessly. The only complaint I have would be the varying quality of video, several interviews seemed to be done on much lower quality film than others which created a unique flavor for many parts of the film, but took away from the cohesion of several arguments.

The film begins beautifully: a series of short clips from various people interviewed in the film, relating key points that will be made, using provocative statements to get the audience receptive and engaged. These clips serve as a hook, investing the audience in the film. It could not have been better done, with taste and style, representing the creative highlight of the film. The film then progresses into the filmmaker’s story, how she was inspired, and the initial interviews that begin to reveal the many issues underneath the surface of our educational institutions. The film then hits the apex of its focus, where in a passing comment a student utters the ultimate thesis of the film, that all of school and all the stress is merely “a race to nowhere”.

But then the major flaw of the film is quickly revealed when this statement, this statement is dropped and not expanded upon. The film flows to another issue. As the viewers watched, they were shown various issues such as whether boys struggle with coping with failure or the crippling standards of No Child Left Behind. But no issue was fully explored. In a stroke of irony, a film discussing how schools teach too broadly but not deep enough itself fails to provide any depth on the issue. Some of the most compelling and controversial pieces (such as doctors being taught to the test with specific criteria and answers and thus being less able to innovate and work around problems they have not yet been faced with) are merely mentioned for a period of maybe two minutes, and then never brought up again.

The two parts of the film that are never dropped and remain core arguments are homework and mental health. The filmmakers believe that homework is being assigned too much, and that the additional work causes stress which has detrimental effects on the student populace. This remains the strongest argument of the whole film, managing to remain solid despite several statements that incite doubt that all school can be taught in just school hours, that parents should discuss abolishing AP’s at their school, and that an new AP teacher cutting homework raised pass when the possibility that the teacher was merely better was never considered. But the strength of these arguments is weakened by the huge amounts of partially developed” stances which were insufficiently supported. Had the film spent five minutes explaining it’s various solutions and data to support (maybe even present opposing arguments if there is time) then the film would have halted doubt in its viewer’s minds.
At the start of the film, Vicki Abeles commented that they needed to start the film as it was 85 minutes and in her words “very long”. The truth is that the film was not long enough. The film need to be about half an hour longer, just to expand and interconnect the arguments.
A final note, this is a film for parents. Though it has suggestions for students, parents, teachers, and administrators, the arguments are often based on pathos, appealing to the emotions of parents worrying about their children. Students who watch the film most likely will not be moved, simply because nothing new is presented to them; this is the world they live in, and they understand it to a level that not even a documentary can fully convey. As much as the film wishes to be branching out to a diverse audience, the line into the PAC remains mainly middle-aged mothers.

Grade: Read the review, I wouldn’t want to cause the filmmaker any stress.

The Anna Luke Perspective:

The movie “Race To Nowhere” discusses the way the curriculum is set up in schools today. The movie broke down the educational process from the student board, to teachers, to parents and family life then to the actual students themselves. The general message was that schools are pushing kids too hard academically, and that they are teaching kids only to perform well on tests and not to actually learn. It also described the sources of the stress students are feeling: pressure from their parents, coaches for sports, and their teachers at school.

I appreciate the fact that the makers of the film want to change the goal of school so that kids actually learn—as of now, many students are only retaining information for tests, not to actually process the information. The filmmakers are encouraging parents to talk to their kids about their schedules, so that the kids have a better idea of what they can handle, as well as an idea of what will help them be successful. Another one of their ideas: having less homework will help students’ stress levels.
The only thing I did not like about the film was that it gives the impression that with these changes, teenagers’ stress will decrease dramatically. I felt relieved after seeing the film because maybe with some of the recommended changes, students’ schedules would become more manageable. But after thinking about it more I realized that these changes will happen slowly and it will be a long process. The film is a first step to the changes that need to be made for the future generations of students, so that they can become as successful as possible.

The Lindsey Sepulveda Perspective:

The Race to Nowhere, a documentary film that examines the pressures put on youth, was shown at the Menlo-Atherton PAC last Tuesday. The movie tells the story of young students who have been pushed passed their breaking point and the challenges that face educators and parents because of the competitive atmosphere. Three members of our staff give their feedback:

If I hadn’t received a free ticket to Race to Nowhere by Vicki Abeles, I probably would have never watched it. The movie has many respectable themes and ideas, but it is directed to people who have to deal with over-stressed and hormonal teenagers, specifically parents, educators and government officials. I felt like I wasted an hour and a half of time that could have been dedicated towards homework.

This movie focuses on the stress put on students by school, extracurricular activities, and colleges, but the movie completely ignores other stresses, like the effects of the economic crisis on students who have to work to provide for their family while staying in school. Also it fails to acknowledge the stress on students who are in relationships in general, whether it’s between the teenager and their family, friends, boyfriends, or girlfriends. And most importantly the movie didn’t mention one of the biggest problem among all teens, peer pressure, which can be just as stressful as staying up to do some English project that is due no later than eight o’clock in the morning.
Like many people, I enjoy relating to movies and often visualize myself in the film, but rarely am I able accomplish that. There wasn’t much racial diversity or a variety of personalities either. It seemed as if all the students were exactly the same. They all had the same mindset and the same issues. I felt like it was too repetitive. I got the message very quickly, so I didn’t need to hear it over and over again.

Vicki Abeles created the documentary, Race to Nowhere, to inform the nation of the stress that is put on students through school, after watching her kids suffer from the difficulty of school. She gathered several students throughout the nation to tell their story and how they’re dealing with school and life now. Abele also promotes different solution on how this stress epidemic can be dealt with by changing the way education is structured. She offers students, parents, teachers, and other government officials different advice on how they each can tackle the big bad wolf known as the American school system.

Although Abeles is very convincing that together we can change the school system because some student can’t cope with the work, it doesn’t mean the entire nation should conform to their needs. I think the people who do like our school system should stick to what they believe in and not change just because 90-minute documentary told them they were wrong.

No, I’m here to provide us with something nobody else has devised yet– a way out.  You see, the district, in order to justify such a far-reaching and drastic change, has to have some base expectations.  They’re probably expecting slightly better grades, a more cheerful student body, healthier students, and a generally better atmosphere overall.  The way to get the old schedule back is simple: all we have to do is fail to meet single possible standard they could set for us.

Have you been whining about how much the new schedule is going to blow and how there’s nothing you can do about it? Well, now there is.  From now on, don’t just ignore your homework like usual.  Burn it-it’s the only way to be sure.  Tests provide a good opportunity to hone your skills as an artist, especially on scantrons; you can use the bubbles to spell fun words, like “CAB”, or make bubble smiley faces.  Writing essays on books you’ve read is boring, but writing essays on whether Mr. Wellington could take Mr. Amoroso in a knife fight is a good deal more interesting.  Any grade higher than 10% just means you’re trying too hard, you dumb nerd.  On the subject of dumb nerds, why have we been so nice to teachers this whole time?  The nerve of them– asking us questions that they already know the answers to.  If they try crap like that again, from now on you should respond with your own question, like “If you’re so smart and such a good teacher, how come I don’t know the answer?” and proceed to receive high-fives.

Next time somebody bumps into you in the hall, don’t just do nothing.  Punch whoever’s nearest to you in the face as hard as you can.  This school looks and smells too nice, too.  Trash cans and bathrooms should be considered optional from here on out.  If you happen to be sick, don’t stay at home to recuperate.  Come to school and share your microbes– cough on your hands, and if anyone asks about the dampness during a high-five or handshake, say you just washed them.  And don’t feel like you have to hold in vomit until you reach a bathroom.  Shades of orange, green and brown could work wonders for our school’s aesthetic.

People who engage in public displays of affection in the halls– step it up a notch.  First base? That’s really the limit of how much you care for each other? Oh, and don’t listen to those dumb “birth control” lessons we’ve been forced to sit through.  Commercials are far more accurate: all you need is a stick of Dentyne Ice Gum and you’re good to go.

When the district sends someone to see the results of their “brilliant” schedule change, this school should be a putrid, blood-soaked hellhole populated by frightened teachers and phlegm-producing, hostile teen parents.  That’ll teach them for trying to make us sleep.

I think the whole thing is an annoying fad. There probably are people somewhere out there who like frozen yogurt for the taste, but then you have people who think they are so cool, raving about how it’s lo- cal, or organic, or full of pro-biotics, or whatever it is they come up with now. Half of the people who claim to love frozen yogurt have only started liking it because of how it is advertised, and half of those people probably don’t even know what they’re talking about. Oh, by the way, I have not yet heard a single boy blab to me about how great fro-yo is. Sounds like a fashion statement to me.

One thing I’ve noticed is that people love the healthy (healthier) toppings you can get for your fro-yo. Frankly, I’m glad that people are increasing the amount of fruit they have in a day. Obviously that’s good for you. Frozen yogurt does have fewer calories than ice cream and overall isn’t as rich as ice cream. It can be great if you want a quick sugar fix.  But of course, then you run into the whole sugar-free gelatin-free fake gummy-like bears, carob chips, and other weirdo imitation candies. I guess I understand how if you are allergic to something, or raw vegan, or for some reason morally cannot eat regular sweets and candy, these are awesome alternatives. But why would any normal person ever, ever, EVER eat carob chips instead of chocolate? If you are going to eat something sweet, you may as well go for the gusto. I guess the problem is that if you ate the more delicious versions every day, you would have an unhealthy habit. But you don’t have to have fro-yo as your cheater ice cream; you don’t have to tell everyone how much better it is. You can have regular ice cream once in a while- enjoy it for crying out loud.

And so I sigh when I think of Yumi Yogurt, TCBY, and Yogurt Stop. Fro-yo has gone in and out of fashion over the years (in its various soft serve and euro-style forms), and I’m sure this isn’t the last time it will be popular. But I will remain proudly among those with the guts to take real ice cream.

Now, all those out there who say that Lost is a dumb show, who dislike it for whatever foolish reason, will in turn dislike this article. For many years I thought the same as you, having only given the show a passing chance-and I know for sure I would have liked nothing less than hear some fool wax and wane on about that Lost. So I bid you adieu.

But for those who cannot tear their eyes away for a whole hour every Tuesday, I ask you to step back for a second and ask why you watch Lost. At first many of you will say “the mystery” and start to babble on about how the complexity of the island is fascinating. This is how I once thought, until a fellow fan Forrest challenged my belief. He argued that even if no mysteries were solved, he would not disavow the show. Why you ask? Because of the characters.

At first I rejected his thoughts, and stayed true to my desire for answers, but as I watched the show unfold, his words stayed with me, to the point where I can say in all honesty that I watch Lost each week not to see what will be answered, but to see glimpses back into the lives of the characters we have all grown to love.

Consider what the best episodes of this season have been. There have been countless ensemble episodes where many things are revealed, be it the next step of the Man in Blacks plan or the identities of the candidates, but the highlights of the season remain reserved for a higher class of episode, the individual focus. We have seen this in the story of Ricardos, we have seen it Desmond’s flash sideways, where the truly moving moments come without massive revelations and mysteries unraveled. Desmond is a perfect example, only six episodes have been focused on him and the storylines reveal little, but some are arguably the best episodes of the show.

Let’s take the Man in Black for a minute. Why do we care about him? Is it the mystery of his nature, or the man himself that drives our intrigue? Personally, I know he is evil, I know he has an evil plan to rival the greatest Die Hard villain, and though the writers can tell me more, I don’t need to know more. What I do need to know is who he is, what his past is, how he got to the island, what drives him. In the end though, if they don’t find time to reveal his history but instead delve deeper into other characters, as long as it’s well done I will be happy.

So what I’m trying to say is don’t get hung up on the mysteries, Lost has so much more to offer. If all you watch show for is answers, then you will be disappointed, because it is impossible for them to answer everything in so few remaining episodes. Stop and smell the roses.

Inside the Exploratorium, shrieks of excitement could be heard echoing in the rafters, as girls sighted their female companions, clicked precariously towards each other in heels at least 4 inches too tall, and gushed over the other’s chemically enhanced appearance.  It was indeed a night of beauty: girls glowed in an aura of orange tans, sporting enough cosmetic powder for a ski slope, and gazed amorously at their dates through eyes fringed with lashes that threatened at every moment to break free of their restraining glue and tumble to the floor.  The male population was equally stunning, sporting attractively moist foreheads and grimacing with such beauty that it made one wish they would wear such uncomfortable shoes every day.

And who could forget the dance floor, illuminated as it was with about a thousand different sources of light, leaving far too little to the imagination.  Each and every gyrating pair, thoroughly engrossed in grinding elegantly from side to side, was spotlighted by the dazzling fluorescence of the exhibits.  What a sight it was: guys’ expressions strikingly frozen in sweat-soaked concentration, providing the perfect complement to their airbrushed companions, who moved with the subtle grace of an antsy football hiker.  Plus, with spacing as expansive as the Exploratorium floor, those who, like whales that strayed from the pod, opted for extra room to boogie down, had both the space and the excellent lighting to trigger the gag reflex of all who were unfortunate enough witness the hair crunching, suit drenching violence that was their dancing.

As you can see, prom was truly a night of splendor. And while you may ask why there were no snake charmers or camels, the answer is: too obvious. Each and every student left with cherished memories: the sight of streaky makeup, the scent of gorgeous locks cemented with hairspray, the sound of panting students too tired and sweaty to do anything but make out in the mirror kaleidoscope. All I can say is: Best. Night. Ever.

The most recent example is Garfield. I love Garfield. I grew up on Garfield; the majority of my attempts at humor are derived from the antics of Garfield. But recently the comic has become stale. I can no longer open treasured anthologies, because the new comics in the paper are essentially the same recycled jokes over and over and over again. I’ll give Jim Davis credit, he has been trying hard to open up new material, giving the protagonist Jon a girlfriend thus opening swaths of humor. But in the process, he made his comic lose some of its magic and unique identity. At 32 years of age, the comic is past its expiration, but it continues to be printed.

Unfortunately, this trend is evident in many comics in the newspaper; Dagwood has been going on for 75 years passing creative control from father to son. Marmaduke and Beetle Baily are others comics where the adorable gag and characters have simply run their course, it is time for their genius to be left to anthologies and give new comics and chance in the pages. The magic of a comic needs to stay intact; As much as we want to see the Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes back in the papers, when we look back on their relatively short runs, we remember a time when every day brought innovation, when never did your eyes skip over the strip after noticing a familiar punch line.

The fact of the matter is that there is genius sprouting up everyday. In the last decade we have had Candorville and Pearls Before Swine appear. Both are brilliant comics which capture the modern mood of cynical and snarky comedy. We have had Lio that has worked in an alternative form, with little to no dialogue, exploring new forms of comic humor. The fresh ideas and comics are out there, but with limited space and many comics staying in the papers for generations swaths of creativity are overlooked.

We have to give papers credit though, they need business, and a famous long loved comic like Garfield is far more likely to attract readers than an experimental new comic about a trekkie journalist who twitters constantly. Newspapers are in the dumps, and they do need all the business they can get just to keep their head above water. But papers cannot sacrifice art and innovative humor merely for devoted readers, as it is the new strips that will draw in and keep the new generation of readers.

There is an expiration date on every comic, and far too many last beyond slowly curdling the magic of the strip. I love Garfield, but its time that Jim Davis put down the pen and let a new artist draw the next character that captures the world’s imagination. In the words of Bill Watterson “It’s a magical world,…Let’s go exploring!”

Steve Lippi
Instructional Vice Principal

“Where are our Polynesians at!?” was answered with moderate enthusiasm.

“Where are our Europeans and Asians at!?” followed, to a barely audible response.

Through these and other similar questions it was confirmed that we do, in fact, also have Latinos, African-Americans, and even an Armenian or two.  Because of course, any student unaware that M-A is a diverse community can only be enlightened by a heritage-based roll call.

Is it too time-consuming to call for the whites and Asians separately? I doubt it; we made time for the Armenians. Did the school deem the two races similar enough to just make one group? That might make sense if they had called on Americans and Canadians, but come on- Europeans and Asians even have separate continents to their name.

“Injustice!” I heard Caucasian junior Noah Stid roar in mock seriousness as he walked down the hall after the leaving the assembly. “We count too!”

“No taxation without representation!” I heard another, historically well-informed, white student shout.

The performances did little to appease my wounded racial pride. I saw the rest of the school come together as one through Mexican, Polynesian, and African-American heritage-inspired dances, and I felt conspicuously left out. Darn it M-A, I want Michael Flatley and I want him now! Give me an Irish jig at the very least.

Though in retrospect, I have to wonder if whites didn’t get a dance to spare us the embarrassment of putting our race’s inferior dancing abilities on public display.

As I shuffled out of the auditorium, the resulting tragedy was starkly apparent. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a group of African-American students, Polynesian students, Latino students, and Mrs. Nersesian holding hands and singing Beatles songs in a loving display of their newfound acceptance of one another.  And out of the corner of my other eye, I saw the white and Asian population of M-A: broken-hearted, sobbing, and praying for cultural acceptance.

I expected to become a brand-new person that day–– the result of most school assemblies, as I’m sure all students know. Alas, I did not grow united with my fellow students through cultural dance. I left wondering why whites and Asians, a large percentage of our student body, were conspicuously overlooked.

As I see it, it appears that all people need is music- music and other people to grind on. Despite the current rule in the student handbook stating that students may not partake in inappropriate dancing, students continue to “freak”. Now that isn’t to say that we should all return to the days of ballroom dancing and masquerades (which I hear is a possible theme for Prom ’10), but I don’t think toning down the freaking would be a bad thing. Maybe a “90 degree” rule would be more appropriate that an all out ban. In any case, serious freaking makes dances less of a social event. Do you talk with a person if your hands are on the ground? Didn’t think so. Although its true that you can always find people in circles of friends cooling off and chatting, you just wont get the same effect freaking with someone as you will if you’re dancing face to face.

As for music, the selection at both Homecoming ‘09 and Winter Formal ’09 were simply not up to par.

Esmeralda Garcia, a junior, says, “All they played was rap [at Homecoming], and I don’t know any rap. The music wasn’t diverse enough”.

Rap- and a couple Taylor Swift songs- seemed to be the music of choice by the DJ at homecoming, while at Winter Formal ’09 the DJ chose the iTunes top ten and techno nobody had ever heard of. I think everyone would agree that the best choice for music would be a variety of songs that actually change from year to year.

In my time at Menlo-Atherton it appears that dances have gone significantly downhill since I was a freshman. But as I examine it closely, was there really much of a difference between the dances I attended as a freshman and the ones I now attend as a junior? Looking back, I would have to say no. The sparse decorations at this year’s Homecoming were just as sparse when I was a freshman, the music equally homogenous. And yet many of the people I asked said that dances truly were better earlier on in their high school career.

It is possible that, as a freshman, the idea of going to a high school dance is simply more appealing. It gives you a chance to meet new people, dress up, and go out for the night, even if you do spend most of the time avoiding that annoying kid from English class, or bashing the decorations. It was a shiny new toy compared to middle school dances.

Sophomore Patrick Reed thinks that “the thrill dissipates as you get older” and it seems like there are better things to do than go to a high school dance.

It is hard to get students together to celebrate, have fun and let loose without the majority of them going off and doing something illegal, so I would hope that a Menlo-Atherton dance could be the place for students to have fun in an appropriate way. But unless leadership kicks it up a notch, we’re going to find fewer and fewer people going to M-A dances and more of them… well… elsewhere.

My suggestion is that more people get involved with leadership’s planning of dances, or at least that the process behind planning dances becomes more transparent. In this way we can better come up with ways to cater to all audiences at an M-A dance. Leadership will have a better reputation, the school will have a better reputation, and students will have a better time on the weekend.