Tech Savvy Students

Students find their way around technological barriers, but they’re not hacking.  They’re checking their grades.

Presentation students are forging new paths and discovering new ways to access blocked websites. This past holiday break students discovered a way to access their grades through a simple one-step process on the PowerSchool URL.

Previously, students discovered that a simple change in the Facebook URL would allow them to visit their account on campus, even though the whole site was supposed to be blocked. What do the actions of these tech savvy students mean for the tech support team?

Every time a student figures out how to work her way around a website block, the tech support team must hold a meeting and decide if it’s worth the trouble to re-block the site. Blocking websites is not a hard task, but is often done for a purpose.  There is obviously a reason why the school does not want students to visit Facebook during class or go on PowerSchool during vacation.

At the beginning of each year students sign a tech agreement that promises they will be honorable and not abuse their power on Presentation computers. This agreement includes the promise not to hack websites that are not meant to be seen. “Most students are pretty good about respecting the files that don’t belong to them,” said Ms. Renner, Technology Department Chair.

Although students may have previously found their way onto Facebook or PowerSchool, no student has ever actually hacked into Presentation’s grade book. Madeline Nguyen, a student, stated, “The students weren’t actually trying to hack the site, but they believed it was their right to see their grades after they had worked so hard on their finals.”

Even if Pres students did have mischievous students with the ability to hack, they would have a tough time.
“Pres has never had any tech breaches due to the fact that we have a very protected network with software in place that protects the network from the inside and outside,” said Renner.  “We update the virus and anti-spam all the time and we’ve taken the necessary measures to protect our network.”

The members of Presentation’s tech support team take important measures every day to keep school computers safe and protect the students. The team uses a firewall and server system to block websites that are inappropriate for students. The firewall is always up-to-date in order to keep it strong and protected.

If students can work their way around blocked sites on the Presentation website easily, what else are they capable of? These tech savvy students may lead us into a new generation of technology. Who knows, we might even be looking at the next inventor of an all new spam program.

Cutting: The Burden of Emotional Stress

On Nov. 8, Demi Lovato, the Disney Channel star most known for her role in Sonny with a Chance, checked herself into a medical center for professional help and therapy to help her deal with eating disorders and cutting. Besides proving how the celebrity world can destroy a person at any age, this also demonstrates that the issue of cutting can affect anyone, even those who least expect it.

KidsHealth.org states, “Injuring yourself on purpose by making scratches or cuts on your body with a sharp object — enough to break the skin and make it bleed — is called cutting.” The act of cutting is a form of self-injury that is used to control emotional pain. It is cutting through one’s skin in common areas of the arms, thighs, wrists and/or even hips. It is important to know that cutting is not a suicide attempt. Self-injury may feel like a way of “waking up” from a sense of numbness after a traumatic experience.

The average age of beginner cutters is between ages 11 to 14, and it is reported that girls do it more than boys. Statistics show that about 1% of the population of the United States cuts.

These practices of cutting have been going on for decades if not centuries, but it has become less secretive in the past two decades. One of Presentation’s guidance counselors, Ms. Schrader, noted, “Cutting, in the past few years, has become the new anorexia and is used as a way for students to feel relief over ‘gaining control’ of situations.”

Once the compulsion to cut is acted upon enough times, it can become a compulsive behavior, just like any bad habit. Usually, when someone is that anxious and stressed, the cutting creates a “high” and certain rush that makes the act addictive. The addiction can happen to anyone, even the least expected.

Veronica* student said, “My friend cut because she never talked about her feelings and needed release, but no one could expect it of her because she was a 4.8 student and a top soccer player. Stress just took over.”

At times, people cut to fit in. Teenagers and young adults have often behaved in ways that they believe will make them popular and fit in, such as drinking and smoking, but now cutting has made that list.

Yes, cutting has become a factor in our society today, but has it affected Presentation? Ms. Schrader believes that it has. “There are a lot of factors to the blanket of stress that leads anyone to cutting, and I think college, technology and expectations play big roles, especially in Presentation.”

Ms. Schrader handles students who have cut or are thinking about cutting by referring them to outside counseling. She calls parents if the student does not want to face them herself because a common symptom of cutting is shame. Ms. Schrader says, “I will not bring up the cutting or why the student wants or needs the outside therapy unless the student asks me to.”

There are common signs of cutters to watch out for. These signs are not always the case of the classic cutter because cutting affects all people. If someone starts wearing long sleeve shirts or many bracelets, talk to them.

Anyone can give into the thought of cutting because it is not a thought-out process; it is an impulse brought on by extravagant emotional pain or stress, yearning to be shown. Cutting is brought on by emotions such as anger, hurt, shame, frustration or alienation. When these emotions aren’t expressed in a healthy manner, tension can be built up and eventually make a person snap.

Most importantly, if you are worried that one of your friends is cutting or if you are cutting secretly, please follow TeensHealth’s to-do list: talk to someone, figure out what emotion is triggering the cutting, ask for help and work on it. Once one is a cutter, she will always be a cutter because relapses can happen.

Veronica* says in order to remind Presentation, “Relapses do happen, especially in times of intense stress, so watch for your friends and yourself.”

Ms. Schrader finds out about most of the cutting at Presentation from the cutter’s friend who has come to her stating that they are worried and concerned for their classmate. Cutting usually comes about because of an underlying reason.

Velma*, “There is a huge misconception in cutting in that it is done for attention, but really it isn’t. When I found out my friend was cutting, I thought she was being dramatic, but it turns out that she really did believe she needed to be punished.”

No one can force someone who self-injures to stop by getting angry and lecturing them on how wrong self-inflicted pain is. Instead, letting a friend know you care and telling them that they deserve to be happy is more successful.

Overall, a new coping method is necessary because the act of cutting is very unhealthy, and if one damages their body, they degrade it. One way to help fight against this self-damaging act is writing “Love” on the wrist, like in the picture provided. It has been done throughout the world to spread awareness.

*Names have been changed

Parisian Invasion

The exchange students are coming! The exchange students are coming! Every year, Pres students receive an email from Mrs. Stampfl announcing that French exchange students are coming to Pres, and that they are in need of families willing to host them. This year is no different, with four boys still in need of hostesses.
The French exchange student program has been a successful part of Presentation for over a decade. The first part of the exchange sees Pres students traveling to France during the February or March break to live with a host family from College Saint Charles. The girls experience France hands-on by immersing themselves in the French culture of College Saint Charles and Lycee La Merci, another school Pres exchanges with. The girls also get to experience school days in France with their host students.
This works the same way with the students from France. They come to the United States and stay with a host family for roughly two and a half weeks. They visit prominent sites around the Bay Area and experience going to school and living in America.
The experience of hosting an exchange student from a country across an ocean 3,000 miles away is a great opportunity for those who want to experience a different culture and help teach someone American culture.
“It was super awesome because you not only get to help someone learn a language a little bit better and understand the American culture, but you learn a lot about the French culture and customs,” said junior Amy Kryston. “Of course, you also get to meet a lot of really nice, really fun people.”
Many other hostesses enjoyed having an exchange student, whom they took everywhere, and this year’s hostesses are no different. “I want to take her to so many places, like the mall and the good restaurants here,” said sophomore Elizabeth Hunter.
Initially, the language barrier between host families and the students can present a problem, especially if no one in the family speaks French, but after a few days, communication is not that big of a problem, according to last year’s host families.
Different places that hostesses took their students last year included the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Sky High, the various malls in the Bay Area, concerts and other Bay Area attractions. Hostesses always took their students to friend’s houses or hung out at home bonding over their favorite TV show, books, games and other interests.
The hostesses also toured the students around Pres, showing them the day-to-day activities on campus including the different clubs, sports and the arts. They also get to experience a big part of Pres: the food.
“I’m looking forward to the whole experience, but in general, I can’t wait to show him/her around the Bay Area. We might go see a show and some art museums in San Francisco, or go places locally like Laser Quest and Sky High with friends,” said sophomore Jenna Vaccaro, who will be hosting a French exchange student this February.
“Mostly, I’m looking forward to getting to show our American culture to someone who has never even been here before. It will be an amazing learning experience for the exchange student, my family and me.”
The requirements for hosting a French exchange student are simple. Provide a place to sleep, food to eat and a heart to welcome someone who is 3,000 miles away from home. If you are interested in hosting a French exchange student this coming February from the 5th to the 17th, you should complete the online application at http://pantheresfrancaises.edublog.org/french-exchange-hosting-application. Hostesses are needed so please contact Ms. Stampfl at mstampfl@pres-net.com if you have any questions.

Teacher Creepin’

In the past several months, Ms. Bengtson has had not just one, but several girls ask her where she’ll be delivering her baby so they can “stalk” her.  One girl even offered to drive her to the hospital when she went into labor.

Ms. Cafazza recalls how she once saw two students at a beach in Santa Cruz, and four years later one of the girls said, “Hey Mrs. Cafazza, remember when I ran into you at the beach and you were in a bikini?”

Ms. Ford has had similar encounters outside of school. “I have had kids standing up in a full movie theater and yelling ‘Hey, Ms. Ford!’ waving their arms frantically and on the Truckee river floating down the river yelling, ‘Hi, Ms. Ford. I have you for Photo next year…yahooooo!’”

And Mr. Mumper tells about a recent incident in Civics class when he was role-playing a Supreme Court Justice, and the first question asked was if he was dating another teacher at school. “Honestly,” he asks, “Who cares?”

Mr. Mumper has a point. Why do we care? And yet in interview after interview, teachers had stories to tell of students who cared an awful lot about their personal lives.  Students refer to their “obsessions” with teachers in a joking manner—in fact, 19 of the 20 interviewed said they simply admire their teachers and the way they teach—but many teachers are bemused by all the attention.

So the question is, what’s causing this intense curiosity about our teachers’ lives?

Not Obsessed, Just Bored

It appears that a great deal of student interest in teachers is driven by boredom.  Though the benefits of single-sex schools are clear, it’s also true that with no boys to focus on, and even a lack of fashion to talk about due to uniforms, girls often turn to the next best distraction— teachers.

“Being a teacher at Presentation is like being a low paid celebrity,” joked Mr. Pistacchi.

He’s right, of course.  It seems like sometimes Presentation teachers are a stand-in for perezhilton.com, with students gossiping about what teachers are wearing, where they were seen outside of school and why they might be in a bad mood.

The lack of boys on campus contributes not only to gossip, but to an intrusive intereste in a teacher, both male and female.  While male teachers tend to be the recipients of more romantically fueled curiosity, female teachers can also serve as objects of interest for teenage girls, who often look up to the teacher as someone she would like to emulate someday.

These behaviors, while sometimes annoying to teachers, are normal among teenage girls, and can even be beneficial, according to an article from msnbc.com.  “A crush can even help the learning process because the student is likely hanging on the teacher’s every word. It can drive those students to work a little harder in class in an attempt to impress the teacher,” says Thomas Cottle, a clinical psychologist and professor of education at Boston University.

Is the Campus a Fishbowl?

Students admit to being intensely curious about teachers and learn quite a lot about their habits and preferences simply by observing them.  The size and structure of Presentation could also be the reason.

Presentation’s campus is much smaller than many campuses around the San Jose area. “We have a small student body, so the students are closer to the teachers because they have them for multiple classes throughout their high school education,” suggests Ms. Bengtson.

Another difference is that the campus is mostly indoors. “At Leland [where I went to high school], it is open so you don’t see teachers roaming the halls. Here, you see when I go to the restroom or when I eat an apple or when I’m talking to another teacher,” said Mrs. Bengtson.

Accordingly, she says, she gets lots of questions from students about who her friends are at school, what they do when they hang out, and where they go.

Obsessed with Technology?

It’s also tough to not be overly interested in others when technology today makes it so easy.  A common habit in our generation is technology overuse. People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook. Presentation is no exception to this online activity.

Our 700 billion minutes include lurking, stalking (the benign kind), and following hourly status updates of friends. Several students interviewed also admitted to looking up which teachers are on Facebook, even though Presentation’s policy states that teachers and students can’t be Facebook friends.

Perhaps because they didn’t have access to ever-present technology, our current teachers did not experience this “obsession” with their own teachers. “I never thought of my teachers as actual human beings. It was almost as if they appeared out of the wall to teach and then walked back into a closet after class,” said Ms. Bengtson.

Cell phones with cameras have only added to the creepy obsession. Ms. Carr, who is assistant coach to the swim team,  said, “I have had students and swimming team members take photos in front of my house after looking up where I lived in the directory. They then send the photo to their teammates.”

A Culture of Oversharing

Let’s face it; in the age of Oprah and reality TV, we’ve lost touch with what information should be shared and what should be private.  This can lead to the blurring of boundaries between teachers and students because both sides are sharing information that should really only be shared with good friends.

With Presentation’s culture of collegiality between students and teachers, sometimes knowing who’s a friend can be confusing.  Yet, as Ms. Erickson says, “There is a major difference between being friendly and being friends.”

It is in the area of oversharing where teachers are perhaps just as guilty as students.  It can be difficult to know what information is OK to share, although some teachers draw the line quite clearly.  “There are only two reasons why a student should know personal information,” suggested Ms. Cobarrubia. “One is because a teacher used the information to connect to a topic in class. Two is in personal dialogue if a student asks for help with personal issues and the teacher responds with personal experiences to relate. There is a difference between knowing information through a student-teacher relationship and a creepy obsession.”

Presentation is known for its strong relationships between students and teachers, and no one wants that to change. With that, there are boundaries that need to be established, especially given Pres students’ nosiness about teachers. Know that teachers’ lives are separate from the ones that happen at Presentation. Their dating lives, marriages, their friends on the faculty, and their weekend plans should all be off limits.

Presentation has a wonderful community with students who genuinely like their teachers.  The new teachers over the past couple of years have even said the transition was made easier by knowing that the enthusiastic students cared about them.

Ultimately, no one knows if it’s technology, over-sharing or Pres’ small size that causes students’ sometimes excessive interest in their teachers,  but there is a solution. As Ms. Erickson says, “A major part of being young women and adolescents is learning boundaries.”

Pres Students Give Advice to Teachers

As some of you may know, we have many new parents among the Presentation High School faculty. Because of their hard work and dedication in educating us, we Pres girls are returning the favor by sharing some of our own advice on what not to say or do to their kids. Trust us, teachers; we know what we’re talking about. Here is what some girls had to say:

“Don’t keep your kid on a child leash. It’s creepy.”

– Kelsey Klosterman, 2012

“Don’t pinch their cheeks on the first day of school.”

– Tiffanie Obilor, 2013

“If they’re not bleeding, they’re fine.”

– Hali Martin, 2012

“Don’t yell at your kids in front of their friends, like if they miss curfew. It’s embarrassing for them and awkward for the friends.”

– Jennifer Fields, 2011

“It’s okay to leave your kid at school after school. There will be stuff for them to do. There’s no need to pick them up right at 2:40.”

– Jocelyn Bailey, 2011

“Don’t force them to sign up for classes, like dance classes and stuff, that they don’t want to do.”

– Carolyn DiLoreto, 2014

“No wooden spoons!”

– Caitlin Stockwell, 2012

“Please. You aren’t supposed to actually get an answer when you ask your kids how their day was.”

– Bianka Mariles, 2013

“Dads! Learn how to brush your daughters’ hair. They will kick and scream if you brush it wrong. Start from the bottom and go up.”

– Shannon Foster, 2012

“Don’t give your kids embarrassing nicknames… those come back to haunt them.”

– Juliann Larese, 2012

Less Stress, No Mess

By now, we know that too much stress is bad for our health and that we need to reduce stress in our daily lives. But how? Students, teachers, and parents all contribute to significant amount of stress in students’ lives. Here are some ways our community as a whole, not just students, can reduce stress in schools.

Teachers

Teachers may want to consider having meetings every month or so to coordinate better on major assignments so they’re not all due the same day. Maybe switching off each unit between the departments would help space out and even the assignments all due in the week so that students aren’t trying to cram it all in.

Another thing teachers can reconsider is the fact that sometimes we don’t need to have a test, paper and a project all in one unit. Maybe reconsidering and switching off between unit exams and large research papers each unit would reduce the amount of stress each student goes through. Remember: most students also have six other classes that they need to worry about too!

An easy adjustment, but a huge difference, could be reducing the number of problems in math and reducing the number of book pages needed to be read in English classes. Reading more than four chapters in a book each night is unrealistic, and this only results in the students feeling like they are forced to use websites like Spark Notes. For math teachers, sometimes there may be only a few problems for homework, but some problems can more than ten minutes, and each problem takes up half a page! Especially if a student is struggling in a certain area, homework will take twice as long because of the constant referral to notes and the time it take to get through homework. If teachers remembered the time spent on each problem on each assignment, or the amount of time it actually takes to get through huge novels, it might be a good idea to ease up. Pres girls have six, sometimes seven classes to keep up with and the stress levels we all have cannot be contained.

Students

Listen to Music—Play your favorite song and sing along. This is a great way to relieve your stress. Just start blasting Lady GaGa and dance along like nobody is watching. Dancing pumps up the amount of endorphins in your brain, causing you to feel good. Who would feel angry after listening to Bad Romance?

Go for a Walk—This allows you to have some relaxing alone-time away from the stress of daily life. It gives you exercise and time to clear your mind and think about what is bothering you; the fresh air will make you feel more relaxed. So the next time you are free during collaboration, take a walk by yourself or with a group of friends. Either way, you’d be away from school and stress for at least an hour.

Time management— Use your planner to keep track of all of your homework assignments. As you finish each assignment, you feel accomplished when you check them off. And you know what work needs to be done.

Do your work earlier rather than later. Many kids stay up until odd hours trying to do their homework. Try to get it done earlier, or maybe use your free period or collaboration time. The later you do you work, the shorter your attention span becomes. Doing homework in the morning is actually more efficient because you are alert and awake rather than sleepy.

Sleep—Our speaker said that teenagers need nine hours of sleep. This is really hard, considering how much homework we get at Pres (half-an-hour homework policy? Really?). But this goes along with managing your time better. Do not let your homework pile up. Sort out your priorities—what is more important: checking your Facebook or studying? This way, you won’t waste your time with activities that are less important, and you’ll have more time to sleep.

Take breaks—Schedule short breaks throughout your day to reduce stress. Stretch, read a book, call a friend, or go for a walk. This refreshes your mind and will give you a break from constant studying. This can be the time you check your Facebook; but make sure to get back to doing your homework soon!

Think positively—You need to be optimistic. Focusing on the negative will only bring you down. Do not think about that Econ paper you have to write or how you failed that Pre-Calc test. Instead, try to focus on what you have finished so far. Tackle each assignment one at a time and think about how efficient you are with managing your time.

Parents

Students stress themselves out enough on their own with the constant worry of college. Now, even freshmen in high school are beginning to feel the pressure of having perfect grades all four years. Parents, do not typically help the problem either. The constant talk about college at home makes students feel even more pressure than they already do, which is detrimental to student health because the home should be a stress-free environment. “I know parents who have straight A students that constantly check Parent Connect every day,” said junior Jennifer O’Brien. “The students feel that they need to try harder when they have enough stress already.” Also, parents need to understand that where their daughter attends college is unrelated to their success as a parent. “College should be a decision based on personal interest and success, not parent interest and success,” said O’Brien. Overall, limiting the amount of conversation time spent discussing college is a great way parents can help their children be less stressed and enjoy high school.

Discussing college on a regular basis isn’t the only thing parents discuss too much; the same goes for grades. There are many parents who regularly, even daily, check Parent Connect. “My mother checks Parent Connect almost every day. Having one bad grade or missing assignment can determine if I am allowed to go out that weekend,” said senior Cece Franchi. Living in this world of constant stress and punishment will result in students losing confidence and being unhappy with their academic and social lives. It is important that parents recognize that this academic monitoring of their daughter is not helpful in the end.

Another factor of parent-related stress is competition. Students typically aim to be their best and when a student has the lowest grades among their friends, it can create lots of stress in the form of unspoken competition between friends. Parents add to this type of stress by comparing their child to other students. “I haven’t personally experienced this at home, but attending Presentation has allowed me to see the stress this kind of comparison can put on friendships and none of it is healthy,” said senior Lauren Lane. “It is sad to see because it makes students feel so insecure about themselves.” This competition and insecurity is something extremely harmful to the well-being of students that can easily be avoided. Not comparing their daughter to other students is a step in the right direction that parents can take in order to reduce their child’s stress.

One extremely significant way that parents can limit the stress their daughter feels during high school is to let their child have the freedom to make her own choices with college and careers. Otherwise, parents can cause immense amounts of stress on students. “Stress is definitely caused by the topic of careers. Not necessarily meaning what a student wants to do with their life, but what they are forced into doing because it makes money,” said O’Brien. “Parents focus too much on what pays well and therefore force their child into that field.”

Teachers, parents, and students: please take these suggestions to heart. Stress is a result of many different factors—peer pressure, parent pressure, teachers’ expectations, college. To effectively address the problem of stress in schools, a global solution is necessary. Parents and teachers both need to realize that we are all part of the problem, and we all need to be part of the solution.

All Stars On and Off the Field

We often find it difficult to listen to the wisdom of elders, teachers and parents. We would rather drown them out with iPods and remixes of the latest and most popular music than listen to the trite spiels discussing educational values. But sports give off a different effect. Sports often teach students lessons and skills without the 60-minute lecture attached. Student athletes learn to budget their time, collaborate with others and take responsibility for their actions.
“My academic life revolves around my planner,” said junior Emily Wolf who plays field hockey for Presentation. Involvement in sports forces students to take their work seriously, allotting time in their evening routine for papers, projects, reading assignments and last minute cramming. The lack of excess time after school often minimizes the amount of time students waste lurking on Facebook or vegging out on the sofa. In fact, according to a study at Marietta College, student athletes performed better during season than out of season. Optimal GPAs were achieved following regularly scheduled practices, games and work out sessions.
Betsey Stevenson, an economist at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, said, “It’s not just that the people who are going to do well in life play sports, but that sports help people do better in life,” she said, adding, “While I only show this for girls, it’s reasonable to believe it’s true for boys as well,” following an extensive study on sports participation and educational achievement.
Sports teach athletes long-term skills and assets needed for success in the real world. It promotes and indirectly emphasizes team building, leadership, endurance, positivity, problem solving, creativity and the ability to read others. Athletes are expected to envision the field or area of play through strategic analysis and accurate body positioning. Athletes must learn to work well with others in order to achieve a greater goal, mediating disputes and reconciling differences. This is the key to team cohesion and ultimately success.
The emergence of team solidarity develops through the ties of friendship and sisterhood. Friendship, more so than any score or trophy, is a lasting testimony to the success of any team. Friends are tangible memories, serving as the legacy of the team and its accomplishments. “Friends become family,” said sophomore Kayla Bose who plays varsity basketball. While knees, joints, and other body parts may give out over time, bearing the scars of a dedicated athlete, friends will last forever.

Spending time out on the field is also said to relieve stress and the burden of excessive amounts of homework. According to an article by Joseph Plazo of StressLive.Com, “It’s imperative to partake in physical exercise because inspiring the body refreshes the mind. Our brain requires activity by the rest of our body in order to regenerate the senses and enhance performance.” Exercise is an essential component of mental and physical help, much like sleeping and eating. Junior and golfer Jessie Walsh said, “Sports is an outlet for stress. It gets your mind off school.”
For many Presentation students, dedication to both sports and academics is a testament to their willingness to balance their lives in order to learn lifelong skills, forge bonds of friendship, and relieve stress on the court, field, diamond, green, track, or wherever their sport takes them. Despite the struggles of the daily balancing act, many students find involvement in sports rewarding. For some, it boosts self-esteem and confidence along with lasting implications for their future.

Sports are teachers without white boards, tests without grades, and homework assignments without point values. Athletes are evaluated by their ability to work with others, make progress, and think logically. It’s not about whether you make the grade; it’s about learning from mistakes and taking away the greater message.