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Swine on your mind? Ways to protect yourself

this flu season-pages 4 and 5

Fight fan apathy with our guide to being

a better Blue– page 7

Safe haven: should teens who are here illegally be

deported for their crimes?– page 6

Charlotte Worsley, dean of student life, looked at the turbulent mass of Urban students gathered on Page Street. It was the second week of school, and Urban’s new photography teacher, Kelli Yon, was about to take the all-school photo. “The reality is that 400 people do not fit on the sidewalk anymore. But we do it anyway,” Worsley said. To be sure, the crowd was bigger than usual; kids spilled out of the windows, clustered on the sidewalk and were even crouching in the street. The reason for the overflow: Urban’s freshman cohort, with a whopping 98 students, is the largest-ever incoming class at Urban. Out of the 501 students who applied, 54 girls and 44 boys walked through Urban’s doors on Aug. 31. Aside from their size, the freshmen class brings new talents to the Urban community. One freshman, May Congdon, is learning Arabic. Sinclair Riley and Sami Perez are in an all-girl punk band called “The She’s.” And several freshmen appear to be Shakespeare fans, according to Urban’s admissions director, Bobby Ramos, who has the job of reading through

literally hundreds of application essays. Although the freshmen class is larger than usual, there is no school-wide expansion in the foreseeable future, Ramos said. “Now that we have expanded to 350-ish, we are pretty comfortable (with) staying at freshmen classes of 90 to 95,” said Ramos. He added that “we may do another expansion, but I don’t know about that yet.” During the 2003-2004 academic year, Urban had only 262 students, according to Urban’s registrar, Monique Perry. During that year, the 9th grade was the largest class, with 73 students; the 10th grade had 57 students, the 11th had 70, and seniors had 62. Today, Urban has a total enrollment of 349 students. Out of the four grades, only the freshmen class is above the 90 to 95 range. So what’s behind the increase? Last year, Ramos and the admission staff expected more students than usual to leave due to the weak economy. By accepting more freshmen, Ramos said, Urban hoped to nullify

Hands down — it’s a recordEmily Wen

Staff Writer the financial effects of students who might leave. Some Urbanites worry that more students make Urban a less personal place. “As (Urban) grows, it becomes less and less Urban,” says Taylor Bostwick (‘10). “Traditions are lost, class sizes get bigger, the sense of community lessens. There is less freedom, and the school loses its special identity.” Urban alumna Allegra Kwong (’07) believes that Urban is benefiting from the recent growth in student body. “It seems that the student body now has more diverse interests,” she said. Lucy Finn (’10) also approved of the bigger freshmen class. To her, 98 is “a really good number. (The freshmen) stay out of the way, but they help fill up Gumption during dances.” Duncan Magidson (’12) found a middle ground: “I haven’t felt any sort of imposing presence (due to) the freshmen’s large class size,” he said, though he added that “I feel that we have hit a wall and that continued expansion could degrade the Urban experience.” —reporting assistance by Allegra Gordon and

Madeleine May

STAND UP AND BE COUNTED Freshmen raise their hands during an all-school meeting, emphasizing the comparatively large size of their class. Photo by Isabel Moore

Some worry over, others welcome Urban’s biggest-ever frosh class

October 2009 Volume 11, Issue 1The Urban School of San Francisco

Legend gets Pacemaker nod

The Urban Legend has been nominated for a Pacemaker.

The Pacemaker is awarded by the National Scholastic Press Association for excellence in

student journalism and is often referred to as the high school Pulitzer. This year, 53 papers were nominated. The Urban

Legend was the only paper in San Francisco to receive this

honor. Out of the 53 papers nominated, 23 will go on to win

the Pacemaker.

Winners will be announced on Nov. 13 at the Fall Na-

tional High School Journalism convention in Washington, D.C. Co-editors Madeleine May and Allegra Gordon will join Legend

adviser Beatrice Motamedi at the awards ceremony, where

Gordon and May will receive a plaque in honor of the nomina-tion and possibly also a Pace-

maker. “This nomination reflects my students’ intelligence, talent,

and drive,” said Motamedi.

Separately, this summer NSPA awarded the Legend first

class honors with two marks of distinction, one in writing and editing, and the other in

photography.

—Anne Vetter

Urban’s new kids on the block

Is it news or noise? Twitter founder speaks out Evan Williams, chief executive officer and co-founder of Twitter, promoted its growing usefulness in a keynote address Oct. 2 at the Online News Association confer-ence at the Hilton San Francisco. Besides speaking about Twit-ter’s success since its creation in March 2006, Williams also took the opportunity to talk about the direction that Twitter is taking, including adding geographic tags to tweets so that Twitterers can communicate their locations. In a 70-minute interview with Susan Mernit, co-founder of People’s Software Company, Wil-liams descrubed Twitter ‘s evolu-tion from a social networking tool to a business utility. He hopes to

”improve the product and technol-ogy so it becomes more useful in people’s daily lives,” as well as expand its use as a news source. Twitter has made headway as an “organizing tool” in politically volatile situations, such as the demonstrations that folllowed the Iranian election last June, accord-ing to “Twitter Tells Tale of Iranian Election,” at http://cbsnews.com. Protesters of the parlimentary elec-tions in Moldova used Twitter to “rally as many as 10,000 people to one demonstration,” according to the article. However, Twitter has also been criticized for relaying too much information, including mundane details in answer to its signature prompt, “what are you doing?” Williams acknowledged that

“what you had for breakfast” isn’t necessarily interesting to everyone, and he said that he and the other 84 members who make up Twitter’s staff are working on “sifting out the signal from all the noise.” The future of Twitter lies in “build(ing) authenticity and trust into the system,” he said. But changing perceptions may be difficult. During Williams’ ap-pearance, one reporter stood up and asked how Williams deals with those who think that “Twitter is so ridiculous.” “Why do people think anyone cares what they are doing, any-ways?” asked the reporter. “I don’t know,” said Williams, provoking laughter from the au-dience. “We should have a better reason for why people care ... we

don’t, but they do anyway.” Teens especially seem skeptical. People between the ages of 12 and 17 are the most reluctant to accept Twitter, according to a study by comScore Media Matrix, an In-ternet research firm. In the study, teens accounted for 10 percent of Twitter users, while people aged 35 to 54 totaled nearly 80 percent of users. At Urban, it’s difficult to find anyone who tweets regularly. “What’s the point?” asks Man-ny Garber (‘10). “It’s such a waste of time.” Bobby Thornton (‘11) said that Twitter’s status box “is just a version of Facebook,” which research indicates is much more popular with teens than Twitter. James Stack (‘10) uses Twitter to keep up with the music scene. “It’s

UrbanitemsA quick look at

what's happening in our community

urbanlegendstaff@gmail.com October 2009

The Urban Legend

News 2

Madeleine MayStaff Writer

TeACHerS JOIN UrBAN From left: Kelli Yon, Sarah Clowes, Xiaorong Li, Sasha Laundy, Sarah Crockett and Sara Schonwald joined the faculty this year. Photo by Isabel Moore

something to worry about. Taking antibiotics is (something to worry about), and maybe using tons of antibacterial products compulsively (would be a problem) … but moderate use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers doesn’t appear to cause this prob-lem from what I’ve read.

LB: Is Purell-ing as effective as soap and water?JE: If you’re in the middle of the park and you have to use a public toilet, Purell-ing is a good idea because it can quickly kill bacte-ria on your hands.

LB: Are hand sanitizers in the right places at Urban? Shouldn’t they be in classrooms instead of bathrooms?JE: Classrooms would probably

cool to see what musicians are up to,” says Stack. “It’s a good way to be a fan, and to stay updated.” But for most, Twitter is a tough sell. Twitter “is like standing in a crowd and saying ‘hey, I just ate breakfast for dinner,’” says Walker Henderson (‘11). ”The people around you hear you and are, like, ‘cool,’ but no one else hears … or they don’t care.” While acknowledging the criticism, Williams emphasized that Twitter isn’t only about who you know, but what you don’t know. “It’s not just creating and tell-ing the world what we’re doing, but what we can find out there,” said Williams, adding that “at this point, there is something on Twit-ter that everyone cares about.”

Germophobes have long cel-ebrated hand sanitizer as their savior from germs and disease. Lately, though, the hypochondri-ac rumor mill has been turning with the possibility that frequent use of hand sanitizers such as Purell™, which is available in Urban’s bathrooms and in public areas such as the front lobby, will eventually create a lethal super-bug. Will frequent use of hand sanitizer make viruses resistant? Should the neurotic among us carry Purell™ or avoid it like the plague? The Legend interviews Urban Health Coordinator Jen-nifer Epstein to find the facts:

LegendBuster: How do sanitiz-ers affect the so-called good

germs versus the germs that cause illnesses?Jenn Epstein: As I understand it, we all have lots of bacteria in our bodies, mostly living in balance … when we take antibiotics, they cannot discriminate between good and bad germs — they’re all wiped out. Supposedly, the good ones can come back rather quickly, whereas the bad ones can sort of mutate and become worse, creating a resistance to antibiotics. Hand sanitizers, like Purell™, can get rid of good and bad bacteria on our hands, but (they) do not affect the bacteria inside our bodies.

LB: Is there anything to the fear of a Purell™-induced, antibacte-ria-resistant superbug?JE: It appears as though this isn’t

be a good idea. The thing is though, that if Purell™ were everywhere, people wouldn’t wash with soap and water. After I’m done teaching in a class-room, I almost always go to the bath-room and wash my hands. If Purell™ were in the classroom, I probably wouldn’t do that.

LB: What in Purell™ kills germs?JE: (Alcohol-based hand sanitiz-ers) need to be at least 60% alco-holic to be effective. *After some investigation, LegendBusters has determined that both Purell™ ($3.29 for 8 oz.) and L’Occitane Lavender Clean Hands Gel ($20 for 2.6 oz.) are more than 60 percent alcohol. The legend that only expensive sanitizers are effective: busted!

LB: What’s the best way to keep healthy?JE: Hand washing! Keep doing stress-relieving activities to keep your immune system healthy, get plenty of sleep (and) eat well.

Got questions? Email Epstein and the Health Initiative for Peer Education (HIPE) students at jepstein@urbanschool.org.

LegendBusters pumps for truth about hand sanitizerLizzie Logan

Staff Writer

THe BIG SQUeeZe Lizzie Logan checks out one of Urban’s many Purell bottles. photo by Isabel Moore

With the loss of several teachers at the end of last year, Urban welcomes a number of new faculty members, including an athletic director and head of service learning. Sarah Crockett joined Urban’s math department in August. She teaches func-tions classes, and will teach additional math classes next year. She has spent the past few years caring for her two young sons, along with sub-stituting at Urban and The Bay School. C r o c k -ett graduated from Smith College with an A.B. in mathematics, subsequently joining the Peace Corps in Ghana and moving to San Francisco in 2000. She en-joys biking and is involved with various bike advocacy activities, including her recent implementation of innovative bike racks at Pacific Primary pre-school, which her son attends. Crockett was drawn to Urban in particular by its advocacy of environmental awareness, and its focus on the greater San Francisco community. Sara Schonwald decided in graduate school that she

Sara Brooks and Anne Vetter

Staff writers

would like to “work with young people doing leader-ship empowerment.”This vision eventually brought her to her new position at Urban as the director of service learning. After coming to the Bay

Area in 2002 with Teach for America, Schonwald taught social studies and English at Elmhurst Middle School in Oakland. She later attended graduate school, receiving a masters degree in policy organization and leader-

ship studies from Stanford University. In coming to Urban, Schonwald is look-ing forward to teaching in a new environment and developing mutually in-structive relationships with students and faculty. As of

press time, she was four months pregnant, which has temporarily hindered her ability to satisfy her love of outdoor activities such as “hiking, biking, and walk-ing around the city.” Sarah Clowes returns to

Urban to teach science after spending a year in Michi-gan, where her husband was attending graduate school. Clowes’ teaching career began unexpectedly. While researching climate change and human impact on the

oceans, she found herself surprisingly enthused as she imparted her knowledge to undergraduate students. “It turned out I liked teaching,“ said Clowes. Xiaorong Li joins Urban as Mandarin teacher. She

previously taught at The Head Royce School in Oak-land. Since arriving at Urban, she has been inspired by her students, saying that they motivate her to do well. Li describes her students as “mature and independent” and is impressed by how Urban uses technology to facilitate learning. Express-ing her passion for teaching, Li says, “I cannot imagine doing anything else.” Sasha Laundy knew she wanted to be a teacher after working at the Center for Talented Youth summer program. She joins Urban in her second high school teaching position as one of the new science teachers. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., and attend-ed high school in Chicago. A graduate of Swarth-more College near Phila-delphia, Laundry is excited to be teaching two of her favorite fields in science, neuroscience and physics. “It’s great to have students who are curious about what they are learning because they want to get closer to the truth,” she says. Kelli Yon has joined Ur-ban as the new photography and video teacher, but was not available for interview by press time.

Gourmet on the Go

It is a sunny afternoon in Hayes Valley, and Curtis, aka the “Crème Brûlée Guy,” stands next to his wooden cart, shaded by a bright red awning overhead, as-sisting a customer. He sprinkles some sugar atop lavender cream, fires the top to produce the hard-ened sugar shell that character-izes delicious crème brûlée, and sends the happy buyer along his way. Curtis is just one of the many owners of new gourmet food carts that have begun to popu-late inconspicuous alleys in San Francisco’s Mission and Hayes Valley neighborhoods. The Mis-sion has long been legendary for its burrito and taco trucks. How-ever, these recent carts are a new breed of gourmet on-the-go food that is redefining the meaning of fast food. Foods like escargot lollipops and crème brûlée now fit under the category of cheap and fast. One of the factors that makes launching a food cart so appeal-ing is the state of the economy. The cost of establishing a brand new restaurant is far greater than that of starting a fast food cart. A restaurant entrepreneur must consider finding and paying for a venue, hiring waiters and chefs, not to mention the maintenance that goes into keeping a restau-rant hygienic. For foodies who do not have the time or assets to invest in such an undertaking, the benefits of starting a cart are innumerable. Emily Moore, a student at Brown University who gradu-ated from Lick-Wilmerding High School in 2008, thought about starting up her own food cart last summer as a way to earn some

extra money in a creative way. She developed many ideas for it. “Ide-ally the start-up costs would be pretty small,” she says. “We had the idea that we would build our own cart after visiting the Magic Curry Kart and (we) saw that he had fabricated a cart on the side of his bicycle. I’m not sure how much that would cost, maybe $80.” Jessie, an employee at Spencer On the Go – a newly opened food cart branch of the acclaimed French eatery Chez Spencer, located on 14th Street, – says “we have anywhere from 50 to 70 customers a day.” The carts offer a variety of fresh and delectable sustenance. In its September 2009 issue, in an article entitled “A Moveable Feast,” Sun-set magazine called cart food “the cheapest alfresco meal in town.” Enjoy a fresh and cool to-mato salad with basil or a buttery

and delicious escargot lollipop from Spencer on the Go, or a rich, not-too-sweet laven-

der or coffee crème brûlée from the Crème Brûlée Cart. T h e best part is that almost all

of these carts are located in close proximity to each

other. Their frequent movement can be diffi-

cult to follow because they go from event to event,

attempting to attract more customers. Luckily, most carts

have their own personalized Twitter accounts, which makes it easy to find their exact locations. Follow the latest developments on the food-cart scene at http://twitter.com/streetfoodsf, or head out to experience the food-cart phenom-enon yourself. Find the various carts’ Twit-ter addresses at the online Urban Legend at http://www.legend.urbanschool.org.Photo and additional research by Isabel Moore

urbanlegendstaff@gmail.com October 2009

The Urban Legend

Features 3

Sarah Maccabee

Staff Writer

Urbanite starts label Jimmy Stack (’10) is passion-ate about music. Last June, he decided to take his interest to the next level. With former Urban student Eli Wald (’08), Stack created a record label called Cut Division. According to Stack, the label is currently representing “a mix of punk, garage, folk, (and) shoe-gaze” musicians. Cut Division is in-terested not only in promoting local bands and the local music scene in its entirety, but also independent music in general. Currently, the only bands signed to the label are St. Mawr and Slow Loris. Stack plays drums for Slow Loris, Wald plays bass, and Thomas Rubenstein (’09) plays guitar. Both bands have their own unique sound that leans towards garage/punk music. Stack has alerted the Urban School about his record label (see logo above), but only in its website form.

There is some confusion as to if Cut Division is a record label or just another music blog talking about underground music. “(Cut Divi-sion) is definitely a record label,” Stack says; “the blog is to keep everyone updated.” Stack and Wald currently maintain the blog and update it at least once a week with interviews, free songs, and reminders of upcoming shows. During the summer, Cut Divi-

sion sponsored a concert in Dolores Park that included bands such as Slow Loris, St. Mawr, TSA, The Egads (a group consist-ing of Marin Acad-emy students), and other Cut Division -related bands. Stack and those at-

tending to the preservation of Cut Division have a “major emphasis on supporting and promoting Bay Area musicians” and hope to keep local music alive, Stack says. The staff is unwavering in its pursuit to put San Francisco back on the musical map. Check out the bands at http://www.cutdivision.wordpress.com.

Tobyn SmithStaff Writer

They are rare and remarkable things, photographs wondrous enough to come alive. Richard Avedon’s images, currently displayed at the SFMOMA, exemplify that wonder: supple shades of black and white, matched like coffee and cream; a rivet-ing dialogue on the human dilemma; a quiet surrender of the subjects’ inner life. As an artist, Avedon masterfully grasps what it means to take a picture. Richard Avedon was born and raised in New York in 1923. His first job, at age 19, was to take photos of sailors throughout the nation for the U.S. Merchant Marine. He thereafter returned to New York, and began photographing to advertise for a department store. Soon he began taking photographs for Harper’s Bazaar, Life, and Look. By 1946, the lensman had launched his own studio. Avedon began his work in fashion photography, taking such pictures as Dovima with Elephants, a photograph that remains one of Avedon’s most famous - a gorgeous model stands in a black-and-white gown between two large elephants, her delicate beauty a striking contrast to the animals’ sheer weight and size. This phase of Avedon’s career was loosely depicted in the 1957 film, Funny Face. In the 1970s and 1980s, Avedon began work photographing vital public figures of the time, including Louis Armstrong, Malcolm X, Bob Dylan, and Andy Warhol. After years of exploring various mediums and styles, Avedon focused in on rural western America, creating In the American West, a series he compiled during the five-year period between 1980 and 1985. These photographs capture the divide between pastoral America and the more industrial parts of the country. Among the most impactful im-ages in this collection are Sandra Bennett, a dour, haunting farm girl from Colorado, and Ronald Fischer, a man laden in his livestock of choice: bees. Richard Avedon has inspired both budding and established photographers alike. In the Urban community, some students are deeply affected by Avedon’s photographs. Freshman Kyle Chong admires Avedon because “he is very academic and methodi-cal with his work.” Chong also appreciates the artist’s ability to produce photographs that are “visually academic,” that employ “a certain constitutionalism for composing a picture.” Indeed, Avedon’s work follows a distinct rhythm. Most distinguishable is the artist’s method of placing his subject before a white screen, and solely capturing the hu-man nature. Kelli Yon, Urban’s new photography and video teacher, says that Avedon has “set the standard for fashion photography” with his exquisite work and aesthetic. Yon notes how his simplistic means of portraying the subject allows the viewer to observe “an incredible amount of detail … in every portion of the face or body that is illustrated.” Avedon was able to capture his subjects when “they are really being themselves,” Yon says; he put the models “at such an ease, so he could capture them at in-between moments” when they showed their true colors. Whether you’re interested in fashion or in stunning examples of the human race, Avedon is an awe-inspiring photographer. The exhibit ends Nov. 29.

Cassiel Chadwick and Zoe PleasureStaff Writers

Richard Avedon, Dovima with Elephants. Evening dress by Dior, Cirque d’Hiver, ParisAugust 1955; © 2009 The Richard Avedon Foundation. Photo courtesy of SFMOMA

Staying healthy during H1N1 seasonUrban plans ‘basic, fundamental’ approach to flu threat

As flu season approaches, The Urban School is preparing for a possible outbreak of the H1N1 virus, more commonly known as the swine flu. The Centers for Disease Control have recommended vaccinations for “all people from six months through 24 years of age,” and notes on its website that “close contact with each other in school ... increases the likelihood of dis-ease spread” among students. According to Elena Fuentes-Afflick, chief of pediatrics at San Francisco General Hospital and professor of pediatrics at the Uni-versity of California-San Fran-cisco, people between the ages of 19 and 24 are one of the groups at highest risk of catching the flu. But she predicts that high schools will be one of the places most af-fected by the H1N1 virus. On Sept. 1, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger predicted at a Richmond lab that one in four Californians will become infected with H1N1. The first shipments of a nasal spray vaccine were deliv-ered to San Francisco health pro-viders on Oct. 6, with an injectible version expected by the end of the month. As of the beginning of September, H1N1 had claimed 188 lives in California, according

to the state Department of Pub-lic Health’s Center for Infectious Diseases. The next official death toll update will not be released until late October. Unlike other flus, the 2009 swine flu didn’t abate with the onset of summer. Now, as the traditional winter flu season draws nearer, Urban administrators are cau-tious. “It is around. It’s very ac-tive,” said Mark Salkind, head of school. Unfortunately, the close environ-ment of a typical high school is just what a virus needs to grow, experts say. “If you start out with one or two people who are sick, the virus is probably going to run through the school population,” says Fuentes-Afflick. “It could take maybe six weeks or two months to run through the whole school.” Urban is taking several pre-cautions to prevent H1N1 from spreading, according to Salkind. He described Urban’s approach as “basic, fundamental, and low-tech,” including encouraging stu-dents to wash hands, providing hand sanitizer around the school, urging students to stay home when sick, and having clean-ing crews regularly sanitize the school. Salkind added that “one of the biggest keys to stopping the spread” of H1N1 is staying home when symptoms appear. “It’s difficult, I understand,” Salkind

added. “If you miss a week, that’s a lot of work.” Students echoed those concerns. “One of my friends has been out of school for two-and-a-half weeks, and I really don’t want to miss that much school,” says Sean Judkins-Boeri, a junior. “I’m not really scared (about flu), but I am kind of worried about it.” An Urban student, who had H1N1 earlier this year and who asked to remain anonymous, de-scribed the disease as “kind of the same” as the seasonal flu. The stu-dent’s symptoms included insom-nia, a sore throat, a cough, stom-ach pain, fever and throwing up. However, unlike other flus, the student said, “the cough ... didn’t start until two days in.” According to the student, the first symptoms were stom-ach pains and fatigue. The ill-ness lasted five days. Missing so much school was “pretty hard,” the student said. When it came to making up missed assignments, different teachers took different approaches. Some teachers didn’t get back to the student, even though the student emailed them; “they didn’t tell me what I needed to do,” the student complained. Other teachers did respond and excused the student from certain homework assignments. In an effort to keep track of pos-sible illness, Urban is now asking more questions about student ab-sences. Families are asked if their

absent teenager is sick, and if so, what the symptoms are. If students get infected, Salkind says that it is important to com-municate with teachers and ad-visers. Teachers are willing to be flexible, he said. Jennifer Epstein, Urban’s health coordinator, says that teachers “all have emergency backup plans.” However, Urban has “not given teachers explicitly any instructions” about how to deal with students missing school due to H1N1, according to Sal-kind. Teachers could also fall ill with H1N1, in which case, they could be absent for anywhere from five to 10 days, according to Fuentes-Afflick. In this case, says Salkind, Urban would turn to its pool of regular substitutes. Even if swine flu strikes Ur-ban as it has other high schools, Salkind said that the chances of school closure are small. Urban would close only if too many people were sick, and the school could not normally operate, or if the severity of the virus increases dramatically, he said. If Urban were to close due to the flu, students might find themselves going to school any-way — in a digital way. Plans for an “e-School” are “quite fleshed out,” according to Salkind. This “e-school” would be conducted through a program similar to First Class, the online tool that Urban students, faculty and staff use to

communicate. Although it would not be as productive as regular school, it would allow for effec-tive class work to be completed, Salkind said. Just how the H1N1 virus will affect Urban remains to be seen. This season’s flu “doesn’t appear to be that much more serious,” than the seasonal variety, Salkind said. One thing is sure: as H1N1 re-turns (see sidebar below, “Is Past Prelude?”), experts will be watch-ing it closely to see what can be learned. “There is a lot we don’t under-stand yet about the H1N1 virus,” Fuentes-Afflick said.

Madeleine May and Sabrina Werby

Staff Writer

Under PressureInnovative vaccine technique uses alternative to pinpricks

Hannah GormanStaff Writer

As swine flu season begins, many people aren’t worrying about getting sick; they’re dreading the vaccine. Si-mone Hudson (’12) freely admits that she is terrified of needles. “I just hate needles,” she says. “(They) freak me out ... the thought alone makes me wince.” The Jour-nal of Family Prac-tice estimates that 10 percent of Americans are affected by se-vere needle phobia, including fainting at the sight of needles or refusing necessary medical care if it has to be given through needles. And even those without needle phobia would not mind avoiding get-ting stuck in the arm. Help may be on the way. Kathy Callender, founder of the Colo-rado-based company PharmaJet, realized years ago that “some-body needs to solve this problem of nee-dles.” After five years of work, Pharma-Jet has just received

FDA approval to market its needle-free in-jection system, which is being

used to

administer seasonal flu shots in Colorado and New Jersey.

PharmaJet’s system harnesses pressure to spray vaccine into a patient’s body, using a loaded

spring attached to a tiny plas-tic cylinder filled with vac-

cine. “No needle,“ says Ra-jan Dalal, chief executive officer and president of the company, who helped demonstrate PharmaJet’s delivery system recently in San Francisco. “It’s like a squirt gun.” Doctors, nurses, and administrators crowded into an office in Dr. Ei-

leen Aicardi’s Laurel Village practice

on Sept. 14 while Callender dem-onstrated the system to the nurses. Several decided to get their seasonal flu shots needle-free on the spot. In practice, the

experience of get-ting a needle-free injection isn’t very

different from getting one with a needle. But it might make a big difference for

needle-fearers such as Hudson that nothing sharp is actually enter-ing her shoulder. “I feel a little sting from the

chemical, but I think it’s the idea,” reported Kathy Chebib, office ad-ministrator. Dalal’s son, Kavi, who received his booster shots needle-free at Aicardi’s office, agreed that the chemical made all the difference: one injection stung, but he didn’t feel the other at all. While few people are fans of nee-dles, practices need to think about whether the retooling with needle-free systems is worth the time, mon-ey, and training it would require. This is especially relevant if needle-free doesn’t necessarily feel different from syringe injections. And since PharmaJet’s system is still under de-velopment, there are still issues to be worked through. For example, mod-ern syringes come prefilled, making an injection process fast and effi-cient, whereas the nurse performing a needle-free injection has to fill the plastic cylinder manually. Unfortunately, needle-free vacci-nation won’t be an option for those deciding whether to get the H1N1 vaccination in the coming months. But according to Aicardi, flu vaccines aren’t the only thing high schoolers need to worry about: because of sci-entific advances in vaccination, such as the new HPV vaccine, kids over 11 will be receiving more and more shots in the coming years. Dalal pre-dicts that needle-free vaccinations will be widely available for the 2010 flu season. Maybe this will make trips to the doctor less traumatic for Urban students like Hudson.

Staying healthy during H1N1 season

Stuck at home with swine flu? Here are some suggestions of how to keep up with your schoolwork:- Check course conferences- Email teachers- Talk to adviser- Videochat with a peer or teacher during class- Don’t stress! Teachers are here to support you.

Feeling not 100% healthy? You are contagious with swine flu even before you show symptoms and up to three days afterwards. Stay home and call your doctor if you have a fever with one or more of these symptoms:- Muscle aches- Fatigue- Sore throat- Cough- Headache - Diarrhea or vomitingA fever is the flashing red light that indicates swine flu. But remember, “everyone is a little different in their fever response,” says Dr. Elena Fuentes-Afflick of SF General Hospi-tal and UCSF. “You can have a mild fever and still have H1N1.”

Although California has not yet begun the public vaccination pro-cess, Mayor Gavin Newsom says that San Francisco will have 100,000 H1N1 vaccines readily available by the end of October. The Califonia Department of Public Health has announced that the vaccinations will be distributed at the following locations:- Walgreens- Target- Rite-Aid- Safeway- Local public health clinics- Private physicians

Many researchers, including those at the Centers for Disease Control, are comparing the swine flu to the Span-ish flu pandemic of 1918. And even though experts say the H1N1 virus is likely to be milder than its Spanish counterpart, the similarities are startling. The Spanish flu was a subtype of H1N1 and killed it an estimated 100 million people in 1918. Similar to the swine flu, the target age group for the H1N1 pandemic of 1918 was healthy, young adults from ages 15 to 40 years old. (Generally, the non-H1N1 seasonal flu attacks weak elders and infants.) And like the H1N1 flu, which did not abate this summer even though the traditional flu season ended, there were two waves of the H1N1 pandemic of 1918. The second wave was much deadlier; those who caught the first wave were immune when the second wave hit, but young, healthy adults were still in danger. If history has anything to teach us, it’s that any flu is cause for con-cern. It’s up to all of us to take steps to avoid another pandemic. —Allegra Gordon

Urban plans ‘basic, fundamental’ approach to flu threat

Innovative vaccine technique uses alternative to pinpricks chemical, but I think it’s the idea,” reported Kathy Chebib, office ad-ministrator. Dalal’s son, Kavi, who received his booster shots needle-free at Aicardi’s office, agreed that the chemical made all the difference: one injection stung, but he didn’t feel the other at all. While few people are fans of nee-dles, practices need to think about whether the retooling with needle-free systems is worth the time, mon-ey, and training it would require. This is especially relevant if needle-free doesn’t necessarily feel different from syringe injections. And since PharmaJet’s system is still under de-velopment, there are still issues to be worked through. For example, mod-ern syringes come prefilled, making an injection process fast and effi-cient, whereas the nurse performing a needle-free injection has to fill the plastic cylinder manually. Unfortunately, needle-free vacci-nation won’t be an option for those deciding whether to get the H1N1 vaccination in the coming months. But according to Aicardi, flu vaccines aren’t the only thing high schoolers need to worry about: because of sci-entific advances in vaccination, such as the new HPV vaccine, kids over 11 will be receiving more and more shots in the coming years. Dalal pre-dicts that needle-free vaccinations will be widely available for the 2010 flu season. Maybe this will make trips to the doctor less traumatic for Urban students like Hudson.

Is past prelude?

Facing page, bottom: Kathy Calender, founder of PharmaJet, demonstrates a needle-free injection on Kathy Chebib at Golden Gate Pediatrics on Sept. 14. Photo by Hannah Gorman

This page, top right: a colorized negative-stained transmission electron micrograph (TEM) photo of the 2009 H1N1 virus. Photo by C. S. Goldsmith and A. Balish, Centers for Disease Control/Public Health Image Library. Middle: photo of the 1918 Spanish flu virus. Photo by Yoshihiro Kawaoka, University of Wisconsin-Madison; used with permission

Background photo: Sailors wait for medical care at a U.S. naval hospital in 1918. An estimated 50 million people died in the Spanish flu pandemic, including 675,000 Americans. Photo credit: U.S. Naval Center

Spread design/layout by Allegra GordonTeam reporting by Hannah Gorman, Madeleine May and Sabrina Werby; fact check by Sara Brooks, Sarah Maccabee and Adrienne von Schulthess

Caption here and photo credit and team reporting members and editors and spread editor

Don’t tell the Feds! David Campos, a San Francisco city supervisor, has pro-posed legislation that would prohibit city officials from alerting federal immigration authorities when an illegal immigrant under the age of 18 is arrested on felony charges. Currently, youths who are not legal residents in the United States are reported upon their arrest on felony charges to federal immigra-tion officials for possible deportation. With the pro-posed Campos legislation, federal authorities would be notified that the youth is living here illegally only if he or she is convicted. San Franciscans have de-bated this issue for decades, beginning in 1989 when San Francisco formally declared itself a sanctuary city. This status means that San Fran-cisco has the ability to shield illegal immigrants from federal authorities unless superseded by federal law. In 1992, the city withdrew

sanctuary protections for illegal immigrants arrested for a felony, but did not en-force the rule. In 2008, all this changed. Edwin Ramos, an illegal immigrant, killed Tony Bo-logna and his two sons in San Francisco. Authorities discovered that Ramos had previously been arrested as a juvenile, but because of city policy, he was not deported. Danielle Bolo-gna, wife and mother of the victims, believes her family died because Ramos was not deported as a youth. As a result of this situa-tion, Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered law enforcement of-ficials to report immigration status to federal authorities for youths and adults imme-diately upon arrest on felony charges, thereby changing the policy. Cases such as that of Edwin Ramos make the re-cently proposed protections for illegal youths difficult to pass. However, the benefits of the proposed legislation outweigh its potentially

negative aspects. The policy as it stands now, without the proposed changes, does not work. Deporting youths solely because it is alleged, but not proven, that they have com-mitted a felony means that they are determined guilty upon arrest. This eliminates the right of due process. As Campos said when introducing his legislation, “none of us wants to condone criminal activity, but there is a differ-ence between being accused and being guilty.” When these youths lose the pro-tection of the sanctuary city policy immediately upon arrest, it makes their guilt or innocence irrelevant. Despite these illegal im-migrants’ lack of citizenship, they often have tight bonds of family and community in the U.S. To deport a youth of-ten means separating him or her from family and friends. If the idea is to find the true perpetrator of a crime, and also to act humanely in treat-ing juveniles who are mov-ing through the legal system, then the current policy of deportation regardless of guilt is inappropriate and ineffective. Opponents contend that the Campos legislation will conflict with federal law and open the city up to lawsuits. Yet on other occasions city officials have taken risks to follow what they believe is right. Just as this city skirted federal law in favor of same-sex marriage and health care for all, so too should we be willing to defend the rights of illegal immigrants, despite the consequences.

mascot blues

Juvenile deportation...

Editors in Chief:Allegra Gordon (Design) andMadeleine May (News)Managing Editor:Lizzie LoganOnline/Multimedia: Daniel Moattar Opinions:Adrienne Von Schulthess Features:Sarah MaccabeeVibe:Tobyn SmithSports:Samantha LucasPhoto:Isabel Moore, Sonja BartlettStaff Writers:Cassiel ChadwickJason CintiHannah GormanMegan MaddenNoah SchlagerZoe PleasureAnne VetterJenna WaldmanSabrina WerbyEmily WenAdviser: Beatrice Motamedi

The Urban Legendurbanlegendstaff@gmail.com October 2009

6opinions

adrienne Von schulthessopinions editor

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the leGeND

Edit

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ial

When every season is swine flu season

The swine flu vaccine will soon be avail-able to the public. This is news, certainly, but not shocking news. Swine flu poses a health threat, and we pay the government to protect us from threats. Now our money is coming back to us in the form of a vaccine. I think most people agree that this makes sense. I think it makes so much sense that we should expand it. The fact of the matter is, that the swine flu vaccine will not save nearly as many lives as could be saved by a universal health care system. Swine flu is new and mysterious and scary, making it a hot topic for the media and grabbing national attention. Our fear of the swine flu makes us compromise, clearing our schedules to wait in line for the vaccine. Common illnesses, on the other hand, have become part of our daily life, so we don’t make sacrifices to prevent them. We take that people contract colds for granted. That does not mean that we should take the common cold any less seriously. If we want to spend our tax dollars on something to prevent ill-nesses, we should also make doctor check-ups free. The Census Bureau reported in 2008 that 46.3 million Americans did not have any form of health insurance. That means they won’t see a doctor if they get a cold. They might not be able to buy medicine. They can’t stay home from work and rest and get better. For the uninsured, the common cold could turn into pneumonia, an untreated wound could turn into an infection and an unchecked mole could be a melanoma, all far more deadly than swine flu. Aren’t the prevention and treatment of these ill-nesses worth our tax dollars? People who are against all forms of government-sponsored health care often are those who can afford private insurance. They might feel differently about public health care if common illnesses were as scary as swine flu. For the uninsured, every season is flu season. There is always the argument that the gov-ernment does not have the right to involve itself in the health care system, especially if it means raising taxes. But what is the govern-ment for if not for the protection of its peo-ple? Is there a better use of tax dollars than keeping our nation healthy? In the face of the swine flu threat, it’s all too easy to panic and look for a quick fix. But as we stand in line for our government-sponsored vaccinations, we have a moment to reassess our priorities. If we could all give up a little for universal health care, our country as a whole would gain so much. The potential dangers of swine flu are few compared to the real dangers fac-ing the uninsured. —Lizzie Logan

t he Urban Legend is a vehicle of student freedom of expression and a public forum for The Urban School community. It is produced several times per year during the academic term by the journalism class. We also publish an online version of the Legend courtesy of the American Society of Newspaper Editors at myhighschooljournalism.org. We welcome feedback about our articles and we also encourage readers to contact us directly with tips or ideas concerning future coverage. The Legend publishes letters on topics of concern to the Urban community. Letters must be signed; requests for anonymity will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Letters may be sent electronically to urbanlegendstaff@gmail.com. Hard-copy letters may be sent to the Legend care of The Urban School. Guest opinion colums also may be submitted electronically or in hard copy. We reserve the right to edit for space and language. Signed articles or opinion pieces represent the views of the writer only, Unsigned editorials reflect a concensus opinion of the newspaper staff.

Give teen immigrants due process

Speaking up for safe havens city supervisor David campos wants to make san Francisco a sanctuary for immigrant teens. Photo by Steve Rhodes on flickr.com, used with permission

Editorial

SportsThe Urban Legend

urbanlegendstaff@gmail.com October 2009

7By ThE

NUmBErS

1National ranking

of the University of Florida’s football

team

3Number of games the girls JV tennis team won as of

Oct. 7

4 Number of goals Evan Chang (‘12)

has scored for varsity soccer as of

Oct. 6

5Number of games won by the girls

varsity tennis team

6Number of soccer

goals harry Krinksy (‘13) has scored this

season

6-0 Score by which

Catalina Gutierrez (‘12) won two sets

and her Oct. 6 match against Convent

20.45minutes it takes for Caitlin Iglehart (‘11)

to run 3.1 miles

42 Percentage of Urban students who believe Barry Bonds should

be in the hall of Fame, according

to a Legend poll in October 2009

60Number of pushups August Fischer (‘10)

can do in a row without a break

How to be the best Blue you can be

He’s been at Urban for only eight weeks, but it’s fair to say that Greg Angilly is no slouch at supporting Urban’s Blues. Among the new athletic direc-tor’s moves so far are identifying

and promoting a Game of the Week, and fighting fan apathy by launching “white outs” in which Urban fans in white T-shirts fill the St. Agnes gym and intimidating the opposi-tion. “He (brought) a lot of school spirit to Urban with the white-out. That was cool,” said Sara Ach (’10). ”The idea of the Game of The Week is to select a game or two each week and make that the focus for our students and Urban,” said Angilly. Previous to accepting the job as Urban’s athletic director, Angilly worked at St. Ignatius High School of San Francisco as the varsity lacrosse coach for seven years. “Many of my former players attended the Town School and remained good friends with Urban stu-

dents,” Angilly said. “I was able to meet some of these students and their parents and this left mmore intrigued” about Urban. Angilly learned about Urban as a Realtor in the Haight Street and Cole Valley districts. After his first interview with Charlotte Worsley,

dean of student life, Angilly said, “I left the school and came home to tell my wife I had found the school for me.” Since arriving, “the faculty, administration, staff and in par-ticular the student body has made me feel extremely comfortable and welcome here,” Angilly said. “This is a unique and incredible com-munity and I feel truly fortunate to be part of it.” Some of Angilly’s goals include bringing more fans and spirit to home games as well as away games; creating a stronger sports culture to support athletes; and getting more students to partici-pate in interscholastic sports such as Urban soccer or volleyball. Angilly also wants to build on former Athletic Director Brendan Blakely’s work and take Urban sports to the next level. By the end of the year, Angilly hopes to cultivate a stronger fan base at Urban. Angilly also wants to promote turnout. If athletes are able to per-form well in school as well as play sports after school, Urban students who are not playing sports should contribute their time and show

support by attending as many games as possible, he says. Angilly was a three-sport ath-lete in high school, playing soccer, wrestling, and lacrosse at Boonton High School in Morris County, N.J. “I have been a sports junkie since the age of four,” said Angilly, whose father coached high-school lacrosse. He went on to play intramural sports at Wake Forest University. Angilly then played “organized hoops and soccer” until he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) seven years ago. However, Angilly still plays golf, and he snowboards and surfs. He is mar-ried with two children. Urban students so far have been very impressed and excited with what Angilly has to offer. Sophie Lieberman, a senior and captain of the varsity volleyball teams said, “I like him a lot because he is enthusiastic about everything and cares about every sport.” Daniel Alexander (’11) agrees, saying, “(Angilly) did work at SI’s lacrosse program, so I am confident in his abilities at Urban. He’s definitely on his A.D. game.”

New A.D. pushes school spirit

Jenna WaldmanStaff writer

The art of perfecting a sport takes years to master, requiring unend-ing devotion, sacrifice, passion, and skill. But the art of support-ing athletes is “simple,” according to Urban Athletic Director Greg Angilly. So why does Urban have so much trouble turning out for the Blues? Urban sports are undeniably improving, but our fan support is stagnant. In the heat of the boy’s varsity tennis team’s season last year, turnout was lukewarm. Sophomore Trevor Gutierrez says that they “played well ... got to the championships, and deserved more fans.” In one of the team’s best games against University, it ”had no fans as proof that (it was) actually successful,” said Gutierrez. The lack of fans and enthusiasm is a setback for hardworking athletes. To Angilly, sports are not just for the athletic. “We need to get the

whole school involved,” he said. To do this, Angilly plans to make sporting events more fun. He is planning a Retro Night to be held in conjunction with an Urban girl’s varsity basketball game this winter. Angilly also is putting together a night of 70’s music, costumes and decorations for an upcoming bas-ketball game, which he hopes will attract fans hungry for a game that roars with school spirit. Angilly also wants to bring the games to the students. He is working with Urban’s technology director, Howard Levin, to record live webcasts of Urban games. Urban’s Fan Club is taking a stand as well. Led by seniors Evan Tomlinson Weintraub and Allegra Gordon, the club was launched last year to “get students aware that sports are big,” as Tomlinson Weintraub says. An Urban athlete himself, Tomlinson Weintraub’s bottom line about fans is simple: “we need

more of them.” Among other ac-tivities, the club has brought back the Jimmy, a traditional pep rally named after a frequent visitor to Urban games. Last year’s Jimmy created a sense of excitement among students for the basketball season, but fell short of creating lasting support. And fan energy is important, Tom-linson Weintraub says: knowing that Urban supporters are watching is “really encouraging (for players) to go out and win a game.” When it comes to being a Blue, students, teachers and parents could take a tip from history teacher Leroy Votto. Votto has been at Urban since 1980 and he attends almost every home game. Last year, he received one of the first-ever Urban letterman jackets in appreciation of his dedication to Urban athletes. Votto describes sports as “some-thing really compelling (and) not scripted.” He likes the spontaneity

of athletics: “You don’t know what is going to happen next.” Votto says he “would like to see more people at the games, cheering lustily for our team” because sports are truly “a big part of high school.” He calls Urban’s spirit “lukewarm and distracted” compared with the spirit at other schools, and he wishes students would come to games to watch their teams, rather than treating the event as a social affair. So what does it take to build Urban spirit? Students, teachers and parents should strive to at-tend games. Whether this means walking to St. Agnes gym, taking the bus to another high school, walking to Kezar stadium or driv-ing to an away game, Urban must get involved. Urban’s website includes an athletic schedule, blogs and sports news. It’s a good way to get started on supporting Urban sports and being the best Blue you can be.

Cross country hopes to sprint to title

Long before classes began, the Urban cross country team met for the first time on Aug. 17 for a routine workout. Seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen gath-ered to begin training and test their times. With a steady, slow season last year that only flickered with hope for a championship title, the team’s enthusiasm and determination for a title ignited with an early win in September. Captains Cole Williams (’11) and Sean Judkins-Boeri’s (’11) leadership “elevates the whole squad,” said Greg Angilly, ath-letic director. The captains have “generated enthusiasm for the

runners to try harder,” said Coach Bill Cirocco. The team and coaches strive to make “an individual sport into a team sport,” said Cirocco. On Sept. 10, the boys placed as the fifth-fastest time at an invitational race, defeating Marin Academy, Stuart Hall High School, The Head-Royce School and the Col-lege Preparatory School. During the week of Sept. 14, the boys placed first and the girls placed second. Williams (’11) and Caitlin Iglehart (’11) won their respective races. Cirocco credited the wins to a more rigorous workout program, and improving athletes’ stamina, speed, and confidence. He in-creased practice runs from five miles to seven miles, saying that “players have increased (ability)

exponentially from last year.” “The kids are more dedicated to what they are doing, and they are beginning to see a lot of potential in themselves,” said Cirocco. Cross country gives students a way to “stay in shape, to have fun, and to feel accomplished,” said Emma Mccune (’12). “The sport gives you a great sense of completion, with this community feel.” Cirocco’s goals for this year include making the team feel that they have tried their best. He ex-pects “the boys to win the league title and the girls to make state.” The next meet will be held on Oct. 28 in Tennessee Valley.

ON ThE JOB Greg Angilly, Urban’s new athletic director, has big plans for the Blues. photo by Sonja Bartlett

Jason CintiStaff writer

Samantha LucasSports Editor

Alex Wu, Sean Judkins-Boeri, and Cole WIlliams with a trophy from Oct.7photo by Whit Henderson

t’s an alien lizard … it’s a dinosaur … no, it’s Jar-Jar Binks: wearing brown stretch pants, a spotted blue shirt, a leather vest and a mask, Evan Tomlinson Weintraub (’10) was ready to perform a hoop diving act for 200 twelve-year-olds sitting in the Santa Rosa Symphony in July 2009.

The crowd applauded as he gracefully dove through a small hoop, suspended five feet above the ground. It couldn’t hurt that he was dressed up as Jar-Jar Binks, his way of celebrating the “Space” theme. But this show was nothing for the experienced acrobat. Every day Tomlinson Weintraub trains at the Circus Center from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with the San Francisco Circus. Upon arrival, he stretches, warms up his muscles with kicks, and practices his splits. From 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tomlinson Weintraub and company tumble energetically, and hold handstands for twenty seconds without moving. From 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., the company splits into separate

sections, depending on what they need to work on for the day; sometimes Tomlinson Weintraub does pole work, other days he practices hoop diving, sometimes he even climbs a rope. Finally, for the last 15 minutes, he and the other acrobats do group conditioning. “You can’t get a body like this if you don’t train 10 hard hours a week,” Tomlinson Weintraub said, pointing at his rock-hard, six-pack abdominals. Indeed, if you haven’t checked out his body, in the interest of circus training, you should. Tomlinson Weintraub wears tights more often than one might think. In March 2009, nine acrobats, including Tom-linson Weintraub and Joren Dawson (’09), performed at a Sacramento Kings NBA game. “It was a highlight of my life,” said Tomlinson Weintraub. “There was so much energy and the crowd kept cheering us on.” Before the game began, Tomlinson Weintraub and Dawson busted out their moves in the entryways as an entice-ment for the fans. During breaks and half-time, the acrobats

walked on the court and performed a tumbling act, a jump rope act, and a hoop diving act. And the excitement went both ways: “I even saw LeBron James,” said Tomlinson Weintraub. Although a professional, Tomlinson Weintraub still gets nervous, just as any high school student might before a test. “I sometimes make mistakes, and when I do, the crowd cheers me on to try it again. When I make the trick, I get three times the amount of applause,” Tomlinson Weintraub said. And early habits die hard. “When I stand on deck before a show, I still feel like I have to go pee really badly,” he admits. In the end, it doesn’t matter if Tomlinson Weintraub is an alien lizard, a dinosaur, or a hoop diving Jar-Jar Binks on stage. The truth is that he is still just a regular high school boy … with really defined muscles. Check him out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD3WQv9zwUc.

IEvan Tomlinson Weintraub

The secret life of

A continuing series on Urban life and people

AbovE: Rory Hanlon (‘10) takes on the strenuous physical aspect of the Yosemite backpacking trip by leaning on a handy stick.

Photos by Kyle Chong (‘13) Top: Derek Harwell, director of outdoor trips at Urban, points to Yosemite’s Half Dome while talking to a group of students.AbovE: Students, gazing at Half Dome, enjoy the beauty and splendor of Yosemite National park.

CabooseThe Urban School of San Francisco

urbanlegendstaff@gmail.com October 2009

—Allegra Gordon

After two weeks of school, from Sept. 11 to Sept. 13, Urban students got to explore Yosemite National Park: sleeping outdoors, hiking, swimming in water holes, and taking in the beauty of nature, all conveniently located in a national park close to home. The group, which consisted of juniors, seniors, and one freshman, stayed in Yosemite Valley’s North Rim. The hikers backpacked past May Lake to Rasin Lake, and hiked up Mt. Hoffman. The outdoor education program at Urban offers stu-dents a chance to get away from the stress and routine of school. Natasha Weiss (’11) experienced firsthand the benefits of escape: “I think there’s something about being in the outdoors that brings out the best in a lot of people,” she said. “I saw sides of classmates that I would never see at school.” For those who didn’t sign up, there’s another chance: the next outdoor trip will be Sea Kayak Skills Day on Nov. 3 near Half Moon Bay. Any student may sign up, and financial aid is available for the $55 trip. For more information, contact Derek Harwell, Urban’s outdoor trips coordinator, at dharwell@urbanschool.org. —Isabel Moore

HAlf DomE, fUll fUN