The Campanile, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA (2025)

06/02/2025

Cheers and papers filled the air on Friday as the Class of 2025 marked the end of their high school journey during the annual Senior Celebration. The event featured student performances, heartfelt speeches and the most eagerly awaited tradition — the paper toss.

Senior Kyndall Abraham said the paper toss was a powerful symbol of letting go after years of hard work.

“It’s great seeing all these seniors come out and do what they love to do: singing, performing and having fun,” Abraham said. “The paper toss is the best part every year.”

Campus Supervisor Carl Hubenthal, who spoke at the event, reflected on his experiences with the class.

“Over the past four years, I have looked out for you,” Hubenthal said. “And I looked for you. You rascals made me wear out two bikes and 24 pairs of shoes, and ride about 250 miles per week on my bike.”

But Hubenthal also said getting to know the seniors and watching their growth was especially meaningful.

“I found you in the incredible effort and passion you put into everything this place has to offer,” Hubenthal said. “I found you in your triumphs, and your tenacious rise, and the challenges and your overcoming of all the obstacles that you have.”

Senior Héloïse Boeuf said the event was an inspiring and joyful way to end the year.

“I’m feeling really excited, really hopeful for the future,” Boeuf said. “I’m not too sad yet, which is good. Everyone’s so happy, and it’s so empowering and uplifting.”

As the graduating class continues beyond high school, Hubenthal said he urges them to recognize the importance of compassion.

“Choose to be kind to everybody,” Hubenthal said. “It’s one of the few things that’s free, but it will cost you if you don’t do it. If this job has taught me anything, (it’s that) you never know what kind of day the other person is having. Being kind is the true seed to creating community — and it also makes life more fun to have allies on your journey.”

Photos and reporting by Elise Andrade.

05/30/2025

Boys Golf made its first ever appearance at the Northern California golf championship, finishing third overall and qualifying for states.

The event was held at the Berkeley Country Club in El Cerrito on Tuesday, with the Viking’s overall score of 370 placing them third in a field of 12, four strokes behind first place De La Salle, and two strokes behind second place Stevenson. Sophomore Brian Yu was Paly’s medalist, with a score of 71, boosting Paly’s bid for states.

Senior Ryan Chang said this is a huge milestone for the team.

“This step was huge for our program to know that we have what it takes to compete at the highest level in highschool golf,” Chang said. “It almost felt like an invisible wall we had to break to be the first ever Paly boys golf team to make it to states.”

Senior Justun Kim said being new to the stage allowed for an aggressive strategy.

“I played aggressively, mostly because I didn’t see us qualifying for states unless we all played incredibly well,” Kim said. “However, we all have competitive experience which allows all of us to manage our stress. It was our ability to stay mentally composed that allowed all of us to post good scores.”

Chang said the team overcame many obstacles on the day of the tournament.

“The setup definitely wasn’t in our favor since no one on our team had played the course before,” Chang said. “Conditions were windy, and limited warmup space made us deviate from our routines. We definitely knew we had what it took to qualify, but weren’t as confident because it was our first time at Norcals. Trusting ourselves was what helped us win.”

The state championship is on June 3 at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach. Kim said this course presents a great opportunity for the team.

“We have scheduled a few practice rounds at Poppy Hills, (and) most of us have already played that course and enjoy playing it, so we are pretty excited for this opportunity,” Kim said. “I’m feeling excited, but I want to approach this tournament without any expectations, making sure that I can keep a good mentality throughout the competition.”

Reporting by Rohan Bhatia.

Photos by Albert Chang.

05/19/2025

Boys baseball captured a 9-4 victory against Mountain View during senior night on May 16. Early in the game, the two teams traded blows, keeping the score close, but in the end Paly came away with the win.

Senior Coco Vonderhaar said a crucial part of the victory was the team’s strong offense.

“Overall, we just kind of took advantage of getting people on base,” Vonderhaar said. “We really did good on driving in runs when there were people in scoring positions.”

Coach Pete Fukuhara said teamwork was also key to the team’s success.

“The team played together,” Fukuhara said. “Everybody was on the same page and played really unselfishly.”

Fukuhara said the team needs some fine-tuning to improve for the rest of the season but is looking strong.

“I think we just need some more practice, some more reps,” Fukuhara said. “The guys are in a really good place right now, and I just think we’ve got to stay together.”

Ultimately, Vonderhaar said his last season in highschool baseball has been bittersweet.

Vonderhaar said, “It was fun playing with these guys for the past four years, but it’s a little bit sad too, to leave.”

Photos and reporting by Naveen Narayanaswami

05/19/2025

Boys baseball captured a 9-4 victory against Mountain View during senior night on May 16. Early in the game, the two teams traded blows, keeping the score close, but in the end Paly came away with the win.

Senior Coco Vonderhaar said a crucial part of the victory was the team’s strong offense.

“Overall, we just kind of took advantage of getting people on base,” Vonderhaar said. “We really did good on driving in runs when there were people in scoring positions.”

Coach Pete Fukuhara said teamwork was also key to the team’s success.

“The team played together,” Fukuhara said. “Everybody was on the same page and played really unselfishly.”

Fukuhara said the team needs some fine-tuning to improve for the rest of the season but is looking strong.

“I think we just need some more practice, some more reps,” Fukuhara said. “The guys are in a really good place right now, and I just think we’ve got to stay together.”

Ultimately, Vonderhaar said his last season in highschool baseball has been bittersweet.

Vonderhaar said, “It was fun playing with these guys for the past four years, but it’s a little bit sad too, to leave.”

Photos and reporting by Naveen Narayanaswami

05/15/2025

On May 10, Paly hosted its fourth Mind Matters 5K, a running event designed to raise mental health awareness.

Senior Kristine Lin, who helped organize the event, said it featured the largest turnout documented in the run’s history.

“We started two years back, but this one is probably our biggest one by far,” Lin said. “A lot of students, teachers and community members came and showed up. I think it’s really important for them just to be here to learn about mental health resources and support people who may be struggling.”

Science teacher Elizabeth Brimhall, who is part of Together Everyone Achieves More,said she was inspired to bring this event to Paly due to her experience with previous mental health events.

“Several years ago, several teachers from the district and I did a walk called the Overnight Walk for Su***de Awareness in San Francisco,” Brimhall said. “I thought I would love to bring something like this at a smaller scale to Paly, and post-pandemic, I started thinking about it more. (I) was working with my TEAM kids and other students in my Bio-Med class, and we thought hey, let’s do this.”

Brimhall said the 5k also promotes mental health through exercise.

“We’re just trying to get people out,” Brimhall said. “Exercise is good for mental health and we know that being out in beautiful nature (does the same). So you’re hitting a lot of boxes by being here, and it’s just a fun way to do that.”

Lin said the team’s hard work paid off during the event.

“It’s definitely still a lot of work to organize, but it’s just great to see everyone smiling, having fun, getting physical exercises through the walk, and just coming together as a community,” Lin said.

After the success of this event, Lin said she encourages everyone in the community to participate in next year’s Mind Matters 5k.

“I think our next one would be either in October, or May and people should show up because it’s definitely worth it,” Lin said. “And you also get a lot of information on mental health resources.”

Photos and reporting by Isabelle Carlsen

04/22/2025

Over 100 students and community members gathered to rally for Earth Day in front of the Palo Alto City Hall on Friday, waving signs demanding bold climate action and government reform.

Youth leaders from the Palo Alto Student Climate Coalition (PASCC) led the crowd in chants and local politicians including Rep. Sam Liccardo and East Palo Alto City Council Member Carlos Romero also spoke at the event.

PASCC Projects Lead Brendan Giang, a Paly junior and event MC, said he hopes to encourage the community to use their voice.

“There is so much uncertainty with what is going to happen on the national level,” Giang said. “The best thing that we can do is advocate within our communities. Everyone here has a voice, and we want to use that.”

In addition, Giang said one of the main goals of the rally is to urge California’s state government to pass SB 684, the Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act, which would identify and penalize the largest polluters.

“We’re (asking) the organizations, companies and people that are really polluting our planet right now to pay for the damage that they have caused,” Giang said.

Another member of PASCC, Paly sophomore Aiden Miao, said the event brought people from all different backgrounds together.

“It’s fun to see a lot of the Palo Alto community come out,” Miao said. “We have youth, we have older people here, and it’s just awesome to see the support.”

Meanwhile, onstage, an activist group called the Raging Grannies danced to live music played by the Climate Strikers.

Ruth Robertson, a member of the Raging Grannies, said she was there to educate students about Tesla’s chemical spill into Matadero Creek last October.

“What a lot of people don’t know is that Palo Alto, finally, just now in April, fined Tesla $750,” Robertson said. “(That’s) a ridiculously small sum.”

Giang said recognizing every action makes a difference is key to getting everyone to contribute to a solution.

“It can feel like such an insurmountable problem, but there are eight billion of us on this planet,” Giang said. “If we all work together, the amount that we can achieve is mind-blowing.”

Photos and reporting by Ethan Chan.

04/19/2025

ASB hosted a vintage athletic wear sale during lunch from Tuesday through Thursday, offering students the opportunity to purchase a variety of vintage Paly apparel.

From baseball jerseys to basketball shorts, sophomore ASB senator Aeshaan Singhal said ASB hoped to recirculate and recycle vintage sports uniforms through the sale.

“We were given a lot of clothes from athletics, and they were donated to us,” Singhal said. “Now we’re able to sell them for ASB. It’s just a really great opportunity to give some vintage clothes out to the entirety of Paly.”

Freshman Meera Bhushan said the event was a success and appreciated that students embraced the concept of reusing Paly gear.

“It’s really nice that we’re recycling all of the clothes, so they don’t get wasted,” Bhushan said.

With spring spirit week approaching, freshman class president Helen Li said ASB also aimed to provide students with an affordable way, only $5 to $15 per item, to access unique Paly merchandise and encourage school unity.

“All of the clothes are of Paly, so you’re not going to get it anywhere else; it’s unique and it shows school spirit,” Li said. “It’s been going pretty (well) and we’ve sold a lot, enough that we’re considering extending the sale to do even more, because people seem to like it.”

Students searched through stacked piles for the perfect pieces, and senior Shiyuan Guo said he found the exact shirt he was looking for.

“It’s really good because it’s my last chance to get something from Paly,” Guo said. “The reason I bought this one is because I do skatepark culture, and this is one of a kind and represents where I come from.”

With thepossibility of more sales in the future, Singhal said he hopes the event continues to help students prepare for spring spirit week and express their school pride.

“Just spreading love and giving some inspiration for spirit week is a good idea,” Singhal said. “(The clothes) display a lot of Paly spirit and I encourage a lot of people to come out and buy them.”

04/17/2025

As the final matches wrapped up and the nets came down on Tuesday April 15, the badminton team left the gym languorous after a hard-fought 18-12 senior night victory over their crosstown rival, Gunn.

Senior and co-captain Andrew Li said his focus during his match was to enjoy the moment.

“Coming into the game, I just wanted to have a good game on my senior night,” Li said. “I told myself, ‘Just don’t give up. Just play my best badminton.’”

Head coach Gabriel Fossati-Bellani said the timing of the match, which was set immediately after spring break, presented a challenge.

“This is the first match (back from the break), and everyone came back really rusty,” Fossati-Bellani said. “But I think everyone was in high spirits because of it being senior night, and that’s what pushed us through to the win.”

Senior and co-captain Sarah Kobayashi said what she will miss most about Paly badminton is the sense of connection within the team.

“I really enjoyed being part of this team,” Kobayashi said. “I think it’s really nice to connect with younger students (because high school sports) is one of the only places where you can do that.”

Fossati-Bellani said seeing the seniors grow over their four years in the program has been especially meaningful.

“Some (of the seniors) have been playing since freshman year, when they were still playing with masks,” Fossati-Bellani said. “It’s nice to see this team make it all the way to the end.”

As a senior set to graduate in two months, Li said he encourages his younger teammates to truly appreciate their time on the team.

“Four years may sound like a lot, but it really goes by in the blink of an eye,” Li said. “Take it slow and don’t take anything for granted. Play hard, work hard, win, lose — it doesn’t matter, just have fun.”

Photos and reporting by Lucas Yuan.

04/24/2024

Palo Alto Educators Association teachers and staff held a rally on Tuesday at the Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education meeting in response to an impasse blocking funding for teachers.

According to a PAEA Negotiations Update released on March 18, PAUSD has $135 million in reserves. Prior to the meeting, PAEA staff members assembled outside the District Office on Churchill Avenue to protest for a 5.5% increase in teacher salaries, using these reserves.

In an open forum held at the meeting, PAEA President Teri Baldwin said PAUSD has not been paying teachers and staff enough to meet the cost of living in the Bay Area.

“Educators cannot afford to live here, and they have long commutes. It takes a toll," Baldwin said. “We don't want to lose them to districts that pay higher. We want to attract and retain the best educators for our students.”

Gunn math teacher Kathy Hawes, who has worked at PAUSD for 33 years, said in an open forum the amount of money that competing school districts offer is significantly higher than what PAUSD provides.

“If I was (at Mountain View Los Altos Unified School District), I'd be making $37,000 a year,” Hawes said. “I love my department. I love my collaboration. I love the people I work with. But at some point I have to think about what would that $37,000 do for my retirement? What would that do for my cost of living? Can I afford to keep working in Palo Alto?”

Read more at the link in our bio. Photos by Luca Vostrejs. Reporting by Luca Vostrejs and Meryem Orazova.

PAUSD Board of Education Vice President Shana Segal and Board Member Todd Collins declined an interview request for this story. PAUSD Deputy Superintendent Trent Bahadursingh and PAUSD Board Members Shounak Dharap and Jennifer DiBrienza did not respond to interview requests.

04/15/2024

Paly Theatre’s spring production, “Hamlet,” premiered at the Performing Arts Center on April 13.

Set in modern day Denmark, Prince Hamlet (senior Kyle Vetter) is commanded by his father’s ghost to avenge his murder by his uncle Claudius (senior Jack Champlin) in his attempt to become king.

Unlike previous spring plays from Paly Theatre, which typically open in early March, the difficulty of a Shakespearean play such as “Hamlet” meant more time was needed to prepare for the play, according to junior and Assistant Director Aether Yun.

“Aside from just memorization, ‘Hamlet’ is also a longer play,” Yun said. “It’s also more intensive in blocking because you can’t rely on just the text to convey the meaning of a monologue or soliloquy.”

Read more at the link in our bio. Photos and reporting by Lucas Yuan

03/29/2024

As chatter flies across the spread of meals, senior Anna Van Riesen finds herself absorbed in conversations including a variety of cultures, faiths and traditions.

She looks up at her mother, a pastor who organized the gathering, reminiscing over her parents’ profound impact on communities across the world. From practicing Catholicism in Korea to Protestantism in Nigeria, each dinner guest brings a unique perspective to the table.

Van Riesen said growing up in a multicultural church environment enabled her to realize the impact religion has in shaping lives.

“Seeing so many different people in my community who (come from) so many different walks of life was kind of like seeing different models of what my journey could look like,” Van Riesen said.

Read more at the link in our bio. Reporting by Olivia Atkinson, Annika Chu and Alex Isayama. Art by Cherianne Yoon

03/28/2024

Paly ASB hosted Quadchella featuring live music from students and teachers for Spring Spirit Week during lunch on Wednesday, March 27.

One of the performing bands included history teacher Grant Blackburn, english teacher Richard Rodriguez, journalism teacher Brian Wilson and senior Max Rabbitt-Tomita. Rabbitt-Tomita, a guitarist, said he had fun performing live music for the student body.

“It’s fun to watch live music, it’s something that’s not as popular now,” Rabbitt said. “Playing live is always the most fun part, you get to show off your music and your skills.”

Junior Ella Hwang said she enjoyed seeing her peers showcase how they spend their time outside of school.

“It’s really valuable to see your peers’ extracurricular activities,” Hwang said. “You don’t really know what some of your classmates do outside of school and it’s fun to get a look into that part of their lives.”

Wilson, the band’s drummer, said playing for students shows how fun teachers can be and brings everyone together.

“Selfishly, (performing) is valuable to me because it’s a lot of fun,” Wilson said. “In terms of the student body, I think they enjoy seeing us get together and do things other than teaching. Show them that we can work together and crank out some really fun tunes.”

Like Rabbitt, Wilson also said he considers live music to be a special experience.

“I really appreciate the support of the Paly student body,” Wilson said. “It’s really cool to see people out here enjoying live music.

Photos and reporting by Luca Vostrejs

The Campanile

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