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

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

03/03/2024

As a sophomore in Portland four days before Earth Day, Kofi Kim opens Instagram and instantly, a colorful flood of posts fills his screen. Tapping to view a story from his school’s environmental club, words promoting Portland Youth Climate Strike’s upcoming protest popped out at Kim, now a Paly junior, telling him and Oregon Episcopal School students, “FILL OUT THE INTEREST FORM IN OUR BIO!”

A few days later, the sidewalk beneath Kim trembles as footsteps march across the streets of Portland for the Youth Climate Strike. Waving flags, jovial chants and colorful signs paint the scene, with roars of the crowd echoing throughout the city.

This is the power of social media, and Generation Z has not hesitated to embrace it.

Read more at the link in our bio. Reporting by Lucas Yuan, Alec Bonnard and Luca Vostrejs

02/17/2024

Students showcased their unique skills and talents at Paly’s Got Talent, hosted by ASB on Thursday from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center. The 11 student performances featured a variety of acts ranging from contemporary dances to mental math, according to Sophomore Class President David Wu.

Junior William Tu, who performed a choreographed dance of “Ditto” by South Korean girl group New Jeans with members of the Palyce Club that practices K-pop dances, said they enjoyed the opportunity to put their moves on display.

“We thought (the talent show) would be a good place to showcase our skills and advertise our club more,” Tu said.

Wu, who organized the event, said he was inspired to re-launch Paly’s talent show after seeing similar shows on TV and wanted to add the event as part of ASB Studios, an initiative which aims to foster interactive experiences for the student body through live events.

“The exciting (talent) shows on TV inspired me to bring this back,” Wu said. “I wanted to bring that same excitement to the Paly community.”

At the end of the show, audience members were invited to vote for their favorite performances of the evening. The first, second and third-place winners took home prizes including an ice-cream machine, waffle machine, and speaker, respectively. Sophomore Ivy Lee won first with her vocal rendition of The Little Mermaid’s “Part of Your World”, Palyce Club’s “Ditto” dance won second and senior Mina Baba took third place with her Chopin piano performance.

Photos and reporting by Holden Lee

02/16/2024

In efforts to help improve campus culture and encourage dialogue between students, Breaking Down the Walls, an event sponsored by Ignite2Unite, took place during the school day from Jan. 23 to 25 in the Peery Center.

According to Ignite2Unite’s website, BDTW aims to create a safe environment for students to build empathy and understanding through a “play, trust, learn” model.

Principal Brent Kline said the event was a place for students to put aside their differences and create connections.

“I wanted to give the students of Palo Alto an opportunity to learn more about who they are and what they can bring to our school,” Kline said. “It was a chance to connect and to stop, pause and find out more about your peers.”

Read more at the link in our bio. Photos by Alex Isayama. Reporting by Alex Isayama and Meryem Orazova

02/15/2024

Boys basketball (8-4) lost 47-34 to Los Gatos High School (9-3) during senior night on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

Going into the game, Coach Jeff LaMere said the team knew that Los Gatos was a formidable opponent.

“Hats off to Los Gatos,” LaMere said. “They played a great game and they’re worthy of a league championship.”

Despite the loss, LaMere said he was proud of the team’s effort and believed it would pay off in the future.

“(The team) fought every possession of the game,” LaMere said. “In the first half, we couldn’t couldn’t execute and we couldn’t get shots to fall. But the kids played hard. And that’s what we want and that travels into the playoffs.”

Following the last league game of the season, LaMere said although he is sad to see the seniors graduate soon, he will treasure the memories they’ve had and looks forward to continuing to make more memories in the CCS playoffs.

“(The seniors) all had a tremendous four years here. They’ve been very, very successful, both on and off the court,” LaMere said. “They’re a joy to be around and a joy to coach. It makes me sad to not be able to spend more time with them but we want to make this playoff run last as long as we can.”

Photos and reporting by Luca Vostrejs

02/04/2024

The Paly varsity boys’ basketball team lost to Gunn 63-65 in overtime on Feb. 3, causing them to drop to a 7-3 record in the league.

Head coach Jeff LaMere said the team’s goal of winning the league is still achievable.

“We’re still in good shape, seven to three in the league,” LaMere said. “If we win our next two games, we win the league… Our goals are still attainable, but we’ve got to play better.”

LaMere said one thing the Paly team could improve on is their defense.

“Defensively, we were really poor, especially guarding the drives,” LaMere said. “We need to improve that if we want to win some more games.”

Senior and basketball player Riley Yuen said the team had a weak start but made good progress in the second half of the game.

“I think we came out super slow,” Yuen said. “We could have made a lot of better adjustments, but I think we fought back in the second half. I’m really proud of the team for that.”

Yuen said though he regrets ending his last game against Gunn on a loss, he still enjoyed playing.

“It’s really fun to play Gunn, but it really sucks to lose,” Yuen said. “I’ve played Gunn all my years in high school, so it really sucks to end on a loss but it was a great game.”

LaMere said the intense competition kept crowd energy high throughout the game.

“The town rivalry is awesome,” LaMere said. “The crowd here is tremendous. There was great student support… (it was) really, really good.”

Paly alumni and former varsity basketball player Nikolas Ajagu said the atmosphere was similar to back when he played.

“There was a huge rivalry,” Ajagu said. “This reminded me of it… the entire Paly section just going crazy.”

Though Paly eventually lost, the game was incredibly close, going into overtime after a 61-61 tie at the end of the fourth quarter. LaMere said he commends Gunn on their gameplay.

“Gunn played a great game and they scored the ball really easily against us,” LaMere said. “They scored the ball, they hit tough shots, and we were climbing uphill the entire game. Hats off to Gunn. It was a great game.”

Photos by Luca Vostrejs. Reporting by Gavin Lin and Meryem Orazova

02/01/2024

The first debate between nine candidates for the 16th Congressional District was interrupted by members of the crowd, many of whom called for a ceasefire in Gaza. The moderators attempted to continue debate despite continuous interruptions, before the debate was ultimately called off prior to closing statements.

The debate, hosted by Embarcadero Media in Palo Alto City Council’s chambers proceeded as expected for over an hour, before one crowd member initiated a “Ceasefire now” chant during candidate Sam Liccardo’s speaking time about an unrelated topic, at which point many members of the crowd joined the chant, and debate was halted.

One Palestinian woman in the crowd, who wished to remain anonymous, said she attended the debate to encourage a candidate and the disruption was not organized.

“We initially came to support Ahmed (Mostafa),” She said. “The goal wasn’t to disrupt (the) debate, people just got into their feelings and couldn’t bear to hear what (the candidates) were saying.”

While a majority of the crowd were Palestinian sympathizers, tensions flared between them and a minority of crowd members brandishing Israeli flags.

“They were expressing their feelings, you could tell by the people screaming and crying, that they were very, very hurt, it was a lot to take in,” the woman said.

Many members of the crowd chanted for several minutes, regaining composure once Embarcadero Media CEO Adam Dawes threatened to cancel the debate.

The debate’s moderators, Palo Alto Weekly reporter Gennady Sheyner and Mountain View Voice reporter Zoe Morgan, attempted to continue the debate, but disruptions persisted for the remaining 30 minutes.

Photos and reporting by Rohan Bhatia. Read more at the link in our bio

02/01/2024

For the first time in 10 years, seniors claimed a victory against staff during the annual Winter Rally, which featured a student-vs-staff basketball game and revealed the upcoming prom venue.

The game ended at a final score of 27-25, with senior Kara Vetter scoring a three-point buzzer be**er.

Vetter said the energy of the crowd contributed to the liveliness of the game.

“All the seniors just really wanted to have fun and beat the staff, so having the support of the crowd really boosted us up there,” Vetter said. “I didn’t expect (my last shot) to go in, but as soon as it did, I was crazy.”

At the end of the second quarter, the game paused at a tie of 10-10, allowing for ASB to cast a video revealing the prom site as Gilroy Gardens.

Senior and game player Watson Koegler said he expected the seniors to dominate the game despite the initial tie.

“I came in thinking it was going to be a shoot around,” Koegler said. “But once you get the 10-10, it’s like ‘OK, let’s turn it on a little bit.’”

Junior class Vice President Kennedy Do said she was excited for the prom venue to be Gilroy Gardens this year.

“I think (Gilroy Gardens) is really fun and different because it is an outdoor venue, while typically most prom venues are indoors,” Do said. “There’s going to be a lot of other activities as well as games and rides, so (prom) will be more interactive.”

Paly special education therapist Ryan Fabie said the rally game provided a unique opportunity to bring students and staff together in a fresh setting.

“I think kids enjoy seeing teachers doing normal things that even kids do,” Fabie said. “It kind of builds out that connection. It’s definitely enjoyable for them to see teachers in a different capacity other than in the classroom.”

Photos by Tyler Wong. Reporting by Annika Chu and Meryem Orazova

01/27/2024

Paly hosted Breaking Down the Walls, a school-wide community event, from Tuesday to Thursday at the Peery Center. The event, which aimed to strengthen campus culture by fostering dialogue between students, provided snacks, t-shirts and opportunities for students to connect and collaborate with each other.

Principal Brent Kline said it is important for students to share their personal experiences and also hear others’ in order to build awareness and promote a sense of unity within the school community.

“I wanted to give the students of Palo Alto an opportunity to learn more about who they are and what they can bring to our school,” Kline said. “It was really a chance to connect and to just stop and pause and find out more about your peers.”

Junior Ethan Wang, a student leader at the event, said Breaking Down the Walls gave students opportunities to foster connections among their peers to recognize shared similarities.

“The students in our school community are more alike than you may think,” Wang said.

Junior Akiva Okumoto-Forrester said the different team-building activities were an effective way to build connections between students.

“I (enjoyed) the team-building activities because it was competitive, and I think competitions are (important) to (establish) deeper relationships,” Okumoto-Forrester said.

Freshman Clara Manolache said she enjoyed talking with new students and forming connections the most.

“My favorite part was meeting all the people because you had deep conversations with them,” Manolache said. “It was really nice to connect with people who I never would have talked to, and then get friends that you would never never expect.”

Photos by Alex Isayama. Reporting by Alex Isayama and Meryem Orazova

01/21/2024

PAUSD hosted its first Career Theme Pathways Open House this Friday at the Media Arts Center. The goal of this event was to spread awareness of existing CTE courses from all secondary sites. This new event featured food, award ceremonies for educators and informational discussions with students and parents regarding CTE programs offered in PAUSD.

Ariane Tuomy, a lead organizer of the event, said PAUSD is privileged to be able to offer a variety of courses within all of its schools.

“We have over 100 courses that qualify as CTE,” Tuomy said. “We’re super lucky that we have this great variety of (courses to provide) for students.”

Biology teacher Elizabeth Brimhall said it is important for students to get a glimpse of potential careers in the future thriugh the CTE pathway.

“(It's) important for the education system to have students (focus) not just about college but what's beyond college,” Brimhall said.

Senior Eliana Friedman said her child development course sparked a newfound passion for teaching and working with young students.

“(CTE) courses are more engaging and hands-on and I think it’s a really valuable experience and opportunity,” Friedman said.

During the event, attendees meet representatives from student groups and gained insights on the different CTE courses and programs offered at PAUSD. Pathways represented at the event ranged from Media and Entertainment to Automotive Technology.

Gabby F***h, a seventh grade student at JLS Middle School and representative of the school's Culinary program, said the open house allowed new students to explore PAUSD’s enrichment opportunities.

“I think the exposure was (effective), and it is good for (students) to open their minds to different possibilities,” F***h said.

Photos and reporting by Alex Isayama

01/13/2024

Junior Mina Baba stares down at the scale, watching her weight drop lower and lower while her anxiety temporarily rushes away. A few years ago, this constant scale-watching was the way she chose to reassert control in her life after being sexually assaulted.

“I got anorexia when I was 15, and I was about to die,” Baba said. “(Eating disorders) ruined my life. I’m happy to be here now, but I have a friend who lost her life (to) anorexia and bulimia.”

Baba is one of the 28.8 million Americans who struggle with an eating disorder during their lifetime. According to the American Psychiatric Association, eating disorders are severe and persistent disturbances in eating behavior associated with distressing thoughts and emotions. Anorexia nervosa, the act of restricting food to the point of becoming critically underweight, is the most common type of eating disorder. One in twenty people die within five years of diagnosis, while one in five people die within twenty years of diagnosis.

Reporting by Olivia Atkinson, Lea Kwan and Naveen Narayanaswami. Art by Hannah Singer. Read more at the link in our bio

12/14/2023

Driving down U.S. Highway 101, Stacy, an unhoused resident of Palo Alto who asked to be identified only by her first name due to privacy concerns, was hit by a speeding drunk driver in 2018. Due to the injuries she sustained, she was unable to continue working. Just six months later, she was evicted, unable to pay her rent.

Since then, she has been living in motels, shelters and her Subaru for the past five years. On top of that, she faced a 10-month battle with cancer in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stacy is now set to get housing by the end of the year, but her story is one of many in Santa Clara County.

According to the Applied Survey Research Point-in-Time Report, in 2022, 10,028 people were unhoused in Santa Clara County, the fourth highest unhoused population in the nation, and 77% of those were unsheltered in 2022. Of the unhoused individuals in Santa Clara County, 1,155 were under the age of 24, including 56 people under the age of 18. The number of unhoused individuals in Santa Clara County has increased by 42% since 2009.

Reporting by Holden Lee, Heather Song and Kate Xia. Read more at the link in our bio

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