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Verde Magazine, Palo Alto, CA (2025)

04/18/2025

Palo Alto High School’s Artificial Intelligence board is making changes to the AI cheating policy, where a student would be assigned to an informational PRIME session if caught cheating.

Assistant principal Michelle Steingart, a member of the AI board, says that an official rollout of these changes is expected in the near future.

“The goal is to provide a learning opportunity for students focused on the ethical use of technology,” Steingart said.

The general AI policy can be located in the academic integrity section on the school’s website.

It mentions that students should never input personal or sensitive information into AI databases, including information related to college applications or essays.

The policy also mentions that students should talk to teachers about what amount of AI usage is allowed in the class, and cite generative AI in either MLA or APA styles when used. However, computer science teacher and AI board member Christopher Bell states that AI should never be used to replace learning.

Bell says that the board has been working with teachers in all departments since the beginning of the year with the goal of streamlining AI course guide policies.

Bell also mentioned that individual assignments and classes may have more flexibility regarding AI use depending on the curriculum. Bell also said that the addition of Gemini in Schoology would allow teachers to do more activities using AI.

“We can now do activities in the classroom with AI and so you’ll see more assignments that give you some indication what they can use it for,” Bell said. “It’ll be different per assignment per class.”

Bell recommends each department offer clear guidelines for students on the repercussions for cheating.

“These are really powerful tools, and parts of it can be used to amplify the learning instead of replacing,” Bell said. “This [AI] is going to be a tool that people are going to use in their professional lives once they graduate, so hopefully we can start to prepare them for that future.”

Photo: Cate Graney

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04/15/2025

On the cover of Volume 26 Issue 4, a gloved hand crumples a news reporters’ notepad in a photo taken by Managing Editor Cate Graney.

This cover is a representation of the pressure and indirect censorship that has afflicted journalists nationwide as a result of the Trump administration’s recent rhetoric and policies, such as limiting the Associated Press’ access to the presidential press pool.

Find the full PDF of the print magazine on Issuu.

03/13/2025

Too many three-pointers. Poor referee decisions. Soft players. Although individuals may have different reasons for their opinions, there is one thing most basketball fans can agree on: The NBA is declining.

As a result, we believe many of the complaints regarding the league’s decline in viewership include a lack of defensive effort and an excess number of player absences, on top of the significant emphasis on three-point shooting.

These grievances are valid, as the number of three-point attempts per game has increased from 22.4 shots per game during the 2014-2015 season to 37.4 shots today, according to StatMuse.

And while it’s reasonable to blame these issues for the NBA’s decline, we do not believe they are the root of the problem as the quality of play has not significantly declined. NBA icons Stephen Curry and LeBron James, who drew in millions of fans throughout the years, are getting older. The main issue is that fans are too fixated on the past and unwilling to accept the new generation of the NBA.

Art: Polina Van Hulsen

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02/25/2025

With student DJs playing songs from 2014, a terrific hors d’oeuvres menu, a nostalgic student video, and a special edition magazine, Palo Alto High School students and faculty on Feb. 26 will be celebrating the school’s Media Art Center’s 10th anniversary.

The MAC has been more than just a building on campus — it is home to multiple programs, including the photography program, the Child Development Pathway, the Audio Music Program, and the school’s journalism program.

Students are looking forward to the event, featuring a panel discussion led by former Campanile adviser Esther Wojcicki and six journalism graduates from 2014.

“I’m really looking forward to alumni coming and just revisiting,” said Kaitlyn Gonzalez-Arceo, head of marketing and advertising for the special edition magazine. “I know it can be pretty nostalgic. I’m really looking forward to just everyone coming together and celebrating something that has been really significant to the Paly community.”

The event will be a fundraiser event for the MAC boosters, which is reopening purchase opportunities for custom pavers in the MAC courtyard. It will also be a way for current students to connect and learn from alumni and former faculty members.

“Having so many different people from so many different eras of the MAC around is going to just be sort of (exciting),” journalism adviser Rodney Satterthwaite said. “They’re all sort of separated, but they’re all connected together in the same way. … I’m really looking forward to seeing students from eight or nine years ago and talking to them about what they’re doing now.”

Photo: Niaz Alasti

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02/24/2025

“If I die young , promise to smile at my funeral,” Mac Miller sings on “Balloonerism,” his second posthumous album, released on Jan. 17, seven years after his death in 2018.

“Balloonerism” was largely created and recorded in 2014 — around the same time as his album “Faces,” which was released in May 2014. Even so, this album has been looming over fans for years. With leaks and snippets of the songs surfacing on the internet on platforms such as SoundCloud and YouTube, fans had some ideas of what might be on the album.

On the fifth anniversary of Miller’s first posthumous album, “Circles,” fans got the official, high-quality version of “Balloonerism.” With features from artists like Dylan Reynolds and SZA, some fans are saying it is his best work.

Art: Keira Ling

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02/23/2025

“This is not really an if, but a when.”

With record-breaking wildfires burning in Los Angeles this January, the fear of a similar potential disaster looms over the Bay Area now more than ever.

According to Palo Alto High School science teacher Nicole Loomis, the parallels of Bay Area environmental conditions to Southern California should alarm the local community.

“Unfortunately that [wildfire risk] is kind of just the reality,” Loomis said. “This is the chaparral, fire is normal, and we’ve decided to build a bunch of human settlements that are not fire resistant, and then have energy infrastructure that compounds the risk with [power] lines that are above ground.”

Northern California has a history of fires like the 1991 Oakland Firestorm, which was compounded by the same issues that propelled the Los Angeles fire. Loomis said that since the unprecedented Oakland fire came rolling down the hills into a highly populated area, there is a high chance of a similar emergency hitting Palo Alto and Los Altos Hills, especially given the energy infrastructure in the Bay Area.

In recent years, the City of Palo Alto has been working to address the root environmental issue of fire-prone vegetation by cleaning dangerous trees that would catch on fire easily.

“For example, eucalypus trees are basically a tinderbox,” Palo Alto City Council member and former mayor Greer Stone said. “So we’ve got a lot of clearing of eucalyptus trees in vulnerable areas up in the Foothills and along Page Mill Road.”

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02/22/2025

From floods and fires to droughts and destruction, California has entered a new era of uncertainty. Watching climate change-related disasters ravage the planet, his health and home, Avroh Shah is searching for justice.

As one of 18 plaintiffs in a landmark climate case, Genesis B. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Palo Alto High School sophomore has already dedicated himself to the environment and to the future. His group of plaintiffs are searching to make long-term change to help the environment by forcing the EPA to change its methods.

“Of all the things I’ve done, advocacy-wise, this, by far, has the potential to make the most impact,” Shah said.

Photo: Tessa Berney

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02/21/2025

As rumors of ICE activity spread around the Bay Area, Palo Alto High School students and staff are grappling with safety concerns.

On Jan. 26, President Donald Trump and his administration launched nationwide immigration enforcement allowing federal immigration authorities to conduct raids.

According to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, these raids intend to find and arrest people believed to be violating immigration laws.

There have been no confirmed ICE sightings in Palo Alto or East Palo Alto, but there have been confirmed ICE sightings in other parts of the Bay Area like San Jose.

Because of this, many are fearful for their safety. In addition, the influx of rumors and false reports over the past month has sparked concern about what might happen next.

“It [the ICE raids] impacted my education because at times I’ll be thinking about it and I’m not really focusing as much on school,” an anonymous Paly student said. “Being in an immigrant family is scary and I’ve just been feeling a little worried. ”

On Feb. 11, members of the Palo Alto Board of Education voted to make information on immigration procedures more accessible on the district website and send it to families.

A teacher at Paly who wishes to stay anonymous said she is worried about the potential impact of ICE’s presence on students’ well-being.

“A school is supposed to be a safe space … a place of reprieve for certain students to escape whatever realities they have to face at home, and having the added worry of ICE could show up on our campus is going to be stressful, she said.”

Photo: Alma Bendavid

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02/20/2025

On the cover of Volume 26 Issue 3, a toy house is encircled by flames in a photo taken by features editor Kensie Pao and staged by cover director Nathalia Arias.

The title — “Are we ready?” — illustrates the precariousness of climate change and the far-reaching
implications of the recent fires in Los Angeles.

Disclaimer: no doll houses were harmed in the production of this magazine.

Find the full PDF of the print magazine on Issuu.

12/21/2024

Students are excited at the prospect of a new downtown community center slated to open in the spring of 2025.

The downtown center at 445 Bryant St. is proposed as a North Palo Alto alternative to the Mitchell Park Community Center, with a focus on teenagers and seniors. The space will also host art, fitness and summer camps, according to the city’s 2025 fiscal budget report.

Palo Alto High School junior Ella Segev said she is excited for the chance to have another place to go for studying.

“I’m always looking for new places to study and be productive,” Segev said. “The Mitchell Park teen center and the library has always been a place that me and my friends go to, and if there’s another space like this that is supportive of students. That’s definitely a plus and could really support me in my school life.”

According to Palo Alto Mayor Greer Stone, the City Council decided to use the space as a multipurpose building during a meeting on June 3.

In addition to teens and seniors, the area will host La Comida de California, a non-profit organization that gives out warm meals to senior citizens every day from 10a.m. to 2p.m. La Comida’s previous location, the Avenidas building, had closed down, so this nearby center is crucial for them to continue their service.

“To be able to allow La Comida to continue to serve our cities early and to provide them an opportunity to be able to have healthy lunches and just as importantly, an opportunity to be able to socialize with one another is great,” Stone said.

Photo: Niaz Alasti

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12/04/2024

On the cover of Volume 26 Issue 5, Palo Alto High
School seniors Heiren Noone and Sophie Williams hug as they react to the outcome of the 2024 presidential election in a photo taken by features editor Kensie Pao.

The title — “What now?” — showcases the sense of
uncertainty that many people in the community face as
Donald Trump has been elected to serve another term as president.

What will the true impacts of this historic presidency be? Only time will tell.

Find the full PDF of the print magazine on Issuu.

03/01/2024

On the cover of Volume 25 Issue 3, created by Art Director Jeslyn Chen, nine figures are depicted — five local or national political figures and three Palo Alto High School students. This cover was inspired by a cover from an October 2004 issue of Verde. Can you name them all?

Find the full PDF of the print magazine on Issuu

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04/18/2025

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02/23/2025

02/22/2025

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02/20/2025

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