The Oracle September 2022

New gender neutral locker room opens on campus

Safina Syed News Editor

The new Bow Gym gender neutral locker room became available to students on Sept. 6 after students from the Gender and Sexuality Al liance (GSA) Club started petitioning for its installation in 2019. The construction began in June 2022 and finished at the start of September. The completed locker room includes eight changing stalls, a central bench, 20 lockers and two gender neutral bathrooms.

GSA Club President senior Charlie Ennis, who, in addition to being a member of the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) LGBTQ+ Council, is also a part of the state school bathrooms ad hoc committee, has worked alongside three other students to make gender neutral spaces more accessible. “The three of us had been working together since I was in middle school on gender neutral locker rooms for Fletcher first, then I moved to Gunn and continued working on the same things,” they said.

At Gunn, they championed for new gender neutral locker rooms, as the previous one lacked space and was in less-than-ideal condition. In 2019, the students began the process of preliminary planning. A year later, they began taking action and meeting with the council and school officials. Due to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, construction to turn the Bow Gym snack bar into a gender neutral locker room began during the summer of 2022.

Some physical education (P.E.) teachers—including Amy Anderson and Steve Ames—wanted a gender neutral locker room prior to this project but were unsure of what improvements students needed. “I wanted to make sure that our school has a safe space for all students to participate in P.E. and sports and that everybody feels comfortable [in],” Anderson said.

During Ennis’s freshman year, they reached out to the P.E. teachers to discuss gender neutral facilities available for student use. Afterwards, Ennis and the two other students joined the LGBTQ+ Council—a district wide council that is working to improve inclusivity in schools. The stu dents have continued to advocate for expanding gender neutral facilities throughout the district while providing student perspective. They worked to make the locker room at Gunn a priority for the council in early 2020.

PAUSD School Board Vice President Jennifer DiBrienza is also a member of the LGBTQ+ Council who worked as a liaison between the Gunn students and the school board. Her involvement began in the fall of 2021. During the council meetings, DiBrienza sat down with the students, board bond advisory committee and others from the opera tions and management departments during LGBTQ+ Council meetings. “The students explained what was missing from the current situation and what they needed to feel safe and comfortable in the locker room,” she said. The operations departments and the bond committee toured

Locker rooms—p.3

Grace Gao

“Not

Gunn

Gender

—Compiled by Diya Bose-Malakar

Titan graphic by Vincent Schillings, by Mark Gleason graphics by Michelle Koo.

Monthly highlights: Gunn vs. Paly football game

Compensation issues lead to restructured SELF, Study Hall format

Amann Mahajan Forum Editor

Disparities in teacher compensation between Gunn and Palo Alto High School (Paly) resulted in changes to the Social Emotional Literacy and Functionality (SELF) mentoring structure, so students now only attend SELF biweekly. On the off weeks, they will instead participate in Study Hall, a time designated for completing homework, studying and doing other quiet activities.

Although there has never been an abundance of staff members willing to teach SELF, there have always been enough to fill the necessary spots—until this year. Last spring, several SELF mentors were reluctant to return to the program, mostly due to a realization that Paly’s teacher advisors—analogous, at least superficially, to SELF men tors—were being compensated at higher rates than the SELF mentors at Gunn.

According to SELF Mentor and former SELF Coor dinator Tara Firenzi, the pandemic created difficulties in maintaining communication with Paly around their respective programs. “We had been coordinating quite a bit with Paly in terms of knowing what they were doing, and then 2020 broke down that communication in a lot of ways,” she said. “Then, [after the pandemic,] we found out that there was a very different [compensation] model in place at Paly.”

SELF Coordinator Kathryn Catalano noted that Gunn’s compensation rate reflected an estimated 71 hours an nually for SELF mentor duties—mentors were not being paid for teaching during the SELF period itself, but rather for other duties they were expected to perform, such as attending meetings about the program. However, as the SELF coordinators and Gunn administration found out in May, the rates of compensation across both campuses were vastly different: During the 2021–2022 school year, Paly teacher advisors for grades 9 and 10 were paid $10,000 a year, while advisors for grades 11 and 12 were compensated at one-fifth of their salary. These advisors taught four periods, but were paid as if they taught five, with their Advisory period constituting this “fifth” class. At the same time, all Gunn SELF mentors were paid $4,500 a year.

The disparities in compensation between the two cam puses originate, in part, from the differences between their respective programs. Paly students participate in Adviso ry, an older program more strongly connected to academic counseling than social-emotional learning. On the other hand, Gunn’s SELF program—launched in 2017—was cre ated specifically to address California’s social-emotional learning standards and to place an emphasis on student wellness, according to Assistant Principal Courtney Car lomagno, who helped set up the program. “California was adopting [social emotional learning] standards, and we had to show we had a place where we were meeting these standards,” she said. “SELF was [also] a response to the fact that we needed more community and we needed to

make sure that all students had access to a trusted adult.”

Given that the two programs were created to fulfill sep arate needs, staff members’ roles for SELF and Advisory differ. Teacher advisors at Paly for example, write letters of recommendation for their students and advise them throughout the college admissions process. In essence, they perform many of the tasks that guidance counselors usually perform, and this explains part of the funding gap. Because teacher advisors function similarly to counselors, Paly has fewer guidance counselors than Gunn and is thus able to compensate its advisors at a higher rate.

Catalano found that this disparity played into some SELF mentors’ decisions about returning for the 2022–2023 school year. “As soon as we knew about [the discrep ancy], we immediately went to our mentors,” she said. “It became clear very quickly that the majority of our mentors were not comfortable continuing to meet every week at the $4,500 yearly compensation.”

two-sevenths prep period time for the PRIME and SELF periods. (Last year, SELF mentors taught full periods of SELF and PRIME, voluntarily putting themselves above the five-sevenths required teaching time). Teachers and SELF mentors working part-time have had their duties adjusted proportionally.

This schedule change is likely to have a vast array of consequences, both positive and negative. Catalano noted that having a SELF program with a smaller pool of mentors could be beneficial. “This new setup means that we have a smaller group of mentors who are really, really dedicated to the program, which is exciting,” she said.

However, there are some potential drawbacks to the change—most notably, the fact that students will be meet ing with their mentors half as often in a program which works to establish student relationships with a trusted adult. Social Studies Instructional Lead Jeff Patrick was among the teachers voicing this concern. “What we’re going to lose is the time to develop the individual relation ships with students, which is unfortunate,” he said.

Some students, including SELF Advisory Board mem ber senior Elliot Grant, considered the change to be a good move. “Especially as a senior, I think it’s smart that we only do [SELF] every two weeks now because I think it helps students become more productive,” he said.

Given the paucity of people available to staff the pro gram, administrators and SELF coordinators at Gunn made the decision to transition to a biweekly model, with mentors doubling up on SELF cohorts in order to cover the shortage.

With a lower number of mentors, it was possible for each to be compensated at twice the original rate, reducing the pay gap between the two campuses and alleviating the mentor shortage—in fact, after adopting this model, there were more than enough SELF mentors willing to continue with the program, according to Firenzi. “[We didn’t] have enough teachers who agreed to be compensated at half or less of the rate of Paly, so we increased our rate,” she said. “[Then] we had enough teachers.”

According to Firenzi, mentors who double up on cohorts alternate, seeing their freshman or sophomore cohort one week and their junior or senior cohort the next. Teachers with only one SELF cohort see that co hort every other week, and teach the newly added Study Hall for at least part of the year in order to fulfill their obligation of teaching for five-sevenths of instructional minutes. They will be compensated at the same rate as the previous year. All teachers not acting as SELF men tors have a Study Hall period as well. This is in contrast to last year, when teachers who weren’t SELF mentors were not teaching at all during the time designated for SELF, and were thus actually receiving more than their allotted

According to Principal Wendy Stratton, throughout the process, feedback will be solicited from students regard ing the changes to the program. There is also a district ad hoc committee composed of teachers, students, school administrators, members of the Board of Education and other members of the community.

Ultimately, Catalano hopes to maintain a robust SELF program. “At the end of the day, I want our program to be one that serves the needs of our students and balances the need for social and emotional wellness [while] also helping them find some balance in their coursework and in their school life,” she said.

—Photos and quotes compiled by Michael Zhang

“We all have friends at Paly, so it was really fun to have an event with some school spirit and to see our friends.”

—Sports Commissioner Pooja Bucklin, 12

“I had a fumble recovery in the second quarter, and it feels good when you do something good and the crowd starts cheering for you.”

—Varsity football player Max Wang, 11

The varsity football team arrive on the field as the dance and cheer teams welcome the players to the stadium.

Gunn students watch and cheer on the football game from the bleachers, dressed up in spirit.

The Gunn vs. Paly football game was canceled due to student safety concerns. Read our online ex clusive at gunnoracle.com for more information.

Palo Alto High School students return to stands after being reprimanded by Gunn admin.

The Gunn cheer and dance teams give a joint performance with Paly cheer and dance during halftime of the varsity game.

“At the end of the day, I want our program to be one that serves the needs of our students and balances the need for social and emotional wellness [while] also helping them find some balance in their coursework and in their school life.”

SELF Coordinator Kathryn Catalano

Michelle Koo

Source: Survey sent out to Gunn students with 137 responses.

THEORACLE

780 Arastradero Rd. Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 354-8238 www.gunnoracle.com

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief

Katie Shih

Managing Editors

Raphael Semeria

Arjun Shah

News

Michelle Koo Chris Lee

Safina Syed

Forum

Carly Liao

Amann Mahajan

Features Katie LaWer

Irene Tsen

Madison Yue

Centerfold

Lise Desveaux

Hila Livneh

Sports Kenneth Soh Ellie Yuan

Lifestyle Vivian Studdert

Becca Wu

Michael Zhang Online

Kaitlyn Chen Paul Garofalo

Charlotte Qian

Photo Editor

Chinyoung Shao

Graphics Editor Irene Hong

Staff

Business/Circulation

John Li Kelvin Xu

Oracle/SEC Liaison

Safina Syed

Graphics Artists

Elise Hu

Michelle Koo Natalie Lam

Jenny Lee Aeron Man

Chinyoung Shao

Ruhani Suresh

Photographers

Yoochan An Gracie Easton

Grace Gao

Sophia Hwangbo Owen Koehler

Naomi Wang

Reporters

Diya Bose-Malaker

Maddie Cheung

Victor Dang

Dan Honigstein

Sophia Hwangbo

Lita Sone

Bryan Xiao Fiona Xiong

Adviser

Kristy Blackburn

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New gender neutral locker room fosters student safety

Locker

the previous facilities with the students to identify and examine the issues. Despite dif ficulties in contacting the district, the council members were able to get the locker room ap proved by sending out a presentation pointing out different health code and American Dis abilities Act (ADA) violations to school board members and Gunn administrators.

A student, who asked to remain anony mous, was also part of the council and in volved in the new locker room’s creation. “I saw the bad positions and unsafe conditions the students around me were in,” they said. “There have been examples of dangerous con ditions inside [the old] gender neutral locker rooms such as them being locked and filled with trash, [having] holes in the wall with ex posed piping and lights that would frequently go out.”

Once the plan for the locker room was final ized at a district level, Assistant Principal of Facilities Leonel Argumedo became involved with the project. Argumedo worked along side the district to identify a space to build the locker room. “We all agreed the snack bar in the Bow Gym was the ideal space because it was not utilized as much, had a restroom nearby and was big enough to provide us the space to grow,” he said.

The construction of the locker room began under the Maintenance Department’s juris

diction, but due to the scope of the project, it was given to the Facilities Department in Jan uary of 2021 for overseeing. PAUSD Director of Facilities and Construction Eric Holm led the project by revising layouts, getting bids and facilitating construction. Holm toured the gender neutral facilities at Palo Alto High School (Paly) with the students from the LG BTQ+ committee to compare facilities. They identified elements of the locker room at Paly that could be integrated at Gunn’s respective facility. “The old gender neutral locker rooms were a quick fix that was not really a good so lution,” Holm said. “There was a strong desire to make something better and a strong need to enhance the quantity of lockers because of the large number of students that have shown an interest in using them.”

Issues arose once the construction stage of the project began. “The construction was sup posed to start sooner, but because of supply challenges and shortages, [we] weren’t able to get all the materials [necessary],” Argum edo said. “The project got delayed about six months.”

Freshman Socs Kaleba has been using the new gender neutral locker room since it opened. “I really like the new locker room,” they said. “[It’s] amazing and [it] has really nice lockers. I also like how the seating area has benches for people to be able to put their shoes on.”

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Alumni and former GSA President Dante Morse, who was also involved in the initial planning process, emphasized the importance of creating this comfortable space for students of all gender identities. “Creating a safe space for students to feel like they can change with out having to worry about being stared at or feeling out of place is really important,” he said. “This also represents a bigger change in the ways that we’re working to include queer and trans students in our school. If we’re will ing to make this kind of step to make them feel more included and we’re willing to build this room, then it shows that we’re also com mitted to making the school a more inclusive environment.”

Morse found that changing the stereotypi cal discussions and environment set around the LGBTQ+ community is crucial for creat ing these new spaces. “The biggest part that we had to overcome, and so many other places will have to overcome, in order to build more gender neutral locker rooms, was trying to untangle all of the stigma that exists around trans and genderqueer people,” he said.

Along with the new locker room at Gunn, the council is working towards ensuring that every secondary school in Palo Alto has a gender neutral locker room. For elementary schools, they hope each can have at least one accessible gender neutral bathroom.

Letters and Comments may be edited to meet space requirements, and the writer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Letters to the Editor, Comments and ideas for coverage may be sent to oraclegunn@gmail.com. These letters do not need to be from current students.

Letter from the Editor

noracle.com), where we cover sports events, rallies, homecoming and more, so make sure to keep an eye out there too!

Dear Titans, Congratulations! You are currently holding the first issue of The Oracle for the 2022-2023 school year (the First Week of School Is sue was technically a special edition). After approximately seven weeks, three days and ten hours of hard work, I’m so glad this paper found its way into your hands.

After going online, becoming a newsmagazine and switching back to a newspaper format, it seems that we’re finally getting back into the swing of things. The goal of The Oracle is to bring the stu dent population Gunn-related news, whether that be in print, on our website or on our social media. The exciting part of being on The Oracle is being able to hear unique student stories and provide an outlet for you to share them. We cover a variety of topics ranging from breaking news stories and student features to sports updates and the ever-popular monthly crossword. We publish an in-print newspaper monthly that you can pick up from an Oracle staffer dur ing brunch.

We also regularly post to our Instagram and Facebook (@gun noracle), as well as publish online exclusives on our website (gun

This year, we hope to include more student suggestions and ideas. We want to cover topics that you’re interested in, so make sure to fill out the student poll (located on Instagram and School ogy), feedback form (see our website) and the “Share your ideas” form (on our website). We will also continue to amplify your voices with interviews, “Faces in the Crowd” and the occasional podcast episode.

Lastly, if you’re considering joining our staff yourself, don’t hesitate to sign up for Beginning Journalism or join as a graphics/ photos freelancer (links to applications on our Instagram)! We are always excited for new faces to join each semester and can’t wait to see your work in print, whether that be in the form of stories, graphics or photos. Plus, there’s always the added bonus of staying at school until 9:30 p.m. and drinking boba.

The best part about being on The Oracle is seeing students all over campus reading the latest issue, or talking animately about the crossword. Being able to walk around and witness The Oracle in the hands of almost every student on campus is truly one of the high lights of every one of my months. I hope our paper continues to keep you updated on everything going on in the community, and I can’t wait to see what this year has in store.

Thank you, Katie Shih, EIC 2022–2023

Left Right: Benches and changing rooms help students to feel comfortable.

Photos by Grace Gao

Paul Garofalo Online Editor

Have you ever heard of the saying “kill two birds with one stone?” Well, if you are biking to school, you are not killing two birds, but four. Not only is biking the healthiest option for transportation, it is also inexpensive, eas ily accessible and great for the environment.

Biking to school has been connected with a myriad of health benefits. A 2017 study published in the British Medical Journal showed that daily bike commutes contrib uted to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Multiple studies—most notably several from McGill University—have also

DRIVING

Kenneth Soh Sports Editor

Imagine you’re biking, and it’s 100 de grees outside. You continue to pedal and pedal as you sweat and your face turns a brilliant tomato-red. There is one simple so lution to avoid this uncomfortable situation: driving. Whether it’s pouring rain or beating down sunshine, driving will always be of the utmost comfort. Along with protection from the weather, driving has several other ben efits. Commuting with a car allows students to have independence during their preps and relax in preferable conditions—and it requires absolutely zero physical exertion.

Getting to the 'route' of the problem: Staffers debate best mode of transportation to school

shown that commuting via bicycle leads to a higher quality of life and greater health satisfaction.

With all the price in the bike itself, bik ing is also one of the more affordable ways to commute. A city bike is priced at around $750, which is significantly cheaper than a car or even a four-year subscription to the bus service. It is recommended to repair a bike every 6,000 miles, or approximately every 14 months. Most of the tools required for this maintenance are provided by Gunn, with bike repair stations placed around campus (most notably in front of the Village).

Some might argue that biking is one of the slower ways to get to school. While this is true in some cases, most students live within a half-hour bike ride from Gunn and driving would only cut this time by around 10 minutes. In addition, biking is substantially faster than driving considering traffic: many students have to wait several minutes to enter the parking lot and up to half an hour to exit it. The biking infrastructure in Palo Alto is

First, driving goes along extremely well with a prep of any period. If a student hap pens to have a first or fifth prep, they can drive themselves to school while avoiding the massive traffic that builds up on Arastradero in the mornings. Driving with a fourth or seventh prep also allows students to leave school before the chaos in the parking lot begins. If a student has a mid-day prep, they can leave whenever they want—whether they want to go to Town and Country or Mid town, both are just a 15 minute or less drive away. Since it’s quite hard to catch a bus at a random time in the day and inconvenient to bike 30 to 45 minutes, driving is always the most reliable.

For drivers concerned about parking, the Student Activities Center (SAC) has been generous enough to make parking permits available to juniors as well, not just seniors. Even if a student can’t or doesn’t want to get a parking permit, parking on Georgia Avenue is certainly a viable alternative. However, if you do decide to park on Georgia, make sure

Maddy Cheung Reporter

The moment school gets out, students stream to the parking lot or bike cages, but one other option often gets overlooked: the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus system. The VTA bus system is both conve nient and accessible—any student can take the bus on any given day. Taking the bus is simply the best option to get to and from school, with its pay-to-go format and ease of access for students.

Taking the VTA offers convenient pay ment methods in swiping Clipper cards or paying with cash or coins. Payment for a

very well-developed—not only is it safe, but many bike routes are shortcuts that cars and buses cannot utilize.

Biking is also one of the most environmen tally friendly options. A 2017 study from the University of California at Los Angeles shows that just moderate increases in bicycle usage could save up to 14 million tons of carbon dioxide every year. Countless other harmful chemicals are also reduced, decreasing pollu tion in not only the air but also the water and other aspects of the ecosystem. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, transportation is responsible for the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.—a problem that could easily be offset by biking.

Overall, the decision of how to commute is up to the student, who must weigh factors such as health, finance, distance and more. In most cases, however, with all of these aspects considered, biking remains a pre eminent means of transportation.

you’re looking for signs, as certain spots are illegal to park in. Even with this restriction, there are still plenty of parking spots, and the walk to school is no longer than seven or eight minutes.

Driving to school also allows students to relax in whatever temperature they prefer, free from the blazing heat or the freezing cold. It also provides them with some alone time, away from their parents or other stu dents. You have the freedom to jam out and listen to whatever music you like, not the thousand-year-old music that you’re forced to listen to when your parents drive you. Driving affords students this freedom that both biking and taking the bus don’t.

Lastly, driving requires little to no physi cal effort, which cannot be said about biking or walking. Biking or walking to school with a trumpet or baseball bag can be very incon venient. Driving allows students to easily bring whatever items they need with them.

Thus, it’s evident that driving to school is unequivocally the best option for students. Forum

one-stop ride is $1.25 for those under the age of 18. The best deal comes from the Student Activities Center, where the monthly Gunn Bus Pass is only $20. Just wave the bus pass at the bus driver, and you are on your way. Purchasing this pass is cost-effective for the regular user, and prevents any fumbling for a wad of cash or maybe a stack of coins.

Some may argue that the bus requires a fee to be paid regularly, making it more costly than biking or driving. However, the reality is that other modes of transportation can be every bit as pricey. Driving a car requires great expense. Indirect expenses may include car payments, insurance and gas price fluc tuation in the economy. According to a 2022 survey conducted by CarInsurance.com, adding a teenager to a car insurance policy can cost as much as $3798 annually. Sure, biking to school does not require an outlay of cash, but the reliability of a bike may be dependent on the weather, maintenance or the condition of the bike or biker.

The most appealing aspect of taking the

bus is the accessibility. Since the bus stop is so close to school, it’s never inconvenient. There are three buses that transport stu dents: 288, 288M and 288L. Each has its own unique bus route across Palo Alto. If you look for a bus stop near your home, you will likely find a route that takes you directly to Gunn. On the off chance that your bus doesn’t arrive, taking one of the other two options could bring you close to your original destination, whether it be the school, your home or an after-school activity.

In comparison to biking and driving, the flexibility of being able to take the bus can be a universal solution. Paying $1.25 a day is the perfect solution for a student who can’t use a car or bike on a stormy day.

With both a user-oriented payment for mat and convenient bus routes, taking the bus proves to be the best option for transportation for all students.

Graphics by Irene Hong and Jenny Lee

When is the best time to have a prep?

Lita Sone Reporter

As schedules are finalized, many students have voiced their personal preferences in regards to what time is best for a prep period. As someone with a fourth period prep, I can confirm that beginningor end-of-day preps are the best. Not only do these prep periods offer the same benefits that midday preps offer, but beginning- or end-of-day preps are beneficial to students because they allow them to arrive or leave school at different times, giving them access to a plethora of opportunities that they’d have to otherwise forsake.

Although school starts at 9 a.m., which is 45 min utes later than it was in previous years, sometimes a later start time is not late enough. In a 2015 study, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends teenagers get 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night. A first or fifth period prep gives students an extra hour and a half to catch up on their 8 to 10 hours. For early birds like me who do not stay up until 3 a.m. finishing homework or playing video games, the extra time in the morning can be used to get work done instead of sleeping. In some cases, the best time to be productive is after being fully rested. End-of-day preps have their own benefits as well. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the most brutal, with school ending at 4:10. However, for students with a fourth period prep, school ends at 2:30. With my fourth period prep, I like to visit my old middle school teachers on the way home. When biking home at 2:30, I can still reach Jane Lathrop Stanford (JLS) Middle School right before their school day ends. This also means I can go and surprise my younger brother right as he gets out of class.

Students can also utilize their preps to attend

more after-school activities. A lot of activities or events after school start around 3 p.m., since for many schools, that is when the day ends. For ex ample, one of my volunteering opportunities starts at 3:30 on Tuesdays. Not only is that before school ends, but the organization is also located in San Jose, a 40-minute drive away. My fourth period prep allows me to get there on time and do more for my community.

People might say that seventh period preps get the short end of the stick for end-of-day preps, with fewer days to go home earlier. However, seventh period preps allow students to go home earlier on Mondays 45 minutes before everyone else, skipping the after-school rush hour. Seventh period prep also allow students to go home earlier on Fridays.

For those who do not visit past teachers or attend after school activities and events, there is still the option of staying at school and doing homework. Just like during any other prep period, students can work in the library if they require an academic set ting to stay productive. Because I prefer to spend my evenings calling my friends or socializing, getting my work done right after school is perfect. That way, all my work is complete before I reach the time of the day where my motivation goes down the drain.

While midday prep periods give students an ex tended lunch period to go off campus and eat good food, it is important to note that seventh period on Wednesdays is after lunch, giving students the same opportunity. Given the lack of restaurants in the close vicinity of Gunn, students with a midday prep who choose to use their extended lunch to eat off campus would have to drive in order to make a timely return. This is not always a problem for students who have a license as well as access to a car, but it is for those who don’t.

All in all, beginning- or end-of-day preps are far superior to midday preps. They offer many more uses and opportunities for students, in addition to the same benefits that midday preps offer. Whether students choose to sleep in, go home early after long school days or just work, beginning- or end-of-day preps are sure to provide students with anything to fit their needs with the most flexibility.

Bryan Xiao Reporter

Prep periods are an integral part of academic life at Gunn. Having a prep can reduce academic pres sure by allowing students to catch up on homework during the school day or relax. Some students argue that beginning- or end-of-day prep periods are superior because they allow students to leave home from school early or arrive at school later. However, middle-of-the-day prep periods are especially helpful to students who want to be productive during their prep or who live closer to school and want to go home during the day.

Many teenagers are assigned up to 15 hours of homework per week, according to a study from the Better Sleep Council. This figure doesn’t include the hours of studying that many Gunn students spend preparing for quizzes and tests. Students must bal ance their assignments with extracurricular activi ties while still making time for their own relaxation; otherwise, they will easily feel burnt out. Prep peri ods allow students to take care of their schoolwork so they can focus on the rest of their activities. Most students who have middle-of-the-day preps choose to stay on campus and do schoolwork. Working on campus allows students to focus by eliminating outside distractions and providing a quiet academic environment. Not only that, but being at Gunn gives students access to resources such as the library, where they can work on tests and assignments for their afternoon classes. Furthermore, those who tend to be easily distracted at home can avoid those distractions and work effectively in a school setting.

Students with midday prep periods who return home or leave campus have a longer period to relax or do schoolwork. In addition to the 90-minute prep

period, they can leave campus during the 40-minute lunch period. Therefore, students who prefer to eat lunch outside of school have the opportunity to do so. I leave campus for home during my third period prep and lunch to spend time with my dog, which gives me the freedom to either wind down or work on assignments if I am busy. With almost two hours to spend at home, I can walk my dog, eat lunch and still have around an hour to get work done. After my demanding first and second period classes, I often feel like I need a break. Being able to relax at home allows me to feel more prepared for the classes that I have in the afternoon.

Those who live further from campus travel further to get home, so they will have more time if they find a nearby café or park to relax. With the assortment of restaurants, convenience stores and parks within driving distance of Gunn, leaving campus during one’s midday prep period can help students take a break from the busy school day.

Morning prep periods are often desired by students because they can arrive on campus later. However, the later start time encourages students to wake up later, which in turn can lead them to sleep later. Many teenagers tend to overestimate how much sleep they can sacrifice for other activi ties and will often spend late nights scrolling social media or finishing their homework. Late sleepers are, in fact, significantly less productive throughout the school day compared to their peers who wake up earlier, according to research from the University of Birmingham. Researchers found that night owls had shorter attention spans, lower energy and slower re action times during the daytime compared to earlier risers. Although beginning-of-day prep periods do allow students to wake up or class later, they also lead students to sleep later, which decreases their pro ductivity and ability to learn during the school day.

Midday prep periods provide students with ad ditional time to work. Students who live closer to campus can take a break from classes and return home or find a location outside of campus to relax. Thus, midday preps are the best options for students.

Source:

Students should celebrate Gunn culture

Kaitlyn Chen Online Editor

Within seconds of typing “Gunn High School” into Google Search, you’re bound to come across at least one of the following words: “competitive,” “top public school” or “stress.” A couple scrolls further and you’ll likely be bombarded with Gunn’s beyond-average test score sta tistics, Advanced Placement (AP) enrollment and college admission rates. Based on this alone, Gunn can easily be perceived as a cutthroat breeding ground for overachiev ers, so it would make sense why many students feel pres sured to excel.

What the internet often doesn’t take into account, however, is the complex social and emotional experience on campus that lies beneath the surface-level statistics of academic performance. Moreover, a large ma jority of the testimonials and news cover age are outdated and, as such, do not reflect Gunn’s reforms in recent years to better support its students. Thus, Gunn students should not feel ashamed of their school’s academ ically rigorous reputation; rather, they should embrace being part of such a distinguished school.

Contrary to popular belief, school is not just a place for stu dents to focus on academics. Gunn hosts a variety of events throughout the year in which students and staff alike lay aside academics and create last ing memories. The most notable is Home coming Week, where the high participation rate among all grade levels creates an exciting week of friendly competition and fervent school spirit. Other events to look forward to include weekly sports games, the Turkey Feast in November, Matchomatics in February, a school-wide Elimination game in March and Global Cultures Week in April. These events not only allow students to enjoy their time at school but also to promote tight bonds within the community, as students get to meet new people and work together to win competitions.

Besides school events, Gunn provides students with numerous opportunities to enjoy themselves by pursuing their genuine interests. With over 100 clubs on campus, frequent local job and volunteer openings and various ex tracurricular programs, students can discover their passions and meet other students who share similar ones.

Because of Gunn’s location in Silicon Valley, students get constant exposure to the world’s technological hub. This can be especially valuable to those interested in Sci ence, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. Despite the heavy emphasis on STEM in the area, how ever, Gunn still provides abundant support to students interested in the arts and humanities with funding from Palo Alto Partners in Education and a multitude of Visual and Performing Arts electives. Most recently, a new Me dia Arts Cohort, an integrated curriculum designed for a group of 24 freshmen, is projected to develop next year and would further encourage students to pursue media arts.

Because of its prestige, Gunn is able to attract students from all walks of life both nationally and international ly. In fact, 69.4% of students enrolled last year were ra cial minorities, according to the 2021–2022 Gunn High School Profile. As a result, equity and inclusion remain a core focus for both funding and education on campus, as is evident through the Student Equity Committee, Black Culture Club and Social Emotional Learning and Func tionality (SELF) curriculum. These programs ensure that all students feel respected by re ducing racial stereotypes and encourag ing empathy. They also allow students to gain new insights from their peers while preparing them to interact with people of varying cultural backgrounds in the increasingly diverse workplace. Other skills that students undoubtedly culti vate as a result of being at Gunn include responsibility, creativity, courage and resilience in the face of challenges—all of which are invalu able in life beyond high school.

In the past, concerns surrounding inadequate student support structures prompted an immediate re-evaluation of Gunn’s academic culture. Thus ensued a significant shift in focus to students’ mental well-being, most notably through the introduction of mental health education, stress-reduc tion programs and the construction of a Wellness Center in 2016. While an abundance of resources are available to those in crisis, the Wellness Center is also open to anyone who just needs some quiet time or wants to make a new friend. This way, Gunn provides an exceptionally strong support system to all its students, whether they are strug gling or not.

Gunn may not be perfect, but it is constantly changing for the better and is a great place for students to grow both emotionally and intellectually. As long as they stay open to learning new things and taking a few risks, some of their best memories are likely to take place on these very school grounds.

Homecoming Week tradition encourages student spirit

Lise Desveaux Centerfold Editor

Homecoming begins long before the week itself. My sophomore year, it started the first moment somebody asked me what I was wearing to the dance, which was in the middle of September. After that, homecoming was brought up in every conver sation one way or the other. From the endless dis cussions on what dresses my friends should buy on Lulus to who’s-going-to-ask-whom predictions, you can feel the thrill of homecoming before actually liv ing it. I remember my struggle last year when some body asked me what I was going to wear a week and a half before the homecoming dance, and I had no clue. I didn’t think the homecoming dance was that big a deal. Still, the weekend before homecoming, I went to Nordstrom with a friend and tried on 15 dif ferent dresses until I finally found the perfect one.

Homecoming includes a lot more than just the dance—the whole week is a celebration. Even with all the upperclassmen hyping up Homecoming Week, I still wasn’t prepared for what was to come. There was an overwhelming abundance of spirit. On the first day when each grade dressed up in their respective class color, students came decked out in tutus and body paint—something that I wasn’t ex pecting at all. I felt very much out of place with my green hoodie, but it was so much fun seeing every one celebrating their class. The amount of dedica tion all the students put into the dress-up days was invigorating. Everyone was so happy to be at school and represent their class.

A tip for the underclassmen out there: don’t be afraid to go all out for dress-up days. Your class gets points for best dressed, and it’s the only week where you will be able to dress completely crazy and feel normal. It is a blast seeing the amount of effort and creativity everyone puts into their outfits.

All week, it felt like my destination wasn’t school but homecoming; school was just the setting where homecoming took place. Most of my teachers were kind enough not to assign large assignments dur ing that week because they knew that most students would be focused on homecoming festivities rather than academics.

Sophomore year showed me just how much there is to do during Homecoming Week—especial ly in the last few days. I participated in the sopho more airbands and performed during the rally on Thursday night, which was one of the most nervewracking experiences of my life but also the most fun. Airbands demands a lot of time, but it is a great opportunity to represent your class and hang out with friends at the same time. Unfortunately, last year, my class didn’t have as many sign-ups as we would have liked, so I was much more nervous be cause only around 15 other people were performing. Thankfully, due to the weeks of rehearsal, dancing with friends felt organized and professional. After the rally, our whole class went to Happy Donuts to celebrate. It was great to to see how excited every one was about the Night Rally.

The day after the Night Rally is the homecom ing football game. Last year, the student section was packed with people wearing black and red. These sorts of events make me proud to be a Gunn stu dent. Normally, we have a reputation for focusing just on schoolwork, but during homecoming, ev eryone is able to join in the cheering and fun. To find the true spirit of Gunn, just take a look at our student section at the homecoming football game.

After the football game came my favorite part about homecoming: the dance, which serves as the closing of the best week of school. All my friends and I met up in the afternoon and got ready for the dance together. We spent four hours waiting for everyone to change and get their hair and makeup done. When we got there, the dance was a chance to let go and have fun. Everyone was dancing, and I could just feel the happiness emanating from people. In that moment, I felt a true sense of con nectedness to my fellow Gunn students. Homecom ing was the best week of my sophomore year, and I know for a fact that it will be my favorite week again this year.

Gunn may not be perfect, but it is constantly changing for the better and is a great place for students to grow both emotionally and intellectually.

Natalie Lam

Serving the student body: SEC shares plans for school year Features

The Student Executive Council (SEC) organizes all school events, manages clubs and speaks with students to promote a positive environment at Gunn. Some positions are elected, such as class president and vice president. Other positions are appointed, such as the student body secretary and treasurer. Regardless of their position, all members are overseen by Student Activities Director Lisa Hall. SEC also has representatives from Gunn’s two main publications, The Oracle and The Olympian.

Throughout the entirety of the school year, events such as homecoming, GunnSide Lands, the ping-pong tourna ment and Prom are all organized by SEC members. To plan these events, SEC has a weekly routine: identifying priori ties on Mondays, leadership councils on Wednesdays and

workdays for upcoming events on Fridays. Workdays also allow council members to brainstorm new events that are not yet on the calendar. “Leadership council is when any thing that needs to be voted on or discussed takes place,” Hall said. “[It’s] also when we review and approve club events and any big purchases.”

For the 2022–2023 school year, SEC aims to diversify events and celebrate underrepresented groups and cul tures. “This year our theme is ‘Tastes of Gunn,’” Hall said. “We aim to highlight all the flavors of the school commu nity [by] focusing on different groups and interests. Not everyone gets to be on the center stage so we plan to bring forth these groups and highlight what they do.”

Student Body President: Jerome Wu

From being known as “The Slayer of Seagulls,” to serving as class president for three years, to becoming Student Body President this year, Jerome Wu has come a long way in regards to his role in Gunn’s student government.

While class presidents are responsible for organizing and playing an important role in class events, Wu describes his new responsibili ties as more of a directing role, overseeing SEC as a whole. “I feel like the [Student Body President] takes a more backseat role,” he said. “It shifts a lot towards making sure SEC runs properly.”

Wu is viewed as a representative of Gunn, communicating with other schools and in the district. In his position, Wu also talks with the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) school board to try and represent the feelings of the student body as best as possible.

One of the things Wu wants to do as Student Body President is to

host more events that reach wider groups on campus. “We should branch out a bit more, hit more demographics, have more interest groups and make [participation] more accessible to people who cur rently don’t feel comfortable at SEC events,” he said.

Another goal Wu has had since freshman year is to improve com munication between students and SEC. “We’re going to be putting out a lot more channels of communication to make it easier,” he said. “If you want to engage more, keep an eye out on that. There should be some changes coming to school as the year goes on.”

Special Events Commissioners: Jack Poon, Ruth Jaquette, Laura Cheunkarndee

Behind some of the biggest events of the year—including Gunn’s big gest spirit event, homecoming—are the Special Events Commissioners: sophomore Laura Cheunkarndee, junior Ruth Jaquette and senior Jack Poon.

While the three each work on separate events throughout the year, they work together to orchestrate large events such as Homecoming Week. “We get to manage the entire SEC when it comes to homecom ing, which is always fun because you get to be in charge of everybody,” Poon said.

Individual projects that Special Events Commissioners work on in clude GunnSide Lands, modeled after the music festival Outside Lands. The event gives students the opportunity to perform in front of their peers. This year, Jaquette is leading the event as a third-year SEC mem ber and second-year Special Events Commissioner.

When it comes to the Special Events Commissioners’ roles in the events they lead the planning for, they are usually akin to the coaches

of the team. “As a Special Event Commissioner, you want to [be] on the sidelines guiding everything and making sure it runs smoothly,” Jaquette said. “For example, if you’re the one leading the event and hosting the event, it’s hard to manage the entire thing.”

The commissioners tend to focus on the big goal when it comes to planning projects, assuming the roles of coordinators or managers. “We do the big-idea, big-picture kind of thinking,” Cheunkarndee said. “We might not know everything there is to know about the sound sys tem, but we can still know we need it in this area, at this event.”

The commissioners incorporate feedback from events as well as questions fielded in Social Emotional Literacy and Functionality (SELF) when planning new events. “We do actually go over all the feed back closely,” Poon said. “SEC is always trying to expand when it comes to feedback. We want to always be the student voice.”

—Written by Vivian Studdert

Dance Commissioner: Adele Davis

The Welcome Back Dance, Homecoming Dance, Prom—all of these formative experiences are planned by none other than Dance Commissioner senior Adele Davis. In her second year planning the school’s dances and social events, Davis has become familiar with all the ins and outs of what goes into preparing such events.

The Dance Commissioner’s role consists of planning dances and ensuring students have a positive experience at them. In April 2022, for example, Davis organized Prom at the City View at Metreon for the junior and senior classes to attend. “The planning takes a long time because the venue was chosen about a year before Prom actu ally happens,” Davis said. “We hire staff and all the different com ponents. Then I work together with Ms. Hall, the Student Activities Director, to make sure the tickets are the right price.”

Along with preserving the quality of past dances, Davis plans to

Spirit Commissioner: Nico Ross

Decked out in multiple leis, a Hawaiian shirt and a sun hat, Spirit Commissioner senior Nico Ross shows his spirit for the Fall Sports Rally’s tropical theme—just a glimpse into what a dress-up theme could look like for Homecoming Week.

As Spirit Commissioner, it’s Ross’ job to create engaging spirit days for students to participate in by planning themes for rallies that will attract the most participants. The job also involves contributing to planning one of the biggest events of the school year: homecoming. “If I had to describe homecoming in one word, it would be rush,” he said. “I think it’s a rush in the sense that there is so much going on at once and it goes by really fast.”

For homecoming rallies, Ross envisions classes dressing up in their respective themes and being able to distinguish students’ grades by their costume. “My mental image of homecoming is seeing people getting excited, being together and having fun,” he said.

Ross’ goal for homecoming this year is to make it an inclusive week

organize new events this year. “I’m really excited and really trying to get a dance early next semester,” Davis said. “I’m hoping it will be a Valentine’s Day dance in correlation with Love Week. That would be really fun because it would give a second semester dance to under classmen as well.”

In terms of the near future, students can look forward to the up coming Homecoming Week, culminating in the football game on Fri day and dance on Saturday. “I’m starting to think about the theme [for the dance] and general planning,” Davis said. In the meantime, she encourages students to fully participate in all the week’s festivi ties. “Get your outfits, make sure they’re on-theme and fun. Then get hyped. Get your friends hyped. Get everyone hyped.”

for everyone. “I want to get people to be into [the spirit] and feel like they belong at events or feel like they don’t need to be embarrassed about participating,” he said.

This year, Ross hopes to maintain the level of excitement present in past homecoming years. He also hopes to introduce new games for students and a Rally Cup that will be crowned at the end of the year. “I decided to bring back the Rally Cup as a way to keep school and class spirit high year-round,” he said. “With such a commonly stress ful environment, I think it’s awesome for students to have competi tions and activities of many types to have some fun.”

As Homecoming Week approaches, Ross recommends that stu dents should participate as much as they can. “Just get out there be cause that’s what makes events what they are,” he said. “I plan it, but it’s nothing without people taking part in it.”

Yooc h a n An

Grac e G ao

Madis o n Yue

Photo courtesy of Beverly Lamis

—Written by Michelle Koo

—Written by Lita Sone

—Written by Becca Wu

—Written by Madison Yue

Graphics by Elise Hu

Student leaders drive creations in elective classes

The Oracle: Katie Shih

Senior Katie Shih is the Edi tor-in-Chief of The Oracle and over sees production of the newspaper alongside two managing editors. For each of the newspaper’s nine yearly issues, Shih works to turn story ideas into compelling reads and rough layout sketches into com pleted pages. “[As] Editor-in-Chief, it’s cool to see each page evolve and change,” Shih said. “It’s rewarding at the end of production week when it’s distribution day and we get to see the paper in print.”

When Shih first joined staff during the second semester of her freshman year, she didn’t plan on leading The Oracle staff three years later. “I thought it was scary and did not want to be the Editor-in-Chief at all,” she said. “[Ultimately,] I ended up doing it because The Oracle has been a big part of my high school experience and I wanted to take it a step further.” Shih has set many goals for the year. “My big gest goal is to increase circulation and reader ship,” she said. “We’ll probably do more advertising on School ogy or have students give us story ideas that they want to see in the pa per.”

While one issue

of The Oracle takes about a month to assemble, most of the progress happens with print pages during production week, where section ed itors undergo a process of editing and finalizing layouts. “I think most people don’t know that we stay after school until 9:30 p.m. to put the pa per together,” Shih said.

Members of The Oracle have to be flexible in their roles: News Ed itors might work on sports pages if they’re behind, or a graphics artist might have to edit an illustration that they didn’t initially draw. Shih finds community to be key to this process. “[The staff] is a team inside the classroom and [everyone] has to work collaboratively,” she said.

As one of the few student-run classes on campus, Shih appreci ates the unique structure of The Or acle. “We don’t have units or tests,” she said. “We do learn things, but it’s not a class specifically to learn [about] a subject—we work to gether to [create] something.”

Shih encourages interested students to join the staff. “You get to see your name in print, [which is] a really reward ing process,” she said.

“It’s also really cool to be able to see your work in front of you at the end of [publish ing].”

GRT: Anshu Jayaprakash

Gunn Robotics Team (GRT) captain senior Anshu Jayaprakash stands in front of 50 students, pre senting a workshop about machine basics and deadlines for tasks. GRT Advisor Kristina Granlund-Moyer listens at the side of the classroom, making sure that the class runs smoothly.

GRT has an organized leadership and structure. The first level of di vision is split up between veterans and rookies. A veteran is someone who has been on the team for at least one year and takes on specific roles. “[For example], we have ma chine leads, and their job is to cre ate a shop training curriculum for the first semester,” he said. “In that curriculum, we teach the rookies how to use the machines. Through out the year, [veterans] serve as an expert for the machines and [work on] their main tenance.”

At the top of the team structure are Jayaprakash, the captain, and Gran lund-Moyer. He rec ognizes the role Gran lund-Moyer is able to play in helping the team achieve their goals. “She often works with me and leadership members to help stay on track,” he said.

As the captain, Jay aprakash has many re

The Olympian: Brigitte Peterson

Senior Brigitte Peterson has dreamed of leading The Olym pian ever since freshman year. After three years of hard work, from half-jokingly and half-lov ingly being called the “little soph omore” of the class, she is now the Editor-in-Chief of The Olympian, leading seven students to craft the 2022–2023 school year yearbook.

As Editor-in-Chief, she runs the show, making overarching de cisions that shape the direction of the yearbook. She’s responsible for making sure that things run smoothly and deadlines are met. “My job is to make sure people get assigned what they need to be do ing,” she said.

Peterson describes her role as a an intermediary between students, parents and Adviser Kristy Black burn. “I’m there to be a teacher, but closer than the actual teacher,” she said.

She and Blackburn are both involved in creating the yearbook, meeting weekly to plan out what they want completed and assigned for the week. “I’m the sup port for the kids, and [Blackburn is] support for me.”

As rewarding as leading The Olympian is, Pe terson noted that

being the Editor-in-Chief comes with challenges. According to Pe terson, the most challenging as pects include giving hard feedback and reconciling differing visions for a page. When she and her staff’s ideas differ, Peterson’s solution is to compromise. “I do understand where people are coming from,” she said. “We try to find a place that fits part of my vision and part of [their] vision so we’re both hap py.”

Although the work is dead line-driven, a typical class period is flexible for staff members. Students check in about the progress of pag es and assignments at the start of class, then disperse to finish their tasks. “There are people taking photos, doing copy [writing text for spreads] and doing design—some people do all three,” Peterson said.

As The Olympian staff continues to churn out spreads, interview students for quotes and photo graph student groups, their goal this year is to increase awareness of the publication outside of the yearbook dis tribution season. After all, The Olympian is recording memories for a lifetime. “It is about producing some thing that people will have forever,”Peterson said.

—Written by Irene Tsen

Theater: Tanir Kranz

sponsibilities. “I am the face of the team, so I’m responsible for all team execution,” he said. “I create class plans and manage the team, but I also report to Ms. Granlund-Moyer to make sure everything is going on target.”

With all of the careful planning involved in running a robotics team, Jayaprakash admits that he feels pressure carrying out his role. “I’m sometimes afraid I’m forgetting something because we have numer ous projects,” he said. “I’ve come to learn that when I make a timeline, it’s not fully within my hands.”

Despite all of the hard work and long hours, Jayaprakash is looking forward to another year of GRT and is excited to create new inventions, such as the swerve drive train. “It serves as the base of the robot, but it can do a lot of interesting move ments,” he said. “It would allow a robot to move in any way that we wanted.”

Overall, he is looking for ward to the new season and seeing how the rook ies progress. “It reminds me of back when I was first learning,” he said.

“For them to really get learn about what they’re passionate about is what I love the most.”

From comedies to tragedies, over the years, the theater depart ment has showcased student acting through a variety of theatrical work. With the help of senior Student Di rector Tanir Kranz, the department will perform a rendition of “Trans lations” written by Brian Friel this fall.

Ever since fifth grade, theater has always played an important role in Kranz’s life, in and out of school. In high school, Kranz joined the theater department and became involved with the school’s thespian club and society. “The atmosphere of the theater class is more free, [and offers] great opportunities,” she said.

As Student Director, Kranz helps direct parts of the fall play alongside Theater Director Kristen Lo. “My role is like a second director next to Ms. Lo,” she said. “I am there to help—I direct one or two scenes by myself.”

“Translations” the play touches upon subjects such as language, Irish his tory and cultural im perialism. Kranz has had to put these ideas into account as the play process progresses. For one, the play takes place in a 19th century Irish vil lage. As such, cast mem bers must adopt Irish ac

cents. “I was never the one that had to look back at the history and really dig deep into it,” Kranz said. “Now, figuring out the Irish dialect has been challenging, because people laugh and I have to put my foot down sometimes.”

Cast members meet four times a week to rehearse the play after school. During the rest of the week, Kranz oversees the technical as pects of the play as Head of Stage Technology and Head of Publici ty. “I love the aspect of leadership, which is why I’m doing so many roles,” she said. “Having that com ponent along with doing something that I love is really special.”

Altogether, Kranz has had a re soundingly positive experience and encourages others to see the play when it is premiered out at the end of October. “It’s been enlighten ing because I’ve always been the one auditioning, [but now] I’ve learned a lot more about the be hind the scenes and working with actors rather than being an actor,” she said. “During the read through, I was sitting there, just listening to every one around me, and I could picture it. I’m looking forward to see ing how it turns out.”

Gracie Easton

—Written by Raphael Semeria

—Written by Michelle Koo

—Written by Chris Lee

Sophia Hwangbo

Sophia Hwangbo

Yoochan An

CiTY STUdENT

As the climate crisis grows more drastic by the day, both the City of Palo Alto and student-led groups around the area are continuing their plans to lead the community toward a more sustainable future. The City of Palo Alto has been a trendset ter in pushing sustainability goals. In 2016, the City of Palo Alto introduced the first draft its Sustainability Goals and Climate Action Plan (S/CAP) in order to help combat the changing climate. This first version was implemented to help the city achieve its goal of reduc ing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from what they were in 1990 by 2030. The action plan has been separated into five principles—en ergy, mobility, electric vehicles, water and climate—each aimed at boosting sustainability and lower ing emissions.

The S/CAP was created by and is continually updated by the city’s climate council. In January of 2022, students across multiple high schools in the area created the Palo Alto Student Climate Coalition [PASCC], which meets with city council members on a weekly basis to keep them updated on student opinions and perspectives.

Senior Katie Rueff is one of the founding mem bers of PASCC. The group is currently pushing to help lower emissions within residents’ homes. “Specifically, right now, we’re working on electri fication,” she said. “This is the process of turning gas powered appliances into electric appliances. The goal is to get people’s homes to have electric powered AC, heating, washers, dryers and espe cially stove tops.”

Rueff has always taken an interest in helping fight the climate crisis. Part of her motivation to start the student coalition to try to raise more community involvement on a local scale. “I’ve been working within different climate change organizations for a really long time and I noticed significant barriers to entry for people to get involved in the climate crisis,” she said. “I think everyone should get involved. In the past [on the coalition] we have had many different people involved: people in sports, Student Executive

Council, theater [and] people across different boundaries that you wouldn’t normally think of as [having] anything to do with climate change.”

So far, the city has made progress in meeting its goal; in 2020, Palo Alto emitted an estimated 385,320 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2e) from the residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, waste, water and mu

age, before they can fall into a trap of fear, [it] will help them be better and learn to take action in a reasonable manner against climate change.”

For Rueff, the most important part of work ing on these projects is trying to get more public support involved with the crisis. “I found that, no matter where you come from, and what your interests are, there’s a place for you in the fight against climate change,” she said. “There’s so many ways to weave it into whatever job you want to pursue in the future.”

nicipal sectors. In comparison to the 1990 base year of 780,119 MT CO2e, this is a 50.6% decrease in total community emissions, according to the city’s utilities website. However, the city is still falling short of being on track for the 80/30 goal.

Rueff recognizes the challenges the city faces and believes that PASCC is a bridge into generat ing more awareness to the issues. “I know that many of the city council members are trying their hardest to get updates passed,” she said. “They’re just working on a limited budget, limited resource allocation and also the fact that they need to be re-elected. The main issue I would say is the lack of community engagement within these goals.”

To combat the challenge of awareness, Rueff created something separate from the city’s goals: The Cloud Project, an organization founded by students centered around educating Palo Alto kids on current climate issues. Rueff believes that by educating a younger audience on these is sues, the next generation will be better equipped to handle what’s to come in the future. “I came to believe that ignorance breeds fear,” she said. “By educating people, especially from a younger

Senior Anna Stine-Unchino is another member of The Cloud Project and PASCC, who focuses specifically on marketing and creating workshops. StineUnchino believes the goal is for kids to learn and also engage with the material being taught to them. “A lot of climate educa tion is about how we’re harming the world, and how we’re doing so many horrible things to it,” she said. “But I think another way you could think about it is how you can inspire others to see that there is a possible way to make change, and that helps get people interested.”

Stine-Unchino would still encourage kids to have their own interests and passions—whether that be related to climate policy or be entirely separate. “I want kids to be interested in their own passions, like soccer, tennis, painting or drawing,” she said. “But [I also want them to] be aware [of] how our hobbies and passions relate to climate change.”

Stine-Uchino hopes that in terms of the greater community, everyone will try to fight the climate crisis in whatever way they are capable. “In terms of climate policy, we tend to think about it in a very global sense that we are exposed to the fact that weather is going to change,” she said. “I think trying to get a localized understanding of what’s happening in your city and in your own town, can actually contribute a lot more than most people think.”

—Written by Katie LaWer

Carpooling

One of the most impactful things to our planet is the amount of CO2 emis sions. One way to help reduce those is by carpooling or taking the bus. If you’re an upperclassmen, most likely you or someone you know has a license. Take advantage of that and carpool together instead of driving separately. While some underclassmen don’t have this option, that’s not a problem. If you aren’t within biking or walking distance to school, I would highly recommend taking the bus. There are multiple lines that run through Palo Alto and it’s accessible to everyone. The main point is: try to carpool or just not drive yourself to school to help reduce CO2 emissions.

Disposing Trash

This may seem obvious, but it’s incredibly crucial for you to throw away your trash. And to do it correctly. The garbage is just one of the three ways to throw away your waste, including compost and recycling. You can recycle paper, clean (no food or waste) plastic product such as water bottles, cans, cardboard and more. Compost is where you throw away your food waste, like, coffee grounds, eggshells and tea bags. Walking around Gunn after lunch is upsetting because there’s trash everywhere despite trash cans being placed so conveniently. Help out not only the planet, but also the staff and janitors, by simply walking two feet to your nearest trash can and throwing your waste away in the proper bin.

“By eDuCaTing people, espeCially from a younger age, Before They Can fall inTo a Trap of fear, [iT] will help Them Be BeTTer, anD learn To Take aCTion in a reasonaBle manner againsT ClimaTe Change.”

senior k aTie rueff

Lise

Lise

While this may be hard to accomplish because every teacher is different, try to use less paper in your classes, and start using your computer more. Many teachers give out paper handouts, but if you’re taking notes in class or even studying, try doing those through your computer or (if possible) through an iPad. Additionally, if you’re doing a homework assignment that’s on a PDF, instead of printing it out, copy it on your notebook and reduce the amount of paper being used. Along with that, if you can’t take notes electronically, use both sides of the page in your notebook and utilize as much space as possible. Overall, try to use less paper, or if you do, make sure it’s really necessary.

Rather than using bags to pack your lunch, try using a reusable container instead. Plastic bags and other products often take years to decompose and in the process will pollute our oceans, land and more. To limit the unnecessary use of plastic, buy a reusable container to store your lunch in. They are better for the environment since you don’t have to throw anything away. Reusable containers also keep your food more secure. Plastic bags often open and spill food all over students’ backpacks, which is not a problem with a container. Overall, for you, and the environment, it’s better to use a container instead of a plastic bag.

Elise Hu by Hila Livneh

Love it or hate it, math is a tool utilized far beyond classroom doors and can be ap plied in a wide variety of fields. Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB and BC are the highest level math classes available, and many seniors elect to take these college-level APs as their final math course in high school.

Senior Sally Liao, who took AP Calculus BC in her junior year, emphasized the im portance of using in-class time efficiently and not shirking practice work for calculus. “It’s harder to catch up on the material covered in calculus because it is more concep tual, so a combination of paying attention in class and doing the given material helped me,” Liao said.

Teacher Michael Bautista, who has been teaching for 16 years and taught Calculus AB classes for 13 of them, offered his advice for achieving success in the class. Although the concepts of calculus can be complex, Bautista recommends that students should look back to the fundamental math skills they’ve learned, such as graphing and solving equations, as starting points to understanding the material. “Questions require you to synthesize material from a lot of math that you’ve taken in the past,” Bautista said.

While taking calculus and post-secondary math courses, Bautista emphasized the importance of developing math skills through practice. He believes that completing the course materials and getting adequate practice makes it easier to understand the

content, rather than simply knowing the formulas. “You start seeing more depth in the math the more that you do it,” Bautista said. “If you continue with the course, you might start to develop understanding of the material later in your education.”

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AP English Literature and Composition by Michael Zhang

The Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature and Composition course focuses on reading, writing and analysis in literature for students in their senior year. The exam involves a multiple choice section and a free response section. According to AP Litera ture teacher Diane Ichikawa, various skills are emphasized and built upon over the du ration of the class. “[First semester,] we read books and interpret those books, having a lot of in-depth questions,” she said. “Through the second semester, there’s a two-month period for which there will always be a weekly in-class writing essay.”

Ichikawa advises practicing for the multiple choice section of the exam beforehand. “All of the AP English teachers have old exams,” she said. “Students can start under standing what types of questions there going to be.”

AP Literature teacher Paul Dunlap suggests that students have their own books to mark notes. Additionally, he recommends referencing the MLA Handbook and “War riner’s Complete Course of English Grammar” by John Warriner, for grammar practice. AP Central is another resource available for students.

Alumni Kelly Mou, who took AP English Literature and Composition, strongly op poses SparkNotes but recommends using Purdue Owl for finding citations. She also advises research behind the scenes. “I recommend looking up historical information on the events that are happening [to understand] the author’s backstory and the time period the story is set in,” Mou said.

Discussions, requiring students to read, think and share, play an important role in the course. “The time spent thinking is never wasted—it helps you be a better thinker,” Dunlap said. “Even if the end result is ‘I’m more confused,’ you still spent that time thinking.”

According to AP Literature teacher Kate Weymouth’s experience, success in Eng lish class relies heavily on students completing the assigned reading. “Don’t do it when you’re exhausted,” she said. “Reading more actively and recording your thoughts will mean you’ll read more deeply, have richer discussions [and] be in a better position [to succeed].”

According to Mou, reading at a balanced pace is important. “For reading, the most important thing is to space out your reading,” she said. “You don’t want to turn all the pages in at 2 a.m. before class starts—that’s not very efficient.”

Writing is also a major component of the class, and Mou suggests that students focus on a topic they’re passionate about. “You can write to get points, but also go look for things that interest you,” Mou said.

AP Literature teacher Mark Hernandez believes the importance is for students to

engage. “For the most part, just come to class, pay attention and we’ll take you through the skills that are necessary,” he said.

Seniors, teachers, alumni share their take on by Fiona Xiong

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how to survive AP classes with tips, resources

AP Economics

Advanced Placement (AP) Economics—split into a fall semester focused on the Mi croeconomics AP test and a spring semester focused on the Macroeconomics AP test— is a course at Gunn offered to seniors interested in learning about finance, business and the world of economics at a collegiate level.

To succeed in this class, AP Economics teacher Philip Lyons encourages students to be fully attentive in class. “We learn during class time, not outside of it,” Lyons said. “I recommend you focus 100% during class. No sleeping, no phones, no texting, no day dreaming. Focus.”

Alumni Atul Gavande also believes that regular attendance is the key to success, de spite feelings of senioritis. “You’ll learn everything you need to know in class,” he said. “As long as you pay attention for [the three periods each week], you’ll be fine.”

Despite being at a college level, the course is not inherently difficult, according to Lyons. Nevertheless, students are strongly discouraged from expecting an A for simply showing up to class and completing in-class assignments. “The workload isn’t chal lenging, and neither is the content,” Lyons said. “I think what’s challenging is changing student behavior—you can’t be passive. You can’t just sit there. [Students need to get] away from the idea of grading based on effort to [the idea of] grading based on mas tery.”

According to Lyons, the tests in class are designed to be straightforward provided that students pay attention in class and responsibly make use of their resources. Prior to every unit exam, students take three practice tests designed to prepare them for the actual assessment. If unsure about the material, students can read the textbook or

watch short tutorial videos posted on Schoology about each concept.

Lyons encourages students to take AP Economics because it exposes them to an en tirely new field of study. “I tell my students often that studying economics is like putting on a pair of glasses,” Lyons said. “After you take the course, you will see everything from a different point of view. [You’ll] analyze things like a scientist.”

Gavande found that the real-life implications of economics remained with him even after graduation. “I liked how Mr. Lyons applied [economics] into real life situations,” he said.

—Written by Diya Bose-Malakar

AP Physics 1

Juniors and seniors who choose to take on the challenges of Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1—equivalent to one semester of a college-level algebra-based physics class—focus on topics including kinematics, force, friction, torque, rotational motion, Newtonian Laws and energy.

AP Physics 1 teacher Jacintha Kompella has been teaching physics for over 10 years. Kompella recognizes how students often oversimplify physics. “[Students] walk in thinking it’s going to be a very math-like class,” she said. “I think it is more of a class where you have to apply math skills but also visualize what’s happening.”

Kompella encourages students to develop an intrinsic approach to the course. “[Stu dents should] experience physics and develop all the strategies for making sense of the material,” she said. “[They will] learn some new skills, whether [they] come in with strong math or weak math, but they have to be willing to have a growth mindset.”

Kompella dissuades students from procrastinating and cramming for tests the night before, instead encouraging them to form study groups. Kompella also emphasizes that students should not overlook labs because they help develop a visual understanding of physics. “Labs are extremely important because [experience is] what helps [students] visualize the physics and you have to do things to experience it before you apply the math,” she said.

Senior Nimisha Sivaraman had a strong interest in the subject while taking it during her junior year. She stresses the importance of understanding the fundamental com ponents of important concepts. “While doing the labs, try to do the derivations on your own,” she said. “For me, torque was really hard, but understanding the right-hand rule

helped. There isn’t a lot of memorization, but for the things you need to memorize, you have to memorize them really well.”

To get extra practice, Sivaraman recommends utilizing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) AP Physics 1 – Practice Workbook – Book 1 problems on top of the school-issued textbook. When studying for tests, Sivaraman suggests being constantly engaged with the content. “I did the homework and asked questions when I needed help,” she said. “Also, helping other people with their problems in physics helped me learn. I would also just do a bunch of practice problems and review formulas.”

—Written by Ellie Yuan

As each new school year begins, whispers of the Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) course begin to fill the hallways. With many unsure of how to best study for the class, APUSH Teacher Christopher Johnson and senior Shinmu Jiang of fer tips to help students succeed in the course.

For Johnson, student success is heavily determined by students’ willingness to re view and practice material outside of school. “For decades, people have done well tak ing notes and reading textbooks,” he said. “The best method is just to read the textbook and take notes.”

The YouTube channel Jocz Productions by Daniel Jocz is an additional resource that students can turn to accompany the textbook readings. In senior Shinmu Jiang’s experience, using Jocz has proven to work for him. “When I get stuck on a topic or feel shaky about it, I will take a trip to the YouTube Channel Jocz Productions,” Jiang said. “Jocz helps me break down and give a quick summary of what I read.”

Johnson suggests handwriting notecards to review key topics. “Besides the textbook, flashcards can be another tool for studying,” he said. “However, make sure you make the cards yourself.”

For reading quizzes and large tests, reviewing is often paramount to success. An other tool Jiang recommends is Quizlet, allowing him to both learn and test himself at the same time.

When the May deadline approaches, Johnson suggests some preparatory materials for the test. “Aside from studying the textbook, you should get a test preparation book,”

he said. Due to their heightened demand during AP practice season, Johnson strongly suggests purchasing preparatory books as soon as possible to maximize the chance of getting a book before they go out of stock.

Finally, for the official May test, Jiang has one important tip. “You should relax; the test is usually much easier than you think,” he said. “I honestly think the earlier test time and the writing itself [were the worst].” by John Li

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Palo Alto to Manchester United: Sophomore pursues soccer career

No one needs to tell sophomore Andrea Lu to keep her eyes on the ball. Throughout her life, she’s kept her gaze locked on the black-and-white sphere, both on the field and on the TV screen. Now, she’s tracked its path all the way to England, where she has begun studying at Man chester United Academy this fall.

Like many dedicated athletes, Lu was first introduced to her sport when she was quite young—more specifically, at the tender age of four. Lu credits her older sister for sparking her passion for soccer. “The reason why I started playing [soccer] was because my sister started playing,” Lu said. “I wanted to be like her.”

Lu also found that competing with her sister gave her an incentive to persevere through challenges. “Something in me wanted [to] always be better than my sister,” she said. “I guess she was also helpful in keeping me moti vated.”

Lu started out playing with a local soccer team called Peninsula Silicon Valley (PSV) Union (one her sister played for as well) and remained there until this year, when she moved to Manchester United Academy. It wasn’t PSV Union’s awards or prestige that attracted her to it—the club was fairly small and rarely won big tourna ments—but its ability to help Lu hone her skills. “[PSV Union taught] me to become a better player technically,” she said. “It was great for my development.”

During her tenure at the club, Lu’s mentality devel oped along with her technique. “I feel like I was much more of an individual player, but growing older, it’s team sports [that are the focus],” she said. “You need to work as a team, not just try and dribble the whole field.”

During her freshman year, Lu decided to join Gunn’s soccer team, which afforded an opportunity for her to build new relationships. “It was really fun,” she said. “That was the main highlight—making new friends and meeting new people.”

In the spring of 2022, Lu made the decision to trans fer to the prestigious Manchester United soccer academy. Her local coaches, Gary and Carine Ireland, were very much involved in the recruitment process, which includ ed evaluation of her play as well as Zoom calls with the Academy. Lu ended up receiving offers from other teams as well, but felt that the atmosphere of Manchester Unit ed Academy best suited her. “At United, I felt like it was just the most professional,” she said. “It’s a great environ ment there.”

Part of the decision process was also based on Lu’s belief that attending the academy would best help her achieve her goals as a soccer player. “The [system] there can [give me] a direct route into playing professionally straight away instead of [going] the normal route, where you go to college and then maybe go to play profession ally,” she said. “I feel like if you’re there and you’re good enough, you definitely can go to the pros.”

Ultimately, Lu hopes to play on Futbol Club Barcelo na. “That’s my dream team,” she said. “I’ve always been rooting [for them]—I’ve been supporting them since I was little.”

After deciding to attend Manchester United Academy, Lu stayed there for a month beginning in mid-July for pre-season training before school officially began in Sep tember. During this time, her schedule consisted mostly of training and participating in games. After waking up at around 7 or 8 a.m., she would have breakfast and then head to practice, which started at 12 p.m. most days and lasted for three to four hours. On game days (usually Wednesdays), Lu and her teammates would square off against teams from other academies, such as Liverpool and Aston Villa. They would also occasionally play teams in London, a four-hour drive from Manchester United Academy. Thursdays were allocated for rest and recov ery after Wednesday’s exertion, and then on Fridays Lu would head back into training. (Since the school year of ficially began on Sept. 5, school hours have been added into the mix.)

Of course, this change to Lu’s daily schedule pales in comparison to the change in her location—after all, Eng land and the United States are separated by thousands of miles. Naturally, such a large geographical gap creates some cultural ones. “I feel like everything’s a lot smaller [in Manchester]—the cars they drive are smaller and the houses are smaller,” she said. “Obviously, the way they speak is different.”

As she’s become acclimated to the program, Lu has been able to reflect on the progress she’s made as a play er, despite setbacks. “This past month, I was able to train with the first team on the women’s side of Manchester United,” Lu said. “A year ago, I had a fractured back, [so] seeing how far I’ve come from is pretty cool.”

Written by Amann Mahajan

Sophomore Andrea Lu, number 19, dribbles down the field as she attempts to score against Santa Clara High School on Feb. 2, 2022. Gunn won with a final score of 6-1.

Photo courtesy of Sunny Jefferson

Sophomore Andrea Lu practices her ball control skills.

Photo courtesy of Andrea Lu Michelle Koo

Dance, cheer teams prepare for homecoming

During Homecoming Week in October, hundreds of students, dressed in their respective class colors and themes, come together to cheer on their classes, waving big banners and shouting encouragement to their rep resentatives. The cheer and dance teams are central to the homecoming celebrations, performing at the Night Rally and the Homecoming football game.

Dance

The dance team is busy preparing three different songs and choreographies for the various events. They have already chosen their songs, but are still in the pro cess of choreographing their dances.

Due to the work and the time constraint, the dance team has started morning practices once a week in ad dition to their after school practices that occur twice a week.

Dance Captain senior Madison Yue explains the pro cess of choosing arrangements to perform. “We always choreograph it individually or collaborate together,” she said. “We all have our individual strengths, but we’re coming together to choreograph one piece.”

There are both highs and lows in this process. Yue describes the dynamics of the team. “The highlights so far are getting to know each other and really bonding to gether,” she said. “I think our team is really close, which helps when we perform; we have a lot of camaraderie.”

The dance team faces a specific challenge: prioritiz ing.“One of the challenges we have is knowing what to prioritize as a team,” Yue said. “We have a lot of dances coming up in the next month or two so we have to know what to prioritize and what not to.”

Despite the challenges that accompany it, the team is looking forward to the season ahead. Specifically, Yue is excited to compete again. “Last year, we didn’t get to attend any competitions because of COVID,” she said. “This year, I’m hoping we can attend Nationals in Feb ruary and compete together as a team, whether it’s vir tual or in-person competitions.”

very niche and specific to cheer,” she said. “We change it to trendier songs and add more dance segments, es pecially hip hop styles and things that can get the crowd engaged.”

Antonio is looking forward to performing during homecoming. “This year, I’m really excited for [the] Night Rally,” she said. “It’s always been my favorite thing about homecoming; you can feel the energy when you’re there and everyone’s really hyped up and excit ed.”

Dance Captain senior Madison Yue

Aside from competitions, the team is focused on im proving their performances during spirit events. “When we perform, we want to come with a lot of spirit and a lot of energy,” Yue said. “We want others to experience that same passion and love we have for dance when they’re watching us. I think we always strive as a team to engage with the audience and show our spirit.”

Cheer

Similar to the dance team, the cheer team has been amping up their training in preparation for compe titions. Cheer Captain senior Eva Antonio shares the preparation process for the cheer team. “We usually use some of our competition routines [for homecoming], but we change it a little because competition music is

Antonio is also proud of the unity amongst the team. “The [cheer] team is really big so we have a really strong sense of community,” she said. “There are a lot of new members and I think we’ve done a good job welcoming them in.”

However, having a big team can also be difficult to manage. To hold themselves accountable when they get distracted, the team does conditioning and core ex ercises instead of their usual practice routines. “Since our team is pretty big, it’s harder to get everyone on the same page,” Antonio said. “During practices, there’s often more talking and people being distracted than in past years.”

This year, Antonio wants to show the two sides of the cheer team. “We want to show that we can have fun but [that] we’re also talented and [should be] taken serious ly,” she said. “Gunn cheer in the past hasn’t been super serious; they only did sideline at competitions. Now, since we’re a competition team, we want to put forth that we work really hard but we also play hard and have fun in our routines.”

—Written by Sophia Hwangbo

Fresh on the team: New coaches lead fall sports

Football: Dethrick Slocum

One of the new changes to Gunn’s sports programs has been the appointment of a new head football coach, Dethrick Slocum.

From early on, Slocum had a passion for all things football. “Football played a huge role growing up in Fresno,” he said. “My uncle and older cousin were my coaches when I played in their youth program. I played football in high school and college after that.”

Slocum first started coaching upon re turning from playing college football at the University of Montana. “When I returned [to Fresno,] my high school coach asked me to help out,” he said. “I knew a lot of the boys on that team, as I played with their older brothers or cousins.”

According to Slocum, his coaching philoso phy is to build relationships, teach life les sons and responsibility and assist in reaching academic and athletic success for his players. Slocum takes great pride and enjoyment in coaching football. “My favorite thing about coaching is when young men return and give back to their com munity,” he said.

Slocum also likes seeing his students fulfill their dreams of playing at the next level, with some of his for mer players currently competing in Division 1 football. Looking into the future, Slocum’s ambitions for this next season are quite simple. “The goal is to instill some life skills in the young men I coach, implement my offense and defense, and win games,” he said.

—Written by Dan Honigstein

Cross country: Karen Saxena

While Karen Saxena holds a familiar role in the math department, this year she will be a new face at the track, as the new head coach of cross country.

Running has played a significant role throughout Saxena’s life. “I started running cross country in the ninth grade,” she said. “I am still running with a club, mainly doing age-group racing now.”

Saxena is a veteran coach, getting her start almost 20 years ago. “I coached since my kids were small,” she said. “Once I stopped working at my company, I start ed coaching for the spring track team when my daugh ter was in middle school at Fletcher.”

Saxena’s coaching philosophy is a mix of the two val ues she finds most important. “A love of running and a love of competition. I think those two things can really go hand in hand,” Saxena said.

For Saxena, the main goal of her first season as a head coach is to build consistency and to depart from the tu multuous state the team has been over the past few years because of frequent changes in coaches. “[The team] has had a lot of transition in the past few years,” Saxena said.

“I’d really like to have a good, consistent season and show improvement through the season.

Saxena has high hopes for the upcoming season. “I think we can go far if we can really pull together as a team and the captains are really helping with that,” she said. “I want to see how far we can go with the talent we have.”

—Written by Dan Honigstein

Owen Koehler

Naomi Wang

“We all have our individual strengths, but we’re coming together to choreograph one piece.”

Left: The cheer team practices their routine at the Gunn vs. Paly football game. Right: The dance team practices their choreography in preparation for a home football game.

Ellie Yuan

Staff sports: Carly takes a swing at tennis

For years, I distinguished myself in icebreaker discussions with three go-to fun facts: I go to Gunn, I write for The Oracle and I do track and cross country. The sports I participate in have been an integral part of my identity since freshman year, making it all the more unfortunate that runners have gained a reputation for not playing a “real sport,” and furthermore, being incapable of branching out into any of the so-called “real sports.” Thus, I set out to disprove this unfair stereotype by challenging myself to join the girls’ tennis team for a week and discovering if I had potential to become the next Serena Williams.

A little background about myself: I have very weak hand-eye coordination and even weaker arm strength. For whatever reason, I chose to try out a sport where both handeye coordination and arm strength are very important.

The tennis coach was delighted to hear of my track experience and assigned me to lead the warm-up run before practice. The speed training drills were the one and only time I was able to display any semblance of competence during my first day. Otherwise, my hand-eye coordination was as atrocious as I’d feared. Once, instead of sending the ball forward and over, I sent it straight up into the air with my racket and legitimately whacked myself in the face with a tennis ball. Note to all aspiring tennis players: Ten nis is infinitely more enjoyable when you can get the ball both over the net and inside the court, a lesson I’ve learned from accomplishing such a feat roughly one-fourth of the time.

The undisputed highlight of practice, besides coming to terms with my own inepti tude, was using the ball machine. A tennis ball machine is essentially a contraption placed on the opposite side of the court that spits balls out at regular intervals, roughly mimicking the movement of a ball hit by an opposing player. The goal is to hit as many balls as possible using different kinds of grips—semi-western or “pancake” grip for forehand and continental grip for backhand. Although my proficiency with the ball machine was questionable, I soon fell into a comfortable rhythm of running back and forth and counting the seconds between balls. There truly is no high like getting in a

Faces in the Crowd: How do you balance school and sports?

Thus, I set out to disprove this unfair stereotype by chal lenging myself to join the girls’ tennis team for a week and discovering if I had potential to become the next Serena Williams.

Every season this year an Oracle staff member will try a new sport. For the fall season, Forum Editor senior Carly Liao tried out tennis for a week.

“Definitely

“Know

Irene Hong

Lifestyle

SEC provides tips, tricks for homecoming

Homecoming is only a few weeks away, and many students are starting to prepare for the most spirited week of the year. It is important for all those who wish to participate to understand how both how the week works and what exactly they should prepare for.

how to participate in Homecoming

Out of the new and recurring components of Homecoming Week, the easiest and most popular activity students prepare for is the dress up days. For each day of the week, each grade and the staff has a different dress up theme related to the overall theme of the week, which this year is “Gunn Inc.” See the chart on this page for details on what to wear on each day of the week.

Spirit Commissioner senior Nico Ross acknowledged that not every body can dress up for every day and emphasized the importance of wearing what you have. “It doesn’t have to be a costume, it’s just something that you put together out of different garments to make it match the theme,” he said.

Sports Commissioner senior Pooja Bucklin recommends sharing old clothes to avoid excess spending on new ones. “Ask older siblings and friends for their old materials, look around your house and be creative,” she said.

One of the many ways to participate and help foster a sense of spirit within classes is by signing up for airbands and floats. Airbands is a group activity where each grade choreographs and organizes a dance, which is then per formed and judged during Night Rally on the Thursday of Homecoming Week.

Each class also builds a float to act as an art installation around the campus during Homecoming Week—although the constructions were wheeled as actual floats on the Hal Daner track in the past, they now stand throughout the entire week at various loca tions on campus. Senior Lucy Ma, who has participated in both airbands and floats in previous years, emphasizes the importance of signing up for these activities even when they may seem intimidating. “My advice would be to get involved and participate,” she said. “There’s a lot of stigma around showing that you’re passionate for something, but it’s important to push past that in order to enjoy homecoming.”

To learn more about participating in either airbands or floats, both of which require no previous experience, reach out to class officers or any member of Student Executive Council (SEC) and check your class’ updates on Schoology.

Brunch and lunch games are also an important part of Homecoming Week. Brunch

games are held on the quad and are brief but action packed. One example from past years is Stuff-a-Square, an event where grades attempt to pack as many students as they can into a designated area. Lunch games, such as the obstacle course and tug-of-war, are longer and often feature many participants from each grade. In the past, there have been issues with students following the rules in games such as the tug-of-war, so Special Events Commissioner senior Jack Poon advises all students to pay close attention to and comply with the rules, especially in hectic games such as tug-of-war. “Listen very care fully to what people say during tug-of-war because if you start early, your entire class gets disqualified and nobody likes that,” Poon said.

All of these activities are worth more than just class pride—airbands, floats and games are all worth homecoming points, which determine how the classes are ranked at the end of the week. Sportsmanship and cleanup points are also factored into each day’s tally. Points are updated daily on a physical poster on campus as well as on the Gunn SEC website. At the end of the week, homecoming points are tallied and the results are publicized on Schoology and social media.

Homecoming Events

Night Rally is the first major afterschool event during Homecoming Week, taking place on Thursday and featuring airbands performances for a crowd of both students and community members. Ross, who is the Master of Ceremonies for Night Rally, encourages students to get spirited for not only their own class but others.

Chinyoung Shao

“Get decked out in your class colors and be loud,” he said. “It’s a class competition, but during Night Rally we’re all celebrating everyone’s work they put in for airbands—definitely cheer for your buddy classes.”

On Friday night, the homecoming football game takes place on the home field. The classes’ float rankings are announced at halftime, and the Homecoming Court—a group of 10 seniors chosen by the rest of the student body—is showcased as well. The Home coming Dance occurs the day after, on the Saturday of Homecoming Week, and this year it will take place in the Titan Gym.

Though it is exciting to win and disappointing to lose in homecoming, Student Activities Director Lisa Hall emphasizes the week’s spirit of coming together. “If your contestants did everything they could, it’s just a game in the end,” she said. “Ultimately we just want everyone to have a good time.”

Written by Safina Syed and Michael Zhang

Chinyoung Shao

Popular slang terms have important cultural roots

As social media use has skyrocketed over the last de cade, slang terms have occupied a larger place in the ways youth communicate—digital or not. Slang has also become a staple of many students’ daily jargon. While walking through campus, it is common to hear phrases such as “bro,” “dude,” “what’s poppin’” and a variety of other terms. Some slang terms are vastly familiar, used by both students and teachers, while others are more specialized.

Many words in the Eng lish language have been repur posed, with the definitions of slang terms in particular often being rede younger generations that adapt them to better fit with what they want to express. Senior Mylie Rodrigo said that a slang word she uses on a daily basis is the word “slay,” which in context has the same meaning as adjec tives such as “good” or “great.” One would use this word by incorporating it into a sentence such as “you slay” or “slay (insert name).” Two common combinations that involve this word are “slay queen” or “slay king.”

Rodrigo emphasized the importance of understand ing the history behind slang words. For example, some originate from the Black LGBTQ+ community. “[They] have their own vernacular and I think a lot of what they say has assimilated into our vocabulary today,” Rodri

go said. “[We would say] ‘You’re killing it,’ but they say ‘You slay.’ The way they speak or the way they form sen tences is considered slang now, but it’s a whole dialect of people.” Rodrigo also added that African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and Black Ver nacular English (BVE) have heavily in fluenced the evolution of slang terms.

Some examples of the slang terms that come from AAVE and BVE are “lit,”

“woke,” “sis” and “basic.” Whether it is appropriate for other cultures to use these terms is still debated.

According to sophomore Devin Gupta, if students are using slang terms that come from AAVE and BVE, a clear line needs to be drawn between slang and racial slurs. “Let’s not confuse the two,” Gupta said. “Some people make that misidentification. They think that slurs and slang are part of the same group. They’re two [completely] different things.”

Gupta also offers an explanation for the origins of slang words, especially across many languages. “[Some languag es] don’t have words that are directly translated,” he said. “A lot of words in other languages mean a multitude of dif ferent things that you can’t express in English. Slang [lets] you express that [in a way] normal words in English can’t.”

English teacher Shaina Holdener explains how slang has changed just in the last few years. “Say ing that something was ‘lit’ was really big for a while,” she said. “It’s just a matter of which ones are currently cool to use and which ones are old.”

Furthermore, she points out that some slang terms evolve into new iterations. “Drip was probably the most creative one I heard because of the ice con nection, [which builds] off of previous generations.”

Many teachers disapprove of students using informal language in their classrooms, since many slang words overlap with swear words. However, Hold ener mentions that she enjoys hear ing the different types of slang her students use—as long as it’s appropriate. “I think it’s a fun thing—being a human being is a lot about expressing your indi viduality and [that is] what makes you unique,” she said. “If people didn’t use slang when they’re speak ing more casually, it would sound really robotic and not as lively. Sometimes slang gets a bad reputation [for] being a bad way of talking as opposed to something more formal, but I think it’s very natural.

A beautiful part of language [is] all of those variations of expressing ourselves.”

Written by Kelvin Xu

Humor: Types of people walking to class at gunn

Hidden in a Hoodie The Couple

High school sweethearts: the beauty of young love, the picture of romance and the topic of too many coming of age films. High school couples often bring to mind images of holding hands in the halls, homecoming and Prom proposals or even sharing a smooch outside of class. What does not come to mind, however, is how these seemingly romantic gestures can have disastrous effects on other stu dents, especially when it comes to hallway etiquette.

While onlookers might smile as they watch a couple swinging hands walking to class, such people fail to see the threat that lies in this behavior. The joint hands of a high school couple part for no one and act as a kind of impenetrable barrier between the two. Similar to the barricade classification of paraders, students are left to hope that they do not get caught between a couple in their combined state. Worst case scenario, the joined hands act as a bat

tering ram and swing directly into the stomach of unfortunate victims. A couple holding hands should always come as a warning to hallway goers: when it comes down to it, collision with those joint hands is akin to being hit by a wrecking ball.

Couples who practice many public displays of affection have been dubbed as “amusement park line couples,” referring to the couples who are very intimate in the lines at amusement parks. However, these types of couples and their behavior are also extremely active in the hallways. The “10-minute hug” and the “forehead to forehead” are actions that should quickly be swiftly detected and avoided by hallway goers.

A combination of living in Silicon Valley and having almost a year and a half of online classes due to the pandemic has left many high school stu dents with rusty social skills. While some students prefer to combat this obstacle head-on by attempt ing to make social connections, others prefer to go through their high school years as more low-profile members of society.

When it comes to walking in the halls, these solo fliers are easily spotted and can be classified in de gree of approachability. Level one and two solo fliers typically navigate the halls inoffensively, preferring to keep their eyes dead ahead and their minds set on the destination. It’s the level threes that hallway walkers must watch out for. Level three solo fliers almost always have a hooded jacket on and in every circumstance are wearing some type of headphone or earbud. They also tend to practice poor posture,

which can be prominent when using mobile devices. When walking to classes, level threes move at a moderate to slow pace but are threatening because of their “refuse to reroute” attitude.

For most people, when walking in a cross traf fic situation, going from point A to point B usually involves walking around various obstacles such as physical barriers and other people.

It is unclear whether level three social fliers do not understand this courtesy, or do not wish to fol low it, but when they go from point A to point B, their route is as straight as an arrow. The best way to avoid a collision with any level of a solo flier is to firstly identify the path of the individual (it will always be a straight line) and then move out of their path, leaving a wide berth.

Rolling Backpack

As soon as the bell rings for brunch, the wheels hit the pavement and they’re off. Whether running to a remote classroom or through the parking lot, the plastic wheels are sure to be heard anywhere within a 200 foot radius.

The rolling backpack kid, often also character ized as the runner, is in most circumstances an underclassman who does not know when their next period starts. They tend to only move at a break-neck pace, but have a skill for weaving around people busy halls. The rolling backpack kid can sometimes be hard to spot, moving constantly at high speeds, but their plastic-wheel ringtone is always a sure sign one is near.

When it comes to the deadly mix of a rolling backpack and a fast runner, hallway goers must al ways take three steps to ensure staying safe. Firstly,

listen. As mentioned earlier, others in the halls are always afforded a precautionary noise of wheels on pavement. Similar to a skateboard in sound, this is a reliable technique to avoiding collisions in the first place.

If you fail to hear the warning or make the deadly decision to wear headphones, the next best thing anyone can do is to check their surroundings. Steer clear of the center of the hallway, and try to position your own backpack in a defensive manner. Finally, if all fails and a collision does occur, make sure ev eryone is all right before giving advice for the future. A kind “watch out next time,” or even telling them what time the next period starts, goes a long way.

The Parade

There are some people who cannot stand to walk alone to class. Whether the duties of an avid socialite call them to duty, or they manage to meet up with friends heading in the same direction, one thing leads to another, and a dangerous thing has been formed: the parade.

The parade usually entails a group of people walking shoulder to shoulder across the hallway. They clog up parts of the hall and sometimes the entire hall, blocking the flow of student traffic. The parade can present itself in two different formations: the mob and the barricade.

Most prominently seen at Gunn would be the mob, often taken up by groups of friends, consist ing of several tiers and anywhere from two to over 10 people clumped together in an orderly fashion. When trying to get around a mob, one thing to keep in mind is to avoid going through it, as the people involved tend to stand close to each other and leave

little room for others.

The second formation is a little bolder than the mob, consisting of five to eight people walking in a horizontal line. Appropriately named due to its ex treme difficulty to maneuver around, the barricade should be classified as a police-level blockade. It is also important not to engage in it or try to break this blockade, as the only time it will break is naturally, when the people involved choose to disengage.

Both these formations are not limited to hallway activity, but can also be seen when biking to school. Being on bicycles, skateboards or other forms of transport only complicate the situation for others caught behind either the mob or barricade groups.

—Compiled by Vivian Studdert

Fall Crossword

Across Down Sweater weather Actually study

Chinyoung Shao by Irene Tsen

Humor: How to maximize preps

2. Visit friends

For those who find bliss in boredom, prep periods are a great time to practice productivity. Unfortunately, this productivity entails doing the DeltaMath that was due two weeks ago or finally bashing out that essay that needs to be turned in next period. By all definitions schoolwork is painful, unenjoyable, anguish-inducing and can only be described as agonizing drudgery, but it’s got to be done eventually. At least the campus provides a plethora of comfortable workspaces for these tedious tasks, such as the library. But, if that schoolwork were to be simply done at home, perhaps prep could be used for much more exciting activities.

Studies show that Gunn students can last a maximum of 72 minutes without looking at memes on their phones. Past that threshold, they begin to display signs of agitation, nausea and disorientation. Unfortunately, school policies prohibit the con sumption of memes within the classroom. On prep, however, there are no annoying teachers to sneak up behind students to snatch phones out of their hands and angrily reprimand them. Students on prep are welcome to log on to Instagram, Reddit, Twitter or whatever their preferred app is, and peruse memes at their pleasure. As long as they still make it to their next class on time, that is.

For some, fleeting glances at friends during passing period simply aren’t enough. So if it’s known what class room they are in, why not visit them during prep? Sneak ing into the room by carefully tip-toeing through the front door is a tried-and-true method of entering classrooms unnoticed. If the door is shut, climbing in through an open window is a viable option as well. Crawling through the vents can work too, though it could look rather suspi cious if one is caught exiting them. If entering the class room is absolutely impossible, trying to make intense eye contact with said friend from outside the classroom window is another fun prep activity to engage in.

Slacking off on a workout schedule is an extremely common condition that, sadly, affects the vast majority of Gunn students. Using prep periods to “hit the gym” and start an exercise routine is therefore a very wise choice. If weights to lift are nowhere to be found, a hefty bio textbook or two is a more-than-acceptable substitute that can be easily found almost anywhere on campus. Pro tip: the turf at the center of the quad is an excellent place to hold a plank, do some sit-ups or get those bicep curl reps in. The strange looks from those walking by are an additional bonus.

Compiled by Victor Dang

Photos by Michael Zhang

concrete Critique: Staffer ranks Campus Buildings

Best: P-Building

The P-Building’s placement as the best building on campus has nothing to do with the fact that The Oracle’s headquarters are located there, but everything to do with the fact that it is objectively the best building at Gunn. Situated right across from Spangenberg Theater, the P-Building shares all the aesthetic value of its nextdoor neighbor, with the added benefit that students are actually allowed to access its bathrooms. At night, the fairy lights strung up along the top of the P-Building turn on, giving the entire area between the P-Building and Spangenberg a warm, comfortable glow—another godsend for

all of the students who stay around the P-Building after school, whether they be The Oracle staffers, musicians or theater actors. Upstairs, the Wellness Center is the perfect place to grab a fig bar or a nice cup of hot tea, then settle into a beanbag chair and while away a relaxing prep pe riod with friends. It’s no coincidence that every year, the P-Building hosts the giant “Welcome to Gunn!” banner in early fall to welcome students back to school. There is no other place on campus that feels more like home.

Second Best: N-Building

Such a high placement of the NBuilding on this list may offend campus purists who are used to mocking the NBuilding for its no-frills, almost Brutalist architecture. Indeed, at first glance, the N-Building sticks out like a sore thumb, and it’s not difficult to make an argument for it being the ugliest building at Gunn either. However, like all good things, the N-Building grows on students over time. Its unique design and pragmatic location right next to the amphitheater make it the most recognizable building on campus and, thus, the easiest benchmark to use when directing lost freshmen. Addition

ally, the top floor looks right out over a beloved scenic running trail, so when calculus class ever gets a bit too tedious, students can always glance wistfully out the window and daydream about the end of the school day. At this point, the NBuilding is too intertwined with Gunn’s identity to not place it in the top three school buildings. The only thing it gets points off for, besides its controversial appearance, are the foul-smelling and crowded bathrooms—bathrooms are a crucial criterion for this ranking.

Third best: Library

The library is the perfect place to get away from the noisy hustle and bustle of high school thanks to its out-of-the-way location (and by virtue of it being, well, a library). The bathrooms are always clean and, at least for the girls’ bathroom, always empty, which means maximum privacy with minimum hassle—plus, the dispensers are always stocked with soap. Students can settle in at a quiet desk during prep or after school to maximize productivity or simply lounge around in one of the comfortable couches with their friends. The library is also an incredibly helpful facility when it comes to running

study groups, meeting for extracurricu lars and even taking AP tests: tests with smaller registration numbers are held here rather than Bow Gym. The only downside is being so far away from the parking lot, which puts students in quite the painful predicament when it comes time to return textbooks. However, it does get bonus points for not being out of bounds during Elimination in March—at least, it hasn’t been— which makes it the perfect place to stalk one’s target on their prep period (based on a true story).

Worst: The Village

Disclaimer: this ranking is an objective evaluation of the buildings themselves, not of the classes or clubs that take place within them. That being said, the VBuildings, also known as the Village (af fectionately or derogatorily, depending on whom one talks to), is the most painfully located, visually disgusting “building” most students have ever had the misfor tune of encountering. The V-Buildings are simply incapable of sparking joy in any way possible. The Village did not even employ air conditioning until recently, which makes one shudder to think of the conditions past students must have

endured in late-summer heat waves such as these. Not to mention the bathroom situation—the girls’ bathroom stalls do not lock all the way, the dispensers are perpetually out of soap and toilet paper is a rare find in one of these portable stalls. The inconvenient location means that a walk from the quad to the Village takes up five minutes of valuable passing period time unless students are willing to sacri fice their dignity by speed-walking or, God forbid, outright sprinting. Simply put, no one ever comes to the Village voluntarily.

Graphics by Natalie Lam and Ruhani Suresh

Photos by Chinyoung Shao and Becca Wu A-