Verde Volume 26 Issue 4

V. Under pressure

VERDE MAGAZINE

April 2025 Volume 26 Issue 4

ON THE COVER

A gloved hand crumples a news reporters’ notepad in a photo taken by Managing Editor Cate Graney. This cover is a representation of the pressure and indirect censorship that has afflicted journalists nationwide as a result of the Trump administration’s recent rhetoric and policies, such as limiting the Associated Press’ access to the presidential press pool.

Publication policy

Verde Magazine, a news and features magazine published by the students in Palo Alto High School’s Magazine Journalism class, is a designated open forum for student expression and discussion of issues of concern to its readership. Verde is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost.

Letters to the editors

The staff welcomes letters to the editors but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy and obscenity. Send all letters to verdemagazine1@gmail. com or 50 Embarcadero Rd Palo Alto, CA 94301.

Advertising

The staff publishes advertisements with signed contracts providing they are not deemed by the staff inappropriate for the magazine’s audience. For more information about advertising with Verde, please contact our business manager at verdebusiness5@ gmail.com.

Printing & distribution

Verde is printed five times a year in September, November, February, April and May by Folger Graphics in Hayward, California. The Paly Parent Teacher Student Association mails Verde to every student’s home. All Verde work is available at verdemagazine.com.

Editors-in-Chief

Alma Bendavid

Lia Cardwell

Lizzy Williams

Managing Editors Vit Do

Divya Gandhi

Cate Graney

Features Editors

Chloe Huang Kensie Pao

Profiles Editor

Sophie Mies

Culture Editor

Maya Rajbhandari

Perspectives

Editors

Eva Chang Zachary Crystal

News Editor

Niaz Alasti

Senior Sports Editor

Otto Kiss Meyerfreund

Assistant Sports Editor

Stefan Eriksson

Editorials Editor

Andrew Kassel

Business Manager Maya Rajbhandari

Social Media Manager

Julie Yang

Statistician

Jaron Leung

Photo Director

Lara Saslow

Cover Director Nathalia Arias

Launch Editor

Lilia Kuzmicheva

Staff Writers

Tessa Berney

Chris Jeon

Darah Katz

Leela Kulkarni

Keira Ling

Ryan Saket

Lilo Sayag

Yardenne Sternheim

Stanley Tang

Ethan Zhang

Adviser

Paul Kandell

FROM THE EDITORS A PRESSING ISSUE

Adorning the walls of MAC 105 are over 100 covers of previous Verde issues. Each with vibrant colors and eye-catching covers, containing a snapshot of the issues that shaped our community at the time of publication. Since its creation in 1999, Verde hasn’t been afraid to raise awareness about controversial topics. Our predecessors have done stories about Bay Area marijuana dispensaries, underage drinking and sex education, and not to mention, entire issues focused on rape culture, abortion and gun violence.

Now, in 2025, not much has changed about how we approach content and coverage — we continue to write about hard-hitting topics that often center around the same critical issues.

However, much has changed in the world around us. In just the past few months, President Donald Trump and his administration have enacted sweeping policies that include many measures that amount to censorship. According to NBC, in January, Trump issued an executive order including a call for agencies to “remove all statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications or other internal and external messages that promote or otherwise inculcate gender ideology.” As a result, large federal agencies such as the Center for Disease Control and the HHS Office for Civil Rights have removed troves of data about healthcare for LGBTQ+ Americans, according to NPR. In addition, federal organizations like the National Park Service have erased numerous web pages about LGBTQ+ history and activism, according to the National Park Conservation Association.

But the censorship doesn’t stop there. The Trump administration’s actions have also contributed to the corrosion of free press rights. Notably, the Associated Press was banned indefinitely from the White House press pool after they referred to Trump’s newly

designated “Gulf of America” by its original name, the Gulf of Mexico, according to the New York Times.

While we have a sense of security as student journalists in a state with some of the most robust shield laws and a very protective state education code, there is a sense of unease as we acknowledge that national publications are being penalized for upholding journalistic standards. In our editorial, “Trump’s policies restrict freedom of the press,” we express our collective opinion that the White House should not limit the freedom of the press.

Additionally, reporting by news editor Niaz Alasti and statistician Jaron Leung shows Paly students’ reactions to the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to cut down the Diversity Equity and Inclusion movement. In “Immigration situation,” Perspectives editor Zachary Crystal and staff writer Ryan Saket explore how the Bay Area has been dealing with recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.

As we explore these topics, it becomes clear that mass censorship is no longer a concept confined to books like “1984” by George Orwell. It is seeping into the policies that govern our daily lives. Volume 26 issue 4 is a call to examine what is at stake.

This is also our final edition as a leadership team. Though our departure from Verde is marked by this tumultuous era, we are passing the torch to the next generation of journalists, confident that they will uphold Verde’s standards of honest and critical reporting. To our staff members: Thank you for working with us over the past five editions and making our time on Verde memorable. And to our readers: We urge you to stay informed, stay engaged and never underestimate the power of your voice.

ALMA, LIA, VIT, DIVYA, CATE, LIZZY

the verdicts

Applauding Paly’s Community College resources

COLLEGE DECISION season:

a stressful time of reloading tabs with a side of stomach aches. Seniors at Palo Alto High School are deciding on their plans for life after graduation, with many receiving acceptance letters to four-year colleges.

We applaud administrators and College and Career Center staff for increasing resources about community college — which should not be portrayed as lesser than traditional four-year universities.

Paly senior Amelia Finnis said that there are high expectations put on students to go to a four-year college after Paly.

“Part of that [academic pressure] is going to a four-year college straight out of school,” Finnis said. “What comes with this is a lot of students pushing themselves to take really hard AP classes, dual enrollment, sports, things outside of school and overall stretching themselves really thin, just with the hope that they are going to get into one of these schools.”

According to the 2024-2025 Paly profile, under 10% of students in the graduating class of 2024 attended community college.

However, the Paly administration has recently made great strides in increasing knowledge about this alternative path by creating space in advisory classes and a mandatory junior class meeting to discuss options for after high school.

Finnis decided early on to attend community college and said she felt that it had helped alleviate the academic pressure.

“I feel like after making the decision to go to community college pretty early on when college applications started, it has almost allowed me to see from an outside perspective and witness how intense the academic pressure at Paly is,” Finnis said.

On Oct. 25, representatives from Foothill College’s Apprenticeship Program gave a presentation to the junior class during Advisory, discussing alternatives to college for students over the age of 18 with a high school diploma, marking the first time the Paly administration invited Foothills representatives to promote apprenticeship pro-

grams — an occasion that will hopefully be continued in the future.

College counselor Janet Cochrane said that the College and Career Center prepares many similar materials to widen the perspectives of more students year-round.

“We include them in all presentations and advisories to educate students about this option,” Cochrane said. “We also host a community college week every year in April with a community college fair.”

According to college counselor Sandra Cernobori, the number of students attending community college has risen from single digits to double digits over her 19 years at Paly.

Even so, Cochrane said there has been a stigma surrounding the idea of attending community college for years, especially in Palo Alto.

“There is a perception that community college is seen as lesser than because it isn’t as competitive and doesn’t require a certain GPA or test score to get in,” she said.

However, community college is a solid alternative to traditional four-year colleges.

According to Cernobori, there are multiple reasons that academically strong students may want to attend community college.

“A lot of students who are competitive about four-year colleges might go there to save money,” she said. “The second thing is to maybe figure out what they want to major in.”

Additionally, the Transfer Admission Guarantee program offers admission to all University of California campuses except for Los Angeles, Berkeley and San Diego after two years at a community college.

Paly administrators have successfully opened the eyes of many students regarding community college and career paths after high school, conveying the message that there are endless possibilities to explore.

“I make a point of saying, if a student gets admitted to their likely school, you should celebrate that just as much as if they get into their reach school, and you should celebrate those going to community college too,” Cernobori said. “All we can do is provide information and encouragement, and then it’s up to people to check it out.” v

Art by VIT DO

Design by ANDREW KASSEL

Trump’s policies restrict freedom of the press

THE PRESS HAS LONG SERVED AS A watchdog and beacon for the democratic principles established by the First Amendment of the Constitution. By leveraging press independence, journalists in the United States have been able to hold government officials and entities accountable through reporting.

“They [the Founding Fathers] wanted to provide the greatest foundation for the press to be able to do its important work to help our fledgling democracy,” said Adam Dawes, CEO of the Embarcadero Media Foundation. “And so they built in strong press freedoms from the beginning of the Bill of Rights.”

Now, the Trump administration’s recent actions have threatened to impede America’s commitment to free speech.

Verde believes these actions threaten press freedoms, and no president should use their power to decide which news sources have access to report on important events.

Throughout his first term, President Donald Trump openly expressed frustration with the press, labeling opposing coverage as “fake news” and publicly criticizing journalists who wrote against him and his administration, according to Politico. In a 2017 statement on X, then known as Twitter, Trump denounced the press as “the true Enemy of the People”.

In February, the Trump administration restricted the Associated Press’ access to presidential events because the news organization chose not to adopt the “Gulf of America” — previously known as the Gulf of Mexico — in their reporting, in compliance with Trump’s Executive Order 14172. Soon after, the administration announced it would be taking direct control over which news sources would have access to White House affairs — a responsibility traditionally overseen by the White House Correspondents’ Association, which represents over 60 news outlets, according to Politico.

Some of these outlets in clude The New York Times, Reuters, CNN, the Associated Press and Fox News. By involv ing a variety of news sources in their press pool, the WHCA en sured that a diverse range of per spectives were represented when reporting on the president’s actions. Now, the WHCA has been sidelined.

“It [restricting the Asso ciated Press’ access] is being punitive,” said Ted Glasser, a

communications professor emeritus at Stanford University. “It’s punishing the press for saying something that Trump didn’t want the press to say. That’s not my understanding of press freedom.”

Other incidents widely suggested to be connected to free speech have been occurring in the nation’s colleges. In March, Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University, was detained by Department of Homeland Security agents for “engaging in activities in support of Hamas,” according to a press statement made by a DHS spokesperson. Her visa was subsequently revoked.

Earlier this year, Ozturk had co-written an op-ed for The Tufts Daily, calling for “the Tufts administration to meaningfully engage with and actualize the resolutions passed by the Senate” with regard to Israel-and-Palestine-related activities occurring on campus.

Though Trump’s actions have not directly violated freedom of speech or freedom of the press, some are concerned about the future of press responsibility.

“If you’re allowed to handpick the people who report on you, you’re going to inevitably run into bias, and you’re going to end up only getting friendly questions,” said Faizan Kashmiri, a Palo Alto High School student journalist. “It takes away the ability of the press to be a watchdog.”

Kashmiri said this precedent of self-censorship could lead to stories being written based on the need for presidential favor, not by a commitment to relevant, ethical and honest reporting.

“I’m worried that the next generation of journalists … are going to be so meek, so focused on decorum and compliance, that when the moment comes to raise the clarion of freedom of speech, press and transparency, these journalists are going to run and hide because they were trained to not talk about these controversial issues,” Kashmiri said.

As the struggle for press freedom continues, it is crucial to remember the foundational role the press plays in our democracy.

“It [the press] is absolutely crucial to a functioning democracy,” Glasser said. “You can’t have a free society unless you have a free press.” v

Art by DARAH KATZ

The Verdicts editorial section expresses the collective opinion of the Verde Magazine staff.

launch ASB Answers Upcoming Events: Verdle

With ASB Wellness and Diversity

Comissioner

Nathan Lee

Q: What is ASB working on?

A: “We’re going to be doing an event between Gunn and Paly focusing on unity, as well as an event focused on drug overdose.”

Q: What changes has the Wellness Center added?

A: “The Wellness Center is becoming more available. Its trying to work on the overall mental aspect of the student body.” 4/14 - 18 4/21 5/3 5/9 5/10 5/17 5/21

Community college week

Late start Monday May Fete parade

Senior assembly

Flea market Prom Paly athletics signing day

Correct Right letter, wrong spot

S H I N E A P R I L T U L I P V E R D E

Answer: Scent

Text, design and photos by

LILIA KUZMICHEVA

Verbatim: What are your favorite ways to de-stress?

“I de-stress by playing with my cat and the video game ‘Valorant.’”

— Harrison Lan, junior

“I manage stress by sleeping because sleeping is crucial for the human body, and I feel like when I sleep I rejuvenate my health and I’m ready to tackle more things.”

— William Xue, junior

“I like to go to the ocean or take nature walks because I like the sound of trees and waves.”

— Anaira Khurana, sophomore

Art by Sophia Kelly

Foothill, De Anza to build student housing

THE FOOTHILL-DE ANZA

Community College board of trust-

ees has approved the purchase of a Cupertino apartment complex, which is set to be transformed into student housing.

The complex will be purchased in July, and ready for use in the fall according to Ellen Kamei, the district director of community and government relations.

Located 0.3 miles away from De Anza College, the McClellan Terrace Apartments includes 94 units and can provide housing for up to 332 students. Students from either college can rent out units for a set price, significantly lower than market value.

Peter Landsberger, a member of the board of trustees, says this plan was proposed due to a high cost of living.

“It’s become clear to us [the Foothill-De Anza district] over the last many years that … housing insecurity is getting in the way of them [students] from reaching their educational goals,” Landsberger said.

The cost of purchasing and renovating the complex will be roughly $95 mil-

lion. The district has set aside money from its Measure G Bond Program, which will go toward the renovations, according to Landsberger.

Landsberger also says that the program was not created with the intention of making a profit.

“We’ll be charging rent that covers the ongoing maintenance that the facility requires over time,” Landsberger said. “It [the program] will not be a revenue-generating undertaking for the district.”

However, the plan may not be enough to meet the demands of the 2,000 students believed to be interested in applying for this housing alternative.

An additional 1,048 beds and 407 units have been requested for students, the families of students and employees of the two colleges. So far, the district does not have any plans to address this in the near future.

Current tenants will have a maximum of 12 months to relocate from the building.

Rachel Green, 43, has lived in the apartment complex since June of 2004.

Green said she understands why the purchase was made, but is worried how this sudden plan will affect tenants.

“I’m excited for the opportunity for students to be able to have affordable housing,” Green said. “It just puts families who are renting because of the cost of the apartments into a scramble.”

Shourya Doddabommannavar, 9, has been living in the building for two years and is against the purchase of the complex.

“The management wants money so they’re just selling, and they are not thinking about the tenants,” Doddabommannavar said.

The district is coordinating with a neighborhood director to find solutions for current residents.

“We [the district] understand that it [the plan] will impact those living at the complex, and want to make sure that current tenants and families have services and access to schooling,” Kamei said.

by EVA CHANG and STEFAN ERIKSSON

SMILING STUDENTS — Foothill College students Alisa Sonehara and Colby Wang walk through campus. It's estimated that 2,000 students are interested in an alternative housing program, but the McClellan Terrace apartments will accomodate up to 332 students. “We [the district] felt obliged to address the problem [of affordable housing] directly,” board of trustees member Peter Landsberger said. Photo: Austin Fujii

Edited and designed by NIAZ ALASTI

Wellness center to add partnerships, make updates

RELAXING AND RECHARGING — Paly student Giselle Santacruz Vieyra types on her computer on a couch in the Wellness Center. She said that she has been enjoying some of the recent extensions of the Wellness Center, specifically recent PRIME sessions. “They have some pretty cool activities, I've done pins for backpacks and stuff,” she said. Photo: Lara Saslow

PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL'S

Wellness Center aims to continue its partnership with a local grief counseling service and expand their mental health programs to benefit a wider range of Paly students.

Mental Health Specialist Andrea Barker said that Paly’s wellness team has been trying to amplify the Wellness Center.

According to Barker, the Wellness Center also has launched a new initiative, playing videos where a therapist introduces art as a way to meditate.

The Wellness Center is also offering weekly PRIME sessions on topics including mindfulness, confidentiality and some fun activities intermixed, Barker said.

“Our overarching goal for every student is that each of you feels that there's a space on campus where you can be supported no matter what your day looks like,” she said. “We kind of want to be there just as your support, to process some of that hard stuff in life and to make sure that everyone feels that sense of belonging here.”

Paly has also been partnering with

Kara, a local grief counseling service. Barker said that Paly is planning to continue this partnership in the future. Kara shows up at Paly as its services are needed.

“If a student or a family has a specific need, then we refer to them and make sure that they get those needs met,” Barker said.

Barker hopes that these changes will make the center a safe and accepting space for all students.

“So when you come into the center, we're really trying to make it an intentional space where you can access resources in order to de-stress and to regulate so that you can be the most successful as possible in the classroom,” Barker said. “You walk up those steps and you belong and you can get the support that you need.”

Paly student Giselle Santacruz Vieyra said that she has been enjoying some of the recent extensions of the Wellness Center, including recent PRIME sessions.

“They have some pretty cool activities, I've done pins for backpacks and stuff,” Vieyra said. “It's pretty cool.”

by LARA SASLOW

Multiple streets to be permanently closed to cars

AFTER FIVE YEARS of being closed to cars, Palo Alto’s California Avenue and Ramona Street are permanently closed, following a March 10 vote from City Council.

Some store owners either aren’t happy with the change or don’t know how it will affect their business. Co-owner of Zombie Runner Coffee Don Lundell isn’t sure how the closing of California Avenue to cars will affect his shop.

“There’s no way of telling how the change of having cars versus not affects our business,” Lundell said. “Though at the very least it has a negative effect on rainy days, when being able to park nearby would be a help.”

The streets were closed to cars starting in 2020, to allow outdoor seating for diners and more space for pedestrians.

“We like the city to have tried a two-plus lane street and a parklet, before making the change permanent,” Lundell said.

Lundell says that street closures could be a problem for some people and make it harder for customers to access the stores.

“There’s the issue of older or disabled customers, who now have to park and travel a fair distance to get to the street,” Lundell said.

by YARDENNE STERNHEIM

SERENE SATURDAY — People sit outside Zombie Runner Coffee on California Avenue. During the pandemic, the street was closed to cars, and is now permanently closed. “There’s the issue of older or disabled customers, who now have to park and travel a fair distance to get to the street,” Lundell said. Photo: Yardenne Sternheim

ASB removes class representative position

WORKING TOGETHER ASB members Samantha Fan, Amani Fossati-Moiane and Liam Li talk during class. On Jan. 30, ASB voted to remove the position of class representative. ASB treasurer Paul Wang said that the goal was to make sure events are run by experienced students. "Having people qualified to plan the mechanisms of an event, organize and lead throughout the year is important," Wang said. Photo: Niaz Alasti

PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL'S Associated Student Body is removing the position of class representative and requiring a semester of experience for the higher level positions.

Paly junior and ASB treasurer Paul Wang, who abstained from voting on this decision, stated that the main purpose was to encourage more competition during the election process.

“A minor argument was made that eliminating representatives would bring more incentive to join in the ASB class, as in the past two years, there have always been extra openings in commissioner positions,” Wang said.

According to ASB Minutes, the vote passed with a 28-to-1 ratio. In addition, according to ASB’s meeting notes, the executive board positions of president, vice president and treasurer must now have at least one semester of ASB experience to run for the primary election. According to Wang, this ensures that ASB is run by experienced students that can plan events effectively without having to rely on others.

“Having people qualified to plan the mechanisms of an event, organize and lead throughout the year is important, especially for large school events, such as New Student Orientation, Spirit Week and prom,” Wang said. “Having unqualified candidates only makes next year's ASB worse, and has historically put the burden on the student activities director.”

Junior class president James Park says that the ultimate goal of these changes is to improve the future of ASB.

“Overall, we want to increase the efficiency in ASB so that we can hold more and better events,” Park said. “These changes are not meant to disqualify students from joining ASB, but to make sure that they have some experience with how we operate to make sure they can do the best work possible.”

by LILIA KUZMICHEVA

AI board adds informational PRIME sessions

PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL'S

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

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

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

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

It mentions that students should never input personal or sensitive information into AI databases, including information related

to college applications or essays.

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

"If you're using AI to replace learning, you're cheating," Bell said. "That's prevalent throughout the whole school."

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

Bell also mentioned that individual assignments and classes may have more flexibility regarding AI use depending on the

curriculum. Bell also said that the addition of Gemini in Schoology would allow teachers to do more activities using AI.

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

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

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

by JULIE YANG

Waymo expands services into Palo Alto

WAYMO HAS EXPANDED autonomous vehicle services to select riders in Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos and parts of Sunnyvale, making some residents uneasy about the safety of the cars.

Although the California Department of Motor Vehicles granted approval to Waymo One vehicles to operate in these areas, the public does not have full access to these services, according to a Waymo post on X.

Waymo is working closely with local officials and emergency responders to safely expand operations. Last year, the company launched a “Safety Hub to offer insights into how the Waymo Driver improves road safety.” According to Waymo, as of December 2024, Waymo has powered 50 million self-driven vehicles. In San Francisco, data has shown that compared to human-driven cars, Waymo had 115 fewer injury-causing crashes, 98 fewer police-reported crashes and 32 fewer airbag deployment crashes.

Despite these efforts, students like Palo Alto High School sophomore Alice Zhan

remain skeptical of the cars’ safety. Zhan — who often uses Palo Alto Link, the city’s affordable rideshare service — said that due to safety concerns, she would not consider a switch to using Waymo as transportation. Though studies have found that Waymo is safer than a human driver, multiple accidents since its rollout have decreased public confidence in the cars.

“I don't trust the autopilot system,” Zhan said. “Sometimes, it [Waymo cars] malfunctions and my life might be in danger.”

However, Zhan said that a benefit of Waymo's expansion would be increasing the number of cars available to customers, and decreasing wait times.

“[We are] refining Waymo One to be as seamless and useful as possible for our riders,” Waymo Chief Product Officer Saswat Panigrahi said in a press statement. “This means offering exceptional ride quality, short wait times, and more exciting destinations.”

by CHLOE HUANG

Superintendent holds second advisory meeting

PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL

District Superintendent Don Austin held the second meeting of the Superintendent Advisory Board on March 17, with hopes to get more student voices in district policy decisions.

During the meeting, students discussed topics including the de-laning of Biology and Biology Honors courses, as well as the district's transgender athlete policy, AI and immigration policies.Students shared opinions on these topics, one of which being the de-laning of biology.

“As a district, are we really going to take away opportunities for students to learn and to expand and to grow?” one student said. “I understand the reasoning for wanting to take away the honors lane for biology, but it just seems … unnecessary to me.”

However, some students disagreed, wanting the content to be the same between the classes.

Biology] is beneficial for all so long as the content is staying the same.”

Gunn High School junior Deven Sharma, also a board member, says that these types of discussions are important for students.

“We have a space where students feel safe enough to talk about issues that they care about,” Sharma said. “I think that the superintendent often hears from a lot of parents speaking on the behalf of students. Oftentimes, it's not always what the students actually want that the parents are advocating for.”

The March 17 meeting was expected to be the last meeting of the year.

However, Amalia Tormala, the co-founder of the board, said she hopes that next year the meetings will be held every three months. She also encourages more students to attend to help make their voices and opinions heard.

“At the end of the day, this is a school district for high school students,” Tormala said. “We are the people who the policies are actually impacting.”

“The main difference between the two is probably that Bio H went a little more in depth, and it went a little faster,” another student said. “I think that it [de-laning by DARAH KATZ

Trump signs executive orders

FOLLOWING PRESIDENT

Trump's Inauguration in late January, he has signed over 100 executive orders aimed at changing federal policies on education, gender, citizenship and more. These changes could affect the way students gain access to school funding and participate in sports. For Palo Alto High School sophomore Kai Bunger-Tang, the passing of so many executive orders in such a short timespan is alarming.

“It’s overwhelming how many executive orders Trump has recently passed,” Bunger-Tang said. “To me, the orders he’s passed so far clearly depict him as someone who’s targeting groups of people like immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community.”

Here are some executive orders that will have the biggest impact on students.

Jan. 29

Directs federal agencies to restrict curriculum containing “gender ideology." Renews a 1776 commission to “promote patriotic education.”

Jan. 29

Restricts automatic U.S. citizenship for children born to non-citizens, potentially affecting student enrollment in immigrant households.

Feb. 11

Prohibits transgender women and girls from competing in female sports in federally funded schools.

March 20

Closes the Department of Education and transfers the decision-making authority on education to state governments.

Text by KEIRA LING and STANLEY

sports Unorthodox Endeavors

ATHLETES WHO COMPETE IN UNIQUE SPORTS

Liam Li

Palo Alto High School junior Liam Li discovered his love for fencing at an early age and has been competing ever since.

“I started [fencing] when I was five or six years old,” Li said. “I just finished watching “Star Wars” and I was like this stuff is cool. … I thought it was like “Stars Wars” at the beginning, and it

Over the years, Li’s love for fencing

“It’s [fencing] like chess on steroids, just fast thinking strategies but also you have to be very physical and fast,” Li said.

On top of athletics, Li says that fencing is unique and has taught him lots.

“I think fencing is great,” Li said. “It [fencing] teaches you communication skills.”

Photo: Stefan Eriksson

Anaiah Latu

Rugby runs in the family for Paly senior Anaiah Latu, who found her way into the sport through her relatives and her culture.

“Polynesians are really big on football and rugby and my dad just wanted us to get into sports,” Latu said. “All my siblings played. I was kind of the last to get into rugby.”

Latu has a strong passion for rugby and dreams of playing profes-

“I wanted to play professionally because you travel a lot with rugby,” Latu said. “But I know that a lot of it’s just not stable. … they [professionals] don’t have a life outside of rugby.” Photo: Otto Kiss Meyerfreund

Miles Joing

For Paly sophomore Miles Joing found his passion for hockey after moving on from soccer.

“I used to play soccer,” Joing said. “But I shifted towards hockey and really fell in love with it. They were both during winter so I had to choose between one of them and I eventually chose hockey.”

Joing said he has made a lot of connections through hockey.

“A lot of the time you’re in the locker room with your teammates and you really get to know them really well,” Joing said.

Joing said he loves the feeling of

“I love skating. It’s just the feeling of being free on your skates,” Joing said. Photo: Stefan Eriksson

Oliver Rasmussen

Paly senior Oliver Rasmussen enjoys both the community and competition of the fast-growing sport pickleball.

“It’s been really awesome to see the sport grow because it means that there’s more potential to actually do it,” Rasmussen said. “From a social standpoint, it’s really awesome when I can play my sport and see my friends interested in trying it as well.”

Rasmussen believes he could play professional pickleball one day

“If I continue to take it seriously, I definitely can make a run professionally,” Rasmussen said. “I know that sounds cocky, but I know how hard I work and what I am capable of doing.”

Photo: Otto Kiss Meyerfreund. v

Text by STEFAN ERIKSSON and OTTO KISS MEYERFREUND

ATHLETIC ADMINS

STAFF WHO COMPETED IN COLLEGIATE

SPORTS

ACCORDING TO FORMER

Palo Alto High School teacher and current Athletic Director Jennifer Crane, sports are all about community and uplifting others around you.

At Paly, adults with a passion for sports are a common presence.

But, what many students don’t realize is that several of our staff members, including Crane, experienced collegiate athletics firsthand.

Jennifer Crane

Crane began playing field hockey as a freshman in high school, much later than most Division I recruits.

“I played sports growing up — soccer, basketball, softball — and then to start a new sport in high school was actually kind of fun,” Crane said.

During her junior year, she committed to play Division I field hockey at the University of California, Berkeley. Crane said that being a student-athlete was extremely demanding and difficult.

“It’s a huge commitment, it’s like a full-time job,” Crane said. “Not only practice every day, but you also then are in the weight room with your coach every day, and you also have team dinners, and you’re also watching team film.”

After graduating from Berkeley, Crane coached field hockey at different schools while pursuing her teaching credential and eventually teaching at Paly.

Jerry Berkson

Jerry Berkson is Paly’s assistant principal of operations, but before that, he played baseball for the College of San Mateo as a pitcher for four years. During the first few years of his stay at college, Berkson said he was rarely focused on academics.

“I didn’t do it [academics],” Berkson

said. “Once I got my act together, I got almost straight A’s. When I figured out that I’m not going to be very much.”

Berkson was coached by John Noce.

Noce is the coach with the most wins in junior college history, and was the Italian national team coach.

His coaching style put the team ahead of individuals.

“The one thing that he was all about was team and not about standing out. Nowadays you see people flipping bats. … that would never happen in a million years playing there,” Berkson said.

LaDonna Butler

Assistant Principal LaDonna Butler played Division I basketball at San Jose State. She originally didn’t have it as a goal to make something out of basketball — she just loved playing it.

Butler grew up in the San Jose area, which had a unique basketball community.

“In my day you had to earn your way on the [basketball] court,” Butler said. “So you had to be good enough to go to these parks to play. ... My cousin told me first you have to be able to own your own space. So my own space was an elementary school that I went to so anyone that came there — I had to win.”

Butler played power forward for her collegeWW team and became the captain her junior and senior year.

Butler was the first member of her family to graduate from college. When her four year playing eligibility ran out, she says, she lost a bit of her love for basketball.

“I felt like I had not put the time and energy into my academics that I needed to,” Butler said. v

to keep a positive mindset, because that translates to your play on the field,”

HOCKEY HIGHS — Paly Athletic Director Jennifer Crane, who played Division I field hockey, shows off tricks with her stick. “You have

Crane said. Photo: Otto Kiss Meyerfreund

Text by CHRIS JEON and JULIE YANG

GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM

SENIOR DUO COMMITS TO DIVISION I ROWING

TENACIOUS TEAMMATES — Bliss-Carrascosa, Fetter and teammates row a boat back to the dock at Westpoint Harbor after finishing a routine. “We’re always racing the same boats, and there’s a big emphasis on pushing yourself for the people around you,” Bliss-Carrascosa said.

IT IS PITCH BLACK outside as the waves crash against Westpoint Harbor in Redwood City, breaking the silence of the calm morning. At 5:15 a.m., a group of high school boys change into their gear, still groggy and shivering as the crisp breeze hits their faces. Once they are warmed up, the crew prepares their boats before setting out into Redwood Creek.

As the rowers push off into the water, Palo Alto High School seniors Matias Bliss-Carrascosa and Peter Fetter can be spotted out on one of the boats. Close friends since kindergarten, the soon-to-be graduates continue to spend time together through their mutual love for rowing. Both are committed to rowing at the Division I collegiate level. Bliss-Carrascosa will attend Columbia University and Fetter will attend the University of California, Berkeley.

enth grade, and transitioned to rowing at NorCal Crew, the largest rowing program in the Bay Area, known for its successful Division I athletes. Bliss-Carrascosa was partly influenced by his older brother, who was also a competitive rower at the time.

Fetter, on the other hand, began rowing later and was an active swimmer up until his junior year. In the fall of 2023, he went to row at Norcal Crew with Bliss-Carrascosa.

“It’s as if you have eight people trying to swing a golf club and hit a golf ball in perfect sync 240 times.”

— PETER FETTER, Paly senior

Bliss-Carrascosa was the first of the two to take up rowing. He played rugby until the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in sev-

“He [Bliss-Carrascosa] motivated me to come join them, and by then, I was completely done with swimming,” Fetter said. “Since then, I’ve been on the team and it’s been a lot of fun. I was kind of sick of swimming meets, so it [rowing] was a nice change of pace.”

Fetter and Bliss-Carrascosa bonded through watching rowing videos and sharing their love for the sport. The two get along well both in and out of the water and find comfort in practicing every day with a

familiar face.

“I would say we treat the rowing practices as if we were just hanging out,” Fetter said. “Although there’s definitely a bit more focus when we’re at practice, it’s nice to have someone I know well at school and at rowing.”

One aspect that sets rowing apart from other sports is its profound emphasis on camaraderie and pushing oneself for the team’s sake. In a rowing crew, the coxswain is responsible for steering the boat and coordinating the other rowers. Typical rowing boats, which hold eight crew members, require the rowers to be in perfect synchronization as they race down a two-thousand-meter course.

“It’s as if you have eight people trying to swing a golf club and hit a golf ball in perfect sync 240 times,” Fetter said.

For them to be able to perform to a state of perfection, rowers need to have extraordinary muscular strength and endurance. Many rowers use indoor rowing machines, or ergs, to simulate the motions of rowing and help with training.

“If you took a football player and you put them on the erg, they could probably pull a really good score,” Fetter said. “There

Photo: Chris Jeon

are kids who can get recruited with these good scores, but for someone who has dedicated themselves to the sport for a while and is really good at rowing, it might be harder for them to get recruited just because they’re not strong.”

While physicality is important, a strong mindset is also crucial for success in rowing.

“You’re doing something that’s greater than yourself,” Bliss-Carrascosa said.

“You’re doing something that’s greater than yourself.”

“It’s going to be a lot more intense,” Fetter said. “Because if you were one of the better people from your team, you’re going to a group where it’s all people that have been the strongest on their teams.”

— MATIAS BLISS-CARRASCOSA, Paly senior

“So, it’s just pushing yourself for the betterment of everyone around you. Not only is it motivating to see progress on your own physiologically, but you want to help those around you succeed, which I feel is a big motivator.”

Both Fetter and Bliss-Carrascosa have shared the triumph of victory as they have rowed together more this past fall than they have in prior seasons. Now that they have committed to their respective colleges, the seniors are looking forward to rowing in a more competitive environment and continuing to enjoy their favorite sport.

As they move up a level, a new standard appears, and the two are excited to compete with rowers from many backgrounds.

“There are kids from all over, not only the country, but internationally, and that’s going to be exciting not only to meet people from these places, but to work alongside them,” Bliss-Carrascosa said.

As time flies and the seniors live out the last few months together in the same high school and rowing crew, they have bitter-sweet feelings about moving away from the community they grew up in and from each other.

“I’ve been told that … you should meet new people in college, you’re not going to be with the same people your whole life, but I would hope to see him [Bliss-Carras-

cosa] not when I’m studying,” Fetter said. Bliss-Carrascosa also said that he is hoping to stay connected with his good friend throughout college.

“I’m excited to experience something new, especially on the East Coast,” he said. “But I think I’m still going to see Peter plenty when I’m around, and there might even be opportunities for us to row outside of college.”

As the two rowers prepare to part ways and start a new chapter of their lives, they advise anyone pursuing activities for college admissions to stay true to oneself.

“Do something that you enjoy doing, aside from maybe just getting into school,” Fetter said. “It [sports] can be a great doorway to get somewhere if you’re not going to be the strongest in other aspects of life. For me, I was just kind of tired of swimming, so I really don’t think I’d be happy swimming in college. … Do what makes you happy.” v

DEDICATED DUO (RIGHT) — Fetter (left) and Bliss-Carrascosa pose for a photo after morning practice. “Practices start at 5 a.m. during the week when it is usually really dark for most of the time,“ Fetter said. Photo: Julie Yang

PRIVILEGE OF pressure

REIGNITING MY PASSION FOR VOLLEYBALL AFTER BURNOUT

IN RECENT YEARS, I’ve realized how much I’ve cherished the silence that surrounds me. After a chaotic day at school or when the music in my car is just slightly too loud, all I want to do is to just sit in calmness. However, almost every weekend from January to July, there is one exception to my love for the quiet: the loud atmosphere of a volleyball tournament.

The constant chirping of a referee’s whistle. The cheers and screams of players on the sidelines. The squeaking of sneakers on the courts. I’ve grown up with these sounds, and for much of my life, I’ve had to shift my appreciation of silence to continue with the sport that I love.

my own game.

When I committed to play in college, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the past nine years of my life. A year that stuck with me the most was when I was 16 years old, and developed something called the “yips.”

The frustration I felt before, which was driven by my passion for volleyball, has faded, and now I find myself wanting to be done with it.

Since the age of 7, I have traveled to tournaments, from Las Vegas to Philadelphia, to watch my sisters play. Although much of my time was spent complaining about this, over those years, I was able to study my sisters’ technique and apply it to

The “yips” are the unexplained loss of skills in experienced athletes. For me, skills that were simply muscle memory for me one day became my biggest challenge the next. I was terrified of messing up, disappointing my coaches and teammates. Every game I was terrified of shanking the ball, doubling my set or missing my serve, and I thought there was no way to escape these thoughts. I felt as though the thing that I had invested the most work and time in was going to end up into nothing.

However, thanks to my school season and my teammates, I was able to regain my confidence back and felt as though I was playing the best I ever have.

In my final year of club volleyball,

I have realized when I have the moments that remind me of my 16-year-old self — the lack of confidence, the fear, loss of muscle memory — I find that I just don’t care anymore. The frustration that I felt before, which was driven by my passion for volleyball, has faded, and now I find myself wanting to be done with it.

The pressure that I had when I was 16 is something that should be seen as a privilege rather than a painful memory.

16-year-old me would see it as a blessing that I don’t care for my mistakes anymore, but all I see is the loss of love and care for my game. Each day, I’ve been working to become better, and each weekend I worked to be noticed, to be recruited for college.

But with that hard work comes the feeling of being burned out, and over time it hit me too. I stopped caring.

Of course, I think about whether this

will translate to college. If I won’t have the same passion that I once did, and will have to live with that for the next four years. This feeling reminds me of a quote that a coach kept bringing up during games: “Pressure is a privilege.” What he meant by this is that having the pressure of playing in a state championship is much more of a privilege than playing for 30th place.

I applied this quote into my own situation to help overcome burnout. The pressure that I had when I was 16 is something that should be seen as a privilege rather than painful memory. Even though the pressure can bring me tears like losing my last high school game or from playing a bad game, those tears are a visual representation of the passion and care I have for volleyball.

Now that I am older and entering my collegiate years, I hope to remember the passion I have for this sport is an accumulation of a great portion of my life, rather than a regret or a waste of time.

Taking my last year of volleyball and my college career for granted will only lead to regrets, and for once in my life, I will be happy to see tears for the game of volleyball. v

FROM THEN (left) — I set up the ball for my hitter during a league club match in my third year of club volleyball. Now, I will never play a club league match again. Photo courtesy of Eiko Mies

TO NOW (right) — I set up the ball for my outside hitter during a high school match in my senior year and was one of my last matches playing at Paly. This was taken five years later than the photo on the left. Photo courtesy of Karen Ambrose Hickey

Text by ZACHARY CRYSTAL and RYAN SAKET

IMMIGRATION

PALO ALTO REACTS TO BAY AREA ICE ACTIVITY “

WHEN TRUMP WON

… it was just like a big emotion of fear for my future,” said Julia, a Palo Alto High School senior whose name has been changed by Verde to protect her identity.

Julia’s reaction mirrors the feelings of many people across the country following the recent increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity. ICE and Customs and Border Protection Agents have made 113,000 arrests since Trump entered office, according to Department of Homeland Security officials. However, according to Newsweek, there are disputes over whether these numbers are accurate. These ICE arrests are part of Trump’s efforts to fulfill a longterm campaign promise, according to the ACLU.

In the interest of “protecting the American people against invasion,” he signed an executive order on Jan. 20 calling for multiple federal departments, including primarily the DHS and ICE to begin the widespread deportation of immigrants who have illegally crossed the border.

actually going through with it. I remember when he was elected in 2016 there was a lot of deportation stuff, but I didn’t think it would be this big.”

According to the Pew Research Center, the majority of undocumented immigrants come from Mexico. The threat of deportation and separation from their families, coupled with rumors of ICE activity — both true and untrue — has sparked fears among immigrant communities across the country.

California, and specifically the Bay Area, is known as a hub for communities of people who immigrated to the United States illegally. There are an estimated 2,739,000 undocumented people living in the state, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

“The thought of just randomly disappearing without contact is one of the scariest things.”

— JULIA, Paly senior

Increased ICE arrests have left undocumented people in California on edge. There have been confirmed incidents of ICE activity in some cities in the Bay Area such as San Jose. Despite widespread rumors, there have been no confirmed incidents of ICE activity in East Palo Alto, according to the Palo Alto Online. However, for some students at Paly, this doesn’t make the fear caused by rumors any less real.

During Trump’s first term, he had an aggressive border and deportation policy, but this term has felt different for Paly junior Danny Khan.

“He said that he was going to do a mass deportation,” Khan said. “Honestly I didn’t really think about it much, but now that I’m seeing what’s going on and that he’s

“I live around [people] that are immigrants, in East Palo Alto, and I’ve heard that … [ICE] have actually gone over there,” said David, a Paly junior whose name has been changed to protect his identity.

One of the biggest fears caused by ICE activity is the threat of being separated from family. Even if someone is not at direct risk of being deported, the deportation

Art by SASHA KAPADIA

SITUATION

of one person impacts everyone who knows them. This fear became a reality for Julia when her own relatives were deported in early February.

“ICE did a raid in San Jose, and my [relative] and her significant other were walking and suddenly, they saw this van pull up,” Julia said. “My mom told me that they just threw them into a van. All of a sudden, the identity they built here over the last 15 years was just gone. It didn’t matter.”

Julia said she was frightened to hear the news.

“That’s someone’s mom, that’s someone’s child, that’s someone’s friend,” Julia said. “I feel like the thought of just randomly disappearing without contact is one of the scariest things.”

ICE deportations can happen at any time, without notice to those who knew them. Julia explains the uncertainty she and her family experienced after her relatives’ disappearance.

“For a bit we thought she was missing, and we didn’t really know until she called us from Mexico and told us what had happened,” Julia said.

This disappearance reflects the troubles of families around the nation. For example, in New Mexico, 48 individuals have disappeared following ICE raids, according to NBC News.

The fear of ICE raids has caused dips in attendance for many school districts across the country, according to NBC News. However, according to Assistant Principal Michelle Steingart in an email to Verde, no dips in attendance have occurred at Palo Alto High School due to ICE raids.

Julia said that it has been challenging to discuss these issues with students who aren’t directly impacted and that she has experienced a lack of understanding from other students.

“At school … they’re not feeling that ‘what if’ situation as much as a Latino student might.” Julia said. “I think there are impacts where you’re surrounded by those conversations and you’re just thinking to

yourself, ‘These people don’t have to worry about that.’ So hearing students be like, ‘Oh, thank God I don’t have to worry.’ It’s kind of gut-wrenching, in a way. So I defi nitely have had to tune people out.”

While impacted students have wor ried about ICE raids, the Palo Alto Unified School District has worked to create policy in response to the shift in White House de portation policy.

In a message from Superintendent Don Austin to PAUSD on Feb. 7, he out lined the district’s protocol and priorities in response to fears over ICE raids.

“PAUSD has been committed to the success of all students through the belief that every school site should be a safe and welcoming place for all stu dents and their families, irre spective of their citizenship or immigration status,” Austin said.

Austin’s message an nounced that the dis trict took ac tion to train district staff, and conducted training with the office staff of each school site in order to teach pro tocol.

This training consists of a slideshow presentation for Paly administrators.

Administrators are instructed to not allow immigration enforcement officers onto campus without a warrant signed by a judge, and will not release any confidential information without parental or guardian consent.

Educators still haven’t quelled the fears of some students on campus, who worry ICE arrests could impact them, their fam ilies or people they know. In a constantly changing situation, people are left with fear and uncertainty.

“Thankfully we haven’t had any prob lems when it comes to ICE,” Khan said. “But we don’t know if that can change.”

RESIDENTS

V ACATE

CITY TRIES TO RELOCATE PARKED VEHICLES

STARTING IN 2017 the growing numbers of parked vehicles on El Camino came to the attention of Palo Alto city officials. The 1.1 mile stretch from Medical Foundation Drive to Stanford Ave. has been lined with numerous parked recreational vehicles (RVs), Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and cars with people living out of them.

Soon after, the City of Palo Alto started ticketing the parked vehicles. According to code section 10.36.030, this state law prohibits leaving a vehicle parked on a city street, alley or public lot for 72 or more consecutive hours without notice or ticketing. But as time passed, Palo Alto and its police department slowly ceased to enforce the law and vehicles began regularly parking there again, according to

George Lu, a Palo Alto City Council member.

“There’s a complicated history of that in the sense that for a while it was enforced, then it wasn’t enforced, then it was enforced again. There are, unfortunately, dozens and dozens and dozens more RVs throughout Palo Alto, throughout Ventura, kind of around Charleston and San Antonio,” Lu said.

Parked vehicles, specifically on El Camino, have recently become more of an issue for the city with the upcoming Caltrans El Camino Real project. This project was approved on June 27 and is scheduled to span from Fall 2023 to Fall 2025.

“According to the City of Palo Alto, the project includes repaving, sidewalk and curb ramp updates for ADA access, enhanced crosswalks at key intersections and the addition of bike lanes in Mountain View and Los Altos.

solution on where to relocate the stationed vehicles.

“We [City Council] were working with Caltrans and trying to get Caltrans to agree to a plan for how to handle the RVs,” Lu said. “So trying to give the RVs the most notice possible, but also trying to let the RVs stay the longest time possible.”

A solution the City of Palo Alto is currently working on is creating more secure parking locations. A safe parking site is defined as an area of land that “provides a temporary, safe location to park for individuals and families living in a vehicle while at the same time providing access to services that will transition them into more stable housing” like showers, bathrooms and places to wash clothing, according to the City of Mountain View.

We [City Council] are... trying to give the RVS the most notice possible, but also trying to let the RVs stay the longest time possible.”

— GEORGE LU, City Council member

The City of Palo Alto is working on expanding a safe parking site on Geng Road, which already holds 12 RV parking spots and includes amenities such as a kitchen, laundry room, showers and a children’s library.

Along with the approval, the council “gave authorization to adjust the residential parking permit program and to provide temporary safe parking for those along the project corridor.”

Lu said he believes that the addition of bike lanes on El Camino will make the city safer and more accessible. Additionally, he also wants to provide RVs with a reasonable

However, with the city’s plan to add a bike lane along El Camino, the 12 spots are not enough to house the over 50 RV’s currently parked on the street, according to Palo Alto Online. In September 2024, the city gave a notice to parked vehicles warning them that they needed to move due to upcoming construction. Many RVs were forced to relocate and join the wait lists for

a spot to open at the Geng Road site.

The city originally planned to address this problem by temporarily expanding the site from 12 to 22 spots. Recently, they have decided to permanently expand the site, according to Lu. The expansion will cost $447,849 and will be funded by the city, donors and the Palo Alto Community Fund, a nonprofit organization that funds charity projects in Palo Alto, according to a City Council staff report.

“The Community Fund is not going to permanently fund the expansion and services there, but the city is going to step in and do the rest,” Lu said. v

Art by DIVYA GANDHI

SAFE SPOTS — RVs park on Geng Road. The sight is being expanded in light of the recent construction on El Camino Real, where most of the RVs were formerly parked. “Right now this is basically the safe parking site,” Lu said. Photo: Darah Katz

Text by JARON LEUNG and RYAN SAKET

CLASSROOM

STUDENTS STRUGGLE TO CATCH UP AFTER COVID

FIVE YEARS AGO, the COVID-19 pandemic shockingly caused widespread shutdowns of communities and schools across the world, forcing students of all ages to take classes online.

Palo Alto High School junior Yuvan Vishakan was one of those students.

Vishakan recalls where he was on Friday, March 13, 2020, the day the world shut down.

“I was on the field at lunch, and one of my friends told me that we didn’t have school for the next two weeks, and I got really excited,” Vishakan said.

Little did he know that he would not return to school for almost a year.

Vishakan said this harmed his learning, causing him to fall behind academically.

“I wasn’t engaged in class like I used to be,” Vishakan said. “I was not learning as much as I used to [before the pandemic]. I kind of missed a year and a half of education.”

Students across the country shared similar experiences to Vishakan.

Now, a little more than five years after schools initially shut down, the effects of these experiences have become evident.

According to Erin Fahle, executive director of the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University, reading and math scores across the U.S. plummeted significantly between 2019 and 2022.

“During the pandemic, the average U.S. student lost half a grade equivalent in math and a third of a grade equivalent in reading,” Fahle said. “As of Spring 2024, the average U.S. student remained near-

ly half a grade level behind pre-pandemic achievement in both math and reading.”

Fahle said that the extent of COVID learning loss varied among districts.

“High poverty districts and districts serving large shares of minority students had larger losses than their counterparts,” Fahle said. “As of Spring 2024, few districts have recovered to pre-pandemic levels, and the highest income districts were four times more likely to have recovered in math and reading than the lowest income districts.”

However, test scores are not the only thing affected by school closures. Rates of absenteeism — defined by students missing more than 10% of a school year — skyrocketed during the pandemic and have not leveled off, according to the Education Recovery Scorecard.

March 13, 2020, and didn’t fully reopen schools until the 2021-2022 school year. During this time, most PAUSD students learned virtually over the video conferencing platform Zoom.

Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School Principal Chris Grierson said that COVID hurt students.

“I think that the negative impacts [of COVID] are some learning gaps,” Grierson said. “Maybe some loss of scaffolding, especially with early literacy skills.”

“ I wasn’t engaged in class like I used to be.”

— YUVAN VISHAKAN, Paly junior

Grierson said that this year JLS implemented literary intervention classes to help sixth graders — who were in first grade at the start of the pandemic — catch up with their reading skills.

Although schools in Palo Alto have not seen as much academic decline compared to other places, the effects of COVID still had a massive impact in Palo Alto. The Palo Alto Unified School District closed on

“We have literacy intervention classes that we’ve started this year in sixth grade that we didn’t used to have,” Grierson said. “We have a literacy TOSA [teacher on special assignment] that supports students who are below or far below grade level

Art by DIVYA GANDHI

CATASTROPHE

with literacy benchmarks.”

Despite efforts to make online school feel normal, Paly sophomore Victor Chen said that it was harder to learn virtually during the pandemic.

“I think listening and visually learning is a lot easier than reading stuff,” Chen said. “A lot of times, in COVID learning, the teacher would put the instructions on a slide, and we just have to read it off.”

However, Chen also said that there were some benefits of COVID learning.

“I think the pandemic helped me better understand how to use computers,” Chen said. “It also helped me learn to be independent since I wasn’t able to rely on my peers as much.”

Paly math teacher Zachary Barnes said initially after the COVID pandemic, many students came back to school unprepared for the rigor of in-person instruction.

“I really remember feeling the loss of learning from that COVID year,” Barnes said. “It just was hard to learn long distance. We all had dreams and ideas to help people through a screen, but none of them really worked.”

Barnes also thinks that students’ study habits and ability to focus declined immediately after the pandemic.

“I think the year after COVID, we had

forgotten how to study and how to ‘lock in,’” Barnes said.

Paly librarian Sima Thomas said she thinks that academic decline had started before COVID due to the rising popularity of social media among high schoolers.

“We were seeing a decline in attention span for reading, and the amount of time students spent reading already because of that [social media],” Thomas said. “I think COVID took us out of doing the things that we usually do in school, so I think it hastened that change.”

But the effects of the COVID pandemic on students aren’t necessarily permanent. Barnes said he thinks that after almost four years of schools being reopened, students at Paly have caught up.

new to the district the year COVID learning started,” Chen said. “So it was quite difficult to make friends at Zoom school.”

Thomas said she agrees that the impacts of COVID not only hurt students academically but also socially.

“Missing out on the social environment … [and] being the only person in the room [was bad].” Thomas said.

Grierson said he thinks the pandemic has caused students to be more comfortable online than in person.

“ I think the year after COVID, we had forgotten how to study and how to ‘lock in.’”

— ZACHARY BARNES, Paly math teacher

“Arguably, when we came back, the teaching was better, therefore the learning was better,” Barnes said. “My instinct says that we’re back … and we’re improving.”

But academics were not the only thing affected by the pandemic. According to Chen, the pandemic also impacted his life socially.

“It affected my social life because I was

“I think people are more willing to engage through digital means, which is not a bad thing,” Grierson said. “It just means that they’re more comfortable with Snapchat or Instagram or whatever than they might be talking to somebody in real life.”

Despite all the downsides, Chen said the pandemic gave him a new perspective on friendship.

“It [the pandemic] taught me the importance of friends and how much joy they bring to your life,” Chen said. “To this day, I don’t think I would’ve cherished my friends as much if COVID didn’t occur.”

Grierson said people appreciate in-person gatherings more now compared to before the pandemic.

“People are more celebratory when we have these in person gatherings than they were before the pandemic,” Grierson said. “Because I think before the pandemic, people sort of took them for granted.”

While Grierson said he thinks we have largely recovered from the effects of the COVID pandemic, he also said he doesn’t think things will ever go back to their pre-pandemic state.

“I don’t think that we’re ever going to go back to the way things were,” Grierson said. “I think we’re just in this new normal.” v

DEI DILEMMA

STUDENTS REACT TO TRUMP’S DIVERSITY CUTS

ON JAN. 22, only days after the start of his second term, President Trump announced he would remove diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives from organizations, companies and schools across the country. The goal is to “forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based,” as Trump said in his inauguration speech.

As a result, K-12 schools and universities across the country are rolling back DEI protections. Some public universities, like Ohio State University, announced that they will remove DEI offices and programming. Other universities, like University of Pennsylvania, have erased all mentions of DEI and affirmative action protocols from their website. Recently, the University of California system announced hiring freezes amid threats of state and national budget cuts. They have also eliminated “diversity statements,” a practice required for all faculty job candidates.

Verde asked four Palo Alto High School students about their thoughts on DEI rollbacks and how it may affect their future. v

Will Stover, junior

“I think that recent rollbacks in DEI policies federally will further inequality. [But] we shouldn’t rely on DEI to act as a leveler. Rather we should focus on the root of the problem, which is the inequality of access to high quality education across racial groups, which fuels the employment inequality in our country.”

Photo: Jaron Leung

“I feel like it’s very evidently discriminatory. ... The reasoning [for being against DEI initiatives] falls flat and fails to provide any justification other than the fact that this is literally just a racist move. That’s it. I don’t think that diversity quotas or DEI is necessarily the best solution to the problem, but unless you want to start again from scratch, there really isn’t a way to get to the root of the problem. It is superficial and not the perfect solution, but it’s kind of the only solution that’s realistic.”

Photo: Niaz Alasti

Tevita Fusimalohi, sophomore

“I think it’s really racist. I think the ideology behind it is more racist ... by removing that [DEI] more companies are going to be racist. It [affirmative action] made sure ev eryone would be able to go to college.”

Photo: Lia Cardwell

Aditya Romfh, senior

“My stance on DEI is that rollbacks are going to hurt a good amount of the U.S. There was a lot of progress that was made with ... leveling the playing field because unfortunately we don’t live in a world right now where there’s a level playing field for everyone. I think now conservatives have weaponized ... affirmative action and DEI and tied it to the woke liberal agenda, when in reality, some of these groups, like trans people, only make up less than 1% of the population, so it’s not as big of an issue as it seems. It’s not that they’re excluding other groups of people, they’re just putting more of an emphasis on including all groups of people. I know there was a big push to get African American students into universities because there were so many Asian applicants but if that is being now removed, that could benefit me in some way.”

Photo: Niaz Alasti

Sabela Chelba, senior

Text by NIAZ ALASTI and JARON LEUNG

A Historic Haven Haven A Historic PALO ALTO

HISTORY MUSEUM PLANS

ITS OPENING

Text by CHLOE HUANG and LEELA KULKARNI

IN 1969, STANFORD University

Professor Philip Zimbardo conducted a study in which two cars were abandoned on the streets of two cities: New York City and Palo Alto, according to NPR. Ten minutes later, the car in New York was stripped and destroyed. But in Palo Alto, the car remained untouched for more than a week, gathering parking tickets. Passersby would take off the tickets. When it started raining, someone stopped and put down the hood so the engine wouldn’t get wet.

According to Diane Moon, chief operations officer of the Palo Alto History Museum, the results of that study represent the nurturing nature of Palo Alto.

“It’s that extraordinary nature of Palo Alto,” said Rich Green, director of the museum’s board. “We’re only 67,000 people. … Palo Alto has consistently had global impact. We [the Palo Alto History Museum] are going to probe the depths of a story that’s never been told.”

“We are going to probe the depths of a story that’s never been told.”

— RICH GREEN, director of the

“That was because of the huge sense of community that had been formed here in Palo Alto,” she said. “We’re different, we’re unique.”

The Palo Alto History Museum aims to show the public the impact that people from Palo Alto have had on the world. The building, located at 300 Homer Ave in Palo Alto, started renovations in 2023. The museum finished construction in January and is currently curating galleries projected to open February 2026. However, during the May Fete Parade this year on May 3, visitors will be able to step into the lobby area to get a preview of the museum’s mission statement in action: “Local history with global impact.”

The museum doesn’t plan to just use traditional artifacts to portray history — parts of the museum building are artifacts themselves. Designed by architect Birge Clark in 1932, the building originally housed the Palo Alto Medical Clinic. In 1981, the clinic transformed into the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“That [historical place designation] means there’s only certain things you can do with the building,” Green said. “You cannot modify the exterior, it has to have the original historic look. But, you can rehabilitate it, which means we can bring it up to what it looked like in 1932.”

The building’s historical nature is visible to anyone who sees it. As you walk into the museum, you will see a courtyard filled with camellia flowers and a row of original fresco paintings. Created by Victor Arnotauff in 1932 after working in Mexico with artist Diego Rivera, these frescoes ultimately inspired the murals in San Francisco’s

Coit Tower, according to Green.

“Those frescoes by Victor Arnotauff are some of the most famous public artwork in the world,” Green said. “The color ones depict the modern state of history at the time. It was a declaration of ‘This is how cool we are.’”

Besides pre-existing historical remains, the museum committees are currently in the process of curating the artifacts to be exhibited, with each telling a specific story. According to Green, to build their exhibits, the museum has full access to an archive of everything ever made by Hewlett-Packard and a gigantic warehouse collection from the Museum of American Heritage.

Their anchor artifact, a huge piece of the exterior wall of Juana Briones’s home, has already been placed in the lobby. Briones was an extraordinarily powerful and influential woman during the Gold Rush. The wall fragment is made out of adobe, and held together by hand-pounded nails.

“It is one of the oldest, most significant artifacts in Northern California,” Green said.

Regardless of what the building looks like now, for many current Palo Alto residents, the historical medical clinic was a memorable place.

“I was rolling bandages from my dad and sitting in on his patient appointments,” Construction Project Manager Kitzi Tanner said.

Her dad, Joseph B. Tanner, was an orthopedic surgeon in the hospital, making working at the history museum a full-circle

Palo Alto History Museum board

HISTORICAL ARCH — The entrance to the museum is framed by murals painted by Victor Arnotauff.

Photo: Kensie Pao

MEDICAL MURAL — The four fresco paintings by Victor Arnautoff represent modern specialties of pediatrics, internal medicine, surgery and modern technology. Photo: Kensie Pao

PARALLELS OF THE PAST — A historical photo depicts the orthopedic reception room of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic. Photo courtesy of Rich Green

moment for her.

According to Green, all the doctors’ office rooms — including the x-ray viewing station, light fixtures, ceiling, veneer flexwood windowsill and outside window glass — along with a doctor’s exam room sink, are preserved. Specifically, a closet that belonged to Esther Clark, the first female physician in the San Francisco peninsula, has been left completely untouched since last used.

Visitors will be able to step back in time while riding the original pull-type elevator, which is rarely built today, according to Moon. Additionally, the uniquely bent wooden railings and terrazzo stairs to the basement and first and second floors and rooftop are all original.

While planning the museum, the board embraced “design thinking,” which

PAIR OF PROFESSIONALS (TOP LEFT) —

Birge Clark, the architect who designed the historic building, and Palo Alto Medical Clinic founder Dr. Russel Lee stand together on the balcony of the clinic. Lee started the Medical Clinic in 1933 alongside eight doctors. “Dr. Lee’s son, also a doctor, started Medicare. That’s a story we need to tell,” Green said. Photo courtesy of Rich Green

BEAUTIFUL BLOSSOMS (BOTTOM RIGHT)

— The camellia flowers growing in the museum’s courtyard were delivered from Japan in rice baskets around 1933. “Many of the ones at the museum are original varieties, but some were hybrids planted in the 1940s by the doctors who practiced in the Roth building when it was the Palo Alto Clinic,” Moon said. Photo: Kensie Pao

was invented in Palo Alto.

To Green, “design thinking” symbolizes getting out of your head and thinking through the perspective of someone else.

“It’s not about me, it’s about you,” Green said. “I hope this museum has nothing in it that is not intentional. No mistakes, no accidents. If something is here, there is a very good reason why it’s here.”

The museum planners specifically focused on catering education to children. They plan to create a scavenger hunt for children to find the parts of the building that match up with historical photos.

“The museum is for people of all ages, but the most important people are the young ones,” Green said. “If you get them in when their brains are forming — two-, three-, four-years-old — those children will always have an affinity for museums.” v

PRESERVING THE PAST (TOP RIGHT) — After finishing renovations in January, the Palo Alto History Museum is building exhibits. “There’s a distinction between this empty building right now and what will become the museum,” Green said. Photo: Kensie Pao

A FEMALE PIONEER (MIDDLE RIGHT) —

Dr. Esther Clark sits at her desk at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. “Esther Clark was one of the first women doctors in the area,” Tanner said. Photo courtesy of Rich Green

DEDICATION TO DOCTORS (BOTTOM LEFT) — This fresco painted by Victor Arnautoff depicts the doctors at the clinic. “People fly here from Europe to come see these frescoes,” Green said.

Photo: Kensie Pao

POSSIBLE ARTIFACTS

Mechanical gorilla

For decades, the gorilla was a trademark for Antonio’s Nut House, a dive bar on California Avenue. The gorilla in a cage would scare customers while handing out buckets of peanuts. Engineers would hang out at the bar where business deals were made, including the business plan for PayPal between Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. After being open for 49 years, the bar closed in 2020 and the gorilla has been stored at the Cubberley Center archives.

Audio Oscillator

The oscillator was made by Hewlett-Packard, the first significant global technology company that came out of Palo Alto. According to Green, the first eight products were used for the production of the Disney film “Fantasia.” The museum has access to the HP oscillator model 101B that was sold to Disney to display, in addition to a greater collection of HP instrumentation.

May Shockley’s Painting

May Shockley was a local artist and mother of William Shockley, who received a Nobel Peace Prize for inventing the transistor in 1947, a semiconductor device that is one of the building blocks of modern electronics. When William Shockley returned to Palo Alto to care for his aging mother, physicists around the world followed him to Palo Alto. This, along with the founding of Shockley Laboratories creating transistors marked the founding of Silicon Valley in the late 1950s and early 1960s. “The painting is going to launch the story that says Palo Alto is the birthplace of Silicon Valley, ” Green said.

Text by STEFAN ERIKSSON and LILO SAYAG

by SOPHIA KELLY

Quantum COMPANIES INNOVATE WITH UPCOMING TECH

Unlocked

ANONILLION — 10 to the 30th power — is how many times faster a quantum computer can solve a computation compared to one of the fastest supercomputers in the world. In December 2024, Hartmut Neven, founder and lead of Google Quantum AI, introduced Willow, Google’s new quantum computing processing chip, which was the chip that performed this computation.

The technology that allowed Willow to achieve this feat is called quantum computing, which uses physics to solve problems beyond the ability of classic computers, according to International Business Machines.

Quantum computing has been more of a theory than reality, a concept explored by scientists and tech leaders. However, as companies cross the borders of what is possible, its impact is becoming real.

Nvidia, the leading chip maker in the world, just hosted its very first conference where one of the main topics discussed was the future of quantum computing.

In addition, the quantum computing company D-Wave — a company focused on the delivery of quantum computing systems, software and services — made a major breakthrough. According to D-Wave’s March 12 press release, D-Wave has just achieved quantum supremacy, which is when a quantum computer is superior to a classical computer on a specific task.

“We are now at the point where our current generation quantum computers are actually in production, helping customers as a part of their daily business operations,” Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave, said. “Beyond that, we’ve actually shown that there are important scientific problems that we can solve in minutes that would take millions of years to solve on classical computers.”

What Baratz was referring to is material simulation — something supposedly achieved by D-Wave systems. According to Cambridge University, in this context, simulation refers to studying the response of a modeled system to external forces and constraints. A basic example of material simulation is predicting how a bridge’s steel beams will behave under different temperatures and loads, which would allow engineers to optimize design before construction.

2024 Investor Presentation, the problems that they solve are impossible for classical computers. First, the problems could take millions of years to solve. Second, a classical computer would take more than the world’s annual electricity consumption to solve them.

“ I think the Bay Area is behind on quantum.”

— ALAN BARATZ, CEO of D-Wave “One of the biggest issues is the power consumption required to train models and to do inference.”

There are many practical uses for this breakthrough, which is accessible to companies through the cloud.

— ALAN BARATZ, CEO of D-Wave

“These would be things like designer drugs, the one pill for you and all the things that are ailing you, or everlasting batteries, or very lightweight airplane frames,” Baratz said. “These are very, very hard computational problems.”

According to D-Wave’s fourth-quarter

“One of the biggest issues is the power consumption required to train models and to do inference, and we think that quantum may be able to allow us to do that faster, better and with much less energy,” Baratz said.

With results like this, you would think that quantum computing for everyone is just around the corner. However, Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, theorized at the Consumer Electronics show, that quantum computing is around 15 to 30 years away from being “truly useful” to society and creating income for corporations.

Atom Computing, another company that builds quantum computers and lends services to the cloud, sees quantum computing being much closer than what Huang theorized.

“In order to get to economically valuable problems like we’re talking about, for us, that means getting two generations,” said Remy Notermans, director of strategic planning at Atom Computing. “A generation for us is about two to three years apart and for us, we think that [economically valuable problems] is within a window of about five years.”

As artificial intelligence models con-

Art

tinue to become more complex, Baratz said quantum computing and graphic processing units will work side-by-side in pursuit of creating more powerful AI.

“I think AI and quantum are very synergistic,” Baratz said. “You might use AI to predict product demand or some product and then use quantum to optimize the supply chain to meet that demand.”

According to Bloomberg, Silicon Valley has historically been a tech center of the world receiving around 41% of all Venture Capitalist investment through 2019-2021.

But according to Baratz, the Bay Area has fallen behind in quantum computing.

Other regions like Australia, Canada and China are pulling ahead in innovating with the technology.

“I think the Bay Area is behind on quantum,” Baratz said. “I think that the state government should get its act together and figure out how to return the Bay Area to the great tech center that it was.”

Notermans says there is still more to discover and companies like Atom Computing want to show the world that quantum computing is more than just a mathematical trick.

“What we are interested in showing the world is that you can get this kind of advantage with quantum computing that isn’t a niche application nobody cares about, but instead outperforms the GPUs,” Notermans said. v

NEW TECHNOLOGY— A quantum computer uses quantum mechanics to perform computations. It uses qubits instead of classical bits to store and process information.

Text by LARA SASLOW and YARDENNE STERNHEIM

Photo by LARA SASLOW

Behind the Brooms

LEARNING ABOUT THE CAMPUS CUSTODIANS

CUSTODIANS SIT ON chairs and couches around the big desk in the custodians’ office, which is located right next to the Auto Shop at Palo Alto High School. They make jokes, laugh, watch videos on their phones and have conversations in Filipino. While they take care of the school from dawn to dusk — and beyond — they also have jovial personalities that most students never get to know.

my car [and] I have a little bit of property.”

As a parent, Pineda said, he is strict in helping set his daughters up for the future.

“What I want for them is to learn martial arts,” he said. “Sooner or later, because we’re Filipino, we’re native, so maybe we’ll get bullied. So that’s why I enrolled them in martial arts, so one day they can … protect themselves.”

“ I wish that students here behaved the same as back in the Philippines.”

One of Paly’s custodians, Bernard Pineda, grew up in the Philippines, moved to the U.S. in 2014 and started working at Paly a few years ago.

— NOEL BARROSA, Paly custodian

“For me, America is not only an opportunity, Pineda said. “It’s possibility.”

In the Philippines, he didn’t own a car or any property. He said that although he loved living in the country — “The lifestyle is nice and beautiful,” Pineda said — but he found that in the U.S., his hard work paid off, and he could have more of the things he wanted.

Pineda moved to the U.S. for a better life and opportunities for both work and his children.

“I work hard,” he said. “Now I have

This is one of many personal stories that students don’t know about the people who keep our school running. Some Paly students aren’t considerate of the cleaning and organization that custodians do. Noel Barrosa has been working as a custodian since 2011 after previous jobs which included being a bartender, a busboy and an Uber driver. Barrosa doesn’t have anything that he wishes Paly students knew about him.

“I don’t want to be recognized or famous,” Barrosa said. “I am what I am. I don’t want anything, just be kind, be humble, that’s it.”

Paly custodians spend most of their time cleaning up the bathrooms, with their constant messes and vandalism.

“The biggest thing that all custodians

want [is for] the students to respect the bathrooms,” Barrosa said. “I wish that students here behaved the same as back in the Philippines.”

Barrosa never worked as a custodian in the Philippines but knows from personal experience how different the behavior is. Barrosa said he remembers the way students respected public places in the Philippines. Occasionally there would be a mishap in the bathroom, but when removed, there wouldn’t be any vandalism afterward. In contrast, if something is removed from the Paly walls, the next day there will be something in its place.

“I’ve been a student before,” he said. “That’s how I know. If I go to the bathroom, it’s clean. No problem at all.”

Rowel Gregorio, a Paly custodian since 2009, said that cleaning the graffiti in bathrooms is one of his biggest challenges at work. Gregorio agrees that he would like Paly students to keep bathrooms cleaner.

“Be cleaner,” he said. v

QUALITY TIME — From left to right:

Juventino Maldonado, Adrian Cantero Gomez, Rowel Gregorio and Noel Barrosa gather around a table in the custiodians office. “Be fair,” Gregorio said, when asked what he wishes that Paly students did differently. Photo: Lara Saslow

Nursing a Passion

LOCAL ARTIST’S JOURNEY FROM HOSPITAL TO ART STUDIO

Text by TESSA BERNEY and LILIA KUZMICHEVA

IN AN OLD MILITARY warehouse

on Transport Street, a bright orange door is the first thing that greets you.

With a little elbow grease and a gentle shove, the door reluctantly opens.

Upon first glance, the building seems quite ordinary, but beyond the entrance lies the extraordinary studio of Palo Alto artist and Bay Area native Terry Acebo Davis.

A nurse turned artist, Davis pulls from her Filipino identity and former career for inspiration.

Her work features those close to her combined with personal scans, including X-ray scans of her body.

In her early years, Davis went to college at California State University, East Bay. Starting as an art major, Davis switched her area of study three times before landing on the one that sparked her passion. Her parents being immigrants, encouraged her to seek a financially independent future so she decided to change paths and pursue nursing.

“Nursing [unlike art] was something that my parents understood,” Davis said. “My parents were immigrants so it’s like, ‘Get a job that can support you.’”

With this in mind, Davis completed her residency at Stanford and continued her nursing career in pediatrics.

their lives.

Often seen as a cliché, she defies the negative assumptions placed on artists and defends her source of inspiration. Davis lives by the saying, great art comes from great pain.

“Life happens, and we have to process it in some way,” Davis said. “But when I make art, it becomes something else for my audience.”

When her father suffered a stroke paralyzing half of his body, Davis created a powerful exhibition called “Walk In My Shoes.” A pair of flip flops were the last shoes her father wore. To commemorate him she bronzed both her mom’s and dad’s shoes.

“Sometimes things in life happen and you’re trying to make sense of it,” Davis said. “And that’s where my art comes from.”

Similarly, her exhibition called “Faces,” features portraits of two of her close friends and of her idol, Frida Kahlo.

“I’ve taken care of very important politicians ... We all bleed the same color blood.”

— TERRY ACEBO DAVIS, artist and nurse

During her time as a pediatric nurse, she saw the pain children experience while undergoing chemotherapy treatments through the drawings they made.

This experience allowed her to observe first-hand the expression of one’s feelings through art.

“I studied children’s drawings and their pain and anxiety as they were going through their chemotherapy,” Davis said. “People think that kids don’t feel pain, but [even] babies feel pain.”

After working as a nurse for over 45 years, Davis has seen the dark side of healthcare, witnessing heartbreaking passings of those gone too soon.

With this in mind, she pulls a lot of her creativity and imagination from resembling the tortured artist, one who takes inspiration from the emotional trauma in

One of the friends depicted in the exhibition had recently passed away due to stage four terminal cancer and the other narrowly survived after contracting COVID-19.

“If I were dying and I wanted to talk to somebody, who would I want to talk to? And I said, ‘Frida Kahlo,’” Davis said.

Davis’ talent in multiple mediums allows her to express her feelings in various forms.

She experienced firsthand the backbreaking work placed on nurses during the COVID era.

In one piece, Davis uses a collage to illustrate the past, present and future of nursing.

The past is symbolized by photos of Filipino immigrants and pays tribute to nurses of Filipino descent who died during COVID.

The present is represented by a photo of Davis during her time as a nurse and the future features photos of nurses she trained during their residencies.

Davis felt it was essential to incorpo-

Photos by TESSA

rate her culture into the art she created.

“Some of these nurses [that were Filipino] were discriminated against, and I understood what that was all about,” Davis said. “I was very involved in our union, and I mentored many, many nurses over time.”

After a decades-long career of caring for others, her biggest takeaway has been to view the individual for who they are.

“I’ve taken care of very important politicians, sports figures, actresses, actors, singers — and we all bleed the same color blood,” Davis said. v

ILLUSTRATING INSPIRATIONS

(PREVIOUS PAGE) — Inside her studio, Davis carefully sketches one of the portraits for her exhibition “Faces.” The painting features her good friend, Jan. Davis created this artpiece after Jan’s diagnosis with terminal cancer. “I just thought I would sketch these faces on the back of the calendars, and they ended up turning into a metaphor about time,” Davis said. Photo courtesy of Terry Acebo Davis.

DEFYING STEREOTYPES

(TOP) — Davis displays a collage she created, signifying her experience as a Filipino nurse. “Some of these nurses [Filipino nurses] were discriminated against, and I understood what that was all about,” Davis said. “I was very involved in our union, and I mentored many, many nurses over time.”

MEDICINE TO MASTERPIECE

(BOTTOM) — Davis poses in front of an art piece she designed out of her own X-rays and photos. Surrounding the scan of her skull are relatives and family members, including her mom, who passed away. “Sometimes things in life happen and you’re trying to make sense of it,” Davis said. “And that’s where my art comes from.”

STAGES OF LIFE

(COLUMN) — Sprawling from floor to ceiling, Davis paints the various stages of human embryos. She methodically blended each color by hand and drew over 100 embroys that were real photos by her friend. “I just started making flesh tones with red, yellow and blue. Just like you see in medicine, those [skin tones] are pure colors,” Davis said.

Text by LEELA KULKARNI and STANLEY TANG

Photos by LEELA KULKARNI

Making more music

STUDENT NON-PROFIT BUILDS COMMUNITY

ON A QUIET MONDAY evening, members of the Harmony Ensemble gather in Palo Alto High School’s small choir room. Four members stand up in the center of the room to perform a short excerpt from a piece they have been working on. A delicate melody emerges as the sound of the violin blends with the breathy notes of the clarinet, and a cello hums a rich, deep tone in the background. The rest of the group sits in chairs surrounding the performers, intently listening.

Founded in the spring of 2023 by four Paly sophomores Kate Vo, Tiffany Chow, Lumi Lee and Asher Wong, Harmony Ensemble has grown to a thriving group encompassing both middle and high school members. The organization is a student-led non-profit dedicated to chamber music, providing students with the opportunity to play with each other in smaller groups.

According to Harmony Ensemble founder and Paly sophomore Lumi Lee, the group was founded as a way to share their love for classical music.

“Classical music, we felt as though it deserved to be appreciated more,” she said. “So we decided to do something about it, and created a group, Harmony Ensemble.”

Paly sophomore Kate Vo, another founder of Harmony, said the biggest challenge for members is communication.

“We’ve definitely learned the importance of open-mindedness to each other and the importance of listening to each other,” Vo said. “We’ve definitely learned how to communicate a lot more effectively and a lot more efficiently.”

A core part of what makes Harmony so enjoyable for its members is the fact that they input ideas and suggestions into what they play at their rehearsals and concerts.

than others might have their own concert, and we would have an annual artist concert at the Palo Alto Art Center.”

For many members, Harmony Ensemble doesn’t just present an opportunity to play music — it offers a community.

Paly freshman Darwin Collins joined the ensemble after hearing about it from his friends.

My favorite part of Harmony is basically the entire thing itself.”

—KATE

VO, Harmony Ensemble co-Founder

“They [rehearsals] are genuinely very fun, and you’re really not forced to do much work,” he said. “You get up, you play something, and then get feedback … it’s more light-hearted and fun than anything.”

“We choose the music based on what our members like, what we [the founders] like, what the audience likes, basically what music that anyone likes,” Vo said. “We decided to explore a bunch of different styles, from the latest like the baroque eras to closer to contemporary music.”

“Classical music, we felt as though it deserved to be appreciated more.”

—LUMI LEE, Harmony Ensemble co-Founder

Harmony Ensemble has a strong focus on chamber music instead of large orchestral performances. With just over 30 members, the ensemble is able to maintain its tight-knit community. Additionally, it is a non-profit and tuition-free for all of its students to participate in.

“Our group is tuition free and also allows students to connect with their peers more closely in smaller groups,” Lee said.

One event that unanimously generates excitement throughout the ensemble is the annual Artist Concert. The upcoming concert, scheduled for April 18, will showcase works by a diverse range of composers.

The program will include pieces by composers Hisaishi, Piazzolla and Saint-Saëns.

Additionally, the concert will also include works written by guest composers and high school students Jesse Spain and Kavita Karmarkar.

“[At] our artist concert, we have musicians that have a variety of skill sets,” Lee said. “And so we decided the ones who have a lot more experience

As Harmony Ensemble continues to gain more members, the founders have ambitious plans for the future.

“My future plan is that we expand throughout the Bay Area, and throughout the state, and maybe even throughout the whole country,” Vo said. “Maybe we’ll go international, that’ll be really amazing.”

Overall, Harmony Ensemble has become a place to play music and build community. “My favorite part of Harmony is basically the entire thing itself,” Vo said. “The whole experience is just amazing.” v

REHEARSAL (TOP) — Members of the Harmony Ensemble, including co-founder Kate Vo, practice a song. “I’ve learned so much that I could write a whole book on it,” Vo said.

HARMONIC HANDS (BOTTOM LEFT) —

Freshman Linda Liu plays a section of piece she has been working on. “I’m so glad to be part of this unique and inspiring community,” Liu said.

LISTENING AND LEARNING (BOTTOM RIGHT) — Freshmen Darwin Collins and Kevin Pei listen as members of the ensemble perform. “It [Harmony Ensemble] is more light-hearted and fun than anything,” Collins said.

STUDENT TRANSFORMS CAMPUS WITH ART

ON A HOT SPRING Sunday afternoon at Palo Alto High School, two students work together, taping up a wall by the Auto Shop. They are laying a foundation for a new mural, which will spell out “SKO VIKES,” in vibrant Paly green, coupled with small cartoon characters representing students. From their car, upbeat music plays, filling the quiet weekend campus with energetic tones. Next to their car, paint, tape and equipment await use.

The student behind the transformation of this small part of campus into a vibrant work of art is Ivan Sandler.

In his senior year and nearing graduation, Sandler has begun working on projects that will leave a lasting impression on campus. His most recent project is the mural.

Sandler said the characters on the mural carry a level of significance for him.

“The characters definitely have some sort of emotional significance,” Sandler said. “They’re very expressionless, but their style and their posture and how I draw them and what they’re doing kind of says a lot about who they are as people.”

Sandler has enjoyed the process of making the mural despite its hardships.

“It’s definitely busy work, and my back hurts, but it’s very rewarding,” Sandler said. “I had other people here over the days, and it’s been really nice to just hang out with my friends while I’m working on this passion of mine.”

“It’s definitely busy work, and my back hurts, but it’s very rewarding.”

“It’s a fun mural,” Sandler said. “It’s just a big, green, prominent ‘`SKO VIKES.’ It’s simple, but I have some of my characteristics and my style in painting the mural. I have four characters that I drew. They have different tools making the ‘`SKO VIKES’ to show our school unity.”

Sandler said this mural represents his street/graffiti style.

“I have multiple styles,” Sandler said. “This [mural], I’d say, is definitely my graffiti style. On my website, I have a section called ‘street.’ I’d say this is in that kind of avenue where I’m doing these kind of cartoonish characters, and then mixing it with this very bleak ‘SKO VIKES.’”

— IVAN SANDLER, senior

According to Sandler, the mural has been a dream of his for a long time.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a year and a half,” Sandler said. “There were some tricky logistics with the district, who were saying no … But after that summer, I kept on talking to the district and [Principal Brent] Kline, and eventually they allowed me to do it … Now, I’m finally painting it, which is super cool.”

Before Sandler was allowed to make the mural, Kline asked him to design green ‘learn respect, connect’ banners that can be seen around the school.

“In junior year, I asked Mr. Kline if I could do a mural for the school because I thought it’d be a fun project,” Sandler said. “He told me that first I have to do the ban-

ners. And once I do the banners, if they look good, and all that went well, then I can do a mural.”

Despite having only recently started this mural project, Sandler’s passion for art began a long time ago.

“Ever since I can remember, I’ve been drawing just for fun,” Sandler said.

He got more into art in high school.

“I started it [art] more seriously sophomore year,” Sandler said. “It was after I entered a competition to get into a museum in Los Gatos and got in. I started making a lot more art.”

Since then, Sandler has developed an extensive and diverse portfolio featuring everything from small notebook sketches to street murals. Recently, he has even begun pushing his creative boundaries by venturing into digital animation and 3D modeling. Much of these works and projects are shared on his website, www.ivansandler. com.

As Sandler’s artistic career has progressed, so has his style.

“I’ve done a lot of experimentation with other mediums,” Sandler said. “When I was very young, I would just do pencil and paper. Then, in middle school, I moved on to markers, and now on my computer.”

Sandler plans to maintain an artistic spirit in the future.

“I didn’t want to go to art school because that’s not very me, but I applied to most schools with a dual major in art,” Sandler said. “And I don’t really have any specific artistic careers in mind, but I know that I want to keep it like as a part of me in my life.” v

Text by OTTO KISS MEYERFREUND and KEIRA LING

DESIGNING

DREAMS

— In this photo illustration, a cutout of Palo Alto High School senior Ivan Sandler is overlaying a photo of his new mural on the Paly campus. “I’m finally painting it, which is super cool,” Sandler said. “I’ve been wanting to do this forever.”

Ling

Photo: Keira

Text by ETHAN ZHANG

STARTED FROM

HOW MUCH DRAKE IS TOO MUCH?

IT’S BUSINESS AS USUAL for Aubrey Drake Graham. The Canadian rapper, singer and former child actor, known mononymously by his middle name, Drake, enters 2025 with more of the same — slipper-throwing in Australia, sneak-dissing Lebron James and, of course, releasing an hour-long collab album with a trusty associate. This time, it’s February’s “$ome $exy $ongs 4U,” which sees him trade former album partners Future

(“What a Time to be Alive”) and 21 Savage (“Her Loss”) for fellow Canadian and labelmate PartyNextDoor.

In a decade marked so far by volatility and unpredictability, the notion that no matter what Drake’s still out there doing what he’s always done — the memes, the persona, the R&B-fused rap music — is almost comforting. If there is one constant in the 2020s culture zeitgeist, it is the self-described Champagne Papi — corniness and all. Some things just don’t change.

But something HAS changed, and after nine diss tracks, accusations of pedophilia and an impending lawsuit, it’s more apparent than ever before.

All throughout his career, Drake has seemed impervious to destruction, riding through controversy after controversy unscathed— from ghostwriting allegations to a secret baby, nothing has been able to dent his stardom.

This time feels different. From the attacks on his carefully cultivated image to the darker implications cast on his character, Drake’s beef with fellow rap artist Kendrick Lamar has left its mark. His reputation tainted, his numbers trending downward, and his music quality made a mockery of — there’s never been a worse time to be Drake.

If the Canadian is bothered by any of that, he doesn’t show it on “$ome $exy $ongs 4U.” Anyone expecting self-reflection from Drake on the past year’s events is setting themselves up for failure. He is as boisterous and lustful as ever before, splitting time flexing his luxurious lifestyle (“Glorious”) and chasing after Instagram models fresh out of relationships (“When He’s Gone”).

True to his trend-conscious reputation, Drake references many celebrities on the new project, from popstars Charli XCX and Tate McRae to Young Thug’s lawyer, Brian Steel — everyone, that is, except for a certain 5-foot-5-inch Los Angeles rapper. Outside of ambiguous potshots on

THE BOTTOM

“Gimme a Hug” there’s a notable Kendrick-Lamar-sized hole in the entire project the industry veteran doesn’t even bother to address.

Sonically, “$ome $exy $ongs 4U” sees Drake return to the slow-paced, patient, Caribbean-influenced R&B of 2016’s “Views,” abandoning his previous musical iteration — the abrasive Yeat-fueled rage rap of 2023’s “For All the Dogs” — for the sound that brought him the most success. It’s another evolutionary (or, in this case, devolutionary?) step for a man more chameleon than human. A man willing to dabble in anything — from reggaeton to house music to afrobeats — as long as his music retains a certain Drake-ness to it.

in Houston” and “Nokia”). Even in songs where both feature, the smaller artist offers little more than brief adlibs and bridges.

It is a fitting role for a musician who has, since signing to Drake’s label, OVO, in 2013, been largely regulated to the infamous “OVO sweatshop,” ghostwriting hit songs for bigger artists (Rihanna’s “Work” and “Wild Thoughts”) at the expense of his own solo career.

“ I liked the way [Drake] and PartyNextDoor worked together. It was definitely different from some of his more recent albums, but nonetheless I thought it had versatility and variety.”

— NAVEEN NARAYANSWAMI, Paly junior

The end result is sub-satisfactory, yet sufficient. Drake knows what he does well, and does not shy away from flexing his strengths. Atmospheric beats from his longtime producer, Noah James “40” Shebib paint a lush, urban Toronto-esque backdrop for his vocals, which, as always, are autotuned to the sugary, pained-90’s-R&Bsinger perfection he demands. “Nokia” is an obvious standout, with Drake shelving aside the unhurried cadence of the rest of the album for a high-tempo dance track exploring the rapper’s party exploits. It’s all so … Drake.

Almost too Drake, actually. While the album’s technically a collaborative effort, PartyNextDoor’s contributions pale in comparison to Drake’s, having only one solo track, “Deeper,” to the other rapper’s six (“Crying in Chanel,” “Small Town Fame,” “Brian Steel,” “Gimme a Hug,” “Raining

But even with his limited appearances, PartyNextDoor makes his mark on the album. His energetic, highpitched vocals provide a sharp, welcoming contrast to Drake’s

switching the tune up when his mentor becomes too monotonous.

plified in tracks like “Die Trying” and “When He’s Gone,” where vibrant, if brief segments from the R&B singer elevate otherwise bland Drake tracks to replayability.

tojunior Naveen Narayanaswami, while “$ome $exy $ongs 4U” may not be Drake’s

magnum opus, it nonetheless holds up on its own.

“I don’t think it was one of his best albums purely because some of the albums he’s put out in the past like ‘Take Care’ and ‘Views’ have been sensational, but the album overall was really good,” Narayanaswami said. “I liked the way him and PND [PartyNextDoor] worked together. It was definitely different from some of his more recent albums, but nonetheless I thought it had versatility and variety.”

DUAL DRAKES — The two side profiles on this spread are recreations of the original and deluxe cover of Drake’s 2013 album “Nothing was the Same.”

Art by ANGELIKA GERA

Macarena

LOCAL SPANISH RESTAURANT IMPRESSES

WALKING INTO Macare-

na, the restaurant is warmly lit from elegant lights that hang from the ceiling. The restaurant is divided into a main seating area, private dining room and bar, each space lined with green plants and trees, and having clear views into the kitchen in the back. Sleek booths and individual lamps at each table give the restaurant a sense of elegance.

Macarena, owned by husband and wife David Linares and Elisabet Reviriego, opened on Feb. 28 in downtown Palo Alto. The restaurant has been engaged in controversy since Teleféric Barcelona, another Spanish restaurant in Palo Alto, filed a lawsuit against Linares and Reviriego, who are both former employees. According to Palo Alto Online, the lawsuit claims that Linares downloaded 17,000 documents from

Teleféric Barcelona’s Google Drive to his personal account, and Reviriego downloaded Teleféric Barcelona’s customer marketing list.

Macarena, in addition to being the name of a popular song, is the name of a neighborhood in Seville, Spain.

Reviriego said that the restaurant prides itself on creating a traditional Spanish atmosphere.

“We wanted to bring tradition. It’s [Macarena] a very old name, and we wanted to do the same with the recipes, bringing recipes that have been there for generations, that our grandmas would cook and to make a timeless restaurant that would function and would be nice today and in 10 years from now,” Riviriego said.

Macarena’s kitchen is led by chefs Sergio Box, who opened two restaurants in Barcelona, one of which has a Michelin

star, and Toni Santanach, from South Valencia, which is known to have some of the best paella in the world.

“Everyone can make paella, and just like Pad Thai, it always comes with the same ingredients,” Linares said. “But what’s different is who cooks it right, the techniques, and so Sergio has done, I think over 300,000 paellas, he’s just doing paella, and that’s what he loves.”

Linares and Riviriego said that the two head chefs are co-owners and co-founders of the restaurant, and they are dedicated to creating a warm and friendly environment so that all the staff and customers can enjoy their time at Macarena.

“Having this job is the best thing in the world,” Riviriego said. “You just see happy faces and people just living their best time, surrounded by their friends, and you’re just there to help them with this experience.” v

Photos by KENSIE PAO

Croquetas de Jamon Iberico ($10 — 4pc):

A croqueta is a traditional Spanish tapa typically made from a ham or cheese sauce and then deep-fried in bread crumbs. Macarena’s croquetas have a traditional crispy exterior with a creamy interior. The filling was rich and fatty with small cubes of ham. The flavor of the ham felt dull, unlike traditional jamón iberico, but went well in the filling of a croqueta.

Roasted Tomato Salad Tapa ($14):

As part of Macarena’s opening week and as an apology for the rest of the food taking longer than anticipated, we received a complimentary roasted tomato salad tapa (starter) with roasted tomatoes, olives, and pickles atop an almond and olive ajoblanco cream (a sauce made of almonds, bread, olive oil and garlic). The sauce tasted heavily of fresh olives, which contrasted nicely with the sweetness of the tomatoes, creating a light, refreshing complement to the relatively rich and heavy rest of the menu.

Churros Bravas ($10 - 5pc)

Churros Bravas, Macarena’s take on traditional Spanish patatas bravas, are deep-fried potatoes with a thick crust and soft interior, served with a creamy, spiceless brava sauce. The churro shape for the potato is fun and innovative, however, given its fried nature that could overpower the flavorful interior at times, the dish felt somewhat inauthentic and overly catering to an American audience but was nonetheless delicious.

Seafood & Squid Ink Paella (Paella Negra con Vieiras) ($48 - serves two)

Macarena’s Paella Negra Con Vieiras is a rice dish smothered in black squid ink and comes with no shortage of scallops, squid and shrimp. The seafood tastes fresh and flavorful. The rice was very rich, being umami from the squid ink and having a strong seafood flavor. The dish came with an aioli on the side as a dipping sauce for the paella. The aioli added to the richness of the paella, which was borderline overwhelming at times.

CHEF’S COOKING — Three of Macarena’s kitchen staff prepare food before customers arrive on a busy weekday night. “The two chefs that we have, Sergio and Antonio, they are Spanish ... for obvious reasons about the kitchen, about keeping the tradition of the product and the project,” Macarena co-founder David Linares said. Photo: Kensie Pao

Text by LILO SAYAG and YARDENNE STERNHEIM

STUDENTS REACT TO MUSK’S ROLE IN DOGE

PRESIDENT DONALD Trump’s administration appointed Elon Musk as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk is the CEO of Tesla, owner of X (formerly known as Twitter) and founder of SpaceX. Since 2025, Musk has been an advisor to President Trump however, many people disagree with Musk’s ideas and work. Before his current role in

Ethan Zhang, sophomore

“I feel like Elon Musk being part of DOGE could grant him some sort of power, like in the nation, to help his company, which could negatively affect everyday people. I think it’s important that business leaders do have some part in the government, but I don’t think they should have that much power.”

Alex Rytokoski, sophomore

“I don’t think that an unelected official should be able to go in such a powerful role. While there’s some pros of having a more corporate and less bureaucratic government, like saving money … I think it makes our country less than democratic and increases polarization.”

politics, Musk had no prior political experience, his background was exclusively in business and technology. Some believe his business skills will improve the government, while others worry he has too much power. We asked the Palo Alto High School community about their thoughts on business and politics: should they be mixed for modernizing government efficiency, or kept separate? v Art and photos by

TREME EVOLUTION

Yara Chaib, junior

“Elon Musk is closely tied with Donald Trump, and their political ideology is very capitalistic. I mean they’re always talking against communism and socialism and all that. The whole point of capitalism is to keep private businesses away from the government, So It doesn’t really make sense for them to mix business with government.”

Tarika Pillay, junior

“[Musk] has always been a very powerful person, and it’s not uncommon for people to join teams like that, but I feel like he’s just out of place. … He [Musk] has an insane amount of money, if he puts it towards something that will actually help, he will make the biggest difference in the world as opposed to just making electric cars.”

Trump Trivia

WHICH QUOTES CAME FROM OUR PRESIDENT?

RENAMING THE GULF OF MEXICO TO the Gulf of America, accusing Ukrainian politician Volodymyr Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War III,” uploading an AI-generated video of Gaza rendered into a dystopian, Cancun-esque tourist resort — it’s been an action-packed few months for President Donald Trump.

Since his 2024 re-election, the incumbent head of state has been busy at work implementing his vision for America — complete with all the peculiar statements and raucous trash-talking that he’s become synonymous with.

As the year drags on and Trump’s claims become more outlandish, the line between fiction and reality begins to blur as well.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has made controversial accusations about many aspects of the United States.

Even prior to his presidency, Trump has been subjected to fact-checking, including the 2024 Presidential Debate where he became notorious for accusing Haitian immigrants of eating pets and falsely claiming that the Democratic party support abortions “after birth.”

In this Verde trivia, we’ve selected eight Trump quotes, seven that are the president’s exact words, and one that has been slightly altered. It’s up to you to guess the “imposter” quote!

Answers for each trivia question are listed at the bottom of the page. v

I don’t speak badly about someone’s physical disability, but he has got the biggest stomach I have ever seen. Sorry losers and haters, but my IQ is one of the highest and you all know it! Please don't feel so stupid or insecure, it's not your fault.

We have it [COVID-19] totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. It’s going to be just fine. To be blunt, people would vote for me. They just would. Why? Maybe because I'm so good looking.

you

Trivia answers: 1. True (Newsmax); 2. True (Donald J. Trump X account); 3. True (Donald J. Trump X account); 4. True (CNBC); 5. True (ABC News: "This Week

with George Stephanopoulos"); 6. False. Trump actually stated "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make

(Donald J. Trump X account); 7. True (New York Times); 8. True (Donald J. Trump X account)

Text by MAYA RAJBHANDARI

Counselor Chronicles Chronicles Counselor

“ LESSONS FROM WORKING AT A SUMMER CAMP

IWISH YOU WERE MY mom,”

a camper told me through a toothy grin as I helped her tie her shoes after swim lessons. I immediately laughed at her sincerity, unsure how to respond.

But when I went on break that afternoon, a wave of sadness washed over me. As I sat in the break room thinking about what she said, I thought about my childhood.

I attended the same summer camp when I was younger at Burgess Pool in Menlo Park.

Eventually, however, I grew up. As I entered high school and the pressure of college applications loomed over me, summer became time for test prep, volunteer hours and work experience.

I went to camp thinking I’d be the one teaching them. But instead, they taught me.

Every year, I’d count down the days until I could return, excited to walk across the sunbaked pavement and dive into the refreshing pool.

Those afternoons of capture the flag under sprawling oak trees and tie-dye projects that left my fingers stained for days were easily the highlight of my summer.

Camp was freedom to me, because for two months the weight of school and growing would disappear, replaced with moments of simplicity like running barefoot on grass or laughing until my stomach hurt.

That’s what becoming a counselor originally meant to me. I thought I was stepping into a position of authority, ready to guide campers and gain an experience that I could potentially put on my college applications. But it didn’t take long to realize that the job wasn’t as simple as leading a game of capture the flag.

Sometimes, the kids wouldn’t listen, no matter how many times I clapped my hands and said “one, two, three, eyes on me!”

I was left feeling frustrated, and some days I didn’t even want to come to work because I felt like I wasn’t mentally cut out for dealing with kids who ignored boundaries, disrespected rules and seemed to act out just for the sake of it.

Some days, no matter how many times I enforced consequences, like

taking away Otter Pops, nothing worked.

Some campers would deliberately push my limits, refusing to stay behind camp lines, jumping on me despite my warnings not to and even taking advantage of my mistakes, like using my money at the vending machine when I forgot to press “done.”

It wasn’t just the open defiance that got to me, but the feeling of being powerless. No matter what I did, they saw my rules as an obstacle instead of understanding I was trying to keep things fun and safe for everyone.

I honestly felt like quitting altogether, but the camper who told me they wished I was her mom reminded me why I was there: the good ultimately outweighed the bad.

To me, being a counselor isn’t just about collecting a paycheck after two weeks.

It is about teaching campers how to play tic-tac-toe, watching their excited faces when I let them win, listening to them talk about their day, or sitting with them when they aren’t feeling well.

I could have easily quit, but as I sat in the break room, I realized how much the camper’s words stuck with me.

afternoon light.

I realized that I was the kind of person I had once looked up to as a kid, remembering the counselors who had made me feel safe and seen when I was younger.

It felt great to feel like I could be that person for someone else.

After my epiphany, I realized that I didn’t really want to quit — I just wanted to find a way to actually get through to the campers so they weren’t constantly misbehaving.

Once I realized this, I shifted my approach with these kids, realizing that it was worth the effort.

I used tactics like setting clearer boundaries and enforcing them consistently, using a three-strike system instead of taking privileges away all at once. This change worked pretty effectively.

I learned to pull kids aside for one-on-one conversations instead of calling them out in front of their friends, making sure they understood how their actions affected others.

And when I felt like I didn’t know what to do, I relied on fellow coun-

realizing that I didn’t have to handle everything alone.

By the end of the summer, I felt like I had learned just as much as the kids had. I’d learned patience, leadership and the power of simply showing up.

I will forever be grateful for what being a counselor taught me.

On days when I didn’t feel like coming to work, seeing campers’ faces light up when they saw me and hearing them yell “Maya!” in their squeaky voices made me appreciate my job so much more.

It’s one of those special jobs where you’re not just there to complete tasks, but to create memories and actively influence the lives of children. You have the opportunity to make a real difference in their days.

I went to camp thinking I’d be the one teaching them. Instead, they taught me how to be present: how to embrace summer, laugh and play — how to let go of the stress I carried and enjoy the moment the way they did so effortlessly.

Somewhere along the way, I had forgotten how to just be young. And the chaos of camp definitely reminded me. v

Text by TESSA BERNEY

THE DIGITAL

DISSENSION

LET’S GO BACK TO PAPER ASSIGNMENTS

AS I GAZE AROUND A room filled with students, all eyes are glued to their screens. Three are playing games on their laptop, two are scrolling on TikTok and one is watching Netflix. Often, we fail to realize the tremendous amount of distractions hiding in plain sight. If life as a high school student is hard enough, why is modern-day technology being used to distract us even more?

I’ve always preferred doing assignments and tests on paper rather than on a laptop. Whether it’s chemistry, math, Chinese or history, the feeling of pen to paper allows my brain to work ten times faster and helps eliminate any distractions.

When COVID-19 conquered the world in 2020, schools across the globe were forced to transition to a fully digital curriculum. At some point during COVID, I practically lived in Google Drive.

All my Chinese quizzes went from written vocabulary tests to online typed tests. Considering handwriting Chinese characters and typing them are completely different skills, it felt as if I were taking a step backward in my education.

Fast forward five years and life has finally returned to normal, but one piece of the past still lingers. The digital takeover.

After teachers became acclimated to a fully digital curriculum, many felt reluctant to let go of automatic grading systems and easy-access assignments. Palo Alto High School 9th and 10th grade English teacher Arya Min is one example.

“It’s hard to keep track of late work, individual work and what’s missing,” Min said. “If you do paper handouts, there are piles of paper everywhere.”

However, I think it’s necessary for teachers to find a balance between paper and digital classwork.

By cutting out paper from our classroom, we’ve taken away the advantages of handwriting. According to a study by

It’s a running joke among students that teachers believe we only take one class, and therefore we have all the time in the world to finish assignments. I am a student athlete and someone who is in multiple extracurriculars. The most valuable thing I possess is time. Using paper assignments lets me build muscle memory while finishing my homework. Now that’s a win-win.

On top of that, completing assign-

Library of Medicine, pre-COVID screentime for children between the ages of 15 and 17 was four hours a day. During the pandemic, that number increased to 5.75 hours per day and remained elevated even after many public health precautions were lifted. I experienced this shift first-hand and noticed more frequent eye fatigue. Though schools have reverted back to the in-person experience, I’m still constantly looking at

cated to live discussion, where students en gage directly with each other to analyze and debate strategic ideas.”

If Stanford professors are promoting a non-digital classroom, why isn’t Paly?

As we become more and more connected to our screens, the classroom should be an opportunity for students to disconnect from technology and focus solely on learning.

While tech has its benefits, maybe it’s time to hit pause. v

teacher

WHAT DO LETTERS

look like to you? How do you read? Do the letters move?” These are the three most common questions I get after telling people I have dyslexia.

To answer these questions: The letters look normal, I can read and the letters don’t move. Or at least they don’t anymore; this did occur when I was a kid.

After reading “Thank You, Mr. Falker,” a children’s picture book by Patricia Polacco, “Fish in a Tree” by Lynda Hunt and “Percy Jackson” by Rick Riordan, the portrayal of dyslexia is viewed by many as so: words twisting, moving, or spinning around on the page.

However, many people, as I did, only experience this when they are kids. Defined as compensatory neural pathways, people with dyslexia eventually find different ways to read, according to Palo Alto High School Learning Specialist Kindel Launer. “Some brains are really good at reading and just do it naturally on their own,” Launer said.

“Some brains have dyslexia and can’t repurpose that [letters] without very specific phonemic awareness and phonics instruction.”

Because people with dyslexia find alternative ways to read, they often bypass dyslexia screenings and make the diagnosis go undetected. This is how I went through all of elementary and middle school.

I have vivid memories of being in second grade, sitting on my living room couch with my dad reading “Trumpet of the Swan” by E.B. White, stumbling over words and pronouncing them incorrectly. We had this big yellow sheet of paper where I had to write down all the words I didn’t know or didn’t say correctly. The couch sessions occurred at least once a week until the book was finished. Then, we would pick a new book and start all over again.

Eventually, with everyday schooling

Photo courtesy of ALAN PAO

looking at my first California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress test score in third grade, seeing “below average” under the reading category. I felt stupid and incompetent compared to my peers.

In fifth grade, I was placed in the lowest level spelling group in my class. Additionally, I attended a weekly specialized math class for kids who were falling behind. In sixth grade, during course selection, I would pronounce the word ceramics as “creamix.” In seventh grade, the COVID year, I struggled to write essays without in-person guidance from my teachers. In eighth grade, I spelled the word college as “collage,” making me cry to my dad that I wasn’t going to get into college because I couldn’t spell it right.

sible way I had a learning disability.

Despite this, in freshman year my parents put me through a dyslexia screening unaffiliated with the Palo Alto Unified School District. I went through a series of tests over the course of a month, and by the end of it, I had a result.

While it hasn’t always been easy, reading and writing was never something I thought I was “bad” at.

However, while it hasn’t always been easy, reading and writing was never something I personally thought I was “bad” at, despite what my third grade standardized test score seemed to say. I would spend my recess sitting on a big couch in my elementary school library reading every copy of the “Olympian Greek God” comic books by George O’Connor. Additionally, I enjoyed writing short stories. I’ve kept a journal since second grade, and whether it be for fun or for school, writing is something I’ve always loved.

According to my dad, my parents had always felt there was something “off” about the way I read. From the early couch ses sions, my dad said I constantly passed over punctuation, misjudged the pronunciation

I was in the car with my dad, getting picked up from softball practice when he turned over in his seat and ominously said, “They have your results. You have dyslexia.” This was my “Luke, I am your father” moment. I laughed out loud in the car. Maybe I was hysterical, but it truly was funny to me that I had dyslexia. But when I had time to think about it more, the puzzle pieces fit in my head. I realized I no longer had to feel like I was behind in any way because now there was a reason behind my struggles. Even then, this didn’t change how I perceived learning.

Since the moment I discovered I had dyslexia, I knew I had to work even harder.

warning against it, I enrolled in Advanced Placement United States History, a reading-and-writing-intensive class with 20 to 30 pages of textbook reading every week. Additionally, at the beginning of this year, I joined Foreign Policy Honors, another rigorous reading class.

Despite many difficulties, dyslexia has given me a great gift: creativity. People with dyslexia use different parts of their brain and process information differently, sparking imagination, according to Launer. This is something I feel in my daily life from my hobby of photography, to my sport of softball, to assessing different ways to make a play.

“For all folks who have dyslexia, it’s the ability to put solutions together,” Launer said. “You’re coming to a different conclusion, and it’s the process of coming to a different conclusion that I think is most interesting, especially when we’re talking about folks with just markers for dyslexia.”

Often, I feel like I’m playing catch-up. I take extra minutes to understand an assignment, hours to get over mental blocks and days to complete organizational tasks. For much of my education, I thought this was a me problem. While my mindset around this changed after finding out I have dyslexia, nothing about the fight I put up has. It’s the perseverance that makes it

Palo Alto Unified School District

Palo Alto High School

50 Embarcadero Road

Palo Alto, CA, 94301