Lantern Night

On March 30, the Best Buddies Club hosted Lantern Night in collaboration with Palo Alto High School’s Best Buddies Club and Palo Alto Unified School District’s Futures special education program. The event was held in the amphitheater from 7 to 8 p.m. and concluded Gunn’s first Neurodiversity Week. During the event, students snacked on pizza and boba while engaging in various activities, such as creating a collaborative mural and participating in a scavenger hunt.

The goal of the event, along with other activities hosted by Student Executive Council during the week, was to increase awareness on neurodiversity.

Co-Diversity Commissioner junior Angelina Rosh was pleased with Lantern Night and felt that it served as a strong close to the week’s events. “Seeing so many students come to our lantern lighting and take the time to engage with our activities gave me hope for a more inclusive student population,” she said. “As diversity commissioners on SEC, one of our main priorities for this year was celebrating neurodiversity, as it is often overlooked.”

Junior Jackson Kanegan felt that the Lantern Night was a novel experience. “I really enjoyed how this event allowed me to experience interacting with a community that I’ve never spent much time with previously,” he said. “I had a lot of fun, and the free food was obviously a bonus.”

Rosh hopes that the event raised awareness on a topic that isn’t well-talked about. “We hope this week inspired students to have a greater consciousness for how they navigate neurodiversity,” she said.