Forum

Tech is dumbing future generations down

September 15, 2017

Written by Carolyn Kuimelis It is undeniable that technological advancements have revolutionized the way we communicate, connect and learn: news articles can be shared with the click of a button, and diplomas can be earned entirely online. Although technology has proven to be a useful tool in educating and sharing information, our growing reliance [...]

Flawed affirmative action system hurts Asian Americans

September 15, 2017

Written by: Sohini Ashoke The heated discussion around affirmative action has recently increased due to the Justice Department’s plan to protect white applicants from discrimination during college admissions. Although affirmative action was created for all historically oppressed groups, it has mostly been discussed in terms of race, specifically [...]

Palo Alto Should Punish Texting While Walking

September 15, 2017

Written by Eric Epstein On July 27, Honolulu, Hawaii approved a law that prohibits pedestrians from using their electronic devices while crossing the street. Offenders of this law will be fined $15 to $35 for their first violation, and the fines increase with each successive offense, according to CNN. Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said that [...]

Polarized politics necessitate teacher neutrality

September 15, 2017

Written by Stephy Jackson Over the course of the last few months, discus- sions about politics have become increasingly polarized. The 2016 presidential election sparked political tension across the nation in the form of rallies, protests and campaigns. These tensions have been unavoidable, even in the classrooms at Gunn, raising questions about [...]

“13 Reasons Why” starts progressive conversations

May 21, 2017

Written by Grace Ding “13 Reasons Why,” a Netflix original series adapted from Jay Asher’s novel, has quickly garnered attention—from adults and teens, critics and fans alike—after its release on March 31. The 13 episodes follow 13 tapes that high schooler Hannah Baker made to detail reasons why she committed suicide. Through its [...]

Knowledge is powerful: Second languages provide endless tools

May 19, 2017

Written by Yael Livneh There are many diffculties when it comes to foreign travel: currency exchange rate, new environments and even culture shock. But the most difficult barrier of all is language. Being bilingual enhances travel experiences, allowing travelers to connect and network together. Many languages stem from a common ancient language, [...]

Bilinguality enriches cultural perspectives

May 19, 2017

Written by Liza Kolbasov Throughout my whole life, I’ve found myself straddling two continents. Being bilingual, I speak Russian at home and English at school. But having these two languages to juggle comes with more than just more words—it comes with two cultures, two distinct sets of etiquette rules and two constantly changing sets of [...]

13 Reasons Why dangerously glamorizes suicide

May 19, 2017

Written by Stephanie Jackson In late March, the show “13 Reasons Why” was released on Netflix. It is about a high school girl named Hannah Baker who kills herself and the 13 reasons why she did. The producers have stated that this show is attempting to raise suicide awareness. However, the show not only fails to advocate for suicide awareness, [...]

PAUSD and Gunn take steps to narrow achievement gap

March 31, 2017

Written by Cassandra Bond and Caroline Ro In a report released in 2015 from the Minority Achievement and Talent Development Advisory Committee (MATD) to Palo Alto Uni ed School District (PAUSD), historically underrepresented (HUR) students were identified as needing support due to a noticeable achievement gap between them and their peers. PAUSD [...]

Climate change ignorance is irresponsible

March 31, 2017

Written Anyi Cheng and Maya Rapoport Hand-in-hand with a rapid rise in consumerism are elements that perpetuate the deterioration of the planet’s environments at a rate far faster than many voters are aware of. What follows is a dangerously ignorant and passive approach to a global issue—one that will almost certainly result in catastrophic [...]