It’s a seemingly innocuous little thing—beady black eyes, downy brown fur, a mere button of a nose. Yet this bear plushie, dubbed Cocoa, has been instrumental in senior Kyra Xue’s back-to-back victories in Gunn’s annual Elimination competition. “It’s my lucky bear,” Xue said. “I’m definitely...

As a young kid, Wellness Outreach Worker Rosie (roh-z) Castillo scanned the Disneyland keychains to find her name. But even the happiest place on earth didn’t have a keychain for her. This small yet simple incident is a shared experience among many. A name is much more than a word. It not only is...

There has long been a debate over whether or not there is a place for offensive language in academia. While some argue that racial slurs should be left uncensored in academic settings, doing so perpetuates harmful attitudes toward race, causes students to misunderstand the significance of the language...

The Holocaust was a systematic extermination of 6 million Jews and other minority groups by the Nazi regime during World War II. The persecution started in 1933 when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. The genocide was committed through a network of concentration camps, death camps and ghettos. Jews—as...

In classic ’90s romantic comedies, typical “meet-cutes” include encountering someone in a cafe, dropping books in a hallway in front of the love interest or literally running into them on the street. Today, establishing first contact with a potential partner can be as simple as swiping right on...

From 6 a.m. to late in the evening, an essential team of custodians works tirelessly to keep the campus clean and running. The team splits up into night shifts and day shifts. Head Custodian Luciano Hernandez’s workday starts at 3 p.m. “The first order of the day is making sure that if anybody called...

Being home to some of the most romantic countries in the world, it’s no wonder that the celebration of love on Valentine’s Day has spread throughout Europe. While some European celebrations closely emulate the holiday’s culture in the U.S., others have also taken on their own unique interpretations...

Holocaust Remembrance Day serves as a day for people to remember the victims of the Holocaust and to educate themselves about its history. In Palo Alto, the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center (OFJCC) hosts community events to observe the day, which feature stories told by descendants of Holocaust...

The Student Executive Council (SEC) and Student Equity Committee are hosting a variety of Black History Month events to teach students and staff more about Black history and culture. Black History Month celebrates the accomplishments and struggles of African Americans throughout United States (U.S.)...

On Sept. 29, 2022, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2596 into law, recognizing Lunar New Year as an official state holiday. Although students and teachers in Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) have not been affected by the bill, its passage—and its juxtaposition with several...