Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Body image comments over holidays affect well-being

Body image comments over holidays affect well-being

Victor Dang, News Editor December 12, 2022

Unwanted comments about one’s weight or appearance are certainly not limited to the holidays, but inevitably become more common as rarely-seen relatives all meet up for family reunions during winter break. Even if these statements don’t mean to put someone on the spot, they can enormously affect...

New hobby

New hobby

Becca Wu, In-Depth Editor December 6, 2022

Long breaks from school are great opportunities to focus your energies on pursuits that you’re too busy for during the semester. How could you possibly learn how to knit when you have a long essay question or a vocab go-around to prepare for? Thus, this winter break, take time to learn a new hobby,...

Romanticizing holidays creates unrealistic expectations

Romanticizing holidays creates unrealistic expectations

Michelle Koo and Carly Liao December 2, 2022

Twinkling Christmas lights, snow-capped landscapes, crackling fireplaces and the whistle of a Christmas carol through the air a classic holiday film opening. Packed with joy and nostalgia, the holidays are believed to be full of family traditions, romantic confessions and friendship. Media and pop culture...

Trick-or-Treating As Teens Is Acceptable

Trick-or-Treating As Teens Is Acceptable

Sophia Stern, Business Manager, Social Media Editor October 22, 2021

Once we start growing up, we start to wonder about the right way to spend Halloween. After years of trick-or-treating, teens start to ask, “Are we too old for this?” There is no right age to stop trick-or-treating. Even if it can feel like you’re out of place walking down the streets of your...

Gathering on Zoom helps families stay connected

Gathering on Zoom helps families stay connected

Jessica Wang, Editor-in-Chief February 18, 2021

Every other Thanksgiving, the doors of my house open to more than twenty relatives and family friends: lounging at the extended dining room table, perching on chairs and folding tables and commenting on the delicious cream puffs. For one brief night, the house swells with the music of conversation...

How to enjoy your Palo Alto winter

How to enjoy your Palo Alto winter

Liza Kolbasov, Editor-in-Chief December 10, 2019

For many, the word “winter” conjures up romantic images of swirling snowflakes, frosty windows, laughter over lopsided snowmen, attacking siblings with snowballs and the exhilaration of skiing down a hill. Yet, Palo Alto’s conspicuous lack of snow renders many of these traditional activities...

Graphic by Shannon Lin and Audrey Tseng

Parents should not lie about Santa

Jessica Wang, Editor-in-Chief December 6, 2019
At last, we can look forward to the holidays, bringing with them twinkling strung-up lights, cookies warm from the oven, festive garlands twined around every pole and, for some reason, old fat men with fake white beards.

Josh Mei: Christmas

Sophia Stern, Business Manager, Social Media Editor December 6, 2019

When most Americans think of Christmas, they associate it with gift-giving and characters like Santa Claus or Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, but for senior Joshua Mei, the true essence of Christmas is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s life.  Mei does not celebrate Christmas in the consumerism...

Holiday marketing tactics explained

Holiday marketing tactics explained

Andrew Zhao, Online Editor December 7, 2018

When thinking of the holidays, we usually think of festivities, happiness and relaxation. However, many businesses interpret this time of the year as an opportunity to rake in cash. In fact, many companies plan around the holidays, employing various tactics to convince you to cough up your money. To...

Gingerbread serves as delicious holiday treat: yes

Gingerbread serves as delicious holiday treat: yes

gtramack December 8, 2017

Written by Grace Tramack You walk into your kitchen, and a sweet holiday scent fills your nose. Peeping into the hot oven, your delicious baked goods are perfectly golden-brown and welcome you into the warmth of your home, making you forget about the freezing temperatures or dreary days of the looming...

Gingerbread serves as a delicious holiday treat

Gingerbread serves as a delicious holiday treat

stephybjackson December 8, 2017

Written by: Stephy Jackson While the holiday season is one of the most wonderful times of the year, our society has ruined it with the over-glorified tradition of gingerbread. Gingerbread is a tradition during the holidays, not because it tastes good or looks amazing, but only because we have been...

Students celebrate Thanksgiving with unique traditions: junior Karly Hou

Students celebrate Thanksgiving with unique traditions: junior Karly Hou

lizakolbasov November 9, 2017

Written by Liza Kolbasov Thanksgiving fun can be expressed in many different forms. For junior Karly Hou, Thanksgiving comes with a traditional get-together with family and friends involving Chinese food and Nerf gun fights. “All the families always gather together, eat Chinese food, sing songs...

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