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

Jennifer Gao: U.S. Naval Academy

Jennifer Gao: U.S. Naval Academy

James Huang, Reporter February 11, 2022

Out of the 20 million Americans enrolled in an undergraduate college in the fall of 2021, only 16,000 attended the U.S. Naval Academy, according to Statista. Gunn alumna Jennifer Gao is one of them. While Gao spent most of high school playing water polo and writing for The Oracle, she discovered...

Photo illustration by Shannon Lin and Oren Schube

Leaving teachers share memories, advice for students: Kathy Hawes

Jennifer Gao, Managing Editor May 17, 2019

Kathy Hawes has been a cherished math teacher since 1991, and will be leaving for Washington, D.C. with her husband at the conclusion of the 2018-19 school year, where she will continue teaching at Georgetown day school. Hawes is relocating to Washington, D.C. for the span of one year due to her...

Tattoos serve as outlet for displaying creativity, personality - Ashley Stahmer

Tattoos serve as outlet for displaying creativity, personality – Ashley Stahmer

Jennifer Gao, Managing Editor March 29, 2019

After browsing scores of Pinterest boards for tattoo ideas, senior Ashley Stahmer made a monumental decision that she had been dreaming of since her freshman year. For her 18th birthday last November, Stahmer visited Players Ink in San Jose and received her first tattoo: an off-centered, black...

Bay area stereotypes promote inaccurate generalizations

Bay area stereotypes promote inaccurate generalizations

Jennifer Gao, Managing Editor March 6, 2019

For decades, Silicon Valley has been universally recognized as the heart of technology and innovation. The establishment of a booming tech industry has cultivated a culture that has distinguished the South Bay from its surrounding counties and drawn the attention of those around the world. Media coverage...

Skiers pursue powdery passions: William ODonnell

Skiers pursue powdery passions: William O’Donnell

February 1, 2019

For many seniors, the college application season coincides with and hampers many of their favorite pastimes—skiing, in William O’Donnell’s case. O’Donnell hasn’t been able to partake as much in this ski season but found time to visit Tahoe and ski at Northstar during the entirety of winter...

Skiers pursue powdery passions: Patrick Gersh

Skiers pursue powdery passions: Patrick Gersh

Jennifer Gao, Managing Editor February 1, 2019

Six feet of fresh, sparkling snow has fallen and blanketed Squaw Valley, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, in the past week. For senior Patrick Gersh, taking advantage of the soft snow covering the steep, groomed slopes of the Squaw Valley Ski Resort has been at the top of his to-do list...

Skiers pursue powdery passions on Tahoe slopes: Erica Marghescu

Skiers pursue powdery passions on Tahoe slopes: Erica Marghescu

Jennifer Gao, Managing Editor February 1, 2019

Overlooking the sapphire shores of Lake Tahoe resides junior Erica Marghescu’s second home: a waterfront house neighboring the Heavenly Mountain Resort. Throughout the year, Marghescu and her family can often be found driving up to South Lake Tahoe to ski and enjoy the stunning views and local...

Sports boosters aims to maximize athletic experience

Sports boosters aims to maximize athletic experience

Jennifer Gao and Joshua Yang December 7, 2018

Gunn Sports Boosters, a nonprofit organization formed collaboratively by parents, coaches and community members, provides much of the financial support for Gunn Athletics. Throughout the course of each year, Sports Boosters handles hundreds of thousands of dollars. “The amount of money that...

Palo Alto community bonds over Bol park donkeys

Palo Alto community bonds over Bol park donkeys

Jennifer Gao, Managing Editor December 7, 2018

Along the winding bike path leading out from campus and past the baseball fields, the Veterans Hospital and the old wooden bridge, there lies a one-acre pasture that houses two Palo Altan icons: the Bol Park donkeys. Perry and Jenny, along with their caretakers, have become an integral part...

graphic by Jocelyn Wang

Quick stops provide caffeine kicks

Jennifer Gao, Managing Editor November 9, 2018

Baron Barista: Waiting in line to order an iced vanilla latte, I looked around and took in the white industrial walls that were complemented by slender black pipes and a minimalistic interior design. The shop was spacious and well-lit, with plenty of space to work. The clean, modern atmosphere also...

Back to nature: Alain escapes from everyday stress

October 9, 2018

The Oracle: Why do you like to backpack? Alain Saal-Dalma: It allows me to realize how much I use that I simply don’t need to. It is amazing to go from surviving solely on things that I can fit on my back to my normal life and realizing that there are so many superfluous things that make...

Quality of Hydro Flasks lives up to their price tag

Quality of Hydro Flasks lives up to their price tag

September 7, 2018

Written by Jennifer Gao Although I occasionally get flamed for being a Hydro Flask bandwagoner and for buying such a stupidly expensive bottle, the benefits of owning one far outweigh its shortcomings. The moment I took a swig out of my teammate’s orange Hydro Flask during the start of...

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