This Friday, as part of the anti-hate week that is taking place at Gunn and Palo Alto High School, a stereotype pool will be set up on the quad.

Students participate in the event during their English period. They will be asked to write a stereotype about a certain group of people on a piece of rice paper. After writing it down, they throw the rice paper into a pool of water that will be set up on the quad. The disintegrating rice paper represents the wish to fade away the issues of race, homophobia and religion.

The rice pool is one of the last events that end the districtwide anti-hate week. The goal is to get students thinking about hate related issues. “I think Gunn students will appreciate the metaphor of dissolving stereotypes and hopefully see the rice paper pool as a symbol of clarity.” Gay-Straight Alliance club advisor Karen Oppenheim said. “The goal is for it to have an effect on students right off the bat.”

Sophomore Naomi Shachter has participated in this event before. “You have to acknowledge your own stereotypes and know that they exist in the community,” Shachter said.

Many clubs are joining forces to accomplish the one goal of terminating hatred. The rice pool is just one of many ways to accomplish this in our school. “It’s definitely powerful for them to write down their stereotypes and get rid of them,” Youth Community Service worker Katie Fernandez said.