[News] If you’re tired of the construction already, brace yourself—because on Feb. 26, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) Board of Education agreed to support a bond which would allocate approximately $378 million to improve district schools. —Jocelyn Ma
[News] If you thought the drive up Arastradero to reach the Gunn parking lot was bad, try talking to a few teachers about their commutes. Many members of the Gunn faculty live a significant distance from school, and they deal with everything from early alarm clocks to gridlock traffic to get to work on time. —Danielle Edelman
[News] While most students went to their six classes at Gunn, those who participated in Service Day went to six different cities and helped out 11 organizations on Mar. 6. Service Day was started more than ten years ago by Yiaway Yeh, (‘96), who is currently a city council member.—Joyce Liu
[News] Human Relations Commissioners junior Amarelle Hanyecz and senior Molly Babbington have been working since December to produce the first ever handbook written specifically to help ease the transition of new students at Gunn. Hanyecz and Babbington both volunteered to head the project, feeling that it was the perfect job for them as Human Relations Commissioners.—Wen Yi Chin
[News] The second Assassins game, Outbreak: Humans Versus Zombies (Assassins 2) has begun, but under rules modified by senior Gavin Morgan. —
[News] For many senior girls, prom dresses are an assumed expense as the end of the year approaches. But for others, the price of the dress may prevent them from attending altogether.—
[News] On the last Saturday of every April, National Rebuilding Day brings thousands of volunteers together to help rebuild homes and community facilities for low-income families, seniors and the disabled in the Peninsula. —
[News] Massachusetts College of Art—Amarelle Hanyecz
[News] When most students think about drug arrests, they picture police stake-outs, flashing sirens and handcuffs straight out of a Hollywood movie. When students are caught abusing substances in reality, however, the punishment is more often meted out at home than behind bars. —Aurelle Amram & Carissa Ratanaphanyarat
[News] During the middle of February, the student Drug and Alcohol Committee put up posters around campus with facts regarding drug and alcohol use among Gunn students. The posters are part of a project aimed at changing the school’s perception of the number of students who consume drugs and alcohol. —Ryan Tan
[News] The Oracle staff interviews Palo Alto police officer Robert Parham. —Mari Ju
[News] Feb. 26th’s Stressed Out Students (SOS) “assembly” was executed in unique, student-led discussions. The smaller individual assemblies, held in each classroom during B period, were designed to engender an open dialogue between students about enjoying and managing life in high school. —Daniela Reichelstein
[News] On Jan. 14, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) launched a new plan that provides less expensive service and slightly altered bus routes and schedules. —Jeffrey Wang
[Entertainment] Only a mile away from Gunn, Sushi Tomo is located at 4131 El Camino Way. The service is friendly but somewhat slow, which suits the laid-back atmosphere. On regular nights, there are a few tables, as well as a sushi bar, open for seating.—Alicia Zhao
[Features] Midnight calls, nightly prowls and picking up strangers—these aspects may sound like those of a treacherous career, but in fact, are part of a community service program called Safe Ride. —Veronica Polivanaya
[Features] Juniors Adam and Elliot Swart are fraternal twins who come from mixed backgrounds. Their mother, Lalitha, was born and raised in India for seven years before going to England for boarding school, while their father, Garret, grew up in Minnesota. The two later met at Brown University before getting married and having children. —Ryan Tan
[Features] The term “identical twins” is useds for siblings who are created from the same egg with indistinguishable physical traits. The similarities between identical twins, sophomores Kayla and Kelly Shi, however, go beyond mere appearance. —Niki Mata
[Features] Seniors Jimmy and Jessie Hao are not your average twins. Even though they were born on the same day exactly seven minutes apart, they are opposites of each other. —Michelle Fang
[Entertainment] Tired of Jamba Juice and Starbucks? Then try pearl milk tea, also known as boba milk tea or bubble tea, a drink that will satisfy your thirst. Pearl milk tea is made of black tea with milk and chewy balls of tapioca, referred to as “pearls.” According to the Web site “What’s Cooking America”, pearl milk tea originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and is now a “new drink craze.”—Amy Yu
[Features] “You have to take a nice deep breath in and release it when you throw the ball,” Adapted P.E. teacher Selena Hendrix-Smith said encouragingly as she coached junior David Bell to make the perfect shot. Hendrix-Smith wasn’t coaching a player on the varsity basketball team on free throws. She was assisting Bell, who is in a wheelchair, to gently throw a basketball into an empty Rubbermaid trash can two feet away. —Caroline Hodge
[Entertainment] Back in the day, theaters had one screening room and held weekly midnight showings of low-budget flicks. Nowadays, smaller theaters like the Aquarius in Palo Alto are a dying breed. Because they don’t show the latest Hollywood blockbusters, people don’t even consider going to smaller theaters when deciding whether or not to see a movie. It’s a shame because smaller theaters give the true cinematic experience that you won’t find in a regular theater. —Aviel Chang
[Sports] With a new coach, new strategies and intensive practice, the lacrosse team is hoping their new strategies will take them all the way to the Central Coast Section (CCS) championship. —Aurelle Amram
[Entertainment] A magical fairy tale, posed towards older girls, Penelope is definitely out of the ordinary. The film appeals to teenagers by touching on what so many students struggle with during their adolescence. The story begins with a witch chanting a spell on the next daughter born to the Wilhern family; she shall have a pig face until “someone of her own kind” loves her. The mother is off on a hunt for the right man from day one, bringing in every royal suitor in the country. Catherine O’Hara does a great job acting the nervous mother, who only wants the best for her daughter. The distressed anxiety O’Hara portrays as Mrs. Wilhern is very convincing, and a great exaggeration of the stereotypical perfectionist mother.—Danielle Aspitz
[Sports] Students who participate in school sports solely for the purpose of getting a prep are wasteful, foolish and greedy. I constantly hear students say, “I’m doing it just for the prep” as an explanation for their participation in a sport, and it’s time for these people to come to their senses.—Jon Proctor
[Sports] As 2007 CCS and League champion in gymnastics, it is safe to say that senior Miranda Der is a force to be reckoned with. Der has been doing gymnastics for 14 years and training for four hours a day, six days a week.—Alana Alfrey
[Sports] Freshman Cameron Colley may have a humble demeanor, but his skills in Kempo karate should not be underestimated. Colley has been training in Kempo since the age of four and received his black belt at 13 years old. —Bauer Wann
[Entertainment] The great attractions and activities of the seaside city of Monterey are only 90 minutes south of Palo Alto. Some of the top sites include the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, Fisherman’s Wharf, 17 Mile Drive and the National Steinbeck Center.—Beth Holtzman
[Sports] The Oracle staff reveals Gunn sports' most unique team building activities. —Danielle Aspitz & Wen Yi Chin & Veronica Polivanaya
[Entertainment] Located next to the ocean and 30 miles south of San Jose is Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is a fun place to visit for all ages. Beach or Boardwalk? Museum or mall? There’s a fun attraction for everyone.—Anna Luise Zott
[News] Countless Gunn students use social networking sites. But few are fully aware that what they post on the Internet will stay with them for the rest of their life, and that their safety may be in jeopardy. —Libby Craig
[Forum] Drugs and alcohol—nobody can deny the fact that they are present and used by students at Gunn. Maybe you remember filling out a social norms survey about the usage of illegal substances way back in 2006, but what ever happened to those surveys? —Jocelyn Ma
[Forum] It’s been a long day, and it’s not going by any quicker. You step into the Student Activities Center (SAC) and immediately want to step back outside.—Sasha Guttentag
[Forum] When most individuals think of marijuana, they think of a dirty street drug that was popular in the sixties. Medicinal marijuana, however, is a very different case and should be treated as such. —Amarelle Hanyecz
[Forum] It is often disputed whether or not marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes. However, there is little reason to argue due to concrete, scientific evidence of marijuana’s negative side effects. The public is, unfortunately, widely unaware of these facts due to misconceptions about marijuana and its contents. —Sarah-Jean Zubair
[Forum] If the road to ruin is paved with good intentions, then volunteerism is one of the major cobblestones along the way. Trouble brews in the economic and ethical sectors for both giver and receiver. —Ann Abraham
[Forum] Students complain about the ongoing construction and its side effects on a daily basis. Without thinking about the benefits of the construction, students rant out lists of how noisy, dirty and smelly it is. Admittedly, the construction can be all of the aforementioned at times, but before mindlessly whining about how “annoying” and behind schedule it is, students need to reexamine the situation. —
[Forum] Sausage for breakfast, turkey for lunch and steak for dinner. America has become addicted to meat. In the past, meat was a luxury item, but now it has become close to a staple in the American diet, and its detrimental effects are starting to become evident. Eating meat is a poor use of our resources, expensive, harmful to the environment and unhealthy.—Jon Proctor
[Features] Scientists may believe that video games are linked to increased violence and crime, but for the members of the Interscholastic Gaming League (IGL) club, video games are both an outlet for stress reduction and social interaction.—Sophie Cheng
[Features] Youth and Government, a YMCA-run program, gives teenagers the opportunity to increase their political involvement and attend large conventions in places like Sacramento and an isolated military base camp. It is designed to educate high school sophomores, juniors and seniors in California on the principles of a democratic government, and allows students to be a part of a mock senate and participate in mock court trials.—Niki Mata
[News] While many people believe that the softball field is used exclusively for softball, every Thursday the field transforms into a cricket pitch. With more than 20 students attending the weekly lunch meetings, the club is set to catapult itself into the mainstream. —Noah Johnson
[Centerfold] To the hundreds of The Oracle readers, I am hereby outing myself as a victim of ADD. Yes, Attention Deficit Disorder. And it’s not just self-proclaimed either—I have been officially diagnosed with medical ADD, with a doctor’s letter and everything. —Jocelyn Ma
[Centerfold] You thought marijuana was an issue? High school students are now abusing prescription drugs. Teens are getting their hands on pain medicine, stimulants, sedatives and tranquilizers and abusing them to help them focus more, lose weight, get high and have more energy.—Beth Holtzman
[Centerfold] Junior Joe Smith, whose name has been changed to protect his privacy, would be living a very different life today if he didn’t have his Individualized Education Plan (IEP). “If I didn’t have my IEP, I probably would have dropped out and joined a gang,” Smith said. —Joyce Liu
[Centerfold] “Boldly creative?” “Closer to God?” “Magical?” These terms have been associated with the mentally ill. Let’s look at how mental disorders have been regarded and treated throughout history. —Daniela Reichelstein
[Centerfold] The Oracle staff interviewed California-licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Shirley Long to find out how students can stay mentally healthy.—Amy Yu
[News] Students who take classes a second time find themselves 'more prepared,' can 'show mastery' by replacing grades—Danielle Edelman
[Entertainment] My first trip to Miyake's sushi restaurant was a bit nerve-racking because I wasn't sure how much money I needed in order to have a satisfying dinner with my family. However, the food turned out to be excellent for the average sushi eater and well-priced for those on a budget. —Ryan Tan
[Entertainment] If you've got an open mind, wallet and stomach, check out Naomi Sushi and Grill. The cozy atmosphere welcomes all customers with friendly waiters as well as a wide variety of delicious food. —Jeffrey Wang
[Entertainment] Looking for a healthy and interesting meal? Homma's Brown Rice Sushi at 2363 Birch Street offers a great dining experience. —Mari Ju
[Entertainment] As you walk into the building, to your left is the arcade room, with techno lights and loud music emanating from it. Right in front of you is a huge area filled with buttery popcorn, sizzling hot dogs and shelves full of candy. Just from this description, you may know what I'm talking about. Large movie theaters. —Anne Hsiao
[Entertainment] "Your great-uncle was a hero." That's what I grew up hearing. Almost every little kid wants to be associated with bravery and valor, and I–fully prepared to brag about this important piece of information–was no exception. I was taught to tell the truth, though. So I told people that I was the 'great-niece of a counterfeiter.'—Maya Itah
[Entertainment] Although one could take a lengthy trip to watch a live Shakespearean play, the theater department prevented this unnecessary journey with its annual spring show. This year, theater teacher and director Jim Shelby decided to showcase one of Shakespeare's plays, The Winter's Tale.—Alicia Zhao
[Entertainment] Getting to and around San Francisco is very easy. There are many different forms of public transportation, including the CalTrain, Muni, BART, trolleys and public busses. Driving and walking are always options as well. —Alana Alfrey
[Sports] Endurance was a crucial factor in the Titans' low-scoring contest against the Castilleja Gators. The Titans were able to diffuse a late Castilleja rally and hold on for a slim 6-5 victory. —Stephen Salazar
[Sports] "[The baseball team] had a rough start, but we are getting better," junior right fielder Taylor Hopkins said. —Danielle Aspitz
[Sports] Junior takes first in San Francisco international golf tournament—Sasha Guttentag
[Sports] The classroom trembled as three seniors trampled up the noisy ramp to the portable full of unsuspecting French students. They swung the door open, and yelled "JUICE, JUICE, JUICE!" As they fled the scene laughing, their sophomore teammate should have sunk into his chair, beet red. Instead, feeling a surge of camaraderie, he shrugged off the embarrassment with a laugh. —Boris Burkov