The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice
The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice
The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice
News
Standing in the rain, Palo Alto Unified School District staff shout out in support of higher teacher salaries amid district negotiations with the Palo Alto Educators Association. Palo Verde Elementary teacher Hannah Hoagland said that the bargaining teams should consider how to look after teachers when working on negotiations. “If they want to continue to have the best education for our students, we also have to think about our teachers and how we can take care of them so that our teachers can take care of our students,” Hoagland said.
Palo Alto teachers advocate for salary increases
Oscar Varodayan and Mayu Altekar-Okazaki • April 22, 2026

Palo Alto Unified School District teachers are fighting for salary increases amid ongoing negotiations between the Palo Alto Educators Association...

The upcoming special Palo Alto Unified School District board meeting will be held at the district office tonight at 7:30 p.m. Board Vice President Rowena Chiu said she is hoping the district will hire a new superintendent who prioritizes listening to diverse points of view. “Without empathy, we can't get to a place where we can understand each other's point of view and see that what disparate groups think is best for the children in the district might look very different in practice," Chiu said.
Preview: Board to review search firms for new superintendent
Mayu Altekar-Okazaki and Priya Tamura • March 30, 2026

After two recent separations with a superintendent and deputy superintendent, the Palo Alto Unified School District board is set to host a special...

Junior Katya Kuykendall speaks in support of theater teacher Sarah Thermond March 17 at the Palo Alto Unified School District board meeting. According to Kuykendall, Thermond has been a valuable source of stability. “Ms. Thermond is a pillar in Paly Theatre and has given our students the confidence to become internationally recognized performers,” Kuykendall said. “The past two years have been the hardest our community has faced, and Ms. Thermond is our safe adult on campus. … She has anchored us at a time when we are navigating grief, uncertainty, and fear. On behalf of Paly Theatre, we urge you not to further the instability by uprooting our director, teacher and biggest supporter.”
Breaking: Administration reverses decision, reinstating theater teacher
Oscar Varodayan, Jasper Veer Tuteja, and Joyce Ma • March 27, 2026

Drama students at Palo Alto High School are celebrating today after the administration reversed its decision to reassign theater teacher Sarah...

A new mural depicting Palo Alto's rich history painted by Nigel Sussman adorns the side of Pacfic Art League. According to Sussman, the mural reflects the city's history and sense of community. "This mural is a good example of a style of mural that I've developed where it's a place-making mural that tries to tell the story of a specific location," Sussman said.
New murals bring color to downtown Palo Alto
Araina Gupta and Benji Sandel • March 20, 2026

The third mural in a city-funded project to bring public art to the community will finish in late April in downtown Palo Alto. Elise DeMarzo,...

An empty chair in the school board meeting room will be temporarily filled by Herb Espiritu, director of certificated human services, who on Thursday afternoon was promoted to acting superintendent of the Palo Alto Unified School District. Espiritu is the second person to hold that position within a month following two high profile superintendent departures. Superintendent Don Austin "separated" from the district Feb. 20, and his successor, acting Superintendent Trent Bahadursingh, met a similar fate on Tuesday.
Board appoints second acting superintendent this month
Navya Narayanan and Juni Thurston • March 19, 2026

At a special meeting Thursday, the Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint Herb Espiritu, the district’s director of certificated human...

Two pins indicate Iran (green) and Israel (blue) on a globe. Palo Alto High School junior Artin Irani said that his family in Iran hasn't been able to return to a normal day-to-day life since American-Israeli strikes on Iran began on Feb. 28. "They're scared, they can't back to normal," Irani said. "There's so much happening, they don't know what to expect. They're very frightened."
Students with ties to Iran, Israel grapple with war
Juni Thurston and Diego Hakeman • March 19, 2026

For some Palo Alto High School students, the escalating war in Iran isn’t just a distant news story.  Following American-Israeli strikes...

Palo Alto Educators Association members make signs during Tuesday's board meeting to advocate for having their voice heard. Palo Alto High School english teacher Erin Angell said she hopes the upcoming rally draws a crowd comparable to recent district board meetings. “I hope we have as many teachers, students, and families that would like to participate to participate, it's open to anyone, “Angell said. “I would love to see a similar number of people who attended the board meeting last night to show up to the rally.”
Preview: Teachers prepare for upcoming rally
Diego Hakeman and Navya Narayanan • March 18, 2026

Teachers at Palo Alto High School will be gathering on campus tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. to rally for higher pay, calling for an increase in their...

AP Capstone teacher Lucy Filppu and computer science teacher Kathryn Widen hold signs and chant for the board meeting to begin.
Palo Alto educators advocate for transparency, budget changes
Navya Narayanan and Juni Thurston • March 18, 2026

Palo Alto educators are urging for a more transparent school board surrounding leadership and budgets following a contentious school board...

Trending Stories
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Junior Katya Kuykendall speaks in support of theater teacher Sarah Thermond March 17 at the Palo Alto Unified School District board meeting. According to Kuykendall, Thermond has been a valuable source of stability. “Ms. Thermond is a pillar in Paly Theatre and has given our students the confidence to become internationally recognized performers,” Kuykendall said. “The past two years have been the hardest our community has faced, and Ms. Thermond is our safe adult on campus. … She has anchored us at a time when we are navigating grief, uncertainty, and fear. On behalf of Paly Theatre, we urge you not to further the instability by uprooting our director, teacher and biggest supporter.”

Breaking: Administration reverses decision, reinstating theater teacher

2
Palo Alto High School sophomore Jordan Johnsson prepares to sprint at the March 24 Homestead track meet. Johnsson said he was proud to break the 100-meter school record. “Before I went to Paly, I told my siblings my goal was to break a school record by senior year, and I ended up doing it early,” Johnsson said.

Sophomore sprinter breaks records and wins at Arcadia Invitational

3
Standing in the rain, Palo Alto Unified School District staff shout out in support of higher teacher salaries amid district negotiations with the Palo Alto Educators Association. Palo Verde Elementary teacher Hannah Hoagland said that the bargaining teams should consider how to look after teachers when working on negotiations. “If they want to continue to have the best education for our students, we also have to think about our teachers and how we can take care of them so that our teachers can take care of our students,” Hoagland said.

Palo Alto teachers advocate for salary increases

4
Viking senior Nicole Krawczyk gears up for a serve in a tournament March 17 at Palo Alto High School. According to Paly badminton coach Gabriel Fossati-Bellani, Krawczyk is a big asset to the team. “Whenever she plays, she wins,” Fossati-Bellani said. “She is a strong player, and I think any other team would love to have her on the team.”

From burnout to comeback: Krawczyk returns to badminton stronger than ever

5
The upcoming special Palo Alto Unified School District board meeting will be held at the district office tonight at 7:30 p.m. Board Vice President Rowena Chiu said she is hoping the district will hire a new superintendent who prioritizes listening to diverse points of view. “Without empathy, we can't get to a place where we can understand each other's point of view and see that what disparate groups think is best for the children in the district might look very different in practice," Chiu said.

Preview: Board to review search firms for new superintendent

Sports
Palo Alto High School sophomore Jordan Johnsson prepares to sprint at the March 24 Homestead track meet. Johnsson said he was proud to break the 100-meter school record. “Before I went to Paly, I told my siblings my goal was to break a school record by senior year, and I ended up doing it early,” Johnsson said.
Sophomore sprinter breaks records and wins at Arcadia Invitational
Diego Hakeman, Sports & Features Editor • April 15, 2026
In the first set of Wednesday's loss to the Wilcox high School Chargers, Viking sophomore Diego Hakeman spikes a ball past Charger defenders. According to Viking junior libero Ben Kim, the Vikings need to stay consistent. “We lost focus for a lot,” Kim said. “There were a lot of times where we got a good few blocks or kills, and then at the next point, we would shank a ball, or let the ball drop on an easy on an easy down ball.”
Boys volleyball drops to 2nd in league
Andrew Zhao and Kevin O'Brien • April 10, 2026
Viking senior Nicole Krawczyk gears up for a serve in a tournament March 17 at Palo Alto High School. According to Paly badminton coach Gabriel Fossati-Bellani, Krawczyk is a big asset to the team. “Whenever she plays, she wins,” Fossati-Bellani said. “She is a strong player, and I think any other team would love to have her on the team.”
From burnout to comeback: Krawczyk returns to badminton stronger than ever
Jasper Veer Tuteja and Joy Tan • March 30, 2026
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Opinion
This photo was spread widely on social media after America's strike on an Iranian girls school Feb. 28, falsely captioned as showing a failed Iranian missile hitting the school. In reality, this picture was taken in Zanjan, Iran, 808 miles away from the school that was struck, according to an Al Jazeera investigation.
Opinion: In war, wait before you share
Juni Thurston, Editor-in-Chief • March 20, 2026

On the first day of the war in Iran, up to 175 schoolgirls and staff were killed following an American strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh School, an...

From the left, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) and Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), walking around at the knights' tournament at Ashford in "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ delivers surprising success
Kevin O'Brien, Managing Editor, Culture • March 6, 2026

The series “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” produced by showrunner Ira Parker and based on George R.R. Martin's series of best-selling books,...

Culture
The Paly Voice reviews 98th Academy Awards Best Picture nominees
The Paly Voice reviews 98th Academy Awards Best Picture nominees
Lise Concolato, Managing Editor, Engagement • March 15, 2026

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted the 98th Academy Awards (informally known as the Oscars) this Sunday. Here is The Paly...

Elijah "Smoke" Moore (Michael B. Jordan), a former gangster trying to escape injustice, clings to his cousin Sammie Moore (Miles Caton) while seeing a vampire burn from the sunrise, in "Sinners," directed by Ryan Coogler.
‘Sinners’: An exceptional period drama
Alex Chang and Kevin O'Brien • March 15, 2026

“You keep dancing with the devil, one day, he’s going to follow you home.”  Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners," a Southern gothic horror...

The Creature (Jacob Elordi) approaches Elizabeth Harlander (Mia Goth) with a leaf in "Frankenstein" (2025), which has recieved nine nominations, most notably for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Jacob Elordi's portrayal of the Creature.
‘Frankenstein’: Asking who the real monster is
Allison Ma and Sophie Zhang • March 15, 2026

“And thus the heart will break yet brokenly live on.” —Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage As a Royal Danish Navy ship drifts...

Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) raises a paddle to his opponent at the British Open table tennis tournament in "Marty Supreme," which is nominated for nine Oscar awards — including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Leading Actor.
‘Marty Supreme’: Where ambition turns asinine
Sophie Zhang and Juni Thurston • March 15, 2026

A limited-edition '90s-style branded jacket, obnoxious orange ping pong balls and a remix with U.K.-based rapper EsDeeKid. These are only a few...

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