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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

Palo Alto High School Principal Brent Kline speaks to The Paly Voice on Tuesday afternoon about his decision to offer Multivariable Calculus at Paly as a Foothill College class next year. According to Kline, MVC should be taught by a college professor. “It's a college-level course,” Kline said. “I think it should be taught by a college professor who has that experience, who understands the expectations of this course.”
Principal committed to multivariable college course on campus
Mayu Altekar-Okazaki and Priya Tamura December 9, 2025

Palo Alto High School Principal Brent Kline plans to offer Multivariable Calculus as a Foothill College class — and not a district course —...

Cinematographer Bella Graves and producer Adam Dietrich speak to Incubator and The Paly Voice students about their "Rabbit Hole" documentary yesterday in the Media Arts Center. According to Dietrich, the years-long production process of documentary filmmaking requires sustained commitment from creators who must dedicate themselves deeply to a single story over time. "For a documentary, because it’s different from a written piece for a newspaper, you have to live with your story for years," Dietrich said. "Really good documentaries can take decades to make. You have to be ‘obsessed’ with your topic.”
Preview: ‘Rabbit Hole’ brings global fight for free information to the MAC
Navya Narayanan, News Editor, Webmaster • December 5, 2025

The still-incomplete documentary “Rabbit Hole,” which examines Wikipedia’s growing censorship and political pressure, will be presented...

Junior class president Kai Bunger-Tang holds the Jin ramen for the social today. Bunger-Tang said cold weather was one of the reasons they decided to have the ramen social. "We decided to host the ramen social this semester since it's a nice food to enjoy in cold weather," Bunger-Tang said.
Preview: Juniors prepare for ramen social
Mayu Altekar-Okazaki and Julia Nunes December 5, 2025

The Palo Alto High School junior class council will host a ramen social with arts and crafts today after school in the student center, aiming...

Shoppers rush toward the exits at Westfield Valley Fair on Black Friday after police responded to a shooting that wounded three people and sent the mall into lockdown and evacuation. According to sophomore Maya Rajgopal,  the experience changed how safe she feels in public spaces. “That one day made me realize anything can happen at any time to make you feel unsafe,” she said.
Students rethink safety after Valley Fair shooting
Julia Nunes, Reporter • December 3, 2025

Shoppers rushed toward the exits at Westfield Valley Fair on Black Friday after police responded to reports of a shooting inside the mall, prompting...

The Palo Alto Unified School District board reviews new parcel tax renewal polling data at a school board meeting on Nov. 4. School Board member Allison Kamhi said she could foresee a shortened renewal timeline --- a period less than the current 7-year cycle --- if property and enrollment trends dramatically change.

“What I was finding interesting about it [the parcel tax] was this idea of putting it back before voters, if indeed, we find ourselves in a situation with drastically increasing property taxes and drastically decreasing enrollment,” Kamhi said. “But I am not convinced that we need that, given the polling and given the clear consensus that this is the right thing to do.”
PAUSD considers renewal of $16.5 million parcel tax
Priya Tamura and Mayu Altekar-Okazaki November 18, 2025

The Palo Alto Unified School District School Board members are directing staff to draft a possible renewal of the district’s parcel tax, which...

“I’ve been waiting for this moment,” Palo Alto High School senior and first-time voter Xander Yap said, as he placed his ballot in a drop box on Election Day, marking a milestone in his civic engagement.
Students weigh stakes, readiness as they approach the ballot
Arjun Jindal, Reporter/Photographer • November 6, 2025

As key issues like redistricting and a proposed sales tax shape this fall’s ballot, Palo Alto High School seniors are stepping into civic life,...

Palo Alto High School alumnus Tess Manjarrez speaks to the crowd last Tuesday at The Palo Alto Art Center during the Youth Mental Health & Allcove Community Meeting as Santa Clara County District supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga looks on from the front row. Manjarrez said Allcove plays a critical role in supporting students with mental health needs in the community. “I don’t think there was anyone at Paly or Gunn that was more than 2 degrees separated from someone who took their own life,” Manjarrez said. “It’s part of the culture. It twists you.”
County budget crisis threatens youth mental health center allcove
Joyce Ma and Priya Tamura November 4, 2025

Community members gathered to brainstorm how allcove can remain as an accessible youth mental health resource last Tuesday evening at the Palo...

A protester in a chicken suit wearing a taco hat with the words “Cluck Trump” at the “No Kings” Democracy Fair in Palo Alto on Saturday. Protestor Mary Chan said she and her husband are horrified at the state of science and medicine in America. “What he [Trump] is doing by defunding scientific research is destroying our academic medical centers, and he’s [Trump] bankrupting rural medical centers,” Chan said. “We will have lasting negative impacts on American health for decades.”
‘No Kings’ Democracy Fair brings community together
Joyce Ma and Jeshurun Wang October 20, 2025

Organizers of the “No Kings” protest and Democracy Fair in Palo Alto over the weekend say they are pleased with the thousands of people who...

Tone
Viking sophomore Reed Hoffman stands over his opponent during the fifth match of the team’s first dual meet of the season on Thursday at home. According to Hoffman, starting the season with a strong performance was a key goal. “It's good I come out at the beginning of the season with a win off the bat, and especially in a dominant way," Hoffman said. "It really sets me up to continue that pace.”
Vikings boys’ wrestling dominate Lynbrook in season opener
Henry Germain, Reporter • December 9, 2025
Viking senior Kevin O’ Brien scores a layup in the second quarter of the game between the Palo Alto High School Vikings and the Overfelt High School Royals Friday night at home. According to Viking head coach Jeff LaMere, the Vikings' offense has been improving. "We've really been working on offensive execution, and I thought we ran offense a lot better tonight,” LaMere said. “We had some good screening, and we hit inside."
Boys basketball blows out Royals
Alex Chang and Andrew Zhao December 9, 2025
Palo Alto midfielder James Park captures ball from opposing defender for the Vikings in a league-victory over the Fremont Firebirds last season, 3-1. According to Viking junior Rohan Bhatt,  the Vikings have new players who can help them make a run. “I’m feeling good about this upcoming season,” Bhatt said. “We have a couple of new players and we’re eager to keep our success from last season going.”
Preview: Boys soccer on a mission with new players
Kevin O'Brien and Chapin Walker December 7, 2025
From the left, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster) and Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) in "Zootopia 2."
“Zootopia 2”: More fun and chaos in the animal world
Andrew Zhao, Kevin O'Brien, and Julia Curtis December 8, 2025

From betrayal to troubled relationships, "Zootopia 2"crams it all into another joke-filled, fast-paced thrill ride. As the sequel to Disney's...

Verbatim: Students respond to Musk’s proposal for Tesla Diner in Palo Alto
Verbatim: Students respond to Musk’s proposal for Tesla Diner in Palo Alto
Amily Zhang and Alexander Lawson November 17, 2025

A new Tesla Diner location could be coming to Palo Alto, according to a recent post on X from Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO. Musk wrote on Oct. 31...

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) quarrel after Glinda gives Nessa's ruby slippers to Dorothy, sparking Elphaba's furious reaction in "Wicked: For Good."
Does ‘Wicked: For Good’ change audiences for the better?
Cailey Quita and Julia Curtis December 2, 2025

After a year of anticipation following the cliffhanger ending of the first "Wicked" film, "Wicked: For Good" finally premiered in theaters over...

Palo Alto High School's color-coordinated a capella group, The Heartbeats, performs a rendition of a  medley from the iconic movie series, Pitch Perfect. They, with three other Paly groups, worked with the movie's arranger — Deke Sharon, on Thursday. Heartbeats senior Simone Batra thought the experience helped her grow musically. "When we worked with Deke, he taught us how to blend so many different aspects of music into one," Batra said.
Pitch Perfect at Paly: Deke Sharon a cappella masterclass
Julia Curtis, Reporter • October 13, 2025

Stage lights blinding, microphone in hand, anxiously trying to remember the choreography, we sang each chord as precisely as possible to impress...

Customers are served hot pot in Tasty Pot's modern, spacious interior. According to Manager Suang, the efficiency in their kitchen makes it good choice for people who come in and have a limited time to eat. “Some people are at school, or at work, and they come over during lunchtime; they only have a limited time, and we can make it very fast for them," Suang said.
Review: Tasty Pot spices up the block
Naomi Espinoza and Lise Concolato September 22, 2025

Featuring steaming soup, spicy kimchi and fried tempura, Tasty Pot, a new Taiwanese restaurant, brings specialty hot pot to downtown Palo Alto,...

This is the view students see as they step out of their high school classes at Foothill College, where Palo Alto Middle College High School is based. The campus offers a peaceful setting that contrasts with the pace of traditional high school. According to Lily-Rose Cheung, PAMC sophomore, her school's flexibility is one of its biggest draws. “I love that I can pick afternoon high‑school classes because I’m not a morning person, and choose all‑online college courses when I’m traveling,” Cheung said.
Students reflect on transition to new campus
Lise Concolato and Mayu Altekar-Okazaki May 15, 2025

At Palo Alto Middle College High School, located on the Foothill College campus, students blend high school classes with college coursework,...