The Advanced Authentic Research course offered at Palo Alto High School held its first celebratory showcase featuring students’ year-long research projects last Tuesday evening in the Media Arts Center.

According to AAR teacher Erin Angell, the event was a success.

“I thought the showcase was really great and culminating event that represents what AAR is,” Angell said.

Both Paly and Gunn High School students presented their projects to parents and mentors alike in a gallery walk through the venue.

“Initially, I didn’t think that the MAC would be big enough to fit everybody,” sophomore Ronald Or said. “The setup of the gallery made it easy to also look at other people’s projects.

According to sophomore AAR student Kavi Gill, the course focuses on helping students create a research project on a topic that they are interested in.

“I had always been interested in artificial intelligence, and AAR gave me the opportunity to research more about it and learn from someone in that field,” sophomore Kavi Gill said.

Earlier this year, the district’s AAR Program won the Hoffmann Award presented by the Santa Clara County School Boards Association.

The award honors Glenn W. Hoffmann, who served as the superintendent of Santa Clara County schools from 1967 to 1984, and believed that leadership is a key factor in educational reform.