Centennial celebration continues with historical reenactment march

Eric Bo-Han Yap and Dylan Fu

The next in the series of events scheduled to commemorate Palo Alto High School campus’ centennial anniversary — a historical reenactment followed by a celebration — will occur today at 1 p.m. 

The event is a reenactment of the 1918 opening day of the Paly campus, when students, faculty and dignitaries marched from the previous campus to the current campus.

The march will start at the old Paly campus location near Channing House and end at the newly named Centennial Plaza, which is located in front of the Performing Arts Center, according to the centennial webpage.

“We want them [students] to be involved, we want them to have ownership and we want them to learn about the history of our school,”said Mary Ellen Bena, a coordinator of the event.

After the march will be a centennial celebration in the Performing Arts Center. The program will include performances from the Paly band and the Palo Alto Festival Choir. Notable attendees include a number of Paly alumni, including Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, State Assemblyman Marc Berman and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian.

Accompanying the main march event is a list of programs including a Paly theater and choir production as well as numerous showcases of prominent contributors to the school’s beginnings and success.

The events have been scheduled throughout the school year by the Paly Centennial Committee, which consists of Paly faculty, alumni and community volunteers.

The committee has also planned a 100th birthday celebration of The Campanile, Paly’s student newspaper, as well as a centennial gala at the Lucie Stern ballroom.

Both The Campanile’s birthday celebration and the gala will take place on March 23. The birthday celebration will be open to the public while the gala is a ticketed event.

More information about the events planned for the centennial celebration can be found at http://paly.net/centennial.