When Paly students arrived at school this morning, the person they least expected to see on campus was actor James Franco, most famously known for his work in “Spiderman” movies. Little did they know that the former Paly graduate would end up spending his whole day at Paly, observing campus life, taking pictures, and jotting mental notes to help him complete his novel in the works.

As a creative writing major at UCLA, Franco has chosen to write a fictional novel set in the early 1990’s that takes place in Palo Alto as his optional creative thesis. Franco is working with novelist Mona Simpson, sister of Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in the completion of his book.

“I have been working on it [the novel] for almost a year now,” Franco said. “I came back [to Palo Alto] this weekend to write based on my experiences here. I met with some official historians of Palo Alto. Paly is my last destination.”

After walking from class to class, being confronted by adoring fans all the while, Franco seems pleased with how his day spent at Paly turned out overall.

“It was a very productive day being at school, in the actual physical environment of it,” Franco said.

Franco’s schedule for class visits was organized ahead of time with his former English teacher, Mrs. Kaye Paugh. Among the classes he observed today, Franco particularly enjoyed the journalism, history, and English classes that Paly offers.

“I’m very surprised that the academic level of some classes are very high,” Franco said. “I really like seeing students taking responsibility. It’s [Paly] still a very good school as far as I can tell.”

Walking around the Paly campus has also evoked memories from Franco of his days as a teenager here, full of uncertainty and difficulty, but ultimately marked with lessons learned.

“Paly’s a cool place in that it’s still a time when a person is discovering things about himself,” Franco said. “For me, at least, it was a confusing time. I got into a lot of trouble during my first two years, but that helped change some things about my life.”

After today, Franco is headed back to Los Angeles. He plans to begin shooting on location in Louisiana, starting November, for a short film based on the short story Red Leaves by William Faulkner.

Franco also plans to continue his interest in art. He is planning a “large art piece,” which will involve aspects ranging from sculpture to video, and from machine guns to bronze.

“It’s a very big project,” Franco said. “I’m very excited about it, actually.”

Many members in the Paly community have asked Franco to speak at the senior Baccalaureate for the graduating classes of 2008 and 2009. But, Franco has yet to decide whether or not he will pursue the job again.

For now, though, Franco seems to have a strong interest in the importance of communication and expression. Revisiting Paly and using his novel to expose life in Palo Alto has helped him prove this point.

“I had time to process what I went through at Paly, where I made mistakes, why I was successful,” Franco said. “I think that’s a great thing to do; it’s a satisfying, fulfilling thing to do, to be able to share experiences.”