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
Kevin O'Brien

Kevin O’Brien, Managing Editor, Culture

Kevin O’Brien (Class of 2026) joined The Paly Voice in his sophomore year. Outside of journalism, he enjoys playing basketball and football.

All content by Kevin O’Brien
Viking senior Oliver Chancellor defends against Lancer junior Andrew Makris in the final quarter versus the Saint Francis high school Lancers Thursday night at home. According to Viking junior Lucas Grodnitzsky, the Vikings need to work on the fundamentals. "We could work on catching and passing, especially on offense," Grodnitzsky said. "The other thing is ground balls. St Francis was a heavy ground ball team, and they took advantage of it and scored a lot."

Boys’ lacrosse defeated by Lancers

Andrew Zhao and Kevin O’Brien
April 21, 2025
Sophomore Lincoln Dixon and Senior Arun Tamura jump up to block against a Milpitas player at home. "We had a lot of consistent hits. We put up good blocks. Definitely, a lot of effort on the defense," Maurstad said. According to Viking sophomore Tiam Maurstad, consistency was key to the Vikings' victory. "We've been struggling to get our serves in, but I think today, we put a lot of pressure on them."

Boys volleyball sweep Trojans

Alex Chang and Kevin O’Brien
March 29, 2025
Ralph Fiennes as "Cardinal Lawrence" the Dean of the College Of Cardinals in "Conclave" which is nominated for eight awards at the 2025 Oscars.

‘Conclave’: Chaos on either side

Kevin O’Brien, Managing Editor, Culture
March 2, 2025
Adrian Brody as "László Tóth" an architect constructing furniture in "The Brutalist." The historical drama is nominated for seven awards at the 2025 Oscars. Photo:A24

‘The Brutalist’: a tale of ambition

Kevin O’Brien, Managing Editor, Culture
March 2, 2025
Viking freshman Sophia Hill rushes past Lynbrook defender, leading to a mid range hook shot in the first quarter of the game. According to Vikings head coach Kevin Blunt, the team did a good job applying offensive pressure. "What we did well was being aggressive and going to the basket, which got some of them in foul trouble," Blunt said.

Girls’ basketball overpowered by Lynbrook

Andrew Zhao and Kevin O’Brien
December 19, 2024
Viking junior Cassie Gracon chases down a ball against a Bear midfielder Thursday night at Palo Alto High School. The fast-paced game ending in 2-2 tie marked an improvement from their early season loss for the Vikings. Vikings’ head coach Jeremy Romero said they had much ambition for the season. "Our goals in the league is to win it. To win it."

Girl’s soccer ties Bears

Alex Chang and Kevin O’Brien
December 18, 2024
Viking freshman guard Abigail Neumann scores a layup against the James Lick Comets during the first quarter of the game at Palo Alto high school. According to Neumann, offensive consistency was paramount to the Viking's victory. "We ran our plays all the way through, and were really consistent on offense, scoring throughout the entirety of the game," Neumann said.

Girls’ basketball blows out Comets

Kevin O’Brien and Andrew Zhao
December 12, 2024
Viking sophomore and outside hitter Maura Hambly returns the ball during the second set of the Vikings' 3-1 victory over the Los Altos Eagles. According to Eagles senior setter Sophia Costa, the Eagles focused on never giving up. "Our mindset was probably just to get as many points as possible, and play our hardest no matter how big the point different is," Costa said.

Vikings triumph over Eagles on Senior Night

Andrew Zhao and Kevin O’Brien
November 1, 2024
Chris Colohan is running for PAUSD school board. According to Colohan, many campaigns for school board are looking for interns. "Many of the campaigns are happy to hire interns," Colohan said. "So if you find a candidate who really resonates with you, just ask them, hey, are you looking for interns?"

Board candidate Colohan connects with students directly

Kevin O’Brien and Andrew Zhao
October 29, 2024
Juniors struggle to pass the water in the water bucket challenge during a Tuesday rally at Palo Alto High School. According to junior Ginwalla, the juniors had a lot of confidence heading into the lunch rally. "I'm super confident, we got this in the bag," Ginwalla said.

Seniors dominate second lunch rally with water buckets, donuts

Andrew Zhao and Kevin O’Brien
October 16, 2024
The Palo Alto Cheer Team celebrates after a victory at an away-football game. On the right, new cheer coach Helene Gurewitz flashes a smile and encourages her team to put up victory signs. According to Gurewitz, she looks forward to applying her experience in leading the team to additional victories. “I’ve been a cheerleader since I was a freshman in high school, so almost 10 years ago," Gurewitz said. "Then I moved on to cheer in college at Berkeley, and now I am currently a part of Cheer San Francisco. We’re a charitable cheer organization in the Bay Area.”

Cheer team enters season with new coach 

Alex Chang and Kevin O’Brien
September 17, 2024
Verbatim: Student opinions on Election Day

Verbatim: Student opinions on Election Day

Kevin O’Brien and Alex Chang
September 17, 2024
Senior middle blocker Naama Green defends against University Devil's outside hitter Lilian Bongiorno in the Vikings' third match of the season at home, where the Vikings won 3-0. According to Green, improving after the first set helped the Vikings win the match. "What I think we did well was not letting the first set affect us for the other sets by bringing that energy, and fighting to get a lead and win the game," Green said.

Girls volleyball sweeps Devils

Andrew Zhao and Kevin O’Brien
September 10, 2024
Viking junior defender Max Newman pokes at Bear sophomore Attacker Carey Wolf in the Vikings' second match against the Menlo Atherton High School Bears. According to Viking head coach Ed Hattler, the Vikings are working on building up a love for the sport. "We're trying to build the culture, we're trying to build the level of play," Hattler said. "We're trying to get younger guys in and excited about lacrosse."

Vikings suffer second loss to Bears

Kevin O’Brien and Andrew Zhao
May 8, 2024
Viking infielder senior Ari Smolar-Eisenberg prepares to swing in a Viking Victory against the Gunn Titans at home on March 20. According to Palo Alto High School assistant varsity coach Mason Burke, the Vikings' victory was a reflection of their confident mindset. "It was the attitude, just the confidence to go up to any battle and just bring their best to every game and every practice," Burke said.

Vikings blow out Titans in rivalry match

Joy Tan and Kevin O’Brien
April 22, 2024
Verbatim: Student reactions to 2024 March Madness

Verbatim: Student reactions to 2024 March Madness

Kevin O’Brien and Andrew Zhao
April 11, 2024
Eagle senior outside hitter Aidan Cuppett hits a deadly serve in the first set between the Vikings and the Los Altos High School Eagles. The Vikings were unable to defend against the Eagles' outside hitters leading to a 3-0 defeat. According to Cuppett, his offense as well as the communication between the Eagles helped them pull off this victory. "I think my attacking was pretty good, but also just like communicating with some of the teammates on like, what they need to do is pretty good," Cuppett said.

Eagles sweep Vikings in boys’ volleyball

Kevin O’Brien and Andrew Zhao
April 4, 2024
Viking junior Henry Harding throws a pitch Friday in the Vikings’ second game of the year against the Los Altos High School Eagles. Despite a strong finish, the Vikings weren’t able to close the gap, leading to a 3-12 loss to the Los Altos High School Eagles. According to the Eagles head coach Gabriel Stewart, the game against the Vikings the day before helped the Eagles mentally prepare. "I told the guys, you have to be prepared because they're a great team," Stewart said. "They're gonna be fiery, and you have to match their intensity. And luckily today we did."(Photo: Andrew Zhao)

Viking baseball shut down by Eagles

Kevin O’Brien and Andrew Zhao
March 19, 2024
Viking sophomore Charlotte Barclay defends against Carlmont High School Scots player in the Vikings' fifth game of the season. Despite a rocky start to their season, the Vikings played strong, winning 19-10 over the Carlmont High School Scots. According to Viking sophomore Natalie Dymmel, she loved the intensity and the confident mindset of the Vikings. "I definitely love the drive and the energy. They're also supportive even if we lose the ball,"Dymmel said. "They're cheering you on, even from the sidelines, you can hear them from across the field." (Photo: Andrew Zhao)

Vikings girls’ lacrosse gains first victory of season over Scots

Kevin O’Brien and Andrew Zhao
March 14, 2024
Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler) in 'Dune: Part Two.'(Photo: Warner Bros)

‘Dune: Part 2’: Modern take on a classic sci-fi story

Evan Chien and Kevin O’Brien
March 13, 2024
Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious Ellison (commonly referred to as Monk) walking on the beach at the family vacation house in "American Fiction." (Photo:Orion Pictures)

‘American Fiction’ delivers prickly satire on race

Kevin O’Brien, Managing Editor, Culture
March 10, 2024
With the score tied up midway through the fourth quarter, Viking junior point guard Gavin Haase scores a shot over a Ripon High School Indian during a game Tuesday at home. After a tough first half, the Palo Alto Viking boys’ basketball team made a comeback win against Ripion High School to advance to the second round of the California Interscholastic Federation State Boys Basketball Championships. According to Viking Head Coach Jeff LaMere, this team has worked hard to lead up to these moments. “To compete in the state tournament is incredibly gratifying,” LaMere said. “It's a dream come true as a player and a coach. That's what these programs strive for.” (Photo: Andrew Zhao)

Vikings narrowly defeat Indians in first round of CIF State Championships

Andrew Zhao and Kevin O’Brien
February 29, 2024
Palo Alto High School Viking senior Alaap Nair defends against a Carlmont High School Scots player during its first Central Coast Section single elimination game on Tuesday. The Vikings won 59-52 against the Scots in a tight game with a combined total of 20 3-pointers. Vikings coach Jeff LaMere said the Vikings played a consistent game and were able to keep the intensity up through the critical match. “We want to be energy givers, not energy takers,” LaMere said. “Regardless of how many minutes you're playing, whatever you're doing, you're on the bench or in the game, be an energy giver.” (Photo: Andrew Zhao)

Vikings defeat Scots in CCS quarterfinals

Kevin O’Brien and Andrew Zhao
February 21, 2024
Palo Alto High School Viking junior point guard Gavin Haase attempts a layup while two Henry M. Gunn High School Titans try to block the shot Saturday night during the second crosstown rivalry match on Saturday night. The Vikings narrowly lost to the Titans, 63-65, after the game extended to overtime following a fourth quarter comeback by the Vikings. According to Viking senior shooting guard Riley Yuen, although the Vikings gained momentum from the comeback, they were unable to secure a win in the closing moments of the game. “We felt really confident going overtime,” Yuen said. “We knew we would have to lock in on defense. We had our chances on offense, but we missed too many open hoops.” (Photo: Maxwell Zhang)

Vikings fall to crosstown rivals in harrowing overtime

Kevin O’Brien and Maxwell Zhang
February 7, 2024
Palo Alto High School Viking shooting guard Riley Yuen dribbles toward the hoop while the Mountain View High School Spartans prepare their defense Thursday night at a league match at home. The Vikings narrowly beat the Spartans, 45-43, following a 3-pointer by Yuen in the final seconds of the match. According to Viking head coach Jeff LaMere, the slow pace of the game made each defensive and offensive opportunity much more important for the outcome of the game. “The game was played at a slower pace, so possessions were a bit longer,” LaMere said. ‘It really was a possession-by-possession ballgame. In a game like this, every basket counts and every aspect is extremely important.” (Photo: Maxwell Zhang)

Vikings defeat Spartans with last-minute shot

Kevin O’Brien and Maxwell Zhang
January 20, 2024
Palo Alto High School Viking junior small forward Jorell Clark attempts a layup while two Henry M. Gunn High School Titan defenders attempt to block the shot Saturday night during a crosstown rivalry match. The Vikings edged out the Titans, 62-57, in a game that nearly saw a comeback by the Titans in the fourth quarter. According to Vikings head coach Jeff LaMere, the team’s effort in their practices leading up to this game really showed in their performance. “Our guys really played hard,” LaMere said. “Hats off to Gunn [the Titans] because that was a great high school basketball game. They have very good players who can make tough shots.”

Vikings narrowly defeat Titans in first rivalry match

Maxwell Zhang and Kevin O’Brien
January 16, 2024
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