Sophia Yang (Class of 2024) joined The Voice her sophomore year and enjoys running, hiking, and spending long afternoons reading.
![Following three years as Student Activities Director, Palo Alto High School teacher Steven Gallagher is stepping down from the position and will be helping current dance teacher Alyssa Bond to step into the position. According to Gallagher, he enjoyed the collaborative aspect as well as seeing students grow throughout the process. “I really liked working with all students in this type of atmosphere as opposed to an academic atmosphere,” Gallagher said. “That was really rewarding, especially after Spirit Week, when a lot of the students were like ‘I don't know how we're going to do this [plan Spirit Week],’ and then at the end, they end up doing it successfully.”](https://palyvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/364A6531-1200x800.jpg)
![Junior Justun Kim reads during the weekly designated independent reading time in teacher Melissa Laptalo's AP Language and Composition class. After much deliberation, the AP Language team is using a new system of grading coined as 'ungrading' that does not give assignments letter or number grades. According to teacher Alanna Williamson, the new system is designed to change students’ focus from just earning points to thinking about learning and growing. “It's a completely different way to reframe your thinking about your grade,” Williamson said. “It [the previous grading system] was very quantitative and this ‘Ungrading’ format makes you think about your skills on a qualitative level and how you're improving ... not how many points you need.” (Photo: Carissa Tsui)](https://palyvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IMG_3764-1200x800.jpg)
![Palo Alto High School's Associated Student Body hosted the first ever Town Hall, an event where students had the opportunity to provide feedback to student representatives about different aspects of school life, from advisory curriculum to mental well-being. According to Seah, the diversity of the participants was crucial towards ensuring the quality of the discussions. “Even just having a good array [of participants] can help to represent students and bring really thoughtful feedback,” Seah said. “I think it will be super helpful in implementing the next steps, whether it be an advisory curriculum, the Wellness Center, or just general school [issues].” (Photo: Paly ASB Website)](https://palyvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/20221110_130124-900x675.jpg)
![The senior class of 2022 cheers after they get a trivia question correct. Associated Student Body Director Steve Gallagher said that he particularly enjoyed the trivia game. “I like the trivia just because it was really creative,” Gallgher said. “so [it’s] my favorite; I always enjoyed trivia.”](https://palyvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/edit1-38-900x599.jpg)
