Anushka Krishnan

Ren Lin

Émilie Matthey

9th Grade Class Vice President Candidates

Ian Kim

Yufan Pan

Tanvi Ramachandar

Kayeesha Sitaula

Tai Ford

Gordon Oh

Laura Wang

Enzo Wolff de Tourreil

Harry Yin

Henry Martin Gunn was born in Lexington, Kentucky, on July 7, 1898, and moved to Oregon at the age of 12. He attended the University of Oregon and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees there, serving in the Navy during World War I in the midst of his studies. He then attended graduate school at Stanford, completing a master’s degree in education before moving back to Oregon to become a principal in the Portland school system. While taking nighttime university courses there, he met his wife Thelma Eiler, an art teacher at the time. As his reputation grew, Gunn moved into the superintendent position for the Eugene School District and then transitioned to the university level, teaching education at the University of Southern California before becoming president of Western Oregon University. After three years there, PAUSD hired him as superintendent in 1950. Gunn’s foremost priority for students in the district was to improve their standardized testing performance.

He cited the fact that PAUSD students performed well above the national average in reading,writing and arithmetic as one of his proudest achievements as superintendent. Gunn also placed special emphasis on “gifted” students, creating a new program specifically to enrich those who weren’t challenged by the general education curriculum. He experimented with new educational approaches at every level, collaborating with Stanford University to bring new curricula and teaching methods to high schoolers while introducing algebra and geometry to elementary students. At the heart of his philosophy was individuality — he encouraged teachers, students, and individual schools to take their own approaches to learning, communicating amongst themselves to find novel approaches while still covering the same basic skills.

As superintendent, Gunn still remained involved in the local community: He was president of the local Rotary Club, held a position on the YMCA board of directors, and was on the executive committee of the Boy Scouts of America. Gunn also led a group of superintendent advocates to establish a local junior college district, and successfully founded the Foothill-De Anza Community College District in 1957.

In 1964, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto’s third high school at the time, welcomed its inaugural student body. Through naming the school after Gunn, district leaders hoped to pay tribute to his service to PAUSD over his 12-year tenure. Unlike the majority of Palo Alto’s schools and public buildings, however, the school was named after him while he was still living.

After leaving PAUSD in 1961, Gunn became a professor of school administration at San Jose State University and then moved to the California State Department of Education, but remained close with the district. He was the principal speaker at the school’s first graduation ceremony in 1968, and received a distinguished citizen award from the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce.

Gunn passed away in 1988 at the age of 90 of a stroke, leaving behind a solidified legacy at PAUSD and the Palo Alto community. Former district principal Dr. Winfield Christiansen noted that his greatest gift, one that went beyond education and schooling, was “to make people believe in themselves.”

The first two alarms were set off by some kind of smoke — potentially from foods like popcorn that have activated the sensors in the past — while the cause of the third alarm remains unknown. According to Assistant Principal of Safety Dr. Mycal Hixon, the new fire panel — which was installed over the summer to provide a safety upgrade to the previous out-of-date system — is being investigated as the potential cause.

“We’re trying to work with the fire department to see if this is either a faulty alarm, a box that’s going off or if there was an actual pull,” he said. “Unlike the other days, we weren’t able to identify smoke (on Thursday), so we’re really trying to figure it out.”

These interruptions, even with the adjusted bell schedule accommodations on Thursday, impacted both student agenda and instruction time. According to history teacher Laurel Howard, she’s had to adapt to the incident in order to ensure her periods learn the same amount of content at the same time.

“(The fire alarms are) impacting my class periods in different ways,” she said. “If I’m trying to keep my classes on track with each other and one has a 20-minute evacuation, then I have to make adjustments so (the delayed class) doesn’t fall too far behind.”

Although a definitive reason for the three alarms this week is still under investigation, administration is considering whether they may be due to a potential smoking problem on campus. Hixon explained that possible administration responses may include increased student resources, increased campus security and utilizing camera footage.

“We want to make sure that we can accurately identify what the problem is so we can accurately work together collaboratively to come up with solutions,” he said. “If it’s going off because somebody’s intentionally smoking in the bathroom, that’s one thing. If there’s somebody actually doing something, we want to find what support we can provide them to help them understand that (it) is not okay.”

For English teacher Diane Ichikawa, the ambiguity of the faulty fire alarms’ has added to the confusion that undermines the trustworthiness of the campus’s safety systems.

“Because we get so many (fire alarms) that end up being either false or people perceive them to be false, they don’t take an actual emergency (seriously),” she said. “It’s kind of a ‘boy-cried-wolf’ situation.”

In response to the lack of information available, Hixon highlighted the administration’s efforts to rectify these issues.

“We will work with the company that installed the fire alarms to ensure we are trained on everything it does and why,” he wrote in an email. “We will also be more alert to our surroundings, making sure that if we see something, we say something so that we can safely get things taken care of. We will also be getting an updated security camera system.”

However, despite the disturbances these fire alarms have caused, Science Instructional Lead Dr. Heather Mellows emphasized the importance of taking evacuation seriously.

“(Evacuating) is still important because we don’t know which alarms are real,” Mellows said. “And as a science teacher, I know that sometimes the fire alarm is because of what happens in my room, and I need it to be real when that happens.”

Currently, the evacuation drill scheduled for Thursday, August 29 will continue as planned.

“I am sure students have done a great job, but just in case, there are still a few things that we need to work on and (the drill) gives us that opportunity to do it,” Hixon said.

—Written by Kaylee Cheng, Anne Dong, Sylvie Nguyen and Ya-An Xue. Additional reporting by Gwen Domine.

Before divulging into the negatives of this privilege, it is important to understand the depth behind it. According to Vice News, “pretty privilege” is the idea that those who are conventionally attractive, based on current societal beauty standards, are given more opportunities than others. Pretty privilege, however, is not just a concept: It is also a proven science. In a 2019 study conducted by Behavioral Science, conventionally attractive individuals have a greater acquisition of resources and are more likely to experience marital and career success. This study highlights the systemic bias favoring attractive individuals, leading to unequal opportunities. The larger implications are clear: Society’s emphasis on appearance over personal value creates imbalance and undervalues intrinsic qualities, ultimately shaping people’s life outcomes based on looks rather than abilities.

Pretty privilege quietly exists in daily life, but is most apparent and harsh in the media. A primary pop culture example of this is how British singer Adele Adkins was treated before and after her weight loss. The current societal standard of a healthy, attractive body is thin and athletic, which up until 2019, Adele did not have. Once she managed to noticeably lose weight, however, she began receiving positive feedback from the media and was publicized by magazines such as the British Vogue who were surprised by her abrupt, undocumented weight loss. Because of the sudden amount of attention she was receiving, her idle career was given a boost. Adele had been trying to release music in the 5 years prior to her weight loss, but her label had rejected her sampled music. However, after the media attention, Adele was able to release a new album of music, she had said in the November 2023 edition of the British Vogue. Adele immediately gained more success in her musical career once she gained media publicity, which she received because her body was seen as more attractive. This common theme of altering one’s body to comply with societal standards can also be seen in celebrities such as American singer Lana Del Rey and American television personality Kim Kardashian, who all received career benefits after fitting themselves into a beauty standard.

Pretty privilege also affects one’s likelihood of being hired, according to an article written in April 2024 from Business Insider. Labor and employment attorney Robert I. Gosseen told Business Insider that despite the existence of hiring laws that protect candidates against biases, whether racial, economic or due to other circumstances, employers still typically weigh attractiveness as a key factor in hiring. Because the concept of appearance over personal matters is so deeply integrated into aspects of everyday life, from what is seen in the media to the chance of being successful in a career, attractiveness becomes associated with prosperity, wealth and overall wellbeing, furthering the Halo Effect.

While pretty privilege can be seen as beneficial to the people who have it and unaffecting or neutral to those who don’t, it is extremely demeaning and degrading to both parties. Of course, the absence of beauty advantages in a person can be incredibly detrimental because it engraves the message in their head that they are unattractive and undeserving, greatly impacting their self-image and worldview. Having a negative perception on one’s own attractiveness can taint their vision of how they can contribute to or fit into a societal setting. This problematic mindset can cause feelings of inferiority, decreased confidence and limited aspirations, as they believe their efforts will be undervalued due to their appearance. Living without advantages as a reward for one’s beauty while seeing others be rewarded can make them second-guess themselves, which can be frustrating if the more attractive but less qualified individual consistently receives better treatment. It is unfair to judge one based on their appearance in a societal setting, as it undermines the true value of an individual and bases their quality on something they have little control over. This fosters a divided environment where superficial qualities are valued over true abilities and character.

This notion is shown in a study conducted by Stress Health in 2019, which concluded that perceived appearance judgments can affect an individual’s willingness to do something, as well as increase their depressive and stress symptoms.

However, pretty privilege can also be a disservice to those who experience it because it impairs their perception on the realities of life and causes a lack of awareness around biases and struggles. It also creates an illusion that their beauty will be long-lasting and that they won’t experience treatment any different in the future. In actuality, however, it is impossible to keep up with changing beauty standards for a whole lifetime. Once an individual is no longer seen as conventionally attractive, they can be thrown off balance through having to learn what life is like without a pedestal.

In conclusion, the concept of “pretty privilege” permeates various aspects of society, offering disproportionate advantages to those deemed conventionally attractive. While it may seem like a benign or even positive phenomenon for those who benefit from it, the broader implications are far more complex and damaging. This preferential treatment based on appearance not only undermines the self- esteem and opportunities of those who do not fit these beauty standards, but also creates a skewed reality for those who do. This privilege fails to prepare individuals for life’s broader challenges and reinforces superficial societal values over genuine merit. Ultimately, pretty privilege perpetuates an inequitable social structure that prioritizes appearance over substance, leading to a society where true equity and fairness remain elusive. Addressing this issue requires a conscious effort to value individuals for their inherent qualities and contributions, rather than their physical appearance.

Whether it be walking through the halls or sitting in a busy classroom, it is clear that the change in weather impacts student style.

According to junior Kamran Khan, when the temperature changes, he feels obligated to alter the type of clothes he wears in order to stay comfortable. Although the temperature in Palo Alto doesn’t ever become too extreme, he still checks the weather app daily to choose an outfit for school.

“In the winter, I try to dress with a lot more layers just because it’s so cold,” he said. “(And in the summer), I wear a lot more T-shirts, tank tops, shorts and sunglasses.”

Khan also finds that he has fewer outfit choices in the summer compared to the winter.

“(Style in the) summer feels definitely more restricting than winter because you have to wear shorter or thinner stuff just so you don’t overheat,” he said. “In the winter, unlike the summer where you’re just wearing T-shirts and shorts, you can still wear those if you just have a long sleeve layer underneath or with other layers on top.”

However, sophomore Gianna Tuffley, believes that winter weather puts more restrictions on her style due to the fewer opportunities to wear unique outfits.

“When I’m in the winter, I feel like I don’t do as much shopping because I end up covering what I’m wearing with a hoodie,” she said. “I feel like I get to express myself more when it’s hot out because I can wear what I actually want to wear.”

Evolving color palettes is another aspect to consider when it comes to style changes in relation to the weather. According to Tuffley, some colors work better than others in certain seasons.

“In the winter, I tend to focus more on cooler toned colors — I graduate more towards blacks and grays and browns and navies,” she said. “When it comes to summer I like to wear (more) vibrant colors (such as) reds, pinks and greens.”

This contemplation of warm and cool colors extends beyond clothing and into accessories.

“In the winter I tend to gravitate more towards silver, and then summer feels more like gold,” Tuffley said. “I think gold is such a great way to elevate a good summer look because it’s such a timeless piece (and) the way gold reflects in sunlight is so pretty.”

But the weather and colors are not the only thing that determines what students wear. Personal opinions and attitudes towards the time of year can also be a significant contributor to popular style. Khan finds himself putting more effort into his summer style through planning outfits and going shopping to switch things up.

“I’m tired of the winter — I want to branch out and change it up,” he said. “I might put extra effort to (plan what I’m going to wear) for the next couple of days because I’m excited to wear something different.”

Tuffley echoes Khan’s observation on the excitement surrounding the novelty of summer clothing and senses a collective attitude shift around campus.

“The general vibe around school is that everyone is putting more effort (into their outfits) and everyone actually cares now because we only have a month of school left,” she said. “I feel like everyone’s starting to treat it like it’s summer already.”

However, in the process of creating these plots and themes, the media industry inadvertently creates many stereotypes, such as the “dumb jock” and “unpopular nerd.” These stereotypes cause cliques to form where individuals with similar traits separate into exclusive groups. Consumers of this media internalize these stereotypes, even though in reality, they are little more than fiction.

According to Visual and Performing Arts teacher Kristen Lo, these stereotypes must be established in the beginning of a play in order to kickstart the main plotline.

“(High School Musical) starts out (with) everybody in their little cliques, and it’s like, ‘Don’t get out of the status quo,’” she said. “And so, when everybody is coming up on stage, you basically have the four different cliques that you have established.”

These stereotypes in media depict jocks as large, muscular bullies with little intelligence, but popular for their prowess in sports, and nerds as thin, unfashionable and unsociable, picked on by the jocks. The girls are also portrayed similarly, with popular, pretty and unkind girls bullying those seen as social outcasts. These stereotypes almost always have a defining quality as well, such as jocks only playing basketball or nerds being weak and thin. This forms the belief that certain traits are mutually exclusive to a designated social group.

The light in which stereotypical cliques are portrayed is also of paramount importance in terms of influencing the way teens act. Whether or not these actions in movies enable teens to replicate them in some form or another is a key factor in evaluating the impact of this genre of high school movies.

“This is always the (issue): ‘Does art influence people in bad ways?’” Lo said. “Do people see things take place in art and they say, ‘I’ll do the thing that they did in Mean Girls?’ That is the catch with art – can that happen?”

The messages portrayed in media significantly influences students’ perceptions of high school cliques: Some imply that students should stay in the roles given to them by their community, while others present the idea that students can be anything they want to be and do anything they want to do.

The idea of students striving for popularity can be seen in “Mean Girls.” In this movie, students are either a part of “The Plastics” – the group of popular and pretty girls – or social outcasts. The expectations of their actions portrayed by these cliques create a stigma around the average high schoolers’ acts. For instance, The Plastics “banish” one of their own after they wear sweatpants because it was a violation of one of their rules. This scene conveyed the message that students should stay within their cliques’ ideals and that having different personal beliefs is unacceptable.

However, other examples of media offer an exception to these characterizations, such as in the movie “High School Musical,” where a jock falls for a nerd and they both end up auditioning for a musical together. This plot broke stereotypes by bringing individuals of different social groups together.

It is important to promote the creation of pieces of media such as these, as they act as examples for students to act in accordance to their own feelings rather than how others believe they should. Encouraging the embrace of individuality makes space for an expansion of interests past what society deems acceptable for a certain person to do. This will not only help enrich a teen’s personal growth but also promotes a more inclusive culture that values authenticity within the high school community.

Unfortunately, however, movies that feed into stereotypes are still extremely prevalent. According to theater performer Connor Engstrom, in certain films, these stereotypes may not be apparent, but can still be implicitly involved.

“I feel like, to an extent, Harry Potter did perpetuate stereotypes,” he said. “It’s like the jocks (are) the Quidditch team, and then other characters are nerds. I think it’s more tamped down in terms of stereotypes than (other) movies.”

These forms of media are also not as free in expression, according to Engstrom.

“I think other mediums of art are a lot more stringent with the rules that they apply in terms of who you can be and what you can do,” he said. “I think of movies and TV shows as being very restrictive of stereotypes. For instance, (in) “Modern Family,” you’re either a nerd or you’re popular.”

Even though these forms of media can have wholesome themes, many of these movies seem out of touch with present high school norms.

“I feel like the stereotypes are a thing of the past in most cases, or at least a thing of twenty years ago,” Engstrom said. “People are still cliquing up, and they’re hanging out with others who have similar interests to them. But I think those interests are more broadly spanning than before.”

Gunn also defies these long-standing stereotypes with a culture that applauds individuals for striving for intelligence rather than popularity. This value breaks the stereotype that prioritizing academics automatically means that being unathletic and a target for bullies.

“Gunn is a really special place,” Lo said. “I have worked at three different schools, and Gunn is the one that bucks stereotypes the most, mostly because it is extremely cool to be intelligent here. Everyone here is being pushed towards wanting to go to an elite college, and so the stereotypes don’t really fit here.”

Gunn students participating in a diverse amount of extracurriculars also decreases the hostility that some characters feel in high school movies when attempting to cross their group’s boundaries into another: The feeling of belonging to more than one group is not frowned upon, perhaps even normalized at Gunn.

The perpetuation of stereotypes can play a role in forms of media besides on-screen entertainment. Although many stereotypes may stem from plays and other theater productions, theater offers a way to defy these stereotypes. The ability to do other activities, like sports, while also being in drama, is a direct contradiction to the portrayal of only being able to do one at a time.

“I don’t think my basketball teammates think any less of me because I do theater,” Engstrom said. “They’ve seemed relatively supportive and have asked interesting questions, like ‘What do you do during rehearsal?’, which is indicative of a good school space in my opinion.”

To break out of this representation of high school as an exclusive landscape where each person is automatically sorted into a group that is completely polarized from another, literature and media creators should seek to catch up to the current high school culture. Staying in the past creates a division between teens’ perceptions in media and their true identities.

Since then, Kang has explored classical music as a soloist, chamber musician with Young Chamber Musicians and orchestra musician in the California Youth Symphony and National Youth Orchestra. She treasures musical modes of expression and the ways they can help her community.

“(Music) is a time to be in a safe outlet by yourself,” Kang said. “You just get absorbed into it. And there’s so much you can do with music — performing, volunteering and teaching.”

Apart from music, Kang has been fascinated by the brain since she first learned about neuroscience in seventh grade. In high school, she explored intersections between music and neuroscience.

“I was in a Stanford camp freshman year, and we basically learned about new modern inventions regarding neuroscience and Alzheimer’s,” she said. “It was my first experience researching, and I did a lot  of research regarding the two.”

Kang has also taught music to students with autism at her church and the Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education. She is interested in understanding music’s role in neurological treatment.

“Playing music can help patients regain movement quickly, and I think that it’s very interesting,” she said. “Music activates both hemispheres of the brain. It’s like a mega vitamin — no  other activity does that, and that alone opens a lot of doors.”

During her next four years at Stanford University, Kang hopes to double major in music and neuroscience.

“I want to research how to diagnose patients with music,” she said. “There’s this artist I’ve been researching who is unique because he has Alzheimer’s and his artwork had shown symptoms of dementia. There’s so many different signs art can show and I want to keep researching about it.”