One notable spot they visited was the Korean Demilitarized Zone, a strip of land in between North and South Korea, which is considered incredibly dangerous, yet still remains a popular attraction.

“We went to the DMZ to learn more about the history of North and South Korea,” Evans said.

The food was a highlight of the trip for Evans and Casale. They enjoyed a popular Asian treat, mochi, four times over the course of a week.

“When we were in Seoul, we stayed in this market area, and in the morning, we’d wake up and go to this mochi place (where) there’d be (a) grandma making mochi,” Evans said.

Another notable cuisine in Asia is Korean Barbeque, which Evans and Casale also enjoyed multiple times throughout their stay.

“There were a lot of Korean Barbeque places, where people would come and have the meat grilled right in front of you, and that was a cool experience,” Evans said.

While accompanied by Casale’s mother, Evans and Casale spent a lot of their time traveling nearby on their own.

“Hannah and I would do our own shopping, and go explore different places while her mom was at the temples.”

Although the trip was a successful 20 days of learning about new cultures, trying unique foods, and venturing through unfamiliar cities, Evans did not always appreciate the bustle of urban Asia. Not all trips have to be filled with people, as Evans understood in hindsight.
“I think if I went back, I’d probably want to see more of the suburbs, not main cities, because where both of the places we went, there were a lot of tourists.”

Among the European countries on Little’s itinerary — including Germany, Switzerland and Italy — one particularly significant stop was Italy. The trip celebrated Little’s tenth anniversary with his partner, fulfilling architectural and tourist dreams.

For Little, other than hiking Pinterest-esque mountains and exploring small towns, the vacation was a chance to bring all the things he’s learned to life.

“It was cool to see all the things that you learned about in school and in documentaries,” he said.

Even though the two and a half weeks of travel didn’t cultivate an overwhelming desire to be back at home in the way that many tourists become homesick, he still missed the uniformity of life in California and the comfort of an everyday regimen.

“You’re just not sleeping in your own bed, and you’re in another country that speaks a different language,” he said. “Even though you know most people speak English, it’s just a different vibe.”

While all of the landmarks and tourist attractions are important parts of vacation, sometimes it’s about the journey to get there — including the flight.

“Seeing all the sights of Europe was really nice, but I think flying first class for the very first time was fun,” said Little.

Fulfillment stems from hitting your goals, something Little knows all too well from this summer. Instead of kicking back and watching the summer float away, he knew exactly what to accomplish.

“People were like, ‘Aren’t you supposed to relax?’” Little said. “I’m like, ‘I can’t relax.’ I have to take advantage of all the opportunities.”

“We originally started a pen-pal project because we wanted to bridge the intergenerational gap between the elderly and students here at Gunn,” Krishnan said.

These letters cover a variety of topics, such as hobbies, sports, academics or anything else the students choose to include about themselves. The founders of BuddyBonds created basic prompts intended to promote interesting conversations and encourage those writing to share more about themselves.

“In one of the letters, one of the other people who participated talked about her love for music and how she’s part of the orchestra,” Krishnan said.

Writing these pen-pal letters transcend the benefits of casual correspondence. According to Krishnan, the experience of a senior citizen — someone who is over 60 years old — is incredibly different from that of a high schooler, and writing to them would provide students with a chance to understand unique points of view and learn from their vivid life experiences. Krishnan adopted a newfound sense of understanding towards those who reside at Ivy Livings through her pen-pal letters. The project also left a positive impact on the community at Ivy Living by helping to introduce more social aspects to the seniors’ lives.

“Only one out of the 10 people we interviewed said that they got contact with people outside of the retirement home,” she said. “And after we did the pen pal letters, (we) can safely say that there’s been a difference and that they feel a little bit more connected, specifically to the students that were involved with the pen pal program.”

This pen-pal project has also created a chance for students to meet one of the residents in person — Alison. Alison, who has lived and studied in Edinburgh, Scotland, was one of those individuals. This experience has proven that taking initiative to reach out can lead to potentially life-changing opportunities like these.

Although the project is relatively new, with the first letter being sent out in March, Krishnan recommends this activity to anyone looking for a way to connect with others.

“Reaching out and communicating is definitely a great way to get involved in writing letters,” she said.

The practice of writing letters has become less and less common, vanishing in the age of technology. While less convenient, the authenticity of writing, addressing, stamping and mailing a letter can’t be beat. Despite its decline in popularity, however, the art of pen-palling is still occasionally seen today in initiatives such as BuddyBonds, which are intended to connect people of different ages.

Much of the overspending by teenagers stems from a pressure to buy things seen in the environment surrounding them, including classmates and social media. This increased consumerism drives students to spend a substantial amount of money to fit in. In the fall of 2021, teens spent 22% of their own income on clothing, according to a Piper Sandler’s Taking Stock With Teens survey. This causes a discrepancy between the amount most students spend on clothing and how much they should be allocating towards wardrobe shopping. According to financial planners, only around 5% of one’s income should be allocated towards buying clothes. This 17% difference highlights the inability of teens to recognize the proper ways to spend and save money, which contribute to a lack of financial awareness.

Another way overspending has become normalized are the rising prices of consumer goods. As the eleventh most expensive city in California, according to Reader’ Digest, students in Palo Alto may feel pressured to contribute to the consumerist culture and spend more than anticipated in a short period of time. Inflation significantly contributes to teens’ increased spending. According to Mercury News, fast food prices in the state of California have risen by over 7% in the last six months alone. While 7% may not feel like a large increase, small increments over a longer period of time may lead to more noticeable differences.

Many of these issues stem from an absence of financial responsibility. Countless students do not receive sufficient monetary education, contributing to a lack of motivation to save or invest their personal wealth. Additionally, teenagers rely on their parents for income assistance, whether it be a total dependency for cash or occasional borrowing. While common, this reliance is detrimental to the futures of these students, who are missing out on learning economic skills at an early age. It is important to teach children the importance of money management from an early age to encourage sustainable financial habits.

A majority of high school students do not have an official form of income, and while getting a job may seem like an obvious solution, this is often difficult for students with significant academic and extracurricular commitments. Part time employment could affect a student’s academic performance. According to a study conducted by Penn State, having a job negatively impacts scholastic achievement, creating an incapability for students to maintain their grades while acquiring a source of income conducive to their preferred spending habits.

As children grow older, more time is spent independently with one’s friends. These excursions with friends encourage spending money, but without a steady income, this lifestyle is unsuitable for individuals attempting to be money-conscious, introducing the conflict between spending time with friends without going over budget. Teenagers encourage each other to make impudent decisions, ultimately leading to a lack of thoughtful monetary consumption. CollegeData refers to this as “financial peer pressure,” in which individuals are influenced to spend a larger amount of money around friends than they normally would while alone. These negligent social influences promote an ignorance towards responsible financial habits.

As societal coercion grows with age, student spending habits increase with it. Teens often feel pressured to buy unnecessary products due to their environment and the money habits in Palo Alto. To prevent excessive consummatory behavior, students should be aware of their spending and remain money-conscious when with friends. Instead of buying a $7 coffee simply because others are, money should be saved for more important occasions. Contrary to the popular mindset within Palo Alto, not all activities need to be expensive to be fun, and not all friendships need to involve money to stay strong.

People use photography to document crucial moments and share their memories with others. Taking photos encourages engagement among individuals and can strengthen relationships by providing an access point for human connection and creating shared knowledge. For instance, many people use photos to update distant friends or relatives about their lives.

When posing for a picture, it’s customary to smile or put on a cheerful expression, and according to Stanford University research scientist Dr. Nicholas Coles, even faking a smile can improve a person’s mood: The brain links the action of smiling with optimism, triggering a sense of happiness.

Alongside posing in photos, viewing photos can also boost people’s moods. Behavioral psychologist Jo Hemmings led a 2020 study for photo company CEWE to learn how viewing photos impacts individuals’ mood. The study showed that these pictures triggered emotions such as delight and happiness, promoting a sense of well-being and providing increased personal welfare.

While many feel that taking pictures distracts from being in the moment, in reality, it simply provides the photographer with a greater appreciation for detail. Many things go unnoticed in a typical setting, but when a camera is out, people often analyze the smaller things, which contributes to an enhanced understanding of their environment.

Although some associate taking photos with a toxic sense of comparison to others, this isn’t always the case. Social media promotes those ideals and negative mindsets, not the photos themselves, which can be used to appreciate the beauty of a subject. Instead of viewing photos as a distraction or detriment, individuals should value them for their ability to help connect family and friends and make both photographers and viewers happy. Photography provides opportunities for interaction, bringing people together with a simple click.

In contrast to past spring spirit weeks, which have usually included schoolwide dress-up themes and lunch activities, SPROCO will be similar to Homecoming Week, with daily grade-specific dress-up themes and games during brunch, lunch and PRIME.

Some brunch and lunch games — such as Balloon Stomp, in which participants attempt to pop as many of their opponents’ balloons as possible — are repeats from Homecoming Week activities. Others, such as Obstacle Course and Pool Relay, will be reworked versions of
their Homecoming Week counterparts. The week will also feature completely new events: In Pizza Noodles, competitors will hold a pizza box in their palm while trying to knock others’ boxes off with a foam pool noodle.

According to organizer senior Chris Lee, school board representative and managing editor for The Oracle, SPROCO emerged from an SEC impact project, in which SEC members create a new event, initiative or system that benefits the student body. Senior Class Vice President Naya Nebriaga is also on the SPROCO team and has high hopes for student engagement.

“Because seniors tied (during Homecoming Week) this year, I think that was more of a driving force to make (SPROCO) actually happen,” she said.

SEC created a reveal video for SPROCO, released during PRIME on Feb. 28. The video featured Lee and Nebriaga in a flashback to October’s Homecoming Week and teased some grade-specific themes — including “Homecoming Deja Vu,” in which the dress-up for each grade is pulled from October’s homecoming.

“At first, it was difficult coming up with an idea because we’re not revealing a theme — we’re revealing the week itself,” Lee said. “But I actually think that worked out better in the long run because we were able to start from a blank slate and have a more creative plot.”

Through this reveal video — past ones have helped publicize schoolwide events — Instagram posts and posters around campus, SEC hopes to increase and participation.

Beyond SEC, students are looking forward to participating in the new spirit week. Freshman Audrey Berger hasn’t experienced major spirit events other than Homecoming Week and anticipates enjoying SPROCO.

“I’ve heard that (SPROCO) wasn’t really a strong tradition until this year, and I think it’s really cool that as a freshman, I get to experience that,” she said.