The Campanile

10/28/2025

“The Music of Disney,” a concert presented by the non-profit music group Harmony Ensemble run by Paly students, took place at Gamble Gardens on Sunday morning. The musical artists performed a diverse repertoire from popular Disney films.

Junior and violinist Kate Vo, co-founder of Harmony Ensemble, said the set list was designed to provoke a sense of nostalgia.

“One of our main goals was to bring together the community through core childhood memories and Disney is such an integral part of many people’s lives,” Vo said.

Deanna Wong, Chair of Children’s Events at Gamble Gardens, said she suggested the venue.

“Last year, I asked them if they wanted to perform here on the property,” Wong said. “I said, ‘It’s a beautiful venue, the ambience will be great, and you would have a perfect recital here.’”

Junior Kai Bunger-Tang, a pianist in the ensemble, said the outdoor setting enhanced the experience.

“I really like how we play at Gamble Gardens; it totally adds to the music,” Bunger-Tang said. “Most of our concerts are in an auditorium, but I like the outdoor setting.”

Vo said the concert was the result of over two months of preparation.

“The biggest thing I was impressed with is the adaptability of our musicians because some people came in last minute, and they were really flexible,” Vo said.

Palo Alto community member Abe Bassan, who attended the performance, said the familiar songs were a perfect way to introduce his children to music.

“We brought our three boys to really experience music, and learn about wind instruments and string instruments,” Bassan said. “It’s great to get them to see and to experience it with Disney songs, and the musicians were fantastic.”

Photos and reporting by Cindy Liang and Dalia Saal.

10/27/2025

10/25/2025

Varsity football lost 41-14 to Menlo-Atherton on senior night this Friday.

Menlo-Atherton gained a 14-0 lead in the beginning of the game. Paly scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter in an attempt to claw their way back into the game, but ultimately fell.

Head coach David DeGeronimo said the team had some positive moments, but they were overshadowed by the bad plays.

“There were a lot of things that we fixed and did well, and then it was surrounded by a lot of slop, a lot of mistakes, a lot of big plays that didn’t go our way,” DeGeronimo said. “The snap over the punter’s head, the muffed punt after three and out, the penalty after a 15 yard run, stuff like that was happening all night, and you can’t win ball games like that”.

Junior quarterback Justin Fung said the team is improving but needs to tighten up.

“We’re doing well in some spots and I think we just need to pick each other up and stop shooting ourselves in the foot,” Fung said. “But I still think we’re improving each and every week.”

DeGeronimo said the defense is improving, but needs to execute.

“Defensively, we’re getting better every single week, but there’s (been plays where we) get them in third and 14, and somehow they convert,” DeGeronimo said. “That’s been the story of the year, and we can’t get off the field on third down.”

Fung also said while senior night is important, the team needs to exhibit the same effort at every game.

“It’s good we play for our seniors, but I think every game’s gotta be like that, and we’ve got to play hard every game, no matter what night it is,” Fung said.

Senior kicker Abers Boyarsky said senior night carried extra meaning for him because he’s spent years watching his older teammates reach this point.

“To me, it means filling in footsteps,” Boyarsky said. “All four years I can remember seeing my friends graduating and finishing their seasons, so it just means a lot to be able to fill those footsteps and try to play my best football.”

Photos and reporting by Lucas Lai and Leilani Chen.

10/20/2025

Hundreds of community members gathered at Rinoncada Park for the “No Kings” protest on Saturday afternoon. Similar demonstrations took place across the nation the same day.

Organizers said the event was a peaceful demonstration that aimed to raise awareness about the problems in government and promote the idea of democracy.

Protesters ranged from young children to older residents. Handmade signs were held up proudly with messages denouncing growing inequality in the United States.

Natalie Kirilcuka said she was protesting for individual freedoms and the retention of rights.

“Every person and every community should get to decide for themselves,” Kirilcuka said. “How their money is spent and what they do with their own lives and their own body’s.”

And Elena Dusse said she believes democracy is fading in America.

“In my lifetime, I’ve never seen things take a turn like this,” said Dusse. “We are heading fast towards facism and autocracy.”

In addition to the signs and voices of protest, a band known as “Across the Holler” played music in the park.

Dusse, a member of the band, said the group wanted to keep the energy high and the crowd engaged.

“We want to show up for this time in history and this movement and lend our voices to it,” Dusse said. “I think it’s important right now for people to get together and sing together and show numbers. We are here to sing to democracy.”

Dusse also said she hopes the sense of unity supporting the fight for rights will continue beyond the event.

“We will lose our rights, we will lose our freedom, they will just dismantle the constitution and keep doing it,” Dusse said. “We won’t be able to have freedom to assemble, freedom of speech, and freedom for everyone to vote equally.”

Photos and reporting by Maia Wadhwani

10/19/2025

Varsity football lost 49-6 to Menlo School during its Homecoming game on Friday night, Oct. 17.

Menlo dominated the game from the start, limiting Palo Alto to a single touchdown while stringing together drives marked by explosive plays.

Head coach David DeGeronimo said the team’s performance fell short of his expectations.

“We weren’t very good,” DeGeronimo said. “We didn’t execute, we made tons of mistakes, and we gotta do a better job of preparing during the week.”

Sophomore running back and linebacker Kaleb Osotonu agreed and said the team’s effort in practice needs to improve.

“Working as a team, we (have to be) willing to just pick it up at practice and stop goofing around,” Osotonu said. “Practice pays off. You practice how you play.”

Junior running back Shanley Davey said while the team works hard, it needs to translate that effort into ex*****on on game day.

“I think we can grow together as brothers,” Davey said. “We work hard together, but we need to execute out on the field.”

DeGeronimo also said the team struggled to finish key plays.

“After the fumble, which was a disaster to open the game, we had them at 4th and 14, and we let them convert (for a first down),” DeGeronimo said. “For those three plays, we were great, and for one play, it was a disaster, and that’s the story of the night. (We did) three things well, but had one disaster, and in football, you can’t do that.”

Davey said the team must focus on maintaining a positive mindset despite its record.

“I think we get in our own heads, and having a record like ours, it’s not easy coming out here every week and not easy to forget about it,” Davey said. “So I think (we need to improve our) mentality and show what we can do (because) we’re capable of a lot more.”

Looking ahead, DeGeronimo said next week’s game against Menlo-Atherton High School will be pivotal.

“Next week is our Super Bowl,” DeGeronimo said. “They’re coming here on senior night and it’s such a critical game. We just gotta execute in all phases, and we’re just not doing that right now.”

Varsity football will face Menlo-Atherton at home on Friday, Oct. 24.

Photos and reporting by Dashel Chun and Lucas Lai.

10/18/2025

On the final day of Spirit Week, students dressed up in their class colors, with freshmen wearing orange, sophomores decked in red, juniors sporting yellow, and seniors in their camo.

Day five came to a close with seniors earning 8,000 points, juniors with 5,500 points, sophomores with 5,200 points, and freshmen with 5,100 points. The juniors won the best dressed contest in banana outfits, while sophomores came in second, freshman in third and seniors in last place.

As per tradition, the after school rally incorporated floats and class dances. The seniors won the class dance competition, while juniors and freshmen tied for second and the sophomores came in last. After the dances, the seniors continued to dominate, winning the float contest. Sophomores and juniors tied for second, and freshmen came last.

Freshman Albert Wehrman said the unique float designs and student turnout surprised him.

“The floats were a lot better than I expected, especially the sophomore and senior floats.” Wehrman said. “(They) were really good. The detail on the senior float and the ex*****on on the sophomore float with Lighting McQueen was very cool.”

In addition to floats, senior Millie Reiter was excited by the amount of seniors who showed up to dance.

“We were a little bit worried that it wouldn’t come together,” Reiter said. “But it was really exciting that everybody came out to dance. I think we did really well. I’m very proud of us.”

Reiter also said she appreciated the excitement all over campus.

“The energy levels were really high, they have been throughout the week,” Reiter said “But especially today and especially during the dance, it was great.”

And Junior Chase Braga said he thinks that school spirit at today’s rally was high.

“I went to the rally on Wednesday and today. I thought both (days) had very good rallies,” Braga said. “I think it was the most hype rally we’ve had so far.”

Photos and reporting by Philip Shen.

10/17/2025

As Spirit Week nears the end, students celebrated Generation Day by dressing according to grade level themes. Freshmen wore onesies to represent “Babies,” sophomores dressed as “Teeny Boppers” in greaser-style outfits, juniors donned blazers and dress shirts for “Professionals,” and seniors came to school as “Senior Citizens.”

The day concluded with seniors maintaining the lead and earning 6,350 points, followed by juniors with 3,000, freshmen with 2,950, and sophomores with 2,300 points.

The lunchtime rally featured performances from the cheer and dance teams, as well as two games: musical chairs and a cup reflex challenge. The seniors won the cup game, but juniors triumphed in musical chairs; however, because of cheating, the seniors received the points. gaining an edge ahead of the sophomores in overall standings.

Junior class president Kai Bunger-Tang said he was impressed by his class’s spirit throughout the rally.

“Everybody was cheering super loud, (I am) super happy about that,” Bunger-Tang said. “Even though we got eliminated first in the second rally game, we continued with our high energy, still had some good chants after that.”

Sophomore Vice President Olivia Woo said she noticed an increase in turnout from her class compared to earlier in the week.

“The sophomore stands were more filled compared to the other rallies, and there was a lot more hype,” Woo said. “I think the games today were good for getting the entire student section hyped.”

Spirit commissioner Arabella Guinle said that despite the hectic schedule, she was pleased with how the event turned out.

“(Today was) super stressful, everything’s really chaotic,” Guinle said. “But everyone was super, super loud today and I’m really happy with the turnout for the seniors. They did an awesome job and the energy was really hype.”

Photos by Annika Chu and Philip Shen. Reporting by Philip Shen.

10/16/2025

As students approach the halfway mark of Spirit Week, students geared up to tackle “Salad Dressing” day. Freshman wore jerseys and athletic gear for “Healthy Choice,” sophomores pulled out their cowboy boots for “Ranch,” juniors dug up their hiking gear for “Green Goddess” and seniors flaunted their togas for “Caesar.”

Day three wrapped up with seniors maintaining the lead with 6,100 points, juniors in second with 5,200 points, sophomores scoring 4,900 points, and freshmen in last 4,500 points.

Juniors were victorious in the best-dressed contest for the second day in a row with Nava Schwarzbach and Annie Kasanin in full-fledged granola gear. Schwarzbach said she is very familiar with the granola aesthetic.

“It was borderline the best experience of my life,” Schwarzbach said. “I did win for just, in fact, being me. Granola is a lifestyle, and it’s a difficult thing to understand. If you’re not granola, then you’re not granola. But me and Annie happen to be it.”

Today’s lunch rally, the first of the year on the football field, featured the teacher’s dance.

Chemistry teacher Margaret Deng, who participated in the teacher’s dance, said she had fun with the performance and music.

“The teachers choreographed the dance and sent out practice emails,” Deng said. “Also, “KPop Demon Hunters” is a 10 out of 10 movie. I love it.”

The grades competed in a combo race and tug-of-war game, both won by the seniors.

Sophomore Elias Perlroth, who helped his grade win second place in tug-of-war, said he felt great beating the freshmen, despite losing to the seniors.

“Losing to the seniors kinda sucks,” Perlroth said. “They’re bigger than us, older than us, so it makes sense. But it was still fun. Next time we’ll win.”

Ultimately, senior Ivy Hardy said the seniors came back from their losses in the beginning of the week and are looking to finish strong.

“We were kind of at a little backset, but now we’re back and we’re ready to finish the games,” Hardy said. “We are so hyped and the seniors are coming out on top like every year.”

Photos by Annika Chu, Kira Tzeng, and Zoya Prabhakar. Reporting by Kira Tzeng and Zoya Prabhakar.

10/15/2025

Spirit Week continued today with electrifying themes: “Y2K” for seniors, “Teen Beach” for juniors, “Lightning McQueen” for sophomores and “Scooby-Doo” for freshmen. Juniors Jessie Kwan and Eli Kozodoy took home the best-dressed prize on the quad at brunch for their “Teen Beach” surfer outfits.

The lunchtime rally in the big gym featured the main events including Hungry Hungry Hippos and a mummy wrap dress-up contest. Day 2 ended with juniors in the lead at 5,800 points, followed by seniors at 5,400 points, sophomores at 4,800 points, and freshmen at 3,100 points.

Senior class president James Park said he has high hopes for his class and the week overall.

“I think it’s going great,” Park said. “It’s fun to see everyone decked out with spirit gear. I’m looking forward to all of the rallies.”

Senior Chloe Chan, ASB’s Wellness and Diversity Commissioner, said she expects participation to increase as the week continues.

“Usually for spirit week as the days go on, more people dress up because people are scared on the first day because they (don’t realize) how big spirit week is at Paly,” Chan said. “It gets better every single day.”

Chan also said this year’s senior class is particularly engaged.

“I think (seniors) did pretty good — definitely better than previous years,” Chan said. “Our float is going pretty well because we did a lot over the weekend. I think people are more into it this year.”

Junior and class senator Cassidy Taylor said overall, her favorite part of spirit week is float building as a way to bond with her class.

“I just learned how to use some power tools,” Taylor said. “It’s honestly fun putting together all the mini projects we have for our float to see the final design.”

Photos by Alex Isayama and Annika Chu. Reporting by Alex Isayama.

10/14/2025

Spirit Week kicked off with the best-dressed competition on the quad at brunch, Senior Maeva Herbert-Paz took the prize of a mini fridge with her green and white spirit.

“It’s our time to shine,” Herbert we’re finally seniors. We’re looking forward to win every day, every event, we’ll win the whole week.”

The day continued with a rally in the big gym during lunch. Grade levels competed in a human ring toss game and an intense Connect Four relay race.

Day one concluded with seniors in first place overall with 5,600 points, even after they placed second in Connect Four to the juniors. Sophomores followed in second place with 4,700 points. Juniors came in third with 4,100 points, while freshmen placed last with 3,900 points.

Senior Julian Rabbit-Tomita said the seniors are off to a strong start and he expects the momentum to continue.

“I think the seniors are going to show out this year,” Rabbit-Tomita said. “It’s our last year, and I think we’re going to win.”

Junior Maria Uribe-Estrada said that she has lower expectations for her class.

“I don’t think the juniors are going to do very well, honestly,” Uribe-Estrada said “I feel like we’re feeling a little less spirited than last year. I feel like that’s might be due to the stress from junior year”

Sophomore Wyatt Edson said he appreciates the consistency of the themes from year to year to allow for more planning and participation.

“It’s easy for everyone to (participate) every year, because … it’s the same tradition every year.”

Freshman Alice Dickey said she has high hopes for her grade’s spirited streak.

“I feel like we’ve been doing pretty good,” Dickey said.

Photos by Annika Chu and Sofia Singer. Reporting by Sofia Singer and Eden Yoo.

10/14/2025

Students from all grades gathered this weekend to help construct floats for Friday’s Spirit Rally. The float themes for this year are “Scooby-Doo” for freshmen, “Lightning McQueen” for sophomores, “Teen Beach” for juniors and “Jumanji” for seniors.

Points earned for the best spirit week floats will contribute to each grade’s total Spirit Week points.

Freshman Orlando Jimenez said he attended to help out with the freshman float.

“Me and my friends were hanging out after cross country practice and decided to come here and help out,”

Junior Aeshaan Singhal, an ASB senator, said float building is a fun responsibility.

“I supervise what people are doing, delegate tasks and make sure the vibe is good,” Singhal said. “My job is making it fun so that people come.”

Junior Jacob Moore said he joined because of the strong sense of community.

“I love the community here,” Moore said. “I see all the teamwork and people working together, it’s great.”

Sophomore Ashley Wu said she was more focused on the artistic aspects.

“My favorite part is working with everyone,” Wu said. “I wanted to help out our class to win spirit week (so) I paint the float and make sure it looks good.”

Despite the early start and long hours, the atmosphere stays positive. According to ASB, float building will continue throughout Spirit Week.

“It’s really cool to see everything come together,” Wu said. “It’s a lot of work but worth it when all the floats are shown.”

Photos and reporting by Christopher Lee.

10/13/2025

The band brought together musicians from Palo Alto High School and Greene Middle School for a Halloween-themed concert on Thursday night. The event featured the Paly Concert Band, Greene Symphonic Band, and Paly Symphonic Band, who performed seasonal pieces such as Dark Heart, Mystery on Mena Mountain, Colors of Fall, Andromeda Overture, Undertown, Incantation and Dance and Dark Ride.

Instrumental band co-director Katie Gilchrist said she was impressed by the band’s performance.

“I’m really proud of them and the growth that they’ve made,” Gilchrist said. “We’ve only been in school for nine weeks, and it’s amazing just to see how much they’re doing.”

Gilchrist said many performers have been learning multiple pieces since school started, but were still able to deliver for the concert.

“We also do pep band, which is where you probably see us more at football games,” Gilchrist said. “So the students are basically learning two different sets of music.”

Sophomore Sebastian Jimenez, a Euphonium player and Symphonic Band member, said the performance also allowed the band to reflect on their current growth and teamwork.

“We were definitely able to hit higher notes,” Jimenez said. “We also did a good job listening to the conductor.”

However, Jimenez said that he believes that the band still has a ways to go.

“I think we can improve more by playing as a group. Some people are playing too loud, and others too quiet,” Jimenez said.

And Gilchrist also said she wants the team to work on coming together more.

“The biggest thing we’ve been focusing on this year is community and getting to know each other,” Gilchrist said. “A lot of times, students come into large classes like band, where there’s 60, 65 people in a class, and then they don’t know who they are being friends with.”

Gilchrist said she also looks forward to growing as a band and progressing their skills.

“As musical performers, we’re going to continue to just improve our rhythms and our tuning and all those things but every band does that and so, we’re just going to continue to improve and grow,” Gilchrist said.

Photos and reporting by Jonathan Gu and Naveen Narayanaswami.