Verde Magazine

Verde Magazine Palo Alto High School's news and features magazine.

On the cover of Volume 27 Issue 4, illustrated by Managing Editor Lara Saslow and Editor-in-Chief Chloe Huang, a woman u...
04/14/2026

On the cover of Volume 27 Issue 4, illustrated by Managing Editor Lara Saslow and Editor-in-Chief Chloe Huang, a woman uses a magnifying glass to look into a miniature representation of Palo Alto High School to represent this issue’s theme of our community’s efforts to help others feel seen by amplifying their voices.

Find the full PDF of the print magazine on Issuu.

The heat wave hitting the Bay Area is continuing into this week, bringing temperatures well above typical March averages...
03/23/2026

The heat wave hitting the Bay Area is continuing into this week, bringing temperatures well above typical March averages, affecting Paly students, especially athletes who participate in outdoor sports. 

Most of Paly’s classes are indoors, meaning during the school day students are not directly feeling all of the effects of the heat wave. It can, however, impact student athletes who spend hours practicing outside in the sun after school.

Paly sophomore Michael Wu, a member of the baseball team, said that the heat wave made the last week of practice more difficult.

“During the week we practiced with shorts and tried to take it really light,” Wu said. “Practicing in the extreme heat was an unfamiliar experience and it was exhausting.”

As the local temperatures hovered around 85 degrees Fahrenheit in Palo Alto last week, the National Weather Service issued the region’s first ever March heat-advisory, according to Greg Porter, senior newsroom meteorologist from the San Francisco Chronicle. This week temperatures will drop by a little bit into the high 70s, but are still above the average for this time of year.

This heat wave is not expected to be a short-term issue. According to Porter, it will eventually evolve into a “mega heat dome” this week. A heat dome occurs when a high-pressure system lingers over a large region, trapping heat beneath it. This trapped air compresses, heats up and stays in place for days or weeks. 

Photo: Ryan Saket

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Cars lined the last stretch of highway before the exit that read “Great America Pkwy.” The smell of gas and a symphony o...
03/05/2026

Cars lined the last stretch of highway before the exit that read “Great America Pkwy.” The smell of gas and a symphony of honks and beeps greeted the thousands of families and teenagers waiting patiently. Children squirmed in their car seats, near-bursting with the suspense of passing by the same small, faded ticket booth, the same never-ending parking lot where families applied sunscreen and forgot where they parked and the same long walk to the entrance of the park. 

These were clear signs of an unforgettable day at the Great America amusement park and a hard-earned weekend well-spent.

Even within the park, the long lines continued throughout the 112-acre facility, with 4th of July festivities in the scorching heat and WinterFest days still warm from the commotion and liveliness. Especially on weekends and school holidays, students would always find a way to make time for the park.

“It was like a dopamine explosion,” said Steve Foug,  a Palo Alto High School history teacher who has been going to Great America since he was 6 years old. “I remember being beyond excited driving that same exit or just waiting out by the gate.”

Foug’s memories are like those of many Paly students, but soon they might be just that — memories. Even as California’s Great America announced it will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the park has also announced a closure that could occur as early as fall of 2027, with the park’s parent company, Six Flags, already having sold the land to the real estate company Prologis Inc. in 2022. On May 20, 2025, Six Flags Investor Day, Brian Witherow, the chief financial officer of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, officially announced Great America’s closure. 

Referring to revenue from the company’s 42 parks, Witherow said Great America is “very low on the ranking of margins.” The current lease runs until June 2028, but has the potential to be extended through 2033.

Art by Sophie Tanphaichitr

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“I tend to think of death as the last and best reward for a life well-lived,” Bob Weir said in a March 2025 interview wi...
03/04/2026

“I tend to think of death as the last and best reward for a life well-lived,” Bob Weir said in a March 2025 interview with Rolling Stone. 

Now, nearly a year after, the veteran musician finally received that reward.

On Jan. 10, Weir, guitarist, vocalist and founding member of California alternative rock band, Grateful Dead, passed away from lung disease. Weir was widely known for his legendary musical work which shaped an entire generation, many of whom live in this very city. 

According to dead.net, the Grateful Dead was founded by Weir, Jerry Garcia, Ron “Pigmen” McKernan, Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann in Palo Alto in 1965. Both Kreautzmann and McKernan attended Palo Alto High School, though McKernan didn’t graduate. The band, signified by its elaborate live improvisations, drastically varying instrumentation and eclectic, genre-defying fusion of style — from jazz to folk — cultivated an extensive international following over the course of its 30 year career. Grateful Dead left its legacy by marking its name in history as one of America’s premier psychedelic rock bands of the ‘60s. Despite their commercial success, the band’s ubiquity never translated to radio, with the band having only registered one top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Today, fans of the group, commonly referred to as “Deadheads,” continue to pass their love of Grateful Dead’s music along, with many Deadheads who grew up on Weir and his groupmates’ work introducing their children to the iconic band that resonated with their youth.

Art by Ethan Bradley and Shaurya Thummalapalli

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Palo Alto High School’s varsity football program is facing significant changes after a 0-10 season. Edward Tonga is repl...
02/28/2026

Palo Alto High School’s varsity football program is facing significant changes after a 0-10 season. 

Edward Tonga is replacing Dave DeGeronimo as the head coach. Tonga, a former Paly football defense coordinator and linebacker coach, as well as a Paly special education teacher, has decades of experience in coaching and playing football.

These changes come after a turbulent season that included controversy surrounding assistant coach Jason Fung, who was placed on administrative leave after an altercation with a Sacred Heart Preparatory player during an away game. The team also struggled on the field, prompting a focus on bonds between players and coaches as much as performance.

Tonga emphasized that the lessons from last season extend beyond wins and losses. “We need to build from the top down,” he said. “It’s important that we as coaches are being something that they can emulate as far as student-athletes. That means good connection and communication between the coaches. If we do that right at the top, I think it will help the players.”

Tonga was optimistic about the next season, praising his coaching staff and expressing confidence in player potential. “Some of these players have been just waiting to show their ability. Under this coaching staff, we have the right set of men to get them where they need to be,” he said.

Dave DeGeronimo, a physical education teacher at Greene Middle School and the Paly football head coach for three years, was released by the school administration on January 16, 2026.

The Palo Alto Vikings will start their 2026 season in a home game against Leigh High School on Aug. 28.

Photo: Justin Chen

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The Palo Alto community celebrated the reopening of Hoover Elementary School on Jan 22 following years of construction. ...
02/25/2026

The Palo Alto community celebrated the reopening of Hoover Elementary School on Jan 22 following years of construction. 

According to Palo Alto Online, construction began shortly after the demolition of the school’s original campus in the spring of 2024, with the plan to open the campus up in time for students to return for the beginning of the 2025-2026. At first, only small sections of the original campus were meant to be upgraded, but the pandemic along with new building requirements for the state ultimately caused the district to revamp the entire campus as a whole.

Minor delays caused the reopening to take place in the middle of the school year, but Principal Nikole Manou said the reintegration was done smoothly.

“The kids seamlessly. Picked up the new routines,” said Manou. “You know, we prepared them for it. We had assemblies before we moved.”

The large, beige wooden beams paired with massive windows allow for an earthy and cozy atmosphere. The campus’s new architectural style fits well within the rest of Palo Alto. 

In addition, the campus added a new bike lane, upgraded the playgrounds, and built an outdoor reading space. 
A notable new addition is the new Innovation Design Lab, which will introduce students to STEM-related subjects. 

“They’re [the students] going to look at different opportunities with computer sciences. Different things they can do with computer science,” Manou said. And then fifth grade is doing health sciences or architectures and kindergarten, and it’s really exposing them to these hands-on pieces.”

With many more stylistic features, the campus has an open environment that allows students to connect with the nature that surrounds it. 

With a sustainable, carbon-zero design and new buildings with unique purposes, the school is on track to become one to inspire students to find and pursue their own passions. 

Photo: Shaurya Thummalapalli

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Classes and educational programs are available at the new Bryant Street Community Center located in Downtown Palo Alto.A...
02/24/2026

Classes and educational programs are available at the new Bryant Street Community Center located in Downtown Palo Alto.

At the intersection of Bryant Street and Lytton Avenue, the community center is walkable from University Avenue, making it easily accessible for many Palo Alto residents.

One of the main programs featured at the Community Center is a dedicated space for teenagers. 

Palo Alto City staff members will operate a Teen Center with foosball tables, TV’s, and ample space to work. 

The Teen Center will open in Spring of 2026, according to Mitchell Park Teen Services.

The center has dance classes currently available for enrollment, however certain aspects of the building are still in the works. City staff members are working on furnishing the facility and putting up decorations in the Teen Center to make it more inviting. 

Freshman Viv Bojinov appreciates the numerous programs that the new community center will offer for teens.
 
“I think it’s a good addition, because it can provide opportunities for students who need them,” Bojinov said. 

According to Bryant Street Facility Manager Sharon Eva, the Community Center also lends the space to local businesses and nonprofits to use. Currently, the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre holds occupancy over one of the rooms and uses it for piano lessons. 

“The city wanted to see how we can try to accommodate them and make it make sense, that’s why we have the center,” Eva said. “I’m just hoping, like in the future, we can get more programs in there.” 

Photo: Tessa Berney

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On the cover of Volume 27 Issue 3, two hands reach out and clasp onto each other in a gesture of support, captured by Ed...
02/20/2026

On the cover of Volume 27 Issue 3, two hands reach out and clasp onto each other in a gesture of support, captured by Editor-in-Chief Kensie Pao.

The Verde “V” logo is colored in su***de awareness month hues, symbolizing our community’s commitment to supporting youth mental health.

Find the full PDF of the print magazine on Issuu.

In the Portuguese novel “The Alchemist,” a boy named Santiago, while on a quest to find lost treasure, meets a powerful ...
12/13/2025

In the Portuguese novel “The Alchemist,” a boy named Santiago, while on a quest to find lost treasure, meets a powerful alchemist who guides him on his personal journey. Meanwhile, in the Wellness Center, Palo Alto High School English teacher Bekki Casalco helps students create their own personal journey.

“We’re having them [students] identify people that are mentors or a support system in their lives, just like a hero,” Casalco said. “At the end of the activity, they have created a hero’s journey of their own: what their end goal is, who they hope to become, what tools they are using when times get hard, and who are they seeking guidance or support from?”

This year, Casalco is pioneering a different approach for her freshman English class by connecting social and emotional issues from the books they read, like “The Alchemist,” to real life scenarios.

Casalco collaborates with the Wellness Center in planning lessons to create meaningful and relatable experiences for her students.

“Although some stories can be in a different time period, the situations they face when they are transitioning from childhood to adulthood are all familiar and real,” Casalco said. “In one activity, we gave [students] a list of what the mental health resources were, and they got to choose which resource applied to each hypothetical situation.”

During the 2024-2025 school year, 83% of public schools in the United States offered individual-based mental health intervention, such as one-on-one counseling, according to the U.S. Department of Education. However, since coming to Paly at the beginning of the semester, Casalco noticed a lack of students taking advantage of mental health resources, prompting her to take matters into her own hands.

“[Not many] students actually go to the [Wellness] Center after orientation,” Casalco said. “So if we were working toward removing the stigma of wellness, then we must use the opportunity to connect students with our content and the resources on campus.”

Photo: Lilo Sayag

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