Verde Magazine

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

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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Voters streamed through the Rinconada library, dropping by to cast their ballots for the Nov. 4 election. This year’s ba...
12/11/2025

Voters streamed through the Rinconada library, dropping by to cast their ballots for the Nov. 4 election. This year’s ballot was defined by Proposition 50, a ballot measure to redistrict the California congressional map in favor of the Democratic Party.

Prop 50 was proposed in response to congressional redistricting in Texas that favored the Republican Party. Passed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Aug. 29 and encouraged by President Donald Trump, the new Texas congressional map is projected to give Republicans five more seats in the House, according to the Brookings Institution.

In response, California democrats, led by Governor Gavin Newsom, began pushing for congressional redistricting in California that would favor Democrats. Prop 50 was their proposal.

Prop 50 appeared on the November 2025 California statewide election ballot. It will give the California state legislature the ability to redraw the state’s congressional districts mid-decade in response to redistricting moves made by Republican-led states earlier this year in August. Previously, California was one of the few states where an independent commission of citizens drew congressional maps.

Within days post election, Prop 50 was passed by California voters. The measure will take effect 2026 and expire in 2030, where the California Citizens Redistricting Commission will take back power.

The proposition aims to add five additional safe Democratic seats in the House of Representatives.

A key difference between California and Texas’ redistricting is that while Texas changed the maps without asking voters, California only redistricted with voter approval, according to Palo Alto City Council Member Vicki Veenker. Additionally, Veenker said that California’s new maps are more compliant with anti voter suppression laws.

Art by Julie Yang

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Immediately after stepping into Mamahuhu, it’s clear that this Chinese American restaurant is ahead of its time in flavo...
12/10/2025

Immediately after stepping into Mamahuhu, it’s clear that this Chinese American restaurant is ahead of its time in flavor and design. Located in Town and Country Palo Alto, the restaurant is decorated with beautiful drawings of traditional Chinese architecture, modern jade light fixtures and colorful yellow chairs to create an inviting but casual setting.

Business entrepreneurs Anmao Sun, Ben Moore and Michelin-starred chef Brandon Jew are the three visionaries behind the restaurant.

Jew is the co-owner and executive chef of Mister Jiu’s, a Chinese American restaurant located in the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Before Sun and Moore started Mamahuhu, they worked in Shanghai, collaborating on a farm-to-table grocery store that focused on transparency when sourcing their products.

“For the three of us, … Ben and Brandon and I, we always grew up eating this stuff,” Sun said. “[We] all landed around the importance of using really thoughtful ingredients, ingredients that are organic, that are made with people that you know, and we kind of craved seeing that ethos being used in this cuisine.”

Sun said the inspiration for a Chinese American restaurant sprouted from the initial amalgamation of the two cultures.

“Chinese American food is the specific cuisine that we’re focused on, and it’s very different from quintessential ‘authentic Chinese food,’” Sun said. “It’s a cuisine that very much was started by the immigrants that came here over the century and adapted cooking styles and adapted Chinese techniques to American palates.”

Photos: Tessa Berney

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Palo Alto Unified School District high school students will be able to keep their phones during non-instructional time, ...
12/08/2025

Palo Alto Unified School District high school students will be able to keep their phones during non-instructional time, following a decision made by the school board.

During the Nov. 4 school board meeting, members voted to approve a policy that would only restrict mobile phone use during instructional time. 

According to the final policy, “students in high schools may use smartphones or other mobile communication devices on campus during noninstructional time as long as the device is utilized in accordance with law and any applicable school rules.”

Palo Alto High School senior Zoe Jovanovic is relieved that the phone policy will not be changed because of safety concerns.

“I get doing it [banning phones] during class, but I don’t see why you would outside of class,” Jovanovic said. 

Before the policy passed, Paly’s Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson said the current policy of phone restriction during classroom time is enough of a rule for students.

“I personally don’t see a need to shut it down bell to bell,” Berkson said. “There’s already a cat and mouse game within the classroom, and we have better things to do than to chase students around for using their phone.”

According to Governor Gavin Newsom’s website, a policy to limit on-campus phone usage in schools must be implemented by July 1. 

PAUSD’s new policy is in accordance with this state law.

Photo: Yardenne Sternheim

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The potential renewal process for the Palo Alto Unified School District’s parcel tax is set to happen during the March s...
12/07/2025

The potential renewal process for the Palo Alto Unified School District’s parcel tax is set to happen during the March school board meeting.

This is following a discussion at the school board meeting on Nov. 4. In March, the district will review the description of the proposed parcel tax renewal, and potentially approve the official description of the proposed renewal, which will appear on the ballot for citizens in Palo Alto to consider in June.

The current parcel tax provides approximately $16.5 million per year in local funding. If the parcel tax is not renewed, the district would face an estimated $17 million annual shortfall, starting in the 2026–27 school year, according to PAUSD Chief Business Officer Charen Yu.

The parcel tax supports roughly 79 full-time positions across classrooms and essential support programs in PAUSD. These positions help maintain manageable class sizes and sustain enrichment programs like Paly’s visual and preforming arts programs.

The positions uphold a high quality of education, things that the Palo Alto community values according to a recent survey by True North Research presented at the school board meeting.

This loss of funding would immediately create structural deficits and shift the district’s three-year financial projection from balanced to deficit spending, requiring significant reductions to maintain financial stability.

The tax is currently set at $904.92 per parcel for the 2025-2026 school year.

A parcel is a local real estate tax that is a fixed amount of money per unit of land.

Photo: Ryan Saket

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Palo Alto Seale Avenue homeowners, and others in the area, are bracing for changes as a new neighborhood tunnel and part...
12/06/2025

Palo Alto Seale Avenue homeowners, and others in the area, are bracing for changes as a new neighborhood tunnel and partial underpass advance in planning as part of a grade separation project.

Aiming to decrease traffic and maximize safety, the project would be designed to make sure railroads and roads don’t intersect at the Churchill crossing.

Instead, there would be a partial underpass where cars change elevation and go below the tracks while the train continues on the same level. Pedestrians and cyclists would use a separate tunnel along Seale Avenue.

Ripon Bhatia, a senior engineer with the City of Palo Alto, noted that the project will reduce congestion and improve safety on Alma Street and Churchill Avenue.

“The partial underpass alternative will grade separate Churchill Avenue from the current Caltrain tracks using an underpass,” Bhatia wrote in an email. “There will no longer be through traffic on Churchill Avenue at the intersection with Alma Street.”

Bhatia said the start of construction is currently unknown, but is in the planning phase.

“The project is currently in the preliminary engineering stage,” Bhatia wrote in an email. “Construction timing will depend on the completion of environmental documentation, final design, priority and the availability of funding for grade separations projects in Palo Alto.”

Rendering from the City of Palo Alto.

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On the cover of Volume 27 Issue 2, Palo Alto High School senior Amalia Tormala attempts to chip a press pass out of an i...
12/03/2025

On the cover of Volume 27 Issue 2, Palo Alto High School senior Amalia Tormala attempts to chip a press pass out of an ice block alongside various “frozen” student press freedom related pins in a photo taken by Editor-in-Chief Kensie Pao.

Breaking the ice represents efforts to combat the “chilling effect.”

Find the full PDF of the print magazine on Issuu.

Following a district board meeting last week which addressed a proposal meant to highlight student achievement, student ...
10/26/2025

Following a district board meeting last week which addressed a proposal meant to highlight student achievement, student leaders are reacting with approval to the superintendent’s cancellation of the proposal.

The tentatively titled “Advanced Diploma”, first proposed in June, went through various iterations that could have required students to take four Advanced Placement courses and score a three or higher on each course’s test. On top of that, students would have needed to complete an internship, participate in a speaker series and meet a minimum ACT or SAT score, which was not specified.

At last week’s meeting, Palo Alto Unified School District Superintendent Don Austin confirmed that the “Advanced Diploma” proposal would not move forward.

“I’d like to announce that the plans for the ‘Advanced Diploma’ are finalized,” Austin said. “It’s gone. There’s no support from the students. … [They] told me loud and clear that this is not something that they really wanted to go with.”

Palo Alto High School senior Amalia Tormala, a member of the Superintendent Student Advisory Council, disapproved of the diploma. She said that if it passed there would be barriers for the majority of students to accomplish some of its requirements.

“What was most negative about it for me was that it was an added level between students that would differentiate them,” Tormala said. “I think not all students have the same opportunity to achieve things like internships.”

Paly Student Board Representative Dylan Chen supported Austin’s decision to cancel the proposal.

“The ‘Advanced Diploma’ is just one failed attempt, and the students don’t think it’s the right way to do it,” Chen said. “I applaud the district’s decision in that matter where they listen to the student voice and table the idea.”

Photo: Shaurya Thummalapalli

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“Good work!” Coach Tim Mulcahy calls from the pool deck to the water polo players treading for their usual warmup.From p...
10/26/2025

“Good work!” Coach Tim Mulcahy calls from the pool deck to the water polo players treading for their usual warmup.

From playing at University of  California, Berkeley in college to beginning his coaching career at the Jane Lathrop Stanford pool, Palo Alto High School Girls Varsity Water Polo Coach Tim Mulcahy knew from an early age that his life would revolve around the sport.

After playing water polo throughout college, Mulcahy took on the role of coaching Paly water polo athletes in 1983. By 1994, he had joined the USA Masters Water Polo team, a nonprofit corporation that provides training for elite athletes to compete at the national level.

Although Mulcahy is now coaching at Paly and competing for a top team, he faced an unexpected setback. Last year, he was forced to step away from the pool after being diagnosed with lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system.

“My family was so supportive and allowed me to not think, ‘maybe it [treatment] won’t work,’” Mulcahy said. “They said, ‘it’s going to work.’”

With words of encouragement and superfood dishes, Mulcahy’s family played a crucial role in his journey to recovery.

“My wife was spectacular,” Mulcahy said. “We ate all sorts of cancer-fighting soups and meals. I mean, everything was a soup that had all sorts of incredible vegetables and good products.”

Photos: Lilia Kuzmicheva

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Warm orange light pours through the entrance as the sounds of casual conversations and background music fill the room. D...
10/22/2025

Warm orange light pours through the entrance as the sounds of casual conversations and background music fill the room. Decorative wood pillars line the space, and a wall of textured golden panels sections the doorway from sleek furniture. With floor-to-ceiling windows blanketing the diner in natural light, Horsefeather is the newest addition to Town & Country Village’s diverse and esteemed lineup of restaurants.

Horsefeather opened its first location in San Francisco in 2016 and recently launched its Palo Alto branch on June 27. The team has lofty goals for the upcoming years, including outdoor seating, an expanded menu and a new lunch program for Paly students.

“We’re working on a kind of grab-and-go situation for Palo Alto High School [students],” General Manager Dzu Nguyen said. “Foods that you see on the menu are going to be rapid fire for you guys.”

Nguyen said the inspiration for the restaurant’s cuisine originated from a fusion of cultures.

“We like to term it as ‘Pan Californian,’ with a focus on Latin and Asian influence,” Nguyen said. “Our chef Johanna is Yucatanian and Mexican. By birth, I’m Vietnamese. Our owners are Chinese. [We look for] the middle ground in between those flavor profiles.”

The story behind the restaurant’s name refers to the term “horsefeathers,” which means nonsense or something ridiculous, contrasting its put together exterior.

“Essentially, [the name is] a joke; it kind of falls into the ethos of our restaurant,” Nguyen said. “We present ourselves in the best way possible, with great service and high quality, but at the same time, we’re still always going to have that sort of neighborhood-style energy, that kind of devil-may-care attitude.”

Photos: Shaurya Thummalapalli

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With construction completed over the summer and departments beginning to move into the facility, Palo Alto’s new public ...
10/17/2025

With construction completed over the summer and departments beginning to move into the facility, Palo Alto’s new public safety building will officially open later this year.

Located on 250 Sherman Ave., next to California Avenue, the new three-story building began construction in 2021.

It will encompass many agencies including the city’s police department, which is relocating from its old Downtown location.

Project architect Colette Chew said the old police station’s limitations were a reason for relocation.

“The existing police station was built in the early 70s, and it doesn’t meet the current code for an essential service building,” Chew said.

An essential service building must be able to withstand disasters and emergencies — a standard that the new police station will be able to meet, according to Chew.

Lieutenant Nicolas Martinez from the Palo Alto Police Department noted the convenience of having several divisions of the department under the same roof.

“The new public safety building houses the police department, fire administration and the office of emergency services,” Martinez wrote in an email. “This allows the department heads to meet in one place, which in turn allows decisions to be made in a timely manner.”

As teams work to move into their new site, the old police station location is currently being evaluated for a future project.

“We hired a consultant to do studies on what to do,” Chew said. “We don’t have any decisions yet, but we are surveying the space.”

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Michael Stieren joined the Palo Alto High School Administration team this year, and says he is excited to get to know th...
10/17/2025

Michael Stieren joined the Palo Alto High School Administration team this year, and says he is excited to get to know the student body.

The new assistant principal aims to collaborate with faculty and oversee student services such as the Advanced Placement Capstone program, the Speech and Debate Team, the Robotics Team and others.

While this is Stieren’s first year working at Paly, he’s no stranger to the Bay Area. Stieren was the vice principal at Adrian Wilcox High School in Santa Clara for four years, and grew up in the Bay Area. In an interview with Verde, Stieren even recalled playing a baseball game against Paly in 1997.

When Stieren is not engaging with his new colleagues, he says he loves walking around the school, receiving movie and music recommendations from students.

One thing that stood out to Stieren in his first few weeks is the energy radiating from students.

“No two days are really the same, but it is a lot of fun to just engage with different kids who are interested in different things, and hear their stories and what they’re hoping to achieve,” Stieren said.

In the future, Stieren is focused on learning about Paly’s identity.

“It’s important to just get to know the culture of the school, get to know the students, get to know the staff, the faculty, and sort of embed yourself into it,” Stieren said. “I’m not here to upend things and make changes. I’m here to be a good partner in the really good work that’s already happening.”

Photo: Tessa Berney

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