Palo Alto High School
Established	1898
School type	Public
Grades	9-12
Principal	Scott Laurence
Location	Palo Alto, CA, USA
Enrollment	1670
Colors	Green & White
Mascot	Viking
Website	http://www.paly.net/

Palo Alto Senior High School is the older of the two high schools in Palo Alto, California, United States. Founded in 1898, its enrollment today is almost 1700 students. "Paly", as the school is known locally, draws high-achieving and scholastically-minded students due to the demographics of its location in the heart of Silicon Valley and its proximity to Stanford University. In 2002 Newsweek magazine ranked it among the top 200 public high schools, based on test scores.^[1] The school also carries on a distinguished athletic tradition, marked in recent years by a rivalry with crosstown foe Gunn. Titles won by teams from Paly include California State Championships in Boys Varsity Basketball in 1993 (during which the team went undefeated) and 2006. Download high resolution version (1024x800, 164 KB)Palo Alto High School billboard. ... Main article: Secondary education High school is a name used in some parts of the world, and particularly in North America, to describe the last segment of compulsory education. ... Location of Palo Alto within Santa Clara County, California. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Students in Rome, Italy. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... The Newsweek logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and internationally. ... Main article: Secondary education High school is a name used in some parts of the world, and particularly in North America, to describe the last segment of compulsory education. ... Pairs of schools, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, establish a school rivalry with each other over the years. ... Gunn High School is one of two public high schools in Palo Alto, California. ...

Paly is situated on the older, northern side of Palo Alto, a location it has occupied since 1919. The western boundary of campus is El Camino Real, opposite which stands Stanford Stadium and the campus of Stanford University. The northern end of Paly runs along Embarcadero Road (from which the main parking lot is accessible). Across Embarcadero Road is situated the Town & Country Village shopping center. Students take full advantage of their proximity to Town and Country (or "T&C", as they call it), and lunch hours during the school year will generally find them giving brisk business to its eateries. El Camino Real in California is historically the road built in 1769 by Father Junípero Serra to connect the Catholic missions in Alta California between Sonoma in the north, and (what is now Presidio Park in) San Diego in the south, during the Spanish colonial era, and now a... Stanford Stadium (capacity 50,000 as of 2006) is a stadium on the Stanford University campus. ... The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University (or simply Stanford), is a private university located approximately 37 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco and approximately 20 miles northwest of San José in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County. ... Town & Country Village is a shopping center located in Palo Alto, California. ... Alternate uses: Student (disambiguation) Etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb stŭdērĕ, which means to study, a student is one who studies. ...

The eastern edge of the Paly campus abuts the Caltrain rail tracks, which separate the school from Alma Street. Commute trains thunder by on the route between San Jose and San Francisco, their window-rattling passage routinely ignored by all but the newest students and teachers. In 2002 and 2003, the Paly community was shaken by two students' suicides (by jumping in front of oncoming trains) at or near the Alma Street-Churchill Avenue crossing. Despite a lack of any public evidence concerning cause, some have speculated that these suicides were related to the emphasis on grades, achievement, and the pressure to compete for acceptance at highly selective colleges that characterizes many Palo Alto families. Another Paly student suicide involving the Caltrain tracks occurred in 1986. Caltrain is a commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. ... Rail tracks. ... Santa Clara County Route G6, which comprises Central Expressway and part of Alma Street in Palo Alto is signed as a 12. ... Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... Nickname: The City by the Bay; Fog City; The City; Baghdad by the Bay Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco Government  - Mayor Gavin Newsom Area  - City  47 sq mi (122 km²)  - Land  46. ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the willful act of killing oneself. ...

The southern side of the school grounds, with its expanse of athletic fields, ends at Churchill Avenue and the leafy residential area beyond. What would be the extreme southwestern corner of the campus is occupied by the main offices of the Palo Alto Unified School District. Avenue can mean any of the following: Most commonly, it refers to two parallel lines of trees specially planted as a landscape feature. ... Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) in Palo Alto, California is known for being one of the finest in the state. ...

The school can reached by the VTA bus line 22 along El Camino Real, the Dumbarton Express bus, the SamTrans bus line KX, Stanford's free Marguerite shuttle, Caltrain's Palo Alto station, as well as by the Palo Alto city shuttle, which runs along Embarcadero Road. [[|right|200px]] Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is a special-purpose district responsible for public transit services, congestion management, specific highway improvement projects, and countywide transportation planning for Santa Clara County, California, United States. ... The Dumbarton Express is a California bus service operating between Union City BART station and Palo Alto Caltrain station via the Dumbarton Bridge. ... San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) is a public transport agency in and around San Mateo, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. ...

The school mascot is the Viking. The term Viking commonly denotes the ship-borne explorers, traders, and warriors of the Norsemen (literally, men from the north) who originated in Scandinavia and raided the coasts of the British Isles, France and other parts of Europe as far east as the Volga River in Russia from the late...

Publications

• The Campanile is Paly's school print publication. It claims one of the largest circulations of any high school newspaper in the Bay Area. It prints around 20 broadsheet pages once every three weeks. It has won four Pacemaker awards and also a West regional award for editorial excellence from Time.

• Verde is Paly's school magazine publication, published five times each year. Verde is the widest distributed student-run magazine in the nation, and has won numerous Pacemaker and Gold Crown awards for scholastic journalism, including the 2005 Gold Crown award in the Newspaper category. In 2006 Verde won the Best in Show at National Journalism Convention held in San Francisco.

• The Paly Voice, launched in the 2002-3 school year, is Paly's online news source. It features searchable archives of all of the above publications as well as exclusive online content. In the spring of 2005 the site won both the People's Voice and Overall Webby Award in the "Student" category, a rare accomplishment for a high school level Internet site. The Voice was also one of the national Online Pacemaker award recipients in 2006, 2005 and 2004, and was a finalist for the same award in 2003. The Voice can be accessed at voice.paly.net.

• InFocus is Paly's television news channel. It is broadcast five days a week during fourth period, and available only on Paly campus and online at voice.paly.net. It has recently come under fire from Campanile for its inefficiency, an issue highlighted by the occasional missed broadcasts due to technical difficulties. Their conflict has manifested in a cartoon in the Campanile and a subsequent InFocus segment .

• Calliope is Paly's literary magazine, published once or twice a year. It is also available online at calliope.paly.net.

USGS satellite photo of the San Francisco Bay Area. ... The National Pacemaker Awards are awards for excellence in American student journalism, given annually since 1927. ... Time (whose trademark is capitalized TIME) is a weekly American newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. ... Started in Fall 2002, The Paly Voice is a student-run journalism Web site published continuously by the students in Palo Alto High Schools Web Journalism class. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, the Webby Awards are a set of awards presented to the worlds best websites. The awards have been given out since 1996. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Mock Trial

Palo Alto's mock trial team, run by former Social Studies Instructional Supervisor Suzanne Stewart, is a perennial force in the Santa Clara County division of the Constitutional Rights Foundation's mock trial competition. Palo Alto competed in the 2004,^[2] 2005,^[2] 2006, and 2007 county finals, beating Lynbrook High School in 2005 and 2007 to represent Santa Clara County in the California Mock Trial Competition. In 2005, Palo Alto placed 10th in the state.^[3] A mock trial (similar to moot court, but dealing with trials, while moot court deals with appellate court) is a contrived or imitation trial. ... There is also a Lynbrook High School in Lynbrook, New York. ... Santa Clara County is a county located in Californias San Francisco Bay Area. ...

Theater

Drama Instructor Kristen Lo has been at Paly since 2001, and has overseen more than fifteen productions as director and producer.

Past productions include: Big Love, The Fantasticks, A Chorus Line, Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage, Speed Limit 25, Metamorphoses, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Learned Ladies, Romeo and Juliet, and 43 Plays For 43 Presidents.

The Thespian Society is the oldest club on campus, and facilitates field trips to see plays throughout the Bay Area, as well as to attend acting and improv workshops. Since 2004, the annual Play in a Day festival has been held the first weekend of Winter Break, when theater alumni join current students in the Haymarket to write, rehearse and perform one-act plays within a period of just over 24 hours.

Every other year, Paly holds a Spring showcase of student-written and directed one-act plays called "Speed Limit 25."

In addition to productions of the Paly drama and music departments, the historic Haymarket Theater houses performances, lectures, and special events for organizations from the larger community.

The Grateful Dead (then the Warlocks) played at the Haymarket during the 60's, as well as legendary jazz pianist Thelonius Monk and other artists widely popular during their time.

Robotics

The Palo Alto High School (Paly) Robotics Team, established in 1996 by Doug Bertain and his engineering technology students, is one of the many active academic programs at Paly. They are funded mainly by corporate sponsors and compete annually in competitions such as the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Competition, the Electric Vehicle Rally, Botball, and the Tech Challenge. In 2006, the Robotics team won first place at the FIRST Las Vegas Regional Competition. This year, the team has also been selected to participate in, and given a $10,000 grant from MIT's InvenTeams program.

Campus Traditions

Since Palo Alto High school was built at its current location in 1919, it has acquired a host of campus traditions. Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Spirit Week

Each class is assigned a color for Spirit Week, which they wear on Wednesday. Each day has its own costume theme, which is broken down into sub-themes by class. Rallies and competitions are held on the quad at lunch and points are awarded to each class based on their performance. Points can also be taken away for poor sportsmanship or the wearing of unauthorized class apparel.

• Spirit Week Themes
  • Monday: Class Theme
  • Tuesday: Salad Dressing
  • Wednesday: Class colors/shirts
  • Thursday: Ages
  • Friday: School colors

Senior Pranks

• Six-foot C painted on Stanford's main quad (c. 1940)^[4]
• Cow in Tower Building (possibly apocryphal)^[5]
• The entire freshman class was assembled for a group photo. As the shutter clicked, several hundred gallons of water were dumped on them from above (1979)
• A beehive was brought into the library in a sealed 33 gallon plastic garbage can, then opened. The library and adjoining offices were closed for a day in order to remove the bees (1979)
• All the doorlocks in the Science wing were removed and reversed (1979)
• Eight-foot paper maché and chicken wire penis was tied between palm trees and dangled across the quad (1991)^[6]
• Library broken into; library carrels moved to quad (1997)^[5]
• Hundreds of crickets unleashed in the library prior to the finals for grades 9-11, Class of '99.
• Complete classroom moved to quad and reassembled, Class of '99
• Giant inflatable water polo ball taken from Stanford was re-inflated on top of the library building (2003)^[5]

A tree cricket sitting on a leaf. ...

Streaking

Typically a group of just graduated seniors streak across the quad during the last week of school (usually the last day of classes at brunch).

Notable Alumni

• Lester Steers, world record holder in high jump from 1941-1953, class of 1937
• Rink Babka, Olympic discus thrower, class of 1954
• Jon Huntsman, billionaire founder of Huntsman Corporation, class of 1955
• Joan Baez, folk singer, class of 1958
• Grace Slick, rock singer, class of 1958
• Joe Simitian, California State Assemblyman (2000-2004); California State Senator (2004-), class of ?
• Ron Wyden, U.S. Senator, Oregon, class of 1967
• John Markoff, reporter, New York Times, class of 1967
• Tad Williams, author of the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Otherland, and Shadowmarch Science Fiction/Fantasy series, class of 1975
• Dave Schultz, Olympic gold medalist and World Champion wrestler, class of 1977
• Mark Schultz, Olympic and World Champion wrestler, class of 1978
• Rob Minkoff, director (The Lion King, etc), class of 1980
• Kirk Wise, Film Director, (Beauty and the Beast, Hunchback of Notre Dame), class of 1981
• Jim Harbaugh, football player and Stanford University football coach, class of 1982
• Dave Feldman, Sportscaster WTTG-TV (FOX) Washington DC, class of 1983
• Bill Pidto, ESPN Anchor, class of 1983
• Whitfield Crane, Lead Singer - Ugly Kid Joe, class of 1984?
• Ron "Money B" Brooks, Rapper - Digital Underground class of 1987?
• Ted Turkington, Baseball Coach, St. Ignatius College Preparatory, class of 1991
• James Franco, actor, class of 1996
• Luke Paquin, guitarist - Hot Hot Heat, class of 1996
• The Donnas, rock band (Brett Anderson, Maya Ford, Allison Robertson, and Torry Castellano), class of 1997
• Timi Wusu, Stanford Football, Oakland Raiders, class of 2001
• Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, [[Blues Singer/Organist], Grateful Dead, did not graduate
• Jerry Garcia of the Grateful dead

Gold medal winner Ethel Catherwood of Canada scissors over the bar at the 1928 Summer Olympics. ... Rink Babka (born 23 September 1936) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the Discus throw. ... The Summer Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event held every four years, organised by the International Olympic Committee. ... Statue of discus thrower in Botanic Garden, Copenhagen, Denmark For alternate meanings, see Discus. ... Jon M. Huntsman Hall at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Jon Meade Huntsman, Sr. ... Huntsman Corporation is the worlds largest privately held chemical company, founded in 1970 by Jon Huntsman. ... Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941) is an American folk singer and songwriter known for her highly individual vocal style. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ... Grace Slick (born Grace Barnett Wing, October 30, 1939 in Evanston, Illinois) is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Starship and also as a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the... Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles, however saxophones have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since the 90s. ... S. Joseph Joe Simitian is a Democratic California State Senator, who was elected to replace the term-limited Byron Sher in the 2004 elections. ... The California State Assembly chamber California State Assembly Chamber in the State Capitol The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. ... California state Senate chamber California State Senate Chamber in the State Capitol The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. ... Ronald Lee Wyden (born May 3, 1949) to German American parents, is Oregons senior United States Senator. ... John Markoff (born October 24, 1949) is an American writer and journalist. ... Robert Paul Tad Williams (born March 14, 1957) is the author of several fantasy and science fiction novels, including Tailchasers Song, the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series, the Otherland series, and The War of the Flowers. ... Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is Tad Williamss epic fantasy trilogy, comprising The Dragonbone Chair (1988), Stone of Farewell (1990) and To Green Angel Tower (1993). ... Otherland is a four-book science fiction epic by Tad Williams. ... Shadowmarch is the first book in the Shadowmarch trilogy, by Tad Williams. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... David L. Schultz (June 6, 1959 - January 26, 1996) was an Olympic and World champion freestyle wrestler. ... Wrestling can be: Sport wrestling Professional wrestling Another term for grappling This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Wrestling can be: Sport wrestling Professional wrestling Another term for grappling This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Rob Minkoff, also credited as Robert Minkoff, is a writer, film producer and director. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... The Lion King is a 1994 animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. ... Kirk Wise (born August 24, 1963 San Francisco California) is an American film director and writer. ... Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated film, the thirtieth animated feature to be produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. ... The Hunchback of Notre Dame (also known as The Bells of Notre Dame in some countries) is a 1996 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released to theaters on June 21, 1996 by Walt Disney Pictures. ... James Joseph Jim Harbaugh (born December 23, 1963 in Toledo, Ohio) is a former American football quarterback who played for the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers and finally the Carolina Panthers of the NFL. He was drafted by the Bears out of the University... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University (or simply Stanford), is a private university located approximately 37 miles (60 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco and approximately 20 miles northwest of San José in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County. ... Bill Pidto is currently a journalist for ESPN, where he has worked since 1996. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Ugly Kid Joe was a heavy metal band from Isla Vista, California. ... Rapper Money-B Money-B is a member of the funk and rap group Digital Underground. ... Rapping is one of the elements of hip hop and the distinguishing feature of hip hop music; it is a form of rhyming lyrics spoken rhythmically over musical instruments, with a musical backdrop of sampling, scratching and mixing by DJs. ... Digital Underground is an alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California, known for outrageous costumes and live shows, their musics humorous tone and an endless parade of identities for member Shock G, whose Humpty Hump proved especially memorable after the hit 1990 (see 1990 in music) The Humpty Dance... 11-26 St. ... James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, and artist. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke while waiting between takes during location filming An actor or actress is a person who acts, or plays a role, in a dramatic production. ... Luke Paquin (May 1, 1978) is the newest member and guitarist of the band Hot Hot Heat, replacing former guitarist Dante DeCaro (now of the band Wolf Parade). ... A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. ... Hot Hot Heat is a band from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. ... The Donnas is the name of an American all-female rock band. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Timi Wusu played football at Stanford. ... City Oakland, California Other nicknames The Silver and Black, Da Raidahs Team colors Silver and Black Head Coach Lane Kiffin Owner Al Davis General manager Michael Lombardi League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960–1969) Western Division (1960–1969) National Football League (1970–present) American Football Conference (1970–present) AFC... Ronald C. Pigpen McKernan (September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973) was a founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. ... The Grateful Dead were an American rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. ... Jerome John Jerry Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was the lead guitarist and vocalist of the psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead. ...

Notable Visitors

• Walter Mondale, Former U.S. Vice President, 2006
• David M. Kennedy, Historian and author of The American Pageant, 2006
• Mary Tillman, Mother of the late American football player and soldier Pat Tillman, 2006
• Alan Bersin, California Secretary of Education, 2006
• Annette Bening, American Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress, 2006

Sources: The Paly Voice at http://voice.paly.net This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... David M. Kennedy is a historian specializing in American history. ... Alan Bersin is a former Secretary of Education for California, as well as a former superintendent of San Diego City Schools and former Attorney General’s Southwest Border Representative, or Border Czar. ... Annette Bening (born May 29, 1958) is an American Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress. ...

• Steve Young, Football Player for the San Francisco 49er's, 2004.

Steve Young can refer to: Steve Young (athlete), Hall of Fame quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers Steve Young (musician), country music singer, songwriter and guitarist Steve Young (politics), candidate for United States House of Representatives Steve Young (guitarist), industrial rock music songwriter and guitarist Steve Young (writer), a television...

Trivia

• On the episode "The Keg" of That 70's Show, two jocks at Eric's high school wear letterman jackets identical to those issued by Palo Alto High School: they have green "P" letters and "Vikings" written across the back. It is one of the first five episodes of That 70's Show.

That 70s Show logo That 70s Show is a Fox Network television sitcom centered around the lives of a group of teenagers living in the fictional suburb of Point Place, near Green Bay, during the late 1970s. ... That 70s Show logo That 70s Show is a Fox Network television sitcom centered around the lives of a group of teenagers living in the fictional suburb of Point Place, near Green Bay, during the late 1970s. ...

See also

• Gunn High School, Palo Alto's other high school
• Cubberley High School, Palo Alto's now-defunct third high school

Gunn High School is one of two public high schools in Palo Alto, California. ... Cubberley Community Center is a community center in Palo Alto, California that is housed on the campus of the former Cubberly High School, which was closed in 1979 as a result of declining enrollment. ...

External links

• Palo Alto High School official website
• Paly Voice, online journalism publication of Palo Alto High School
• Paly Alumni website
• Paly Theater website
• Newsweek's 2006 Rankings of the 1200 Best High Schools
• Paly Robotics website
• Paly Athletics website

Notes

1. ^ Jeffries, Kimberly and Laila Ouhamou, researchers. [1]
2. ^ ^{a b} Karlin-Neumann, Chana. "Mock Trial Team Dominates County," Campanile, 7 March, 2005. [2]
3. ^ Whitfield, Taylor. "Mock trial represents county in State Finals," Voice, 21 March, 2005. [3]
4. ^ Marek, Grant. "There's More to the Big Game than 'the Play': Rivalry has Storied Tradition of Pranks, Acts of School Pride," Daily Californian, 17 November, 2001. [4]
5. ^ ^{a b c} Cook, Gavin. "Pranks brighten, blemish Paly environment," Campanile, 2 June, 2005. [5]
6. ^ Blakely, Participant, Class of '91