Palo Alto High School Explained

Palo Alto High School
Streetaddress:	50 Embarcadero Road
County:	Santa Clara
Country:	United States
Zipcode:	94301
Pushpin Map:	San Francisco Bay Area#California#USA
Oversight:	Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Schools
Superintendent:	Don Austin^[1]
Principal:	Brent Kline^[2]
Enrollment:	2,010 (2021–22)^[3]
Ratio:	17.73
Staff:	117.60 (FTE)
Grades:	9–12
Newspaper:	The Campanile
Mascot:	Vikings
Founded:	1898

Palo Alto Senior High School, commonly referred to locally as "Paly",^[4] is a comprehensive public high school in Palo Alto, California. Operated by the Palo Alto Unified School District, the school is one of two high schools in the district, the other being across town: Gunn High School, with which Paly has a rivalry.

Palo Alto High School was originally established as a private school in 1894. The school was later established as a public school four years later, and a new campus was built in 1918. The school's property is adjacent to Stanford University, who provided the land for the school.

The school admits roughly 500 students each year and features various extracurriculars, including a variety of student-led publications, glassblowing, robotics, and a theater program. It is a two-time National Blue Ribbon School.

History

Palo Alto Senior High School initially opened in 1894 as a private school. At the time of its opening, the school consisted of 24 students to 3 teachers. The school would later become a public school in 1918. Classes were initially held in the Channing Avenue Grammar School; a three-room high school was later built using funds from a trustee. An expanded campus began construction in 1917 and finished construction by December 1918.^[5]

Demographics

2021–22^[3]

• 2,010 students: 1,042 Male (51.8%), 968 Female (48.2%)

!White!Asian!Hispanic!Two or More Races!African American!Pacific Islander!Filipino!American Indian or Alaska Native!Not Reported

423	389	132	80	15	8	8	3	0
41.7%	34.7%	12.9%	7.6%	1.3%	0.7%	0.7%	0.3%	0%

2015–16^[6]

• 1,994 students: 982 Male (49.6%), 1004 Female (50.4%)

White	Asian	Hispanic	Two or More Races	African American	Pacific Islander	Filipino	American Indian	Not Reported
976	602	187	109	66	21	20	13	0
%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%

Standardized testing

SAT Scores for 2014–2015^[8]
	Critical Reading Average	Math Average	Writing Average
Palo Alto High	627	657	624
District	634	671	634
Statewide	489	500	484

Student media

In October 2014, a new Media Arts Center (MAC) was unveiled at Paly. The MAC is the hub of journalism at Palo Alto High School.^[11]

Year-round student publications

These publications have a dedicated class associated with them.

• The Campanile is the high school's newspaper. It prints 24 broadsheet pages once every three weeks. The Campanile has been in the National Scholastic Press Association Hall of Fame since 2004, and has also won four Pacemaker awards as well as a West regional award for editorial excellence from Time.
• C Magazine is the high school Arts and Culture Magazine. C Magazine has won a Gold Crown award from Columbia Scholastic Press Association in 2015 and 2016.^[12]
• Verde is Paly's school magazine publication, founded in 1999.^[13] It is published five times each year and available online. Verde has won 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. In 2008 Verde was one of four newsmagazines awarded the Pacemaker award from the National Scholastic Press Association.^[14] In 2023, Verde was named Best in Show in the Newsmagazine category for schools with 1,800 or more students.^[15]
• Viking is Paly's sports magazine publication, published five times each year and available online. Founded in 2007, Viking was the first publication at the high school level to solely cover athletics in the country. It won the National Scholastic Press Association's Student Journalist Impact Award in 2008.
• The Paly Voice, launched in 2003, is Paly's online news source. It features searchable archives of all other Paly 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.^[16]
• InFocus is Paly's broadcast TV news program. Founded in 1998, it airs daily during school.
• Madrono, the Palo Alto High School yearbook founded around 1918, has won numerous awards; one of the most prestigious being a gold medalist for the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. It will publish its 103rd issue in 2022.

Additional student publications

These publications are clubs but do not have a dedicated class.

• Proof is Paly's arts and entertainment magazine. It was first published second semester of the 2009–10 school year.
• Agora is Paly's foreign affairs magazine. First published in 2012, it is the first high school foreign affairs publication in the country.^[17] It publishes once a semester.
• Littera is Paly's club literary magazine. The club was created in the fall of 2018. It publishes an online issue every semester.

Athletics

Titles won by teams from Palo Alto High School range from CIF State Championships in Boys Varsity Basketball in 1993 and 2006,^[18] a football Division I state championship in 2010,^{[19] [20]} volleyball Division I state championships in 2010 and 2011,^[21] to CCS Championships in Football in 1995, 2006, 2007, 2010, and 2022 ^[22] and countless CCS titles in other sports. In 2010, both the Boys and Girls Lacrosse teams won the inaugural Santa Clara Valley Athletic League Championships.

Paly has 25 varsity teams, including football, swimming, as well as badminton, softball, basketball, track and field/cross country running, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, volleyball, water polo, field hockey, ice hockey, and wrestling teams.^[23] Since 2023, former NFL quarterback Andrew Luck, drafted first overall by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2012 NFL draft and four-time NFL Pro Bowler, has served as an assistant coach to Paly's football team. The school is also home to several athletic clubs, including an Ultimate Frisbee Club.^[24]

Notable alumni

• Davante Adams (2011), NFL wide receiver
• Jeremy Anderson (artist) (attended 1940s), sculptor, professor of art^[25]
• Rink Babka (1954), Olympic discus thrower
• Joan Baez (1958), folk singer^[26]
• Lisa Brennan-Jobs (1996), writer and daughter of Steve Jobs
• Charles Brenner (1961), APL implementer and forensic mathematician^[27]
• Ron "Money-B" Brooks (1987), rapper (Digital Underground)
• Ron Christie (1987), Republican political strategist^[28]
• Birge Clark (1910), architect
• Whitfield Crane (1986), rock singer (Ugly Kid Joe)
• Aarón Díaz (2001), Mexican-American actor and model (Quantico)
• Tim Dickinson (1992), political journalist (Rolling Stone, Mother Jones)
• Dave Feldman (1983), sportscaster (CSN Bay Area)
• Karen Joy Fowler (1968), author (The Jane Austen Book Club)
• Dave Franco (2003), actor (Scrubs, 21 Jump Street, Now You See Me)
• James Franco (1996), actor (Spider-Man trilogy, Pineapple Express, Milk, 127 Hours)^[29]
• Tom Franco (1998), artist
• Erle Stanley Gardner (1909), detective fiction author & creator of Perry Mason^[30]
• Ariel Gore, writer, she attended for two years and has written about the experience.^[31]
• Charles Haid (1961), actor and director, (played Andy Renko on TV series Hill Street Blues)
• Jim Harbaugh (1982), football player and coach, current coach of the LA Chargers^{[32] [33]}
• Peter Hansen (1997), football coach
• Douglas Hofstadter (1961), professor of cognitive science and author
• Allan Hoover (1925), financier, son of President Herbert Hoover^[34]
• Jon Huntsman, Sr. (1955), billionaire founder of Huntsman Corporation^[35]
• KeeSean Johnson (2014), football player^[36]
• Ollie Johnston (1930), Academy Award-winning Disney animator (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia)^[37]
• Morris Kirksey (1913), gold medal-winning sprinter and rugby player at the 1920 Summer Olympics^[38]
• Bill Kreutzmann (1965), drummer (Grateful Dead)^[39]
• Bill Lane, Sunset magazine publisher, American diplomat, and philanthropist^[40]
• Cory Lerios, founding member of the band Pablo Cruise
• Jeremy Lin (2006), basketball player^{[41] [42]}
• Jim Loscutoff (1948), basketball player, won seven NBA championships with the Boston Celtics^{[43] [44]}
• John Markoff (1967), New York Times journalist and author
• Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (1963), musician (Grateful Dead) (didn't graduate)
• Rob Minkoff (1980), film director and animator (The Lion King, Stuart Little)
• Sean Nolan (1990), Olympic water polo team, Sydney 2000
• Jesse Moss (1988), documentary filmmaker
• Hank Norberg, football player
• Teresa Noyola (2008), soccer player^[45]
• Téa Obreht (2002), novelist (The Tiger's Wife)^[46]
• Luke Paquin (1996), guitarist (Hot Hot Heat)
• Joc Pederson (2010), Major League Baseball player (Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants)^[47]
• Stu Pederson (1978), Major League Baseball player (Los Angeles Dodgers)^[48]
• Bill Pidto (1983), sportscaster (ESPN, MSG Network)
• Hal Plotkin (1975), journalist and activist^[49]
• Keith Raffel (1968), technology executive, novelist, US Senate aide^[50]
• Tom Ritchey (1974), (Ritchey Design), cycling engineer and pioneer of the mountain bike
• Dave Schultz (1977), 3x NCAA Champion, Olympic and world champion wrestler^[51]
• Mark Schultz (1978), 3x NCAA Champion, Olympic and world champion wrestler
• Joe Sebok (1995), professional poker player
• Joe Simitian (1970), California State Senator (2004–12) and former California State Assemblyman (2000–04)
• Grace Slick (1958), rock singer (Jefferson Airplane) (attended 1–2 years, but graduated from Castilleja)
• Les Steers (1937), high jumper^[52]
• Tom Stern (1964), Oscar-nominated cinematographer (Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, Changeling)
• Dink Templeton (1915), multi-sport athlete, 1920 Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Fame Stanford track & field coach^[53]
• Christopher Tin (1994), Grammy Award winning composer
• Molly Tuttle (2011), Grammy Award-winning Bluegrass musician^[54]
• Lew Welch, Beat poet, educator, and writer^[55]
• Tad Williams (1975), author (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Otherland, and Shadowmarch science fiction/fantasy series)
• Kirk Wise (1981), film director/animator (Beauty and the Beast, )
• Remi Wolf (2014), Pop/funk singer-songwriter and former reality TV contestant ^[56]
• Ron Wyden (1967), U.S. Senator from Oregon (1996–)^[57]
• Lily Zhang (2014), U.S. Olympic table tennis player, London 2012^[58]
• Jan Zobel (1965), accountant and LGBTQ community organizer in Bay Area

See also

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

External links

• Palo Alto High School official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Superintendent . Palo Alto Unified School District . October 22, 2018 . October 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181022113423/https://www.pausd.org/explore-pausd/superintendent . dead .
2. Web site: New principals announced for Gunn and Palo Alto high schools . Elena. Kavandry. Palo Alto Online . 18 August 2020 . 13 Mar 2020.
3. Web site: EdData - School Profile - Palo Alto High . 2022-09-22 . www.ed-data.org.
4. Web site: Rosin, Hanna. Hanna Rosin. The Silicon Valley Suicides. . December 2015. 2018-08-31.
5. Web site: Paly History . May 21, 2022.
6. Web site: Enrollment by Ethnicity for 2015–16: Palo Alto High School . California Department of Education . September 27, 2016.
7. Web site: EdData - School Profile - Palo Alto High . 2022-09-22 . www.ed-data.org.
8. Web site: SAT Report - 2014-15 District Level Scores . California Department of Education . September 26, 2016 .
9. Web site: 2009 Base API School Report – Palo Alto High . California Department of Education Assessment, Accountability and Awards Division . November 10, 2013 . November 10, 2013 . https://archive.today/20131110062303/http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/AcntRpt2010/2009BaseSch.aspx?allcds=43696414335782 . dead .
10. Web site: 2013 Growth API School Report – Palo Alto High High . California Department of Education Analysis, Measurement, & Accountability Reporting Division . November 10, 2013 . November 10, 2013 . https://archive.today/20131110153526/http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/Acnt2013/2013GrowthSch.aspx?allcds=43696414335782 . dead .
11. News: Paly to host three-day grand opening for Media Arts Center. Elena . Kadvany. October 12, 2014. Palo Alto Weekly. December 21, 2015.
12. Web site: 2016 - Awards For Student Work Crown Awards - Scholastic Recipients . Columbia Scholastic Press Association . 31 October 2018 . en.
13. News: Kadvany . Elena . Journalism students hone their skills in state-of-the-art facility . October 31, 2018 . Palo Alto Weekly . October 17, 2014 . en.
14. Web site: NSPA – Contest Winners . Studentpress.org . June 15, 2010 . August 2, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720101243/http://www.studentpress.org/nspa/winners/npm08.html . July 20, 2011 .
15. |https://palyvoice.com/172688/news/journalism-program-earns-top-spots-in-contests/
16. News: Kazak . Don . Paly Voice wins Webby award . 31 October 2018 . Palo Alto Online . May 4, 2005 . en.
17. Web site: MINUTES FOR REGULAR MEETING OF MAY 22, 2012 . Board of Education . Palo Alto Unified School District . October 31, 2018 . May 22, 2012 . September 29, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150929045851/http://pausd-web.pausd.org/community/board/downloads/mt_mat/052212_BOE_Minutes.pdf . dead .
18. Web site: CIF State Boys Basketball Champions. 60–61. January 22, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101201160534/http://cifstate.org/sports/state/basketball/pdf/bb%20state%20records.pdf. December 1, 2010. mdy-all.
19. Web site: State Football Championship Results. 39. January 22, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110124002308/http://cifstate.org/sports/state/football/pdf/fb%20results%20and%20records.pdf. January 24, 2011. mdy-all.
20. News: Mitch . Stephens. Palo Alto shocks nationally ranked Centennial to capture CIF Division I state football title. Palo Alto Online . December 17, 2010. December 18, 2010.
21. News: Paige . Borsos . Volleyball Conquers State Championship in Five-Game Thriller . The Paly Voice . Palo Alto High School . December 17, 2010 . January 22, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101213142530/http://voice.paly.net/node/25498 . December 13, 2010 . mdy-all .
22. Web site: Historical Record of CCS Football Champions Year-by-Year . January 22, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141016175443/http://www.cifccs.org/history/footballchamponly.htm . October 16, 2014 .
23. Web site: Brochure 1 . August 2, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100613224714/http://www.paly.net/info/profile.pdf . June 13, 2010 . mdy-all .
24. News: Jamie . Blake . Ultimate Frisbee Club passionate about unique hobby . Palo Alto Online . November 17, 2008 . December 18, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100626005221/http://voice.paly.net/node/20370 . June 26, 2010 . mdy-all .
25. News: 1982-06-23 . Obituary for Jeremy Anderson . 2024-04-11 . . 24 . Newspapers.com.
26. Web site: The Joan Baez Web Pages. December 21, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160817040215/http://www.joanbaez.com/chronology.html. August 17, 2016. dead. mdy-all.
27. Web site: Palo Alto High School, Class of 1961. 6 April 2016.
28. 979574560440930305. Ron_Christie. @JonHuntsman My friend/mentor is standing up for our closest ally #UnitedKingdom in the most difficult of circumsta… . March 30, 2018.
29. Web site: James Franco to teach film course in MAC. Adrienne. Kwok. Aidan. Maese-Czeropski. The Paly Voice. 2015-09-07. 2015-09-29.
30. Nolan, William F. "Erle Stanley Gardner (1889–1970)," 'Early Life' sub-section, pages 1 -2 . Retrieved March 14, 2009.
31. Web site: Get on the Train. 2021-04-23. Psychology Today. en.
32. News: Emmons. Mark. Cardinal coach's energy, intensity level always in the red. San Jose Mercury News. December 29, 2010. January 31, 2011.
33. Stanford to Introduce Jim Harbaugh as Head Football Coach . Stanford University . December 18, 2006 . January 31, 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070104061140/http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121806aaa.html . January 4, 2007 .
34. News: Allan Hoover; President's Son Was Rancher, Financier. November 8, 1993. Los Angeles Times.
35. News: Levenich. Christopher. The Fearless Philanthropist. 3 August 2012. Philanthropy. Summer 2012.
36. Web site: Branch . Eric . Former Palo Alto WR KeeSean Johnson eager to make his own name in NFL . . April 21, 2019 . 16 August 2019.
37. Disney Legends web site, "Legend Bio: Ollie Johnston, Animation." Retrieved March 14, 2009.
38. Faraudo, Jeff. "Kirksey strikes gold in two sports". Oakland Tribune. FindArticles.com. March 15, 2009. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20040506/ai_n14572356
39. http://paloaltohistory.com/gratefuldead.html Palo Alto History Project, "The Grateful Dead: Making the Scene in Palo Alto"
40. Web site: L.W. "Bill" Lane, Jr. American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration. aapra.org. en. 2018-06-21. June 21, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180621043057/http://aapra.org/pugsley-bios/lw-bill-lane-jr. dead.
41. News: Stephens. Mitch. BOYS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jeremy Lin / A knack for the big play. April 2, 2006. San Francisco Chronicle. https://web.archive.org/web/20100728222145/http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-04-02/sports/17289185_1_jeremy-lin-mater-dei-palo-alto. July 28, 2010. February 10, 2012. dead.
42. Web site: O'Neil . Dana . Immigrant dream plays out through son: Harvard's do-it-all star learned the game from his father and a host of NBA legends . ESPN . December 10, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110725210948/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=4730385 . July 25, 2011 . February 10, 2012 . live .
43. "The Last Roundup." Oakland Tribune. FindArticles.com. March 15, 2009 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20050225/ai_n11832491
44. Tennis, Mark. "Mr. Basketball 2003: Trevor's Time." Scout.com, April 3, 2003 http://google.com/search?q=cache:txwinyg2P90J:hscalifornia.scout.com/2/103220.html+%22jim+loscutoff%22+%22palo+alto%22&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
45. http://www.gostanford.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/noyola_teresa00.html Player Bio: Teresa Noyola
46. Web site: Téa Obreht - The Tiger's Wife. December 21, 2015.
47. Web site: Joc Pederson Statistics and History . Sports Reference LLC . Baseball-Reference.com . 2000–2016 . June 17, 2016.
48. Web site: Stu Pederson Baseball Statistics (1980-1992) . Gary Cohen . TheBaseballCube.com . 2002–2016 . June 17, 2016 . Cohen, Gary . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160919024332/http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?P=stu-pederson&Page=Leaders . September 19, 2016 .
49. News: Plotkin to serve as Obama senior policy adviser: Palo Alto resident leaves Foothill–De Anza board after six years. Reichelstein. Daniela. 29 June 2009. Palo Alto Weekly. 1 May 2010.
50. News: Cassidy: Former Silicon Valley CEO settles into the writing life . Mike . Cassidy . . November 19, 2011 . February 8, 2013.
51. Web site: Brown. George. Prioleau. Cassie. Palo Alto High School wrestlers Dave and Mark Schultz remembered for Olympic gold medals, love of wrestling. The Paly Voice. Palo Alto High School. February 19, 2010. January 2, 2012.
52. Web site: Les Steers, World Champion High-Jumper, to Attend Oregon. . September 23, 1940. April 1, 2015.
53. Web site: Hall of Fame . USATF . August 7, 1962 . August 2, 2010.
54. Web site: Harrington . Jim . Trailblazing Bay Area artist follows Grammy win with big homecoming shows . The Mercury News . 6 November 2023 . 27 March 2023.
55. Web site: Lew Welch 'went Southwest'. The Union. en-US. 2020-02-19.
56. Web site: VIDEO: Paly duo put fresh spin on classics .
57. News: Palo Alto to Honor Local Boy. San Francisco Chronicle. Simon. Mark. December 11, 1999. February 10, 2012.
58. Web site: Meet the U.S. High School Students Competing in 2012 Olympic Games . U.S. News & World Report LP . usnews.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20140202134944/http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/slideshows/meet-the-us-high-school-students-competing-in-2012-olympic-games/12 . February 2, 2014 . Sheehy, Kelsey . dead . January 24, 2013 .