On Aug. 25, 2020, former math tutor and Palo Alto resident Mark Hodes was arrested by the Palo Alto Police Department after two girls that he had tutored came forward with accounts that he had molested them. Since then, Hodes has been charged with 55 counts of lewd and lascivious acts with children, and a total of 17 girls have come forward to share their experiences. Although he will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars, the lasting effect of his actions will linger in Palo Alto for years to come.

One survivor of Hodes, a senior who has asked to remain unidentified, recounts going to Hodes for help during their sophomore year and experiencing inappropriate behavior. “I noticed little things that he did that made me feel weird and uncomfortable,” they said. “They were so subtle that I thought maybe he was just a touchy person or didn’t understand personal space. He was in his 70s, and lots of old guys who mean no harm do weird things sometimes.”

Encouraged by the improvement in their academics, the student continued going to the sessions until they became distressing. “During the short period that had already passed, my math grade improved because of his help,” they said. “[My family and I] decided that I should keep getting help from him. Every session became progressively more uncomfortable, though, and he did things that were clearly inappropriate, so I quit.”

The senior’s story, though, isn’t uncommon; in reality, it’s emblematic of the larger issue of abuse of power dynamics in society—a topic that has recently gravitated into the mainstream with frequent conversations on grooming, or creating predatory relationships with children that leave them vulnerable to exploitation and sexual abuse. Title IX Club co-president senior Dana Souter focuses the club’s lessons on topics like these during their bimonthly meetings. These meetings aim to teach students how to create policies to protect survivors of sexual harassment and violence. “In relationships with a significant age difference, such as between a kid and an adult, it’s easy for there to be an imbalance of power because of the respect that is supposed to come with being older than someone else,” Souter said.

According to Souter, the academic pressure in Palo Alto can often make students feel as if they are stuck in uncomfortable situations. “Especially with the area we live in, there’s so much pressure to get these amazing grades,” she said. “If something can negatively impact your ability to succeed academically, you want to do everything you
can to avoid that.” Every year, Gunn staff must go through a series of training courses on subjects such as mandated reporting, pathogens and suicide prevention.

This year, staff saw an addition to their mandated reporter training. The addition was on the topic of grooming. All teachers are mandated reporters, or people who are legally obligated to report any suspected child abuse to the proper law enforcement. The new course was intended to train teachers to spot the signs of grooming.

Assistant Principal Courtney Carlomagno, who handles Title IX cases and reporting at Gunn, encourages students to contact teachers and staff for support or assistance when in need. “Whether it’s in our jurisdiction or not, the administration will provide you the support and steps that you need to navigate what to do,” she said. “So even if there’s nothing we can follow up here, we can get you connected to those who can help you—whether that’s the Palo Alto Police Department or someone else.”

Additionally, the foundation “OneLove,” whose mission is to educate young people about healthy and unhealthy relationships, will be holding two training sessions for all students in May on identifying and avoiding abuse. “One will be all about healthy relationships, ranging from personal relationships with peers to navigating those types of relationships with adults,” Carlomagno said. “The second one is going to be about how to report or bring forward anything that occurs because we are still finding that there are gaps in a student’s knowledge of how to bring
something forward.”

When approaching new situations, Carlomagno advises students not to be afraid to make new relationships, but to stay aware of potential red flags. “When you engage with anyone, you should assume positive intent so that you can create relationships,” she said. “But a lot of the times when a relationship is off, we definitely feel it inside our gut.”

The anonymous senior echoed Carlomagno’s sentiment and encouraged students in similar positions to take direct action and trust their instincts. “In my experience, if I had listened to my gut feeling at the start, I would not have been hurt the way I was,” they said. “If someone makes you uncomfortable in the slightest way, listen to yourself, remove yourself from that situation if you can and tell someone you trust. It shouldn’t be our job to take precautions because other people’s wrongdoings are not our responsibility.”

Speaking up about assaults is certainly a daunting task, but the senior hopes that talking about what happened to them can help others in the same situation. “I was walking around campus while thinking about this experience and realized that it had never occurred to me that someone on this campus may have had the exact same tutor I did and may be walking around with a similar traumatic experience,” they said. “And if not the same abuser, then they may have the same experience with a different perpetrator.”

Further eduction to students and staff about abuse and reporting is important to implement every year. “We need to have the information out there continuously about how to report,” Carlomagno said. “You could hear something as a freshman, but then have something happen junior year, and that information is needed again.”

For more resources, call the National Sexual Assault hotline at (800) 656-4673 or visit rainn.org.

I’m slowly realizing the inevitability of having to move across the country to go to some East Coast liberal arts school with ivy climbing up its walls. The people I surround myself with likely will not be the same lovable computer science nerds that populate Silicon Valley in their startup quarter-zip jackets and chinos. Somehow, that preemptive nostalgia has me seriously thinking about what I really want after college. In an ideal world, I graduate with a degree in religious studies and move to Egypt, where I fashionably pull off khakis and become a world famous archaeologist, discovering something that Howard Carter could only dream of. But the world is not ideal. Realistically, I’ll join a startup or some other tech company. Realistically, I’ll work for the next couple of decades of my life. Realistically, I’ll make a lot of money doing just that. But, to me, that reality feels bleak.

Growing up in Silicon Valley, it can sometimes feel like all STEM all the time. When you’ve been up to your neck in tech for as long as you can remember, you grow accustomed to it; it becomes one of your only viable career options. This concept has annoyed me for years. Every time I talk about what I want to major in, I’m met with raised eyebrows and have to quickly clarify that “I’ll probably minor in engineering so I can actually get a job later.” No matter who I talk to, it seems that the one thing we can all agree on is that there are no “good” jobs outside of STEM. So if I decide that I’m going to try my hand at the humanities and follow my passions, it’s a journey into the uncertain. I will have stood at the fork in the road, deliberated on my future and decided to take the road less traveled.

And then, after I’ve done all of that—after I’ve proclaimed myself so incredibly brave for having the gall to enjoy learning about history—I probably have to stick with that, right? Now, maybe I’m just a prideful person, but to end up in STEM after wanting so badly to do something different feels like an admission of defeat. And yet, there is that nagging feeling, that internalization that security lies in STEM, that STEM jobs are constant, that they are increasing and that they are the future. In the end, money is important, and a lot of people will choose security over passion. They stood, like me, for so long at that fork in the road just to eventually tire of having to carve a new path.

All hope is not lost for humanities enjoyers, though. I, personally, refuse to be a pessimist. There will always be jobs in the arts and humanities, though perhaps not as glamorous and perhaps not with whatever breakfast bars and beanbags start-ups are offering these days. As tech grows, so will the opportunities for all skill sets to be used. Psychology majors can lead focus groups or work on developing programs to best satisfy user bases. Ethics experts can advise companies on how to not violate everyone’s privacy (looking at you, Clearview AI). English majors will never be able to exhaust the opportunities that being able to write well can provide. While choosing tech may seem bleak to some, it is not something to dread, nor something that will require you to leave your passions at the door. For so long I thought of the two roads diverging, growing farther and farther away with every step you take. But now I realize that they’re converging, forming a healthy balance as I stroll into the future.

I never did like being forced to choose.

Money can go to a multitude of things, from new jerseys and practice equipment to, in the case of softball, a new scoreboard. Larger projects, such as the new scoreboard, would require the involvement of Sports Boosters, a non-profit that raises money for Gunn Athletics, run by President Sunita Verma. “We’re a fundraising arm to support Gunn Athletics, but the money we raise is not for everyday things,” Verma said. “We do it for special initiatives or any capital improvement projects that the athletic department may have in mind.”

The Sports Boosters are responsible for raising almost all the money for sports-related improvement projects. Past initiatives undertaken by Sports Boosters include the inflatable tunnel that football most often uses at the beginnings of games and the banners that hang in Titan Gym to celebrate past victories and league wins. “PAUSD funds less than 18% of the Gunn Athletics annual budget, which includes 45 teams and nearly 1,100 athletes,” the Sports Boosters website details. The 18% includes transportation, the salaries of coaches and payment for helmets to be used by sports such as football. These helmets need to be checked yearly to make sure that they are still effective in keeping players safe from concussions.

A common belief among students athletes is that football gets preferential funding. With the recent success of the Gunn football team, the number of players has substantially increased, which has prompted a request for more practice equipment, according to tight end senior Arjun Raja. “We’re getting a bunch of new players,” Raja said. “In Coach Miller’s first year, there were about 30 kids on the team in varsity and JV, and now our program is up to 60.” Raja also added that the helmets and gear were all being fully used, another testament to the growing program.

For individual projects on a smaller scale, teams often turn to hosting fundraisers. Cross country, for instance, recently held a fundraiser in order to buy an ElliptiGO, a type of elliptical. “It was our runathon,” co-captain senior Joshua Gehring said. “Instead of going out on the long run we usually do on Saturdays, we stayed at Gunn and did laps around the track for 70 to 80 minutes. We raised money from friends and family, and we had a potluck. They basically paid us to run.”

Running cross country technically requires no practice equipment, but equipment can be helpful for students who have short-term injuries, according to Gehring. “I think we could use more stuff for people who need to do activities when they’re injured,” he said. For these team fundraisers, Sports Boosters will hold any funds raised. “Cross country was doing a fundraiser for a particular thing they wanted, and we just held the funds for them,” Verma said. “Their team account money can be used for whatever they need.”

Football has also done fundraisers in the past. “We’ve done car washes,” Raja said. “I wasn’t personally there, but I definitely know that it happened and that it was primarily for new jerseys.”

Sometimes, however, the inequality in money is less hurtful than the inequality in recognition. Senior Elina Saab-Sunden, a member of the girls varsity soccer team, that in 2019 was undefeated, thinks that less visible sports don’t receive enough recognition for their accomplishments. “[Girls soccer] doesn’t need anything for winning, you know,” she said, “But if [other teams] get all of these things and we get nothing, that doesn’t add up.”

For now, Gunn Sports Boosters has renewed its commitment to awareness surrounding money allocation. “We’re trying to bring more transparency to the parents,” Verma said. “[We’re also] working with our counterparts at Palo Alto High School to make sure both of the schools are run similarly. That way, it’s the same at both of the high schools, and there’s transparency for the community to see where the funds are.”

A common critique of country music is that the songs are solely about trucks, beer or America. However, not only is this critique ignorant, but it is also generic, making it clear that people have just been told that country music is bad rather than actually listening and forming their own opinion.

Originating from the southern part of the U.S., country music is an amalgamation of genres such as gospel, folk and Tejano music. In the past, country music served as an outlet for working class Americans to tell their story. Most country artists write their own songs, so the stories are authentic and vulnerable. They also evoke imagery; a song can place the listener in the entrance to a rodeo, the lights almost blinding as the crowd roars, or perched in a wooden boat floating down the bayou, marveling at the moss hanging down from trees in droves.

It’s honestly a travesty that no one writes romantic ballads anymore. Since the turn of the century, there has been a lack of expressive romantic ballads that either profess love or proclaim heartbreak. Luckily, country music has grandiose ballads. The songs are epics, detailing a journey, romance or hardship. Teenagers especially should be able to relate—they feel intensely, and country music expresses those intense emotions with a catchy tune.

Country is at its best when it connects to its roots. With the sheer number of its genres, including bluegrass, Americana, outlaw country and more, there is something for everyone. And hey, who doesn’t love a good banjo and a twangy accent?

According to play director Kristen Lo, the show is set in the year 6000, when robots rule the world and being a robot is the standard. “Every once in a while, a human decides that they want to be a robot,” Lo said. “It’s kind of like “Mean Girls.” Robots are popular [and] attractive. Everybody wants to be them; everybody wants to date them. Some-
times, people living their meager lives would like to be robots, too.”

The story follows one human, Joe, who desperately wants to become a robot. Senior Quincy Rosenzweig, who plays the human protagonist, explains his character’s motivations. “[Joe is] very unhappy with life,” Rosenzweig
said. “[My character] hates being a human. At the start of the play, I am watching the robots dance, and I quickly become obsessed with becoming a robot and becoming good. I start to associate being a robot with being good.”

Junior Chloe Lee, who plays robot prostitute Garlic Press, noted that on a philosophical level, the play examines the futility of striving for perfection. “It has something to do with trying to be absolutely perfect,” Lee said. “That’s something that’s actually very toxic for you.”

Rosenzweig agreed with the sentiment that striving for complete perfection can be harmful. “I’ve been tying the play to social media and being fake on it,” he said. “Also, the idea of being true to yourself rather than admiring the idea of something else comes up.”

On the tech side, Stage Manager senior Daniella Maor said the sets and costumes will reflect the setting as well as the vanity of the characters. “We want it to look post-apocalyptic,” Maor said. “The set itself is going to have robot propaganda on the walls and maybe some human graffiti.”

This year the play will take place on the N-Building steps instead of the Spangenberg Theatre. The N-Building steps, with their almost Brutalist architectural style, will serve the play well. The costumes will be less silver and futuristic than classic robot images. “More than looking robotic, I just want them to look good,” Lo said. “When you look up pictures of the performances, it’s more like they are popular clubbing people than they are metallic ‘Terminator 2’ robots.”

As the first live and in-person theatre production in more than a year, the play has obviously dealt with COVID-19 restrictions. All of the actors and members of the stage crew provided vaccination cards in order to make the group feel safe. “When they’re on stage performing, they will not have their masks on,” Maor said. “We did ask for all their
masking comfort levels to make sure that they’re okay with it. While they’re not on stage, they will have to have their masks on, along with [the tech crew].” Audience members will be required to wear masks for the entirety of the show.

If the fascinating concept, fun sets and fantastic acting aren’t alluring enough, perhaps the return to Gunn’s tradition of excellent theatre productions is. “This is something that we’ve missed during COVID-19:—sitting next to somebody and reacting and hearing the reactions of the audience,” Lo said. “Coming out and experiencing art with other people is even more important now that we are reestablishing these connections with humans rather than just watching something on a screen.”

The production premieres at the N-Building steps on Nov. 5. Students can buy tickets at gunntheatre.org.

In the long run, however, it’s far healthier to be a master of the one or two trades you truly love. Remember, you only have 24 hours in a day, and you need at least 16 of them for school and sleep. Speaking of school, for many of you, this may be your first year taking Advanced Placement classes. They’re definitely going to be difficult, but they’re not impossible. Also, they’re weighted! Even if you don’t reach the grade you want, it will still be counted as the letter grade one step above. If you get a C, it’s a weighted B; a B is a weighted A; and an A is where students start to go above the 4.0 mark.

A word of warning: while I’m sure you all have procrastinated on studying in the past, it will only hurt you this year. Study while you learn concepts to cement them, and watch review videos on YouTube.

At some point in the year, you’re going to want to compare yourself to your classmates. Why aren’t they struggling in this class? How did they get that on their first SAT? Is it me? Am I not smart anymore?

Stop it.

This thinking will never get you anywhere. It will just make you want to roll up into a ball and cry about how college is
a scam. This year, more than ever, will try to convince you that your worth is defined by your academic achievements, but repeat after me: “I am more than my grades, and if colleges disagree, they’re shallow anyways. No amount of pretty neo-Gothic architecture can change that.” Finally, enjoy being an upperclassman. You’re one of the big dogs now, and that comes with perks. Spend your free period getting food. Go all out for dress-up days. Talk to new people in all of your classes. Junior year will be hard, but it will also be over in the blink of an eye; make the most of it.

The research journal, a newly-chartered club that meets on Mondays, is a place where students can have their research papers edited and published by a dedicated group of students. One of these students is club president junior Clair Koo. “When I looked into a bunch of opportunities to share my work, I realized that there weren’t many platforms oriented towards high school students,” she said. Koo also noted that with other research publishers, there is a competitive dynamic between high schoolers and older college students who have access to more resources and higher education.

Club logistics director junior Albert Dong agreed that the club is a welcome respite from all of the publications oriented toward older students. “It’s a good way for Gunn students with research experience or students who want to do research to be able to publish it and get it out there,” he said. “It’s more accessible.”

Dong also encouraged students to submit papers to the journal. “Doing research is a really good idea for high schoolers because it’s a good way to get experience writing in ways that you’re going to be doing in higher education,” he said. “Writing classic five-paragraph essays is great right now, but in the future, you’re going to be writing longer papers and more analytical things, so doing research is a good way to get experience with that.”

I plan to be on leave for a year (maybe two), working on my photography business while living in the Sierra. I will be maintaining my perfect attendance at Gunn graduations.

I can’t pick one particular memory from Gunn that I hold dear, but something that stands out is the spirit embodied by our incredible staff. Some sing their hearts out in the musical, others show off their dance moves in Airbands. Many put together lessons or experiences in their classrooms that our students take with them far beyond their time at Gunn. Others are more quiet, but always have a friendly ear for a staff member or student who needs it. I have missed them dearly and can’t wait to see them again. Go Titans!