At the beginning of each school year, the Student Activities Center sells parking permits, which are required for students to park their cars in the parking lot. Only juniors and seniors with driver’s licenses are able to purchase one, and those living beyond El Camino Real, Foothill Expressway, Page Mill Road or Adobe Creek are eligible to purchase permits a week earlier than other students. Students must provide their name, parents’ names, grade, driver’s license number, license plate number and car model. This identifying information is then linked to each pass. According to Assistant Principal of Facilities Dr. Mycal Hixon, as of April 8, all of the passes are sold out, but there is a waiting list for interested students.

The Palo Alto Police Department is responsible for ticketing cars without permits in the parking lot, which they try to do on a daily basis. Administrators first discovered a fake pass when ticketing officers called a student to move their car from a handicapped parking spot and found that the person who answered the phone was not the person whose information was linked to the parking pass.

One senior, who requested anonymity to protect themselves from disciplinary action, was unable to purchase a parking pass and decided to create a counterfeit.

“I was willing to buy one, and I even went and talked with them multiple times to try to get one,” they said. “(The school said they needed) to count the number of available spaces. I was like, okay, and that took them like three months to figure out. In the meantime, I figured out how to trace one to make a copy.”

The anonymous senior made a few passes for other students, and is also aware of other students who are making replicas. At first, the senior made the fake passes with polyvinyl chloride sublimation, before starting to order directly from the company that manufactures Gunn’s permits.

Administrators believe that there are currently 20 or more fake permits in circulation. Each legitimate pass has a unique ID number. Most counterfeit passes are identifiable because they repeat ID numbers, but most times they go unnoticed because ticketing officers aren’t able to closely check each pass’s ID.

According to Hixon, administrators have started looking into harder-to-fake permits for next school year, such as ones that use more laser-perforated holes or ultraviolet images for identification. Those with counterfeit permits this year may receive a parking citation or a ban from purchasing a permit in the future.

“(The security) started checking a bit, and there’s some people who had poorly made replicas,” the anonymous senior said. “For the people who I’ve seen get their fakes taken, the campus supervisor came up to them while they were in their car and asked to see it up close. Then they would ask for your name, and if the name didn’t match the one that was on the list, they would take it and not give it back.”

Senior Indira Raja, who has been on the parking pass waitlist for nine months, resorted to parking without a permit because driving is her only way to get to school.

“I know that the construction takes up a lot of the parking lot spaces, and there have been fake parking passes some of the students have been getting, so it’s been super difficult for the admin to give enough spaces for the students,” she said. “But I also just don’t want to be scared to get a parking ticket while I’m sitting in my sixth-period class.”

From an early age, Schettino González enjoyed creating skits and helping his sister — now a film student at Chapman University — make movies. For him, pursuing filmmaking was a natural instinct.

“I was never as attracted to something as I was to film,” he said. “I don’t think there was ever a moment where I was like, ‘Okay, this is what I want to do.’ It was always just something that I had to do. I had to make these films. I had to see my passion through.”

Schettino González has explored a variety of filmmaking genres — sports documentaries, PSAs and narrative shorts, just to name a few — but recently homed in on storytelling through fictional short films. He has a meticulous process: brainstorming ideas, writing a shot list, creating a detailed script, filming with actors and editing. He focuses on finding ideas and stories that resonate with his own experiences.

Like all amateur filmmakers, Schettino GonzĂĄlez started out shooting with default camera settings. With experience and upgraded equipment over time, he acquired an eye for detail, learning to enhance every element to make his films come alive. One technique Schettino GonzĂĄlez has honed is sound design, which he believes adds another dimension to films.

“A lot of people … don’t realize how (sound design) can enhance the performance, how we can create depth to the story, how we can make the characters feel lived in and make the story feel lived in,” he said. “Just creating a world with sound is very important and something that I pay more attention to.”

Schettino González’s film “Querido Mexico,” which explores his gratitude towards Mexico while comparing it to the stressful environment of Palo Alto, won first place statewide at the Directing Change Film Contest and the regional award for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Student Emmys. It was also nominated for a National Student Emmy. “Skateboarding with Lara Botto,” a film Schettino González created with senior Josh Scheinman, also received the regional award for the National Academy’s Student Emmys.

Schettino González has found it extremely rewarding to be able to network with actors and directors and spotlight important topics through films like “Querido Mexico,” which touches on student mental health and pressure.

In the future, Schettino GonzĂĄlez will continue improving his abilities and using film to bring meaningful issues to light.

“I see myself creating more impactful work, pieces that matter, pieces that touch on subjects that most people are scared to touch on, and collaborating with talented filmmakers to create things that stand out,” he said.

From an early age, Schettino González enjoyed creating skits and helping his sister — now a film student at Chapman University — make movies. For him, pursuing filmmaking was a natural instinct.

“I was never as attracted to something as I was to film,” he said. “I don’t think there was ever a moment where I was like, ‘Okay, this is what I want to do.’ It was always just something that I had to do. I had to make these films. I had to see my passion through.”

Schettino González has explored a variety of filmmaking genres — sports documentaries, PSAs and narrative shorts, just to name a few — but recently homed in on storytelling through fictional short films. He has a meticulous process: brainstorming ideas, writing a shot list, creating a detailed script, filming with actors and editing. He focuses on finding ideas and stories that resonate with his own experiences.

Like all amateur filmmakers, Schettino GonzĂĄlez started out shooting with default camera settings. With experience and upgraded equipment over time, he acquired an eye for detail, learning to enhance every element to make his films come alive. One technique Schettino GonzĂĄlez has honed is sound design, which he believes adds another dimension to films.

“A lot of people … don’t realize how (sound design) can enhance the performance, how we can create depth to the story, how we can make the characters feel lived in and make the story feel lived in,” he said. “Just creating a world with sound is very important and something that I pay more attention to.”

Schettino González’s film “Querido Mexico,” which explores his gratitude towards Mexico while comparing it to the stressful environment of Palo Alto, won first place statewide at the Directing Change Film Contest and the regional award for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Student Emmys. It was also nominated for a National Student Emmy. “Skateboarding with Lara Botto,” a film Schettino González created with senior Josh Scheinman, also received the regional award for the National Academy’s Student Emmys.

Schettino González has found it extremely rewarding to be able to network with actors and directors and spotlight important topics through films like “Querido Mexico,” which touches on student mental health and pressure.

In the future, Schettino GonzĂĄlez will continue improving his abilities and using film to bring meaningful issues to light.

“I see myself creating more impactful work, pieces that matter, pieces that touch on subjects that most people are scared to touch on, and collaborating with talented filmmakers to create things that stand out,” he said.

The os trigonum, present in around 15 to 30% of people, sits behind the ankle bone. Those who have it are born with it, and while some never experience discomfort because of the bone, others can develop great pain after injury or heavy use of their ankle.

Xue had been extremely active as a basketball player, swimmer and dancer, which strained her ankle. After her diagnosis, she temporarily stepped back from sports to recover, spending six months in physical therapy.

During these sessions, she was able to rest her foot and recover from the worst of her pains. She also learned how to take better care of her foot while easing it back into normal use.

“I (would walk) really weirdly, kind of with a limp where I didn’t put that much pressure on it,” she said. “It helps in the moment, but when you do it for such a long time, you gain bad habits while you’re walking. The physical therapy was getting me back to walking normally — putting pressure back on my foot while also trying to work out the pains in it.”

In eighth grade, Xue returned to sports through taking up tennis. However, her ankle still made her more injury-prone, causing her to sprain it while playing tennis and hurt it two more times during her P.E. class.

“My first tennis class, I sprained my ankle,” she said. “But I thought it was just another one of my ankle scares. I didn’t think it was serious. I thought I could just walk it off. … (After hurting it again), we went to a doctor, and the doctor was like, ‘You sprained it three times. What are you doing?’”

Though Xue wore a brace for several months to help support her ankle, she now mostly only wears it when she does long or highly intensive activities.

“It’s not good to get dependent on the brace,” she said. “So after a while, when I did actually get back into tennis, I started taking it off more and more to get more acclimated. Now, I can go for a two- or three-hour session without it, which is pretty good.”

Xue has learned to work with her ankle and hasn’t let it stop her from continuing tennis and also beginning running this season.

“Sometimes if I run for too much — especially if we do a mile during P.E. or something — it will start aching again,” she said. “But it’s not that painful anymore.”

The project spans from El Camino’s Sand Hill Road intersection in Palo Alto to the Grant Road intersection in Mountain View. The main construction and paving will begin in spring 2024 and is scheduled to finish in spring 2025.

During the week of Nov. 27, nightly construction put temporary concrete on deep potholes on the Maybell Avenue and El Camino intersection, a street many students cross to get to school.

Many students, such as senior Jacob Olshen, were glad about the repaved roads after problems biking over deep potholes.

“It made me nervous to cross every single time,” he said. “Once my bike lock fell off my bike … so it’s nice not having to shake up and down every time and worry about my bike lock. I no longer instinctively check my bike lock every time I cross.”

Caltrans will also install new bike lanes in Mountain View and Los Altos beginning in January 2024, according to Caltrans Public Information Officer Victor Gauthier. Lanes may also be added in Palo Alto, pending discussions between Caltrans and the City.

For sophomore Holden Seidel, additional bike lanes may make El Camino more accessible. Currently, the road is difficult to navigate for pedestrians and bikers.

“El Camino doesn’t have bike lanes, so bikes either have to bike on the sidewalk or next to the cars,” Seidel said. “(Pedestrians) have to walk next to and cross three lanes of high-speed traffic. There’s also really tight sidewalks, which are not enjoyable to walk along.”

For pedestrian safety and accessibility, curb ramps will be upgraded according to the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines. Crosswalk pavement markings will be repainted to improve visibility.

To aid people with visual impairments, signal buttons will be upgraded to Accessible Pedestrian Signals, which translate crossing instructions to audio and sensory formats, such as voice and vibrotactile cues.

According to Gauthier, the majority of the construction will take place overnight to reduce traffic. At least one lane on the road will remain open at all times, and detours will be in place when intersections are repaved.

To restore pavement, Caltrans will use “cold planing,” or the controlled removal and restoration of the pavement surface. Localized failed concrete will be repaired by saw-cutting cracks and uneven areas, and pouring in new concrete panels. Potholes will be filled with new asphalt concrete, visible as darker patches on the road.

Junior Thomas Mount, who bikes to school, has noticed marked improvement in road condition.

“I felt kind of unsafe going over (El Camino) because I would feel my bike bump and go, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s not good,’” he said. “But they recently got redone and it’s very nice. It’s smooth as butter.”

Clothes Picked by Your Mom

Everyone knows that moms have impeccable fashion taste. Whether it’s highlighter clothes, strangely patterned pants or unappealing Christmas sweaters, an outfit picked out by your mom will be a stunning addition to anyone’s wardrobe. All eyes will be on your recipient when they walk out in public. Be it the neon green burning a hole through their friends’ eyes or a permanent rash from scratchy wool, this outfit will leave a lasting impression.

Pet Rock

Everyone’s dream in life is to have a loyal, lovable friend who will always be by their side. Your dream in life is probably just to have a friend. The perfect solution to both these problems: Gift someone a pet rock. If you’re on a budget, this is a great choice. Simply step outside, grab a nice stone, slap on some googly eyes, draw on a mouth with a permanent marker,  and you’ve created a lifelong companion for the recipient of your gift. 

Shower Curtain

Showers can be boring. Chances are, your gift recipient steps into the shower everyday just to face white tiled walls until their fingertips start to resemble dried raisins. Though a new bathroom renovation might be a bit over budget, a new shower curtain is a far more affordable option to spice up their life. Recommended designs for the curtain include a hamburger, a fat pig or a poster of Big Brother. 

Sugar Bowl Bakery’s Pumpkin Spice Blondie Duet Bites, a seasonal spin on their classic brownie-madeleine combo, are miniature cakes with layers of madeleine and pumpkin-spice cake. Natural, flavorful and perfectly sweet, the bites capture the taste of pumpkin spice well. The pumpkin-spice cake’s soft, moist texture lets the flavor melt in your mouth and complements the firmer texture of the madeleine. The only problem: I ate too many, and now I’m starting to get tired of them.

Second Place: Miniature Ice Cream Cones

Another Trader Joe’s fall item, these miniature pumpkin-ginger ice cream cones are easy to eat, without the mess of melted ice cream. They are coated with a thin shell of candy with a chocolate-like texture, which gives way to the pumpkin-ginger ice cream within. The ice cream mostly tastes of vanilla and pumpkin, with only a hint of ginger that gives the treat a bit of fall spice (a win for ginger haters like me). The cone has an absolutely amazing crunch. While the ice cream flavor could be better, I’ve eaten almost all of the eight cones in the box.

Third Place: Apple Cinnamon Rice Crisps

Quaker’s Apple Cinnamon Rice Crisps are thin, crunchy rice crackers coated with an apple-cinnamon glaze. Though there is a discernible taste of apple and cinnamon, it’s overpowered by the glaze’s overall sweetness. But not all crackers were created equal: On some unevenly coated crisps, the plain rice cracker was too bland for my liking. The texture and taste reminded me of Frosted Flakes. Overall, these rice crisps are a good snack, but not anything special.

Fourth Place: Butternut Squash Ravioli

My first bite into Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Ravioli was not what I expected. Instead of the usual savory taste, I was met with the sweet flavor of — you guessed it — butternut squash. My surprise took away the enjoyment of the first bite, but after some time, the taste began to grow on me. Although the squash’s flavor paired nicely with the rest of the ravioli, the pasta shell was fairly bland. That, however, may be attributed to my mediocre cooking skills and the lack of sauce…