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Vin Bhat

Students leave Gunn following the shelter-in-place mandate.

At 1:58 p.m. today, a message on the intercom instructed students to begin sheltering in place. This mandate lasted for one hour and 48 minutes, eventually lifted by an intercom announcement at 3:46 p.m.听

According to the , 1:51 p.m. calls reported a man with a gun and a 1:53 p.m. call reported a bomb threat, both near Georgia Avenue and Miranda Avenue. The City of Palo Alto has now that these calls were hoaxes 鈥� the first two, at 1:51 p.m., stated they had seen a teen boy carrying a rifle and two pipe bombs walking toward Gunn, and that a man in his twenties wearing body armor and carrying a rifle was approaching the school. The 1:53 p.m. call came from a man who said he was approaching Gunn with a bomb.听

This initial shelter-in-place announcement was reiterated at 2:01 p.m., emphasizing that the situation was not a drill. Two more announcements at 2:31 p.m. and 3:06 p.m. reminded students to keep sheltering.

At 2:15 p.m., Principal Dr. Wendy Stratton posted a Schoology update detailing that there was an unconfirmed threat on campus, and that the Palo Alto Police Department was present and partnering with admin to provide more updates.听

A , formerly known as Twitter, posted at 2:35 p.m. said that school officials had also instructed students to shelter in place at Fletcher Middle School as a precautionary measure. Police also confirmed that all students and staff on Gunn鈥檚 campus were safe.

At 2:48 p.m., staff members received an email from Stratton stating that students would be released from school at 3:50 p.m. and would be permitted to transport themselves home or be picked up by a parent. All after-school events, including athletics, were canceled. Parents received the same information via ParentSquare at 2:54 p.m., and students were notified via Schoology soon after.

At 3:09 p.m., PAPD noted in the same X thread that they had 鈥渦ncovered no evidence to corroborate that any actual threat exists,鈥� but that they would continue the shelter-in-place while investigating. Half an hour later, they announced the end of their search.

Police were still present on campus as students were dismissed. According to an officer who wished to remain anonymous due to the pending investigation, the lockdown and search went according to police and PAUSD protocol. However, there is still an open, criminal investigation. According to a 4:46 p.m. Schoology post from Stratton, a police presence will remain on campus throughout the week, and there will be additional staff members available at the Wellness Center.听

Police that Orinda鈥檚 Miramonte High School, located just east of Oakland, was also in lockdown as of 3 p.m., but police at Gunn stated that there was no known connection between the two incidents.

According to Gunn Safety Committee member Vin Bhat, Gunn鈥檚 safety committee will be convening after school on April 23, and the districtwide committee will be meeting on Wednesday, April 24. Gunn administrators said they could not comment until Tuesday, April 23.

Gunn鈥檚 jazz bands include two courses 鈥� Jazz Band and Jazz Ensemble Honors 鈥� taught by Gunn Jazz Director Shawn McGinn and Gunn Band Director Todd Summers.

According to McGinn, the festival was an important opportunity for his students to grow musically and experience the city in which jazz music originated.听

鈥淭he festival is a chance to perform for an audience,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n that audience, there are professional players and teachers who give you feedback on your performance to help make you a better group. New Orleans is very important to the history of jazz music in particular because the original types of jazz came together in New Orleans.鈥�

Percussionist sophomore Brandon Seow was excited when he learned that he had the opportunity to go to New Orleans.

鈥淢y initial reaction was coming to terms with the fact that we were actually going to New Orleans,鈥� Seow said. 鈥淭he place has such a mystical vibe to it, so actually being able to go to the area where jazz started was insane.鈥�

Besides performing for hundreds of audience members, Gunn鈥檚 jazz bands were able to tour parts of the city. To McGinn, the most exciting part of the trip was experiencing the daily culture of New Orleans.

听鈥淵ou鈥檒l hear performers playing in all the large cities in the U.S., but none playing jazz music on every corner throughout like in New Orleans,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very special in that way. You walk down the street and there is live music surrounding you. That鈥檚 the kind of world that I want to live (in).鈥�

According to Seow, each day in New Orleans was packed with performances and activities.

鈥淔or me, it was an early start every single day, so it was exhausting, but in a good way,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome of the highlights, besides being able to explore a beautiful city with my friends, included playing at Loyola University, as well as attending two concerts in Preservation Hall, a very historically rich place, where we were able to listen to and watch some of the best jazz musicians in New Orleans.鈥�

While alto saxophonist sophomore Margaret Beery agrees that touring the city was rewarding, she also appreciated building stronger connections with bandmates.

鈥淢y favorite moments outside of performing were ones spent with my friends, whether that was hanging out at the hotel, eating meals or talking on the bus,鈥� she said. 鈥淕enerally, just getting to know my bandmates better as people.鈥�

Still, there were some setbacks on the travel back. According to Beery, the flight plan back to California was changed due to bad weather. The bands ultimately flew from Louisiana to Orlando, Florida, and then to Las Vegas for an overnight stay before flying home the morning of March 4, a day later than planned.听

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 very fun in the moment, but I think those little hardships that we had together bonded our group really well,鈥� McGinn said.

According to McGinn, the most important part of the experience was gaining a new perspective both on music and the world.

鈥�(Immersing) yourself in a culture of music that is different than your own is super important to do, because when you engage in the other you get a new perspective,鈥� he said. 鈥淥nce you understand more than just your little bubble, you see how another way to live might feel.鈥�

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the jazz bands鈥� travel delays. The jazz bands鈥� flight from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Orlando, Florida, was delayed due to incumbent weather. The bands then flew to Las Vegas, Nevada, taking two more flights to Orange County and Oakland. Their bags, however, remained in Las Vegas and were shipped to SFO before being delivered to Gunn on March 5.听

Gunn鈥檚 Chamber Orchestra is a 26-person audition-based honors orchestra taught by Sandra Lewis and Tiffany Ou-Ponticelli.

According to Ou-Ponticelli, the Orchestra Cup attracts hundreds of high school orchestras each year 鈥斕齮his year, competitors came from California, South Carolina and Texas, among other states. Orchestras come both to compete and to learn from experts: All adjudicators are string professors at universities or musicians in professional ensembles, and they give competitors constructive comments. This year, Gunn鈥檚 Chamber Orchestra also received a clinic with NYU professor Stephanie Baer.听

Beyond winning the Orchestra Cup, Gunn鈥檚 Chamber Orchestra won other awards and accolades in the competition, including 鈥淢ost Original Selection鈥� as well as 鈥淏est High Strings Soloist鈥� (violinist junior Ian Cheung) and 鈥淏est Low Strings Soloist鈥� (cellist sophomore Brandon Kang). Ou-Ponticelli believes that hard work and dedication were the driving factors behind the group鈥檚 success.

鈥淲hen we plan for a trip like this, we start to plan from the beginning of the year, so some of the repertoire we had learned early in the fall so that it would have time to mature,鈥� Ou-Ponticelli said. 鈥�(Sandra) Lewis and I were super proud of their performance and how the students came together musically to present each piece where each one was very different from the previous one, and we did a great job displaying what each composer would have wanted.鈥�

Violinist junior Seongju Kim echoed Ou-Ponticelli鈥檚 thoughts.

鈥淲e spent a lot of time rehearsing the pieces as well as choreographing, and also Zoomed with one of the composers,鈥� Kim said. 鈥淓ven though we were competing against other schools, we still got to meet other students and talk with them.鈥�

Although the main objective of the trip was to compete at the festival, the orchestra students also toured different parts of New York City, including Central Park, Top of the Rock and the Statue of Liberty. To Ou-Ponticelli, Kim and Kang, this exploration was one of the best parts of the entire experience.

鈥�(There) was definitely very good food,鈥� Kang said. 鈥淲e watched 鈥榃icked鈥� and 鈥楾he Lion King,鈥� and they were truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And also, after the competition we went on a cruise with the other competitors. It was really nice to meet people from different parts of the world.鈥�

Nevertheless, the students encountered some obstacles. Kim mentioned instances of unfriendly encounters in New York City.听

鈥淪ome of us were approached by strangers who tried to get our money, but thankfully we handled it well and were safe,鈥� Kim said.

Despite setbacks like these, Ou-Ponticelli believed the trip went well overall.

鈥淭he true reality is, our trip was awesome,鈥� Ou-Ponticelli said. 鈥淲e did have a one-hour delay on the flight, but our students were great and extremely well behaved. It鈥檚 also always a little bit nerve-wracking to travel with our instruments, and the important part was we were able to bring all six cellos with no damage.鈥�

World Terakoya Program, based in Tokyo, was founded by Stanford post-graduate student Masaki Nakamura in 2022. This year鈥檚 exchange was the second one they have organized.听

Japanese teacher Matt Hall invited all students in his Japanese classes to host exchange students at their homes, but prioritized his Japanese 3 and AP Japanese classes due to students鈥� higher proficiency with Japanese and the time commitment of hosting. In the end, 10 Gunn families who volunteered to be hosts were connected with exchange students鈥� families in Japan.

听鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough ask,鈥� Hall said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e asking for a week of the family鈥檚 time and all of this week at school. (They have to) bring a Japanese homestay with them to everywhere, every class. And if they鈥檝e got a sports team meeting after school practice, they鈥檝e got to bring them to that. So it鈥檚 a lot of work because everybody鈥檚 busy.鈥澨�

Many of the Japanese exchange students came to the U.S. to research one topic of their choice through creating various surveys and questionnaires. For example, junior Mitsuki Hamasaki, who attends Osaka Business Frontier High School, was most interested in entrepreneurship. Beyond gauging Gunn students鈥� interest in business and learning more about the U.S. economy, Hamaski also wanted to use this opportunity to improve his English.

鈥淲hen they鈥檙e teaching English in Japan, they mainly teach reading and writing, but they don鈥檛 really teach speaking and listening that much,鈥� Hamasaki said in a conversation translated from Japanese by his host, senior Yahya Mirza. 鈥淪o (I) can do perfectly well on an English test, but when it comes to an actual conversation, it鈥檚 a lot more difficult.鈥�

Hall shares this goal of mutual language integration for his students.听

鈥淢y goals were twofold: one certainly was for my students to help the Japanese guests,鈥� Hall said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 up to us to be good ambassadors of our culture, and anthropologists of their culture. The secondary goal is of course for my students to also get some practice with our Japanese. There really is a back-and-forth and give-and-take because my kids are learning a lot from them too.鈥�

Host junior Nikki DeVincentis finds it rewarding to both help his exchange student learn more about Japanese culture, as well as practice Japanese in a more casual context.

鈥淚鈥檇 say my favorite experience so far is probably just learning the colloquial language,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can always learn more grammar patterns and learn more vocab, but (what I鈥檝e learned from this experience) isn鈥檛 exactly something that can be taught, like all the slang and casual language. It鈥檚 just been really exciting to be able to converse with them in a natural tone, different from the Japanese that I鈥檝e been taught in class.鈥�

Exchange student sophomore Minori Ohishi, who is interested in studying animal welfare, expresses gratitude for her host鈥檚 鈥� and Gunn鈥檚 鈥斕齱elcoming attitude.听

鈥淚 can鈥檛 speak English well and I am only here for a week, but everyone accepted me warmly, talked and ate with me as a member of their family or their friend,鈥� Ohishi said. 鈥淚 (just) want to say thank you.鈥�

Ohishi found the Palo Alto community鈥檚 inclusivity pleasantly surprising.

鈥淚鈥檓 surprised the most at the warmth of people,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople from many different countries live here, and everyone accepts each other without denying everyone else. I think this is a wonderful thing.鈥�

听Those involved in the exchange 鈥斕齭tudents and staff alike 鈥斕齢ave appreciated the Gunn community鈥檚 flexibility and openness. According to Hall, teachers from every department have been cooperative with the extra students and Japanese staff members coming in to observe their classes.

鈥淧eople talk a lot about teachers being very solo or very, 鈥業 just want to teach my classes and nobody bother me,鈥� but that鈥檚 certainly not been the case,鈥� Hall said. 鈥淚鈥檝e received tremendous support from the overall staff and their willingness to show what they鈥檙e all about. And these Japanese staff members, they鈥檝e never seen Americans teach, (but) they鈥檙e seeing the best of the best here at Gunn.鈥�

Exchange students are seeking survey responses from Gunn students. Below are surveys created by junior Mitsuki Hamasaki and sophomore Minori Ohishi.

Mitsuki Hamasaki: 听

Minori Ohishi:

During the meeting, racial equity consultant Dr. Lori A. Watson discussed the historical roots of systemic racism.听 Throughout the presentation, she provided opportunities for students to share in table groups or with partners about their own identities and experiences in relation to race 鈥斕齣ncluding colorism and the idea of race as a social construct.听

Attendees were all members of the Student Equity Committee, which comprises 50 Gunn students who work with the administration to recognize, discuss and act on equity disparities. There are currently six members on the committee board, and students can join the committee after introductory training. The committee also has six subcommittees 鈥� cultural event planning, curriculum planning, review and audit, outreach to middle schools, shared learning experiences and communication 鈥� that target different aspects of equity to achieve the committee鈥檚 larger goals. The committee holds quarterly meetings in addition to the equity trainings.听

According to Assistant Principal Courtney Carlomagno, who advises the committee, the group works on projects to raise student and staff awareness, discusses larger equity-related decisions with administrators and makes the committee鈥檚 vision statement. This year, the committee also created the See Something, Say Something form, which allows students to report discrimination and harassment.

The Student Equity Committee has worked with Watson 鈥� founder of the organization Race-Work, which aims to cultivate anti-racist leadership 鈥斕齠or three years.听 Two trainings held earlier in the school year, as well as the March 14 training, comprise Watson鈥檚 鈥淟.A.W. Three-Phase Transformation Approach鈥� to address racism and improve representation.听

According to Watson, the first phase is the 鈥渓earning鈥� phase, in which students think more closely about听 race in their lives. The second phase, the 鈥渁rticulating鈥� phase, equips students with the language and tools they need to talk about race. The last phase is the 鈥渨orking鈥� phase, in which students听 transform their insights into actionable plans.

In this meeting, part of the 鈥渨orking鈥� phase, students reflected on foundational principles introduced in the two previous meetings, which focused on 鈥渓earning鈥� and 鈥渁rticulating.鈥� They were encouraged to think deeply about the causes of racial inequities and brainstorm potential action projects.

As in past meetings, Watson aimed to hear from students with different backgrounds.

鈥淲hat they鈥檙e describing are a lot of experiences that they鈥檙e having where they do feel marginalized or discriminated against, but they just haven鈥檛 had a space to be able to talk about it in a real way,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd so what this does is give them a space to share, and for us to just be able to process through some things so (students) realize there鈥檚 nothing wrong with them.鈥�

According to committee board member junior Nia Porter, the broader agenda of the training is to equip students with tools for activism.

鈥淲e always talk about the different parts of activism (and we have) a couple of alliterations for us to remember, like 鈥榙odge discomfort鈥� or 鈥榣ean in to listen and learn,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淲e also look at this intersection with mind, body, spirit and heart, and then talk about where we already are in terms of interactions (to) make sure we鈥檙e centered.鈥�

The racial equity training meetings will continue to occur three times per school year as the Student Equity Committee gains further traction. Committee member and attendee junior Deegan Trainor believes that meetings can be more impactful with increased student input.

鈥淭he meeting broadened my understanding about the magnitude of equity issues, especially their prevalence at Gunn among both students and faculty,鈥� he said. 鈥淗owever, expanding the reach of the committee to a broader audience and encouraging participation from students less familiar with the committee can benefit and enrich these discussions more.鈥�

Ultimately, Watson鈥檚 primary goal at Gunn, in cooperation with the Student Equity Committee, is to cultivate anti-racist mindsets.听

鈥淢y attempt with the Equity Committee is to really help them become anti-racist,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just about developing some racial literacy and elevating their own personal racial consciousness, (like) being able to recognize how racism shows up on campus and the world around them and collectively be a capacity to disrupt how racism flourishes untouched.鈥�

According to the CAASPP Parent Information Night slideshow, CAASPP test data measures PAUSD鈥檚 鈥渆quity, access and opportunity growths and weaknesses for student subgroups.鈥� The federal funding Gunn receives also depends on the CAASPP test: If the participation rate drops below 95%, the school won鈥檛 receive funding and will thus have less money to work with. Junior Site Council Representative Chloe Wang noted that state testing allows PAUSD and Gunn to better understand and address students鈥� educational needs.

鈥�(State testing) allows funding to be allocated properly, targeted strategies to be created and evidence-based innovation to thrive so that every student can succeed at our school,鈥� she told 麻豆放映免费.

In an interview with 麻豆放映免费, Principal Dr. Wendy Stratton voiced concerns about students鈥� failure to participate.听听

鈥�By not taking the assessment, it鈥檚 actually undermining (Gunn鈥檚 performance) because then you are given a zero, and that averages into the rest of our overall score for Gunn and brings us down automatically,鈥� she said.

According to the CAASPP Parent Night Information slideshow, state testing is also a way for students to qualify for the State Seal of Biliteracy and the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma, as well as bypass introductory English and math courses at California State schools. Stratton added that testing can also affect students鈥� college applications.

鈥�Look at it from a college鈥檚 perspective, like, 鈥業 have two of the same students with the same profile, and roughly a similar transcript, but they鈥檙e coming from two different schools,鈥欌�� she said in an interview. 鈥淎 college may say, 鈥業鈥檓 going to pull up those two schools to see how they perform. Is it the same?鈥欌��

With these motivations, Stratton encourages students to take 鈥� and do their best on 鈥� the CAASPP.听

鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing to lose by trying, and so in a way it鈥檚 like engaging in an assessment or giving your attention to something because you have to do it anyway,鈥� she told 麻豆放映免费. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that we get a true reflection of our impacts, so that we can reflect on our ways.鈥�

The meeting also shifted gears to other topics, including mental health and summer homework for advancement placement classes. Sophomore Site Council Representative Deven Sharma believes the mental health programs at Gunn have improved since the beginning of the year.

鈥淚 feel that mental health has improved and I do feel that people are reaching out more and getting the support they need,鈥� he said in an interview. 鈥淭he resources that we have really helped, like the Wellness Center and the therapists. I feel like talking to a friend really, really helps too because I know if I鈥檓 stressed out, talking to them makes me feel better.鈥�

The next site council meeting will be April 16鈥檚 Data Night.