Sarah O'Riordan

BREAKING NEWS: All Santa Clara County public schools shut down for three weeks due to coronavirus concerns

March 13, 2020

All schools in Santa Clara County will be closed starting Monday, March 16 for a minimum of three weeks to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to an announcement made by County Superintendent Ma...

Board discusses CAASPP, minority students’ results

Sarah O'Riordan

March 8, 2020

News

At the Feb. 25 Board meeting, the Palo Alto Unified school board covered topics including the consequences of electing out of CAASPP testing, as well as concerns regarding minority student performance on the Ca...

District meets with Infocus after censorship attempt

Sarah O'Riordan and Benjamin Stein

January 29, 2020

Breaking News, News, Showcase

Assistant Principal Jerry Berkson informed InFocus executive producers on Monday that Palo Alto Unified School District General Counsel Komey Vishakan had received complaints about a "Paly Bachelor" segment the...

Marijuana needs regulation, destigmatizing nationwide

Sarah O'Riordan

December 21, 2019

Opinion

It’s been three years since California legalized the recreational use of marijuana, a milestone achievement for the movement to decriminalize pot. Despite this advancement, the fire of public stigma against th...

Pulitzer Prize finalist speaks at Paly

Maya Rathore and Sarah O'Riordan

December 15, 2019

News

Recently, Paly’s renowned Media Arts Center hosted a notable guest speaker: Pulitzer Prize Finalist Maggie Steber. The American documentary photographer spoke to a beginning journalism class on Nov. 15. Steber...

Shots Fired: A look into the implications of vaccine mandates

Sarah O'Riordan, Shiva Mohsenian and Andy Wang

November 22, 2019

Lifestyle, Showcase, Spotlight

Background Hundreds of parents and activists clad in red shirts lined the halls of the state Capitol, hoisting signs that read ‘DO NOT BULLY DOCTORS INTO NOT PROTECTING THEIR PATIENTS!’ and chanting ‘YES TO ED...

Trial period ought to be implemented to re-open MAC

Sarah O'Riordan

October 25, 2019

Opinion

Walking into the Media Arts Center just one year ago, one was immediately immersed in student life — from groups chattering around a table in the atrium to solemn studiers burying their noses in textbooks in qu...

Palo Alto community rallies in international climate strike

Sarah O'Riordan and Benjamin Stein

September 27, 2019

News

Friday, Sept. 20 marked a global climate walkout — a worldwide protest named Fridays for Future. The movement, organized by 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg, is calling for stronger laws to prevent c...

Column: Long Lost Paly Traditions

Sarah O'Riordan

September 14, 2019

Column, Lifestyle, Student Life

Whatever happened to good old school spirit and town traditions? It seems that with every passing year at Palo Alto High School, school spirit and spirit week point levels drop lower and lower. Just last ye...

InFocus time should not be utilized for instructional minutes

Sarah O'Riordan

September 11, 2019

Opinion

It’s a week before school goes back into session, and schedules have just come out. Of course, everyone begins to compare. It’s commonplace to try and meet up with friends during preparatory periods, and for ma...

Author Sarah O'Riordan