Verde Magazine

The heat wave hitting the Bay Area is continuing into this week, bringing temperatures well above typical March averages, affecting Paly students, especially athletes who participate in outdoor sports. 

Most of Paly’s classes are indoors, meaning during the school day students are not directly feeling all of the effects of the heat wave. It can, however, impact student athletes who spend hours practicing outside in the sun after school.

Paly sophomore Michael Wu, a member of the baseball team, said that the heat wave made the last week of practice more difficult.

“During the week we practiced with shorts and tried to take it really light,” Wu said. “Practicing in the extreme heat was an unfamiliar experience and it was exhausting.”

As the local temperatures hovered around 85 degrees Fahrenheit in Palo Alto last week, the National Weather Service issued the region’s first ever March heat-advisory, according to Greg Porter, senior newsroom meteorologist from the San Francisco Chronicle. This week temperatures will drop by a little bit into the high 70s, but are still above the average for this time of year.

This heat wave is not expected to be a short-term issue. According to Porter, it will eventually evolve into a “mega heat dome” this week. A heat dome occurs when a high-pressure system lingers over a large region, trapping heat beneath it. This trapped air compresses, heats up and stays in place for days or weeks. 

Photo: Ryan Saket

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The Palo Alto community celebrated the reopening of Hoover Elementary School on Jan 22 following years of construction. 

According to Palo Alto Online, construction began shortly after the demolition of the school’s original campus in the spring of 2024, with the plan to open the campus up in time for students to return for the beginning of the 2025-2026. At first, only small sections of the original campus were meant to be upgraded, but the pandemic along with new building requirements for the state ultimately caused the district to revamp the entire campus as a whole.

Minor delays caused the reopening to take place in the middle of the school year, but Principal Nikole Manou said the reintegration was done smoothly.

“The kids seamlessly. Picked up the new routines,” said Manou. “You know, we prepared them for it. We had assemblies before we moved.”

The large, beige wooden beams paired with massive windows allow for an earthy and cozy atmosphere. The campus’s new architectural style fits well within the rest of Palo Alto. 

In addition, the campus added a new bike lane, upgraded the playgrounds, and built an outdoor reading space. 
A notable new addition is the new Innovation Design Lab, which will introduce students to STEM-related subjects. 

“They’re [the students] going to look at different opportunities with computer sciences. Different things they can do with computer science,” Manou said. And then fifth grade is doing health sciences or architectures and kindergarten, and it’s really exposing them to these hands-on pieces.”

With many more stylistic features, the campus has an open environment that allows students to connect with the nature that surrounds it. 

With a sustainable, carbon-zero design and new buildings with unique purposes, the school is on track to become one to inspire students to find and pursue their own passions. 

Photo: Shaurya Thummalapalli

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