District Assesses Decline in SBAC Performance

Yolanda Spura and Justin Yu
October 20, 2016
Filed under Issue-2, News

Much to the district’s surprise, Los Altos’ overall performance declined on last year’s Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium (SBAC) test: the proportion of students who met or passed state standards dropped from 81 to 70 percent and 76 to 67 percent in English Language Arts (ELA) and math, respectiv...

Aerospace Engineering Takes Flight

Teddy Chmyz, Haley Ecker, and Avery Luke
October 20, 2016
Filed under Issue-2, News

It’s not rocket science — except it is. New this year, Los Altos’ Aerospace Engineering class is the third course in the three-year engineering program and focuses on the physics behind the flight of rockets, planes and more. At the end of second semester last school year, engineering students ...

Recent Fire Alarm Highlights Evacuation Questions

Alex Luna, Staff Writer
October 20, 2016
Filed under News, Web Exclusive

On Tuesday, September 27, the school was taken by surprise when the fire alarm suddenly went off during lunch. What made it more concerning was that it was not a drill because the alarm went off due to smoke in a classroom. While the incident did not create major consequences, situations like this provoke th...

Construction Nears Finish Line

Emma Van Geuns, Staff Writer
October 18, 2016
Filed under Issue-2, News

For more than two months now, P.E. students and athletes have used portables behind the large gym as locker rooms, awaiting the completion of the updated rooms currently under construction. Due to unforeseen delays, students are now set to have access to their updated locker rooms between October 24 an...

Haiti Emergency Drive Exceeds Expectations

Yolanda Spura, Staff Writer
October 14, 2016
Filed under News, Web Exclusive

Responding to the mass destruction caused in Haiti by the arrival of Hurricane Matthew, Los Altos’ Haiti Solidarity Club held a drive from Tuesday, October 11, through Friday, October 14. The drive exceeded expectations and raised $5000 for the Haiti Relief Fund, which provides humanitarian relief fo...

SCL Publishes “The Bathroom Break”

Haley Ecker and Avery Luke
October 7, 2016
Filed under News, Web Exclusive

Over the past month, students have found a newsletter known as “The Bathroom Break” taped to the mirrors and the doors of bathroom stalls around Los Altos. These biweekly newsletters were created by the new Student Community Leaders (SCL) class as a way to increase awareness of events on campus a...

Growth Creates New Role for AVID Council

Justin Yu, Staff Writer
September 27, 2016
Filed under News, Showcase, Web Exclusive

As AVID expands from six to eight sections, the student-run club AVID council now plays a larger role in managing the AVID program. Although it did not have much of a campus presence last year, AVID council president junior Mary Mendoza plans to revitalize the club by meeting on a regular basis and ...

Egan Adopts New Grading Policy

Michael Sieffert, Maddie Chu, and Sana Khader
September 27, 2016
Filed under Issue-1, News

This year, students at Egan Junior High School will no longer see the time-honored As through Fs on their report card. Los Altos School District has established a new standards-based grading system focusesd on more holistic evaluation. The system aims to evaluate students based on Common Core standards...

New Media Literacy Explores Digital Stories

Priya Dixit and Adrienne Mitchel
September 27, 2016
Filed under Issue-1, News

English teacher Robert Barker created New Media Literacy as an alternate journalism elective to the school this year. The elective aims to teach students to analyze messages in news media and portray stories through photography, videography and podcasts. The administration wished to add another journalism...

District Introduces Alta Vista Opportunity Program

Avi Varghese, Entertainment Editor
September 27, 2016
Filed under Issue-1, News, Showcase

Despite schools’ best efforts, students who have difficulty fitting into traditional high schools can slip through the cracks. Even as their peers find success through the school support systems, a small population of students struggle to succeed at comprehensive high schools like Los Altos and even...

Downtown Sets Course for the Future

Brian Huebner, Javin Pombra, and Danny Vesurai
September 27, 2016
Filed under Issue-1, News, Showcase

Despite dramatic population growth and development in the Bay Area, Los Altos downtown has remained surprisingly unaffected. Most buildings are one or two stories tall, foot traffic is light and streets are narrow. Many residents savor this small-town feel. But with increasing demand and changing demo...

AP Physics I Test Scores Raise Concerns

Savita Govind and Anisha Desai
September 27, 2016
Filed under Issue-1, News

After receiving this spring’s AP scores, the district board discussed LAHS’ AP Physics I test results in comparison to MVHS’ results at a meeting on September 6. LAHS’ pass rate hit a record low at 38 percent for students enrolled in AP Physics I, while MVHS’ pass rate was 92 percent. The school...