Student publications

Text by JONAS PAO and ISHAAN BATRA ISSUES AMID COVID

Editors’ note: Staff writer Jonas Pao wrote several articles for Midpeninsula Post after completing the reporting for this story but prior to its publication.

DECKED-OUT DESIGNS — In their first issues, Z Magazine celebrates Black History Month (top) and youth activism (bottom). “We released our first issue once the shelter in place was already set, and because of this, all of our issues are completely digital,” said Caroline Zhang, editorin-chief of Z Magazine. Photos: Caroline Zhang LOST, CONFUSED AND worn providing COVID updates, features and out. These are words everyone news stories for their readership. can relate to in the tough times Normally, student publications are of the COVID-19 pandemic, and associated with a school, but Midpeninsula student journalists are far from exempt Post is independently run. This allows the to these feelings. Day in and day out, it publication to be a regional paper that gets harder to contact, write and publish. brings together journalists from Mountain However, journalists like Tomoki Chien of View, Los Altos and Palo Alto. Midpeninsula Post and Erin Kim of Ink see “I think local news is often more a challenge — and more so, opportunity. relevant to high schoolers than big national

“I was still writing for The Talon when stories are, but local publications that are the coronavirus hit,” Chien, a junior at Los Altos High School, said. “I turned to my friend, and was like, ‘Dude, if we cover this “If we cover this [the pandemic] right, this can be the best thing covering local news don’t target high schoolers, because high schoolers don’t donate, and nobody wants to advertise [the pandemic] right, that’s happened for [to] high schoolers,” this can be the best thing that’s happened the newspaper since it Chien said. “So the idea is, why don’t we for the newspaper started.” kind of get together since it started.’” the best student After a few months of reporting during the —TOMOKI CHIEN, Midpeninsula Post editor-in-chief journalists in the area, and provide pandemic with the local news in a really Talon, his school-based publication, Chien reliable way.” decided that he wanted to start his own Midpeninsula Post quickly got to work publication and report on a new platform writing stories that appealed specifically to with other student reporters. their high school audience.

Chien and other high school journalists “Coronavirus guidelines and school who have started a new publication reopenings — I think that’s something that during the pandemic have all faced high schoolers care about a lot,” Chien said. unique challenges in addition to dealing “So that’s kind of what a large portion of with the usual technicalities of building our coverage is.” a publication from the ground up. From With school shut down and in-person informing the community on coronavirus- interaction put on hold in the early stages related topics to simply providing a means of the publication, Midpeninsula Post has of enjoyment for those stuck at home due had a hard time finding journalists to join to shelter-in-place orders, publications like their staff; as a result, Chien has resorted Midpeninsula Post, Z Magazine and Ink to some unorthodox ways of getting people have risen to the occasion in the pandemic. to join. “One of our best reporters ... is Midpeninsula Post somebody we just cold-called,” Chien said.

Chien co-founded the Midpeninsula “We just sent her a DM [direct message] ... Post, Bay Area’s student-run digital news and she joined us.” source, with six other journalists from The Talon in October 2020. They ran their first Z Magazine story in November and have since been “I created the magazine as a way to

amplify teen voices and emerging creators and give them an opportunity to be featured and appreciated,” Sophomore and editor-in-chief of Z Magazine Caroline REVIEWING A RECORDING — In a self-timer photo, editor-in-chief of Midpeninsula Post Tomoki Chien searches for the perfect quote to put in one of his many timely articles. “It feels like my writing has real world consequences, when I’m going and gathering information and making sense of ... what has happened over the past year,” Chien said. Photo: Tomoki ChienZhang said.

Zhang created Z Magazine as an arts and culture magazine for Gen Z. Zhang understands how hard it can be for writers and artists to receive recognition and publicity for their talents, and it has only become harder in the midst of a pandemic.

“I’ve submitted a lot of my art to competitions, and also to open calls, but my work has never actually been accepted,” Zhang said.

As a result, Zhang decided to create a magazine with her friends to feature teen artists who have seldom been published.

The staff of Z Magazine decides on a theme for each issue, which directs their content for the following months. Sophomore and Z Magazine editor Vivan Ink beginning of the school year with only two Trach says the “Black History Month” “My friend approached me with the editors, Kim and Rumelhart. theme for their February issue was one of idea of making a literary magazine, so we “Our main goal [on Ink] was to source her favorites. “We had an artist who started drawing mostly Black women because she felt like they are always portrayed as having “I created the magazine as a way to amplify teen voices and give them an opportunity went and talked to [Paul] Kandell [a Palo Alto High School journalism adviser] about starting it [Ink] through [the] works in the greater Paly community, and make sure that every student can have a representative voice,” Kim said. The editors asked Paly teachers to tell their students about the opportunity of featuring on Ink last semester. “Since it’s not limited to just staff from an edgy vibe, and she was like, ‘Well, Black women can be cute, to be featured and appreciated.” Incubator,” junior Erin Kim, editorin-chief of Ink, said. the incubator, quite literally anybody from Paly is welcome to submit whatever they want, whether it be artwork or poetry or we can be fairies, we can be anything we — CAROLINE ZHANG, Z Magazine editor-in-chief “We actually figured it wasn’t going to fiction, nonfiction,” Kim said. Ink published its first issue on Dec. want,’” Trach said. happen because 20, featuring six poems and five pieces of

The art provided of COVID, but it fiction, each paired with art and eloquent Trach with a new perspective on women turns out enough people are interested in designs, but that could not have been done of color in media, and brought a colorful, it, so we managed to make it.” without the hard work of Ink’s editors. lively spread to the magazine. These unique, In the Incubator, a Paly class where “We [the editors] split a lot of the diverse takes on a larger theme is one reason student journalists can create their own work which involves things like ... finding Z Magazine believes submission-based publications, Kim and fellow junior writing, being the graphic designer for journalism is a great way to tell stories. William Rumelhart set up Ink as a the magazine, managing the finances,”

“Instead of opening certain doors for submission-based magazine, similar to Kim said. “And we’re currently working certain people, it’s more like opening the Z Magazine. But unlike Z Magazine and on building a website. So I guess it [being door and whoever comes in is welcome in,” other publications at Paly, Ink focuses their editor] is pretty much a little bit of Trach said. content on literature. Ink started in the everything.” v

Text by KYLIE MIES Photos by REIN VASKA WHO WILL

THE CHALLENGE IS ON,” says Jeff Probst, the host of the hit reality-competition show “Survivor,” which has been air“ Gunn Survivor” will begin airing on April 12 and can be found on the Class of 2021 Instagrams and the student leadership Youtube channels for both schools. ing on CBS since 2000. The show tests Both Paly ASB and Gunn Student contestants on survival skills in an isolated Executive Council are putting in the work environment through various challenges that can win them immunity for the vote at the end of each episode. Student leaders at “ I applied because I’ve been watching the show from a young to make the production high quality entertainment and to ensure it is COVID safe. The contestants all wear masks and

Palo Alto and Henry M. Gunn high schools age and consider my- socially distance, and the challenges take have collaborated to self a superfan.” place outside. create their own “Paly The Paly team, x Gunn Survivor” — BENNY MCSHEA, senior selected through an that began filming in application process,

March. Four students from Paly and four consists of seniors Benny McShea, Mark students from Gunn will be put through a Muskatblit, David Snyder and Jace Purcell. series of challenges that test a range of skills The application asked for a minute-long from athleticism to teamwork to prob- video responding to one of nine prompts lem-solving. The contestants try to avoid or anything they would like to do to prove getting voted out by their fellow contes- to the creators why they deserve to be on tants until the title of “Sole Survivor” is the show. won. The “Sole Survivor” earns a prize of “I’ve been watching the show since a $200 worth of anything that is school ap- young age and consider myself a superfan,” propriate. McShea says. “Ultimately, I would like to “I thought of the idea at the end of go on the real show and win so I can get first semester because my family used to rich and famous.” watch ‘Survivor’ a lot,” says Emma Lin, se- The contestants are thrilled to see what nior president of Paly’s Associated Student their filming days will bring and if they can

Body. “We are doing it with Gunn because win the title of “Sole Survivor.” in ‘Survivor’ they usually have an amount “I’m excited for the challenges,” Purof tribes at the beginning that are catego- cell says. “I don’t know what they are yet rized.” and I’m curious how ASB and SEC are goThe six weekly episodes of “Paly x ing to pull them off in this format.” v