Editorials

AS SCHOOLS REOPEN and more members of the community get vaccinated, Palo Alto is slowly returning to a new post-pandemic normal. However, one essential service that is yet to return is the Palo Alto Free Shuttle. While decreased ridership and lack of funding due to COVID-19 forced the city to shut down the shuttle, declining cases and the reopening of schools makes it imperative that the shuttle resumes its service by the start of the 2021 school year.

As stated in the Palo Alto Operating Budget, ridership in 2019 averaged 140,000 shuttle boardings, providing a number of students and other local residents with convenient, safe and reliable daily transportation to and from school and work.

According to a Verde opt-in survey of 213 Palo Alto High School students from May 10-16, 11.8% of students relied on the shuttle for transportation to and from Palo Alto High School, pre-COVID.

“It’s possible that we will have to go in-person next year, and if the shuttles aren’t running I don’t know how I’ll get to school,” sophomore Reed Jadzinsky said.

Additionally, the Embarcadero shuttle connects to the East Palo Alto shuttle, which is a critical method of transportation for many students who live further away. With the absence of the shuttle, students from East Palo Alto will face difficulties in commuting to Paly, thus decreasing the accessibility of attending school.

Palo Alto’s 2022 Fiscal Plan states that a plan for the shuttle or an alternate transportation service to return is in the works.

The city recently received a $2 million grant towards “on-demand transportation” from Santa Clara County. However, the public transit funded by the grant does not include the shuttle; instead, the grant provides funds for a new, different system of transportation within the city based on the Uber concept.

“Think of it as UberPool but with vans,” Transportation Department Planning Manager Sylvia Star-Lack wrote in an email to Verde. “There will be a mobile app that riders can use to schedule rides almost anywhere within Palo Alto. Fares will be charged, but we intend to have discounts for rider groups such as youth and seniors.”

Though we appreciate the city’s innovative efforts to increase public transportation, without regular stops like the shuttle, as well as a required fee, the van service will be less accessible to students.

Furthermore, the service is set to start in the summer of 2022, which is too late with school returning this fall.

As COVID-19 cases continue to decline and the number of vaccinations among local residents rises, the shuttle can safely resume its services. Moreover, since the shuttle would not require a fare, less physical contact is required compared to other bus services.

Certain precautions should still be set in place to ensure the safety of Palo Alto residents. Daily sanitization and temperature checks must be implemented along with a decrease in the maximum capacity. Windows can also be opened to increase ventilation.

According to data from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Medical, robust ventilation systems combined with short ridership times make shuttles like Palo Alto’s unlikely to induce large COVID-19 transmission events.

With safety measures in place and COVID-19 cases declining, the Palo Alto Free Shuttle should be reinstated as soon as possible to provide accessible transportation to students and the greater Palo Alto community. v

Art by David Tomz

OVER THE COURSE of the 2020-2021 school year, the Wellness Center, Associated Student Body and parent volunteers have hosted a variety of activities for students to interact with one another in a COVID-19-safe environment. These activities have helped students take a break from their schoolwork, improve their mental health and celebrate important milestones with their classmates.

Verde commends the work of those who have made it possible for students to participate in events fostering community and school spirit during this difficult year.

Despite the challenges of organizing events that are both engaging and COVID-19 safe, the Wellness Center has excelled in providing a rich variety of events for students.

Wellness Center Coordinator Whitney Aquino and other staff members have organized events like “Paint-and-Plant,” which took place at Palo Alto High School on the quad. Made possible by partners like Paly ECO and the Parent Council of the Parent-Teacher Association, students gathered and painted succulent pots to take home.

The Center is also using prizes to gain more participants for activities like the ASB Wellness Week from March 22-26, where students were given the option to complete online challenges like writing words of affirmation or taking a mental health break to be entered in a raffle.

“We’ve seen the numbers [of students] go up and up as more people participate,” Aquino said. “As the weather gets nicer, more people are coming onto campus. Part of it [the growing numbers] is seeing people participating in the activities, and seeing that opportunity to be social and enjoy it with one another.”

Aquino says the goal of the Wellness Center’s events is to create spaces where

students can meet new people and take a break from school work.

Paly’s ASB has also done a commendable job organizing many engaging activities for students to relax and celebrate throughout the year.

ASB President-elect Johannah Seah helped run an open mic for Paly students, along with representatives from other local schools.

“One of the most memorable events for me was the citywide open mic because I helped to plan it with other schools in Palo Alto,” Seah said. “I felt like everyone really enjoyed hearing everyone’s performances and [it] felt like a very unified event.”

In addition, ASB has organized activities like “Cookies on the Quad,” “Tea with Teachers,” scavenger hunts and “Paly’s Got Talent,” and continues to plan events for students both online and in person.

“I think honestly, the biggest part of activities is just being with people that you know, and having fun and trying something new,” Seah said.

Parent Teacher Students Association volunteers have hosted many memorable events for the class of 2021 this year.

PTSA volunteers offered a drive-thru event for seniors in February with free boba, donuts, 2021 yard sign pickup and camo masks. “Although it was a pretty quick event, it was nice to be able to see some people from our cars and pick up boba,” senior Medha Atla said. “At this point, any form of interaction with my peers is worth it.”

The PTSA also partnered with Gott’s Roadside to give seniors free burgers when they picked up their caps and gowns. Senior Week, similar to Spirit Week, was organized by parent volunteers along with ASB, providing the class of 2021 an exciting end to their year and a valuable opportunity to meet with their friends.

“I actually helped come up with Senior Week, and I am so pumped with the turnout,” senior Jenna Tetzlaff said. “The senior class got a taste of the spirit week we missed, and who doesn’t love to dress up once in a while.” v