Culture

Attending Stanford OHS full-time comes with many benefits, whether that’s freeing up time for a significant extracurricular, participating in unconventional classes with renowned instructors, or having the luxury of an 11AM alarm. However, we all come to face a single frustration: finding standardized testing sites (and losing quite a bit of sanity doing so). During junior year, OHSers often take the PSAT because the National Merit Scholarship is awarded to national top performers. AP exams are also sought after as high passing scores of 4’s and 5’s allow students the chance to earn college credit, often helping them skip first year gen-ed requirements.

Daylight Savings – the practice of advancing clocks by an hour during the summer – is observed from 2:00 AM local time on March 8th to 2:00 AM local time on November 1st in all US states except Arizona and Hawaii. We asked OHS students to weigh in on their thoughts about its practicality. Here’s what they said:

Imagine: the rain taps against the window, your favorite drink is in hand, and you’re cozied up with a blanket on the sofa. The environment is perfect for consuming a book, movie, and TV show (or all three). But what shall you read/watch? In our survey, OHS students answered this question. Here is what they had to say about their favorite books, movies, and TV shows:

As winter break approaches, OHS students are preparing not only for holidays and family vacations, but also for a change in how they connect with one another. Our main communication platform, Pronto, will be shut down during the break due to staff not being able to monitor the platform. For many students, this decision, while having fair reasoning and quite a lot of thought put into it, raises questions about how friendships, clubs and societies, and group chats will continue without their main platform.

"Whenever I'm down in the dumps, I get myself another hat." – Anonymous. Whether you dress to express yourself or just to feel comfortable, we all show up to class in some form of attire. In a survey, thirty-three students shared their Adobe Connect fashion, as well as the strangest outfits they've worn to class. Here's what they said:

In the United States, only seven out of 50 states require high school students to take a full year course on civics. For a country that protects and encourages citizen participation in government affairs, this statistic emphasizes a shortfall in legislative action to fully commit to its values.

With Fall elections having concluded, meet and get to know more about your 2025-26 Student Government elected representatives!

"Gratitude helps us see what is there instead of what isn't." – Annette Bridges

As we enter the last month of autumn, November prompts us to appreciate and reflect on our blessings. Regardless whether the blessings are big or small, practicing gratitude has many benefits. Gratitude can improve your wellbeing, strengthen relationships, and help you find hope in challenging times. In a survey, our students shared the blessings in their lives, as well as the ways they showed gratitude. Here are their responses:

The June 28-July 8, 2025 summer student expedition to Yellowstone National Park, organized through Ecology Project International (EPI), combined scientific fieldwork with immersive outdoor living. A total of 2 instructors and 12 students went on the trip. Although some participants had never been to Yellowstone before, many were drawn by a shared interest in wildlife ecology and the chance to connect learning with real-world experiences.

In today’s world—where headlines and social media scream conflict and fuel division—disagreement often feels like a dead end. But what if the goal wasn’t to win arguments, but to understand each other? What if, instead of retreating into unproductive debates, we leaned into dialogue—not to erase our differences, but to navigate them with empathy and clarity?

For the students and educators at OHS, who often dive deep into complex topics, whether it be in class, in pronto, or outside the “walls” of our school, this isn’t just a theoretical question. It’s a call to action.