Principal's Update

I hope the entire Titan community is doing well as we roll through the last few days of January. This past weekend we hosted an incredible series of events here at Gunn. Members of the international juggling community converged on our campus for our annual Game of Throws festival, hosted by Matt Hall and the Gunn Juggling Club. Hundreds of people enjoyed juggling workshops and the performance gala on Saturday night.

Also, over the weekend, choir teachers, Mr. Liberatore and Ms. Fitzhugh escorted Gunn students on their annual overnight field trip to Camp Jones Gulch to build community while also preparing for their upcoming Choir/Staff Musical.

Additionally, also on Saturday night, our annual (24 hour) Gunn Hackathon occurred with over 50 students in attendance.

And finally, throughout the day today (Monday), we hosted our 15th TEDx conference at Gunn. Students, staff, teachers and community members listened to multiple speakers, of all ages, share "Ideas Worth Spreading." This year's central theme was "Sea of Voices." In this way, they highlighted "intrepid speakers who refuse to take life at face value, instead seeking deeper meaning and more profound understanding."

We look forward to our upcoming Lunar New Year celebration, on Wednesday during lunch. Our student leadership will facilitate activities, traditional games and booths on the Gunn quad. In addition, during PRIME, dozens of teachers will host the 2025-2026 Electives Fair, offering students the opportunity to learn about our diverse course offerings to inform their enrollment decisions. Lastly, on Wednesday evening, we will hold our annual CTE showcase, which is open to the community, will take place in our new culinary arts classroom.

Thanks again for your supportive partnership! We are all in this together!

Warmly,
Dr. Stratton

• CTE Showcase 1/29
• CPR Training for Students, from Stanford Health, 2/9
• YCS Service Day Volunteers Needed, 3/31
• Cafeteria Promotional Video
• Titan Tidbits

• Key Dates

Career Themed Pathways Showcase - Join us for a job fair and career pathways CTE expo on Wednesday, Jan. 29th from 3:00pm - 4:30pm @ Gunn high school. This event is open to ALL families within the PAUSD community to explore Career Technical Education courses offered at the high school level and will include NAF presentations. This is FREE event to learn more about elective courses offered at the secondary level and follows the Electives fair held during PRIME for Gunn students.

Please see the note below from Hannah Nicklas, Registered Nurse at Stanford Health Care with an opportunity for students.

"I am reaching out to let you know our next CPR course will be held on Sunday, February 9, 2025, from 1-4pm and we will be certifying all student participants, free of charge, thanks to generous support from Stanford Health Care Center for Education and Professional Development.

All courses will be held at the Center for Education and Professional Development at 1850 Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto and will provide an overview of how to respond in an emergency and important information that may save someone’s life.

We would love to have Gunn students join us; we are limited to 50 attendees for this session but have additional sessions planned for the rest of the year (stay tuned!!). Below is a flyer with QR code that students can scan and sign up to attend.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out. (HNicklas@stanfordhealthcare.org) I look forward to seeing Gunn students and helping to prepare the next generation of lifesavers for our community! Thank you in advance for your time and partnership!"

In partnership with Youth Community Service (YCS) and the student-led Gunn YCS Club, Gunn High School provides transportation so that students can volunteer at partner sites across the area. Service sites include elementary schools, community gardens, food banks, and more. Service Day allows students and Gunn High School to give back, in line with Gunn's core commitment to community.

This year, Service Day is Monday, March 31, 2025. We anticipate that over 200 students will participate across 13+ service sites. Although each site will have a teacher chaperone, parent volunteers are essential to the day. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to aubrey@youthcommunityservice.org for more details.

Our new cafeteria opened on Tuesday January 21. After some initial bumps as the food services team figured out a line system, the cafeteria has since been running smoothly and students are enjoying all of the delicious choices they have. Please take a moment to watch the cafeteria promotional video that the SEC created, below.

Titan Grub & Hub - New Cafeteria: Promotional Video

If you missed the Video about the new cafeteria, Watch it here!

http://app.schoology.com/school/7924989/update/7675279853

Come see the amazingly talented Gunn High School Choir in their annual Musical. This year's show is Heavenly Bandstand:A Fifties Musical Valentine!

Get out your poodle skirts and hair cream and prepare to stroll, mash potato and doo wop your way down memory lane. Our heroine, high school senior Annette, has fallen asleep in English class. In her dream, she is visited by Johnny Angel, who is desperate to leave his celestial home and return, one more time, to the Top Forty. But in order to make it back to earth, he will have to compete on Heavenly Bandstand. Hosted by none-other-than Dick Clark, the competition features the holiest music of the 1950s. Join the fun as Johnny battles for his place on the charts, Annette searches for true love, and the rest of us once again savor the sweet taste of American Pie.

The musical stars the Gunn High School Choirs, the JLS and Fletcher Middle School Choirs, and dozens of your favorite Gunn staff! Performances are at 8pm on February 5th & 6th at Spangenberg Theatre.

Buy your tickets at Gunn High School Choir Musical. All proceeds benefit the Gunn Choir Tour Scholarship Fund, providing financial assistance so that all choir students can participate in the Choir’s spring trip to New York City.

Bravo to these amazing 2025 All-State Band & Orchestra students from Gunn, who attended the CASMEC conference this past week! They participated in three intensive days of rehearsals on professional-level repertoire, with world-renowned conductors and other incredibly inspiring students, culminating in performances at Sacramento’s beautiful Memorial Auditorium. Go Titan musicians!

Congratulations to Ronnie Horowitz, Sidhant Locan, Agastya Goel, Shaoie Chan Chordia and Emilia Rose James who took on the All State Choir in Sacramento this past weekend. They participated in 3 High School Choirs and were able to learn from some amazing directors. Bravo! 🎶

On Wednesday, January 22nd, our World Language students and World Language teachers hosted students from Fletcher Middle School for a Tiger-Titan friendship event. The students made friendship bracelets together, enjoyed a variety of cultural snacks and got to know one another. There are several World Language "Tiger-Titan" events that happen throughout the year, and they are great opportunities for Gunn students to be mentors, and for the Fletcher students to get more comfortable on the high school campus. These Tiger-Titan events started 2 years ago with the German classes and our German teacher Frau Schroeppel inviting the Fletcher Tigers to the Oktoberfest at Gunn. Now these Tiger-Titan events have become fun community building traditions.

谢谢, Danke, Merci, ありがとう, Gracias

Mon, January 27

• Late Start Monday Schedule
• Gunn TedX Event, All Day, Spangenberg Theatre
• PTSA/Parent Ed:Eating Disorders and Nutrition for Adolescents: What should parents know?- 7:00-8:30pm, Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82545677544

Wed, January 29

• Electives Fair, PRIME
• CTE Career Pathway Showcase, 3-4:30pm, Cafeteria+Culinary Arts Room

Thurs, January 30

• Spring Club Fair Day #1, Lunch @Senior Quad
• Incoming 9th Grade Parent Night, 6:30-8:00pm, Spangenberg Theatre

Fri, January 31

• Spring Club Fair Day #2, Lunch @Senior Quad

Wed, February 5

• Choir/Staff Musical, 8:00-10pm, Spangenberg

Thurs, February 6

• Choir/Staff Musical, 8:00-10pm, Spangenberg

• Love Week Activities
• Incoming 9th Grade Parent Night w/ Counseling Dept, 6:30-8:00pm, Spangenberg Theatre

Tues, February 11

• Love Week Activities
• Gunn Bands+Symphony Orchestra Concert, 7:30pm, Spangenberg Theatre

Wed, February 12

• Love Week Activities

Thurs, February 13- Mon, February 17

• No School, Presidents' Weekend

Tues, February 18

• Classes Resume

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