On the blackboard On the blackboard (March 19, 2003)

A VOCAL CONGRATULATIONS ... The Paly Voice, Palo Alto High School's new online daily, is off to a prestigious start. It is one of six finalists named by the National Scholastic Press Association for its Pacemaker award, which recognizes unusual excellence in high school journalism in the categories of Newspaper, Online, Yearbook/Magazine, and Broadcast. "I'm tremendously proud of my students. They're doing things nobody's ever done before," Paul Kandell, staff advisor for the Paly Voice, said. In April, Kandell will travel with other staff members to the NSPA's spring conference in Portland, Ore. where three of the six finalists will be named winners of the Online Pacemaker award. The online publication went wired for the first time in September, as part of a Web journalism class Kandell teaches. Most content comes from The Campanile, Paly's campus newspaper; Verde, Paly's Pacemaker-winning magazine; and Broadcast students. Technical support was provided by engineering technology students as well as a former student of Kandell's from Lowell High School in San Francisco.

ON THE BEAT . . . 11-year-old Noah Sneider, a sixth grader at Jordan Middle School, interviewed Dr. James Watson, Nobel laureate and co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, for the March 7 issue of TIME For Kids. When asked about the interview, the young reporter said, "I introduced myself and the butterflies in my stomach were flapping." Watson's advice for kids who want to become scientists: "Read a great deal. You don't get anywhere by merely being bright. You have to know the facts." Sneider is a member of the TIME for Kids national news team, comprised of budding journalists between the ages of 9-13. A desire to get the scoop must run in the family. His mother and father are both editors at the San Jose Mercury News.

GIVE 'EM A BREAK ... Paly students will spring into the upcoming break free to veg out, catch a flick or hike in the hills without a holiday homework assignment hanging over their heads. Paly Principal Sandra Pearson has put a ban on spring break homework assignments in an effort to reduce student stress. In the past, students were given class work to complete during their one week break. Teachers have been asked not to hand out assignments or give major tests in the days following the break.

THE HALLS ARE ALIVE ... Three Paly students are heading to Carnegie Hall in May as part of the National Honor Band. Joe Hayes, alto sax, Sean Hurlburt, alto sax, and Stephen Pfleiderer, clarinet, were chosen among hundreds of high school students to play at the prestigious New York venue. "I had no idea that I would get to play there as a high school student," said Hayes, who was inspired to pick up the sax by the Rolling Stones. Pfleiderer was equally surprised. "It means playing in one of the most famous concert halls in the world where virtually every great performer has played," he said. The teens are among 19 students from Paly and Gunn high schools who received state and national honors for their musical talents. Gunn students chosen for the All State Honor Band include: Scott Chowning, French horn; Yong-Chan Kim, clarinet; Albert Lee, clarinet; Cynthia So, flute; Katherine Yang, clarinet. Paly students included: Nina Ganne, alto sax; Joe Hayes, alto sax; Sean Hurlburt, alto sax; Stephen Pfleiderer, clarinet. Jordan Middle School student Jonathan Shan, clarinet, was also chosen as part of the band. Students chosen for the All State Honor Orchestra include: Katherine Yang, clarinet; and Paly student Daniel Park, bass. The Coda Honor Orchestra includes Gunn students, Patrick Bertsch, tuba; Ela Shaviv, violin; Alexa Tsien-Shiang, oboe; Katherine Yang, clarinet. Paly student Eren Bilir, cello, was also selected for the orchestra. The All State Honor Choir includes Gunn student Ben Cohen, and Paly students Jessie Ferguson and Kelly Thatcher. Paly student Alexandra Quinn was chosen for the National Women's Honor Choir. The state honor means these students are the cream of the crop - chosen among thousands statewide to participate with an elite group of students in a yearly recital