Journalism Portfolio 2026
About Me
My name is Alexander Lawson. I am currently a junior at Palo Alto High School and Editor-in-Chief of Veritas, Paly’s science and technology magazine. Outside of journalism, I do speech and debate for my school, play piano, and am currently training to get my pilot’s license.
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Articles
Path Down the Runway
For most Palo Alto High School students, only one license comes to mind: the driver’s license. It takes practice, memorization, and a few trips to the DMV, which can be quite tedious, but the concepts of driving are simple. For a select few Palo Alto High School students, however, there’s a license far more difficult to get — the private pilot’s license. According to Junior Kento Stutz and Senior Brian Liu, the journey towards it is mentally, temporally, and financially demanding, but above all,...
Palo Alto’s ICE Walkout
East Palo Alto supports new youth commission
On January 6, the East Palo Alto City Council showed unanimous approval for the formation of a new youth commission and task force in the coming months to help engage youth in local government.
The main goal of the program is to introduce teenagers to local policy and government, with the primary target being high school students.
“It’s important to engage the youth of East Palo Alto in civic issues,” Dinan said. “And it’s a great opportunity for students to learn about how government actually...
The main goal of the program is to introduce teenagers to local policy and government, with the primary target being high school students.
“It’s important to engage the youth of East Palo Alto in civic issues,” Dinan said. “And it’s a great opportunity for students to learn about how government actually...
University Students Charged
Students and graduates who occupied and vandalized Stanford University’s campus will soon be in court this April after being charged with felony vandalism and conspiracy to trespass.
The 12 individuals are being charged for crimes which include smashing windows, breaking into administrative buildings, and vandalizing various buildings with anti-semitic messages.
Overall, the Stanford students whom Anthro has interviewed said that the charges were too harsh for the crime, and the sentencing was t...
The 12 individuals are being charged for crimes which include smashing windows, breaking into administrative buildings, and vandalizing various buildings with anti-semitic messages.
Overall, the Stanford students whom Anthro has interviewed said that the charges were too harsh for the crime, and the sentencing was t...
Racing reactions
In the world around us, reactions are happening all the time, especially in Palo Alto High School’s Chemistry Honors classes. Recently, students completed labs in which they had to test how different factors affected the reaction rate of an alka seltzer tablet. It was a full hands on activity, with students taking lead on the variables that they tested. The only instructions were to keep the mass of the reactants constant. Factors ranging from surface area to temperature were tested by multiple...
What’s the clear choice?
If there’s one thing that teenagers and older people today can relate to, it’s the pain and nuisance that come with having braces. Becoming mainstream in the 1970s, straightening teeth using brackets and wires has been used for decades.
For a long time, there has been no alternative, forcing primarily teenagers to endure often years of brackets breaking, wires snapping, and constant visits to the orthodontist for tightening.
However, Invisalign, which was invented in the late 1990s with the sa...
For a long time, there has been no alternative, forcing primarily teenagers to endure often years of brackets breaking, wires snapping, and constant visits to the orthodontist for tightening.
However, Invisalign, which was invented in the late 1990s with the sa...
A pathway to justice
At Palo Alto High School, almost every student has heard of the Social Justice Pathway. Yet, the vast majority have little exposure to the key things the program provides. We were able to interview the teachers who greatly contribute to the program and community to get a deeper understanding of this program.
The first cohort started in 2014, and this year will be the 11th cohort for the SJP program. Erin Angell, the English teacher for Cohort 10 who also started the program, describes its early...
The first cohort started in 2014, and this year will be the 11th cohort for the SJP program. Erin Angell, the English teacher for Cohort 10 who also started the program, describes its early...
District phone ban aims to improve focus
Phones in wooden boxes. Numbered pockets on the wall. Classrooms across California and classrooms at Palo Alto High School are marked with this familiar view.
The Palo Alto Unified School District adopted a policy this year in which phones are put away at the front of the room before class each day.
According to Paly junior Lily Liu, the policy has helped her and other students stay focused during classes.
“Now that we’re forced to put our phones away, we have to pay attention,” Liu said. “So I...
The Palo Alto Unified School District adopted a policy this year in which phones are put away at the front of the room before class each day.
According to Paly junior Lily Liu, the policy has helped her and other students stay focused during classes.
“Now that we’re forced to put our phones away, we have to pay attention,” Liu said. “So I...
Homelessness doubles in Palo Alto
According to a new report published by Santa Clara County, the number of unhoused residents in Palo Alto has more than doubled since 2023, rising from 187 to 399. This 113% increase is based on data collected in January of this year. Although the report indicates that other cities still have homeless populations larger than Palo Alto’s, no other city in the report experienced growth of the same magnitude.
Palo Alto’s unique increase in unhoused residents is closely aligned with recent estimates...
Palo Alto’s unique increase in unhoused residents is closely aligned with recent estimates...
Boosting biodiversity
The City of Palo Alto is constructing a new levee system in the Baylands Nature Preserve to improve water quality and increase the habitat’s resilience to sea-level rise.
The horizontal levee, which began in September, is different from a traditional vertical levee, which disrupts animals and the natural environment. According to the city’s website, a horizontal levee allows a natural transition zone that is sloped to mimic nature. It does this by creating a large, gentle slope that reduces wav...
The horizontal levee, which began in September, is different from a traditional vertical levee, which disrupts animals and the natural environment. According to the city’s website, a horizontal levee allows a natural transition zone that is sloped to mimic nature. It does this by creating a large, gentle slope that reduces wav...
A more respectful approach: DST
Homelessness can tear everything away from you: your friends, your sense of purpose, and even your sense of dignity. For many unhoused individuals, this is sadly a reality. But since 2005, Downtown Street Teams have been rewriting that story. From its roots in Palo Alto, all the way to Sacramento, DST provides more than just assistance with escaping homelessness- they offer a sense of purpose. Through innovative programs recognised by Harvard’s top 50 innovations in American government, the DST...