Palo Alto High School

Palo Alto High School (Paly), a public school in Palo Alto, California, US, is pioneering the largest and most dynamic journalism programme in the country, empowering hundreds of students to share their voices and become a guiding light for other student media programmes in the Bay Area and across the country. With historic roots spanning over a century and a cutting-edge Media Arts Center, Paly's relentless pursuit of equitable learning opportunities has cultivated a generation of fearless journalists, poised to reshape the future of storytelling.

The history of Paly's journalism programme makes it one of the oldest in the country. In recent years, the school has actively worked towards creating more equitable learning environments, ensuring that opportunities for growth and achievement are accessible to a broader range of students.

The journalism programme provides a level playing field for students from various backgrounds, offering them an equal chance to explore and develop their journalistic skills while fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment. Much of this takes place in the school’s Media Arts Center, a state-of-the-art facility on campus, which serves as the hub within which students are engaged with a wide range of opportunities including introductory courses in photojournalism, broadcast journalism, and traditional print journalism, leveraging varying student interests and strengths. The atmosphere is often vibrant, with students working on diverse projects and bringing their creative ideas to life.

Paly's commitment to equity extends beyond the student body and encompasses the community as well, and its programme has achieved remarkable recognition at both the local and national levels. In the 2023 Columbia Scholastic Press Association's contest, an unprecedented number of EIGHT Paly publications were recognised as Gold Crown finalists. The large number of publications and areas of focus is another innovative means of creating equitable learning opportunities.

If Palo Alto High School wins the World's Best School Prize for Innovation, the school plans to expand its outreach to other journalism programmes, helping them launch or improve their existing ones. The school would like to expand its 'NorCal Media Day' programme for area schools and perhaps generate an equivalent experience for advisers and students in the spring.