School Story
Being an Air Force kid, I came to Palo Alto in 1965 and left by 1968. Palo Alto was the absolute most significant of my places to grow in (maybe second only to my four months in Fremont with my aunt and uncle, during Jr. Hi). I moved to Palo Alto the month before 9th grade started at Terman. I started attending Gunn that year, too, for one class: Geometry, because, like Bojana Fazarinc, I was one year ahead in math - not the same as being in AP Math. So, I was the new kid at Terman getting to know kids there and some older ones in Class of '68.
Encouraged by my older sister Janet and her friends, I ran as the "dark horse" for Soph. Pres. I had so much fun with the "Rice Campaign", making puns with the name, such as "Use your noodle; vote for Rice", "Rice has been around for over 8,000 years; experience counts!", ""The Grain With the Brain", and about 80 others. Did the same later for Head Yell Leader: "Rice has energy, initiative, spirit, thiamine, niacin, and iron!", "I scream, you scream, we all scream for Rice Scream; Riley Rice: Head Scream Leader".
As Soph. President, I loved that we all (none of us of the perceived "popular" kids) did some innovative things - and were encouraged in innovation by the faculty at Gunn (does anyone remember Basil Nazianzus Day?).
Alas, my Dad, who was stationed in Arizona while we lived with our Mom, got frightened by the Bay Area and the ferment of the 1960s and moved us away to Phoenix in December 1967, my Junior Year. Eventually I managed to convince them (my Dad going off to Viet Nam) that I could make it on my own in Palo Alto, so I moved back in October 1968 (Senior Year). But I ran out of money in three weeks and had to move back to Phoenix.
Oh, the drama!
But the free-thinking ways of Gunn High School set my course for the rest of my life.