The Oracle

Papers flew through the air during the annual Senior Paper Toss on the senior quad, during brunch on Friday, May 29. The paper toss tradition is one of the oldest traditions, originating in the 1970s. To many, the papers symbolize the time seniors have spent at Gunn.

According to senior Reece Giresi, the paper toss was a satisfying end to his high school career.

“The paper toss is like (relieving a burden),” he said. “You’re (relieving) yourself from all of the responsibilities of the last four years.”

Junior Maddie Kang viewed the event from the bottom of the quad and emphasized the emotional importance of the tradition.

“I think it’s a cool tradition and it made me really sentimental,” she said.

Caption by Vin Bhat. Photos by Inaaya Ahmed and Nicole Mok.

Applause filled the Spangenberg Theater as senior after senior rose to accept awards and scholarships at the annual Senior Awards Night on Thursday, May 28.

The event began with Assistant Principal Harvey Newland giving opening remarks. Next, presenters including Newland, College and Career Information Specialist Leighton Lang and representatives of awarding organizations handed out 18 different scholarships to the seniors, including memorial, private and community scholarships. The event ended with an announcement and celebration of seniors who qualified as National Merit Scholar finalists and monetary scholars based on PSAT scores and academic achievement.

According to Newland, Lang oversees the year-long process of communicating with different scholarship providers, outputting scholarship application information to students and communicating with recipients of awards and families. For Lang, being able to help students apply for scholarships and navigate the costs of education is extremely fulfilling.

“I get up and do what I love every single day,” he said. “I’m living my dream to be able to give students the opportunity to apply for these scholarships. There’s students who can’t afford to pay to go to school, and they need these other opportunities, and for us to bring these community organizations together that want to do (that) is an awesome thing.”

National Merit Monetary Scholar senior Kabir Mahajan was grateful for the aid and sense of fulfillment from the scholarship.

“It’s really nice to have the financial help of the award, and (receiving the scholarship) is a nice way to end off (my) four years,” he said.

For Newland, the opportunity to emcee the event and see student success was both exciting and inspiring.

“(This event) means a lot to me,” he said. “I have a lot of fun just emceeing it, and just seeing everyone up here for the last time, because they’re going to be going off in different directions (soon) after this.”

Caption and photos by Athena Gao.

On Thursday, May 28, loud cheers and applause filled the FLEX room as students, family members and faculty gathered to honor this years’ recipients of the Gunn Foundation Scholarship.

The event was organized by the Gunn Foundation Board to celebrate and recognize these students. The board raises the funds throughout the school year through grants, donations and fundraisers for college-bound seniors applicable for the scholarship.

Gunn Foundation Board President Kimberly Lee explains that the scholarships are awarded based on financial need. The application process begins in January, and they conduct a few brief interviews with the candidates. Lee is passionate about supporting those in the community to pursue a higher education.

“The scholarship awards up to $5,000, and we just really want to make sure that (students who are) motivated to attend a secondary or post-secondary school are able to,” Lee said. “I’ve always had a heart for our students, and was looking for ways to continue to give back to the community, and what better way than to help students launch into the next stage of their education.”

Senior Megumi Estrada Nakamatsu expresses her gratitude towards the board being given this opportunity.

“I think I am in a privileged place to be able to receive this scholarship,” Nakamatsu said. “It has been an honor to be able to use the money to purchase books, or technology I may need for college.”

Caption by Mayher Dulani. Photos courtesy of Julie Lin.

The sound of chatter and applause echoed through the FLEX room as seniors in the Social Justice Pathway gathered on Friday, May 25 to celebrate the program’s annual banquet.

The banquet was organized primarily by juniors in the program’s Applied Authentic Research class. It honors seniors completing the three-year program, while also showcasing current students’ projects that are focused on social justice and equity.

According to Social Justice Pathway economics teacher Jeff Patrick, the program allows students to study traditional social studies topics through a social lens while also building a strong sense of community.

“I think the (program’s) biggest value is (being) around like-minded students,” he said. “Students who are also passionate about topics such as social justice, equity and climate work together to learn more about these issues and start thinking about how they can create change.”

Junior Julia Scheib, who helped organize the banquet, said that her and her fellow classmates had worked together to plan most of the event.

“We all got together and picked out the food, paid attention to the budget to see what restaurant we wanted to cater from, decided (the) beverages and we assembled (the) slides,” she said.

Senior Lauren Murakami said that the event served as a meaningful finale for the students’ experiences in the pathway.

“For me, (the event) really put a cap on our social justice journey,” she said. “I think that it’s a really nice way to celebrate all of the work we have done and unite under this common passion that we all have for social justice.”

Caption by Arjum Ahluwalia. Photos by Laura Wang.

On Thursday, May 21, the Spangenberg theater was filled with students, parents and choir alumni for Gunn Choir’s last concert of the year, filled with a celebration of music, community and farewells. Choir directors William Liberatore and Angelina Fitzhugh led the concert, featuring 14 choral pieces inspired by music from around the world.

The evening marked the send-off of the senior choir members and the commemoration of Liberatore’s retirement. To honor the departing seniors, a special performance of the song “Surrounded” by Karen Salveson is included every year.

As Liberatore’s final concert before retirement, the night carried extra significance. A last-minute change to the final piece, “City Called Heaven,” welcomed more alumni onstage to perform alongside the choir.

For senior Aurora Woodley, this reflected a full-circle moment for the director.

“I think it’s very beautiful how the last song he performs has a soloist from the beginning of his career performing with the final soloist of his career,” she said.

Among those in attendance were choir alumni, many of whom returned to both witness the music and celebrate Liberatore’s legacy. Alum Caitlin Gjerdrum believes listening to the performance as an audience member was especially impactful.

“(The music) was really moving to get to experience,” she said. “It was really special to witness from the outside what (Liberatore) is able to create.”

According to Gjerdrum, Liberatore’s impact on students will continue to be felt not only through musical performances, but also through the support and community he provides.

“Being a student at Gunn is really hard, and I think what Mr. Liberatore does saves lives,” she said. “Especially when things are really tough, you can turn to the darkness, or you can turn towards the light. And I think he helps us (turn to the light), which I’ll appreciate forever.”

Caption and photos by Fiona Wu.

Hi Titans! Grab a copy of our latest issue from the library, SAC, P-115 or the wellness center. You can also flip through our issue online at the link in our bio.
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Hi Titans! Grab a copy of our latest issue from the library, SAC, P-115 or the wellness center. You can also flip through our issue online at the link in our bio.
Have questions or feedback? Fill out this form:
Https://tinyurl.com/OracleMay2026

Students gathered around the senior quad during lunch on Wednesday, May 20, for the first day of GunnSide Lands, which included musical chairs, a performance from Max Dominic and a Senior Sing Along. Students were dressed up in class colors, with seniors in red, juniors in black, sophomores in green and freshmen in yellow.

Sophomore Lisa Yang said this event was especially enjoyable because there had not been spirit activities during the school year for a while.

“It’s almost the end of the school year, so it’s really nice to have an opportunity to have some fun and show some spirit,” she said. “I also thought the DJing was really cool since it’s a more non-traditional performance of music.”

Sophomore publicity commissioner Owen Cheng participated in the musical chairs activity, and mentioned that the event was a strong improvement from last year’s SPROCO.

“Musical chairs went really well,” he said. “The performance was overall really good, so I’m really proud of what SEC did with this event.”

Junior sports and spirit commissioner Yaya Li reflected similar thoughts about the event.

“I think my expectations were met with this event, and I think it was also good that there was live music here.”

Caption by Olivia Lee. Photos by Laura Wang.

Crowds roared as Rubik’s Cubes were slammed on the senior quad during brunch on Wednesday, May 20, for the first game of the three-day Sidelands event — the Rubik’s Cube competition. 

SEC’s first-ever Rubik’s Cube competition began with three rounds in which one representative from both the sophomore and junior classes competed for the fastest average solving time, with the juniors coming out on top. However, as the previous rounds took more time than expected, the following freshmen and senior class representatives only competed in one round, with the seniors taking the victory. Overall, juniors won first place, followed by sophomores in second, seniors in third and freshmen in fourth. 

For ASB secretary and vice president of Rubik’s Cube Club junior Esther Li, planning the game rules and the event itself took around a month. As previous Homecoming games focused on physical participation, this event enabled SEC to represent a more diverse student voice.

“When I first came to the U.S., I (wasn’t) that good at talking with people, and (the) Rubik’s Cube community was such a great (fit for me),” she said. “These sorts of games are really important in SEC events, because all the participants today wouldn’t be able to participate if it’s a sports-related game, because that’s not necessarily the thing that they like.”

Junior Matt Mao, the first-place winner, is also an internationally ranked speedcuber in the World Cube Association. For Mao, including more unique and lower-profile activities in schoolwide events like Sidelands is important in making sure all members of the Gunn community feel represented.

“I think it would be cool if more niche (activities) are honored a little bit because, a lot of times, I don’t really want to go to the lunch game if it’s going to be an obstacle course or a basketball game,” he said. “It’s (just) not really what some people are into.”

Caption by Athena Gao. Photos by Laura Wang.