Stanford Online High School's student run news site

OHS Observer

Stanford Online High School's student run news site

OHS Observer

Stanford Online High School's student run news site

OHS Observer

Mountain water slowly trickles down creating a beautiful mosaic of blue, brown, and green.
Construction, Energy Drinks, and Pebbles
Knox Choi, Associate Editor • February 12, 2023

He looks happy. Wisps of cigarette smoke curl up into his unkempt gray hair, which flows down with specks of dirt and grime (courtesy of working in construction from 9-5 daily). He’s high. Whooping with a gravelly laugh, he swings up onto the tractor and smiles at me. “You ready for this bullsh*t, kiddo?” We had...

Fork in Watered Down Tteokbokki
Fork in Watered Down Tteokbokki
Kara Lee, Staff Writer • February 12, 2023

I don’t think I ever grew out of my Pororo training chopsticks. Well, I guess they’re gone now—probably in a landfill somewhere with my blanket, named “Puddle” after its gray (originally white) color. My sister had greeted me one day, “Unni, Mom threw Puddle and Pororo away.” Running through the glass doors...

An unfortunate end for a cordyceps-infected insect.
Mushroom Brains: Zoonotic Spillover, Apocalyptic Mutations, and HBO Max
Lily Parry, Staff Writer • February 19, 2023

It’s safe to say that HBO Max’s recent apocalyptic release, The Last of Us, has left viewers with a newfound appreciation for videogame adaptations,...

Red, White & Royal Blue is outrageously fun. I loved every second.”
What are OHSers Reading? Edition 5
Kaveri Udupa, Staff Writer • December 11, 2022

Edition five of book recommendations from students, compiled by grade. Have a suggestion? Submit here: 7th Grade Red, White & Royal Blue...

La Colombe begins on a F natural, and proceeds with a tonal melody but an atonal harmony.
Avant-Garde Music or “Random Notes”? Part 1: Olivier Messiaen
Darren Li, Staff Writer • November 13, 2022

Modern avant-garde music is characterized by a significant deviation from the musical norms we are accustomed to, focusing less on conventional...

Taylor Swift’s Midnights minimalist album cover, depicting the artist in glamorous makeup in the anxiety of the night.
Taylor Swift’s Midnights: A Glimpse Into 13 Sleepless Nights of Self-Reflection
Rishi Janakiraman and Mandy Yu November 4, 2022

In the months that followed her surprise announcement, fans remained on the hunt for clues and easter eggs that could reveal the record’s meaning,...

Mrs. Stanford, caught on Channel 4 News viewing the Queen lying in state.
A Moment Captured — An OHS Teacher Experiences the Aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II’s Death
Lily Parry, Staff Writer • December 11, 2022

September the 8th marked a time of unprecedented change for the United Kingdom, and for many worldwide. The death of Queen Elizabeth II has sparked...

A tomato hornworm can devour up to four times their body mass in leaves and fruits per day.
Common Pests Plaguing OHS Gardeners
Harmehel Singh, Staff Writer • December 11, 2022

Pests are a nuisance to gardeners, whether the gardeners have a field of crops or just a small home garden. However, while they defoliate and...

Image shows several major time zones around the world.   OHS students represent 49 U.S. states and 42 countries.
How are OHSers Impacted by Time Zone Differences?
Kara Lee, Staff Writer • December 11, 2022

Despite being largely oriented around Pacific Time, OHS is home to students in time zone differences ranging from Central, Hawaii, Eastern, Korea,...

The majority of guest user activity began and ended in October of 2022.
Guest User Activity on Skype Platforms: Does OHS Have a Trolling Problem?
Annika Ross, Staff Writer • December 11, 2022

Recently, the Stanford OHS community has seen an anonymous “guest” user join many active Skype groups, posting inappropriate and offensive...

Meet the Staff
Tanisha Gupta
Tanisha Gupta
Associate Editor

Tanisha Gupta, a full-time junior at OHS, spends her days striving to make an impact on her school, and ultimately global, community. This is her third year at OHS, and she has taken on many leadership...

The 19th-century practice of cross-writing (a method to save paper) is analogous to how the brain stories memories—rotating them while still leaving both perception and recollection legible (Ireland, 1839)
A Trip Down Memory Lane: How the Brain Stores and Distinguishes Memories
Kate North, Associate Editor • March 12, 2023

What is your first memory? Which moment can you relive as if it were yesterday? Close your eyes and try to picture it—the colors, the sounds,...

The popularity of oxytocin in the media and commerce makes this molecule seem simpler than in reality.
Oxytocin’s Not-So-Unconditional Love: Why This Hormone Isn’t All It Seems
Ester Weinhardt, Staff Writer • March 12, 2023

The love hormone. Look up “oxytocin” and you’ll find articles praising its life-facilitating and social bonding roles, along with ads...

Toshifumi Kojima, Liberal Democratic Party Member of the House of Representatives, explains a poster on levels of radiation in the purified wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Radiation, Reconstruction, Recovery: What the Fukushima Nuclear Incident Means for the Future of Energy
Isabella Huang, Staff Writer • March 12, 2023

We are living through some of the most crucial years for the environmental movement — this is history in the making. Last November, the UN...

Subscribe to The Observer