Skip to Main Content
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

Taylor Swift, 
self-proclaimed “Childless cat lady”, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 Presidential race. (Instagram)

Celebrity Endorsements: How Do They Impact the Election?

Joy Anna MacMahon November 14, 2024

Celebrity Endorsements: How Do They Impact the Election? In the past, elections have been fueled by presidential endorsements of new candidates. Even in the 2024 election, past presidents such as Obama,...

Continue Reading
The Federal Trade Commision headquarters in Washington D.C. (Adobe Stock Images)

The FTC’s Oversized Non-Compete Ban

Noah Balough and Jimmy Wey June 12, 2024

On April 23rd, the Federal Trade Commission introduced a ban on most existing and all future non-compete agreements. This development has sent shockwaves through the labor market, as employers look to...

Continue Reading
Image shows picketers of the UAW on strike in Detroit Michigan, against Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors, The Big Three Automotive Companies of Detroit. (Photo by Adam Schultz / Biden for President)

UAW Strike: Another ‘Homestead Strike’ in a Different Century?

Vajra Vanukuri, Staff Writer June 12, 2024

On September 15, 2023, the United Auto Worker (UAW) went on strike against General Motors, Stellantis (Mother company of Jeep and Ram), and Ford for shorter working hours, higher wages, and a safer work...

Continue Reading
An aisle of skin-lightening products at the market, including the now rebranded “Fair & Lovely,” with a light-skinned model plastered on each package. (The New York Times).

Replacing “Fair” with “Glow” Doesn’t Erase Decades of Colorism

Rishi Janakiraman, Staff Writer May 9, 2024

Dear Glow & Lovely (formerly Fair & Lovely), I’m at an Indian houseparty right now. Kids hunched over an iPad, the kitchen curry-leaf fragrant, gossip bubbling on whose daughter got into med...

Continue Reading
Adrian Griffin was recently fired by the Milwaukee Bucks after his short tenure as head coach. Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images (Copyright 2023 NBAE).

The Coaching Plague Infecting the NBA

Tei Kim, Associate Editor February 15, 2024

On January 23rd, 2024, news broke that the Milwaukee Bucks fired their head coach Adrian Griffin. This came as a shocking revelation to most, as Griffin had led the Bucks to an impressive 30-13 record...

Continue Reading
Redwood trees are valued for construction due to their resistance to weather and rot

The Redwood Problem in Butano State Park

Harmehel Singh, Staff Writer February 2, 2024

The 4,000 acre Butano State Park is located in the mountains near Santa Cruz. It was originally the land of the Quiroste Tribe, who would use controlled burns to keep the forest’s biodiversity and...

Continue Reading
Sylvia Plath, the highly-acclaimed poet and author of The Bell Jar, is known to have struggled with mental health. (Bettmann / Getty Images)

Life Imitating Art: Our Culture’s Glamorization of Mental Illness

Rishi Janakiraman, Staff Writer December 15, 2023

A few years ago, I remember being wrapped up in a fluffy blanket, my nose in a copy of The Bell Jar, looking into the frayed pages like they were a mirror. Written by the notoriously turbulent writer Sylvia...

Continue Reading
Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) standing with ex-boyfriend Paxton Hall-Yoshida (Darren Barnet) in final season of Never Have I Ever (photo credit: Netflix)

‘Never Have I Ever’: On South Asian Representation in Western Television

Rishi Janakiraman, Staff Writer December 10, 2023

There’s one thing for sure: I’ve never both loathed and empathized with a character more than I have Devi Vishwakumar. In the fragrance of her mother’s kitchen, the looming dream of Princeton, and...

Continue Reading
James Harden played with the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2022-2023 regular season.

When the NBA Becomes a Video Game

Tei Kim, Associate Editor December 1, 2023

James Harden, the 2018 NBA MVP, is one of the greatest players of this generation. He is a 3-time scoring champion, 2-time assists leader, and has made the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. Despite the...

Continue Reading
Dillon Brooks (left) playing for Team Canada in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Mastering the Art of Storytelling: How Dillon Brooks Embraced His Role as the Villain

Tei Kim, Associate Editor November 16, 2023

Everyone loves a good villain origin story. Someone who brings passion and excitement to every game, someone whom everyone can collectively root against, someone who can talk the talk and back it up.   The...

Continue Reading
The image captures a scene where OHS students and professors are savoring a delightful evening brunch as part of the Pixel Gathering and Graduation festivities.

OHS StartUps: The Anecdote to Pixel Worries

Gen Cantu, Staff Writer November 2, 2023

As Stanford OHS students, we all have vivid memories of our initial days, weeks, and, for some, even the first month at this institution. We recall the daunting and stressful experience of adapting to...

Continue Reading
Members of the University of California Rally Committee carry the California banner and wave two of the Cal flags near the Campanile in Berkeley, CA.

UCs Put Racial Quotas Above Fair Admissions

Noah Balough, Staff Writer October 23, 2023

On May 21, 2020, the University of California’s Board of Regents unanimously suspended the usage of all standardized tests in their college admissions process through the 2024 application season. For...

Continue Reading
Load More Stories