By Sofia Saldaña Essay provided by a student in Ben Clark’s Grade 12 English class with a special focus on the study of psychology. What is the Benjamin Franklin effect? We often assume that receiving kindness makes us like others more, but psychology shows the opposite is often true. It may sound counterintuitive, people often…

By Mateus Oliveira Essay provided by a student in Ben Clark’s Grade 12 English class with a special focus on the study of sales and marketing. Why do we fear change? Have you ever missed out on a chance because you were too scared to take a risk and instead chose to cling to what…

By: Esther Hadassa de Lima Essay provided by a student in Ben Clark’s Grade 12 English class with a special focus on the study of Psychology. What is Confirmation bias? Have you done diets or a specific skincare routine, even if there was evidence that it didn’t work, just because you trusted more in your…

Caption: PACA junior, Kevin Dai, logs into his Bluebook App on his Chromebook, which is the primary way in which students take tests through College Board (PSAT, SAT and AP exams). [by Alec Hayashi] By Alec Hayashi For a long time, standardized tests like the SAT and the ACT have been a basis of college…

Caption: A Brazilian marmoset hangs out at the PACA campus in the midst of a busy school day. [by Dr. Cristina Meier] by Karina Lee Every year, according to PETA there are 110 million animals that are killed in the name of scientific research and human advancement. These animals include mice, rats, frogs, fish, birds,…

by Kevin Dai At the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, PACA leadership made the decision to switch to shorter 46-minute class periods, phasing out the original one hour 30 minute class periods and increasing the number of class periods in a school day to eight. This change aimed to adapt the school day to…

Caption: Students like Erik Zhang, a sophomore who took AP Biology this year, learn to cope with the additional homework necessary to be in a college level class in high school. [by Melissa Fernandes] by Melissa Fernandes Students have to accomplish five days at school per week, and two days of resting known as “the…

Caption: PACA provides colored recycable bins outside the cafeteria to help students organize the items they are recycling. [by Isabella Kim] by Isabella Kim “It is our collective and individual responsibility to preserve and tend to the world in which we all live,” said Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. And he is…

Caption: Omna Pande, a grade 12 senior poses during P.E class before starting her badminton lesson. [by Gustavo Hirschifield] by Luisa Almeida Physical Education (P.E.) can be a fun class, but getting an A takes effort. For high school students at PACA, P.E. happens during the eighth and final period of the day. At this…

Caption: Varsity girls, Julia Fernandes and Ysabel Flurry work together to find an opportunity to regain control of the ball. [by Dr. Cristina Meier] By Isabelly Carvalho On Friday, September 20, the gym at St. Paul’s School was the location for a highly anticipated match between the varsity basketball teams of St. Paul’s and PACA….

Caption: Juniors Davi Magalhães and Alec Hayashi take advantage of an air-conditioned classroom in SR1 (formerly known as H01) to study for their Portuguese entrance exams. [Dr. Cristina Meier] by Hideki Yoshikawa Sometimes students need the perfect place to do homework, but can’t find it. It takes testing, but this testing has been done for…

Caption: Luisa Almeida and her friends captured the moment when she and her friends bought matching Crocs at the mall. [by Luisa Almeida] by Miguel Ribeiro The new comfortable and fashionable trend nowadays, wearing crocs with socks, has gained the hearts of many students at PACA and has become a normal item to wear in…

Caption: The varsity girls team, taking a picture all together after a tough game. [ by Elisa Oliveira] Investigating how to effectively balance teamwork and individual talent in sports, two factors that are essential to success on the field. by Maria Luiza Oliveira What’s more important for a team to succeed? Unity or individual talent?…

Students watching the September 7th celebrations during Rafael Portella,10th, and Julia Fernandes’s,12th presentation as M.C. ‘s for the event. [by Rafael Meikle] On Friday, September 6th, PACA celebrated the upcoming Brazilian Independence Day with an assembly during the 8th period class. This event was attended by parents, students, and staff. The celebration included elementary presentations…

Caption: Preschool teacher’s aide, Pollyanna Cruz, plays with the children during after school hours. by Enzo Viccari An elementary school teacher assistant helps an elementary or preschool teacher supervise and educate students in classes ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade. Their responsibilities may be to assist with student discipline, the reinforcement of instruction by answering…

Caption: Seniors take their cap and gown group picture for the 2024-25 school year. [by Dr. Cristina Meier] by Anita Silva Picture days were scheduled during the week of September 9th to the12th for both students and school staff, and the PACA community prepared themselves throughout the week to take both individual and group pictures….

Caption: Many of the student games and activities were moved to the back court due to the light but steady rain that day. [provided by Carol] by Cristina Meier, Ph.D. The dictionary defines an “open house” event as a day when members of the public are invited to visit a place or institution, especially one…