Last Friday, Palo Alto High School hosted an upperclassmen basketball game during its PRIME period.
PRIME is a 50-minute period that takes place every Wednesday, designed for students to get clarification or support on classwork. Occasionally, during this block, Palo Alto High holds special events, such as assemblies, performances or games to express school spirit.
In this 30-minute match, Palo Alto High’s seniors and juniors battled it out, leading to the senior team winning 20–17. During the match, two Palo Alto High seniors posed as ESPN commentators, describing the game to the audience and hosting their own halftime show featuring a dance competition and a shooting contest.
Palo Alto High senior and event organizer Emily Tang said she believes that the competitiveness and the newly implemented ESPN-style commenting section greatly improved the experience for both players and spectators, despite her concerns about attendance and enjoyment.
“[The commenting section] makes the game more enjoyable for the audience, even if they might not necessarily be the biggest fans of basketball,” Tang said.
The decision to make the game solely for students was last-minute, and was initially planned as a staff-versus-seniors basketball game, Tang said. The change occurred due to little staff engagement.
Palo Alto High freshman Kinan Schober said he had a lot of fun watching his older friends play.
“I love the energy,” Schober said. “There’s a lot of … friendships and bonding between people. It’s fun to watch.”
Palo Alto High junior Hannah Hill reflected similar sentiments.
“It’s very exciting and a lot of people participated, which I didn’t expect,” Hill said. “I’ll definitely sign up for more [special PRIME events] in the future.”
For many seniors, this basketball game held extra significance. With graduation approaching, school events like this are some of the last times to have fun with classmates, said Palo Alto High senior Woody Chehadeh.
“I think the best part was getting together as a class and playing with people that I’ve known for four years all on one court,” Chehadeh said. “Any opportunity you get to show spirit for your class, you should take, and this is definitely one of those moments.”
