Palo Alto High School

50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, California 94301, United States

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Pilar Alonso

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Angela Ambrosio, 9th-12th Spanish

2.7

(3 reviews)

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Tracey Atkinson, Art

5.0

(1 reviews)

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stop complaining

Ask questions when you get confused. it might seem like everybody knows what they are doing but it will benefit you so much more to ask and receive clarification than it will to struggle. Avadhani will always try to explain things to you if you ask for help, but if you dont listen and ignore her instructions youll do badly and end up shooting yourself in the foot.

Maria Pilar Badillo Novas

3.0

(4 reviews)

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(AP Spanish) Unless you're a native speaker, you're going to want to drop this class for at least the first month. The challenge with an AP language course is that you have to be LOCKED IN the entire class or else you won't understand what's going on, whereas in other classes you can kind of go on autopilot and be fine. Badillo takes off the training wheels right from the start, and the entire class is done in Spanish (which is a contrast from lower Spanish classes). The first month or so was rough because it was so easy to get lost. However, the sheer amount of Spanish that end up practicing within the class will allow you to quickly acclimate to the expectations of the class, albeit it can get really repetitive. Badillo expects a lot out of her students, but she is very fair, eager to help, and a really kind person. She gives you as many tools as possible in order to do well on the graded assessments (which are just fragments of the AP test) to the point where it's possible to consistently score 8/9 or 9/9s on the tests for a large majority of people. The homework is really annoying though (just really repetitive. ) She is also from Spain so her accent can be difficult to adjust to (especially since I had Duffy before who was very easy to understand). I scored a 5 on the AP test and can credit my success to the class which prepared me extremely well. However, the nature of the class is very repetitive while also demanding your entire attention. I don't blame this on Badillo, more on the structure of the course due to the "units" just being different themes without a ton of differentiation. If you really like Spanish, you may benefit a LOT from this class because as painful as it can be, you will come out of it as a really solid Spanish speaker. If not, however, I might steer clear. Badillo is a goat tho either way. If you made it this far God bless you

David Baker

4.8

(4 reviews)

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Talk to the teacher if you have special needs. He's the most reasonable in the entire school.

Marina Barcelona

3.5

(2 reviews)

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Craig Bark

5.0

(1 reviews)

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The class is awesome because of the enthusiasm of the teacher, who doesn't want us to stress because he understands the pressure of college applications. He is not strict on deadlines. But he does teach writing skills and is a great teacher! I loved his class because of him. Too bad the district moved him to middle school, but they did that because he is such a great teacher and could prepare the students for high school. He was a BMX world champion! From Paly's Viking Magazine: "In 1983, Bark traveled to Australia at the age of 13 and became the world champion for his age group. Two years after this, Bark decided to quit motocrossing. 'I stopped because I didn’t love what I did and I didn’t want to ride my bike every day, ' Bark said. 'After becoming an English major I realized I wanted to be an English teacher and I wanted to work for the best school possible. That is why I came to Paly. ”

Zachary Barnes

3.7

(3 reviews)

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Easy to follow along as long as you understand the examples in class. Don't hesistate to ask questions!

Sarah Bartlett

1.6

(9 reviews)

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the class is easy except for writing essays. her essay grading is stricter than AP Lang if she doesn't like you

Cristopher Bautista

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Grant Blackburn

2.0

(3 reviews)

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The test questions are basically the same as review questions, practice with the test review!

Eric Bloom

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Joshua Bloom, Physics H

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Herb Bocksnick

4.7

(6 reviews)

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This class has a lot of optional work but I recommend you do it, since if you don't you don't get to correct your mistakes on bellringers (practice quizzes)

Ben Bolanos

3.7

(3 reviews)

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As long as you follow along in class and do your homework, the class is pretty straightforward. The class is divided into formative and summative assignments, where formative assignments don't count towards your grade, but you don't get your summative assignments (which do count towards your grade) graded until you finish all of your formatives.

Kathi Bowers

5.0

(1 reviews)

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Elizabeth Brimhall

2.5

(4 reviews)

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Just spam practice tests review all the key terms for bio h.

Jack Bungarden

3.4

(5 reviews)

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I took APUSH with Mr. Bungarden; he is an excellent and engaging teacher, so the material is never boring, but it is a lot of work. Do it on the weekends and you've got it!

Letitia Burton

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Vivian Byun

2.4

(5 reviews)

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I have her for AP Bio, and the unit tests are a lot more difficult compared to the tests I took in Bio H which is what I took in my freshman year. Even if you don't do well on the tests, you should still be fine if you do well in other summatives (Schoology checks, graphs, CER, etc).

Jeanette Carmody

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Jeannette Carmody

1.0

(1 reviews)

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Sandra Cernobori

3.0

(1 reviews)

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Brenda Chen

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Cynthia Chen, 9th-12th Math

2.8

(5 reviews)

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im so scared. she covered up her clock. because people kept packing up 1 minute before the bell. because it was 6th period (before lunch) and we were all hungry after an hour and a half of learning VAT and other other geometric theorm proofs. if youre in regular geo as a freshman, bruh. her test corrections need to be PRISTINE otherwise she will return them to you. also, dont sleep in her class. DO NOT BE LATE. NOT EVEN BY A MILLISECOND. SHE WILL DO SOMETHIng.

Judy Choy

3.8

(4 reviews)

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ap calculus bc is definitely not a class anyone can take. fast-paced, rigorous. you gotta put in the work, but with a little help from teacher/tutor, you will succeed!

Deanna Chute

5.0

(1 reviews)

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Ms. Chute is an amazing teacher, very understanding, so if you are busy with other materials she will do her best to help you

David Cohen

1.5

(4 reviews)

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Prepare for a semester of essays and presentations

Robert Cormia

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Justin Cronin

4.3

(6 reviews)

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- Almost all of the tests are multiple choice - there is one oral exam during second semester (great depression), it is probably the most challenging test in the class, make sure to start prepping as soon as the unit starts - the class will be easier if you connect events, not just memorize them

Trevor Crowell

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Alexander Dade, Math

4.0

(1 reviews)

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Lizzie DeKraai

3.7

(3 reviews)

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Dekraai herself is very chill, if you are taking English 10A, you should be fine, just lock in at the end for the essay about HCBS and Macbeth. That'll be the make or break for your grade.

Christina Dias

1.0

(1 reviews)

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Peter Diepenbrock

4.0

(1 reviews)

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Natalie Docktor

5.0

(1 reviews)

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It’s a great class, there is not much homework and you even have time to finish homework in class

Kevin Duffy

3.7

(3 reviews)

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Do not use speaker notes for the presentations.

David Duran

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Paul Durdle

1.0

(4 reviews)

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terrible always stressed out. he always assigns 6+ pages of work every class. hardly explains materials to students and hardly ever accommodates to students or listens to feedbacks

Jaclyn Edwards

3.7

(3 reviews)

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For USH: DO the notes in class! You can use them on benchmarks but not on tests. Make sure you really take in the info she's telling you. Shes a great teacher

Chris Eggert

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Gul Eris

5.0

(1 reviews)

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Watch the videos and actually take notes

Bill Erlendson

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Caitlin Evans

1.0

(1 reviews)

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Sit up front so you can hear and have a better chance of getting your questions answers. The book is terrible and not enough books so if you forget to check one out you can't do the homework.

Chris Farina

3.7

(3 reviews)

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(history) do not procrastinate and use your time on the assignments wisely! there are never due dates for a certain project in chunks, so my friends and i always found ourselves procrastinating. also, unless you pay attention well in class, all the information you need is pretty much in the textbook so do not worry if u have trouble following along!

Steven Ferrera

5.0

(1 reviews)

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Lucy Filppu

4.6

(5 reviews)

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She expects students to be very independent but is lovely if you ask her for help. She really respects the students who try their hardest and reach out.

Steve Foug

3.8

(6 reviews)

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- pretty much all of the exams are multiple choice - for US gov: there is a mock supreme court debate and for World History: there is a podcast project, these are probably the most time consuming projects and they are both group so hopefully you have someone you know in the class - Pay attention in class and remember the key events

William Friebel

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Scott Friedland

2.3

(3 reviews)

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The reviews in the chapter are mandatory, sometimes, a few problems will be pretty much directly copied (with numbers changed).

Jason Fung

3.7

(3 reviews)

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For the fitness tests: just try your best, you will not get points deducted for your first try. In order to get full points for ur 2nd time, do better than ur first time. Also participate!

Steven Gallagher

4.0

(1 reviews)

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World History is a relatively easy class. Especially if you are in TEAM, from what I've heard. Just memorize key terms and go over the study guides a lot and you should be good.

Keith Geller

1.5

(2 reviews)

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Only take honors physics if you have the time or you care about the subject

Mildred Gonzalez-Balsam, 9 English

2.0

(1 reviews)

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LaShuan Green-Bland

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Brett Griffith

1.0

(1 reviews)

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Carla Guerard

2.0

(1 reviews)

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Matt Hall

1.5

(2 reviews)

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Charlotte Harris

2.3

(3 reviews)

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(Algebra 2): All of our homework is just Delta Math assignments which are pretty easy. I was able to complete all the homework in class so I rarely ever did math work at home unless I am studying for a test. You also get to use a cheat sheet for every single test in the class, therefore requiring little memorization (but I've heard they might change that in future years). All test material is reviewed in class and the review sheets for the tests are almost identical to the real test, just with different numbers and wordings. All the in-class notes, homework, and answer keys are posted on Schoology which makes studying and going back to the material really convenient.

Liyuan He

5.0

(1 reviews)

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Class projects and take home projects count for grade. Homework does not but helpful.

Dunant Hin

3.0

(1 reviews)

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Paul Hoeprich

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Sam Howles-Banerji

5.0

(1 reviews)

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I love HB

Chingfen Huang

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Ruby Ibanga

3.0

(2 reviews)

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Take notes and go to PRIME.

Gabrielle Juan

3.0

(1 reviews)

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Rachel Kaci

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Teruka Kamikihara

3.0

(1 reviews)

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Paul Kandell

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Brittney Kerby

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Taruna Khanna

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Trinity Klein

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Doyle Knight

3.0

(2 reviews)

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It’s the best class at Palo Alto High School

Joshua Knowles-hinrichs

3.3

(3 reviews)

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As long as you complete your work - reading over the rubric to make sure you check off everything - you’ll do well in the class. He grades pretty easily and he’s always open to talk if you don’t understand something or want feedback on your writing and how you can improve. He’s super chill and approachable.

Stacey Kofman

1.0

(3 reviews)

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Karen Kolb

5.0

(1 reviews)

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English 9A is one of the easiest peasiest classes in all of freshman year. I didn't study for either of the finals, it was super duper easy. If you suck at writing essays ur cooked ngl.

Kathleen Krier

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Christopher Kuszmaul

1.5

(8 reviews)

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Be engaged and you will do well

Susan LaFetra

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Roxanne Lanzot, AP CSA

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Melissa Laptalo

1.4

(9 reviews)

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Really prepare to write a lot and do a lot of stuff in AP Lang that is not really related to AP exam.

Kindell Launer

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Paul LeGris

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Arne Lim, 9th-12th

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Nicole Loomis

1.0

(3 reviews)

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Oh my. Where do I start... Well i think its important that you stay true to yourself in this class. Theres gonna be challenges but do not think you are below them. Winston Churchill once said that "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, it's also what it takes to sit down and listen" I think thats the best advice i could give for this course.

Michael Lupoli

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Melinda Mattes

5.0

(2 reviews)

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Ms. Mattes is awesome about posting all of the slides and review. Flashcards are super helpful for psych!

Hillary McDaniel, Early Childhood Development

4.0

(1 reviews)

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Most of the class is hands-on. Make sure to remember interactions during field work, as you can tie that in with later assignments and papers.

Theressa McDermott

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Kate McKenzie

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Randolph Mercado, 9 Math

1.0

(1 reviews)

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Greg Miller

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Michael Mishali, 9th-12th Chemistry

5.0

(2 reviews)

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as long as you listen during class you don't have to study at all

Shahram Mostarshed

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Sheri Mulroe

3.0

(3 reviews)

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- Don't push your absolute fullest on the first fitness tests, she grades based on improvement - Don't take out your phone in PE and blame it on her. It's PE, dude, it's your fault if your phone addiction is so bad you can't keep it in your backpack for one class period.

Michael Najar

2.3

(3 reviews)

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Daniel Nguyen

2.5

(11 reviews)

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Make sure to review the notes and do the homework, if so you'll be set.

Pat O'Hara

5.0

(1 reviews)

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Prep.

Erik Olah, 9th-12th

1.0

(1 reviews)

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Mimi Park

4.0

(1 reviews)

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For English 9 in 2014: Ms. Park always wants students to succeed so go see her for help when you can. She answers emails quickly and is nice, helpful, and patient. If you don't go see her, you might need a tutor, as her grading is tough and some assignments were tough. I needed help from my mom to get an "A". The assignments required creativity, which made them so difficult. It would have been easier and we'd still learn to write if we had easier assignments like: argumentative essay, complaint essay, narrative, etc. and ditched the creativity aspect.

Ken Perrotti

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David Peters

5.0

(3 reviews)

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(Analysis H) Mr. Peters is kind of robotic but in an effective and hilarious way. From my experience, he recites his jokes off a script, and goes "Traaaaiiinnn" when a train passes in the most deadpan voice possible to the point that it's hilarious. His class is incredibly consistent; he does his lectures with a perfect balance of simplicity and engagement. Despite his composure, he is still a very approachable and accommodating teacher. You can tell he thoroughly understands the material and is a genuinely smart person. As a current senior, probably the best math teacher I've had at PALY. Analysis in general is a course that's taught very well.

Geetha Prabhakaran

2.0

(1 reviews)

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Maybe it was just cause I had her 7th period, but this class was DEAD.

David Rapaport

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Hunter Reardon

4.2

(5 reviews)

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- the essays usually have around 1 week of grace period if you need it - in first semester there were latin root quizzes - there are presentations occasionally and quarter reading - stay on top of the work, especially readings and essays because they will pile up very fast - the work will alternate between being ok and being a lot, so be prepared, maybe do some work ahead of time

Christy Resinger

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Mary Riordan

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Diana Rivera

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Magdalena Rivera

2.3

(6 reviews)

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ASL is really fun because you'll learn a bunch of concepts and you will have the chance to piece them together. To succeed you need to be able to memorize all the signs, what they mean and how they work, so prepare for that. They way you will learn those signs will make it quite easy to memorize the signs, so I suggest you just pay attention in class so that you have virtually no homework.

Richard Rodriguez

2.0

(6 reviews)

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If you can learn common biblical imagery and then yap about it and tie it to books in discussions, you will basically have free points.

John Rowe

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Steve Sabbag

1.9

(14 reviews)

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The class is awesome, Mr. Sebbag is a dynamic teacher who is set in his beliefs. The students leaving bad reviews are the ones who got a bad grade because they chose to not try. Mr. Sebbag is a kind man who gives out bagels and allows students to sleep in class on his lazy boy chairs. He gives freedom in assignments and is against homework so expect none, there are not even required notes. While his class is harder the most history teachers it is also the least boring. Looking back at my Sophomore and Freshman self I am glad that I had him because he expected a standard which prepared me for harder classes in the future. My best advice for this class and for the underclassmen reading this is to go for the max points on the projects and retake all the tests. But mostly have fun your just a Sophomore or a Freshman.

Aparna Sankararaman

4.8

(6 reviews)

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I took AP Chem with Ms. S; they are extremely supportive and she's always there to make sure you know what's happening. If you ask them questions when you're confused, you'll do great!

Randy Scilingo

5.0

(2 reviews)

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This is the best class ever. I think everyone should take human anatomy with Mr. Scillingo!!!

Daniel Shelton

4.2

(6 reviews)

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Do your formatives! They don't count towards your grade, but if you want to retake a summative(which DOES count towards your grade) you'll have to do all of the formatives. This can and will pile up.

Selene Singares

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Kari Snell

4.5

(2 reviews)

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The class is pretty chill, not very harsh grading, just do the work and you will get an A

Mindy Steiner

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Misha Stempel

4.0

(1 reviews)

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Algebra/TrigH: Know the materials well. Tests have many problems and require fluency.

Andrea Struve

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Alicia Szebert

4.0

(4 reviews)

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It’s chemistry. I took honors. Had to study a bit but the class was pretty easy.

Charles Taylor

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Sarah Thermond, High School Theater

5.0

(2 reviews)

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Sima Thomas

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ken tinsley, 10th history

4.0

(1 reviews)

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he is a very funny teacher so talk to him when you can. he doesn't assign homework so you can take it easy just make sure you do your classwork. he is often there to help you if you need it. don't be afraid to ask questions he's very kind.

Keith Tocci, 11th English

4.0

(1 reviews)

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Mr. Tocci's super nice and for AP Lang as long as you like talk to him about extensions and redoing assignments he's super flexible and you totally can do that but do try and stay on top of your work cause while he is super lenient he gives a *lot* of homework (like had four essays for the final amount)

Shirley Tokheim

3.0

(1 reviews)

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Be ready to shake a LOT and learn to write evidence packets well

Marc Tolentino

3.5

(6 reviews)

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The class may seem hard and like a lot of work but Mr. T is a great guy and if you talk to him he will help you and you will do well.

Radu Toma

3.7

(3 reviews)

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Tara Vereyken

5.0

(1 reviews)

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AP Bio is pretty challenging, so i really recommend staying on top of your work because otherwise you will fall behind and will have difficulties with ongoing units, there's a lot of work and we were tested on AP classroom, so we didn't always cover all of the MCQ's so maybe use the ap classroom resources to your advantage. Also do not write lengthy, flowerful CERs, just get to the point or she'll take points off

Katya Villalobos, junior/11th APUSH

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George Vuong

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Cecelia Walsh

5.0

(1 reviews)

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I have had Ms. Walsh for Physics H and AP Physics C. She's an awesome teacher who's super flexible and experienced. During lectures, it can be difficult to understand what's going on since they move relatively quickly, and she also talks really quietly. However, if you do have time to talk to her later, she will give really clear explanations about any questions you have, and is generally just really kind hearted. AP Physics C is probably the hardest course at Paly but she makes it much more enjoyable.

Deborah Whitson

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Alanna Williamson

1.0

(2 reviews)

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There is no teaching of writing skills, thus there are virtually no papers to write. The poetry section was bogus, the grading was tough. The class was unenjoyable because of the teacher's moods. Would have been great to learn more writing skills.