A look at 2022 from behind the lens

14 moments that capture milestones, celebrations and a community coming together

Third grade teacher Victor Gutierrez reads to his students at Fairmeadow Elementary School in Palo Alto on March 16, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.

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A look at 2022 from behind the lens

14 moments that capture milestones, celebrations and a community coming together

Third grade teacher Victor Gutierrez reads to his students at Fairmeadow Elementary School in Palo Alto on March 16, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.

It's only been 12 months, but the end of 2022 is very different from its start.

In January, students and faculty members socially distanced in a single-file line waited for their turn to take a COVID-19 test inside the Peery Family Center at Palo Alto High School. We were in the midst of a severe omicron wave.

That scene stands in stark contrast to the packed election results party at The Patio in downtown Palo Alto, where candidates and their supporters gathered 10 months later on Nov. 8.

Between these two scenes were historic moments peppered throughout the year, such as the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, which was seeking renewed tribal recognition after their status was removed from the Federal Register in 1927. They're counting on new genetic evidence and a state bill, California Senate Joint Resolution 13, to regain their recognition.

For the first time in two decades, nurses from Stanford and Lucile Packard Children's hospitals went on strike. Thousands joined together to demand greater staffing, mental health and wellness support and increased wages and benefits after more than two years of being on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

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And for the first time ever, a ballet studio put down roots in East Palo Alto. Mannakin Theater and Dance company's new En Avant School of Dance opened the doors to its permanent location in East Palo Alto in March after operating in makeshift spaces for the past five years. In its first fall session, there were already around 100 students enrolled in classes.

Here are 14 moments captured behind the camera lens that tell distinct stories from this year. Take a look.

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Clockwise, from left: Palo Alto High School choir teacher Brittney Kerry self-administers a COVID-19 test at a clinic on campus on Jan. 12, 2022, as case counts of the omicron variant were on the rise following the holiday break; Lisa Ma Wu, the Herbert Hoover Elementary School PTA executive vice president, left, and Tina Chen, the PTA treasurer, sanitize tables in the campus library in Palo Alto on Jan. 12, 2022, as part of a push to keep campuses safe and open during the omicron wave; Sophomore Christina Ding plays the flute during a wind ensemble class at Gunn High School in Palo Alto on March 16, 2022. As case rates dropped, so did mask requirements — but the impact of the pandemic remained. Photos by Magali Gauthier.

Olga Nolasco looks out the window of a bedroom in her East Palo Alto home, which was still under renovation on March 1, 2022, six years after being badly damaged in a fire; An Oriental turtle-dove perches in a tree at the corner of Colorado Avenue and Higgins Place on Feb. 7, 2022. The bird, sighted only for the third time in California, had hundreds of birders flocking to Palo Alto's Midtown neighborhood. Photos by Magali Gauthier.

Annette Ross lights Bishop Tyler Johnson's candle at a vigil to express support with Ukraine at Werry Park in Palo Alto on March 1, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.

Muwekma Ohlone Tribe Vice Chair Monica Arellano, left, and Chair Charlene Nijmeh, right, look through the exhibit "California Stories from Thámien to Santa Clara" in the de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara on April 4, 2022. Photo by Magali Gauthier.

Clockwise, from top left: Former U.S. President Barack Obama delivers the keynote address during a symposium titled "Challenges to Democracy in the Digital Information Realm" at Stanford University on April 21, 2022; Palo Alto City Council candidate Ed Lauing speaks to an attendee at an election results party at The Patio in Palo Alto on Nov. 8, 2022. At this point in the evening, Lauing led the race for three available City Council seats; Marleen Reyes, far right, and her daughters, Cristina, left, and Vesena, center, discuss what it's like to live at the MOVE Mountain View safe parking site on Geng Road in Palo Alto on Sept. 30, 2022. The new program, which opened its doors during the summer, provides 24/7 parking for residents who live in vehicles. Photos by Magali Gauthier.

Registered nurse Chiyieko Sankus, center, participates in a strike along Welch Road in front of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital on April 25, 2022. Thousands of nurses from Stanford and Lucile Packard Children's hospitals staged the raucous protest, with demands focused on mental health, staffing and benefits. It was the first time in two decades that nurses from the hospitals went on strike. Photo by Magali Gauthier.

Students line up against the wall in a ballet class for children ages 6-8 at Mannakin Theater and Dance company's new En Avant School of Dance in East Palo Alto on Sept. 7, 2022, just six months after Mannakin became the first permanent dance studio to open its doors in the city; Graduate Sage Loomis walks past other graduates during commencement at Palo Alto High School on June 1, 2022. Nearly 4,000 people gathered for the event, which marked a return to a ceremony that was much more similar to ones held before the COVID-19 shutdown two years earlier. Photos by Magali Gauthier.

Steve Davis and his son, Geoff, touch foreheads for a moment while in their Palo Alto backyard on Nov. 16, 2022. Davis said the nonprofit Friendship Circle has provided his autistic son the opportunity to play and "be a kid." Photo by Magali Gauthier.

Palo Alto Online is taking one last look at 2022 all this week. If you missed any parts of our series, view the stories below.

The best, worst and craziest Palo Alto news of 2022

From beavers to brazen crimes to long-awaited resolutions, 2022 was a year when we could finally think about something other than COVID-19.

Did you pay attention to local news in 2022? Find out with our quiz.

Bigger and better than ever, our year-end news quiz is returning for a third time, giving Palo Alto Weekly readers a chance to look back on the past 12 months in local headlines.

Our favorite bites and beverages of 2022

Between the Peninsula's newcomers and longtime establishments (as well as some that are now out of business).

Our staff and contributors reflected on the past 12 months and compiled our favorite drinks and dishes of 2022.

With newfound spirit of cooperation, Palo Alto ends the year on a bright note

In 2022, Palo Alto saw a strong resurgence from a period of austerity, uncertainty and, for many, isolation.

2022 rewind: The year's 10 most clicked-on stories

From pod housing to a rare turtle-dove sighting, look back at the Palo Alto area happenings that made headlines.

The best, the worst and the most memorable movies of 2022

There's still a bounty of great films to discover from a year of cinema at theaters and home.

A by-the-numbers look at 2022 real estate in Palo Alto

The city's most and least expensive home sales this year surpassed that of 2021.

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Magali Gauthier
   
Magali Gauthier captures photos and videos for the Palo Alto Weekly, the Mountain View Voice and The Almanac newspapers. She runs the Voice's and the Almanac's Instagram accounts. Read more >>

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A look at 2022 from behind the lens

14 moments that capture milestones, celebrations and a community coming together

by / Palo Alto Weekly

Uploaded: Thu, Dec 29, 2022, 9:14 am

It's only been 12 months, but the end of 2022 is very different from its start.

In January, students and faculty members socially distanced in a single-file line waited for their turn to take a COVID-19 test inside the Peery Family Center at Palo Alto High School. We were in the midst of a severe omicron wave.

That scene stands in stark contrast to the packed election results party at The Patio in downtown Palo Alto, where candidates and their supporters gathered 10 months later on Nov. 8.

Between these two scenes were historic moments peppered throughout the year, such as the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, which was seeking renewed tribal recognition after their status was removed from the Federal Register in 1927. They're counting on new genetic evidence and a state bill, California Senate Joint Resolution 13, to regain their recognition.

For the first time in two decades, nurses from Stanford and Lucile Packard Children's hospitals went on strike. Thousands joined together to demand greater staffing, mental health and wellness support and increased wages and benefits after more than two years of being on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

And for the first time ever, a ballet studio put down roots in East Palo Alto. Mannakin Theater and Dance company's new En Avant School of Dance opened the doors to its permanent location in East Palo Alto in March after operating in makeshift spaces for the past five years. In its first fall session, there were already around 100 students enrolled in classes.

Here are 14 moments captured behind the camera lens that tell distinct stories from this year. Take a look.

Palo Alto Online is taking one last look at 2022 all this week. If you missed any parts of our series, view the stories below.

The best, worst and craziest Palo Alto news of 2022

From beavers to brazen crimes to long-awaited resolutions, 2022 was a year when we could finally think about something other than COVID-19.

Did you pay attention to local news in 2022? Find out with our quiz.

Bigger and better than ever, our year-end news quiz is returning for a third time, giving Palo Alto Weekly readers a chance to look back on the past 12 months in local headlines.

Our favorite bites and beverages of 2022

Between the Peninsula's newcomers and longtime establishments (as well as some that are now out of business).

Our staff and contributors reflected on the past 12 months and compiled our favorite drinks and dishes of 2022.

With newfound spirit of cooperation, Palo Alto ends the year on a bright note

In 2022, Palo Alto saw a strong resurgence from a period of austerity, uncertainty and, for many, isolation.

2022 rewind: The year's 10 most clicked-on stories

From pod housing to a rare turtle-dove sighting, look back at the Palo Alto area happenings that made headlines.

The best, the worst and the most memorable movies of 2022

There's still a bounty of great films to discover from a year of cinema at theaters and home.

A by-the-numbers look at 2022 real estate in Palo Alto

The city's most and least expensive home sales this year surpassed that of 2021.

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