Month: April 2017

By Phuong Nguyen

The annual International Faire was held last Friday, with a school rally during the day and a night fair from 7 pm to 9 pm. While the school rally had only cultural club performances, the night fair had both performances and food vendors.

During the school rally, only a small segment of performances were showcased. In addition to the time regulations due to classes, it was a way of advertising what the events had to offer.

Another incentive International Faire had for students to attend was the variety in food. With fairely low prices and several choices, students had a wide range to eat from.

“I was most excited for the spicy rice cakes,” exclaimed ASB Cultural Commissioner Naomi Nguyen. “They were a hit last year, and I’m really glad they were back with it.”

Though Internatial Faire is an ongoing school tradition, not everyone has experienced it.
For Korean Fan Club President Lauren Young, this year was her first time attending International Faire.

“I was happy with how the performances turned out. SXC (Seoul Extreme Choreography) was really cool with their synchronized dancing, and (the) waltz was really cute,” said Lauren.

To make such an entertaining night possible, several people in ASB had to spend much of their time preparing for the big cultural event.

“My parents were the ones that really got to see how many sleepless nights I went through to make this event happen,” Naomi recalled. “Knowing that they were in the crowd made me really happy.”

In addition to ASB members, club members practiced frequently to ensure their performances were a success.

“Besides International Faire, we have another show on April 15, so we have an extra week of practices. Then, we have Tuesdays and Fridays at school to practice,” Hungama Secretary Mansi Patel revealed.

According to Naomi, the idea of this faire was to celebrate cultural and racial similarities and differences. After all, the colorful dances reflect the collaborative efforts of the students.

“I think that International Faire is an amazing opportunity for not just the Korean (Fan) Club, but for other culture clubs as well, to know the beauty of the culture whether it’s through the performances shown or the foods sold,” Lauren elaborated.

For ARK (Acts of Random Kindness) Historian An Nguyen, she has never missed an International Faire since her freshman year because it is one of her favorite events of the year.

“I love seeing the diversity that genuinely brings out our school’s true colors,” she continued. “As an immigrant myself, I feel proud to see other students embracing their heritage and their culture.”

Although ARK is not considered a cultural club, the club still believed that people of different cultures should be treated with respect and kindness nonetheless.

“As an ARK officer, I feel that cultural diversity is an especially pertinent element to understanding other people and ultimately treating everyone the way they deserve to be treated,” An elaborated.

“International Faire exemplifies the idea that no matter how different, we are all one big family and we should all appreciate each other despite different race, nationality, color of skin, culture or beliefs,” Naomi agreed.

By Michelle Lin & Alyssa Gutierrez

On April 8, the Class of 2018 hosted its Junior Prom “Celestial Nights” in the Piedmont Hills L-Building from 7pm to 10pm.

“Overall, prom was a really fun experiences,” gushed junior Eileen Vu. “No matter what the DJ played, the room was energetic, and I think as a whole, everyone enjoyed dancing and spending time together.”

Juniors John Sanders and Alliyah Latiph were crowned prom king and prom queen, respectively. Other contestants included couple Andrew Tran and Vy Truong, as well as couple William Bui and Carissa Cui.

“It was amazing, exciting, and just mixed emotions,” commented John, when asked about winning prom king. “I was proud that I could make my girl happy about her high school life.”

Since the beginning of the school year, officers have been working hard to prepare for the big night. Between thinking of a theme, setting prices for tickets and putting together decorations in the L-Building, students have been tirelessly planning for this event.

“The officers and I first decided on the elegant theme: space. Then, we brainstormed about words relevant to space, thus ‘Celestial Nights.’ It sounded elegant and it was straight-forward,” explained Class President Natalie Yeh.

As for decorations, officers had put them together themselves, making a large poster to hang on the wall for students to take pictures by.

“We’re practically making all the decorations and organizing and reserving things that have to be done,” said Publicist Emily Wong. “We’re trying to go for an elegant space theme instead of just planets. We’d like more moons and stars and backgrounds for people to take pictures with.”

Last year’s Junior Prom was hosted in the Small Gym due to certain complications. This year, however, it was held in the L-Building.

“In April, the weather is unpredictable. Last year, it was raining on the day of prom. It wasn’t ideal that the prom goers had to walk from the student parking lot all the way to the Small Gym,” explained Natalie. “The L-Building is closer, so no one would have to worry about getting their dress or tux wet.”

This year, the juniors did something different from past proms, creating a buzz of excitement.

“I (was) most excited for the Shirley Temple bar!” exclaimed Natalie. “We sold Shirley Temples for $1 dollar each. Each dollar we make from Junior Prom contributes to Senior Ball.”

A total of 137 junior prom tickets were sold. All the money made from selling these tickets also contibuted to the expenses of paying for senior ball next year.

“I loved that I was able to enjoy this experience with my friends and favorite classmates,” admitted Eileen. “I truly applaud the class officers and thank them for their hard work because they made it a night to remember.”

By Arthur Hoang

The PHHS Music Department performed at the CMEA (California Music Educators Association) Festival. The choral groups went on Sat., April 1 at Saratoga High School. The instrumental groups performed last Friday at Independence High School.

Each of the groups played three pieces of varying styles and difficulty to a panel of acclaimed judges and is given scores based on the performances. Overall, the String and Symphony Orchestra received a score of ‘Excellent.’

“The judges were definitely more picky than last year; they made more comments about the ensembles balance than usual,” said Cellist Aaron Tran.

The Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and Varsity Choir all received an overall score of ‘Excellent’ as well. The Concert Choir received an overall score of ‘Unanimous Superior’, the highest score a group can get.

When the Music Department got back from its Anaheim trip, it had very little time to practice for CMEA.

“We had four weeks from Anaheim and the Symphony Orchestra was given one new piece to get ready before CMEA,” said Orchestra teacher Emily Ray.

The Orchestra groups also had one new piece that that they had to prepare for CMEA. In addition, both instrumental and choral groups were also working on the pieces they had performed in Anaheim.

“The atmosphere for CMEA was definitely a lot worse than Anaheim but we (the concert choir) did a better job at CMEA,” explained vocalist William Chung.

The music groups were given constructive criticisms about their respective performances from judges during their time at Anaheim, and the groups and the teachers took those criticisms to heart to try to improve their music.

For the first time in three years, PHHS Instrumental group went to Independence High School instead of Evergreen Valley High School. Other years, both the instrumental and choir groups went to Evergreen for CMEA.

“Both Evergreen and Independence are running CMEA on the same days, but we chose to go to Independence because it was closer,” confessed Ms. Ray.

In addition to the change in venue, there was a date switch for the Instrumental groups. Initially, the performers were going to perform on Sat., April 8; however, that conflicted with Junior Prom for many of the students.

By Ashliana Rodriguez

On March 29 through April 1 PHHS’s Drama Department presented the musical ¨9 to 5,¨ based on the movie released in 1980. The story revolves around three women: Judy, Violet and Doralee who work for their “sexist, lying, egotistical, bigoted boss,” Mr. Franklin Hart, at Consolidated Companies.

Fed up with Mr. Hart, these women want to do more than take his notes and get his usual coffee. These women want to show that they can be ¨One of the Boys.¨

“I wanted to showcase the talent we had this year,” explained Director Anna Woods.

The cast is made up of a lot more female leads and newcomers to theater. Between learning lines and dance moves, these newcomers get to learn what it is like to be in high school theater.

“It’s big change,” expressed freshman Amanda Gill.

There were many rehearsals and dance workshops to pull off the show, but that gave the chance for cast and crew more time to prepare.

“It’s definitely an experience of a lifetime,” said senior Cleo Lagunilla.

For some of the cast and crew this is their last show, and they spend every moment cherishing it.

With the beautiful songs and smooth choreography there is also the technical crew known as Tech Crew. Their job is to build and paint the set to help the cast make the show really come to life. During the actual show their main focus is to move the set pieces during a “blackout” in under 30 seconds.

“We are all running around backstage,” explains Tech Crew member Delaina Pedroza. “(We are) making sure that everything get’s put on in time.”

With how well the first two shows were going 9 to 5 sold out their two last shows on Fri., Mar. 31 and Sat., April 1. It gave the cast and crew the boost to do their best job to give a full house a show of a lifetime.

“I thought the musical was amazing,” raved senior Janice Saturnino. “Definitely my favorite musical I have seen so far!”

On the last show, Ms. Woods gave a senior tribute to all those who have worked hard to present the musical. She brought them all out on stage and thanked them to the audience, making a point to explain the dedication that they all put in for the past three months. It was a thoughtful way to end the musical and all the productions that were presented this year.

By Emilie Chau

PHHS Class of ‘10 alumnus and current pharmacy student Joanna Reyes not only finished in fourth place for females in the Los Angeles Marathon on March 19 but also was the first American woman to finish with a time of 2:37:56. The Los Angeles Marathon starts at Dodger Stadium and ends at the Santa Monica Pier, totalling a 26.2 mile course. More than 24,000 athletes representing over 60 different countries participated in the marathon.

Although it was only her third marathon race, Reyes additionally managed to improve from her personal record by 13 minutes and was awarded $4500 for her outstanding performance.

“Running the Los Angeles Marathon has definitely unlocked my true potential and has shown me that I am capable of more than what I ever thought possible!” comments Reyes.

In order to prepare for this event, Reyes ran 80 miles a week during her winter quarter at her school, Loma Linda University of Pharmacy. Her dedication and perseverance shined when she continued to train with persistent knee pain and after dealing with a food poisoning incident in late January.

Her time of 2:37:56 would qualify Reyes for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials but since the qualifying window opens September of this year, Reyes has to run another marathon under 2:45 after September in order to qualify.

“I never imagined to run a marathon at 6:02 per mile pace,” admits Reyes. “In fact I remember 10 years ago as a sophomore at PHHS when I thought running one mile at 6:02 was difficult!”

As previously mentioned, Reyes is also a pharmacy student.  Running 8 to 10 miles every morning makes it difficult for her to stay awake and attentive in class but she always motivates herself with her goal to do well at the Olympic Marathon Trials.

For those who aspire to be a world-class athlete like Reyes, she has a few words of advice.

“Always, always believe in yourself and with hard work and persistence, keep reaching for your goals!” encourages Reyes.

Reyes plans on participating in the Los Angeles Marathon next year as well.