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Ways to improve the environment

By Phuong Nguyen

The phrase “carbon footprint” is commonly heard nowadays, but what is it and why does it matter? According to dictionary.com, a carbon footprint is “the amount of carbon dioxide or other carbon compounds emitted into the atmosphere by the activities of an individual, company, country, etc.” Your own carbon footprint affects the world around you, and the decisions you make in your day to day life impact the size of your print.

Turning off the water while brushing your teeth may seem like a small action, but it really does make a difference for the health of our planet.

Here are some helpful tips on what you can do to help heal our environment:

IN YOUR HOUSE:

  • Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth
  • Instead of using dryer, sun dry your clothes
  • Use scratch paper/recycled paper whenever possible
  • Donate unwanted clothes/other household items to charities as opposed to just throwing them away

IN THE GARDEN:

  • Collect wastewater from your house to water your garden when you’re waiting for the shower to heat up or after washing the dishes
  • Try not to use pesticides/chemicals in the garden-chemicals can end up in the water supply eventually
  • Collect a compost bin for your garden using egg shells, fruit peels, coffee grounds, dryer lint, vacuum bag contents, cardboard and even sawdust

MISCELLANEOUS:

  • Carpool! Get a ride from a friend if you are going to the same event
  • Reuse sturdier plastic bags from grocery stores and such
  • Buy local produce! Produce from big companies are harmful to the environment because of the strategies they use to cut costs of production

Saving the environment is easier than most people think. These tips can be incorporated into every day life—for example, visiting the farmer’s markets on Saturdays right next to PHHS! ♦

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California drought

By Hannah Tong

After five long years of being stuck in the drought, California has finally reached a point where our water has seen above-average precipitation and snowpack.

On Jan. 17, 2014 California State Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought state of emergency. The drought encompassed over 98 percent of the state of California, with more than 44 percent of California in an “exceptional” drought — the most severe level of drought. It was the driest period in the state’s 163 years of recorded rainfall history.

California’s vegetation was visibly dry, stream and river flows declined, water levels in lakes and reservoirs fell and the depth to water in wells increased. Even some parts of the Sierra Mountains that typically have 66 inches of snowpack were barren.
State water officials say that California’s river and reservoirs were below their record lows.

Therefore, Californians were put on water conservation and restriction laws, such as not being able to water their lawn as much or having car washes in front of their houses.
However, the year 2017 started off with many frequent rainstorms, making it the wettest winter in 20 years. It helped washed away 75 percent of the state’s drought.

“At times, the constant rain made me feel depressed,” expresses senior Janice Chung. “But, I am glad that at least we are not that dry anymore.”

The pounding rain and snowfall not only increased California water levels significantly but also stoked concerns about additional flooding, mudslides and road closures.

At Oroville Dam, authorities were prompted to open up the spillway which only ended up being damaged by the overwhelming snow and rainfall. Authorities eventually called for downstream evacuations of more than 180,000 people in case the emergency spillway failed.

Ever since the state’s precipitation started becoming abundant, closures of freeways also have become a common sighting.

Highway 101 near McKee Rd., was closed due to flooding. When this happened, water is usually pumped into Coyote Creek. However, Coyote Creek was already flowing above flood stage at that time.

“The floods were annoying,” states senior Cynthia Tran. “I couldn’t get to work or literally anywhere.”

With the summer season approaching, though, the weather has been looking clearer and warmer.

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The grass can’t always be greener

By Syed Rahim

Let’s talk about your lawn. If you live in the United States, your lawn is probably located in front of your house, next to your driveway. It’s probably green, routinely watered and well-maintained by constant mowing.

Unfortunately, if you do care about your lawn, you’re probably well acquainted with the cost it takes to keep it green. Keeping a nice lawn is a nightmare for the city and the citizen. According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency ), 30 to 60 percent of urban water is used to water lawns.

And that’s the problem. Lawns require a lot of water. And when everyone has a lawn, everyone needs a lot of water. In drought conditions, like California’s past five years, restrictions had to be placed on water usage. When conditions worsened, the city pushed for sparser yellow lawns. These restrictions, though unfortunate for gardeners statewide, provided much needed relief for the city’s water supply.

“Especially with the drought epidemic that California has been going through the last couple of years, I feel that we strongly need to conserve our water for better uses, instead of keeping the front of our houses looking nice.” comments Greenfingers Treasurer Trina Nguyen. Greenfingers is a gardening club focused on beautifying our school, and run volunteering in local farms across San Jose.

In a place like England, where the rain never stops pouring, watering a lawn isn’t too hard to manage. But in Central California, where summers are long and dry, the strain on the environment is sometimes too much to bear. How do we address the issue of maintaining a garden that doesn’t drain our already limited water supply?

The answer is adapting to our climate. The Central Coast is a Mediterranean region, which is categorized by wet, mild winters and warm, dry summers. Other Mediterranean climates around the world include southwest and and southern Australia, central Chile and the Western Cape in South Africa. The plants that grow unique to these regions can be found at many stores, like Home Depot or Lowe’s.

The upside to these colorful plants is that they are easy to cultivate. With a versatile Mediterranean garden, you can choose a stripped down minimalist look or an untamed exotic feel. It’s entirely up to your imagination, which is something a typical lawn can’t claim. Some plants in this category include the bright Pouch Flower, the Chinese Dregea and the Yanagi Ichigo.

Growing a vegetable garden is also a good alternative to keeping an empty green space. Taking advantage of our coastal climate provides us with an easier time growing food compared to regions with harsher conditions. Some easy-to-grow plants for salad enthusiasts include lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Gardening itself is a great way to destress. “Gardening is supposed to be a bit therapeutic and has many health benefits,” says Greenfingers Secretary Bernice Ou-Yang. “I do enjoy gardening. It’s very relaxing and fun at the same time.”

No matter what your opinion on gardening is, one thing is clear: you could be putting your lawn to better use. Whether you water your lawn every day, or don’t even touch it at all, the whole world could benefit from you being aware of your environment.

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NOT FINSIHED The characteristics of an effective teacher

By Trevor Glassey

In today’s world, education is one of the most prevalent institutions that came with the modern world. Some may say that the rise of democracy and its need for an educated population to make good decisions in voting led to its rise. Others say the downfall of blue collar jobs due to machinery forcing people into the education to get white collar jobs.
Whatever the reason, it is now an important part of children’s lives, making it worth questioning how to have the best instructors for such an important institution. With that in mind, I set out to answer a deceptively simple question: what are the traits of a good teacher? Now, this is a matter of opinion, as one will learn by asking what people believe should be most valued in teachers and why it helps them teach. As such, three groups have been taken into account —the students, the teachers and the internet —to learn what people believe are the best traits to have as a teacher.
The student responses tended to be a little vague. Most of the answers were that the teacher should be knowledgeable about their subject, patient, respectful and most importantly, engaging in some way. While other traits may exist that are important, these were the most commonly listed traits. Interestingly, students would not bring up “knowledgeable” when initially asked about the traits of a good teacher, but when prompted, they would immediately agree and say something along the lines of “well yeah, that’s like the baseline.” Patient is an often espoused virtue, many saying that they like having a teacher willing to put up with shenanigans now and then or not getting frustrated helping a student understand something they just don’t get. “Respect” is a common answer, with students saying that they won’t respect and don’t listen to teachers who don’t respect them. Lastly, being engaging in some form was mentioned by most students, though it took many forms. This was often one of the most important traits, as being able to interest students in the subject through humor or personality was one of the best ways they learned. Students believe that teachers must be able to teach in a way that can appeal to the many types of students available.
“Teachers should be adaptable to handle the different types of students that end up in their classroom,” expresses senior Eldridge Espanol. “If a teacher conflicts with the students, the students may not like them and won’t learn because of it.”
Teachers also have their own opinions on which traits are the most important, though many are very similar to student’s opinions. Teachers must once again be knowledgeable, patient and respect students. Along with that, some teachers had traits like approachable, fair, open to new ways of improving the class, holds high expectations of students and able to form a connection with students.
The new ones bring some light into how teachers perceive their goals and effects in the educational system. Approachable was seen as a valuable trait as it allows students to come to teachers and actively seek help. Being fair is important as treating students differently depending on how the teachers likes them will cause that teacher to lose their student’s respect.
While not everything tried needs to be used, being open to new ways of teaching is important for improving the class from year to year. Holding high expectations of students is important as it allows for teachers to challenge them rather than let them wallow in what they already know. Lastly, and probably most difficult, is forming a connection with the students. Much like engaging, this varies student to student, and makes it likely impossible to appeal to every student.
“One thing I’m always trying to improve on is my flexibility,” mentions Ms. James. “Sometimes things don’t always go according to plan, and being able to work around it without being flustered is important.”
The internet has numerous websites reporting which traits are the most important, most of them student surveys varying from colleges to elementary school. Along with previously mentioned traits, online data of college-level students shows numerous skills, like organized and effective communicator. They also brought up ideas like forgiveness, cultivating a sense of belonging and admitting to mistakes.
“Students seldom mentioned where teachers attended school, what degrees they held, or whether they had been named a ‘Teacher of the Year.’ Instead, students focused on these teachers’ nurturing and caring qualities,” explains Robert J. Walker in his research study of in-service and pre-service teachers.
In the modern world, education has become essential to getting ahead in most areas of life. As such, it is important to reflect on what makes teachers effective. How often these traits show up means that clearly there are some truth to them, but remember that every person is different and while these guidelines may be useful, different situations will call for different actions. ♦

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What is special education and how does it work?

By Emily Zhao

While over 13% of American public school students are enrolled in special education programs, they are often unheard and unrecognized in the masses of students in general education.

What is special education, and how do students qualify?

Special education is defined as a “form of learning provided to students with exceptional needs, such as students with learning disabilities or mental challenges,” stated by yourdictionary.com.

Students in the PHHS special education program are split into two general categories: mild to moderate and moderate to severe learning, mental and physical disabilities.
In order to qualify for either category of the school’s special education program, prospective students must be given a comprehensive evaluation. When a physician, parent, or teacher first has concerns about a student, they can refer the child to an evaluator.

According to understood.org, the evaluation process determines “whether or not your child needs special education services in order to learn the general education curriculum. Having any of 13 disabilities may qualify a child for special education.” The official list of 13 disabilities ranges from dyslexia to deafness to autism.

Afterwards, parents, teachers, administrators, and the student themselves work together to create an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), setting annual goals in both education and cognition for the future. This document also outlines the child’s strengths, needs, and present state of performance, essentially planning out the best way to accommodate the student with their needs. Additionally, the IEP team determines whether the student participates in specialized programs for the majority of the day or just one period. The purpose of the IEP team is largely to provide the student with the least restrictive environment possible or most inclusive schedule where the student spends the most time possible around general education students.

How does the mild to moderate special education program work?

The schedule of a student with mild to moderate accommodations varies between different students. Some students may attend SDC (Special Day Class) classes for just a few periods, while others for the majority of their day. SDC classes usually include supplemental assistance in math, English, social studies and science. These students may learn modified versions of the core subjects to fit their accommodations, and are taught in the LRE (Least Restrictive Environment). LRE means “(special education students) should spend as much time as possible with peers who do not receive special education,” according to understood.org. More importantly, this act guarantees special education students the right to an education as similar to that of general education students as possible.

How does the moderate to severe education program work?

Students with moderate to severe disabilities would stay in specialized education for the majority, if not all of the school day. This category of the special education program is vastly different than students in SDC classes. Students whose accommodations include being enrolled in the school’s Academy of Life and/or Academy of Life for Students with Autism classes typically have one primary teacher. Sectioned into classes of twelve students, they stay with the same teacher for their entire high school career. An average day at school entails all of the core classes modified to fit their needs, along with life skills and vocational training.

Life skills include any sort of training that will aid the student in the future, steering them towards independent living. For example, students in life skills teacher Nonglak Prasopsook’s class learn how to cook different cuisines on Mondays, feeding not only themselves but also members of the Pass the Plate club. Additionally, they learn about laundry, cleaning, recycling and other skills that will help them in the future. Every Wednesday, some of the special education students collect every classroom’s recycling. Throughout the week, students also work on arts and crafts, painting pictures, making keychains, singing and dancing.

Vocational training includes all education that will aid in finding employment in the future. Students might practice filling out online applications for jobs at Target, Home Depot, Walmart, etc and participating in job interview simulations. They practice dealing with and counting money and look for potential careers that interest them for the future.
Students with moderate to severe disabilities have flexible schedules that are subject to change, and the special education teacher provides different accommodations for each of the student’s unique needs. Day to day schedules change with the addition of different activities, including field trips and the arrival of guest speakers. Every week, Goodwill sends over a speaker to teach students about nutrition.

Other special education activities include seasonal activities like Christmas caroling door to door at school, performing at the talent show, competing in FANTASTICS, eating out at a special Valentine’s Luncheon, etc. Throughout the year, students in Piedmont Hills’ special education program have the opportunity to bond with students from other schools in the district, such as competing in soccer tournaments and a jog-a-thon. During second semester, they are able to visit NASA. Like all seniors, students are also given the opportunity to attend ‘Extra-Special Prom’ by choosing out dresses and suits at Princess Project and hold their own annual senior banquet.

These students also run three clubs: Pass the Plate, Good Earth, and Bloomer’s Club. Before lunch on Mondays, students in Ms. Prasopsook’s class cook foods of different cuisines, which are passed out during Pass the Plate meetings, a club open to all.

“After I pass out food to special education (students), general education (students) walk in and they (share) food with the special education (students). With many people (in the club), a very welcoming environment is created,” explains Pass the Plate president Anthony Hou.

Bloomer’s club integrates general and special education students together, organizing and volunteering for different events. The general ed. students help sell things at their events and throw parties to bond with the special education students, building friendships with students that they typically don’t see around school. Meanwhile, Good Earth club fundraisers for the many activities the students participate in by promoting recycling and waste management, making everything run smoothly.

In order to make these activities and clubs possible, they hold multiple fundraisers throughout the school year. Not only did they raise money for the program by selling handmade keychains and other arts and crafts, but the weekly recycling of bottles and cans that they collect are also exchanged for a few cents apiece.

In sum, the special education program at Piedmont Hills includes a variety of accommodations to fit the unique needs of their students. From least restrictive schedules to a multitude of activities, students are given every opportunity for success.

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Future problems to future self

By Daniel Kokoski

“I’ll leave tomorrow’s problems to tomorrow’s me.” This foolish man’s statement is usually the mindset for chronic procrastinators who leave their work for the last minute.

Procrastination is an inefficient way to get work done, yet many still practice it anyway. An online survey posted on Schoolloop showed 94.5% of the 145 respondents procrastinated extensively, mostly due to lack of motivation.

Many would rather choose TV, social media, video games, or even sleeping over a tedious task such as homework. StudyMode, an international student help network, conducted a survey on over 1,300 high school and college students. Roughly 87% responded that they procrastinate on schoolwork, most of the reasons being that they get distracted by other, more appealing tasks. This is understandable, not many would be so fervently eager to tackle their homework right after school when they get home. So the impulse to do it later would most likely kick in.

The severe problem of procrastination is not so easily solved. Some may suggest that time management skills would help relieve this troublesome habit. However, this is not always the best solution. Since lack of motivation is the main reason for postponing work, some people would not be able to plan out their work and time effectively without a strong reason to do so. Without motivation, action cannot be executed with ease.

“It really has nothing to do with time-management,” explained Professor Joseph Ferrari, a member of the Association for Psychological Science. “As I tell people, to tell the chronic procrastinator to just do it would be like saying to a clinically depressed person, cheer up.”

Procrastination is quite detrimental to an individual’s health. Usually, student procrastinators are more vulnerable to sleep deprivation. Delaying work can also cause high levels of stress and even anxiety, especially among students. Fascinatingly, there are studies that show that procrastination can potentially harm heart health.

Psychological scientist Fuschia Sirois conducted a study among 182 people diagnosed with CVD (cardiovascular disease and 564 healthy controls through a series of online surveys. The survey’s results showed that the CVD group scored considerably higher on procrastination than the control group. Although direct causation between procrastination and cardiovascular health remains unproven, the former shows a definite correlation to the latter.

Nevertheless, procrastination does provide some benefits, such as good stress.

“Sometimes we procrastinate because we have good stress that will influence us to get things done better and faster when there’s a limited amount of time,” elaborates social science teacher Melanie Neethling. “Sometimes we actually perform better under the stress and given circumstances.”

Despite the benefits it can bring, the perplexing question of how to cure procrastination remains. As predictable as it seems, there is no absolute elixir that can solve this concerning issue.

Of course, procrastination does not have to cured. It is a double-edged sword, capable of harming one’s health while also providing good stress and short-term pleasure. People can manage a successful life while harboring such a chronic issue. However, it is important to be aware of the potential long-term consequences that would come your way when giving your future self your future problems.

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Special Ed Basketball plays intense match

By Syed Rahim

In a match in the A Division Finals against Santa Teresa High School, the Piedmont Hills Pirates lost to the Saints in a nail-biting final game. March 23rd’s game marked the 22nd year of the annual event, originally started in 1995.
The district-wide tournament is held every year for Special Ed students. For students enrolled in these programs, the tournament aimed to help students socialize and build their self-esteem. Schools across three divisions were invited to participate and compete in the annual tournament.
“We decided that for our Special Ed kids in the East Side Union High School District, it’s really good to get them all together so that they can learn how to develop socially,” said Adaptive PE teacher Brandon Ward.
Mr. Ward is the original founder of the event, recognizing the need for sporting events that brought students together. Though Special Olympics were once held in place of the tournament, it proved to be more difficult logistically.
“There’re parameters in Special Olympics where the kids have to have a medical (exam), and a lot of our kids never got that done. Well they’re in our district, so if we just do it inside the district, we can include everybody,” explained Mr. Ward.
The A Division champion was Santa Teresa High School, while James Lick High School and Evergreen High School won B and C divisions, respectively.
The event was entirely volunteer-run. Members of the Piedmont Hills Basketball team volunteered to referee the games, and educators from each school’s Special Education staff showed up to support their players.
“Our coach let some of the basketball players help out,” said Point Guard Goose Persin. “It makes me happy to see that they’re happy.”
For the students involved, playing in the game provided a very positive experience. While many played to win, others just played to have fun. Regardless, the gym was filled with rallying cries, and the players left it all on the court.
“We’re just like a family when we play,” said senior Sylvia Tructa, who participated in March’s games.
“We’re just here to have fun and do the best we can to win.” exclaimed sophomore Andrew Fontell.
“It’s more about their self esteem, building their self-esteem, and bringing people together so that they can learn how to work together towards a common goal,” said Mr. Ward. “With the support of other Adaptive P.E. teachers, which are P.E. teachers that work with kids with disabilities whether it be physical or mental, let’s put this together and get all the teachers involved and see what we can do with it.” ♦

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Track and Field races through meets

By Michelle Lin

Over halfway through its season, the Piedmont Hills Track and Field team finished its meet last Thursday at Pioneer High School. While girls’ track and field lost, the boys had won in their respective events.

“The girls’ team is smaller, making it harder to win as we don’t necessarily have enough competitors for each event,” comments sophomore Tim Wang. “But we do have a lot of talented runners in the girls’ team.”

Along with a new coach, the members have had new changes to their warm-ups to show other schools how close they all are as a team.

“We started doing this new thing where we do our warm-ups together,” explains senior Steven Nguyen. “At first, we used to do our own thing, but now, we do a lap or two around the track together, and then we go on the grass and go to a circle and do stretches.”

In hopes of someday making it to CCS (Central Coast Section), members have been training hard in their respective events, especially since no one from last year was able to advance further than the Finals.

“This year, we have a lot more people coming out, and we have a lot of runners that can really make it far,” admits captain Christina Vu. “We have more of a team mindset, where we’re all there for each other.”

Despite this team mindset, however, members struggle to maintain the same focus in practices as in games.

“Some challenges all of face is mentally,” says Vu. “We just need to be there, have the same intensity as during practice as when we compete.”

Students practice every day of the week, except on Thursdays, in which they have meets against other schools.

The team’s final meet of the season will be on Thurs., April 27 at Andrew Hill High School.

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Golf breaks winning streak

By Trevor Glassey

The Piedmont Hills Golf team lost its seven game win streak against the Branham Bruins, losing the first game at Santa Teresa on Mar. 27 and the follow up game at Spring Valley on Mar. 28.

“We tried our best,” stated junior Jessica Te. “But (the other team) was just really good.”

According to Te, their second best player senior Jasmit Singh was out of actions, and their top player Team Captain Justin Zeiska was playing with the the flu. To make things worse, the other team’s top four players were about as good as Zeiska.

“The team we played against might be the top of our league,” elaborated Te. “I think they might be moving up to A-League next year.”

Despite the setback, the team is still hopeful that they can win the championship. They hope the old saying of practice makes perfect will prove enough to get them through the championship.

“We practice a lot,” explained Singh calmly. “It really shows when we play.”

The team practices every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at San Jose Municipal Golf Course with coach Steve Smith. According to freshman Samuel Suniga, while the practice is relaxed, it helps them work on the different swings like putting, chipping, irons and drives.

“We need to go over practice,” mused Singh upon being asked what the team needs to improve. “We have to keep the coach’s tips in mind when playing because when we don’t, we start getting sloppy.”

These tips are important to learn as it can be quite difficult to become better at golf. While other sports allow heavy improvement with increasing physical ability through practice, golf has a common but pronounced problem.

“It’s all in technique,” revealed Te. “Practicing wrong all practice will lead to no improvement.”

Although their win streak is over, some in the golf team team still have high hopes for the potential of the golf team.

“We have a high motivation to get first,” expressed Zeiska. He hopes if the team works on golf in their own time, they can heavily improve and pull through into CCS.
Others are skeptical of their chances.

“(Winning the championship) has never happened before,” established Te. “But I’m not going to eliminate the possibility.”

Unlikely or not, motivation and hard work go a long way to making the impossible possible. The team hopes that with their efforts, it can overcome these challenges and bring home a trophy for the first time.

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Varsity Softball hones their skill on the field

By Hannah Tong

The Varsity Softball team continued to swing through its season.

The team goal for this year is to maintain a winning record and to make it to CCS (Central Coast Section), advancing further than they did the year before.

As the season started, the team chemistry was not as strong as it could have been. Communication was one of their weaknesses with all the new faces and members on the team.

To improve the bonds between one another, the team played softball-related games the day after a good game. The games brought out the competitiveness of each teammate and further brought together the girls.

“The closeness of the team helps us on the field because we need to trust on another level to play as a team,” stated Cabanayan.

During practices, the team did a lot of basic drills. The drills included front hand, back hand and driving their hands through the ball. On the field, they did hand-eye drills and a lot of reps for grounders.

The team’s biggest competitor was against Silver Creek High School. They had aggressive hitters and a strong infield. The team hoped to shut them down with their strong defense, preventing them to score runs.

Some of the senior girls were looking forward to play in college. However, because high school softball does not really help players work towards those college careers, many of the girls played in an outside league, also known as travel ball, where college recruiters were more frequently scouting and spectating the players.

“I plan to play in college, whether that be at a JC (junior college) or at a 4-year,” stated Cabanayan.

Playing on an outside league helped the girls improve their game for school because they faced teams more competitive than that of the high school softball level. As these girls worked on more advanced skills, they brought it back to school to help the Piedmont Hills team altogether.

The current record of the team is 3-4 overall and 1-1 for league.