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Classes get pumped up for FANTASTICS

By Erica Xie

PHHS FANTASTICS (Fun At Night Through Athletic Sports To Increase Class Spirit) is happening today from 7pm to 10pm at the Big Gym.

At this event, all the grade levels gather to play sports and have friendly competition.  Everyone shows up donning their class color, preparing to cheer as loudly as possible.

“FANTASTICS is really great because lots of people who aren’t (as) into school spirit all come,” reveals Sophomore Class Publicist Emily Liu.

Every class has skits and decorations based on their theme.  This year, 2017 is breaking out of jail, 2018 is bouncing to the classic Space Jam, 2019 is racing to the top with Maze Runner and 2020 is starting their journey with Toy Story.

“I’m really excited for my first FANTASTICS and I hope everyone likes our skit,” comments freshman Victor Xie.

Class officers have been prepping for the event with sports practices, skit rehearsals and decoration making.

“While it’s one of the most fun parts of the year, it’s also the most stressful because you have to get everything together in such a short amount of time,” explains Emily.

To win, a class must earn the most points based off skits, sports, deco, ticket sales and class spirit.

FANTASTICS is a fun way to bring the school together for a night of fun.

“I’m so excited for the school to just get together and feel like a family.  Even though it’s a competition, in the end it’s all about school pride,” says Senior Class President Jennifer Lai.

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Trump bans entry of immigrants

By Syed Rahim

On Jan. 27, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that shocked the world.  Trump’s executive order, “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry To The United States,” barred the entry of passport holders from seven countries into the United States.  Those countries, whose populations are majority Muslim, included Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.

Overnight, dozens of tourists, refugees and immigrants were detained at airports and threatened with deportation.  Protests were mobilized through social media and held at airports across the nation. Teams of dedicated lawyers, with support from groups like the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) organized at airports and began offering legal aid to the detainees.

Throughout the ordeal, the administration maintained a positive attitude toward the ban.

“I think it’s a shame that people were inconvenienced, obviously, but at the end of the day, we’re talking about a couple of hours,” said White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

“Being able to come to America is a privilege, not a right,” Spicer emphasized.  “We have to wait in lines, too.”

Though the ban had been temporarily blocked by the US District Court, the U.S. Government filed an appeal.  On Feb. 9, a three-judge panel in the Ninth Circuit Court of

Appeals ruled against reinstating the ban.

“SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE,” furiously tweeted President Trump in response to the decision.

Rather than further the original ban in court, Trump has responded by writing an entirely new, revised executive order.  Though the new order was expected to be signed on Feb. 23, it was delayed by a week to ensure its quality.  Then, when the ban was to be signed on Mar. 1, the ban was further delayed in order to maximize on good press from the president’s well received address to Congress.

Legal experts countrywide are voicing their opinions on the ban. “The court agreed that the president and Congress have significant power in this area, but that whenever constitutional rights are involved, courts have the authority to review the government action,” commented US History teacher John Holly, who has been an active member of the California Bar since 1981. “This idea is critical to the separation of government power, which is designed to prevent tyranny.”

Though the future of the travel ban remains unclear, the present reality is certain.  Americans nationwide are directing their anger at the president and his administration for arguably executing an order that unfairly targets a certain religion.

“When the government treats people differently based on religion, the government has a heavy burden to prove that discrimination is necessary to promote an important interest,” said Mr. Holly.

“Personally, I think that the executive order was hastily constructed, and I think it unfairly targeted countries that are majority Muslim,” commented World History teacher David Andrews. “America is a country comprised of immigrants. I think that it’s the wrong approach to attempt to keep our country safe.”

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No trouble for the Treblemakers at CASMEC

By Erica Xie

PHHS Treblemakers were invited to perform at the CASMEC (California All-State Music Educators Convention/Conference) on Feb. 17 at the San Jose Convention Center.

The Treblemakers were the only high school vocal jazz ensemble from California, and the first ever from our district, to perform alongside the Mira Costa College Women’s’ Vocal Jazz, Frequency, and a professional a cappella group, the SanFran6.

“It was an honor to have performed for an event of such importance when it comes to the music departments in California because it’s the very best of the best,” reveals Treblemaker Catherine Tran.

The ensemble performed “Moondance,” “The Jody Grind,” “Virtual Insanity,” “Voice Dance” and “Waters of March.”

The team was selected through an audition process in which music teacher Myles Ellis submitted recordings of the past two years’ performances, the past few year’s concert programs, and the songs they would perform if selected.  The CASMEC committee then picked out the best out of hundreds of schools.

“[The CASMEC] was very positive and it was a huge honor for the students.  I kept impressing upon them how rare and uncommon it is to be able to perform here.  Teachers try year after year, and we were fortunate enough to be the vocal jazz representative of all the high schools in California,” explains Mr. Ellis.

The audience consisted of PHHS and ESUHSD staff, including Principal Traci Williams and Coordinator of Student Services Juanita Linton, students who auditioned for the All-State Choir and music educators.

“It was nerve wracking because the California All-State Jazz Choir, fellow performers who are professionals and several other choirs were in the audience judging us,” comments member Lilly Liu.

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Pirate of the Issue: Michelle Nguyen

POI.Courtesyofblank
BEFORE AND AFTER! Everyone’s buzzing about Michelle’s new buzzcut.

By Emily Zhao

Freshman Michelle Nguyen shaved off all 25 inches of her hair on Feb. 18 when pairing up with St. Baldrick’s Foundation to become a shavee.

“I decided to shave off my hair to show my complete support for cancer patients. I was hoping it would give people an incentive to donate to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation in order to help fund research for childhood cancer,” states Michelle.

St. Baldrick’s Foundation focuses on conquering childhood cancer, using donations to research cures for dozens of child-specific cancers. While adult cancer usually targets the lungs, breast, colon, prostate or skin, child cancer often starts in the white blood cells or the nervous system, brain, bones, lymphatic system, muscles or kidneys.

Childhood cancer research is severely underfunded in comparison to adult cancer, with only 4% of US federal funding dedicated to researching childhood cancer, according to stbaldricks.org.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation website also lists a number of ways people can help with childhood cancer–from shaving your head to show support to donating money towards childhood cancer research. Michelle combined the two, shaving her head to show support, donating the hair to Locks of Love, and creating a fundraiser off the shaving experience.

“I had a very ambitious goal of $1000 and I did not expect to reach it–and I didn’t. I ended up raising a little over $200. Considering the amount of people I know, it’s a lot,” laughs Michelle.

The fundraiser is ongoing and can be found as a Facebook event titled “Michelle goes Bald.”

She livestreamed the entire process on Facebook, where her friends cut her hair down to an inch long. Her friends on Facebook followed her throughout the process, leaving over 200 comments of support and love. After the livestream, she shaved off the remaining hair, fulfilling her side of the fundraiser.

“I thought I was going to be a lot more nervous, but I think that it was (through) such a long, drawn out process of fundraising that I was ready to shave my head,” recalls Michelle. “I originally wanted my friends to shave my head just for fun and because I wanted to try something new. I did a little research and found that I could fundraise money through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and put my shaved head to use.”

She had toyed with the idea of changing up her hair for a while before the event, and fully committed to shaving her entire head after finding out she could do so for a cause. While her parents were initially concerned about other people’s reactions, Michelle feels the change has made her more confident.

“I definitely spend a lot less time in the morning getting ready,” she chuckles.
In the future, she is considering dedicating more time to campaigning for cancer research.

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District conducts Ceasar Chavez contest

By Daniel Kokoski

Piedmont Hills participated in ESUHSD’s (East Side Union High School District) 2017 Cesar Chavez contest, choosing sophomore Midori Izu for first place and junior Eileen Thai for second place. The district will host the award ceremony on Mar. 30 in the Mount Pleasant High School Theater.

“The prompt really spoke out to me, so I decided to enter the contest. I interpreted the quote as having the courage to stand up for others that can’t speak out for themselves,” explains Eileen.

This year’s quote is, “Perhaps we can bring the day when children will learn from their earliest days that being fully man and fully woman means to give one’s life to the liberation of the brother who suffers. It is up to each one of us. It won’t happen unless we decide to use our lives to show the way.”

“Cesar Chavez said that we have to stand up for each other, so I wrote about the Muslim ban and how people have to stand up for immigrants, because someday they might need someone to stand up for them,” describes Midori.

Participants are required to apply Chavez’s quote to contemporary society. The entries are scored based on factors such as how well they interpret the quote, their originality, and their content. The district grand prize is $500 while the first place prize of each school is $100.

“The contest is not like an essay that a teacher assigns because it’s much more free-form than that,” clarifies English teacher Nancy Kennett. “The judges are looking for the spirit of the quote from Cesar Chavez, and they’re looking for who can address that the best.”

The competition is in honor of Cesar Chavez, an American civil rights activist and labor leader. Chavez laid the foundations for the United Farm Workers of America, and improved working conditions for farmers through nonviolent protest. He was one of the few that actively spoke out against labor injustice and stood up for laborers across the nation. The purpose of the contest is to assess students’ interpretations of Chavez’s words, and how the students would apply his legacy to society today.

“The judges are asking the questions ‘Is Cesar Chavez still relevant today? Do kids still understand why he was important? Are they still applying his legacy to life today?’” says Ms. Kennett.

Because of his indomitable nature as he strived for workers’ rights, Chavez’s deeds remains an iconic inspiration to many people today.

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Sommer’s Salt (March)

 

Sommer Fowler
Special Columnist

Whoever said high school years were the best of his life obviously never went through college applications.  These applications are the height of the high school career.  Every exhausting all-nighter, uninteresting extra AP course, and hellish SAT prep class was endured with dreams of our happy selves prancing through college campuses drenched in newfound independence.  By the time senior year crashes down like a pile of textbooks, most students are ready to embrace the well-deserved senioritis.  Only one task stands in the way—college applications.

As most students did, I spent three years of my life interrogating admission directors and scouring online statistics for the perfect formula to boost my chances of being accepted to college.  All this effort was met by phrases like “just be yourself” and “show your own personality.”  To everyone who is starting to believe these vague truths, allow me to clarify.  You should be yourself, as long as “yourself” includes straight A’s.  Showing your personality is crucial, as long as it is just quirky enough to distinguish you from the pack but not so much that you sound like you eat near the trash cans alone every lunch.  Also, if that personality does not fit into essays of 350 words or less you should probably find a new one.

Although the minority, some students decide to apply outside California—because being an extra thousand miles away from parents is worth doubled tuition—and must complete separate applications.  There are only so many essays I can write on how magnificent I am before I run out of ways to say it.  With the regular workload of classes in mind, the several hours spent on a single application is a daunting task.  As fashionable as gray hair became in the last year, I do not appreciate the gray strands application stress has generously gifted me.

Once the worst is over, the forms are complete and ready to submit, there is one last slap in the face.  A hefty price tag awaits applicants serving as a gentle reminder of the textbooks they will have to pay for next year.  This year UC applicants shelled out 70 dollars for each school—a price that caused me to second guess my chances of being admitted.

While PHHS has excellent counselors on staff who are ready to guide you through the treacherous process, there is only so much they can do.  Teachers can help you find your own voice, as mine have, but what you do with it is your choice.  The college application process will be long and difficult.  It will force you to be genuine with yourself to a degree you may have never reached before.  It will be undeniably awful but once it is over you have something else to worry about—admission decisions.

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Choosing your ideal college

By Mae Castellano

Even after all the research you’ve done, you’re still clueless when choosing which college you want to attend. There are many factors in choosing a college that’s right for you—whether you actually like the campus or if you believe that it’s not what you were looking for.

The most important thing is to have an idea in what career you would like to pursue in the future. Knowing what you’d like to do will make decisions easier. If you’re not sure about what you want to pursue, Naviance is a great tool to use. Naviance allows you to take an interest profiler survey, under the “careers” tab.

“It gives you an idea of different careers that might be good matches for you. From that, you can figure out what major you need to pursue that career and from there, figure out which colleges offer that major,” advises Guidance Counselor Jennifer Cody.

With an occupation in mind and knowing which major to specialize in, in comes the other factors. Going on Naviance and inserting your college-life preferences is just the first step in this lengthy process. Now it’s time to see if the colleges are right for you.

Don’t feel the need to attend a school simply because your parents are pressuring you. You want to attend the college that will give you the proper knowledge to strive in your occupation. However, it’s good to be careful when choosing a college specific to your current major; it’s possible it will change once or twice.

Location is another detail to take into consideration. If your main concern is to stay near home, that’s most likely what you’re going to want to do, especially if you’re going to help out your parents. However, leaving does allow you to be completely independent from your parents and gives you a taste of the adult life.

Another common factor is cost. It’d make sense to choose the school that’s cheaper, but remember that it should have the right programs for you to excel in. Going to an expensive school may put a strain on you financially. However, if you feel the education is adequate, it may be worth it to get the appropriate material needed to excel in the future.

Attending a community college is an alternative and would help save you a significant amount. Going to a community college, you can still acquire the same general education you’d get from a four-year college, and from there you can later transfer to a four-year college to complete your bachelor’s degree.

“Visiting colleges might be the last step,” provides Guidance Counselor Chantu Nguyen. Visiting colleges last ensures that the academic portion of choosing a college is over. Going to a college and liking the school, yet it ends up not having the correct programs, would be a waste of time.

There are lots of different elements to think about when deciding on which school to attend. Having a career in mind and knowing which programs to get there are critical in determining where you’re going to enroll.

thelegendonline In-Depth

Academic competiton of Bay Area students

By Sophia Xiao

What’s happening to the students of the Bay Area?

We live in Silicon Valley, a place that leads the world in technology.  Somehow, it only makes sense that its children must lead the world in academics.  This is what millions of Bay Area students tell themselves every day as they struggle through ever increasing college standards, AP classes and anxiety.  And to a degree, the “work hard now to play hard later” idea makes sense because hard work means a better college which means a better job which means higher pay which hopefully will finally turn into a happy life. However the cost of this philosophy, especially here in the Bay Area, and especially now more than ever, is piling.

“Gunn was ranked by U.S.  News World Report as one of the nation’s top five STEM schools.  Every year, about 20 of its seniors get into Stanford and a quarter are offered spots at University of California schools,” wrote The Atlantic.  Yet despite its academic success, the Palo Alto School District has had two suicide clusters, one in 2008 and one in 2014.  Seven students, many of which had promising futures, committed suicide.  All of a sudden it seemed, news reporters flocked to nearby schools like Gunn and Mission, and administration finally woke up to try to control the mental health crisis.

At the end of 2016, Newsweek’s rankings had 11 Bay Area schools in their top 100 US private high schools list and 14 schools in their top 500 US public high schools list.  These powerhouses are all surprisingly close to home– Monta Vista, ranked 18th, and Lynbrook, ranked 29th, are both less than half an hour drive away.  With the culture of Silicon Valley success and these nationally ranked schools breathing down our necks, it’s no wonder Piedmont Hills students are feeling the stress to outperform and overachieve.

Why are the schools around here so competitive?

With four AP classes, two club officer positions, a job, and other achievements to pad her resume, senior Sarah Dao’s schedule is packed.

“I know that the way I’m stressed right now isn’t really healthy, but I also think it’d be a waste if I don’t give it my best,” confesses Sarah.

This mindset to always be the best is common.  A big reason for Silicon Valley’s academic success is that it is filled with hard working immigrants who have come to give the best life they can to their children.  These immigrants believe that since they worked so hard for their kids, the kids should obviously work just as hard for themselves.  A further reason for this Silicon Valley mindset is that 32% of San Jose’s demography is Asian, a culture which emphasizes obedience, high standards and constant success.

We live in one of the most expensive places to in the US, and the expectation is that we become an engineer and work for one of the tech giants next door.  This pressure to be outstanding is what makes Bay Area students successful but is also what drives a lot of students to their breaking point.

“There is definitely a pressure to overachieve.  I’m always looking down on myself as an underachiever since everyone else is taking all these extra classes,” admits sophomore Steven To.

“It’s just society’s standards now,” Sarah states simply. And it’s true. For students who judge themselves based on how impressive they look on paper  to colleges, average is nowhere near enough.

“Students are definitely coming in with more competitive classes, with higher classes… I think it is part sort of colleges (responsibility/fault), but I also think it’s just part of our society and how it’s changed in the sense of how competitive it’s gotten and the stress it puts on students,” agrees Counselor Justine Kunkel.

Okay, but is this stress necessarily a bad thing? It only lasts for four years anyways, right?

As more and more kids get access to private tutoring, music classes, college counseling and other extracurriculars, people are finding more ways to get a competitive edge over everyone else.  Parents start their children on this path to college with the idea “the younger the better.”  This poses a problem to kids who have grown up with overachievement infused into their identity.  Fear of failure is something that students are taught in order to get into college, but by then, these habits and lifestyles are hard to get rid of, causing long term stress and anxiety.

“I obviously do have students that strive off of stress.  It moves them and motivates them to get things done, but we do have a large number of students here that sort of give in to the stress and it really affects them.  Ultimately it can lead to the other grades falling and mental health issues.  So I would say that (academic stress) is more a detrimental than a positive thing,” expresses Ms. Kunkel.

Something new that has popped up recently is an entire industry based solely on getting kids into specific colleges.  Of course, it makes sense for parents to hire help for something as important as getting into good colleges.  However, college counseling reinforces the culture of tailoring students’ lives towards college, as if many students don’t base a large portion of their lives off of the admissions process already.  Additionally, counseling creates an imbalance among students with different backgrounds.  It gives those who can afford them an unfair advantage over the students who simply don’t have those kinds of resources.

So how do we regain control of our lives?

In the midst of this chaos known as high school, it is important to slow down and take more breaks from the all consuming goal known as college.  You are the one who decides your fate, not the college you go to– a different one won’t make or break you.  Allow the things you do for college to also be things that you love.  For example, Sarah, who enjoys graphic design and music, is publicist for NHS and president of the Instrumental Club.
Likewise, remember that you don’t have to take all the APs and extracurriculars in the world.  If you genuinely hate and suck at math, then taking that AP Calculus class may not be the best idea.

I’m not saying to stop pushing yourself to do more, but don’t do it for the primary purpose of getting into college.  You don’t want to wake up one day after graduating from college and have no idea what to do next because all you’ve ever done was for it.

And listen to Steven’s advice: “There will be times where you procrastinate, and that’s fine.  We’re not perfect, but at the same time, we’re also capable of great things.”

Compared to even four years ago, college admissions have tightened considerably, and it’s reflecting on our high schoolers.  Nine years ago, it took a suicide cluster of 4 students for the Palo Alto High School District to implement significant measures for the safety of students.  How long and what will it take for we, as students, to start taking our own mental health more seriously?

thelegendonline Centerspread

Planned Parenthood

By Hannahjane Arellano

A fierce battle over the future of reproductive rights is now being processed in Washington as congressional Republicans made the first move to slash funding for Planned Parenthood. While Trump was campaigning, he selected Tom Price to represent the Department of Health and Services. In starting to roll back the Affordable Care Act, the GOP (Grand Old Party) plans to target the country’s largest women’s health care provider. Planned Parenthood could lose most of their reimbursements from Medicaid and other funding as soon as this spring if the repeal advances.

The main reason is because one of the health care options for women is the right to an abortion. The abortion law ranges from state to state, but President Trump and other Conservatives who share the same viewpoint as him believe that terminating a pregnancy is unjust due to the fact that they believe a fetus is still a child. It falls into the same beliefs for many religions which is completely valid just like your right to choose.

Margaret Sanger, a Birth control activist and sex educator believes that,” No woman can call herself free who does not control her own body.”

Let us not forget that Planned Parenthood also supplies other medical attention like regular check ups and or test screenings. They provide other health care services not just abortion which truly raises problems to those who rely for their service.

The congressional bans on abortion funding prove a particular religious or moral viewpoint on those women who rely on government-funded health care. Providing funding for abortion does not encourage or compel women to have abortions, but denying funding compels many women to carry their pregnancies to term.

thelegendonline Centerspread

Notable Historic Women

By Ashliana Rodriguez and Jhunior Pintor

  • Cleopatra (69-30 B.C.): The last queen who reigned all of Egypt during her 21 year rule. She was also a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty and later became a sole ruler of the Egyptian empire after her father and brothers. The legacy of Cleopatra was remembered in movies and books that were inspired by her life in the history of Ancient Egypt.
  • Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855): Best known for her novel Jane Eyre, she was an English author and poet. She made a point to write about the struggle of oppressed women in her literary work. She only wrote a little amount. Her writing has helped show modern feminism to those who have read her work.
  • Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906): She was the women’s movement’s most powerful organizer of the nineteenth century. At the age of 17,, she collected anti-slavery petitions and became the New York agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society. In 1878 she arranged a presentation for Congress about women’s right to vote, which was passed in 1920 as the nineteenth amendment to the U.S Constitution.
  • Harriet Tubman (1820-1913): Was known as the first American abolitionist who was against slavery, a humanitarian, and an armed scout and spy for the Union army during the American Civil War. She went on 13 missions to free the enslaved families and friends escaped to freedom, and was known as the Underground Railroad.
  • Marie Curie (1867-1934): A Polish and naturalized French physicist and chemist, she was the woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, twice. Was also the first woman to earn her doctorate in Europe. She achieved the development of the theory of radioactivity. Her work and developments are what earned her the two noble prizes in two different sciences.
  • Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962): Known as the longest serving First Lady when her husband President Franklin Roosevelt was in office for four terms, she used her role as a platform to promote social activism. After that, the role of the First Lady was changed, Eleanor Roosevelt reshaped the role for future first ladies.