thelegendonline Uncategorized

Cemented Door

Cemented Door

By Victor Xie

 

Guidance Office doors vandalized during Spring Break

 

Administration believes that three individuals committed serious acts of vandalism early on April 27, which was the Saturday at the end of Spring Break.

These individuals cemented the set of doors leading into the Guidance Office shut and plastered them with offensive words. With the quick work of the custodian and district office maintenance team, the doors were cleared in several hours.

“I feel that the individuals are probably angry, and I felt that they disrespected our school. I don’t know what message they were trying to get across, but I don’t think that it’s the Pirate Way of trying to get any message across,” commented Assoc. Principal Honey Gubuan.

The administration offered a monetary reward of up to $1000 for anyone who could provide valuable information on the individuals who caused the vandalism.

“I think there’s a general culture among young people that encourages such displays of disrespect to authority, but this is vandalism without a clear message and vandalism for the sake of vandalism,” said senior Emily Liu.

According to the California Penal Code Section 594, if the damage costs are over $400, the individual could serve up to a year in a county jail or be given a fine of up to $10,000. If the damage costs are under $400, the individual could serve up to a year in a county jail or be given a fine of up to $1,000.

The fines for the repair of the door were confidential, but are estimated to be quite high.

“I hope these students realize that the money put into fixing the vandalism is taken out of money that could be used for other materials,” said English teacher Peggy Lee.

At the time of this issue’s distribution, no individual has been publicly caught or announced to be the culprit in this ongoing investigation.

thelegendonline Pirate of the Issue, Uncategorized

Pirate of the Issue

 

By Rose Lu and Francisca Pascua

Name: Kenneth Lien

Favorite Class: Graphic Design

Hardest Class: AP Statistics

How many APs they took: 10

Advice for students: Sleep > School

Hobbies/Extracurriculars: Brawl Stars & Minesweeper

Average hours of sleep: 7-8

College: UC Berkeley

Plans to Major in: Surprise!

Fun Fact:

Favorite Part of Senior year: That one time I clogged a school toilet with a massive bowel movement.

Biggest regret: October 18th, 2001

 

Name: Anne Ouyang

Favorite Class: AP World History, without dropping thousands of years of human events

Hardest Class: AP Physics C Electricity & Magnetism

How many APs they took: 14

Advice for students: Don’t take advices too seriously

Hobbies/Extracurriculars: Minesweeper, webcomics (xkcd!), CS, puzzles, and overthinking

Average hours of sleep: 6-7

College: MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Plans to Major in: EECS (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)

Fun Fact: If you’re given two potatoes, you can shape a closed loop of wire to fit tightly around both potatoes. (hmu for proof!)

Favorite Part of Senior year: ColLeGe aPpS & iNteRviEWs & DecISioNs

Biggest regret: que será, será

 

Name: Asher Twu

Favorite Class: AP Calculus AB

Hardest Class: AP English Literature and Composition

How many APs they took: 7

Advice for students: When in doubt, take a nap

Hobbies/Extracurriculars: Math, anime, wallowing in anxiety, finding new milk tea places

Average hours of sleep: 6

College: Cal Poly SLO

Plans to Major in: Architecture

Fun Fact: Contrary to popular belief, stairs are great for napping.

Favorite Part of Senior year: Yes

Biggest regret: Not joining theater

 

Name: Linh Le

Favorite Class: AP Chemistry

Hardest Class: AP Chemistry

How many APs they took: 4

Advice for students: Join more clubs. Don’t let senioritis hit your friends too soon.

Hobbies/Extracurriculars: Kpop, Kdramas, singing (not that good), dancing (quite bad)

Average hours of sleep: 6-7

College: UC Davis

Plans to Major in: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Fun Fact: Don’t know how I get in UC Davis with only 4 AP classes

Favorite Part of Senior year: Last year seeing people I hate

Biggest regret: Not joining more service clubs

 

Name: Aayushi Shah

Favorite Class: AP Biology

Hardest Class: AP Chemistry

How many APs they took: 7

Advice for students: Don’t procrastinate! And don’t try to take on too many things at once.

Hobbies/Extracurriculars: She’s the First, dance, reading and writing

Average hours of sleep: 5

College: UCLA
Plans to Major in: Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics
Fun Fact: My total inability to play Mario Kart has left me with an intense fear of driving
Favorite Part of Senior year: Not caring about AP exams anymore
Biggest regret: Never participating in Fantastics

 

 

Name: Malia Tieu

Favorite Class: AP Biology

Hardest Class: Calculus AB

How many APs they took: 7

Advice for students: Always fuel your brain with food and snacks!

Hobbies/Extracurriculars: Finding new restaurants, binge watching shows, dancing

Average hours of sleep: 5-6

College: UC Davis

Plans to Major in: Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior

Fun Fact: I’ve marathoned almost all seasons of Kitchen Nightmares in AP Bio (sorry Mr.Dries)

Favorite Part of Senior year:  🙂

Biggest regret: not talking to more people (i’m sorry i’m awkward…)

 

Name: Casey Duong

Favorite Class: AP Chemistry

Hardest Class: AP Calculus BC

How many APs they took: 10

Advice for students: Don’t stress yourself out by comparing your own achievements to others

Hobbies/Extracurriculars: Piano, television

Average hours of sleep: 7

College: UC Davis

Plans to Major in: Biochemistry

 

 

Name: Hedy Chang

Favorite Class: AP Biology

Hardest Class: AP Microeconomics

How many APs they took: 8

Advice for students: If you’re feeling stressed, just inhale and exhale. It’ll be okay.

Hobbies/Extracurriculars: cross country, concert-going, napping,

Average hours of sleep: 3

College: UC Berkeley

Plans to Major in: Biology

Fun Fact: I have the same exact foot size as Karla is Manzanares.

Favorite Part of Senior year: Hanging out with Vivian Pham (shout out!) every day during President’s break

Biggest regret: Not meeting Vivian sooner

 

Name: Karla Manzanares

Favorite Class: AP Biology

Hardest Class: AP Calculus AB

How many APs they took: 6

Advice for students: go outside and play

Hobbies/Extracurriculars: cross country, dance, advocacy, reading

Average hours of sleep: 8

College: Stanford University #gotrees

Plans to Major in: Bioengineering

Fun Fact: I have the same foot size as Hedy Chang.

Favorite Part of Senior year: Disneyland Trip (take me back pls)

Biggest regret: not joining more service clubs
thelegendonline Fun Page, Uncategorized

Local Summer Shenanigans

By Devonna Dang

If you’re looking for a summer adventure but don’t have much money, you’re in luck! Here in the Bay Area, there is so much to explore.

First, let’s discuss how to get from location to location. Our very first option is public transportation if you currently do not have your own car. Luckily, again, the Bay Area has an amazing public transportation system. If you’re looking to go anywhere from Fremont, Downtown San Jose, Palo Alto or San Francisco, you’re covered. Some local transportation systems are the VTA buses, the VTA light rail, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and Caltrain.

Public transportation is very affordable. For the youth, a VTA bus fare is a discounted $1.25 and Caltrain and BART also offer a discounted fare.

Currently, the closest working BART is in South Fremont. However, a Milpitas BART is having an opening in November 2019.

A place that is calling for adventure and is only a $10.50 Caltrain fare ride away is San Francisco. Golden Gate Park is a great place to visit in San Francisco.

Golden Gate Park is a large urban park consisting of 1,017 acres of public grounds. Some establishments that should be visited is the Japanese Tea Garden, the DeYoung museum, Conservatory of Flowers and Cal Academy of Sciences. There is much to explore and to appreciate when you are there.

The Bay Area is also a great place to go hiking. Some hiking places include Mission Peak (10.4 miles from school), Sunol Regional Wilderness (24.1 miles from school) and Alamere Falls (88.7 miles from school). Mission Peak is a six mile hike that has a poll at the top to signify your hike’s success. Sunol Regional Wilderness is a great place to hike if you are on the pursuit of finding a waterfall. Despite the distance, Alamere Falls’ scenery and experience you get is quite worth it.

Another great way to spend summer is exploring museums. Some museums to visit include the Bay Area Discovery Museum, Exploratorium, San Francisco Museum of Art, Asian Art Museum, The Walt Disney Family Museum, Cable Car Museum and the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.

There’s no better time to do something you never do than in the summer. Go zip lining in the redwoods, complete a 5k or do some rock climbing. All in all, the Bay Area has adventure everywhere. If you’re free in the summer, get on a transit and explore what is out there for you.

Local Summer Shenanigans

By Devonna Dang

 

If you’re looking for a summer adventure but don’t have much money, you’re in luck! Here in the Bay Area, there is so much to explore.

First, let’s discuss how to get from location to location. Our very first option is public transportation if you currently do not have your own car. Luckily, again, the Bay Area has an amazing public transportation system. If you’re looking to go anywhere from Fremont, Downtown San Jose, Palo Alto or San Francisco, you’re covered. Some local transportation systems are the VTA buses, the VTA light rail, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and Caltrain.

Public transportation is very affordable. For the youth, a VTA bus fare is a discounted $1.25 and Caltrain and BART also offer a discounted fare.

Currently, the closest working BART is in South Fremont. However, a Milpitas BART is having an opening in November 2019.

A place that is calling for adventure and is only a $10.50 Caltrain fare ride away is San Francisco. Golden Gate Park is a great place to visit in San Francisco.

Golden Gate Park is a large urban park consisting of 1,017 acres of public grounds. Some establishments that should be visited is the Japanese Tea Garden, the DeYoung museum, Conservatory of Flowers and Cal Academy of Sciences. There is much to explore and to appreciate when you are there.

The Bay Area is also a great place to go hiking. Some hiking places include Mission Peak (10.4 miles from school), Sunol Regional Wilderness (24.1 miles from school) and Alamere Falls (88.7 miles from school). Mission Peak is a six mile hike that has a poll at the top to signify your hike’s success. Sunol Regional Wilderness is a great place to hike if you are on the pursuit of finding a waterfall. Despite the distance, Alamere Falls’ scenery and experience you get is quite worth it.

Another great way to spend summer is exploring museums. Some museums to visit include the Bay Area Discovery Museum, Exploratorium, San Francisco Museum of Art, Asian Art Museum, The Walt Disney Family Museum, Cable Car Museum and the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.

There’s no better time to do something you never do than in the summer. Go zip lining in the redwoods, complete a 5k or do some rock climbing. All in all, the Bay Area has adventure everywhere. If you’re free in the summer, get on a transit and explore what is out there for you.

thelegendonline Secret Life of Staff, Uncategorized

Secret life of staff: Shaohua She

By: David Shih

 

“I really love all of my students, and I really cannot remember how long that I’ve (been a) teacher to be honest with you,” comments Chinese teacher Shaohua She.

Ms. She has been teaching at Piedmont Hills for number of years and is the sole Foreign Language teacher for Chinese at the school.

“I just like to plant anything that is pretty for me such as water lilies and stuff,” states Ms. She.

Her hobby is gardening, and she focuses on traditional Chinese plants and flowers. Planting and gardening not only helps her relax, and also makes her backyard look beautiful.

“My favorite holiday is obviously Chinese New Year, as it is the time of the year where everyone in the family can gather and enjoy time together,” states Ms. She.

During Chinese New Year, Ms. She enjoys keeping busy with all the preparations, since it makes her feel alive.

Ms. She also teaches three classes at Independence High School.

“This is why you cannot find me during lunch at Piedmont, because I am at Independence (High School) already,” says Ms. She.

Ms. She also loves to travel when she has money saved up. There are still a lot of countries that she wants to visit, including Japan and Korea.

“I’ve traveled to a lot of countries, obviously China, and I’ve been to Malaysia and Singapore which was very fun for me personally there to see their cultures,” states Ms. She.

Ms. She doesn’t really see retirement in the near future.

“I really do enjoy teaching at this school and especially Chinese, I’m just really glad that I can open the students up to rediscover their own cultures and introduce other people to this culture that has lasted 5000 years. I guess I’ll retire when I feel like it,” states Ms. She.

An advice that Ms. She wants to tell her students is that they should not be lazy and try their best in school.

“Honestly, there aren’t any dumb students in my opinion. You guys are all smart and can go to those prestigious colleges if you guys try hard enough,” states Ms. She.

 

thelegendonline Sports

Swimming Chart

Players Scores
Michelle Komet 44th out of 47 (Women 100 yard freestyle)

40th out of 44 (Women 100 yard backstroke)
Ariel Pham 24th out of 48  (Women 500 yard freestyle)
Megan Nghiem, Lilly Lui, Ariel Pham and Michelle Komet 43rd out of 45 (Women 200 medley relay)

39th out of 39 (Women 400 yard freestyle relay)
Andrew Hoang 16th out of 40 (Men 200 yard medley relay)

21st out of 36 (Men 200 yard IM)
David Tabilas 36th out of 50 (Men 50 yard freestyle)

28th out of 52 (Men 100 yard freestyle)
Eric Tran 12th out of 36 (Men 200 yard IM)

9th out of 50 (Men 100 yard butterfly)

14th out of 16 (Men 200 yard IM)

15th out of 16 (Men 100 yard butterfly)
Steven Tran 26th out of 36 (Men 200 yard IM)

37th out of 48 (Men 100 yard breastroke)
Andrew Hoang, Eric Tran, Steven Tran and Christopher Yi 16th out of 40 (Men 200 yard medley relay)

14th out of 15 (Men 200 yard medley relay)
Andrew Hoang, Matthew Santos, David Tabilas and Christopher Yi 13th out of 42 (Men 200 yard freestyle relay)

11th out of 16 (Men 200 yard freestyle relay)
Andrew Hoang, Andrew Nguyen, David Tabilas and Eric Tran 10th out of 35 (Men 100 yard freestyle relay)

11th out of 16 (Men 400 yard freestyle relay)
thelegendonline News, Uncategorized

Class of 1988 Reunion

By Sarah Shafaeen

The PHHS Class of 1988 are having their 30-ish year reunion this Saturday at the Casino M8trix at 6 p.m.

The three co-organizers worked tirelessly to bring the reunion together and make sure that as many people as possible will attend and have a good time.

“There is a group of three of us who organized the reunion: myself, Dayna (Stein) Pawlowski and Diane (Bettencourt) Smith. We knew each other in H.S., but didn’t hang out. Diane was on the organizing committee for our ten-year reunion and Dayna, the 20th, so I thought they would be game for helping with another one,” says head organizer Anna Heckman.

The 30-ish year reunion is actually the 31st year reunion because the organizers were unable to properly organize the 30th year reunion in time.

“We tried (late) last year to get it off the ground, but it didn’t pan out, so this is our 30-ish year reunion. I was on the committee for the 30th year as well,” says co-organizer Dayna Stein Pawlowski.

The Class of ‘88 hoped to meet up with old classmates and reminisce about their time together at PHHS.

“I’m looking forward to looking back, seeing everyone, dancing to ‘80’s music and having fun catching up!” exclaims Anna.

When reflecting back on the environment at PHHS, Class of ‘88 recalled a very positive experience.

“PHHS was a great time for me. I loved high school! Hung out in the auto shop for a time, was tight with the drama crew. Really, I tried to get to know people in all the little groups,” mentions Dayna.

Many remember the overall inclusiveness of the student body at the time along with the general kindness everyone treated each other with.

“I loved Piedmont and had a great experience. Everyone was very friendly and respectful. I suppose there were cliques, but it didn’t really feel like it because everyone seemed to be friendly with one another, regardless of what particular group you might identify with. I thought it was just a really special place. I was pretty shy when I started there and really came to be much more social through the years. I really felt accepted there,” states Anna.

The class remembered their favorite memories from high school.

“FANTASTICS and Spirit week are really good memories. And Drama Class was pretty special to me,” concludes Anna.

thelegendonline News

Art season is back

By Janelle Perez

The annual Downtown Doors competition brought artwork from San Jose high schools to the streets of downtown and presented the students’ awards on May 9th at the San Jose Museum of Art.

The annual Piedmont Hills Art Faire was also held this week outside of the art buildings and showcased art made by students throughout the 2018-2019 school year.

Downtown Doors is way for students from San Jose high schools to publicly display their artwork. This year’s 16th annual competition included over 200 submissions from over 20 schools. Selections vary from ten to thirteen pieces, which are then transferred onto a big poster to be displayed on a door downtown.

The art faire included pieces from students in digital photography, sculpture and drawing and painting.

“I think the art show is great because it shows how hard we (students) have worked throughout the year to create these pieces,” said senior Nicole Ortiz.

This year two Piedmont Hills seniors, Diego Papa and Abigail Tecson won a spot on a door downtown. Downtown Doors winners were presented the awards to commemorate their talent.

The annual art faire included detailed sculptures and paintings as well as variety of printed photos, while Downtown Doors only showcased the works of few students.

“I really wanted to do a piece with bold colors and I took ideas from both desert martian landscapes. I’m proud that people thought it was worthy of a spot downtown,” said Diego.

Abigail submitted a double exposure piece from her digital photography class, which includes architecture from Paris.

“At first the idea of blending the architecture came from when I was going through Pinterest,” said Abigail.

The Piedmont Hills Art Faire submissions were chosen by the students themselves, which consisted of their best piece from the school year.

“I submitted my favorite photo that I took from this year and I’m really glad people are going to be able to see it and have a positive reaction to it,” said senior Kaitlyn Seawright.

Both Downtown Doors and the Piedmont Hills Art Faire will be held again next year and students will be able to admire the work of their peers and art students will be able to submit their work to be shown.

thelegendonline Features, Staff

Staff advice

SP.05 Staff Advice to Seniors

Compiled by Victor Xie

 

“Don’t be lazy. Many kids enjoy doing what they’re successful at but growth is only going to happen when they try the things they’re not good at.” -Ms. Lee

“Be yourself! Do not follow the crowd, but rather lead the crowd!” – Mr. Loggins

“So my best advice would be to save money. If you save money, money will save you. Also, don’t open up a ton of credit cards and make sure that you practice good financial habits so you’ll have good credit when you graduate college. If you have bad credit, you won’t get that dream job you went to school for. -Ms. Mitchell

“My advice is to take advantage of all the opportunities college has to offer, because college is a once in a lifetime opportunity you’ll never get back. I also advise that students take themselves out of their comfort zone and again take advantage of opportunities and experience that they might not otherwise have experienced in high school or beyond. Work first and play later!” – Ms. Kunkel

“Stay true to your goals and don’t lose sight of what they are. There will be a lot of distractions but as long as you stay true to what you want to do, you may change your mind, that’s ok, but just stay true to having a goal and seeing it through. Four years may seem like a lot of time, but really it’s not. Also, travel. I think it’s important to see the world from a different perspective.” – Ms. Pereira

“Now is the time to work hard. Enjoying life is great, but you’ve got to work hard now so later in life, you don’t have to work as hard.” – Ms. Lujan

“Don’t be afraid to try new things and go a different path than you thought you were supposed to go.” – Ms. Davis

“Don’t sell yourself short. Go for opportunities even if they seem to be more difficult than you’d like. And remember that most things require hard work and great time management.” – Ms. Murray

thelegendonline Fun Page, Uncategorized

Class Choices

By Andrew Wong

Freshman year for me was the year I began meeting new friends and learning among st them. For most people, freshman year stands out as an easy year; but it didn’t turn out the same way for me. For me, I was supposed to be placed in Math 1, like every other freshman. But in mistake, the school mistakenly skipped two math levels for me and placed me into Algebra 2. At the time, I felt good about myself being in a higher math level than most of my peers; and because of that, I chose to stay in that level even when offered to move back into Math 1 where I supposedly belonged.

Algebra 2 became one of my biggest struggles for me as a freshman because of my lack of knowledge of the previous 2 levels. Miraculously, I was able to pass the course and move onto Pre-Calculus, and then Calculus in the following years. My ego grew as I advanced onto these classes, making me feel that I was smart and my social stance among peers grew positively because of these classes. I became so egotistical that I even signed up for more honor courses such as English 2A and AP Psychology. I didn’t think to consider about how hard these classes can get and the workload that would stack me for hours, and eventually I did pay that price. Being too much to handle, my GPA suffered and I spent countless hours studying for them.

Of course, my ego wasn’t the only reason for me signing up for honors/AP courses. Many classmates and friends whom I associated with commonly signed up for these classes. As a freshman, I was highly encouraged to sign up as I learn and work alongside my other fellow peers. Although I did get what I wanted, the aftereffects was too much for me to handle as either the workload was very heavy, or it was something I struggled to get good scores on.

Four years after these events occurred, senior year has finally come to show itself. Entering into this domain, I’ve learned from these mistakes and chose a lot of less challenging classes for myself, to ensure a relaxing and comfortable year without stress. With easy classes, came an easy life, most of my year ended up being me relaxing at home and mostly working on other responsibilities outside of school. Of course, I have times where I had a lot to do for school and homework stacked upon me, but they never felt too much of a challenge compared to what I had the previous years.

The facts do stay true that taking honors and AP courses benefit for your educational skills and help with your college applications/courses; and personally I do encourage this. However, I believe that honors/AP aren’t necessary to your future, and there’s nothing wrong with an easier route. Take courses to improve your academic understanding instead of your social life. Because in the end, you’ll still have end up in the same route where you’ll pursue in a famous university or any kind of university you want to set yourself into.

 

thelegendonline Opinions, Uncategorized

What it’s like being 4’11 at Piedmont Hills

by Drew Olaviano

 

Hello! My name is Drew, and I stand at 4’11. Of course, being 4’11 often garners some unwanted attention, especially from those taller people. My height becomes even more distinctive now that I’m a senior. So, being at Piedmont Hills, a campus filled to the brim with my average heighted peers and taller peers, what’s it like? Well, let’s see.

Being inside of the school building with over thousands of students and staff bustling about each passing period, it’s obvious the shorter people suffer the most. I can attest to this, being a victim of constant shoving and pushing and backpacks slamming straight into my face. People bustle about and move constantly from place to place. Some stop to gossip and chat about life and whatnot, and then some turn—and as a result, run into me, who is unnoticeable to the naked eye is caught in the crossfire. They do not see the little me, and I get nudged as a result.

That’s not the only problem though. Other than how unnoticeable I am, people tend to have this need to tease their shorter peers. Anyone who is shorter than the average person can easily relate to these few phrases: “Hello, what’s up, midget,” “You look like a middle schooler” and “Where are you? I can’t find you!” I try to ignore them, but usually they end up being elbowed straight into the hip. I do not condone this though, I assure you. I’m just too short to not hit someone while walking, I’m sure.

The worst thing about being short, in my opinion, is that they still think I am in middle school, or even elementary school for that matter. Some people excuse it by saying that it is because I have a baby face or something similar, but I always believe that isn’t true—short people are usually attributed to younger people, especially kids. I was fine with it when I was a freshman. Freshmen came out from middle school and have to get around high school life. As a senior? I’m still being labeled as a middle schooler, and I have a hundred percent confidence that people will mistake me as a middle schooler when I’m in college in a few months. Is it the baby face? Possibly. Is it the short height? Oh, most definitely!

However, I know that being short shouldn’t matter that much to me. There are plenty of advantages to being short, after all! For one, being short in PHHS, and in general, means I can easily slip through crowds in the hallway. While all those tall people suffer trying to get through people, I can easily pass by them and get to my class. I won’t be blocked by all those bodies!

I can also bother people easily with the excuse that I can’t reach for a certain book or object. Being short does give you a legitimate excuse that you cannot grab something and you need to ask for help. While every other person cannot ask people to grab objects and do chores for them, I can, and that makes me satisfied for my height by its lonesome.

Well, as mentioned before, height should not matter; not to me, and not to you either. There are obvious disadvantages to being short, and there are disadvantages to being tall as well. To me, height shouldn’t matter to people much in comparison to people’s behaviors and how they treat one another. Every person is still an individual, and that’s all that should matter—how you treat one another, and how you behave.