Month: February 2020

By: Rose Lu

The beginning of February marks the beginning of Black History Month, a month dedicated to recognizing the role of African Americans and their contributions to America. BSU (Black Student Union) commemorated Black History Month by performing last Friday at the L-Building during third and fourth period during their 3^rd Annual Black History Month. The show featured guests such as writer Prentice Powell and the San Jose State Dance Team. Students were encouraged to come if teachers allowed them to.

Black History officially began in 1976, where every February was acknowledged by the US Presidents to be designated as so. However, the idea emerged in 1926, and was created by Historian Carter G. Woodson and the ASNL (Association for the Study of Negro Life and History). The second week of February was coined as ‘Negro History Week.’

“Black History Month is to honor the contributions of African Americans to American Societies. It is also to honor the inventions and talents they contributed,” shares BSU Advisor Cerissa Phillips.

In honor of Black History Month, BSU has decided to perform an African American dance, Stepping. The dance combines movement and sounds to turn their bodies into instruments. Stepping is used to represent unity and pride for one’s group.

“Stepping is a part of our culture and it shows what our ancestors used to do,” shares freshman Tionee Funk.

Stepping has had a long history. It was influenced by another form of dancing called the Gumboot dance, which was often performed using Wellington boots and used to communicate between another person a short distance away.

This year, BSU is continuing its legacy to show their pride and history during Black History Month. They have practiced every day at lunch from Jan. 27 to Feb. 6.

“I felt nervous because I never performed for people like that, but I felt really good during our practices so far,” says freshman Landon Brown.

They wore all black outfits with white shoes to show their unity as a group.

“We wore a black hoodie, black jeans and white shoes so that we can match and be one,” continues Tionee.

Alongside their performance, BSU will be highlighting the contributions of African Americans by sharing facts about their achievements during the announcements for February. By doing so, they bring awareness and highlight their impact on society.

 

By Diana Kokoski

NHS (National Honor Society) held its induction ceremony last Sunday to recognize their members for their scholarship, service, leadership and character.

The ceremony commenced with food and entertainment by VSA (Vietnamese Student Association), SXC  (Seoul Extreme Choreography), Indian Club and solo performances by NHS members. The hosts of the ceremony were seniors Guneet Sachdeva, Melina Tran, Manav Dixit and Maggie Nguyen. The theme for this year’s induction ceremony was Beauty and the Beast.

“We chose the theme based on how good our decorative abilities could be and how intriguing and formal it seems,” remarked NHS Secretary Jonathan Phan.

First, NHS advisor Jason Dries gave a speech about the inductees. After, NHS advisor Terrie Higgins presented the members the cords that they will wear during graduation. The last part of the event included the inductees taking a candle and lighting it to represent their commitment to the NHS.

“It was a really special moment for me (when I lit up the candle) because I was so proud of everyone and how we organized this event in such a short amount of time,” stated NHS President Megan Dang.

State Assemblyman Kasen Chu was invited by Mr. Dries and NHS member Brandon Huynh, who interns for Mr. Chu, to attend the ceremony. Mr. Dries was the one who suggested that Mr. Chu should be a part of the ceremony. During the ceremony Mr. Chu greeted and posed with NHS members when they were called to receive their cords.

In order to be in the club, those that are interested must complete an application towards the end of their junior year. According to Ms. Higgins, the members are chosen by a committee of teachers.

“What we look for in applicants are good academic records, no excessive absences and tardies. The GPA requirement is at least 3.2. The next thing we look for is community involvement that can be verified. Last, students should have demonstrated a high level of leadership with clubs or outside organizations,” explained Ms. Higgins.

Once members are accepted into NHS, they must complete two community service projects; one being individual and one being a community service project involving all the members of the NHS. A future group project in discussion includes going to Alum Rock Park to pick up trash, which they plan to do every month.

“Melina, Tony and I go to Alum Rock library Tuesdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and we volunteer to help underprivileged children complete their homework,” commented Megan.

This club also teaches valuable life lessons for the students. Members are able to make an impact, not just for themselves, but for their community and for the world.

“NHS taught me that you have to uphold your nobility because you earn your position by excelling in these four categories. So throughout your life, you have to stay true to these traits and showcase them for others,” said NHS member Brandon Huynh.

“NHS taught me to carry the mentality that you can always find a solution for any problem that comes in your way,” added Megan.

A few notes to keep in mind before applying for NHS is to uphold the four values of scholarship, community engagement, leadership and character.

“The biggest piece of advice would be getting a letter of recommendation from the adult you worked under that verifies your leadership and the responsibilities,” advised Ms. Higgins.

 

By Katelynn Garcia

Stars for a Night is an annual tradition for Piedmont Hills took place last Friday in the L-Building. The show displayed many talents from all across the special education dept. In the two hour show, there were 18 performances, split by a 15-minute intermission.

The L-Building was filled with friends, family and staff taking pictures and taking videos of the performances. Those who came to the event were delighted by the performances, especially the second-act glow dance, which was presented by Ashleigh Moorman, Kaitlyn Lee, Javier Diaz, Aiden Marquez, Neveah Ortiz, and Satya Mulagada.

There was an introduction presented by principal Ginny Davis, followed by The Star Spangled Banner, which was sung by senior Brian Bui. The students had been practicing for the show since the beginning of the year.

“Stars for a night is a part of the abilities awareness component of PHHS’s specialized program. Our students perform to show that just like their regular peers, they too have talents to be proud of. Our students sing, dance, act and play an instrument,” explained special education teacher, Maria Casiano. “In the two hour show, there were 18 performances, split by a 15-minute intermission.”

”My heart gets really shaky when I performed,” exclaimed senior Ashleigh Moorman.

The show included ten vocal performances, six dance numbers, a piano piece, and even a play presented by special education teacher Nonglak Prasopsook’s class. They had been rehearsing it since November, and the play came out up to 20 minutes.

“I play the MC and Batman in the play,” shared senior Eltohn Sileestie.

Ashleigh and Eltohn performed in the play, which was a take on DC comics.

“They were excited and ready to go on stage,” said Ms. Prasopsook, “For them to practice things like speech is great, and it also teaches them responsibility.”

The stars for a night is also one of the major fundraisers to support the special education Dept.

“Some of our students were nervous, especially the freshmen, but I think most of them were really excited to show off their talents to their families, teachers, and friends,” added Ms. Casiano.

“Oh, I loved it, I was so glad to go,” exclaimed social science teacher Lynne Murray. The talent show has been a major success for 15 previous years, and is set to be a PHHS tradition for years to come.

Last Sunday, the PHHS History Team faced off in the National History Bowl at Saratoga High School against other high schools.

The National History Bowl is a high school tournament that closely resembles a game of jeopardy in which two teams face one another by answering a wide variety of historic topics ranging from Greek history to contemporary famous athletes and actors.

To prepare for this competition, the history team took strides to cultivate their knowledge and review historical facts during their weekly meetings.

“We prepared for the competition through weekly meetings in which we look at past questions. Often, if one member answers a question incorrectly, we would have a small discussion about the question, thus improving the knowledge of the team. We also prepared by using Kahoot on various periods and topics in history,” remarked History Team President Vincent Han.

Outside of school, members also committed to practicing in their own ways.

“I prepared for the History Bowl by reading past questions every day to reinforce my memory before competition,” stated History Team member Ryan Nguyen. “If time allowed, I spent 30 minutes to an hour reading History Bowl related materials each day.”

As president, Vincent was also very ambitious in his preparation, taking time out of day to study various subjects relating to history as well as setting optimistic goals for the team.

“I read articles on Wikipedia and watched documentaries on YouTube and take notes to memorize more trivia. Through weekly meetings, I learned what are my strengths and weaknesses were and I improved myself by attacking these weaknesses through studying them thoroughly,” explained Vincent. “I do hope to improve significantly over our past tournaments. For example, we usually defeat one or two teams in the past, and this time we are trying to defeat three.

Participating in the History Bowl was also a Saratoga, Foothill, Palo Alto, Valley Christian and a home school team. During the battle, the PHHS History Team was able to exploit some of their strengths to gain an advantage.

“Some of the strengths we had included our ability to cooperate. For example, during each match we had to decide who to substitute out of the game and who to participate,” recalled Vincent.

Unfortunately, the team was only able to win one out of five rounds. Recognizing their mistakes, they strive to improve for next year. As of now, the overall rankings have not been release to the public.

“At the competition, my strategy was to play very aggressively which had its own strengths and weaknesses. I was able to answer some questions before other teams, but I also wasted opportunities by answering incorrectly early in the question,” recapped History Team member Ryan Nguyen. “The only way to improve from this is to keep studying what I missed.”

In the end though, while the History Team worked diligently to earn their rank, what they took away from the competition was a shared compassion of history with other students from different schools.

“Playing against our rival Foothill was the highlight of the competition. Though we couldn’t manage a win against them, I’m glad we were able to give them a good fight,” admitted Ryan.

Despite the fierce battle, each team showed chivalry and respect towards one another.

“I think my favorite part is always shaking hands with our opponents after our match and saying that it is a good game. This mannerism reminds me that, although it is a very fierce competition, friendship is still more important,” said Vincent. “Above all, however, I just wish that members can enjoy the tournament and put in all they have.”

By Andy Doan

The US Senate started a formal impeachment trial in which they voted to either convict or acquit President Donald Trump on Jan. 16, and the vote took place Wed., Feb. 5. The vote resulted in his acquittal on both articles of impeachment, with it being mostly split along party lines (only one senator crossed party lines by voting to convict President Trump, Republican Senator Mitt Romney.)

In the process of doing so, Senator Romney became the first and only senator in history to vote to convict the president of his own party.

“As a senator-juror, I swore an oath, before God, to exercise ‘impartial justice,’” said Senator Romney.

Impeachment is similar to an indictment in a criminal case; it is a charge, but not the punishment itself.

Although President Trump had already been impeached by the House of Representatives, the House was required to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate, where they decided the punishment, if any.

At the beginning of the trials, Americans were sharply divided on whether Trump should be removed from office—with Democrats largely supporting removal, Republicans largely opposing, and independents divided. According to CNN, 51% of people—89% of Democrats and 8% of Republicans—supported Trump’s removal from office, compared to 45% who opposed the idea. The missing 4% remained indifferent.

This trial was a result of the impeachment that started when a whistleblower’s complaint was released, claiming that President Trump threatened to withdraw United States’ aid money to Ukraine, if an investigation on his political opponents, including former Vice President Joe Biden, was not conducted.

The impeachment trial can be understood as a court case where the Senators are the jurors.

As reported by The New York Times, the prosecution’s opening arguments were held between Jan. 22–24, and those of the defense began on Jan. 25-28.

Following this, there were 16 hours of questions and answers, four hours of debate and a vote on whether to consider subpoenas for documents or witnesses not covered by the House investigation. Controversy sprang when the Senate voted 51-49 to hold the trial without any witnesses.

Finally, the closing statements were given on Mon., Feb. 3, and two days later the vote was taken.

There were several possible outcomes to this trial: President Trump could have been removed from office and/or disqualified from holding office in the future. This means that President Trump could have been removed from office and still be able to continue running for re-election in the 2020 Presidential Election, or that he could remain in office, but be barred from holding office in the future.

With the president’s acquittal, he will remain in office, and is still eligible to run for re-election in the upcoming election. The future remains unclear, but President Trump could be the first president to be impeached and re-elected.