thelegendonline Features

Find the Keypers

By Francisca Pascua

Key club officers will participate in their annual event named Finders Keypers this Friday at the PHHS campus from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Finders Keypers usually is an event where officers of Key Club hide around campus and members have to find them in order to complete a challenge. They decided to come up with this event because it is a good way for members to socialize with the officers and with each other.

Members will be split into groups of 2 and they are given sheet of clues that includes a description of an officer. Their goal is to match that description to an officer.

“We thought that it would be a good idea for members to socialize with the officers more,” says Senior Jameena Sampan.

This year they will be meeting at E-11 and the officers will be scattered all over campus.

“I am very excited to participate in this event. I haven’t gone since my freshman year,” says Junior John Nguyen.

Once the participants correctly match the officer to the clue they complete a challenge. However, if they fail to find the officer within three tries they have to repeat the whole process again.

Finders Keypers usually happens during the second semester each year so this is a bonding opportunity that cannot be missed.

thelegendonline Features

Interesting Holidays

By Mansi Patel

03

Superbowl Sunday

 04

Thank A Mailman Day

 05

Chinese New Years

 06

National Chopsticks Day

 07

Send A Card To A Friend Day

 08

Kite Flying Day

 

 09

National Pizza Day
10

Umbrella Day

 11

White T-Shirt Day

 12

National Lost Penny Day

 13

Get A Different Name Day

 14

Valentine’s day

 15

Singles Awareness Day

 16

Do A Grouch A Favor Day
17

Random Acts Of Kindness Day

 18

National Battery Day

 

 19

National Chocolate Mint Day

 20

Love Your Pet Day

 21

Card Reading Day

 22

Be Humble Day

 23

Tennis Day

 
24

National Tortilla Chip Day

 25

Pistol Patent Day

 26

National Pistachio Day

 

 27

No Brainer Day

 28

Floral Design Day

 

 01

Peanut Butter Lovers’ Day

 02

Old Stuff Day

 

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Q&A With construction worker

By Rex ly

Mr. Lucas the ESUHSD Senior Manager of the Bond Program and overseer

 

  1. When did you originally expect the new building to be complete?
  2. We were anticipating for the new building to be complete in August.

 

Q.The buildings finished a little late, why do you think that is?

  1. Usually, there isn’t one reason or one event that creates a delay. Construction projects are complex and require a great deal of synchronized coordination. There are many factors such as equipment malfunctions, weather, and communication and overbooked are a few things that could cause a delay.

 

  1. When did you originally expect the new building to be complete?
  2. We were anticipating for the new building to be complete in August.

 

  1. Personally, did you think the building was a good idea?
  2. I think the building is a good idea. The project creates new spaces that Piedmont Hills can be proud of.

 

  1. Why is the building shaped the way it is?
  2. There is a strong slope from the sidewalk just outside of the D Building to the student lot (about 7 feet). It was shaped the way it is to work with and manage the slope.

 

With Construction worker Fuji Gerardo

 

  1. How do you feel working at school?
  2. It feels much safer working in a school.

 

  1. Do you still work regardless of the weather, such as if it rains?
  2. We work out here rain or shine.

 

  1. what is the hardest part of the construction?
  2. The hardest part was digging the foundation and over the winter break we had truckloads of dirt.

 

  1. Did you enjoy working on this building?
  2. Building is always more enjoyable when you know the people who will use it for many years to come

 

  1.  Why do you think the new building was done late?
  2.  It is hard to find substitutes when we need more manpower. There are only 10 to 12 of us working at a time

 

  1. How long do you work?
  2. 6:00 am to 2:00 pm.

 

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Cons of construction building

Cons of construction buildings David Shih

By: David Shih

 

The new building have been the talk of the school for the past month, as it took two years to build. With the new buildings finally open to staff and students, there have been a lot of contrasting opinion going around asking what they think of these buildings.

“The bathrooms have too few stalls, in which when I go with my friends we can’t all pee at the same time and some of us have to line up,” stated senior Mike Guo.

The bathrooms stalls indeed have been a major problem as there are only three stalls and one toilet. Another problem is, that the ramp of the building is not straight and the plants that are place under the ramps feel awkwardly placed.

The new buildings also tend to waste a lot of space and the 2nd floor seemed unnecessary. The space wasted for the walkway to go to class on the second floor seemed overly designed, as the same function can be made with a staircase. A lot of the space that is used to build the ramp could be used for something else.

“I feel like the windows of the new buildings are shaped a bit awkward and when I walk by the buildings I feel like the people inside can see me walking… and it makes me self-conscious of disturbing the classrooms,” stated senior Tim Le.

When office aides tend to walk by the classrooms, they usually catch the attention of all the students inside the building that is teaching which may not only make the person feel awkward and also disturb the learning process that is going on inside the classrooms.

The trees near the new buildings may seem befitting but after a number of years the trees will grow to significant sizes bigger. This might interfere with the surrounding classrooms as the roots of the tree may cause safety concerns, as the roots of the buildings may destroy the buildings from under.

According to Mr. Dries, “They were very expensive, and they went a little bit over time, like six months over, but whatever we got what we want. I don’t know of and cons, the only cons are temporary. The plumbing, the electricity, the heater, but those will get fixed.”

Lastly, the color of the new buildings do not fit in with the norm of maroon color of Piedmont Hills. The building should be painted in maroon as it fits with the other buildings and can camouflage with the other buildings. Despite these faults the buildings are well built and provide necessary classrooms for teacher that are in need of one.

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The new buildings: a great addition

By Victor Xie

The new buildings have been the talk of the school for the past month, as it took nearly two years to build. With the new buildings finally open to students and staff, there have been contrasting opinions going around regarding these buildings.

In a recent survey put on Schoolloop where 72 students answered, more than 80% of students rated the buildings a 4-5 out of 5.

“Being in the new building is good because our old (portable) classroom was pretty cramped but with the new building we feel more open,” says junior Maggie Nguyen.

Because this building has been anticipated for a lengthy five years, teachers were also quick to point out the positives of the new buildings.

“(The buildings are) awesome and beautiful. They’re spacious and new, and they have enough cabinets, finally, for us hoarding science teachers,” says biology teacher Jason Dries.

Personally, I think the second-floor view is the most interesting part of the new buildings. All of the buildings at our school are one story, which is why the new building is able to give everyone a unique perspective of the student parking lot.

In addition, because the area is finally open again, students may now go through the D-Building walk-way again and not hear construction work while taking their already devastating math test.

Even if the buildings took almost two years to build, the general feedback is still exceptional. Rooms are larger, the swirly ramp is great, and of course, the bathrooms are clean.

“We’ve had a previous problem of weed-invaded bathrooms, and now with the new buildings we have a clean one where it’s a safe environment where we can (go) peacefully,” comments junior Joanne Vu.

Some people may say the buildings aren’t as great as they expected, but I honestly don’t think it is possible to satisfy everyone. However, what is satisfying is the final product: a great addition to Piedmont Hills.

thelegendonline Opinions

Star Bucks

by Megan Laser

 

And alas, the holidays are over and baristas around the world are able to take a breath and mumble the words “we did it.” January is rumored to the month where business really slows down and baristas, like myself, are able to finally settle down after the crazy workloads that the holidays brought. But even with business slowing down, Starbucks will always have new drinks, ready and available for you to enjoy.

 

BWM (Black and White Mocha)

The BWM, also known as the Zebra Mocha, is a common drink where you have a mixture of regular mocha sauce and white chocolate mocha sauce. The drink can be made as either an espresso drink or hot chocolate, filled to the top with steamed milk and topped off with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. The drink can also come as either an iced drink or a blended frappuccino but nevertheless provides us with that same chocolatey taste that we didn’t realize we were craving all winter.

In my personal experience, the mocha at Starbucks has proven to be too chocolatey and too sweet for my liking. Even with drinks like the Peppermint Mocha, I always felt that the chocolatey taste from mocha was overwhelming. So if I were to customize the drink to my personal experience, I’d take it down a notch with the number of mocha pumps, and increase the amount of white chocolate sauce in the drink. And as always, whipped cream is a no for me.

Rate: 6/10

 

CSL (Cinnamon Shortbread Latte)

The CSL is a new drink that was released sometime earlier in the month of Jan. It’s made with a shortbread syrup and espresso, filled with steamed milk and topped off with nutmeg and cinnamon powder. This can come as both an iced or blended drink, and even as a hot chocolate.

Yet to try

 

Now that I’ve gone over the brand new drinks, let’s talk about a few fan favorites.

 

Honey Citrus Mint Tea

Also known as the cold buster or sick tea, this brewed green tea comes with one tea bag of Jade Citrus Mint tea and another teabag of Peach Tranquility tea. Inside, some customers add either more or less, but the drink comes with two packets of honey, hot water filled ¾ of the way up, and the last quarter is filled with steamed lemonade. This is a very popular drink come winter, due to the fact winter is commonly associated with the term flu season.

Personally, this is probably my favorite tea ever. Drinking sick tea for me always somehow made my throat tickle, even if I wasn’t sick. It made me feel like I was genuinely feeling better, even if the ingredients inside didn’t really do much for me with that. The citrusy flavoring from the lemonade really stands out compared to if this drink were to have just been made with hot water. This is probably one of my favorite drinks, but I strongly recommend it.

Rate: 100/10

thelegendonline Sports

Girls Soccer

 

By Christine Do

 

The Girls’ Junior Varsity (JV) and Varsity soccer teams have kicked off this year’s season strong.

“We started off good. Overall, I think we’re in a two to one right now. We’re starting kind of slow because we’re still getting used to being put into new teams but we’ll get better over time,” said Varsity Forward Emilet Ramirez.

As always, with new captains and new teams, the season is definitely different for the players.

“You have to be a good role model and have good execution for game plans. As a captain, it is important to guide the team and have the ability to empower others,” said JV Captain Mahik Kaur.

Despite not being the most experienced, the girls have built on their skills since day one of tryouts in Nov. of last year. The soccer players have practice on the days they don’t have games so essentially, they’re always practicing and learning. With more training, the girls are able to work on their skills and build stronger bonds with each other.

“We’re not the best with skills but we’re good with working together and improving,” said JV Goalie Gurkiran Braich.

This year was the first year that the soccer teams have had a preseason tournament, where the teams played three games as practice for players to evaluate themselves and to see which areas they lack in.

In their first few practices, the girls focused on the mistakes they made during preseason. With the turf under reconstruction, this year’s practices were always held at different locations, and thus occasionally being cancelled. Like any team, there is always room for improvement.

“I think we need to work on talking more on the field to be able to improve in our games,” stated Ramirez.

As a team, the most important factor during a game is communication. Players have to know where their teammates are. If in possession of the ball, the aim is to pass it to the other players and get it safely into the goal.

“Every time the team loses a player, it is hard for them to lift that weight and to balance each other out,” said JV Left Defender Ishika Pol.

“I think we need to work on talking more on the field to be able to improve in our games,” stated Ramirez.

The girls are continuing to work on their skills as the season progresses. The next game will be next Wednesday at Santa Teresa High School, so come support the girls as the season comes to an end!

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Bathroom Reviews

By Terry Tang and Trisha Trinh

 

The new buildings have just opened at the start of the second semester, bringing with it new bathrooms. There are shiny new toilets, glistening sicks, and glossy new hand dryers. There are no more nasty stenches disturbing the air and no more waste on the floor.

“The new bathrooms look much cleaner, and they have a Dyson hand dryer so that’s pretty cool,” said junior Frank Yeung.

The new bathrooms aren’t just nice and clean, they are different colors than the hallway bathrooms. Instead of the usual maroon stalls and white walls, they are a deep rich stone gray. Many students agree with Frank that the new bathrooms are so much better than the hallway bathrooms. The new bathrooms may be smaller, but have a bunch of new updates. For example, in the boy’s bathroom has dividers between the urinals and the girl’s bathroom has a different color for the stalls.

“It looks the same as the bathrooms in the halls, but just with a newer and fresher feeling with a scent of disinfectant,” said senior Christine Vu.

However, there are also some concerns that the new and shiny bathrooms will turn disgusting like the old bathrooms in the hallway overtime.

“More people vape now and have worse aim, so pee and trash are tossed everywhere in the old bathrooms,” said Frank.

Senior Thinh Le proposed an idea on how to keep the bathrooms well maintained and clean so that future students can still use the bathroom and not be disgusted by it.

“I think one way the admins can maintain the new bathroom is to clean the new bathroom daily and remove and replace graffiti that may occur during the school year,” said Thinh.

The old hallway bathrooms still have graffiti all over the stalls not appropriate for school, as stall doors often have sexual content and curse words decorating their interior.

“The bathrooms would always have graffiti about people hating others, and it’s sad to see what is left behind on the stalls,” said senior Tammy Ngo.

Students should also do their part to help clean the bathrooms as the administration cannot do everything by themselves.

“I think the students could be more mindful about maintaining the school property by cleaning up after themselves and causing damage upon the new equipment,” said Thinh.

There are also some questions about the convenience about the new bathroom locations.

“I think that the new bathrooms would be overcrowded since they’re brand new, whereas the hallway bathrooms will continue to be trashed until someone does something to change it,” said Tammy.

Overall, the new bathrooms are a great addition to Piedmont and hopefully students and staff will help keep it clean!

thelegendonline News

Teacher talent show

By: Rose Lu

 

This year, ASB and faculty banded together to host a staff talent show that took place on Jan. 24 at the L-building. The show showcased the teacher’s talents including acting, dancing and singing and with some of the cultural clubs.

“ASB had a goal at the beginning of the school year and that was to get staff more involved in student activities,” said ASB Treasurer Chloe Nguyen.

Admission was a dollar or a can of food. ASB and faculty added the form of payment as it can benefit others.

“We wanted to promote service and have an outlet for us to give back to the community,” explained ASB Secretary Tommie Huynh, “We realized that profits don’t outweigh our mission to give back to the community!”

Both PHHS staff and student clubs, including Las Mariposas, Bloomers, Indian Club and VSA, participated in the show.

“I’m participating in the talent show because I feel like it is very important for the teachers to see the other side of the student’s lives and how creativity and dance and the arts really affect them,” commented Sofi Jaquez, Las Mariposas president.

Staff also showcased their talents.

“I connected with the students on a different level because it isn’t just teachers going up there by themselves but you’re connecting with all these different groups,” remarked English Teacher and participant Michelle Flores. “It’s fun to see students in a different way than just academically.”

On stage, history teacher Jeffrey Loggins and Pep Commissioner Liana Annable teamed up to introduce all the acts and the teachers.

“The reason why I like hosting is that I feel really comfortable with it and that I’m very good with making a connection with the audience,” shares Mr. Loggins, “I feel like that’s my strong suit and that I’m comfortable on stage doing it.”

Psychology teacher Melanie Neethling played the piano and sang along with it, and English teacher Tricia Bolster sang a solo act.

“I’m a showoff and I have no pride,” shared Ms. Bolster, when asked about her reasons behind performing.

AP Honey Gubuan, social worker Yvonne Gunther and counselor Justine Kunkel also danced and had fun lip syncing and dancing to songs like Cardi B’s “I Like it.”

In the end, all teachers and cultural clubs that participated in the show gathered together to perform an end-of-the-show dance for the viewers.

“I really enjoyed seeing teachers and students come together to put on such performances,” expressed Chloe, “I hope this staff talent show becomes a Piedmont Hill’s tradition!”

thelegendonline Sports, Uncategorized

Super Bowl running in

By Drew Olvaino and Vincent Hoang

Tension was high throughout the arena. It was going to be a tie. Defense and offense clashed against one another, seemingly on equal terms. It was the fourth quarter, and seven minutes were remaining on the clock. No one knew who was going to win. Would it be the New England Patriots, or the Los Angeles Rams? Time was running by quickly and the winner was undetermined until—touchdown! Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady punted the ball to running back Sony Michel who drove into the end zone. The lead jumped up drastically, and the Patriots, fans and players alike, jumped out of their seats. The winner of the game was certain.

 

Super Bowl LIII, or the 53rd Super Bowl, was hosted in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta last Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Six-time Super Bowl champions New England Patriots were against the one-time champions Los Angeles Rams in which the Patriots won 13-3.

 

Unfortunately for many who watched the game, Super Bowl LIII did not break a record by having the game reach overtime, as many had hoped. Both the Rams’ and Patriots’ past games concluded with a win during overtime.

 

Nevertheless, plenty of records were set during this year’s Super Bowl. The record of the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever was perhaps the most significant. The Rams individually made a record for the longest punt kicked off at a high record of 65 yds by Johnny Hekker during the third quarter. On the sidelines, the first time in football history, the very first male cheerleaders Napoleon Jinnies and Quinton Peron performed for the Rams during the game.

 

The first half of the game ended with the Patriots leading 3-0. Both teams had yet to score during the first quarter and had trouble during the second quarter until the Patriots kicked the ball into the goal post.

 

When the first two quarters finished, the halftime show begun with the appearance of Maroon 5. They dominated most of the show with appearances such as Travis Scott and Big Boi who performed alongside lead singer Adam Levine. Maroon 5 dominated the stage, performing “This Love,” “Girls Like You,” “Sicko Mode,” “I Like the Way You Move,” “She Will Be Loved,” “Sugar” and “Moves Like Jagger.” There was criticism about how Levine had taken over the halftime show and took his shirt off during the performance. Celebrities such as Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and various news outlets had criticized Maroon 5 for having an uneven schedule and flow.

 

After halftime was over, the Rams tied the game with a kickoff at 3-3. They remained tied throughout the rest of the third quarter, despite Patriots’ strong safety Patrick Chung having to leave the game due to a right arm injury. The Patriots won the game by outscoring the Rams with a touchdown during the fourth quarter. This touchdown was made by tight end Rob Gronkowski who caught two of the Rams’ footballs. This led to the Patriots’ victory and wide receiver Julian Edelman was named MVP for this year’s Super Bowl.

 

Despite being called one of the “worst” and “most boring” matches in Super Bowl history, records were set and the Patriots got another championship ring and trophy for their well-deserved performance.