thelegendonline Sports

Girls’ Tennis smashes out of season

By Sarah Shafaeen

After a particularly challenging season, the PHHS Girls’ Tennis team has discovered that they did not qualify to compete in the CCS (Central Coast Section) due to placing fifth.

“California’s athletic activities are broken down into about 10 different sections, one of them being the Central Coast Section, or CCS. Every year, sports teams within the section train with the sole purpose of competing for a spot in the CCS playoffs. It’s very difficult to make it to the playoffs and essentially only the best of the best can participate,” informed senior Anna Tran.

The tennis team was having a challenging season with five wins and ten losses. Part of the challenge was the influx of new players and many of the star players graduating the previous year.

“It’s definitely been challenging. We had a lot of our seniors last year graduate and they were a major part of our varsity lineup,” said Captain Tiffany Nguyen.

Everyone from the captain to the newcomer were aware of the mental and physical effects of this tough season and were concerned about the capability of this years’ team to compete at its full capability and potential.

This is why it was an extremely difficult journey to compete for a spot in the CCS playoffs. The CCS is the governing body of public and private high school athletics in the portion of California encompassing everything from the San Mateo County to the Monterey County. Despite the tough circumstances, the team remained hopeful and continued to train for the playoffs.

“In years past, Piedmont Hills has been able to play in the CCS tournament, and although we have been having a difficult season so far, we hope to do so again this year,” stated Tran.

“I’m pretty proud of how much improvement we’ve managed to come by so far and how we’ve done against certain schools,” admitted Nguyen.

Many of the newcomers were confident in the team’s ability and reflect back on the season with fondness. They were determined to get into CCS despite their losses throughout the season.

“I like all the support every day during the practices and the games. It makes me feel good because we’re one big family,” asserted freshman Crystal Cheng.

The determining game last Thursday showed the team that their efforts paid off and motivated the new players to train harder for next year’s season. ◆

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Its football y’all

By Alana Valdez

Pirates are working their way back up to the top one scurvy dog at a time. Our most recent crusade was against the Mustangs and our Pirates fought well.

Piedmont Hills Pirates played Pioneer High School and their Mustangs on our home turf last Friday. JV and V both played great games. Jv won 28-19 and V won 49-41. With this win the Pirates JV is 5-3 and V is 4-4. Piedmont now have one last game left in the season before CCS playoffs.

“I think we are doing really good right now. It took us a second to get in the shape of things since we had a thin team, but all in all we are doing pretty good.” Varsity football player Xavier Martinez comments after the game.

It has been a long voyage for our Pirates. The beginning of the season was off to a rocky start. They started out with a shortage of players. Then most students did not want to sign up for football because they did not have the time, did not have high enough grades or just did not want to play anymore. With the players we do have the coaches can see the lack of interest and commitment.

“Commit to practicing better, there is a lot of goofing around and not taking football serious they are just going out there and going through the motions and not really following direction. If they decided to take it more serious they could be great.” Football coach Jessie mentions.

The team continues to struggle, “They are struggling to get in sink and it shows of the football field.” says Coach Jessie. But thanks to the help of our coaches the players are making progress. “They always encourage us to push our limits and to never quit during game time, they inspire us in and out of practice.” Varsity Player Ryan Devlin states. This is what makes them a great team.

“I feel like if we could keep the same intensity all game long we will make it to CCS and not letting teams get in our heads.” Xavier says and hopefully tonight’s game at Leland High will help us qualify for CCS. ◆

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The biography of a biology teacher

By Katie Tran

“I am exceptionally boring,” remarks biology teacher Jason Dries when asked about his hobbies besides photography.

Aside from teaching here at Piedmont Hills, Mr. Dries spends much of his time taking photos, whether it be of his friends and family or of his clients. His interest in photography began about ten years ago, when his son was born. Back then, the phones weren’t great and he wanted better than his hand-held cell phone.

“I bought a kit off Amazon, or eBay and kinda started liking photography and then that camera became a better one and then a better one and then a better one,” explains Mr. Dries.

Mr. Dries owns a small business called Legacy Photographs, which was originally a website where he would blog and post photos, until April 2011. He read an article in the Mercury News one morning about a mother of three who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and decided that he would offer to take photos of her and her family so her kids would have a memory of their mother forever.

“I contacted her the morning I read about it in the newspaper and said ‘can I take thousands of pictures of you with your kids before you die?’ so we met up a bunch of times and actually took a vacation with them early on,” reminisces Mr. Dries. He then expanded his plan to make Legacy Photographs a small business by doing pay jobs to cover the costs of photos for them.

“To establish a legacy is to preserve things and I have taken tens of thousands of pictures of my son so his legacy will be very visible in the years to come,” responds Mr. Dries, explaining why he named his business ‘Legacy Photographs.’

Before deciding on becoming a teacher, Mr. Dries thought about pharmacy school and was accepted to the University of Pacific but turned it down because his parents couldn’t afford it.

“Not an option. I’m color blind and I can’t see rashes, jaundice, hives. I can’t see those things. It would be bad,” revealed Mr. Dries on why he didn’t reapply when offered admission again.

Mr. Dries has been teaching AP Biology for 15 years and the year after decided that Piedmont needed Forensic Science so he began teaching that as well.

“Our principal at the time, we were in one of our meetings, asked ‘who wants to teach AP?’ and I was the only one who raised my hand,” revealed Mr. Dries.

When asked who his inspirations were, he replied that every photo he sees that are better than his serves as inspiration to him but he doesn’t have any specific inspirations. ◆

thelegendonline Opinions

Your local barista helps you pick the perfect drink

 

To the average confused customer,

 

What says fall more than ordering a cup of coffee and viciously typing into your computer under the free Wi-Fi of Starbucks?  Every day, students are scattered throughout the store, working on projects ranging from college applications to essays due the next day, spending hours focused on their computer screen. But we all need some type of break, so what do we order? There’s all kinds of choices for you to pick from, ranging from a regular cup of Pike’s Place brew to Pokemon Go Frappuccinos. That’s why I, your local barista, am here to help you find a drink that’s right for you this fall season.

 

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSL) are a very well-known fall drink at Starbucks. It’s a coffee drink with traditional fall flavors like pumpkin and cinnamon with espresso shots, steamed milk, whipped cream and pumpkin spices to top it off. It also can come iced and even blended into a frappuccino if you prefer it. It’s a classic Starbucks drink, and is commonly labeled as a favorite by many customers. It’s only seasonal, so you only have a few months to stop by and order it.

Although it’s said to be this favorite drink among many, in my opinion, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are way too overhyped. The pumpkin sauce inside makes it way too sweet, and the whipped cream on top just adds onto that. I feel like ordering an iced drink takes away from its flavor, as well as that soothing satisfaction that the drink provides when it’s warm. If I were to order the PSL, I’d order it warm with no whipped cream and less pumpkin sauce; that way it still has that coffee flavor and a temperature that makes you feel all warm inside.

Rate: 7.5/10

 

Salted Caramel Mocha

Another fall seasoned drink is the Salted Caramel Mocha (SCM), which also comes either hot, iced, or in the form of a blended frappuccino. The drink is essentially a mocha with toffee nut flavoring, espresso shots, milk, and topped with whipped cream, caramel, and the salt topping. This is another seasonal drink that people have to wait for fall to order it, but those who know the ingredients can get it before it comes by just ordering a mocha frappuccino with toffee nut.

Yet again, the drink, at least in my opinion, is way too overhyped. When I first tasted it, I expected it have a nutty flavor mixed with the perfect balance of chocolate and a topping mixed with the caramel that was a perfect combination of salty and sweet. What I actually tasted was just a mocha with extra toppings on top and no real nutty flavor. Now I’m not saying it’s terrible because it’s not as sweet as the PSL, but the drink is still not something I would get on a regular basis. If I were to tweak it, I’d probably ask for more of the toffee nut syrup because I didn’t get any nutty flavor. But I do have to say, the caramel and salt toppings did really compliment each other perfectly so kudos to Starbucks for that part of the drink.

Rate: 6/10

 

These are the only popular seasonal drinks, so next I’ll introduce some of the newer drinks that entered the menu in stores nationwide.

 

Triple Mocha Frappuccino

The Triple Mocha Frappuccino (TMF) isn’t super new, but it just entered stores this summer. The drink is a blended drink with a chocolate flavor, topped with the new Cold Brew Whipped Cream (CBWC). It’s supposed to be sweeter than the regular Mocha Frappuccino.

In my opinion, the way the drink is presented is pretty cool. Baristas add whipped cream to the bottom of the cup with mocha sauce so that when mixed with the drink it almost looks like a cool swirl. In my opinion, the CBWC really adds a new flavor to the drink; that’s what makes the drink sweeter than the original. The ingredients that go inside are essentially the same as a regular Mocha Frappuccino, but the CBWC is definitely worth the extra 50 cents in the end.

Rate: 8.5/10

 

Ultra Caramel Frappuccino

I know we have many Starbucks lovers out there who get their Caramel Frappuccinos with so much extra caramel that you might as well just order an entire cup of it. Instead of forcing you to keep ordering extra extra extra caramel, Starbucks has offered the new Ultra Caramel Frappuccino (UCF). A blended drink made with our new dark caramel in replacement of the original caramel and topped with our Cold Brew Whipped Cream and Caramel Drizzle, the drink provides an even sweeter twist to the original Caramel Frappuccino (CRF).

As far as sweetness goes, in my opinion, I prefer a stronger coffee taste over sweetness, so I usually add a couple shots to any frappuccino I order. The presentation of the drink itself is similar to that of the TMF, with CBWC mixed at the bottom to give it that cool swirl effect. In the end, it all depends on how sweet you really want your drink to be.

Rate: 8/10

 

Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher

And last but certainly not the least, I present to you the newest addition to the refreshers, the Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher. When it first came out, stores were constantly running out of the new refresher, which replaced the previous Cool Lime Refresher. The new refresher is a combination of tropical flavors, including a mango taste with some dragon fruit flavors. The drink is topped with dragon fruit bits to give it a vibrant pink color and can be shaken with either water, lemonade, or coconut milk.

In my opinion, just ordering the Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher (MDR) tastes like some watered down Vitamin Water. If you shake it with lemonade, it brings out more of the mango flavoring and adds a really good flavor to the already popular drink. I’ve seen customers order it with coconut milk, which gives it a VERY vibrant pink color, as well as makes it a little sweeter than the original drink. The MDRL is actually one of my favorite drinks on the menu, so I would definitely recommend it.

Rate: 9.5/10

 

I hope this helped guide you to your preferred drink out of the newer drinks that Starbucks has to offer. In all honesty, every drink on the menu has its own uniqueness that fits to every customer’s needs. As long as you know what you’re craving, choosing the perfect drink shouldn’t be too hard.

 

Sincerely,

Your Local Barista ◆

thelegendonline Opinions

Thoughts on science building foot traffic

By Janelle Perez

Monday morning, alarm goes off. You roll over to turn off the frightening sound of chimes and accidentally fall asleep for another 35 minutes. Before you know it, you’re already late to your first period.

You jump out of bed and quickly put on a pair of jeans and a hoodie and keep your Birkenstocks on as a mistake, but it goes with your look, so you decide to keep them on. As you’re rushing downstairs to eat a quick bowl of Fruit Loops with your hair half done and your socks mismatched, you check the time and see you have five minutes to get to school.

You make it just in time to get to class by the tardy bell. It’s just a matter of taking a shortcut through the outside of the D-Buildings. Slamming your car door and nearly tripping on your own feet, you run from the student parking lot to take your shortcut and realize that it is blocked off.

The blocked off area is where the new science, general education and special education building is being built. While the cause of the building is great, the delayed construction has led to a traffic jam near the student parking lot. The building has been in construction since summer of 2017 where it was said to be done by the beginning of the new school year.

The area prevents students from having a shortcut to their classes near the student parking lot. Although the shortcut may not seem like a big deal, those extra three minutes come in handy when you are almost late to a 7:20 a.m. Pre-Calculus class. Everybody has their days when life just happens and we turn off the excessively annoying sound of our alarm and sleep an extra 35 minutes, so those extra minutes save time and tardy strikes.

Not only is the blocked off area causing a reroute on the way to class, it is causing a backup in where students can be dropped off. Since students usually get dropped off in the student parking lot, parents are dropping off their students further back rather than closer to the football field.

This is because the drop-off area near the football field is primarily where the construction is being held. Even if parents would be able to drop their students off right before the football field, a major reroute would have to take place due to the blocked off area. Whereas if the area were not blocked, then there would be a closer way into the Junior Hall and the D-Building.

Traffic is not favored by most people. Which is understandable since traffic consumes time and causes various problems to a person’s stress levels. But as time goes on and your time at PHHS comes to an end, the only question remaining is whether or not school traffic will ever come to a moderately acceptable end. ◆

 

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Teachers host Mock Election in spirit of Midterm Elections

By Henry Zheng

In honor of the upcoming Midterm Elections on Tues., Nov. 6, various history teachers have conducted Mock Elections in their classrooms to give students a taste of voting and hopefully influence them to be more politically active.

Every year, California hosts a Mock Election just for students, in which the results of these votes are compared to the actual national votes. In a society where reform is advocated more than ever, these Mock Elections do much to help students voice their opinions and bring change to the world around them.

“I love that people protest and that there are petitions I can sign and that there are news programs that educate us but if we’re not going to the polling place and voting or sending our mail in ballot then we’re really not affecting change,” said American Government teacher Lynne Murray.

On the students’ side, many felt that the election was what they needed to initiate change and show that they too have valid opinions in politics.

“It was a good way to express how I feel about certain topics,” said senior Jason Damasco, who participated in the election.

A handful of other students also believed this was a way to demonstrate leadership and help lead this generation further into the complicated political world, as well as help prove to the older generation that they too are politically valid.

“I believe that we should stand against the changes we want to see happen and let (the) people see our generation as ‘do-ers’ instead of whiners,” said senior An Truong.

These Mock Elections did much more than just allowing students to be able to voice their opinions and be a part of change. It created voters that would be more politically devoted and aware of the world around, giving them confidence in their decisions.

“Vote because it really does matter,” said Jason

 

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Artery Club begins to paint the walls

By Harleen Kaur

Artery Club planned a new mural outside the B-Building and are expected to start painting soon.

“We plan to have a tube of acrylic paint and it is going to have paint with miscellaneous designs and flowers coming out of it,” stated Artery President Diego Papa. This is the next major project the Artery Club has decided to do as they have already decorated the science halls with very vivid and extravagant murals.

Upon deciding their next big project, the club decided not to have a specific theme associated with this new mural, unlike their last project where they filled the science hallways with science related themes.

“We wanted to make the school more colorful and pretty,” stated Artery Vice-President Rachel Nguyen. This new mural will contain designs that the dedicated members had drawn and planned out during their Wednesday after-school meetings in B-11.

“It is so cool seeing the murals when I walk to my chemistry class. They make me feel like I’m walking through a painting since most of our walls have basic designs and colors,” exclaimed junior Ashley Huynh.

The members have started to get some of the paint up this month but they do not plan to finish until the end of the school year. The students would work on and off on this project as they meet once or twice a month to get more designs up. The club is really excited to get new work up and ready for the whole school to see.

“One of us wanted to put Voltron. I want to put Voltron too. We just want to put stuff that makes people happy,” answered Artery member Tammy Ngo.

“We want this project to be fun and creative,” said Rachel. Although they would use other paints such as house paint and watercolor for other projects, the club planned to use acrylic paint as it displayed the most vivid colors and stuck the best to the wall.

This is the biggest project the Artery club has taken up this year but they also planned to sell some grams and pins throughout the following months.

Next time when passing the B-Building, be sure to be on the look for new progress to be made on the mural. ◆

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In memory of Dan Luong

By Andrew Wong

Sophomore Dan Luong passed away from a car accident at the age of 15, on October 3rd, 2017. To many, Dan was well-known for his sense of humor and kindness. As a person who often showed his affection, he was very generous and helped others build their confidence. Dan enjoyed many hobbies in his life, such as biking, playing video games, watching anime and hanging out with his friends. Missed by many of his friends, he played a major role in their lives and became an influence for them all to remember.

“He was very generous, funny, filled with joy and a whole big chunk of fun. He has a dirty mind and dirty humor, but it was funny humor,” said junior Matthew Vo. “Dan is my best friend and I think of him as a mirror image of me and I am a mirror image of him. He had a major influence on how I act, and we were basically together as one. If he was still here right now, I would run up to him and hug him for a long time. Probably won’t talk just to seize that moment; after that I would tell him I miss you and I love you a bunch of times.”

Among his group of friends, Dan was known to be the funny guy in the group. He was acknowledged for his generosity and cheering people up with his funny jokes. Dan attempted to befriend anyone he met, as well as trying his very best to bring them along with his happy times.

“Back in 5th grade, before we met, I was a nerd and a loser. Later when I met him in 6th grade, I became more of a funny guy and I had a more positive outlook in life,” described junior Andy Ho.  “He was also one of the most generous people I knew, and I became more generous to others because of that. If he was still alive today, we would still be hanging out, playing video games and going out to play badminton.”

“He was known for his humor the most and brought out his fun side,” said junior Dinh Tran. “I’m not as close towards Dan as much, but I still hung out with him and he was a part of my life. If he was still around, I would hang out with him a lot more because I never got to do that.” ◆

 

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Fall for the voices of choir

By Vincent Hoang

Piedmont Hills’ Choir held their concert, ‘Pieces of Autumn’ on Wednesday, Oct. 10 in the L-building for a five dollar admission fee.

The Music Department presented this concert in order to gain support and raise funds.

Choir teacher Myles Ellis conducted all the members of choir to sing the many songs of autumn, along with some solo pieces performed by some of the Varsity Choir members.

Some of the members of the choir really enjoyed the presence and the conducting of Mr. Ellis, and being their first concert, the members felt ready and grateful for the teachings that Mr. Ellis gave them.

“I joined Choir simply because I really enjoy music and I wanted to use my voice to improve the choir. I just find singing really fun. Mr. Ellis is by far the most talented musician I have met. I had a solo piece that Mr. Ellis has heavily trained me for,” said Soprano Section Leader and Choir Council President Lilly Liu.

Even though Lilly thought that she didn’t do well, but the audience’s reaction says otherwise for her fantastic solo performance.

“I enjoy singing whenever and with whoever. The people I sang and practiced with have truly helped me prepare for our performance.” said Varsity Choir member and Choir Council Treasurer Nikko Timbol.

With confidence, Nikko and the other choir members were successful in making the audience enjoy their time.

“I have been teaching high school music for 13 years, but 9 of those years was here in Piedmont Hills. I would consider this a magnificent job and I am very glad that I am able to do this and find it enjoyable. This year’s Choir was very different from the others being that there is many more new faces than usual. But even so being our first concert, I am so proud of my students for working so hard on the songs we performed,” explained Mr. Ellis.

The many pieces performed by Choir show how much talent we have here at our school. ◆

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‘Falling into Music’ comes the PHHS Music Department

By Drew Olaviano

The PHHS Music Department hosted the “Falling into Music” Fall Instrumental Concert in the L-Building on Fri., Oct. 12, at 7 p.m.

Tickets at the door sold for $5 and featured String Orchestra, Concert Band, Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble.

“It’s always exciting to do a concert at the beginning of the year because you work so hard for the pieces and you [want to] show the talent as a group that we have,” admitted Symphony Orchestra’s First Violinist JeiRonemo Thomas.

String Orchestra opened the concert and performed Overture to Semiramide by Bob Lipton, Prelude and Fugue in D Minor by John Leavitt and Short Overture for Strings by Jean Berger.

Concert Band performed Kentucky 1800 by Clare Grundman, The Headless Horseman by Timothy Broege and Coast Guards by Karl L. King.

Symphony Orchestra was next after intermission and performed Tico by Nancy Bloomer Deussen, Symphonic Dances Op. 63 by Edvard Grieg and Symphony C Major by Georges Bizet. Unlike previous groups, Symphony Orchestra performed solos which resonated the building.

“It was definitely something. I really liked their performance!” cried Concert Band’s clarinet player Julian Olaviano.

Wind Ensemble performed last and performed Accolada by Ed Huckeby, Lake Washington Suite by John P. Zdechlik and Riders for the Flag by John Philip Sousa. Similar to Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble had solos performed by many different musicians.

“I played my very first solo in our first piece Accolada. I felt very nervous and anxious and I thought I was going to completely mess up! Thankfully I didn’t and I was satisfied with what I played. I stuck through and [it paid] off,” exclaimed flute player Karla Manzanares.

The concert proved to be a success.

“I felt pretty good and excited [about it] because it [was] my last concert ever in high school,” mused Wind Ensemble’s flute player Quynh Nguyen.

The only goal in mind for the Music Department is to improve in the future.

“Hopefully if the violas have fast moving parts (ex: sixteenth notes) in our next pieces I’ll be able to play them properly and keep in time with Mrs. Ray’s conducting,” said Symphony Orchestra’s viola player Tiffany Nguyen.

The PHHS Music Department will be hosting their next performance soon, and they are confident they’ll improve as time goes on. ◆