thelegendonline Captain's Log

Key Club partake in Fall Rally North for charity

By Quynh Luu

This Saturday, PHHS Key Club will participate in another year of Fall Rally North at Six Flag’s Discovery Kingdom starting at 10am.  The club will be joining this event alongside other Key Club divisions in California to raise money for the Pediatric Trauma Program.

“[PHHS Key Club is] competing for something called the ‘spirit stick.’  Every division is represented by a different mascot. [PHHS Key Club] is Iron Man and [Independence High School’s Key Club] is Captain America.  We all join together as superheroes going against other divisions in California,” explains Secretary Joshua Ranario. “This year, we have this thing called ‘spirit coordinators.’  They’ve been coming up with new cheers and great ways to bring our school and division on top.”

The Pediatric Program is a project done by Kiwanis whose goal is to raise awareness of preventable injuries inflicted upon children.  The organization focuses on educating the public on how to keep children safe and healthy in order to decrease the number of unintentional injuries worldwide.

“During the spirit rally, we stop for a while and transition to LTG (Lt. General) bidding.  There’s a big stage and all of the LTGs stand up on the stage.  People bid for LTGs, and for our district, we usually have forty to fifty LTGs,” states President Lucy Thai.

During the bidding process, members of different Key Club divisions explain what their LTGs can offer in one day.  An LTG that is successfully “purchased” experiences the event with another division. LTGs are usually auctioned off for $1 thousand to $2 thousand  each.  At last year’s Fall Rally North, PHHS Key Club’s raised $700 dollars in funds from the event.

“There is a ten member increase from last year.  We’ve publicized it really well.  Last year, our historian made a video for the whole thing.  I think a lot of people saw it and thought it was really fun,” claims Vice President of Service May Lam.

“(Fally Rally North) is for a great cause but you also get to meet new people.  Everyone goes all out, and it’s a great sight to see,” Joshua commented.

thelegendonline Captain's Log

Tiny shoeboxes bring Christmas to the world

By Yen Linh Duong

PHHS Ignite Christian Club once again is wrapping their shoeboxes, preparing to send them to Operation Christmas Child.  Hosted by Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian organization dedicated in helping people in need, Operation of Christmas Child focuses on bringing happiness to children through these simple shoeboxes.

“Well this is one of the events where we try to reach out to other countries, just people who are less privileged than we are.  What we try to do in this case is that we are trying to show them that there are people out there that care for them regardless of their situation and there’s also a God in heaven who will also cares about how they are,” explains Ignite Christian President Grace Cheung.

The club will be getting these boxes readied afterschool on Friday, filling them with items that can help a child, and during National Collection Week, Nov. 16-Nov. 23, these boxes will be send off with love.

“One of the thing we would give are pencils, we would give socks, toys, maybe like raft candy, and just things that they need over the school year and also like things for them to play with.  It’s just like us wrapping a gigantic Christmas gift in a shoebox form for them to open and celebrate Christmas with and you know, just like spread the love!” says Grace.

Ignite Christian club unites people who share a common belief in God.

“The purpose of the club is to gather together to share spiritual relationship with God and [kind of] just wanting to get together and grow spiritually and [kind of] just having the ability to grow in different aspect, whether relationship at home, even God, and even just with different people in general,” says Ignite Christian Treasurer Bethany J. Domingo.

thelegendonline Captain's Log

‘Hamlet’ comes to Piedmont Hills High School

F.04.Hamlet Traveling.Angelina Nguyen

TO BE OR NOT TO BE! Hamlet takes his final breath among his dead cousins.

Photo: Angelina Nguyen

By Angelina Nguyen

Last Tuesday, Hamlet was performed after seventh period by the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival: Shakespeare on Tour in the L-Building.

The English department sponsored the event mainly to give seniors the opportunity to watch Hamlet live on stage since they’ve read the play.  English teacher Nancy Kennett personally coordinated the event while Drama Teacher Anna Woods contacted the company.

“I hope it makes Shakespeare cool for kids,” expresses Ms. Kennett.

The play was free to all students but it was first come, first serve.  The show itself was a little longer than an hour long and starred five actors who were constantly interchanging between different characters throughout the play.  After the play ended, the actors stayed to answer any questions the audience may have had.

Hamlet is the story of a young prince named Hamlet who has been summoned to attend his father’s funeral in Denmark.  He comes home to find that his mother has married his uncle and the uncle is now the king.  Hamlet believes someone has murdered his father and his suspicions are confirmed when his father’s ghost visited him.  The audience witnesses Hamlet and those closest to him fall apart until his father is properly avenged.

The company likes to travel and perform Shakespeare plays in many places in the Bay Area.  Through their performances, they hope to give students and adults a better understanding and respect for the arts.  This is the first year they have come to PHHS.

“We do a lot of library shows, senior centers, we do community centers, Shakespeare societies but mainly a lot of schools,” says actress Sydney Schwindt.

thelegendonline Cultural Corner

Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead

By Emilie Chau

Synonymous with the colorful sugar skull, Day of the Dead, known as Dia de los Muertos in Spanish, is a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico on Nov. 2 to honor deceased loved ones.  It is also a way to contact the spirits of the dead and remind them that they are still loved and unforgotten.  Although physically separated, people can still connect with their loved family members.

The holiday stems from ancient traditions in Mexico from the pre-Columbian era, and those ancient rituals have been around for several thousand years.  When Europeans came to North America, they blended their Roman Catholic holiday of All Saints Day with the natives’ tradition and created Day of the Dead.

Those who celebrate this holiday all have different traditions or customs that they do on Day of the Dead.

“One of my aunts or uncles will collect money for the flowers so they could take more flowers to the cemetery,” says Spanish teacher Claire Gonzalez on one of the traditions her family does for Day of the Dead.

“We make a special bread called pan de muertos,” says Spanish teacher Sergio Reyes.

There are many common traditions that people do, such as decorating the cemetery–typically with marigold flowers, known as cempasúchil in Spanish, have picnic at the cemetery, decorate altars in the homes with the favorite food or trinkets that the deceased loved along with colorful sugar skulls and tell stories of the deceased.

Cemeteries become colorful with the festive decorations and candlelit scenery.

To prepare, many people make or order the food in advance, collect donations for flowers or candles and purchase decorations for the altars.

When remembering loved ones, it isn’t in a sad or somber manner; it is in a joyous and happy way that celebrates the life they lived.  By telling funny stories or anecdotes, one is able to remember how the person was when he or she was alive.

thelegendonline Sports

Girls Cross Country sprints into season

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ZOOM! Tiffany Pham sprints down the trail.

Photo courtesy of Ian Tippetts

By Elaine Zhang

This Wednesday, Girls Cross Country raced their last league meet at Montgomery Hill.  Now their league standings are 2-3 for Varsity and 4-1 for JV.

“I think we actually did pretty well overall,” recalls reserve member Tiffany Pham.  “I saw a lot of the times as they were recorded down, and definitely a lot of us made (Personal Records).  The Varsity and JV girls did especially well.”

The top seven girls will attend an invitational meet tomorrow at Mount Sac, which is in Southern California.

The team has been training since summer, running four to seven miles every practice.  The Varsity team has increased its training from last year in hopes of becoming league champions.  They have been practicing a lot on Alum Rock in order to prepare for the meets at Montgomery, which has a lot of hills.  The Varsity team has morning practices on Mondays and an extra practice on Wednesdays after school.

“We have a lot (more) tougher workouts.  We added a lot more mileage,” explains Pham.  “We have left out some stuff.  We are staying in more of one area this time; last year, we would go out in other directions too.”

Despite the hard workouts, the members still can laugh together and enjoy running.

“The whole team in general is pretty close,” says Varsity member Kimberly Licea.  “It’s very welcoming.  Even though you’re running as individuals, there’s still a big family feeling.”

“I got 99 problems, and running causes about half of them, but it solves the other half,” jokes Varsity member Sophia Xiao.

This new season brought changes to the team as new runners joined.

“I didn’t expect to be on Varsity the first year of cross country, so I’m really happy about that,” confesses Varsity member Kimberly Licea.  “It’s fun.”

Returning members also continue to enjoy the sport.

“I feel so accomplished running cross country for four years,” says reserves team Captain Holly Hancock.  “That’s what’s important.”

thelegendonline Centerspread

Timeline of Syrian conflict

By Michelle Lin

  1. 2000: Assad family rises to power in 1971 and has ruled Syria for nearly 40 years. Current president, Bashar al-Assad, begins his regime in 2000, succeeding his father, Hafez al-Assad.
  2. March 2011: Hundreds of people stage protests in Damascus, calling for democratic reform and demanding for more civil liberties. Security forces open fire on demonstrators, resulting in the first few deaths of the uprising.
  3. July 2012: Fighting breaks out in Aleppo, the largest city and the former commercial capital of Syria. Rebels seize control of a large part of the city, leaving it in ruins.
  4. November 2012: Syrian National Coalition is created, bringing together the main opposition factions. Conflict has increased to include several world powers and the rise of the jihadist groups, especially Islamic State.
  5. August 2013: The regime allegedly uses chemical weapons to kill more than 1,400 people.
  6. September 2013: Many rebel groups renounce their desires for a democratic government; instead, the Islamic Front is created to build a state governed by Islamic law.
  7. 2014: The Islamic State (IS), the al-Qaeda breakaway in Iraq, has taken control of large parts of Syria’s territory. Fighting between IS and a variety of Islamists groups spreads.
  8. 2015: Nearly 4 million people have fled Syria since the start of the conflict in search of a better life, and many of these refugees are seeing help from neighboring countries. Syria’s education, health, and social welfare are in states of collapse.
thelegendonline Sports

PHHS Track and Field team makes CCS

By Walt Leung

Last season, members of both the Girls and Boys Varsity Track and Field teams made it to the CCS (Central Coast Section) meet held at the San Jose City College.  On the girls’ team were alumni Timarya Baynard, Bianca Bryant, Kelia Surrency; seniors Angela Sanluis and Kiane Floyd and sophomore Jade McDowell.  On the boys’ team were alumni Josh Morales and Daryon Baynard and seniors Caleb Guan, Alwin Matthew and Ryan Coburn.

Once again, the girls’ team highlighted the meet for Piedmont Hills, with Baynard winning the 400 meter dash with a time of 0:54.99 and Bryant winning the 800 meter run with a time of 2:10.95.  Baynard also placed second in the 200 meter dash with a time of 24.48.  Other girls stepped up too, with Sanluis placing 25th in the 400 meter dash prelims, Surrency placing 27th in the 300 meter hurdles prelims, and McDowell placing 14th in the shot put.  Floyd also made the trials cut for CCS in the high jump, but ultimately failed to advance.

On the boys’ side, Baynard finished 12th in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:06.45 and Morales placed 6th in the discus throw.

Coming off of a huge season where the girls team broke CCS records by enormous margins, pressure was unusually high.

“Once you’re in that moment, it feels like you made it, but you’re not there yet.  There’s so much more, like state,” exclaimed Sanluis.

This pressure may have caused relay mishaps at CCS.  On the girls side, the 4×400 relay was disqualified in finals because a runner fell.

“Girls always had high expectations because they were the reigning champs.  That’s probably why one of our runners fell.  She was running on pressure at a pace faster than normal,” commented Matthew.  “For the guys, we felt the pressure too.

On the boys’ side, the 4×400 relay failed to make finals, finishing 19th in the preliminaries.  However, many members of the team are still optimistic about their chances this season.

“I’m trying to make CCS for the 2 mile,” exclaimed veteran distance runner Bryan Chu, who has made the CCS cut many times for cross-country but has yet to make it for track and field.

“We’re going for the 4×400 finals, definitely.  All we have to do is each hit 51-52 and we can probably make it to finals, maybe even rank,” comments Matthew.

thelegendonline Opinions

Dear Refugees

Editorial

If the Syrian refugees avoid drowning and manage to arrive in Europe, they justifiably expect that they will be helped, aided, noticed, maybe even respected in the majestic continent.  Instead, many Europeans wag their fingers and shake their heads.  They’ll spread their religion!  They’ll use up all of our resources!  There’s not enough space!  The Americans, on the other hand, should take a stand and fight against these nonsensical statements.

The horrors experienced by the Syrian refugees seem almost unimaginable in the eyes of the comfortable American population, yet, these horrors are still occurring.  Some might shift away from such a crisis, but as freedom-fighting Americans, we must help.

Perhaps some in Europe don’t truly understand the Syrian refugee crisis, but we in America surely do.  Most of our parents were immigrants, and we’ve definitely heard several times the story of their daring escape to America, the land of the free and home of the brave.  This personal understanding of the immigrant struggle allows for a sympathetic view of the Syrian refugees, for the ability to see them as people instead of lesser beings.

Just look at the historical evidence: the Holocaust, the Nanking Massacre, the Rwandan Genocide.  These are few of the many crises we, as Americans, did not interfere with soon enough, or even at all.  In response to the Holocaust, the U.S. enacted restrictive immigration quotas, showing obvious anti-Semitism, and the American public only found out about the horrors occurring at concentration camps near the end of World War II.  However, even this late knowledge of the Holocaust is preferable to the utter ignorance of most Americans and Europeans towards the Nanking Massacre and the Rwandan Genocide, in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed.

Because of this international ignorance, some people still have the gall to deny these events, despite the existence of Holocaust survivors, despite the decades the Chinese spent rebuilding Nanking, despite the thousands of pregnancies resulting from Rwandan war rape.  The lasting effects of these massacres and genocides push for our immediate action; as the saying goes, don’t let history repeat itself.

During the Holocaust, the U.S. decided to restrict immigration.  Judging by the outcome, immigration quotas do not help.  Instead, the government should allow more refugees to enter the U.S.  This country simply cannot call itself the land of opportunity without giving Syrian refugees a chance.

Donations, the primary source of aid, can be made to organizations like the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency), which teamed up with Kickstarter and can be found at https://www.kickstarter.com/aidrefugees, or Islamic Relief USA, which can be found at http://irusa.org/donations/.

thelegendonline Features

Trick-or-Treat with UNICEF

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BOO! Juniors Syndie Tanujaya and Lydia Hong are excited to help out.

Photo: Emilie Chau

By Emilie Chau

UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) is back with their annual trick-or-treat boxes during the last two weeks of October.

UNICEF began this Halloween-themed activity in 1950, to help children in need during the month of October.

“I think what sets us apart from other volunteer clubs…is that we donate all our profits back to the cause.” says Treasurer Sydnie Tanujaya.

Since 1994, Key Club has teamed up with UNICEF in this community service activity.

Members of each club will be walking around campus with their signature orange boxes like years before, asking for donations.

“It’s an easy way to help out people and families that are struggling,” comments UNICEF Vice President Lydia Hong.  The cause for the trick-or-treat box changes every year, but all center around the same cause to help people in poor countries by providing them with vaccines, clean water, food, healthcare and education.

“At the beginning of November we count [the money] up and send it to…UNICEF,” explains Key Club Project Writer Jason Vu.

After donations from members worldwide are submitted, UNICEF will choose which countries need the most help and give them the donations.  This community service activity is an easy way to make a huge impact on a child’s life.  Any donation, no matter how much, can only do positive things.

“If you just donate one dollar, people get water, protein, biscuits or vaccinations,” says Lydia.

The trick-or-treat boxes can be found anywhere on campus–with a club member in the hall or on the desk of a teacher.  This activity is a fast and easy way to help children around the world.

UNICEF is an international non-profit organization that supports women and children in need.

“We not only spread awareness about what’s going on in third world countries, but also aid these people,” explains Lydia.

thelegendonline Sports

Girls Tennis serves into a new season

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GREAT FORM! Freshman singles 1 Anna Hashimoto completes a graceful return.

Photo: Kylie Cheng

By Kylie Cheng

The PHHS Girls Tennis team won 5-2 against Westmont this Wednesday in its last game of the season, closing with a season record of 9-5.

The team has developed throughout the season despite facing challenges.  Without someone possessing a tennis-coaching license to lead practice, the girls have had to take improvement upon themselves through daily training and their own hard work.

“We did have a rocky start,” recalls Co-captain Kelly Chau, “especially since we lost a lot of varsity members last year, but generally we’ve been doing very well, and our girls have improved a lot.”

By analyzing one another’s performances in games, they pinpointed weak points and assessed them during practices.  Meanwhile, Coaches Bryce Itatani and Alonso Martinez would assist the team with various drills.  The team’s confidence grew as they progressed through games.

“This year we’ve been really grinding on trying to get our JV and everybody up to par with varsity, so we’ve been working them a lot harder,” Chau explains.

“We’ve been going out to practice and just working hard at every practice no matter what, and trying our best at every away match and home game, so that really helps,” states Co-captain Tiffany Nguyen.

Looking forward, the team remains eager to continue honing its skills for the upcoming BVAL (Blossom Valley Athletic League) Team Tournament for CCS (Central Coast Section) Qualifying next Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

“Even though we (had) a lot of setbacks this season, everyone’s really been trying their best and staying dedicated,” Nguyen expresses, “and that really makes me happy.”

Through their victories and their struggles, the girls maintain close-knit unity and high spirits.

“I think the best quality that this team has is how together they are and how much they get along with each other,” comments Coach Itatani.

“Their sportsmanship and their teamwork is unlike any other team,” praises Chau. “We’re literally like a family.”