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Boys Tennis team ready to serve

Rex Ly

The JV Boys Tennis team hit off their new season with a 8-2 victory against Oak Grove High School. This season in the team has 18 players ready to represent Piedmont Hills and make it to CCS (Central Coast Section).

“I take it pretty seriously. I try and stay committed, be the first on and the last one off,” stated Doubles player Dylan Emery.

PHHS has been on a winning streak. With their most recent wins, they are working towards getting to the league games and reaching CCS. Throughout the season almost all the games have been close calls.

“I would have to say our biggest rival has to be Independence,” stated JV Captain Alan Nguyen.

Our next game against Independence will be next Fri., right before break.

“I keep everyone in check, organize practice and fill out team finances,” stated Nguyen. The JV Boys tennis team practices every day after to learn the game for new members they always practice at the school at the tennis court from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“(The best advice I can give to new players is to) train consistently. You can’t take breaks from tennis and expect to be at the same play level when you come back,” said Singles player Guneet Sachdeva.

Like in any sport everyone starts off fresh and their biggest challenge is to improve in their skills in tennis.

Everyone has room for improvement on the team.

“My weakness is that I play aggressive and sometimes not that consistent. We are all getting better as the season goes on,” states tennis player Gavin Yu.

The newer members who participate are still determined to show up to all practices and tries to meet every day in the season to get better for their next game.

“I urge everyone to join if they’re interested in dedicating to our tennis team,” stated Doubles player Jason Cheng.

The team encourages students to join the team as it is a good afterschool activity and experience.

“I enjoy playing tennis! I think it is a good sport, but it encourages you to run a lot which you would not expect from tennis because it is in a confined area.” shared Emery.

The boy’s tennis team is trying to train hard in order to secure a spot in CCS and to win the league games.

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Interact and Business Minds/Multi-club Lunch with Special Ed Kids

By Sarah Shafaeen

 

Last Thursday, the PHHS Special Education students attended a luncheon in the PHHS library organized by ARK (Acts of Random Kindness), Interact and Business Minds.

The event is highly anticipated by the Special Education students and ARK members because it is an opportunity to get to know each other.

“The luncheon is very nice because it is an opportunity to mingle and have our kids interact with the general education kids,” said Nonglak Prasopsook, Special Education teacher.

It is difficult to organize an event this big, so ARK usually teams up with other clubs and tries to choose easy themes. This year they decided to hold a Hawaiian-themed pizza party luncheon because it’s a cute tropical theme and pizza is easy for the members to prepare and work with.

“ARK came up with this idea about 3 years ago, when we collaborated with Bloomers Club. ARK has been organizing this event ever since 2016, but we did not hold the event last year because of conflicting schedules. Business Minds reached out to Interact and ARK who typically organizes this event every year. This is ARK’s first year collaborating with Interact and Business Minds for this event,” informs ARK President and Interact YouthAct Coordinator Janeene Yeh.

The ARK students worked hard to host the luncheon and were rewarded by the joy it brought all of the students.

“Our main message in ARK is to spread kindness and positivity to high school students and staff. A big part of the student population is the Special Ed students so we thought this luncheon would be a great way to show our appreciation to them and let them know that they have a friend in us,” reveals ARK Historian Anamika Bisen.

With all the planning, preparing and execution of the luncheon ARK determines the success of the event based on the response they receive from the club members and students.

“Our club expectations are making sure that each of the 30 Special Ed students are paired up with an Interact or ARK member/officer and that we all have a good time together,” states Janeene.

The luncheon is something ARK wanted to make an annual event and has been working towards making that vision a reality.

“We definitely are trying to make this an annual thing. Last year, with work to rule we were unable to completely plan out the event so it was cancelled but this year we are back and ready to make this event a successful one!” exclaims Anamika.

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How Fat Is Distributed In The Body

By: Rose Lu

The Meaning of Fat

How a person’s fat is distributed in the body can actually say a lot about the person. Body fat distribution is based on four factors: genes, gender, age and hormone levels.

According to Health line, a health organization, 50% of body fat distribution is determined by genes, for example, if a family is heavy set on the buttocks or the hips, that individual will most likely inherit those.

Healthy male body fat levels range from 6% to 24%, while females’ healthy body fat levels range from 14% to 31%. Men are more prone to getting fat around their midsection, or stomachs, while women are more likely to gain bigger buttocks and hips.

Eventually when people age, they tend to gain higher levels of body fat overall because of a slower metabolism and the loss of muscle tissues. According to Better Health Channel, hormone imbalances also cause belly fat, which can be avoided by exercising.

There a three types of body fat: Subcutaneous, which is all over the body but mainly around the buttocks, hips and thighs. Visceral, which is around the abs, the organs or the stomach area; and brown, which is around the shoulders and chest.

The subcutaneous stores energy used for later. Visceral fat is the unhealthiest as it can induce insulin resistance  and cause diabetes. According to a study performed by Kaiser Permanente, people with large amounts of fat in their stomachs have a higher chance of getting dementia. Brown is fat that can stimulate calorie loss, one of its few jobs.

BMI (body mass index) isn’t the best predictor for weight levels. According to TIME, the BMI reader can’t differentiate between fat and muscle. If the person’s BMI is in the overweight or obese category, it’s most likely that that person has an unhealthy amount of visceral fat. According to Healthline, 22% of men and 8% of women that are considered normal actually have high amounts of visceral fat.

It’s easy to gain visceral fat by eating too much junk food or saturated fats, sitting down all the time, and letting stress take control. Which is almost exactly what many of us do in school. Junk food and saturated fat is easily absorbed into the bloodstream, causing a spike in insulin or a fat deposit hormone.

Sitting also causes an immense amount of visceral fat in our bodies. Fat surrounds our organs after sitting down for long periods of time, according to a study conducted by Obesity Society.

Stress forces our bodies to produce cortisol and adrenalin, two stress hormones. Cortisol and adrenalin prompt the body to release glucose and stored fat in preparation to run away from danger. This pertains more to the cavemen who needed these two hormones to get away from predators, whereas we are sitting and releasing the hormones. Since we don’t actually burn the hormones away, they stayin our bodies and store.

Therefore, don’t forget to also manage stress. Turn non-constructive worry into constructive and tackle the assignments and issues at hand. If it’s out of your control, let it go. Remember to also take breaks between studying and working. Many of us forget to do that and it strains our system and ourselves.

There are many other ways to also decrease visceral fat production within our bodies.

One is to choose complex carbs and proteins over sugar and junk food. If food is digested at a slower rate, less insulin will be produced.

Exercising is another great way to reduce fat as it increases muscle mass and reduces body fats. It gets the body working and pumping. Last but not least, sleep early. Studies show that those who slept for five hours have a 32% increase in visceral fat while those who sleep for six to seven hours only got an increase of 13%.

 

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Interesting Holidays

By Harleen Kaur

 

Interesting Holidays

April 7- Caramel Popcorn Day

April 8- Draw a Picture of a Bird Day

April 9- Name Yourself

April 10- National Siblings Day

April 11-National Submarine Day

April 12- Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

April 13 – International Plant Appreciation Day

April 14- Look Up at the Sky Day

April 15- National Tax Day

April 16- National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day

April 17- Haiku Poetry Day

April 18- National High Five Day

April 19- National Garlic Day

April 20- National Look-Alike Day

April 21- Easter Sunday

April 22- Earth Day

April 23- National Picnic Day

April 24- Denim Day

April 25- National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day (National Take our Children to Work Day)

April 26- National Pretzel Day

April 27- Tell a Story Day

April 28- International Astronomy Day

April 29-National Dance Day

April 30- International Jazz Day

May 1- Save the Rhino Day

May 2- Brothers and Sisters Day

May 3- Space Day

May 4- Star Wars Days

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Mr. Aberle doesn’t OMmit details

By Rose Lu

At school, physics teacher Lance Aberle may seem ordinary. However, to earn his teaching credentials, he has come a long way.

“As a physics major in college I was offered the opportunity to be a TA, and with it came the responsibility of teaching two lab sections,” shared Mr. Aberle. “I enjoyed it so much that I realized it was what I wanted to do.”

Before officially becoming a teacher, Mr. Aberle worked several odd jobs.

“The first job I ever had was during my first year in college–I worked at Toys R Us. In fact, I just drove by the old store I worked at, and it was very sad to see it all boarded up, now that they have gone out of business,” commented Mr. Aberle, “It was mostly manual labor as I worked in the back warehouse and helped to unload trucks, but it was a great experience and there was a lot of fun camaraderie with the other people who worked there. “

He also worked for a small assay which is a metal or ore testing site, office work, the campus bookstore at SJSU as well as several internships prior to starting his master’s degree.

“I was able to get hired on at Intel, [and] while it was yet another great learning experience in a technical setting, it was not for me,” stated Mr. Aberle,  “It was about this time I was doing my teaching work as a TA, and I switched from my master’s program to the teaching credential program for physics!”

Now, he has taught for many years and has adopted many hobbies during his free time, which includes indulging in outdoor activities, playing video games and spending time with family and friends.

I used to go camping every summer, but have done so less in recent years–somehow sleeping on an air mattress on the ground is not as comfortable as it used to be,” shared Mr. Aberle, “But I still enjoy the outdoors with walks and bicycle rides.”

Mr. Aberle also enjoys trips and traveling.

“I also have fun exploring places on road trips–last summer I went to Crater Lake National Park for the first time,” comments Mr. Aberle.“The drive around the lake was relaxing and the views were breathtaking.”

Mr. Aberle also enjoys playing Fallout 4 with Biology teacher Jason Dries and Physiology teacher David Vasques.

 

 

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Competing for the MNT cause

By Julian Rosete

Key Club hosts their first ever MNT (Maternal Neonatal Tetanus) Olympics on Sunday March 31st.

“This is the first time Key Club has done the MNT Olympics, but hopefully it will become an annual event for our members,” says Key Club Publicist and MNT coordinator Emily Vu.

“It was an event that our fabulous MNT coordinators had been planning for a really long time, and seeing everyone participate and have a lot of fun at the event was pretty rewarding”, says Key Club president Kathy Ton

This event is for contestants to come out to compete and for spectators to come and watch. The event was run by MNT coordinators and Key Club officers at Cataldi Park. There will be many games for contestants to compete in such as three legged race, water balloon race, water toss and more.

“Our division goal for MNT was three thousand dollars and with the registration, raffle tickets and concessions sold at the event, MNT olympics pushed us over the three thousand mark,” says Kathy

The admission costed five dollars for those who chose to compete in the Olympics and three dollars for those who came to watch the event. All the money raised went to the Eliminate project to help fight the MNT disease.

MNT is a disease that causes mothers and newborn babies to experience convulsions and severe pain that can lead to involuntary death. This disease kills a baby every 15 minutes even though this could be prevented with three doses of vaccines that cost $1.80, according to Key Club. These vaccines can protect mothers and children for their rest of their lives.

The Eliminate project is a cause which not only helps to solve the MNT crisis, but also to provide clean water, nutrition’s and other vaccines. The overall goal of the Eliminate project is to raise 110 million dollars to support these causes.

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Praise Night

By Alana Valdez

One Way Christian Club will be hosting a praise night next Friday in the L-building. The praise night will be going on ` from 6 to 8.

“I’m looking forward to spreading the love of God to PHHS with our guest speaker’s message and the worship that will take place performed by Piedmont Hills students!”  Mentions Alyssa Espinal.

“There will be people performing and singing Christian songs and as well as someone speaking,” says One Way Christian Club Historian Paola Rios

The guest speaker will be Pastor Gus from Mount Pleasant Christian Church. He will be sharing a message about how God changed his life.

“This is Pastor Gus’s first event with us and so we are looking forward to hearing what his message will be for the students,” shared Julian Rosete.

There are also the wide variety of performances by the club members.

“Joseph Chung, Jeremiah Porda, and Julian Rosete will be leading worship for the night. Joseph is singing and playing the guitar Jeremiah is singing and Julian is playing electric guitar,” says One Way Christian Club President Alyssa.

“I will be playing couple songs for praise night such as How Great is Our God and Good Good Father,” explains Julian.

Friends, Family, and students are welcomed to join the club for the praise night. Admission is free and snacks will be provided. You can also purchase new club t-shirts for 15 dollars.

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Avid senior night

By Janelle Perez

 

Seniors in AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) will be honored next Thursday for completing four years in the AVID program. Friends and family will gather in the L-Building to celebrate the seniors in their accomplishments as well as their future endeavors. The event feature the two senior AVID classes of social science teacher Lynne Murray and Spanish teacher Edith Sousa.

Students will receive their senior AVID stole as well a certificate for completing the AVID program.

“It’s really bittersweet to be receiving the certificate because it means it’s all coming to an end,” says senior Isabella Place.

AVID is a four year commitment which helps students stay on track to graduate and to meet the end goal of pursuing a higher education and ending an achievement gap.

“We hope to have a better turnout, like more parents attend now that it’s held in the evening. We hope students will take it more seriously and have them feel a sense of pride that they’re being honored on that night” says Mrs. Sousa.

This is the third year this event will be held in the evening, whereas previous years were held during lunch. The underclassmen AVID students will also be at this event helping greet the families and friends of the senior honorees.

“I hope our AVID seniors feel extremely honored because we’re recognizing their commitment to the four year program as well as a thank you for their hard work and inspiring spirits. We also want to thank their parents and guardians for sharing their students with us and supporting the AVID program,” says Ms. Murray.

A slideshow showing pictures from both classes will be shown before the ceremony. “I’ve made a lot of friends in AVID, some have become my best friends and it’s something I’m really grateful for,” says senior Natalie Rodriguez.

The ceremony will have the students on the stage and they will be called up one by one to receive their stoles and certificate. Light refreshments will also be available for their guests.

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Campus beautification

By Justin.Wang

Swarms of students spent their Saturday cleaning campus

On Sat., Mar. 30, about 400 students arrived on campus with one goal in mind: to beautify the PHHS campus with the event called Pick Me Up which was organized by Insane Ink.

“This time we replaced the light pole banners, planted 12 trees, picked up all the little trash around campus, mulched and pulled weeds,” said business teacher Mitch Method.

Trees were provided by Our City Forest, an organization that provides trees and assists in tree care.

“We want to maintain and protect our urban forest and we do that through the engagement of our volunteer. So, we’re providing ten trees for Piedmont High,” said Our City Forest personnel Briana Horta.

This time, Insane Ink provided free lunch and a complimentary reusable bottle to participating students.

“We got the district to install filtered refillable water bottle stations. So, hopefully, instead of buying a bunch of plastic bottles that people throw away, we’re just going to give away ones that they can use over and over,” said Mr. Method.

Most who attended this year’s Pick Me Up and people who participated in previous years have had overall positive experiences with the event.

“It was a great way to help beautify our school while still hanging out with our friends. The food afterward was also a big plus,” said senior Sanya Kooplicat.

The food provided included hotdogs, chips and sandwiches.

“Having attended Insane Ink’s Pick Me Up a few times in the past, Insane Ink always provides a rewarding experience every year. It’s always great to see the school cleaned up. I was excited for this year, as we were going to be planting new trees and replacing the old,” mentioned senior Aaron Lee.

Pick Me Up happens irregularly every other year and started around 15 years ago, according to Mr. Method.

“It’s just a name we came up with to keep our campus clean, everyone picks up and everybody chips in a little bit,” said Mr. Method.

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Club Day

By Katie Tran

This year’s annual club day, Clubchella, was held on Wed., March 27 from 12:55 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the main hall as well as partly in the Junior and Senior Halls.

The event was originally supposed to take place on Sophomore Hill and in front of the Big Gym, as it did in previous years, but was relocated inside due to stormy weather conditions.  The theme of the event was ‘Clubchella,’ which is a play on the outdoors festival, Coachella, so the relocation was a disappointment to the club commissioners. Despite that and it being slightly cramped, the event went on as it was supposed to.

“We were super bummed that it was so rainy that we had to relocate to the halls because it was really crowded and it ruined our theme but things went okay, nothing went wrong besides having to relocate,” said Club Commissioner Megan Dang.

Clubs set up booths throughout the hall to sell food items while ASB held a photo booth and Class of 2019 hosted a game. There were almost 30 booths at club day this year.  All items were sold each for a minimum of one ticket and a maximum of five. Tickets were sold for 50 cents each during the event or during lunch in E-1, the ASB room.

“This year we sold fire noodles and I think we did pretty well, we didn’t lose any money so that’s a win in my book,” exclaimed Interact Secretary Quang Truong.

The many food items sold at Clubchella included pizza, samosas, fire noodles, churros and many more. Some clubs also sold beverages such as lemonade, thai tea and che thai.

Class of 2019 hosted the same game they did the previous year, with a goldfish as the prize. To win a goldfish you had to knock three bowling pins over with the amount of balls you bought, sold for one ticket each.

“It kinda sucked that club day was inside this year and I honestly had more fun last year but the food was still good, I liked the samosas,” said junior Priscilla Phung.

Besides the weather conditions, Clubchella went as it does every year.