Category: Captain’s Log

By Victor Xie

CSF (California Scholarship Federation) and Interact joined together in September to hold a showing of Spiderman: Homecoming in the school library. The event was held for both clubs to get freshmen involved in their clubs and to raise money for their respective charities with an admission of $1. Members could buy food, play icebreakers and various board games and take pictures at the photo booth.
“We wanted to (help) the freshmen bond more,” states CSF President Alexa Follante. The movie night was planned to help freshmen get more involved in the clubs, especially because the event was held near the beginning of the school year. Around 50-60 people attended the event according to Alexa. “I saw a lot of freshmen joining in.”
“We were originally going to (show) Incredibles 2, but that didn’t work out so we switched to Spiderman: Homecoming on popular vote,” says CSF officer Jerry Xu.
Spiderman: Homecoming is a reboot of the film adaptation of the popular comic franchise Spiderman by Sony. In 2017, Sony and Marvel Studios joined together to create the third adaptation of Spiderman. It was critically acclaimed unlike its predecessors. The movie circulates around Peter Parker, who is Spiderman, as he tries to find his place in the world as a superhero and a high school teenager.
Before the movie started, members played icebreakers to get to know each other better and bought food for the movie. These icebreakers were meant to break freshmen out of their shells and to introduce them to common games that would be played during their time in high school. At 6:30, the movie started and everyone sat together in the middle of the library floor to watch Spiderman: Homecoming. When the movie ended, people were able to take pictures at the photo booth and help clean up.
“It was great and I plan to keep on coming to these events,” comments junior Christopher Yi. This was Christopher’s first movie night despite being a junior and still says he thoroughly enjoyed it.
The movie night was also held to raise money for CSF and Interact’s respective charities. “We planned this event as a fundraiser to raise money for our upcoming events like Pie-Bake, Christmas Carnival and Take a Teacher to Lunch,” explains Jerry. The money will be split between both clubs. Interact plans to invest its money towards their new project, “It Takes a Village,” that was announced at this year’s FLC (Fall Leadership Conference).
“I look forward to working with Interact and CSF together in the future,” adds Jerry. Both clubs plan to hold movie nights in the future with other clubs on campus. ◆

By Mae Castellano

Two Piedmont Hills Pirates walked through the halls wearing costumes mooing or waddling two weeks ago. Because of Interact’s annual fundraiser, Make Your Pirate Moo and Waddle, a staff member and student has to go through a whole school day in a penguin or cow costume.

“(Make Your Pirate Moo and Waddle) started as a tradition, I think, a couple years before I even came to PHHS,” recalls Interact Co-President Jaria Jaug. “It’s more recent though to have both students and teachers participate.”

Make Your Pirate Moo and Waddle is an annual event where students are encouraged to donate into jars. These jars are appointed to specific teachers and students, and the teacher and student who collects the most money in their jars wins; they have to wear a costume and moo or waddle.

“It’s kind of weird for me to yell at my students to put money in my jar,” laughs Physiology teacher David Vasques. “It’s like a fun battle between classes to try to motivate people because it’s all for charity.”

The money raised will be going towards Interact’s international project “Me, the Human,” where the money raised will go to help Syrian refugees with supplies, medicine and proper relocation care.

The winners of the week long fundraiser are Forensics teacher Nivetha Joseph and freshman Danny Hinh, both raising a little above 100 dollars.

“I aspired to raise an extreme amount of donation funds for the good cause,” provides Danny. “To raise an extreme amount of donation funds, I had assistance from a few friends.”

The winners wore their respective costumes on March 30, with Ms. Joseph as a penguin and Danny as a cow.

“Winning was bittersweet. I was happy that I won, but not too happy because I had to wear a costume, though it wasn’t embarrassing at all,” says Ms. Joseph.

“I enjoyed (wearing the costume) yet found it to be uncomfortable as a few students grabbed my udders,” comments Danny. “A few people wanted to take a photo with me because they thought it was funny.”

In the end, Make Your Pirate Moo and Waddle raised around $500 in one week.

By Sophia Xiao

Continuing with tradition, Red Cross held its annual spring blood drive on March 24.

Throughout the school day, the library bustled with nurses, blood donors and busy Red Cross members.  The club almost met its goal of 100 donors, with 97 people ultimately deciding to donate blood.

“I think it was really successful because we had a lot of signups and walk ins, and I know that there were t-shirts this year so that was a pretty positive thing about our blood drive,” expresses Historian Cindy Nguyen.  “It was just really heartwarming to see all these people sign up to donate.”

There are a lot of incentives for eligible people to donate blood to Red Cross.

“I decided to donate because I’m trying to be a good citizen.  I want to be able to save some kid’s life,” explains sophomore Aaron Jiang.  For him, it was a spur of the moment decision to help give to others.

While the donation is a simple and safe procedure, Red Cross advises donors to follow certain precautions before and afterwards to prevent injury.

“They highly encourage hydrating, feeding yourself a lot…  getting a good amount of sleep and also just (maintaining) a positive attitude to donate and save lives,” comments Cindy.

Each donor received a Golden State Warriors themed t-shirt with the phrase, “The Heart of a Warrior Never Quits,” as well as free snacks to help replenish lost iron and vitamin stores.

According to their website, nurses take one pint of blood and additional sample test tubes from each person.  Then, the blood is labeled, stored and sent to a Red Cross National Testing Laboratory to test for disease and blood type and to perform lab work.

Finally, it is shipped off to hospitals where each pint of blood may save up to three lives!

By Tyler Vu

NHS (National Honor Society) held its annual Advising Day on Mar. 30. This yearly event offers the underclassmen opportunities to consult high-achieving members of the student body about academic concerns.  It was held during third and fifth period and required NHS members to give up one period of their day. Members advised the underclassmen in pairs, discussing topics on college, classes, extracurricular activities and overall school concerns.

“We had around 30 sign ups this year,” said NHS President Brandon Dimapasoc.  “It was very fun to share our experiences as seniors with underclassmen.”

According to many NHS members, the questions they received were fairly straightforward, pertaining mostly to college and time management.

“I had a sophomore ask me about college applications,” mentioned member Zoe Adams.
Often, the topic of college applications is most popular for its looming presence on senior year. Students may not fully understand the ins and outs of the application process, which makes Advising Day all the more useful.

“I got advice on the NHS application process, study tips for the SAT and personal statements,” said junior Annie Do.  “They also gave me some tips on how to avoid a stressful year.”

The advice the underclassmen received will hopefully help them navigate through the rest of their high school careers.  One NHS member recalled a time last year when he received advice from previous seniors.

“All of it was spot on, even if I didn’t listen to any of it,” member Evan Sum laughed.

“They told me not to take a lot of AP classes, and that’s what I did.  They told me not to stress about college, but here I am.”

Though the stress may be inescapable as the underclassmen pass through each year, NHS maintains Advising Day in hopes of providing as much guidance as possible.

By Emilie Chau

Piedmont Hills’ Interact and Key Club hosted their annual Interkey Pajama Jam on Feb. 17 in the library.  The event included food and drinks, a monster-themed photobooth, a screening of Monsters University and fun games in order in order to strengthen the bond between the two clubs and to raise money for each club’s project.  The event lasted from 4 pm to 8 pm and admission was $1.

The clubs held an Interkey Spirit Week from Feb. 13 to Feb. 17 in order to build up the excitement for the Interkey Pajama Jam. Monday was Monsters Day, Tuesday was Service Day, Wednesday was Vakeyta Day, Thursday was Me, The Human Can Eliminate Day and Friday, the day of the event, was Pajama Day.

“The officers came together and we divided the work into different committees,” explains Key Club Senior Representative Brandon Dimapasoc on how they prepared for the event.

Like previous years, the purpose of the event was to raise money for each club’s project and to strengthen the bond between the two clubs.

“(We wanted to) foster bonds between Interact and Key because we are often seen as rival clubs but that is not the point of our mission,” comments Interact Co-President Tiffany Nguyen. “We are both clubs who really value service so this event was a way for members of both clubs to really get to know each other.”

Key Club’s Eliminate Project is to raise funds to fight MNT (maternal neonatal tetanus), a disease that “steals the lives of nearly 49,000 innocent babies and a significant number of women each year,” according to the club’s website.  Newborns suffer from extreme pain and sensitivity to light and touch due to the disease.  The Eliminate Project is also one of UNICEF’s projects for this year.

Interact’s Me The Human project aims to raise money for the Syrian Refugee Crisis, the “biggest humanitarian and refugee crisis of our time,” according to the Interact District 5170 website.

“The purpose was to raise money for Interact’s project, Me The Human, and Key’s project, the Eliminate Project,” explains Brandon.  “We also wanted to foster friendship and partnership between Interact and Key.”

At the event, members played board games and ice-breakers in order to cozy up before watching Monsters University.  The clubs also sold concessions such as milk tea from Cool Tea Bar and spam musubi.

The clubs were able to raise $177 from the event.

By Phuong Nguyen

Last Tuesday marked the yearly celebration of Pi Day. The international holiday observed approximately 3.14 days ago was dedicated to the irrational and continuous number of pi.

“I think it’s a very creative holiday for all the math-lovers in the world,” expressed junior Leann Le, a math lover herself.

For math teacher Rey Enriquez, celebrating this holiday meant teaching a lesson related to pi, if possible.

“In my statistics class, we would do some linear regression approximating pi,” explained Mr. Enriquez.

“I celebrated it by buying a pie or baking one myself! It could be any kind like apple pie, coconut cream, or key lime,” passionately exclaimed Leann.

According to Mr. Enriquez, another way of celebration was to measure a circular object and dividing its circumference by twice the radius to approximate pi.

“If you bring a pizza, then after measuring, you can celebrate by eating it,” laughed Mr. Enriquez.

Pi Day was especially commemorated in 2015 because the date (3.14.15) signified the first four digits of pi after the decimal. In fact, there was a math contest held by the Santa Clara Valley Math Association on that day.

This holiday commemorated not only pi itself, but the applications of pi to real life as well.

“Pi is very useful. For example, it is used in determining circumference, areas, and volumes of circles, spheres, and cylinders,” listed Leann.

However, the usefulness of pi in the real world may be subliminal.

“In terms of everyday uses for the typical human being, they probably won’t use pi, or at least they won’t know that they are using it, but they do benefit from it,” speculated math teacher Stewart Kuang.

By Arthur Hoang

Hosted by high school clubs across the Bay Area, the annual UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) Snowflake Ball was held on Sat., Jan. 21 in the L-Building at 7pm. Tickets were sold for $13 and $15 at the door.

The event drew students from many other schools, like Evergreen and Independence. Some even visited from schools in FUSD (Fremont Unified School District) as well.

The Snowflake Ball began with guest speaker Jacklyn Kurtela from the Bay Area UNICEF Next Generation, a committee of young leaders committed to saving women and children. PHHS’s SXC (Seoul Xtreme Choreography) also performed their new set “Caution.”

“It was a really good last performance that we had, even though we were down a person. I feel like we did what we could do, and we did well,” exclaims SXC Secretary Kyle Lam. “It was a good way to close out our first set of the year!”

The intermission featured a raffle for those who bought tickets at the door, with prizes such as the UNICEF paraphernalia, featured art and a stuffed animal.

Dinner of alfredo and pesto pasta were served while a range of performers and guest speakers took the stage.

All the money raised by Snowflake Ball went to the Syrian Refugee Crisis. By hosting such an event, students hoped to raise awareness on the issue.

“We don’t have an exact amount right now, but it is more than a thousand dollars,” says PHHS UNICEF President Syndie Tanujaya.”

The Bay Area Snowflake Ball originated when UNICEF clubs across the Bay Area decided to host a large event to raise money. After hosting a successful charity ball in 2014, UNICEF clubs continued it, with this year’s being the 4th annual Snowflake Ball.

“The Snowflake Ball is not nearly a ball. However, we chose to use that name for this event because the official UNICEF organization hosts a ball every year for celebrities and ambassadors to attend, which they call Snowflake Ball,” explains UNICEF Treasurer Eileen Vu.

“We wanted to honor our mother organization that way.”

By Melody Li

On Sun. Jan. 15, NHS (National Honor Society) held their annual induction ceremony in the L-Building to formally induct their members into the club.

“Induction ceremony is an annual event held by NHS to officially recognize its members for their service, leadership, and academic success.  It’s where inductees officially become members of NHS,” explains Vice President Jason Vu.

At the ceremony, each member was introduced by advisors and science teachers David Vasques and Archie Kregear as they walked the stage and lit a candle.  One advisor read their names while the other handed cords and certificates.  At the end, members came together to recite the club’s pledge and gathered for pictures.

Along with the ceremony process, the night was also filled with food and performances prepared by the NHS members.  The menu for the night included a three course meal of salad, pasta and dessert.  The meal was accompanied by numerous performances from NHS members and other clubs on campus including Indian Club and VSA (Vietnamese Student Association).  The ceremony concluded with a special performance prepared by the NHS officers.

The L-Building was covered with decorations to fit this year’s induction ceremony’s theme of “Induction Through the Ages.” Posters depicting retro-style scenes and table decor commemorating vintage eras added to the night’s atmosphere.

“The theme was chosen by a vote and we agreed that it’d be a little funny reference to how we’re the ‘last 90’s kids’ so we’re technically a part of that whole retro classical era and to expand on that, we also included references to different decades like the 60’s and 70’s!” explains Jason.

“It was definitely a night to remember. I had flashbacks of all of the accomplishments throughout my life and especially high school as I walked across the stage to light my candle,” expresses member Elaine Pham.

According to Secretary Jennifer Lai, the profits made from the induction ceremony will go to Save the Children, a charity that promotes children’s rights and provides support and relief for children in third-world countries.

By Tyler Vu

The newly formed PHHS Mock Trial team participated in its first matches on Tues., Jan. 31 and Thurs., Feb. 2. and last Tuesday, resulting in three narrow losses for the team.

In preparation for trials, all participating Mock Trial teams are given the same case a few months before the actual competition. This allows them to practice their arguments, polish their performance skills and study the case they are given.

This particular trial featured Cameron Awbrey, a fictional person suspected of human trafficking.  Each mock trial team is split into two sides: the prosecution and defense, one to defend Cameron’s case and another to prove his guilt in the matter.

The first match was against Castilleja High School.  Although the dedicated team practiced extensively for the trial, there were still some unfortunate mistakes that resulted in their  loss.

“Our cross examination was pretty solid, but we didn’t go through all our witnesses, so we got docked for that,” explains Vice Captain Matthew Hoang.

This loss did not deter the team, however, and the members used their new experience to better prepare for their next match.

“The first day was still really important for getting a feel of everything and to prepare for the next match,” explains team Captain Daniel Johnson.

The next match was against Gunderson High School.  The team performed much better than the previous match, just barely losing to the much older and experienced team.

“We did, in my opinion, excellent,” beams Daniel.

The third had the team facing against Pioneer. This match was as close as it could be, with the two teams tying in points. Ultimately, it came down to one vote from the final judge, who awarded the Pioneer team the win.

Losses aside, the matches were incredibly important for the future of the newly formed team.

“Some of the other schools have been around for ages and have a great support staff,” elaborates Daniel.  “With this experience, we can lay the foundations for the club for later years.”