Category: Features

By Nghi Nguyen

Next Monday to next Friday, LASO (Latin American Student Organization) is celebrating Día De Los Muertos by setting up an altar at the library. LASO is also hosting a movie night featuring the movie Coco next Friday at the library.

LASO Vice President Janelle Perez comments, “the event at school is bringing culture to campus. It’s a good way to represent Mexican culture. It’s a form of respect and a form of keeping the tradition alive.”

The event provides a piece of what Día De Los Muertos is to the school. Students are able to experience and learn about the holiday and a part of Mexican culture through LASO’s event.

“Día De Los Muertos is a holiday that is celebrated in Mexico which usually honors family members who are no longer with you. The whole purpose of it is to honor their presence and to remember them. To keep their spirit alive,” adds LASO President Samantha Alderete.

Various decorations can be seen in LASO’s altar such as marigolds which help guide the spirits of the deceased loved ones home. Members of LASO are adding photos of relatives that have passed to the altar. Everyone can contribute to the altar by providing a picture of a deceased loved one to LASO. Pictures will be put into frames made of sugar skulls. Significant items will be placed on the altar to represent those who have passed. The altar will be in the library until next Friday.

“To me, I think it’s important to remember those who have passed away especially family members. In my culture, it’s important to remember them. I feel like I have relatives that passed away, and it helps too, especially if there’s recent ones. It helps with the coping process. Instead of feeling sad on Día De Los Muertos, I feel happy. We remember them,” adds Samantha.

Día De Los Muertos has origins from Mesoamerican and Aztec culture. The Aztecs honored their ancestors in a month-long celebration in August where they gave offerings to the deceased and paid homage to the lord and lady of the underworld. Catholic teachings became mixed into native beliefs when the Spaniards introduced Catholic faith to the Aztecs. The festival was then moved to correspond with the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day. The festival moved through Southern Mexico and continued to spread north. The holiday continues to be celebrated in Mexico and even in the United States.

Many hold Día De Los Muertos close to their hearts. It is not only a day to honor and celebrate those who have passed, but it’s also a day to remember the significance and impact they had on one’s life. ◆

 

By Christine Do and Devonna Dang

The two biggest annual club events, Key Club’s FRN (Fall Rally North) and Interact’s FLC (Fall Leadership Conference), are celebrating their acts of service this month. FRN takes place on Oct. 20 at Six Flags. FLC takes place on Oct. 14 at IHS (Independence High School).
FRN is a yearly occasion where Key Clubbers all over the CNH (Cali-Nev-Ha) District come together at Six Flags to compete in a huge spirit competition while celebrating the funds raised for PTP (Pediatric Trauma Program).
“Every year is different because the lieutenant governors and spirit coordinators have something planned out for the division…(including) new cheers… and new people,” exclaims Lieutenant Governor of Division 12 East Sabrina Huynh.
FLC is an annual event where Interactors from all over the Bay Area go to leadership workshops, engage in area chants and learn about the new International and Community projects which are issues that they will dedicate effort towards for the rest of the year. The International Project is the project where the district raises funds whereas the Community Project is the service-oriented aspect of the club.
“FLC is important because it’s one of the few times a year that Interactors from schools all over the Bay Area get together and celebrate our common goal of putting service above self,” says Interact President Jeanell Dimapasoc. “I look forward to seeing Interact members grow as servers of their community, as leaders, and as individuals.”
The Key Clubbers prepare for these spirit battles through boot camps where they learn new cheers and chants that would excite and motivate them when the day comes. The money from the admission tickets go towards PTP and Key Clubbers are allowed to go on rides and meet new people.
“FRN is the highlight of most Key Clubbers’ experience because it’s like a school rally but times ten because they get to showcase their spirit by yelling and not get judged by it because everyone else is also yelling with them,” explains Sabrina.
Interact’s International Project, It Takes a Village, focuses on the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. They will be partnering with SOS Children’s Village. This year’s Community Project, Future in Focus, concentrates on the local youth that are in poverty or foster care system.
“The highlight of my experience was learning about the new projects for this year and seeing everyone around me so inspired when they announced it,” says senior Isabella Hoang.
As a part of the few events that allow Key Clubbers from other areas and districts to come together and build bonds, FRN is a significant part of being a Key Club member.
“The highlight of my FRN was right before we entered the rally. Although most of us weren’t doing too much and just sat around, it was fun taking pictures with everyone and socializing. It was also a revolutionary moment for me because I notice that everyone else was very excited and willing to wait with me for two hours,” explains Key Club President Judy Ng.
Both FRN and FLC hold importance because of the service and involvement in the community that they contribute to the world. ◆

By Julian Rosete

Piedmont Hills Yearbook is back this year, but this time not as a class. Photo teacher Ian Tippetts takes charge and becomes advisor for this year’s yearbook club as it gets revived. Though Yearbook was announced as a class middle of July, many upperclassmen protested and decided to help turn it in as a club.
“Most of the people who wanted to be in Yearbook were upperclassman like ‘I can’t fit this in my schedule’ so all of us kind of like protested,” says President Eric Chau.
The plan for this years’ yearbook is to attempt to make every event that may have a great impact to the school such as football games, Homecoming and Fantastics. Every Wednesday they meet and discuss the pictures they take. Assigning every photographer a certain event and task.
“Right now we already assigned jobs to most of our committees so we’re just trying to kick start that right now,” says Treasurer Rose Lu. There is some issues involved in the club, but not anything different that other club haven’t dealt with and that is the lack of communication.
“There are times when we have a like a common goal but once the meeting is over officers, me included I’m guilty of this too, we kind of diverge to different things,” says Eric. If issues like that occur, they need to regroup and recap. This is addressed in meetings and such so that the club does not fall apart just like every other club.
This years’ Yearbook will cost more than usual comparing to last year and previous years before that. The reason for this is this years’ high cost is its theme. The theme is classified, but the only information disclosed is that it will be filled with color therefore causing high costs on ink for this years’ yearbook.
The club gets it funding from leftover money from last year and in order to pay for the ink and paper, the school supports with money as well. Though the certain amount of funds that they have is confidential it is expected to be a great amount because of the cost for this year’s yearbook
Along with communication issues there are times when it would difficult to make certain events and they also have a tough time in determining what events to include in the Yearbook. At the end of the day it all depends on the attendance and importance to the students of the school. For example they would take a picture of a Fantastics moment rather than the Winter Rally just because of its impact on the schools spirit. So make sure to smile and be ready for that camera. ◆

By Rose Lu

The walk happened Sat. Oct. 13 to spread awareness and fundraise for the cause. Held annually in 600 communities worldwide, Walk to end Alzheimer’s goal is to fundraise for medical research for a cure to end Alzheimer’s.The walk was held in Arena Green, from 8a.m. to 12p.m.
This year, teachers and Alzheimer’s Association are banding up to fundraise and walk to find a cure for Alzheimer’s.
As an adult, you get to know even more people so I think that is just something that everyone has experienced,” AP Language teacher Michelle Flores states. The teachers had been actively participating in the event, some carrying small donation jars and handing out pins for every three dollars donated. So far, since 2015, Walk to End Alzheimer’s has raised $75 million funded towards research and spreading awareness.
Lots of staff on campus have lost loved ones to Alzheimer’s, and are looking to spread awareness and change throughout the campus. “Personally, my wife is the chair of the walk and she’s very involved as her mother passed away from it,” Insane Ink teacher Mitch Method shares. Many are still actively looking for a cause to prevent further deaths from occurring from Alzheimer’s. “My grandma passed away from Alzheimer’s. My kids goes to my mom’s house to be taken care of and that’s what my grandma was to me. I spent summers over there, and I was really close to her, so to see her deteriorate, the disease really hits home,” Mrs. Flores insightfully shares.
In the road to helping find a cause to prevent further deaths, students are very encouraged to help out with the cause. “Donate some money, donate your time and just talk to people and listen to what they have to say — even 100 times. It’s a kind thing to do. Always be kind to the elderly,” Gov’ teacher Lynne Murray shares thoughtfully. “Students don’t have to do a ton, but it would be great if they can show support and awareness,” Mr. Method adds.
Walk to End Alzheimer’s an annual event, therefore, it will still exist for years to come, until the cure is found. Slowly and surely, every donation helps and is one step closer to curing Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s is named after neuropathologist Alois Alzheimer, who noticed odd behavior in a woman. After interviewing her and inquiring about her, he realized that she had a memory-loss disease, later to be identified as Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that destroys brain cells and memory, and it is one of the ten diseases in America where there is no cure so far. Each year, many people hope to find a cure by walking and donating to Walk to End Alzheimer’s. ◆

By Amy Ton

Piedmont Hills VSA(Vietnamese Students Association) is to perform at the MAYS (Mid-Autumn Youth Festival ) on Nov. 17.

MAYS is an annual event held every year for all the VSAs from local high schools to come together to compete in various activities and bond.

“Almost all of the schools in our district will be practicing MAYS which includes but not limited to Santa Teresa, Andrew Hill, Mount Pleasant, Overfelt and more!” says the VSA’s Secretary Shannon Cao.

The event is hosted by the VietAYA (Viet American Youth Association) and the club has been participating in this event for around five to six years now. For the past two years MAYS was held at Yerba Buena High school but this year MAYS is going to be held at Mt. Pleasant H.S. from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

At MAYS, schools will get to bond with other schools, have fun while learning about the Vietnamese culture and perform various events on stage.

“There are seven events this year for MAYS: dance, skit, jeopardy, Olympia, cultural pitch, singing and speech. Our club will be participating in all events,” says Cultural Chair Isabella Hoang.

For each event, there will be a competition and a panel of judges to see which school has the most outstanding performance. The top three winners in each event are able to earn a certificate and prize money.

The members and officers will be spending this month to practice and drill their performance to perfection. They will be performing four different types of dances: fan, hat, waltz and ribbon. The skit performances typically have a story and moral lesson behind them. In addition to that they  are also working on creating a skit to perform where they hope to be able to bond, place and win the money prize for the club.

There will be a speech and cultural pitch to be performed, the speaker(s) will be given a prompt or subject to write a speech and read to be judged and analyzed, for a money prize to the winner.

“This year for MAYS we’re hoping to bond overall as a club within our groups (such as skit and dance) as well as place in the events VSA is participating in this year. I also expect VSA to grow larger as a club as we get more people involved in representing PHHS VSA” says Isabella

With this event, the club will grow together and get closer and hopefully bring some prize money to support and fund the club.

“I expect that our school will raise enough money, if not more, to support our club. Nonetheless, I hope all of the members that participate in this event to have fun!” says Shannon. ♦

 

By Bernice Ou-yang

The piano recital was held in the L-Building on Monday, May 15. All three piano classes, with a total of approximately 80 students, participated in this recital.
“We were allowed to choose our own pieces to play,” reveals senior Khoanam Nguyen. “I chose my music from the games I played and animes I have watched. I had practiced it for like a few weeks.”
Most of the students had been practicing these pieces for (blank time). Each piece was chosen by the students themselves and were approved by piano teacher Emily Ray.
“Basically, the beginner piano students usually choose the same songs since it would be hard for them to find a good song to play on hteir own,” says Khoanam. “Because of this, Ms. Ray has to seperate the students from (the beginning classes) during the recital.”
Ms. Ray organized the order of the recital so that no same pieces were played side by side. She mixed and matched students from different class levels to keep the whole recital entertaining.
“(The piano recital) is basically our finals,” comments senior Veronica Roy. “(Ms. Ray) grades us a bit leniently since it’s pretty intimidating to play in front of a crowd. ♦

By Melody Li

On Wed., April 26, the PHHS counseling staff held Senior Honor Night in the L-Building to celebrate the academic achievements of graduating seniors.  Before the official event started, a meet and greet was hosted in the library for teachers and students to celebrate.
As Principal Traci Williams described in her opening speech, Senior Honor Night is a more intimate version of graduation.  Each senior is called up and introduced individually with details about their major, career plans and awards, which ranged from department awards to GPA and AP awards.
Before awards were given, senior Cleo Lagunilla started the night with a solo vocal performance, accompanied by music teacher Myles Ellis on the piano.
To make the event even more personal, each student was introduced by their valedictorian classmates.
“Reading the names and achievements of my classmates was nerve wracking because I was scared to mess up and I didn’t want to ruin their special moment,” admits senior Jennifer Lai.
At the end of the night, each senior was given a white carnation to give to someone who was influential to them throughout high school.
“I gave my carnation to my mom because she’s always inspired me to do my best,” comments senior Nancy Le.
Over 120 students were qualified to attend the honor night and around 100 students showed up.  Many were unable to attend the event due to schedule conflicts, especially since Club Day occurred on the same day.
“Even though I had finals the next day, I’m glad I attended honor night because I was able to celebrate my friends and all that they’ve accomplished in their four years,” reveals senior Ronaldo Legrama.
ASB President Sydnie Tanujaya closed the night with a congratulatory speech and empowered seniors to finish their high school career strong. ♦

By Sophia Xiao

Students from all over the district came together on May 3 for the 38th annual Eastside 11 Photographic Exhibition and Competition.  Piedmont Hills seniors Natasha Maxin, Kole Cabacungan and Rebecca Rossini won the Best in School award, and Natasha also won Best Still Life and Senior Portfolio.
The pieces were chosen from previous assignments done in photography class, which had to be approved by photography teacher Ian Tippetts before submission.
“I picked this photo to submit because it was very different, unique, and it hardly required any retouching in photoshop.  I named the piece ‘The Weight of the World’ because it has that vibe of corruption,” explained Kole.
Senior Portfolio, unlike the other six categories, required participants to submit a total of five pieces, making it all the more difficult.
“My painting picture has to be my favorite one that I submitted. I want to major in graphic design and I believe this picture shows how I combined my Photoshop skills and the mentality of a graphic designer to create it. It took a long time to edit so it would look like a painting and then I added the shapes to add color into it,” elaborated Natasha.
Other categories included Best Traditional Print, Best Special Technique Print, Best Action Print, Best Landscape, and Best Portrait.
The best pieces often had their own meanings and themes, called concentrations, behind them.
“I chose masks (for my concentration). I wanted to show people– how they really are, how they really feel,” said Rebecca about her piece which won Best in School. “I took a picture that I had taken of my friend Austin and projected that image onto my (other) friend, who was holding a piece of paper in front of her eyes… (Then), I leveled off the projector until his eyes were over the piece of paper.” ♦

By Daniel Kokoski

At Tuesday’s annual Student versus Faculty History Bowl competition, two squads of JV (junior varsity) and Varsity trivia members competed against each other in a battle of historical wits.
History teachers Mr. Holly, Ms. Lighty, Mr. Andrews and Mr. Romero made up the varsity squad. Non-history teachers Mr. Shahrivar, Mr. Clough and Mr. Vasquez comprised the JV team. Questions covered topics ranging from Ancient Mesopotamian kingdoms to Revolutionary War battles.
In a never before played segment, Mr. Clough and Mr. Shahrivar competed against juniors Sagar Tomar and Syed Rahim in a Sports and Entertainment competition. This segment tested participants on pop culture and sports trivia.
“I’d been waiting to play this game for a while now,” exclaimed Syed. “I felt really confident about my pop culture knowledge from our Thursday practices in P-15.”
“The experience overall was exciting. Our team really grew this past year and the audience size was encouraging,” beamed History club President Nala Chen. “All in all, it was a great way to end the year.” ♦

By Phuong Nguyen

Club Day was held on April 26 from 1 pm to 3 pm in front of the Big Gym, where swarms of student and staff were exposed to a diverse array of food made by a variety of clubs.
“It went way better than I expected. There was also a bunch of cool food there that was so good,” elaborated LEO (Leadership Experience Opportunity) Vice President Rachel Ly. “I loved the Totchos and the Cajun fries the most! They were both so good and I was looking forward to trying them (throughout) all the days leading up to Club Day!”
The venue was crowded with hundreds of students and some staff.
“I liked how lively it always is (but) I disliked the long lines to popular booths,” commented Psychology and Neurology Vice President Sharon Wong.
For some, Club Day was enjoyable and successful.
“I know for choir council, we were super successful and we had long lines waiting for our chicken fries,” added Choir Council publicist nominee Cat Nguyen. “(Also), I really liked the Korean milk soda, Milkis, and garlic noodles!”
To make Club Day a success, the club officers put in a lot of time and effort to prepare for this day.
“The officers prepare cool foods to fundraise for their clubs. They don’t get anything for doing all that planning, preparing food and standing at a table for hours. They don’t get anything for themselves, but they do it and it shows how dedicated people are to their clubs,” said Cat admiringly.
Most clubs sold out because of the long lines of customers that were eager to buy the popular foods, such as Choir Council’s chicken fries and LEO’s baked potatoes. Because of this, some people, including the hard working officers, did not have a chance to purchase the food that they wanted.
“Sadly, I didn’t get to try much (food) but I think of all the things I did get to try, overall, I wasn’t disappointed,” thought Cat.
Besides food being served, there was also a marriage photo booth hosted by ASB officers. With the price of one ticket per person, students and teachers had the chance to get married, holding various signs and props and even wearing fake rings.
“I like the idea (of a marriage photo booth) because it’s just a fun way to take pictures with your friends,” exclaimed ASB Historian Kristy Nguyen. ♦