Category: Features

By Phuong Nguyen

On Jan. 14, VSA (Vietnamese Student Association) hosted its annual cultural show.  It presented a variety of performances such as skits, singing, umbrella dancing, hat dancing, magic tricks, and ended with a fashion show and a waltz exclusively for VSA officers.

Usually, Vietnamese teacher and VSA advisor Lily Lam’s Vietnamese 3 and 4 classes have their own cultural show in December, while VSA’s show is in May.  However, this year, her classes performed with VSA as well.

“This year, it was harder because Drama took up a lot of our tentative performance days so we had to book an earlier show.  This year, we have (the VSA show) in January when usually we have it in May,” reveals historian and publicist Cindy Nguyen.

The theme this year was “Under A Thousand Stars.”

“Before, we would come up with ideas (for the theme of the show) within the cabinet and then have a vote on it within the cabinet,” discloses Co-President Roselyn Mai.  “But this year, we thought of them and posted on our group page on Facebook and let the members decide what they would like to do.”

After choosing the theme, the VSA club officers determined practice dates and started preparing for the upcoming show with Ms. Lam’s Vietnamese 2, 3 and 4 classes.

“At first, it’s really hard because your group has to come up with ideas and make it fit into the time limit.  But then once you get everything settled and start practicing, it becomes easier because it’s like you’re completing a plan,” comments junior Thy Tran Hoang, who is currently in Ms. Lam’s Vietnamese 4 class.

The officer waltz was first added in last year’s VSA show.

“My most memorable moment was either the waltz or the ending because the senior speeches always bring us officers (and) the seniors to tears,” reminisces Co-President Lyann Bui.

“The moment before the curtains open (was the most memorable to me).  When you’re in the back and setting up, you get this anxiety that comes along with you throughout the performance, but you don’t realize it until the end,” explains Thy.

“At the end (of the show), the parents really enjoy seeing (their kids onstage). I like it when the shy (kid) gets to be on the stage,” smiles Ms. Lam.

By Sophia Xiao

What’s happening to the students of the Bay Area?

We live in Silicon Valley, a place that leads the world in technology.  Somehow, it only makes sense that its children must lead the world in academics.  This is what millions of Bay Area students tell themselves every day as they struggle through ever increasing college standards, AP classes and anxiety.  And to a degree, the “work hard now to play hard later” idea makes sense because hard work means a better college which means a better job which means higher pay which hopefully will finally turn into a happy life.

However the cost of this philosophy, especially here in the Bay Area, and especially now more than ever, is piling.

“Gunn was ranked by U.S.  News World Report as one of the nation’s top five STEM schools.  Every year, about 20 of its seniors get into Stanford and a quarter are offered spots at University of California schools,” wrote The Atlantic.  Yet despite its academic success, the Palo Alto School District has had two suicide clusters, one in 2008 and one in 2014.  Seven students, many of which had promising futures, committed suicide.  All of a sudden it seemed, news reporters flocked to nearby schools like Gunn and Mission, and administration finally woke up to try to control the mental health crisis.

At the end of 2016, Newsweek’s rankings had 11 Bay Area schools in their top 100 US private high schools list and 14 schools in their top 500 US public high schools list.  These powerhouses are all surprisingly close to home– Monta Vista, ranked 18th, and Lynbrook, ranked 29th, are both less than half an hour drive away.  With the culture of Silicon Valley success and these nationally ranked schools breathing down our necks, it’s no wonder Piedmont Hills students are feeling the stress to outperform and overachieve.

Why are the schools around here so competitive?

With four AP classes, two club officer positions, a job, and other achievements to pad her resume, senior Sarah Dao’s schedule is packed.

“I know that the way I’m stressed right now isn’t really healthy, but I also think it’d be a waste if I don’t give it my best,” confesses Sarah.

This mindset to always be the best is common.  A big reason for Silicon Valley’s academic success is that it is filled with hard working immigrants who have come to give the best life they can to their children.  These immigrants believe that since they worked so hard for their kids, the kids should obviously work just as hard for themselves.  A further reason for this Silicon Valley mindset is that 32% of San Jose’s demography is Asian, a culture which emphasizes obedience, high standards and constant success.

We live in one of the most expensive places to in the US, and the expectation is that we become an engineer and work for one of the tech giants next door.  This pressure to be outstanding is what makes Bay Area students successful but is also what drives a lot of students to their breaking point.

“There is definitely a pressure to overachieve.  I’m always looking down on myself as an underachiever since everyone else is taking all these extra classes,” admits sophomore Steven To.

“It’s just society’s standards now,” Sarah states simply. And it’s true. For students who judge themselves based on how impressive they look on paper  to colleges, average is nowhere near enough.

“Students are definitely coming in with more competitive classes, with higher classes… I think it is part sort of colleges (responsibility/fault), but I also think it’s just part of our society and how it’s changed in the sense of how competitive it’s gotten and the stress it puts on students,” agrees Counselor Justine Kunkel.

Okay, but is this stress necessarily a bad thing? It only lasts for four years anyways, right?

As more and more kids get access to private tutoring, music classes, college counseling and other extracurriculars, people are finding more ways to get a competitive edge over everyone else.  Parents start their children on this path to college with the idea “the younger the better.”  This poses a problem to kids who have grown up with overachievement infused into their identity.  Fear of failure is something that students are taught in order to get into college, but by then, these habits and lifestyles are hard to get rid of, causing long term stress and anxiety.

“I obviously do have students that strive off of stress.  It moves them and motivates them to get things done, but we do have a large number of students here that sort of give in to the stress and it really affects them.  Ultimately it can lead to the other grades falling and mental health issues.  So I would say that (academic stress) is more a detrimental than a positive thing,” expresses Ms. Kunkel.

Something new that has popped up recently is an entire industry based solely on getting kids into specific colleges.  Of course, it makes sense for parents to hire help for something as important as getting into good colleges.  However, college counseling reinforces the culture of tailoring students’ lives towards college, as if many students don’t base a large portion of their lives off of the admissions process already.

Additionally, counseling creates an imbalance among students with different backgrounds.  It gives those who can afford them an unfair advantage over the students who simply don’t have those kinds of resources.

So how do we regain control of our lives?

In the midst of this chaos known as high school, it is important to slow down and take more breaks from the all consuming goal known as college.  You are the one who decides your fate, not the college you go to– a different one won’t make or break you.  Allow the things you do for college to also be things that you love.  For example, Sarah, who enjoys graphic design and music, is publicist for NHS and president of the Instrumental Club.

Likewise, remember that you don’t have to take all the APs and extracurriculars in the world.  If you genuinely hate and suck at math, then taking that AP Calculus class may not be the best idea.

I’m not saying to stop pushing yourself to do more, but don’t do it for the primary purpose of getting into college.  You don’t want to wake up one day after graduating from college and have no idea what to do next because all you’ve ever done was for it.

And listen to Steven’s advice: “There will be times where you procrastinate, and that’s fine.  We’re not perfect, but at the same time, we’re also capable of great things.”

Compared to even four years ago, college admissions have tightened considerably, and it’s reflecting on our high schoolers.  Nine years ago, it took a suicide cluster of 4 students for the Palo Alto High School District to implement significant measures for the safety of students.  How long and what will it take for we, as students, to start taking our own mental health more seriously?

By Sophia Xiao

Hundreds of band and orchestra students from Piedmont Hills High, Sierramont Middle and Piedmont Middle School performed together in their annual collaboration concert on Jan. 20.  Audience members packed the L-Building to watch the concert titled “The Sounds of Winter.”

“I think it was a big success,” said band teacher Myles Ellis.  “We got lots of parents and students in the audience to come see our concert from the middle school. That’s why we do this, in order to have the incoming parents see what the music program is like.”

The middle schools’ Advanced Bands and Orchestras each performed two songs on their own and a third song with Piedmont Hills Concert Band and String Orchestra.  However, practicing together was difficult under the circumstances.

“What we did was (orchestra teacher) Ms. Ray and myself went over and we worked with the middle schoolers at their school. And then we could report back to our groups: they take it this fast, or they’re having a little trouble over here… That was the best we could do.  There was no way to get all of those people together in one place at one time, so it just kind of had to work,” explained Mr. Ellis.

Although the different schools hadn’t worked together until the actual concert, the students paid close attention to the conductors and were able to use the advice from Mr. Ellis and Ms. Ray to deliver a strong performance together.

After the middle school students finished playing all their pieces, Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble each took the stage to showcase what Piedmont Hills’ music program.  Symphony Orchestra’s first piece, the Andante movement from Haydn’s Surprise Symphony, was conducted by senior and Sierramont Graduate Jerry Yen instead of Ms. Ray.

“Conducting in front of just people in general is really nerve wracking, especially when you first get on stage and do that first beat. A lot of the times the problem is that the orchestra can’t come in together, especially since I’m an amateur conductor,” admitted Jerry.  “It’s nerve wracking, but once you get into the groove of it, it’s a lot of fun.”
Piedmont Hills hopes to continue this tradition in later years in order to keep bringing more incoming students into the music program.

By Vivian Lin

India plants 50 million trees in one day
Over 800,000 volunteers in India helped plant 49.3 million trees in one day in an effort to fight climate change. India made a commitment at the Paris Climate Conference and promised to spend $6 million to reforest 12% of its land. The volunteers smashed the previous world record of 847,275 trees planted in one day, set by Pakistan.

Brexit
On June 23, 2016, the people of Britain voted to leave the European Union and stunned the world. 30 million voted, and “Leave the EU” won 52% to 48%. The then Prime Minister, David Cameron, resigned from office the day after the vote. He was replaced by Theresa May, who will handle how Britain will exit the EU in regards to future relationships with the EU and the new rights of British citizens.

Orlando shooting
49 people were killed and 53 were injured in the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States on June 12, 2016. The shooting happened at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, FL. The shooter was identified at as Omar Matee, a 29-year-old security guard.

Olympics in Brazil
The 2016 Summer Olympics were held in Rio de Janeiro. For the first time, Refugee Olympic Team, composed of ten athletes from five different countries, participated in the games. The team brought some much needed attention to the on-going refugee crisis. USA swimmer Michael Phelps added five more medals to his collection and won a record number of 28 medals overall.

Hurricane Matthew
Hurricane Matthew was born from a tropical wave that came from the Windward Islands on September 18,2016. From there, it demolished regions in the Caribbean Islands and the Southeast United States. Flooding as much as three feet above the ground impacted parts in Florida as ocean levels reached record level heights, as much as five feet above normal levels.

Cubs win World Series after 108 years
The Chicago Cubs won the World Series with an 8-7 victory over the Cleveland Indians in Game Seven. The team beat the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers to secure a spot against the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. In the best-of-seven series, the Indians had a 3-2 lead, but the Cubs pulled through and won Games Six and Seven.

Juno to Jupiter
Having set off more than five years ago, the Juno spacecraft finally reached Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, on July 4, 2016. By maneuvering the spacecraft to perform 35 flybys around the planet before 2018, scientists hope to learn more about Jupiter’s origin, structure, and atmosphere. The spacecraft is named for the ancient Roman goddess of love and marriage and Jupiter is named after the supreme god of Roman mythology.

Fake News
Articles publishing false information and bolstering conspiracy theories floated around the internet during 2016, especially during the election. Satirical news publishers, like the Onion, have been around for a while, but this new species of fake news can mislead people in ways that may not seem obvious at first glance. Sites like “The Denver Guardian” and the “Conservative Daily Post” were reported as hoaxes and had published fake articles regarding the election.

Leonardo DiCaprio wins an Oscar
Leonardo DiCaprio won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role (finally!) for his performance in The Revenant. He was nominated five times before, first in 1993, but had never won the award until 2016. Dicaprio suffered a great deal for his role as Hugh Glass, from eating raw liver to facing freezing temperatures in Canada.

Ozone layer is healing
A hole in the ozone layer, the layer in the earth’s atmosphere that protects us from harmful UV rays, is showing signs of recovery. The hole was originally discovered in 1985 as a result of the use of harmful chemicals and pesticides. According to scientists, the hole has shrunk 1.5 million miles, and a full recovery is expected to be made around 2050.

Bees are dying
Beekeepers in the U.S. lost over 40% of their bee population from April 2015-April 2016. There are several different attributions as to why this insect population is decreasing such as pesticides and harmful parasites. Bees pollinate about 70% of produce grown in the United States, and their disappearance would have devastating consequences.

Zika virus
A widespread epidemic of Zika ravaged the United States in early 2016 and was declared a public health emergency by WHO (World Health Organization) in February. The Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and causes birth defects in babies after they are delivered.

Giant pandas not endangered
A long-time symbol of animal conservation, the giant panda has finally been taken off the endangered species list. The panda population has increased enough to be moved to the category “vulnerable.” In 2014, there were only 1,864 pandas in the wild. At the end of 2016, the number reached 2,060.

By Syed Rahim

This Saturday, Piedmont Hills plans to host its traditional Sadie Hawkins dance. The dance is scheduled to take place in the L Building at 7pm.  Piedmont Hills ASB has decided on a Hawaiian theme for this year’s event, focusing on good vibes and the nice weather.

In recent years, the Sadies dance has been cancelled due to low ticket sales.  This year, however, ASB Treasurer Brandon Dimapasoc hopes that students will buy enough tickets in order to host the dance.

“We just really want to have as much attendance as possible because it’s something that we haven’t had for a while,” states Brandon. “We want to reintroduce it because it’ll be a really fun dance.”

The money raised from Sadies goes to events like Homecoming and Fantastics, as well as other dances.  If more students buy tickets for Sadies, the school can spend more money on these events, and ultimately host better functions.

The Sadie Hawkins dance is based off of the popular early 20th century comic strip, “Li’l Abner,” in which unmarried women chased bachelors for their hand in marriage.

The first known occurrence of the dance took place on Nov. 9, 1938.  Within two decades, Sadie Hawkins was celebrated at over 40,000 different venues.

As it spread across the nation, it began to take on new names. In San Antonio, Texas, it’s known as the “Ladies Choice Dance,” and in Dearborn, Mich., it’s called the “Sponge Dance.” IN Western US, it is aslo called “MORPs,” which is prom spelled backwards.

By defying traditional gender expectations, the Sadie Hawkins dance became a tool to empower women. It became a way for girls to break free from their domestic chains.

Despite the relevant symbolism of Sadies, Piedmont Hills has a history of cancelling this iconic dance. At press time, the dance is still scheduled to happen, but there is a possibility of cancellation.

By Emilie Chau

Finals begin tomorrow and many of you are probably stressed out. Listed below are some tips you can remember when studying for or while taking your finals.

Study with friends.  Organize a study party with your friends to motivate you to study.  Studying with friends who have the same classes as you also gives you the opportunity to ask your friends any questions you have on the material.

Practice problems.  Especially in math and science, knowing how and when to use a formula is significantly more important than simply memorizing a formula.  Make use of online problems, textbook questions or old test and homework problems you have from earlier in the year.

Don’t cram.  Despite how tempting it is to stay up until 3 am studying for your math final, cramming may actually do more harm than good.  Researchers at UCLA report that sacrificing sleep for studying is actually counterproductive and students are more likely to have academic problems the following day. Students also generally learn better on a regular studying schedule so don’t study more than you usually do the day before a test.

Relax.  Every hour of study should be matched with an hour of relaxation.  Make sure to sleep early and don’t stress out too much; you probably know more than you think you do.  Go ahead and binge watch your favorite TV show on Netflix or go out to eat with friends.  Remember to eat well in the morning so you don’t feel hungry during your final.  But remember you should still review a little bit, especially material you have been struggling with throughout the semester.

Get to school early.  Get to class a few minutes early so you can settle down and relax before taking your test.  Don’t try to last minute study as it will make you more anxious.

Don’t take too long on a problem.  If you’re stuck on a problem for the past couple of minutes, move on.  Answer the problems you know first to ensure you get those correct.  You don’t want to lose points on a question you know the answer to!  After you answer the easier problems, go back to the harder ones and try to work your way through it.  If you’re still stuck, try doing the problem again from the very beginning.

With these tips, I hope you are now feeling a lot more confident about taking your finals this week.  Good luck! ♦

By Andrew Huynh

Last Monday, CSF (California Scholarship Federation) members held a Christmas Carnival for students of San Antonio Elementary School.

“We attempt to make their holidays brighter by hosting the Christmas Carnival at their school,” informs President Angela Lam.

According to Angela, the Christmas Carnival has taken place every year for the past four years.

When coordinating and planning the event, officers are split into fives committees: games, crafts, snacks, Santa room and Kindergarten room.

San Antonio is part of the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District and is located in a less fortunate neighborhood.

In previous years and this year, English teachers Nancy Kennett and Peggy Lee have supervised CSF members as they volunteered for the carnival. Math teacher Kevin Murphy has played the role of Santa Claus every year.

“Seeing the elementary students give us hugs and thanks is the best part about going to the Christmas Carnival every year. We end the day by seeing all of their big smiles and by hearing their wishes for the next year’s event,” answers Angela when asked about her favorite moments.

Members have a plethora of activities to tend to while volunteering.

“My group set up games for the children,” explains general member Kevin Ky. “We had a bean bag tossing game and musical chairs.”

The Christmas Carnival serves as a highlight of the holiday season for members who volunteer as well.

“It was really fun and I’m really glad I decided to go,” says Kevin. “I would definitely go again! I’m already looking forward for next year.”

By Daniel Kokoski and Arthur Hoang

The Choir Department hosted its winter concert “Warm on a Cold Night” last Wednesday featuring the Treblemakers, Varsity Choir and Concert Choir, while music department’s Winter Concert “All Bundled Up” performed in the L-Building on Friday.

“(I really enjoy) just seeing people sing and express their emotions,” remarks Choir Council Vice President Vanessa Nguyen.

The instrumental concert consisted of performances from String Orchestra, Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra. The evening included classical renditions from “Inverno” by Vivaldi to “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson.

“The music is very intense,” admits freshman Victor Xie, who plays for String Orchestra. “I really love the care Ms. Ray puts into selecting the music.”

The choir concert featured songs such as “Voice Dance,” “Tollite Hostias” and “Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind,” along with recognizable holiday songs including “Deck the Halls” and “Sleigh Ride.”

“Every concert is unique because of how different the songs are,” says Vanessa. “We may never sing those songs again.”

The Instrumental Department’s “All Bundled Up” is the product of one month’s worth of practices both in and out of class. While it was at first challenging for each player to match tempos, their cohesion has improved over their many practices.

“We are pretty prepared. We’ve run through the pieces many times, and we always make sure all the different sections of the group are balanced so we have the right amount of each section heard in each part,” explains Sarah Dao, a member of Symphony Orchestra.

For the choir members, one significant difficulty was to convey the songs’ intent to the audience and set the right mood with each tune.

“For the past few weeks, we’ve been trying to piece together all of the lyrics along with the actual meaning of the song,” explains Choir Council President Catherine Tran. “For example, we’re singing a song called ‘Soneto De La Noche,’ a song about death, but we can’t look like we’re singing about death (and evoke a dark mood). It’s actually a very energetic song.”

While these are the last Music Department concerts of the calendar year, the musicians have many more ahead of them. Classes are preparing for their Disneyland trip in March as well the spring CMEA (California Musician Education Association) concert.

“I’m excited for the challenges we may face together as an orchestra at the CMEA festival,” claims Victor.

By Anthony Ta

Red Cross held its fall blood drive this past Friday in the library.  Members and officers alike participated in donating blood and running the event through Blood Centers of the Pacific.  Donors were required to be at least 16 years old, fill out a waiver out if they’re under 18, and pass the screening process before being able to participate in the blood donation.

“I think the obvious thing is you are giving to hopefully help to create the blood banks that will make it better for people who need blood transfusions,” says Mr. Vasques, “and also makes students aware of what they can do to help others.”

Students who signed up for the event were pulled from their selected classes and brought over to the library.  The donated blood was then delivered to local hospitals in the area by the Blood Centers of the Pacific at the end of the drive.

“I was really nervous because I really don’t like needles, but when you are doing [it] to save someone else’s life, it encourages you to go through with it,” says senior Ryan Phong, “I would definitely do this again.”

“About 37% of people are eligible to perform a blood transfusion, but only about 10% of people do,” states Red Cross Board Member Annemarie Gali.

According to the Red Cross website, the club pushes towards preventing and alleviating human suffering “in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.”

“One pint of blood can save up to three lives,” explains Red Cross President Nancy Le, “these pints of blood will go to local Bay Area hospitals so it will make a direct impact on the community.”

The club hopes to be able to get students to continue to spread the word about the importance of donating blood and to do so, if eligible, for as many years as possible.

“It is nice to know that I am helping people and at the end of the day you end up feeling better about yourself knowing that you were able to help save 3 lives,” beams two time donor Jeffrey Chang.

Holding a blood drive is nothing new to the Piedmont Hills club.  In the past, Red Cross has worked with the Blood Centers of the Pacific to run six successful blood drives.