Category: Features

By Hannah Tong

Photo caption: WATCH ME! Indian Club performs their dance at the winter rally.

As the long winter break finally approaches, Piedmont Hills finished off the holiday season with a final winter rally, holiday-themed spirit days and a memorable winter ball.

Starting from Mon., Nov. 30 to Fri., Dec. 4, ASB created festive spirit days for the school to assure that the enthusiasm started early.  Students were able to participate in Fuzzy Socks Monday, Toys Tuesday, Ugly Sweater Wednesday, Santa Thursday and Class Color Friday.

These spirit days were a perfect way to kick off the chilly winter weather.

However, ASB did not end it all there.

On Fri., Dec. 4, all the students and staff came together to pull off one last rally for the semester.

Hints of yellow, orange, green and purple could be seen in the stands as the different classes squeezed into the gym.

After a warm welcome from Pep Commissioner Jordan Covington, all the classes were ready to watch what the last rally had prepared from them.

The rally started off with junior Rianna Gallardo singing the National Anthem.

Afterwards, three dance clubs, Dance Junkies, Indian Club and Seoul Xtreme Choreography, who each performed their own self-choreographed dance, showed off their moves in which they had been working hard on all semester long.

Aside from the rally, the students of Piedmont Hills also originally planned on coming together one last time to host its last and final dance of the semester, the “SnowBall” on Sat., Dec. 5.

However due to the few tickets sold, the dance had to be cancelled.

In the end, Piedmont Hills had the spirit days to thank for commencing the holiday season.

“Fuzzy socks, toys, ugly sweaters, and the idea of Santa bring back warm, fuzzy memories of the wintery Christmas feeling!” exclaims Sophomore Class President Natalie Yeh.

In addition to winter rally, Leadership collaborated together to perform their Charlie Brown Christmas skit.

During the plot, each class raised their lights from their phones to compete for the class with the best “Christmas lights”.

Lastly, before finishing off the rally with the final class call, ASB put together a Christmas game where all the classes turned on their competitive side and fought to become the winner of the class competition.

Three participants from each class raced to wrap their “Christmas tree”, who was really just one of the three students, the fastest with streamers to become the winner.

“Surprisingly, it was a lot harder than it looked, making sure the streamers wouldn’t rip,” describes junior Martin Ruiz.   “I had a lot of fun though!”

With all these winter activities in one week, students were able to relieve the stress of finals from their shoulders.

“I’m just [going to] do my best for finals weeks and enjoy my Christmas break,” expresses senior Jeffrey Tran. “I’ve been looking forward to that ever since Thanksgiving break!”

In all, Piedmont Hills closes the 2015 school year with the incoming start of the joyful and holiday season.

By Tiffany Lee

Furious Christians have gathered to fight against alleged anti-Christianity, brought about by the infamous red cup.  But since the majority of Christians peacefully sip their lattes, the ones teeming with anger seem almost illogical.

According to evangelists like Joshua Feuerstein, whose Facebook video has been viewed over 16 million times, Starbucks “wanted to take Christ and Christmas off of their brand new cups; that’s why they’re just plain red.”  Basically, Feuerstein and other like-minded Christians believe that previous years’ designs, with symbols like pine trees, snowflakes and snowmen, accurately represent Christ and Christmas.  However, such symbols aren’t particularly mentioned in the Bible, rendering the argument invalid.  Starbucks still heavily represents Christmas, as the franchise has advent calendars and Christmas coffee blends in every store.

The viral video started a movement, in which angry Christians go to Starbucks stores, order a festive drink and claim their name is “Merry Christmas” to trick the baristas into following Christianity.  But perhaps a standard boycott would’ve been more effective, as these believes of Christ have actually fooled themselves into giving the franchise both money and publicity.

Battling the trending #MerryChristmasStarbucks started by Feuerstein, many Christians and other people in general started another trending hashtag: #ItsJustACup.  According to USA Today, the people standing behind this hashtag believe there are simply bigger issues in the world to be worried about, claiming the cup is a “first-world problem.”  They also acknowledge that a cup doesn’t define an entire religion, because it’s just a cup.

Perhaps Starbucks’ inclusivity bothers some Christians because Christianity isn’t the only religion in the spotlight anymore.  Regardless, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists have never created such a large fuss over their lack of representation in Starbucks cups, maybe because, like mentioned before, there are bigger problems in the world to worry about, like the recent attacks of terrorism and racism.  The exaggerated outrage sadly makes a mockery of the religion itself, not the cup.

IN SESSION Juniors Tina Tran and Phillip Tran are brainstorming for their UC applications.

Photo courtesy of Colin Nguyen

By Diane Tran

California School Foundation (CSF) club gave an opportunity for fellow pirates to attend a UC workshop at Educational Park Library from Oct.18 to Nov. 1.  It is a program created by Kevin Tran, an alumnus from Independence High School who is now a student at UC Berkeley, which assists high-school students with the UC application as well as a step-to-step approach to reduce the amount of stress for the students.

Mr. Tran had the intention of helping other students and asked his community to see if there was enough interest.

“The idea immediately gained a lot of support so I decided to plan it—only I wanted to do it my own way.  I wanted students to not only avoid procrastinating and be less stressed out about the process, but also become their own self advocates so they may better represent themselves in their personal statements and better yet, in their lives,” explained Mr. Tran.

The workshop is self-planned by Mr. Tran.  He explains that he does not plan much for the workshop but just a rough outline on how he wants the session to flow.

“Since my main focus is self-advocacy aspect, I only need to research the more concrete and explicit writing tips.  Much of what I do during the workshop is ‘in the moment’ in other words, I analyze the student’s various contexts to direct my presentation of the material,” describes Mr.Tran.

High school students, specifically PHHS students, are very grateful for him to be able to guide them through this process.

“I went to the first session and it was based on self-advocacy.  So, we got to reflect on our lives and ourselves in general more, and I got to appreciate myself more.  I felt like I was able to dig deeper into myself because usually school stresses so much that I just put myself down more than I try to talk about myself” states junior Tina Tran.

By going to the workshop, students were able to take stress off.

“I learned to not procrastinate through his workshop; it seems like a general rule but for college applications.  It’s really important to be organized to lessen the stress load overall,” indicates junior Phillip Ly.

CSF has brought awareness to the workshop by mentioning it into their weekly general meetings.  Mr. Tran and CSF both have had an impact on the students that went.

Phở REAL! VSA girls perform a traditional Vietnamese dance.

Photo Courtesy: Amy Van

By Kyle Nathan Sumida

VSA (Vietnamese Student Association) competed in the annual MAYS (Mid Autumn Youth Summit) at Yerba Buena High School on Nov. 1 to raise funds for their club and to showcase their talents.

At this event, VSA clubs around San Jose meet together to compete in dance, cultural jeopardy, skits, olympics, singing and speech.

“It’s overall a really great event for the Vietnamese community because students, parents and organization leaders all contribute to making the event successful and fun,” exclaims President Rose Hoang.  “I love watching the other schools and seeing what other VSA clubs are doing when they perform.”

Cash rewards are given out as prizes to the top three schools in each category, with each one ranging from around $50 to $200.  PHHS’s VSA club placed third in the cultural jeopardy category and earned $50; second in skit and earned $100; and first in singing and earned $75.  Although the school did not receive a reward for the speech category, senior Richard Nguyen successfully landed in fourth place.

Spencer Nguyen, member of the club and first place winner for the singing category, was surprised to hear the great news.

“There were some good singers there,” comments Spencer.  “I was scared for most of the day because I had to switch songs the night before at 1am.”

The club encountered rigorous planning and preparation for all of the categories.  Practices for the different categories began right after Homecoming week, but both Rose and sophomore board member Cindy Nguyen agree that it was difficult for members to all come on the same day to practice.

“Our skit people were busy on different days, so not everyone was at the practices,” explains Cindy.

Club Treasurer Tina Tran comments that the funds raised will be saved for next semester’s annual PHHS VSA show.

 

By Angel Palomino

As the yearly Martin Luther King contest comes around again, students are surprised at what they are capable of.

“(Science teacher Matthew) Trask had his science class do the contest last year and they got first place for the school,” expresses English teacher Nancy Kennett.

Every year the contest will accept an essay, poem, drawing or a short performance (stills, animation, live action music).  Last year Mr. Trask made his science class participate in the contest by having the students write essays that related to science.

“I wanted to inspire my students to be better science writers, and better communicators, and they were very positive…they know how to write an essay and worked hard, and they also spent a lot of time in the computer labs,” jokes Mr. Trask towards his participation last year.  Last year’s winner for Piedmont Hills was senior Jade Tran from Mr. Trask’s third period.

“I’m grateful I was able to share my appreciation for Martin Luther King, meet talented people from other schools at the awarding ceremony and see their amazing work,” states Jade Tran.

“Even though this year is more challenging, I’m still going to do it,” replies Mr. Trask

“It’s been a tradition in the district for over 30 years,” exclaims art teacher Noreen Rubay.  “It’s nice to have some applications from students who aren’t in your art class, and that most students act anxious when they turn it in, but they are surprised when they win.”

“Most students act anxious, happy when they win,” states art teacher Van Nguyen.  “The Art Department receives somewhere around 12 through 15 applications (every year).”

This contest will have a district prize of $250 and a school prize of $100 for first place and $75 for second place.  The submission due date is next Monday and first place winners will be submitted to the District’s Office Mon., Nov. 23.

By Kyle Nathan Sumida

Red Cross is hosting its biannual blood drive next Friday in the school library from 9am to 2pm.

Donors will be donating blood, which will then be distributed out to local medical services around the Bay Area.  During this time of the year, accidents are more prone to occur, meaning that more patients are in need of blood transfusions.

“On average, just to maintain the blood supply for each day in San Jose, you need about 450 pints.  Our blood drive tends to raise about over 60 pints per drive,” informs Co-president Grace Chit.  One donation can save up to three lives.  “While we are one of the larger high school blood drives in the district and in the Bay Area, it’s still not enough.”

Members of the club will be distributing appointment cards to students that are interested in participating.  Walk-ins are permitted, but Co-president Neil Brahmbhatt advises to plan ahead and be aware of the requirements.

“It’s good to look over the requirements to see if you’re eligible, so you do not waste class time,” informs Neil.

In order to become a blood donor, you have to be at least 16 years of age with a signed waiver from a legal guardian, which is needed by next Monday.  Those that are 17 and older are not required to turn in said waiver, but there are still height and weight requirements regardless of age.  Male students are required to be at least 5’1” in height and weigh 110 pounds; the requirements for female students vary upon each added inch.

Female students who weigh at least 110 pounds but are shorter than 5’6” must be at a minimum weight to qualify: 4’10’’ and 146 pounds; 4’11” and 142 pounds; 5” and 138 pounds; 5’1” and 133 pounds; 5’2” and 129 pounds; 5’3” and 124 pounds; 5’4” and 120 pounds; and 5’5” and 115 pounds.

Those that are seeking to become a blood donor should start consuming more iron-rich foods, such as seafood, poultry, red meat, beans, dried fruit, spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables.  A lack of iron in one’s blood system may postpone their donation.  To encourage healthier eating habits, the Red Cross Club will be hosting a feast today.

A blood drive representative from the Blood Centers of the Pacific will be assisting the officers and members of the club during the event.  Other Red Cross clubs in our district will also be having their own blood drives, but not through the Blood Centers of the Pacific.  During the event, free refreshments and complimentary T-shirts will be provided for the participants.

ART! Senior Iris Chiang evolves her painting of Charles Darwin.

Photo: Michelle Fong

By Michelle Fong

Artery has been painting the science hallways since last month, decorating the blank walls with the faces of famous scientists.  The project began when AP Biology and Forensics teacher Jason Dries commissioned Artery to beautify the halls.

“We’ve had really boring halls for 50 years.  The time is done,” Mr. Dries declares.  “It was also a way to showcase student artists (and) have them do something that everyone can see.”

To start off the project, Mr. Dries presented Artery with a list of ideas for the mural, ranging from pictures of scientists to random chemistry and physics equations.  Then, the time-consuming process of sketching and painting began.

“We mostly spend time during art class or Wednesday afternoons to work on the mural,” notes Treasurer Sharon Lee.

The first part of the mural, which can be seen on the wall outside of chemistry teacher Lope Macasaet’s classroom, is a portrait of Charles Darwin, who is known for his theory of natural selection.  Other possible portraits include Bill Nye and Neil DeGrasse Tyson.  Artery has decided to take it one step at a time and focus on one part of the mural before starting another.

Many students and staff appreciate the ongoing mural project.

“It’s neat that we’re giving some artistic expression to science,” physics teacher Lance Aberle remarks.

Others are excited to view the final product.

“I really can’t wait for it to be finished,” exclaims junior Evan Sum.  “Hopefully there are some physics puns so that when I feel down and I go through the physics halls, it can cheer me up!”

The length of the project depends on how much funding Artery will receive from the Science Department.

“We hope that the mural can be finished by the end of the school year,” expresses Sharon.

By Valerie Nguyen

Tonight, ACS (American Cancer Society) is hosting a movie night from 7:30pm to 9pm at the Senior Glen to fundraise for cancer research.  In honor of cancer awareness, the club is presenting The Fault in Our Stars, which follows two teenagers coping with the disease.

“We chose to play The Fault in Our Stars because it tells the story of how cancer can change someone’s life dramatically whether they are suffering with it or they know someone who has it,” comments Vice President of Activities Martin Ruiz.

The goal of the movie night is to raise money for the club’s Relay for Life team.  The club will participate in Relay for Life this summer.  This year, their target is to earn $2,500 to donate to the American Cancer Society organization.

Relay for Life is a 24-hour event, where not only ACS comes to support, but also other clubs and people of the community.  Participants are asked to walk for bids and awareness of cancer research.  The event provides activities such as zumba, karaoke and lantern-making in memory and admiration of those who have dealt and passed away due to cancer.

“Relay for Life is utterly amazing.  It’s an event where you really realize how many people are actually affected by cancer and how many different experiences everyone has,” expresses President Eden Conghuyen.  “I’ve met some of the most genuine people here and it’s my favorite day of the entire year.  Every time I bring someone new, they are amazed by the community network that is created and always want to come back next year.”

ACS invites everyone to embark on their journey to fight cancer and strive for more cancer-less birthdays for those suffering.  The club is involved in cancer walks, card making for cancer patients and hospice visits to give back to the community.  It is always accepting new members throughout the year and encourages everyone to join to promote cancer awareness.

By Elaine Zhang

In a little over a month, finals shall descend upon the school.  In order to survive with your grade intact, incorporate the following tips into your studying regime.

Start reviewing at least two weeks before finals week.  Start studying early enough to ensure that you can cover everything in all your subjects.  This also will prevent you from staying up until 4am the day of the final frantically cramming.

When you are studying, turn off and put away all electronic devices.  If you wish to study with music in the background, find music without words.  Study in 25 minute sections, taking a five minute break between each study session.  After three sessions, take a longer 15 minute break.  Set up a reward system for your studying.  For example, you can give yourself a small snack every time you finish a page.  This studying style is known as the pomodoro method and there are various apps that can be used to enforce it.

See if you can find out what type of test your final will be.  Studying for an essay will be different than studying for a multiple choice test.  This can also ensure that you will not be surprised on the day of the test.

Take the notes you took during the semester and condense each chapter to half a page long. This helps ensure you understand the main ideas, while letting you review all your notes.  Study from the condensed notes.

If a teacher offers a study guide, be sure to study the questions carefully; the teacher would know what’s going to be on the test.  Understand all the topics mentioned in the study guide.

Find the old tests and quizzes you took throughout the semester, if your teacher returned them.  Teachers often use similar questions and cover similar topics on their finals, so they are great review guides.  Make sure you review the questions you got wrong and understand why you missed them.

When the day before the test comes around, make sure you get a good night sleep, at least eight hours.  If you started studying earlier, this will be doable.  Otherwise, you might end up falling asleep during a test, or blanking out

The day of your finals, eat a good breakfast.  As the old saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Eating breakfast can help your thinking ability and jumpstart your day.  Also, it can help prevent you from starving during a test and distracting yourself.  Make sure the foods you consume is healthy.

Finally, and most importantly, read the question.  You will never get points if you don’t answer the question.