thelegendonline Cultural Corner, Uncategorized

VSA practices for MAYS

By Nghi Nguyen

 

VSA (Vietnamese Student Association) practices their performances for MAYS (Mid Autmun Youth Festival) which happened last Saturday at Mount Pleasant High School. As mentioned in October’s issue, VietAYA (Viet-American Youth Association) hosts the festival every year for VSAs from high schools in the East Side Union High School district to bond and compete through various activities.

“We are having a ribbon fan and a regular fan dance. The ribbon fan dance is typically for officers and the fan dance is for members,” says VSA President Maggie Nguyen.

The ribbon fan dance is influenced by the song “Như Hoa Mùa Xuân” sung by Hồ Ngọc Hà, Thủy Tiên, Minh Hằng, while the fan dance is guided by the song “Em Trong Mắt Tôi” by Nguyễn Đức Cường. Both of these songs are able to represent commonly played songs in the Vietnamese community.

“It’s me and Isabella’s first year as choreographers for MAYS, so the way we created our dances has a different vibe formt the past choreographers. We’re going for an upbeat and fast kind of vibe. We also want to showcase traditional Vietnamese dances and all the hard work that was put into our dances,” states Co-Cultural Chair Carolyn Le.

These dance performances provide snippets of what traditional Vietnamese dances are, while still showing VSA’s own unique flare. Through their hardworking performances, VSA hopes others are able to have a greater appreciation for Vietnamese culture.

“We’re excited about being able to bond with each other through this experience because performing is such an amazing thing, and the thrill of being on stage is breathtaking. We want VSA to grow as a club, and we’re hoping to be more connected to each other,” comments Club Representative Christine Do.

thelegendonline Uncategorized

UNICEF x KEY Club movie night trishatrinh

By: Trisha Trinh

UNICEF (United Nations International Emergency Fund) and Key Club are partnering up to hold a movie night in the Library on Fri.,  Nov. 30. Together, the clubs will be showing The Greatest Showman with an admission of $1.

“The movie night is held to bring our clubs together and provide a fun way to stay active with the club!” says UNICEF Co-President Lilly Liu. The event that will include icebreakers, board games, taking pictures with all the decorations and even the chance to purchase food. It is estimated that 50-60 people going to the event, according to UNICEF Co-Service Director Anna Tran.

UNICEF is a nonprofit organization that assists in recent disasters and problems, but a branch of the group is UNICEF Bay which is more locally-based that Piedmont Hills UNICEF is apart of. UNICEF’s partner, Key Club, is a student-led program run through serving others by acts of community service.

“I think having the movie night is fun way to get people together while also fundraising for both UNICEF and Key club”, says Anna Tran.  Both clubs decided to do a movie night to raise funds on each of the clubs’ projects, while having a fun event for students to enjoy.

The movie will be from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. and everyone is welcome to come join. UNICEF is planning to use the funds from the event to cover any weekly or everyday activities, or their upcoming dance, Snowflake Ball. As for Key Club, they strive for another project of theirs, ELIMINATE, a project that provides vaccines to protect their mothers and children from a disease called MNT (Maternal Neonatal Tetanus), which causes both the mother and child to experience painful spasms.

“So of course it is amazing working alongside all the UNICEF officers! Planning all the decorations and the movie was difficult but made it through (the discussions and voting amongst both clubs). We all work towards our two main goals which is to spreading the unity and love as well as helping to raise money for the ELIMINATE project,” says Key Club Vice President Joann Huynh. Both clubs feels that the event is a great way to bond, while raising money for a good cause.

The movie shown, The Greatest Showman, is about a man that came from nothing rose to create a worldwide spectacle. The movie was chosen because it seemed like a good choice with having action-pact scenes and something for everyone to enjoy, according to both of the clubs.

thelegendonline Fun Page, Uncategorized

Fun Holidays

Fun.03.InterestingHolidays.Alana.Valdez

Nov. 18 – Mickey Mouse’s Birthday

Nov. 19 – National soda day

Nov. 20 – Entrepreneurs day

Nov. 21 – National jukebox day

Nov. 22 – Thanksgiving

Nov. 23 – National espresso day

Nov. 24 – National sardines day

Nov. 25 – National shopping day

Nov. 26 – cyber monday

Nov. 27 – Homemade jerky day

Nov. 28 – Rockefeller tree lighting ceremony

Nov. 29 – square dancing day

Nov. 30 – Stay home because you’re well day

Dec. 1 – National pie day

Dec. 2 – fritters day

Dec. 3 – people with disabilities awareness day

Dec. 4 – National cookie day

Dec. 5 – International ninja day

Dec. 6 – Microwave oven day

Dec. 7 – Pearl Harbor day

Dec. 8 – Brownie day

Dec. 9 – National pastry day

Dec. 10 – Human rights day

Dec. 11 – Apple day

Dec. 12 – Gingerbread house day

Dec. 13 – Ice cream day

Dec. 14 – Monkey day

thelegendonline Uncategorized

Red Cross hosts Fall Blood Dr

By Sophia.Xiao

 

PHHS Red Cross hosted its annual Fall Blood Drive on Nov. 2 in the Library, inviting Vitalant Research Institute nurses, equipment and staff onto campus to harvest blood from 58 students and staff. Blood donations collected at Piedmont Hills will directly supply the 45 hospitals here in the Bay Area, according to Vitalant Donor Recruitment Representative Nick Hooks.

“100% of that blood comes from volunteer donors so if we don’t have donors like the ones here at Piedmont Hills, those patients don’t have a chance to see tomorrow,” said Mr. Hooks.

When it comes to life-saving transfusions, there is no substitute for blood, which is used to treat accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer, according to the Red Cross website.

“We’re always in a shortage, especially in the Bay Area, since there are so many people,” said Red Cross Co-President Mignon Lee.

By hosting their biannual blood drives, Red Cross helps to diminish that shortage and save lives. In fact, high school students are a very important demographic for Vitalant.

“They’re actually our largest source of blood. During the school year, about 35% of the blood supply comes from high school students, so it’s a really important aspect of what we do,” said Mr. Hooks. “Additionally, a lot of the people donating at these drives, it’s their first time donating so that is where we get our lifetime donors.”

Among the 58 donors, 40 were first-time donors. Students were pulled out of class from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. to donate blood in the Library bustling with Red Cross volunteers, Vitalant nurses and recovering donors. Donors were rewarded with a free T-shirt, as well as juice and snacks meant to help them recover lost iron and vitamins.

“I was very (nervous) because I hate needles, but it’s for a good cause, so I decided I’m just going to do it and stop being a wimp,” shared first-time donor Stacey Huang. “It’s a good experience. You get very pampered with all this food and you’re donating blood which helps others.”

“It’s really a magical experience to see how you can impact other people through something that you own,” said Red Cross Vice President Shannon Liu.

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

“They recommend eating a good breakfast, having salt, sleeping the night before, and staying hydrated,” explained Mignon.

According to the Red Cross website, nurses collect one pint of blood as well as several additional samples for testing. The blood is then processed, packaged and tested for blood type and infectious diseases. Finally, the blood is shipped off to hospitals where it is stored and available for use at any time

thelegendonline Uncategorized

Dance the Night Away at Senior Pro

By Amy Tom

On May 25, 2019 seniors will come together at the Silver Creek Valley Country Club to enjoy “A Night to Remember” at their final high school dance, Senior Prom. There are many dances in high school and Senior Prom is the last and one of the biggest dances. It is not just a dance but it is also an event that brings friends together for a night to make memories and enjoy the time with their friends at their last dance in high school.

Before this event can happen there are many decisions to make from the venue to the activities at prom. All the work and time that goes into planning this big event is put in by the Class of 2019 officers who are still making decisions and adding activities. According to Class President Jane Tran, it took around five to six months to just pick the theme and venue of prom. The theme chosen for this year’s Senior Prom is “A Night to Remember”.

“We’re aiming for a flashback through high school. Memories” exclaimed Jane.

Along with choosing the theme the officers also decided on the venue. This year’s prom will be held at the SCVCC (Silver Creek Valley Country Club).

“We visited a lot of locations and Silver Creek Valley Country Club looked the best and matched our needs,” said Jane.

Prom is right around the corner and there are so many things to decide on: dresses, tuxes, who to go with and where to take pictures but there are many things at prom to look forward to.

“There is going to be many things including a DJ, Photo booth, flip book, and appetizers along with good vibes, and amazing decorations,” said officer Koby Pham.

The photo booth and flipbook will be great ways to create memories with your friends while enjoying the music and dancing at prom.

“I already bought my prom ticket and am pretty excited since this is the last dance of our high school life. I’m looking forward to enjoying good vibes, good food and hanging out with my friends” says senior Jessica De La Cruz.

Prom tickets have been on sale at the bank since Oct. 29 and will last until May 10. , 2019. Grab your tickets quick because prices will increase.

Current ticket prices are $120 for singles, $220 for couples and will stay at this price until Jan. 11, 2019. The next price increase is on Jan 14 $130 for singles and $240 for couples until Apr. 12. The last price increase and time period to buy the tickets is from Apr. 15 to May 10, single tickets will be $140 while couple tickets will be $260.

Don’t wait and buy your tickets now to enjoy a night full of good vibes, music and dancing.

thelegendonline Centerspread, Uncategorized

Dangers and myths of Halloween

By Justin Wang and Devonna Dang

Stories and warnings of fear for such tampering surged in the late 20th century. However, the general consensus now is that such warnings are generally unfounded upon further reflection and study.

One such misidentification occured right here in San Jose. It was Halloween of 1996 when seven-year-old Ferdinan Siquig collapsed while trick-or-treating. Initial blood and urine sample tests led police to suspected that the culprit was cocaine laced within his Halloween candy.

However, later analysis did not find signs of the cocaine. Despite this, the story was already reported on before the later analysis was conducted. It’s easy to see how stories like these may propagate.

It is important to note, however, that while no death has been attributed to random acts of candy terror; there were two reported cases of death due to the fault of family members.

One was an accident in which a child mistook heroin for candy, and the other was a murder plotted by the child’s uncle for insurance money.

While both are tragic cases, no death has been attributed to candy from strangers and many reported cases of tampering end up being pranks by the child themselves.

Although Halloween candy poisonings exist in the realm of urban myth, tampered trick-or-treat candy have been documented. These cases constitute a different level of tampering than poisoning: it’s an attempt to kill whereas a pin in your candy is an attempt to scare or injure. About eighty cases of sharp objects in food incidents have been reported since 1959, and almost all were hoaxes. Only about ten culminated in even minor injury, and in the worst case, a woman required a few stitches.

Comparatively, a larger danger of Halloween is a kidnapping or abduction. “Freshmen year Halloween, my friends and I went trick-or-treating in this trailer park neighborhood… while we were walking in the more vacant part of the neighborhood my friends told me there was this guy wearing a clown mask and was stalking us,” says junior Kailyn Nguyen.

Car accidents are largely overlooked on Halloween. Because Halloween takes place at night, darkness impairs vision. It should be noted that if you decide to trick-or-treat, make sure that you can be seen at night. If the situation is that you are behind the steering wheel, keep in mind the hyperactive children possibly running around in the nighttime.

A gleaming light in the night time, lanterns, a component to the festivities of Halloween but also a fire hazard. The potential harm of fire could be alleviated by wearing costumes that are made up of one material. The more flimsy and thin your material constitutes, the more likely it is to catch on fire. Different materials react differently to one another, and depending on the materials, the costume could burn faster. ◆

 

thelegendonline Secret Life of Staff, Uncategorized

The biography of a biology teacher

By Katie Tran

“I am exceptionally boring,” remarks biology teacher Jason Dries when asked about his hobbies besides photography.

Aside from teaching here at Piedmont Hills, Mr. Dries spends much of his time taking photos, whether it be of his friends and family or of his clients. His interest in photography began about ten years ago, when his son was born. Back then, the phones weren’t great and he wanted better than his hand-held cell phone.

“I bought a kit off Amazon, or eBay and kinda started liking photography and then that camera became a better one and then a better one and then a better one,” explains Mr. Dries.

Mr. Dries owns a small business called Legacy Photographs, which was originally a website where he would blog and post photos, until April 2011. He read an article in the Mercury News one morning about a mother of three who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and decided that he would offer to take photos of her and her family so her kids would have a memory of their mother forever.

“I contacted her the morning I read about it in the newspaper and said ‘can I take thousands of pictures of you with your kids before you die?’ so we met up a bunch of times and actually took a vacation with them early on,” reminisces Mr. Dries. He then expanded his plan to make Legacy Photographs a small business by doing pay jobs to cover the costs of photos for them.

“To establish a legacy is to preserve things and I have taken tens of thousands of pictures of my son so his legacy will be very visible in the years to come,” responds Mr. Dries, explaining why he named his business ‘Legacy Photographs.’

Before deciding on becoming a teacher, Mr. Dries thought about pharmacy school and was accepted to the University of Pacific but turned it down because his parents couldn’t afford it.

“Not an option. I’m color blind and I can’t see rashes, jaundice, hives. I can’t see those things. It would be bad,” revealed Mr. Dries on why he didn’t reapply when offered admission again.

Mr. Dries has been teaching AP Biology for 15 years and the year after decided that Piedmont needed Forensic Science so he began teaching that as well.

“Our principal at the time, we were in one of our meetings, asked ‘who wants to teach AP?’ and I was the only one who raised my hand,” revealed Mr. Dries.

When asked who his inspirations were, he replied that every photo he sees that are better than his serves as inspiration to him but he doesn’t have any specific inspirations. ◆

thelegendonline In-Depth, Uncategorized

NOT FINSIHED The characteristics of an effective teacher

By Trevor Glassey

In today’s world, education is one of the most prevalent institutions that came with the modern world. Some may say that the rise of democracy and its need for an educated population to make good decisions in voting led to its rise. Others say the downfall of blue collar jobs due to machinery forcing people into the education to get white collar jobs.
Whatever the reason, it is now an important part of children’s lives, making it worth questioning how to have the best instructors for such an important institution. With that in mind, I set out to answer a deceptively simple question: what are the traits of a good teacher? Now, this is a matter of opinion, as one will learn by asking what people believe should be most valued in teachers and why it helps them teach. As such, three groups have been taken into account —the students, the teachers and the internet —to learn what people believe are the best traits to have as a teacher.
The student responses tended to be a little vague. Most of the answers were that the teacher should be knowledgeable about their subject, patient, respectful and most importantly, engaging in some way. While other traits may exist that are important, these were the most commonly listed traits. Interestingly, students would not bring up “knowledgeable” when initially asked about the traits of a good teacher, but when prompted, they would immediately agree and say something along the lines of “well yeah, that’s like the baseline.” Patient is an often espoused virtue, many saying that they like having a teacher willing to put up with shenanigans now and then or not getting frustrated helping a student understand something they just don’t get. “Respect” is a common answer, with students saying that they won’t respect and don’t listen to teachers who don’t respect them. Lastly, being engaging in some form was mentioned by most students, though it took many forms. This was often one of the most important traits, as being able to interest students in the subject through humor or personality was one of the best ways they learned. Students believe that teachers must be able to teach in a way that can appeal to the many types of students available.
“Teachers should be adaptable to handle the different types of students that end up in their classroom,” expresses senior Eldridge Espanol. “If a teacher conflicts with the students, the students may not like them and won’t learn because of it.”
Teachers also have their own opinions on which traits are the most important, though many are very similar to student’s opinions. Teachers must once again be knowledgeable, patient and respect students. Along with that, some teachers had traits like approachable, fair, open to new ways of improving the class, holds high expectations of students and able to form a connection with students.
The new ones bring some light into how teachers perceive their goals and effects in the educational system. Approachable was seen as a valuable trait as it allows students to come to teachers and actively seek help. Being fair is important as treating students differently depending on how the teachers likes them will cause that teacher to lose their student’s respect.
While not everything tried needs to be used, being open to new ways of teaching is important for improving the class from year to year. Holding high expectations of students is important as it allows for teachers to challenge them rather than let them wallow in what they already know. Lastly, and probably most difficult, is forming a connection with the students. Much like engaging, this varies student to student, and makes it likely impossible to appeal to every student.
“One thing I’m always trying to improve on is my flexibility,” mentions Ms. James. “Sometimes things don’t always go according to plan, and being able to work around it without being flustered is important.”
The internet has numerous websites reporting which traits are the most important, most of them student surveys varying from colleges to elementary school. Along with previously mentioned traits, online data of college-level students shows numerous skills, like organized and effective communicator. They also brought up ideas like forgiveness, cultivating a sense of belonging and admitting to mistakes.
“Students seldom mentioned where teachers attended school, what degrees they held, or whether they had been named a ‘Teacher of the Year.’ Instead, students focused on these teachers’ nurturing and caring qualities,” explains Robert J. Walker in his research study of in-service and pre-service teachers.
In the modern world, education has become essential to getting ahead in most areas of life. As such, it is important to reflect on what makes teachers effective. How often these traits show up means that clearly there are some truth to them, but remember that every person is different and while these guidelines may be useful, different situations will call for different actions. ♦

thelegendonline Uncategorized

Students place in EDRC writing contest

By Michelle Lin

Seniors Sean Tseng and Vivian Le placed first and second respectively in the Every Body’s Beautiful writing contest held by the EDRC (Eating Disorders Resource Center).
The eighth annual contest asked contestants to respond to one of three prompts discussing self-love, self-acceptance and body image issues. Participants could send in essays or poetry. This year saw over 200 entries from all over the South Bay.
Sean won with her poem entitled “‘Princess’ Is No Insult,” while Vivian won for her poem “Je m’aime.” Both poems addressed the common issue of self-image.
“I’ve always loved writing but never went through with any writing contests,” explained Vivian.
However, since the topic was something she cared about, she decided to enter.
“It was a humbling experience knowing that there’s people out there that think my writing is good enough for second place!”
First, second and third place winners will be presented with $300, $200 and $100 in prize money, respectively. ♦

thelegendonline Uncategorized

Choir wows at Warriors game

By Jen Luu

PHHS Choir Council members were invited to perform at the Golden State Warriors home game on Nov. 26 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.  They sang the “Star-Spangled Banner” in the middle of the stadium, where hundreds of people in the audience watched them.

“It was a really fun experience because I have never performed in front of such a humongous audience before,” expresses senior Aleisha Lew.

When the performers arrived and settled in to prepare, they had the opportunity to watch the basketball players practice before the game started.

“I have been doing this for three years, and every year there are new players.  It was cool being on the court with Kevin Durant for the first time,” claims senior Catherine Tran.

To kickstart the performance, people in the audience rose and placed their hands over their hearts as a customary salute.  Shortly after, the Choir Council performed the “Star Spangled Banner.”  Singers in various sections—such as soprano, tenor, bass and alto—harmonized with each other.   Pyrotechnics went off throughout the performance.  In other words, during certain lyrics such as “rockets red glare” and “bombs bursting in the air,” there were bouts of fireworks as an added effect.

“I felt excited and scared (performing) because when we sang those parts, I could actually feel the heat (from the pyrotechnics),” recalls senior James Hoang.

Once the singers finished, they were able to watch the basketball game.

“We got to see Stephen Curry, which was really mind-blowing,” exclaims Aleisha.

Music teacher Myles Ellis organized this opportunity.  Although the singers were able to perform at the arena, they still had to pay for their entrance.  Mr. Ellis sold tickets to the game for $90.  Compared to other sellers, such as Stubhub which sold tickets for about $300, the tickets he sold were approximately three times cheaper.