#pleasantonpatch

Pleasanton Patch, Blog Post

June 1, 2012

This week, I attended my last Foothill High choir concert. That is, my last concert as a performer.

I've only been in choir for one year, but I've spent four years in a club called Jazz Singers, thus performing at least one song every semester.

It was odd to see my peers receive awards and serenade on stage one last time, and for me to do the same. But what made me laugh a bit and sort of forget the bittersweetness of the whole night was something my friend sitting next to me mentioned. She commented on the different faces that people make when they sing. It's kind of funny, kind of cute and really interesting. 

While everyone who sings has their own unique facial expressions, these are the most common:

Hopeful: The lyrics and hidden meanings behind many choir songs are deep and inspiring. Fittingly, plenty of singers sing as if they are striving for something more, learning a bit as they sing. These singers often look inspiring themselves and watching them perform their tunes is something to look forward to.

Concentrating/Serious: Don’t get these singers confused with those who express no emotion. No, these singers take singing seriously. Sometimes their tunes and notes look calculated and formulaic, but that could also mean they are the most accurate singers of the entire group.

Sad: Singers who sing with a sad look on their face the whole time can be confusing. Sometimes they look like they’re sympathizing with a sad song, but other times, it’s as if they are perpetually sad, making something melancholy out of any song meaning.

Pure joy: Some people mask their nervousness with a smile on their faces, and others smile when they sing just because they can. Regardless, singers who sing with expressions of pure joy are fun to watch and tend to correct any mistakes easily with their easygoing smiles. Sometimes they look cheesy, but for the most part, these singers seem like they’re having a fun time.

Pleasanton Patch, Blog Post

July 19, 2011

Today, July 18, marks day four of post-Potter depression.

It’s not just my sentiments; plenty of exuberant Harry Potter fans cranked out their inner-geek to the max on July 15 to watch the midnight premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.  

The entire day felt like a dream – one that I will never forget.

The big event started on July 14. Well, technically, everything really began when we scrambled to get IMAX 3D tickets months before. The Monday before, three of my friends and I met at Michael’s to get supplies for our Hogwarts House-coordinated t-shirts. But we arrived at the theater the day before the actual premier to find optimum seats for the biggest movie of our lives thus far.

We walked into Regal Hacienda in Dublin at 11:30 a.m. and were greeted by a hoard of friends and ecstatic fans. Apparently, the group first in the IMAX 3D line arrived at midnight the night before! The four of us situated our spot in line, took pictures of our awesome t-shirts, and set out to make the most of our day.

While our parents thought we were crazy for getting there so early, we were rarely bored. In the IMAX lobby, a Harry Potter marathon was playing on two TV screens. A group waiting in line decorated their waiting area and provided snacks like Butterbeer. Nearly everyone was dressed up for the occasion – some even as characters in specific, like Dumbledore or Harry! The atmosphere was that of a party-filled Hogwarts. It’s difficult to describe it any other way than magical.

When we were let into our theater at 11 p.m., no one could contain his or her excitement. With countdown spurts and witty comments, it was hard to believe that “the end to our childhood,” the book series that we had all grown up reading, the movies the world loved to watch, was coming to a close.

I refuse to write about the movie itself in detail because I encourage everyone to watch it. Even if you haven’t kept good tabs on the rest of the saga, this end of a legacy is one you won’t want to miss.

As for my friends and I, we look forward to telling our story to anyone who’ll listen – not only about the day, but how Harry was with us for an entire decade of our childhood. And never forget what J.K. Rowling said at the premier in London: “Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”

(Photos credit: Evelyn Minaise)

(Caption: Everyone noticed our hand-made shirts!)

Pleasanton Patch, Blog Column

May 4, 2011

With education budget cuts in full swing, here's one high school student's take on the overlooked effects of California's financial crisis.

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I am on such good terms with the Latin program as a whole because of my initial friendship with some of the students; I’ve known some since the seventh grade! Checking in on friends turned into saying hi to the beloved Mr. Heinitz and listening in on review sessions. I became a groupie, and it’s been more rewarding than I thought.

I’ve known Latin students since my freshman year of high school, even though I am a fourth-year Frenchie. Foothill High School proudly stands by its Latin program, a rara avis (Latin for “rare bird”) these days, especially in California public schools. Not even our rival school, Amador Valley High School, can boast about their high tanking Latin students – their class is nonexistent. We, however, can boast and see no shame in doing so.

And we do have a right to boast, as our program is one of the most successful I know. This year, the Latin students participated in their first statewide Latin Convention. At the convention, Foothill won second place (in their first year!) among small schools by producing many students and teams whose individual success propelled Foothill to success. A Foothill student scored higher than any other convention participant on the convention’s Roman History exam, and other students placed among the top honors in other tests like mythology and grammar. Furthermore, Latin III Certamen team placed second statewide. Certamen is a quiz-bowl style game that tests students on their overall knowledge of Latin and Roman life. As this is their first year in the Convention, these students surely have potential to place first in years to come, if not next year. Likewise, on the National Latin Exam, a prestigious standardized Latin test, numerous students also achieved gold and silver (that is, making very few mistakes). Three students received perfect scores within the past two years, one of them two years in a row. The Latin program is raking in too many honors to count!

It’s tough to deny that the Latin program is a gem among Foothill’s many. And now I must come to a sad ending to an otherwise encouraging story: Foothill’s Latin program is facing serious obstacles next year. Foothill projects Latin’s four levels will be forced into one class size, jeopardizing the future success of the program, and any extra funding will be cut out. This is just one example of California’s harsh budget reality. How exactly do we tell dream-chasing students that their efforts have been flushed away?

Cue the long sigh and typical teenage eye roll. It’s sad that my inquiry has become a rhetorical question due to its unanswerable nature. When someone can fix aspiring students’ problems, let me know. I’ll be the girl waiting in the currently missing light at the end of the tunnel, as that light has dimmed out to a mere flicker due to budget cuts.