By Elizabeth

Tennis team standout

PHHS girl’s tennis team participated in Western League competition which proved to be very fierce. As a team, the PHHS varsity team was a finalist in the First Serve Tournament held in October at Valhalla High School.

Individually, one student who finished was a standout player — Olivia Tracey. Here are some highlights for Tracey’s year:

• Singles record 30-4 in Western League 2017.
• Finished season overall in fifth place for Western League.
• Ranked top 25 in California in USTA in girl’s 16-and-under division.
• Named PHHS girls tennis MVP 2017.
• First-team All-Western League 2016 and 2017.
• All CIF Second-team 2016.

PHHS goes international

Last month, eight Advanced Placement Spanish students traveled to Tijuana, Mexico to experience the culture and practice their Spanish while participating in a variety of activities.

Their day started with crossing the border on the Veteran’s Day holiday. Mr. Rosales, PHHS AP teacher, accompanied the students and led a tour that made the most out of a two-day trip. The students started the day in a market purchasing ingredients for a guacamole contest held in the Mercado Hidalgo. They then stopped at the Centro Cultural de Tijuana, had lunch, and then checked into their hotel where they prepared their guacamole and participated in the contest. They went to see the Disney film “Coco” at the VIP Plaza Rio, and had dinner at La Diferencia.

The students started the next day by providing international community service by a visit to the international friendship garden, Jardin Binacional, in Playas, and after breakfast visited the Malecón de Playas. They ended their day with a scavenger hunt in Plaza Rio, salsa class at Alma Latina studio and dinner at Casa del Mole.

Two students who attended the field trip shared their impressions of the two-day trip.

“I had a great experience, we were able to practice our Spanish in an actual setting where it was needed to communicate with others,” Eliza Rosales said. “The activities pushed me to be more comfortable with myself and those around me. The entire group was very kind and accepting, and I am very happy that I attended.”

Lilly Mai appreciated the cultural experience.

“The two-day trip submerged me in Hispanic culture,” she said. “I ate authentic Mexican food and realized I am not a huge fan of mole. However, the tacos were really good. We went to the Cultural Center of Tijuana and we learned about the plants, artworks and environmental concerns. The house where we stayed was cute and had beautiful designs throughout. To end the first day, we went to watch ‘Coco,’ a beautiful story about how to honor family on the Day of the Dead.”

“The second day, we helped out at the Binacional garden, where families in need around the border go in order to obtain vegetables. Later, we went to a scavenger hunt and it helped us make conversations in Spanish with the workers at the mall. Before we went home, we finished with a salsa class which was my favorite thing on the trip. I thought it was embarrassing to dance in front of everybody but we were all able to have fun and laugh. I was able to leave this trip with new memories, new friends, and a better understanding of Spanish.”

Estudiante del mes

Maya Klareich was nominated as the Patrick Henry High School (PHHS) Student of the Month for November because of her exceptional leadership role in Link Crew and her ability to inspire others to lead. She helps organize events, gives constructive feedback, and does anything that is asked of her with grace and integrity. Her ASB teacher described has as an “absolutely amazing student leader.”

Klareich is the Commissioner of Community Service and goes above and beyond to get our blood drives to run smoothly. She is also coordinating the Henry Food Drive to help those who need assistance during the holidays. She is also a regularly participating member of the Henry Hoopla planning team (PHHS advisory program) which strives to build school spirit on campus and at sporting events.

One of Klareich’s teachers reported that she is “motivated, helpful, mature, and just a genuinely decent and kind person.”

“Maya is sincere, trustworthy and well-liked by her peers,” her teacher continued. “She is active both on and off campus. Maya always challenges herself academically and does so without complaint and never has a bad attitude.”

‘Hamilton’ hits Henry

Thanks to generous funding from local and national donors, the producers of “Hamilton,” and the efforts of PHHS Social Studies teacher Taunya Robinson, 80 junior classmen will be seeing the hit Broadway musical, staged at the San Diego Civic Center next month, free of charge!

Robinson wrote a grant and agreed to participate in the Hamilton Education Program by implementing a three- to five-day curriculum, which culminated in the creation of a unique performance piece by each of her students. The curriculum was based on the student performance and study guides that were sent to her.

Each student was expected to create and submit an original performance piece, a maximum of two minutes in length, based on what they have learned about the Founding Era through the printed materials, the Hamilton Education Program website, and classroom instruction. The best presentation will be aired during the student “meet the cast” question-and-answer portion prior to watching a recording of the live Broadway performance.

Robinson combined three classes into two performances at Henry. Every student helped create and write a unique performance which included raps, poems, biographies, memoirs, original songs, and speeches which were all shared as students presented their projects on stage in the PHAME building.