The Accolade

Early March’s spread of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County prompts school officials to cancel Chinese students’ Chinatown field trip

The last time world language teacher Soon-Ya Gordon and her Chinese classes visited Chinatown was on March 17, 2018. Here they are in front of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, where they learned that to make room for Union Station in the 1930s, the current Chinatown was built, and the Chinese people in the El Pueblo area were moved. This year’s March 13 Chinatown field trip was canceled because of the growing coronavirus threat. Image posted with permission from Soon-Ya Gordon.

April 22, 2020

Since 2006 and almost every other year thereafter, Chinese teacher Soon-Ya Gordon has been taking her students to this 140-year-old, nearly one-square-mile location near downtown Los Angeles known as Chinatown. Their field trip would begin at the Fullerton Station on East Santa Fe Avenue, where th...

Sunny Hills AVID Senior Standout gets top scholarship prize of $25,000 from virtual Orange County Department of Education awards ceremony

Senior Dana Mabin holds up the email she received April 7 from the Orange County Community Foundation notifying her of the $25,000 scholarship she received from a county AVID awards ceremony, which was canceled and turned into a virtual slide presentation ceremony because of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the email, Mabin will be given $6,250 through a scholarship check which will be mailed directly to her educational institution to help cover each year’s college tuition up to four years total.

Andrew Park

April 21, 2020

In the midst of the coronavirus crisis with several senior-related events canceled or drastically changed, Dana Mabin received some good news from the Orange County Department of Education [OCDE]. This year’s Advancement Via Individual Determination [AVID] Senior Standout was awarded a $25,000 ...

As COVID-19 pandemic continues to make history, Science Olympiad team’s bid to make more history of its own ends

The Southern California Science Olympiad website posted its March 6 announcement about the cancellation of its April 4 state competition because of growing COVID-19 concerns. This would've been the first time that the 15-member team from Sunny Hills was eligible to compete at this level after placing fourth in the regional event at the University of California, Irvine., Feb. 15.

Nevya Patel

April 19, 2020

They had already made history for Sunny Hills High School. The 15 Science Olympiad competitors had hoped they would continue their historic run at the April 4 Southern California Science Olympiad Tournament at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. But the spread of the coronavirus and Ca...

Students, parents react with tears, concerns over school closure for rest of spring semester — likely through the summer

Printed signs like this are taped outside Sunny Hills High School's main office doors between Rooms 3 and 7 as a reminder to the community that the campus will remain closed through the summer unless California Gov. Gavin Newsom lifts his stay-at-home orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Photo taken by Accolade adviser Tommy Li

Aaliyah Magana

April 17, 2020

Senior Sarah Bankhead couldn’t stop refreshing the inbox of her school email on her iPhone 7+ after reading the latest announcement from Fullerton Joint Union High School District superintendent Scott Scambray. Bankhead was hoping to read a subsequent notice from Scambray that would cancel out that f...

Yearbook adviser loses chance — twice — to personally accept awards at national journalism conventions in New York, Nashville because of growing threat of COVID-19

Upon sending out emails to journalism advisers the morning of March 17, the National Scholastic Press Association uploaded this image on its spring convention page further notifying visitors to the website of the event's cancellation. Sunny Hills yearbook adviser Lindsay Safe was among those who had registered to attend the venue. Image posted with permission from Ron Johnson.

Michelle Sheen

April 16, 2020

Upon sending out emails to journalism advisers the morning of March 17, the National Scholastic Press Association [NSPA] uploaded this image on its spring convention page further notifying visitors to the website of the event's cancellation. Sunny Hills yearbook adviser Lindsay Safe was among those who ha...

$2.5 million solar shade structures to be installed in parking lot by PAC as early as this fall along with 2 electric vehicle charging stations

The Fullerton Joint Union High School District has contracted with San Diego-based Borrego Solar Systems Inc. to install solar shade structures like those pictured above in various parking lots at each of the district's school sites. The solar panel-roofed carports will be built on the Sunny Hills High School parking lot near the Performing Arts Center by the middle of 2021. Image posted with permission from Borrego Solar.

Alice Shin

April 14, 2020

The Fullerton Joint Union High School District [FJUHSD] has contracted with Borrego Solar Systems Inc. at a cost of $2.5 million per campus to install solar shade structures in certain parking lots along with two Chargepoint stations that could power up to four electric vehicles. “The solar grids...

Charter Communications offers Spectrum free internet for 60 days for students so they can do classwork at home

Hanna Oltman

April 12, 2020

Since the move last month to distance learning at Sunny Hills High School, Charter Communications has offered free Spectrum Wi-Fi service for 60 days to any homes with K-12 or college students who do not have internet access. According to a March 13 Charter news release, “Americans rely on high-speed br...

Yearbook extends 2020-2021 staff application deadline to April 19 because of COVID-19-related school closure

Though the yearbook has used social media to promote its staff application for the next school year in the past, the Sunny Hills Helios adviser has had to rely solely on Instagram posting like this because of COVID-19 pandemic-related school closure since March 16. The deadline to apply has also been extended from March 30 to April 19. Image posted with permission from Anika Madan.

Minjeong Kim

April 8, 2020

Because of the district-imposed school closure nearly a month ago, the yearbook adviser will continue to accept 2020-2021 staff applications, extending the due date to April 19 instead of the original March 30 one. “Along with developing journalism, technology and business skills, yearbook students...

Coronavirus pandemic will not deter College Board from offering a 45-minute, free response online version for all AP exams

The College Board's March 20 tweet reveals that Advanced Placement testing will still be offered amid the coronavirus crisis -- the earliest in May -- with each subject exam comprising a 45-minute, free-response section instead of a multiple choice that students can take from home. Hand completing a multiple choice exam by Alberto G. 2UqYwRv license under CC BY 2.0

Tyler Pak

March 22, 2020

This story was updated March 24 at 3:17 p.m. with a teacher reaction quote to the College Board's decision about testing students from home. The College Board announced via Twitter on March 20 that it’s developing ways to test students signed up for Advanced Placement [AP] tests from their homes...

Sunny Hills to remain closed through May 1; classroom return date scheduled for May 4

The Helios staff meets with adviser Lindsay Safe (top left corner) March 19 via the Zoom online app to discuss what they need to do to finish the 2019-2020 yearbook since school will remain closed until May 4. Zoom is among some of the distance learning tools that Sunny Hills teachers are using to conduct classes online. Image used with permission from Anika Madan.

Tyler Pak

March 19, 2020

In an effort to slow the coronavirus pandemic, Sunny Hills will remain closed through May 1; until then, students will continue their education through distance learning, Fullerton Joint Union High School District [FJUHSD] superintendent Scott Scambray announced March 19. “This is a fluid situation...

Science Olympiad places 4th at regionals, advances to state for first time in school history

Co-captains senior Cecilia Lee (center), senior Megan Luo (bottom right) and senior Samuel Kho (top right) join some of their Science Olympiad teammates in celebration of their fourth-place finish at the Feb. 15 regional competition held at the University of California, Irvine. Image posted with permission from William Kho.

Daniel Kong

March 17, 2020

This story was updated April 4 with additional student quotes and details about students who placed first in various events. Since 2016, Sunny Hills’ Science Olympiad team had been making progress in its goal of qualifying for the state competition held annually at the California Institute of Tec...

Coronavirus Timeline

Art posted with permission from JungHyun Lee.

Hannah Kim

March 17, 2020

12/31-3/3 https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-timeline.html 1/20 first case of coronavirus in the U.S. (New England Journal of Medicine) Accolade staff reporter Hannah Kim compiled this timeline. Accolade staff writer Hope Li, feature editor Lira Jeong and sports editors Annie Bang and Andre...