The Accolade

Seventh period Theatre Production cut because of low enrollment

Seventh period theater tech students put together stage sets like this one from the 2019 spring play,

Yeihn Lee • November 30, 2020

Seventh period Technical Theater and Theater Production have been like a second home for senior Rebecca Back. As a tech lead since the beginning of junior year, Back has supervised the behind-the-scenes...

COVID-19 pandemic delays many on-campus plans, reopening of school on Nov. 2 will not affect progress

The area in front of the building is enclosed with fences in preparation for the ongoing school construction of the landscaping of the PAC, which will include the installation of a retaining wall.

Alice Shin • November 22, 2020

Despite the completion of the $4.5 million renovation of the Performing Arts Center [PAC] since the spring semester, the coronavirus pandemic has delayed landscaping work outside of the building with no...

My new club helps GIVE back with meaningful experiences and service opportunities

During the STEM session on Feb. 7, then-sophomore Minjeong Kim (left) explains the directions of the match activity to one of her students. Even though in-person tutoring cannot take place now because of the coronavirus pandemic, GIVE club members can still offer one-to-one tutoring services via Zoom.

Minjeong Kim • November 8, 2020

I never thought about starting a club at Sunny Hills. Though I’m involved in sports (I’ve been a junior varsity tennis player for almost three years), accumulated my community service hours for...

COVID-19 forces about 60% to stay home next week

Nearly eight months after the start of the coronavirus pandemic and the shuttering of classrooms, the Fullerton Joint Union High School District will reopen on Nov. 2.

Yeihn Lee • October 31, 2020

When Sunny Hills moved to a distance learning form of education in March, Fullerton only had six positive coronavirus cases, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency [OCHCA]. When the 2020-2021...

Junior establishes ethical podcast and school club to promote ‘upcycled’ fashion

With her sewing machine, junior Violet Kim makes a denim bag for her first collection released Sept. 12. Kim is wearing a shirt from her collection as well.

Minjeong Kim • October 30, 2020

As her sophomore year came to a close in May, Violet Kim knew she had to direct her passion for fashion through some kind of outlet. Quarantine gave her the perfect opportunity to rebrand her business. With...

Apocalyptic or epic? Teachers, students share reactions to Nov. 2 reopening of live classroom instruction

While the COVID-19 pandemic caused a transition to distance learning on March 18, the district’s board of trustees voted on Oct. 6 in favor of returning to school on Nov. 2, which led to students having mixed reactions about the decision.

Alice Shin • October 23, 2020

Theater and English teacher Amanda Gieser called a return to live classroom instruction under the hybrid learning model this semester “uncomfortable, eerily quiet and even more isolating -- an apocalyptic...

13 try out for boys soccer, but recent poor air quality has prevented coach from scheduling more sessions for newcomers

Forward and then-freshman David Rezko (left) kicks the ball during a 2-1 home victory over Buena Park on Jan. 24. The sophomore, along with his new teammates, will vie for a second Freeway League title in as many years when their season begins next February. Meanwhile, on Sept. 3, head coach Mike Schade held tryouts drawing 13 candidates.

Henry Lee • September 16, 2020

This is the second of a series of reports the Sports section will cover regarding team tryouts in the 2020-2021 school year. Before the coronavirus pandemic affected high school sports nationwide,...

FJUHSD pushes back date for returning to on-campus learning to no earlier than Oct. 5

The sun sets on the Sunny Hills campus on May 28, the last day of school in the 2019-2020 school year. Because of Fullerton Joint Union High School District’s Sep. 3 announcement, students whose parents signed them up for Cohors A or B will not arrive back on campus until Oct. 5 at the earliest.

Alice Shin • September 13, 2020

With Orange County coronavirus cases no longer spiking as they were in the summer, state officials have allowed schools to re-open for live, in-class instruction as early as Sept. 22, though Fullerton...

Zoom’s ranked No. 1 among certain users for a reason

Rebecca Choi • September 5, 2020

Ranked No. 1 in the business category and 4.5 out of five stars from over a million ratings in the App Store, Zoom is the newest, tech-savviest educational platform for our stay-at-home, COVID-19 times. In...

Yearbook class changes from sixth to fifth period to accommodate schedule conflicts

Helios editor-in-chief senior Anika Madan (first row, second video window from left) captures a historic moment -- the first virtual yearbook camp sponsored by Herff Jones on July 25, the camp's first day. Traditionally held at California State University, Long Beach, the July 25-29 Yearbooks by the Beach offers publications students sessions ranging from staff bonding to theme brainstorming. A total of 23 of the 33 Helios yearbook staffers attended the event to prepare for the 2020-2021 annual's production, which now will take place during fifth instead of sixth period.

Alice Shin • September 3, 2020

After three years of the award-winning Helios yearbook class being held during period six, it has switched back to fifth period this school year, joining other electives like the Associated Student Body...

Sophomore forms nationwide community outreach program to deliver soothing music video performances for the elderly during COVID-19 pandemic

With her iPhone placed on the far right end of her piano set for video recording, sophomore Lauren Pak starts her practice session Aug. 19 from her Fullerton home, playing a composition titled, “Promise of the World,” from the Japanese anime, “Howl’s Moving Castle.” Pak will eventually record the final version as a trio with two other student volunteers as part of the Harmony4Homes community service project that she started in the summer to send video music performances to the elderly in local and national nursing homes.

Minjeong Kim • September 2, 2020

Sophomore Lauren Pak still remembers the day she was inspired by her community service idea of delivering video recordings of teenagers playing soothing music to the elderly at local and national nursing...

Gov. Newsom issues mandate for campuses in 33 counties — including Sunny Hills — to start 2020-2021 school year with distance learning because of high number of positive COVID-19 cases

Sunny Hills High School’s quad and classroom buildings will remain empty Aug. 11 when school starts as part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mandate that campuses in counties on the state’s coronavirus watch list stay closed for safety reasons. The July 17 decision comes nearly a week before a July 23 special meeting of the Fullerton Joint Union High School District trustees to discuss reopening plans for Sunny Hills and the other seven schools in the district.

Alice Shin • July 19, 2020

Nearly a week before the Fullerton Joint Union High School District [FJUHSD] trustees were scheduled to hold a special meeting to vote on a plan to reopen schools, including Sunny Hills, California Gov....

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