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The Student News Site of Sunny Hills High School

The Accolade

The Student News Site of Sunny Hills High School

The Accolade

The Student News Site of Sunny Hills High School

The Accolade

Sisters and doubles tennis partners seniors Hannah Saab (left) and Karina Saab hold their rackets while brother senior Lucas Saab prepares for a volleyball spike.

SUPER SAAB STORY: Senior triplets reflect on high school athletics bond; plan to pave their own path past graduation

Emily Kim, Staff Reporter May 16, 2025

They’re triplets. But they’re not all the same gender. Two are girls, and one is a boy. For the past four years, these three have taken their athletic talents to either the tennis or volleyball...

Carol Hallenbeck (right), who taught journalism and advised The Accolade school newspaper from 1969-1993, scans a paper with a pencil in her right hand while a staff member observes. Hallenbeck died of old age Sunday, Feb. 2, in her Costa Mesa apartment. She was 97.

‘Legendary’ Accolade adviser dies at 97

Emily Kim, Staff Reporter March 6, 2025

A memorial service for former Accolade adviser and English teacher Carol Wagner Hallenbeck will be held on Saturday, March 8, at the Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Tustin, Hallenbeck’s surviving...

During fourth period, junior Melina Garcia (left) asks new English teacher Hannah Batchelor a question on Thursday, Sept. 5, in Room 33 about her Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Nature” reading assignment in her textbook. Batchelor, who has been using Room 11 second period and Room 33 during zero, third and fourth periods since the start of the fall semester, is scheduled to move into her own classroom in Room 154 on Thursday, Oct. 17, or Friday, Oct. 18.

NEWFOUND PASSION: Environmental scientist makes the switch to help youth as an English teacher, cross country head coach

Elise Pak, Staff Reporter October 16, 2024

For new English teacher and cross country head coach Hannah Batchelor, her path toward joining the education profession took longer than usual – four years, in fact. Even though she grew up with family...

Biology teacher Monet Favreau explains how to complete a worksheet about living organisms to her fourth period class on Aug. 29.

‘FAV’ORITE TEACHER: New biology instructor Monet Favreau already making strong impressions among her students

Hannah Lee, Web Managing Editor October 22, 2023

This is the sixth in a series of profiles on new, full-time instructors hired at Sunny Hills during or before the fall semester of the 2023-2024 school year. Expect more profiles to be posted soon. Like...

New Spanish teacher Natasha Tricoche gives two thumbs up while asking how the welcome back assembly was in Spanish to her sixth period Spanish 1 class on Friday, Aug.18, in Room 72.

ONE VIAJE TO THE NEXT: From Spain, Mexico, Guatemala to Peru, new Spanish teacher settles on the Hills

Christine Yoo, Managing Editor October 20, 2023

 This is the fourth in a series of profiles on new, full-time instructors hired at Sunny Hills during or before the fall semester of the 2023-2024 school year. Expect more profiles to be posted soon. In...

International Baccalaureate coordinator and Conservatory of Fine Arts director Brian Wall speaks at the 2007 Open House.

Chatting with Mr. Wall

Jiwoo Han, Opinion Editor May 30, 2023

EDITOR’S NOTE: Because The Accolade had already written an article in its Feb. 3 issue about art teacher Brian Wall’s decision to retire at the end of this school year, we decided to put together a...

Using an iPad, new math teacher Christina Vu (left) assists freshman Terah Nohl in her fourth period Algebra 2 Honors class in Room 105 at the beginning of the fall semester.

ALL IN THE FAMILY: New teacher follows in her mother’s footsteps as an educator; aims to multiply the joy of math with her students

Faith Jung, Spotlight Specialty Magazine Editor January 10, 2023

Christina Vu sat in the back of her mother’s classroom at Rancho Alamitos High School in Garden Grove 20 years ago as she watched her role model teach math to Advanced Placement Calculus and Algebra...

VIDEO: Dancing With the Staff 2022-23

Nathan Le, Videographer December 5, 2022

Learning from experience: student teaching cultivates better teachers

Giselle Suastegui, Feature Editor October 26, 2022

“Good morning, class.” That was the greeting I had grown accustomed to three years ago whenever I walked into my freshman World History class. Yet this time, in February, a fresh, new tone welcomed...

Teachers, don’t let student teachers outshine you

Stacy Kim, Feature Editor October 26, 2022

As the student teacher sets up his phone to record himself educating my sophomore Algebra 2 Honors class to submit for college credit, my peers and I awkwardly unpacked the notes our teacher told us to...

Social science teacher Chris Vogt gives a lecture to his students on Thursday, Aug. 18, during his fourth period Advanced Placement U.S. History class in Room 23.

Former Ayala High School baseball coach joins Sunny Hills as new social science teacher

Henry Lee, Web Editor-in-Chief October 19, 2022

Fifteen years ago, Chris Vogt received his first introduction to teaching several buildings away from where he finds himself now. Helping grade papers and leading history lectures 15 years ago under...

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