PHOTO/ Abby Pan Peacocks American Drum Major administrator Christopher Pan (right) awards junior Joshua Hsu (left) a trophy for placing second in the Field Conducting Apprentice division. Hsu also placed second in the Parade Majors division on April 9.
By Elizabeth Hung,
Staff Writer
Trophies, medals and banners gleamed in the bright convention center lights as extracurriculars excelled in their competitions throughout April.
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad competed in the Southern California State Tournament on April 2 and placed sixth overall out of 30 teams.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions throughout Southern California, this tournament used a Satellite format where the team met together at school and completed their events through a testing browser.
The team of 17 students, including two alternates, tested in 23 scored events and seven trial events.
They participated in Regionals, State and four invitationals throughout their season. Each week, they had study meetings from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. on Monday and Thursday, and three-hour meetings on Saturdays.
“I like competing because it shows off our skills as a whole,” freshman Isa Wu said. “The competitiveness really pushes you to work hard and tests your knowledge and your limits.”
Indoor Drumline
Indoor Drumline performed “The Alarm in My Head” at the Southern California Percussion Alliance Championship Preliminaries on April 2 at Chino Hills High School.
The group of 33 performers placed second and qualified for semifinals. They placed seventh in their semifinal block on April 10 at Great Oak High School in Temecula.
Drumline consists of three ensembles. Batterie includes the cymbals and snare, tenor and bass drums. The front ensemble, also known as Pit, consists of mallets, electronic instruments, auxiliary percussion and drum set. Visual ensemble tells the story of the show through props and dance.
FBLA
Future Business Leaders of America’s club members participated in the FBLA 2022 State Leadership Conference from April 7 to 10 at the Ontario Convention Center. Sophomores Ethan Li and Daniel Chen qualified for the Nationals in Chicago.
Since this was a multi-day event, many chapters stayed overnight at nearby hotels but TCHS traveled back and forth due to a policy requiring the destination to be at least 50 miles away.
There are two types of events: individual Objective Testing and team Presentations. All TCHS students competed in an hour-long Objective Testing.
Drum Major
During the Peacocks March-ing World competition on April 9 at Temple City High School, junior Joshua Hsu placed second in Field Conducting Apprentice and senior Raymond Chuong placed first in Field Conducting Masters.
For each event, there are three divisions that Drum Majors from across California compete in based on skill level. Drum Majors typically start in the Apprentice division then move up to Majors or Masters division.
Peacocks requires participation in at least three competitions in order to qualify for finals. Aspiring Pride of Temple City drum majors must also meet this quota as part of their audition process.
“Drum majoring is not just about the conducting experience,” Hsu said. “The root of it is leadership in the band, so I think that’s the main priority of a drum major as well as being a communicator between the band director and the band.”
SkillsUSA
Of the SkillsUSA club member competitors, nine qualified for Nationals on June 20 to 24.
The Health Knowledge Bowl and Quiz Bowl teams won the State Championship, while the Occupational Health and Safety Administration team and Job Demonstration A placed second.
The Basic Health Care Skills placed third at SkillsUSA’s State Conference in Ontario from April 21 to 24. Like FBLA, they could not stay overnight, but received a conference room for use during one of the competition days.