Potty Time: see pg. 3 for the best potties on campus
The Spectacle
Mesa Vista MHS ı PO Box 50, Ojo Caliente, NM 87549
FFA Preps for State Competition By Chastidy Trujillo Reporter
FFA members competed to qualify for state at Invitationals in Portales, March 2022 and in Moriarty March 31. In order to qualify, members had to compete in two different invitationals. FFA members have been studying since Winter Break ended. “(It was) great. I like to see the members succeed,” teacher Connie Lujan said. FFA members like FFA because they enjoy competition and travel.
story cont. p 2, see FFA COMPETES
By D’Angelo Padilla and Damonica Alderette Reporters
After several break-ins on the Mesa Vista Middle and High School campus, school officials are looking into the cost of implementing new precautions. Sometime between the evening of March 20 and the morning of March 21 yet another break-in occurred.
The middle school math classroom, the library office, the high school science classroom, and the Agriculture classroom in the Tech. building. “I was disappointed that someone would do that. I think it’s sad that someone would damage our school,” Principal Randall Earwood said.
cont. p 2, see BREAK-IN
Photo by Raphaela Viereck // A March 20 break-in in the high school, middle school, tech. and library buildings resulted in trashed classrooms and dumped drawers for several teachers. While the break-in was upsetting for many, there was no irreparable damage.
News Briefs: Prom, Journalism, MESA By Tiffany Archuleta Reporter
FFA Invitational Results for Mesa Vista: Dairy Foods: 3rd Entomology: 9th, 10th & 12th Floriculture: 2nd, 2nd & 1st Forestry: 4th, 4th 9th & 10th Horticulture: 3rd, 4th & 7th Landscape design: 1st, 4th & 9th Nursery: 1st,2nd, 3rd & 4th
VOL. III, ISSUE 3 ı April 4, 2012
Vandals Strike Campus Again
Prom Update
Photo by Katie Salas // Seventh graders Tomas Delgado, Darien Halder and Lawrence Holterman study for the forestry competition for FFA. In Forestry, students measure trees, answer questions and identify tools, diseases and trees.
The Spectacle c/o MVMHS PO Box 50 Ojo Caliente, NM 87549 (505) 583-2275 (505) 583-9133 fax
Prom is Friday, April 20 at the Santa Claran Hotel, with music from the band Northern 505. Instead of the tradition of the junior class hosting the prom, there is a committee of students and teachers working together to organize the dance. “I like being on the prom committee... I’m really excited to see how prom turns out,” freshman Jeanine Varela said.
We’re #2
By D’Angelo Padilla Reporter
Placing 2nd overall, the Mesa Vista journalism class traveled to Albuquerque to compete against other journalism students at the State competition at Rio Grande
High School. After the competition, the group took a trip to Barnes and Nobles to purchase books for the library and then on to a private tour of the “Albuquerque Journal.” “I am really proud of my students. It was a great team effort,” journalism teacher April van Buren said. “It’s always impressive when we can compete in an A-5A competition and come in second against 3 and 5A schools.” The class tied with Volcano Vista High School for second place in State. Highland High School took first. They also listened to the lunch speaker, Eric Draper, former White House photo director. After the competitions, the class took a trip to Barnes and Nobles to buy books for the library and then went on a private tour of the
“Albuquerque Journal.” “I believe you can never improve enough and, to continue to improve, practice makes perfect,” senior Aubrie Kuykendall said.
Journalism Grant
By Shiann Barela Reporter
Students and parents can soon be more connected to events at school. Librarian and journalism teacher April van Buren ordered two iPod touch devices, two camera bags, three attachable microphones and several attachable ipod lenses. The teacher applied for an online grant for about $900 to purchase the items so journalism students can record live events at school and use the wifi capabilities of the iPods to automatically cont. p 2, post the video see BRIEFS
page 2
April 4, 2012
Break-In, cont. from p. 1 The window to the middle school math room was smashed in, just like the high school’s science room. The glass window pane in the doors to both the Ag. classroom and the library office were also broken. At 6 a.m., custodians arrived to find the aftermath of the break-in and informed administrators. “I was very disappointed, (it) felt like they opened up my chest, grabbed my heart, threw it on the floor and stomped on it,” math teacher Javier Arellano said. The intruders left all the broken-in classrooms a mess, including shattered glass on the floor and papers scattered around each room. The thief or thieves took quarters from the vending machine
FFA, cont. from p. 1 The FFA members spend a lot of time studying, but the time is worth it, eighth grader Victoria Lovato said. “FFA is fun and you can learn a lot from it, and I look forward to the competition this year,” Lovato said. All FFA members must take the Agriculture class to be in the group, which competes in eight different categories: forestry, floriculture, horticulture, nursery, landscape design, dairy foods, entomology and crops. “Study, study, study….... when going to the Invitational, 70 percent of the time we’d study. For nursery, there are questions on plant IDs (identifications) and bug IDs. Almost every competition has mostly questions and IDs,” senior Emma Hardison said. FFA will go on to compete in the State competition June 3-6 at the NMSU campus in Las Cruces. For the more in-depth version of this story, or to see the list of individual winners:
Please visit The Spectacle student newspaper online at: http://go.to/mesavista
NEWS
in the Ag. Classroom, some change from a cup in the library office, more change from the high school science classroom and a digital camera in the middle school math classroom. “Right now we are taking an assessment of what it’s going to take to get security (cameras) in the district,” District technology coordinator Luis Peña said. On March 29, Peña took a security surveillance vendor on a walk-through of El Rito Elementary, Ojo Caliente Elementary and the Middle and High School to see what the schools have and what they need. They are looking into the costs of installing motion detectors and security cameras, as well as the possibility of a central location for monitoring the cameras district-wide. “I hope they catch whoever did it and, if anyone knows who did it, they need to come and tell me,”
The Spectacle
Earwood said. Custodians called the State Police around 6:30 a.m. upon arriving to school and finding the broken glass. and an officer arrived around noon to file a report. Burglaries of this sort are not as common; however a burglary of any type is considered a felony. In order to assure that this type of criminal activity does not occur again, the school can install video cameras on the premises, have police patrol the school or an in-residence officer live on the grounds, Undersheriff Ed Romero said. Anyone with information regarding this break-in is encouraged to come forward. “I want to donate some money as a reward, because those people must need the money and will tell on their friends,” Arellano said.
see related editorial, p. 6
News Briefs,
cont. from p. 1
online as it happens. DonorsChoose.org is a web site for teachers and other school staff to ask for funding. Van Buren posted the grant link on Facebook and several people responded, including the Taos Community Foundation and ProSec Security owner Elias Coriz. Senior Lily Hawley experimented with the new iPod camera and lenses during journalism class. “It gives us access to technology that we’ve never had before in our little school Photo by April van Buren // “Albuquerque Journal” Assistant Managing editor Donn and gives us a chance to catch up with the Friedman leads journalism students on a tour of the newspaper’s main office. Stuworld. The fish head lenses, our cameras dents got to see the newspaper archive library, reporters’s desks and the massive printing press building. “I learned the different processes it takes for journalist to never had that before,” Hawley said. make an issue. I also learned how a newspaper is printed and shipped out to the To demo the new equipment, van public,” freshman Laura Guzman said of her experience on the tour. Buren recorded the Spanish Spelling Bee live. The video is saved online at: classes and four English classes. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mvmhs Seniors Ashtyn Megariz, Lily Hawley and Samantha Terrazas went to the Stanford Medical Center, NASA Ames Activities, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Google, By Tiffany Archuleta Intel and Microsoft offices, the San Francisco Pier 33 Reporter and the Alcatraz Group Orientation. Of 26 students in the entire state, three Mesa Vista Teacher Bernadette Galvez helped the girls raise students got to attend a MESA Senior Incentive trip to money for the trip. They held a pizza sale, candy sales, San Jose, Calif. March 21-24. burrito sales, hot chocolate sales and soup sales, raising After being in MESA for three years, students could about $1,350 total, Galvez said. apply for this fun and educational experience. The pur“The highlight of the trip was NASA because we got pose of this trip was to allow students to look into a to learn new things and it was a cool experience.” Tercareer in which they might be interested. The students razas said. “I learned a lot about technology and why it had a “B” or higher in four Math classes, four Science was made.”
MESA Sr Trip
The Spectacle
FEATURES
April 4, 2012
page 3
Rubba Dub Dub: Students Rate Bathrooms Location Girls Bathroom Library 1032 points Auditorium 935 Counseling 903 Tech. building 1009 Gym 634 Cafeteria 535 High School 470 Middle School 387 photo by Raphaela Viereck // The boys bathroom in the library received the second highest rating for overall quality.
Boys Bathroom 863 706 704 676 563 484 408 377
(ABOVE) Based on a March 2012 poll of 120 students (64 girls, 56 boys), rating the bathrooms on the Mesa Vista Middle and High School campus. Students rated each bathroom in four categories (smell, function, supply and cleanliness) on a scale of 1-5, with 1 at “Omigod get me out of here” and 5 at “Amazing!!!” --Compiled by Raphaela Viereck
Key to Getting Along with Teachers: Respect, Patience By Alicia Dominguez Reporters For high school students there is a thin line between being a suck up and being sincere. “Sometimes I don’t see the difference. There are some kids that respect their teachers and there are some that suck up to the teacher just to pass,” senior Kimberly Baca said. While Baca may not always see the difference, teacher Tomas Vigil said he thinks that ‘suck-up’ is a bad word for being responsible. “I don’t like the word ‘suck-up,’ it’s just being mature,” Vigil said. On average, the majority of teachers and students say respect has a lot to do with getting along with teachers. “It all boils down to respect – not just for student-teacher relationships. All relationships work better with respect. I think as long as you have respect, you’ll get along with anybody,”
Vigil said. parents,” Trujillo said. But the term ‘respect’ can be interArguing and fighting will probably preted in a variety of ways. For some do more damage than solve anything. students like freshman Lee Martinez, It’s also a huge distraction and takes they say it means being thoughtful. away from classmates. “I think respect is having a good “Open disrespect or defiance is not attitude, doing your work and be- constructive, but I think the biggest ing considerate bething is that cause (teachers are) kids forget All relationships human, too,” Martithey’re part work better with nez said. of a group. Other students like respect... Groups are junior Samantha Trusupposed to — teacher jillo just don’t want to get in trouble, work together Tomas Vigil so they find it better to keep quiet and so they can all work with the teacher. Teachers can see be successful,” when students try to make an effort, teacher Sabrina Maxwell said. and are more likely and willing to help Respect isn’t always easy. Throughthem out if they try. out life, there will be people you don’t “When I don’t get along with a necessarily like, but still have to work teacher I just shut my mouth so I don’t with. Having to be the bigger person get in trouble. I’ve learned to keep my and suck it up can be hard but it’s mouth shut or else I not only get in overall the best thing to do, instead trouble with my teachers but with my of blowing up and getting in trouble.
“
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“I respect them (teachers) and if I don’t like them, I know I have to respect them because that’s how I was raised,” senior Alexandria Terrazas said. “Be nice even if you don’t like what they say. Be honest and take a deep breath and let it go.” Respect can go a long way, but know how to avoid irritating or infuriating a teacher is even better. Students can avoid getting into a bad situation altogether. “Know each individual teacher’s limits. Teachers are human as well and some teacher’s lines are different than others. Know not to cross their line. Teachers may be able to hold their emotions, but they’re emotional as well. I’m not saying you have to be an angel, as long as you make a concerted effort. Every student can get along with their teachers as long as they make an effort. Also, don’t sweat the small stuff,” Vigil said.
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April 4, 2012
Features
The Spectacle
Photo illustration by Aubrie Kuykendall
‘It’s Okay to be Scared’ always be bullied by someone else, like your family and friends Opinion Column for example,” senior Alejandro ByPauline Griego said. Luhman Bullying is a natural part of life. Sure it is unpleasant, but in a weird and harsh sort of way, it’s ullying is a common actually preparing us for what lies problem in schools and ahead. The real world is full of people we all know it should be who are unpleasant, unkind or just stopped. In fact, one out of four plain cruel. And, we all have our own students in the United States is weak moments. Everyone has bullied bullied on a regular basis, according another human being in one way or to bullyingstatistics.org. another. How so? Well for starters, Being bullied makes students laughing at a joke about another feel insecure, horrible and more. person is a form of bullying. On the other hand, getting bullied Some people say that bullies are just is also a part of growing up; it can jealous or insecure, but sometimes make or break you. Have you ever people bully others because they’re heard that song performed by Kelly stronger than the victim and they Clarkson “What doesn’t kill you think it’s fun. Yes, I can admit that I makes you stronger?” have thought it was fun to make jokes “Whether you like it or not, you’ll and hurt someone’s feelings because,
B
for one thing, everyone around is paying attention to you, the bully, by laughing at the joke and then joining in to continue making more jokes about the victim. The thing is that it’s in our nature to have power over another person, even if it’s for a brief moment, however, we do have the ablity to control it by keeping our mouths shut. “Without it (being bullied), you won’t have that background to stand up (for yourself ) in life, so that people know that you will stand for what you believe in,” sophomore Emiliano Martinez said. Don’t get me wrong. I’m definitely not encouraging bullying - it’s horrible and even leads some people into despression or worse. At the same time, however, everyone has dealt with being bullied or even being the bully. It’s a part of growing up and
realizing that it doesn’t matter what you do, there are people who will be mean regardless. One of the best ways that I have gotten though bullying is by ignoring them. Whatever that bully would say or tell me, I didn’t listen or take any of that person’s sayings to heart because I know that person is wrong 100 percent. Please remember that you are the better person for staying strong and not stooping to that level to get even, or to pick on someone else to make yourself feel better. If it gets to be too much, however, remember that you are not alone. Get help! No matter who it is, tell someone you really trust (a friend, a teacher, a parent). There’s even the “Free Bullying Report” at http:// www.bullystoppers.com/ Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength.
The Spectacle
FEATURES
April 4, 2012
page 5
Victims Overcome the Impossible: Physically, Mentally Opinion Column By Athena Martinez
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hen I was little, I was teased for having light skin and freckles. I pretended it didn’t bother me, but every summer in grade school, I’d spend all the time I could trying to get darker and trying to cover my freckles. Eventually, I was teased so much that in middle school it got to the point where I felt like I shouldn’t bother trying to fit in, much less even be at school. That year I had a class with this girl who would call me names and would push me into walls each and every day. I tried as much as I could to ignore her and I tried to get as far away from her as I possibly could, but it never seemed to be far enough. I even sat right next to the teacher, hoping that would change the bullying, but it never did. She had a specific nickname for me by that time, and it wasn’t something she would say in front of an adult, but for every second she couldn’t call me by that name she would make up for it when she and I were alone in the halls. To me, it felt like that girl’s life goal was to ruin my life, and she was close to winning the fight. One day I went home in tears
living
and begged my mom to keep me home the next day. I was terrified of that girl, and I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen to me if I told my mom what was happening. When my mom listened to what I had to say, she told me everything was going to be alright and that things would change. She went to the school the next day and told the principal what was going on. He set up meetings, but it didn’t feel like any of those meetings were taken as seriously as they should have been. I talked to the counselor and she told me to ignore her, as if I hadn’t already been trying. No one told me or my mom what was going on after that but it seemed to work. Three weeks later, that girl came up to me with a couple of her friends and, in my mind, I thought I was in for some big trouble. Surprisingly, she admitted to bullying me because of the way I looked, which was already obvious, and she gave me a sincere apology. The rest of that year she kept to herself except for the occasional, “Hey.” Even though I remained scared of her, I was no longer worried about my classes, and I wasn’t worried about walking in the hallways and being shoved anymore either. Finally, for the first time since grade school, it felt like something had changed; I stopped trying to fit in and I stopped pretending to be someone I wasn’t. I let myself explore. I realized there was more than just a certain way to dress and if I didn’t listen to a certain artist then I wouldn’t be shunned
from all the people I thought I wanted to be friends with. Eventually I became more and more comfortable in myself and people began to like me for me, rather than the shirt on my back or the shoes on my feet; I had friends that actually meant something to me. I share this story with you to show you that it doesn’t take a bruise or a bloody nose to make you a bully. Even the smallest things, like what you say verbally or over the Internet or even little physical attacks like tripping someone, are still abuse and can lead to very personal harm or even suicide. Statistics say revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings and 1 out of 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school, according to the Make Beats Not Beat Down’s website. In 2005 (the last year nationwide stats were available), 270 children ages 10-14 committed suicide. Sadly, suicide has been a way out for too many kids and teens, even as young as the age of nine, because they have been bullied for their sexual orientation or even for something as simple as their height. This year I am confident in who I am and in what I do, even though it may not satisfy everyone. I may not be the nicest or the prettiest, but I’m happy with myself – more than I’ve ever been before – and I can walk through the halls not wondering if I deserve to be here. We all deserve a safe education; we shouldn’t have to worry about who’s there or what’s going to be the problem today.
through
High SChOOL
page 6
The Spectacle Staff This is the third issue of the 2011-2012 Mesa Vista student newspaper, The Spectacle, produced by the school’s journalism class. The goal of this publication is to provide accurate, informative and entertaining information in the spirit of responsible journalism and to operate as an open forum for students, staff and parents. Those who are not enrolled in the journalism class may still contribute to the publication in the form of a letter to the editor, a guest column, photography or artwork. No editorials will be printed, however, which complain or attack without factual justification. All guest editorials must be signed and approved for publication. The Spectacle also reserves the right to edit copy. Readers’ responses can be mailed to The Spectacle c/o MVHS, or sent in an e-mail to adviser April van Buren at avanburen@mesavista.k12.nm.us. Student journalists on The Spectacle staff will publish only legally protected speech following the legal definitions of libel, obscenity and invasion of privacy. The adviser of The Spectacle will not determine the content of the paper. The adviser will offer advice and instruction to help the staff cover all issues in a legal, objective, accurate and ethical manner according to the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics. Gossip columns, horoscopes, song dedications, senior wills and senior superlatives will be avoided due to the narrow audience they serve and the probability they possess of containing libelous material and content. Staff members will strive to correct any errors before publication. However, if the editorial board determines a significant error was printed, a formal correction will appear in the following issue. Special thanks to the Las Vegas Optic publisher Tom McDonald and his staff for publishing The Spectacle.
Adviser:
April van Buren
Editors:
Lily Hawley, Aubrie Kuykendall, Pauline Luhman, Katie Salas, Ashtyn Megariz, Ben Sandoval, and Raphaela Viereck
The Spectacle c/o MVMHS PO Box 50 Ojo Caliente, NM 87549 505-583-2275 505-583-9133 fax
Staff:
Damonica Alderette, Tiffany Archuleta, Shiann Barela, Kylie Coutu, Alicia Dominguez, Reina Duran, Laura Guzman, Brendon Herrera, Athena Martinez,
OPINION
April 4, 2012
Morgan Mascarenas, D’Angelo Padilla, Matthew Sandoval, Chastidy Trujillo, and Luke Villareal
The Spectacle
Disbelief Over School Break-in Staff Editorial
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hile staff and students were sleeping late Monday, March 19, there was something taking place at Mesa Vista. It wasn’t a game or the annual spring concert; it was someone breaking into and trashing various buildings on campus. We feel violated and angry at this destructive behavior on and against our school. “Who gives you the right to break into a school where learning takes place? It’s very immature,” senior Tomas Romero said. Financially, the break-ins haven’t hurt the school tremendously, but psychologically it has affected everyone. We used to believe we could trust everyone at this school since we’ve grown up with almost everyone here. This whole situation has disrupted everyone’s sense of trust in students at this school, and the fact that we don’t know who the person (or persons) is just disrupts this trust even more. Not only is there mistrust within the student body, but also in the state police, which responded to the school’s reports. The fact that they haven’t looked at
any of the March 20 damage makes us think they’re not particularly on our side. A school is a place of learning, not to mention government property, and all the police have done when they’ve come here is ask a few questions at the front office and leave. This surprises us more than the actual break-in because we expect the police to protect the school and punish criminals, and it doesn’t seem like they have so far. In spite of mistrust within the school, the district is making efforts to better protect school grounds. On Thurs. March 29, District Technology Coordinator Luis Peña walked the campus with a vendor to see what the school has in terms of security, and what we still need. We are so glad the district is making positive changes to help prevent further break-ins. As a school and community, we are angry about the break-ins. A school is a place where kids should feel safe. As a school culture, we should do a better job looking out for each other to make sure this doesn’t happen again. To do that we have to be careful who we trust, and if someone does know who is responsible for these break-ins, they need to turn them in.
HELP WANTED: Principal
By Katie Salas Reporter
The Mesa Vista Middle/High school has had to endure eight principals since the 2007-2008 school year. Each principal had his/her own style of running things, which forced the students and staff to learn to adapt accordingly, only to have to relearn a new way the following year. Having some stability in our principals would be beneficial to the students and staff. The principal is head of more than ten parts of the school, each requires dedication and afterschool hours. The principal is the head of curriculum, monitoring it and meeting with teachers and parents; and Classroom instruction, which entails setting up trainings and workshops, making a schedule and placing students in appropriate classes. The principal
is also responsible for analyzing test scores and creating reports, planning and leading staff meetings, writing and submitting state reports, developing and enforcing school policies, and developing and keeping track of the budget with Central Offfice. The most important jobs for a principal are to supervise the staff and communicate with the School Board. More duties are added to the list without the assistance of a vice principal. Students are never perfect and often the principal has to deal with punishing students and finding ways to keep them in class and learning. Selecting a principal is not something we take lightly. We would like a principal who is: strict, fair, passionate, understanding and fun, preferably with a cute Texan accent. We also require a principal with
dedication; He or she must value everyone’s opinion and know how to take control. We would like our principal to be someone that is easy to talk to and has a sense of humor, yet is still able to be firm and is not afraid to hurt people’s feelings. We need a principal next year that will not give up on us and can see the potential in us. I believe Interim Superintendent Tracie Phillips was a near perfect principal for our school. She made all students feel welcome and appreciated, yet she was strict and did not allow misbehavior. I do not know how she did with the reports and communication, however, I know she did a superb job dealing with the students and parents in her duration as principal. Ideally, we want her to stay principal for as long as she wants to be here.
The Spectacle
SPORTS
April 4, 2012
page 7
Spring Sports, and Maybe Football Baseball 5-3 Record
By Luke Villareal Reporter
Practices for the baseball team officially started Feb. 25, with Coach Clifford Richardson on the baseball field Mon.-Thurs. from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The next baseball game is today against Cimarron at Cimarron at 3 and 5 p.m. The practices at this point focus on hitting and catching, senior Sean Richardson said. “We will have a really good chance this year,” (Sean) Richardson said. “Hopefully, we get to make a run in the post season.”
Track Season Underway
By Luke Villareal Reporter
With track in full swing (practices officially started Feb. 27), the next track meet is on April 5
at the Clayton invite at 8 a.m. Practices with Coach Ben Sandoval are on the track Mon-Thurs from 4-5:30 p.m. The team’s biggest strength, he said, is the field events and the use of so many younger athletes. “The team also has good relay runners,” senior runner Benjamin Sandoval, Jr., said. The team also has good relationships because the seniors help the younger kids and give them tips. “Penasco is our biggest rival we will be battling it out for both boys and girls,” Sandoval, Jr. said.
Juniors Want MVHS Football
By Reina Duran Reporter
Despite the expense, juniors Anthony Romero and Jesse Herrera are attempting to make a football team at Mesa Vista next fall. The boys have qualified for a grant of $1,500 from the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) and have sent peti-
tions around the school asking for student support. Teacher Victor Jaramillo contacted NMAA about the steps needed to start a team after Romero approached him for help. To start a team, the NMAA said, the boys need to arrange a meeting with students, submit the program for approval from the School Board and then play two years of exhibition, which means the team doesn’t receive any titles for those two years. While students support a new option for team sports, there is concern about cost. They will need money for equipment for basics like helmets, shoulder pads, pants, belts, jerseys, and more. For the field, they’ll need chalk, field markers, posts, lights, and bleachers. Everything together will cost about $25,000, Romero said. “Provided the opportunity, students will benefit from an additional extracurricular activity. It gives students the opportunity to participate in something new,” Jaramillo said.
Trojan Basketball Season Wraps-up Girls JV and V By Brendon Herrera Reporter
photo by Josie Salas // Eighth grader Celina Valdez blocks a Dulce Hawk player during a JV Girls Basketball game.
The girl’s varsity basketball team ended the season with a 13-13 record, including a final loss to Cuba on Monday, Feb. 20. “They played well as a team even though some players were not well experienced playing on varsity. (Senior) Ashtyn (Megariz) was a late starter, but she played the JV as well as Varsity. She played really well,” Girls Basketball coach Richard Montoya said. The strengths of the season for JV and Varsity, Montoya said, are that all his players tried their hardest and didn’t give up. The weaknesses for the season, he said, were the players’ passing ability. “Julia had mostly double dig-
its in every game, scoring as well as rebounding,” Montoya said. The JV girls basketball team ended the season with 0 wins and 11 losses. Although the season officially started Nov. 17, the team didn’t really pick up until Jan.14, when the middle school season ended and most of the eighth graders joined the team. JV lost every game because the JV players were not well experienced and were not used to Montoya’s basketball coaching techniques.
Boys JV, Varsity By Matthew Sandoval Reporter
Both JV and Varsity boys basketball teams had a successful season. Making it to the first round of State, the varsity team ended
its season with 16 wins and 13 losses, following a loss to Pecos on Sat. March 3 69-45. The team’s strengths, coach Tomas Vigil said, were speed and a good defense. “Our weaknesses for the varsity was our lack of height, we really only had one big guy,” Vigil said. The JV team won the district championship game against Dulce on Sat., Feb. 25, and ended the season with 14 wins and 6 losses. The JV team, Vigil said, needed to be more focused and improve on overall shooting as a team. “The strengths for our JV was our depth; a lot of guys that could play. Even though we were young, we had good experience with all of the freshmen and sophomores that played the year before,” Vigil said.
The Spectacle
BACK PAGE
April 4, 2012
page 8
Fans Hunger for ‘The Games’ Movie Release By Lily Hawley Reporter
To step into the world of Panem is to enter into a post-apocalyptic reality that balances on a delicate peace, brutally maintained by the Capitol. “The Hunger Games” quickly draws you in and doesn’t let you go until the credits roll in this science fiction, action-drama film based on Suzanne Collins’ novel. The movie begins with an explanation of the rebellion of the impoverished 13 Districts against the Capitol 75 years prior, and the resulting creation of the Hunger Games to serve as a reminder to the remaining districts of their powerlessness against the Capitol. The Hunger Games forces each district to select two tributes - one boy and one girl - ages 12-18 in a public ‘reaping’ to enter in the games, where they fight to the death on live television against the other tributes until one victor remains. It continues on to showcase our heroine, Katniss Everdeen, comforting her sister Prim who has just turned 12 and can now be entered into the pool. Jennifer Lawrence, who played Katniss, filled the role with great finesse. In the books Katniss isn’t very likable. She’s willing to sacrifice anything for her sister but she’s also a survivor and used to being independent. Alone after her father died in a mining accident, her mother tuned out and she had to look after her
family. Lawrence acts out every aspect of Katniss to a ‘T.’ Overall, the film’s cast was well-chosen (Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, Donald Sutherland as President Snow), except for perhaps in the instance of Peeta, the male tribute from district 12 with Katniss. His character has a lot of depth, charm and love. Actor Josh Hutcherson, who played Peeta was okay, but he just wasn’t, well, Peeta. For the most part the movie accurately follows the book, however, it does leave some things out and in a couple of situations just can’t get its point across. For example, it failed to show how Peeta and Katniss felt like prisoners in the Capitol. In other instances, the movie version takes you further into the world in ways you would never have imagined, vividly showing the Game Maker’s room and President Snow’s garden. The jerky footage during action scenes were disorienting at first, but director Gary Ross succeed in depicting rather violent themes for less mature audiences are to watch without that “R” rating. Opening weekend (March 23) brought the third best box office sales of any movie in North America, which was well deserved with the success of complimenting the book instead of being an flop in the way that some book to movie transitions are. Happy Hunger Games, the odds are in it favor
Lady Mustaches Cause Embarrassment, Pride By Ashtyn Megariz Reporter
Tweezing, bleaching, waxing and shaving are just a few of the many lengths women go to in order to meet the standards society places upon them. The media portrays women as if everyone should have a Barbie Doll-sized figure, the perfect hair and, more importantly, no awkward facial hair. “I do notice that some women have mustaches… I know there are products to handle female facial hair, but I guess if they are not insecure, then it is okay,” science teacher Victor Jaramillo said. Society accepts mustaches on men whether it is a “handle-bar” mustache or just
a little bit of “peach fuzz,” but for women it is a touchier subject. Some women with light hair don’t have a problem with maintenance, while other women are not as fortunate. “I feel that waxing is necessary for girls because not doing it can cause problems for that person such as teasing, bullying and lowering of self-esteem,” senior Samantha Terrazas said. Even though the majority of women feel that a lady ‘stache is unacceptable, there are some that don’t. These women feel as if it is natural to have that facial hair and feel it is unnecessary to transform into society’s stereotypes. “One of my best friends
has facial hair and she is actually really proud of it. I think that is awesome, but I don’t want to be ‘the librarian with the mustache’ so I bleached my ‘stache for the first time last month, when I noticed it was starting to get dark,” librarian April van Buren said. It is ultimately up to the person, and if they are even embarrassed about the natural hair that appears on one’s face. Some women feel it is necessary to do something about it, while others do not. “Sometimes I do notice that a lady has a mustache when I am talking with her… I just try to focus on another part of their face. I try to, but it doesn’t mean I do,” secretary Sylvia Gurule said.
Photo illustration by Lily Hawley