Eye of the Lobo The Award-Winning Newspaper of La Joya Community High School Volume VIII, Issue IX April 8, 2011 Avondale, AZ NHS’s new members hope to help Special summer programs available to students out school as well as community By Paula Herrera Feature story March 9 was a special day for 32 students on that day they were officially inducted as a National Honor Society member. NHS is a nationwide club that teaches members the importance of community service. One is invited only once. If the student rejects the invitation, he or she will not be invited again. Every year, the members are assigned to donate 50 hours of their time, consisting of 20 community service hours, 20 NHS hours, and 10 meeting hours. New inductees have to donate 12 hours of time, made up of four community service hours, four NHS hours, and four meeting hours. NHS advisor Hope Loveland is very excited for the new group of members. She said they are a “group of students that show motivation.” Junior Alyssa Hunt was one of 32 members who were accepted. She is very excited and is looking forward to helping out as much as she can. “I like how NHS teaches its members to be leaders,” she said. Loveland hopes the new members get something beneficial out of it as past members have. “I hope they will learn how to become lifelong servers in their communities and learn how to become leaders,” she said. The sophomores inducted were: Bahran Abraham, Alexandria Ali, Aimee Alvarado, Gabrielle Bautista, Julian Cruz, Samantha Daly, Ivan Diaz, Wendy Gallegos, Jennifer Gonzalez, Nayeli Hernandez, Natalie Hetu, Yesenia Ledezma, Adriana Loza, Mireya Morales, Hiep Nguyen, Adrianna Sanchez, Donyetta Slover, Jaylah Staten, Angelica Tejeda, and Darius Yellowman. The juniors inducted were: Vanessa Canjura, Christelle Feliciano, Whitney Fuertes, Alyssa Hunt, Evelyn Moncada Muñoz, Kiara Rodriguez, and Huixian Cindy Tan. The seniors inducted were: Amaris Niño, Barisuka Nsagne, Crystal Onpeng, Erika Solis, and Elizabeth Yakoob. The ceremony featured speeches given by English teacher Tara Suggs and current NHS members Miranda Guzman, Ashlee Kneip, Denise Parel, and Erika Sarrazin. Then the new inductees went on stage to receive their certificate and pin and to be congratulated by Principal Cheryl Ingram and Loveland. The NHS pledge was given by NHS president Charles Solares. By Veronica Sanchez News story During the summer, many students find themselves bored with nothing to do. Now students are being offered the chance to learn about different careers. There is a summer academy that students can attend which features three different types of courses. The different courses are Automotive Academy, Future Builders Academy and Healthcare Academy. All these courses will be held at GateWay Community College. The Automotive Academy will inform students about the different career opportunities in the automotive industry. Classes will start on June 6 and end June 23. Class time will be from 8 a.m. to noon, M o n d a y - T h u r s d a y. T h e cost of this course will be $228; financial assistance is available. Future Builders Academy is another course available. It will be held from June 6 to June 10 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday. The cost will be $157, but financial assistance is also available for this course. The Health Academy will be about radiography, physical therapist assisting, respiratory care, nuclear medicine and surgical technology. This course will take field trips to a local medical facility. It will also earn students three college credits for Fundamentals in Healthcare Delivery. Class will be from June 13 to 30 from 8 a.m. - noon, Monday-Thursday. The cost of this course will be $300; financial assistance will also be available for it. Business teacher Mike Vialpando is overseeing this academy for La Joya so if interested see him in Room 819 before spots are filled. Students learn the true difficulties of taking care of infants Students enrolled in Living with Children class took care of “flour babies” and electronic ones By Paula Herrera Feature story Aww! He has your eyes! She has your smile! That’s probably what Living with Children students heard while being responsible for taking care of a baby twice this school year. All Living with Children students had to take care of a bag of flour and a simulated baby as if they were real. The purpose of the project was to experience what it’s like having a baby and to learn the expenses of raising one. Students would lose points off of their projects if there was any class disruption or mistreatment, like throwing or stabbing the baby. Teachers were also allowed to have a “play pen” for the babies and the parents were required to use it. If no play pen was offered, they had to carry and hold their baby and were not allowed to put it on a desk or the floor. Teacher Alicia Griffin, who runs the Living with Children class, said this year her students got really engaged in the projects. “I enjoyed watching these students’ faces and getting attached to the babies,” she said. During the flour baby project, students were required to buy their own flour. Most had their own clothes for their baby, but Griffin provided clothes and blankets if they were needed. Each class was also assigned a morning in which they had to call any time from 2-4 a.m. leaving a message to let Grif- fin know the baby was awake. They had to wait fifteen minutes and leave another message to let her know that the baby was okay and had fallen back asleep. The other project they had was being responsible for a simulated baby. Students were to keep a baby for three days, either MondayThursday or Friday-Saturday. The simulated babies would act like real babies. They had to be fed and changed, however it didn’t really soil itself. They would also cry. If the baby was treated badly, it would register abuse. No matter how hard it was, junior Alyssa Hunt still liked the projects. “It helps people to understand how difficult it is to be responsible for another life,” she said. Hunt said the projects helped her realize how lucky she is not to be a teen mom and appreciate her freedom more. However, it did help understand the situations a parent goes through. Junior Yazmin Garcia agreed that it was challenging, but she had a fun time with her both of her babies. “I was so excited to start the projects. I had been looking forward to it since the first day of school,” she said. Garcia said although it was cool, she is still not ready for to take care of a real baby. Griffin’s goal is to give students a different look of what teen pregnancy is like. “I’m hoping to discourage teen pregnancy both ways, the guys and the gals,” she said. She feels there have been positive results from the project and feels our school’s “pregnancy population has decreased quite a bit.” Hunt’s advice for future students is to “treat your baby as if it was your real child.” After the activity, the bags of flour were donated to the La Joya food drive. Eye of the Lobo Page 2 Paintball is a great way to get active and have fun Feature story By Savannah Greenough It is Earth friendly and fun to play. Paintball is a sport in which players compete either individually or as a team. There are competitive leagues, military leagues, and professional teams. There are a variety of ways to play it depending on where you are and who you are with. Common rules are that you must always have a mask on. This mask will keep you from injuring your face, especially your eyes. Also, in many areas there are more strict rules enforced. It can be an expensive sport, depending on the way you play and what you buy. You must have a paintball gun to hold the paintballs. The paintballs are biodegradable spheres that contain a liquid to be on you so you know you have been hit. You will also need a mask. The object of the game varies from the way you play. You may either play capture the flag, elimination, or defending a particular place. Usually you play on a field with hiding areas. The area of the field differs. Depending on the game, it can last from either a couple of minutes to a couple of hours, even days. There are certain rules that are commonly known, such as keeping a certain distance from player to player while shooting so the players will not get hurt. Also, to see if the player actually got hit, there has to be a quarter sized mark of solid paint on the player. Also, to stop from hurting the player they do not allow over hitting. Ramping is a device that you may put on the gun to let the gun shoot faster than the trigger is moving; it is prohibited from most fields, but sometimes allowed during a tournament. Players may try to wipe off the paintball splatter so they can stay in the game longer, but that is illegal everywhere. The closest paintball fields to La Joya are West World, Cow Town and Fightertown. The prices for Fightertown are $25 for all day field use and rental March brought many new albums Music story By Adam Johnson The month of March was packed with artists dropping their new albums. Two of the top ten albums just released were “Lasers” by Lupe Fiasco and “Give The Drummer Some” by Blink 182’s drummer Travis Barker. Lupe’s album “Lasers” has been long anticipated by all his fans. Well, the wait was worth it. The charttopping album reached number 4 on iTunes the first week it came out, which was on March 8. The breakout singles “Shining Down” with Matthew Santos and “The Show Goes On” were a great way to promote his album because fans and non-fans got to hear his solo style beforehand. The new album features guest artists such as Sarah Green, Trey Songz, Skylar Grey, MDMA, sELF, Eric Turner, Sway, and John Legend. They surely did not come up short either. Although it may seem like Lupe used a plethora of artists to add to his songs, there are also some great solo songs. “Till I Get There” and “All Black Everything” are two of the three that Lupe goes solo on. The great part about this album is that the listener can really feel Lupe’s passion in Lupe Fiasco brings some of his best talent on this new album “Lasers” which came out March 8. this new music. Overall, I would give it an 8 out of 10. There are definitely some great songs in this one. In Travis Barker’s new album, he delivers greatness once again. Being arguably one of the best drummers of all time, Barker shows off his skills in each song. Barker features many popular artists in this album, including Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Swiss Beatz, Game, Pharrell, Lupe Fiasco, RZA, Raekwon, Tom Morello, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, E-40, Dev, The Cool Kids, Slaughterhouse, Yelawolf, Twista, Busta Rhymes, Lil Jon, Transplants, Slash, Kid Cudi, Tech N9Ne, Bun B, Beanie Sigel, Kobe, and Cypress Hill. Aside from the amazing drumming skills showcased, this album features all these artists which add to each song. You get to hear some of music’s best performers as well as a taste of Barker in each song. After hearing just a few songs, it is obvious to note that Barker has brought his talent to us again. The number one song off his album so far is “Can a Drummer Get Some.” A song in which he brings in rapper Lil Wayne to headline it all. Overall, I give this album a 7 out of 10, mostly because it is more of a various artists album with Barker drumming on each song. These albums are worth a listen to if you are a fan of either hip hop or rock music. They are even more worth it if you are already a fan of either artist. Get your copy now! equipment with unlimited air all day, and paint costs either $35, $40, $50. Here at La Joya, we have a few students in a paintball league, along with a few graduates. Junior Vicktor Russel has been playing for about a year now. He first learned about at in summer camp. He plays it because it’s fun. “The new players should expect a lot of fun and being part of a large group, making a ton of new friends, also getting shot with paintballs, though it does not hurt that bad,” Russell said. Russell offered to take anyone as long as they pay for themselves and contact him. Another player who is on the team is Manuel Santana, a former La Joya student. “I play because it’s a nice, fun, adrenaline rush,” he said. Santana has been playing for about a year and a half. He was introduced by one of his friend. The first time he went he was hooked. “You should expect team work,” he said. Also in the group is Joel Rivera, another La Joya graduate who has been playing for about a year. “I joined paintball because a friend recommended me because of the adrenaline rush and the whole fun atmosphere,” he said. Rivera thinks anyone can join as long as they can take the pain. “You should go in with an open mind,” he said. ‘Yogi Bear’ a fun family movie DVD review By Marisol Valdez Do you enjoy watching animated cartoons like “Yogi Bear? If so, there’s a movie out just for you. “Yogi Bear” is a live action movie with some animated bears and a cartoon turtle. The movie stars Dan Aykroyd , Justin Timberlake, and Anna Faris. It is rated PG. This movie is about Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) who runs Jelly Stone Park. Jelly Stone is celebrating its 100-year anniversary. Unfortunately, it might be its last anniversary because attendance is low and Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly) wants to close the park and sell the land. Yogi Bear (Dan Aykroyd), who’s smarterthan-the average bear, and his best pal Boo Boo (Justin Timberlake) are willing to do whatever it takes to save Jelly Stone Park.Yogi Bear and Boo Boo will lose their home if Jelly Stone Park closes down, so they join forces with Ranger Smith to save Jelly Stone from closing forever. Later on in the movie, Ranger Smith and his Deputy Ranger Jones are being visited by Rachel (Anna Faris), a nature documentarian who wants to record Yogi and Boo Boo’s antics. Mayor Brown feels they Now on DVD, “Yogi Bear” is a great film for kids and families to watch together. It includes the voices of performer Justin Timberlake and comedian and actor Dan Aykroyd. have other issues than the park closing, such as helping Jelly Stone for “agricultural purposes” to help the bankrupt city’s budget. So, Ranger Smith, Rachel, Yogi and Boo Boo attempt to raise thousands of dollars in one week before the park is closed to the public forever. This DVD has special features such as “Jellystone Jewels: Litterbug” and “Jellystone Jewels: Yogi’s Secret Hiding Spot” — tips from Ranger Jones (TJ Miller) on park visitor etiquette and a particular bear’s favorite hideaway. Also, Yogi Bear MashUp — fun moments with Yogi and Boo Boo from the classic animated series to the new movie. Eye of the Lobo Page 3 Varsity softball working hard to have good season Sports story By Helen Carbajal Whether it’s out in the field during a game or practice, the varsity softball team is working very hard and giving it their all. Softball season is going very well so far and the players are working hard and getting better in every game. Senior Ashley Ayala thinks the team is playing very well and she is satisfied with this year’s team. “We are playing very good and I am happy with the team we have this year; they are like my sisters,” she said. Coach Geoff Johnson also thinks the team is playing very well and said that leadership takes place on the field. “Our leadership comes from Ashley Ayala, Mariah Hojonacki, Alexis Gonzales, Muppet Jurado, Nancy Cloud, Carla Acosta, and Salina Soto,” he said. Johnson also said that the team is one of the fastest This year’s varstiy softball team hopes to make it to the playoffs as they did the year before. Photo by Savannah Greenough in the state and works extremely hard. Ayala has stolen more bases than anyone in the state and junior Myleena Torres is the most consistent hitter, he said. The team hopes to make it to the playoffs like they Track hopes to go to state this year the relay races and 100m dash. “It’s fun running; it gets me energized,” he said. Freshman Jaime McElroy loves competition that the other opponents bring him. Even though he sometimes doesn’t come in first place Sports story all the time, he’s working hard. By Keith Jones “Being a freshman on a Coach Amanda Ramirez JV track team is the finest and the Lobo track team time because it’s preparing are doing well this season me for competition next thanks in part to their new year,” McElroy said. runners. Ramirez Freshman said the A n d r a e “It’s fun running; it team is Walters, who looking gets me energized,” pretty good is running -Freshman Andrae so far. varsity track, Walters has been on H e r top of his concerns game. for the team He has been coming in are that they are very young first in his races, taking and inexperienced. on seniors on opponents’ “The goals we are trying varsity teams. to reach are to decrease their “Running varsity is a timing in events,” she said. challenge for me to race The Lobos are trying to upper classmen,” he said. go to state and show off Walters’s best events are their talents to Arizona. did last year. “We made it last year; we expect to make it again,” Johnson said. Senior Mariah Hojonacki believes they will make it to the playoffs as well because they play well together and have a lot of heart. Her teammates are like family to her. “I think we will because we play well together and we also have a lot of heart for the game; they are like family to me,” she said. Ayala agreed with both of them. She thinks they will make it to the playoffs because they have good teamwork and are hard workers. “Yes, I think we will make it because we really do work hard at the games and practices and we have good teamwork,” she stated. Focus on a fellow Lobo Antwaun Edmonds New runners bring loads of energy to track team in 2011 Favorite Drink: Pineapple Juice Favorite Dessert: Ice Cream Occupation: Sophomore literacy teacher Favorite Subject in school: History Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland Favorite Book: “The Art of War” Heroes: Parents Ambition: “To be successful in everything I do” Favorite Food: Steak Hobbies: Playing and listening to music Favorite Movie: Kingdom of Heaven Favorite Sports: basketball and football Favorite TV show: The Wire Favorite Sports Team: Baltimore Ravens Favorite Artist: Anita Baker Dream Vacation: Egypt Proudest Feat: “Becoming a man” Where do you see yourself doing 20 years from this point in time: “On my couch eating steak, watching The Boondocks.” Page 4 Eye of the Lobo Track & Field Members of the track team looking tired after one of their practices, but confident as they walk off the track. Photo by Vicktor Russell Senior Chris Lowe sprinting on the track. Photo by Vicktor Russell Three of the track team’s sprinters pushing each other to get better. Photo by Vicktor Russell Senior Terry Johnson practices the long jump for an upcoming meet. Photo by Vicktor Russell Track runners competiting against each other as a warm up to future meets. Photo by Vicktor Russell Junior Valeria Norzagaray running a race in preparation for a competition. Photo by Vicktor Russell Senior Charles Solares readying himself for a practice run. Photo by Vicktor Russell