October, 16, 2010 Volume 1, Issue 1

The Aztec Valley Aztecs Aspire, Aztecs Achieve

Copper Canyon High School has a

new principal this year. Mr. Alan Potts.

He is not really new to the school, but

is new to this job. He has been an

assistant principal before he was ap-

pointed to his present job. Who is Mr.

Potts? I sat down with Copper Can-

yon's newest leader to ask him about

his vision for the school, and his

hopes for our success.

The interview was both pleasant and

informative. He answered the follow-

ing questions:

Q - Please tell me about your road to the principal position. How many years of teaching experience do you have?

A - I have almost three years teach-

ing experience. I taught English and Psychology at Westview from 2005 to 2008. I was offered the Assistant Principal position here at Copper Canyon in 2008. Then I was offered the Principal position here at Copper Canyon starting this school year.

Q - Where did you grow up?

A - I was born in Chicago. I moved

here to the Valley just before high

school. I lived in the Maryvale ar-

ea in Phoenix.

Q - Where did you go to school?

A - I attended high school at Brophy

College Prep, attended Arizona

State University,and earned two

Masters Degrees.

Q - What extracurricular activities did

you participate in while going to

school?

A - I was shy but later stepped out of

my shell when I started doing

Martial Arts.

Q - What did you do prior to teaching?

A - I worked for a company called Or-

ganization Management. I fixed

companies. This is why I like Cop-

per Canyon. Everybody thinks it's

broken, it's not so broken. We'll

be just fine.

Q - What are your two greatest

strengths?

A- I connect with people well because

I'm passionate and honest about

what I do and I'm driven.

Q - What is your biggest weakness?

A - I don't balance my work and

home life well. Work always

seems to win. My fiancé works

fewer hours than I do and makes

more money but its ok. I can

come to work at 6:00 AM and

leave at 8:00 p.m. and I'm fine

with it. Some people would rather

be at a football game but I'd rather

be at work doing stuff.

Q - Did you get good grades in high

school?

A - I was blessed to be smart in high

school. Things got difficult in col-

lege because I didn't develop the

study skills I needed. It worked

out.

Q - What advice would you give all

Copper Canyon students as we

start the 2010-11 school year?

A - Our motto is Aztecs Aspire, Aztecs

Achieve. Be more...kids at Copper

Canyon High have so much po-

tential. It's also important to get

involved.

Q - What else would you like the stu-

dents of Copper Canyon to know

about you?

A - I am a man of my word 100% of

the time. I do not bluff, I do not

con. That being said, I'm going to

be here for a very long time be-

cause Copper Canyon deserves

that.

I sat down with Mr. Potts to

know him better and he is just the

man I expected. He is an honest man

with a will to persevere and he wants

us to strive to be better people not

only at school but in the outside

world as well. Mr. Potts promises to

always keep his word to everything

that he says. Copper Canyon’s new-

est leader welcomed me into his

office with a smile to let the students

get to know him better and I believe

we did just that. Mr. Potts bleeds

the Copper Canyon colors and

that’s what makes him a true Aztec!

Story by Danielle Valenzuela

The Big Man on Campus

Photo by Rayvon Johnson

Principal Alan Potts

Are athletes entitled to spe-

cial treatment? Page 7A

“I sat down with Mr. Potts to

know him better and he is just

the man I expected. He is an

honest man with a will to perse-

vere and he wants us to strive to

be better people not only at

school but in the outside world

as well. Mr. Potts bleeds the

Copper Canyon colors!”

Spirit Week

pictures, Page 8A

What a Girl Wants, What a Girl Needs By Dania Ruiz

The perfect guy has

everything. Good looks,

sense of humor, inter-

esting personality, is a

good listener, and of

course is worthy of

trust. But every girl

knows that the perfect

guy doesn’t really exist.

There are really good

guys, and perfect

matches for every girl.

Every girl likes a good

looking guy. Many peo-

ple say it’s not about

looks it’s about person-

ality but to be honest,

most people are not

attracted by personali-

ty. Everyone is shallow

in their own way, for

example, how would

you be interested in a

person’s personality if

you’ve never met

them. The only way

that would work is if

you know a person for

a while. Looks are the

first part of interest in

someone. It sounds

wrong but, it is true.

Why? Because it is hard

to check a person’s per-

sonality out from across

the room. You may like

a guy who is very good

looking, and get to

know him, and that’s

when you get to his per-

sonality. You may not

like the way they are or

act around you or other

people. A girl wants a

guy who will show the

world who his girlfriend

is. Not a guy who’s em-

barrassed to show who

his girl is, a guy that will

treat her the way she’s

supposed to be treated.

Not a guy that will take

her for granted. Cont.

on pg. 6

Guy’s version, Page 7

Photo by Yearbook Staff

Coach Segovia and the football team. The football player “image” is often attractive to many girls.

EDITORIALS

Prom Committee meets every Thursday at 3:05 in

room 1205. We (juniors) plan the prom, which in-

cludes deciding the theme, decorations, food, loca-

tion, favors, photo background, and any other as-

pect of the prom. This is my 3rd

year as the Prom

Sponsor and I love it. We also grill burgers and hot

dogs at the Varsity Football games.

Varsity Band is a class that meets 1st hour all year

long. During football season, we also meet Monday

nights 6-8 and Wednesday mornings 7:30-8:30 for

mandatory rehearsals. Friday nights we play at the

Varsity Football games. There are usually a couple

of Marching Band Festivals during football season

as well. For the rest of the year (concert season),

we still rehearse 1st hour, but no longer on Monday

night and Wednesday morning. We give out-of-

school concerts three times per year, and in addi-

tion attend other events if possible (festivals / com-

petitions). Students are also given regular proficien-

cy exams, and are encouraged to attend Regional

and All-State auditions. Students do receive a

grade for Band. Varsity Band is held to high, pro-

fessional performance and conduct standards. Be-

ginning Band is also available as a class for those

new to instrumental music, and is a great “stepping

stone” into the Varsity Band program.

Character in Action (CIA) is an after school club

designed to develop strong character traits in young

people and to strengthen their relationship with

God. Its purpose is for high school students to learn

how to develop good moral character based on

Christian Principles: Honesty * Patience * Kindness

* Self-Control

The CIA club is a tool for students to build relation-

ships with other young people and lead them to a

saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We typically

meet once a week (Thursdays) for an hour in room

1314. The club time includes high energy games,

snack/fellowship, a lesson and small group discus-

sion.

Canvass Club is an art club after school for the art-

ist student. We paint and do art to enrich the al-

ready strong art program at CCHS. It meets twice a

month with Ms. Kitzmiller in room 307. We design a

T-shirt with in the club to wear around school to

express our artist sense!

Copper Canyon Dance Club meets every Monday

after school from 3:15 – 4:15 and is sponsored by

Mrs. Julie Chaet. The purpose of the Copper Can-

yon Dance Club is to support the dance program

with their shows and fundraisers. Dance Club offers

students the opportunity to learn different genres of

dance, technique, and performance skills and hosts

dance clinics throughout the school year. Dance

club members have fun learning new dance styles,

choreographing dances themselves and performing

in both the fall and spring dance shows. Dance

Club Officers are; President - Erica Tanori, Vice –

President Maria Nunez, Secretarial Treasurer – Te-

resa Nunez, Public Relations Officer – Camille Ro-

driguez.

SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) is

“a peer-to-peer education, prevention, and activism

organization dedicated to preventing destructive

decisions, particularly underage drinking, other drug

use, risky and impaired driving, teen violence, and

teen suicide.” SADD welcomes new members who

are dedicated to its mission and meets every Tues-

day and Thursday before school in room 1310.

Quoted from SADD website at http://sadd.org/

mission.htm

Copper Canyon Choirs are under the direction of

Mrs. Marla Stringham. In the 2010-2011 school

year, there are 3 performing groups. Mixed choir is

for anyone who wishes to learn how to sing, regard-

less of ability. Concert Choir is for advanced sing-

ers. These singers compete at the prestigious NAU

Jazz/Madrigal festival in February. In addition, this

year, there is an elite group of students who are in

an after school acapella jazz group, that will be per-

forming throughout the valley this year. If you are

interested in singing, having a good time, and mak-

ing new friends, Choir is for YOU!!

Journalism club intends to introduce students who

may have an interest in a career in journalism to the

rewards and benefits of the profession. Journalist

play an essential role in preserving the freedoms of

Americans and regulating the government. Without

the press America would be a different place. Stu-

dents will be exposed to the historical, legal, eco-

nomic and career paths available to journalist.

It shall be the purpose of the Table Top Simulations

organization to develop leadership, promote school

spirit, sportsmanship, fellowship among students

and faculty, provide a better understanding of histor-

ical and literary conflict and promote the general

welfare of the school during a weekly, after school

extra-curricular event.

The National Honor Society (NHS) is the na-

tion's premier organization established to

recognize outstanding high school students.

More than just an honor roll, NHS serve to

honor those students who have demonstrat-

ed excellence in the areas of Scholarship,

Leadership, Service, and Character. As a

part of NHS, members are actively involved

in helping with community events and work-

ing to improve the community around us.

Club info

Smoke Weed Every Day?

I think not! Cannabis (marijuana) is an

illegal drug that can have the potential to

ruin your life. Marijuana is illegal in all of

states and is heavily prosecuted. Unless it is

prescribed to someone as a patient, it is ille-

gal to possess it in every state. This drug is

very dangerous because it leads the user to

try harder drugs, it ruins relationships, and it

can ruin lives. I think marijuana is a harmful

drug and should be kept illegal until the end

of the world.

Marijuana is a gateway drug. Statistics

show that the use of marijuana leads to the

use of harder drugs like crack and heroin. A

recent poll says that 62 percent of adults

who had used marijuana before the age of 15

have used cocaine at some point during their

lives. For those who had never used marijua-

na, that number is 0.6 percent. A study made

in 2007 shows that those who use marijuana

in youth are more likely to use heroin. That

number is 9 percent as compared to 0.1 per-

cent for those who had never used marijua-

na. This same study shows that 53.9 percent

of those who used marijuana before the age

of 15 report that they have also tried to use

psychotherapeutic drugs for non-medical

uses. The rate for those who have not used

marijuana is 5.1 percent. There are still 2.1

million people in the US who report they try

marijuana for there first time each year. This

drug is without a doubt, extremely danger-

ous.

Not only is the user affected in drug use,

but also are his/her peers and relatives.

When a user is addicted to marijuana he/she

prioritizes getting high over spending time

with friends or family. Some pot smokers

even lose respect for family members and

other important people in their life. A fellow

class mate says this about addiction: “When I

used to smoke– ooh wee!- I was more disre-

spectful to my mother and teachers.” He also

recommends that no one try the use of any

illegal drugs because they can ruin lives.

Cannabis addiction can not only ruin

you’re relationships with others; it can as

well ruin goals and dreams. Many pot smok-

ers lack motivation because the drug is said

to kill brain cells. Former pot smoker said,

“When I used to smoke (marijuana) I never

cared about school, friends, or even the way I

looked. Now that I quit drugs I do better in

school and help my mom out with things.”

The consumption of marijuana can be life-

destroying decision.

Smoking weed is like having a bet with

your life on the line. It is only obvious that

keeping this harmful substance illegal is the

News Production Staff Jesus Haros 12 Photoshop

Veronica Garcia 10 Photoshop

Lasini Latu 10 InDesign

Kaleah Wilson 10 InDesign

Adalay Montoya 10 InDesign

Danielle Lopez 12 Photoshop

Maya Harris 11 Photoshop

Rafael Valdez 9 Art

Arturo Corchado 10 Editing & Copy

Dayana Gonzalez 10 Editing & Copy

Cristian Olivas 12 Art

Gerardo Nevarez 12 Art

Arturo Valenzuela 10 Photography

Ayeisha “Gigi” Cantres 9 Editing

Marie Yanez 10 Editing

Sheila DeLeon 12 Design

Tania Nevarez 12 Design / Photoshop

(managing editor)

Malena Gonzales 12 Design

Alexandra Arce 12 Indesign

Vanessa Mata 10 Photography

Evey Saavendra 10 Photography

Giovanni Alvarez 10 Advertising

Page 2

Inside every Aztec lies a warrior

The Aztec cheerleaders got up bright and early to show their spirit.

On

September

17, 2010,

the Aztecs

prepared

for a fierce

battle

against the

Desert

Edge

Scorpions.

Photos provided by the Yearbook Staff

Page 4

Alexander Arce and Monte at the Septem-

ber 4, 2010, football game showing some

spirit for their team.

The Aztecs still showed heart and determination throughout

the entire season. —Staff pictures

Page 5

Photo by Malena Gonzalez

Aztecs Michael Grubbs, Manny Iribe, Steven Lucunza, and Johnny Allen and Rayvon Johnson. Aztec mascot Monty,

Sports

Page 6

Coach Bogus looked

forward to a great season

this year for volleyball.

Like any coach he strived

to win for not only varsity

but the J.V and Freshman

teams as well. He also

pushed to develop student

athletes. His goal for this

year was to beat at least

every team once.

Coach has developed a

relationship with the head

volleyball coach at ASU

program. The head coach

for volleyball at ASU is

Jason Watson. Jason is

known for his coaching

skills. In 2007 he lead the

BYU cougars in a season

that was 24-8.

Coach is relying on the

experience and wisdom of

the program developed for

the college to improve the

program here at CCHS. He

is bringing a college level

practice routine to a high

school level.

This will be Coach Bo-

gus’s fourth year teaching

volleyball. He’s been a lit-

tle scared but the speed of

play has helped them win a

couple of times and he

knows they can win as long

as they have confidence in

themselves.

On a personal level in

college he played soccer,

but played baseball and

volleyball outside of col-

lege. He said he enjoys

teaching but he also loves

the environment of the

sport and the reason is be-

cause he believes that it

goes hand and hand. An-

other thing he enjoys is

walking his dog and camp-

ing.

He likes the varsity’s

uniforms but he is going to

try on working towards get-

ting the J.V. and Freshman

new uniforms.

Chase Lyon

Varsity Volleyball With Coach Bogus

Photo by Nixon Casteneda

Lady Aztecs at a recent game.

Reporting News Staff

Skylar W. Ross,

Editor In Chief

Editorials/ Opinions

Cristhian Valencia

Danielle L Valenzuela,

Editor Sports

Alyssa J. Farinas,

Chase Lyon

Andrew J. Oros

Adrian J. Boss

William H. Ibarra

Chrystal K. Villalobos,

Editor School Life

Ebonnee Guerra

Danielle L. Valenzuela

Ana Coggin

Dion J. Innis

Nicholas T. Van Loon, Edi-

tor World News

Christian L. Caballero

Julian A . Lopez

Andrew J. Oros

William H. Ibarra,

Editor Creative Corner

Brianna K. Christopher

Adrian J. Boss

Girls from Page 1

Sense of humor is also a thing a

girl really likes in a guy. You

don’t want a guy that will always

be serious around you. A girl

wants a guy who can make her

laugh who actually jokes around

with her; someone who will

cheer her up whenever she is

feeling down. Not a guy that is

boring and never wants to laugh

or anything. It’s nice to joke

around and make them laugh

but not when it comes to mak-

ing fun of your partner. You real-

ly need to be careful with the

jokes you don’t want to get

them mad, or say anything bad

about them.

Interesting personality is totally

very important for a guy to have.

Each girl has their own taste in a

guy’s personality many may like

“bad boys”, others like” good

boys”, or sensitive guys. A guy

has to be respectful to his part-

ner no matter what.

Photo by Nixon Casteneda

Girls’ Volleyball Coach Justin Bogus.

School Life/Sports

Page 7

Every school has those

set of players who think the

game relies on their abili-

ties, their presence, their set

schedule. They believe that

they have the authority to

miss out on assignments or

even practice because of

their skills. For an example

of Entitlement you have

Tiger Woods, after all his

years of hard work and

practice he began to cheat

because “Normal rules did-

n’t apply…I felt I was enti-

tled”( Woods ).

Not all Professional ath-

letes deserve the role model

title that younger athletes

give them credit for. All

coaches love students with

great talent but when they

don’t put school first, those

athletes won’t go anywhere

in life. Skipping practice

means no commitment,

ditching school means fail-

ure to learn, and ignoring

helpful hints and tips in life

means careless behavior and

wrong choices can lead to

events such as Kobe Bryant

- athlete turned alleged sex-

ual predator, he is a great

basketball player but even

the greatest players have

issues.

Just because someone is

good at something doesn’t

give them the right to forget

everything else and ignore

the other requirements

needed to hone that skill to

further greatness. If a player

is a student athlete and

helps one-another then they

are a great essential need for

the team, but if a player is

all about himself/herself

then the team will go no

were in the end and every-

one will be disappointed

and begin to blame it on the

people who actually work

as a team.

Look at it like this, there

are three penguins, one a

mother, one a father, and

one the child, the mother

penguin sets out to find

food for the whole family to

survive, the father keeps the

child warm and secure from

predators and harsh winds,

if either parent failed to

work their part of the team

effort, they will end up

dead. Now if we can get

our athletes to work as a

team and help each other

through the rough times we

will pull out on top and

strive to greatness.

Players don’t get any

rights to entitlement, so stop

acting like you deserve

something you never even

earned. Work as a team and

win as a team, don’t blame

others for your mistake,

own up to it, and help eve-

ryone to understand what

you know instead of letting

your team fail for not help-

ing each other out. No one

was born to play any sport,

its hard work and dedication

that strives the Professional

Sport athletes to be as good

as they are.

So stop believing one

person was always meant to

play that certain sport,

someone who is really good

at basketball could be even

better in Soccer, or Foot-

ball. Only reason why any-

one is good at anything is

because they worked at that

subject. Entitlement is

something no player de-

serves even if they are the

best, eventually someone

will come in and beat that

persons record and become

the next all-star.

Think of it like this, your

all cocky and acting cool

because you scored a touch-

down or a goal, and you get

home and tell your parents

to shut up or make you din-

ner because you think

you’re the worlds center of

attention, if you’re lucky

you may get away with it,

but I know for a fact if I

said that to my parents I’d

get yelled at, grounded, and

whooped. So don’t act like

you “Deserve” anything

when you don’t. Commen-

tary by Briana K. Christian-

son.

Are athletes ‘entitled’ to special treatment?

By Corina Ochoa

You’ve been trying to catch his eye for

a long time now, but everything seems to

fail? He seems to be so interested in eve-

rything else, but you!! Here are some

advice you can take to impress him

starting with: First Impression, Attitude,

Not too much make-up, and using correct

language (manners).

Four out of five guys at Copper Canyon

agreed that the first impression is the first

thing they notice in a girl. Nappy hair is a

total turn off. If a girl can’t keep her hair

decent, then it’s obvious that her life is a

total disaster at least as far as attracting

boys. No matter how lazy you are in the

mornings, always dress to impress, it’s

the key to catching that special

someone’s eye. Don’t try to over exag-

gerate your appearance, keep it nice and

simple. For example; wearing a V-neck

shirt with some not too long, not too

short shorts, along with a pair of match-

ing sandals that go with your shirt can be

something you wear to a normal day of

school. Make sure you don’t try to mix

and match and end up looking like a

Christmas tree.

A girl’s attitude is the door to a guy’s

heart. Guys love it when a girl can be fun-

ny but at the same time is laid back. Don’t

try too hard to be someone you aren’t.

Simply be yourself, it may be embarrass-

ing speaking in front of the guy you like at

first but learn how to get comfortable

with the conversation. Remember he

might be as nervous as you are. If you’re

silly be silly just know when it’s the right

time to joke around and when it’s not

because he might think your trying too

hard. Also don’t think you’re too good to

be spoken to. That just makes him think

you’re stuck up, and he probably won’t

want to speak to you ever again. Insecuri-

ty is a big “no-no”. When you’re confident

about your appearance and your fun and

outgoing it actually makes a girl more

attractive.

Also there’s a difference between wear-

ing makeup and doing your makeup for

Halloween. Many girls celebrate Hallow-

een year round by wearing tons and tons

of makeup, which makes them look like

they barely woke up and put their face in

a bowl of flour. Don’t apply a lighter

shade of foundation. Make up is not

meant to make you seem lighter it’s

meant to cover up imperfections. When

you buy foundation don’t test it on your

wrist or hand always test it on your jaw

line to get the perfect tone. Try looking

natural. A way to check is to stand in a

doorway or outside, to see if your face

looks even.

Don’t be that kind of girl who likes to

curse at a guy. Be a lady and respect

yourself. A guy wants a girl who always

behaves and people don’t talk about her

every time she turns her back. “Give respect

to have respect.” It looks unladylike when a

girl is yelling at a guy from across the room

telling him what a jerk he is. (but in differ-

ent words). Guys say its “ghetto”, and if you

think about it, it really is. It’s annoying and

guys don’t take a girl seriously when she

bursts out with the “F” word every time she

speaks. Act like a lady, it may be hard when

a guy is being obnoxious, but control your

temper.

Capturing

your guy’s

attention

Photo by Yearbook Staff

The CCHS cheerleading squad posing pretty for the camera. Cheerleaders are often

popular and considered the “pretty” girls on high school campuses.

Spirit week! We got spirit, how about you?

Photo by Brytney Gage

Ms. Heather Munns and Ms. Lynn Trembly as Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Page 8

Students

grape

eating,

right,

Tuesday.

Photo by

Bianey Cordero

Rock stars rule ...

News Production staff

Ms. Owens and Gavin Blakenship, above, rockin’ during

Spirit Week.

Homecoming Carnival ...

Photo by Ayeisha “Gigi” Cantres

Students play-fought at the carnival Thursday.

Photo by Tania Nevarez

Powder Puff cheerleaders show their spirit at the game.