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Eye of the LoboThe Award-Winning Newspaper of

Boys’ baseball resilent despite tough seasonSports storyBy Brandon Ehlers

Lobos’ baseball celebrates after a walk off hit. The Lobos had four comeback wins throughout the season. Photo by Martiqua Mares

It has been a pretty good season for the Lobos baseball team.

They finished with a record of 13-15 even though they were aiming for 20 wins.

Coach Jacobs mentioned Nelson Negret as his most improved player.

Coach Jacobs’ favorite part of the season was “We had four or five come back from behind victories. We had some guys who haven’t played before win; it’s hard to choose just one.”

On the other hand there is senior Jonathon Vasquez who had many memories of being with the team.

“Being on the team, organizing every play, and the opportunity to communicate” was Jonathon’s favorite part.

Coach Jacobs highlight was when they were down seven in the last inning and they scored eight and won because of Negret’s hitting.

to continue to grow because they have grown a lot in six years.

“It was great, I loved it. It was a great season. Everyone did a good job;

we all worked together as a team and it showed,” said Jonathon Vaquez.

Coach Jacobs says that he doesn’t want to change anything, he wants the team

Seniors set out to go into the real world after high schoolFeature storyBy Jasmine Cruz

After the big day of graduation, seniors will take their separate roads to follow their dreams to the future.

Everyone has a different dream to follow and all are determined to accomplish what they want.

Senior Carmen Zamora plans to move to San Diego and go to school to become a marine biologist.

“I will live an everyday life at the beach. I will chill, ride my bike and skate all day,” she said.

As for senior Gabriela Portillo, after high school she plans is to go to Northern Arizona University.

“In my spare time, I will spend it on school work and studying and hopefully get some sort of job,” she said.

Senior Yareli Ortiz’s plan for after school is to hopefully get a degree in business.

As for getting prepared for her career in business, she plans to get a job at a bank meanwhile.

“I would like to have a successful like with many good things,” she said.

Senior Lilien Martinez wants to head straight to a university after high school, but she is still not sure which one she would like to go to. She wants to study in the medical field when she gets to college.

Lobos constant presence pays offFeature storyBy Jerrica Lee

Having perfect attendance takes dedication to both the school and the education it brings.

Out of all the students at La Joya, only 20 were able to accomplish having perfect attendance.

The students with perfect attendance received a savings bond up to $500 depending on how many years that student has had perfect attendance.

To obtain one of the perfect attendance savings bonds, students must not miss any days of school, miss any class periods, which includes being marked tardy, and even having an excused absence

still counts as missing a day of school preventing that student from being able to participate in the perfect attendance award.

Junior Travis Franklin said that having perfect attendance was not tough at all because he enjoys learning and doesn’t want to fall behind on his classwork.

One student that was able to obtain perfect attendance all four years of his high school career is senior Freddy Luna.

“Keeping perfect attendance wears on you sometimes, when some of your friends skip school to go to a movie and you’re missing all the fun, but this is a way better pay off,”

Luna said.To continually come

to school takes great discipline.

There were times that these students almost didn’t make it, but they had their eyes on the reward at the end.

“It was one of the AIMS testing days for sophomores, and I had the stomach flu and I still came to school,” Luna said

The perfect attendance students represent discipline and respect for both their education and the future these students hope to have, which is why La Joya rewards the students for putting forth the effort in high school to have perfect attendance.

Eye of the LoboPage 2

La Joya teachers say farewell to seniors

Thomas J e f f e r s o n said, “I’m a great b e l i e v e r in luck, and I find the harder I work the more

First off I think you a l r e a d y know what I’m going to say. A friend (or significant other) is not your friend if at all times they are not

looking out for what is in the best interest of you. Please know that you need to stay alert and watch where you are going. Watch your step on this wonderful new journey of life. Look both ways before crossing the streets of life. Don’t walk with your eyes to the ground because you don’t want to walk into that brick wall of life. You may need to alternate your view points so you can be careful not to walk into a tar pit or quicksand. You definitely want to watch your step so you avoid those hot, steamy, stinky piles of life. Stop, look and listen so you don’t miss out on your opportunity. You only get to experience life once. I’m going to miss you all. Pleasant journeys.

-Alicia Griffin

D e a r Seniors,

As you go out into the world and find your place in it, it is impor tan t

to keep one thing in mind: Time goes by fast. The world isn’t going to stop or slow down just for you. Don’t put things off. If you go to college, I suggest you choose a major within the first two semesters and stick to it. Life will lead you to several places—nice, fun, and scary. Be smart and strive for the best.

- Felipe Baez

in your book of life and will prepare the pages for the world ahead of you. Sometimes you will scribble

My Dear-est Seniors, Congratula-tions! You have worked very hard these past four years and you are about to see the pay-off as

you walk across the stage and pick up your diploma. I am so proud of you! As you get ready to go to college, I have some advice for you. First, get involved in school! Join clubs, play intramural sports, whatever. You’ll meet more people and enjoy school more. Second, get to know your professors! They are not as scary as you think. You will need recommendations from them, so get to know them early. They want to meet their students. Third, live it up! College is an incredible experience, so make it count.

It has been an honor and a privilege being able to teach you this past year. I wish you the best of luck as you begin the next chapter of your life.

-Alexandra Melnyk

To the Class of 2011:

In a s h o r t w h i l e , you will close one of many chapters

I have of it.” While graduation is an important milestone, it is not the finish line in life. Whatever you choose to do after La Joya—college, military, workforce, family—work hard at it. Strive for excellence and greatness and you will be amazed at the opportunities that present themselves to you. Dreams rarely come true overnight, but through effort and dedication you will find yourselves lucky in life.

- Marc Broeske

on pages, but mostly you will leave indelible marks-ones that cannot be erased. Make those marks count. Move forward with pride and with confidence in a bright future. I wish you all many successes and the best of luck in every goal you set out to accomplish.

- Tara Suggs

Seniors reminisce on favorite high school moments Feature Story By Taylor Adelman and Ana Peralta

Throughout your high school career, you learn and appreciate the experiences you obtain from the days spent at school. Some you can never forget and remain in the back of the brain until the final days until graduation.

What was your favorite memory? Some seniors shared their favorite memories while at La Joya.

Senior Dominique Blakes picked sophomore year as his best year. He said the teachers that he had made it fun, not to mention basketball was awesome.

“We had a good record and a lot of good players,” he said. They also did a project sophomore year that Blakes really liked – it had to do with people’s experiences.

“It got people to understand what other people went through and I think it made them wise in the end,” Blakes said.

Senior Harley Nelson said freshman year was the year he liked the most because of the football team.

“We had all the good coaches, we had fun, we beat Tolleson 32

to 0, and I broke my thumb,” Nelson said.

Nelson also met all the friends he knows now his freshman year, which made it extra special, and he got all A’s.

Senior Juan Flores’ most memorable year was his senior year.

“There were just a lot of experiences, like homecoming, prom, and the fact that I got to go to my first football game ever and we won!” he said.

Flores said it was also special because he “met a lot of awesome people” and because this year was academically fulfilling.

Senior Joseph Rosales picked his junior year as his best year because it was the most fun. Also, he picked it because it was the year that he got into the most trouble.

“I was always chilling with friends, and we were always procrastinating our work,” Rosales said.

The teacher he liked the most from that year was Mrs. Suggs because “she pushed him and never gave up on him.”

For senior Alex Camarena, the highlight of his high school career was beating our rivals, Tolleson,

in the quarter finals soccer game. Having never beaten Tolleson, it was a very special moment.

“We had never beat them before, I cried,” Alex says jokingly.

While many would like to take all the credit for the win, he quickly added, “It was definitely a team effort, something we have been working on for the past four years.”

Senior Briana Andrade took a more sentimental approach when picking her favorite moment. For her, it wasn’t any special event like prom or scoring the winning touchdown for the homecoming game; it was being with her friends.

“I’ve had the same group of friends since grade seven and have had one class together each year. They become your sisters, your family, and I can confide in them for anything,” she said.

It’s said that high school is a time where you find yourself and forget about your past. “In high school you change so much over the years, so it’s nice to have a tightly knit group of friends to fall back on,” she adds.

Super Bowl XLIII with the Pittsburgh Steelers versus our

home team the Arizona Cardinals was senior Freddy Luna’s most memorable high school moment.

“It was my sophomore year, and it was exciting because it was one of the biggest games here,” he said.

Even though he wasn’t at the actual game, being with his friends was what made it memorable.

“Being with all my friends together and seeing the excitement on their faces was great,” he said.

For senior Ana Peralta, her favorite memory from high school was the pep rally from this year. Being able to socialize and meet new people made it worth it.

“I met some pretty amazing people and met some new friends; it was great. We were being loud and screaming at the top of our lungs,” she said.

What also made it fun for Peralta was seeing the different performances put on by fellow classmates and teachers.

“Watching the dancers was pretty cool, being able to see what they could come up with and watching the students and teachers participate in the game,” she said.

Seniors say goodbye to La JoyaOrlando

Pelagio D e a r

F u t u r e S tudents , H i g h school is one grand adventure waiting for you to uncover its secrets. It is a different experience for most and it has plenty of challenges that will help you get through the real world. My advice to you is not to give up and that goes for anything. You will always be told this, but from first-hand experience I say do not under any circumstances procrastinate; you won’t survive senior year with a lazy mindset. Pay attention to due dates and turn assignments in on time. If you have a huge assignment due, stay away from Facebook; it is evil. The final rule is to enjoy the year because the time will fly by and grades do matter, especially for colleges. Make sure to start looking for scholarships now and pick your college. Just know that it is O.K. not to know what your major is. Good luck on all your endeavors and just know that everything shall be O.K. Give yourself a hug sometimes.

Charles Solares

D e a r F u t u r e Lobos,

The biggest thing about high school is to be who you want to be. Experiment with sports, clubs, and electives. Just have fun while you’re here, get involved in fundraisers, volunteer in the community, play sports, do interesting things, make tons of friends. You only get to do this once

so enjoy it while you can because it’s over before you know it. Do not sweat the little things and just focus on what you want to accomplish while you’re here at La Joya. Enjoy your time here and take everything that La Joya has to offer you. You won’t regret it.

M a c k Harris

Dear La Joya,

Everyone a l w a y s says high school is just one big obstacle that you have to try to overcome so you can get to the best time of your life, college. That isn’t true because with the right friends high school can easily be the best time of your life. You should get involved in the school whether it is StuCo, sports, NHS or anything else you can think of. Always do what is best for you because this affects everything after high school: college, job opportunities and a lot more. Just remember to stay on task and don’t blow things out of proportion. It’s high school, just have fun.

A n a Peralta

H e y Lobos!

D o n ’ t be too worried about high school – it’s not as nightmarish as everyone makes it out to be. I mean, sure, it can be if you start doing the p-word! Procrastination to the extreme is a crime, people! And remember, colleges look at your grades starting freshman year, so have fun, but add a little study time every now

and then. And don’t stress about the little things – they usually work themselves out if you really want them too. So, yeah, have fun, live a little, and keep your eyes on the prize!

Michael Siegal

D e a r F u t u r e Seniors,

Let me start off by saying s e n i o r year is a pivotal time in your life and should be taken seriously. It is the point in your life when you need to start seriously thinking about what you are going to do with your life and how you plan on achieving your goals. Because of the significance of the time period, I recommend that you act responsibly and take care of business as soon as possible; you’re almost on your own, like an adult. Don’t take senior paper lightly, especially if you plan on going to college. If you are going to college, start thinking about what you’re going to major in, which college you might go to and how you are going to pay for it well before the deadlines. My final piece of advice is not to stress; you’re supposed to enjoy senior year.

K e k e Dennis

D e a r Students of La Joya,

Since I’m a senior leaving off to college, I would like to share my experience with you as well as advice. From my freshmen year till now all the hard work I’ve put into school has paid off. The coming to school every

day, going to every class, and turning in every assignment has helped me start my future. I can’t stress enough how important it is for students to stay on top of what needs to be done. Procrastinating and carelessness only hurts you in the long run so why do it. It’s really not worth it at all. Yeah, it’s cool to hang out with friends and get involved at school, but you need to prioritize. And keep hanging with your friends and partying to a limit. Remember, to succeed you need to believe in yourself and never give up.

Steven Black

D e a r Lobos,

S e n i o r year is one of the most interesting years you will probably ever experience. It will also be one of the weirdest ones you will have. It is filled up with so much excitement and hype that builds so much over the summer that when you finally get to it you feel as if it’s just a regular school year. You can’t procrastinate on anything without feeling like you are going to be buried in papers the next day. This isn’t like your previous years where you can push the deadlines an extra day or two when stuff is due. Getting a job is helpful to pay for college, but you have to find the right balance between school and job or else both will suffer in the long run. Prioritize the best you can because, yeah, it’s nice to hang out with friends, but not if you have to put off an important assignment to do it. You can do whatever you set your mind to so just keep swimming.

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