Hounds

Many hours of work far away from home, a completely different environment around them, but still many volunteers find them-selves enjoying service as part of the United States Peace Corps. This federal govern-ment agency promotes peace and friendship all around the globe by sending volunteers to help and serve in many countries in the world, like Paraguay, Azerbai-jan, Kazakhstan, Ma-lawi, and Jordan. This agency started in 1960 in response to then Senator John F. Ken-nedy’s challenge to Americans to serve the country through life and work in develop-ing countries. Ameri-cans responded to this challenge and con-tinue to do so 48 years after its creation.

T h e r e a r e many ways in which volunteers fulfill their call to work in the Peace Corps. People may work in agricul-ture, environment, and

business development, among many other things. In all types of work, volunteers work along with the local community in an effort to improve the quality of life. Volunteers work in the community, sleep in the community, and live in the community. Often, many people abandon everyday luxuries like the com-puter in the pursuit of service. Even though this lifestyle is rough, the satisfaction that many volunteers experi-ence makes the experi-ence worth it. If anyone wants to take part in this effort for peace, or simply wishes for more information about the Peace Corps, visit the w e b p a g e : www.peacecorps.gov. Only through service can we find meaning in our life.

The Hound Collar staff has been communicating with a Peace Corps volunteer in Para-guay, South America, through Worldwise Schools. This issue includes a profile of the volun-teer, Laura. Paul D. Coverdell World-wise Schools is an organization dedicated to connecting educa-tors with Peace Corps volunteers. Worldwise Schools began in 1989. Since then, thousands of volunteers in the field have com-municated with students by let-ter, e-mail, telephone, and through photographs and vid-eos. Not only does World-wise Schools connect students with volunteers in the field, but it also sends returned Peace Corps volunteers to speak to class-rooms in schools. Worldwise Schools also provides lesson plans for educa-tors on countries and cultures w o r l d w i d e . S e e www.peacecorps.gov/wws for more information.

Working for Peace

Hound Collar

Peace Corps 1-4

Sports 5

Community 6

Campus Ministry 7-8

Profile 9

Teacher of the Month 10

Science & Technology 11

Arts 12

Opinions 13

Review 14

Inside this issue:

Hound Collar Staff

Editor in Chief-

Kaytee Hernandez

Assistant Editor in Chief–

Desiree Aardema

Editorials– Julian Goza

Teacher of the Month- Raquel Garcia

Current Events- Andres Delgado

Reviews– Rudy Salas

Arts– Andrea Sanchez

Sports – Garrett Oliveira

Profiles - Sabrina Reyes

School Events– Rebecca Marin

Moderator– Mark Salvatore

The International Issue

By Hound Collar Staff

By Andres Delgado

1

Issue 2

lated that to mean aca = here, and nomas = no more. It’s not here any-more, I thought. She then said some-thing in Guarani, the indigenous lan-guage of Paraguay, and gestured with her cigar down the road. I thanked her without understanding a word she said and continued walk-ing and wondering if traveling to a community that no longer exists was part of the training, although I was supposed to stay at the site for five days. Ahead of me I saw a horse trot-ting toward me with a woman astride, barefoot, her waist-length black hair undulating with the rhythm of the horse. When she reached me she reined in the horse, looked at me with smiling coffee brown eyes and said, “Marcos?” This hallucination of an angel on horseback—as I first thought—was actually a member of my host family. I followed her to her house, which consisted of two rooms, with a lean-to on one side that served as a kitchen, and a roofless outhouse fifty feet away. Three women and two men lived in the house. I was ready to leave after five days, but it rained and I waited two more days to walk out.

I had been in Paraguay since February 2, 1989, which was the day of the coup d'état when Alfredo Strossner was forced out of power after a thirty-five year dictatorship. I arrived with group of thirty-six pro-spective volunteers. A dozen of us

went out to see Asuncion. We sat at tables in front of a restaurant on a main street. A truck loaded with sol-diers passed, then a tank, another truck, a tank, and we thought it must have been a normal sight until we heard automatic weapon fire just down the road. We walked back to the Peace Corps retreat site. It was about 9:30 pm and the shooting con-tinued until around 4:00 am. We spent the night sitting outside and listening to the news on the radio and to the shelling and automatic weapons fire. Not one of us feared the nearby battle, because we be-lieved it was a power play between the head of the armed forces and the president supported by the national police. Radio announcements con-tinually warned civilians to stay in-side. We did worry about being sent back to the United States. I, for example, had given away everything I owned that I couldn’t carry and had left $300 in a bank account in Albu-querque. I wasn’t in a position to start over again. But the night passed and General Rodriguez declared himself in control of the country. President Strossner sat in a jet on the tarmac of

The following paragraphs are compiled from recollections and a few letters I wrote while I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay, South America. That is, this article is made up of half-told stories and not one complete story. I open with my first venture into the Paraguayan inte-rior on my own.

A woman sat on a stool be-

side a tub in the shade of a mango tree near a well in front of her straw-roofed, wood-framed house. A cigar hung from her mouth as she hand-washed clothes. I clapped my hands at her gate to draw her attention. “Can you tell me how to get to Guazu Cua?” I asked in imperfect Spanish, as I stood sweat-soaked and disoriented after a 15-kilometer hike along a road of blood red dirt rutted from ox-drawn carts. The road led from Sapu-cai, Paraguay, over a ridge thick with coconut trees, lapacho trees, cotton and bean fields, citrus trees and occa-sional houses built of rough-cut planks with straw roofs and dirt floors. It was March of 1989 and I trudged toward my future Peace Corps site as part of my training. The woman looked at me as if I’d appeared from a strange, fara-way land, took the cigar from her mouth and gave me a toothless smile. “Aca nomas,” she said. I trans-

Rohayhu Paraguay

Photo from: www.jujuy.com/fotos

A lapacho tree with yellow blossoms.

I squatted hidden by a waist-high, three-sided

structure of coconut bark, in the rain, with

each foot on a log over a 2-meter deep hole

half-full of water, worms and

human excrement and I knew that I had led a

privileged life, alienated from nature.

Men square a viga with a hand saw for the school kitchen (under construction in the background).

Photo by M. Salvatore

Feature H

ou

nd

Co

llar

2

Asuncion’s airport waiting for a coun-try to accept him into asylum, and Brazil accepted him. On the morning of February 3, 1989, Peace Corps Paraguay took us aspiring volunteers on a bus tour of Asuncion to see the damage that occurred during the fight. Already bricklayers were rebuilding and re-plastering walls and glaziers replaced windows that had been shattered by gunfire. Within a day or two no trace of the battle remained, except a few pock-marked walls the plasterers missed. After our tour, we traveled to

Aregua where Peace Corps Paraguay had its training center, the Center for Human Potential. During three months of train-ing each aspiring volunteer lives with a Paraguayan family. I say “aspiring” because one is not a volunteer until having successfully completed train-ing. Training consisted of language and cultural studies in the morning and technical training in the after-noon. My area was health and envi-ronmental sanitation. Of the three dozen people in my group, eighteen of us finished our 27 months of ser-vice. Some left within days, some at the end of training, and some after a

year. One died. I spent my time in Guazu Cua, an isolated farming community without running water, electricity or transportation except for horses, ox-drawn carts and by foot. The nearest bus stop was 15 kilometers from the community of 80 families. That was the distance to the nearest phone, too. During those two years I ac-quired a grant to build a school kitchen, and another grant for a hand-pump for the school well. We hand-pumped water to an elevated tank and gravity fed water to the kitchen. If a school had a garden, and a kitchen with running water, it quali-fied for shipments of flour, powdered milk, cooking oil and some other items from UNICEF. To this day the school receives this aid. I also worked on a project with a German International Devel-opment Agency, GTZ. It had discov-ered a high rate of mal de chagas in the community. I conducted a com-munity census, mapped the area, and identified areas to be fumigated for the vinchuga (also known as the kiss-ing bug), a beetle that transmits the

disease, mal de chagas. This disease is, or was, common in parts of Para-guay, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil. I mentioned two of my suc-cesses, but for each I suffered many failures. I spent many nights gazing at the stars of the southern hemisphere and the flashes of hundreds of fire-flies while wondering what I was do-ing somewhere just south of the Tropic of Capricorn, the only person in the community lacking the skills to build a house using only a hand-saw and a machete for tools, the only one who could not drive an ox-drawn cart, could not wring a chicken’s neck or slaughter a pig. Every time I used an outhouse I realized how far re-moved from nature I had lived my life. Yet there were other successes. I formed an amateur--a very amateur--performing arts group. It consisted of 18 people, including my-

self. It performed one-act plays, folk dances, and songs. The performances raised money for the school and other environmental sanitization pro-jects, such as building sanitary la-trines, protecting water sources, and waste disposal methods. I drew water from a well al-most every day for two years to drink,

rohayhu (to) love

ñandejára (our) god

(a) purahéi (to) sing

(a) jeroky (to) dance

(a) karu (to) eat

(a) ñe’e (to) talk

xyryry fry

kuña woman

kuñatai single woman

Guarani / English

vy’á happy

kuñakaraí married woman

karaí man

karia’y young man

puka laugh

tesái health

A woman cooks a large meal for her extended family.


A man dressed in his finest suit poses beside his steed.


Ho

un

d C

olla

r

3

to use for cooking and to bathe. I squatted hidden by a waist-high, three-sided structure of coconut bark, in the rain, with each foot on a log over a 2-meter deep hole half-full of water, worms and human excrement and I knew that I had led a privileged life, alienated from nature. Yet I stayed. By Mark Salvatore

Salvatore astride Gulliver, the horse that took him places he never expected to see.

Photo by Jorge Encina

This is a view from the City of Para-guarí to the east toward Guazu Cua.


Chagas Disease By the Hound Collar Staff Chagas Disease is prevalent in Latin American countries and is especially common among the poor. A beetle carries and transmits the disease by biting a person on soft skin such as that on the face and then defecating in the bite. The bitten per-son rubs the bite and the infected feces enters the bloodstream. The

Photo from: geo.arc.nasa.gov/

The red area of the world map Indicates where Chagas Disease is found.

The Paraguayan Love By Garrett Oliveira

Throughout the continent of South America, including Paraguay, the love of the sport of soccer is quite immanent. Since soccer or “fútbol” is the Paraguayan national sport, it’s the definite passion of children, sports fanatics, and tourists alike. As in the United States, the common ground shared through sports provides a sense of together-ness and unity in Paraguay. Soccer, being the most popular and most played, has been the apart of this nationwide pride that is continued through the Paraguayan National Team or better known as “Club Olim-pia.” Paraguayan soccer fans come from all over the country and travel all over the world to watch their home team play. During international home games, a capacity crowd of over 40,000 people cram in to see their nation being represented. Since joining the FIFA (International Fed-eration Football Association) in 1925, the national team has had some, but

limited success. The highlights of the team include: seven participations in the World Cup, two time Copa-America tournament winners, and recently receiving a silver medal in the 2006 Olympic Games. In South America, they are somewhat over-shadowed by global powerhouses such as Brazil and Argentina, but are holding their own as they are cur-rently in first place in the 2010 World Cup Qualifying.

Similarly to the United States, children in cities of Paraguay are able to take part in public youth soccer leagues beginning at the young age of four. It’s noted that these organiza-tions help form the interests of ado-lescents so that they will continue to

support the Paraguayan National Team later in life. Not only are these youth leagues creating fans, but Para-guay is second only to Brazil in pro-ducing professional soccer players in South America. Currently, “Club Olim-pia” maintains the position of 22nd in the world, a very impressive pre-season rank. As soccer in Paraguay contin-ues to blossom and grow in popular-ity, the team known as “Club Olim-pia” is becoming much more notice-able on the global stage. Locals fore-see a great finish in 2010 and are developing even higher expectations.

disease causes heart damage. There is no known cure for the dis-ease. A person with Chagas Dis-ease may not show symptoms for 10 to 20 years after being in-fected. Doctors Without Borders estimates that up to 18 million people are infected in Latin America. These are almost always poor people, as the beetle lives in straw roofs and in the cracks in mud walls. For more information see: www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

Photo from: bvsms.saude.gov.br

The beetle that carries the Chagas Disease.

Ho

un

d C

olla

r

4

SJA Fall Sports Come to an End By: Garrett Oliveira

An end to another successful fall sports season at Saint Joseph Academy is nearly upon us. While great finishes in cross-country and football are close, a quest for district championships in basketball, soccer, baseball, and swimming are becom-ing second nature, if not expected, for the Bloodhounds. The Bloodhound football team took on one of the most chal-lenging district schedules in years, but has still managed a positive sea-son with the help of its senior leader-ship. The highlight of the season came on the Hounds’ homecoming and alumni night when they crushed La Villa 32-0. It was the first win in two years for the SJA football team, and the first of many to come for the new coaching staff led by Athletic Director and Head Coach, Brad Jones. “It’s definitely been a memora-ble senior year so far, and I hope to continue that on our way to a [district] championship in basketball,” said starting wide-out and small for-ward, Rene Segura. On the track this year, it was

another thriving cross-country season as the team placed 8th in state. Lead-ing the Hounds on the boy’s side was senior Andres Delgado, who placed fifth at the TAPPS state competition, a personal best. The Lady Bloodhounds were anchored by senior Marissa Shinsky, and juniors Sabrina Reyes and Katrina Lambert. “We worked hard day in and day out. Even though we didn’t finish as high as we [could have], we tried our best. Thank you for everything Coach Garza!” Reyes had to say about her season.

In the upcoming swimming, soccer, and baseball seasons, the

Hounds look to build on great sea-sons from last year. Captain of the Lady Hound swim team, Michelle

Holland said, “We’re hoping to have a good turnout, and it’s my senior year, so I really hope to medal.” SJA swimmers look to repeat at placing in state during another strong showing. As the Bloodhound soccer team com-petes in their first district appearance, they also look to have another great season. Last year, the team had sev-eral wins against some of the best teams in the valley, and appears only stronger than last year’s team that’s returning 10/11 starting letterman. Players to watch include seniors Bo-gar Ramirez, Roberto Jimenez, Rudy Zolezzi, and juniors Blake Angelos, Claudio Vallejo, and Sergio Raygada. On the baseball diamond, the Blood-hounds look to recapture the TAAPS district title that they won for the first time in 2007, but came up one game short of in 2008’s campaign. One of the junior captains, Jack Little, added “…we’re going to get [the district title] back; we’ve been working hard, and I know it will pay off.”

The Bloodhounds pose after a 16-0 shut-out against rival, MMA. Photo by: Brittany White

In this file photo: Andres Delgado at the Rio Hondo Meet 9/20/08. Photo by: Mark Salvatore

Jack Little waits for the pitch in a game against La Villa. Photo by: Tony Oliveira

Sports H

ou

nd

Co

llar

5

capture wild beehives and maintain them in an efficient and economic way, as well as help them learn how to crop diversify and improve soil. Laura also started a women’s committee that is working on fogones, brick ovens for bet-ter, safer, and less smoky cook-ing.

A l t h o u g h L a u r a spends most of her time work-ing, she enjoys “odd adven-tures” on her free time. These odd adventures include but are not limited to a “22 mile bike ride back to site where wheels bust and brakes break.” Most people would find a bike trip like that less adventurous and more dis-tressing but Laura is a very spirited and active person that doesn’t let busted wheels and broken brakes get in her way. Instead she acknowledges that things are never definite, “ikatu ahata, maybe it will hap-pen, maybe I will go.”

The saying, ikatu ahata, also applies to Laura’s future in Paraguay. “As of yet I don’t think I’ll be here for a third year, but I don’t know what my projects will lead me to,” she says. Laura’s passion for change and selfless acts are something we can all learn from and hope to mirror in the future.

The Peace Corps be-gan in 1960, when then Sena-tor John F. Kennedy chal-lenged students at the Univer-sity of Michigan to serve the cause of peace by living and working in developing coun-tries. Since then, over 190,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in 139 host countries working on issues ranging from AIDS education to infor-mation technology and envi-ronmental preservation. Laura DeGrush is one of these self-less volunteers.

Laura DeGrush joined the Peace Corps in 2007 after graduating from Clark Univer-sity in Worchester Massachu-setts where she studied Span-ish and Sociology. Like many postgraduate students Laura didn’t know what she wanted to do after college but knew that she “was very interested in doing something com-pletely different… and had enjoyed earlier experiences in social work and volunteer-ing,” so she decided to go abroad with the Peace Corps.

Laura is now sta-tioned in Ytororo, Paraguay. With newly elected President Fernando Lugo in office, Para-guay is anxious for change. There are a lot of pressures on the new Paraguayan Presi-dent to make great social changes, such as better land distribution, during his term. Some of this apprehension

has resulted in social un-rest, demanding for land and rights. “There are lots of road blocks and protests waiting for Lugo to start engaging in social interac-tions to improve the basic problem,” Laura expresses. Despite the anxious cli-mate, however, Laura seems hopeful and believes “there [is] a lot of relief that

Lugo has won the election and that Paraguay can transition out of the colo-rado party peacefully, for the first time.”

Ytororo, where Laura works and lives, is a very rural place; there is only one car in the city and no running water as of yet. Ytororo is “economically very poor…[but] there is lots of capital potential,” Laura says. In Ytororo, Laura is trying to help im-prove the area’s nutrition and capital through apicul-ture and agriculture. Spe-cifically, this means she helps the local people

A Day in the Life of a… Peace Corps worker

Community

By: Kaytee Hernandez

Photo by: Laura DeGrush

10 Second Interview Name: Laura De Grush Education: Graduate of Clark Univer-sity Hometown: Rochester, New York Job: Peace Corps Worker Site: Ytororo Paraguay Time Served: 2 years

Ho

un

d C

olla

r

6

Every year the junior class is given an amazing opportunity: to go to their Encounter. The En-counter is a religious ex-

perience run by select members of the senior class (not necessarily CTM members) and by the reli-gious leaders of our school (Mr. Cantu, Mrs. Daniels, etc.). There are always two dates offered for the trip and though it is not manda-tory, it is highly recom-mended that all juniors at-tend one of the dates. The se-crets of what ex-actly happens on Encounter, like most of the re-treats at school, are never divulged so as to not spoil the surprise for the select few who wait with excite-ment for their own Encoun-

ter. However, Mr. Tony Cantu has described the Encounter as “different than anything you’ve ever experienced” and “an eye opener.” Most of the

participants of the Encounter have no objection to these descrip-t i o n s . W h e n asked how it went junior Sabrina R e y e s c o m -mented, “It was a life-changing ex-perience. I’m so glad I went. I really enjoyed myself and the small groups

were a really good idea.” Jun-ior Marcela Martinez had the same sentiments saying, “It was unbelievable! Mr. Cantu was right. It’s something I’ll never forget. I had such a good time and I feel like the Encounter brought me closer to God and to all of my class-mates.” Junior Alexandra Roser held the same opinion

stating, “I really didn’t expect this. I seriously underestimated what the trip could do. I had such a good time. Honestly it really changed people.” And

they were not the only ones who saw this. Several of the juniors were mak-ing com-m e n t s about how great of a time they had and as they all r e t u r n e d even the s e n i o r s saw the new unity the junior c l a s s seems to h a v e achieved. The jun-iors were not only a class, but a family. All rival-ries were forgotten, and all past problems were put aside to make way for an issue free school year. When you think about it, a three day trip doesn’t seem to give the impres-

sion that a lot can happen but you’d be surprised. As a junior last year I remember the last thing Mr. Cantu said before the

Encounter meeting was over: “It will change you completely if you let it.” And it seems that most participants have done just that.

ENCOUNTERING GOD

By: Desiree Aardema

“Encounter will change you completely if you let it”

CAMPUS MINISTRY

Photo by Desiree Aardema

Photo by Desiree Aardema

A group of junior girls enjoy their free time.

The cheerleaders continue to show school spirit at the retreat.

Ho

un

d C

olla

r

7

Encounter 23 By: Rebecca Marin

For juniors at SJA, Encounter is an experience they will never forget. On October 7th, 2008, about half of the 11th grade class packed up and set out to Camp Capers in Waring, Texas on a journey to find themselves. There is not much that can be said about this Encounter since it is a sur-prise to all under classman. After a 6 hour long bus ride of uncomfortable sleeping positions and phases of no air condition, the juniors had arrived to the smiling faces and open arms of the Encounter leaders. After unpack-ing and settling in, the activities be-gan. The activities taught the junior class about the importance of trust, teamwork, support, and faith. After three days of talks from leaders and adults, fun activities, games, and opening up to others, there was something said that really inspired me. “You get out of this what you put into it,” a phrase that you basi-cally had memorized because it was told to you plenty of times. But it was true, if you didn’t want to change, you wouldn’t. If you participated and opened up, like I did, you would find yourself going home as a changed and better person. Encounter 23 opened my eyes to look for the genu-ine side of others that you don’t nor-mally see. I also learned that nobody should be afraid of opening up to others and putting yourself out there because others will accept and sup-port you when you need them to. All you need to do is trust and be trusted.

Junior girls stop to take a picture by the lake.

Junior Cheerleaders take a picture with Mr. Cantu.

Smiling faces under a tree.

Showing their love of Encounter. Junior girls having a good time during a break. Nico Cardenas learns how difficult cheerleading can be.

Having a good time in their cabin.

Junior girls enjoying free time by the lake.

Girls gather to take a quick picture.

Photos by: Marcela Masso, Brittany Justice, Nikiza Goga, Vanyssa Rojas and Pamela May.

Ho

un

d C

olla

r

8

“Ten For Life”

PRofiles

Born in Berlin, Germany, Leonie Stenzel has only visited the United States a handful of times for a quick vacation with her family. Now she’s staying with my family and me

for a semester along with Chu Wang, a Chinese exchange student. Why did you choose to come live in the United States for a semester? “I don’t know… it seemed like a differ-ent experience that I would enjoy doing. I chose the United States be-cause this was the country and the culture that interested me the most. It is so diverse compared to many other countries.” What was your first impression of Brownsville, TX? “Everything is very different from Ber-lin. The buildings aren’t as tall as most buildings in Berlin and the streets are never as crowded as they are over there. In general, Brownsville isn’t that crowded. In Berlin, you barely

need a car, because everything is nearby and if it’s too far to walk there, you just take the bus. Here, you couldn’t survive without a car. Also, the weather is warmer, which I like better. And even though there are lots of immigrants from Turkey and Arabic countries in Berlin, I feel even more white here than in Berlin.” How different is the weather in Brownsville from the weather in Ber-lin? “Well for one thing, the air is really humid here. In Berlin if it rains, which it does a lot, it gets really cold but here it stays warm. You don’t want it raining in Berlin because if you get wet, it gets really uncomfortable and chilly. Here it doesn’t really matter. You also see more of a season change in Berlin. In autumn, the leaves are already turning yellow and falling by this time in Berlin, and it snows in the winter. I’ve noticed that the weather here is very constant.” What do you think of us (your host family)? “I think I’m really lucky that you de-cided to host me. You really make me

feel at home here. When I came, I was afraid that I wouldn’t fit in or that you wouldn’t like me but you made it really easy for me. There’s always something going on… it never gets boring. Also, I think it’s a great experi-ence not only getting to know the American but also the Mexican cul-ture better.” How different is St. Joe from your school in Berlin? “Well, since I go to a public school in Berlin, we don’t have to wear uni-forms and we don’t pray in school, because many students are immi-grants with different cultures and religions. There are also a lot of other differences, because the German school system is very different from the American, but the main differ-ence would probably be that we don’t have sport teams, cheerleaders or a school band in school.” What is the main thing you miss about your home? “My family, of course, and German chocolate!”

Interview with Leonie Stenzel By: Sabrina Reyes

Leonie and her friends in Berlin

Leonie and her friend Linda in Cen-tral Park

Ho

un

d C

olla

r

9

Any person who has come through the gates of SJA in the past several years has been through a variety of teachers; angry teachers, fun teachers, happy teachers, crazy teachers, mean teach-ers, fast talking teachers, or laid back teachers. Yet, through them all, not many have had as much enthusi-asm, personality, or vigor as our own pink clad Mrs. Brad-ford, who is our newest Teacher of the Month. Mrs. Bradford, as many know, has been teaching on the SJA campus for six years, going on her seventh. Many people may know her through her classes, P.E., Health, and Fit-ness, but even those who never taken her class are cap-tivated by her contagious and positive personality. For those who have not met her, all you have to do is swing by the girl’s locker room and be wel-comed by her hospital-ity and en-gaging conversations to un-derstand why she is one of one of the most favored teachers in our school.

When asked why she first started teaching here, Mrs.

Bradford says it was be-cause “my children were here and it was fun see-ing them and being part of their life.” Al-though her c h i l d r e n

graduated several years ago, she keeps coming back to teach year after year “because I’ve enjoyed

watching these students grow up; its neat to watch kids mature and change.” After this question, Mrs. Brad-ford began to recollect on past memories of teaching kids from a young age who inevitably grew up right be-fore her eyes. Ever since then she has been part of the SJA family and wouldn’t change it one bit; “I love who I work with, all the other teachers mostly because they’re fun.” When asked about some of her favorite things about teaching, “The relationship I have with the kids and how they have been willing to share their lives with me, like a give and take type of rela-tionship.” Although she is the one who teaches, another one of Mrs. Bradford’s favor-ite aspect of her career is that her “students teach me things I don’t know every-day.” She is a teacher who does truly enjoy her profes-sion and teaching her stu-dents everyday. So reader, next time you are walking around campus and see a teacher mostly dressed in pink, carrying a diet coke, and (if you’re lucky) accom-panied by a cute dog named Winnie, make sure you stop and make some conversation to make your day a little bit more cheery

“I like the relationship I have with the kids and

how they have been will-ing to share their lives

with me, like a give and take type of relation-

ship.”

Teacher of the month

A happy Mrs.Bradford

Photo by: Raquel Garcia

Ho

un

d C

olla

r

10

San Benito’s new project aims to take advantage of one common source of energy: the

Sun. Early in the month of Octo-ber, the largest solar panel along the border between the United

project, “That’s already being

looked at (the solar panel pro-ject) to include more panels”. Clearly, with the way the econ-omy is going right now, green energy surely is the way to go.

P A G E

States and Mexico started to op-erate. In the midst of the recent economic crisis and high fuel prices, this solar panel gives hope for a better future. Accord-ing to the Valley Morning Star, this project “is expected to help produce approximately 10 per-cent of the power used to filter up to six million gallons of water daily”. In addition, Mayor Joe H. Hernandez said that this solar panel is estimated to generate about “$10,000 a year in sav-ings”. All of this has gotten many city officials ecstatic that even Mayor Hernandez stated the wish for the expansion of the

this procedure could also work on humans, neurobiologist Joe Tsien, who led the team of re-searchers, said that, “The human brain is so complex and dramati-cally different from the mouse brain. That's why I say I don't think it's possible you can do the

same thing in humans". How-ever, Tsien does not rule out the

possibility that the procedure might someday be a success, “If that happens in my lifetime, I wouldn't be surprised”. With the current pace that science is on, the impossible now seems possi-ble.

Though it may sound like some-thing out of a science-fiction

movie, scientists have found a way to erase memories in mice. According to Reuters wire, by carefully manipulating a protein found in the brain called alpha-CaMKII, scientists were able to make a genetically altered mouse forget the memory of an electric shock. This spells out infi-nite possibilities for the future. Could humans someday be able to manipulate their own memo-ries? Could rejection, war, and pain be forgotten simply at will? While some scientists think that

H O U N D C O L L A R

Lost Memories By Andres Delgado

Sun Power in San Benito By Andres Delgado

“Expected to help produce approximately 10 percent of the power

used to filter up to six mil-lion gallons of water

daily”

Solar Panels are a great source of green energy

Picture from blogamericanfeast.com

“The human brain is so

complex and dramatically different from the mouse

brain”

Scientists have success-fully erased memories from lab mice.

Picture from maidenhead.org

Science and Technology

Poetry. Art. Writing. Publish your work in our school’s art magazine! Submit your artwork or stories to either Mr. Salvatore or Mr. Muñoz.

Meetings every MONDAY after school in Mr.

Salvatore’s classroom.

You can submit: • Art • Poetry or Lyrics • Photography • Short Stories

P.A.W.1

Ho

un

d C

olla

r

11

The SJA Drama de-partment performed “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” on both Friday October 24, 2008 and on Saturday October 25, 2008 in the SJA Student Cen-ter. The play’s program de-scribes the production as “a touching story about the chil-dren who lived in the Terezin

Concentration Camp during the Holocaust.” The cast included some extremely talented SJA students. The leading role of Raja was played by Junior, Paloma Martinez. This was her first drama production and as nervous as she claimed she was, she performed spectacu-larly. The play is in the point of view of a young girl, Raja,

“I Never Saw Another Butterfly,” an SJA Production

“It really opened my eyes...it’s amazing.”

By: Andrea Sanchez

ARTS

who lived through the cruel conditions of the Terezin Con-centration Camp. It is a haunt-ing story of real suffering that mere children had to go through in the Holocaust. It is a story of the eternal hope chil-dren have and their view of the hateful crimes thrust upon them. Raja’s story includes her view of the events as a terrified child in Terezin, ending in a col-lage of voices of the people she knew. The theatrical is based on a published collection of art and poetry of the actual Jewish chil-dren that lived at Terezin. The book is named after a poem called “Butterfly” written by one of the children, Pavel Fried-mann, who in the drama is played by Carter Miller. This intense production opened the eyes of, Junior, Jessica Pin-kett, one of the leading cast members who played Irena, a “teacher” who taught the chil-dren to keep drawing and laughing. “It’s an i n t e n s e theme…it was diffi-cult to get ourselves to parallel our char-acters in the play,” said Pin-kett after the show. “It really o p e n e d my eyes, I now know what they

went through and it’s amaz-ing.” The school’s produc-tion was unlike any other, the dramatic and evocative story was one that will not be for-gotten soon.

Paloma Martinez, Junior, played lead. (Top) The cast after the show. (Bottom)

Pictures taken by: Andrea Sanchez

Carter Miller and Souther Recio in a very emotional scene

Ho

un

d C

olla

r

12

Barack Obama is my ideal candidate. At least for now, given the circum-stances and poor, poor state of the country. I guess you could call me a sky-is-falling, conspiracy theorist. And maybe I am. His plans for environmental clean-up, financial aid for college, and yes, even his presumably unstoppable cure for our withering economy leaves me saying, “Yes we sure can.” So imagine my buzz kill when I learned Obama, supposed apostle of an old (and very prosperous) de-mocracy, bought a thirty minute time slot on CNN for a commercial-free ad urging voters to vote the big O. First thought I had: ‘How’s it commercial-free if it’s one giant commercial?’ How is this re-motely permissible? In poli-tics, there should be a limit to what money could buy. To me, that limit is reached

well before running a lengthy commercial border-ing on propaganda. While I have yet to see the commer-cial, I hope CNN is clear in stating that the ad American

viewers are watching is purely Obama-sponsored ( roughly $80,000 to $125,000 were spent) rather than just plain, vanilla “neutral..” Mr. Obama, if you’re reading this, I urge you to cancel running the half-hour ad. Imagine if the Republicans had had that same idea (Oh wait- they do! It’s called Fox News! I joke, I joke). In thirty whole minutes, Sarah Palin could go from embarrassing pag-eant queen to integral hard-working everyday mom. See what I’m saying? A cramming-down-the-throat session of why O is so won-derful is twenty-eight min-utes too many. However, possible tyranny and Big Brother-doom aside, I remain an Obama enthusiast. Had it not been for the Palin addi-tion to the McCain camp, my enthusiasm might even

be painted Republican Red. Well, come to think of it…no, probably not. No. Never. But regardless, the program is something I could see an impoverished, post revolution, and very Communist Russia running. It’s sad to see the old de-mocracy apostle doing something so…Karl Rove-esque. Obama, let’s stand for change thoroughly and say no to buying an exces-sive amount of time to pro-mote ourselves. Let’s go onward and upward to splendid things, lush states of affair, and approaches to campaigning that are free of Orwellian plotlines. Let’s stand for change, and miss out on the Obama Variety Show, held October 29th.

The Barack Obama Variety Show by Julian Goza

Opinions

“In politics, there should be a limit to what

money could buy. To me, that limit is reached

well before a lengthy commercial bordering

on propaganda.”

It’s sad to see the old democracy apostle doing something

so…Karl Rove-esque.

Photo courtesy of CNN.com

Ho

un

d C

olla

r

13

Hound Collar

The entire movie was just perfect. The acting, directing, and writing of the movie was dead on awesome. It wasn’t like pre-vious Batman movies that were colorful or over the top for chil-dren. The Dark Knight was just as intense as it was real. In my opinion, this is the movie to end all movies. It’s as if no other movie will ever be able to surpass it. As a matter of fact, it gets It’s own verdict here from Rex Reviews….”Better that Winning the Lot-tery”.

Rex’s verdict: Better than Winning the Lottery

The Dark Knight has bro-ken records since the day it was released on July 18th 2008. The weekend box office was 158 mil-lion dollars. It shattered the previ-ous record holder of Spiderman 3 with 151 million dollars in May 2007. It has been a year long wait for fans and all moviegoers alike to greet the sequel to Bat-man Begins.

The Dark Knight sur-passes the hype that has been trailing it for the past year. Direc-tor, Christopher Nolan, has grounded the character of Bat-man into reality. He treats every character as if they were real life heroes, politicians, policemen, and psychopaths. This rebooted Batman franchise isn’t about fancy gadgets or sidekicks. It’s about problems encountered throughout the world involving crime, law enforcement, crimi-nals, politics, and heroes. These are the Batman movies people have been begging for.

One of the highlights of

the entire movie is Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. After his tragic death on January 22nd 2008, it’s added fire to the hype surrounding

The Dark Knight. His perform-ance was stellar as he brought the Joker to life. It seemed as if it wasn’t an actor, it seemed as if the Joker was real. He played it as an intelligent, psychotic, merciless, and murderous

clown who finds pleasure through the misery of others. He has the power to warp the entire city of Gotham into a frenzy. Money and power have no value to him…he just wants to watch the world burn. Jack Nichol-son’s portrayal of the Joker in 1989 is just a memory now. An Oscar nomination (or even win) for the late great Heath Ledger would be no sur-prise.

The only trivial flaw of the movie was Bat-man’s voice. Christian Bale’s voice as Batman is over the top, in my opin-ion. It seems as if he tries too hard to sound intimi-dating. Instead of that, he’s not understandable. That’s the one smallest flaw of the entire movie. Other than that the movie’s perfect.

The Dark Knight

Hound Collar Reviewing movies so studios won’t steal your money with some of their horrors of filmmaking.

Photo courtesy of Inmagine.

Verdicts: I. Watch It II. Worth it III.No Big

Deal IV.Staple your

wallet shut

Review by Rudy Salas

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Joker graffiti on Harvey Dent’s cam-paign billboard.

Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.

The Joker revealed.

Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Promo poster with the Joker’s infamous quote.


The Dark Knight symbol adopted from Batman Begins.


First look at Ledger as the Joker.

Ho

un

d C

olla

r

14

Hounds

Documents

Transcript of Hounds