End of the YearBy Tiffany archuleTaRepoRteR

Graduation for the Class of 2012 is May 19 at 1 p.m. For students in grades 7-11, ex-ams are May 16-21; with make-ups on May 22 (students must arrange them ahead of time with individual teachers). On May 23, students will participate in a field day (see related story), locker clean out is also on May 23 (by 3:15 p.m.) and Awards Day will be on the last day of school, Thurs. May 24 until 10 a.m. All stu-dents must check out on May 24, which means they must have all li-brary books returned or paid for, all text books returned, class dues paid, and any other fees or dues owed must

be paid before checking out.

No Summer SchoolBy chasTidy TrujilloRepoRteR There will be no Mesa Vista summer school this year due to a lack of funds. Students who need to make up credit, however, still have options; they can take classes at another high school if the other school agrees to it, for example, or they may find online classes. “(Students can earn credit) at other places like Northern, UNM or any other college. Students will have to pay for their schooling, but if they want to do that, they can certainly do that. We just don’t have the funds for summer school,” Superintendant Tracie Phillips said.

Culture, Field DayBy laura GuzmanRepoRteR

Culture day this year has been changed to a field day. Instead of see-ing other cultures on May 23, stu-dents will get to enjoy the whole day with activities. Elementary principal Gina Ter-razas said she thought it would be best for the elementary students to be with the other elementary students, because in the past, activities at cul-ture day were more for middle and high school students. Then, with all the changes at Mesa Vista this year, staff just didn’t organize for culture day until it was too late to effectively plan, staff said.

The Spectacle The Spectaclec/o MVMHS PO Box 50

Ojo Caliente, NM 87549(505) 583-2275

(505) 583-9133 fax

News Briefs: Finals, Summer, Culture Day

Staff, Administration Change in Last Month By luke VillarealRepoRteR

Staff changes are commonplace at Mesa Vista. For the last month or so of school, students and staff have adjusted to end-of-year changes for the positions of superintendent, principal, guidance counselor and high school math teacher.

Official MV Super Superintendent Tracie Phillips switched to acting superintendent on April 30. After a special meeting, the School Board appointed Phillips as the superintendent for the next school year, instead of interim superintendent. “I feel very excited, honored,

blessed for another year here at Mesa Vista,” Phillips said. “Even though I enjoyed being principal more we all have to respect the decisions that are made and do what you have to do.”

Bustamante Leaves Counselor Pete Bustamante left Mesa Vista on April 17 to take care of family in Albuquerque. “Pete (Bustamante) really enjoyed it here at Mesa Vista and felt bad about leaving,” said counselor secretary Georgia Kuykendall. “He also wishes all of the students the best of luck.”

Earwood to Move Former superintendent then Principal Randall Earwood was relieved of his duties as superintendent on Feb. 1, and then assigned as principal. On April 30, he was relieved of his duties as principal and moved to active counselor. Next year he will be working as the superintendant in Socorro. “I chose to work in Socorro because it’s close to where I grew up,” Earwood said. “...I enjoyed being principal.”

New Principal, For Now Math teacher Kurt Fisk moved from the high school classroom

Mesa Vista MHS ı PO Box 50, Ojo Caliente, NM 87549 VOL. III, ISSUE 4 ı May 16, 2012

photo by Lily Hawley// Former Superintendent Randall Earwood and former Principal Tra-cie Phillips work together during Red Ribbon Week. The School Board voted to keep Phil-lips in the Superintendent position for next school year.

photo by Lily Hawley // Students in teacher Teresa Sandoval’s fifth period class wait in the hall while a member of K9 Special-ties searches the room with Superintendent Tracie Phillips during a school-wide lock-down on April 24.

cont. p 3, see BRIEFS

cont. p 3, see CHANGES

Graduate Sectionpgs. 4-5

page 2 May 16, 2012 OPINION The Spectacle

The Spectacle StaffThis is the fourth issue of the 2011-2012 Mesa Vista student newspaper, The Spec-tacle, produced by the school’s journal-ism class. The goal of this publication is to provide accurate, informative and en-tertaining information in the spirit of re-sponsible journalism and to operate as an open forum for students, staff and parents. Those who are not enrolled in the journalism class may still contribute to the publication in the form of a letter to the editor, a guest column, photography or artwork. No editorials will be printed, however, which complain or attack with-out factual justification. All guest editori-als must be signed and approved for pub-lication. The Spectacle also reserves the right to edit copy. Readers’ responses can be mailed to The Spectacle c/o MVHS, or sent in an e-mail to adviser April van Buren at avanburen@mesavista.k12.nm.us. Student journalists on The Spectacle staff will publish only legally protected speech following the legal definitions of libel, obscenity and invasion of privacy. The adviser of The Spectacle will not determine the content of the paper. The adviser will offer advice and instruction to help the staff cover all issues in a le-gal, objective, accurate and ethical man-ner according to the Society of Profes-sional Journalists’ code of ethics. Gossip columns, horoscopes, song dedications, senior wills and senior su-perlatives will be avoided due to the nar-row audience they serve and the proba-bility they possess of containing libelous material and content. Staff members will strive to correct any errors before publication. However, if the editorial board determines a signif-icant error was printed, a formal correc-tion will appear in the following issue. Congratulations to our editors who are graduating on Saturday! Thank you for your three years on staff!

The Spectaclec/o MVMHS PO Box 50

Ojo Caliente, NM 87549

505-583-2275 505-583-9133 fax

Adviser:April van BurenEditors:Lily Hawley,Aubrie Kuykendall,Pauline Luhman, Katie Salas,Ashtyn Megariz, Ben Sandoval, and Raphaela ViereckStaff:Damonica Alderette,Tiffany Archuleta,Shiann Barela,Kylie Coutu,Alicia Dominguez,Reina Duran,Laura Guzman,Brendon Herrera,Athena Martinez,

Staff Editorial

Needed: Environmental Impact Plans

As Mesa Vista students we can’t help but wonder what our school is doing to be environmentally friendly. What is the size of our carbon

footprint? Carbon footprint is a term used to describe how much carbon dioxide is emitted because of the consumption of fossil fuels, basically how much carbon dioxide a person or group puts into the atmosphere.

“I don’t think that Mesa Vista is eco-friendly because there aren’t any recycling bins. If we put recycle bins for aluminum, paper and plastic around the school and have more encouragement from teachers to recycle, we will be more eco-friendly,” senior Emma Hardison said.

Mesa Vista spends an approximately $1,200-$1,500 monthly on electricity for the district and $4500 quarterly on propane said district business manager, Brenda Halder. In American schools, energy costs about 2.2 percent of overall expenditures for schools, according to the “Nationalgridus.” This may not seem like much, but it is. In fact, it represents thousands of dollars each month spent on air conditioning and electricity. The national bill for energy costs is $6 billion, which is more than the education cost of books and computers combined according to “energystar.gov.”

For heat, Mesa Vista uses propane, which on average costs more than natural gas; however, it is safer for the environment because it is not a greenhouse gas, according to the “Propane101.” A greenhouse gas—such as natural gas, carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor—are gasses that contribute to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation.

“I don’t think money is being wasted because money needs to be spent on electricity and propane but a way to help with the costs would be to turn off the computers when they are not in use, turn off the lights in the bathroom and don’t heat/cool the rooms as much,” senior Pauline Luhman said.

There haven’t been many attempts to solve the issue of energy consumption in Mesa Vista. For the 2011-2012 academic year, the Mesa Vista School District cancelled school on Fridays in order to save energy. These “energy saving days” are designed to save on food costs, fuel for transportation, utilities and

salaries. The regular school days are made longer to compensate for Fridays being off. With utilities and fuel costs rising rapidly, it is hard to determine the exact cost of savings to the school district. Hopefully, the data that we have been collecting and will continue to collect, “will definitely show the true dollar amounts within the next few years,” Halder said. The school district plans to continue the energy saving days for the 2012-2013 school year to help increase the savings brought in.

“We are hoping, with the help of the new administration for next year, the cost savings will increase and, if we all work as a team in shutting off all devices at the end of the day we will see a profit in the years to come. I am also hoping that if we have a closed campus every Friday it will definitely be a big plus for the district in cost savings,” Halder said.

Teacher Connie Lujan started her own

campaign to cut down energy costs. Her hope was to encourage less energy waste from electricity in the district. The agriculture class designed signs to be out above light switches with catchy phrases reminding people to turn off lights. They were set to be posted above all light switches in the district. This campaign was not completed, however, because of a lack of time and preparation, Lujan said. She still plans on completing this project sometime next school year.

“I had students make the signs because the district needs to save money and, by tuning off lights and computers, we should be able to save some money,” Lujan said.

This newspaper staff believes that while the district is doing much to save money, there is still more that can be done. While the students don’t attend school on Fridays, the custodial staff is still working and teachers meet at least one Friday a month. The district is not saving money on electricity or on air-conditioning or heating on those days. In some rooms, lights are left on when they are not in use, such as the bathrooms. There are easy ways to find more ideas, too such as the Disney Channel’s Friends For Change website for example. We may start small but by the end of the year we could save a lot through a coordinated effort as a district of students and staff who care.

Morgan Mascarenas,D’Angelo Padilla,Matthew Sandoval,Chastidy Trujillo, andLuke Villareal

...if we all work as a team... we will see a profit in the years to come. I am also hoping that if we have a closed campus every Friday it will definitely be a big plus for the district in cost savings

— district business managerBrenda Halder

“

”

The Spectacle NEWS May 16, 2012 page 3

News Briefs, cont. from p. 1Needed: Environmental Impact Plans

“This year we will be having a culture/field day so students get a day to relax. There will be activi-ties going on, so it will be like culture day,” teacher Victor Jaramillo said. Students will wear their class color. The super-intendent will address students; the school-based health clinic will present, staff will handout aca-demic awards and classes will compete in events on the football field like a scavenger hunt, a dizzy bat race, an egg race and more.

Lockdown a SuccessBy Brendon herreraRepoRteR

The school searched students for drugs on Tue. April 24, during 5th period. Superintendent Tracie Phillip wanted to have a drug search, she said, but had been having trouble finding a company to do the search. K9 Specialties, a company that trains and deals with drug dogs, contacted Phillips to ask if she was interested in a campus search, and Phillips said ‘yes.’ She arranged the search with K9 Specialties, she said, because it was getting close to the end of the year and kids get a little crazy this time of year. It took a long time because the campus has sev-eral buildings and a lot of ground to cover, Phillips said. Overall, the search went really well, she said, because they did not find any drugs. “The lockdown this year was more quiet and seri-ous. I was scared because I had just finished eating pizza and I was scared that the drug dog was going to sniff me out,” sophomore Ryan Valdez said.

MESA Wins Top 10By AuBrie KuyKendAll

editoR

Placing 9th, 12th, 26th and 46th out of 63 teams statewide, Mesa Vista Middle School students earned bragging rights at the 24th annual MESA Day statewide competition on Sat., April 21 at the

University of New Mexico. “It was hard to compete against so many people because we didn’t know if they were better than us,” seventh grader Santana Marquez said. Mesa Vista team members included middle school students Marisol Archul-eta, Brittany Garcia, Monique Martinez, Camille Valdez, Santana Marquez, Sun-deep Taniguchi, Eduardo Maze, Ray-mond Salinas, Carlos Delgado, Celestino Martinez, Miguel Alire, Jonathan Alire, Andrea Varela, Heaven Pacheco, Jose Ar-chuleta and Jarryk Jaramillo.

Costa Rica TripBy damonica aldereTTeRepoRteR

Students can now travel to other conti-nents. Science teachers Sabrina Maxwell and Victor Jaramillo will take a group of upperclassmen on a trip to Costa Rica next March (2013). The trip is mainly open to members of the class of 2013, however, Maxwell and Jaramillo said they are opening up the trip to any interested upperclass-men, as long as interested students speak directly to these sponsors about the conditions of the trip. The purpose of the trip, which will cost about $2,000 per person, is to provide Mesa Vista High School students with the opportunity to travel the world and gain a unique learning experience. To help with costs, students will be fundrais-ing throughout the summer and fall, including events like bake sales at Bodes’ General Store and car washes. No limit has been set as to how many students can go, but Maxwell said she is hop-ing for about 20. Also, while there is also no real deadline to sign up for the trip, there is an infor-mational meeting for any interested parents and students on May 30, 2012 at 6 p.m. in Maxwell’s science classroom. “Hopefully this will be the beginning of global learning opportunities for all Mesa Vista students,” Maxwell said.

FFA UpdateBy shiann Barela

RepoRteR

FFA members went to State Competitions April 11-14 in Las Cruces, a Leadership Contest May 2 in Shiprock and are going to a convention June 4-6 in Las Cruces. For the convention this summer, FFA will compete in Ag marketing, Ag sales, the job interview and the creed competition. The June convention is also when FFA comes together as a state to elect new officers and vote on amendments to the NM FFA constitution. On Wed., May 2, six FFA members competed in job interviews. Each competitor, one at a time, goes into a room for an interview and is judged on the quality of his or her answers. At the June Convention, senior Katie Salas will run for a State FFA officer position. Although Salas graduates on Saturday, she plans to continue her education at NMSU, where professors often work with students around FFA activities. FFA also awards the State Farmer Degree and the American State Degree, and seniors can get scholarships. Students earn these by filling out an online application and completing FFA projects.

photo by Katie Salas // Sophomore Mercedes Velasquez identifies plants while in Portales, NM for the FFA Invitational at Eastern New Mexico University. Velasquez earned 3rd place.

Changes, cont. from p. 1to serve as the middle and high school principal on April 30, due to an administrative decision, Fisk

said. The district is still accepting applications and will interview for the principal position for the 2012-13 school year. Since April 30 and through the end of the school year, long

term substitute, Eddie Campos will teach Fisk’s

math classes. “Being principal is challenging because I’m busy all the time, but I like doing it because I can help more people than just as a teacher alone,” Fisk said.

page 4 May 16, 2012 Features The Spectacle

My time here can be described as a whirlwind. There were always times of excitement and times of sadness but I wouldn’t take back

any second of it .

Ashtyn MegarizValedictorian

Mesa Vista class of 2012

TOP FOUR

By alicia dominGuezRepoRteR Graduation for the Class of 2012 is May 19 at 1 p.m. in the Mesa Vista High School gymnasium. Teacher Theresa Sandoval will be the Master of Ceremonies and UNM professor John “Al” Forthmann has been invited as the guest speaker. “Unlike previous speakers at graduation, he’ll be fun, interactive and make the audience laugh,” senior Lily Hawley said. Forthmann, who says his speech will probably be about choices, obtained his Master’s Degree in School Administration with an emphasis in Elementary Ed., Health Ed. and Physical Ed. from California State University. Additionally, Forthmann worked as an elementary and junior high teacher, the physical education program coordinator, the security director, junior high vice principal and several other administrative roles for the Glendale Unified School District in California for 25 years overall. Since 1999, Forthmann has been an instructor for UNM. For the past few years, Forthmann taught Mesa Vista students in his UNM-Taos Sociology class, including a class of 73 students in 2010. “It is an honor for me to be speaking in front of the graduating class,” Forthmann said. The theme for graduation is “It Ends with Us” and the class colors are orange and silver. The class flower is the Tiger Lily, however, this is not a flower available from most florists, so the flowers at graduation will be Aziatic Lilies. Traditionally, Mariachi Marivilloso members

perform live at graduation, but this year the group is too small, so teacher Andrew Valdez has created a special recording of the Marivilloso’s group and their take on Pomp and Circumstances. Graduate Tomas Romero is going to perform the song “The Motivation Proclamation” by Good Charlotte for graduation. Additionally, the class chose “2012” by Jay Sean to be their class song. “It’s such an exciting time for the students and

their families. It’s a once in a lifetime experience for them and I’m excited to share it with them. It’s going to be a good day and I’m very proud of the graduates,” Superintendent Tracie Phillips said.

photo by Ben Sandoval// The class of 2012 gather after the Baccalaureate ceremony at San Juan de Nepomuceno Parish in El Rito on Sunday, May 13. (Front Row from left): Seniors Lily Hawley, Morgan Mascarenas and Ashley-Ann Martinez, (Middle Row, from left) Pauline Luhman, Aubrie Kuykendall, Ashtyn Megariz, Julia Martinez, Onesimo Archuleta, Sharlene Ocana, Yacxubeli Campos, Samantha Terrazas, Alexandria Terrazas and Felicia Jaillet. (Third Row, from left) Ben Sandoval, Jr., Lucas Gallegos, III, Sean Richardson, Lawrence Trujillo, Robert Herrera, Tomas Romero, Fabian Maestas and Katie Salas. (Back Row, from left) Alejandro Griego, Andres Coronado, Phillip Rodriguez, Jerome Gurule, Rogelio Garcia and Domenique Lopez.

Class of 2012 Graduates Saturday

Theme: It Ends with UsColors: orange and silver

Speaker: Al Forthmann, UNM-Taos Sociology Professor

How would you describe your time at Mesa Vista?

“It Ends With Us”2012

The Spectacle FEATURES May 16, 2012 page 5

Mesa Vista has been a dysfunc-

tional adven-ture. I’ve met the strangest

and best people here. Given the choice, it’s still the only place I

would go.

Lily HawleySalutatorian

I would describe it as unique

and that even throughout the

ups and downs, I wouldn’t want

anything else the people here are my second

family.

Aubrie Kuykendall

(My time at Mesa Vista)

was great. I met some of my best friends here and got to know the teachers really

well.

Morgan Mascarenas

NEW MEXICOAlbuquerque - CNM

Andres CoronadoJerome Gurule

Albuquerque - UNMLucas E. Gallegos III Lily Marie St. John Hawley Evan Paul JaramilloMorgan Victoria Hope MascarenasAshtyn MegarizPhillip RodriguezBenjamin Christopher SandovalLawrence TrujilloJennifer ValdezRaphaela Singleton Viereck

Espanola - NNMCCynthia Jasmine Nicole AlireRogelio GarciaAlejandro GriegoEstrella GutierrezEmma C. HardisonFabian MaestasAshley-Ann MartinezSharlene OcañaChristopher John PachecoTomas Romero

Hobbs - USWPauline Luhman

Las Cruces - NMSUOnesimo ArchuletaMarcos GarciaKathleen SalasSamantha-Mercedes TerrazasDeAngelo Trujillo

Las Vegas – HighlandsSean Richardson

Portales – ENMUJulia May Martinez

Santa Fe – SFCCHaliey Lucero

Taos – UNM-TaosAlexandria Marina Terrazas

COLORADOAlamosa – Adams State

Aubrie May Kuykendall

Fort Collins – Colorado StateKimberly Margarita Baca

CALIFORNIAPomona – Carrington College

Felicia Nicole Jaillet

WORKFORCERobert HerreraDomenique Cesario Lopez: apprentice as a lineman electricianDominic Torrez: Police Academy in AlbuquerqueJustin Varela: enlisting in the Marines

LOCATION UNKNOWNYacxubeli Campos: ITT Tech (nursing)Shadow Salas: Aviation School (Me-chanics)

Class of 2012 Graduates Saturday Where are they going?

page 6 May 16, 2012 NEWS The Spectacle

By Benjamin sandoVal, jr.editoR Although they got only a #10 seed in the state tournament, the Trojans turned in a 14-8 record on the season (3-3 in districts), one of the most successful seasons in school history. The season started off on a high note with a win over the defend-ing state champions, Estancia. They followed that up with an NRG Tournament championship by outscoring the second place team Mc-Curdy with eight runs in the overall team point spread. This was the first time the Trojans have won NRG’s. They continued to get better during the season by beating quality teams like Santa Fe Prep, Questa and Estancia one more time before district play. When district play was finished, the Trojans turned in a district re-cord of 3-3 including a split double-header against Navajo Prep and two wins over Tohatchi. However, what ultimately hurt the team’s seed in the State Tournament were losses against eventual district champion Jemez Valley. They lost to the Warriors the first game 10-1 and the second game 9-5. When the Trojans lost the district title, Je-mez players were guaranteed a higher seed in the State Tournament. On May 2 the Trojan baseball players received their seed, which was 10 and they played Loving on May 5 (who got a 7 seed). In Proview Networks’s coverage of a pre-state tournament show, one sportscaster stated that the match-up between Mesa Vista and Loving was an even one and the Trojans had a chance to surprise some people throughout the state. However, it was not to be, as they fell to Loving 10-0. Senior Sean Richardson pitched in the game and said he was shocked at the team’s many errors, but also that he had fun overall this season and hopes the team wakes up for next season.

By chasTidy TrujilloRepoRteR Open gym begins next week and car-ries on until the end of July. Through May 24, the hours will be 4 to 6 p.m. This year is also the first year eighth graders will be allowed to partici-pate in open gym. “(We offer open gym) to maintain interest in basketball, increase skills and give students positive activities during the summer,” teacher Thomas Vigil said. Once school year ends, the open gym hours will be Monday through Thursday from 7-9 p.m. School rules still apply during open gym. Usually practice is in the gym, but

every once in a while, it will move to the weight room. Vigil and coach Miguel Garcia will be coaching this summer.

Vigil always keeps a log of who shows up at open gym and who does not, he said. There are no require-ments for open gym except to be there on time. Students should bring basketball shoes, water and athletic clothing

(like gym shorts). Students who take more effort to be at the open gym prac-tices will have a better chance at being in the top five next years, Vigil said.

By maTThew sandoValRepoRteR

It all comes together: the hard work, the sweat, the drama, the excessive running, the laughs, the wins and the losses. Even though the season ended, the memories last a lifetime. “My most memorab l e practice was when I got i n i t i a t e d . It (stunk),” f r e s h m a n A n d r e s Sanchez said. Although Sanchez’s memory was a bit scary, eighth grader Isaac Baldonado remembers

something more exciting. “My most memorable practice was when Coach Thomas Vigil said that I would be playing at varsity level. It was very scary but very exciting at the same time,”

Baldonado said. Vigil helped make basketball memorable for Baldonado, but for

senior Julia Martinez, former basketball coach James Branch made the sport more humorous. “My most memorable practice was when Coach James Branch slid across the floor. It was funny because he looked like a penguin,” Martinez said. After all of these memories – good, bad and just plain silly – athletes still manage to focus on the sport. “For every sport that I’ve been in, after all of the laughs and messing around, we have done well every year and have gone pretty far,” Richardson said.

Baseball Wrap-Up

photo by Lily Hawley // Senior Sean Richardson swings the bat during baseball practice. The varsity baseball team ended the season with a 14-8 record. The baseball team ends the season having won most of its double headers. The team also ranked #10, making it to the State tournament, but losing in the first round.

Basketball Practice Starts

(We offer open gym) to maintain interest in basketball, increase skills and give students positive activities during the summer.

— teacher Tomas Vigil

“

”

Athletes Recall Memories

My most memorable practice was when Coach Tomas Vigil said I would be playing at varsity level. It was scary but very exciting at the same time.

— eighth grader Isaac Baldonado

“

”

The Spectacle SPORTS May 16, 2012 page 7

By Benjamin sandoVal, jr.editoR For only two weeks every four years, the Summer Olympics brings the whole country together. Since 1896, when the United States started competing in the Olympics, we’ve dominated earning an average of 92 medals every Olympic Games. The women’s soccer team is one of the United States’ best hopes for a gold medal when it comes to teams. The women went undefeated in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Associa-tion Football (CONCACAF) Qualifying Tournament in late January beating Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Canada in the finals. Team captain Abby Wambach helped qualify the team to their fifth straight Olym-pics, scoring 9 out of the teams 55 goals in the tournament. Another team that has a chance at a gold medal this year is the men’s national basketball team. The team still has to qualify for the Olympics in the Federa-tion Internationale de Basketball Amateur (FIBA) World Qualifying Championship

the week of July 2. However, with players from the NBA like Kevin Durant and LeB-ron James, it seems like the United States will have no problem qualifying for the Olympics and winning the gold medal like they did in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. When the American public thinks “Olympic Games”, they usually think about the glamour Olympians like United States swimmer Michael Phelps, who surpassed Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven gold med-als in one Olympics, by winning eight gold medals of his own in Beijing. People rarely hear about athletes like United States fencer Sada Jacobson, however, who has won three Olympic medals (one gold and two bronze). In one of the most little known sports on Team USA’s National Team, Jacobson is a seasoned fencing veteran, competing in more than 25 international competitions since 2003, including the Athens Olympics in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Jacobson is also one of the favorites going into the 2012 Lon-don Olympics and should bring home more hardware for Team USA.

By reina duranRepoRteR

The track team ended the season with 13 wins at districts and 4 wins at state. The 2012 track season led to many accomplishments, including 2nd place at districts for the girls and 4th place for the boys as well as athletes sophomore Selina Sequeiros, senior Julia Martinez and senior Andres Coronado placing at state. Sophomore Ashlee Alire placed in the 2-mile run, Siqueiros placed in the 100 meter dash, 200-meter dash and 400-meter run, junior Brandy Valdez placed in the long jump and Martinez placed in the mile and the high jump. Valdez, Martinez, Alire and Siqueiros placed in the medley relay. Sequeiros was also able to break the record for the 200 meter dash with a time of 26:09. For the boys, Coronado placed in the pole vault, long jump and triple jump. “It’s my first year in track and I’ve already made it to state. Let’s see what I can do next year,” Alire said The strength for the track team this season was the team’s leadership, from the older athletes, while the team’s weakness was a lack of overall experience with several new athletes.

“The good thing this year is all of the young kids and strong juniors and seniors to help them. So I’m looking forward to next year,” coach Ben Sandoval said.

Olympic Sports Bring Community

Seven Track Members End Season at State

Athletes Recall Memories

photo by Ben Sandoval, Jr. // Sophomore Selina Siqueros practices the high jump in Dulce. Siqueros placed 2nd at Dulce in the high jump.

Time is Running Out!Pre-order the Yearbook

only $35 through May 24

To ORDER:Bring cash or check to the li-brary, and Ms. van Buren will give you a re-ceipt.

Checks should be made pay-able to: Mesa Vista Yearbook

Please write on the MEMO line which MVMHS student will be picking up the yearbook when it arrives in August.

The Spectacle BACK PAGE May 16, 2012 page 8

Teacher, Student Fashion ‘Travel’ Back to 1980’sBy lily hawleyRepoRteR Fades, shades, leg warmers, sus-penders, bangles, teased hair, ripped jeans, neon clothing, off-the-shoulder shirts and hi-tops : like it or not, Mesa Vista students are bringing it all back, resurrecting the style of the ’80s. “Students think they’re so trendy, but they just don’t realize that they’re wearing what their teachers did in college,” Computer Apps teacher Bernadette Galvez said. Some students, however are aware

and even embrace the similarity of their style to that of the ’80s. Soph-omore Rusti Varela likes the ’80s, she said, and even uses the style in a mash-up with current trends to cre-ate her own unique style. An almost modified Justin Bieber style Varela wears hats, scarves and stripes. “My style is a mix with a bit that is all my own and that’s what I like about it. It’s different, but not too dif-ferent,” Varela said. There are always two sides of the coin, however, and therefore where

there are the kids in school who rock the style and make it their own there are also those who simply have it, but they don’t know it. For example a fade is a short hair cut that boys wore in the ‘80s and now the fad of fades is sweeping the school with every buzz of senior Rogelio Garcia’s razor. It’s as if half the school’s population has designs cut in their hair or look like they are about to enlist. “The fades are clean. They’re old school and it’s interesting that to this day people are still doing them. They

are more stylish now, though, be-cause there are medium and low fades and with the low fades you can cut designs in,” Garcia said. Afterall 2012 isn’t so different from the 1980’s. Walkman radios are just smaller and don’t require a cas-sette tape; we call them iPods. Hair is a little tamer, but not by much. Boy’s pants are still tight. Converse will never go out of style that’s why, even as the ’80s seem strange and far too colorful, it’s in fashion and not going away anytime soon.

Students Have Common, Not-So-Common FearsBy d’anGelo PadillaRepoRteR Ghosts, spiders and the dark all scare people. Some people think of themselves as big and tough and are not afraid of anything, yet the world we live in is full of dangers. Mesa Vista students are not alone in feeling afraid from time to time. “When I get into the shower every morning I always check for spiders. The one time I didn’t check, I went to grab the shampoo and I saw a spi-der. So I threw the shampoo bottle, squashed the spider and then jumped out,” freshman Leeann Quintana said. Spiders and Ghost are the most common fears. “Arachnophobia” is what scientists call the fear of spiders, and studies show that people are afraid of spiders because our brains react to them as a phobia of animals. So some people fear spiders like they fear dogs, cats or tigers.

“Phasmophobia” is the fear of ghosts. The way people can determine if they have this fear is if they can’t sleep alone in a room, according to www.outsmartanxiety.com. “I hate spiders because they are ugly and feel weird when they crawl on you,” freshman Andres Sanchez said. “Arachnophobia,” the fear of spiders, is an age-old fear. People used to call it “the plague of spi-ders” because they were everywhere. Some people even go into hysterics when they see spiders, es-pecially those in the Amazon. Yet, Piaroa Indians used eat them. In the Middle East, there are spiders called camel spiders that are as big as a cat. “My biggest fear is when I get into water where I can’t stand and the reason why is because I had an instructor that wasn’t that great,” staff member Chon Chavez said. Scientist calls the fear of swimming “Aquapho-

bia.” This phobia is determined when the water in an ocean, lake, creek or even a bathtub may pose imminent threat. In the united States, 19.2 million adults suffer from Aquaphobia. “I’ve always been afraid of the dark and death. I don’t think I will ever overcome this fear when my family and friends are always scaring me,” sopho-more Adrienne Lopez said. Getting over a fear can be difficult and takes work. If a person doesn’t let anything get in his or her way, they can get over their fear, Quintana said. People can overcome a fear by analyzing the fear, gradual desensitization, watching others, being di-rect, destroying that fear symbolically and chang-ing one’s actions, according to wikihow.com. “I think that people can get over their fears if they just believe in themselves and deal with their fear,” eighth grader Amado Ramirez said.

What’s Your Favorite ’80s-Inspired Clothing Item?“Converse because they are comfortable and stylish. They also go with everything, no matter that type of person you are,” freshman Alex Gallegos said.

“Neon clothes because they are so bright and energetic, plus they are fun,” junior

Alicia Dominguez said.

“I like skinny jeans because they are comfy and I like the way they fit - just right,”

sophomore Emiliano Martinez said.

“I like long ’80s-style hair bacause it’s unique and different,” senior Alejandro Griego said.