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Volume 19 Issue 3 Incarnate Word High School Jan/Feb 2020

What will bring?

College?

Better Opportunities?

New Beginnings?

New Experiences?

New Memories?

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MLK MARCH in S.A. Julia Mahavier, IWHS Staff Writer

Celebrating MLKOn January 20th, the city of San Antonio celebrated one of the greatest civil rights activists, Martin Luther King Jr.

The largest march in the nation, 300,000 participants gathered to honor MLK and his legacy. The march kicked off at 10 a.m. Monday morning at the MLK

Academy and ended at Pittman-Sullivan Park.  

Photo Credit: Julia Mahavier

Photo Credit: Julia Mahavier

Photo Credit: Julia Mahavier

He marched to the beat of a different drummer. Dr. Martin Luther King heard a drum, believing in non-violence to face violence. Standing on the shoulders of

giants, Dr. King spoke for humankind before, now, and forever.

That day, January 20th, I happened to run into members of our very own varsity basketball team. The girls were ready to march, representing in their green and white.

Time is precious; our futures are inevitable. But that very concept is what pushes along the ways of the world, the spin of our sphere. We are ever changing and sometimes that includes problems arising. It can take talking, reading, writing, marching, to find your own harmony in this “flow.” Dr. King heard that drum like the ticking of a clock; he put his time towards the future. How will we use ours?

San Antonio, hosting the nation’s largest march, honors his dedication. I have had the honor of participating for two years now. This morning event is an experience quite like no other. The 2.75 mile long march is filled with signs, flags, love, chanting, and singing. Two years in a row now I have seen families handing out free water and selling food for those who choose to march. But why do we march? Why is this a common “go-to”? I march to prove something, to be loud, and to support justice. Marching feels as if the closest way of hugging the world is marching. One giant embrace, standing up for the person to your left and to your right. And I believe that is why I return. It ties me to humanity and puts into action the values I believe in and care about. It’s who I am.

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Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist on climate change whose campaigning has gained international recognition. Thunberg is known for her straightforward speaking manner

toward the climate crisis. She became known for youth activism in August 2018 when she began spending her school days outside the Swedish parliament calling for stronger action on climate change by holding up a sign reading Skolstrejk för klimatet (School strike for the climate). Since

then, she has received many honors and awards, including honorary fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and in 2019, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most

influential people and the youngest individual Time Person of the Year.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greta_Thunberg

Right: Greta next to her sign

"We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. And change is coming, whether you like it or not.” -Greta Thunberg

"You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering.

People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass

extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic

growth. How dare you!”

-Excerpt from Greta’s speech

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“Weighing” into the New YearElena Moser, IWHS Staff Writer

Q: When did you decide to pursue fitness?

A: When I was younger, I always pursued sports. I’ve always been a really big athlete from the range to gymnastics from outdoor sports to indoor sports, I had to be surrounded by an athletic and competitive environment.

Q: You go to the gym often, so why did you start doing that?

A: When you run, you get a runner’s high; you release endorphins and it feels good. When I was young, I got this feeling from going to practice, not necessarily the gym. So, what drove me to go to the gym was that feeling of being stronger and being better. Especially being a female, we’re very hard on ourselves and we look at the perspective in the mirror, “Are we getting better and stronger?” And when I played sports I wanted everyone to be at the same level I was so we could win, and now as a trainer I want everyone to experience health and a type of strength of their own, wherever that may be.

Q: What are/have been your goals, or do you strive to maintain where you are now?

A: I have a couple goals myself; I am currently a boxing trainer and strength conditioning trainer. So, I train to be athletic, to get faster and stronger, so I have simple goals for myself. As for goals when it comes to my clients and students, I hope that if I can impact and motivate one student to be driven by the beauty of them becoming better, that to me would be the best goal. When training a client, for them to see that they are capable of doing more and performing more, that is my goal.

Q: When did you become a trainer for other people instead of yourself?

A: As soon as I graduated from high school, that’s when I did collegiate soccer and played semi-pro football, I was trying to discover myself. I knew I wanted to be a coach and a teacher, but a trainer was never in my plan. I never wanted to train people in their physique, I wanted to train people mentally, which is why I chose teaching. But I was training goalkeepers and that’s where I found my passion because I realized that the mental game is so cool as a goalkeeper. So as I started coaching and training, I actually want to train more than that, I want to improve their mentality. So, after my freshman year of college, is when I started training like I do now.

Q: What is your diet like?

A: Currently, because I’m trying to be faster and stronger and just feeling energy wise, so every time I’m eating, I picture how I’m going to feel after, so when I eat certain sweets or sugars, I know I’m going to crash because of the sugars. So, right now my diet consists of egg whites in the morning and maybe avocado toast. And my lunch is clean, around 300-400 calories of protein and vegetables, and then my dinner is a protein source, some brown rice and vegetables. I don’t drink my calories, but I have an energy drink every day because I need caffeine and then throughout the day, I’ll have snacks.

Q: How often do you workout and do you have a schedule? A: I do have a schedule, so right now, I train about twice a day. Sometimes I train at 5am and then again at 8 or 9 pm, or I may train after school and then later in the evening. I train every single day, and if I do rest it will probably be on a Friday. I do abs and cardio every day, that is a must because I always say stamina and core are the key to anything you do, whatever kind of athlete you are. Other than that, I tend to start off my week with legs, and the next day will probably two muscle groups on my upper body, and then following would be my posterior chain, like hamstrings and deadlifts, and then it will follow maybe two more upper bodies. As I get to Saturday and Sunday, I tend to do high intensity full body workout.

Q: Lastly, what keeps you going every day?

A: I think that a better question would be, “Why do I keep training other people?” A lot of time I feel like I don’t need to train other people, I could go home and take a nap after teaching, but I find myself more motivated by others than myself. And I tell my students the same thing, as teachers we come to school as many days as you all come, so as much as we motivate you all, you motivate us to be better. And I see that in my clients, where you can see how they’ve grown, and that gives me the incentive to make them work harder and make myself work harder. Every day I want to be a better person for those who are around me, whether it’s my students or my clients, I’m trying to be a good role model. But if there’s anything I can lead in this life it’d probably be to inspire and motivate others through my work and my energy.

As a result of brainstorming ideas for the first Star issue of 2020, I interviewed Coach Moonique Benavidez to touch upon the theme of a new year, fitness. People at the beginning of the new year are deciding to start exercising and being

healthier. Coach Moonique Benavidez is the physical education and child development teacher here at Incarnate Word High School. I felt her to be the right interviewee because of her dedication and commitment to fitness. As I interviewed her, I

discovered a much deeper and inspiring reason behind her passion than just physicality.

Photo credit: Moonique Benavidez Photo credit: Moonique Benavidez Photo credit: Moonique Benavidez

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Alejandra Sostre-Escalante, 17-year-old senior here at Incarnate Word High School, is a female boxer. On January 27th in the Peer Ministry room 201, I sat down with Alejandra who gave me some insights to her powerful extracurricular activity.

Boxing, known as her “stress reliever,” has found a way to bring her peace. “Punching the bag gives that sense of relief that I need sometimes in life because sometimes you just wanna punch something,” she said.

Not only can it aid someone mentally, but boxing tones the body and helps getting into shape. Although there are teams, this can be an independent activity and that is exactly what Ms. Sostre does. The person she can accredit this hobby to is her father.

“When I quit softball I told my dad that I needed something to do and he told me a couple years before he had done boxing. He invited me to start going with him and ever since then I’d been going to boxing with my dad everyday.”

Being a high school student, one knows how busy the schedule can get. And for adults, even busier. But Alejandra assured me that it is still possible to “schedule in and work out.” She hits the gym Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 5-6. Just an hour out of her day for an evening of mental peace.

Recognizing the “reputation” affiliated with boxing, Alejandra paints a different picture and advocates this activity to girls of all ages. She added, “It’s a great source of self defense and all girls should know some time of self defense because this world is a scary place.” Of course, she added the health aspect, including the great work out.

Sometimes society’s constructs can rub off on the way we think and categorize. Women throughout history have proven that females can do anything males can. Our graduating senior, Alejandra Sostre-Escalante, lives that example: “To boxing: I love you, You’ve been great for this past year, a great adventure, meeting my new family at the gym. Thank you, boxing, for that.”

A year going strong, with many years to go. Incarnate Word students will change the world, one fighter after the next.

Taking it to the Mat!Julia Mahavier, IWHS Staff Writer

Photo credit: Alejandra Sostre-Escalante Photo credit: Alejandra Sostre-EscalantePhoto credit: Alejandra Sostre-Escalante

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In an emerging Texas cattle town, history was made when one of the first ever Texas Agricultural Fairs was held in San Antonio. In the following years, many other fairs and expositions came to San Antonio and all encountered a similar problem, inadequate facilities to accommodate their needs. It was evident South Texas was in dire need of facilities to serve as a showplace for a livestock exposition.This cry for greater accommodations was heard in the early 1940s by Joe Freeman, the man who began the movement which eventually gave birth to the Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum. His dream was to build a coliseum to be used for a number of events, but specifically, a livestock exposition for the youth of Texas. After assembling a number of volunteers, ranging from cattlemen to sports-minded citizens, the movement began to construct this multi-purpose coliseum. The years of gathering support and money paid off when construction began in January of 1948.In September of 1949, the Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum was opened to the public. Then on February 17 of 1950, the first Annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo was held. The first exposition met with unparalleled success, entertaining more than a quarter of a million visitors, an unheard of record for an opening show.

For more information on the rodeo’s history or events visit: https://www.sarodeo.com

Let’s Rodeo San Antonio! Delaney Carrillo, IWHS editor-in-chief and Abigail Garcia, IWHS staff writer

DID YOU KNOW?All of the contests of modern rodeo were popular in some form in Mexico, including Texas and later California, by the nineteenth century. Known collectively as charrería , these equestrian contests included roping steers and horses, riding wild bulls and broncos, and bull wrestling. More recently, historians as well as rodeo organizations themselves have acknowledged that the Wild West shows and western festivals were the real forerunners of their sport, while only travel writers mention the striking similarities between rodeos and charreadas.https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/43606901.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic_SYC-4946%252Fcontrol&refreqid=excelsior%3Aad738d060ccc673735a739287e4f34ce

Get your Boots on!Abigail Garcia, IWHS Staff Writer

I go to the Rodeo every year. Since I was 10, my mom started taking me and my sisters. I go with my sisters, my mom, my cousin, and aunt. I like going to the rodeo because of all the food, funnel cake and turkey legs, and the rides, Centrifuge, and Magic Maze. My sisters and I make sure to go on our favorite rides. Every year we wait to see the pig race and the petting zoo, one of my favorite places about the rodeo.

Photo Credit: Abigail Garcia Photo Credit: Abigail GarciaPhoto Credit: Abigail Garcia

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My hair took two hours!

Let’s go to IHop!

My date bailed!

On February 8th, IWHS held it’s annual Semi Formal at the UIW Rosenberg Skyroom. This year’s theme was Semi in

the City. The students danced the night away to pop, Latino, and rap. Fun and laughter filled the night as they

went into the city.

Semi in the City

My feet hurt!

Why Semi? The only dance put on besides prom (all inclusive).

In addition to prom, another opportunity to glamour up with friends.

Allows all grade to hang out amicably.

Celebrates the new year, as it takes place in February annually.

First social event of the second semester.

Continuing a Shamrock tradition!

For us seniors, it can feel special as it reminds us we’ll be graduating soon.

To have fun!

Photo Credit: Abigail Garcia

Photo Credit: Abigail Garcia

Photo Credit: Abigail Garcia

Photo Credit: Julia Mahavier

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The Star Staff Delaney Carrillo

Editor-in-chief Abigail Garcia

Staff Writer Julia Mahavier

Staff Writer Elena Moser

Staff Writer

Love, cards, and romance: the three words to describe Valentine’s Day. We all know Valentine’s Day is that special day couples express their love for each other, but how did this day come about?

Its origin comes from a Roman festival of Lupercalia held in mid-February. This festival celebrated the coming of spring and fertility rates. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine. After the 14th century, it became the day to celebrate romance.

One story of how Valentine’s Day came to be was that the day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 CE by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus. According to legend, the priest signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and, by some accounts, healed from blindness. Another story holds that it was St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop, for whom the holiday was named, though it is possible the two saints were actually one person. Another common legend states that St. Valentine defied the emperor’s orders and secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war. It is for this reason that his feast day is associated with love.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day

I Love

You Who will be your

Valentine?

Be M

ine?

Photo Credit: Arianna Ramirez