On Top of MESAc/o MVMHS PO Box 50

Ojo Caliente, NM 87549(505) 583-2275

(505) 583-9133 fax

New Guidance Counselor Arrives

By Diego gallegosRepoRteR

New technology brings students a higher level of learning and higher goals.

On Feb. 5, the community voted for a bond issue that would bring money for supplies and cam-pus repairs, and possibly a new el-ementary building. “A bond issue is money that goes to the school district based on taxes that property owners pay which is used for building, and repairing facilities,” Superintendent and Principal Tracie Phillips said. The bond was around $4 million. The facilities are poor, Phillips said, so the district may get an estimated $8 million. The bond issue may even in-clude enough money to build a new middle school or elementary building, Phillips said.

There are about 10 projects the district will consider, such as add-ing air conditioning in the rooms, repairing the gym and improving

technology in both the computer labs and in the science labs as well. The bond issue is a way for the communi-ty to come

together and vote on the repairs we may consider in the district. The School Board is in charge of how the money is spent and small committees will be formed to make the decisions, Phillips said.

Mesa Vista MHS ı PO Box 50, Ojo Caliente, NM 87549 VOL. IV, ISSUE 3 ı April 4, 2013

Photo by Kristin Maestas // juniors Ryan Valdez and Jered Martinez work on a Forensics assignment in the library computer lab on March 27. The bond, which passed in February, gives money to improve the technology in the schools. The school will prioritize which projects to work on first but are looking into purchas-ing anything from infrastructure to gadgets like interactive Whiteboards.

Bond Issue Passes, District Plans Improvements

cont. p. 2, see BOND

On Top ofHow messy is YOUR car? see pg. 5

By laura guzmanFReelance RepoRteR

On March 11, Mesa Vista finally got a

qualified counselor to fill the vacancy that has been open for several months: Guidance Counselor Dorothy Bales. “We needed a new guidance counselor. It’s nice to have someone fill out the position, and she is qualified,” Superintendent

and Principal Tracie Phillips said. The school year started with a different principal, guidance counselor and music and math teachers. When guidance counselor Lydia Palmer resigned in early December, guidance secretary Sandra Garcia was left to print official transcripts, make schedules and schedule changes, make credit checks (to make sure students have enough

credits to graduate), run report cards and progress reports, schedule college recruiters, report daily attendance and move the counseling office to another building. “I am very excited about working with someone new with plenty of experience,” Garcia said. Bales has had experience at other schools. At the College of Santa

cont. p. 2, see GUIDE

MESA Students TravelBy laura guzman & D’angelo PaDillaFReelance RepoRteR & editoR

Mesa Vista is the only school in northern New Mexico to be selected out of 15 schools. Seventh graders Harvest Taniguchi and Darius Gallegos, and eighth

graders Marisol Archuleta and Sundeep Taniguchi are traveling to the New Mexico Military Institution in Roswell, New Mexico for the Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) USA competition on April 26. The four students had to submit an essay about their prosthetic arm project’s design and process, as well as a prototype of their creation, in order to be accepted into the competition. The students are building a prosthetic arm, but Gallegos said getting the parts for it has been tricky so far.

A bond issue is money that goes to the school district... which is used for building and repairing facilities.

— SuperintendentTracie Phillips

“ ”

cont. p. 4, see MESA

Mesa Vista adds Softball

see pg. 7

page 2 April 4, 2013 NEWS

The Spectacle StaffThis is the third issue of the 2012-2013 Mesa Vista student newspaper, renamed On Top of MESA and produced by the school’s journalism class. The goal of this publication is to provide accurate, infor-mative and entertaining information in the spirit of responsible journalism and to op-erate 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. On Top of MESA also reserves the right to edit copy. Readers’ responses can be mailed to On Top of MESA c/o MVHS, or sent in an e-mail to adviser April van Buren at april.vanburen@mesavista.org. Student journalists on On Top of MESA staff will publish only legally protected speech following the legal definitions of libel, obscenity and invasion of privacy. The adviser of On Top of MESA will not determine the content of the paper. The adviser will offer advice and in-struction to help the staff cover all issues in a legal, objective, accurate and ethi-cal manner according to the Society of Professional 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.

On Top of MESAc/o MVMHS PO Box 50

Ojo Caliente, NM 87549(505) 583-2275

505-583-9133 fax

Adviser: April van BurenEditors: Alicia Dominguez Chastidy Trujillo, Athena Martinez, D’Angelo Padilla, Matthew Sandoval,

Staff: Raelynn Archuleta, Diego Gallegos, Samantha Herrera, Kristin Maestas, Jessica Martinez, Jose Perez, and Marcelino Trujillo

MESAOn TOP of

BOND, cont. from p. 1

“However, remember that the before we even had the bond election, we updated our five year facility plan and decisions were made during that process about how to proceed as far as prioritizing what to do with the money,” Phillips said. “The board will make final decisions, and there are quite a few steps before anything actu-ally happens, but part of the job of the school board is to decide how funds are spent. Before a new school is built committees will be formed. These commit-tees will consist of the archi-tect, parents, teachers, students, board member/s, me, etc. So....the actual voting is done by the board, but recommendations will be made by committees be-fore they vote,” Phillips said.

GUIDE, cont. from p. 1Fe, as coordinator student services and coordinator of online reading endorsement for already licensed teacher she taught freshmen how being a teacher worked out if that was what they wanted to do. Bales also taught at Highland University, where she was the academic coach and led freshmen seminars, helped students with scholarships and provided academic coaching. There are a lot of responsibilities to help students with: academic, career, college access and personal/social competencies. It took Mesa Vista time to finally get a guidance counselor because there is a shortage in the state and we were not the only school looking, Phillips said. Bales plans to create a system, she said, that is workable to help students graduate; to see if they have enough credits, what classes they need or if they want to take a dual credit class. In addition to her job here, Bales said she enjoys reading, cooking, crocheting and sewing in her spare time. She is also no stranger to working with children, as she has two grown children and eight grandchildren. Although she grew up in Texas, Bales has lived in New Mexico for about twenty years and is finishing her PhD in Educational Psychology online at Cappella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “I’m excited about being the counselor here at Mesa Vista because it’s small and I like living in small places. I found out about the job from a contact that I haven’t talked to in 20 years. I wasn’t looking for a job, but I decided to take the job because not having a counselor wasn’t giving students a chance,” Bales said.

By Jessica martinezRepoRteR

Teachers swap for the second time this year. Business teacher Ber-

nadette Galvez, ISS instructor and basketball coach Tomas Vigil, and math teacher Randal Saunders switched classes at the end of Feb-ruary. Galvez is now teaching Alge-bra 1 and Vigil is teaching middle school math, leaving Saunders in charge of ISS into the March Spring Break. This newest change in the teaching staff occurred, Phillips said, to “better meet the academ-ics for the students.” This is not the first time Mesa Vista students have experienced a change in staffing this school year.

In the Fall, Superintendent Tra-cie Phillips took over for Princi-pal Kurt Fisk. When he returned from medical leave, Fisk stepped down officially as principal and came back as the high school math teacher. Fisk’s wife, middle school math teacher Jackie Fisk, resigned for personal reasons and Saunders moved to the middle school math classroom, then to ISS. Teacher Jackie Fisk, who taught middle school math and Algebra 1 first semester, stated her leave be-fore winter break and Eddie Cam-pos was the substitute teacher for awhile. Soon after, Saunders took over and, near the end of Febru-ary. Vigil then became the middle school math teacher. “I enjoy teaching math because I get to see more people,” Vigil said.

Saunders declined to com-ment on the change, and no longer works at Mesa Vista Middle and High School. “All decisions I make are in the best interest for the students,” Phillips said.

Staff Changes Continue into 2013

Photo by ???? ????? // Caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption caption

FEATURES April 4, 2013 page 3 MESAOn TOP of

How Much Internet Connection is Too Much?Staff Changes Continue into 2013Staff Editorial

Today you can press a button and see a loved one from thousands of miles

away. Even with all the good and bad, we continue to prosper in the digital age, doing what other generations only dreamed about. Now, this technological dream is becoming even more of a reality with Google’s latest invention in the field of smart technology. Google Glass, a pair of glasses with a small screen attached that could allow the owner to take photos, videos and video chat, and look up images and directions online -- all with a simple voice command. While Google Glass is available for purchase for an estimated $1,500 plus tax, according to the La Times, with as many applicants trying to grasp the glasses, only the top 8,000 can pilot the new technology now and the glasses are still in development. It will be more available to us everyday consumers in the near future, however, possibly as early as the end of this year.

Some bold “glass explorers” flaunt the unique Star Trek-like glasses, but are they as safe as a simple pair of glasses, or are they another caution symbol hanging over our heads? With every luxury there is a price to pay. More access to technology could also mean less face-to-face human interaction. When we are using this new technology, many of us will be paying more attention to the gadget than who we are talking to in person or what we are physically doing. Having a conversation with someone should mean that you are talking to that one specific person or perhaps even a group of friends. Instead, many people may no longer make eye contact while talking. Much like cell phones, we will be looking at a screen and focusing on what we’re doing with the phone rather than what’s in front of us. This can also be extremely dangerous for those who don’t have very much focus to offer in the first place. We use technology to avoid many accidents, however in 2011, more than 3,300 people died in

crashes involving distracted driving, according to Channel 2 KUTV. Technology on your eyeballs is the very definition of distracted driving. When driving, can users be trusted to turn off the device or would they rather stare into the rim of the glasses, attempting to read a message? In West Virginia, the legislature is currently trying to pass a bill “making it illegal to drive while using a wearable computer with head mounted display,” according to Cnet reporter Chris Matyszczyk in his March 23 article ‘Don’t Glass and Drive.’ “It is mostly the young that are the tech-savvy that try new things. They are also our most vulnerable and underskilled drivers. We heard of many crashes caused by texting and driving, most involving our youngest drivers. I see the Google Glass as an extension,” said Gary G. Howell, a Republican in the West Virginia Legislature, in a March interview with the online publication Cnet. The danger of distraction from this new device isn’t just for new drivers or for the road, either. You would want your dad to have his full attention while working with a saw. You would want your mom to be focused while preparing a bath for your baby sister. Google glass has not yet been released to the general public, but has already caused privacy concerns. TechHive reported that Dave Meinert, the owner of The 5 Point Café in Seattle, has already put a ban on these glasses. “First you have to understand the culture of the 5 Point...People want to go there and be not known,” Meinert said. But, who can blame Meinert or his customers? Our lives are more and more public because of online

sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, but that doesn’t mean we should be forced to give up every last moment of privacy. Would you like your every move to be posted online? What about that late night trip to the store for Tampons? Or getting caught on camera arguing with your little sister, for the whole world and especially your grandmother to see? A bathroom selfie is bad enough, but when everyone starts to have cameras attached to their face, there’s no telling who is recording what and no real way to control if or when others record you. That may seem like a crazy, hippie conspiracy theory, but this new device is making it all possible. Some people are even claiming that those who use this device will be ‘cyborgs’ even, instead of it being a simple pair of ‘smart glasses.’ “The people behind this anti-cyborg movement claim that there’s no way you’ll ever know that someone wearing Google Glass is recording your every word and movement,” Matyszczyk said in his March 15 article ‘Google Glass: The Opposition Grows.’ Overall, we see technology as a remarkable and exciting part of our future. Technology provides us so many opportunities, yet we must still remain cautious about what we allow ourselves to be a part of in this new day and age. There are many worries weighing down not just one person’s shoulders: concerns of safety, concerns of take-over by cyborgs, concerns of privacy and concerns over how technology may negatively impact the way we gather and communicate. Google glass will be coming soon. It’s up to you on how (or if ) you use them, so we recommend you use them wisely.

MY GLASSES!

I CAN’T UPDATE MY STATUS WITHOUT MY GLASSES!

Edit

oria

l car

toon

by

Jose

Per

ez

page 4 April 4, 2013 FEATURES MESAOn TOP of

MESA, cont. from p. 1

“The first time we thought it was going to be easy (writing the essay). We learned about the rules we had to follow to write the essay. At the end, it all came together, so we sent it off and found out we were accepted,” seventh grader Darius Gallegos said. The group was allowed a budget of $40 because they submitted their essay on deadline and it met all requirements. Adding on to the $40 budget, NM MESA is paying for the trip to Roswell in full. If the group wins the competition in Roswell they go on to the next competition in Portland, Ore. June 21-23. Science teacher Victor Jaramillo is helping the group with the prosthetic arm currently. Leonard Duda, an engineer for Sandia Labs, will be helping the team ensure proper design and completion of the engineering paper. “I feel excited and nervous. I hope we succeed,” Gallegos said. Senior Alicia Dominguez and teacher Bernadette Galvez are headed to New York City for the 2013 MESA Senior Incentive Trip. Only a few students and teachers were selected to go. To be considered for the trip, you had to apply at the New Mexico MESA’s web site, be actively involved in MESA and exceed in and out of school. During the trip to NYC, Dominguez will be visiting the Empire State building, Department of Education’s Cyber-Security division, Central Park, Liberty Island, 9/11 National Monument and the Federal Reserve Bond. At every location they will receive a tour and background information that is both educational and interesting.

Students, Staff Observe LentBy chastiDy truJilloeditoR

Many people give up bad habits much like a New Year’s resolution, and for

six weeks each spring many Chris-tians make the decision to give up something for Lent in April which usually lasts from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday or Easter Sunday. Lent is a solemn observance in the liturgical year of many Chris-tian denominations, lasting for a period of approximately six weeks leading up to Easter Sunday. In the general Latin-rite and most Western denominations Lent is taken to run from Ash Wednesday to Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) morning or to Easter Sunday. In the Catholic Church, Lent lasts until Holy Thurs-day, while other denominations run until Easter Eve. According to Wiki-pedia the free Encyclopedia. “I felt like I wasn’t doing that good of a job fulfilling that responsibility as a Catholic,” teacher Thomas Vigil said. Vigil decided that instead of giving up something he would improve on something. He decided to focus more on prayer. After improving, Vigil said he felt like he had accomplished something. To him, it was more like a test to see if he could do it. Sopho-more Tiffany Archuleta chose a simi-lar path for her 2013 Lent. “I gave up talking bad about peo-ple and I decided to do more prayer,” Archuleta said. Archuleta said she wanted to have a better relationship with God. Talk-ing bad about others made Archul-eta feel like a bad person, she said. Archuleta has been giving things up for Lent ever since she was four years old, including chips candy and cokes because it was harder for her to give it up. Archuleta also said that it was

just the way she was raised. “I gave up talking bad about people because it seemed more im-portant and harder to do,” Archu-leta said. Archuleta would give up some-thing else if it meant she could be-come a better person. History teacher Monique Garcia, on the other hand, took a different approach. “To me, the Lenten season is a time for self- reflection that should be carried on after the Lenten season

has come to an end,” Garcia said. Garcia has given up things in the past for Lent, but in a more philo-sophical nature like gossiping be-cause it’s a difficult task to abide by for human beings, she said. “I think the Lenten period is a time of grace and beauty if it’s used as a time of self-reflection of one’s faith and lifestyle rather than an ex-cuse to go on a diet or take a break from drinking adult beverages,” Garcia said.

Photo by Athena Martinez // Teacher Tomas Vigil prays before eating his lunch. For Lent, Vigil said he chose to focus more on prayer rather than give up something this year.

FEATURES April 4, 2013 page 5

Students, Staff Observe Lent

By raelynn archuletaRepoRteR

Need Armorall, a vacuum, Windex and a car wash to

clean the messy gar-bage you call a car? “One time when I cleaned my car I found a dead mouse in the vent and it stunk up bad,” science teacher Victor Jaramillo said. People find lots of strange, in-teresting stuff when they clean their cars. What can hurt you ids clothes falling on top of you, moldy food can get you sick, if you have sports gear and they will hurt you a lot. Some people think that having a messy car is a safety viola-tion. Some people think if you clean your car often, your life will

be less stressful and you won’t get in-jured as badly. “It is important to clean your car because, if you get into accident, the stuff that you have in your car could injure you in a very bad way,” substi-tute teacher Barbara Lo-vato said. A lot of peo-ple clean their car regularly like once a month, ev-ery Saturday, every week, or just week-ly, others just clean when it’s really messy. “I know what I put in my car and I clean the inside of my Mustang every

week,” junior Jeanette Varela said. Some people are

so busy

that they forget to clean their car or they come home late, like

from a basketball game or work. That’s when stuff starts piling up and can get lost. What is cool is when the “s t u f f ” s t a r t s to pile up its often when people

can find interesting stuff like money or along lost clothes, for ex-ample. “One time when I was cleaning my car I found $20 under the pile of junk,” teacher’s aide Mary Richard-son said. When people have a messy car,

m o s t l y it’s junk in the b a c k , t r a s h , m o l d y f o o d ,

dead animals sometimes, paper on the side of the door, and things un-der the seat. “I mostly I throw stuff in piles and I have a lot of papers on the side of my door,” teacher’s aide Josephine Garcia said. Being messy does not always mean being lazy. Some people simply struggle with staying organized and while others are too busy or prioritize cleaning last. “Whenever I have to give my friends a ride, and my car is messy, I have to throw everything in the trunk,”Varela said.

Trash, Dead Animals, Money: MESA

On TOP of

Cars Get Messy at Mesa Vista

It is important

to clean your car

because, if you get

into an accident, the

stuff that you have

in your car could

injure you in a very

bad way.

— substitute teacher

Barbara Lovato

“

”

Photo by Kristin Maestas // Cars line the student parking lot on Thursday, March 28. While everyone has his or her own cleaning method, some cars are obviously cleaner than others. Science teacher Victor Jaramillo said put off cleaning his car so long once that he found a dead mouse inside it.

Photo by Kristin Maestas // Senior Isaac Jaramillo shows his trunk to the newspaper staff. He keeps useful items like his gym bag and ???? in his trunk, just in case.

Photo by Alicia Dominguezs // This pick-up truck in the student parking lot is a typical example of a messy vehicle. These practical cars are often used to haul lumber or hay, or trans-port other tools, and can get pretty untidy with regular use.

page 6 April 4, 2013 SPORTS MESAOn TOP of

Basketball Teams Show HeartBy alicia DominguezeditoR

Although both the girls and boys basketball teams

fought to the end, Mesa Vista basketball lost in the 2AA District 7 Champi-onship games. The boys traveled to Dulce and suffered a defeat to the Hawks 54-36 on March 1, while the girls played Cuba away and fell short to the Rams 66-58 on March 2. Although los-ing, the girls were able to obtain the 16th seed in the state tournament, bringing basketball season to an end. “The end of basketball season always feels lonely to me. You think about what’s happened throughout the year, the practic-es, and the games. I start to see the end. It leaves me with a lonely feeling, always has,” Coach Tomas Vigil said. Both teams have had players affected by torn ACLs, concus-sions and sickness this season. There were only about two games where all the boys who started ac-tually got to play, Vigil said. “We had to overcome a lot of injuries and players leaving the team. It seemed like every time we got up, we got knocked right back down,” senior Jer-emy Broyles said. The varsity boys’ basketball team’s overall record was 3-23. The record does not fully repre-sent the growth and accomplish-ments that the team has had dur-ing the season. “Our biggest accomplishment

has been persevering through all of the challenges that we’ve been through. There’s a lot of negativ-ity that accompanies a losing sea-son, yet we’ve maintained faith, hard work and class through it all. I think that is applicable in many situations life throws at you,” Vigil said. The girls’ overall record for the season was 13-15. Although falling short to Cuba in the dis-trict championship, the team’s record still qualified the girls for state. They earned the sixteenth seed, which matched them up with the number one seed, La-guna-Acoma. “The locker room that night in Cuba after our loss was a sight to see. I have never seen such a tight-knit group of girls,” Girls basket-ball coach Josh Archuleta said. The season started with only 16 girls playing basketball, which meant only Varsity girls basketball (no JV). By the end of the season, the team was down to nine play-ers, however, Archuleta said they were a core group of dedicated athletes, attending 5 a.m. prac-

tices as well as 6 p.m. practices. “There is no doubt in my mind, with a team like this and the dedication they show over the next few years, one day you may be seeing your first time ever Lady Trojan State Champs in the mak-ing,” Archuleta said. One of the biggest accomplish-ments of the season was making to the State Tournament. Another was becoming runner-up up in the 7-2AA district. The girls played in three tournaments this year and brought home a 3rd place finish from the Cuba Invitational and a 2nd place in the District Tour-nament. Archuleta says he plans to start the summer program on June 1. Anyone interested in play-ing next year should contact him at joshmav33@gmail.com “I look forward to start work-ing with the younger upcoming Lady Trojans. This group is the future,” Archuleta said. “I will depend on the upperclassmen, (juniors) Selina Siqueiros and Ashlee Alire, to take the team and help provide guidance to the underclassmen.”

photo by Raelynn Archuleta // Freshman Veronica Varela squares up against a Dulce player on Feb. 15 in Dulce. The girls won 51-47, and ended the season 13-15, taking the 16th seed in the state tournament.

Baseball UpdateBy Kristin maestasRepoRteR

The boys baseball team is starting the 2013 season with a new coach, Richard Hernandez. The assistant

coach will be Joseph Garcia. “He (Hernandez) loves baseball and he already has chemistry with all of us. We’ve known him for a long time already,” fresh-man Harlan Richardson said. Hernandez was the assistant baseball coach for the past two years. Garcia coached little league for three years in Espanola, said his son, freshman Isaiah Garcia. “I am super excited for this season. I think we can do some damage,” Garcia said. The players are taking on the season with regular practices Monday through Thursday, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. “We are going through a hard core training system. We are definitely coming together as a team,” sophomore Marcus Martinez said. This season, there are many school rivals to look out for. The main games to catch are against Estancia (Away, on April 16 at 3 p.m.) and McCurdy (Home; on April 24 at 3 p.m.). The next baseball game is today at 3 against Cimarron, at home. “This season will be tough for us, but as a team I think we can pull through,” junior Kevin Vigil said.

photo by Sean Richardson // Assistant coach Joseph Garcia looks on as the boys play in the Monte del Tournament. The boys lost the tournament, but hope to redeem the start of the season as they take on Cimarron at home today at 3 p.m.

NEWS April 4, 2013 page 7

Senior Brandy Valdez to Jump to Australia MESA

On TOP of

By marc truJilloRepoRteR

Mesa Vista opens its arms to a new sport: softball. Practices started officially

on March 11. The season is off to a good start, with a turnout of about 17 girls and new coach Leo Garcia, Director of Operations and assistant principal. Math teacher Kurt Fisk is helping part-time as the assistant coach as well. “It is fun to watch and play a fast-paced game,” Garcia said. In softball practice, the girls are working on fundamentals, like catching fly balls and ground balls, Garcia said. “My goals for the season are to learn (to play) softball and hopefully

get better as a player,” eighth grader Consuelo Ortiz said. Mesa Vista is offering this sport, softball, for the first time to offset the new football team next year. This is based on Title IX, which is a law that states there shall be no sex dis-crimination in academics or athletics. Thus, the reason the district added softball as well as football is to make sure it’s equal to both genders. “They (the school) had a student vote on what sports they wanted if they could get them, and students chose softball and football,” Athletic Director Ben Sandoval, Sr., said. The Lady Trojans softball team’s first game was March 27 at Pojoaque. The girls lost 0-15 and 0-13, but hope to build on their experience in this first game as they play next

against the Pecos JV softball team in Pecos at 3 on Monday, April 8. Since this is a new sport for Mesa Vista, this season will be all about games for experience, and all games this season are away games. The costs to start softball this year have been about $5,500, Garcia said. Football, on the other hand, typical-ly costs about $100,000 to start-up, but the school can not afford that, said Brenda Halder, district bud-get secretary, so the school will be spending $30,000 to $50,000 to get it running instead. There are no fund raisers planned for either sport at this time, but the girls are hard at work in their first season with practices from 4-5 p.m., Monday through Thursday on the track field with coach Garcia.

By matthew sanDovalRepoRteR

Senior Brandy Valdez is joining a small list of Mesa Vista students who have competed in track internationally. On June 11, Valdez will

be going to Australia for the Down Under Track and Field meet. She joins graduates Darrel Lovato, Dennis Valdez, Keenan Smith, Ben Jr. Sandoval and Julia Martinez. “Overall, I think that the trip to Australia was a great experience, and the best I’ve ever felt on a track in my life because I was so grateful and amazed to be there,” said Ben Sandoval, Jr., 2012 graduate. The trip to Australia for track and field has been open to Mesa Vista students for years. Student athletes aged 14-19 get an opportunity to compete against athletes in their age bracket from all over the world. “Julia (Martinez, 2012 graduate) and I started rais-ing money for this event since freshman year, and as the years progressed, we raised more. I think our se-nior year was the most productive for raising money,” Sandoval, Jr., said. It takes about $3-5,000 dollars to go to Australia

for this one trip. To travel to Australia for this meet, Valdez will also need to get a passport. “She can go to banks and to her local communities to raise money for this event. Another way is to put an ad in the paper to say any donations would help,” athletic coordinator Ben Sandoval said. It still takes intense training, and working daily to compete on an international level. It also is an opportunity to meet people from different coun-tries. Valdez will also room with students she’s never met before, giving her a chance to bond and make new friends. “Track season is a good opportunity to train for this event. I will mainly be focused on doing the long jump,” Valdez said. This track meet is laid back but there comes time when the athletes have to be serious. People see that they are representing their state. It is a challenge to go and compete with guys/girls from different states that train fluent and take this meet seriously. “It feels good coming from a small town going to Australia. People don’t expect that you will be good. I want to prove them wrong and represent my school and my state,” Valdez said.

photo by Alicia Dominguez // Senior Brandy Valdez, dur-ing the 2012 track season, finishes running the 200 meter dash at Dulce. Valdez will be competing in the long jump at the Down and Under Track and Field meet in Australia in June.

Softball in Full Swing, as District Preps for Fall Football

Baseball Update

photo by Damonica Alderette // Junior SteviAnn Gallegos practices her catching and pitching after school on Tuesday, March 26. Gallegos is one of 16 girls on the roster for the new Mesa Vista softball team.

BACK PAGE April 4, 2013 page 8 MESAOn TOP of

Next Generation Considers Military ServiceBy samantha herreraRepoRteR

As students graduate from high school they have to choose a path for their lives; one op-

tion is the military. “I want to join the military be-cause I want to be part of something great, and what’s greater than serving and defending the country that made us and our families free,” senior Jesse Herrera said. “What’s greater than defending freedom?” The U.S. military has five branches to choose from. One is the Navy. The Navy maintains freedom of the seas. It allows the U.S. to use the seas when and where we need it, according to the “Today’s Military” web site. “I want to join the Navy or Ma-rines because I want to get more dis-cipline and experience,” freshman Carlos Delgado said. Another, is the Marine Corp. Marines specialize in amphibious and ground combat operations. They also have their own air power. Marines are the first to fight and the last to leave, according to the “Today’s Military.” “I want to go to the Marine Corp. because, I think, if you’re going serve, you should be the best,” Herrera said. “The Marine Corp. has its his-tory and culture behind it; it’s like a big family.” The other three branches are the Air Force, the Army and the Coast Guard. The Air Force fights and backs troops from the air, and the army mainly takes on ground forces. The Coast Guard is concerned with law enforcement, boat-ing safety, sea rescue and illegal immi-gration control, but these duties can

be transferred to the navy if needed, accord-ing to the “To-day’s Military.” “I would want to go to the Air Force because I think it would be a life changing experience,” ju-nior Adrienne Lopez said. All these branches have a lot of differ-ent M.O.S’s (types of jobs) a v a i l a b l e , which include infantry, med-ical personnel, e n g i n e e r i n g and more. Be-cause of the variety, many interested in enlisting aren’t sure what M.O.S. they would want. This is true for Del-gado, Lopez and sophomore Miranda Gonzales, who is considering the Ma-

rines as a back-up plan after graduation. There are two ways to join the military: to en-list or to go in as an officer. To enter as an of-ficer, someone either has to go

to a Senior Military College, go to a college that has a R.O.T.C. program, go to an Officer Candidate School af-ter college or get a direct commission after getting a professional degree, ac-cording to the “Today’s Military.” “It’s better to go in as an officer, rath-er than enlisted because you will make

more money,” said Kurt Fisk, math teacher and former Air Force Weapons Director. “You’ll have more responsibil-ity, but you will also have more author-ity and power to make a difference and to choose your own way.” There is a process to enlisting that is more detailed than simply signing on the dotted line. After someone talks to a recruiter, the next step is to set a date to visit a Military En-trance Processing Station (MEPS). After that, he or she has to take the ASVAB and then pass a physical exam. Next, he or she has to meet with a service enlistment counselor and decide on a career. After these steps, then the recruit has to take the Oath of Enlistment. Finally, they are ready to go to boot camp and begin serving the country, according to the “Today’s Military.” “Make sure you have relatives or someone who knows what they’re do-ing look over your contract before

you sign it,” Fisk said. “Make sure you want to go in before you commit because once you commit to a federal contract, if you don’t fulfill it, you go to jail and you’re obligated to a mini-mum of eight years of your life.” Another thing to consider before enlisting, Fisk said, is rules. “Make sure that you understand that you not only have to not only have to obey all the laws of the coun-try you’re in, but you also have to fol-low the uniform code and military justice rules,” Fisk said. Fisk, who had a high clearance in the Air Force said he would be happy to talk with interested students about his own military experiences. “I think that anybody who has ever served, or is serving right now, deserves more respect than they get,” Herrera said, “and I would like to say ‘Thank you’ to everyone who has de-fended our freedom. They know the risks and they do it anyway.”

photo by D’Angelo Padilla // Members of multiple military groups participate in the Commemorative Bataan Memorial Death March on March 17 at the White Sands Missile Range. This year marked the 71st anniversary of the event.

I would like to say ‘Thank you’ to everyone who has defended our freedom. They know the risks and they do it anyway. — Senior

Jesse Herrera

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