the phoenician vol ii ed iii

8/9/2019 The Phoenician Vol II Ed III

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On January 29th and January 30th, MECHS competed for the rst

time in the Academic Decathlon. Although it was the schools rst time

participating, several students received awards. Collectively, com-

petitors received a third

place medal in the Super

Quiz Relay category. Su-

per Quiz Relay requires

each team member to

go up one at a time,

answer 5 questions, and

earn a point for correct

answers.

It was our rst com-

petition and we made

an impression. It was

exciting that we beat

schools that have been

at it for so long, and we

had only been prepar-

ing for less than a year,

says junior Jillian Henry.

Its pretty cool that we

were capable of doing

something like that dur-

ing our rst year, says

junior Ashley Sias.To get there, competi-

tors had to work hard.

Coach Terri Flickinger

and Coach Beth Lefer built the AcaDec program from scratch. Flick-

inger and Lefer developed an intense program. I didnt know that it

was going to be a lot of studying, and that made it a little harder on me

because I had so much homework and so many things to keep up with.

The experience of competition was excruciating at rst, but then enjoy-

able when you get into the competitive mode, says Sias.

No one knew what to expect from AcaDec. I remember seeing it on my

schedule and thinking Whats this?

It was really intimidating. I knew

there was no way I could memorize

everything and there seemed to be a

lot of pressure in competition, says

Henry.

Throughout the experience, com-

petitors changed their viewpoint.

The whole team works together to

understand things and make things

easier. You get comfortable with

your speech and interview so you

are prepared for competition, and

its not as nerve-racking, Henry

says.

Aside from their teams support,

AcaDec benets competitors in

various ways. Its one of the best

things Ive done. It is fun, teaches

you better study habits, you meet

new people, and get to experience

kicking other schools butts. One

benet of AcaDec is that it looksreally good on a college resume,

says Sias.

Students are already preparing

for next years competition; now they have a better understanding of

what is expected. Henry says, I will study more, because now I see

how awesome it is and I want to do better.

Imagine a world without teachers. Some students

may say, that's awesome no work! Others see a

world that is uncivilized and unstructured. This year,MECHS honored one teacher contributions above all

others. Algebra teacher Andrew Waxman was selected

as the campus Teacher of the Year.

Waxman said, I actually didn't nd out [I won un-

til] I got a text from Ms. Ugarte telling me that I won

teacher of the year. Mr. Waxman was home sick and

missed the announcement. Waxman said, I was happy

and honored to know it was me.

There is competition within the school to see

who will be selected as the Teacher of the Year and

Waxman said, I think it is a tremendous honor to

have been chosen by my fellow teachers to represent

MECHS. A school's Teacher of the Year competes

with other teachers for the title of District Teacher of

the Year. Waxman said, It means a lot to me that they

would pick me because I think I work with the best

teachers in the district and for them to choose me for

their representative, it's just a great honor.Whats motivated me since I've been at MECHS is

knowing that I'm working with the best teachers in the

district and the best students in the district and I have a

rm belief that any group or team is only as strong as

the weakest link. In his attempt to build the schools

strength, he has worked hard to give his students his

best. Waxman said, I have to be on top of my game

and be ready for questions the average students won't

ask so I think that just being on this campus working

with these people makes me a better teacher.

Waxman is working hard to teach his students all he

knows in order to help them succeed. Humanity can't

lose all that valuable knowledge gained in ages past,

and teachers like h keep the ow of knowledge steady

and strong.

AcaDecViva La French Revolution!

Miguel ANAYA - Writer

CONGRATULATIONS!o:

Andrea Magaa and Liz Gonzalesor winning he Naional Cener orWomen & Inormaion Technology

Scholarship.

-------------------------Fred Smalley, Crysal Mendoza,

Daniel Duran, Miryam Pando, and CeliaGarcia or heir 2nd place vicory a

he Regional Science Bowlcompeiion.

------------------------The AcaDec eam nished 8h overall

in he Large School Division.Individual medaliss include:Karla Jimenez, Jizelle Silerio,

Alessandra Rangel, Felicia Garcia,Samanha Marinez and

Jesse Gonzalez.

------------------------All he Solo and Ensemble

paricipans or heir hard work andefor.Conesans chosen o

compee a he sae level hisspring include:

Daniel Vazquez, Xavier Marinez,Rober Vina-Maruo, Dominique

Mannix, Luz Ordaz and Annete Wats

On March 4th and 5th, MECHS BPA com-

petitors made history by being the rst at our

school to make it to nationals. Junior Ana Diaz

de Leon placed 1st in Keyboarding Production

and Senior Karla Jimenez placed 3rd in Legal

Ofce Procedures. In only their fourth year

of existence, MECHS Business Professionals

of America are a force to be reckoned with atcompetition.

Haro said, [Building BPA from the ground

up] was challenging. It is a lot of responsibility

for me as well as the students.

Senior Serita Smith said, [In our rst com-

petition] no one really knew our school yet, so

no one really thought anything of us.

On January 22nd, BPA had regional competi-

tions at El Dorado High School. According to

students it was a long and tiring competition

that lasted approximately six hours. Sophomore

Salvador Fernandez of the Computer Animation

Team said, It took very long for my team to go

and I was kind of nervous because it was my

rst year competing.

At regionals, 21 students placed rst place,

31 placed second, and a total of nine placed

third. All the students that placed rst to third

were state qualiers and 20 other students placed

from fourth to sixth, which qualied them asstate alternates.

State winners Diaz de Leon and Jimenez will

be representing Texas at the national competition

in Anaheim, California May 5th - 9th.

In addition, several students were awarded

onstage as nalists and national alternates

including: Felicia Garcia, Irma Gomez, Gloria

Michaud and Valeria Minjarez in Global Market-

ing (4th), Isaac Gonzales in Administrative

Support Research (6th), Alex Mora in Computer

Security (6th) and Steven Salazar in Presentation

Management (7th).

BPA: Going to Nationals!

Passing the TorchWaxman is Crowned Teacher of the Year

Writer - Daney Mys

Photographer - Daney Mys

Writer Brian Jacin

Photographer - Ms. Schikus

Spring 2010 Mission Early College High School Vol. II Edition III

Senior Stephanie Sanchez shows o

her BPA State Qualier patch.

Ms. Alcantar congratulated Mr. Waxman and passed

on the torch to MECHS 2010 Teacher of the Year.


2/8

Unexpected, unreal, shocking;

Hell. While some students struggle to

get homework done others struggle

to move on. While many students

are having the best day of their life,

having fun enjoying themselves, other

students are having the worst day.

While the world moves on, for one

student the world has just stopped.

October 25, 2009, another regular day,

but for freshman student Andres Teran,this day is unforgettable.

Take advantage of whatever you

can, if you get an opportunity take it,

because you may never get it again,

and if you dont take advantage of it,

you might regret it. Said Teran. Losing

someone may be the hardest thing one

has to face. But losing a parent at age

14 is unfathomable.

While most young people worry

about being invited to the coolest

parties, one student worries about

moving on, overcoming his fathers

death, being strong; I had to hide my

emotions to help my younger brothers

and my mom, said Teran.

After exchanging currecy Mr. Teran

was gunned down in Cd. Juarez

Chihuahua. Terans death is another

victim of the increasing violence in Cd.

Juarez.

With an incident as tragic as this

come drastic changes. The person

changes their perception. Their

thoughts, the importance they have

in certain things. Before my dad diedI thought my life was a party because

I never took anything serious. It never

came to my mind that.my dad..

would pass awayespecially inthat

way. Now I see my life as something

serious, do everything you can.

Andres now plans to finish school and

attend a good university.

His fathers death as unanticipated

as it was did not stop him from

succeeding. It did, though become

an obstacle. One of the hardest

things about coming back to school

was keeping focused; I would blank

out and start thinking about his (his

fathers) death. But this wasnt the

only difficulty; Seeing that everyone

was happy, seeing that things around

the world happen with out them

noticing. When I came back to school

everyone was happy, joyful they didnt

know what happened, and this hurt me

because I wish I could feel this way

But this did make him stronger; I feel

this has made me stronger person

because I feel theres nothing harderthat can happen. Now Im putting

more effort in schoolmaybe even go

above and beyondthats what my dad

always wanted of me, to be the best I

could. My dads dream is what always

keeps me going, as in being happy,

trying to not forget it (his dads death)

but trying to not make it hurt. Because

thats what my dad always wanted, he

was happy, the guy that always made

everyone laugh and im pretty sure

thats what he wouldve wanted.

Memory: the preservation of

knowledge of and, usually, celebration

of a deceased person or past event.

Even though they do not replace

being there, they are everything. One

memory Teran has of his father is his

guitar. The day my dad was assaulted

he had bought me a guitar, he was

proud I was learning guitar. The next

day my uncles and my grandpa brought

it to me and said; your dad passed

away. My dad was my hero and my

best friend.

I agree with Teran, I know the feelingof losing a hero, a friend, a father. I lost

my father last year. Moving on may be

the hardest thing one can accomplish.

Focusing, forgetting, and trying to be

strong. Emptiness, regrets, and sorrow.

Loneliness, desperation, I can relate to

all this feelings. But what he has done

is admirable. It shows that anything is

possible if you put yourself to it.

Writer:

Karla Sanchez

FreshmanAndresTeranplaystheguitargiventohimbyhisfather.

Photoby:Ma

hewAlonzo

2


3/8

A gum wrapper, lint, 37 cents, and a

soda tab are all you have in your pockets--might as well say theyre empty. How-ever, your pockets arent the only thingsthat seem empty these days. Its gettingclose to summer and your mind is emptyabout fun things to do. Lets rephrase that, i n e x p e n s i v e fun things to do.Staying at home ischeap but its notthe most exhila-rating thing on thelist or the hottest place to be in thesummer.

It seems like low prices and good

times usually dontrow in the same boat when youreclenching your lastdollar in front ofthe ticket booth atthe movies. Thereare more things todo in El Paso otherthan the ordinary,boring places like the mall and the mov-ies, which can run on $7.25 a ticket.

Freshman Rosa Coronel says, Myfriends and I hang out at a roller-skating park, where to enter is sometimes aslow as a dollar. Ice skating at the Sierra

Providence Ice Center is also as low as $6highest being $8. The Sierra providenceIce Center is open weekends and at certaintimes.

Freshman Erik Duran says, I like goingto Oasis sometimes with my friends tobowl and play games. To bowl at OasisLanes on a weekend is $4.55 per person

after 5pm. On weekends they have differ-

ent offers and plans that could save youmoney compared to the original price.Besides bowling, Oasis has 130 video andredemption games and four amusementrides.

People who are active can go to parks orrecreational centersto hang or chill out. Igo walking and swim-ming at the park alot, sophomore Van-ity Flores says. WhileDuran says, If youlike to skate, go to theskate park a lot, itsfree. Ascarate Parkhas a recreational

center that includesa 50 meter Olympicsize swimming pooland a 1.4 mile jog-ging trail. Swimmingat Ascarate is only $2.Carolina Park has thelargest concrete skate

park at 23,000-squarefeet. Skateboarding

classes are also held there from 9 to 11 amon Saturdays for only $20 a month.Not everyone is the sporty type and en-

joys breaking a sweat, but it doesnt meanthere arent inexpensive things for you todo either. Senior Stephanie Sanchez says,

What we all do is we have a potluck andwe all bring something and we have likea field day.

Maybe now you can find a little truth inthe saying, The best things in life are free(or at least incredibly cheap).

$tretching the DollarBobbi FoSter- Writer

Serenades, romantic dinners, will you

marry me banners, Love letters sprayed

with perfume dozens of roses, poems, and

I love you whispered to your ears. No this

isnt Shakespeare none the less a romantic

movie. This was the way romancing was

done back in the day.

Cell phones were not

invented, texting was

not even thought of.

If you liked a girl

you had to tell her,

there wasnt any

let me message her

through myspace,

or Ill just send her

a text, or maybe if Iemail her Boys

had to open doors,

and going half and

half was just not

right, meeting the

parents was crucial,

honking was not ac-

ceptable; it was hard

work trying to steal a

girls heart.

Nowadays

a quick I love you

babe text message does it. A cute comment

on myspace is enough to make us girls go

awe Everything is done through technol-

ogy. Boys have lost their romantic ways

or have they? Sophomore Stephanie Ruan

says, My boyfriend sings songs to me, he

likes to give me monkeys, and he gave me

a bear once. Others are a bit more artis-

tic and like to express their love in a way

everyone can see it, sophomore Valerie

Tafoya says, One time

I wrote my boyfriends

name on the sand and I

took a picture of it.

The boys are

not all to blame; many

girls nowadays think

romance is over rated.

And little details are

pretentious. Sophomore

Cintia Gomez says, Idont like guys that are

too romantic because

then they ruin every-

thing, I mean lets face it

we know theyre lying.

While Trejo says I like

to do cute things for my

girlfriend, Im a roman-

tic

Whether its a

romantic dinner or his

cousins quince, whether

youre a hopeless romantic or anti-mush,

whether its a quick text message or love

letters sprayed with perfume love is in the

air.

Love Letters Sprayed with Perfume

The Couple: Eric Gonzalez & Karla Bernal

Together Since: September 6, 2009

Nicknames: Chiquito/ Chiquita

Junior Karla Bernal and sophomore Eric

Gonzalez were not just proving mathematical

equations during their geometry class last year.

The couple was also proving their love for

each other.

Bernal and Gonzalez met during their

geometry class when Bernal was a sophomore

and Gonzalez was a freshman. Bernal said,

We had geometry together and we met there,

we started liking each other, we helped each

other with homework.

Together, Bernal and Gonzalez have shared

memorable moments such as camping at

Elephant Butte and Christmas 2009 when they

spent the whole day together and Gonzalez

surprised Bernal with an electric guitar!

The couple enjoys hanging out at the mall,

Barnes & Noble, and at each others houses. Bernal and Gonzalez enjoy playing X-box

and Yugio cards together. She likes to do what guys do, said Gonzalez.

He calls me a lot of cute things, said Bernal. Shes a very smart girl and

shes very pretty, said Gonzalez.

In their future, they expect to be together. Bernal said, We love each other

and we want to stay together forever. It sounds cheesy and many people might think its

funny but yes [its true].

EriKar

The Couple: Edward Escobar & Alex Flores

Together Since: March 29, 2009Nicknames: Babe

Sophomore Edward Escobar met his

babe junior Alex Flores, on the day of his sisters

Quincenera. He began to like her more and more

each day, as they kept meeting during Spring Break

09.

Flores also began to notice Escobar for

his personality and looks. Hes so sweet, funny,

dorky, cute, caring, and just the best, said Flores.

Their attraction grew strong and soon they

were inseparable whether going to the movies or

hanging out. Escobar said, It kills me all the time

when Im not with her,

As they climbed trees at a park, their love

began to climb too She always makes me laugh

said Escobar.First comes love then comes marriage

is the saying and the couple makes it their plan for

the future. I honestly can picture myself marrying

him, said Flores. The couple plan to work together

as pharmacists.

AlEd

The Couple: Mathew Alonzo & Luz Ordaz

Together Since: April 9, 2009

Nicknames: Meany Mouse/ Teddy Bear

Sophomores Matthew Alonzo and Luz

Ordaz share moments everyday at school

since that day before Spanish class last year

when Alonzo asked Ordaz to be his girl-

friend. She said yes, to my amusement,

said Alonzo. Special moments are priceless. Ordaz men-

tioned a time when both went to Wal-Mart

and decided to try different sunglasses on.

I just started laughing, said Ordaz. Little

did Alonzo know that Ordaz was laughing

because the glasses had pink glitter on the

side.

Laughing is a central part of the couples

relationship. Alonzo said, I like her laugh,

when I hear it, it makes me smile. Ordaz

said, Im happy that were in a happy

relationship.

The couple hopes to share many more

memorable moments in the future. Alonzo said I picture us together for a very long

time and I know we will because weve been through a lot and I think we can make it

through much more and still be together.

MaLu

Karla Sanch - Writer

Freshmen Dorian Rios approaches Ju-

nior Cecilia Garcia with a red rose.

Mahew AloNzo- photographer

Profling CouplesValerie tAFoYA - Writer

Valerie tAFoYA & Daney Mys - Photographers

3

Cheap Ways to Save Money for Spring Break

Old School vs. New School Romance

For more tips on stretching the dollar this spring break refer to the

chart on page 6.

Junior Isaac Silvestre will ght for a dollar.

Karla Bna - Photgrapher


4/8

Haveyo

useenm

e?

It seemed ridiculous to many others: the idea of

high school students graduating not only with their

high school diploma, but with their associates

degree as well. What seemed to be just a fantasy,

turned quickly into reality. The rst class to step foot

at MECHS is now closer than ever to graduating, and

seniors share their experience in this school.

I thought MECHS was just going to be hardwork and I was going to miss out on the high school

experience, says senior Karla Jimenez. It was a

common feeling for the rst students; a feeling of not

knowing what to expect besides hard work. Senior

Josh Gonzales says, I felt a little anxious but overall

happy that I had made it. I didnt know what was go-

ing to happen. I gured I should just do it. As many

students expected, their rst year at MECHS was

hard work.

Class was denitely harder our freshmen year

and we missed out on a lot of things that were not

available to us at the time that is available now, says

Jimenez. Amongst the biggest things that werent

here at the beginning were a cafeteria, music classes,

and a variety of clubs.

Freshmen year was when I barely started learningguitar. The rst Spanish teacher here, Dr. Soto, was

the one who got me into taking guitar more seriously

and that eventually led me to create a band and take

music more seriously, says senior Joshua Gonzales.

Teachers are not the only ones to have an impact;

fellow classmates play a big role in their MECHS ex-

perience. I was intimidated by how smart everyone

looked. Little by little I realized that we are all on the

same boat and thats where I found the support from

other students. We all felt the same and thats where

we starting making friends, says Jimenez.

However, not everyone found friends through

common feelings. I didnt have trouble making

friends because a majority of the people came from

my middle school so I didnt feel awkward around

others, says Gonzales.

Regardless of how friendships were created, everystudent has changed. People have told me that I am

meaner. But I stand up for myself more and I am not

afraid to express my feelings. Ive gotten better at

making up my mind and making better decisions,

says Jimenez.

While some had a complete overhaul of person-

alities, others had minor personality changes. My

personality changed very little. What has changed

is that I became a bit more humorous and friendly,says Gonzales.

As students grew from children to young adults,

their looks changed as well. Before my hair went

down to my chin. I remember I had a mustache and

I wore polo shirts that t me big along with shorts.

Now I cut my hair and I wear contacts. I also dont

wear the same style I used to; now I just wear what-

ever I like, says Gonzales.

For others, their musical tastes changed. Before

I used to listen to whatever my friends would listen

to or what was on the radio but now I have my own

musical preferences and sometimes friends make fun

of me but I dont care because I think that we have

all learned to embrace each others differences. Be-

ing different is what brings us closer together, says

Jimenez.After reminiscing about their early years in high

school, it is inevitable to wonder how different their

lives would be now if they had attended a regular

high school. I could have been sucked into the

theme about going out or I could have stayed nicer

and not mean like I am here. I might have gotten

completely lost or bored with my classes. I dont

think I would be at the level I am here. Ive always

hated what students think about clothes dening who

you are and I think thats what the other high schools

are about. I think I could have been ridiculed in other

high schools for that, Jimenez says.

Now that their nal year at MECHS is coming to

a close, seniors are preparing themselves to face the

challenges of the world outside of high school. This

time, they are ready to face up to the challenge as

young adults, rather than scared kids.

1.] Name:__________________________

2.] Name:__________________________

3.] Name:__________________________

4.] Name:__________________________

5.] Name:__________________________

Answers:1.JuanDorado,2.AndreaMagaa,3.EduardoGardea,4.KarlaJimenez5.ReneOrrantia

Miguel ANAYA- Writer

Karla JIMeNez- Photographer

People (Top, Le to Right):

Miguel Caracoza, Isaac Oliva,

Joaquin Lopez, Armando

Garcia, Zyanya Dickey,

People (Boom, Le to

Right): Jaime Palacios, Laura

Saucedo, Alan Ruiz, Laura

Padilla, Luis Oliveros, Valeria

Minjares, Cynthia Hernan-

dez, Bernice Nevarez, Ashley

Zeh, Adrian Flores, Yvonne

Chaves, Juan Dorado, Eddie

Poblano, Karla Jimenez, Mar-

tha Cruz, Jacqueline Ramos,

Jeana Nevarez


5/8

Since you were a little kid you weretold, You can be anything you want

to be. Everyone in your elementary

classes believed in the statement as if it

were law; the meaning could never be

broken. In your third grade class alone

there were so many promising future

jobs like becoming a doctor, astronaut,

teacher or reghter. After awhile most

students began nding that the true

meaning behind the statement was hard

work and decided to give up. Dreams

slowly began vanishing into the past

because students found out dream jobs

happen with effort, not magic. This

year Mission will have its rst class to

graduate with a high school diploma and

associates degree. Dreams will become

a reality; doctors, astronauts, teachers

or reghters. They werent afraid of

the hard work and effort and they give

the fact to the ction of, You can be

anything you want to be.

After going through all the tough

nights of studying and hours on proj-

ects, seniors are nally getting to the

point in their education where they can

nally be who the want to be. I want to

teach high school algebra because I love

math and kids, says math major Vivian

Nevarez.

Psychology Major Adrian Flores

wants to open up a protection program.

I want to give therapy mainly to teen-

agers who have all sorts of problems

they dont know how to deal with.

While helping teenagers with life prob-

lems he also wants to share his interests

with them. I want to open up a practice

for art because Im really into pop art

and stuff like that.

Although everyone has a different

dream job many want to contribute back

to the population with their passion.

I want to be a DJ on the radio, says

Communications major Eddie Rosales.

Because I want to share my love of

music with the world.

Although the school may sound like

all work and no play, students have

enjoyed their years at MECHS. Nevareis

is grateful to have had the opportunity to

attend this school, Im glad that Im so

ahead and I dont have to stay in school

two more extra years and I overall liked

my time here. Psychology major Teresa

Rodriguez who wants to be an FBI says,

I am glad to have come to this school

because it feels really good to graduate

early because I didnt think I could and

now I know I have more potential to do

anything.

The dream believers are now over

achievers setting the bar for inspired

kids and role modeling that anything is

possible with not magic, but persever-

ance.

BOBBI FoSter WRITER

After threeyears of endur-

ing innumerable

amounts of stress

and homework,

seniors have found

a way to bond with

one another. But

now that students

are branching off

deeper into theircareers, schedules

have made it hard

for seniors to make

time for one an-

other. Ironically, it

is because of those

obstacles that

some seniors feel

closer than they

ever have before.

For many, it is at

this point where

they feel that they

connect with each

other even more.I think being

far away is what

makes us a family

because we are all going through the

same thing and we share feelings with

one another, says senior Rebecca

Courtland.

Feeling closer has a lot to do with

the campuses they attend.We know

when people are at UTEP at the

same time we are but we never make

contact with one another because the

campus is so big, says senior Rene

Orrantia.

Although it may seem to contradic-

tory, spending less time together has

made them appreciate each other

more.We dont see each other as

much anymore, so now when we do

we are glad and we become connected

because we have so much to say, says

senior Adrian Flores.

In addition to distance, seeing their

college classmates connect with one

another has contributed to changing

their perspective about their senior

friends.We denitely feel that every

other student at UTEP is connecting

with their classmates, but we are not

as close to our classmates over there

as we are with our senior friends

here, says senior Cynthia Hernandez.

The feeling of being a family is some-

thing that can be appreciated through

the MECHS experience. If we were

to go to the same regular school, wed

all be concerned about being in the top

ten percent and we probably wouldnt

pay as much attention to our class-

mates as we would

to our studies,

says senior Yvonne

Chavez.

While academic

competition might

distract some from

forming friend-

ships, others feel

that at a regular

high school, theywould not appre-

ciate each other.

In a regular high

school, we would

either be bored of

each other at this

point or we would

not appreciate the

moments that we

spend together.

With everyone

going off in their

own directions,

we appreciate the

moments wherewe can share our

stories with one

another, says

Flores.

One way to comprehend the fam-

ily seniors have formed would be to

look at it form a different perspective.

Think about a break people in a rela-

tionship take. It is because less seeing

each other as often, they learn to ap-

preciate the other. The same happens

with MECHS seniors: being separated

from each other has made them realize

how much they enjoy each others

company.

MIGUEL ANAYAWRITER

Senior Olivia Silvas poses for the last

me. Photographer- Karla Bna Teresa Rodriguez poses for her FBI badge.

KARLA BerNAlPHOTOGRAPHER

(From Le to Right) Rene Orrana, Cynthia Hernandez, Adrian F lores, and Yvonne Chavez talk about their busy

crazy day. MIGUEL AnAyA -PHOTOGRAPHER

We Ar Family

Seniors Make Plans for the Future

Seniors Go Through Thick and Thin With Each Other


6/8

Quick flashback, youre sitting in a

room full of students that have the same

potential you do for a bright future. Each

and every one of them has a high GPAand is committed to school activities.

You dont know if you can succeed at all

you are competing for. And youre not

the only room full of anxious students;

there are about five more crowded rooms

to go. While you listen to the speaker in-

form you about the privilege you could

receive you think, What are the chances

that I will make it? Slim.

The meeting is over and you go home

waiting for a letter of acceptance. The

long days pass and the letter finally

comes you impatiently skim the letter

searching mainly just for seven words

and somewhere within the letter you read,

Accepted to Mission Early College High

School.Mission has become a well-known

school across the district and more stu-

dents want to become a part of it. We

have more interest, its growing and be-

cause of that more of the students are ap-

plying so the competition for the number

of slots becomes more difficult, says Dr

Aguirre. Student applications are pouring

in more than ever but the maximum limit

for a freshman class has never changed

from around 125+ students. The stan-

dard or the minimum entry has held

steady but the number of students who

are applying has increasingly gone up,

says Dr Aguirre.

Although the limit for a fresh-

man class size has not changed, talking

to every school to introduce ourselvesto the students is no longer necessary.

Dr. Aguirre says, We went to different

high schools and parents from the middle

schools were invited with there children

to come in and listen to us explain our

school and what our school is about.

One of the reasons administrators

stopped holding meetings at high schools

is because it takes time away from their

studies, When we would go visit the

schools although its fun and its nice to

visit, it is time consuming on our part but

more importantly it takes time away from

students and their instruction, says Dr.

Aguirre. The parents hearing the school

information first-hand also made it easiertoo. That actually worked better because

in the past we would go talk to all the

students and the parents didnt get to hear

about it, this way the parents are more in-

formed, says Dr. Aguirre.

Fast forward and press pause, youre

walking across the stage and clench

your diploma as if it was a grant for 100

wishes. Graduating from Mission is one

wish that did come true. You cry not only

because youre happy but because you

proved you could take on the challenge

from freshman year and succeeded.

New StartNew Beginnings

Bobbi FoSter -Writer

You left behind friends and people you

had become associated with, you left be-

hind the sanctuary that you once called

yours. You have transitioned from mid-

dle to high school.

Student orientation at MECHS intro-

duces freshman to the campus, school val-

ues and curriculum.

When students arrived at MECHS for the

orientation, they experienced a variety of

emotions. Freshmen Victoria Delgado said,

The landscape, of course, is not what I ex-

pected. Its a little campus but the way the

school is how tough it is I expected that.

The landscape is not the best part of the

school, but the schools difficulty level did

meet the expectations of most students.

Freshmen Jesus Villalobos said, It was

fun, I was thinking this is boring, more

school but no it was fun!

The school received a balance of positive

and negative feedback at orientation, but

summer camp was different. Delgado said,

Summer camp was really fun. For oth-

ers, it was different, Felix said, At first I

was nervous because I didnt know anyone

but after a while I got used to it.

Summer camp is meant to prepare stu-

dents for their first semester at MECHS.

Some students, however, felt a bit lost. Vil-

lalobos said, I still had no idea of what

was going on. Delgado, on the other hand

said, They prepared me really [well]for

the first nine weeks.

Most people would agree that it would be

impossible to create a student orientation

that is appropriate for everyone, but there is

always room for improvement. Villalobos

said, I would introduce the teachers of the

freshmen year or the next year so [students]

know the teachers before they actually go

in sothey know what to expect. Felix

suggested a different method to improve

student orientation. She said, Telling [stu-

dents] not to be so nervous would help the

students adjust to the school].

Upon seeing the MEFCHS cam-pus, fresman Jesse Villalobos said,

We are in the desert!

To Freshman Victoria Delgado,summer camp was very helpful

during the rst nine weeks.

Brian JACINto - Writer

Karla BerNAl - Photographer

6

Freshman Jessica Felix advisesthe upcoming freshman not to be

nervous.

The New

SanctuaryFreshman Reflect on Student

Orientation & Summer Camp

MECHS Recruits New Students

Money Saving Tips!!:

Expensive Inexpensive

Movies Dollar movies

Band shows Rock Band Night

Amusement parks Wyler Aerial Tramway

Comedy shows A good laugh, it's always free

Mall shopping Swapping clothes with friends

Paintball Water balloon fights

Gym Park

Cattlemens Chico's Tacos

Wet-N-Wild Swimming

Jewelry shopping Best Friend Braclets

Pizza Hut Make pizzas

UTEP games Have mini sports tournaments

3-D movies Nature walk, nothing gets more real than that

Indulging on sweets Baking a cake

Spa Treatments Makeovers at your house

Expensive Restaurants Picnics

Popping fourth of July fire works Dancing to great music

Buying a trampoline Rent a jumping balloon

Girls night out Sleepovers

Buying gas Buying a bus pass

Texas roadhouse Cookouts

Getting your picture taken Take crazy pictures with your friends

22 Ways on Keeping a Fat Wallet

Writer: Boobi FoSter


7/8

It

is a 10 x 60 yard. Soft grass covers

most of the eld. In the center, a 10

yard circle can be seen. On either end,

there is a goal area and on each corner

there is a one yard circle used for

corner kicks. This is a soccer eld.

Most students recognize this

eld and they also recognize that Mis-

sion Early College High School lacks

one, especially the soccer players.

We need a eld, said sophomore

Salvador Fernandez

The students who enjoy play-ing soccer at school play next to the

parking lot on the cement under the

basketball courts. They use rocks to

mark the goals and are constantly

worrying about getting hurt. Its

more dangerous because there is no

grass and if you fall you can really

hurt yourself, said sophomore Arturo

Kroll.

Playing on the cement also

has other disadvantages for the

players. It seems that playing on the

cement makes handling the ball dif-

cult. Fernandez said, When you kick

the ball you have to go really far to

go get it. Junior Eric Reynoso said,

You cant slide or do stuff like that

because you might get hurt.

With the disadvantages in

mind, some advantages can also be

considered. According to freshmen

Gabriel Duron, he has learned new

skills to be able to play soccer on ce-

ment and not on a regular eld. The

ball bounces more so you can get

the ball in the air and kick it, said

Duron.

These advantages alsoinclude having fun instead of doing

homework. The students get to be

active. Its the only active thing you

can do so you can get your mind off

of school, said Reynoso.

Even without a grassy, 100

x 60 yard eld with goals, playing

soccer at MECHS is a great past time

for student. Even without a eld or

goals, the goals in players minds are

enough to keep the game going.

Does Mission Early College High School need a real soccer

Goalkeeping with No Goal

It has only been 1 year since the start of

the MECHS robotics team. Last year, wasthe team competed in Dallas against other

schools in the state. Even though it was

the rst time, they had a great experience

and got to see what other schools were ca-

pable of. This year, everything changed. A

more organized and better equipped team

has come to build the MECHS robot.

Last years team was the rst

time anyone had built a robot. The device

has certain tasks it had to perform and

every year, the task changes. In order for

the team to build a good robot, they rst

had to improve their communication skills

along with their organizational skills.

This years team is larger and everything

improved in the team. The team is more

organized especially the marketing andfundraising team, said the robotics advi-

sor Mr. Waxman.

This year, the game is called

Breakaway. Last year, the teams objec-

tive was to get as many balls in the other

teams baskets as possible could. This

year, challenges are harder and the game

is more difcult. The task last year wasfairly simple, while the task this year is

more complex said Mr. Waxman. As for

the seniors, everyone is upsety about their

departure. The only way Mr. Waxman

can describe them on the team this year is

stressful. There are a lot of people who

want to do everything by themselves.

Although everyone wants to be the center

of attention, it is the team as a whole that

will be recognized.

This years expectations are not

to be the best but to try the best. Last

years robot didnt function right in the

rst rounds of the competition, therefore

the team got behind. This years expecta-

tions are for the team to work together

and have fun. The expectation is tohave a functional working robot from the

beginning of the competition and to be

competitive, said Mr. Waxman. The robot

is almost ready to go out there and beat all

the other robots butts.

MECHS PhoenixMichelle JIMeNez-Writer

College is not something that comes easily

or affordable to a lot of people. It takes

hard work and thousands of dollars. Many

students take advantage of all the op-portunities that come up and later in life,

their hard work pays off. One way many

people choose to help reduce the cost of

college is scholarships. While some are

very easy to get, and others are more dif-

cult and take more work, they all pay off

in the long run. Seniors Liz Gonzalez and

Andrea Magaa won the National Center

for Women & Information Technology

Scholarship. Both Gonzales and Magaa

know what it means to give up so much

of their time and a tremendous amount of

work to get a scholarship.

In December, Mrs. Macias and

Mrs. Haro introduced the scholarship to

the more advanced class from BPA. Thescholarship is only for women and it was

for those who are more familiar with tech-

nology and are planning to pursue a career

in that eld. Not everyone took advantage

of the scholarship because it required

three essays that had to be 500 words

each. Gonzalez said, it took me almost

four weeks to complete all the essays and

edit them with help from my teachers.

The essays involved questions about the

ways the girls have followed technologyand what elds they are most interested in.

A few weeks passed by and the

girls had not heard anything about the

scholarship. Then one day Gonzales and

Magaa received an e-mail saying they

won the state scholarship. Gonzalez said,

I was so happy that all that work paid off

and my mom was really happy and proud

of me. Mrs. Haro was also very proud

and the fact that the scholarship was for

women made the news better. I think its

great that young ladies are motivated to

explore those careers in technology and

its good to have organizations that really

focus on areas where women are not com-

monly seen, said Mrs. Haro.The amount of money the Gon-

zalez and Magaa will receive is still un-

known but they will be awarded at UTEP

on February 18th, 2010 for their hard

work and outstanding leadership skills and

interest in technology.

TechnoDivasMichelle Jimn- Writer

7

Sopomore Salvador Fernandez aempts to reach for the soccer ball.

Karla BerNAl Photographer

Waxmen works on robot-

ics project. Karla Ber-

NAlPhotographer

Sopomore Salvador Fernandez

waits to block the ball. Karla BerNAl

Photographer

Two students win national scholarship

Cyberdinho comes to life in portable 15

Valerie tAFoYA-Writer


8/8

Student Submissions

Like Wordsworths elusive Lucy

Unreachable, too distant desire

Knowing and loving her

In imagination alone:

Another Lucy

Who might have been yours or mine

But her fair freckled gaze

Of gold and blue eye

Will no longer be

After today.

An utterly unforgivable transgression

A truly reprehensible crime

She must be punished:

Abomination of being

Another too many.

- For Lucy, a border collie on death

row in McCamey, Texas animal shelter.

Lucy Must Die TodayAngela Clarke

NATUREAngela Clarke

Taking the back way home

I spy a hawk on the side of the road.

As I drive slowly past, she

Spreads rust-tipped wings and

Takes flight,

Clutching a tiny cottontail in her tal-

ons.

An instant later, twisting itself free

It tumbles down to a dusty earth.

My heart breaks in two halves:

One for the now lifeless

Body of the baby rabbit, with

Its downy fur rippling

In a blue December breeze --

The other

For the empty belly of the hawk, who

Now tilts towards the western horizon,

All ablaze in rivers of red and orange.Photograph by Christine Jurado

Drawing by Paulina Samaniego

ALICE

CATERPILLAR

CHESHIRECAT

CROQUET

HATTER

HOOKAH

JABBERWOCK

KINGOFHEARTS

LIDDELL

MUSHROOMS

QUEENOFHEARTS

REDQUEEN

TEA

THE

THEDODO

TWEEDLEDEE

TWEEDLEDUM

WHITERABBIT

WONDERLAND

Alice inWonderland

FrustrationBianca Gurrola

Frustration speaks; Ive let out what I have to say.

Yet it seems I cant go on for another day.

My lungs need air, my heart needs cleansing.

I dont know if Ive counted all my blessings.My soul is lost in this world of denial.

Maybe Im insecure, but

I know that its anything but pure.

Beating heart, racing thoughts

Whats left is whats gone.

I need no pity, I have no shame

Lifes a hit and run

I dont want to go on,

Judgment and greed

Are what keep me down.

I meant not to do it,

But its what Ive become.

Painting by Karla Bernal

MathewAl

oNzo-Photographer

Drawings by Brenda Urena

Pisces (February 19 - March 20)

Your best friend is taking you for granted. You

do so much for her and yet she doesnt evenrealize it. You just cleaned your room, the

WHOLE house PLUS made dinner and your

mom cant even say thank you. Feeling unap-

preciated? Get over it; they will realize how

much youre worth.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

The truth hurts!! Yes, it does, but that doesnt

mean you can let your best friend walk around

in that outt, its just ridiculous. And boys, a

little honesty never hurts anyone. If you dont

love her, let her know. She will get over it.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

You can thank those haters for the disappoint-

ment in your life right now; they just couldnt

stop talking about you. But not to worry, youre

strong, and things will get better very soon.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

You need to get over it, your ex is just holding

you back. You were too good for him anyways.

Do something productive with your time;

youve got the brains.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22 )

You will need to work twice as hard, work on

the social and the personal. Be friendly to that

weird guy that sits behind on you in math. Try

to smile to that girl you have in reading. Study

for your history test, youll feel better. Feeling

adventurous? Do something unexpected

Leo (July 23 - August 23)

Party! It will be a good time to party. Be cool,

smile, small talk. Meet new people. Chill bigdawg, but remember everything in modera-

tion,

Virgo (August 24 - September 22)

Youre the boss. People will listen to you. Takeadvantage of it. Let your voice be heard. Take

a break from everything; technology is not ev-

erything. Tell your girlfriend to chill because

youre not cheating.

Libra (September 24 - October 22)

If youre thinking about something then say it!

Dont keep it in! If theyre good friends theyll

listen. Let it out as hurtful as it may be.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)

Curiosity killed the cat. Avoid taking big

risks. As sure as you are, dont gamble. Keep

the money.

Saggitarius (November 22 - December 21)

Busy, Busy, Busy!! Your schedule is FULL! Or-ganize please! Put everything aside; your girl-

friend is not the most important right now. And

that cute boylike that there will be more.

Capricorn (December 22 January 19)

That math test! That dramatic boyfriend! That

stalker girlfriend of yours! That strict mom!

All take your time and energy! Take a break!

Put on your I-pod full blast, close the door, and

sing in front of the mirror. Have fun!

Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)

Youre missing that person that you let go, but

x it, make amends, they might feel the same

way. Remember not to forget to do your home-

work because you were under the weather. Be-

ing Emo is not an excuse.

Madam Boom BoomsHoroscopes

the phoenician vol ii ed iii

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