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Page 1: Nogales Graduation 2011
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Silva an ‘awesome student,’ ‘role model’

Anachieverwho ex-cels inmathematics, No-galesHigh School seniorAnthony Silva is the vale-dictorian forNogalesHigh School.He learnedEnglishwhen his familymoved fromMexico toNogaleswhen hewas 10years old, he said.“When I first came

here,myhighest gradewas about 40 percent,”he said. “I didn’t evenknowenoughEnglish toask to go to the restroomproperly.”That changed a lot

time ago. JenniferValen-zuela, anNHSmath andscience teacher, said Sil-va “is an awesome stu-dent.He’s very deter-mined and an over-achiever.” She taughthim in the InternationalBaccalaureate programchemistry I and chem-istry II, and this year he

was her classroomaidein calculus.Silva is “very friendly

and admired by hispeers.Hewas a rolemodel,” she said. Al-though he tends to be onthe quiet side, she said hehas strong communica-tion skills and that “helikes to help others.”Even though Silva said

he’s very leery of thecoldwinters, he’smovingto the northeastwhere heenrolled at CornellUni-versity in Ithaca,N.Y.,and plans tomajor ineconomics.First, he’ll be off to

Florida in a fewweeks.As amember of FBLA,or FutureBusiness Lead-ers ofAmerica, he’ll joinothers in the club com-peting in the nationalevent June 28 to July 1 inOrlando, Fla.He quali-fied bywinning two first-place trophies at thestate level inword pro-cessing and annual busi-

ness report, he said.Silva,whoseweighted

grade point average is4.698, is the youngest ofthree children. OlderbrotherMiguel, 25, grad-uated from theUniversi-ty ofArizona and com-pleted amaster’s pro-gram in finance inMan-chester, England, he said,whileDavid, 21, a cur-rently aUAstudent.Hisparents areMiguel andAnabel Silva.He focuses nowon ac-

ademics but he playedsoccer fromhis fresh-man to his junior year.This past year hecoached a girls’ AYSOsoccer team.He’s amember of

MESA,which isMath,Engineering, ScienceAchievement;HonorsClub,which helpsfundraise to help pay foruniversity tests; and isvice president of SEA-HEC, SoutheasternAri-zonaHealthEducation

Center health careersclub.Hewas a three-yearmember of SantaCruz ZClub aswell.Silva is a candidate for

the International Bac-calaureate diploma, aprogram“that helps pre-pare you for college. Youtake college-rigor class-es so you can prepare.They help you become abetterwriter,” he said.A gratifying high

schoolmemory, he said,is “making the friends Ihave now. They’vehelpedme a lot. In IB,we’ve become like a fam-ily so everyone caresabout each other.”His parents have been

very supportive.“They’ve always

pushedme to be the bestperson I can be. Theydon’t like itwhen I getB’s. They always toldmeto try. For example,when I first camehere, Iwasn’t the brightest stu-dent, but they encour-

agedme to try.”His advice to others:

“The reason I’mhere isbecause I’mpersistent.AsMichael Jordan said,‘If you fall six times, getup seven.’ I could haveeasily given upwhen Ifirst camehere (at age10) and saw that nothingwasworking forme.Butmyparents always toldme to try, even if I didn’tsee results. I think thatknowledge ismore im-portant than grades.”

NHS valedictorian

By Kathleen VandervoetFor the Nogales International

Marysol Luna,salutatorian for theNHS Class of 2011

PHOTOS / KATHLEEN VANDERVOET

Luna ismusician

andscholar

Marysol Luna, salu-tatorian for this year’sNogalesHigh Schoolsenior class, is amusi-cian aswell as a schol-ar, playing the violinsince third grade. She

By Kathleen VandervoetFor the Nogales International

Anthony Silva,valedictorian for theNHS Class of 2011

SEE LUNA: PAGE 26

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Class of 2011 Nogales High School

A commencement ceremony on May 26 celebrated the Nogales High School Class of 2011, whichincluded 381 candidates for graduation.

PHOTOS / JOSE BALDERRAMA, BLUEPIX STUDIOS

Exciting!!!

Yeah! We made it!

I’m going to miss you!

There you are!!

Smile for the camera

So, what’s next?

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Class of 2011 Nogales High School

Members of the Class of 2011 listened to words of advice from NHS faculty andfellow classmates at the May 26 graduation ceremony at Nogales High School.

PHOTOS / JOSE BALDERRAMA, BLUEPIX STUDIOS X

The Color Guard

The Band

Time for a speech!

NHS Faculty

Hugs all around!

A moment of reflection

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Perseverance pays off for Justin Kim

Whilegraduationisn’t a race,it was a pho-to finish atthe top of theclass. JustinKimandAlexGer-ber fin-ished in adead heat,each

sporting a 4.66GPA.Being this year’s Co-Vale-

dictorian is an honor,Kimsaid. “It ismore thanwordscan describe.”Itwas not an easy achieve-

ment,Kim said. He credits“The ability to continue towork hard through high schoolwithoutmygrades dropping,without lettingmywork ethicdown and,when times arehard and you don’twant to doanything, the ability to perse-vere through thosemoments”

for the achievement.Itwas a journey forKim.

Heworked hard inmiddleschool andmade good grades.“I achieved straight “A”sthroughoutmiddle school.When I entered as a freshman…I thought Iwant tomaintainthese grades, thiswork ethic,so I could prove tomyself,myfamily and friends that I couldbe successful atwhatever Ido.”Kimhad always had his eye

on good grades, but set hissights forValedictorian dur-ing his junior year, he said.“That pushedme toworkharder.”The rewards are great, Kim

said. “I have been accepted tomany other schools, such asUniversity of California at SanDiego andUniversity ofTexas, but I decided to go toUofAbecause they have themost scholarships such asWildcat Excellence.”While itwasn’t theApple of

his Eye, JustinKimgot aniPod alongwith theWildcatExcellence scholarship,which

amounts to $8,500. “I ammoreof a PCguy, but I’ll take theApple.”Kim is alsowaiting on other

scholarships, he said.Kimwill use his iPad, along

with tuitionmoney, to studyscience, he said. “Iwant toma-jor in either chemistry or biol-ogy.Mygoal is to become anophthalmologist.“Iwant to be able to help

peoplewho can’t afford neces-sary eye care,”Kim said. “Iwant to be able to give that tothosewho can’t.”Kim succeeds his sister,

Kathy,whowas salutatorian atRioRico last year.His father,SiKim, ownsPepe’sMen’sWear inNogales. “Mymother(Thong) helps around the storebut,mostly, she is a greatmother. She has had a great ef-fect onme. She is always therewhen I need her.”The leap frommen’swear to

eye carewas an interestingone,Kim said. “Mydad hasworked at the store for over 10years.He has always toldme‘Don’t fall inmy footsteps. I

want you to domore in life. Iwant you tomakemore of animpact in life.’ That haspushedme to domore.”In addition to studies,Kim

has been a bandmember sincesixth grade.He plays trumpetinmarching and jazz band,Kim said. “My sister has al-ways been in band alongsideme. She plays the oboe.”Outside of family,Kim

takes inspiration fromGod, hesaid. “Hehas guidedmy lifeup to this point and I’ve neverfailed to believe inHimor gotoHimwhenever I need him.”Kimalso follows his heart,

he said. “I never let anyoneelse differ the road Iwant totake. If I’m set to do some-thing, I amnot going to letanything change it.“Iwant to tell people to al-

wayswork hard andwork fortheir dreams,”Kim said. “Iknow thatmaybe cliché, but ifyou set yourmind towhat youwant to do you can reallyachieve a lot of things. You canmake an impact.”

Rio Rico High School

By Roger ConroyFor the Nogales International

A photofinish forKim andGerber

“I don’t feel like I amsit-ting here as valedictorian,”Gerber said during an in-terviewprior to calcula-tion of final grades. “I feellike I amsitting here as co-valedictorian.Wehave al-ways been neck-and-neck.It is a photo finish, Iwouldthink.”Gerber’s prediction

proved true asGerber andJustinKimeach achieveda 4.66 finalGPAwhen re-sults from finalswere cal-culated just days beforegraduation. Before that,the twowere 1/100th of apoint apart. They havebeen vying for the top spotfor four years, PrincipalJamesAnders said.“There is always one

SEE FINISH: PAGE 25

Justin Kim

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2011 co-valedictorian

“It isan hon-or. I feelproud ofmyselfthat Iwas

able to accomplish this,”AlexGerber said. “I nev-er really picturedmyselfas a valedictorian, eventhough other peoplethink ofme as the smartkid in the class, I neverreally picturedmyself asthe smartest kid in theclass.”Gerber achieved a 4.66

GPA. It took late nightsof little sleep to get there,Gerber said. “Mostly justan understanding of allthework you have to putin. You have to go intohigh schoolwith priorknowledge of howmuchwork it is going to be.”Gerber concentrated

on studies, but foundtime to be on theRioRicoRiverRats swim teamand theHigh Schoolteam the year they com-peted, he said. “My firsttwo high-school years, Iswamon the high-schoolteam.Now,we don’t havethe high school team I’mstill swimmingwith theRiverRats.”Finding time for both

school and swimming ishard butGerber doesn’tthink of it as a balancingact, he said. “My firstlove is swimming so,each day, I swim for anhour and a half and thatiswhat it is going to be.Then, I just figure out

how I amgoing to getmyhomework done. Thatsounds harsh, but I haveto be efficient. It helps.”

FamilyGerber’s father isDr.

JosephGerber,who hashis practice inNogales.Hismother, Suzanne, vol-unteers at aChristian(Spanish) radio station inNogales. “She is awon-derfulmom,”Gerbersaid.Gerber’s sister,Marisa, is scheduled tograduate from theUni-versity ofArizona thisyear, he said. “Shewrotefor theArizonaDailyStar for awhile.”Marisawas very suc-

cessful in high schoolandwas amentor toAlex, he said. Shewasranked third in her classso I always looked up toher andwanted toachieve asmuch ormore.Wehad a friendlycompetition between sib-lings. Also,myparentsinstilled awork ethic inme.”

CollegeGerber received theU

ofAWildcat ExcellenceScholarship, about$8,500, he said. “I also ap-plied for (and received)theRotary scholarshipand one through theRioRico PropertyOwnersAssociation.Gerber plans to study

medicine at theUofA.“Wewill seewhere thattakesme. I amgoing tobemajoring in biologyand actually have alwayswanted to be a dermatol-ogist but thatmaychange in the years ofschool.”History isGerber’s fa-

vorite subject in highschool, he said. “The les-sons it teaches about hu-

mannature – It fasci-natesme. Learning aboutthe past, learning from itand trying tomake thehuman race better bylooking back on historyfascinatesme.”

GraduationBefore graduation,

Gerber said he thoughtabout his valedictoryspeech, he said, but hadnot finalized it. “I guess Iwould tell the under-classmen about all thehardwork it is going totake to get to graduation,not to intimidate thembut to encourage them–to show thatwe are ex-amples of peoplewhohavemade it this far andyou can do so aswell.What Iwould say to

seniors is – although it isgoing to be amomentoustime in our life, it is justthe beginning andwecan’t get too caught up inthatwe are seniors atRioRicoHigh School.Wehave to look at thatweare young adults in theworld.Weneed to revelin thismoment andmoveon to find a bigger placein theworld.”

FaithWhat drivesGerber?

“A lot of times,when Idon’t feel like doinghomework, it ismy faithinGod andmy religionthat pushesme on. In theBible, it says that youshould do everythingthat you do as if you aredoing it forGod.A lot oftimes I don’t domyhomework – oh this is forMr.Gale, I’mdoingmathhomework forMr.Gale. Ithink if I do thiswell, it isif I’mdoing this forGod,so I have to do it to thebest ofmy ability, evenwhen I don’twant to dosomething.”

Alex Gerber

By Roger ConroyFor the Nogales International

Alex Gerber

Co-valedictorianAlex Gerberaddresses thegraduates duringthe 14th AnnualCommencementat Rio Rico HighSchool.

PHOTO / ROGER CONROY

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Class of 2011Rio Rico High School

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Graduates proceed to take their seats. Principal James Anders waits for graduates to be seated. Aeriella Valenciaand Palacia Melissa Yepez sing the National Anthem. Superintendent Daniel Fontes addresses the graduates.Graduates spray string as Principal James Anders congratulates the Class of 2011. Mariachi Plata performs.

PHOTOS / ROGER CONROY

Mariachii!!Aeriella & Melissa

Hi mom! We did it!!!

Dan Fontes

Principal James AndersReady to graduate!

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Bishop urges grads to be people of service

BishopGerald F.Ki-canas of theRomanCatholicDiocese of Tuc-son had severalmes-sages for the 21 gradu-ates at LourdesCatholicHigh School at theirMay23Baccalaureate. ButtheMass and the com-mencement ceremoniesemphasized one theme;service to others.Kicanas told about at-

tending a graduation cer-emony atNotreDamerecently, before 3,000students. “Itwasn’t anymore special than this,”he told the grads, all ofwhomhave been accept-ed by 23 colleges.But, the valedictorian

atNotreDamewhomhesaid had “several bache-lors’ degrees andma-jored in several fields ofstudy,” should serve asinspiration, he told thegrads. “Hewants to be-

come a doctor and thenwork as amissionary.“Hedoes notwant to

become rich; he does notwant to become famous,”Kicanas said. “His desireis to serve. In that samewaymyhope is that youhave that same eager-ness and desire to serve.“God’s gifts are not for

people to hold on to as iftheywere theirs,” hesaid. “The gifts ofGodare to be given. Themostimportant lesson is thatwhat you do for anotherbrings great joy.Dosomething thatmatters;make a contribution –that’s your service to oth-ers.”Sister Patricia Perez,

superior general of theMinimDaughters ofMary Immaculatewasthe guests of honor at theMass. “This is you oppor-tunity to plant the seedand construct a new real-ity based on the valuesand knowledge you have

forged in this institu-tion,” she said. “Be goodpersons, good citizens,and above all, goodChristians.”She too implored the

students to bemen andwomen of service.“Serve humanity andserve a very needyworld,” Perez said.“Stretch out a helpinghand, foot, head, andabove all, your hearts.”After the group sang

AveMaria toOurLadyof Lourdes and receivedthe bishop’s blessing,theywent on from theschool chapel to the gym-nasium for the regularcommencement.As theymarched up to

a terraced platformeachgrad introduced the stu-dentmarching behindthem.The keynote forthe eventwas 1994Lour-des graduate,MayraGalindoPagazani, whowas appointedCity ofNogalesMagistrate in

February. Pagazani grad-uated cum laud in politi-cal science and Spanishliterature from theUni-versity ofArizona andreceived a lawdegreefromHamlineUniversi-ty in St. Paul,Minn.“You aremuchmore

than a beautifullyframedhigh schooldiploma.You are a groupof spokespeople. Eachand every one of you hasbeen chosen byGod to bespokespersons. Through-out theBible…Godcalled upon us to speak,act andmake decisionsonHis behalf.“What hasGod called

you to be?” she askedrhetorically.At Lourdes, Pagazani

said, “You have been em-beddedwith amoralcompass; a sense of per-sonal direction that isembeddedwithin youandwill guide you to bethe spokespersonsGodintended you to be.”

In Spanish, she toldthem, thatwhatever theydo in the future “shouldbe grounded by the spiritof justice, honesty andlove.We are accustomedin society to admirethosewho triumph eventhough questionablemeans.Nobody shouldbe above the lawnor usepower for personal gain.Wehave reached amo-ment in timewhere thenewgenerations offer analternative to evolve inlife, business, politics, onthe streets and in theirhomes.“Togetherwemust

build this trust.Wede-pend on you towork to-ward this reality and thesterilize the paths thatothers have contaminat-edwith lies, the quest forpower, and all that sepa-rates us from the idealsof justice, nobility andlove,” Pagazani im-plored.Among the colleges

the gradswill attend areall threeArizona univer-sities, ColombiaCollegeChicago, theAu-tonomousUniversity ofNayarit, University ofSonora, AnuahuacUni-versityMexicoCity,Uni-versity of SanDiego andUniversity ofGuadala-jara.The graduating class

of 2011 comprises Fer-nandeAvila, SalutatorianIlseValeriaBenavides,EstefaniaCalderon,MarceloCampos, LuciaDabdoub, RicardoDeLeon, IrmaG. Figueroa,Daniel F.Galindo, Rodri-goGarayzar,MiguelGomez, RubenD. Leyva,David Lopez, ClaudetteMoreno, FrenandeoQuinones, EduardoA.Ramirez,GerardoRamos, Luis F. Ruiz, Ger-manSalcedo, Veladicto-rianAlexis San, ClaudiaSegura, andRodrigoSicre.

Lourdes High School

By Manuel C. CoppolaNogales International

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Class of 2011 Lourdes High School

Lourdes High School’s Class of 2011 graduates gather for a group photo at their May 23 graduationceremony.

PHOTOS / MANUEL C. COPPOLA

Sister Barbara Monsegur

greets Bishop GeraldKicanas

Nogales Magistrate

Mayra Galindo Pagazani

speaks of preserving

values and answering

God’s call to be His

spokespersons.

Eduardo Ramirez leadsthe congregation in theresponsorial psalm

Sister Patricia Perez urgesgives Lourdes grads words

of advice.

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Top 2 students prepare to give it their all

ValedictorianAlexis SanzAlexis Sanz not only

attained a grade-pointaverage of 3.98, she also

earned the respect andadmiration of theClassof 2011 forwhomshewas namedvaledictori-an.Her driving force to be

successful academicallyand in life is “the desireto be self sufficient. Iwant to prove tomyselfthat I canmake it onmyown. Iwant to serve as agood example tomycousins and two nieces.”Sanz,who has always

attendedCatholicschools, plans to continuestudying in aCatholicsetting. Shewas accept-ed to theUniversity ofSanDiegowhere shewillmajor in accounting.After that, “Itwill be

where ever life takesme,” she said in a confi-dent tone. Apparentlytaking to heart ames-sage fromBishopGeraldF.Kicanas of theRomanCatholicDiocese of Tuc-son during theBaccalau-reate ceremony, Sanz

said, “Whatever I do, Ihope I am in a settingwhere Imaybe of serv-ice to others.”During her high school

years, she participated intheKinoBorder Initia-tive, a bi-national effortto provide social, pas-toral, and educationalministries tomigrantsand the communitiesmost affected by themonboth sides of theU.S.-Mexico border of south-ernArizona.Sanzwas on Student

Council, StudentsAgainstDestructiveDe-cisions, theNationalHonor Society and a folk-loric dance group.Hermessage to Lour-

des high school students,“Do not let up on your ed-ucation. It is one of themost important thingsthat stayswith youthrough life. Be of serv-ice to others, and develophealthy and true friend-ships thatwill leave life-

timememories.”Sanz is the daughter of

OlgaBojorquez andDavid Sanz.

SalutatorianIlse ValeriaBenavides

With a cumulativegrade-point average of3.97, IlseValeriaBena-videswas named saluta-torian of the LourdesCatholicHigh SchoolClass of 2011.She credits her family

and the values and prin-cipals they instilled inher for her academicsuccess.Hermajor at theUni-

versity ofArizonawill beindustrial engineering. “Iwill give it all I have.Myhope is to ultimatelywork (in the profession)and be an inspiration totheHispanic communi-ty.”Benavidez’s advice to

students coming upthrough the ranks atLourdes is “Give it yourbest.Work hard so that inthe end you can feelproud of yourself, ofwhat you have accom-plished. Also, keep inmind your family’s love

and that of your friends.Respect your teachersbecause in the end, a lotofwhat you learn andtakewith you throughoutyour lifewas thanks tothem.”She participated in the

KinoBorder Initiative, abi-national effort to pro-vide social, pastoral, andeducationalministries tomigrants and the com-munitiesmost affectedby themonboth sides oftheU.S.-Mexico borderof southernArizona;Na-tionalHonor Society, Stu-dentsAgainstDestruc-tiveDecisions, St. An-drew’s Children’s Clinic;and SoniarDespierto, aprogram for disadvan-taged youth.She is the daughter of

Pedro Javier andVivianaPenaBenavides.

Lourdes High School

By Manuel C. CoppolaNogales International

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Mendozagraduates early&at topofher class

SuarlyAuroraMen-doza is a studentwhoknows how to get a jobdone early andwell.After all, she not only

graduated high school af-ter her junior year, shealso finished at the top ofher class at PiersonVo-cationalHigh School.“When they tellme

that something is due, Ido everything I have toin order to finish it,” saidthe 17-year-old PVHSvaledictorian.Aftermoving toNo-

gales fromMcNeal,Ariz., at the end of hersophomore year, Suarlylearned that shewas

transferring enoughcredits fromDouglasHigh School to allowherto finish at Pierson ayear early. Andwhile thetwo schools offered verydifferent environments –Douglaswasmuchbig-ger andmore discipline-oriented thanPierson,she said – she adjustedeasily, both academicallyand socially.“I’m really talkative,

so the first day, I juststarted talking to every-one and just tried to fitin,” she said. “And itworked out.”In the classroom, she

said shewas especiallycomfortablewithmath(“Thatwas pretty easyforme,” she said) and

English – especially cre-ativewriting. But hertrue passion is foreignlanguage, an area sheplans to focus on in thefall when she begins herstudies at PimaCommu-nityCollege.“Iwant to learn as

many languages as possi-ble,” she said, namingFrench and Italian as twothat she’s especially in-terested inmastering.She says she’s also inter-ested in continuing tolearnRussian, a lan-guage she studied for ayear atDouglas.Suarly said she’s not

sure of her future plans,but interpreter is a ca-reer that has some ap-peal.“I had a teacherwho

worked for themilitary,because they need aRussian-speaking per-son, and she said thatwas pretty fun,” she said.In fact, Suarly already

has some experience as

an interpreter. She saidthat as a small child, sheused to help hermother,ElviraMendoza.“Since she doesn’t

knowEnglish,whenweused to go to church inDouglas, they allwantedto talkwith her, and she’dsay, ‘Can you tell themthis and this and this.’She’d always useme asher interpreter. And Iwas really good at that,”she recalled.Suarly is the youngest

of seven children in herfamily, and the first to godirectly to college (one ofher brothers is takingcollege classeswhileserving in theArmy).She said she’s known inthe family as the stu-dious child.“Mybrother says,

‘You’re the nerd of thefamily,’” she said.Her intense study

habits even unnerve hermother at times.“Once I say I’mgoing

to study, I just go tomyroomand if I have tostudy for 10 hours, I’lljust stay there,” Suarlysaid. “She says some-times I’ll forget to eat.”Suarly spends a lot of

her free timewith herfamily, she said, and thatincludes cooking, going

out to eat, to themovies,or justwalking aroundtheNogalesMall in Sono-ra.As for her advice to

other students, she says:“Thingswill always behard, but if you try yourhardest, then anything ispossible.”

Pierson Vocational High School

By Jonathan ClarkNogales International

NOTE:PVHS salutatorian Nayely Cortezfinished her high school studies inDecember and was not available to beinterviewed for this supplement.

SuarlyMendozawon a$1,000scholarshipfrom theNogalesHighSchool Hallof Fame.She’ ll applyit to herstudiesnext year atPimaCommunityCollege.

PHOTO/JONATHAN CLARK

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Class of 2011 Pierson Vocational High School

Confetti flies overhead to celebrate the graduates’accomplishment.

PHOTOS / JONATHAN CLARK

Alexandra Peralta had

plenty of reasons to

smile: In addition to

receiving her high

school diploma at the

May 23 ceremony, she

was also honored as

the Jerry Booth

Outstanding Student

and awarded a $1,000

scholarship from

Southwest Food

Services. She plans to

pursue a general

studies degree at

Cochise College.

The PVHSseniors fileinto the

ceremony atPete

DrakulichGymnasium.

Tim Savory,seen here justafter collect-ing his diplo-

ma, alsodelivered the

studentaddress atthe May 23graduationceremony.

YazminValenzuela

and Flor Riosare all smilesafter gradu-ating from

PiersonVocationalHigh School.

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Class of 2011 Pierson Vocational High School

Pierson Vocational High School graduated 41 seniors during a commencement ceremony on May 23.PHOTOS / JONATHAN CLARK

Ramon Saad,Carlos Villa,Juan Carlos

Arce and DavidRocha get

pumped up forthe ceremony.

Principal JoelKramer offersclosing com-ments to thenewly gradu-ated class.

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This year’s PUHSvale-dictorian, Traci Swift,doesn’t necessarily fitthe stereotype of thebookish scholar.“I’ve always been an

outside kind of girl,” saidSwift, who grewup inEl-ginwhere she learned tohunt and fish alongsideher father,who she saidmade sure opportunitieswere always there for hisdaughter.In addition to being an

active volunteer for theBureau of LandManage-ment and theArizonaGame andFishDepart-ment, Swiftmost recent-ly completed the two ba-sic classes needed for be-coming awildland fire-fighter and said she isnowhoping to score astudent job at the airtanker base onFt.Huachuca.Throughout these ad-

ventures Swift has alsomanaged to excel bothacademically and as anathlete.During her re-cent graduation address,Swift even joked that shehad been practicing hervaledictorian speechsince her days at ElginElementarywhere shebeganmaking the honorroll in fifth grade – anachievement she hasn’tmissed since.Excelling in science,

math, andEnglish, Swiftalso received awards forher athletic accomplish-ments,which includedlettering in volleyballand basketball, aswell asmanaging the Lobosbaseball team for the lastfour years. Shewas alsoa tutor to boot.“I like being busy and

getting stuff done,” saidSwift, who amongherother scholarships, hasbeen awarded $6,000 ayear for four years byNorthernArizonaUni-

versity,where she plansto pursue environmentalstudies.During her valedicto-

rian address, Swiftthanked the school andcommunity for its sup-port. She also thankedher parents for beingthere and giving her theopportunities she need-ed.“My father just told

mehowproud hewas ofall thework I have beendoing,” she said.She also thanked her

little brother Johnnywhois “always there to put asmile onmy face.”Casting the spotlight

fromher own achieve-ments, Swift recognizedher graduating class-mates for overcomingstruggles that rangedfromacademic problemsto dealingwith cancer.“We can do it.We can

accomplish our goals anddreams.We can be thebestwe can be.We all

have the strength andwill to do so,” she said.

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Traci Swift is an outdoor typePUHS valedictorian

By JB MillerFor the Nogales International

Jacob King is class‘salad dictator’

In honor of his posi-tion in the 2011 gradu-ating senior class, Ja-cobKing dubbed him-self “the salad dicta-tor,” a termhe firstheard in 8th grade dueto the confusion of a fel-low studentwith theword salutatorian.King’s good humor

(during his speech atgraduation, he alsomentioned coming insecond to his valedicto-rian girlfriend andquotedDr. Seuss) isamong the qualitiesthat helped himearnthe title of “MostFriendliest Student”this year at PatagoniaUnionHigh School.King, 16, grewup in

Patagonia and attendedthe local elementaryschoolwhere, in an ear-ly indication of his aca-demic prowess, heskipped the second

grade. By his freshmanyear in high school,Kingwasmaking thehonor roll and has notmissed since.“This place has al-

ways beenmy second

SEE KING: PAGE 24

In addition to her workin the classroom, TraciSwift was a basketballand volleyball player atPUHS.

Jacob King willcontinue his studies atNorthern ArizonaUniversity.

PHOTO/PUHS

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Class of 2011 Patagonia Union High School

Members of the Patagonia Union High School Class of 2011 wait to receive their diplomas at the June 3 graduationceremony at Patagonia Union High School. Eighteen graduates were honored at the event.

PHOTOS / JB MILLER

SalutatorianJacob King iscongratulatedby PUHS gov-erning boardmember David

Clovesko-Wharton dur-ing the gradu-ation ceremo-ny on June 3.

ValedictorianTraci Swift

addresses par-ents, faculty

and classmatesat the gradua-tion ceremony

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Class of 2011 PUHS

As diplomas are handed out, graduates adjust their tassels accordingly.PHOTO / JB MILLER

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Class of 2011 Pinnacle Education High School20

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Janel M. Dorame Alma A. Garcia

Victor R. Lopez Marco A. Lozoya Liliana Olivera

Yoselin Gonzalez Jessica E. De La Cruz Sean P. Beall Sarai Bedoya

Alan B. Palau Rene Medina Joshua L. Alcoverde

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Class of 2011 Pinnacle Education High School

Joel H. Montanez Julie C. Moreno

Michelle A. Tapia Jesus A. Vasquez Andres F. Duron

Jose A. Castelo Anna A. Navarro Joaquin F. Quiroga Ruben I. Ruiz

Jessie A. Estrada Joseph A. Damiano

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Pierson Vocational High School recognized its 2011 class of C.T.E. Medical and Health Professionals, some of who received a Care Givers Certificate or both a Care Givers certifi-cate and a Certified Nursing Assistant certificate. Students pictured here prior to the May 23 ceremony include, top row, left to right: Yvonne Lyzette Ramirez, Heidy JoselinPelayo, Yaritza Liliana Medina Urrea, Alexandra N. Hernandez, Celina Landa, Mariyuduvixa Ivonne Lopez. Bottom row, left to right: Marisol Bolivar, Danitza Adelina Fajardo,Jacquelin Ochoa, Jennifer Collelmo, Marilyn Kirsty Mares, Jocelyn Ruiz, Danitza Dalila Salcedo.

PHOTOS / JONATHAN CLARK

Grads head for the health professional field

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family as I have appreci-ated the small class-rooms and the close com-munity. This made meappreciate the schoolstaff and all they havedone for me,” King saidduring his graduationspeech. “I would like togive a heartfelt thanks toall my elementary, mid-dle and high schoolteachers. You helped meget to where I am today.”

King said his academicaccomplishments did notcome easy and that hehad to work hard to ac-complish all that he has

so far.King also participated

in football all four yearsof school and was co-cap-tain his senior year. In ad-dition, he played tennisone year, was part of thescience and hiking cluband was voted prom king.

Among other awards,the Mountain Empire Ro-tary Club named King“student of the month”for science. Science andmath are his strongestsubjects, King said, andhe intends on pursuingthose academic fieldsthis fall at Northern Ari-zona University (NAU),where he plans to studyengineering thanks to ascholarship from thatschool.

In addition to the Presi-dential Scholarship fromNAU, King receivedscholarships from Sul-phur Springs Valley Elec-tric Cooperative, theMountain Empire RotaryClub, and the Boys andGirls Club of Santa CruzCounty.

In his closing remarksat graduation, King en-couraged everyone in hiscommunity to continue tosupport the graduatingclass.

“We may be graduat-ing but we still needyou,” he said. “Withoutthe constant support ofour families and commu-nities we may not be heretoday.”

KINGContinuedfromPage16

Top: Seniors chill out before the June 3 graduation ceremony at Patagonia UnionHigh School. Above: The hats go off marking the end of graduation for thePatagonia Union High School Class of 2011.

PHOTOS / JB MILLER

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thing that always pushedme towork hard, aswell,” co-valedictorianJustinKim said. “Thatwould bemy fellowvale-dictorian, AlexGerber.Wehave been friendssincemiddle school.“I have always known

he is a really smart kidandwehave grown to bebest friends andwehavealways been competitivein school,”Kim said.“That has really pushedboth of us to succeed and

want to be better.”Of themany things the

two do together, one isworship.Gerber attendschurch at First Baptist inNogales. “I used to go tochurch at theKoreanBaptist Church ofNo-gales,”Kim said. “Iswitched and started go-ing to First BaptistChurch ofNogales.”“We always hang out

together and do thingslike go to each other’shouse to play games,”Kim said.Kimdoesn’t swim, but

they share basketball,Gerber said.Proverbs 27:17 states

Iron sharpens iron. Sooneman sharpens anoth-er. “I think they’re talk-ing spiritually, but ifthere is a secular spin onthat, wewould be livingproof of it becausewewould not be at thisheight of intellectualachievement ifwe didn’thave each other,”Gerbersaid.They’ll continue to-

gether atU ofA. “I knowAlex applied first be-cause hewas set on goingthere,”Kim said. “Know-ing one ofmybestfriendswas going toUofAdefinitely impactedmydecision.”

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SCVUSD No. 35 Governing Board President Brian Vandervoet presents a diploma toco-valedictorian Justin Kim (above) and co-valedictorian Alex Gerber.

PHOTOS / ROGER CONROY

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plays every Sunday duringMassat SacredHeart Church.Her grade point average of

4.652 is the second-highest in theschool. She said itwaswhen sheearned straightA’s in her sopho-more year that she began to thinkaboutworking to retain that highlevel.She said her strongest subject is

mathematics, evidenced by takingAdvancedPlacement calculus thisyear,while she also excels inchemistry.Now, shewill attend theUniversity ofArizona and is inter-ested in studying biomedical engi-neering.“I’m interested in themedical

field, and in engineering, and Ifound that to be the perfect bal-ance,” she said.NHS teachermath and science

teacher JenniferValenzuela saidLuna has the “ability to solve criti-cal thinking problems in herhead.”She complimentedLuna’s hon-

esty and sense of humor, and char-acterized her as both independentand family oriented.It’s clear toValenzuela that Lu-

na “has learned how tomanageher timewisely.”Luna has given a great deal of

time to community service

through being amember ofGirlScouts ofAmerica since eighthgrade and amember of SantaCruzZClub for her four years of highschool.AtNHS, she’s in FBLA, Future

Business Leaders ofAmerica, andwill compete at the national con-ference inOrlando, Fla., June 28 toJuly 1. She’s been amember of theSEAHEChealth careers club,SoutheasternArizonaHealthEdu-cationCenter, for four years, and amember ofMESA,Math, Engi-neering, ScienceAchievement, ingrades 9-11. Sports drewher inter-estwhen she played tennis ingrades 9-11 and volleyball as afreshman.Luna is a candidate for the aca-

demically rigorous InternationalBaccalaureate diploma and hastaken classes and numerous testsin preparation for it.Her parents areMariano and

Dolores Luna and the family in-cludesAmbar, 19, aUniversity ofArizona student, andMarianna, 13.She organizes her timewell, and

tries to get her homework doneeach day between 5:30 and 8 p.m.,she said.Her success has come fromher

willingness to spend timewith af-ter-school tutors, and her commit-ment to not procrastinate. Shesaid, “The thing is, getting started.Once you start, you just need dedi-cation to finish.Don’t put thingsoff.”

LUNAContinuedfromPage2 Class of 2011 NHS

Nogales High School’s Class of 2011 smile as they make their way to their seats to start theMay 26 graduation ceremony.

PHOTOS / JORGE BALDERRAMA, BLUEPIX STUDIOS

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