December 2010

December 2010 Volume 16, Issue 3Desert Vista High School

“Your Arizona State Marching Band Champions, for 2010, with a score of 89.20, Desert Vista!” exclaimed the competition’s an-nouncer. After countless hours of hard work and loads of preparation, the marching band won an extremely high honor. On Saturday, Novem-ber 14th, they received 1st place in the Arizona State Championship. “I was extremely excited and proud of the entire band. All of us

were very shocked and ecstatic,” said freshman Kacey Fassett. “I was not quite sure what to expect, but in the end I feel we earned our place.” They had a score of 89.20, nearly four points ahead of 2nd place, which had a fi nal score of 85.35. Desert Vista was also awarded a Caption, for Outstanding Music Performance. The marching band has another big championship coming up soon. On December 30th, Desert Vista will compete with 8 other schools from all around the country in the Fiesta Bowl Band Competition. The event happens to be one of

Most high school students have fi lled their brains with their friends’ phone numbers, addresses, birth-days and names. So when they have to memorize information for a test it can become somewhat overwhelming. Tori Kammerzell is one of the students who has trouble retaining information. “Big tests make me nervous. I study by going through the study guide several times but I don’t use any real techniques. I would love some professional advice on how to study,” Many students, like Kam-merzell, were never taught how to study. A psychology teacher offers some insight on ways to study: “If it has meaning it is much easier to remember something.” Lara Bruner said. “Tying it to something you already know or an example makes it much easier.” Bruner’s number one tip is to make sure that you understand what you are trying to memorize. She

also suggests that you spread out the material over a longer period of time instead of cramming so it is easier to retain over a longer period of time. “The Serial Position Affect is another factor; the things that you study fi rst will be remembered best later. Also, if you connect anything to your own life and it is more personal to you, you will do better on tests. ” She also made mentioned that it is not as benefi cial to use acronyms as most students think. Many students do use these to study for vocabulary tests; however, it has been proven least successful out of these other studying tips. Five people were asked what information they had been able to retain, such as phone numbers and addresses (See chart on left). Everyone agreed that it had been easier than studying for a test. When considering Bruner’s infor-mation we might come to the con-clusion that students felt this way

Skills to Study: Preparations for examinations

Marching to Success OP

INIO

NS

NEW

S

Sports cuts are giving freshmen the blues. -page 6

We have the inside view of the medical marijuana situation.

– page 3

Did you see the dance show? Read an amazing

story about the lovely dancers.– page 2

Morning dawns and the Key Club members head out into the crisp November air. Thanksgiving has ended and the season of giving has arrived.On Saturday, November 27th Key Club members donated hours of their to time to service at the Festival of Lights. It’s a tradition they have carried out for over eight years.“This is a big event for the club, and the members look forward to it each year,” said Key Club sponsor Anita Welch. “It is a good beginning to sharing the holiday spirit.”As Desert Vista’s major service or-ganization, participating in Fes-tival of Lights benefi ts everyone

in and out of Key Club: “students by giving them the opportunity to receive a large chunk of volunteer hours,” said Welch, “they also enjoy the festival atmosphere. It helps the community because without this money raising event, we would not benefi t from the beautiful lights that decorate the foothills every holiday season.”Club members helped with the games and lights, all the while “maintaining an admirable repu-tation for being hard working, de-pendable and polite,” Welch said.“When I do service, it makes me feel better about myself. I know that I am helping others,” said freshman member Madison Bar-row. Madison spent all afternoon helping Festival of Lights attend-ees get into the obstacle course “Alcatraz”. “We help out with

A Gift of Time: Key Club serves Festival of Lights

Madison Barrow directs

children through the

obstacle course

Alcatraz. photo by

Jessica Tueller/View

Staff

Killer SkillsMEMORIZING ADDRESSES?• Of fi ve students, all knew one to three ad-dresses by heart.

PHONE NUMBERS?•Most students can memorize four to eleven phone num-bers more easily than a test answer.

BIRTHDAYS?• Each student knew between seven and ten birthdays.

The Viewby Isabelle TuliStaff Writer

by Jessica TuellerStaff Writer

by Alex AxenbeckStaff Writer

the most distinguished high school marching band com-petitions in the country. The competing bands advance from the preliminaries to the evening fi nals where the bands compete for the presti-gious Grand Master’s Trophy. “I feel we are in the right place in preparing to be in the Fiesta Bowl, but we could still use improvement. Nothing is ever perfect, there is always room for improvement,” Fas-sett confi ded. “It will be more competitive because there will be more top bands from out of

state so I believe that it will be a much more focused and intense approach.”

because personal information had meaning to them, whereas school related facts did not. Using Brun-ers advice on how to study these students and many more might be able to get higher test scores and become better at retaining general information.

TORI KAMMERZELL is one of the many students who has trouble retaining information.

photo by Alex

Axenbeck/View Staff

different things,” said Barrow, “I helped out with the blow-ups. So I made sure that the kids we being safe.” Key Club represented Desert

Vista with kindness and dedica-tion. Student service at the Festival of Lights exemplifi ed the true spirit of the holidays: a loving gift of time.

TORI KAMMERZELL is one of the many students who has trouble retaining information.

photo by Alex

Axenbeck/View Staff

Marching band belts out their tune at a DV game.

Before the miracle, there was an ordinary eighth grade girl named Arianna Ruiz riding around Ahwatukee with her brother. Thirteen year old Ruiz sat in the passenger seat as brother AJ, 17 at the time, made a left-hand turn at the intersection of Pecos Road and 40th Street. The passenger side of their Chevrolet Cavalier was hit by an SUV with a 106 mile per hour impact. It was September 14th, 2007 at 2:01 PM. The vehicle fl ipped and skidded and their lives were changed forever. The cross streets of their accident should sound familiar to Ahwatukee residents, either because they frequent these roads or because they have heard about one of the many collisions to occur before the Ruiz children’s at this busy intersection. It took the last of these mishaps to prompt the installation of a left-hand turn arrow. And yet, the latest of the 40th street and Pecos tragedies was the only one that was not fatal. Though it could not have been closer. “I died, but I came back,” said Ruiz. “I have seen heaven. I don’t know if it’s heaven, but I’ve seen it.” Her brother suffered a concussion, and some internal damage, but Arianna’s injuries were countless. She broke her neck, sternum, hip, pelvis, femur, all 24 ribs, and dislocated her jaw. She had a lacerated liver, collapsed lung, and level 1 brain injury; the most severe level. Her immune system shut down, her entire left side was paralyzed, and an accelerated heart rate kept her at constant risk for a heart attack. Doctors were surprised she survived at all. She was on life support for the fi rst ten days and in a coma for the fi rst 28. In addition to brother AJ, her father Arturo Ruiz, mother Martha Aubid and half sister could only pray and wait. Doctors suggested pulling the plug after a couple days.

Michelle Coro/The View

“They call me a miracle”

by Roseana CruzStaff Writer

Years ago Arianna Ruiz, now a Junior, was in a ter-rible accident, fought for her life, and won.

-continued on back, page 8

Michelle Coro/The View

After a long stint in a wheel chair, she is able to walk on her own, but uses a cane at school.

SPOR

TS giving freshmen the blues. -page 6

Sports cuts are giving freshmen call me a Sports cuts are giving freshmen the blues.

Michele Coro/The View

2 News December 2010The View

Desert Vista High School is one of the top public schools in Arizona and like the Thunder says, ‘The best’. It is one of the few public schools that received a 10 out of 10 rating. This school educates its students to provide opportunities for a bright future. The school’s math department ranks number 1 in the state and the school itself ranks number 19 among 32 high schools in Phoenix based on Stu-dents per Teacher Ratio. “The school has high expec-tations from students, parents, teachers and faculty for the cam-pus from the moment they walk in,” said English teacher Erik Dominguez. Students also recently won the NCTE award not to men-tion having a record number of students become National Merit Semi-Finalists. Sports are also a strong point; DV’s pole-vaulters rank amongst the nations best. Students are encouraged to work hard. Their hopes of achiev-ing the impossible are high and it keeps their spirit up. “We have teachers who work hard to make sure we not only pass the class, but that we are working hard to achieve our goals in order to be successful later in life,” said Senior Bailey McAden. The school not only aims to have students graduate with a higher GPA, but opens new pathways for their future. All that and more makes Desert Vista the best of the best.

Blundering Backstage Actors and actresses rush around backstage in a frantic whirl. Stopping only to fix a jilted costume or brush away a stray hair, the cast of Harvey prepares for opening night.Luckily for them, most of the prepa-ration has already been completed. “I feel like the director is really good at telling you what to do and exactly where to go,” said Carmen Krebs (Myrtle Mae Simmons). “It really impacts the way you see yourself as an actor and the way you actually come out and act with it.”Harvey, a tale about Uncle Elwood whose family attempts to commit him to a sanitarium, has been rehearsed consistently for over a month. “Sometimes the cast gets overwhelmed and starts freaking out a little bit,” said Jade Roeder (Ruth Kelly), “but we always work it out.” No matter the setbacks, the play has definitely been a positive experience for all cast members. “I love the cast. Everybody is awesome. That’s for real!” said Bryan Raiton (Dr. Chumley), “That’s the truth!” Krebs agrees, “we fight, but we all love each other.”Now the cast must rejoin and put all those rehearsals to good use. It is six o’clock: one hour until open-ing night.

The Curtain Opens Seven o’clock. The lights brighten and the audience hushes. Bailey McAden (Veta Louise Sim-mons) steps onto the stage and picks up the ringing telephone. Harvey has begun. “I have such butterflies in my stomach,” said McAden, “but I’m really excited at the same time.”As the play unraveled each cast member worked hard to stay in character. Krebs acts the role of “Myrtle Mae Simmons, and, well, she’s kind of awkward, and can’t get a man! And I don’t really know how to be with men, so it’s just really awkward. And I guess I relate to that because I’m socially awkward sometimes.”Raiton also kept a close connection with his character: Dr. Chumley. “Well, my character is quite crazy towards the end, and I myself am pretty crazy,” laughed Raiton, “So that’s a good relation.”Other cast members have more difficulty relating. “My character, Kelly, is a nurse slash receptionist,” confided Roeder. “I don’t really have much of a connection to her. She’s kinda funny, ditsy.” But perhaps the most difficult position of all is that of the main character. Michael Mazzella (El-wood P. Dowd) put a lot of focus into visualizing his imaginary friend Harvey. Having distinct conversations with an invisible

rabbit provides a unique challenge. “I was really just trying to picture Harvey, and thinking about what he would have said. It was just really cool,” said Mazzella, “Even though he was imaginary, he really became part of the cast.”Take a Bow Grins spread rapidly across the exhausted features of the cast. They relax from the bows, relishing in the triumph of a successful opening

Handling Harvey: The night of the show

Cheer, cheer for DVHS!

Jessica Tueller/The ViewMicHael Mazzela (Elwood P. Dowd) gives his card to Kevin Bowling (E.J. Lofgren) in “Harvey”

Jessica Tueller and Isabelle TuliStaff Writers

by Nabeela KhanStaff Writer

Dancing the night awayby Alex AxenbeckStaff Writer

On December 2nd and 3rd the Joe McDonald auditorium was brought to life with singing and dancing. Everyone preformed from, beginner to advanced, and they all left the crowd awe struck. Elaborated costumes matched every song and great dance moves made the perfor-mance breath-taking and entertaining. Of course the dancers were nervous while hustling to get ready before their big mo-ment under the spotlight. “I feel so nervous but also really excited for the show.” said Lauren Nadon before her performance “So many lights and a cheering crowd really make me nervous. We also never have enough time to get ready!” All of the dancers seemed ecstatic before bouncing up on stage but of course there was a nervous energy about them. The show was definitely Christ-mas themed and it brought family and friends of the dancers into the holiday spirit. Christ-mas songs and Santa costumes had the audience singing along and swaying to the music. One small child was so inspired by the show that she got out into the isle and danced along to “Single Ladies”. This cute girl caught the attention of several people and caused chuckles to ripple through the crowd. During intermission all of the kids in the audience got a special surprise…

Santa! This made the show even more Christmas like. “I thought it was amazing and very festive for the holiday season” Breanna Machol said after the show. She was one of many in the audience who was simply awestruck by the talent of her own classmates and friends. A dancer flew across the stage, landed doing the splits and jumped feet into the air. It

seemed impossible and very im-pressive for high school students to be such phenomenal dancers so much of the audience asked themselves: how often do they practice? How much experience do they have? Do they enjoy it? “We’ve been training for this performance everyday.” Hanna Sturdivant, a senior class dancer, said. “The closer to the show we get the more intense training is. The week of the show we have been practicing before school and in the afternoons everyday. I am in the senior com-pany and my dance couch is Mrs. Caryl. In January we tried out to see what class we are in and then we tried out small groups for the show a few weeks ago.” The dancers were divided into seven groups. Begin-

ner, intermediate, advanced silver, advanced blue, advanced gold, junior company and senior company. All of these groups preformed apart from beginner. Seeing as none of them were complete beginners they were able to put on a great show. “The show was so cute! It totally got me into the holiday spirit and I loved ‘Teenage Dream’ and ‘Swan Lake’. It was

just all so good!” Kelly Conrad was particularly impressed by the ballerinas in ‘Swan Lake’.

Another truly im-pressive aspect of the night was that many dances were choreographed by own very own Desert Vista stu-dents. This could be wonderful practice for those students wishing to pursue dance in their later lives.

During intermission parents and friends of the dancers could buy them a rose to show their pride towards their loved one. The roses were three dollars for

night. “It went really well!” said McAden, “We were really nervous because it was a little rough earlier today, but it came together really nicely.”Looking back on the performance, McAden readily replies that her fa-vorite scene was “when Wilson [Joe Mascort] carries me on his back! It’s just a lot of fun, and I get to slap him, and that’s always fun.”

The whole show got a lot of laughs and smiles. “I think we got a lot more audience reaction than we anticipated,” said Mazzella, “It was great.” The contorted plots and piles of jokes made it an enjoy-able night for everyone.The phenomenal performance was an immediate hit. Krebs said, “I just think we have a great cast that really pulls it together in the end.”

DV’s many medals are on display in the E

building.

Alex Axenbeck/The View

Photos by Alex Axenbeck/The View

Dance students shake their booties to a classic christmas jingle

one and five for two and it seemed they were going quickly.

3OPINIONSDecember 2010The View

The fi rst recorded use for mari-juana for medicinal purposes was in 2727 B.C. On November 15th, 2010 Arizona approved medical marijuana. Arizona has tried to legalize medical marijuana three times now. The fi rst time the fed-eral agents rejected it because they didn’t think it was safe. It was ap-proved the second time, but then the DEA said they weren’t going to pursue it anymore. So I guess three times really is the charm. About 10 years ago a very unfor-tunate thing hap-pened to our fam-ily. One night a bad conflict occurred and my uncle was shot and it para-lyzed him from the waist down permanently. The man that did this to him had no mo-tives and no reason to he’s just a hor-rible person who decided to change someone’s life for-ever. 10 years later my uncle still has severe pain from this. The only thing that really helps is medical marijuana. As bad as some people think marijuana it helps some peo-ple who have some type of medical condition like my uncle’s. Medical marijuana is the only thing that seems to really help. But with that he still manages to control it like everyone else should. Marijuana may seem like a dangerous drug but according to experts it’s not. “I trust the experts and the doctor’s decisions that they are doing what’s best for us,” said Principal, Dr. Battle. I strongly agree with Battle. Doctors aren’t going to release something that could be dangerous or potentially

harmful to us. I trust what they do and if they think this its benefi cial then it must be okay. If anyone has ever known a person with a medical disability or a terminal illness seeing the person suffer is a really hard to see and it’s even worse of course for the person suffering. I don’t think people realize how important medical marijuana until they either go through a medical problem or permanent pain of some sort themselves or see how much pain the person with this is in. In my opinion this is a good

thing for our society right now. Espe-cially with all the new diseases and illnesses discov-ered every day. This might be the one thing that can work best right now. Do I think it should be a permanent solu-tion to cases like my uncles or any other terminal ill-nesses? Not neces-sarily. Even though it is a natural plant people don’t always use their heads and

it could easily be abused. If the law can be followed properly it seems like it’s going to be a great thing for everyone who needs it. Dr. Battle said, “However if the law is broken or misused people’s health could be at risk.” So far Alaska, California, Colorado, and now Arizona have approved Medical Marijuana. Medical Mari-juana could go very far in our society and ultimately save lives every day. And I’m sure it can treat many other diseases or terminal illnesses. If it stays under control, I think medical marijuana could go a long ways. It maybe could even cure a disease one day. Marijuana has already been legalized. Only the future will tell.

God save America. Those words coming from the mouth of an admitted atheist, myself, carry a special power. The fi rst Tuesday of this November saw the worst electoral decision since President Bush was “elected” in 2000. Republicans now hold a majority in the House of Repre-sentatives and watered down the

Demo-cratic major-ity in the senate. To make it worse, conser-vatives achieved

sweeping victories in the governorships. The map of the country looks much too red for my liking. For the last two years, Re-publicans have not only rep-resented bad policies but bad politics as well. As a minority, they obstructed every major or minor morsel of legislation. They now have the majority in the house and have stated that their mission is to undo the measures

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock! Ready for winter break? Two whole weeks off for vacationing, hanging out with friends, or doing absolutely nothing! Winter break is just around the corner and the people can hardly wait! However, this may be a bigger problem than we think. Students are getting so excited about having two weeks off they decide to check out early. “Generally, students are not on task, goofi ng around, and just re-ally waste class time. When they decide to check out they don’t pay attention in class, and miss out on important information that could be benefi cial to them,” said

Spanish teacher Ryan Tolman. This is probably the worst time to check out, but unfortunately, it’s the most common time as well. School should still be the top priority on your Christmas list, in-stead of waiting until the eighth day of Hanukkah before you decide to quit. It is time to wake up! Some of the most important tests and assign-ments of the year are right around the corner, and if we are sleeping in class, we could be spending our winter break being yelled at by our parents. How can we stop this from happening? Yes, we are excited for Winter Break, but we are forgetting that we are still in school and that is what we should be focusing on.

Check IT Out!

Democracy Fails on November 2, 2010About 203?

What’s the Buzz

Atikah Kahn/The View

that saved us from an all out, hands-down, depression. John Boehner, the new speaker of the house, has expressed his intent to begin impeachment hearings for Barack Obama immediately. Disturbing as this news is, it is nothing new for the G.O.P. For all the rhetoric of “runaway spend-ing” the Republicans were more than willing to shift the entire might of the country towards impeaching Bill Clinton a decade ago because he was caught with his pants down. The hole digs deeper. A hefty amount of the candidates that won this election are not even republicans. They represent an entirely new form of the religious right that has one thing to say to the government, “Cut”. They are called by many names, some say the tea party, some say super-republicans, I call them the Klan. A freshly radical take on conservatism that wants to, simultaneously, cut taxes and lower the defi cit. As Tea-party sweet hearts throw their arms in the air victoriously, economists place their palm fi rmly on their forehead and sigh in disappoint-ment.

I’m not the only one worried about the election. Steven Limi-tone, Junior, is pessimistic about the new Republican majority. “The Democratic Party is much friendlier to education than the Republican and we would stand to benefi t from a Democrat majority.” The most dangerous precedent of this election is that these demagogues seem to be immune to bad media. Rand Paul, son of ex-presidential candidate Ron Paul, victor of the Kentucky senate seat, is a disturbingly well fi tting example. A video of one of his rallies shows his support-ers beating a liberal woman who was protesting against Paul. The former vice-presidential candi-date Sarah Palin said that she could see Russia from her house. She is now the star of a new real-ity show and a potential bid for the 2012 election. My personal hero Sir Winston Churchill once said “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others”. On November 2, the people chose poorly. The ramifi cations of this decision are yet to come.

The troubles of teenagers: we get called names, we call others names, and

everything in our life becomes so crucial. What we wear, how we speak, and what we look like all become a key part of our social status. Bullied because of differ-ences happens in every school. However, bullying is not just verbal. Leaving hurtful messages on formspring is cyber bullying. What most people don’t real-ize is that just giving someone a look of disapproval is considered bullying. We all get judgmental at times, and sometimes we give someone a dirty look. We may not mean to hurt others, but bul-lying is still bullying. “Bullying causes pain, and it keeps students from focusing on what is important in school, and they can’t feel good about their self,” said ninth grade counselor Mrs. Josephine Levy. “Bullying is present at every school at some extent. Our faculty is very aware

of bullying problems, however it is diffi cult to measure the amount of bullying because most of the time it is kept a secret”. Accord-ing to the Centers for Disease Control, a devastating 31,284 people commit suicide a year from being harassed by their classmates. This shows that the results for bullying aren’t just hurt feelings, but could result in death. The main problem with bully-ing is that when an act of bully-ing happens, it remains a secret. Why? If bullying is such a serious problem, it should be reported to someone with authority, rather then left to the students to solve. Having an adult or counselor step in is the best way to solve these problems. Unfortunately, not many people report bullying

incidents. I don’t think people re-alize that keeping the problem to themselves is only hurting them. “People do not tell the author-ity because they are scared they will make things worse,” contin-ues Mrs. Levy. People need to start thinking of the future, and what’s best for them. Being a “snitch” is so fi fth grade, and high school students are old enough and mature enough to report serious issues to the offi ce. Yet, we should also be old and mature enough to not bully in the fi rst place. But seeing that this is not the case, we need to hand things over people who can help. If we could all stand up for each other and realize we prob-ably have a lot in common, bullying could go away forever.

Nicole Salsburg/ The View

“I wish we could all bake a cake fi lled with smiles”

“I hate to admit it, but there really is no actual solution for this situ-ation,” said Tolman. “It’s just the way teenagers are, but teachers also have the responsibility to make their lessons as interesting as pos-sible to keep the students engaged.” Students have to put in the effort to stay focused and just push through the last couple of days. “Students have to just be more responsible and they need to start prioritizing their lives. Sure, sleeping in class might be better now, but in the long run it hurts everyone,” continues Tolman. With high school students being so irresponsible, this might be a bit of a challenge. I believe if we cared enough, we could pull it off.

It is okay to be excited about the holidays and Winter Break, but we need to make sure we aren’t check-ing out too soon. Maybe if we could

just keep our eyes open for a few more days, we could have a fun-fi lled Winter Break, and be ready to endure the next semester.

Nicole Salsburg/ The View

“I trust the experts and the doctor’s

decisions that they are doing

what’s best for us.”

by Shandra BeckettStaff Writer

by Nicole SalsburgStaff Writer

by Nicole SalsburgStaff Writer

Students doze off during Spanish class.

Student gets bullied on DV campus.

by Joe Beck

Students lose focus as Winter Break approaches

Bullying: A problem on all high school campuses.

Medical marijuana is fi nally legal in AZ

&&AAAQQQQ&A&AQ&Q&Q&Q&A&AQ&QQ&Q

5CENTERSPREADDecember 2010The View

4

What’s your favorite part about Christmas? -When we get presents

What’s on your wish list for Santa? -I haven’t “drawed” it yet.

What’s your favorite part about Christmas? -We have a baby animal, one of my favorite ornamentsWhat’s on your wish list for Santa? -I wanna get a potty baby for Christmas

What’s your favorite part about Christmas? -Uhm….I like putting up the Christmas tree

&&THIS

Sarah, Age 3 Ryan, Age 4 Julia, Age 3 Whitney, Age 3

Fifty years ago, the holidays were celebrated the same way they are now. With gifts, the gathering of families, and a time to celebrate. But as the years have changed, the evolution of holidays have changed for better and for worse. Back then, the holidays were about homemade gifts and family gatherings. Now the word “homemade” is a thing of the past. Holiday e-mails, text messaging, and a phone call for the holidays is all what people receive. People who grew up in the 60’s, 70’s 80’s, and 90’s, have experi-enced a change in how the world works. Now that there is more technology, more distance comes between the gatherings of friends, families, and the “value” of gifts, especially when it comes to the holidays. “Since I was a kid, the holidays have grown to be more imper-sonal and more commercial,” said Cheri Johnson, Front Desk. “The pressure of receiving gifts is always on the television. I think that people should focus more on their families”. When it comes to kids and teenagers, instead of craving a homemade sweater from a family member, they want all the fl at screens, iPods, cell phones, and any technological device that they can get their hands on. Teenagers are now realizing by looking back on how things have changed from they were little kids, that children now only care about the artifi cial things.

All I want for Christmas is...

“I think that some children only care about the material things rather than spending time with their family,” said sophomore Shelby Sheridan. “I mean some care about spending time with their family, but there are less like that now than before”. Even though the years have

Gatherings and feasts to celebrate the holidays are a thing of the past, as cash instead of the price of

thought has taken over the menu.by Melissa DeanStaff Writer

What is it like, celebrating Hanukkah when all of your friends are celebrating Christmas? “It’s very interesting and it’s fun to be different, but some-times it’s annoying listening to Christmas carols.”

What is your favorite part of the holiday? “Spending time with my family and relatives that I don’t get to see often is always fun and I love eating latkas.”

How does your family celebrate? We light candles, have dinner, and open the nightly pres-ent after the sun goes down like most Jewish families.”

If you could tell your friends one thing about being Jewish, what would it be? “It’s so fun and I wish they would celebrate with me. People don’t understand what it means to be Jewish and im-mediately make fun of me.”

In simple terms, how is Hanukkah celebrated? “When the sun goes down, we light one candle and eat regular dinner and afterward open presents. It represents the 8 nights of Hanukkah in the Torah.”

by Shannon MaselStaff Writer

&Q&Q&What is it like, celebrating Hanukkah when all of your

&Q&QWhat is it like, celebrating Hanukkah when all of your Q&QQ&Q&QRochelle Reiss QQby Shannon MaselQRochelle Reiss QRochelle Reiss QRochelle Reiss QRochelle Reiss Q spotlight on... &THATby Brooke RojasStaff Writer

Fuzzy socks with slippers? How about fuzzy socks and Vans? It seems that fuzzy socks are a trend of the winter worn by everyone: students, teachers, parents, pets, and just about all the people trying to stay warm in the cold. These socks are soft and cozy in order to keep your toes warm and cozy in the wintry weather. They are a cute way to not have numb toes. It was back in 1500’s when both men and women started wearing socks in order to keep their feet from chaffi ng. They realized that if animal skin is wrapped around

the foot, it keeps feet warm. Only the

highest of classes had socks that

were actually sewn

the foot, it keeps feet warm. Only the

highest of classes had socks that

were actually sewn

Warm and Fuzzytogether with silk. Eventually, they put two and two together and created a sock with fur inside; the fuzzy sock was born. “They’re the comfi est socks ever, no doubt. They keep my feet all snuggley and warm. It’s almost like having a party on your feet. I normally like to wear them every day of the week, because they’re sick,” said freshman Natalie Terhaar. “Three words to describe my fuzzy socks? Well, soft, cuddly, and super festive,” said freshman Alexis Flesey. Fuzzy socks can be worn anywhere and everywhere. Especially during winter holiday occasions. Wear them to school, around the house, or hanging out with friends. They come in numerous amounts of patterns, so buy a pair to show holiday spirit this year. These can be found at local drugstores or super stores. Sometimes, scented pairs of socks are sold. Do your feet a favor and keep them warm.

changed, the holidays are the main thing that have changed many children, teenagers, and how adults see the change in gift giv-ing, gift receiving, and the change in gatherings since they were younger.

by Chrissy GrandellStaff Writer

Everyone has witnessed the rush of the day following Thanksgiving, Black Friday: the everlasting line of cars piling into the mall’s parking lot, clothing stores stuffed with anxious customers, and mothers lining up outside of department stores to get the best bargains. But how did this day come into being? It is uncertain when the term was fi rst used, but it is said that it surfaced in the 1960’s, mainly on the East Coast. Black Friday describes the day following Thanksgiving that brings in the season for Christmas shopping, along with mass chaos

characterized by traffi c jams, crowded sidewalks, and stores fi lled to the brim with discount-hungry shoppers. In more recent times, the term is used by media and merchants to illustrate when retailers go from being in “the red”, which is marketing lingo for a loss in sales, to being in “the black”, which designates a profi t. If this day is such a rushing whirl of chaos, what is it that lures in millions of shoppers across the nation to participate in Black Friday every year? The most obvious reason is all the crazy deals that can be fi nd all over your local shopping centers. With department stores such as Kohl’s, Macy’s, and JC

Penney opening at 3 or 4 in the morning, shoppers got a few hours of napping in after Thanksgiving dinner to power up for “door-buster deals”. A select few malls even open up to the madness at midnight. You would think that all that turkey would make even the most eccentric shopper sleepy, but every year there is a couple handfuls of those who stick it out all night and shop ‘til the sun comes up. “Waiting in line for an hour at three in the morning was torture, but I don’t think stores even have adequate staff members to compensate for the chaos on Black Friday,” said Janelle Davault, junior at DV. If you can only

imagine the amount of frustration felt by customers in these never-ending lines, try to picture the exhaustion that overwhelms the Black Friday workers. If you spent a lot of time in front of the TV prior to Black Friday, you probably saw Best Buy’s promotional commercial. It featured an employee emphasizing the greatness of working on the most chaotic shopping day of the year while listing off sales. On the contrary, if you have ever worked a busy day in a department store, you know that a line from your register wrapped around the store is anything but fun. “I watched a new employee being yelled at for scanning a short the wrong way.

She had a line full of people and had been working all night. I felt really bad for her,” said Kelley Nestuk, junior. It seems that with each passing Holiday Season the lines get longer, the deals get better, and the rush gets more intense. Despite the stress-inducing crowds and incessant lines at the registers, Black Friday continues to lure in bargain shoppers year after year. Retailers have come into the realization that by dropping prices they can draw in huge crowds, and with all the crazy deals this year ranging from 50% off the entire store to pairs of shoes for a penny, one can only imagine what is in store for next year.

by Brooke RojasStaff Writer

MIDNIGHT MADNESS

by Chrissy GrandellStaff Writer

The Glee Club has found their big break this holiday season, sing-ing at the upcoming choir concert. Even with the recent change in leadership and the confusion that has caused, nothing has held the club back from wanting to spread some holiday cheer to the campus. Allie Zingale, senior, and vice president, Kylie Mohr, senior, were voted on by the club members after the old president had to step down. Out of the 50 people that tried out, about 16 people made the cut. Because everyone had to pass auditions not only for sing-ing, but for dancing skills too, they are sure a talented bunch. During the choir concert coming up, Glee club will be performing a holiday medley. After their Halloween parade being so successful, it was a unanimous decision that Christmas carols would for sure bring in some more fans. At the choir concert, the club will be sure to make their name more

known and to gain support. Being a new club, that is surely a hard thing to gain. “We’re affi liated greatly with choir,” Zingale said. “It’s gained us a lot of popularity.” The club is also performing at the Children’s Hospital and the Festival of Lights. “When we fi rst started our meet-ings, it was hard for everyone to be there, but as we get more gigs and stuff to do, it is become a lot easier,” said vice president Kylie Mohr. Get into the spirit by watch-ing our own ‘New Directions’ belt it out at the choir concert, Decem-

by Shannon MaselStaff Writer

like ‘how is school?’ or ‘what is happening in sports?’ I normally try to make somewhat of a conver-sation, but things just end up being silent,” How is conversation made on the spot? Talking about school and sports is a nice conversations starter, but too general. “It is never hard for me to think of something to say. I just blurt out whatever comes to me. One time I asked my cousin what color underwear he was wearing, he thought I was just a tad bit weird. But hey, it always helps me start a stable conversation,” said junior Tyler Adams. Whether they do not know what to say or ask the most boring ques-tions, it is always helpful to set up conversation. It is always nice to see family that has been absent for a while. In the end, they are still family; even if they are awkward.

Everyone has an Uncle Phil who doesn’t want to give anyone a present for Christmas, or a Grandma Ethel that is from the stone ages and always wants to do things the “proper” way dur-ing the family reunion. The only time anyone ever sees these fam-ily members is maybe once a year. When they come over and no-body has anything to say, things might get a little… awkward. It is thought that after not see-ing someone for so long that there would be a million topics to talk about. But when it comes down to it, no words come out and the awkward moments begin for the holidays. Sophomore Anessa Blanco-Paiz said “I usually only see my distant family over summer or winter break. Since I never see them its uncomfortably awkward to think up stuff to talk about on the spot. They always ask things

MY LIFE IS AwKwArD

Anessa Blanco-Paiz has those awkward family moments when taking pictures.

What’s your favorite part about Christmas? -My favorite part is Santa Claus

What’s on your wish list for Santa? -Presents….I haven’t picked any yet

The end of the year is just around the corner and the one thing people are thinking about is presents, sitting near a well lit Christmas tree with an empty cookie dish and a cup of half fi lled milk. Though it may be elementary, students cannot wait until the 25th of December and for old St. Nick to come down the chimney. Reality check: not everyone celebrates Christmas. The most commonly known world wide celebration that happens at the end of every year is Christmas. Most people know that there’s this tree where presents go under and are unwrapped early every 25th of December. Christmas stands out more than any other holiday. There are the “little things such as labels on the Coco-Cola cans and commercials,” said sophomore Savannah Haynie, “but it’s also the

with the... big things like movies based on Christmas that make it dominate over the other holidays.” “Christmas is probably the best known holiday,” said freshman Hanlan. Not only do people decorate more, but TV and radio shows are more focused on Christmas than on any other holiday. JC Penney commercials and Bogo sales at Payless, Christmas is making stores go crazy too. All the kids are worried about, no matter what age, is presents. “You get toys like Hot Wheels and Legos! It’s the best time of the year,” said junior Jovaughn Stiger. “I get tamales,” said senior Ace Martinez, “but I also like the family bonding and new clothes.” No matter the holiday, every one can agree that the end of the year does bring people together. Whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other holiday, one thing that can be said to everyone: Happy Holidays.

by Mariah SchulteStaff Writer

Christmas Domination

Singing in the Holidays

Melissa Dean / The View

A&A&AA&APeople don’t understand what it means to be Jewish and im-A&AA “When the sun goes down, we light one candle and eat AKylie Mohr, Allison Zingale, and Courtney Raab get in the Christmas spirit for Glee Club.

Rochelle Reiss shows off her dreidel and menorah.

Chrissy Grandell / The View

Broo

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Rochelle Reiss / submitted to The View

Anessa Blanco-Paiz/ submitted to The View

so successful, it was a unanimous decision that Christmas carols would for sure bring in some more fans. At the choir concert, the club will be sure to make their name more

The end of the year is just around the corner and the one

Christmas Domination

scanning a short the wrong way. store for next year.

with the...with the...

Thunder TykesMelissa Dean / The View

Shannon Masel / The View

6 OPINIONS

Walking around school you hear a lot of people talking about when the next football game is or what the score was for last night’s game. You never hear anything about when the next tennis game is. Sports such as these are dominated by major sports like baseball and football. “One of our school goals is to improve school spirit and we’re do-ing that by having athletes from one sport going to the games of other sports” said TJ Snyder, Athletics Director. This is a good way to start because chances are that not every player on the football team is related to the same wrestler. This is a problem because people in tennis, swim and dive, wrestling etc. are working just as hard, or harder than those in football and don’t even see one-quarter of the fans other larger sports do. That is ridiculous, after practicing for hours and hours putting in all their blood, sweat and tears. Some players walk onto the first place podium and see maybe twenty people cheering. It is not just school sports, its sports all over the world that are nearly forgotten. If you ask the average American who won in Sundays football game they will tell you off the top of their head, but if you ask them if there’s a trampoline and tumbling (T&T) meet coming up they won’t be able to tell you anything. They may not even know what T&T is or that it is even a sport. People in T&T work harder than any baseball player and don’t see a fraction of the fans. No matter the sport, consider going to a couple of their games so the players can know what it is like to be supported by someone other than family.

Dn’t use ur fone in skool

Too Cool For SChool

What would life be like without high school? I could not imagine and I am sure other students can not either. In the 20th century the number of kids dropping out really started to increase. It seemed that more and more kids were dropping out for unknown reasons. Maybe they got tired of school or maybe it was the “in thing” at the time. “I think students drop out because they just don’t care anymore about school,” said Senior, Troy Drake. For whatever reason it was it really started to scare teachers and parents. Now you may say you do not care but that is money lost that teachers need because students aren’t showing up. As much as some kids hate school

Shandra Beckett/ The View

“Just one more text to my best friend. There it’s sent. And the teacher didn’t even notice!” Just another typical statement students make when they decide to whip out their cellular devices during class. On the other hand, some students have the misfortune of getting caught. “The first offense is just a warning, the second time the parents must come to the school and pick up the phone, and the student receives an hour of after school detention, and so on and so forth,” explained Activities Di-rector, Tomika Bethea. There isn’t anything more humiliating than having your parents have to come to school just to pick up your cell phone, which they might decide to keep for a couple of weeks. Using your phone anytime during the school besides lunch

is not the brightest idea. You will see your best friend in 50 minutes; I am sure you can wait. The problem is that we are so caught up in our technological world. We forget what is really important, or just that we think texting is important. When we have this belief, the con-sequence if your caught seems like a “whatever deal.” “I believe students text in class because they always need to know what’s going on. Students also like to take risks and they enjoy the element in danger, which in this case, is getting caught,” said Mrs. Bethea. It’s stupid how it’s not until the third time, where the parents actually have to come to the school to pick up the phone, that the students realizes that texting in class is not the best choice. We are at school for a reason, to learn. We can be with our friends before or after school, during pass-

ing time and at lunch, and in your other activities. It really is not all that hard to not use your cell phone during your classes. “I hate to say it, but there are really no solu-tions to this problem. We have a very good system, and when it is followed, it works excellently,” ex-plained Bethea. Turn your phone off and keep it in your backpack. With us teenagers being so lazy, we will not want to search through all the stuff in our bags, and wait a minute for our phones to turn on. If you are taking your phone out to see the time, get a watch. Even I, goody-two-shoes, have taken out my phone in class before. We all do it at some point, whether to check the time, or tell your mom you love her. However, a continu-ous conversation with a friend can wait. Do not worry though; you have 3,000 students who have to wait the antagonizing 57 minutes just like you.

December 2010

The View

The VIew STaff

EditorsRoseana Cruz, Brooklyn Rojas, Mariah Shulte, Melissa Dean,

Joe Beck, and Angie Bumstead

Staff WritersMichelle Abunaja, Jessica Arvayo, Alex Axenbeck, Shandra Beckett, Eliza Bell, Kelly Bodine, Alec Boucher, Chrisanda Grandell, Atikah Khan, Nabeela Khan, Shannon Masel, Nicole

Salsburg, Jessica Tueller, Isabelle Tuli

Adviser Michelle Coro

The View is published by the Journalism students of DVHS. Contact us at 16640 S. 32nd St., Phoenix Az 85048, (480) 706-7900 ext 9-1156 or newspaper.dvh@tuhsd.k12.az.us. Read The View and other projects by the Thundermedia staffs online at www. dvthundermedia.com. The paper is printed by Valley Newspapers. Opinions, commentaries and features with the bylines are the opinions and research of the writers and do not necessarily express the opinions of the View Staff, the school faculty or other students. Letters to the editor are welcome and encouraged. All letters must be signed and verifiable in order to be published, but names will be upheld upon request. All letters are subject to condensation. The View cannot publish any materials which violate laws governing student publications. Letters should be sent to room A156, placed in the advisors mailbox, or emailed no later than one week after the previous issue.

Wanted: Writers, Designers and Photographers! If you are interested in working for The View staff as a “MoJo” (Mobile Journalist) contact Mrs. Coro’s through the school website.

I do not think it is ever okay to drop out. Call me a good girl but without high school where would students go in life? What would they do? I agree high school can be re-ally boring at times and a total drag. Having to get up early every morning and spend 7 hours learn-ing is no picnic, even for kids who love school. I know there are days where I just want to stay home and sleep, but then I start if I really start to think about it I realize how nice going to school can be. It gives us a chance to meet new people and spend time with our friends and just be a teenager. I know sitting at home all day may sound amazing at times, but really grass is not greener on the other side in this case. “School is very important and it can help you a lot in life,” said Troy Drake. Students need

school as much as teachers need to teach. The dropout rate has re-ally decreased over the past 10 years. But what if it had not of decreased? “If dropout rates kept increasing I would think the schools would have to be reevaluated as to why this is hap-pening,” said Administrator, Mrs. Johnson. In 2002 the graduation rate increased to a 72%. Students were not only staying in school but a majority of them were grad-uating on time with their classes. Graduation is also a special thing no one should miss. Even though it’s completely corny to some kids it is also very special to oth-ers and their parents. And even the kids who think its corny still must be a little proud of them-selves for making it thought the past 18 years of school. Gradu-

ation is a time for celebrating and being proud of yourself and your peers. In my opinion no one should miss that. Less and less kids are because in 2008 it was recorded that a remarkable 75% of kids were graduating. The number keeps increasing and I hope it stays that way. “I think the graduating rate will keep increasing because there is a lot more focus and the standards of students are raising,” said Administrators, Mrs. Kapler and Mrs. Johnson. It sometimes even is fun no matter how many people will not admit that I know you know deep down that I am right. So keep up the good work and keep impress-ing skeptics. Like people say you’re only young once and you only get the high school experi-ence once.

Some sports are sick of getting over-looked

by Alec BoucherStaff Writer

by Nicole SalsburgStaff Writer

by Shandra BeckettStaff Writer

Student hides phone in backpack while texting during class.. Nicole Salsburg/ The View

Graduation in Kansas May 2010

7 SPORTSDecember 2010The View

Without a freshman soccer team, ninth grade soccer hopefuls tried out for JV or varsity, resulting in an overwhelming number of cuts of the younger athletes.

Michelle Abunaja/The View

Get pumped with pre-season track

THE POP CULTURE GRIDHow plugged in

are sports stars?

Which pro-athlete would

you like to chill with?

Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?

What’ s your favorite holiday

dessert?

What do you want for

Christmas?

Naughty or nice?

Doug Christoffi s

Coach

Randy Couture

Lord of the Rings because the

person who tries to do right has no special powers.

Neopolitan cookies

Happiness for my children

Nice

Yasmine Yacut

Track and Field

Christiano Ronaldo

Harry Potter Peach cobbler

You Nice

Sean Coffi ngerFootball

David Beckham Harry

PotterIce cream A puppy NiceKatie Pawlik

Track and Field

Michael Vick

Lord of the Rings

Pumpkin pie

A new car Naughty

“I actually thought I was going to make JV, maybe even varsity but I ended up not making either,” said an anonymous girl who was cut from the soccer team. She’s not the only one who was disappointed at the results on the roster. Many girls were cut from the JV and varsity teams this year. Over 50 girls tried out but there was only 40 spots on the both teams, leaving too many disappointed when they saw the roster. “It’s too deep of a talent pool,” said varsity coach Paul Manoogian “for girls who are year round, but didn’t make it, don’t get discouraged, keep playing and try next year.” Like all try- outs, it boils down to fi rst impressions and what you do in the few minutes your being evaluated. There are still other ways to prove ones soccer skill. According to Mrs. Leah

Dompier, girls JV coach, they look for movement on and off the ball, good communication, ball control and hustle. Basically it’s all the basics of soccer but the player has to know how to put it to use. “Are they productive with their talent, talent is very important but are they productive with it? that the number one thing for me,” said Manoogian There have been rumors that players who are not on a club team are most likely not going to make a team. This rumor is false.There are two players on the teams (Courtney Gosselin and Alison Richardson) who have not been playing club through out high school. Club players typically make the team because they play at least ten months a year which is just more practice than most. Coming to DV’s soccer try-outs after not practicing for a couple months is coming unprepared. Since Desert Vista is very competitive

and talented try- outs is probably not the best place to start up with a ball after a couple months with out practice. This year a ton of freshmen tried out for a team, meaning more were cut. Addressing the idea of a freshman team was not a problem since the coaches were for it. Unfortunately there are multiple reasons why that will not be a possibility. Every school would need a freshman team when some schools are just struggling for body’s. Plus it would cost more money for coaches, referee’s and uniforms. Not only there isn’t enough money or people but there also isn’t time. Where would there be time to fi t in all three practices, and games? “Only about thirty-ish people tried out for soccer this year and no one was cut,” said a student attending Marcos de Niza, which is not the only school with-in the Tempe Union High school

District with a small amount of people trying out for sports. Unfortunately there isn’t enough of anything to make a freshman team possible. Girls who were not able to make the team are encouraged to talk to a coach about their performance during try outs and what they can work on to have a better chance next year. Along with asking about their try-out players should keep up their skills during off season. According to Coach Dompier players who follow these tips typically make the team next year.

Michelle Abunaja/The View

Get pumped with pre-season track

since the coaches were for it.

Not going to cut it GETTING AHEADAudrey Sumpter, freshman, is one of the lucky few who made the soccer team.

ReyAnn Rivera(left), Junior, runs pre-season track with Sam Goodall(right), an athelete from a different school.

Potter

Michael Vick

Lord of the Rings

cobbler

Harry Ice cream

Peach You

A puppy

Pumpkin A new car

The pre-season track started a month ago and it allows athletes to have a solid base training prior to the main season. It supports them to get conditioned for the track. “Athletes can be more success-ful if they do pre-season,” said Coach Cline, instructor of the girls and boys track and fi eld. Students who are looking for-ward to be in the track next year should surely join the practice. “You can excel faster in track and get your potential faster,” said Jhantaya Harrington, junior, when asked about the impor-tance of pre-season. The practice ends in February, which is two months from now and students can have a brilliant practice and be completely ready for the track. “They get more time to work on technical aspects of different events, core strength training to help athletes prevent injuries, and opportunities to learn new drills,” Cline said. Therefore, pre-season not only helps athletes with the workout, it also trains them how to avoid injuries and to be more effi cient in the com-petition. “It gets you mentally prepared for the real season,” said Mia Vallero, freshman, an athlete. Pre-season allows athletes an opportunity to have a solid base or condition prior to the track season.

Michelle Abunaja/The View For the athletes whose sports are not in season, staying in shape before the spring season

comes back around is easy.

The fi rst practice to work on during an off-season is run-ning. Keeping those muscular legs from getting squishy is of utmost importance. Running also strengthens bones. After long

days of sitting in class people’s bones start to grow weaker and gradually lose their bold phy-sique. “I take a PE class so that I’m al-ways active and I run after school with my friends,” said freshman, Rosemary Champlin. Running is not the only way to stay in shape. Keeping muscle memory but is something that can only be achieved by repeti-tion. Keeping skills sharp can be accomplished by practicing a half hour a couple times a week. Riding a bike is also very good cardio, which is essential for an athlete’s endurance. Relying only on those gaudy toning shoes and outfi ts to keep an athlete in shape is not recom-

Shape UP in your sport’s DOWN time

comes back around is easy.

Shape UP in your sport’s DOWN timeAthletes keep their game up by working out in between seasons

Michelle Abunaja/The View

by Michelle AbunajaStaff Writer

by Michelle AbunajaStaff Writer

by Atikah KhanStaff Writer

LEADER OF THE PACKSenior Edmund Baker (center) takes up running to stay active in basketball’s off-season.

mended. One can only strut sports apparel every once in awhile with out starting to look like a personal trainer. Besides, new gadgets only work to a certain extent until a little hard-earned sweat on the athlete’s part is needed. “Well, I’ve always been the fat kid so I had the motivation to not be fat, I started working out going into freshman year,” said sophomore Devon Hammonds. “So in between seasons I try to stay fi t by doing mainly cardio.” Staying in shape is only hard if someone does not take the initia-tive to get out there and “just do it” as Nike encourages. Funn how they have not come out with a toning shoe; maybe they are

8REAR VIEWDecember 2010The View

The chilly weather is catching up to us. People are ditching the shorts and tank-tops for sweaters, mittens, and jeans. For those who are less fortunate, affording warm clothes, especially jeans, is a problem. Not to worry! Key Club is starting a jean drive called “Teens 4 Jeans”. The purpose of the drive is to help teenagers who cannot buy their own jeans, and provide them with a nice pair of pants. Their goal is to collect two-hundred and fi fty pairs of jeans by January 15th. Many members of the Key Club believe that it’s an opportunity of a lifetime to help theseteens out. As the cold approaches us, giving them an extra layer or two will certainly make them feel warmer. “I think it’s a great op-portunity to help teens in need,” said sophomore Delaney Bemish-

Melissa Dean/The View

REAR VIEW

Melissa Dean/The View

KEY CLUB ignites the drive by providing boxes for teens to donate their unused jeans.

Andrew DeValkSeeking: Masters in Music EducationAt: Arizona State University

Teens 4 Jeans

Key Club lends a helping hand towards unfortunate teens who cannot afford jeans.

With the economy in the dumps, money is hard to come by. For some students, it’s as easy as, “Hey mom, can I have 10 dollars?” But for others, money comes at a price: getting a job. Whether it is Burger King or Kohls, high school students are notorious for fi lling employers with applications. Not only is having a job chal-lenging, it can also be illegal. Students under the age of 14 are not allowed to work. For older workers, child labor laws restrict the amount of hours they can work. Teens under the age of 16 can only work 3 hours on school days and 18 hours in a week. If an employed teen is 16 or 17, they cannot work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week. “Having a job can be hard,” said senior Alex Sipes, “I work

by Angie BumsteadStaff Writer

Students Judd Smith and Blake

Tendick work diligently at McDonalds.

Angie Bumstead/The View

“She was in a lot of pain. Her whole body was all broken,” said Aubid. «Nobody knew if she would wake up. Something in me told me maybe God would help me, maybe she would wake up one day.» Answering her mother›s prayers and shocking doctors, Arianna woke up. But the professionals were still skeptical. «I was told I would never talk, never walk, never think,» said Ruiz. Step by step, she proved them wrong. Many people visited her in the hospital and she recognized them all. Her brother›s 18th birthday came just days after she woke from the coma. Her jaw was wired shut and her left side paralyzed, but when she saw him, she began fussing and fl ailing her one functional arm. Her family gave her a pen and paper and she wrote: happy birthday. The day her jaw was unwired, she spoke.«I told the doctor thank you and he cried,» said Ruiz. Two months later, though her pelvis was not yet completely healed, she walked. A wheel chair was her main mode of transportation for about three years after the accident. Now, walking through her Junior year with a cane, she is the epitome of what medical science said would never happen. To this day, she suffers from kidney infections, arthritis, minimal use of her left arm and a multitude of other reprucussions from the accident. However, these ailements are still overshadowed by blessings.«We just keep positive because that›s all you can do,» said Aubid. One positive is that after everything she has been through, Arianna has maintained her brilliant mind. Before the accident, she was supposed to skip two grade levels and continue second semester of eighth grade as a Sophomore in high school. After spending most of her eighth grade year in recovery, it was clear that she had missed too much school to continue with this plan. However, she proved she was still a spectacular student during homeschool that year by exceeding the AIMS test. So she went on to Freshman year that fall to remain with her original graduating class. Throughout high school her talents have impressed many, including the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine. They have invited her to Massachusetts this July where she will earn two college credits for following and studying from a real doctor for ten days. As for the school to which these credits will go, Arianna has a slew of options. She has been accepted by numerous universities from New York to California, including full rides to Yale and Rutgers. Currently she plans to attend Rutgers University to study pediatrics.Until then, Arianna focuses on her passion: cooking. “I’ve been cooking since I was four years old,” said Ruiz. “It’s the only thing I can do myself [now].” She has her own catering business (of which lovable security guard Jim Snow is a customer) and plans to open a restaurant.

Rogers. “It’s really important dur-ing the winter months because it’s getting colder”. They are trying to convince teen-agers instead of throwing away a pair of used jeans that they do not care for anymore, to donate them to the bins that are located in the school library. Instead of wasting a pair of jeans, giving someone else a helping hand is what it is all about. The more and more pairs of jeans the bins receive, the better. “The drive is benefi cial because instead of teens throwing away their jeans, they are helping others by donating,” said sophomore Tyler DuVall. So, if you have old, used, or just a pair of jeans that are tucked away in your closet that you know you won’t wear, come on down to the library, fi nd a bin, and donate. The more donations, the more teens Key Club will help to make warm. A little warmth can go a long way.

by Melissa DeanStaff Writer

at Aris Tech. I’ve only worked there a couple of months and I’ve been working on balancing my schedule ever since I got the job. With my family, friends, school, and job, it can get pretty stressful, but it’s all worth it when I get my paycheck.” Unfortunately, jobs don’t just fall out of the sky. “I had so much bad luck with jobs,” said senior Joseph Bumstead, “It was almost borderline ridiculous. I applied at over 40 places before I fi nally got a job at Legends Dry Cleaners. Getting a job is hard, but it’s pos-sible if you keep trying and apply wherever you can.” Getting a job is one of the big-gest steps to be taken after hitting maturity, and one of the hardest. “Getting a job took forever,” said junior Judd Smith, “If you really want to get a job, apply every-where. No matter what the job is, money is money.”

Working hard or hardly working?Students learn to balance school and work in a tough economy.

-continued from page 1

-see pictures and more of Arianna’s story at dvthundermedi.com