Volume 103, Issue 4 Modesto High School April / May 2016

Transcription

1 Volume 103, Issue 4 Modesto High School April / May 2016 Spring Sports pp. 4-5 #WeDay p. 8 Black Hole Up p. 13

2 Table of Contents The Panther Press 18 H Street Modesto, CA Mock Trial Mastery 3 Panther Press Staff: Liam Coyle, Roberto Jimenez, Waleed Khan, Yarithceli Mariscal, Stacey Mean, Amar Pannu, Amrit Pannu, Nicole Parhizgari, Enya Rodriguez, Natalie Schlenker, Jordan Toledo, Jasmine Underwood, Lucy Wenstrup, Alexandria K. Yaum, and Kristina Zuroff Spring Sports Community Garden 4 6 Adviser: Kerrie Glenn glenn.k@monet.k12.ca.us The Panther Press is created for and by students of Modesto High School. The goal is to bring news to MHS and to acknowledge ideas, events, and individuals on campus in an unbiased and professional manner. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the journalism staff and not of Modesto High School or Modesto City Schools. This publication may also be accessed at mohipantherpress.com. Letters may be mailed to MHS or submitted to Kerrie Glenn s mailbox in the main office. Volunteer Spotlight #WeDay When in Rome MoHi Art Show Men s Volleyball 12 Black Hole Up 13 Modesto Marathon 14

3 By Waleed Khan April / May

4 S p r i n g By: Nicole Parhizgari above: Yunah Kim ( 16) Diving Right In Mohi s swim boys and girls have both been making a big splash this year! The girls have a record of 3-2, while the boys have a record of 2-3. They have been practicing extremely hard this season and are making Modesto High school very proud! above: Briana Valencia ( 20) above: Varsity swim doing laps You got Served The Modesto High boys tennis team has been doing well this year, with a record of 7-3. There are many new faces on the tennis team, and the boys have been working hard to show their skills. When asked about his most memorable achievement this season, senior Liam Coyle said, The win against Enochs was a pretty proud moment. below: Coby McCaige ( 20) below: Riley Noland ( 16) above: Yjaira Mendoza ( 20) and Diana Garcia ( 20) Setting Goals Girls Soccer have been kickin butt this sesason, with a league score of Additionally, the girls have quickly become very close and have a great team connection. Keep us cheering, ladies! 4 The Panther Press

5 S p o r t s *Records current at the time this story was written below: Neiko Archuleta ( 17) No Place Like Home It s been a tight season for the Modesto High baseball team so far, with a league record of 5-5. There s a lot of pressure, but this only motivates the boys according to Orlando Cardenas ( 16) who said, Win or lose, we just love the game. Well said, Orlando. Just Keep Swinging Modesto High Girls Softball team has been having a rough season so far, with a league score of 0-5. However, the girls have been having a great time playing the sport they love and have developed a strong team bond as well. Go Lady Panthers! below: Varsity girls pitching and catching Keepin Track Of Things Hole Lotta Fun The golf team has been enjoying many new additions this year, and the boys have been enjoying a fun season so far. A few of our panthers have never played golf before, but have quickly grown to appreciate the sport. As Matt Henriques ( 16) put it, Golf takes a lot of concentration and patience. I find it very relaxing. Along with his fellow teammates, it seems like our boys are having a great time! Modesto High s track team have been training very hard and have been leaving their competition in the dust. Stretching and running in the field, even in the burning sun, these dedicated panthers aren t letting anything stop them. Keep it up! left: varsity panthers running above: Keaton Berger ( 17) and Nathaniel Tsai ( 17) April / May 2016 right: track stretching 5

6 Modesto High Community Garden By Amar Pannu Worms, worms, worms, worms, worms....see us movin the dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt... the community garden we work, work, work, work, work... Recently a group of students have planted a garden at Modesto High in the Ag Center. A variety of crops have been planted that will be donated to local food shelters to help those in need. The garden may sound a lot like the Gleaning Project from last autumn. That is because the same students involved in gleaning created the garden. It shares the same goals as the Gleaning Project. The garden consists of various types of lettuce and radishes. The plan is to grow more types of vegetables in the garden to provide a variety of produce for the community in West Modesto. Project Hope has also committed to helping distribute the produce. The students involved in this project are doing it to help the community and those in need. As of right now there are only I.B. students involved; however, all students are welcome. The students involved state that they want to leave a legacy behind. They hope that this garden will be a project that students take up every year. If you are interested in helping out with the garden, touch base with Project Hope or the Ag department for information. 6 The Panther Press

7 Volunteer Spotlight: Society for disabilities Story by: Kristina Zuroff Since 1947, the Society for disabilities has been, providing recreational, educational, and social programs for people with disabilities, said Executive Director Marci Boucher. Matthew Tilford, the Director of Programs, described the society as, a local non-profit to help people within our community, referring to Stanislaus County. They also offer the largest loan closet of adaptive medical equipment in Northern California. Every year the Society for disabilities offers adaptive programs for skiing, bowling, water skiing and bike riding. They also have Day on the Farm, Miracle League, and prom. None of this would be possible without the support of community members. These programs and events are perfect for anyone looking to earn some community service hours while having a great time. They are able to find work for anyone who would like to volunteer, especially the people who are self-starters and motivated. Christy Gong, a senior at Modesto High, after volunteering for Day on the Farm said, It was really fun and I would definitely do it again. Her favorite part was getting to work with her little buddy who loved horses and eventually got to ride one at the event. Marci Boucher said that the Special Needs Prom is her favorite event that they put on because, the kids have so much fun and they get to be themselves without any one getting made fun of Past prom themes include Flying to Neverland and Mardi Gras, but this year s theme is Alice in Wonderland. The prom is held at the Del Rio Country Club and Boucher mentioned that everyone, even those who go to their own school proms, say that it s the best prom ever. On the other hand, Matthew Tilford said that the TOPSoccer is his favorite. The Society for disabilities partners with MYSA and has a soccer league for youth, aged 5-17, who have a disability. Matthew built that program and he has lots of friends involved. This program is going to take place in August 2016 and when it comes time, they would love to have some volunteers. A new program that has recently gotten started is Miracle League, a baseball league for children with disabilities. The Society for disabilities needed a lot of volunteers to become buddies on the field to cheer on the children on while they were playing. Modesto High students were chosen to be the mascot, Homer, and mascot s guide. If you are ever in need of community service hours, or a fun CAS experience, the Society for disabilities is the place to be. It is an amazing non-profit organization that is looking for volunteers to help in a variety of different places throughout the year. To volunteer for one of these programs, contact Carolyn Teixeira Gomes by (Carolyn@societyfordisabilities.org) or call their office at For more information, visit their website: 7

8 WE Day 2k16 We Day is a day of celebration and inspiration for many Modesto High students. 16,000 students from all over California and the surrounding states gathered together to celebrate their contributions to different local and global projects. In the past, WE Day California has been held in Oakland and San Jose, but this year was unlike any other. It was held at the Forum in Inglewood, California, which is in the Los Angeles area. The Modesto High students who attended though Project Hope were all eager. Those who attended had a 22 ½ hour Thursday and still had to come school on Friday. Throughout the year, Project Hope members have been working hard to raise money to build a school in India through Free the Children. The club also raised money for many local projects, including World Refuge and a student s Eagle Scout project. Members attended monthly meetings and the officers attended weekly meetings, sometimes spending their whole week s lunch periods to complete different tasks. All of this paid off though with the long field trip to L.A. On Thursday, April 7th, students showed their determination to get to WE Day when they had to be at the school by 12:30 A.M. for attendance and departure at 1 A.M. Some took advantage of the approximately 6 hour bus ride to L.A. and slept, while others stayed awake and watched movies. Upon arrival at around 7:45 A.M., students were given red carpet wristbands and were led into the area that was considered the red carpet area where they were joined by some crowd pumpers. After waiting a short while, they were invited to sing a few lines to the Muppet s theme song that was going to be used on air when WE Day was broadcast on television. Shortly after, celebrities including Big Sean, Joe Jonas, Martin Sheen, and Demi Lovato, started showing up and the fun began. Many of them decided to walk the red carpet, sign autographs, and take selfies with their adoring fans. The WE Day staff also had a Twitter Mirror that allowed the celebrities to take a selfie and have it instantly be posted onto Twitter. Modesto High students can be seen in many of those photos along with others as well. Selena Gomez was a student favorite because she stopped with almost everyone who wanted a selfie. When the red carpet action was all over, the students headed into the Forum among 16,000 other kids. Some celebrities spoke, while others performed on the WE Day stage. Following a lunch break, more speakers addressed the crowd and The Voice winner, Jordan Smith performed with Revelation Avenue. Students rolled back into Modesto around 11:15 P.M. after a fun-filled day of celebrating what is possible when people work together for the common good. By: Kristina Zuroff 8

9 By Roberto Jimenez Prom night is a time in which many students celebrate and have a joyful night with their friends and make unforgettable memories. What does prom mean to you? Honestly, a good night with friends and taking cute pictures and having a good time with friends. Don t need a date necessarily. Hannah Negranza (12) Prom means to me that it s a place to get dressed up, have a nice date. Go to after parties... Dominique Rew (11) A night that should be spent with good friends, where a guy or girl can just dress up and look good for themselves rather than for someone. Don t be ashamed to go alone. Kaushik Rai (12) Do you think the theme is important? And if so what is your ideal theme? Themes are always cool to walk into, but overall I wouldn t say that they re all important. Don t worry about the looks, as long as you have fun; that s all that matters. Hannah Negranza (12) Yes, it s important. It would have to be Prominism! Anthony Drobnick (12) I don t think it s important. The overall idea is just to have a fun night. Maybe a masquerade one. Marina Cisneros (9) April / May

10 At right, students admire senior Katherine Chance s art show. The majority of her show consists of photography taken while traveling throughout both California and the world. Her centerpiece is of a fisherman on a lake in Africa, while still others depict members of Modesto High s own dance production. What variety! Creative Panthers By Liam Coyle At right one can see an interesting medium used by Arlene Martinez. The entire work was created using a wood piece, nails and colored string. Nate Mittan s show is shown at right. His art is inspired by a modern take on the nature that he loves. Whether it be trips to a cabin or hikes with his family, Nate draws on real life adventures to create his work. 10 The Panther Press

11 Below are two examples of students and their shows. At left we see Teresa Rodriguez depicted in a self portrait. Her work is primarily in the mediums of paint and pastel, but you ll notice that the self portrait is completely made of torn paper, a collage. At right one sees Natalie Schlenker looking appropriately concerned in front of Photoshopped pictures of her brother. Her medium, like Donato and Katherine is primarily photography. The International Baccalaureate art program is a surprisingly rigorous one. In addition to research and process presentation, students are required to create an exhibition of their work. Here at Modesto High, the twenty-something visual arts students set up in the auditorium lobby every year to present their work. The show is free of charge and open to any visitors who wish to see it, provided they sign in at the front office. These are examples of students work as well as some of the artists themselves. Above is Donato Cipponeri explaining pieces in his art show to an inquisitive Mrs. Castellani. Donato s primary medium was photography as the images at right demonstrates, but his show also stretched to 3D works as well as some painting. April / May

12 THE ANNUAL MEN S VOLLEYBALL By: Alexandria K. Yaum It s the pregame ambiance that sparks a sense of reality into any players. On a night without much fun since football season, the gym was crowded. A blur occurred as the players looked around for family and friends. A roar burst from the left, then from the right and immediately back to the left again. The adrenaline began to pump through the veins of each player and in a split second...everyone knew what was going to happen. Twenty-four boys, divide in two, would face off in an epic version of don t let the balloon touch the ground. Last year, the first Men s Volleyball took place. It was the result of Donato Cipponeri s hard work. The game s purpose was not only to let the seniors and juniors battle on the court but to raise money for those affected by breast cancer. Just like Powder-Puff, the volleyball game was between seniors and juniors. For the first time, it was the Class of 2015 and Class of 2016 battling it out on the court. The Class of 2016 had taken the glory! In a new scenario with a new junior class, the second Annual Men s Volleyball game took place Friday, March 11, The game was a nail-biting showdown between the Class of 2016 and the Class of Every player was ready to go for the win. The Class of 2016, with a win under their belt, wanted to obtain another W for their legacy; the Class of 2017 was ready to steal the win just like the seniors had done the year before. Ev- ery coach understood the strengths and weaknesses of their teams yet still had a winning game-plan and a will to motivate their team into victory! Just as it seemed that the game could not get more exciting, a new addition was added to the event. A huge trophy was added to the mix and the winner would get to ingrain their class onto the victory plate for generations to witness their immortal greatness. As all players gathered on the court and the whistle blew, it was game time. The game opened up with the seniors taking the first point of the game. The battle became close; the seniors scored only to struggle to defend against the junior s offense. In a battle of 25-24, with a need to win by two, the juniors stole the first set from the seniors. In that precise moment, the seniors fathomed the truth about the juniors. They were just like them last year- ambitious and ready to win. As the game continued on, points after points, it all simmered down to the final set. Set five determined who would walk away the winners of the event. Who would be the one to celebrate the victory and obtain bragging rights? Would it be the ambitious juniors? Or the underdogs of last year s match? In the end, the seniors walked away with the victory, earning 15 points to the juniors 12!! Next year shall be an interesting match with the Class of 2017 and Who will the one to add to our glorious victories? 12 The Panther Press

13 Throughout the years, the Black Hole has been the haven of school spirit at Modesto High School. It is the place where we students can most freely express the admiration and pride we have for their school. Our school spirit is known to be among the best in our area, as no matter how the season is going, you can count on students to be out there every week supporting MoHi. During football and basketball season, hundreds of Panthers, especially during the two Homecoming weeks, will stand together in the Black Hole to cheer for our players. We can also express a rivalry among Modesto City Schools. Here, students from every background and interest can come and support their school in unity. From freshman to senior year, all students are welcomed to participated in our student section as we call out our favorite cheers and prove that our Panther Pride cannot be beaten. The Black Hole Leaders (From left to right: Christian Von Rotz, Montana Tyrus and Albert Coito) #TURNUPORTRANSFER BLACK HOLE UP year, the leaders of Panther #IBELIEVETHATWEWILLWINThis By Natalie Schlenker A packed and spirited Black Hole at the Modesto Fall Homecoming against Downey Pride were seniors, Albert Coito, Montana Tyrus and Christian Von Rotz. They worked incredibly hard this year to make sure that the students of Modesto enjoyed supporting their school. These leaders definitely proved to be the most innovative the school has seen in the past few years. During the fall and winter, Tyrus was frequently thinking and trying to improve school spirit and spread Panther Pride at sporting events. Twice during basketball season, they planned for students to partake in Silent Night, where students dress up in costumes and stay silent until our team has made ten points. Throughout football season, Coito would run the flag each time our boys would score a touchdown. To Von Rotz, the Black Hole is all about having fun and taking pride in being the best student section around. April / May

14 Modesto On Sunday, March 20th, 2016 Modesto had the annual Modesto Marathon. The marathon consisted of the usual full marathon (26.2 miles), the half marathon (13.1 miles), the 5k (3 miles), as well as a relay. What many may not know is that Modesto High had a few students who participated in this event. For most of these participants, the experience itself is unforgettable due to it s impact on them. A few students that had run the marathon in the past are freshman Alan Guerro and junior Cameron Duquette. Alan ran the marathon last year as an eighth grader. He went to Prescott, a school associated with a program Teens Run Modesto. Training for the marathon was fun, but really difficult, said Alan, It s like the real work was in the training and running the marathon was the prize that you got at the end. When it came to running the marathon itself, he had a lot to say. His strategy was running in a pack, which helped him a lot. He ran with a pacer, someone who runs at a comfortable speed which was similar to his. But this was a marathon, and eventually we all hit the wall (a point where continuing a race gets extremely difficult). The 14th mile is when I started to feel it and when I reach the 18th mile, I realized the difficulty of the marathon and the struggle to keep going. But Alan kept going, and found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. After running the marathon, Alan said that his view for running and how seriously he took it had changed. Running the marathon, like training for the marathon, was when I started taking running seriously. It was when I realized, Oh, okay I actually like this and I want to follow through with this throughout high school, said Alan. For junior Cameron Duquette, another dedicated runner who ran the half marathon last year, the experience was similar. Cameron won his age group in the marathon and was in the top 20 overall for his marathon results. For Cameron, training came with daily track practices and as for running the half marathon and his thoughts on it, he was completely honest. The run itself was boring, said Cameron. But for him, it was totally worth it. His results for the marathon as a sophomore was amazing, though he claimed he wouldn t be running the marathon this year. This year both Michael Zheng, a sophomore, and Joan Ashby, a junior, had run the full marathon. Michael has run the marathon in the past with Teens Run Modesto, but this year he took it upon himself to train for the marathon. After swim practice, he says he runs long mileage (when you run a longer amount of miles than normal, usually miles) every weekend to prepare for the event. For Michael, running the marathon brings him pure joy. It is fun and everyone should try it, says Michael. Joan Ashby has also been running the marathon for a while, and according to her this is her fifth. Joan has been training with Teens Run Modesto as long as she had been running the marathon. This year, Joan had the opportunity to be a teen mentor for students from her old middle school, Prescott. Now, she is teaching kids what she had learned: how to run a half or a full marathon. Teens Run Modesto targets high risk kids and helps them build confidence with each mile but anyone can join and it s surprisingly really fun, said Joan. Joan s training takes 24 weeks, four days a week, and Saturdays were the longest runs at East La Loma park. During the training, as the miles increased, the groups were split according to race. 14 The Panther Press

15 Marathon Story by Amrit Pannu Illustration by Enya Rodriguez Joan is what you can call a returning veteran to the marathon. For a veteran like this, there are always words of wisdom. Make sure you re prepared and trained or you will die and it ll suck, she said. The whole running bit is the best and worst part, said Joan, it sucks while you are running and you want to cry and give up but once you re done, it literally feels like you can accomplish anything and no one can tell you that you are not good enough or anything. Joan, as an experienced marathoner, knows the effect any mental thought can have on a runner, and how letting any bad thoughts getting to you can ruin your entire race. As a runner, it is extremely difficult to avoid letting these thoughts get to your head unless you have motivation and Joan had just that. For me, running as a whole is super therapeutic and it s my way to de-stress myself and calm myself down when I am having a bad day. I literally run away from my problems, and it is like a mind game of how much pain you can take before you stop, said Joan. On Sunday, March 20th we saw the result of this training, of Joan and Michael s efforts put into action, and we saw just how much this marathon really has impacted our fellow peers. April / May

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