VOLUME 15, ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 Let s Pick up where we left Off Page 1
We Love Our Shamrocks! I am excited and honored to welcome our newest staff members to Shamrock Country! Thank you, teachers, for choosing Incarnate Word High School and for being an integral part of helping shape the lives of our future leaders. We are going to have a wonderful year together filled with great memories that will last a lifetime. We are all here to support you and cheer you on as you begin this journey with us this school year. On behalf of the Incarnate Word faculty and staff, I want to again, welcome you all to the Shamrock Family. -Mrs. Salazar, Principal WELCOME BACK 2 IWHS Three Shamrocks Return Home This Year Ms. Solis loves hiking, traveling, and shopping, and snorkeling. Fun Fact? She was born in Frankfort, Germany. Ms. Salinas loves yoga, the Real Housewives, and decorating her apartment. Fun Fact? I am deathly afraid of birds and squirrels, and I would miss my college classes because I was so afraid of them. It was really bad. Ms. Allison is part of a steampunk production. Fun Fact? She collects My Little Pony figures, books, stones, anything with foxes, and ball jointed dolls. Want to know more about Mr. Berg, Ms. Garza, Coach Trevino, Ms. Paneque, and Mr. Morgan? Additional new staff members will be featured in our next issue! Interviews by: Nina Medrano, Emi Ferrer, Sierra Rivera, Arian Veysi, Daisy Mendoza, and Cassie Rodriguez Page 2 Special thanks to Samantha Quiñones and Yearbook for providing us with the pictures for this page!
Tower Climb Honors 9/11 Heroes By Cassie Rodriguez Approximately 3,000 of our nation s first responders raced into the Twin Towers on 9/11. But not all of them returned: 343 fire fighters, 71 law enforcement officers, and 9 EMS responders died in the 9/11 attacks. That is why a group of volunteers created San Antonio 110. The organization sets up a Tower Climb to pay tribute to the fallen 1 st responders who sacrificed their lives to save victims of the terrorist attacks. On September 11 th fire fighters climbed those stairs without hesitation to save lives, many of them knew that they would not survive. This could have been in any city in the United States including San Antonio, firefighters respond without hesitation, said Fire Chief Charles Hood, SAFD. The tribute is held at the Tower of the Americas on September 11 th. The Climb is open to the public, but participants are mostly 1 st responders, especially firefighters. Participants must climb to the top of the Tower and back down twice: the equivalent of climbing the 110 stories of one of the Twin Towers. When asked why he climbs, SAFD Truck 11 engineer, Albert Rodriguez said that he climbs to honor their courage, their sacrifice. He added that we climb for them. We took over 2,000 steps for those who will never take another step again. SERVICE IN COSTA RICA By Nina Medrano Over the summer, shamrock seniors, Sasha Elizondo and Nadia Medina, took the Incarnate Word core value of SERVICE all the way to Costa Rica! For four days, Nadia and Sasha, along with Nadia s mother, Sasha s grandmother, and three others met in Costa Rica for a mission s trip. Their mission was to distribute shoes to children ages 0-15. It was very sad to see how behind they are in the world. They don t have anything said Sasha about her first few days in Jaco. Some of the shoe sizes we didn t have them so we weren t able to provide them with shoes and it was really sad to see them walk away with nothing. But on the last day we actually handed out snacks and toys for the little kids and just a little sticker changed their life and it was just so cute to see them play and with the bubbles. They were so happy with the bubbles and it made my heart complete. It was so cute. Page 3 Special thanks to Sasha Elizondo for providing us with pictures for this page!
Study Abroad in Heidelberg! By Nina Medrano Over the summer four lucky Shamrocks, including myself, had the experience of a lifetime to study abroad in Germany and France for eleven days in June. Before leaving to Heidelberg, we took a government course online and met with our professor on the weekends for tests and class discussions. While in Germany, we took a German Survival Course to get a taste of the German language. Our eleven days consisted of visiting the Heidelberg Castle, the Mercedes Benz Museum, the Struthof Concentration Camp and Strasbourg Cathedral in France. We rode our bikes and ate gelato every single day. Once we got back from across the pond, we started our final economics course over the summer. The best part of the whole trip is that we earned college and high school credits while visiting another country! Kathleen Creedon, Evelyn Buelna, and Nina Medrano Leaving summer Greeting fall Page 4
Back to School Dance By Cassie Rodriguez On Saturday, August 29 th Incarnate Word s Back to School Dance took a wild twist. STUCO welcomed Shamrocks and the Catholic community with a Back to the Jungle theme, featuring live animals: a snake, a lemur, and a porcupine. IWHS students had lots to say about their back to school experience. It was super fun and a great place to hang out, dance, and meet new people, said Gabby Mayhugh Valeria Garcia added that It was definitely a great way to spend time with friends and show off your best dance moves! Micci Arguijo Watching Hailie Davis dance was definitely the highlight of the dance! exclaimed Starr Alonzo. Grandparents Day By Emi Ferrer On Tuesday September 15 th at Incarnate Word High School, the joyous faces of Shamrock grandparents shined as they proudly filled the halls walking next to their granddaughters. This special day honoring grandparents has been an Incarnate Word tradition for many years, but this particular year the tradition changed. To make the occasion more enjoyable for all, this fall 9 th and 10 th Shamrocks invited their grandparents. In the spring 10 th and 11 th Shamrocks will invite their grandparents. Extremely delightful. The fact that the Nadiya Ortez and her grandmother classes were split allowed us to have more one on one time and there was not so much of a rush and confusion, is how Senior Evelyn Buelna described her experience. Even with the change, Grandparents Day continues to be a memorable celebration for Shamrocks and their beloved grandparents. Page 5 Special thanks to Samantha Quiñones, Yearbook, and Micci Arguijo for providing us with the pictures for this page!
Getting Off on the Right Foot By Briana Caballero If you see a girl on crutches in the halls walking very slowly, you probably just feel pity for her and think nothing of it. You continue with your busy day and probably never even think about that girl again. Well imagine if you were that girl slowly crutching to class in the halls. How would you feel then? Would you have a different opinion towards people on crutches? How would it feel to be in that person s shoes? - Having 2 surgeries total, 2 screws and 5 pins put into my foot, has truly been a life changing experience for me. - One of the pins went through the top of my fourth toe and into the bone (to keep it in place). The other four pins were positioned into a separate part of the same bone, further down to keep it in place as well. - Getting around on crutches is by no means easy at all. Climbing the stairs is a full workout itself and has to be done slowly with assistance. - To use only my right foot was very difficult to manage for 4 months. - I have learned to pray for those who struggle with injuries or illnesses, and today I express much gratitude and prayer towards them and their families. Page 6
Fall Contest Can you make 11 words out of AUTUMN LEAVES? A U T U M N L E A V E S First PERSON to COMPLETE this Page Correctly Wins A Dozen Krispy Kreme Doughnuts! Come by 203 to claim your prize! Hints Something you drink. A number. What you do at lunch. What you did at dinner. Another word for borrowed. Something you cook. Another word for man. The opposite of freeze. The opposite of spend. Do a crime. A marine animal. What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid? Mrs. Mortis Mrs. Gonzales Mr. Weil Ms. Salinas Mr. U Page 7 A. Witch B. Frankenstein C. Cinderella D. Clown E. Power Ranger F. Vampire G. Minnie Mouse H. Mummy
STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT: JOAN KENNEDY VICE PRESIDENTS: ANA CAROLINA RODRIGUEZ & SOFIA RESENDIZ SENIOR OFFICER: KATHLEEN CREEDON SPIRIT CHAIR: CLARISSA GAUNA JUNIOR SECRETARY: MICCI ARGUIJO PARLIMENTARIAN: JENNA GUZMAN TREASURER: SUMMER MCKENNA HISTORIAN: SYDNEY PEDRAZA SOPHOMORE SECRETARY: SHEA LOPEZ THE STAR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: SIERRA RIVERA MANAGING EDITOR: NINA MEDRANO LIFESTYLE EDITOR: EMI FERRER PROFILE EDITOR: DAISY MENDOZA COMMENTARY EDITOR: ARIAN VEYSI SPORTS EDITOR: CASSIE RODRIGUEZ NEWS EDITOR: BRIANA CABALLERO Page 8