Red Raider Review
Ajo High School March 16, 2010

Red Raider Review

Car Crash Nightmares
By: Joseph Bailey

In the last two months, there have been two car crashes, involving a total of nine high school students. Luckily, no one was killed, and this was a wakeup call for many. But how many more will be risking their lives until someone gets it taken away? The word needs to be put out before it is too late. The administration, parents, students, and community members are all entitled to their own opinion. As for the ones who were engaged in both accidents, they say their lives have changed. The Red Raider Review was there to ask the questions that have yet to be answered; these are the thoughts, and emotions of the students involved.

The emotions the victims felt ranged from being terrified, sadness, and in shock. Kyle Whitley said, "I felt horrible, not only for the girls' families, but my mom. I hate seeing her cry." For most these types of emotions occurred during and/or soon after the accident but as for one, Chynna Davis, didn't arise until two weeks after the accident took place. Savannah McCasland said, "At first I was dizzy because I hit my head, then I realized what had just happened, and I started to panic and I was really shaky. I just wanted to help my friends that were trapped to get out."

When asked if their views on life changed, answers varied from yes to no, and some in between. Luz Flores said, "I listen to my mom a lot more now, so I have become more respectful in a way, and I definitely don't think I will live forever."

Many high school students, especially seniors, have the mentality of invincibility, but as many of us know we don't live in a comic book, and Ajo is definitely not Gotham City. Chanel Garcia said, "Never take life or your loved ones for granted." Ty-Ahna Jones stated, "At first I was a little traumatized and took precautions on who I was in a vehicle with, but now I am over it."

Many lessons have been learned, but all the victims now know the power and control a vehicle has. Once the momentum has been started, the vehicle is not going to stop, and when the driver has lost control, the vehicle is making its own decisions and going where it pleases. All of the students seem to have a greater appreciation for their lives and for others as well.

The students in both situations would like people to learn from their mistakes not repeat them. April Ortiz noted, "Don't do stupid stuff in a car to endanger your life." And as for Chris Brown, he said, "Don't drive fast in someone else's car."

The Ajo Copper News had written an article about both incidents, the students involved thought it was a good idea for the school to provide a drivers class. But many claims were invalid, and the victims wish they would have more of a direct involvement to help students prevent future accidents.

National Honor Society Induction 2010
By: Savannah McCasland

National Honor Society Induction

The annual NHS induction was held a couple of weeks ago to honor the new inductees for their recent acceptance into the prestigious organization. To be nominated for membership, a student must hold a GPA of 3.0 or higher for three consecutive semesters. After being nominated, the high school teachers pick the students they feel most adequate to be inducted, and finally, the students that made the cut are inducted.

This year, six students were inducted; Juniors Chad Coyle, Sonora Rogers, Adriana Trevino, and Kacy Tryon, and Sophomores Anitza Mariscal, Alexandra Salazar. President Mandi Macias led them into the National Honor Society with a pledge to the esteemed institute. Afterwards, the inductees were congratulated by our administration and parents of the NHS members.

Now, the Red Raider Review would like to say congratulations!
NHS induction

Spring Sports 2010

Track and Field
By: Journey Jones

We recently had a chance to interview the Shot and Discus Coach for Track and Field Mr. Hickman. He has been coaching Shot Put and Discus throwing for the past 2 years.

When asked what he expected from this new season he said he wanted returning players to improve and for the new athletes that came out to set goals and try to reach them by the end of the season. He says everyone on the team has the potential to reach State but it's their effort and willingness that will get them there.

He enjoys teaching the athletes to throw the shot put and discus and helping them succeed. When asked if this year was going to be different then last he said "I thought last year was a success because everyone improved the goals they set. Hopefully, this year will be the same."

One of his best memories from being coach is seeing all his athletes reaching State and coming home with a victory! His advice for the team this year is for them to work very hard and have fun while doing it.

Softball
By: Luz Flores

Softball is another popular spring sport that has recently started. The team is headed by Coach Jose Sepulveda, who you might also know as our Spanish teacher. He has been coaching softball since 1995, which makes this his fifteenth year of coaching.

He likes being a coach because he loves sports, especially softball, of course. He thinks his team needs hard work, discipline, and dedication to succeed this year. "We have a mixture of veterans and rookies", Coach Sepulveda said. "I expect this team to go far into the season. This year, the goal is to qualify for the state playoffs."

He thinks students should join his team because they enjoy the sport and the competition that comes along with it, as well as being around their teammates. "Joining a sport will ultimately help students gain the tools they need to be a responsible, good citizen later in their lives."

Baseball
By: Luz Flores

Baseball

Seventh grade teacher Mr. Dave Emmers is the coach of the Red Raider Baseball team. He has coached a variety of baseball teams all over the states for about 37 years now. Being a coach is one of his favorite things to do, and he has had great experience watching players develop skills in baseball as well as into young men.

He believes players learn responsibility, team work, and they develop good work ethics from playing on his team. To make his team succeed, he says they need practice, to put in effort at practice as well as games, hard work, and the players need to support their fellow teammates.

When asked what he expects from his team this year, he replied, "We have an extremely difficult region. Three teams are ranked in the state's top five. We want to compete with these teams and work hard to earn a state tournament position."

He thinks students should join baseball because it gives them an opportunity to be a part of a high school varsity team, an opportunity that is only available for four years of a person's life. "You get the chance to develop friends and play against other athletes," Coach Emmers said. "The players will also learn many life lessons; responsibility to yourself, your teammates, and to your school, how to budget your time, and how to take ownership of your mistakes. Kindness and hard work will take you far in life.

Inside the Mind of a Senior
By: Chanel Garcia

Jesse Alvarez

Another senior that is more than ready for graduation is Jesse Alvarez. Though he is unsure of what he wants to do after high school, he hopes to pursue a career with music. His favorite memories include parties, good times, hanging out, and messing around that he and his friends did throughout high school. Since his freshmen year, he has played basketball and participated in student council. He was also a part of the 'Dream Team' with Koopa and KiNG (Karl and Chris). As a child, he always wanted to be a basketball player, and says that he doesn't see why not because he has 'a mean three'. In his free time, he enjoys 'chilling with the homies and Kompa's' and playing on X-box live with his friends. He likes playing basketball and making music. If he could go back, he wouldn't mess around as much, because now he's stressing about graduation. He advises underclassmen: "Have fun when it's time to have fun, but be serious when it's time to be serious."

Andrew Fowler

Andrew Fowler is one of the graduating seniors of 2010. When he was a child he wanted to become a veterinarian. But since then his plans have changed. What he wants to pursue after high school is to join the military/marine corps. In high school he has participated in baseball during his senior year. His favorite memory out of high school is "causing chaos". Some of his hobbies include reading, playing video games, and driving around. When asked if he had a chance to go back and change anything, he said, "No, because it would screw what is happening now." The advice he would give underclassmen is, "Respect your teachers, because they don't have to respect you."

Chynna Davis

Senior Class President Chynna Davis is another senior headed for graduation this May. She plans to most likely go to a community college for a year to establish residency and get her pre-requisites out of the way, then she plans to transfer to Western Washington University to major in medicine. Her favorite memories of high school include being with her friends, sitting at the park tables, or just cruising around talking about the future. Though she started to play both volleyball and basketball, she was forced to quit so that she could work and make money. As a child, she wanted to be a lot of different things, but generally always hoped to pursue a career in the medical field, though at one point, she really wanted to open a tattoo/piercing shop. In her free time she likes to hang out with her friends, family, and boyfriend. She also enjoys playing X-box, drawing, and being on the Internet. She also says that she is addicted to her phone and loves texting. If she could re-do anything in high school, she says she would go back to her sophomore year and would have not slacked, and cared more about grades and school. Her advice to underclassmen? "Don't slack! You may think, 'Hey, I can just make up the credits later', but soon, it adds up and just makes graduating that much harder. Being committed to school is an important thing to do."

Movie Reviews

Dear John
By: Savannah McCasland

Dear John

One of the newest movies to come out this past month is 'Dear John', which is based on a book by Nicolas Sparks about a romance between a soldier and a conservative college student. From the outside, this movie seems to be about the true love of Savannah Curtis and John Tyree, torn apart by the war in Iraq, but somehow kept together by writing letters back and forth. This is not the case. The movie is two hours of torture. The 'true love' that John and Savannah are sharing is easily torn apart by the distance, and she chooses not to stay with him because she can't handle not having him in her life. Savannah ends up marrying someone else, and John is left heartbroken. Injured by Savannah and the war, John chooses to make the military his career. After a few years, he is forced to return home due to a family emergency, and decides to go see Savannah for the first time in years. He is not only tortured by the fact that she is married, but whom she is married to. He decides to leave and to not communicate with her anymore. When he returns to Iraq, he receives his last 'Dear John' letter, in which she tells about her life since they had last talked.

Supposedly the 'best love story of the year', I think this movie has a twisted plot, in which no one ends up happy, and it is filled with tragedy. Channing Tatum, who plays John Tyree, does an excellent job of acting, whereas his costar Amanda Seyfriend, who plays Savannah Curtis, falls up short next to his performance. The hype about the movie being about true, unconditional love is completely false. My advice? Don't waste your money on watching it in theaters, and either wait for it to be $1.09 at the RedBox or $5.99 on Pay-Per-View.

Saw VI
By: Joseph Bailey

Saw VI

Yes this is the sixth installment to the Saw series. Saw 6 begins where number 5 ended, as Detective Hoffman cleans up the trap of FBI Agent Peter Strahm. The famous Jigsaw killer is dead, yet Detective Hoffman continues out the murders as requested by Jigsaw. While the next victims are picked and placed, the detective was called in by his FBI co-workers already investigating his previous fatalities. Gathering evidence they try to crack this case and uncover who is really behind the new murders. Will Detective Hoffman prevail as the next murderer, or will he get tangled in his own web? Even after his death what lesson will Jigsaw teach and what mysteries will unravel?

If you enjoyed the past Saw films, you will definitely enjoy this one. Each movie answers the last, but questions the next. This movie is like the others filled with painful screams and a bloody mess, yet you want to watch and learn more. These movies are addicting.

Cool Career Ideas
By: Joseph Bailey

High School is only four short years of your life. But when it is all over with, do you have a plan set in stone? The majority of us do not. What we do have is an idea what we like and don't like and that will take us somewhere except is ends there. What we don't know are what types of education we need, with all these degrees and diplomas it can get confusing. Hopefully this article can help guide you in the right path. Below are only a few of the many jobs a person can choose from.

Dentist

Maybe you really enjoy brushing and caring for your mouth. Well instead of just showing off those pearls, why not make a career out of it. Help others by improving their oral health and teach them to take care of their teeth as good as you do. In order to become a dentist you must enroll in a dental school certified by the American Dental Association. To be accepted in one of these schools you must complete two years of prudential education. Many dental school candidates have a bachelor's degree. The school will need you to take the Dental Admissions Test. Then you must be licensed by the state. The average annual earnings of a dentist is over $130,000.

Forensic Scientist

A forensic scientist gathers physical evidence by investigating crimes. Some tasks you may perform are analyze and test tissue samples, reconstruct crime scenes and fingerprinting. To become a forensic scientist you must have at least two years of specialized teaching or an associate's degree in applied science or science related technology. Bachelor degrees in chemistry, biology, or forensic science may be preferred. Training programs are also available to help build this career.

In the Spotlight
By: Cinnamon Robles

Mr. Sedillo

Mr. Sedillo was recently posted in the spotlight; let's see his answers to the questions I asked him.

What are some of your hobbies?
"Traveling, fishing, surfing the internet, and listening to all kinds of music."

What are your likes?
"Shrimp, lobster, and tacos from Mexico."

What are your dislikes?
"Golf, cooking, weekends, and driving long distances."

If you had 3 wishes what would they be?
"I wish students were more interested in school and were on time. I also wish we had a longer lunch."

What is your dream vacation spot?
"Costa Rica, because it seems like a pretty place."

What are some of your favorites?
• Movie:
Stargate
• Drink:
Apple juice
• Thing to do in your spare time:
Watch TV
• Color:
Blue
• Food:
Green Chile Cheeseburger from Lottaburger in New Mexico

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