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By: Joseph Bailey
Barack Obama was inaugurated a little over a month ago, and already has major plans. The stimulus plan seems like what will be the turn of the century. What is this plan you ask? It is a 787 billion dollar economic plan that was passed by congress and is supposed to be put into place soon. This will literally benefit everything that is currently struggling to survive in the rough economy we are currently faced with today. Such things should include taxes, health insurance, schools, and maybe even the environment! The plan has tax breaks for families who have kids in college, maybe buy your first home or get a new vehicle.
People who lose their jobs, along with their health insurance will be able to find insurance cheaper than looking for work. The Stimulus bills main priority of education is to keepteachers working. It also has 9.2 billion dollars towards the environment.From what our economy has gone through recently, this sounds like a phenomenal come back. This plan seems to take every concern our society has into its arms to take care of. Hopefully all the chaos amongst us gets taken care of, and maybe no new worries will continue to sprout anew. And with confidence President Obama leads our country in the right direction. Only time will tell how our beautiful country will thrive on this new plan.
As we all know, our math teacher Mrs. Semilla is getting ready for the birth of a baby girl.
The members of the Raider Review would like to say good luck to her, and we would also like to catch you up on her temporary substitute. His name is Mr. Oscar Sisk, and he has a lot of mathematics teaching under his belt. He taught at a school in Washington for twenty years, and has also taught in a variety of places, including Australia. He was also a professor in college for a while. Mrs. Semilla may not be here, but at least we have someone that know what they're doing! So, good luck to you Oscar Sisk!
What You Are About To Read:Have you heard about the new lunch detention? Last week, Mr. McGoldrick went around to all of the classes and told us about the new 'rule'. Now if you come late to any class, your teacher is able to give you a lunch detention. Morning detentions are ONLY for disciplinary referrals. Here is what the writers of the Raider Review had to say about it...

By: Arely Nunez
I don't know about you guys, but at lunch time, I like going home or to a friend's house. Spending lunch with a teacher kills my vibe with food. It makes me feel like the teachers are watching my every move, and I really don't like it. I personally think that we should stick to the morning detentions. Who wants to wake up early? Morning detentions are more of a punishment. Whoever is tardy should just be given a morning detention, plain and simple.
*The writers and editors of the Raider Review would like to point out that we are not personally attacking any person(s) by writing these articles. They are only personal opinions.
by: Megan Bollen
Look, teachers have handed out about a million referrals because students cannot seem to get to class on time, and I personally think it is ridiculous. I mean, if you don't want to be here then don't come! There is no reason you should be coming to school late EVERY DAY. I don't know if lunch detentions will make any difference in tardiness, but I give the school official props for trying. The rest of it is up to us students. It is time for students to stop being self centered and think about how one person being late affects the whole class. Think about it, if someone has a wreck on the side of a highway aren't you going to stop and stare?
That same philosophy applies in this situation. If one person is late the whole class is too busy staring and wondering why they were late instead of focusingon the task at hand. So people, just get to class on time and you won't have to spend your personal lunch time with a teacher. Maybe if we all show up to class on time, the staff might not want lunch detention any more. Either way, I would much rather spend my lunch period socializing with friends than being bored with a teacher.
By: Felicia Roman
Lunch detention is not a very good idea. It's only for students who are tardy, and tardiness is probably the most dominant reason that we are even given a detention. So now the morning detentions will be mostly empty, because what teachers actually give 'disciplinary referrals'? The teachers of this school are going to be wasting their time by their new 'solution' for tardiness.
By: Joseph Bailey
The new detention is going to irritate a lot of students, because morning detention is still going on. The idea of having lunch detention is probably to restrict the freedom students have during our personal lunch period. But it is going to help? We also have to think about our teachers questions. What are we doing during break?? So instead of having your fun, you're stuck here eating at the school. Get to class on time, and there won't be a problem.
What's your opinion? Write to Mr. Sedillo's room about your thoughts on lunch detention, and it might be published in our next edition!
By: Savannah McCasland
I recently interviewed Ms. Powell about her thoughts on the new solution to tardiness. As we all know, this is lunch detention. Although she thinks it is too early to tell how it is working or if it was a good idea, she says the goal of it is to cut down tardiness. Over the past few months, the tardiness rate has been increasing instead of the more desired decrease. Where did the idea for lunch detention come from? This is a question that every student wants to know. Though it's probably not safe to release the name, a staff member brought the idea from another school that they taught at. Because of the enormous amount of people in morning detention, the higher authorities of this school decided to implement lunch detention. All of the teachers discussed and agreed on this new solution, and hoped for the best. While she herself hasn't had lunch detention duty, she has talked to other teachers about it, and so far, not everybody feels the need to show up. The point of the whole thing is for the kids to show up, be quiet, eat lunch, and then do their homework. The teachers all want this plan to succeed, but we'll see how it all plays out. It is still too early to tell if all of the high school kids are taking this seriously. When I asked if this was going to be a permanent solution to the tardiness problem, she said that it all depended on whether or not the higher authorities saw this was helping decrease tardiness, and most likely, it would continue to be implemented for the rest of the school year.
By: Felicia Roman
Stephanie Carrera and Katie Fout are two seniors in the 2009 graduating class. Not only are both of these girls ranked towards the top of their class, they are also very active in school activities.
Stephanie's hobbies include hanging out with her friends, listening to music, and doing fun things. She participated in basketball since her freshman year and she was also baseball manager for two years. She participated in student council for three years and the U.S. History club for one year. She is also in the National Honor Society. As a child she dreamed of being a doctor, but as she got older, her dreams have changed. She realized that she might be a little too emotional, and if someone died on her watch, she would blame herself. After she graduates she plans on going to college to study psychology, so that she can help people in a non-life threatening way. I asked Stephanie to give some advice that she wished she could've had when she was an underclassmen, and she said "Do not mess around and do your work the right way. Time goes by too fast to be doing everything at the last minute. Good luck."
Of Katie's many hobbies, she mostly enjoys running, drawing, and playing pranks on all of the sports teams.
Throughout high school, she has participated in volleyball for four years and was cocaptain of the team, she was in track for three years, she also played girls' basketball. She has also been the boys basketball manager for two years, the boys' football manager for a year, and has participated in student council. When she was a child she dreamed of being a marine biologist and inspired to do her very best, but as she got older her interests changed. She now wants to be a physical trainer or teach elementary education, because she loves working with kids. After graduating Katie plans on being a Pima County lifeguard at the local swimming pool during the summer, and attending Northern Arizona University in the fall. Her main goal is to become a physical trainer for a professional sports team. Her advice to the underclassmen is "Join everything possible. The more involved you are, the more memories and friends you make.
As the unstoppable juggernaut known as technology continues its eternal march, certain electronics have become more and more available to the general public. One such example of technology that used to belong only to the rich but now resides in the hands of just about everyone is the Mp3 Player. It's getting hard to find someone who doesn't own one of these nifty things. Typically small in size, these portable devices allow their users to listen to music anywhere that they may be. Some have only basic features while other come with advanced internet and/or gaming functions. Some are found in cell-phones and others are the size of a postage stamp. In other words, they come in a myriad of sizes and functions. Of course, the most well known (and most owned) of Mp3 players is the iPod. Made famous by its trademarked scroll wheel, the iPod sets the bar of musical devices and it is the example by which all other Mp3 players are judged.
The iPod is also at the front of innovation insofar as Mp3 players go. Being among the first to implement features such as video and games/video on a portable device, Apple (the company that produces iPod) has accumulated a huge fan base while still in the early market for such devices. This fan base perseveres to this day, making iPod the staggering giant of the Mp3 player world. The iPod is not without rivals though. Next on the list of great Mp3 players is Microsoft's Zune. Designed to gain some of the fans roped in by Apple, the Zune comes with many alternative features to the iPod, such as a touch pad, the ability to send songs to other Zunes via wireless wi-fi, radio and game/video support. One can also personalize their Zune by using any uploaded picture as a background. Two other commonly purchased brands are the Sansa and Zen style Mp3 players. Both boast features that rival that of the Zune or iPod, but are much more affordable. Just about any Mp3 player from either of these brands will serve as a solid substitute to their larger, brand name counterparts. But these are only some of the more well known brands. There are an endless amount of different types of Mp3 players to choose from, in a wide range of prices. Ultimately, you should pick a device that suits your needs and personal taste.
-Save the date of February 26th for the first annual Red Raider's Variety Show. Come see acts of all kinds at the Dicus Auditorium-If you are interested in becoming a lifeguard this summer and you are 16 years or older, call Parks and Rec. 387-6641.-Anyone interested in attending football camps this summer, please see Mr. McGoldrick. -Seniors: There are new scholarships available in the guidance office. See Mr. McGoldrick if interested.-Seniors: Any senior that is going to have Jamie Kesler take their senior pictures need to call her to make and appointment as soon as possible. If you need another price list, please see Ms. Garcia in Room 17.

If you would like to put any announcements in the newspaper (class meetings, student events, sports games, etc.) see Mr. Sedillo.
By: Arely Nunez
I was on a quest and not an easy quest, a difficult one. I was on my way to interview Mr.Emmers, a malicious coach and teacher, who ate nails for breakfast (I saw him do it) and who didn't give a darn if you got a paper cut. He was new to baseball and to him, it was no kiddy sport, it was a challenge to turn 14-15 scrawny atheletes into hostile competitors. He would make you sweat, bleed, and even cry like a little 4 year old whose fallen off a swing, he was mean. Just kidding, this interview was a piece of cake. As I made my way to room 16, I pulled out my Olympus voice recorder to prepare myself for the prolonged interview. Knock, knock. He opens the door. We walk to the teacher's lounge and we sit. I turn on my voice recorder and ask "What expectations do you have for the upcoming season?", he replied "I always go in the expectation of winning a championship, getting to state, having the team improve and having a good time". Isn't that every coach's dream? At the time the boys weren't done with basketball and the team was only sitting with 6 players.
"I love baseball, it's a great sport and a great opportunity", he told me. I then ask about eligibility, he responds "I know that's been a problem with the sports so that's very difficult. You have many coaches and people work hard to make is as good as possible, and for people not to pass classes is disappointing. I feel bad, but I'm excited right now. The 6 we have are working hard so I'm just thinking everything is going to go fine and I'm hoping it will".
By: Joseph Bailey
The spring sports are here, and one of the many is softball. Let's take a seat and see what Coach Sepulveda has to say. "I'm pretty optimistic for the season; I have players with 2-3 years of experience under their belt and the freshmen show a lot of potential." He said 20 students have joined and so far 15 of them have shown up. I asked him if he thinks this year's season will be different from last years he responded with, "Yes, because last year we only won 3 games, and I know we can do way better than that this year." Coach Sepulveda hopes to improve on the teams batting and stated pitching will improve with Kim. I also asked him what the attitude of the players is and he said, "Right now, they're all pretty excited to get the season started, and they're happy to be out playing softball again."
By: Kim Robles
Prior to this Golf season, students had the opportunity to "walk with the pros". One of which was Bergi Gates, who was accompanied by other student golfers Andrew Maya, Brandi Gates, and Ms. Tiell (golf coach). Bergi was the standard barrier, which is the person who carries the scoreboard for the professionals. She and other golfers, who attended, had the opportunity to meet Ben Curtis and see George Lopez. Practice started on February 9, with the turnout of a few students committing to play. Golf coach, Ms. Tiell, says that this year she expects at least two golfers to shoot in the 40's and to have scores lower. She hopes to improve scores and participation and encourages more students to join. For the upcoming golf season, the players are really excited to hit the golf course and possibly be the next Tiger Woods.
By: Savannah McCasland
Spring sports have barely started and track coach Mr. Williams is very excited to start off the season. He says he has very high expectations this season, including getting every member of the track team in to the State Championship, which he says is a very tough move. When asked how the turnout of students was, he took a very long sigh, and said that unfortunately only 9 of the 18 that had originally signed up had shown up to practice. He says that he wishes that students were a little more committed to what they had already signed up for. Although he was extremely disappointed by this, he said of the kids that did show up, he was very pleased. He said that he hopes this season will be a lot like last years' season, in that everyone enjoyed themselves the whole time and had a lot of fun with each other. One thing that he really likes about the team is that they all get along very well, and there is no real conflict between any of the members. He says that he would've liked for more of the underclassmen at the high school to show up, so that he can work with them and start getting them developed for their junior and senior years at this school. After looking at all the members, I could tell they were all very excited to start off the season and start conquering the regional track meets.
By: Arely Nunez
One tough week of practice lead to an upsetting loss against Tanque Verde last Friday. The final score was 55 to 68. Eric DeLeon scored 23 points, Robert Moss with 15, Eddie Vega with 11 and Jesse Alvarez with 6. Ray Alvillar, coach, expected the game to be fast. "It was one and one here, we won at their court and they won at ours. They're a tough team", he said. "It was a playoff game and the winner advanced to the state tournament". The boys had a successful year, and they were coached by two great coaches. Assistant coach, Moni Alvillar said the team was physically and mentally prepared for the game. "We needed this game really badly and in the lockers you could see in their eyes that they were ready to go". For those who went to the home games and tried to make it to the away games, it wasn't discouraging to see them play, because they played their hearts out. Earlier that morning we went to a replica of Denny's, called the Village Inn, which might have slowed the guys down in the game. There were a lot of laughs during the trip, so it must not have been too bad, not to mention, the Wal-Mart stop because Moni wanted to do a little shopping. This season definitely went out with a bang.
The Ajo High School History Club will be having a yard sale in front of the Ajo Copper News on Saturday, February 21, 2009 from 8-11 am. This event is being held so that they can raise sufficient funds to go on a trip to Washington, D.C. during spring break this year. You might have also noticed students walking around with Red Raider T-shirts. The History Club is selling these shirts for $15 each. Support your high school and the History Club! Also on the History Club fund-raising schedule is a red chile burro sale. Keep reading the Raider Review for your updates on the History Club's progress!!
By: Kyle Carpenter
You have all heard of the National Honor Society, or as it is more commonly referred as, the NHS. They are a group of scholarly students around the country, all of whom have maintained a 3.0 GPA for three consecutive semesters in addition to being recommended by a teacher. They are the students that illustrate the traits instilled in a good pupil. Two nights ago, the National Honor Society inducted four new members to their Ajo branch, as well as award Mr. Sedillo Teacher of the Year. During the ceremony, all the current members of the Ajo NHS branch were introduced, some of whom gave short speeches about the advantages of pursuing a more scholastic approach on life, followed by a speech given to the audience by our schools Student Resource Officer, or, as we fondly call him, Officer Seeley. Then the inductions were made.
As I said before, there were four new inductees to the NHS: Senior Renee Maldanado, Junior Leonella Vasquez and Sophomores Kim Robles and Nimsy Rodriguez. After brief introduction, each of the students held out a candle, which was then lit by fellow NHS member Katie Fout, in a symbolic reference to the traits and attributes that make a good student great. The ceremony ended with the official induction of the new members. After a large quantity of pictures were taken, refreshments were offered to the audience and the NHS member mingled with various parents and school staff.
Staff Editor: Laura Davis
Staff Assistant: Lloyd Sedillo
Editor: Savannah McCasland-Jr.
Assistant Editor: Kim Robles-So.

Features/Reporters:
Megan Bollen-Jr.
Kim Robles-So.
Joseph Bailey-So.
Kyle Carpenter-Sr.
Arely Nunez-Fr.
Felicia Roman-Fr.
Sports Reporter:
Arely Nunez-Fr.