volume 4 issue 12      May 13, 2009

A Year in Review

A WORD FROM THE EDITORS

At the beginning of the year, I was one of the editors to introduce the ‘New and Improved Red Raider Review’. Now, after an enormous change in staff, we have become the newspaper that the students of Ajo High School read bi-weekly. The year is now coming to a close, and this part of our final newspaper for the 2008-2009 school year is titled ‘A Year in Review’. It is to show you, the sometimes unappreciative readers of the Red Raider Review, how far we have come since October. As you might recall, we were once a newspaper staff of four people, and we had a tiny, eight by eleven inch, four page newspaper that was only able to come out about once a month. Since then, our newspaper has grown to have a staff of eight people. It has six pages, is eleven by sixteen inches, and comes out every two weeks. The Red Raider Review is constantly being praised by not only community members, but also the staff at the local newspaper, the Copper News. Our tiny little Red Raider Review is now available for any community member and can be picked up at the public library in the Plaza. Next year, we hope to grow even more by displaying our newspapers at all local businesses, and in return, we will run ads for these businesses. Though many people have doubted us during our ‘growth period’, we have managed to pull through, and next school year we are planning on having a staff of up to 11 people, including both of the editors and some writers from this year, such as myself, Savannah McCasland, assistant editor Kim Robles, features writers Joseph Bailey, Felicia Roman, and Jesse Alvarez, and our sports reporter Arely Nunez. The last thing that I would like to do is thank Mr. Sedillo and Laura Davis for all their support and ‘encouragement’, no matter how annoying it might’ve gotten throughout the year. We would also like to thank all the gracious comments we have gotten since our ‘growth period’, and all of us are very excited for the year to come. Also, if there are any suggestions about what we as a newspaper can do to improve or grow anymore, please feel free to do so by contacting the school. This has been a great and succesful year, and we’re hoping to have a great year next year as well.  

Inside Our Mind: Our Thoughts on
Present Relationships
Affecting Future Relationships

What You Are About To Read:
Many of us know the drama that comes with trying to uphold a relationship while in high school, but do you think that having these realtionships and struggles will affect our future relationships. Furthermore, will these relationships have a negative or positive impact on our futures and the way we will handle our relationships in the future. Here is what we had to say.

Experiences
By: Joseph Bailey

Some people can say that high school relationships are a waste of time. I think you do gain something on current and past relationships. Because you grow and share so much with a person, how could that not help you in the future? Even if the experience turns out to be rotten in the end, once you’re back in the market, you know what to expect. You learn how to become a stronger person and not as vulnerable as before. Don’t hover in the past, know that life goes on, and hope for the future. Then when you meet the right person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you’ll know it.  

*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.

Leave room to Grow
By: Savannah McCasland

Many students at this school seemed to be involved in some kind of “relationship”. Some may be “going steady”, or maybe just involved in a “friends with benefits” type situation. No matter what the particular circumstances are, these relationships will affect the rest of our relationships during the duration of our young lives. Some students are even involved in the not so healthy relationships that can offer not only the sadness and pain, but also the experiences and lessons that we all should know throughout our lives. For example, being in a “jealous” of “controlling” relationship can seem like a war that can just not be won with your “significant other”. Most likely at one point in all of our lives, we will be victim to these unhealthy relationships, but without those experiences, we would not know how to be in a good one. That is one of the few great things about being young. There is always room for mistakes, because you have time to learn, grow, and hopefully walk away a better person with your new found knowledge. There can also be a negative affect on future relationships though, especially for the type of person who doesn’t know what a healthy relationship really is. Just know that every person deserves to be happy, and what you may not be blessed with now, you will be blessed with later. Keep your head up, and leave plenty of room for yourself to grow into a better, healthier person.  

Let the Good Times Roll
By: Arely Nunez

Plain and simple; anything and everything you do now, changes and affects your future. Sometimes you may think, “Hey, I should have given that guy a chance” or, “I should’ve never dated that jerk”. Well you can’t take back who you dated and who you didn’t date. If we could go back in time imagine how life would be; so perfect, right? Wrong. We should see our past mistakes as lessons learned, not regrets. When you’re in a relationship, you should make the most of it and just think, “Well if I never went out with so-and-so, I would have never met so-and-so”. It’s just a way to thank the person who broke your heart for letting you discover someone special that truly deserves you. Sometimes the past holds you back from doing what you love to do or being with someone who makes you happy, and that’s not the way we should roll with life. And as a great friend of mine told me multiple times, LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL! [=Alma Montijo, this is for you because you inspire me.  

Farewell, Mr. Fout
By: Joseph Bailey

School will be out in a few weeks, and the faithful day is rapidly approaching. Seniors will be graduating and moving on to becoming adults in the real world. Even the teachers will be awaiting the whole 2 month vacation. But Principal Fout will be saying his good-byes to fellow friends, staff and students. As this year will be his last. I sat down and interviewed about how he feels after two years on the job. What he’ll miss most about leaving is the kids, and the relationships he has built with them. Over these years, he said, he learned things about himself and that he may have too much of a heart to be a disciplinarian, “You can’t please everyone, and they’re some people you can never please.” Between now and when he first viewed the job he said his feelings have changed immensely. When asked if he would like to say anything to high school students and staff, he responded with, “High School, try everything to find your way, and staff don’t lose sight, that we’re teachers of kids first.” Principle Fout hopes to go back and teach high school English in the Tucson area.  

Our New Principal
By: Kim Robles

Our new principal has a lot to say about her incoming, but as Dr. Painter was interviewed, she seemed as if she wasn’t quite informed enough about our campus. Knowing that she has been a principal before was a great relief for us, and she is coming to us directly from being a superintendent. Her first impression of our school was that it was well positioned and small, but that it creates a more family orientated campus. At this point, she doesn’t have any changes that she wants to make, because she has not seen our school first-hand. In her opinion, our class sizes are prefect. She believes that is allows more learning to take place, and students could grow together as a family. She is looking forward to blending in and helping the school district and community grow together, in order to create adequate members of society, even after graduation. She loves the idea of having foreign teachers as part of our learning environment. It creates closure because it lets students become familiar with different cultures. Student government is a must, in her judgment, and hopes to be directly involved in all activities our student government might be planning. She also wishes to create a council of her own that involves teachers, parents, students, and faculty to receive opinions on what they think is need in our school. From her view point, a good teacher enhances learning in their classroom, and makes students want to be in class. She wants to help students make an attempt to further their education, and be involved with the school councilor. She has also been engaged in schools that offered many scholarships, so she knows the requirements quite well. From the student body teaching staff, she simply expects honesty, openness, and wants them to try to get their students actively involved in their classes. She isn’t well aware of our discipline or tardy problems occurring throughout our school, but wants to find out why these issues are happening. As for now, this is what Dr. Painter has planned for us, and we will patiently be waiting for her arrival.  

Spring Talent Show 2009
Covered by: Arely Nunez

Who could forget the first Ajo High School talent show (in who knows how long?) Ms. Foley and students put together for the community in late February? For those who went, the show was well prepared and quite attention-grabbing. Various people who participated in the first talent show came back to show off their talents once again for the second talent show of the year. There were many additions as well such as, 8th grader, Marissa Harris, Screaming fire, a band made up of juniors, Rene Jimenez and Kyle Javier along with a local resident, Jullian Moore. Students, Woody Vega, Chris Veckey and Kyle Whitley along with another local resident, Ramon Diaz performed as Innocence in Ashes, another local band here in Ajo. Junior, Savannah McCasland sang alone and beside, senior, Candice Renner as a duet and there was a dramatic skit performed by Ivan Molina, Anissa Aguila, Kyle Carpenter, Chynna Davis and Candice Renner. (You must be thinking “wow, that’s a lot of ‘Kyle’s”). Mr. McGoldrick, the MC of the first and second talent show, performed as well, “singing” (making ears bleed) and playing his acoustic guitar, as well as Ms. Ubarco. Erin Sipe, Journey Jones, Anissa Aguila and Katie Fout all did singing acts in both talent shows. “I was hoping for a great turnout like the last time and the community was quite supportive. I was also very impressed with the student/faculty interaction; it was like a family feeling to one another” said Ms. Foley. Ajo has a lot of hidden talent that could go big and leave instead of flippin’ burgers at Dairy Queen or taking orders at Pizza Hut, or even bagging groceries at Olsens. These talent shows were put together so students, and maybe faculty staff, would get off their butts, show their talents and at the same time, have fun. Hopefully, Ajo High School has more talent shows to look forward to and more people enlist.  

Ms. Foley would like to give a special thanks to the backstage crew Mark Beltran, Cinthia Manjarez, Ana Rodriguez, Sara McCasland and Stacy Grooms. The show would not have been a success without all your help.

Ajo High Controversies of 2009

Unforgettable PDA
By: Arely Nunez

Public Display of Affection. Ring a bell? If not, I’ll explain what I wrote and what I meant. Earlier in the school year my opinion of PDA was questioned, attacked, confronted and criticized because some people felt singled out by my article. The article was also OP-ED which for those who don’t know, it means OPINION EDITORIAL. That means my own, self, opinion that shouldn’t matter to anyone. Well here’s the truth that I never got to clarify; my article wasn’t about anyone. Basically it was about boyfriends cheating on their girlfriends and once you made out with someone in Ajo, you made out with everyone in Ajo. It was nonsense and off topic. I was honestly livid that particular moment and my OP-ED was due that same day. If you know me, I never get things done on time and at the last minute I turn something in. My article was a joke but at the same time I was very stern about certain things. I also did not mean for it to come off as rude or harsh or offending in anyway. It’s very hard to write out your opinions without offending anyone in anyway and to get your point across so please, if you’re going to be an avid member of talking trash at least put it to good use (as in joining the Raider Review). Regardless of the harassing text messages and dirty looks I got in class and between classes, I don’t regret what I wrote because they weren’t precisely about anyone in particular. If two individuals are happily in love, that’s great but some people would prefer not to see the minute-long make out act. Kissing, holding hands and hugging don’t bother me whatsoever, it’s the heavy make out and groping that really make me want to turn around and puke my brains out. Whatever you do is your business and I understand if some people don’t care what others think. Besides, actions speak louder than words.  

Black is Back: Follow Up
By: Kim Robles

In early spring, controversy began over having black as a neutral color in our school. Well, as multiple issues were discussed, many black-supporting school statesmen were unnecessarily neglected in one way or another. Regardless of the redundant arguments, the school has already set a precedent by allowing black to be used as a neutral color in not only male sports, but some female sports as well. Even after researching about 25 years of yearbooks, it was proven that white has seldom been used as a bottom color. Most of this year’s sports teams purchased uniform requiring garments, but only the softball team was reprimanded for their choice of color. Provoked by this issue, members of the girl’s softball team attempted to respectfully address their opinion and state their reasons, concerning the school board’s choice of randomly selecting their team to be required to wear white pants. This school’s leaders should be doing the very best they can to help improve the image of Ajo Schools. Unfortunately, the school board wasn’t impressed by the motive of the girls in the softball team. They didn’t see any reason to add their issues to their next meetings agenda, and unfairly returned the black softball pants without the knowledge of the team. It seems as if the school board doesn’t want to adjust to what the school is impatiently waiting for. Ultimately, the school colors should be left to the decision of the student body government. It would be a mutual compliance between them and the school board. In that case, the entire meeting could be observed, and the board would realize that our student government is mature enough to handle such a task. Otherwise, why would they have been elected? After a few board meetings, a few ideas rose. Mr. Byrnes thought that the decision should be should be made by a vote, while Ms. Cameron believed that all black containing garments (purchased or sold) should be returned. I’m quite sure of what the public would favor most, but obviously no one “above” students listen. Apparently, they do not acknowledge that they aren’t the only ones involved in this school system. Without the students, they wouldn’t have a reason o\for being. We have cooperated with them more than once, even when we sought for a better cause. This riot is eventually going to target everyone, so why can’t they take our views into consideration?  

Top Night

PROM! An occasion everyone awaits; not for the dance but for the after parties! And this year it didn’t fail! One of the “TOP NIGHTS” as Candice Renner yelled before passing out. It was a night of EXCITEMENT and surprising events. Everyone left prom and soon ended up at the “spot”. There was singing and dancing from various people, yelling at people to use inside voices, crying over lost loves, laughing at people that were to muffed up to function, running either from the so called “cops” or chasing the run-a-way dog! Hook ups happened (mehhhhhh), and people you didn’t think would get together did! In the bathroom, kitchen, alley, some left in their cars and returned few hours later, and certain people used rooms that were off limits reason; because people were getting down ALL NIGHT!!! BOUNCE UP ON IT ;)!!! Everyone was having a great time getting all muffed up. Most people ended up chunking it on couches, all over the bathroom, in people’s hats, in the shower, anywhere possible. The King passed out in the hall way. Most people stayed there; unconsciousness won them over. But others went home and left family to deal with the drunken annoyances, “You don’t deserve conditioner!” YES YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!! The Prom 2009 after party was a night for the books!  

Inside the Mind of a Senior:

Athina Padres, Horacio Cubillas, Francisco Valdez, & Alicia Rojo

Candice Renner, Tatiana Bush, Carolina Pasos, & Karla Pasos

Loisana Torres & Dalia Perez

By: Felicia Roman
Athina Padres, Horacio Cubillas, Alicia Rojo, Francisco Valdez, Candice Renner, Tatiana Bush, Carolina Pasos, Karla Pasos, Dalia Perez, and Loisana Torres are ten of Ajo High’s graduating seniors. We tried to get inside their minds’ by asking them questions about their high school activities and personal hobbies. Here is what we found out.

Athina enjoys eating, earning how to play drums, cooking, managing a band, hanging out with friends, playing games with her nephew, and making fun of Anissa. During her high school career she participated in softball and was a football manager. As a child, she dreamed of being an archeologist or a race car driver, but her dreams have changed because she lacks skills in the driving department. Although she would still like to be an archeologist, but it would take a lot of schooling. She would also like to become a chef because she loves food. After graduation, she plans on enrolling into Mesa Community College, Scottsdale Culinary Arts, and Yavapai Community College. Athina’s advice to the underclassmen is ”Come to school. Do your work, and have fun. Also be safe, no drugs, and use a condom!”

Some of Horacio’s hobbies are playing sports, working, playing golf on the weekends, going out to the desert, and hanging out with anyone who has free time. During high school he participated in football, basketball, and baseball. As a child he dreamed of being a professional athlete, and his dreams haven’t changed. He believes that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. The things he will remember most about high school is the sports and all of the crazy stuff he got into. After high school he plans on staying home for a while to help with the family. Then he plans on either moving to Phoenix or attending the Army as an aviator. His advice to the underclassmen is “Focus on your work, don’t fool around. Join fun events, and live your high school career to the fullest. It goes by quick.”

Francisco enjoys being with friends, listening to music, and watching helicopters fly around at his job. He didn’t participate in any activities during high school, and he does regret it. The thing he will remember most about high school is spending time with his friend, Raul Zarate, back in freshmen year. His childhood dream was to become an Air Force pilot. He would still like to pursue that dream, but he isn’t likely to because of his poor eyesight. He now sees himself going into U.S. customs and border protection. After graduating, Francisco plans on attending Estrella Community College. His advise to the underclassmen is “ Don’t slack off and don’t wait till the last minute.”

Alicia’s hobbies include hanging out with her daughter and friends, and staying home and relaxing. During high school she participated in the Y.E.S. program, but she regrets not playing basketball and volleyball. The things she will remember most about high school are her friends, the hard work, and her teachers. As a child she dreamed of being a nurse, and she is still working toward that dream.

Candice likes playing volleyball listening to music, hanging out with her friends, and watching the High School Musical series of movies During her high school career she participated in some sports, such as volleyball and basketball, the drama, choir, and photography club. The things she thinks will remember the most is her friends, and all the good times she had with them throughout the years of school. She said she doesn’t regret anything that happened during high school, because of the experience, and will remember everything about high school. As a child she dreamed of being an actress, singer, or a lawyer. Her dreams have changed and she thinks that they have become more realistic. She now dreams of being a criminal specialist. After graduating she plans on taking an online class for a while, and hopefully get ahead, then she will be attending ITT Technical School for criminal science. Her advice to the underclassmen is “Do your work and get ahead!”, “Think before you act”- Chanis, and “Have fun!”

Some of Tatiana’s hobbies include playing softball, swimming, walking, and hanging out with her love and all of her friends. During her high school career, she participated in softball and student council for three out of the four years. When she was younger, she used to dream about maybe someday becoming a Homicide Detective. She says that her dreams have changed over the years, but only a little, because she still wants to work her way up towards that specific dream. After graduation, she is planning on attending Pima Community College for medical study. Her advice to the underclassmen is “Don’t slack off any years of high school because it’s harder to catch up. Stay active”.

Karla likes to watch T.V., read, eat and hang out. During high school she ran track, and now wishes she had been more involved. She used to dream of being a vet, but her dreams have changed because she doesn’t want to see animals die. She now sees a carreer of graphic design or psychology. After graduating she will attend a community college. Her advice to the underclassmen is “Don’t leave homework for later, get involved and have fun.”

Carolina’s hobbies include watching T.V., listening to music, and hanging out with friends. As a child she dreamed of being a vet, but her dreams have changed and she now sees herself in the business area. Her most likely career now is a Business Manager. After graduating she plans on attending Estrella Mountain Community College. Her advice to the underclassmen is “Keep up the good work and don’t get things at the last minute.”

Luisana enjoys eating, sleeping, and going onto the computer and exploring to internet. While she was in high school, she participated in the Border Patrol Explorers for four years and she “Loved it!” as she says. When she was younger, she dreamed of being a tortillera. She says that someday she can still become a tortillera, but she’d rather do something more exciting and worthwhile. She sees herself becoming a sonogram technician, and she also sees herself married to Joaquin with 12 kids because apparently they’re bunnies. When asked about what she will remember most about high school she said, “Everything. All the dumb things we used to do, the drama, and the laughs.” After graduating she plans on going to college, which she is very excited for. Her advice to the underclassmen is “Do your work, don’t screw up and think before you act! Be responsible.”

Dalia spends her time listening to music, playing with her dog, hanging out with friends, watching T.V., and exploring with arts and crafts. As a child she wanted to be a kinder garden teacher, but her dreams have changed because she doesn’t like kids anymore and she doesn’t think she can handle them. She now sees herself going into criminal justice, and becoming US custom agent. The thing she will remember most about high school is when she had to rush to finish an English paper, or else she wouldn’t have passed the class. After high school she plans on attending Estrella Mountain Community College, and later to a university. Her advice to the underclassmen is “Go to school everyday and study hard.”

Click Photo to Expand

Ajo High School’s Not So New Teachers

Ms. Foley
By: Arely Nunez

Ms. Foley, our beloved English teacher, will not be returning to Ajo High School next year. She said she would like to spend time with her family and be home with her child. Yes, Ms. Foley is pregnant. Unfortunately she didn’t achieve what she wanted to achieve and according to her, all teachers want to do more than they do. “I enjoyed a lot, I learned more than I taught and that was the case with the students” she said. She says Ajo is a unique place with a lot of potential in the students and she had gotten along well with the staff. “There are a lot of people committed to education and do a lot outside of classrooms” she says, and Ms. Foley was one of them. She loves students and did a lot to motivate students. The talent show was a big highlight this school year and there were many kids sharing their gifts with others and expressing themselves. “The students were supporting to one another and I hope Ajo is really student lead”. What most people don’t know is that the talent shows were student generated and it would be nice to have constant talent shows. She also took kids to a Pasterella in Tucson and the response was great. “I’m very proud of the students who attended because they were a good audience and were well behaved. They even asked questions the following day about the show”. A regret Ms. Foley does have is the play she had wanted to put on for the school. “There were no plays other than the dramatic skit in the talent show and I would like the students to take advantage of the beautiful auditorium they have”. So a farewell to Ms. Foley, an astounding being and teacher and soon to be,a great mom. Best wishes to her family and new child.

Mrs. Robles
By: Joseph Bailey

The science teacher Ms. Robles just completed her first year here at Ajo High School, and I recently sat down and interviewed her about how she thought the school year went. She says she feels it went well, and says it was kind of difficult to encourage kids who are not motivated to excel academically. Because this was also her first year in the United States, she said she thinks she experienced more difficulty. She said she had mixed emoticons, because the culture of the people here was totally different. When asked if she learned anything this year, she replied, “Respect begets respect, especially with this country that has such a liberal and diverse population.” She also is considering permanent residence here in Ajo, which she not only learned to like, but began to love as well. Another thing that at tracts her to small town life is with the salary that she is receiving, it is more sufficient to live in Ajo than the big cities. She said her most memorable moment this year is, “Singing on stage after several years.” Ms. Robles does plan on returning back next year, and she has plans for grear changes. This coming school year what she says she will definitly do differently is to come up with better strategies for the classroom, especially when it comes to disciplinary rules, because now she is familiar with the laws, and the rights and responsibility of kids. She says next year she hopes for even more successfulness, and that she hopes that the students will better respond to her now that she has a year of experience under her belt. So congratulations to Mrs. Robles for a great year, and we’re excited to see her for the 2009-2010 school year.

Ajo High School Student Government
2009-2010

The 2008-2009 student body did a great job in bringing the school together and trying to improve the amount of school spirit, but as the school year comes to an end, they must step down from their positions. You, the students of Ajo High, picked who you wanted to fill those positions, and here is what you have decided.

The president of the 2009-2010 student body will be Savannah McCasland. She participated in her Freshman Class student council as vice president, her Sophomore Class student council as president, and the Ajo High School student body as vice president for the 2008-2009 school year.

The vice president of the 2009-2010 student body will be Chanel Garcia. She participated in her Freshman Class student council as secretary, and her Sophomore Class student council as a representative. She was also this year’s vice president of the U.S History club, and helped raise money to fund the trip.

The secretary/treasurer of the 2009-2010 student body will be Luz Flores. She participated in her Junior Class student council as president, and was in charge of setting up and putting on this year’s prom.

The social chair of the 2009-2010 student body will be Leonela Vasquez. She participated in her Junior Class student council as a representative

This isn’t another band of your average teenage guys,
they’re
Innocence in Ashes

How did Innocence in Ashes form?

Ramon: “It was Failed Glory, then Diamond left and Greg moved to “Okihoma”. Didn’t we originally want to do techno, like Skyeatsairplane? Well we asked Woody to join the band, Woody asked if Kyle Whitley could join, Kyle Carpenter was meant to be the original bassist but got his finger cut off”, laughs, “So he got put on keyboard, Chris Veckey replaced him and he’s an amazing bassist. Basically Tim and I decided to make a new band. We asked Woody to join, Woody asked Kyle. Kyle Carpenter was originally the bassist but he couldn’t play because his finger got cut off- okay I got his finger cut off- he should’ve gave me my money ha, ha. We decided to put him on piano but all he did was chicken noises and sounds of the ocean”.

Kyle: I didn’t even know my keyboard could do that”. (Laughter)

Is your music original?

Ramon: No, we copy from Brittney Spears everyday. Every single day of my life I wake up and say “I want to cover a Brittney Spear’s song”.

Tim: We covered a Justin Timberlake song once.

Ramon: No, he’s lying! You’re a sick twisted liar, sir.

Kyle: Actually, we’ve never even covered a song. All of our music is original.

Ramon: Yeah, our music is original.

Do you guys look forward to making music as a group?

Kyle:Duh.

Ramon: Pretty much, yeah.

Chris: I was thinking of dropping Innocence in Ashes and Against Request and joining Screaming Fire.

Ramon: I was gonna join Endless Remains.

Woody: Ragamuffin.

Tim: I was gonna join Broken Toyz.

Kyle: I was gonna start a solo project…

Ramon: Solo project with Bryan!

Kyle: That’s not solo!

Is everyone in High school?

Everybody laughs and looks at Ramon.

Ramon: I’m in 9th grade ha, ha.

Kyle: Ha, ha, HA!

Who’s the leader?

Chris: This isn’t a gang.

Ramon: There isn’t really a leader; it’s just a group thing. Someone comes up with something and if it’s good, we keep it and if it’s not we throw it away or save it.

Woody: Yeah, we recycle.

Chris: We should start a gang.

Ramon: Yeah. We’ll beat you with guitar strings and drum sticks

Do you guys have girlfriends?

Woody: I do.

Kyle: I do, too.

Ramon: I don’t, I’m cold and alone at night. I sleep with a teddy bear.

How come you guys have long hair?

Kyle: What the [expletive deleted]?

Woody: Actually I’m gonna cut mine again. I don’t like long hair anymore.

Kyle: I grew out my hair because I don’t like my ears.

Ramon: I have a big forehead; I guess you can’t be a scene kid without scene hair.

Chris: You have to be scene to be in the band?

Ramon: I don’t know, that’s kind of a weird question. There isn’t really an answer. We kind of chose that style, you can’t really head bang without long hair.

Why do you guys straighten your hair?

Ramon: Because I don’t like Jew curls.

Chris: Yeah, I straightened my hair once.

Woody: That was awesome ha, ha.Who’s the party animal?

Ramon: WHOS THE PARTY ANIMAL?(Everyone looks at Kyle)IIA: Kyle ha, ha, ha.

Any crazy experiences in general?

IIA: Oh my God.(Tim starts to talk)

Ramon: Shut up your mouth, Tim, you’re gonna get me arrested. Uhm, we jumped my truck the other day. Yeah, we jumped it and April flew sideways.

Chris: We use to throw pine cones at cars.

Ramon: Oh yeah, pine cones at cars.

Kyle: Those [expletive deleted] shoes of yours getting us caught.

Chris: It wasn’t my fault.

Kyle: If you would’ve fought that guy, I would’ve jumped right in and pulled him out the truck.

Where did you guys get the idea to name the band Innocence in Ashes?

Ramon: The night that we decided to make a new band we decided we wanted a new name so we didn’t just want to be failed glory again. We just came up with that out of no where. We threw different names around and Innocence in Ashes sounded good. We thought up the meaning later and the meaning is we’re not innocent.

Kyle: We might as well been called Guilty as [expletive deleted].

Ramon: We’re not the most innocent people.

Chris: I am.

Ramon: Well besides for Chris.

Kyle: Sometimes we just have cravings to cause trouble.

Ramon: Well Chris is like the most-

Chris: I get grounded!

Ramon: everybody, except Chris, is ungroundable. Innocence in ashes is basically saying we’re not innocent.

What is Innocence in Ashes hoping for the future?

Kyle: The future? A future.

Ramon: I want to become big enough to where I’m walking down the street and a kid comes up to me and is like, “Can I have your autograph?”

Kyle: That’s pretty [expletive euphemism deleted] big.

Check out Innocence in Ashes online at myspace.com/innocenceinashes. For pictures of band, look at the Spring Talent Show Highlights.  

The Unabridged Ramblings of Kyle

Contemplating Contemplation
Hello, it’s me again, with another random discussion that holds little to no correlation to any other article in this paper. In this issue, I will be going over some thoughts of mine on the act of thinking. What is thought? Can something so mystifying truly be the result of neurons firing off within our heads? Is thought really a connection with God Himself? Regardless of what thought is, we cannot deny that thought is a powerful thing. From that intangible phenomenon, we have drawn the wheel, the gun, the atom bomb and the cures for a myriad of diseases. Okay, okay, we all know that the mind is a powerful asset, but what of the consciousness itself? To be sentient? How does one even begin to quantify self-awareness? How does one define a living, self aware being? What intangible quality exists that separates a human from a super-intelligent computer? For example, what if a computer could feel emotion, think for itself and had a developed sense of morality? Would it be different from a human being? Does flesh and bone matter, or just the mind? Furthermore, how exactly does the mind harness so much power? In my mind, I have killed the entire population of the world many times; I have created a thousand universes. In my mind I have been a million people, in my mind I have been nothing. I have been the smallest speck of dust floating in the darkest depths of the ocean; I have been God. All of this, and t was all inside my skull. In light of this, what is the body? How can a body even begin to have importance? From my point of view, the only importance of the body is to preserve the mind. People should then aspire not to build the body, should aspire not towards beauty and other such vanities but instead focus on the forming and the growth of the mind. Instead of lifting weights, we should go to the museum, listen to new music, learn to create art. Read a good book. Develop philosophy. Humanity is not an arm with a sword, it is a mind. A mind without weapons is far more powerful than the mightiest sword of the strongest man. And what happens to the mind after the occurrence of death? That, I have no answer to. All I can say is Acta est fabula, plaudite!  

Raider Review Bi-Weekly
Announcements

-Ajo Middle School 8th Grade Promotion will be held on Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 at the Dicus Auditorium.-Ajo High School Graduation will be held on Thursday, May 21st, 2009 at the Dicus Auditorium.-AzPYP will be held on May 21st, 2009 in the gym. Activities start at 10:30PM and include swimming, bowling, and a huge slip & slide! Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.-Any sophomore, junior, or senior football playes interested in attending a football combine to see if you’re capable of playing college football, see Coach McGoldrick ASAP.

Red Raider Sports
By: Arely Nunez

Softball

Facing a tough team like St. Augustine with little practice, competing in the Gila Bend tournament with only one pitcher, and countless injuries from sliding into bases; this year’s softball team had a bumpy road. The season started off with over 20 girls and, unluckily, came down to 11 dedicated players to make up the team for the 08/09 school year. Even through all the struggles the team went through happy times as well, finally playing as a team in the end. Here is the scores and events of Ajo Highschool’s last softball games for the 08/09 school year. Mother Nature was without a shred of doubt, against the Lady Raiders when they were up against Baboquivari. For some reason, it happened to be windy and it really brought the girls down. To make matters worse the girls struggled to bat against a slow pitcher when they had adjusted to bat against fast pitchers. There were many crucial calls made by the umpires that hurt the team and not long after, lost the game due to the 10-run rule in the 4th inning. But, onthe bright side it was a JV game and it didn’t count. “Every time I think about Tanque Verde, I think that was the game that kept us from going to STATE and due to the fact that we were trying to save Kim from pitching so many games, I took a gamble and lost” said coach, Jose Sepulveda. And he was right, if we had won that game we would have had a pretty good chance of being tied for STATE and maybe even being placed 3rd, 2nd or even 1st in our conference. Honestly, Tanque Verde aren’t that good of a team, they just made lucky plays and GOT LUCKY. They just got lucky, leave it at that. But that all changed when they came down to our hometown and faced the Lady Raiders once again. The ladies quickly started scoring as many runs as possible, winning the game. The Tanque Verde Pigeons (Hawks) got their butts whooped 19 to 8. After losing against Baboquivari, the Lady Raiders felt good about this win and going up against St. David, a team who was tough to beat. The Lady Raiders were feeling pretty pumped about playing a double header against St. David, a team that Ajo hasn’t beat since it started playing 1A. This season Ajo finally beat them, winning 11 to 9 the first game. The bats wereswinging and the girls were getting on base, playing aggressive the way it was supposed to be done. The girls accustomed to swinging against their star pitcher, and got some sweet bats. After their first win against St. David Mr. Sepulveda said, “Overall, it’s one of the best games we played all season. The mistakes were to a minimum and everyone hit off their pitcher”. Now the second game went downhill. The girls couldn’t adjust to the slow pitches since they just had that adrenaline rush of their fast pitcher. The Lady Raiders lost the second game 7 to 14.The softball team, knowing Patagoina wasn’t a conference game, didn’t really take the game serious. They all knew this double header was an easy win, so they hadn’t put much effort into the game as they would have against tough teams like Gila Bend and Academy of Tucson. The first game was won 11 to 9 with a lot of walks from both teams. Now Patagonia does not know how to handle the ball, so many runs were scored that way from the Lady Raiders. The second game was won 16 to 5 and as the first game, there was a lot of walks. Just the following day, Ajo had to play against San Miguel, a team the Lady Raiders could play against…If they really tried. San Miguel was a non-conference game but it still hurt to lose the last home game of the season. “The first time we played against San Miguel, Kim was pretty soar because of the tournament in Gila Bend and after a week, she had to be taken out and we fell apart. I knew deep down we could beat them but after Patagonia and the long trip home, we were all exhausted. The game was also cancelled and rescheduled” said Mr. Sepulveda. The Lady Raiders lost their last home game 16 to 2.

Baseball

This baseball season was a very rough one for the team went through some tough times that had a few players quit, get kicked off and not play due to eligibility. There weren’t many new boys that joined the baseball team for the 08/09 school year other than Austin Wells, who was new to basketball as well. Overall, Ajo had a decent baseball team.The following is a review of the last baseball games of the season.Baboquivari was a difficult game for the Raiders, which were ahead in the first couple of innings but soon were let down by a loss that was 10 to 9. The afternoon was unfairly windy that many errors could have been good plays if the wind hadn’t been existent during the game. The game was very close but unsatisfying. Since the Raiders had to forfeit their game against Tanque Verde, April 3rd, much hoped for to finally smash them a week and a half later. There only wasn’t much hope that the boys got creamed 23 to 0. The double header on April 17th against St. David was disappointing for many that attended the game. Due to the 10-run rule the first game was lost 12 to 2 and the second game was lost 24 to 14. In the second game you could tell the boys tried hard to keep up but unfortunately things didn’t turn in their favor. Tuesday April, 21st was a long hour drive to Patagonia. The first game was really close but the Raiders lost 15 to 14 and the second game was also lost, 12 to 2. Mr. Emmers was pretty upset but had to look past that for the next day they were up against San Miguel. Against San Miguel, the boys finally had a victory. It was the last home game and it was well worth it even though it wasn’t a conference game. The Raiders won 13 to 9 and played a pretty sweet game. After 6 straight losses, the boys got it together and played a heck of a game.

Track

The Ajo High School track team is one its way to state, and eleven out of the twelve members qualified for the state meet which will be held this weekend at Mesa High. In the relays, the girls took second in the 4*8, fourth in the 4*1. The boys took fifth in the 4*1. Overall, the girls placed third at the regionals meet, and the boys placed fifth. Individually, Katie Fout took second in the triple jump, Chanel Garcia took fourth in the hurdles, and Kene Richardson took third in the high hurdles, fourth in the low hurdles, and fourth in the triple jump. Austin Wells took third in the 100 meter dash and third in the 200 meter dash. Chad Coyle took fourth in the 200 meter dash, fifth in the long jump, and fifth in the hurdles. Robbie took third in the 400 meter dash and fifth in the 800 meter dash. Karina Pasos took fourth in the 400 meter dash. For the shotput and discus teams, Cynthia Manjarrez took fourth in discus, Laymi Raya took fifth in shot put, and Luz Flores took third in shot put.

A Year in Review

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Red Raider Review Staff

Staff Editor: Laura Davis
Staff Assistant: Lloyd Sedillo
Editor: Savannah McCasland-Jr.
Assistant Editor: Kim Robles-So.

Features/Reporters:

Kim Robles-So.
Joseph Bailey-So.
Kyle Carpenter-Sr.
Arely Nunez-Fr.
Felicia Roman-Fr.

Sports Reporter:
Arely Nunez-Fr.

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Comments:
7/11/2011: Gee wliilkers, that's such a great post!
7/11/2011: Holy Toledo, so glad I cliked on this site first!