The Spectacle The Spectaclec/o MVMHS PO Box 50

Ojo Caliente, NM 87549(505) 583-2275

(505) 583-9133 fax

FFA will host the Chapter Officer Leadership Training (C.O.L.T.) program the first week of November. C.O.L.T. teaches officers responsibility and leadership, FFA sponsor Connie Lujan said. FFA members from Mesa Vista and other schools in the state will come to Mesa Vista to work on leadership skills and compete in the FFA Creed and Quiz. “I study for what they give me and we’re now studying the FFA Creed,” eighth grader Tomas Delgado said. In addition to the leadership

conference, FFA leaders are also working to train new members and plan many activities, including a fright night, lock-ins, a pancake breakfast and a mentoring program at the elementary. “What I like about it (FFA) is the trips and that you get to meet new friends. The trips I’m looking forward are the Las Cruces trips because they’re so much fun,“ senior Jasmine Morales said.

Natural HelpersBy Ashley hArdisonRepoRteR

Mesa Vista Natural Helpers has more members this year, mostly sophomores and freshmen.

FFA to Host District Leadership

CompetitionBy rAelynn ArchuletARepoRteR

New Year, New Briefs

District Changes to Healthier Cafeteria Menu

Why are the fries orange? Why are the tortillas brown? This year, school lunches have gotten

healthier than in previous years. The fries are now made from sweet potatoes, which are healthier because they have more Vitamin A and fiber. The tortillas are now whole wheat instead of white (whole wheat has more nutrients, including manganese, fiber and magnesium). This year, students will find more whole wheat, fruits, vegetables and other healthy sides at the cafetorium. Even the milk is more nutritious now 1 and 2 percent instead of

whole milk. “We can only serve so many fat grams and calories per week and we need to begin using more whole grains this year. This year we will be

baking more, which is wheat, and we will also be serving more of the sweet potato fries... We might occasionally get regular fries this year, but next year it will all be whole grains and a lot less starchy food, such as

french fries and potatoes. We will also be looking at serving leaner cuts of meat,” said Leo Garcia,

Director of Operations. In addition, the food is healthier because there is less food preparation needed this year. The lunch ladies cut vegetables daily and put the meats in the fridge to thaw, school cook Porforia Jaramillo said. The district orders the food fresh each week from a company in Albuquerque called Sysco, Garcia said. Much thought goes into making the school lunch menu. “We have to look and take into consideration the calorie intake, while looking at the fat content. We also have to serve a certain amount of vegetables, protein, whole grains, fruit and, of course, the milk. High school kids get a little more food than the middle school or elementary students. Everything we serve cont. p 7,

see CAFETERIA UPDATE

By Kylie coutuReporter

Mesa Vista MHS ı PO Box 50, Ojo Caliente, NM 87549 VOL. IV, ISSUE 1 ı Sept. 26, 2012

cont. p 7, see BRIEFS

Photo by Athena Martinez // Workers install pipes and tubes underground to help with school plumbing. The district started renovations in May that included a new fire alarm system for this campus, landscaping, sidewalk repairs, plumbing replacements, painting updates and a variety of other facility improvements. The drastic reconstruction earned the school a nomina-tion for the Ben Lujan Maintenance Awards for Most Improved, and at the end of October, the district will find out how we placed for this award. cont. p 7,

see CAMPUS CLEANUP

We have to look and take into consideration the calorie intake, while looking at the fat content. We also have to serve a certain amount of veg-etables, protein, whole grains, fruit and of course the milk...

“

”— Dir. of OperationsLeo Garcia

Students trip

teaches courage

pg. 3

page 2 September 26, 2012 OPINION The Spectacle

The Spectacle StaffThis is the first issue of the 2012-2013 Mesa Vista student newspaper, The Spec-tacle, produced by the school’s journal-ism class. The goal of this publication is to provide accurate, informative and en-tertaining information in the spirit of re-sponsible journalism and to operate as an open forum for students, staff and parents. Those who are not enrolled in the journalism class may still contribute to the publication in the form of a letter to the editor, a guest column, photography or artwork. No editorials will be printed, however, which complain or attack with-out factual justification. All guest editori-als must be signed and approved for pub-lication. The Spectacle also reserves the right to edit copy. Readers’ responses can be mailed to The Spectacle c/o MVHS, or sent in an e-mail to adviser April van Buren at april.vanburen@mesavista.org. Student journalists on The Spectacle staff will publish only legally protected speech following the legal definitions of libel, obscenity and invasion of privacy. The adviser of The Spectacle will not determine the content of the paper. The adviser will offer advice and instruction to help the staff cover all issues in a le-gal, objective, accurate and ethical man-ner according to the Society of Profes-sional Journalists’ code of ethics. Gossip columns, horoscopes, song dedications, senior wills and senior su-perlatives will be avoided due to the nar-row audience they serve and the proba-bility they possess of containing libelous material and content. Staff members will strive to correct any errors before publication. However, if the editorial board determines a signif-icant error was printed, a formal correc-tion will appear in the following issue. Special thanks to the Las Vegas Optic publisher Tom McDonald and his staff for publishing The Spectacle.

The Spectaclec/o MVMHS PO Box 50

Ojo Caliente, NM 87549(505) 583-2275

505-583-9133 fax

Adviser: April van BurenEditors: Alicia Dominguez Chastidy Trujillo, Kylie Coutu, Athena Martinez, D’Angelo Padilla, Matthew Sandoval, Staff: Raelynn Archuleta, Cynthia Calderon, Diego Gallegos, Ashley Hardison, Samantha Herrera, Kristin Maestas, and Marcellino Trujillo

The Spectacle OPINION September 26 , 2012 page 3

Trying to meet graduation requirements has been proven to be hard for New Mexico students because it’s like playing a game

where the rules are constantly changing, while you’re mid-game. This year’s seniors need four Math and English credits, three and a half social science credits, three science, one P.E., one Dual Credit Class, Distance Learning or AP class, seven and a half electives and, last but not least, they needed to pass the Standards Based Assessment test (the SBA) with a combination score of 2272.5 or higher in English and Math. This year’s junior class follows the same conditions, but they need to have 25 credits graduate instead of 24. Although keeping up your grades in your class may be difficult, the SBA has proven to be what is tripping up many students across the state. The Class of 2012 was originally the first class that was supposed to pass the SBA in order to graduate. Due to poor scores across the state, students received a waiver. This year’s seniors, the Class of 2013, have to pass the SBA and they will not get a waiver, although only 57 percent of seniors across the state passed the SBA. Even though they do not get a waiver, in mid-September the state department of education (NMPED) announced that the Class of 2013 has been given another opportunity. “Those students in the Class of 2013 who do [not] earn the score needed to graduate on the SBA have an opportunity for what is called an Alternative Demonstration of Competency (ADC). Simply put, they can prove they are ready for college or a career by using the ADC in the spring,” Public Information Officer for NMPED, Larry Behrens said.

Behrens pointed us to a 42-page PDF titled “2012 Guidance Document,” which details the new requirements (as of September 2012) online at http://www.ped.state.nm.us/ped/adc/ADC2012.pdf Students who do not pass the SBA may still graduate with a NM Diploma if they get required scores on one of these tests: the ACT, SAT, PLAN, PSAT, Accuplacer, or International Baccalaureate exam. If they don’t have the scores on those tests or on the SBA, students in the Class of 2013 can still graduate with a NM diploma as long as they pass each course or their End of Course Exam (EOC). Applicable classes include Algebra II, Integrated Math 3, or the equivalent for math; English 3 or the equivalent for reading/writing; Biology or Chemistry for science; and U.S. History for social science. “I’m so happy that they made these changes and that there’s still a chance for me to graduate,” senior Alys Martinez said. These past couple senior classes have been lucky to have leniency, but the state will not always be so flexible. Already, there are different guidelines for the Class of 2014 and another set of “rules” for 2015 and 2016. Students, there is still a great possibility for new, unexpected changes in the graduation process in the next few years. All you can really do is make sure that you do what you have to and do it right away. Also, take advantage of any opportunities, like dual-credit classes or ACT Prep, that the school may offer. You never know when you may need those classes, especially when the state keeps changing the requirements. It would help students tremendously if the standards were not always changing so they can set clear goals. The state needs to figure out what they’re doing, so the students they’re testing can too.

State Makes Seniors UncertainStaff Editorial Writer Sonia Nazario is an award-winning

journalist and author of “Enrique’s journey.” She spoke at Adams State in

Alamosa, Co. on Sept. 6 about her book. In the book, she follows a young boy named Enrique as he traveled illegally through Central America, from Honduras to the United States, in ?year?. The reason Nazario decided to come on the trip, she said, came from when she asked her house cleaner Carmen if she was going to have any more kids. At that moment, Carmen was quiet and began to cry. Sonia was curious and asked, “Why are you crying?” and Carmen replied that she had to leave four of her children in Guatemala and had not seen them in 12 years.

This conversation led journalist Nazario to research illegal immigration first-hand and meet one of the 7,000 unaccompanied children

who illegally cross into the U.S. each year. One child she met on her travels was Enrique, whose mother left when he was five and hadn’t returned in the 11 years since. Enrique left home to find his mother in the U.S. with only

a phone number on a scrap of paper. Nazario, as she worked with Enrique to cross from Honduras into the United States, witnessed murder, mutilation from falling off train tops and accidental deaths. She came close to death herself, in fact. She was atop a moving train when she was hit by a branch that knocked her to the edge of the train. She caught herself,

but at least one child one train car or so away did not. Her trip took three months. When she got back from that first trip, she had to go through six months of therapy because of troubled dreams with robbers trying to kill her, yet, she decided to take the three month journey once again to learn more from the people along the train route and from other immigrants. “I believe Sonia Nazario’s provided the audience with new perspectives in what immigrants, across the globe, experience when attempting to better their lives or reach loved ones. She writes from a journalistic perspective, providing true accounts with description to help the reader visualize the story... Many of us have no idea of the struggles and challenges faced by immigrants and, by reading her book, may come to greater understanding and empathy for those whose stories differ from our own,” said Linda Relyea, Assistant Director of Communications at Adams State College. “Enrique’s Journey” is the 2012 “Common Reading Experience” book for all freshmen at Adams State. The main theme of Nazario’s speech was determination. She talked about the determination that many illegal immigrants must have to even attempt to reach the U.S.,

but she also talked about how being a journalist and her own life helped her as she made the dangerous journey with her sources. When Nazario was a teenager, her father died, and her family moved from the U.S. to her mother’s home country of Argentina. This was during Argentina’s

“Dirty War,” when government officials terrorized the people. At the age of 17, a friend of Nazario’s family got picked up. When people got “picked up,” she said, terrorists would hold them captive for ransom or kill them. As a teenager during this

time, Nazario said she was scared for her everyday life, but this fear is also what led her to eventually become a journalist. While Nazario was passing a house, she noticed two blood stains on the ground and found out that the blood stains were from two journalists who had lived there and had been murdered, she assumed, for telling the truth about the “Dirty War.” When she looked at the ground and saw the blood, she said she realized how much words actually mean and how powerful “truth” can be. “It takes a very special person willing to spend six months train-hopping and avoiding gang violence just to share with the public the true stories of illegal immigrants. She risked her life to humanize and educate others about this important issue,” journalism teacher April van Buren said.

Journalist Shows Courage

opinion ColumnBy MArisol ArchuletA

Courtesy image // Sonia Nazario’s book “Enrique’s Journey” is avail-able in the school library. It has been chosen as Denver’s “One Book, One Denver” book for Fall 2012, and the book earned Naz-ario a Pulitzer prize for feature writing, the George Polk Award for International Reporting, the Grand Prize of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and the National Assn. of Hispanic Journalists Guillermo Martinez-Marquez Award for Overall Excellence

Photo by April van Buren // Freshman Raelynn Archuleta, senior Chastidy Trujillo and eighth grader Marisol Archuleta talk with journalist Sonia Nazario during a book signing at Adams State on Sept. 6. Before writing her book “Enrique’s journey,” Nazario worked for the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times, and is currently at work on her second book.

She risked her life to hu-manize and educate others about this important issue.“

”— teacherApril van Buren

Illustration by Jose Perez

It took 12 years,

but I finally made

it!No, you’re not done!

We just added

a

new hoop.

page 4 September 26, 2012 CENTERSPREAD The Spectacle page 5

New Staffat MVMHS

Photo by Cynthia Calderon // Clinician Paula Lark teaches seventh graders Isabella Coro-nado, Amaya Maetsas, Harvest Taniguchi, Joshua Salazar and Austin Kuykendall about Teen Outreach Program (TOPs). In TOPs, students learn about drugs,alcohol and being safe. In the past, TOPs has been an after-school activity, but this year it is a first-period class for seventh grade students.

By chAstidy trujillo Editor

Mesa Vista lost a few teachers last year, but the school is back on track with seven new staff members this year.

“My husband (Principal Kurt Fisk) worked in the district last year and I found that I missed interacting with students,”middle school math teacher Jackie Fisk said. (Jackie) Fisk, who has returned to teaching after working on her Master’s degree full-time, has taught for 7.5 years, including six years in Dulce and one year in Ruidoso. She has three children, ages 21, 20 and 19 and four step children (ages 28, 26, 24 and 20). Her love of children transfers to the classroom. “My first goal is to help students see their potential. Each student faces unique circum-stances and has unique talents. If I can help them see the positives for their future, then I will feel success,” (Jackie) Fisk said. Math may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Fisk said she has always loved to solve puzzles and figuring out how things work. Middle school history teacher David Mor-gan said he also enjoys being at Mesa Vista. In addition to teaching, Morgan worked in law enforcement for 15 years. Morgan has three children. His son Justin, 18, is a freshman at Trinidad State Junior Col-lege in Alamosa, Co, Jonathon, 20, is serving

on a Latter-Day Saints mission in Vitoria, Bra-zil, and his oldest child Jessica, 21, is a senior at Southern Virginia University. Before coming to Mesa Vista, Morgan taught at Monte Vista Middle School in Col-orado. He has also worked in San Luis, Co.; North Conejos, Co. and Dixon, NM. In ad-dition to teaching and law enforcement, Mor-gan has also worked as a federal/ state potato inspector and in construction, among other odd jobs. For now, though, he said his cur-rent goal is just to get to know everyone and remember their names. Registrar Sandra Garcia is no stranger to Mesa Vista - her son Erik graduated from Mesa Vista in 2011 and is currently in his second year at New Mexico Highlands University. Garcia spent five years teaching special education and was a secretary for the Wagon Mound School District for one year. Most re-cently, Garcia worked for the Espanola School District, but she has also worked at Mountain View High School, Springer High School and Rancho Valmora (a private high school and treatment center in NM). She likes working with students in the educational setting, she said. “My goal is to build a good rapport with students and staff,” Garcia said. High school math teacher Randal Saunders applied at Mesa Vista, he said, because it was

in need of a secondary math teacher and he’s “qualified to do so.” Before MVMHS, Saunders taught at Cuba High School. His goal, he said, is to increase math scores here. Also new to campus is IT technician Rianna Harris-Serrano, who describes her daughters (ages three and one) as “the cen-ter of my universe.” When she’s not busy at school or home, her hobbies include basketball, spending quality time with her family, camping, riding ATVs, shopping and trying to become more involved at church. Before her daughters were born, Harris-Serrano taught special education at El Rito Elementary (2009-2010) and was a special ed. teacher and long-term sub. at Coronado High School in 2008. “I chose to work in IT because I enjoy working with electronics. I like the hands-on experience and I enjoy helping others,” Harris-Serrano said. New to Mesa Vista but certainly not new to music education, teacher Arturo Montoya has 51 years of experience. Mon-toya has worked at Northern NM College as well as Lybrook Elementary and Las Ve-gas Day school–summer session. “My goals...are to try and get students involved in reading music, not just playing instruments. It’s a proven fact it helps in

math scores,” Montoya said. Also here to help Mesa Vista students is new counselor Lydia Palmer, whose plan is to get to know each student’s goals and aspirations, she said. Palmer also wants to establish an effective counseling program, she said, and learn everyone’s name. Palmer, who does not have children but does have a cat and a puppy, has worked on a prison crisis hotline in Santa Fe, at a children’s hospital, at a mental health clinic in Boston, and in a hospital grocery store in Dublin and Galway, Ireland. “I chose to be a counselor to help stu-dents’ find and remember their positive qualities and strengths,” Palmer said. Most recently, Palmer worked at Wash-ington Middle School in Albuquerque. Like Palmer, principal Kurt Fisk applied at MVMHS for the people as well as the lo-cation. Fisk joined the staff second semes-ter last year, first as the high school math teacher and later as interim principal. He re-interviewed in May and joins us this year, officially, as the principal. “My goals for this year are to learn more about the education process at the state level and how that affects the local school district,” (Kurt) Fisk said. (Kurt) Fisk has been teaching since 1993. He has worked at Goddard (in Ro-

swell) and Dulce High Schools, the New Mexico School for the Blind & Visually Impaired (in Alamogordo; he was princi-pal, math teacher and coach), Century Al-ternative High School (in Las Lunas) and Dundee Ridge Elementary. (Kurt) Fisk, who is married to middle school math teacher Jackie Fisk, has seven children and one grandson. “I chose this job for more challenge, more influence to help students prepare for their future, and to assist staff in im-proving the educational process and school environment,” (Kurt) Fisk said.

Lydia PalmerCounselor

Sandra GarciaCounseling Secretary

Randal SaundersH.S. Math

Jackie FiskM.S. Math

David MorganM.S. History

Arturo MontoyaMusic

Rianna Harris-SerranoAsst. Technology

New math, history and music teachers, new counseling dept. and IT

Photo by Cynthia Calderon // Principal Kurt Fisk goes through paperwork at his desk near the front office. Fisk joined the Mesa Vista staff last spring as the high school math teacher. In May, however, Fisk was asked to step in as the Principal while Tracie Phillips moved up into the interim Superintendent posi-tion. Fisk starts the new school year as the official principal, working for official Superintendent Phillips. Fisk’s wife, Jackie, also joins Mesa Vista this year as the middle school math teacher and Randal Saunders rounds out the math staff as the new high school math teacher.

I chose this job for more challenge, more in-fluence to help students prepare for their future, and to assist staff in improving the educational process and school environment.

“ ”— Principal Kurt Fisk

I had seen this school while pass-ing by, and I always thought it would be a great place to teach. I was right.

“ ”— history teacher

David Morgan

ALSO, New at Central Office:Dir. of Operations Leo Garcia

page 6 September 26, 2012 SPORTS The Spectacle The Spectacle News September 26, 2012 page 7

Cheerleading Update

By diego gAllegosRepoRteR A new cheerleading coach is coming to Mesa Vista. Shauna Martinez, a Mesa Vista alum, said she plans to manage the squad with strength, good discipline and good sportsmanship. Martinez was involved in several sports while she attended Mesa Vista, including volleyball, cheerleading, dance, mariachi and track. There should be about 14 cheerleaders this year, Athletic Director Ben Sandoval also said. The cheer squad will start officially with the basketball season and the first game is scheduled for Nov. 16 at Questa High School at 5 p.m. The new coach, who is a Behavior Management Specialist and a current student, said she is looking forward to a good year as cheer coach, working with good people. Some of her interests are hanging out with

her son, snowboarding and indoor rock climbing. “I would like the community to know that I am a good person, reliable, trustworthy and a good role model,” Martinez said.

No Cross Country By sAMAnthA herrerARepoRteR Cross Country is missing from Mesa Vista this year because there is no coach. “It is time for someone younger to take over the reins,” said Ben Sandoval, Sr., former Cross Country coach for 27 years. Administration started advertising the opening in the newspaper about a year ago, however, the district has not had any luck finding a new coach. Junior Ashlee Alire, who has participated in Cross Country in past years, said she was unhappy to lose the sport this fall. “It’s disappointing that there is no Cross Country. I really wanted to run this year. I was pumped,” Alire said.

Still No FootballBy Kristin MAestAs

RepoRteR Unlike Espanola, Pojoaque and other schools, Mesa Vista High still does not have a football team. Last year, there was a group of about twelve boys who generated interest in starting a football team - they drafted a letter to the School Board and generated signatures, they put together a list of equipment they’d need and proposed a budget for a new team. Former English teachers Santiago Archuleta (fall 2010) and Jacob Archuleta (spring 2011) encouraged the boys to start a team. There is not enough money, however, and it would have been a huge struggle trying to get a team together. Unfortunately there will not be a football team for the next few years until further notice, principal Kurt Fisk said. “I love football. It would have been great to start a football team my senior year,” senior Jesse Herrera said.

Fall Sports: Down, but Not Out

Varsity Girls Volleyball Coach Set Higher Expectations

file photo by Ben Sandoval, Jr. // Last school year, former coach Ben Sandoval, Sr., gathers with runners Julia Martinez, Ashlee Alire and Haliey Lucero before a meet. At the end of 2011, Sandoval, who has coached for more than 25 years, stepped down. The district has adver-tised the opening, but until there is a coach, there will be no cross country at Mesa Vista.

By MAtthew sAndovAlSpoRtS editoR

From 10 to 18 players, the varsity volleyball team has brought more girls to the team. The volleyball team has grown not only in size, but also in skill bringing their record to 5-5 (as of Sept. 15). The team has more games to come in October. “The Dulce and Cuba games will be exciting because those are district games and those determine if we go to state or not. The Coronado game will also be exciting because the team wants to get them back from when they lost to them,” Head Coach

Miguel Garcia said. The players have been practicing every day to improve their bumping, spiking, serving, setting and movement overall. Despite the influx of new players, the team is still missing some strong players who graduated in May, including Julia Martinez, Ashtyn Megariz and Samantha Terrazas. “The youngsters have been doing very well. They have been learning a lot and improving very fast on their movement, digging, spiking, serving, setting and bumping,” Garcia said.In this season alone, the team has more than doubled its record from last

year. The Varsity Trojans have five seniors (Brandy Valdez, Larissa Pena, Montana Marquez, Alicia Dominguez and Jasmine Morales), two juniors (Selina Siqueros and Ashlee Alire), two sophomores (Alex Gallegos and Miquela Martinez) and two eighth graders (Darien Halder and Azalea Griego). “We hope to win all our district games. Those (games) determine if we go to state or not,” Garcia said. The team has an away game in Penasco tonight at 5 p.m. and plays

Coronado on Friday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. The next home game is Sat., Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. against Santa Fe Prep.

file photo by Lily Hawley // During a 2011 home game against Coronado, then junior Larissa Peña and senior Cynthia Alire work together to return the ball. Despite losing several seniors in May, the volleyball team has almost doubled in size this year, at 18 players.

Cafeteria Update, cont. from p. 1

Cleaning up MVMHS: Campus Gets Made-over

On Aug. 13, students returning to Mesa Vista may have noticed some visible changes on campus. Superintendent

Tracie Phillips directed the district to begin making improvements starting May 24, although Director of Operations Leo Garcia said the renovations are on-going. This summer multiple companies, including ATI security, Gutierrez Landscaping and B&D Electric as well as the school custodians worked to fix up the school. The district has made several renovations, putting in gravel near the gym and other parts of campus, growing grass in other areas, replastering the outside of the cafetorium and elementary school, and even putting in

new sidewalks by the high school building and in front of the middle school building. Custodians added a fresh coat of paint to many parts of campus, indoor and out. Additionally, the drinking fountains in all the buildings are getting repaired, and there are plans to fix up and touch up all of the pipes on campus. The campus also has a new and improved fire alarm system, which Garcia said cost about $100,000. There is also an updated security system on campus and also a new Gazebo on the Ojo Caliente Elementary playground. Much of the repairs were pricey; all of the projects combined cost the district an “excess of $200,000,” Garcia said. The money for these renovations came from the Capital Improvements Act SB-9, a state fund for public schools that can only be spent on construction and upkeep, not

on teacher’s salaries or computers, for example. (From the 2012 Capital Outlay Information Project for school districts, published by the Public Education Department: “School districts shall give priority to maintenance projects” “We just wanna make the school look nice, so the students have a school to take pride in,” Garcia said. The district has future plans to “take care” of the bleachers and even install new roofs on all the buildings except the gym, Garcia said, but they are still waiting for the Public Education Department to confirm funding. The district will hopefully get the news this week, Garcia said. Because of these improvements, the district was nominated for the Ben Lujan Maintenence Award for Most Improved. “The school is looking good, and everyone’s doing a great job,” Garcia said.

By AthenA MArtinez &Kristin MAestAsReporters

is portioned out,” Garcia said. With all this work put into making lunches, Garcia is asking that all students at least get a tray at breakfast and lunch. “I have asked all principals to make sure each student picks up a tray. Even though the lunch is free to the students, we still have to pay for the food and the cooks to prepare it. The way we get paid for the food is from the state and that is based on the number of trays we serve daily. When each student receives a tray we are able to receive the maximum amount of money from the state so that we can continue to pay for and serve lunches,” Garcia said.

News Briefs, cont. from p. 1Natural Helpers, cont.Last year’s Natural Helpers group had a total of 15 members. This year there are 25. The year will be different for Natural Helpers because there is only one returning member, sophomore Joshua Archuleta, as the rest of the 2011-12 Natural Helpers were all in the graduating class. Students are asked to join Natural Helpers based on recommendations from their peers (through a survey), sponsor and 5th grade teacher Javier Arellano said. After members complete the survey recommendations, the sponsors check to see if the recommended students have multiple write-ups or are in trouble frequently. Natural Helpers is mostly about getting kids involved and to inspire their student peers to not take drugs or drink alcohol. “We’re like Ghost Busters. We’re the ones you call when you’re in need of help,” Arellano said.

New Fire AlarmsBy cynthiA cAlderonRepoRteR

With bright, flashing lights and a loud, loud noise, it’s hard not to notice that there are new fire alarms this year. The new alarms are more accurate and louder, so everyone can hear them. The old alarms didn’t work correctly and became a safety issue, superintendent Tracie Phillips said. The new ones have better wiring and were installed correctly, Phillips said. Also, they work in every building on campus and can be monitored from anywhere there is Internet access. The alarms cost more than $100,000. The law requires one alarm (drill) per week for the first four weeks of school, then one per month for the rest of the year, Phillips said. “Although the fire alarms are expensive, they are absolutely necessary to help ensure the safety of everyone,” Phillips said.

photo by Athena Martinez // (left to right) Eighth grader Jurray Pena, seventh grader Yolanda Sepulveda, eighth graders Toni Lobato and Charles Buezo-Diaz and sev-enth grader Amaya Maestas eat lunch in the cafeteria. Their lunch sides -- carrot slaw, fresh melon and green beans -- show fresh fruit and veggies, which students can expect the school to serve more of this year.

The Spectacle BACK PAGE September 26, 2012 page 8

Meet Me at the (State)Fair

photos by Laura Guzman // People gather at the 2012 State Fair on Sept. 13. The Fair included carnival games, food, information about farming, live entertainment and more. A spinning roller coaster was also new to the fair this fall.

By d’Angelo PAdillAeditoR

The 2012 New Mexico State Fair was Sept 12-23 at Expo New Mexico in Albuquer-que.

The Fair offered booths, carnival games, a sling shot ride, a spinning roller coaster ride, ro-deo events, Horse Racing, a horse show, a petting zoo, concerts, educational farming demos for children and an art show. The fair opened to the public at 9 a.m. everyday starting Sept 13. Prices this year were $10 adults, $7seniors (62 and up), $7 Kids, and free for 5 and under. The rides at the carnival were amazing. While walking through the carnival, all we could hear were the shrieks, screams and laughter of the people enjoying the rides. Once on the rides, however, it was a different story. The Kamikaze (aka The Hammer) had no shoulder padding and I ended up with bruises from the safety Harness that holds you down to your seat. As the Hard Rock thrill ride starts, the seat starts to roll, and it felt like I was about to lick the floor. You start to spin in a circle and then it goes up in the air while the seats are spinning. At this point

I thought I was going to fly out, but of course I didn’t and the ride delivered some thrills. All in all, the carni-val rides were fun and well worth the $25 for an unlimited ride pass. In addition to the booths and rides, there were also several con-certs at The Tin-gly Concert Hall

p e r -form-e r s w e r e Poco/Firefall, Marty Stuart, Jake Owen, Eddie Money, Jerrod Nie-mann all preformed, a Michael Jack-son Laser Spectacular also took place. A school day was offered at the fair again this year. Students for all over got to learn about animals and how they should treat them. Students vis-

ited Southwest Dairy Farmers Milking Parlor, Dairy Bar, McDonald’s Farm, Petting Zoo, The

Red Barn, School Arts, and the Rail runners. I didn’t get to see any of the concert per-formers, but I did get to go check out the farms. Students were already there ready to learn. The Farms offered for me to join in with the students but I denied. The farms were mainly just for kids, and to teach them how to treat and care for the different animals. The 2012 New Mexico State Fair was a learn-ing experience for students and family, the fair is running from Sept 12-23.

As the Hard Rock thrill ride starts, the seat starts to roll, and it felt like I was about to lick the floor. You start to spin in a circle and then it goes up in the air while the seats are spinning.

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”— sophomore D’Angelo Padilla

Have you purchased your 2012-2013 yearbook yet?

If you wait until February, the price increases to $35, then $45.

Grades 7-12; All sports, prom and graduation - Memories to last a life-

time and award-winning journalism.

To Preorder at the SPECIAL Back-to-School Price of only $25:

Bring cash or check made out to “Mesa Vista Yearbook” to the school library

NOTICE: You’re Invited!

Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools invites you to a Community Forum at El Rito Elementary on Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m.

Topic: “Strategic Planning”