Volume 106, issue 3 Modesto High School Febraury/March 2019 Table of Contents Roller Derby..................................3 AVID..............................................4 Immigrants....................................6 Winter Winds.................................8 Bathrooms.....................................9 Peru...............................................10 Woodshop....................................12 Athlete Signing.............................14 Derby DynamoBy Shelby Benz & Diego Aguirre The sounds of screeching wheels, clashing Max and his sister both had “gentle disposi- sticks, and crossing shouts echo across the rink. The tions” and their mother wanted them to “do something rush of adrenaline is ever present with the speed and new, to be more outgoing. His mother subsequently the contact. created a roller derby team called the MoTown Mis- Have you ever heard of Roller derby? Maybe fits, which he participated in for 4 years, practicing in you’ve seen it in a TV episode of a crime show, or may- Modesto, Ripon, and Turlock. But his horizons were be you’ve never heard of it at all, but it is a sport played soon to expand. all around the world - a very unconventional one. Roll- “Freshman year I went and traveled the coun- er derby is a contact sport between two teams, each try.” He was accompanying his friend’s team, California consisting of 5 members skating counter-clockwise Mayhem, as they competed around the U.S. with other around a track. During a scuttled series of match-ups, teams. Max said, “I was like, ‘Whoa. This is something both teams have 4 blockers and a designated jammer I want to do, traveling the country.” whose objective is to lap members of the opposing Max has been to 40 of the 50 states, playing team. It is orchestrated anarchy on the court; both the sport he loves. He will soon be taking his talents teams essentially playing defense and offense simulta- abroad to Barcelona, Spain, locking a position on the neously. There are two different variations of the game USA Men’s Team. waftada and usars. Max encourages more people to try out derby. Although traditionally a female-dominated His said his favorite part is “probably the traveling and sport, our very own Maxemillion Cooper is making meeting new people. There is such a rich variety of laps across the country and the world. Inspired by a kinds of people.” picture from her own derby, Max’s mother decided to The sounds of screeching wheels, clashing take him and his sister to RollerLand 10 years ago. sticks, and crossing shouts echo across the rink be- “My sister and I were watching the game and cause this sport is aggressive and full-contact. we saw a heavy set lady [who had been skating in the Max explained, “It can be dangerous if you don’t play it rink]... When she sat down on the chair, it completely right. Just like any sport.” flattened.” The rush of adrenaline is ever present with the Young Max was thrilled and mesmerized by speed, the contact, and the dance of the skaters around this instance, as well as with the strength of the players. the rink. Program Spotlight By: Sabrina Mean Only a few people know exactly what they the first class was taught in 2002. She wanted to create want to do after they graduate high school. But what the AVID program due to many students wanting to about the people who know they want to go to col- succeed in life but “needed something to help them.” lege, but have no idea how to make that happen? Ms. Blickenstaff, the current AVID Coordinator as well as an AVID teacher, describes AVID as “A col- AVID, lege readiness system. which stands for Everything that we Advancement Via do in the AVID class- Individual De- room is geared toward termination, is a preparing students for program that helps college.” students gain the skills and strate- AVID helps gies to help them students prepare for succeed in school, college by “[teaching] while also assisting how to stay organized, them with the ins ask questions, collabo- and outs of college rate with [their] peers applications, financial aid, and all other aspects of and take effective notes,” said Mr. Cardenas, who was the process of getting accepted to a college or uni- an AVID student, tutor and now has taken on the role versity. of an AVID teacher. The AVID program began at Modesto High He explains that being an AVID teacher allows in 2001 under the guidance of Ms. Chavkin and him to help students who, like himself, are the first in Current Modesto High AVID students. AVID students working on tutorials in the AVID Center. their families to go to college. on track for college and it teaches you responsibility, which is what you will need in college.” As the first person that is going to go to college in her family, Alexia Garcia, a junior at Modesto High, I n Fatima Aguayo’s point of view, AVID does joined AVID her freshman year and “was always deter- give more work “but it benefits you later on in life.” mined to go to college.” She believes that AVID is worth it because “it helps you identify your strengths and stay [on] track for AVID has changed her method of studying by college.” giving her applicable skills such as taking Cornell notes that help her stay organized so that she knows Mr. Cardenas explained, “When the program what she is studying. She believes that the structure of started in 2002, it was geared towards minority stu- AVID does call for more work that includes “complet- dents and now the program is a fit for everyone.” ing Cornell notes, TRF’s, binder organization” along with other things. She believes that AVID is worth it Joining AVID is beneficial if you use what “if you take advantage of [the skills the program was the program was created for: to improve college created for].” readiness for all of the students. AVID helps students prepare for college through instituting and practicing “organizational strategies” that will better prepare students for their fu- tures. Fatima Aguayo, a junior, who had been in AVID since junior high briefly describes that, “[junior high] had less activities [but a lot of] Socratic Seminars and [high school] has more debates.” Alexia Garcia would recommend students to take AVID “because the program really helps you stay Current Modesto High AVID students. Students Haiying Zeng and Manuel Zaragoza Ortiz We Are All Panthers Inspiring Stories of Determination and Perseverance “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled to officially make the United States their permanent masses yearning to breathe free.” This statement home. highlights the core fountain of the United States of Her first experience in an American classroom America. Our country was built to welcome immi- was in kindergarten, where she was welcomed by grants and peoples of all backgrounds and cultures. her teacher who also happened to speak Chinese. However, despite the tremendous advantages and Her teacher guided her through the basics of the benefits America boasts, immigrants still face many English language with words like ‘that,’ ‘there,’ and challenges and obstacles, even after they have ‘where.’ With her aid, Haiying slowing became flu- settled in the United States. Modesto High School ent. Still, there were points where Haiying faced has many students who have faced and overcome language barriers when trying to communicate with the various obstacles of immigrating to the United her peers. States. These students include freshman Haiying “I went through this chunk in my life where Zeng and freshman Manuel Zaragoza Ortiz, both of I went around to all these kids yelling, ‘That, there, whom are enrolled in pre-IB courses. are, where, who, when, what’ in their faces and being Haiying Zeng immigrated from China when really frustrated when they didn’t know what I was she was just five years old. Initially, her family intend- saying,” Haiying recounted. ed to immigrate to the United States for the birth of With practice, persistence, and speech class- her brother, since China’s one child policy would’ve es, Zeng overcame her language barrier within a imposed a large fine on her family otherwise. After matter of years. She later went on to compete and her brother was born, her family made the decision win many academic competitions, such as Math Haiying Zeng with former United States Representative Jeff Denham Superbowl and Science Olympiad. In fact, she even try to do here first is try to get students connected won first place for California’s Tenth District Congres- to our school culture to get them plugged in, to get sional App Challenge. Zeng’s journey now stands as them realizing that they have support here… We a testimony to the tenacity and determination of im- offer student mentors, we offer celebrations where migrants who strive to achieve the American Dream. we recognize the English language students of the Manuel Zaragoza Ortiz immigrated from semester, so they come in and have lunch. We offer Mexico to be with extended family, and has also incentives for grades each quarter, and we try to get faced and overcome obstacles of his own. Not only them connected with clubs on campus.” did he face a language barrier, but Manuel also had When describing students’ most significant strug- to endure the hardship of arriving to the U.S. without gles, she explained that many students struggle with many funds to support him and his family. As soon how they are perceived. They may be mistaken as as he and his family arrived at the United States, they lazy or unmotivated to do work, when really, there is all got jobs, including Manuel, who began working a “significant skill gap” in large part because students at his grandfather’s.