Volume 105, Issue 2 Modesto High School December 2017 Contents
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Volume 105, Issue 2 Modesto High School December 2017 Contents 3 Honor Orchestra 4 Talent Show 6 District Election 8 Suit & Tie Formal 10 Winter Fashion 12 Campo Exclusive 13 Holiday Traditions 16 Christmas Quiz 2 The Panther Press Photos provided by Mr. Scott Mitchell Symphonic Excellence Modesto High School is home to many tal- Mitchell has never been part of such a ented students. Whether it is drama, speech, sports, large orchestra before, so being involved in this or one of the many other activities in which students advanced program was quite an experience and a are involved, it is fun to celebrate the achievements clear sign of his growing expertise. Mitchell is very of fellow Panthers. proud of his accomplishment of getting into the Honor Symphony Orchestra. He explained that he Recently, sophomore student, Apollo Par- can not wait to gain more experience in order to ish Mitchell gave Modesto High another reason to take more steps toward his life goal, which is to be be proud. Mitchell not only plays the oboe for the a professional oboist. He is using this experience Modesto High Orchestra, but he also plays for the as a “further staircase toward [his] future.” Modesto Symphony Youth Orchestra – a position for which he must audition each year. Mitchell has been The next step for Mitchell is another sign of playing oboe for two years and excels at the instru- his talent. Recently, he sent in a video recording of ment. scales and select pieces to audition for Mahler at Pacific. Mitchell was selected to play with college This past year, Mitchell’s instructor in the music students and other select high school stu- woodwind quintet for the Modesto Youth Sympho- dents, performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 at the ny Orchestra informed him that there were open- Faye Spanos Concert Hall at the University of the ings for oboes, French horns, and bassoons in the Pacific in Stockton. This concert, sponsored by the Honor Symphony Orchestra organized by the Cali- Conservatory of Music, is sure to be another fan- fornia Orchestra Directors Association. Mitchell said, tastic stepping-stone in Mitchell’s musical career. “[I was] encouraged to try out, so I did.” After send- ing in an audio recording of his scales and a solo excerpt as an audition, Mitchell received first chair for the oboes. The event was held in Santa Monica on December 1st and 2nd. The orchestra members consisted of high school students from all over Cal- ifornia. The students practiced together for the first time ever prior to the official concert on the sec- ond evening. The event was a night of outstanding music, which included pieces by Tchaikovsky and Beethoven. December 2017 3 Pictured Gianna Howard A Show of Talents by Jasmine LÓpez Modesto High hosted its annual Talent Show place. This isn’t the first talent show that Gianna has on November 1st. As usual, it was held in the audito- participated in, “I have done a bunch of them at my rium. Tickets were even being sold for early admis- old school, Hart Ransom. I have participated in talent sion into the auditorium so spectators could snag a shows ever since I was in 5th grade.” good spot. The wide variety of students’ talents were Gianna chose to sing for her peers, “Freshmen demonstrated through singing, dancing, beat-box- are really looked down upon, and I guess I can see, ing, and instrument playing. but I guess I wanted to come with a strong voice and Fourteen year old, Gianna Howard, took first make a good first impression.” place for her performance of “Rolling in the Deep” by Gianna has been singing for six years, “I have Adele. Gianna said, “There is 1st place through 6st been singing since 1st grade.” place, crowd pleaser, and show stopper. I took 1st Her mother recognized her talent at a young 4 Pictured Madisyn Cates and MatthewThe Panther Menenses Press age, “My mom used to say I was real- ly bad at first, but then my grandma kept buying me karaoke machines and my voice developed from there.” She doesn’t limit herself to singing one genre, “I sing what I like in general.” Gianna not only sings at school talent shows, but she is also in her church choir. The Crowd Pleaser award went to Alesia Correa for her perfor- mance of “Almost is Never Enough” by Ariana Grande and Nathan Sykes. Correa, a sophomore, is in The Per- A Show of Talents forming Arts Academy. She said, “I by Jasmine LÓpez wish everyone got an award because I know a couple people who didn’t and that’s sad.” Singing has always been a part of Alesia’s life having had vocal lessons at a young age and being part of a choir. Presently, Alesia mostly sings on her own. Alesia found comfort in the song selected for the show, “I chose to sing this Pictured Alesia Correa song because I think it was a really soothing song, and it was classy. I also had a perfect dress for it, the song fit my voice here at Modesto High, and Menenses attends Hil- well, and the words were easy to memorize.” mar High. They performed a traditional Fado dance Alesia always knew she wanted to be in the which is a genre of Portuguese dance. school Talent Show, “I would be in my room and have Cates added her own twist by adding dub- fantasies of me performing in front of a lot of people. step to it. Cates said, “The music if very melancholy, Those moments encouraged me to do the talent dramatic, and about love.” show.” Cates and Menenses are in a dance organiza- Her brother, Anthony Correa, was also in the tion for young Portuguese people called Luso. Cates talent show which gave her another sense of encour- pulled the dance that was performed at the talent agement to participate. She said, “Rehearsals went show from a 12 minute routine, and she taught it to better. I have a video of one of the rehearsals, and I herself and Menenses. The pair learned the dance felt like I did better than in the actual Talent Show. In the Sunday before rehearsals. The crowd received the Talent Show, people cheer and I like it, but I get their dance well, and everyone was cheering for mixed up. Then, I fear messing up.” them. She was excited and nervous, “I didn’t want The students of Modesto High outdid them- the crowd to see my nerves, so I just put myself out selves and put on a great show for the audience. there.” Students are already planning their performances for The Best of Show award went to Madisyn next year, which is sure to be another great night of Cates and Matthew Menenses. Cates is a junior talent. December 2017 5 Board Boundaries Modesto High School and Modesto City Schools have been focused on education ever since The Modesto City School Board of Education their creation in the late 1800s. Since the district’s (k-12) is comprised of seven members who are elected existence, the schools in the district have worked to by districts to serve a term of four consecutive years. prepare students for higher level learning, the work The members of the board have the power to authorize force, and surmounting the inevitable challenges that new programs and curricula, approve employment, they will face in life. According to Kafoumba Doum- adopt budgets, determine salary and school district bia of EdLab Columbia, “Education gives [every policy. However, the true importance of the board is student] a knowledge of the world around [them] and that it provides a “unique and crucial link between the changes it into something better.” The importance of community and the school district.” education in the lives of adolescents cannot be under- stated. However, it is through an intricate local school In April this year, the members of the board, government that ideas are executed to benefit students successfully approved a new map to divide voter and their learning environment. areas in the school district. This allows people to vote Modesto City Schools is composed of two for representatives from their own area. The voting districts for upper and lower nodes of learning (ele- to approve the map was unanimous because it divid- mentary k-8 and high school 9-12). It is currently the ed the core of urban living in Modesto. While each third largest employer in Stanislaus County with a board member represents their immediate commu- staff of 1,650 certified and 1,500 classified employees. nity, their ultimate job is to represent the district as a and The district serves approximately 30,000 students. whole. Beck Fortuna, the public information officer Modesto City Schools has a governing board which of MCS stated, “We hope that each trustee represents oversees district decisions. all Modesto City Schools students, regardless of the voting district in which they reside.” 6 The Panther Press By Shelby Benz According to the Modesto Bee, the city of Modesto became the first entity sued under the California Voting Rights Act for disenfranchising Latino Voters. However, Modesto City School Board throughout the years has initiated numerous programs to stimulate the involvement of all members of the community. The creation of these “board boundaries” within the district will hopefully bolster representation for all demo- graphics of Modesto. The new district election method requires that people campaign as representatives for their geo- graphic locations. Thus, people are able to campaign in their districts as more understanding individuals of large margins.