The show must go on pp.8-9 What you didn’t know about the theater The Armijo Signal Armijo High School, Fairfield April 2015 Volume XIX, Issue VIII Famous chef visits AHS class Students enjoy inspiration from past & present experiences Welcome to the Class of 2019 By Dayanna Reyes Staff writer For three nights during March, “Every day when I get up, I lookin the mir- the campus was overrun with stu- ror and say to myself, ‘You’ve got to be a better dents from various middle schools, all person yourself than you were yesterday,” Chef preparing to become Armijo students. Curtis Aikens told Ms. Sylvia Herrera’s fifth pe- On Monday, March 9, eighth riod class on Tuesday, March 3. graders from Grange, Sheldon, Holy The students had contacted Chef Curtis, Spirit schools and about one third with the help of Ms Herrera when they read his of Crystal middle school, as well as story in their textbook and realized that he lived about one third of the incoming IB locally. They sent him a stack of letters, each students met with their future coun- asking if he would be interested in coming to the selors. class. And he agreed. They were followed on When Chef Curtis stood in the center of Wednesday, March 11, by students the class, with the chairs circled around him, he from B. Gale Wilson, Suisun Valley, explained some of his concerns. He said that he David Weir schools and the second was shy and that he couldn’t have them talking third of Crystal Middle School as well while he was talking because it would be hard as a third of the incoming IB 9th grade to hear them individually. Then he greeted the students. students one by one, recalling the name as each A week later, the incoming student introduced himself or herself. He recalled freshmen from Green Valley and the details about each letter, or if there wasn’t one in rest of Crystal Middle School an in- the stack that the students had sent to him. coming IB students came to register. Chef Curtis came from humble begin- Chef Curtis and Ms. Herrera proudly share the student-created At times, the lines wrapped nings, despite the fact that he has three pub- cookbook in which he wrote the introduction. from the front of the library to the back Photo by Ms. Vanessa Walling-Sisi lished cookbooks and his own show on the and curved along the back wall. Par- Food Network. “I was the worst student,” he told ents came with their children to fill out the class, admitting that he wasn’t even a accomplished reader until he was 26 years old. As a student, he the emergency cards, collect the tran- shared, he did whatever he could so people wouldn’t find out about his inability to read. He told the students scripts from middle school, choose that the thing that motivated him to keep his reading prolblems a secret was fear. “Fear of being found out, electives and talk to their counselors fear of failing,” he said. to secure their classes. He finally learned to read in 1986. He was living in Marin County and started his own business. “I was Traditionally, students and tired of not being able to read,” he said. “One of my fears was that someone would take” the business from teachers have attended to promote him. He knew it was time to make a change and he knew he deserved the best of himself. “The more you their classes and clubs in anticipation learn,” he said, “the wider your zone is.” of the new school year, but this year there were only a few representa- Continued on page 3 - tives. Colonel Edward Bruce was in Famous chef visits Armijo attendance and his ROTC students were promoting their class. They also helped out by leading families Two winners share Armijo’s Teacher of the Year on tours of the campus and directing Both teachers earn honors for their commitment to students, more them to the proper lines. Ms. Lynne Herring was also there, passing out Some teachers are very focused on one small group of students. It might be their own classes, a program, a information about The Armijo Signal specific grade level or even a club. The two teachers who earned the honor of being Armijo’s Teacher of the and encouraging students to sign up Year are those types, but they are also focused on the students as a whole. for the anticipated Journalism class. Mr. Ben Dickens is an International Baccalaureate (IB) teacher. He started teaching sophomores and For many students, this is then followed those students to teach them as juniors and seniors, but he didn’t limit his exposure to students the first exposure they have to high to the role of teacher. Mr. Dickens has served as adviser for several clubs including the Comic Book Club, school life. Some of the students are Speech and Debate, Junior Statesmen of America and more. coming from smaller schools and He decided to become a teacher after he had a learning experience at have yet to experience things like a scout camp one summer. There, he served as a Senior Patrol Leader and TABLE OF CONTENTS changing classes. It can be a daunt- saw the need to motivate a downtrodden troop. He was flexible with the camp’s ing situation at a school this size. schedule and encouraged the other scouts and learned that he had the power to Plans are currently being make a difference. News 1, 3-4 made to further introduce the fresh- As the proud father of a four-month old son, Mr. Dickens spends a lot of Editorials, etc. 2 men to the campus in August, giving his time changing diapers and telling bedtime stories. He also enjoys hiking with People 5-7 them a chance to experience life in his dog Teddy and dining on local cuisine. Center Spread 8-9 the classrooms, meet some of the Mr. Dickens said that one of the things that is weak here at Armijo is school Senior News 10 teachers, discover the lay-out of the Clubs 11 campus and find out about some of Sports 12-13 the opportunities available in terms of Continued on page 2 - Entertainment 14-16 clubs. Teachers of the Year 2 Editorials, etc. News 3 Editorial TEACHERS OF THE YEAR - Continued from front page If you can read this… Are you above the influence? Prom Checklist spirit. “Dress up weeks, sporting and academic events By Gabriel Zanipatin A modified reprint from May 2012 Television brings joy to many. While films and TV shows may not prevent were the cornerstone of my high school,” he said. “I only Entertainment co-editor By Sarina Rodriguez, staff writer violence or stop world hunger, they provide an endless form of entertainment wish that more participated to get in the spirit and have fun that grows and evolves with culture. Because television is recreationally signifi- with it.” He went to high school in Burnsville, Minnesota, a During the last week of March, Armijo students People have been chatting about prom for weeks, and the big day is almost here. took time to thank those who make this all possible. With cant, it can also change the way people view their world. Whether it’s a comedy, semi-diverse suburb of Minneapolis, was involved in track The event takes place on Saturday, April 18, but there is still so much left that people a lot of dedication and hard work, the teachers at Armijo soap opera, or documentary, television can convey messages and teach values as a pole-vaulter, wrote for the school newspaper and was need to do. High School put countless hours in their job to provide a Prom is an important event but there are a lot of details that need to be attended as well as any novel. active in the local scout troop. He later attended North Da- kota State University. healthy environ- to. There’s an easy way to make sure you are prepared for Armijo High’s prom: make a Generally, the values taught are positive: children’s cartoons emphasize Like Mr. Dickens, the second Teacher of the Year ment for students to checklist! Here’s one that may help you: kindness, friendship, and trustworthiness, while more mature films may explore focuses on a specific group. Ms. Anna Vieira is the Depart- learn in. The leader- ● Find a date! Whether you have a special someone in mind or even just want to go issues in society in interesting ways. Even a seemingly foolish comedy may ment Chairperson of the Special Education department. ship class decided with friends, make sure you have a plan. It is now or never! actually be satirizing significant problems. However, movies can also have nega- Also like Mr. Dickens, she has extended her connection to pay them back ● You always need to be sure you can afford a prom ticket. Tickets have been on tive impacts on society, especially on growing children. Many have attributed with students by being one of the primary organizers of the and the week of sale since March but the price has gone up. modern tragedies (such as the Columbine shooting) to the negative influences Armijo Buxx program. March 23-27 was ● If you were renting a tuxedo, you should have ordered it already. If you missed of modern TV. Whether violent broadcasting is actually to blame for murders “Before I became a teacher, I was a teacher’s as- set aside to show that opportunity, a nice suit with a tie that matches your date’s dress will work.