what’s inside: “Snack ban” leaves school clubs’ funds hungry News briefs Eight Coronado swimmers advance to state in Austin Photo By: Adriana Avila. Left to Right: Ashley Payne, Kevin Rincon, Jake Hartley, Kelsey Tomlin, Kayla Mehl and Susie Kim. Not Pictured: Carlos Herrera and Alex Gonzalez by: Frida Garza, Editor-in-Chief There was a soda machine by every staircase, containing sugary drinks that were replaced by diet sodas, and later, only juice. Vending machines containing granola bars and cheese danishes that once occupied C building atrium have disappeared. The Journalism staff was priveleged financially with a soda machine in its classroom, which students would use after purchasing ice cream. Along with the other vending machines, this soda machine was taken out, and the A-30 ice cream commercials ceased. All of these changes were enforced because of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Texas Public School Nutrition Policy. Under this policy, high schools are not allowed to serve competitive foods (in simpler terms, no one can sell any type of food or candy as an alternative to what the school offers) to students during meal periods anywhere on campus. This does not apply to food items made available by the school food service department and according to EPISD’s nutrition policy; on middle and high school campuses, the nutrition standards will apply to food fundraising during the school day. Because of these policies, many clubs went from fundraising edible items during lunch and transition period to selling after school, and all day on treat days designated by the district or simply not fundraising at all. This has left many organizations struggling to find solutions and other ways to fundraise without breaking any rules. Ms. Sharon Boling has resorted to silent auctions and also working concession stands as other means of fundraising since she was affected by the ban. Most teachers are now only selling their food or snacks after school, while other clubs are currently trying to find non-food related fundraisers that will not break these regulations. by: Gwen Rivera,Staff Writer Spring break begins Friday, March 12 and ends on Sunday, March 21. No school on April 2nd (Easter Holiday) TAKS testing days: April 26, 27, and 28 Prom Theme was revealed on Tuesday, March 9. The theme for the 2010 prom is Cirque du Coronado. On Tuesday, March 16 at 7:30 PM the girls soccer team will play Franklin at Coronado. It will be the last district game and all Seniors will be recognized. On April 1, 2010, the new cell phone ban will go into effect. This law prohibits the use of cell phones while driving. the fine can be up to $500. The talent show will be held March 25, 7:00- 9:00PM in the Capshaw Auditorium. Look for daily updates on the Explorer website. e-mail: [email protected]phone: (915) 834-2477 website: coronado.episd.org/explorer contact us: Page 2: Senior Bonfire Page 3: School Sewage Troubles Page 4&5: Spring Break Page 6: Teen Pregnancy Page 7: Student Restaurant Review Page 8: UTEP wins Conference e x p l o r e r the CORONADO HIGH SCHOOL » VOLUME 32 » ISSUE 5 On the weekend of February 26th and 27th, eight Coronado swimmers competed in the Texas UIL 2010 Swimming & Diving State Championships. Alex Gonzalez, Jake Hartley, Carlos Herrera, Susie Kim, Kayla Mehl, Ashley Payne, Kevin Rincon, and Kelsey Tomlin represented the Coronado swim team at the competition in Austin in several events. The girls competed in the 200 meter Freestyle Relay and the Medley Relay, while the boys competed in the 200 meter Freestyle Relay. Jake Hartley, senior, won gold medals for both of his individual events: the 50 meter Freestyle and the 100 meter Freestyle. “If felt incredible to do as well as I did at State, I never imagined I’d be coming back with two titles,” said Hartley. Additionally, Hartley broke the record time for both of his events, coming in first at 20.22 seconds for the 50 meter and 44.89 seconds for the 100 meter. Both were All- American times. One of these records, the one for 50 meter free, was originally held by Hartley himself. Hartley says he practices an average of 3 hours a day and up to four hours a day during holiday breaks. As any last-minute routines or unique superstitions, he says he has none. “I don’t really have a routine before I dive in the pool,” said Hartley, “I just try to jump and shake out my muscles to stay loose.” Hartley was the only Coronado swimmer to receive a medal at the state meet. Club: FCCLA Sponsor: Sharon Boling Former fundraiser: Selling pizzas once a week at lunch, along with other snack foods. Estimated loss: $10,000 Club: DECA Sponsor: Isela Rivera Fundraiser: Cookies at lunch, transition periods and after school. Estimated loss: $2,000-$2,500 Club: Quill & Scroll (Journalism) Sponsor: Peggy Ligner Fundraiser: Ice Cream at lunch, transition periods and after school. Estimated loss: $5,000-$8,000
Transcript
what’s ins i de :
“Snack ban” leaves school clubs’ funds hungry
News briefs
Eight Coronado swimmers advance to state in Austin
Photo By: Adriana Avila. Left to Right: Ashley Payne, Kevin Rincon, Jake Hartley, Kelsey Tomlin, Kayla Mehl and Susie Kim. Not Pictured: Carlos Herrera and Alex Gonzalez
by: Frida Garza, Editor-in-Chief
There was a soda machine by every staircase, containing sugary drinks that were replaced by diet sodas, and later, only juice. Vending machines containing granola bars and cheese danishes that once occupied C building atrium have disappeared. The Journalism staff was priveleged financially with a soda machine in its classroom, which students would use after purchasing ice cream. Along with the other vending machines, this soda machine was taken out, and the A-30 ice cream commercials ceased.
All of these changes were enforced because of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Texas Public School Nutrition Policy.
Under this policy, high schools are not allowed to serve competitive foods (in simpler terms, no one can sell any type of food or candy as an alternative to what the school offers) to students during meal periods anywhere on campus. This does not apply to food items made available by
the school food service department and according to EPISD’s nutrition policy; on middle and high school campuses, the nutrition standards will apply to food fundraising during the school day.
Because of these policies, many clubs went from fundraising edible items during lunch and transition period to selling after school, and all day on treat days designated by the district or simply not fundraising at all. This has left many organizations struggling to find solutions and other ways to fundraise without breaking any rules.
Ms. Sharon Boling has resorted to silent auctions and also working concession stands as other means of fundraising since she was affected by the ban. Most teachers are now only selling their food or snacks after school, while other clubs are currently trying to find non-food related fundraisers that will not break these regulations.
by: Gwen Rivera,Staff Writer
Spring break begins Friday, March 12 and ends on Sunday, March 21.
No school on April 2nd (Easter Holiday)
TAKS testing days: April 26, 27, and 28
Prom Theme was revealed on Tuesday, March 9. The theme for the 2010 prom is Cirque du Coronado.
On Tuesday, March 16 at 7:30 PM the girls soccer team will play Franklin at Coronado. It will be the last district game and all Seniors will be recognized.
On April 1, 2010, the new cell phone ban will go into effect. This law prohibits the use of cell phones while driving. the fine can be up to $500.
The talent show will be held March 25, 7:00-9:00PM in the Capshaw Auditorium.
On the weekend of February 26th and 27th, eight Coronado swimmers competed in the Texas UIL 2010 Swimming & Diving State Championships. Alex Gonzalez, Jake Hartley, Carlos Herrera, Susie Kim, Kayla Mehl, Ashley Payne, Kevin Rincon, and Kelsey Tomlin represented the Coronado swim team at the competition in Austin in several events. The girls competed in the 200 meter Freestyle Relay and the Medley Relay, while the boys competed in the 200 meter Freestyle Relay.
Jake Hartley, senior, won gold medals for both of his individual events: the 50 meter Freestyle and the 100 meter Freestyle.
“If felt incredible to do as well as I did at State, I never imagined I’d be coming back with two titles,” said Hartley.
Additionally, Hartley broke the record time for both of his events, coming in first at 20.22 seconds for the 50 meter and 44.89 seconds for the 100 meter. Both were All-American times. One of these records, the
one for 50 meter free, was originally held by Hartley himself.
Hartley says he practices an average of 3 hours a day and up to four hours a day during holiday breaks. As any last-minute routines or unique superstitions, he says he has none.
“I don’t really have a routine before I dive in the pool,” said Hartley, “I just try to jump and shake out my muscles to stay loose.”
Hartley was the only Coronado swimmer to receive a medal at the state meet.
Club: FCCLASponsor: Sharon BolingFormer fundraiser: Selling pizzas once a week at lunch, along with other snack foods.Estimated loss: $10,000
Club: DECASponsor: Isela RiveraFundraiser: Cookies at lunch, transition periods and after school.Estimated loss: $2,000-$2,500
Club: Quill & Scroll (Journalism)Sponsor: Peggy LignerFundraiser: Ice Cream at lunch, transition periods and after school.Estimated loss: $5,000-$8,000
02news
chs explorer >> issue 5
march, 2010
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Charlie Minn’s documentary film, “A Nightmare in Las Cruces,” opened on Friday, February 26, 2010, in New Mexico theaters. It debuted in El Paso at Bassett Place’s Premiere Cinema 18. The documentary gives viewers an inside look to the investigation of the tragedy of the Bowling Alley Massacre and the aftermath of the shocking crime.
Twenty years ago on the morning of February 10, 1990, the event that is known as the Bowling Alley Massacre of Las Cruces took place. There were four victims and three survivors. To this day, the crime remains unsolved.
Two men entered the Las Cruces bowling alley, surprised by the number of people in the facility at the time. They took them all into the manager’s office and shot each at close range in the head several times. The robbers also stole between $4,000 and $5,000 out of the safe.
All three survivors were women, Melissa Repass, Stephanie Senac, and Ida Holguin. Melissa Repass was only 12 years old and was able to call
911 with a bullet in her head. Repass’ courageous act saved the lives of three people.
Film-maker Charlie Minn, made an appearance at the Barnes & Noble on Sunland Park Drive on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 7 p.m.
Premier Cinemas is featuring this film on one screen and it did well in comparison to other high profile movies.
“The film sold out on a couple of the showings on the opening weekend,” said Jerome Colon, Premier Cinemas Manager.
Minn is a former KRQE sportscaster who moved to New Mexico in 1993, just several years after the massacre. He made the documentary in hopes that the killers are still alive and will hopefully turn themselves in, or that people with knowledge of their whereabouts and other information will have the courage to come forward.
The Las Cruces Police Department is hopeful that the documentary will bring in more revenue and interest on the still unsolved crime.
“A Nightmare” premieres in Las CrucesBy: Olivia Boyer and Shabnam Saadhatkhah, Staff Writers
Build it up, burn it downBy: Olivia Boyer, Staff Writer
Since the late the 1960’s, Coronado students have contin-ued the tradition of a senior bon-fire. The bonfire began as a way of getting students pumped up be-fore football games, but now it is a time to commemorate the senior class.
This year’s bonfire took a month of gathering 200 railroad ties and over 300 pallets and two full days of hard work to build ac-cording to the organizers of the unsanctioned celebration.
“The bonfire took a lot of hard work and time, but over all I had a good time building it and
watching it burn. The fire lasted for over five hours and that made me feel like I had accomplished a lot,” said Sean Carroll, senior.
The senior bonfire symbol-izes the end of high school and the beginning of a new start for seniors. It’s a time for members of the senior class to get together and have a celebration of their time spent here at Coronado. Chris Malooly, senior, was one of the students who helped organize the bonfire.
“To me it means keeping the tradition alive and working towards something to commemo-
rate all the years I have been at Coronado and all the fun times I have had,” said Malooly.
Many seniors though that the night was a success.
“I thought the bonfire turned out very well, it was worth all the hard work because everyone I talked to said they had a blast. It was also fun being part of a tradi-tion that has been going on for de-cades,” said Clent Tippin, senior.
The senior bonfire is more than just a party for seniors; It’s a time to look back on memories of years past and look forward to the future ahead.
Photo By: Hannah Goldberg
We can’t move forward until you mail it back, at least that is what all the government funded commercials for the federal census are saying.
A census is a count of all citizens, non-citizen legal residents, non-citizen long-term visitors and illegal immigrants. The census is critical to ensure that states and cities get the appropriate amount of federal funding and representatives. However, there is a margin of error, and the accuracy of the census has been disputed in the past.
Population counts taken from the census determine how many seats a certain state has in the House of Representatives. If the population count is inaccurate, certain states may be at an advantage or disadvantage.
The first federal census was taken in 1780 during Thomas Jefferson’s term as secretary of state. Census takers went door to door and recorded the names of the head of the households and the number of people in each house. The first census counted 3.9 million people. In 1902, Congress established the Census Bureau as a federal agency.
The last census taken in 2000 counted 281 million people in the country.
The Census also helps communities get their share of more than 400 billion dollars in federal funds every year. The money is used for hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers, bridges, tunnels, other public works projects, and emergency services.
A largely disputed fact is that of the prison count during the census. Prisoners are counted as residents of the state where they are incarcerated and not their preexisting addresses.
Sometime in the middle of this month, census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States and Puerto Rico. The census is made up of 10 questions. Once they are answered, the census should be mailed back in the postage paid envelope.
Double-checking and making sure everything is correct is vital to getting an accurate population count and determining the correct allotment of funds per state.
Census 2010United States
By: Alex Madsen, Staff Writer
03newschs explorer >> issue 5
march, 2010
ALL YOU CAN EAT!16 KINDS OF PIZZA, PASTA, SALAD, AND DESSERT915-833-49007500 N. Mesa, 79912
sewage: EXPOSEDIt was widely seen, if not smelled
at first. The stench alone was nauseat-ing, and the sight was enough to make any teenager want to stay home from school. As Coronado students and fac-ulty discovered in February, exposed sewage is not something that one would consider welcoming on a high school campus.
It has been an ongoing problem at Coronado High for years now. What some originally thought as just mud having been tracked in on a shoe due to walking between A and B building could now very likely be some fresh-man’s digested lunch from the day be-fore.
When walking through Coro-nado’s freshman “E” building, “Do Not Use The Restroom” signs were found posted on every door leading to a re-stroom. According to Mrs. Josie Sa-lom, freshman counselor, the plumb-ing backed up on Thursday, February 18th
“Only raw sewage poses a threat for health problems. However, when that certain sewage is treated it is not,” answered Danny Soto, supervisor of El Paso’s environmental services. “In-sects can also cause health problems when it comes to food.”
It is disheartening to think about the freshman eating outside during
“A” lunch during the week of Febru-ary 15th. Diseases associated with exposed sewage are cholera and sal-monella. Rodents and insects that are attracted to sewage can also cause certain health problems.
According to the plumbers who were working diligently on the issue on February 19th, when “E” building was constructed, the sewage from “B” build-ing became combined with that of “E”. Thus, the volume of water was much too high for the pipes to withstand and the temporary solution was to pump out the water.
This was also the day that caution tape was noticeably and barely put up
around the affected area as well as the surrounding area. The cleansing policy includes a maintenance crew, heavy-duty suits, and a multitude of disinfect-ing chemicals.
Another question is how much are tax-payers paying for this.
“It’s not the district’s price to pay,” said Mr. Eric Cress. “It’s the contrac-tor’s.” Therefore, there is not anything to fret over when it comes to your pay-check at this point unless, of course, you are the contractor.
“There are no risks to students, just a foul odor,” Cress agrees.
By: Tayler Price, Staff Writer
Every student loves hearing the words “spring break” after the first couple of months at school. It is a break that is looked forward to by many students for many rea-sons. Some see it as a time to relax and hang out with friends in El Paso while others see it as a time that they can travel to various places around the world to enjoy their break.
By: Mario Urquidi, Staff Writer
Several students have used their past spring breaks to go on missionary trips. Last year, a high school youth group from the Coronado Baptist Church, which consisted of 35 members, traveled to Panama for a week. Kelsey Burns, junior, took part in this trip.
“I’ve learned to not expect anything and that God will make miracles so I don’t want to have a closed mind or certain expectations when I go out to the trips,” said Burns.
The group had to familiarize themselves with the Creole language, the main language that is spoken in Panama. After a week, the group returned to El Paso with a new mindset and a different outlook on their lifestyles.
This year, the same group will be traveling to Jamaica.“I’m excited to travel on this trip because it is the biggest missionary trip
that I [will] have ever been on and I’ll have the chance to help people out,” said Jackie Castro, senior.
A handbook is given to the members so they can acquaint themselves with Jamaican culture and language. In the tribes, Jamaican Patois or Patua is the spoken language. It is not recognized as an official language but is spoken by more than three million people in Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Panama.
The group is only allowed to take one carry on bag for the whole duration of the trip. This is intended to help the group empathize and experience the hard-ships that the tribes of Jamaica encounter.
Most people may question why a group of high school students would spend their spring break on a missionary trip to Jamaica with one bag for a week. But to these students, there is no better way to spend the break.
The trip plan consists of starting at a base camp and then backpacking to areas in the mountain.
“This trip will help me experience the difficulties that third world countries have to go through and I’m sure it will help me change my heart and attitude to-wards my life,” said Castro.
Another popular location that many stu-dents will spend time in is Ruidoso. Yoni Kall-man, senior, will be traveling to Ruidoso to snowboard before the season ends. Ruidoso is a very popular location for El Pasoans because it is the closest skiing location and the small town setting lures many visitors.
“I love snowboarding and I’m looking to take advantage of the mountain before the sea-son ends,” said Kallman.
Snowboarding
Christina Zarate, senior, is taking a trip to New York and Bos-ton to visit colleges. She will be visit-ing St. John’s, New York University, Northeastern, Boston College, and Boston University.
“I’m looking forward to get a better feel for college life and to be able to better get to know the col-leges that I may be attending,” said Zarate.
College Visits
Katie Herron, freshman, will be traveling to Malibu to visit her sister at Pepperdine University. She will be accompanied by her family and is planning on spending time with her sister. After the visit, the family will travel to Disneyland.
“I’m really looking forward to spending time with my sister and family and that I’m able to experience different aspects of the break now that I’m older,” said Herron.
Events in El PasoWWE Road to Wrestlemania will be taking
place at the El Paso County Coliseum on March 19th.
Another popular tour that some may attend is the Downtown El Paso Ghost Tour that takes tour-ists to areas in El Paso that have reported paranor-mal activity. Some of these sites are the Downtown Library, Confederate Cemetery, local area motels, and the Plaza Theatre.
DJ Paul Van Dyke will play at Club 101 on March 21st.
Friday, March 12, 2010: Low Luster League, Emily Davis, A Shark Named Money, and Moon Kids at the Percolator at 8:00 PM. $3.00, all ages.
Several students have used their past spring breaks to go on missionary trips. Last year, a high school youth group from the Coronado Baptist Church, which consisted of 35 members, traveled to Panama for a week. Kelsey Burns, junior, took part in this trip.
“I’ve learned to not expect anything and that God will make miracles so I don’t want to have a closed mind or certain expectations when I go out to the trips,” said Burns.
The group had to familiarize themselves with the Creole language, the main language that is spoken in Panama. After a week, the group returned to El Paso with a new mindset and a different outlook on their lifestyles.
This year, the same group will be traveling to Jamaica.“I’m excited to travel on this trip because it is the biggest missionary trip
that I [will] have ever been on and I’ll have the chance to help people out,” said Jackie Castro, senior.
A handbook is given to the members so they can acquaint themselves with Jamaican culture and language. In the tribes, Jamaican Patois or Patua is the spoken language. It is not recognized as an official language but is spoken by more than three million people in Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Panama.
The group is only allowed to take one carry on bag for the whole duration of the trip. This is intended to help the group empathize and experience the hard-ships that the tribes of Jamaica encounter.
Most people may question why a group of high school students would spend their spring break on a missionary trip to Jamaica with one bag for a week. But to these students, there is no better way to spend the break.
The trip plan consists of starting at a base camp and then backpacking to areas in the mountain.
“This trip will help me experience the difficulties that third world countries have to go through and I’m sure it will help me change my heart and attitude to-wards my life,” said Castro.
On a Mission
Family Trip
Vernon Shanker, soph-omore, is looking forward to getting his mind off school.
“I’m going to try to play a lot of tennis, spend a lot of time with my family, and be able to hang out with friends,” said Shanker.
Will Wakefield, sopho-more, had plans to go to Mexi-co but they were cancelled.
“I am pretty mad that I wasn’t able to go to Mexico but I’m going to make the most out of El Paso and hang out with my friends,” said Wakefield.
StayingHome
dear diary,i’m pregnant...
an honest look into one girl’s unexpected
journey
273 days40 weeks9 months
06feature
chs explorer >> issue 5
march, 2010
20
09One day at softball practice, Monica Garcia
(all names changed to protect the identities of the in-volved) started throwing up. She thought it was be-cause she had never played softball before, but her condition continued. Her mother grew increasing wor-ried as time went on and made the decision to take her to the doctor. The doctors first theory was that she had kidney stones, but eventually they found out she was pregnant.
“My mother was so upset with me, she didn’t talk to me for three days. When she began talking to me again she said she was sorry and that she just didn’t want me to go through what she did, she had me when she was 18. But she told me that she would always be there for me and that if I ever needed anything from her that she would do all she could,” said Monica, “and abortion never even crossed my mind, I think its hor-rible.” Immediately after she found out, Monica called the father to be. “I first found out that I was going to be a father when she called me from the doctor’s office. At first I was really scared because I didn’t know what I could do,” said Michael Ortega.
“My mother was the one who actually told my Dad,” said Monica, “and he was a lot calmer than I thought he would be.”
Because she was not showing, with the doctor’s permission, Monica continued to go about her normal activities. As the months went on, Monica still was not showing, but she was afraid to go to her boyfriend’s house because she still had not told his parents that she was pregnant.
“I didn’t want them to think of me different, but my father told me that if I didn’t tell them soon that he would tell them himself, but I didn’t believe him.”
As Monica and her boyfriend prepared to tell his parents, they found out that her dad had already told his parents, and when Monica and her boyfriend walked into his house, they found his parents crying.
“I was surprised that the only reason they were mad was because we hadn’t told them I was pregnant. They told us not to be afraid to tell them things and that when ever we needed help they would be there.” After
that Monica became closer to her boyfriends’ parents and he became closer to her parents.
When Monica talked to the nurse, the nurse ad-vised her to go to the local school for pregnant girls, Sunset High.
“My first thought was to change schools and I seriously considered it. But I decided to stay here at Coronado; it was hard because I could here people talking about me, and the people who I thought were my best friends turned their backs on me. It was really hard until I found new friends who actually cared about me and would ask me how I was or how I was doing. It felt nice to know that I did have people on my side.”
A lot changed at school for Monica once peo-ple found out she was pregnant. Her teachers let her have two sets of books so she would not have to carry them.
“I had a lot of classes upstairs so my teachers let my boyfriend walk me, the doctor said it could poten-tially be bad to go up stairs a lot.”
One day at school, Monica started getting really bad cramps. The school nurse told her that she had to go to the hospital immediately.
“It turned out to be kind of a false alarm, I re-ally wasn’t ready to have the baby and they told me to come back at 5:00 pm the next day so they could induce labor.” She arrived at the hospital the next day and they gave her an IV to induce contractions.
“Nothing really happened from 7:00 at night to 5:00 in the morning the next day, then the contractions started getting worse and worse until they gave me the epidural at 10:00. What really surprised me was that going through labor wasn’t as bad as I expected, it wasn’t at all like on TV where everyone’s screaming and sweating, I really didn’t even feel anything.”
At 12:43 am, she gave birth to her daughter Jen-nifer Serenity Ortega.
“When I first saw her I started crying, I couldn’t believe that she was mine, When Jennifer was first born she wasn’t crying like most babies, she was quiet but I could still hear her.” But Jennifer was born jaun-diced and had to be kept under lights for two and a half
days. “It was so scary to see her just lying there being poked with IV’s in her little arms, even though the doc-tors said it was a common thing.”
A lot has changed since Monica brought Jennifer home, like the fact that she cannot go out as much.
“Sometimes my mom tells me to go out but I don’t really want to, I just want to be with my daugh-ter all the time. I get really frustrated when she cries but when she stops we just end up laughing with each other. I love being with her because it makes me real-ize, ‘hey this is my baby and she’ll always be mine.’
“One piece of advice that I would like to share with any one going through what I have is just remem-ber your family will always be there for you. Some people will turn their backs on you but just remember those who do have your back, and be with people who really care about you. Also remember to be with some-one who you know will stay with you no matter what happens,” said Monica.
“All I can say for advice to a guy with a pregnant girlfriend is not to get stressed with the person you are with it only causes problems, you just have to find a better way to solve problems your having than taking it out on someone,” said Michael Ortega.
Staff:Olivia Boyer, Iliana DeSantis, Stephen Freyermuth, Joanne Gutierrez, Abraham Keyvan, Devon Martinez, Michael Norwich, Jere Pelletier, Tayler Price, Gwen Rivera, Pam Renteria, Javier Romo, Elliot Rotwein, Shabnam Saadatkhah, Veronica Santos, Mario Urquidi
staff box:
EDITORIAL POLICYPublished throughout the year, this student-run paper is an open forum produced by the
Coronado High School students and distributed throughout the school.
The Explorer is an independent newspaper serving the students and faculty as a forum for student expression. Editorials reflect the opinion of the editorial board and unless
otherwise noted are written by a member of the staff.
The editorial board solicits responsible commentaries, comics, and letters to the editor but reserves the right to edit for style, grammar, or lack of space. A letter to the editor must
provide the name of the writer and include contact information.
All letters must be signed by the author, or they will no be published. They can be printed anonymously if deemed appropriate by staff.
The Explorer is located in room A-30 and can be reached by calling (915) 834-2477 for any questions, comments, or submissions. Responses may also be e-mailed to coro-
Letters will be edited for clarity and brevity. Letters over 250 words are subject to editing to fit available space. Please include full name,
telephone number, e-mail address, and major classification.
Submit letters to Mrs. Peggy Ligner, in room A-30 between 10:30 A.M.- 4:00 P.M.
Karen A. PelletierATTORNEY AT LAW
4157 Rio BavoEl Paso, Texas 79902
TEL. 915.541.8700FAX 915.541.8716
By: Iliana DeSantis and Joanne Guti-errez, Staff Writers
07opinionchs explorer >> issue 5
march, 2010
BluePepperBy: Michael Norwich, Staff Writer
After the closing of JJ’s gorditas last year, CHS students who choose to walk to lunch have been left with few other Mexican food restaurants. However, this year Mesa St. welcomes Blue Pepper Mexican Grill.
“It looks like a good place to eat,” said John Morton, freshman.
The restaurant will serve Mexican favorites at reasonable prices to hungry students. The business seems a lucrative economic endeavor to some. Some Corondo students do no like the idea of this new restaurant, and do not think it will last.
“I don’t think it will last at all, we have Papa Johns and Dollar General that are cheap and better. I am even surprised that Gelato lasted this long,” said Garrett Shaw, junior.
The restaurant has new kinds of entrees that are not typically found in any other Mexican eatery. One such entrée is the foot long Super Blue Wrap with ground beef, sold for $5.50. I ordered it, and it was delicious.
The service was excellent and friendly employees made for a good experience. The overall atmosphere of the location offered a welcome getaway to the troubles of high school lunch.
One student reviews the new restaurant that replaced J.J.’s
Photos by: Michael Norwich, Staff Writer.Above: the interior of the Blue Pepper restaurant, employees and kitchen in the background. Right: buffet line displays Blue Pepper’s array of entrees and condiments
So if you are walking to lunch anytime soon and are wondering where to eat, I highly suggest that you give Blue Pepper a try. Afte having my delicious experience at this new culinary establisment, I would give Blue Pepper Mexican Grill 4 out 5 stars
08sports
chs explorer >> issue 5
march, 2010
ray aguilar
Q. What did the experience of coach-ing at the All-Star game do for you?
A. Well in the All-Star game I was the Special Teams Coordinator, and that game gave me the opportunity to be in charge of a really important part of the team.
Q. What are your plans after High School?
A. My plans after high school right now are going into college under a filming scholarship. Afterwards, get a job as a graduate assistant for a college team and work my way up the college coaching ladder.
Q. If you had to choose one to do for the rest of your life, would you rather
play football or coach football? Why?A. I would play football because
there is a lot less responsibilities than coaching.
Q. Who is a person that you strive to be like? Why?
A. I try to be like Muhammad Ali, because of his sense of confidence, and he always believed he was the greatest.
Q. What coach do you try to make yourself like? Why?
A. Bob Stoops the Head football coach at OU, because of his beliefs, he is a hype guy, he loves to win, he is a players coach, and because he wears a visor.
Photos By: Adriana AvilaAbove left: Coach Ray Aguilar after the Westside team won the All Star Game. Above:Ray Aguilar, center, poses with his father, right; and grandfa-ther, left.
Imagine coaching a team of football players that you go to school with. Imagine having to earn their respect, like any other coach, but see them in your class-room the next day. That is what Ray Aguilar does on a daily basis. Ray balances coaching at CHS, and being a regular student.
Aguilar used to play football, but due to an injury he now helps coach the team. Ray also grew up in a family of coaches, his dad, his uncle, and his grandfather all coached football. According to Aguilar, that is one of the major reasons why he is coaching to-day.
“Growing up, I was always around my dad and my uncle while they coached. I guess all that coaching just stuck with me,” said Aguilar.
He deals with his peers ev-eryday, except in a different way than most high school students have to. Aguilar has to coach the students that he shares a class-room with, and sometimes that can be hard due to the criticisms he has to give to the players.
“A lot of the guys I coach I have already played with, and be-cause I was a captain on the foot-ball team when I played, I have their respect. However, I have a harder time earning the respect of the younger and newer play-ers than the older coaches,” said Aguilar.
Aguilar also has to deal with the responsibilities of regular stu-dents, in that he is working hard to find a school to go to, and a major to choose.
“For right now, I have a full ride scholarship to UTEP, and I am also talking to the University of Texas, and Oklahoma Univer-sity to work out a deal for a schol-arship,” said Aguliar.
Along with the coaching that Aguilar does, he is also involved in Senior Exec, Student Council, CTV, and NHS.
Despite all his accomplish-ments, his humility is transparent.
“I don’t think I’ve done any-thing important for Coronado, but I try to make it a better school by bringing everyone closer and be-ing a nice person,” said Aguilar.
Girls:Midland, TexasFirst place. 333 for the first
With a fourteen game winning streak riding on the line, the UTEP Miner basketball team proved them-selves in another test by defeating the UAB Blazers 52-50. Saturday night’s win, in their final home game of the season, improved UTEP’s conference record to 15-1 and more importantly, awarded them the out-right Conference USA title. This is their first outright conference title since 1987.
With only 2:46 left to play, Derrick Caracter hit two free throws to tie the game at 48. After a de-fensive stop, another Caracter layup gave UTEP their first lead of the game (50-48) with 43 seconds remaining. The sold-out crowd then did their best job to distract the Blazers, but junior point guard, Aaron Johnson came up with an an-swer to tie the game with 6 seconds left. After a Miner timeout, the ball inbounded on the far baseline was passed to Julyan Stone who then dished it to Caracter for the game winning slam-dunk with one second left.
After the game, the team cel-ebrated on the floor while Coach Tony Barbee showed his apprecia-tion towards the fans with a short speech. The team then cut down the nets and many fans poured out on the floor to celebrate with the players.
Both teams showed per-sistence on the defensive end by holding each other to under 40 per-cent from the field. UAB shut down UTEP’s leading scorer Randy Cul-pepper, who averages 18.1 points a game, but failed to stop Myron Strong who filled in for Culpepper with a team high of 15 points. On the other end, UAB saw a big game from Aaron Johnson with 16 points and 5 assists.
Although Saturday night was a historic moment for the men’s basketball program, their work is hardly finished as they look ahead into March. They still have to deal with both the Conference USA Tour-nament and the NCAA Tournament, which UTEP is projected to receive a slot in. But as of now, UTEP will enjoy what their hard work and ded-ication has brought them as they dance their way into March.
By: Frida Garza, Editor-In-Chief
By: Elliot Rotwein, Staff Writer
Story and Interview By: Stephen Freyermuth, Staff Writer
Photo By: Adriana AvilaJake Hartley wears the two gold medals he won for 50m and 100m freestyle at the state swimming competition in Austin, Texas
The banner in the C Building atrium affirms that Jake Hartley is the next Michael Phelps. Here’s how the Coronado senior compares to the U.S.A olympian.
