December 2016 • Volume XXII • Issue 3

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Issue 3 2016_Layout 1 12/14/16 11:33 PM Page 1

Current Events Y e a r i n R e v i e w Season’s Greetings

Learn about Trump’s cabinet picks and other current events on page 5.

The new year is approaching, so make sure to recap on the highlights from 2016 on page 14.

Dive into the holiday season by checking out the special holiday stories on page 13 & 15.

La Quinta High School and the Hawkview do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender or disability.

December 2016 Volume XXII Issue 3

Hawkview La Quinta High School

LQ Theatre Successfully Tackles LQ Bids Farewell to Beloved Receptionist, Ms. Blondell Ms. Blondell Football Romeo Production Guest Columnist

Omar Hassan Reporter

Football Romeo, a play by Lindsay Price, was performed by LQHS’ B.E.S.T Productions from December 1-3. The comedy depicted the rocky lives of two polar opposite groups who, after a long span of bickering and fighting, discovered that they are not so different after all. The two casts, who performed on two separate dates, showed that a drama geek is just as worthy as a football star. The production sold 236 tickets from four shows over the span of three days. As the students performed a matinee and an evening show on Saturday, it was the most successful day, financially, at the box office. “This was the first time I double cast a show,” said Ms. Weiss, director of the theatre program. “Instead of working with ten actors, I was working with twenty actors; so, it was a little more difficult.” Nicola Calabretta, played

by Zoe Hammons (11) and Celeste Cruz (10), tries to get her boyfriend Rick Sittler, played by Anthony Silva (12) and Paul Savarino (9), cast as Romeo in their school play. Laurel, played by Brianna Reyes (12), tries to encourage her friend Danny Dinning, played by Tai Garcia (9), to try out for the part of Romeo, causing clashes and squabbles between the two cliques. The story was especially powerful when two characters of opposing sides of the high school social spectrum shared emotional parallels. Nicola, the

Photo Credit: Mariana Escatell

head of the popular group, perpetually expressed her desire to control everything and get her way no matter what -- a character flaw that acted as the root of her fears and angst. Danny, a drama geek, revealed how similar opposites can be when he, just as Nicola, expressed his crippling self-confidence and fear of bullies. “The message was that it doesn’t matter who you are or who you hang out with,” shared Reyes. “What you bring to the table talent-wise is most important, along with friendship.”

This is my farewell message to all my friends and fellow staff, or as King Ussery would say, staph! I have loved working here for almost 18 years. You know it’s time to go when the kids look at the old yearbook photos and ask, “Mrs. Blondell, exactly how long have you had that haircut?” Parents at the beginning of each school year say, “OMG, you are still here!!!” What will I miss most about working here at LQHS? That would have to be calling out 50 names at lunch and knowing I am mispronouncing at least half of them, which reminds me of a story when I first started working here. I was asked to page a student by the name of Joaquin Rodriguez to come to the office. Keep in mind I had just started working here and had never seen the name Joaquin spelled out, so guess how I pronounced it? “Joe – a – quin.” The entire office erupted in laughter. Well, that was the day I decided to make sure I practice the names ahead of time, just in case. I have to say after the humiliation wore off (maybe a year later), I found that story to

be one of my favorites. Oh, but let’s not forget more recently: “Rigor, Relevance, Rubric.” That page just came out, “Teachers, please remember to bring your Rigor…rrr..rrr… whatever just bring it to your meeting.” I have learned one thing, you need to have a sense of humor to work at a high school and know how to laugh at yourself. Stories and memories from LQHS I have plenty, I have also made many good friends and will miss them all. To sum it up, I would like to share one of my favorite quotes from Maya Angelou, “At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” I hope in some small way I made you all feel good. I wish you all the best, LQHS staff and students.


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