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ISSUE 5 2017_Layout 1 3/28/17 3:45 PM Page 1
Yo u t h Tow n H a l l C u l i n a ry S h ow d ow n Spring Break Miss out on Culinary Academy’s awesome food. Read the Showdown recap on page 2.
Read about the inspiring speakers from the Desert Town Hall Series on pages 4 and 5.
No plans for Spring Break? Consider our suggestions on page 12.
La Quinta High School and the Hawkview do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender or disability.
March 2017 Volume XXII Issue 5
Hawkview La Quinta High School
Italian Five-Foot Mouse Makes an Students Enjoy Winter WonAppearance with Blackhawks on Broadway derland at LQ Winter Ball Omar Hassan Karis Johnson Copy Editor
Reporter/Poet
Blackhawks on Broadway took center stage on March 8 with their free performance of the Italian Amateur Hour. The 50-minute long production was jam-packed with solos, acting, and, of course, an abundance of ensemble numbers. Much of the show held humorous overtones in its numbers. For example, “Pepino,” a solo by Rebecca Henein (12), served as a perfect example for the show’s comedic mood. As she sung about an irritating mouse in her home, she was startled by an actress in a mouse costume and chased the rodent until conquering it by the end of the number. Notwithstanding the production's comical songs, there were also several touching, heartfelt solos for the fans of classical performances. “Oh, Marie!” and “Baci a me,” sung by Jaime Pajarito (12) and Angelica Acosta (12), respectively, proved so as they sung about romance in both English and Italian (as was much of the show). “It was really hard to get
my solo. Ms. Ridilla really wanted me to get those high notes even though I kept telling her ‘Hey, can you pitch it down a bit lower?!’” Pajarito laughed. The entire show was also accompanied by Ms. Ridilla on the piano. “I loved it because we only had two rehearsals [and we only started] after Christmas, near the beginning of the second semester,” Ridilla shared. “Blackhawks on Broadway is just fun — it’s just a spoof!” The performance left the audience with smiles as they recorded a girl chasing a five-
Photo Credit: Omar Hassan
foot mouse around stage, the cast singing “Happy Birthday” to a member’s Italian mother, and Michael Choma (12) sensually singing and grinding into a faux microphone. “Everything turned out well, we put a lot of hard work into it,” said Anysiya Perez (12). “We were proud of ourselves in the end, and we had fun, which was the main focus — to have fun!” Overall, the night ended with oodles of flower bouquets, pictures, laughs, hugs, smiles and a fallen rodent — this was no cheesy way to end a Wednesday. *drops mic*
This year's Winter Ball dance was held in La Quinta High School’s Blackhawk gym on Saturday, February 25 from 7 p.m.-11 p.m. The dance was appropriately winter-themed, with a background set up behind the DJ that included Christmas trees covered in snow and blue luminous lights that imitated snow falling in a winter wonderland. Many Blackhawks joined the dance and were able to enjoy the music, people and activities, like the photo booth. Snacks such as brownies, cookies, candy, and chips were set out for everyone to have their share. Water was also available for the attendees, especially those students breaking a sweat on the dance floor. The nominees for Winter Ball court included twentyfour students, six from each class. Towards the end of the night the winners were announced and those who won claimed their crowns and sashes in front of their peers. Justin Kersey and Jada Olivarez won for the freshmen class, Aiden Barlow and Makaela Brown were the sophomore winners, and Cesar Es-
quivel and Vanessa Pompa took home the crown for the junior class. The winners for king and queen of the senior class of 2017 went to Dominic Urrutia and Marleen Lopez. After claiming their victories, the royal court briefly slow danced on the platforms that had been lit with shades of blue. The music eventually sped back up and everyone danced again until the night came to a close around 11 p.m. Urrutia commented, “I want to thank my senior classmates for this humbling distinction. This has been an evening I won't soon forget.”
Photo Credit: Karis Johnson