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Election recap
Learn about the election results and recaps on the presidential and vicepresidential debates on page 6.
Homecoming
Miss out on HOCO? Live vicariously through the pictures on the centerfold.
thanksgiving
Start getting in the Thanksgiving season by reading the fun-filled stories on page 19.
La Quinta High School and the Hawkview do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender or disability.
November 2016 Volume XXII Issue 2
Hawkview La Quinta High School
Desert Rats Dance the Night Away at Locals Only Homecoming
Karis Johnson Copy Editor
La Quinta High School held its Homecoming Dance on November 5, selling a record-breaking 950 tickets. The dance’s theme was “Locals Only” to highlight the attractions the Coachella Valley has to offer, such as Coachella Fest, Stagecoach, Desert Trip, Date Festival, Tamale Festival, sports events, and the desert landscape. ASB did a great job at turning the LQ gym into a Blackhawk music festival. At 8 p.m., the gym slowly began to fill up as more students arrived to join the fun. Everyone seemed to enjoy the upbeat music, as many people were showing off their moves on the crowded dance floor. Line dances such as “The Wobble,” and “Payaso del Rodeo” were played to get all 800 students up and dancing along. After announcing the 2016 Homecoming Queen, Jianna Guerrero, and Homecoming King, Oscar Navarro, the DJ slowed down the party vibe to play more romantic music so couples could slow dance. After the king and
LQ Ends PD’s Lease on the Flag
Christian Mesa Sports Editor
queen shared a short slow dance, the DJ continued playing the pumped up music for everyone to enjoy. When students weren’t movin’ to the groovin’, they could take photobooth pictures with friends, admire the cool art structures around the room, or even just relax in the seating area with a free cold water bottle. If students were lucky, they caught Ms. Smith walking around with some candy to hand out for a sweet snack break. Towards the end of the night, everyone crowded
Photo Credit: Mariana Escatell
around the middle of the dance floor to stand completely still for the mannequin challenge. Dancing, conversing, snacking, and photoshoots went on until the dance ended at midnight and everyone went home. “This Homecoming was one of the most successful dances LQ has seen in awhile,” reflected ASB President Matthew Rom-Toribio (12). “We exceeded last year's prom ticket sales by around 200 tickets. Overall, the dance floor was hype all night.”
On Oct. 21, the Blackhawks faced the Palm Desert Aztecs to reclaim the victory flag and earn bragging rights. The boys rode in on the bus minutes before kickoff, running through the stands while the crowd welcomed them with thunderous cheers. Following the national anthem, LQ’s Coach Dan Armstrong was honored for his twenty-three years with the team. La Quinta was the first to score with a touchdown run from Cordova, although his run would be the only score of the half. With the third well under way, Cordova would score again on the ground and Anderson would run in a 65-
yard touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Gary Robles (11) picked off the Aztec quarterback for another Blackhawk touchdown. The game resulted in a great win for LQ with the final score being 35-7. Excited after the win, Coach Armstrong was doused with water and the players ran around the Palm Desert field waving the victory flag. After a yearlong rental, the Blackhawks proved they were the better team once again. Following the team’s past success, Anderson stated, “To this point, we have been getting better and better each week, we are working harder and growing more as brothers. My expectations are to win DVL, go far into CIF, and hopefully get a ring.”
Photo Credit: Dune Palms Photography
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2 School News
LQHS Hosts Final City Council Debate
Kayleen Sullivan Co-Editor-in-Chief
La Quinta High School hosted the final La Quinta City Council Forum in the Blackhawk Theater on the evening of October 27. The school’s AVID program created the format for the debate and Ms. Becker’s IB History students wrote and presented the questions for the candidates. Bianca Rae, anchor from KESQ News Channel 3, was the moderator for the debate, which included seven researched questions that concern our community, an online question, and questions from
the audience that the candidates each had two minutes to answer. The event was broadcast on Facebook Live in order for La Quinta residents to follow along in the action, so that they were well-informed to vote on November 8. Linda Evans attended as she was running for her second term as the mayor of La Quinta. Paula Maietta, Evan’s opponent, could not attend the forum, but had her statement read by Rae in the introduction. City council candidates include Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Joe Johnson, Victoria Llort, Steve Sanchez, and Kristy
“Football Romeo” Coming Soon!
Lindsey Freiberg Advertisement Editor
La Quinta High School is kicking off the 2016-17 school year by starting rehearsals this month for its first of four productions this upcoming year. The fall play, “Football Romeo,” follows the story of most popular girl in school, Nicole Calabretta, as she tries to get her football player boyfriend to play Romeo in her school’s upcoming production of “Romeo and Juliet.” However, things begin to go downhill when a less than popular underclassman is cast instead. The show is double cast and features an array of tal-
ented actors from LQHS. Cast member Zoe Hammons (11) claims to be “oozing with excitement [as] being a part of this show is an experience for the books with lots of laughs and giggles between our cast members.” The camaraderie and chemistry between each of the cast members has di-
rector Lydia Weiss claiming, “I have two great casts and I’m so anxious to see what they can produce.” Don’t forget to buy your tickets and see the mayhem that ensues in this comedic show this December.
STAFF BOX: Editors-in-Chief Evelyn Sarabia Kayleen Sullivan Assistant Editor: Mariana Escatell Photo Editor: Mariana Escatell
Advertisement Editor:
Lindsey Freiberg
Franklin, who was running for re-election. The opening question provided the issues that were discussed throughout the night. Everyone seemed to agree that the three main problems currently facing La Quinta are public safety, infrastructure, and the financial well-being of the city. Evans and Fitzpatrick had similar views on their course of action to address these problems. Franklin highlighted her work with finances on the La Quinta City Council and how integral it is for the city to balance its budget. Johnson seemed to be the outsider as he was the only one to disagree with the other candidates on almost all of the issues. This includes the one percent sales tax
increase, which would bring in an extra $6 million in revenue exclusively for La Quinta. According to most of the candidates, the extra revenue would go towards the police and fire departments, drainage and maintenance, and other important projects. Llort, the youngest contender and Blackhawk alumna, showed her passion and dedication to the job through her studies of the issues. Finally, Sanchez promoted making La Quinta a fun and safe place for its citizens to live as he joked, “Let’s make La Quinta great again!” Overall, each candidate showed their love for the city of La Quinta and their dedication to continue to make it a great place to live.
Copy Editors: Genaya Hollis Madison Ivy Karis Johnson Sports Editor: Christian Mesa Art Editor: Sahara Garcia Reporters: Vanessa Barboza Stephanie Do Viviana Dominguez John Doyle Bailey Franklin Antonio Gambino Omar Hassan Sean Layman Emily Martinez Gracie Montaño Thao Nguyen Madison O’Barr Keeli Place Jessica Porrelli Juan Puga Christian Rodriguez Marcos Torres Sam Zook Advisor: Ms. Cortez
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SCHOOL NEWS 3
Learn About LQ’s Botball Team!!
Thao Nguyen Reporter
Call it a nerd convention, if you will. Every year, about 150 Botball teams compete in 18 regions around the world, while about 70 teams compete in the International Botball Tournament over the summer. Each team follows the same guidelines, code, programming system, game kit, and training. The teams learn how to program, build, and document their robots. Botball is an international robotics program that develops student leadership, teamwork experience, and encourages STEM related education. Teams compete with two autonomous (no remote control) robots that they designed. They compete on a different game board each year, with the goal of trying to obtain as many points as possible. At La Quinta, there are two teams with members who currently mentor under the John Glenn Middle coach, Sheri Gundlach, and members who previously had her as a mentor. Gundlach’s current students compete with the team name, “N.A.N.Q.G.” Their two major accomplishments were winning fifth overall internationally and first overall regionally in Los Angeles. While the La Quinta team was established in 2015, they recently placed fourth in Alliance (a separate competition from finals) in 2015 and earned the Teamwork Award in 2016 at the International Botball Tournament. La Quinta Botball President Will Bohrmann stated,
“JGMS has definitely inspired me and gave me all the foundations of Botball.” Yusra Qarni, a programmer of N.A.N.Q.G., expressed, “Making mistakes is highly stressful, but seeing other teams struggle reminds us of the exciting and challenging focus of Botball.”
Annual Health and Wellness Week at La Quinta
Omar Hassan Reporter
Health and Wellness Week activities took place from October 17-21 during lunch to promote healthy living and smart choices. To kick off the week, Tough Guys and Gals performed a variety of dances at lunch for the student body. On Tuesday, the gym was open to students for a friendly and competitive game of basketball and a pull-up challenge. Wednesday was one of the most attended events during the week. La Quinta Resort sponsored the activity by providing special bikes attached
with blenders that blended fruit into smoothies as students pedaled. It was presented as a competition to
Blackhawk Brigade on a Performance Roll
Gracie Montaño Reporter
Hosted by Indio High School on October 15, LQHS’ Blackhawk Brigade and other school bands from the Coachella Valley participated in the Indio Band Spectacular. A performance was put together by each band to display their field show and musical abilities to the audience. High school and middle school bands took part in this event. Blackhawk Brigade performed their field show entitled “Ice,” by Gary P. Gilroy. The marching band also played at the PD/LQ victory flag game on Oct. 21 at Palm Desert High to support the football team and keep the school spirit going. They
played pep tunes that included “The Fight Song,” “All I Do Is Win,” “Uptown Funk,” “Animal,” “Seven Nation Army,” “You’re Gonna Go --Far,- Kid,” and “Alma Mater.” On Oct. 22, the band volunteered to perform at Southwest Church in Indian Wells for the Patriot Ride. Later that evening, Blackhawk Brigade performed in their first competition of the year at the Palm Desert High Tournament,
where they earned third place in the 3a division with a total score of 67.5 points. Field drum major Harrison Adams (12) explained, “The performance wasn’t our best, the energy of the band was at a low. We did push through and I feel like we did have a good performance. We still have a lot to work on; but overall, it was a performance that was well done.”
Photo Credit: Mariana Escatell
show how much ice someone could crush in one minute. Each grade level had a student representative, and the juniors proved to be victorious as they scored 17 points. Culinary also provided complimentary smoothies. On Thursday, Medical Health Academy students took students’ vital signs, specifically their blood pressure and pulse. To end the week smoothly, Juice It Up sold a variety of smoothies to students and faculty for three dollars. “I love smoothies so much, so I was so excited when Juice It Up came here,” said Nathalyn Johnson (10). Health and Wellness Week was a successful approach at promoting fun and enjoyable ways to live an active life. Students were encouraged to exercise during lunch, participate in friendly competitions, create and drink healthy smoothies, and most importantly, have fun.
S 4 SChool News
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New Blackhawk Staff Karis Johnson Copy Editor
Math I and Math Lab teacher Mr. Kalinowski, is a first year teacher at La Quinta High School. He previously attended Shasta Community College and continued his education at St. John College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Kalinowski decided he wanted to be a teacher after having read Euclid's “Elements” as a college student. He shared that during his free time, “I like to play piano and take care of my two-year-old. She is my hobby.”
Mr. Ruiz is a new economics and world history teacher. Although he is new as a teacher at La Quinta High School, he has been an assistant coach for the Blackhawk football team for four years and has taught for fourteen years. Throughout the years, Ruiz had numerous influential teachers who inspired him. “I love interacting with the students. I had some great history teachers that really motivated me to want to become a history teacher,” he admitted. When he is not in
the classroom, Ruiz enjoys spending time with family, reading, and of course, coaching and watching football.
Public Service Academy and Success 101 teacher, Mr. Diaz, previously taught in New York for seven-and-ahalf years, but this is his first year teaching at La Quinta High School. He attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice to earn his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, with minors in English and police science. His favorite part about teaching is when students are inquisitive and ask several questions. He stated, “I like it when the students question me because then they learn more, and we can learn from each other.”
Suspension: Solution or Student Vacation?
Kayleen Sullivan Co-Editor-in-Chief
Three months into the school year and there have already been several out-ofschool suspensions due to underclassmen fights. The problem with out-of-school suspension as a form of disciplinary action is that students may take the repercussion as a five-day vacation, causing them to fall even farther behind in school due to their absences. Mr. Magnera, assistant principal in charge of discipline, explained that according to the California Education Code, students must be suspended and taken out of school for fighting, drugs, and weapons. However, he claimed he would prefer to keep students in school and use other disciplinary options that LQ offers such as district counseling, anger management, lunch or after school detention, and student assistance programs. Magnera explained, “It’s our job to keep students safe [and] safeguard them from whatever is happening in school.” Administration's approach is to follow In Loco Parenti which is a Latin legal phrase meaning “in place of parent.” Their job is to protect the students and implement consequences for certain actions taken at school as parents are entrusting the school with their children. “When it comes to suspensions and expulsions, we have the lowest in Desert Sands Unified School District,” Magnera proudly shared. “What is interesting about that is we have the most students.” He attributed this success to La Quinta’s proactive approach to certain situations as administration and staff work together to minimize problems before they happen through conflict
mediation, the anonymous online reporting system, PSST (Promoting Safe Schools Together). Magnera also believes that students do not treat out-ofschool suspensions as vacation because they
want to be in school to socialize with their friends and participate in different activities on campus to avoid boredom at home. Magnera is also aware of students who may fall behind academically due to their absence from school;
however, LQHS’ policy allows students to make up work within a certain window of time. Overall, Magnera reassures those on campus that the suspension rate this year is not unusual and the numbers are most likely on track with last year’s. According to the 20142015 School Accountability Report Card, the data shows that the amount of students suspended and expelled at LQHS has significantly decreased since the 2012-2013 school year. He confidently believes we will continue to have the lowest suspension rates in the district as “only a very small percentage of students are actually getting into trouble.”
Blackhawks Conquer the Navy Seal Challenge
Stephanie Do Reporter
The 6th annual Navy Seal Challenge took place on Thursday, October 6 during lunch. The first Navy Seal Challenge was put on at LQHS on Oct. 12, 2011 by Coach Flores and Coach Ansley. The challenge consists of a series of physical fitness events that challenge athletes to maximize their strength. The events are similar to the initial physical test that SEAL members are required to pass. Eighty student-athletes voluntarily signed up to push their bodies to the limits by
swimming ten laps in the pool, completing push ups, sit ups, and pull-ups, as well as a 1.5 mile run. For some students, it was their first year participating, while veterans were in their second or third year partaking in the competition. The first student to finish all ten laps in the pool was Tenoch Sanchez (9), but David Hernandez (12) was victorious in the running portion. Francine Ansley (10), a second year Navy Seal Challenge participant said, “If you are on the fence about doing it, do it for the sweet t-shirts, Powerade, and a sense of accomplishment at the end.”
Photo Credit: Coach Ansley
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School News 5
Homecoming Parade and Pep Rally are a Success! It’s Kooky, It’s Krazy, It’s
Sean Layman Reporter Kayleen Sullivan Co-Editor-in-Chief
Emceed by Matthew RomToribio (12) and Devan Doyle (11), LQHS had their annual Homecoming Pep Rally on November 4. The rally opened with the national anthem performed by the school’s choir. After their performance, the fall sports teams -- boys’ water polo, girls’ volleyball, girls’ and boys’ golf, girls’ tennis, cross country, and football -- were celebrated. The dance team put on a spunky performance as they danced to popular songs such as ¨Black Beatles,¨ ¨M.A.D.D. City,¨ and ¨This is What You Came For.¨ Tough Guys and Gals performed ¨Juju on the
Beat,” which had the crowd cheering and laughing. Following the Tough Guys and Gals performance, the Homecoming Court was introduced. Princesses included Jianna Guerrero, Kaylen Butler, Brianna Sanchez, and Brittney Nieto and the princes were Oscar Navarro, Mohammed Fadel, Rommel Esquivel, and Nic Schmidt. The Blackhawk Brigade and the color guard captivated the audience with their per-
formance, while the cheer team ended the rally with their acrobatics that got everyone pumped for Homecoming. ASB Secretary Anna Yan (12) shared, ¨I think it was a successful rally because we were able to recognize different student organizations and sports teams at our school.¨ La Quinta also hosted the annual Homecoming Parade for the first time at Old Town La Quinta on Nov. 2. The event was a success as hundreds of students and residents from the community were in attendance to watch the Homecoming floats, Teachers of the Year, and Homecoming nominees march in the parade.
Culinary Showdowns Start
Sahara Garcia Art Editor/Illustrator
The year has been busy for LQ’s culinary art students. From the Desert Food Sampler to catering important valley events, these aspiring student-chefs are neck-deep in volunteer work. It’s that time of year when the famous competitive and charitable Blackhawk Showdowns are taking place. On Wednesday, October 12, Chef Andy from the Cork N’ Fork and Chef Leo from the JW Marriott competed for the championship. Their secret ingredients were hanger steak, chicken thighs, mint, and apples. The chefs made a three course meal for the guests and demonstrated a demo of their appetizer and
Photo Credit: Sahara Garcia
entrée. Bianca Rae, an anchor from KESQ News Channel 3 and Andrew Hunter (11) hosted the show. The winner of the night was Chef Leo from the JW Marriott. On October 20, the culinary students hosted another
showdown. This showdown was a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association, and all the dishes were diabetic-friendly. Sahara Garcia (12) and Alexandra Pierce, anchor from KESQ Channel 3, hosted. The chefs for that night were Chef Scott from New Leaf Catering and Chef Andrew from the La Quinta Resort. The secret ingredient for the event was pork tenderloin. The ultimate winner of the show was Chef Scott. “We have many students and staff who have diabetes or have family members who have diabetes and it is always good to educate people,” explained Assistant Principal Mr. Webb, on why LQHS hosted the ADA fundraiser.
Karaoke Khoir!!
Emily Martinez Reporter
On Wednesday, October 5, La Quinta High School’s choir held their 12th annual Karaoke Khoir Night. It was an evening filled with solo and group performances, raising nearly $1,400 for the choir program. The show commenced with the school’s original and unforgettable Karaoke Khoir tune, written by Ms. Ridilla. The whole cast sang merrily, and were soon followed by the classic song, “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King. The choir transitioned to the first group performance of the night with the choir girls singing “Stop in the Name of Love” by Diana Ross, followed by the first soloist of the night, Malena Lerma (12), singing “So Gone” by Monica. One highlight of the night was duo Emily Cassel (11) and Karime Cubias (11) singing and playing ukulele along to “An Awkward Duet” by Dodie Clark and Jon Cozart. Cassel and Cubias captured the audience’s attention by acting out the song lyrics, provoking hearty
laughter from the crowd. A quirky duet transitioned to Jessica Argueta (12) on guitar playing a beautiful cover of Alicia Key’s “If I Ain’t Got You,” wowing and touching the hearts of everyone in the room. Trio Olivia Bellingsly (11), Amanda Dawson (11) and Nyomi Rosales (9), demonstrated major girl power as they sang and danced to “New Girl in Town,” a song originally performed in the musical, “Hairspray.” The show ended with solo performances by Alyssah Moffatt (12) and Michael Choma (12). To determine the winners of the night, votes were then placed by the audience as they donated money to their favorite performance. In a tight race for first place, the “Awkward Duet” singers, Cassel and Cubias raised $86.75, the most money among the group of Karaoke performers. “We were so excited and nervous, and we thought we weren’t going to get it,” Emily Cassel (11) explained. “They liked us apparently.”
Photo Credit: Emily Martinez
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6 Newsy News
News Bytes Donald J. Trump is the Next President of the United States
Kayleen Sullivan Co-Editor-in-Chief
In days leading up to the presidential election, as if the race could heat up any further, the FBI opened up an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server after new emails were released. The FBI is also looking into the connections between Trump and the Russian government, as Moscow already meddled in the American election by attempting to hack into voter registration databases. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and environmentalist protestors have been a part of ongoing demonstrations at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline. Demonstrators have gone to extreme measures by setting construction equipment on fire to cause $2 million in damage, marching into Grand Central Station to disturb morning commuters, and harassing banks that sponsor the construction of the pipeline. The 2016 Nobel Prize winners were announced on Oct. 13. Most notably, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos received the Nobel Peace Prize “for his resolute efforts to bring the country's more than 50year-long civil war to an end,” as stated by the Nobel Foundation. Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature, which was controversial as people were split over whether he truly deserved the award. On Oct. 21, AT&T announced their intentions to buy Time Warner Cable for $85.4 billion. This merger would include powerhouse stations like HBO and CNN, which are owned by Time Warner Cable. This could
mean a broader distribution of entertainment through phones, broadband subscriptions, and satellite TV connections. On Oct. 31, Iraqi troops began to close in on Mosul, a city in Northern Iraq that is controlled by ISIS. This is the closest that Iraqi forces have come to pushing out ISIS from their two-year rule in the city. This attack could bring one of the bloodiest battles in the war, especially since the terrorist organization has reportedly been using women and children as human shields. Russian troops began bombing Aleppo, Syria on Sept. 23 in support of the Assad government, which the Syrian rebels are fighting to overthrow. The violence has continued as innocent Syrians in Aleppo are in constant danger. On Nov. 7, Russia announced a ceasefire in the city as long as the militant rebels don’t strike back. Janet Reno, the first female US Attorney General, who served under former President Bill Clinton, died on Nov. 7 from a long-fought battle with Parkinson's disease. Leonard Cohen, another influential individual, singer-songwriter of “Hallelujah,” died on Nov. 10 at the age of 82.
Janet Reno
Kayleen Sullivan Co-Editor-in-Chief Jessica Porrelli Reporter
Results for the 2016 presidential election came in Tuesday night on November 8, securing our country’s fate for the next four years. Republican candidate Donald J. Trump won with 279 electoral votes and 59,821,874 popular votes compared to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s 228 electoral votes and 60,122,876 popular votes, as of Nov. 10. Early in the night, Trump surprised many political commentators when he took an early lead in the electoral vote count and it began to grow as he won many important swing states like Ohio and Florida. After a long night that included tight races in many states, Trump secured the 270 electoral votes when he won in Pennsylvania. In addition to the presidential election, races for the Senate and the House of Representatives were decided. Through slim margins, the Republican party was able to maintain its hold on both houses. The election of Trump as the next president, as well as the Republican majorities in Congress, means that the next four years will be dominated by a more conservative agenda for the nation. It also implies that the empty seat left by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Antonin Scalia, who died in February 2016, will be filled by a conservative justice who will shape the Supreme Court decisions for possibly the next couple of decades.
Protests broke out the night of the election as thousands of university students across California - namely from UCLA, UC Irvine, UC
Photo Credit: New York Times
Santa Barbara, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley - walked out at 1 a.m. shouting “Not My President!” to express their disdain for the president-elect.
Recap of VP and Presidential Debates
Madison Ivy Copy Editor Jessica Porrelli Reporter
On October 4, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia (D) and Governor Mike Pence of Indiana (R), now vice presidentelect, faced off in the vice-presidential debate. Viewers thought Pence came across less aggressive and more presidential than Kaine. According to a CNN/ ORC poll conducted following the debate, Pence won by a margin of six points. However, Pence and Kaine failed to make a significant impact on the majority of voters before the election, as the same poll concluded that over half of voters claimed they were not influenced by the candidates. The second debate of the presidential season was held on Oct. 9, in which Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate and president-elect Donald Trump faced off. After heated interactions regarding Clinton’s email scandal - a reopened case on
Oct. 28 that was cleared after no new evidence was discovered in regards to her handling of classified information - and Trump’s tax evasion - highlighting how lenient the American tax system has been to the wealthy. The media’s focus on Trump’s controversial take on his Islamophobia carried through to the third debate ten days later on Oct. 19 at the University of Nevada. According to the International Business Times and other collective polls, Clinton won the debates with an astounding number of early votes from swing states. Despite this result, third party voters rose up during the presidential election, causing a “stunning upset.”
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Local News 7
Be Merry, Be Gay at Palm Howl-O-Ween at the Living Desert Springs Pride
Lindsey Freiberg Advertisement Editor
The weekend of November 4-6 marked the return of the annual Palm Springs Pride in downt o w n P a l m Springs. The event displayed several rainbow flags and an atmosphere of acceptance. Decorations ranging from a giant
Mariana Escatell Asst./Photo Editor
inflatable rainbow rubber duck to a blow-up sculpture of two women at their wedding inspired everyone present to be openly and unapolo-
getically themselves. Pride also featured an
On October 30, from 3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m., The Living Desert hosted Howl-O-Ween, a mini Halloween carnival. The celebration had many stations where the children could either receive candy in the Old West or participate in an arts and
array of performances from many local drag queens and other artists whose sets left audiences roaring with laughter, choking back tears, and everything in between. GSA President Zoe Hammons (11) said, “Palm Springs Pride is a mustgo event. I have met so many amazing and unique people who are all there just to have fun being themselves.” Although the event was inclusive of everyone, there was also an area called the “Youth Zone,” which is where the younger people could get free HIV tests or connect with other people their own age. The youth zone was consistently packed with people eager to get rainbow flags painted on their faces or take pictures in the mini photobooth. From its decor to its attendees, Palm Springs Pride truly is an event like no other.
crafts activity. There were spots for the kids to paint pumpkins and a bouncy house area for the children. There were kids from all ages enjoying the Halloween festivities, each one dressed up as their own unique character, having a good time dancing to music, and creating arts and crafts.
Photo Credit: thelivingdesert.org
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8 desert trip Desert Trip 2016
Sahara Garcia Art Editor/Illustrator
For two weekends, the legends of rock ‘n’ roll came together to bring the spirit of music and the 1970s for a psychedelic experience in Indio. The full moon was high and the stars were hovering over the stage. The crowd was roaring so loud that mountains shook and nothing beat the sound of the base. Everyone, from the old souls to those young at heart, traveled from all over the
world to have fun, eat amazing food, and rock out at the Empire Polo Club. Different exhibits were scattered around the venue. The “Photography Experience” exhibit revealed
The Who and Roger Waters
Emily Martinez Reporter
The Who On October 16, day three of weekend two continued with an energetic performance by English rock band The Who. They started off their show with “I Can’t Explain.” In between songs, the lead singer, Roger Daltrey, conversed with the crowd as he stated, “You’ve come to hear us croak.” Daltrey and his band shredded their instruments and jumped around happily, giving off a youthful and carefree vibe to the thousands of people in attendance. The band ended their show with their hits “Baba O’Riley” as well as “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” the latter being wellknown from the criminal investigation show, “CSI Miami.” Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend introduced the band at the end of their set before departing from the stage and wished the crowd farewell, “May you be happy, may you be healthy, and may you keep rocking.”
Roger Waters The final performance of weekend two concluded with former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters. He appeared onstage and started with “Speak to Me,” one of the many hits by his former band. Waters played approximately 30 former songs as well as an original poem, “Why Cannot the Good Prevail,” which criticized 2016 president-elect, Donald Trump. The crowd shared mixed emotions, resulting in the first boos of the night. Waters ended his set with popular Pink Floyd songs, “Bring the Boys Back Home” and “Comfortably Numb.” Fireworks ended the show -- signifying the conclusion of weekend two and of Desert Trip. Rarely did the crowd sit, as most attendees were either jumping with excitement or crying from the nostalgia that hit them during the performers’ sets. After the shows, fans slowly walked out the gates, their adrenaline still high from the bands they listened to and loved during their youth.
Photo Credit: Emily Martinez
rare photos of the performers, while the “Culinary Experience” display served gourmet food. Desert Trip was the time to feel alive and hang around the nicest people -- it was definitely a trip!
The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney
Sahara Garcia Art Editor/Illustrator
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones came out to Desert Trip with a bang! Music blasted the Empire Polo Club and fireworks shot off the stage as Mick Jagger swaggered out onto the stage. The crowd went wild and screams filled the stadium. The Rolling Stones played “Live With Me” and “Sweet Virginia,” along with other famous classics. The band pranced on stage
Bob Dylan and Neil Young
Genaya Hollis Copy Editor
Bob Dylan Opening Desert Trip for Friday night was legendary musician, artist, and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Bob Dylan. He began the show by playing one of his first released songs, “Everybody Must Get Stoned,” and the crowd sang along in their seats. His mellow, mind-warping music pulled the crowd into an atmosphere of tranquility and left them swaying in the stadium. Dylan spent the first half of his show playing gracefully on the piano and then brought background musicians on stage to join him. His unique and soothing voice relaxed the audience under the desert moon. He ended the hour-anda-half show with one of his most famous songs that has not been performed since 2013, “Like a Rolling Stone,” which segued perfectly into
The Rolling Stones’ set. Neil Young Neil Young opened solo Saturday night with “After the Gold Rush.” The crowd stood up and listened in awe to his folksy sound. Before he continued with his next song, he revealed to the audience, “Here is a song I wrote for my first car, but this is also for you,” and began singing “Long Lay You Run,” while the crowd sang along with him. Halfway through the show he was accompanied by Promise of the Real, who enhanced the atmosphere of the venue while fans jammed out to the first song, “Harvest Moon.” Young ended the show with the infamous song, “Rocking in the Free World.” He then returned to the stage that night during Paul McCartney’s performance with Rihanna, making it a night to remember in the history of rock ‘n’ roll.
and rocked out to the sweet beat of rock ‘n’ roll. Jagger joked, laughed, and connected with the audience. He playfully c a l l e d Desert Trip the “BeforeThey-Croak Festival.” The world’s greatest rock band gave the audience what they wanted and nothing less was expected of them. They sounded better than ever and their energy was lit. The Rolling Stones are still a living legend, for now… Paul McCartney Paul McCartney stole the show! He kept the audience waiting for 40 minutes and released teasers by dimming the lights and displaying groovy projections on the sides of the stages, playing music remixes, and reciting a short monologue. When he finally started, McCartney walked out on stage and played “A Hard Day’s Night” by The Beatles. The crowd was moved by his soft words and cool demeanor. The sweetest part of the night was when McCartney dedicated the song “My Valentine” to his beloved wife Nancy. Then he continued to play classics from The Beatles, as well as from The Wings and The Quarrymen. The most iconic moment of the night was when Neil Young and Rihanna joined McCartney in performing “FourFiveSeconds.” McCartney ended the night with “Hey Jude,” and the crowd demanded an encore of “Birthday,” “Rip It Up,” “Helter Skelter,” “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight,” and “The End.” It’s safe to say the Paul McCartney is the man of the century!
nd
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rivalry spirit week 9
On the week of October 17-21, students and staff alike started spirit week off by wearing their pajamas, so that LQ could knock out the Aztecs. Tuesday was Tie-Dye Day because LQ is to “die” for. The following day, students wore matching attire to “squad up” for Twin Day. On Thursday, Hawaiian attire was present all around, as the PD/LQ flag would be returning from vacation. Finally, on the day everyone was anticipating, the school wore white to show team spirit and support for the football team. By John Doyle
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10 Locals Only
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Homecoming 11
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12 entertainment TwitchCon Brings Together Internet Lovers
Marcos Torres Reporter
From September 30 to October 2, TwitchCon was held in San Diego. TwitchCon is a convention held for people who stream on Twitch, a platform in which people can stream video, view and interact with other people online, as well as for the general public. Its main purpose is to congregate the streamers and the communities they have built to have fun with each other through games or partying. TwitchCon is also used to promote new technological products and services. The biggest news to come out of TwitchCon was the release of Twitch Prime, a pre-
Photo Credit: nextpowerup.com
mium service that gives out free games, free items for games, ad-free viewing, a free 30-day subscription for any channel partnered with Twitch, as well as exclusive emotes for chat and a chat badge. Twitch Prime is paired
up with Amazon Prime, so existing members will automatically gain this feature. Twitch streamers can now upload their own videos for other people to see and create clips from live streams or videos on mobile devices.
threatening injury. While laying in his hospital bed, an assassin comes to finish him off, b u t Brooks helps Langdon escape the hospital. Hiding in Brook’s apartment, they discover that Langdon has a virus that was given to him
by Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster), a billionaire who believes that drastic measurem e n t s had to be taken to control t h e Earth’s population. The virus, labeled “Inferno,” has the capability to decimate Earth’s population. With the help of letters or
Shawn Wasabi Performs in San Diego Christian Rodriguez Reporter
On October 13, DJ and producer Shawn Wasabi performed his newest set at The Loft at the University of California, San Diego. The internet sensation from Salinas wowed an audience of nearly 200 people as he performed his popular tracks, as well as new originals and remixes of popular songs for nearly two hours. “We’re going to have so much fun today!” announced a green-haired Shawn Wasabi. The crowd erupted as an upbeat track filled with bubble samples and high pitched voices played. Wasabi switched from hard, dirty trap to a light hearted Taylor Swift mix. It was a bizarre but beautiful spectacle when the crowd went
from dancing bass-heavy electronic renditions of the Pokémon theme song to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” within minutes. Wasabi rose to viral fame and achieved a cult following when his live mashup “Marble Soda” reached over one million views on YouTube in under 24 hours in April 2015. He has since moved away from mashups and now uses his own samples to create food-themed hits like “Burnt Rice” and “I Lost All My Eggs.”
Tom Hanks Stars in New Mystery Movie, Inferno
Chrisitan Mesa Sports Editor
Serving as the sequel to both “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Demons,” Tom Hanks reprised his role as Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor who specializes in religious iconology and symbology. The film begins with Langdon waking up in a hospital room, not knowing where he is or how he got there. The doctor tending to him, Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), tells Langdon that he is suffering from amnesia after a life-
phrases referring to Dante’s “Inferno” and the seven levels of hell, the two are led to various locations in Florence and Venice. Langdon searches for answers and tries to regain his forgotten memories to find the truth. Hank’s recent mystery movie will leave audiences wondering what will happen next, anticipating the next plot twist, and waiting to see what lurks in the shadows. Although the third installment has received more negative reviews than its predecessors, the film is still enjoyable to watch.
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My Thoughts on the PS4 Pro
John Doyle Reporter
On Wednesday, September 8, Sony announced their next console, the Playstation 4 Pro. The console features a 4k output on games and HDR (High-Dynamic Range), which gives more color and life to the display of the game. The Playstation 4 Pro will launch on November 10, 2016 for $399. As a person who exclusively plays on Xbox and PC, this seems pointless. The Xbox One S, codenamed Xbox Scorpio, already has some of these features that the Pro offers. It can play Blu-ray titles in 4k, a feature the PS4 Pro surprisingly does not support. The console, at its lowest, is $299 - a good price for what it offers. Next year, Microsoft will release Xbox Scorpio. Microsoft has said that console will ship with six TeraFlops, and support for 4K and Virtual Reality (VR) gaming. According to Microsoft, it is “the most
opinion 13
What’s Up With?!?!?!??
Mariana Escatell Asst./Photo Editor
powerful console ever built.” Scorpio will be much more powerful than the Pro that will be released this year. Even if the Scorpio costs more, it will most likely offer more than what the PS4 Pro allows. As someone who has been interested in buying a PS4 for its rich lineup of exclusive titles, the PS4 Pro does not feel significant enough when compared to the future Xbox Scorpio. My best bet is to wait for whenever the Pro is cheaper or when its successor arrives. The most important thing to consider, however, is if this new console cycle, in contrast to the typically 4-8 year console cycle, will work and how people will respond to this new 1-2 year cycle.
What’s up with a bird being in the hydration station when I went to go fill up my water bottle?!?!? This is how the plague is going to spread!! What’s up with Drake and Rihanna breaking up after only a month of being official??? Why does it seem like October is the month of so many break-ups?!?!?!??! What’s up with everyone’s houses getting teepeed all of a sudden??!!?! Is nothing sacred anymore?!? What’s up with the Vine app shutting down??? Yeah, no one uses Vine anymore, but why you just gonna take it away
from us like that??? What’s up with students at the football games throwing the ENTIRE water bottles and not just the water IN it?!?! If I get a concussion, I’m suing! What’s up with a dog named Rambo in Alabama who is an ice cream truck’s biggest fan?!?! If that’s not the cutest thing you’ve ever heard, then you're lying… What’s up with the man who dressed up as a 14year-old boy to play in a Y-13 football game?? I mean, you gotta do what you gotta do to get a win, right…? What’s up with El Chapo saying he has a fear
that he is going to lose his mind if he spends the rest of the year in jail?!?! C u e “Outta Y o u r Mind” by Lil Jon. What’s up with everyone saying that Harley Quinn and the Jokers’ relationship is “goals”?!?! Does everyone not realize how abusive and unhealthy that relationship is? C’mon, people... What’s up with 11 thousand people voting for Harambe and 6 thousand people voting for Hennessy on the American PRESIDENTIAL ballot?!?!? Y’all see what those dumb “joke” votes caused us….
Word on the Street: “What is the weirdest thing you or your family has ever been thankful for?”
“I had pneumonia on Thanksgiving and I was thankful that I didn't die.” -Nicolas Medina (9)
Interviews by Sahara Garcia
“Coming to America in the early 1990s.” -Daniel Valle (10)
“My little brother hit his head on the table! We were thankful he didn’t die and he came running home.” -Pamela Granados (11)
“My mom and whole family was thankful that I did not win Miss California so I didn’t have to compete for Miss America.” -Savannah Parks (12)
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sports 15
Introduction to Winter Sports
Girls’ Soccer: The 2016-17 girls’ soccer team is back and more prepared than ever to win their fifth consecutive DVL title and make history by competing in CIF finals. There are ten returning seniors, making it an older and more experienced team than last year’s squad of only three seniors. The team is moving up from their Division 5 stance to Division 4, allowing them to play at a higher level of DVL competition. Senior Reanna Rivera explained, “I have high expectations for this upcoming soccer season because we still have a lot of key players returning. We are all on the same page and share the same mindset on what we wish to accomplish. This year, we are making
progress -- not excuses!” Boys’ Soccer: Boys’ soccer is starting the year ready to win CIF after they lost in the first round last season. Tryouts for newcomers were held on the October 25 and returners joined them on November 7. With many returning upperclassmen, the team is determined to bring back the CIF and DVL title to LQ. Senior Nick Stange shared, “We have a lot of leaders this year. We’re all motivated and the expectations are high, but we aim to break those expectations.” The boys’ schedule will be announced later this month, so be sure to be on the look out for their first game and go support your fellow Blackhawks! Boys’ Basketball: Boys’ basketball season is
just around the corner and the boys hope to bounce back after a CIF run cut short last season. The team retained three starters following last year’s graduation: Pierce Sterling (10), Marcelo Zepeda (12), and Jordan Shetrone (12). “We are going to do better than last year,” stated Sterling. “Coming off a loss, we are prepared for this season.” The team has their first game on November 26 at 7 p.m. against Twentynine Palms in the Design Pro Tip Off Classic. Be sure to support your Blackhawks! Girls’ Basketball: The girls’ basketball team concluded their last season by placing second in DVL. Their CIF run came to an end in the first round against Summit
High School, with an overall record of 10-16 and 8-4 in DVL. The team had seven seniors graduate, which was more than half of the varsity team. However, with many new players on the court, they have a solid foundation to build upon. The girls have high expectations for this upcoming season as they look forward to earning a spot in CIF once again to create new Blackhawk history. Head Coach Electra Viveros expressed, “I do feel that as long as we work hard, we have the potential to surprise some of our competition. We will accomplish this with hard work, setting goals, and with help from each other when things get tough.”
Cubs End Their 108-Year Curse
Christian Mesa Sports Editor
The 2016 World Series began with the Wild Card games. The Toronto Blue Jays bested the Baltimore Orioles on October 4 and the San Francisco Giants defeated the New York Mets on October 5. Following the Wild Card games, the division series was in full swing with the Los Angeles Dodgers overcoming the Washington Nationals on October 13, the Chicago Cubs knocked off the San Francisco Giants on October 11, the Cleveland Indians defeated the Boston Red Sox on October 10, and the Blue Jays sweeped the Texas Rangers on October 9. League Championships followed shortly after on October 15, the Dodgers took on the
Photo Credit: sentinelandenterprise.com Cubs and the Indians played Indians catcher hit four RBI’s against the Blue Jays. The In- and two home runs, pushing dians managed to sweep the the Indians towards their first Blue Jays with four straight win with a score of 6-0. The wins, while the Cubs battled Cubs showed signs of a comethe Dodgers to win the Na- back in game two with a 5-1 tional League with a 4-2 victory. However, the Indians record. came back to win the next The race for the Commis- three games making the series sioner's Trophy began on Octo- 3-1, which left the Cubs strugber 25 with the Cleveland gling to find a resolution. Indians facing off against the Despite the series record, Chicago Cubs. In Game 1, the the Cubs would not go quietly.
In Game 5, they took their first World Series win at Wrigley Field since October 8, 1945. With their upset win, Cubs fans let out a sigh of relief as their team was still alive and kicking. The Cubs shocked the Indians again in Game 6 by defeating Cleveland 9-3. With the final game of the World Series, the record stands at 3-3, following the same pace as the NBA Finals a year ago. Game 7 officially ended the Cubs’ World Series curse after defeating the Indians 8-7, coming back from a 3-1 series deficit. Cubs’ Ben Zobrist was named the World Series MVP after his RBI put them ahead of the Indians in the tenth inning. The 2016 World Series will be remembered as the year the Indians and Cubs finally made it back to the series and the Cubs ended their 108-year curse.
Wrestling: A new school year brings new opportunities for La Quinta’s wrestling team. As preseason practice comes to an end, the real training begins on November 5. Around thirty to forty freshmen are expected to join the team and thirty returning wrestlers can be expected as well. La Quinta’s main rival Palm Desert is thought to be this year’s greatest challenge while DVL newcomer Shadow Hills is also believed to pose a threat. Coach Flores said, “I think we are going to make a lot of noise and we’re definitely a team to watch out for. We’ll see what happens once we get on the mat.” Girls’ Waterpolo: LQ’s girls’ water polo team is preparing to kick off the season with high hopes. The team will again be led by the unsurpassable coaching of Mr. Lowell. The vast majority of players are starting their season as new varsity competitors look forward to t h e growth they will see in their performance. Kailey Iniguez (11), the lead varsity goalie, anticipates an amazing season. “I believe we are so strong individually and if we combine those strengths there is nothing we can't do this season,” she commented. “I know we can win this year, as our team has put in an unbelievable amount of work.”
Written by: Kayleen Sullivan Genaya Hollis Sean Layman Viviana Dominguez Juan Puga Maddie O’Barr
Illlustrations by Sahara Garcia
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16 Sports
Girls’ Cross Country to Advance on to CIF
Evelyn Sarabia Co-Editor-in-Chief
Girls’: On October 12, the Lady Blackhawks traveled to Xavier for the second DVL match of the season. The girls encountered their first loss since 2012, breaking their four year undefeated streak. Some of the Blackhawk squad was recovering from injuries and the flu, which took an immense toll on the race. Freshman sensation Akemi Von Scherr sprinted off the finish line but had to battle with an Indio runner until she lost the opponent a mile into the race. Von Scherr finished nearly 90 seconds in front of her next competitor to place first with a time of 17:41. The rest of the team came in as follows: senior Brandie Lopez (20:33), sophomore Itzel Chavez (20:56), senior Maddy Silva (21:34), sophomore Francine Ansley (21:48), and freshman Ashley
battled it out till the finish line in hopes of catching the Rajah pack ahead of her but unfortunately did not and finPhoto Credit: Salvador Lopezished in Waters (22:22). 20:11. Fueled by their loss at DVL At the awards ceremony at race two, the girls were deter- the end of the DVL races, Von mined to give the Rajahs a run Scherr and Lopez were awarded for their money at the third DVL All-DVL patches to honor their meet on November 2. Unfortu- first and seventh places in the nately, the Blackhawks fell to race, respectively. Von Scherr Indio again by a mere ten was also awarded the MVP points. Von Scherr still man- award of the season. The girls aged to shine in the girls’ race finished second overall in DVL and is the first freshman girl to and will continue onto CIF Presweep all three DVL races since lims on Nov. 11. LQ star Megan Huebner in Boys’: 2010. She completed the race in The boys’ team competed at 17:23, placing first overall and the DVL two meet and ended up again coming in 90 seconds placing fifth overall. Their runahead of the next runner. Lopez
Boys’ Waterpolo Undefeated to Claim the DVL Title
Maddie O’Barr Reporter
On October 6, the Blackhawk water polo boys’ team faced off against rival Palm Desert High and took home a hard-fought win of 10-9, thanks to Todd Becker’s (11) game-changing shot at the end of the second quarter. The team took advantage of the high energy by winning their next six games, including Palm Desert for a second time. After dominating at the Don Lugo tournament on Oct. 7-8, La Quinta made victories over Xavier College Prep two times in a row. The incredible winning streak continued against Cathedral City High on November 26 when they soared above expectations with a score of 23-0.
After six more wins, LQ claimed the victorious title as undefeated in the DVL season. “The season ended really well,” Jeremy Baker (11), returning varsity player, stated. “It felt great to take DVL and we improved a lot during the course of it. Now we just have to take CIF!” The Blackhawks won their first CIF game on Nov. 10 against Walnut High School, 84. They moved on to play the following Saturday to continue
Todd Becker (11) Photo Credit: Mariana Escatell
to vie for the D-4 CIF championship. Boys’ Waterpolo 9/27 9/29 10/3 10/4 10/6 10/11 10/12 10/18 10/20 10/25 10/27 11/1 11/3
Shadow Hills Cathedral City Hemet Palm Springs Palm Desert Indio Xavier Xavier Shadow Hills Cathedral City Palm Springs Palm Desert Indio
16-4 20-0 15-5 23-3 10-9 21-1 6-5 11-8 21-5 23-0 28-6 11-7 21-6
Win Win Win Win Win Win Win Win Win Win Win Win Win
Photo Credit: Salvador Lopez
ners were faced with tough competition from Indio, Cathedral City, Xavier, and DVL newcomer, Shadow Hills. LQ’s first
runner, Jairo Verduzco (11) finished 16th overall with a time of 16:49. Not too far behind him was LQ’s second runner-up David Hernandez (12). He placed 17th overall and raced in at 16:55. At the last DVL meet of the season at Demuth Park, the boys yet again placed in fifth place. Hernandez came in first this time for the LQ boys but 15th overall with a time of 16:43. The boys team ended the 2016 season in fifth place overall and unfortunately will not be moving on to CIF this season.
Girls’ Golf Finishes Third Overall in DVL
Vanessa Barboza Reporter
The LQ girls’ golf season continued on October 4 with an away game against Xavier College Prep at the JW Marriott Desert Springs golf course. Despite the girls’ golf team suffering a tough loss with a final score of 247-222, promising new freshman Avalon Woodward demonstrated her abilities by scoring the lowest of the LQ girls that night. The Lady Blackhawks returned victorious the following week on Oct. 6 against Cathedral City. Their winning score of 309-299 was sure to be satisfying for Captain Mariah Moon (12), as she received the lowest score of a 39 out of the average 61. They continued their winning streak with another victory the following week against Indio on Oct. 11. The ladies demonstrated their hard work that night with a score of 275-349. The last match of the season was against the first competitor of the month, Xavier Prep, on Oct. 13. Unfortunately, the
Jourdan Flynn (11) Photo Credit: Kayleen Sullivan
girls endured a loss by a final score of 248-232. A total of four girls - Mykenzie Moyle (12), Jourdan Flynn (11), Moon and Woodward went through to DVL, where LQ placed third overall. Woodward and Moon continued on to represent LQ in CIF, but they did not continue after the first week. Moon reflected, “I think this year was the best out of all my years. The team was really fun and we did a great job together.” Girls’ Golf Xavier 10/4 10/6 Cathedral City Indio 10/11 Xavier 10/13
247-222 309-299 275-349 248-232
Loss Win Win Loss
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sports 17
LQ Football has a Perfect Season
Christian Mesa Sports Editor
La Quinta started their DVL championship run on September 30 against the Palm Springs Indians, where the boys went into halftime behind 0-10. However, neither Benji Cordova (12) or his teammates could be kept down. When the final siren sounded, the Blackhawks defeated the Indians 1410 after two touchdown runs by Cordova. An offensive battle erupted on October 6 against the Xavier College Prep Saints, resulting in a combined 105 points and 1,100 yards. This high scoring game was a result of the linemen blocking beautifully for Cordova, who ran for 237 yards and six touchdowns. Andrew Garcia (12) and Ricky Vargas (12) also scored on the ground. The thriller ended with a score of 63-42, making LQ victorious. Following an impressive La Quinta win, the Blackhawks met an undefeated Shadow Hills on Oct. 13. Cordova scored three touchdowns on the ground as well as a defensive touchdown, due to a fumble. Justin Anderson (12) and Derrick Kennedy (10) also scored a combined three touchdowns on the ground. The Blackhawks came out of Senior Night with a 48-0 win, demonstrating why they are DVL champions. On Oct. 27, the boys traveled to Indio to face the Rajahs, where the Blackhawks would continue their DVL success with Cordova scoring four touchdowns on the ground. Defensively scoring three touchdowns coming from a fumble recovery by Jesus Co-
Tennis Pulls Through the DVL Season
Genaya Hollis Copy Editor
On September 30, the Lady Blackhawks played Redlands High and lost 6-12, but bounced back on October 4 by winning 11-7 against Shadow Hills High. The team played a diffirona (11) and interception touchdowns by Freddie Massie (10) and Kennedy, the Blackhawks left Indio with a 63-0 victory. La Quinta faced Cat City on Nov. 4 to play their last DVL game and the Blackhawks’ Homecoming game. Cordova found the endzone four times and racked up 366 rushing yards. Gary Robles (11) scored a defensive touchdown via a fumble by Cat City and
Photo Credit: Mariana Escatell
Kennedy scored off a kick return in the beginning of the third quarter. Anderson also scored on the ground with La Quinta’s scoring onslaught. The game resulted in a 62-14 victory, and the LQ earned DVL champs. Football 9/30 Palm Springs Xavier 10/7 10/13 Shadow Hills 10/21 Palm Desert Indio 10/27 11/4 Cathedral City
14-10 63-42 43-0 35-7 63-0 62-14
Win Win Win Win Win Win
Natalie Alvarez (12) Photo Credit: Mariana Escatell
Volleyball Ends up Taking Third in DVL
Madison Ivy Copy Editor
The girls’ Blackhawk volleyball team continued a strong season with three wins in a row: Cathedral City 25-11, Indio 25-12, and Palm Springs 25-14. Their streak added to the success of a bittersweet senior night on November 14, as eight of the 12 girls bid farewell to their beloved court. Prior, the girls played Palm Desert for the second time on October 6. The Aztecs played like they had something to prove, as the game resulted in a devastating 25-18 loss in the fourth game for LQ. However, the girls put up a fight that landed Camryne Sommaripa (12) a 70 percent kill average in her hitting stats. The girls saw two more
Jolie Samuelson (12) Photo Credit: Mariana Escatell
wins from Cathedral City (258) on Oct. 19 and West Shores (25-20). The day after the West Shores match on Oct. 25, the team pushed through another five games against Palm
Springs. Fifth games typically go to 15 points, but since a team has to win by two, a score of 16-14 shows how close of a loss it was for the Blackhawks. On Oct. 26, the girls played their last game of the DVL season, which ended on a good note in a win against Indio, 25-17. This placed La Quinta third in DVL and got them into the CIF brackets. The girls traveled to Cerritos High School and took a loss 1015 in the fifth game on Nov.1. Libero Jada Lopez (11) stated, “I’m very sad that we won’t have all our seniors coming back with us, but I’m very excited for our team next year! One of our biggest goals next year should be to build a new family and trust each other while having fun and working hard.”
cult match against Xavier College Prep on October 11, losing 5-13, but made up for the loss after beating Cathedral City High, 16-2, on October 13. On October 19, the girls held their Senior Night during the last home game against Cat City. Seniors Abby Allmon, Sofia Fernandez, and Natalie Alvarez walked down the court together for their last tennis match at LQHS. The night ended with an LQ victory of 153. The team went to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on October 24 to play their last DVL tournament, which would determine which school would win the DVL title in doubles and singles. The girls earned fourth overall in the tournament. The first round of CIF took place on November 1 in Redlands. Unfortunately, this is where the girls ended their season, but they were grateful and happy that they spent the day playing and having fun with their teammates. Fernandez stated, “I feel our team did really well this year considering we had a young, new team with only three seniors and a new coach. I’m proud of our girls and I’m really sad to be leaving the team after four years.” Good job to our Lady Blackhawks and we are proud of how much the team has accomplished this season! Girls’ Tennis
Desert 9/29 Palm Tennis6-12 Girls’ Redlands 9/30 6-12 11-7 10/4 Shadow Hills 7-11 10/5 Circus Valley Xavier 10/11 5-13 10/13 Cathedral City 16-2 Indio 10/18 10-8 10/19 Cathedral City 15-3
Loss Loss Win Loss Loss Win Win Win
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18 Halloween
DIY Doggy-Do’s
Maddie O’Barr Reporter
Most people with dogs will agree that their beloved pup is the star of any occasion. Although Halloween is not always the best time to bring pets out, they should still be included in the festivities. For the most adorable, money-saving, bonding experience, consider making a DIY costume for your pup. All costume directions can be found on Pinterest. Here are some ideas from my star Pilot: sagittarius, active dog model and Izzy: cancer, trying her hardest. It is important to remember that not all pets like being dressed up. If they are anything like my crazy pups, they might see them more as a toy than a costume. Regardless, it is a fun activity for the whole family to take part in!
The metallic look didn’t match with her fur.
The ‘ruf’eree in town is more scared of the truth than he is of the soccer moms.
Antonio Gambino Reporter
Imagine a tram ride up the hill. Twist and turns that lead to the unknown. Here and there you see a light that brings reassurance. Your adrenaline begins to course through your veins. A person stands at the light where you ran for comfort. A man with no posture stands with a balloon in hand. It is a trick, he is a clown that amuses families with evil intentions. Behind him is a gap in the walls that guides you. You no longer look for the manmade light and look up to the moon. In an instant, the walls begin to roar. Color fills the air and the
laughter of monsters echo. You have no choice but to leave your transport and follow the man with the balloon. He leads you to a trail of clowns with
chainsaws, monsters with knives, and psychos with hammers. Every corner is a mystery and this is just the be-
ginning. Horror Nights is an annual tradition of Universal Studios to transform their attractions into a series of frights. Mazes, monsters, and screams haunt the park. It ran from September 18 through October 31. The main attractions are “American Horror Story,” “Krampus,” “Halloween,” “The Exorcist,” “The Purge,” “Jason vs. Freddy Kruger,” and “The Walking Dead.” Although it was her third year attending, Alyssa Valencia (11) stated, “I didn't know what to expect. I enjoyed the ‘American Horror Story’ maze because it was trippy and stuff kept popping out at me. It was an ongoing adrenaline rush.” Being afraid has never been so enjoyable.
The History Behind Halloween
The dynamic duo tried their hardest to fit in this spooky night but the only terrifying thing was the ghost costume.
Want-to-be ‘cool dad’ tries her hardest to fit in with the other pups but decides a nap is more important. Your local government conspiracy theorist tries her hand at defending herself from the aliens with a tin foil hat.
Night of Frights at Horror Nights
Photo Credit: Maddie O’Barr
Bailey Franklin Reporter
What is Halloween? A holiday created for the mass consumption of candy? A free dress-up day for adults? There’s much more to Halloween than you think, from the children walking door-todoor, to the bright jack-o’lanterns carved and set out front people’s homes. It is said that the day is dedicated to the dead, originates from Celtic festivals with pagan roots, or even a Christian holiday. Children will go to numerous houses saying “Trick or Treat” to ask for a treat or they will play a trick. This tradition comes from mumming: going door to door performing short acts of a play in exchange for
food. This is where costumes may have come from as guises for mumming. It is also believed that All Hallows’ Eve is the day when supernatural beings and the souls of the dead haunt t h e earth. Chil-
dren a n d poorer folk would go around collecting soul cakes as representatives of the dead or in return for praying for their souls.
Today children choose what houses to visit by the scary decorations and the bright pumpkins displayed. These jack-o’-lanterns, from Jack of the Lantern, were made to resemble will-o’-the-wisps, or atmospheric ghost lights. They are turnips and pumpkins with carved faces and light emanating through its openings. This tradition is thought to have started in Ireland where they carved grotesque faces into these vegetables to represent supernatural beings and ward off evil spirits. Halloween is not just an American holiday that endorses the mass consumption of cavity-inducing sweets, but it is derived from the spiritual beliefs from various cultures and religions.
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Thanksgiving Dinner and Dance Battles
Vanessa Barboza Reporter
Thanksgiving is a holiday that brings family and friends together. For my family, we follow the tradition with a slight twist. We all gather and meet at my grandmother’s house every year and every family has the responsibility of bringing a side dish, while the host supplies the main turkey. Besides the giving of thanks and the eating of the delicious food, my family has a dance battle every year. At my family’s last Thanksgiving celebration, it was my uncle’s turn in the dance battle and he went for a surprise ending by performing a cartwheel. As he went for it, he fell
out of the turn in midair and crashed into the table with all of the desserts on it. There was pie not only on the floor, but all over the surrounding people. With the table totally destroyed and the desserts ruined, everyone burst out into uncontrollable laughter. After my entire family helped clean up the mess and removed the broken table, the celebration became more relaxed and the night ended with all of my family watching a holiday movie together. As people started to leave, the uncle who ruined the desserts gifted my family a small pie to take home to apologize for the incident.
Thanksgiving Royale
Juan Puga Reporter
Thanksgiving for my family is more of a competition than anything else. That might sound odd to some people, but for us it couldn’t be more normal. All fourteen of my aunts and uncles start battling over who can appease my grandmother the most. While you may think that having several family members trying to one up each other would make Thanksgiving more fun, it honestly doesn’t. They sabotage one another, bicker among themselves, and have even throw their fists in anger. While their outbursts would have perhaps soured the mood
in other families, it’s nothing that can’t be simply shrugged off in ours. If there's one good thing that’s come out of all this conflict, it’s the overall quality of the food and decorations. It is not uncom-
mon for some of my family members to go out of their way to spend a small fortune for the occasion. Our family’s record for most money spent belongs to Uncle Louie. Out of my
aunts and uncles, he is the one who I would consider to be the most sane and yet he spent a little over $2,000 in food and decorations alone. That’s not even including all the presents he bought for his thirty plus nieces and nephews. Although my grandmother does not like to admit it, it is a very well-known fact that she has on more than one occasion incited arguments between her children in order to have the best Thanksgiving. That is not to say that my grandmother is a vile and evil woman; on the contrary, she mostly behaves like a sweet and lovable grandmother, but the allure of the holidays gets to her just as it gets to all of us. Illustration Credit: Sahara Garcia & Antonio Gambino
Pumpkin Cookies Recipe
Spooky Gen Copy Editor
Looking for an easy pumpkin recipe to make with your family for the holidays? Pumpkin is the most popular ingredient of the fall season, so why not incorporate it into your favorite treats? Cookies! Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened 1 cup Libby’s Pure Pumpkin Puree 1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract For Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar 3 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon of melted butter 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract Procedure: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place parchment paper on the baking sheets and spray with nonstick spray. Combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking
powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix together sugar and butter until well incorporated. Then add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly add the flour mixture until well incorporated; do not over mix. Roll the mixture into tablespoons and place them on the baking sheet.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until edges are firm. For the glaze, mix the powdered sugar, milk, melted butter and vanilla extract until smooth. Once the cookies are done, allow the cookies to cool for a couple of minutes and then
drizzle the glaze over the cookies. Enjoy! If you would like to order delicious desserts, follow Gen’s Treats on Instagram or Twitter: @Genstreats Recipe by Lyn Hollis
Issue 2 2016 REAL_Layout 1 11/10/16 10:05 PM Page 20
20 Costume craze
Best News Anchors: “The RAWRporters”
Fruitiest Group: Fruit Salad
Best Impersonation Costume: “Coach Flores”
Best Stain Remover: Clorox Kid
Sweetest Drink: Hot Chocolate Abuelita
Best Duo: Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf
Most Sentimental: Peter Pan and Tinkerbell
Savoriest Snack: Durritos
Illustrations by: Christian Rodriguez & Sarah Basit Photo Credit: Mariana Escatell