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A freshman’s survival guide to high school Relive the Senior Sunrise
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Inspired Performance Vicky Nyamuswa draws inspiration from her sister
October 2012 Volume 14, Issue 1
The Final Year
S eniors
Do seniors feel any different during their senior year? Underclassmen speak out. By Katelyn Parsley Assistant editor
H
ey seniors, have you ever wondered what the juniors, sophomores and freshman think about you? Probably not, and that’s the way most of the lowerclassmen described seniors. “Seniors seem like they don’t care about much in school,” said freshman Gabby Doxtator. “But they also seem like they are a lot more mature than the rest of us.” Some seniors believe there is little difference between the classes. “I thought I would feel cool when I was a senior, like how I thought the seniors were when
I was freshman, but everyone isn’t cool,” said Tristan Alo. “We’re pretty much the same as we were when we were freshman. We might be a little smarter, but that’s about it.” Many students believe that their senior year will be the best out of all their high school years. “I only have four classes, and it’s great,” said Rory Sirkel. Having fewer classes is an advantage that only seniors get, since they usually have earned most of their credits. Senior year is not a joke though. The truth is senior year is one of the most crucial years. There are colleges to consider and many important tests to take,
like the SATs and ACTs. “You can’t play any kiddy games your senior year. It’s serious,” said Elijah Smith. “You really have to get good grades and do well.” Seniors might act a little bit smarter or more mature because they see that the real world is right around the corner. “I’m afraid to take the next step in my life,” said Rory Sirkel. “College is right around the corner. I’ll be moving out of my parents’ house, losing friends and possibly moving out of state. It’s a big deal.” When asked if she was looking forward to her senior year Doxtator said, “I don’t want to look forward that far. It seems so far away.”
What did you think of the seniors when you were an underclassman? “I always looked at seniors like they were on a highert level, but now I know they weren’t.” -Zoe Wolfenbarger
“I thought I would feel cooler, but I feel the same.” -Preston Duke
B E S T F R I E N D S
“We’ve been friends since 2006 and all the way through high school,” said Kaylee Knowlton of she and her best friend Shannette Roman.
“We met at basketball camp our freshman year and are still really close,” said Blake Bootsma of he and his best friend Antonio Nunez.
Hi l l s i d e
HOT
800 College Drive Henderson, NV 89002
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Kylie Braver ASSISTANT EDITORS: Haley Scott, Rebecka Holmes, Kayleigh Swartzlander, Katelyn Parsley SPORTS EDITOR: Brian Marshall WEB MASTER: Thomas Jaramillo LAYOUT EDITOR: Jake Jesperson
STAFF foothill high school
STAFF WRITERS: Shianne Freebairn, Alec Fischmann ADVISER: Bill Tobler PRINCIPAL: Jeanne Donadio The opinions expressed in the Hillside Hotwire are the author’s and do not represent the opinions of the administration, faculty, staff or students of Foothill High School. The staff reserves the right to reject any advertisement deemed inappropriate. Letters to the editor may be edited for content and brevity.
Page 2 October 2012
Beyond The Horizon
By Kayleigh Swartzlander Assistant Editor
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Seniors come to school at 6 a.m. for donuts, good times, and to gaze at the rising sun.
aking up at 6:00 is hard for Samantha Kerby, but waking up at 4:30 is nearly impossible. But that’s exactly what Kerby has to do to in order to get ready for the senior sunrise pictures. An hour and a half later, she’s
2 1. Student Council made sure there was a surplus of food for the special event. Everything from doughnuts to oranges to muffins was eaten. Photo by Kayleigh Swartzlander
2. At the end of the activity, everyone who attended lined
up on the grass to have their picture taken to remember the activity. Photo by Kayleigh Swartzlander 3.Helping set up, Sam Douglas and Alexis Smith are in charge of carrying the package of water bottles to the table. Photo by Kayleigh Swartzlander
all dolled up. She hops into Royce Salay’s red thunderbird, and together they speed off to the football field. Meanwhile, since 5:45 Holly Nielson and the student council kids have been putting the muffins out, chasing the oranges rolling around on the blacktop, and stacking little white papers up neatly so the seniors can vote on this year’s shirt design. “The senior class all helped with the planning,” said Mr. Ortiz “and they provided food.” StuCo came up with the idea last year at state conference thanks to Palo Verde. New senior Mckyna Rash, “That was the prettiest sunrise I’ve ever
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4. Hailey
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Kowalski puts her Student Council duties on hiatus to take a picture with her friend Samantha Kerby. “I loved being together as a class to start of senior year,” said Kowalski. Photo by Kayleigh Swartzlander
seen.” said Rash. “It helped me realize that I can make myself whatever I want, and I had the chance to rise up and be the best I could be. I met new people, and I felt more confident in being a Falcon.” Seniors who missed out on the sunrise have a chance to go to the second part, the senior sunset, towards the end of the year. With all the food, the laughs, people singing their favorite childhood theme songs (by request of Ray Ortiz) and the rising sun, it was considered a success by the StuCo team. “I couldn’t decide what my favorite part about the sunrise was,” said Raven Canez. “It’s a tie between the red velvet muffins and my friends.” “The senior sunrise helped us kick off what will prove to be a great senior year,” said Ray Ortiz.
“ opening year fun
”
-Holly Nielson
Page 3 October 2012
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Go Falcons! Page 4 October 2012
Simple Ways
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TO MAKE YOUR JUNIOR YEAR SUCCESSFUL
Q & A
J uniors
• Do you homework and turn it in on time.
By Rebecka Holmes Assistant Editor
• Stay on task! No sleeping in class! • Participate in class. • Stay positive! • And most importantly.... HAVE FUN!
What can’t you go to school without?
With Junior President Rachel Jordan
Backpack
Q: How does it feel to be Junior Class President? A: It’s lots of fun being junior president. I get more responsibilities in Stuco now. Q: What do you have planned for Junior year? A: Already the junior class has started working on plans for prom and fundraising making sure it’s going to be great!
Keys
Q: How does it feel to be an upperclassman? A: Being an upperclassman is awesome! We get to sit on the special side of the assemblies, and most of the other students seem so little.
Cell Phone
JUNIOR CALENDAR : IMPORTANT DATES SCOLARSHIP INFORMATION Oct 15- Octoberfest Oct 26- No School Nevada Day Oct 29- Kick Ball 1:30 PM Oct 29-Nov 1- Proficiency Testing Nov 6- Staff Development Day Dec 12- ASVAB Testing Dec 20- Winter Assembly
• For those staying in Nevada, go to Nevada Public Education Foundation; www.NVPEF.org • For those going out of state for college, the City of Henderson has workshops • For more information, visit Mrs. Breslin in the career center or Mr. Doyle in the counselor’s office.
Wallet iPod Page 5 October 2012
S ophomores S’more Events Anime Club Meets every other Tuesday in room 253 Bible Club Every Thursday in 306 Chess Club Wednesdays and Thursdays in room 321 Mock Trial Every Thursday evening in room 739 or 737 Spanish Club 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month in 319
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1. Poker Face: Courtnie Levitt and Kennedy Chapman perform a dance at the Welcome Back assembly. Photo by Bill Tobler 2. Start Your Engines: Bobby Merritt and Austin Phillips compete in the wheelbarrow race. Photo by Bill Tobler 3. Cheese! Rylee Strehlow beams a smile at the audience during a routine during the Welcome Back assembly. Photo by Bill
Video Game Club Thursdays, 1:302:30 Photography Thursdays at 1:30 Robotics Thursdays after school Interact Wednesdays during both lunches First lunch 319, second lunch Yes inc. room NHS last Thursday of month in 254 @1:30-2:15 Mud Club Open daily until 3 pm
Tobler
4. Rah Rah: Elizabeth Weedman peps up the crowd with her glittered-up Hill gear during the Welcome Back assembly. Photo
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By Bill Tobler
Pop culture grid: Sophomore Year We asked the newest crop of sophomores about their high school experience thus far. By Jake Jesperson Morgan Dennett
Stephen Clapper
Shayna Kaempfer
Kody Thompson
Progress in Gymnastics
Power Clean 225
Straight As
Better Grades
What will you do different this year than your freshman year?
Work on my grades
Do more sports
Study harder
Focus more on my academics
Is your high school experience everything you thought it would be?
Yes
What would you change about Foothill if you could change anything
I would add a gymnastics team
I would change the amount of students (too many)
I would do away with the dress code.
I would change that we can’t listen to music
How would you describe your freshman year?
Difficult
Terrible
Interesting
Boring
Jessica Vasquez
I really don’t know any seniors
I don’t even know the sophomores
What is your goal for the year?
Who is your senior idol?
Brian Marshall
No, I thought I would be No, there are no cliques with my friends more
Not at all, I thought it would be more fun
Page 6 October 2012
Advice to a freshman from a senior By Haley Scott Co-editor in cheif
D
ear freshman, when I walked into the quad freshman year, my stomach was filled with excitement and fear. Now, as I look back on that first day, I think of all those freshman with all the same fears, goals and anxiety, and I thought I’d share a few words of advice. Tip number 1: Join a school activity. School tends to go more smoothly when you’re in a sport, club or school production because it pushes you to be your best. You need good grades, and you’ll be willing to be on your best behavior. Tip number 2: Stay out
of trouble. Don’t try and act hard and get in fights, talk back to your teachers, or ditch school. It doesn’t make you look cool to the upperclassmen; it just makes you look immature. Fighting doesn’t make the conflict go away. It just makes it worse. If you talk back to your teachers, then it’s just going to make them lose respect for you, and that won’t benefit you. If you decide to ditch school, grandma will catch you! Tip number 3:Don’t be late to class Being late to class is a dumb reason to get in trouble. I have never been tardy in high school, and if I can do it, so can you. If it takes you longer than six min-
Ethan Hechanova Having classes that are harder then I’m used to.
The teachers are more laid back in high school.
I’m looking forward to all the school dances.
I plan on auditioning for the school musical.
utes, then you need to run. So get to stepping. Senior Rylee Allen worked in the dean’s office last year and saw kids who repeatedly got in trouble for tardy lockout. “They wasted so much time having to come and get a pass,” said Allen. “I saw kids getting detention and RPC for it. It’s so pointless; just get to class on time. You’re only a freshman. Don’t make it bad habit.” Tip number 4: Pick your friends wisely. You may think you know who you can and can’t trust, but in high school, everyone changes cliques and makes new friends. You may think that you and your best friends may stay close forever and that you
F reshman
can tell them everything, but that’s not always true. Don’t go telling your best friend something that could ruin your reputation or that you don’t want the entire school to know. Things slip when you meet new people. Tip number 5: Pass your classes. If you pass all your classes during your first three years, you will have the choice to have a short schedule your senior year and you won’t have to rush to try and make up credits that you lack. Trust me, all the hard work is worth it. I only have four classes, and it’s the best thing ever. I come to school at 7 a.m and
Ally Botts
Q&A 1.What is your freshman fear?
I don’t know anyone. I came from a differnt school zone.
2.How is high school differnt from middle school?
There’s a lot more people and it’s really crowded.
3.What are you looking forward to now that that your in high school?
Meeting knew people and getting better grades.
4.Are you going to play any sports or preform in any school productions?
get out at 10:52, when I go home do whatever I want, whether it’s going out to lunch or just taking a nap. You don’t have to have open fifth and sixth, you can have open first and sixth or have open first and second. Your first year of high school really sets the tone for the rest of your high school years. If you slack the first year and get behind in credits, most likely you’ll slack the rest of high school because you feel overwhelmed and behind. So make your freshman year the best you can. It’s one of the most fun years. Work hard, don’t get in to trouble, and you’ll have a great first year.
I am on the freshman volleyball team.
Page 8 October 2012
Sports
By the numbers
Athletes of the Month Football
Girl’s Volleyball
Men’s Tennis
1,373 Yards QB Drew Doxtator has thrown this season
1 Ranking of Doxtator, in passing yards, in all of southern Nevada
Tyler Morris, 12
Zoe Wolfenbarger, 12
Seth Tanner, 12
Morris contributed to the season-opener with 54 yards receiving as well as the team’s only touchdown.
Zoe has led the team to a winning record so far and racked up 31 assists, eight kills and four aces at Silverado.
Tanner went 3-0 in singles play against Del Sol in the season opener, helping Foothill to victory, 11-7.
Men’s XC
Men’s Soccer
Girl’s Soccer
12 Number of wins girls’ volleyball has against opponents from Southern Nevada
15-3
Brian Marshall, 12
Matt Pablico, 10
Jilian Vigil, 11
Marshall ran a 17:30 5k and was the second fastest runner from the Sunrise region (11th overall) at the Las Vegas Invite.
Despite a slow start, boy’s soccer still has a bright future with the boosted defensive play of Pablico.
Vigil remains to be one of the top defenders and team leaders on the Girls’ varsity soccer team.
Girl’s XC
Girl’s Golf
Girl’s Tennis
Score of the boys’ tennis seasonopener against division-foe Eldorado Ryanne Bailey, 12
Palmer Bosanko, 12
Lilly Nettles, 10
Bailey had back to back wins at the first 2 XC meets of the season with a combined winning time of 1:42
Bosanko is the top-ranked female golfer for the Falcons, holding the fifth position in the Sunrise region.
Nettles has learned the sport very quickly and has been one of the most dominate players on the team.
Page 10 October 2012
Sports
Varsity dancer draws inspiration from more than just the crowd
Vicky Nyamuswa is motivated by tragedy every time she dances By Brian Marshall Sports Editor hances are, if you’ve been to a Foothill assembly, you’ve seen our nationally-ranked dance team take the stage. And chances are, if you’ve seen the varsity dance team, you’ve noticed the energy dancer Vicky Nyamuswa brings to the team. A two-year varsity veteran, Nyamuswa started dancing at age nine after quitting gymnastics. “After I stopped gymnastics, I needed something else,” said Nyamuswa. “I was playing soccer at the time, but I didn’t really like it, so I just started dancing.” Vicky started her dance career in third grade at a local studio called Dance
C
Fusion. From Dance Fusion, Vicky continued to move to different studios around the valley, showing her potential everywhere she went. When she arrived at the Hill, with six years of experience already, she made the JV dance
year, tragedy struck her family as she saw the passing of her older sister Claudia. Vicky was heavily impacted by the death of her sister, and she is reminded of her sister every time she takes the floor to dance.
Despite the hardship that has followed, Vicky is still able to draw inspi-
Her sister’s death has also compelled Vicky to become more active
“My life has taken on a new kind of meaning. Now, everything I do, I feel like I’m doing for Claudia. I’m living my life out for her.” team and quickly proved herself to be one of the best. She also made the goal to make varsity by the next year. However, in September of Vicky’s freshman
“My sister got to watch me dance growing up, and when I accomplished my goal of making varsity my sophomore year, she wasn’t able to see that,” said Vicky.
DANCE! Vicky Nyamuswa shows off a firebird jump during dance practice.
Vicky Nyamuswa is a junior on the varsity dance team. Photos by Bill Tobler
ration from her sister. “I remember my sister when I pray, either individually or as a team, before any event we do. I know the memory of my sister elevates my performance and motivates me to do my best every time,” Vicky said. Vicky also says that the inspiration from her sister transcends dance. “Claudia’s death has inspired me to be a better person. When a suicide does occur, it makes you realize that you don’t want something like that to happen to anyone else.”
in suicide prevention. “Over this last weekend (Sept. 15) my team and I participated in the 6th annual Walk in Memory-Walk for Hope.” Coronado, Green Valley and Chaparral, who also lost students, participated in this walk. “Also, I just always find myself talking to all kinds of people and making sure everything is alright.” “My life has taken on a new kind of meaning,” added Vicki. “Now, during everything I do, I feel like I’m doing it for Claudia. I’m living my life out for her.”
Page 11 October 2012
Sports
Boys win Homecoming game in final minutes
Photo by Bill Tobler
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been improving every week. Heading into the fourth quarter, the boys were winning 45-28, but the Dragons passed for three touchdowns to get the lead 47-45 from Foothill. On the final drive, with the boys needing a score, Drew Doxtator was able to connect on a 40-yard pass to Ian Ellis to set the Falcons up for a score. Dixon was then able to punch it in for a four-yard touchdown to
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give the boys the win. “We practiced hard this week and made sure that we were prepared for situations that could occur during the game, so we made sure that we had a play set up for a deep pass if we needed it in a critical time,” said Coach Redmond The team had 657 total yards and averaged 9.3 yards per rush. Doxtator had 471 yards, four touchdowns but also had five interceptions. Dixon had 173 yards and two touchdowns receiving and Jordan Primo had eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown. James Henderson also had a huge play in the second quarter with a Meet Our Defense! A Del Sol ball carrier is brought down during the Homecoming game.
What You Missed (Aug 28th- Sep 17th Recap) Football dropped season opener with an ugly 47-6 loss to Canyon Springs
Women’s Soccer weather tough opponents early, and come out 2-2*
Cross Country shot out to a 2-0* start with wins vs. Eldorado and Liberty
Men’s Soccer achieved first win against Spring Valley on the 11th
Seth Tanner and Bligh Madris led Men’s Tennis to a 3-2* record
Women’s Volleyball hit the ground running with a hot 8-2* start
Despite early loss to Coronado, Women’s Tennis was 3-2
Palmer Bosanko and Amy Ruelas cracked the top 7 in sunrise Golf ranking
Nearly There: During the Homecoming game, Bryce Broadwell goes up for a reception against Del Sol.
Photo by Bill Tobler
By Thomas Jaramillo Sports Editor he boys were able to improve to 2-3 after a victory at the Homecoming game over Del Sol 51-47. The running game was the big story of the game with Rickey Dixon rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns. “Dixon is fast and explosive, so I expected him to have a big game,” said Coach Redmond. “It also helps that the O-Line has
54-yard run. “The coaches saw the heavy blitzes and decided to take advantage during the game with our screen passes,” said Dixon.
What To Watch For (Sep 17th- Nov 2nd Preview) September 21st and 22ndWomen’s Volleyball leaves for La Jolla California for a tournament
October 23rd- Men’s and Women’s Soccer close out home season against rival Coronado
September 22ndFoothill hosts the 6th annual Falcon Cross Country Invitational
November 2nd- Foothill Football plays Liberty for the first time since last year’s regional title loss
October 11th- Basic visits Foothill in this year’s installment of their classic Football rivalry
* records as of 9-15-12
Page 12 October 2012
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2013!!!
Feature
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Welcome Back Falcons by Alec Fischmann
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s Falcons flock into the gymnasium, they are bewildered by the array of energy and excitement that the Student Council has put together for them. This was the first assembly of the school year that welcomed back returning students and welcomed incoming freshmen. The theme was Peace, Love, Foothill, which was accompanied by spirit week where stu-
dents dressed up with crazy hair/mixmatching attire, rock n’ roll outfits, tacky tourists, and Foothill garb, which students wore to the assembly.
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1) Dance Off! The varsity volleyball team held a danceoff against the varsity cheer team. Photo by Alec Fischmann 2) In the 700 wing, Alex Chumas, Lucky DeMarinis and Bailie Rudd announce the
start of the assembly with a cadence. Photo by Bill Tobler 3) PDA? Mr. Brooks and Ms. Delgado pass an orange using only their necks during a staff vs. students competition. Photo by Alec Fischmann
4) Ping-Pong ball Race! R.J. Howe and Jamison Morris push ping-pong balls across the floor using only their noses. Photo by Bill Tobler 5) Get Pumped! A member of the cheer squad does a mid-
air 360 while her squad holds her aloft. Photo by Alec Fischmann 6) Fight Song! Members of Nevada’s largest marching band bust out the fight song as the assembly nears its end. Photo by Bill Tobler
7) Wheelbarrows Indy Struve and Conner Thornton race against Jonathan Walker and Gregg Zoine. Of course, the seniors won, even though the sophomores most likely really won. Photo by Alec Fischmann
Page 14 October 2012
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