November
The Medallion Newsletter
Art by Juno
As the new Vidal M. Treviño director, we work to make our students excel as they enhance their skills in the arts as well as their academics and ultimately become well rounded productive members of our society. Students, we want you to know that at VMT, we want what is best for you and want you to enjoy your time here. However, we must continue to follow LISD guidelines when it comes to dress code and other procedures. If you have any questions please call me or come by my office so we can address your concerns.
NOV
STUDENT OF THE
Assistant Principal
I am so excited and blessed to start my 20th year in education as the assistant principal at VMT. The few months that I have been here, I have seen excellent events, lessons, behavior, and so much more. Our students and staff are the best! VMT staff is excited to have students back at the campus; we missed them during the last year and a half. We look forward to all the events that were put on hold during the pandemic and hope we can overcome some of the hardships some of our students and families have encountered. Thank you students, teachers, and staff for making VMT the best school in Laredo. Stay kind, be yourself, and do great things!
MONTH
Julieta Villalon
Medallion 1
Ms. Rebecca Gonzalez
CONTENTS
Principal
TABLE OF
Mr. Jose A. De Leon
07 09 10 13 15
Patriot Day Ceremony Gallery
To commemorate the thousands of people who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001, VMT held a Patriot Day Ceremony.
Press Play
Students share the impact of music on their school and personal life.
Nurse & Counselor’s Corner Find information and updates on student life, such as monthly tips and health information.
The Slumber Party Massacre Review
Movie review about the 1982 horror slasher The Slumber Party Massacre.
2021 Hispanic Festival Gallery
The annual Hispanic Festival was held over the course of weeks with performances by students in the VMT Auditorium.
2 Newsletter
O U T S TA N D I N G R E S U LT S
UPCOMING DATES
TMEA Region Jazz Joseph Sosa Brandon Olmos John Sosa
TMEA Region/Pre-Area Choir Isabella Lopez Marcus Narabal Juan Castro Kirani Gonzalez Cristian Lopez
Abigail Olivares Laura Ramirez Amalie Verastigui Valeria Flores
Region Band Audition 12/04/2021
Region Band Clinic & Concert 12/10/2021
Area Band Audition
Zachary Vasquez Brandon Ramirez Danica Solis Moises De La O
Hector Maldonado Jaretzi Castellanos Elias Ramirez Adrian Zamora
TMEA Region Orchestra Kamila Lira Julian Gomez Anthony Gonzalez Marco Perez Gian Federico Otero Erick Delgadillo Carlos Carreon Gonzalez Diego Rosales
Sergio Lopez Jose Lopez Luis Lopez Victor Cardenas Rogelio Garza Gerardo Alcorta Jack Guantos Claudio Herrera Joey Guerra
Gustavo Luna Ramon Loa Rigo Garnika Jesus Martinez Karyl De Guzman Danica Solis Hector Maldonado Jorge Valdez Lily Villalobos
Jaretzi Castellanos Malachi Landin Dominic Palos SanJuanita Reyes Jose Borjas Chris Aguilar Natalie Roque Adrian Zamora Leilany Garcia
Ariadne Sanchez Valeria Paredes Rosemarie Cruz Darien Reyes Adrian Gomez Victor Solis
TMEA District Band Brandon Olmos Joseph Sosa Julian Gomez Anthony Gonzalez Marco Perez Alfredo Lucio Sergio Lopez Diego Rosales Luis Lopez
Medallion 3
Jose Lopez Victor Cardenas Gerardo Alcorta Jack Guantos Claudio Herrera Joey Guerra Leobardo Rodriguez Gustavo Luna Rigo Garnika
Jesus Jimenez
1/08/2022
TMEA Region Mariachi Rosemarie Cruz Mia Ramirez Ivan Flores Gotti Martinez
TEACHER OF THE MONTH
Jesus Martinez Federico Gian Otero Kathleen Martinez Belen Loredo Emma Ramirez Veronica Cadena Daniella Lopez Erick Delgadillo Andrea Guevara
Carlos Carreon Kassandra Vasquez Layla Garza Christian Carmona Angel de la Pena John Andrew Sosa Nestor Olguin Jaime Fernandez Roberto Garcia
PARAPROFESSIONAL
MONTH
OF THE
Barty Garcia 4 Newsletter
LOCAL
HERO LAID
S
TO
tudents and the Laredo community were affected by the news that local Marine Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza from Rio Bravo was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing attack outside the Kabul airport in Afghanistan on August 27. After the attack, Biden said that the lives lost were given in the service of w, security and the service of others. “Like their fellow brothers and sisters in arms who have died defending our vision and our values in the struggle against terrorism, of the fallen this day, they are part of a great noble company of American heroes,” Biden said. He added, “To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.” The Taliban quickly took over Afghanistan after U.S. troops began removal efforts. On Friday, Sept. 10, the body of Espinoza arrived in Laredo where it was met with a supportive community. Laredoans received him by parking on different streets
REST
that lined the way towards the Joe Jackson Funeral Home. Espinoza was later laid to rest on Sunday, September 13. President Joe Biden announced on April 14 that beginning in May, U.S. troops were going to be removed from Afghan territory. “After consulting closely with our allies and partners, with our military leaders and intelligence personnel, with our diplomats and our development experts, with the Congress and the vice president, as well as with [Afghan President Ashraf Ghani] and many others around the world, I concluded that it’s time to end America’s longest war. It’s time for American troops to come home,” the president said. Del Mar Boulevard was lined with Laredo Police, Laredo Firefighters, veterans and civilians holding the U.S. flag and paying their respects when the hearse carrying Espinoza’s body drove by.
By Luis Sanchez
Courtesy photo: Joe Jackson Funeral
Medallion 1
6 Newsletter
PATRIOT DAY CEREMONY Medallion 7
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Patriot Day Ceremony set up commemorating the emergency responders during the September 11, 2001 attacks. Designed by Mr. Mario Teniente.
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VMT Concert Choir -Directed by Ms. Celia Hernandez VMT String Ensemble - Directed by Mr. Jesus Jimenez
VMT Concert Choir -Directed by Ms. Celia Hernandez VMT String Ensemble - Directed by Mr. Jesus Jimenez
3
VMT Brass Ensemble - Directed by Mr. John Reimund
“Never Forget”- Claudia Perez
5 4
Photos By The Magnet Tribune
8 Newsletter
...
Press Play By Emily Leon
A
s technology develops and students along with it, music has proven to influence their lives and surroundings. Many students have come to use music as an escape from the world and a sedative to anxiety. Students listen to music in the background without even realizing that the music they’re listening to is more impactful than they think. The music playing sets a tone for students’ attitudes and encourages or discourages actions throughout the day. According to The Daily Texan, “Thanks to technology, music can act as a feedback loop,” Professor Micheal Domjan said. “If we want to feel a certain way, we can turn on music, and if we feel another way, we can choose music to express those emotions as well.” Along with impacting inner emotions, music also works to help students express them to the outside world. The message and lyrics alone in a song often give an insight into a student’s life and feelings. “I use music titles or meanings to send a message to someone,” Alfre-
2:48
“YOU BRING THE PIZZA... I’LL BRING THE DRILL”
do Moran, Harmony School of Excellence senior, said. “A lot of music speaks from different perspectives, one of them is bound to be similar (to a story about my life).” Moran showed just one of the ways in which people use music to communicate and handle their feelings, one of the many things music is used for. To further understand the impact of music on teen students, Students were surveyed at Vidal M. Treviño Magnet School to learn about students’ opinions. Out of all the students who participated in the survey, 23 said music acts as a nerve calmer, 21 said it helps them with anxiety, and 10 said it works as a form of expression. “When I listen to music, it relaxes me,” Yura Lee said. “It becomes therapeutic whenever I have too much on my plate. I use music as a distraction from my problems.” Students were asked what mood they often find themselves listening to music in; 47.7% said happy, 15.4% said sad, 9% said calm, and the rest were scattered. While music helps with the expres-
The Medallion Newsletter
SLUMBER PARTY
The
sion and control of emotions, it also forms students’ characters. The more you surround yourself with a certain genre of music, the more in tune you become with the theme of it. Students were asked what genre of music they listen to; the majority sided with Rap, Rock, R&B, and Pop. Students were asked how much time they spent listening to music, three and four hours tied for the most common. “I listen to Ariana Grande because I find her music relatable,” Marc Saenz says “ [I] use most of her lyrics to manifest those things into my real life.” While many like to say music is the life of the party, in reality, it is more than that. Music helps many get through individual struggles, teaches them to express their emotions, and even brings people together.
MASSACRE
Movie Review
T
he Slumber Party Massacre tackles many serious topics that a lot of horror films are afraid to discuss, especially back in the day. These subject matters are pedophilia, teenage intercourse, and feminism. The film was written & directed by women, a rarity not only for horror films in the 80’s but also uncommon even for movies today. Although many critics found The Slumber Party Massacre “cheesy” and “bad,” the film became an instant cult classic, a staple to the horror community and still has a huge amount of fans even 39 years after it’s release.
S
-0:57
lumber Party Massacre is a fun slasher film that came out during the 80’s, a time where the horror genre was going through a big cash grab. From the film’s title, it promises what you’ll get, a group of teenage girls having a slumber party that end up getting brutally murdered by a killer (Russ Thorn). Russ Thorn uses a now iconic weapon to the franchise, a power drill. It follows a group of entertaining friends who get together for a slumber party not knowing an escaped serial killer wanders in the neighborhood. Russ Thorn, a grown man who had desired underaged women in the film, creepily stalks the main characters throughout the film. The motives for his killings are his sexual intentions for young women, making the movie an intense watch. Russ is a silent killer, but when he speaks, disturbing lines are spoken, especially when you know what his intentions are. In one death scene, there’s a symbolisation of a women’s fear of sexual intercourse, the director, Amy Holden-Jones said in an interview.
“It’s the meaning of a young girl’s fear of men, the things they’ll do when we’re vulnerable, it's scary really.”
Medallion 9
“
By Juan Espinoza
)))
Even though our teen girl characters are violently murdered and get undressed most of the time, they are depicted as real people, not just sexual objects. They are a group of real friends
who get along well, drink, smoke and make fun of each other. They make dumb decisions, but they’re not completely helpless either. This movie is unlike the average horror film that makes female characters specifically for the male gaze. The humor in the film was brought by Holden-Jones, which actually brings out humorous scenes that work, but also doesn’t go over the top. Even with the small budget of $220,000 the gore and practical effects are good enough for the average horror fan to enjoy. The kills are great, plus with the amazing score that plays, it really gives you the chills; as each kill happens, you get excited for the next one. Slumber Party Massacre was written by Rita Mae Brown who was a novelist and outspoken feminist. She intended to write the film as a parody of late 80’s slasher coming out at that time; the film went by a different name, “Don’t Open The Door.’’ The script was picked up by Roger Cormen then went into the hands of Holden-Jones, who was an editor for many of Cormen’s films. Holden-Jones wanted to do something more than be an editor, so she asked Cormen if he could finance the Slumber Party Massacre for her. He agreed, but only if they followed the usual Cormen rules for his films which were nudity, gore and blood. After the film, Holden-Jones got a lot of backlash for releasing what many can describe as such an “exploitative film,” but she never took any criticism to heart. Overall, Slumber Party Massacre is an
“But that’s the kind of thing women always face. It’s okay for Scorsese. It’s okay for Jack Nicholson. It’s okay for Johnathan Demi to go do exploitation films with Roger Cormen but a woman’s supposed to be above that? Well I’m sorry that’s the way you broke into the Business.” enjoyable film that starts off strong with two opening kills, and one of them being an iconic chase scene that’s well crafted with scenery and tension. The characters are a fun, nicely developed and believable group of teenagers consisting of the main group of girls Trish, Kim, Diane and Jackie, also followed by sister duo Valerie and Courtney. The film never feels sluggish or boring, and goes by fast with the editing and pace going amazingly well which is no surprise due to Holden-Jones’ past. The ending is a guilty pleasure, gives you satisfaction, and leaves you wanting more with the film’s score going all out. The final battle is greatly choreographed and will leave you at the edge of your seat. Slumber Party Massacre is definitely a film you should consider watching with a group of friends during, you guessed it, a slumber party. SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE WILL SCARE YOU RIGHT DOWN TO THE CORE
10 Newsletter
“You can stop swimming now, Lily. We finally reached the shore.”
I
t Ends With Us is about a female protagonist, Lily, who grew up in an abusive home and met her first love, Atlas, when she was 15 years old. Atlas promised her that he would find her after he was done with his time in the military. However, she thought that Atlas forgot about her so she moved to Boston to start a
small business. She then meets Ryle, a neurosurgeon. They got together and everything about their relationship was perfect until Lily met Atlas again at his new restaurant. Lily doesn’t know what to do and is still trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. I couldn’t stop reading It Ends With Us. I usually take around three or four days to finish reading a book, but this one only took me two days to finish. Colleen Hoover, the author, takes us on a difficult journey with Lily and Ryle’s relationship. I joined BookTok, a book lover community on TikTok, around August and they recommended the book. Recommendations on the app went from encouraging readers to pick up the book to providing trigger warnings before anyone decided to read it. I kept seeing two male names, Atlas and Ryle. That got me scared because I hate reading love triangles. So, I told myself that I wouldn’t buy the book because I thought that it was going to be about a love triangle. The more I saw BookTok recommending the book, the more I wanted to read it. So I had to look up who the main character was going to end up with. As soon as I found out who, I took my parent’s money and bought it. The cover of the physical book is so pretty. I judge the book by its cover so even if TikTok wasn’t recommending it, I most likely would’ve bought it without
reading the blurb. When I read the first couple of chapters, I hated Ryle. He was giving major red flags (in my opinion). I love Atlas for being so smart about the situation that was happening. I felt bad for Lily towards the end of the book. I didn’t cry; I felt blue after I finished because it made me think more of those people who are in the same position as Lily was. I rate this book four out of five stars because I couldn’t stop reading it; I wanted to finish it ASAP. Hoover knows how to write a book and make you love and hate a character at the same time. I fell in love with Atlas even though he only appeared in the book a few times. This book would be a five if the ending wasn’t rushed. I feel like the ending was rushed, and Hoover should’ve taken more time on the last scene where Lily and Atlas talk. I got a bit bored in the middle of the book. I get that the author was trying to make sure that everyone loved Ryle, but I wanted the conflict to happen already. The middle of the book was too much of “Ryle’s a good boyfriend. He is doing this and that. Such a great boyfriend” again- I get why Hoover did what she did. I recommend everyone read It Ends With Us; especially for those who wonder why the victim so often stays with the abuser. I also recommend searching up trigger warnings before reading this book.
“BREAK THE
Dieciseis de Sep t i em bre VMT celebrated Dieciseis de Septiembre in the school’s auditorium with performances from students in Ms. Alicia McKinnis and Mr. Billy Thatcher’s fine arts classes.
Photos By Alondra Reyes
By Jazmine Jurado
PATTERN” Book Review
Medallion 11
12 Newsletter
Photos By Alondra Reyes
HISPANIC Festival N
ow in it’s 27th year, due to health precautions because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, this year, students performed in VMT’s auditorium with a limited audience.
Photos By Jordyn Rebeles
Photos By Jordyn Rebeles & Santiago Garay
14 Newsletter
Counselor’s Mental Health Tip
Y
Here is a study skills tip to help you.
our time management is important. You have 24 hours each day so use your time wisely. Plan for what you will do when the school day ends. If you are in extracurriculars and clubs, plan to study after that. If you have a part time job, make time to study for your classes. Dedicate quality time to your coursework. If you practice good time management, your anxiety levels decrease, and you will have better grades in all your classes.
Winter Dates DEC 1 - Deadline for seniors to apply to UT and Texas A&M University - Deadline for TAMIU FAFSA Priority - Deadline for 8th Graders to apply - LISD Christmas Tree Lighting
DEC 7 - ENGL 1 STAAR Exam
DEC 8 - Progress Report Day - ALG 1 & U.S. History STAAR Exams
DEC 9 - ENGL II & Biology STAAR Exams
DEC 10 - Laredo College Last Day of Classes - EOC Make-up Exams
DEC 11
Nurse’s
In loving memory of
I
nfluenza (Flu) and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses. COVID 19 is caused by a new coronavirus strand called SARS-cov-2, and the flu is caused by influenza viruses COVID-19 seems to spread more easily than the flu and causes more serious illnesses in some people. Because symptoms are similar, it may be hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. Testing is critically important to confirm a diagnosis and help reduce the spread of the virus.
Some of the symptoms for COVID-19 include: - Fever - Cough - Shortness of breath - Fatigue - Headache - Loss of smell & taste - Nasal congestion - Runny nose - Nausea - Vomiting - Diarrhea
- LISD Tech. Expo
DEC 13-18 - LC Final Exam Week
DEC 21
DEC 20 - LC Grades Due
Vaccination is the leading public health prevention strategy. Laredo ISD is providing free testing to all students (with parental consent), and staff members.
- Last Day of Class - 9 Weeks End
CORNER
Medallion 15
Bobby Compton 1967-2019
Beloved teacher, friend and colleague. 2 Newsletter
Board of Trustees Hector J. Garcia
President, District 6
Hector J.Noyola
Vice President, District 3
Monica Garcia
Secretary, District 7
Dr. Minita Ramirez
Parliamentarian, District 3
Jose A. Valdez
Trustee, District 1
Guadalupe Gomez Trustee, District 2
Ricardo Garza
Trustee, District 4
Dr. Sylvia G. Rios
The Medallion Newsletter is produced by students in Communication and CTE classes of the Vidal M. Treviño School of Communication and Fine Arts, Laredo ISD.
Maria Salas Photojournalism Adviser
Jose A. De Leon School director The Medallion NewsLetter Vol.1. Issue 1 - November 2021 Production: VMT Journalism/CTE students using Adobe InDesign and iMac Computers Copyright: ©2021 Vidal M.Treviño School of Communications and Fine Arts & The Medallion Newsletter VMT is a magnet school within the jurisdiction of the Laredo Independent School Districts.
Contributors
Superintendent
Luis Sanchez NHS
Emily Leon MHS
Juan Espinoza CHS
Jazmine Jurado NHS
Frida Garcia NHS
Lluvia Garcia MHS
It is the policy of the Laredo Independent School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, limited English proficiency, or handicapping condition in its employment practices as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.