May 2016 by The Magnet Tribune

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Vol. 23, No. 2

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May 13, 2016

Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications and Fine Arts, 2102 East Lyon St., Laredo, Texas 78043

First senior class at new VMT reminisces

From VMT to NYC

Singer Claudia Chapa returns to perform and inspire By Mariene Sanchez MT Staff Writer

Page 2 Chess Club members discuss strategy

Page 3 Art teacher paints mural in Cotulla

Page 5

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veryone has an inspiration. Whether it be a mother, father, cousin, or even a pet, people need to have an inspiration. For mezzo-soprano opera singer Claudia Chapa, her mother was her inspiration. Sure, she may have been inspired by other people, but her mother was her main inspiration. “She did everything in her power with the limited funds that she had to make sure I had the opportunity to sing,” Chapa said. “She bought little karaokes, and she’d teach me songs and things. She would volunteer me to sing.” Her mother was the person who motivated her to do something she now loves. “She would push me, and that’s what I needed,” Chapa said. “Every teacher that I ever came in contact with had an influence in my life. But if it wasn’t for my mom pushing me to get out of my shell and to do something that I loved I don’t know exactly who I’d be right now.” Chapa explained why she sings. “When I was a little kid I sang because I liked to sing. And at this point now it’s more of an expression, and it’s a job. I have to sing. It’s something I believe in. I sing because I believe in it. I sing because I have to. I sing because I want to,” which explains her passion for the topic.

hapa has performed on many stages, including stages in New York City. She explained what it’s like

to sing in New York. “(New York City stages are) intimidating. This is what I train for. Opera singers are a lot like athletes. You have to train for it. We have to train to not be nervous and consistent. But, it’s a pretty great experience,” she said. New York audiences are very different than audiences in Laredo, according to Chapa.

“Laredo audiences, they want to have a good time. In New York they’re like (she demonstrates by clapping), ‘Yeah you did a good job.’ In Laredo, it’s more than just (she demonstrates by clapping her hands once again), ‘yeah.’ They want to hug you, and they want to kiss you, and they want to give you a gift. So yes, it’s different. The Laredo crowd is a little more ‘Yeah, it’s a football game kind of thing,’” Chapa said. “I think my goal for any performance is, anytime I perform, specifically recitals, I want it to be comfortable, and I want people to understand what’s happening. I want the audience to feel like we’re hanging out.” Chapa said she started at a basic level when asked how it felt to be back in Laredo and perform at her old school and hometown. “I started at VMT. Was I at this level then? No. You know, you start off at a certain level, and when you leave high school it’s up to you to become

More photos, video online at http://magnettribune.org/?p=9488 better or not. I’m back to show what progress can be, especially coming from LISD. I went to Martin High School. I’m very proud of that. And also, I’m a permanent resident of the United States. So, that’s another thing. I’m representing more than just myself. It’s an entire community.” Some people may not know what opera is and that’s what Claudia Chapa is, an opera singer. “Opera is a complete form. It’s not just the singer stands there and sings. There’s a huge community behind opera. But all opera really is is musical stories. People communicate through music,” she said. Speaking of communication, Chapa has met many people through opera. “So, Romeo and Juliet. You

have to have all the characters for Romeo and Juliet. I usually would be playing Romeo’s mother or nurse, which is cool. That’s fine because it’s not always about you. It’s about the team. So, for the first day, we call it the first day of school, it’s the day we all get together and sing through the opera. It’s a team of sometimes two, sometimes twenty, and we become family. I’m constantly meeting new people, new friends,” Chapa said.

hapa explained the routine before her performances. “I actually don’t eat heavily. I eat the night before. I eat a big, good meal. The next day, I eat light. A lot of soups, salads because I don’t want to have See CHAPA, page 12

Guerra gets Gates scholarship

By Olga Ozornia MT Staff Writer

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ernardo Guerra Jr. felt a “big weight off his shoulders” when he found out he received the Gates Millennium Scholarship. “This scholarship is going to pay my college tuition for four years, and I don’t have to worry about any of the financial part of college. I’ll just worry about school, about studying and trying to pass my classes, trying to do well in my classes, so I don’t have to worry about any other types of scholarships or finding a way to pay for my tuition because this scholarship has blessed me,” Guerra, a piano student who also attends J.W. Nixon High School, said. He described the scholarship to people who don’t know anything about it. “It’s difficult, but it’s well worth the headache. It’s a challenge because the topics they give you are topics you need to think about but it’s worth it at the end when you receive that package and you received that scholarship. You feel really good about yourself, and you feel proud about yourself because this year the letter said there were 53,000 applicants that applied for that scholarship and they only chose one thousand in the entire country. Once you see those numbers, and you’re one of those one thousand people

MT photo by Olga Ozornia Senior Bernardo Guerra Jr. has received a Gates Millennium Scholarship for 2016. He is a piano student of Dr. Mary Grace Carroll.

Other Gates Millennium Scholarship recipients: 2015: http://magnettribune.org/?p=5346 2014: http://magnettribune.org/?p=2474 in the whole country you feel really accomplished and proud about your work,” Guerra said. Checking his Facebook account he came across people receiving notification of their scholarships through the mail. “After school. I’m on this group on Facebook, and they

have eight Millennium scholars. They were posting that people were receiving their mail and getting their acceptance letters. They were posting whether they were getting their scholarship or not getting their scholarship. There’s people all over the country, so

Page designed by Mariene Sanchez

there’s people from Florida, California, Pennsylvania, and there were people from Texas that were getting it,” Guerra said. “So, oh my gosh, the mail’s in Texas, somewhere in Texas, and then there were three people in El Paso who said they got it. Later on, this guy in Mission said he got it. I say, oh my gosh, it’s the Valley. That means it has to pass by LareSee SCHOLARSHIP, page 12

School News 2 New campus to see first graduates http://magnettribune.org, Twitter. @Magnet_Tribune, www.facebook.com/MagnetTribune

The Magnet Tribune May 13, 2016

By Belen Silva MT Staff Writer

eniors feel they are fortunate to be in the first class to receive their medallions at the new campus. For 23 years, Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications and Fine Arts students have been given a chance to be an environment in which they can experience what their lifelong career could be like. Now that the campus has been relocated and at a brand new facility, there are more resources and easier access to them. For example, when it comes to dance space, or a new recording room with stateof-the-art technology, or even a spacious auditorium that can seat 300 students to watch plays and dance performances, VMT can now provide all that and more. Being a part of this cutting-edge, two-story building has impacted students in a positive way, they say. Dance student Jeanette Tijerina reacted to how she felt being part of the first graduating class to receive a medallion at the new campus. “I’m really lucky because I know there’s been a lot of classes before who only got to see the old campus and never got to experience having the new classrooms and nicer buildings,” she said. Jaspe Patterson, theater student, added, “I feel incredible because we’re the first class to graduate from the new VMT, and I think it’s a great blessing.” Linda Ramirez, creative writing student, said it’s a “good feeling.” “Honestly, it’s a great feeling because I came from Nixon, and I went to Martin and I didn’t get the new campus there but then again I still came to VMT and I experienced all three years at the old VMT, and now being able to say, ‘Hey, I was part of the first class that graduated from the new VMT, honestly, it’s unexplainable, it’s a really good feeling,”’ she said. VMT was located at 820 Main Avenue in downtown Laredo. The classrooms were regularly smaller than those at the home schools. The dance studios and theatre department, in particular, had very limited stage space for performances, Tijerina said. “The dance studios, they’re a lot bigger and there’s more space. The building looks way better,

Jeanette Tijerina, a senior in dance, said she feels lucky to be at the new campus.

and I guess it just kind of recruits more people because it’s a bigger school,” Tijerina said. Although the expansion of classrooms is said by most students to be “a huge benefit” due to an increase in enrollment over the past few years, Ramirez expressed the importance of new computers. “I would have to say computers, of all of the new resources that we have. At the old campus, we didn’t have nearly as many computers. We mainly worked off of one for Tapestry (creative writing magazine) and that’s really hard because you have everybody trying to complete a whole magazine with only one computer,” Ramirez said. Besides the new technology and spacious classrooms, Patterson likes the ambience. “I love our librarian and our janitors, and I love the environment. They’re so precious,” Patterson said. The faculty and staff have gone out of their way to make the students “feel at home,” Ramirez said. In particular, one teacher had quite the impact. “The one person that motivated me to come to VMT every day was Mrs. Ramirez. I’ll be forever grateful to her that she was able to be my teacher. She had a way of teaching things that I understood, and it was just so hilarious. She was hilarious 100 percent of the time,” Ramirez said about her former Tapestry teacher,

Linda Ramirez, a senior in creative writing, is happy to be among the first students to graduate from the new campus.

MT photos by Belen Silva

Jaspe Patterson, a senior in theater, says she enjoys the ambience of the new campus. She is seen sitting in the Black Box Theater.

See more photos online: http://magnettribune.org/?p=9267 #VMThrowback at

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Ashley Ramirez, who left in January due to her husband’s job transfer. In addition to new advancements made and the friendly environment, students cited the benefits they’ve received from studying their fine arts. “There’s been studies that most of your brain gets activated (by participating in an art), and I think that’s just incredible. Imagine living your

entire life with a piece of your mind just dormant; you don’t get to experience your full self, and I think that’s what VMT offers, for you to release who you really are,” Patterson said. Even though most students are involved in their fine art vigorously, Tijerina said, “Coming to VMT just helped me decide that I wanted (dance) to be my career, and it’s something

that I can’t stop doing.” Another student said she will pursue a related field for her career. Ramirez, who is in her home school’s marching band as well as Tapestry at VMT, plans to attend Texas A&M-Kingsville and one day become a musical therapist. As far as new equipment and the new campus, the experiences and friendships students have developed have given them the advantage of taking in new outlooks, self-growth and opens doors everywhere they go, they say. “I think coming to a fine arts school is very important because there are certain kinds of people with certain environments. People think differently; they view things from totally different perspectives. You get the perspective from different fine arts, like someone in sculpting, totally different from someone in theatre, someone in dance would be different from someone in Tapestry, but they have the same goal,” Patterson said. “It’s (Tapestry) made me a better writer and has expanded my way of thinking, all my imagination, all of my ideas, “Ramirez said. “Being here has made me a better person. It’s given me so many new opportunities that I’m super grateful for.”

Medallion Cemermony: Friday, May 13, at 7 p.m. at the Martin High School Gymnasium. Page design by Victoria Cardenas

The Magnet Tribune May 13, 2016

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Strategy key, Chess Club players say By Jesus Hernandez MT Staff Writer Chess Club players say strategy is a challenging part of the game. “Coming up with the strategy,” is what art student Alejandro “Cricket” Bernal said about the challenges chess presents. Team Captain and trumpet student Adrian Orozco, who has been playing since he was 5 years old, said he looks for ways to win games. “I find new creative strategies to trap my opponents,” Orozco said. Piano student Jose Mondragon also discussed how he plays. “It’s difficult because I’ve played three different people from other schools and at that time I knew little about chess or strategies, and they kind of figured me out easily,” he said. The players don’t know what to expect when they compete in tournaments. “I feel nervous at the beginning of each competition because I don’t know my opponent, and I don’t know what strategy they’re going to use,” Bernal said. Orozco named two teams that are the toughest the group has faced, so far. “The Nuevo Laredo team and United High School team because they seemed to have more experience and they knew more strategies,” Orozco said. Although the team has placed once, Bernal won second place in his first competition. “I was surprised because I never thought I would place second. I never thought I would

even place at all,” he said. Practice and competition are two different situations, the players, all seniors, say. “When you practice you’re familiar with everyone and maybe you can figure out the other persons’ moves when you play against them, but when it comes to a tournament it’s a bit hard because you don’t know how the other person thinks and you sort of get nervous because you don’t know what they’re going to do next,” Mondragon said. Bernal agreed. “During practice you get to try your skills and during competition you apply them,” he said. The players said they don’t plant to be part of a chess club after high school. “Chess is only a thing you do as a past time, and maybe I’ll teach it to my kids,” Bernal said. Mondragon also agreed. “I would probably buy a chess board, maybe like a Star Wars chess board, for fun,” he said. The players said they have improved since joining the club. “Yes, I’ve improved and learned a lot more strategies from the (club) president (Orozco),” Mondragon said. Club sponsor and social studies instructor Raul Flores discussed his work as sponsor. “I make sure students get the latest information on tournaments. I’m also in charge of choosing practice dates and setting up meetings to discuss rules or any changes. I follow what the United States Chess Federation says,” Flores said. Flores said the team has

MT photos by Jesus Hernandez TOP: Team Captain Adrian Orozco, right, plays against teammate Peter Salinas during a recent practice. LEFT: From left: Alejandro Bernal, Arturo Moncivais, Peter Salinas, Jose Mondragon, Marcos Cuellar, Adrian Orozco.

See more photos and video online at: http://magnettribune.org/?p=9655 improved. “We won second place as a team at the last tournament, so I’ve seen an improvement in them,” he said.

Flores, who said he had played chess but not competitively, has enjoyed his first year as sponsor. “It was fun having a chess

team from VMT and hopefully more members join the Chess Club next year,” Flores said. Mondragon said everyone should try to play chess. “Chess is a fun learning experience whether you’re a beginner or a veteran. It’s for anyone. It’s easy to learn but hard to master,” he said.

Former student now back as secretary

By Miguel Zamarripa MT Staff Writer Former art student Vanessa Castillo is back as VMT’s secretary. Castillo transferred to VMT in early April. Before being transferred to VMT, Castillo worked at Ryan Elementary School for six years. At her former school, Castillo did many different things. She moved to different positions within those six years she worked there. “At Ryan, I started off as a tutor with the special education department. I moved on to a teacher aide for pre-K through fourth, and then I was promoted to reading interventionist and eventually I was moved into the classroom as a first-grade teacher,” Castillo said. As were some of VMT teachers and staff, Castillo was a former student at VMT. Castillo was at VMT from 1996 to 2000, taking art as her fine art “I did painting and drawing. I took graphics as well. The only art I didn’t take was metal arts,” she said. She explained how she felt working with teachers and former students who are now teaching here. “It’s a little crazy. You don’t expect to see them as a coworker versus you being a student (and) them being a teacher. It’s weird but it’s interesting,” Castillo said. As a former student Castillo compared VMT now with the past, as she has seen both VMTs and the growth of the

“It’s changed drastically over the years. The fine arts and the programs have grown tremendously. And of course, the (new) building.” -- Vanessa Castillo School secretary

MT photo by Miguel Zamarripa New school secretary Vanessa Castillo is a former VMT art student. She previously worked at Ryan Elementary School.

See video online at: http://magnettribune.org/?p=9697 fine arts. “It’s changed drastically over the years. The fine arts and the programs have grown tremendously. And of course, the (new) building. That’s the biggest change,” Castillo said. Castillo contrasted VMT as

a student and as a staff member. “As a student, you go about your day not really knowing what else is going on, and as a staff member you’re on the inside and you see all the little things that involve everything

else,” she said. Castillo found she liked art in middle school. When she attended VMT she was allowed to pursue her art in a more comprehensive way. “I grew a passion for my art in middle school. As you well know, you begin to find your passion for your elective and what you’re interested in. Then at VMT you’re allowed to pur-

sue it to a more professional level,” she said. As a result of her passion for art, Castillo achieved a degree in fine arts, and she said she is certified to teach from elementary to high school. She has a long term goal which is something involving art. “In five years I hope to eventually become an art teacher. I have a degree in fine arts and I’m certified to teach art at all levels so if not in this city maybe in another city. That’s my long-term goal,” she said. Ultimately, Castillo’s stress at VMT has minimized from her elementary days. She likes VMT’s atmosphere better than other schools, and doesn’t feel as much tension. “Everybody wants to work at VMT because it’s a different atmosphere from all the other schools,” Castillo said. “As an employee working in an elementary school, there’s a lot of pressure on teachers performing well as far as state exams, and in the lower grades on the reading scores. I don’t feel that stress here. There’s not that tension here.”

Graduation schedule: Thursday, June 2: Martin, 10 a.m.; Nixon, 2 p.m.; Cigarroa, 6 p.m. June 3, 10 a.m. Early College Page design by Miguel Zamarripa

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Frank Architects This image showing the west side of the new VMT campus is provided by Frank Architects. The new campus design received an award from an architect’s organization.

Architect design award

New campus designers recognized by their peers MT photo by Manuel Ruiz

By Delilah Gonzalez MT Staff Writer

The second floor in A Building shows light entering the south windows.

he architects which designed the new VMT campus have received an award for their design.

Frank Architects received the Design Excellence Award from the Lower Rio Grande Valley American Institute of Architects Chapter Design Awards Program.

Frank Rotnofsky, a arts leaders of our city,” he said. Rotnofsky explained his feelprincipal at Frank Architects, explained the vision ings towards the completed he had in designing the campus and its design. “The most satisfying part of campus. “The Vidal M. Trevino (VMT) School of Communications and Fine Arts was a very important project for Laredo ISD that would transform and on a large scale a well-known neighborhood in Laredo, the Heights as well as provide its students with a state of the art learning facility,” he wrote in an email to The Magnet Tribune. “As a local firm, we understood how important the VMT was to the community and how its very creation involved the then innovative notion of re-urbanization by the administration. The context of its original location, as a re-master planned collection of historic buildings adaptively reused in a very important Laredo neighborhood, and expansion plans was as much a part of the architectural program as any required function.” He wrote about the building as a major attraction in the Heights neighborhood. “The project concept had to do more than be a unifying idea for a building, it needed to be a rallying vision for the users and graduates of an arts magnet school who had come to treasure the value of the school’s urban context but also understood the evolution it had to undergo. Our firm presented the concept of the VMT: the ‘Beacon of the Heights,’ he wrote. “The image and its arching meaning captured the imagination and spirit of what the new school was to become as the next generation LISD’s arts magnet school at the north door of the Heights Neighborhood. Each meeting that followed, from ground breaking to ribbon cutting, the ‘Beacon of the Heights’ was the one constant refrain and thread.” Rotnofsky said teachers were important in helping to create the school’s design. “Teacher and staff input was extremely important to the design process and ultimately the success of the building design. We had numerous meetings with LISD administration, Board of Trustees, the VMT faculty, and an appointed committee made of fine and performing

the process is when the construction is complete and the campus is handed over to the district and the VMT teachers, staff and students move in and start using the facility,” Rotnofsky said. He explained what the award means to him and the company. “It’s very gratifying to receive a design award from our peers (American Institute of Architects LRG Chapter). I think the collaborative effort of everyone mentioned above made this project a success, which ultimately led to this design award,” he wrote. A groundbreaking ceremony took place April 29, 2013, at the Nixon High campus. The school cost about $24 million, and students and staff moved into the new school last August. The original campus opened in August 1993 in remodeled, district-owned buildings.

2010: The beginning

MT Director Dr. Martha Villarreal said in an e-mail that planning for the new campus began several years ago. “Planning for our new campus began in the spring of 2010. I remember the excitement when we were told that the architects would start meeting with all the departments that semester,” Villarreal said. She explained the vision for the new campus. “Every department had an idea of what our campus should look and feel like. The consensus for our vision of our new school was that it would be a State-of the Art facility that would provide the most sophisticated equipment and latest technology that would allow our students to explore their creative and artistic talents in different formats in order to maximize their potential in both the academic and artistic realms,” Villarreal said. She explained how the input from the teachers helped create the schools design. “The architects met with ev-

Read more Burger Pursuit columns at

urger

ursuit

By Victoriano Garcia

only had $18 with me. I expected for the burger to be $12 dollars max. “No, no combo thank you,” I said. I went to sit with my friends. Since it was a big burger I assumed it was going to take over 15 minutes to arrive. The restaurant was small, only half full, but it felt extremely crowded. I was going to step out for a minute, but then I see my burger arriving. I was surprised. It didn’t even feel as if 10 minutes went by. The burger looked really small from mid distance but as it got closer and gets to your table Columnist Victoriano Garcia takes you start sweating. on the Triple Triple burger from I stared at the burger for over a minute thinkWayback Burgers. ing about how I am go“The total price without the ing to finish it. combo is $17.32,” he answered. I held the burger with both My jaw dropped to the floor. I hands. It was similar to carry-

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ing a baby. I didn’t know how to take the first bite. My friends were waiting for me to make a move on the burger. They thought I was going to cut the burger into pieces so it could be easier, but then felt really confident about eating the burger as a whole instead of making it into fractions. Finally, I go for the first bite, and as my face and mouth get closer to the burger I feel the heat and steam slap me in the face. As my teeth stab the burger I sense that it requires a lot of force and pressure to complete the bite. My first bite didn’t really do anything but mess up the top bun. This wasn’t really a problem since it left an opening to the meat. I aimed my next bite were there was no bun but meat. I managed to open my mouth wide enough to put all nine patties in my mouth. I close my jaw to seal the deal and what I felt was amazing. I actually felt my teeth slice through each patty. The cheese that’s between each patty made it feel even better. The meat was rough but thanks to the cheese which had a melty and hot texture it solved the problem. I had to take a small break from

that bite because the cheese heated up my whole mouth including my throat. The taste was great; it was just the intensity of the heat that caused a bit of a delay. After several bites I was halfway done. I didn’t feel anything but the heat in my mouth. The flavor is amazing, but since there is so much of it, the flavor becomes boring and annoying. I begin eating the burger slower and slower. I was going to take another break, but I just wanted to get it over with and finish strong. The burger was all the destroyed by the last bite. All that was left were just two cheese covered patties. It is really difficult to eat a huge burger properly. I give the burger a 7 out of 10. The price is fine now that I think about it. If it would’ve been $20 and up that would be a huge problem for me. I ate a 5,100 calorie burger in 17 minutes. I expected to finish in about 30 minutes. I would take on the Triple Triple challenge again just to beat my own record, but this time take it to go. I’d prefer eating it at home while watching some Netflix or something.

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Student’s project ‘flies’ internationally By Miguel Zamarripa MT Staff Writer A simple comment her mom made qualified her to attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. That’s what happened to former VMT piano student Jazmine Cardenas. “It was actually an idea from a comment that my mom frequently made. That’s where I got the idea, thanks to my mother,” Cardenas said as she giggled. Cardenas, a sophomore whose home school was Nixon High School, won the grand champion trophy in the district science fair. She has since left the school district. “Sleeping with your phone is bad because the radiation goes into your head,” Cardenas said her mom says. Cardenas named her project, “The Repercussion of Electromagnetic Fields on the Reproductive Capacity of Drosophila Melanogaster.” Cardenas focused on how electromagnetic radiation waves would affect humans. With this project she used an insect called Drosophila Melanogaster, also known as a “fruit fly.” This insect was test-

“I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock. I remember when they announced that my project won, I ran out of breath.” -- Jazmine Cardenas, science fair winner ed because they are similar to humans. She got the radiation from an old flip phone. “Sometimes what affects the fruit fly can affect us humans,” Cardenas said. One big challenge that Cardenas faced was trying to keep fruit flies in one place while testing them. The solution Cardenas found was to knock out the fruit fly in order to conduct her experiment, she said. She kept them in a large glass jar. “Keeping them all in one place was a big challenge; they tend to fly away so napping (knocking them out) was the hardest part of the project,” Cardenas said. When Cardenas was working in this project she doubted everything; she wasn’t very confident about her project. Cardenas only did it to test the comment her mom had made. She never thought she would get this far. “I doubted it a lot, I wasn’t very confident in it, I just did it because of my mom’s comments,” Cardenas said.

Her chemistry teacher at Nixon High School, Itzel Hinojosa, chose her project to enter the district science fair, where she placed and got the grand champion trophy. Cardenas was in shock when they said her name at the district science fair. “I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock. I remember when they announced that my project won, I ran out of breath,” Cardenas said. Cardenas said the district science fair is a good idea for students. It teaches them how to publicly speak, and explain something that they’ve worked on. They also get to experience to see what other students are interested in, as well as let other people know what they like and what they have discovered. Cardenas said she felt lucky that she was going to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. As not every project gets accepted, they are very selective in choosing the projects. That’s what makes Cardenas so happy.

LISD public information VMT piano student Jazmine Cardenas, center, poses with her Nixon High School science teacher Itzel Hinojosa after winning the LISD Science Fair. “I think I’m very lucky, I know that not just any project can win and I know it’s very selective as well, so I feel I’m

really lucky. I appreciate the fact that I was able to compete and (be) given the chance to win,” Cardenas said.

MT photos by Cielo Camacho LEFT: “Abraham Lincoln,” art senior Jeffery Gutierrez and freshman Allan Garza speak to Art instructor Alfonso Santos in the school’s parking lot near the float. RIGHT: Allan Garza, on float, puts finishing touches on the float just before leaving the youth parade as high brass instructor Robert Lopez looks on.

See more photos online at: http://magnettribune.org/?p=8979

Float wins awards in both parades

By Justyne Bernal MT Staff Writer

Many want to be a part of history and leave a mark somewhere so when people in the future hear our names they’ll remember the difference they made. This school year Vidal M. Trevino participated in the WBCA Youth and Grand Parade. The final product of this year’s float made history for the school, earning one or two awards in each parade. The school entered the WBCA Youth Parade Under the Stars on Feb. 18 and finished as the best high school float, and received the President’s Award as well. As for Saturday’s grand pa-

rade on Feb. 20, the AnheuserBusch Washington’s Birthday Parade, the school gained the award for best float in the high school division as well. Not only was this a good outcome of taking on the project, but the students who participated were able to “bond unlike before,” according to freshman Allan Garza, a student volunteer. Not only did the students get the opportunity to work on this but they were also able to create memories for themselves. These memories were described as “fun and exhausting,” said Garza, whose fine art is sculpture. There were almost 20 students plus the two visual arts

“I was pleased with the outcome. It was tough, but it came out perfect.” -- Allan Garza, student volunteer teachers, other teachers and staff that enjoyed lending a hand to this year’s float. “I was pleased with the outcome. It was tough, but it came out perfect,” Garza said. Together these volunteers were able to give a sense of their creativity to the float while still giving a meaningful message to the float. “We are honoring our founding fathers and their decisions to give us liberty, the pursuit of happiness,” Visual Arts instructor and head of the float committee Alfonso Santos

said. With only taking two weeks to complete the project, these volunteers were put up to a task. Despite the short time they had, in the end, it was a masterpiece that came out “just the way they pictured it,” Garza said. Since he was given details about the float such as “the Liberty Bell and the Constitution on theA wall” it came out just the way he “imagined” it to be. Although they had mostly recyclable materials to work

with, they didn’t let this get in the way of reaching their goal. Other objects they used rather than the recyclable materials, included “chicken wire, PVC pipe, many screws, special parade paper, staples, papiermâché,” Santos said. They created a papier mache bell that supported their message to the crowd. Santos was able to recognize that the bell was the center of attention on the float during both parades from how the people reacted “surprised and impressed” once they saw it, Garza said.

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acid reflux. I like to give myself at least two hours of warming up before the concert. You want to warm up your car before you drive it, so, I like to warm up my voice beforehand. Depending on the performance, if it was like last night (the performance at VMT) at the recital that was full glam then I need the two hours to do my makeup. If I’m working with a pianist, communicate with the pianist. But everybody is different,” she said.

hapa said she sees herself working and singing in Europe in about 5 years. “Opera is not just here but all over the world,” Chapa said. “If you love doing what you love doing you should really explore all of the options. Music has allowed all this traveling, all of this opportunity for me, and I get paid for it. I love doing it and I get paid for doing it. Where else could I go using this platform? In five years I want to be performing more

SCHOLARSHIP,

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in Europe because to me that’s the final frontier. To me that would be cool.” Chapa offered advice for choir students, or others in any area of music. “Choir’s a lot of fun. It teaches you to be a team player. Take advantage of what you have available to you now,” Chapa said. “Take advantage of everything that is available to you. You can look up the translation of your song. You don’t have to stand there and sing the melody. You can communicate the music. Music is already its own little language, and other people like it or not. That is the goal of singing. That is the goal of music. Our job is to communicate the music for (people) to find it accessible. I sing in different languages all the time. I’m not fluent in all those languages, but I do the work to be sure I know what each word means so I can communicate that to everybody else. MT photo by Mariene Sanchez Work on learning how to communicate Opera singer Claudia Chapa performs in the VMT auditorium on April the music to people.” 11. She was once a choir student at VMT.

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do. Then another guy from Rio Grande (City), he said he got it too, so I said, ‘yeah, it’s in Laredo.’ So, it was towards the end of the day here, at school, so I rushed home and I was excited and nervous, and I don’t know, I felt a lot of emotions. I got the key to the mailbox and I saw a bunch of mail. Then I saw the packet. If you got a big packet that means you got the scholarship. If you got a small envelope that means you didn’t get the scholarship. So, when I saw the big packet I was amazed and I was shocked,” Guerra added. He explained how he felt after he found out he received the Gates Millennium Scholarship. “Words cannot describe how I reacted, how I felt. I felt speechless. I didn’t know how to react. I was really, really excited and I didn’t believe it. I didn’t think I was going to get it, but I did,” Guerra said. Guerra explained how his parents reacted when they found out. “They were really proud of me. They were really, really proud of me. Honestly, they didn’t know what to say, either. They were really proud of me for my accomplishments I’ve done this school year, and this just made them more proud of what I’ve done,” he said. Guerra told how his fine art teacher Dr. Mary Grace Carroll helped him to apply for the scholarship. “The way she helped me out is that I had to ask for a recommender and a nominator, and Dr. Carroll knows me the best, and I asked her to be a recommender. She had to write a couple of essays about me, and that’s how she helped me out. Not only did she do that favor for me, but she also helped me with some essays I had to write

MT photo by Olga Ozornia Piano student Bernardo Guerra Jr. poses in the VMT piano lab. He received a Gates Millennium Scholarship recently. for the scholarship,” he said. Part of the applying process was to write eight essays for the scholarships. “Yes. I had to write eight essays. Most of the essays were about leadership experiences. Basically for that scholarship they just want to know your story, where you come from, how you came about, and what you’ve done in your life. They want to know your struggles, and the good things you’ve done. And the community, your academics, and your extracurricular (activities). Most importantly they want to know if you have leadership skills

and if you’ve had leadership experiences,” Guerra said. He explained his experience and what he tries to do as a leader. “I think I do. I try my best to be a leader. To set an example for other people. I try to do as much as I can on my own, so I can motivate other people to better themselves. So they know they have to be smart to achieve something, or you don’t have to come from a wealthy family to achieve something, and you don’t have to have a wealthy family or be really smart as long as you try your best and motivate yourself

Was it that they were acting like someone they weren’t? Was it simply that both of them might have some things in common but that doesn’t mean that it’s right to gather feelings for someone in such a short period of time. Esmeralda was devastated; she felt horrible. She thought that she had gotten in-between a relationship. So many things crossed her mind. All those things that crossed her mind were wrong. Damian asked her to forgive him; he wanted to still be friends with her. BEST FRIENDS. He wanted for them to keep talking how they al-

ways used too. Which was for hours and hours and they always had a conversation to talk about. She forgave him. In her mind, she knew that things weren’t going to be the same. She knew that everything had changed.

try to fix things so they could get back together. Do you have an idea on how Esmeralda felt? I bet you’ve felt the same in some occasions. These are occasions that you simply don’t understand. You don’t know how to react, how to answer the message, or what to think. You just simply don’t want to talk to anyone. You want to be by yourself and think what was that you had done wrong. Was it that you had gathered feelings for that person too quickly? Was it that that person didn’t think that you were going to get feelings for them?

The Magnet Tribune May 13, 2016

Read the entire story online: magnettribune.org/?p=9644 Thank you Class of 2016. It’s time for me to explore the world. Justyne Bernal, upcoming sophomore, will be taking my place. Wish the rest of the classes the best of luck.

Go online to The Magnet Tribune for the: --Medallion Ceremony --Senior picture --Senior breakfast --Last-minute activities Page design by Mariene Sanchez

to do something and to achieve whatever goals you have it will be good,” Guerra said. Guerra gave advice to students who want to apply for the scholarship. “I would encourage other students to apply for this scholarship because it’s an honor and a blessing to have this scholarship. Not only that, but it takes a big weight off your shoulders in trying to think about how you’re going

to pay for school. Once you get this scholarship you don’t have to worry about any financial part of college and you can go to whatever dream school you want to go to. My dream school is Texas A&M and because of this scholarship I’ll be able to go to this dream school,” he said. and Fine arts teacher recommender Dr. Mary Grace Carroll explained how she and her students felt about Guerra receiving the scholarship. “We’re very proud of Bernie. Bernie is a deserving student, and has shown over the past four years as a piano student that he has worked hard to earn this award. He is very humbled and grateful,” she said. Carroll explained her role in Guerra receiving the scholarship. “I had to respond in essay form to eight questions regarding his character, work ethic, and future goals,” she said. Carroll urged students to apply as seniors. “I’m hoping more students, as they become juniors and seniors, will become more involved in the scholarship process. It’s very difficult and time consuming. It would be easy to ignore it and not do it, but the rewards are endless,” she said. He thanked people who supported him thought out his four years of high school. “I’d like to thank God first, my family and my friends,” Guerra said. “I thank all my teachers, everybody who has supported me and congratulated me, I’d like to thank them all.”