May 2016

Tribune he Magnet

A state- and nationally recognized student newspaper

Vol. 23, No. 2

http://magnettribune.org

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

The Magnet Tribune E-mail

mt_writers@hotmail.com

Online

http://magnettribune.org

E

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.

C

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.

C

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

Twitter

@Magnet_Tribune

Facebook

Facebook.com/ MagnetTribune

Apple News App Search: Magnet Tribune

RSS Feed http://magnettribune.org

Look for The Magnet Tribune’s podcasts on iTunes Quill & Scroll International Honor Society of Journalism

Vidal M. Treviño http://vmt.elisd.org

The world’s link to you

Facebook

Search: Vidal_M_Trevino

B

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

S

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

http://magnettribune.org/category/vmthrowback/

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

Features

http://magnettribune.org, Twitter. @Magnet_Tribune, www.facebook.com/MagnetTribune

3

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

4

School News

http://magnettribune.org, Twitter. @Magnet_Tribune, www.facebook.com/MagnetTribune

The Magnet Tribune May 13, 2016

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.

T

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

V

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-

Related content

#VMThrowback: http://magnettribune.org/category/vmthrowback/ 2013 ribbon cutting ceremoney: http://magnettribune.org/?p=5267 New campus walk through: http://magnettribune.org/?p=8292 Ribbon cutting video highlights: http://magnettribune.org/?p=5855 ery department several times throughout the planning process and the teachers were able to provide one-on-one feedback as to what their expectations and needs were for their specific programs. In addition, a video was created for the architects and the school board that allowed for a representative of every program /department to show graphics and very detailed information as to the square footage, design of the space and the specific requirements and need of every department/program,” Villarreal said.

Villarreal explained some challenges they faced in designing the new campus.

“As with most building projects, the main challenge was to try and provide for the needs of every department and still stay within the budget allotted. One of the hardest things to do was to determine what would be the items/space cut from our original plan because of the funding limitations,” Villarreal said.

Villarreal explained her feelings towards the completed campus and its design.

“I am overjoyed and very proud of the design of our new school. After waiting for five years from the initial planning stage to the completion of the facility, I am very pleased with the end result. The wait time was well worth it, especially when you hear such positive comments from our students, faculty and all the community members who have visited our campus. We have had many visitors from many areas in Texas and beyond who have expressed amazement and disbelief at the innovation of the design and the state-of-the art equipment that we have to offer our students here,” she said.

She explained what the award means to her and to the Page design by Madelyn Dion

teachers and staff.

“I am sure I speak for the faculty and staff when I say that we feel very proud and blessed to work in such a beautifully designed, cutting-edge and modern facility. The Award just validates what we already know… ‘that our VMT school is not only a beautiful facility but a very unique campus that promotes artistic endeavors and creativity and serves as a cultural beacon for the district and our community,’” Villarreal said.

Villarreal added: “I would like to add that although our new campus is beautiful and award winning, what truly defines our school is the type of student that attend this school.

Our students are smart, creative, and respectful and, determined to succeed. We have many, many success stories about students who have gone on to become very successful in many fields, including in the area of the arts.”

design.

“Public schools across Texas have gone through some financially challenging times. LISD wanted to make sure sufficient funding was set aside for all the costs associated with building a new campus. I am very grateful that the LISD Board of Trustees worked diligently to make this new campus a reality. I also thank the voters of LISD for entrusting us with the resources to construct the new buildings. Once we selected the location at the former First Baptist Church, we also wanted to make sure that we optimized all the square footage made available to us. We even made use of an existing building which was incorporated into the new edifice seamlessly,” Nelson said.

He explained how he felt towards the new school.

“I am very proud to have this facility centrally located in the Heights neighborhood. I am honored to have worked with the LISD Construction DepartThe start of ment, architects, construction company, contractors, and staff something new to complete this project on time uperintendent Dr. A and under budget. I am also Marcus Nelson ex- very fortunate to work with the plained his vision for LISD Board of Trustees who the new campus in an e-mail. take facilities planning so se“As the superintendent of riously. I look forward to the schools for Laredo ISD, I recog- hundreds of performances in nize the contributions of the late the new school and watch our Vidal M. Treviño to our school students shine in a way that district. This was his vision. makes us all proud,” he said.

I’m honored to carry on his viNelson explains what the sion for the students of Laredo award means to him, teachers ISD. Anyone who remembers and staff. his commitment to education, “The building of the Treviño knows I share his passion for Magnet School was a team efequity in education. Our kids fort,” Nelson said. “For people deserve the best so they can be outside of our district to recogprepared to graduate from high nize our collaboration is very school and attend the college of satisfying. It would not have their choice, start a career, or happened without many peojoin the military,” he said. ple’s input and and time.”

Nelson explains some of the challenges faced in the school’s

S

The Magnet Tribune May 13, 2016

Features

http://magnettribune.org, Twitter. @Magnet_Tribune, www.facebook.com/MagnetTribune

5

Art teacher creates mural for the city of Cotulla

By Crystal Martinez MT Staff Writer

I

t’s taken hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in paint so far, but the VMT art teacher/artist who’s painting the mural for Cotulla expects work to be finished by mid-year.

“I know it is a very special project for a lot of people.

I don’t just want to finish it, I want to feel proud of it,” Gilberto Rocha said about painting the mural.

It all started when he said he was hired because he was recommended

by Armando Hinojosa, a well-known artist, friend and a former VMT teacher who helped open the school in 1993.

Rocha said he took a few months to get an idea of what he wanted the mural to look like. It was not until late August when he actually started painting the mural.

When he found out he was painting a mural for the city of Cotulla, about 70 miles north of Laredo on I-35, he first told his parents, which made them really happy and proud for him, he said.

When he first told his friends they all just felt like it was a “stepping stone” for him, he said.

One challenge he faces is the size.

“The dimensions of the mural will be 14 feet in height and 96 feet wide,” Rocha said.

He is painting the mural on plywood sheets in his studio, which is located in Laredo. He will then take them to Cotulla and assemble them on a wall.

The building’s wall, 100 feet wide and 15 feet in height, is located in the middle of downtown.

That is equal to half a city block and as tall as a one-story

building, he said.

He designed the mural to be a linear narrative, which is a timeline or something in chronological order.

So far, Rocha said he has spent about $12,000 in materials and doesn’t know how much paint he has been using, but “this is the first time I have actually ordered (paint) by the bucket.”

He has been using acrylic paint and different types of brushes; each brush is used for different textures and lines.

He has worked hundreds of hours on this mural so far, but said it should be done by May or maybe just a little bit into the summer.

The mural’s purpose

T

he purpose of this mural is to attract tourists, he said.

Rocha discussed what plans Cotulla has for the mural.

“They plan to do a big ceremony to unveil the mural,” Rocha said.

The ceremony will take place downtown where the mural will be placed.

The mural includes a lot of scenes that describes Cotulla.

For example, one image is of Joseph Cotulla, the founder of Cotulla, a painting of the new and old courthouse, a sheriff

MT photo by Crystal Martinez Art instructor Gilberto Rocha teaches his 6th block art class, on February 25. Rocha is painting a mural for the city of Cotulla. gil-rocha.com Art instructor Gilberto Rocha paints a small version of the mural he is creating for the city of Cotulla in his private studio in Laredo.

See more photos: http://magnettribune.org/?p=9101

“(Cotulla) was the founder, and so that’s where the story begins.”

--Gilberto Rocha, visual arts teacher of Cotulla that was murdered, deer, and oil rigs.

“I don’t think there is one dominate image on the mural, but one that has an impact is the portrait of the founder; it starts with him. It’s a huge portrait; it almost takes the entire wall,” Rocha said. “It is the one that stands out the most because he was the founder, and so that’s where the story

begins with his bravery, his way of thinking and being a pioneer,” Rocha added.

The manager of Cotulla Main Street hired Rocha to create the mural.

Cotulla Main Street is the organization in charge of renovating the downtown area and bringing tourists in, she said.

A mural would be a beautiful piece of art to add down-

town and to draw people into downtown, Patsy Leigh, Cotulla Main Street manager and board member, said.

“The mural is something that will be there forever,” she said in a telephone interview.

The final cost will be $60,000, which the City of Cotulla will pay, she said.

Rocha explained what he hopes the mural will do for those who see it.

“Hopefully, the mural not only brings or inspires the people of Cotulla and tourists, but I hope that it also inspires my students,” Rocha said.

Café Medallión serves coffee, lattes

By Jesus Hernandez MT Staff Writer A new café on campus is now offering coffee and cappuccino.

Café Medallión is now open daily from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. inside the school cafeteria.

“I think this is a great idea for the students because they won’t have to walk or drive far away for a cup of coffee. It’s better for us and better for their safety,” Celia Rodriguez, cafeteria employee, said.

The price for a 12 ounce cup includes $1.00 for a regular coffee, $1.50 for a coffee with flavor and $2.00 for a cappuccino which includes the flavors of grain coffee, caramel, vanilla, and hazelnut.

Other menu items include $2.00 for a Latte, $2.00 for an Expresso, and $2.00 for a Hot Chocolate.

The most popular item on the café’s menu is the cappuccino, Rodriguez said.

The café serves 15 to 20 students daily, another employee said.

“Perhaps we need more promotion for the café. It barely opened and we need everyone to get adjusted to it,” Andrea de Hoyos, cafeteria employee, said.

The weather could be a factor in what the café should

Cafe Medallión’s prices Regular Coffee $1.00 Regular Coffee plus Flavor $1.50 Cappuccino $2.00 Latte $2.00 Espresso $2.00 Hot Chocolate $2.00

MT photo by Irene Alegria This is a view from the side entrance of Café Medallión, which is located next to the cafeteria.

See more photos: http://magnettribune.org/?p=8974 serve.

“We sell coffee only for now until the summer. That’s when we start selling smoothies because we want to see what we think is appropriate for the weather,” Rodriguez said.

When entering the café, a visitor will notice the rich smell of coffee and cappuccino mixed together, with a hint of a classy modern look and feel to the place using large windows and silver trim in the front and Page design by Crystal Martinez

a large brick wall at the back.

Students discussed what they thought of the place.

“It’s pretty cheap compared to Stripes that charges $4.00,” Louis Leal, sophomore Communication student, said. “It’s pretty great.”

Another student thought the taste could be better.

“The taste is similar to a few drinks I’ve had before, but they could improve (the taste),” Mariene Sanchez, freshman Communication student, said.

She would like to see the menu expanded to include “pastry, bakery items to go with your coffee.”

“I really like how they make the coffee in front of you,” Sanchez added.

Rodriguez said they’re busy before the students arrive.

“The morning is probably the busiest part of the day.

When we enter, we start by cleaning the coffee machines making sure every part of it is clean, then we take out the coffee cups and count inventory for the day,” Rodriguez said. “Finally we open the café’s doors and wait for the students to come in.”

6

School News

http://magnettribune.org, Twitter. @Magnet_Tribune, www.facebook.com/MagnetTribune

The Magnet Tribune May 13, 2016

The Magnet Tribune May 13, 2016

School News

http://magnettribune.org, Twitter. @Magnet_Tribune, www.facebook.com/MagnetTribune

7

Annual Showcase shows off talented students

V

MT’s annual Showcase featured 20 performances in a 2-hour program at the Civic Center on April 19.

Daniel Martinez and Marina Garza perform with VMT Ballet Folklorico-Flamenco.

Theatre Department head Vernon Carroll was master of ceremonies.

Featured were groups that performed music and dance numbers and videos showed Journalism, Radio and Television, and Theatre programs. The lobby had displays of paintings and sculptures by visual art students and booths for Journalism and RTV students.

Camerata Winds performs Arabesque No. 2, Claude Debussy.

MT photo by Aryanna Rodriguez

See more Showcase photos online: http://magnettribune.org/?p=9654 http://magnettribune.org/?p=9554

Page design by Madelyn Dion and Karla Alvarez MT photo by Belen Silva MT photo by Aryanna Rodriguez

VMT Ballet Folklorico-Flamenco performs at Showcase.

MT photo by Victoria Cardenas

Gisel Garza performs with the Camerata Winds.

Isaiah Camacho, guitar, and Rene Peña, vocals, perform Folsom Prison Blues.

MT photo by Victoria Cardenas

VMT Dance Company performs Arms.

MT photo by Belen Silva

Hip Hop Dance Mix performs hip hop artists’ music mash-up.

MT photo by Aryanna Rodriguez, left MT photo by Victoria Cardenas

8

Opinions

Comments? Write us at mt_writers@hotmail.com

http://magnettribune.org, Twitter. @Magnet_Tribune, www.facebook.com/MagnetTribune

The Magnet Tribune May 13, 2016

This is just another typical love story Facebook, where many people become either best friends, boyfriend/ girlfriend, or just stay as strangers.

Facebook is where you get to meet so many people from around the world. Where sometimes you might get to meet that one person that catches your attention in a blink of an eye.

It might be because you see their posts and you see that they are respectful. It might be that when you start talking to them they reply to your messages quickly. It might be that both of you share the same interests. It just simply might be that you start thinking that you both are meant for each other.

As the days go by, you start noticing a big difference in yourself.

An amazing positive change.

A change you had never noticed.

A change that makes you want to continue logging in and just waiting for that person to log in as well so you can talk to them.

A change that even that other person that you are talking to notices.

A change that might simply make you become a better person. A change that you never

Read more The Bug columns at

http://magnettribune.org/category/opinions/

The Bug

By Martha Inguanzo You start noticing that you and the other person have a connection. A connection that makes you start feeling that both of you will become really good friends and even something else. want to end.

As you go through that change you feel that your world is perfect.

You start noticing that you and the other person have a connection. A connection that makes you start feeling that both of you will become really good friends and even something else.

Something else that will look as good as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Something else that will make you as happy as eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a glass of cold milk.

Well, imagine that once you have that sandwich ready, you reach out to the refrigerator and you see that there is no milk.

What is the first thing that

comes to your mind? Exactly, that it is not going to taste the same anymore. It even goes through your mind that you might want to throw it away.

That’s what happened to Esmeralda.

She was getting to know this handsome guy named Damian.

She started seeing all the changes she had always been wanting to see.

All the changes that lead to them being a happy couple.

As the days went by, Esmeralda was that young beautiful girl that was tired of love. She stopped believing in love. She thought love didn’t exist.

She started to remember all the times that she had gotten hurt before and was too afraid to go through that again.

But, Esmeralda felt different.

Esmeralda liked Damian.

She started feeling a connection between them.

She would see Damian as her perfect best friend.

She thought Damian was so mature, responsible, respectful, honest, and trustworthy.

Something else that really caught her attention was that he plays soccer! Esmeralda has always wanted to date someone that plays soccer.

Esmeralda had a smile from ear to ear when she would talk to Damian.

She thought Damian might be the one.

As the days went by, they just kept on talking and talking non-stop.

She noticed that when she would talk to him she would feel safe.

She finally felt understood by someone. She had finally found someone that would understand her when she didn’t even understand herself.

One day, she decided to take a step forward.

She wanted to let Damian know her feelings towards him

before it was too late. Before Damian would either go with someone else or was interested in someone else. She was afraid, but Esmeralda was a strong girl. She wasn’t going to let fear get to her.

Esmeralda finally convinced herself into telling Damian everything she had on the tip of her tongue.

When she was about to tell Damian her feelings, Damian had turned into the peanut butter and jelly sandwich with no milk.

Damian, that handsome guy that she thought she liked had turned into the worst.

He opened his mouth and said the worst words Esmeralda could ever hear in her life.

What do you think they were?

Had it been that he was going to move far away? Had it been that he didn’t like her?

Had it been that he had a girlfriend?

Guess what? It was that Linette had returned.

Linette was the love of his life. She had returned. It’s obvious that they were going to See THE BUG, page 12

Comedies: Part of a happy, healthy life

S

hould there be more comedies? Yes, because that can give people a sense of humor and they can laugh more. Who doesn’t like a good laugh these days?

Comedies always make a person’s day. According to scientists, laughter can prolong your life. I personally think laughter is the best medicine when sad, or depressed. When I’m depressed I always watch a comedy movie, and I even cry of laughing a lot and at the end I feel better and in a happy mood.

The comedies these days are getting way better thanks to the amazing and funny actors that exist who allow us to enjoy their sense of humor in a film.

Some of my favorite comedy actors are Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Ken Jeong,

Read more Observation columns at

Observations

http://magnettribune.org/category/opinions/

By Delilah Gonzalez The comedies these days are getting way better thanks to the amazing and funny actors that exist who allow us to enjoy their sense of humor in a film.

Robert Downey Jr., Johnny Depp, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson and many more.

Comedies allow people to relax and have a good time.

Comedies are also better for a family to watch and kids to enjoy. There are many comedy movies with my favorite actors that I won’t stop watching.

Comedies in a way are better for families with children to watch instead of scary movies that can terrorize kids every night or action movies that show too much violence.

Battle of the dads Recently, I was able to watch a newly released comedy with my family. Two of my favorite actors came out in the movie “Daddy’s Home.” They were Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. This movie is about a step-dad, Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell), who is trying to get his step children to love him and call him Dad, but everything turns upside down when Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg), the biological father, returns. This

movie was incredibly hilarious that my family and I enjoyed. I’m looking forward to a second part of this movie.

I hope there is going to be another one.

I do think there should be more comedies. I know that this year (2016) there are a few coming out that families can watch and enjoy such as Finding Dory, Ice Age: Collision Course, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and Storks.

I’m ready for some good laughs later this year with more comCreative Commons license edies coming out and Poster for “Daddy’s Home.” Left that my family and I is Will Ferrell; At right is Mark will enjoy.

Wahlberg.

Waffle Iron

The Magnet Tribune The Magnet Tribune is a publication produced by students in the Journalism, Newspaper Production and Photojournalism classes of the Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications and Fine Arts, Laredo Independent School District. This publication provides readers with information relating to the school and its students, provides students a lab for producing a newspaper using professional-level computer software and offers an open forum for student opinion.

The Magnet Tribune is distributed free of charge.

By Edwin Villanueva

Countdown to graduation day

Dr. Martha Villarreal School director Mark Webber Journalism/online media instructor and adviser The Magnet Tribune Vol. 23, No. 2, May 13, 2016 Editors: Susana Ginez, Martha Inguanzo Nameplate on page one was produced by student Brandon Gamez.

Production is by VMT journalism/online media/CTE students using Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop on HP computers.

Printed by Greater Dallas Press, Garland, Texas Copyright ©2016 Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications and Fine Arts and The Magnet Tribune.

It is the policy of the Laredo Independent School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, limited English proficiency, or handicapping condition in its programs.

First Class Award: 1996-97, 98-99, 99-00, 02-03 03-04, 04-05, 05-06, 06-07, 07-08, 08-09, 09-10, 10-11, 11-12, 13-14 (online)

Second Class Award: 2000-01, 01-02, 10-11 (website), 11-12 (paper and website), 12-13 (paper), 13-14 (paper)

ILPC

Award of Distinguished Merit: 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 (Star nomination), 2010 (online) Award of Achievement: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2011 (online), 2012 (online), 2013, 2014 Award of Honor: 1998, 2004, 2005

Contact The Magnet Tribune By e-mail: mt_writers@hotmail.com || On the Internet: http://magnettribune.org || Facebook || Twitter Address: Vidal M. Treviño School of Communication and Fine Arts, The Magnet Tribune, 2102 East Lyon St., Laredo, Texas 78043 In person: Room A212 (Journalism classroom), or drop off items for Mark Webber in the school office.

The Magnet Tribune May 13, 2016

Reviews

http://magnettribune.org, Twitter. @Magnet_Tribune, www.facebook.com/MagnetTribune

9

Ending a relationship is no ‘Delight’

B

reak-ups can be hard.

The person you intently see yourself growing old with has left you gasping of desperation and you lose yourself completely.

Isn’t that how all love is for teenagers? The “end of the world” feeling is crushing because you can’t be with them.

Feelings like this are portrayed in “Heart’s Delight” by Swedish author Per Nilsson, translated by Tara Chace.

The story takes place in present times with an adolescent male character whose name remains anonymous throughout the entire book. It gives the book a certain edge because of its anonymity similar to the “Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Although Charlie, in Perks, has a group of friends to get him through tough days and a semi-happy ending, “Heart’s Delight” is neither of those things. So considered yourself warned.

It starts with the male pro-

The Book Look

By Belen Silva Read more The Book Look columns at

http://magnettribune.org/category/reviews/ tagonist having insignificant items, at least to us, lying on his desk as if taking inventory.

They are items such as a bus pass, a package of seeds, a pot of lemon balm tea, a book in German, and few other things.

All of these items belonged to his ex-girlfriend Ann-Kathrin.

As the main character goes through all his ex-girlfriend’s things in order, he picks up an old bus pass from his desk which makes him reminisce about the day Ann-Kathrin and he first met.

He was riding the bus and in the midst of bobbling heads at the front seats, he sees her.

A strange girl with red hair

and a green army jacket. He became so infatuated with her that he eventually learned her bus routes, which were always Monday and Wednesday mornings.

He even missed school just to follow her stop across town.

He knew that his efforts would be in vain if he didn’t talk to her soon. Until one day, the nameless character and his friend Henke were conversing about ducks when his red-headed dream girl turned around and looked directly at him. This is the part where sparks fly like the fourth of July and whatnot.

Since then, everything seemed to be like a fairy tale.

They met every Monday and Wednesday on the bus. Awkward conversations turned to comfortable laughter and outright honesty. Ten-minute rides were not enough. That was until Anna-Kathrin purposely left her German grammar book on the bus with her phone number scribbled inside for the main character to find.

Suddenly the black German book became their little inside joke, the excuse to see each other without actually having to admit it.

This a divine secret of theirs leads to weekend hangouts and short daily visits to AnnaKathrin’s house. But even a fairy tale as simple as this one was too good to keep up.

As most love goes, people drift apart and sometimes we never know why. The mystery of why this is will always continue to be, at least for the main protagonist, because after all, he is only a boy, incapable of knowing what love is

because he is “too young.”

Or, maybe after all of this, after everything Anna-Kathrin has done, what he has gone through, is he a man?

“Heart’s Delight” is the simplest of love stories about boy meets girl and the difficulties of learning to love, growing up, and dealing with a teenagers’ worst fear. Heartbreak.

Family, friends connect in ‘One Tree Hill’

W

hat is One Tree Hill?

A show full of love, heartbreak, family, friends, and everything in between. It’s a show of teenagers becoming mature adults.

It’s a show about heartbreak; a thing teenagers and adults go through each and every day. It’s about love; everyone loves at some point and not a lot of them end up with their first love. It’s about family and friends; “Friends are family you get to choose yourself.”

I absolutely love One Tree Hill. Although, I was iffy about it when I was watching the first season. I was unsure if I should keep going, but then I put the thought of the show not being good aside and I continued it.

I don’t regret continuing it. I, along other people, think that the first season was a little bit boring.

The first season revolves on the core five as the beginning as juniors; Nathan Scott, Lucas Scott, Haley James, Peyton Sawyer, and Brooke Davis. They are revolved in their own worlds, but they collide in the fourth episode. Its totally amazing. Anyway, season one

TV Fanatic

By Krysta Robles Read more TV FANatic columns at

http://magnettribune.org/category/reviews/ is the season Naley happened, also known as Haley James and Nathan Scott. Also the hatred between the brothers, Lucas and Nathan Scott, is subsiding. Which is good. Okay, so season one is just getting the background on the characters, and it’s amazing.

Season 2 chronicles the remainder of junior year at Tree Hill High. Lucas and Nathan begin to bond as brothers. Peyton experiments with drugs. Both Karen and Keith find new loves, but Keith doesn’t find happiness when he finds out Dan hired her to break his heart. Haley leaves town to go on tour, breaking Nathan’s heart. Brooke goes on a journey of self-discovery while Peyton falls in love and gets involved with drugs when she has to leave via Wikipedia.

Season two always breaks my heart because my Naley heart.

Seriously, my life revolves around two fictional characters love for each other. Kind of sad, to be honest, but that’s my life. Anyway, season two, for a fact, broke my heart.

Season three, oh season three, such a happy AND sad phase with Naley. It literally messed with my heart so many times. Season three revolves around the last days of summer going into their senior year. Haley comes back from tour to reconnect with Nathan.

She comes back for them and because of her best friend, Luke, it was possible. Starting three months after the second season finale, Dan Scott (Johansson) tries to figure out who tried to kill him. Brooke and Lucas (Bush and Mur-

ray) enter a relationship, and Haley (Galeotti) returns to save her marriage. Peyton (Burton) gets to know her biological mother, Ellie Harp (Sheryl Lee). The season continues to the renewal of Haley and Nathan‘s (Lafferty) wedding vows, and the consequences of Cooper Lee‘s (Michael Trucco) relationship with the new girl Rachel Gatina (Danneel Harris) via Wikipedia.

Season four, I’m pretty sure this is my favorite (besides season three), because they’re almost done with high school and going into adulthood. For me, that is the best thing ever.

So there is so much more the core four go through, Haley and Nathan (Scott) deal with money problems and a teen pregnancy, Brooke (Davis) becomes friends with an enemy, Lucas (Scott) deals with the death of his uncle, Keith (Scott), and Dan (Scott) helps Karen with Keith’s baby. So many things happen in this show and I am so happy that I was apart of this show, even though I am a bit late on it.

So, I suggest this show to you; it will change your life.

The life lessons are absolutely amazing. Watch it on Netflix; 10/10 will suggest.

Users can pick fighting style in Pokken

M

ost Pokémon fans would agree that they always wanted to try to control Pokémon instead of commanding in main series games, and when Pokken Tournament was first seen as a teaser during a Pokémon Game show with two wellknown Pokémon which were Blaziken and Lucario about to begin fighting in a city, fans were excited when they first saw this teaser which led to many theories on what it was.

Pokken was then announced on August 26, 2014, during an event held by Japanese gaming magazine Fatmisu.

During the Pokémon World Championship in 2015, it was announced that Pokken Tournament was being ported to the Nintendo Wii U. When players first start the game they are greeted with Nia, a character that will help the player during battles. She introduces the player to the Ferrum Region where the game takes places and after the introduction is over the player can customize how their avatars will look like by hair color and style, skin color, and eyes.

After the player is done they can then choose one of the 16 characters including 2 that will be unlocked during the

Read more Game Corner columns at

Game Corner

By Manuel Ruiz

Screen shot Shown is the starting screen of Pokken Tournament. story mode of the game.

After the player chooses his fighter they have an option to try out the tutorial the game provides which can be skipped but it is recommended to try it out since it introduces the game mechanics very well for players such as Field Phases and other mechanics.

Field phase is where the player and the opponent have a field where they either use projectiles or get up close in other to do a phase shift into Duel Phase. Battle phase is

where the player fights in a 2-D camera angle and limited space and have to engage in combat to cause a phase shift.

Lastly, each character has a Synergy Gauge that increase attack and defense and each character have a unique special attack.

Players can also choose a pair of two of support Pokémon that can help the player either by healing or boosting the player character, or affecting the character by disrupting or decreasing statuses. There

http://magnettribune.org/category/reviews/

More about Pokken at magnettribune.org/?p=9525 are about 15 pairs of supports the player can choose so it’s wise to test out each one since each support has to be charged before being used and the player can choose 3 supports to choose before a match begins ,but can only choose one during Local Battles.

Lastly, Nia also helps out the player by providing “Cheers” which help the player such as increasing the Synergy Gauge, providing support to be used early than waiting to be charged, and other types of benefits.

Variety of modes Pokken Tournament provides the player with different type of modes that can help the player learn characters easily with each mode the game has to offer.

In My Town, this is the game setting where players can see battle records, change fighters and support Pokémon set out, customize their avatar either by changing or purchasing clothing, and lastly change Nia cheer.

Ferrum League is the game story mode where the player

rises thru ranks starting from D rank to A rank, and each time the player fights 5 opponents their rank will either increase, decrease, or stay neutral and must reach top 8 in order to participate in a tournament where the player fights other top opponents and if they win they fight the league champion and can be promoted to another rank. Single Battle and Practice are modes that help the player with fighters by learning each character move set and can help the player by learning combos and learning how to supports.

Pokken also offers Online battles such as Rank battles and Friendly battles, in rank battles players have online ranks and will increase each time the player wins against matches while in friendly battles it does not affect your online rank but they will record losses.

Lastly, local battle is where the player and a friend can play against each other but player one must use the Wii U gamepad and the game will go down to 30 FPS rather than 60 FPS. on what they have unlocked.

10 I

Columns

http://magnettribune.org, Twitter. @Magnet_Tribune, www.facebook.com/MagnetTribune

The Magnet Tribune May 13, 2016

‘Liar Liar’ marks Oh My Girl’s return

t’s about time I actually talked about a girl group since all I’ve been talking about is boy groups. Not that boy groups are boring, but it makes it more fun for me to talk about girl groups who have amazing concepts.

Oh My Girl recently came back with their third mini album named Pink Ocean and their title track Liar Liar. It’s a really cute song and the music video itself is sort of a bit confusing but aside from that, I really liked it.

Liar Liar is a song about a girl who’s very insecure about herself and doesn’t think the boy she likes actually likes her back.

There are times where she feels very confident but still very selfconscious at the same time.

The boy may or may not like her back, yet he usually reassures her that he does, but

Musical Seoul

By Mariene Sanchez Read more Musical Seoul columns at

http://magnettribune.org/category/reviews/ whenever a pretty girl greets him, he says “she’s just a friend” in which she doesn’t believe him so she calls him a liar and continues to think it’s a one-sided love.

The same guy In the music video, all the girls are in love with the exact same boy. They each have a photo of him but they hide it from each other in fear of them knowing and there are times

where they almost get caught.

In case you’re wondering – because I wondered as well when I first saw the video – the boy in the photos that they each have is Gongchan, a member of B1A4.

Now, finally aside the song, Oh My Girl (aka OH! MYGIRL or OMG) is an eight-member group who are under WM Entertainment.

Their names are Hyojung, Mimi, Jiho, Seunghee, JinE,

Binnie, YooA, and Arin. Of course, these are stage names.

With all the other girl groups that I like, Oh My Girl is my absolute favorite girl group. The outfits on stage, the music, the

choreography, and their vocals alone make them such a great group.

I came to know Oh My Girl from YooA, Seunghee and Hyojung’s cover of Halo by Beyonce along with the group’s dance practice for OCAD’s “Muse.”

Oh My Girl always work hard on their vocals and dances. I was really surprised when I heard YooA, Seunghee and Hyojung’s cover of Halo, which I shouldn’t have been since that is what you should expect from them, but me, not knowing who they were at all at the time, I was very impressed.

I know for sure that they’ll continue to get bigger and become more successful in the future for more and more people can find out who they are and knowing that they are worth the hype in the Korean music industry.

Kobe Bryant will never be forgotten Editor’s note: Justyne Bernal will be The Bug’s new columnist in August.

By Justyne Bernal The Bug Columnist

I

n our lifetime, we all get to witness a legend at least once. A recent one I had the opportunity to witness was Kobe Bryant, also known as “The Black Mamba.”

Now, what is a legend? I believe a legend is a person that is very well known due to his/her accomplishments in their life or career.

Kobe Bryant to me is a huge basketball legend that made NBA history by breaking records each season and playing to his full extent each time he stepped on the court. In fact, he was the youngest player ever be in the NBA at the age of 18. It is a mournful but joyful loss to me and to others who watch basketball that Bryant had to retire after a 20-year career playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was brought into a basketball environment as a kid, being the son of former basketball player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant. His father played a big role in Kobe’s life. I believe he was Kobe’s biggest inspiration to have a dream of becoming a professional basketball player in the NBA. After moving around for his father’s career living in Italy, Kobe along the way discovered his love for the game at age 3.

Once Kobe returned from living in Italy all his childhood, it was now time to begin attending high school. He began to play basketball for Merion High School and was able to make the varsity team his freshman year. Bryant achieved many expectations and was named “Pennsylvania Player of the Year” during his junior year.

Besides that, Kobe was recognized as the top high school basketball

player in the country.

Having that said, Bryant was a player that tremendously contributed a big part to his team leading them to the state championships four years in a row for the first time in 53 years. I don’t think it was easy for him to be a part of a new environment especially since it was in a different country. It took Kobe a lot of courage to start playing with complete strangers as soon as he returned.

Once Kobe was about to graduate the decision was to be made whether or not to he would attend college before he went to pursue his NBA dream. Due to his good grades and high scores on tests, he was offered a good amount of scholarships to major colleges and universities. The final choice was tough in my perspective because it would determine what he would do with the rest of his life. But, it was finally made that he would bypass college and go straight to the NBA draft.

After Bryant made this life decision, he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft.

But he was not a Hornet for long as he was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. However, this trade in Bryant’s head did not define or influence him. Kobe was glad this decision was made knowing that with the Hornets he wouldn’t be off the bench much.

This led me to believe that Kobe was in love for the game. He did not care who he played with, as long as he had the opportunity to do so.

In his first year as a player of the Los Angeles Lakers from 19961997, Bryant was able to gain success right away in my perspective.

All eyes were on Bryant, the “rookie” after he won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest making history being the youngest dunk champion ever.

During his second season, he

Read more by this columnist at

http://magnettribune.org/category/opinions/ Drawing by Aaron Izaguirre Kobe Bryant is retiring from the NBA after 20 years with the Lakers.

was then named an All-Star. In fact, Kobe made 13 All-Star game appearances and was able to earn four All-Star game MVP’s in 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011.

Bryant’s chances of being even more successful arose when new coach Phil Jackson arrived to lead the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999.

Time went on and Kobe only got better. This shows me that hard work actually does pay off.

Eventually, a “legendary center-guard combination” was created with Bryant and O’Neal.

They were able to team and lead the team to a three-peat, winning the championships in 2001, 2002, and 2003. I believe they will forever be one of the best combinations in the NBA. There were many problems going on including the loss of O’Neal not being a part of the Los Angeles Lakers and the loss of the “great combination.” Bryant somehow continued to move forward and

continued to set records, becoming the youngest player to reach 14,000 points, and setting a franchise record for consecutive made free throws. He then became the backbone of the Los Angeles Lakers after O’Neal was traded. A lot of determination was projected as Kobe resumed his success even if a big part of him was lost. He then became the backbone of the Los Angeles Lakers after O’Neal was traded.

In 2008, Bryant’s career kept rising. He led his team to The Western Conference Finals and was able to earn the Most Valuable Award (MVP) during the 2007-08 season. During that year’s Summer Olympics, Kobe became a member of the U.S men’s basketball team and was able to earn a gold medal as well.

Bryant was also able to carry his team to the 2009 and 2010 championships. Here, he was able to win the Finals Most Valuable Award in both years. These were huge back to back accomplishments that made people fall in love with the way Kobe played the game. I was impressed with the

achievements that Kobe has been talented enough to accomplish.

He until this day continues to be successful having created a shoe industry with Nike. This industry has been very successful since the beginning. There are many people anywhere you go wearing Kobe’s shoes. In my perspective, Kobe’s shoes are very unlike other basketball shoes.

Kobe won five NBA titles and scored more points than any guard in the history of the game.

Nobody would have thought that after 20 years in the game, Kobe would retire now at the age of 37.

One part of his announcement to retire, called “Dear Basketball” stated: “This season is all I have left to give.

My heart can take the pounding My mind can handle the grind But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye And that’s OK, I’m ready to let you go.”

Time has gone by and when I hear Los Angeles Lakers all that comes to my mind is Kobe Bryant.

But this was not just given to him.

Kobe was once a rookie guard playing for the Los Angeles Lakers straight out of high school. Of course, he never stopped working hard to become a better basketball player.

Despite injuries and downfalls, he kept going and did not let anything stop him from being successful. I could say that as a basketball player Kobe Bryant is someone I can look up to for inspiration.

Kobe has now left the game but definitely left his name in the books. Not only did he leave his mark in the NBA, but also in the memory of all his fans. I believe that Kobe cannot be replaced. As he said, “Heroes come and go, but legends are forever.” Kobe Bryant is forever.

Eating a Triple Triple isn’t easy easy O B P n a recent Saturday night some friends and I went to try out Wayback Burgers. My friends ordered some simple burgers to fill up their appetite, but I had my eyes on the legendary Triple Triple burger.

Wayback is known for this burger. It carries lettuce, tomato, a stack of nine patties, and to make things better there is a slice of cheese between each patty equivalent to nine slices of cheese.

My research online found that the Triple Triple burger has 5,100 calories.

There are images of the burger around the restaurant on McPherson Avenue (next to Walgreen’s) and this caused me to have second thoughts of ordering it because it looks challenging and devastating.

Anyway, I walked up to the counter to place my order.

“I’ll have the Triple Triple, please,” I said.

I said it the calmest way possible. The employee gave me the expression as if the order wasn’t for me.

“Would you like that with a combo?” he said with a little laugh at the end.

I ignored the laugh.

“How much would it be without the combo?” I asked.

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-

http://magnettribune.org/category/reviews/

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.

The Magnet Tribune May 13, 2016

School News

http://magnettribune.org, Twitter. @Magnet_Tribune, www.facebook.com/MagnetTribune

11

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.

Online at The Magnet Tribune http://magnettribune.org/slideshows/

http://magnettribune.org/videos/

Page design by Krysta Robles

http://magnettribune.org/category/poll-results/

12 CHAPA,

School News

http://magnettribune.org, Twitter. @Magnet_Tribune, www.facebook.com/MagnetTribune

from page

1

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.

C

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,

The Bug,

page

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.

from page

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

1

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.

8

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.”