The Tribune Magazine - March by The Magnet Tribune

March 2022

Letter

from the

Editor...

ello! I’d like to avoid cliches, so instead of saying “It’s been a crazy ride,” I will say the following: It was a love and hate relationship that led us to a new en-

deavor. Originally, we planned a newspaper, “The Magnet Tribune.” Unfortunately, technology had a say in this. The newspaper was smacked down like a lunch tray dropped by a bully in the cafeteria. Our paper was gone in a cloud of smoke; within seconds, our months-worth of work was digitally erased from our devices. To this day, we are baffled as to how this occurred. All we know is it was awfully painful. Being the editor of this magazine is the most exhilarating thing I have ever done in my high school career. Having a finished product after countless hours of decision making, collaboration, and disagreements (every once in a while), is what I love. This magazine is our team’s brain child. Salvaging the pieces remaining from the newspaper project seemed to have spiked a new sense of creativity and urgency within my teammates. From the ashes of the ruin, we gave light to a new medium. What once was a monotone, push paper setting, became a collaborative and engaging atmosphere. As you read on, notice no two pages are the same. Our team decided we’d trade stories and let each other design the layouts. A leap of faith was taken in order to build long lasting trust within each other. Our small class of eight became a kinetic ball of creative energy ready to be released into the public eye. After many weeks of designing and organizing, our magazine was completed and ready for take off. With this, I present to you The Tribune Magazine.

Alondra Reyes 1

Table of Contents

Football Teams Try to Close Skill Gap

11-12

Laredo programs have struggled against out-of-town opponents over the past few years

Mall de Norte Remains Open After Rumors of Closing

Favoritism or True Talent?

7-8

The First Sip

Too Little for Too Much

15-16

Loss of stores and amenities provoked rumors of Mall del Norte closure

Investigation about student athletes on the idea of

Comparison between local coffee shops to find the

The struggle of balancing time for teacher to plan work and their personal lives

Alebrijes Highlight VMT’s Hispanic Culture

The History of Alebrijes from Mexico

How Rocky Horror Rose Tinted the WORLD

A story that was heavily criticized becomes leading movemnet for gay rights and sexual fluidity

LGBTQ+ Community

Lack support for the LGBTQ+ community in Laredo

ollege is a major investment by many students who attend to get their studies for a higher paying job/career. Many sacrifice everything just to get into their schools by getting scholarships, grants and working some jobs. Mark Rodriguez, a third year student at the University of Southern California, was awarded $71,509 in financial aid to continue his education. The money goes towards his tuition and fees for the school. “I wanted to live in California for new opportunities,” Rodriguez said. “I live a little north of campus, maybe like 4-5 blocks and I live with my friends Julian, Ethan and Racheal, where we split the money for rent.” Rodriguez doesn’t need to pay for college out of his own pocket because of his financial aid and scholarship; the only amount of money he has to worry about is rent and supplies for his home. According to the FAFSA website, scholarships are like gifts; they don't need to be repaid like loans. They can be offered by schools, employers, individuals, private companies, nonprofits, communities, religious groups, and professional and social organizations. “Some scholarships for college are merit-based,” the website states. “Merit scholarships might be awarded based on academic achievement or on a combination of academics by meeting or exceeding certain standards.” Giselle Cardenas, a student at Texas State University, was given $2,600 for this year by the bobcat cares act and she used that for tuition but she still had to pay $6,200 out of her own pocket. “I was really into the locations and once I toured (Texas State University) it was a really beautiful campus and they had a really good business school, so I chose it,” Cardenas said. “I am in the American Marketing Association. We basically go to conferences that are offered at Texas State or like we host events with speakers in our field.” Even though Cardenas needed to pay out of her pocket she was able to get a lot of help from FAFSA being awarded grants that helped her pay for her ed-

ucation/supplies. According to the FAFSA website, grants for students attending college or career school. Most types of grants, unlike loans, are sources of financial aid that generally do not have to be repaid. “Grants can come from the federal government, your state government, your college or career school, or a private or nonprofit organization,” the website states. However, scholarships and grants aren’t the only source of income paying for Rodriguez’s and Cardena’s education; they both also have jobs. Rodriguez works as a teacher’s assistant for his mock trial team while also working with the ages of change program all year round “Let’s see, in mock trial because I'm a teacher assistant I get paid $1,000 per semester and then for agents of change I get paid $1,000 a month so it's around $4,000 per semester,” Rodriguez said. “I also get paid in the summer but a little less like maybe $800 per month so around $1,600 for the summer.” In contrast, Cardenas works as an H-E-B curbside worker, working 30 hours a week getting paid $15.30 an hour. She saves most of it while all of her savings goes back to her college studies. Cardenas and Rodriguez are living their dreams of studying out of town thanks to the federal aid they receive. Even though FAFSA provides aid, both students have to remain eligible to keep receiving money. According to the website, the basic eligibility requirements are to demonstrate financial need, be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen, have a valid Social Security number, maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school, and be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program.

By Jacob Rodriguez

Students want more courses offered 253 VMT students shared their opinion on whether new courses should be added to the VMT curriculum.

urveys collected by The Magnet Tribune determined the student body’s opinion on the courses offered at VMT. Out of 253 students surveyed, 24 are unsatisfied with the courses offered currently and by the looks of their opinion on other courses, they want more. The collected submissions revealed students want more, but the decision of doing so depends on much more. “VMT is very innovative and we’re always trying to find new courses,” Counselor Ana Laura Guajardo explained. “It depends on the needs of the community and of the students.” As VMT continues to evolve and needs change within the school, administration can always look at changing, adding and taking away different things, Guajardo said. “Right now we’re already looking to add more dual enrollment college classes,” Guajardo said. The interest from students is essential when adding a course. “Usually it starts with a survey,” Guajardo stated. “It starts with an interest and that’s where numbers come in.” Finding space in the school’s budget is a complex task. Adding teachers to a budget is a different situation, Guajardo said. “Every spring semester, before spring break usually, the district calls for something called ‘the needs assess-

ment,’ (where) the teachers get a chance to say what their necessities are for their students,” Guajardo said. “As for classrooms, we only have one classroom that is being used as a storage unit because we don’t have one on campus. What class would be used? Budget is already tight, where are you going to take it away from to add to something else?” Budgets are rarely increased unless the Texas government has extra funding available, Guajardo said. “The (salary) of whoever would be the teacher we’d hire comes from Communities in School, a nonprofit organization, and the other half from the VMT budget,” Guajardo said. “Especially now with the pandemic we have to pay for disinfection and sanitation suppliesone thing leads to another.” The options listed as hypothetical additions included fashion/clothing design, architecture, culture and languages. Fifty-four students stated they want fashion and clothing design. “That would be awesome if kids could take fashion,” Guajardo said. “But it’s much more than ‘it’s cool let’s do it.’” The possibility of new courses is not off the table, just the undertaking of doing so means the start of an extended operation. The commssioner of education may approve a course within the foundation if the proposed course is academically helpful and addresses documented stu-

dent needs. According to the Texas Education Association website, “the Board of Education may approve any course that does not fall in any subject areas listed in the foundation and enrichment curricula.’’ With the approval of the local board of trustees, school districts and charter schools may offer any state-approved innovative course for state elective credit only. Course descriptions include knowledge and skill for the course, suggested activities, resources, materials, and approved educator certification. The TEA website states “a district does not need to apply for an approval to an innovate course.’’ If a district chooses not to renew the application, TEA will open the application process to other interested districts. Courses can only be renewed by the districts, according to TEA. By Alondra Reyes

Mall del Norte Remains Open After Rumors of Closing By Alondra Reyes

he Mall del Norte has been losing stores over the last several years. Such events provoked rumors over the closing of the mall in its entirety, and now that there are outlet shops in Laredo, the popularity of the mall has declined. During lockdown last year, rumors of Mall del Norte’s parent company, CPL & Associates Properties Inc., filing for bankruptcy circled. Not long after this, a spokesperson for Mall Del Norte clarified the shopping center is not for sale and business will continue as usual. “I did think it was all going to close,” long-time shopper Raquel Reyes, 22, said. “If big stores weren’t going to be there, I figured the little ones wouldn’t want to stay either. When Joe Brand left, everyone said JcPenney and Sears were next and, well, that was partially true.” The loyalty Laredoans show to Mall del Norte also means they are the first to notice changes. “There used to be a play place in the center of the mall,” Reyes stated. “It was a communal area where children would have fun while all the parents would go shopping.” Over the years, several children’s stores have closed: Gymboree, Crazy 8 and The Disney Store. “There’s barely any stores for children’s attire,” Raquel ex-

pressed. “Now people have to go to the outlets or Target to buy.” The pandemic had a say in the losses of the mall, considering several businesses closed their doors due to lack of customers. “There’s no question 2020 was a difficult year for most industries, and retail was no exception,” Senior Marketing Director Susie Torres said. “However, sales have rebounded and are up over 2019.” There is a positive outlook for the shopping industry, now with COVID-19 restrictions being lifted. “Traffic is returning to pre-pandemic levels and people visiting the mall are doing so with the intention to spend,” Torres stated. “We are energized by what we’ve seen so far during key selling periods like backto-school and industry projections all point to a strong holiday season.” With its location being so close to the border, The Outlet Shoppes of Laredo have significantly attracted local and international customers. Apart from this, their store variety changes often, sometimes based on public desire. “The outlets have stores, that’s the main thing,” Reyes opined. “For example, the people wanted a Coach [store], so they brought a Coach [store].” Even though the public might see the outlets and mall as competition, they’re actually companions.

Torres mentioned the popularity of the Mall del Norte was not affected by the presence of the outlets, in fact they “complement the shopping experience available at Mall del Norte and further solidify [the company’s] commitment to the Laredo area.” Plans of renovation and redefinition are in the works for the future of the Mall del Norte. “We’re redefining what the mall means to our communities by combining retail, dining, entertainment and other uses like hotels and casinos,” Torres explained. “You can see evidence of these changes when you visit Mall del Norte with the recent openings of TruFit and Main Event.” As for the expansion of retail options, changes are up and coming. “We have seen retailers re-engage in discussions about Mall del Norte with news that the border reopened,” Torres said. “Knowing Laredo has always been a strong retail hub, we expect retailers to once again direct their focus to this area.” After approximately 20 months, the border connecting Los Dos Laredos reopened for non-essential visitors. Rep. Henry Cuellar reminded travelers that only vaccinated passengers will be allowed to cross in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

6 Photo by Melinda Lopez

F a v o r E

very school year, student athletes prepare for their time on the fields, courts and tracks. Coaches spend time encouraging and pushing their athletes to be the best they can be. Three Laredo ISD schools- Nixon, Martin and Cigarroa- compete with each other in football, volleyball, baseball, and other sports to make it to the playoffs. As the season goes on, student athletes train and work to earn the title of best team. Sportsmanship is crucial for teamwork and ultimately to win games. Antonio Villalon, former head football coach for Nixon High School, said Nixon athletes know how much goes into being a good teammate and athlete because of his leadership style. “I do my best to be as equitable as possible because when I was in high school under four different head coaches, in two different high schools, what I saw was when a kid had talent, the kid usually got away with murder because he would produce on the field,” Villalon said. Villalon has 22 years of experience coaching baseball and football in the Corpus Christi, Houston and George West areas. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his master’s from Concordia University. Villalon added that there were times when he’s been really tough on their best players even if it’s not something he’s wanted to do, but he thinks is necessary for the team. “There’s times a few years back where I disciplined boys and moved them from varsity to J.V.,” Villalon said. “Maybe there was a point where I probably should’ve just removed a kid from the program early because the kid was a cancer in the locker room.” He added, “It’s just hard for me to do that because it’s hard for me to cut loose a boy and ultimately I can honestly say

that I would’ve had the same reservation even if the kid was a horrible track athlete or a horrible football player.” Villalon said that there were times he should’ve taken the steps needed to have someone removed from the program but he didn’t have the courage to do it. However, Villalon lets his players know that there are two rules: be a good kid and don’t do anything that’s gonna hurt yourself or hurt the program; if you ever think about it, we are completely fair, he said. “The parents know they have no choice or no recourse but to admit that the boys have been in violation of those two rules,” Villalon said. “I’ve never had a parent who can actually look me in the eye and say, ‘He is a good kid right there.’” Nixon volleyball athlete Sofia Cabello said that this was a tough season and it wasn’t where the team expected to be. However, during the summer the team thought they were going to make it to the playoffs. ”I think the only problem was that we couldn’t finish a game,” Cabello said. “We all have a really close bond, it’s probably one of the closest teams I’ve ever been a part of, which is so ironic because on the court it might not look like it, but outside of the court we’re all best friends.” Cabello added that in previous years, there were a lot of players that were not good people but, it also goes back to the coaches as well. ”The only complaint that I have is definitely the culture,” Cabello stated. “If you go to any other school, even if their team is just 0-12 they still have a lot of school spirit and it also has to start with the coaches. Our coaches didn’t really make it a point to say, ‘Come support.’” She added that Varsity, J.V. and freshman teams were always divided and they were never conjoined or prioritized.

When questioned if she felt like she was favored above other players, she was quick to say her coach doesn’t really acknowledge her at all. She thinks it has to do a lot with her time on the team. “At first, the captain spot seemed pretty promising but I actually didn’t end up being a captain until like my senior year, and also we’re related so that probably made him say no but it did affect me a lot because I kept asking myself, ‘What am I doing wrong? Why not me?’,” Cabello said. Cabello added that she thinks her coaches could improve practices by changing their routines. It’s gotten to a point where the team does the same thing every day since freshman year and they’ve had the same outcome, she said. She mentioned that it’s hard to keep girls in love with the sport, her teammates often question why they’re still playing. It feels like they’re just going through the same motions, so overall the coaches are great people, it’s just a matter of trying to change things around, she said. Melanie Duron, Martin varsity volleyball player, stands out from her teammates because of her achievements in her sports; however, she doesn’t let that go to her head, keeping herself humble and treating everyone with respect. Duron states even though she is very talented, she still doesn’t let that go to her head, she stays humble by treating her teammates as if they were her sisters. “I’m the one that does the kills and blocks so I get most of all the attention,” Duron said. “But I wouldn’t be able to do that without my team because they’re the ones that pass the ball and set me up. I just put everything away.” Duron believes the team has a good environment because of their familiar feeling, but she would like for their coach to have a more of a personal relationship, almost like a mother figure off the court.

r t i s m or

By Arthur Perez, Donna Cardenas, Jacob Rodriguez

True

Talent? “Favoritism is out there, honestly there’s a lot of favoritism. However, in my team, there isn’t any favoritism. Everyone is treated the same, you can play any position and everyone is treated the same,” she said. Duron added, “Favoritism can get into (an athlete’s head) like their performances in the court where they think they have more control over other athletes and they don’t stay as humble as they should.” Genesis Leal, Cigarroa High School track athlete, stated that she feels that her coach pushes, understands, and has faith in the team. “I honestly would not change anything about him or his coaching methods but I guess, if I had to make one suggestion I would say I wish he could make more of an effort to gather more equipment for me and

Photo by Neela Dominguez

the team,” Leal said. Leal added that she notices that her coach favors her over other team members. “Am I one of them? Yes,” Leal said. “But not because I’m a good runner, but because I show up every day and he sees that I work hard.” Leal said that a lot of her teammates are nice and supportive, but there are a few that tend to get jealous and give you dirty looks because it is still very competitive.

Alebrijes

Highlight VMT's Hispanic Culture

he annual Vidal M. Treviño Hispanic Heritage Festival has grown and adapted to the many changes our community has faced. Now in its 27th year, due to health precautions because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, this year, students performed in the school’s auditorium with a limited audience. This year’s theme centered around Alebrijes. Alebrijes come in forms of fantastical creatures with colorful appearances and detailed linings. The term first came up in the 1930s when artist Pedro Linares slept while ill and dreamt of a strange forest setting with flamboyant creatures. The animals were conjointly saying “alebrijes.” Soon after recovery, he created these creatures with papier-mache and cardboard. His work became popular within Mexico and then internationally. Linares’ work received even more attention when British filmmaker Judith Bronowski made a documentary about him. The exact meaning of the word “alebrije” has never been revealed because Linares recovered from his sickness before he ever figured it out, but the significance speaks for itself. The alebrijes made by Pedro Linares weren’t the first mythical beings, though. In Mesoamerica, several cultures had the custom of making unrealistic animals and combining an-

imal and human parts. The word “tonas” means “animal spiritual guides or protective spirits,” while “nahuas” or “nahuales” is a human and animal combined who had the gift of divination or healing. According to Tia Rosita in the popular Disney movie Coco (2017), “guían a las almas en su viaje [a otro mundo].” The cultural significance of alebrijes are connected with nature in order to guide your spirit. Every animal is known for different characteristics; for example, the iguana is known for learning and the hummingbird gives life advice. Today, our rich Mexican culture keeps the tradition of these fabulous beings alive. Many families throughout the country honor their heritage by making alebrijes and teaching it to their young children. The arts of Mexico represent its culture- it is a beautiful sight to take in. By Alondra Reyes Art by Nancy Garcia

It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing By Alondra Reyes Art by Nancy Garcia

azz is the art form of improvisation in rhythm and beats which creates a serene state for the listener; the words “harmonic sophistication” are used in an article by Masterclass in jazz to describe it. I have grown a deep appreciation for jazz. I first stumbled upon this genre conceived by Black excellence a few years ago when I first heard “Angel Eyes” by Ella Fitzgerald. I felt a profound requited love, the lyrics comforted me, I had connection to the sentiment portrayed. I’ve expressed my admiration for this genre and noticed not many people can relate; this leads me to question if jazz is really dead. Today, this genre of music has been declared dead by several news outlets, but the cultural significance is too prominent to ever be considered lifeless. “A relic of another day,” Yale News states on the genre of jazz. Although one might not think so, it is possible for a category of music to die repeatedly, such is happening to Jazz. Dating back to the late 1910s, New Orleans jazz took the United States by storm. It didn’t take long for a journalist to announce it wasn’t ever going to be a ‘big deal.’ In 1922, a writer from Vogue magazine stated “Jazz is dead - or dying, at any rate - and the moment has come for someone who likes to fancy himself wider awake than his fellows to write its obituary notice.” Come to find out, this genre has been said to have lost many aspects over time. An article published in 2016 by CNN Entertainment examines snapshots taken by legendary musical photographer Jim Marshall. Marshall took photos when jazz was ‘all the rage’ as well as when it lost its com-

mercial appeal. In many pictures, you can see there was an intimate energy that was “palpable” and the sea of integrated listeners were all “hip.” John Blake describes them as “much a part of the festival as the performers themselves.” Blake explains there is an “unmistakable melancholy” in the photos taken during the mid-60s, when rock acts began to be put onstage. “That’s really the point where you can feel the panic building in the air,” Award-Winning Jazz Historian Scott DeVeaux said. “People were saying ‘we’ve got to do something.’” In the article, Blake lists the logistics behind over shadowing of jazz. Jazz lost its business because “if it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense,” Blake said. Many jazz writers liked to create their music for the dancers, then other styles came along and eventually jazz became a solo-listening genre. People eventually lost interest. “Jazz is now almost being treated as a museum piece,” DeVeaux states. “[Jazz] is primarily preserved in educational and cultural circles.” I sat down with music instructor Ric Cortez to ask what he thought about these claims of jazz being six feet under. “[Jazz] is not popular music,” Cortez said. “It really hasn’t been since the 1960s, in that sense you could say that it is dying, but I don’t think it’s dying because there is now modern jazz. It keeps evolving” Cortez explained that even though it is not favored, there is still interest in the genre. “There are a lot of young people wanting to learn how to play jazz,” Cortez explained. “Jazz studies programs have spread to universities all over Texas. I believe UT Arlington even has a degree for jazz studies.” Since its inception, jazz has influenced many music genres.

“Up to the 1960s, Jazz was primarily acoustic instruments,” Cortez said. “With the advent of technology and rock music that was popular in the late 1960s, you now had electronic instruments that were now being used by jazz musicians. It continues the tradition of jazz playing, it just takes on different sounds.” Cortez mentioned how jazz has always been in the background but today the ascendency continues. The art of jazz music is not for everyone. The fact of the matter is that one can only try to demonstrate its importance. “The only way that I know of passing the interest is to just set the example and expose the students to it, ” Cortez stated. “Typically I start out with classics, after a certain level we move on to ensemble playing, hopefully that somehow influences them.” Jazz is not dead. The time of death has not yet been marked, as for the future of jazz, one can only teach it in order to pass the torch. “I really want young kids to listen to jazz music because it’s important,” Lady Gaga stated in a promotional video for Love For Sale with Tony Bennett. “It is not something that should be left behind, it’s something that should be coveted so sacredly forever.”

Football te B

efore playing an out-oftown team, junior Dominique Valadez and the Martin football team had meetings to prepare for the game. The difference in skill level between Laredo ISD high school and out-oftown football teams is recorded in scores throughout the years. “The toughest team we’ve ever played, I have to give it to probably the San Antonio Southside (team),” Valadez said. “Their linebackers roughed me up a couple times.” On Sept. 24, Martin played against San Antonio Southside and lost 49-0. Valadez played running back, quarterback, wide receiver, safety and cornerback during the game. “It’s good to play against other people to see what other talents other cities have so it’s very interesting and I enjoy playing against other teams,” Valadez said. “Sometimes it can be intimidating because they are a lot bigger than us but for the most part, after the first hit, everything goes away and it’s just about who’s the better team and who has more will to win.” Martin head coach David Charles said the most important thing is to create routines to make the athletes feel comfortable. “Once you create routines, it makes (players) more comfortable,” Charles said. “There’s no change up. They know what time the bus is loading. They

know what time the pre-game meal is. They know when taping is. They know what time the pre-game run through is. So I think the most important thing is just to create routines.” Valadez said he usually takes a nap on the bus. Sometimes he will be 100% ready to go and other times he’ll be sleepy before the game and it can be draining. For Del Rio High School athletic director Frenchey McCrea, he prepares his team by making the athletes’ day as normal as possible. “We try to make it where they aren’t just sleeping the whole time,” McCrea said. “They might be working on some homework or just kind of lounging around, but there’s always a point in the trip where we stop to get off the bus or we wake everyone and make sure they’re awake and doing something so they aren’t just lounging the whole time.” On Sept. 9, Martin played Del Rio. However, the Tigers couldn’t come away with the win, losing 58-6. Valadez managed to score the only six points for Martin during the fourth quarter with a 34-yard touchdown. McCrea enforces his idea by saying it’s kind of like laying on your couch and just staying there all day long and waking up an hour before the game to go play. By that time, you’ll become lethargic, so it’s important that you aren’t sleeping the entire trip because it does

zap you of normal body movement functions. “I think the biggest deal is once you get off the bus moving around with some athletic intent,” McCrea said. “Running, stretching, throwing balls around, shooting pregame shots, anything like that just to try to get some normalcy.” Valadez believes that to close the skill gap, athletes have to show up to practice and get into the mindset of going hard each time — so they can improve to compete. “There wasn’t much competition in practices this year,” Valadez said. “They have to get into that mindset because the COVID years affected everyone’s mindset.” Valadez added that this year the team would practice early in the morning but a lot of players didn’t want to wake up for practice. So, it’s all about how bad they want to win. “There were a lot of young players around this year so they haven’t really realized that yet but I feel like next year everyone is going to realize that and we’ll do a lot better,” Valadez said. Charles believes that setting norms helps set certain behaviors that the coaches allow. Those norms make it a lot easier for the athletes to start pushing themselves. “They already know that we don’t need fifteen yard penalties, they know that we run off the field,” Charles said.

to clos

eams try “If we are tired, we ask for a sub. We don’t take a play off because we’d rather get someone else in there that is going to go hard.” Former Nixon head football coach Antonio Villalon believes preparing your team by whatever you do in practice is going to simulate what’s going to happen to that player on gameday. You’re not going to do stuff that’s not gonna transfer over, he said. Villalon knows the game should be easy for them in terms of the cognitive and emotional aspect but he doesn’t want his players to be nervous or scared. He wants them to be nervous and scared during practice as he yells at them, he said. On Oct. 15, Nixon played Del Rio and put up a fight. However, it wasn’t enough with Del Rio coming on top winning 46-28. However, this didn’t stop Villalon nor bring him down. “Even though we’ve been horrible at football in our district these last few years, our team has stuck together and is actually playing their best football,” Villalon said. “Throughout the whole year they’ve gotten better little by little and that only happens if the team is tight knit, close and they care about each other.” McCrea said his team tries to mimic the same tenacity and approach to playing Nixon whenever Del Rio plays San Antonio schools or United ISD programs.

“I know later in the game we kind of pulled away in football but earlier in the game they were ahead and we had to fight back and they still fought us to the nail and it’s something you really look up to,” McCrea said. McCrea added typically when playing Laredo teams, he knows they’re in for a fight because they play aggressively, play with tenacity and they never quit. So, even if he feels that his team might be superior at times, he still understands his team can not take them for granted. “We’ve always been maybe the smallest, so we know getting off the bus we have to compete physically and just being smart and executing and if we can do that, we can find that we can shrink the gap skillswise,” McCrea said. “One-on-one a player might be better than us but when we start really coming together as a team I think that’s when we can eliminate some of the distance in talent.” Charles doesn’t see it that way. Instead he tries to preach to his players that they already know what their opponents are going to do. What he worries more about is if they are mentally ready, physically and spiritually ready to go in there and play the game, he said. “We had a very tough district this year, but we could play against a team that’s 0-10 or play a team that’s 10-0 and we are going in with the same men-

By Jacob Rodriguez

tality every week,” Charles said. “We are going to take care of our business and if we take care of our business then we are going to have an opportunity to win at the end of the game.” Despite having tough games, Charles is grateful for his school district and the financial support given to them with equipment as well as their support there on the field. “Simply looking at our facilities in all our sports in baseball, softball and football, all of our facilities are first class and our weight rooms are first class,” Charles said. “Because of our awesome superintendent, board members, athletic director, campus administration and district administration.” Charles added all those little things make it easier for them to worry about coaching, player development and improvement. “The fact that at every game they are there to support us. You see them at the football games, basketball games and baseball games. They’re always there supporting us,” Charles said. “Because we are all on the same mission, we are all in the same battle to try to help our (players) progress and proceed and to get better.” McCrea, like Charles, believes that his district’s biggest support comes from finances because of their big budget for out-of-town football games.

se skill gap 12

Comparing two local yogurt shops By Arthur Perez

aredo’s local businesses have taken over the city. Yogurt shops are fun places for families to hang out and enjoy some frozen yogurt. Sweet Loring and Red Berry are common places where Laredoans hang out. The frozen yogurt place Sweet Loring is a great place to visit when wanting a day to spend with family. Many families visit Sweet Loring because of its movie place, the music, and the sandbox outside for children. Sweet Loring’s manager was very pleased to help me out. He explained that every Wednesday the toppings are $5 and are not weighed at all. He also said that Sunday is a full day at Sweet Loring The customers’ most favorite frozen yogurt flavor is strawberry. Sweet Loring is rated 4.6 stars on Google. “The customer service is really great. The environment is welcoming and friendly. It’s a good place to hangout with friends. The yogurt is so yummy,” Emyli Robles said. Sweet Loring’s environment is very clean and it is a very good place to study, to eat and do work when needed. One of the negative reviews of Sweet Loring by one of the customers. However, Anali Villanueva said every time she has ordered at Sweet Loring, she’s had rude experiences. “The staff here clearly do not care about how they treat the customers because time and time again they act like they have better things to do than take your order,” Villanueva wrote on Google. “Not to mention I always get errors

in my order and they act rude when I ask them to fix it. In my experience, Sweet Loring workers took their time to explain anything for the customer to understand how serving works. My dad asked an employee how the coke machine worked and she was going to

a table to clean but she decided to help him instead. Red Berry, also a frozen yogurt place, is not as popular as Sweet Loring because it doesn’t have a movie place, sand pit, and music. It is a very quiet place, more of a studying place and also great for family time.

Not many families visit Red Berry that much because it is very silent and the owner of the place is not much of a friendly person. The only workers that are in Red Berry are the owner and the employee. The owner is at the back doing bobas and the employee is in the front weighing the cups of frozen yogurt. When my mom and I went to get yogurt and added the toppings, we went to the cashier to see how much it was and the price was $15.56 compared to Sweet Loring’s $5. Red Berry is rated 4.7 stars on Google and customers have left good and bad reviews. Richard Olivares Jr said Red Berry is a great place to visit for dessert or just a snack. “The place is very clean, the prices are good and the boba teas are some of the best in town,” Olivares said. “Not to forget the great customer service from the owner himself. Overall, I greatly recommend it!’’ i agree with this review because it was very clean and a good place to go with family. In contrast, Jay Meacham said the yogurt is low quality and the flavors are not very good compared to other similar frozen yogurt shops. “The people were friendly and the toppings were good. The shop is also very clean and comfortable,” Meacham said. The two frozen yogurt places were very good, but I enjoyed Sweet Loring a lot more because you can see movies, play with sand, and listen to music.

The First Sip Comparing Laredo’s Local Coffee Shops

Glorias Coffee Bar Coffee suggestion: La Havana Latte

Dosis Coffee Coffee Suggestion: Wild Bill w/ Zoomie

Organic Man Coffee Trike Coffee Suggestion: ChocoNut

Coffee Shops of the Day

offee is a very important part of the day, and to most people it’s pretty much what they need to survive the day, most people know the commercial coffee chains such as Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, and pretty much any restaurant that serves breakfast, but most people know how important it is to support small coffee shops who make sure to put their time and effort into the idea of a good coffee. Gloria’s, a coffee shop minus the shop, is actually a coffee truck which might seem a bit different to most but to me it was probably what drew me in the first place. Gloria’s Coffee was created by a niece of a grandma named Gloria. She created this environment of expressing her Mexican heritage and allowing people to express it as well. I started going to Gloria’s a few months ago, but the first time I went I remember not knowing what I wanted, but what really piqued my interest was the actual Mexican culture not only involved in the setting but in the actual coffee. Cold brew mazapan was what I ordered and it was definitely what made me go back for months after that. Mazapan is a Mexican candy that has been around for 79 years and it is a confection made up of ground almonds, almond paste, sugar and even egg whites. Overall I believe

Gloria’s is a great coffee truck that I wouldn’t mind consuming continuously. Dosis, a coffee shop focusing on selections of Latin American coffee and more, Dosis’ slogan is “Come For Coffee and Stay For Friends.” To them, this is more than just a slogan, they truly just want for people to feel welcomed and to have a good time themselves, as well as with others. Born and raised in Laredo, Billy Hrncir and Rochelle Mota had an idea to create a coffee shop and quickly dove into the industry as a way to grasp the knowledge of how to truly create a coffee shop for the town of Laredo. My first time trying Dosis was way back when they had a coffee bus and they stood outside of a hotel advertising with just an instagram post. I quickly decided to try this coffee. I remember ordering a cold brew with Mexican vanilla, that was very good and truly provided the necessity. Overall I believe dosis is a great coffee shop that honestly provides the greatest flavor. Organic Man Coffee Trike, a coffee shop owned by Julio and Martha, has been in Laredo since 2016. They focus on freshly roasted organic coffee beans from several regions around the world. Their coffee beans are from selected fair-trade farms and are certified non-GMO. Their perfect roast and brewing methods allow

By Donna Cardenas

for a wide selection of items in their menu from the espresso machine to the traditional drip method to a Mexican clay pot, French-press, Turkish pour over or syphon they work from scratch, one cup at a time. My first time trying Organic Man I ordered a cold brew with almond milk and two pumps of vanilla, and it was a very strong and rich coffee off the bat, which says a lot about good coffee. I am not the type to love insanely strong coffee, but I would say this one wasn’t too potent. Overall I liked the coffee and honestly felt like it was good coffee. To sum up, I truly believe coffee is always made differently by many vendors and at the end of the day some people like it and some people don’t, but nonetheless it’s coffee and it’s something that can be bought from others or made by one. I believe Gloria’s Coffee is my favorite local coffee. It really left a desire in me to keep buying more, and has an awesome atmosphere where I felt like it created a great excitement to continue as a customer.

arly Monday morning teachers organize their paperwork and review emails for the week to come. As they sip their hot coffees and eat- or skip- a quick breakfast, they await the first bell at 8:15 a.m. Soon students pour into the classroom like an open door holding back gushing water, then there is a change to the flow: it settles. with demure sounds here and there. The teacher takes a breath before beginning a new lesson unit, “Good morning class.” Busy is the bee who works overtime, busier is the educator whose job is to instill the most information possible within months in the pupil’s mind. Today in the United States, teachers work for longer periods of time compared to other countries. A survey by The National Center for Education Statistics exhibits what the teachers who strike, protest and walk-out for: “too much for too little.” An article by Psychology Today states, “It’s not usually a game of thriving- it’s usually a game of surviving.” The job educators take on can exhaust their mental stability and physically tire them causing a burnout- a teacher burnout. Symptoms

include fatigue, sleep issues, forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, appetite problems and even depression. “That’s why it’s really important to set boundaries,” VMT Geography and History teacher Angelita Rubio said. “I admit in my first five years as a teacher. I put in a lot of hours into my work.” Rubio specifies she would miss family and friends’ events due to grading and/ or modifying lesson plans. It’s nothing out of the ordinary when a teacher runs out of space in their calendar when writing the daily agenda. “Grading takes up most of my time,” Rubio said. “The rest of the time is usually spent reflecting on lessons I’ve given and making changes to the lesson.” Add weekly meetings and mentoring to Rubio’s schedule and you have a busy schedule. After having children, her time balanced out between work and play- there are still some exceptions, though. “Sometimes, because we are teachers, we build a strong rapport with our students,” Rubio stated. “They tend to often turn to teachers for help. If it is a cry for help, we as teachers must step in to do our best to help them.”

In order to impact the education of students’, teachers travel far and wide no matter the bumps along the way. A study by Annenberg Learner explains how emotions affect learning- sort of a “one for one” teacher-students relationship: mutual feelings of understandment. “I always try to place myself in my students’ shoes,” Rubio explained. “I do my best to understand where they are coming from and what could be affecting them in each situation that occurs.” Becoming an educator is more than standing before children or mini-adults and telling them what they need to know; emotions fall into place and that changes everything. Does the average salary cover these expenses? In order to call attention to this crisis, educators, parents, students and community members from all over the United States created a movement: Red for Ed. The movement calls for better schools, classrooms good enough to effectively teach students, salaries that allow educators to afford the profession they love and access to opportunities no matter the students’ background. NEA stated that for the 2021-2022 and

Photo by Alondra Reyes

2022-2023 school years, teacher salaries increased from $49,822 to $51,822. In Texas, the average salary for a teacher in 2019-20 was $57,090. For the 2020-21 school year, the estimated salary was $57,641. “Now is not the time to rest,” a Red for Ed advocate explained. Although there has been an apparent rise in educator salaries in many states, the fight is not over; there are still states like Mississippi, Florida and South Dakota who are at the bottom of the better pay rankings. “Teaching is not about money,” VMT Journalism teacher Maria Salas expressed. “When we build relationships with students the job becomes more of a passion and even though it can be difficult, those who love it show up regardless of pay.” The sleepless nights, heavy eyes and caffeine dependency is all worth it when students genuinely try, and no matter the outcome, they succeed with the help of their teacher. Teaching is not a dark passage where every once in a while there is a flash of light, there is light throughout the entire ride, never a dull moment. Student-teacher relationships are

TOO

fundamental K-12, when a student gives a drawing or a simple “thank you,” teachers hold those moments precious to their hearts. “You must have passion, a love for teaching, compassion and patience,” Rubio said. “Most of the time, yes, you are a teacher, but other times you must also be a friend, a listener, a supporter, a cheerleader, counselor. At the end of the day, I find my career very fulfilling and I encourage anyone who would like to be a teacher for our future generations.”

little for

TOO

UCH By Alondra Reyes

W O H

ROCKY HORROR RLD O W E H T D E T N I ROSE T

By Alondra Reyes

n 1975 The Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in theaters, but the box office, though, was not jampacked. How can a film that flopped during its first showings become a cult-classic, a monumental cultural piece? Narrated by The Criminologist, Brad and Janet, a newly affianced couple, find themselves with a flat tire in a storm making them walk to the nearest shelter. They enter a haunting-looking gate and knock on the front door of a mansion. When they enter, they are greeted by the creepy butler, RiffRaff and the maid, Magenta, then the party girl, Colombia. They notice there is a party and soon after they meet the one and only Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite mad scientist from Transylvania who has been creating a man- with blonde hair and a tan- Rocky. After a night full of mischief, sensuality and dancing, it is discovered that Riff-Raff and Magenta have been planning to escape Frank-N-Furter’s mansion and return to Transylvania. Riff-Raff and Magenta destroy Frank and Rocky along with the house leaving Brad and Janet along with their professor, Dr. Scott, stranded. The origin story of this piece came from the minds of Richard O’ Brien, who also plays Riff-Raff, and Jim Sharman. The show began as a musical play in London during the early 1970s. This campy science fiction show sky-rocketed taking it overseas. A film to massively exhibit this grand spectacle was a no-brainer- right? Wrong. Critics weren’t as pleased as they expected to be. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show would be more fun, I suspect, if it weren’t a picture show,” a 1976 U.S film critic stated as he backed up his 2 ½ star rating. “It belongs on stage, with the performers and audience joining in a collective send-up.” By the looks of it, this critique was for the general public, not to be minded by the outcasts, weirdos and rejects. The message repeated throughout the song “Rose Tint

My World” stuck to its audience: “don’t dream it be it.” At the time this movie hit midnight screenings, gay rights movements were on the rise. A story celebrating gender and sexual fluidity was almost a comforting shock to the population who weren’t accepted in society. Since this movie connected so many people, visits to midnight screenings became more and more usual. This custom continued for decades, even today open air screenings due to Covid-19 have the same energy when chanting, shouting and throwing. The audience participation is a big part of how this movie remains a cult classic. The Rocky Horror Picture Show official fan website has a guide for first-time goers, or virgins, to functions. You are instructed to watch the movie before, multiple times if able, in order to know the timing of the lines. For example, during the song “Sweet Transvestite” Frank-N-Furter pauses in between the word “anticipation,” making it one of the most iconic lines in cinema history. The audience yells “say it” between “antici-” and “pation.” Another example of participation is the props, although many theaters have banned them due to the mess, some allow it. To paint a clearer image in your head, the first scene is a wedding so, naturally, the audience throws rice at the screen. It is also normalized for a cast to recite the entire musical production below the big screen while the film is playing, it is even considered a “rite of passage” for you to have a role in the play. Today, fans of the film are worried about the movie disappearing because of how it’s tossed up so often between networks who buy it and sell it. As of now it’s owned by Disney, this makes the audience joke “is Frank-N-Furter a Disney Princess now?” “Rocky Horror is its own living and breathing monster,” President of the TRHPS fan club Larry Viezel said. “That spirit will keep The Rocky Horror Picture Show living forever.”

LGBTQ+ Community By Neela Dominguez

he LGBTQ+ community in Laredo is not talked about or acknowledged often. Due to that, Laredo has one of the lowest scores for LGBTQ+ friendliness in the state of Texas. “I believe (the city) should help support us to be honest. Not only just having (Laredo Police Department) getting involved, but to support us in a matter that if we have anything that’s going against us, that we could go ahead and stature it in the next council meeting,” Earl Medina, President of Laredo Pride states. However, there are organizations rising to the plate in Laredo to make people of the LGBT community feel safe and welcomed. Even Texas A&M International University is offering their students a safe place to be their authentic selves. “Not just Gateway but Laredo Pride we are also bringing the balance of uniting both organizations hopefully in the near future by being supportive not just only to the LGBT community but the community itself. But not just expanding to just the adult capture but also the youth,” Medina states. “Pillar is always out there- I admire those LC kids that are coming out and are doing things

and helping,” Lu Sparkman stated. Nowadays teenagers have an easier time coming out compared to the early 2000’s and years before that. Communities have become more open minded about the LGBTQ+ community. “Nowadays the perspective for 2020 is a little bit more open minded to be honest. Back in the days in the 80’s and 90’s and even in the 2000’s it was kind of hard for some of us, especially on the Laredo border,” Medina states. For Mari Barraz, being in the closet during the 80s and 90s and pretending for so long made her very ill. She had to drop out of school. “Totally different. We were in the closet and we couldn’t even talk about it. I started cutting hair in ‘86 in Frank’s Hairstylists and I had to pretend you know. Guys would hit on me and I would say ‘Oh I have a boyfriend,’” Barraz states. This year, the City of Laredo proclaimed June as Pride Month, but received a score of zero on a Human Rights Campaign’s rubric for measuring equality for the LGBTQ+ communities in over 500 municipalities across the country in 2019.

in Laredo

Resources • • • •

thetrevorproject.org pflag.org gaycenter.org glaad.org 18

Playlist

The Tribune Mag Team 2nd BLK | 2021 - 2022 skool yr

Editor-In-Chief, writer

Class of 2024

Alondra Reyes

Writer, photographer, designer Jacob Rodriguez

Class of 2024

Designer, writer Donna Cardenas

Class of 2024

Designer, artist Nancy Garcia

Class of 2024

Designer, writer Neela Dominguez

Class of 2024

Designer, photographer Carlos Verino

Class of 2024

Designer, photographer

Class of 2025

Melinda Lopez Designer, writer, photographer Arthur Perez

Adviser 19

Maria Salas

0:00

Class of 2025

VMT Photojournalism ▶ 3:26

Administration

Mr. Jose A. De Leon

Ms. Rebecca Gonzalez

VMT Director

Vice Principal

his semester has been a whirlwind! From getting back into the groove of school schedules to scrambling to meet publication deadlines, my students have worked hard to put together this newsmagazine. Their dedication to write their stories, explore topics that interest them and their decision to step out of their comfort zones to interview sources to get their stories going blew my mind from the get-go. This is a passionate bunch and I am excited to keep learning, growing and expanding their interests to bring you, our readers, the best content.

Maria Salas

Photojournalism Adviser