Magazine Posts Table of Contents

May 29th, 2015

Posted 2015-05-29 10:56:43 | Views: 1,663
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THE INSIDE SCOOP
Volume One, Number 17
May 29th, 2015
Bittersweet Anniversary 
Story by: Ashton Henry

 

Who Doesn’t Like Free Cookies and Cash? 
Story By: Madeline Quinn and Kathleen Moore

Let’s face it: college is pretty expensive no matter what career you want, and paying for it isn’t exactly easy. However, due to such a supportive community, many of this year’s graduating class have less of a cost to worry about. Thanks to a large group of generous people here in 29, seniors received multiple scholarships to help pay for the overwhelming cost of education on Wednesday, March 27th, at what the high school calls “Scholarship Night.”  
Proud parents gathered to watch their sons and daughters receive help in taking the next step in their educational careers. Members from groups like the Soroptimist, Elks, and Officers’ Spouses Club joined these parents in the High School MPR to recognize the scholarship recipients. Makayla Ogdahl was awarded with four different scholarships that will pay for some of the cost of her housing. Jocelyn Valdez received numerous scholarships in which she plans to “use towards the many college expenses” she will have as a future Cornell University student.
Although this event went well, it wasn’t perfect. Before the event even started, a situation occurred between the seniors invited and the figures in charge. The students were originally required to wear their caps and gowns to the event. However, many of them felt that it took away from the significance of wearing them at graduation. None of the students wanted to wear them and considered showing up in dress apparel instead of their gowns. To avoid further conflict, the people in charge decided to do away with the caps and gowns and just have the students show up to the event “dressed to impress”; and impress they did. Many of the sponsors there complimented on how “professional and respectful” students at TPHS looked and acted.
On top of all the scholarships and compliments, cookies and fruit punch were offered after all the awards, and people were allowed to congratulate others and thank their sponsors for the support.
But of course, none of this could have happened if it weren’t for Mrs. Baker, TPHS’s counseling secretary. She organized the entire event, from preparing the MPR to informing parents and students. Although it was very stressful for her, the event was a success. She calculated that over $100,000 was awarded that night. The students present at the event are very thankful for her efforts and for the financial help they received.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls… 
Welcome to Hotspot 2015!
This year’s Hotspot was dedicated to the lovely couple of Mr. and Mrs. Fontana. As of 2005, this couple has been making our community better with all of their hard work in our education system. Mr. Fontana works as a teacher in our English department here at Deuce-Nine, and Mrs. Fontana works for our district. Sadly, Mr. Fontana is leaving our high school to pursue his dream of personal training. However, all of his yearbook students wanted to make sure they had a memorable goodbye from our school.
Hotspot 2015 was thrown by Mr. Fontana’s yearbook class. All of the students put in hard work and made a lot of good food for the event. The yearbook staff had a surprise for Mrs. Fontana, one of the Hotspot judges, as a friendly goodbye and as a 10-year wedding anniversary gift.
They planned to present a slideshow of the Fontanas’ wedding during Kyle Lav’s ukulele duet of Lemonade by Danity Kane with Jaedeen Laranang. Unfortunately some technical difficulties happened. But they came back on top with Mr. Fontana’s dance performance to the song Because of You by Ne-Yo with backup dancers Beayahn Carrllo and Trevon Morrow. The dancers got their hip hop and headbands on and performed a huge hit for the audience.
 Then, yearbookers Cheyenne Hunsinger and Makayla Ogdahl walked down the runway with a bucket full of baseballs for Mr. Fontana with the date of their first kiss and their wedding (aww). Alyssa Faughn and Madeline Higgins also gave flowers to Mrs. Fontana as her anniversary gift as well as thank you card signed by all of the yearbook staff showing their appreciation for all of her dedication to making our yearbook better.
 Mr. and Mrs. Fontana have impacted the lives of many students with their dedication and the passion they have for our yearbook staff. The Fontana’s plan to always support our yearbook staff, even outside of our school campus.
Thank you and good luck with your next big adventure making people’s lives better. 
Holy Cow 
Story by: Alexis Hidalgo and Kerenza Robinson
 
The cow heart dissection in Ms. Faudel’s class of anatomical art,
Was disgusting from the very start.
They had to scrape off the outer layer before they could begin slicing and dicing.
It was certainly not appealing; it was far from enticing.
This worried some students by what it would produce,
Leaking from the heart was some kind of juice.
But nobody fainted, puked, or turned green.
In fact some laughs, jokes, and bonds were seen.
Anaya Cook says, “The hardest part was cutting it in half.”
Frozen was the heart of this full grown calf.
Some people made faces and even made tongues by splitting the heart into three sections.
The worst part was that it smelled weird in all spaces and directions.
This dissection took away their appetite because it looked like a steak.
Some stuck their finger through the aorta and pulmonary vein, slithering like a snake.
 

May 8th, 2015

Posted 2015-05-06 10:42:14 | Views: 2,016
THE INSIDE SCOOP
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Volume One, Number 16
May 8th, 2015
STORY
Two Weeks and Twenty Dead Brains Later  
Story by: Makayla Ogdahl

AP students spend eight months preparing for a single day, a single test. Or, if you’re like a lot of AP students at our school in particular, two to three days and two to three tests. A lot of people would be intimidated by these numbers, but its not always as bad as it seems. Joshua Bamm took three AP tests this year, and says simply that he just prefers not to worry. “I am as prepared as I will ever be. Let’s just wing it and I will get what I deserve,” he tells himself.
 This year was an interesting year for Bamm in particular during AP testing. Most people dread taking a test once; however, Bamm has now taken the AP Calculus AB test twice. He decided to audit the class at the end of last year because he believed that he had not passed the AP exam (you don’t find out your scores till July, after all, so two whole months go by where you have no idea what to expect) - but when the scores came in, he’d passed. He decided to carry on auditing the class though, and says, “I feel that auditing the class was a valuable experience since it served as a way to further my understanding of the foundations of Calculus before heading out to college.”
 Immersing himself in the criteria again not only helped to solidify his understanding of the material, but allowed him the opportunity to take the AP test again. And, go figure, he noticed that it was “considerably easier than last year’s.” He even recognized one of the free response questions as one that he and another student had figured out last year, and said that the other free response questions were not nearly as difficult as before. Sometimes your performance on a test just depends on your luck of getting easy questions.
 Not all students share his easy-going attitude towards these tests, though. Dozens of students thought that tackling AP Chemistry, AP Calculus, AP English, and AP Government all in one year would be a piece of cake. Now I’m not sure how you like your cake, but I like mine with a lot less textbooks and tears and a lot more buttercream frosting. By the second semester, most of these go-getter students had realized that this amount of rigor was impossible to manage on top of sports and family obligations, and dropped a class or two. And they should feel good about it, because taking four AP classes may make you look good, but high stress levels and pulling your hair out definitely will not.
 Many students may be unaware, but up until now you have been allowed to take an AP test even if you not enrolled in that AP class - you just have to have a good recommendation and the willingness to try. Cassidy Zimarik accomplished that feat this year, and therefore found herself in room 110 early Wednesday morning with a three hour test looming in front of her. The AP Literature and Composition test (AP English 12 for most people) consists of one hour of multiple choice questions and a two-hour block in which students are required to write three essays. Zimarik was not only slightly less familiar with the material, but also had the stress of a time crunch on her head. She and the two other swimmers had to leave at 10 a.m. for DAL Finals, but the test couldn’t start until well past 7:15. (We survived though; swimmers survive.)
 As that three-hour block came to a close, one student (who will remain anonymous) found that they were out of time for their third essay. In a final act of desperation, they wrote “I’m sorry ):” mid-sentence just as the tests were called to be handed in. With any luck, the AP graders will have hearts and pity. These tests are hard, and are designed to be that way. But the two weeks of exhausted and unteachable students is worth the difficulty of getting them there.

Every 15 Minutes
Story By: Alexis Hidalgo

From March 30th to May 1st, Twentynine Palms High School experienced the realistic vision of what happens when you drink and drive. Every 15 minutes the students heard the phrase “Every 15 minutes someone dies from and alcohol related car crash. Someone you know just died.” Soon after, the grim reaper would enter the classroom of certain individuals and the chosen student would “die”. The rules were that they had to act like they didn’t exist all day. To their peers, they were ghosts.
When fourth period came around, on the first day of the program, the students had to watch a reenactment of a drunk driving car accident. One car consisted of the drunk driver, Kaleb Wiliford, and three of his drunk friends, Kyle Hope, Shane Estrada, and Beayahn Carrllo, driving home from a party after prom. Another consisted of ASB students Hanna Beard, Koko Cabrera, Jared Begnaud, and Ryan Blankenship heading home from prom clean-up. The third car consisted of two chaperones, Mr. Fontana and Ms. Mintz. In the crash, Hope and Ms. Mintz died on impact, Carrllo was paralyzed from the waist down, Cabrera was airlifted for her life to be saved, Begnaud was paralyzed from the neck down, and Mr. Fontana broke his arm. This event made the message clearer to students because they got the chance to witness what could really happen if they drank and drove.
The following day, the program continued. This day was to memorialize all of the people who died as a part of E15, as well as the people who died and were injured in the accident. Many people were stuck wondering, “Did Koko live or die when she got to the hospital?” That question was answered by a video taken at the hospital while Cabrera was getting treated by doctors, who in the end couldn’t save her life; she died due to internal injuries. So the next question: “Well, what happened to Kaleb?” That was also answered by video: Wiliford being processed at the jail. He was then sentenced and put into prison for driving under the influence, three counts of vehicular manslaughter, and three counts of injury. It was a very dramatic experience for most of the students.
What followed next was a reading of the letters the “ghosts” wrote to a parent, a teacher, and a friend/student. One of each were read out loud to the audience; it was an emotional time. But what was probably one of the best things for the students to hear was the guest speaker, Wendy Reynolds, who had an experience with a drunk driver when she was a little girl. She told the students how both of her parents and her sister died due to this drunk driver. She also explained how she also almost died, because the police didn’t know she was in the car under metal from the crash. It was an enlightening conversation and the students learned a lot from her. She doesn’t believe she was brave, as people called her; she was a survivor.
The message that was meant to get through to the juniors and seniors was: don’t drink and drive, ever. Though at the end of the day everyone was still alive, we knew that the possibility of that hypothetical situation could become reality.
THE DAY OF SILENCE
Story By: Ashton Henry

The TPHS Equality Club members held an emotional event on April 17th. President Diana Jimenez and Vice President Curtis Mohn decided to promote the idea of a nonjudgmental atmosphere to our school by participating in national Day of Silence. This day brings attention to youth suicide among the LGBT community. The Day of Silence is an event in which students do not speak for most of the school day, until the silence is broken at lunch with the breaking of the silence. Students participating were given a lanyard with a profile of a young person who has committed suicide due to anti-LGBT bullying. Students also decorated themselves for the Day of Silence with wearing the favorite colors of ones whom they have lost to bullying, other students got creative and wore duct tape with the words “Silence is LOUD” over their mouths.  
At lunch, the students who participated broke the silence by screaming at the top of their lungs. The breaking of the silence was followed by a series of speeches from different students who have had their own experiences with anti-LGBT bullying. Student Eddie Basil’s speech had an amazing message of self love and making yourself happy. “People will always support you but your first supporter is yourself, you have to live for you. You have to make yourself happy and then you can find someone that would keep it that way, but don’t let other people control you. YOU HAVE THE POWER OF YOUR OWN LIFE. Be yourself and be happy.” The Day of Silence was “a success for the Equality Club,” according to Curtis Mohn, having over 210 participants.
Student Alyssa Patterson, a junior, allowed me to shadow her for a school day and interview her about the difficulties of being silent all day. This day was especially hard for her, having lost her two friends to suicide. When I followed Alyssa throughout the school day, I noticed that her biggest hurdle she had to overcome was communication. This was a great realization for Alyssa and other students. She now knows how hard it was for her friends to express their true sexuality. The silence is a part of how LGBT teens who have committed suicide suffer quietly every day with their sexuality.
Overall, this event had a huge impact on our school, straight and LGBT teens alike. Everyone who participated had an experience they've never had before. The Equality Club plans to continue events like The Day of Silence in the future. 

April 17th, 2015

Posted 2015-04-16 11:15:26 | Views: 1,908
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Volume One, Number 14
April 17th, 2015
THE INSIDE SCOOP
13 Going on 30 
Story by: Jarod Burks

The curtain opens. The blinding lights go up. The music starts and suddenly you’re transported back to your first year as a teenager. 13 - the age of pimples, ridiculous drama, bad makeup, and cracking voices. Unreal. But in reality, 13 is just another number; which is exactly what this show is about. The preparation for this musical consisted of many hours of constant practice and badgering by the team of directors, especially Mr. Keith. The actors put one foot in front of the other to perfect the art of singing and dancing while staying in character. Senior Taylor Thacker conveys the true struggle of the performing arts:
 “The beginning of every theatre experience starts with the audition. Auditions are such a nerve wracking thing. You are asked to stand up in front of many people who are specifically there to judge you, and all the other people waiting to audition are secretly hoping you fail so that they can look better. However, once you finish your audition and you know there’s nothing you can do, it’s up to the directors.
 “It’s all worth it when the best feeling arises as the directors cast you in a part that they know only you could do best out of all the applicants. Next comes the countless hours of practice and hard work. Practice consists of a lot of physical activity, taking criticism, and stretching your diaphragm. This year, I played the main antagonist in the musical so I was a very mean girl. I would go home with bruised feet from dancing so much and a headache from belting out notes or from wrinkling my brow in disgust too many times. All of these tiring, difficult tasks all lead up to one thing: opening night.
 “This night is so important because it sets the tone for all the other shows to follow it. The nerves are high and the voices shaky, but every actor tries their hardest to impress the audience. This year, we had a cast that was predominantly new to the theatre experience, and describing how it all felt - to be on stage, to hear the laughs, hear the applause - is next to impossible. But as I prepared myself to step on stage, I knew that soon they would realize it was all worth it. The countless hours of practice, the tears shed from mistakes, parts taken away, stress added, it would all be worth it to see the pleasure on the audiences faces when they see high school students perform.
 “There aren’t words in the English language capable of describing the love of theatre I possess and the absolute love I have of sharing my passion with others. As a senior and theatre veteran, I want to say thank you to my entire cast and crew for everything and allowing me to share my passion one last time on the Twentynine Palms High School stage.”

When the Clock Strikes Twelve Story By: Rachael Lemon

Every gal needs a gown for the special night of Prom. The girls on campus have luck from the fairy godmother Mrs. Wilson! Cinderella’s Closet came into existence a few years ago to help those who were in need of a dress; with the help from generous donors and community leaders, the variety of dresses and gowns has grown tremendously!
Originally put on through the National Honor Society, this great opportunity has helped girls avoid the heavy cost of buying a prom dress. Girls who were worried that they would not be able to go can now rest assured, because they can spend that money on a ticket instead! Another perk of shopping at Cinderella’s Closet is a complimentary photo from Frasher’s Photography, accompanied by any other girls that took advantage of the opportunity and found a dress.
The Closet runs for two weeks before May second, and is currently open for any students that are in need of a gorgeous dress and shoes to match.

Getting to Know All About You
Story By: Madeline Quinn

 In today’s society, being able to express yourself without being judged by others - especially by your peers - is next to impossible. But as the famous Audrey Hepburn stated, “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible.’”
 Last weekend, on April 10th through the 12th, some of our own Wildcats learned the importance of doing what others believe to be impossible. Breanna Panzarella, Mark Clinkscales and Justin Perez all learned how to be true to themselves, and to not judge others based on what they see.
 These three Wildcats all went to RYLA, a camp standing for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, sponsored by the Rotary Club and held up in Crestline, Thousand Pines. There, they learned how to be strong leaders, and encourage others to learn about a person before they judge them and to accept that person’s own opinions. An activity they did to help with this was called the Culture Walk. This activity allowed participants to stand up and speak about what’s going on in their life. “It really encouraged us to come out of our comfort zone and talk about things going on in our lives that we really wouldn’t talk about. It felt nice knowing I could talk about those things without being judged,” recalled Panzarella.
This camp was full of different things that helped improve leadership skills; from games to build trust and teamwork skills to speeches given by multiple motivational speakers, the campers were kept busy for the weekend. On top of helping each other, campers were encouraged to help out with other things. For instance, one major event they helped with was a community project called “End World Hunger.” During their stay, campers helped make and distribute over 10,000 meals for the homeless. Events like these helped open the eyes of many campers.
The only downside to this camp that sounds so fun? You have to be recommended. Not everyone can go. Our three Wildcats were recommended by the Interact advisor, Mrs. Cosgriff, who informed them of the camp. On top of that, only juniors are allowed to attend. However, if you do get a chance to go, it’s definitely worth it. When asked if they would encourage others to attend, all three of them said an affirmative “Yes,” with Panzarella already telling people of her experience and how beneficial it can be.
In the end, all three of them had the same opinion about the camp: that it helped them learn not only about how to see others, but how they see themselves. This camp helped them achieve what many believe to be hopeless. As Mark stated: “It’s a good experience in a whole different world.”

April 3, 2015

Posted 2015-04-01 13:26:32 | Views: 1,747
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THE INSIDE SCOOP
Volume One, Number 13
April 3, 2015
Student Spotlight 
Story By: Courtney Stanford

Every year Copper Mountain College picks one lucky individual that has the chance to get four years of their college education paid for. This year, that lucky individual turned out to be Kamaljot Singh. However, they don’t just hand out scholarships to just anyone. Singh had to complete a personal statement, plus a statement as to why he should get the scholarship. He also needed two letters of recommendation, as well as a list of educational goals; and he had to show how active he is in the community.

It turns out that Singh is very active in the community as well as in school. He has done various extra curricular activities throughout high school. He is a member of NHS or National Honors Society, Avid, Cross Country, and even Martial Arts. Singh enjoys helping people and he has decided to dedicate his life to help as many people he can.

After attending CMC for two years, Singh plans to go to Cal Poly Pomona and become an electrical engineer. After he finishes his education he wants to return to the small city of Twentynine Palms to help install solar panels for those who wish to become more energy efficient. He wants to help the community in any way that he can, and believes he can do that by helping people beat the heat.

Singh first heard about the scholarship in elementary school, and that was when he realized that “college is very expensive and not many people can afford it”. So when he heard about the opportunity to get the majority of his college experience paid for, he made sure to apply. Singh is incredibly grateful for the opportunity that has been awarded to him because this way he can focus on his education “and not have to worry about working to pay for it”.

He received a call twenty minutes after his interview telling him that he won, and Singh was filled with joy. He says, “It feels great. I’m starting a new life. The green leaf is helping me out because its giving me aid in life, and its helping me jump into the real world. I am thankful that the Morongo Basin has this opportunity. Without the green leaf, going to college would be a struggle.”
Confidence Boost 
Story By: Kathleen Moore

“Confident.”

That’s how Senior Jaedeen Laranang now feels after taking the Copper Mountain College field trip. But it’s not just her who has been given a huge confidence boost and is ready to jump into college life; that’s how every other senior feels as well.
This boost started off by making us feel at home with the campus, and the only way one can feel at home with something is to become familiar with it. Therefore, the administrators decided to give us a tour of the grounds, which we then got to run all over as we frantically tried to complete a scavenger hunt. We were running, sweating, falling - it was fun.

Once we finished running around for an hour, we cooled down as Ms. Jenn gave us tons of helpful information via a classy powerpoint and information booklets. However, along with the thick booklets and many papers came a nice pen and some headphones! During this information period, we were able to ask any questions we had and she provided the answers. She told us what to expect and gave us many important dates.

After having our brains stuffed to full capacity with information and dates, we headed to yet another room and began our plan for the classes we wish to take. Since we are all new students, most of our classes are classified as “General Education,” but some of us were lucky enough to take classes related to our majors. When we finished mapping out our road to success, most students signed up for other programs such as EOPS or the Study Skills Boot Camp.

Despite the many paths that can be taken, we are all off to a good start and are ready to begin school in the Fall. After taking the tour of the small but welcoming campus, we all see the college life in a different perspective with confidence: it can be done. So we will walk onto that campus come August 17th with our heads held high, knowing that this is only the beginning.

The Happiest Place on Earth 
Story by: Kerenza Robinson
 
Disneyland is the place where dreams come true, and dreams did come true for Select Choir, since they actually went there for a competition.
Select Choir competed at an elementary school about 20 minutes from the park. They then spent two days there, so they had plenty of time to enjoy the experience. 

London Moore says, “It was really fun. I haven’t been there since I was three, so I was really excited.” Some of the students in Select Choir had never been to Disneyland before, so it was a completely new experience for them.
After the competition, the award ceremony was held at Disneyland. There, senior Alexis Hidalgo received one out of two available awards for high schoolers: Outstanding Soloist. The award caught everyone in Select Choir, including Hidalgo, by surprise. Hidalgo says, “It was surprising because I didn’t even know there was going to be an award.”

Select Choir ended up winning overall in the competition this year. Sia Faletagaloa says, “The most exciting part of the trip was when we were called first place overall.” Since they didn’t win at the competition last year, this definitely left them standing tall. In addition to this, Mr. Mayes has been trying to win this trophy for a long time, which added to their accomplishment.

Bobbi Walker agrees, saying, “When we won, that was a pretty nice feeling.”

Select Choir worked hard for the opportunity to participate in this competition. They had to do various fundraisers to go, including selling things, performing on the base, and also picking up trash.
 But it wasn’t all work; they actually had quite a bit of time to spend at Disneyland. In fact, they left at 3:15 in the morning just to make it to the theme park by 7 a.m. Then they had time to enjoy themselves until 2 p.m., when they went back to the hotel to get ready for their competition at 5. After the show, they came back to the park until it closed at midnight.

March 20th, 2015

Posted 2015-03-16 13:08:57 | Views: 2,155
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THE INSIDE SCOOP
Volume One, Number 12
March 20, 2015
CAHSEE 
Story by: Kerenza Robinson
 
Dread. That’s the feeling that most students have right before taking a test. And that’s how most students felt before taking the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Generally, if you ask a CAHSEE veteran, they will tell you that it isn’t as bad as it sounds. But, plenty of students still get nervous.
 Michael Delacey, a freshman, recalls being nervous before the Pre-CAHSEE. He says that the Pre-CAHSEE was, “pretty much how I thought it would be.” He claims to feel confident and prepared for next year when he’ll have to take the actual CAHSEE. Delacey states, “I’ve heard that it’s easy so I think that it’ll be simpler.” In retrospect, Delacey says that the one thing he would have done differently is to spend less time thinking about what to write for his essay and more time writing it. Unfortunately, he only managed to get halfway through his essay, but this valuable experience will prepare him for next year when he will need to pass the exam as a sophomore.
 The sophomores are the ones that had to take the CAHSEE this year. Ashlee Burke, one such sophomore, was well-prepared for her test. She says, “Our teacher gave us a lot of stuff to prepare for it so I felt like I understood what I needed to do.” Although she was confident, she still felt a little nervous before the exam. Burke says that overall, “it was actually much easier than I expected.”
 Spencer Walton was another sophomore that had to take the CAHSEE. He said, “I was slightly nervous, but not that much because I was never really worried about the CAHSEE.” He felt confident about his exam, and claims that he wouldn’t have changed anything. During the writing portion, he had to write a rough draft in addition to a final draft according the advice of Mr. Keith. However, he didn’t have very many changes to make, so he essentially had to write the same essay twice. Walton says that the test was exactly what he expected - “long and painful.”
 Even though testing may not be on the top of every student’s (or any student’s for that matter) list of things to do, the exam must go on. And although it may not have been fun, most of these students are now able to graduate high school by their senior year.
Seniors Prepare for their Future  
  Story by: Ashton Henry

Seniors, it’s here. That pretty envelope of destiny. Your next chapter in life.
 Your college acceptance letter.
You’ve worked all four years and finally it all has paid off. However, this process of getting into college is a lot of work.
The hardest part about applying to college is the waiting game. You constantly check your application status or check your mailbox everyday. Your heart races every time you login or open up your mailbox. “Please let this be the day.” The waiting game is the period of time (whether it be one month or six months) that you check and wait for your college to accept you. May the letter be coming to you.
 If you’re going to community college, it’s a whole different story.
 Copper Mountain College has recently started their fall semester application process for seniors.
 First, upcoming students must apply for the new student application. This year for the first time, the new student application will be available online. This means you can apply for college in your PJs in a short amount of time, which sounds good to me. Next on your checklist: FASFA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This program allows students to receive federal aid. The FASFA program deadline for the fall semester was on March 1st. All students applying to CMC are required to take the Accuplacer Student Placement Test. This test was made to determine where you are academically and to choose which classes you need. The practice test was on March 19th, and the actual test will be held on March 24th. After you take the Accuplacer, you may attend the orientation and tours that are at CMC, which will be held on March 31st. The final destination for your community college experience is to register for your classes. CMC registration is April 30th at the CMC library, where you will get your basic needs for college such as your books, parking permit, and student ID.
 Whether you’re in the arena for “The Waiting Game” or taking the Accuplacer, preparing for college is a roller coaster.

Sports and Leisure
Story by: Madeline Quinn
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Spring Sports Wildcats prepare for a smashing season!
With Track already bringing home trophies, Tennis beating teams that they’ve never beaten before, Swim already being a close-knit “family,” Golf already having to wins for league and both Softball and Baseball already showing drastic improvements, our Wildcats athletes are already showing pride before league is even halfway finished!
 Softball kicked off the pre-season with a rocky start but is already showing promise for a good season. This year’s team is a bit unusual since it consists of quite a few underclassmen, meaning a lot of progress - not only in softball skills but in teamwork as well - has been underway. Pretty much all of our softball girls agree that the coaches are doing a great job this year due to their commitment to the team and how inspiring they can be. The coaches definitely play a key role in keeping spirits up and making sure the girls work together. Their hard work paid off when the girls won for the first time this season during the Palms Springs Tournament against J.W. North with a close score of nine to eight. Junior Breanna Panzarella believes the team will have a tough but good season. “I’m really excited for season to start,” she states. “I think we’re ready to put up a fight.”
 Baseball has yet to start the season but have already played five games, winning three of them and providing a good prediction of how the season will go for the team. Maybe their good fortune so far in the pre-season has to do with their new field. When asked about the new field, Chase McBride says “Honestly, its a lot better. The fence is new but we are getting used to it.” According to a few players, the team this year is doing pretty good, save for a few problems with focusing on the field during practices, but they believe the coaches are doing a good job at being helpful and getting everyone in tune for upcoming games.
 The next sport doesn’t necessarily need to have everyone in tune, but they seem to do a pretty good job at being a close team anyways. Senior Jacob Bell states how the team is very close-knit: “We have our differences but we are a pretty happy wim family.” In fact, both Bell and sophomore Tabitha Zuniga believe that for this mainly individualized sport, the team’s strongest event is the only one that requires teamwork: the relays. For Zuniga, the relays are her favorite part of swim. “I like them because its not just you alone doing the race but a part of the team as well. It’s pretty fun.” And they seem to be paying off as well: two of the relays already have CIF qualifying times.
 Tennis has some exciting news for the pre-season that all the tennis players are extremely happy about. For Seniors Jarod Burks and Marcus Simon, their highlight of the pre-season so far is beating Coachella Valley for the first time ever. One of the goals for the tennis team this year is to win the season again. They are already showing promise in accomplishing this goal. Burks believes the team is “definitely improving” and ready for league to start. “We definitely mess around a bit during practice but on game days we certainly work hard for the wins,” he says. Tennis is working hard to show that Wildcat Pride, and in the words of Simon: “Tennis is life, and life is good.”
 Some of our spring sports have already started their league season. Both track and golf have participated in league events and have done well. Golf has brought home a league record of two and zero and an overall record of three and two so far, and track has a good start.
 Golf has been doing well so far. The players are all making progress with the helpful tips and advice coming from their three coaches. James Pierce enjoys the sport and his teammates because “its fun hanging out with them and the coaches are very good.” The team is definitely aiming for a strong season. Track is doing well too. With an overall score of three to zero for the girls and two to one for the boys, the team is off to a good start. Andrew Wilson says “I think we have a good shot this year.”
 Overall, each sport is showing big improvement, foreshadowing a strong spring season in league.

March 6th, 2015

Posted 2015-03-05 18:20:35 | Views: 1,852
THE INSIDE SCOOP
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VOLUME ONE, NUMBER 11
MARCH 6TH, 2015
No Treble
Story By: Alexis Hidalgo
 
The Wildcats and the Yucca Trojans are known to be each others’ arch nemesis’. But one night every year the rivalry is put aside to get together and enjoy music. This year’s combined concert was different than other years. This year, Mr. Monical, the principal, sang “Home” by Phillip Phillips with the TPHS Select Choir.
The days leading up to the concert consisted of posters that said, “Monical is singing” and not many could believe it. One day when Monical came to rehearse with Select Choir, he had to come through the back door of the room because he believed a student was following him. The struggle to keep his voice a secret until the concert was real.
 During the concert, the TPHS Concert Choir sang some hit songs like “Everything is Awesome” and “Just Give Me a Reason”. Next up was Select Choir, who snapped their way into the show with a jazzy song called “Cry Me a River,” then they sang another six songs. Then the combo of YVHS and TPHS began. The two Select Choir groups came together to sing “For Everything There is a Season,” directed by the YVHS music teacher, Bill Barrett. Following that performance, the Symphonic Bands came together to perform a difficult piece called “Zeus: King of the Gods,” that many of the people watching enjoyed.
 To finish off the show, everybody from the YVHS and TPHS music department got together to perform the infamous Frozen song, “Let it Go”, and they even had to do an encore performance for the crowd. The Combined Concert is a great reminder that even though we’re rivals, it doesn’t mean we can’t get together to enjoy something everyone loves: music.

Springing Into Action
Story By: Courtney Stanford
 
Spring. The word that baseball, softball, swim, and track athletes look forward to. Some have been waiting for what feels like forever for the last couple months in the school year so that they can compete in the De Anza League. All of these sports have one thing in common: they all require endurance. In the preseason they all do a series of drills, relays, and games that strengthen bodies and boost confidence -- and which are just plain fun, because sports are meant to be fun and enjoyable.
 The swim team has been conditioning for weeks. On special occasions they have “drag nights,” which consist of all the swimmers wearing baggy clothing over their swim suits. This allows them to swim with more weight on their bodies, which in turn allows them to swim faster when they take their chlorine soaked clothes off. Sometimes they even have relays where they swim down the pool, jump out as fast as they can, take off their baggy clothes, dress the next person in line, then swim back and repeat the process. This helps them become more agile, and it is a fun activity to help them bond.
 Softball and baseball recently had a fundraiser at Luckie Park to help raise money for future tournaments and gear. Adult teams were competing, but the student athletes were working. They worked anything from the scoreboards to concession stands; they offered to help anyway they could. Their hard work also shows on the field. These young ladies and men have been practicing for weeks, conditioning and preparing for their season. Such dedication and hard work will prove to be beneficial to the players in the end because their good habits will kick the season off to a great start.
 Track has been working on both minor and major things -- because every detail matters. One of these minor details is practicing their entrance into their races by pushing off metal blocks. Everyone has been practicing their assigned positions to prepare for their first track meet which was on Wednesday, March 4th.
All of these teams have been sacrificing their free time to practice in the baking heat, wind storms, and rain. Everyone knows how unpredictable desert weather can be. These athletes have been working hard through rain or shine, and their hard work and dedication will pay off during their season.

Shared Spotlights and Smiles
Going Above and Beyond the Unexpected
Story By: Rachael Lemon

On Saturday night, Interact hosted its annual talent show, where students on campus had the opportunity to shine like a star. Third place winners Colby Thomas and Vaioleti Tuli wrote an original song, I Don’t Wanna Leave, that sang to the hopeless romantic in everyone. But these heartthrobs did not stop there! After Mrs. Wilson was done honoring the winners, Thomas asked for the microphone to deliver a sweet surprise. 
The two juniors wanted to share their prize with the duet pair Jubilee Bosh and Vanessa Walton.
This shared spotlight has yet to occur during the talent show’s existence. Breaking down the barrier between winners and losers, the boys exercised excellent sportsmanship when it was unexpected. The purpose of performing in the show was not to win prize money, but for students to show their peers something extraordinary. All the performances that night were special in what they offered the audience.
No Treble
Story By: Alexis Hidalgo
 
The Wildcats and the Yucca Trojans are known to be each others’ arch nemesis’. But one night every year the rivalry is put aside to get together and enjoy music. This year’s combined concert was different than other years. This year, Mr. Monical, the principal, sang “Home” by Phillip Phillips with the TPHS Select Choir.
The days leading up to the concert consisted of posters that said, “Monical is singing” and not many could believe it. One day when Monical came to rehearse with Select Choir, he had to come through the back door of the room because he believed a student was following him. The struggle to keep his voice a secret until the concert was real.
 During the concert, the TPHS Concert Choir sang some hit songs like “Everything is Awesome” and “Just Give Me a Reason”. Next up was Select Choir, who snapped their way into the show with a jazzy song called “Cry Me a River,” then they sang another six songs. Then the combo of YVHS and TPHS began. The two Select Choir groups came together to sing “For Everything There is a Season,” directed by the YVHS music teacher, Bill Barrett. Following that performance, the Symphonic Bands came together to perform a difficult piece called “Zeus: King of the Gods,” that many of the people watching enjoyed.
 To finish off the show, everybody from the YVHS and TPHS music department got together to perform the infamous Frozen song, “Let it Go”, and they even had to do an encore performance for the crowd. The Combined Concert is a great reminder that even though we’re rivals, it doesn’t mean we can’t get together to enjoy something everyone loves: music.

February 20th, 2015

Posted 2015-02-20 10:30:47 | Views: 1,982
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THE INSIDE SCOOP
Volume One, Number 10
February 20th, 2015
The Fall of Troy 
Story By: Courtney Stanford 
After a long game -- and eighty minutes of non-stop running -- the loud blaring horn of the buzzer goes off. The score is tied 1-1, so the rivals have no choice but to go into overtime. Up to this point the whole soccer game has been a struggle with boys covered in bruises and sweat, fighting after every loose ball, not caring if their bodies get injured in the attempt to win this game. All of this hard work comes down to the moment of truth which consists of two extra halves of ten minutes. These ferocious Wildcat boys have been preparing for this moment all season.
As the boys’ Varsity soccer team makes a run down the left wing, the pressure that has been building throughout the entire game suddenly bursts when a boy on the Yucca team trips one of our own, about forty-five yards down the field. This infuriates the Wildcat boys, and Samuel Smith hears his coach screaming from the sidelines telling Austin Stowers to take the kick. Stowers obeys, and with one quick accurate swing of his leg the ball flies into the air. Smith sees it flying in his direction he backs up, gathers himself, and when the time is right he leaps into the air and heads the ball into the goal, leading the Wildcats to victory with a score of 2-1.
Going into the game the boys knew that they had a good shot at winning. Smith says we “always play better on the road. We have also just been playing better in general. We haven't been giving up as many goals.” This was the boys’ first win in league this year, and the first time that we have beat Yucca in a decade, so the fact that we won makes the victory even more sweet because they are our rivals. The boys have been preparing for their season all year by dedicating almost everyday to building muscle in the weight room, and trying to enhance their skills with a series of drills. Their hard work paid off in the end, because there is no better feeling in the world than beating your rival in their own house.

It Just Makes Cents
Story By: Kathleen Moore and Alexis Hidalgo 
 Pennies for Patients is an annual fundraiser for individuals like Mia, a brave 9 year-old acute lymphocytic leukemia survivor of almost four years. The students of TPHS are encouraged through incentives to bring in their spare change to donate to the fundraiser.
This year, students had a say in what kind of incentives they would like. Cassidy Zimarik and the ASB committee decided that there would be a better turnout if people could vote for the incentives they wanted. Ultimately, these incentives are what inspires everyone to donate for such a life-changing cause. The incentives this year consist of things such as: Mr. Stanford getting the Avatar arrow painted on his head, Jarod Burks eating 25 worms, Chase McBride taking a vow of silence for two school days, and even music during lunch.
 Some teachers like Mr. Keith, however, take the idea of incentives to a whole other level. He told his second period Honors English class that if they did not come in first place, then they would have to write an essay. Trent Applegate, a student of the class, half-heartedly said, “I donated about $109 in order to help Mia out, and plus I really just don’t want to write an essay.” Which is why Mr. Keith’s class won first place, Mr. Davis’ class won second, and Mr. Ingram’s class won third. Since those three classes were the ones that contributed to the fundraiser the most, they each win a class party of their choice.
 But in the end, it does not matter how much you donate, because every cent -- in fact every penny -- makes a difference! Last year we raised $1,172, and this year we raised over $1,200! With this money we have helped changed the lives of other patients like Mia who are battling lymphocytic leukemia, and we will continue to do so in the years to come.

Picture Perfect
Story By: Ashton Henry
The 29 Palms Art Gallery hosted a "Students Art Show" this month to show off the artistic talents of students in our city of 29 Palms. Students from both the junior high and the high school were allowed to enter. Three of our very own Wildcats took first, second, and third places in the contest. Kamaljot Singh won first place, River Smith second, and Emily Martin third.
Kamaljot took first with a picture of an apple that he took with his phone. He changed the contrast of the photo, making the sky bluer and the apple brighter. Kamaljot held the apple in front of the sun, giving the apple an angelic appearance. The photo also has an ombre of blue, starting from the left bottom corner and moving upwards near Kamaljot’s hand. The blues fade from a light powder blue to a light navy blue. Kamaljot was surprised that the quality of his phone camera made for such a nice photo.
River Smith won second with his picture of a bird on our campus. “I just saw this bird in the tree next to the library, and I took a really good close up of it.” The overcast view behind the bird gave him the idea for a black and white photo. He also added contrast lighting to it and put the main focus on the bird to make it the subject of the photo, which was what they learned in class.
For their hard work on their pictures, the students won not only the first three titles in the contest, but cash money. Kamaljot won $60 and River won $45. Their photos are also shown in the 29 Palms Art Gallery. Congratulations to our artistic Wildcats!

February 6th, 2015

Posted 2015-02-06 11:13:53 | Views: 1,826
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THE INSIDE SCOOP
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 9
FEBRUARY 6, 2015
Under Lock and Key 
Story by: Kerenza Robinson
 
The loudspeaker comes on and the principal announces that we are about to go into a lockdown. Except this time, he says nothing about it being a drill. It’s just like some kind of scary movie. The teachers lock the doors, turn out the lights, and tell the students to stay very quiet. At least, that’s what is supposed to happen. But, that’s not really the case.
 In the office, they were aware that the lockdown was real right away. They immediately went into the conference room to wait for the end of the lockdown. But, since they didn’t actually know what happened to cause the entire school to go into a lockdown, they were not all that concerned. Careylyn Mendoza said, “We didn’t think it was that serious because I don’t think anyone knew what was going on yet. We didn’t know there was a shooting.” In fact, the teacher assistants and counselors started a game of charades. Ms. Lunn was the one that came up with the idea after waiting for a long time in boredom. They played charades in teams of two and the game went on for a long time, with Ms. Lunn being the champion.
 In Mr. Mayes room, he reassured the students that they would be safe by downloading a shotgun app on his phone. The plan was that he would pump the shotgun to scare away an intruder. But he decided not to fire it, because when he did, it sounded like a firework going off. In the meantime, he put on the movie Holes to entertain the students while they waited.
 However, the lockdown wasn’t just fun and games for everyone. Kylie Robinson, a senior, was locked out. She had gone to her friend’s car to put something away when the drill started. Once she heard the announcement, she ran to the nearest classroom, but they wouldn’t answer. So she hurried back to the car and hid in there. When she got inside, she began to reason with herself by thinking that if a shooter is on campus, he isn’t going to go looking in a parking lot because, supposedly, nobody would be there. She was also praying to God to keep her safe, and was focusing on her breathing. When she finally heard that the lockdown was over, she got out of the car and just started crying.
 Ronnie Rondeau was another one of the students that was locked out of class. When he heard the announcement, he tried to run back to class, but the doors to Mr. Ferguson’s class were already locked. But he wasn’t worried, he says, “I just thought it was a drill.” The vice principal, Mr. Thompson, let him into the classroom. When Mr. Ferguson realized Rondeau was locked out, he says he was thinking how it would make a good movie script.
Mr. Ferguson predicted the lockdown earlier that same day. He says, “I seem to predict things when I’m joking and they come true.”
 This lockdown was an unexpected event and it caught the whole school by surprise. Fortunately, the school remained safe during that time and nobody got hurt.
“A Lot of Ones Makes a Lot”
  Story by: Makayla Ogdahl
 
Though our community is incredibly saddened by the loss of our teacher, coach, and friend, Richard Casey, students and staff here at Twentynine Palms High School continue to honor his contributions to our school, and have found a way to make his name immortal in Wildcat history. And so, on the quiet evening of January 28th, the gym filled not only with moms and dads cheering for their girls’ basketball team, but with community members from an incredible variety of different activities that Mr. Casey participated in. Fellow teachers, co-coaches, church members, and friends filled the bleachers that evening to witness the official renaming of the now “Richard Casey Memorial Gym.” But the most important group there, settled in the center of the bleachers, was his family.
 When half-time is called, the mood in the gym turns to solemn remembrance. Mr. Monical stands at his podium, and after a few words, a moment of silence is taken. But this is not a sad occasion, although you can never truly get over the loss of someone so important and loved. This year would have been Mr. Casey’s 30th year of teaching at our school, which is honored by a bronze plaque in the gym. Although he was unable to complete this last year, he joins prominent teachers like Pete Ricards and Jim Sable in commemoration upon the wall.
 It’s evident that hearts heal on their own time as Dana Casey takes the stand and begins to speak. As I listen from the bleachers, surrounded by people who cared for him, the air of respect and solitude is tangible. Although a few tears are shed, a feeling of warmth overtakes the feeling of emptiness.
Mr. Casey’s daughter, Samantha Casey-Lane, said the renaming was an unbelievable honor. “My dad, mom, brother and I have all shared memories in that gym… competing, coaching, teaching. Being the humble man he was I know my dad would be so incredibly touched. On behalf of our entire family, including my dad, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Family, friends, colleagues, community… You’ve all shown up for us during our time of need. My dad rests easy knowing we are so well taken care of,” she wrote after the event.
Later on, Mrs. Casey had these words to offer: “We hope people will see the name on the gym and remember how much Richard cared about people. We hope it will inspire kindness. Our entire family is incredibly grateful to the school administration, staff, parents and students!”
Although a great person is gone, his effect on us will stay forever, whether it be “Tie Tuesday”, the small memorial in the library, his plaque upon the wall, or the Richard Casey Memorial Gym.
So as we look upon his gym, let us not be sad or discouraged. When we walk by, let us remember his dedication and strength. And when this cycle of students comes and goes, and TPHS welcomes freshmen who have never heard of Richard Casey, let us take the time to educate them about a man who cared so deeply for everything he was a part of, a man who personified the spirit of his high school, and a man who touched the hearts of everyone around him.
So here’s to you, Mr. Casey, and the hope that your name inspires the love, kindness, and dedication that poured from you every day.

Carpe Dime: Seize the Coin
Story by: Madeline Quinn

Being a part of a high school varsity soccer team is a hard task in itself. Now imagine being the last defense against the opponent scoring a goal: the goalkeeper. Pretty nerve wracking, right? The whole team looks to you as the goalie to stop that ball from going into the back of the net.
 Being goalie isn’t normally a player’s first choice for their position, mainly because of this reason. But for KJ Morton it is. And many people think he’s great at it too, although sometimes he doesn’t agree. Who would after a losing by a score of 0-10?
Even though KJ sometimes has a hard time believing others when it comes to their opinion on how he plays, there is plenty of people out there who think he did great during the Desert Mirage game on January 15th, including one of the referees. And this ref certainly made sure that KJ knew as well.
This ref went out of his way to pull KJ off to the side after the hard game to personally tell him that he thought KJ did a fantastic job at being goalie that night. The best he’d seen, to be exact. To further prove his point, the ref gave KJ his CIF coin that he got when he played in the CIF championships in 2006. The blue and yellow coin meant a lot to this ref, and according to what he told KJ was something that he wouldn’t give away so easily. It was something that the ref had never thought of giving away to anyone until that night.
What was it like receiving such a unique gift? KJ describes it as “one of the best things ever.” To step off the field after a tough game, thinking that it was one of the worst games played, only to have someone tell you that it was the best playing of soccer that they’ve ever seen and to give you a special coin to prove it, one could consider that a pretty good feeling.
“I felt pretty happy” recalls KJ. “ Whenever a goal was scored I felt like I had done a bad job as goalie, but after the ref said that to me it made me realize that as long as I tried my hardest to get the ball then I know I did the best I could and that’s all that matters.”
 

January 23, 2015

Posted 2015-01-21 13:11:05 | Views: 2,041
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THE INSIDE SCOOP
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 8
JANUARY 23, 2015
History has a Way of Repeating Itself
Story by: Kathleen Moore
 
You know a basketball game is intense when we have to pull out both bleachers. Just around 5:30 they are already packed full of anxious fans clad in their team’s colors. The Twentynine side is decorated in a sea of green and white, the Yucca side in gold and black.  
 Suddenly there is loud music coming from the speakers in the gym as Twentynine fans follow the cheerleaders’ lead and line up, forming the human tunnel. As the bass drops, out rush 10 Varsity girls’ basketball players, pumped and ready to play. In the first half of the varsity game, the girls play hard and smart, which shows when the halftime score read 28 - 8. In the second half, however, the Trojans did put up a fight. But just like the last four years, the Wildcats pulled through and won 49 - 36.
After such a glorious victory, out comes the Varsity boys’ team, greeted by numerous fans, friends, and family members. In the first quarter, the boys are a little nervous, but quickly gain back their grace and confidence when they bring the score up to 37 - 17 by halftime. The Wildcats hold on strong to their lead, and unfortunately for the Trojans, history has a way of repeating itself. Just as the Trojans lost the battle of Troy, they lose to the Wildcats with a final score of 49 - 38.
“Is the Spaghetti Good?”
Story by: Makayla Ogdahl
 
During the process of writing this story I discovered that less than half the people I speak to are familiar with “Breaking Bread” (technically called Food for Life). Less than half the people understand what it is like to be less fortunate in Twentynine Palms. Do less than half the people, then, truly care?
That isn’t necessarily the case; most people I inform of the program say how wonderful they think it is. The problem isn’t a lack of caring, its a lack of information. That’s where Interact comes in.
The program is usually run by Breaking Bread ministries, but each January members of the TPHS Interact club volunteers their own Saturdays to provide a necessary meal for those in need. 2015 is the 10th year in a row that Mrs. Cosgriff has encouraged her club’s participation, and with around 250 meals served each week, Interact has helped nourish nearly 12,500 hungry people. And it isn’t without appreciation.
“All the people are so thankful for us being here and serving,” says second-year volunteer Aziah Duhon, who has been at each and every meal this January. Her experience makes her glad that she can help serve, and thankful for what she has. I personally had the opportunity to observe the interaction between the volunteers and the people seeking a meal, and the humor and sense of community that hung in the air mirrored the sunny, warm afternoon outside. However, the feeling curbed as I leaned over Jubilee Bosch.
As people come through the line, she puts a tally mark by their age group. If they come for seconds, a tally mark goes in another category. It hit me then that the growing number of tallies represents every hungry kid and starving senior that relies on one solid meal a week.
Bosch informs me, “You see kids come back for seconds and thirds and carry out huge amounts of food. That could be what is getting them through till next week.”
One meal a week? A week?
How many meals are you supposed to eat a day? (The answer is five, apparently.)
Duhon overheard a TPHS employee, who wishes to remain anonymous, donate a room at a hotel and a two-person sleeping bag to two homeless men who came to Breaking Bread. The employee believes the stereotype surrounding the homeless and the needy is ridiculous, and states, “They are good people who are having a hard time.” Many adults involved in this event donate hotel rooms regularly, and many of the same people who donate the rooms donate the majority of the food served. “It’s hard to be homeless in Twentynine Palms” says the employee, “There’s no place for you to even take a shower.”
Interact members can help bridge the gap between naive high school students and those who need their help. Breaking Bread helps both students and adults see the other side of life, and gain an appreciation for it. After all, you never know what someone is going through.
It’s Good to Have Goals
Story by: Madeline Quinn

College. It's one thing that every high schooler thinks about. Between the tons of applications that need to be filled out and finding the right college and praying that you get into it, college can be quite a hassle to figure out. Believe it or not, however, sports can have a great impact on where a student decides to go - and can even help them get into their choice of a school.
Two of TPHS's own students are already ahead of the game of finding a good college. Cheyenne Hunsinger, a sophomore, and Emma Yeager, a freshman, both travelled to Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks for a soccer scouting event, called Global Sports International Soccer Showcase, on Saturday, January 10th. The event, being somewhere around nine hours long, gave the girls a chance to be seen by multiple college soccer coaches and to demonstrate their soccer skills in front of them.
Checking in around 8:45 in the morning, the two girls joined over 500 other girls on the three fields at the college. To start the day off, all girls began the warm-up exercises - which, to our two Wildcats, felt like a lot more than just warming up. “They felt more like conditioning,” recalled Yeager, “To me, it was the hardest part of the day. They took a lot of time too.”
Hunsinger struggled with the warm-ups as well, but had a different experience with them of her own. To start the warm-ups the girls had to get in lines, but for some reason, no one wanted to actually lead them. So, showing the same amount of leadership on the field as she does at home as the Varsity team captain, she stepped up to lead it herself. “It was weird because no one wanted to lead the line, so I ended up leading it even though half the time I felt like I didn’t know what i was supposed to be doing” she remembered.
After warm-ups, the girls went inside to play small, three-minute games with three to four people on each team. Then, the coaches had them move out to the fields, where they focused on defensive drills. By the time they were done with defense, it was lunch time, during which the girls had turkey sandwiches, chips, and cookies, and talked to different coaches about applying to colleges and what colleges they wanted to go to. Then, they went back out onto the field where they worked on offensive drills for the remainder of the day.
Sounds like a pretty good day right? Well, except for the rain.
The only downside to this day was that it rained almost the entire time. While Hunsinger enjoyed playing in it, Yeager was not a big fan of being wet the whole time. “It was depressing and cold, and the pennies we had to use were always wet and smelled,” said Yeager.
On top of the bad weather, some of the girls there weren’t all that nice either, and Hunsinger got to experience some bad attitudes. She had a little bit of a run-in with another girl, even though she did nothing wrong:
“We were scrimmaging and in the middle of the game I took the ball away from one of the girls and she got all mad. After the play was over she whipped around and started yelling in my face, asking what I thought I was doing. She just kept getting in my face and pushing me around on the field.”
But, showing true Wildcat sportsmanship, Hunsinger just walked away and went on a water break, leaving the girl to her own devices. Apparently though, the girl didn’t get enough out of yelling at her;
“The girl ran by me to grab some water and demanded I don’t do that to her again. Then the coaches walked up and asked what was going on and I said nothing really but explained the situation to them. They took the girl off the field and put her off to the side after we started scrimmaging again and that’s how I got a girl put in time-out.”
 Even though there were some attitudes and bad weather, the girls definitely thought it was worth it and enjoyed being there. Being able to show off their skills to tons of different coaches from a variety of colleges is always something to be happy about. Normally, students contact the colleges, but in this case, the colleges contact the girls. Hunsinger has already had a coach from UC Irvine contact her and Yeager has heard from other coaches as well.
One thing is for sure though: the girls aren’t just sitting around waiting to hear from the coaches, but instead are already planning for their next event. Both girls have signed up for another showcase coming up in March at a different college, and are looking forward to the experience again.

December 19, 2014

Posted 2014-12-17 13:11:53 | Views: 2,053
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THE INSIDE SCOOP
Volume 1, Number 7
December 19, 2014
It’s A Small World After All  
Story by: Makayla Ogdahl

IFest. The word gets passed around like a legend. High school students whisper about it to their little siblings as bedtime stories; a day like any other in December, only we get to travel the world. 
 It’s kind of a different story when you are in the performance though. For spectators, you breeze into the gym as the bell rings and the most difficult task for the next hour is finding your friends and choosing a seat. For performers, like senior Careylyn Mendoza, every outfit must match, every hair must be in place, and every participant must be accounted for. But having to be meticulous doesn’t necessarily make it any less fun, it’s just fun in a different kind of way.
 “I’m really glad I did it this year, especially since it’s my last IFest as a senior,” said Mendoza, “I feel like it really brought me closer with people of my own culture.” Mendoza participated in Tinikling, the national dance of the Philippines, with many other Filipino students including Alyssa Faughn and Lauryn Cabanlit. In order for their performance to go off without a hitch, they practiced for two hours twice a week in the five weeks leading up to IFest.
Although there was only one small mistake in their piece (that was hardly noticeable), Mendoza admits that going after the Samoan Haka may have dimmed their spirits a little. “The Haka is so loud, it gets people so pumped, and we came after that like…” Here she demonstrated a flitty hand motion, saying their dance is quiet and less in-your-face.
Another well-planned performance was the African Tribal dance, done by Keyonna Trader and Nisa Seals. When I ambushed Trader as she got off the bus, she said “We made our outfits really cute this year, and we worked really hard on the bends and returns.” Similar to the Tinikling group, only one small mistake was made when Seals momentarily struggled to stand up from her back-bend, and the girls became out-of-synch. Trader remedied this by hesitating for a moment, and the rest of the performance went according to plan.
Many times when we think of IFest, we think merely of stuffing our faces with good food. It is important in these times to remember the performers who are celebrating their cultures, and appreciate their commitment to their routines.

The Hour of Code, The Hour of the Future 
Story by: Kerenza Robinson
Coding is the foundation of all technology. All those handheld computers and video games that everyone owns? All started out as a code.
Along with the purpose of bringing awareness of code to our students, Mr. Collins hopes to open up the gender gap in technology. Graduating college, only 12% of women earn a bachelors in computer science. By introducing code to girls before they choose their major, there is a better chance that they will be interested in pursuing the field in college.
In order to acknowledge the basis of technology, Mr.Collins participated in the international Hour of Code program this month that allowed students to use the basics of code to construct a video game. With an excellent turn out, 300 certificates were awarded to all the ROP classes.
Student Patrick Patterson is currently in the process of developing a video game that consists of a world filled of zombies, and the character must finish their quest while trying to survive. Patterson’s game is still nameless, but taking the program has helped in the development and progress of the game.
Let There Be Light
  Story by: Kerenza Robinson
 
Sooner or later, every bird has to leave the nest. But, seniors know the process is a little more complicated than that. There is a lot of effort that is usually put into finding a college that fits an individual student. Most people research colleges and/or visit them first to get an idea of where they want to go.
Ms. Adams led a college visit for the Gifted And Talented Education (GATE) program to UCLA. These students took a 45 minute tour around the campus led by a senior from the college. They learned a lot about the history of the school and its traditions.
One of these traditions is about an inverted water fountain on the campus. Rumor has it, you can touch it one time your freshman year, but you can’t touch it again until you graduate. Otherwise, you will have to add an extra quarter to your college education.
 The Griffith Observatory also caught the eye of these students. It was a huge room with a dome on top where they were shown a presentation about how the Earth changed over time. Jocelyn Valdez recalls, “It was at night so everything looked really pretty.” They saw all the big city lights and the students were even able to see the Hollywood sign from the Griffith Observatory. Inside, there were different stations about the universe, including a showcasing of meteorites that had fallen to earth and scales showing what you would weigh on other planets.
 As you may already know, UCLA has quite a large campus, roughly 419 acres. The students were surprised to see how big the buildings really were. In the library, they saw a choir singing and John Lanza said that they “sounded like angels.”
There are a lot of different opportunities at this school, and Synai Salgado says,“It’s always good to branch out and do multiple activities.”
 Despite the size of the campus, Amy Fangmeyer says that UCLA is “all around a close-knit community.” The students observed that everyone was serious, but they still looked like they were having fun. There was a positive atmosphere and everyone appeared to be glad to be there.
These students also noticed that the school was,“so organized, and yet nobody was being told what to do,” said Alex Morrissey. The students at UCLA walked on the right side of the pavement, like cars on a street. Throughout the campus, they would see “just a flood of people walk back and forth,” said Morrissey.
 And if you’re wondering if you should visit UCLA too, the answer from these students is a definite yes. Morrissey described this college visit as,“a glimpse of what college was like.”
This experience has left a mark on these students, including Lanza, who mentioned that “UCLA is definitely one of my top choices.” They agreed that even if you are not interested in going to UCLA, it is still a good choice to visit.

November 21, 2014

Posted 2014-11-17 13:40:59 | Views: 1,661
                                                                    Twentynine Palms High
Volume 1, Number 6                         http://www.ownzee.com/deucenineyrbk                                 November 21, 2014                               
THE INSIDE SCOOP
You Either Make It or You Don’t
Story by: Courtney Stanford

There are two words that every athlete trying out for a sport dread, and those two words are “you’re cut.” Some coaches are nice enough to say “sorry you didn't make it,” but both of these sayings have one thing in common: you did not make the team. However, coaches don’t say this for no reason. Every athlete in school gets a fair chance to prove their skills during tryout week. It all depends on the player and how they present themselves through their effort and attitude.
 The girls’ and boys’ basketball and soccer teams are in the gym and on the field everyday after school, working their hardest to try and make the squad. There are only a limited number of spots on the team that can be filled, which makes getting on the team more difficult. There is a lot of irony in this situation because the main point of playing sports (besides having fun) is the chance to play against other teams; but in reality you are competing against your fellow classmates and friends in attempt to make the squad, or, if you are really good, get a starting position. All of the winter sports teams are trying their hardest to impress their coaches and push themselves into being the best they can be.
 The boys’ basketball practices mainly consist of running because they have to get in shape for the upcoming season. The girls’ basketball team starts out with some laps around the gym, which then escalates to drills that have a lot more running. The main purpose of these drills is to get the girls in shape, especially for those who did not play a fall sport. Next they do shooting drills and practice their offense, and end off the practice with some scrimmaging.
The girls’ and boys’ soccer teams have been working hard in the weight room in previous weeks in order to get strong for their season, along with some major conditioning that includes a lot of running. They have mainly been practicing the fundamentals such as passing, footwork, and defensive and offensive plays. The girls’ team had to pass the Cooper’s test, a mile and a half run in under 13 minutes to make it on the Varsity team.
 Tryout week is mainly about conditioning and preparing for the real season. It helps the coaches see those who are physically and mentally ready to play, and those who are not. Tryouts provide coaches with the opportunity to see how dedicated and coachable a player is to a sport, and whether or not they display the desire to succeed within a team. If they do, then there is no need to fear those dreadful two words.
Expanding the Wildcat Family
Story by: Rachael Lemon  

Three teachers in sixty days. That was the time duration in which Mrs. Beasley’s former class suffered until Mrs. Quirante provided the relief that the students desperately needed. At the beginning of November, Mrs. Margaret Quirante, who goes by Mrs.Q, stepped in as the permanent English teacher in room 32.
 During her high school career, Mrs. Q took a year to be an exchange student in Japan, where she fell in love with the Japanese culture. Continuing into college, she moved back to Japan to work in the news entertainment industry, which later took her to New York and Chicago.
That’s when Mrs. Q had a epiphany. Overwhelmed with passion, Mrs. Q became teary-eyed reflecting over the reasons why she became a teacher. Due to working in news entertainment, Mrs. Q was constantly covering stories that were negative. She needed a change, so she became a teacher to bring positivity to the world. “Taking upon a high school English class was a challenge that I was glad to take on” states Mrs. Q.
Having started off the year jumping between substitute teachers, Jasmine Rodriguez expresses that she could not be any happier to have Mrs.Q as a teacher. “Her style of teaching is not much different, and she was able to pick up the work we were doing and continue on where the others left off.”
Mrs. Q is exactly what the English department needed to bring equilibrium to the campus.
Gobbling Up Some Food
Story by: Ashton Henry

The Interact Club is making an effort to give food to 500 less fortunate families in the community. These families are given the food needed to have a plentiful Thanksgiving meal. They are lucky enough, with the help of the Interact Club, to have their dinners in their own homes rather than eating at a soup kitchen or going to the community meal at Breaking Bread. The food for the families include: a turkey, cranberries, rolls, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and a pumpkin pie.
The Interact Club has been managing the food drive since 1998. The club started out giving only 50 turkeys and 50 bags of food. Since then, the Interact Club has grown to 500 turkeys and 500 bags of food for the families.
When having the responsibility of giving 500 meals to families, something has to go wrong. Mrs. Cosgriff says “it’s a matter of what complication it will be this year.” One year, the turkey truck was an hour late. All of the families were already lined up and waiting to get their turkey. Cosgriff says “That was one of the biggest complications, but there is always a complication of making sure we have enough food for everyone.”
 However, the Interact Club cannot fulfill this goal of 500 bags of food without the help of fellow Wildcats. Students are asked to bring in to their second period class canned and boxed food for the food drive. While some students do it out of the goodness of their hearts, others bring in the food to get some extra credit from their teachers. The Interact Club also gives a prize to the class who donates the most food.
 Former student Scott Clinkscales decided he would spread the joy of giving by helping his brother Mark’s 2nd period English class donate canned food. Clinkscales was generous enough to donate over 150 cans of food to the class, putting them in first place for the Interact Club prize.
Whether you’re pitching in to see the gratefulness of these families, or trying to win the Interact prize, it’s all for a good cause and the Wildcats are willing to help every year.

November 7, 2014

Posted 2014-11-06 13:07:17 | Views: 1,789
                                                                    Twentynine Palms High                                                                     
  Volume 1, Number 5                                                                                                                             November 7, 2014
THE INSIDE SCOOP
In Sickness and in Health
  Story by: Kerenza Robinson
 
Imagine yourself in the most important race of the season when, suddenly, you puke. What would you do next? Would you just stop and give up?
Lots of people would. But not Ronnie Rondeau. He decided to keep going and push himself even harder than before. He refused to give up.
This race was different than his usual because Ronnie threw up in the middle of it, giving other runners the chance to pass him. (This may have had something to do with all those hot dogs he ate the night before. But who can say for sure?) Ronnie began to feel a little nervous as he noticed some of the other runners passing him, but afterwards, he felt a surge of energy. He sprinted to the finish line because he “really wanted to get the top seven” and passed both the 6th and 7th place runners. Despite this unexpected turn of events, Ronnie pulled through and ended up placing 5th in league.
 Ronnie Rondeau’s performance, along with the rest of the team, guaranteed them a spot in CIFs, which Ronnie is looking forward to a lot this year. He hopes to perform well, and he is ready to end the season with a good race. This is Ronnie’s first year participating in Cross Country, and he has definitely proven himself as an asset to the team. Ronnie joined the Cross Country team to stay in shape for soccer, and he thinks that it has been a valuable experience.
 All in all, it is safe to say that Ronnie is one talented runner, especially since this is his first year doing cross-country; he has proven himself a strong athlete.
 
Never mind the Legacies; We’ll Do It Our Way
Story by: Makayla Ogdahl

There’s something about maintaining legacies... and there’s another something about disrupting them. It’s old news that our very own Wildcat tennis team lost their nine senior starters last season; every team loses seniors, after all.
 But even with a team that is 60% newcomers (yes, I really did the math), and a majority of returners having never played a full set before, the girls clawed their way up to second in league, losing only three games in the season. And so, at the end of this season, we found ourselves playing in the famed Indian Wells Tennis Gardens.
 Upon first entering we were certain of one thing: “This place is beautiful.”
 This place was also very, very hot.
 It’s the end of October, come on.
 The first matches of the day are won, or lost, fairly easily. Jasmine Smith gets a “Bye”, Alex Morrissey and Makayla Ogdahl win 8-1, and Brianna Sears and Marissa Thomas win 9-7. The only Wildcat knocked out of the running is Lexi Wade, who stays neck and neck with her opponent until the girl manages to steal two games in a row, bringing Lexi’s final score to 5-8.
 The second matches are more difficult, to say the least. Makayla and Alex start out their set against the #1 Shadow Hills team in a 1-4 loss, but manage to deafen themselves to the other team’s obnoxious cheers by cheering for each other, and ultimately win in an 8-8 tie break, 7-4. Brianna and Marissa find themselves going back and forth with their opponents, DHS, but manage to break away just enough to win 8-6. Jasmine maintains a less difficult match, and beats her competition 8-0.
 Thus ends the first day, with five out of six girls advancing to semi-finals.
 The next day proves itself much more of a horrible emotional rollercoaster than the first. As Coach Ingram says later on, it’s sometimes much harder to go against your own team than it is to go against your rivals.
 Both TPHS doubles teams lose their first rounds and find themselves pitted against each other in a battle for third. Its hard to want to crush your opponents when you know how hard they’ve worked, just like you have. Despite the coach’s pleas for us to flip a coin or play to eight (instead of two games to six), we fight it out until the very end, and Alex and Makayla come away with third in hand, winning only by a tie break in one game, and the other 6-3. One court over, Yucca Valley’s #1 and #2 doubles teams are also battling it out, and the tension can be felt in the air.
 After all is said and done, both Yucca and TPHS get a chance to see the pro court, lay down on it, and take about a dozen selfies on it. The Wildcats now move on to CIFs, winning their first game against San Gorgonio High School 12-6, and closing out their season with a 4-14 loss against Vista Del Lago.
 All in all, yes, the undefeated #1 in league legacy was let down. But climbing to second and moving on to the second round of CIFs doesn’t seem like such a bad end to a pretty great season.
That One Word Seniors Love: College
 Story by: Kathleen Moore

For three dark and ominous nights, eight seniors were trapped inside a disgusting motel room with bloody carpet as putrid smells filled their nostrils. Regardless of their horrible sleeping conditions the senior AVID trip was a success because they were given the opportunity to visit 11 different college campuses in Northern California during a four day trip, some of which included: UC San Francisco, UC Merced, and UC Fresno. The sole purpose of the AVID trip was to prepare seniors for their much anticipated college-life and give them a better idea of what college could be like.
Students were able to explore the college campuses high and low. They went on tours, checked out different programs, and decided for themselves which types of colleges they were interested in. But they didn’t do all that without Mrs. Lee-Briggs’ support of course.
 Koko Cabrera stated, “Mrs. Lee-Briggs showed me what was important. I couldn’t have done it without her guidance.” Koko has always wanted to attend UC Santa Cruz, and once she visited the campus in person, instead of just seeing it through a website, she knew she was making the right choice. She was reassured and excited when she discovered the campus was in a wooded area and it provided a good bio-med program which suited her interests.
Kyle Lav was also excited to explore different colleges, and he now has his mind set on UC Merced. He likes that the college is located in a “farm country” area and has a peaceful atmosphere. After this trip he knew for certain which colleges he was going to apply to and what he wanted to major in. Kyle confessed that, before this trip, there were a lot of “ifs” and he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, but now he knows.
Overall the trip was extremely beneficial because it served as an eye-opener to most of the students. It helped with the application process and showed the students which colleges they should actually apply to, saving them time and money. The trip was worth it, even though the rooms were horrid, and as advice to anyone interested in college, Koko suggests that you “visit before you apply.”

October 24, 2014

Posted 2014-10-21 13:12:08 | Views: 1,662
                                                                    Twentynine Palms High            
   Volume 1, Number 4                                                                                                                       October 24, 2014     
THE INSIDE SCOOP
A Rich Performance Fit For Any Coffee Enthusiast
By: Madeline Quinn

You would never think that coffee could brew up so many puns in a performance. Yet, somehow Mr. Bergey, a math teacher and the ITS Director at TPHS, found a play that did exactly that. From punny situations to ironic names, The Pony Expresso definitely caused some great laughs and spilled coffee.
It starts off with the hero Buck Brawn (Cody Whitaker) and his lovely lady Star Bright (Kylie Robinson) shyly falling in love as the town of Waterpit, Nevada becomes mysteriously ill. Meanwhile, the villain Mo Cabana (Daniel Adams) and his not-so-brisk French assistant Fifi Latte (Shaira Benitez) attempt to out-brew the The Pony Expresso, the coffee shop owned and run by Star’s Aunt, Dee Caff, by poisoning their coffee (which happens to be the cause of the strange illness going around).
However their hot plans are turned cold when they discover that Buck and Star’s relationship interferes with them. Mo Cabana, being the brilliant mastermind, grinds up a new plan only to have it soiled again by the temporary sheriff Buck Brawn, who turns him into the Marshall, Palomino Polly (Yvonne Pierce). Thanks to Buck, with a little help from Doc Cappuccino, the beans are spilled about the mysterious illness as well. As for Fifi? Well, her rich, velvety heart prevents her from being too evil, and she becomes nanny of mayor Rich Coffey’s (Herman Johnson) twins, Sugar (Allison McNally) and Spice (Jonah Robinson).
And let’s not forget Star and Buck. In honor of their new relationship, Star officially renames The Pony Expresso to “Buckstar’s Coffee”... or something like that... and then decides “Starbuck’s Coffee” would be better.
This being his first play, the cast and crew thought Mr. Bergey did an amazing job. He definitely was put in in a sticky situation due to this being his first year as director. The cast certainly enjoyed their first production. "It went amazing, it was like one of the best ones I've done," recalls Cody Whitaker, a senior and experienced member of the International Thespian Society.


Togas and Tiaras
By: Rachael Lemon

Anticipation and excitement buzzed around campus this week due to a single event: Homecoming. Throughout the week each day corresponded with a theme. The senior class had the most to gain from this week, the famous toga day occurred Friday, signifying that it was their graduating year. There was a positive turn out in participation from the senior class when the annual photo of them in the togas was taken in front of the library.
For the past week everyone was anticipating who would be homecoming court. Through two rounds of voting, the girls and boys were cut down to the remaining three. The king, princes, and princess were revealed at the homecoming assembly and the queen was revealed later that night at the game. To further the school’s spirit, the student body has decided to show their support of breast cancer awareness month by participating in a pink out. Sporting a pink audience, both JV and Varsity teams feel prepared to bring home the victory.
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Funnel Cake and Vomit
By: Makayla Ogdahl and Kathleen Moore

The carnival comes around twice a year, which means twice a year we get to pretend we’re six years old again. Being six means you get to stuff your face with greasy popcorn and sugary funnel cake, and not have to worry about whether or not your coach is going to make you do suicides because of it. It also means you get to risk your neck on rides that are put up in a day, which, to be honest, could be sturdier. And when you put these two things together, you get the one thing that happens every year, and really makes the carnival what it is: vomit.
 Despite the bodily fluids now littering the park, people still flood the carnival every time. And sometimes, you just have to wonder, why? It’s actually pretty simple; we go for the food (despite its price), the friends (or whoever we can wrangle into going with us), and the frenzy of the rides (did someone say Vortex?).
 In a survey conducted by shouting at random people “Why did you go to the carnival?” we’ve concluded that the main and most important reason we spend five hours wandering Luckie Park is for the food. And by food we generally mean funnel cake, with its generous helping of white, powdered sugar and sweet, sticky strawberries. How can we resist? Its practically calling our names.
But feasting on funnel cake is no fun when friendless, so we drag along whoever is willing to join us. (Usually we just have to bribe them with funnel cake.) And it doesn’t matter if you go with one person or six, the rules are the same: you have to do at least one thing, whether it be buying a custom sweatshirt, wasting $20 failing to win a $3 stuffed dog, or riding the Hammer. It just so happens that you’re usually forced onto the Hammer right after eating that delicious funnel cake and greasy popcorn we mentioned earlier, and your whole ride is spent somewhere in between “I’m pretty sure I just got a concussion” and “I think I’m going to throw up.”
Either way, you’ve created lasting memories from such a small carnival. You were able to finally release your inner-child, which will be tucked away again until the next time the carnival is back in town.


October 10, 2014

Posted 2014-10-10 10:30:44 | Views: 1,699
Twentynine Palms High
 Volume 1, Number 3                                                                                                                             October 10, 2014                                   
THE INSIDE SCOOP
Witty Wildcats 
Story by: Madeline Quinn

It’s no secret that the price of going to college is horrifying. Most college graduates leave college with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debts and loans. Fortunately for Jarod Burks and Makayla Ogdahl, they have less of a debt to worry about. Thanks to California State University of San Bernardino, these two students have the opportunity to pay off some of their college expenses using a very generous scholarship of $25,000. Now, most people would say “yea, yea, that’s great for them. Now what’s the catch? What did they have to do to get it?” One of the few requirements of the Scholarship was to be in the top 1% of the graduating class. Due to their hard work and determination at school, they qualified for the scholarship. In fact, all they have to do to use the money is to apply and go to CSUSB.
Turns out, they didn't even have to apply for it. Makayla Ogdahl was simply hanging out in her room. “My mom brought the mail in and was like ‘here’s this letter’” she says. Makayla was very grateful for the scholarship opportunity and attended the acceptance ceremony on the 13th of September at the college. According to her, the experience was more like a tour of the campus and she had the opportunity to discover what the college offers for the major she is interested in which happens to be entrepreneurship/ business human resources management. While she was there, she got to talk to professors in the different fields of the business majors and was given more information to help her decide what she wants to do. Jarod Burks on the other hand was not able to attend due to wanting to spend some quality time with his family.
Whether or not they decide to accept the scholarship, it was still a good opportunity to learn more about the school and what they want to do when the time comes to go off to college. These students have brought a great amount of pride to the home of the Wildcats.

The Spirited Animals
Story By: Alexis Hidalgo
 
Waking up on Monday mornings for school is not the greatest thing in the world. Last week, however, was spirit week; the Wildcats were up and ready to show their spirit on ‘Merica Monday. The school was filled with red, white, and blue anywhere you looked. Tuesday was even more colorful, with everyone’s “just made last weekend” tie dye on display.
Whether you wore a t-shirt and jeans or dressed nicely for school, on Wednesday changing out of pajamas wasn’t even necessary because of pajama day. On Thursday we were able to become any character that we wanted, which showed our childish sides, because more people dressed as Peter Pan than any other character. Friday consisted of our favorite sports jerseys, whether it be basketball, football, or any other sport team.
 On the last spirit day of the week, the freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors gathered in the gym for the fall sports assembly. To kick it off, the 29 High band members played and swayed to popular songs such as Wake Me Up and I Knew You Were Trouble for the school to enjoy.
 Two of the teams that put on a show for the Wildcats were the Lady Cats Volleyball team and the Cross Country team. The volleyball players dove into their performance and danced to a multitude of songs in their own little huddle, while each player got the chance to dance in the middle. The Cross Country team started out dancing, then they amazed the school by doing flips and reverse sit ups on each others arms. They even got on each others shoulders to walk around and pump up the crowd while doing their own Cross Country rap. TPHS definitely could not have expected that the kids who wear short shorts and go on long runs would do that. The Wildcats’ spirit definitely showed throughout the week and at the assembly.
 

Clean for Green
Story by: Courtney Stanford

New uniforms and expensive tournaments do not just pay for themselves. It takes hard work and dedication to raise the money that the volleyball team needs to look good and gain experience. The girls received eight hundred dollars on Saturday, the 27th of September, when they picked up mountains of debris behind the Jelly Donut.The girls spent two hours from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. picking up piles of trash, and moving giant branches and huge tumbleweeds that were cluttering the lot.The team celebrated their hard work at the end of the grueling two hours by feasting on some delicious donuts.
However, the eight hundred dollars that was earned was not the only prize that was won. Cleaning up the trash helped the girls bond together, and it also helped them learn how to work as a team. They not only got green cash, but green minds. It was a lot of strenuous work, but it paid off well in the end.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Posted 2014-09-26 13:04:40 | Views: 1,782
                                                                    Twentynine Palms High                                                  
Volume 1, Number 2                                  Friday, September 26, 2014                http://www.ownzee.com/deucenineyrbk 
THE INSIDE SCOOP
Welcome Aboard the YACHT
By: Rachael Lemon 

  This year, new clubs have brought students together that in more ways that connect common interests. Several of these clubs have formed to promote community service.
Advisor Ms. Faudel and president Ashton Henry formed YACHT, Young Adults Chasing His Truth, with the focus on Christianity and prayer. Coming together to fundraise for charity and missionaries, YACHT provides a support group for those who are seeking the truth in His name.
 Clubs with the purpose of serving the community have become a running theme among the high school. Advisor Lisa Lee-Briggs formed Crocheting for a Cause, where the products created will be donated to groups in need. The club will vote on a project that is needed out in the community and help out in the form of crocheted crafts. “We are bringing the art of crocheting back” said Lisa Soliz. Twentynine Palms will be cozier than ever.
  Getting others involved is a focus on campus. With the help of Lisa Soliz and Gerald Gorski, students can come together with those string strumming to a central location. Guitar club is here, and those who are learning or wanting to learn how to play guitar are welcome to join. Not wasting talent, students will learn songs to be performed at the talent show and other activities on campus, such as lunch time activities. Look out because school of rock has come to TPHS.
  Mr. Shay, the advisor of the Chess club, also provided the students with the opportunity to be a part of something. There hasn’t been much activity yet, but over time both new and experienced chess players will participate in fundraisers and tournaments.


STEAM WILL RISE
By: Kathleen Moore 

  Full STEAM ahead! STEAM is finally underway thanks to Mr. Howes, the site coordinator of the aptly named Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math program.The new Engineering Technology lab consists of seven modules that will aid students by laying the foundation and providing the skills for future careers. Students are presented with modules ranging from robotics and automation to manufacturing technology; each specifically designed to support the prosperity of the future economy.
  The STEAM program is intended to provide students with experience in technologically advanced curriculum that will exceed the needs in future careers. STEAM also provides social skills, emphasizes literacy and critical thinking, and allows students to achieve their full potential. Ultimately, STEAM is highly beneficial to students who are interested in becoming an engineer, a technician, or want to get into any kind of health profession.
STEAM is a statewide idea and may soon spread throughout the nation, but here in Twentynine Palms it will become the basis for education, and help students become better problem-solvers in a fast changing economy. Mr. Howes, who also happens to be the art instructor, has constructed a mural which has been, “approved and will go on the building where the new laboratory is.” The mural will say “TPHS STEM” (because STEM fits better) and will have 12 portraits of famous inventors which will be designed by local muralist Tim O’Conner, the same muralist who helped with our Battle of the Bell mural. The program has only begun, but in the future it will rise, like STEAM, to something much greater.



Tragedy Turned Into a Work of Art
By: Ashton Henry

  Being a graduate of Deuce-nine, TPHS welcomes Mr. Art back to our Wildcat family. He bravely took over the position of Mr. Davis four weeks into the school year after his unfortunate accident. However, this rushed transition has been a piece of cake for Mr. Art, because he has already been in five different long term positions; none of which have started in an ideal time of the school year. Mr. Art’s tactics for tackling these long term positions are asking other teachers where the students should be at this time of year, and learning how each class learns as a whole.
  He usually is prepared to teach his classes, however this time Mr. Art had to start from scratch. He has taken the time to create a helpful syllabus for his new students, telling them what his expectations are as well as how he teaches.
  Most of the time, teachers prepare their substitutes for their classes, but due to Mr. Davis’s hospitalization, Mr. Art is left to take on the challenge without guidance.
 

Reporting for ET, I’m Cassidy Zimarik
By: Alexis Hidalgo

You get in the car. You buckle your seat belt  Then you turn on the radio. You hear the DJ talking. Who is that voice? That voice is the voice of our own Cassidy Zimarik, otherwise known as Sassy Cassie Taylor. Ever since the fall of her junior year in high school she has been interested in the entertainment industry. Luckily enough for this wildcat, she’s planning on an internship for the television network, CBS. She’ll be on the set of Entertainment Tonight (ET) and The Insider. Zimarik isn’t quite sure what she is going to be doing, but she is looking forward to “learning how the entertainment industry works inside and out”. She hopes to become a producer of television shows one day. As of right now, whether or not she is going to be in the limelight or behind the scenes in the future is what she is unsure of. For now, Zimarik is going to be the “voice in your heads” on the radio. She enjoys connecting to the community on a personal level and being depended on for sharing the news. Sounds like we’ll be seeing her in the entertainment industry in no time.

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