Phoenix Flyer
November/December 2018
San Antonio High School Writer's Workshop
We wish everyone a safe and festive holiday break!
Email: mmcgarry@petk12.org
Website: https://www.petalumacityschools.org/sanantonio
Location: 500 Vallejo Street, Petaluma, CA, USA
Phone: 707-778-4758
Life After Life, the Documentary
by Mercy Renteria
Smoke Closes Schools
On November 9th,13th and the 16th Petaluma City Schools closed due to fires and smoke. With fires two weeks prior to Thanksgiving break, many schools across Sonoma County closed Friday, November 9th, as well as November 13th and 16th. With all the smoke it was very hard to breath and people were advised to wear face masks when going outside. Last year fires in Santa Rosa forced schools to close. Many people were scared about the fires spreading to other areas. Many people left for safety meaning that the town felt a bit empty. Everyday with smoke in the air it felt endless and scary when waking up and seeing a orange ball, also known as the sun, like a post apocalyptic movie. With school being closed San Antonio missed a school assembly. Other schools had events postponed for a later date. This all started in a small town called Paradise and as of December 7th locals had yet to find out what started the fire. The area was heavily wooded and as well as it was dry it went up in flames overnight. Strong winds pushed the smoke towards Sonoma County and all of the Bay Area. Students were advised to not go outside due to all the smoke. Jonathan Vargas said “I didn’t do much besides stay home and watch tv.”
Students Take the ASVAB
On December, 5th San Antonio students were scheduled to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test. The test was canceled because George W Bush passed away and the American government declared the the day a national day of mourning. This means that most federal employees did not have to work, so the military men who were going to give the test couldn't make it. The test was rescheduled for Wednesday, December 12th. The ASVAB is is a multiple-choice test that helps people identify which Army jobs would be best for them. Last year the whole school took the test. Ms. Cecchini explained that Petaluma High School students could take it and Sargent La offered to bring it to San Antonio. Ms. Cecchini thought it was important to have the test at San Antonio because many students are looking to go straight into careers rather than getting a college degree. Therefore, they aren’t taking the SATs, but they still need to know what their strengths are. This test will not only let students know where their strengths lie, but also will connect it in a vocation or a career that they might be good at based on their strengths. Ms. Cecchini explained that last year everyone took the test, but this year it was in a voluntary basis. Last year making everyone take it just didn’t seem particularly helpful. A lot of students were not that interested in the test and therefore didn't give it the kind of effort that it needs in order to get real results or accurate results. So this year teachers decided to just open it up to those students who were interested for whatever reason and figured that if they’re volunteering to take it then therefore there's more buy in and they will give it more effort. Ms. Cecchini stated, “The value of this test even though some people aren’t interested in the military is because it tests you in such a variety of different areas. It tests you in math, science and english. But it also tests you in your mechanical abilities, your understanding electrical circuitry, things like these that aren’t necessarily just things you learn in regular school with reading, writing and arithmetic.” She recommends the test because it gives students information about areas that they wouldn’t have necessarily have information. The best part of this is that when students get their results back they give them access to a very large database and a websites that takes students results and gives them suggestions for careers and also for what schools they might go to. There is also information about how much the career will pay and how much the schools will cost. Ms. Cecchini emphasizes, “It’s just a robust website that you really don’t have access to unless you take this test. Doesn’t matter whether you go to the military, you get access to that website, but again you don’t get access unless you take the test.”
November Graduate- Noe Hernandez
by Jesus Cortez Martinez
San Antonio's November graduate was Noe Hernandez. He graduated on November 2, 2018. When asked his favorite part about San Antonio, Noe said “I liked Cecchini’s class and Mr.Smith's class. They were the best. My respects to Smith.” When asked if he had any plans after high school, his words were “Work, then go to the J.C.” He was also asked if he had anything to say to his classmates and teachers. He said “Do good, if you don’t, you’re just making your time here longer”.
Gingerbread Showcase
Students at San Antonio High School participated in Petaluma’s Third Annual Gingerbread House Showcase and Competition. They built their gingerbread house over the course of December 3rd through December 6th. On December 3rd the students made the dough to construct the gingerbread house, it was also decided that the theme for the gingerbread house would be an underwater house. They broke off into two groups one would work with the wet ingredients and the other combined the dry ones. After, they just blended both together. Mrs. McGarry took the dough home to bake it. On December 4th the students decorated the walls of the house while they were flat and before the house was assembled. They used a variety of candies to decorate the walls and they used white frosting to do little details and to make the candies stick. They used candies like Swedish Fish, gummy sharks, sour gummy candies, green sour belts for the roof, and some other candies. On December 5th they assembled the house. They used royal icing to stick all the walls together and stick the house to the base or “yard”. On December 6th the students decorated the base of the house. They used food dye to dye the frosting blue and coated the base with it. They also added candies, and used blue sour belts leading towards the door of the house and added brown sugar as dirt or sand. That day after school the gingerbread underwater house was turned in to the Petaluma Hotel for the showcase. The students who participated were: Daysi Altamirano, Tiffany Bernal, Anna Bostrom, Mary Cobleigh, Daniel Cortez, Luis Cortez, Ian Daunell, Alberto Gonzalez, Michelle Guzman, Zoe Nicol, Nemo Soto, and Emily Vasquez.
Rockstar Livin'
by Adrian Pleitez
Travis James is a musician from the band Highway Poets. He came to San Antonio on October 31st to have a small class and to introduce the possible future of a music class at SAHS. He’s never really taught a class (he has taught one on one), so this is new to him just like how music is going to be new to the students. “So it's up to all of us to make this program,” he says. The kids in the room really seemed intrigued in what he had to say and getting to touch an instrument.
James wasn't going down a good path when he was young, he was on the road to being incarcerated or worse, but he found a love and passion in music that helped him climb out the hole he was going down. He locked himself in his room and went to work, practicing and learning because like he said, “No one woke up a rockstar.” Music was a good positive outlook from the “stupid” things he was doing. The Music Appreciation class will be offered in the Spring Semester. Ms. Cecchini will teach it along with James. It will be just to have fun and just explore. Students won't have to know how to play an instrument, they can just get some knowledge of music and enjoy music.
November Election Results
by Nemo Soto
This past November, Americans all across the country, young and old, rushed to the polls to vote on who they wanted to be elected in the different area of politics. On a broader spectrum, the main attraction for many were the votes on lawmakers, senators, and governors for each respective state. The midterms saw one of the biggest young voter turnouts in American history compared to just a few years ago where youth voters didn’t show up to the polls. This proved to be a step up towards a more progressive and patriotic America. However, in cities all across the nation the polls also listed various local town positions, such as mayor, councilmembers, laws, and school board members.
The wave of progressiveness that America had that night had an effect on Petaluman voters. A more forward America meant that a more forward Petaluma was inevitable. A new Democratic Mayor was elected in Teresa Barrett with a decisive win over former Petaluma Councilman Mike Harris who had strong promotion throughout his campaign just fell short at the polls. In his 2014 run for mayor, Harris fell short just 84 votes to David Glass who proceeded on in his second term as Mayor. Petaluma was once seen as a very Republican town which dates back all the way to the Civil War era.
The idea of change was also directed towards the Petaluma City Schools board members who were up for election. The three incumbent members in Sheri Chlebowski, Michael Baddeley, and Phoebe Ellis were not supported by the Petaluma Federation of Teachers (PFT). PFT promoted new candidates in Mady Cloud, a former high school English teacher, Joanna Paun, a guidance advisor at St. Vincent de Paul High School, and Caitlin Quinn, 25, who will serve as the board’s youngest member in history. Even with the PFT’s promotion ultimately paying off in the end, the race was still neck and neck.
Art Corner
Awards and Ice Cream
On November 30 the students of San Antonio High School had an awards assembly to celebrate their success. An ice cream company called Three Twins donated ice cream to San Antonio so the staff thought it was a good a better idea to put both things together. One class at a time was excused to go to room nine and get ice cream and there was a variety of toppings to can choose from. They gave students time to chill and eat it before the awards assembly. The awards were for attendance, grade point average, and credits earned. Ian Daunell was awarded student of the grading period.
Cheering for Community Service
by Alexis Ceja
Holiday Fun
There are many entertaining things to do around Christmas time. Especially in Petaluma. You can drive down D street to look at the Christmas lights because almost every house decorates. You can turn it into a night of fun by getting comfy, getting snacks, and driving around looking at the lights. Downtown Petaluma, across from the movie theatre, there is a giant Christmas Tree you can dress up and take pictures in front of for your social media. Another option is right across the street: the new Grinch movie just came out, what a way to get into Christmas spirit than to watch a movie about the green guy who hates Christmas. Another fun activity you can do is to stay at home, make hot chocolate and a big bowl of popcorn and stay home and watch ABC’s Christmas marathon. You could also go ice skating in the city in front of Macy’s in Union Square. Macy’s in San Francisco also has dogs in the windows which you can adopt. The city is super fun around the holidays because of all the Christmas trees and bright decorations. You can also go to Fisherman’s Wharf which is decorated and walk on the pier and go to all the little shops.