sandiapreptimesVolume 32Issue 2November 4, 2016Home of the SundevilsAlbuquerque, New Mexico

By Olivia CaffreyStaff Writer

Have you noticed your peers holding hands, giggling and hug-ging as the weather cools this fall? It turns out, there’s a scien-tific reason why people begin re-lationships as winter approaches.

Jacob Vigil, an associate pro-fessor of psychology at the Uni-versity of New Mexico, said peo-ple tend to stay in relationships during the colder months because it’s more difficult to participate in large social activities and meet new people when there is snow on the ground and the days are shorter.

An article Vigil wrote in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sci-ences explained that people find it easier to strengthen existing rela-tionships during the fall and win-ter. It’s more likely for a couple that has been dating since Sep-tember to stay together through-out the cold weather than to go to the trouble of starting a new rela-tionship in November.

“Humans have evolved the instinct to strengthen the intimacy of their existing relationships in cold weather and with more dark-ness, because the human brain has been exposed to repeated constraints in the ability to meet new people under conditions

where there are physical barri-ers to meeting new people (e.g, snow and less daylight),” Vigil said in an email. “The result is the evolved tendency to bet on investing in the relationships that the individual has at hand (when the weather cools).”

Sophomore Warren Stacy said he’s not aware of dating ten-dencies.

“I have not noticed any pat-terns in particular, but I won’t deny that relationships do start before big events that are associ-ated with the fall,” Stacy said.

However, the 11th and 12th grade Dean Debi Kierst has no-ticed an upswing in students’ dat-ing early in the school year.

“Fall is a good time, because people spend time at camps to-gether and get to know each other on a different level,” Kierst said.

Senior Emerald Saldyt said she and her boyfriend started dating after Valentine’s Day, but it did not relate to the holiday.

“I can see that some teenag-ers start dating before big events, but I think this is due to people being afraid of asking each other out,” she said. “And special oc-casions, such as Homecoming or Halloween, give a person an excuse to ask another person out on a date.”

Freshmen Break Tradition ‘Fall’ing into Relationships

Sophomore Alissa Tabet gives high-fives to her teammates with the support of the student section dressed in a ‘pink out’ before the Sundevil’s ‘Dig Pink’ game. The game raised money for the UNM Cancer Research Center and Prep families battling cancer.

Serving Up a Cure

Lori Hunt

College Prep without College Credits

Spirit Stick Out of Seniors’ HandsBy Kierstin KingStaff Writer

Students walk into assembly full of excitement and energy. Blue, red and green stream across the left side of the Field House; yellow, purple and white on the right. Noise echoes throughout the building as each grade pre-pares for the cheer off during Spirit Week.

Students who have partici-pated in Color Day before know the drill (seniors always win), but this year they were in for a sur-prise with the announcement that a decibel reader would record the noise level.

Before the event begins, se-niors make a lively entrance and everybody goes wild. It’s their last year. By the end of assembly, the two grades competing against each other are the freshmen and the seniors.

And this year, to everyone’s surprise, the freshmen won.

Color Day is one of the most anticipated and exciting days of the school year. Each grade wears a different color and participates in a cheer off.

For the past several years, the “Spirit Stick” has gone to the se-niors, who sport pink from head

to toe. This Color Day, things changed. The seniors didn’t win, and students had mixed feelings about it.

“It was annoying,” said ju-nior Dez McDermott. “Seniors always win. They should’ve just given it to them. It’s always been like that. Why change it now?”

Last year, students in the lower grades complained about seniors always winning. They wanted a fair competition.

“I think that this year it was fair. I liked it,” said eighth grader Jonathan Dreskin. “The seniors always win. It was good to see someone else win. A lot of people were happy that another grade won. It was a good change.”

Sophomore Sofia Ortiz said she had mixed feelings about the situation.

“I understand it, like last year I wanted to win too, and I wanted to beat the seniors,” she said. “But as you get older you realize that you wait so long for it and when you’re a senior you want to win.”

Freshmen, decked out in yel-low, were happy they won, and most of them didn’t care what anybody thought. It was a huge accomplishment for the class of 2020.

“It felt good. It made me feel happy that we won. Mostly ev-eryone in my grade was happy,” said freshman Maria Merritt.

In fact, many freshmen were aggravated by the seniors’ reac-tion to them winning.

“The seniors were salty,” freshman Jackson Dennis said. “They should’ve cheered louder if they wanted to win. I wouldn’t act like they did if our grade didn’t win, it wasn’t necessary.”

Throughout the day, fresh-men showed off their class color. Their display was followed by pictures, yelling and parading the spirit stick around campus during upper school lunch.

“It was pretty scary,” said freshman Estevan Delgado. “Ev-erybody was salty. They boo’ed us. I had 911 on speed dial while I was walking through the quad.”

The Color Day winner sparked a huge debate among stu-dents in every grade.

“When the freshmen won, at the time it was pretty infuriating,” senior Trey Felipe said. “Now that I look back on it, I mean, it’s quite the accomplishment for them being the first (underclass) that has won.”

Continued on page 8

By Ryann RaelStaff Writer

Part of Sandia Prep’s market-ing pitch is a college preparatory education without AP classes, dual credit, or Honors courses. But are students put at a disad-vantage?

While some students don’t think so, others believe differ-ently.

Senior Joe Martinez is among students who feel AP and Honors courses would benefit him.

“I do feel like it’s a disser-vice,” he said. “We could easily knock out some college credits with AP’s.”

Johanna Michelsohn, a La Cueva senior who attended Prep for middle school, disagrees with Martinez.

“I think that a private school is pretty comparable to honors classes,” she said. “College(s) look at the rigors of your sched-ule. So regular classes aren’t as rigorous so they are less impres-sive. But I feel like when some (classes) say ‘Private College Preparatory School,’ it usually implies hard classes.”

Dual credit and AP student, Patty Klaus, another La Cueva se-nior, doesn’t see it the same way.

“Once I graduate I will al-ready have a year of college done, which does put me ahead,” Klaus said. “I also feel I will be better prepared for college in the sense of classroom feel, work ethic, and being able to function in a college setting quicker than others.”

However, Melissa Morse, Prep’s director of college coun-seling, thinks the absence of AP and Honors classes could help Prep students with college.

“I have to ask that you trust

that college admissions people do understand the difference be-tween public school and private school,” she said. “On some level they do give more credit.”

Morse also notes that in her experience, AP and Honors courses add an unhealthy amount of stress for students.

“What I’ve found is that in cases where AP classes were of-fered, it was super stressful for the students,” Morse said. “They felt that they had to take at least two, three, four AP courses and they were really stressed out be-cause it’s this idea that you have to do more, you have to do more, you have to do more. That was very stressful for the students and it wasn’t even interesting for them as students.”

Michelsohn is an AP and Honors student with a full sched-ule as well as a varsity member on the soccer and track teams, and she’s found that the amount of work is manageable even with the added stress of extracurricular activities.

Asked whether AP classes have affected her social life, she said that they hadn’t.

“Sometimes I’ll choose to study instead of going to a foot-ball game, but that doesn’t hap-pen very often,” she said. “The hardest part is probably balancing the classes with soccer and track and all that stuff.”

Klaus is a dual credit stu-dent, which means she’s taking classes at CNM to earn both high school and college credit simulta-neously. She attends school at La Cueva every day from 7 a.m. to noon, then college classes Mon-days and Wednesdays from 4:30-7:30 p.m., and Tuesdays from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

“Dealing with that has been somewhat easy since I’m just al-ways going to school, work, or class, but since the classes aren’t on Fridays I can still have fun on the weekends and have a social life,” Klaus said.

As an independent school, Prep is not required to offer AP or honors courses, and even if it was, Morse said she would push

to put a cap on the number of AP classes a student can take.

“Even if we had AP, I would strongly support that there’s only a certain number of courses you can take because you might not be able to handle it,” she said.

Another reason Prep does not offer AP or Honors courses is be-cause it imposes a strict schedule on the teacher, which can nega-

tively impact students’ learning.“Essentially they (faculty)

often times feel it restricts the cur-riculum, almost to where you’re teaching to the test,” Morse said. “The whole mission of the school is to give students a broader, more in-depth program that has much more flexibility and that can be even more interesting.”

Featurepage | 2

By Abby CrouchStaff Writer

Science teacher Matt West-erlund is this month’s faculty member of the month. To level the playing field, the names of all faculty and staff members are entered into a drawing and one is chosen at random.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do on the weekends?

A: I love the outdoors, mountain biking, hiking. I love hanging out with my family. That’s really number one for me, spending time with my moms, and helping out with my nephew Logan.

Q: Where have you always wanted to travel and why?

A: I have always wanted to go to where my father was born. It’s this island in the South Pacif-ic called Western Samoa.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: I can’t chose just one, but I’m secretly a big fan of Leon-ardo Dicaprio. I love the movie Inception.

Q: If you could be a char-acter from a movie who would you be?

A: Luke Skywalker, easy.

Q: What is a quote that you live by?

A: “Put your name on it” by (former) New York Jets football coach Herm Edwards.

Q: What’s your secret tal-ent?

A: Making oatmeal choco-late chip cookies, singing ‘80s karaoke, parkour master, comple-menting random people, cannon-balls into swimming pools, cat whisperer...is that enough? I can keep going.

Q: How long have you been teaching at Sandia Prep?

A: It’s my first year at San-dia Prep as part of the faculty. However, I was the Boys’ Varsity Assistants Soccer Coach under Coach Smith for the past 4 years. Before Prep, I taught middle school science, health, and PE in the public schools, and prior to that I was an elementary school PE teacher.

Q: What is at the top of your bucket list?

A: I would love the chance to go to Western Samoa, where my father was born and grew up, and have the chance to travel the world, especially Europe during their soccer seasons.

Q: What do you think is

the biggest world issue today?A: Climate change, hands

down.

Q: What do you consider your greatest achievement?

A: My greatest achieve-ment has to be becoming a teach-er. I know it sounds cliché but it really has always been the one thing I wanted to do, and coming back to Prep, my alma mater, it’s perfect.

Westerlund Returns

By Izzy ChiavettaStaff Writer

Sandia Prep’s founding fam-ily played a significant role in es-tablishing the Albuquerque Inter-national Balloon Fiesta.

Now the largest balloon gathering in the world, the fiesta started small in 1972 with only 13 balloonists. It began as a competi-tive race, launching from the State Fairgrounds.

The event soon had to be moved because it was too close to the airport, according to the fies-ta’s official website, balloonfiesta.com.

Albuquerque resident and self-taught balloonist Sid Cutter organized that first rally to cel-ebrate KOB Radio’s 50th anniver-sary and continued to be involved with the fiesta for the rest of his life.

“I got hooked right off the bat,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1985.

In 1975, when Cutter heard that the Second Balloon World

Championship was in need of a host city, he immediately proposed to then-Mayor Harry Kinney that Albuquerque offer to become the race’s home. Kinney agreed, pre-venting other states from claiming the honor.

In need of a large area of land away from the airport for the event, Kinney searched for a lo-cation with Cutter. The two men eventually connected with the Simms family, who generously of-fered to hold it in their alfalfa field north of the fairgrounds.

This was not the first time the Simms family had a hand in estab-lishing a community institution. In 1966, the Simms family founded Sandia School, a private school for girls, now co-ed and known as Sandia Prep.

The event’s new location turned out to be a big success, offering a more interesting atmo-sphere for spectators who could walk right up next to the balloons.

Word soon spread, resulting in a larger number of balloonists participating the following year.

Prep’s Ties to Balloon Fiesta Carlos Perez

A hot air ballon lights up the night at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

A Lesson in Love

The majority of the balloonists came out to fly their balloons for fun, making the atmosphere less competitive.

After a few years, to acknowl-edge the fun and easygoing ambi-ence, the event directors changed the name to the Albuquerque In-ternational Balloon Fiesta, making it anything but a competition.

To this day, the Balloon Fi-esta has continued to grow, wel-coming spectators and pilots from around the world.

“I remember when we were on a dirt field with little or no amenities,” said fiesta employee, Lynda Crispino. “Now we have grass and tents and structures and much improved procedures.”

Over the years, the fiesta has grown tremendously, blossom-ing into the largest hot air balloon event in the world.

At the same time, the Simms family’s other venture, Sandia Prep, also has continued to thrive as it celebrates its 50th anniver-sary this year.

What’s Your FavoriteHalloween Experience?

Justice Koren- 8th“I got about two full bags of candy from just one street.”

Sydney Brooks- 7th“I liked last year, because my

friends and I went all around our neighborhood in the dark around midnight and went trick-or-treat-

ing and ding-dong ditched.”

Alyssa Paez- 10th“I like Halloween parties. They’re fun, because people dress up and

they have contests for who has the best costume.”

Derek Benavidez- 11th“When I was little, I would go to my aunt’s house, and (my brother and I) would throw a Frisbee in

the backyard.”

Alicia Barela- 8th“One time, I went trick-or-treating at the Albuquerque Country Club with my cousins and we lost one of my cousins. We had to go find

him, so it was fun looking for him.”

By Emma KierStaff-writer

It seems like a no-brainer that the faculty couples at Prep would see each other a lot. But the three married couples on campus--Lori Hunt and Patrick Kelly; Paul and Noel Huitt; and Courtney and Louis Giannini--are usually so busy, they rarely cross paths dur-ing the school day.

Hunt, an English teacher, and Kelly, who teaches math, have been working at Prep for 10 years out of their 20-year marriage. Much of their time on campus is spent either teaching or watching their twins, juniors Aidan and Cat Kelly, play baseball and volley-ball.

Throughout the school day, Hunt and Kelly are usually so tied up in work or busy helping stu-dents that they only briefly bump into each other a few times a week.

“Unless it’s kind of inten-tional because I’m here in the 700 building, he’s over in the 200 building, our paths don’t ordinar-ily cross,” Hunt said.

The Huitts’ busy schedules also keep them from interacting much during the school day, Noel Huitt said.

“Maybe he’s walking his PE class to go to the tennis courts and I’m walking across the quad and we just wave and say ‘hi,’ but it

just depends on the day whether we get to see each other or not,” she said.

With Paul Huitt coaching baseball and Noel Huitt coaching track and field and cross-country, they work around different sched-ules and don’t always have the op-portunity to carpool.

Noel Huitt said she and her husband enjoy working together because they both understand the Prep community and the challeng-es they’re faced with.

“When we go home, we have each other to decompress (with) about things that were hard for us that day…so we are able to un-wind,” she said. “We understand what happened.”

The Gianninis are the new-est addition to the Prep couples. Courtney Giannini has helped Louis Giannini coach the dance team for 10 years, but 2016 marks her first year as a full time staff member at Prep.

“It’s nice to be able to pop in and see each other and say ‘hi’ and check in every now and then, and we do dance team together so we can work on that together through-out the day,” said Courtney Gi-annini.

Working with your signifi-cant other may seem like a recipe for disaster, but “there’s no down-sides. It’s all positive,” she said.

Entertainment page | 3

By Gwendolyn RiccobeneStaff Writer

My hands tremble. Shivers travel down my spine. My mus-cles tighten as I clench a pillow or the person next to me. My heart-beat quickly rises just before the heart-stopping scare that makes me jump. These are the weirdly satisfying reactions I have while watching a quality horror movie.

While some people dread the thrill and suspense, I love it. If you share my fondness for hor-ror movies, here are a few of my favorite horror flicks you should definitely watch in the spirit of Halloween.

The three chapters of “Insidious” are some of my fa-vorite scary movies. Each chapter comes together to tell a whole, intriguing story. Each movie’s plot is about a supernatural entity attempting to inhabit one of the characters bodies to live again. The only issue with the three parts is that they are not told in order. This makes it difficult to put the pieces together.

The best part of the series is how each film is consistently frightening and there aren’t many dull moments. The scariest is the third one because of the ex-tremely spooky and powerful

entity going after Quinn, a teenage girl who gets in this predicament while attempting to contact her dead mother. There are chilling moments in each part and many startling scenes that come together to create a thrilling experience.

Overall, this series has a frightful and alluring plot, earning itself a four-star rating.

Another favorite of mine would be both of the “Sinister” movies, which had me on the edge of my seat, covering my eyes, while tightly gripping the person next to me. The plot of “Sinister” is incredibly engaging and somewhat twist-ed with amaz-ing actors. The idea of watching old, disturbing footage of mass murders causing a supernatural force upon one of your children is completely horrific. When I first watched these films it was hard to process the cruel acts being inflict-ed on the actors, but the motion

By Ryann RaelStaff Writer

Fifty years ago, Sandia Prep’s Theater Department made its de-but with the production of “Our Town.” Now, on the half-century celebration, senior Daniel Romero is directing the play as a tribute to the school’s history.

“The show is really about life and people (who) don’t appreciate it while they live,” said Romero. “Their lives seem so insignificant, but by the end of the show you re-alize that every little action is sig-nificant. In life we don’t appreci-ate every minute; that’s the show’s message. I think it’s a very very powerful show.”

Romero is only the second student director in Sandia Prep history, behind Abby Vermette who directed “Guys & Dolls” last spring.

Student directing is a massive undertaking, and with the magni-tude of the show, Romero is feel-ing the pressure.

“I want to honor the school with this 50th year celebration,” he said. “This school has done so much for all of us and given us so many opportunities, and I want to show my gratitude by making this show the best that I can. There’s a lot of pressure, but it’s good pres-sure.”

Sandia Prep theater teacher Erin Moots, “Our Town”’s tech-nical director, thinks that while it will be difficult, Romero is more than up for the challenge.

“Our student directors, by the time they’re done, we just are hopeful they are alive,” she said. “To direct a main stage production is a beast. I think he’s going to pull it off. If anybody could, Dan-iel could.”

Aside from being a celebra-tory event, “Our Town” is tech-nically different from most of the shows Sandia Prep puts on. Actors pantomime almost everything. In terms of props, the show is bare, which is a blessing for the techni-

cal crew but a curse for the actors.“This show is so theatrical;

you have to create this space with-out the actual space,” said Rome-ro. “If you mess up, you don’t have the distraction of a nice set. There’s no props, no distractions for the audience. You are the show as the actor, you drive the show.”

Freshman lead Livia Walker shares Romero’s sentiment.

“The style leaves a lot more to the actors. It is a little challenging because we have to pantomime most things and have to create vi-suals for the audience by ourselves as well.”

Romero has never panto-mimed during a main stage pro-duction and plans to use the exper-tise of his mentor, theater teacher and 12th grade dean, Debi Kierst, who has decades of experience in the theater.

On the technical side, Moots said the show is easier for both the crew and the technical theater class. Because there are few props and set pieces, the lighting direc-tor won’t have to worry as much about shadows and complex lighting cues.

The technical theater class, responsible for much of the set design and construction of the main stage production’s set, has taken this time to work on oth-er projects for the theater, said Moots.

Every show has trials and tribulations; between scheduling issues and commitment, Romero has his hands full.

“I am very happy with the talent. My issue right now is with the conflicts. There are a lot of conflicts so I’m hoping I can pull out a little more commitment,” he said.

Part of the talent that excites Romero is Walker. Freshmen usu-ally are not cast as the leads of main stage productions, but, ac-cording to Romero, her audition was stellar.

“She blew me away in her audition, and she’s reading very well,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what she can do. She’s one of my biggest excitements for the show.”

Walker is equally excited to have a big part in her first up-per school production, but was shocked when she heard the news.

“I was very surprised to be cast in this role,” she said. “When Daniel called me I was really ex-cited and a little nervous about be-

ing in such a big part, but I mostly couldn’t wait to start working!”

The cast and crew are work-ing hard on drawing a wide range of people to the show. Romero is setting up an interview with the Casa 2 Style TV show as well as reaching out to alumni and get-ting the student body excited.

“I’d like to get some more support, some more rallying for not just the show, but the troupe and the theater community,” he said.

In honor of the 50-year cel-ebration, Romero cast two faculty members. English teacher Kent Wall and Head of School Bill Sinfield will make appearances in the production as the Stage Manager and Howie Newsome, respectively.

The show opens Nov. 17th and will be performed on the 18th and 19th as well.

‘Our Town’ in Our Community

By Thomas SavageStaff Writer

From “Breaking Bad” to “No Country for Old Men,” New Mexico has enjoyed a surge in the number of films and TV shows created in the state in recent years. The industry brings many benefits to the state, injecting millions of dollars into the economy and pro-viding high paying jobs. Accord-ing to the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico is viewed favorably by the film and TV industries and has become a well-established and important production location.

In 2003, New Mexico was one of the first states to launch a film incentive program. The pro-gram offers a tax incentive for filmmakers which offered a 25 percent rebate to film production companies for direct in-state ex-penditures. In 2011 the so called “Breaking Bad Bill” added an additional 5 percent credit, for 30 percent in all, for long-run-ning television programs. New Mexico is one of 36 states to of-fer some form of tax incentives to the film industry.

“If the tax programs stay like they are, I have no doubt that the film industry will con-tinue to thrive in New Mexico,” said Sandia Prep graduate Kyle Cowan who is an actor involved in two ongoing television shows. “If the tax incentives go away, the producers will have no problem moving their productions to a state with incentives.”

Governor Susana Martinez told the Albuquerque Journal that the Land of Enchantment offers beautiful landscapes and iconic landmarks for film sets. The 1969 classic film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” was filmed around the Southwest including New Mexico, continuing a tradi-tion first made popular by John Ford in the 1940 film “The Grapes of Wrath.” Other acclaimed mov-ies that capture the geographic variety of New Mexico land-scapes include Oscar-nominated

“Silkwood,” directed by Mike Nichols, and “No Country for Old Men” by the Coen brothers.

There are many different job paths for young people in New Mexico to get involved in film production such as grips, editors, carpenters and actors. Cowan, Jock Whitman and Autumn Roy-bal-Rivers agreed that many jobs on set don’t require an interview. As for acting, there is an extensive audition process.

The production sets vary in organization.

“All major productions are organized very well. Smaller in-dependent sets are usually pretty disorganized,” said Whitman, an Albuquerque local who does vari-ous jobs on film crew.

According to New Mexico actress Roybal-Rivers, when there is an all local crew, the set tends to be very organized. In contrast, she stated, “I also worked recently on a mini series being filmed out here with very few local crew, and it was very chaotic and disorga-nized.”

The salaries in the film indus-try heavily vary. According to an article from the website Chron, if employees are part of a union, they can expect to get paid an hourly wage of $34.31 on average. For entry level jobs, minimum wage is the expected pay.

“It takes a long time to get paid decently,” said Whitman.

But he added that it is a great time to work in the New Mexico film industry because there are so many job opportunities.

Cowan said that to succeed in the industry, a lot depends on who you know.

He added, “The studios are booked through fall of this year, and I hear they are already filling up for next year as well.”

Whitman put it simply.“It’s never going to become

Hollywood. But so much money has been put into the film indus-try here, who knows where it will go?”

pictures are fascinating and truly sinister, although I’m not sure if that title does this movie justice. Between the nail biting, heart stopping moments and the terrify-ing Boogeyman I would give these movies five-star ratings.

Last but not least on this list is “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” In this classic movie, Freddy Krueger turns teenagers’ dreams to night-

mares by attack-ing them in their sleep, which in-jures and even kills them in re-ality. Through-out the movie I was fidgety and suspense rushed through my body, wondering when the teens would figure out Krueger’s moti-vation. This film may be older, but it is definitely a four-star classic worth watching.

If you love thrilling and

hair-raising scary movies, these are some good ones to watch. But beware: Watch with friends and once you are finished you may want to sleep with the lights on.

Filming in the Land of Enchantment

Frightening Flicks‘In life we don’t appreciate every minute; that’s the show’s message.’

-Senior Daniel Romero

The middle school cast rehearses scenes from “Shrek the Musical, Jr.”, which was performed in Prep’s theater last weekend.

Ryann Rael

Student-Director Takes the Stage

By Amali Gordon-BuxbaumStaff Writer

“The media is the primary means through which public opinion is shaped and at times manipulated.” That is an ex-cerpt from a report done by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies. With election less than a week away, a pleth-ora of news sites and online blogs are buzzing with updates on the candidates.

USA Today’s Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page noted how widely the media world has expanded in recent years, varying the mainstream media’s mission. Some outlets have de-veloped political agendas while others remain uninvolved.

“Earlier, (the media) might have meant a handful of big newspapers, but now, it includes lots of online outlets and blogs; it’s a much bigger world.” This development of media outlets has changed the standards of news reporting, Page added.

Kate Nash, a journalism instructor at UNM and a long-time local political reporter, de-scribed similar changes in the media, as well as in the role of journalists themselves.

“The idea is to explain what candidates are for and cover the campaign without bias,” she said. “Now, with fact-checking, reporters are expected to re-member what the candidates did in the past. They are expected to know so much so quickly.”

This election has been full of tension between the candi-dates, obviously seen in the most recent debates. Bill Nich-

ols, an editor-at-large who used to work at Politico and USA To-day, has noticed that Americans are quick to blame the media for complaints they have with the election.

“I think people who blame the media for whatever they don’t like about elections pri-marily target cable television, which often play to the most sensational elements,” he said. “I think if anyone or anything is to blame, it’s the larger dy-namic of the transition to digi-tal media, which has radically changed the news cycle and the nature of news and given both politicians and voters much less time to be reflective.”

Because people rely on so-cial media, they’re getting bom-barded by election news on sites like Facebook and Twitter, and candidates are taking advantage of it while often avoiding direct confrontations with reporters.

“Social media gives (can-didates) the ability to bypass reporters and communicate directly with voters,” Nichols said, “which Trump in particu-lar has been masterful at.”

The opportunities presented by social media are not just for politicians to use, but for voters and reporters as well.

Nash is wary of election-related activity on social media.

“Social media is a fun place to talk about candidates, but is it debate or is it just people’s opinions?” she said. “The back and forth of ‘this person is a bad person’ is not a true debate. Social media has the role of in-forming people, but it’s also just a space for people to chat infor-

mally.”BuzzFeed News Editor-in-

Chief Ben Smith wrote in a sto-ry that blunt statements about the election and the candidates can be found all over Twitter.

“In this view,” Smith wrote, “reporters have finally gotten over their fantasies of balance and their timid refusal to call people ‘liar’.” Nash echoed Smith’s ideas of social media giving journalists the chance to loosen up, but she warns that too much relaxation on Twitter could cause perceptions of bias.

“More reporters are on so-cial media feeling more com-fortable supporting different candidates,” Nash said. “They may post a video of a candidate because they might or might not agree, but the nature of be-ing able to share those kinds of posts allows bias.”

Nichols believes another reason why voters complain about media bias is because of the coverage garnered by Republican nominee Donald Trump.

“In modern U.S. history, the media has played the role of the impartial observer. …I think that has changed somewhat this year, as mainstream media orga-nizations have had to deal with the fact that Donald Trump quite often says things that are either untrue or racist or objectionable in some way and it’s difficult to report that impartially,” Nich-ols said. “I think that the media

is not so much pro-Clinton, as pretty overtly anti-Trump.”

Perceptions of bias are also products of what reporters themselves have access to and what they can publish, as both Nash and Page explained. Both Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been criticized for being unapproach-able.

“Both candidates were not doing many press conferences where reporters were allowed to ask about anything,” Nash said. “I think that’s a shame; report-ers should have that opportu-nity.”

Page posed the question: Do candidates who talk to re-porters get better coverage than those who do not?

“I don’t think that’s true,” she continued. “Candidates who talk to the press have a chance to make their case. I don’t think reporters reward candidates who are accessible.”

No matter what the limita-tions may be, Page sees election reporting as the best way to start open-minded discussions.

“It’s important to be in-formed, engaged, and to par-ticipate,” she said. “What main-stream media is trying to do is to convey information in a way that can start conversations from all sides.”

Nash agreed with Page’s emphasis on the importance of the media’s role in elections.

“It’s not all boring press conferences,” Nash said. “You can find out interesting back stories and passions. You let the world know who these people really are.”

Tracking the Campaign Trail

By Myrissa LardStaff Writer

Even though most Sandia Prep students are too young to vote, they have formed their own opinions on what they think about the candidates. Both can-didates have made strong points that have won over Americans on both sides. Trump and Clin-ton both want to give America something that it can benefit from.

Sophomore Anika Hey-wood says she feels like she hasn’t researched Trump and Clinton’s policies as well as she should, but she says she agrees more with Clinton. “I feel like both are untrustworthy,” says Heywood.

Another sophomore, Nick Coyte, says he feels he would “end up in some kind of nucle-ar apocalypse” if Clinton were elected. “I don’t think I would be affected very much if Trump was elected,” he adds.

“I am worried about Trumps’ promises because he doesn’t like Muslims, women, or black people, and I happen to fit into all three of these cat-egories,” says eighth grader Sumayyah Salahuddin. “Grow-ing up in these times con-cerns me because of the things people say to me because of how I look,” she adds. “I have been called so many names be-cause of the extra yard of fabric around my head and my skin color. I have been called a ‘ter-

By Matthew NairStaff Writer

From candidates hurling accusations and insults at each other to independent organiza-tions uncovering damaging in-formation, 2016 has been a po-litical rollercoaster.

Lonna Atkeson, a profes-sor of political science at the University of New Mexico and author of multiple books on the subject, said this election has been unusual from the start. Both Hillary Clinton, the Dem-ocratic nominee, and Donald Trump, the Republican nomi-nee, enjoyed unprecedented ad-vantages over their opponents from the beginning of their primary elections, she said in a phone interview.

“Clinton was able to clear the field ahead of time because of how she controlled her fi-nances and her name recogni-tion,” Atkeson said. “Trump, on the other hand, used his celeb-rity status to help him win his primary.”

Although Clinton and Trump emerged from their pri-maries victorious, they have not secured the support of all their respective party’s voters. Both candidates have been weighed down in the general election by scandals and incendiary com-ments.

Clinton’s most dogged is-sues surround her use of a pri-vate email server while she was Secretary of State and a series

of speeches she gave to Wall Street corporations. These is-sues have caused questions about her trustworthiness.

Senior Nick Eyerman raised serious accusations against the former Secretary of State.

“Hillary Clinton is awful,” he said. “She’s corrupt and owned by corporate donors.”

Eyerman also pointed to Clinton’s handling of raids on two United States facilities in Benghazi, Libya, in which four American citizens were killed, as proof she shouldn’t be presi-dent.

“In Benghazi, the Consulate was constantly asking for help and she ignored them,” Eyer-man claimed.

Trump has not been any less scrutinized than his oppo-nent. Most of his troubles have stemmed from insulting com-ments he has made.

“Trump says crazy stuff,” said Atkeson. “Name a group, I’m sure he’s insulted them.”

Carl Warmuth, also a se-nior, says he was most offended by Trump’s comments about U.S. Senator and former naval captain John McCain.

“My biggest concern is the time he dismissed John Mc-Cain’s war hero status, reason-ing that since he was captured he’s not deserving of the title,” said Warmuth. “I think nullify-ing someone’s heroism is really egregious.”

Trump’s most damaging comments, however, were made

a decade before he started his campaign. Audio recently un-earthed by Access Hollywood shows Trump apparently brag-ging about sexually assaulting women. Since the release of this tape, 10 women have come for-ward accusing the Republican presidential nominee of sexual harassment.

According to Atkeson, while most of Trump’s sup-porters seem unbothered by his controversies, the same cannot be said for officials in his party. Intra-party conflict to the de-gree of what we are seeing this year is almost unprecedented in modern day politics, she ex-plained.

“Not since 1912 when Ted-dy Roosevelt opposed William Taft have we seen a prominent figure in a major party refuse to support the nominee,” she said. “This year, Mitt Romney, George H.W. Bush, and many other Republicans have come out against Trump.”

While Clinton has garnered the support of her party’s es-tablishment, she is still having trouble attracting all the sup-porters of Bernie Sanders, the United States Senator from Ver-mont whom she beat in a con-tentious primary election.

Warmuth, who says he sup-ports Clinton, does so grudg-ingly.

“Bernie Sanders was defi-nitely my favorite candidate,” he said. “I think he brought something new to the table. He

seemed to be genuine, which would be an inaccurate way to describe these remaining candi-dates.”

Considering the conflict on both sides, it is no surprise that both Clinton and Trump have historically high unfavorable ratings. According to realclear-politics.com, 52.4 percent of voters view Clinton unfavor-ably while 60.8 percent say the same of Trump, as of press time.

Former New Mexico gover-nor and libertarian candidate for president Gary Johnson has tak-en advantage of his opponents’ unpopularity. He is currently polling at 7.4 percent nationally and 24 percent in New Mexico. If Johnson continues polling this high up until the election, he will be the most popular third party candidate since Ross Pe-rot in 1996.

That’s good news for Eyer-man. Originally a supporter of Republican Rand Paul, he now reluctantly supports Johnson.

“Gary Johnson is better than Trump and Hillary,” he said. Adding, “I think he would be a good domestic policy president but not a good foreign policy one.

For now, though, it appears Clinton has a good chance of winning this odd election come November.

“Hillary Clinton is lead-ing in most of the main polls,” Atkeson said. “She’s certainly favored coming into the home-stretch.”

rorist’ or people have told me ‘to go back home’ just because I am a Muslim.”

Trump’s focus during the Presidential race has been on immigration, foreign policy and gun control. He says he wants to prioritize what Americans need and remove illegal immigrants and those who don’t follow the “American way of life.” Trump wants to rid America and the world of terror groups, focus-ing heavily on ISIS. Trump is, however, a strong believer in the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms and self de-fense.

Clinton has focused on education, gun control and im-migration. She says she wants education to be fair for every-

one by allowing an equal oppor-tunity to access of higher educa-tion to ensure the future of this country is in good hands with the young generation. She sides with President Barack Obama when it comes to immigration and wants immigrants to have an equal opportunity for citi-zenship. Clinton is with Trump when it comes to ISIS and claims that she will be tougher on ISIS than anyone ever has been.

Students’ opinions on the candidates vary depending on their personal situations and po-litical views. Even the students who are too young to vote have followed this election and have their own thoughts about who they would like to see in the Oval Office.

Media Sends Mixed Messages Roller Coaster RaceDissatisfaction Trending among Voters

Piecing Policies TogetherAnalysis by Caamiell BourgStaff Writer

As one of the craziest presi-dential elections ever to happen in American history comes to a close, the verdict is unclear of who will win the presidency. As of right now statistics show that Hillary is in the lead, however who will win is still a mystery.

It’s been a wild ride as the presidential race has taken lots of twists and turns, and we’ve seen lots of presidential candi-dates come and go. What will happen though after the cam-paigns are over, and presiden-tial election is decided? What does the future hold for the next American president?

With the presidential de-bates finished, Hillary Clinton appears to be in the lead in terms of popular vote, electoral vote and has a higher overall chance. However, it’s too early to count Trump out of the race yet.

In terms of electoral votes, Clinton controls both California and New York, which are two massive states. Five states how-ever, Florida, Ohio, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, are still undecided that could change the outcome of the elec-tion entirely.

Surrounding the propagan-da on the election, it has been nothing but constant insults from both parties. First it was all about how Clinton lied, and

then it was about Trump’s vul-gar comments, then it’s about how Clinton did this, and how Trump did that. All these com-ments do is change the voters’ perceptions on the two candi-dates instead of focusing on why either of them would be a good president.

Third party candidates at this point have no chance of becoming president. However, they still might make all the dif-ference in the final vote. Third party candidates are focused on drawing away potential voters who are unsure of who to vote for, and even though it will not be enough to help them win the presidency, it will remove vot-ers which can make a massive difference.

Considering the Future

“America is great because America

is good!”

“Make America great

again!”“I have a winning

temperament.”

“I will be a president to all of our people.”

“I have a deep devotion to making sure every American feels like they have a place in our country.”

“I have a lot of stamina and I have a lot of resilience.”

Quotes by Hillary ClintonQuotes by Donald Trump

page | 6 Sports

By Adam StellStaff Writer

The noise is deafening: shouts, clapping, cheering. A sea of Sandia Prep students dressed in white stands shoulder to shoulder on the Field House bleachers, raving for their volleyball players as they battle the rivaling La Cueva High School.

The section on the bleachers’ northwest end, where students cheer as loudly as they can for their team, is noisier than ever now that a group of seniors’ rallied the student body to show up for games and let loose with their lively energy.

Junior Spencer Butler said the student section draws him to the games.

“It’s more enjoyable when our school shows pride in our teams,” he said.

Crowds are big factors during games, serving as either

an advantage or a disadvantage to the players on the court or field. The volleyball players, who have enjoyed strong student support during their season, agree that the student section has boosted their enthusiasm.

“It makes us look bigger than we really are,” said varsity player Mirabelle Kinberger.

Many students said school spirit this year has been better than in the past.

“Last year it seemed like not many people would show up,” said sophomore Jacob Montoya, who frequently attends Prep sporting events. “There is a lot more student involvement this year. I like being part of that big of a crowd and that big of a support towards our athletic teams.”

The leaders of the student section--seniors Joe Martinez, Armando Trujillo, Andrea Orozco and David Atkin--have made the games a magnet for students who

By Brian AltavasStaff Writer

Athlete Matthew Burress has been running Cross Country for six years, and this season marks his sixth with Prep. Burress, a senior, is the Sandia Prep Times’ Athlete of the Month.

Q: How long have you been running cross country?

A: Since seventh grade, so about six years.

Q: How did you first get into cross country?

A: I had a cou-ple of friends that ran cross country in sixth grade and so I decided to do it the next year.

Q: What do you enjoy most about the sport?

A: You don’t really stay in one place. You run around and you get to see things.

Q: What type of music do you listen to before a meet?

A: I listen to a rock and roll playlist. I like to pump up before a meet.

Q: KFC or Church’s? A: KFC because KFC has

better chicken.

Q: Favorite drink? A: Gatorade, because it’s

not too unhealthy for you and it’s

something that you can drink after you work out.

Q: What are your plans af-ter you graduate high school?

A: I want to be a Naval offi-cer.

Q: What are your supersti-tions before a race?

A: An hour before the race I drink eight ounces of water. Fif-teen minutes leading up to the

race, I take really deep breaths.

Q: Have you ever been injured while running in a cross country meet?

A: I have got-ten shin splints.They can get really bad after running in a meet, especially if I’m going really hard.

Q: Do you have a favorite moment?

A: Crossing the finish line.

Q: What goes on in your head when running in a race?

A: Stupid things such as “Did I close the refrigerator door?’ A lot of different thoughts. You’re run-ning for a long time, so a lot of things go through your head.

Q: What’s the longest dis-tance you have run in a meet?

A: Races are always 5K, so a little over 3 miles.

Senior Dean Roberts battles his defender for the ball during the Senior Game against Cibola. The boys, who beat St. Mike’s, 3-0, in the first round of state on Oct. 28, were the seventh seed heading into the State Tournament.

Beating the Odds

Flag Football Touches Down

By Myrissa LardStaff Writer

He made it his goal to get onto a professional basketball team after beating cancer, and he did.

Eric Benedick is an assistant coach for the Prep girls’ basketball teams who, after beating testicular cancer, trained hard to go pro. Last season Benedick was signed onto a team in Iceland, and again this season in Ireland, but due to contract issues, he has returned home to coach for the 2016-17 season.

Benedick said when he was 6 or 7, his passion for basketball blossomed.

“Every day at recess, lunch and after school I would just play basketball, all the time, non stop,” said Benedick. “I always knew from an early age that playing basketball and having it in my life was what I truly wanted for myself.”

In 2014, Benedick was diagnosed with stage II testicular cancer. He was given six months to live unless he went through immediate treatment.

“I had to undergo a very brutal chemotherapy protocol, as well as have two major surgeries that had me hospitalized and unable to walk for quite some time,” said Benedick.

Now 26, Benedick is healthier than ever. After a year of rehabilitation and intense training, Benedick got drafted onto a team in Iceland.

“The process to get a professional contract to play

basketball in any country, regardless of the country or level of play, is an extremely hard thing to do,” said Benedick.

Prep’s head girls basketball coach, J.P. Rael, said he’s not surprised Benedick got

the chance.“He has been working hard

to get the opportunity,” he said.Benedick had to work

through pain and lingering effects from chemotherapy to reach his goal.

“I was driven to not let what happened to me prevent me from what I wanted to accomplish,” he said. “That’s what fueled me every day to wake up and push through whatever pain I was feeling both mentally and physically.”

After meeting Rael at a girls’ basketball club, Benedick was given a chance to coach for Prep.

“Coaching the girls in the program here at Prep is something I truly love to do,” said Benedick.

Benedick had a short documentary, “Eric Benedick: Surviving and Thriving,” filmed

By Gwendolyn RiccobeneStaff Writer

Two years ago, a group of sixth graders felt strongly about playing football, so basketball Coach Willie Owens helped turn their dream into a reality.

Middle school flag football is well into its second season at Sandia Prep, beginning in October and running through Thanksgiving.

“There weren’t any obstacles,” Owens said. “We just followed the school’s procedure, which is if we have enough kids interested, we try to make it happen.”

The co-ed teams play in a parochial league with about 20 other teams. Thirty kids are split into two teams, the blue team, with a combination of sixth and seventh graders, and the red team, composed of seventh and eighth graders.

Aubrey McWilliams, an eighth grade parent, coaches both teams. The blue team has a record of 0-2, and the red team is 3-0.

Eighth grader Lily King is the only girl on the red team and has been since she was in sixth grade.

“It was really hard at first because I got teased, but you kind

might not otherwise show up.“We decided to change the

student section this year because it is a lot of fun to get everyone out cheering, especially when there is a lot of us,” Atkin said. “It’s even better to get support out to our sports events.”

The student section has featured many “color outs” for different events this year, with students coordinating the color of their clothing. Students choose most of the color outs on a game-by-game basis, mainly wearing white, black or red.

An exception occurs with the Breast Cancer Awareness games, where fans deck out in pink and the games raise money to help cure the disease.

These days, when a student leader begins the “Let’s Go Devils” chant, you can bet that all students will chime in, filling the gym with loud, spirited cheers.

about him, in which he talks about his journey from his diagnosis to making it onto a professional team.

Rael says that Benedick spends hours working to perfect his skills.

“Nobody outworks my man Eric,” he said.

All of Benedick’s hard work helped him reach his dream. His experiences and drive towards his goals are inspirational for his players.

“What I love most about him is his encouragement and drive to get you to be the best player on

the court,” said senior basketball co-captain Mari Yepa.

Benedick wasn’t the most obvious of possible professional players when he was younger.

“Throughout his high school and college career, he wasn’t the best player on his team and he was small for a basketball player,” said freshman basketball player Austin Tackman. “But he wanted to play basketball professionally, so he worked his butt off… His story has shown me that even when literally everything hasn’t worked out for you, if you put in the time, you have the power

to make whatever you want to happen, happen.”

Athletes that play for him say his positive spirit and ongoing enthusiasm towards basketball is truly heartening.

“I am inspired by him in every way,” said Yepa. “He always manages to look on the bright side of every situation he’s faced. He’s been through so much and to see him smiling makes me thankful for everything in life. On and off the basketball court, Coach Eric will always be my inspiration to be a great athlete and person.”

of move on because you have to work as a team and after a while it doesn’t matter anymore,” King said. “It only matters if you’re good.”

The teams practice together twice a week from 3:45-5 p.m. and also during both activity days. Games take place at either Prep’s baseball field or Bullhead Memorial Park on San Pedro.

“My favorite part about playing is the snacks, being with my friends, and all around it is fun to play,” said eighth grader Preston White. “Also, I like to have catches over other players.”

Seniors Amp Up School Spirit at Games

Run, Burress, Run!

Ryann Rael

Assistant Basketball Coach Chases His Dream After Fighting Cancer

page | 7 Editorial Times Staff

Editors-in-Chief: Amali Gordon-Buxbaum Ryann Rael News Editors: Emma Kier Abby Crouch

Editorial Editors: Olivia Caffrey Izzy Chiavetta In-Depth Editor: Amali Gordon-Buxbaum

Photo Editor: Carlos Perez

Sports Editors: Ryann Rael Adam Stell Entertainment Editors: Gwendolyn Riccobene Kierstin King

Feature Editors: Matthew Nair Caamiell Bourg Business Managers: Olivia Caffrey Matthew Nair

Editorial Cartoonist: Kierstin King

Staff Writers: Brian Altavas Saeed Assed Caamiell Bourg Olivia Caffrey Izzy Chiavetta Abby Crouch Amali Gordon-Buxbaum Emma Kier Kierstin King Myrissa Lard Matthew Nair Carlos Perez Ryann Rael Gwendolyn Riccobene Thomas Savage Adam Stell Staff Advisors: Patricia Snow Joan Goessl

Address all comments to:Sandia Prep Times532 Osuna Rd. NEAlbuquerque, NM 87113

The Sandia Prep Times is a student forum composed en-tirely by and for Sandia Prep students. Opinions expressed on the editorial page are solely those of the author or the student editorial board. They do not reflect the poli-cies or opinions of the admin-istration or faculty. The Times reserves the right to edit all letters to the editor.

By Carlos PerezStaff Writer

Did you know J.Cole went double platinum with no fea-tures? I couldn’t care less.

J.Cole has never been origi-nal and never will be. After the release of “Forest Hills Drive” in 2014, Jermaine Cole hasn’t released another album. This is common within mainstream rap-pers, but J.Cole is not a credible rapper. He’s considered by some to be the best rapper of our gen-eration, a completely and utterly ridiculous claim. His songs are mediocre, just like his bars. He isn’t talented, and it shows in his style of rapping. He doesn’t have a style because it’s just a jumbled up mix between Drake and Nas.

I’m being generous compar-ing him to such great rappers, but here’s why. His business model is similar to Drake’s: Be relatable

and create infectious songs. Let the public share your songs, just like a disease, and profit off their pain. J.Cole is similar to Nas as he tries to replicate his lyrical flow, but he spits out half-baked verses and hooks that make you want to rinse your ears out.

In the song “Let Nas Down,” Jermaine calls Nas an idol but stops short. After one mention in the first verse, the rest of the song is about him.

I’m surprised Nas even let him use his name in such a gar-bage song. That song just oozes narcissism and disgusting verses. “Forest Hill Drive” falls into the trash category of music. I look forward to the day when J.Cole retires from the game.

Rapper Jeffery Lamar Wil-liams, otherwise known as Young Thug, produces way more creative and original content. Young Thug is a beast, a legend,

By Caamiell BourgStaff Writer

Trick or Treat! It’s Hallow-een! The air is filled with the brisk chill of autumn as little kids scurry off with their parents to buy costumes so they can partici-pate in the yearly tradition of treat gathering.

Yeah, not a fan. October 31st is a fabled day

engraved onto the calendars of kids and big candy companies looking to make a bundle on trick or treaters. Ghouls, ghosts, skel-etons, fat hairy spiders and the grim reaper himself come alive to stay true to a Halloween spirit that no one focuses on anymore.

I’ll admit I’ve had an experi-ence or two trick-or-treating with my parents, but it becomes really boring, really fast. I enjoy walk-ing around at night as much as the next guy, but it seems shallow to beg for treats without paying homage to the true meaning of Halloween.

Halloween doesn’t even feel like an actual holiday anymore.

All holidays celebrate some-thing. Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ, Thanksgiving (my personal favorite) celebrates everything we’re thankful for, Easter praises the day Jesus went to heaven, and, for the Fourth of July, America goes nuts over the

day America gained its indepen-dence.

When was the last time you saw a worksheet or activity that explains why we celebrate Hal-loween? You just have to spend your money and evening giving out candy to hyperactive kids ready for their next sugar rush. Even better, kids stay out until midnight because it’s part of their “childhood experience,” even though they have school next morning.

The true story behind Hal-loween just gets ignored behind the costumes, candy, decorations and spooky monsters. During Halloween, nobody even pays at-tention to the simple meaning of honoring the dead; instead, they pay attention to the candy and toys.

Halloween is expected to gross close to $7 billion in sales this year, broken down to 36 per-cent in costumes, 31 percent in candy, 28 percent in decorations, and 5 percent in cards.

Why people celebrate the devil is beyond me. Halloween to me is more targeted toward little kids as a pretend holiday, and everyone else simply has fun be-cause it’s a holiday.

For me, Halloween will nev-er be a holiday. It’s just another cheap excuse to party.

By Amali Gordon-BuxbaumEditor-in-Chief

“Stories matter to the com-munity.” That’s what Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Sara Ganim told the 51 Free Spirit Scholars seated in rows in front of her. I scribbled the quote in my notebook and added in the margin, “Stories matter to me.”

At the beginning of last sum-mer, I was selected as the New Mexico representative for the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Jour-nalism Conference. Along with 50 other top student journalists of their states (including D.C.), I participated in five days of dis-cussions, panels and activities.

Unlike most of the other scholars, this was the first jour-nalism conference I had ever attended, so I had absolutely no idea what to expect. And af-ter hearing about their unique websites online and seeing their sleek, 30-page magazine publi-cations lying next to my flimsy, eight-page paper, I couldn’t help but feel intimidated.

However, once we all sat down together for our first speak-er, I realized no matter how thick our publications were, we were all at the Newseum for the same thing, to learn and improve.

Because the conference was made up of one student journalist from each state, we were essen-tially, and I hate to brag, among the top student journalists in each of our states. But that can be pretty subjective if you think about it. I’m sure the competi-tion in New York is much greater than in New Mexico. But, as my friend Andrea, the representative from Massachusetts, wrote in her

own piece about the conference, “No matter who you asked, he or she had the same introduction. ... For me however, their position meant nothing.”

All 51 of us are editors-in-chief of our own small publica-tions in our own cities and dis-tricts. However, unlike Andrea, I see our similar positions as an incredible sign of dedication. As editors-in-chief, we have sur-vived and even come to love the years of stress and work as a staff writer. Writing for a commu-nity’s paper, whether that’s in a high school, a university or small neighborhood, requires applica-tion and investigation. As jour-nalist and author Charles Haynes told us, “Ensure every voice is heard.”

Last year, I wrote a story about eating disorders for an in-depth section on nutrition. I interviewed multiple therapists, but the story was lacking the heart it needed. After some trea-sured guidance from my news-paper advisor, I emailed one of the therapists, asking if I could talk to one of her clients. To my amazement, one of them agreed to do the interview anonymously, and her input perfectly filled the hole that was missing from my article.

As small it may seem, that interview was a powerful mo-ment for me. It was the embodi-ment of what all of the speakers at the conference were telling us. Go beyond. Take risks. And even though we all introduced ourselves as, “Hi, my name is _____ and I’m the editor-in-chief of _____,” that was a testament to the dedication we put in to get selected for the conference.

and overall a better rapper than J.Cole--from the beats he raps on, his sense of fashion and the people he collaborates with. First of all, on his beats, he regularly uses tracks from the best produc-ers in the game: Metro Boomin, Zaytoven, London on da Track, Mike WiLL Made-It, 808 Mafia, Southside and many more.

Unlike J.Cole, Young Thug is known for his ability to create albums quickly and efficiently. Just in 2016 he has released three mixtapes. To make things even better. J.Cole announced that he won’t be touring for a long time. I’m not interested in hearing about Jermaine’s life and story. I don’t care, and it’s a little cring-ey, to be honest. Young Thug stays true to himself and says so in “Texas Love”: “No features, I don’t do features, I don’t like leeches and I done had enough of these leakers, yea.” He’s really

close with Gucci Mane, a recent-ly released convict, who made an anticipated return several months ago.

Young Thug dresses better than J.Cole, and he doesn’t even need a stylist. So while J.Cole is dressing like he’s still in high school, Young Thug is push-ing the way people think about fashion and has taken interest in modeling. Jeffery’s style mimics the way he raps. It’s original.

When you listen to Young Thug, the experience will be dif-ferent every time. Young Thug can get you hyped up when you need motivation. All three of the “Slime Season” mixed tapes can get you hyped up, unlike “Forest Hills Drive” or “Cole World.”

I’d listen to J.Cole if I want-ed to take a nap, but who can sleep peacefully with trash in their ears?

Journalism Conference Features Student Voices

Boo! The Holiday that Isn’t

Kierstin King

Jiving with J.Cole? Think Again.

Senior Amali Gordon-Buxbaum speaks at a summer journalism conference in Washington, D.C.

Courtesy of the Newseum Institute

NewsBy Brian AltavasStaff Writer

Recent school shootings

and terrorist attacks have led to stricter school security measures across the country, and Sandia Prep is no exception.

Led by head of security Leonard Garcia, a retired Albu-querque police officer, the secu-rity team sees community safety as its priority.

The security team also con-sists of retired Albuquerque fire-fighter Lawrence Padilla, the se-curity guard who greets students in the morning when they arrive late to school, and Brian Phillips, who has a background in manage-ment.

“It is essential that we have perimeter security, because we have a very large campus and I think it is important that we keep those individuals who may want to cause harm out of our campus, and it is essential that we lock our gates to do so,” said Garcia. “We also have a security checkpoint at the front of the school so that anyone that comes to our school has to go through Lawrence or go through the guard house and wel-comed onto our campus.”

Many students interact daily with the campus security guards.

“I feel that security is do-ing their job to keep us safe. I do feel safe because our gates are closed,” sophomore Julia Tipton said. “Security is doing a good job at keeping out intruders be-cause there is only one way onto campus during the day.”

Prep has never had a major security incident.

A couple of years back, a stranger wandered onto the cam-pus after school, took a student’s backpack and ran off. Security

cameras captured the theft, al-though the suspect was never caught. Security cameras in the parking lot are valuable in such cases or even for fender benders in the parking lot.

“We have security cameras that are forensic; their value is in forensics. You can catch some-one who’s done something.” said Head of School Bill Sinfield. “They don’t necessarily deter people from doing things.

The rules students have to follow include telling the front office where they are at all times, not leaving campus without per-mission and not bringing anyone onto campus without checking them in.

“The rules in the handbook were set in place by the deans and administration,’ Padilla said. “No one can leave for lunch, unless you are a senior, and that’s what is put into place. If you come onto campus with a car, you can’t go to your car without checking with your dean and bringing me the slip to go to your car.”

Not all students are pleased with the rules.

å“I feel that they do a pretty good job. It’s kind of ridiculous that we can’t go to our cars, but other than that, I really don’t have an issue with it,” said junior Des-mond McDermott. “Security is doing the best that they can to keep us safe.”

Security staff members said they strive to make improvements when they discover flaws in the system.

“There was a situation years back where somebody who wasn’t a senior tried to sneak off campus in the back seat of some-one’s car,” said Garcia, adding that such incidents have led to to-

day’s security protocol. Prep’s security plan is used

as a model for other schools.“We have one of the most se-

cure campuses in the city, pretty much in the state, and I would consider our security checkpoint the most secured set-up around,” Garcia said.

The security team said the school’s security plan has re-ceived high praise from indepen-

School Security in Full Force

Great Day for Grandparents

Scholars Start Odyssey in New Program

Out of almost 2 million students, three Prep seniors have quali-fied as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.

Eli Stone, Lucas Saldyt and Evan Lewis will receive letters of commendation recognizing their academic achievements and can qualify for special scholarship programs throughout the United States. “These are three wonderful young men who each has special talents,” said Head of School Bill Sinfield. “What I appreciate most about these boys is that they are willing to take intellectual risks, and they have the kind of work ethic that will lead to further success.”

Campus News

Four Senegalese rappers who recently spoke to students through translators explained that rap is a way of expression that goes deeper than expensive cars and girls, like American rappers seem to por-tray. Amadou Ba, Hamady Diouf, Makhtar Fall and Simon Kouka talked about the importance of music in their lives to several classes at Sandia Prep.

The men rap about problems Senegal is facing, like pollution and political issues. They say they have even faced jail time for speaking up for what they believe in.

By Abby Crouch Staff Writer

The class of 2017 didn’t get

to experience what others that had graduated before them did on Color Day, and it still bothers some of them.

“I was pretty devastated,” Felipe said. “As a student at Prep since sixth grade, you wait until your senior year to win the cheer off at Color Day. Us being the

Continued from page 1

Color Day Sees Major Change

Senior Semifinalists

Senegalese Rappers Take the Stage

Head of School Bill Sinfield addresses the student body and their grandparents before the audience watched the middle school cast of ‘Shrek’ perform scenes from the musical. This year’s Grandpar-ents’ Day was held on Oct. 6.

Carlos Perez

By Sammy AssedStaff Writer

Sandia Prep’s new Odyssey Scholars program allows selected students to focus on an academic passion during their junior and senior years.

“Odyssey Scholars is an op-portunity for any student to ex-plore any specific area--math, science, engineering, art, the-ater, anything you’re passionate about--and focus on what you feel you’re going to study in the future,” said Debi Kierst, the junior-senior dean of students and a co-sponsor of the program. “What it’s going to require is rig-orous reading, writing, studying and research.”

Students accepted into the demanding program are given one extra free period during their junior and senior years to focus on their projects, Kierst said.

Junior Madi Hochrein, one of the first students to participate in Odyssey Scholars, is combin-ing engineering and medicine for her project.

“I’m studying how research and engineering influence medi-cine and medical diagnostics,”

she said. “So this semester I’m working in labs for the research part, and next semester I’m going to study clinical stuff.”

Hochrein said she chose the project because of her interests in both research and the medical field.

“I am doing my thesis to fig-ure out which one I would prefer, and to see both aspects of each side and see what I like and don’t like,” she said.

Hochrein said she sees both benefits and drawbacks to the Od-yssey Scholars program.

“It is definitely challenging and definitely a lot of work, and there is not really a guarantee that it is going to open any doors or give me any opportunities, but

It will help me in seeing what I would like to do as a profession-al,” she said.

Junior Valerie Duran had planned to participate in the pro-gram but realized she didn’t have the time to commit to it. She be-gan a project reflecting her inter-est in dance and choreography before choosing to drop out of the program.

“Junior year is already a very hard year, and I am dancing and working outside of that, so there’s a lot going on and this is like one more thing that I had to do,” Duran said. “I was excited about most aspects of it. I didn’t want to write a ton of essays or find all these people to interview. I was excited about dancing and choreographing, but all the other stuff was just too much for me.”

Students who participate in the Odyssey Scholars program continue their projects during their senior experiences, a three-week internship required of all seniors before graduation.

The program is now accept-ing applications from sopho-mores for next year, and about 10-12 students will be selected, Kierst said.

‘It is definitely challeng-ing and definitely a lot of work, and there is not re-ally a guarantee that it is going to open any doors or give me any opportuni-ties, but it will help me in seeing what I would like to do as a professional.’-- Madi Hochrein

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dent sources and agencies. “We have had our security

assessed by our police liaison and by our insurance company, and we have one of the safest cam-puses in the Albuquerque area be-cause of the limited access,” said Sinfield.

Prep has a school resource officer that is a full time APD of-ficer, and he visits the school four or five times a week.

“He is our knight in shining

armor, our guardian angel when it comes to security issues,” said Garcia. “He keeps us informed on any types of police activities that are going on in the area.”

The security staff encourages students to be on the lookout for strangers on campus at all times.

“You’ve got to say your prayers that it’s always going to be a safe place, but I think it’s generally a safe place,” Sinfield said.

first grade not to win, it was pretty upsetting.”

Seniors took their hard feel-ings out on freshmen-sophomore dean Scott Jeffries. After the loss, they covered his truck with pink streamers, pink duct tape and oth-er pink decorations. As payback for the prank, Jeffries charged seniors $5 more than everybody else as a joke at the Homecoming dance.