Sandia Students Hand-in Hand Passion for Athletics and Academics
By: Sophia Anaya
10/25/21
Joining a club or sport is good because it can help your grades and has socialization benefits. Why are you so passionate about playing that particular sport? “Because it’s amazing and like how some people use books and video games to escape the world from their problems, I use baseball. It is my natural high,” Freshman Justin Wolf said. Do you think you would be as willing to do it if you weren’t as passionate about it as you are now? “Yes, I think even people that don't like the game still have a good time,'' Wolf said.
After being upped to a higher math class Freshman Asher Duran shares his input on how it affected him and his view on school. How do you feel about school? “I like school because I feel that Sandia staff helps with making it easier on us kids.” Asher said. School affects people differently. How do you feel school affects you? “I feel like school helps me personally through getting me to talk to other kids my age, and meeting amazing and kind people.” Asher said.
Sandia’s 2021-2022 Marching Band’s Love for Music and the Impact on Their Everyday Lives
By: Sophia Anaya, Emma Day, and Kaylie Labombard
11/1/21
Sandia’s 2021-2022 Marching Band closed out the season after performing at MPA on October 19th. The season has introduced many of the underclassmen into the life of a high school musician and has helped them become more comfortable with the concept of high school in general. Freshman Gio Hubka was asked if she had any lessons learned from marching band she responded, “hard work for sure, and, if you really, like, want something you should totally go for it”. Gio is a new member of the marching band community and has made several accomplishments as well as great experiences. “I have been able to expand musically”. Gio stated, “it’s gotten me more social”. Ian Casas, a Freshman and alto saxophonist reflected on the marching season with joy and pride. “There is nothing I love to do more in this world than music, I always thought marching band was awesome because my older brother did it, so I guess that’s what inspired me.” Kenna Foderaro, a Junior of Sandia High School’s Marching Band reflects back on what made the elective stand out to her during her 9th grade year. “I mean-first off, I wanted to do it so I could get out of P.E. And then… like I realized like, “oh it’s kind of cool” like they do really cool shows and I started watching marching bands and the music kind of stood out to me. They have really cool music.” Kenna is a squad leader who poses as a leader and a role model for not just new members to the band but to everyone in the band program. When asked if she had any experience in memorizing music, Foderaro stated, “No. Not really… like I memorized really easy songs but like songs for marching band not really until I started.” Even though the Marching Band just made the switch into Symphonic band which they will be playing inside for the rest of the semester and into the second semester, all of the members have taken away a positive message from the experience. From meeting new friends, catching up with old ones, to finally being able to perform and compete after a year of quarantine, the band was ready for a strong finish. “You have to work hard to get what you want.”
The Return of Colonial Day
By: Emma Day
11/8/21
Humanities recently held Colonial Day on October 26, which would be the fifty-fifth year of the tradition. The class is taught by Ms. Browning and Ms. Taylor in which is offered as a U.S. History and ELA course to all students during their Junior year of high school. Ms. Browning was passionate when explaining what Colonial Day was, “It is a tradition that started at Sandia High School fifty-five years ago because we had to pause on it for two years because of COVID and it was a celebration of the creation of America. We have changed it over time to make sure that we can include all people that have created America with it. Then, currently, what we do with our students is we have them brace everything we’ve been teaching them which starts with the Native Americans that were here first and then, when Europeans come over here and in depth conquering them it’s not going to be a pretty picture but, it’s just the development of our country.”
The class is composed of eighty-six students during the 2021-2022 school year and really strives to challenge students and push them out of their comfort zones. When asked who was in charge with the whole set up for Colonial Day, Ms. Browning gladly explained, “This year, our classes are standing at about 85. All kids, it's not an optional thing.” Students of the 2021-2022 Humanities classes used all of their knowledge from the beginning of the year to help plan for around two hours and four class periods of the actual setup.
Both Ms. Browning and Taylor’s classrooms quickly turned into the stage awaiting a scene. With the setup of a town that would soon become the name Lakeview (voted on by Humanities students), Ms. Browning’s class was redecorated to reflect the inside of a house while Ms. Taylor’s room quickly turned into a forest with cabins with much determination, which was accompanied by other settings throughout C-hall. Culinary supplied some colonial era food and desserts while Mr. Cockrell’s room served as an observatory. When discussing the roles in which the students fulfilled for the upcoming event Ms. Browning explained, “...in this event we have kids be actual historical characters and there is nobody that can be repeated. There is only one Thomas Jefferson, only one Abigail Williams ( that’s a character from the Crucible) but they all have to pick somebody and they are that person for the day and then they get up in front of the class and they say who they are and why they are important to this time period.” Leading up to Colonial Day, the class read two pieces of literature for preparations which included The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne highlighting the use of knowledge from prior activities. Ms. Taylor conveys, “I think that project based learning is the way kids learn. It’s not just this sit and get. We need their involvement as much as our involvement.”
Cora Gunderson, a Junior who played Debra Sampson, was a member of the militia during Colonial Day. When reflecting on what made her sign up for the class, Gunderson stated, “I wanted to one up my brother. Asa had such a fun time and said the teachers were great so I’d rather do that than take normal classes where I’m bored out of my mind.” Humanities is a hands-on history and ELA class which quickly becomes a family due to other traditional events. “I think we do a lot more hands-on learning which is very helpful for me who learns hands on instead of just doing book work. So, doing stuff like Colonial Day you are able to do more hands-on stuff and actually learn things. Not just reading it.”
ROTC's Lessons Learned
11/22/21
Students in the ROTC program enjoy the activities that are a part of the program. Freshman Grace Mitchell who is a member of the ROTC program states what she enjoys/what they do in the ROTC program, “We do drill, fundraisers, we get to go to cool air force bases and we also get to ride in military aircrafts later in the year, we get to have a military ball just for cadets, we got to meet the general of ROTC and balloon fiesta was fun and we get free access to games after color guard or sabre team we get to have events like parties and potlucks just within the core.” These events help bond the members of ROTC together and build memories, Grace said, “It has really had an impact on my life in a good way. It gets me more involved in school and outside of school, because it’s fun and I come home happy that I have a good relationship with everyone in my flight.” ROTC has a similar effect on everyone that joins.
ROTC is a class in which you take at least one life lesson with you. Freshman Asher Duran states a lesson he will take with him into his adult life. “... no matter how messed up you are, you can always make something better of yourself.” ROTC has a different effect on some students more than others. Asher states how ROTC has affected his grades, “It’s affected my grades by giving me a boost to keep pushing myself to do better.”
Have a Green Thumb? Join Gardening Club?
By: Emma Day
12/3/21
Sandia’s gardening club allows for students to become more comfortable within their school environment but also get a hint of school spirit and interconnectedness. Ashen Freeman is a Senior who is one of the four members of the club and has been since his Freshman year. “I joined gardening club because I really wanted to find a place where I could make friends with similar interests with me.” The 2021-2022 gardening club has lost many of its participants due to the graduation of previous classes and the pandemic. “We mostly just hang out and plant plants. We talk. We make friends. We move around stuff. We move around mulch. There is a lot of mulch and dirt and mud. A lot of watering and a lot of weed pulling.” Gardening club happens every Tuesday after school around 2:45 to 3:15 or 3:30 and is in the greenhouse located in the pond. Ashen explained, “You can access it pretty much through any of the teachers' classrooms that line the pond. Just be like, “Hey, can I go through here for gardening club?” and they’ll probably let you if they’re not in a meeting or whatever.” Ms. Kauffman, who is Sandia’s school nurse and the club’s sponsor, explained, “I would want [students] to see the fun about watching something start out as a seed and it growing into something like a vegetable. That is just what’s amazing to watch - the process.”