Miscellaneous

Content provided by: Evelyn Narducci

What is the deal with all the students at the school? What if the school had good students that would change the community with their good attitude? Well, it turns out we have a bright and helpful student at Sandia High School and his name is Zach Davis, he is a Freshman at our school. He is a calm and collected student and has been described by some as “friendly and cool”. So if you see him around campus make sure you greet him with a smile and say ”YOU ROCK!!!”.

Contemporary Issues Students Give Insight On Their Roles in Their Communities

By Sofia Kassow

On Friday, October 22 of this year, teacher Gina Marselle had a small contemporary issues elective class during her third period with two sophomores and one junior, all in the gifted program. They were giving oral presentations on projects inspired by the book We are Neighbors by Hakim Bellamy, a poet, and Justin Thor Simenson, a photographer. Simenson would take pictures of everyday objects such as trash cans that were black and white and Bellamy would write poems based on those everyday objects and assign them emotional meaning. For the project, students took pictures of themselves in their communities and tried to find their place in each of their communities. This is Ms. Marselle’s third year doing the project.

The first oral presentation was given by Junior Pilar McColley. She gave an oral presentation with an imovie video composed of her slides played in the background. Her presentation included her life as a citizen in New Mexico and Albuquerque, emphasizing beauty in the state and the city. She also talks about her friends and senate community, describing her connections with her friends and the senate members. She invites the audience into her thoughts on her friends. “Sometimes you just meet people that you know will be a part of your life forever...It’s always fun to be around my friends. They’re very special to me.” One of the other communities mentioned by McColley is her family. “The true meaning of family is what you make of it,” writes McColley on one of her slides.” McColley also goes on to make comments about her life as a runner. “Nothing makes you feel more clean or refreshed. It keeps us centered...You look back at those hurdles and think ‘Yeah, I definitely did that!’”.

The second presentation was by sophomore Brandon Smith. His presentation included a slideshow with pictures of himself in his communities. He goes on to talk about his family, explaining his mom’s support in his and his siblings' sports lives. In his sports community, he also mentions his grandfather, who inspired Smith. As someone who loves fishing, Smith also writes about the connections he has with others who like his sport. He provides insight on the people involved in this sport. “Fishing, something that most of us had probably done as a kid and got bored after a half hour of casting. There is a different side to this sport though. A group of humble people that love to help and meet others.” He also very briefly mentions his social community. As a citizen of Albuquerque and New Mexico, he writes about his thoughts on Albuquerque’s crime and how the Land of Enchantment and it’s natural beauty reminded him of his palace as a New Mexican citizen. “So, if you ever find yourself thinking that New Mexico is bad or ugly, it is time to go for an escape to nature to be reminded of where we came from.”

The last presentation was given by Lalania Peña, who goes by Jinx, a sophomore. Her presentation was formatted into a slideshow with a quick description of herself in her community and a poem written by her to go with it. Her first community is inner self. “Who am I? This is [a] question I never imagined I’d ask as often as I do. What do I bring to this world? Why am I here?” ponders Peña. Her poem to go along with this slide, Untitled 111021, starts with “Push the boundary, break the line,”. Peña also mentions her palace in her home, then later goes on to write about her school and social life. “I’m an observer. I always have been. Sit, listen, see, learn, repeat,” she states in her slideshow. Finally, she goes on to talk about her life on the internet and how it became easier for her to socialize and make connections with others. Her poem, Digitalized Person, expresses her feelings toward social media. “Never constant, never boring, create, renew, explore, educate, thankful to the one who paved the way, yet ignorant as to who it was...the world is theirs,” reads her poem.

Ms. Marselle stated she wanted students in her class to understand their place in their communities and society because she thinks it’s important for her students to know their place while learning about the world around them. She wants them to become critical thinkers. “I am me - a perfect representation of imperfection,” writes Peña.

Holiday poem

SHS Drama Presents First Play Of 18 Months

By:Evelyn Narducci

12/3/21

Sandia has recently put on the first production of a play in 18 months- The Continuum Tales. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Sandia hasn’t been able to put on a play in over a year. The cast was so excited to be back on stage, and the viewers were excited to watch.

The Continuum Tales are a series of stories set in a sci-fi like universe. These stories range anywhere from a story about a talking pimple to a kidnapping. The play revolves around a couple who have a forbidden book, The Continuum Tales. The book tells them the stories that the rest of the cast puts on for us, and eventually, tells the ending to their story.

Grey Archuleta, a sophomore here at Sandia and a play cast member, talks about his experience as a member, “Everybody was really really nice. I loved my scene partners, they were great,” Grey states, “I had a lot of friends doing it. Hanging out in the dressing rooms was great, the cast was amazing, and the lighting people were really nice”. After about 5 weeks of practice and rehearsals almost every day leading into the evening, the play was finally being shown for real. The cast all worked so hard to get the play out, and many viewers thought they did amazing.

“I think even though there were multiple stories, they conveyed the same tone throughout. Even in the funny ones you got this eerie, creepy, vibe; very dystopian.” explains Loui Burton, a Sandia sophomore and play viewer. Loui saw the play on opening night. “All the casting was great, they all seemed pretty comfortable with each other. They did a really good job of making the performance flow.” Everyone involved worked their hardest to make this play a good one. According to Loui and many other viewers, the performance was enjoyable and enthralling. Both viewers and cast members alike enjoyed the play.