By: Brian Avery & Jayden Palacios

A Challenging Start to the 2023 Eagle Football Season!

As everyone is settling into the new school year, the Eagles are getting up and ready to take on the new season! Over the summer, they had their football camp, where they got to know the freshman athletes and get prepared for the upcoming season.

Before the first game of the season, we had the opportunity to interview a senior athlete, Diego Luna, and Coach Arevalo. Diego Luna shared his thoughts on the upcoming season, “I feel like we’ll do good this year, and when we face other good teams we’ll have good battles.”

The Eagles had their first game at home on August 26th against Antonion. The Eagles gave it their all, but unfortunately lost 27-13. The Eagles played Boerne for their first away game, the defending district champs, and it was a tough battle, ending in a loss 41-7. The following game was against Jourdanton, a long-time rival, and they were determined not to go down without a fight. The Eagles went into 5 overtimes, barely losing 27-25. Coach Arevalo had great advice, “[The] Number one[thing to do] is to stay calm. Getting out of hand mentally will never enhance the particular moment you are in. I like to stay composed so I can best be prepared to analyze the situation.” On the 16th, the Eagles played Gonzales and secured their first win of the season 37-14. 

The Eagles started off rough, but that just gave them more resolve to play harder and to push. We are looking forward to what the Eagles will do next! Pride, Pride!

By: Jaelyn Morales & Lilly Krause

The Varsity Volleyball team has been on fire since the start of the season, and they are currently at a record of 27-1. After losing their first game of the season to Johnson City in 3 sets, the Lady Eagles regrouped and came out focused and ready for their next game against Poth, coming out with a victory of 3-1. After only one game, the team found their groove and maintained it throughout the games that followed. On Aug 11-13th, the Lady Eagles won the Edgewood Tournament, placing 1st for the second year in a row. Kiley Wiechring and Madelyn Estrada made the all-tournament team, Victoria Urbanczyk was Offensive MVP, and Sadie McAda was named MVP of the tournament. On Aug. 16th the Lady Eagles played Southside and beat them 3-1. The following Thursday was the start of the Devine Tournament and our team played every game without losing a set. The championship game was against the host of the tournament, the Devine Arabians, and the Lady Eagles came out strong and beat the Arabians in 2 sets leaving the score at  2-0. Victoria Urbanczyk and Angel Tucker made the all-tournament team and Sadie Mcada was MVP of the tournament. 

On Aug 24th the team played YWLA and won 3-0, and started the Southwest tournament that Thursday. The team went undefeated throughout the tournament while playing some good competition and played the host, Southwest, in an intense match that the Lady Eagles fought in ‘till the end and won 2-1. Grace Keylich and Victoria Urbanczyk made the all-tournament team and for the 3rd time this season, Sadie Mcada was named tournament MVP. On Aug 30th, the girls were back on the road to play Randolph and came out with another win of 3-0, then played Fox Tech on Sept 3rd and won 3-0, keeping their winning streak alive. Their last non-district game before district was against D’hanis and the girls did start to struggle throughout the game, but quickly pulled themselves together and won the game 3-1. On Sept 9th, the Lady Eagles played their first district game against Carrizo Springs and with ease won the game with a score of 3-0 to start district off strong. On Sept 13th, the team had a day off from district and played John Jay in a very hard-fought game. After the girls lost their first set, they stayed focused and won the next 3 sets to beat them 3-1. On Friday, September 16th, the Lady Eagles had their 2nd district game of the season against one of their toughest opponents, the Devine Arabians. While the girls did beat them in the Devine Tournament, they still had to stay focused and come out strong to make sure they got the win. 

We decided to spotlight the freshman team, this issue, and we met with the new freshman Coach, Coach Townsend, on September 8th to hear what she had to say about the freshman team’s progress this season. She began to tell us that her goal for this season was to get her athletes to be focused and play with each other. “I don’t care how many games we win, as long as we work together as a team.” Which she continued to say was also one of their biggest obstacles and that she has some team-building ideas to help work on that. As district play starts we want to wish all three teams good luck in the future and if you have time to catch a game and support, they would gladly appreciate that. Pride! Pride!

 

By: Shyanne Sexton and Kassidy Vickers 

Pleasanton High School’s tennis team started off the season with a tournament against Ingram on Wednesday, August 14th. Though they fought hard, the match ended with a 3-10 loss. On August 8th Pleasanton played La Vernia on home courts, and they finished with a 2-12  loss. The following Wednesday the team traveled to Somerset ending the night with their first team win of  12-3. Starting the month of September, Pleasanton faced Navarro in a tough fight ending with a score of 4-15. Later on September 14th, the tennis team got their second big win of the season against Gonzales with a final score of 18-1. 

With the start of this season, we have already seen some great athletes including sophomore, Farah Standley. We interviewed Farah and she sees the start of this season as strong and even though there have been a few losses there have been wins along with it. Her teammates are also important to her and left a great message to her fellow teammates saying, “Stay out of your head and keep going and never stop fighting because the biggest comebacks are possible if you just keep working.” This is a great mindset for all athletes, especially our tennis players as they go through their season. 

We wish the Eagle tennis team the best of luck as they continue on with their season and dominate on the court. 

 

By: Farah Standley

 

To start off the season, the Eagles went to Floresville, where all of the athletes fought hard to tackle steep hills and tough competition. The varsity girls got 7th place as a team overall in the 2-mile race, seeing amazing performances by all of the girls, including Kassidy Vickers (Finished 12th; Time: 13:19), Kara Medina (Finished 31st; Time: 14:02), and Shalyn Gutierez (Finished 33rd; Time: 14:03). Shortly following them came Shanna Hime, Evalynn Garcia, Aryana Partida, Jauslyn Ramirez, and Mallory Fey. The JV girls came in 7th place as a team, with contributions from Syrena Clark, Aleza Robledo, Xochitl Hernandez, Vanessa Chapa, Katelynn Garza, and Rebecca Martinez. The varsity boys came trucking through at 5th place as a team overall. The leading scorer for Pleasanton was Micah Klein at 17th place, with an 18:23 3-mile. Next came Xavier Rodriguez (Finished 37th; Time: 19:25), Ian Rodriguez (Finished 45th; Time: 19:45), Jayden Ogg(Finished 46th; Time: 19:45), Joseph Cuellar (Finished 73rd; Time: 21:00), and Logan Knox (Finished 85th; Time: 21:57).  Every athlete on the Pleasanton cross country team put in all of their effort, and pushed through mental and physical pain to better themselves and their teammates. They encouraged each other through long summer practices and early morning workouts before school, and now that the season has started, they plan to push each other all the way to regionals, and hopefully, the state meet in Round Rock, Texas. 

We had an interesting interview with Coach Foster about the season, and she seemed very excited to see what the team has to offer this year. She has been teaching/coaching for 6 years, and this is her first year here at Pleasanton. She graduated from Jourdanton High School and graduated college from Texas State University. When asked about how she feels this season will go, considering the brand new team, she stated, “I think the team is going to do very well this year, it’s a young team across the board, with only two seniors… they are going to do very well pre-season… we’re going to have a good chance to go to regionals, but also win district… girls and boys.” We also had a good conversation with Kassidy Vickers, the number one runner on the team. First, we asked how she feels about the start of her season so far, she said, “I feel like the start has already been good … It’s only been the third meet and I already have a new P.R., and I’ve just been getting better every single meet.” We asked how she feels about her new teammates, and she replied, “They’re doing really good, they’re really stepping it up, being new to high school, and they’re really strong competitors… I feel like we have a really strong team this year”. We asked how she feels about the new coach, Coach Foster, and she stated, “She’s a good coach… I would say she’s definitely helped us out… just conditioning and… working on… specific areas like endurance.” We questioned what some goals and mindsets she and the team shared for the year, she said, “Definitely a goal…for our team is to make it to State, I think we have a good chance of doing that this year, and then be District Champions… A goal for me is to be District Champ.” We also asked how far she thinks she as an individual will get in terms of competition this year, she stated, “This year, I honestly see myself making it to state because the times I’ve been hitting are… better than my state times.” Her current P.R. (Personal Record)  is 12:27, which is a seven-second jump from her P.R. last year, 12:34. The team looks forward to gaining a lot of success this year, and all of the athletes have a good outlook on the future.

By: Libby Sanchez & Alex Richter

Mrs. Lasater, a name many of you have probably grown to know over the past few weeks, has been elected for this month’s student spotlight. Her charismatic personality has made many students immune to the hard subject of English, making them pick up on lessons easier than they ever have before. Though the year has just begun, it is easy to tell that her presence on our campus is nothing short of great. 

As the child of a golf pro, Mrs. Lasater moved around many times throughout her childhood before settling in Dumas, Texas, just north of Amarillo. Having lived there the longest, for 5 years, she considers this to be her hometown. In late high school, Mrs. Lasater was able to witness her mother teaching religious refugees from Burma, Thailand, and China. “They grew up in a jungle, like a literal jungle where elephants would eat their roof. So seeing my mom help them and seeing how they could flourish, that’s what encouraged me to become a teacher,” said Mrs. Lasater. After graduating from Dumas High School, Mrs. Lasater went on to attend Tarleton State University with a full academic ride.

Prior to Pleasanton, Mrs. Lasater taught in Houston for the past ten years, then before that, she taught in La Porte. Her career started off teaching 8th graders before she moved up to the high school, following her students that begged her to move up with them. After teaching high school for the first year, she knew it was where she belonged. With English being her strong suit, she wanted to help students understand a subject held so close to her. 

“The kids are really nice, the atmosphere is nice, it feels like you’re a part of a family,” stated Mrs. Lasater. PHS is very lucky to have such a passionate teacher working hard to make sure her students understand every lesson, whether that be in life, or in the subject of English.

By: Ariana Johnson and May Smith

When carefully selecting this month’s student spotlight, we wanted to highlight someone who has a great work ethic and determination. Brooke Rankin, a senior at PHS, is someone who is included in many activities while also being a good student in the classroom. She also has many extracurricular activities outside of school.

Out of curiosity, we posed the question of what is your favorite class. She eagerly responded with “Ag structure design.” When asked about her favorite aspect of Ag, Brooke responded, “I like how they’re more hands-on than other classes.” Then, she mentioned some of the activities that she participates in in the class. These activities were: “building cornhole boards, birdhouses and other things like that.” She enjoys activities that require more physical work.

Brooke is involved in extracurricular activities such as volleyball, NHS, cheerleading, student council, she shows steers and pigs for stock shows. Not only does she participate in Mesquite 4h, but she is also currently the president of the Mesquite 4h. Additionally, her most impactful thing in high school is sports. In fact, Brooke is on the varsity cheerleading team and plays varsity volleyball as a right-back or setter. Curious, we asked her how these two sports have affected her. She stated, “I really enjoy being with my friends as we crack a lot of jokes and have fun.” Many of Brooke’s friends describe her as friendly, compassionate, and sunshine on a cloudy day.

Brooke has booked her schedule with a lot of classes, always pushing to challenge herself. She made a connection with many teachers as she got to know them throughout the school year. Some of her teachers and their teaching style has taught Brooke many lessons that can be used in the classroom and in life. One of the teachers who had a positive impact is Mrs. Cook, as Brooke stated, “I really enjoy the way she teaches.”

In the end, we found that she is someone that is well-liked by everyone, pushes herself in all of her classes, and involves herself in many different activities. Recognizing her as the student spotlight was a no-brainer!

By: Noah Ramos & Savannah Valdez 

 

 

As many students were eager to meet our new principal, Mr. Portillo, the Quill Staff wished to welcome him as our first Staff Spotlight for the year. Mr. Portillo was happy to have been chosen for this momentous article. To start off, we wanted to know the main reason why Mr. Portillo wanted to work in this district, specifically here at PHS. He claimed to have been in the area before and had lived in West Texas when he happened to see an administrative position open here near the San Antonio area. Since Mr. Portillo wanted to go back to a traditional high school, he felt it was the perfect opportunity and applied here to our school PHS. He previously had already been to Devine and Cotulla but never close enough to travel into Pleasanton which encouraged him to check this town out even more. After the interview process with the school district, Mr. Portillo was hired to be the principal here at PHS.

What motivates Mr. Portillo is when people doubt him or he doubts himself. He knows that we are all human and should stand back up when we fall. Even if at the moment it may hurt, it is for the best. “Remaining positive ensures that you can overcome any obstacles you face. If those around you don’t always have the confidence, they might be too afraid to show it, and that’s okay.” This is Mr. Portillo’s mindset and he won’t stop for any obstacle that blocks his path as long as he stays positive to himself then nothing will keep him from his goal. 

Mr. Portillo didn’t plan to become a campus administrator until 10 years ago. He was a Teacher/Coach and was approached by the principal of the current school he was employed at. They suggested that Mr. Portillo would be a great administrator. They then asked if he had ever thought of becoming one himself but Mr. Portillo at the time enjoyed being a coach and declined the offer. He was then asked to think about it. Later, Mr. Portillo decided to go back to school in order to be available to become a principal and ended up getting hired as an assistant principal in Midland. After another 2-3 years the principal at Midland asked if he had thought about working on his superintendence. Like before, Mr. Portillo felt fine where he was and declined the offer once again. They wanted him to think about getting it done himself and eventually, he got his superintendence done after thinking hard about it. He had planned to get into college coaching, but after trying out being an administrator, he loved it too much to give it up. Even though he took on a new position, he still made an effort to attend games for the kids. He still pondered becoming a superintendent himself but knew he wouldn’t get to work with kids as often but liked to interact with his students and get to know them better. 

One of his goals for PHS is to improve student outcomes and feels it should be everyone on the campus who works in education. As well as improving academics and helping students who struggle in school rather than leaving them to figure it out for themselves. Mr. Portillo wants to make sure when students leave high school they will be ready for the outside world. Even though not every person may be able to do college there are still other options available to those who take the opportunity to inquire about it. So hopefully after reading this article you got to learn more about our new principal Mr. Portillo.

 

By: Aaliyah Herrera

PHS has a new dress code this year and we are very excited about the new changes to our dress code. Here is some advice! 

Clothing – Clothing shall be sized to fit students. Students are expected to come to school looking clean, neat, and modest in appearance. All students are required to wear undergarments that cannot be seen through outer clothing. The physical development of the student should be a consideration in determining the appropriate time for certain undergarments.

 

• Pants – Pants should be fitted at the waist as well as the crotch. Pant legs should not drag on the ground. Oversized, sagging, and/or baggy pants will not be allowed. Bagginess will be determined by the campus administration. Shreds or holes in any clothing that show skin or undergarments above mid-thigh are not allowed. Shreds or holes in jeans are allowed as long as they are below mid-thigh. Leggings/yoga pants may be worn provided the overgarment/top is longer than mid-thigh. Pajama pants/bottoms are prohibited.

• Skirts/shorts/dresses – skirts, dresses, shorts, and split skirts will be permitted provided they are no longer than 2 ½ (the narrowest part of a dollar bill) above the kneecap, front, and back. Shorts are allowed provided they are appropriately fitted, no shorter than mid-thigh when standing. Bicycle shorts, from fitting shorts worn alone, are prohibited. 

• Shirts/tops – tank tops, halter tops, exposed-midriff blouses, muscle shirts, blouses/dresses with spaghetti straps, strapless and/or low cut tops, exposed backs, see-through clothing, and tanks with oversized armholes are not permitted. Undershirts cannot be worn alone. A single shirt cannot be less than two inches wide on a shoulder strap. Necklines on blouses may not be lower than an individual’s underarm. No jackets or coats longer than mid-thigh length will be allowed. 

• Footwear – appropriate footwear should be worn at all times. Because of daily PE, tennis shoes are encouraged. House shoes/slippers, cleats, steel-toed shoes, and roller / wheeled shoes are not permitted. 

• Accessories/tattoos – only the following body-piercing ornaments will be allowed on school property or at school sponsored events: up to two earrings per ear; and, up to one clear flush mounted nose piercing. No body ornaments can be covered with a bandage or any other device through the hole considered a body-piercing ornament, including gauges. Ear gauges, facial, skin, or body piercing rings or ornaments are prohibited. Tattoos will be covered at all times (the school will not provide bandages or any other coverings. It is the responsibility of the students to have their tattoos covered before arriving on campus.)

• Grooming – hair should be neat, clean, and not touch the eyebrows in front or interfere with vision. Maintained / neatly trimmed beards and mustaches are allowed. Facial hair shall be clean, groomed, and natural in color. Hair that is dyed an unnatural color, such as bright red, blue, pink, green, orange, or a similar color is not permitted. Students may not cut designs or patterns in their hair or eyebrows. 

• IDS –  students are required to wear their ID badges visibly at all times while they are on campus during the school day. Although they may be required for admissions to school events, students are not required to wear but must carry their ID badges at school events. ID badges may not be defaced, front or back, for any reason. Students should treat an ID badge like any official document. ID badges that are defaced may be confiscated and the student will be required to purchase a new badge prior to the start of school on the next school day. Replacements for lost or confiscated ID badges can be purchased in the library at specified times. 

 

Our dress code has a couple new changes this year. Including rips/holes in the jean below mid-thigh, one pierced stud on the outer nose area, facial hair, and a single earring in both ears is now allowed for boys.

Holes/rips in the jean below mid-thigh are allowed this year. Everybody is very excited to not have to wear leggings/tights underneath their jeans unless there are rips/holes above mid-thigh. It’s a very positive change because during the hot days we have in Texas it is very refreshing, covering them up sometimes can get uncomfortable. 

There has been a new change to our grooming section of the dress code. This year boys are allowed to have facial hair as long as it looks neat and is taken care of. A lot of the boys this year are very excited about not having to worry about shaving or wearing a mask to hide their facial hair. 

Piercings have had an update this year students are allowed to have one piercing, one stud on the outer nose area students are yet again appreciated for the new change no more having to hide behind a mask. Boys are also allowed to have one earring in each ear now. It wasn’t really fair that girls were only able to have earrings so very much appreciated for the boys with piercings and are allowed to wear their earrings to school. 

For how much we love the new changes to this year’s dress code, let’s make sure we all follow the rules and keep these new changes from now on. Make sure to check that you are in the school’s dress code before arriving on campus.

By: Kendall Zuniga 

On October 30th, 1966, a woman by the name of Cheri Jo Bates was slashed on the Grounds of River City College. She was 18 at the time. She was the Zodiac Killer’s first victim. He confessed by sending a message to the police and giving a sign to “Beware” of him. In 1968, a teenage couple was shot in their car in a remote area of San Francisco. The following year, another couple was attacked in similar circumstances, but the male victim survived. The Zodiac Killer then made himself known to the police again the same as the years before, confessing to the 1968 and 1969 murders. Later, the Zodiac Killer attacked another young couple, and his last known victim who managed to survive the grips of death is a taxi driver who was shot in October of 1969. 

What makes this so-called “Zodiac Killer” infamous and memorable to all? Nobody knows who he is, where he is, or if he is still alive to this day. He would confess to the police his crimes in his own sadistic and unique way, coded letters he had made himself saying “This is the Zodiac speaking”, “I like killing people because it is so much fun,” and “I hope you are having lots of fun trying to catch me.” Taunting those who follow and try to solve the fascinating codes and identity of the Zodiac Killer, even leaving his own symbol at the bottom of every letter he sent to the police, consisting of a circle with a plus sign overlapping. 

Many have come forward claiming to be him but none have matched the handwriting and description of the true Zodiac Killer. After 62 years of searching and decoding, no one has been able to decode and solve the identity of our Zodiac Killer. Will Zodiac ever be decoded?

By: Kendall Zuniga 

Grab your tissues and prepare yourself for an emotional roller coaster, because Purple Hearts is sure to make the butterflies in your stomach flutter. Purple hearts is a dramatic romance movie starring Disney’s Sofia Carson, Nicholas Galitzine, and Chosen Jacobs. Directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, “Purple Hearts” received a Rotten Tomato score of 30% and a 6.8 out of 10 on IMDB. Although receiving these low scores, many people actually had pleasing things to say about this 21st-century romance drama, loving how it involves current problems in the world today including poverty, broken healthcare systems, and military trauma. However, this movie has also received its fair share of problems. Its depiction of type 1 diabetes has received much backlash from actual patients who live with type 1 diabetes.

I enjoyed watching this movie but thought it was a little choppy when it came to certain scenes transitioning. I would give this movie a 7.5 out of 10, I would watch it again if I hadn’t seen it in a while.

 

By: Noah Ramos 

Aries: 

This week may be a little tough to go through but keep your head up. Good things will be heading your way after you have faced the hardships head-on. 

Taurus:

Something unexpected will suddenly arrive or happen to you. You won’t know if it’s good or bad but it will definitely alter your future for this week so be alert.

Gemini:

The next couple of days will be smooth sailing which gives you time to learn something new! It would be great to try out something new and who knows you may make it a hobby.

Cancer:

You’ve been having doubts and are looking for an answer to put your mind at ease. This week will surely give you the answer you seek but there is no telling if it will be the answer you want to hear.

Leo:

This week you will not feel the best so maybe it would be good to just try to relax and watch some movies or read a book to save your energy. 

Virgo:

You don’t seem to know what you want to do for the future but don’t worry. This month will show you something that will help you find something you’ll love.

Libra:

You will be full of energy and feel as if you can finish anything that comes your way. Use this energy not only for yourself but for others as well.

Scorpio:

You feel as if you’re invisible at the moment but you will have your own chance to shine in the spotlight soon if you take a risk. 

Sagittarius:

Your positive attitude is contagious and rubs off on other people. Others will want to be around you more often because of this.

Capricorn:

You may feel like the work piled on your shoulders is too much for you to handle. But you will find the strength you need from someone unexpected.

Aquarius:

Your love for adventure will hit its peak this week with the opportunity to do things you’ve never gotten to experience before.

Pisces:

You may have hit a rough patch this week but don’t worry your luck will turn for the better soon.