By: Jaelyn Morales 

The varsity football team is currently at an overall record of 3-5 and a conference record of 1-2. The Eagles have had their ups and downs throughout the season, but that has only made them stronger and hungrier to win more games and be ready for playoffs. The Eagles took on the Poteet Aggies on Sept 23rd for the Oaken Bucket. The Aggies started off strong scoring first, but Pleasanton answered with a 76 yard touchdown by Diego Luna. The Eagles defense was spectacular throughout the 2nd and 3rd quarter where they were creating turnovers. Pleasanton scored again when Issac Henrichson scored a 32 yard touchdown and not long after Luna again scored a 45 yard touchdown, and to finish it Michael Castillo had a 22 yard touchdown. All touchdowns were connected to quarterback Sean Ramos and defense leaders were Joe-Manuel Ortiz, Adrian Garcia, Ricky Alcorta, and Jayce Krauskopf. The Aggies did score once more, but the final score was 28-13 in favor of the Eagles. 

The next game was against Rockport-Fulton on October 7th, which was their first conference game and also homecoming for Pleasanton. The first half of the game was slow with the Eagles scoring 3 and Pirates scoring 9. After halftime, the Eagles scored 14 points with a touchdown by Ramos and a fumble return for a touchdown. The Pirates then answered back with 15 points and right after the Eagles scored 7 points with a touchdown by Garcia. The game then went into overtime with the Eagles scoring a touchdown, but the Pirates scored their own with a 2 point conversion, winning the game. 

The Eagles played Calhoun on October 14th, which was their 2nd conference game of the season. The game started off slow for the Eagles with Calhoun scoring 19 points, but the Eagles came back with a 12 yard touchdown by Castillo,  Luna followed with another touchdown, and because of an error Alcorta was allowed to recover the ball and score. The score was now tied and heading into overtime. The Eagles started strong right away with a touchdown by Luna and Calhoun failed at their opportunity to score which helped the Eagles win 25-19. 

On October 21st, the varsity team played the La Vernia Bears in their 3rd conference game. The Bears were the only team to score in the first half and were up 14-0. By the second half the Eagles were out of their slump and back in the game with a touchdown by Michael Castillo. Chance Hehman then intercepted the Bears ball and Ramos scored a touchdown. The Bears then unfortunately scored again making the final score 21-14. 

The Varsity team will need to win another conference game to earn their spot in the playoffs and will have the opportunity this Friday when they play Floresville. “Our team needs to work the most on focusing on the little things in order to do big things,” said senior Giancarlo Garcia. If you can, go support your varsity eagle football team and cheer them on from the sidelines. Pride! Pride!

 

By: Jauslyn Ramirez

The Lady Eagles have been dominating and working hard on the court and have a current record of 40-2. On September 21st, the Lady Eagles traveled to Somerset and fought hard to hold the opposing team from scoring. The girls had a rough start but got the hang of it holding Somerset 3-0. Then Pearsall came to play at home and the Eagles won 3-0. On September 28th, the girls traveled to Floresville with a mindset of winning, and had a nail-biting game that ended with the Lady Eagles winning 3-2. The following week the team played against our well known Uvalde team and once again came out ready to work for the win. Uvalde gave a fight, but our Eagles were ready for anything that came at them. The score was 3-1, a win for our hard working ladies. The team found their rhythm as they worked on flaws and fixed their issues before they took on Carrizo Springs and dominated once again with a win 3-0 with plenty of great sets and assists.

After a couple days of working on drills and plays the Lady Eagles went on to face La Vernia at home in a non-district match-up. The Eagles fought hard but ended with a 1-3 loss, but they knew this wasn’t the end. The Lady Eagles then traveled to Devine to battle it out with the Arabians which led to a 3-1 win. The Lady Eagles then went on to beat and shut-out Somerset and Pearsall before playing Floresville on senior night and shutting them out as well. Their last district game was against Uvalde and the Lady Eagles again shut them out and were awarded undefeated district champs. Way to go girls! The Lady Eagles have been doing great and work so hard trying to perfect their plays and their progress has shown throughout the games. Good Luck to the Lady Eagles as they start playoffs with a game against Orange-Grove on October 31st. Pride! Pride!

By: Lillian Krause & Jaelyn Morales

On October 5th, the Pleasanton Cross Country teams competed at the Devine Invitational. Our varsity girls started off strong and brought home first place as a team. Kassidy Vickers, the lady eagles top runner came in 2nd place with a time of 13:09 followed by Shaylynn Gutierez with a time of 13:55 placing 6th place earning them both a medal. Following Kassidy and Shaylynn would be Aryana Partida (14:16 in 11th place), Isabela Osorio (14:22 in 13th place), and Evalynn Garza (14:27 in 14th place). Kara Medina (14:57 in 16th place), Lilly Krause (15:09 in 19th place), Jauslynn Ramirez (15:13 in 22nd place), Shanna Hime (15:13 in 23rd place), and Mallory Fey ( 15:48 in 28th place) would be the final members of the team to cross the finish line for the Varsity girls team. 

Following the girls race would be the Varsity boys who placed 2nd as a team at Devine. Timothy Klein placed 3rd with a time of 18:33 followed by Ian Rodriguez who placed 8th with a time of 19:06. Xavier Rodriguez (19:58), Joseph Cuellar (19:58), Jayden Ogg (20:01), Gilbert Martinez (20:29), Zeke Garcia (21:06), and Logan Knox (21:36) all contributed as well to the boys placing. 

On Oct 12th, both teams competed at Floresville High School for the District 29-AAAA meet. “Our goals for the season were to all do well at district and become district champs, and hopefully the next step will be regionals followed by state,” said Coach Foster. The varsity girls accomplished their first goal when they won 1st place with 39 points and were given the title of District Champs. Kassidy Vickers placed 1st and was named our District Champ helping advance our team to regionals. Shalyn Guitierrez placed 4th with a time of 12:26, followed by Shanna Hime who placed 9th (12:53), and Aryanna Partida who placed 10th (12:58). Evalynn Garza (13:13) and Kara Medina (13:51) were also contributors to the Lady Eagles victory. 

The varsity boys finished 2nd with 50 points at the District meet and are advancing to regionals as well. Timothy Klein placed 4th with a time of (18:02) followed by Micah Klein who placed 7th with a time of (18:22). The following boys also contributed greatly to the boys success: Jayden Ogg (19:04), Ian Rodriguez (19:05), Xavier Rodriguez (19:09), Gilbert Martinez (19:31), and Joseph Cuellar (19:53).

“The amount of work they’ve put in towards running, hundreds of miles a month, they’re a different type of breed,” said Coach Foster. The varsity girls and boys team both competed at the UIL Regional IV meet on Oct 24th and you can find the results in our next month’s edition of the quill. Good luck to our cross country teams as they continue to run their hearts out and compete at the next level. Pride! Pride!

 

By: Ariana Johnson

Anticipating the upcoming marching competition, Mr. Solis stated “I worried the most about overworking our band members. The band has added additional sectional rehearsals this year and I know many of our students participate in other activities as well.” 

Those extra rehearsals have paid off as The Mighty Eagle Band’s weekly performance at the football games have improved by the week, as well as the marching contest. On October 1st, the band went to the Judson Rocket Review and they placed 5th and were right behind 4 state qualifying bands. The same day they also went to a second competition at Harlandale HS and they placed 2nd out of three bands and got a trophy for their hard work.

The third and final practice contest was the US Bands Ludwig Musser Classic, and the Eagle Band was competing against 4-5A bands and the Mighty Eagle Band placed 3rd. Mr. Solis had started this year with high expectations for the band, and they will continue to set the bar even higher so they can reach new heights as they progress throughout the year. “Our main goal this year is to earn a 1st Division “Superior” rating at UIL and advance to Area competition.” The band directors are really proud of the band as they were one of the only two bands that got all ones from each judge. Pearsall is a state-qualifying band and Pleasanton was able to match their performance with equal talent.

The Mighty Eagle Band will be going to Calhoun on October 29th, for Area and are positive that they will make it to finals at Area as they have whole band has been working hard and know where they want to go.

As Marching Band is happening, Jazz Band has been practicing their music and they have a full schedule planned ahead of them. He stated, “We have had an average of 13-15 jazz band members every year. I’m happy to say this year we have 22 in our Jazz Band. We have a full schedule of performances scheduled for the Jazz Band. In addition to these performances, we are planning to take our group to compete at a Jazz Festival in the Spring.”

We wish you all good luck to both the Marching Band and the Jazz Band, PHS Journalism staff hope that both bands will do great at their contest and performances. Pride, Pride!

 

By: Kassidy Vickers

Our FFA chapter has had a strong start to their season as they began with fall Career Development Events (CDE’s). The first contest our students attended was the Area X Multi-District Fall CDE’s contest for their district competition on September 28. Kinsley Barker represented the Homesite Team and took home 1st place. The Land team also took home a 1st place win with Victoria Urbanczyk leading the team, coming in 2nd, then Saide McAda- 3rd, Blair Warden- 6th, William Turner- 8th, Jerry Chessher- 9th, and Corgin King- 10th. The Plant ID also did great, getting 2nd place overall with Brady Stevens leading Pleasanton with a 3rd place finish, followed by Paige Read- 9th, Carlos Cruz- 10th, McAda Rutherford- 11th, Chloe Nieschwitz- 12th, and Mark Thornton- 24th. Finally, the Range team finished 4th overall as a team with Rene Castillo being first for Pleasanton in 18th, followed by Austin Dinscore- 19th, Evelynn Caraway- 23rd, Matthew Guedea- 27th, and Wyatt Tom- 33rd. All of the teams advanced to area.
Their second competition took place at Hondo in preparation for area. The Homesite team got 6th place with Kinsley Barker coming in 24th and Kendal Crouch coming in 31st. The Land team got 6th place as well with Texas Townsend coming in 15th and first for Pleasanton. He was followed by Jerry Chessher- 27th, Blair Warden- 31st, Ashton Barker- 37th, and Corgin King- 46th. Carlos Cruz represented the Plant ID team, coming in 17th and Rene Castillo represented the Range team, coming in 32nd.
The FFA teams’ third contest was area. The Homesite team finished off their season with a team placing 10th place. Kinsley Barker finished 24th which was first for Pleasanton, followed by Presley Crouch- 34th, Kendal Crouch- 61st, and Baile Saenz- 66th. Land had an excellent performance and came in 2nd place overall as a team. Texas Townsend came in 1st place for Pleasanton and 1st overall in the contest. Following Texas was Sadie McAda- 3rd, Victoria Urbanczyk- 21st, and William Turner- 31st. Plant ID also did great, coming in 3rd overall. Paige Read came in 1st for Pleasanton and 4th overall. Following Paige was Brady Stevens- 6th, Carlos Cruz- 8th, and McAda Rutherford- 13th. The Range team had a great performance as well and got 6th overall as a team. Austin Dinscore came in 16th place, followed by Rene Castillo- 19th, Evelynn Caraway- 21st, and Matthew Guedea- 37th. As a result of this contest, the Land, Plant ID, and Range teams all qualified for state.
We interviewed Evelynn Caraway who is a member of the Range team and is also the president of the Pleasanton FFA chapter. Evelynn said that she chose this contest because, “It is really interesting to me and I get to learn a lot of new things about plants and other related things in the process.” Evelynn also likes to be a very active member in the FFA community and tries to get involved in every way she can. We also interviewed Mr. Stubenthal who is the agriculture teacher in charge of leading the Range team. When asked about his thoughts on the progress of his team, Mr. Stubenthal said that, “I have seen a lot of improvement. I see that they are starting to be able to identify the plants. We still have a lot of work to do identifying some of the characteristics though. . . . I’m excited, I guess that’s what I could say about the progress.” Mr. Stubenthal has high hopes for his team and is excited for the spring when the contest picks back up again.
All of these FFA members did an outstanding job and put in a lot of work to get to where they are now in their contest. We wish all the qualifying team the best of luck as they advance on to the state contest in the spring.

By: Alexandra Garcia 

For this October’s Teacher Spotlight we got to visit with the one and only, Coach Joseph. 

Coach Joseph, while being a cross country assistant coach and head soccer girls coach, is also a very excellent teacher. Many states that he “makes learning more understandable and comprehensible.”

Coach Joseph graduated from Bandera High School where he was inspired by his own soccer coach to become a teacher and coach as well, he says the coach was not only great with the soccer players, but with everyone. He then went on to graduate from Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas, Where he received a teaching degree. Coach Joseph is always up for a challenge and that’s what motivates him to teach. “Math is by far one of the most challenging subjects. It is a subject that generally speaking students dislike and struggles with the most.” He also says “I then put myself in a position where I can elevate and make learning math a little less miserable for the students.” One of the ways Coach Joseph enjoys teaching is being in front of the whiteboard instructing, and calling on students for answers to bring the class together and get them out of their comfort zone to build up a comfortable learning environment for all students. 

One of his favorite parts about teaching is “the lessons that happen outside the content.” He enjoys being able to have genuine conversations with students, and when the students are able to open up about things that may be troubling them and they come to him for guidance. He liked that he is trusted enough to give advice and answers that will lead them in a positive direction. One of the main aspects of how understanding and motivational Coach Joseph is that he wants to see his students succeed and make it far in their education, and in life. He wants them to pass their TSIs, and prepare them for Algebra 2 or College Algebra. He does not want his students to have to deal with struggling through semesters. 

Apart from school, Coach Joseph has very limited time. A hobby of his is lifting weights, which happens to be his favorite. He enjoys watching soccer and UFC but other than that his free time is pretty booked with him pursuing an MBA. 

With that being said, we here at PHS are very grateful for such an inspiring and hardworking teacher. We thank Coach Joseph for all the time, helpful skills, and work he puts in here at PHS, it does not go unnoticed. 

 

By: Brian Avery & Letizia Perrino

This month for Student Spotlight, we chose Carlos Cruz. He is only a freshman, yet he is involved in many parts of school, from the student council to athletic events. We got the opportunity to interview him and ask him some of our questions.

Carlos defines himself as someone who wants to be better than they were yesterday, focusing on his self-confidence and social skills. His high school experience has just started but the activities he is involved in are keeping him busy and excited. He is an officer in FFA, so he competes and represents his chapter while helping his fellow members with other officers. He is preparing for leadership in the student council, as he’s shadowed and watched older representatives as they work. He’s involved in soccer and tennis, constantly trying to be better than he was yesterday. He doesn’t stop once he leaves the school building as he helps referee the local TCYSA games, helping younger kids discover their love for sports, and he still has time to pursue his interests, such as playing guitar.

Carlos has many years left in high school, but he has already been touched by our amazing staff. One of the teachers he named Dr. Ayers, saying “He’s always been understanding, and is always trying to help me out.” Many students have positive feelings towards Carlos, one said “Carlos is kind and down to earth, he’s just Carlos.” As we finished our interview, we asked him what his advice would be to himself a year ago, and he said that he would tell himself to focus on what makes him happy and not worry so much about what others think of him. Thank you Carlos for your time, and we look forward to seeing what you do!

 

By: Myame Lara

This school year, Pleasanton High School welcomed Mr. Hinojosa as one of our new assistant principals. With him being newly introduced to our campus, the journalism staff decided he was the perfect fit for this month’s staff spotlight! I got the opportunity to interview Mr. Hinojosa and get to know our new assistant principal!

Mr. Nick Hinojosa is a graduate of both Incarnate World Nursing School, where he got his RN degree, and Texas A&M San Antonio, where he obtained his teaching degree, and his admin’s degree. After graduating with his admin’s degree he went on to be a teacher, and later an assistant principal, at Pleasanton Elementary School. Mr. Hinojosa is now Pleasanton High School’s very own assistant principal.

Since Mr. Hinojosa previously worked with younger students, transferring to the high school was definitely a change. Mr. Hinojosa quotes, “Working with [you] teenagers and soon-to-be adults has been a good transition.” Along with Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Portillo was also introduced to our district this year. Mr. Hinojosa has gotten the chance to navigate alongside him during their first year at PHS, and gain great advice from returning teachers and administrators at PHS!

Pleasanton High School is very grateful for Mr. Hinojosa and we are looking forward to what he has in store for our campus. If you see Mr. Hinojosa on campus, don’t forget to thank him for all he does! Pride, Pride!

 

By: Aaliyah Herrera 

Homecoming has officially arrived. We have amazing themes this year for each day of the week! We had very unique outfits for this year’s dress-up themes! Here are the dress-up days for the week below:

Monday – Bikers vs Surfers 

Tuesday – Country vs Country Club

Wednesday – Soccer Moms vs Barbeque Dads

Thursday – Generation Day 

Friday – Green Out 

Monday’s theme was Bikers Vs Surfers. For both outfit options, many people did an amazing job participating. For the people who decided to dress as a biker some things you might have seen for the outfit: a leather jacket or vest, bandanna, rad sunglasses, and some biker boots. If not a biker, people had dressed up as a surfer with some things you might enjoy seeing: a surfer suit or Hawaiian shirt, Hawaiian shoes and shorts of choice, and some groovy sunglasses. Monday’s theme was a success with many awesome outfits. 

Tuesday’s theme was Country Vs Country club. We had seen many students dress as western cowboys or cowgirls. Some things you might have seen in the halls or throughout the school are: a western shirt, some blue jeans or boot-cut jeans, a cowboy hat, and some boots. If not, the other half of the school prefers the country club. Here are some awesome outfits you might have seen: a sun blazer or baseball cap, some shorts or tennis skirt, an active shirt or plain T-shirt, and some tennis shoes. Tuesday’s theme sparked more interest in students to dress up and show some school spirit. 

Wednesday’s theme was Soccer Mom Vs Barbeque Dad. Many students who wanted to support their ¨child¨ as a soccer mom let the inner parent in them come out for this year’s homecoming 2022.  Soccer mom outfits that were spotted in the halls included: leggings and or black pants, a sweater or puffy vest, long sleeve or short sleeve T-shirt, a baseball cap, and some tennis shoes. There were also many soccer mom vans custom-made that caught many eyes here at PHS. If you prefer to cook up some ribs or BBQ in the backyard and go as a BBQ Dad some things you might have seen in many students’ outfits: An apron, BBQ tools, khaki shorts, plain or graphic T-shirt, and shoes of choice. Wednesday’s theme was by far the most popular. Many students were involved and let out their inner parents. 

Thursday’s theme was Generation day. Many participated, freshmen dressed as babies, some things you had seen for Thursday’s theme was: a onesie, stuffed animal, bottle or pacifier, and shoes of choice. Sophomores dressed as college students, an idea of that roaming around in the hall included: College T-shirt, shoes, and pants of choice. Juniors dressed as middle-aged professionals or middle-aged crazy’s some crazy or professional outfits you saw were: a suit wear or professional outfit, shoes of choice, and a handy briefcase. Many students like to go more on the crazy side of a middle-aged person, some things you might have seen were: very colorful clothes or funky clothes, lots of pregnant bellies, and some crazy hair. Seniors dressed as senior citizens some ideas that we had seen from our old folks here at PHS could be: cane or walker, grandma or grandpa clothes, shoes of choice, and gray senior citizen hair. 

Friday’s theme was green out for PHS. Game Day! Many students participated and showed school spirit for PHS. Many had included in their final outfit for homecoming this year: green, white, gray, or black plain T-shirt or eagle shirt, mums and garters, face paint of green and white, and shoes and jeans of choice. 

We had an amazing homecoming week! Many participated and showed their school pride. We thank everyone involved with decorating the halls and getting everyone into the homecoming spirit! Pride, Pride, Eagle Pride!

 

By: Kendall Zuniga 

 

In the year 1978, hitchhiker Steven Hicks was on his way to a rock concert in Ohio, when suddenly a car pulled up alongside Hicks and asked where he was heading to, if he had needed a ride, and if he wanted to go back to his house to enjoy an alcoholic beverage with him. Hicks graciously took the offer and went back to the stranger’s home not knowing that Jeffrey Dahmer’s face was the last face he was going to see and speak to. Steven Hicks was only 19 years old at the time of his murder, Dahmer was only 18 years old and had graduated high school three weeks prior to the murder of his first victim. 

Dahmer was active between the years of 1978 and 1991 with his victims ranging from 32 to as young as 14 years of age, dismembering, sexually assaulting, and experimenting on his victims. 14 year old Konerak Sinthasomphone was Jeffrey Dahmer’s youngest victim and was the first victim of Dahmer’s to be experimented on as an at-home lobotomy. Only months prior to Konekrak’s murder, his brother, Somsack, was sexually assaulted by Dahmer and managed to get away before anything more was to be done to him. Sadly that wasn’t the case for his younger brother, Konerak. Konerak managed to get away from Dahmer, neighbor Glenda Cleveland, actually called the police to have a look at the boy but police returned young Konerak back to Dahmer after he claimed that the boy was his boyfriend who had a drinking problem. Konerak died later on that night at the hands of Jeffrey Dahmer.

 In 1991, a victim by the name Tracy Edwards managed to get away from Dahmer and was found by the police and taken to Dahmer’s apartment for questioning. When police arrived and questioned Dahmer they almost let him go, but police spotted polaroid’s of dismembered victims and immediately put Jeffrey Dahmer under arrest. Authorities were in complete and utter horror when searching through Dahmer’s house, finding human remains, including two human skulls in Dahmer’s fridge and a large barrel in his room filled with acid and decomposing body parts of his former victims. After 13 years, 17 young boy and men victims, and what felt like forever to the victim’s families, their murderer was finally caught and in custody.

Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced 15 terms of life imprisonment on February 17, 1992 and later received a 16th term of life imprisonment leaving him with a total of 941 years in prison without the chance of receiving parole. Though Jeffrey Dahmer’s life sentence was cut short on November 28, 1994, when a fellow prison inmate learned of Dahmer’s crimes and beat Dahmer to death with a 20-inch metal bar from a piece of exercise equipment leaving Dahmer lifeless.

More recently on the terms of Jeffrey Dahmer, a new Netflix series called “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” was released. Telling the story of Dahmer getting caught, his time leading up to his killings, and his victims’ backgrounds. This show offers an in depth experience in the mind of world known serial killer, Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer.

 

Victims names:

June 18, 1978: Steven Hicks, 18

November 20, 1987: Steven Tuomi, 24

January 16, 1988: Jamie Doxtator, 14

March 24, 1988: Richard Guerrero, 25

March 25, 1989: Anthony Sears, 26

May 20, 1990: Raymond Smith (also went by “Ricky Beeks”), 33

June 1990: Edward W. Smith, 28

September 1990: Ernest Miller, 22

September 24, 1990: David C. Thomas, 23

February 18, 1991: Curtis Straughter, 18

April 7, 1991: Errol Lindsey, 19

May 24, 1991: Anthony “Tony” Hughes, 31

May 27, 1991: Konerak Sinthasomphone, 14

June 30, 1991: Matt Turner, 20

July 5, 1991: Jeremiah Weinberger, 23

July 15, 1991: Oliver Lacy, 23

July 19, 1991: Joseph Bradehoft, 25

By: Kendall Zuniga 

 

Don’t have plans this Halloween? Sit back, grab a blanket and your favorite snacks with some hot cocoa because “Smile” is the newest psychological horror movie for you to watch. Starring Sosie Bacon, Jesse T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, and directed by Parker Finn, “Smile” scored a 78% from Rotten Tomato critics and a 6.9/10 from IMDb critics. “Smile” is good for those who need a jumpscare to meet their horror-loving needs, but not so much for those who enjoy only a small taste of horror. This movie tends to have some gruesome scenes, so if you have a weak stomach, I’d skip the gore and demolish the bucket of popcorn you made. 

I’d rate this movie 8.5 spooky ghosts out of 10 spooky ghosts.

Have a Happy Halloween!

October –

Autumn leaves of red and gold

that crunch beneath your feet.

Pumpkins on front porches,

candy corn, and trick-or-treat.

Tart and tangy cider,

apples ripened on the trees.

A hint of winter coming

on the chilly

autumn breeze.

 

By: Unknown

 

Halloween is here and I hope everyone has a costume picked out. Put on your warmest pajamas, and pop up some popcorn while you wait. If you are not a trick or treater, why not have a movie night instead? 

 

Sincerely,

 

The Passionate Poet

 

By: Savannah Valdez

 

Are you looking for a festive treat for this Halloween season? Then you’ve come to the right place! This chocolate-covered pumpkin patch is the perfect treat for you and your family & friends.

 

These are the ingredients you will need:

1 pint of fresh strawberries

2-3 cups of orange candy melts

2 tablespoon coconut oil

⅔ packaged crushed sandwich cookies(optional)

1 box of toothpicks

 

Here are your steps for this sweet treat:

1. Thoroughly wash and dry your strawberries 
2. Place your candy melts into a heat-safe measuring cup or short glass and microwave for 30 seconds, stirring in between. Make sure your candy melts do not burn and allow them to cool before use.
3. Prepare a cookie sheet along with parchment paper onto a medium-sized pan. Insert a toothpick into the top of each strawberry, this makes it easy to hold and dip your strawberry.
4. Dip your strawberries into the chocolate and place them on your cookie sheet. Place into the fridge for 10 minutes to solidify them, if the chocolate looks too thin another layer may be needed!
5. Once your strawberries are hardened, put the remaining chocolate into a ziplock or piping bag and cut a tiny hole at the corner of the bag. You then will draw vertical lines across the strawberries and chill for another 10 minutes.
6. Once your strawberries are completely chilled you can serve them on a fresh bed of crushed cookies and enjoy!

 

There you have it, all it takes is 6 simple steps and you will have the best-looking treat for this Halloween season! Enjoy!

 By: Alex Richter

Scientists have discovered new things that have never been seen in the history of space and time.

Researchers from National Harbor, Maryland have recently discovered two so-called cryovolcanoes; which seem to be volcanoes built of frozen ice from inside of the dwarf planet. Volcanoes, as we all know, are piles of different types of rock. Eventually the volcanoes spewed magma from underground at the top of the rocky volcano. Ash is released and the magma becomes lava at the point that it comes above ground. Unlike most volcanoes, scientists noted that nitrogen and methane melted ice inside of the planet, causing it to be released years later in an icy volcano. 

Researchers in 2022 have figured out the reason for the t-rex’s stubby arms. Many dinosaurs have been a mystery to the world aside from a representation of how the animals looked, the t-rex was no different, but due to mass amounts of research and extended fossil search, information has been found. The reason that the t-rex has stubby arms is because of reproduction purposes. With stubby arms, the t-rex holds mates closer than if the arms were to be longer.

Recently, a ship called Sir Ernest Shackleton was found at the bottom of the Weddell Sea. The ship is believed to have once sailed about a century ago, and not much information has been found about it. Sir Ernest Shackleton was found by robots during an expedition underwater, these robots have cameras allowing the men and women above to see what they are seeing.  

The Missing Student

By: Noah Ramos

There has been something bothering me lately at school. At first I had no idea what it could’ve been for the longest time. It took a couple weeks to figure out that a chair in every one in my classes was empty. Normally this wouldn’t have bothered me but something about that empty spot just didn’t seem right to me like someone used to be there, and had suddenly vanished. I tried to ignore it but it was like the chair was beckoning to me in the back of my mind no matter what I did to try to forget about it. I decided to finally come back late at night when no one was around to see if I could find anything that would prove my theory. If there really was someone who had vanished without anyone noticing somehow the answer had to lie in the school somewhere. I had tried to see if the attendance had any names that didn’t belong with nothing that caught my eye. Next I went into the principal’s office first to check the files of students in that class to see if there would be evidence. 

Luckily the door was unlocked which made it easier to get into the office undetected and soon I locked the door behind me. However when I looked around I found nothing and was just about to leave when something on the desk caught my attention. One of the drawers was smaller than it was compared to the other one which was a bit suspicious so I felt around until the bottom opened up to a secret compartment. Inside I could see a large envelope but before I could grab them I suddenly heard the jangle of keys like someone was about to come in. Quickly I grab the envelope before closing the drawer’s compartment and hiding under the desk right as the door opened into the office. Luckily it was only the janitor who had come to clean out the waste bin and left a couple seconds later. After I was sure no one else was coming I slipped out of the office and headed outside to the playground to read what was inside.

 Inside were two pieces of paper, one of them was an incident report of an accident that occured here at the school. It detailed how a student had been badly burned by acid and later pronounced dead at the hospital from the wounds. For some reason I didn’t remember the news ever reporting on this which was strange. I looked at the next paper that showed the dead student’s profile and was absolutely mortified with what I saw next. The person in the profile had my name and not only that but the picture looked exactly like me! But this couldn’t be I was still alive for sure. This had to be some sort of sick joke someone was playing on me. It was already morning for some reason when I lifted my head and saw one of my friends heading towards the door. I ran to them to ask if they were in on it but when I tried to grab their shoulder my hand touched nothing. I looked towards the glass door and instead of seeing my reflection I simply saw nothing…

By: Libby Sanchez & Shyanne Carol

The month of October is filled with joy and excitement with all the events it holds. The month of homecoming week, our first homecoming dance, and pink out. Not many things could ruin the vibe October gives off, except for one. After 12 years of hard work at PHS, we bid goodbye to one of our favorite front office ladies, Mrs. Higginbotham. 

Mrs. Higginbotham was the principal’s secretary and was in charge of many tasks in that position. Always scheduling appointments for the principal, keeping tabs on files, and coordinating overall workflow and activities through the central office. It will be a huge adjustment getting used to her absence, but I have no doubt we can make that adjustment. 

One of Mrs. Higginbotham’s most admirable qualities was her willingness to listen to student concerns. Any student needing to meet with the principal would first go through Mrs. Higginbotham, and she always made sure students were prepared to give their best version of themselves. 

Though she will be greatly missed here at PHS, especially her welcoming smile when walking into the office, PHS is grateful to have had someone like her leave such a great impact on students and staff members. We wish her the absolute best retirement, and we hope she comes back to see some of her biggest fans graduate in May!

By: Libby Sanchez & Shyanne Carol

Homecoming week is by far the week most looked forward to by students during the school year. Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors band together to decorate halls representing each theme throughout the week. Our first-ever HOCO dance was held the Saturday following homecoming week and it was an absolute blast. Our gratitude goes out to all the volunteers and participants who helped make homecoming week a success.  

 

Senior hallway decorating (winners) on Saturday & Sunday prior to Homecoming:

Monday’s bikers vs. surfers:

Tuesday’s country vs. country club:

 

Wednesday’s Soccer mom vs. BBQ dad:

 

Thursday’s Generation day:

 

Friday’s Green out: 

Saturday’s First Annual HOCO Dance: