It’s Tee Time

By: Adriana Clark  

Boys Golf team posing after regional meet

On May 10-11, Senior Lacey Stevens traveled to Kyle and competed in the UIL State Golf Tournament. The first day, Lacey scored 87 points. On the second day she scored 82 points. After only counting the first 9 holes on day two due to the weather, Lacey ended up with a two-day total of 131 points. Lacey finished 36th overall at State. 

May 17-18th the men’s golf team traveled to Kyle where they overall placed 8th. Coach Guerra said that even though they did not have a season last year, “This has been a historic year for our golf program. Despite having our season cut short last year and all the adjustments that had to be made this year, the team put all of that behind them and made this season the most successful season this program has ever had. This shows how dedicated and committed these young men and women were to this season.” 

Coach Guerra added that “having the boys team make it to the state tournament for the first time in school history and Lacey qualifying as a medalist in the same season, makes this year the proudest of my coaching career.” 

For next year’s golf season, Coach Guerra is “hoping that the experience of the participating in the state tournament will help the returning golfers to want to work even harder during the off-season and next year so that they can experience that feeling all over again. I also hope that it will inspire the others to work just as hard so that they can be a part of that experience down the road” 

To the graduating seniors in golf, Coach Guerra would like to say thank you for your hard years of work and dedication you put into the program and that he will miss every one of you. He wishes you all the luck in the world in everything that you do.

Prom

By: Adriana Clark

Saturday May 1st from 8pm-12am (midnight) is the junior/senior Great Gatsby themed prom. The colors are black and gold. Prom will be held at The Espee Sunset Room, formerly known as Sunset Station, downtown near the Riverwalk. The music and photo booth will be provided by Bring It! Productions and the appetizers will be provided by, Tim the Girl Catering. Friendly reminder to please read the dress code and contract before attending prom and do not forget to wear a mask. 

Restaurant recommendations:

Brooks City Base

Chaba Thai Restaurant

54th Street Restaurant & Drafthouse

Chili’s Grill & Bar

LA Crawfish

1917 Restaurant 

 Olive Garden Italian Restaurant

The Longhorn Cafe

McAlister’s Deli 

Armadillos Texas Style Burgers

Texas Roadhouse

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Bar-B-Q Republic

Las Palapas

Downtown/Riverwalk

Stella Public House 

Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia 

Rainforest Cafe 

Rita’s On the River 

The Original Mexican Restaurant

Casa Rio

Margaritaville Restaurant

The Republic of Texas Restaurant

Paesanos

Joe’s Crab Shack 

Rio RIo Cantina

Yard House

Biga on the Banks 

Boudro’s on the Riverwalk

Hard Rock Cafe

Acenar

Saltgrass Steak House

Cafe Ole

Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse 

The County Line 

Landry’s Seafood House

Sushi Zushi 

The Pearl District 

Down On Grayson 

Josephine Street

Earl Abel’s

La Gloria

Track

By: Adriana Clark 

On February 25th, our JV/Varsity boys and girls track team went to Devine. At the Devine track meet our girls and boys raced against the Devine, Jourdanton, and Natalia track teams. Our Varsity Girls had nine people place first, Kassidy Vickers in the 3200, Caitlyn Nieschwitz in the 800 and 1600, Kennedy Guajardo in the 400, Jillian Barcomb in the 300 hurdles, Victoria Castillo in the High Jump with a 4’8, and Raegan Hollis, Ciarah Garcia, Kennedy Guajardo and Brandi Barnett in the 1600 Relay. Varsity Boys highlights are Jayden Palacios’s 2:02.13 800, Justin Veale placing 1st and 2nd in the 300 hurdles and 110 hurdles, and Rudy Franco’s 2nd place jump in the long jump with a 19. JV Boys had Xavier Rodriguez in 1st place in the 800, Jayden Ogg placed first in the 1600 and the 3200, and the 4×400 Relay placed first with a time of 4:11. JV Girls: had many girls place first, Caitlin Herandez in the 3200, Alexandra Alvarez, Kiley Wiechring, Diamond Brownlee, Mikayla Theis in the 400 Relay, Mikayla Theis, Kiley Wiechring, Nevaeh Castillo in the 800 Relay, Evelynn Caraway in the 800, and Kiley Wiechring in High jump. Overall the Varsity girls team placed 2nd, JV girls team placed 2nd, Varsity boys team placed 3rd, and the JV boys team placed 4th. 

The track team went to Cotulla March 4th where they went up against the teams Cotualla, Poteet, and Dilley. Varsity Girls had many girls place first in their events with Kassidy Vickers first in the 3200, Emalee David in the 100 Hurdles, Jillian Barcomb 300 Hurdles, Victoria Castillo in Long and High jump, Emree Adamitz, Ariel Mejia, Itzel Perez, Marissa Rothenbach in the 4×100 Relay, Kinsley Barker, Ariel Mejia, Victoria Castillo, Angel Tucker in the 4×200 Relay, and Raegan Hollis, Ciarah Garcia, Emree Adamitz, Kennedy Guajardo in the 4×400 Relay. Varsity Boys highlights include Ashon Thompson time in the 100 dash 10.31 and took 1st place, Estevan Jackson taking 2nd in the 200 with a time of 23.84, Jayden Palacios had a time of 2:02.05 in the 800 and took 1st place, Justin Veale ran the 110 (17.09) and 300 (43.99) and won both events, Rudy Franco, Jessejohn Guel, Christopher Zapata, and Ashon Thompson won the 4×100 Relay, 4×200 Relay including Estevan Jackson, Juan Lopez, Jayden Palacios, and Ashon Thompson took took first place and broke the school record with a time of 1:33.02, the 4×400 Relay including Avaree Cantu, Juan Lopez, Estevan Jackson, And Jayden Palacios won with a time of 3:37, Estevan Jackson jumping 42′-7,″ Juan Lopez jumping 41′-4″ in the triple jump, Preston Pilgrim took 1st in Pole Vault and jumped an 11′-6″, Peyton Eichman threw the discus 105′-2″ and won first place. While Jackson and Lopez also took 2nd and 3rd in the long jump with jumps of 19′-5″ and 18′-7″, and Reagan Moore took second in the High Jump with a jump of 5′-2″. JV Boys  had Adrian Garica took 1st place in the 200 and 400, TJ, and HJ Xavier Rodriguez took first in the 800 relay, Jayden Ogg took first place in both the mile and 2 mile. JV Girls had many girls place first Mikayla Theis in the 100, Kiley Wiechring in the 200 and High Jump, Raylin Castillo in the 800 and 1600, Caitlin Herandez in the 3200, Alexandra Alvarez, Nevaeh Castillo, Diamond Brownlee, Mikayla Theis 4×1, Nevaeh Castillo, Diamond Brownlee, Mikayla Theis, Kiley Wiechring in the 4×200. In the end all teams had won the track meet with Varsity and JV girls in first, along with both Varsity and JV boys. 

March 18th JV/Varsity boys and girls track competed against Natalia, Devine, and Somerset here at the Pleasanton Track. Varsity Girls had many girls place in first Fe Vielma in the 3200, Jillian Barcomb in the 300 hurdles, Victoria Castillo in the High Jump, Caitylyn Nieschwitz in the 800, Ariel Mejia in the 100, and Kennedy Guajardo in the 400. Varsity Boys once again broke a school record the 4×100 relay team with Sean Ramos, Juan Lopez, Estevan Jackson, and Ashon Thompson set a new school record with a time of 43.21seconds, the 4×200 relay with  Estevan Jackson, Juan Lopez, Jayden Palacios, and Ashon Thompson broke their own record that they had set last week with a time of 1:30.99 seconds, and Ashon Thompson broke his own school record with a time of 10.21 seconds. JV Boys had Jayden Ogg placed first in the 3200 and tied with Xaiver Rodriguez tied for first place in the 1600. JV Girls had Caitlin Hernadez placed 1st in the 3200, Mikayla Theis 1st in the 100, Alexandra Alvarez, Nevaeh Castillo, Diamond Brownlee, Mikayla Theis 4×1 Relay, Evelyn Caraway placed 1st in the 800, Diamond Brownlee placed 1st in the 200, High Jump, and Long Jump, Mcada Rutherford in Pole Vault, Savannah Clark placed 2nd 1600, Genavieve Alvarado placed second in Shot Put. JV and Varsity Girls placed 1st along with Varsity and JV Boys.

Eating Disorder Awareness

By: Adriana Clark

The month of February brings awareness to eating disorders by educating others. Eating disorders have affected over 20 million women and 10 million men in the United States things like body image and poor self-esteem can contribute to a development of eating disorders-not only in young girls, but in men and women of all ages. Anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and bulimia nervosa are some of the most well known eating disorders. There are, however, many other disorders that are not commonly known such as like avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), pica (craving or chewing substances that have no nutritional value), and other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED). National Eating Disorder Awareness is sponsored by the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) and their message of 2021 is to invite “Every Body to Have a Seat at the Table”. this aims to highlight individuals and communities because demographics find themselves underrepresented about disordered eating. They hope to inspire conversations surrounding awareness. Some organizations that bring awareness to eating disorders are the National Eating Disorder Association (http://www.nedawareness.org/ ) which is dedicated to bring awareness and provide resources on their website helpful videos, resources for family members, and support group information. Eating Disorders: Every Body is Beautiful (http://www.eatingdisorders.com/ ) their website provides helpful and supportive articles along with videos about eating disorders. Eating Disorder Hope (http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/) their website has a positive focus on embracing their life and promotes recovery from a variety of eating disorders. If you are struggling with an eating disorder or you know someone who is  talking to a parent, doctor, or reaching out to help by calling (800) 931-2237 where they can offer support, resources, and treatment options for you or your loved one.

Horoscopes

By: Adriana Clark 

Aries (March 21-April 19)-  Chase your ambitions from the recent past and get things right this time. Monday 17th is your stand-out day where your leadership qualities come to front and make sure to listen to your instincts. 

Taurus (April 20-May 20)- 2020 left you a lot of time to think and this month to act this will likely be seen in your professional life, so don’t be surprised if you leave one job for another that better feels your soul. Practice self-care and don’t forget your worth, or else you could risk missing out on an opportunity made for you. 

Gemini (May 21-June 20)-  After 2020, this month will offer you opportunities to rebuild and grow. The hard work and effort you put in last year will pay off, but you’ll need to keep up some momentum. 

Cancer (June 21-July 22)-This month asks others to take care of you, although, this may be hard to do especially to admit you’re vulnerable but it is for your own health and happiness. 

Leo (July 23-August 22)- As the world begins healing this year you might feel trapped and wanting to be free. When you do, you’ll want to say yes to any opportunity but beware this month your mission is to practice patience. 

Virgo (August 23-September 22)- You became an emotional net for your friends and family and most likely you over-extended yourself. This month may be helpful to work through anything you went through. Doing things that will make you feel calm and balanced may just help.

Libra (September 23-October 22)- Your ambitions seem far away but not everything is achieved all at once your journey is as important as your destination. Maintaining your profile is not everything, do the task which fate required but don’t steer out of control.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)-  Work behind the scenes gives you precious freedom to concentrate on your own goals and find space to operate in your own way.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)- After endless thoughts of relocation, the moment arrives this month you will find your purpose. This month will ask you to prioritize your mental and emotional health. This will make you feel much better when you start listening and tend to your needs.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)- Think carefully about any new purchases and wait for your moment, when it comes to striking a deal you will need your business instincts. This month will benefit from learning what you love and whatever it is that will bring you satisfaction.

Aquarius (January 20-February 18)- The events of 2020 gave you many chances to keep busy by lending a helping hand you likely spent most of your time tending to others that you forgot about yourself but this month you will be able to focus on yourself.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)- Time to stretch your horizons and expect a little more confidence, expansive feelings take over and try your luck in places you wouldn’t before.

Canned Food Drive

By: Adriana Clark

NHS, Student Council, FFA, and HOSA hosted the annual food drive to gather and donate canned foods that would given to families over the Thanksgiving break. The donation drive was held November 12th through the 20th and the students at PHS were asked to donate as many canned food items as possible. When they brought in the canned foods, they were able to pick which administrator they wanted to see dress up as Big E, their choices were between Mrs. Minnear, Mr. Macias, or Mrs. Guajardo. In the end, the students chose Mr. Macias to spend the Friday before Thanksgiving break dressed as Big E. Thank you to all the students who donated. 

Student Spotlight

By: Adriana Clark

Senior Caitlyn Nieschiwtz pictured at the beach.

Caitlyn Nieschiwtz is a senior here at PHS. She is a genuinely nice person who can make anyone smile just by talking to them; she’s just someone you can never get tired of being around. Caitlyn Nieschiwtz is 17 years old and when asked where she plans to go for college and what she plans to major in she said “I plan to go to Texas A&M and major in Ag Business.” Caitlyn has been a runner on our cross country and track team since her freshman year and has even been on the varsity team all four years. This is where she has not only gone to Regionals, but State, too. For this year’s cross country season Caitlyn had another opportunity to go to Regionals where she placed 12th. When Caitlyn was asked what she hopes for this year’s track season, she said “My goal for this year’s track season is that I will be able to break the school record in the 800 and mile, and make it to State.” Caitlyn also hopes to run track while attending Texas A&M.

Cross Country

By: Adriana Clark

Girls JV Cross Country team is pictured at Bandera.

The PHS Varsity Cross Country teams traveled to Dilley on September 27th. The varsity girls had 8 girls who placed in the top twenty, with Caitlyn Nieschwitz taking 3rd place, Kassidy Vickers in 5th place, and Kennedy Guajardo taking 7th place along with Kara Hinojosa in 8th, and Mary Martinez in 10th place. Karolyna Arguijo placed 13th, Fe Vielma placed 18th, Jillian Barcomb with a time of 14:23, Raylin Castillo 16:02, and Sofia Aguilar 16:20. For the Varsity boys, Wanish Tortes-McGinnis placed 5th, Tim Klein placed 6th, Xavier Rodriguez placed 12th, Zander Zamora placed 15th, and Jaydon Ogg placed 19th.    

Our Cross Country team later traveled to Devine on Wednesday, September 30th. There, our Varsity and JV girls placed 1st. Caitlyn Nieschwitz placed 2nd, Kassidy Vickers placed 5th, Kara Hinojosa placed 7th, Mary Martinez placed 8th, Karolyna Arguijo placed 11th, Fe Vielma placed 13th, and Kennedy Guajardo placed 14th. Running for the JV team, Raylin Castillo placed 1st, Jillian Barcomb placed 2nd, Sofia Aguilar placed 6th, Itzel Perez placed 7th, Adriana Clark placed 12th, and Savannah Clark placed 13th. Varsity boys ran their best performance of the season so far, with Wanish Tortes-McGinnis placing 9th, Zander Zamora in 10th, Xavier Rodriguez placing 12th, and Jaydon Ogg in 18th. 

On Saturday, October 10th, both the Varsity boys and girls, along with the JV girls went to Bandera, where the Varsity Girls placed 2nd.  Caitlyn Nieschwitz came in 8th place, Kassidy Vickers taking 9th, Kara Hinojosa 15th, Mary Martinez 19th, Kennedy Guajardo 23rd, Fe Vielma 34th, and Karolyna Arguijo in 35th. JV Girls placed 1st with Jillian Barcomb in 1st, Raylin Castillo in 2nd, Lindsey Klein in 4th, Sofia Aguliar placed 13th, Itzel Perez placed 14th, Illianna Solorzano placed 15th, Savannah Clark in 20th, and Adriana Clark in 21st. For our Varsity Boys, Tim Klein took 19th place, Wanish Tortes-McGinnis placed 23rd, Xavier Rodriguez placed 24th, Zander Zamora placed 26th, and Jaydon Ogg placed 31st.

On October 14th, the teams traveled to Devine, where our Varsity girls placed 1st. Caityln Nieschwitz placed 1st with Kassidy Vickers right behind her at 2nd place, Kara Hinojosa placed 7th, Mary Martinez placed 8th, Kennedy Guajardo placed 9th, Fe Vielma took 10th, and Karolyna Arguijo placed 11th. The girls JV placed 1st with Linsey Klein taking 1st place with Raylin Castillo taking 2nd, Sofia Aguliar taking 3rd, and Itzel Perez right behind her taking 4th, and Adriana Clark placed 6th. Varsity Boys had Xavier Rodriguez in 7th, Wanish Tortes-McGinnis in 8th, Zander Zamora in 9th, and Jaydon Ogg in 17th. 

Congratulations to all the runners, District is their next big meet. Wish them luck!

Childhood Cancer Awareness

By: Adriana Clark

Childhood Cancer Awareness gold ribbon

September is the month that brings awareness to those who are facing or have faced childhood cancer, a time for people to focus on the importance of finding the cause, making a prevention plan, seeking possible treatments, and cures. Families often come together during this month to tell inspirational stories of the children who are facing or have faced cancer. Each year, 300,000 people are diagnosed with cancer, and 175,000 are children under the age of 14. Cancer does not always mean that it is just one disease. Instead, it can often be found in different places in the body; the most common type of cancer found in children is leukemia (a blood cancer). Cancer is less likely caused by a child’s environment and lifestyle, but instead can be caused by genetic changes or better known as mutations. A strong family history of cancer may increase a child’s risk. Thanks to therapies, over 80% of the childhood cancer patients have become long-term survivors. Organizations the help bring awareness is the American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO) who help by shaping policy, supporting research, and providing free education to kids with cancer, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California help by creating a home away from home so they are able to stay close to their hospitalized child without causing any financial toll on the family, and the Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation help elevate the mental, social, and emotional wellbeing of families that undergoing cancer treatment volunteers prepare packages filled with board games, books, and toys for different age groups which are then shipped out to hospitals and oncology centers across the world.

New Teacher of the Year: Miss Netherton

By: Adriana Clark

Miss Netherton is a science teacher at PHS, known for being one of the nicest and sweetest teachers on the campus. She has a loving personality, she’s uplifting, and she’s funny. Miss Netherton has been working at PHS for 3 years, which is her entire teaching career. Miss Netherton had attended Mississippi State University, where she majored in Civil Engineering with an Environmental Engineering concentration. She has also majored in English.

Before Miss Netherton joined us at PHS as a high school teacher, she was a Civil Engineer In Training which was also known as an EIT. “I really enjoyed all my civil engineering classes in college, but working as a Civil Engineer just wasn’t what I expected. I didn’t get to be super creative, I either had a lot of work or almost no work, and I didn’t get to help others…” Miss Netherton had worked on computers and got to go to sites and design drainage layouts, water mains, and work with the EPA to ensure their jobs followed conservation laws. “…it was an interesting job, but not a good fit for me. I enjoy teaching a lot more because I get to help people learn and grow and I can be very creative with my lessons.”

When Miss Netherton heard the news that she won New Teacher of the year, she was excited and stated, “she doesn’t do the job for recognition, but it does feel very validating to get this award.” This also helps ensure that she is doing a great job and encourages her to keep it up! “PHS has been an amazing place to work and I really feel really lucked out starting my teaching career here. The environment is very positive and everyone has the opportunity for major growth here. You can also tell that all the employees really care about the students in everything that they do. I am very grateful to have such a supportive network here who all focus on the good of the students.”

Things To Do While Bored

By: Adriana Clark

List of things to do to avoid boredom:

  1. Exercise: This improves one’s health but can also help manage any anxiety.
  2. Painting: A creative outlet during this time, people can try a new technique they have never tried before. 
  3. Reading: Reading helps with one’s imagination; some people read to help get away from their lives-many people would use that as an outlet to take their minds off of COVID-19.
  4. Do a puzzle: This can be satisfying once the puzzle is complete; puzzles challenge our brains.
  5. Clean: Cleaning helps us take advantage of the time we have right now.
  6. Learn something new: Learning something new can help sharpen our skills, expand our horizons, or it can just help you realize you might have had an interest in something that you just never had time to try before.
  7. Talk to friends: Connecting with others is important.

Staff Spotlight-Cafeteria Staff

By: Adriana Clark

The cafeteria workers here at PHS work hard constantly to provide the food we have at lunch. Not only do they have to provide the food we eat, but they also have to make sure all the tables are clean and that there is enough food for b-lunch.

Our cafeteria staff includes Kathy Garza, the manager, who has been working here for a total of 6 years. Kathy says her favorite part of her job is being in charge. She also used to work at the primary and says that “it is a big difference from the little ones to the big ones. Mainly at that age in elementary, you have to deal with tattle-telling, the hair-pulling, along with many other things along those lines.” 

Mary Ybanez has been working here for 20 years and her favorite part about her job is her group of coworkers. Mary Ramos has been working here for about a month and a half and one thing she enjoys about the job is the surroundings.

Julia has been working here for 3 months and she enjoys the dishes. Rebecca Alcorta has been working here for 2 years, Christabel Douglas has been working here for 5 months, and Mary-Alice Rodiguez has been working here for 10 years.

The group was asked what the most challenging factor about their job was, and they all agreed that the most challenging factor was making sure there’s enough food for everybody and not running out, but they also don’t want to make too much food where they would have to throw it out.

A piece of advice the cafeteria workers would like to give to the students is that they (the students) aren’t always going to get free stuff, being respectful to the staff and each other, to be appreciative, and that “please and thank you” can go a long way.