By: Libby Sanchez

Ms. Garza is our school’s CCMR (College, Career, and Military Readiness) Clerk. She manages our Dual Credit program, updates the counseling web page, organizes appointments for TSI, SAT, PSAT, and ASVAB testing, gives updates on scholarships, and schedules meetings with recruiters for students. Her job is to make sure students are prepared to take the correct route in their future, whether it be college or military. 

Pleasanton High School is the first school district Ms. Garza has worked for. She worked at her previous job for 16 years and became the IT director. She received many certifications in Networking, Electronic Medical Records, Practice manager System, Medical Coding, and Billing. These certifications made her the perfect fit for this position at our school. 

Although this job was not her career goal, “this was a contender because I love helping people and knowing I can help a student with their own goals is a great feeling,” Ms. Garza said. 

Covid- 19 has put a strain on how Ms. Garza does her job. This year, scholarship applications have to be submitted electronically instead of paper, college fairs must be virtual, and scheduling testing is an issue. Despite these complications, Ms. Garza has done an excellent job of keeping everything organized and running smoothly! You can catch her standing outside her door next to the counselor’s office with a smile through her mask, thank you for all you do Ms. Garza!

By: Libby Sanchez

The Pleasanton Lady Eagles Softball Team’s season has officially started. Last year’s season was unfortunately cut short due to Covid-19, and the girls are ready to step up to the pitch and pick up where they left off. “The majority of last year’s team is back and ready to continue what we started last season. We plan on being aggressive and adding some different options in our offensive game,” stated Coach Savage. 

The girls have been practicing new game strategies and plans since January. “So far the season has started off really well! Everyone is contributing and doing what is best for the team, so I can confidently say that if it continues, our team will only continue to get stronger. Everyone is working as hard as possible, and I know that all our hard work will pay off in the end,” stated Anai Gonzalez, sophomore. Both teams are proud of their progression shown at practices. On February 2nd, both Varsity and JV went up against Natalia in a friendly scrimmage. Despite Natalia’s hard-hitting offense, our Pleasanton Lady Eagle’s came out on top with good bats and great defensive stops. On February 5th, both teams scrimmaged Cornerstone. Scores were not kept during this game but it was a well fought match. Again on February 9th, both teams went up against Cotulla and brought home a win of 8-2. Their first official games were cancelled due to weather, but the girls are looking forward to adding new strategies to their game and having a great season!

By: Libby Sanchez

Frank Alaquinez is a freshman this year at PHS and is a member of the class of 2024. Frank was recommended by Coach Salinas, who states,“It’s rare to find students who understand the responsibility it takes to be a successful student-athlete. Frank has done just that, and he’s only a Freshman. He gets along with all his peers, he’s willing to tutor if other students need help, and he’s very positive with the other kids he interacts with. He is just a great student to have in class and I’m proud to be his math teacher this year.” 

Frank’s favorite subjects in school are algebra and principles of law. “I’ve always wanted to be a private investigator, there’ve been other careers that sound cool, but this one has always been there and sounds like the most fitting for me” Frank said. 

In Jr. High, Frank played sports such as soccer, football, and basketball. Outside of school, Frank played baseball for two years with a club team. Although he loved playing all of these sports, he decided to focus on playing just baseball in high school. “They were fun and I enjoyed the experience they brought, but baseball stood out to me the most,” Frank stated. Even with Covid-19 still complicating things, Frank is overjoyed to be able to have his freshman baseball season with this year’s team. 

By: Libby Sanchez

The Pleasanton Women’s Soccer team picking up trash after the Merry On Main parade for community service.

The Pleasanton Women’s Soccer program is known as one of the most competitive and tight-knit teams in our district, having claimed the title of District-Champions ten times in twenty years of soccer at PHS. 

After winning the title of District-Champions for four consecutive years in a row, our Women’s Varsity Soccer team was going for the next title- Area Champions. Unfortunately due to the fallout of Covid-19, their winning streak of eight games was cut short. Many were distraught to see last years’ seniors play their last game of their highschool career, without even realizing it. “When I first heard the news of our season getting cancelled, I think I was in denial. We worked so hard, day after day, for it just to be ripped away from us. After it sank in that we’d never play with last years’ seniors again, I couldn’t help but feel defeated,” states sophomore Trinity Garcia. The Women’s Junior Varsity team also had their season cut down by one game, but was content with how well they improved throughout the season.

Although Covid-19 took away the team’s ability to train and practice together, it couldn’t take away their drive and determination to improve individually for the upcoming season. In order to stay in shape, girls were sent into quarantine with highly suggested, but not mandatory, daily workouts to partake in. “It’s all about having a good mentality,” states Coach Joseph constantly throughout the season and this rough time. This pandemic has not only taught these girls to adapt and overcome, but has also made this family’s bond even stronger. “Being able to see the chemistry we all have with each other is, to me, very inspiring and I think that from a non-soccer players point of view, it truly shows how close we all are and when we step on the field to play, nothing changes,”stated Brylee Miller, Sophomore. Tryouts were held November 31 through December 2 and teams were selected on December 3. 

Varsity is scheduled to scrimmage Harlandale this Friday, December 11. Both teams are scheduled for a scrimmage against Veterans Memorial on December 15, and have an upcoming tournament in early January. The Pleasanton Women’s Soccer team is ready to get the ball back in play!

By: Libby Sanchez

Thanksgiving is a time when families travel long distances to be with their loved ones and celebrate together. It’s a day full of good times and usually ends with a turkey dinner and whatever sporting event is being broadcasted. Unfortunately, under the strict circumstances of Covid-19, this year traveling increases the risk of getting infected and spreading the virus to your loved ones. Although it may be hard to just stay home this year with immediate family, it may be the best idea. 

Staying home shouldn’t prevent you from having a great time with your family and doing yearly traditions. Try preparing annual recipes for family and neighbors, especially those at higher risk of catching Covid-19, and delivering them in a way that doesn’t involve direct contact with others. Maybe consider having a virtual dinner and sharing your recipes and visiting with the rest of your family that way.

Although, it’s understandable to still attend a large family dinner and celebrate like you do every year. If this is the route you plan on taking, make sure you and your family take the proper precautions. Bring along hand sanitizer and apply before and after touching someone, that way you and the person you’ve touched are less likely to be spreading germs. It’s also highly suggested to still be wearing a mask when not 6-feet apart, especially if you have family who travels from far places. This helps prevent your germs from spreading onto loved ones. Another great idea is to wipe down places you’ve sat at, that way germs are less likely to be passed onto clothes. 

Even though holidays aren’t the same this year because of the virus, it’s still important that everyone has a great time. That being said, we also need to make sure that we’re doing that in the safest way possible. Have a safe break! 

By: Libby Sanchez

Mrs. Evans is one of the three hardest working counselors at Pleasanton High School. She not only has a positive impact on the students and adults, but our education system as well. Mrs. Evans takes her job very seriously and makes sure every student explores career options and stays motivated on their paths throughout high school. 

She attended PHS herself and after graduating from here in 1991, Mrs. Evans attended Texas State for three and a half years before graduating in 1994. She then came back to her hometown and started working in the family business once known as “Dowdy’s Store”, where she worked for 11 years after college. When word got around that the store may no longer be in business, Mrs. Evans had to start looking for more options here in Pleasanton. She wasn’t left with many, but the one that called out to her the most was indeed helping children at our local schools. She started as a math teacher at our Jr. High in 2006 and taught math for 4 years. A few years after teaching math, she became a counselor in both Pleasanton, Jourdanton, and Poteet before she settled here at the high school. 

Although counseling wasn’t always the goal for Mrs. Evans, she’s grown to love the job and the joy of helping students. “The counselor’s role is basically to be the students’ advocate, anything a student needs help with, I´m there”. Mrs. Evans has gone above and beyond to make sure this school year could be where it is now. From managing student schedules online instead of face-to-face, to college career plans for our seniors, Mrs. Evans does it all. This is her sixth year as a counselor at PHS and although she’s had to make major changes to how she does things this year, she’s come out the other side and made things work.