Movie Review: Evil Dead Rise

By: Myame Lara

Evil Dead Rise 2023 U.S. One Sheet Poster - Posteritati Movie Poster Gallery

A new addition to the Evil Dead franchise has recently hit screens worldwide and made $40 million alongside its debut. Gaining a rating of 4 stars out of 5 on Rotten Tomatoes, and  6.9 stars out of 10 on IMDb, the movie also gained mixed reviews from the public. Evil Dead Rise follows sisters Beth and Ellie, played by Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland, reunion as it gets cut short by “the rise of flesh-possessing demons.”

This movie is definitely not for the faint-hearted, as it is packed with gore and uncomfortable scenes. Evil Dead Rise wastes no time to get the show started, and as much as I loved it, it quickly became obvious why this movie received mixed reviews from critics all around. Along with the movie’s quick start, I expected a clear storyline to play a part in it, but to my disappointment there was none. Though a failing storyline, this movie was a great addition to the Evil Dead franchise and has introduced us to new characters that are quickly becoming fan favorites!

If I had to put a rating on this movie, I would rate it a solid 6/10. The movie had great potential and I would recommend it to any gore-loving horror fans. Just keep the snacks in the cabinet for this one!

BPA State

By: Myame Lara

On March 3rd, the Pleasanton High School Business Professionals of America, BPA, began their 4-day State Leadership Conference held in Dallas, Texas. Attending members included: Seniors, Michaela Anguiano, Bennack Conroy, Elynore Hernandez, Gage Pawelek, Alexis Ramos, and Stefon Torres, Juniors, Alexandria Balderas, and Delanie De La Fuente, Sophomores, Lauren Miles, and Jadyn Swan, and Freshman, Maribel Cerrillo, Tanner McDougal, Adyson Pawelek, Isabella Trapp, Genieve Turner, and Sophie Zeng, along with an advisor, Janie Olivarri.  

At the BPA State Leadership Conference, members are given the opportunity to further develop their leadership skills, and personal and professional development, and explore careers-related competencies. In the duration of their four-day trip to Dallas, The Pleasanton BPA club attended a series of events and activities. On day four of their trip, they attended the awards ceremony, which revealed those who will be attending the National Conference in Anaheim, California, April 26th- 30th.

Pleasanton High School BPA brought home three National Qualifiers which included: Alexis Ramos-1st Presentation Individual, Jadyn Swan-2nd Economic Research, and Lauren Miles-4th Fundamental Word Processing. At the State Leadership Conference, three of Pleasanton High School BPA members received alternate awards of which including Stefon Torres- 5th Health Leadership Topics, Michaela Anguiano- 6th Administrative Support Research, and Delanie De La Fuente- 7th Prepared Speech. Members Jadyn Swan and Lauren Miles are both first-time BPA competitors. In order to prepare for the National Conference, the Pleasanton BPA has been fundraising for their trip, and is currently almost at their goal of $4,000! Along with that, they are gathering paperwork, reviewing material, and reserving equipment. During the duration of the PHS BPA will compete, attend workshops, listen to speakers, sight-see, and may even have the chance to visit Disneyland. 

Mrs. Olivarri quotes, “Sending students out into the world knowing they have the skills needed to be successful after high school makes me happy and fills my cup every year.”  Pleasanton High School is very proud of the outstanding results we’ve received this BPA season, and are very excited about the outcome of the National Conference! Pride, Pride!

Athlete Spotlight: Bryan Jones

By: Myame Lara

Our spring sports are finally underway, which means it was only fitting that we focused on a spring athlete for this month’s athlete spotlight. Pleasanton High School junior, Bryan Jones, was our candidate for the athlete spotlight due to his constantly improving track skills. I gratefully got the chance to interview Bryan during his busy track schedule to get to know more about his love for this sport. 

Bryan, who is also currently running for Alamo City Track Club, started running track for Pleasanton in the seventh grade, and the sport ultimately stuck to him. Going into his fifth year of running track in Pleasanton, he has definitely faced many challenges along the way. Some of these challenges include injuries, dealing with self-doubt, and even having confidence troubles along the way. Bryan has stayed motivated throughout his track career by being able to be 1% better every day. He lives up to these statements, and broke one PR for this season at the Pleasanton Brush Country Relay in the 200-meter dash, at 11.74c, coming in the first place. 

With Bryan’s mentality to stay one percent better every day, he hopes his hard work will pay off to continue his track career in college. Bryan is an all star athlete and definitely deserves all the recognition he gets. We can’t wait to see what he has in store for his track career next. Pride, Pride!  

Student Spotlight: Joshua Yoho

By: Myame Lara and Jayden Palacios 

To start the new year off, the journalism staff decided the only appropriate student spotlight should be none other than sophomore, Joshua Yoho. Joshua Yoho is involved in many activities at PHS, some of which include band and track and field. Two members of the journalism staff got the chance to talk to Joshua Yoho and find out some more interesting facts about him!

Although it’s only Joshua’s second year in high school, he’s become a very active participant in PHS extracurricular activities. Joshua enjoys playing the saxophone, which he’s been playing for four years now and was taught by his favorite teacher, Mr. Solis. Josh expressed that Mr. Solis was his favorite teacher because, after all this time, he continues to teach Joshua new things. Being a sophomore, he has gotten the chance to meet new people and this has become one of his favorite things about high school! Along with being in band and track, Josh also enjoys building things in his free time. After high school, he plans on going to college at either Texas A&M or UT Austin for engineering, which we hope will work out for him!

The Journalism staff is grateful for the opportunity to get to know more about Josh, and we look forward to witnessing his future accomplishments. Pride, Pride!

Athlete Spotlight: Kassidy Vickers

 

By: Myame Lara

 

With our fall sports coming to an end, the PHS Journalism staff decided to make this month’s athlete spotlight a dedicated, talented, and all-around great student at PHS. Kassidy Vickers is someone who fits into all those categories like a puzzle piece! I got the chance to interview Kassidy to ask her more about her athletic history, and just to learn more about her! 

 

Junior athlete Kassidy Vickers participates in the sports: cross country, track, and tennis, which she’s been in for about 5 years now. Sometimes juggling so many extracurricular activities can be stressful, but Kassidy stays motivated with the help of her parents, who are her “biggest supporters!”  Recently, Kassidy went state bound for cross country and placed 49th out of 152 girls. Kassidy’s advice to other athletes is, “Never give up, and always do you!” 

After high school, Kassidy plans on going to college and majoring in animal science, though she is not yet sure about running in college. Although Kassidy enjoys running and playing tennis, she also enjoys organizing things and getting extra practice in during her free time. “Trying to get better helps motivate me,” stated Kassidy.

 

Kassidy’s advice to other athletes is, “Never give up, and always do you!” I am very glad to have gotten the opportunity to interview Kassidy Vickers and get to know more about her. The journalism staff, along with everyone else at PHS, is excited to see what Kassidy has in store for her spring sports, and the seasons to come! Pride, Pride!

Staff Spotlight: Mr. Hinojosa

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!

 

Hispanic Heritage Month

By: Myame Lara

Each year during the month of September, Americans celebrate Hispanic culture, making September Hispanic Heritage month. Hispanic Heritage month is celebrated from September 15th through October 15th. Following its start on September 15th, is Mexico’s Independence Day on September 16th. Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in recognition of ancestors of Americans who came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

Hispanic Heritage Month began as a week-long celebration under President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 to recognize the diversity and historical significance of American Latino descent. This week-long event was later extended to a 30-day celebration by President Ronald Reagen in 1988. Since then, many traditions and celebrations have attached themselves to this month-long celebration

Hispanic Heritage month is celebrated in many ways. Activities such as visiting a Hispanic Heritage Museum, or learning more about the Hispanic Culture are very common around these times of the year. Things such as festivals, art shows, conferences, and community gatherings are also usually hosted during Hispanic Heritage Month. Organizations like, “Hispanicheritagemonth.org” dedicate the time and patience to educate people about why Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated. It’s great to use this time to celebrate Hispanic culture and learn more about the culture as a whole! 

New Teacher of the Year

By: Myame Lara and Darla Rodriguez

CSM Nuells is well known around campus as a very motivational teacher. He is usually found with our JROTC participants, alongside Kernel Wynder With it being his second-year teaching at PHS, he was awarded the “New Teacher of the Year ”. PHS’s journalism staff is honored to have the opportunity to find out more about our beloved CSM Nuells!

CSM Nuells is a very dedicated and hardworking teacher. The relationships he gets to form with his students and being able to watch them grow and mentally develop throughout their years is one of the many things he loves about teaching at Pleasanton High School. CSM Nuells holds a bachelor’s degree from Excelsior College, and a masters degree in Business from Webster University. He is also a graduate of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy, where he served 30 years before retiring in 2020. 

With being in the US Army, a lot of the skills he gained are used in his teaching methods. “In the military, we take care of our soldiers. When it comes to teaching, I learned to take care of my students the way I take care of my soldiers.” CSM Nuells states. 

PHS is home to CSM Nuells, and we are so glad to have him attend our school! Congratulations on your accomplishments CSM Nuells, we hope for more years with you. Pride Pride!

Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Breiten

By: Myame Lara and Darla Rodriguez

Mrs. Breiten is PHS’ very own ray of sunshine, and interpersonal studies teacher of course! Many of her students describe her as a second mother, while always being in a great mood. Located at the end of the 500 hallway, Mrs. Breiten’s classroom is known as a comfort spot for many students. Along with teaching Interpersonal Studies, she also offers comfort and support when any students of PHS  need it. This month, the journalism staff made an excellent choice of selecting Mrs. Emily Breiten as our teacher spotlight! We got the opportunity to find out a little more about Mrs. Breiten and some of her interests!

Prior to teaching Interpersonal Studies at PHS, Mrs. Breiten attended Texas State which she graduated from with a bachelor’s degree, and is currently attending Texas A&M working towards her masters degree! A big part of being a teacher is figuring out how to connect with students, and Mrs. Breiten’s got that skill down to the bone. Mrs. Breiten says, “It’s important to have a relationship with your students, build relationships with them and everything will fall into place after that.” While working at PHS, Mrs. Breiten has learned to be a lot more empathetic and have more patience with her students. She’s found that putting herself in others shoes’ and seeing things from their perspective has impacted her greatly, and helped her connect with her students emotionally. Elly Hernandez and Jayden Palacios stated that Mrs. Breiten will always take the time out of her day to make sure everyone’s okay, and to say “good morning”, or “hi” to everyone in the halls!

You might be surprised to hear that Mrs. Breiten doesn’t actually live here at PHS! I know we found it shocking with how involved she is within our PISD community. Outside of teaching Mrs. Breiten enjoys all kinds of outdoor activities with her family including going to a park, a lake, and even the zoo! While in high school she participated in FFA, which could explain her love for the outdoors. 

All of PHS’ students are beyond grateful to have Mrs. Breiten as a part of the amazing staff, and look forward to what positive impact she’ll have on us next. Don’t forget to stop and thank your amazing teachers and staff at PHS anytime you have a chance! Pride Pride!

Boy’s Basketball

By: Myame Lara and Darla Rodriguez

Although the Eagle’s basketball season has come to an end, they deserve a round of applause for all the hard work and dedication that went into making this season legendary! The month of February was very successful for our Eagle’s. On February 1st, the Eagles took a strong win against Navarro, with an 83-40 score. Following our Eagle’s first win of the month, they took another clean sweep against Gonzales, winning 62-44. On February 11th, the Eagle’s ended the week with a big win, beating Cuero in their own territory, 72-66. February 15th’s game locked in our Eagle’s spot in the playoffs, taking an effortless win against La Vernia, and ending the game with an 82-59 lead! Our Varsity Eagles stole the District and Bi-District title on the infamous 2/22/22, winning against Fredericksburg 63-48. The Eagle’s ended the month on February 25th, with a close game against West Oso, but took a win 57-54. On March 1st, the Eagle’s went onto face their third playoff game against Boerne, but sadly came up short 40-43. What an amazing season. 

We got the chance to interview our Eagle’s Varsity point guard, junior, RJ Marquez, and asked him a few questions about the 21-22 season. RJ has had a passion for the game ever since he was young and is a key factor to our Varsity basketball team! The boy’s have been practicing as a team since the summer of 2021, so they’ve had a lot of time to create chemistry and come together as a family. For the Eagle’s Varsity team, It’s important to come together and work as a team. In our district winning game, RJ had stats of: 26 Pts, 2 Rbd, 7 Ast, 8 Stl, and 1 Blk. RJ say’s, “It’s been a lot of fun, we’ve really come together as a team and as a family.”, which is a key factor to why the Eagle’s had such a great season.

We are very proud of the team’s passion and determination for working so hard throughout all the highs and lows of this season. The Eagle’s ended their season with a 28-7 overall! The boy’s varsity Eagle’s had a great season and had so much improvement since the beginning of the season. Good job Eagle’s!  Pride! Pride!

Student Spotlight: Mayson Smith

By: Myame Lara

Every month, the Quill does a “Student Spotlight” article to shine a spotlight on some of the amazing students who attend PHS. To start off the new year with a bang, the journalism team decided to shine the spotlight on senior Mayson Smith. 

Mayson Smith is currently attending his fourth and final year at Pleasanton High School. In his four years of high school, he has impacted not only our school but also our community! Mayson is a proud member of PHS’ very own news show, the Big E News. He is a news anchor, a field reporter, and a proud co-host of his very own segment, “The Chocolate Milk Show.” Along with being on the Big E News, he is also a member of the Mighty Eagle Band where he plays the trumpet! Having been in band for four years, Mayson expressed that band director, Mr. Solis has impacted him the most here at PHS. Mayson says, “Band may be one group but learning new music and going to events is amazing.” 

Being a senior at PHS and second semester quickly taking action, graduation is soon approaching for Mayson. After graduation, he plans on going off to pursue film or psychology. During his junior year of high school, Mayson took AV which pushed him to find an interest in what he wanted to do and explore what he is passionate about. Mayson states, “If making movies doesn’t work out, I’d love to get a job that helps people instead.” This is where wanting to study psychology steps in!

Mayson is an amazing person who attends PHS and there is never a dull moment when he is around! Band director, Mr. Eduardo Solis, stated that Mayson goes “above and beyond” what he asks of other students. Mayson is always making sure others are enjoying their experiences and getting the most out of PHS. We at PHS are very grateful to have Mayson Smith attend our school and can’t wait to see the impact he has on this school! 

Teacher Spotlight: Coach Bird

By: Myame Lara

Coach Bird, otherwise known as Mr. Bird is currently teaching his 19th year here at PHS. Here on campus, he is known for teaching AP English 3, on level English 3, and Leadworthy, while also coaching Girls Varsity Soccer, and the JV volleyball team. Previous to teaching at PHS, he taught at the Pleasanton Elementary as a PE teacher for 7 years, but then moved campuses’ to, “do something a little more challenging.” With his father being a journalist, English has always come easy to him, which is why he chose to teach and focus on ELA subjects. 

Coach Bird attended Hardin Simmons University in Albany to get his undergraduate degree, he quotes, “I went there because my older brother was attending there and I was given the chance to play soccer there.” As well as Hardin Simmons University, he also attended the University of Texas of the Permian Basin to achieve his first masters degree, he attended this university because they offered an online program in sports psychology and states, “That’s what I was interested in at the time.” Coach Bird later went on to pursue his second masters degree at the University of Texas at Tyler, this degree is in counseling and was completed online also. 

When Coach Bird isn’t teaching or coaching, he has some favorite activities to do in his free time! Some of these activities include watching sports on TV, sleeping, and spending time with his wife! Coach Bird plays a big role here at PHS and never fails to lighten up someone’s day. Thank you for all you do Coach Bird!