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!

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!

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: 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!

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! 

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!