Spotlight on Seniors
Lobos News continues its tribute to our graduating class with six more profiles…
Greg Zapata
By Sabrina Mendoza
In May, Gregory Isaac Zapata will be leaving high school and entering the real world. He is more than excited. He hopes to be part of Pima Community College’s football team, but he will miss the memories and people that have influenced him to become a better person at PUHS.
He wants to thank his teachers for giving him the opportunity to learn at his pace and, a special thank you to his favorite teacher, Journee Hayes, for being awesome and understanding. He really appreciates the extra time that Mr. Rhoades, and Mr. Hayes have given him when he needed it. Another person that he would like to recognize is Mrs. Blake, for giving him second chances throughout his high school career. Most of all he is going to miss his friends Danny Miranda, and Javi Mingura. He knows he will be missing the smaller environment that Patagonia had to offer him. “It’s pretty intimidating coming from a school of 80 kids, and attending a college that has thousands. The fact that I might not see some of my classmates again makes me sad, but I know Patagonia has prepared me well in the learning and social aspect,” says Greg.
As for memories, he will never forget Mr. Hayes’s seventh period class, and his time playing football. Overall, he can’t thank everyone enough for the crazy, fun, and emotional ride of the past four years. He hopes to succeed in life and is ready to take on whatever God has coming for him in the future. Gregory is ready to say goodbye and make new memories.
Dominick Paz
By Exelee Budd
There was once a little boy named Dominick Paz, who dreamt of being an astronaut and exploring space. Now, 18 years old, that little boy has grown into a man, just months away from leaving high school and becoming independent. In college, he hopes to study criminal justice and investigate related jobs, but will keep an open mind and look at different options before deciding on a career.
Baseball has proven to be his favorite sport in high school. “I love it because it’s not a game simply of skill, but more a game focused on thinking and fundamentals,” Paz says. Dominick doesn’t have plans to pursue baseball in the future, “but if the option presented itself, I would probably accept.”
Dominick confirms he will most definitely miss high school and the hardest part of leaving will be being separated from his close friends, but he will carry his amazing memories along with him to college. The best memory he has of his class is when they all took a trip to the Grand Canyon. High school has been a challenge for him, but he says it was worth it because twelfth grade has been the most entertaining and fun year in high school. A natural thing in high school is to change in to your own person and have your personality fully develop. “I definitely noticed people changing,” he said.
His wise advice to the upcoming ninth and tenth graders is “study as hard as you can, because in the end it will all pay off.” Hopefully the senior class can leave their wise words and good examples behind as a springboard for the underclassmen.
Will he be emotional on graduation day? “I’m not sure,” Dominick says, “but if so, I don’t think I’ll be the only one.”
Cesar Diaz
By Juliana Quiroga
Ever since his freshman year, Cesar Diaz has seemed to be the person who was quiet, but when you get to know him his loud and unique personality becomes obvious pretty quickly. He is an outgoing, genuine and creative person. Within his high school career he has some fond memories, but now it’s time to move on.
Going to the Grand Canyon was one of his cherished memories during his ninth grade year. As an adult he has to make big decisions, but like all graduating seniors it will be hard for Cesar to move on. Hanging out with his friends and making great memories is one thing he will miss. With many accomplishments, his favorite is winning the state award for art.
He is one to just go with the flow, but when it comes to his future he is very serious. After graduation Cesar would love the chance to attend the Academy of Art Institute. To pursue a career in animation is his top priority. Other graduating seniors said that his humor and style will be missed and he will dearly miss his English teacher, Mrs. Hayes. PUHS wishes him luck in his future and career choices.
Savannah Foster
By Coy Newman
Hard working, fun loving, and athletic are just some of the unique qualities that make Savannah Foster who she is. During an interview with Savannah, I got to know the real her. She told us that although she plays varsity volleyball, basketball, and softball, her favorite sport is actually soccer. Her favorite memory from high school would have to be going to the state basketball championship with her basketball team and the thing she will miss the most about her high school career will be all of her teachers and most of all, her amazing friends.
In Savannah’s early childhood she always dreamed of being a princess or a nurse, now she is pursuing the dream of being a nurse by attending Northern Arizona University for her nursing degree. Performing arts, her other passion, will be her minor degree. When asked why she is so passionate about performing arts, she said, “Because I can truly express myself.” Savannah’s favorite quote from high school is “A diamond is a piece of charcoal that handled stress incredibly well.”
Mariah Acevedo
By Alexis Montanez
Just a few months away from a life changing date, our well-known senior, Mariah “Marii” Acevedo is not as scared as expected. Mariah is more excited than anything. She is counting down the days until graduation. After that she will be attending school to become an aesthetician.
For Mariah the only part of high school that she will miss is the sports. Mariah played volleyball all four years. One year she played softball. Aside from sports, Mariah has many other happy memories. Her all-time favorite would be in her junior year, winning homecoming royalty. Mariah was also an attendant for homecoming her senior year. Mariah’s favorite year was her junior year, only a year away from being done and living life.
Some fellow classmates will be missing her presence. We will remember Mariah for her distinctive laugh. As for Mariah, she will miss Mrs. Hayes. “She’s awesome, a great teacher and always there when we need her,” said Mariah. From one student to another, farewell, succeed in everything you push yourself to. Good luck Marii!
Illiana Castro
By Sabrina Mendoza
It’s the time to say our goodbyes to the class of 2015. Illiana Castro is excited to be moving on to the next chapter in her life. She will be attending Northern Arizona University to study forestry. Even though “Illi” is ready to pack her bags, she is definitely going to miss PUHS. She will never forget the time she went to state for tennis and played doubles with Lily Wharton. “Overall, my best memory would have to be Cesar (her friend), only because I can’t count how many times he’s made me sincerely laugh,” explains Illi.
She will miss her teachers, especially Mr. Melanson, who helped her with math. She feels he teaches the subject in a way that she can actually comprehend. And, he’s the best chess coach she could ever ask for. Iliana jokingly adds, “I like to recognize Mrs. Hayes for learning me English good.” And she would like to thank Mr. Schreiber for teaching her how to play the one instrument she has always dreamed of playing, the guitar. She thanks everyone who has made an impact in her life at Patagonia Union High School. She is ready to start her new journey, and meet new people.
Our Town Cast Rallies Despite Misgivings
By Hector Lopez, PUHS
On March 5 and 7, Augusta Lucas, the director and teacher of the Patagonia Union High School Drama Club, brought the community of Patagonia two plays directed by her and performed by her class. The first performance was a dress rehearsal, the second a final show for the community. Dorothy Parker’s one act play, “The Waltz,” has a cast of eleven and tells the story of four women who share interior monologues as they dance. “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder, with a cast of nineteen, shows the importance of valuing the little things in life.
Two days prior to the dress rehearsal that was to be performed in front of a majority of the classes at Patagonia, Augusta Lucas expressed concerns about the production’s progress. She said that sports and student illness had cut into rehearsal time. She added that the lead roles of the plays were doing a good job getting into character, but some of the younger students weren’t taking it seriously and were missing their cues. Lucas said she wished they were a little more nervous. “Nervousness is an advantage because adrenaline promotes better acting.”
Lily Wharton, who played the part of Emily Webb in “Our Town,” also expressed some concern about the play, but said her fellow cast members were reliable and hard working.
The day of the dress rehearsal, the nervousness was evident. Backstage, after her performance in “The Waltz,” Savannah Foster said she thought that the production went well, but also thought it would be better when they did the actual performance in two days. However, Augusta Lucas didn’t share this positive outlook. She said that the dress rehearsal was “terrible and embarrassing” with technical glitches and missed cues. Thankfully, after the big Saturday night performance, Lucas noted a huge improvement, especially in “The Waltz.” She added that Lily and Danny Schrimpf saved the production of “Our Town.”
The next production Augusta and her class are set to perform for Patagonia is the classic musical, “Grease.” The main cast has just been selected. We hope that this play brings even better enjoyment and laughs for all.