Top students in each grade level recognized

By Cedric Mendiola

Every year there are a handful of students in each grade level that go above and beyond to be recognized  by the staff here at Saddleback. These students were honored during the Renaissance Assembly on June 5th and their pictures were shown during a slide show.

The top Freshman students were: Grecia Abarca, Daisy Gonzalez, Michelle Nguyen, Angel Torres, Yadira Verastegui, Bich Nguyen, Ngoc Nguyen, Yasmin Romero, and Anh-Vy Phan.

The top Sophomores were Daisy Barroso, Mindy Le, Carlos Praxedis, Jimmie Melchor, Victor Gonzalez, Guadalupe Terrones, Daniel Guadarrama, Sergio Chavez, and Luis Benitez.

The top Juniors were Vanessa Gonzalez, An Ho, Celeste Garcia, Tyler Nguyen, Nayeli Gonzalez, Susan Gonzalez, Miguel Toledo, Denise Garcia, Aurora Rocha, and Luis Terrones.

And lastly, the top Seniors were Alonso De La Torre, Jenny Nguyen, Gaby Carrillo, Evonne Bui,  Teresa Chavez, Maria Garcia, Valerie Quiroz, Laura Perez, and Jennifer Perez.

These students overcame hardships in school and have managed to find a balance in school and in their clubs. Sophomore Victor Gonzalez says, “It feels amazing to be recognized. All my hard work and sacrifices have paid off in the end, considering I had to juggle my time with school work, clubs, and sports.” Senior Gaby Carrillo says, “I feel very proud of myself. I worked very hard to get where I am, including moments where I have had to choose school over my social life or family gatherings. In the end I know it has been worth it, and it fills me with pride.”

Renaissance assembly celebrates Roadrunners

By Anahi Cabrera and Andrew Castillo

Photos by Anahi Cabrera

The Renaissance Assembly, the last assembly of this school year, took place on Friday, June 5. The theme of this assembly was ¨A Night in New York.¨ The gym was decorated with New York’s sport teams, hip hop, Brooklyn bridge, and the Statue of Liberty.

Valedictorian Jenny Perez and Salutatorians Graciela Castrejon and Teresa Chavez

The assembly began with recognizing once again the Class of 2015 Valedictorian Jennifer Perez and Co-Salutatorians Graciela Castrejon and Teresa Chavez. Senior, Leslie Cuevas said, “I really enjoyed that there wasn’t only sports included in the assembly, there was also educational clubs.”  The girls’ basketball and volleyball teams were also recognized for making it to CIF.  As stated during the assembly, the mission of this event was to “focus on what it really means to be a Roadrunner.”

Girls from NJROTC were the first once to perform during the assembly. Later on, ASB recognized the two Renaissance students: Julieta Macias and Eduardo Rojas. The Renaissance teacher of the Year was also honored. The award went to art teacher Mr. Steve Foster. He was announced as the receiver by Mr. Dylan Harlan after the slideshow of the top students of the year from each class and was given a certificate.

This was the first time Foster had been awarded as Renaissance teacher of the year. The award was given to the teacher students had voted for. This is what Foster had to say about the matter, “When I found out that the teacher was selected by the students, it became more meaningful to me.” He was also  surprised about receiving the award stating, “I had not known anything about the award until they pulled me out of class to go receive the certificate during the assembly.”

Mr. Steve Foster, Renaissance Teacher of the Year

The Cheer Squad performed. The last group to perform was the Dance Team, who danced to with the song “Hot like Wow” by Nadia Oh. The assembly ended with the seniors having their last walkout while music was playing. “At the end when all the seniors got to walk out together was the moment that I realized it was my last assembly,” said Cuevas. This was officially the last assembly for the Class of 2015.

Clubs end year with banquets and celebrations

By Edgar Mendoza

Saddleback activities have a tradition of hosting a banquet every year for their club or sport. These banquets are created to congratulate Roadrunners for all their hard work and efforts. This year, the dance team, swim team, and band assembled at the end of the year to celebrate.

On May 29, the dance banquet was held at Tutto Fresco. At this Italian restaurant, all the dancers received a trophy and others received medals for individual accomplishments. For seniors, this was the last banquet they will share with the team before they graduate. Senior Heinen Delibrado mentioned, “I really enjoyed this year’s banquet. I’m going to miss my closest friends, and I’m really going to miss performing.”

Also on May 29, the swim team held their banquet at Saddleback’s teachers’ lounge. All the Saddleback swimmers received at least a certificate. Some swimmers received a special trophy for “MVP,” “Rookie of the year,” “Most improved,” and other accomplishments. The night was concluded when everyone brought food to eat, which included pasta, pizza, fried chicken, cookies, and brownies.

On June 5, 2015, the Saddleback Performance Ensemble held their annual banquet at the Delhi Center and began at 5:30 p.m. The students were served food from Stonefire Grill and the members of the Band Boosters, also known as the parents of students in band, helped serve the food. Band teacher Mr. Dylan Harlan announced the award recipients for awards such as “Most Improved” and “Best Section.” The night concluded with a slideshow made by Mr. Harlan to recap all of the events from the year.

Top students honored at Renaissance Assembly

By Cedric Mendiola

Every year there are a handful of students in each grade level that go above and beyond to be recognized  by the staff here at Saddleback. These students were honored during the Renaissance Assembly on June 5th and their pictures were shown during a slide show.

The top Freshman students were: Grecia Abarca, Daisy Gonzalez, Michelle Nguyen, Angel Torres, Yadira Verastegui, Bich Nguyen, Ngoc Nguyen, Yasmin Romero, and Anh-Vy Phan.

The top Sophomores were Daisy Barroso, Mindy Le, Carlos Praxedis, Jimmie Melchor, Victor Gonzalez, Guadalupe Terrones, Daniel Guadarrama, Sergio Chavez, and Luis Benitez.

The top Juniors were Vanessa Gonzalez, An Ho, Celeste Garcia, Tyler Nguyen, Nayeli Gonzalez, Susan Gonzalez, Miguel Toledo, Denise Garcia, Aurora Rocha, and Luis Terrones.

And lastly, the top Seniors were Alonso De La Torre, Jenny Nguyen, Gaby Carillo, Evonne Bui,  Teresa Chavez, Maria Garcia, Valerie Quiroz, Laura Perez, and Jennifer Perez.

These students overcame hardships in school and have managed to find a balance in school and in their clubs. Sophomore Victor Gonzalez says, “It feels amazing to be recognized. All my hard work and sacrifices have paid off in the end, considering I had to juggle my time with school work, clubs, and sports.” Senior Gaby Carrillo says, “I feel very proud of myself. I worked very hard to get where I am, including moments where I have had to choose school over my social life or family gatherings. In the end I know it has been worth it, and it fills me with pride.”

Seniors honored with awards ceremony

By Michael Nava

Saddleback High School hosted a special awards night on May 25 for a select few of seniors. They received awards, medals and scholarships for all their hard work.

Senior Jenny Perez said, “The award I am most proud of is the Julie Inman Courage Award.” She added, “I’m really proud I’ve been able to accomplish a lot of things.” Perez also felt honored to have received many of the same awards and honors that her sister, Amy Perez, earned in 2013.

The awards and honors that Perez and her sister earned are: Valedictorian, Top 100, Medallion of Excellence, four year letterman, Young Woman of Achievement, and the Orange County Women’s Soccer League Scholarship. Jenny said, “It feels great because I am proud I can keep a legacy going.”

Senior Luis Mejia received the Top 100, Simon Scholar, Top Male of Saddleback, and the Medallion of Excellence. Luis said, “It’s really motivating knowing that you receive awards, and it gives me the strength to keep doing what I’m doing for college,” said Mejia.

Senior Josue Amaro received the Medallion of Excellence and Youth of the Year for the Exchange Club. Amaro said, “It’s very rewarding knowing that all your hard work in high school paid off.”

Higher Education Coordinator Olga Henderson said, “This event allows all the seniors to celebrate each other’s accomplishments. They enjoy seeing their pictures on the screen and walking on the stage in front of their family and peers and receiving their awards. The class of 2015 has had the most Medallion of Excellence recipients since 2008.”

Department Awards honor top scholars

By Briana Ortiz

On Thursday June 4, the annual Departments Awards ceremony was held in the gym. This ceremony was held in order to honor students that stood out in specific departments.

Photo by Michael Nava

As the award recipients arrived with their family and guests, the excitement revolving around the formally dressed students increased more and more as awards were announced.

There were awards for Boy’s State, Girl’s State, English, foreign language, home economics, journalism, mathematics, physical education, science, social studies, visual and performing arts, and yearbook.  Academic letters also were awarded to high achieving students.

Photo by Michael Nava

The awards in each department ranged from bronze to gold medals and certificates, depending on how each student performed academically. The ceremony started off with a welcome from principal Dr. Robert Laxton and some words from ASB President Jesse GIl. Soon after, the first awardee was sophomore Mirian Ponce, who was recognized for being a HOBY recipient.

Following Ponce was the Boy’s State representative Junior Brandon Grosse and Girl’s State Representative Junior Jasmine Palmerin. English department chair Mrs. Susie Volmer then took the floor in order to give out the medals to all of the award recipients being recognized for their achievements in the English department.

French teacher Mr. Kit Houseman followed as he took the floor to give out the awards for foreign language. Spanish teacher Mr. Juan Carlos Contreras then awarded all of the seniors receiving the Seal of Biliteracy. The Seal of Biliteracy medal is a triumph because it is proof of a the very valuable skill of speaking and reading in more than one language. Child Development and Foods class teacher Mrs. Charlotte Runyan then handed out the awards and medals to the home economics award recipients.

Math department chair Mrs. Dianne Iwamoto awarded the recipients for the Women’s Engineering Awards to a number of students for excelling in their math classes, dance coordinator Mrs. Sandra Corr handed out the awards in the physical education department, Biology teacher Ms. Margaret Robinson handed out the awards for science, ASB Coordinator Mrs. Rosalind Turner handed out awards for students excelling in Social Studies, band teacher Mr. Dylan Harlan handed out the awards for Visual And Performing Arts, yearbook Advisor Ms. Jennie Fields handed out the awards to recipients in her yearbook class, and lastly, the academic letters and pins for first, second, and third years were distributed.

Photo by Briana Ortiz

The night concluded with a standing ovation in respect of the achievements of all of the students and the parents for all of their unconditional support. Many of the parents and guests of the award recipients took the time to take pictures with their sons and daughters with their certificates and medals clearly visible.

Sandoval wins $50 prize

Story and photo by Joselyn Macias

On May 28, Graduate for Mas congratulated junior Ricardo Sandoval for being chosen as a winner in the Get Schooled “Spread Cheer” Campaign!  As part of the campaign, students were asked to, “Tell us what you would do to cheer in your school or community with $50.” Out of thousands of submissions from students nationwide, Sandoval was selected. This was his entry:

“I would host a sports game and make teachers play against out sports teams.”

Sandoval was surprised when he heard that he had won $50 from Graduate for Mas. I asked him how else would he spread spirit and he answered, “I would host more dances so that our school gets more spirit and gets pumped up.”

Ricardo Sandoval

With the $50 Sandoval won, he is planning on putting the money in his savings account. He wants to save it for the future.

Sandoval will be Senior President in the 2015-2016 school year. He has already started to plan for next year’s Homecoming and the senior shirts. He is excited to begin the new year as Senior President.  “I want to bring school spirit by going around the school and talking to people and trying to get them to get involved into going to dances and games,” he said.

Sandoval is excited for next year, “I really don’t know what’s coming, but I have an idea,” he stated.  Sandoval hopes that next year will be better than any year, and that maybe it will be the year that Mr. Saddleback comes back.

Students compete in Smash Bros. tournament

Story and photo by Micki Souvannavong

On Wednesday June 6, the Saddleback Teen Center held a Super Smash Bros. Tournament in the school’s Forum. Super Smash Bros is a popular fighting game that was released in October 2014. Since then the game has gathered a huge following.

The tournament lasted six rounds, with each round eliminating the losing player. Senior Fabian Alonso won the final head to head match against Christopher Maravilla and took home the first place prize.  The prize was a $25 dollar gift card to the Regal Entertainment Movie Theatres.

Commenting on the tournament, Alonso said, “It felt very scary. Seeing all my opponents was terrifying. I actually wasn’t expecting to win because I was placed with Daniel Garcia while playing in the top eight. After I won against him I was relieved. I had lots of fun, and my last opponent was a huge challenge. I’m glad I had all the support of my friends through the tournament.”

Alonso trained by playing casual games with his friends. Alonso said,“ I would practice when get the chance, but I enjoy playing friendly games because they’re fun and it still helped me get better.”

Band finishes the year at pops concert

By Daisy Gonzalez

Photo Credit: Saddleback Band

On May 27, the band ensemble performed in front of an audience of parents and students in the Forum.

 

The first part of their performance featured the Wind Ensemble playing songs from Disney Movies and Star Trek. The second part of the show was played by the Concert and Intermediate Band, which performed songs from the movies Guardians of the Galaxy and Aladdin.

 

When the third performance of the night was about to begin, Band Director Mr. Dylan Harlan highlighted the achievements of this year’s band, such as winning the SCSBOA Division 1A Marching Championships and performing at Disneyland as a marching band in one of the parades last year. He then recognized the seniors from the ensemble and Color Guard members.

 

He commemorated senior Anthony Teran, who is the president of band, saying Teran has helped him ever since he entered band as a freshman. Mr. Harlan honored senior and Drum Major Daniel Garcia.   Garcia conducted the combined Wind Ensemble and Concert Band.

 

Mr. Harlan then introduced guest star Joey Sellers.  Sellers spoke about his career as an accomplished composer in both jazz and classical music and Director of Jazz Studies at Saddleback College. He conducted a segment of the show, and also played the trombone.

 

Then came the surprise guest.  Harlan exclaimed  that he has no pianist. He asked the crowd if there was anybody willing to play for him. He looked over everyone and spotted a man with a red cap and Trojans jersey. To everyone’s surprise, it was Saddleback principal, Dr. Robert Laxton, who came onstage and played piano for everyone throughout the rest of the concert, even joining with Harlan as he played saxophone for a few songs.

After playing all the songs, Anthony Teran announced the retirement of Dr. Laxton and presented a plaque dedicated to him as a present for his retirement.  Teran gave Harlan two presents, a small badge honoring the band’s successes this year and a letterman jacket with the word ‘Harlan’ on the back.

Saddleback welcomes a new class

Story and photos by Mark Silvas

 

On Wednesday June 4, 2015 Saddleback High School welcomed the incoming freshmen class to the gym to show what our school is all about and to showcase the extracurricular activities that Saddleback has to offer.  The incoming class had the chance to to sign up for the activities they wanted.

The parents and students were welcomed in with a performance by the band while staff and administration greeted them. Among the staff was Saddleback’s new principal, Mr. Ed Bustamante, who introduced himself to students and parents at the event.

 

After everyone was settled in, Dr. Robert Laxton, our current principal, let the parents know in a slideshow what kind of environment Saddleback is and where the school is going in the next few years. Following the slideshow was a performance by the dance and cheer teams.

Librarian Mrs. Valerie Glover who helped organize the event said, “The ninth grade parent meeting is to show parents and the community what Saddleback has to offer in academic programs, pathways, and extracurricular activities.” Glover added, “Students and their parents can choose what high school they will attend, and we hope they will choose Saddleback.”

The event was put on to benefit the incoming class before they enter high school, “Freshmen will know they will be coming to a great school for them that has many opportunities they can take advantage of,” said Glover. “We hope students who want to be college and career ready will come to Saddleback High School to develop skills that will prepare them for the future.”