By Kameron Ryals

    Thunder Buddies is a club where we create friendships amongst our students in
the Special Ed department and students with intellectual disabilities. With general ed students we want to create a positive high school experience by attending extra curricular activities, outings with friends, and school sport events. “I have being doing this all year. Me and my friends went and signed up for it on freshmen Friday. It is really fun and we get to make new friends. I plan on doing this all four years because it is just really fun.” said Cailegh Estevez, a freshmen.

“With my buddy, we go outside of school and hang out with them, like go to the movies. I went to a birthday party once and we hang out with them at lunch. I have been doing this since the beginning of the school year. It is really fun and we do a lot of activities with them and I plan on doing this next year.” said Mariah Paulson, a freshmen.

“I actually went to a birthday party and we went to the movies. At lunch I sit with them. I want to do it next year, but I have a lot of things going on so I will try my best to do it next year. It is a really fun experience.” said Cassidy Adams, also a freshmen.

This is the first year doing thunder buddies and will be going on next year. The meetings are every other Tuesday and to get in  go to the meetings during lunchtime. Or just talk to Ms. Marquez in C159, see Mrs. Hinds in the counseling office or talk to Mrs. Groeneveld in the Special Ed department.

Rachel Christensen and Danicke Van Ecke dance around in anticipation for audition results.

“Dancing with your feet is one thing, dancing with your heart is another.”  (author unknown)
The nerves were tense on January 4th through 7th as students from various middle schools and our school prepared to audition for Desert Vista dance classes/companies next year. The girls and guys were asked to wear all black and only black so that scoring could be based off of performance, and not who wore the cutest hot pink half top. The girls were taught both a hip hop and contemporary routine along with being asked to do basic across the floor technique such as kicks, pirouttes, etc.
“The hip hop was harder because I’m better at contemporary but that’s just my opinion,” freshman Jessica Goswick said. “I thought hip hop was harder because the moves were more technical and it was much faster than the contemporary dance.”
Hundreds of girls showed up to try out for intermediate, blue, silver, gold, junior, and senior company. Whether they were watching the incoming 8th graders or more experienced juniors audition for their senior year of dance, some of the judges were at school from early Saturday morning until 4:30pm.
“We practiced five hours a day,” said Goswick. “Auditions were Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday but we didn’t perform the dance until the last day.”
The dance room was hot and stuffy with nerves, sweat, and pressure on audition day. Senior dancers from all companies came to watch and support the auditioning girls. They stood around the edges of the room, clapping and cheering.
Desert Vista dance does not compete at competitions as a team, but students love to watch them dance at assemblies, concerts, and other events. Audition results are posted at 3:15 after school on Friday, January 20th. And look out, DV! A lot of talented 8th graders auditioned for next year.

Videos from auditions are on Youtube under “Desert Vista dance auditions 2012” for more information or to see these talented girls showing off their skills.

             The buttery smell of popcorn fills the audience, and eagerly awaiting students sit in their cars, set up chairs, and face the big screen on Movie Night.

             After raising money through different activities, and having extra money from shirts, Student Council held the first movie night showing “Remember the Titans” on a 50 x 50 foot screen.

             Student body vice president Hayley Schwartz said it was a good first effort, but hopes for a bigger audience next time.

            “It actually went really well. The screen was … HUGE,” she said. “We didn’t have a ton of people there because there was a U of A, ASU game, but next time we’re expecting a huge turn out.”

            As students got up and down from their seats and cars, student council directed them where to go, and showed guests where to get popcorn, water, and other movie night snacks.

            Teacher Mrs. Crystal McKenna, who helped run move night, said that maybe there weren’t as many students because not enough students knew about the event.

            “Next time we hope to be able to advertise a little bit more,” she said. “We were a little bit limited on getting approval from the district ahead of time, so we hope to advertise more and get people more interested in it.”

            McKenna said inviting more people is the key.

            “Maybe we can invite more of the community, and the middle schools and stuff like that; make it more of a community drive instead of just Desert Vista.”

            McKenna discussed that advertising throughout the community and getting sponsors could help the school raise more money for future movie nights. This first time the school lost more money than they spent.

GSA strives forward by attempting to put together an informational video to spread awareness. And the rainbow ribbons they have passed out can be seen all over campus, displayed by supporters. One thing that they are trying to bring up to be acknowledged is the use of terms in derogatory ways, for example “That’s so gay”. Students involved in the movement, not only in the video but constantly, try to get people who say things like this to realize how offensive it is.

Whether you’re gay, bi, pansexual, or straight, everyone needs to be treated with the same rights and respect, and that is what this club is all about. And there are teachers who are actively encouraging this idea. People who aren’t afraid to stand up for what they think is just, no matter who may disagree or try to stop them.

“I calculated it once in class. I probablly spend anywhere from 15 to 25 hours a week at school for marching band” says Cappo, a tenor Saxaphon on the Thunder Marching Band.

The long hours at practice that color gaurd and marching band invest certainly pay off though. Last weekend was the second year in a row that Marching Band has brought home the First Place Trophy at State Finals, a competition for the best marching bands in Arizona, hosted by Glendal Community College.

“Sometimes its hard to wake up so early, and practice can be exhausting, but winning State Finals was totally worth it,” said Cappo. “I love marching band with the burning passion of a thousand fiery suns.”

“Practices can be really hard, but they’re also really fun,” says 10th grade piccolo player Cassie Collins. “We did amazing at the state competition.”

Marching band won the competition by 12/100ths of a point. The 10 marching bands invited to state finals were scored in the areas of visual effect, timeliness, general performances and some other areas. The trophy marching band received is being displayed in the band room.

If you are the adventurous type, then you might be interested in Desert Vista’s new club.
“DV Adventure Club is a group of people who see the glass as half full. We meet after school in the photo room on Tuesdays to discuss goals, events, and potential adventures,” said Vivian Benjes, President of the club. The Adventure club focuses on outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, running, snowboarding, skiing, rock climbing, etc.
“The adventures take place off campus and range from climbing and hiking to anusara yoga,” said Benjes. Students have the opportunity to grow in community while hiking local trails including Telegraph Pass. The group plans to kick off the Adventure Club by hiking the familiar Telegraph Pass this Sunday (November 6th) at 6:30 a.m.
“We plan on training for a trip to hike the Grand Canyon later in the spring,” said Holly Brown, Vice President of Adventure Club.

The group climbs twice a week after school and hikes Saturdays or Sundays. A Facebook group has been created so that members can suggest other ideas for adventures, hikes, etc.
“We [Benjes and Brown] are both seniors in love with rock climbing. We bounced ideas off each other for quite some time until we decided creating a group for adventurous scholarly teens was our calling,” said Benjes.

DV Adventure club meets in the photography room every Tuesday after school for brief meetings about adventures and adventures to come for these teens.

Is it possible to find that right book and read it for enjoyment? The answer to both of these questions is yes. Tori Jarret, a persistent and excited freshman started Desert Vista’s first ever book club.
As reading was getting more and more pushed back in student’s minds, Jarret decided that it was time to introduce her latest idea, DV’s first ever book club.
“Students just don’t have enough time to read anymore, so might as well put my love for books into a new club for everyone,” said Jarret.
So much time and money was infested into the new club, for all 25 members to have their own book journal, bookmark, and snacks.
“I don’t care about the cost, just as long as everyone is having fun,” Jarret said. Not only are snacks supplied at the meetings, but every member was given a discussion journal to write their thoughts about the books and these thoughts can be shared at the meetings.
Reading is an important part of a student’s life, and now there is a place where reading is fun. Readers can meet other readers who share the same interests as them.
“I never have time to read anymore, and a book club was just the thing I need to get back into reading and meet new people,” said Hannah Burton, a big time freshman reader. Students who don’t even read two books a year attended this meeting to meet new people who could encourage them to read more.
“I only read a couple hours a week, but joining a book club would make my reading hours go up,” Rebekah Williams, an everyday reader said. “ Whether it is a couple minutes a day, I always like to get my reading in.”
For a first time club, the first meeting was flawless. The new members were kept active the whole meeting with the snacks, a book list, and excited attitudes that filled the room.
“The meeting was a real change for me and I really enjoyed it,” Williams commented. “I can’t wait to go to the next meeting.” Book club is open to anybody who wants to join and it is free of cost. Many students enjoy a fun place to connect with reading and new people.
“I am so excited to go back to the next meeting,” Burton said. “I love to read books, I am a true bookworm at heart.”

The garden will feature benches and many interesting plants including Desert Willows, Yellow Bells, and Eremophilas.  Students with Levy will plant all these plants and more.  Benches will also be in the Garden, they will be painted and decorated with the help of the ceramics classes.

Although administration and the district have already approved the plan, the garden will cost of about 10,000 dollars. Many clubs and organizations have already signed up to sponsor this, including The Renaissance Club, The Key Club, Thundermedia, and DV Volleyball.  Each organization will be covering the cost of one bench in the garden.

” I’m hoping it will create an attractive seating area for students and staff,” said Levy. She also hopes the garden will create a serenity, practicality, and community on campus. If the grants and all the money are collected in time, the project is set to start this spring.

By Sydney Barendrick     Reporter

The View

First game, first classes, and first clubs. Within the first two weeks at Desert Vista High School, students have sacrificed their before school activities, lunch period, and after school programs, to go to the first club meetings. There are over 60 clubs that are offered at DV for all students to join. One of the more popular clubs that students are involved in is the Speech and Debate Club, where over 200 students are participating in.
“ I have been interested in speech and debated since I was really little and I wanted to experience what it was really like,” Jordan Trout a new freshman said. Just like Trout, many students have been intrigued by, not only the Speech and Debate club, but many clubs all over campus.
DV has clubs for all kinds of different personalities, characteristics, and people. There are clubs for getting students ready for their career as doctors, marine biologists, and even in the businesses area. Clubs like the Hosa club allows students in the medical area talk about the different types of medicines and procedures that go through to make medicine. Hannah Burton, another freshman explained, “ We learn all about medical terminology and the different kinds of medicines.”  Burton is one of the many students who choose to take educational clubs to enhance their learning abilities to help them succeed in high school and in life.
Besides the clubs that are educational, there are also clubs to help support fellow classmates, students, and peers. Clubs like Thunder Buddies and the Gay/Straight Alliance are offered to all of the students to support others and make their high school life as social and fun as it could possibly be. Some clubs even offer the students to help outside of school and be a mentor to others. Abbey Buchalter, freshman is apart of the Gay/Straight Alliance club and said,” You feel open to others and get to meet a lot of new people. I get to go and support friends and have fun at the same time”.  Buchalter got to go support others and have fun, while keeping up with school and extracurricular activities.
The best part about all of the clubs, is most of them are for everyone at DV. The clubs allow students to feel good about themselves and enjoy high school, and you can always join more than one club at a time. Whether it is for an educational reason, just for fun, or you are going to support friends or family, clubs are offered to everyone.

The View

For the first time in his life last year, Joe Kim lost an election. He had been Student Council president for his class every year of high school- until this one. This first week has been a significant shift for this senior.

“It’s been a strange week. I’d always seen the Student Council presidency as a means to an end,” said Kim, “and that end was making the most out of all my high school experiences. Now, my horizon of opportunities has expanded even more, ironically enough. I feel liberated to achieve those ends by other means, not limited to the Council or even the campus. In a word: liberating”

The lack of responsibilities, and lack of headaches that go with them, have also been a blessing to Kim.

“Sometimes working with other people can be a frustrating challenge. And I like challenges—but I definitely don’t mind having less on my plate,” says Kim. But don’t think this senior honors student is slacking off: “I’m hoping to be even more involved with STAND this year, and in some ways I think that has an even greater impact.” STAND is Desert Vista’s anti-genocide club. But Student Council, Kim claims, is still significant. “Its end is to foster spirit and bolster a sense of camaraderie in a usually disinterested student population. To students in a rapidly changing world there are opportunities to radically change the world at large, that can really make the difference.”

Kim also had some parting words of wisdom for President Boynes:  “Good luck, and don’t let the pressure get to you.”