Willow Marching Band Travels to Texas for Winter

by: Patricia Guebara and Sierra Jimenez

Willow Canyon marching band ended this season with numerous awards. Last year they took fourth in state. This year the band received first place in Music Performance Caption, Percussion and Auxiliary Caption at the Mesquite Band Festival. They also finished second at the Goldwater Band Festival and third in Auxiliary Caption at the ASU Band Day.

The Willow Canyon Band Council leads their ensemble
as the band prepares to go to Texas.

Their final performance was at the Arizona State Marching Band Competition where they received a rating of Superior with Distinction in Music Performance Caption, Visual Performance Caption, Percussion and Auxiliary Caption, finishing seventh overall at the state competition. This year, they will be traveling to San Antonio, Texas, over winter break.

There the band will be playing in a con­cert band festival, a jazz band festival and a field show competition as part of the Alamo Bowl festivities on December 27. These competitions will be held in Alamo Stadium and at the Alamo Heights.

“This trip to Texas will benefit the stu­dents in many ways, the students will get to play halftime shows in the Alamo Dome, they will get to join a band with 1,000 other students and learn from college band direc­tors. There will be other festivals that are taking place, and they will be judged by other music directors,” said band directors Ms. Julie Trent.

To earn money to travel to Texas, Ms. Trent said, “We sold cookie dough, had three car washes, restaurant nights and we sold Diamondback tickets. It’s going to be an exciting year; we’re playing music that comes from movies that people have seen. We also have very exciting pieces of music to go with a very fun show.”

Band Council president senior Amber Schubert said, “Marching band is a great ex­perience, and I have learned a lot of leader­ship skills and knowledge to help younger and new members. Plus, band gets the com­munity involved by going to the local ele­mentary schools. We try to get the older and the younger community involved too. We have parades and always invite family and friends to come to these events.”

Drum major Michael Hurt said, “The band this year is going well; we’ve made a lot of progress by adding extra stuff to our show. Originally my involvement in band was because of my friends, but along the way, I learned something new and different, and I had the urge to succeed. I’m working pretty hard, but I underestimated the work it takes to be a drum major.”

‘Tis the Season to be Holly for Holiday Traditions

By:Zohrak Arzumanyan and Jessica Green

The holiday seasons are near. Whether it is lighting the kina­ra or menorah, hanging ornaments on the Christmas tree, enjoying the festival of lights or just spending time with the family.

According to http://www.holi­days.net/kwanzaa/principles.htm­Maulana Karenga first came up with the idea of Kwanzaa to give Africans and African Americans an alternative to the existing holi­day and to give them an opportu­nity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than simply imitating the practice of the domi­nant society.

Kwanzaa celebrates seven principles. These include Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith).

Whether you celebrate Kwanzaa or Christmas, the holiday
season is all about cherishing your family and friends.

“I love Kwanzaa because it’s a a time we get together as a family and love each other,” said junior Duval Wilson.

Hanukkah is a special tradition celebrated by lighting a candle ev­ery night on the menorah for eight days. Each night a candle is lit and a present is given to someone else. Hanukkah starts at the beginning of December, and a big ceremony is held on the first night.

“I guess I like Hanukkah be­cause it’s different to me. I’m not Jewish, but I celebrate it. My favorite thing about it is the first night of the candle lighting. I also like the presents a lot,” said junior Logan Carpenter.

Dawali is a five day festival of food, games and lights. During the holiday of Diwali participants light small oil-filled lamps to announce the triumph of good over evil.

“Diwali is the coming together of family; we try to have as muh lights as possible because Diwali is the festival of lights. The food and celebration is our favorite part,” said senior Anshul Garg.

Christmas is a holiday celebrat­ed on December 25 to traditionally pay a tribute to the birth of Jesus. However, Christmas is celebrated many different ways. Some people bake fresh cookies and leave them for Santa, hang their stockings up and leave presents under a fresh- cut pine tree for others to open.

Others celebrate this holiday with singing songs, playing games and getting together for a big, homemade family dinner.

“My favorite thing about Christmas is seeing my dad since I don’t get to see him much. I also enjoy staying up until midnight with my family and opening my presents. It’s a very exciting ex­perience that only gets to happen once a year. I’m a really big fan of food, and the food on Christmas is outstanding,” said sophomore Luis Reynoso.

Holidays Bring Stress to Students

by: Patricia Guebara

The holiday season can be a time of cheer, joy, happiness and of family gatherings. But for many people, it is a time of self-eval­uation, loneliness, reflection on past failures and anxiety about an uncertain future, thus leading to holiday depression.

The year is coming to an end, and peo­ple’s good moods turn sour. Statistics say that suicide rates go up during the holidays; 15-20% of teens go though depression.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that tends to occur and re­occur as the days grow shorter in the fall and winter. It is believed that people affected re­act to the decreasing amounts of sunlight and the colder temperatures as the fall and win­ter progresses. Seasonal affective disorder is also sometimes called winter depression, winter blues or the hibernation reaction.

Overwhelming financial burdens on fam­ilies can become especially painful during the holidays. When teens witness parents and others struggling with money, they become stressed. Some teens become burdened with finances and don’t deal well when they don’t have enough money during the holidays. Job loss and debt can lay a strong weight during the holidays which can all come crashing in together at the same time.

The demands of shopping, parties, family reunions and house guests also contribute to feelings of tension. People may develop oth­er stress responses such as headaches, eating and difficulty sleeping.

Although the holidays are widely known to be a time of cheer, that may not always be the case. It is important to monitor how the holidays affect others to ensure it does not happen to you. If you are feeling any of these symptoms visit http://www.webmd.com/depression/holidays07/default.htm for more information.

Winter is in the Air

by: Taylin Nelson

Dance recitals, choir shows, band con­certs and theatre performances have filled the past month.

Several of Ms. Trent’s performing arts classes came together to create a winter wonder clash last Tuesday, December 7. The percussion and newly-formed jazz band were featured at the concert as well as the concert band, playing three of the songs that will be showcased in Texas.

To close the show, the Wildcat Marching Band played a myriad of holiday songs rang­ing from “Feliz Navidad” to “Sleigh Ride”.

On December 10 and 11 theatre troupe 6901 performed the plays A Doll’s House and Leaving Arianna.

The first performance of the night was A Doll’s House, a timeless piece all about peo­ple and their decisions. Senior director Tory Tennyson has always loved the story. “I love the story so much, and I wanted the audience to experience the non-traditional feminist viewpoint of the play. I had been studying the play, and it just caught my interest.

Tennyson also felt that her play would interest anyone. “A Doll’s House does ap­peal to a more mature audience; however, I really do think that it has something for ev­erybody simply because the characters are relatable.”

Afterwards was a brief intermission and then the night continued with the perfor­mance of Leaving Arianna. Both plays had a high performance level and ultimately two shows for the price of one.

There was also a choir show last week that showcased the students’ talents as they sang a collection of Christmas songs. The most popular song seemed to be “Christmas Shoes”, a tear-jerker that embodied the self­less and giving nature that Christmas brings to people.

There were many holiday favor­ites performed, such as a variety mix of “It’s Beginning to Look Alot Like Chirstmas”from the Evolution Show Choir. There was also an all-boy performance where they sang an Elvis medley and, like every year, there was an all girl performance of “Carol of the Bells”.

Willow Canyon’s ‘Dear John’ Heartfelt Love Story

by: Marcus Dudas

Senior Serenity Lorentz plans to study animal physiology at the University of Arizona, an estimated 1,800 miles from Chicago, Illinois.

That distance is important to her, because while she fills her head with images of splintered horse femurs and X-rays of happy meal toys being digested by the most indiscrimi­nate of canines, she has to worry about the man she loves be­ing shot at during military training: former Willow Canyon student Patrick Josiah Marks.

The United States military plans on shipping Marks to Chicago, Illinois, on February 22, 2011, to begin his re­cruit training command. After eight weeks he could end up in California, Virginia or Florida where he will start his A-school.

There they will teach him how to be an aviation machinist mate, a crucial engineering occupation that ensures the safe flight of carrier jets and other aeronautic vehicles.

“I knew I wanted to be a part of this country’s military since I was thirteen,” Marks said. “I knew I wanted to be in the sky in the jets that fly over us all the time. My ultimate goal is to be a naval aviator. I had seen my friends join and become the defenders of this country, and I wanted that.”

Letters come once a week where Marks will be staying in recruit training command, but no other form of communica­tion is permitted for the duration of his training. “It’s hard on relationships, the long distance, and it’s silly, but I’m afraid of training accidents,” said Lorentz.

“He asked me once if we were going to stay together, and we said we’d work around it. I think I could go on the ship with him, but I’ll be dealing with college then.”

Neither Marks nor Lorentz can guess what toll their rela­tionship will take while separated, but both feel certain their bond can weather his departure and withstand the months he will be away when he is finally assigned to a carrier that he hopes will be the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan.

For now, at least, they can enjoy each other’s company. As a former student of Willow Canyon, Marks thanked all of his teachers and friends, Mrs. Wenz (for showing him the beauty of ink, the marvel of paper) and the Paw Print for sharing his story. He also urged students to respect the moment of silence that is held each day after the Pledge of Allegiance. “For God’s sake, keep it silent. Men and women around the world gave their lives for that moment of peace you have,” said Marks.

Dance Loves the ‘80s

by: Zeanna Hawk
The “I love the 80’s” winter dance con­cert opened Wednesday, December 1 and went through Friday, December 3.The concert was held in the Willow Canyon au­ditorium at 7 p.m. each night. The first night of the concert was sold out, and over 200 people were turned down at the door. The second night, Thursday, was not sold out; however, on the third and last night, all the seats were filled.

“I love 80’s music, so I was excited for the winter dance concert,” said freshman Tara Crockom, who is also a member of Canyon Fusion Dance Company.

All of the Willow Canyon Dance class students (beginner, intermediate, and ad­vanced); Twisted Legacy and Canyon Fusion Dance Company performed in the concert. The dancers practiced for over two months as the concert was evaluated as part of the dancers’ final grade for the semester.



Starting from the left, seniors Tiffany Roverts, Lindsay Moore
and Jillian Morris perform "Sunglasses at Night" at the "I Love
the 80's" Winter Dance Concert performed on Dec. 1,2,3



The concert involved a variety of dance styles: ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary and hip- hop. The concert gave all of the dancers an opportunity to showcase their talents to their families and friends.

Canyon Fusion Dance Company per­formed the songs “Fame”, “Welcome to the Jungle”, and “Footlose”.

Twisted Legacy danced to “Beat It” and “80’s Mix.”

The dance classes showcased the songs “Call Me”, “Rhythmn Nation”, “Love is a Battlefield”, “Tainted Love” and “Oh Mickey”.

Dance teacher Ms. Jolena Wilson said, “I hope that everyone had a good time and feels accomplished. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s so rewarding to see everyone come together and share what they love to do.”

The finale of this year’s winter dance concert involved a significant number of the dance class students and Canyon Fusion performing to Michael Jackson’s song “Thriller.” The dancers who performed “Thriller” were dressed in red, black and white zombie costumes that they made themselves. Senior Andrew McKnight por­trayed Michael Jackson.

“I loved the winter dance concert; it was fantastic! I plan on having dance class every year so I can be in the concert,” said fresh­man Maria SanAndres.

For Ms. Wilson and all of the dancers, the winter dance concert is important for their dancing futures as well as to have a good time in general. “It’s like my Super Bowl,” said Ms. Wilson.

Actors Portray Inspiring True Story

by: Natalie Pinkowski

Leaving Ariana is written and directed by Seniors Safa Doost and Lauren Campos. Leaving Ariana will be performed at the Thespian Festival in Phoenix on November 19 and 20. Doost’s in­spiration for the play was inspired by her mother’s true, life story.

“In the hills of Southwest Asia, the small country of Arianna lay hidden from the rest of the world. Under this isolation, the people of this great nation prospered and were ensured freedom and secu­rity. Sadly, these freedoms could not last, as other nations took them under siege,” said the narroator of Leaving Arianna, junior Aaron Curry.

Doost’s mother, Farzana, was forced to leave Afghanistan and unwillingly leave her fiance to take on the role as mother of her family at the young age of 18. The play shows the charisma and the integrity Farzana obtained to overcome each struggle on her journey to happiness thirty-one years ago.

Doost said, “I was talking to Lauren about my mother’s life story, and Mrs. Swinney happened to overhear, and she came up with the idea of turning her story into a play.”

Directors Doost and Campos are excited about their hard work to pay off along with the leads senior Jackie Hines and senior Jesse Strommen.

Strommen said, “We get to perform at the conference, which is cool because it’s an opportunity for our work to be judged.”

Hines said, “Everyone is excited about the premiere of the play because it is a true story, and the characters have more sentimental value. Which is all the more honor of being cast as the lead because I am portraying a real person. I am grateful that the directors had enough confidence in my acting capabilities. I can’t wait to see how everything turns out.”

Leaving Arianna will also be performing for the public on December 10 and 11, with ticket prices at $5 for children and stu­dents with and I.D. and $10 for adults.