Middle School Tribune
By: The 8th grade 8th period English Class February/March 2014
Editors: Antonio Martinez & Caleb Locklin
We have taken all of our English skills that we have learned this year and have put them into this class newspaper. Although it’s not in a newspaper format, we have learned not only English skills but the importance of working together to complete this project on time. The students that have contributed to this newspaper are: Valerie Beardsley, Kyla Bridges, Marc Cabrera, Casee Cogdell, David Cox, Alexis Hart, Caleb Locklin, Samantha Lopez, Jeffrey Marinelarena, Antonio Martinez, Natalee Nunn, Matthew Olvera, Marisabel Padilla, Rebecca Peralta, Jose Perez, Reese Randolph, Tucker Rowland, Isaias Samarron, William Thompson, Austin Thoms, and, last but not least, Justin Torrez. ________________________________________________________________________
Wow!
By: Antonio Martinez & Caleb Locklin
I can’t believe it’s already the 5th sixth weeks! This year has gone by so fast, and we all can’t wait until it’s over. We have all had some very great times at Sundown Middle School whether it’s with our friends or with some of the teachers. There has also been plenty of awesome times where we did stuff as a class or the whole middle school. I’m sure we’ll all miss our teachers and wish to come back our starting freshman year. We are just thankful for what all the teachers have done for us. Golf
By: Isaiah Samarron & William Thompson The Sundown Middle School district golf team is coached by Carlton Henderson at the Sundown Municipal Golf Course.
The team will practice 2 days out of every 5 days. All this starts right after track season ends! The practices will
consist of going out into the driving range and hit balls all day long. A student who played golf last year states,” We wer
able to play actual holes maybe once or twice!”
Last year, the players were taken to the Yoakum County Golf Course for the actual district meet. The practice really paid off for the Sundown district golf team. Justin Torrez got first in district along with his teammates. It only too
Justin a mere four tries to make the winning hole. Along with this win, the Sundown Junior High Golf team won the district tournament. Since being on the golf team, the players had access to the driving range at any time during the week. Along with the practices, the players also have the opportunities to take time out of their own schedule and practice with friends and/or family. With all of the practice and hard work, this could be the sport for you throughout the
rest of your middle school and your high school career. With the encouragement from Coach Henderson and the rest of your teammates/opponents, you can have a bright future in golf. Just remember the most important thing: bring your own golf clubs.
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Spotlight on Ryan Paiz
By: Justin Torrez and Rock Thoms
“Swoosh,” goes the net as Ryan swished the game winning three. Ryan Paiz is a very athletic student. Ryan is a part of Sundown Middle School. He has been enrolled in Sundown ISD since the three­year­old program. He was born on March 23, 2000. Mr. Paiz likes all athletic sports except for cross­country because he fractured his knees on the first day of practice. “I have been playing basketball since I could walk,” Ryan quotes. Ryan has a favorite soda and candy. He likes Dr. Pepper and Skittles. Paiz says, “My prize possession is my toy Lamborghini car from Las Vegas.” Ryan has collected toy cars since he was a young lad. He has over 50 collectable toy show cars! Mr. Paiz plays football, basketball, tennis, and runs track for Sundown Middle School. He was number ten in football, and he played as a cornerback and fullback. This year was his first year to play for the school because in seventh grade he was hurt all season. Ryan also played basketball for SMS. He was number 32, and he played as a power forward. Ryan wasn’t the best athlete in tennis, but he was a tryer. On his first hit in practice, he hit the tennis ball with too much power, and the tennis ball went right in between Coach Elam’s two front teeth. Coach Elam walked it off like a man.
Ryan’s three best friends are Isaac, Justin, and Rock. We have surfed the moon together. We have been together as a group of four since fourth grade. We have all played junior high sports together. From football and basketball to track and tennis. Man, are we all good friends.
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Track
Defeating district champs!!!!
Best coaches: coach elam, coach king, coach barnes, coach buchanan,
coach newton, coach henderson, coach legon, coach Igo, coach munoz
,last but not least, coach palmore.
athlete of the week: Marc Cabrera,Jose Perez
now our school has polevault:Reese, Ericka,Brittan.
We are going to have phenomenal hurdles,relays, and distance team.
Our field events will kill the competition.
TRACK IS GOING TO DO AWESOME THIS YEAR.
GO ROUGHNECKS AND ROUGHETTES!
www.track.com
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Dress Code
By Matthew Olvera and Tucker Rowland
To begin, I think the dress code should be changed to fit our modern era. When we were little, we were told to be ourselves. How can we do that when the dress code doesn’t let us wear what we want too. We need to be ourselves and not have rules lowering our self­esteem. In conclusion, I think that the dress code should be changed, then kids could feel better about coming to school.
Bands Journey to State
By: Samantha Lopez and Valerie Beardsley
From August 12, 2013, the Sundown marching band worked diligently for the very important date of November 4, 2013. The first time our band tested out their skills was October 12, 2013, in Lubbock, Texas. They scored a 1 for the contest, and that contest was the start to the school’s marching year. The bands next contest was October 19, 2013, also in Lubbock, where they scored a 1 again. The last contest before they could go to before going to state was on October 26, 2013, at Odessa, Texas. The Sundown band made the top 3 in the contest and were able to take a large step to their goal of going to State and placing in the UIL marching band contest in San Antonio, Texas.
The band practiced the Saturday before the contest. They soon left for San Antonio afterwards. They drove for a while and stopped at San Angelo to eat. They ate their delicious meal and soon were on their way again. The arrived at later in San Antonio and stopped at Malibu Castle. Malibu Castle had many fun activities for the students to enjoy. They left after having a great time and soon arrived at their hotel. They unloaded all their suitcases after they parked at the LaQuinta Hotel parking lot. After they were unloaded, everyone was given their room number and rested up for the big day they had ahead of them.
Everyone woke up bright and early the morning of November 4, 2013, to get ready for the contest. They arrived early in the morning to practice in the parking lot of the Alamodome. After they were ready to march, they were all lined up at a gate entrance and were slowly introduced. The band soon began their magnificent march. They band marched to December 7th 1941 and gave a beautiful performance. Afterwards, the band went back to the hotel to relax before they performed at the finals. After a two hour break, the band headed back to the Alamodome to march for the final time that night. After warming up, the band began their final performance. The band finished their performance and went to the stands to wait for the results to be announced 4 hours later. The students in band got to watch many other bands perform in the finals. After waiting 4 hours, the results finally came in. The announcer announced that Shinner was 1st, Forsan was 2nd and Sundown was 3rd. The whole band was happy they placed and were happier when they found out that they had tied with Forsan, but they had lost the tie breakers.
The band went back to hotel for a much deserved rest. They got up early and hit the road back home. When they arrived home, they were greeted by family and many members of the community. The directors and mayor congratulated the band for their win.
A Little Bit About Mr. Carter
Written by: Bel Padilla and Reese Randolph
Uh, oh! You have just been called into the principal's office, and who’s the person you talk to? The one and only Eddie Carter, AKA Mr.Carter. The principal of Sundown Middle School.
Mr.Carter attended and graduated high school in Lovington, New Mexico, went to New Mexico State University, Lubbock Christian University, and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. At New Mexico State University, Mr. Carter got his Bachelor of Science in Education. He also achieved his Masters in Science Teaching at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. He didn’t stop at two. He earned another degree at Lubbock Christian University where he got his Master of Education in Educational Administration. Mr.Carter started out as a high school biology teacher and didn’t plan on being a principal. “Becoming a principal was a door God opened unsuspectedly, and I have been extremely blessed for following through with it,” says Carter. His favorite subjects are math and biology and also loves reading. Even though he is the main disciplinarian, he doesn’t enjoy giving swats to kids. “The staff I work with is unbelievable, and we make a great team!” says Carter. He enjoys helping students and making a difference in students’ lives. For entertainment, Mr. Carter enjoys playing/watching baseball and sports movies. Also, some of his favorite movies are Facing the Giants and Braveheart. Although he loves many sports, he doesn’t have a favorite NBA team. Celebrities he would like to meet and talk to are The Apostle Paul, Winston Churchill, and Ronald Reagan. Mr. Carter is a wonderful man. Mr. Carter says that his dad and father­in­law were the two greatest men in his life. If you ever have a chance to meet him, you should. That’s why all the students here in Sundown love him!
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Kalene Moody
By: Casee Cogdell, Rebecca Peralta
Casee Cogdell and Rebecca Peralta have selected Kalene Danae Moody as their spotlight student. Kalene is an 8th grader who’s 14 and was born on October 21, 1999. Her hobbies are drawing, playing b­ball, and running track. The only school Kalene has gone to is Sundown ISD. Kalene’s favorite movie is Captain Phillips, her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is hot wings, her favorite music is hip hop and rap, and her role model is Chanel West Coast because she is her favorite rapper and seems very successful. Kalene’s most prized possession is her dad’s hat because it’s the only thing she has left of him. Kalene has no secrets at all; she is pretty much an open book. When Kalene grows up she wants to be either a vet or a killer whale trainer.
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Who is Mrs. Conway?
By: Marc Cabrera, Jose Perez
‘’Hurry up! You are late!’’ Mrs Conway yelled. ‘’Get out your DLR and start working!’’ Those are her famous words to her 8th grade English students.
Mrs. Conway was born on August 12. She disclosed the year. I wonder why? She tells everyone she is 21, but we all know the truth. Her spouse is Steve Conway and her two children are Cade­6th grader and Court­1st grader. She has been at SMS for 5 years and has been teaching for 15 years. She graduated from Levelland high school as well as from South Plains College and Texas Tech University. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English with a minor in Secondary Education. She says the worst thing about her job is grading papers. Mrs. Conway’s favorite music is Christian ­ praise and worship. She has traveled to Pennsylvania , Maryland , Missouri , Arkansas , Oklahoma , and New Mexico. She wants to travel to places in the U.S that she’s never been. She would also like to travel Ireland and England. Her deceased father­in­law was born and raised in Wales, England. She wants to meet Brad Pitt and Channing Tatum, and her favorite TV show when she was young was The Brady Bunch. Her prized possession are her boys. Her favorite color is black, and her favorite food is Mexican. She is terrified of heights , yet she wants to go parachuting one day. These are the little things that we learned from THE ONE AND ONLY MRS. CONWAY!!
The Secretary
By: Jeffrey Marinelarena, David Cox
She types for years and puts up with teenage kids, who is this? Mrs. Perez. This middle school role model was born on September 27, 1954.
She raised 3 kids and now cares for 6 grandkids. She has served this school for 25 years. She graduated from Sundown High then on and earned her degrees for accounting at SPC and Texas Tech. The best things about her job are the teachers and kids. Peims is the worst thing about her job, but she still does it. Her favorite movie is North and South, and her favorite colors are green and blue. She loves to eat cheeseburgers and listen to country music. She has been all over the United States, and she wants to travel to the West Coast. She has always admired her mom and considered her a role model growing up. Her home is her prized possession, and her favorite quote is “Cowboy Up”. When she leaves, she wants to be remembered by her good humor and taking care of business. One thing that nobody knows about her is that she loves horses.
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Advice, Please.
By: Natalee Nunn, Yasmine Martinez
Dear Bre,
Do you have volleyball at Sundown Middle School? I really want to play, but don’t know how to tell my principal.
Dear Alexis, Today is the day that your question will be answered. No. Volleyball isn’t a school sport in Sundown Middle School. You can always ask your principal about the skill it all covers. Maybe you can convince him/her about letting a coach teach y’all how to play. Dear Bre, How would we get a good coach that knows what he is coaching?
Dear Alexis, You can look for one on a website or at a college. You can also make sure he/she knows what he is doing for your team.
Dear Bre, What can we do to raise enough money to get supply’s for the volleyball team?
Dear Alexis,
You can have a fundraiser like a car wash, or you can have a bake sale. There are a lot of good things that you can do to raise enough money for your school.
Dear Bre,
I think that it would be a good idea to have a bake sell, but how would we get people to help me?
Dear Alexis,
Ask the kids at your school and maybe even your teachers. You can make posters or papers in order for you to get help.