The Spectacle The Spectaclec/o MVMHS PO Box 50

Ojo Caliente, NM 87549(505) 583-2275

(505) 583-9133 fax

The number of students enrolled in Friday college classes at UNM-Taos has decreased from about 50 students in 2010-11 to about six students this semester. In addition to UNM-Taos, there are about ten students enrolled in a workstudy program, but the numbers are changing, principal Tracie Phillips said. There are also four students from Mesa Vista enrolled at Northern New Mexico College, one of which is taking a night class for high school credit. And another student is taking a high school class online, Phillips said. The UNM-Taos program was new as of last school year, so there’s not much history to it. Students seem less motivated to go to school on

a Friday when the rest of the Mesa Vista students have the day off, Phillips said. Counseling secretary Georgia Kuykendall also said the four-day school week had much to do with the drop in students enrolled at UNM-Taos.     “If they had to go to school, they would go to UNM (on Fridays), but students like to have Fridays off so they (didn’t enroll this year),” Kuykendall said.

By Kylie CoutuRepoRteR Last year there were 41 students in FFA -- 36 high school and five middle school. This year, however, there are at least 54 members. “I’m really excited about our new officers, excited about the number of students, and I think we are going to be very competitive this year,” FFA

sponsor Connie Lujan said. In the past few years, the school has only offered one period of Agriculture class, this year however, the class is offered during three different class periods. This schedule allows more people to get into Agriculture, and there’s a more positive attitude for FFA, Lujan said. On Nov. 9, members will get the chance to participate in Chapter Officer Leadership Training. Greenhands (new FFA members) and middle school members will have to recite the FFA creed by memory during the Creed Contests that day, middle school members will also be judged on their Opening Ceremony performance. “I’m FFA Secretary and I’m

UNM Enrollment

By D’Angelo PADillARepoRteR

News Briefs: Friday Classes; FFA, Natural Helpers Events

Weekly Schedule Changes, Electronics Back The Mesa Vista School District has implemented a few new changes for the 2011-2012 school year. A few of these changes include an earlier lunch time for the middle school students, four day weeks and lifting the ban on electronics. This year the middle school students go to lunch from 11:04-11:30 instead of last year’s time, 11:25-11:55. Even though this is early, and they attend lunch before elementary, this was the only way the schedule would allow both middle school and high school students to start 5th period at the same time. This means that the middle school students have

four classes in the afternoon as compared to three. “I don’t think it makes it harder for the middle -schoolers because most of the afternoon classes are electives…they may have one core class but 5th, 6th and 7th periods are electives,” Principal Tracie Phillips said. Another change the school district implemented is a four day school week. Students attend the high school Mondays through Thursdays. Because students attend only four days, the school day is 25 minutes longer than last year. The Fridays the students have off are considered “Energy Savings Days” because this helps cut back on transportation, food and energy costs.

“It is estimated to save approximately $75,000-$150,000,” Mesa Vista Superintendant Randall Earwood said. Another change the district made this year is the lift of the previous electronics ban. This year, students are allowed to use their cell phones, iPods and other electronics in between classes, during lunch and whenever the teacher permits. They will be allowed as long as the students use them appropriately. “I encourage the use of electronics because the students have grown up in an electronic world…if this privilege is abused then, at that point, it will be dealt with,” Earwood said.

cont. p 8, see NEWS BRIEFS

By Ashtyn MegArizReporter

FFA No.’s Rise

Shrinks

New Staffpgs. 4-5

Mesa Vista MHS ı PO Box 50, Ojo Caliente, NM 87549 VOL. III, ISSUE 1 ı October 6, 2011

File photo by 2010-11 Yearbook // Seniors Jennifer Valdez and Phillip Rodriguez build a house of cards in Agriculture class last spring as a team-building exercise. Agriculture students will partici-pate in a leadership workshop, the Chapter Officer Leadership Training, on Nov. 9.

page 2 October 6, 2011 OPINION The Spectacle

The Spectacle StaffThis is the first issue of the 2011-2012 Mesa Vista student newspaper, The Spec-tacle, produced by the school’s journal-ism class. The goal of this publication is to provide accurate, informative and en-tertaining information in the spirit of re-sponsible journalism and to operate as an open forum for students, staff and parents. Those who are not enrolled in the journalism class may still contribute to the publication in the form of a letter to the editor, a guest column, photography or artwork. No editorials will be printed, however, which complain or attack with-out factual justification. All guest editori-als must be signed and approved for pub-lication. The Spectacle also reserves the right to edit copy. Readers’ responses can be mailed to The Spectacle c/o MVHS, or sent in an e-mail to adviser April van Buren at avanburen@mesavista.k12.nm.us. Student journalists on The Spectacle staff will publish only legally protected speech following the legal definitions of libel, obscenity and invasion of privacy. The adviser of The Spectacle will not determine the content of the paper. The adviser will offer advice and instruction to help the staff cover all issues in a le-gal, objective, accurate and ethical man-ner according to the Society of Profes-sional Journalists’ code of ethics. Gossip columns, horoscopes, song dedications, senior wills and senior su-perlatives will be avoided due to the nar-row audience they serve and the proba-bility they possess of containing libelous material and content. Staff members will strive to correct any errors before publication. However, if the editorial board determines a signif-icant error was printed, a formal correc-tion will appear in the following issue. Special thanks to the Las Vegas Optic publisher Tom McDonald and his staff for publishing The Spectacle.

The Spectaclec/o MVMHS PO Box 50

Ojo Caliente, NM 87549(505) 583-2275

505-583-9133 fax

Adviser: April van BurenEditors: Lily Hawley, Aubrie Kuykendall, Pauline Luhman, Katie Salas, Ashtyn Megariz, Ben Sandoval, and Raphaela VierickStaff: Kylie Coutu, Alicia Dominguez, Athena Martinez, Morgan Mascarenas, D’Angelo Padilla, and Chastidy Trujillo

Many students do not know what we learn in journalism class or why this class is important, but without the journalism

class there would be no yearbook, no school newspaper, no journalism awards and there would be one less elective offered at Mesa Vista. We encourage all high school students to look into joining the journalism class next semester or next school year. Journalism class is an elective at Mesa Vista that teaches students basic skills used in the journalism industry. This class has been offered since 2008-2009 when teacher April van Buren started working at Mesa Vista, although there has been a journalism class off and on previously as well. In class we learn journalism skills such as how to write different types of stories, how to take print-worthy photos, and we also learn the First Amendment rights of public school students. The journalism class publishes three to four newspapers each school year as well as the seventh through twelfth grade, full-color yearbook. With the help of van Buren, we do everything from picking the fonts and pictures to designing page layouts and writing stories for both the newspaper and yearbook. Students competed at the state journalism conference in spring of 2010 and again in 2011, and we won second place both times, losing first place (both times) only to Highland High School — a 5A school. We won the most first place ribbons out of all the participating

schools in the state (both times). In addition, when competing in the 2011 mail-in contest, the journalism class won more than a dozen awards. Journalism is a fun class, but it is not for the stress-prone or weak-hearted. This class requires each student to dedicate time and energy. Often, journalism students can be seen wandering the school in bright vests or butterfly wings asking teachers and students for interviews or taking pictures of anything and everything. While this class is hard, most times it can also be fun. We have pizza/ice cream parties if we make a big deadline, we have fake tattoos, tie dye shirts and fairy wings; not to mention the hours of fun spent whispering jokes across the classroom. Any student who enrolls in journalism is in for the hardest and yet most fun class in their high school career. This class is beneficial not just to the students enrolled in journalism, but also to the entire student body of Mesa Vista and larger community. The newspaper also often puts an end to gossip. We do our best to find out and print the truth. We are dedicated to informing students and parents about what is going on in our school. No other paper is written for students, by students about student life at Mesa Vista. Furthermore, the newspaper and yearbook bring our communities together, even years after graduation alumni can look back and remember their high school years. The newspaper is also a public forum; if a student, staff member or community member wants to voice their opinion, they can write a letter to the editor and we will most likely print it (see staff box for details). Overall, the journalism students provide informative and helpful resources for our community. We love what we do, and we hope you do, too.

Journalism Class Is ImportantStaff Editorial

photo by D’Angelo Padilla // Journalism students attended a workshop at Highland High School in Albuquerque. Freshman D’Angelo Padilla took a class on video journalism with Gadi Schwartz, the Santa Fe Bureau Chief for KOB Eyewitness News.

photo by Ben Sandoval // Seniors Aubrie Kuykendall, Raphaela Vi-ereck and Lily Hawley discuss possible theme and design ideas for the 2011-12 yearbook. Students in journalism class are re-sponsible for the yearbook and student newspaper each year.

The Spectacle OPINION October 6 , 2011 page 3

Journalism Class Is ImportantMore than one out of two

Mexican immigrants in the United States today is an

undocumented immigrant (also called an illegal alien, in less flattering terms), according to Jeffrey Passel, a writer for the Migration Information Source. Most illegal immigrants actually enter the United States legally and are victim to an expired visa card according to the Pew Hispanic Center’s study in 2005. The visa card, not to be confused with the Visa credit card, is necessary for any foreigner to enter the United States for any length of time. Presently, New Mexico Governor Susanna Martinez, who freely admits she is a grandchild to Mexican illegals, is pressing a bill through the New Mexican legislature that would enable our state to take driver’s licenses away from illegal immigrants. In my view, this infringes on their rights and creates new risks on the

road. I agree with history teacher Rebecca Curtis’s suggestion that since immigrants, legal or illegal, are given

the same rights as American citizens, Martinez should start her fight with an amendment to the Bill of Rights. All individuals standing, legally or illegally, on U.S. soil are afforded all the liberties listed in the Bill of Rights as determined by a number of Supreme Court cases, namely Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886) and Plyler v. Doe (1982). I don’t see how it is possibly okay for the Government to be taking these licenses. A driver’s license really is only establishing that you passed a test, it does not claim citizenship. A driver’s license does not require a Social Security Number, established

by the Motor Vehicles Department of NM (MVDNM). It does require some form of identification: two examples proving residency and some sort of identification number, but not a SSN per se. So for instance, a foreigner planning to stay for a few years can get a license while they have their current visa if they’ve met all the requirements to achieve the license. The necessary tests include an eye test, a written test of driving basics and laws as well as an actual driving test. Most people, if they had their license taken away, are likely to keep driving despite its illegality. As in many cases with illegal immigrants and those that overstay their visa, there isn’t much choice. They have to get to work to get the paycheck, same as anyone. If that means driving around illegally, living where you live illegally to boot, so be it. The driver’s license establishes that you are capable of driving; it gives safety to everyone on the road. Without that, more illegals are likely to drive

without any certification. Martinez seems to be placing everyone on the roadways at a higher risk. Furthermore, to get car insurance, you also need a driver’s license. If the illegals can’t get car insurance, both drivers will be in trouble if there’s an accident. Neither would be able to pay any of the bills. If this bill gets passed, I think it likely that New Mexico may start requiring police officers to pull any one that looks “Illegal” over on the road like in Arizona. This would lead to uncalled for racial profiling that would require you to carry proof of citizenship any time you got behind the wheel. I don’t think the bill would make any difference in the number of illegal immigrants on the roads or coming into the state and country. Also, I find it likely that Texas and other border states will be encouraged to place their own restrictions on illegal immigrants, inhibiting illegal immigrants rights that are theirs by law. So I ask, who is Martinez helping with this plan of hers?

Gov. Martinez: Keep Roads Safe for All in NM

opinion ColumnBy rAPhAelA

ViereCK

editorial cartoon by Jose Perez

page 4 October 6, 2011 FEATURES The Spectacle

This year at the Mesa Vista campus, students are welcomed by an array of new staff. Added to the assortment of staff

members are new Principal Tracie Phillips and new Counselor Pete Bustamante. “My one thing is to institute higher level classes -- more college, dual credit and AP classes,” Principal Phillips said. Phillips joins the league fresh out of Texas, where she worked as a Speech Interventionist. Phillips has worked throughout the states

of Texas and New Mexico, which sparked an interest for Phillips in the Mesa Vista School Administration. “Last year I worked at Velasco Elementary in Texas... I wanted to be in New Mexico. I also like Northern New Mexico, small schools and middle/high schools,” Phillips said. Also new to Mesa Vista is Counselor Pete Bustamante. Bustamante has taught in large and small schools in New Mexico and the Southwest region in general, but said he wanted to return

to Northern New Mexico. “My mom taught high school in El Rito in the ’40s and ’50s,” Bustamante said. Bustamante is glad to be on the workforce for the Mesa Vista School District and said he has high hopes for the future of Mesa Vista. “It’s easy to work with the people here and the students are more curious, they know what they want... Right now I’m just trying to get as many opportunities and information to the students,” Bustamante said.

New Staff:

1 2

3

The Spectacle FEATURES October 6, 2011 page 5

A quick look around the parking lot shows several out-of-state license plates on campus. This uncommon sight signifies the addition

of several new staff members, joining us from California, Florida and Texas. New English teacher Susana de la Peña, PhD, is teaching high school literature and composition. The new teacher, who taught at California State University in Northridge, California last year currently lives in El Rito. “(I teach) because I am a child of the ’60s…Many of us became activists at that time….we all have a gift to make the world a better place,” de la Peña said. Next to de la Peña’s classroom is science teacher Sabrina Maxwell’s class. Maxwell, who last year worked at the Taos Academic Charter School for Science and Math, is currently living in Taos. Maxwell brings a new forensic science class, just for seniors, and also teaches the customary classes of physics, environmental science and physical science. “I am a lifelong learner and I am interested in the way things work. I am completely delighted to foster a love of learning in my students,” Maxwell said.

Across the hallway there is yet another new teacher, Rebecca Curtis, who teaches Government, NM History and World History. In previous years Curtis has taught on the Navajo Reservation, although she now resides in Española. “I was one of six kids and my whole life, people said I was good with kids...one thing led to another and it just felt right to become a teacher,” Curtis said. Next door from Curtis is new math teacher Eric Dillon, who will be leaving later this month. And replacing shop teacher John Waterman, who retired over the summer, is teacher Gerardo Cruz. Most recently from El Paso, Texas, Cruz teaches Wood shop and middle school Spanish. So far Cruz said he is enjoying the area and would like to see more community support from parents. “(I) want to make a difference and be a role model to my kids and community,” Cruz said. Perhaps less noticeable is middle school Special Education teacher Eric Heckart. Last year Heckart taught at the North Texas Azle High School where he co-taught Special Education in the Social Studies classroom. Heckart currently lives in Ojo Caliente.

Principal, Counselor, Science, Math, English, history,

Woods, Special EducationStories by Aubrie Kuykendall & Pauline Luhman

Photos by Raphaela Viereck & Pauline Luhman

1. Lunch Duty // Principal Tracie Phil-lips supervises middle school students outside the library during lunch. Phil-lips is not new to being a principal - she served as an assistant principal in Dulce for four years, from 2002-2006. 2. Book Smarts // Special education Eric Heckart is from Texas. He most recent-ly taught class-within-a-class History in Azle, Texas.

3. All Smiles // Freshman Caitlin Mar-tinez laughs with English teacher Su-sana de la Peña, Ph.D. during English I, 7th period. The new English teacher has taught both high school and Col-lege level English.

4. It’s History // With her 5th period class, teacher Rebecca Curtis gives her students directions on how to test from the board.

5. Science Games // Science teacher Sa-brina Maxwell explains atomic struc-ture through an educational game called “Nuclear Reactions.” Maxwell came to teach here from a Taos charter school, though she has also taught in Key West, Florida.

6. In the Shop // Middle school Span-ish and 7-12 grade Woodshop teacher Gerardo Cruz looks at the mess of tools left during his fifth period class.

4 5 6

page 6 October 6, 2011 SPORTS The Spectacle

 

For the fall season, the Varsity volleyball players don’t fight, are improving their communication and they have more positive attitudes, said co-captain and senior Julia Martinez. The coach is once again Marcy Romero, mother of Martinez, and joining her as assistant coach is P.E. teacher Miguel Garcia. There are 14 girls on the volleyball team, including varsity team co-captains seniors Ashtyn Megariz, Samantha Terrazas and Martinez. Practices started in July and the ladies are currently meeting Monday-Thursday for an hour after school each day. “(Volleyball is) good leadership. It builds character and it’s fun,” Martinez said. Although the team is experiencing a losing streak, Garcia said they are working to improve. “The girls are practicing all the basic skills,” Garcia said. “We try different strategies to see what works and what doesn’t work.” The lady Trojans play their first District away game against Jemez tonight at 5, and another away match against Dulce on Oct. 11 at 5 p.m. “We all keep our heads up and we work well

together when we communicate,” Terrazas said.

By AliCiA DoMinguezRepoRteR The cross country team started the year with hopes for a girl’s team, but the number of female runners dropped from five to three in the last few weeks, leaving the group one girl short of a “team.” “It’s a hard sport and that’s why you don’t have a good turnout,” said coach and teacher Ben Sandoval. “The courses are three miles and it goes through the mountain and woods. It’s more of an individual sport. The kids in cross country are very good and they’ll represent Mesa Vista very well. We might not have the biggest team but we have quality runners.” This year will be Sandoval’s last year coaching cross country. He’s going to step down for the “young bucks,” he said. Current cross country members are sophomore Ashlee Alire, and seniors Ben Sandoval, Jr.,  Julia Martinez and Haliey Lucero. Seventh grader Victor Villalpando is running for the middle school. As of Sept. 30, in the traditional three-mile run, Alire’s fastest time is 25:55, Sanchez’s is

21:20, Sandoval’s is 19.59, Martinez’s is 23.36 and  Lucero’s   is 21.10. Villalpando’s fastest time in the two-mile run is 16:32. “My plans are to win NRGs and districts for sure,” Lucero said. “My main goal is to win state since I was an eighth grader but my competition is real hard so the way I think of it is if I win, I win and if I lose, I lose but I won’t be disappointed because I’m satisfied with what I’ve

accomplished over the years.”

By AthenA MArtinezRepoRteR

The Mesa Vista cheerleading team has been practicing later hours with their new coach Clarissa Baca, as they get ready to travel from home games to other schools. The cheer team has gone to new lengths this year, as far as practices from 5:30-7 p.m. Since they have a gap between when school lets out and when cheer practice starts, they often run the track or hang out in agriculture teacher Connie Lujan’s classroom, said sophomore and co-captain Angel Martinez. At practice, the girls work on stunts, and lifting the fliers and catching them. They try to work out their stomachs, thighs and arm muscles. “Cheerleading’s not just about the practice and the games, it’s about pepping up the school,” eighth grade cheerleader Misty Marquez said.

By BenjAMin sAnDoVAl, jr.RepoRteR

As long as Mesa Vista High School has existed, it hasn’t had grass on the track – mostly dirt and stickers. In addition to last year’s renovations of the track, the school planted seeds over the summer and the grass has grown in its place in order to host a number of events, including the District 3-AA Track Meet and the class of 2012 graduation. “I think a field without grass is just a pile of dirt... (The grass) makes the school more attractive and especially useful,” principal Tracie Phillips said.

By ChAstiDy trujilloRepoRteR

High Hopes for Fall Sports: Volleyball, Cross Co., CheerImproving Character

photo by Theresa Archuleta // Senior Benjamin Sandoval, Jr., runs three miles on Sept. 10 at the Jemez Invitational. This season is the last cross country season at Mesa Vista for seniors San-doval, Haliey Lucero and Julia Martinez, as well as coach Ben Sandoval, Sr.

Less is More

No Limits: Cheerleaders

photo by Lily Hawley // Junior Larissa Peña and senior Cynthia Alire work together to return the ball during a Sept. 10 home game against Coronado. Despite a close score throughout the evening, the Lady Trojans lost 3-0 to the Leopards.

Grass at Mesa

The Spectacle SPORTS Features October 6, 2011 page 7

Hunters always look forward to October and December because it’s the ideal time to hunt. Lo-cations closest to home are popular among people in rural communities like Ojo Caliente or El Rito.            “Mainly I hunt in the local mountains near or in El Rito, I go wherever the animals are,” senior Phillip Rodriguez said.             What some may not realize, however, is that hunting permits are based on odds. For someone to obtain a hunting tag they must first enter in a draw-ing with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. Next, they choose who in New Mexico actually gets a tag. Whether or not you can hunt is based on a computer choosing between a pool of residents and non-residents. About 78 percent of New Mexico Residents obtain some type of animal tag and non-residents get about 12 percent of the tags, according to the New Mexico Department of

Game and Fish.            Whether or not people in rural communities are willing to accept it, there are some who poach, which is illegally hunting animals without a state is-sued permit. For those who do, they could be fined up to $10,000 according to the New Mexico De-

partment of Game and Fish. According to the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the reward for turning in a poacher is $250 to $750. However, few of the people that do poach, get caught or convicted. Nonetheless, it is

important for hunters to know the rules of hunt-ing and do it safely and legally.            “You should learn the rules. Take hunter’s safety courses and hunt legally. Poaching is a big problem in New Mexico, and if people continue to do it (poach) there won’t be animals left for us to hunt in the future,” science teacher Victor Jara-millo said.

Hunting Tags, Laws in Rio Arriba CountyBy BenjAMin sAnDoVAl, jr.RepoRteR

A High Skoolerz Day

You should learn the rules. Take hunter’s safety courses and hunt legally.“

”— teacherVictor Jaramillo

Submitted photo // Vince Jaramillo and his brother, science teacher Victor Jaramillo pose with their kill. The siblings shot the elk mid-September 2010 in Vallecitos.

a comic by Pauline Luhman

The Spectacle BACK PAGE October 6, 2011 page 8

News Briefs, cont. from p. 1

photo by Lily Hawley // Seniors Sean Richardson, LJ Sanchez and Cyn-thia Alire mark out the suspects footprints inside the Caution tape as they try to solve a mock crime in Forensics Class.

By lily hAwleyRepoRteR

Teacher Sabrina Maxwell and her forensics students solved the crime of ‘who-done-it’ this week. Students have spent the past few weeks learning to collect and measure biometric data in order to accurately gather evidence and solve the mystery. Like literary detective Sherlock Holmes, they had to use their powers of deduction to figure out the ‘suspect’ of Tuesday’s late-night ‘hit-and-run.’ “The mystery was intense because we had to gather all the evidence before we could figure out who killed the Peñasco Panther,” senior Lorenzo Sanchez said. Solving the mystery gives students a chance to apply their newly-gained knowl-edge in a direct, hands-on way. The class, an elective that has never before been offered at Mesa Vista, helps students learn some fundamentals of sci-ence in new ways, and is a direct result of student input from the previous school year. “This class is exciting because it is differ-erent from all the other classes. We’ve never

had something like this before,” senior Es-trella Guiterrez said. Maxwell is as new to the Mesa Vista cam-pus as the unique class she teaches. She is building up a whole new curriculum with her forensics class that she’ll be able to use in years to come in a way that directly involves students’ opinions and learning speeds.

“I’m really excited to be working with this group of seniors to build a course that can be built upon every year from here on out. The students are creative, enthu-siastic and resourceful. You can learn more about what

were doing on our blog,” Maxwell said. Students solved the crime Tuesday morn-ing. They gathered and measured footprints, stride length, foot size and tire tracks, as well as measured tires in the parking lot in order to narrow down the culprit and solve the crime. In the end, they got their man….. er woman. The students deduced that the only per-son in the school whose vehicle and shoe size exactly matched the tracks they had found could be none other then principal Tracie Phillips. With the crime solved, but no war-rant for arrest Phillips is still loose on campus and who knows which rival school’s mascot could be next. EDITOR’S NOTE: Writer Lily Hawley is in the Forensics class. Reporters are typically not al-lowed to cover the activities in which they are di-rectly involved, however, the bulk of the students in Maxwell’s class are also journalism students.

photo by Lily Hawley // Principal Tracie Phillips has been charged with the murder of the Peñasco Pan-ther, a hit-and-run, for the mock crime in Forensics.

Forensics Students: Get a Clue

— seniorLJ Sanchez

The mystery was intense because we had to gather all the evidence...“

”

looking forward to more competitions, because the competitions are fun and educational. There are fun experiences when you go and funny times,” freshman Tiffany Archuleta said. Later this month, Oct. 17-22, several members will go to Indianapolis for the National FFA Convention where they will also compete in the Nursery/Landscape Competition. Then, Oct. 28, FFA members will watch a scary movie with popcorn and soda for Fright Night. Later, the annual lock-in where members lock themselves in the tech building and hang out and play games all night, is usually sometime during Winter Break. “I’m looking forward to the lock-in because I wasn’t able to go last year,” 8th grader Victoria Lovato said.

Natural Helpers By AliCiA DoMinguez & rAPhAelA ViereCKRepoRteR The Natural Helpers, like many other clubs in the school are looking for new members. All the Natu-ral Helpers members this year are seniors, which puts the group in a bind for next year. “We’re going to survey the high school for potential members,” Natural Helper Sponsor Chon Chavez said. “It’s been awhile since the last time we have surveyed the school.” This month, the group walked the “Walk like MADD” (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) campaign in Española and participated in several other events, in-cluding Red Ribbon Week with a chili cook-off and a fund raising dance towards the end of the month which has a tentative date of Oct. 29. There’s also a Youth Pa-rade on Oct. 31. Natural Helpers is made up of high school students who, in a survey taken at one point, were found to be trusted by three or more people on campus. The group aims to help people with drug, social and/or bullying problems on public school campuses. All members attend off-campus workshops and monthly meetings. The Natural Helpers also have plans for a fund raiser in the works. They hope, Chavez said, to have a basketball tournament with the National Guard, State Police, City Police and Sheriffs. In addition to their fund raiser the group is working with Ben Lujan, Jr., and the District Attorney’s Office to bring presentations about drug and alcohol abuse among teenagers to Mesa Vista.