nogales graduation 2011
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Nogales, AZ Graduation 2011TRANSCRIPT
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Silva an ‘awesome student,’ ‘role model’
Anachieverwho ex-cels inmathematics, No-galesHigh School seniorAnthony Silva is the vale-dictorian forNogalesHigh School.He learnedEnglishwhen his familymoved fromMexico toNogaleswhen hewas 10years old, he said.“When I first came
here,myhighest gradewas about 40 percent,”he said. “I didn’t evenknowenoughEnglish toask to go to the restroomproperly.”That changed a lot
time ago. JenniferValen-zuela, anNHSmath andscience teacher, said Sil-va “is an awesome stu-dent.He’s very deter-mined and an over-achiever.” She taughthim in the InternationalBaccalaureate programchemistry I and chem-istry II, and this year he
was her classroomaidein calculus.Silva is “very friendly
and admired by hispeers.Hewas a rolemodel,” she said. Al-though he tends to be onthe quiet side, she said hehas strong communica-tion skills and that “helikes to help others.”Even though Silva said
he’s very leery of thecoldwinters, he’smovingto the northeastwhere heenrolled at CornellUni-versity in Ithaca,N.Y.,and plans tomajor ineconomics.First, he’ll be off to
Florida in a fewweeks.As amember of FBLA,or FutureBusiness Lead-ers ofAmerica, he’ll joinothers in the club com-peting in the nationalevent June 28 to July 1 inOrlando, Fla.He quali-fied bywinning two first-place trophies at thestate level inword pro-cessing and annual busi-
ness report, he said.Silva,whoseweighted
grade point average is4.698, is the youngest ofthree children. OlderbrotherMiguel, 25, grad-uated from theUniversi-ty ofArizona and com-pleted amaster’s pro-gram in finance inMan-chester, England, he said,whileDavid, 21, a cur-rently aUAstudent.Hisparents areMiguel andAnabel Silva.He focuses nowon ac-
ademics but he playedsoccer fromhis fresh-man to his junior year.This past year hecoached a girls’ AYSOsoccer team.He’s amember of
MESA,which isMath,Engineering, ScienceAchievement;HonorsClub,which helpsfundraise to help pay foruniversity tests; and isvice president of SEA-HEC, SoutheasternAri-zonaHealthEducation
Center health careersclub.Hewas a three-yearmember of SantaCruz ZClub aswell.Silva is a candidate for
the International Bac-calaureate diploma, aprogram“that helps pre-pare you for college. Youtake college-rigor class-es so you can prepare.They help you become abetterwriter,” he said.A gratifying high
schoolmemory, he said,is “making the friends Ihave now. They’vehelpedme a lot. In IB,we’ve become like a fam-ily so everyone caresabout each other.”His parents have been
very supportive.“They’ve always
pushedme to be the bestperson I can be. Theydon’t like itwhen I getB’s. They always toldmeto try. For example,when I first camehere, Iwasn’t the brightest stu-dent, but they encour-
agedme to try.”His advice to others:
“The reason I’mhere isbecause I’mpersistent.AsMichael Jordan said,‘If you fall six times, getup seven.’ I could haveeasily given upwhen Ifirst camehere (at age10) and saw that nothingwasworking forme.Butmyparents always toldme to try, even if I didn’tsee results. I think thatknowledge ismore im-portant than grades.”
NHS valedictorian
By Kathleen VandervoetFor the Nogales International
Marysol Luna,salutatorian for theNHS Class of 2011
PHOTOS / KATHLEEN VANDERVOET
Luna ismusician
andscholar
Marysol Luna, salu-tatorian for this year’sNogalesHigh Schoolsenior class, is amusi-cian aswell as a schol-ar, playing the violinsince third grade. She
By Kathleen VandervoetFor the Nogales International
Anthony Silva,valedictorian for theNHS Class of 2011
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Class of 2011 Nogales High School
A commencement ceremony on May 26 celebrated the Nogales High School Class of 2011, whichincluded 381 candidates for graduation.
PHOTOS / JOSE BALDERRAMA, BLUEPIX STUDIOS
Exciting!!!
Yeah! We made it!
I’m going to miss you!
There you are!!
Smile for the camera
So, what’s next?
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Class of 2011 Nogales High School
Members of the Class of 2011 listened to words of advice from NHS faculty andfellow classmates at the May 26 graduation ceremony at Nogales High School.
PHOTOS / JOSE BALDERRAMA, BLUEPIX STUDIOS X
The Color Guard
The Band
Time for a speech!
NHS Faculty
Hugs all around!
A moment of reflection
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Perseverance pays off for Justin Kim
Whilegraduationisn’t a race,it was a pho-to finish atthe top of theclass. JustinKimandAlexGer-ber fin-ished in adead heat,each
sporting a 4.66GPA.Being this year’s Co-Vale-
dictorian is an honor,Kimsaid. “It ismore thanwordscan describe.”Itwas not an easy achieve-
ment,Kim said. He credits“The ability to continue towork hard through high schoolwithoutmygrades dropping,without lettingmywork ethicdown and,when times arehard and you don’twant to doanything, the ability to perse-vere through thosemoments”
for the achievement.Itwas a journey forKim.
Heworked hard inmiddleschool andmade good grades.“I achieved straight “A”sthroughoutmiddle school.When I entered as a freshman…I thought Iwant tomaintainthese grades, thiswork ethic,so I could prove tomyself,myfamily and friends that I couldbe successful atwhatever Ido.”Kimhad always had his eye
on good grades, but set hissights forValedictorian dur-ing his junior year, he said.“That pushedme toworkharder.”The rewards are great, Kim
said. “I have been accepted tomany other schools, such asUniversity of California at SanDiego andUniversity ofTexas, but I decided to go toUofAbecause they have themost scholarships such asWildcat Excellence.”While itwasn’t theApple of
his Eye, JustinKimgot aniPod alongwith theWildcatExcellence scholarship,which
amounts to $8,500. “I ammoreof a PCguy, but I’ll take theApple.”Kim is alsowaiting on other
scholarships, he said.Kimwill use his iPad, along
with tuitionmoney, to studyscience, he said. “Iwant toma-jor in either chemistry or biol-ogy.Mygoal is to become anophthalmologist.“Iwant to be able to help
peoplewho can’t afford neces-sary eye care,”Kim said. “Iwant to be able to give that tothosewho can’t.”Kim succeeds his sister,
Kathy,whowas salutatorian atRioRico last year.His father,SiKim, ownsPepe’sMen’sWear inNogales. “Mymother(Thong) helps around the storebut,mostly, she is a greatmother. She has had a great ef-fect onme. She is always therewhen I need her.”The leap frommen’swear to
eye carewas an interestingone,Kim said. “Mydad hasworked at the store for over 10years.He has always toldme‘Don’t fall inmy footsteps. I
want you to domore in life. Iwant you tomakemore of animpact in life.’ That haspushedme to domore.”In addition to studies,Kim
has been a bandmember sincesixth grade.He plays trumpetinmarching and jazz band,Kim said. “My sister has al-ways been in band alongsideme. She plays the oboe.”Outside of family,Kim
takes inspiration fromGod, hesaid. “Hehas guidedmy lifeup to this point and I’ve neverfailed to believe inHimor gotoHimwhenever I need him.”Kimalso follows his heart,
he said. “I never let anyoneelse differ the road Iwant totake. If I’m set to do some-thing, I amnot going to letanything change it.“Iwant to tell people to al-
wayswork hard andwork fortheir dreams,”Kim said. “Iknow thatmaybe cliché, but ifyou set yourmind towhat youwant to do you can reallyachieve a lot of things. You canmake an impact.”
Rio Rico High School
By Roger ConroyFor the Nogales International
A photofinish forKim andGerber
“I don’t feel like I amsit-ting here as valedictorian,”Gerber said during an in-terviewprior to calcula-tion of final grades. “I feellike I amsitting here as co-valedictorian.Wehave al-ways been neck-and-neck.It is a photo finish, Iwouldthink.”Gerber’s prediction
proved true asGerber andJustinKimeach achieveda 4.66 finalGPAwhen re-sults from finalswere cal-culated just days beforegraduation. Before that,the twowere 1/100th of apoint apart. They havebeen vying for the top spotfor four years, PrincipalJamesAnders said.“There is always one
SEE FINISH: PAGE 25
Justin Kim
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2011 co-valedictorian
“It isan hon-or. I feelproud ofmyselfthat Iwas
able to accomplish this,”AlexGerber said. “I nev-er really picturedmyselfas a valedictorian, eventhough other peoplethink ofme as the smartkid in the class, I neverreally picturedmyself asthe smartest kid in theclass.”Gerber achieved a 4.66
GPA. It took late nightsof little sleep to get there,Gerber said. “Mostly justan understanding of allthework you have to putin. You have to go intohigh schoolwith priorknowledge of howmuchwork it is going to be.”Gerber concentrated
on studies, but foundtime to be on theRioRicoRiverRats swim teamand theHigh Schoolteam the year they com-peted, he said. “My firsttwo high-school years, Iswamon the high-schoolteam.Now,we don’t havethe high school team I’mstill swimmingwith theRiverRats.”Finding time for both
school and swimming ishard butGerber doesn’tthink of it as a balancingact, he said. “My firstlove is swimming so,each day, I swim for anhour and a half and thatiswhat it is going to be.Then, I just figure out
how I amgoing to getmyhomework done. Thatsounds harsh, but I haveto be efficient. It helps.”
FamilyGerber’s father isDr.
JosephGerber,who hashis practice inNogales.Hismother, Suzanne, vol-unteers at aChristian(Spanish) radio station inNogales. “She is awon-derfulmom,”Gerbersaid.Gerber’s sister,Marisa, is scheduled tograduate from theUni-versity ofArizona thisyear, he said. “Shewrotefor theArizonaDailyStar for awhile.”Marisawas very suc-
cessful in high schoolandwas amentor toAlex, he said. Shewasranked third in her classso I always looked up toher andwanted toachieve asmuch ormore.Wehad a friendlycompetition between sib-lings. Also,myparentsinstilled awork ethic inme.”
CollegeGerber received theU
ofAWildcat ExcellenceScholarship, about$8,500, he said. “I also ap-plied for (and received)theRotary scholarshipand one through theRioRico PropertyOwnersAssociation.Gerber plans to study
medicine at theUofA.“Wewill seewhere thattakesme. I amgoing tobemajoring in biologyand actually have alwayswanted to be a dermatol-ogist but thatmaychange in the years ofschool.”History isGerber’s fa-
vorite subject in highschool, he said. “The les-sons it teaches about hu-
mannature – It fasci-natesme. Learning aboutthe past, learning from itand trying tomake thehuman race better bylooking back on historyfascinatesme.”
GraduationBefore graduation,
Gerber said he thoughtabout his valedictoryspeech, he said, but hadnot finalized it. “I guess Iwould tell the under-classmen about all thehardwork it is going totake to get to graduation,not to intimidate thembut to encourage them–to show thatwe are ex-amples of peoplewhohavemade it this far andyou can do so aswell.What Iwould say to
seniors is – although it isgoing to be amomentoustime in our life, it is justthe beginning andwecan’t get too caught up inthatwe are seniors atRioRicoHigh School.Wehave to look at thatweare young adults in theworld.Weneed to revelin thismoment andmoveon to find a bigger placein theworld.”
FaithWhat drivesGerber?
“A lot of times,when Idon’t feel like doinghomework, it ismy faithinGod andmy religionthat pushesme on. In theBible, it says that youshould do everythingthat you do as if you aredoing it forGod.A lot oftimes I don’t domyhomework – oh this is forMr.Gale, I’mdoingmathhomework forMr.Gale. Ithink if I do thiswell, it isif I’mdoing this forGod,so I have to do it to thebest ofmy ability, evenwhen I don’twant to dosomething.”
Alex Gerber
By Roger ConroyFor the Nogales International
Alex Gerber
Co-valedictorianAlex Gerberaddresses thegraduates duringthe 14th AnnualCommencementat Rio Rico HighSchool.
PHOTO / ROGER CONROY
Class of 2011Rio Rico High School
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Graduates proceed to take their seats. Principal James Anders waits for graduates to be seated. Aeriella Valenciaand Palacia Melissa Yepez sing the National Anthem. Superintendent Daniel Fontes addresses the graduates.Graduates spray string as Principal James Anders congratulates the Class of 2011. Mariachi Plata performs.
PHOTOS / ROGER CONROY
Mariachii!!Aeriella & Melissa
Hi mom! We did it!!!
Dan Fontes
Principal James AndersReady to graduate!
Bishop urges grads to be people of service
BishopGerald F.Ki-canas of theRomanCatholicDiocese of Tuc-son had severalmes-sages for the 21 gradu-ates at LourdesCatholicHigh School at theirMay23Baccalaureate. ButtheMass and the com-mencement ceremoniesemphasized one theme;service to others.Kicanas told about at-
tending a graduation cer-emony atNotreDamerecently, before 3,000students. “Itwasn’t anymore special than this,”he told the grads, all ofwhomhave been accept-ed by 23 colleges.But, the valedictorian
atNotreDamewhomhesaid had “several bache-lors’ degrees andma-jored in several fields ofstudy,” should serve asinspiration, he told thegrads. “Hewants to be-
come a doctor and thenwork as amissionary.“Hedoes notwant to
become rich; he does notwant to become famous,”Kicanas said. “His desireis to serve. In that samewaymyhope is that youhave that same eager-ness and desire to serve.“God’s gifts are not for
people to hold on to as iftheywere theirs,” hesaid. “The gifts ofGodare to be given. Themostimportant lesson is thatwhat you do for anotherbrings great joy.Dosomething thatmatters;make a contribution –that’s your service to oth-ers.”Sister Patricia Perez,
superior general of theMinimDaughters ofMary Immaculatewasthe guests of honor at theMass. “This is you oppor-tunity to plant the seedand construct a new real-ity based on the valuesand knowledge you have
forged in this institu-tion,” she said. “Be goodpersons, good citizens,and above all, goodChristians.”She too implored the
students to bemen andwomen of service.“Serve humanity andserve a very needyworld,” Perez said.“Stretch out a helpinghand, foot, head, andabove all, your hearts.”After the group sang
AveMaria toOurLadyof Lourdes and receivedthe bishop’s blessing,theywent on from theschool chapel to the gym-nasium for the regularcommencement.As theymarched up to
a terraced platformeachgrad introduced the stu-dentmarching behindthem.The keynote forthe eventwas 1994Lour-des graduate,MayraGalindoPagazani, whowas appointedCity ofNogalesMagistrate in
February. Pagazani grad-uated cum laud in politi-cal science and Spanishliterature from theUni-versity ofArizona andreceived a lawdegreefromHamlineUniversi-ty in St. Paul,Minn.“You aremuchmore
than a beautifullyframedhigh schooldiploma.You are a groupof spokespeople. Eachand every one of you hasbeen chosen byGod to bespokespersons. Through-out theBible…Godcalled upon us to speak,act andmake decisionsonHis behalf.“What hasGod called
you to be?” she askedrhetorically.At Lourdes, Pagazani
said, “You have been em-beddedwith amoralcompass; a sense of per-sonal direction that isembeddedwithin youandwill guide you to bethe spokespersonsGodintended you to be.”
In Spanish, she toldthem, thatwhatever theydo in the future “shouldbe grounded by the spiritof justice, honesty andlove.We are accustomedin society to admirethosewho triumph eventhough questionablemeans.Nobody shouldbe above the lawnor usepower for personal gain.Wehave reached amo-ment in timewhere thenewgenerations offer analternative to evolve inlife, business, politics, onthe streets and in theirhomes.“Togetherwemust
build this trust.Wede-pend on you towork to-ward this reality and thesterilize the paths thatothers have contaminat-edwith lies, the quest forpower, and all that sepa-rates us from the idealsof justice, nobility andlove,” Pagazani im-plored.Among the colleges
the gradswill attend areall threeArizona univer-sities, ColombiaCollegeChicago, theAu-tonomousUniversity ofNayarit, University ofSonora, AnuahuacUni-versityMexicoCity,Uni-versity of SanDiego andUniversity ofGuadala-jara.The graduating class
of 2011 comprises Fer-nandeAvila, SalutatorianIlseValeriaBenavides,EstefaniaCalderon,MarceloCampos, LuciaDabdoub, RicardoDeLeon, IrmaG. Figueroa,Daniel F.Galindo, Rodri-goGarayzar,MiguelGomez, RubenD. Leyva,David Lopez, ClaudetteMoreno, FrenandeoQuinones, EduardoA.Ramirez,GerardoRamos, Luis F. Ruiz, Ger-manSalcedo, Veladicto-rianAlexis San, ClaudiaSegura, andRodrigoSicre.
Lourdes High School
By Manuel C. CoppolaNogales International
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Class of 2011 Lourdes High School
Lourdes High School’s Class of 2011 graduates gather for a group photo at their May 23 graduationceremony.
PHOTOS / MANUEL C. COPPOLA
Sister Barbara Monsegur
greets Bishop GeraldKicanas
Nogales Magistrate
Mayra Galindo Pagazani
speaks of preserving
values and answering
God’s call to be His
spokespersons.
Eduardo Ramirez leadsthe congregation in theresponsorial psalm
Sister Patricia Perez urgesgives Lourdes grads words
of advice.
Top 2 students prepare to give it their all
ValedictorianAlexis SanzAlexis Sanz not only
attained a grade-pointaverage of 3.98, she also
earned the respect andadmiration of theClassof 2011 forwhomshewas namedvaledictori-an.Her driving force to be
successful academicallyand in life is “the desireto be self sufficient. Iwant to prove tomyselfthat I canmake it onmyown. Iwant to serve as agood example tomycousins and two nieces.”Sanz,who has always
attendedCatholicschools, plans to continuestudying in aCatholicsetting. Shewas accept-ed to theUniversity ofSanDiegowhere shewillmajor in accounting.After that, “Itwill be
where ever life takesme,” she said in a confi-dent tone. Apparentlytaking to heart ames-sage fromBishopGeraldF.Kicanas of theRomanCatholicDiocese of Tuc-son during theBaccalau-reate ceremony, Sanz
said, “Whatever I do, Ihope I am in a settingwhere Imaybe of serv-ice to others.”During her high school
years, she participated intheKinoBorder Initia-tive, a bi-national effortto provide social, pas-toral, and educationalministries tomigrantsand the communitiesmost affected by themonboth sides of theU.S.-Mexico border of south-ernArizona.Sanzwas on Student
Council, StudentsAgainstDestructiveDe-cisions, theNationalHonor Society and a folk-loric dance group.Hermessage to Lour-
des high school students,“Do not let up on your ed-ucation. It is one of themost important thingsthat stayswith youthrough life. Be of serv-ice to others, and develophealthy and true friend-ships thatwill leave life-
timememories.”Sanz is the daughter of
OlgaBojorquez andDavid Sanz.
SalutatorianIlse ValeriaBenavides
With a cumulativegrade-point average of3.97, IlseValeriaBena-videswas named saluta-torian of the LourdesCatholicHigh SchoolClass of 2011.She credits her family
and the values and prin-cipals they instilled inher for her academicsuccess.Hermajor at theUni-
versity ofArizonawill beindustrial engineering. “Iwill give it all I have.Myhope is to ultimatelywork (in the profession)and be an inspiration totheHispanic communi-ty.”Benavidez’s advice to
students coming upthrough the ranks atLourdes is “Give it yourbest.Work hard so that inthe end you can feelproud of yourself, ofwhat you have accom-plished. Also, keep inmind your family’s love
and that of your friends.Respect your teachersbecause in the end, a lotofwhat you learn andtakewith you throughoutyour lifewas thanks tothem.”She participated in the
KinoBorder Initiative, abi-national effort to pro-vide social, pastoral, andeducationalministries tomigrants and the com-munitiesmost affectedby themonboth sides oftheU.S.-Mexico borderof southernArizona;Na-tionalHonor Society, Stu-dentsAgainstDestruc-tiveDecisions, St. An-drew’s Children’s Clinic;and SoniarDespierto, aprogram for disadvan-taged youth.She is the daughter of
Pedro Javier andVivianaPenaBenavides.
Lourdes High School
By Manuel C. CoppolaNogales International
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Mendozagraduates early&at topofher class
SuarlyAuroraMen-doza is a studentwhoknows how to get a jobdone early andwell.After all, she not only
graduated high school af-ter her junior year, shealso finished at the top ofher class at PiersonVo-cationalHigh School.“When they tellme
that something is due, Ido everything I have toin order to finish it,” saidthe 17-year-old PVHSvaledictorian.Aftermoving toNo-
gales fromMcNeal,Ariz., at the end of hersophomore year, Suarlylearned that shewas
transferring enoughcredits fromDouglasHigh School to allowherto finish at Pierson ayear early. Andwhile thetwo schools offered verydifferent environments –Douglaswasmuchbig-ger andmore discipline-oriented thanPierson,she said – she adjustedeasily, both academicallyand socially.“I’m really talkative,
so the first day, I juststarted talking to every-one and just tried to fitin,” she said. “And itworked out.”In the classroom, she
said shewas especiallycomfortablewithmath(“Thatwas pretty easyforme,” she said) and
English – especially cre-ativewriting. But hertrue passion is foreignlanguage, an area sheplans to focus on in thefall when she begins herstudies at PimaCommu-nityCollege.“Iwant to learn as
many languages as possi-ble,” she said, namingFrench and Italian as twothat she’s especially in-terested inmastering.She says she’s also inter-ested in continuing tolearnRussian, a lan-guage she studied for ayear atDouglas.Suarly said she’s not
sure of her future plans,but interpreter is a ca-reer that has some ap-peal.“I had a teacherwho
worked for themilitary,because they need aRussian-speaking per-son, and she said thatwas pretty fun,” she said.In fact, Suarly already
has some experience as
an interpreter. She saidthat as a small child, sheused to help hermother,ElviraMendoza.“Since she doesn’t
knowEnglish,whenweused to go to church inDouglas, they allwantedto talkwith her, and she’dsay, ‘Can you tell themthis and this and this.’She’d always useme asher interpreter. And Iwas really good at that,”she recalled.Suarly is the youngest
of seven children in herfamily, and the first to godirectly to college (one ofher brothers is takingcollege classeswhileserving in theArmy).She said she’s known inthe family as the stu-dious child.“Mybrother says,
‘You’re the nerd of thefamily,’” she said.Her intense study
habits even unnerve hermother at times.“Once I say I’mgoing
to study, I just go tomyroomand if I have tostudy for 10 hours, I’lljust stay there,” Suarlysaid. “She says some-times I’ll forget to eat.”Suarly spends a lot of
her free timewith herfamily, she said, and thatincludes cooking, going
out to eat, to themovies,or justwalking aroundtheNogalesMall in Sono-ra.As for her advice to
other students, she says:“Thingswill always behard, but if you try yourhardest, then anything ispossible.”
Pierson Vocational High School
By Jonathan ClarkNogales International
NOTE:PVHS salutatorian Nayely Cortezfinished her high school studies inDecember and was not available to beinterviewed for this supplement.
SuarlyMendozawon a$1,000scholarshipfrom theNogalesHighSchool Hallof Fame.She’ ll applyit to herstudiesnext year atPimaCommunityCollege.
PHOTO/JONATHAN CLARK
Class of 2011 Pierson Vocational High School
Confetti flies overhead to celebrate the graduates’accomplishment.
PHOTOS / JONATHAN CLARK
Alexandra Peralta had
plenty of reasons to
smile: In addition to
receiving her high
school diploma at the
May 23 ceremony, she
was also honored as
the Jerry Booth
Outstanding Student
and awarded a $1,000
scholarship from
Southwest Food
Services. She plans to
pursue a general
studies degree at
Cochise College.
The PVHSseniors fileinto the
ceremony atPete
DrakulichGymnasium.
Tim Savory,seen here justafter collect-ing his diplo-
ma, alsodelivered the
studentaddress atthe May 23graduationceremony.
YazminValenzuela
and Flor Riosare all smilesafter gradu-ating from
PiersonVocationalHigh School.
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Class of 2011 Pierson Vocational High School
Pierson Vocational High School graduated 41 seniors during a commencement ceremony on May 23.PHOTOS / JONATHAN CLARK
Ramon Saad,Carlos Villa,Juan Carlos
Arce and DavidRocha get
pumped up forthe ceremony.
Principal JoelKramer offersclosing com-ments to thenewly gradu-ated class.
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This year’s PUHSvale-dictorian, Traci Swift,doesn’t necessarily fitthe stereotype of thebookish scholar.“I’ve always been an
outside kind of girl,” saidSwift, who grewup inEl-ginwhere she learned tohunt and fish alongsideher father,who she saidmade sure opportunitieswere always there for hisdaughter.In addition to being an
active volunteer for theBureau of LandManage-ment and theArizonaGame andFishDepart-ment, Swiftmost recent-ly completed the two ba-sic classes needed for be-coming awildland fire-fighter and said she isnowhoping to score astudent job at the airtanker base onFt.Huachuca.Throughout these ad-
ventures Swift has alsomanaged to excel bothacademically and as anathlete.During her re-cent graduation address,Swift even joked that shehad been practicing hervaledictorian speechsince her days at ElginElementarywhere shebeganmaking the honorroll in fifth grade – anachievement she hasn’tmissed since.Excelling in science,
math, andEnglish, Swiftalso received awards forher athletic accomplish-ments,which includedlettering in volleyballand basketball, aswell asmanaging the Lobosbaseball team for the lastfour years. Shewas alsoa tutor to boot.“I like being busy and
getting stuff done,” saidSwift, who amongherother scholarships, hasbeen awarded $6,000 ayear for four years byNorthernArizonaUni-
versity,where she plansto pursue environmentalstudies.During her valedicto-
rian address, Swiftthanked the school andcommunity for its sup-port. She also thankedher parents for beingthere and giving her theopportunities she need-ed.“My father just told
mehowproud hewas ofall thework I have beendoing,” she said.She also thanked her
little brother Johnnywhois “always there to put asmile onmy face.”Casting the spotlight
fromher own achieve-ments, Swift recognizedher graduating class-mates for overcomingstruggles that rangedfromacademic problemsto dealingwith cancer.“We can do it.We can
accomplish our goals anddreams.We can be thebestwe can be.We all
have the strength andwill to do so,” she said.
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Traci Swift is an outdoor typePUHS valedictorian
By JB MillerFor the Nogales International
Jacob King is class‘salad dictator’
In honor of his posi-tion in the 2011 gradu-ating senior class, Ja-cobKing dubbed him-self “the salad dicta-tor,” a termhe firstheard in 8th grade dueto the confusion of a fel-low studentwith theword salutatorian.King’s good humor
(during his speech atgraduation, he alsomentioned coming insecond to his valedicto-rian girlfriend andquotedDr. Seuss) isamong the qualitiesthat helped himearnthe title of “MostFriendliest Student”this year at PatagoniaUnionHigh School.King, 16, grewup in
Patagonia and attendedthe local elementaryschoolwhere, in an ear-ly indication of his aca-demic prowess, heskipped the second
grade. By his freshmanyear in high school,Kingwasmaking thehonor roll and has notmissed since.“This place has al-
ways beenmy second
SEE KING: PAGE 24
In addition to her workin the classroom, TraciSwift was a basketballand volleyball player atPUHS.
Jacob King willcontinue his studies atNorthern ArizonaUniversity.
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Class of 2011 Patagonia Union High School
Members of the Patagonia Union High School Class of 2011 wait to receive their diplomas at the June 3 graduationceremony at Patagonia Union High School. Eighteen graduates were honored at the event.
PHOTOS / JB MILLER
SalutatorianJacob King iscongratulatedby PUHS gov-erning boardmember David
Clovesko-Wharton dur-ing the gradu-ation ceremo-ny on June 3.
ValedictorianTraci Swift
addresses par-ents, faculty
and classmatesat the gradua-tion ceremony
Class of 2011 PUHS
As diplomas are handed out, graduates adjust their tassels accordingly.PHOTO / JB MILLER
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Class of 2011 Pinnacle Education High School20
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Janel M. Dorame Alma A. Garcia
Victor R. Lopez Marco A. Lozoya Liliana Olivera
Yoselin Gonzalez Jessica E. De La Cruz Sean P. Beall Sarai Bedoya
Alan B. Palau Rene Medina Joshua L. Alcoverde
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Class of 2011 Pinnacle Education High School
Joel H. Montanez Julie C. Moreno
Michelle A. Tapia Jesus A. Vasquez Andres F. Duron
Jose A. Castelo Anna A. Navarro Joaquin F. Quiroga Ruben I. Ruiz
Jessie A. Estrada Joseph A. Damiano
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Pierson Vocational High School recognized its 2011 class of C.T.E. Medical and Health Professionals, some of who received a Care Givers Certificate or both a Care Givers certifi-cate and a Certified Nursing Assistant certificate. Students pictured here prior to the May 23 ceremony include, top row, left to right: Yvonne Lyzette Ramirez, Heidy JoselinPelayo, Yaritza Liliana Medina Urrea, Alexandra N. Hernandez, Celina Landa, Mariyuduvixa Ivonne Lopez. Bottom row, left to right: Marisol Bolivar, Danitza Adelina Fajardo,Jacquelin Ochoa, Jennifer Collelmo, Marilyn Kirsty Mares, Jocelyn Ruiz, Danitza Dalila Salcedo.
PHOTOS / JONATHAN CLARK
Grads head for the health professional field
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family as I have appreci-ated the small class-rooms and the close com-munity. This made meappreciate the schoolstaff and all they havedone for me,” King saidduring his graduationspeech. “I would like togive a heartfelt thanks toall my elementary, mid-dle and high schoolteachers. You helped meget to where I am today.”
King said his academicaccomplishments did notcome easy and that hehad to work hard to ac-complish all that he has
so far.King also participated
in football all four yearsof school and was co-cap-tain his senior year. In ad-dition, he played tennisone year, was part of thescience and hiking cluband was voted prom king.
Among other awards,the Mountain Empire Ro-tary Club named King“student of the month”for science. Science andmath are his strongestsubjects, King said, andhe intends on pursuingthose academic fieldsthis fall at Northern Ari-zona University (NAU),where he plans to studyengineering thanks to ascholarship from thatschool.
In addition to the Presi-dential Scholarship fromNAU, King receivedscholarships from Sul-phur Springs Valley Elec-tric Cooperative, theMountain Empire RotaryClub, and the Boys andGirls Club of Santa CruzCounty.
In his closing remarksat graduation, King en-couraged everyone in hiscommunity to continue tosupport the graduatingclass.
“We may be graduat-ing but we still needyou,” he said. “Withoutthe constant support ofour families and commu-nities we may not be heretoday.”
KINGContinuedfromPage16
Top: Seniors chill out before the June 3 graduation ceremony at Patagonia UnionHigh School. Above: The hats go off marking the end of graduation for thePatagonia Union High School Class of 2011.
PHOTOS / JB MILLER
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thing that always pushedme towork hard, aswell,” co-valedictorianJustinKim said. “Thatwould bemy fellowvale-dictorian, AlexGerber.Wehave been friendssincemiddle school.“I have always known
he is a really smart kidandwehave grown to bebest friends andwehavealways been competitivein school,”Kim said.“That has really pushedboth of us to succeed and
want to be better.”Of themany things the
two do together, one isworship.Gerber attendschurch at First Baptist inNogales. “I used to go tochurch at theKoreanBaptist Church ofNo-gales,”Kim said. “Iswitched and started go-ing to First BaptistChurch ofNogales.”“We always hang out
together and do thingslike go to each other’shouse to play games,”Kim said.Kimdoesn’t swim, but
they share basketball,Gerber said.Proverbs 27:17 states
Iron sharpens iron. Sooneman sharpens anoth-er. “I think they’re talk-ing spiritually, but ifthere is a secular spin onthat, wewould be livingproof of it becausewewould not be at thisheight of intellectualachievement ifwe didn’thave each other,”Gerbersaid.They’ll continue to-
gether atU ofA. “I knowAlex applied first be-cause hewas set on goingthere,”Kim said. “Know-ing one ofmybestfriendswas going toUofAdefinitely impactedmydecision.”
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SCVUSD No. 35 Governing Board President Brian Vandervoet presents a diploma toco-valedictorian Justin Kim (above) and co-valedictorian Alex Gerber.
PHOTOS / ROGER CONROY
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plays every Sunday duringMassat SacredHeart Church.Her grade point average of
4.652 is the second-highest in theschool. She said itwaswhen sheearned straightA’s in her sopho-more year that she began to thinkaboutworking to retain that highlevel.She said her strongest subject is
mathematics, evidenced by takingAdvancedPlacement calculus thisyear,while she also excels inchemistry.Now, shewill attend theUniversity ofArizona and is inter-ested in studying biomedical engi-neering.“I’m interested in themedical
field, and in engineering, and Ifound that to be the perfect bal-ance,” she said.NHS teachermath and science
teacher JenniferValenzuela saidLuna has the “ability to solve criti-cal thinking problems in herhead.”She complimentedLuna’s hon-
esty and sense of humor, and char-acterized her as both independentand family oriented.It’s clear toValenzuela that Lu-
na “has learned how tomanageher timewisely.”Luna has given a great deal of
time to community service
through being amember ofGirlScouts ofAmerica since eighthgrade and amember of SantaCruzZClub for her four years of highschool.AtNHS, she’s in FBLA, Future
Business Leaders ofAmerica, andwill compete at the national con-ference inOrlando, Fla., June 28 toJuly 1. She’s been amember of theSEAHEChealth careers club,SoutheasternArizonaHealthEdu-cationCenter, for four years, and amember ofMESA,Math, Engi-neering, ScienceAchievement, ingrades 9-11. Sports drewher inter-estwhen she played tennis ingrades 9-11 and volleyball as afreshman.Luna is a candidate for the aca-
demically rigorous InternationalBaccalaureate diploma and hastaken classes and numerous testsin preparation for it.Her parents areMariano and
Dolores Luna and the family in-cludesAmbar, 19, aUniversity ofArizona student, andMarianna, 13.She organizes her timewell, and
tries to get her homework doneeach day between 5:30 and 8 p.m.,she said.Her success has come fromher
willingness to spend timewith af-ter-school tutors, and her commit-ment to not procrastinate. Shesaid, “The thing is, getting started.Once you start, you just need dedi-cation to finish.Don’t put thingsoff.”
LUNAContinuedfromPage2 Class of 2011 NHS
Nogales High School’s Class of 2011 smile as they make their way to their seats to start theMay 26 graduation ceremony.
PHOTOS / JORGE BALDERRAMA, BLUEPIX STUDIOS
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