The Scorpion Times  Skateboarding  

By:  Alex  Villegas

  Do  you  know  what  a  360  Flip,  Kick  Flip,  or  a  Fakie  Full  Cab  are?  Do  you  skateboard?  Not  a  lot  of  people  do  but  the  people  that  do  are  really  good!  I  interviewed  Nathan  and  Angelo  to  Dind  out  more  about  people’s  thoughts  on  skateboarding   I  asked  Angelo  and  Nathan  who  their  favorite  skater  was.  Nathan  said,  “My  favorite  skater  is  Nigel  Houston  and  P.Rod.  I  really  love  the  way  they  skate!”  I  also  asked  Angelo  he  said,  “My  favorite  skater  is  Bam  Margrea  because  he  skates  for  Element  Skateboards  and  he  also  lands  his  tricks  clean.  I  think  Chris  Cole  is  the  best  skater  of  all  time  he  is  very  good  and  he  is  also  an  awesome  guy!  I  met  him  in  person  before.”   After  that  I  asked  Angelo  and  Nathan  what  tricks  they  could  perform.  Nathan  told  me  that  he  does  harder  tricks,  “I  can  do  360  Flips,    Fakie  Big  Flips,  and  Fakie  Full  Cabs  they  are  really  hard  bro,  sometimes  I  don’t  get  the  full  spin  and  fall.  It  hurts!”  said  Nathan.   “I  like  Etnies,  DC,  and  Vans.  They’re  all  really  good  shoes  to  skate!”  said  Angelo.  Nathan  said  “I  really  like  DC,  Allien  Workshop,  Ventures,  Ricas,  Bones  Reds,  and  Vans  they’re  all  really  awesome  skate  brands  to  me  and  there  really  good  to  wear  when  I  skate!”  I  personally  like  Emericans,  Plan  B,  Cowtown  Decks,  Vans,  SpitDire  Wheels,  MOB  Griptape,  Pimpgrip,  Tensor  Trucks,  Indy  lows,  and  Bones  Red  Bearings  because  I  have  skated  these  brands  before  and  they  last!   In  conclusion,  skateboarding  is  really  fun  and  everyone  should  try  it!  It  doesn’t  matter  if  you’re  a  girl  or  a  guy.  Give  skateboarding  a  try  at  least  once.  

Middle  School  Views  on  the  NBA      By:  Juan  Reyes

Swish,  OMG  I  made  a  swish.  This  article  is  about  Alex  and  Nathan  and  the  NBA.  It  took  place  in  Desert  Sands  Middle  School.  It  took  place  on  November  29,  2011.  I  am  doing  this  article  because  lots  of  people  happen  to  play  basketball.  It  happened  by  interviewing  them.  

Alex  said,  “I  think  Bulls  are  the  best  team  because  the  have  D-­‐Rose.”  He  is  a  MVP  and  he  is  a  good  player.

Nathan  said,  “I  want  the  Celtics  to  win  the  playoffs  because  they  know  how  to  play  as  a  team.”    They  have  good  players.  They  also  have  good  fans  that  support  them.  They  also  have  a  good  coach  with  Dr.  Rivers.

Nathan  said,  “Miami,  Celtics,  and  the  Suns  are  all  good  teams.”  We  are  all  glad  that  the  NBA  is  beginning  again  now  and  that  we  will  be  able  to  watch  some  basketball  games  again.  Whoever  wins  in  the  playoffs  will  be  outstanding.

Drama On Facebook By: Francisco Carrillo

“You guys are freaks!” said Steven. One day I came to class, I went to 5th block and interviewed Steven and Evelyn in Mr. Flores’ class. I interviewed them about drama on Facebook.

To begin with, Steven said, “It starts by people talking stuff.” Steven answered to how does drama on Facebook start? What I know is that your friends post on your wall and say the wrong things. When you write on your status people start hating, and say negative stuff. When you post a photo on their wall, people write negative stuff.

Furthermore, “you guys get in and back people up,” Evelyn answered. How do you get into drama on Facebook? Steven thought and answered, “people talking stuff about their boyfriend or girlfriend.” Lastly, I asked Steven what kind of drama is there? “they spread rumors about their boyfriend or girlfriend,” said Steven, and they get mad. “They spread rumors and call them mean names and they bully kids on Facebook, they talk about their mom or family. “People also get mad and talk stuff back and they stop the bullying,” said Evelyn. And Steven said, “they used to bully me but I stopped that.”

In conclusion, it’s true Facebook is drama. Facebook is drama and you should stay away before you get into the drama yourself.

Quarter 2 Issue No. 2

Desert Sands Middle School

WUBWUBWUBWUB.  This  is  the  universal  way  of  imitating  the  sound  of  dubstep.  Dubsteps  can  take  place  anywhere,  at  anytime!  Well,  unless  you’re  at  a  funeral.  Besides  that,  it’s  universal.      “I  Cirst  heard  a  dubstep  two  years  ago  when  my  brother  was  listening  to  Skrillex,”  Mario  Saldana  stated.  Dubstep  requires  no  one  speciCic  language.  People  everywhere  can  listen  to  it  and  even  if  the  majority  are  ravers,  it’s  a  marvelous  thing  to  listen  to  in  and  out  of  parties  or  raves.      “(Dubstep)  is  all  scary  and  I  don’t  know  what’s  going  on.  It’s  all  robotic,”  Tim  Lainez-­‐Iscoa  explained  in  a  jumbled  sense.  Most  people  think  that  dubstep  is  a  type  of  music,  for  people  who  are  into  grunge  they  say  it  is  too  techie,  like  head  banging  music.  Of  course  dubstep,  is  going  to  be  technological  and  

robotic  sounding,  it  is  a  sub-­‐genre  of  electronic  music.  The  sound  of  dubstep  is  just  a  series  of  distorted  music  and  beats.  The  sound  of  dubstep  is  so  unique.  It’s  trance-­‐like.      “I  just  think  (dubstep  music  producers)  are  being  creative  with  the  beats,”  Mario  explained.  Dubstep  is  widely  liked  by  many  people  of  different  races,  ages  and  genders.  There  is  a  YouTube  channel  strictly  for  dubstep,  named  UFKDubstep,  and  it  is  among  the  100  most  subscribed  channels  on  YouTube.  Quite  a  wide  spread  of  fans,  don’t  you  think?        “I  love  the  music  and  how  it  goes  from  slow  and  transitions  to  fast,”  Mario  said  passionately.  All  around,  dubstep  is  quite  an  interesting  genre  to  listen  to.  Next  time  you’re  surCing  around  iTunes  or  YouTube,  look  up  dubstep.  You  won’t  be  disappointed.

Dubstepby Joseph Cervantes, Hawk

In  the  future  I  don’t  plan  to  be  a  teacher,  but  I  might  visit  ones  I  know.  Teachers  were  important  in  the  past,  they  are  important  now,  and  they  will  be  in  the  future.  The  teachers  at  DSMS  are  great  teachers.  This  year  (2011-­‐12)  there  are  some  teachers  that  teach  both  7th  and  8th  graders.  That  is  very  hard  on  a  teacher.  They  have  a  lot  of  work  to  do.            “My  favorite  teacher  is  Ms.  Tharp,”  Summer  says.  Ms.  Tharp  is  a  Photo  Journalism  teacher.  In  some  students’  opinions,  Ms.  Tharp  is  a  great  teacher.  Teachers  sometimes  have  students  that  had  a  great  time  with  them  and  that  teacher  becomes  the  student’s  favorite  teacher.            “Teachers  teach  a  lot  so  kids  can  have  a  good  education  when  they  get  

older,”  Summer  explains.  Teachers  have  a  job  to  do,  and  that  is  to  teach  children  about  life  and  what  to  do  when  they  get  older.              “What  I  like  in  a  teacher  is  that  they  are  funny,  understanding,  and  nice,”  explains    Vidalia.  Teachers  have  expectations  for  students.  Although,  teachers  aren’t  the  only  ones  with  expectations.  Students  also  have  expectations  on  how  they  should  be,  and  how  they  want  their  teacher  to  be.            “I  like  it  best  when  teachers  joke  around  with  students,”  explains  Summer.  Students  like  to  interact  with  their  teachers.  Students  have  favorite  teachers  and  appreciate  the  help  each  gives  them  in  learning  new  things.  

What Do You Like About Your Teachers?By Natasha West, Hawk

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As Bruno Mars tells us, “You are amazing Just the way you are.” Bruno Mars is a good celebrity and deserves awards. A bunch of people world-wide enjoy listening to Bruno Mars. Some people are haters but others enjoy his music. “Bruno Mars is a great singer. A lot of people like his songs and they sing it word by word so he is a obviously a good singer,” says Natasha. Bruno Mars is a very talented singer. He sings really good live at concerts. He does not say bad words in any of his songs, and many people love that about him. “Bruno Mars inspires young people to follow their dreams by what he does,” continues Natasha. He is a nice guy, and not many male singers are respectful like him. He tells every young person out there that they are beautiful in every single way. Bruno Mars makes young people feel better about themselves when they are down. “The ‘Lazy Song’ is funny, has great humor, and it is very creative,” says Aaron. Every time Bruno Mars throws a concert, he always tells jokes. He even has funny songs that make people in a better mood and laugh. Bruno just brightens up everybody’s day! “The song ‘It Will Rain’ by Bruno Mars is really cool because of how the piano sounds and the way he sings,” said Natasha. Why would you not want to like Bruno Mars? He comes out with really good songs and he is humorous, nice, and a great singer!!

Bruno Mars:An Amazing Singer

and PersonBy: Summer Miranda, Hawk

videokeman.com

Soccer Shout Out From Coach UlechongI would like to recognize the DS Lady Soccer team for their outstanding season. We had nine wins and one loss during regular season. Next came playoffs, "Yea!" Since we had only one loss, Sands hosted the first round of playoff games. We were scheduled to play against Orangedale, we beat them and moved on to the semi-finals (which was hosted at Verrado). We met up with Verrado, played a good game (with one player down) but it wasn't met to be. We lost in last few minutes of the game, so our season ends. Lets give a round of applause to the DS Lady Soccer Team for a wonderful season! Good job girls, way to go! That being said, I would like to acknowledge a few players who will be heading to high school and competing in that soccer program. These girls have been involved here at Desert Sands Soccer Program for the past three years and have done an excellent job. They will excel at the next level and knowing these girls they will all do super, I wish them all the best. It was great watching and learning from them, good job girls you made me proud and it was awesome getting to see you perform: Oliva Hernandez, Lesley Esparza, Brillith Felix-Fierro, and Maria Quintero Saldana! Keep up your great sportmanship!

Teenagers Under The Influence Of Weed

By: Paola Loera Life starts out easy. As time passes by it gets harder and harder. Teenagers nowadays are doing something that changes them both mentally and physically. Weed, which is also called Mary Jane, Kush, Dodie or the Magic Dragon, is getting in the way of teenagers bright futures. Weed is being hidden in small snacks such as brownies, cookies, chocolate, cakes and more. Their health is in danger and so are their brains. Weed causes shore term memory loss, headaches, suicidal and violent thoughts and it even causes them depression and violent reactions. ‘‘My son and I haven’t talked in days and its affecting our father and son relation ship,” says Jesus, a teenager’s father. It’s sad to know that friends, parents, and family members are going from being united into never talking to each other because the one person that they love is under the influence of drugs. “I want to help my best friend. She’s changed so much. It really hurts to see her this way”, says Julie, a young teenager. There are ways to help your love ones. You can take them to teenage groups such as TWL (teenagers without limits). It is a group for teenagers who are under the influence of drugs and for the ones who are having trouble getting along with their parents. This group changed many lives and it helped them move in to a new and bright life. I was a teenager under the influence and joining TWL changed my life . You can also try talking to them and doing more activities together or even going out to places to distract them from being in their room all the time. Walk them to the right road and hold their hand throughout everything their going through. This would really show all your love towards them. Here I am as a new person going to school and enjoying my life. Weed can really mess you up

and it’s not worth it. You’re young and you should know that life is beautiful. Don’t fall down and ruin your life because there is so much ahead of you that you need to keep walking and see all the wonders of the world. Weed may seem to make you happy and calm but think about what you are doing to yourself. Make good choices because we both know that being under the influence of drugs won’t get you far in life.

Cafeteria foodBy: Jessica Catano

Is that really what they’re serving today? Is the cafeteria food healthy and good to eat? I interviewed Evelyn, Xochitl, and Miguel to find out more. “Not really, they use too much oil sometimes on food,” said Evelyn. Most people eat the cafeteria food. But, do they think it’s healthy? “Yes they give us enough calories for that period,” said Xochitl.

“Yes, because I need my nutrition,” said Miguel. The cafeteria gives different food to students each day. “Sometimes I eat there or barely because I don’t like what they serve sometimes,” said Evelyn. You should eat it because it gives you energy to go through the day.

“I love the pizza!” said Miguel. Evelyn likes the PB and J sandwich. The food there is really good in my opinion though.

Is there anything you don’t like on the menu I asked during the interview. “I don’t like the eggs,” said Xochitl. The food in the cafeteria can be nasty or gross depending on your likes and dislikes. “I don’t like the sandwiches.” said Miguel. “Yes, I love to eat school food!” said Miguel. So remember to get your lunch because its healthy for you.

Opinions On GangsBy: Ana Estrada

“Quit the gang banging!’’ That’s my opinion. Gangs lead you into the wrong direction. There are gangs everywhere you go. People join gangs everyday. A reason why kids join is to be cool. They get the decision to choose whether to be in a gang or not. When I had asked him if he thinks gang banging is good or horrible, Gilbert answered, ‘’I think it’s horrible because many people die in gangs.’’ It’s practically true; it’s a very dangerous thing to join. Although there are some strange people that highly disagree. “No I’m not trying to be a follower, its dumb!’’ Those are the exact words William exclaimed. Clearly I asked him if he would ever join a gang to be cool. When you hear the word ‘’gang’’ what do you think of? I asked William that question he had said his ‘’neighborhood.’’ I was surprised! I had asked him where he thinks gangs lead people in life. “You practically do not have a life,” Gilbert announced. Gangs lead you to a road of destruction, so I wouldn’t even dare thinking about joining one. They do not solve your problems it just brings you way more. At the end you’ll regret it. So don’t ruin your life, live it to the fullest. Gangs don’t lead you to paradise it leads you to a black hole. Everybody should care, it might affect you in some way, remember that.

Sudoko By Angelo Bordeau

Students and teachers at Desert Sands Middle are

tired of fights. When teachers and parents hear the principal saying your child has been

suspended because of inappropriate behavior, it’s because the staff at Desert Sands Middle cares

about your child and the students safety.

“Students at Desert Sands Middle School fight because the drama that the Students are usually

hearing around school, which sometimes is not always true,” said Daniela Zazueta. Along with

this, it can also be caused by rumors. They end up

fighting at school because they can’t think of anything else to solve their problems. “It is not always the best decision someone could make,” Daniela Zazueta continued.

Fighting at Desert Sands Middle School can

not only effect one student, but almost the whole

entire school. “Students at Desert Sands Middle

School who fight and get suspended are no

longer able to have privileges because of the way

they were behaving,” Dr. Ikeler said. Privileges can include sports, going to the dances, and free

dress days. Desert Sands Middle School cares about student’s safety. For students to be able to have

engaging activities that students enjoy, they

should stop the drama, rumors, and get along

with each other. Before any student that is even

thinking of fighting to solve a problem with a

person that sometimes they don’t even know, try

to get to know that student. You might actually

end up liking your peers. Many students that have gotten involved in

fights, may not realize that the suspensions may

make you think that you’re all cool and things but it can effect your whole entire life. Furthermore, in

life you would always have two different paths in

life. If you choose the wrong one it would effect you badly in the future, and if you make a good

choice it would make a good impact on your life.

Desert Sands: Stop the Fighting! By: Beatriz Bracamontes, Coyote

Don’t forget about band! When it comes to choosing an elective, middle school band is often not the first thing to come to mind. Desert Sands has an amazing band. Students practice during their elective. If you are new to Desert Sands, don’t forget band is a option. “The clarinet sounds beautiful,” stated Irene. Irene is one of the students who picked band as an elective class. She enjoys band because the music is peaceful and entertaining. Leslie, another band student, says, “my favorite thing about band is learning new music on my flute.” When asked how band helps her, Leslie responded, “The

music helps you focus. It also helps you be more patient.”When learning new music, you need to be patient. In the long run playing a instrument can help you in college. Being able to play a instrument is a awesome skill to have. “December 5th was our band concert,” said Irene. This was the first band concert of the year.They played many songs like “Jingle Bells” and “Spy Chase.” Irene, Leslie, and many others appreciated the students and teachers who came to watch them play. “Music has always fascinated me,” Irene said. Being able to play a instrument is a brilliant skill to have.

New Years is like Independence Day because they both have an important part in our history. New Years happens all around the world on January 1. The best part is that everyone feels like it’s a fresh start. “New Years is important because after going through many things its important to make it to the new year,” says Aaron. We celebrate with good thoughts going to the future with new things ahead. Those who don’t get to the new year will be missed. “I enjoy New Years because we always have parties and delicious food,” said Elvis. Lots of people have food and celebrate when it’s New Years. The parties are very interesting because we go to different places; they are never the same. Family and friends get along and never get into any kind of problems. “It’s great to start a new year and be fortunate that you’re alive,” stated Aaron. Many lives are gone in the past year, but many more lives come in the future. People will act differently every year because of what happened the past year. We all come and go, but those who stay will be glad to see 2012.

DSMS Band By Vivian Mercado, Coyote

Ready for a New Year By Irvin Sanchez, Hawk

Do you like electronic devices? Iʼm sure you do! My partner, Leslie Cervantes, and I went out to hear our peers opinions on the topic: Which technology device is better; laptops or iPads? Let me tell you, we had some very different opinions compared to the hypothesis I thought of! ! “I think laptops are better than iPads because theyʼre larger, better, and they have button keyboards,” mentioned Rodney. Rodney Sumpter, a friend of mine that I interviewed, meant that he likes laptops better than iPads for the reason that they have button keyboards. By this he meant, touch screen keyboards always mix up words people want to spell, for the reason that if you move your finger a certain direction, the device would get confused and so it would spell a whole different word than the word you actually wanted to spell. In addition, he also mentioned he owned one, and that it was from the company Apple.! “In my opinion, I prefer iPads better than laptops for the reason that theyʼre portable and because they have a less percent chance of getting stolen because they can easily fit in your purse or luggage,” said Leslie Cervantes. In my opinion, I totally agree that iPads are a bit more beneficial, and that they have a less percent chance of getting stolen because if you put them in a purse or luggage bag, nobody would even notice you have it. I still have my own decision that laptops are better than iPads! ! “Iʼm certain that I like iPads better than laptops because they are portable, they weigh less, and because they have the ability to install apps,” mentioned Steven. Iʼm not surprised. He also told me he owned one, and I think thats why he feels iPads are better than laptops. Surprisingly, his favorite technological device is his cellphone! I donʼt think cellphones are much fun, but I suppose they are because other friends of mine also agreed that their favorite device of all times is their cellphone. How come? I donʼt know!! In conclusion, it seems thereʼs a tie here! Leslie and Steven go with iPads, and Rodney and I go with laptops.

The Technology Dilemma! By: Perla Ordonez