Tag Archives: coronado high school

When I first started High School, I was considered a nerd. I could have told you anything you wanted to know about the Dr. Who television series; it’s comic books and old radio shows.

Wanted to know about photography and calc? Then I was the one to turn to. I was that “geeked” out.

Between my obsessions with Dr. Who, photography, math, broadcasting and classic radio shows, the word ‘nerd’ summed my life up completely. (Even as a kid, my dream was to get into radio. As I wrote this, and as I was on the air yesterday, I realized that May 11th was my thirty-third year on the air!)

But it goes deeper than that…

I remember the first SciFi convention I attended, where I met Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker and Peter Davison – all actors who played the Doctor in Dr. Who. When I told friends at school what I was going to be doing, I can vividly recall the jokes, the teasing, the bullying I received for being such a geek.

That was then. Things have changed.

When I was told about ThunderCon, and that it was taking place at Coronado High School, a lot of those old memories came flooding back. I honestly could not imagine a ComicCon being held at a high school, much less very many of the students attending.

Man was I wrong.

“Many thought a high school ComicCon would be boring,” said Rich, a student at Coronado High School. “This is anything but. It’s great. Though in its beginning, it is great!”

Rich said he regretted not dressing up as a Cyberman from Dr. Who – a kid after my own heart.

The gym was filled with vendors and people dressed as their favorite characters – Darth Vader, the Ghostbusters, Hatsune Miku, and so many others.

Even those who were not cosplaying were having fun taking it all in.

As my wife and I walked around, the crowds were not getting smaller; they were growing larger. It shocked me to see so many High School kids, and not just from Coronado, but other schools as well, attending.

ThunderCon was defiantly a citywide event.

I was also awed by some of the guests who had booths set up at the event: there was Diana Franco, international cosplayer Nadya Sonika was there; Joe Lujan, who told me about ThunderCon was there talking about his movies and comic books; Coronado alumna Jessica Meraz – from Supergirl, Tacoma FD and Major Crimes was in attendance.

Lastly, Matthew Rothblatt and Benito Perez of Phi3 comics, and co-creators of Spiralmind were set up and sharing their work.

“I didn’t know it would be this good,” said Amy. “I was impressed by the interpretive dance I saw and the artwork by some of my fellow students.”

The creativity that went into many of the costumes and cosplay was also to be found in the work of some of the school’s artists. Just outside the library was a student exhibit where one could see some awesome work – and some great photographs.

Looking at their work, I could not help but think I was looking at the next batch of creative minds that will come out of El Paso and inspire the world.

Be sure you check out Joe Lujan on Facebook and at Carcass Studios. To learn more about Spiralmind, check out the interview with Matthew Rothblatt above. For more on Matthew, Benito Perez and their comics, check out their Facebook page.

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Now, for something I hope many of you will enter – a Herald Post contest that will get you some great posters and comic books.

Joe Lujan has given us three signed comic books. These books are based on his Immortal Wars movies. If you’ve never read them, they are great stories. Matthew Rothblatt (who I interviewed in the video about the Spiralmind comic series) and Benito Perez have given us signed posters.

These posters are drawn by some amazing artists from El Paso, and from all over the world.  How do you enter?

Simple, send me an email at Steven@EPHeraldPost.com saying you want to enter, or comment on this article. You’ll be entered in the drawing will take place on the 25th of May and winners will be announced that evening.

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Have a story you want to share? Get in touch with Steven at Steve@EPHeraldPost.com.  Follow Steve  on  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram |  Patreon

Every year Coronado and Franklin high schools set aside their competitive spirit, coming together to collect toys, blankets and clothing items for an EPISD elementary school.

Student council members from both schools started the Holiday Blessings Drive four years ago at Zavala Elementary, picking a different school each year to visit. This year the students gathered items for the 310 students at Hawkins Elementary School.

“This is a great project because it brings the schools together for a big and challenging project. It’s a good growth experience,” said Coronado student activities manager Kelly Groves. “They are so giving of their time, and they are so happy to do it. I could not be more proud of the kind of young people that we are producing.”

Coronado junior and StuCo president Nicole Plesant has participated in the project the last three years. She greeted each student with gusto, making sure they each took a pledge not to open the gifts until the 25^th.

“It is the best feeling seeing the kids’ reactions. It’s such a heartwarming feeling. It brings tears to my eyes,” she said. “We aware that we are a blessed group of kids and this is something we can do to give back to the community and make a difference.”

The high-schoolers welcomed each grade level into the library, where stacks of boxes awaited each student.

“It’s been a really positive experience getting to help these students and bring a smile to their face,” Franklin sophomore Michael Fallon said. “I think it’s a great way to show that we care. It’s a common misconception that teens are self-centered, but it’s nice to help people that are less fortunate.”

This is the first year the sophomore participates in the event. He was impressed by the amount of planning involved in the project but above all the camaraderie between the schools.

“Coronado and Franklin came together on Saturday, and we were at the school for over six hours wrapping gifts nonstop,” he said. “No one complained. We just kept going because we all had the same goal in mind.”

Students at Hawkins said they were happy and grateful to receive the gifts.

“I felt loved because we didn’t ask for anything and the high schools kids gave so much,” said fifth-grader Rene de la Llave. “Not all schools do this, but Coronado and Franklin really made us feel special. Some people got big boxes but it doesn’t matter because they took their time to make us feel loved.”

Student Council students pick an elementary at the beginning of the school year, meeting with the principal and counselor to coordinate the project. The elementary in turn is responsible for providing students’ clothing and shoe sizes, as well as what the students have asked for on their holiday wish list.

“I’m really humbled and beyond blessed that our school was chosen for this project because now we know our kids are going to have a really great Christmas,” principal Adriana Ruiz said. “I think it’s reflective of our District that we want to help our kids beyond academics and work on their social emotional wellbeing as well.”

Author: Alicia Chumley / Photos by Leonel Monroy / Video by Angel Dominguez – EPISD

Several EPISD campuses delved into the TED-Ed Clubs this school year, exploring and learning to express their passion through talks. The campuses came together last week for a district-wide TED-Ed Club talk and community presentation at CCTE.

“TED-Ed helps kids develop their confidence in speaking to an audience, develop their ideas and express their ideas,” said Karen Blaine, Chief Academic and Innovation Officer. “This not only prepares for skills they will need in the future, it gives them a place at school to express their passions.”

Campus participating in the program are: Barron, Cielo Vista, Coldwell, Guerrero, Mesita, Newman and Tom Lea elementary schools; Armendariz, Lincoln, Morehead and Richardson middle schools; Coronado High School and Silva Health Magnet.

“It’s really fun,” said Mathew Hernandez, a Schuster 5^th grader. “I think it’s a great idea. You get to express what you feel with the world.”

 The talks included a wide variety of topics including bullying, body image, post traumatic stress disorder and being a good friend.

“I think this is very important because it teaches them that if they have a great idea, their voice matters, too,” said Schuster teacher Stormy Daniels.

Collaboration is key to TED-Ed Club talks. In TED-Ed Clubs, students work together to discuss and celebrate creative ideas. Club leaders receive TED-Ed’s flexible Clubs curriculum to guide their school’s club and to help inspire tomorrow’s TED speakers and leaders.

 “I may have a great idea but not speak very well and might need a friend help me articulate it better or make my presentation using technology,” Daniels said. My role has been to guide them and help them with the opportunity. It’s their ideas, they research and the parts they liked they went for.”

District officials and the area TED Ed representative are encouraged by the students’ collaborations and talks. The clubs, which began in EPISD at the beginning of the school year, is open to any campus interested in participating.

“We’re pleased with the response and how the clubs have taken off in such a short time,” Blaine said.

Four T-Birds are soaring a little higher after winning the state 6A UIL Spelling and Vocabulary competition – a first for any El Paso high school.

“The competition at state is really difficult,” Coach Brain Keen said. “This is only the second time we have sent a team from Coronado to compete at state, and they did really, really well. It’s amazing.”

The team is made up of seniors Abigail Spitzer and Luke Minton, as well as freshmen students Sonali Patel and Kareena Shokar. The Coronado team placed first after tallying the top three individual scores on the team. Spitzer and Shokar placed second and sixth, respectively.

“The competition was very difficult. It taught me about hard work and determination,” Shokar said.

The former Hornedo Middle School student is thankful for the teachers that have helped her along the way.

“I feel the teacher foundation is strong,” Shokar said. “I have always been encouraged to try my hardest and that fueled my want to study.”

The UIL competition is comprised of three different parts, which include a proofreading section, hand-written spelling of 70 words pronounced aloud to contestants and a final tiebreaker section of 20 additional pronounced words.

To prepare, students study a “Word Power” list of 1,500 words that changes every year. The Coronado team has been practicing together once a week, as well as individually, since January. They study not only the UIL list, but also other spelling lists available online to fine-tune their skills.

Spitzer, who has competed in the UIL competition all four years of high school, made it to state her freshman year. Making it to state is not an easy feat, and she was ecstatic to make it back to state her senior year.

“I was really excited. I thought it was a great honor to be able to do so well my senior year and placing high,” Spitzer said.

Being part of the competition throughout her high-school career has helped her improve in other classes, not just English.

“One of the more valuable things you learn is how it helps out in science,” Spitzer said. “Spelling requires you learn a lot of Latin and Greek words, which come up a lot in biology and physics.”

Minton has also competed all four years and is happy to end the year strong. He credits the competition with helping improve his studying habits and overall academic standing.

“It’s definitely taught me to study a lot of material in a short amount of time and maximize the efficiency of my schedule,” Minton said. “UIL is a good opportunity for high-school students to explore their academic interests. It’s been a beneficial part of my high-school experience.”