Opportunity of a Lifetime
When I applied to be an intern for Our Town Magazine in August, I had no idea what to expect. Would I be going on coffee runs for my bosses every day? Would I regret switching out of my high school comfort zone? I had never even interviewed people before working for Our Town, and I definitely never thought I’d be writing feature articles for so many different community members.
From the second I met Brie and Gerry, I could tell that they were wonderful people; over the past few months, they have treated me like family and I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the journalism field.
I absolutely loved being an intern and am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to write for this magazine. Interviewing so many amazing people has really transformed the way I look at my town and Tri-State area as a whole. Some of our business leaders opened my eyes to the economic ebb and flow in the greater Bullhead City area, hidden to most teens; others had a much more personal touch. For instance, interviewing teacher Ava Smith brought a tear to my eye because her passion for teaching just touched my heart, while people like Doris Plough and Donna Duncan inspired me with their love for their careers.
As I prepare to graduate, I would like to especially thank all the people that helped me get this far. My parents were always willing to change their schedules around whenever I had to finish an article or do a last minute interview. Mr. Greene was there every step of the way, helping me edit my articles every month and offering advice even if he had other assignments to grade from his English classes. I would also like to thank every person I interviewed for being so quotable and kind. Lastly, I’d like to thank Brie, Gerry, and everyone else at the office for welcoming me to the team and always being so supportive. There are so many other people that deserve my thanks, but I would never have enough space to name them all. This entire internship has been an absolutely amazing experience, and I’m going to miss the Bullhead I’ve only recently gotten to know, despite living here for over 15 years.
Ashlyn Easley will be attending Northern Arizona University Honors College in the fall to study English with an emphasis in Creative Writing.
If you are going to be a senior at Mohave High School in the fall, have a flair for writing, and would be interested in being the magazine’s second-ever intern, please reach out to Ms. Covert in the guidance office.
Eleanora Arca
By: Mikayla Barton | Mohave High School Journalism Program
Moving to a new place, let alone a new country, can be quite difficult, but for TBird Eleanora Arca, playing volleyball has made this transition much easier.
Mohave’s foreign exchange student hails from Rome, Italy where she played volleyball for seven years. Excited to play here in the states and broaden her volleyball experience, Arca played varsity indoor volleyball in the fall and is now playing on the varsity beach volleyball team.
When Eleanora was young, she always looked up to her older sister who also plays volleyball, a “great athlete” who “never skipped practice” even when she broke her knee. Her extended Italian family as well as her host family in Bullhead have been constant supports for her athletic and academic endeavors, encouraging her to work hard and be her best. While she has been playing indoor longer, Arca likes beach volleyball better. With only two players on the court compared to six, there is “more responsibility” and “you have to be a good player at everything.”
Eleanora also says Bullhead’s naturally windy conditions make a big impact on the game, but she merely sees that as just another challenge she must overcome. Volleyball has taught Eleanora valuable lessons that extend far past the beach and the court. The long travel distances involved in competitive sports in Arizona forced her to organize her time better, as a senior on the team, Eleanora sees it as her responsibility to be a guide to younger players and give them tips on how to improve their skills, just as Coach Radic has done for her: “He has always believed in me and is very important to me.”
In the future, Eleanora hopes to come back to America and play volleyball in college. Arca encourages any hesitant potential athlete to get involved: “Go to open gym! The first step will always be the hardest step…once you do that, you can do anything.” This globe-trotting athlete has just loved being a part of the volleyball team and MHS community: “It’s one of the best things I’ve done…”
Natalie Willmore
By: Lily Bouchard | Mohave High School Journalism Program
Senior power-hitter Natalie Willmore has played indoor volleyball ever since she can remember, but recently this familiar court favorite added a new wrinkle to her game: beach volleyball.
Last year, MHS added the Beach Volleyball to its interscholastic competitive calendar and built new courts southeast of the football field. The rules for beach volleyball differ from indoor volleyball – rather than playing on a large court with six people, beach volleyball works with teams of two on a smaller court, and the ball itself is slightly larger as well as lighter.
Willmore says, “I prefer playing indoor volleyball because of my experience, but I still love playing outside.”
Willmore says one of the biggest differences from playing outside is the weather. Adjusting to Bullhead’s notorious wind conditions is a constant theme, and even after two seasons, the subtle adjustments are a constant learning process. As many TBird athletes know, playing outdoors in the Tri-State area necessitates composure: some days offer beautiful 80 degree, blue sky conditions, but others present intense dust and thunder storms.
Nevertheless, her coach, Mr. Zdenko Radic, has never been one to cancel practice, let alone games; instead he pushes Willmore and her teammates to keep going, an attitude for which she is continually grateful: “Ever since 6th grade…he has always motivated me to just come and play.”
Aside from her coach, she would like to thank her friends and family for their constant support, especially her older siblings who were her early role models: “They always find a way to make it to my games.” Whether indoors or out, Natalie has always been able to strike that unique balance for her teammates, a companion who can be the source of a good laugh to cheer them up, but also a competitive teammate who still takes the game seriously.
Natalie has plans to attend UNLV in the fall, but has also received offers to play volleyball from smaller colleges. After all of her accomplishments and years of playing volleyball, she tell younger students who are thinking about trying out to “…just go for it. You will never know until you try.”
Michelle Arteaga
By: Monica Houltram | Mohave High School Journalism Program
Perhaps it was fate…but one of the driving, formative forces in senior Michelle Arteaga’s life was suggested by her very name: art. The early-blooming artist picked up on watercolor paintings, drawing and sculpting in elementary school, continued her art career in middle school, and is now a few month short of completing her high school career, and art has been a constant companion.
While many members of the public who stroll through art shows admire the talent on display, Michelle knows the secret story of the hard work, dedication, and practice required to get any given piece of art to its show-ready best. Those kinds of demands never diminished her will to continue trying her best.
Michelle gave a clear ”shout-out” of thanks to retired Mohave art teacher Mr. Mark Anderson for having had one of the greatest impacts on her art career: “He always motivated me to continue my work, even when I was close to giving up.” Mr. Anderson made Michelle appreciate the patience it takes to create a piece of art which all too often does not come easily: “You have to want it bad enough to improve,” she proclaims.
Like so many others, Michelle often finds herself hitting the proverbial “block” that confronts both artist and writer. When she hits these stress-producing obstacles, Ms. Arteaga looks for motivation in herself and in her peers, most notable of whom is MacKenzie Jackson; MacKenzie is the type of friend who has never let Michelle fall behind and is always looking to give her that extra boost.
After high school, Michelle plans on attending Northern Arizona University and pursuing a career in social work while her life-long companion, art, moves into the role of a hobby instead of a way to earn a living. That doesn’t, however, mean that art will ever be forgotten; as Michelle herself said, “If it pleases you, keep going.”
Meline Guerrero
By Teresa Anderson | Mohave High School Journalism Program
Do you ever just try something new and think, “Wow, I really like this” …only to find that the ‘novelty’ had turned into a life-long passion? Well, that’s what Meline Guerrero, a senior at Mohave High School, did one day years ago, and now art holds a very special place in her heart.
Meline fell in love with the idea of, “making words with your hands that you can’t say with your mouth,” and she has been doing it ever since. She has tried many different artistic mediums, such as painting, ceramics, ink, and watercolor, but her favorite method is drawing, perhaps the result of her interest in comic book art.
“Art,” believes Meline, is about “being who you want to be” through the creations on the sketchbook or the canvas. She gained some of her confidence in her art with the help of the recently retired MHS art teacher, Mr. Mark Anderson: “He saw potential and always wanted me to keep going…and he was so accepting of whatever I wanted to make.” Meline made the most of this encouragement and ended up taking second place in the Mohave Art Competition at MCC her sophomore year.
She has progressed come a long way since those early days of artistic acclaim and continues to stress the idea that the long hours of work behind a piece of art often go unnoticed. Meline actually claims that, “talent is just another word for practice” which is her way of saying that regardless of some people’s natural talent, it’s really the practice that gets a person to where he or she want to be. No matter what the filed, if an individual wants to succeed, then an attitude that says “Practice and keep going!” is a necessity.
In fact, this coming fall Meline plans on attending ASU and majoring in Film & TV Production where she can hopefully create animations. Ms.Guerrero never wants to stop creating, and her greatest advice to others is to, “Never compare yourself to others… if you make something you don’t like, work on it until it looks the way you want it to, but never leave a work unsatisfied.”
