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4 09.24.10
09.24.10
Star
Martial artist:
Sophomore
Victor Chhun
practices his
“freeze” dance
move after
school in the
R-Wing with his
dancing crew.
photo by
Kristin Acevedo
Dancers:
S T A G G
hip-hop dancers ‘aim’
to create new club
Nicole Lawrence
It starts out with an interest
and then it progresses to a passion.
That is how some great
talents start. Nobody really
knows what they are good at
until they put forth the effort
to try new things.
Christian Nigrana, sophomore,
has been watching
his uncle dance since he
was in elementary school.
Nigrana decided to imitate
his uncle’s moves
and then later tried to
make them his own.
Inspired by this art of
motion, Nigrana decided
to share this
newly found passion
with his fellow
classmates at
John Tyler, Victor
Chhun, and
James Tran, both
now sophomores
as well. The
group then decided
they would
become their own
dance crew. Chhun
and Tran watched
videos on YouTube
and other websites
in order to educate
themselves more
about dancing and
practicing their own
moves.
Later, as they came
to high school, they
invited their new friend
Victorious Gemma to
join their dance crew.
Nigrana said he sometimes
gives his friends advice
on new moves but, “we
all have our specialties in dancing.”
Their dance moves
come from different styles
like b-boying, break dancing,
and clown walking.
“I feel like myself (when I
dance),” Chhun said. “When
I mess up, (Nigrana, Tran, and
Gemma) just laugh.”
Chhun says they have a very
tight bond. He loves dancing with
his close friends because he knows
that they won’t judge him. Nigra-
S E A R C H
“Artists in Motion”
na uses dancing to feel happy, to
“relieve stress,” and to forget about
whatever troubles he had that day.
Gemma also uses dancing to help
him emotionally.
“I feel free,” Gemma said.
“All my stress is gone and I don’t
have to think about all the rough
times.”
Gemma, who had just joined
the group last year, feels at home
with the others. “I feel like they
are accepting me as their own,”
Gemma said.
One day, the boys ended up
with English teacher Martin Bagnasco,
and he encouraged them
to become a club, which is now
called AIM, or Art in Motion.
English teacher Harold Brown
agreed to be their supervisor
which excited the boys, and soon,
they were ready to take immediate
action and make sure that their
club started out on a good note.
“We were in shock,” Victor
said, when he described how the
club started.
“It’s great now that we have a
place we can dance,” Nigrana said,
referring to being able to practice
in the theater as compared
to practicing in the R-wing or at
each other’s houses. They think
that this will help them expand
the club and hopefully get more
people to join.
Right now, there are currently
seven participants. Chhun thinks
that this new club will help Stagg’s
reputation.
“I think we are the only school
in Stockton that doesn’t have a
dance team,” Chhun said. “Hopefully
we will make a difference.”
(clockwise from
top) Jennifer
Hernandez,
junior, poses
for her photo
shoots to build
a portfolio and
also at a car
show with a fellow
model.
photos
courtesy of
Jennifer
Hernandez
Features
the Stagg Line
Talent comes in many forms
whether it is natural or
learned. When one discovers
such gifts, they may choose to
exceed others’ expectations and
as a result emerge among the
rest of society as stars.
The Stagg Line found five of
these gifted teens who rose
above the average and exhibited
great dedication in pursuing
their passions.
Boat racer:
Xe Xiong
“Step up” is a phrase commonly
used in movie titles, songs,
and even sports, but what does it
mean? For junior Rachel Martinez,
stepping up means becoming
more mature and being able to
command her team.
Martinez is a coxswain, the person
in charge of a rowing boat, for
a competitive rowing team called
the Deep-Water Rowing Association
through the University of the
Pacific. She sits at the front with
headset gear, giving directions to
her rowers, and steers the boat;
Martinez is the coach on the boat.
For every boat, there is a different
number of seats, but Martinez’s
boat has eight rowers.
“We have to work together …
you need everyone; you can’t do it
alone.”
“I have to know everything”
she said. “I have to tell (the rowers)
it’s wrong” whenever they
row in the wrong motion, even
if the males on her boat are many
years older than her.
Since she became a coxswain,
Martinez coxes for a boat of males
because, she said, “they are stronger
and go faster.”
When Martinez first started
rowing during seventh grade, she
said the coach had them “hop
right in and if (they needed) help,
(they had) to ask the coach.”
Her first experience at a coxing
was when the team was short on
coxswains. She said, “I was hella
scared because I didn’t know what
to do.”
In her first year as a coxswain,
no one had faith in her and
thought she’d fail, but because she
coxes males in the varsity team,
she quickly progressed. During
her eighth grade year, Martinez
went to nationals with her team
and they placed 12 th .
“Before, when there was a varsity
team,” Martinez said, “they’d
always yell at me.” But despite
their harsh criticism, Martinez
said, “I like getting yelled at
Rachel Martinez
… That’s how I got hella better.”
Criticism is also what helped
her attain her current title of head
coxswain.
She said, “After a lot of practice,
everyone wants to be in my boat.”
And at the end of her first year,
things “finally clicked … ‘oh, this
is what you’re supposed to do.’”
“She’s really experienced and
good at what she’s doing,” said
Eric Weir, the director of rowing
at the University of Pacific and
also the coach for her team.
Although Martinez coxes most
of the time in this nine-month
program, she’s also a “great rower,”
Weir said. Martinez still goes out
to row once or twice a year.
Martinez said being a coxswain
has helped her become a better
rower. “When I go out as a rower
... I know what not to do and I
could correct myself if I’m doing
something wrong.”
Weir said she has a good chance
of getting scholarships for rowing
at universities. Rowing is
“such a different-looking sport,”
Weir said.
“It’s a team building sport” and
students can also get scholarships.
The new recruits don’t need to
have experience, they “just need
commitment and (to) come every
day.”
black belt works to qualify for nationals
Chesiree Terry
Senior Jasmine Villanueva enjoys
applying eyeliner and mascara
every morning, and she is known
for her delightful scents of perfume.
However, she is not afraid
to embrace the other side of her
personality, which includes the
vigorous sport of taekwondo.
Her coach, Julio Ramirez,
represented El Salvador for taekwondo
on the national team in
1996. In 2002 he decided to be a
teacher. Little did he know that a
few years later, he would become
Villanueva’s inspiration.
Ramirez is happy to be her inspiration,
“I want her to make nationals
but it depends on her, not
me,” he said.
Not only does she want to
make nationals, but she wants to
pursue her talent as a career.
Each drop of sweat dripping
from her face is a testament to her
hard work to achieve this goal.
She aims to receive a scholarship,
but she knows better than anybody
how difficult it is. “It is very
When Jennifer Hernandez
was a little girl, she would watch
music videos on television and
imagine herself in them.
“When I was younger, I used to
think I could rip off the screen and
jump in the video,” she said.
Now, as a junior, she no longer
has to imagine.
Hernandez works as a model,
and, not having modeled for even
a full year yet, has quite an impressive
résumé already.
Her first step, she says, was
a photo shoot at the waterfront
downtown. From there, her uncle
Larry took her portfolio and presented
it to “Street Low” magazine.
This led her to the Palladium
in San Jose, where she modeled
in a car show, representing “Street
Low.” It was at this car show that
she got to perform as a dancer in
concert with hip-hop artist Davina.
hard to get a scholarship,” Villanueva
said. “They only pick about
one from each state.”
Even if Villanueva doesn’t make
nationals, she has gained much
more from the experience than
she expected.
She has gained discipline,
strength, and most importantly,
closeness with her brother.
D e s p i t e
all their hard
work, they
have time for a bit
of lighthearted practice.
“There have been
times when things got
rough between us,”
she said, laughing.
“We try to
beat each other
up; we try to kill each other.”
Although she can joke about
it, she understands the difficulty
of the task she wants to take on.
While blood and sweat would
make some girls flinch, Villanueva
allows her busted lips, injuries,
and the stress of making weight
Model:
Mikeala Axton
“It just kind of happened,” she
said.
Hernandez soon gained a
manager for her modeling.
Her friend, a performance
artist, is managed
by her
husband, who
offered to manage
Hernandez as well.
Her manager, Ernie,
got her into rapper
E-40’s “Out of Control”
music video,
where she worked
as a background
dancer. Through
this video, Hernandez got to meet
and talk to other rappers like Mistah
F.A.B. and Hood Starz. While
taking pictures and chatting with
them, they gave her advice for her
modeling, telling her to stay focused
and passionate.
While the E-40 video was a
definite milestone in her blossoming
career, it was not her first
experience with music videos. Pre-
Jasmine Villanueva
motivate her. Spending spare
time teaching the white belts and
waking up with sore muscles has
become all too common for her;
these are the very things that push
her to work to her full potential.
She is extremely glad that her
mom brought the passion of
taekwondo into her life. “My
mom wanted us to learn selfdefense,”Villanueva
said.
“I think it’s a
great way to self
defend!”
While she is having
fun doing what she
does, she realizes the
importance of being
alert and focused.
Of course, Villanueva
claims
to have learned from the best.
Ramirez feels proud to pass on
his skills. “I have been doing this
for 21 years and it is important to
teach them and show them what I
know,” he said.
Villanueva said she has learned
a lot. She learned to count to 10
viously, she was in a music video
with underground Bay Area artist
Extreme, for his song “Tattoo
My Name,” filmed, appropriately,
at a tattoo shop.
But even
with all
these experiences
under her
belt, Hernandez still
struggles with insecurities.
She’ll sometimes
worry about her body
image. “I’ll feel insecure
sometimes so
I’ll go to the gym a
lot,” she said.
Luckily, she has the support of
her family behind her, with her
uncle Larry who got her into car
shows, an encouraging father, and
a mother and sisters who help her
with choosing outfits for events.
However, not everyone in her
family is supportive.
“My older sister gets jealous,”
she said. “(But) I ignore it, she
doesn’t faze me.”
and can say the salute in Korean
which is one of the key steps of
having a better understanding of
the culture of taekwondo.
Through the years, she has been
building up this talent, constantly
pushing herself to get better.
With her coach by her side for
support and her brother on the
other side challenging her to be all
she can be, Villanueva has found
her passion and her talent that she
will cling to for the rest of her life.
modeling jobs open doors
for future career
Jennifer Hernandez
leader steers team towards successful season
“
I want (Jasmine)
to make
nationals but it
depends on her,
not me.”
Julio ramirez
TAEKWONDO
TEACHER
Prioritizing is another challenge
on Hernandez’s plate, having
to balance work and school.
“I focus on school first, and if I
have time I’ll do some modeling,”
she said.
But, while she is modeling,
Hernandez always keeps in mind
what she feels a model should be –
“Somebody to look up to, a strong
person... and classy” – because, she
says, there are too many “hoochie”
models out there. These standards
are a large part of why she draws
so much inspiration from Latina
singer Shakira.
“I look up to Shakira the most
because she’s not a hoochie,” she
said. But, in addition to “staying
classy,” Hernandez’s best advice
to herself and others is simple: be
yourself.
“You don’t have to be perfect,
you just have to be yourself,” she
said.
“When you’re yourself, you’re
the most beautiful person ever.”
photo by Erica Trevino
Junior Rachel Martinez uses her headset gear to communicate with her rowers during practice and competitions. The first two rowers are people with
good rhythm, the middle four have to be strong, and the last two are technical. Although she is not a rower, coxswains are considered the backbone of
the boat and are essential in guiding them through the waters.
Musician:
artist uses instruments
as emotional outlet
Annamarie Cunningham
It’s funny how something that
happened completely by chance
could change a person’s life. “My
mom got [both] my sister’s electric
guitars, and I just wanted
one too,” Lisette de Leon, senior,
said. It may be hard to believe that
something as trivial as wanting a
guitar because her sisters had
them changed her life, but, believe
it or not, that’s the
case for de Leon.
De Leon
started with
voice lessons,
switched to violin,
moved to piano,
and eventually came
to rest on playing the
guitar. She has played
on and off since fifth
grade but really immersed
herself in
playing it around
freshman year.
She took all the emotions connected
to her high school experiences,
her freshman year especially,
and channeled them into her
songs. Music, she said, “was a way
to vent all my emotions.”
Although de Leon has been
playing guitar since fifth grade,
she has only composed four songs.
“A lot of others are in progress,”
she said.
Since she started playing guitar,
piano has been on the back
burner. Like many other people,
she just plays piano for fun; piano
is not really incorporated into any
of her songs so far. De Leon learns
pop songs by ear and plays them
Lisette de Leon
on the piano, which is a talent itself.
Even though music has guided
de Leon through the troubles of
high school, she doesn’t particularly
want to pursue it as a career.
She has been offered shows at coffee
places, but she was “too shy”
to play. “I’d like to keep playing,
and I’m always up to learn more,
but it’s more of a hobby,” she said.
She does intend to pursue some
form of arts after high school.
“Maybe baking or photography,”
she said.
De Leon
looks up
to the whimsical
but dark sounds
of piano player Regina
Spektor, the emotive
lullabies of Dashboard
Confessional, and the
earthy vocals and guitar
of Zee Avi. All
three of these artists
have a slightly
cynical edge to their music, just
like de Leon. “A lot of my friends
think my songs are depressing,”
she said. But even with her gloomy
sound, de Leon has the folk, mellow
feel of Bob Dylan or Joanna
Newsom.
Even though they are slightly
depressing, de Leon’s songs are
catchy. Her family has always supported
her music. “I hear them
singing (my songs) in the bathroom
and its like, ‘Hey! –you’re
singing it wrong!’” Thankfully,
hearing her songs constantly
hasn’t gone to de Leon’s head. She
remains just a guitar player. Just a
girl who loves music.
photo by annamarie Cunningham
Though senior Lisette de Leon has been asked to play gigs for The Empire
Theater on Miracle Mile, she prefers to play for self enjoyment.
5
Senior Jasmine
Villanueva
spars with her
younger brother
Jonathan during
practice. In
order to win
points, they
must aim for
the circles on
their gear. By
the age of 13,
students may
begin aiming
for the head to
score higher.
photo by
Erica Trevino