PegasusMonthly

The Rancho Solano Preparatory School Student Newspaper Volume I, Edition 8

April 2018

Editor-In-ChiefEnya Smilovic

Assistant Editor-In-Chief Myra Kamal

Prom, A ‘Smashing’ Success!By Enya Smilovic

The 2018 Upper School Prom on Saturday, April 7, was so much fun that I broke my toe danc-ing too hard! It was truly a ‘smashing’ success! The night started off with a pre-mock-tail party, and then turned into a fabu-lous dance party.There was even a new D.J. who played awe-some music t h ro u g h o u t the night. In addition to the new D.J was a beauti-ful new venue. It contained a grand room, with a big dance floor and a nice outside space to chill. The purpose of prom is to make the whole US bond more and bring every-one together before the school year ends. Our in-coming principal, Mr. Brown, described the dance and said, “My favorite part of prom was enjoying everyone on the dance floor, smiling and dancing, and hav-

Students Vanessa Ocha, Gaby Velez, and Diallah Athari having a fun time at prom!

ing a great time. I like seeing stu-dents having fun!” The title of prom queen went to the beautiful senior, Ameli-ya Anseth! Ameliya was very excit-

ed to be crowned our queen and said “It was such a special way to end my high school experi-ence. What made it even more spe-cial was that my handsome boy-friend, Nikc Jack-son, won prom king!!!” Nikc said, “Prom was fun! I enjoyed danc-ing with my bas-ketball bros and my amazing girl-friend, Ameliya.”Congrats to our queen and king! A shout out to Dhinesh Raj! He

made the dance floor lit, featuring his ‘shoe’.

And a huge thanks to STU-GO for making the event possible! STUGO president, Madison Koath, worked tirelessly for prom behind the scenes. She said “A lot of peo-ple worked very hard to pull off the prom, it was really spectacular to see

everyone’s efforts come together in the end.” The prom was unfor-gettable and everyone’s energy was brilliant. As the year closes, all we are left with are these mem-ories. I will definitely remember this year, and this prom, forever!

Our beautiful queen and king!

Ameliya Anseth being crowned queen!

Nikc Jackson being crowned king!

Seniors Enya Smilovic, Hayden Rosenberg, and Elijah Simmons enjoying and embrac-ing their last prom.

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Middle School Trips!

Eighth Grade to Catalina Island By Isabella Lirtzman

Sixth Grade to Wyoming!By Devon Miner and Will Starr

For the 2018 sixth grade trip, students went to the Teton School of Science in Jackson Hole, Wyo-ming. They snowshoed through different biomes, planted willows, balanced on a log forty feet in the air, and tested the water qualities of two major rivers: the Gros Ventre river and the Cody river. While there, students were able to see wild animals such as moose, bison, elk, and deer. Students enjoyed this fun-filled trip and will never forget the experience!

Seventh Grade to Washington D.C.!By Myra Kamal

This year, the eighth graders went to Catalina Island off the coast of California for their class trip. First, they went by bus to Long Beach, Cali-fornia. From there, the stu-dents boarded a ferry boat and travelled for another two hours to Catalina. Im-mediately after they arrived, they were immersed in learning about the island’s ecosystems and animals. Throughout the four days, the eighth

graders kayaked, snorkeled, went tide pooling, hiked, and dissected squid and sharks. During each of

these activ-ities, they l e a r n e d s o m e t h i n g d i f f e r e n t about the island and its inhabi-tants. Eighth grader Eli-za Punches

says, “It was probably my favorite class trip. I just really loved being able to be near the ocean and get closer to a lot of my friends. Overall,

it was a really great experience, and I know all the future eighth graders will enjoy it very much.” From the campfire games to swimming in the ocean, Catalina Island was a blast!

The seventh grade got the opportu-nity this April to visit Washington D.C. for their school trip this year. Not only was this an incredible trip, but it was an important one as well. The seventh graders visited multiple historical sites and museums, learn-ing about them and their history. Ev-ery day was filled with places to visit and fun activities! For example, on the first day they visited memorials like the Lincoln memorial, WWII Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial. The experience was breathtaking. The

students over the course of the trip also visited many museums, such as the African American History Museum, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, many of the Smithsonian Museums, and the Newseum. Fur-thermore, the seventh graders were even given the opportunity to tour the capitol and visit Mt. Vernon (George Washington’s home). Mr. Strickland obviously planned out an incredible and informative trip! Going to Washington DC was an amazing and educational trip for the entire seventh grade!

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Upper School Trips!Ninth and Tenth Grade to Chicago! By Diallah Athari

Eleventh and Twelfth Grade to Vancouver, British ColumbiaBy Justin Marxen

This April, the freshmen and sophomores here at Rancho Solano paid a visit to Chicago, Illinois, also known as The Windy City! Thanks to our amazing chaperones, we were able to see the city to its full potential. We took carriage rides around Grant Park, toured the city on Segways and saw some of the tallest buildings in the country. Upon arriving to the bustling city we walked over to the Hancock building for dinner and had an amazing view. Dinner was located on the 96th floor of the building, “It’s almost like you could see the whole city!” said freshman, Alissa Persten, in talking about the expe-rience. The trip only got increas-ingly better; the days were long and exciting but also extremely cold. Later into the trip we got to watch the Chicago Cubs play at Wrigley Field. We may have only gotten to the sixth inning before retir-ing back to the Hostel, but the night could not have been better. Throughout the trip we paid visits

to various museums and exhibits, each one more interesting than the last. We saw the Shedd Aquar-ium, The Museum of Sci-ence and Industry, and the Chicago Field Museum. Each one of these exhibits brought new knowledge and perspective into the ancient and modern histo-ry of the city. The days were simply packed full, although we were only there for a short amount of time, it felt as if we had been there for months. We saw an improv comedy show, visited the Sears Tower, took a boat tour, rode on the subway, shopped at Miracle Mile and paid a visit to the Bean, one of Chicago’s most visited tourist locations. On our final day of the trip we toured the city on Segways. “I was really nervous at first because it felt really unstable, but I really liked it once I got the hang of it,” sophomore

Emma Cone said. After our busy day of riding Segways, we spent our final hours in Chicago watching an amazing show entitled Memphis. The trip was extremely memorable and turned out to be a fantastic experience for everyone. We thank our fantastic chaperones: Mrs. Ad-ams, Mr. Brown, Mr. McLeod, and Ms. Gaetano for making it happen!

This April, Rancho Solano’s ju-niors and seniors took a trip to ex-perience the breathtaking history and life in Vancouver. We spent our nights at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, located in the heart of down-town Vancouver. On our second day in this beautiful city, we had the opportunity to get a bird’s eye view of the city at the Top of Vancouver revolving restaurant, which rotated 360° as we ate our meal! Every day our trip was filled with something to do, whether it was learning some-thing about the Salish peoples and seeing something spectacular, or strolling around downtown. Later on in the trip, we all put on clothes we were willing to get wet in to pre-pare for the whale watching tours. “I really liked being able to go out on

the boat and see the orcas. We had one of the boats that got the best views!” said junior and whale en-thusiast, Sophia Linkous, who was truly delighted at a chance to see the newborn orca that we encountered. Along with our chaperones, we learned about the Squamish and Sechelt Nations, both indigenous to British Columbia. We strapped our snowshoes on and marched through Grouse Mountain, we ended up eat-ing lunch in a traditional Hiwus feast house while doing a First Nations educational workshop. Towards the end of our amazing trip, we stopped by Shannon Falls then continued to the eye-appealing Whistler Village. From there, we took a gondola to the top of Whistler Mountain and had lunch. While doing so, we all kept

complaining to each other about how jealous we were that we weren’t skiing or snowboarding on such a beautiful mountain! Overall, our trip was filled with activities which kept us entertained and gave us all long-lasting memories. The juniors and seniors give a big thanks to our amazing chaperones: Mr. Sieg, Dr. Spencer, Mrs. Sharp-Stilliard, and Ms. Fisler for fulfilling their duty to make the trip an educational and experiential success!

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Sand Volleyball, Fun in The Sun!By Isabella Rose

Rancho’s Tennis Season Was A ‘Grand Slam’! By Kylie Head

This year’s Upper School tennis team has been one of the largest in Rancho Solano history. With four boys and nine girls, the team has grown significantly from past years. This year, the boys’ team has a record of 3-9, while the girls’ team has a record of 1-13, mak-ing it a decent 2018 tennis season. This record doesn’t account for every win or loss of every individual player, with many athletes performing very well. Un-fortunately, Upper School class trips coincided with the state tournament on April 20, so many players were unable to participate. Peri Taubman, one of the girls on the team, was very successful in the tourna-ment. She advanced to the third round before losing a game. Dhruv Khosla, a junior on the team, is very optimistic about upcoming seasons for the boys’ team. Normally, tennis teams

consist of six players. However, there were only four boys this season. Dhruv believes that next year there will be more than six boys playing tennis, to constitute a whole team. He is “looking forward to next season”, where there will

hopefully be more wins. Matisse De Roo, another junior on the team with a record of 6-5, comment-ed that, “[He loves] the practices that allow the players to be great friends with one another and have fun with the coach. [They] learn great techniques with [their] coach, Darren.” Di-allah Athari, a freshman on the girls’ team, agreed with Matisse, saying, “The tennis season was great for bonding with people I don’t normally social-ize with. It was one of the

best experiences of the year. The season was tough, but I plan on participating for the next three years.”

Rancho Solano’s sand volleyball team started their season in late February and ended just recently in April. Although the team faced obstacles including an incomplete team, they won their first game! The team roster included players: Ameli-ya Anseth, Allie Payne, Bella Rose, Rafaella Rocha, Ludovica Bianchi, Lindsey Belgrad, Amelie Clark, and Amanda Koath. Throughout the season the girls played while it rained, in 90 degree weather, and during a sandstorm. Rafaella Rocha stated, “Although it was hard to play through these conditions, it only made me better in the end. Remem-bering the basics was key to getting through the game.” Throughout the season, the girl would work on serv-ing, passing, and hitting in the sand.

Because the game is played in pairs, the girls had to work hard to keep the ball in play. Rancho’s team had three pairs composed of all differ-ent grade levels in the high school. In addition, they played teams all across Arizona within their division. Amelie Clark of the three’s team commented, “I thought the sea-son was very fun and it allowed me to be more con-nected to the girls on my team. I feel my volleyball skills have overall improved, espe-cially for court volleyball season in the fall.

Although we did not have a com-plete team, we did the best that we could, winning one game this sea-son. I’m really looking forward to next year’s sand season!” All the girls have improved tremendously throughout the season and are look-ing forward to the 2019 season!

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Upper School Spotlight on Allie Payne and John Gorgol: 1st Team All-Academic Award Winners! By Jena Vandenberg

Middle School Spotlight on Sarah Liley: A Girl With Many Great Qualities!By Diallah Athari

John Gorgol and Allie Payne are two of Rancho’s most exemplary students. Allie has been attending Rancho Solano since her second grade year at the Gilbert campus, and John Gorgol began his Rancho

career at the Ventura campus in the seventh grade. Allie not only adds to our academics and athletics, but is also an avid member of Rancho’s fine arts program. She just finished playing the character of Marty Maraschino in our spring musical, Grease! Allie also has been play-ing the violin in Rancho’s orchestra since the fourth grade and is assis-tant editor-in-chief of the Rancho literary magazine. John’s funny per-sonality brings a smile to almost all Rancho’s students, and his special talent of juggling does as well! Both Allie and John are involved in the Upper School student government. Allie is our Spirit Coordinator and John is the junior class Vice Presi-dent. In addition to everything else they do, John and Allie are currently pursuing the International Bacca-laureate full diploma. This diploma

is world-renowned, focuses on criti-cal thinking, and has quite the heavy work load.Currently, both John and Allie hold two of the highest GPAs in our Up-per School. John played on our var-sity men’s basketball team and Allie played on our varsity women’s bas-ketball team. Due to their tremen-dous efforts inside the classroom and on the court, they both received the 2018 All Academic Girls/Boys basketball award. Allie said, “It was an amazing feeling when I received the award, it makes all the hours of studying and hours practicing really worth it.” John also said he was “Ecstatic to receive this award and hopes to continue improving!” These students’ efforts on the court and inside the classroom are phe-nomenal and Rancho would not be the same without them.

Rancho Solano is well known for producing intelligent and well-rounded individuals, eighth grader Sarah Liley is no exception to this. Sarah is very talented in multi-ple areas and has proven herself to be a great contribution to our stu-dent body. Not only is she a violinist with many years of experience, she is also strong athlete. Sarah has been playing the violin seriously for five years and was able to showcase her talent while performing in the pit during this year’s musical, Grease. Sarah is extremely sociable and has incredible talent and great personal qualities. Jena Vandenberg, one of Sarah’s closest friends tells us that “Sarah is the one of the best people

I know because she is fun and she makes classes way more enjoyable.” As well as being a talented violinist, Sarah is a fantastic soccer player. She has been playing for the Arizo-na Blackhawks alongside her sister Maddie for almost two years. Ran-cho Solano is a great place where students thrive and become the best version of themselves possible. Not only do the students here have ac-cess to a fantastic education, they are exposed to the world of extra-curricular activities and experienc-es. Nothing makes us happier than seeing students thrive and we are so happy that Sarah and her siblings have chosen to come join us at Ran-cho Solano!

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Editorial: Immigration By Amelie Clark In recent years, many countries have experienced an influx of ref-ugees and immigrants seeking new homes. Some countries have had to form new laws to accommodate these changes. In the United States, we are facing the possibility of many innovations to immigration poli-cy. Our current president has many opinions about possible changes. He often refers to building “the wall” or strengthening security on the bor-der of Mexico to stop his main con-cern: Mexican immigrants crossing illegally.When I asked Ran-cho students what their thoughts were on immigration, Jena Vandenberg, a sophomore, said, “I believe that peo-ple should be in this country legally, and I believe that if you did come in illegally, you have no right to stay here and should be deported.” When I asked her how she felt about people who were leaving their own troubled countries to come to a safer place, and proba-bly would not be allowed to become legal citizens, even if they went through the process, she respond-ed, “I think that it can be a difficult process, but it is not America’s job to help other countries, they should instead try to fix their problems, and

not run away from them.”When I talked to Kylie Head, a ju-nior, she offered a different opin-ion. “I feel that illegal immigrants should not be immediately kicked out. They should be given a chance, because America is known as the ‘land of opportunity,’ and they should be given the same opportu-nities as other people.” Sam Perrino, a senior, seems to agree with Kylie, “I think immigrants should not be viewed negatively because there are jobs that we don’t want to do, that immigrants, even if they are illegal,

are doing. If we did deport them, I don’t think people think of the re-percussions we would have to face. At the same time, if people are here illegally we should send them back, but then we will have a bunch of jobs that are unfulfilled. There is no easy solution, but we need them as much as they need us, and this will

be a problem we will always have to face.” Rocky Castro, a sophomore, seems to sit in the middle on this issue. He believes, “People need help, and you should help them, but eventual-ly you will get to a point where you can’t take any more people in. You need to still be able to take care of the people who are a part of your own country before you sacrifice to help others.”According to the Migration Policy, in America, over 14% of the popula-tion is made up of immigrants. This

is especially prevalent in Arizona, where a large part of the popula-tion is made up of Mexicans. Sam brings up an important point, we have many immigrants who may be here illegally, but they do con-tribute to our society. We should be embracing them because, as Kylie says, America is known for being the land of the free and the place for opportunity. Every-one who is not Native American can trace their heritage back to a

country that is not America. These people have family members that were immigrants at a certain point in time, so shouldn’t they embrace new immigrants and what America represents? Dealing with immigra-tion and the complicated questions it raises will always be difficult, as there are no easy answers.

This is the picture of Central Americans from a caravan making their way towards the Ameri-can border.

Editorial: Hello and Goodbye By Yuna ShprecherThere is a reason why graduation oc-curs during spring. Both represent a new chapter in life; graduation sym-bolizes the beginning of a new story. At this time, eighth graders become high schoolers, and seniors become freshmen once more as they begin university. High school is a time in which we learn about ourselves and those around us, through laugh-ter and tears, heartbreak and new love, and the friends and teachers who mold us. It can bring feelings of excitement and trepidation to the minds of eighth graders, who

prepare for what many consider the four most crucial years of their lives. When speaking with two such students, both of whom will be en-tering the Upper School at Rancho next year, there was a general mood of eager anticipation about what will happen. Josh Folz, one eighth grader, spoke with anticipation as he looked to the coming years. “I’m very ex-cited for next year,” he remarked, when asked of his emotions about becoming a freshman. “There are a lot of new classes and opportuni-ties.” When questioned on what he’ll

miss about being a middle schooler, there was a hesitation, before he re-plied, “There’s not a lot I’m going to miss.” Olivia Brydon, a fellow eighth grader, added, however, that the im-pact of “losing a lot friends” will be profound, and Josh agreed. Such integral friendships created as a result of the advent of high school years is epitomized by soon-to-be juniors Jena Vandenberg and Bella Rose. Bella elaborated, “Because the class size in the Upper School is so small, it allows you to become closer to the friends you had in the Mid-

dle School.” Jena interrupted this, adding, “Just like Bella and I, who everyone knows as the best friend ‘couple’ of sophomore year.”Like the current eighth graders, the seniors will branch out to different schools, and many will lose touch. However, with the technology

placed in our hands today, it is not likely that those invaluable friend-ships that have formed over the years will completely fade away. Austin Best, a senior on the brink of gradu-ation, spoke of the evolution of cru-cial friendships throughout his time at Rancho. “Towards the beginning of your high school career, you start with a much larger friend group… But, senior year… you really start to narrow down your friend group.” As dynamics shift and course loads in-crease, “you pick the few people that you truly do feel connected with and that you know are your true friends. That’s really what’s most import-ant, especially in second semester.” When attending his undergraduate years at Lafayette College, located in the outskirts of Philadelphia, Austin knows he will keep in touch. “I’ve discovered which friends I’ll like-ly keep in contact with, and other classmates I wish the best, and will always think fondly of them.” Nghi Tran, who is preparing to leave for college as well, agreed, saying that the friendships made in high school “are really treasurable,” and that she definitely plans to keep in contact

with those that “always try to help you and lift you up.” Besides adjusting to a tighter circle of friends, the academic rigor of high school can be an entirely different challenge. Pens scribble and fingers fly across keyboards as fast as they can, in an effort to keep up with the

sheer amount of knowledge be-ing poured into students’ minds. Austin also re-marked on the unique atmo-sphere of Ran-cho, one that has taught him to “adapt to en-vironments of high stress, es-pecially in the IB

diploma program.” The stress of the intensive In-ternational Baccalaure-ate courses is something he and other IB students

have had to learn over the past few years how to deal with, and have become better functioning students because of it. Austin adds, “I’ve really learned how to take on challenges… so while I’m learning course materi-al, [I] really learn problem- solving skills which are valuable later on in life.” This is a key element of high school; indelible lessons and traits are discovered during this four-year transition that will continue to be used later on. Nghi shared similar ideas on how the course work of the past years has helped her grasp im-portant skills. “It’s taught me to be more independent, and how to solve problems- even when you have no idea what’s going on.” This speaks to the individu-ality of every high school-er, each faced with unique s i t u a t i o n s and challeng-es. Speaking to the unique situations of

each individual high schooler, an-other added challenge for Nghi was adjusting to the “totally different cul-ture” after moving here from Viet-nam. “I had to get adapted to how the classes worked, and just the load of work, which is pretty heavy… but teachers and friends have been real-ly helpful.” And then there is the question of whether the mentioning of high school in later years will bring to them a light smile, or a groan of relief that it is done with. “It defi-nitely is a good experience,” Aus-tin answered, without hesitation. “Like everything, it has its ups and its downs, but it really just depends on how much energy you’re willing to put into it. The more energy, the better your experience is.” Being able to look past the moments that can hurt, to the times in which there is laughter, is an important quality learned in high school, and one not so easily found. Soon, seniors will gather in the gymnasium, move the tassels from right to left, and throw the little black caps as high as they can. And the eighth graders will dress formally for the ceremony that declares their middle school years closed, a flurry of excitement and goodbyes. High school is certainly not an easy period in life, no mat-ter how hard you try or wish for it to be. However, when standing at these symbolic crossroads, finding those friends and mentors who will guide you towards the right paths is the key to surviving not just high school, but life itself.

Eighth graders Katie Lalicata, Brynn Blea-man, Bella Potoncjnk, Sarah Liley, and Olivia Yusupov are excited to be promoted to Rancho Solano Upper Schoolers next year!

Senior Hayden Rosenberg and Enya Smilovic are excited to graduate!!

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Rancho Solano’s production of:Grease, The School Version

Olivia Brydon and Jimmy Baldas starred as Sandy and Danny, here are the two in Greased Lightin’.

Here is the opening scene, featuring Nora Nehmeh who played Mrs. Lynch; Eliza Punches, played Patty Simcox; and Mitchell Finkelstein who played Eugene.

With two out of three performanc-es completely sold out shows, and an extremely talented cast, Rancho Solano’s production of Grease, the School Version was amazing! The cast was in rehearsal since January, and was very dedicated. The best part of the production wasn’t the flawless performance, though. The play created a bond between the cast, and the cast turned into a family. By the time tech week rolled around, we were all so close, and what was supposed to be an extremely stress-ful week turned into a blast!Senior Jimmy Baldas starred as Danny Zuko and did a fabulous job. Having to memorize so many lines did not faze Jimmy; he had a great time being in the play and com-mented, “Truly, all the actors per-formed superbly. Being in the play was an amazing experience! It was

my first musical and it helped me grow as a person. I now feel more confident and more mature.” Al-lie Payne, who played Marty, said, “I had a great time participating in this year’s musical! The best part

was being able to get to know some of the middle schoolers and form relation-ships with them.” And the production could not have been possible without the help of Assis-tant Stage Manager, Hayden Rosenberg. Hayden took over the show as stage manager for the final show, and he worked very tirelessly since January to make this play possible. “Help-ing out with Grease taught me so much

about how theatre works and about how life works in general. But help-ing out also taught me what it’s like to be in the work force.” Hayden added! It was truly an outstanding pro-duction, and the cast and crew were awesome. A huge shout out to Mr. Zale who directed the production and put his life into it. None of this would have been possible without him.

Kierra Fox and Luci Corman were Rydell cheer leaders!

By Enya Smilovic

Stage managers Enya Smilovic, Hayden Rosenberg, and Isabel-la Rose had fun on set!

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Our very own Mr. Minnecci played the role of Vince Fontaine! He did a fabulous

Senior Austin Best killed it as the Teen Angel, along with his outstanding Heavenly Chorus.

Cast singing “Summer Lovin” where Sandy and Danny reveal their summer together!

Josh Folz singing “Mooning” to Isabella Lirtzman.

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The Greasers looking tough.

Sleepover, Pink Lady style!

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Pegasus MonthlyComic Strip

Diallah Athari

In a rough situation? Not sure what to do? Send your requests for advice to “Dear Diallah” by email atPegasus@ranchosolano.comDiallah will answer one to two ques-tions per month.

DEAR DIALLAH

The Rancho Solano School of Magic

Summer Blues Dear Diallah,While everyone is super hyped for summer’s arrival, I am secretly dreading it! I bet you’re confused as to why a sophomore in high school would feel this way….let me ex-plain: I don’t know how to swim. Until now, it hasn’t really mattered much. I’d constantly claim I wasn’t in the mood to swim; I was allergic to chlorine; salt water, even. What-ever excuse I had to make, I made. Of course, though, everyone wants to swim a ton this summer. There is, like, no way out. All my friends are planning pool parties and water park excursions, which I am ex-pected to attend—and participate in. But I know the second I admit I can’t swim, that everyone will laugh at me! Making matters worse, I am overall terrified of water. I don’t know how I am going to make it through this summer! -Wake Me in September

Dear Wake Me In September, I get that the thought of summer can be daunting. Having to constantly worry about what excuse you are going to use for the next pool party only makes summer more stressful. Truthfully, it’s completely normal to be afraid of the unknown and if you’re not used to swimming, it can be extremely overwhelming. I un-derstand that you are worried about feeling embarassed around your friends, but if they are really your friends, they shouldn’t care that you can’t swim. If you are that concerned about this, might I suggest learning how to swim? I know it sounds ter-rifying, but we live in Arizona, there are pools everywhere, what if you fall in? Sincerely,Diallah

By Lauren PuryearMany teachers with last names that are colors on both campuses...