Friday, May 6, 2011

Special Edition

Issuu.com/GlencoeCrimsonTimes2700 NW Glencoe Rd Hillsboro, Oregon

A heart full of love and compassion, an infectious smile, and a genuine soul are some of the ways friends and family describe Alex Flores.

Family was No. 1 in Alex’s life, and he loved spending time with his parents Will and Joanna Flores, along with his sister Holly. Will Flores described Alex as the kind of boy who loved life and the people around him.

“He always found the positive in everyone and everything,” Will Flores said. “Alex as a kid and Alex as a teen embodied ev-erything good about life and heaven.”

Alex and his older sister Holly Flores loved each other very much and were nearly inseparable, their father said.

“[Holly] feels [as if she] has lost her other half, “Will Flores said. “Nothing can separate their love as brother and sister.”

Being El Salvadorian, Alex was proud of his heri-tage. His first time visiting El Salvador was a memo-rable and significant experience for him.

“[Alex] was excited for the different foods, tropical weather, beach, and most of all, meeting his grandfa-ther and great-grandmothers.” Will Flores said. “[The trip] made an impression on him that never left.”

Wherever Alex went he left an impact on other people’s lives. He was capable of making anyone feel better. Junior Chris Phanthavong said Alex had an easy-going personality that always made him laugh.

“[He was easy to talk to; we sat next to each other in class and instantly became good friends,” Phan-thavong said.

One of Alex’s biggest interests was sports, espe-cially basketball. He was an avid Lakers fan and knew the Lakers’ history dating back to the beginning.

Rogelio Martinez, Alex’s third grade teacher at Echo Shaw Elementary School said he remembers Alex’s excitement for being a part of the school’s bas-ketball club.

“He wasn’t Kobe Bryant at first, but he had fun, practiced more, and had more fun,” Martinez said. “He worked hard on the basketball court just as he did in the classroom.”

Close friend and basketball teammate Skyler Mar-tinez remembers when he hurt his ankle during a bas-ketball game, and Alex helped him up off the floor.

“He was a well rounded person,” Skyler Martinez said. “He had all the qualities a good person should have.”

One of Alex’s dreams was to study at UCLA and become a lawyer. He wanted to help those who are in need and to advocate for the less fortunate and the underprivileged. Alex was selected into the National Youth Leadership Forum on Law in Washington, D.C, for this upcoming summer.

“We are so very proud of HIM. His biggest goal in life was to help others and make the world a bet-ter place,” Will Flores said. “He believed in leaving things a little better than he had found it. I know he did exactly that with everything he touched.”

Not only did Alex touch the lives of his family and friends, but also the lives of his teachers. Journalism teacher Juanita Reiter said that Alex was interested in learning and absorbing each lesson.

[He was always completely with you, absorbing and thinking with depth,” Reiter said. “You felt [his] love of learning and desire to gain from it. He was the kind of student that made you a better teacher.”

Chemistry teacher Susan Weidkamp first met Alex last year when he applied as a Tide Crew leader, and she had him in her class this year.

“[Alex] impressed me with his eye contact [in class]. He always was focused and ready to learn,” Weidkamp said. “He was a successful young man with everything going for him.”

Alex’s pride and love for his family and friends was evident in the way he treated others. He was suc-cessful in meeting his goals of uplifting others and being remembered as a kind person.

“He made us all feel better. He would have made the world even better,” Will Flores said “but now he’s working on improving Heaven for those of us left here.”

The Flores Family plans to begin the “Alex Flores Scholarship Foundation” in honor of their son Alex. The Foundation will help deserving young people go to college, in particular those in need who may other-wise not be able to attend college.

“We want people to remember [Alex] as a person who made a difference in the lives he touched. He chose to be the kind of person that many of us only hope to become,” Will Flores said. “But most of all, he was and will always be the best son one could ever want. He was an angel on earth.”

Glencoe remembers

Alex Flores Junior Alex Flores was a devoted stu-

dent, friend, brother, and son. Alex passed away on Feb. 27 as a result of a bacterial infection. His smile and kindness will be

remembered

The Flores family: JoAnna Flores (mother), Alex, Holly Flores (sister), and Will Flores (father)

In honor of Alex, The Flores Family would like Glencoe’s help to develop the Alex Flores Scholarship Foundation as an annual fundraising event. They encourage anyone interested to plant a tree in Alex’s memory. The family also highly advovates people becoming a blood donor for the Red Cross and getting a flu shot every year.

by STEPHANY CHUM

Alex Flores played basketball for the Hillsboro Youth Basketball League and became one of the best players.He always had his alarm set to a sports radio station every morning and would watch ESPN as he ate breakfast.

Friday, May 6, 2011 -Feature Page 2 CrimsonTimes

Constantly dancing to a nonexistent beat, junior Arturo Acuña tells about his passion, glowstringing. A crowd-pleasing performing art, glowstringing is the act of rhythmically swinging glowsticks on strings to various types of music. Glowstringing is gaining popularity due to the hypnotic, yet stunning movement of the glowsticks, and must be done in the dark to have its full ef-fect.

Acuña first became interested in glow-stringing as a freshman, while searching for a pastime that would help him become known around Glencoe. While a freshman, Acuña didn’t have an activity with which to pass his time, but he knew he loved music. His love of hip-hop, pop, and especially his attraction to techno music were all major factors in Acuña’s decision to take up glow-stringing.

According to his sister, Adriana Acuña,

he “used to be pretty quiet, but now he’s more outgoing,” and this is a result of his discovery of glowstringing.

Acuña has only been glowstringing for about 10 months, but plans to continue through college, and would love to teach others to glowstring.

The talent show last year was Acuña’s first performance and although he was ner-vous, doing the show was an exhilarating experience for him. That performance be-ing such a great experience for this thrill-seeking teen, it further solidified in Acuña’s mind that he was doing something he loved. Acuña was provided with the opportunity to perform last year, and because he received such an exciting chance to display his tal-ent, he plans to follow up last year’s visually stimulating display with a new routine this year.

Glowstringing is undoubtedly Acuña’s passion, or as he says, “put it this way, my little sister [will be] crying in her bed, and

I’m in my room practicing.” Also, Acuña’s favorite aspect of glow-

stringing is “the feeling of the glowsticks’ motion.”

Much like the music he listens to, Acuña is very busy, so it makes complete sense that he would find something like glowstringing enjoyable. Everything about him could be described as busy, but in an intriguing man-ner. From his multi-colored shirts, to stra-tegically faded jeans, to his ever-changing hairstyles, and down to Acuña himself who is constantly moving, there is something go-ing on with every aspect of him.

Discovering his passion has changed Acuña’s life. Once a relatively quiet, re-served young man, he has become one of the most exuberant personalities at Glencoe, and enjoys talking to anybody who shares his passion for life. In all honesty, Acuña discovering glowstringing really sparked a glow in his personality that will not soon be extinguished.

by ALEX FLORES

photo by Alex OgleJunior Arturo Acuña showcased his glowstringing skills at this year’s Battle of the Bands. This performance was not his first in front of the school.

Dear Students,We feel privileged to publish this story written by Alex Flores. Alex

was a remarkable student in our first-year journalism class. Through his writing, we hope to give you a window into Alex’s sensitivity, warmth and intelligence.

This was Alex’s first personality profile, written in January. When we reread it recently, we were amazed by his talents as a writer and his insights as a person. To write such a wonderful story so early in his training revealed a lot about Alex as a person. We hope you will read his story more than once. When you do, pause and enjoy his phrasing; notice how his words reveal his creativity and his keen observation skills. You will also hear Alex’s voice and see into his open, loving heart.

Picture Alex as he interviewed Arturo, with a pencil in hand and a list of well-prepared questions before him. Imagine him listening closely, his head tilted slightly. He would have nodded frequently and flashed a broad, knowing smile. At times he would have laughed with delight.

Good writing starts with observing closely. Writing a good person-ality profile requires sensitivity and caring, and it is no wonder Alex excelled in this area. He cared about people, and he treated everyone with respect. He was a good listener who absorbed, reflected and ap-preciated.

Alex lived each day in a place called love. We feel truly privileged to have worked with him as our student. We hope you enjoy both the story and what it reveals about his loving nature.

With great respect and admiration, Juanita Reiter, Journalism teacherCharity Thompson, Journalism student teacher

~“He was the kind of guy who made people happy. I al-ways felt comfortable talking to him.”

Friend, Aruto Acuna (11)~“We always had a friendly

little rivalry between the Lakers and Blazers. I’ll miss his posi-tive attitude; he was a guy with a lot of integrity.”

Advanced Placement U.S History teacher, Joseph

Rodrick~“He had a wonderful per-

sonality. With his quiet lead-ership, he was the nicest guy I have ever known. His memory will always live on, he will al-ways be in our hearts, and every time we look up at the sky we know he is smiling down upon us as he always did.”

Classmate and Friend, Esperanza Pineda (11)

~“He had genuine soul, al-ways smiling and happy. Every time I saw him smile, it bright-ened my day.”

Classmate and friend, Car-men Walsh (11)

~“At the end of the first se-mester, he approached me about being my student aide. Even though I didn’t particularly need an aide for the period he was offering, he had such sincerity about him that I couldn’t say ‘no!’ He ended up doing some amazing work for me. His warm smile and gentle demeanor al-ways made a long day less try-

ing.”Advanced Placement

Language teacher, William Huntzinger

~“He was an A+ student, al-ways prepared and participated. He was a very good person, with a kind heart.”

SEAL teacher, Mark Ferris

~“[Alex] was broad minded, he knew aspects of everything and he connected with many groups of people. He taught me ‘If you fail, try again’ and I’ll al-ways remember that.”

Classmate and friend, Subret Aryal (11)

Sharing Memories

Student lights up the dark with a

uniquetalent