Texas reopens

By Taylynn

Texas reopens: Is this a good idea or bad? Many people are wondering that same question! Many people have died because of COVID. This mandate from the governor means Texas can fully reopen. Greg Abbot, the governor of Texas, wants to make masks optional for the public. A lot of people may not agree with this, but on the other hand, some people do agree with him.

The school still requires masks to be on most of the time. The mask debate has people wondering: Is it a good time to stop using masks? One of my classmates took a vote about masks in school; some people voted yes and some people voted no. You can read the breakdown below.

I think we should keep wearing masks in school, because the pandemic is still going on, and at any time it could spike back up, and then Texas might have to shut down again, requiring everyone to wear a mask again.

Masks at school

By Tony

All right, for all you folks out there – whether you’re coming into town or you just live here – there’s a new Texas mask mandate. Here’s what we got when I polled folks about the mask question.

I asked Marfa JH/HS students and staff, “Should we continue wearing masks at school, even though the government has lifted the mask mandate in Texas?”

About 55 students said yes, we should continue to wear masks, and17 teachers agreed. Then, 14 students said no to masks, along with three teachers that disagree with masks. While reporting on masks, I also asked, since it’s been a year, what people have learned since quarantine began.

Mrs. Marginot said, “One thing quarantine has taught me is how tired a person can get when not engaged in life.”

Ms. Foster said, “I learned how valuable time with family really is. It’s hard knowing your aunt lives across the street and you can’t go visit her or your uncle or your parents.”

Diego Jurado told me his lesson learned in the pandemic is, “Life is like a jungle: you either fight or run forever.”

Spate of vandalism plagues Marfa over spring break! 

By Dustin

This spring break, there were a couple of people running around egging cars late at night. This reporter knows of at least three eggings that  took place on Tuesday, March 9. I think the perpetrators were just having fun. I understand it’s boring in this town. Ms. Powers, a victim of these attacks, said, “The first time my car got hit was during the power outage in February, people threw a bunch of Dairy Queen ice cream at it in the middle of the night. I figured they were just bored. Then, during spring break, they threw eggs on Tuesday and DQ ice cream again on Thursday. Honestly, I think it was kind of a jerk move.”

My grandma’s car was also hit, and another local’s car was hit on March 12. On the Marfa Group Facebook page, at least 2 others complained of egging on Tuesday and Thursday during spring break. I heard the cops heard about it. Jaden Nunez, a freshman, said that the nighttime vandalism is “messed up.”

Tony Saenz, another freshman, said he would eat any DQ that is subsequently thrown at Ms. Powers’ car. Taylynn denies any involvement, saying, “I would never waste food.”

We don’t know if it was high schoolers or people that came down for spring break, like college students. We won’t ever know, because they never got caught, so that means watch your cars – they are still out there!!

Mexico travelogue: Playing soccer with the locals 

By Marco

I have been in Mexico for the past three weeks, and on my way to my house (in Mexico) I found out that I forgot my basketball – the most important thing out of everything I could bring! So now I had no basketball to practice with or just to play. I tried looking for any basketballs, but yeah, we’re in Mexico, and you’re not gonna see any! But then, I saw a couple of teenagers playing soccer. They were like 16, one of them was 17, and I asked if I could play. They said yeah. I said, “Now I’m not a D1 soccer player, but I’m OKAY.” Fifteen minutes passed by, and I was tired like tired-tired! I told myself, ‘’Dang I’m even tired of breathing through my nose!’’ I asked them if they were tired, and they responded, “Nah fam, we’re barely getting started!’’ I was like, “Nah bruh, I’m out, I’ll see y’all tomorrow.”

In my opinion they’re way too good! I’m going to be honest, I was lost. One of the dudes was running towards me and he split my ankles in half (then he ran to his backpack and gave me a piece of paper. He was like, “Here’s a map if you’re lost.” It was a sick burn.)

Honestly, I don’t mind; I like competition. I did make like three goals, and I made the goalkeeper do the splits. For me, that was an accomplishment! These guys were headed to the playoffs, plus they won state last year.

Softball victory! 

By Liani

How’s softball going? I personally think we’re an amazing team. The Marfa girls have such amazing energy and the best personalities. We played Van Horn last Wednesday and lost by a point. The suspense in that game was absolutely crazy; we were falling all over the place – literally! Then we played them Friday and Marfa took the win by 3 points, with Aundrea throwing pitches in the final inning that gave up no runs! We came out with an amazing attitude, and even though we were down at the beginning (2-8!), we didn’t give up and kept working. We finished the game with a score of 13-10. Hearing people in the crowd was an amazing and incredible feeling, and knowing it was the first time in over two years we’ve beaten Van Horn is an honor.

On repeat: The music we can’t stop listening to

It’s no secret that the young people of Marfa ISD love listening to music — students often have headphones in, and can be seen grooving in the halls. New recommendations to cool songs travel almost as fast as gossip in our small school! Here are the songs we can’t get enough of this month:

Dustin recommends: “Robbery” by Juice WRLD

I like Juice WRLD because his songs are vibey (vibey means something you can be relaxed to), and I’ve been listening to him for a while (for about two years now). I recommend his song “Robbery” if you are sad about a girl or something like that. It is good to listen to his songs when you are sad, because you can relate  to his sadness and not feel all alone when you are sad. He sadly passed away in December 2019, leaving behind his girlfriend, Ally Lotti.

Marco recommends: “Off the Map” by SoFaygo

The artist I’m currently listening to is SoFaygo. He’s very underrated! One of the songs I like listening to is “Off the Map.” I like this song a lot because the build up is fire! Then it hits you with the beat drop. The beginning of the song is mostly the beat and a few words, around 1:10 he starts rapping. The song itself is pretty long at three minutes. But it’s worth listening to! This song, it’s more like just a vibe. I would listen to this song when you’re chilling in your room or you’re at basketball practice.

Liani Recommends: “Die From a Broken Heart” by Maddie and Tae

I’ve been getting into country music recently! I wasn’t really into it until I started hanging out with certain people. I guess listening to it a lot, I was finally able to relate and understand the lyrics. I would say I’m constantly in my feels, so I listen to a lot of sad music unless I’m with my track sisters. I listen to sad music mainly when I’m alone and feeling sensitive. It sounds best when I’m in the car and at full blast when you can yell the lyrics because I feel like it’s something necessary. My current favorite song is “Die from a Broken Heart” by Maddie and Tae. In the song, she sounds like she’s hurt and in pain because obviously she’s going through a heartbreak like I am.

Zaelynne recommends: “Neon Moon” by Brooks and Dunn

I love “Neon Moon’’ by Brooks and Dunn because my great-grandparents dance to that song at every gathering we have. That is their song; my grandma and I have seen them dance to it for many years. Hearing this song always takes me back to my early childhood with a lot of good memories. One of the main memories that stand out is my great-grandparents two-stepping; the connection and love between them both while dancing to this song is absolutely beautiful! A moment I wish I could freeze in time.

Andru recommends: Luke Combs

The artist I picked is Luke Combs, because I like country music and he makes songs I can relate to. His music is based on his personal experiences, and that’s what really makes a great artist: if they’re real with their fans. Combs makes country music, two of my favorite songs are “Forever After All” and “Beautiful Crazy.” I love his lyrics and the meaning behind them. I like country music and Luke Combs is by far my favorite country singer.

Tony recommends: “Renai Circulation”

The song I’m reviewing is a song not everyone’s going to listen to, because it’s an anime song. Personally, I really like it. If you have Tik Tok, you may have heard it. The song is called “Renai Circulation.” You really might not like the first version you listen to, so I recommend searching “Renai Circulation English.” The beat to it is really catchy. Here are the lyrics: “It’s so hard to see it/but darling, let’s face it/these feelings we’re feeling/cannot be ignored/if you’re scared that you’ll see something you’ll regret/well love is something that’s best with life/avoid a fight and be polite/just shut up/wait a second, that ain’t right.”

Xylon recommends: “The Bigger Picture” by Lil Baby

So Megan Thee Stallion won the song of the year with her hit song “Savage.” In my opinion (and most of social media!) this shouldn’t be the winning song. I feel like the winning song should’ve been Lil Baby’s “The Bigger Picture,” a song about police brutality after all the BLM things that started with the death of George Floyd. Lil Baby raps about how wrong this is while Megan Thee Stallion raps about her body and physical relationships, about dating guys with money and other women’s jealousy. To me, this seems like this girl’s personal life matters more than police brutality. Trust me, the song is not better than “The Bigger Picture.”