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United by the spirit of competition, Compass and Crane varsity boys come together for a photo—setting aside schools, jerseys, and rivalries after Wednesday’s district XC meet in Lubbock.

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The Crane Golden Cranes varsity cross country team proudly takes home the district championship after a victorious meet Wednesday afternoon in Lubbock.

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District cross country volunteers guide runners through the winding course Wednesday morning in Lubbock, keeping the race on track.

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The Ladybirds JV cross country team huddles close, soaking in their final shared moments before the last race of the season Wednesday morning in Lubbock.

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Amanda Gutierrez, sophomore, gets hyped about winning 3rd place at the district XC meet Wednesday in Lubbock.

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Junior Berkley McNeese beams with joy as she warms up, embracing the sport she loves most at Wednesday morning’s district cross country meet in Lubbock.

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With the rising sun casting long shadows, junior Steven Lozano stretches into focus—ready to chase glory at the district cross country meet in Lubbock.

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Kenya Valles, a determined senior, surges ahead of the pack, carving her path to victory at Wednesday’s district cross country meet in Lubbock.

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Crane High School's National Honor Society hosts a meeting during lunch to prepare for the NHS induction ceremony for incoming members Thursday afternoon.

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Little Caesar is spotted during the 3rd quarter at the Alpine vs Crane Football game Friday night.

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Sara Hill, band director, leads the count-down for the opening show during halftime Friday night in Alpine.

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The Golden Crane Theatre sets the stage during the first play of their senior year in the CHS auditorium Thursday morning.

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Brandon Lippert, assistant band director, instructs the roadies during the Alpine football game Friday night.

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Machele Pahl, XC coach, digs into some nachos Tuesday afternoon during the senior night volleyball game.

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Syanna Lopez and Taysia Ford, seniors, make memories at the varsity football game against the Alpine Bucks Friday night in Alpine.

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Teagan Rodriguez, freshman, runs through a defender to score against the Alpine Bucks JV Thursday at El Ave Stadium.

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Nathaniell Lane, freshman, works on his assignments in English 1 Thursday morning at CHS.

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Showing great hospitality and serving up delicious sweets, the Life Skills students of CHS learn some valuable lessons about money management and social skills Tuesday beside the CHS library.

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Jeremiah Clark-Martinez, Life Skills student, delivers a sweet treat to Brad Pettit Wednesday at Crane High School.

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Emily Carrasco and Victoria Tavarez, seniors, start the preparation for the Haunted House Wednesday at the Airport Hanger.

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Boston Rodriguez, freshman, shows off his fresh new haircut before band practice Thursday.

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Damian Gallegos, freshman, checks classmate's work to make sure they have the same answers for their group work.

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Charlie Lee and Brinlee Hill, freshmen, get a great block Tuesday against the Coahoma Bulldogs in the Crane High School gym.

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JJ Rodriguez, senior, shows a customer the menu at the concession stand during the volleyball game at CHS Tuesday afternoon.

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Valerie De La Torre and Melissa Garcia from First Community Federal Credit Union speak with the financial math classes today at CHS.

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By Coach Machele Pahl

El Ave News contributor

Crane XC dominated in the district 3-3A XC Championship. Both boys and girls qualified for regionals. The boys ended the day at 1st place, and the girls finished in 3rd.

Placements:

Steven Lozano-2nd🥈

Ivan Martinez-3rd🥉

Josh Morales-4th

Luciano Alvarez-9th

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Emma Snow and Micaella Wood, sophomores, work hard on a history paper in Cynthia Herrera's class Tuesday morning.

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Christian Leyva, junior, gets hands-on experience as a student CNA, taking vital signs at the community health fair Thursday morning.

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Gaby Padilla, freshman, enjoys the game Thursday in Crane against Alpine.

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Teagan Rodriguez, freshman, tosses the ball to Malaki Hernandez, freshman, during the JV game against the Alpine Bucks at El Ave Stadium Thursday afternoon.

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Lexi Rodriguez, junior, serves the ball at the varsity volleyball game Saturday morning in the Tommy C. Jones Memorial Gym.

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Ava Navarrete, sophmore, glares down the opposing team at the varsity volleyball game Saturday in the Tommy C. Jones Memorial Gym.

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Navarrete, Abalos Shine Despite Crane's Loss to Coahoma

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Navarrete, Abalos Shine Despite Crane's Loss to Coahoma

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Story by Lauren Rubio

El Ave News contributor

Photo by Lexi Dominguez

El Ave News staff writer

The Crane Ladybirds fell to Coahoma in a four-set district match Tuesday, losing 1-3. The final set scores were 16-25, 25-19, 16-25, and 17-25.

The team's strongest performance came in their second-set victory, 25-19. During that frame, Crane posted its best hitting percentage of the night and tallied a match-high 20 digs. Another bright spot for the team was its serving in the third set, where they achieved a 93.8% success rate.

Despite the loss, several players delivered standout performances.

Serving: Setter Maddie Abalos was perfect from the service line, landing all 19 of her serves for a 100% success rate while scoring 2 aces. Ava Navarrete also added 2 aces on an impressive 92.3% serving clip.

Offense: Navarrete led the charge with a team-high 12 kills. Ivory Velasco provided the most efficient attack with 15 digs and 7 kills. Abalos orchestrated the offense, finishing the match with 27 assists.

Defense: Velasco led the back row with 15 digs, while Abalos contributed 13. At the net, Brooklyn Gryder and Navarrete each recorded two block assists to lead the team.

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Brinlee Hill, freshman, puts up a block against the Compass Lady Cougars varsity team Saturday in the Tommy C. Jones Memorial Gym.

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Lady Birds Fight Hard Against Compass Lady Cougars

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Lady Birds Fight Hard Against Compass Lady Cougars

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Story by Coach Lauren Rubio

El Ave News contributor

Photo by Lexi Dominguez

El Ave News staff writer

The Crane Ladybirds showed heart and determination on the court Saturday, battling through three competitive sets against the Compass Lady Cougars. Though they ultimately fell short, the effort and energy they brought to the match demonstrated the team's fight.

Match Highlights:

Net Defense: Brinlee Hill and Brooklyn Gryder each recorded a total block.

Back Row: Lexiana Rodriguez and Alondra Moreno anchored the defense with nine digs each.

Offense: Ivory Velasco led the attack with seven kills, while Maddie Abalos orchestrated the offense with 12 assists. Ava Navarrete contributed five kills.

Serving: Four players served at 100% efficiency: Maddie Abalos, Lexiana Rodriguez, Alondra Moreno, and Ava Navarrete, who all recorded one ace each.

The Ladybirds will look to bounce back in the second half of district play, building on the relentless effort shown.

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Maxin Marquez, freshman, gets treated by trainer, Panfilo Guzman, sophomore, during the game against the Alpine Bucks Thursday afternoon at El Ave Stadium.

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Kadrian Palma, freshman, catches the ball over two defenders Thursday during the game against the Alpine Bucks JV at El Ave Stadium.

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Teagan Rodriguez, freshman, warms up his throwing arm before the game against the Alpine Bucks JV Thursday at El Ave Stadium.

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The Crane Golden Cranes JV takes a knee after their win Thursday against the Alpine Bucks at El Ave Stadium.

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Malaki Hernandez, freshman, punches the ball in to score against the Alpine Bucks JV Thursday at El Ave Stadium.

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Jentri Clack, 5th grader, participates in youth center volleyball Monday night.

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Aniyah Woods, 5th grader, gets ready to set the ball during a youth center volleyball game Tuesday.

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Crane Golden Cranes JV takes a knee during an injury timeout Thursday against the Alpine Bucks El Ave Stadium.

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Jeffery Ford, freshman, makes a spectacular catch to add six points to the board Thursday during the JV game against the Alpine Bucks at El Ave Stadium.

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Teagan Rodriguez and Kratos Sierra, freshmen, have a chat on the sidelines during the JV game against the Alpine Bucks Friday.

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Teagan Rodriguez, freshman, throws the ball to one of his wide receivers Thursday during the JV game against the Alpine Bucks.

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Andree Velez, freshman, thinks about what to do next during the JV volleyball game against the Compass Lady Cougars Saturday morning in the CHS gym.

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Gaby Padilla, freshman, cheers for the JV football team at El Ave Stadium Thursday during the game against the Alpine Bucks.

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Cruz Palma, future Golden Crane, smiles big for the camera at El Ave Stadium Thursday afternoon.

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Crane Golden Cranes emerge after halftime to finish conquering the Alpine Bucks Friday.

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Lexi Dominguez, freshman, focuses on the next play in Saturday’s JV match against the Compass Lady Cougars.

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The JV volleyball team takes a quick time-out during the game against the Compass Lady Cougars Saturday afternoon in the Crane High School gym.

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Baldemar Aguirre, senior, pushes up the field while playing against the Alpine Bucks Friday.

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Hudson Willis, sophomore, runs it in for a touchdown Friday night during the game against the Alpine Bucks.

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Aaron Padilla, senior, scores the first touchdown of his high-school career during the varsity football game against the Alpine Bucks Friday night.

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Kobe Walker, sophomore, sprints by defenders to find his way into the end zone during Friday's game against the Alpine Bucks.

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Senior Brayson Newberry electrifies the crowd Friday night as he powers into the end zone for his first touchdown of the season during the 3rd quarter of the varsity game against the Alpine Bucks.

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Hudson Willis, sophomore, scrambles out the pocket to escape from losing yards during the varsity game against the Alpine Bucks Friday night in Alpine.

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Noah Guerrero, sophomore, and Brayson Newberry, senior, get ready to take action.

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Nathaniell Lane, freshman, takes the ball down to the twenty-yard line Friday night in the game against the Alpine Bucks.

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Kobe Walker, sophomore, scores his second touchdown of the night to put Crane up by six during the game against the Alpine Bucks Friday night.

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Aaron Padilla, senior, makes a great tackle Friday night against the Alpine Bucks.

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Josh Morales, senior, snaps the perfect picture against the Alpine Bucks Friday night.

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Ivan Moreno, senior, prepares to kick the extra point against the Alpine Bucks Friday night.

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Kobe Walker and Conner Duran, sophomores, get hyped when Walker scores another touchdown against the Alpine Bucks Friday night.

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Ivan Moreno, senior, makes an undeniably amazing catch; unfortunately, it didn't count, but it was still great!

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Baldemar Aguirre, senior, shows off his bedazzled cleats Friday night during the game against the Alpine Bucks.

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Hudson Willis, sophomore, throws the ball deep during Friday's game against the Alpine Bucks.

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Hudson Willis, sophomore, hands the ball off to Gracin Huertas, senior, Friday night during the game against the Alpine Bucks.

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Gracin Huertas, senior, hops to his feet after dominating the Alpine Bucks Friday.

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Izayah Saucedo, senior, raises his helmet during the school song, celebrating the varsity football team's victory against the Alpine Bucks Friday night.

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Rachel Gerig: A Guiding Light at Crane High School

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Rachel Gerig: A Guiding Light at Crane High School

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Story and photo by Kobe Walker

El Ave News staff writer

She is a warm, helpful, and approachable presence in Crane High School. When she walks down the hallway, she greets those she meets with a smile and pat on the back. She loves the students of CHS.

Her dedication to student safety and well-being is unwavering. She goes out of her way to ensure that all students are protected and secure, which stems from her background as a former English teacher. This experience has shaped her daily approach to leadership and care.

I caught up with her as she was making sure every door was secure and that all the classrooms were locked and safe. I sat down with her in her office, and she gave me her philosophy on education, why she got into this field in the first place, and what her short- and long-term goals for CHS are going forward.

Q1: How does your teaching experience inform your leadership?
Teaching has profoundly influenced my leadership. It taught me the importance of leadership in the success of a school. We all lead in some way, making decisions daily that impact others. I believe that compassion and understanding are essential qualities that help us all succeed.

Q2: What is your perspective on fostering strong literacy?
Literacy is the key to success in any society. It’s essential for effective communication within our culture and surroundings.

Q3: How do you create a positive learning environment for students and staff?
A positive school culture and a desire for learning are vital. When students feel safe and free to learn, their potential is limitless.

Q4: Can you share how your background as an English teacher has provided insight into challenges you’ve faced as a principal?
My experience as an English teacher has offered valuable insights into school improvement. To succeed, reading and writing must be prioritized for everyone—teachers and students alike. Clear communication is crucial for predicting and enhancing student success. Strategies that boost literacy across all subjects have consistently improved student outcomes.

Q5: How does your English background influence your leadership approach, especially regarding literacy and communication?
Studying English gives us insight into the world we live in. It helps us navigate emotions, society, relationships, and future aspirations. Learning about people and behavior through reading and writing has shaped me both personally and professionally.

Q6: How do you support your staff’s professional development, drawing from your own experience as an educator?
I believe that everyone is a lifelong learner. Sharing experiences and lessons helps foster empathy. Leading with compassion and trust encourages growth and development among staff.

Q7: What strategies do you use to cultivate a positive, collaborative environment?
Effective communication and collaboration are key. Celebrating small wins and preparing for larger successes help build a strong school climate.

Q8: Do you enjoy being a principal?
Absolutely. Watching students grow and prepare for the future is truly rewarding.

Q9: Do you miss being an English teacher?
Sometimes I do miss it. When students realize how reading and writing can help them in life or grasp a valuable lesson through literature, it’s a special moment that fosters growth with fewer struggles.

Q10: What motivated you to become a principal?
I loved teaching so much that I wanted to impact more lives. Becoming a principal allowed me to support others on a larger scale.

Q11: What are the biggest challenges facing your school community today, and how are you addressing them?
One challenge is addressing kindness and respect among students. We work on this daily, organizing assemblies and inviting speakers who promote positivity, demonstrating that kindness is the best path forward.

Transitioning from being an English teacher to a principal is a significant change, but Mrs. Gerig has embraced it successfully, demonstrating dedication and effective leadership. If you see her giving pats on the back in the hallway, perhaps you should consider giving her a pat on the back as well for a job well-done!