The color guard team is always up and ready to flag their morning away as they practice their routines. But what, exactly, is it like to be a member of the color guard? As a member of the color guard myself, I am in a unique position to take you along on this journey so that you, too, can know what it's truly like to be a member of the color guard!

The day starts off by collecting our props and flags from the color guard room in the band hall. Then, as our flags begin waving through the air, our captain evaluates us to see if we are doing everything correctly.

Jordyn Orozco, a sophomore who loves color guard, is happy she made the team this year. When asked about the difficulties and challenges of being in the color guard, she said it's overwhelming but exciting.

“It is hard to do some of the movements because of my height," she said. "Although this is a difficulty, I don’t let it hold me back.”

For her, it is an escape from all the seriousness of life.

"It's an escape," she said. "It truly is. I love it!"

Lisa Bejarano, our color guard coach, has been involved with color guard since her high school years. She has always loved flagging, and she continues to prove her love for color guard by coaching the CHS color guard. One could say that she has a vested interest in keeping the tradition of excellence alive.

“I was in color guard throughout high school," she said. "It was a way to wear something different than what the band was wearing. My friends were in color guard, so I wanted to do it for that reason as well. I had a great time doing it, and while I miss doing it myself, I enjoy coaching the color guard at CHS."

When asked how she got into coaching color guard, Bejarano's answer was amusing.

"I was initially volunteered to coach," she said. "When the other guard coach could no longer help out, I stayed because I enjoyed helping out."

Bejarano said that, over time, her bonds with the color guard team have grown very close.

"In a lot of ways, I see each of those kids as one of my own children."

Color guard is a place for kids to be happy and express their feelings. When you join color guard, you get to express your feelings in dance form. This is one of the many reasons that I love being in color guard myself.

Orozco said color guard also brings each of the color guard members closer to one another.

“When I first got into color guard, I didn’t know I was going to become close with the seniors we had last year, but I was happy to create new friendships.”

Along with new friendships, color guard members develop and build communication skills, collaboration skills, and leadership skills. 

When we run our routines, communication is important. You cannot be afraid to ask questions or tell somebody they are incorrect. This ties into collaboration. You need to be able to collaborate, whether you like the person or not. In the end, it will bring the team closer together.

Color Guard is a nice place to do stuff without being judged. It is a safe place to be yourself. This allows you to be creative without being held back. You can tap into your thoughts and challenge yourself to create new opportunities.

Braylea Lopez, freshman, feels she can be free of judgment in color guard.

“I like that I can express myself through color guard; it makes me feel free.” 

Color guard is not only for girls because boys can join, too.  Josh Morales, sophomore, is the only boy on the color guard team this year, but he is certainly a vital part of the color guard team.

“Being the only boy is challenging because I am expected to be the stronger person on the team," he said. 

While Morales loves being on the color guard team, he said it isn't without its challenges.

"I sometimes get made fun of, but I don’t let it bother me because I enjoy color guard."

While Morales is sometimes the butt of jokes because he is a guy in what is traditionally a girls' event, he says that he doesn't let anyone else's opinion take away from the joy he gets out of being in the color guard.

"I shouldn't let somebody else's opinion influence the way I feel," he said. "I am always excited to be flagging and love spending time with my friends and making memories."

Color guard is not only twirling a flag, but also dancing. Dance is a great way to express yourself when words are not enough. Guard has helped me relive a piece of my childhood when I used to dance as a little kid. I can always rely on the color guard to give me the option of freedom to dance when I want to. 

So, when I'm out on the field, and the sights and sounds of the color guard invade my senses, I am reminded of what it's like to be truly happy. Color guard is certainly something that brings joy to me and, hopefully, to the people watching us from the stands. In short, I will always love color guard!

As the superintendent for Crane Independent School District, David Lewis says he’s here for the kids, both academically and in terms of student safety as well.

“Kids are my number-one priority. We want them to have a great experience at school and to be safe.”

When asked what made him want to be a superintendent for CISD, Lewis said it was all about the kids. 

“I met some of the kids here, and they were great.”

Lewis said he has truly found his calling in education.

“I like working in a school setting,” he said. “And I’m all about the kids. When it comes down to it, I put them first. After all, they are who we are here for.”

Some may not be aware of exactly what a superintendent does, but, thankfully, Mr. Lewis was willing to explain it.

“Being the superintendent involves dealing with the budget and policy,” he said, “and being able to guide the plans and choices of Crane ISD.” 

As the saying goes, behind every good man is a good woman. This certainly seems to be true for Mr. Lewis‘s wife, Kristi Lewis, who works in the special education department as a diagnostician. She said she is thankful for the opportunity to work in this district and live in this community, and that she and her family are happy to be in Crane.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to have, for both of us and our daughter. I am glad that we chose to move here, and I feel very welcomed by the people of Crane. They make sure my daughter, my husband, and myself feel very welcome. We are very happy to be here.”

Crane Independent School District welcomes Mr. and Mrs. Lewis to Crane. If you haven’t had a chance to meet them or their daughter, please make it a point to shake their hands and welcome them to town.

The runners of Crane XC know all about this because they deal with the extremes of running hard every day. With early morning practices and meets almost every weekend, the struggles of being a XC runner are very real.

There are many different types of courses, including sand, hills, and roads. Each of these courses requires different approaches, and while many people might think the sport is simple--that you just run until you hit the finish line--there's actually quite a bit more to it than that.

Runners must push themselves every day to become better if they want a chance at achieving greatness. All this hard work leads to the big moments, which are district, regionals, and if things go really well, state. Crane XC runners have known success at all of these levels, and each year every new XC runner wants to leave his or her mark on the sport for Crane ISD.

Miracle Chavarria, freshman, is getting a lot out of her first year in XC.

“I enjoy XC very much, regardless of all the tiring mornings. I want to continue to do XC, and I would highly recommend it.”

When asked about how she trains her runners, Machele Pahl, head XC coach, had a lot to say.

“I like to train runners in a way that they get a well-rounded range of workouts that allow for them to train as a team, but also leaves room for individualized modifications.”

Pahl said that she makes her runners run for one hour instead of a mile on the long-run days so that each person can train according to his or her own needs.

“Typically, we do a long run, hill work, a steady-state run, intervals, speed work, a shakeout run, hurdle flexibility, and lower leg/foot strengthening drills.”

One might think that getting good at cross country is only about running and training hard. However, Pahl explained that there’s much more than simply running with one foot in front of the other.

“We watch videos, talk, and complete assignments that will help the runners with their race plans so that they are able to mentally prepare for their races.”

XC isn’t just about being physically tough, but being mentally tough as well. According to Pahl, it leaves you with skills that you can use later on in life.

“With this combination of training, we hope to produce mentally and physically tough runners who know how to compete on a course and in life as well. Our goal is that by the end of each season, they are in complete control of their program, and we are there to guide them through it.”

XC is indeed a spectator sport. Come on out and support the XC team at their next meet. As a runner myself, I can say with complete confidence that we would love to see you there!

This year, the Crane High School band will perform a new show entitled, “Imaginarium.” The term is defined as “a place devoted to the imagination.” Specifically, the imagination of a child. This is what this year's show is trying to capture, and head band director, Sara Hill, is working hard to make this year’s show a success.

“We’ve been putting in a lot of work,” she said. “The kids are really working hard, and we will need everyone to keep it up so that we can continue with the rich traditions that the Crane band has established over the years.”

Hill said the show is going to be a good one, and the theme will have a lot to do with that.

“I think this show is going to be nice because, as adults, it takes us back to a time when we were young and innocent, with vivid imaginations. I hope this year’s show captures that for people.”

While it's true that the colors of our imagination fade over time, we can look back on the days of our youth through the eyes of the children around us. Perhaps “Imaginarium” will help the spectators of the band’s show do just that.

When asked about the inspiration for the show, Hill’s eyes lit up with excitement and joy.

“The inspiration for our show is based on the song, ‘Pure Imagination,’ which comes from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. “Our music composer combined this song with the song "A Million Dreams" from the movie The Greatest Showman to make it all come to life.”

Hill said that the show is not heavy like some shows are.

“This show is very playful in nature, just like a child’s imagination.”

Robyn Vega, a sophomore, spoke about her experiences marching in this year’s show.

“There's a lot of hours put into it, but with all the practice, I think it will pay off.”

Vega said she’s confident that she’ll be pleased with her participation and where it leads as the band gets better and better in preparation for contest season.  

“I know that in the end, I will feel good about the show, knowing that I did a good job. I think we will all be pleased at the end of the day, really.”

 

Some students are not in the marching part of the show, but rather occupy the area at the front of the field known as “the pit.” The pit is where all the xylophones, sound systems, piano, etc., are located. But every aspect of the show is of supreme importance, whether it be in the pit, on the field, or behind the scenes with the many volunteers.

 

Sally Gutierrez, freshman, talked about her experiences in band practice, preparing for the big show this year.

“Mrs. Hill makes us practice lots and lots and lots and lots,” she said. “In fact, she guilt trips us to do better. But it works, and we are getting better.”

When people think of a band, they tend to think of percussion, woodwinds, and brass, but there's also the color guard and twirlers. 

Corinn Hensley, sophomore, spoke about her experiences in the color guard and how it relates to this year’s band show, “Imaginarium.”

“When I have the flag in my hands, all I think of is not to drop it or mess up. All my focus is on the counts of the routine, marching to our next set. I think when everything is working the way that it's supposed to, that the flags, the twirlers, and the rest of the band come together to make an amazing show."

Regardless of whether we are talking about the flags, the twirlers, the members of “the pit,” the band director or the drum majors, or the marching band itself, one thing is certain: everyone must work in concert to ensure that the audience experiences what the inside of a child’s mind looks like. If the band continues progressing the way that it has so far, this year’s show is bound to keep the mighty legacy of the Crane band going strong!

If you haven’t already, come on out to a home game and watch the Crane band perform its new show. Better yet, when it’s contest season, make the trip to support your mighty Crane Golden Crane band!

Married? How long? I've been married to Mr. Ortiz for 13 years, but I've been gracing his presence for the past 16 years. LOL.

How long have you been in education? This is my twelfth year working for Crane schools. The first year I started with Crane, I was a parent volunteer, then a substitute teacher. That year, I decided I really wanted to help students learn and started my bachelor’s degree. I then applied to be an elementary aide, and the following year I moved to middle school to be the library aide. I realized there that I really loved working in the library, helping students find books they were interested in, and started focusing my education on being a librarian. 

I spent four years as the middle school library aide and then became a 6th-grade reading and technology teacher while I earned my Master’s in Library Science. I'm now a fully certified school librarian with a Master's in Library Science. 

Where were you before Crane? I'm originally from Roby, Texas. It wouldn't surprise me if you haven't heard of it. It's about 20 miles north of Sweetwater. I lived there all my life until I moved to Crane in 2010. 

What do you do for fun? Read! Of course! I also enjoy working in my yard and watching movies.

How many siblings do you have?  I have one sister, two step-siblings, and three half-siblings.

Children? Grandchildren? I have one daughter, Emily. She's a sophomore this year.

What is one of your hidden talents? Hmmmm... I'm not sure I have any hidden talents. 

What would students be surprised to find out about you? I used to want to be a band director. I even attended college at Angelo State University and majored in Music Education. 

Do you have any pets? I have two chihuahuas (Portia, 13-years-old and Max, two months), a bearded dragon (Merlin), a guinea pig (Diva), and a red-eared slider turtle (Tortuga).

If you won the lottery and decided to give up working in education, what would you do instead? I would probably still work in a library or travel around the world visiting libraries. I absolutely love being where the books and people are!

What inspires you? The students and teachers here at Crane ISD. I believe that what we are doing here is making a difference in the world, and I'm excited to be a part of it. 

What is your dream vacation? My dream vacation would probably be to travel to Europe and visit historical sites, museums, and interesting places. I'm not really a physical activity or being out in the sun type of person, but I do like learning about places and seeing interesting sites. 

What are your trapped-on-a-desert island books and movies? This is probably the hardest question ever! I love so many books and movies, and they are always changing depending on my mood. 

Right now, I would have to say the books I would take would include The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Game of Thrones Series by George R. R. Martin, and Noodle and the No Bones Day by Jonathan Graziano. 

As for movies, I would probably have to have the Harry Potter series, Practical Magic, and all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. 

When asked about her thoughts on the game, Gisselle Sanchez, sophomore, said, “We did good but need to communicate more as a team.” 

The girls struggled a bit with communication but made the Lady Devils go to the third set, and they fought hard to the very end. 

“It was good playing against them because when we play them again we’ll know what to fix," said Sanchez. 

Mariah Aranda, sophomore, who is also on JV Purple, said, “I think we are learning more and more how to work well together as a team.” 

Aranda believes that they could have won the game, but that hey were tired and started making little mistakes that kept adding up.

“Overall, I think we are improving a lot day-by-day.” 

The girls are prepared and ready to face off against Presidio again very soon, and this time they will know what they are up against. They plan to be ready for anything. 

Come out and support the Crane Golden Crane Lady Birds this Saturday in Crane where all three teams will go up against district rivals, the Alpine Lady Bucks.  

The Crane Golden Cranes completely blew the Tornillo Coyotes out of the water Friday with a score of 68-0 in Tornillo.  

After two consecutive home-game losses, the Crane Golden Cranes were able to get back on their feet and bring home a win. The Cranes’ record is presently 2-3, with two away games won, one lost, and two home games lost with zero won. This last bit of information will hopefully change when the Golden Cranes take on the Compass Cougars Friday for Homecoming. 

Tornillo is definitely a long way from home. At a four-and-a-half hour drive—nine hours round-trip—it definitely is not a quick trip. So the Golden Cranes arrived at the field house for a  quick walk-through before leaving at 1 p.m., much earlier than they have to for most games.

“The drive was definitely the worst part about the entire day,” said Damian Charles, senior. “I was almost hoping they’d cancel the game since Tornillo is such a small team, and it's so far away. But in the end, I’m glad we were able to go. I don't think we played as good as we could have, but it was still definitely the most fun I’ve had at a game yet.” 

Varsity football coach and athletic director, Michael Pittman, said that he doesn't believe the team played to the best of their ability. 

“Whether it was the long bus ride or the small crowd size, I do not think we were as ready to play as we should have been.”

Pittman suggested that the boys seemed to be making mistakes, even if the score didn’t end up reflecting that.

“At times, I felt that we were moving in slow motion, and we made a high number of mental mistakes.”

Moving forward, Pittman wants to continue improving weekly as the team moves through district play. 

“By eliminating mistakes, and having assignments and plays become second nature, future games can be easily won,” he said.

After the Golden Cranes had the taste of victory once more, they're ready to win this special homecoming game under the Friday night lights. 

Make sure you join the Homecoming festivities Friday, starting with the pep-rally at noon in the Tommy C. Jones Memorial Gym, then the parade at 2:30 p.m. going down Gaston and Sixth Street, and finally, the football game at 7:30 p.m. at El Ave Stadium.

Go Cranes!