Reaching back and reaching out

Deirdre Newman

Que pasa?

That’s the question the editors of the Spanish-languagepages in the

Newport Harbor High School newspaper are contemplating as they try to put

their finger on the pulse of the Spanish-speaking population at the

school.

The Spanish-language pages used to be a staple of the Beacon, but

eventually faded away. They made a comeback earlier in the school year

because of the efforts of editors Magaly Cano and Roger Mendez, both

juniors.

The inclusion of the pages are important at a school with a sizable

Latino population because often these students are not aware of or

involved in school issues, Magaly said.

“I want the Latinos to take a stand and not be so quiet and let their

voice be heard,” Magaly said.

The Beacon is published once a month and contains two Spanish-language

pages. Magaly, 17, and Roger, 16, brainstorm ideas for stories and turn

to Editor-in-Chief Kellie Brownell for help in designing the pages.

Upcoming articles will include how immigration has been affected by

the events of Sept. 11, an article on dating and an interview with the

school’s bilingual community outreach coordinator.

Kellie, a 17-year-old junior at the school, said she is excited about

the pages coming to fruition, as it has been a goal of the staff to

resuscitate them since she joined the Beacon her freshman year.

“It’s improved the impact of the paper because it [now] reaches out to

the majority of students on campus,” she said.

Some students responded with enthusiasm to the Beacon’s effort to

reach out to the Spanish-speaking population.

“It’s good because some people only speak Spanish,” said senior Lupe

Valdivia, 18. “So it helps them understand and gets them involved. I’m

happy with the coverage.”

But some students are still not aware of the Spanish pages’ existence.

“I didn’t know,” said sophomore Maggie Arceo, 16, who said she hadn’t

perused past the paper’s first few pages.

Magaly said she and Roger will continue to publish the Spanish pages

next year.