Friday, November 04, 2011 By Willy Cardenas and Jacinda Woodruff

AP Testing-goodVIDEO <–(CLICK HERE)

Forty-nine AP students were presented from $100 to $200 for good results on last year’s AP tests.

Friday, November 04, 2011 By Michelle Ivette Rodriguez

Vince Perez talks to Argus Editor Michelle Rodriguez about his campaign. – Willy Cardenas

Vincent Perez, a Bel Air graduate of the Class of 2000, credits his time and teachers at Bel Air as being a great influence in his political career. He credits his involvement in his high school’s student council and speech and debate for his interest in this field.

“I’m not really sure (what inspired me to become a politician)… I think (it was) when I joined speech and debate…it really had an impact on the development of my speaking skills and debate skills,” Perez said.

He said his interest flourished during his first campaign, which took part his junior year as he ran and won the position of student council vice president.

“That was such a huge campaign. It was such a competitive race…and I was fortunate to win (the vice presidency),” Perez said. “I guess I’ve always had an interest in government.”

Perez said “it was very fortunate the way things worked out” as he attended Georgetown University and had the opportunity to work with Congressman Silvestre Reyes. Perez served as Reyes’ Communication Director; the position required Perez to “do a lot of press releases and a lot of (Reyes’) speeches.” Perez’ job also required him to introduce the El Paso community to events and issues that were going on in the congressman’s office and “talk about the issues in a way that people would understand.”

His time with the congressman allowed Perez to understand and become familiar with the federal government and its policies.

However, working for the local congressman was not the most influential experience to persuade Perez to begin his own political career. Perez said most of the most influential people in his career were his teachers and mentors from Bel Air.

“Mr. Vern Butler was our principal. I think he was probably the most influential person,”he said.

He said that Butler “took (him) under his wing” and encouraged him to take part in student government and organizations.

“He really looked after me and made sure I took part in student council and leadership positions. He was a really great principal,” Perez said of his mentor.

With the encouragement of his mentors, Perez is a running candidate for Lower Valley County Commissioner.

“(I decided to run) because I knew (that the current representative) was not giving us good representation,” Perez said. Perez grew up in the Lower Valley near Bel Air High School and decided to “give it a shot” and provide the Lower Valley with a dedicated representative.

“The current representative hasn’t really been attentive to the people. Our community…needs somebody dedicated and who is going to be here full-time,” he said. Two candidates are the owners of two small businesses and the other has been in the legislature for many years, Perez said. He does not have a side job that would distract him from his duties as representative, therefore Perez would be able to dedicate himself to his career 24/7. This is one of the major reasons as to why he is the best candidate for this position, Perez said.

“When you get to the areas that are outside city limits, you see a lot of poverty…This area needs somebody who can dedicate themselves full-time and focus on these issues,” he said. The difficulty in correcting these issues is the budget cuts made in the state that affect the county, he continued.

“I’m not going to make promises I can’t keep. In this environment and time of economic problems, I’m going to look at all the options that are available to address these problems,” Perez said.

One way Perez is establishing the communication needed for his long sought relationship between representative and community is by going door-to-door and introducing himself as a candidate for Lower Valley County Commissioner.

The elections will take place on Tuesday, March 6, at various locations throughout El Paso.

POLLING PLACES IN THE BEL AIR AREA

Voting polls for the March 6 elections in the Bel Air area are at:

• Rosedale Baptist Church – 506 Hunter Dr.
• La Verdad Community Church – 7721 North Loop Dr.
• Friendship Baptist Church – 7615 Matamoros
• Dr. Church Valley Baptist – 7924 Gateway Blvd.
• Mount Olive Baptist Church – 718 La Paz Dr.

Thursday, September 15, 2011 By Chrissy Gomez

Members of the 2011 Homecoming court. – Glamour Shots

After a tough election with many guys and gals running for the top throne, Joel Nuñez and Gissel Mireles  took the crowns as this year’s Homecoming King and Queen, respectively.

Both Nuñez and Mireles are very involved in school activities and said they were extremely overjoyed to hear they had won, although Nuñez was not immediately present for the good news as he was in Albuquerque for a football game against Rio Rancho.

Nuñez, who is also a member of Student Council and NHS, said that he had never run before and that this was the first time he had ever thought of being a candidate for any spot on the homecoming court. Nuñez also said that he does not plan to show off his victory.

“This is a traditional school for my family,” Nuñez said. “I just want to keep up the spirit and have fun.”

Mireles said she held a similar stance on her triumph, saying that the reason she ran was not only for fun but also had a deeper meaning behind it.

“It was a different experience ,and I wanted to prove that I had the ability to win,” Mireles said. Mireles is also a class officer, swim captain, and a member of DECA and wanted to express gratitude to her fellow students: “Thank you to all those who voted for me. I just want to be the best I can be!”

Those who had also ran for Homecoming King or Queen said they were not disappointed but rather enthusiastic about Homecoming week. Anthony Hernandez, who also ran for Homecoming King, said he was a good sport about the election and did it mostly for fun.

“Running for Homecoming King never crossed my mind until this year and it became one of the goals I had to accomplish before I graduate,” Hernandez said. “Now I just want to have a good time and party!”

Also in this year’s senior homecoming court is Anthony Martinez as Senior Prince, Hyde De La Rosa as Senior Princess, Michael Godinez as Duke, Nicole Torres as Duchess, Irvin Galindo as Royal Highlander, and Stephanie Enriquez as Lady in Waiting. Junior Prince is Kiedis Reyes, Junior Princess is Stormy Cloud, Sophomore Prince is Thomas Garza, Sophomore Princess is Destiney Morales, Freshman Prince is Marco Corona and Freshman Princess is Heather Cloud.