51���� Scorpions soccer players receive All-Region team selection��

Three players from 51����’s Scorpions soccer teams have been selected for the All-Region team.��

TSC Scorpions Luis Garza, Raul Lopez, and Kenia Quinones have received the designation, a significant accomplishment for both they and the Scorpion’s soccer teams after having finished their first active season. For the men’s team, Garza, Forward, was selected for 2nd team All-Region, and Lopez, goalie, received an honorable mention. On the women’s team, Quinones, a defender, also received an honorable mention.��

The All-Region soccer team is a recognition given to top players in a specific region and is based upon player performance over the course of an entire season. The selection process consists of a nomination and voting process among regional coaches, identifying the best players from all teams in order to acknowledge their skills. The selection of players from TSC’s team, belonging to Region 14, is a noteworthy accomplishment and a point of pride.��

“Being a first-year program, we are honored to have our athletes recognized for their outstanding play on the field,” said 51���� Executive Director of Athletics & Civility, Dr. Armando Ponce. “Region 14 is the most competitive in the country, making this recognition even more significant. Their selection is a testament to the high level of soccer athletes that the Rio Grande Valley is producing,” he added.��

Selection as part of the All-Region team extends beyond a designation, as it can enhance a player’s visibility to college recruiters and scouts, creating opportunities for them to play for other institutions once they graduate from TSC.��

To Scorpions Head Coach Mario Zamora, the selection is a well-earned honor for his athletes. “It acknowledges the exceptional skill, talent and dedication of the players’ roles within the team and on the field, such as Raul’s exceptional performances as a goalkeeper, Luis’ scoring important winning goals for our team as a forward, and Kenia being the defensive leader of our Women’s team,” said Zamora. “It showcases RGV soccer players’ potential and caliber of talent within our team, helps to set a strong foundation for the program’s future success and reflects the hard work put in by the players, coaching staff, and support of the entire program and institution.”��

51���� festively welcomed the Holiday season, hosting its annual this past week.

The community-focused event saw TSC faculty, staff, students, and holiday revelers from all walks of life congregate outside the Oliveira Student Center building, all eyes watching the wonderfully adorned tree in anticipation of its lights coming to life. While the tree was undoubtedly the main attraction, the event’s central themes were togetherness and the importance of strong community bonds.

Onstage, Mr. Villareal, along with Board of Trustees Chair Adela Garza, Vice-Chair J.J. De Leon Jr., Secretary Alejandra Aldrete, Trustee Ruben Herrera, Trustee Eva Alejandro, and Trustee Delia Saenz, welcomed the audience, encouraging everyone to participate in a countdown before lighting up the tree, emphasizing the vibrant TSC blue and orange ornaments adorning it.

“Tonight is all about community,” said 51���� Vice President of Information Technology Luis Villareal. “51���� is your community college; we are dedicated to serving our communities.”

In addition to the lighting of the tree, a selection of local talent was on hand to entertain the crowd with various performances.

TSC’s Little Scorpions from the Raul J. Guerra Early Child Center, dressed in festive holiday costumes, delighted the crowd with a holiday dance number; the A.X. Benavides Elementary Choirs sang a stirring collection of traditional holiday songs, and cheerleaders from Romero Elementary, Saint Mary’s and Jubilee Livingway raised the energy with spirited dance sequences.

, , and closed the evening with musical performances, fusing Latin music with holiday spirit.
Before their performance, Mariachi Escorpion was presented with a $20,000 check from H-E-B to fund the purchase of uniforms for the newly established TSC group.

“We are incredibly thankful for this generous donation,” said 51���� Mariachi Escorpion Director Avigai Gonzalez. “The rhythm and melody of music has the power to guide the soul and inspire dreams, and we want to continue to inspire the community through our music.”

After the performances, the crowd enjoyed food and refreshments, and some took pictures with Santa. It is what happens when a community comes together to celebrate.

To 51���� student Abraham Avila, community events such as the annual tree lighting ceremony are crucial to what makes TSC unique.

“It’s nice seeing everyone come together like this, especially during the Holiday season,” said Avila. “It makes everything feel more communal, representing a big part of TSC’s identity.”

When one thinks of a college and the typical activities associated with it, a few specific things immediately spring to mind: textbooks, lectures, research papers, and lab sessions, to name a few. However, to some people, college represents a time when the fine arts take center stage in their lives.

51���� adjunct instructor Elizabeth Ordeman is one of those people, and she generously lends the benefit of her years of experience in the performing arts to those students who choose to participate in her array of drama courses offered here at 51����.

“I’ve been involved in theater for much of my life,” said Ordeman. “My family grew up outside of New York City, so we would go to Broadway often, so I became thoroughly interested in the theater.”

Ordeman’s Acting I class teaches students the basics of stage performance, familiarizing them with theater terminology and jargon. It is a safe place where students are placed in the spotlight and encouraged to embrace their performative and expressive sides. Students also form pairs to engage in duet performances, creating a chance to collaborate while preparing for a complete stage presentation.

Ordeman said the skills her students learn while enrolled in the drama courses offered at 51���� function on a fundamental level, imparting them specific universal skills that they can build upon as they navigate their way through more academically intensive classes.

Of course, for a theater to thrive, it needs access to as much raw talent as possible, and Ordeman is determined to raise more awareness of her classes and all they have to offer to recruit that talent.

“I would like to see a strong and significant theater department built up because people would enjoy that form of art and expression, and we would be able to see some great performers in the future,” said Ordeman.

“I tell students, ‘If you’re on the fence about it, you should just try it out.’ I have people this semester that have never been on the stage before, and I have people who have, so that mixture allows us to play a lot,” said Ordeman. “It’s a course to play in.”

51���� student Jade Harper is a student who had no reservations about enrolling in the class.

“I’ve met so many wonderful friends here that I’ve never had in my previous courses, and I’ve just had a blast performing,” said Harper.

Harper’s acting partner, Samantha Garcia, agreed. “Our teacher is good at directing and helping us,” Garcia said. “Her guidance and direction give me the confidence to perform in front of everybody with no qualms.”

Ordeman said she hopes students enroll in these courses with the intent of having fun but also because it builds confidence and will be beneficial in their future endeavors.

“I teach projection so that they can speak out loud and enunciate their words, but it also teached confidence when speaking in front of others” Ordeman said. “It is a skill that may be helpful for any job they may have in the future.”

Drama classes that are tentatively scheduled to be offered for the Spring 2024 semester are DRAM-1351 (Acting I), DRAM-1352 (Acting II) and DRAM-1310 (Theater Appreciation).

For more information on these courses, please contact Amanda Utzman at amanda.utzman@tsc.edu or (956) 295-3475.

Guests adorned with marigold flowers and faces painted in the iconic Calavera motif gathered to celebrate Día de los Muertos on the evening of November 2, 2023, at 51����.����

The celebration began with a festive parade as gatherers congregated between North and South Hall. Carrying lit candles and various offerings honoring friends and relatives who have passed on, gatherers made their way down the campus paseo to the TSC Oliveira Student Services Center parking lot to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos.��

The departed souls for whom the event commemorated heard the folkloric sounds echoing out into the cool evening air as the 51����’s newly created Mariachi Escorpion and Los Fresnos High School Conjunto Halcon performed their musical pieces to the audience.����

A holiday of great significance in Mexican heritage, Día de los Muertos is less about the morbid nature of death and much more about an appreciation of life, as well as a display of reverence for friends and loved ones who are no longer with us. In many ways, the holiday encapsulates the Latin phrase��memento mori, or “remember that you have to die,” invoking a sense of making the most of our time and enjoying life at every possible opportunity.����

Appropriately enough, the event occurred in the heart of the historic TSC campus, which has a reputation for supernatural occurrences. The campus, previously the Fort Brown military post back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was no stranger to skirmishes and bloodshed. For decades, stories of ghostly hauntings have become commonplace, with anecdotes ranging from sightings of apparitions on campus to encounters with disruptive poltergeists in offices that occupy the fort’s older buildings.����

However, one could argue that being proximate to the supernatural tends to instill a sense of comfort with it, as evidenced by the enthusiasm shown by those who hold Día de los Muertos and all that it represents close to their hearts.��

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