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Covering the Bronco Nation.

The Rider Online | Legacy HS Student Media

Covering the Bronco Nation.

The Rider Online | Legacy HS Student Media

Covering the Bronco Nation.

The Rider Online | Legacy HS Student Media

Jose Cruz

Jose Cruz, The Arena Copy Editor, Staff Writer

Heyo, I’m Jose. I’m a staff writer for The Rider Online and I’m the Yearbook Copy Editor. I love to write and I love (good) music. I have a love/hate relationship with ranch and I can’t wait to finally graduate.

All content by Jose Cruz
Final Blog: Jose Cruz

Final Blog: Jose Cruz

Jose Cruz, The Arena Copy Editor
May 1, 2018

It feels scary. I’m a bird about to leave its nest. As everything begins to change, little moments from the past flicker into life inside my head — stuck on repeat. I remember the bus rides spent gasping for air, doubled over after fits of laughter. I remember the midsummer drives, reeling down...

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Why You Should (Obama)Care

Why You Should (Obama)Care

Jose Cruz, Yearbook Copy Editor
February 6, 2018

Pain and uncertainty. Junior Danielle Morgan measures her days in empty stomachs and shouts from her parents as they dispute over a stack of bills. Even after the surgery, times have become no easier, the burden no lighter and the future no brighter — no matter how hard she tries to ignore it. In...

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MISD Art's Empty Bowls event takes place on November 14 at the Center for Performing Arts

Art Program Hosts Event to Help Hunger

Jose Cruz, Yearbook Copy Editor
November 14, 2017

 The fight against hunger in the community comes to a head on November 14. On Tuesday, MISD will host its inaugural Empty Bowls event from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Center for Performing Arts in order to raise money in the fight against hunger. The event is free for all to attend but a catered meal...

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Saving American Soccer

Saving American Soccer

Jose Cruz, Yearbook Copy Editor
October 31, 2017

Where did it all go wrong? For years, the United States Men’s National Team and Youth Teams have held a seat at the table with CONCACAF’s elite, a pantheon of giants like Mexico and the emerging Costa Rica. But for all the hype, all the growth that soccer has achieved in the past decade, one thing...

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Music Meditation

Music Meditation

Jose Cruz, Yearbook Copy Editor
September 12, 2017

People escape to their oasis out of necessity. Out of intrigue. Out of the underlying yearning for contentment and happiness. Bliss. My turbulent high school journey has, above all else, taught me the sooner you find your method of relief, the better. Fortunately, it took me little time to realize...

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Legacy NHS students at the 2016 Westside Picnic decorate cookies with a future Legacy Bronco. This year's Westside Picnic will take place on April 18.

Legacy Hosts Second Westside Picnic

Jose Cruz, Staff Writer
April 4, 2017

Legacy High School, along with administrators from all of Legacy’s feeder schools, will host the Westside Community Picnic on April 18. The event is open to attendees of Legacy, Linda Jobe Middle School, Donna Shepard Intermediate School and any of the district’s elementary schools who house future...

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Zachary Carpenter, 10, returns the ball in a home tennis match.

Spring Tennis In Full Swing

Jose Cruz, Staff Writer
March 8, 2017

With the pop of a racket and a swoosh of a ball, junior Joshua Lopez slots home a near-perfect set. As he sits on the top of his throne, he dares not forget the coach and team that brought about his ascension. With that in mind, he picks up the racket and strides to victory as the Legacy tennis name...

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In the Fall of 2016, MISD implemented the beginning stages of the district’s first orchestra program. The program was created as part of MISD’s $8,072,570 extracurricular budget released in June 2016.

MISD Introduces Orchestra Program

Jose Cruz, Staff Writer
February 8, 2017

As the swirling sounds of saxophones, trumpets, human vocals and almost every concert instrument imaginable swagger down Legacy’s hallways, a particular voice fails to stitch its way into this tapestry of music. The bravado of a string section, an orchestra, has remained the stuff of dreams for some...

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Senior Dezirae Rodriguez walks the field with her family on Senior Night.

Dezirae Rodriguez: Bouncing Back

Jose Cruz, The Arena Copy Editor
April 11, 2018

Face in hands, knees on carpet, Dezirae Rodriguez harks to the phone as she waits for a voice to emerge at the end of a dial tone. Desperation came in waves, exhaustion lingered while the situation continued to crumble like the foundations of a house she would soon be forced to part with. She lost...

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Jose Cruz & Grant Baker discuss the 2017 Albums of the Year

Top 10 Albums of 2017

Grant Baker and Jose Cruz
January 9, 2018

Another year has come and gone with a constant stream of great music throughout. The debate can be had that 2017 did not quite have as many "instant classics" as previous years, but that shouldn't take away from the wonderful albums that released this year. Here's a look at our favorite albums from the...

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Nathan Thomas: Living in the Moment

Nathan Thomas: Living in the Moment

Jose Cruz, Yearbook Copy Editor
November 1, 2017

In a blaze of fire and fury, sparks ascend while the two boys, way in over their heads, scramble to extinguish the flames. Embers flicker out of existence. Hay lies scorched on the earth and free spirits remain suspended in the smoke. “I wanna live a life that’s not necessarily expected,” senior...

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Five of the best classic films to watch.

5 Classic Films to Watch

Jose Cruz, Yearbook Copy Editor
September 19, 2017

Movies can be awesome. A good film often speaks volumes on how society envisions its future. Our most epic fantasies reflect our most sincere ambitions, our desires, our hope. Some films present those ambitions with such audacity and charisma that they remain etched in the fabric of pop culture for...

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Mansfield ISD’s highly successful energy efficiency program was recently recognized by The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality at the twenty-fifth annual Texas Environmental Excellence Awards.(Creative Commons Photo)

MISD Receives Environmental Excellence Awards

Jose Cruz, Staff Writer
May 5, 2017

Mansfield ISD’s highly successful energy efficiency program was recently recognized by The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality at the twenty-fifth annual Texas Environmental Excellence Awards. Receiving the Innovative Operations/Management Award, MISD prides itself in being the only school district...

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Tristian Adams, 11, rushes the ball down field and avoids defenders in a game against Everman.

Boys’ Soccer On The Rise

Jose Cruz, Staff Writer
March 21, 2017

As the wind carries a twisting tumult of screams and cheers along the pitch, junior Tristian Adams inhales a great burst of air to dissolve the scene around him. Though the season has hit the boys’ varsity soccer team hard with familiar chaos, Adams feels this has done little to take away from the...

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Cafeteria Food Regulations Hinder Taste

Cafeteria Food Regulations Hinder Taste

Jose Cruz, Staff Writer
February 22, 2017

Junior Alex Vo plays a game of chance every day. Every time he walks in through Legacy’s doors he never knows if lunchtime will provide a period of satisfaction or of disappointment. Vo and hundreds of Legacy High School students purchase their lunch from the cafeteria every day. With this, lunch...

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Environment Empathy

Jose Cruz, Staff Writer
January 20, 2017

As laughter fills the classroom and the daily chatter of adolescence begins, junior Carissa Chavarria can’t take her mind off of what she considers a more important matter at hand. In the midst of a consumerized world preoccupied with the happenings of celebrity figures, junior Carissa Chavarria...

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Senior Ryan King holds up the sun during his summer vacation to Hawaii. Many students spent their vacations relaxing, spending time with family and doing new things.

Courtesy Photo

Tranquil Travels

Jose Cruz, Yearbook Copy Editor
February 16, 2018

An exhale of air proceeds a scene quieted by serenity as senior Ryan King completes his hike up the mass of rocks and lava beneath. He watches as the sun kisses the clouds beyond the mountain face and disappears into the horizon, leaving behind only a thin veil of twilight for the vacationers to bask...

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The Last Jedi, was released on Dec. 15, 2017.

Review: The Last Jedi

Jose Cruz, Yearbook Copy Editor
January 24, 2018

The Star Wars franchise represents a uniquely crafted section of pop culture and cinema. Each installment introduces more than a new film, but the next chapter of an entertainment sensation— a phenomenon where fanboy freaks, geeks and everyday-people meet. With that said, any new addition to the...

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Jose Cruz, discusses his opinion on the Russian Investigation.

Opinion: Russian Investigation Shouldn’t Be Politicized

Jose Cruz, Yearbook Copy Editor
November 10, 2017

So it begins. With all the pieces in place, the world awaits for either calamity or nothing at all to ensue. The news of the first indictments from special counsel Robert Mueller involving the suspected connection between Russia and the 2016 Presidential Election seemed to signal the start of a massive...

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Alvvays second album, Antisocialites, was released on September. 8, 2017.

Review: Alvvays-Antisocialites

Jose Cruz, Yearbook Copy Editor
September 27, 2017

Canadian outfit Alvvays emerged out of the moody shadows of jangle pop in 2014 with their self-titled debut, catching the attention of critics and indie enthusiasts clutching at a decade old craving for atmospheric music. Still, for an album with such charm and quirk in its yearn for diversion, Alvvays...

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Five Anticipated Summer Albums

Five Anticipated Summer Albums

Jose Cruz, Yearbook Copy Editor
May 30, 2017

So far, 2017 has been a rollercoaster of a year for music junkies like myself. The whole year promised much, delivered some and missed a few. This summer in particular holds the potential to be an awestruck, modern masterclass in musical artistry. These are some of the industry’s most anticipated albums,...

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Brooke Blaine, 10, holds two of her dogs as her birds perch on her shoulder. Blaine owns 15 pets, including snakes, birds and dogs.

Brooke Blaine: Pets, Pets and More Pets

Jose Cruz, Staff Writer
March 31, 2017

Soothed by the swift singing of birds and the endearing warmth of a dog’s embrace, sophomore Brooke Blaine enjoys the serenity of her home after an arduous day at school. She not only values the characteristic glow of a pet’s love, but appreciates the indispensable service her dogs provide. Blaine,...

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In January, MISD published an attendance report to illustrate the performance of each of the district’s school. In this report, Legacy’s 95.88 percent attendance rate was second-to-last among all 42 campuses.

Legacy Attendance Rate Second Worst in District

Jose Cruz, Staff Writer
February 15, 2017

When walking into the classes, a particular pattern can begin to emerge among all the sights that the school has to offer. Empty seats have become a thorn in the side of Legacy’s attendance rate, a thorn that school administrators and teachers alike would like to eliminate. In January, MISD published...

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Jacqueline Lum, 12, plays her piccolo during band rehearsal. Lum has been in the band all four years and made All-State her senior year.

Band Members Make All-State

Jose Cruz, Staff Writer
January 19, 2017

Shampoo bottles thud against the floor as senior Jacqueline Lum scrambles to get out of the shower. Her heart races and adrenaline pumps as she hardly contains the ecstasy yearning to escape through her high-pitched screams. In January, Lum and junior Erin Reigh were selected into the Texas Music...

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