DAVILA TO INTERN WITH UNITED WE DREAM NETWORK

This summer, Texas City High School 2017 graduate Berenice
Davila will be joining the United We Dream Network to intern
in Washington D.C. and serve as a pilot for Berea College’s internship
program. Davila will be working as an Advocacy and
Communications Intern from May 14 through July 20 and will
receive compensation through her school.
“They currently only have legal aide positions available for
local college students, so my work this summer will be the first
step toward pioneering an official internship program,” Davila
said. “I’m also really lucky because my institution, Berea College,
really believes in career preparation and development,
so they’ll be funding my internship in its entirety, from housing
to travel expenses.”
Davila first came in contact with the United We Dream Network
in February while protesting Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals (DACA) regulations in Washington D.C. After
returning to school in Kentucky, Davila, a former member of the debate and journalism programs at TCHS, devised a proposal to her school to fund an internship program. “While visiting in February to participate in one of the [United We Dream] demonstrations, I was able to use the critical thinking skills and confidence I gained from participating in the journalism and debate programs during my time at TCHS to propose my own internship with the United We Dream Network,” Davila said.
In high school, Davila served as a member of the Sting City Press and worked as editor her junior and senior year.
“Berenice’s success is no surprise to me,” journalism teacher Jennifer Kunard said. “Her commitment and drive to anything she dedicates herself to is beyond measure. As her
teacher, I was fortunate enough to be a small part of introducing her to a world where she could use her research, her mind, and her opinions to make people stand up and listen.”
As a member of the Political Activism Club (PAC) in high school, Davila visited the nation’s capital for the first time last summer along with speech and debate coach Victoria
Graves.
“When I chaperoned the D.C., trip we worked with the Institute for Civility in Government regarding immigration, so her involvement with United We Dream is a wonderful continuation
of her passion in political activism,” Graves said. “Berenice is a great example of pursuing success beyond high school. I have seen many students stop volunteering or
being active in their society and community after graduation, but she continues to utilize the skills she honed in the speech and debate program to achieve her professional and
personal ambitions.”
Davila will be working in downtown Washington D.C., just a five-minute drive from the White House. As the time etches closer, Davila has reflected on the trip that sparked her
love for the capital city.
“I’m honestly still in a state of disbelief,” Davila said. “I remember boarding the plane back from our PAC trip to D.C. and knowing that it wouldn’t be my last time in the capital.”
As Director Of Visual And Performing Arts, Figarelli has numerous responsibilities. He told me that he, along with the principals, is in charge of hiring for the Fine Arts department.
He is also in charge of aligning the curriculum, making sure the district’s expectations are met and is in charge of the entire Fine Arts department budget.
Figarelli, who is TCISD’s first Fine Arts Director, has been involved with the Fine Arts professionally for 25 years, told me that he had always been interested in the field. When
he was in middle school he was in band, playing the trumpet and quickly
became first chair. He continued his journey in high-school where he
became an all-state trumpet player and played solo with the marching
band, concert band, jazz band and mariachi band. “The love of music
I gained by playing my trumpet, and being surrounded by great musicians
and great teachers, inspired me to want to do this as a career.” He
graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and a Master’s Degree
in Educational Administration, earned a position as a Band Director
at Harlingen, before joining TCISD in 2009.
He told me that the reason he decided to move from being a Band
Director to a Director Of Visual And Performing Arts was because he
wanted to “go a little further and help all the kids of all the Fine Arts
programs.” He also spoke very highly about the TCISD Fine Arts program
by discussing its exceptionality, the superior ratings every individual
group receives and its community involvement. “The Fine Arts
programs are the ambassadors of our schools and they represent us to
the highest degree possible.”
As per his position, Figarelli is in charge of all of the Fine Arts programs
at TCISD which include: band, choir, art, theater and dance. However,
because of the upcoming Jazz Festival and the fact that April is Jazz
Month, I wanted to talk to him about the TCHS and LMHS jazz bands.
Before going into detail, it’s important to understand how the TCISD
band program works. Any student who is interested in playing an instrument
is either a member of the concert band or the symphonic band.
Figarelli told me that it is in the fifth or sixth grade, depending on whether
the student is attending the Texas City schools or the La Marque
schools, that they would decide which Fine Arts program they are interested
in joining. Therefore, from a band perspective, the students would
have been playing the instrument for a few years before reaching the
high-school level. Once they reach high-school, the students can stay in
either concert or symphonic band—depending on their skills—and can
also join one of the many band extensions. These extensions include
jazz band, mariachi band, indoor percussion, pep band and much more.
Figarelli also told me that students can be a part of multiple extension
bands and can also be in more than one Fine Arts program—art and
band, for example—if their schedule allows for it. In keeping with this
information, it should be no surprise that students who want to join the
Jazz Band must have had previous experience in playing an instrument.
“Of course, there are exceptions,” Figarelli told me. “If the student is interested
in playing an instrument that is not a typical band instrument,
like the electric guitar, they just come in, audition for us and are then
chosen to be a part of the Jazz band.” He told me that, along with these
auditions, exceptions are also made for students new to the district. If a
student is new to TCISD and therefore has not been a part of its band
program from the fifth or sixth grade level, they can join the band and
its extension programs if they have had previous experience playing an
instrument or if they go through an audition process.