The Fuel

The Fuel The official page for The Fuel, the award-winning student newspaper at Judson High School! Visit us at thefuelonline.com. Mr.

The Fuel is the open-forum, award-winning, engaging student newspaper for Judson High School in Converse, Texas, a suburb of San Antonio, Texas. The organization has grown to become a news source for Judson High School, Converse, TX, and even Judson ISD. It's also nationally recognized, creating multiple award-winning journalists who have gone on to study journalism at various universities. The or

ganization is advised by Ms. Malila Kennedy and consists of about 15 student journalists. The department also produces four physical copies of the newspaper, operates the school's social media accounts, creates the school’s yearbook, The Rocket, as well as a wide range of journalistic photos. The organization is student-led. The journalists of The Fuel and The Rocket work collaboratively with, but independent from, the staff, faculty, and administration of Judson High School and Judson ISD. The journalism department and student journalists own all content produced by the organization. Journalism is a vital profession for the health and operation of a democratic society. People need to be informed about what is happening around them. Journalists are people trained to witness important events and tell the story through the power of the written word and/or photography. Our students are beginning their journey to becoming professional journalists by reporting on the events and people at Judson High School and the Converse community. Judson High School is a public, 4-year high school in Converse, Texas. It was established in 1959 and is now one of three comprehensive high schools in the Judson Independent School District. The school serves approximately 2,400 students. It has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School and an International Baccalaureate World School. Richard Mendoza serves as principal to Judson High School. Judson Independent School District is a public school district located in the San Antonio, Texas area. It serves seven different municipalities: Converse, San Antonio, Selma, Universal City, Kirby, Schertz, and Live Oak. The district’s superintendent is Dr. Jeanette Ball. Very few students are part of an organization in which their homework is published and up for criticism. Please be aware that The Fuel newspaper and The Rocket yearbook are student-created publications made in a journalism education lab setting. We regret that errors can and will occur. If you wish to contact The Fuel, you can email them at [email protected], email Ms. Kennedy at [email protected], or call Judson High School at 210-945-1100 x19605.

The Judson High School Athletic Booster Club is looking for parents and guardians of student athletes to join the athlet...
08/20/2025

The Judson High School Athletic Booster Club is looking for parents and guardians of student athletes to join the athletic booster club. See the flyer for additional information.

“Our students did a fantastic job putting this together and being here, showing what great things are happening on our c...
08/18/2025

“Our students did a fantastic job putting this together and being here, showing what great things are happening on our campus,” applauded Eric Pawkett, principal of Judson High School.

During last week’s Meet the Rockets, various clubs, sports and school organizations introduced themselves on the field of D.W. Rutledge Stadium to the large audience of Judson parents, family and friends.

The evening began with the Judson fight song performed by the marching band, followed by an ROTC presentation of colors accompanied by the national anthem, sung by the Judson choir.

Additional performances included Judson cheer, band, Dazzlers and Diamonds.

This year, cheer welcomed a new coach, Amber Busby. She intends to help the cheerleaders “focus on having fun during our fall football season and basketball season before we roll into our competition season.”

Thank you to the Judson community for coming out to support our students and for showing your rocket pride!



📸📝:Dana Al Taleb

Meet the editorial and reporting staff of The Fuel tomorrow at Meet the Rockets. We are excited to share campus, distric...
08/13/2025

Meet the editorial and reporting staff of The Fuel tomorrow at Meet the Rockets. We are excited to share campus, district, local and national news with you all this school year!

📅 Thursday, September 14, 2025
📍D.W. Rutledge Stadium
⌚️Gates open at 6:30pm | Event begins at 7:00pm

Welcoming teachers, administration and campus staff, the JISD Convocation officially kicked off the beginning of a new s...
08/12/2025

Welcoming teachers, administration and campus staff, the JISD Convocation officially kicked off the beginning of a new school year on Friday, August 8 at D.W. Rutledge Stadium. The convocation included a parade of schools, special community performances and a spirit competition.

Judson High School principal Eric Pawkett stated, “I am looking forward to a great year, filled with student successes in every area. From CTE, Athletics, Fine Arts, and more, I cannot wait to see what this year brings.”

The Fuel looks forward to welcoming our students tomorrow, August 13 for the first day of school!

📸: Kevin Quintana and J. Romero

Thank you to the students, family and friends who came out to our prep days this week. We can’t wait to welcome you back...
08/01/2025

Thank you to the students, family and friends who came out to our prep days this week. We can’t wait to welcome you back on the first day of school - Wednesday, August 13.

📸:

“Schools around the state have been struggling financially for years, which can be traced back to a controversial fundin...
05/30/2025

“Schools around the state have been struggling financially for years, which can be traced back to a controversial funding system. Regardless of the cause, the side effects can be seen and felt by school districts, who are forced to make difficult choices like closing schools and increasing class sizes.”

To read more about the financial struggles of schools across Texas, read “San Antonio schools face economic struggles” by Kevin Quintana on thefuelonline.com (link in bio).


📝📸: Kevin Quintana

On May 27, the class of 2025 took their final walk through the halls of both their middle schools and high school, a tra...
05/29/2025

On May 27, the class of 2025 took their final walk through the halls of both their middle schools and high school, a tradition known as the elephant walk.

This walk marks the seniors last moments as students on campus. It’s a bittersweet farewell, filled with emotion not only for the seniors moving on, but also for the underclassmen watching their mentors and friends take that next step. Congratulations seniors!

Be on the lookout for more senior and graduation pics on


📝: Kaylee Menchey
📸: Franklin Ihama and Ja’Corey Wright

“According to St. Malachy, the 112th pope will bring in the end of days. With Pope Francis having been the 112th pope, t...
05/29/2025

“According to St. Malachy, the 112th pope will bring in the end of days. With Pope Francis having been the 112th pope, this prophecy has generated controversy between many people. 

Some people believe that the final judgement is coming, while others believe that the prophecies are completely false.” To read more about Pope Francis’ accomplishments, what goes on in a conclave, and St. Malachy’s book of prophecies read Annie Mendoza’s article “Pope to remember” at thefuelonline.com (link in bio).

📝📸: Annie Mendoza

“Fatigue at the end of the school year hits everyone. Most people feel burnt out and feel like they are lacking the desi...
05/29/2025

“Fatigue at the end of the school year hits everyone. Most people feel burnt out and feel like they are lacking the desire to do anything.”

To learn more about why grades and energy are usually down at the end of the year and what to do about it read “End-of-year burnout affects nearly every student” by Franklin Ihama on thefuelonline.com (link in bio).    

📝📸: Franklin Ihama

Do you think your senior year so far has lacked? “Here are ten unforgettable things you can check off your senior bucket...
05/29/2025

Do you think your senior year so far has lacked? “Here are ten unforgettable things you can check off your senior bucket list to make your last year memorable.” Check out the list in Kaylee Menchey’s article “Last minute senior must-dos” on thefuelonline.com (link in bio). 🎓❤️ 🚀

📝📸: Kaylee Menchey

Graduation for the 2025 seniors is quickly approaching. College, the military and the workforce are in sight. The senior...
05/23/2025

Graduation for the 2025 seniors is quickly approaching. College, the military and the workforce are in sight. The senior awards ceremony, held yesterday, May 22, 2025, commemorated the seniors who have committed to a college or the military, and shined a light on seniors’ accomplishments.

Representatives from multiple colleges came out to give gift bags to those who committed to their institution. Students who committed to the military also received stoles. In addition, Mr. Brandon Erikson, National Honor Society (NHS) sponsor, gave NHS seniors graduation cords.

At the end of the ceremony, a ticket raffle was held for the graduating class.

Congratulations to the senior class for all they’ve accomplished, and may adulthood treat them well! Don’t forget graduation will be held on Saturday, May 31 at 9 a.m. at the Freeman Coliseum. seniors2025

📸📝: Treanna Moss

Each Senior Olympics team had up to 10 players, formed from friend groups, sports teammates and everything in between. W...
05/23/2025

Each Senior Olympics team had up to 10 players, formed from friend groups, sports teammates and everything in between. With different strengths and weaknesses, every team brought something unique to the competition.

Khalil Spooner, a member of The Clique, shared, “Our team was made on the fly.” After a few teammates dropped out, they recruited friends from the stands to fill the gaps.

Despite the rough start, The Clique pulled off an impressive seven wins out of fourteen games, just two wins short of the finalists, who scored nine.

The final round came down to Gossip Girl and The Big Sharks, who faced off in a fifteenth tiebreaker game. After spinning twelve times, each player had to race to their team across the field. In a close finish, The Big Sharks won with mere seconds to spare.

Gabrielle Candelaria of The Big Sharks recalled the chaos, “I couldn’t see! I thought I was running straight-turns out I was running sideways.” To celebrate, she and her team headed to Chili’s, for their famous Triple Dippers.

More photos from Senior Olympics and other senior events coming soon!



📝📸: Dana Al Taleb

Address

9142 FM Road 78
Converse, TX
78109

Telephone

(210) 945-1100

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The Fuel is the open-forum, engaging student newspaper for Judson High School in Converse, Texas, a suburb of San Antonio, Texas. The organization is advised by Mr. Pedro Cabrera and consists of about 15 student journalists. The department also produces four physical copies of the newspaper, operates the school's social media accounts, creates the school’s yearbook, The Rocket, as well as a wide range of journalistic photos. The organization is completely student ran. The journalism department and student journalists own all content produced by the organization.

Journalism is a vital profession for the health and operation of a democratic society. People need to be informed about what is happening around them. Journalists are people trained to witness important events and tell the story through the power of the written word and/or photography. Our students are beginning their journey to becoming professional journalists by reporting on the events and people at Judson High School and the Converse community.

Judson High School is a public, 4-year high school in Converse, Texas. It was established in 1959 and is now one of three comprehensive high schools in the Judson Independent School District. The school serves approximately 2,400 students. It has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School and an International Baccalaureate World School. Mr. Jesus Hernandez III serves as principal to Judson High School.

Judson Independent School District is a public school district located in the San Antonio, Texas area. It serves seven different municipalities: Converse, San Antonio, Selma, Universal City, Kirby, Schertz, and Live Oak. The district’s superintendent is Dr. Jeanette Ball.