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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
05/22/2025
Today, May 22, 2025, 10 senior teams went head-to-head in a series of wild games, from team skiing and tug of war, to sumo wrestler balls and team PVC pipe golf. Victorious teams earned a sticker at each of the 13 game stations to secure their wins.
The event lineup featured: Team Skiing, Tug of War, Sumo Hamster Balls, PVC Pipe Golf, Hula Hoop Race, Trashy Tug of War, Wheelbarrow Race, Pizza Box Knockout, Tire Flipping, Hula Relay, Tic Tac Toe Relay, Potato Sack Race and Hooper Ball Race.
Senior Darius Perkins, a member of the Freedom Fighters shared, “I feel pretty confident. We won a couple games so far. I feel like we can win.”
But not every challenge was a breeze. Darius added with a laugh, “I hate jumping,” referring to his most difficult games, the Potato Sack Racing and Sumo Hamster Balls.
Senior Samuel Stewart from team Project X reflected on the bigger picture, believing senior olympics gave them a “bonding experience” before graduation.
Want more photos? Check out our next post!
📝📸: Dana Al Taleb
05/22/2025
The Judson High School Band consists of multiple sections, such as woodwind and brass. However, one section in particular aids the band greatly with their rhythm and gives the sound a sense of flair: percussion.
Percussion incorporates many unique instruments that each add value to the band. The combination of these instruments can create a very vibrant and high-intensity sound.
This sound was exemplified by the end-of-year percussion concert that took place yesterday, May 21, 2025. The concert consisted of two Bass Ensemble pieces and two Percussion Ensemble pieces.
The Percussion Ensemble’s final piece, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by Charlie Daniels, had a special reason for its inclusion. Percussion director Mr. David Hochstetter had performed the piece during high school with one of his friends. Sadly, his friend passed away a few years ago. This piece was a tribute to their long-lasting friendship and bond.
As well as the ensemble pieces, there were 13 solos. These soloists are set to compete at the State Solo and Ensemble competition this Saturday, May 24. Wish them luck!
📸📝: Treanna Moss
05/20/2025
When asked about her feelings towards the show, senior and choir council president, Vivianna Washington stated, “I think it was a really fun show, I really had a lot of fun doing it.”
The Judson High School Choir held their annual Rocket R***e on Friday, May 16. With the theme this year being “Standing Ovation,” it was no surprise to see all the performed songs come from musicals. Despite this, each song was unique, with each of them ranging from solos to group performances, and complete with costume changes which all took place back-to-back. The choir department also received help from the theatre department’s technical crew, who were in charge of operating lighting, sound and curtains.
In the end, all of these factors came together to create a beautiful and emotional experience to send the choir seniors off with. Washington stated, “Im really sad, but at the same time it’s exciting because I’m moving on to a new chapter of life.”
📷📝: Kevin Quintana
05/19/2025
The end of the school year brings an end to a multitude of things. The Judson High School Band not only loses the class of 2025, but a staple to the program as well: the head band director of six years, Laura Braun.
As Braun and the senior class prepare to part ways from the Rocket Band, they performed one last concert together.
On May 15, 2025, the Judson Band held their end of the year concert. Multiple ensembles played and performed, including Jazz Band 2, Jazz Band 1, Color Guard, Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble.
At the end of the concert, the seniors played the Fight Song and sang the Alma Mater for the last time. The senior drum majors, Maximo Sandoval and Luke Garcia, also passed their whistles down to the drum majors for the 2025-2026 season, Head Drum Major Apple Chairez and Assistant Drum Major Diego Martinez.
Congratulations to the band and color guard for their successful year, and good luck to the Rocket Band as a whole in their upcoming marching season!
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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.
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, email Mr. Cabrera at [email protected], or call Judson High School at 210-945-1100.
