Cougar Connection

Cougar Connection special edition

Welcome Cougars Cypress Creek High School • 9815 Grant Road Houston, TX 77070 • Voulme 40 • Issue 1 • August 29, 2016

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“Great expectations”

Library expects new changes

FaNGIRL

P.S. I Still Love You

CHUCK

RAINBOW ROWELL

THE NIGHT

CHUCK

ELTERNAL HOGAN

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

GUILLERMO

DEL TORO

HOGAN

THE

FALL

program and a book challenge every semester.

“The Book Battle is going to be a lot of fun for freshmen and a challenge for me since [I] have not done this at the high school level,” Johnson said.

Overall, Johnson hopes to inspire students to become their best and succeed. She says she wants to make a bigger impact on students’ lives, help them appreciate the uniqueness of the school and encourage students to embrace school spirit.

“I love that our library has so much potential for change but it is really the people that fill the library that make a difference,” Johnson said. “Having the library in the center of the school like we do means that it can become the center of each student’s education if they want to grow and become successful. Creek is a great place to be.”

Cross

John Green

The Fault In Our Stars

BOYNE

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

RED RISING

Temptest

Complete History of the Mafia

One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies

Harry Potter

Randi Barrow

And The Philosopher’s Stone

Saving Zasha

Rowling

GUILLERMO

DEL TORO

CHUCK

She also plans on expanding the amount of charging space available for students as well as ordering different phone chargers and USB cables for students to use. Johnson plans to take another larger technological leap by incorporating rentable Kindles and iPads for students.

“The 21st Century library is about more than books, it is also a place to work with technology, collaborate with others and become knowledge gatherers.” Johnson said, “With the bulk of research happening on computers instead of within books, we must adapt our environment to meet these needs.”

Along with improving the content and technology in the library, Johnson hopes to increase student involvement as well. She plans to introduce students to her “Community of Readers” philosophy and bring together students and staff through books.

On top of that, Johnson plans to host a freshman Book Battle

BRIDGETJONES’SDIARY

Flowers for Algernon

Kass

Homecoming Morgan

Day 21

SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH

Kass Morgan Kass Morgan

Douglas Adams

LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING

Carry On

The100 The100 100

Douglas Adams

RESTAURAUNT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE

The

Douglas Adams

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY

COLFER

Douglas Adams

Struck By Lightning

A Carson Phillips Journal

Rowell

HOGAN

our Cougars to have access to in our collection, so there was a lot of book ordering.”

Along with the massive changes to the titles in the library, Johnson worked to reorganize the arrangement of the fiction section.

Similar to the organization of a bookstore, the fiction section now has genres separated into seven different color-coded sections: historical fiction, realistic fiction, mystery/horror/suspense, fantasy, science fiction, classics and adult fiction.

“Each area is color-coded and alphabetized so that students can find their favorite areas [or] authors,” Johnson said. “try a new type of story or fall back in love with an old favorite.”

Last year, rumors of technological additions to the library developed leading to the definite plans made this year. To start, Johnson purchased digital cameras and video cameras for students to use on school projects.

STRAIN

Paolini

THE

Jandy Nelson

GUILLERMO

J.R.R Tolkien

BOYNE

DEL TORO

ew librarian. New rules.

Plenty of change.

With the start of last school year, librarian Barbara Johnson made a multitude of new changes to the school library, but her efforts did not stop there. She has plenty of new plans to change the library for the better this year.

Last year, Johnson began a process called “weeding.” The process of weeding includes removing older, less popular or heavily damaged books to make room for new titles and show off more popular books. By the end of the 2016 school year, Johnson weeded over 6,000 books and purchased around 1,050 print books and 150 ebooks and audiobooks.

“I want our students to see the great books we have in the Creek library,” Johnson said. “I also had a lot of ‘favorite books’ that I wanted

The Hobbit

I’ll Give You The Sun

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

N

Flowers for Algernon

Editor-in-Chief

E R A G O N

by

SEWELL

Harry Potter

And The Philosopher’s Stone

STEPHEN

Libby Sullivan

BLACK BEAUTY

Rowling

KING IT

Crazy For You Jennifer Crusie

Me Before You

The Art of Racing in the Rain Garth Stein

MOYES

Author first, graduate next Senior becomes published author at 17 Miranda Duncan

Managing/Copy Editor

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er brother stood by her side, camera in hand, and watched her gaze at the package delivered on that rainy Thursday afternoon. She carefully reached down to open the box, and revealed a smooth, colorful book. She lifted it into her hands and read the title - “Acacia,” and right below lay the name of the author.

Her own name.

Senior Kristina Mathai became an author at just 17 years old when Abbott Press published her book “Acacia” in May of 2016.

“I opened it up, and I was like ‘this was what I’ve been writing for the last seven years; these are all my words and all mine,’” Mathai said. “It was amazing; it was very emotional. It doesn’t really feel real.”

She began creating the storyline in fourth grade, inspired by a hidden field in her neighborhood where her and her sister would go.

“My sister took me to this part in

our neighborhood that no one goes to, and so I imaged it being this secret forest all to ourselves,” Mathai said. “I would have these scenarios running through my head, and it was like a continuous story. Eventually the storyline was pretty good in my head, so I was like ‘ok, I have to put this down,’ because the story won’t write itself.”

She originally created the story just for fun and planned to publish a book as an adult, but after seeing her uncle in the hospital, she moved to achieve her dream earlier than she expected.

“I would be like ‘Oh, I’ll publish a book when I get older,’ but what

if I don’t get to get older,” Mathai said.

“Next year isn’t a guarantee, so I want to do this now, and I didn’t think there was any age limit to do what I want to do.”

Throughout the difficult publishing process, Mathai received support from friends like Ann Pham, who read the original story published on Wattpad in the eighth grade.

“When I heard about her actually publishing the story into a real book, I was just absolutely thrilled,” Pham said.

“I knew she was an amazing writer when I read it the first time, but finding out she had gotten published at only 16-17 years old, I can’t even describe how happy I was for Kristina.”

Mathai’s former English teacher, Calandra Calton Abdullah, said she feels proud of Mathai’s accomplishments and encouraged her to continue writing and promoting her book during her senior year.

“My heart swells with love, pride and respect for Kristina,” Abdullah said. “She is poised for greatness, yet she is humbly receptive to guidance; all should pay attention. Kristina has a lot to offer the world, and she is just beginning.”

Mathai said she already started writing her second book - a romance novel about a girl telling the story of how she loved a boy who passed away.

She also hopes other young writers will learn from her that no one is too young to become an author.

“People think that just because you’re in high school you need to wait longer, but you don’t know if you can wait longer,” Mathai said. “Write wherever you go. If you’re inspired by something, put it down in your phone or write it down in a napkin. If they wanna publish a story, it’s not an impossible thing to do.”

Top Ten Rookie Mistakes

Alexis Garrison

Feature Editor he first few weeks of high school help form the remainder of the year. Cliques, attitude, behavior, grades, classes and routines add up, shaping different high school experiences for every freshman. So why not make it an unforgettable first year and get a head start by avoiding these common newbie mistakes.

Tips and Tricks for Incoming Freshmen

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Believing freshman year does not really count Most freshmen believe that their first year does not matter, but in reality freshman year has much importance for students’ academic future. Avoiding responsibilities the first year will make it difficult to catch up later.

Start thinking about the future and plan out goals and milestones; this will aid in keeping focused on freshman year and years to come.

Illustration by Lydia Estepp

Frequently Asked Questions Freshmen Editon

How do I get a locker?

Students obtain lockers on an as-needed basis. In certain instances, students have preassigned lockers depending on their course.

If you feel like you need a locker, please contact your assistant principal on whether or not you meet the requirements.

How do I get my schedule changed?

If your schedule does not match up with the course(s) you selected, see your counselor immediately and fill out a Schedule Change Request form.

Please note that courses will not change unless it involves: a level change (e.g. K to L), an error correction (e.g. students who have already taken the course) or leveling due to master schedule changes.

Schedules will not alter for elective changes or to accommodate teacher/ lunch change requests.

Assistant Principals Freshmen Room 1140 Jason Hawkins (A-G) Vallorie Mason (H-O) Jenna Box (P-Z) Sophomore Room 2140 Doris Holden-Smith(A-K) Maggy Watson (L-Z) Junior & Senior Room 1732 Amby Clinkscale (A-La) Richard Alcorn (Le-Z)

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Taking classes because of friends

Students should not waste time in school taking classes that other people take, unless they genuinely want to take it too. Everyone has different interests and academic skills, so take classes that look appealing. Doing so will not only result in new friends, but enjoyable coursework as well.

Not getting involved on campus

Most freshmen do not want to get involved in extracurriculars, but activities and clubs outside of school help maintain and improve personal social life. Making new friends, learning new skills and learning more about themselves will help students feel more connected to the school. Try a few programs and clubs for a few days to get a feel for it.

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Not getting to know counselors and assistant principals

Not making connections with students

Not getting to know the school’s map

Not attending Cy Creek’s social events

Stressing about college

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Do not worry about attending a college or university quite yet. Instead, start taking the idea of college seriously in junior or senior year and begin to apply then. Foreign language credits, teacher recommendations, volunteer organizations and participation in various clubs will make certain students stand out from the rest of the applicants, so keep that in mind. Start developing these skills gradually rather than cramming them all into senior year.

Never paying attention in class

Duh, right? Well, not with most newbies. Skipping class, blowing off assignments and not having a care in the world may seem cool at first, but most students regret it down the line. Besides, paying attention in class makes homework easier, allowing for more free time.

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This sounds a bit nerdy and ridiculous, but do not toss aside the school map. Try to memorize it and feel at ease knowing the layout of the school. Mapping out routes and figuring out what halls to take and areas to avoid will save a few extra minutes when hopping from class to class.

As a freshman, Cy Creek’s homecoming game or Lighting of the CC may look intimidating at first glance, but try to make an appearance. Social events such as plays, games, dances and club activities last year round, and they make a great way to meet new friends and provide a sense of community in Cy Creek. Going to events for the first few months will help develop a sense of what high school has to offer.

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They may appear intimidating at first, but counselors and assistant principals help students throughout high school.

They will assist with schedules, advise about future events and help students decide on majors down the road. They do not only want to support students academically, but socially as well.

New school, new people, new friends. During the first week of school try to meet at least one new person in each class. Do not get shy around upperclassmen either; try to make friends with a few. Upperclassmen went through the same process, so they can give out advice about the ins and outs of the school, like how to act around certain teachers, which cliques to avoid and details about clubs or sports.

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All work and no play

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Academics, clubs and sports can wear freshmen down if they do not take it easy. Make sure to leave in time for fun as well; do not spend every second stressing over a test or worrying about a playoff. Break away from a bustling schedule and make room for friends, family or just some alone time. Pushing to the limit everyday will not make high school enjoyable. Remember, having fun should play a crucial part in life.

Pokemon Go The game that finally got the world excited about exercise.

Lydia Estepp Design Editor

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Image courtesy of Pixabay

ids and adults alike are starting to take walks, get out of the house and meet new people. Why? Because of Niantic’s new Pokemon game, “Pokemon Go,” a phone app that allows you to catch Pokemon in the real world.

Many buildings and local landmarks have been turned into virtual “Pokestops,” places to refill on

supplies such as pokeballs, eggs and potions. Other places are marked as gyms, where trainers can pit their pokemon against the pokemon of their opponents.

Players can also join one of three teams. The blue team, Team Mystic, the yellow team, Team Instinct, and the red team, Team Valor. When a player takes over a gym, they win it for their team and the gym is marked with the appropriate color on the map.

The game proved a helpful exercise tool, encouraging people to take walks and visit parks to catch Pokemon and visit poke-stops and gyms.

The game’s popularity blew up in a matter of days following the worldwide release in July, resulting in the apps jumping to the top of the App Store’s “Top Grossing” list within 24 hours.

The growth of the game’s popularity resulted in many local businesses

exploiting nearby pokestops to attract customers.

Players are able to put a “lure module” down at any given poke stop, and that’s a common method businesses rely on to attract Pokemon Go players.

Lure modules can also pose a threat to players. A series of armed robberies in the St. Louis and St. Charles counties of Missouri occurred July 10 in which criminals attached lure modules to empty Poke-stops late at

night to attract players.

None of these robberies resulted in casualties, but police and Niantic advise players to use caution when seeking out new Poke-stops.

Despite minor problems, such as potential physical danger and buggy servers, the game became a huge hit within the first week of launch, changing how people interact with their phones and the world.

TOP SECRET!!!

Cy Creek - America’s new Area 51?! - An Investigative Report Lydia Estepp Design Editor

C

ypress Creek High School, home to thousands of innocent high schoolers. A place of education. A place of prosperity. A place with no secrets ...

Or so we thought.

You may think you know Cy Creek, but there exists so much more beneath the surface - a dark underbelly lies dormant, in wait of discovery.

In this report several of the most groundbreaking conspiracies of Cypress Creek high school will rear their ugly heads.

Reader discretion is advised.

Conspiracy 1 - The Lego gym: Does it really exist??

Alright, I have three words for you “holographic light fields.”

It may sound crazy, but rumors exist that the fabled “Lego Gym” in which few have ever set foot, in fact, does not exist.

Rather, the original architects of the school designed high-tech projectors that create the illusion to a viewer that they are standing in a gym, when in reality they stand in an open field outside of the school.

The purpose of this complicated ruse remains uncertain. Many believe that the fake gym was once used to conceal local military technology experimentation.

Many faculty members and students swear that the Lego Gym is 100 percent real, but in the face of such compelling evidence, how could anyone believe such a heinous lie? Could it be that they belong to the same secretive military organizations that created the gym in the first place?

We may never know the truth, but we can always stay wary, fellow theorists ...

Conspiracy #2 - The Music Halls:

Innocent classrooms, or secret meeting grounds??

One of the hardest areas in the school to infiltrate has proven to be the music halls found directly off the small commons.

Recently the school decreed that these halls would only be accessible to students in music classes, and they will refuse access to anyone else.

The reason for this remains a topic of debate - fear of damage to instruments? Fear of theft of instruments?

Well, my theory makes way more sense than those garbage excuses.

You see, I have reason to believe that band, choir and orchestra have formed a secretive organization, and they do not want any outsiders disrupting their sacred ceremonial space.

When I approached students who partake in these electives, I was met with a wide variety of confusion, anger and denial.

They think they’re real smart, but I’m onto them. Just you wait and see.

Conspiracy #3 - The APs: Humans, or Government-hired Lizard People??

We all know the many faces of Cy Creek’s hardworking and dedicated APs. But we do not realize that they are not even human beings at all.

That’s right. As most government employees are, most of the APs at Creek are secretly members of a strange race of lizardmen. This means that under their human disguises, they hide green scaly skin and long, pink, forked tongues.

While no one has ever actually seen an AP without their human disguise on, there still exists tons of proof backing up this claim.

For example, I think I saw an AP wear a green outfit once.

Absolute madness.

Conspiracy #4 - Cy Creek Theater: A simple theater department, or the Phantom of the Opera??

I know what you’re thinking, “A ghost in a theater? Wow isn’t that just convenient!” I know the whole mysterious masked ghost musical thing made that popular, but I’m serious man.

There is a ghost that haunts the Cy Creek auditorium, harassing any poor soul that happens to cross its path.

While no photographic, physical or verbal records of this ghost exist, many swear that it’s the real deal.

I don’t know about y’all, but I’m pretty convinced.

Conspiracy #5 - Rashad Godbolt: Human or Extraterrestrial Being??

The man, the myth, the legend. Rashad Godbolt. Or should I say, the alien walking among us.

This conspiracy has been met with a lot of question and doubt, but when you examine the evidence, the truth becomes undeniable.

Rashad is a spaceman.

If you examine the image below, you may notice an odd detail, look closely, it’s hard to catch …

Did you see it?

Bam! Right there! If you zoom in, there is clearly a UFO in the background.

And! To make it even more obvious, if you zoom in even further … Look at that! An Antenna!

Right there on his head. Now, how do you explain this

anomaly?

You can’t, because he is not of this world.

How did Godbolt get to our planet?

What is his motivation in infiltrating our mostly earthling filled school? What is the next step in his plans?

My dear theorists, remain diligent.

This might just be the beginning stages of a full out alien invasion.

In conclusion, I’m not sure if this report will ever see the light of day. I would not be surprised if the board shuts this whole operation down.

For them, the truth is too dangerous.

But, if you are reading this, know that I will never stop fighting for honesty.

My fellow theorists, stay sharp and stay inquisitive.

Cypress Creek High School is not what it seems.

Vol. 40, No. 1 2014-2015 Cypress Creek High School Attn: Journalism Dept.

9815 Grant Road Houston, TX 77070 281-897-4246 Editorial Policy Cougar Connectuions is publlished multiple times during the school year by the newspaper staff at Cypress Creek High School.

The publication has been established as a designated public forum for students expression and the disctussion of issues of concern to the audience. Student editors make all content decisions.

The opinions expressed are those of students and do not necessarily reflect the views of the advisor, administration, Cypress Creek High School faculty or Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District employees.

Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Cougar Connection staff.

Letters to the editor are welocme and should be brought to the journalism room, 1446. To be printed, letters must be signed, legible, 300 words or less and contain the author’s full name. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters will be edited for minor grammar and spelling mistakes. Should a letter be too long or contain errors in fact, excessive grammatical errors or unprotected speech, it will be returned to the author for resubmission.

Cougar Connection, an award-winning student newspaper, is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Some material coutesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service.

Cougar Connection is printed by Greater Dallas Press.

Advertising Policy The Staff reserved the right to refuse advertising deemed inapporpriate for a high school publication, including illegal products or services. In cases involving political advertising, efforts will be made to solicit all points of view.

Staff Editor-in-Chief: Libby Sullivan Managing Editor/Copy Editor: Miranda Duncan News Editor: Sam Billings Features Editor: Alexis Garrison Entertainment Editor: Ashlei Gosha Opinion Editor: Emma Ruggiero Sports Editor: Chloe Crawford Design Editor/Artist: Lydia Estepp Staff: Abigail Padilla Alise Maxie Ashton Bovee Beatris Hayes Brooke Bettes Deziree Efigenio Dylan Sharratt Ethan Moehle Jaidyn Hatchett Jamie Hernandez Justin Sloane Kai Fortner Newby Kyrah Lowe Mia Pham Oli Kearney Paloma de la Riva Samuel Stuchbery Tanner Dibble

The fool’s gold of academic honors Ashlei Gosha Entertainment Editor

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ver the summer a multitude of students received distinguishedlooking letters from the National Society of High School Scholars. Many accepted the supposed

honor posthaste, writing off the $60 entry fee as trivial, while others grew suspicious.

NSHSS: scam or no scam?

The results have arrived, and they present a less-than-obvious answer.

The program presents scholarships and offers to help students find even more financial aid, but for a nationwide, acclaimed organization, these services do not make the cut. Students can find the same thing on

Meet Norwina

Libby Sullivan

Editor-in-Chief olly Meyer took on raising a two-month-old Black Labrador named Norwina as a Gold Award Project and project for FFA. Not only must she feed and shelter the pup, Meyer must take the dog everywhere with her - that means shopping, out for meals and, yes, school. So to ensure Norwina stays safe and Meyer is successful in training the pup, there are a few things fellow students can do to help out.

M

No petting

While those little paws and droopy ears may look like they are begging for attention, petting Norwina only distracts the pup. This takes her attention away from Meyer and ultimately makes training more difficult.

No talking

Everyone knows that voice people use when they talk to a puppy, the high pitched, “baby talk” voice that makes puppies heads turn and ears perk up. Well cut it out. Once again, talking to Norwina just offers another distraction from Meyer.

To fully train Norwina, Meyer needs her undivided attention.

No feeding

Even though those puppy dog eyes may be calling for you to just drop one potato chip, Norwina has only ever tasted dog kibble. Kibble is all she eats morning, noon and night, so exposing her to human food could make her very sick. Meyer has a small pack she carries around with all of Norwina’s food inside, so no worries, she gets plenty of snacks throughout the day without random strangers giving Photo Courtesy her food. of Molly Meyer

College Board for free.

NSHSS also hosts several college fairs every school year.

However, most reasonablysized school districts do the same for, you guessed it, free.

The letter suggests they only inquire about the cream of the crop, but historically students with lackluster grades at best have been solicited. At least once an individual who had long since dropped out was offered the honor of becoming a scholar

for life.

Which brings us back to the original question. The National Society of High School Scholars has many legitimate sponsors and, though not in a satisfactory way, does provide the benefits indicated.

In short, NSHSS is not a scam. It is just incompetent.

Letter from the Editor

F

rom the moment I walked into the Journalism room my Freshman year I felt something I had been struggling to find since sixth grade: acceptance. I found a home in the journalism room, a group of people that I not only enjoy being around, but also can relate to.

This acceptance is something I want to give to the rest of the school through the newspaper. Through the Cougar Connection I hope to share the stories of everyday students in the school, show their struggles, their accomplishment and everything in between.

This “Back to School” issue of the newspaper perfectly embodies what I hope to achieve this year as Editor-in-Chief: eyecatching designs as well as fun and informative stories to help students open their minds to what the school has to offer.

I look forward to the year to come. I already know many obstacles lay ahead, but I was taught to never back down from a challenge.

So, I welcome readers to the first issue of our newspaper, the Cougar Connection - sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

Kanye vs Taylor - give it a rest Sam Billings News Editor

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he recent scuffle between Taylor Swift and Kanye West seems like history repeating itself for the umpteenth time, and it has become old news. For those who do not know, West’s wife, the infamous Kim Kardashian, leaked videos of a phone call between her husband and Swift regarding a controversial lyric about Swift in West’s song “Famous.” Taylor quickly wrote her response and posted it on social media, saying that she “would very much like to be excluded from this narrative, one that I never asked to be a part of, since 2009.” Cue everyone on the internet claiming “team Kim” or “team Taylor.”

Honestly, the entire fight seems a bit ridiculous. Do these multimillionaire celebrities really have nothing better to do than attack each other over seemingly nothing? Everyone will still continue to buy both artist’s music, regardless of whatever anyone says about them.

However, this argument makes sense from both sides. In the video, the conversation sounds very amiable and Swift clearly approves of the lyric.

It seems as if Kim wants to reiterate that her husband has done nothing

wrong. But West never mentioned the next line of the song where he calls Swift a derogatory name which West did not mention at all in the videos.

Therefore, anyone can see where Taylor could have gotten offended. The drama between Kanye and Taylor has lasted seven years, and people still follow it religiously on social media even if the feud has fizzled into an on-againoff-again friendship. This time, it seems like Kim just got bored, since the original disagreement over the lyric had settled down weeks ago.

The neverending battle between Kanye and Taylor will hopefully end altogether soon because frankly, it has become redundant.

How many more social media fights will happen before everyone realizes that nothing relevant happens during them? Taylor will still have a horde of loyal fans defending her every move, and Kanye will still act like Kanye and drop his albums with tons of theatrics.

Everyone should move on because the whole thing will blow over in a couple of days anyway. Taylor can hang out with her girl squad, write a song and wipe her tears with $100 bills.

Kanye can lounge on a

Illustration by Lydia Estepp

Every vote counts

People should vote as soon as they can

Emma Ruggiero Opinion Editor

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ne young adult walks past a polling station, carrying on with their day, indifferent to the political world. One less person fills a booth that day; one ballot never makes it to the election officials. One vote changes the life of a candidate and potentially the lives of hundreds, thousands, millions of citizens.

With the 2016 presidential election approaching, students 18 years of age

or older will have the ability to vote for the candidate of their choice.

This year young adults can participate in the biggest election in the United States - an opportunity that only comes around every four years. Unfortunately, many students take this opportunity for granted. To avoid this, people should vote as soon as they get the chance.

Most political decisions greatly affect a nation or community’s youth. By participating in an election, a student can provide a voice

yacht with Kim and decide which videos they should leak next. And they will remain millionaires, despite the never-ending beef they have with each other.

for the young adults of their generation and vote for their personal benefit.

Additionally, voting for the first time serves as an important milestone in a person’s life. With this experience, a student can learn responsibility and making their own decisions.

Furthermore, the student will feel a sense of pride for having taken a small part in an important election.

Many older people assume millennials cannot make proper decisions and do things correctly.

However, young people’s

Ask your government teacher about how to register.

opinions hold just as much significance as anyone else’s, and millennials should voice their opinions in order to have a fair, unbiased political system.

A democracy allows its citizens to build their government by means of polling. Young adults should take advantage of this privilege and visit their local polling station whenever they can. This way, the young people of America will have a voice and help impact the world around them.

High Stakes and High Bars

Alumni Participates In Olympic Gymnastics Chloe Crawford

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with one goal in mind: he wanted to go through trials without making a single mistake.

“I just wanted to go there and have that [mistakeless] experience … so that no matter what happened whether I made it or not, I could retire ... knowing I went out with my best performance,” Brooks said.

After Brooks and the rest of the competitors finished their routines, the Olympic selection committee went into a room to pick the finalists.

Brooks’ competitors filled a different room, where they congratulated each other on routines well done. As soon as the selection committee walked in everything fell silent. “[The] tension immediately goes to 100,” Brooks said.

One of the committee members broke the silence by congratulating all the competitors and then jumped right into listing names of the people who made it alphabetically. First, B for Brooks.

“I basically fell out of my chair and to not only hear my name but my teammates, my friends … whenever my name was called everybody started cheering to hear their support and to feel that inside me was probably one of the most incredible feelings I’ve ever had,” Brooks said.

Brooks practiced for 30 hours a week and captained the olympic gymnastics team He placed fourteenth in the

individual overall competition.

“You can’t ever win or perfect gymnastics; it’s always changing ... it’s always evolving there’s always something to be learned … Which is why I love it. It drives you to continuously learn and push yourself … but it’s also the most frustrating part because you’re never good enough because the sport always continues to evolve.”

texas Medal Count

42 Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

Courtesy of John Cheng Courtesy of MCT Campus

want to be on that floor, and I want to have that experience.’”

Brooks received a nomination for Pacific Alliance (now Pacific Rim Championship) his junior year of high school. Brooks started training immediately for a competition with junior and senior level competitors, but his training hit a roadblock in 2004 after winning gold in 2003 at the USA National Championships.

While on the high bars, Brooks’ grips didn’t release properly, throwing off his grab on the other bars. His hands ripped around the other bars, getting caught and locking into a position called grip lock. His arms stuck still, while the rest of his body flew around the bars critically injured his forearms. The injury took five surgeries and a recovery time totaling a little bit over a year and a half.

Brooks recounted that experience as “probably the lowest point” in his gymnastics experience.

Brooks recovered from his injury by his freshmen year at University of Oklahoma where the team secured an undefeated record.

That year, his team hosted and won the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) championship.

In contrast to the year before, Brooks described that year as the best in his gymnastics experience.

Following his NCAA victory, Brooks attended the Olympic trials in St. Louis, Missouri,

Courtesy of John Cheng

Sports Editor efore the Olympic fanfare, Chris Brooks scanned the room full of other children and gymnastic equipment at an open gym for the first time. He tumbled across one of the mats and someone took notice of his unique ability.

“Somebody comes out, and [says] ‘you aren’t on the team, you can’t be doing skills like that’”, Chris said, “and I was horrified being a six-yearold kid doing something wrong.”

Someone else took notice of Chris’ natural skill too.

A coach.

He motioned Brooks’ father, Larry Brooks, over and asked him if Brooks wanted to join the team, however he didn’t meet the minimum age requirement. Six months shy of seven years old, Brooks spent the rest of the year going to open gym after open gym, so he could compete on a team as soon as he turned seven.

Larry began Chris’s training as he was a gymnast in his youth.

Chris continued his training under coach Bill Foster at Houston North gymnastics clubs and before he knew it he wanted to join the Olympics.

“I guess it was during the ‘96 games … and I remember seeing the men’s team finals … seeing how much joy I could see in the faces of the men, competing … and just loving that process,” Brooks said. “I kind of fell in love with that feeling, and that’s whenever I really thought ‘I