2305 East Main Street League City, TX 77573
Water Polo pg.18
Homecoming Court pg.10 and 11
Band pg. 6
August/ September 2013 Volume 90, Issue 1
Homecoming in hometown keep traditions alive By Elena Rodriguez Around Creek Editor Change. Change is good and bad. Change is anxiety and anticipation. Change is a part of life. One of the biggest changes for most people is high school. It’s a time for growing up; to become more responsible, more independent. Statements heard about high school are that it is fun and exciting and tiring and daunting. It’s a time to for students to find themselves and make memories. Nearly one hundred years ago, one of the very first Homecomings was held. Now one hundred plus years later, high schools across the country continue to celebrate their own Homecomings annually. Most of these high schools have stayed strong and true to their roots, keeping the traditional parade and halftime crowning of the Homecoming queen. But some high schools have developed their own flavor of Homecoming like C.E. Jordan High in Durham, N.C. whose band dresses in costumes every year during the game, or the University of Central Florida who hosts a pep rally in the Reflection Pool at the center of the campus. The traditions are fun and unique, but high schools across Texas have developed their own personalized Homecomings that are as big and grand as the Lone Star State itself. For Homecoming each year millions of Texas students ask someone to be their Homecoming date. This tradition is nearly as old as the Homecoming itself. Years
ago a boy gave his Homecoming date a flower, much like the corsage given at prom, except this flower was known as the chrysanthemum, big, beautiful flowers
to take to the dance, and girls brood over the mystery of who may be the one to ask them. The greatest thing about it all is the question itself. “Will you be my Home-
Photo by Jasmine Garza
that come in an array of bright colors. Over time these “chrysanthemum” tokens became “mums,” large silky expressions of an individual’s personality, decorated with symbols and mementos that were unique to that person. Many high school female students began taking the mums and creating large, silvery expressions that embodied who they were and what was special about them. High school students look forwardto Homecoming, but everyone’s stomach is twisting and turning for the weeks before the actual day. Boys fret over which girl
coming date?” Somewhere along the line of Homecoming history, the way in which girls were asked to Homecoming became creative, inventing the most unique form of asking the question to that one special girl. From fake pizza deliveries, to large courtyard signs, to homemade shirts and the classic roses and teddy bear, boys have invented ingenious methods of delivering that six-word phrase. Creek has found it’s own way to best celebrate Homecoming. Each year, Homecoming week is full of wacky dress up days. From a blindingly bright neon Monday to
a Duck Dynasty themed Wednesday that flies into the classic superhero Thursday, students and teachers dress up and join in the school spirit. Students, especially girls, pick out their outfits weeks in advance, as soon as the days are announced. If that is not enough, Creek hosts a Homecoming parade, a candle light pep rally, an in school pep rally and a fun, festive school carnival. It’s game day and all lunches are invited to the carnival, a concoction of school personality and individuality in dozens of booths personalized to fit the different faces of Creek. On top of the carnival fun, a variety of booths of food, activities and souvenirs complete the Homecoming experience. “I love being able to spend that time with my friends. I like making those memories,” said Paige Coffey, 11th. Before the school day ends, the classes of Clear Creek High School “pep” up for the pep rally. All freshmen wear white, all sophomores wear gray, and all juniors wear maroon. Seniors wear black and female seniors suit up in overalls to show off their unique white and silver mums. It’s spirit day, pep rally schedule, it’s carnivals at school, it’s game day. Students are raving and everyone’s chanting. “The atmosphere in the gym is charged. Everyone is ready for the game,” said Marco Rodriguez, 10th.
Bring Your Own Device expands students’ access By Lisa Nhan Management Editor
In an effort that will expand the integration of technology into our schools, Clear Creek Independent School District will be introducing the Bring Your Own Device program on October 1. The district’s aim is to allow students a wider access of digital resources to broader the learning experience inside the classroom. The idea of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has been available for years now but only on a limited basis. Kevin Schwartz, the Chief Technology Officer of the district, had credited this to the size of the previous wireless network. “When we upgraded the network for the Latitude 2 Learn initiative, we also gained the ability to allow BYOD on a widespread basis. Remember, access and use of the devices in a classroom is still at the teacher’s discretion,” said Schwartz. With the approximately 30,000 Dell Latitude 10 tablet computer tablets
being distributed over a span of a few years, this program is designed to give the students without tablets the same access and resources. The BYOD program is temporary until each student is fitted with a tablet of his own. Students will need to familiarize themselves with the “Responsible Use Guidelines” on the district website. In the beginning of the year, students and parents were supposed to acknowledge these in the Student/Parent Handbook and the Student Code. The Bring Your Own Device program will follow these guidelines. The devices will be on the same internet filter as the devices at the school currently. The filter is compliant with the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act. The upcoming tablets will also run on the same filter. Teachers have two different signs, one with an image of a tablet and another with an image of a phone. On one side of each sign is device on its own while the opposite side has the device with
a red line through it. This will allow the teachers to communicate whether or not the students can use their devices that day. According to Schwartz, the reason for the district recent initiatives to intergrade more technology into the district’s curriculum is influenced by an approach known as Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge, or TPAK. TPAK is described as “a framework that identifies the knowledge teachers need to teach effectively with technology,” by the official website. The program is broken into three levels of knowledge; Content, Pedagogical, and Technology. Content knowledge is where the teacher will be teaching or learning about their subject matter. This encompasses the ideas such as concepts, theories, and ideas. Often this can be seen in the curriculum. Pedagogical knowledge is when the teacher does the actual act of teaching students. This knowledge itself focuses on concepts such as how a student
learns best. The final level of knowledge is Technology. With this type of knowledge, the student is able to understand, utilize, and influence the technology around him. The teacher ideally will have mastered the application and value of these skills. “It’s more practical for teachers to be able to connect to the curriculum to student’s experiences and interests by utilizing technology,” said Schwartz. Some have criticized the program in fears of the distractions it may cause, but Schwartz addressed this with, “a dose of skepticism is healthy, but so is the willingness to change.” With the integration of technology Schwartz hopes that the lessons will become more engaging, preventing distractions themselves.