Basketball
Creek students compete in Special Olympics pg. 12
pg. 14
Mix IT Up pg. 11
HILIFE 2305 East Main, League City, TX 77573
VOLUME 82
December 2007
ISSUE 3
Semester finals after winter holidays: study now Allie Hinga With the winter break approaching, students at Clear Creek High School are hard at work in their classrooms, trying to wrap up the semester. In previous years, teachers would be preparing students for their midterm finals. This year, however, testing will take place after the break, January 15-18. The dates for the finals have been pushed back as a result of the later start date for Texas schools. In order to complete the eighteen weeks of instruction required for a semester, the last two weeks of the first semester will take place after students return from the winter break. Finals will be held during the second week after students return to class. Taking finals after a two-week break comes with a number of advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, students will be able to use the break to study. They will have time to review without having to worry about homework due the next day. Students have entire days to study, instead of just afternoons and weekends. The extra time will allow them to complete a more thorough review of the material they have learned over the past semester. On the other hand, moving the finals to January 2008 will cause a number of inconveniences for students. Many will have to realign their study schedules to meet the demands of different testing dates. Some students worry that they will forget all the material they have learned over the extended break, and others may either
forget to study or procrastinate until the end of the break. Another concern is that teachers will not give formal reviews until the week before finals, so students will not be able to sufficiently study over the winter holidays. One student, junior Mary Crnkovic, summarized both the advantages and challenges of later testing when she said, “I think I’m going to forget everything, but I think it would give me more time to study, but I would forget to study over New Year’s.” Tenth grader Mie Millard thinks that the change is ultimately a loss for students, “I think it’s going to hurt, because we’re going to be distracted by the Christmas Break, so for two weeks, our focus will be on having fun.” Despite the possible problems occurring as a result of a new testing schedule, students will still need to prepare for their exams. In order to be sufficiently prepared for the tests, proper study skills will be important. One key part of studying is being organized. Students should decide how long they will need to study and schedule time to review. It is suggested that students begin organizing a week before the test date. Once they have organized the material, students may want to skim through the textbook chapters that will be covered on the test, looking for main ideas, vocabulary, and important concepts. Reviewing study guides from previous tests, and also reviewing the tests themselves, may also be useful. Studying with other students and discussing the material covered may help students absorb what they have learned. It
may also be helpful to ask Fall Exam Schedule the teacher what concepts are most important to study. When studying, it is Tuesday, January 15 important not to panic in the 7:20 a.m.- 9:23 a.m. days before the test. This can Period 1 increase stress, which may Period 2 9:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. interfere with study time. Take regular breaks between Wednedsay, January 16 study periods. Spreading out review time can help Period 3 7:20 a.m.- 9:23 a.m. make study more effective. 9:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. Students should find a study Period 4 method that works well for them and use it. Cramming Thursday, January 17 right before the test is not suggested, as it often leads Period 5 7:20 a.m.- 9:23 a.m. to a superficial and confused Period 6 9:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. knowledge of the material. Getting a good night’s sleep before the test will help Friday, January 18 students remain more alert Period 7 7:20 a.m.- 9:23 a.m. during their exams. According to the Period 8 9:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. University Learning Center at Penn State University, on Dismissal at 11:30 exam day, students should make an extra effort to be on time for class, so they Reminder* transportation is not can begin testing as quickly as possible. A quick review provided until 2:30 p.m. of the test before beginning can help students begin thinking about entire time allotted for testing, taking time the material and budgeting the time they to answer questions and to review their can spend on different sections of the test. answers at the end of the test. Despite any difficulties that might Answering the easy questions first, then returning to more difficult questions at the come about as a result of a later testing end of the exam allows for more questions date, students will still need to be just as to be answered. Students should use the prepared as in previous years.
Class ‘08 Senior Musical presents Pirates of Penzance Ruth Rozas
The senior class of 2008 will be presenting Pirates of Penzance on January 30-31 and February 1-2 in the Clear Creek High School Auditorium. All shows will start at 7:00pm and tickets are ten dollars at the door. December 31, 1879 was the premiere of Pirates of Penzance in New York City at the Fifth Avenue Theatre. The cast included J.H. Ryley as Major General, Hugh Talbot as Fredrick, and Sgr. Broccolini as Pirate King, Fred Clinton as Sergeant, Blanch Roosevelt as Mabel and Alice Barnett as Ruth. A revival was made of the play as a major Broadway production on January 8, 1981 featuring Kevin Kline as Pirate King, Rex Smith as Frederic, and Linda Ronstadt as Mabel. It took place at Uris Theatre and had 772 shows. In 1983 a film was made which featured Kline, Smith, Ronstadt, and Angela Lansbury. The story Pirates of Penzance is about Frederic, an adolescent Pirate apprentice indentured by mistake to the pirates. His
half deaf mute nanny was supposed to indenture him to a pilot but got it all wrong. Frederic now has made up his mind to rid himself of the pirates forever. Though he
out the pirates’ one flaw: they are too feeble of heart. Supposedly, a captive of these pirates only has to proclaim he is an orphan, and they will release the person.
feels strongly about his fellow comrades, he decides to dedicate his life to the extermination of all their kind. Frederic, still a pirate till midnight, decides to point
Fredric, having never seen another woman besides his aged nurse, once upon the shore spots a group of ravishing
maidens. Upon seeing these women, he instantly falls in love with the fairest of the flock, Mabel, who offers to reclaim the “Poor Wandering One”. Completely swept off his feet, Frederic forgets that there are still pirates around. Without warning his fellow crew is closing in. Very lonely, these pirates find the women a delight and quickly realize that this is a great chance to get married with immunity. Right in time, the girls’ father, Major-General Stanley, appears and immediately falsely states he is an orphan resulting in the concise release of his daughters. Terrified that the pirates will find out his secret, he turns to Frederic, who calms him by assuring he will seize the pirates and stop their voracious actions. Though when Frederic is met with the news, he is still indentured to the pirates due to a formality. The conflict rises. The director, Timothy Estelle, along with choral Directors Dr. Sean and Kyle Pullen, Orchestra Director Michael Astwood, and Choreographer Traci Carpenter see great potential in the show. Come join the tradition of CCHS by attending one of the show and experience the tale The Pirates of Penzance.