Designer. Refugee Advocate. Strongheart Fellow. P. 12
Creek Football P. 18 Hurricane Ike Heroes P. 12
2305 East Main, League City, TX 77573
Ike damages the Ninth Grade Center Allie Hinga
Hurricane Ike left extensive damage across the coast of Texas, from widespread power outages to the destruction of Galveston Island. Creek has also been dealing with Ike’s aftermath as it works to clean up the damage to the Ninth Grade Center. Both students and teachers have been working to adjust to new
classroom arrangements, and the damage that was done not only to the rooms, but also to personal belongings and years of student and teacher work. During Hurricane Ike, the strong winds blew off a large piece of the roof, which blew backwards, creating a hole in the roof behind it and letting water into the building. The science wing on the second floor of the Ninth Grade Center was the first to take on water, which would eventually seep into classrooms on the floor below. The front hallways of the building suffered only minor damage. After the storm, crews came in to clear out the damage within a day of work. Classrooms lost a number of ceiling tiles, and some of them had to have the entire ceiling grid taken out. Many teachers lost cabinets in their rooms, carpet had to be removed, and over a week after the storm passed through, workers had to remove the insulation from damaged areas. Teachers also lost some of the materials that had been left in their rooms before the storm, such as teaching supplies, student projects, and even some personal items. Items found in the classroom that were still in decent condition were boxed so teachers could retrieve them later. Before school resumed on Monday, September 29, the Education Support Center was working to replace some of the lost items. In wake of the damage done to the Ninth Grade Center, the High School administration worked to place teachers in suitable rooms, as half of the classrooms in the building were considered not suitable for students and still receiving work. Teachers have been relocated across campus, with some in new rooms in the Ninth Grade Center, and others in the portables, the temporary buildings, or unused classrooms on the main campus. It could take anywhere from one to three or four weeks until all the damaged classrooms can be occupied again. Even then, the building will still need work. Mr.
Bockart said that it is “...very likely we will finish the year without carpet.” On the Thursday before school started, teachers were allowed to go into their rooms to view the damage, and retrieve a few items they would need to begin teaching on Monday. Ninth Grade Center teachers experienced various amounts of damage. Mr. Brad Hewlett, the ninth grade theater teacher said that there was absolutely no damage to h i s
room, and that the only real impact he was feeling was not being able
to
t a k e his students to the damaged teaching theater. Before returning to the school, Hewlett said he was worried because he didn’t know the extent of the damage, and he had scripts and personal and department books that could have been destroyed. Since he remains in his old room in the Ninth Grade Center, he says the only major difference he sees in the school is the crowded
but
even
that
is
hallways, nothing
new
to him. “It’s really not a whole lot different than it was a couple of years ago when all the rooms were full,” he said. Another teacher, Mr. Graham, suffered little damage to his belongings, because this is his first year teaching at Creek. His room lost carpet and cabinets, and Graham lost paperwork, copies, and his computer, but little e l s e . “I didn’t have a lot of stuff in my classroom yet, so I didn’t have much to lose,” he said. He said he feels bad because he knows that others lost much more.
Continue on page 5. Photo by Cassie Lee
Creek grad wins gold medal
Megan McKisson CCISD’s motto ‘Educate, Equip, Excel” is plastered all over the website and walls of Clear Creek ISD. Most students see the words daily without more than a glance, but Creek graduate and Olympic medalist Riley Salmon has lived them. No ordinary
alumni, Salmon graced Creek with a halftime appearance on Thursday, August 28, where he was presented with the key to League City by the mayor, Toni Randall. “We are so proud of you,” Randall said as a grinning Salmon accepted the key. Growing up in League City, Salmon tried out for baseball, tennis and basketball before discovering his passion for volleyball completely by chance. After discovering that the
gym he had hoped to use for some pickup basketball was being refurbished, he wandered over to another court where a group of students were organizing a volleyball game, in need of a final player. Salmon joined in and has never looked back since. His talent was recognized quickly, and he excelled in club volleyball. “I’m proud to say I was teammates with Riley in high school,” said current Creek head volleyball coach Scott Simonds. “He was, is, and always will be a much better volleyball better player than me. I’m very proud of Riley and I’m very proud to call him a Clear Creek Wildcat. While most of his Olympic teammates played college volleyball at NCAA Division I schools crawling with talent scouts and All-American honors, Salmon played for two years at Pierce College in Los Angeles, California.
It was here that he discovered beach volleyball, and it wasn’t long before he was competing in the AVP Volleyball tour, finishing top-20 over the next couple of seasons. Still, he accepted this as the end of his volleyball years, securing a job as a warehouse supervisor for General Electric. His path seemed set until scout Tim Kelly invited him to play for a professional men’s team in Italy, giving him two days to respond with an answer. “I told him to go for it,” said Salmon’s wife (whom he was then engaged to) Millie. “I wanted him to chase his dreams.” Salmon moved to Italy and was soon signed with the professional team Tomei. It was here in Europe that the then-U.S. Olympic coach Doug Beal discovered Salmon. The 2004 US team qualified for the Games at the NORCECA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but did not bring home a medal that year. Returning to the 2008 Games, Salmon helped his team earn a gold victory once and for all. Salmon serves as a reminder to all Creek students and alumni that with dedication, passion, and hard work, any dream can become a reality. “Don’t ever give up. It’s a long road, but believe me, it’s possible”, said Riley Salmon.
Photo by Wynette Jameson