October 2010

HiLIFE

October 2010- Issue 2 Volume 86 2305 East Main, League City,TX 77573

In this issue: Cash named Teacher of the Year Kaitlyn Blake

Engineering is building a Jeep Page 6

Homecoming 2010 Page 15

Katy Perry releases new CD Page 17

On Thursday, September 23, 2010, Mrs. Gwen Cash was honored as the 2010 Preserve America History Teacher of the Year for the State of Texas. She was presented with the award in front of all of her family, friends, and students.

“I would like to express my appreciation to the Creek administration, faculty, staff, and students who helped to make the day a special one for me. The assembly was just an example of how the Creek family sticks together,” Mrs. Cash said.

Mrs. Cash grew up in La Marque, TX and received a full ride scholarship to the University of Texas where she received her Bachelor of Arts.

Not only is she a certified teacher, but she is also a nationally certified College

sees strengths in everybody and encourages them.”

At the beginning of the ceremony, the Creek orchestra played the prelude music, Lucus Duncavage said the Pledge of Allegiance, and Kaleigh Sutula sang the national anthem.

Felicia Andrews, the CCISD Social Studies Coordinator, introduced Mrs. Cash.

Following this, Judy Brodigan, the Texas Preseve America Coordinator, presented the actual Preserve America History Award, a check for $1,000, and letters of recognition from both Governor Rick Perry and U. S. Senator John Cornyn. Preserve America honors only one teacher from each state every year.

“She exemplifies what a history teacher should and can be,” Brodigan said.

Dr. Greg Smith, the Superintendent of CCISD, presented a proclamation from the mayor of League City stating that September 23, 2010 was Gwen Cash Day. Monica Richardson, Creek’s head cheerleader, gave Mrs. Cash a bouquet of flowers from the cheerleaders to show how thankful they are to have Mrs. Cash as their cheer sponsor.

And finally, Mrs. Cash reluctantly gave a speech. She thanked her husband Aaron, son Jeremy, Ashtyn Hopkins because Mrs. Cash used Ashtyn’s work on the application, and of course, her hairdresser (who, surprisingly enough, was in the audience).

It’s not exactly a secret that Mrs. Cash’s AP US History class is a grueling, difficult, and tedious class to take.

“I demand a lot of you because I expect a lot of you, and you return it ten percent greater.”

And in the closing remarks, Dr. Greg Smith said,“she’s our hero,she’s our teacher.”

Fun run honors Special Olympics Kaitlyn Blake

Pets of the Month Page 17

Board Consultant, which allows her to conduct AP and Pre-AP workshops for US History teachers across the country.

Mrs. Cash has been teaching for 30 years.

She is the AP US History teacher at Creek and she has been the cheerleading squad’s sponsor for the past 26 years.

Her AP students consistently have some of the highest AP scores in the district.

Mrs. Cash said, “I was honored to receive the award on behalf of all of the outstanding teachers at Clear Creek High who go unnoticed.”

Principal Scott Bockart said that two words to describe Mrs. Cash are “modesty and humility.” He said that “she never wanted to make it about her, she wanted to make it about her students.

S h e

For the past three years, CCISD has hosted a family fun run. The past fun runs have honored CCHS teachers, Mr. Bradley Wims and Ms. Anya Herrera. The proceeds from the third annual fun run, held on November 13, 2010, will be donated to CCISD’s Special Olympics program.

The annual fun run was started by the School of Health Science’s SLC at Creek, and both years there has been a remarkable turnout of volunteers and participants. The run has honored Mr. Wims, who had chondrosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the body’s bone marrow, but sadly passed away just a few days before the fun run. The second fun run honored Ms. Hererra, who was diagnosed with a type of brain cancer, and passed away on August 19, 2010.

CCISD’s Special Olympics program was developed to help those with special needs compete in fair sporting events. The teams compete in 12 events: aquatics, golf,

bocce, softball, bowling, power lifting, volleyball, table tennis, basketball. tennis, track and field. The Special Olympics program’s budget has been nearly cut in half, and this year’s fun run is being dedicated to support their program.

The fun run for Mrs. Herrera exceeded the expectations of those who organized it. Over 230 shirts were sold at $15 each and many people participated in the race.

The course of the fun run will follow a path around Clear Creek High School and Clear Creek Intermediate. The 5K course can be viewed on e4.ccisd.net. There is also a shorter course for kids 12 and under. Kids under six must have an adult with them.

The course will begin at the track at Clear Creek High School, go completely around the school, through Clear Creek Intermediate School’s track, and will end at the Clear Creek High School track.

If you would just like to purchase a T-Shirt and not participate in the fun run, they are $10 and orders must be turned

in by October 25, 2010. The registration fee for runners above the age of 12 is $15, for runners under 12 years old is $10, and for late registration is $20.

The fun run will be held on November 13, 2010. Mrs. Elizabeth Radicioni is the coordinator for the fun run and registrations should be turned into her.

This year, the fun run will include all five high schools in the district and there will be a contest to see which school has the highest number of registrations.

Mrs. Cash is presented with Preserve America’s Teacher of the Year award (Top). Mrs Cash stands with her varsity cheerleading squad (Bottom).

Photos by Tianah Brewer Photo Illustration by Kaitlyn Blake

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Opinion Hey, CREEK

!

What was you r favorite par t about homeco ming?

Freshmen

“I liked the dressing up, the carnival, and the football game.”

-Ashley Whitt “My favorite part of homecoming was the carnival, because the smoothies were really good.”

-Erica Pollino “The senior hip hop dance at the pep rally.”

-Ashley Haas

“Hanging out with my friends and the fact that we won the game.”

-Rayne Wagner

Sophomores “Being the mime for the french club booth.”

- Alex Flores “The football game, because you see a lot of people who graduated.”

-Clayton Egan-Wyer “Marching during halftime, and making my mum and shirt.”

-Amie Geistman “I loved seeing all the people from Creek and dancing during halftime.”

-Lacey Lehrman “My favorite part of homecoming was the Ag french fries.”

-Michaela Pineler

Juniors “I loved the pep rally. All the students showed so much school spirit, and it was really cool seeing all the students cheer together.”

-Timothy Pigg “My favorite part of homecoming was the dress up days and preforming at the pep rally.”

-Emily Huynh “The best part is going to dinner with your date after the game, and getting dressed up and having an amazing time with that person.”

-Ashleigh Smith “I loved walking around during the carnival with my friends.”

“My favorite part was the homecoming parade.”

“I loved being loud at the pep rally!”

-Tara French -Devin Zamka -Ashley Pate

Seniors “Playing during the game and everytime I looked at the stands, I saw nothing but maroon.”

-John Payne “Being on Homecoming Court and having a huge, beautiful mum.”

-Liz Nifong “Fish friday (band) initiation at Shipleys was the best.”

-Erin Malloy “Making my senior shirt, my crown, and finally being able to say bow down to the underclassmen.”

-Sarah Clubb “I loved the random dress up days, especially geek day because I got to rock a sweater vest.”

-Katie Roach “I enjoyed all the crazy action during lunch, and the mums and school spirit!”

-Sammye Darling

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HiLife Staff

Principal: Advisor: Executive Editor: Editors-in-Chief:

Advertising Manager: Centerspread Editor: Features Editor: News Editor: Teen Interest Editor: Sports Editors:

Around Creek Editor: Creek Speeks Editor: Online Editor: Photo Editor:

Scott Bockart Wynette Jameson Jan O’Neil Kaitlyn Blake Kaitlyn Boryk Shannon O’Neil Ashley Farmer Ellen Gaudet Tracey Griffith Amber Arnold Madison Borowitz Jacob Arredondo Derek Gay Jacob Mancini Ashley Farmer Mary Veedell Shauna Fererro-Donahue

Staff: Ashley Barba Tianah Brewer Emily Cruz Morgan Greenen Stephanie Johnson Kara Loewenthal Selina Olivas Olivia Payne Aimee Sierra Sara Wallace Valerie Hellinghausen

Hannah Brinsko Brooke Griffis Marie Nelson Gabrielle Renwall Madison Williams

Email us at: Creekhilife@gmail.com Visit us at: http://clearcreekhighschool.ihigh.com For ad rates call: (281)284-1889 Fax: (281)284-1705

Editorial Boryk’s Beautiful Box

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“A friend is someone who can see the truth and pain in you even when you are fooling everyone else”Anonymous

Kaitlyn Boryk The names in this editorial have been changed to protect the privacy of the students.

This I believe in…true friends, the kind that will be there for you through everything. I was sixteen years old; a sophomore in high school and my life would change forever. My boyfriend at the time (now he’s an ex-boyfriend) and I had been going out for almost a year and a half, actually two days short of that anniversary.

Little did my friends at the time know, a test was waiting for them, ready or not.

It had been a normal day. Mason* and I had fought the night before, which was a normal occurrence. As always, I thought that we would make up that day at school.

How wrong I was. I awoke that morning to a text message from Mason. * “Hey today will be the day I die and there’s nothing you can do about it. I already took the pills to get the job done.” The feeling I had after reading that text message is indescribable.

Once at school, I talked to my friends as usual, pretending nothing happened.

I continued through my classes terrified, alone, and thinking the worst. Second period rolled around, I had just sat down when my cell phone buzzed. I knew who it was without even looking. “I loved you.

How could you do this to me… you meant everything to me. Well not anymore. In about an hour it’ll be done.” My palms and face felt clammy; I didn’t understand what he was talking about. Kendra* turned and looked at me. She knew something was wrong.

Kendra* began to question me about what was going on. A look of pure worry was on her face. She had been the only one that day that had asked me. It showed me who really knew me, and was concerned enough to ask what was happening.

I looked down at the cell phone in my hand and showed her the message.

She immediately took action. “Let’s go

now. What class is he in?” I knew where he was but looking at my phone again, tears started to form. “Kaitlyn where?” I was so scared, but relying on Kendra’s* strength, I found the courage I needed.

She grabbed my hand as we ran down the halls, giving me hope that everything was going to be okay. Everything after that was a blur, calling the nurse and assistant principals, teachers’ voices, the tears, the screaming, but I also remember a hug. Not just one but five very big, understanding, and meaningful hugs. I remember them because they had no blame in them, no hate, just love and friendship. That’s what I had needed more than anything in the world. The only five people that would talk to me, the only ones who didn’t blame me for Mason’s* suicide attempt, the only ones who took time to comfort me and stood up for me in my moment of need. My genuine friends.

I didn’t find out until almost two weeks later that Mason* was ok. Not knowing if someone is alive or not is awful. The feeling of dread and a sense of aloneness was everywhere. I fell into a depression. During that period of time, my friends were at my house almost every single night helping me

face what I was going through. They were truly there when I needed them the most.

I have found new light from this experience, and I strive to become a better friend because of it. I am always there for my friends whether they need a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to listen to them. They have changed me into the person I am today. Now I am carefree and living life to its fullest everyday with the help of friends and family.

Because of this incident, I have had trust issues with people. My true friends are the ones that stuck with me through my toughest time and the friends I truly can trust: Sasha, * Lexy, * Holly, * Kendra, * and Jason. * They really did care about me and showed me it in very different ways.

As seniors, we have started to drift apart, but I still find time to hang out with them.

They are my best friends. Without them, I would have probably gone crazy and done something that I would have regretted. We may not talk everyday, but I know that if I need them again, they will be there. I hope that no one ever has to go through what I did. If they do, then I can only hope they have true, genuine friends like mine. The world is a better place with true friends.

Guest Editorial: Derek Gay High school is only a short time in your life

Derek Gay Though it may seem like a long, yet enjoyable eternity, high school passes by quickly. High school brings so many new experiences like driving, and for some a first job. Parents start to trust you more while also expecting more. It seems like high school is the most important part of your life, when really its such a small portion of your life. When the average human being’s life span is 78 years old, high school is only 5.1 percent of your life. However, life molds you into who you are and possibly who you will become later in life.

I first came to this realization when I subliminally caught an interview with Taylor Swift playing in the background.

She was telling the reporter about her memories of high school. Swift admits that she was a victim of bullying and

had succumbed to her nonexistant social life and started to eat lunch alone.

Though it is important to make friends and have a sense of belonging, high school doesn’t have to disrupt my future. After the four years of high school are over, no one will care who my friends are or where I sat at lunch. People will judge me for my talents, personality, and dreams. I don’t want to have bad memories of high school, but when its all said and done high school success probably won’t be my most proud accomplishment. High school’s purpose is to prepare me, as well as other students for life in many aspects, such as socially, athletically, and academically. I certainly don’t want my life to peak at age 17.

It is important to remember high school students have their whole life ahead of them. The moment that is forgotten is the moment we fail. Most humans have a natural ambition and strive to become better every day. I think this first sets in and takes your life over in high school, when academic competition begins, as well as athletic and even social competition. It is good to have a balancing act between those three activities. Most teens tend to lean closer to socializing than academics and athletics, but everyone has their own

opinion of success. Some teens would like to be socially successful with as many friends as possible. Some want to use their brains to succeed in life, and a very small amount of the population is able to find athletic success. In the long run we all would like to find our personal success in order to be happy.

Beginning my junior year, I fear that too much time has been wasted in school. We spend 35 hours a week in school, and every hour should be used efficiently. I am forced to go to school for twelve years, I would like to try to accomplish something if we have no other options as far as ways to spend our time. I should end everyday with a new accomplishment and a new goal for the future. Practicing this process, I can become familiar with my strengths and weaknesses as a human. It is a lot harder to excel to my highest possible outcomes if I don’t know about theses strengths and weaknesses.

Though sometimes I have trouble realizing the truth, I know I am at school for a reason. That sole reason is to learn things I will use later in life. Like many things in this modern age, many students take public schooling for granted. Many countries still cannot provide public schools and it puts them further down

the grid politically and economically.

On the other hand, there are many countries with schooling systems that practice year round schooling, advancing there country politically and economically.

I do not have the time or prestige to solve the problem with public schooling, but it is apparent to me that a problem is present when a class watches a movie with no educational value. Anyone of us could easily do that at home on our free time, and many of us do. School doesn’t have to be entertaining at all times.

The moral of school is simply to learn, not to be entertained. The easiest solution to the problem is to cut out all movies except educational documentaries. The other movies seem just a waste of valuble learning time. Students have the potential to be all they want to, it is up to the teachers to encourage them and give the tools to do so.

High schools should focus on academics, but high school should be fun too. I plan to use this time to learn about myself. After high school is over adulthood begins and every action reflects me and my character.

I try to make the most of what I have now while still looking forward to the future.

No one should ever let life pass them by.

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News

Digitized learning with new technology Hannah Brinsko

In the age of 3D movies, podcasts, and skyping with friends, the textbook can seem dated. Last month four hundred California middle schoolers, participating in a pilot study, received iPads, preloaded with an algebra textbook. Students found the tablets to be a pleasant change, reporting they were lighter, and user friendly, had useful tools, and made learning fun.

The textbook publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, funded the program. The company also recently teamed with McGraw-Hill and Kaplan to work with Scroll Motion, an application developer. to make their books available on the iPad. Despite the major companies just now entering the market, they will not be the first making a push for digital textbooks.

Course Smart, founded three years ago, aims to compete with traditional textbook companies by offering textbooks at lower prices for download to your computer and accessible through their free iPad or iPhone application. The Cultural Landscape, the

A student reading off of a digital textbook Photo from Mctcampus.com

textbook needed for freshman at Creek taking AP Human Geography is available for $54 dollars on their site, 55 percent off from the cost of a new textbook. The downside is that the file can only be used for 180 days once downloaded.

Another popular alternative to purchasing textbooks is renting from websites such as Chegg.com, which allows people to sell their old textbooks and rent others for the duration of their class.

The same Human Geography textbook is typically $119.80 per book. However the textbook can be rented for $61.49.

“I think it is a wonderful idea, I know many of the digital textbook formats allow you to annotate and highlight certain passages of the text which would really help me learn. I also

like how convenient and accessible they are,” said sophomore Toni Nickel, over electronic textbook formats, “I think there are no cons to digitalizing textbooks.”

CCISD does not provide tablets or electronic readers such as the Kindle loaded with textbooks to students, but they are making an initiative to provide other means of electronic textbooks.

In CCISD’s technology plan for 20092012 included are goals to provide electronic library sources and textbooks.

“I think that electronic textbooks are good because we can access them from any computer, and we don’t have to carry around heavy textbooks,” said sophomore Laura Holzencamp.

Since the district’s long range technology plan was put into action a year ago, many classes now offer online versions of textbooks accessible through the publisher’s website along with a hard copy of the book. This year, English textbooks were optional for many students, because all teachers were issued a class set and students can use the book online at home. Math classes can watch videos of new concepts, history students can take practice tests online, and audio activities are available for foreign language students to improve students’ listening skills.

New York terrorist receives life sentence Shannon O’Neil

On May 1, 2010 New York City received a suspected terrorist threat. An abandoned car was found in Times Square and was reportedly smoking. When police and the bomb squad arrived, their investigation proved that the bomb was homemade.

As pedestrians were evacuated, the bomb squad removed the bomb and ended the immediate threat from Times Square.

Experts believe that the bomb would have caused a minor explosion, would have most likely been a fireball. Shrapnel and other materials would have been launched, causing injuries and death.

The bomb was set in a 1993 Nissan

Pathfinder and filled with homemade bomb materials according to Yahoo News.

On May 3, Faisal Shahzad, age 30 now 31, was arrested on a plane headed to Dubai from Kennedy Airport. Shazad has remained in custody since then, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Shahzad is a native Pakistani who received his citizenship for the United States a couple of years ago. Shahzad passed all the background checks and had no red flag under his name. Shahzad is a husband and father, but his family was not in the country when the bomb was found.

Shahzad was arrested on an Emirates flight set for Dubai, according to NY Times.

Shahzad’s name was also added to the nofly list, but the list was not checked before Shahzad purchased a ticket. However, the United States took the alleged bomber into custody before he left for Dubai.

According to the NY Daily News, Shahzad claimed to have attended a terrorist bomb training camp during his last trip to Pakistan. In Pakistan, no other suspects have been linked to the bomb threat.

Fox News has a link to the criminal report for Shahzad on their website. The report says that the investigators were able to link Shahzad to the bombing after investigating the Patherfinder.

The vehicle’s identification number identified the previous owner. When police interviewed the owner, he gave a description of the man who bought the vehicle. The man was sketched and resembled Shahzad. The owner recalled the man who purchased the car paid in cash and had been driving a black Isuzu Rodeo.

There was no bill of sale, and after the key was exchanged, the man who purchased the Pathfinder left the Isuzu Rodeo behind. A key to a Rodeo was found among the other keys left in the Pathfinder. After an investigation of DMV records, Shahzad was found as the registered owner of an Isuzu Rodeo.

Further investigation showed that the day of the Pathfinder purchase receive calls from Pakistan, and days after the purchase he made a call to a fireworks store.

The investigation then continued to Shahzad’s former home in Connecticut.

He house was opened with a key on the key ring found in the Pathfinder.

After the attempted bombing, a video from the Pakistan Taliban group claimed that they were involved in the bomb plan, NY Times.

On Tuesday October 5, Shazad was given a life sentence in prison, from presiding U. S. District Judge Miriam Goldeman Cedarbaum. He will be kept in prison till his death, with no chance of parole.

When questioned by the judge and other court prosecutors, Shahzad took pride in his attempt and believes that the Koran has given him and his people the right to defend their country, at the expense of the safety of others, according to Fox News.com.

Shazhad also gave a warning to the people in the courtroom and the rest of the population that he was just the first of many other terrorists to surface, The Wall Street Journal. For now most people are relieved that Shazhad has been caught, tried and no longer a viable terrorist to the United States.

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Around Creek

Band marches into area competition Jacob Mancini

On Saturday, October 2, Creek’s Mighty Wildcat Marching Band was warming up in the CCISD district stadium at 7:30 in the morning. Preparing for their annual pre-UIL marching competition in Galena Park, the band ran their show, Sandscapes, before embarking on five buses heading to the contest.

The band recently invested in a trailer to transport equipment and instruments that cannot fit on the buses. The trailer boasts Creek’s Wildcat mascot painted all white and maroon on its side and back.

The band arrived at the Galena park district stadium at about 9:30 am, unloaded the buses and assembled their instruments.

After fastening gauntlets, adjusting chinstraps and slipping hands into gloves, the band proceeded to a basketball court inside Galena Park High School for warm up. The 2010-2011 drum majors for Creek’s band, Christos Patelis, Leslie Collins and Jennifer Siller, led the band in warm ups and conducted segments of the show.

At 10:30 a.m. band moms offered cups of water to the band while it assumed a fieldentrance formation. Marching onto the field in two groups, the band lined-up along the front and back sidelines awaiting orders from head drum major, Patelis. Called to attention, taking position on the field to the beat of the snare, and listening to the announcer, the band was ready to march.

Patelis’ hands waved in eight flowing beats and the band played the opening hold of their show. Exploding into smooth

motion, the band members marched with momentum and preciseness into the f o r m of a pyramid.

Later in the show the woodwinds stood fixed in a block while they played their feature.

Trumpet players Curtis Gunn and Patrick Severance illustrated the slower part of the first movement with a harmonious duet. After a brisk turn-around, the band thrust their horns down and froze.

Following the hype and heightened pace of the first movement, Collins commandeered the main podium and led the band into the ballad. Marching in half-time, everconscious of spacing and legs crossing together, the band elegantly paced the field while Creek’s Color Guard danced in flowery step to the music.

Upon arriving

at the final hold of the ballad and sustaining a euphonious chord, the band cut-off and instantly marched into the third movement. Siller climbed the main podium and conducted the third movement. Racing the countdown timer displayed on the scoreboard, the band was pushing the limit of the eight minutes that their show was allowed to last. Passionately thrashing through the last seven sets, the band halted at the end of Sandscapes, sounding a brilliant finale note, and cut-off with 2.2 seconds remaining on the clock.

Departing from the field, members of the band smiled silently and walked to the buses. Soft drinks and bottled water was used to celebrate the band’s accomplishment.

“Galena was another example of how our marching show gets better and better every time we perform,” Collins said.

Dr. John P e t e r s e n was notified the following Monday be email that Creek’s Mighty

Wildcat Band received ninth out of thirty for the Galena Park competition.

Creek’s Color Guard placed third.

“The band did an outstanding job at the competition. They’ve been working very hard the entire season and this was a huge reward for them. I’m very proud of them,” Steven Meyer, lead director of marching, said.

“I am so proud of our Color Guard who ranked third in the competition as well the entire band for its diligence,” Dr. Petersen, director of the bands, said.

In their regional UIL competition on Tuesday, October 19, In Pearland district stadium, the band received a superior rating in which all three judges awarded the band with 1’s. 22 seconds remained on the clock at the end of the show, a testament to how much the band can accomplish in only several practices.

On Saturday, October 23, the band went to the area UIL contest. In this event, the top 10 ranked bands out of 30 preform their show a second time in the area finals.

5 bands are then selected from those 10 to proceed to the state UIL competition. Creek placed 25 place and was not admitted into the finals, but the band preformed with spirit was proud of what they did nonetheless.

The marching band will now feature it’s show at upcoming football games until the close of the season.

Joel Mancini and Trevor Weene play during the band’s show, Sandscapes.

Photo taken by Shauna FererroDonahue

Spontaneous combustion of laughter on stage Jessica Peach, Macey Pendergast, Kathryn Rose, Nick Sandoval, Will Sheffield, On September 25, Clear Creek’s Jonathan Sherer, and David Zabinski.

Extraordinary League of Improvisers Improv is, appropriately, all about held their first improv show of the year. improvisation and not at all about rehearsal.

Other than some new members, The games that the troop partakes in are there were little changes from last year’s chosen by the hosts of the show and are show. Booming laughter reverberated not revealed to the members of the troop throughout the theater, and some of the until they are announced on stage. Because many games attendees cherished from of this, the performers have no way of years prior found their way back on stage. rehearsing for the show itself. Instead, the The show was a complete success, which entire improv class practices the ideals of course is no easy feat considering the of improvisation and the skills needed to talent that is needed in improvisation. apply those principles into whatever they The show’s host, Rebecca Martinez, could be asked to do in a certain game. announced after a skit involving a “In class we mostly focus on the rules theatrical fight backstage between the of improv and learning on how to improve skills such as pantomiming and turning out, which is the process of facing the audience and talking to another member on stage at the same time,” Kathryn Rose, a junior in the troop, said.

As with all improvisation, The Improv Troop in-show. spontaneity is key. Ariel Photos taken by Shauna Fererro-Donahue Hawks gave a perfect other hosts, Nicholas Schreiber and example in saying, “Fried Pickles are McRandall Tran, the troop consisting quite delish; they help me to relate to of Michael Fontana, Ariel Hawks, Tyler Snookie,” after being asked for a quote.

Homes, Naseem Husain, Elijah Lopez, The improv class has quite a few

Stephanie Johnson

people in it compared to the troop that consists of only twelve performers. The troop that everyone sees on stage had

to go through auditions that includes two days straight of playing nothing but improvisation games while being evaluated by the teacher, Mrs. Stephanie Forbes.

“At the end of the two days, Mrs. Forbes picks the members of the troop based on cooperation, skill, and any other factors that could contribute to a good overall team,” Naseem Husain, a junior in the troop, said.

“It’s very vigorous and very stressful,” Kathryn Rose, a junior, said.

Games could easily be considered the main focus of improv as they are what each performer has to go off of. A couple of times a year, the improv troop will

come up with new games to include in a show, including deaf reply and rap battle both of which were present September 25.

Kathryn Rose said, “We get a lot of our games from past years, but we do come up with new ones as well. We’ve actually had an assignment where we each had to come up with a game. Mine wasn’t very good, but it turned out to be a great way of getting some new ideas.”

The troop is very close taking part in traditions before and after a show.

“Before the show we always have a grand buffet. It’s nice to be able to get together with everyone in the presence of good food and prepare mentally for the performance. Afterwards we try to hang out also. After this past show we went to IHOP, but wherever we go we have to be together—it’s ritual,” Husain said.

Around Creek

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Metal shop works on rebuilding a 1948 Jeep Stephanie Johnson

This year a generous donation was granted to Clear Creek High School, a 1948 Willys CJ2A Jeep.

The Jeep was for the last 20 years used as a lease for deer hunters. The vehicle was severely abused and is currently in rough condition, but the welding classes have made this donation this year’s project.

“My second and third year students are primarily working on the Jeep. Every skill needed to rebuild the vehicle fits

the welding units in class. My students will be fabricating the body, sanding, grinding, and preserving metal,” said William Gibbs, the metal manufacturing teacher and head of the project.

“Working on this Jeep makes everyday different from a normal school day,” stated Evan Waidhofer, a senior in metal manufacturing. “It’s exciting to see something that you work really hard on come together.”

However, not just the metal manufacturing classes are benefitting from such an amazing learning opportunity.

Thirty-three teachers and their students are getting involved in the reconstruction of the Jeep, taking advantage of what the history and process of restoring the Jeep can do to enhance their learning experience.

Even the Equine Science classes, which will be linking the vehicle’s job in the military to the decline in the need for horses, and the Life Skills classes, which will be providing some of the sanding and body work for the Jeep, have found something relevant to their field in this vehicle.

“This is perhaps one of the most exciting things we’ve built and I’ve been doing this for 26 years,” said Gibbs, “The kids just love it, and there really is so much to learn from it. The Jeep carries an element of history, patriotism, and freedom—things that can be applied to any field of education.”

“It’s fun; it’s amazing,” Kenneth Hardy said, a senior in metal manufacturing.

The CJ2A Jeep was manufactured from 1947 to 1949. It was a modified civilian version of the Willys MB that was used in

World War II. After the war, the company wanted to begin to focus on the new civilian market. In doing so, they made only a few moderate changes to the MB,

including the amount of slots in the grill and the size of the headlights. The “A” in CJ2A actually stands for agriculture, as ranchers and farmers were the intended demand. The Jeep came with options for farm implements, but soon the market changed, and the focus became sport and hunting.

Though most be completed by Creek, Gibbs will into its completion

of the vehicle will the students here at be putting his effort as well. The painting

job will be done by professionals, but Gibbs said that he will be providing the appropriate numbers and lettering on the sides of the Jeep using stencils.

“When the jeep is completed I intend to put it in car shows in addition to its use as the JROTC’s parade vehicle,” said Gibbs, “It’s going to be all original including style and even the army green paint color and designs.”

The CJ2A is not an uncommon vehicle, but to see one in good condition is, in fact, a rarity. This Jeep is and most certainly will become a proud contribution to the school.

With it’s completion, Clear Creek will have its own piece of history on campus.

Students work on the antique Jeep.

Photos taken byTianah Brewer Photo illustrations by Jacob Mancini

A look at Dan Eldon Shannon O’Neil

Dan Eldon, a photojournalist who was murdered in Somalia in 1992, was raised in Kenya, Africa and never turned his back on “his” Africa.

Eldon was determined to document the famine in Somalia during the 1990s and his photos were seen throughout the world. However, a fateful accident caused the people of Somalia to turn on all

non-native persons and stone Eldon and three other journalists to death in the streets. After his death, Dan became more famous and wellknown. His mother, Kathy, and sister, Amy, published Eldon’s journals that showed Dan’s insight and artistic view on the world. Amy and Kathy formed Creative Visions, to help make the world a better place by funding different charitable acts including Invisible Children. Kathy and Amy strive to promote Dan’s philosophy of “Safari as a way of Life.”

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Features

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University of Texas school shooting kills one Amber Arnold

Texas lets lawmakers bring guns into the Capitol and at times the governor does carry a loaded pistol with him. The big question now that lawmakers are facing is should people be allowed to carry concealed weapons onto college campuses to result in fewer deaths.

Right now the current law; college buildings in Texas are gun-free zones.

On September 28, 2010, 19-year-old Colton Joshua Tooley, a sophomore math major at The University of Texas in Austin, fired three shots with an AK-47 assault rifle into the air. He went into the Perry-Castaneda library and shot himself in the head, killing himself. No one else was injured.

University officials sent an alert, using text message, loudspeakers, sirens and an online posting to inform students to that the campus was on lockdown.

wants individual schools to decide whether to allow guns on campus.

The state of Texas passed a handgun law in 1995, allowing people 21 and older to carry weapons.

Those in the military can be 18 as long as they pass a training course and a background check.

According to CNN.com, businesses, schools and churches in Texas can set rules banning guns in their buildings. In 2009 state lawmakers proposed a bill allowing guns on campuses but the bill was denied. Texas is one of seven states currently exploring on-campus firearm legislation. Similar bills have been proposed, and failed to pass in 18 other states. Utah is the only state that lets college students over 21 with conceal

and carry licenses to carry guns on campus.

To protect students from in school shootings, schools have established an efficient alert system like the one that was used at the University of Texas when the shooting took place. E-mail alert, emergency sirens, loudspeaker announcements and text message alerts are sent to warn students of danger.

“I was very impressed with how the UTPD handled such a stressful situation, and I was thankful nothing worse happened,” Ryan Siller said.

Siller was a former student at Creek who graduated in 2010.

find another way to get the recommended nine and a half hours of sleep.

Napping is shown to be an effective way to relieve drowsiness and, like sleep, can naturally help to fulfill the need to convert short term into long term memory, thereby helping a student learn more effectively.

Some people, though, actually feel even more tired when they nap. “I go to sleep tired, aggravated, and overworked, and expect to wake up rejuvenated and relaxed, but when I take naps I actually feel worse,” said Armiya Humphrey, 12th.

As strange as it may sound, there are certain ways that a person should and should not nap. It is better to nap earlier in the day, around two or three o’clock when a student first gets home from school, so that one can fall asleep again for the night. Taking the nap as soon as a student gets home can also help the brain process information gathered while at school, so Student Emily Prince asleep on that the student can actually do his or her desk.

Photo by Kara Loewenthal her homework even more effectively.

The length of than earlier, so the nap is just as important as the starting the answer to how students can get more sleep is not to go to bed earlier but to wake up later.

Unfortunately, as it is unlikely that any large number of schools will be changing their start times anytime soon, youths will have to

time; a nap should be less than twenty minutes or more than an hour and a half.

Why? The human sleep process involves something called the REM cycle. For about twenty minutes, a person is in a lighter state of sleep, but then they fall into a deep, restorative sleep called the REM. Throughout a night of sleep, a person falls back and forth between REM and light sleep, so an hour and a half is about the right amount of time that someone needs to go into REM sleep and then come back up to light sleep. A twenty-minute “light nap” is also effective, especially for its length of time. Some studies have shown that as many as three hours of studying are less useful than twenty minutes of sleep in helping students remember information.

To avoid drowsiness despite proper sleeping procedures, a person should wake him or herself up by exposing his or her eyes to sunlight or by splashing cold water on his or her face. These trigger natural responses by the body to wake up.

Whether by napping or just going to bed earlier, the teenager needs to find a way to get more sleep, to help with homework, happiness, and health.

Statesman.com reported that police moved in and out of a house in the 3200 block of Western Drive in South Austin, where it is believed Tooley was living w h i l e attending U T .

According to the Houston Chronicle the gun Tootley used was a gift from his father and was legally purchased.

The shooting began near a fountain in front of the UT Tower which is the site of one of the nation’s deadliest shooting rampages more than four decades ago, when a gunman ascended the clock tower and fired down on dozens of people.

This shooting has raised the debate allowing concealed weapons on Texas’ college campuses. Governor Rick Perry

University of Texas’ logo.

Photo by Tianah Brewer

Going to bed late may be beneficial for teens Brooke Griffis

At the typical high school, bells clanging before 8:00 a.m., the groggy student with sagging eyelids is an increasingly ordinary sight. It is generally understood that sleeping for longer periods of time is preferable to staying up late doing homework or studying in regards to learning, and yet nothing changes.

“I’m always asleep in class at some time during the day,” said Vanessa Jones, senior. “Band takes up a lot of my time on Tuesdays, I have to rush to work right after band, and when I get home, I’m practically asleep already.” For ages, parents, teachers, and other adults blamed a variety of things like these for the students’ exhaustion: the students for wasting

time with friends when they should have been doing homework and going to bed early; the teachers for assigning too much homework for a student to bear in one night; the society for demanding that teens have jobs in addition to school.

In truth, these are all perfectly reasonable accusations, but researchers are beginning to realize that just trying to go to bed earlier isn’t necessarily the answer. New research reveals that the circadian cycle, an internal clock that regulates our desires to sleep or to wake or other activities, is reset to a later average time during adolescence.

In other words, during teen-aged years, it is biologically natural to do activities, go to bed, and wake up later in the day than a child or an adult.

Therefore, it is actually healthier for a teen to get to bed later rather

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Features

Students celebrate Dan Eldon for 10/10/10 Amber Arnold

On October 10, 2010 (10.10.10), millions across the earth, filmmakers, students, and citizens recorded the human experience over a 24-hour period and contributed their voice to the largest participatory media event in history.

One Day On Earth was founded in September 2008, and is creating an online community, sharing film and pictures.

The goal is to show the amazing diversity, conflict, and tragedy that occur in one day. Thousands of filmmakers, hundreds of schools, and dozens of non-profits organizations are apart of the international community.

Kyle Ruddick thought of the idea for the project while watching musicians from very different regions of the world

community. The program is creating based on donations volunteers. The project a time capsule for the whole world to is always seeking appropriate sponsors. better understand itself. The project is According to The Creative Visions free and open to all people, cultures, website The Creative Visions Foundation creeds, and nationalities. 10-10-10 is was created inspired by the life of Dan the one day for people to document Eldon. The Creative Vision Foundation what matters most to them. The program uses media and the arts to inform aspiring is striving to connect people through creative activists about how they can both their differences and similarities. come up with ideas that can positively Each video that is filmed on 10/10/10 impact their homes, schools, communities will help viewers of all ages to understand and the world. One of the ways that the things going on around the world. It helps Creative Vision Foundation inspires viewers find a deeper understanding activists is by showing a number of of life on the planet. productions like Dying to Tell the Story, 10/10/10 is the Soldiers of Peace, and Global Tribe.

Poster of one of Dan Elfirst One Day on Earth When filming the documentary there don’s journals. documentary but the are four things to keep in mind, can you Photo by Tianah Brewer program is planning on share with the world what you are filming, not making it the last. The is your subject inspiring, did you expose a reason the event is on 10/10/10 is because location and can viewers learn something. are creating they picked a day that people could The Creek Hilife Staff filmed a the first truly remember and have reasons towards for video for 10/10/10 of a celebration of worldwide their own reasons.

According to the One Dan Eldon’s life. Eldon was a Reuters film, where Day On Earth website 10/10/10 is as unique photojournalist who was killed by an each segment and normal as any other day on earth. angry mob in Somalia in 1993. The Hilife can be publicly This is a project of the Creative Visions staff talked about how Eldon changed acknowledged foundation, which means that the program is their lives and what he means to them. in an open forum.

One Day On Earth is more than a single day event; its main cause is to spread awareness. flag to celebrate the miraculous event.

Tracey Griffith The six founding principles of One The capsule was given the nickname, “the Day On Earth are perspective, inclusivity, On August 5, 2010, 33 miners were Phoenix,” after the mythical bird. Two individuality, education, technology and trapped 2,300 feet below the surface of cities in Chile, Copiapo and Talcahuano, a Chilean mine due to a large collapse are now fighting over where the capsule in the mine’s roof. According towww. that rescued the miners will be on display, guardian.co.uk/ the Chilean president according to www.news.yahoo.com. expensive colleges in the country may not announced that it could take more than 4 Throughout the ordeal, the Chilean be considered some of the best. Of the top months to drill a passage deep and wide people never gave up hope as they 25 colleges that made the Most Expensive enough to allow the rescue of the miners. awaited the rescue. After the miners were list, only four also made Forbes’ list of All 33 of the miners have now been discovered safe in the mine’s refuge, many America’s Best Colleges: Columbia, rescued, earlier than expected, after 70 of the family members of those trapped in Wesleyan, University of Chicago and days of being trapped in the mine’s refuge. the mine camped outside the mine, waiting Harvey Mudd. More than half, 53%, It took 2 weeks, 17 days exactly for to greet their loved ones as they were of 4 year undergraduate students pay the miners to finally be located. The rescue rescued and brought to the surface. Many less than $9 thousand per year in tuition p r o b e members of at a public college, approximately $7 r e a c h e d the Chilean thousand in tuition and fees for those in the shelter community state and closer to $11.5 thousand out of and contact were also state while private colleges charge closer was made present, to $26-35 thousand per year. There may with the and chants be benefits in attending these expensive miners on of “Chile” colleges, but the difference in tuition as August 22. w e r e well as other additional fees is enough to Rescue shouted reconsider where applications are being w o r k e r s as each sent, but not whether they get sent or not. used the miner was “Several private institutions t u n n e l s rescued. nationwide are reporting record that were

enrollments this fall, as was the case last created by President year,” said Tony Pals, a spokesperson for the probes P i n e r a the National Association of Independent to send said on the Colleges and Universities (NAICU). food and rescuing These enrollment numbers seem to medicine to the Trapped miner reaches the surface. of the miners, “They be staying steady for several reasons. miners.

Before Photo by MCT Campus were experiencing With an increased number of high school the miners were a kind of rebirth. graduates, the amount of financial aid has discovered ,they When the last miner lured many students to stay on a post-high had only the food and water that was exited the depths of the mine, I was school track of education. Along with more available in the shelter. The miners had moved as every Chilean was,” said Pinera affordable college aid, many graduates survived 17 days eating small portions according to www.bbc.co.uk/news/world. have found themselves in debt the minute consisting of 2 spoonfuls of tuna along with Many accusations and lawsuits they accept their diploma. Student loans a sip of milk and a biscuit every other day. were made against the mining company sometimes require payment immediately The rescued miners, although responsible for the accident, and even following graduation, and with a slow they had dental infections as well as more allegations are being made now economy and limited number of jobs. some problems with their eyes, were that the miners have been rescued. Miner While college may always remain in fairly good condition, better than Juan Illanes claims that he heard sounds a stressful topic for both parents and had been expected. The most serious indicative of a collapse that day and asked students, both public and private schools condition is a mild case of pneumonia. to leave but had not been allowed to leave have provided alternative options. Grant The miners were rescued through the according to www.news.yahoo.com. More aid, loans, and scholarships are all use of a 28 inch capsule which was lowered allegations may be made as the investigation things to keep in mind when applying down to the mine in drilled hole just big into the collapsed mine continues. for colleges and saving money towards enough to fit the capsule. The capsule an expanded education despite the was painted with the colors of Chile’s collaborate on stage at the opening of the 2008 World Festival of Sacred Music.

The One Day On Earth community grows steadily every day. With many of whom are creative professionals, teachers, and employees of a nonprofit charity.

Together they

College prices rising Valerie Hellinghausen

With new class ranks, SAT and PSAT testing coming up for high schools college has come to be one of the top priorities on students and parents minds. If the cost of a college education appeared to be expensive before, soon-to-be graduates might consider checking their bank accounts and applying for scholarships due to the still-peaking price of college tuition.

According to Forbes magazine’s latest release of their list of America’s Most Expensive colleges, college tuition alone has gone up by 4.5% reaching a hefty sum of approximately $60 thousand per year at the United States’ most expensive college for two years running: Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville N.Y. “Unlike any other college, Sarah Lawrence requires individual, biweekly student-faculty meetings, as part of every seminar (approximately 94 percent of our classes). As a result, our students spend almost twice the time in one-onone discussion with faculty as students at other prestigious liberal arts schools,” said Karen Lawrence, the college president of Sarah Lawrence College.

While these colleges’ price tags may have heads turning away, their class sizes and financial aid may have students rethinking what they can and cannot afford.

As many college shoppers already know, liberal arts and private schools are known for their low faculty ratios and grants.

According to Forbes the institutional grant aid has risen to 6.8 percent, a whole 9 percent increase from last year. Along with grant aid, CollegeBoard.com shows that the average college student will receive $10 thousand in financial aid as well as an additional $5 thousand towards grants that do not need to be repaid.

But with all this in mind, the most

Chile miners rescued

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Creek Speaks

“Creek Cares” reaches out to families in need Ashley Farmer On October 1, 2010, approximately 2000 employers were laid off of work at NASA due to lack of funding from the federal government. Often known as “Space Cities,” League City, Clear Lake, and many of the surrounding communities have historically relied on the space industry to stimulate many sectors of the economy, and the community now fears that the layoffs will begin affecting students’ everyday lives and their ability to function in school and extracurricular activities.

According to Dr. Greg Smith, Superintendent of CCISD, NASA approached CCISD with their fears for the well-being of the students in the community. These fears addressed ther physical, psychosocial, and academic well-being.In order to reach out to these students and hopefully create an environment of rejuvenation and stability, CCISD Cares was created.

When Hurricane Ike swept the Galveston coast, citizens in the area learned many lessons about the importance of community service. They experienced the generosity of other communities, school districts, and schools. Programs were started, like Baymart at Seabrook Intermediate, to ensure the kids at these schools could be well clothed

and supplied despite the tough times they faced. CCISD Cares draws from many of those experiences and the sentiments they inspired in hopes that CCISD cares can serve in a similar manner and help the community on a scale of the same magnitude.

also helps in other ways, for instance working with booster clubs to pay for private sports and music lessons and program fees for students who no longer have a steady household income. It can stabilize the lives of students by working with administra-

CCISD is sponsering a new program called CCISD Cares.

CCISD cares is Photo Courtesy of ccisd.net a multi purpose program that was set forth with the goal of providing students tion to approve exceptions to school zonin CCISD with a sense of normalcy. The ing policies if a student is forced to reloprogram does this by reaching out to the cate during his or her high school career.

The funding for this program comes community in many different ways. For example, the district wants to open up new from many different areas, including opportunities for jobs for the unemployed booster clubs, budget money, volunteered parents in the area. CCISD is present at the by principles, and leftover funds from Hurjob fairs in many of the surrounding areas ricane Ike relief. According to Dr. Smith, and recently trained 45 former NASA em- there are still about $7,500 left in the Ike ployees for substitute work. The program Fund that can be used for CCSID Cares.

“There is no limit to the number of students we can help if we work with the schools in the district, but even if we only help one student, I know it will be worth it,” Dr. Smith said.

School counselors are the direct contact for all the resources distributed by CCISD. The counselor can provide guidance for each student to take based on his or her needs. They can also provide students with the application to begin the process of receiving aid. Dr. Smith emphasizes the fact that this program is open to anyone in the community facing a sudden decrease in household income or unemployment and is by no means restricted to former NASA employees.

CCISD has reached out to the surrounding districts to expand this program. So far they have successfully implemented this program in Friendswood ISD, La Porte ISD, and Deer Park ISD. “If this program stabilizes the lives of the children, thats the least we can do. This initiative is longer than the hurricane. It is not a weekend event because it is something that could hurt the whole economy in our community. We understand parents are having to make sacrifices and we hope the community can continue to be compassionate,” said Dr. Smith.

Mix it up day prepares to break down barriers Emily Cruz and Jacob Mancini The Southern Poverty Law Center launched Mix It Up Day in 2002 in hopes of implementing an improved school atmosphere and experience. This day, occurring on the second Tuesday of every November, is a nationwide call for students to take a step out of their comfort zones, Students at lunch during Mix It Up Day. simply by taking a new seat Photo taken by the HiLife Staff. in the cafeteria for a day.

According to recent studies, Mix It Up Day Up Day in uniting students for their benefit. has been very successful in schools.

According to tolerance.org, Mix It Up Ninety-seven percent of students Day has increased awareness about social enjoy participating in the event, and boundaries and divisions within schools, they do so with great enthusiasm. and 83% of students have said that Mix It It is said, according to tolerance. Up Day has helped them make new friends. org, that “students thrive-socially and This national campaign allows students to academically-in schools that are inclusive,” improve inter-group relations, look beyond which highlights the integrality of Mix It common prejudices, and broaden the idea

that everybody has something unique to share.

November 9 will be Creek’s ninth annual Mix It Up day. The Journalism department will sponsor many exciting events such as competitions in beat boxing, break dancing, and rapping.

This year Creek will hold a talent show. The talents is intended to showcase any student aptitude such as group dancing, singing,

acting, or anything else that underlines the unique talents of Creek’s students.

To participate in the talent show, students must sign up in D136. If music will be incorporated into a performance, students provide their own music that is school appropriate (no copyrighted material). Students should be prepared to perform their talent in front of their peers during their lunch period.

Creek Speaks

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Homecoming once again thrills Creek students Shannon O’Neil Clear Creek’s Homecoming week was filled with different activities for students, showing school pride and spirit.

The Monday of Homecoming week, Creek brought back an old tradition. The Homecoming Parade, led by assistant principal Vince Hoechten, took students around the school campus and into the Candlelight Pep Rally.

Many organizations and students participated in the parade. At the Candlelight Pep Rally, the band played pep tunes while the senior cavaliers preformed on the field.

Players from the football team revved up the audience for the upcoming game.

Homecoming week followed the traditions of previous years where each day was designated as a specific dress up day. Monday was Neon Tacky 80s day, Tuesday was Creek Geek, Wednesday was Hippie day, Thursday was Jersey Shore, and Friday was Creek Out Freak Out. Many students participated in these dress-up days, ending on Friday dressed in all their school spirit.

At Creek students wore mums and garters, the tackier the better. Mums are fake flowers attached to ribbons of all sorts, most sporting the school colors. Garters resemble mums, but on a smaller scale. Mums are for the ladies, while garters are for the men.

The Homecoming Carnival is a favorite for the students. Most school organizations set up a booth to raise money for their organization. These booths can range from selling food, hosting carnival games, selling spirit items, face painting and many others.

By far one of the most popular items sold at the carnival was the vuvuzelas sold by the band boosters.

Photo by: Since the new Kaitlyn Boryk

food regulations have been passed, the FFA has not been able to sell their most popular item French fries during patio lunches but at the carnival, they set up their booth advertising that the fries were back. The choir sold a

Photo by: Kaitlyn Boryk popular fair food, funnel cakes. Student could buy a huge, deep-fried funnel cake, doused in powdered sugar. Needless to say, the school opted to use one of their free nutritional days per state guidelines on Homecoming so organizations could serve and sell any type of food.

Other activities included carnival games. The French Club sponsored balloon pop with darts, Band Council sponsored ring toss, and Yearbook sponsored a ping-pong ball toss.

Student Council held their annual chapel to unofficially perform marriages between students. There was also a booth where students could nominate a faculty member to kiss a goat. That lucky faculty member was Ms. Humphries

and the lucky goat was Beaux, junior, Dakota Dupre’s goat he raised in FFA. Students performed throughout the different lunches of the carnival. One band composed of Creek students, Winter Road, played during B and C lunch. Other students gathered around to enjoy the music.

“I enjoy playing for the student body because they can hear my music,” senior and lead singer of Winter Road, Sarah Johnson said.

The Clear Creek Choir also preformed during the carnival, singing catchy, well-known t u n e s .

After the

carnival, students and teachers piled into the Homecoming Pep Rally. The Wildcat Marching Band pumped up the students with pep music, led by the cheerleaders.

The senior cavaliers preformed for the students.

“Homecoming makes me feel like Creek is unstoppable,” senior and drum major Christos Patelis said.

The mystery of the Willie the Wildcat kidnapping at the Candlelight Pep Rally was revealed and with

the help of principals, students got their beloved mascot back on home turf. As many students and faculty could guess, the kidnapping was not real. Student Council pulled a prank as a way to pump up school spirit and pride in the mascot and team.

The Clear Creek football team brought the night of Homecoming to a successful closing, winning the game against Clear Brook High School 38 to 23.

Photo by: Tianah Brewer

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Teen Interest

Life As We Know It succeeds on big screen

Shannon O`Neil Life As We Know It, starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel hit the big screen on October 8, 2010. In this movie, a romantic comedy emerges from a sad beginning to a fantastic end.

The first few minutes of the movie had audiences laughing at the disastrous blind date match up between Heigl’s character, Holly, and Duhamel’s character, Messer.

The two were set up by mutual friends but never even made it to the restaurant. Years pass while the two are forced to cross paths at numerous events hosted by their mutual friends. Holly and Messer become the godparents of their friends’ daughter, Sophie, and share a common love for her.

However, when tragedy strikes, they are forced to come together and raise Sophie.

Duhamel and Heigl have a fantastic chemistry, which allows them to banter back and forth on screen, with an underlying flirty tone. The two obviously have a common love for kids because both of the actors interacted harmoniously with the babies who played the role of Sophie.

Duhamel provides many of the comedic moments and one liners of the story. Messer’s relationship with Sophie hints at his soft side in the seemingly rough character. Messer is a womanizer with the cool sports job. However, ending his old life takes a toll on his character. Duhamel plays this part with such ease. He makes the

audience believe his character’s struggle, but makes the audience laugh along the way.

Heigl’s character Holly is a caterer with her own business, who is all work,

with no time for dating. Though her character on the outside seemed ready and prepared to take on the responsibility of a baby, on the inside, she, like Duhamel, was not. Heigl portrayed her character in such a brilliant way that I found myself crying, imagining what she must be going through.

While the movie is supposed to be a comedy, it had me crying from

beginning to end. The beginning is sad, thinking about a young baby losing her parents and young adults losing their best friends. Once the initial sadness is over,

Leading Character Joshua Duhamel. Photo courtsey of MCT Campus. the comedy really starts to kick in.

The movie was well written, casting the characters into serious and many amusing situations. Duhamel’s one-

liners are funny and he shines in this movie.

Heigl is terrific in Life As We Know It and has emerged as an outstanding actress.

The movie is somewhat predictable with Messer choosing work over family, and Holly and Sophie pull on the heartstrings of the audience throughout the movie.

The predictable ending may take away the brilliance of the movie for some viewers. For me, it was only a slight downside to the movie.

Life As We Know It, was fantastically written, casted, and acted. This movie is definitely my new favorite all around, feel good movie. It has a good laugh and a good cry, and ultimately grabs the attention of the audience and holds it.

“Life As we Know it was fantastically written, casted, and acted. This movie is definitely my new favorite... feel good movie”

South Shore Grill

Teen Interest

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Upcoming band Runner Runner runs the show Tracey Griffith

Runner runner is a recently signed band from Huntington Beach, California.

They were the first band to be signed by the new label, Clear Entertainment, owned by David Letterman. The band is most closely identified with the pop rock and electronic genres of music. Bands that have a similar sound include the Friday Night Boys and Breathe Carolina. The band released an album September 28th and will release a new album on December 7, 2010.

The band consists of members Ryan Ogren, lead vocals; Nick Bailey and Peter Munters, guitarists; Jon Berry, bassist; and James Ulrich, drummer.

The members had all been parts of other bands and met while on the road touring.

When the band started out, they began just experimenting with writing and playing their favorite 80’s music together.

“It just naturally came together, and we all got really excited about the music that we were writing,” said Bailey on the starting of their band.

The band’s name, Runner Runner, came from another mutual interest of the members, poker. In poker, runner runner means to come out of nowhere and play a winning move at the last minute.

The singles So Obvious, Papercuts, and Unstoppable from their released album as well as a cover of Maroon 5’s She will be Loved are available to buy on iTunes. Other songs such as Dedicate can be found through the Runner Runner website or myspace

page, www.myspace.com/runnerrunner.

So Obvious the bands single has

meaningful lyrics that most teenagers and young adults can relate to. Although the chorus of the song is catchy, it is repeated

so many times throughout the song that it becomes repetitive and slightly boring.

Overall the song is fun and catchy and something that people would enjoy listening too, although it is nothing too special or original.

The song Unstoppable is a fun and upbeat song.

The continuous strumming of the bass provides an interesting contrast with the slower more smooth sounding vocal line. The chorus of the song is easy to sing along with, and has a good balance between the lead and backup vocals, which really added to the song.

Papercuts is a slower song, and powerful ballad.

The opening acoustic guitar is relaxing and enjoyable to listen to. Vocals in the song are well done. Lead singer Ogren uses his impressive range, which adds dynamic

to the music. The acoustic beginning leads into a stronger chorus with added electric guitar and keyboard. Every part of the lyrics add to the song, including the bridge leading into the chorus. The bittersweet lyrics about relationships are likely to relate to listeners of any age.

Runner runner provided a great cover of Maroon 5’s She will be loved for “Rockin’ Romance,” a compilation of cover songs by several pop artists. The cover may even be better than the original, with little done to the already catchy melody of the lyrics, but the background music and guitar part made more exciting.

Also, the tonal quality of Runner Runner’s vocalist Ogren is more enjoyable to listen to than the distinct, slightly nasally voice of Maroon 5’s Adam Levine.

The band has a wide fan base, with 10,240 followers on Twitter and lots of support on their Myspace page. The band was also chosen as J-14 Magazine’s “hottest pick of the week” for the week of August the 23rd.

The band is a typical artist of the pop punk music genre. While their music is good, there is nothing more original or creative coming from them to really separate them from the other artists of their genre. The band has great potential, and just a little more originality could reap great results.

Runner Runner photo courtesy of www.moxie.com Edited by Tracey Grifith

Katy Perry tops charts with Teenage Dream Teenage Dream, which sets a high standard for the rest of the album.

The next track is Last Friday Night.

Katy Perry, pop musician, has exploded This song resembles Teenage Dream and on the Hollywood scene once again with all of Perry’s other tracks. It may be a hit, two new singles and her sophomore album. however, it sounds like every other hit.

Her latest Single Teenage Dream peaked California Gurls, featuring Snoop on Billboard’s pop chart as number one Dogg, was an instant hit at MTV’s Movie and has been on the chart for ten weeks. Awards. This song was a summer anthem to Despite Perry’s questionably racy many, because it created a fun atmosphere wardrobe, she was raised with good and a catchy chorus. This song also brought morals. Perry was raised in Santa Barba, Snoop Dogg out from wherever he has been California. Her parents were both pastors hiding since his 2004 hit Drop it Like it’s Hot. and strictly raised her as a Christian. She Firework sounds unique to the sang in the church choir, not knowing that album because it starts with slower it would lead to her stardom. drums intertwining with Perry’s vocals.

Her latest and possibly most This one of a kind track is possibly the anticipated album starts with the single best song on the entire album, because

Derek Gay

it does not sound over produced or similar to the other songs on this record.

Circle the Drain fools the listener as it begins with a rock oriented guitar, until one minute into the track, the listener realizes it sounds like every other track. However, this song does have more interesting parts than most and will still intrigue the listener.

Pop music should have evolved after 10 years, but the interestingly titled track E.T. made me feel like I was in the 90s listening to Brittany Spears. At least this song ventures from the norm just enough to not irritate listeners.

This album starts off strong with a powerful trio of Teenage Dream, Last Friday Night, and California Gurls. Once these songs are over, there is nothing

left on this album to look forward too. A three track Ep would have been a more wise decision for the record company.

Not denying Perry’s talent, her listeners may be disappointed with her latest piece of work. With her talent and her voice, tracks four through thirteen should have never been recorded.

A music producer could have mixed all of the songs on this album in twenty second intervals, created one song that only takes three to four minutes. Pop stars rely on hits to keep their careers alive, and Perry should be able to do this. If it was any other artist, Teenage Dream wouldn’t be successful.

Pets of the Month!

Mr. Gurgles Male Age: About a year old Breed: Short haired tabby cat Extras: Sweet, playful, energetic, and loves to be petted. He is good with cats, dogs, and people. After 7 months at the League City Shelter, he is ready for a permanent place to call home.

PLEASE ADOPT US TODAY! Where?

Adoption Fee?

League City Animal Shelter 821 North Kansas Street League City, TX 77573 $75 includes: *spa/nueter *Rabies shot *Microchip

Lisa Female Age: About 4 years old Breed: Lab mix Extras: Lisa looks older than she acts. She will play fetch with you or just lie on the couch and watch TV. She is fun, and loves attention. She’s a good family pet and is good with other dogs, but doesn’t like cats too much. Lisa will make a great addition to any loving home.

Come check them out, as well as other animals!

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Sports

Another step closer to the playoffs four games. With a combined district opponent record of 7-9, the opponents looked With an undefeated, non-district reweak, but two of the teams were Pearland cord, the Clear Creek Wildcats are ready to and Clear Springs. Both had deep runs in surprise District 24-5A by making another the playoffs last year. Pearland was first run for playoffs, and even a shot at a district up on the four-game gauntlet and Creek title. However, a loss against Dickinson needed both offense and defense to pull on the opening of district play put a hitch off the upset over the undefeated Oilers. into Creek’s plan, forcing the Wildcats to Creek was with Pearland neck and turn the season around quick and neck, putting up 422 total yards and 25 get them back into a dominafirst downs. Quarterback Chris Collins tion role as playoff contenders. had thrown 183 passing yards and 60 From the start, the Dickinrushing yards. McElroy, Davis, and Teson Gators kept the Wildcats off vin Jones all had rushing touchdowns. balance—recovering a squib kick The Pearland offense was just too to start the game and scoring on much to overcome, putting 430 total the ensuing possession, forcing yards and scoring five times. Pearland a three and out near their own won the game 35-28 over the Wildcats. end zone, and having the ensu Creek then went up against the ing snap go over the head of the Alvin Yellowjackets that had yet to punter. The Creek offense only win a game in district. The Wildcats produced 120 yards against the looked to avenge their lost to Aldistrict’s top defense, with Creek Wildcats lining up against Pasadena Memorial vin last year, which prevented the putting up two touchdowns on the GaWildcats from making the playoffs.

Photo taken by Kaitlyn Boryk tors with a 49-yard run by CJ McElroy McElroy scored on all five of the Creek They took their revenge by getting in the first quarter and a 30-yard punt re- touchdowns on the ground giving Creek the 49-7 win over the Yellowjackets. The turn by McElroy late in the fourth quar- another win in an important 24-5A match- Wildcats started aggressively and didn’t let ter. Creek lost the game 37-14, putting up that would ultimately decide playoff up till the end of the game. Collins put up a definite hold on playoff discussions. seeding. The backfield of Davis and McEl- 205 passing yards and two touchdowns, a Creek quickly rebounded at the home- roy put up a total of 386 rushing yards 44-yard pass to McElroy on the first drive coming game against Clear Brook. An against the Bucs, while the Creek defense of the game and a 79-yard bomb to Jones. offensive explosion against Brook kept pitched a shut out in the second half to McElroy finished the game with 160 Creek up the entire game as they halted solidify the win 41-21. The five offensive total yards, Davis with 105 yards and the potent Brook running attack to only 28 linemen up front anchor the Creek rushing two scores, and Marcus Nelson with 83 points. Creek rushed for 308 yards. Senior attack, led by the seniors Jonathon Copley, rushing yards and touchdown. The dequarterback Chris Collins lead all rush- John Rhodes, Jad Zeidan, and the returning fense shut Alvin down the entire game ers with 109 yards and a touchdown. The juniors, Brent Wagner and Corey Zunker. until late in the second half. The Wildtwo-man rotation of running backs Colby With all five of the lineman having played cat Defense forced three turnovers.

Davis and McElroy added 197 rushing significant time on the varsity level, they Creek only needs to win one of yards with McElroy scoring four touch- have all meshed together to give Creek it’s last two games in district and downs for the Wildcats. Creek won the on of the best rushing attacks in the area. beat school rivals Clear Springs, in game 38-23 with a late fourth quarter drive For Creek to clinch a playoff spot in the “Fight for 518,” and Clear Lake. to put Brook out of reach. This put Creek district, they needed to win two of the next

Jacob Arredondo

back into the play off picture with a showstopping defense and a dangerous offense that could score on a moments notice.

Next up for Creek was Brazoswood, a playoff team last year with a returning 1500-yard rusher. Creek dominated the game. They scored on their first six possessions and the defense quickly made Brazoswood’s offense ineffective. Davis and

Girl Athlete of The Month Traci Williams

Shannon O’Neil The Girl Athlete of the month is Traci Williams. Williams has been swimming since she was nine years old. She has taken her passion into high school where she has been on the varsity swim team since she was a freshman. Williams is part of the high school team, with its demanding schedule of Saturday and after school practices. Williams’ specialty sport is freestyle and she recently placed 4th in a freestyle swim meet. Williams plans to play Club Water Polo during college.

“My favorite part about swim meets is seeing the results and being around the team,” said Williams.

Clear Creek tennis gets served Hannah Brinsko

response to the shirts was outstanding, and that they have had shirt requests coming Dozens of fans adorned in “Creek in since the match. Due to these requests, Freak” shirts rocked the stands at the more “Creek Freak” shirts are on their way.

Creek vs Lake tennis match on October “Saturday is our rematch with Lake for 12. The team entered the game undefeated the district championship,” said the boy’s in district play, tied for first with Clear head Coach Patrick Marrie prior to the Lake, and exited with the spirit of a winner. district tournament. “We learned quite a bit The meet started off with seven doubles from our first match with Lake. We lost five matches. From Creek, the duo of Sammy of the seven doubles matches in three sets, Siegal and Haley Albro along with Casey and we need to win those close matches next Armstrong and Hunter Carrithers proudly time around. Our players are really looking represented their school, though the final forward to another shot at the Falcons. I score was to 2-5. Later during the singles think we may surprise them Saturday.” matches, Siegal and Albro once more Several members of Club Adrenaline shone through as victors, but this time they joined with other students from Creek, and were joined by Laura Holzencamp. Each general community members showed their of the three girls won their singles match. immense support for the team at the match.

However, the overall score for singles was This was a large addition to the typical 3-9, leaving the Wildcats trailing behind tennis fan base of the players’ parents. by nine when all the sets were completed.

Club Adrenaline did a great job On October 22 and 23, the tennis following tennis etiquette, which team faced the Falcons again at district greatly contrasts from the behavior at tournament at Clear Lake with a score of a typical football game or volleyball 6-10. The team felt they would be able match. The spirited bunch proved they to improve their technique against Clear could support other school teams while Lake after playing them once already. respecting the game by cheering their The tennis team club tried boosting loudest at all the appropriate times. game attendance by giving out shirts to the “The fan support for the Lake first one hundred people at the match. The match was outstanding! That was by far shirts were black tie-dyed, with the words the largest crowd we have seen for a home Creek Freak written across the chest. Coach match. The players were really excited Chasen Cornwell reported that the fan to see the turn out,” said Coach Marrie.

Overall the tennis team is having a great season. Their hard work and determination continually pays off during their matches, and the fan support does not hurt at all.

Boy Athlete of The Month Peter Silkowski

Shannon O’Neil

Junior Ryan Behrle in action Photo taken by Tianah Brewer

The Boy October Athlete of the month is Peter Silkowski. Silkowski has been swimming since he was in fourth grade and has carried his passion into his high school years. As a freshman, Silkowski made the varsity team and has remained on the team throughout his senior year.

Swim meets tend to be far away, but Creek swimmers represent their school proudly with impressive scores. In his recent meet, Silkoski completed a 100 meter freestyle in 52 seconds. Freestyle is also Silkowski’s specialty stroke. Swimming season ends in January, which will end Silkowski’s days of swimming practice after school. After two and half hours of practice after each school day, Silkowski will be ready for a break.

“It’s an honor to be picked [for athlete of the month]. I look forward to finishing my senior swimming season, dropping time on the 100 freestyle,” said Silkowski.

Sports

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Wildcat aquatics swimming laps around rivals Madison Williams Creek’s swim team is expected to exceed last year’s records and expectations.

Hopes are high as the season begins with each returning member of the team entering this season as regional qualifiers. Last year at the Jingle Bell invitational, the girls placed third over all and the boys placed seventh.

The team once again did not disappoint at district with the girls medley relay snagging fifth. The boys also held their own, placing fourth with their medley relay. Both the boys and girls team were regional qualifiers in the two hundred and four hundred freestyle relay.

Individually the swimmers also swam strong with Traci Williams grabbing fifth regional qualifier in the 200 freestyle and Olivia Todd (10th) earning the best time in this event. Peter Silkowski also swam hard, earning second in the five hundred freestyle, and second in the one hundred backstroke, setting his best time for this event.

As a whole, the team secured fourth overall for the girls and third overall for the boys.

In regionals, the Clear Creek wildcats were a force to be reckoned with and wiped out the competition coming in eleventh place as a team, twelfth place for the girls, and tenth place for the boys.

With the mighty Wildcats victories last year, Coach Woolweaver was asked how she expected her new boys team to perform this year. “We graduated a lot of seniors last year and are rebuilding. They are swimming hard and making times faster than expected.

As they continue to push themselves individually, the team as a whole has benefited from their hard work.”

Samantha Lera put Clear Creek High School’s diving program on the board last year. Setting a record of 466.65. With this score, she was able to place first in both district and region-

als and sixth in state. Brooke also placed third in regionals and second in district.

So far this year the 2010-2011 swim team has had three dual meets. The boys swam hard against Deer Park and were rewarded with a well fought win. In both the Sterling and Dickinson meets the girls and boys made a clean sweep of the competition, winning both meets overall.

As last year’s seniors graduated and headed off to college, there was major concern as to whether the swim team could keep up their winning streak. So far the mighty Wildcats have not disappointed and have actually taken greater strides in cutting times and beating their fierce competition.

“We had a lot of returning girls on the swim team this year that were regional qualifiers and we hope to have even more regional and state qualifiers this year as the girls continue to work their hardest,” Coach Woolweaver said.

The Wildcats hope to continue their streak. They would like to thank all of the students that have been supporting them and encourage others to come out and cheer them on at some of their big meets again this year.

Creek Student prepares to dive into the pool.

Photo taken by Morgan Greenen

Volleyball spikes down competition in district Jacob Arredondo Creek’s Lady Wildcats have been setting up and spiking down the competition in district 24-5A. They are currently in second place and have clinched a spot in the UIL 5A State Playoffs. Senior outside hitter Rachel Hobaugh, the senior leader for the Lady Wildcats, averages 3.6 kills (the attack that results in an immediate point) a game, 1.52 assists (passing or setting to a teammate for a kill) a game, and 3.3 digs (saving an attacking ball from the ground, and passing to it to a teammate) a game. Ashley Smith who leads the team helps her with a total of 401 kills and an average of 4.05 kills a game. They are key players in the Creek’s volleyball powerhouse that has made multiple state runs deep into the playoffs.

The Wildcats started the district sea-

son on a roll by beating all of their district opponents but Dickinson in three games sweeps. The explosion of the Lady Wildcats was perfect timing because starting the district with an 8-0 record is a critical part in getting the Lady Wildcats closer to another district championship.

The Lady Wildcats weren’t the only team with a perfect district record. District rival, Clear Lake, also boasted an undefeated record in district that set up a midseason finale that would determine first place in district. The anticipation of the game made it the Houston Chronicle’s game of the week. The grueling match lasted four games with Lake winning the first two games 25 to 18.

Creek got the fire under them and landed on top, snatching the 3rd match out of Lake’s hands by winning 25 to 21.

Creek couldn’t carry the momentum into the forth game and lost to Lake in the de-

ciding game in a heartbreaking 26 to 24 loss. With the midseason break coming to a close, Creek looked to get back into the swing of things and bring Creek home another district championship. Creek’s next three games were important for district standings and a possible playoff clinch.

They needed great defense of junior libero Natalie Piznar who averages 4.25 digs a game and has totaled 434 digs over the season, and the great assist of sophomore setter Courtney Richardson. She had 46 assists against Clear Brook and 50 assists in a 3-1 win over Dickinson. She now averages 10.21 total assist per game and has a grand total of 1,031 total assist. Her performance over the two games gave her the honor of being nominated as the Houston chronicle’s girl athlete of the week.

Creek’s clinched their ninth straight playoff birth with a 3-1 win at Brazoswood. After dropping the first game to

Brazoswood 21-25, Creek came back to sweep the next three games 25-17, 25-19, and a 26-24 thriller to win the match over Brazoswood. Hobaugh led the team with 19 kills, Smith followed with 17 kills. In their second match against Pearland, the Lady Wildcats swept all three games 2519, 25-18, and 25-15. Smith led with 13 kills, while Hobaugh had 12 kills.

With Creek being led by two of the top outside hitters in Hobaugh and Smith, one of the top setters in Richardson, and an outstanding defense led by Piznar, the Lady Wildcats are primed to make another run to the state title.

On October 26, The Lady Wildcats won a share of the district title with Clear Lake High School in a 5 set match.

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