Creek Drama pg. 9
Trooper School pg. 15
Creek Waterpolo pg. 19
October 2009- Volume 84, Issue 2 2305 E. Main, League City, TX 77573
Clear Creek High School
Mix-It-Up Day coming to a cafeteria near you Chelsea Huebner On November 10, 2009 Mix It Up Day will be coming to Creek. It’s a day when cafeterias all over the nation are invaded by organizations whose goal is to promote tolerance and encourage students to meet someone new. On this day the students of Clear Creek High School can come together and “break down the walls of intolerance.” Schools all over the nation will be “mixing it up” and providing an atmosphere where students come out of their shells to meet new people. This mission will be accomplished at Creek by the journalism students and teachers. Hours of planning and hard work are put into this event in the cafeteria. On November 10 as students go to lunch, they will be greeted by members of the HiLife staff who will hand them a Jolly Rancher. With candy in hand, students will go into the main cafeteria where the tables will be covered with colored paper. Students will find
the table with the same color as the candy and sit there. As other students come in, the usual cliques found in high school cafeterias will be divided and broken up. This will give students a chance to talk to people that they would usually talk about but never talk to. With other activities planned in the cafeteria, students have something in common, something that they can talk about, something that unifies them. “It’s so much fun seeing people act outside of themselves in front of everyone,” Creek junior Laura Salkowski said. According to Tolerance.org, the website that sponsors Mix It Up Day, 97 percent of students who participated in Mix It Up Day 2008 said that the experience was a positive one and 83 percent said that the event had helped them to make new friends. While many students walk into the cafeteria, take the candy and still sit with their usual friends, they are still able to reap the benefits of the day. By participating in the activities or watching the activities, students begin to one is forced to interact with other people.
“ We never change our table but it’s always fun to watch people in the cafeteria because it’s definitely not something you see everyday,” Creek senior Alyssa Schaefbauer said. Mix It Up 2009 will be the Creek HiLife staff’s ninth year putting on the event and every year it has increased its success. Following the success of last year’s Mix It Up Day, there will be both dancing and beatboxing competitions. Students can sign up for these in room D136, and those participating in the dance competition need to bring a copy of their music for approval the week before the event. Students will also have an opportunity to sign up in the c a f eteria. If students are dancing they will have to use one of the songs
provided by the HiLife staff. Routines for the dance competition should be one to two minutes long to give everyone a chance to compete. The winners of the competitions will receive a prize.
took place one year ago. Almost every family in Galveston County suffered some kind of damage from Ike, some worse than others. Flooding caused extensive damage to homes, and every yard was covered in tree branches and other debris. A great deal of homes needed minor repairs, but some homes were completely destroyed by the hurricane. The damage from Ike affected every home, business, and building in the area, including the former Ninth Grade Center at Creek. Damage to the roof caused flooding in the school and carpet had to be replaced as well as a number of ceiling tiles. Because of the damage, many teachers lost supplies, student work and projects, and personal items kept in their classrooms. Repairs to the school have been completed at the school, which is now Clear Creek Intermediate. “I can’t even tell that there was damage done to the school because of Ike,” said Amber Griffith, a sixth grade student
at
grades and attendance. “Not having a home had an impact on the kids,” said Ms. Latulippe. Other students had to move in with friends because they had nowhere else to live. “I recently talked to a parent last week who had just moved back into a house,” said Ms. Latulippe. Ernie Artiz, a senior at Creek, lost his home in Nassau Bay as a result of the storm. When he evacuated, Artiz was only able to bring a few personal belongings and his home to find damage to the outside and roof of his house and the inside of the house completely torn apart. The cost of rebuilding ended up being more than the cost to build anew, so Artiz and his family had to move into a rental home. Now, over one year later, Artiz and his family still do not have a home. The new home is currently under construction and is expected to be finished around the winter holidays. It has been one year since Hurricane Ike swept through Texas leaving destruction in its path. Homes have been rebuilt and communities put back together, but there is still repair and recovery to be done.
Photo by HiLife Staff
Clear Creek remembering Ike one year later Tracey Griffith September 13, 2009 marked the oneyear anniversary of Hurricane Ike, a storm that left extensive damage to the coast of Texas and Galveston Island. Ike is said to be the “costliest natural disaster in Texas history.” The storm was a category four hurricane at its worst, but hit the coast as a 900-mile wide, category two hurricane with 110 mile per hour winds. The storm cost the state of Texas $29 billion in damage and was responsible for the death of 37 people. The rebuilding of Galveston Island and the Texas Coast has progressed greatly, but there are still signs of the destruction that Photo by HiLife staff
the Intermediate. Creek teacher Glen McWhorter returned after evacuating to find three feet of water in his house. Coach McWhorter said he lost appliances, lawn mowers, and golf carts, as well as personal items like photographs that cannot be replaced. Repairs for the house took seven months, during which he stayed in an apartment. “Now we’re back and up and running,” McWhorter said. Another Creek teacher, Sara Spinks, was living in Galveston at the time of the storm. She was displaced from her home for over a month because the electricity was out. After the storm, when school resumed, Mrs. Spinks did not have a house.. Spinks moved to League City in January, hoping to never have that problem again. Ms. Latulippe, the Student Activities Director at Creek, said that there were more kids affected by Ike than anyone realized. After the hurricane M s . Latulippe noticed a drop in students’
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Opinion n e m
h s re
F
If you could speak with one person, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Seniors
“I would want to speak with my great grandpa because he died when I was very young and I really want to know him. -Chelsea Clemishaw
“Jimi Hendrix [to] learn how to shred a guitar.” -Dillon Back
“I would love to meet Beyoncé Knowles because I think she is one of the most talented people in the world and she’s my idol.”
“I would speak to the president because he is powerful and influencing to everybody.” -Hunter Jessup
“I would speak to George Washington and ask him for his autograph.” -Nick Capuzzi “Anne Bolyen because I find that area of history fascinating.” -Nauci Egerstaffer
Sophom
ores
“Ayn Rand because I would love the chance to talk to her about her philosophy.” -Jordan Fowles
“I would want to meet Abraham Lincoln because he was an inspirational president and he is my favorite president.” -Morgan Bayes
“I would talk to Elvis and I would ask him where he got the idea to break the mold and play Rock & Roll.” -Andrew Johnson “I would like to talk to Johnny Depp because he seems so interesting.” -Isabella Arnao
“I would want to meet Stephanie Meyer because I love all her books.” -Hetal Patel “Tiger Woods, to learn all of his golfing tips.”
-Liel Allon
“Either Roger Wales or Syd Barrett because they started Pink Floyd.” -Austin Casey
-Dylan LeMire
“I want to meet Taylor Swift because she’s my idol.” -Brittany Dawson
Juniors
l o o h c S h g i H k e e r C r a e
Cl
“I would want to talk with Queen Elizabeth the [first], because she was an amazing person and a great leader.” -Hannah Mason “I would talk to Neil Armstrong because I would like to know the trials he went through to go to the moon.” -Ann Diab “I would talk to my best friend Sarah Safarzadeh because she’s so funny.” -Shelby Todora “I would want to speak to Patrick Swayze because he was a great actor and didn’t deserve to die so young.” -Lorrie Capetillo “I would like to meet my grandfather who died when I was little because I fell in love with his stories passed down through my dad.” -Kate Lagura “I would talk to Paul the apostle and ask him how following Jesus impacted his life.” -Garrett Hellinghausen
9 WEEKS TEST SCHEDULE
10/19- English, Fine Arts 10/20- Math, Career and Technology Education 10/21- Science, PE, Health 10/22- Social Studies, Languages Other Than English
REMEMBER: Late arrival day October 15 and No school October 26 and 27
2009-2010 HiLife Staff Principal: Scott Bockart Advisor: Wynette Jameson Executive Editor: Jan O’Neil Editor-in-Chief: Allie Hinga Managing Editor: Chelsea Huebner News Editor: Jordan Little Assistant News Editor: Amber Arnold Around Creek Editor: Christine Sulkis Features Editor: Shannon O’Neil Creek Speaks Editor: Jacob Mancini Teen Interest Editor: Kaitlyn Blake Sports Editor: Christen Valcoviak Centerspread Editors: Will Sheffield Ellen Gaudet Advertising Manager: Jordan Little Photo Editors: Kaitlyn Boryk Assistant Photo Editor: Katlin Foote Photographers: Shauna Fererro-Donahue Emily Dismukes Tabitha Dirrim Mary Veedell Reporters: Jacob Arredondo Reanna Bain Kaitlyn Casey Madison Doeckel Develin Polly Ashley Farmer Derek Gay Katherine Gughiocello Meghan Mistry Lyndsay Gordon Olivia Zinobile Kathy Chiang Email us at: Creekhilife@yahoo.com Visit us at: http://www.clearcreekhighschool.ihigh.com For ad rates call: (281) 284-1889 Fax: (281) 284-1705
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Editorial Allie’s Abstractions
“Believe in yourself and your ability to succeed”
Allie Hinga For as long as I can remember, I have never been a particularly self-confident individual. Even when I was a little kid, I was constantly double-checking every direction, every word someone else told me, haunted by this incredibly irrational fear of getting something wrong. For a long time I carried this terror inside of me, this need for absolute certainty before I would act, this fear of speaking up in front of my peers unless I knew the comment would be well received. Psychologically speaking, I am sure I could come up with a million random instances in my life that contributed to this state of being I lived in for so long, and honestly, I would love to know exactly what it is that has molded me into the person I am today. But whatever the causes, they still made me into the person everybody knew through about 9th grade or so: the smart, shy girl who never really said
or did anything wrong, but who felt compelled to apologize for everything. By the time I hit high school my obsession with getting everything right was at least at a manageable level, and hopefully not everybody noticed, but it was still there. Throughout high school, however, I slowly managed to gain a measure of confidence in my abilities. I managed to maintain good grades in the midst of a ruthless environment, especially during that infamous junior year. I found a group of friends who I know will still care about me even if I say something that they don’t agree with or that sounds stupid and I managed to get a better hold on the fact that my identity is not dependent on other people’s opinion of me. And I found writing. Ever since my eighth grade teacher told me that I had written one of the best literary criticisms in the class, writing has been one of the few things I know that I am good at. Even when I felt like everything around me was going wrong, at least I could write a good poem about it. Even with this new boost of confidence, I still felt that something was lacking. Decision-making remained a major struggle for me, and I often sought input at the expense of my own opinion before I would move forward with an idea. Still there remained the fear that somehow my ideas weren’t
good enough, that I would do something wrong if I decided to do it myself. Then came my senior year, with all of its privileges and responsibilities. As the Editor-in-Chief of the HiLife, I have been given the incredible task of putting out a newspaper every month. Every story placed, every photo run, every decision made, goes by me. I still remember realizing on the first day of school the implications of that authority I had and feeling more than a little overwhelmed. The realization that I would be responsible for every decision made in the class essentially ended my ability to hide behind my lack of confidence and forced me to rise to the challenge. So I’ve finally found the incentive to do what I had always wanted to do, but never had the courage to do: force myself to become an assertive, confident person. And slowly but surely it’s sticking. In the last month or so, I have learned how to work with other people towards getting a job done, how to assert myself and not compromise, how to make decisions on my own, how to take responsibility, and perhaps most importantly, how to believe in my own abilities. In a sense, that has always been my greatest hindrance: lack of belief in my ability to get the job done. One of my biggest realizations this year has been knowing I possess the confidence it takes to step
out and accomplish things. I don’t have to dwell on all of the supposed faults that I told myself would keep me from doing my best. I can look past them and keep moving on to reach my goals. I don’t have to find self-validation based on everyday ups and downs that can either leave me feeling good about myself or beating my head on a desk. My self-worth can come from something bigger than my everyday life. Sure, it may sound like a bunch of fancy rhetoric on a page right now, but in the end, these things are true. That’s not to say that they are easy to believe or to live out, but sometimes it’s the things that are hardest to swallow that make us into better people. There are days that I just have to tell myself that I don’t have to be afraid to step out. Chances are I will make mistakes, but I can’t let that stop me. If I step up, assert myself, and refuse to be any less than true to myself and the things I believe in, then I can learn from my mistakes and accomplish more than I ever could by blending in to the background and being afraid to stand out. If I have the confidence to do the things I never thought possible, then I can accomplish whatever tasks are set before me and truly be able to say I did the job well. Photo By: Shauna Fererro-Donahue
Guest Editorial: Jordan Little “Be open to new ideas- banned books are best”
Jordan Little Think about the last book you read. Chances are that it has most likely been banned at some point in time. Some people are not interested in reading or whether a book is banned or not. I am not one of those people. When a book is banned, it is not just the text but the ideas as well. I was not aware that September 26th to October 3rd was banned book week until my journalism teacher told me. I joked that my two favorite books, The Catcher in the Rye and The Great Gatsby, were probably on the list. However, I was still shocked to see that both were at the top of the ALA’s Banned Classics list online. According to ALA, the top three reasons why books are banned are because the material is “sexually explicit,” “contains offensive language,” or is “unsuitable for any age group.” The Great Gatsby was
challenged in 1987 because of “language and sexual references in the book.” For forty years, many people have tried to ban The Catcher in the Rye from schools. In 1993 the novel was challenged because it “centered around negative activity.” The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien was deemed “satanic” and was burned in 2001. As I continued to look at more and more titles on the banned book list, I couldn’t believe that some of the greatest works of literature were or are banned. People ban books because they don’t understand what they represent: freedom of the press and, most of all, freedom to think. I personally don’t understand what gives book-banners the power to be above the Constitution and our First Amendment rights. The power lies with a group, strong in numbers, who refuse to think or can’t tolerate new ideas found in banned books. Reading is an activity that requires thinking. When I read, I also have to be open-minded about new ideas because books will throw so many thoughts at me that I have to be willing to listen. What would happen if book-banners started to evaluate each book, every single book in the world, for its content? It’s scary to think of the consequence. Not only would it be a total waste of time, there would be no books left. Every book could be
deemed a potential “hazard” to the public. It frustrates me that TV programs with content similar to banned books are allowed to remain on TV, but books are in question. I have nothing against any TV program or channel in particular. I just wonder how a station like MTV is able to escape the critics and run shows with the same “questionable” content of banned books. Maybe it’s the user ratings that flash on the screen for a minute that make a “questionable” TV show suitable to air. Maybe a book should come with a warning too so that all who might consider it offensive can choose to not read it. Books are forms of art. Like any artwork hanging in a museum, a book was created by its author so that its audience can learn from it while enjoying the process. I would be very upset if upon arriving at the art museum, I was told that the exhibit I wanted to see was closed and that I could not see a piece by my favorite artist, Toulouse-Lautrec, because the scene takes place at a night club. I would be just as upset if I was prevented from reading The Catcher in the Rye again, from reading The Kite Runner, and all of the books I look forward to reading in English. No one should force someone to read a book. But, ironically, people shouldn’t prevent someone from reading a book.. It
is wrong that people who ban books win, and readers are prevented from choosing a book for themselves. Literature is a form of art. When you change an artwork, its ruins someone else’s masterpiece. Writers, like artists, create their stories with the intent to express a truth. Book banners are so concerned with questioning the morality of a book that they forget that it is art, art that comes with a truth that shouldn’t be tampered with. It would be great to know that ten years from now, I will still be able to read the books that I love. No great work of literature should ever be banned. Unfortunately, this is not the case. I wish that I could safely say that it is a requirement that a person who seeks to ban a book must first read it cover to cover. Unfortunately, book banning is not illegal, and it still happens, every day, every year. Banned or not, I will read the novels that most interest me, the ones that force me out of my comfort zone in order that I may learn new ideas. I encourage everyone else to do the same. Banned book week may be over, but we can still support its cause. Whether or not you choose to judge a book by its content, I encourage you to read. Especially those banned books. Keep an open mind. Photo by: Shauna Fererro-Donahue
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News
Gifted and Talented Program Seeks Referrals Ashley Farmer In every class, there are students who achieve extraordinarily high levels of accomplishment. There are those who go above and beyond, not only in their every day work and projects, but also in their ability to make connections and comprehend material. These students have the opportunity to be part of Clear Creek Independent School District’s Gifted and Talented program. According to ccisd.net, Clear Creek ISD’s Gifted and Talented program is designed to meet the unique academic and emotional needs of the gifted students in each of the district’s schools. In order to do this, teachers working with GT students must attend 30 hours of GT training with an annual 6-hour update. The GT program creates an environment for students that focuses on creativity, complex connections between ideas, and flexibility in learning styles. “The benefit for students to be identified GT is that they will be taught in
a different manner so as to nurture their “Having the GT leadership class intellectual potential. Often if the mind is enables GT students to work with others of not intellectually stimulated, GT students like minds and to take the level of the course will become underachievers. Identification work much deeper with more breadth than into a program will help in in other classes. This course provides nurturing the true potential the social and emotional component of the students,” Debi that is necessary in the nurturing of the Taylor, the Gifted gifted mind,” Mrs. Taylor said. Program Coordinator CCISD’s Gifted and for Clear Creek Talented Program is ISD, said. currently accepting G i f t e d written referrals high school for those students students who have the may fit the opportunity to take GT only English Leadership classes during their freshman description and sophomore Maciej Gilski working in PAP Biology of Gifted years and to and Talented Photo by Shauna Fererro-Donahue be involved and would in strong Pre-Advanced Placement and most likely benefit Advanced Placement programs high school. from this program. Referrals must be
Red light cameras
submitted to the GT specialist or the counselor on the child’s campus. The deadline for accepting these referrals is December 1, 2009 and the nominees will participate in the fall GT testing cycle. Teachers, students, administrators, special education personnel, counselors, and parents or guardians can submit referrals. After referrals are submitted, a selection committee consisting of at least three Gifted and Talented specialists will analyze the students. Students will be chosen based on test scores, professional recommendations, grades, a portfolio, and other data collected. Appeals regarding an identification decision may be made to the selection committee no later than 15 working days after the committee has announced its selection, and they will be addressed within 15 days after the appeal is submitted. There are many students throughout the schools who work hard and strive to excel. Some have earned the title of “overachievers” while others have silently reaped the benefits of their educational experience.
Naming new schools
Amber Arnold
Hwy 3 and FM 518 and at FM 518 and Marina Bay Drive for left turn lanes. The city plans According to the National Highway to release a schedule for the installations. The installation of the cameras is Traffic Safety Administration, more than expected to be complete in two to three 850 people die and 170,000 are injured each weeks. The city will then start its stateyear in crashes caused by drivers running mandated 30-day warning period in red lights. Photo enforcement programs which motorists will receive mailed have been proven to reduce the number warnings for red-light violations. of intersection After that time, collisions that violators will receive result from a $75 civil citation in people running the mail. The citation red lights. will not count T e x a s against their driving reports that they record in October. have seen a 57 Redflex is percent drop evaluating Egret in violations, Bay Boulevard 80 percent Photo by Shauna Fererro-Donahue and League reduction in overall City Parkway crashes, and 50 percent reduction in T-bone crashes. E. and Egret Bay Boulevard and FM 518 Currently, there are over 39 cities from for the devices. The city’s goal is to prevent a variety of population groups in Texas red-light runners who cause wrecks. Drivers can also be ticketed if they do using photo enforcements equipment. not come to a complete stop before On September 9, Redflex Traffic proceeding into an intersection to Systems began installing red light make a right turn on red. The red light cameras around League City. The camera will ticket drivers who do installation started at FM 518 West and not stop before turning right on red. Interstate 45, where there are cameras Before a ticket is ever issued, the for traffic traveling east, south and west. violation is reviewed multiple times by “I think the red light cameras are going trained technicians to ensure a clear violation to keep everyone safe and make drivers pay had occurred. The registered owner then more attention,” said senior Nikki Pandanell. has the option to pay theticket, contest the Red-light cameras are in-ground sensors citation at a hearing, or show proof he or she that monitor each vehicle that passes. If a was not the driver at the time of the incident. vehicle is going faster than the speed limit The web site, www.photonotice. or if the vehicle enters an intersection com,allows many drivers to take a moment after the single has turned red, the sensors to acknowledge and correct their driving trigger a high-resolution camera system. habits, the ultimate goal of the photo The camera records separate still images of enforcement program. The website also the vehicle and its rear license place, along has access to violation images and a video with a video of the incident. There is also of the incident. Violators can pay the fines data about the incident including location, online by entering the citation number, date, time, speed limit, lane, vehicle, license plate number, and the city zip code. speed, elapsed time, and other details. Countless government studies “I don’t think the cameras will work since a lot of people don’t know have shown that photo enforcement about it. They will keep running the is extremely effective in reducing violations and accidents. red lights,” said Frankie Morales. traffic Crews have been working eastward to Information courtesy of install eastbound and westbound cameras at leaguecity.com
Meghan Mistry Currently, there are four high schools in CCISD: Clear Brook, Clear Creek, Clear Lake, and Clear Springs. In 2010 the new high school and intermediate school are set to open in the Education Village, off HWY 146 on 96, and CCISD is at a loss for names. To help, Clear Creek Independent School District is taking name recommendations and nominations from the public. There are several restrictions for naming the schools. Tradition entails that the intermediate school be named for a geographic area and the high school’s name must begin with ‘Clear,’ followed by an appropriate body of water. The initials of the other high schools (CBHS, CCHS, CLHS, and CSHS) are not to be repeated. Many students have their own thoughts on possible names for the school. “It has to begin with Clear, but I like Clear Falls,” 12 grader, Stephanie Revill, said. On October 16, after all nominations are turned in, the CCISD Board of Trustees will review the suggestions with two citizen run naming committees. The members will be chosen from the citizens who applied for the positions. Once the Board of Trustees chooses the committee members, they will be split into two groups, one group naming the intermediate school, and the other group naming the high school based on public nominations. “I think it should be Clear Falls High School. And becausethere is Clear Lake
Intermediate and Clear Creek Intermediate, it should be Clear Falls Intermediate School,” ninth grader, Burke Millard, said. “The schools should be named Riverside Intermediate, and Clear Falls High School,” tenth grader, Jasmine Cook, said. Boundary committees will be set up to decide just how many Creek and Lake students will move over to the new schools, but without permanent or even tentative boundaries, the committees will have to decide on names flexible enough to fit both Creek and Lake students. “It’s hard to think of a name nomination for the intermediate school,” Clear Lake student Krishna Jana said, “but I’d nominate South Shore Intermediate School because it’s on the other side of the Kemah Bridge.” All recommendations for names can be submitted by mail to the CCISD Office of Public Information. The form for nominations is at www.ccisd.net. The public can apply for a position on the naming committee by using a form on www.ccisd.net.The committee form and name nomination forms can also be picked up at the CCISD Education Support Center beside Clear Creek High School. All applications and nominations can be mailed to 2425 East Main Street, League City, Texas 77573. The nomination form can also be faxed to (281)-284-9901. For more information on the naming committee, call (281)-284-0020.
News
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Citizen of the Year ‘09 Alliance given grant Ashley Farmer
who have dedicated vast amounts of time to the district and the students in When the call for nominations of it recipients are people who are known the 2009-2010 Citizen of the Year award for their outstanding character and their first came out, suggestions came flooding extraordinary efforts in their everyday in. After the deadline for nomination of responsibilities and volunteer opportunities. Citizen of the Year came to a close on According to CCISD, Lucien September 1, 2009, the members on the Junkin has been the driving force behind CCISD board of trustees began weeding the development, growth, and success of through these nominations to choose the CCISD robotics program for over a the Citizen of the Year. Each member decade. He was nominated by Luis Medina, of the committee has an input on who the CCISD robotics facilitator who has should be the new Citizen of the Year. witnessed his accomplishments first hand. “One area that is especially In 1996, Junkin and Terry important to the committee members is Brandhorst founded the nationally when looking at the candidates, who in recognized CCISD high school robotics our opinion, has touched the most students team known as Robonauts. Robonauts possible across the district,” Lisa Holbrook, has been involved inside and outside the a member of the Clear Creek Education community in numerous ways, including Foundation Board of Directors, said. running Houston’s first Lego League Previous recipients of the (FLL) tournament for elementary and citizen of the year award have been intermediate school students. Mr. Junkin the late Bob Forde, Sandy Johnson of also founded the EARLY (Engineering Barrious technology, and Charlie Pond, and Robotics Learned Young) program. the most recent addition to the CCISD “Not only did he teach valuable board of trustees. This year’s Citizen of lessons about engineering and technology, the Year award will go to Lucien Junkin. two professions that are essential to the The Clear Creek Education economic success of our area...he instilled a Foundation founded the Citizen of the lot of valuable life lessons,” Holbrook said. Year (COTY) award in 2005. According Once the Citizen of the Year is to clearcreekeducationfoundation. chosen, the winner in turn chooses one org, the COTY itself was founded in teacher that he believes has helped him 1992 as a nonprofit organization whose to make a difference in this district. The purpose was to generate and distribute teacher chosen is awarded $500 from the funds for the advancement of education. interest fund of the $10,000 Citizen of the This award is an endowment Year award endowment established by that has been the collaborative efforts the Clear Creek Education Foundation. of the CCISD Board of Trustees and the The Citizen of the Year award CCISD Clear Creek Education foundation was be bestowed upon Lucien Jenkins on since it began. It has been an honor October 8th at the Clear Creek Education reserved for members of the community Foundation’s Breakfast of Champions.
organization that utilizes its resources to prevent at-risk behavior in youth.” The Office of National Drug “The Alliance targets three Control Policy awarded $125,000 to the substances. These substances are Bay Area Alliance for Youth and Families to alcohol, prescription drug abuse, and prevent drug and alcohol abuse in teens. This the access to marijuana,” Julie Purser, is the sixth time money has been awarded the Coalition Coordinator of the Bay to the organization by an ONDCP grant. Area Alliance said. The Alliance looks The Alliance was started in at substance abuse problems by city. 2003. According to Ultimate Clear Lake, “I’m not sure that they will be “it is a coalition of parents, youth, law successful stopping drug abuse among enforcement, cities, schools, faith-based some teens, but upon doing so this will organizations, health be monumental for the Bay care, media, Area Alliance of Youth and government and Families,” sophomore officials.” Its Connor Davis said. mission is to With the grant, raise community the Bay Area Alliance awareness toward will be able to find new underage drinking strategies to address and drug abuse problems. The Alliance among teens will be able to stop the by showing the access to alcohol and drugs problems with in whatever way they can. drugs and alcohol “The youth is our and teens. The secret weapon because that’s alliance also who is going to make a huge would like to difference and prevent change the Keep school drug free alcohol and drug abuse the c o m m u n i t y ’ s Photo by Shauna Fererro-Donahue most,” Ms. Purser said. perspective The Bay Area on underage drinking and drug Alliance of Youth and Families hopes abuse so it is not tolerated. to be more successful in preventing the “This is a good thing use of drugs and alcohol among teens. because they’re doing something good However, without the positive influence of for the community by preventing the youth who choose not to drink or abuse teens from accessing drugs and drugs, it would not be possible for the alcohol,”sophomore Dallas Huff said. Bay Area Alliance of Youth and Families According to the Bay to prevent these problems among teens. Area Alliance, the organization will “develop a strong community
Derek Gay
Literacy is key for students in CCISD schools Jordan Little
one of the restaraunts that supported the Let’s Get Literate Restaurants for Reading program last year raised about a $1,000. Heather Lunt, a marketer for Sudie’s, visited the Education Support Center to find out more information about programs. Ms. Lunt was introduced to Restaraunts for Reading, which Sudie’s continues to give a portion of funds to. “Part of our mission statement is to support the community that supports us,” says Ms. Lunt. “It’s just our way of giving back.” Tina Sanders, a librarian at Creek, defines the goal of the program as “to have better and newer books that attract students to check them out.” “We get budgets cut as we build new schools. We don’t get more budgets,” Ms. Sanders said. The average age for the book collections of Creek’s library is 2001. Library Director Ty Burns is determined to bring the district’s libraries up to even higher standards. Last According to year’s Let’s Mr. Burns, over Get Literate 80% of the Restaurants for Andrew Smith reading districts libraries Reading programPhoto by Katlin Foote were below raised almost $3,000 standard in the to improve the libraries of the district. Last age and number of books per student. year Sudie’s Catfish and Seafood House, “We figured out what it would This year, local businesses have decided to team up with CCISD to stress the importance of literacy in its schools and the community. Businesses who pledge support to the CCISD Let’s Get Literate program promise to give a portion of their sales to benefit the program. According to ccisd.net, the money donated will be used “to increase the number and quality of books available to students of all ages on CCISD’s 42 campuses.” Some of these new books will be placed in each school’s library so all students may access them.
take to bring every school to an exemplary age and books per student based on Texas state standards,” Mr. Burns said. It was calculated that a total of 4.5 million dollars over five years is needed to reach the goal of exemplary status. This fall, the Restaurants for Reading program is back with restaraunts such as Mario’s Flying Pizza in Seabrook, BJ’s Restaurant, Sudie’s Seafood House, and Casa Ole participating. Each restaurant has a specific date on which they will donate a portion of their funds to CCISD’s Literate program. To help the program, eat at BJ’s on October 13, eat at Sudie’s on October 27, eat at Mario’s of Seabrook on November 10, or eat at Casa Ole on November 17. For directions to the restaraunts, please visit ccisd.net. Jason’s Deli of Webster will participate every Wednesday this December. Anyone can be a CCISD Literacy Lifter. Any business can aid CCISD in its efforts to improve its libraries
and make literacy more prevalent by pledging part of their profits to the Let’s Get Literate program. A restaraunt can join the Restaraunts for Reading program and its manager can choose a designated day to share its proceeds. Corporations are also welcome to make a donation or host a book fair and should contact the Office of Public Information at 281-284-0029 for more information. Citizens can also make a donation to the Let’s Get Literate program by either paying online with a credit card through ccisd.net, or by mailing a check to the CCISD Community Partnership Office. In the past, people have made donations to the program in honor of loved ones. For more information about the Let’s Get Literate program, please visit ccisd.net.
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Features
Volleyball fundraiser for Wims Shannon O’Neil Brad Wims, a Clear Creek High School teacher passed away March 2, 2009. Even before Mr. Wims’ passing, the students and faculty of Clear Creek High School had invested their time and effort in helping the Wims family, initiating many fundraisers. This year the Creek’s Volleyball team has started a new fundraiser in memory of Mr. Wims. In 2007, Mr. Wims was diagnosed with rare type of cancer called chondrosarcoma, which affects the bone marrow in the body. During the week of September 21, the volleyball team held a new fundraiser in honor of Mr. Wims. According to Coach Simonds, the money that was raised will go to the Wims family. The volleyball team sported pink shirts and walked around during all lunches asking for any donation. According to Coach Simonds, the volleyball team raised close to $3,000. On September 22, the girls’ volleyball varsity game was played in honor of Mr. Wims. Throughout the game, the Freshman A/B and JV
volleyball team collected donations. Coach Simonds said that he and Mr. Wims knew each other from high school volleyball games. The two played against each other in high school. After high school both teachers
The team celebrates a win. Photo by Katlin Foote attended Texas A & M University. Coach Simonds and Mr. Wims also had another thing in common. Simonds was diagnosed with cancer along
with Mr. Wims. Simonds was fortunate enough to undergo a surgery that ended his own battle with melanoma skin cancer. According to 11th grader, Ellen Shoemaker, Mr. Wims attended many volleyball games and even attended last year’s fundraiser game. Shoemaker plays outside and right side hitter and had a unique connection with Mr. Wims. “I knew him from when I had knee surgery freshman year and he couldn’t walk and I rode the elevator with him,” Shoemaker said. Hali Maple, 12th grader and the defensive specialist of the varsity team, said that the team raised around $500 at the game. According to Maple, most of the people who attended the game donated to the Wims family. Maple also attended last year’s fun run fundraiser in honor of Mr. Wims. “[The fundraiser is] important. He was part of our school and worked hard. His family is still paying bills for his surgery and they need help,” senior varsity team member Madeline Gaffney said. Many students of Clear Creek High School have participated in different types of fundraisers for the Wims family and according to Maple the volleyball team plans to fundraise every year for the Wims family and cures for cancer.
School boundaries to be zoned Meghan Mistry
The Education Village, near HWY 146 on 96, is set to open in 2010, adding the 10th intermediate school and seventh high school to CCISD. The attendance zones for these schools, however, have yet to be determined. A new committee of CCISDzoned citizens will select them. Originally, these schools were made to relieve overcrowding in the Clear Lake area, but the new schools provide several opportunities for the children of the district, prompting Creek parents to push for their child’s attendance on these new campuses.
“I was very much involved in February of 2008 with the Home owner’s association campaigning against the movement of Ferguson students to Goforth Elementary. With the SBAC committee currently being created, everything should be looked at from a logistical standpoint. Logistically, it is closer to zone more Lake students to Creek and more Creek students to the new school. It is more effective for transportation and because South Shore Harbor is so large, it is only logical for the master planned community to go to the new school.” Todd Johnson, Marina West Homeowners Association
President and Representative, said. The School Boundary Advisory Committee (SBAC) will take on the challenge of zoning the surrounding committees to the new schools. Citizens can apply for the committee, and applications can be found online at www.ccisd.net or picked up at the Education Support Center near Clear Creek High School. The members of the committee will be selected by lottery. The names of all applicants will be entered in a drawing, and the names drawn will become those on the official committee. The committee will take many factors into consideration for the new boundaries. If the school is to relieve overcrowding in Clear Lake, then the committee will have to decide how many Creek students can go. They also have to decide which neighborhoods will benefit from the move. The citizens wishing to join will most likely have an idea of what boundaries need to change to support the new school. “ The committee will have to look at many things. Including transportation, bus routes, school capacity, special programs, and teacher to student ratios. There will be 27 members, 21 are new, and 6 are returning. Certain guest speakers will come, to give the committee members information. They alone make the decision, which becomes a recommendation for the Board of Trustees members. In the end, they get to decide, and the committee is really only a recommender. ” Ron McPherson, the Associate Superintendent of Operations for CCISD, said. The SBAC boundary committee’s first meeting will be held on October 13th. This meeting will be the first and the last will be held in March. The attendance boundaries of the two new schools will be difficult to set up, but it the end they will be left up to the SBAC to decide.
“Rescue Ink” to the rescue Shannon O’Neil
Long Beach, New York is home to an organization devoted fully to animals. This team is Rescue Ink. According to rescueink.org, Rescue Ink is a group of friends who are “rough and tough” but all share a common love and respect for animals. The team is devoted to helping abused and neglected animals throughout the city of New York. Rescue Ink is not the typical animal rescue team. The team has no formal training or authority of the, doesn’t stop the desperate hope to find the end to animal cruelty. No case is to extreme for Rescue Ink. Nothing will prevent the team from going on a mission to save an abused or neglected animal. In some cases, when the owner was not giving up the dog or not cooperating, the team will even be prepared to give money to the owner in return for the animal. They would do anything to save an animal. ”I’m not an animal lover but I think its good they’re [rescuing animals] because more people should focus on helping the community instead of their career,” said 11th grader, Alex Hodgeson. The team consists of Johnny “O”, Batso, Big Ant, George, Joe Panz, Des “the Cat Man”, Angel “Pet Investigator”, Eric, and Junior. There are also two behind the scenes members, Mary and Robert. They are hardly seen on camera but are necessary to the function of the team. “I think its good they’re branching out, showing their soft side,” said 10th grader, Taylor Bolt. Rescue Ink does not only rescue animals from abusive homes but they also rescue unwanted animals, like Ebony. Ebony was a stray pit-bull found by a Brooklyn priest who entrusted Rescue Ink to find her a home. The team did not disappoint. Ebony was spotted as a perfect match during an adoption fair. Rescue Ink receives calls and leads to animal abuse and takes initiative to help the animals. One dog named Rebel was saved from dog fighting and still has scares to prove his tough past. Rebel has become the team’s mascot. “[The show] sounds like Easy Rider meets Ace Ventura,” said 10th grader Calvin Picou. Success is hitting the new team at record high. The team has a new book and a TV show on National Geographic Channel. National Geographic Channel has found the team and created a new show, taking viewers along for the ride when the team embarks on a rescue mission. The show premiered on September 25 of this year. And their book comes out four days earlier, September 21. Teacher, Nancy Schwab said, “I think bikers get a bad rap and this shows their true colors.” Rescue Ink is just one of the many organizations devoted to helping animals. However it may just be the only rescue team filled with these rough and tough gentleman.
Ads Senior Ad Order Form
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Seniors and parents, Ads are a wonderful way to preserve your memories, celebrate your accomplishments, and have a special place in the yearbook. It will be a full color ad, with your choice of words, pictures or both. These are only available to seniors and the deadline is December 1, 2009. You can simply use the form provided here in this newspaper. Please fill out this form, make checks out to CCHS, write a description of your ad, attach a CD with digital pictures, then cut this out and return it to room D131 or Jan O’Neil at Clear Creek High School by December 1. Thanks, Yearbook Staff Student Name: _________________________________________________________ Parent/Guardian: _______________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: ________________________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________________________________ Email: _______________________________________________________________ AD SIZE Full Page 1/2 Page
PRICE $300.00 $185.00
1/4 Page
$105.00
1/8 Page
$60.00
QUANTITY
TOTAL: How do you want your ad to look? Include all words here and attach a CD with pictures: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Signature__________________________________
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Diversions
Used with MCTCampus membership
A round Creek 9 What it takes to get a club started at Creek Allie Hinga
Creek offers a variety of opportunities for its students to get involved with other students on campus. One way students are able to connect with others is through clubs and other extracurricular organizations. Each year, clubs provide students with the opportunity to meet with their peers to express and explore their common interests. According to district policy, there are three different types of groups, clubs, and organizations that students can be involved in: extra-curricular, curriculum related, and non-curriculum related. Extra-curricular activities are those specifically sponsored by the school that are connected to a certain class, such as Robonauts, cheerleading, athletics teams, or fine arts groups. These groups are initiated by the district, and each program is headed by a Sponsor who is responsible for attending all meetings, supervising students, and maintaining the group’s files. These organizations keep their funds in a student activity account on campus. Curriculum related groups are similar in structure to extra-curricular groups, except that while they relate to school
subject material, they are not necessarily part of a specific class. Examples of these groups include National Honor Society, the Spanish Club, Best Buddies, and other groups that relate to specific school functions or are part of a larger, national organization. These types of clubs and organizations are initiated by teachers and administrators on a particular campus, and, like extra-curricular activities, serve under the direction of a sponsor and may keep funds in a student activity account. “There’s a lot of different things you can do with those curricular clubs,” Student Activities Director Ms. Latulippe said. Non-Curriculum Related clubs are those that relate specifically to student interests outside of an academic capacity. Some of these groups include the Anime Club, the Christian Club, or the Wakecoarding Club. These clubs vary from other student groups in that they are generally studentinitiated and student-run. Each group must have a Monitor who is a school employee, but they are responsible for supervising students in a non-participatory manner. These clubs may not keep funds on campus, but must keep their own
accounts at an outside institution, such as a local bank, if they wish to keep funds. Curriculum and Non-Curriculum related groups must re-register with the school each year to continue as an official organization on campus. Students wishing to start a club may pick up the necessary paperwork in the B-100s office. In order to be approved, a student must collect signatures from 15 students who agree to become members of the club as well as parental permission forms from every student who joins. Before a club can be submitted for approval each year, students must also establish their organization’s purpose, bylaws, meeting dates and times, and club Monitor. Once students have done this, they can submit their paperwork to Ms. Delesandri in the B-100s office for approval. Students can start clubs at any time during the school year, although Ms. Latulippe suggests that students work to get their organizations on track as early as possible. She believes that such organizations are important not just for allowing student expression, but building relationships with other students. “The more kids are involved on campus, the more they will be able to carry those
relationships... into real life,” she said. After a club is approved, students can begin meeting on a regular basis provided that a Monitor is present at every meeting on campus and that new students who wish to join receive parental permission. Creek students have experienced some setback this year in getting clubs started due to this year’s early homecoming date, but are now working to establish their organizations and begin meeting as soon as possible. In order to help students increase the visibility of their group on campus, Creek will be hosting a Club Fair on October 16 which will allow members to set up tables for their clubs during lunches to give out information about their group and try to attract new members. Each year a number of Creek students get involved on campus by starting and joining clubs. In the past, these groups have allowed them to build stronger relationships with other students and teachers by uniting them under a common interest. With the work of dedicated students, this year will be no exception and Creek clubs will continue help make each student’s time in high school more memorable.
Counselor helps kids Fall show in the works Madison Doeckel
Ever since then, Briggs said she knew that she wanted to work with people when Student may only go to school she got older. She chose to be a counselor counselors when they need to get their instead of a teacher because she said she schedules changed, Creek counselors likes the one-on-one time she gets with do much more than that. Counselors are the students, and she wouldn’t get that also there to support and help students. same experience if she were a teacher. Diane Briggs is the student support “The most frustrating part of my counselor, giving all the students job is when I can’t do anything to at Creek advice on how to help the kids and I just have to listen handle high school situations. and try to understand what they One of the most important things are going through,” Briggs said. Ms. Briggs does in her job is to Briggs said she talk to the students onenever knows what to say on-one. She also has all of the time and sometimes groups that allow four she can not say anything, but she peers to get together knows how to handle student’s once a week to talk problems because she has been about problems they a counselor for 30 years. Her have in common with experience helps her know each other. Some of what to do and how to the issues she helps assess the situations students deal with that come upon her. are self-esteem, stress For her it is all worth management, family it though to be able to concerns, grief or loss work with these young and the other aspects of the people and try to make high school experience. Any a connection with them information students by being there and give her remains Student Support Counelor Diane Briggs listening to them. c o n f i d e n t i a l . Photo by Shauna Ferrero-Donahue If a student ever needs to talk Briggs said to someone about anything he or she can she was inspired to work with people stop by Ms. Briggs’ office and talk to her. when she was in eighth grade and had He or she can join a group and talk to peers an extraordinary teacher who always who are experiencing similar problems.This listened to and understood his students. will enable students to work through their “He talked and listened to the kids problems with people in similar situations. and cared about them,” Briggs said.
Tracey Griffith This fall the Clear Creek drama students will be performing William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Students have been practicing four days a week since early September and will continue through October to ensure the show will be a success. Stephanie Forbes, the head of the drama department, is very excited about Hamlet and will be directing the play. “Hamlet is part of the English curriculum, as is many Shakespearian plays. I felt that we had the right mix of actors and technicians to tackle the greatest play written by Shakespeare. It is my favorite Shakespearian tragedy and I’ve always wanted to direct it,” . Forbes said. Hamlet is a Shakespearian tragedy written in the early 1600’s. The play is about the main character, Prince Hamlet, who is visited by the ghost of his deceased father, the king. The ghost tells Hamlet that
he was killed by his brother, Claudius, who wanted to take the throne, and that Hamlet should take revenge on King Claudius. The main conflict of the play occurs as Hamlet decides whether or not to avenge his father, but throughout the play he is very indecisive. Junior Jonathon Sherer will be playing the character of Hamlet and King Claudius will be played by senior Ross Coburn. Other characters include Ophelia, played by junior Cassandra Odenweller; Queen Gertrude, played by senior Brittany Ekstrom; Lord Polonius, played by senior Gino Sandoval; and Laertes, played by junior Greg Sparavier. There will be several opportunities to see the play performed. Performances are scheduled for October 29, October 30, and November 4, 5, and 7. These performances will take place at 7:00 pm. There will also be a Saturday performance of Hamlet at 2:00pm on October 31.
12 Teen
I nterest Fans fall head over heels for Dead Until Dark Emily Dismukes From its description, the plot of Charlaine Harris’s Dead Until Dark sounds like a typical “forbidden love” story: human girl falls for vampire and has to deal with all the scary things that accompany him. It’s become even more typical recently, with the success of things like the Twilight series. But what sets Dead Until Dark apart from the current flood of vampire romance novels has nothing to do with the vampires and everything to do with the human main character, Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie seems like a fairly normal woman, working at a local bar in her hometown of Bon Temps, Louisiana, but she has a secret that causes many of the other citizens of the town to steer clear of her. She’s telepathic, meaning that she can read the minds of those around her. It’s an ability that keeps her isolated from others, especially men. So when the handsome Bill Compton sits down at one of Sookie’s tables and Sookie realizes that his thoughts are just empty space to her, she’s immediately attracted to him. It turns out that Bill is a vampire, a former Civil War soldier whose polite manner reflects the time he grew up in. It also turns out that Sookie cannot read the minds of vampires, something that both intrigues her and makes her happy. This book, and the rest of Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries series, has often been compared to Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. There are plenty of
similarities, obviously. One is a character’s about having to answer to Bill’s vampire ability to read minds, although in Dead Until employers. Bella runs towards vampirism Dark, that ability is attributed to a human with open arms, but Sookie is sucked in. character, rather than a vampire one. Also, Her unwillingness to be controlled seems of course, the vampires in Harris’s novel to show how strong and determined she is. are strong, quick, smart, and good looking, Harris should be commended for giving just like the Cullen family. However, Harris her readers a real female role model who doesn’t dwell on these facts like Stephenie refuses to be dominated even by those Meyer seemed to, preferring to portray her who could obviously intimidate her. Another thing Harris does well is the vampires more as abnormal humans than portrayal the other inhabitants of Bon extraordinary beings. Bill and Temps. Many of them, including Sookie his vampire and her brother Jason, are working class friends don’t people. They are realistically shown as drink blood, being generally intelligent. A few characters either, instead are somewhat clichéd, but they consuming only serve to “synthetic blood” or that of willing victims. One of the biggest differences between Dead Until Dark and Twilight is the way each author portrayed the female lead. While Anna Paquin and Bella Swann is seen Stephen Moyer act in the by some to be weak television series True Blood. balance out and naïve, ignoring Photo courtesy of HBO Photo by Shauna Fererro-Donahue the cast of the book. the dangers of The setting, a tiny her boyfriend’s town in Louisiana, also allows the series to lifestyle, Sookie is fully aware of the stand out from most popular fantasy novels, risks she takes by being involved with which are usually set in more urban cities. Bill and often expresses negative feelings
Sookie’s status in her community gives her an attitude toward life that one doesn’t often see in modern novels, as the main characters in many fantasy books tend to be of high class in society. While those from small towns will be able to relate to the way things work in rumor-centered Bon Temps, the insights and issues that Sookie has will be fresh and interesting for everyone else. The prejudice she faces at the hands of her more educated neighbors and how she reacts to them provides a view that middle class readers don’t see very often. Every book in the series is relatively short, making each one an easy book to read even when one is busy with school, sports, or a job. Dead Until Dark isn’t the most intellectual book and at less than 300 pages, it’s more like a serial romance than an epic novel, but it’s interesting and engaging reading. Sookie is a refreshing main character, both in the world of mysteries and the world of teen vampire novels. It’s been recommended for anyone who hasn’t been able to get hooked on Twilight. There are similarities, but Harris leaves out a lot of things that, it seemed like, where the worst parts of Meyers’s books. Any of the nine books in the series can be used it to wind down after a long day or taken on vacation. Sookie’s adventures can also be seen on the hit show TrueBlood, which was adapted from the books by HBO. TrueBlood, though graphic at times, is just as entertaining as the Southern Vampire Mysteries.
New Fame is a hit on the screen once again Meghan Mistry
(played by Naturi Naughton). This actress is one of the few with actual talent. Her Fame- remember the name? This new voice strikes big and she sings from the movie is a remake off of the 1980 original. heart, which often envelops the audience The 1980’s original was a big with a true connection to the character hit, and although this remake seems throughout the movie. Kherington Payne popular with teens, adults disagree. strikes large with her character as the The original movie followed a group schools’ star dancer, Alice Ellerton. of talented students over their four years And let’s face it; the 1980’s movie was at New York’s high school of Performing not a classic. A big hit, yes, but not a classic Arts. The students must cram in a full day at all. The music from it, especially the title of arts (singing, dancing, theatre) and a song FAME made famous by Irene Cara, full day of is only briefly academics. mentioned in A n d the 2009 realthough the make, played academics only during the play a role opening and in the movie, credits. The eventually old movie did kicking out do something one girl for that the remake a rapidly did not. Fame falling GPA, of 2009 failed the audience to cross never gets boundaries to see any and battle the part of Actors dance in the re-make of Fame. controversy that. Viewers Photo courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer of the current watch the the Studios Inc. century, while characters the original throughout their four years at the school, but battled against racism and homosexualitythe time jumps in the remake make the plot sensitive subjects for the time period. a little difficult to understand. Each year is In comparison to the original, the mentioned, but sophomore is almost entirely Fame remake really isn’t that grand, but skipped over with just a brief overview. compared to the recent movies of 2009, Although the new version follows a similar this movie is a hit. On opening weekend, plot line, it ends up completely different. Fame gave in 3rd, making only $10 million, Asher Book, Naturi Naughton, Collins proving that it is quite the entertainer. Pennie, Kherington Payne, and Walter The version of 2009 will never be Perez, are just some of the not so FAME- like the original. Fame is the new High ous cast. The talent seemed to be there at School Musical and Step Up, all wrapped moments, usually with the classical pianist- in one. The movie wasn’t as vibrant as the want to-be-hip-hop-singer Denise Dupree original but it definitely was entertaining.
The cast members may not be famous, and two of them are really the only hitswhile the others are very interesting and talented (just not as memorable- except for Asher with his stunningly good looks)they sing without the wow-factor that Naturi Naughton and Irene Cara have. The 2009 movie is however, full of energy. This energy is not anywhere near the size or type of the 1980’s, but it is there, and it is vibrant. In fact, Fame really was amazing. The camera shots add a level of experience few
movies do. When a character goes through something, or transitions, the audience connects better by seeing it from several angles, and the director, Kevin Tacharoen does just this. Every angle is covered, and this adds a level that relates the audience to the characters that every audience yearns for. Fame was captivating, interesting, talented, and like no other recent musical; a must see for 2009. And although neither can be distinguished as a classic, Fame will forever be remembered.
Teen Interest 13
Flash Forward to be a sure hit Emily Dismukes
ABC’s new show FlashForward starts with a bang, literally. The first episode begins with Mark Benford, played by Joseph Fiennes, waking up and having to pull himself out of his overturned car. Car accidents and injured people litter the streets of LA. A helicopter crashes into a building, drowned surfers float on the waves, and a lone kangaroo (apparently escaped from the zoo) hops down the sidewalk. Benford, an FBI agent, almost immediately heads to his office, where he and the other agents quickly (almost too quickly) piece together what happened. It seems that for exactly 137 seconds, every person in the world blacked out. If that isn’t weird enough, everyone also saw a “vision”, a scene of his or her life six months in the future. What was shown in these visions was one of the main points of the episode. With the few clues regarding the investigation that Benford discovered in his own “flashforward”, he and his partner, Demetri Noh (John Cho) began piecing together an answer. For the remainder of the episode, they attempt to discover what caused the visions while simultaneously dealing with the more personal aspect of what they meant. The series premiere of FlashFoward was primarily exposition and was probably used only to get the audience interested in the characters’ lives. After a particularly flashy introduction, which called to mind the series premiere of Lost, the episode focused on the beginning of the investigation and the reaction of each character to his or her vision. There were minor problems, of course. Benford’s flashfoward was repeated a few too many times, and some scenes went from slow motion to normal and back again, which was disorienting. Though several of the actors have already displayed a bit of awkward acting, all of the characters are enjoyable. Because of the large cast, every viewer is bound to find someone to relate to. This also gives the writers a lot of opportunity for character development, something the show is sure to be full of. Because of ABC’s massive ad campaign and the use of a major cliffhanger as the conclusion of the premiere, FlashForward is almost guaranteed a large audience, at least for the next few episodes. The writers made a smart choice in setting the visions exactly six months in the future. This means that the concluding episode (when viewers will find out if the characters have succeeded in controlling fate) will happen during the spring sweeps period, during which ratings will decide if the show will stay on the air. If it continues in the same pattern, people will keep tuning back in. Many critics seem to have faith in the show’s ability to keep its audience engaged and interested, though some believe that ABC’s shot at achieving the success of Lost again is falling short. Either way, FlashFoward shows potential and is likely to be a hit with anyone who’s a fan of science fiction or simply likes thought-provoking drama.
The newly upgraded iPhone 3GS upgraded from two megapixels to three megapixels. Some settings for the A popular phone among Creek students camera include autofocus, white balance, is the iPhone. The new upgraded iPhone, exposure, light sensitivity, and macro the 3GS, was released June 19, 2009. The mode, but flash is still not included. The “S” in the title stands for speed, as Apple new iPhone also contains a video camera, promised the new model would be faster. unlike the last model. Video is shot at A 16GB model will be sold for $199 with 30 frames per second with a 640-by-4 a contract, and the 80 resolution. Videos 32GB model will taken on the camera be sold for $299. can be sent by e-mail, The outside to MobileMe, or be of the phone directly uploaded looks no different to YouTube from than the previous the phone. A frame model; the touch editor is included screen is still a for the videos shot, 3.5-inch diagonal. although editing The only colors options are limited. available are still Another new black and white. feature is voice The iPhone control. Not only 3GS has a much is there the basic faster performance option of voice than the iPhone dialing a number, 3G. The 3GS is but there are also four times faster, voice command as the CPU was options for music. upgraded from 412 The commands that MHz to 600MHz can be given to the and the memory phone are: ìPlay was increased to album, previous 256MB. This helps track, play songs by the applications and dial, call, play, what Wi-Fi open and load song is playing, yes, faster. The battery no, cancel, shuffle, life is also slightly Apple recently released the new and play more songs longer at about six iPhone 3GS. like this, according to hours and twelve Photo taken by Shauna Fererroa PC World review of minutes, according Donahue the phone. This allows to tests by PC the user to actually ask World, and a new the phone what song is playing, or request feature, a battery status indicator, shows songs by a certain artist or from a certain the exact percentage of battery life left. album, by just giving a voice command. The camera on the phone has been The most impressive command though,
is probably “play more songs like this.” A tool included in the phone is a digital compass. The compass is able to change the direction and orientation of a map, according to the direction the user is currently facing. Another tool included with the phone is nike+support. This can be used during a workout and will track the speed and the distance of a run or walk. The iPhone also underwent a software upgrade that allows for more features. A few new features from this software include a full keyboard for applications, an option much like copy and paste on a computer, a more detailed record of phone calls made and received, and tethering which allows you to use to phone to as a wireless internet connection. The screen of the iPhone 3GS now has an oleophobic coating. This is a coating that is oil resistant, which will prevent fingerprints on the screen. The coating is clear so it does not interfere with the quality of the graphics “I really like having internet access on my phone to help with my homework. The Spanish Dictionary is a really helpful feature. One thing I wish the iPHone was able to do though, is to send picture,” Mark Liveringhouse, freshman and owner of the iPhone 3GS, said. Other popular features of the iPhone 3GS among Creek students are the camera and video camera. PC World rated each of the different areas of the phone on a scale of 100 percent. For performance, the iPhone 3GS was given a 70. Features of the phone were given a score of 80, and design was given the near perfect score of 97. The overall PC World rating for the phone was an 89 percent out of one hundred. Information from PC World
while Amir continually proves himself to be the prideful and selfish puppet master of Hassan. Hassan is content spending his days devoted to the needs of his master; however Amir consistently takes advantage of their “friendship,” a term Amir refuses to use to define their relationship for fear that it will jeopardize his reputation. The two boys, however, share many good memories and are as close as brothers, a fact portrayed through Hosseiniís vivid descriptions of the Afghan winters and storytelling evenings they share. The turning point of this book occurs after the traditional annual kite battles that take place in Kabul. Amir gets the victory he longs for and finally captures the approval of his hard-to-please father. Consistent with his selfless character, Hassan vows to “run the kite” that Amir has cut down as a reminder of his success. Shortly thereafter, in a back alley, Hassan is cornered by some of the teenage bullies, then brutally assaulted as Amir looks on, cowardly and ashamed. This event changes the dynamic of the relationship between Amir and Hassan, and imprints Amir with a lasting guilt that will shape his character in the future. It also brings upon many other betrayals by Amir that will eventually lead up to Hassan and his father, Ali, leaving the house they spent their whole lives in and the closest family they have. As Amir struggles to relieve himself of the guilt from the betrayal he has committed, his homeland, Afghanistan, is falling apart.
Because of the political instability of the country and the wartime violence that is taking place there, Amir and his father are forced to leave and become refugees in America. While Baba, Amirís father and the symbolic icon of the independent and proud Pushtan people, is unhappy about leaving his home, Amir sees it as a chance to bury the past in the fresh American soil, free from the blood of his guilt and his people. What Amir soon discovers is that the dark lingering secrets of his past follow him into his new life, dwelling in the deep recesses of his mind. All of this internal conflict comes rushing back to him in a single phone call he receives from Babaís dying friend and business partner, Rahim Khan. At this point, he finds out he must go back to Kabul, where many surprises await him along with the chance to risk his life and redeem himself from the hideous betrayal he had committed. He discovers that Hassan was a much bigger part of his life than he had ever known and he had taken that for granted, but, in Rahim Khanís words, there is “a way to be good again.” To say that The Kite Runner is “powerful” or “riveting” does not give full justice to the vivid scenes and the emotion evoking language in this story. This storyís general themes and lessons are depicted in a way that presses on the soul and stimulates the mind of the reader, providing little glimmers of truth and knowledge hiding in the most unexpected places.
Tracey Griffith
The Kite Runner is a riveting read Ashley Farmer Turning the pages of the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini pulls the reader into a mesmerizing tale of a broken boy with a broken past, drawing out emotions from the very first page to the very last. The abundant themes of this book are fairly common, but they are revealed in a way that does not apply to the everyday challenges that Americans face. Because of this, there is an unfamiliar and foreign feel to the book that amplifies the emotions of the characters and the magnitude of the situations they face. It also gives the American audience an outsiderís view of the story, allowing them to focus on the overall meaning and symbolism in the book as well as the specific plot and individual scenes. The Kite Runner traces the relationship of Amir, the privileged son of a Sunni Muslim and his servant, Hassan, the son of a Sh’ia Muslim, from beginning to end. It strips down human nature to its most transparent state and portrays its strengths and weakness through the contrasting characters of Amir and Hassan and the culturally divided environment they find themselves in. The relationship of the duo is challenged many times in the beginning of the book as the other teenage boys in Kabul express their hatred for Hassan and his heritage. Hassan continually proves himself to be the loyal guardian of Amir,
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Photo Page
C reek Speaks 15 Different perspectives on seven period days Christen Valcoviak
This year has been one of the first years that all CCISD schools have implemented a seven period day in a few years. In the past, CCHS used a block schedule, which consisted of eight classes with the first four on one day and the second four the next day. Students would attend each class for an hour and a half during this time. With the seven period day, students go to the same seven classes every day for fifty minutes each. Both students and teachers have noticed a big difference between the old and new schedules. They are adapting to both less time in the classroom and having every class every day. “It’s fast and furious, I can hardly keep my breath. I teach three courses, so I jump from child development, to textile and apparel design, to interior design, and then back to child development, and they all need different equipment and supplies. Nonetheless I’m up for the challenge and determined to make it work,” Creek teacher Terri Jez said. Mrs. Terri Jez is undecided in regards to which scheduling she likes better, but that’s not the case for some of the other Creek students and teachers. “I like seven periods better because the classes are shorter, so it makes the day go by faster,” sophomore Sara Wallace said.
Classes are shorter which is an students, so I vote for seven period day,” understandable reason for why a student Chemistry teacher Margot Christiansen said. might like seven period scheduling But even though there seems to better, but there are also other reasons. be a lot of people who like the seven “I love both schedules because the period scheduling, there are some seven periods go by [really] fast, but people at Creek who do not. then also I seriously miss the two “I hate having a seven days of homework for the block period. With my class load I get scheduling. Overall I like the a ridiculous amount of homework seven period day [better] because every night. It also makes it very I’m not as bored with difficult to have a successful school, [and] it holds my sports team, or choir for interest longer,” senior instance. Now, because Cassandra Fournet said. of the seven period Shorter classes days, I have a two-hour and less homework choir practice every seem to be some Monday night and of the reasons that significantly students like seven reduces my time period scheduling that I allot for better, but some homework. That teachers also prefer leads to less sleep, it because they think which makes me it is beneficiary dead in school, to their students. and constantly “I prefer seven period fall asleep. There is [days] because I like to see nothing good about my students every day. I having a seven period Gino Sandoval deals with the day, the end,” junior think it’s better for the weight of 7 period days students because [there Elizabeth Hardig said. Photo by Katlin Foote is] increased retention. Shortened classes are Double block gave me more time to prep not always a positive thing for sports labs, but seven period day is best for my teams or extracurricular activities because
there is only fifty minutes, especially in sports where the athletes have to allot time to dress out. This is one of the reasons some students prefer block scheduling— because they have a longer amount of time to practice. Other reasons students might like block scheduling better could be because of the homework load they receive. “I like double blocked because [students] have less homework,” sophomore Tyler Pierce said. There are definitely some of Creek students and Creek teachers who still like the old block scheduling. “Block scheduling is much better because the pace is slower and I have more time with my students,” 10th grade English teacher Nancy Schwab said. There are many positive and negative aspects to both schedules. Some students and teachers like seven period days better mainly because of the shorter class periods and the opportunity to attend each class every day. Others like the block scheduling better because the longer class times let them feel that they are not rushed and also they get more accomplished. It all depends on the individual’s personal preferences, their classes, electives, time management, and attention span.
Trick-or-treat at Creek Gulf coast film winner Jacob Mancini
On Thursday October 29, 2009 Creek’s Trooper School will be scaring classes around campus along with their preschoolers. There will be twenty preschool kids going trick-or-treating at teachers’ classes with the Trooper School. Each kid will be between the ages of 3, 4, and 5. Every year the Trooper School teaches these kids the basics that they need before going into kindergarten. “Teachers”, who are actually Creek students, teach them lessons. The Trooper School covers various topics over the year like the holidays, colors, the weekdays, numbers, and tons of other creative things. From Groundhog Day to the color wheel the kids get to discover new things and are never bored. This October, the trick-or-treating event will go on from periods 1 to 6, with a creative and sundry gang of dressedup preschoolers and Trooper School teachers. The teachers will dress up as a Ghost Buster, reindeer, banana, Incredible Hulk, referee, angel, Superman, and a bunny rabbit to keep things diverse and make the trick-or-treating a blast for the children. “I’m looking forward to spending time with the kids and setting a positive example for them,” said Vanessa Madrid, one of the Trooper School teachers who will be an angel for the Trooper trick-or-treating. “It’s more than just
babysitting preschoolers; we are actually like teachers for the kids and it’s cool.” The Trooper School is fusing the opportunity to go trick-or-treating with their teaching and leadership influence they have on the preschoolers. Ashley Celescine, a senior and one of the lead teachers has decided to harp on teaching the details of trick-or-treating to the kids—like manners and safety. Ashley will dress-up as Batgirl for the trick-or-treating. Ms. Fanders, the teacher of the Trooper School class, will send out messages to Creek teachers who want to distribute goodies for the preschooler’s trick-ortreating time. The teachers participating will need to buy candy to serve to the children. One parameter for the goodies being served is that candy must be individually wrapped and nothing can be handmade—no snicker doodle cookies fresh-out-of-the-oven, and no unwrapped candy in plastic baggies. “The campus is always welcome to us and our trick-or-treaters. Some of these kids don’t get to trick-or-treat in their neighborhoods, so this safe indoor event is wonderful. Thank you to everyone who participates,” said Ms. Fanders. With the opportunity for younger kids to go trick-or-treating, the positive leadership of the Creek’s Trooper School teachers, and the loads of candy that the kids will get, the Trooper trick-or-treating event will be a highlight for everybody in it.
Ashley Farmer
doing nothing but editing, and worked On October 22, 2009 at 5:30 pm, through the regular deadline to have the a feature-length film by Creek’s very DVD complete by the final deadline. own Carlos Pagan will be shown at Star Carlos faced many Cinema Grill. Tickets are $10 for challenges throughout his popcorn, a drink, and a movie, and experience, including scheduling age is not an issue. Pagan will be issues with many of his characters. honored at this event for winning the After months of toil and 2009 Gulf Coast Film Festival. stress, he planned first screening Pagan was presented his of the video at his church. award for this achievement on Even that, however, was Saturday September 26th. He not a simple affair. Due began his project in January to problems with the AC, 2009 of his tenth grade the showing had to be year. By February, he was rescheduled three times. reading over the final Mrs. Othon, one draft and ready to cast. of Pagan’s teachers, This movie, expresses her pride for Entertainer’s Last Stand, his accomplishments. She intertwining the story of witnessed the challenges he a standup comedian and faced and his determination two musician members when working through tough of the mafia, only spots, declaring him “an started out with half the excellent student” and “such a necessary cast. smart boy.” According to Mrs. Fortunately, he was Othon, he asked many questions, able to find other willing taught himself much, and is now actors along the way. “being rewarded for his hard work.” After dabbling in Pagan was not notified of his filmmaking throughout his success until early September, when younger years, Pagan decided to the overseer of the Gulf Coast Film make a video that he would enter Festival called him personally to tell in the Gulf Coast Film Festival him his video had been promoted to a for a $60 late registration fee. higher category. He was put into the Pagan had no experience in overall film category and placed first making full-length videos, above over 200 films, some made so the idea for by professionals. Carlos Pagan with his video camera this particular film His success started out small. Photo taken by Shauna Fererro-Donahue had many He prepared by reading books on getting benefits, including prestige on his college started and organizing scenes application, his own heightened credibility, before he attempted to take on and the knowledge that, as he says, “I’m the greater challenges in the film. officially an award winning director.” He “This whole thing has been hopes to participate in other contests in nuts from the start,” Pagan said. the future, but when looking at the big Pagan’s original plan was to create a picture, Carlos Pagan does not believe this film that was around 30 minutes long, but event has changed his life drastically. Even before he knew it, the video had expanded as his parents view the accomplishment to a full hour and a half in length. He much more substantially, Pagan believes crammed shooting, spent 19 hour days that this is only a small achievement.
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College
Choose the right college for you Chelsea Huebner
criteria into a search engine and filter them that way. Also, many high schools, including Creek, have websites such as Naviance, which will allow students to search for colleges and learn more about them. Some other resources which students may find helpful are their teachers, counselors, and the l i b r a r y. W h i l e
In the United States there are over 4,000 colleges and universities to choose from. This can make the process of choosing one school to attend very difficult, and often times stressful for students and their families. The first piece of advice for students is to start the process early. Students should be considering schools and trying to get a general idea of what they would like to major in by their junior year of high school. By starting early students will be able to eliminate the stress caused by a time crunch. Also, by starting early they will have more time to research and look at a wider variety of schools. Another piece of advice is for students and their families to get together and develop a list of things that they are looking to find in a school. Some of these criteria may include: degrees, majors and minors offered, the housing, the social life at the school, the location, class size, cost and financial aid, as well as Anda Brown at UT Austin college visit realistic entry expectations based on Photo By Shauna Fererro-Donahue the average student at that institution. “The most important thing to consider when making a decision is to choose a researching, it would be a good school that fits your likes and major the idea to compile a list of the schools. best,” Creek graduate Matt Connell said. Then take that list and begin looking Then, with that list, students should farther into what those schools that begin their search for schools which meet meet the basic criteria have to offer. those criteria. Some resources that will be “ Students should choose the school that of great service in the search would include has the best program that fits their planned the internet because most schools have a major,” Creek graduate Tyler Rhone said. campus website and you can also type your Once all of the schools on the first list
have been looked into, try to narrow the list down to a manageable number, lets say ten to fifteen schools. Then, from there try to go on a visit to the campus. This allows prospective students to take a tour, maybe sit in on a class, meet some students and professors, and basically just get a general feel of the campus. This step is very important because students will traditionally be spending the next four years of their lives at this place. It will become their home away from home, and in a sense it will be their home where they will eat, sleep, study, and do just about everything. Some students actually don’t even leave campus unless they are coming home for a visit, so it is very important to make sure that the student feels comfortable on the campus. Once all of these steps have been taken and the list has been narrowed down even farther, the student should apply to the schools that are still remaining. Make sure that the list contains a manageable number of schools, as the application process is a long one that requires a lot of work and time. Once the applications have been submitted it would be a good idea to start a search for scholarships. This can remove some of the burden of cost and also it will keep students busy and their minds off of their applications while they wait. Then, the final step in choosing the right school is to look at the colleges which acceptance letters were received and make a final decision. Once that is done, it’s back to enjoying a stress free senior year.
College dreams become reality Sophomores and juniors can use the upcoming PSAT to try to get scholarships. This is the time for juniors to try their best to be qualified for National Merit, an achievement that literally pays for their hard work. In addition, athletes must advertise themselves to colleges by registering in the NCAA and contacting college coaches. Even athletes that don’t think can gain a scholarship through sports would be surprised. Division 2 and 3 schools willingly give money to those who love the game. However, Division 3 schools can only give academic scholarships to student athletes, so academics must remain a first priority. To help the search process for scholarships, Clear Creek High School keeps students in check with Naviance. The website is designed to allow students to search college options, make a resume for teachers and counselors to view for letters of recommendation, and find scholarships. “Get into the habit of
application carefully,” Yancy said. During this process, it is very important to understand the When looking for the right criteria for the scholarship, ask for university to attend, it’s easy to get letters of recommendation early, carried away with the amazing academic and to be aware of all deadlines. programs, location of the school, and the To gain an even broader overall essence of the college experience. spectrum of scholarships, students can However, many students aren’t able to find scholarship opportunities online or by attend the school of their choice because contacting financial aid at their destined of the cost. Tuition is the number one university. By contacting financial aid reason why well qualified students don’t and applying to various schools, students attend college, and with fees constantly are able to be qualified for prestigious on the rise, going to college is a luxury. scholarships based on family income, Fortunately for scholarships, attending academics, hardships, SAT/ACT test your dream school can become reality. scores, or community service. To gain The basic way to obtain additional money, local and nationwide scholarships is to work hard in school and scholarship postings are listed throughout be involved in activities. Scholarships Google and sites such as Fastweb. are available to National Merit finalists, However, only use nonprofit websites. valedictorian, student athletes and “Never pay to use a scholarship musicians pursuing their passion in college, website, that’s fraud,” Herd said. and community s e r v i c e . Scholarships sponsored by local organizations such as The American Jarryd Garza at UT Austin college visit Legion, and Boy Scouts of America Photo By: Shauna Fererro-Donahue can be found in addition to school created funds like the Ray Hutchinson checking Naviance daily,” College Scholarship, which is given to students not Center counselor Mrs. Herd said. in the top ten percent of their class who Opportunities to obtain money for your have overcome some kind of hardship. education are constantly updated. Other online opportunities to earn money Ready Set Teach teacher include wearing duct tape attire to prom, Mrs. Yancy agrees that Naviance writing essays and poetry, or playing chess. is the best bet for Creek Students. No matter what a student is capable of, there “My daughter are scholarships available for anyone who was able to get wants to get an education past high school. scholarships by looking Don’t let finances hold back an education. on Naviance. If she felt With just a little extra research and work, like she had qualities the dreams can become reality. scholarship asked for, she would apply by reading the
Reanna Bain
Top Schools in Texas 1. Rice University 2. University of Texas - Austin 3. Texas A&M - College Station 4. Southern Methodist University 5. Baylor University
Top Schools in the U.S. 1.Harvard 2. Princeton 3. Yale 4. California Institute of Technology 5. Massachusets Institute of Technology
Top Schools for Athletics 1.Ariziona State University 2. Stanford University 3. UCLA 4. University of North Carolina 5. University of Georgia
Best college dorms 1. Smith College 2. Loyola College 3. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering 4. Scripps College 5. Bennington College
Top Schools for studying abroad 1. Lee University 2. Thomas More College of Liberal Arts 3. Clifornie Maritime Academy 4. Queens University of Charlotte 5. Yeshiva University
Rankings according to US News & World Report, CNN
C olumns 17 Get enough sleep under pressure Christine Sulkis
Between homework, after school activities, AP classes, electives, jobs, and trying to maintain a social life, most teens let their sleep schedule suffer. Teenagers need nine hours of sleep. Not on average, every night. I know that getting nine hours of sleep is the least of my worries, especially on school nights. I usually find myself unable to fall asleep before midnight, which leaves me with about five and a half hours of sleep during the week. Insufficient amounts of sleep affect school performance more than anything.
A lack of sleep can cause teens to fall asleep in class and leave students struggling to concentrate. Sleepy teens are often forgetful and impatient, as well as stressed and more likely to get sick. Most kids who are taking AP classes cannot afford to fall asleep in class, or suffer from a lack of concentration. We may have been able to get away with sleeping during part of 90-minute classes, but with classes that are 51 minutes long, there’s barely enough time to even fall asleep. Negative effects of sleep deprivation extend beyond school life. Driving tired can be as deadly as driving drunk. Long-term effects can include high blood pressure, obesity, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and an overall reduced quality of life according to MetLife. One of the most notable culprits is modern technology. Texting, season premiers of the current reality TV show, video games, and computers can keep us up into the early morning hours. I often find myself losing track of time or saying “one more episode” or “10 more minutes” over and over again. Homework is also a large cause of my late nights. My homework in one AP class alone is enough to keep me up until
midnight, and that’s not counting Pre-AP Spanish, Pre-AP Pre-Cal, Pre-AP Physics, being an editor for the newspaper, and everything else. However, I can’t blame it all on my classes. I never seem to be able to force myself to start my homework when I get home from school. I manage to wait until 9:00 to start, and then get four hours of sleep…every single night. Believe it or not, it is possible to get a good night’s sleep, even with the pressures of school, friends, and technology. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Sticking to a schedule will regulate your sleep cycle, making it easier to fall asleep. Turn off all of your electronics, TV and cell phone included, at the same time every night. Ideally, turn them off as early as possible. This will give your mind time to wind down. Try to get homework done as soon as you get home. It may seem like a pain at the time, and it may seem more “fun” to watch TV or hang out with friends, but if you get it done in the afternoon, you’ll be left with plenty of time in the evening. This means having a social life and getting to sleep at reasonable hour.
Limit the amount you eat and drink before bed. Stay away from large meals, late-night snacking, and caffeine. Try to exercise three hours before bed. Exercising regular can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. Create a comfortable bedroom. Do whatever it takes to create a sleep-friendly environment. Use lots of blankets and pillows or buy blackout curtains if necessary. Avoid taking naps. Napping during the day can make it more difficult to fall asleep at night. The body requires deep sleep to rejuvenate completely. The best time to get that sleep is at night. Do something relaxing every night before bed. Take a warm bath or shower, read a book, or just relax with dimmed lights. Relaxing activities can help signal the brain that it’s time to go to sleep. Don’t worry about when or if you’ll fall asleep. Stressing about whether or not you will fall asleep can keep you tossing and turning for hours. A good night’s sleep is essential for good health, both mentally and physically. Giving yourself the benefits of a good night’s sleep can ensure a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle.
Support Creek with school spirit Jacob Arredondo When going to a football game there are three types of groups in the crowd: the band, the parents, and the students. The band is always rocking win or lose, from the drum line to the tubas. The parents are always in support of their men in maroon and cheer on every play and every game. They travel as close as Veteran Memorial Stadium, and as far as Freeport to play the Bucs. But when it comes to students, only the senior section seems to be making most of the noise out there. The students make the home-field advantage what it should be. With the students cheering, they make the opponent feel uncomfortable and out of its habitat. There should always be a home field advantage whenever Creek
plays at Veteran Memorial Stadium. Last year, the Leftfield Loudmouths had great success at Creek baseball games. With the Loudmouths as the blueprint, there should be a studentwide school sports support group. This support group should also support every school team. Everything from big crowd sports like football and volleyball to the small crowd sports like water polo and wrestling. While the school does sell the “Creek Out” shirts, this can go above and beyond that. Creek students could have their own Maroon Army. More frequent pep rallies can pump up the students and may get more students at the game. The stands and bleachers should be filled with crazed students The atmosphere at homecoming was fantastic. Everybody from the little kids to seniors were on there feet cheering
on Creek. It definitely made a difference and made the game better to watch. There is a reason why many people believe that college games are better to go to than professional games. The students there have passion for their team. At Texas A&M they call themselves The 12th Man. They make Kyle Field one of the hardest places to play in the nation and always give the Aggie’s the home-field advantage. The students at Duke are notorious for their student section, “The Cameron Crazies.” They are known as the wildest, wittiest, and most well-organized student support group in the college basketball. They make Cameron Indoor Stadium the single hardest place to play in college sports. I am not saying that the students should take it that far, but it should be more effectively organized. High school sports should be fun for everybody, students and parents. The student
support would make games more fun, and it would give the boost that our players need. The cheers give them a huge momentum to finish off the opponent. If the students are able to achieve this kind of spirit and support for their teams, Clear Creek will be known to have best fans in the state of Texas.
Stop postponing and get to work
Tracey Griffith
The average high school student has become an expert procrastinator when it comes to schoolwork. There are so many things that are easily distracting like computers, video games, texting, iPods, TV, or for the sleepy student, even to taking a nap. It’s much easier to do the more fun or easy activity and put off that essay due next week just one more minute, one more hour, then maybe even one more day or
one more week. The cycle of “one more” is never ending, and pretty soon we find that it is 10 pm and that essay is due tomorrow. Procrastination often leads to assignments not finished on time, especially homework, and as a result grades begin to fall. I have found that the best way to avoid procrastinating on homework is to begin working on it as soon as you get home. When you get home, go to a quiet and private place. Avoid turning on the TV or computer, because these are major sources of procrastination, as well as anything else that you personally find distracting, like your phone or the new book you’re reading. If the TV is on, do not sit down to watch it because you will become caught up in the show. If your computer is kept on, or you need to use it to complete your homework, avoid Facebook at all costs. Facebook a major cause of procrastination among students. Also avoid logging into to other personal accounts like your e-mail, Myspace, or Twitter until all homework is finished. If one of these things happens to be
your home page on your computer, try to stay logged out. You are less likely to use the website and become distracted if you have to type in your log in, versus opening the internet and immediately seeing your account page. Students should remember it is usually the case that the longer something is put off, the harder it is to complete. Not only does your memory about what you’re doing begin to fade, but you begin to have the attitude, “Well, if I’ve put it off this long, one more day couldn’t hurt,” and more than likely what you were supposed to finish will never get done. When it comes to time consuming assignments like projects that require lots of effort, many students feel overwhelmed, and in response procrastinate starting. But remember, it doesn’t have to be done all at once. If the assignment is started far enough in advance, it can be done in little chunks at a time, rather than doing the whole project the day before it is due. This is a much less intimidating ap-
proach, which may prevent procrastination. Students may also find it useful to complete their hardest or most timeconsuming homework first. If the easier assignments are done first, then your concentration will begin to fade by the time you get to the harder work, which makes you more likely to procrastinate. Finding personal motives to get your work done can be very helpful, like telling yourself that if your homework is done by 7:00, you will be able to watch your favorite TV show. Always consider the consequences of your procrastination. Telling yourself that if something is put off until the weekend, you will have to do work rather than have free time may serve as incentive for you to complete your work. The easiest ways to prevent procrastination are to avoid distractions, start things as soon as possible, and to give yourself a motive to complete something. This will result in more work getting done faster and more free time.
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S ports Creek’s big Homecoming victory Jacob Arredondo
a forced fumble changed all that and Clear Creek’s Homecoming spir- gave Creek the ball and the momentum. its were pumping with their 17-7 With a Creek punt muffed by the Baywin over the Baytown Lee Ganders. town return man, the wildcats offense had Starting with Baytown Lee’s first drive a second chance and drove down the field down the field, the Clear Creek into the red zone. The wildcats went for it on defense came out strong. On Baytown’s fifth play, junior Tadd Pierce intercepted a pass to set up the wildcat offense deep in their opponent’s field. Quarterback Jarryd Garza took advantage of the great field position, taking the wildcats to the oneyard line. Unfortunately, Garza fumbled the ball at the one-yard line, giving the Ganders a huge goall i n e stand,and the ball. With the Ganders moving the ball up field, senior Mike McCullough made an interception and took it back to Baytown’s 34-yard line. This time, the Wildcats did not squander the opportunity. After a 25-yard pass from Garza to senior Brent Commardelle, Garza threw a seven-yard pass to Tevin Jones with four minutes and 34 seconds left in the first quarter, In the second quarter, Garza threw a The Clear Creek wildcat football pass to Jones again for a 73-yard touch- team down with 11 minutes and 16 seconds left. Photo by Shauna Fererro-Donahue On Baytown’s next possession, the Ganders marched down the field with a fourth and goal but came a mixture of runs and passes. Creek’s up with an incompletion. defense had some difficulties containIn the second half, the Baytown of ing the Ganders’ offensive attack. But fense became more aggressive,
trying to score as fast as possible and trying for a first down conversion on down multiple times. The Ganders did break through one time with a 26-yard touchdown pass on a fourth down which gave Lee a fighting chance. Lee was down by seven going into the forth quarter. With solid defensive by Creek and turnovers by the Baytown offense, Clear Creek put the game out of reach when Garza threw a 73-yard ball down the field to Commardelle who broke tackles. In the red zone, Creek couldn’t score a touchdown and had to settle for a 30-yard field goal The Ganders tried a 42-yard field goal, but had the kick was
Jacob Arredondo
36th at a Spring Branch ISD tournament, and 19th out of 76 at a Pearland tournament. With a stunning loss for the first district game of the season, the Lady Wildcats took a step back before winning their next five games in district. “This season has been up and down. After our district loss to Brook, we had to practice longer and harder. Now we have to go to the second half of the season and try to go undefeated,” Madeline Gaffney said. Gaffney has recently verbally committed to Texas State. Amanda Watson is also college bound. She has committed to Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. On October 2, the Lady Wildcats played their district rival Clear Lake to end the first half of the season. Much was riding on the game. If Creek won, they would be in a three-way tie for first place in district. After four hard games, (24 to 26 Lake, 22 to 25 Lake, 25 to 16 Creek, 25 to 14, Creek), their comeback fell short when the Lady Wildcats lost in the fifth game 15 to 10. The loss put Creek in third place in district 24-5A behind Clear Brook and Lake, putting pressure on the team for a great second half. Some of their upcoming games will be against Dickinson, Clear Springs, Brazoswood, Alvin, Clear Lake, and Cypress Woods. The team will hold its annual Senior Night on October 23 for the game against Alvin to recognize its oldest members.
blocked by a surge of Creek players coming right through the middle of the line. “We need this win going into district play. We have been working hard and it feels good having a win under [our] belt,” Garza said. Garza had a great game with 245 passing yards and two touchdowns. Running back Marcus Mata had a 125-yard night on 13 attempts and one interception off a designed trick play in the end zone. Wide receivers Tevin Jones had three catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns, while Commardelle caught four passes for 130 yards. “Coach always preaches points and turnovers. We gave our offense great opportunities to score,” defensive back McCullough said.
Creek volleyball is ready to win Creek volleyball has always been a power team in 5A region three. The Lady Wildcats are twenty-two and ten in their overall record and five and two in
district play. The Lady Wildcats look to bump, set and spike any team they play. In recent tournaments, the Lady Wildcats placed fourth out of 38th at a Duncanville tournament, second out of
They’ve got the swing of things Madison Doeckel
Creek’s tennis teams are ready for the rest of what they expect to be another successful season. Varsity lost their first tournament to Friendswood but came back strong, beating Dobie and Ft. Bend. They redeemed themselves even more when they went 2 and 1 in the Ranking Tournament. “It’s fun, we haven’t lost a lot and the people on the team are fun to hang out with,” varsity sophomore Haley Albro said about the season so far. Albro said she is excited to play doubles because she gets to play with Peyton Hardman as a partner. Varsity practices Monday through Thursday every week and on Mondays and Wednesdays junior varsity team members joins them. The beginning of the season is always tough because the coaches are still trying to figure out who is playing what and who they are playing with. “It started out bad but it is getting better,” junior Casey Armstrong said. “It’s tough figuring out who is going to play with who but it is slowly getting better,” junior Hunter Carrithers said. Junior varsity and varsity played Galveston on September 25 and won. Junior varsity was supposed to have a match against Brook but it unfortunately got rained out. They are looking forward to a make up match in the near future. “We are getting off to a good start,” sophomore Rachel Smythe said. Smythe, who is on JV, is excited about the season because the team has a lot of new freshmen which makes the team new and exciting. The biggest tournament of both the fall and spring season is the Kemah tournament at the end of the spring season which Creek hosts every year. Schools from Corpus Christi to Austin come to play in this junior varsity and varsity tournament. After two full days of playing tennis all schools join together at the Kemah Boardwalk for a night of bonding and fun. After the Kemah tournament most team members look forward to the district tournament. Creek usually comes out on top in this tournament beating most every team and always strives to beat the rivals, the Clear Lake Falcons. The team plays a number of matches and tournaments in between these two tournaments. One thing the Clear Creek tennis team always tries to do is love the battle, which is said often by their coaches, Pat Marrie and Chaysen Cornwell. Coach Marrie and Coach Cornwell started coaching the Clear Creek tennis team after both of them played Creek tennis in high school. The team feels lucky enough to have two coaches who are so experienced. The Clear Creek tennis team is looking forward to this year and everybody has high hopes for the team. Casey Armstrong says he thinks the team will go to regionals and Hunter Carithers says the team will most definitely have a positive record. The Clear Creek tennis team is going to have a good year according to the players and the coaches.
S ports 19 Water polo has the drive for state Cross Reanna Bain
Water polo is an overlooked sport, rarely gaining praise during pep rallies or among talk within the hallways. However, the team has made state numerous years in a row and have proven themselves against strong opponents. Water polo, a sport similar in structure to hockey or basketball, is played by strong swimmers who compete score points by throwing a volleyball sized ball into a goal. The game is very physical. Players can only handle the ball with one arm unless they’re the goalie and must swim and tread water the entire match. The game is an extreme contact sport and can get rough. Players have been known to dunk, kick, and scratch in order to fight their way to victory. Creek player Traci Williams was out for two weeks after an injury to her elbow caused by an opponent kneeing her. To get ready for the intensity of the 2009 season, the boy’s team started off with an unexpected advantage. The Men’s Olympic Water polo coach, Ricardo Azevedo, came to a team practice and went through techniques and mechanics of the sport to set up a solid offense and defense. Ricardo Azevedo is the father and coach of Tony Azevedo, the
captain of the US Olympic water polo team. “It left me speechless to know that he was actually teaching us,” senior Sam Reagan said. For the girls, the team had three hour practices the last two weeks of summer to get ready for the season. On a regular basis, they did various drills including one called “Meat Head,” a play used to pass the ball to team members and drive the ball to the goal. One of the freshmen new to girls’ varsity, Kelsey Maple, had to overcome the challenges of learning this unique sport. “It was scary at first because I didn’t know how to play and didn’t want to hurt anyone. After a week or two though, I got into the habit of things and learned how to be rough,” Maple said. Both Creek teams believe state is a possibility, and proved their talent during the October 2 and 3 tournament. At the semifinals against Lamar, the boy’s team won 11 to 6. Trip Gaffney is credited for numerous assists, and points were racked up by
Peter Silkowski, Evan Weigman, Benny Brezin, and Bobby Woolweaver. Lamar could barely get through goalie Dustin Gaithrite. The boys went on to win the championship game against Cy Creek 8 to 7. The girls’ team won their semifinals against Lamar 10 to 2 and went on to play finals against Lake. Unfortunately the team lacked defense in the first quarter which caused a huge set back in the match. However, the team didn’t quit and scored 4 goals thanks to Emma Alexander, 3 goals from Katie Broussa, and 1 from Traci Williams. The final outcome was Lake 15 to 8, which put the Creek girls in second place overall. “The biggest struggle this year for us is to beat Lake,” Alexander said. Both teams will use the remainder of the season preparing for the competition in hopes of returning to the state tournament again this year.
Former Clear Creek right handed pitcher Shawn Blackwell has achieved s u c c e s s that many players his age only dream of. Blackwell was drafted to play baseball by the Texas Rangers in the 24th round in the first-year player draft in June. It did not come without sacrifice. He put a lot of time, effort, and planning into his baseball career, a n d
consequently, it paid off for him. He started playing baseball at the age of five, and he always wanted to be a pitcher. During his high school career he played baseball almost year round. He attended Creek for all four years and made the varsity baseball team as a sophomore. He graduated from high school in 2009. The top speed of his fastball is 94 mph, with an average speed of 91 mph.
Originally Blackwell’s intentions were to play college ball at the University of Kansas, however the T e x a s Rangers g a v e him an offer he said he
Photo provided by Vicki Blackwell couldn’t refuse. At a later time, Blackwell intends to go to college, which will be paid for by the Texas Rangers. “It was a hard decision especially since I was really excited about going to Kansas, but I put it in God’s hands and asked him to make it an easy decision,” Blackwell said. The 6’ 5,’’ 206lb pitcher is currently
Reanna Bain
The 2009 Clear Creek cross-country team can run for miles. The girls and guys are revving up for the new season and aiming to compete at the Regional level in November. In order to prepare, the team holds practices at 5:45am. The workouts vary from a long run around 518, South Shore Boulevard, and Marina Bay Drive to basic track workouts. The day before a meet, the team participates in a light run to warm up for the next day’s competition. The cross-country varsity team has already competed in La Porte, Clear Lake, and Pasadena Memorial. The Boys’ team has finished in the top of their meets thanks Photo by Katlin Foote to members Dustin Hobaugh, David Reeves, Michael Dillon, Christian Pena, Steven McColloch, Paul Cerillo, and Matt Rohloff. The girls’ cross-country team has suffered some set backs this season because two of their top ranking runners have been victim to beginning of the year illnesses. “However, the other girls are competing well to help the team out,” Coach Bidelspach said. To prove their talent, top girl’s runner Chelsea Huebner has been offered to sign at the University of Arkansas, TCU, Florida International University, McNeiss, or UTSA. Besides aiming for scholarships, cross-country provides an excellent way to stay in shape. In the past, sports such as basketball and wrestling have participated in cross-country to be fit for their season while still being part of a competitive sport. “Long distance is so different on a routine baseball schedule with the from court sprints, but I think it Rangers. He wakes up every morning at makes us mentally tougher,” senior about 5:30 a.m., starts out towards the basketball player Joe Brouillard said. The cross-country team knows that clubhouse and eats breakfast. Then he gets dressed and attends a meeting. After dedication is key to success. The intense that he’s off to the field and begins his early morning practices aren’t put to waste regimen by stretching and then throwing for Clear Creek’s team because the girl’s to warm up. After a good warm-up, he run two miles at meets, and the boy’s run continues with conditioning and then later three miles. To warm up against Lake, the he takes some defense. He then shags for team ran a shorter race of 1.2 miles on the hitters with a workout following, and Homecoming day. The dedication put forth then concludes his schedule with a game. on even distracting days like homecoming Blackwell has a lot of support on and prove that the team is capable of doing well off the field. “I’m extremely excited and at higher competition meets including the I’m very proud of him for being where district meet to qualify for regionals later he’s at now. Being with the Rangers in the season. The next meet will take place has been a tremendous experience. at Sam Rayburn on Friday, October 16. “The team looks good, I I’m very confident in where he’s headed and what he’s doing believe we’ll make it to regionals year,” McCollough said. now,” Shawn’s mother, this Plus, with the experience of Vicki Blackwell, said. B l a c k w e l l ’ s Bidelspach, who competed at both the grandfather Owen C. high school and college level, and the Smith inspired and optimistic boys’ varsity coach Jordan, the motivated him to want team will surely put forth their best efforts. “You are talking about some of the to pursue a baseball career. “My biggest most committed athletes in any program influence when it because they are at practice every comes to baseball or morning at 5:45 am and do not get a lot life in general would of recognition for their commitment but be my grandpa. He make Creek proud. These are kids that passed away on my 10th birthday. I take care of business in the classroom and live every day and play every game to also contribute time to be the best athlete make him proud,” Shawn Blackwell said. and person they can be,” Jordan said. These athletes are ready to continue Blackwell’s success thus far has been tremendous. their success at the next few meets and at “Enjoy the experience at Clear Creek, district on Thursday, October 29. If these and make the most of it. Always have a teams place in the top three then they will goal after high school and always look move on to regionals on November 7, one step ahead,” Vicki Blackwell said. and then depending on their performance the state meet on November 14.
Former Creek grad is drafted Christen Valcoviak
country on the move
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