The Horseshoe June 3, 2015/ Denton High School, Denton, Texas / Volume 110, Issue 5 / dhshorseshoe.com
Inside this issue: Seniors’ advice to underclassmen, the Up-Stander of the Month, the experience of Julia Pastrana, UIL State competition qualifiers, and an assistant principal leaves Denton High.
2 / TABLE OF CONTENTS The Horseshoe: June Edition
(left photo by R. Slaughter, center photo given with courtesy, right photo by Taylor Olson, and cover photo by Sarah Skinner)
3 TAMS ACCEPTANCES A second group of students gets accepted to the prestigious program.
4 TACKETT TALKS DEPARTURE
After three years as an assistant principal, Jason Tackett decides to leave Denton.
6 A LOOK AT JULIA PASTRANA The theatre department puts on the dark story of The Ugliest Woman in the World.
7 MULTI-CULTURED
SENIOR WINS CORD A senior earns recognition for her hours of work.
8 TOP 10 The top ten of the Class of 2015 re lect upon their high school careers.
10 SENIOR ADVICE The Class of 2015 leaves a inal gift to underclassmen.
11 LETTERS FROM THE EDITORS Our senior editors-in-chief get sentimental and bid Denton farwell.
13 AGE OF ULTRON REVIEW Is the year’s unquestionably biggest blockbuster worth seeing?
14 FOUR MAKE STATE IN TRACK The boys 400-meter relay team becomes the irst from Denton in 12 years to advance to state.
15 ALSO IN SPORTS Baseball ends a seven-year playoff absence, and softball surpasses recent inishes.
The Horseshoe 1007 Fulton St. Denton, Texas 76201 940-369-2150 Editors-in-Chief: Jordan Gill and Chandler Elsbecker Online Editor-in-Chief: Ryan Carr Entertainment Editor: Brandon Shields Opinion Editor: Shelby DuPont Staff Writers: Mohammad Alshara, Leah Bowen, Rachael Crews, MaggieMae Ellison, Brendan Kimberlin, Ben Lyke, Luke McDougall, Mazzy McPhate, Jonathon Peterson, Sarah Skinner, Cedra Stewart and Gabriella Webster Adviser: Mrs. Rebecka Frey Principal: Mr. Dan Ford The student newspaper of Denton High School is created by the publications staff. The ideas expressed in this publication and on the Opinion page are solely those of the individuals providing them, and do not necessarily re lect the opinion of the entire staff, adviser, faculty, administration, or the Denton ISD Board. Find us online at www.dhshorseshoe. com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. A version of this issue formatted for the Internet can be accessed at issuu.com/ dhshorseshoe.
NEWS / 3
New group of students join TAMS
Q&A The Texas Academy of Math and Science has accepted four students to participate in their college level program. Sophomores Jimmy Du, Tony Gao, Sophia Lin, and Gabriella Webster plan on leaving high school in order to persue a higher level of learning in collegiate classes. Here they talk about the adventure on which they are about to embark. (By Sarah Skinner)
Why did you want to go into TAMS? Sophia: I wanted to go to TAMS because there were a lot of opportunities there that you can’t do here, and I want something to set me off from other people. There are so many people going to college now and days and if you want to get into a good college you have to be different, and I want to go to college so I can get a good job. That’s what my parents taught me, anyways. Have your peers and teachers been supportive? Tony: Well if you post the acceptance letter on social media you’ll find that you get a lot more likes. So people are very supportive, definitely, but they are very sad that you’re leaving. Especially some of the teachers are sad because they want you to stay in the organization that you’re in. Like my orchestra teacher, spelling teacher, student council, just every thing that I’m involved in [sic]. What are your goals when you get to TAMS? Gabriella: I want to be in the newspaper staff, because TAMS has its own newspaper staff. TAMS kids do a lot of community service, which is awesome, because I already do a lot of community service. I love that they are providing an apparatus for that. I want to make a lot of new friends and definitely do some networking, because the relationships we make at TAMS we are all going to grow up and do some really rad things. What will be the hardest thing to leave behind? Jimmy: My friends, just the people here. I feel like the classes at UNT are better, and I’m not emotionally attached to my classes, but I feel like I’m more attached to my friends because I’ve been with them for the past six years. I’ve gotten to know them and I feel like that’s the hardest thing because you’re leaving behind a lot of people you knew, but then again, we’re going to be five minutes away so we can see them. How do you feel about trading the traditional high school experience for sooner entrance to college? Sophia: I don’t think I have to trade a traditional high school experience. It’s not like high school, obviously, but some parts of it are kind of like high school: you still go to classes, you study, you work, and there are extracurricular activities. It’s like high school but a little bit of college mixed in. What will be the hardest thing to leave behind? Gabriella: Probably Fillies and theatre, because I’ll have journalism when I go to TAMS, and I can play the violin whenever I want. They have a little acting troupe at TAMS, but they don’t do any of the big productions with any of the same people that I love. You know, Fillies is a lifestyle; that’s all you do, basically. Leaving the girls, not having dance, is such a big part of my life that will definitely be something that I’m going to miss.
Explanation of mandatory attendance Maggie-Mae Ellison Staff Writer The class of 2015 has seen many changes in policy throughout their high school years and as their final year winds down there has been yet another change for seniors. In previous years, seniors were allowed to take finals a week early and were not required to attend school the following week. This year, however, seniors will still take their finals a week early, but still be required to attend school every day the last week of school. “It came to our attention that
seniors needed to be in attendance for us to receive our ADA, our average daily attendance money, which impacts our budgeting on all of our campuses,” Koontz said. Although attendance is mandatory, the last three days, seniors will not just be sitting in classrooms with nothing to do. “We have created fun activities for seniors so that while they are on campus, they will not be in their regular classes,” Koontz said. As usual, one day during the last week of school will be graduation practice as well as another
day allotted for senior awards with breakfast and lunch provided. “There will be doughnuts and juice before senior awards, it’s a light breakfast because seniors never get to school early,” Koontz said. “Then there will be the senior walk followed by senior awards; after that, the parents are putting together a lunch for the seniors.” With the change in mandatory attendance, Student Council decided to create a new activity called Senior Field Day. “Senior field day is run by student council and its going to
look similar to the field days seniors had in elementary school,” Koontz said. Although the activities are intended to be relaxing and fun for seniors the last week of school, attendance will still be taken and all attendance policies will still be enforced. “We will report the attendance for those days and if seniors have too many absences they could have to make up hours before graduation,” Koontz said. “The only excused absences will be those with a doctor’s note, funeral, college visit or any other normally excused absence.”
4 / NEWS
Tackett says goodbye to the Herd Benjamin Lyke Staff Writer After the conclusion of the 2014-2015 school year, Assistant Principal Jason Tackett will not be returning to Denton High School. He will miss every student very much and believes that we will continue to grow and succeed. “The things I am going to miss most about working here are the people, especially the students,” Tackett said. “The student body is second to none. Sometimes I do not think they even realized their full potential, but when they do, watch out!” Tackett has created countless memories at our school that he will never let go of. “My favorite memory of my time here is all of the positive change that has happened, and is continuing to happen in our school,” Tackett said. “I will go with getting taped to the wall as being my weirdest memory, that
(Photo by Shelby DuPont) was definitely an unusual situation and a little awkward as well.” Tackett says he has loved his time here at our school and enjoys the career path he chose. “My time here has been great,” Tackett said. “When I first moved to Texas I was considering a career change. Being a member of Bronco Nation has reminded
me of why I chose a career in education in the first place, and our school is the best school in Texas.” Tackett and his wife are returning to Ohio to be closer to their families, but it will still be difficult for him to leave all of the memories he has made here in Texas.
“While we are excited to be closer to our loved ones, it is going to be hard to leave a place we have grown to love,” Tackett said. “I cannot express the pride I have for our school.” Tackett says he feels blessed and thankful to have been given the opportunity by Mr. Ford to be a Bronco. “I want to thank each and every one of you for welcoming me and allowing me to be a part of Bronco Nation,” Tackett said. “I am not one to show too much emotion and you will probably not fully understand what a difficult decision this has been for us, but trust me, it was not easy.” Tackett’s appreciation for our school’s staff and students is what he believes to be the true pride of our school. “The staff and students are what make our school the amazing place that it is and they will all remain in my heart,” Tackett said.
Students compete in UIL divisions to win Brendan Kimberlin Staff Writer After competing at local, district and regional competition, six students competed in State Academic UIL Competition in Austin. Maggie-Mae Ellison placed third in Headline Writing; Sophia Lin and Ana Mitchell placed seventh and eighth in Spelling & Vocabulary respectively. The students began on a district level on April 11, twelve of those students then proceeded to participate in UIL Regionals which took place on April 24 & 25 at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Of the twelve competing students, Six students earned a spot to compete at the State level on May 25 & 26 at
the University of Texas at Austin. Of the six students, Ana Mitchell, Sophia Lin, Adinawa Adjagbodjou, and Tony Gao advanced to State under Spelling & Vocabulary, Dewy Middlemiss under Computer Science and Maggie-Mae Ellison under Headline Writing. The students were guided with the help of academic coaches: Ashley Sharp for Current Events, Julie Seeley for Ready Writing and Literary Criticism, Sandra Dieckman for Spelling and Vocabulary, Rebecka Frey for Journalism, and Barry Wagner for Computer Science. After placing in the top three spots at regionals six students advanced to the state level Academic UIL and of the six, three students placed.
State qualifiers and their academic coaches at the board meeting. (Photo by Julia Zwahr)
NEWS / 5
Four named National Merit nominees Mohammad Alshara Staff Writer Four students have been nominated for the National Merit Scholarship program. Delainee Jernigan, Lillian King, Logan Maltz, and Alex Souris all hope to move on in the program, even though it is still very early. The program will carry on through their senior year if they choose to progress further. Approximately 1.5 million students apply for the National Merit Scholarship each year through the PSAT. Around 50,000 of the students with the best PSAT scores in the country are recognized in the National Merit Scholarship program. About 34,000 nominees receive letters of commendation and roughly 15,000 of the nominees, who take all the necessary steps, move onto become semi-finalists who almost all finish as finalists and a select few receive one of the various scholarships that the program offers. “It’s an honor to even be considered for the program,” Maltz said. “It’s still too early to tell how far I’ll make it, but I am hoping for the best.”
Delainee Jernigan and Alex Souris` are two of the four students nominated for the National Merit Scholar Program. (Photo by Briana Mendoza) Although the program is still in its beginning stages, the four juniors are still excited from the news. “I’m still surprised that I was considered,” Jernigan said. “I’m just happy that I was given the chance to be a part of this program.” All four of the students are glad to have had the opportunity to be in the program even if they don’t make it as far as they would
like. “I’m pretty happy to have made it this far,” Souris said. “If I were lucky enough to get the scholarship it would open a few doors I wouldn’t have had if I wasn’t considered.” Being considered for the program is viewed by many high ranking universities and can create many new opportunities for the nominees. “It’s an honor to be recognized
by a nation wide test,” King said. “It creates scholarship opportunities that I normally would not have gotten otherwise.” Although the four still have a ways to go, they look forward to the opportunities that will come their way in the next few months. “We might not make it to the end of the program,” Souris said. “But it’s still something to put on the resumé.”
Chavez elected Class of 2016 president Maggie-Mae Ellison Staff Writer The Class of 2016 has chosen who they believe is best fit to lead their class through their senior year. Sofia Chavez has played soccer and been involved with student council throughout her entire high school career. Chavez made the decision to run for class president for a multitude of reasons. “I decided to run because leadership comes natural to me and I wanted to be involved in as much as I could around school,” Chavez said.
Chavez only had one opponent but she knew that didn’t mean that she had the title in the bag. “It was just Percy and me [sic] running and I felt like he could have won because he’s responsible and smart,”Chavez said. “I felt like I could have lost to him. I didn’t feel like I was ahead in any way.” Because Chavez didn’t know for certain whether or not she would win she was delighted to find out that she had. “I was happy to find out I was president but I was also intimidated by some of the responsi-
bilities,” Chavez said. The title of Class President also includes being StuCo president which leaves Chavez with a lot of responsibility. “I have some responsibilities with StuCo like organizing community service events and filling out state forms,” Chavez said. “I’m also in charge of planning some school activities such as prom and homecoming and dodgeball.” With a new president comes a few changes around the school. “One change I’d like to make is having pep rallies for all the sports and not just football or
playoffs,” Chavez said. Although president comes with a lengthy list of obligations Chavez feels she is up to the task. “I feel like I’m prepared because I’ve always been a natural leader,” Chavez said. “James has told me what to expect and we went to a workshop where he helped me prepare for tasks.” In addition to her other tasks Chavez’s overall goal as class president is to promote school spirit. “I really just want to get everyone excited about being a Denton Bronco,” Chavez said.
6 / FEATURE
Theatre performs Julia Pastrana Gabriella Webster Staff Writer In The Tragic Life and Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, the Ugliest Woman in the World, the theatre department left its audience in the dark – literally. In a show done entirely in the dark, actors and audience members were challenged to take their senses to new heights, but ultimately the risk was worth the reward: a show with rave reviews. “It’s such an interesting, unique show, and it’s really good for actors, because one of the biggest obstacles actors have are their own insecurities and inhibitions,” director Thomas Stratton said. “When you take young actors and you put them in a room where they know nobody can see them, it’s amazing the emotions you will get out of them. They’re free to be as vocal and active as they need to be without thinking about what other people are thinking about them.” While the darkness elicited new levels of talent from actors, that’s not the reason the show is done in this setting. “The playwright insists that if you’re going to do this play it must be done in complete blackness,” Stratton said. “We used a lot of sound effects and aromatics to stimulate your other senses, because seriously, for 50 minutes, you cannot see your hand in front of your face. It allows the audience to imagine what she would look like.” Specifically, the tech crew utilized smell and sound. Throughout the show, six different scents were pushed into the audience using a ventilation system, and props as well as electronics were used to generate sounds associated with settings and characters. “The only time you heard someone walking is when you were supposed to hear them walking,” Stratton said. “Certain characters had certain shoes on so you got used to hearing that
person’s footstep. You learned to associate those sounds with those characters.” Stage manager Sydnie Martin noticed that layering technical and theatrical aspects and then setting it all in the dark was a challenge for the young actors. One, she says, they have grown from. “It definitely challenged them, because it was difficult for them to maneuver in the dark alone, and on top of that they had to remember their lines, remember their blocking, and remember how they were supposed to feel,” Martin said. “They changed amazingly. Coming into the show I was kind of worried because it was going to be in the dark and that makes it hard for a stage manager to control what they’re doing, but they were a real pleasure to work with and I’m really happy with that being the first show I stage managed.” The growth that young actors experienced while participating in this show is one of the reasons Stratton likes to put on this show at least once every four years. “We carry so much stress with us, and there are so many defenses that we use to protect ourselves emotionally that the biggest thing is getting them to let loose and to relax and to have fun,” Stratton said. “Being in the dark really steps up that process, because they know no one can see them. It’s great to see how they’ve grown in their acting ability and emotionally grown into their characters. This show is like putting actors on steroids as far as growth goes. I mean they really can make leaps and bounds in their self-confidence and acting ability, because taking away the biggest obstacle an actor has really allows them to grow much faster, so the next show that they’re in, they know what it feels and sounds like to really commit to a character, so it’s easier to go to those places. It’s really good for young actors.”
Julia Pastrana was first performed at Denton High three years ago, this was designed and painted by James Rosin’s students at the time. Among these young actors is freshman Kalieska Alayo who played the lead role of Julia in her debut performance as an actor. “When I auditioned, I actually had no idea what the show was even about,” Alayo said. “I’ve never done theatre before, and I’m not in the department. My friend got me to audition with her because she was scared, and so I went, and then I ended up getting the role. I’m really shy. Before, I would have never seen myself doing something like this. The whole thing has been such a great experience for myself too because I got to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. I’ve learned not to be so closed off.” The young actors were not the only ones who benefitted from this challenging experience. “I had one lady tell me that she was ADD but because she was in complete darkness, she was able to really focus on everything that was going on, because she didn’t have a visual to distract her,” Stratton said. “People love the fact that it’s so different. I had someone come last night that isn’t a regular theatre goer but because it is so
unique they wanted to come and see it, and his remark was ‘Wow, I wish more theatre was like this.’ Rather than sitting and watching a play, this is a real, cool experience. Some people are afraid of the dark and they’re uneasy even to spend $5 because it’s odd, but everyone I’ve ever talked to who’s come to see this show has been totally blown away by it. They really enjoy it.” Ultimately, there was one thing Stratton hoped his students would take away from the unique experience: not to be afraid of what other people think. “They’ll take this and apply it to the rest of their lives,” Stratton said. “The self confidence they have gained from this, they’ll take straight to their first job interview. They’ll take it to college with them. In all their relationships, they’ll use that principle that they learned for the rest of their lives, and that’s what I love about theatre. It teaches us how to handle obstacles in life. It builds self confidence. It makes us face our fears and push through it anyway. That’s why I teach theatre. I teach life, I just get to use theatre to do it.”
FEATURE / 7
Junior Stowers helps out around campus Sarah Skinner Staff Writer “Who spilled that?” the young man asked sternly as he walked up to the boy and girl standing near the spilled barbeque sauce. “It wasn’t us,” exclaimed the boy. “Yeah, it was some girl who walked that way,” said the girl as she pointed down the middle downstairs hallway. Without hesitation, junior Cornell Stowers knelt beside the spilled container of barbeque sauce and began cleaning up and disposing of it. For a person who picks up trash, volunteers regularly and cleans up messes that he didn’t create this isn’t a normal occurrence. For Stowers, this is just his everyday schedule. Stowers started helping others at a very
young age because he was taught by his mother that being kind is the best thing to do. Stowers helps at his church were his is a musician for the Sunday school class. He also helps out at the Salvation Army with a lot of homeless people. “I volunteer for other people,” Stowers said. “I want to see other people make better success than I do because I know what I have and I think I have accomplished more than enough. I want to give someone else the chance to accomplish something.” Stowers puts his all into what he does at all times. Whether it’s holding the door open, organizing for the front desk, or encouraging others, he is always helping. “I help people because that’s
the way I was raised.” Stowers said. “I like to see people happy. It feels normal to volunteer, it’s natural.” For the month of April, Stowers was voted one of the UpStanders of the Month. Many teachers and staff have seen the things he does to help others and communicated how much they appreciated his actions through several kind emails. “During fifth block sometimes, when we need an aide the most, he comes to the attendance office wanting to help, willing to do anything we need,” attendance clerk Kathy Cadenhead said. “He is very selfless.” Stowers spends as much of his free time helping others as possible. While he works three jobs to support his family, he still finds
the time to care for others who are struggling or need a helping hand. “As a transplant from Calhoun Middle school to DHS, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing Cornell grow from a precocious sixth grader into a fine young man,” Leslye Rosin said. “He has always had a smile and a helpful hand, and I feel lucky to know him.” Stowers has set an example for many students and teachers through his actions and he hopes to help more people in the future. “I have the time to help people everyday,” Stowers said. “Every minute, every hour, every second. I want to influence other people by encouraging them. By helping, everyone else sees that you’re trying to make a change.”
Gould awarded Cultural Perspectives Cord Jordan Gill Editor-In-Chief This year, senior Heidi Gould is the first DHS recipient of the Cultural Perspectives Cord. She was awarded this cord after meeting all requirements and will be the first student to wear it across the graduation stage. “To receive the cord you had to do cultural related activities,” Heidi said. “You had to do 25 points worth. Each thing had its own point value like reading a book was two points but eating ethnic food was one point.” Heidi chose to pursue this cord when a teacher informed her of it junior year. She had already completed many of the cultural activities that earned her points, so she decided to earn all 25. “I traveled to Haiti over the summer on a mission trip,” Heidi said. “I had already gone on the trip when I heard about the cord, but it still earned me several points.” French teacher Wendy O’Hearn was among the foreign language teachers that decided to introduce this opportunity for the cord to the students. Last
year was the first year this cord was available to earn. “The foreign language teachers and I saw a need for exposure to other cultures in general, with a purpose,” O’Hearn said. “It allows for lots of experiences and allows the student the opportunity to reflect on how they’ve changed when exposed to something new.” Students have to do several multicultural activities to earn a total of 25 points before they can go in front of the panel and be rewarded the cord. “In general everything is one point such as if you attend a talk or go to a foreign grocery store, or a wedding of another culture, you earn one point,” O’Hearn said. “When they believe they finished earning all 25 points, we count up how many of the requirements they’ve met and we make sure they cover five cultures minimum. If they’ve met all the requirements they’ll sit down in front of a panel of teachers to discuss all of it.” O’Hearn is very excited to have the first student to meet all of the requirements and be rewarded with the Cultural Per-
spectives Cord. “It’s very exciting because this is something that the foreign language department has been thinking about for a while,” O’Hearn said. “It represents that we actually made the time to make this available for the students and that it was meaningful for a student, so that makes us feel like it was worth our effort.” Heidi is grateful for this cord and the opportunities it introduced her to. “I got to experience things I never thought of and it made me open my mind to try new foods and activities even outside of just earning cord points,” Heidi said. Heidi’s trip to Haiti gave her several points towards the cord. “The trip to Haiti itself did not count as a point but the things she did there were able to meet the requirements,” O’Hearn said. Heidi’s mother, Lisa Gould, attended several cultural events with Heidi such as the German Festival and supported Heidi all throughout the way. “My husband and I are both so very proud that Heidi took this on as a personal project,” Gould said. “With little assistance from
Senior Heidi Gould poses with a local on her trip to Haiti. (courtesy photo) others Heidi made the calls necessary to arrange sponsorship and invested over $2000 working 3 jobs for a seven-week internship in Haiti which accounts for some of the points acquired to earn this cord.” Heidi will receive the physical cord at the Senior Awards Banquet. “It’s pretty awesome getting this cord,” Heidi said. “I like that I’m the only one who has it, and I’m excited to see what it looks like.”
10 / OPINION
A grateful goodbye from the editor Jordan Gill Editor-In-Chief Despite being a somewhat experienced writer, I am at a loss to find words to describe my appreciation for my staff this year. You all have inspired me, supported me, and lastly, tolerated me. I know when deadline comes around tensions build in the journalism room, but we all worked together and pulled through to create five beautiful issues this year. Chandler, you have been my side and I couldn’t have asked for a better co-Editor-In-Chief. You are extremely talented and I look forward to hearing about your successes in the future as a famous sports journalist. Brandon, you are so special to me. You have talked the staff through the challenges that we faced and always managed to put a smile on our faces every single day. Despite being young, you are very wise. Shelby, you have evolved this year into an outstanding editor who knows how to make decisions, lay out pages, and write stories all very quickly which has helped us a lot (especially on deadline). You are an amazing asset to our team and I know you will be a
great Editor-In-Chief next year. Ryan, you are an incredible online editor. Our website always looks fantastic and you get news out quickly through social media, which is such an important aspect in journalism. Gabby, you are a beautiful writer. The stories you produce are always a fantastic read and make for great center spreads. I congratulate you on your exciting acceptance into the TAMS program and although it is incredibly saddening that The Horseshoe has to lose your contributions, I know you will strive at UNT. Sarah, you rock. Seriously, you are an outstanding writer and you are always there when I need you. You have a drive and determination that will take you far in life.Rachael, you are so sweet and very hard working. I love reading your stories and I am so glad that we became close this year! Mohaben, you two are hilarious and great writers when you put your minds to it. I always enjoy assigning you two stories as the infamous “Mohaben” team. Leah, I am so glad that we could have such an amazing artist on our team. Your work, both in writing and drawings, has en-
Jenna and over 200 other contestands were interviewed by the judges live on the stage. (Photo by Nicolay Pershin) hanced our paper and definitely caught the eye of our readers. Brendan, you are a strong writer and a very good one at that. You always have a great idea for a story. Luke, I can see your passion for sports and I know that you are going to be a great sports editor. I am excited to see what you come up with next year. Mazzy and Cedra, you two are very quiet but I loved having you on my staff this year. Mrs. Frey, I am glad that you were our advisor this year. You taught us new skills and processes that really helped us in creating our issues.
I can’t thank you enough for help and compassion. I loved having all of you on my staff. We made the perfect team that produced amazing issues for our student body. Joining the journalism department and the newspaper staff sophomore year was one of the best decisions I made in high school. I made amazing friends and learned so many things about myself and what direction I want to go in the future. I am so grateful for my experience. Thank you all for your dedication to The Horseshoe.
Words of wisdom from the senior class “GPA is extremely important.” -Joe Gloria
“I feared people would make fun of how fat I am, I was right.” -Rowdy Clark “Apply for scholarships and grants early.” -Gavin Keyes
“You can’t just slide by.” -Jaira Poole
“I was afraid I’d have a book that’s overdue and I wouldn’t be able to graduate.” -Titus Hawkins
“Stick to your faith and you can’t go wrong; I’ve not been perfect but I stuck to my faith; I learned from it and grew,” Shavonne Sang
“I want to try way more things in life.” -Josh Rowell “‘You’ll be a junior next year.Don’t date freshmen, never be that guy,’ Jackson Strecher.” -Jason Jezek
“‘You think you know what you’re doing but you don’t,’ Coach Atkinson,” Kyle Panter
“High school made memore open-minded,” -Ricardo Quintanilla
OPINION / 11
Time Stand Still: remembering and making sense of four years of awkwardness, stress, comfort, and change Chandler Elsbecker Editor-In-Chief I guess the first thing I have to do is thank Ryan High School – specifically, for being so unappealing. Or, more accurately, maybe I should thank my mother first, for seeing things that way. I was filtered through the Ryan system and was meant to graduate in red this June. My older brother was about to make the jump from Strickland Middle School to Ryan, though, and my mother did not much care for that idea. A transfer request was filed and granted (my brother was transferring under the assumption that he would join IB – though he participated in a couple of IB courses, that didn’t happen); two years later my transfer to Denton High was accepted due to his presence at a different school being an “undue hardship,” and I haven’t looked back. (Hardly an amusing anecdote of how I came here, I know.) My four years of high school have been awkward, consoling, turbulent, thrilling, dull, frustrating, enthralling, and just a multitude of other adjectives that don’t really matter, because I don’t need to explain what high school is. At the same time though, in trying to assess what those years meant, I don’t really know what else to do. Adolescence is, to use another vague adjective, just plain weird. But again: I don’t need to explain. As I sit here, listening to Rush and figuring out where this rambling mess is going, I feel strangely comfortable with how things went. I have regrets, obviously, but overall, I have gotten plenty out of this experience beyond words like “obloquy” or the names of a handful of Chinese dynasties. There are clearly some inherent flaws in the public school system, and high school has been
far from perfect; however, there is something to be said for this melting pot of all sorts of people, especially in such a big school. It gives you the room to find your niche, as well as exposing you to perspectives you simply would not have gotten elsewhere. The journalism department fulfilled the former; the wonderful, terrible, brilliant, certifiable (in more ways than one) people inside it the latter. For them, I am forever thankful, as they were instrumental in molding my amorphous, blob of a freshman into the mostly coherent, bearded senior that is now just months from leaving them behind for Minnesota. I think Stephen King once wrote something about these “acknowledgement”-type-things turning into Oscar acceptance speeches, where the writer just thanks as many people as he can, boring everyone not associated with the making of that book. So of course, rather than breaking from that tired practice, I will continue it. Here we go. (In the interest of space, with the exception of a few, individual thanks will be saved for yearbook messages.) Firstly, to my parents: I owe everything to you – most of all, existence – but because I cannot sum up properly the thanks you deserve, in short: good job. To my teachers, in particular the four that have prepared me the most, been the most enjoyable, or done both (Messrs. Curtis and Finch; Mmes. Gabriel and Seeley): Your approaches may vary (in some cases, a great deal), but in simplest terms, you know what you are doing, and you are excellent at it. I cannot possibly repay what you did for me. To Mr. Ford and Mrs. Koontz: The two of you helped us out in the direst of times and worked your hardest at things you often didn’t understand to release the May 2014 issue, and then you
(photo by R. Slaughter)
were nothing but generous to the department afterwards. Your support deserves special mention. To the coaches and athletes whose personal space they have allowed me to invade: Thank you for not kicking me out. I likely would have quit a very long time ago had you not been so welcoming. Coaches Atkinson and Heffley should be highlighted as being particularly hospitable to my pestering. To Mrs. Frey: It has not always been a smooth year, but I have the utmost confidence that you will take the department and ensure that its quality does not only keep, but excels, into the future. To the staff, both current and former: There is not one of you who truly deserves such a small space, but if I used more, I’d take up a full spread. You all have left some sort of impact on me – in many cases, a very unique one – and you were all excellent company. To the future staff, most of whom I do not know: In my time on staff, The Horseshoe rose from a garbage publication to the best out of any of the three high
schools. You have a legacy to uphold. To the departed journalism seniors of 2014, who likely will never read this anyway, but deserve recognition (Alexes Meimers and Plese, Cynthia, Emma, George, and the immortal Pugh): You people are why I stayed in this for so long. I think I’ve given lengthier, more proper “thank yous” in the past for your significance, but even they don’t do you all justice. Your contributions to the department cannot be surpassed. Of course, high school is also strange in that you form incredibly significant relationships with the people around you, and yet invariably, within two years have not seen more than a small handful of those individuals. Since their graduation last June, I can count my encounters with most of the people I just named, after all, on one hand. I have zero doubt that the people I consider great friends now will vanish from my life almost entirely the moment we exit the Coliseum at UNT. Maybe the brevity of it all is what makes this time so impactful: as Rush put it, “Freeze this moment/A little bit longer…/Experience slips away.”
12 / ENTERTAINMENT
Age of Ultron delivers the action Leah Bowen Staff Writer Going into the theater for The Avengers, my expectations were high, I had already heard positive things about the film. Even so, I only expected another action packed movie with inputted humourous scenes. I got that, but much more. The plot of the movie is; Tony Stark intends to bring to life an ultimate peacekeeping being or beings, but things do not go as planned. The peacekeeping program does inhibit a body however it malfunctions and the being believes the only way of restoring peace to Earth is to wipe the human race clean and start over. This forces the Avenger team, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to
once again, gear up for battle. The fate of the people on Earth depends on the team, and as they struggle in battle against the being Ultron, they also gain allies Pietro and Wanda Maximoff as well as the Vision. Eventually, they overcome the darkness, the human race is safe, and the peace on Earth is once again restored. Sometimes the typical bad
guy against good guy idea can be overused and predictable, and even though this film did hold the same flavor, it exceeded that. This grouping of actresses and actors really was well planned. The humor and ease that they all had with each other showed what a good team these guys were together. At one moment of the film, Banner and Stark will be discussing some sort of plan that may help them save the world, and then in the next moment the characters are trying to pick up Thor’s hammer. I know many movies that get the humor thing wrong, they add too much here or there, or maybe its too blunt, but in this film is was more on the subtle side which made it hilarious, and I can attest to the fact that many people in my movie theater were laughing at these moments, including myself. Another thing that I think this film implemented was side
stories, which again can crowd a film, but it didn’t. The relationship between the Hulk and Black Widow was a nice reality romance, like of course one of these men is going to be take by the only female avenger. I really enjoyed that Beauty and the Beast theme implemented. Also, we see that Barton (Hawkeye) has a family of his own, which is another nice side story, it gives these people relatable characteristics even though they are fictional. Mainly, I really enjoyed the chemistry between the characters, and not just the humor aspect, because there are a lot of main “protagonists” in the Avengers. Not one actor or actress can be singled out as the “main” character, but yet again that didn’t weaken or “crowd” the overall story. I would even say that I enjoyed this Avengers more than the last, and would definitely suggest it to others.
definitely one that will will melt both your heart and your laugh box. However things g might g have taken a sharp harp turn for the two during ring the movie, but all in all it will make you laugh out of your seat. t. Apparently the two acapella judges udges (Gale and John) hn) that cracked d us up in the first movie made quite an impression. There was a lot more of them to go around this
time. The two of them together were like two peas in a pod crackingg jokes. However, on ocj their jokes might casion th been a little ofhave be fencive to some fenc viewers, but it view definitely went de with the humor w of the movie. Between reB claiming their reputation and battling out with the German acapella group, Das Sound Machine, the Barden Bellas surpris-
ing journey together ended with an outstanding performance at the end and with their legacy continuing with the last remaining member. This movie had all of your emotions on edge; happiness, frustration, confusion, merriment, and even a little sadness. Over all I would say that this sequel lived and played exactly into the hype. The fact that the Barden Bellas came back and were ready to take on a bigger playing field, but ended up taking an unexpected turn. However, by the end of the movie you’re left with an anticipation and relief of the ending and new beginning of the Barden Bellas acapella group.
A+ Pitch Perfect 2 hits the mark again Rachael Crews Staff Writer All the way from the President and first lady to the Green Bay packers to Snoop Dogg and Jake Tapper, Pitch Perfect 2 had really outdone themselves with this sequel. It had all your favorite parts about the first one and more. The more you watched, there were more surprises that kept coming around the corner. My favorite one included actor David Cross and the Green Bay Packers in an underground dual. Lets just say that you would have never guessed that the Green Bay packers were interested in acapella. The comedy in this movie was sweet but sharp. The relationship between Fat Amy and Bumper is
A
ENTERTAINMENT / 13
Being realistic about The Force Awakens Chandler Elsbecker Editor-In-Chief In May 1999, a single movie created a national fervor comparable to that found in a country that has just won the World Cup, or even a war. The streets were filled with people eagerly trying to get into theaters, willing to pay whatever it took, and very ready to take a “sick day” instead of being at work. (An estimated $293 million in wages were sacrificed.) Some of these people had paid full admission to Wing Commander, an abomination of a film, in order to see the trailer to this movie two months prior. Grown men walked into the foyer in costume, over five months ahead of Halloween. The reason: after 16 long years, George Lucas had given the world a new Star Wars. When theatergoers finally made it through the line and saw The Phantom Menace though, they were beyond disappointed. It was a mess: loud and obnoxious, yet simultaneously dull. Then in 2002 came a movie somehow even worse, the dreadfully boring Attack of the Clones, in which Anakin Skywalker, the man who would later choke several of his own officers just for their momentary stupidity, talks about sand and frolics about the countryside. The only tolerable film to come out of the prequel trilogy was 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, and even that featured lines like “Anakin, you’re breaking my heart” and the infamous Darth Vader “Nooooooo.” The prequels were an unmitigated disaster. Yet regardless of how bad their last Star Wars experience was, people are amped for the newest Star Wars installment, The Force Awakens, to come in December. I fail to see what is that different from 1999 though.
We’re clamoring for every bit of the new film that we can get, not even considering the idea that it could go wrong – even though this time, we know from experience that it can. Disney’s main selling point of this movie, nostalgia, doesn’t at all feel genuine – especially when you know that Disney paid $4.05 billion for Lucasfilm Ltd. and then immediately announced their intentions to resurrect the franchise. The idea that this new set of Star Wars movies will actually capture the wonder of the originals is far too naïve to me. They will try, but less out of a legitimate wish to make a good film than a wish to make money. I obviously say this without having seen the movie, but a greyhaired Han Solo stepping onto the Millennium Falcon and saying “Chewie, we’re home” seems like something written just to get people excited when they see the trailer. Another thing, while we’re here: the removal of Lucas from his own story, undoubtedly celebrated by many, is discouraging. Say what you will about the writing of the prequels and the superfluous “Special Editions” of the original trilogy; at least they were Lucas’s work and not that of a mega-studio whose goal is clearly just to turn a Bantha-sized profit at the box office. To act like
they were a cash grab, when the originals made (and continue to make) billions on their own, is absurd. Lucas was well within his right to make them. The “Han shot first” outrage can’t exist if not for the Special Editions, but it can’t without Han existing first either. Not to mention that Star Wars was not given that bad a treatment by the prequels when compared to other beloved sci-fi movies. Take Highlander: the original was an incredible, thrilling adventure in which the universe’s rules are established from the opening title card. Every single sequel to Highlander defecated all over those rules and even changed the main character’s origin from Scotland to something called the planet Zeist. Terminator 2 was a brilliant follow-up to the original film that also completely eliminated the possibility of sequels, saying that the future is not predetermined, and instead just whatever a person makes it into. Hollywood disagreed, and now we’re getting a fifth Terminator, which is sure to be about as intelligent and nuanced as a toaster. Alien not only has Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection, and the two Alien vs. Predator movies, but the pretentious and just generally stupid Prometheus. The Star Wars prequels were disastrous, yes, but mostly
because of what they followed. The standard set by the original trilogy were incredibly high; to meet them required a miracle. That does not mean I take back my previous statements about their quality – they were horrendous – it’s just that, realistically speaking, they could have been so much worse. J.J. Abrams is a fine director who has undoubtedly taken a great deal of pride and spent untold hours making sure that the movie will be exactly as he would want as a Star Wars fan, but he’s also a disappointingly safe selection by the studio. There are zero risks; the Lord of Lens Flare has the Star Trek reboot, its sequel, and the excellent Super 8 on his résumé. They were all films sold on the promise of nostalgia and extravagant special effects, and accordingly, they combined to make Paramount over $600 million. Abrams was therefore an obvious choice, but that’s actually a bit discouraging. It gives me the feeling that The Force Awakens will not be carefully crafted to be anything spectacular, but rather to play to people’s nostalgia enough to ensure that the new trilogy is not a critical repeat of the prequels. I don’t mean to be a killjoy – I fully admit that I will definitely be sucked into seeing this movie too. I just don’t believe that the incredible fervor every new trailer elicits is warranted when this movie really shouldn’t even be happening. Crying that George Lucas “ruined” a person’s childhood – one that, by that logic, he created – while clamoring for a seventh, eighth, and ninth Star Wars movie is hypocrisy. Revenge of the Sith was not a good way to end the franchise, but at least we thought that that the franchise had ended.
14 / SPORTS
400-meter relay team makes state meet Luke McDougall Staff Writer The boys track team set a goal from the very beginning of the season – to be district champions. In the District 5-5A meet April 14 and 15, the Broncos won the final event, the 800-meter relay, to claim the district title and the school’s first district championship since 2004. But their goals changed when they entered the regional meet at Texas Tech University - qualify for the state track meet. The Broncos qualified 13 athletes for the district meet. Junior James Fuller qualified in the discus and senior Kyle Panter in the shot put for the two field events while they also qualified three relays and three individual events. Senior Juan Campos is on the 400 and 800 relays and won the 200-meter race. He also helped Denton win
Junior Emmonie Miller, seniors Juan Campos and Bradley Devore, and sophomore Chris Miller pose with their trophy after winning the 400-meter relay at the regional meet. (courtesy photo) the 800-meter relay, moving the Broncos from third place to first in the final leg. At the regional
track meet the 400-meter relay of sophomore Chris Miller, seniors Bradley Devore and Juan
Football completes spring practices, scrimmage Jonathon Peterson Staff Writer The football team had their annual spring scrimmage at Bronco Field May 21. This is a way to integrate the new players and get some more practice in. The teams were split up evenly with varsity starters placed on each team to keep the game fair and to give everyone a chance to earn a spot to start for the team. This also gives an idea of what head coach Kevin Atkinson needs to work on before August comes around. “I’m proud of how the boys played tonight,” coach Atkinson said. “I think they proved their worth, and with a little bit of clean up I think they’re going to be a tough team next season.” The defense played strong on both sides, with contributions from sophomores Kenny Bowen and Eric Borst, and junior Keegan Murphy. Murphy was the only one all game to get an interception,
while Borst and Bowen accumulated nine sacks over the course of the night. “I think our defense played really well tonight and had some really good plays especially from Kenny and Borst, and we had that interception from Keegan,” Atkinson said. “I also think the offense had some really good plays. I mean, they scored a lot and took advantage of the defense at times.” While Atkinson praises his defense, he thinks that his offensive line could have performed better. “I think that our O-line needs some work, they allowed a lot of sacks tonight,” Atkinson said. “Overall though we just need a little improvement everywhere.” The non-district season starts August 28. The boys get to start practicing on the field in the beginning of August. “I’m excited for next season; we just have to fix some stuff,” Atkinson said. “I know the guys are excited for next season, so we’re pumped for it.”
Campos, and junior Emmonie Miller set a region-best time of 41.72 and first place in the event, sending them to the state meet at the University of Texas. They are the first state qualifier since 2012 and first relay team since 2003 for Denton. The 800-meter relay team of Josh Napier, Chris Miller, Devore and Campos was notified when it arrived at the track on Saturday that it had been disqualified due to baton handoff outside the handoff area. “It’s disappointing for sure, but those seniors that came with us were part of changing the culture at Denton High,” head coach Justin Schuff said. “They were part of bringing this program back to relevance. Their contribution was much more than they realize. I hate to see them finish on that note, but they did a lot for this program.”
Now Online Page, Torres sign letters of intent
(photo by Ryan Carr) at dhshorseshoe.com/sports
SPORTS / 15
Baseball earns playoff berth Jonathon Peterson Staff Writer Coming into this season, the varsity baseball team hadn’t made a playoff appearance since 2008. After a rocky start though, they finished 16-13 (7-7 District 5-5A) and finished fourth, ending their seven-year drought. They boys made their way to Birdville to play a three game series, only to be swept by the Hawks 8-1 and 8-3. Despite the sweep, head coach Nick Buck is pleased with his team’s accomplishments during the season. “I’m really proud of what the guys accomplished this season,” Buck said. “It was a challenge in playoffs though because none of them had ever been so it was a whole new experience.” In the start of the district season the team lost four of their five games starting off 1-6. This gave them a slim chance of mak-
ing it into the playoffs, but they recovered and ended the season on a 6-1 run. “I still had hopes with the team even though we had a bad start,” sophomore Wyatt Folsom said. “We just had to work harder at it and try a different strategy.” This year the team is graduating eight out of the 19 players, and they have some positions they need to fill. Right now they’re losing a first and third basemen and a couple of pitchers and they need veteran players to step up and take those new roles. With the turnover in personnel, Buck knows that he needs to start preparing now for next season because it’s going to be tough to make playoffs with the competition that’s up ahead. “Everyone on the team is ready for next season,” Buck said. “I’m ready for what the players have to offer next year.”
Senior John Collins fires to first base in a district game against Azle.The Broncos’ late-season surge propeled them to the postseason for the first time in seven years. (photo by Taylor Olson)
Softball improves upon 2014 record Rachael Crews Staff Writer Despite the weather at the beginning of the season taking away practice time, the softball team ended their season with a record of 7-13-1. Head coach Rhana Ramos also believes that not being able to play as many games as they had planned, and having limited time before the district schedule, had a negative effect on the team’s success. “We started out the season already having a few things that we needed to try and figure out better before we headed into district,” Ramos said. “I think that if we would’ve had more time to play in the beginning, we would have been more successful in district.” The top four teams in District 5-5A went two rounds deep in the playoffs and district champions Azle remain in the tournament, making for what Ramos
Junior Becky Rivera slaps the ball the other way in an April game versus Chisholm Trail. (photo by Taylor Olson) considers a difficult district. “I know for a fact that if we would have had a few more games underneath our belt we might have figured out the kinks to win a couple of those first district games,” Ramos said. “But we went back our second round and played them and definitely showed them who we really were and contended a lot better.” Ramos was frustrated due to
the lack of time that the team could have used to practice more. Nevertheless, six players came away with district accolades. Senior Natasha Kissell received co-utility player of the year, and seniors Makayla McMaster and Jordan McLaren were named to first team all-district. Sophomore Courtnie Walker received second team all-district honors, and freshmen Jessica De La Sierra
and Kayla Tucker were named honorable mentions. Even though the team will be losing three of their top players next year, it sounds like they will also be receiving some experienced players for next season. “I’ve got several incoming freshmen that play select softball that will be coming in and added to our team next year,” Ramos said. “I’ve got some strong juniors that are coming back that have been with us working hard this past season.” Even though the team did not reach the goals they expected this year, they have already started thinking about next season and what their plan of action is. “I have good optimism for next season,” Ramos said. “I’m looking forward to it, and we have already hit the ground running with a goal in mind, so hopefully it works out for the best.”
16 / NEWS
Jiminez awarded Hamilton Scholarship Luke McDougall Staff Writer
Senior Vanessa Jiminez was recently awarded the T. Earle Hamilton Scholarship for her Spanish studies. (Photo by Alison Helms)
Denton High
Senior Vanessa Jimenez has been selected by the Texas Foreign Language Association Awards Committee as the winner of the T. Earle Hamilton Scholarship, named for Texas Foreign Language Association Awards Committee founder. The scholarship, ranging in amounts from $250 to $2,500, is presented to outstanding high school seniors who have
completed at least the third level of second language study and who plan to continue studying a foreign language at the college level. Vanessa earned this scholarship for her studies in Spanish and plans to use her scholarship to major in Spanish in college. TFLA members are allowed one nomination per school year. “I just want to work hard and focus on my studies to earn my degree,” Jimenez said. “And then, who knows.”
Graduation Information Where is gratuation? UNT Coliseum (“Super Pit”), Denton, Texas. (See map to left for reference.) When is graduation? June 5, 2:30 p.m. Do seniors arrive earlier? Yes. Seniors must be present by 1:30 p.m.
Coliseum
What do seniors need? Seniors should arrive in formal, appropriate attire under their caps and gowns. Additional items of any kind (including, but not limited to: phones, keys, portable music players, or pagers) are not allowed. (You will be searched at the door.) What do the rest of us need? Nothing, really. Politeness is a good thing.
#DHSPOTM
Submitted by Jenna Moberly (@GINGERJ14), this photogenic angel has been named June’s Pet of the Month, congratulations!