Issue 1

EA Eagle Angle Newspaper

Students participate in three low-profile classes

Staff member reviews House at the End of the Street

Sophomore takes spotlight at quarterback

photo by Ashley Acosta

photo from Teaser-Trailer.com

photo by Saher Aqeel

Allen High School // Allen, Texas, 75002 // Volume 30, Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

Students attend senior’s funeral

story by Grace Lee // managing editor

S

enior Xuan Le holds the white shell from California in her hand. A souvenir that was supposed to be given to her friend in person on the first day of school.

Something she has now left on his grave.

On Aug. 24, senior Perry Lin passed away after his heart stopped beating when he collapsed while riding his bike around his neighborhood. Due to a heart condition which he was born with, Lin had a pacemaker inside his heart, but on that day no one was around to resuscitate him.

“I just felt extremely sad because I would have never expected that I’d be handing it to his grave,” Le said.

“But at the same time, it was kind of a relief because if there really is a heaven out there, I’m sure he’d be smiling and he’d be happy that I remembered [his souvenir].”

Lin’s funeral was held on Sept.

1 at the Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home. There, speeches were given by three students, including one by Le. After the funeral, close friends and family members moved to Lin’s burial place where his friends carried his casket to the gravesite. “[His family members] were sobbing,” senior Lily Li said. “They didn’t want him to go. They were holding on [to] the casket and everything, but then, they lowered it and that was it.”

Lin moved from New York to live with his aunt and uncle in Texas before he began his sophomore year.

Due to personal circumstances, both his parents live in China.

“He was very positive all the time,” Li said. “I’ve never seen him have a bad day, at least he didn’t show it on the outside. He wouldn’t let that show and affect other people around him.”

Once every two or three weeks senior Ihsan Bawa, Lin’s best friend, said that when times got tough, he and Lin would walk around the school or around Lin’s neighborhood together to talk about their problems. // continued on page 2

graphic by Saher Aqeel // photo editor

Dangerous Driving Distraction

Students participate in campaign to prevent texting and driving story by Rebecca Barney & Madeline Martin // assistant online editor & staff writer

I

n order to stop texting and driving, the school district joined a campaign that AT&T and Balfour put together called Texting and Driving: It Can Wait.

Students and faculty in the district were encouraged to take a pledge against texting and driving and sign a banner during their lunch periods, which will then be hung in the school hallway as a reminder not to text and drive. Student Council started a separate campaign called talk text crash involving a banner, posters to hang around the school, t-shirts and talks at pep rallies.

Executive Principal Steve Payne said he plans on holding class meetings for each grade level in the future where students help him present the campaign. He said he will choose the students randomly beforehand because he does not want one specific group to represent the student body.

“I can do the presentation to the faculty and that’s okay,” Payne said.

“But I think it would be more power-

“It’s not like you’re invincible or anything. It happens to everyone.”

In 2010, AT&T partnered with

or maybe worse, but frankly they thought if they could get [to] teens, they could change their behavior.”

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, a total of 3,194 car crashes were a result of cell phone use in Texas in 2011. It is estimated that 40 of these crashes were fatal.

“I think we are all guilty for [texting and driving] at one point or another, and it happens,” Payne said.

“The probabilities of it happening every time you get in the car are very possible. I want to reduce those probabilities [through the campaign].”

In addition to the pledges, AT&T has come out with a new app called DriveMode that allows a driver’s phones to automatically send out text messages, emails and phone calls to people to tell them that that they are // continued on page 2

not like you’re invincible or “It’s anything, it happens to everyone.”

Senior Collin Smith

ful and have more [of an] impact if we had students who were committed and willing to take a stand.”

As part of the campaign, students were shown a 10 minute documentary about teenagers involved in texting and driving accidents. The campaign’s goal is to get one million students nationwide to participate in the campaign. There are already over 500,000 students nationwide who have agreed to take the pledge. “[The documentary] makes you realize that [an accident] can happen to anyone,” senior Collin Smith said.

Balfour to create the campaign in order to educate teenagers about the consequences of texting and driving.

Parts of the documentary have been shown as TV commercials, but the campaign guarantees that it is viewed by teenagers because it is shown in schools. “[AT&T and Balfour] were looking for a better way [to get the message across], especially to get it in teenager’s hands,” vice president of school enrichment and Balfour yearbook representative Mike Wood said. “Adults [text and drive] as much

Inside news 2-3 // feature 6 // opinions 10-11 // sports 12-15 // photo essay 16

2

Student council creates ‘Talk Text Crash’ campaign

Senior stays in hearts of friends

Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

// continued from front page unavailable at that moment. There are currently between 10,000 and 50,000 apps downloaded.

“When I’m driving and my phone rings, I just ignore it,” Smith said. “Usually I try to put my phone away where I can’t reach it, so if anything does ring I’m not tempted to touch it.”

According to AT&T, 97 percent of teens say texting while driving is dangerous and 43 percent admit to doing so. “[Texting and driving is like] you’re closing your eyes for five seconds,” senior Maria Delgado said.

“Could you imagine driving on the road with your eyes closed? A lot can happen in those five seconds.”

Delgado said she was involved in a texting and driving accident while picking up a friend before school. As she was driving, she texted her friend “I’m here,” and hit a parked car.

“I could have seriously injured someone, maybe possibly killed a child or killed myself,” Delgado said.

“It could have been worse, but I got lucky that it was a parked car, but [an accident] can still happen at anytime, anyplace.”

Delgado said her accident changed her view on texting and driving, but it wasn’t until after she saw the documentary that she realized how severe her accident could have been. She said she has signed the pledge and plans to not text and drive. “[The video made me feel] really guilty that I was putting not only my life in danger, but everyone else around me,” Delgado said. “It’s pretty

Crushed After a woman who was using her phone hit junior Andy Chao’s car on Oct. 6, he said he realized that texting and driving affects more than just the driver. photo by Andy Chao

selfish when you think about it. One silly text could just kill someone.”

Junior Andy Chao was also involved in a cell phone related car accident on his way home from a birthday party on Oct. 6. Chao said his mom was driving and he and his friend were sitting in the backseat when a woman who was texting rear-ended them at a stoplight.

“We were just sitting there, then all of a sudden I hear this screeching behind us and then right after I felt a huge slam,” Chao said. “We all went forward a bit and our car rolled from one side of the intersection almost all the way to the other side.”

Chao said he was surprised he and his friend did not get hurt because they were both in the backseat.

After the accident the trunk was damaged and the right back door did not open.

“I always knew [texting and driving] was bad, [but] I didn’t know it could happen to anyone,” Chao said. “It’s not only about the person texting, it’s about the other people around them.”

Joining Ranks As part of the campaign to discourage texting and driving, junior Natalie McGee signs the Text Free pledge on Oct. 21 joining over 300,000 students who have also pledged. photo by Maggie Rians

// continued from front page “I always felt sad [watching him struggle],” Bawa said. “But I always tried to support him, [by saying] ‘hey, always look forward to tomorrow.

Just keep going. Never give up.’ That’s what I would tell him.”

Li said that Lin’s name on her phone’s contact list is still saved.

“I feel like he’s still there and I could just call and he would pick up,” Li said. “But at the same time, when I think about it more, I just come back to reality and it’s still shocking to me.”

Le said that Lin put his friends’ happiness above his own.

“I miss so many things about him,” Le said. “I mean, it would be hard for me to say that I miss his smile or I miss his personality or I miss his humor and stuff because a lot of people have the same personality and the same humor, but there’s just something about Perry that makes me feel comforted and happy when I’m around him.”

Le did not find out about Lin’s heart condition until after his death.

She said she thinks that concealing his condition from those around him was big hardship he went through.

“I just feel like he’s really changed my perspective of the world because I have it so much better off than Perry did, and sometimes, I even feel like giving up and just not smiling, just being sad,” Le said.

“Perry, he really taught me that you may have a very bad life, but you can still smile anyways.”

the news angle Sept. 24

Oct. 18

Oct. 19

Oct. 22-26

The School Board voted four to three on a one-time bonus payment for teachers. In November, 2,353 employees will receive a portion of $2 million.

The annual District Dyslexia Fair was held on Oct. 18 by the Dyslexia Therapists of AISD to inform students and families about dyslexia.

For anyone interested in learning about the disability, students and parents were given information and merchandise at the fair.

On Oct. 19, the 52 foot tall “Big Tex” statue at the Texas State Fair grounds caught on fire. The exact cause is unknown, but it is assumed to be electrical related. This was the 60th year that he had welcomed visitors to the State Fair.

Red Ribbon week will be held from Oct. 22-26 to spread awareness and to pledge to be drug free. During the week, there will be “Merica Monday,” “Tacky Tuesday,” Western Wednesday,” “Team up Thursday” and “Red Out Spirit Day.”

compiled by the Eagle Angle news staff

West Nile virus affects science classes’ curriculum 3

D

ue to the risk of illness and death from the recent West Nile virus outbreak, students enrolled in aquatic and environmental science classes were prevented from participating in outdoor activities such as field trips, labs and visits to the pond during August and September.

“It takes a lot out of the experience because we look at algae growing in the creek and usually I can go out and show them the algae growing in the creek,” environmental science teacher Heidi Reese said. “It’s a disconnection so it’s hard for them to make connections when they do the lab.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 38 percent of the total West Nile cases in the world have been reported in Texas during 2012. Because of the lack of a major temperature drop last winter, the number of cases increased,

causing an outbreak of the disease in Texas as well as the rest of the United States.

The West Nile virus is carried by 43 out of the 200 types of mosquitoes in the United States and Canada.

These infected mosquitoes pass the virus on to animals, birds and humans resulting in possible illnesses such as bone stiffness, common flu symptoms and occasionally death.

Reese and aquatic science teacher Felicia Witt said that they have adjusted and created alternative activities for the students because of the virus. Reese said that she originally planned a field trip to the Connemara Conservancy, a 72 acre land trust on the border of Allen and Plano. Instead, her environmental science classes are visiting the city park.

“When you do [the field trip] in a city park, it’s more clinical

than what a real scientist would do out in the field,” Reese said. “[The field trip] turns into a more classroom experience than a natural experience.”

Currently, the CDC said that there is not a medical cure for the West Nile virus, but there are precautions that can help prevent it.

The CDC suggests precautions such as wearing long sleeves and pants when going outside, applying bug repellant, avoiding going outside in dawn and dusk and draining standing water.

“We were thinking about the kids and the potential they have,” Witt said. “If by chance they were going to contract West Nile, that might impact them as far as the rest of the year.”

Vice president of Environmental Club senior Caitlin Ellis is currently enrolled in aquatic science. She

said that the delay to their outdoor activities was disappointing.

“I feel like some students who may not know a lot about the environment would probably find it fascinating because we get to use different [tools] and see different things,” Ellis said. “They are kind of missing out. I mean it’s pushed back, but I think they’re still missing out. I’m a little disappointed, but I understand why we gotta wait.”

The Texas Department of Health Services said that most people who are infected with the virus will not experience symptoms. 20 percent of the infected people will experience mild symptoms such as body aches, fevers and headaches during only a short time span. Severe cases may last weeks, resulting in symptoms of disorientation, tremors, neck stiffness, paralysis and occasionally even death.

“I am cautious,” Ellis said. “I wouldn’t say I’m paranoid. I wouldn’t want to get it. It’s a terrible thing to get so I take precaution.”

Considering that West Nile is more active during the warmer months, the CDC said that the total number of reported cases will likely decrease as the weather becomes cooler.

“I just hope it calms down and I hope the virus goes away for a while again,” Reese said. “Hopefully, it’s not going to be an ongoing thing.

Hopefully, the cycle ends by next summer. Hopefully, it’s not just all the time.”

graphic by Garrett Holcombe // contributing artist

FFA receives gold level national recognition award story by Mckenzi Morris // operations manager

F

FA earned the gold level national chapter award in October for their projects and services throughout the previous school year. They were recognized with this achievement by the National FFA Organization. There are three levels, bronze, silver and gold, and under each level there are rankings by stars, one, two or three. Three stars in the gold level is the highest possible ranking, which is what FFA received.

“It’s phenomenal to know what the kids are doing at Allen High School is being recognized nationwide,” FFA advisor Stacy Schertz said.

The 28 page application for the award required pictures, the chapter’s goals and objectives for the year. They also had to prove that they met the criteria for all eight categories. The application highlights activities the organization did for community service, leadership and fundraising.

Out of all their activities, 14 were included, such as Texas Stampede and highway cleanup. While the advisors for the organization narrowed down the list of activities, the students

helped decide which ones were actually submitted.

“You try to encompass everything that your chapter does because FFA covers basically every aspect of life,” FFA treasurer and sophomore Brittney Borserine said.

With approximately 400 students enrolled in the program, Schertz said their FFA chapter requires a lot of resources and feels that this recognition rewards the people who put effort into the organization.

“It feels good to know that we can be an example for [another FFA chapter] and to give back,” Schertz said.

FFA received the same gold level, three star ranking last year and Borserine said she feels the award does not add any pressure to the officers or group.

“No matter what we do we’re always going to try because it’s between our community and us and our members,” Borserine said. “So we’re always going to try as hard as we can to do whatever we can. If it’s between, we don’t get the award,

Trunk-or-Treat In one of the other photos submitted to the National FFA organization, Allen FFA hosts their annual Trunk-or-Treat on Oct. 29, 2011 in the Performing Arts parking lot. photo submitted by Stacy Schertz

but we had a fantastic year with our members and with the community support then that’s really all we need.”

With the addition of new activities such as the Green Hand camp, which officers held for first year members, Schertz said they are always looking for growth. She hopes the award will help FFA expand in terms of members and ideas contributed.

“I think it is another step to raise our rigor and to strive for excellence at all times,” Schertz said.

Borserine said she hopes this national recognition brings more attention to FFA around the school.

“I really hope the more we win, the more we do,” Borserine said, “because everything we do is to try and put ourselves out there in the community, so hopefully the more

that we do it will get us further, not only in the community but in the school, to get kids who don’t even know what we’re about involved in our program.”

FFA will be recognized by the school board at the Oct. 22 meeting for the award and at the national FFA convention in Indianapolis, Indiana Oct. 24-27.

Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

story by Maggie Rians // staff writer

4

ote

2012

By the numbers 1.7%

“I view myself more as a conservative than I do liberal and I don’t feel as though Obama’s been doing what he said in the last four years.”

- Junior Brandon Huang

“The second [debate] that I watched, I really paid attention to it and all of it actually started to make sense. And yeah, I did shift my views because I mean I’ve been unbiased until now, so now I’m kinda like, I’m realizing which side is better or at least in my opinion.”

- Senior Sarah Mejorado

Romney’s advantage

Nov. 6 Election date

$779 million Campaign funds Obama’s riased

39%

Oct. 16

Second presidential debate

Allen High School // Issue X // October 22, 2012 w

Obama’s ratings in Texas

$784 million Campaign funds Romney has raised

$39.5 million Romney’s and Obama’s combined travel expenditures

compiled by Grace Lee & Akshay Mirchandani // managing editor & sports editor designed by Madyson Russell // layout editor statistics compiled from Washington Post, Politico.com and Statistica.com

“I’d just have to go with Obama. Not because of his racial ethnicity or anything like that, but because his policies will probably work better.

Because he’s trying to step back, to move us forward, because the policies that were set before the Bush Administration were actually propelling us and getting us jobs and getting us a surplus amount of money.”

- Senior Evan Jones

5

Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

6 Tori Marshall Photography

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Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

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‘T h i s i s o u r h o u s e’ Disc o ve r s o me p rogr am s that cal l Eagle st adiu m h ome Wrestling Eagle Edge Broadcast 21,766 Coach Jerry Best Senior Mansha Sil Senior Chris Balogh

Junior Bo Nickal “It’s just nice to have. It’s a luxury that most high schools don’t have. Its just a bonus being from Allen and all.”

Fans at first football game

Golf Junior Jordan LaBarbera “Our whole team won’t be able to be in [the new golf area] at the same time. Because it’s not big enough, but everyone will get a chance to go and [the golf area] will be beneficial.”

“Last year, we practiced at Top Golf, and compared to Top Golf, I think the new area’s going to be a lot better because we actually have good equipment and normal golf balls to hit instead of those ones that have sensor chips in them.”

photo by Scott Yarberry

Band Sophomore Katie Johnson “The sound quality is definitely better. [The stadium] makes more of an impact and it really compliments the band. It’s great.”

Athletic Director

“This year we have gotten the ball rolling; we have done all of this new stuff and now that all of these people know about it you get to see your designs shown. I meet with vendors and have the meetings like you are running the meetings; it’s an opportunity to see what an actual business aspect is.”

“We have people we have to get to the right place, we have videos we have to take, but there is just a lot that goes into it and I don’t think people realize. I think that people think we are up here just pushing buttons and they don’t understand the pressure that goes with it.”

Senior Ashley Paulmeno “Well we have four [students] up here, five including our teacher Mr. J, our director. Then we have six cameras down on the field, six camera people actually, but three cameras so two paired up and they switch off every quarter. So that way one person isn’t constantly holding up a camera.”

12ft X 6ft

Steve Williams “I don’t think anybody in the state of Texas has a better football stadium than we do. I think ours is top notch, I don’t think anybody could beat that.” photo by Klayton Carpenter compiled by: Klayton Carpenter, Callie Anderson, Akshay Mirchandani

“Well the school store is definitely a business, being there for two years it was like opening your business last year like getting all of your stuff, all of the vendors, getting the design, getting the publicity, trying to build up your store.”

school store stadium dimensions

photo by Kayla Anderson

photo by Klayton Carpenter

Elective courses offer creative opportunities story by Zane Dean & Alexis Mane // staff writers

IB Film

S

tudents do an in-depth examination of movies in IB film while exploring perceptive topics, such as how society and movies influence each other. They also focus on topics involving film production, including how camera angles and music affect movies.

There are seven students enrolled in the class. The class http://www.cyber-cinema.com/abc/RearWindow.html involves open discussions during http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036342/ class and during the second semester students focus on a research project.

Interior Design

I

nterior design, a class where students are trained through hands-on projects, helps students to better understand the basics of interior design. The class allows students to learn in an environment where they can work using special writing supplies, architectural scales and different cements. The design skills taught during the course are basic skills required to advance in career pathways such as architectural design.

Floral Design

When the first interior design classes were introduced in 1990, the classes started with six students, now the class has about 30 students.

Sophomore Devaney Smith found the class through the course selection booklet and others can find out by seeing the posters around school or speaking to their administrative guides.

P

rinciples and elements of floral design is a class that teaches students how to design and create floral arrangements.

The students also create balloon bouquets, homecoming mums, floral arrangements for school clubs and contribute to some school banquets.

The course has 23 students, and four students in an upper level class.

The upper level class is a course called problems and solutions. In the course, students use their previously gained knowledge to arrange and design flowers to be ordered and

“[IB film] has actually been really kind of inspiring and kind of opened my eyes more about movies that I didn’t know,” senior Elisabeth Burnap said.

“Honestly I think a lot of people would [be interested in IB film], it’s just they don’t really know about it because we are the only class,” senior Diego Rotea said.

“I have always had a real passion for films,” Burnap said. “A lot of people take it as a blow off class or

whatever but it is actually really difficult and really interesting for me because of my passion for films.”

“[Interior design] was a new class and [in 1990] it was the first time we had ever had it and it took a few years for it to catch on,” interior design teacher Carole Jernigan said.

“Now it’s probably one of the most favorite classes [of the students].”

“I think it’s a fun class,” Smith said. “It’s an easy class for me and I like the creative side of it [because] I like doing creative things.”

“I think [students] should be aware [of the interior design class]

because I think it’s a fun course and it opens a lot of doors for your student plan,” Smith said.

“It’s a lot of hands-on projects,” Jernigan said. “[It includes] a lot of fun projects that we do in class and it gives the students a chance to take a break from all of their academic core courses and allows them to be creative. It’s fun and the kids enjoy it.”

sold out of the Eagle Edge school store.

Taking the class gives the student a fine arts credit and a certification from the Texas State Floral Association, which would allow the student to begin work at a flower shop.

“It’s definitely a lot of fun and not that many people know about it,” senior Victoria Smith said.

“Our AG department is quite small and so it’s really something that I think most people should get the opportunity to experience because it’s fun and it teaches you a lot.”

“For the most part I think [students] enroll to see what it is because it is something different they have never seen before,” principles and elements of floral design teacher Sarah Griffeth said.

“I just like learning about the different types of arrangements that there are, and I just like making things,” Smith said. “You get to work with your hands and stuff and I think that’s a lot of fun because I’m a really hands on type of learner.”

“We get to be creative,” Griffeth said. “It’s not your typical, I stand up there, lecture and then we do a

http://leapbackblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/movie-of-week-notorious.html http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045152/

Almost done Senior Kyra Washington starts to glue down pictures she wants for her dream house in her interior design class. photo by Ashley Acosta

worksheet or something like that. It’s more hands-on and the students can express their creativity.”

Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

“Under the stadium we have a 6,000 square foot wrestling room.

[We also have] a golf hitting facility, a golf simulator, locker rooms for home and away football teams, the weight room on the visitor side, wrestling offices, facility directors offices, and offices for officials whenever we have games.”

Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

8

Musical Awareness

“

[Music] keeps you centered, you can’t get distracted because it blocks out everything else.

Sophomore Joei Velten

”

Impact of music while studying story by Kendall Hays // staff writer

W

hen sitting down to do her homework, sophomore Joei Velten immediately grabs her iPod and turns on her favorite band, Maroon 5.“I just can’t function in silence at all,” Velten said. “It’s awful. I get nothing done.” Based on a study by Johnson and Wales University in 2003, teenagers listen to music about 21 hours per week. Velten said that she listens to music every day and so do most of her friends.“[Music] keeps you centered,” Velten said. “You can’t get distracted because it blocks out everything else.”

According to a Stanford University School of Medicine study in 2011, there is a concrete physiological link

between the acts of listening to music and learning. The findings show that music lights up, or activates, the areas of the brain involved with making predictions, paying attention and committing details to memory.

Stanford University’s study shows that listening to classical music while studying seems to be the most helpful. This reaction is known as the Mozart Effect.

“If a teacher played some low classical music or something in the background during a test, then I think that would probably help because during note taking, there’s all this noise,” sophomore Megan Westphal said.

While classical music is shown to improve concentration during studying, Johnson and Wales University found that classical music was not a popular genre with teenage participants. However, participants that listened to rap, heavy metal and techno music while studying were shown to have lower math and English grades.

English teacher Ramona Coleman said that this does not surprise her.

“If I’m listening to something with words then the words distract me,” Coleman said.

The participants from the study also found listening to music while studying to be distracting. Coleman said she agrees and therefore she does

not let her students listen to music while studying.

“I find that there are always a few kids that play their music so loud that I can hear it from several feet away,” Coleman said. “So I know they’re disturbing the people around them.”

According to Stanford University professor Clifford Nass, the human brain listens to song lyrics with the same part of the brain that processes words. Junior Megan Hill said that she finds listening to music while doing homework distracting.

“I like singing along and I get more enthusiastic about music than homework,” Hill said.

In the study from Stanford Uni-

versity, Professor Clifford Nass compares listening to music while studying to “trying to learn something while you’re on a rollercoaster,” and said that humans can not focus as well when multitasking.

“If I listen to music I just start jamming out to it, and then I totally forget what I’m doing.” sophomore Chloe Baldwin said. “If I’m listening to music I have to reread the sentence I’m reading a bunch of times because the music is distracting.”

Can you hear me now? 9 story by Laura Hallas // staff writer

A

Noyes has had firsthand experience with music-induced hearing loss. He first noticed it at the age of 20 after a summer of playing the snare drum.

“My most memorable experience was marching next to someone whose goal was to play as loud as he possibly could,” Noyes said. “I particularly remember marching that summer, and then coming away [from it] with noticeable hearing loss. Just with one summer of drumming.”

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) explains that deafness occurs when the small hair cells in the ears, which are responsible for hearing, are flattened and damaged.

This happens when the ears are exposed to loud or prolonged noises.

The effects of hearing loss are permanent and not correctable through medical or surgical means. “[Once you have lost hearing] what can you do about it? I mean, besides prevent further hearing loss, nothing,” Jackson said. “It probably occurs so gradually that they would never even notice, kind of like when you are losing your vision. It gets less defined, and then eventually you can’t pick out what’s what.”

While the problem has multiple causes, there are ways to prevent NIHL. As recommended by the CDC, exposure to loud music should be limited, with ear protection used when necessary. According to the NICD, music systems should be turned down to below 85 decibels, about the noise level of a garbage disposal, to prevent hearing damage.

Jackson said he does not enjoy

loud music, instead preferring quieter music like folk. “[Loud music] is kind of disruptive, but that’s me personally,” Jackson said. “That’s not to say there are not a few songs that I will listen to when I am in the mood, but as a whole, I like my music to be something you can have running in the background.”

Krueger said that she listens to about everything, including jazz, indie and rock, though she listens to heavy metal the most.

“But I don’t like it that loud, no matter what it is,” Krueger said.

Researchers at Tel-Aviv University found that one in four teenagers surveyed were at severe risk for hearing loss, with 80 percent regularly using personal listening devices.

“I think that people who listen to loud music on headphones are going to regret it the most because those are right in your eardrums,” Krueger said. “I swear that the kids doing that are just showing off. They think that they are really cool with their loud music, and all the, ‘look how tough I am listening to my heavy metal stuff.’

And I’m like ‘no,’ you are obviously not an aficionado if you are listening to this mainstream stuff and just blaring it out of your headphones.”

According to the NICD, hearing loss is 100 percent preventable.

“The thing is that people aren’t going to care about their hearing until they lose it,” Jackson said. “By then it’s too late, and then all of the sudden you can’t enjoy music anymore and that’s a [bad] way to live.”

Owens said that any noise before bed or while sleeping is detrimental to her sleep.

“The noise distracts me, listening to my family talk or the TV or stuff like that,” Owens said. “It makes me want to hear what’s going on […] I can’t fall asleep for a while.”

According to sophomore Eryn McCellan, listening to music at night affects her sleep differently depending on the night.

“Sometimes I dream and there’s a song in my dream and then I wake up and the song is playing,” McClellan said. “I think [listening at night] might negatively affect me. Sometimes I don’t fall asleep fast so I lose sleep.”

O’Brien said the greatest longterm effect of listening to music while sleeping is the formation of a habit that can lead to relationship issues later.

“If somebody gets used to having the radio on to go to sleep, that might be a hard habit to break later, like if they went to college and were sharing a dorm room with somebody,” O’Brien said. “Someday they might want to get married, and is that going to be OK with their spouse? You have to think about things like that.”

Sound asleep story by Megan Lucas // assistant editor

I

t’s bedtime and classical music softly fills the air of 5-year-old Beth Dill and her older sister Alex’s bedroom.

The following night, Alex puts the CD on again at bedtime.

Then she puts it on again the next night. And the next. And the next.

According to a 2008 study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 86 percent of teens have a CD or mp3 player in their bedroom and listen to an average of 2.5 hours of music each day. For Dill, now a senior, the listening continues late into the night.

“I think it helps get me into a stage where I’m tired,” Dill said. “It helps me to begin to sleep because it just relaxes me.”

Tuning the radio to her favorite pop station right before bed and keeping it on while she sleeps, Dill said she listens to music at night and that she has trouble sleeping without the noise.

“Radio blocks out everything,”

Dill said. “It makes it to where you’re in your own little world where you can listen to music without hearing anybody else or creepy noises. It’s comforting to listen to music I [enjoy] that’s upbeat and helps me concentrate and sleep.”

Taiwanese researchers published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing that listening to music before bed or during sleep affects sleep quality by lowering heart and respiratory rates.

A 2006 study published in the same journal discovered that listening to classical music for 45 minutes before bed improved sleep quality in every patient tested.

According to Dr. Jenna O’Brien of TLC Pediatrics, the reasons people listen to music while sleeping range from the need to unwind to blocking out outside sounds.

“I think some people are just used to having that noise around,” O’Brien said. “But it depends on what type of music they’re listening to whether or not it’s going to be helpful [for] going to sleep.”

Instead of listening to music before bed, junior Sierra Owens reads her Bible or just goes right to sleep.

“I can’t sleep if there’s a lot of noise, I like it to be super quiet,” Owens said. “[I] just like lay down and relax. [Listening to music before bed] just seems kinda counter-intuitive, music always wakes me up or makes me happier.”

Although studies, such as those published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, recommend listening to classical music before bed because does it not distract the brain from sleep, O’Brien said one’s personality affects the results of listening to music while sleeping.

“I think everyone’s a little different,” O’Brien said. “I don’t think it’s going to make much of a difference what’s on or not if it’s not waking you up. But if somebody feels like they’re not getting a great night’s sleep, then [listening to music while sleeping] is something they should possibly think about changing.”

Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

mong the crowd at Homecoming 2012, senior Siena Krueger dances right next to the pounding speakers, and at this close range, she is feeling more than just the party’s energy. Chest tightening, ears ringing, the noise level of the music becomes uncomfortable.

“There was so much pressure in my chest while I was dancing right by the speakers or the room in general, that bass sound just cuts through everything,” Krueger said. “And it’s more stressful to have physical contact with your music.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to loud music is one cause of hearing damage or loss known as noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Music is the most common risk factor for teens, and can cause NIHL through loud party music, concerts or headphones. In fact, the Hearing Loss Association of America cites hearing loss as one of the most common public health issues affecting the nation, a close third to heart disease and arthritis.

“Not a lot of attention is given to [hearing loss],” senior Joel Jackson said. “You have got other things to worry about, like smoking causes lung cancer, [...] so hearing loss is just kind of buried underneath all of that.”

About 12.5 percent of children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years, and 17 percent of adults aged 20 to 69 years have suffered permanent damage to their hearing from excessive or prolonged exposure to noise according to the CDC. Percussion instructor Jeremy

10 Is

Pluckers or Sauced the best wing restuarant?

Sauced fries make decision

Pluckers offers more for money

story by Klayton Carpenter //

Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

F

or as long as I can remember, I have been eating chicken wings. My dad taught me all the best tricks on how to eat them at a very young age, like separating one of the bones at the end and sliding all of the meat off with your teeth. So I consider myself an expert when it comes to wings.

To see which wing restaurant was better I went to the first two that I could think of, Sauced and Pluckers.

Sauced is located on the west side of 75 and Bethany next to Starbucks and Pluckers is located in the Village at Allen behind Men’s Warehouse.

Sauced was without a doubt the winner.

I had high hopes going to Pluckers and my first impression was great. As a sports fan, all of the TVs and sports themed walls impressed me. I expected the food to also be impressive because they advertise their wings as “the largest available” and because of all the great things I had heard about them. When I

story by Laura Pitts //

photo by Saher Aqeel

staff writer

staff writer

received my food, the wings were not the “largest available,” but actually far from that. Biting into the wings was a challenge: the meat was rough and full of tendons. Hoping the rest of my meal would be better, my attention immediately turned to the waffle fries. I love waffle fries, but my heart sank as I took a bite: the fries were cold. Letting the staff know about the cold fries was pointless, they rudely did nothing and walked away.

After being let down at Pluckers, I walked into Sauced and I felt unsure at first.The walls are bland with few posters, unlike the typical wing restaurant. Feeling skeptical, I continued to the counter to order.

Luckily, the menu is laid out in a convenient way where the customer picks the type of sauce for their wings and from there the exact flavor of sauce they prefer.

I went on $0.66 Traditional Wing Wednesday so I ordered 10 wings with the original BBQ sauce.

Although I had to wait for them, when

I received the food I was immediately impressed. The wings were covered with the perfect amount of sauce so that the flavor was bold, but didn’t overpower the extremely tender meat.

Since the Pluckers fries were a disappointment, I also tried the Sauced fries and they were amazing.

I was taken aback when I found out that they are seasoned with sugar and parsley. I will definitely order the fries again.

Service plays a tremendous role in a restaurant experience and Sauced has great service. When I walked up to the counter the worker gave me time to think and asked if I had any questions instead of overwhelming me. Unlike Pluckers, which was extremely rude, Sauced’s staff made the experience excellent.

Overall, Sauced won my vote for the best wing restaurant. If you are looking for the best wings in Allen, head on over to Sauced.

Lasting impressions story by Lucy Boys // staff writer

W

e’ve all heard, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” and while it is a good rule to live by, nobody ever does. People judge others in every social setting we are put into. For example, there are many guidelines about how to present yourself at an interview for a job: wear conservative clothing, keep eye contact for 20 seconds, give a firm handshake and stay active in the conversation. One of my friends told me that it takes 50 times of meeting a person to get over your first impression of them.

If there’s even a chance that someone will meet new people, they will go out of their way to present themselves well, like on the first day of school. The fateful day is nervewracking, with constantly changing decisions for outfits, bags and ways to make the grand entrance. Leading up to the first day, I’m bombarded with texts from my friends for fashion advice. Stores offer back to school

sales and kids descend on them to find new clothes, while other people get contacts or buy new glasses.

All this for that all-important first impression.

The thing about people is that they like conformity to a certain degree. They prefer people they will instantly understand. From first impressions, excluding those that seem different from them.

This creates a need to be everything and keep up with society’s view to fall into someone’s categories for future friends. However, keeping up with society is nearly impossible with our fast paced society and the constantly changing fashion, music and sayings. A perfect example of non-conformity, or those that are do not keep up with society’s pace, is me. I was talking to a friend the other day who was telling me about the new movie “Expendables 2” and I did not even know Chuck Norris was real. I thought he was like Uncle Sam, a fictional character meant to be the object of millions of jokes.

Throughout this high school, nobody know what other people say. More importantly, who cares what anybody says? My main

advice to my friends when they have been judged by first impression is to know there is nothing wrong with them. According to dictionary. com, weird is defined as “unusual, extraordinary or curious” not odd or outcast. So, chin up and show everyone that their first impression of you can not completely affect how others will see you. Dr. Seuss is known for saying, “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”

Do not change who you are. I am guilty of changing myself too, but I know I am not alone. I have watched my friends change so much from the people I used to know. They have become the people they said they never would be because of how they were judged. Whatever people may say of you, do not pay attention and stay your unique and beautiful self.

Next time you meet someone, stop and think. Are you judging their cover? Are you stopping to get to know them? Think back to the last book you read that you liked, and realize that the cover did not make the book.

the eagle angle Editor-in-chief

Online Assistant Editor

Staff Writers

Lydia Gardner

Rebecca Barney

Managing Editor

Operations Manger

Grace Lee

Mckenzi Morris

Assistant Editors

Photo Editor

Megan Lucas

Saher Aqeel

Victoria Erb

Layout Editor

Business Manager

Madyson Russell

Breanne McCallop

Sports Editor

Online Editor

Akshay Mirchandani

Alexis Mane Ashley Acosta Callie Anderson Carter Adams Collin Thompson Danny Ortiz David Dodson Harrison Geosits Jarret Rogers Jessica Alaniz Katelyn Moody

Katy Smith Kendall Hays Klayton Carpenter Laura Hallas Laura Pitts Lucy Boys Maggie Rians Madeline Martin Nini Truong Rebecca Cernadas Rebecca Moss Zane Dean

Kailey Warren

Allen High School 300 Rivercrest Blvd. Allen, Texas 75002

972-727-0400

Policy:

1000 copies of each issue are distributed on campus to faculty and students. Content may be viewed online at www.theeagleangle.com. Letters to the editor should be submitted to eagleanglestaff@yahoo.com. Any errors found within the publication will be rescinded in the following issue. Businesses who wish to advertise should contact Callie Wiesner, newspaper adviser, at 972-727-0400 x 1609. The Eagle Angle reserves the right to deny publication of advertisements.

Advertisements are not necessarily endorsed by the staff or administration. All editorials reflect the views of the authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the staff, adviser or administration. The Eagle Angle is a member of Quill and Scroll, the Interscholastic League Press Confer- ence and JEA/NSPA.

eagleanglestaff@yahoo.com

photo by Saher Aqeel

T

hink of wings. What is the first thing that comes to your head? A menu filled with different flavors, or maybe some sports TVs? Maybe a pack of Wet Ones might even come to your head. No matter how someone thinks of it, Pluckers has it.

Pluckers has many good qualities about them. The food makes you drool. The sauces and meat have a taste that would make anyone want to come back again and again once they have seen it. The wings have a glossy amount of one of their 19 different wing sauces that will have your mouth watering.Along with that their fried pickles are more than delicious.

I ordered the teriyaki flavored wings. When they came out you could see the layers and layers of flavor and how it glistened in the low dimmed lights. When I bit into the meat, I immediately got a flavor blast of but sauce and sweet chicken. I also ordered the honey barbecue and once again I was not disappointed by the taste and the tenderness. It was the perfect blend of honey and barbecue.

The experience is also superb.

It has over 10 wide screen TVs and many places to sit and hang out with your friends and family, with spacious booths. It is definitely a place that I would come back to over and over again. The service is amazing too. I was immediately waited on, drinks were served as soon as I ordered them and I got everything I asked for when it came to splitting my order.

My waitress was sweet, understanding and very good about listening to what I wanted and how I wanted it.

Sauced on the other hand, was a terrible experience. Not only did it take them a long time to come and take my order but they only brought me four wings when I ordered five.

They eventually brought it to me an hour later. The wings were also not as big as Pluckers, and the chicken was not as juicy or tender.

Although Sauced does have better fries and is not as expensive as Pluckers, Pluckers gives you more for your money, has a more spacious place to eat and hang out with friends and family. Pluckers wins my vote.

Just keep walking story by Harrison Geosits // staff writer

E

nglish class. I just want to get to English class. I don’t care about “Sally,” who wasn’t invited to “Jane’s” party, so she doesn’t know that “Rick” is dating “Anna.”You’re slowing me down more and more by the second. Honestly, just keep walking.

The hallways are a public battleground. Students and teachers fight their way through the corridor, navigating between still-standing groups, slow walkers, loving couples and frantic students. It’s a sea of stress and acne and hormones all compacted into roughly 15.5 feet of space and it’s time for a lesson in proper hallway etiquette.

I’d like to address the concerns of all the single ladies (and gents). The “forever alone” population would like to say one thing to all the happy, young and in love couples: Calm. Down. I think it’s great that you’re 15 and in love with your significant other, but that does not mean you need to have your lovey-dovey romance novel moments in the public

hallway. High school is hard enough without that kind of distraction.

Groups.You know who you are. It starts with one friend, then suddenly two more and so on until a circle of 10 teens clogs the hallway like a clump of hair in a small drain.

I get it, you’re popular. You have “besties” and “bros” and you and your “peeps” just want to chill outside class.

But when I’m running from K-Hall to the gym, all those “peeps” are in my way. I only ask that you assemble somewhere with more room.

There are two types of singular walkers in the hallway.

The people who run through the hall and the people who mosey on down to class because they have all the time in the world. The fact is, the school is so crowded that one slow walker can make the entire hall move less than one mile per hour, and one fast walker can start a stampede. Believe it or not, there is a solution: walk at a normal human pace. The same pace everyone spent years learning in elementary school.

In the end, hallway etiquette comes down to common sense. But above all, you must remember: just keep walking.

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Texting can wait

How well do you know your neighbors? 11

editorial by The Eagle Angle staff

story by Rebecca Cernadas //

I

Council, more than 100,000 crashes a year involve drivers who are texting.

This number can and should go down. Even if there are no deaths in those 100,000 crashes, they still can have negative impacts on the victim’s life, including emotional and physical trauma, medical bills and major or minor injuries.

Some people may argue that texting and driving is reasonable when you are waiting for an important message, but this is absolutely untrue. Even if you read a message immediately, it is impossible to react immediately since you are driving.

The community needs to make a more dedicated effort to teach teenagers and younger children about the dangers of texting and driving.

AT&T developed the AT&T DriveMode app for Blackberry and Android users. The app sends a customizable auto-reply to incoming texts. As a result, countless lives will be saved. Schools should dedicate a week to teaching the dangers of texting and driving, similar to Red Ribbon Week. Executive Principal Steve Payne brought the campaign to Allen by showing the documentary and having students sign a pledge and banner. Student Council also started their own campaign.

The district has taken a huge step in the right direction towards making students aware of how reckless texting and driving truly is, but more organizations need to help get the message out to everyone else. Drivers need to have a constant reminder of what can happen by typing one short word.

A

s the wind blows and rain pours, Carrie-Ann creeps down the hall toward her parents’ room, knocking over a lamp. Startled by the noise, her mother enters the hallway to check on her, but when she reaches the hallway, Carrie-Ann kills her. As she enters the bedroom where her father lies, despair fills his eyes. By morning, her parents will be found dead and Carrie-Ann will not be found at all.

“House at the End of the Street,” a new horror film released on Sept. 21, is directed by Mark Tonderai and stars Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence as Elissa and Max Thieriot as Ryan.

Lawrence was made famous for her starring roles as Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games,” and Ree Dolly in “Winter’s Bone.” Thieriot gained recognition from his starring roles as Seth Plummer in “The Pacifier,” and Adam “Bug” Hellerman in “My Soul to Take.”

In search of a fresh start, divorced mother Sarah, played by Elisabeth Shue, and her daughter Elissa find a perfect house in a small, wooded town. But shortly after moving in, unexplained occurrences start to happen. Sarah and Elissa then find out about the towns’ haunted past and the secret of their neighbor, Carrie-Ann’s brother, Ryan Jacobson. A few years earlier, Carrie-Ann Jacobson killed both of her parents and is said to have drowned in a lake. However, her body was never recovered. Desperate for answers, Elissa will do anything to learn the truth behind Carrie-Ann and Ryan’s past.

“House at the End of the Street” is not one I would classify as scary.

I love horror movies when they’re

http://houseattheendofthestreet-movietrailer.blogspot.com/

uniquely terrifying, but this movie is not original or scary. I look for three components to a good movie: a believable setting, skilled acting and an intriguing plot. “House at the End of the Street” contains one of those three components; skilled acting.

The casting is perfect and the acting is believable. Thieriot’s performance pulls you in and his story captivates your heart. Although Thieriot pulls off this innocent, kindhearted personality, his character can quickly become aggressive, just like the other characters. Throughout the whole movie you don’t know who to root for, who to feel sorry for or who to dislike because the characters’ personalities change rapidly.

While a rural town surrounded by the woods is a good location for “House at the End of the Street,” because nothing screams scary more than being alone in the woods with a psychopath on the loose, it’s still predictable, so change it up a bit.

Although the way director Mark Tonderai sets up the twist at the end

makes the plot slightly unique, it is also somewhat predictable and lacks originality. The acting, however, is so superb that the end is still surprising.

Just when you think you have it all figured out, the plot takes a different wooded path.

This movie is only decent for a horror film. After the first scene, it ran slow until the ending. Even though the acting was strong, it is not a movie I would watch again or purchase on DVD because other than the twist at the end, it is just an average horror flick.

For more reviews or a chance to comment your own opinon, visit

theeagleangle. com

Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

n order to educate all wireless users on the risks of texting while driving, AT&T launched the “It Can Wait” campaign in March 2010.

They made a documentary telling the stories of four people who have either lost a loved one or who have been affected by a life changing event due to texting and driving. Mandi lost her sister. Patrick killed a man.

Mariah lost her life the day before graduation. Will now suffers from a traumatic brain injury.

Texting and driving is a reckless habit that needs to be extinguished.

More than anything it endangers the driver. According to Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), texting drivers are 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident than other drivers because texting not only requires visual attention, but manual and cognitive attention as well. By taking their eyes off the road, drivers put their lives in the hands of the people around them by not watching out for themselves.

Drivers also endanger their passengers and other drivers when they do not pay attention to the road.

Pew Research Center reports that 40 percent of all American teens say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a dangerous way.

When a passenger gets into a vehicle, he puts his trust in the driver. If the driver starts to text, the passenger is helpless. He can refuse future rides, but he has no control over his safety at that moment.

Texting while driving has negative outcomes other than death.

According to the National Safety

staff writer

12 Boys cross country aims for top three district finish story by Akshay Mirchandani // sports editor

T

hrough six meets, the varsity boys cross country team has finished in in sixth, seventh, ninth and first place. They have also finished in 11th place twice and 21st place once.

Head coach Kirk Trent said that the goal for the boys right now is to finish the season ranked as one of the top three teams in their district in order to make it to regionals on Nov. 3 at Vandegriff Park in Arlington.

“Each year we get faster than we were the year before and this year we are faster at this point in the season than we were last year,” Trent said.

One of the leaders on the team, senior Robert Rzewuski, said that he and the other leaders are more like peer leaders and that the team tries to get better as a whole.

“We all encourage each other and

even people who aren’t team leaders, they help each other,” Rzewuski said.

“So basically, it’s like everyone trying to make the team better together.”

Junior Chris Edwards, who came in ninth place in the Boyd meet where the team had three runners place in the top ten, said that the team chemistry is very good and the team is close to one another.

“We have a lot of fun and there’s no fighting or drama at all,” Edwards said. “We work really hard, and during races we push each other so hard and at practice every day. It’s just great to be around them every morning and they’re my best friends.”

Rzewuski also said that both the girls and boys teams have mutual support for each other. Whatever team is not running cheers on the one that is.

“All the boys are out there, all the girls are out there cheering on their teammates who are running at that point,” Trent said. “So it’s a family atmosphere, they support each other and everything they do.”

All in all, Edwards said that the team is stronger than it has been in the past and everyone is determined to get better.

“We have gotten a lot stronger this year,” Edwards said. “Everybody ran over 500 miles over the summer and everyone is super dedicated and everyday at practice everybody’s just so determined to be there.”

The boys last race was at Poteet where they finished in ninth place.

Their next meet will be the district meet on Oct. 25 at Meyers Park in McKinney.

Rushing On Trying to help achieve the boys place in the top three in their district, junior Jacob Peña runs in a meet. photo submitted by Kirk Trent

Girls cross country eyes state position story by Akshay Mirchandani // sports editor

Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

O

n Oct. 13, the girls cross country team placed second in their meet at Poteet in Samuell Farm, Mesquite. This marks the fourth time through seven meets that the girls have finsished second.

They have also finished in fourth place twice and first place once.

One of the two only times the girls came in fourth place was their meet at McKinney Boyd on Sept. 15.

In that particular meet, the girls ran in the Elite division, which is one step higher than the Varsity division. “[Coach Trent] knew we were ready to compete in the Elite division because we smoked them in varsity

last year and we’re faster this year,” sophomore Cheyenne Storm said.

According to Storm, the girls expect to go to go to the regional meet on Nov. 3 at Vandegriff Park in Arlington and head coach Kirk Trent said that the girls’ goal right now is to win their district, which looks different from last year when Flower Mound Marcus, Flower Mound and Hebron were all competing with Allen.

This year, Allen is in district 105A along with Plano, Plano West, Plano East, McKinney and McKinney Boyd.

“As a team we are faster than

we were last year and then when it comes to the new district we are pretty much on top,” Trent said. “And so that’s a good thing, but being on top is not good enough. We have to improve as a team.”

As far as where the team needs to improve, Storm said she thinks that the girls need to get better at finishing closer together in races.

“If we have five girls in the top 20, and they’re all really close to each other, our point value is going to be better than having like a girl in like fourth and then a girl in like 10th and then a girl in 20th,” Storm said.

Senior Katherine Allen said that

Getting Ahead The girls team expects to make the regional meet at Nov. 3, according to sophomore Cheyenne Storm. Her teammate, junior Julie Hodges, runs in a meet. photo submitted by Kirk Trent

the chemistry on the team is good because of all the time that the team spends together.

“We all like understand each other,” Allen said. “I can probably name all the different girls favorite foods and favorite songs. […] We all just like know more about each other than we would maybe our best friend, and we just don’t realize it.”

Allen also said that running cross country is hard to do, but it is worth it end the end.

“In the end when you finish your meet and you get the time you want, you’re like ‘oh okay, that’s why I do it,’” Allen said. “And like it really

just like makes you feel good about yourself.”

As far as the rest of the season goes,Trent said that he thinks the girls have a shot for a position in state, but added that each girl has to be perfect in order to make it.

“This group right here,” Trent said,“Is the fastest group as a team that we’ve ever had.”

Trick play

Sophomore quarterback shows promise for the future story by Jarret Rogers // staff writer

W

hen starting quarterback Oliver Pierce went down against Southlake with leg cramps on Aug. 31, the 21,776 fans in the stadium were left wondering and worrying about what would happen. But to sophomore Kyler Murray, it was just another football game.

“The first drive, I’m not going to lie, I didn’t know what to expect, but once I saw that it was just [football],” Murray said.

Murray, a transfer student from Lewisville, threw for a total of 152 yards on 8 of 14 passing attempts while helping the Eagles defeat the defending state champions, Southlake Carroll, 24-0, in his first ever varsity game.

That game has propelled Murray to season stats of 710 yards, 6 touchdowns and 1 interception as a quarterback whose only varsity experience comes from non-contact 7 on 7 games in the spring at Lewisville.

“I think his play has been pretty good,” offensive coordinator Jeff Fleener said. “We’re giving him reps here and there. It’s not something that we’re throwing him in there and he’s got to go win the game for us right now.”

Quarterbacks coach Chris Moseley said that while Murray’s play has been great at times, it has also

Fresh Face Sophomore Kyler Murray helped defeat the defending state champions, Southlake Carroll, 24-0, in his first varsity game. photo by Saher Aqeel

been inconsistent.

“At times, [his play] has been spectacular, but at times not,” Moseley said. “I think he would agree with that. He has had some pretty special plays and some plays that he wished he had back and could do over. Of course we don’t get to do that.”

But even more than the stats on the field it has been Murray’s poise and ability to learn on the fly and pick up the offense that Fleener said has

grabbed his attention.

“It has been pretty impressive to see Kyler come into a unique situation when you think of where Allen works in the football world being a high profile school,” Fleener said. “[He] has come in as a 15-yearold and basically [it has] been only a month now learning the offense and our terminology.”

The comfort and poise that Murray plays with and has on the field

are something that both Fleener and Moseley accredit to Murray’s dad, who was a quarterback at Texas A&M. “I think it was something preached to him by his dad, who was a very successful quarterback at Texas A&M and played on a lot of big stages and has probably told him, ‘hey its just a game, go out there and play’,” Moseley said.

Murray said that his dad has been a big influence on his game up to this point, and he continues to help him improve.

“He tells me to go out there and do what I’ve been doing my whole life,” Murray said. “He is always there when I come out the door, telling me what I did wrong and what should’ve happened.”

Murray said he has learned from the older players on the team that the big play is not always what is needed, but that running the offense and making small plays can lead to better results.

“Cole Carter, Marcus Ward, a lot of us are cool now,” Murray said. “They just tell me to come in prepared and take the little plays. Just take what’s open.”

Moseley said that the most impressive thing about Murray is his

athletic ability and that when he has more of a grasp on the offense he will be a great piece for the Eagles in the future.

“The sky is the limit with him,” Moseley said. ”Once he gets really comfortable running our system and assuming more of a control and leadership role, I think he will be a fantastic player.”

Varsity tennis falls short of regionals with loss to Plano East Swing to story by Collin Thompson //

Victory

staff writer

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teammates that persevering is the way to win matches.

“We definitely need to work on finishing the game,” Pineda said. “We’ve been losing a lot of close matches lately. So when the match is close, just dig in even harder.”

Despite not being able to make regionals, the team beat district rivals McKinney Boyd for the first time in over five years according to assistant coach James Stinson.

“It felt amazing. Daniel was the nine all match and everybody ran on the court and tackled him when he finished and he won the third set,” senior captain Kari Helgeson said.

Helgeson, along with seniors Jessica Cobaugh, Andrew Miller and Sameer Bhalla were chosen as the varsity tennis captains for this season to lead and set a good example to other players. Quest said that the captains are taking team members under their wing and creating higher expectations than they had last year.

“I think we’ve gotten a lot better,” Quest said. “It’s one of those [times] where we lost a couple of our seniors, leaders, but the seniors that we’ve got now, they’ve done a great job, and everybody’s gotten a lot better.”

The team has also tried to find ways to increase team chemistry.

“I think we do a great job of supporting one another,” Quest said. “On-the-court encouraging

story by Katy Smith // staff writer

A

fter winning second place in the state championship in May, junior Maddie Szeryk received the title of second best golfer in the state, improving on Reach for the gold freshman Besa her last year’s title of third place.

Bwalya plays in the Eagles 10-9 win “It was exciting because I was against Coppell on Oct. 5. photo by playing with the girls and it came Klayton Carpenter down to the last hole so it was pretty intense,” Szeryk said.

Szeryk is ranked no. 67 in the Polo Golf Rankings, a system created by American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), which ranks the top junior players who have competed.

On June 26, 2012, Szeryk Kings of the court Senior Sameer Serving to victory Sophomore competed in the U.S. amateur Bhalla serves in an Eagles 10-9 win Janesse Birdsong serves to Frisco tournament for the third time in against Coppell on Oct. 5. photo by Wakeland on Sept. 28. photo by Missouri City, Texas and placed Klayton Carpenter Breanne McCallop no. 74.

“The U.S. amateur is the If we’re down in a fight we’ve never given highest amateur tournament and I up. So what I think we’re doing best right now made it to the match play which is also pretty big,” Szeryk said. is that we don’t give up, and fight hard.

Head golf coach Karen Gravely Sophomore Dillon Pineda has been Szeryk’s coach for three one another in matches, even current comfort zone of 3rd place years and said Szeryk’s dedication when somebody is playing, just in this district, then it’s limitless. gives her an advantage.

“She’s working harder on her looking over to the next court and But I can’t make that decision.” mental,” Gravely said. “She has Pineda said the best thing brought her area of misses on a saying ‘good job,’ and just keeping about this team is their will to green closer to the hole as opposed each other pumped up.”

Quest said that it’s up to the battle when losing a match and to being kind of scattered. [Her] scores are going to do nothing but players whether they are going to not give up.

“If we’re down in a fight we’ve grow.” try their hardest and give it their In order to continue to be never given up,” Pineda said. “So all. competitive and improve, Szeryk “There’s no ambiguity to it,” what I think we’re doing best right said she practices every day and Quest said. “We know what they now is that we don’t give up, and has had to make golf a priority. have, they know who I have and fight hard.”

“Golf isn’t a sport that you it’s just about doing the work and can just pick up,” Szeryk said.

“You have to work at it constantly if [this team is] willing to challenge if you want to be good.” one another and get past their

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Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

anked No. 20 in the state, the varsity tennis team’s season ended with a 8-10 loss to Plano East on Oct. 18. The Eagles finished third in district, which means they will not advance to regionals.

The team ended the season with a 14-7 record overall and a 4-5 district record. After starting out 0-3 in district matches, the team beat district opponent McKinney High 19-0 on Oct. 2, giving the Eagles more confidence.

“At the beginning of the season, we were kind of a little bit off,” sophomore Dillon Pineda said. “But as the season has progressed, we’ve been working hard a lot. We’re getting a lot better.”

The team qualified for regionals last spring, but could not overcome district rivals to make it last fall. Pineda and his partner Mustafa Ahmad, who moved to Ohio this year, placed third in regionals, but lost in the third set of their last game, which, if they had won, would have sent them to the state tournament.

“We’re still trying to break through that plateau of getting the top two in the district,” varsity tennis coach Justin Quest said.

“Traditionally we’ve always had Plano East’s number, but they got us this first round but we’ll probably see them in the district tournament.”

Pineda said he stresses to himself in his play and to his

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Point counter point

Should student athletes be allowed to play more than one sport? story by Collin Thompson// staff writer

story by Carter Adams//staff writer

Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

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f student athletes are in multiple sports then they can be at a greater risk of injury. Playing more than one sport can be good, but only if balanced properly with things that are also important for success.

Sports are important, but grades, health and social activities are all things that are just as important.

Participating in multiple sports can lead to stress related injuries.

They occur when too much stress is placed on a certain body part without the required rest time. For example both cross-country and football require the use of the muscles in an athlete’s legs. Using these muscles too often without he required rest time in between can lead to pulling, straining or even twisting certain muscles.

Injuring a muscle is not only painful, but puts a student athlete’s sports career on hold until their muscle is healed. Some injuries can even lead to a student athlete’s sports career ending permanently.

For example, concussions are one of the more dangerous and prominent sports related injuries and are caused by repeated physical contact to a person’s head.

Participating in multiple sports like football, soccer, lacrosse, hockey or any other sport where physical contact is common can increase a student athlete’s chance of receiving a concussion. With every concussion the chance of receiving another increases, and each new concussion becomes more serious.

Playing too many sports at once can even cause a decline in a

student athlete’s grades. Due to UIL competition rules, a failing grade in a class on the regular academic level can cause a suspension. UIL rules extend to all non-club high school and junior high sports including football, basketball and wrestling. Competing in too many sports decreases the amount of time a student athlete has to do homework and study. Sports that take up certain class periods, primarily first and eighth, can also lead to reduced tutoring. Practices take up time that can be used to study and do homework, and the less time students have the less homework they can do.

Along with homework, students have other interests to juggle. Sports can take up time that is needed to participate and enjoy other extra curricular activities with their friends.

The majority of clubs meet after school hours. Some colleges won’t accept students if they do not have enough activities. National Honor Society requires a certain amount service hours and participating in too many sports can reduce the amount of time spent doing things that may interest student athletes.

Playing two sports may be fun and it looks good on a college resume, but students should be careful when picking the sports they participate in. One sport can be challenging, but multiple sports can be too much to handle.

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restling. Tennis. Baseball.

Cross Country. Golf. If a student wants to play multiple sports in high school, nothing should stop them.

Due to fear of injury in a different sport, high school coaches and players often lean towards high school athletes becoming strictly one-sport athletes.

If a student is pressured by his coach or teammates to drop a contact sport for a non-contact sport because of the higher possibility of injury, but he prefers the contact sport and it gives him better opportunities, he could regret it for the rest of his life.

Partcipatiing in multiple sports gives the athlete a better understanding of sports in general than if they only played one sport, because they get more experience in competition against other teams. The more experience an athlete has will show in the mature way they play and assert themself in competition. It also makes them a better player, leader and teammate.

NFL hall of famer Deion “Prime Time” Sanders played 14 seasons with eight Pro Bowls and two Super Bowls to his name. But he also played nine seasons of professional baseball in Major League Baseball. Sanders still remains the only man in history to play in a World Series game and a Super Bowl. His playing multiple pro sports gave him a different outlook on each individual sports, making Sanders a better player.

But the biggest reason to play more than one sport is that it gives students a better chance of getting a college scholarship in sports.

College recruiters are interested in what other sports high school athletes play or have played in the past. Being involved in several sports gives an athlete more chances to get better while they become more acquainted with the leadership that comes in competition and gaining skills that can be used in other sports.

If someone plays two different sports in high school, they double the amount of college scouts that could see them and double the amount of programs that are judging to see if they are suitable for a scholarship.

Even if they aren’t the star on the team or don’t play every single second of the game, they are increasing their odds of being noticed.

High school athletes themselves should be the only ones who have a say in whether or not they can play multiple sports. They should not feel like they are letting down their coaches, their team or themselves.

They should be encouraged to play different sports and activities because it ultimately builds character and skill through the act of friendly competition. If an athlete can gain knowledge and ability that will benefit them later in their sports career from playing more than one sport in high school, then that’s exactly what they should do.

Safety first

New NFL rules benefit football players

story by Danny Ortiz // staff writer

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hen fans watch football, they expect to see great passes and catches. But what they don’t see are the countless hours of grueling therapy and medical treatment a player undergoes to make these plays. Fans don’t know what its like to be knocked unconscious in front of thousands of people, or the fear of injury that overcomes the players. This is why, as of the 2012 NFL season, Comissioner Roger Goodell has made changes to the safety rules in football, and while some don’t like to admit it, this is for the better of the players.

Examples of some of the rule changes that are now enforced in the NFL include moving the football for

kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line and handing out fines and possible suspensions for helmet to helmet hits.

During a week five game between the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III suffered a hit to the head and was taken out of the game. Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan said Griffin III sustained only a mild concussion, and according to the NFL rules no matter what the severity of the concussion is, once a player has a concussion he is no longer eligible to return to the game.

This is a smart decision by the NFL because it is a great way to prevent and decrease even worse problems.

A few weeks prior to this, Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub was also injured due to a vicious hit by Joe Mays of the Denver Broncos. Schaub laid on the field in pain with part of his ear missing, blood on his jersey and his helmet a few feet away. As a result of his vicious hit, Joe Mays was suspended for one game and received a fine for $50,000.

If these hits occurred before the new rules were created they could have resulted in only a 10 to 15 yard penalty or gone unnoticed.

Due to these new safety rules players are more aware of the consequences that will be enforced if this type of playing style continues.

Suspensions and fines will help decrease the amount of vicious and unnecessary hits that have become common. The players who deliver these hits won’t feel pain physically, unlike the player knocked out, but they will feel pain to their wallets and playing time.

Football fans should ask themselves this: Should these rules also be enforced in high school football?

High school football might be the last opportunity these students will get to play any sort of contact football, so why let these injuries interfere with this chance? How would the player feel to suddenly have something he loves doing and wishes to continue doing for the rest of his life taken away from him?

The school districts should implement these types of rules and regulations into their way of playing football. Placing the ball at the 35yard line like the NFL would be a fair way of keeping players safe. If the districts do that then they will reduce any serious injuries while running back a kick. Another rule that could be enforced would be fining the offending school for any vicious hit.

Some high schools have enforced rules to protect athletes. Allen makes every athlete take the ImPACT test before their season to determine if they are eligible to take part in any type of sporting event. High schools also enforced a rule that states if a football player gets his helmet knocked off during a play he is forced to sit out at least one play.

These students should at least get a chance to make their dreams of playing football on any level a reality.

If these students suffer a serious injury such as a torn ACL, torn MCL, broken neck or broken spine, that can end their career in their early teen years. Although ending an NFL

player’s football career in the middle of their prime is bad, the athlete already had a chance to play the game, but in middle school or high school, a student is just getting started and it would feel worse.

Many people believe that all of these rule changes take away some of the joy in watching the game of football. Fans complain about the penalties being called, and all of the fines and suspensions being given out. But what they don’t stop and think about is that if these rules aren’t enforced and these injuries don’t decrease, then the superstars on their favorite team could get hurt and that will take away even more of the joy from football.

Rate your reactions:

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On a scale of 1-10, how nervous do you get before a big game, match or meet?

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6

Cross Country

Roma Bhandarkar

Swimming

Sheridan Ralston

“Because I don’t want to mess up everything right before, like, the meet that actually counts.”

7

Jesus Gaona

“Because I worry about just defeating our opponent and not really about getting nervous and anything.”

Tennis

3

“I get nervous because I imagine every situation going wrong. I just imagine missing the wall or falling off. I just feel like I can’t fail my team.”

Volleyball

“Because I’m worried about how the school is [going to be.] Like I want to play my best and I don’t want to disappoint my team or myself.”

Chad Adams

Football “I like to stay calm, I just like to get in my zone, and I’m not really a nervous person.”

graphic by Akshay Mirchandani // sports editor

the sports angle Golf

Swimming

From Sept. 21-22, the golf Varsity Boys 1 team played in the Bart Granger Memorial and placed 30th, while on Sept. 19 the Varsity Boys 2 team placed first in the Michael Ebanbs Memorial.

The Varsity Girls 1 team placed fourth in the Antigua National High School Golf Invitational from Sept. 6-7, and the Varsity Girls 2 team placed second in the Raider Fall Classic on Sept. 17.

The boys swim team beat McKinney Boyd but fell to Plano West in the same meet. The girls varsity team beat both McKinney Boyd and Plano West. On Oct. 16 the team had a meet against Plano and McKinney at home. The boys lost to Plano and beat McKinney, while the girls beat both Plano and McKinney.

Sept. 17-22

Hockey Sept. 21

Volleyball

The hockey team began their season with an 8-5 loss to McKinney.

The team is currently 0-5.

The volleyball team clinched a playoff spot on Oct. 19 by beating McKinney 3-0. As the Eagle Angle goes to press, the team was 19-16 with a 4-5 record in their district, which puts them in fourth place in the district. The team’s final game will be on Oct. 23 against Plano.

Sept. 27

Sept. 28

Football The football team is currently 6-1 on the season and 2-0 in district. Their only loss was on Sept. 28 when the Coppell Cowboys beat them 27-24.

They played Plano West on Oct. 19 and won 47-25. Check out the theeagleangle.com for photos and reaction.

Oct. 4

compiled by the Eagle Angle sports staff

Allen High School // Issue 1 // October 22, 2012

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Hailey Jensen

Serve it up T

he volleyball team’s next game will be Oct. 23 against Plano Senior high school. As The Eagle Angle went to press, Plano Senior is 20-7 and Allen is 19-16.

“Sometimes we’ll get down on each other when we’re losing during a match and as a team I hope we work better to keep it positive on the floor instead of blaming other people and pointing fingers, which we do sometimes,” senior Madison Lee said. “Personal goals, I think it’s just kind of working on every aspect for the game so I can prepare myself for college and future volleyball.”

Volleyball starts bi-district playoffs Oct. 29-30, regionals Nov. 8-10 and state Nov. 11-15. story by Katelyn Moody & Laura Pitts // staff writers

Ace the Serve (top left) On

Sept. 18, senior Kim Bell serves the ball to their opponent the Hebron Hawks. The girls lost their match with a final of 1-3. photo by Madyson Russell

Hitting hard (top right)

Junior Hannah Walsh hits the ball to set up a spike against their 1-3 loss against McKinney Boyd on Oct. 16. photo by Laura Hallas

Going for the kill (middle)

During the varsity volleyball game against Plano Senior on Oct. 5, sophomore Kaitlyn Blake spikes the ball against their opponent. The Lady Eagles lost their match with a final of 1-3. photo by Klayton Carpenter

Bring it in (bottom left) As the girls huddle together, varsity girls volleyball coach Kelley Gregoriew directs the players during their 1-3 loss against the Hebron Hawks on Sept. 18. photo by Madyson Russell

Rally time (bottom right)

In another 1-3 defeat, juniors Hannah Walsh and Camryn Freiberg and sophomore Kaitlyn Blake celebrate after scoring a point in their Sept. 18 game against Hebron. photo by Madyson Russell