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EA Eagle Angle Newspaper

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feature, sports and opinions stories

According to the Pew Research Center, 14 percent of Americans have some type of tattoo. Students share their opinions about tattoos and adults discuss the impact they have in the professional world.

A personal statement: Tattoos >> 10-11 photo Illustration by Erin Vetter with contributions from Jacob Boline Pictured: senior Colten King

Students share experiences with ADD/ADHD >> 7-9 A personal statement: Tattoos >> 10-11 Graduation 2013 >> 12 Sirious about art >> 13 Different kind of strong >> 14-15 Researching the senses >> 16-17 Weathering the language barrier >> 18 Year in pull quotes >> 19

Feature:

Staffers review Texas sports teams

Sports:

Junior active in ballet company

37 24

Benefits of athletic families >> 26

No coach like Coach Carter >> 27 Allen athletes look back on experiences >> 28-29 Year in review >> 30-31

32

Latest Iron Man sets tone for Avengers

Opinions:

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Smaller, patient world after all >> 34 Death to the Penny (and friends) >> 34 Teens unprepared for morning after choice >> 35 Th(ink) about it >> 35 Dear juniors, sophomores and freshman >> 36 North Korea a threat to my family’s safety >> 36 Another season in Dallas >>

37 Large school exposure benefits athletes>> 37 Reviewing with The Eagle Angle >> 38-39

EA Eagle Angle Newspaper

Editor-In-Chief

Policy:

Staff Writers Alexis Mane Ashley Acosta

Lydia Gardner

Managing Editor Grace Lee

Callie Anderson

Sports Editor

Collin Thompson

Akshay Mirchandani

Business Manager

Damian Sroka Danny Ortiz

Breanne McCallop

Harrison Geosits

Assistant Editors

Jarret Rogers

Megan Lucas Victoria Erb

Jessica Alaniz Katelyn Moody

Online Editor Rebecca Barney

Kendall Hays Klayton Carpenter Laura Hallas

Operations Manager

Laura Pitts Lucy Boys

Kailey Warren

Assistant Online Editor

McKenzi Morris

Layout Editor

Maggie Rians

Madyson Russell

Madeline Martin

Photo Editor

Nini Truong Rebecca Cernadas

Saher Aqeel

1000 copies of each issue are distributed on campus to faculty and students. Content may be viewed online at 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 Any errors found within the publication will be rescinded in the following issue.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 Conference and JEA/ NSPA.

Rebecca Moss Zane Dean

Allen High School

//

300 Rivercrest Blvd. Allen, Texas 75002

//

972-727-0400

//

eagleanglestaff@yahoo.com

Letter from the Editor

E

verybody love everybody.

Ok, the end.

There is absolutely no other way to succinctly sum up a staff like the 2012-2013 Newspaperians.

Our unofficial staff motto says everything I want to tell them and tell you, the readers. I love my staff, and I love this newspaper. For the past three years, I’ve identified myself as a member of The Eagle Angle.

The newspaper is my home, my family and my life. If you’re a random reader, you might think I’m exaggerating. So let me try to explain what motivates me and the editors to spend on average, 20 hours a week just in the newspaper room.

It’s a pretty cool room.

We spend a lot of time lying on the weird, tile-but-not floor and the tall tables. We have an endless cycle of paper people strewn all over the place. One wall is dedicated to the multiple awards we’ve accumulated, and the wall opposite is covered by a bright yellow paper with baby pictures of the staff and dozens of sticky notes quoting some of our most embarrassing and hilarious newspaper moments.

K109 is one of the few rooms that someone can just causually climb onto a table or prop their feet up on a chair witthout feeling weird. I feel like I spend

more time there than I do in my fully describe what own room, minus sleeping. But it’s like to be an Eagle instead of sharing with a sibling, Angle Newspaperian, I get to share with 32 other let alone the EditorNewspaperians, and that rocks. in-Chief. I could easily Honestly, it’s fun. I throw fill this page with a Jolly Ranchers at the staff, we giant list of memories have staff issue parties, we and thanks yous to become ecstatic when we chose me superhero-esque the right font or the dreaded editor, and bragged Spinning Wheel of Death about every individual quickly disappears from our staffer. Because in screen. Newspaper is our thing, the end, this paper and it’s unique. Yes, our lives is about all of us. are run by too-soon deadlines, It’s about what we miscommunication and sassy create for you, and comments, but fighting through the awesome roller this together has forged iron- coaster ride that we thick friendships that will last. enjoy while we do it.

We’re constantly trying to So thank you, editors, be better for you, the reader. for your patience, Every story we publish has at you momentously least three (sometimes four, hard work and your five, six or more) drafts, and passion. To the rest of each draft is edited by 3 different my staff, thank you editors. The photographers take for putting up with hundreds of photo to have one, my fast talk and bad maybe two published, and we throwing skills, and redesign pages over and over thank for learning and loving. until we think they’re ready. My To my best friends and parents, staff sacrifices an innumerable your listening ears and putting amount of time, feelings, ideas, up with my obsession meant you name it, so that we create more to me than you will ever the best product that we can. I know. To the school, thanks for dare you to find something more the last 13 years of my life, and awesome than the privilege thanks for reading. of leading a team that will R e m e m b e r only accept excellence. (Hint: Newspaperians, everybody nothing is more awesome.) love everybody.

It is literally impossible to story by Lydia Gardner // editor-in-chief

Features art by C.J. Kimberlin

Fighting for focus

C

ourtney, move your desk.”

She can’t focus. Her mind races a million miles a minute as her teacher commands her to move her desk for the fourth time. Sevenyear-old Courtney Parchman is mentally incapable of completing the task at hand. At this moment, Parchman realized something was wrong.

The diagnosis and ADD symptoms

Now a junior, Parchman was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder when she was 8 years old. ADD is a disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of impulsiveness, a short attention span and hyperactivity.

“When I was first diagnosed with ADD, I didn’t really know what it was,” Parchman said. “Before my diagnosis, my mom said that she would put something in my hands and ask me to walk upstairs and put it in my room, and I just could never do it. It would take me forever because so many little things would distract me.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ADD symptoms include difficulties with focusing, forgetfulness and daydreaming. Parchman said she experienced similar symptoms.

“Whenever I’m not on my medicine, I am really hyper, and my mind goes a billion miles per hour, and I get distracted by everything,” Parchman said. “I am like a puppy when I am not on [my medicine]. I’ll continued on pg. 8-9 >>

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Students share experiences with

ADD/ADHD <<continued from pg. 6-7 have paper in my hands, and I’ll start tearing it, and I won’t even realize that I just tore up my homework.”

I’ll have paper in my hands, and I’ll start tearing it, and I won’t even realize that I just tore up my homework.”

Even though her ADD is mild, Parchman said that the disorder still affects her. She said that she played softball since elementary school through this past year, and the sport is one of the main reasons she started taking ADD medicine.

“I played at third base, which is the hot corner, and balls come at me really fast,” Parchman said. “There were a lot of times where I would stare off in space, and there [are] a lot of safety issues involved in that.

The medicine definitely helped, and it is a lot easier for me to stay focused.”

Although the medicine improves her ability to focus more, Parchman said that her ADD medicine has side effects. She said these side effects include a loss of appetite and a change in her sleeping schedule.

“It is physically impossible for me to sleep while I am on [the medicine], which is good because in class, I cannot fall asleep,” Parchman said. “If I take it too late, I won’t be able to sleep. “I can’t really eat when I am on it. Food looks disgusting. And it helps me focus more which is one of the good things that comes with it.”

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder patients also have to learn to cope with these side effects. ADD is a similar disorder that causes inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Although ADD and ADHD appear to have similar aspects such as the inability to focus, these disorders have differences as well.

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Life with ADHD

ADHD, ADD in the classroom

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P

ophomore Dallas Thornley was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 12 years old. Like Parchman, Thornley said his ADHD medicine helps him concentrate more when he plays lacrosse.

Compared to ADHD, ADD describes people who have difficulty paying attention but are not significantly impulsive or overactive. ADHD deals more with these hyperactive and spontaneous behaviors but still contributes to the inability to focus.

“I was a troublemaker in seventh grade so that is when I discovered I had ADHD,” Thornley said. “It was really bad so that’s why I had to get on the medicine. I was really hyperactive. I couldn’t focus on one thing for a long period of time.”

After taking their medicine, both Parchman and Thornley said that they saw a noticeable difference in their schoolwork and grades. Before taking her ADD medicine, Parchman said that she was a straight B student, but the medicine improved her ability to concentrate in class, which raised her Bs to As. Thornley also said that taking his ADHD medicine on a daily basis resulted in better grades.

“When I first found out that I had ADHD, my grades started to drop because I was more aware of it,” Thornley said. “But when I got on the medicine, my grades started coming back up again. My medicine really helps me focus.”

re-AP English II teacher Brittany Castillo said that she has at least one student with ADHD or ADD in each of her classes. In order to make sure that these students are on the same level as her other students, she offers tutoring at the beginning of each school day, when she goes over the lesson she plans to teach that day. She said she also prints off agendas for some students and frequently makes sure they are on task.

“There are things that I do for them to make sure they will understand the directions and making sure they are on task,” Castillo said. “I make sure they master a certain thing before they move on so they don’t feel overwhelmed.”

Castillo said she thinks it is important to understand students with specific needs such as ADHD and ADD. She said at least two of her students have learned to cope with their disorders. Due to the students’ ability to deal with the disorder, she said that if she did not have a list that named the students who have these disorders, then she would not have guessed that some of these students actually have the disorders.

“Without understanding a student on a personal level, you don’t have the compassion you need to teach them,” Castillo said. “They are just another face and another student you teach. When you actually sit and talk to the person, they actually become a person who has real needs. You not only have to help these kids, you want to help them.”

11.9 % of children surveyed aged 12-17

had been told they had ADHD

12.1 % of males were told they had ADHD 4.8 % of females were told

ADHD, ADD in everyday life

T

hornley and Parchman both said that that their peers do not treat them differently because of their disorder.

They both said that besides sports and schoolwork, the disorders do not majorly affect their everyday lives. “[People] don’t treat me differently,” Thornley said. “But they are aware that I have ADHD and know that may be why I am not paying attention in class one day.

They realize it’s because of my ADHD.” Although her ADD makes focusing difficult, Parchman said she has a positive outlook on the disorder because it keeps her entertained.

“Because of my ADD, I am never bored,” Parchman said. “There is something I can always be entertained by. Whether it’s the carpet or people, I’ll find something, so that’s always good.

It’s just cool that I can find little things so entertaining, and I can be entertained literally all the time.”

“

story by Maggie Rians // staff writer

Causes include:

Genetics Brain injury Environmental exposures (e.g., lead) Alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy Premature delivery Low birth weight information from CDC

Because of my ADD,

I am never bored.

There is something

I can always be entertained by. Whether it’s the carpet or people,

I’ll find something. junior Courtney Parchman

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photos SaherAqeel Aqeel photos by by Saher

Students offer opinions about tattoos

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“I plan on getting one on my back between my shoulder blades, and another one on my hip,” senior Chaand Lakhani said. “No one else can see them except for me. I’m getting them in places that if I want you to see it and want you to be a part of that experience then I can.”

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“[My tattoo is] a heart and it has puzzle pieces in it, and the pieces represent autism and I got it for my brother who is autistic,” junior Kayla Woodard said. “I kinda wanted to make a statement and have [autism] be recognized more, let it represent him on me.”

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“My religion is against them and we don’t want to dirty up our body,” senior Taylor Heidenreich said.

“And personally, I don’t want a needle going through my skin. I want to honor my religion and their standards about it”

“This one on my shoulder is to cure diabetes,” junior Gage Cash said. “I’m always going to be there for my sister. [...] Everything on my body, it’s going to be tatted up, in the past its been [for] my family, but its gonna be about what happens in my future.”

“I think they look really cool, and “[My mom had cancer] and her I love ’em,” senior Sharanya chance of surviving was like 25 to 30 Ajaykumar said. “But I am just a very percent, and she did survive so I got indecisive person so I don’t think I the tattoo for her,” senior Andrew could have something that permanent on me, Waszkiewicz said. “I kind of think of it as especially when nothing like super significant art. I plan to get a lot more tattoos here soon, this summer.” compiled by Megan Lucas // has happened in my life to symbolize it.” assistant editor

A Personal Statement 72%

of tattooed adults have nonvisible tattoos

38%

of 18-29 year olds have a tattoo

28%

of tattooed adults have visible tattoos

Tattoos in the professional world

A

ngel wings. A Japanese cherry blossom tree. Thick, banded ovals twisted around an ankle.

They’re tattoos, ink on skin, a permanent design. But in the working world, they’re often covered by slacks or shirtsleeves, Band-Aids or socks.

According to the Pew Research Center, about 14 percent of Americans have some type of tattoo, and traditionally, tattoos have been considered unprofessional when it comes to entering the workforce.

The Allen ISD employee handbook requires that tattoos be covered in the workplace. According to chemistry teacher Jaclyn Pessel, this rule is accepted and understood among the teachers.

“I think it’s kind of a respect thing,” Pessel said. “There’s no need to let ’em show.”

Executive Principal Steve Payne said the rule is in place to promote a professional, neat working environment, and he has seen teachers use Band-Aids to cover their tattoos. “[Dress] should be in a manner that represents the district well, that represents the employer well,” Payne said. “It should

be one that supports the standards of the community, just respectable, and doesn’t detract, doesn’t cause a disruption.”

Pessel has a tattoo of angel wings on her lower back that she got when she was 19 to remember a friend who had passed away.

On the left side of her torso, she also has a Japanese cherry blossom tree tattoo that matches one her best friend has. Both are covered by her everyday work wear.

“I got them in a place people won’t see, it’s a place that wasn’t going to affect me,” Pessel said. “That was the intention when I got them. I wanted to know, in the future, are these going to affect my career or anything in that sort because I didn’t want that to happen.”

A purchasing manager at Texas Instruments, Chris Miksa has thick, banded ovals tattooed around his ankle. Although there is no official policy against tattoos at TI, Miksa said that he believes there is a prejudice against people with visible tattoos in the professional world.

“Fortunately, since I wear slacks at work, [my tattoo] doesn’t affect me too much,” Miksa said. “I work with people that have them. They don’t make any effort to

hide them, but I would say from a career standpoint, it could potentially hurt them, that if they’re being considered for a promotion or being considered to manage other people, I could see somebody thinking twice about promoting them because they have a tattoo.”

Payne said he thinks tattoos are becoming more mainstream, and as more young adults enter the work force with tattoos, some of the bias is bound to change.

“This year, I see tattoos that are all up and down the leg, or up the shoulder, I mean I’ve never seen that,” Payne said. “Kids used to hide them, but it [has] become so mainstream they don’t hide ’em. So I think what’s gonna happen is that so many young adults have tattoos, they’re either not going to get the job, or the employer is going to have to accept it.”

Miksa said he thinks this bias comes from a stigma that lingers from the older generation.

“I guess my point is that today it does affect people in the workplace, that would be my take on it,” Miksa said. “Because that bias may be getting softer, but it’s still there.” story by Megan Lucas // assistant editor

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From the Coliseum...

... to Eagle Stadium

S

ince 1998 the University of North Texas has hosted graduation in the Coliseum for all but one year.

Graduation will be held for the first time at Eagle Stadium this year on June 7 at 8 p.m.

Executive Principal Steve Payne said he expects between 1,260 and 1,275 out of 1,305 seniors to walk the stage. House 600 Principal Jared Miller said band, choir and orchestra students will also be performing at the ceremony, something that is

new because UNT was unable great facility that we have over to provide ample space. there in Eagle Stadium. I think “I feel like we’re starting we’re creating a new tradition.” a new tradition,” Miller said, “one that’s for the better of everybody involved, whether story by Victoria Erb & it’s the school, the students, the Kendall Hays // assistant editor & staff writer community, especially with the

From start to finish Wtih a two and a half hour long ceremony, the senior with the first and last name share their thoughts about the upcoming event.

Lanya Abdulkarem: Q: How do you feel about being the first person to walk across the stage?

A: I think it’s awesome because I get to lead everyone in; all [the] kids, and I haven’t even gone here for that long. It’s only my second year at Allen, so it feels pretty cool because I feel like I’ve connected with everyone else.

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Q: How do you feel about having to wait for everyone else to get their diploma?

A: I’ll have some thinking time to reevaluate my life and be like oh my gosh high school is ending, but I actually don’t mind, and I

think it’s amazing to even be able to make it this far.

Q: How do you feel about graduating in the stadium this year instead of UNT? A: I think it’s so awesome.

It makes us even more connected especially with all of the football games because there’s so many memories in the stadium, and it’s nice to be able to create another one in there.

Q: What do you think the pros and cons are of being first?

A:The pro is just being first, and all the attention is on me, but the con is that if I mess up everyone is going to be like ok don’t follow her example. I don’t have an example to follow, so I have to set the example.

Jose Zuzunaga: Q: How do you feel about having to wait for everyone before you can get your diploma?

A: That’s probably going to be the worst part. It’s going to take forever.

Q: How do you feel about graduating at the stadium instead of UNT this year?

A: I think it will be fun. It will be great. I feel special to be the first [class] to ever graduate there.

Q: What do you think the pros and cons are of being last to graduate?

A: Pros, I think I’ll get a lot of claps at the end, and [the con] is probably the waiting.

Sirious about

J

unior Siri Anderson remembers making her first artwork, drawing her and her sisters as pokemon trainers and hiding little hand drawn pokemon drawings around the house.

Eleven years later, she stands in the McKinney Performing Arts Center stunned and speechless as she hears her name called as the Grand Prize winner of the Sam Johnson Congressional Art Competition.

“I got really, really red, and I was just really, really flustered,” Anderson said.

“There were camera flashes everywhere and I really, really didn’t know how to handle myself honestly.”

Anderson submitted a painting titled “Stardust” in the 2013 Sam Johnson Congressional Art Competition and received first place at the award ceremony on May 2. Her artwork will be displayed in the corridor leading to the U.S. Capitol for a year. She is the first person from Allen to win this contest since 2003.

“I think this is the best piece I’ve done all year,” Anderson said. “My teacher Mr. Garrott really likes it a lot, and he was the one that suggested I enter it.”

The submitted pieces had to be original and 2-dimensional. She competed against about 80 other entries from Collin County. More than 400 other congressional districts around the country held related competitions, and a winner was chosen from each district through online voting.

The voting was open to the public.

“I think it was really surreal for her,” Anderson’s boyfriend Zach Leonard said.

“I don’t think she’s ever really grasped, or probably will ever grasp, winning it.”

“Stardust” is a painting of a girl standing in a field of flowers, watching a star shoot across the night sky. Anderson said the oil painting is inspired by a series of dreams she used to have. The painting was made using oil paint. Anderson said that oil paint is her favorite medium, because it does not dry quickly, so the artist can work with it over an extended period of time.

“Honestly, I feel like this is a piece that I really connected with,” Anderson said. “I thought of it, and it ended up being better

art

than the result that I had in my mind ,which never happens.”

In the future, Anderson said she plans on double majoring in art and psychology, and then getting a master’s in art therapy to help children.

“Usually children who have to go through therapy don’t really know how to say what they are feeling, or what’s really happening to them, so it’s easier for them to draw it,” Anderson said. “There’s always all those cool psychological stuff that goes into it, so it’s really really fascinating to me and I’ve always known that I have wanted to work and help children, and also do art.”

For winning, Anderson got a flag that was flown over the Capitol in her honor, as well as two tickets to Washington, D.C., on June 26 to see her art displayed in the corridor leading to the Capitol and to tour the Capitol. She also got a minimum $3000 scholarship to Savanna College of Art and Design and SCAD university.

“As a city, and more specifically as a school, Allen ISD is extremely honored, we are extremely proud that Siri is representing us,” IB art teacher John Garrott said. “It’s just a really, really great honor for the school, and she’s representing our school really well through this competition.” story by Zane Dean // staff writer

Artistic attention (Top)

Junior Siri Anderson works on a purple watercolor painting in the art room on date xx. photo

by Saher Aqeel

Seeing stars On May 2, junior Siri Anderson accepts the first place prize for the Sam Johnson Congressional Art Competition at the McKinney Performing Arts Center. photo submitted by Siri Anderson

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Different kind of strong Jason Hickman: irish dancing

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t’s Saturday morning, and fifth-grader Jason Hickman gets a call from his friend who asks, “Do you want to come try this Irish dance class?”

Despite being pretty close to turning him down, Hickman accepted the invitation.

Now, seven years later, senior Hickman is ranked 14th in the world for Irish dance.

Hickman dances with the Maguire Academy of Irish Dance in Dallas. He goes to dance class three to four times a week and also stretches and practices at home in his garage to stay limber. As a dancer, he said he sacrifices his social time, as well as having average joints and muscles.

“Almost every single joint in my body will crack just from walking and stretching,” Hickman said. “I have random muscle pains all the time, and my knees are probably going to start hurting when I’m 30. It’s really taxing.”

At Irish dance competitions, each competitor has three dances: a hard shoe round and a soft shoe round, followed by the dancer’s unique set dance, which is performed only if they place high enough with their first two performances. Hickman said two of his favorite dances are this soft shoe dance for this year, “The Real,” and his set dance, also for this year, titled “The Vanishing Lake.”

“I like ‘The Real’ because it’s light shoe, and you can just kind of fly around,” Hickman said.

“You can kind of defy gravity even. My set dance was just really special to me.”

At his studio, Hickman said there are 20 girls for every one guy and that the stereotype of mainly girls dancing can be frustrating.

“I put my body through hell for at least eight hours a week,” Hickman said. “I have more physical stamina than a lot of people out there, and it takes a lot of athleticism for people to do it, yet I’m still mistaken for being a ‘sissy’ or whatever because I’m male and I dance.”

In the future Hickman said he wants to win the “big globe trophy” at the World Championships, and then go on to make a career out of performing and teaching dance. This summer Hickman will be auditioning for the Riverdance show in Dublin and could possibly move there if he gets the part. Hickman said his advice for other guy dancers is if dancing is their dream, then just keep doing it.

“Don’t be ashamed of it because it’s different and it’s cool,” Hickman said. “If you love it and it’s your passion, just disregard what people think because that’s their issue.”

Stephen McCabe : break dancing

H

e says breakdancing is like being in a real battle.

But instead of fighting and action, he explains it as expressing a feeling through movements.

The winner? Whoever puts on the best show.

“It’s a thrill,” sophomore Stephen McCabe said. “It’s fun to watch and learn new things and see their styles because every dancer has a different style. It’s just really cool to just see them [and be] like, ‘Whoa, I want to try that.’”

While McCabe, who has been breakdancing for a year now, has yet to actually participate in a dance competition, he goes to watch the other competitors. He was influenced to start dancing after watching dancer Victor Kim, a member of Quest Crew, on the third season of “America’s Best Dance Crew.”

“He’s an inspiration to me personally because he’s a breakdancer and won ABDC,” McCabe said. “He also plays guitar, ukulele, piano and drums. That’s where I get my inspiration from because he’s really good. He

started all of this.”

McCabe plays the same instruments as Kim and said he incorporates his music interests with dance.

“I can make up my own beats for what I want to dance to,” McCabe said. “It depends on what kind of mood I’m in, like different songs.

It can be soft, it can be hard, it can be anything.”

About two months ago, after talking to his friend, senior Jonathan Truong, McCabe joined the Oklahoma-based dance crew Team Kyoto.

McCabe said the crew is more similar to a family than a partnership.

“They’re a real crew,” McCabe said.

“They’ve actually helped me a lot through these times. They’ve taught me how life can lead through dancing.”

At the high school, McCabe is in Dance I and as a result has tried styles other than breakdancing, such as contemporary, jazz, tap and modern. McCabe said that dance is now his life.

“I love it,” McCabe said. “It’s really important to me. Even if somebody told me to stop, I would never stop. I just love it.”

“

“

I put my body through hell for at least eight hours a week, I have more physical stamina than a lot of people out there, and it takes a lot of athleticism for people to do it, yet I’m still mistaken for being a ‘sissy’ or whatever because I’m male and I dance. senior Jason Hickman

Daniel Brobston: ballet

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t is one of the worst memories of his dance career.

Junior Daniel Brobston’s men’s ballet class at the Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington, D.C. summer intensive was three hours long, and the students were not allowed to have water.

The Russian instructor just said, “I Russian.

I make you tough.”

“It really didn’t accomplish much,” Brobston said. “I think that was sort of for the tough factor, rather than actually improving anything. Everyone pretty much just ran to the water fountain after.”

Brobston has been dancing since seventh grade, when he decided to try ballet after being pulled out of Ereckson Middle School to be homeschooled and is currently a company member at the Allen Civic Ballet. This is his first year back at public school While he has done Horton technique, flamenco and Indian, Brobston said his favorite style of dance is ballet.

“There’s so much strength, and you have to put so much into [ballet],” Brobston said. “When

photos by Saher Aqeel

you watch a pro do it, it just looks so clean.”

During the week Brobston practices in class for three hours every day and six or seven hours on the weekends. At his studio he is the only male in the company with 22 girls.

“You get used to it,” Brobston said.

“Mentally, especially if you’re the only guy, you have to deal with all the girls’ drama. You have to be neutral.”

At the Kirov intensive, however, Brobton was not the only male, which allowed him to judge where he was at in comparison to other male dancers.

“Especially in this era, there are not very many guys in ballet,” Brobston said. “At my studio I’m the only one, so I sort of feel like I’m walking in the dark. At Kirov there were 18 guys total, so I felt competition. Half the guys I got to be really good friends with, and the other half of guys I hated. You really get competition, especially ones you don’t like when they can do something better than you, you just feel like, ‘I’m going to push myself. I’m going to do better than you.’”

This summer Brobston will attend another intensive for five weeks with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Brobston hopes to become a professional dancer following college at the University of Oklahoma and is interested in performing with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Company.

“They’re kind of what I’m looking at because I’ve known a few people that have gone there, and it seems like a really good company,” Brobston said. “Hopefully after this summer, I’ll have a really good idea about it.”

Brobston said the reason he dances is because he likes how strong dance is, though it is presented effortlessly “I’ve always really liked sports and all that, but I mean look at my size. I can’t be a linebacker,” Brobston said. “It really feels like I can do something that all those big guys can’t. I can be really strong, and I can lift a girl and smile at the same time.” stories by Kailey Warren & Madeline Martin // online editor & staff writer

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Researching the

B 16

ell’s palsy isn’t considered a serious disease. There is no “Walk for Bell’s palsy,” no ribbon to put on the bumper of a car. In fact, for 95 percent of people with the condition it fades away in anywhere from two weeks to six months.

But for the other 5 percent, Bell’s palsy doesn’t fade away. Half of their face will be paralyzed for the rest of their lives, because

there is no known treatment or cure. Senior Nabeel Akram is part of this 5 percent.

“It is not easy to live with obviously because of people thinking that it is funny, you get a lot of mockery from it,” Akram said. “Essentially, it is a once in a lifetime kind of thing that you see.”

Bell’s palsy causes paralysis on one side of the face when a cranial nerve is pinched or enflamed, which cuts of the electrical current

sending signals from the brain to muscles in the face. Akram is working to create a prototype that could potentially reconnect the nerve. If successful, the design could treat a variety of paralysis cases such as cerebral palsy and spinal paralysis. “[My prototype] will affect not only me, but people who are coming from like war, paralysis people who have limbs cut off [...] it

senses

Senior investigates possible paralysis treatment not only affects me, but it is kind of on a global scale,” Akram said. “I not only want to do this for myself and people who have Bell’s palsy, but also for everyone else as who deals with nerve damage.”

Akram was born with the paralysis on the right side of his face and will have it for the rest of his life. But he saw a possibility to avoid this last year when he began to learn about epigenetics, the study of how disease occurs from a random family gene, in his AP biology class. As the only one in his family with the condition, he said he was intrigued.

“I was wondering, ‘How does [epigenetics] relate to me?’” Akram said.

“So I started researching and I started looking up stuff about Bell’s palsy and how it occurs, and I was just thinking in my head, getting ideas of different prototypes.”

He found that a combination of stem cells and a small carbon tube could be an option. He could use stem cells to reconnect the nerve and then ensure that the current flows through by utilizing carbon’s conductive properties to make a small tube and encapsulating the new nerve.

“If I actually end up creating this prototype, it could be beneficial and could be rewarding for me,” Akram said. “I have worked so hard for something that I really care about, and the invention [can have a] huge benefit for the rest of the world, so people don’t have to deal with what I have dealt with for my entire life.”

Akram spent approximately six months asking others’ opinions on the prototype, wanting feedback on whether they thought he would be able to make it happen. He said that many people were critical at first, and even his friends doubted whether his project would ever get off the ground. However, near the end of the first semester he brought his idea to AP Biology teacher Lee Ferguson, looking to find out whether the concept was even possible.

“I was just kind of a sounding board, like ‘Hey, does this sound totally far fetched or not?’” Ferguson said. “That is how all research starts, with a question, asking is this possible,

“

and they take it upon themselves to see if that question can be answered.”

Ferguson said she believed that the idea was feasible. At her suggestion, Akram took his question to the University of Texas at Dallas’ neurobiology department in December, where he was soon connected to professor Majid Minary and mechanical engineering major Velta Ayivi. Ayivi had mentored two other students before Akram, though she says that his persistence in pursuing his concept sets him apart from other students.

“He was really committed to what he was

scientific discoveries that have happened, they have all happened as the result of somebody being persistent, having a lot of tenacity. They didn’t [give] up easily. No good discovery would happen if people just laid down and gave up.”

The prototype is not yet a reality, but Akram plans to continue his research as a freshman at UTD next year, where he has received a full ride, and will continue his path in mechanical engineering, specializing in biomechanics. His prototype could serve as an alternative to prosthetic limbs or being confined to a wheelchair. He says this can help others avoid what he has suffered.

“The emotional pain along with the physical pain that doesn’t show, you have to fight through it,” Akram said. “The best you can do is educate people about it and say, I’m doing this. It’s not only making a change for the world, but it is making a change for yourself that you can implement.”

Akram said that he is grateful for his opportunity to work at UTD and is looking forward to continuing. Akram already has a project and will be allowed to continue his research as a freshman, even though underclassmen are not usually permitted to do research.

“I am thankful, I am humbled by it, I am proud of what I have done so far,” Akram said.

“I mean, the job is not done because there is so much more to do, so much more to explore and learn for me. Being a high school student, my opportunities are essentially limitless.”

Akram said that he just wants to make an impact on the world with his design, and looks forward to when his own condition could be cured. “[My research] is more of a passion and drive,” Akram said. “If you are passionate about something you will do it, it is just to see that something that I have done can affect so many people. I am thankful and humble about it, and the job is not done until I have actually made a prototype and actually changed myself.”

[My research] is more of a passion and drive. If you are passionate about something, you will do it. It is just to see that something that I have done can affect so many people.

“

Nabeel Akram

doing, and that is really great to see that, because after a while, in the research world, and [if] the professor is busy, you kind of give up, but you cannot give up,” Ayivi said.“That’s what is great, it is like what made me want to do research with him the first place.”

Akram utilyzed the labs and materials at UTD to study the individual aspects of his design.

He made a prototype on an online program called Blender, researched the conductivity and pH levels of materials to see if they would be compatible with human tissue and created his case to obtain funding. Akram is currently waiting to present his idea to a symposium of professors at UTD who will decide if he will be allowed grant funding to continue research.

Students have opportunities to present their ideas throughout the school year.

Ferguson said Akram is a good candidate for the grants because he is persistent and tenacious, and these characteristics are often rewarded in funding.

“If you are going into research, those are two characteristics that you really need to have,” Ferguson said. “Think about all of the great

story by Laura Hallas // staff writer photo by Saher Aqeel

17 >>

Weathering the language barrier

On Air During a taping of the morning announcements on May 20, senior Gester Veas reports the weather in the KGLE-3 studio. photo by Saher Aqeel

KGLE weather broadcaster moves from Chile, learns English in 3 years

F

18

lashing back to her sophomore year, senior Gester Veas remembers feeling nervous about her first appearance on the morning announcements. Afraid that her lack of English skills would mess her up, she took a deep breath and began her weather segment.

Three years ago, Veas moved from Santiago, Chile, during her sophomore year and exchanged her small all-girls Catholic high school and radio show for a large high school and a position on broadcast. Within three years, she learned English. “[My school in Chile] was really different compared to here,” Veas said. “It was really small, and there weren’t a lot of people.”

Veas began learning English in an ESL class, where she met film teacher Dusty Parrish while working on a project that required students to perform a short piece in front of a camera. Since then, she has regularly appeared on the morning announcements.

“I wanted to target students that may have more obstacles in their way. One of

those [obstacles] is a language barrier,” Parrish said. “I’m not saying just give them the opportunity. I’m just saying here’s an opportunity, if you want it, come and see me. Guess what? Not everyone did that. But [Gester] did.”

According to Veas, the English language was the most difficult obstacle in assimilating into American culture. However, she said she practiced by speaking with her mother in only English and watching American television shows, such as “The Regular Show” and “Spongebob Squarepants.”

“We speak English at home so [my] mom can [learn], and we watch TV in only English,” Veas said. “I watch Spongebob all the time. I used to watch ‘The Regular Show’ and put subtitles under to help me.

It helps [me] pronounce the word and how to write it.”

Veas’ broadcast friend senior Maria Delgado said Veas was shy when she first joined broadcast. In the past year, they have become close and often hang outside of school and broadcast.

“After I got to know her, she became a lot more outgoing,” Delgado said. “It’s like

when you meet new friends, you don’t know what to say, what you have in common. But now it’s like we’re long lost sisters because we’re pretty much the same.”

Parrish said that Veas has a lot of motivation and drive. He said he feels that without the broadcast program, she would not be where she is today.

“You can imagine that [broadcast] probably helped her tremendously when it comes to interacting with people on all sorts of levels, professional and personal,” Parrish said. “If it wasn’t for the broadcast program, who knows? She could’ve been cruise control, but she’s above that. She’s doing all sorts of exciting things.”

Veas said that she is proud of her accomplishments and wishes to include broadcast in her future.

“There are like four thousand kids [in this school], and I was capable of getting into broadcast,” Veas said. “I’m proud of myself.

Some people approach me and they’re like, ‘You’re the weather girl. I like your accent.’

That’s a compliment. Thank you.” story by Nini Truong // staff writer

Can I

quote you on that?

The Eagle Angle chose some of your best quotes from the 2012-2013 issues.

“I feel like after a tragedy, everyone should come together and support each other. It’s just the humane thing to do.”

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

senior Collin Smith “Dangerous driving distraction”

sophomore Erin Young

“Hope in Chaos”

“3 students, 1 team going to nationals in computer science”

“It sometimes just feels like a dream. Like, ‘Did that really happen? Did that really happen to me?”

House 200 Principal Shannon Watson

“Stranded Principal 1 of 4,200 passengers deserted on cruise”

short of regionals with loss to Plano East”

Q

“It’s just so satisfying knowing that you made this. That this was out of your brain. Now, it’s sending you to a national competition.” senior Chris Dumrique

“If we’re down in a fight we’ve never given up. So what I think we’re doing best right now is that we don’t give up, and fight hard.” sophomore Dillon Pineda “Varsity tennis falls

“I want to encourage others to be confident. I know others think it’s a superficial type thing, but senior Kurtz I try to not look atHolly it like that.”

“Model Behavior”

“Working in this restaurant [is] already preparing me for what I’m planning to do for the rest of my life.” junior Monika Pitka “College prep: what you need to know”

“Instead of saying, ‘That is so sad,’ people should actually do something.

[By fundraising], you’re actually getting involved and raising money.” senior Pal II Lauren Selph “PALs fundraise in Tulane University student's name”

“That’s one of the things about being an Allen Eagle, you do things right and you lay it out all on the line.” senior Cameron Hartsfield “Champs: Football wins state championship 35-21”

“[Music] keeps you centered.

You can’t get distracted because it blocks out everything else.” sophomore Joei Velten “Musical Awareness Impact of music while studying”

“It is just eye-opening. These kids don’t have anything, and if they can be happy, just coming back [to Honduras from Allen each year], it just junior reallyMegan set Randolph my priorities straight.”

“Hope grows: juniors volunteer at childrens’ house in Honduras”

19 >>

Long term goal Junior grows hair to cut for Locks of Love

J

unior Alma Flores receives several questions and comments on her hair every day.

Her hair is practically to her ankles, but she doesn’t plan on cutting it anytime soon.

“Not everybody has hair like mine,” Flores said. “But sometimes I get tired of it. It gets tangled and everything.”

Flores said it’s a tradition in her family to grow their hair until they’re 15, and then they can decide to cut it or continue to grow it. She has two older sisters, Amy and Vanessa, who also went through this process.

“I used to see my sisters with their long hair, and I would always tell my mom I wanted my hair that long,” Flores said. “Then I just never cut it.”

Despite the long length of her

hair, Flores said that it does not require any special care but can be hard to style. Flores said that she receives several comments on the length of her hair every day.

“Sometimes I wish I could [do more with it],” Flores said. “I’ve [curled] it twice. It takes like an hour and a half to curl it. But that’s something.”

Flores plans to cut her hair before graduation and donate it to Locks of Love. She said she was inspired by her older sister, who donated 13 inches of her hair. “[I’ve kept growing my hair] because I know that I can donate my hair to cancer,” Flores said. “That’s what I want to do. I’ve wanted to since I was twelve.” story by Rebecca Barney// assistant online editor

EA Visit the Eagle Angle Online.

theeagleangle.com Just read it.

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Sports

Sports Rewind

I

t’s been a very successful year for Allen Eagle sports with two teams winning state championships and six teams making the playoffs in all.

There was basketball, which was 15-15 overall for the season and finished second in their district. That was good enough for them to qualify for the playoff in head coach Jeff McCullough’s first season at Allen.

“We’re trying to change a little bit of history here,” McCullough said. ”The result wasn’t quite what we had expected or anticipated Tuesday night there when we came up a little short, but we’re proud of our kids for what we’ve done this season.”

Boys soccer was 9-7-5 for the season and was able to make the playoffs before falling to Jesuit 1-2 in the UIL Bidistrict round of the playoffs. The girls team also made the playoffs and made it all the way to the UIL Regional Quarterfinal, but fell to Plano West 0-2. This was the first time the girls soccer team made the playoffs since 2010.

“We’re more motivated and we put more challenges on better teams,” sophomore midfielder Emmy Niece said. “We’ve challenged the teams that are first and second place in our districts to compete more.”

Two of our staff writers look back at football, wrestling, baseball and girls lacrosse to revisit their successes this past season, and also look ahead to next season. continued on pg. 30-31>>

photo by Saher Aqeel

25 >>

A family affair

“”

Two multisport families share their experiences

I

26

n the stands during the UIL Wrestling different abilities.”

State Championship, the Nickals cheer Jordan credits her mother as her inspiration on their son and brother Bo in his quest to become involved in sports in the seventh for a second state championship. The grade due to her coaching, support and college Nickals, along with Garzas, are families made basketball experience at San Diego State. up of athletes, and find that they have learned “If I hadn’t of had her, I probably wouldn’t from each other and their similar athletic be where I am today,” Jordan said. “She’s pushed activities have made them a stronger family. me to work the hardest out of anyone. Without Jason and Sandy Nickal, along with their her I would probably be at home, reading a book children junior Bo, freshman Jordan, seventh or something.” grader Lexis and third grader Shelby, all play or Coach Garza said that he originally wanted coach sports. In high school Mr. Nickal played and encouraged his children to compete in multiple sports including football, wrestling competitive sports because of the character and track and currently is the assistant coach for values that athletics teach. the Allen varsity wrestling team. Mrs. Nickal “Life’s a competition and you learn that grew up involved in sports such as volleyball, in sports,” Coach Garza said. “Competition, soccer, rodeo and basketball and currently is discipline, hard work, work ethic in general, the assistant coach for the softball team and the respect for authority, respect for teammates, JV volleyball team. Bo wrestles, Jordan plays cooperation. There’s so much you learn from softball and basketball, Lexis plays volleyball athletics, so many life lessons that you can apply.” and runs track and cross country for Curtis Due to the successes of those in her family, Middle School and Shelby plays soccer. especially her older brother who is currently “[Sports is] just something we’ve always ranked as the No. 1 high school 160-pound associated with family,” Mr. Nickal said. “We’re class wrestler in the nation, Jordan said she’s always going to social events, we’re traveling encouraged to be better in the sports that she together, and there isn’t a day that goes by that competes in. doesn’t have a conversation dealing with sports “I walk through the school hallways and [taking] place in our household.” people say, ‘That’s Bo Nickal’s sister. He’s a The Garzas, Dean and Eva, 20-year-old state champion,” Jordan said. “But I wanna Dean Jr., junior Roni and freshman Dylan all make a name for myself, too. I want people to have a history of athletics, whether it’s playing, say, ‘That’s Jordan Nickal, she’s a star basketball coaching or providing support. Mr. Garza player. She took Allen to state, she did this, she coaches the tight ends for the varsity football did that.’ I wanna make a name for myself too, team along with boy’s varsity track and grew up and that pushes me and makes me work harder.” playing football, basketball, baseball and track.

As she’s gotten older, Roni said there the His wife, Eva, was a cheerleader and currently way her parents raised her to compete in sports isn’t involved in sports but consistently attends and the values that they taught her to follow her children’s sporting events. Their son, have stayed constant.

Dean Jr., graduated from Allen in 2010 and “[My parents have always taught me to] competed in track, in which their daughter, finish what you start, always give 100 percent Roni, is currently involved. Dylan is in football, and just try your hardest at everything you do,” wrestling, soccer and baseball.

Roni said.

With three children all in athletics, Coach Mr. Nickal said that he and his wife Garza said he has learned things that he never encourage their kids to make difficult goals and realized as a player or coach. that they can achieve them if they try.

“Everybody’s different,” Coach Garza said.

“We try to stay positive with them and let “I knew that growing up, playing and coaching, each of them know that they can accomplish but when you see your own children go through whatever they set their minds to individually and things like, maybe not be as gifted or talented, so far it’s worked out pretty well,” Mr. Nickal or be more successful than others, it’s a lot said. “We’ve been very fortunate, very blessed.” more personal. We’re all different and have story by Collin Thompson // staff writer

[Sports is] just something we’ve

always associated with family.

We’re always going to social events, we’re traveling together, and there isn’t a day that goes by that

doesn’t have a conversation dealing with

sports [taking]

place in our household.

No coach like Carter

Strength, conditioning coach plays multiple roles in athletics

F

Janu rom 6 to 7:30 a.m. in January through the second week in March, to 7:3ary to Mar strength and conditioning coach powe 0 a.m., trach, 6 rlifter in the Mike Carter trains the powerlifters. s.

After that, depending on the day of the week, Depen Carter has softball first period followed by of the ding on t girls and then boys soccer. At noon, Carter takes his lunch break. At 1:15 p.m., football first p week: Sofhe day meetings. Between 2:45 and 3:45 p.m. he then beriod, girls tball oys so a works out the football offseason. He stays ccer. nd until around 5 p.m. for boys who did not 12:00 make morning powerlifting training. At p.m.: Lunch about 6 p.m. he arrives home.

1 :15 p.m “I like being around kids,” Carter .: foot said. “I have a good time with what I ball m do. I’ve always wanted to be a part of eeting 2:45 s.

3 the athletic [programs].” : 4 footba 5 p.m.

Carter received the head ll offse : Work out th ason. position running the fitness e S tay un program in 2001. He designs the t i l 5 p.m who workout programs for football, girls and boys soccer, softball and powedid not ma . for boys rlifting ke mo occasionally some of the other t r a i ning. rning athletic programs like boys 6 p.m and girls track and baseball. h ome..: He arrives His duties include preparing “He’s [really] hard on us, but workout routines, keeping the he never doesn’t show his weight room clean and setting up equipment love for us.” for a workout prior to the athletes’ arrival. when the other Carter said the boys and Carter first became interested in being coaches are in class he is girls workouts are different a strength and conditioning coach in college. putting together workouts. and the girls don’t always His football eligibility was up, so he assisted his “I’ve got time to set up the workouts,” understand why they are lifting weights college strength and conditioning coach for a Carter said. “I don’t have to grade papers, and or doing a specific fitness routine. However, college scholarship.

I don’t have to do a lot of the things with the Crouser said Carter makes her a better athlete.

“When I got through college at one time I parents that the other coaches have to do.”

“He is a good person, not just coachwise,” thought I wanted to go into the business world,” Bishop and the other football players are Crouser said. “He is fun to talk to, is really funny Carter said. “But the more I thought about it, I in the weight room lifting and squatting around [and] has a good personality.” felt like I would miss being around athletics, so three times a week with Carter.

Although Carter feels like he impacts I decided to be a coach and have a good time.”

“He trains us hard and it builds character,” softball the least, Crouser said she appreciates Sophomore softball player Lydia Crouser Bishop said. “It’s ultimately been a real reason his motivation to train them harder. Carter does and junior football player Zack Bishop describe why we won state because we built so much not plan to coach college athletes. He said he Carter as a great person and good influence. character through the blood, sweat and tears likes it at Allen and Crouser and Bishop said he Crouser and Bishop said they cannot see anyone that he made us do in off-season.” does things in such a specific way that no one else doing what he does because he has such a The boys are required to do a specific could replace him. connection with athletes. number of reps in a specific amount of time “He’s probably the only one that could do “He impacts us all in a pretty positive way,” and if they don’t make it before Carter blows his job,” Bishop said. “I’m sure he could train Crouser said. “He pushes you to your breaking the whistle, then they do up-downs on the spot. someone to be like him, but ultimately it’s not point.”

Carter works with Bishop frequently as the going to be Coach Carter. He is Coach Carter.”

Carter does not teach in addition to offensive lineman coach. story by Callie Anderson // staff writer being the strength and conditioning coach, so “He’s been a great influence,” Bishop said.

27 >>

A new jersey

Alumni share how attending Allen affects college sport career

T

28

here are a total of 450,000 college athletes in the country. Only two percent of high school athletes are awarded athletic scholarships. Out of these 450,000 athletes, 178 are Allen High School alumni who signed from 20092013.

“We sign a great number of kids to scholarships and that is because of a couple of reasons,” Athletic Director Steve Williams said. “We have kids that are talented, and our coaches do a great job, especially Jeff Fleener has done a tremendous job for us recruiting and working with college recruiters getting the information out about our kids.”

In February 2013’s National Signing Day, 21 students signed from Plano East, 14 students signed from Plano Senior and 14 signed from Plano West. Allen had 34 students sign on its own.

With the programs in Allen High School that are established as some of the best in the state, such as wrestling with four state championships, football with two state championships and girls golf with one state championship comes exposure that other schools don’t see.

Former Allen running back Jonathan Williams signed last year to play football at the University of Arkansas. During his junior year at Allen, Jonathan led the area 5A schools in rushing yards with 2,078 and rushed for 1,169 yards his senior year. He said that playing at Allen helped prepare him for playing at Arkansas.

“I mean we’re 5A, and that was the hardest conference there was in high school football when I played,” Jonathan said. “So definitely playing the top level competition in Texas week in and week out definitely helped me get ready for the college level.”

During his freshman season at Arkansas, Jonathan rushed the ball 45 times for 231 yards and also

had eight receptions for 208 yards and two touchdowns. He said he is looking to be the starting running back at Arkansas next season.

Playing at the college level was something he said he had always wanted to do and his time at Allen helped him achieve that dream.

“You dream about it as a kid, and you work as hard as you can in high school, on and off the field,” Jonathan said. “You gotta work hard in practice and do well in games, but you also gotta make the grades

going to go down there and try to play sports and get drafted by the NFL. They are there for the right reasons.”

Allen’s facilities, such as the weight rooms, athletic complex and stadium, are major reasons why the school is so successful in athletics and send so many athletes to college according to former Allen soccer player Sam Glawe, who is now a freshman playing at Colorado State-Pueblo. Glawe was one of three Allen soccer players

You dream about it as a kid, and you

work as hard as you can in high school, on and off the field.

Jonathan Williams so it’s a combination of all that hard work paying off, and it’s really a good feeling.”

Steve Williams said the high school receives exposure to recruiters and that it helps Allen athletes become recognized.

More than 200 schools recruit Allen players in just football, and another 50 to 75 recruiters look at sports like baseball, basketball and volleyball.

“I think that college coaches realize that the kids that come from Allen are going to be good kids,” Steve said.“They are going to follow the rules, and they won’t be headaches for them. They are going to be good students that are wellrounded individuals. They aren’t

that signed to play in college last year.

“You see how many people sign from Allen. That just lets you know that Allen is making the best athletes that are going in and playing right away,” Glawe said.

“Like the weight room in Allen is bigger than my weight room in college and the facilities at Allen are nicer. It’s not bad at college at all it’s just Allen is top notch when it comes to athletics” Glawe said that the biggest change that he had to make going from Allen to college was making the transition from high school senior to college freshman on the team.

“You’re not saying as much and

at first, and you get started pretty quickly. Like I got there and trained right away and games got going pretty soon, so I wasn’t that good of friends with people or with the team when games started,” Glawe said. “So you’re still kinda reserved and saying things and doing things but kind of the main aspect was going from being confident and knowing what you were gonna do at Allen and you have to transition to being a freshman.”

While Allen also helps the athletes prepare for what they will face on the field, it also helps off the field and gets them ready for the college environment. Allen High School has 4,137 students, which make it one of the largest high schools in the state of Texas and Jonathan Williams said the size of Allen helped the transition to a big college like Arkansas.

“I feel like Allen helped me in another way, you know, we’re a real big school so we go to school with a lot of people and that’s how college is,” Jonathan. “You go to college and there are people from everywhere, it’s different than high school but I feel like the way that Allen is set up helped me transition better than other people.”

Williams and Glawe both said that the biggest thing that was instilled in them at Allen was their work ethic, and that is something both of them have carried on to college.

“I mean in high school, I didn’t really care about lifting at all. Then in college it’s so much bigger, so then you kinda look back and realize that in high school, you should have lifted more or done this more,” Glawe said. “And so then I gained it past college, but something that I learned in high school is that don’t cheat yourself at all because it’s going to hurt yourself in the long run.”

1

story by Akshay Mirchandani & Jarret Rogers // sports editor & staff writer

450,000

total college athletes in the country.

2%

178 of high school athletes are awarded athletic scholarships.

Allen High School alumni signed from 2009-2013

29 >>

A look back Baseball makes deep playoff run

A

fter going 22-10 and 10-5 in district in the regular season, the baseball team made the best playoff run in the team’s history. The team was lead at the plate by sophomore Kyler Murray with a .372 BA and 29 hits and junior Cole Carter with 14 RBIs and 4 HRs. The boys beat W.T. White in three games, swept the defending 4A state champions Rockwall-Heath in two games, but were swept by Plano West.

“I think we have as good of a chance as anybody,” senior

pitcher Pierce Edwards said. “As long as we stay focused and keep our heads on straight, we should be OK.” Edwards has played since his freshman year but said this has been his favorite year so far.

“It’s been a lot more fun because this is the first year since I’ve been here that we have really been successful,” Edwards said. “It’ws a lot more fun to play on a winning team than a .500 team.”

story by Klayton Carpenter // staff writer

Dive in Called safe by the umpire, junior Ryan Hoogerwerf dives back to first base. photo by Taylor Brill

Clean catch Facing a Plano East batter, junior Mason McWilliams receives the pitch. photo by Taylor Brill

Wrestling wins fourth consecutive state championship

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dding another state title to their trophy shelf, the wrestling team won its fourth UIL State Championship in a row and its fifth Dual State Championship this year, with seniors Nick Cobb, Stone Drulman, Oliver Pierce, Matt Meyer and Vanessa Smith, junior Bo Nickal and sophomore Daniel Cartagena all winning.

Smith was the first female state champion in Allen history.

“In the past we have always been dominant but going into the state tournament we have always felt that we have not performed up to our maximum output,” Cobb said. “I definitely think that

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we put on our best performance at the state tournament this year.”

Cobb said he has an extreme amount of hope for the future of Allen wrestling due to the trust that he has in Coach Best.

“It’s a dynasty; you have kids who move in because they know about the program. Cobb said.

“They are not going downhill anytime soon.”

Cobb explained that he is very loyal of Allen and loved wrestling for them throughout his high school years.

“The best thing about wrestling for Allen was the fact that you win so much that people hate you,” Cobb said.

story by Klayton Carpenter // staff writer

Battle on Senior Oliver Pierce fights his opponent to win his match. photo by Lauren Duncan

Ready to go Senior Nick Cobb gets ready to face his next opponent. photo by Lauren Duncan

Football captures second state championship

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he Allen Eagle junior linebacker Tay Evans football team said that the team can still captured their improve for next season and second state want to repeat as champions championship in five seasons “Same thing, you know, after beating the Houston work hard and take everything Lamar Redskins 35-21 in the seriously and have fun with it state title game on Dec. 22 at and try to win every game we Cowboys Stadium. can,” Evans said.

Cameron Hartsfield The team will begin and Kyler Murray were the their title defense on the road defensive and offensive players against Southlake Carroll on of the game respectively.

Aug. 30.

The team went 15-1 overall for the season story and by Danny Ortiz

Close call Almost stepping out of bound while out-running Plano East defenders, sophomore Kyler Murray runs the ball. photo by Saher Aqeel

// staff writer

Great catch At the state championship game, senior Cameron Hartsfield pulls the ball in for a catch. photo by Saher Aqeel

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Juking out With a block from junior Cole Carter, sophomore Kyler Murray runs toward the end zone. photo by Saher Aqeel

Girls Lacrosse makes playoffs, loses first round

Davis said that the team works hard together and said she he lady Eagles lacrosse finished their season with a was more motivated because it was her last season.

4-10 record but were eliminated by Ursuline Academy “It was my last year of high school lacrosse and my last year in the first round of the playoffs by a score of 10-7. to play with this group of girls,” Davis said. “So its definitley “We started out a little rough,” senior Kate Davis made me work a little bit hard.” said. “But as the season went on we improved more and more as individual players as well as a team.” story by Danny Ortiz // staff writer

Watch out Ursuline players attempt to block senior captain Kate Davis’ path as she sprints up the

Hustle plays With the opposing players in pursuit, freshman Lauren McCormack runs to scoop a

midfield. photo by Lauren Duncan

ground ball. photo by Lauren Duncan

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Opinions

Misguided morning-after

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he recent FDA approval of the morning-after pill for minors has profound consequences that pregnant teens are unprepared for. As an 18–year-old girl, I can say with full confidence that I am not personally qualified, nor do I have enough life experience, to make the weighty decision of whether or not to end a life I might have conceived. In my worldview, that is what the morning-after pill does — it is abortion in its earliest form. Frankly, I find it hard to reconcile why a 15-yearold child who cannot even legally drive should be given that life-ending choice without parental consent.

On April 30, the FDA approved over-the-counter sale of the “morning-after pill Plan B one-step,” a type of emergency contraception.

For women age 15 and older, this is birth control that may prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex.

Neurologist tell us that 18-year-olds are only halfway through the process of brain development as evidenced by an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex. That means that the part of our brain that inhibits impulses and plans our behavior, skills that are key in the decisionmaking process the pill requires, is not fully capable of performing its job. Adolescents and young adults are also much more susceptible to peer pressure and consequently, they cannot adequately answer the question that the pill demands: Do you want to end the possibility of a life?

The moral consequences of the morning-after pill require an assessment of society’s value of a human life. Allowing the continued on pg. 3>>

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Smaller, patient world after all story by Lucy Boys // staff writer

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oogle search results come back in .34 seconds. Our society thrives on instantaneous responses.

No wonder we have been deemed the “Google generation” the people with no patience. Yet I have to disagree with this stereotype determined by our interaction with social media.

Some of us are the most patient people in the world. We’ll wait for months, even years, for something that may seem trivial: the next episode in a show or perhaps the next book in a series. We are the ‘fandoms’ for the fictional worlds, and we defy the impatience

stereotype. We don’t fade out in the wait, we just grow stronger.

The best part is, it’s the same instantaneous Internet that fans the flames of fandom obsession.

My proof that we are not just impatient teenagers glued to electronics and social media? The wait that comes with fandoms.

While Sherlockians (fans of BBC’s “Sherlock”) are a tad insane, we have been waiting for a year and will have to wait another year for the next season. We don’t get impatient. We wait, we analyze the last season’s finale for clues and we write, sing, draw, edit photos and keep the fandom alive. That’s where the global connection via the Internet comes into play as we share our works and information.

The electronic world many people see as unhealthy is actually the exact opposite. We are a nongeographically based community.

Brazilians talk about their version

of Sherlock Holmes, “O Xango de Baker Street.” Australians educate about ANZAC day, a holiday commemorating those who have served in Australian and New Zealand troops.We can get weather updates all the way from Iowa to Great Britain. Instead of destroying our brains, we stuff them with obscure knowledge about people we have never met. One can even argue that the Internet is preparing us for the real world. We are shown how stereotypes are wrong, how to interact with other cultures and how to properly approach someone and say hello.

This modern age is the age of access, where everything you need to know or have is easily aquired.

As Captain Beatty from “Fahrenheit 451” puts it, “Cram [the people] full of non-combustible data, chock them so...full of ‘facts’ they feel stuffed, but absolutely ‘brilliant’ with information.”

While it may seem that we are unnecessarily packing our heads with useless information about places and people we don’t know, we are actually becoming the new “smart,” the person with small facts they can quote to fit into multiple conversations. Our constant connection to the fast-paced world may make us seem impatient, but it’s helping us move into the modern world.

The “Google generation” doesn’t quite fit us. We stay plugged in to help our transition from school to the business world.

We figure out how to fit into the new form of socializing. Patient people who can stand year-long waits for the continuation of their show or book that they want right now. Maybe we are the “global generation”- the ones full of facts from all over the globe, with the ability to enter the fluctuating world today.

Death to the penny (and friends) 1.9 pennies to make one penny. For story by every $80 million in pennies made, Jarret Rogers//it takes $134 million to make them. staff writer That’s just stupid. Businesses don’t make goods for more than they are worth and neither should the government.

You know that old lady at the oney is something we grocery store who takes an eternity all love. We can buy to rifle through her purse to find new shoes, cars and exact change? Next time you see houses with it. Money her, you can tell her that she is exists for exchanging goods and literally wasting your time. It takes services, and for the most part the on average two seconds to find American currency system gets each penny, and those two seconds the job done. Unfortunately, every of your time are worth more than group has an outsider. Say hello to that penny. the penny, the most worthless and If you think that getting rid of time consuming thing since Nicolas the penny is completely outrageous Cage’s last movie. and is something the government It’s time to face the facts and would never do, well, it has already get rid of this piece of junk. Not been eliminated on military bases. only does the penny do nothing The stores on the bases round to other than sit in jars, but it costs the nearest five cents. Why can’t

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we do that everywhere? It is such an obvious and easy move.

Some people worry that getting rid of the penny will cause inflation and less money to be given to charities, but when Australia and New Zealand got rid of their one cent pieces, neither of these things happened. There was not an economic collapse, and the economy remained stable.

In 1857 when the U.S. took the half cent piece out of circulation, it was unable to buy anything by itself and was at the time worth more than our dime is now. So arguably we should do more than just get rid of the penny. The nickel costs nine cents to make. That is indeed as insane as it sounds. And yes, much like the penny, it’s just plain stupid.

Although President Obama is the first president to publicly say he is willing to get rid of the penny,

the penny will never be taken out of the system because it is in peoples’ heads. The $8.00 deal isn’t the same as the $7.99 for many Americans. (Don’t ask me why, I have no idea.) If America added the penny to prices and rounded to the nearest five or 10 cents, depending on if the nickel was taken out as well and then took the next logical and added tax to prices; the pricing of products would be more honest and accurate. American consumers would see the actual price on the products they buy rather than the price plus 8.25 percent.

In a time where budget cuts are at a premium because of the long-term debt problem that America faces, ousting the cost of producing the penny is the most logical and easy way to eliminate some government funding and get rid of this awful piece of “currency.”

Teens unprepared for morning-after Choice story by Madyson Russell // layout editor

<<continued from pg. 33 underdeveloped brains of minors to choose whether or not to end a life suggests that our society is increasingly devaluing life by easily getting rid of it. The morning-after pill eliminates the responsibility of an unwanted pregnancy and lets children decide whether or not to have children. Now that the drug is over-the-counter just about anyone can purchase it. Teens will become desensitized to the worth of a human being, providing yet another way to cop out of any unwanted obligations.

The morning-after pill undermines minors’ personal responsibility. When you Google the “morning-after pill,” the first link that comes up is Planned Parenthood. On their webpage discussing the pill it says, “Accidents happen — that’s why we have emergency contraception.” I would not qualify unprotected sex by a minor as an accident. If the teens involved are capable of making the decision that ends a life, then their choice to have unprotected sex was also a conscious decision. That statement in itself is inconsistent; are they or aren’t they qualified of making their own decision? By ignoring that contradiction, minors can now do whatever they want with virtually no consequences.

When convenience comes before the value of a life, society is making a big mistake. Permitting adolescents to eliminate the results of their actions without a second thought does not make them grown up and accountable. It misguides them by reinforcing their moral and emotional immaturity.

story by Harrison Geosits // staff writer

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get it. He’s your boyfriend, and you’ll love him forever. That the infinity sign really means something to you. And when you got the blue butterfly above your butt, you definitely thought it through. But really, the excuses have to stop. Why can’t kids these days try thinking before doing?

Or, better yet, why can’t my

ink )about it

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something just as trashy.

Your tattoo should represent a memory you want to keep for the rest of your life or make a personal statement you want everyone to know. It’s a symbol of your love, your friendship or your rebellion.

There is a distinct difference in having a meaningful message to display all your life and having the Little Mermaid, tail and all, stretched out across the small of

across your wrist sounds great, but when needle comes to skin, the pain can be too much to handle and all that’s left on your wrist is “fai.” Not to mention the fact that the Center for Disease control has evidence suggesting that getting a tattoo in a professional parlor significantly decreases the risk of contracting disease. So next time your friend asks if you want to get a $15 tattoo in some stranger’s

tattoo should represent a memory you want to keep for the rest of your life, or make a personal statement you want everyone to know.

Your

generation get higher standards for what we permanently put on our bodies? Before we get a tattoo there are a few things you need to consider.

Every job and school will have different tattoo regulations.

Officially, the school states that tattoos that are “lewd, vulgar or depict profanity or prohibited items (i.e. alcohol, drugs, or tobacco products) must be covered at all times while in the classroom, on school grounds or at school activities or school sponsored events.” So if it’s appropriate, you can display your tattoo without fear of backlash from administration. This is possibly the best rule ever. The school isn’t saying we can’t have tattoos. They’re saying we need to keep it classy. They’re challenging us to respect ourselves enough to avoid the Chinese lettering and cliché shooting stars or

your back.

Choose something that unique. A long walk down the main hallway will inevitably result in seeing one, maybe two students either proudly displaying or shamefully hiding ink on their arms, chest, legs, feet or anywhere else imaginable. And I can’t help but notice they’re all surprisingly similar. Students: we are the age of Lady Gaga. The entire teen market is driven by our constant search for individuality. Getting a tattoo is a great chance to exercise your originality. It could be the next big thing everyone tweets about.

Instead, people get tattoos that my grandmother pinned to her “old news” board on Pinterest or a tattoo they saw on Tumblr.

And please, for your own sake, remember to check out the tattoo parlors safety and your personal pain tolerance. Deciding you want the word “faith” written in cursive

backyard in Dallas, remember me.

If you’re not careful, you can end up with a half-finished tattoo and hepatitis C. A tattoo is a permanent stamp on your body. I can’t wait to get one. But when I do, you can bet it’s going to be something no one has ever seen before. It won’t be barbed wire wrapped around my forearm or the lyrics to a popular song. Most people know a good piece of art can cost thousands of dollars. And getting a quality tattoo can cost anywhere from $60 to $150 in a safe environment, so it better be something worth the money, not your favorite childhood cartoon character. The idea is to really meditate on having something original, something that respects your body and something that holds purpose. It’s not a lickand-stick; it’s a message branded on your body. What do you want it to say about you?

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Dear juniors, sophomores, freshmen... story by Jessica Alaniz // staff writer

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enior year. It’s the best year of high school.

If seniors had given us an advice list, this year would have gone by a little smoother, so I made one for all you sophomores and juniors.

• Homecoming week

is the time to scream “Allen Eagles” at the top of your lungs.

Make senior jeans and support your boys in blue. It’s the last year you can do this, so make it memorable.

• The school Wi-Fi is bipolar. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. It really depends on which hallway you’re in. K-hall is the worst place for Eaglenet. So don’t rely on it for last-minute studying.

• Juniors, don’t all stand in front of F-hall to talk to your friends. Seniors don’t like

fighting their way through the crowd just to get to class.

• Use the College and Career Center. Not all schools have one and they really help with planning.

• The peanut butter chocolate chip muffins are the best. Don’t microwave them because the chocolate chips melt.

• Become friends with the security guards. They’re cool guys.

• Arrange your schedule so you can get out at 12:30. No

matter what your mom says, it’s better to get out early.

Now that you have these pieces of advice, you can get back to finding an excuse to why you didn’t do your homework that is stuffed somewhere in your back pack, and get back to watching MTV and eating chips of the couch. Good luck underclassmen, and it’ll be here before you know it.

Sincerely, Class of 2013

North Korea threat to my family’s safety

street vendors. And this is where story by my family and my relatives bond, Grace Lee// watching Korean dramas together, managing cooking food together and chatting editor nonstop about our lives. And when I think about doing this all over again this summer, I can’t wait to get on the plane.

But sometimes, I think about used to laugh at the idea of what’s really going on in the world, North Korea being an actual and more specifically, the fact that threat to anyone. I mean, what North Korea declared that they are the chances that they would were in “a state of war” with South really start a war... right?

Korea back in March. And to be Or maybe this is more serious completely honest, it scares me. than we all think it to be.

I’m afraid that there’s going to be South Korea is, no doubt, my war when I’m in Korea. I’m afraid second home. This is where I get for my life, my parents’ lives and the chance to physically meet my all of my family’s lives. But I’m grandma and grandpa who tell me also afraid to lose that feeling I get they love me through cards, emails once I step out of the plane into and Skype calls. This is where I get Incheon Airport that tells me “Hey, to walk around the busy streets I’m back in Korea now.” Because if of Seoul with my sister and buy North Korea really decides to start red-hot tteokbokki, one of my a war, I lose it all. favorite Korean snacks sold by I’m not trying to argue

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anything. I’m not trying to gain sympathy or have people tell me not to go to Korea. I want people to see this conflict as more than just a “there is or there isn’t going to be a war.” I want people to realize that these are real people we’re dealing with. There are people, like me, who are personally going to be devastated if there is war. It’s not just about whether a communist country is growing larger or that we need to go on strike to convince the U.S. government to help South Korea, but it’s about the effect on the people, that their families, friends and own lives could be gone forever.

And that’s a scary thought.

Because I know that one drop of a bomb thousands of miles from where I sit right now, whether it’s today, tomorrow or next year, could actually alter my life forever.

Another season in Texas A

strikeouts with 91, has only given up 8 homeruns and 21 earned runs.

With an above average batting lineup consisting of Adrian Beltre, Ian Kinsler and Elvis Andrus the Rangers also have one of the highest total scores this season.

One of the best moves the Rangers have made this season was getting rid of the unreliable Josh Hamilton.

With an amazing pitching staff and an unmatched batting lineup the Texas Rangers are on their way to the 2013 playoffs and World Series.

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first 27 games of the season while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery.

It’s going to be a pivotal offseason for the franchise this upcoming summer. With a high draft pick and money to spend, the Mavericks have a chance to build a formidable team around Nowitzki to try and contend for

a championship again. Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, arguably the best point guard and best center in the league respectively, will both be free agents and have both made it known that they have interest in becoming Mavs. If somehow Dallas can sign one of these two, they will instantly jump back to being one of the best teams in the NBA.

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overtime throughout the season.

These figures are impressive when compared to his past records, but he was sacked a grand total of 36 times, tying his career record for sacks. With little to no help from the running game or his offensive line, not all of the blame for the Cowboys’ failures can be placed upon Romo’s shoulders.

Not all of what the

Cowboys experienced was bad, with an impressive special teams and a magnificent tight end, the Cowboys were able to end the season with an even record. For the 2013 season, the Cowboys have a lot of slack to pick up, but with the right drafts and hard dedication, they might stand a chance next year.

s of this point in the season the Texas Rangers have the best record in the Major Leagues, 3218. Yu Darvish, the Rangers’ star pitcher, currently leads the league this season in total he Dallas Mavericks missed the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, going 41-41 in the regular season and missing the postseason by four games. It’s not a surprise that the Mavs were not in postseason contention this season, considering star forward Dirk Nowitzki was out for the he Dallas Cowboys ended the 2012 season with a record of 8-8, which caused them to miss the mark required for the playoffs. Dallas Quarterback Tony Romo had an above average season, as far as his seasons are concerned, with a career high in passing yards and a total of five comebacks during the 4th quarter or

stories by Carter Adams & Akshay Mirchandani // staff writer & sports editor

Large school exposure benefits athletes story by Katelyn Moody// staff writer

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hen it comes to being an athlete in high school, attending a school like Allen is beneficial. More attention is given to a larger school with an enormous number of students and athletes in many sports on different levels.

Allen has many experienced coaches who have the ability

to take the teams to a high level and reach the standards that are expected at this school. Many teams have already reached the high level such as playoffs or winning state. Golf coach Karen Gravley lead the girls team to district and region, eventually moving on to be the 2012 state champions. Head football coach Tom Westerberg has been a football coach in Allen for the past nine years with seven district championships and two state championships.

Since Allen has such a large number of students, there’s more competition to go against when trying out for a team or trying to get a certain position in a sport.

In order to be the best among all

the other students, athletes have to work hard and practice as often as they can to improve their athletic skills. Athletes on all levels have to go through the same thing in their career as well, like baseball players.

When a rookie pitcher comes to the major leagues for the first time, they have to constantly practice to improve their skills to be as good as the pitchers that have been in the major leagues for a longer period of time.

For an athlete to get a scholarship, colleges must be aware of them. The attention directed towards Allen could help many athletes when it comes to getting colleges to notice their athletic skills. A school is more likely to be

known when it has successful sports like Allen. Colleges would be more interested in a student athlete when there’s more buzz about their school and the students there. Tons of attention has been drawn to us Allen Eagles this year, but it helps that Allen has a $60 million stadium and the football team are the 2012 state champs.

So many high school students want to be athletes, but not everyone always gets the chance.

Allen provides many programs and better chances of getting a scholarship, which not all schools are able to provide.That’s definitely something we shouldn’t take for granted.

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Iron Man 3 begins road to next Avengers slightly different Tony Stark than we see in “Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2” and the “Avengers.” He’s still a self-obsessed billionaire, but his experiences in the Avengers are haunting him to the point where he experiences sleep-depriving anxiety attacks. He devotes his time to building new versions of his Iron Man armor, which interferes with his relationship with girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), which ends up being one of the main conflicts within the movie.

However, when a mysterious terrorist who calls himself the Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley, begins to randomly attack the United States, Stark begins to fight back, which leads him on a quest where he has to rely on himself and not just his armor.

The plot of “Iron Man 3” has more of a serious tone and is clearly more in depth than the first two movies. There are frequent twists and turns that keep the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats. Though the film may be darker, there are still some

hilarious moments and Stark’s one-liners help lighten the tone.

Don Cheadle is back as Colonel James Rhodes, Stark’s best friend. “Iron Man 2” saw Rhodes put on a suit of armor and become Iron Man’s sidekick from the comics, War Machine.

Rhodes takes a bigger role in this film in light of the Mandarin’s attacks changing his armor to be red, white and blue as a symbol to the American people, calling himself the Iron Patriot. The relationship between Stark and Rhodes runs much deeper than in the past movies and Downey Jr. and Cheadle’s onscreen chemistry help create that relationship.

As far as special effects go, this Iron Man movie far surpasses the previous ones. The explosions were bigger, the stunts were as good as they can get and action was some of the best I’ve ever seen from a

Your fave four out of 600 surveys distributed

graphic by Mckenzi Morris // operations manager

social media

Instagram 39%

movies

Facebook 24% Vine 3%

Twitter 24%

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Pinterest 9%

Silver Linings Ide Th ntityPlaybook ief 11% 6%

Pitch Perfect 31%

youtube users

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ir Force One is ambushed.

The President has been kidnapped.

Part of the plane blows open, with 13 of the passengers falling to their deaths. But of course, flying out of the plane to save the day in his classic gold and red suit, Iron Man. This is just one of the spectacular action scenes in Marvel’s new “Iron Man 3.”

“Iron Man 3” brought in $175 million in box office money on its opening weekend, second only to the “Avengers” for money brought in when it opened last year. Robert Downey Jr.’s contract with Marvel has expired, but it’s hard to imagine him not suiting up as Iron Man one last time for the “Avengers 2,” which “Iron Man 3” has done a spectacular job of starting the road to.

Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark/Iron Man and once again proves he was born to play the role, delivering Stark’s trademark wit perfectly and keeping the audience entertained. However, we see a

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story by Akshay Mirchandani // sports editor

Shane Dawson 9%

Smosh 18% Jenna Marbles 52% Ryan Higa 19% Michael Buckley 3%

artists Iron Man 3 44%

Marvel movie. Seeing the movie in IMAX 3D only enhances what is already a special effects extravaganza. However, behind all the action there really is a deeper meaning to this Iron Man movie than the first two, which is why it is far better than the previous Iron Man films.

P!nk Luke Bryan 9% Justin 18%

Bruno Mars 19%

Timberlake 29%

Macklemore 25%

Staff member’s top three books Clockwork Angel:

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prequel Shadowhunter series created by Cassandra Clare, “Clockwork Angel” is based in a London 1878 Victorian era.

Clare is so imaginative when it comes to the shadow world, and she expresses it so vividly in her writing. I feel like I am in a whole new world experiencing what all the characters are going through every time I read the books. Clare’s books never cease to amaze me with the stories of Shadowhunters and the supernatural. I love that each of Clare’s books never finishes with your typical happy ending; there is always danger on every page and cliffhangers at the end of each story.

The Fault in Our Stars:

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n inspiring and emotional story about two teens faced with the wrath of disease, “The Fault in Our Stars” is yet another phenomenal story by John Green. The way Green’s writing connects with the reader is amazing because you can relate and understand the struggles that Hazel and Augustus go through. I love how he puts together Hazel’s perspective on life. While others might see it as depressing, I think she sees life from a realist’s point of view, which is an interesting and beautiful way to perceive things because she is mature for her age. After reading this story, you change your outlook on life by trying not to take the good things you have for granted and having an open mind on life.

Vampire Academy: Shadow Kiss

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he third book to the Vampire Academy series, “Shadow-Kiss,” is full of sorrow, humor and animosity. Rose’s struggles with being shadow-kissed shows how strong she is because she doesn’t let that get in the way of her Guardian duties.

It really shows her strength and vulnerability simultaneously. Throughout the story, Rose has to struggle with so much and along the way she has to decide who she can trust and how to deal with her current mental state, which leads the teachers to believe that Rose is going insane.

Rose is a true fighter and she never backs down from what she has to do, always acts first and then thinks later, which is reckless but helps her in the end. It is so breathtaking to read about her when she’s thrown in a situation because she shifts gears right away and acts like a Guardian and so mature for someone her age. story by Rebecca Cernadas // staff writer

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Crowning Moment After being crowned Prom King and Queen, Kyle Walden and Victoria Merrick move to the middle of the dance floor at the Allen Event Center on May 4. “This is unreal. You know how whenever you see prom queens in movies they seem like the perfect girl who’s a cheerleader who has it together and the perfect hair and the perfect body, and you’re like, “That’s never going to be me,” Merrick said. photo by Saher Aqeel