Issue 2

pg.16 FFA attends State Fair

Eagle Angle

The

Nicole Welch

Allen High School Allen, Texas, 75002, Volume 29, Issue 2, November 1, 2011

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Atencio said self-harm becomes a cycle of negative emotions over time.

“There’s this sense of euphoria,” Atencio said. “They feel really good

It was just that feeling of, ‘I can control this, I can control this.’ It was a way of venting.

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in and we weren’t getting along so that made me have a bad relationship with my dad,” she said. “All that pent up stress was a big thing for me. I guess it was every little thing just slowly built up.”

Senior Jessica Helmholtz, one of Steffen’s friends, also dealt with selfinjury at this time. “[I cut because] of stress and that feeling of having control,” Helmholtz said. “It was just that feeling of, ‘I can control this, I can control this.’ It was a way of venting.”

Support counselor Jennifer Atencio said that there are several reasons students consider self-harm and suicide. “[They] get overwhelmed,” Atencio said. “Whatever coping skills they’ve used in the past are no longer working, or the amount of stress that they’re dealing with has just gotten increasingly greater.”

According to the CDC, 24.4 percent of people between the ages of 10 and 24 self-harm by cutting or piercing themselves. Steffen began cutting on her wrists but moved to her thighs, using any sharp object

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There are white walls. A white door. A white bed. Everything is white except the blinking red light coming from the camera at the front of the room. It’s watching her every move. It’s watching to make sure she doesn’t do again.

On Nov. 2, 2008, senior Alison Steffen’s girlfriend of one year moved away after her parents found out about their relationship. Two days later, Steffen was hospitalized after attempting suicide.

Nearly 1,000,000 people attempt suicide every year, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On Nov. 19, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) will internationally honor survivors of suicide.

Steffen’s self-harm began in seventh grade after she started seeing friends around her doing the same thing. She said it started as a way to deal with the stress of her family life and dealing with the change from elementary school to middle school.

“My stepfamily had just moved

Students explore their musical talents in a

pg. 8 variety of groups.

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illustration by Nicole Welch

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Tasha’s Law changes UIL rules because of excessive concussions in sports, Governor Rick Perry passed Tasha’s Law on June 17. The law requires students to learn about the risks and precautions of concussions, and sign a paper stating they understand what they are.

The goal behind Tasha’s Law, which went into effect this school year, is to provide student athletes, coaches and parents with a more indepth understanding of concussions.

The law is named after Natasha Helmick, who graduated from Allen last year, after she suffered multiple concussions related to soccer.

Helmick advocated this act for future players. “[Helmick] in fact came to talk to our booster club in January last year,” girls soccer coach Kevin Albury said. “She talked about that she had gone through five or six really severe head injuries and she’s been told to never again play.”

Sophomore Grace Sylvester had a brain damaging concussion in February of her freshman year that led her to miss four weeks of school. Sylvester said she has never done so poorly in school because of her inability to focus, read for long periods of time and memorize information.

“Teachers are allowed to lighten their load a little bit,” boys soccer coach Bryan Hantak said. “Once [the athlete is] cleared by their doctor, then they can go back and catch up on some of their work that they missed.

But [the concussion] definitely effects how they are in the classroom because they can’t concentrate.”

Sylvester received her concussion during a normal soccer game. All she remembers is walking off the field in a daze. It was not until later that Sylvester was told that she sustained a kick to the face.

“After I found out I had a concussion, we really didn’t take it seriously enough until [the symptoms] weren’t going away,” Sylvester said.

“Then I had a solid week and a half in my room with the lights off. I couldn’t text, I couldn’t read, get on

Breanne McCallop

S

pg. 13

Allen High School // Issue 2 // November 1, 2011

news

2

Flipped classroom method changes way of learning I

n an effort to get more one on one time with students, at teachers have introduced the flipped classroom method this year.

The flipped classroom is designed for students to learn at home on a computer and do homework in class with the help of a teacher. “[This] is a lot better than watching students at the back of the room with eyes glazed over listening to me talk,” Dr. Dena Leggett, AP Chemistry teacher, said. “It’s hard to see eyes glazed over when you’re trying to do your best to explain and be entertaining in the process [but] you know you bored the heck out of people.”

In a flipped classroom, the teacher assigns a note outline and video to the class. Students fill out the notes at home while watching the video and during the next class complete “homework” over what they learned.

“The goal would be to make it a better class for everybody,” Physics teacher Kathryn Lanier said. “Not just for the students, but for me. I enjoy when the students are successful.”

Two chemists in Colorado came up with the method after uploading videos onYouTube to help one of their cousins with math questions. Within a few years the videos had over 60 million views. Leggett brought the method to Allen after she heard about it on a discussion forum.

“I heard it, and I was like, ‘duh’,” Leggett said. “I didn’t even have to think about it. It made so much sense to me, so I jumped right in and tested it with my AP classes. I didn’t do it very well and they still liked it.”

Her principal, House 200 principal Jackie Schornick, supported her in switching to a flipped classroom. Leggett said the district has now done enough research on the method that the superintendent and

How does a flipped class work?

1. Watch lessons on Youtube or Vimeo at home 2. Take notes on the lesson

What do you think about the flipped classroom method?

“It’s better because I can kind of just skip through the videos rather than having to listen to a whole lecture. I can kind of just find what I need in the video. We can’t ask questions, that’s the only thing I don’t like.”

Jacob Biedebach junior

“I don’t think that it’s really effective that way [because] we don’t learn as well as we would with a teacher explaining it one on one to you in class.”

Breanne McCallop

Easy Help AP Chemistry teacher Dr. Dena Leggett helps seniors Elaine Keim and Heather Stocker with her chemistry work

during class. Leggett instructs her class using a “flipped” curriculum, entailing the students doing homework in class and watching instructional videos at home.

principals have become believers of the flipped classroom.

But, Leggett said it’s not right for all subjects.

“That’s going to be classes that require explanation and modeling,” Leggett said. “Not all classes require that. It can be a little more difficult in some of the English classes, although certainly [for] grammar. To be able to send grammar home and then apply it is a lot better.”

Foreign language teachers are finding that it is much easier to send grammar, vocabulary and basics home, so in classes they can spend more time speaking and writing the language, according to Leggett.

Leggett said the method could also help students sent to the Dillard center or who miss class for an extracurricular activity.

“There have been so many side benefits,” Leggett said. “Obviously the learning is the best [benefit], but some of the side benefits are the ESL students. I talk a little fast and they can rewind and listen to it again, while students that get it very quickly can move forward.”

Lanier said they have gotten positive feedback about the method.

“I’ve heard random other kids that like it in general,” Lanier said.

“And when somebody says, ‘Oh, my teacher is going to flip a classroom,’ they seem happy about that, so I think

ne the an w gl s e

The Eagle Angle

3. Ask questions on what was not understood 4. Work on online homework in class 5. Ask the teacher for help when needed

The Opinions Angle

that the overall thing has been good.”

Student opinions on the method vary, however.

“You don’t learn because you don’t get the hand to hand learning like you do with a teacher,” junior Rebecca Thomas said.

Sophomore Gabriel BaldinoRodriguez said he finds the method very helpful. “[Flipped classes] are awesome,” Baldino-Rodriguez said. “I like the fact that you learn at home and then when you have to do the important stuff like homework, you get to do it in class and the teacher can help you.

I certainly [get better grades].”

Leggett is currently collecting data on grades in her classes to watch how student’s grades are affected by the flipped class method. Lanier already has data showing a general rise in grades.

“This is just a prediction [but] I think that the on-level classes will actually see an enhancement [in grades] and a decrease in failure,” Leggett said. “Those are young people who, if they didn’t understand the homework, they’d give up. That really hurts that young person, whereas flipped makes it a little more approachable, because they have someone to help them with the hard part.”

The new method integrates technology into the classroom, which

Oct. 4

Lanier said she found difficult to learn how to use.

“I had to learn how to upload videos onto YouTube which I had never had to do,” Lanier said. “I’ve learned how to embed things onto a website. I have learned that you have to [think] about people that the Macintoshes and the regular PCs. It’s hard to do.”

Leggett said the time needed to make the videos and lesson plans is significant.

“The time invested in doing the videos and getting them posted and everything like that has been extensive,” Leggett said. “[But] then in the classroom it’s fun energy, cause I walk around a lot, checking on students and asking how they’re doing and helping students. I didn’t realize that I’d be kind of tired at the end of the day, but I like that energy.”

Leggett said she predicts that schools all over the United States will soon use this method because it’s better for the students. “[Teachers] want to do what’s best for learning,” Leggett said.

“That’s our heart or we wouldn’t be doing this job.”

Sarah Hossain sophomore

“I actually think that it is [beneficial] because you get to learn everything at home at your own pace and then we just do all of the work at school, so I actually have more time to do stuff that I want to. I prefer it to the old method.”

Hannah Hagler sophomore

“I’d rather have a teacher to teach us things than YouTube videos because it’s easier and it’s better.

It’s easier to understand with a teacher actually doing her job. ”

Jessica Torres junior

“I really like it because my teacher can help me in class while I’m doing the assignment as opposed to me doing it at home by myself.”

story by Jessica Alaniz and Kate Conroy // staff writers

Vivy Phan senior

Voters approved a tax rate of $1.67 in the district’s Tax Ratif ication Election by a 60.5 percent majority on Saturday, Oct. 8. The Board of Trustees will meet in the coming weeks to discuss staff ing shortages and class size reductions.

Dairy Queen’s grand opening was Tuesday, Oct. 4.

The diner is located in Allen on 719 East Main Street. The store is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Oct. 8

Oct. 20

On Thursday, Oct. 20, the high school held an open house for the new Career and Technology Center. On display was the new auditorium, broadcast studio, Blu restaurant and upper and lower K -Hall.

New law requires concussion education for athletes Number of concussions received per sport Volleyball: 3% Baseball: 2% Cheerleeing: 4% Softball: 5%

Girls and boys basketball: 12% Wrestling: 7%

Girls and boys soccer: Girls and boys lacrosse: 19% 23%

the neuronal connections down to a microscopic level,” Smith said.

The district now requires contact sports to use the ImPACT test, a 20-minute online concussion evaluation system that helps observe recovery, track improvement and ultimately allow safe return of the player to their sport. The test shows how the brain reacts to different online activities. The baseline is the brain’s normal level of reactivity to the test.

Athletes take the test at the beginning of their season and if they do receive a concussion, take the test again after the injury. A neurologist then compares the two.

“If you have one concussion and try and play through it your brain is at

a much higher risk of getting severe injury if you’re trying to play through the symptom,” Smith said.

Albury said he noticed the rise in amount of concussions that occur in not only school soccer but club soccer as well. He said he has also noticed the emotional impact it has on his players.

“They feel they are behind and worried that they have lost their spot so that’s the mental anguish they have,” Albury said. “Physically, they are very concerned early on about going up and hitting the ball and competing for the ball in the air. Especially one of my girls that knows that one more concussion and she’s finished.” story by Kathleen Sinor and Jessie Hamze // staff writers

news

Football:: 25%

the computer [or] go outside. It was horrible.”

Friends, family and Sylvester notice that she now struggles with personality changes, focusing on schoolwork and keeping up with her social life as a result of her concussion. Sylvester said everyday activities now challenge and limit her to the point where she is missing out on the simplest of things.

“What I really wanted to do this summer was go to Six Flags with all my friends, but I couldn’t,” Sylvester said. “And I can’t play contact sports anymore.”

Dr. Adam Smith said the easiest way to get a concussion is simply a hit to the head. “[Concussions] are effecting

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illustration by Lydia Gardner statistics from The Washington Post

Veterans receive recognition through Honor Flight H

humblest [and] quietest of heroes, and we owe them so much.”

There are over 400 veterans on the Honor Flight DFW waiting list, but Lancello was chosen for this flight. His son, Allen Lancello, a 1975 Allen graduate, flew the Honor Flight plane to and from Washington D.C., on Oct. 14 and 15 to surprise his father.

“I [was] nervous my son [was] going to fly the plane,” Lancello said.

“But he is a pretty good pilot.”

Economics teacher Robert Jacobs accompanied Lancello on the flight as a guardian and was also a guardian to Jim Walston. Walston was a crew chief with the 466 bomber group, who now lives in Dallas.

“The [families] who aren’t able to make the trip with their fathers or mothers are anxious because they are off on a flight by themselves,” Jacobs said. “But that is why we are here, the guardians, to help take care of them.

They are appreciative and that shows the respect that their family members should get.”

Before the veterans, their families and guardians and a medical staff of four left for their two-day trip in Washington, they attended a breakfast at the airport to recognize them. The Honor Flight Network wanted to give the veterans more recognition by having them fly on a charter flight with regular passengers.

On the flight the airport staff made announcements and gave recognition to the veterans during the flight so the passengers could give their respect.

“Some of them may have never heard ‘thank you,’” Jacobs said.

“Hopefully this is a small way of saying thank you.”

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Red White and Blue Allen Lancello, Robert Lancello and Economics teacher Robert Jacobs visit Washington D.C. with the Honor Flight network which honors veterans that served during World War II. Jacobs is a guardian for Honor Flight.

In Remembrance Robert

Lancello and Economics teacher Robert Jacobs in front of Arlington National Cemetery during their trip to Washington D.C. on Oct. 14 and 15.

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to the veterans going on the Honor Flight.

“It worked really well for an interdisciplinary thing through English by writing or in history by covering the material,” Jacobs said.

“I think some [wrote letters] because they genuinely understood and appreciated the contributions of the veterans.”

On the plane ride back to DFW the veterans each received stacks of letters from students at the high school and from other schools. And some of the students that wrote letters got a response back from the veterans.

“I was pretty excited about [the letters],” junior Aruand Tabei said.

“It warmed my heart to be able to

All-Region Choir performed at McKinney North High School on Saturday, Oct. 29. Among 700 students from other districts were Allen students Hannah Rommel, Raelynn Goodman, Sarah DeHondt, Shaelana Pass, Katelyn Wall, Rachel Wright, Madyson Russell, Luis Garduno Torres, Justin Smith, Thomas Frashier, Adam Sterrett, Dominic Pecikonis, Roman Fruehan, Caleb Merritt, Bishop Wash, Alexandria Johnson, Sara Peper, Katy Millsap, Avery Savoie, Kristen Baxter, Anu Asonganyi, Chaand Lakhani and Ashley Boyce.

Key Club collected change during the week before Halloween and as they trick-or-treated. Depending on the amount of change collected, students can earn anywhere from three to five service hours. The money raised goes to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), an organization that serves in making a better life for children in third-world countries.

Oct. 29

write to someone who protected our country in our time of need.”

After Honor Flight has successfully taken all World War II veterans to the Washington D.C. World War II memorial site, they will focus on honoring Korean and Vietnam War veterans. “[Honor Flight] makes me proud to be an American,” Lancello said. “I am the only one on my street to have a flag up. Other countries don’t have the religious freedoms that we have, so I’m proud.” story by Nicole Welch // co-editor-in-chief

The Eagle Angle

October

Once they arrived in Washington, they gathered at the Texas Pillar and the World War II memorial, then visited Arlington National Cemetery.

“On the first day a Marine bugler played taps,” Jacobs said. “And taps is a difficult thing to hear and you can prepare yourself for it but it effects everybody differently. Having lost a father and having a military funeral it is difficult to hear, and it is also a sign of appreciation and respect.”

Friday night the veterans were recognized at a banquet in Embassy Suites Dulles. The next day they visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Iwo Jima Memorial and Vietnam and Korean Memorials.

Once the veterans returned home Saturday night, Berroteran said the trip changed them.

“When they get on the plane they are a little apprehensive but when they come off the plane you will see a physical change in these guys,” Berroteran said. “They will stand up straighter [and] they look younger. They are 20-years-old again and so to them it is so unexpected.”

Jacobs heard about Honor Flight network from “Welcome Home a Hero.” Over 100 soldiers arrive at DFW airport each day on their R&R and Jacobs said he participates in this event to pay his respect.

“I’m able to show respect and appreciate a group of individuals that really changed the world,” Jacobs said.

English teachers Heidi Hughes, Angela Garwood and Karen Freeman and history teachers Rebecca Richardson and John Franks, also participated in the Honor Flight by having their students write letters

Allen High School // Issue 2 // November 1, 2011

e remembers the piercing sounds of sirens and that in the panic his shoes were stolen. But today, 70 years later, that is the end of the memories for Motor Machinest Mate Robert Lancello of his service on U.S.S. Alexander in World War II. But on Oct. 14 and 15, Lancello go the chance to remember once again when he traveled to Washington D.C. with 41 other veterans.

Lancello, 87, served in the Caribbean North Atlantic during World War II and has lived in Allen for 45 years. He served on the coast guard on U.S.S. Alexander when he was 17-years-old. His brother also served in World War II. Through his urging, Lancello decide to participate in the volunteer based organization called Honor Flight.

In May 2005, the first Honor Flight departed from Ohio to visit the World War II memorial site in Washington D.C. Approximately 1,000 World War II veterans die each day, so it is Honor Flight’s goal to get as many veterans to visit the memorial site as they can. Honor Flight is a nationwide organization that focuses on appreciating and honoring the veterans, which is why Lancello wanted to participate.

“It is pretty nice to be recognized

by Honor Flight,” Lancello said. “I like it, it is quite a deal.”

As president of Honor Flight DFW, Lucy Berroteran has organized four honor flights. She said she does this to send her appreciation to the troops that are serving today and to honor the veterans.

“The Honor Flight program is very special,” Berroteran said. “There is nothing like it. These guys are the

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5

features

Hands of worship Students f ind strength in religion

Acceptance

Community of believers

Wright said that she enjoys the growth that she feels from being involved with the other youth in her church. She attends seminary from 6 – 7 a.m. every morning, youth group on Wednesday nights, three hour church on Sundays as well as various extra activities throughout the summer and on weekends. Wright said she feel that her involvement helps her grow more in her faith as they “are standing together as one for truth and righteousness.”

“You’re surrounded by people who have the same beliefs as you,” Wright said. “It’s a lot of fun because we get to go together and learn more about how the Savior would want us to be.”

According to the American Religious Identification Survey, Jehovah’s Witnesses make up six percent of the U.S. population.

Baxter said that being part of a minority can be difficult, and that she is almost forced to grow up a lot faster than other teenagers because of the sacrifices she has to make.

“I’ve had to grow up and I’ve had to leave that childhood behind,” Baxter said. “I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have this religion.”

Despite their theological differences, Adams said that being devoted to both non-denominational Christianity and Catholicism has helped her to resist any temptations that might be thrown at her throughout high school. She said she feels that she has gained patience and is learning to be “slow to anger.”

D.O.L.L.S has also played a part in

Adams’ beliefs. Adams has been a member since 7th grade, and was an officer for three years before she felt God calling on her to step down and give somebody else a chance to lead.

She said she feels being a D.O.L.L.S. leader gave her the opportunity to learn and grow in her faith while exposing herself to different religions.

“D.O.L.L.S. really helped me realize I could have a personal relationship with [God through] prayer all the time and be able to rely on him for everything,” Adams said. “It really did open me up to a new community of believers that was running towards God the same as me.”

Facing Challenges

While Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in Jesus Christ, they do not celebrate any of the traditional Christian holidays like Christmas or Easter, because the Bible does not directly instruct them to do so. They also do not celebrate birthdays or any other holiday.When Baxter shares her ideas about a holiday or her beliefs, she said she feels her point is not always heard because is it different.

But Baxter said she allows these challenges to strengthen her.

“We were told in the Bible that it was going to be hard for us, because Jesus says ‘they hated me and because you follow me they’re going to hate you too,’” Baxter said. “So it just strengthens my faith because this is actually happening. So rather than bringing you down, [it is like] you were told about this, it was prophecy.”

For Asad, she has to confront the negative stereotypes of Islam, like people believing she is required to kill non-Muslims for her religion.

She often has to clarify her beliefs by referring to their holy book, the Koran, and explain that she still has good morals.

“Sometimes seeing the reaction on other peoples’ faces,” Asad said.

“They don’t necessarily come out and say it, but you can kind of see that it’s like you’re up to something or you’re planning something. And it makes you feel like you’re kind of disconnected from everybody else.”

Adams said that she has found peace in God to help her with all of the stress she faces in high school, especially with her AP class work. She said she appreciates the trials she goes through as a non-denominational Christian and Catholic student in a diverse high school

We were told in the Bible that it was going to be hard for us, because Jesus says ‘they hated me and because you follow me they’re going to hate you too,’

’’

-Kristen Baxter

“People’s trials can turn out to be their greatest testimonies in life,” Adams said. “So whatever I’ve gone through, and whatever other people have gone through, God can just turn it around and turn it into something beautiful.”

Moving forward

Despite the sacrifices she makes by living her religion, Wright said she finds it easy to devote her life to religion because of how the gospel makes her feel. Her roots have been planted in the Mormon religion since she was born, so she said she does not see herself converting to a different church. She said her goal is to live her life “in a way that God would be proud of.”

“I really love (the gospel) because it’s so constant,” Wright said.

“The gospel doesn’t change and I love that because anywhere you go you can still feel the spirit. You can still have your testimony and no one can take that away from you.”

Baxter said she feels like she has an obligation to accurately portray her morals. She chooses to live her faith because she acts as a representative of her religion.

“We’re representing our God,” Baxter said. “And if you act in ways that aren’t in harmony with what you’ve been taught then you’re going around putting bad names on what you represent. So I just always have to

keep in mind who I represent.”

More than beliefs

Adams said her testimony is grounded on what Jesus said, instead of the theology of a certain religion.

She enjoys the exposure to different beliefs, and that both Catholicism and the Harvest contribute to her constant growth in her faith.

“If you want it, then you keep going,” Adams said. “And if you don’t then you stop. But if you want it you can just keep growing. If you want it there’s just no slowing down, there’s really only speeding up.”

Asad said she has found strength in her life and in going through high school by trying to live her beliefs by praying five times a day and living modestly in how she dresses, acts and talks. She said that she tries to practice what she preaches despite what her peers say, and accepts the identity of a Muslim.

“You can’t really get rid of it, there will always be people that try to define you as something you’re to and you kind of have to get use to that,” Asad said. “I’m following what I’m supposed to be doing and because of that, no matter what people say, I’m doing it for myself. And I’m not going to be judged by other people I’m going to be judged by God.” As a Mormon, Wright also said she feels that her faith strengthens her as a teenager. Her religion gives her standards and goals to strive for, and she said that living her religion is what she chooses, it is not something that has been pushed on her.

“Of course when you’re little it’s just a habit, on Sunday morning you get up and get ready for church and everything,” Wright said. “But soon it becomes me. And (my parents) cant, and they won’t, force me because they know it’s my choice. I choose my standards, I choose if I’m going to live or them or not. They encourage me, and they want me to do the best I can, but it all boils down to me in the end.” story by Mckenzi Morris // staff writer story by Lydia Gardner // managing editor

The Eagle Angle

Wright and Asad both said they enjoy the exposure to other religions that they receive in high school.

For Asad, while she said she likes seeing different views on religion, she sometimes faces ignorance towards her beliefs, and she said that is the hardest part of being Muslim. Despite this, she said her mosque is open to other religions and she appreciates learning about other faiths.

“People from different religions, if someone’s Jewish or someone’s Christian or Mormon or something, they come over to our mosque and we all just kind of talk about our faiths and stuff like that,” Asad said.

“It’s good to see all of that happening.”

Baxter said she understands that she may face opposition because of her beliefs. As a Jehovah’s Witness, she cannot spend the night at her friends’ houses, or attend parties at

their homes, and Baxter makes sure her friends know her moral standards and understand that her beliefs are her first priority.

“If you allow your friends to surpass your faith,” Baxter said. “You get into this state of a double life where you have to change who you are in front of your parents and in front of other people of your religion and in front of your friends. You just have to make that decision, ‘who am I going to choose?’ You can’t settle for both.”

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a.m. Rachel sits in her classroom at church, scriptures in her lap. Pre-dawn.

Amtul kneels, faces towards Mecca and performs her first prayer. She will face the Holy City four more times that day. Fourth period. Kristen explains to her friend in choir why she has chosen not to participate in the Christmas concert. After school.

Julia walks into Daughters of Our Living Lord and Savior (D.O.L.L.S.), looking forward to today’s Bible lesson, grasping her rosary and cross in the same hand.

Living their beliefs is a daily activity for sophomore Rachel Wright, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon church, senior Amtul Asad, a Muslim and juniors Kristen Baxter, a Jehovah’s Witness and Julia Adams, who attends St. Jude’s Catholic church on Sundays and the Harvest, a non-denominational church, for youth activities.

All four girls have made sacrifices for their religions, and have learned to face ridicule for their beliefs. For them, faith is not just attending church service on Sundays, it is the way they each choose to live their life.

Allen High School // Issue 2 // November 1, 2011

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features

W

hile sitting at home watching “The Secret Circle,” sophomore Amanda Hays and her mother, Sandy Hays, heard a mysterious pop from the roof. They ignored the sound, but five minutes later a burning smell prompted the family to go explore.

The Hays’ house, in the Lost Creek Ranch neighborhood, was struck by lightening during a thunderstorm on Sept. 29. That night the chimney caught on fire, spreading to the roof. The fire damaged their entire second floor, leading to rain flooding much of their bottom floor.

Disaster Strikes Sophomore Amanda Hays’ house was struck by lightening during

a thunderstorm in September. The first floor of their house was flooded and the second floor was completely damaged along with the roof.

tried to salvage as many of their belongings as they could. Despite that, they sent the majority of their belongings to be inspected to see if they could be saved for future use.

They lost furniture, computers, TVs and other household belongings.

Although the Hays aren’t sure of everything that was destroyed, Mr. Hays said they know the losses will cause challenges.

“It’s been kind of stressful,” Mr. Hays said. “I mean you have to go off and do all this extra work that takes a long time. The computer was destroyed so now it’s hard for Amanda to get her schoolwork done. I actually think she is taking this better than most.”

Hays said being in a rental house is difficult because she has lived in her original home for nine years.

“The feeling of being in your own room [and] having your own bed and having familiar surroundings,” Hays said. “You just kind of miss that.”

The Allen community helped

the Hays family through donations from PALS and the mathematics department, as well as neighbors and friends giving gift cards to a variety of different stores.

“I’m grateful to have such great people around me,” Mr. Hays said.

“It makes you look at real disasters like Katrina. Then you look at these people who are helping you and it makes me feel lucky that I’m in this position to have such great people around me.”

Mr. Hays said that he knows his family will never forget the fire.

“We’ll just have to say,” Mr. Hays said, “we survived the great fire of 2011.”

story by Breanne McCallop // staff writer story by Shaylon Miller // staff writer

Students overcome battle with self harm in 2008 she was under strict observation.

“You couldn’t use forks, you had to use plastic spoons for everything and then you had to turn them in,” she said. “You were checked on every five minutes while you were sleeping.

You were checked on while you were showering.You had to be up by 8 a.m. and in bed by 9 p.m.”

Patients in Steffen’s wing went to various therapy sessions during the day.

“At first I didn’t want to talk,” she said. “I was like, it’s none of their business. Honestly, I finally talked just because I wanted out. They wouldn’t let you out unless you talked about your problems.”

After two weeks at the hospital Steffen was released, though she still continued to go to therapy at the clinic. At home, she was monitored every week by her stepmother, who would check for new cuts on her body.

“I stayed cut free for a few months mostly and then I got back into it,” she said. “Once the body checks had slowed down - it’s not that they didn’t care - they just started to trust me again so I started doing it again.”

Even though Helmholtz received treatment, she also still cut without her parents knowing.

“I didn’t tell my mom because I knew it was wrong,” she said. “I didn’t want anyone to take that away from me. That was my thing, my manner of control. I didn’t want people to tell me different.”

Steffen’s self-harm gradually stopped in the months following her treatment after she entered into another relationship.

“I didn’t want her to find out and I didn’t want to hurt my dad again,” she said. “It was like, ‘okay, this is for me, not for you.’ It’s selfish to think about now but I haven’t cut since my sophomore year.”

Steffen used “the Butterfly Project” as a coping mechanism to quit cutting where she would draw a butterfly and the name of somebody she cared about on her arm. If the butterfly fades before the person selfinjures then the butterfly “lives.”

While Steffen still has urges to self-harm, she said she won’t act on it again.

“Honestly, it’s temporary relief,” she said. “You feel worse afterwards then you did before because of the guilt and having to cover it up and having to lie about it. It’s just horrible.”

Helmholtz said that she will always remember her struggle.

“It’s there for the rest of [my] life,” she said. “Chicken scratches will go away, but the stuff I have will stay forever. It’s something I have to live with every day. I don’t look down on them anymore. I think of it more as a battle I survived.” story by Elaine Kirby // staff writer story by Kayla Graves // co-editor-in-chief

Three steps to cope with self harm: 1. Confide in someone Talk to someone who isn’t going to gossip or try to take control of your recovry. Ask yourself who in your life makes you feel accepted and supported. It could be a friend, teacher, religious learder, counselor, or relative.

2. Figure out why you cut Identify your self-harm triggers. If you’re having a hard time pinpointing the feelings that trigger your self urge to cut, you may need to work on your emotional awareness, which means knowing what you feel and why.

3. Find new coping techniques • • • • • • • •

Paint, draw or scribble on paper Write down any negative feelings and then rip the paper up Listen to calming music Call a friend Squeeze a stress ball, squish Play-Doh or clay Express your feelings in a journal Take a bath or hot shower Punch a cushion or scream into a pillow

Where to go for help: If you’re feeling suicidal and need help right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255.

If you’re not sure where to turn, call the S.A.F.E. Alternatives information line at (800) 366-8288 for referrals and support for cutting and self-harm.

Contact support counselor Jennifer Atencio at (972) 7270400 ext. 5236 or Jennifer_Atencio@allenisd.org information taken from http://helpguide.org/mental/self_injury.htm

The Eagle Angle

found out about her addiction to self-injury in the eighth grade she was placed in counseling and on prescribed medication.

“I was stubborn though,” she said. “I didn’t want to be there. I was sarcastic with [the counselor]. I was a horrible little brat.”

While in her sessions Helmholtz’s counselor would make her draw different things.

“She would give me stupid assignments,” she said. “[She would say,] I want you to draw an iceberg, and then I want you to draw underneath the iceberg, and that’s gonna represent all your feelings. I drew a picture of an iceberg eating the Titanic.”

After Steffen was diagnosed with manic depression in fifth grade she received various counseling services and medications. However, her father didn’t find out about her cutting until eighth grade, when he sent her to additional treatment at the Minirth Clinic in Richardson.

“He didn’t really think that much of it,” she said. “I stopped [cutting] for a few weeks, honestly, then I got back into it and he just let it go. He didn’t want to accept it. He thought it was a stage kind of thing.”

Reflecting back on the relationship that led to her attempted suicide, Steffen said she believes it contributed to her depression.

“She would drag me down so much,” she said. “My friends realized it, my parents realized it, but I kind of refused to realize it.”

When Steffen was hospitalized

Allen High School // Issue 2 // November 1, 2011

Saher Aqeel

Currently, the Hays are staying in a rental house near Lucas. Their original house is under construction for an estimated six months.

“It’s just a huge shock,” Hays said. “Everything is still kind of surreal and it doesn’t seem like it actually happened.”

Algebra II and geometry teacher Greg Hays said the Allen Fire Department came to put out the fire.

“I was worried that the whole house was going to burn down,” Mr. Hays said. “I tried to grab photo albums, and went upstairs to grab things from my kids’ rooms that you as a parent would like to have.”

During the fire, there were five fire trucks at the house including ambulances and police cars.

“I was glad that there were lots of people there because you’re thinking these people are going to put out the fire,” Hays said. “We thought it was going to be a small little fire though.”

Because the inside of the house was extensively damaged, the family

Sophomore’s band aims to revive jazz fter returning home from church, fouryear-old Allison Ponthier loved to dance and sing for her mother while her dad strummed the guitar, twirling around in her church dress.

“My dad brought me up with music, so I started learning when I was really young,” Ponthier, a sophomore, said. “I would sing to my parents and guests they would bring over.”

In 7th grade, Ponthier formed a jazz band, Backroom Quintet, with Wes Case and Idrissa Ndiaye, who attend the Frisco School of Music.

Case is now teaching at the Frisco School of Music, and Ndaiye went to the University of North Texas.

Pontheir first found out about the jazz band from a flyer at the school.

“My dad said, ‘That would be great for you,’” Ponthier said. “Once I joined it, it was awesome.”

Because of her nerves, Ponthier was unwilling to join the jazz band at first, but with a little help from her dad, she decided to it.

“In the first lesson I had with the band, I was terrified,” Ponthier said. “I was shaking in my boots.”

For Ponthier’s parents, Joan and Mark, music was also an important part of life.

“I studied the flute, and we both have been both been brought up with music,” Mrs. Ponthier said. “We wanted to do that with our children.”

Before the band, Ponthier wrote songs using the ukulele, piano, melodica

and her voice. However, she said she believes the band has enhanced her musical ability.

“I sang a little bit, but the band helped me grow in music,” Ponthier said. “I used to get really scared when going on stage, but now I really enjoy it. It’s kind of like an adrenaline rush.”

Ponthier said that her father inspires her, because he is a jazz musician. He was the one who got her into jazz music.

“He is my best friend,” Ponthier said. “We’re just so alike, in music, humor, in everything. Because of him, [jazz] is my favorite genre of music.”

Backroom Quintet performs at the Frisco School of Music, where jazz teacher Kelly Ebler critiques their performances, as well as their musical talent and helps the students grow musically. The band has two vocalists, a baritone and trumpet player, drummer and a guitarist.

When Ponthier told her mom that she had started a jazz band, her mom said she felt immensely proud and excited.

“I thought it was awesome,” Mrs. Pontheir said. “She has the talent and I want her to be able to broaden her horizons and play all kinds of genres.”

Ponthier said she hopes to continue the band long term, and would like to be a jazz musician when she grows up.

“It’s a privilege for me to watch her grow from year to year, from experience to experience,” Mrs. Pontheir said. “It’s a fantastic thing, and it’s wonderful for me to watch.” story by Neha Singh // staff writer

Students form (Indie) A

ll he can focus on is the cymbals on his drum set. Suddenly, something hard flies through the air and hits him in the middle of his face. Junior Connor Walden looks around, bewildered, trying to figure out who would throw something at him.

“I’m like ‘who threw that at me?’” vocalist and drummer Connor said. “And then I realized it was my drumstick and it really hurt.”

Not all of the band’s practices are that violent though. Indecision, consisting of juniors Conner and Kyle Walden and senior Austin Koliba, formed last April after preforming at a benefit concert supporting Heifer International, a global organization that raises money to buy livestock for third-world countries.

“Sarah Osborn asked me to help and she [said], ‘If you guys want to get a band together, you can,” Kyle said. “So I just asked Connor because he played the drums and we’re like, ‘well, we need a bass player,’ so we got Austin and made the band. We were throwing it together at the last minute.”

Since April, the band has performed three other shows. One was at a venue church called 3201 and the other two were held at

Suncreek United Methodist Church (SUMC), where they also perform in the youth praise band. Their most recent show was held at Palmer Hall in SUMC after the Homecoming dance, which Connor said was a casual performance.

“It was really chill, so I wasn’t really nervous,” Connor said. “But before all the other shows, [my] heart’s pounding. I’m so ready for it to start because once it starts then I can just go and do my thing. Right

’’

A

I’m like ‘who threw that at me?’ And then I realized it was my drumstick and it really hurt.

-Connor Walden

’’

before, the anxiety, I can feel it.”

Bassist Koliba said Indecision’s sound is a mix of the Killers, the Strokes, the Beatles and Vampire Weekend. Although the band mainly covers alternative rock, they’ve recently started writing original songs.

Their first original song was written last summer while the band was on a church choir trip. The song, “Besame,” is a love song that Connor wrote for his girlfriend at the time.

The song describes how he meets this

girl an “I some in love then it so that person V the ban and t rehear additio have a “I see pe I don’t said.

T about and al major Kyle sa someth “M way to really is very have a Kyle sa me to to and story staff w

)cisive

nd ends up marrying her.

It was supposed to be [about] girl off in Spain that I fell e with,” Connor said, “but t starts off with ‘blue eyes’, t’s the only thing that really nifies my ex-girlfriend.”

Vocalist and guitarist Kyle said nd teaches them responsibility time management because rsals often last a long time. In on to playing music, they also t-shirt business.

It’s cool to walk around and eople with our shirts on and ’t know their name,” Koliba

The band has a following of 200 people on Facebook lthough they don’t want to in music when they grow up, aid they are having fun doing hing they love together.

Music is just a really great o express myself and it’s a great outlet because school y stressful and I don’t really a creative outlet right now,” aid. “Music is the best way for get out anything that I need just feel something.”

by Victoria Erb // writer

Battle of the

Bands “S

witchfoot,” the “Beatboys,” the “Beatles,” the “Killers,” the “Strokes,” “Memphis May Fire” – just a few bands that inspire teen bands such as “Secret Breaks at Dawn,” and “Indecision” today. These bands perform covers as well as original music, draw in huge crowds and hold concerts for benefit programs. Statistics show that teens are listening to music more than before, they listen to an average of 2.5 hours per day, and nine out of 10 of these teens have a music playing device. To add to the popularity of music, over 29 million participants have submitted material in the USA Teen Battle of the Bands.

Secret Breaks at Dawn preforms hard rock

S

enior Matthew Ruder’s palms are sweating and his limbs shaking as he realizes the enormity of the situation. He is about to perform on the stage in Dallas for the first time. When it is time to go on, he climbs up the steps, pierced by the glances of the crowd. But as he begins to play, his fear disappears from his mind as he embraces the music.

The hard rock band “Secret Breaks at Dawn,” started in the beginning of 2011, and consists of junior lead guitarist Matthew Wilson, bassist Mark Putman, senior rhythm guitarist Ruder and graduate drummer Isaac Vass.

Putnam said he wants their fans to view the band as versatile.

“We’re not just a four chord thrashing power chord band,” Putnam said. “We’re virtuoso. We’re actually doing something “Secret Breaks at Dawn” strives to share a diverse message in their music.

“The main message I’m trying to portray is more of hope at the end of the road,” Putnam said. “Because I’ve been in a lot of situations and people all over the world are in situations where hope isn’t real easy to find, it’s kind of scarce. So, I think offering some light of hope is really going to be our mission statement.”

Putman feels that their biggest accomplishment is the way they’ve grown as a band.

“I think we’re all pretty much on the same page here,” said Putman. “As far as what we want this band to be and so having that sort of foundation is absolutely crucial to making any sort of music with different people because everybody’s going to bring their own spices, you just have to decide what amount of it to put into the music.”

Ruder said being in a band not only challenges the band as musicians, but also gives them meaning in their playing.

“It gave me kind of a sense of purpose because I went from being a kid that wants to be really good at guitar to a kid that still challenges himself to get better and better at guitar,” Ruder said. “Now I’m part of a band and as I grow as a musician I can showcase it on stage as opposed to doing it in my room.”

When Ruder performs on stage, he said he feels unusually calm, despite the intense noise.

“It’s almost peaceful, “ Ruder said. “It’s loud and it gets my adrenaline pumping, but you feel like you’re meant to be there.”

Wilson said he feels that a career in music is definitely an option, even if it doesn’t generate a high income.

“I’m not going to sit here and say I want 10 billion dollars a year touring the country,” Wilson said. “As long as I can eat food, sleep and not in my car and play my music, then cool.” story by Jennifer Wagoner // staff writer

Reviewing with an angle

opinions

10

Mystery novel delivers suspense

Allen High School // Issue 2 // November 1, 2011

“A

ll we wanted was to go swimming.”

The deepest and darkest point of the reservoir beckoned for flesh, waiting to steal one of the lives of the teenagers trespassing on the banks of the murky water. It was the same murky water that had swallowed the telephone poles, empty glass bottles and headstrong determination of the town of Olive. As a body swam to the deepest point of the reservoir, eyes glared up at the dangling feet of a young girl named Chloe, after she was persuaded to swim the length of the reservoir. The darkness of the night around her distracted her from the water surrounding her. She started struggling, tired and worried. In the blink of an eye, a boat appeared. Chloe grabbed at the boat, and as she felt around, she felt fingernails.

Nova Ren Suma’s young adult debut, “Imaginary Girls,” narrates the gripping story of a haunting secret and the frightening truth that will set the boundaries on how far a sister will go to save her own flesh and blood. Suma makes the characters come to life in a way that leaves the readers dazed. In this surreal world that sets the border between life and death the truth is enveloped until the end, unfolding little by little until it is fully exposed.

After sisters Ruby and Chloe are separated during an incident at a reservoir near their home that leaves someone dead, Chloe finds that the girl who died is more alive than ever before. The sisterly bond between Ruby and Chloe is beautiful to explore, as Ruby will literally do anything to keep her sister alive.

The meaning of the book is vague and isn’t revealed until the end but Suma is able to keep the pace of the story flowing to keep interest. “Imaginary Girls” was thoroughly enjoyable and the perfect book for people who love to think about problems. It could be read over and over again, until every word is memorized. story by Rebecca Moss // staff writer

Visit allenisd.org/ newspaper to share your own opinions about books, television shows, movies and music

The Eagle Angle

T

hink back to your childhood for a moment and remember the giddiness felt by seeing a 3-D movie in a theater. An usher hands out the most glorious pair of glasses anyone has ever seen, with one red lens and one blue lens.

The 3-D glasses made movies come to life more than they ever had before. Now that the movie industry has progressed, colors have become brighter and the quality sharper.

The more the industry advances, the more pointless 3-D becomes.

The first 3-D movie I ever saw was “Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.”

Back in 2003, having the 3-D aspect with real people was unbelievable. It was a classic “Spy Kids” movie about

‘80s remake ‘Almost Paradise’

Science Fiction double feature

ig hair, cheesy dance scenes and Kevin Bacon are all icons of the ‘80s most famous guilty pleasure, “Footloose.” “Footloose” is a story about city boy Ren McCormack, originally played by Kevin Bacon, who moves to the small rural town of Bomont to live with his aunt and uncle.

Rev. Shaw Moore, an influential voice in the community, encourages the city council to ban dancing and rock and roll music because a group of teens, including his only son, died in a car crash after partying. Ren falls in love with the reverend’s daughter, Ariel, and together they start a movement to lift the bans.

The new “Footloose,” which was released on Oct. 14, remains faithful to the original - whole strings of dialogue are exactly the same, Ren drives the same yellow Volkswagen bug and the soundtrack features the same songs. However, there are some notable additions including the revamped dance numbers, which sometimes look like they came straight out of a country music video. And some scenes, like the triumphant senior prom, are a bit over the top in their resemblance to the original.

Kenny Wormald, with his overly styled hair, at times seems to be playing Kevin Bacon instead of Ren McCormack, but altogether delivers a solid performance as a likeable protagonist. Julianne Hough, who plays Ariel Moore, is an impeccable dancer but sometimes falls flat in the dialogue heavy scenes.

It is interesting to see how director, Craig Brewer, interprets some of the iconic scenes of the original, especially the warehouse scene where Ren dances by himself. The anticipation is tangible as Ren angrily drives into the warehouse after a heated discussion between him and his principal. He storms out of his car and slams his door shut with the kind of teenage angst that this movie is made of.

And then he dances.

Technically, his dance is amazing. But it just doesn’t deliver the emotional impact of the original. Kevin Bacon’s dance isn’t perfect, which adds to its authenticity. When you’re angry you don’t turn out a perfectly choreographed number, you just let it out.

The new “Footloose” maintains the heart of the story while also incorporating incredible dance numbers that far outshine the original. Despite its shortcomings, “Footloose” will have the audience walking out of the theatre with the soundtrack stuck in their heads and undeniable urge to dance. And sometimes that’s all people ask for in a movie. story by Emily Cantwell // staff writer

ox’s “Fringe” has, appropriately enough, existed mostly on the margins of mainstream TV since its start in 2008. Despite coming from some of the minds behind “Lost” and the recent “Star Trek” reboot, “Fringe” has never been quite the same type of watercooler show. The sci-fi drama, following an FBI division tasked to investigate cases on the fringes of science, began with a “case of the week” structure with little more than hints of an overarching story. But in the second season, something shifted. The writers stopped trying to court new viewers, and started writing for the fan base that already existed. As a result, the show went from good to great, and it hasn’t slowed down since.

Now beginning its fourth season, “Fringe” has evolved into what its producers call “a family drama masquerading as a sci-fi show.” While the sci-fi stories are still as intriguing and thought-provoking as ever, the characters have emerged as the true centerpieces of the show. The acting is top-notch all around, but special praise goes to John Noble for his portrayal of the eccentric but haunted Walter Bishop, a character who embodies the classic mad scientist trope with an emotional, human edge. Noble effortlessly shifts back and forth between the lighter side of Walter, with his penchant for sweets and strawberry milkshakes, and the darker side, a broken man burdened by guilt for the pain his past experiments have caused.

Troubled by low ratings, the series generated buzz last year when it moved to the Friday night “death slot” and survived. Science fiction has always had difficulty on network TV, and Fox in particular is notorious for cancelling underwatched but fan favorite shows. But new ways of counting viewership, including DVR recordings and online viewing on websites like Hulu, seem to have been enough to keep “Fringe” alive.

The new season is intended to be accessible for new viewers while remaining relevant to loyal fans. A new character introduced in the season premiere has allowed the writers room to explain some of the more complicated aspects of the plot to those who might be unfamiliar with them. But the story has become so complex that it’s impossible to recap everything. New viewers can perhaps follow the plot going forward, but those who have been watching for longer will no doubt enjoy the show on a deeper level.

And for anyone in the former group, it’s definitely worth going back to catch up.

B

kid spies defeating adult villains.

The only thing different about 3-D from this era was that objects were thrown at the audience rather than thrown at the movie characters.

The actors purposely reached into the distance (or the camera) so that their arm seemed like it was touching the movie watcher’s heads. Sure, it was extremely cheesy and most of the time had nothing to do with the storyline, but this is what made 3-D movies so popular. Instead of sitting off to the side watching Juni and Carmen beat bad guys, we were all in the movie with them.

Now fast forward eight years.

The 3-D glasses are all black, the ticket cost more than $6 and there

were wizards on the screen instead of spies. Before “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” came out in 3-D in July, I had managed to stay away from 3-D for a while because Netflix and Redbox allowed everyone to watch movies without the trip to the theater. I expected to see the old cheesy version of 3-D movies, but this was different. Voldemort didn’t point his wand straight at the camera when he tried to kill Harry and the spell beam didn’t fly out into the crowd.

Instead, the objects and characters in the movie were simply the right distance from each other.

Over the next two years, Disney will re-release four movies because they ‘want everyone to enjoy the

F

story by Conner Martin // staff writer

magic again.’ Right. Disney is not going to ignore the $71.9 million they made after re-releasing the “Lion King.” They love how Americans are paying $10 to enjoy the magic that we have all experienced over 20 times.

Movie makers know how to trick people into thinking they’re getting more out of a movie by watching it in 3-D. Making a movie into 3-D only costs about $200 thousand more than a 2-D film would, which considering how much movies cost to make isn’t a lot.

People used to go to 3-D movies so they could feel more a part of the movie, but the movie animators have stopped the flying objects and reaching into the camera moments.

3-D today results in the movie just looking realistic, not cheesy. The feeling of being more than just an audience member is still alive, but paying the extra $5 feels pointless.

Yes, the quality is better and they hand out those ‘fun’ glasses that teenagers pop the lenses out of. But next time you see a movie, ask yourself: “Is it really worth it?” Are those $5 that you could spend on popcorn really worth the 3-D? Chances are, the answer will be no. The sad fact is that the magic is gone.

story by Kacey Wilson // staff writer

iDon’t need an 11 Server’s report iPhone the problem. Unless you treat me as if I am a convicted murderer, in which case I just want you to leave.

As much as people would like to wish that they are my only customers, they aren’t. I am a waiter at a restaurant, not a butler at your personal mansion, so please be courteous of the other people in the restaurant. One time I had two tables side by side both complain about the temperature. Normally this would be an easy fix, except they were on opposite ends of the spectrum. One said that the restaurant felt “colder than the Antarctic,” while the other thought “the inside of a volcano” was a more accurate description. I will do my best to accommodate you, but I can’t make it perfect for everyone. If you are one of those people that feels the need to have every single aspect of your life go your way then please don’t go out to eat. Or at least bring a jacket.

Above all remember that no matter how rude you may have been or how demanding you were there is an easy way to earn the forgiveness of your server: money. I really don’t mind putting up with finicky customers, the problem arises when they are rude and leave no tip. My salary as a server is $2.13 an hour, most of which goes to taxes anyway, so my wages come almost entirely from tips. This is where teenagers are the worst offenders. I am still waiting on a tip from the table that left me a

note saying “you were a great server we just didn’t bring enough money to tip.”

I don’t care what you thought of my ability as a server, the only thing that speaks to me is money. If you don’t have enough money to tip, then you don’t have enough to eat out.

I know that everyone that has been to high school for even a year should be able to calculate 15 percent of a tab (and if you’re having trouble with that, try the calculator app on your phone) so there is no excuse to leave $1 on a $20 check. Also, keep in mind that the 15 percent is a minimum. If you received great service, tip more. If you are an extremely difficult customer, 15 percent just isn’t going to cut it. I’ll deal with your rude or inconsiderate behavior, if you don’t mind giving me an additional $5.

It’s impossible for me to recount every act of idiocy that I have encountered. So I’ll just leave you with this: when you go out to eat, try not to behave like a primitive sub-human and you should be fine.

Treat the people at a restaurant with respect, like you would anyone else doing a job. And if you take anything out of this article let it be this: tip well, money fixes any problem that we may have.

story by Cory Fleck // staff writer

A

s I walked pass the chaotic and crowded Apple store, I was baffled once again. Looking up, I saw the lines of happy customers, from top-notch businessmen to mothers with four children, waiting to brag about their new iPhone 4S to their friends.

As I studied the new piece of technology, all I could say was “Wow.” Surfing through the features, I noted that the phone was nothing extraordinary to me and I had no reason to buy the iPhone 4S. Leaving the store empty-handed, I wondered why teenagers were so determined to have the latest piece of technology. I mean really, is everyone these days really too lazy to just use their brains and remember things? Or do they need Siri, their new personal assistant to do everything for them.

Maybe people just like Facetime camera while I still find nothing wrong with the old-fashioned mirror.

Pondering this, I realized that technology has become a crutch for people today. I look at everything new and see that it is just an obsession, an excuse for people to spend money to be equipped with the latest means of communication.

I mean if I had bought the

story by Aaf iya Jamel // staff writer

Flipped classes put students at disadvantage ver the past few years, a new teaching trend called “flipped classes” has grown popular.

Teachers record video lectures and post them online for students to access at home, and actual class time is spent doing homework assignments. While this system has some advantages for teachers, they are greatly outweighed by the disadvantages for students.

Because the flipped classroom model relies almost entirely on lectures to deliver information to students, students will not be actively engaged in the learning.

Learning should be interactive and hands-on, not one-sided. With only pre-recorded lectures, students will find it difficult to focus and the information will not truly sink in. The same exact lecture does not always

work as effectively for some students as it would for others. A teacher needs to get to know their students so that they can determine how best to teach them. Giving each student the same carbon-copied lesson hurts their chances of learning and lessens the importance of the teacher.

In addition, the flipped classroom model takes up even more of the students’ time than the usual system. With students learning the curriculum at home, class time will become largely redundant. Watching recorded lectures may take up to several hours for just one class. If more classes are flipped, school will swallow up even more time. That’s not to mention actual assigned work from other classes. With regular homework, students can go at their

the eagle angle EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Kayla Graves Nicole Welch

MANAGING EDITOR BUSINESS MANAGER Esther Yang

ONLINE EDITOR Kailey Warren

OPINIONS EDITOR

STAFF WRITERS

Aafiya Jamal Akshay Mirchandani Breanne McCallop Bryant Arias Carly Osterman Conner Martin Cory Fleck Danielle Washington Dymielle Desquitado Elaine Kirby

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Emily Cantwell Grace Lee Haly Nguyen Jennifer Wagoner Jessica Alaniz Jessica Nason Jessie Hamze Kacey Wilson Kate Conroy Kathleen Sinor Madyson Russell

the current curriculum.

These factors are out of students’ control, and they should not be punished because of them.

The flipped classroom model may be the beginning of a good idea, but changes and adjustments to the system will no doubt make it more efficient for teachers and students. In its current state, it poses many more problems than benefits. editorial by The Eagle Angle staff

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Katie Borchert

SPORTS EDITOR Lucas Lostoski

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David Barr

PHOTO EDITOR

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Flipped Distracting

Inefficient

Online

Unreliable

Unhelpful Technology Different

Challenging

Time Consuming

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ence and JEA/NSPA.

The Eagle Angle

Lydia Gardner

Allen High School

own pace. They understand that they will be graded on the quality of their work, and they can choose how much time they want to spend. But with flipped classes, students will be forced to spend large blocks of time watching lectures, even if they already understand the material.

Finally, the flipped classroom system will put some students at an unfair disadvantage. While many students these days have regular access to computers at home, technology is unpredictable. Issues such as quality of technology and Internet connection vary from student to student. Some will have a much easier time accessing and completing recorded lectures than others. When technology fails, students will have to go to class with absolutely no knowledge of

Classes

O

Allen High School // Issue 2 // November 1, 2011

eople who know me are always asking me why I have such a negative outlook on the human condition. They wonder why I am constantly uttering ‘I hate people’ under my breath. To these people I offer a challenge: work as a server in a restaurant for one week, and come out with a positive attitude.

I have worked at a restaurant for around a year and a half, six months as a server, and over that time I have seen all the bad and good that people have to offer. My conclusion: there is a lot more bad. For every one nice customer, there are 10 that make me question whether the human race is actually the most evolved species. Some of the worst offenders are teenagers, so if you’re reading this, chances are good that you have committed these crimes, and hopefully I can set you straight.

First and most importantly I am a human being, not an order-taking, food-making robot. I do my best to make the process go smoothly, but mistakes will happen, like the time a woman once ordered an omelet with no cheese and the cooks accidentally put some inside where I couldn’t see it. Instead of politely asking me to correct the problem, she handed me the plate and just stared at me. I am not a mind reader, so just tell me what the problem is. Please don’t give me dirty looks, give me the cold shoulder, or hurl insults at me.

I want your money, so I want to fix

opinions

P

iPhone, I probably would have gotten an amazing piece of technology that I could have with me 24/7. But I’m really not that desperate to have something plan out my life for me.

Especially since I could just buy a simple agenda book and do it myself while saving a ton of money.

There’s also the technological madness for the elimination of everything paper for electronic.

People have started investing in tablets that have e-readers, such as the Amazon Kindle or the Barnes and Noble Nook. Even English classes at high schools now allow students to have electronic copies of their novels to annotate, rather than paper copies. Magazine and newspaper sales all over the country have been limited because of the availability to read news on computers, phones and electronic gadgets. But I still find nothing wrong with an old paperback book. Sure, the investment of the electronic book would probably benefit me in the long run, but I don’t need the electronic book.

Technology does help people immensely, I won’t argue. But it shouldn’t be the center of our lives.

This couldn’t have been phrased better than what Steve Jobs, the cofounder and CEO of Apple once said, “I would trade all of my technology for an afternoon with Socrates.”

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The Eagle Angle

Allen High School // Issue 2 // November 1, 2011

opinions

Latest hold out I

am writing this to inform my bosses that unless I get a raise, this is the last column I will be writing for The Eagle Angle.

I’m just so sick of being underpaid. And while I realize I signed a staff contract to write for the remainder of the year, I really don’t feel like honoring it. And why should I? When I signed that, I wasn’t nearly as good of a writer as I am now. So, I need a new contract by next week, or else I’m done with this publication, and I will demand to be traded to a contender who values my abilities.

I’m not greedy either. I know that the best sportswriters in the business get paid around $100,000 a year (which is $100,000 more than I make). Over the course of the past year I have more then proven that I am the best of the best when it comes to sports writing, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to demand to get paid accordingly.

However, I don’t want to just get paid like the best sportswriter. I want to make “TV journalist money,” about

$500,000. But I’ll take a discount because I’m a good guy and a team player, so, let’s say $300,000. That sounds like a number I can live with (for now, at least, until we can work out a long term deal). I would also like to be paid with crisp $100 bills, because I love the smell of money and Benjamin Franklin.

I’m not the only one who gets it. In the past season alone, seven players held out from training camp in the NFL, including my longtime friend, Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, who recently ended his lengthy holdout by signing a four year $53.4 million contract. While holding out, Johnson encountered unfair criticism from his “fake fans,” who claim he is greedy. But Johnson told them off on Twitter, tweeting, “I don’t have a regular job, so stop comparing me to you, and I can care less if u think I’m greedy.” Fight the power brother.

What those people with “regular jobs” can’t possibly understand is that people like Chris and I are special.

We can do things that single-handedly help our teams win games, or in my case, awards. We’re so special, in fact, that we shouldn’t be held to our word, or contracts we may have signed in the past.

Take for example Johnson’s contract scenario, keeping in mind that this is the man who led the NFL in rushing yards two years ago. He was set to make only $500,000 this year. I can think of no greater tragedy in the world then forcing Chris to carry a ball around for $500,000 a year. He was certainly in my prayers every night, as I prayed for world peace, an end to hunger and for Chris Johnson to “get his.”

Chris was so appreciative of guys like me that he sent out a tweet thanking all of his “true” fans “who were praying for him through his situation.” And the Titans finally paid up, probably because they realized that trying to get a guy to stay true to his word and signature is unreasonable. And an injustice.

So The Eagle Angle management,

the ball’s in your court. You can do what’s right and pay me what I deserve. Or you can choose not to pay me and watch me skip class for the rest of the year. I really don’t care what you choose, just know I’ll never write another story for this paper under the current circumstances.

Let’s face it, my dad pays me more in allowance then you pay me for my genius.

I realize that some of my fellow staffers may think that my holdout is selfish, or that I’m not a team player.

But that’s not true at all. I will be a team player, once I get mine.

Editor’s note: Right before this issue went to press Lucas Lostoski ended his lengthy holdout. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. But it has been reported that he received significantly less than $300,000.

Other Holdouts like Lucas: Darrelle Revis, Jets

Length of Holdout: 35 days Games Missed: 0 Amount of Money Made Per Year Before Holdout: $1 million Amount of Money Made Per Year After Holdout: $12 million

Vincent Jackson, Chargers Length of Holdout: 136 days Games Missed: 7 Amount of Money Made Per Year Before Holdout: $583,000 Amount of Money Made Per Year After Holdout: $11.4 million

Logan Mankins, Patriots

Length of Holdout: 140 days Games Missed: 8 Amount of Money Made Per Year Before Holdout: $1.54 million Amount of Money Made After Holdout: $8.7 million

Michael Crabtree, 49ers

Length of Holdout: 70 days Games Missed: 4 Amount of Money Made Per Year Before Holdout: $0 (was in college) Amount of Money Made Per Year After Holdout: $5.3 million

story by Lucas Lostoski // sports editor

espn.com and pro-football-reference.com

Should the high school football playoff system change?

T

Sell

he Cowboys don’t look sharp and UT is reeling from a killer loss to OU, but high school football has always been a constant fixture in Texas sports. Especially the playoffs.

The way in which teams make the playoffs has been called controversial and admittedly, is not a perfect system, but still the one that should be in place.

The top four teams in each district make the playoffs and are split into two divisions based on enrollment.

The bigger schools go to Division I and the smaller schools, Division II. Pretty simple right?

So why all the fuss?

The schools are split up on size to even competition. Larger schools, by default, will have a larger pool of athletes, which means increasing that school’s chances of having better athletes. Schools with comparable size would be placed together so the playing field is already level when the playoffs start, because the chances of these schools having better athletes would be the same.

Not only does this even the odds, but it also makes for a less controversial postseason. Smaller schools couldn’t claim they had to play the bigger schools and were short-changed in their matchup.

The only ‘flaw’ is that there are two Division one champions for each of the two playoff divisions. But again, is that really a big deal?

And again, the answer is no.

It’s really no different than having a 4-A champion and a 5-A champion.

Why fans complain about this system when it comes to playoffs, and have no complaints during the regular season is confusing to say the least.

So what are we doing here? Why is this a big deal? Splitting the teams up into smaller and larger divisions is only exactly what they do in every other facet of the game. Fans don’t consider having 4-A or 3-A divisions controversial.

Why should this playoff system be any different? It shouldn’t be, considering the two have virtually no differences at all.

There’s no point in arguing about changing a system that is already in place and works. The purpose of a postseason is to determine who the best team is.

Along they way there should be exciting matchups consisting of upsets and close games. The current system provides for all of these things, yet when it tries to promote fairness it is considered controversial.

Don’t try and fix a working system.

There isn’t a problem that could be made better by the solutions offered this far in it. Bottom line: keep it the way it is.

story by David Barr // opinions editor

T

Buy

exas high school football is fantastic. Don’t try to argue with me about that. But there is something that is hindering Texas high school football.

The playoffs.

Here’s how it works: There are five divisions 1A through 5A. Allen’s division, 5A is divided into 32 districts arranged geographically, and each one has six to eight teams in it. The Eagles belong to District 8-5A along with Flower Mound, Flower Mound Marcus, Lewisville, Hebron, Plano, Plano East and Plano West.

In 5A, four teams from each district make the playoffs depending on the amount of wins they have within their district. Let’s say, hypothetically, that Allen, Flower Mound Marcus, Plano West and Hebron win the most games within the district. That means all four of them will make the playoffs.

The UIL then splits up the teams by school population. 64 teams with the bigger student population go to the division one playoff bracket and 64 more teams with the smaller student population go to the division two playoff bracket.

There are three huge flaws with this system.

Flaw number one: there are too many teams making the playoffs. No other sport has 128 teams making the playoffs. Why have a regular season if that many teams are going to make the playoffs? It diminishes the overall idea that teams are supposed to win as much

as possible to make the playoffs, because teams won’t be as afraid to suffer a loss or two because they know they still have a shot.

Flaw number two: there are two champions. No other sport has two champions at the end of a season. Teams work all season to prove they are better than everyone, not to prove they are better than teams with a similar student population. With this system, there really is no true champion.

Flaw number three: the small schools don’t get a fair chance to prove themselves. Everyone has the potential to win a championship, and it’s not fair to the small schools to make them have their own playoff away from the big dogs.

Playing big schools would be huge for popularity and ratings.

The solution to all of this: one bracket. Two teams from each district make the playoffs to create one 64 team bracket. Like the current system a team would make the playoffs depending on the amount of wins they have in district play. In the case of a tie for number of district wins, the UIL would look at who has the most wins outside the district.

If the UIL were to implement a system like this for the high school football playoffs it would be a success. If they keep the attendance based system they have now it’s just going to do more harm than good.

story by Akshay Mirchandani // staff writer

Football players tackle right notes T

Breanne McCallop

Scott Yarberry

Breanne McCallop

instrument, but also liked learning how to play a sport.

“At the time I didn’t want to make a decision for either one,” Brown said. “I really did like both.”

Franklin said participating in band and football helped shape him into a hard worker and given him selfdiscipline.

“I have the ability to do all these things because I work hard,” Franklin said. “[Band and football] make me work hard and [give] me a sense of

Scott Yarberry

Breanne McCallop

responsibility. I have so much to do and so much I’m responsible for, so it kind of builds character for me.”

They have marching band practice from 7:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. and football practice after school until around 6:00 p.m.

“It seems like there’s not enough hours in the day,” Franklin said. “I’m running from the time I’m up to the time I get home. I’m constantly going.”

Brown said one of his favorite

Ace of tennis L

direction trying to almost take on her personality, her work ethic.”

Pineda won 1st place at the tournament at Midwestern State University competing against players both younger and older than her. This particular tournament determined who would play on the tennis team at Midwestern and receive scholarships. She has made a verbal commitment with the university but has not officially signed a contract for enrollment.

“I’m just so proud of her because with tennis, it takes a lot,” Mrs. Lorelei Pineda, Pineda’s mother, said.

“If we knew that this [was] how it was going to be like, we would have picked more of a team sport. If you lose, you lose as a team versus with tennis, when you lose, you lose by yourself.”

Pineda spends her weekends playing at different tournaments across Texas. She has earned the title of a superchamp, the highest level attained in the United States Tennis Association tournaments.

“She’s made tennis really her life [and] her high school career,” Quest said. “Every time she’s on the practice courts she gives 1000 percent, and I think players really look up to that.”

Pineda’s parents help her by giving advice and support when she needs it whether it is about tennis or other subjects. They do not tell her what to do, but allow her to make her own decisions.

“I would not have had the discipline to work hard if it wasn’t for [my parents],” Pineda said. “They taught me [to] work hard because that’s what it’s about. That’s what tennis is about.”

Mrs. Pineda said that she regrets her daughter being unable to enjoy football games and dances due to the

time she spent playing tennis.

“I really think she missed out on a lot of her teenage life,” Mrs. Pineda said. “She missed a lot of hanging out with her friends because if she wasn’t playing [tennis] for the school, she was catching up with her school work.”

After two or three matches a week, Pineda arrives home at around 8:00 or 9:00p.m. On days when she has to study, she sleeps six to seven hours.

“I’ve struggled with trying to find a balance between school work and tennis,” Pineda said. “I come home from a tournament and I’m dead tired, but I still have to do my homework. I just try to do the best I can.”

Although Pineda faces different obstacles playing tennis, she is able to spend more time with her family going on road trips to her tournaments.

“The good thing about [Lauren playing so much tennis] is that it kept us as a family together,” Mrs. Pineda said. “It was almost like a forced vacation every month for us to be together versus ‘oh, we’ll wait until we have money’ to go somewhere as a family.”

Pineda feels blessed to have the opportunity to play tennis and also enjoys the camaraderie between her teammates.

“Even though tennis is an individual sport, I’m a team player,” Pineda said. “I love my teammates, I love supporting each other, and I just like the whole thought of being on a team and that’s what matters to me the most.” story by Grace Lee // staff writer

The Eagle Angle

auren Pineda looks straight into their black, round eyes and begins to speak. She places each one on a chair and specifically commands them to do “this and that.”

Even at a young age, and even with teddy bears, Pineda had a knack for leading.

Pineda, a senior, was recruited on the varsity tennis team as a freshman and has won numerous awards including player of the year, All District honors and the Eagle Heart award. She is now the team captain with senior Megan Ziots. On Sept.

17, Pineda received half a scholarship to Midwestern State University to play for their tennis team.

“I love working really hard,” Pineda said. “[I love] when our whole team is into it, when we’re all after everything and we’re all pumped up.

The intensity of any tennis match, that’s what I love.”Team leaders are chosen the head coach Justin Quest, assistant coach James Stinson and the Ereckson middle school coach Bret Hendricks. Quest said they look specifically for an athlete who has shown “dedication, commitment and effort” throughout the years.

“Our coach wouldn’t have appointed me and Megan if he didn’t think that we were capable of being leaders on the team,” Pineda said.

“But also it’s a big responsibility because we have to be an example and we’re more liable for our mistakes.”

Over the course of the four years Quest has coached Pineda, he has helped her every step of the way.

Quest also talks to her about goals to accomplish for the team both on and off the courts.

“I lean on [Pineda] a lot just in terms of the feel of the team,” Quest said. “I really use her alongside me to get the girls and the guys in the right

Senior tennis captain receives scholarship

Allen High School // Issue 2 // November 1, 2011

the coaches modify the game plan, but the players in band don’t know about these changes because they are performing.

“After we start the game over they let me know what’s been said, and what we need to do,” Franklin said. “So I really don’t miss a whole lot.”

All three have participated in band and football since they were in the sixth grade. Brown said he liked learning how to play a musical

Breanne McCallop

aspects of being in band and football is spending time with his classmates.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s band or football,” Brown said. “I’m still hanging out with my friends.”

Franklin said his parents have supported his decision to stay in both activities. If he forgets something he needs for either activity, his mother will go home to get it for him.

“My parents do everything for me,” Franklin said. “They help me so much. They’re at every game, every contest, every competition and they’re supportive all the way.”

Rocha said he sometimes wishes he were just in band or football, not in both, because of how stressful it can be to get his schoolwork done on time.

“I’ve always wanted to quit one or the other,” Rocha said. “It’s kind of like one day I want to quit football, one day I want to quit band, but I like both of them, so I choose to do both.”

Franklin said he is appreciative that he is able to participate in both band and football, and loves doing what he does.

“Allen is just great for letting me do both,” Franklin said. “A lot of places, the coaches, or the band directors, they would make you commit to one or the other. I love both so it’s a blessing to be here.” story by Rebecca Barney // staff writer

sports

he second quarter is over, and the football players run into the locker room. Senior defensive line Brandon Franklin doesn’t get a break. He dashes to his spot in the halftime show, still in his football uniform.

Franklin, junior Joshua Brown and junior John Rocha are involved in both band and football on Friday nights. Franklin (#94) plays the snare drum. Brown (#68) plays the trombone and offensive line. Rocha (#46) plays the saxophone and running back.

“It’s definitely a good feeling coming out of the tunnel, having everyone cheer, and having everyone cheer again during the halftime show,” Rocha said. “It’s a great feeling. It’s amazing.”

Brown, Franklin and Rocha don’t have time to change into their band uniform, so they perform the halftime show in their football uniforms. The football uniform is much different from the band uniform and makes the players more noticeable.

“I definitely worry that I stick out, especially when we wear black,” Rocha said. “I’m wearing white pants and a red Under Armor shirt.

I feel like I have to overemphasize everything more, especially when it comes to turning directions.”

During the halftime break,

13

Game, set, match Senior Lauren Pineda leads the varsity tennis team as one of two captains and committed to play tennis next year for Midwestern State.

Cross country team closes out season S

enior Emma Fanin loved running, ever since she was a little girl running with her dad. So it made perfect sense for her to join the cross country team.

“When I am really stressed out I go run,” Fannin said. “My whole mind goes blank and everything is just not there.”

This season, varsity boys and girls placed first at the Allen meet, and the girls finished 1st and the boys 2nd at the McKinney Boyd meet.

They also ran meets at Frisco, Plano, Southlake Carroll, The Colony and Lewisville. The season ended at the district meet with the boys finishing in 7th place, and the girls finishing 4th, one spot away from moving on to the regional meet.

In order to qualify for varsity, runners must finish in the top 10 of every meet and attend every practice.

“The basic concept of cross country is that you can lose your role and week to week it can change,” Coach Kirk Trent said. “There are a lot of fluctuations. If there is someone who has a better time on JV than a varsity runner they will be switching.”

The varsity squad has six team leaders: seniors Alexander Castillo, Chris Corbett, Ivan Do, Alex Gaudio and sophomores Fannin and Maggie Guadio. Trent said their job is to lead

Allen High School // Issue 2 // November 1, 2011

sports

14

The Numbers Angle

15840

200 7 22 16:53

Number of feet run by the district meet

Number of calories lost per Lady Eagle at district meet

Varsity girls’ placement at Lewisville meet

Varsity boys’ overall placement at Southlake Carroll meet Highest placing time of senior Chris Corbett at Lewisville meet

Caitlin Chandler

Going for gold Junior Robert Rzewuski leads the pack against a pair of Wylie athletes in the cross country meet in Lewisville on

Oct. 15.

and motivate the other runners.

“I wanted to make cross country more personal for the runners,” Trent said. “Every three weeks the leaders will switch groups so at the end of the season each kid will have experienced a different type of leadership.”

Trent intends for varsity practices to be a group effort. The leaders work side by side with each member of the team to improve relationships.

“They are basically in charge of you,” junior Hailey Jenson said. “If you don’t get there in time you have to do star jumps, basically some kind of sit-ups and they have to do it too.

So it’s motivation.”

The leaders feel very obligated to set a good example for their team and their coach.

“The hardest part about being a team leader is when someone doesn’t do something right,” Fannin said.

“Then you kind of have to get on their case, but they are your schoolmates too, so you don’t want to be the person they don’t like, but you need to be the person the coach expects you to be.”

To train for meets, the varsity runners put in about six hours of running per week as well as on their own at home.

“I just tell myself that I need to run the best that I can run,” Fannin

said. “I need to prove that I earned my spot and I need to show Coach Trent what I can do to help the team out.”

Although the team’s season has come to an end, Trent looks forward to next season’s opportunities.

“It is hard to move forward and be on top,” Trent said. “But we always want to try and be better every year.” story by Madyson Russell // staff writer

Rate the Reactions

On a scale of 1-10 how concerned are you about getting injured while you play?

April Kindle Girls’ Basketball “This is my senior year and I’m worried about scholarships and college is right around the corner.”

The Eagle Angle

10

Patrick Kerns Hockey

Kristen Newton Volleyball

6

Christina Manda Softball

6

“I’m mainly concerned with hurting an ankle because I’ve seen three volleyball girls sprain or break their ankles.”

“In softball you can get hurt while sliding, even if you aren’t the one sliding you can get hurt by getting spiked.”

7

“I’m kind of concerned with getting injured, because hockey is a sport with high speeds and head on collisions.”

Sam Glawe Soccer

1

“I’m not concerned, because if you play not to get injured then you will end up getting injured.”

illustration by Lucas Lostoski

The Round Table with David Barr

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sports

David Barr opinions editor he football team has gained national acclaim throughout this season for dominating opponents from the opening kickoff and beating others on last minute drives. While they no longer hold the number one ranking, they still hold an impressive 8-0 record. As the playoffs inch closer, the wins become more and more important, and losses become unacceptable. The Eagles have kept this mentality through the highs of the season as well as the lows. I had the chance to sit down with linebackers Carl McClellan (senior) and Jack Hawkins (junior) as well as offensive lineman Brad North (junior). These guys had a lot to say on the Eagles’ mentality going into the playoffs, and what to expect from the team as the season comes to a close.

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Brad: We’ve got Marcus and Hebron and we all know about [our loss last year] to Hebron.

Carl: We’re not just playing for a district title but for playoff spots too.

Hebron was playing for a playoff spot, which is why we lost last year.

Brad: The thing about our district the rest of the way is that Marcus has a guaranteed playoff spot because they’re undefeated. Hebron has pretty much wrapped up their spot. Flower Mound is really the only questionable team. They’re 1-3 in district. We already have a playoff spot, but we want that to look better than it is. We really want a district title.

D: Last question, what are the expectations for playoffs?

Carl: We expect to win State.

Brad: Expect to win State. That’s the goal every year. It’s not just our goal and the coach’s goal. It’s the city’s goal too.

Jack Hawkins linebacker

story by David Barr // opinions editor

Carl McClellan linebacker The volleyball team’s season came to an end on Oct. 25 with a loss at Flower Mound. The Lady Eagles ended the season on a 4-13 skid, after starting the season 18-9. The final record for the team was 22-22, going 4-10 in district and missing the playoffs for the first time since 1994.

The boys’ varsity golf team has played five tournaments to date, with two first place finishes at the Texan Invitational on Oct. 4 and the Redhawk Shootout

on Oct. 24. Senior Justin Newby was the tournament champion at both events, posting scores of 68 and 69 respectively.

The Lady Eagles varsity golf team has played in three tournaments to date.

They finished 1st at the Red Raider Classic, 8th at the Coppell Fall Classic and 4th at the Discover the North Tournament on Sept.

9 and 10, Sept. 12 and Oct. 3 respectively.

The varsity tennis team

finished their regular season with a 12-9 record, having won four out of their last five matches. The team is currently 2-1 in the district tournament.

Both the men and women’s swimming and diving teams are currently undefeated each winning all four of their meets in the season so far. They faced both Tyler and McKinney on Oct. 20, winning both matches. The women won handily, defeating McKinney by a score of 149-36.

On Oct. 17 the UIL passed legislation that will limit the amount of two-a-day practices that will be allowed for high school teams. The new rules will only allow football teams to hold two-a-days if they are not on consecutive days.

Other sports whose seasons begin before the start of the school year cannot hold consecutive two-a-days, besides volleyball. These new guidelines will go into effect in August 2012.

-compiled by the sports staff

The Eagle Angle

sp the an or gl ts e

tomorrow. Individually, I’ve been playing pretty well overall. I’ve had close to 400 snaps. I’m at 382. I think I’m doing pretty good. I know there’s a lot of things I can improve on, but I can’t really complain about my performance. I’m doing my job and I know everyone around me is trying to do their job as best they can. As a team I think we could play better.

Jack: At least we’re winning.

Brad: Yeah I can’t complain, we’re winning but we’re not winning by the amounts we should be winning by, that’s the thing. We’re putting out the effort we need to get a win.

D: How do you feel about your upcoming schedule?

Jack: Against Marcus, this is pretty much for the District title. Coach Cain has already said that.

Carl: Several times.

Jack: If we can get past this game, we can’t really ease up…

Brad: Our district is just so unpredictable.

Jack: It shouldn’t be as hard, but we can’t let our guard down.

Carl: Our district pretty much keeps getting harder.

Allen High School // Issue 2 // November 1, 2011

Brad North offensive lineman

D: How successful do you feel about the season so far, personally and team wise?

Carl: In the first four games we played really well. Two shutouts. Defensive wise, offense let up.

Brad: (laughing) Shut up.

Carl: It wasn’t your fault Brad.

Brad: Yeah, it was just a miscommunication.

Carl: In the last three games, defensively we didn’t play very well.

Especially against East. The offense had some good plays but they didn’t play as good as they could have. We could have played a lot better against Cedar Hill. I think it was a nervous first game thing.

Jack: Talking about individual success, I’m the only junior at my position so I feel really good about the time I’ve gotten. As a team, last three weeks we’ve been a little unfocused both on offense and defense.

Brad: I think it’s maturity.

Carl: I think it’s how much success we’ve gotten plus the level of teams we played.

Jack: After Plano we got pretty cocky.

Brad: We’ve got to play really well

Family Fun Affair A

s part of the FFA program, students purchase, raise and care for animals that they enter into various contests at the State Fair, which took place Oct. 3 through Oct. 8. Animals that qualify are sold at auction.This year FFA took swine, sheep and cattle projects, as well as five shop projects. In the cattle barn, senior Marlana Broce placed 10th with her steer, Lauren Reeves received third place in the all other breeds contest with her steer junior and Anna Seeley received reserved champion limousine steer, which is the second best award for the whole show.

After purchasing their animals at the beginning of the year, students are responsible to go to the barn every morning and afternoon to feed, water and take care of their animal.

They are in charge of every financial aspect of caring for the animals, including the up keep of the pens and facilities. The school does not own anything except the facilities itself. In addition to animal care, FFA hosts various activities such as Trunk or Treat, which was held on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Pumped for pumpkins (left) FFA students help move pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011.

The Pumpkin Patch was held from Oct.17-21.

A toothy grin (below) Freshman Sarah Tracey, an FFA

student, gives candy to Batman and a princess at the Trunk or Treat.

Knee deep in sheep (below) Seniors Torree Hughes

and Stephanie Dye work on a sheep at the Allen FFA Project Center.

Katie Borchert

Nicole Welch

Nicole Nicole Welch Welch Bryant Arias

How now brown cow (above) At the State Fair, sophomore Haley Gunn placed second with her Hereford steer.

Baa-ram-ewe (right) Freshman Chey-

enne Aldridge fixes her sheep’s halter at the Allen FFA Project Center.

Trick or treat (below) At Trunk or Treat senior Kimberly Lizano and junior Dakota Dunnaway pass out candy to kids.

Nicole Welch

Katie Borchert

Billy goat gruff (above) After letting her goat out to eat, sophomore Brittany Aldridge puts a halter on her goat on Tuesday Oct. 25.

Nicole Welch

Cutting edge (left) Junior Hunter

Bodin works hard in his Ag Mechanics class on Thursday, Oct. 27.

Bryant Arias