The Featherduster Volume 42 Issue 2

Fe a t h e rd u s te r

Where do we draw the line?

AT&T 3G

2:03 PM

John L. What’s on your mind?

Amy Sherfield That test was so gay.

It was nothing like the review . I don’t think I learned anything in class.

Dec. 10 2:34 AM

12 comments

+

9 people

Wilson Bard

+ +

PARTAYYY! ‘10

Dec. 9 11:46 AM

Wall

Info

Photos

the

Westlake High School

Volume 42

Issue 2

December 10, 2010 4100 Westbank Drive Austin, Texas 78746

March

{contents}

Brains + Brawn

Page # People + Places P# Trends + Traditions P# Rants + Raves Headline P# Subhead

Editors-in-Chief Lauren Nelson Zach Wasfi

Managing Editor Anisha Ganguly

Copy Editors

Daisy Burgess Stephen Squires

Photo Editors Barrett Wilson Nathan Kallison

Business Manager

Danielle Brown Zelda Mayer Christina Shin

Danielle Brown

Julie Dorland Jenny Messer Asst. Hailey Cunningham Hillary Hurst Cody Crutchfield Asst. Hirrah Barlas

Allie Carlisle Austin Hix Elisa Chen Emily Cohen Izzy de la Luz Mackenzie Franklin Shea Wendlandt Sidney Hollingsworth Tanner Thompson Taylor Cloyd Theo Doucet Laura Brewster

Brains + Brawn

People + Places Hannah Kunz Caroline Hunt Asst. Jono Krawczyk

Trends + Traditions Sofie Seiden Lizzie Friedman Asst. Sofia Mitre

Rants + Raves Matt Frank Jake Bitting Asst. Becca Burt

Art Director

Michelle Ling Asst. Emily Mitchell

Web Master Matthew Chang

Web Team Mekala Keshu

Social Coordinator Keren Rempe

Photographers

Reporters

Abby Bost Abby Mosing Alex Gieb Alli Anderson Allie Carlson Anika Hattangadi Anna Vaught Annie Valliant Austin Callegari Ben Wallace Benton Reed Blair Watson Blake Bond

Breck Spencer Camilla Childers Camille Lewis Catherine Mear Chandler McCollough Elizabeth Emery Elizabeth Petersen Enrique Gomez-Leos Erin Armstrong Haley Green Hetty Borinstein Jaimie Pitts Jared Schroeder Jesse Denier Jessee Haney Jessica Stenglein Josh Willis Laura Doolittle Laura Hatcher Luci Ortiz Maddy Scott Madeline Nick Madison Goll Marco Scarasso Mariah Stevens-Ross Mia Cavazos McKenna Wilbur Monica Tan Nikki Roop Olivia Lee Rubie Hays Selah Maya Zighelboim Steven Campbell Taylor Kidd Taylor Ross

Adviser

Deanne Brown

The Featherduster, the newsmagazine of Westlake High School, attempts to inform and entertain in a broad, fair and accurate manner on subjects which concern the readers. The publication also seeks to provide a forum of ideas and opinions between the staff of the newsmagazine, the faculty, the student body and the local community about issues presented.

All material produced and published by The Featherduster staff is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without the writer’s consent or that of the editors. Content decisions rest in the hands of the staff, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier. Opinions expressed in the columns that appear in The Feather-

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

duster do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire staff, the school administration or the adviser.

The staff encourages letters to the editor as an avenue for expressing the opinions of the readers. All letters must be signed to be considered for publication. Due to space limitations, not all letters will be published, and the editorial board reserves the right to edit them for purposes of placement. No material will be printed that is libelous, advocates an illegal activity or which the editorial board deems is in poor taste. The restriction includes letters to the staff, advertising and anything else the board feels presents an inappropriate message.

brains + brawn

3

Time to get

Calling upon 11 years of dance training, freshman Samantha Brocklehurst practices her solo as the Snow Queen. “I love performing, and the Nutcracker allows me to do that on a large stage,” Samantha said.

Posing with a reed flute, freshman Lindsey Horton listens to director Alisa Laraway while rehearsing for the French dance of The Nutcracker.

I

Sophomore Monica Gonzalez and West Ridge Middle School eighth grader Zhouie Bernhardt dance with their umbrellas during rehearsal for the Chinese dance.

Emily Cohen

It’s that time of the year again. Trees are up, colorful lights adorn yards and porches, and children are giddy at the idea of Santa coming to town. Christmas means that The Nutcracker Spectacular is about to take place, for the seventh year in a row. Each year, Alisa’s Dance Academy, the Technical Entertainment Crew and the orchestra join together to present a performance of The Nutcracker. Fusing different aspects of the community together, the performance has become a Westlake tradition.

The focus of the show is the dancers from Alisa’s Dance Academy, a local studio with two locations in the Austin area. Dancers from third grade to high school perform in the show. One of the dedicated performers is freshman Samantha Brocklehurst, who is excited about her main role in the show.

“I play the Snow Queen, the pointe solo who dances with the snowflakes in the winter scene,” Samantha said. “Pointe is basically ballet on top of your toes. I’ve been dancing 11 years, almost all my life, at Alisa’s. I’ve been en pointe for about four years now.”

Being part of the performance takes a very large block of time for everyone involved, but Samantha is also committed to hours of dance activities beyond The Nutcracker.

“On Saturdays, I have an hour-long rehearsal with the snowflake [dancers],” Samantha said. “At around the end of November, we begin full-cast rehearsals that run all day every Saturday. That’s when we start practicing at the [Performing Arts Center] with orchestra and TEC. I dance on Alisa’s dance team for [Austin’s Dance] Elite, which is the highest level, as well. I have seven dance classes a week and most are about an hour and a half.”

While this may seem like a lot of work, Samantha enjoys performing and has been part of The Nutcracker for years.

“I’ve done The Nutcracker since third grade and have moved from a little angel to a big solo part,” Samantha said. “I was really happy to get my role. I’ve always wanted to be the Snow Queen and have been

Emily Cohen

Emily Cohen

working towards that goal for years.”

Viewers who come to see The Nutcracker should expect a lesstraditional version of the show.

“It’s not like seeing Ballet Austin’s performance of The Nutcracker,” Samantha said. “What’s neat about our performance is the Westlake aspect. The Nutcracker combines a lot of aspects of the school and the community, from orchestra to TEC to dance. The fourth and fifth grade classes come see the play, so it’s not like seeing a four or five hour ballet.”

Behind the stage, while snow falls and dancers perform, TEC works diligently.

“We do a lot,” TEC president senior Ashley Thornburg said. “We create the scenery and are in charge of all the technical aspects of the show, like lighting, mixing music and automated lighting. We also handle the advertising before the show along with orchestra.”

Because The Nutcracker is an event for the whole community rather than just the school, TEC, as well as other members in the show, receive some outside exposure.

“It’s a good way to get our name out in the public,” Ashley said.

“The Nutcracker is one of the only times we get involved with groups outside of Westlake. It’s also a good experience for our students to work with people and groups they don’t already know, which is much more [of a real world experience]. The show is also a good fundraiser; we split the profit with orchestra.”

Similar to the dancers’ intense schedule, TEC spends dozens of hours rehearsing for the show.

“Two weeks before the show, we begin rehearsing every day after school from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m,” Ashley said. “The week before the show opens, we rehearse from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day with the orchestra and dancers. Once the show begins, our schedule is pretty intense. On opening day we work from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., and on closing night we arrive on that Saturday at 11 a.m. and leave at around midnight.”

The Nutcracker fuses school, community Since The Nutcracker occurs every year, a lot of the foundation work is already in place for TEC. “We reuse the same set and touch it up,” Ashley said. “TEC also adds new pieces, if needed, and takes out pieces on set that are no longer needed. The light cues stay mostly the same as well; we add what we need and take away what we don’t.”

Being behind the scenes usually means little recognition. The Nutcracker, however, lets the members of TEC experience something they seldom do — a standing ovation.

“At the end of the show, when all of TEC comes to the front for the curtain call, it’s really special,” Ashley said. “It’s a great feeling to walk out there and get a standing ovation from the whole crowd. So much of our work is behind the scenes, but it’s great to see people’s appreciation of all the work that we do. It’s nice to see how all of the dancers appreciate us, too.”

Any dance performance would not be complete without the orchestra in the pit. In the Symphony Orchestra, second chair first violinist sophomore Owen Smitherman commits numer-

Senior Ian Gallagher, juniors Ben Jacobsen and Eddie Allen and sophomore Seth Davis play the bass during a rehearsal for the show. The show takes place Dec. 10 and 11.

ous hours to rehearsing for the show, following a similar schedule to the dancers and TEC. While the traditional music of The Nutcracker may seem the same to those who attended each year, several pieces are added for every renewal.

“We play over 20 pieces in the show,” Owen said. “Juniors and seniors in the top two orchestras perform, as well as a few sophomores. The group is split into two for the performances, except for the top chairs in each section which perform in all shows. We need that consistency in the top; otherwise [the music] would be a mess.”

Being under the stage is a big change for students in the orchestra, but that’s just one of the factors that sets this show apart for the group.

“The Nutcracker is difficult because there is so much music to play,” Owen said. “About 40 pages for just one show, and we don’t have 40 pages of music for the rest of the year. We also have to coordinate with the band to rehearse out of school.”

There are four show times for The Nutcracker, during Dec. 10-11. Tickets are $14 each and are on sale now. Students can purchase tickets at the door or by visiting www.thelongcenter.org.

“We all work really hard all semester,” Owen said. “So much goes into this show. People should come out to support the orchestra, TEC, band and dancers.”

—Madison Scott

the

crackin’

pit

From

Students share a look behind the curtain “Even though it may seem like the same show every year, it’s actually different because we bring something new to the table each time.”

—TEC member junior Maggie Martino

“It’s great that they let the high school band, dancers, orchestra and TEC be involved in the show. I enjoy the festivities.”

—band member junior Alex Putman

“[Preparing for The Nutcracker] involves a lot more independence than a normal performance; we do a lot more practicing on our own. We meet the month before with the band and it all just comes together.”

—orchestra member junior Emily Huang

“It’s Christmas time! How could you not come see The Nutcracker?”

—orchestra member senior Edward Ji

Hannah Kunz

Violinists seniors Alice Liu and Sammie Truong rehearse for The Nutcracker in the orchestra hall Nov. 19 to perfect the musical accompaniment to the annual show. “We grew up hearing the music of The Nutcracker, so it’s been a great experience being a part of this production,” Sammie said.

Theo Doucet

Theo Doucet

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

brains + brawn

5

A heart of Simple ways to make a difference gold

E

Every holiday season, what do most students wish for? Is it that new smart phone, an iPod or even a car? Just imagine only praying for a meal, knowing better than to ask for a toy or game. That is how hundreds of children in the Austin area are living, and thousands in the United States. Fortunately, there are several ways for more privileged people to help those in need.

One way is Operation Christmas Child which sends small boxes to thousands of children in need all over the world full of gifts as well as common necessities. Whether you want to send a box personally, donate money or donate your time, it’s a very simple process. To send a package, take a shoe box and fill it with toys, school supplies and toiletries, wrap it like a present and put a label on it, designating the age and gender appropriateness of the child. When you

mail it in, separately include $7 or more to cover shipping costs. You can even include a picture of your family and your address. Usually, the kids will write back. Although the deadline for dropping your box off at a local drop off location was Nov. 22, you can mail your box year round to Operation Christmas Child’s headquarters.

If participants need community service hours or just want to give back, check out children’s homes around the area. Although some of them require you to be at least 18 to volunteer, many do not, including the Texas Baptist Children’s Home in Round Rock. Many children would like a teenager to keep them company during the holidays when they have no one else. You can get volunteer hours just for hanging out with these kids. They are also in need of people to help out with simple things such as gardening, painting rooms or even

Gift of life Many people don’t realize how important giving blood is. They don’t understand how their donated blood can save many lives and be the difference between someone living and someone dying. I should know. Donated blood probably saved my life.

In the summer of 2008, I had surgery on my left hip due to a congenital hip defect known as hip dysplasia where the socket bone did not cover up the ball bone and it would slide and pop in and out of socket. The surgery took longer than expected and I lost a lot of blood. When I woke up, I was attached to an IV bag full of blood. They told me that I was running a bit low and that this was going to get me back to normal. I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect because I had never received blood before and was not sure what it would feel like. The intake of blood seemed to take forever, though it only took about an hour. Even in situations like this, where it doesn’t seem like it was that big of a deal, without the blood I could have become very sick or even died.

Only after I left the hospital did I realize how important the blood donation was,

office work. Participation is welcome year-round.

An additional way to help is to work at a local soup kitchen, such as The Angel House Soup Kitchen downtown. There are volunteer opportunities to serve lunch, be a greeter, drive and assist in picking up donated items. You can work in the clothing room, as a Bible study leader, relief cook or building maintenance or repair. You need to be healthy and ready to volunteer and work hard.

Angel House distributes clothes to homeless people every Saturday morning. They need donated clothing, as well as volunteers to help sort and make lists of needed items.

Giving back can be an amazing experience. Not only does it help the people in need, but helps us as well, not only for all-important Chaps in Service hours, but also the satisfaction of making a difference.

—Taylor Ross

How to get

involved:

Operation Christmas Child

www.samaritanspurse.com

Texas Children’s Baptist Home

www.childrenatheartministries.org

Angel House Soup Kitchen

www.angelhouse-abc.com

Operation Blue Santa

www.bluesanta.org

Adopt a Family www.cbofaustin.org

Ronald McDonald House

www.rmhcslc.org

Meals on Wheels

www.mowaa.org

Junior stresses impact of giving blood, saving lives as I fell below the amount of blood a person needs. I thanked my lucky stars that someone donated blood and that I was able to leave the hospital in as good of shape as I was.

And I’m not the only one who needs blood. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, about five million people in the U.S. and Canada need blood transfusions every year and, according to America’s Blood Center, someone needs blood every two seconds.

So the next time you are given the opportunity to donate blood, think of all the people who need it and that you could save up to two lives just by donating one pint of blood and only an hour of your time. You will also be helping yourself, because according to the Mayo Clinic, 25 percent of people require donated blood once in their lifetime. Your donation saves lives. Never forget that.

—Cody Crutchfield

Every blood donation saves two lives. Donate in the next blood drive, to be held Feb. 9.

Sidney Hollingsworth

Dates of Student Council Blood Drives: Feb. 9 May 17

Above: The Starsteppers dance to “Little Bit” during their performance at Spotlight.

Technical Entertainment Crew provided lights and sound for the evening.

Sidney Hollingsworth

Above: At the 17th annual Spotlight performance Nov. 16 in the Performing Arts Center, freshman Danielle Nieto dances to “Breath Me,” performed by Dance 2.

Barrett Wilson

Left: Senior Natalie Banister leaps during a dance with the Hyline dance team at Spotlight.

Sidney Hollingsworth

Below: Captian senior Madelyn Wilson performs to Hyline’s modern contest peice, “Blinding.” “I was really excited to perform in the white tulle skirts,” she said.

“They were a costume unlike [anything] Hyline has ever worn before.” Hyline will now begin preparing for their competition season.

Below: Before the Spotlight performance, sophomores Lauren Lardner and Maddie McLaughlin touch up their makeup in the Starsteppers’ dressing room. The Starsteppers performed two numbers, “Magic” and “Little Bit.” “Getting ready before I perform can be pretty nerve-wracking,” Maddie said. “But when I get on stage, my nerves are gone and I don’t think about anything else but my moves.”

Sidney Hollingsworth

Sidney Hollingsworth

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

brains + brawn

7

Nathan Kallison

Taken by surprise, principal Linda Rawlings embraces actor Jack Black after he took over the announcements Nov. 2. Black and the rest of the crew for the movie Bernie used the Recital Hall and film room to shoot multiple movie scenes.

O

On Nov. 2, angry seniors pulled into school, wondering why half of their parking spots were taken up by six movie trailers. But the confusion was soon diffused when the rumors that Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey were at Westlake spread around the halls. Twitter and Facebook soon exploded with tweets and status updates.

“Jack Black filming at Westlake and doing our school announcements? YEAR MADE!” “OMG Matthew McConaughey is at Westlake!”

Although it was a false rumor that McConaughey was here, Black did, in fact, spend two days on campus filming his new movie, Bernie — an upcoming dark comedy about a murder in East Texas. Black plays the character of Bernie, who befriends a wealthy widow, played by Shirley MacLaine, who ends up being killed by Bernie.

The first scene of the movie, filmed in the Lecture Hall, is based off a junior college in Carthage, Texas.

The location managers of this film were James Crowley and Joseph Hudgins. They were in charge of finding shooting locations, booking them, insuring them through contracts, working out transportation and deciding how everyone gets in and out of the buildings.

“Our director, [Richard Linklater], preferred the auditorium,” Crowley said. “It’s the opening of the movie, and he wanted it to start out big. [The Performing Arts Center] has a really good theatrical look to it, with the size and everything in scope. Once our art

Black Visiting actor travels to campus for new movie role, enchants Westlake audience

department added a few elements, then bam — suddenly it was a college.”

On the second day of shooting, the cast and crew moved to the film room to shoot a radio scene. Local KLBJ radio personality Dale Dudley played a disc jockey in a scene with Black.

“I heard [Dudley] saying that he was nervous since he hadn’t been in a movie for a long time, but they routed the sound through his headphones, so he felt like he was just at work,” film teacher Emily Burdett said.

The scene shot in the film room was created to look like a radio station. The construction workers and art department put up a black plywood wall to match the rest of the room. To make it look like an old college radio station, old radio equipment and records were added, and newspaper articles from East Texas and a banner saying “KGUESS: The Heartbeat of East Texas” were hung on the walls.

“It was tight quarters for a lot of people [to be working in],” Burdett said.

Crowley and Hudgins, who attended Anderson High School, have also worked on sets such as Friday Night Lights and The Chronicles of Narnia.

“The set for [Narnia] was bigger than this entire campus,” Hudgins said. “[The overall working area] is small compared to what we normally have to work with. It’s usually at least twice the size.”

The crew was complimentary of the students and the staff at Westlake and was grateful to work at this location.

“All the folks that we’ve dealt with in the school district, all the way down to the people [working with us] were incredible, really pulled together, cool and nice,” Hudgins said.

Throughout the two days that the crew was filming on campus, many of the students found creative ways to get themselves involved with the production.

“We had several people act like they are somebody [in the film] to get in to wherever they wanted to go, but for the most part we let it slide,” Hudgins said. “We wanted the students to get something out of [this experience] as well.”

Although the majority of the students were respectful, a certain group of students were not so polite. One of the actors, Corbin Clem, who plays a victim of a drunk driving accident, commented that he saw a group of students go up to Black’s trailer during lunch and yell profanities. Black actually had to come outside of his trailer to tell them to stop and go away.

“We weren’t hardcore, like cops or anything, we just had to monitor it,” Crowley said. “If it was annoying and disruptive to the production, then we had to stop it.”

Westlake was one of the crew’s last stops in the filming process, as they wrapped up the filming Nov. 9. The movie is scheduled to be released sometime in 2012.

“I think it’s going to be a great movie, and we are all really excited about it,” Crowley said. “It is so rewarding to have a good final product after putting in so much hard work.”

—Abby Bost and Allie Carlson

magic “I had literally spent all day trying to find [Jack Black], like a total stalker. [Senior] Callie Brice and I got to school at 6 a.m. to try to see him. At the very end of school, we went to his trailer and all the annoying guys who worked for the set were like, ‘He’s gone. Get out of here,’ but I knew they were lying. Then we saw him drive by in a car. Callie, [Senior] Daniel Serrato and I all ran after his car yelling for him to stop. He rolled down his window and told us he would take pictures with us. It was pretty awesome and it really made my year, especially because he will probably always remember the freaky kids at Westlake who chased down his car in the school parking lot like crazy people.”

—senior Aubrey Martin

“I was lucky enough to spend about seven hours on the set with Jack Black. It was quite amazing to watch him work and re-take scenes, truly a great experience.

He was a really polite guy and great with us asking him questions. I asked him if he enjoyed acting and he said he loved it. When I told him I was from [Austin] he was shocked and said, ‘You don’t have one bit of a Texan accent.’ It was really eye-opening to see all the behind-the-scenes workings of a film, not to mention seeing firsthand the poor guy trying to avoid a bunch of screaming kids.”

—senior Andre Revilla

at on

lis al nK

ha

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

N

“I was taking a picture of [senior] Edward Ji practicing for the movie in the [Performing Arts Center] and when I walked out, Jack Black was taking pictures with a few fans so when he turned around, I asked for a picture too. He was really nice and kept joking around with everyone.”

—senior Masha Romanova

brains + brawn

9

Impromptu

Fantasy

Senior Edward Ji peeks out his own trailer door holding his freshly pressed tuxedo.

Sidney Hollingsworth

Symphony concertmaster unexpectedly performs in upcoming movie

s

Senior Edward Ji plays the piano for the camera as the producers adjust the lights for the optimal movie shot. courtesy photo

Senior Edward Ji knew Jack Black was shooting his new film, Bernie, at Westlake. What he didn’t know was that he would soon be asked to play a part in that movie.

On Nov. 2, Edward followed his normal routine of arriving to school early to finish his homework. He went to orchestra, as he does every day, only to be told he had an opportunity to play a piano piece entitled Fantasie-Impromptu for the film.

“I walked into orchestra the day the film crew was at our school and my orchestra director called me into his office,” Edward said. “Apparently, the pianist the crew hired cancelled last minute due to a family emergency, and they were looking for a new one.”

A member of the professional film crew had spoken to the orchestra director about the possibility of having one of his students replace the missing pianist for the spotlight feature.

“Ironically, the piece the crew selected was something I worked on years ago,” Edward said. “Although I was incredibly nervous when I auditioned [for the director over the phone], moments later they told me that I got the job.”

Orchestra director James Edwards chose his first chair violinist because he recognized his talent as a pianist and knew that he had many pieces prepared.

“I couldn’t be prouder,” Edwards said. “Edward handled the situation so professionally that it was truly remarkable. I can’t wait to see what they will use in the movie. This is a first.”

Since Edward is under 18, his parents drove quickly to the school (with his tuxedo in tow) to sign contracts permitting him to be a “oneday performer.”

“I got many jokes afterwards about being a ‘child star,’” Edward said. “I also thought it was funny how they provided me with a trailer just to change into my tuxedo. But the funniest part was when they did

my make-up because the only make-up they put on me was to cover up my hickey [I get] from playing the violin.”

Although they didn’t shoot the scene together, Edward was told that Jack Black and other actors would be in the finished product.

“No one knows exactly what the scene will be,” Edward said. “But from what I hear, the scene is Jack Black’s character on a date with Shirley MacLaine’s character. The two actors are definitely in the scene, but I did not shoot the scene with them. The crew shot them watching the recital before they shot the actual recital scene, so they will edit them together at the end.”

After filming his scene, Edward was introduced to Jack Black.

“Meeting Jack Black was incredible,” Edward said. “He invited me and my mom to his trailer, and we met him there after we shot my scene. He was hilarious and really laid-back, just like the characters he plays in the movies.”

Edward’s passion for music kept him focused on his specific role in the film, despite the pressures of his first movie role.

“It all happened so fast that I didn’t really have any time to process anything that was happening,” Edward said. “To be quite honest, I didn’t feel like I was shooting a movie; I felt like I was just playing the piano like I always do.”

Edward’s whirlwind experience may seem to come from the pages of a storybook, but the memories of his 15 minutes of fame — literally — ground him to reality.

“I think one thing that I’ll take away from this experience is that each day is completely unpredictable,” Edward said. “But I’d be unrealistic if I said that it opened up any new doors for me in the future.

There are many talented pianists at our school, but I just happened to be at the right place at the right time.”

—Taylor Kidd and Camila Childers Cortinas

“I didn’t feel like I was shooting a movie; I felt like I was just playing the piano like I always do.”

—senior Edward Ji

Hurry

It’s 6:30 on a cold Tuesday morning, and my footsteps echo in the empty streets as the moon and stars greet me on the way to my car. I’m not a morning person, not by a long shot — but I don’t mind: I’m about to watch Richard Linklater direct Jack Black in their new movie, and I might get a chance to be an extra in it.

I arrive in the school parking lot and meet up with some friends and other potential extras. We follow a series of signs and explain ourselves to several security guards before we arrive in the “extras holding” room, or the Green Room in the Performing Arts Center. One wall is lined with tables filled with food and coffee, and everybody sits around looking bored. My film teacher tells us that being an extra means “hurry up and wait.” We sit and work on homework for about 30 minutes. Then, high school students are called up as potential extras and my hair is tugged, pulled and sprayed into shape until I look older. I still have no idea what the movie is about, until an official looking man stands up and explains: “You guys are playing students in a mortician’s classroom.

Yes, Jack Black will be teaching you how to make dead people look pretty.”

He explicitly tells us that no photos or autographs will be allowed, and that we must not make a peep while the cameras are rolling. We all respectfully agree.

At 9 a.m. we’re shuffled into the back seats of the recital hall.

Things are still being set up. A 50-foot light towers over four rows of chairs, and two bandanna-wearing men adjust the poles holding it up. In front of the light are two fake surgical lights over a bed, and behind that are diagrams and models of the human body. Cabinets filled with jars of green liquid and cotton swabs and boxes of things line the back of the stage. Women run around making last-minute adjustments to other tiny details in the background as one of them frantically yells, “We’re going to need some Windex!”

More time passes. Excitement fades into boredom and the guy next to me falls asleep. Some of us place bets on when Jack Black will arrive. We speculate the purpose of the Jack Black look-alike being used to frame the shot and decide that he’s there to confuse us. My phone starts buzzing with texts asking, “Is Matthew McConaughey really here?!” and I don’t respond. A man wearing an expression of angry boredom irons a sheet and brings it over to the hospital bed. We see another man appear from the side door. “It’s the dead guy!” I hear someone whisper.

Indeed, this man is quite dead-looking. He’s either old or wearing

wait

and

I

Film student gains new perspective on movie industry

makeup to look old, and very pale. He lies down on the hospital bed, and a woman places a white pillow-type thing over his body to cover up his breathing, and more sheets over that. We’re directed to sit in the front few rows so the actors can have an audience to talk to; they’re only going to be shooting the part without an audience in the shot for now.

It’s 9:30 a.m., and Jack Black finally arrives. No one freaks out as I expected. Instead, we smile as he talks to his look-alike and makes strange faces with crazy eyebrows. It’s weird seeing him with slickedback hair and a moustache when I’ve seen School of Rock so many times I could recite it verbatim. A woman runs up and dabs powder on his face. The director explains camera movement to him, and he nods and walks to the center of the stage.

“Standby for rehearsal!” someone shouts, and the room falls quiet.

An older man speaks to the camera and introduces Jack Black as Mr. Bernie. The director approves. Then, more shouting comes from different people around the room.

“Rolling!” “Rolling!” “ROLLING!” The cameras start recording and the room grows even quieter than before. The actors repeat the 30-second take for about 30 minutes. Jack Black struggles with gloves, and one of them snaps and flies across the room.

After that was done, everybody takes a break. The dead guy gets up off the table, wraps himself in a multicolored striped toga and walks out of the room.

We readjust ourselves, people go to the bathroom, and a lot of people leave. An hour passes and finally most of the crew reenters the room.

Takes of the different scenes are done, and students filter in and out of the room. Everything becomes a blur. We break for lunch, then wait some more. I am told that the scene involving the extras won’t be filmed until around 9 p.m. By this point it’s 3:15, the time I normally get out of school, so I leave to work on college applications.

Being in my third year of film production at Westlake, I’m well aware that making movies is a long and tedious process. However, being thrown into a professional movie set brings a whole new perspective to this fact: a whole day was spent shooting a 3-minute scene that might not even end up in the final film. I’ve gained a greater amount of respect for the filmmakers who have the patience and tenacity to finish their movies, something I never fully understood before experiencing it firsthand. I’ve realized that the film industry isn’t for me, but I still love movies: I’ll be seeing Bernie on its opening night.

—Mariah Stevens-Ross

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

brains + brawn

11

The magic

touch

Library initiates iPad program in classrooms

Computer mainframes first came out in the ‘50s. The first cell phone was used successfully in 1973. Today, cell phones and computers make up a students’ daily routine. Modern communication and technology is developing faster and faster, now to the point where Apple iPads have found a place in the classroom.

Chemistry teacher Jenna Nelson was one of the teachers given the opportunity to test the iPads in her classroom.

“The librarian downloaded the elements app, which is an interactive periodic table,” Nelson said. “I gave my kids a guided worksheet so they could go through and see all of the information on the interactive periodic table.”

Six iPads have been distributed for classroom use to the library. iPads can be checked out for three to four days by teachers. According to librarian Carolyn Foote, 98 percent of teachers who have so far checked out the iPads thought that they would help engage their students and be useful in their classroom.

“I found that the kids became engaged in the worksheet that I gave them as opposed to giving them the information for them to absorb,” Nelson said. “They discovered the information independently, which I think is the best way to learn.”

Junior Daniella Haverty enjoyed using the iPads in her chemistry class and would like to continue using them.

“I think it helped,” Daniella said. “This kind of learning is for visual and hands-on students.”

The iPads also come with apps for students with special needs. Deaf students are able to look at the screen and press buttons with pictures of what they want.

A pre-recorded voice lets the instructor know what they need to make communication simpler. There is still a downside to purchasing a large quantity.

“My hesitation with iPads is will they become outdated in the next four years,” Physics teacher Rose Palmer said. “If you spend x number of dollars on them, will we just have to update [later]?”

Modern technology has become an essential part of a students’ lifestyle, both at school and in their personal lives.

“I found a YouTube video of a 2-year-old using an iPad,” Foote said. “It made me think about how this will change teaching, and how it will change what’s in our students’ backpacks.”

—Daisy Burgess and Nikki Roop

Tanner Thompson

T

o th f e

Battle

bands

The Featherduster and TEC will host the 16th annual Battle of the Bands competition in the Performing Arts Center Feb. 19.

“The idea was conceived by former Featherduster editor Bryan Brown, who was also a musician,” Featherduster adviser Deanne Brown said. “He wanted student musicians to have the opportunity to play in front of their peers, and very few opportunities existed.”

The bands performing in the competition will be announced the first week of January. Tickets will go on sale in February. In the meantime, TEC is preparing to do its part in making the producion a success.

“[Last year], Battle of the Bands was a great opportunity to see the bands from different angles while learning the mechanics of stage production,” TEC student sophomore Ryan Stankard said. “I’m looking forward to it again.”

—Selah Maya Zighelboim

Art by Brad Dunn

In preparation for the robotics team Capitol Boosting Engineering Science and Technology Competition, junior Jack Beadle spray paints golf balls, otherwise known as gadgets, for their practice course. The team took fourth Nov. 20. They will advance to the national competition in April. For a full list of winners, visit www.westlakefeatherduster.com.

Robotics team Keren Rempe

Zumba night fundraiser In an effort to raise money and awareness about Westlake’s new sister school, Mahiga Hope High School, students met in the Chap Court to take a Zumba class, sponsored by the Student Council Kenya Committee. Led by YMCA instructor Bethany Moore, participants exercised to the tunes of Shakira to raise money to offset the tuition fees of Mahiga.

Bye bye Birdie Choir prepares for upcoming musical

D

“Did you hear about Hugo and Kim?” If you catch choir members gossiping about this mysterious couple, take note that they aren’t Westlake students. They’re one of the main couples in this year’s musical, Bye Bye Birdie.

Conrad Birdie is a rock-and-roll idol, with more squealing, swooning teen girl fans than you can shake a stick at. Because his character is based on Elvis Presley’s life during the 1950s, Birdie gets drafted into the army. Birdie’s agent/songwriter Albert Peterson and Albert’s secretary/girlfriend Rosie Alvarez come up with a plan for Birdie’s farewell: Birdie will sing a new song, “One Last Kiss,” on the popular Ed Sullivan Show, and at the end of the song, give one lucky fan a kiss she’ll never forget. Kim MacAfee from Sweet Apple, Ohio is the chosen one. Complications arise with Kim’s family and new boyfriend, Hugo Peabody, about the kiss. The insanity that follows is a lively show full of color with catchy lyrics that will be running through students’ heads for days.

Performances of the show will be Feb. 3-5. Tickets will be $15 and can be purchased at www.thelongcenter.org.

—Becca Burt

“Zumba is a Latin-inspired cardio dance party,” Zumba instructor Bethany Moore said.

“I got a flyer in college about Zumba, but there weren’t any classes close by. I decided to learn it on my own and teach it myself.”

Izzy de la Luz

Invisible Children

Charity program visits to spread awareness of war in Uganda, inspire students

Invisible Children scholarship recipient success story, Frances Ijok, poses by senior Maclean Martin at the Nov. 8 presentation in the PAC. Martin is an advocate of Invisible Children support at Westlake.

Unaware of the volatile political situations around the world, on a typical Monday afternoon, most Westlake students are working on homework, attending club meetings and practicing sports. Invisible Children connects the gap by bringing the story of Uganda’s rebel war to high school screens across the country. The students who saw the film Nov. 8 in the Performing Arts Center gained a different perspective on their everyday lives.

“Seeing the desperation in the children’s eyes made me feel like we had to do something,” junior Emily Mitchell said. “You can’t just turn away from something that devastating.”

In response to the use of child soldiers in Uganda, three filmmakers started Invisible Children in 2003. According to www.invisiblechildren. com, “Invisible children uses film, creativity and social action to end the use of child soldiers in rebel war[s] and restore Northern Uganda to peace and prosperity.”

The film opened students’ eyes to the tragedy of Uganda’s current situation and made them reevaluate their own lives. “[Invisible Children] made me realize how lucky we are to live in Westlake, and seeing the situation in Uganda made me want to reach out and help them,” freshman Grace Robertson said.

To help Invisible Children, students can sponsor a child for just $35 a month and purchase t-shirts and other merchandise. These proceeds assist the program in rebuilding schools, providing scholarships, maintaining sanitation and other services that can improve the lives of people in Uganda.

—Elizabeth Emery

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

Sidney Hollingsworth

brains + brawn

13

of A changeseason Nathan Kallison

1 2 3 4

Teen Teaching member junior Charlie Trahan looks on as fifth graders at Barton Creek Live Oak attempt to lift a classmate through the “Porthole,” an activity facilitated by the Teen Teachers. Live Oak Adventure is a three-day trip in which Teen Teachers lead fifth graders through different team-building activities such as “Entrapment,” shown in the inset photo.

Eagle Scout senior Brett Moore and Student Council Chap Pride chair senior Michael Knight (inset) participate in the Veterans Day assembly Nov. 11. “It was a cool experience coordinating all of it,” Michael said. “[Honoring veterans] is important to me because of what they do for our country, and honoring them is a way that I can show my appreciation.”

1

Nathan Kallison

Displaying Westlake pride, sophomore Annie Shedlosky holds the lap counter for a teammate swimming the 500 yard freestyle at the 2010 Triple Dog Dare Challenge against Cedar Park Nov. 5. The Westlake swim team took first in 13 out of the 24 events, including sophomore Allie Ehle (inset) who took first as part of the 400 yard freestyle relay team and placed second in the 100 yard butterfly.

There were many aspects to The Government Inspector, from senior Emmi Tinnin (inset left) applying make-up before the show, to senior Logan Leedham (inset top), sophomore John Austin and junior Chelsee Thornburg acting in the show that was performed Oct. 21-23 in the Black Box Theater.

Nathan Kallison

2

Nathan Kallison

Laura Brewster

3

Laura Brewster

7

Nathan Kallison

5 6 7

Barrett Wilson

Lighting the ceremonial candles, National Honor Society vice president senior Fatima Alvi takes part in the National Honor Society induction ceremony Nov. 3. Students, parents and staff gathered in the PAC as 246 students were inducted into NHS. During a Food Science lab, seniors Julia Guerra and Jimmy Dilworth (inset) play with a corn starch and water mix. Carol Stewart’s students observed the consistency of the gooey substance and its properties in class during the lab.

Treated like royalty, seniors Joseph Jarke and Carly Jones display their crowns and sashes after being crowned Homecoming King and Queen at halftime during the football game against Akins Oct. 29. “It was a privilege to even be on the court,” Carly said, “and to be chosen as queen was such an honor.” Running back junior Brice Dolezal (inset) and the rest of the football team handled Akins easily, beating them 52-21.

Sidney Hollingsworth

6

Sidney Hollingsworth Tanner Thompson

Hannah Kunz

Hannah Kunz

4

Hannah Kunz

5

Tanner Thompson

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

brains + brawn

15

DAVID HIME . DDS, MS & NICK SALOME . DDS, MSD 5718 Balcones Drive | Austin, Texas 78731

512.458.4103

www. AustinOrthodonticArts.com

Allison Wooley steps up as head girls basketball coach, sets high goals

Jay Anna Harris wasn’t a flashy player. She worked hard, she was committed, but she was not an All-Star. In 1996, Harris was named Most Valuable Player of the State tournament in which Westlake won its third girls basketball State Championship.

“I am very honored to receive this award,” she told reporters. “But it took my entire team to win this championship, and I am not deserving of it. I am just honored to be a part of the victory.”

A young Allison Wooley watched Harris from the stands of the Frank Erwin Center, listening to a string of words that would change the way she played the game.

“Watching [Harris play] taught me that I didn't have to be the most noticed to be confident in my ability,” Wooley said. “That stuck with me through college when I won a National Championship and when I was named MVP.” After former head coach Keith Smith resigned last year, Wooley moved up from JV coach to varsity head coach. As she enters her first season, she hopes to convey Harris’s attitude to her players.

“Little things may go unnoticed during a game, and everyone won't be the ‘flashy player,’” Wooley said. “It takes the little things done right and the people willing to play certain roles in order for the whole team to be successful. [Harris] was willing to play her role, and in the end her entire team was successful.”

Wooley has lots of experience with the game, with many years of playing and some coaching already under her belt.

“I was a graduate assistant at [Trinity University], and through that I got a great [coaching] job at Southwestern University,” she said. “That is when I fell in love with coaching. I enjoyed getting to be on the other side of the sport that I loved so much.

I enjoyed learning the game from a different position. I kind of realized who I wanted to be as a coach; I realized the kind of impact I can have.”

Having graduated from Westlake in 2000, Wooley plans to use her recent experi-

Nathan Kallison

littlethings

The

Varsity girls basketball coach Allison Wooley poses for a photo during practice after school Nov. 22. Wooley graduated from Westlake in 2000 and after playing basketball at Trinity University, came back to coach the Lady Chaps.

ences to help her team. “[Coach Wooley] understands how to relate to the players,” shooting guard senior Hannah Coley said. “She understands the academic load that players face at Westlake.

She is very passionate when it comes to coaching basketball, and she wants to see all her players succeed on and off the court.”

This year Wooley plans to bring tradition back into the Westlake basketball program, using inspiration she got from former head girls basketball coach Cathy Self.

“I grew up knowing and watching her coach and [I looked] forward to one day getting to play in the prestigious Westlake program,” Wooley said. “People all around the state had heard about the Westlake girls basketball team and it was a really big deal.

The tradition is something we took seriously.

Now, I like the opportunity to continue the tradition.”

Specifically, Wooley would like to continue traditions of success, pride and enjoyment.

“I want to restore the tradition in the sense that I want to encourage the current and future players to feel the success and pride of being a Westlake Chaparral,” Wooley said. “I feel like the basketball program has lost some of that pride. I want to bring back a few of the traditions we once had and encourage the girls to walk with confidence as mentally and physically tough Westlake Chaparrals. One funny tradition that [coach Self] started was wearing candy striped socks for all games. One of her teams won a State Championship wearing them so she continued the tradition. We wore red and white stripes at home games and blue and white for away. They were interesting looking, but definitely gave us a unique look that we came to love and feel pride in.”

Already off to a 3-3 start, the team has set many goals for itself, both small and large.

“Obviously, our goal is always to win State,” Wooley said. “We have made it to bi-District the past two years, and our goal is definitely to get past there. On a smaller scale, we have been working really hard on

the fundamentals. Our motto for the year is ‘the little things make the big things happen.’”

Wooley has also set goals for herself as a coach. The remarks made by Harris after the State championship in 1996 taught Wooley that one doesn’t need to be the best athlete to achieve great things. She plans to use this mind set to inspire teamwork in her payers.

“I am excited to think I have a good perspective of what the athletes are going through,” she said. “My goal as a coach is to start something new, and I have [already] seen major growth in [the girls] already as a group and individually. [Harris’s] comments and the way she played affected me greatly as a player. I was reminded that it wasn’t always the most noticed player that got to experience greatness. I hope to instill this idea in my players.”

—Hirrah Barlas

Girls Basketball State Championships

1993

Westlake vs. Levelland

Final score: 48-40

1995

Westlake vs. Duncan-

Final Score: 59-56 in OT

1996

Westlake vs. Alief

Final score: 64-60 in 2OT

{ westlakefeatherduster.com } brains + brawn

17

ice baby

Ice,

Long-time hockey player improves skill, builds relationships playing hockey for 13 seasons Senior Mark Judice’s first memory of hockey isn’t a pleasant one. He laughs about it now, but about 13 years ago, 5-year-old Mark experienced his first hockey injury.

It was a typical afternoon. Mark and his neighbor, 2008 Westlake graduate Étienne Massicotte, were out playing street hockey in front of their houses. The two skated around, enjoying the game, until Massicotte attempted a shot.

“I remember he shot the ball and it hit me in the nose,” Mark said. “I was really little, so it was a big deal. That’s my first memory of

hockey.”

Growing up, Mark played street hockey with Massicotte on a regular basis, until they decided to start playing ice hockey.

“My neighbors were Canadian and I played street hockey with them,” Mark said. “They invited me to take ice hockey classes, and that’s when it all started.”

Ever since third grade, Mark played defense on an ice hockey team. He likes the fact that hockey is such a unique sport to play in Texas.

“It’s weird playing hockey in Texas since not many people follow it,” Mark said. “But for the same reason, I feel like the community and the team is brought a lot closer together.”

Currently, Mark commits a large amount of time to his team, the

n iso all

Texas Junior Stars.

“We practice [at Chaparral Ice] two or three days a week,” Mark said. “I leave at around 6:20 p.m. and get back at about 10:30 p.m. We go out of town about two weekends per month.”

Mark has built lasting relationships with his teammates.

“I have gotten better and more confident,” he said. “And I have met kids that I have known for the last 13 years. [That is] my favorite part: the trust and friendship I have built with my teammates.”

This season, Mark is excited for games in Austin on Dec. 11 and 12.

“I’m most looking forward to our tournament in Austin because my friends can come see me play,” Mark said. “[I’m also looking forward to] playoffs because we have a decent chance of winning this year. We are 9-5 right now.”

Mark appreciates Senior Mark Judice shows off his helmet while the support he has regetting ready for practice. Mark has been playing ceived from his friends hockey since the third grade. and family.

“My family really supported me by coming to my tournaments and driving me to the Nat h rink when I was younger,” Mark said. an K Before a game, Mark likes to relax and prepare himself to go out on the ice.

“We do a team run or stretch and then we get to do our own thing,” he said. “I usually listen to music and visualize the game.”

Though he is not sure whether he will continue to play in college, Mark will definitely miss his team.

“I might play club [hockey] in college, but it is not likely; it takes up a lot of time,” he said. “But I’m going to miss the friends I have made throughout the years.”

—Hirrah Barlas

Heck yeah, I play ice hockey in Texas.

Wanna fight about it?

Y

ou know your sport is obscure when after you tell people that you play hockey and they ask you, “Is that the one with the racquets?”

Really? Racquets? Have you ever even seen a picture of ice hockey? Sadly, that has actually happened to me. Hockey is really at the bottom of the sports food chain. It’s right there next to underwater badminton and competitive hacky sack, and that’s a shame.

Hockey is an awesome sport. It’s fastpaced, physical and surprisingly complex, but the concept is simple enough. We put blades on our feet, grab a stick with a hook on the end of it, don a suit of armor in pads and beat each other senseless to get a small, frozen piece of rubber, which we insist, for reasons unknown to science, be called a “puck,” into a net. Sound fun?

Hockey players are, in general, some of the smarter athletes, which kind of contradicts their stereotype of big, stupid, toothless goons. While there definitely are some of those, when’s the last time you heard of a hockey player getting busted for steroids or being involved in a domestic violence lawsuit?

The sport has a reputation for being brutally violent, but the players have a reputation for being really good guys. The “goons,” oddly enough, are often the nicest guys on the team, always shaking a fan’s hand or going to a charity golf tournament. Every professional hockey player I have ever met, whether a star or a bench warmer, a “goon” or a goal scorer, has been nothing but nice to me.

Now, in case you didn’t notice, Texas is not

a particularly cold state. We get out of school if it snows half an inch. Not exactly a great location for a sport that is played on ice.

So when the Minnesota North Stars franchise moved to Texas and became the Dallas Stars, I didn’t expect much. Yet against all logic, the Stars won the StanFreshman Ben Wallce plays hockey with his team ley Cup in 1999, and Dallas has at Chaparral Ice. Ben attends hockey practice had a bit of a hockey boom. There several times a week. are multiple different clubs in courtesy photo Dallas, and now there are many to Oklahoma City and Colorado Springs, in Houston too. The same thing has happened in North Carolina with the Hur- and we were in either Dallas, Houston or ricanes and in Anaheim with the Ducks. If you San Antonio nearly every weekend. Hockey consumes your life. I can’t even tell you how put a hockey team in an area, it will take off. many times I’ve had to miss a party, date or It’s a testament to the entertaining ability of dance, and say “Sorry, I have hockey.” Any the sport. hockey player has had to do that, and it is not I play hockey, and I love it, but it requires a particularly enjoyable experience. an obsessive amount of dedication. The I often wish, especially on some of those hockey season starts in early August, and ends long, three hour car rides to Dallas (which I in late March. We have two practices a week, am convinced is the single most boring drive one of them including a dry-land practice known to man), that I could play a sport like before and the other including a “chalk talk,” football, a sport that the school sponsors, and which is just a goofy, hockey player’s way gives us state-of-the-art weight rooms. I wish (hockey players love calling perfectly normal I could play in a giant stadium with a Jumbothings by silly words) to say, “going over plays tron and dancing mascots. I wish I could play and watching film of games.” The rink is 30 a sport that throws pep rallies to cheer our minutes away or an hour if traffic is bad (and names. A sport that had hordes of fans comtraffic is usually bad). There are people from ing out to its game. At the very least, I wish I all over Austin, from Round Rock, Leander, could play a sport that is played on land. But I McNeil, Lake Travis and even Belton on my don’t. I play hockey. And the second I step on team. Belton. Belton is two hours away from that ice, I am glad I do. the rink we play at. We can have up to four —Ben Wallace games a weekend. Last year we went on trips

Clean sweep Before the flashy pants of the 2010 Winter Olympic Norwegian curling team caught the attention of many spectaSophomore Jono Krawczyk stands with his curling broom and stone at Chaparral Ice.

Nathan Kallison

Curling sparks interest of Westlake family

tors, most people didn’t even know what curling was. Some even referred to the sport as “shuffleboard on ice.” Curling is a complicated sport that requires thinking, precision and skill. Sophomore Jono Krawczyk began playing this unconventional sport in June, and now wakes up at 8 a.m. every Sunday to go to the Northcross Mall ice rink to compete.

“My favorite part of the game would have to be the strategy,” Jono said.

“Curling really is a tough sport, and in order to do all the things you want to do, you have to have good strategy. It’s really like a chess match, because you go shot after shot, back and forth. The hard part is seeing what you can do and counteracting immediately.”

The game consists of two teams of four, competing to see who can get

the most of their eight large, polished granite rocks closest to the large bullseye, or “house,” located on the opposite side of the ice rink. Throwing the rock is complex and tricky. Whoever throws the rock has to get low to the ice and push off of a small kickstand, sliding the rock toward the house, 50 yards away.

“The most difficult part of the game is definitely throwing the rock,” Jono said. “Because you’re all the way down at the other end of the ice, you have to worry about having perfect form, perfect aim, getting your turn right and not falling down.”

Each team member has a chance to throw two rocks toward the house, while two others shuffle in front of it to “sweep” the ice in its path. When sweeping, a player not only has the

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

ability to control how fast or slow the rock travels, but to also affect the way the rock curls, hence the name of the game, curling.

“If you sweep to the left of the rock, it will curl a little to the left,” Jono’s father and fellow team member Buck Krawczyk said. “If you sweep to the right of the rock, it will curl a little to the right.”

Jono’s team takes the game seriously, and it is not a surprise that Jono braves the early morning to join his team.

“Right now we are 7-0 overall and at the top of our game,” Jono said.

“Hopefully, we can finish strong and undefeated. It would be really gratifying to know that I was on the best curling team in Austin.”

—Emily Mitchell

brains + brawn

19

A long way from home Baseball: the great American pastime. A game played at backyard barbecues and watched by the masses here in America.

Ironically, my brother went across the Gulf of Mexico to explore this American passion on an island in the Caribbean.

S

enior Andres Mitre throws the orange and blue sheets off of him. It is Aug. 15, the first day in his new home. The thought of his first practice on a whole new baseball diamond seems like a faraway, impossible dream. He looks around.

It’s not. He pulls on a pair of navy blue Dockers pants and buttons up a white, collared Colegio Hector Urdaneta shirt. He boards the bus for his new high school in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, where he is studying abroad and playing baseball for the entire school year. His tentative plans are to graduate with his new classmates in May of 2011.

“Players like Ivan Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran came from Puerto Rico and are really successful,” Andres said. “Even though it’s really popular in the U.S., Puerto Rico is notorious for providing Major League Baseball with valuable players.”

Andres didn’t exactly know what to expect when he walked off of the airplane to a new country and a new life.

“When I got off at the airport, I was excited but nervous to see my ‘new’ parents that I would be staying with,” Andres said. “As I was looking for my luggage, I kept waiting to see them, until Raul [my new ‘brother’] sent me a text message saying, ‘Look outside.’ Then I saw him and a couple of my new teammates waiting for me. I went outside to meet them, I shook the dad’s hand and hugged the mom, and then there was kind of an awkward silence where I didn’t know what else to say, thinking, ‘Okay, well here I am; I’m going to be living in your house now.’”

The relaxed daily routine in Puerto Rico differs from the stressful life of many Westlake students.

“Every day, we wake up at 6 a.m., and I put on my school uniform,” Andres said. “I

courtesy photos

eat breakfast and head in the car to the bus stop. Once I get on the bus, I stuff my bags in the seat and try to get some more sleep on the 30-minute bus ride. The roads are so bumpy that my head keeps hitting the window, which makes it kind of hard to sleep, but I try. We get to school at around 7:30, when I go to my first class. We have a block schedule, so I have three classes Monday, Wednesday and Friday and two classes Tuesday and Thursday. I finish classes at noon, eat a free lunch, usually rice and beans with some sort of meat, and then head to baseball practice. Practice finishes at around 4:30.

Then some friends and I go to the Chinese restaurant nearby to get some food for an after-practice dinner. Then, I get back on the bus home, shower, do any homework and then do whatever I want until I go to bed at around 9:30 or 10.”

Andres was met by a warm and easy-going culture as soon as he got off of the plane.

“It’s a lot more relaxed and feels like a family here,” he said. “Anybody you see usually greets you with a smile and a high five. People seem to be closer and more open about themselves.”

A less strenuous lifestyle and a chance to practice baseball and Spanish drew Andres to Puerto Rico.

“I found out about this opportunity over the summer when a few players from the baseball academy [in Puerto Rico] came to Austin to play baseball, where I met them and asked them about it,” Andres said.

“School until 12 and baseball the rest of the day sounded perfect. Plus, it’s a good chance to experience life outside of Westlake. I became more and more interested until I convinced my parents to let me go. There is literally no academic stress.”

Seemingly too good to be true, the boys

at the academy are able to practice baseball every day while still going to school, and not having hours upon hours of homework to do after it.

“The baseball academy is a combination of real school and athletics,” Andres said.

“The school is kindergarten-12th grade and is called Colegio Hector Urdaneta. The baseball academy is called International Baseball Academy High School.”

Baseball in Puerto Rico and in Westlake differ in more than just languages. Playing in Puerto Rico exposed Andres to opportunities that wouldn’t be attainable here, such as being a batboy for the Canadian “pre-mundial,” a tournament to qualify for the World Baseball Classic team, and meeting former first baseman and right fielder of the Colorado Rockies, Larry Walker.

“Since there is such a smaller population on the island than in the United States, you are able to get more exposure by scouts,” he said. “It also allows you to play with the best players the island has to offer.”

Life in Austin without my brother is pretty different, and sometimes I really miss the great times we shared driving our old Sequoia together to school in the morning or talking about our parents, but our family is very glad that he is trying something most people would never even get the chance to do.

“I am so proud of Andres for taking such a bold step in the direction of his future,” our mother Monica Mitre said. “Whether baseball [in college or the MLB] is ultimately in the cards or not, this experience will give him a different perspective on life in general and will help him immensely in his personal growth. Plus, he’s going to have great Spanish.”

—Sofia Mitre

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

brains + brawn

21

Striking up Bowler junior Hamza Shamsie prepares for the Regional meet by practicing with the team. Hamza bowled a strike on this turn in a scrimmage against Lake Travis.

I

Brenna Swindell

t is the weekly practice of the Special Olympics bowlthat they have a lot of fun at practice. ing team. The large group of 35 enters Westgate Lanes from “It builds friendships, and they get to be socially active within the the bus, a parade of adults along with students ranging from community,” Pickett said. age 8 to 22. They ascend into the once-empty entrance of Returning athlete junior James Nogarede has participated in the bowling alley. It is a sudden transformation. The hum of Special Olympics for two and a half years. James has some favorite bowling balls rolling on sleek wooden alleys and the clatter of ball to activities within the Special Olympics program. pin contact is drowned out by the busy social event. Toothy grins are “I really like bowling because [of] the team effort and [because] it’s exchanged, along with hugs and head pats. really fun,” James said. “You make a lot of new friends in special-ed Started by teacher Cyndi Martin, the Special Olympics program has and it’s really great to interact with people. I look forward to [practice] been a part of Westlake for about 20 years. every week. I like track and bowling because Head of Delegation Pegi Pickett, took over whenever I get a strike I get very excited. I the program in 2002. like track because I like racing a lot and I’m “I volunteered for the Special Olympics very competitive.” when I was in college, and I wanted to start James has one moment in Special coaching,” Pickett said. “I’ve been coaching Olympics that he remembers with particular since the day I started teaching.” fondness.

The Special Olympics cover three dif“[My favorite moment in Special Olymferent areas of competition. Athletes bowl pics was] when I got the gold medal in until November. Then, basketball runs from shot put,” he said. “I got a gold medal my December through February. Lastly is track first year I was there. I was very happy and and field from the end of spring break to the impressed that I could throw it really far and end of the school year. everyone cheered me on.”

“We try to keep them busy all year,” While the athletes enjoy the physical Pickett said. “We practice every Monday activity and the chance to socialize with from the third to the last week of school. We their peers, Pickett and the coaches find the Sophomore Marissa Colorado grabs a bowling ball before taking a turn. chose these activities because that’s where athletes themselves to be the best part of Marissa won a gold medal in the Area 13 Special Olympics Bowling the most interest is.”

Special Olympics.

Tournament Nov. 16-17.

For every sport they play, the Special “[My favorite thing is] getting to meet all Mackenzie Franklin Olympians end each season with a comthe kids and getting to know them personpetition. Westlake is Area 13 out of the 25 ally,” Pickett said. “Every single one of them competing Districts. During the three-day event, roughly 2,000-3,000 has something really special about them. They enrich my life. Every athletes will participate. The school-age range runs from 8 to 22, but single day something new happens. It makes me happier as a person.” athletes can participate in the Special Olympics their whole lives once Barton Creek Elementary Special-Ed teacher Jeff Engstrom, who they get out of school. has been coaching for the Special Olympics for four years, expressed “There are athletes as old as 75 in Special Olympics,” Pickett said. similar feelings.

Despite being a long-lasting organization, supervisors of the Special “You spend many years with them,” Engstrom said. “[My favorite Olympics team have faced some challenges in keeping order. part is] just to be out here having fun and watching the kids. It’s a good “Behavior [is the biggest difficulty],” Pickett said. “When you get a time to see the ones you’ve taught in the past.” lot of athletes together, you get a lot of anxiety.”

At the end of the year, when the competitions are over and summer However, if one takes a moment to watch the kids, it’s easy to see is about to begin, the athletes get to relish one more moment of glory.

friendships Special Olympics gives special education students opportunity to compete, have fun with peers The end-of-the-year banquet is their time to shine.

“Every year we have a banquet with a slideshow,” Pickett said.

“They all get trophies and a t-shirt. I start planning for it the first day of school. To see them walk up on the blocks, they jump up and down.

[It’s] the happiest time of their lives. It’s really fun to watch.”

The Special Olympics would not be possible without the support of the teachers and volunteers.

“We depend on our volunteers,” Pickett said. “Every person involved except two are unpaid.”

Senior Chelsea Short is a volunteer for the Special Olympics. She goes to the practices and tries to keep the participants in order to ensure that practice runs smoothly.

“I just started a few weeks ago,” Chelsea said. “I volunteered for the Special Olympics because it’s a lot of fun. [The athletes] are awesome and energetic.”

Sophomore Brenna Swindell is also a volunteer for the Special Olympics. Brenna has a 9-year-old brother, Dawson, who joined the team this year.

“I go because my little brother is part of it and it’s a really fun experience,” Brenna said. “I think [my brother] enjoys seeing a friendly face.”

Brenna enjoys the atmosphere the athletes create at practice.

“It’s really fun to see the expressions on [the athletes’] faces when they get a strike,” she said. “Even when they lose, they’re excited.”

Brenna mostly works with the high school kids when she goes to practice.

“I normally work with the high school kids, and my younger sister Sophia works with my brother,” she said. “I’ve gotten close to [the high school kids]. They’ve all asked me to come and watch them bowl and cheer them on.”

Brenna is glad that there is a program like this for kids like her brother.

“I think it’s great that they’re letting kids with special needs compete, instead of sitting around bored with nothing to do,” she said.

“They get treated like real people, like they deserve to be treated. I feel good inside to know that [my brother] can do it. People think [the kids] can’t do it because they have special needs, but they’re wrong. It’s fun to show that even though he’s autistic and can’t talk, he can still pick up a bowling ball and get a strike. It’s like ‘Ha-ha, I proved you wrong.’ Hopefully when I’m older, I can go watch him still. ”

Junior James Nogarede celebrates with a hug from coach Shannon Stauffer after bowling a spare at a Special Olympics bowling practice at Westgate Lanes. James won a bronze medal in the Area 13 bowling tournament.

Mackenzie Franklin

After the one-hour practice, the balls are put back, shoes returned and congrats given. The final pins have been knocked down and the bowling balls are placed back on the shelf as the champions make their exit through the double doors. They load on the bus, perhaps a bit melancholy, but cheery from the day’s excitement.

There is absolutely no reason to be sad. They’ll most definitely be back for next week.

—Blair Watson

Area 13

bowling results

Gold: Marissa Colorado, Amy Mansfield, Hamza Shamsie, Marisa Uribe

Silver: Ruth Apolzon, James Curtain, Joel DiMare, Brandon Rummel, Ben Yuan

Bronze: Danny Delano, James Hernandez, Eugene Larochelle, James Nogarede

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

brains + brawn

23

afraid to Not

commit

Seniors are rushing to get their applications submitted to their long list of colleges. Working on endless essays, stressing about school and struggling to keep a social life continue to be a burden on students across the country. However, for seniors Kenzie Hume, Reed Snyder, Collin Shaw and Robert Baldwin this stressful time has been avoided. They are attending some of the top universities next fall to pursue their athletic goals.

Senior Kenzie Hume sits in the gym a few days before officially signing to play with Colgate. Kenzie commited to play volleyball at Colgate in July.

Kenzie Hume Kenzie was accepted into Colgate University, a small liberal arts college in New York, as a result of her success in volleyball throughout high school.

“I visited Colgate for the first time this summer,” Kenzie said.

“It was a beautiful campus, and the coaches were nice. I was looking for a college where I would fit in academically and where I would fit in with the team. I committed in July, and went in September and stayed with my future teammates.”

Kenzie is looking forward to

Sidney Hollingsworth

Harvard Reed started getting serious about swimming when he joined Longhorn Aquatics in sixth grade.

Since then he has acquired the school record for the 400 free relay and 500 free. In addition to these achievements, he was a State qualifier, placing fourth in the 500. He will attend Harvard next fall to continue his passion for swimming.

“I’m more excited about this than I’ve been about anything in my life,” Reed said. “Harvard paid for me to come out and stay on campus so I could meet

Reed Snyder the coaches and students. The people at Harvard were absolutely incredible. It was a mix of people with the same priorities, both academically and athletically.”

Reed is looking forward to more of a team environment when swimming for Harvard.

“I swim for Westlake only at meets,” Reed said. “It’s going to be a transition [because] club swimming is a more individual sport. Since I’m already training at a collegiate level, I’m mostly looking forward to the team aspect.”

Colgate the more competitive nature of the sport and the players at the college level.

“In our district it’s not competitive,” Kenzie said. “I feel like in college it’s more cohesive; the playing field is more equal.”

Despite practicing every day during the week, Kenzie will be able to enjoy all of the opportunities college has to offer.

“I picked a program where I wouldn’t be selling my soul to volleyball, so I can still do study abroad after my junior year,” Kenzie said.

Senior Reed Snyder competes at a swim meet. Reed plans to continue competitive swimming at Harvard next fall.

Laura Brewster

Seniors plan to pursue athletics in college Yale

Senior Robert Baldwin poses with his Yale baseball t-shirt. Robert has played baseball for 12 years.

Robert Baldwin

After visiting Yale in the middle of October, Robert looks forward to attending a university with acclaimed academics and Division I baseball.

“I’m excited because I get to continue playing my sport in a highly competitive way,” he said.

“Where academics are highly ranked, you’re not compromising anything.”

Starting at a young age, Robert worked up to a .300 batting aver-

age. He has also become an accomplished catcher.

“I’ve been playing since kindergarten, but it started to get competitive in middle school,” he said.

Though he will be devoting more time to baseball, Robert will continue a rigorous academic schedule.

“There will be more time spent on baseball because the further you go in the sport the more difficult it gets,” Robert said.

Nathan Kallison

Senior Collin Shaw, his family and his coach pose on National Letter of Intent Signing Day.

Also committed...

Sidney Hollingsworth

Eli Juren, Louisville (golf) Brenden Redfern, Arizona (golf) Haley Haught, St. Edwards (golf) Taylor Moreno, Southern Methodist University (golf)

Collin Shaw Ever since he was little, Collin dreamed of playing baseball for the University of Texas.

When the opportunity arose to sign with them, he took it.

“I’ve always wanted to play baseball for Texas since the days when my dad and I used to watch the games,” Collin said.

The University of Texas has kept its eye on Collin throughout his high school baseball career.

“Coach Harmon was the coach who recruited me when he saw me play at school games and at the Tournament of the Stars in North Carolina,” Collin said.

University of Texas Collin has always been passionate about sports, beginning to play at age 4.

“I’ve been playing baseball for as long as I can remember,” Collin said. “I started off playing golf and then I switched to baseball.”

Balancing football and baseball throughout his high school career has kept Collin busy. He looks forward to simplifying and intensifying his athletics.

“It will be more intense, since it will be 100 percent baseball in college instead of baseball and football,” Collin said.

—Annie Valliant and Olivia Lee

At the official committment ceremony, the athletes’ families and coaches watch as the seniors sign letters of intent.

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

Sidney Hollingsworth

brains + brawn

25

Gymnast returns to Eanes, trains for 2012

Keeping her

balance

E

yes concentrating on the four-inch-wide beam below her, she prepares to execute a flip-flop layout step out, which involves doing two backward flips in a row, a task made even more difficult by the limited landing area. Arms extended, she bends her knees slightly, pushing herself off the beam and throwing herself backwards into the air, flipping once, landing, then immediately flipping backwards again. She lands gracefully on her toes, barely making a sound. It took her three weeks to master this trick, first learning it on the floor before trying it out on the balance beam. But this is not unusual for level 10 gymnast junior Heather Elswick, who lives and breathes gymnastics, training about 25 hours a week and competing in state and national level meets.

“Level 10 is where colleges are going to be watching you for scholarships,” Heather said. “I did Elite [pre-Olympic level] for four or five years, but I wasn ‘t having as much fun as I wanted to. It was also more complicated than I had expected. Level 10 is more upbeat and exciting, like college gymnastics.”

has less time to spend training, Heather is still dedicated to her sport.

“I’m definitely as serious as I was before, no matter if I cut back hours,” Heather said. “I think cutting back hours has saved energy. I was always tired and worn out.”

She now leaves for practice after seventh period, her last class of the day. She then drives about 35 minutes to Cedar Park where her gym, Capital Gymnastics, is located. She trains from 3:45 p.m. until 8 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Although Heather now has less time to practice her skills, she’s happy to have a bit of a social life.

“I like seeing all of my friends and spending more time with them; I didn’t get to spend much time with them [while at UT Charter],” Heather said. “The workload has been the hardest thing about coming back to Westlake, but I’m pretty good at handling all of it, even if it means I’m up late trying to finish.”

Heather intends to keep doing gymnastics for as long as she can; she wants to compete at the college level and hopeIt took Heather many years and thoufully in the Olympics in 2012. sands of hours of practice to make it to level “I won third in vault at Regional 10. She’s been doing gymnastics since she Championships last year, and I’m hopwas 15 months old, and has been competing ing to make it to Nationals this year,” since she was 6 years old.

Heather said. “You have to be in the top Junior Heather Elswick practices gymnastics “I told [my mom] I wanted to do it when 10 overall at Regionals to qualify [for after school. She typically practices more I was a baby,” Heather said. “I was watchNationals].” than 25 hours every week. ing the gymnasts at Worlds, and I told her ‘I Unfortunately, Heather didn’t place want to do that.’” overall at Regionals last year, due to an Heather attended Bridge Point Elementainjury during her bar routine. ry School and Hill Country Middle School, managing to balance school “I slipped off the bar and landed with my feet curled underneath and gymnastics. However, when it came time for freshman year, she me, and my body went over my head,” Heather said. “I broke my foot decided to switch to the University of Texas Charter School. and was out [of gymnastics] for six weeks. It’s really tough [when I “I went because my coach wanted me to have more time in the gym can’t practice]; It’s agitating to watch my friends doing the stuff I love to practice,” Heather said. “I went to practice from 7 a.m. until 10:30 and just having to sit there. It’s really frustrating.” a.m., went to school from 10:30 a.m. until 2:45 p.m., and then I went This injury was somewhat of a flashback for Heather, who suffered to practice again from 2:45 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. I got to spend more a similar injury two years before. time with my teammates. They’re sweet and very supportive. [But] I “I was preparing for an Elite competition [in 2008] and at the end missed all of my friends [from Westlake] and public sc0hool.” of my bar routine, I slipped off of the bar and hit my foot on the bar on After sophomore year, Heather decided to switch back to Westlake. my way down,” Heather said. “I was out for eight weeks in a boot and The daily schedule forced her to reduce her gym time. Although she crutches. I was on crutches for Pedernales.”

Leaping over the balance beam, Heather practices at the gym.

Junior Heather Elswick practices her handstand on the balance beam. Heather has been a competitive gymnast since the age of 6.

Heather stands by the balance beam at gymnastics practice. She spends many hours a week at the gym practicing for state and national level meets. photos by Hannah Kunz

Despite the danger and time commitment, Heather is still incredibly loyal to her sport.

“I want to get everything I can out of gymnastics,” she said. “So for me to do that, I have to be there, and want to be there. I motivate myself. Even when I’m sick, I want to go.”

When she retires from the sport, Heather intends to keep gymnastics in her life.

“I am only able to compete for four years in college, but I can do gymnastics for as long as I want. It just depends on how long my body can keep up. I want to go into the medical field — either a physical therapist or a surgeon; it kind of ties into gymnastics.”

One might think that dedicating so much time and effort to one activity might cause Heather to get burned out or even quit, but she still loves every minute of it. She’s been doing gymnastics for 15 years, and is still as passionate about it as she was when she started.

“Gymnastics is an amazing sport,” Heather said. “It has helped me in all aspects of life: school, friendships, family, etc. It validated me to become more confident in myself, and helps me believe that I can do anything that I put my mind to.”

—Emily Cohen

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

brains + brawn

27

not

It’s rocket science Physics teacher returns to teach five years after graduating

Madelyn Percy demonstrates centripetal force by swinging a bucket of water in a circular motion.

Keren Rempe

Five years ago, Gwen Stefani and Mariah Carey were on top of the music scene, movies like King Kong and Pride and Prejudice had just been released, and physics teacher Madelyn Percy was sitting in a school desk. But this time, as a student. Percy graduated in the Westlake class of ’05 and went on to graduate from the University of Texas with a double major in geology and archeology. “[What I remember most about Westlake was] the academics,” Percy said. “But then again, I was a big fat nerd. My science classes had a tremendous impact on me. I have wonderfully fond memories of Mr. [Mark] Misage and [Denise] DeMartino. I also got into archeology, which isn’t a ‘super sciencey’ subject, so I had great social studies teachers as well.”

Traditions were the same, and the most prominent memories for Percy were ones most celebrated by the student body.

“I remember getting a mum my senior year was so embarrassing because I was a nerd and that’s something that nerds didn’t do,” Percy said. “One of my friends [at prom] pantsed her date. That was hilarious. And Project Graduation was amazing. I was expecting it to be really lame, and it was so much fun.”

Although she’s now back at Westlake, she took a rather indirect route after graduating from UT. “I decided to become a teacher literally the day after I got accepted into Teach for America,” Percy said. “I had to decide whether to go into grad school or to teach, and was like, ‘Oh I’ll do something good for the world.’ That’s how I got into teaching.”

Teach for America is one of the many AmeriCorps programs that send youth into communities to help meet different community needs, some specifically designed to help bring low-income families out of poverty.

“Basically they send high achieving college students to rural or urban areas, or really tough areas where they have a lot of trouble finding school teachers,” Percy said. “I taught in a small town in Arkansas for one year, which was an experience.”

Percy’s first experience with teaching was the summer right after graduating from UT. “I student-taught in Houston in an inner city school, and it was a population that was almost completely opposite of Westlake,” Percy said. “The students I was teaching had failed IPC [Integrated Physics and Chemistry] and now had to take summer school. I was teaching these kids who didn’t want to be there, it was summer school, I had them first period which was at eight in the morning, and I absolutely loved it. These kids were so cool and hilarious, they taught me how to jerk, and it’s just one of those things where you’re like, ‘Oh I can see why people do this for the rest of their life.’”

After spending the summer in Houston, Percy was sent to Marvell, Arkansas to teach for one year. The school she taught at was highly lacking in teacher resources: substitute teachers were teaching the curriculum because they couldn’t find qualified teachers.

“Once again, teaching was so much fun and the kids were really cool,” Percy said. “They wanted to know science because they hadn’t had a real science teacher before. In the past, a lot of their science teachers had been subs that had been hired to teach science for the year because they couldn’t find someone who actually knew science. So I was kind of their first real scientist to come in. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of the Flaming Gummy Bear lab, but I think I caught some of their attentions when I started sticking gummy bears into molten potassium chlorate and the gummy bear shrieks, and there’s purple fire. And they were like, ‘Oh I guess science isn’t that bad after all; we get to blow stuff up.’ It was really inspiring and now I’m kind of stuck.”

Now the top of the music charts are ruled

by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, movies like Inception and Toy Story 3 have been released and Percy is sitting in a desk. But this time the desk is filled with Physics AP papers to grade, a UT “por vida” [for life] mug and a miniature Velociraptor statue. Percy is stuck on teaching, for life.

—Danielle Brown

different

Sidney Hollingsworth

A kind of

fighter

Hyline and dance director Chelsee Capezzuti hangs backstage at Spotlight with Hyline officers seniors Devon Defoyd and Mackenzie Clark. Capezzuti’s surgery was performed on Nov. 24, 2009 and lasted six hours.

She was out for six weeks afterward.

A year after brain surgery, dance director reflects on her recovery, new outlook on life On Oct. 14, 2009, the life of dance director Chelsee Capezzuti was changed. On this day, she embarked on a journey that would transform her daily approach on life.

“I was running around Town Lake,” Capezzuti said. “When I came home, I started to get a headache, which progressed into a migraine.

I began to feel really sick, so my husband took me to Immediate Care.

When I got there, they gave me medicine and told me they would need to transport me to the hospital to give me an MRI and a CAT scan.”

The tests revealed that Capezzuti had a brain tumor. Because of its early discovery, it could be removed with a risky surgery.

“No doctor in Austin would perform the surgery,” Capezzuti said.

“The tumor was on the brain stem which controls all of your body’s basic motor functions such as walking and talking. If the doctors hit one wrong nerve, it could risk me never moving again.”

Most people, including her family, were shocked and terrified to hear the news, but were very supportive. Capezzuti’s best friend of 25 years, Vandy Haby, made “Chelsee’s Angels” t-shirts and sold them to help pay for the procedure. Her co-workers remained by her side the whole way, including her assistant Lindsay Young and former assistant Heather Hill Duncan. Both of them led Hyline, Starsteppers and the dance classes while Capezzuti took a break to undergo the surgery and recuperate.

“Things were a little overwhelming when Cap was out,” Young said.

“We were all concerned about her and were praying for a fast recovery, which we were granted. While she was out, Hyline stayed so busy with our football team taking us all the way to State. She was in our hearts every day though, and we missed her greatly.”

Capezzuti created a website and blogged about her latest condition regularly. The blog had hooked thousands of readers by the time the tumor was removed. Her experience inspired everyone who heard her story, and their encouraging comments motivated her to get through all the tough times.

“Everyone was so sweet and helpful,” Capezzuti said. “The whole

community came together for me; it was humbling. It was also really inspiring to see everyone wearing the ‘Chelsee’s Angels’ shirts. I’m thankful for everyone who prayed for me and supported me, brought me dinner, wrote letters and everyone who shared their struggles with me. It helps to hear what other people have gone through.”

The surgery took place Nov. 24, 2009 in Dallas and lasted for about 13 hours, during which the doctor removed 85 percent of the golf ballsized tumor. She was in the hospital Thanksgiving week, where she stayed after her surgery.

“The only thing I could do leading up to my surgery was pray that I’d wake up from it,” Capezzuti said. “The hardest thing about the surgery was knowing that I wouldn’t be conscious and able to fight while I was under. I knew that when I was fighting, I wasn’t fighting just for me, I was fighting for everyone, for my husband, family, friends and students.”

After the surgery, Capezzuti stayed out of school for a total of six weeks and returned to Westlake the following January. Her new lifestyle consists of appreciating the little things and not taking anything for granted, and she has a new outlook on what others would consider a normal life. “[The surgery] changed my perspective on life,” Capezzuti said.

“It’s almost like I was lucky to go through the surgery because I wake up feeling blessed every morning, and I’m starting to notice the small things more. I know this sounds cliche, but I started noticing more butterflies outside, and the things in life that we are all so lucky to have.”

Capezzuti felt inspired by all of the things that people did for her, and wants everyone to cherish the people in their lives. “[My advice] is to not be afraid to tell people what they mean to you,” Capezzuti said. “Pray about it and become closer to God. Praying enabled me to know that this was out of my hands. Also, listen to other people’s experiences because it helps to know that others have gone gone through hard things and they’ve gotten through.”

—Rubie Hays and Laura Hatcher

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

people + places

29

GoodbyED

With blog, former anorexics help others overcome disorders

“I was at a breaking point,” junior Katy Harvey said. “I used “It’s a little intimidating sometimes,” Katy said. “You have to be my eating as something I could control. It was really the only thing I very aware of what you’re saying. We spend hours researching and could control. I needed help, I was so little, but no one even noticed. I double-checking our sources. We check our answers to make sure that would eat so irregularly and inconsistently it seemed to trick everyone. what we say not only makes sense, but is also true.”

But I realized that something was wrong, and I needed to change. I There are times when they receive shocking questions from girls found help, but it was hard. It’s an uphill battle, always.” who are in the most desperate need for help.

Westlake juniors Katy Harvey and Ashlyn Brandenburg and camp “There was one message from a girl who told us she was 5’7’’ and friend junior Evelyn Baker have all been in [weighed] 90 lbs, but she wanted to weigh that place before, but instead of continuing even less,” Ashlyn said. “When I calculated her their downward spiral, they took courage Body Mass Index, she was at 14.1. The miniand turned their past eating disorders into a mum BMI for the “normal” range is 18.5. I was positive thing. They’ve teamed up to create completely heartbroken to see that something GoodbyED, a recovery blog, so they could be or someone had made this girl believe she there for the people they once were. needed to be that tiny.”

“We already had personal Tumblr blogs, It’s difficult to come up with appropribut when we saw all of these ‘pro anorexia’ ate responses in cases such as these, but they and ‘pro bulimia’ blogs, or ‘thinspiration’ as know that these girls need immediate help. they like to be called, we were pretty astound“The most shocking things are probably ed, not to mention angry, that people would from the girls who are in pain,” Katy said. actually want to have an eating disorder,” “People tell us about how their bodies just Ashlyn said. “We started GoodbyED to show reject food; they weigh 88 lbs, and they can people that eating disorders are serious, but feel their bodies shutting down. So basically people who struggle with them can recover.” [what scares us the most are] the people who The goal of the blog is to prove to people know that in order to live they need to recover, everywhere that skin and bones is not beautibut they just can’t. They mentally can’t. In ful — health is beautiful. GoodbyED means those situations, we know that we have to anexactly what it says; saying goodbye to eating swer with urgency, but also love and support. disorders altogether. Katy, Ashlyn and Evelyn Just letting them know that while we’re not a hope to help people recover from their eating substitution for professional treatment, we’re disorders and learn that they’re beautiful no always there for them to turn to, and we’ll matter what. always give them the best advice we can.”

Juniors Kate Harvey (left) and Ashlyn Branden“It seems like nowadays, the internet is the Helping these girls has recently given burg are the founders of the blog GoodbyED, a best place to get your voice heard,” Katy said.

Ashlyn, Katy and Evelyn the drive to bring tool to help teens overcome eating disorders.

“And we want our voices heard – loud. We GoodbyED out of Tumblr and into the real Becca Burt hope to get out to people that there isn’t a cerworld. They’ve spoken at clubs such as Chaps tain way you have to look to ‘fit in’ and prevent eating disorders from for Christ and are selling “GoodbyED” wristbands to get the word out being a fad or something socially acceptable, which is kind of what and raise money for the National Eating Disorders Association. they’re beginning to turn into. We want girls and guys to know that “We want GoodbyED to not just be an internet thing, but somerecovery is always the best option, having an eating disorder doesn’t thing we physically take part in, bring our friends into and hopefully have to be normal and you don’t have to accept it as part of your life. make a difference with,” Katy said. “We want people to realize that You can make it better.” eating disorders are real and they can kill someone.”

With a topic so close to heart for all of them, one would think that GoodbyED’s motto is simple, but powerful. they might have some reservations about posting their deepest secrets “Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not beautiful, because you are — on the internet for everyone to see. But Katy, Ashlyn and Evelyn deinside and out,” Ashlyn said. “You’re bigger, better and stronger than cided that helping others is more important. an eating disorder and you can recover. Stay healthy. Stay strong. Stay “It used to be something that we hid, but now we are open about beautiful.” it,” Katy said. “We realized that we can’t help people if we don’t show —Emily Mitchell that it is real. So we bit the bullet and just decided to be honest. For me, it’s a little scary knowing everyone knows something so personal about me. I don’t necessarily like all the questions I get asked — sometimes I feel like I’m on display. But my core group of friends knew before everything came out, so I know I have their support.”

And now they not only have their friends’ support, but also the support of their hundreds of followers on Tumblr.

“I never thought we’d actually get over 600 followers,” Ashlyn said.

“In the beginning, we struggled to make it to just 100 followers, but now we’re gaining 10 to 15 followers each day. In the end, everything we do is for the blog’s followers. We live for the messages that say [GoodbyED] has helped someone recover. That’s all we can ask for.”

“All of the money from the wristbands went to the National With hundreds of people looking up to them, asking advice, sharEating Disorders Association Walk [that occurred Nov. 6],” ing their own troubles and hoping for help, the pressure can certainly junior Ashlyn Brandenburg said. build up.

Becca Burt

Footloose

Ballerina trains for another Nutcracker with Ballet Austin

Freshman Erin Chancy rehearses for her role in The Nutcracker at Ballet Austin on Nov. 6, 2010. You can catch Erin and the rest of Ballet Austin performing The Nutcracker at the Long Center through Dec. 23. Tickets are available online at www.balletaustin.org.

The history of The Source: Nutcracker Ballet Minnesota 1892

Peter I Tchaikovsky began composing The Nutcracker.

1892

Tchailkovsky performs the music for The Nutcracker, which became an instant success even before the ballet was created.

1919

The Bolshoi Ballet holds the first performance of The Nutcracker.

1940

The Nutcracker is first performed in the United States.

2010

The Nutcracker is the most attended holiday ballet ever produced.

Y

photos by Karen Scott

ou are dancing on a stage.

Seems reasonable. Now you are dancing on a stage decked out in makeup and wearing an elaborate costume. A little more frightening, but nothing you can’t handle. Now add in, hmm, around 2,400 people.

Nervous yet?

This is what freshman Erin Chancy goes through every December, and by choice. While some of us would like to think we can dance, Erin and the rest of Ballet Austin Academy do a lot more than terrible renditions of the robot. Half-sport, half-art, ballet is much more grueling than one would expect. The dancers of The Nutcracker go through a lot of hours of practice and training to put on a good production.

“I practice five days a week right now, and I also practice at home if I don’t have dance that day,” Erin said. “Dance can take anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours and 45 minutes.”

Erin’s role in The Nutcracker was the “Chinese” last year in the production, whose costume is a bit like a geisha, with their pale white faces and bright red lipstick. She will be playing the same role again this year.

“I had all sorts of makeup; eyeliner, powder, lipstick and a bunch of other crazy stuff,” Erin said.

“This is my seventh year in The Nutcracker. I was an angel for two years, a mouse for one, a bon bon for two, and this is my second year as a Chinese. I’m not sure I’ll continue pursuing dance throughout high school, but if I do, a role I have always wanted to play is a soldier, and a rat would be awesome

too.”

Dance has been a passion of Erin’s since she was 5 years old, although it has had its ups and downs.

“Dance can be both stress reducing and stress inducing,” Erin said. “It’s nice to go somewhere where school doesn’t matter, and they don’t know your drama and you don’t know theirs. But it can get stressful if I have an off day or we have an especially hardcore rehearsal.”

December is fast approaching for Erin and the Academy. A lot of work has to get done before the Academy’s annual production of The Nutcracker, from memorizing routines to mastering moves. All of their work leads to one place: the Long Center.

“The home of major Ballet Austin productions is now the Long Center,” Erin said. “When we do The Nutcracker, we usually sell out.”

And selling out the Long Center isn’t all that easy, seeing that it can hold up to 2,400 people.

“Once shows start, it gets pretty exciting,” Erin said. “Surprisingly, we are usually not scared. But once we’re in the wings and you can see the dancers on the stage and smell the smoke, slight panic sets in. But there’s lots of taps on the shoulder wishing luck to each other and many of us pray while the dance before us is going.”

But at the end of the day, it’s not the big productions that keep Erin loving dance; it’s the day-today.

“Dance is what I can do to relax myself,” said Erin. “Dance and the arts are my passions, and I don’t think I could live without them. They sort of help me get out emotions I can’t put into words.”

—Ben Wallace

“Dance and the arts are my passions, and I don’t think I could live without them.”

—freshman Erin Chancy

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

people + places

31

Randy and Sharon Koncak stand beside their restored Model As. Aside from restoring and traveling, the Koncaks also use their cars for community service by raising money for the Make a Wish and Susan G. Komen foundatiions.

See the USA World History teacher shares love for restoring historic automobiles, in your traveling across America with husband Chevrolet

R

andy Koncak had the undeniable, teenage desire for that first “cool car.” Not your average, modern, commonly purchased automobile of that time, but rather something a bit older and unique, or more specifically, a classic antique that would need a little fixing up. After finding the car of his dreams — a ’66 Mustang— he found a passion for restoring old automobiles, everything from the aspects of mechanics to the small body work details. Later, that passion was transferred to his wife, World History teacher Sharon Koncak. Ever since the day in 1976 when they became engaged in his own ‘74 Corvette Sting Ray, the Koncaks have been doing what they love most — restoring old cars.

“When we got married, we were basically flipping cars to supplement our income,” Mrs. Koncak said. “We would buy cars, do minor fixing to sell, and that eventually led to full restorations. For the purpose of buying and selling, we got more into the show cars and we even got into some boats.”

Sharing their love for cars with other equally passionate car fanatics, they began to take their hobby abroad by joining various car clubs and also became involved in events such as road rallies or even fashion shows where people would dress in clothing based on what period the cars were from during the rally.

“We were into the show cars for a while since Randy is good at both metal and fiberglass work,” Koncak said. “We then got into the Corvette

Shea Wendlandt

cycle and were a part of Corvette clubs, then we got into the Mustangs and we were a part of the Mustang clubs. We now have the Model-As, and we are a part of the Model-A club. My husband is the president of the local club here. We do a lot of road rallies and tours. There are even car races which aren’t necessarily speed races, but are navigational. Many of us also collect clothing from the ‘20s and ‘30s, which of course was a real interesting time for our country during the Great Depression. But both men and women dress up in period clothes, and we have little fashion shows. You really can get into it all.”

Beyond these road rallies, their favorite aspect of restoring their automobile is being able to travel in them. On a more local level, they enjoy driving through the Texas Hill Country in their Model-As. However, on a more national level, it has become a fidelity to pack up their old ‘54 Chevy Bel Air during the summers and travel the open roads of America.

They have left their mark in some prominent regions of the United States, however in the future, they hope to show their Texas license plates in some other unbelievable locations.

“We have our ‘54 Chevy Bel Air, which is my husband’s everyday driver that’s been completely restored, and we set out a couple of summers ago to tour the U.S.,” Koncak said. “So we took off and went 4,100 miles. We went east and up the eastern coast and to Canada and then came out through Michigan and that is where we went to the Henry Ford Museum.

We spent some time there and then came back home. Our next trip will be straight north to the Dakotas to do Mt. Rushmore, then we will head west to do Yellowstone [park] and some of the other national parks and then

courtesy photo

Another one of the Koncaks’ cars is Florabelle, a 1930 Tudor Model A Coupe. When they purchased Florabelle in 1972, the car literally came in boxes, and its restoration was completed in the early 1990s.

The Koncaks drive their cars frequently and similar to new cars, they must be maintained.

Barrett Wilson

courtesy photo

Sharon Koncak stands with their 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air named Marg, which has been their constant companion while traveling across the United States. The Koncaks plan to travel to Ft. Davis in Texas this upcoming spring in their Model As and in the summer they will be traveling north to Michigan to visit the Henry Ford Museum and factory in Marg.

The Koncaks stand with with their 1928 Model A Roadster named Knox, which they purchased back in Feb. 2010. With Knox, they have completely rebuilt the engine and began its body restoration after Thanksgiving.

“All along there has been that appreciation for old cars, everything from the history of the development of the early cars to the changes that happened during the different periods of time.”

—World History teacher Sharon Koncak

States. In fact, we are even trying to find a way to get to Alaska so we can truly see the U.S. in our Chevy.”

Restoring old cars from various time eras brings a whole new facet to the car flipping process — it incorporates their immense respect for history and their belief of preserving history through the restoration of their cars.

This makes them “purists,” meaning they always try to restore their cars to their most original state possible, as if they just came out of the factory.

“All along there has been that appreciation for old cars, everything from the history of the development of the early cars to the changes that happened during the different periods of time,” Koncak said. “Now our focus is more towards having the cars and loving to drive them. We want to drive our cars and interact more with people who also love cars as well.”

Focusing in on every historical detail of each car, from the various features of the model to even the license plates, serves as a challenge.

However, the process is very rewarding for the Koncaks.

“We even restore the license plates and it gets down to every little detail,” Koncak said. “License plates right now are a big industry in order to get original plates. The history just in that is interesting. So when we were looking into the plates, we went into DPS to look at some books. Different counties had different colored plates and so Williamson County, where we live actually had chocolate brown background plates with white lettering, so when we went through the process of restoring these, we had to go through many checks. Overall, you have to be a visionary. You have to see the end result, or you would never do it. It’s definitely an act of love to be able to go through the process.”

Their love for cars and their history has always been a family affair for the Koncaks, passing down their passion to the rest of their children.

“It’s something that we have also passed down to our children, and our kids are also very passionate about cars,” Koncak said. “Because of their respect for automobiles they tend to take a lot of responsibility with their cars, not only being able to maintain them and fix them, but also care for them. I have always appreciated that because I think that the big, scary thing for parents is when children grow up, get their license and become more independent.”

The Koncaks have had a 33-year history restoring cars together and still continue and plan to continue flipping automobiles. From their incredible traveling experiences to their involvement in car clubs, every aspect of their passion has been worthwhile as they strive together to preserve history through their automobiles.

“It’s not just the actual restoration,” Koncak said. “For us, being able to take a car that comes in on a trailer in boxes and my husband being able to take that box full of parts and build this incredible car is just amazing.

That is why we do it, because you can see this process. You are saving this car. You are restoring history and preserving history through the restoration of this car. That’s kind of our motto: ‘Saving American history one car at a time.’”

—Caroline Hunt

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

people + places

35

the

The reason for season

Students share their unique family holiday traditions December is a time for many to enjoy being with loved ones.

No matter what they celebrate, people can agree that the holiday season gives many opportunities to have fun. Traditions are one way to unite a family and seize these opportunities.

The Featherduster interviewed three families with unique traditions for the holidays.

Sophomore Christine Schulz

Sophomore Christine Schulz’s family gathers around their traditional Dilbert cut-out during Christmas 2004.

Featherduster: What tradition has been in your family for the courtesy photo holidays?

Christine: Every Christmas, we have one of those big family gettogethers, where we all meet at someone’s house. When we do that, we have a big Dilbert cut-out, you know, from the comic strip? And one person, whoever has the Dilbert, will dress him up as another family member and give it to them as a gift. We do it in kind of a teasing way.

FD: When did the tradition start and how?

CS: My Uncle Don and Aunt Maggie, on my mom’s side, are known people. We split [the gifts] into three white elephants for the children, teens and adults. We pick a present up when it gets to our number, then we let people trade their gifts. We trade joke gifts but we sometimes also trade gifts you can actually use. We will also have gifts for girls and guys.

JW: It is a big deal, but it’s not stressful at all. It’s really great to just hang out with the family, laugh together over funny gifts and enjoy the tradition.

AW: Another tradition [we have] is that on Christmas Day, my mom will put caution tape up

so we can’t get through. When it’s time, all the kids will break the caution tape and go to where our presents are laid out in the living room.

FD: Why do you think traditions are important?

AW: They’re important because you always have something to look forward to, and you get to be with people you love.

JW: It’s important for a family to have traditions so that they can stay close even when life is crazy. Traditions also help families create lasting memories and enjoy time with each other.

FD: What special traditions do you have for the holidays?

Hannah: My dad is Christian and my mom is Jewish, so we celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah. My mom’s mom always comes for Hanukkah, and my dad’s parents come for Christmas.

FD: Which holiday do you enjoy celebrating more and why?

HT: I love both; I get to see both Freshman Hannah on left and senior Shelby Turner on right sides of my family and celebrate different show off their presents Christmas of 2007. cultures. I love Hanukkah because of the story [behind it] and the uniqueness of the courtesy photo holiday, and I love Christmas because of the joy

Freshman Hannah and senior Shelby Turner

Sophomore Julia and junior Alex Woodby

Sophomore Julia and junior Alex Woodby prepare to break across caution tape to reach their presents Christmas morning of 2009.

courtesy photo

FD: How did your tradition start?

Julia: It started a long time ago before I was born, about 15 years ago. My mom’s side of the family, which is really big, wanted to exchange gifts without spending tons of money, so we started doing a white elephant Christmas. It’s a really cool tradition.

FD: What traditions have been in your family for the holidays?

Alex: We all meet up after Christmas Day and we have a big family [gathering] of about 30

for giving pretty horrible gifts. When my parents first got married, [my uncle and aunt] gave my dad, who’s kind of a nerd, the cutout of Dilbert from the comic strip for Christmas. The thing is awful; nobody wants a Dilbert cutout. So the next year, [my parents] gave it a mustache and a veteran’s hat, then sent it back to uncle Don, who then the year after that, dressed it up as my Uncle Austin, who gave it back to so-and-so. It started going back and forth, and [my relatives] started dressing it up as different people and passing it around each year.

FD: What were some funny ways that the Dilbert cutout was dressed up?

CS: One year, my Aunt Karen dressed Dilbert as my mom, and she gave it a Superman shirt, a curly black wig and a fake cell phone.

My aunt also covered the cutout in Barbie stuff, since my sister and I were pretty young then, and [we called her] Supermom. Then another year, my family dressed Dilbert in a black shirt that said “I see dumb people,” printed out a video game controller to put on him and gave him a hat that covered his eyes. That year, he was my cousin.

FD: Why do you think traditions are important?

CS: [A tradition can] strengthen the bond between you and your family. It’s something special and private for your family. It’s not something normal that can bring a family together, not just any old tradition that everyone does.

and the fun.

FD: What do you think is special about celebrating both holidays?

HT: I get the unique chance to celebrate two cultures in one house. I get to light the candles and decorate the tree all in one month.

FD: Why do you think traditions are important?

HT: [They] let you glimpse into the past.

We’re still lighting the candles just like they did years ago, and we’re still decorating the tree as they did decades ago. It’s fascinating to see that the way they did it then is still relevant today.

—Abby Mosing

Visit D rivers Ed.c during om and en ter di the on sco line p ayme unt* code T nt pro XHS cess.

Want a fast, easy way to fundraise for your class? Earn a 25% commission and save your friends 15% off drivers ed. Visit www.DriversEd.com/Associate-Programs. *Discount for online drivers ed class only.

TA_BW_4x5_R1 Š 2009 DriversEd.com

On Nathan Kallison

If

you have paid attention these past few years at school, you might remember seeing a giant peanut walking past you in the hall on its way to an orchestra concert. If you can remember even further back, and went to Hill Country Middle School, you also might have seen the majestic green dragon holding its tail as it darted through the hoards of people to get to class on time. All of this might have confused you greatly, until you focused in and noticed the girl standing comfortably in those costumes. That girl is junior Clara Navarro, and she is a self-professed costume enthusiast.

The Featherduster: How long have you been dressing up in these costumes?

Clara Navarro: When I was a kid, I enjoyed costumes on Halloween like everyone else. It wasn’t really until later on in middle school, though, that it became as extreme of a hobby as it is now.

FD: How do you get these costumes?

CN: My mom is really good at sewing. She usually makes the elaborate ones that I can’t handle myself. She always gets mad at me because I never give her enough time to make them. For the easier ones that I do for things like Friday dress-up days I usually can handle making them on my own. On red carpet day I made this box camera. I just took an hour out of my day and went into the backyard to spray paint it. My neighbors kept looking at me like, “What the heck?” At this point they just think I’m crazy.

FD: Are your parents supportive of your hobby?

CN: I think my family is really supportive of it. Even when I graduated from elementary school and went to middle school, they stuck with me.

Now that I’m in high school they’ve just accepted it. Growing up with my older brother also helped. I always thought he was so cool and goofy and he made me comfortable enough to be different from other people.

FD: Why do you think you have this obsession with costumes?

CN: I like shocking people and making them laugh. It’s always more fun to be silly and a little crazy than to just be like everyone else. I’ve always had a lot of ideas, and putting them on and seeing everyone’s reaction is really funny.

FD: How do you come up with all your unique ideas for each of your outfits?

CN: The obvious thing is not what I’m going to go for. I love to play on words, so anything with a pun in it, I go for. Like Bigfoot. I started out with Halloween costumes, but since our school has so many dress-up days I took it a step further.

FD: Do you ever think about what other people are thinking when they see you walking down the hallway?

CN: If I ever get a weird look, I just think it’s funny. I don’t worry too much about it.

FD: Do you get complaints?

CN: I haven’t yet; I try not to go so far that I would get complaints. I don’t think I would wear the Bigfoot costume to school. You wouldn’t be able to see over me in class. I did wear my big furry dragon costume

a joy r ide Chameleon embraces differences,enjoys funnier side of life “I want to grow old and be one of those crazy old ladies with creepy clothes that lives at the top of the hill and scares all the children in her neighborhood. I’m excited just thinking about it.”

—junior Clara Navarro

Jar Jar Binks

Big Foot

on medieval day in middle school when all the girls were in princess costumes. I had to hold my big tail around because people kept stepping on it. I think my teachers just thought it was funny and they didn’t say anything.

FD: What do you do for Halloween every year?

CN: My three best friends and I always dress up as a group for Halloween. Last year we were the Fantana’s, and when we went trick-ortreating we sang the Fantana song at every door.

FD: Do you dress up for the Chile con Carnivale orchestra concert since it falls right before Halloween?

CN: Every year we have an orchestra concert before Halloween, and in the past that’s where I wore the Bigfoot costume. That one is probably my favorite because it’s a pun. It literally is a giant hairy foot. Some other years I went as Mr. Potato Head and Mr. Peanut. These costumes were huge and it probably looked so weird with me sitting in the middle of my section, playing serious music.

FD: Is there one specifically that you remember being really funny or interesting?

CN: I remember back in middle school for one of our orchestra concerts, I dressed up as our principal, Mr. Moffat. He saw it and laughed

Nerd Day

Magic Dragon

too, because I was wearing all his clothes and even had facial hair. Every one thought it was hilarious. Of course by now my best friends are so used to it so they don’t really care anymore. It’s just something I do.

FD: I know you’re doing something with your car as well. What’s the plan?

CN: I’m building “The Time Machine,” which is another pun. My dad bought this huge ugly bright yellow van from the school because I’d been looking for one for the longest time. I had all these Time Magazines that I had collected when I was a kid, and we paid this screening company to scan them onto my car. I’ve also been getting random clocks; vintage ones, second-hand ones and gifts from friends, and using heavy-duty magnets to attach them to the car as well. On the inside I’m lining the walls with fur. I took out the back seat and put in a zebra rug and a bean-bag chair. A lot of my costumes are in my car as well. That along with my Yoda mask and all the doodles on my car will hopefully look really sweet.

FD: Do you think you’ll ever stop dressing up in your costumes?

CN: Definitely not. I want to grow old and be one of those crazy old ladies with creepy clothes that lives at the top of the hill and scares all the children in her neighborhood. I’m excited just thinking about it.

—Michelle Ling

{westlakefeatherduster.com }

peoples & places 37

photos courtesy of Clara Navarro

Mr. Peanut

)NNOVATIVE 5PSCALE 0ROFESSIONAL

Best Looking Salon in Westlake!

Elegant Haircuts Artistic Hair Color/Highlights Creative Up-dos Designer Make-up Application Facial & Body Sugaring Great Lengths Hair Extensions Massage Therapy Brazilian Blow Out/Keratin Treatment Skincare Wellness Men’s Full Hair Care Services Bridal Services Professional Beauty Products & More

Come in Today For a FREE Hair Care, Skincare & Make-up Consultation For all of your Special Occasions & More The Village at Westlake (next to Barnes & Noble) 701 S Capital of TX Hwy, N-800 Austin, TX 78746

512.328.2020

Eanes Education Foundation’s

Teacher Fund Drive

It’s Started.

Donate online or on-campus eaneseducationfoundation.org underwritten by Jay Southworth of Independence Title Company

Some call him Jesus. When he walks down the school’s hallways, his auburn beard radiating in all of its glory, it’s difficult not to see some striking similarities between him and the son of God. Sure, he might not be able to convert water to wine or rise from the dead, but his beard is of such perfection that God and every 16-year-old male grows weary with envy. And like Jesus, he suffers continual persecution. The Beardless Ones tend to define him by his beard and overlook the human beneath it — a man called Keaton, whose life and personality extends beyond the tip of his magnificent beard.

Junior Keaton Graham’s desire to grow such a heavenly beard did not arise from a miraculous dictum from an omnipotent god; instead, he grew one simply to grow one.

“I don’t really know why I wanted to grow a beard,” Keaton said. “It was sort of just a spontaneous decision the summer of my eighth grade year. I guess in some way I did it because my dad came to his first day of eighth grade with a mustache.”

As expected, a middle schooler with a beard rivaling Santa Claus and hipsters across the country managed to turn quite a few heads.

“When I first went back to school, everyone was like, ‘Whoa, you have a beard’,” Keaton said.

“And I was like, ‘Hell yes I do.’”

Such potency followed him into high school, at which time he decided to harness it and use it to battle the sin and corruption infesting Earth. Accordingly, he determined that he should join Beard Team USA. This national organization allows any proud beard owner to join and participate in international beard and mustache competitions.

Though Keaton has yet to make a pilgrimage to such a contest — basically Mecca for beard enthusiasts (less turbans, more facial hair) — he plans to in the near future.

“The last competition was held in Oregon, and I was unable to make it,” Keaton said. “This summer, the world championship is going to be held in Norway, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to go.”

Though Keaton prepares to protect American values against mustachioed fiends in Norway, he also plays an active role in the States aiding the disadvantaged. His father, Alan Graham, is the founder and president of the homeless outreach program Mobile Loaves and Fishes. When time allows, Keaton helps the organization distribute goods and comfort to the needy of Austin.

“One of my favorite things about Mobile Loaves and Fishes is that it gives me the opportunity to get to know homeless people living around Austin,” Keaton said.

“I’ve found that a lot of the people we serve are pretty badass.”

Mobile Loaves and Fishes uses catering trucks to give out much needed food and clothing to the estimated 3,450 homeless men and women living in Austin.

Though created in Austin in 1998, it has since expanded to seven cities across the nation.

“For me, the importance of Mobile Loaves and Fishes comes from its ability to bring together the well off and poverty-stricken individuals of Austin,” Keaton said.

“It provides an outlet for proactive individuals to help serve the community firsthand, instead of just learning about the bad aspects of the city through the TV.” It’s fitting that Keaton volunteers for an organization whose name originates from a biblical tale of giving. His presence gives Westlake a sense of security and prestige, along with a lust for beards. As he strolls through along the campus, encompassed in a throng of followers beseeching him for a blessing, he maintains a calm composure. The collective persecution of the Beardless Ones would break a weaker man, but he is greater than all maltreatment combined. For he is Keaton — the man, the hero, the legend.

—Jake Bitting

Caught redbearded Nathan Kallison

Keaton Graham serves community, grows magnificent mane

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

people + places

39

unz Hannah K

aternal nstincts

Former Westlake student, pregnant at age 16, adapts to new life as teenage mother She just couldn’t tell them. The sight of her mother and step-father sitting peacefully by the pool would send her right back inside each time she attempted. The night was cool, but her palms were sweaty as she went out one last time. Seeing the quizzical looks upon their faces, former Westlake student senior Briana Carrales blurted out Former Westlake student Briana Carrales feeds her daughter Aubrey before her bedtime.

Taylor Cloyd

what she scarcely had allowed herself to believe: “I’m pregnant.”

In November of last year Briana found out she was pregnant at the age of 16. She thought she was being careful, but sometimes being careful isn’t enough.

“I was on birth control, and there was a condom, but it broke,” Briana said. “The next day I took a Morning After Pill.”

A few weeks passed, and Briana had not gotten her period. She stared at the seemingly harmless stick, waiting to see a little positive or negative sign. Words like “impossible” and “couldn’t happen to me” pushed their way to the forefront of her thoughts as a cloud of doubt fogged her mind. When the positive sign confirmed her fears, Briana was faced with an even more frightening realization: at some point, people would find out.

“I assumed that people were calling me names behind my back,” Briana said, “But they had no right to judge when they were doing the exact same thing, just with a little more luck.”

Apathetic to the views of most of her peers, Briana stressed solely over the opinions of a few.

“I was really only worried what my friends’ parents thought,” Briana said. “I didn’t want them to treat me like I had the plague.”

After they, too, embraced the news, Briana had only a short time left at Westlake. Already planning to transfer to Premiere High School in order to graduate early, she attended Westlake until the end of the semester before making the switch.

As the due date loomed closer and closer, reality set in. Briana, however, didn’t question her previous decision.

“Abortion never crossed my mind,” Briana said. “I made my choice, and I had to deal with the consequences.”

On Aug. 9, 2010 a healthy baby girl named Aubrey was born, bringing new beginnings for both of them.

“When my daughter was born, I was forced to grow up,” Briana said. “I stepped away from some of my friends because of my new views.”

From the beginning, Briana’s mother has been a central figure in the lives of both Aubrey and Briana.

“I don’t know what I would do without my mom,” Briana said.

“When Aubrey was first born, [my mom] would come in during the

night to make sure everything was okay and during the week she watches her until I get home from school.”

Still a newborn, Aubrey sleeps through the night, often not waking until 8 a.m.

“I got lucky,” Briana said. “I thought she would be much more difficult than she is.”

Experiencing motherhood at a young age has given Briana a differing opinion than that of her peers. After having Aubrey, she personally chooses to refrain from having sex until after she is married.

“Abstinence is really the only way to be a 100 percent certain you’re being careful,” Briana said. “I have a baby album where I write letters. Hopefully, [Aubrey] will see that I enjoy [being a mom], but it’s something she should wait on.”

With the help of clothes and other items donated by friends, Briana has been able to leave money for things like her future education. Upon graduation from high school in the fall of 2010, Briana plans to attend Austin Community College for a semester before transferring to UT. She aspires to one day be able to teach grades first through third.

“I love kids and have always enjoyed helping my sister with her homework,” Briana said.

Reflecting upon her experience of being a young mother, Briana has come to the conclusion that her pregnancy was neither bad, like many would presume, nor good. Instead, it was just different. Before Aubrey, she felt that her life was heading in a harmful direction because of pressure by her friends to party and make poor choices. To some, becoming a mother at 16 may seem like a poor decision. However, for Briana, it changed the direction of her life, and put her on a path leading to a more optimistic future.

“I wouldn’t go back because it’s made me a better person,” Briana said. “I see the path I was on and feel that Aubrey took me off it.”

—Jessee Haney

Former Westlake student Briana Carrales enjoys reading to her daughter Aubrey.

Taylor Cloyd

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

people + places

41

Karate

kid

Algebra teacher holds sixth-degree black belt, served as manager of South Austin Karate

It was a decision that would change his life forever. He had been interested in martial arts for a while and had been practicing it for about a year, but it was really his parents’ insistence that led current Algebra II and III teacher Kyle Cowan to South Austin Karate.

“My parents wanted me to do an activity during the summer [when] I was 14 so I wouldn’t just sit and watch TV all day,” Cowan said. “It worked. It clicked.”

South Austin Karate is a dojo that teaches Ba Ki Do and is where Cowan discovered his love of educating.

“A dojo is a place to learn and practice martial arts,” he said. “In American culture, it’s basically a studio. It’s like a dance studio where you have lessons, practice and [do] homework in martial arts.”

At the age of 14, Cowan entered a summer program where he was a camp counselor at South Austin Karate, but the end of the summer didn’t bring about the finale of his involvement there. For the rest of high school, he continued to practice and teach Ba Ki Do. “I worked at the dojo from 1995 to 2000 and again from 2004 to 2007,” Cowan said. “Between those times, I went to work on my undergraduate degree and at a bank. I had scheduling conflicts. That was basically the period when I was a student rather than an instructor.”

With his experience at the bank behind him, Cowan returned to South Austin Karate in 2004 for another three years to take the position of manager, work as head instructor and run the program.

“It had been something I enjoyed doing,” he said. “One can become pretty stagnant working at a bank. At the dojo, I could work extra and work out more.”

When he came back to South Austin Karate in 2004, it was to discover that his experiences at a bank could help him in managing a dojo.

“When I was at the bank, I was a bank teller and a teller coach,” he said. “It was about setting budgets, resolving conflicts. Being manager reconciled teaching with those managing skills.”

South Austin Karate teaches students of all ages from elementary school students to adults in the evening classes.

“It’s set up like grades at school — belt levels,” Cowan said. “When someone comes in with a white belt, we teach them the basics — punches, kicks, defense. We test them and make sure they understand.

Then we start teaching them weapons, more difficult maneuvers. We break it up, a little at a time, so it’s not a flood of information. We needed a lot of floor space, so we could say, ‘Okay, white belts over there, yellow belts over there, green belts over there,’ so they could all learn different things at the same time.”

Ba Ki Do was created by Michael Bainton, the founder of South Austin Karate. It primarily focuses on self-defense, but also incorporates the usage of weapons such as spears, nunchuks and knives.

“It’s highly individual in its approach,” Cowan said. “It’s a great way to realize your potential as a person and an athlete.”

To an outsider, a Ba Ki Do class would look more like a ballet recital than fighting. Every move made is so coordinated and graceful, it looks choreographed. In his vast history with martial arts, Cowan has seen some impressive feats.

“I once saw a guy bend a metal bar, a piece of reinforced steel, with his throat,” he said. “Another time, there were 2,050 pounds of

Aust

in H

ix

cinder blocks with spikes, and a guy was being crushed between the blocks for about 10 seconds.”

These daredevil tasks probably sound alarming and hazardous, but Cowan assures otherwise.

“Most dojos are relatively safe,” he said. “It’s a controlled environment. You get passive injuries — a twisted ankle, a pulled muscle. It’s not more dangerous than any other sport. I’ve seen only one tooth knocked out and one accidental knock-out when someone was teaching and going, ‘Kick harder, kick harder,’ and he turned his head at the wrong moment. [There are] only freak accidents like that.”

For the most part, Cowan has only sustained minor injuries like sprained ankles and bruised ribs, but he did once get slashed by a sword.

“At a competition, we did a sword fighting demonstration where I actually got cut by a sword,” he said. “It was the first competition we had done [sword fighting] at, and we were nervous. They let us redo it after I was bandaged up. We didn’t place, but we got to redeem ourselves.”

Like most aspects in martial arts, the competitions Cowan watched and participated in were educational experiences for him.

“As much as [martial arts] focus on curriculum, it also focuses on good morals and creating good leaders,” he said. “It’s important to keep the disciplinary traits in mind, to have the self-confidence and respect that the studies teach.”

After years of work for South Austin Karate, Cowan eventually left the dojo to settle down and become a math teacher.

“Whenever you run a studio, you start work at 12 or 12:30 and get out at 9,” he said. “With a baby, it was difficult for me to justify not being there when they go to sleep. It wasn’t a fallback job. Teaching math is just more suitable to my lifestyle. I have no regrets. It was a choice between two goods.”

South Austin Karate was the place where Cowan learned and taught martial arts, met his wife and discovered who he was. Although he now teaches Algebra instead of Ba Ki Do, the moments he experienced there will never leave him.

“The most profound thing was realizing at an early age what it means to be a good person, developing a moral character and a desire to pass that along to other people,” Cowan said. “It’s not about how well you fight or what weapons you can use. [It’s about] integrity and how good of a person you are. It goes hand-in-hand with teaching, bringing those good qualities together with something useful.”

—Selah Maya Zighelboim

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

people + places

43

We’ve got 12 million reasons to choose ut Arlington UT Arlington is the fastest growing public university in the State of Texas. While students choose UT Arlington for many diverse reasons, the $12 million dollars in scholarship money awarded last year helped make college a reality for many of them.

Meet your Counselor

Andrew Dowhaniuk

Dates to Know Scholarship Consideration Deadline* February 15, 2011 Maverick Promise Deadline* April 1, 2011 Don’t miss out on scholarships or admission. Apply now at applytexas.org UT Arlington students learn how to get involved at the Annual Activities Fair and Cook-Out

If you have questions about admission, scholarships, or UT Arlington in general, Andrew can help. Contact him today.

817-272-0036 amdowhaniuk@uta.edu

*Scholarships and Maverick Promise awards are first-come, first served. Meeting the deadlines does not guarantee a student will be awarded a scholarship or financial aid award.

THE UNIVERSIT Y OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON

“When I found out I was gay, I felt closeted, scared and unsure.”

“Many do not realize that wearing the hijab is a Muslim woman’s choice.”

“We are just happy to have our religion, and we want to share it with everyone else.”

“I don’t believe anyone should be shunned for what they believe.”

Free to be “When you are at school, you give up your most basic rights.”

“Today, students of different races make up a sizable population in most schools.”

“I certainly don’t feel discriminated against, just misunderstood.”

“What started as a small deal turned into a huge bully tactic.”

“The line between harassment and bullying is very thin.”

{ westlakefeatherduster.com } trends + traditions 45

School’s online policy

Created in 2003, Facebook has been the cause of founder Mark Zuckerberg’s status as youngest billionaire in the world, the re-connections of long-lost friends and family, as well as breaches of privacy and school-related consequences for students. Social networking has seen a tremendous rise in usage and popularity. High school students utilize this generational tool to discuss social plans and academic projects, but destructive effects accompany these positive functions as well.

“I think it’s a good idea that Facebook is blocked [at school],” senior Amelie Cabaza said. “If I can’t get anything done with it up, then I’m sure that goes for a lot of other students.”

Bullying: As texting is one of several portals in which harassment can occur, Facebook adds an additional area for students to experience bullying.

Although the site is not often considered related to education, interference in the school environment is the only backup needed for the administration to step in.

“There are now more laws in which the Texas legislature added a little bit more teeth into it for schools,” principal Linda Rawlings said. “When things occur off-campus and they are disruptive on the campus or harmful to a student on the campus, the administration may go in and deal with it as a bullying issue. Our number one goal is to provide a good education and a safe environment, so if something is posted that makes people uncomfortable, then that’s not good because it interferes with the learning environment here. I think it’s our responsibility, as well as your parents, to try to teach you about the pitfalls of being too casual in your communication [on Facebook].”

The administration tries to prevent bullying, but they do not actively search for cases unless there are indicators to do so.

“We are always going to investigate bullying,” Rawlings said.

“Parents think that we are out there watching your Facebooks, and we really can’t possibly do that. The only way I’m going to know about it is if a student brings it to my attention. [The consequences] vary on the severity of the situation. At the very least, there is an investigation that is done because you always have to hear both sides of it. You hear from the person who is bringing the complaint, and you hear from the person who is being accused of the bullying. We notify both sets of parents because a lot of times, that is all it takes. We want Westlake to be a safe place. We are trying to educate everybody about being perceptive. The line between harassment and bullying is very thin.”

Extra-curricular programs: In a school where the majority of students is involved in specific organizations outside of academics, the administration strongly stresses a sense of honesty and leading by example.

the

consequences

“We have an extra-curricular code of conduct, which primarily involves the sports groups and fine arts groups,” Rawlings said. “With Teen Teaching, because you do Pedernales and you do some things with some younger kids, there is every possibility that Mr. [Mitch] Lasseter would be informed depending on what the infraction is.”

Many program participants, such as Teen Teachers, are expected to sign contracts expressing their understanding of the role model position they hold. Facebook can reveal violations of these contracts, especially in the form of photographs.

“If someone has something inappropriate on Facebook, what I’ve done in the past is call them in and talk to them, and then as a class, we talk about why things on Facebook aren’t great to put out there, especially as a role model,” Teen Teaching advisor Mitch Lasseter said. “As a role model, anyone can see what’s out there. Rather than a punishment thing, it’s a learning thing. The kids need to be aware that what they put on [Facebook] can really affect things in life.”

When examining pictures or looking into a possible infringement on these contracts, there are several factors to consider.

“With pictures, you have to be so careful,” Rawlings said.

“Anybody can doctor a photo, so it’s very important when you get information like that that you are trying to verify whether that’s true or not. It’s not only a question of did they have [alcohol], but it’s also a question of when did they have it.

What if there’s a picture on Facebook that’s three years old? If it didn’t even happen within that school year, I don’t know that we want to get involved in trying to police that. ” Colleges: It’s been rumored that colleges and employers inspect prospective profiles when deliberating on applicants. Students have become increasingly wary of this threat due to intense competition for college.

With its rise in membership, Facebook is beginning to indirectly show its visitors the importance of monitoring your posts.

“I think that if you don’t want to get caught, you shouldn’t put photos on Facebook,” junior J.P. Sullivan said. “Colleges look at it, and employers do too.”

Those who don’t monitor their profiles and posts can easily get into unnecessary trouble.

“What kids need to remember is that they are never anonymous and that when you post something on the Internet, it is never going away,” Rawlings said. “Even if they don’t put their name, unless they never say anything to anyone about what they posted and unless there’s nothing involving what they said that could ever track back to them, usually it comes out.”

— Lizzie Friedman

“What kids need to remember is that they are never anonymous and that when you post something on the Internet, it is never going away. ” —principal Linda Rawlings

Although a variety of cases have played a role in determining the right to free speech in the schoolyard, the most important precedent over the question of what can be said in schools is Tinker v. Des Moines, a Supreme Court case in 1969 that decided student free speech cannot be censored, as long as it is not disruptive to the operation of the school. Since that case, and due to the advent of the Internet, the issue of where to draw the line between school and off-campus has begun to blur. In Beussink v. Woodland School District, a student created a website entirely outside of his school that criticized the administration, the teachers and the school in general.

After the website was brought to the attention of the school administrators, the student was suspended and subsequently failed all of his classes. When Beussink took the school to federal court, the school’s decision was reversed, but it was one of the first cases hinting that off-campus speech is not entirely out of the reach of the school.

What usually determines if a school can take action against the students is if the controversial material is obscene, libelous, or could be considered a true physical threat, which is not protected by the First Amendment. If a photo taken online features a student imbibing alcohol, or partaking in substance abuse off-campus, there isn’t

Student rights

much school officials can do, short of informing the student’s parents or law enforcement. The major exception to this rule is if a student is involved in a class like Teen Teaching or sports, in which a contract is signed stating the student won’t engage in drug abuse. Then, because participation in that organization is a privilege rather than a right, the student can be kicked out.

—Zach Wasfi

Michelle Ling

Luke Womack “You have just been added to the group ‘Womack Cheats.’”

This was a notification that popped up on many Westlake students’ computers recently. Some of the group members had no idea what this meant and left the group, while others asked questions. “Who is Womack?” “What does this even mean?” and “How does Womack cheat?” were common curiosities. The answers varied from vulgar to simply ignorant. But the true answers are somewhat a mystery. Who is Womack, and what has he done to deserve this cyber hate group?

Freshman Luke Womack first began experiencing bullying in seventh grade after an alleged cheating incident during a flag football game. The next year, Luke was home schooled to better himself in certain subjects, to train for football and so he could graduate high school at the age of 18 rather than 17. While he was out, the bullying continued. What started off as “Womack cheats in sports” turned into an accusation about his lifestyle. A Facebook group was formed by some classmates called “Womack cheats.”

The idea of the group was that everyone who had something against Luke would join and bash on him.

“I don’t understand why they would end up doing something like that,” Luke said. “What started as a small deal became a huge bully tactic.”

The bullying didn’t stop after middle school. The group was readded multiple times under different names. Rumors were spread about Luke that were false and personal. Although they would circle around to him, he would choose to not let them affect him.

“When one of my friends asks about it, it’s like, why would you believe that?” Luke said. “But as a whole I want to laugh at it and think ‘Really? Why would you make that up?’ People are going to say what they want to say, but I just keep living the way I live, and if they have a problem with it, they have a problem with it.”

Luke said he feels a lot of the people targeting him don’t know him well enough to judge him.

“I don’t go out of my way to make fun of him,” an anonymous freshman said. “I go along with it when other people laugh at him.

Personally, I have never talked to him much. I’ve made my impression off of what others have said.”

Luke said he has not reported the Facebook groups or the harassment to school officials because he said he thinks “there is nothing the school can do about people’s thoughts and actions.”

In the few months that Luke has been in high school, the rumors

and the personal slurs have stepped up a notch. Chants of “Womack cheats!” became a recurring event at Westlake’s fall pep rallies.

“When I hear them I think ‘why now?’” Luke said. “We are supposed to be supporting our school. It’s a time for us to come together, and they are driving us apart. People acknowledge afterwards that it’s wrong, and it makes me feel grateful to know that some people are still behind me. People say stuff about me, and it lets me know who my real friends are. I have the best friends I could ever ask for. They are always on my side and they support me.”

Luke’s friend and football teammate, freshman Alex Chavez, has been by Luke’s side throughout this long ordeal.

“I think it’s wrong that Luke gets this much crap,” Alex said. “He is a great friend to me and honestly a great guy. I have his back.”

Though Luke tries to avoid the negative effects that the hate group can bring, he has learned much from this trying experience.

“Before you judge someone, you should take the time to get to know them,” Luke said. “Before you believe or spread a rumor, find the true story from the person involved. Think before you say something that isn’t true or could be damaging to someone. If I can say anything to the people who say these things, I would say, ‘Instead of trying to tear someone down, try to build yourself up, and make your own choices on what to believe based on what you know, not just what you hear.’”

—Mia Cavazos

Freshman Luke Womack stands on the football field at West Ridge Middle School, the school he was attending when “Womack cheats” began. Luke has dealt with public embarrasment, including being targeted by online hate groups and the slandering of his name at Westlake pep rallies.

Barrett Wilson

{ westlakefeatherduster.com } trends + traditions 47

Colorblind 21st century introspection into adolescent prejudice

E

quality has come a long way since the era of our parents’ high school days. Today, students of different races make up a sizable population in most schools, engaging in today’s ethnic-friendly society with little fuss.

However, why do minority students still feel like, well, minorities? Though discrimination no longer serves as an open assault, students still receive negative effects of prejudice from their peers.

These racial questions often affect individuals at a young age. Growing up second generation plants intriguing queries in the heads of fellow kindergarteners: Do your

y Emil

Mitc

hell

parents speak English? What tribe do you belong to? Do you dance around with feathers? At age 5, the difference between Indian and Native American flew over my head, so I politely answered the questions proffered by my peers, never really understanding what they were asking. Of course, at this age very little can be done to avoid this sort of racial insensitivity, due to the fact that neither party truly realizes the significance of the words.

Still, these playground occurrences set the stage for later brushes with discrimination in a school setting.

Children today are privileged to grow up in a society that seeks to educate students about tolerance in schools, through literature about American segregation and the Holocaust. Still, even at a mature age, derogatory statements become more acceptable in casual conversation, perhaps due to the influence of pop culture, which popularizes racial content, such as the use of the “n” word and racial stereotypes. Though this effectively equalizes the races involved (case in point, the dominant presence of African-Americans and Latin-Americans in music), it does little to confront the true meaning of discrimination. In fact, it often reinforces stereotypes, drawing lines between different races; racial content can often divide people into “us” versus “them,” highlighting ethnic differences, and advocating one race over the other. Adolescents find themselves regurgitating the racial subject matter of songs, paying little heed to their derogatory meaning.

Though academic environments seek to prevent racial

issues in school, students sometimes expose their true perceptions of others outside of the watchful eyes of teachers. In middle school, a scarring incident (albeit isolated) between myself and one of my peers occurred when an argument escalated to the point of him blurting out, “Go back to India.” This outburst revealed a hidden passivity towards racial disdain, in that due to social stigma, he avoided making discriminatory statements, but in the middle of an argument, he lost the restraint to control himself from expressing his true, offensive beliefs.

Today’s politically correct culture has refined the high-school mind to avoid labels like “Mexican,” “black” or “Oriental.” Modern day teenagers have become attuned to using the words “Hispanic-American,” “AfricanAmerican” and “Asian” to describe their peers, as our elders and superiors have taught us to do so. Yet changing the name does little to change the actual perception of others — either way, the name-caller will create his own judgment as he sees fit. It’s useless to teach a child to say “African-American” if he or she will invariably make assumptions that accompany the label, no matter what it is. The demographic, not the name, will foster stereotypes. The only way to remedy this prejudice is through true understanding of racial differences, not pretending that it’s not there.

Discrimination no longer lies in outright disdain for minorities. It lies hidden in racial perception, quickly covered up by the world’s general condemnation of discrimination.

Though society has done well to reduce the racial terms that once were common vernacular, the true meaning of discrimination persists. We can try as hard as possible to cover it up, but the problem will remain as long as we refuse to confront the issue head-on. It’s okay to (*gasp*) recognize a racial slur as long as one realizes the implications of the word, and understands that it shouldn’t be tolerated.

Only once people openly acknowledge racism, yet refuse to partake in it, will discrimination finally be conquered.

—Anisha Ganguly

Your Vision. Your Photos.

My Camera. osvaldocontreras

photography

512.825.5768

www.osvaldocontreras.com

Man of faith Practicing Mormon shares values, explains religious misconceptions

Sophomore Andy Germann’s Mormon religion is a big part of his life. Andy must balance school, friends and prayer.

Sidney Hollingsworth

“I’ve heard that we eat our dogs,” joked sophomore Andy Germann. From what they eat, to their name, to how many marriage partners they have, there are many common misunderstandings about the Mormon faith. While this misconception may not be as widespread, there are many more stereotypes associated with Mormonism.

The members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are Christians who practice their religion more strictly and traditionally than some other Christian sects. Over time, Christian rituals of more common denominations have become less strict.

“We still treat Sundays as a day of rest,” Andy said.

Mormonism evolved from the belief in living for God, and Mormons practice their faith the more orthodox way.

“We go to church every Sunday for three hours, and that’s a big part of what we do,” Andy said. “We try to have scripture study almost every night with our family, and even on our own we say family prayers. I guess you can just say it’s a little more intense of a religion. Instead of just practicing it on Sunday, we try to do a little bit every day.”

Along with a rigorous worship schedule, most Mormons do not drink alcohol, coffee or caffeine and do not smoke.

“We have what we call ‘The Word of Wisdom,’ which is the idea that we don’t think we should eat or drink any substance that your body should rely on,” Andy said. “So anything like caffeine or coffee or tea, we try and stay away from. Some drink them, but we try not to.”

Along with trying to avoid addictive substances, most Mormons are not allowed to date until they are 16 years old, and they abstain from sex until marriage.

“We’re big believers in the law of chastity,” Andy said. “We don’t have sex before marriage because we want to keep that within the bond of marriage. We try to be smart with our actions and choose the right

thing.”

Another trademark of Mormonism is the missions they go on.

Although some Mormons seek secondary education after high school, many choose to go on these missions with the intent of bringing their religion to other parts of the world first. Andy’s brother, David Germann, a 2009 Westlake graduate, is currently on a mission in Canada.

“Usually guys go when they’re 19,” Andy said. “I’ll just go wherever they send me. We’re just happy to have our religion and we want to share [it] with everyone else, so that’s a big part of why we go on missions, to bring other people unto Christ and to let them know that they’re loved too.”

However, Andy, along with many other Mormons, plans to attend college after high school.

“I’m really hoping to play golf, so wherever I can get a scholarship for that I think would be fun,” Andy said.

He showed an interest in Brigham Young University, a mediumsized private school located in Provo, Utah. The university is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so the majority of the school is of the Mormon denomination.

“There are always institution programs at BYU that offer good [courses] for Mormons,” Andy said. “[It] would be a great option; it definitely makes the temptations smaller, without all the alcohol and stuff.”

No matter where he goes, Andy is grateful for the happiness that his faith has brought him.

“I’m closer to God and my savior, which is an awesome thing,” Andy said. “I think I’m just a lot happier than some people who don’t have that understanding.”

—Camille Lewis and Allie Carlson

Misunderstandings about Mormon association with polygamy By definition, polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse, especially a wife, at one time. In today’s culture, there is an association of polygamy to Mormonism. What most people don’t understand is that most Mormons actually separate themselves from those who practice polygamy.

Polygamists call themselves Fundamentalist Mormons, and they get mixed up with the Christians of The Church of Latter-Day Saints, who go by Mormons, as well. Although this is a common misconception, the rituals of their religions are completely different from one another.

Honest to God

Journey to Israel helps define Jewish identity

I

’ve been told that one’s teenage years are supposed to be about discoveries and experiences.

They’re intended to act as a bridge between the time spent depending on your parents and the time spent going to college and later earning a living. The teenage phase is crucial in the task of self-exploration and defining your identity. Or at least, that’s what I’ve heard. Though only 17 years old, I hold these pieces of wisdom to be true. I’m on my way to independence and college, and I’ve experienced doses of self-discovery. Yet, I’ve hardly gained a grasp on what defines me.

Everyone in the vast Jewish community of New York knows that seventh grade is synonymous with the term “Bar Mitzvah season.” To put it simply, 13-year-olds of the Jewish faith, and often those who aren’t, must double and even triple book their weekends to attend these milestone ceremonies followed by celebrations, or New York’s finest affairs.

So you can imagine my disappointment when my parents informed me at the end of sixth grade that I would not be one of those partyhopping seventh graders. Instead, I would be moving to Austin, Texas and have my Bat Mitzvah there. A Bat Mitzvah, the ceremony for a girl marking the transition from childhood to adulthood, is supposed to establish an enhanced form of Jewish identity. It’s intended to reaffirm one’s devotion to God and to set her on the continued path of a life filled with Jewish morals and traditions. Mine would be the only one in my grade that year. I guess I accomplished the all-important goal: I would definitely stand out.

This has proven to be a theme since moving down south. I stand out. Not because I’m outgoing or friendly and not because I have a fashion blog, avidly read Vogue and write for my school newsmagazine. I don’t stand out because I’m short or because I have a loud voice. I stand out because I am Jewish.

Being Jewish in Austin is hard. Compared to the Northeast where you don’t have school on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, it doesn’t feel like anyone around you is Jewish. After moving to Texas, for the first time in my 13 years, I felt like the minority.

It’s not uncommon to hear Jewish phrases being exchanged on the streets of New York. Just a few weeks ago on a trip to Manhattan, I heard a saleswoman exclaim “mazel tov,” or congratulations, to a customer. Here, very few people know what Standing in the center of Prague’s town square, junior Lizzie Friedman enjoys her first day on her summer trip. She spent one night in the historical city and visited the Jewish quarter, an area that thrived until World War II.

Junior Lizzie Friedman hikes up Masada in the desert surrounding the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth.

Masada, once a fortress for King Herod, remains a sacred setting and destination for the Jewish people.

courte

sy pho

to

“mazel tov” means (at least, before the Black Eyed Peas made “I Gotta Feeling.”)

I understand that the culture is different, but selfishly, it makes my teenage years and my journey towards defining who I am difficult.

This feeling is what further motivated the life-changing experience I encountered last summer. It was always assumed that I would go to Israel as a rising junior. Most Jewish teens did, so I thought I would too. For five weeks I decided to travel to Poland, Prague and through the sacred land of Israel. Not knowing a single person participating in the travel program, I boarded the plane as a 16-year-old girl and arrived home with a changed outlook on life, myself and my spirituality. Since the trip presented no expectations, I learned to be myself and not think too much about showing others who I am. Israel has given me confidence in my ability to adjust to unfamiliar situations and an understanding of spirituality.

My only fear coming home was that I wouldn’t remember all the lessons that I was taking away. This year, around the holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it was difficult for me coming from such a religious setting to a place where very few people understood the importance of my trip. With the education from my summer and the support of my family, I know now that Judaism isn’t something that can be altered or taken away by the lack of Jews around me. In Israel I discovered what defines me. My spiritual identity is steadfast, but whenever there’s a doubt, I have my memories and friends from Israel to turn to. In a sense, moving to Austin and playing a part in the minority of Westlake has made me a stronger Jew, and more of an individual. I certainly don’t feel discriminated against, just misunderstood. I’m not used to being singled out. I’m not used to others recognizing me as different because of my religion or making an especially big deal about my faith. My trip to Israel, though, has taught me to embrace the curiosities and misinterpretations of my peers because I am proud of my culture.

I am welcoming the fact that in Austin, my religion characterizes who I am and how others distinguish me. Judaism is a tremendous part of who I am and it shapes my perspective, as do other aspects of myself, and beliefs I maintain. Let Judaism define me, but let my love for fashion and writing, my talents and accomplishments define me too.

— Lizzie Friedman

courtesy photo

{ westlakefeatherduster.com } trends + traditions 51

with

Two clubs one purpose

From left to right: senior Luci Ortiz, senior Sarah Perez, sophomore Ally Smith, senior Monica Pickett, junior Weston Jezek, sophomore Christopher Bybee, senior Gabi Jackson, senior John Douthit and junior Aubrey Campbell link hands and jump on the Westlake field. Chaps for Christ meets on Tuesday every other week at 4:30 p.m. at Chick-fil-A in the Village at Westlake.

Chaps for Christ, Fellowship of Christian Athletes spread the love of Jesus

Sidney Hollingsworth

On the morning of Sept. 22, Christian students gathered encouraged to be ready for a rebuttal from others in the club because around the Ninth Grade Center flagpole for the national “See You at we are all raised differently and have different opinions. I don’t think the Pole” event. The students used their rights given to them by the it’s fair to prop up only one religion in school and shy away from the First Amendment of the Constitution to openly pray on the school others. Personally, being a Christian doesn’t mean I don’t respect othcampus. Westlake students have utilized their freedoms by formers around me that share a different belief system.” ing two Christian clubs, Chaps for Christ and Fellowship of Christian FCA members learn life lessons from their group and love to start Athletes. their Thursday mornings learning about Jesus.

“Chaps for Christ is a club devoted to the community and spread“The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is filled with great people who ing the love of Jesus,” CFC president senior Gabi Jackson said. “We try show me a lot about how to live,” FCA junior Julia Kronenberger said. to unite all different faiths to awaken people to the opportunities they “It’s a wonderful way to start my day and it always makes my week bethave to make a difference in their everyday life.” ter to start my day with Jesus.”

However, CFC and FCA differ in their beliefs when coming to talkCFC has formed this relatively new club in order to unite students ing about other religions. to discuss God’s love for them. “[FCA] does not teach “Chaps for Christ is different from “I don’t believe anyone should be shunned for what about other religions,”junior going to church, in that it brings Evan Lear said. “We focus together students from all over the they believe. If someone wants to speak out for what only on our Christian faith, from different churches they stand for, then they shouldn’t be afraid to do so.” community, but what that teaches us is to and different denominations, to —senior Gabi Jackson discuss our love of God, as well as love others unconditionally.”

Although CFC does not how we can work together as one to teach the practices of other religions, they are open to the idea of learn- improve our school and community,” CFC group leader junior Steven ing about other faiths.

Wilbanks said.

“I have several friends that range in what they believe, and I think Although the FCA and CFC clubs are very similar, they also possess it would be hypocritical if we didn’t respect each other enough to certain differences. The CFC club differs from the FCA club in regards acknowledge their beliefs and how they differ from ours,” Gabi said. “I to the question of whether or not they are more of a Christian club or a don’t teach [the group] about different religions because I don’t know religious club. enough about them, but I am not afraid to talk about [other religions] “I would say we have mainly Christian members, but we are a reliand the differences between others beliefs and my own.” gious group,” Gabi said. “I have friends who attend the meetings who Both organizations feel that freedoms are available to them as have openly proclaimed they did not believe in the Lord. And I had a Christian clubs at Westlake, but they are fairly regulated along with Jewish friend who wanted to participate in our Human Sex Trafficking other clubs.

Walk event.”

“We are restricted, as any other club at Westlake, by the amount of Both groups agree that if another religious group wanted to start a posters we can hang before meetings,” Gabi said. “But with so many club at Westlake, it would be their right to do so. other mediums to reach people, through the internet, phone and word “I think that they should be allowed to start a group if they want of mouth, it hasn’t limited us that much. We can say anything we want to,” sophomore Annabel Jamail said. “We have the freedom of religion at the meetings; [we can] preach, worship and pray. There are no rules based on the Bill of Rights, so why should they apply to me and not other than what the club itself has made, which is to respect every them.” member and whatever is said in small groups or during a presentation The main goals of these groups is to share and discuss their passion is kept in the meeting.” for their faith with others.

Similar in their beliefs, FCA and CFC share the same opinion re“The purpose of Chaps for Christ is to break down the barriers garding freedom of religion at school. between the various denominations,” Gabi said. “There is much divi“I don’t believe anyone should be shunned for what they believe,” sion among church denominations and our goal is to bring everyone Gabi said. “If someone wants to speak out for what they stand for, together and spread the love Jesus has for everyone.” they shouldn’t be afraid to do so. In our organization, individuals are

— Abby Bost

Unveiling

the Muslim student explains

truth

Sophomore Hana Marawi stands smiling, proudly wearing her hijab.

religious prayers, practices Every morning, between 7:00 and 7:40, sophomore Hana Marawi begins her day, along with the last minute rush to finish homework, with the first of five daily prayers.

Hana is a Sunni Muslim, so she must pray five times a day to constantly remember God and to seek His guidance and forgiveness.

“The first prayer of the day is before sunrise, the second, midday, third, midafternoon, fourth during sunset and fifth after sunset,” Hana said.

Not only are prayers done at a certain time, but they are also must be done in a specific way.

“You have to go through many different stages,” Hana said. “[First] you stand with your hands across and you say Allahu akbar, or ‘praise God’. Next you go to the ground, kind of like bowing, and continue praying.

This is how the prophet Muhammad prayed, that is why we do it that way. This is our way of talking to God. This is [how we] get to heaven.”

Hana cannot always pray on the set times because of her school schedule, so she completes the five prayers on her own schedule.

“I’ll do my first prayer before I go to school and the rest after I get home,” Hana said. “My family tries to do our prayers together, but we don’t always get to because we are all on different schedules. All of our prayers are done in Arabic because it is the language of Islam. I don’t always speak Arabic [at home], but I know the language because of my surroundings and how I grew up.”

The daily prayers are one of the Five Pillars of Islam, and although each Pillar is not carried out in everyday life, they are all important to the religion. “[The Pillars] are Salah, prayer, Sawn, fasting during Ramadan, Zakat, charity, we give 2.5 percent of our wealth to others who need it,” Hana said. “Shahadah, which is basically how you become Muslim; you say that you believe in God and that Muhammad was his messenger, and Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, which, if you are able, are supposed to do once in your life.”

Hana is diligent in following the first four Pillars, but she has yet to make the holy pilgrimage to Mecca.

“I haven’t gone on Hajj yet,” Hana said.

“I want to go but I don’t know yet when I’m

going to do it. My mom has done it three times and my dad’s done it four. Hajj has to be done during a specific time [on the Islamic calendar] so many people go, so it gets pretty crazy.”

Hajj is the largest pilgrimage in the world — about three million people made the journey last year. Despite the worldwide presence of Islam, Hana is still a member of a minority religion at Westlake.

“I don’t really have any Muslim friends at Westlake, but I enjoy learning about others people’s religions and teaching my friends about Islam,” Hana said. “There are some similarities between Islam and other religions, but also some big differences. The thing that weirds people out is the praying five times a day. Most other religions don’t ever do that. Also, no other religion has a month-long fast, and I think people aren’t used to that.”

Another aspect of Islam that sets it apart from other religions is the tradition for women, once they reach a certain age, to choose whether or not to wear the hijab, or head covering.

“When you reach puberty, you are given the choice whether or not you want to wear the hijab, and I made the choice to start wearing it,” she said.

Hana began wearing the hijab when she came to Westlake. As she did not wear it in middle school, many of her classmates were curious about the change.

“The transition was really smooth,” Hana said. “Although I get a lot of questions about it, no one has ever been mean. [I’ve gotten questions] ranging from ‘is it sewn onto your head’, to ‘do you have to wear it at home’.

Well, I don’t wear it at home, and it isn’t sewn onto my head. People have [also] asked me if I have to wear [a] black [hijab]. There are different kinds, different colors. I could even use a shirt or a scarf if I wanted to.”

The reasons behind wearing the hijab are often misunderstood. Many do not realize that wearing the hijab is a Muslim woman’s choice.

“I think a lot of people don’t fully understand what the hijab is about,” Hana said.”A lot of people will say that the hijab is restrictive, but I think they don’t know much about Islam. We aren’t forced to wear it; we decide to. You can take it off if you don’t like [wear-

Allie Carlisle

ing] it. It doesn’t bother me, and I don’t find it to be restrictive at all.”

Some Muslim women choose not to wear the hijab, but many, for a variety of reasons, do decide to wear it. Many wear it for modesty, or so that men will not judge them solely by their looks. “[Women wear it] to be treated as more than just eye candy,” Hana said. “When you wear the hijab, men will focus less on how you look and try to learn about your personality.”

Although Hana hasn’t received any negative comments about her hijab, she knows others who have.

“People at Westlake are really nice about it,” Hana said. “No one has ever done anything outright mean, but one of my friends at another school got it pretty bad. Her name starts with a ‘t’, so people started calling her ‘t the terrorist’. She ended up having to switch schools because people were being so mean.”

Not only are women misjudged for wearing the hijab, the religion of Islam is often misunderstood as a whole.

“Hearing stereotypes about how Muslims are terrorists does make me upset,” Hana said. “People are crazy to say things like that.

Don’t believe all the things you hear on TV or read online about [Muslims], it isn’t true.”

Despite confusion about Islam, Hana is proud to be a practicing Muslim and of her decision to wear the hijab.

“People have been really good about [me wearing the hijab],” she said. “I haven’t ever received any nasty comments about it. The worst thing is the weird look you get every so often. I think some people may shy away [from me] sometimes, but I always try to get myself out there and just let people know I’m not weird. I don’t want them to judge me by my religion or because I wear [the hijab].”

— Sofie Seiden

{ westlakefeatherduster.com } trends + traditions 53

Beyond a reasonable

doubt

Just a tip or a suspicion, and the administration is on its way. Yanked out of class, the sound of teasing classmates follows the stunned student down the hall and into the office, where freshman assistant principal Dianne Carter turns and says, “So, any clue why you’re here?” And the investigation begins.

The Student Code of Conduct: a document with which every student is familiar, if only because of the annual Power Point presentation given in advisory the first week of school.

The mere mention of these 42 pages often causes students’ eyes to glaze over, and during that seemingly endless advisory period, they hastily sign their names, swearing that yes, of course they have read it and swear to all of its terms. One of these terms is labeled “searches,” stating that, “a student’s clothing, personal property, electronic equipment, method of transportation or school property used by the student may be searched when there is reasonable cause to believe the search will reveal articles or materials prohibited by the District.” In another well-known document, the Constitution, the Fourth Amendment protects one’s privacy from unreason-

able search and seizure. It almost sounds like a contradiction.

“School administration has a duty to protect the health and wellness of students,” local civil lawyer Jeff Edwards said. “Courts made various decisions relating to the privileges of students. And good or bad, almost unlimited rights have been granted to school administration. Once on the school’s property, the administrators have the right to question students and conduct searches. The Code of Conduct that is there in school is not there on the streets. When you are at school, you give up your most basic rights.”

Because of the power granted to schools, the administration requires less proof before performing a search.

“Law enforcement actually needs probable cause,” Carter said. “We only need reasonable

suspicion. If we get a tip from someone [that a student might have drugs], based on that, we may search a student. For law enforcement, with probable cause, [if they receive a tip], they would have to know the source and if it is a legitimate one. They have to have more reason to search [something such as] your car.

As an administrator, I have a quicker right to search things. But it’s not like we just look at a kid and go, ‘Hmm, I think you might have drugs.’ It’s not like that.”

Once the school has reasonable suspicion to conduct a search, a student has no recourse to prevent it.

“I always ask [before searching a student’s bag], and usually they say, ‘Go right ahead,’ even if they know something’s in there that shouldn’t be,” Carter said. “We have the right to search it anyway, even if they refuse.

ng

“Once on the school’s property, the administrators have the right to question students and conduct searches. When you are at school, you give up your most basic rights.”

—local civil lawyer Jeff Edwards

hel le L i

“Technology is definitely one of those things that makes the line between ‘at home’ and ‘at school’ blurry,” Carter said. “[The Student Code of Conduct] does include technology, so we do have the right [to search.] But we’re a little less likely to. When I’m searching a student, I always ask for a phone, and if they straightup say no, I am probably not going to bother fighting that battle. The main reason I’m going to look at a student’s phone is for information about other students. We try to find out as much information as possible because the more we can find out about where they got [the drugs] from, the greater chance we can prevent it [from spreading] further down the line. Because that’s ultimately the goal. We’ve all seen drugs ruin kids’ lives.”

Things become a little more complicated when reasonable cause is involved as it relates to possible disruptive actions, such as fights.

“We [as administrators] have a responsibility: once we have been made aware about pretty much anything, we are obligated to look into it,” Carter said. “If we don’t and something related to that happens, that’s considered my fault for not looking into it. When anything is brought to our attention, we’re going to investigate. That may mean that we ask a couple of people questions.

We may discover that it was all false and say, ‘That’s great. We looked into it. There’s nothing to worry about.’ Sometimes, that’s not the case.

We start digging and find out that there’s really something to be concerned about, and we address it as we figure it out.”

Although the policy and implementation of search and seizure seem harsh, according to junior assisstant principal Stephen Shands, they are not carried out without compassion.

“A lot of times, when I call in someone to search them under the reasonable cause, more often than not, the kid understands that I’m acting on the best interest of the student body and the safety of the school,” Shands said. “I don’t think we abuse the power of the reasonable cause.”

Whatever the repercussions, administration will continue to use reasonable suspicion in order to protect the school.

“It’s always a matter of ultimately trying to keep all of you safe, really,” Carter said. “There is nothing that we do just because we want to catch a kid. It is not about a ‘gotcha.’ Anytime we [search a student], it’s because we really and truly are trying to take care of everyone who goes to this school. We are concerned about the safety of every single student, and the fewer drugs, the better.”

—Hailey Cunningham and Zelda Mayer

Mic

However, if a kid straight-up refuses, what I typically do in that situation is call a parent, explain the situation, that I do have every right even though they refused. [If the parent also refuses], I still have every right, and I’m still going to search it.”

The main reasons for a search are suspicions of theft and drugs, and the administration attempts to resolve these matters quickly and avoid being unnecessarily invasive.

“The vast majority of our searches don’t go beyond a backpack, a vehicle and asking a student to empty their pockets or take off their shoes,” Carter said. “The only time that it would go any further than that is if there is a ton of evidence this kid has something, and we’re not finding something [because it could still be] concealed. It’s not like we’ll strip-search a kid.

That’s not our area. But going as far as feeling inside a waist line to make sure nothing’s concealed there [is reasonable]. But that’s if there’s a ton of evidence. Trust me, we have no desire whatsoever to have any more contact than necessary.

And honestly, sometimes I get called in to search a female. I always have another administrator present if I’m searching more than a backpack.”

This caution is due to the thin line between personal privacy and the safety of the school.

“When a purse is searched, there could be a very private matter,” Edwards said. “There [should] be no invasions of space — pulling back a waistband or looking in a young girl’s bra. Up to strip-searching, courts give [school] administration very liberal authority. [The courts say that] it is more important for a school to be safe. This trumps any unfettered right to privacy. It is a balancing test of what promotes good education versus an individual’s rights.”

If the search reveals evidence of an offense, strict procedures are followed by the administration, and law enforcement becomes involved.

“One thing that we do if we find something is let Deputy [Aaron] St. Clair know as quickly as possible because I don’t want it in my possession either,” Carter said. “We always let him know so that he can do his thing, and we can do ours. His thing usually is, as law enforcement [assigned to Westlake], giving a ticket. What [the measures are] depends on the situation.

From the school side of it, typically a kid is suspended for three days. Possession of drugs is an automatic, mandatory placement in the Alternative Education Placement, and that is actually a state law. We decide as a district the length of time, [which is 45 days.]”

Usually, technology is only investigated to acquire further information about the situation.

Need to know Reasonable cause

“Basically, if an administrator has something more than a hunch, something more than a suspicion, they can commence a search,” local civil lawyer Jeff Edwards said.

Probable cause

“The two [police and administrators] are very different — police need fact,” Edwards said.

Technology

“Let’s say a Facebook posting is brought to our attention that is talking about starting a fight in school or something to that effect, then that would make it our business,” freshman assistant principal Dianne Carter said.

“If we do think in the least that it could cause a problem here, then we will address it.”

Intervention

“If [cyber bullying] is going on and it doesn’t ever bleed over into school and doesn’t affect school, it is pretty much none of our business, and it’s not under our jurisdiction,” Carter said.

{ westlakefeatherduster.com } trends + traditions 55

Barrett Wilson

English teacher Jon Watson said he wishes that everybody would be open-minded and accepting to people who are unique.“I want people to be more aware that there are a lot of different perspectives out there, so we should be respectful of others,” Watson said. Westlake’s Gay-Straight Alliance meets in Watson’s room, 368, every Monday after school.

Like an open book J English teacher discusses homosexuality, current issues regarding gay teenagers

on Watson knew in eighth grade that he was gay. He was closeted about this from middle school until college because he felt ashamed of his secret. After years of feeling alone, he decided to be more open and to express his sexual orientation to people, especially his students. He identifies with how difficult it can be for a high school student who hasn’t come out yet.

“Someone once told me to think back to when I was younger,” Watson said. “When I found out that I was gay, I felt so closeted, unsure and scared. I went through high school not telling anyone except for a few core friends. This person asked, ‘What would it have been like for you if you had a teacher that had been openly gay and said, Hey, I’m gay and whoever wants to talk to me, you [can]. And I think to myself, ‘That would have been great to know that somebody was saying that was okay.’ [Now], being gay shapes me.

It’s a part of who I am.”

Not only does Watson want to be honest with his students, he also wants them to know that he is there for them.

“Students can come to me and [know] that they can be open and talk to me,” Watson said. “If you identify [yourself] as gay or bisexual or transgender in high school, wow, it can be so hard because you just want to fit in, you know? You just want to have a great posse of friends to hang out with. You want to do well with your studies. You want to enjoy all

the great stuff like band or theatre or sports.

And those activities require other people, and if you ‘stick out’ for some reason, then you often feel that you’ve got to hide, you’ve got to be someone that you’re not to have the positive experience you want. It’s a real pressure.

If students are struggling, sure they can come talk to me about such things. They’d hear that I think they are 100 percent okay just as they are. They’d hear that I feel that, almost across the board, their friends and teachers and administrators here at Westlake don’t care about their sexuality, because really, it’s no big deal, and that they should just go ahead and be honest. They’d hear that I’m willing simply listen to whatever they want to say.”

He understands that when gay students come out about their sexual orientation, they might be rejected by their classmates. One recent incident struck a chord for Watson regarding a gay college student. On Sept. 22, Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi committed suicide after videos were streamed online of his sexual activities with another man.

“Of course it’s awful,” Watson said. “Who knows what [Tyler] may have been experiencing when he was growing up. Clearly, he was young and unable to deal. Young people who are struggling with their sexuality often feel caught between [two conflicts]. On one hand, they are fighting against a culture that, although slowly but surely changing, still feels that there’s something wrong with being gay.

They may be struggling with messages they hear from friends, from their church pastors, from their parents, whomever. On the other hand, they themselves are fearful and selfjudgmental about a very core part of who they are, so they don’t even have themselves to turn to. Feeling absolutely isolated, the most troubled young people turn to the only option that seems viable: to end their lives. It’s absolutely devastating.”

Watson pointed out a project started in September in response to the struggles of lesbian, gay, bisexuals and transgender young people. Through videos accessible on the internet, the It Gets Better Project shares stories of openly gay adults talking about their struggles during their childhood, what their lives are like now, and show LGBT youth that it gets better.

“I think the message of the It Gets Better project is awesome,” Watson said. “It’s all about perspective: clearly if you are suicidal, you don’t have a realistic picture of what’s going on in your world, you think there are no options, that no one is there to help you, that ‘this is it.’ Well, no, this isn’t ‘it’ — this is a relatively short time in your life, compared to the decades you have remaining after you graduate from high school. So the message of ‘it gets better’ is to hang in there, to take a breath, to remind yourself that you’re okay even if you don’t feel accepted or supported at home or at your church. It’s a reminder that there are families that do support their gay

sons and daughters, there are churches that embrace gay and bisexual members, there are people in this world who will love you and be thrilled to call you their friend or partner if you are a transgender individual. Maybe you don’t find such open-armed acceptance in your life right now, but I can guarantee you it’s out there. Your life can, and will, get better.”

Watson said he wishes that society was more tolerant and respectful of gay couples and would treat them like any other couple.

“It’s too bad that we’re still in a society where it’s a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ sort of thing,” Watson said. “Society is telling you it’s a problem if you have sexual attraction to someone of the same sex. However, [being gay] is a minor thing.

There’s nothing different about my life, or any other person’s life, if I have a spouse and he happens to be a guy. It would be the same sort of relationship. We would have good times. We would have crappy times. We fight, we raise kids — the whole nine yards. There is no perfect relationship out there. Why is that one little thing such a problem for people? We should have the freedom to express ourselves, whoever we are, and that would certainly include sexual orientation.”

Although he speaks fondly of his own family, there was a time when Watson and his sister experienced conflict with each other because of his sexual orientation.

“One of my two sisters is quite religiously conservative,” Watson said. “There was a rift between us for two or three years. We did not communicate with one another. It was too bad because we used to be extraordinarily close.

She has three children, and out of all of my nieces and nephews — and I have 12 — I was closest to her two oldest kids by far. For three years, I didn’t see them at all. It was painful for me. It was painful for everyone involved.

At the time, they would not let me be honest about myself at their house. I dealt with that for a while because I guess that was just a way to accommodate each other. But that’s not being accommodating; that’s not being tolerant. That’s intolerant. That’s saying that they can’t tolerate who I am. We’ve started to heal, though.”

When Watson tells people he’s gay but also has two “kids,” they often look bewildered.

He then explains that he is not a parent, but a sperm donor.

“Two of my great friends are a lesbian couple,” Watson said. “They wanted to have children, so they needed a donor. They talked to a number of people and in the end, they settled upon me for two main reasons. One was because I was gay as well. It just seemed like I would understand their situation more.

The second reason was that we were in synch in what we wanted out of it. They wanted to make sure that I was clear that they were the parents. They wanted me to be present and be involved somehow, but not in a parenting role. In the end, that was the reason why they settled upon me.”

Although Watson acknowledges that he isn’t a full-time parent, he remains involved with the two boys and is able to visit them often.

“We have a set-up where once a week, on Sundays, I go over and we have dinner together,” Watson said. “The boys are now 6 and 9 years old. They were told a story about how they came to be and they understand it.”

Watson acknowledges that he’s different than most people, and he is proud of that. He knows who he is, and he encourages people to find their unique aspect also.

“There’s no doubt that my experiences have made me more sensitive to those folks who stand out more than others for their differences,” Watson said. “When I was in high school, I felt that the things that made me different from other people — my interest in comics, the music I listened to, being gay — were problems, detriments. Now I know that these are the very things we need to treasure in ourselves. It sounds corny, but it’s true: we’re all unique, and we’ve got to celebrate that. What I feel is cool is that at Westlake, that celebration goes on — just look at all the clubs we have and all the different sports we’ve got going on. There’s a lot of opportunity to celebrate your uniqueness at this school, and I encourage folks to [do so]. As Walt Whitman says, ‘Rest not till you rivet and publish yourself of your own personality.’”

—Christina Shin

“We should have the freedom to express ourselves, whoever we are, and that would certainly include sexual orientation.”

—English teacher Jon Watson

Struggles of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender teens source: www.itgetsbetterproject.com

•Nine out of 10 LGBT students have experienced harassment at school.

•More than one third of LGBT kids have attempted to commit suicide.

Popular television programs portray gay characters Glee —

Kurt Hummel, played by Chris Colfer, is the first, and so far only, openly gay student in his high school. Although Kurt accepts this, he feels alone and wishes that he had a boyfriend at times. He is bullied by the football team, but with the help of his gay mentor, Kurt is able to stand up for himself.

Degrassi: The Next Generation —

This television show received Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awareness Awards because of its positive portrayal of gay teens. Marco (Adamo Ruggiero) and Dylan (John Bregar) are represented as a gay couple. Later in the season, Alex Nunez (Deanna Casaluce) and Paige Michalchuk (Lauren Collins) are portrayed as a lesbian couple. source: http://www.afterelton.com

Modern Family —

Cameron Tucker and Mitchell Pritchett, played by Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, are a high-spirted couple who adopts a Vietnamese baby girl.

The Office —

Oscar Martinez, played by Oscar Nunez, is a gay accountant who at first, didn’t openly tell his co-workers about his sexuality.

However, in an episode in season three, his boss calls Oscar “faggy” for preferring a Shakespeare film rather than Die Hard.

Oscar takes offense, and his boss realizes that Oscar is homosexual.

•LGBT youth with “highly rejecting” families are eight times more likely to attempt suicide than those whose families accept them.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org

•LGBT teens are bullied two to three times as much as straight teens.

•LGBT kids are four times as likely to attempt suicide as straight teens.

{ westlakefeatherduster.com } trends + traditions 57

The

greatest gift of all How to avoid giving lousy presents

The holidays are a time for giving, and although it is the thought that counts, that is no excuse to give your loved ones items that nobody wants. Year after year, thousands of people get it completely wrong, and the recipients are forced to pretend to appreciate the items they receive.

It may sound rather ungrateful to complain about presents, but there are simple alternatives to the cheap presents friends and relatives give every year. This is your guide to gift-giving, and it will ensure that no gift you give goes unwanted.

DON’T give knockoffs You’ve checked every store, but you just can’t seem to find an affordable Barbie Dream House for your little sister. Not to worry!

You can still get one of those wooden dollhouses that you find in every toy store in the universe, right? Nope. Sorry. It doesn’t work that way. Knockoffs and variations will only bring disappointment to the recipient. Imagine asking for a Michael Jackson CD and getting Adam Lambert instead. It’s just depressing.

DO give them what they want or just find something else If someone wants Legos, you give them Legos. Don’t settle for the stupid Duplo blocks. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t try to improvise. Find something else. They’re bound to be happier with a gift that’s different than with one that’s “not the same.”

DON’T give them food After stuffing our faces with the mountains of treats that the holidays have already thrust upon us, the last thing we want to see in our stockings is a giant bag of M&Ms. The gift of food during the holidays will either be eaten and gone in two seconds or rotten and discarded in a month.

DO give them a gift basket So it’s more expensive than going to the store and grabbing one of those oversized Hershey Kisses, but would you rather spend

a little money on something that will be thrown out, or spend a bit more on something that will actually be used? If you gather a basket together and fill it with inedible things that will be useful to the recipient, and perhaps stick a couple of Reese’s Cups in the mix, there is no way the gift will go unappreciated.

DON’T give a poem card Everyone has received a “novel” card. You know, the kind that looks all flowery like a wedding invite and says “granddaughter” or “sister” or “son” on the front. Usually when you receive such a card, you know exactly what’s coming: 10 boring lines of pure cheese that some random stranger wrote for nobody in particular. A poetry card may be one of the worst things you can give a person. This gift will annoy the heck out of anyone who has the misfortune of being forced to open and maybe skim it.

DO write your own card If you want someone to know you care, don’t use someone else’s words, use your own. If you’re going for something sweet and sentimental, this will take a lot of time and thought. However, to write your own card, you don’t have to be a skilled poet or write something deep and touching. Just write something that will make the recipient smile. Fill it with inside jokes or memories you’ve shared. No matter what you write, a handmade card may be one of the best things you can give a person during the holidays.

—Jaimie Pitts

Top four holiday gifts Without a doubt, everyone will be asking for the newly-released jetpack. What, it costs $100,000? That’s weird, I thought I just heard the sound of someone being modest! Let everyone who craves flying strap it on and fly through power lines. Ladies and gentlemen, ll your first place present: a he itc jetpack.

M y Em

else in the country would cringe at the thought of a week of snow.

Nothing is sweeter than second place — snowball fights, hot chocolate and watching people send their cars sliding into telephone poles.

il

will win this one?

Although your elephant is fun to play with, it is important to read the safety manual that comes pinned to his tusk.

Tom takes third place with a bright red bow on his head — have fun trying to get it off.

Emily Mitchell

Most likely, you or someone you know has opened a box and had a puppy pop out to greet them. Was it a puppy or that African Elephant that you wished for? Weighing in at three tons, in this corner, we have Tom the elephant; over here, we have Bon Bon, the puppy. Who

It’s something that can’t be wrapped, most Texans wish for it every holiday season and it’s very simple. We commonly yearn for a day, a week, of nothing but snow.

People residing almost anywhere

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

Remember watching those commercials with people dancing around in strange-looking blankets with sleeves thinking, “Wow, people pay money for this?”

Now you, along with almost every other person around you, have a Snuggie. But, these aren’t just any Snuggies, they’re Special Edition Chaptastic Snuggies.

Complete with real feathers and a pullover chap-head hood, they’re the only way to be comfortable and spirited at the same time. Without a doubt, many hallways and icy classrooms will be full of them, making it our fourth place present.

—Josh Willis

rants + raves

59

We’re lookin’ at you, kid Technological advances breed indignation

W

e’ve made it past 1984, and as far as I can tell there isn’t a single mind-reading super entity controlling my every move. But maintain your vigilance, my brethren, for the onward march of invasive technology has replaced such mundane forms of bureaucratic control. Now, the great eyes in the sky will constrain our freedoms with the power of video surveillance, teaching tools with an above average intelligence and the censorship of online expeditions.

As a ground-level defense from the dangers of Native American archers or serial killers those in authority have installed cameras.

Outside the barred courtyard doors, a sign mocks those trying to enter, proclaiming “Welcome to Westlake High School. We are happy to see you! Cameras may be used to monitor your activities.” For posterity.

These people know you, and they know you well. They have observed your disapproving looks at the incongruously locked doors. They heard about your declaration of dissension when they created video announcements. And now they’re watching you. Don’t think you’re safe on your iPhone or laptop. You can’t even get onto Gmail to beg for aid.

No. They’ve got you surrounded. And they’re watching you.

But it is the SMART Board™, of allegedly superior intellect, that spell our impending doom. Those morning announcements? Yet more technological propaganda and scare-tactic mind control. As you stand glued to the image of smiling students telling you how to spend your time, somewhere, the fuzz is studying you— learning to anticipate your every move. I, myself, am writing this from an invincible bunker under my house. On a typewriter. But I know that once I step into the school,

the cameras will be following me. Down the hall. Up the stairs. And in each room, a SMART Board™ . Oh, the SMART Boards™. You think they call it that because it helps you to learn? Because it’s a technological marvel? Hah! I have, from an inside source, information that will pop your little Westlake mind bubble. Those boards are sentient. They hear all, they know all. They will report you.

And next thing you know, they’re climbing in your window and snatching up your constitutional rights to play rolley chair synchronized sliding.

They’ve found you skateboarding down the stairs, and they won’t stand for it. They saw you look up the word “hate” on Google yesterday, and they want to know why. There’s no way out, my friend. No way out except graduation.

I see all of this clearly, so clearly. You have to be on your guard at all times. You watch those cameras watching you. Outsmart the SMART Boards™. Take control of your Google addiction, and escape into the landscape. Camouflage yourself against the brick walls of the school as you pass a camera. Dodge through the hallways like a ninja.

Paint that skateboard to look like a staircase. Fight the man!

And if it doesn’t work, if you’re forced to follow the rules and bend your will to the subjugation of educators and administrators everywhere? Well, my bunker is open to you, my fugitive brethren. We can watch YouTube videos about the dangers of technology while tweeting about it on our 4G phones.

—Hetty Borinstein

“The whole thing is sadly representative of our district’s use of funding.”

—senior Ruth Hook

“I cannot say enough good things about the SMART Board™.”

—physics teacher Mark Misage “SMART Boards™ are 10 percent more awesome when they are unsynced.”

—senior Kevin Presley

Holiday hideaways In the scene below, find the following: -one dove -two shapes of Texas -one okapi -one volleyball -one dreidel -four musical notes -six “Ws” —Marco Scarasso

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

rants + raves

61

for

At the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park, junior Cody Crutchfield and sister Ashley Crutchfield prepare to board the Forbidden Journey ride.

Fans dive into world of Harry Potter with new theme park, popular internet musical his summer I was able to experience the ultimate Harry Potter fan’s dream. I walked through Platform 9 ¾ to Hogwarts on the trip of a lifetime to the newly opened Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Entering the park, you see the village of Hogsmeade, smell the delicious scent of butterbeer coming from the Three Broomsticks, hear the sound of the roaring Dragon Challenge coaster and see the Hogwarts castle towering over the park, dominating the landscape.

My first stop was to visit Hogwarts and ride the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. Part simulator and part thrill ride, it takes you on a journey inside and around Hogwarts with Harry, Ron and Hermione as your tour guides. You experience the fright of being chased by a Hungarian Horntail, get thrown into a Quidditch match and escape the snares of the Death Eaters chasing after you. Though the ride only lasts about two and a half minutes, it is easily the best ride in the park. The Forbidden Journey aside, there are two additional rides in the park. There is the Flight of the Hippogriff, a family coaster that takes you around a small track on the back of a Hippogriff. Nearby the ride is Hagrid’s Hut, a very cool site to see, though it is only a very small part of the park. It has small creatures from the Forbidden Forest and the Hut looks almost identical to the one in the movie. Next is the most exhilarating ride in the park — the Dragon Challenge. Previously known as the Dueling Dragons in the old park, the “new” ride hasn’t really changed from its former self. The ride still includes two tracks with separate coasters going around on those tracks at high speeds and a section where two coasters are merely six inches away from each other. An exhillarating and enjoyable ride, but not very Harry Potter themed, as the ride literally looks the same as it was before. Besides the rides, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter courtesy photo

Cody and Ashley stand in front of Hogsmeade at the Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, Florida.

courtesy photo

has a wide variety of shops to visit. Ollivander’s Wand Shop is part scene reenactment and part shop. When you first enter, actors reenact the scene from the movie about how “the wand picks the wizard.” A volunteer is chosen from the audience to participate and try out the wands, and then you exit you into a shop where you can buy your wand, all around $30. Next is Zonko’s, the most disappointing shop in the park. This trick shop is full of many mediocre novelty items none of which are from the book, such as fake teeth, bouncy balls and t-shirts. Overall it was a pretty lame store, but next door is Honeyduke’s, one of the best stores, where you can get all your Harry Potter candy needs. They have Cauldron Cakes, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and of course Chocolate Frogs. Everything there is fairly cheap, though the Chocolate Frogs were a bit expensive ($10). If you are just looking for souvenir items, then Dervish and Banges is the place to shop. It has all the t-shirts, costumes, hats and other souvenir items that can be purchased at the park. My personal favorite was the Marauder’s Map, though it was very expensive at $50.

After a long day of riding rides and shopping at stores, you can settle down at the Three Broomsticks Pub and enjoy some authentic British food — like fish and chips and gulp down an ice-cold butterbeer. The butterbeer, though appealing to the rest of my family, tasted like melted candy and was a little too sweet for me, but it was at least worth trying one.

The whole trip made me realize just how amazing the Harry Potter series is. Though the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a small section of the park, it is definitely worth the money just to see everything you’ve seen in the books and movies come to life before your eyes.

—Cody Crutchfield

From the

A

musical

o you know about the scarf of sexual preference? Have you been to Pigfarts, home of RUMBLEROAR? Are you aware that you should never tell a girl you like her, upon pain of looking like an idiot? If you haven’t figured all of this out by now, then you have clearly missed the magic of A Very Potter Musical and its ironically named prequel; A Very Potter Sequel.

These Youtube phenomena are the original work of the University of Michigan theater department. Starring Darren Criss as Harry Potter, and an enthusiastic, if imperfect group of actors, who obviously grew up with the series, A Very Potter Musical has all the makings of a cult classic. Gender-bending, awkwardly attractive villains and pop-culture references abound. No detail is too small for hilarity. Dumbledore’s boss Zefron poster (Zach Efron never looked so good), the musical seduction of a fire-breathing dragon and Ron’s inability to enter a scene without food are all played for every drop of laughter. Twisted plot lines meld all seven books into one confusing, chaotic, wonderful comedy. Even those of us who missed the Potter Puppet Pal bandwagon or judged Rowling harshly for her truly disgusting epilogue will reconnect with the magic of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Find your way to YouTube, tonight, and make the journey land of possibility, a land full of witches and wizards and magical beasts, goblins and ghosts and magical feasts. Let me assure you that it’s all that you want. It may even be all that you need, because it’s Hogwarts. And that, I must say, is totally awesome.

—Hetty Borinstein

to the

oes this face look vaguely familiar? Are you reaching through your mind for a connection: YouTube? TV show? Celebrity? Yes, on all accounts. This face belongs to Darren Criss, the most recent addition to FOX’s Glee, and the star/creator of A Very Potter Musical. He’s also released an album titled Human, which consists of four original songs, and he has his own YouTube channel, where he dedicates a lot of time to making inventive covers to classic Disney tunes.

While in his senior year at the University of Michigan, Criss created the YouTube viral hit A Very Potter Musical, and the music from both it and A Very Potter Sequel are available online. These YouTube musicals were successful enough for he and his peers to start their own production company: StarKid Productions.

But more recently, Criss got his first big acting break, in the hit show Glee. On it, he plays Blaine, the gay lead singer of a rival glee club, and Kurt’s friend/mentor. Although his character is only a supporting role at the moment, the rumor floating around the Internet is that he could be Kurt’s big love interest. It appears that Criss’s career as an actor may have only just begun.

Either way, the journey from YouTube to the silver screen is no small feat.

—Hetty Borinstein

The wizarding celebrity you’re crazy about is: Gwenog Jones, female Quidditch captain (2) The Weird Sisters, popular band (1) Celestina Warbeck, singer of “A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love” (3) Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Quidditch superstar (4)

Hufflepuff (26-33 pts.)

The Hufflepuff, earnest and diligent, believes hard work to be the key to a successful future.

Famous Hufflepuffs consist of Cedric Diggory, Nymphadora Tonks and Hepzibah Smith.

Slytherin (34-40 pts.)

Sly Slytherin most values “ambition,” a euphemism for pure-blood supremacy, among its students.

Notable Slytherins include Draco Malfoy, Horace Slughorn and YouKnow-Who himself.

Ravenclaw (18-25 pts.)

“Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure.” The Ravenclaw prizes brains as the most important quality among students. Your fellow Ravenclaws include Luna Lovegood, Moaning Myrtle and Gilderoy Lockhart.

Gryffindor (10-17 pts.)

Brave at heart and true to oneself, the Gryffindor cherishes courage above all character traits. You are in the league of Harry Potter, Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore.

Michelle Ling

YouTube hit bewitches view ers

Your favorite wizarding event is: The Quidditch World Cup (1) The Tri-Wizard Cup (3) The Borgin and Burke’s annual sale (4) The Hogsmeade diadem convention (2) When you go into Hogsmeade, your first stop is at: Honeydukes, sweet shop (3) Zonko’s, joke shop (1) The Hog’s Head, shady bar (4) The Three Broomsticks, popular pub (2) What animal is your patronus?

Phoenix (1) Dog (3) Toad (4) Swan (2) If you were to become a ghost, how would you prefer to die?

Getting stabbed by the person who loves you (2) Committing a crime and receiving 45 axe swings on the chopping block (1) Committing suicide after murdering your love (4) In a monastery (3)

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

What is the greatest magical skill to achieve?

Flying (1) Breathing underwater (3) Invisibility (2) Immortality (4) What wizarding career do you plan to pursue?

Magical historian (3) St. Mungo’s healer (2) Ministry of Magic position (4) Auror (1) Your favorite Hogwarts subject is: Transfiguration (1) Potions (4) Charms (2) Herbology (3) Your favorite Honeydukes treat is: a Chocolate Frog (3) a Cockroach Cluster (4) a Sugar Wand (2) Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (1) Your favorite Hogwarts teacher is: Severus Snape (4) Rubeus Hagrid (1) Sibyll Trelawney (2) Pomona Sprout (3) —Anisha Ganguly

rants + raves

63

Sister stands her ground, beats brother at NCAA ‘11

was getting out-played, and I couldn’t stop it. Six minutes left in the fourth quarter; I was losing 21-17. I didn’t think fast enough, aggressively enough, and my brother had a game plan.

Five minutes passed, and I had the ball on my own 26-yard line. It was third and long. My heart rate increased, my palms turned sweaty.

I look down to see that even my controller was nervous, as it vibrated in the seconds before I snapped the ball.

The next eight ticks of the clock were a blur. All I can remember is that my eyes were closed. When I released the ball, I heard the screams of thousands of fans fill the stadium.

But sadly, they weren’t my fans. I threw right into coverage and the defense intercepted. As the game came to a sad, pitiful end, it was undeniable that I’d lost, and I’d lost badly. I glanced over to my 19-year-old brother and saw something I may never forget — a little, evil smirk.

I wasn’t surprised to see this smirk that I have encountered oh-somany times before. My brother and I have always shared the classic brother-sister relationship: a sibling rivalry.

I remember years ago, Saturday mornings in our studio apartment back in California. We’d share flavor-blasted Goldfish and play Monopoly or Pokémon or Pokémon-themed Monopoly. We’d sing the tune from the Michael Jordan vs. Mia Hamm Gatorade commercial.

My brother was the invincible Michael Jordan, and I was the beautiful but rather “vincible” Mia Hamm. “Anything you can do I can do better!” “I can do anything better than you!”

Now, years later, this smirk revealed to me what I was… a joke. By playing me, he wanted to reassure himself that “he could do anything better than” me. I was simply a test, entertainment — a confidence booster. He thought he could challenge me, his little sister, to a game of NCAA Football ‘11 because he would be guaranteed a win.

Being the ambitious, competitive and stubborn little sister that I

ll Emily Mitche

c

A

nyth n a ing you can do I I

t t e e r b do

am, I formulated a plan: to take my big brother and his big-brother attitude down.

This wasn’t about NCAA Football ‘11; this was about my essential “younger sister” drive to succeed. The fact that he didn’t think I could beat him inspired me to do just that.

I watched him play, day and night. As I ate I game planned. I didn’t sleep; I plotted revenge. The next time I played him, I would win, and I, the younger sister, would be the one wearing that little, evil smirk.

At last the day came when he asked me to play again. I told myself going into the game that I would do no less than win.

By the third quarter I was doing exactly that. The score was 17 to 14 and he had the ball.

Finally, my big defensive moment — he ran his favorite play, the “Stick n’ Nod.” It was only a few seconds later when I intercepted the ball.

In just three plays I lead my offense to a touchdown and a perfect extra point. Next thing I knew the score was 24-14, and I still had the lead. With only one minute left on the clock, there was no way he could win. I had done it! I had done the impossible! I, with the infamous smirk, would be looked up to by little sisters everywhere.

What a remarkable feeling it was, at least until my brother reverted to barbarian mode. He got so mad that he had no chance of winning, he snapped at me, using some pretty colorful dialogue, stood up as if he was a celebrity and I had brought him the wrong appetizer and turned off the game before we could finish that minute left on the clock.

It didn’t frighten me, for I knew this was typical behavior of a big brother who loses to his lil’ sis at something he is “supposed to be better at.”

In my head, I thanked him. On Saturday mornings back in California, I had always, always lost. And thanks to his typical, yet inspiring, “I’m better than you,” big brother mentality, I had finally, finally won.

—Hirrah Barlas

“Being the ambitious, competitive and stubborn little sister that I am, I formulated a plan: to take my big brother and his bigbrother attitude down.”

Emily Mitchell

T

he classic hamburger joints in Austin like Hut’s and Dirty’s have developed a consistent customer base after decades and decades of serving up mouthwatering hamburgers, but new kids on the block, Five

Guys and Mighty Fine, aspire to become the new legends of Austin. Only time

Five Star R

ating

Syste

m

can tell whether or not these new hamburger joints will ever match up to their illustrious competition.

Chances are you’ve heard of Mighty Fine Burgers before, but since it seems just like another burger joint proclaiming that it’s sweeping Austin off of its feet, you probably may have not bothered to check it out for yourself. Mighty Fine stresses that there are good burgers, and there are “mighty fine” burgers. If you haven’t caught the pattern, Mighty Fine’s burgers fall under the “mighty fine” category.

The primary strength of Mighty Fine is the simplicity of its menu. While other burger restaurants choose to take the approach of giving their burgers creative names, Mighty Fine keeps the ordering as simple as possible. For example, if you want a bacon jalapeno burger, you tell them that you want a bacon jalapeno burger, not a “jumping monkey burger.”

Mighty Fine offers two sizes for burgers (half a pound and a quarter pound, aka the junior burger), one standard size for the fries and four flavors of milk-

shakes made from Blue Bell ice cream (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and lemonade). The burgers are thick and juicy; the fries are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, and the handdipped shakes are gourmet and delicious.

If you’re up to the challenge, then you can try their famous chopped chili dog or, for 50 cents more, add cheese to this colossal, mouth-watering masterpiece.

With all of that above, Mighty Fine isn’t any different from other burger joints that draw customers back time after time. The ingredient that Mighty Fine has besides its superb food is its fun environment. The rows upon rows of picnic tables offer plenty of options for seating, and the multiple flat screen televisions mounted on opposing walls offer a good setting to watch your favorite team play a big game while you eat a delicious meal.

With the combination of great food, service and great environment, Mighty Fine is quite mighty fine time after time.

Five Guy’s Burgers

Mighty Fine

Think about it: when was the last time you had a really satisfying burger. If you don’t have a good answer, a trip to Five Guy’s Burgers and Fries should do the trick.

I took the time to drive the 15 minutes to Five Guys. The location was a little hard to find, as the one I went to is tucked away in an expansive shopping complex on the corner of William Cannon and South Mopac. When I arrived, however, ordering was easy and efficient, thanks to the very concise menu.

Their atmosphere isn’t what you would expect. Most people, including me, think of a burger as being old-fashioned with greasy countertops and worn-in booths, but Five Guys isn’t quite like that. Its restaurant layout is more contemporary with long cafeteria lines, red and white checker patterns and giant boxes of peanuts for appetizers to hold you over while you wait for your food.

I ordered a combo meal, which includes

a cheeseburger and fries. The mediumsized patty was bursting with flavor wrapped in a soft fresh bun served with a cup of crisp fries. The food took only a few minutes to come out, and it tasted great.

The only bad part was that it was pricey, costing $10 to order only a burger and fries.

As I waited for my meal, I learned some history about the restaurant. Since its opening in Arlington, Virginia in 1986, they have opened more than 625 locations in 40 states. Their food is freshly cooked and never frozen. They only use peanut oil, and their food is trans-fat free. They serve only hamburgers and hot dogs with no alternatives for vegetarians. Dessert is not on the menu either.

Although the prices are a little steep and the peanuts are a little messy, anyone who has an appetite for a solid burger should take the drive to Five Guys Burgers and Fries. It is worth it.

Old, new burger joints vie for Austin’s affection

Dirty Martin’s One of the oldest hamburger joints in Austin, Hut’s has been serving customers delicious, greasy hamburgers since 1939. To put that into perspective, our grandparents very well could have been enjoying a Hut’s hamburger when they were our age. Walking into this famous hamburger restaurant is like taking a time machine to the 1940s. Lining the walls are memorabilia of sports teams and famous celebrities along with your occasional dead animal wearing a Texas Longhorns cap.

Also, there are Sports Illustrated magazine covers from when Emmitt Smith was winning the super bowl with the Cowboys. The long-standing, proud history of Hut’s is almost as big of an attraction as the actual hamburger.

Diversity is the name of the game for Hut’s. Although it’s hard to believe, the menu is just as appealing as the decorated walls. After 71 years of serving up Austin with burgers, shakes, sandwiches and fries, many prolific food ideas have been passed down. One of the most famous burgers is the “Fat’s Domino Burger,”

While I was driving down Guadalupe Street, I began searching for a restaurant that was notorious for their burgers. I finally came upon the local restaurant known as Dirty Martin’s Place. Not knowing what the experience would be like, I went in for a bite to eat.

I was surprised to see that the atmosphere of the restaurant was like a ‘50s style diner. The old-fashioned menus and bar stools enhanced the feel of the place.

I got a table quickly, and the waitress was very helpful. Their menu had a large variety of possibilites. It ranges from the simple American cheeseburger to their special chicken fried steak.

While I was waiting for my food, I used my iPhone to research the place. Dirty Martin’s Place, or more locally known as Martin’s Kum-Bak, has been in business since 1926. It’s near the UT campus, so there will always be some college kids present.

They are open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Their burgers are cheap, costing about $3.25, and they have been freshly cooked the same way they were since the day they opened for buisness.

I ordered a regular cheeseburger with a side of onion rings, and they didn’t take long to arrive. It was very greasy, but then again, how many good cheeseburgers can you name that aren’t? I found that the burger exceeded my expectations, but the onion rings were a different story. They were floppy and soggy.

It was almost like the onions had been soaked in grease for a day and then cooked only for a few minutes. Onion rings aside, they French fries are a great alternative, especially if you’re into dipping your fries in your shake. They have heavenly chocolate milkshakes for $3.25 that are made the oldfashioned way, which means they combine all the ingredients at once and use an old hand spun blender to mix it up.

Dirty’s is the place to go for dinner if you want to enjoy a family-friendly place, not spend very much money, eat classic American food or enjoy an atmosphere that will make you think of simpler times. Your taste buds will thank you for making the trip. And for all of you healthy eaters out there, Dirty’s is greasy. There is no getting around it. But don’t complain — it’s as good as fast food gets. photos by Laura Brewster

which includes lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayo, mustard, jalapenos, onions, cheddar cheese and New Orleans seasoning. A personal favorite, the famous “Theta Special,” has pickles, mayo and cheddar cheese, all smothered in hickory sauce. No matter which burger you order, you can count on it being big and greasy.

The sides include crisp French fries doused in grease and onion rings that are so big you could fit them around your wrist.

With the combination of great food, diversity, history and service, it’s no wonder that Huts continues to attract customers of all shapes and sizes. Not to mention the low prices of burgers, ranging from $5-$8. The food is always delicious, big, and unique in taste. Although all of these components are present, the most reassuring thing about Hut’s, though, is no matter what I’m craving, I know that Hut’s is more than capable of serving it to me in just a matter of minutes. “God bless Hut’s.”

—Breck Spencer and Benton Reed

Hut’s

{ westlakefeatherduster.com }

rants + raves

67

Stuff we like

Emily Mitc

he ll

Teddy Grahams

Usually, we all try to instill non-violence and forgiveness in young children. “Don’t get in fights,” we tell them. “Turn the other cheek.” Yet, unwittingly, we undermine all of these efforts by giving them the snack that inspires the most sadism and violence of all: Teddy Grahams. Think way back to your childhood, to those days when you happily sat down with a box of Teddy Grahams and a glass of milk. All was well until something happened in your brain. All of the sudden, you felt a cruel sensation towards these smiling teddy bears. When you took a bite of Teddy Graham, you realized that the cracker was no longer a smiling Teddy Bear, but the destroyed, emotionally vacant husk of what used to be a symbol of joy. Then you dunked one in the milk and felt as if the magical golden cracker was crying out for help. All of the happiness that was once in your tiny, little 12-year-old heart had been destroyed along with the Teddy Grahams. Now, you’re several years older but the emotional scars still weigh heavy. So, now as you grow up and deal with your sociopathic tendencies and those darn voices you keep hearing in your head, remember to keep Teddy Grahams away from your kids.

Glenn Beck

g

As a growing number of services once provided by the States are being outsourced to countries riddled with Communism and K-pop, it has become increasingly difficult to find purely American values. Sure, we have clung to our general distrust of French people and our growing obesity rates are impressive, but we lack individuals that exemplify the patriotic, freedom-loving spirit that our country was founded upon. This is why Glenn Beck is so vital to the stability of America. His television show is essentially a lone eagle, soaring above the disgraceful progressive media on the updrafts of patriotism. When one peers into his baby-blue eyes on the TV screen, one can see his deep-seeded concern for the safety of our country. Time and time again he has used his fabled chalkboard to warn us about threats no other media outlet seemed to notice—they were probably too busy being Nazis or building mosques. Some have accused him of espousing propaganda and fearLin mongering, but he is merely e l el ch fulfilling his fatherly duties.

Mi Beck is nurturing the growth of a new America based off his image: a country that understands the importance of crazy talk, crying on national television and mindless rambling.

Security monkeys

Taylor Cloyd

Have you ever prepared for an international archery contest and become tired of relentless fruit-throwing by monkey onlookers? Well, the government of India has created a brilliant solution to prevent this common occurrence. The organizers of the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi commissioned personnel to train simian bodyguards to protect the athletes from their aggressive monkey counterparts on the sidelines. That’s right, folks. When a monkey throws a banana at you, you wait for another monkey — a monkey on your side — to tackle that sorry fool. It’s brilliant. Rather than risk the chance of animal abuse, take the time to train another animal to abuse the attacker. Now, one may think this qualifies as turning a species against itself, but in reality, this strategy advocates sportsmanship among multiple planes, as the two monkeys are likely to wrestle. Thus, we at The Featherduster commend the Commonwealth Games for continuing to spread the spirit of inclusivity of the Games to other animals, despite whatever animal rights implications may follow.

Savers If you are looking for something to wear that even grandmas who seriously enjoy Christmas sweaters wouldn’t even wear, then Savers is for you. It’s a thrift store extraordinaire where the clothes are as eclectic as the people that work there (metallic uni-suit man, we’re talking about you). The clothes are a game of finders, keepers and the prices are low enough that it’s worth getting in a tug-of-war battle over. They even have an entire section devoted to Bill Cosby sweaters, if you’re looking to stock up. But if you are on a budget and want to get fancy, there’s always an ‘80s prom dress in stock for under $20.

And guys, don’t worry, there’s always a pair of Euro-trash jeans in stock too. So splurge a little. You could probably get an entire wardrobe for less than half the price of a parking permit. Stay frugal, Westlake.