Volume 47 Issue 1

THE FEATHERDUSTER

FD How do we endure hard times?

How do we handle the unavoidable?

How do we

cope? page 25

Westlake High School Volume 47 Issue 1 Nov. 10, 2015 4100 Westbank Drive Austin, Texas 78746

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NOVEMBER 2015 Cover photo of seniors Kendall Chase (face shown) and Jazmine Longridge (face not shown) Cover photo by Alex Unflat

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Junior Berkeley Barnett attends major diabetes conventions to raise awareness.

Rex Ryan and family cope with neuroblastoma cancer.

Football team produces best season in 12 years.

Mary Beth Burns

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Tim Whaling

Cooper Kerbow

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Senior Julia Schoos tells about her life and room.

The Featherduster attempts to inform and entertain in a broad, fair and accurate manner on subjects which concern the readers. The publication 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. In this vein, the staff encourages signed letters to the editor. Due to space limitations, not all can be published, and the editorial board reserves the right to edit them.

All material published by The Featherduster staff is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without the writer’s consent or that of the edi-

Samantha Jabour

Editors-in-Chief Madeline Dupre Jack Stenglein Business Manager Samantha Jabour Brains + Brawn Sage Sutton Drew Brown Dylan Webber Asst. Aro Majumder Asst. Nelson Aydelotte People + Places Lexy Connolly Sophia Ho Asst. Michael Wiggin Coping Jack Wallace Asst. Conor O’Bryon Asst. Julia Rasor Rants + Raves Jack Speer Asst. Cooper Kerbow Asst. Maddie Miller Webmasters Michelle Fairorth Asst. Raine Lipscher Photographers Editor Lucy Wimmer Asst. Mary Beth Burns Jake Breedlove

Kendall Chase Bailey Gold Samantha Jabour Chloe Mantrom Elliot Mayers Claire Schaffer Alex Unflat Justin Whaling Art Zoë Jentzen Reporters Damian Allin Alan Ancira Reese Armstrong Alex Baker Kendall Carroll Milla Cypert Mubsar Dhuka Ariana Eshragi Maia Fink Eliza Fuller Amanda Goldsmith Jazmine Longridge Cullen Lowder Maite Napoliello Turi Sioson Lucy Urdahl Hope Vittorini Spencer Zagst Adviser Deanne Brown

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

No material will be printed that is libelous, advocates any illegal activity or which the editorial board deems is in poor taste. This restriction includes letters to the staff, advertising and anything else the board feels presents an inappropriate message.

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LIVING THE LEGACY

Teen Teaching’s 30th anniversary celebrates leadership, commitment At Live Oak training, senior Veronica Perez swings across Nitro Crossing, one of the exercises the fifth graders will do. “When the kids look up to me as their role model, it inspires me to be the best that I can be,” Veronica said.

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who they know will never pressure them.”

This idea is unique to a society like Westlake. It is no secret that weekend drinking and partying is common among some groups of students. Whether some agree or disagree with that activity, it ultimately is an issue that Teen Teaching is trying to address.

“These kids are role models,” Teen 1 teacher Jordan Johnston said. “They’re being looked up to by younger students and kids in the school. So it’s important to be that example for the kids that they’re working with and the community around them. The purpose is to hold themselves and one another accountable.”

However, this doesn’t seem to be an issue to most Teen Teachers.

“While it’s no doubt that some [Teen Teachers] will continue to drink, it seems like the majority of the people in the program are very strict on themselves and each other,” Teen 1 junior Cameron Boyd said. “These kids knew what they were getting into signing up for the class, so it’s honestly not a surprise to me that they continue to abide by the contract.”

Teen Teachers are consistently passionate about what they do. Pride is a common theme within the Teen Teaching community due to the good they are known to do for Westlake.

“We truly are helping the community,” Teen 2 senior Jordan Hicks said. “We are able to get immersed within the lower schools and show them that high schoolers aren’t these scary older kids but nice, respectable role models who they can look up to.”

One specific way Teen Teachers give to the community is the previously-mentioned Buddies. Every Wednesday morning starting in the fall, Teen Teachers head in groups to the Eanes elementary schools. There, they are able to work with regular education students or, in some instances, with children who have special needs or requirements.

“It really is a remarkable experience,” Teen 1 junior Lauren Germann said. “It is such a good feeling to go and see these kids’ days light up when you walk into their classroom. I realize some people look at the program like it’s ‘God Squad’ or a bunch of uptight kids, but it really isn’t. We all love what we are doing with them and it makes the time put into it worthwhile.”

—Drew Brown

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For 30 years, Teen Teaching has been preparing high school students to help out in the Westlake community.

Known as a class built to provide trust, friendship and leadership roles, Teen Teaching has been the foundation for students to serve as role models and leaders for younger Eanes school district children in activities and programs.

Readying student helpers for responsibilites such as Live Oak for the fifth graders and Pedernales for the eighth graders, they are able to create a sense of friendship and leadership in a critical developmental stage in young lives. Not only do they help through programs but also through countless charity drives and foundations. If it weren’t for the hard work and dedication that Teen Teaching has put forth in the past three decades, the program would not be as strong as it is today. Despite maintaining some traditions over the years, Teen Teaching has changed in numerous ways.

“With the [elementary] schools, the Teen Teaching program has grown with more students,” Teen 2 teacher Tres Ellis said. “Some of those individual activities that Teen Teachers would go do, such as school safety and decisionmaking choices, are still there a little bit but have now shifted with the addition of the Buddies program. Also, about 18 years ago, Teen Teaching took on Live Oak, which belonged to another program at first. We have grown well and steadily.”

This course is split into two sets of classes: Teen 1’s and Teen 2’s. Teen 1’s usually consist of juniors, as this is the first year students can take the class. Teen 2’s are only seniors who are in their second year of the program.

Another unique and important aspect of the Teen Teaching program is the contract. “[The contract] is a document that guides Teen Teachers to be ‘countercultural,’” Teen 1 junior Christina Rose said. “[We] have to abide by the promises we made when we signed the contract itself. It creates trust and accountability in the classes, which in turn creates more cohesive groups.”

The contract is a written agreement that all students in the program sign at the beginning of the year. It touches on leadership positions and friendly behavior, but its main premise is that students in the program will refrain from any use of alcohol or drugs. “[The contract] is an important thing in Teen Teaching,” Teen 2 senior Alexis Dickey said. “Its role is to make us better people, which in turn makes us more positive role models for the kids we will constantly be working with. With the contract, we are providing a safe environment where we can encourage kids to stay away from drugs and alcohol. It will give the kids a safe person

Top five colleges Westlake graduates attend (p. 7)

SAT, PSAT changes

Alumni in top colleges

Writing a college resume

(p. 10)

(p. 8-9)

(p. 13-15)

(p. 11)

Advice from counselors

(p. 12)

College recruitment of athletes

COLLEGE:

How will you approach life after high school?

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SUCCESS STARTS HERE

Accomplished alumni share their experiences

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Andy Brown, Northwestern Brenda Chiang, Harvard Featherduster: As a freshman, what were your goals considering college?

Brenda Chiang: I had no idea what was going to happen. I wasn’t involved in a lot of things that I ended up participating in. I did not have college in my thoughts.

FD: If you had to go to high school all over again, would you have acted the same way?

BC: I had a very good high school experience, but I wish I had taken Art History at some point. I think that would have been really interesting. [Other than that], I don’t regret what I did because I enjoyed all of the classes I took. I had a good time, and I took advantage of the opportunities available.

FD: Why was it so important to you to get into this college?

BC: It was never really my goal to get into Harvard. Well, I guess it was because I applied, but for the most part in high school I just tried to do the best I could, do the things I liked and put my work into my grades. Applying to college was obviously going to be the end goal, but it wasn’t like I catered my every move in high school to getting into college.

FD: What were your parents like during this process?

BC: I didn’t figure out what schools I was going to apply to until [the beginning] of senior year. I was really stressed out, [wondering] what school was right for me, what to write for college essays and how to go about this process. I was also the oldest child, so no one had done it before me. I was talking with my parents one night about maybe hiring a college counselor. I was crying, [saying that] I really needed a counselor to get my life together, and my mom just straight up laughed at me. I was over there stressing and crying, and my mom just laughed at me [and said], ‘You’re going to be fine. I don’t think you need one.’

FD: Was there ever a moment where you doubted yourself?

BC: I still doubt myself all the time. I prepared myself for rejection letters from most of the schools that I applied to. I probably doubt myself 90 percent of the time or more. It’s really hard to go through the college application process because you have to put your whole life down on paper. You lay a lot down for them. It really helped me to remember that no matter what I put, college applications can be a crapshoot sometimes. There’s more to me than an essay and resume.

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Featherduster: If you could attribute your success to one decision, what would it be?

Andy Brown: This is going to sound like the most “Westlake AP snob” answer ever, but not switching out of AP Physics and Pre-AP Precal when I had grades in the 70s in each class right around the deadline to switch out. I’m not going to say that staying in those classes is the reason why I got into Northwestern or anything ridiculous like that, but it helped me set a personal precedent that I wasn’t going to give up when things felt like they were spiraling out of control. And I turned it around in both classes, so I’m really glad I stuck it out.

FD: If you had to go to high school all over again, would you have acted the same way?

AB: I think so, just because I’m not sure a whole lot has changed as far as “playing the game” goes. Westlake’s wonky GPA system kind of forces you to play that game and take classes you don’t necessarily need for your career. Like I took AP Physics, and I’m a journalism major now. It’s not hard to figure out why I took that class. But in a larger sense, I think I worked harder than I ever had in my life to that point in high school, so I wouldn’t say I’d do anything differently.

FD: How is your student debt situation? What scholarships did you get?

AB: I feel like everybody’s student debt situation is very different, so I’m not sure how much you can take from this answer, but long story short, I did not receive a lot of help. Even though I wouldn’t classify my family as “loaded” by any stretch, we’re pretty well off, and when it comes to financial aid, the government and financial aid offices just aren’t that generous to people in my demographic. Which is fine. I’m not bitter about that; I totally understand it.

FD: What were your parents like during this process?

AB: I’m the oldest child in my family, so one thing my parents did that I thought was really great was demonstrate a willingness to learn about all the nuances of this process that they didn’t have to deal with when they were my age. We butted heads a little bit on some small things along the way, but that’s normal. They were always very supportive of my aspirations, optimistic that I would achieve them and understanding that I was going to work myself into a “frenzy,” or what have you. They did a fantastic job.

FD: How have you been doing at your current school?

AB: I’ve been doing great. I love Northwestern and all the opportunities I have here. Academically, I don’t think it can be overstated how well-prepared I was coming out of Westlake. Were there growing pains? Sure, but I knew how to roll out of them because of the rigorous classes I took at WHS. I feel confident saying I’m 100 percent happy to be here and wouldn’t have it any other way. Go ‘Cats!

Mehul Mehta, Duke Featherduster: As a freshman, what were your goals considering college?

Mehul Mehta: We have a lot of older cousins, and my brother [Keyur] and I are two of the youngest in our family, and so all of them had gone to great schools. So we had known for a long time that that was our goal. I don’t know necessarily if I knew Duke was where I wanted to go that early on, but I had been certainly thinking about places along those lines and had visited them and heard about their awesome experiences. I didn’t have a list of eight schools or anything by the time I was a freshman, but I was thinking about what I needed to do in terms of grades, SAT scores and all that kind of stuff to be accepted into one of those schools.

FD: If you had to go to high school all over again, would you have acted the same way?

MM: Totally. One of the better decisions I made early on in high school [was to continue playing soccer]. My parents were thinking about college [at the time] and what extracurriculars I needed to do to get into these colleges, and my dad wanted me to try debate, which would have looked great on my resume. To do that, I would have had to give up soccer and not play at school. It was something that we talked about a lot, and we ended up deciding that I loved soccer and that I wanted to keep pursuing it even though it would make my resume weaker and my GPA a little bit lower. It ended up being a fantastic decision for us.

I loved soccer, and I loved the friends I made through it. I legitimately think that was a big part of what made me stand out as a college candidate.

FD: What were your parents like during this process?

MM: They were actually fantastic. They would check in and make sure that I was doing stuff and not procrastinating and things like that, but they never said [anything like], ‘We need an essay by tomorrow morning’ or really ever impose any strict pressure or deadlines on me. They figured that I knew what I was doing in terms of where I wanted to apply. They gave me a little bit of room to be myself.

FD: How is your student debt situation? What scholarships did you get?

MM: I’m on the Robertson Scholarship at Duke, which is a full tuition, full room and board. I’ve been extremely blessed that it’s fully paid for by the program.

FD: What were your stress levels in high school?

MM: I would say that a lot of people probably thought I was more stressed than I actually was, but [because] I took classes that I was really interested in and excited about, homework never really felt like too much of a burden. There were certainly times where time management was a stressor, [but] it probably would have been more stressful if I wasn’t doing things that I loved doing.

Sarah French, USC Featherduster: As a freshman, what were your goals considering college?

Sarah French: To be honest, I hadn’t really thought that much about it at that point. It was more towards my sophomore and junior years that I started to get more serious about the college search process. I applied to UT and a lot of out-of-state schools, and not just in California. I applied to schools all over the country.

FD: If you had to go to high school all over again, would you have acted the same way?

SF: If I could go back to high school and start over, I probably would have done most of the same stuff. I just would have told my high school self not to worry quite so much about grades. They seem really important in high school, and they are to some extent in the college admissions process, but it’s not worth being incredibly stressed all the time and forgetting to enjoy high school.

FD: Why was it so important to you to get into this college?

SF: Well, to be honest, USC wasn’t my first choice. The reason that I applied to USC in the first place was because they offer an automatic half-tuition scholarship for national merit [candidates], which I was, and since I got my application sent in by the right date, I was automatically considered for merit scholarship. [Because of these things], they ended up offering me full tuition, and that meant I got to go out to USC to get interviewed for that scholarship, which was the first time I had visited the campus. Once I got there, I just really fell in love with it. Southern California is a really cool place not only to live but to go to college because there are so many opportunities.

FD: Was there ever a moment where you doubted yourself?

SF: Every day. It’s hard to apply to college, especially in high school because you haven’t had [an experience] like that, where you’re putting your whole self out there for colleges to look at and in a way kind of determine your worth. They’re going to look at your grades, your extracurriculars, your essays and judge whether you as a person are good enough to be admitted to their school, which is really intense.

FD: How have you been doing at your current school?

SF: I think I’ve been doing pretty well. I’m having a great time, and my grades have been pretty good. I’ve actually just switched my major from biophysics to biology with a minor in computational biology. With that change, my job prospects are looking pretty good. But yeah, USC has been great. I really like it here.

—Jack Wallace

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Sauer said.

Since the PSAT is a timed test, students who didn’t finish in the past sometimes had the unanswered questions count against them.

This year, the questions students don’t answer will not detract from their score.

“A huge change is that they are shifting to rights-only scoring, which means that there’s no penalty for guessing anymore, which is kind of exciting,” Sauer said. “So if you’re sitting there near the end and you’ve got 10 questions left, pick an answer because you might be right.”

On the other hand, the new calculator section may affect students negatively.

“The biggest difference with the math test is that there are going to be portions where you cannot use a calculator, and that’s a little bit of a shift,” Sauer said. “It’s all stuff doable without a calculator, but our students are accustomed to using a calculator for all questions even if it’s something you can calculate without it.”

There’s also now a tool that will help students prepare even more for the SAT. “Something pretty exciting is a new partnership between Khan Academy and College Board,” Sauer said. “It all targets SAT, but because the SAT and PSAT are so closely aligned, students can create a free account on Khan Academy and practice. Then, what’s really cool is that once you get your PSAT score, you can go to Khan Academy and there’s a code on your PSAT score that’s unique to you that you can give Khan Academy. They will actually personalize the reviews that you’re doing based on how you did on the PSAT, which is pretty powerful. We’re really excited about that, especially because it’s free, which means it’s accessible to everyone.”

Junior Saij Cypert uses Khan Academy on a weekly basis to help his studies.

“The visual and auditory representation of

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Most students are familiar with the PSAT and SAT. For many, the SAT is a chance to improve their college applications, while the PSAT helps younger students practice taking the test in hopes of receiving a high score on the SAT. Recently, both tests have been redesigned by the College Board. These changes went into effect for the Oct. 14 administration date when all Westlake juniors took the PSAT. “One thing that was really different were the kinds of prompts students read,” head counselor Heidi Sauer said. “They’re all going to be broader and not necessarily going to be pieces of literature. Instead, they’re going to come from all fields including science, history and one document that is either a founding document, like something from the Constitution perhaps, or a document that they describe as ‘being part of the global conversation’ that students will then answer questions about.”

Counselors predict some major changes to the test that will help students.

“There’s greater use of data analysis, so there’s some kind of chart or graph you’re having to extrapolate information from,” Sauer said. “Also, vocabulary is more about words and context now.”

Most students who took the test Oct. 14 said they like the changes.

“The hardest part for me was the reading section because it was just really long and wordy,” junior Ivy Walls said. “There are separate reading and writing parts and there were no random words that no one knows. The vocabulary section wasn’t there, so we didn’t have to define vocabulary words like last year.

Instead, we interpreted the words.”

An overall difference this year is the focus on real-world questions.

“Regardless of what section it is that you’re in [on the test], the examples are things that are actually relevant and reasonable to the world, whether it’s college, majors or jobs,”

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Study ha b Students i t s face new how to solve something step-by-step and being able to rewind and watch the same problem over and over if you missed a step is something that just can’t happen in a classroom,” Saij said.

A change specific to Westlake is that only juniors were allowed to take the PSAT in October.

“In February we’ll be doing the PSAT 10, which is an opportunity for the 10th graders to take the PSAT,” Sauer said.

A common question students ask is whether or not a good PSAT score will help with college admissions.

“The short answer is no,” Sauer said. “The colleges will never see your PSAT scores. You won’t want to send them, and colleges don’t want them. Where it helps you is that it’s practice for the SAT which will determine the levels of college that you can go into and all that. The other thing is with the juniors taking PSAT, their scores can qualify them for the National Merit Competition. If you end up being a National Merit commended scholar or semifinalist, you would want to share that with your colleges because it’s something cool that you’ve accomplished. But your actual PSAT score will never go to a college. It’s always just for you, your parents and your counselor.”

Admission requirements, such as the SAT, tend to vary for different colleges.

“The majority of colleges require either SAT or ACT; they don’t care which one,” Sauer said.

“We are always going to advise students to take them each one time just to see, and then one of them is most likely a stronger test you can send in. There are some schools, like A&M for example, that part of their automatic admission is scoring a 30 on the ACT. But remember, most schools are looking at other things, too.

They’re going to look at GPA, activities and other things like that.”

–Alexandra Baker

Counselors provide advice on grades, college Even though 99 percent of Westlake students apply for college, many don’t know how to prepare for that process or what to expect. The school counselors can provide college, academic and emotional counseling to those feeling overwhelmed or just searching for information that might help them in making decisions. The Featherduster talked to counselors Carol Niemann, Caty Broderick and Heidi Sauer to see what advice they could give.

—Damian Allin Featherduster: How can freshmen and sophomores prepare for college?

HS: By exploring what they are interested in. They can go to college visits when they’re traveling, and they can go online and look at colleges.

The most important thing is to find a college that has the majors they might be interested in.

CN: Freshmen should do well in the classes that they’re in. The first thing you have to do is get used to studying and focusing on your classes before you start thinking about college. As freshmen, I want students to understand that everything counts, that the classes you’re taking will be on the transcript that you’re handing to colleges. By sophomore year, you can hopefully understand what you like and what you’re good at and also start looking and visiting colleges that have what you’re looking for.

FD: What are some mistakes students make in school?

HS: I think students are not brave enough to try their own thing. But I think branching out and trying a new club or organization or just trying a different class will help them find out what their interests might be.

CB: Freshmen and sophomores don’t realize the permanence of grades because those grades will show on a transcript, and that will follow them to college. The most frequent comment I get from upperclassmen is “I wish I could do my freshmen and sophomore year again.”

FD: How can students determine what college is right for them?

CN: The more you see, the more you know what you’re looking for.

What I like to say is, I can hand you ice cream and ask which one you want, but until you taste the difference between chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, you really don’t know what you’re looking for. So I can say college X and college Y, but until you know whether or not you’re looking for something big or small or whether you’re looking for a business degree or you want to be a nuclear physicist, all those are different kinds of colleges, so it’s really about deciding the important factors. Based on that, it’s pretty easy to narrow it down to different colleges.

FD: What do you think students should do to get into the right college?

CB: Experience high school through clubs, sports and organizations because colleges want to see a student who will be involved on their campus and not one that’s just going to make good grades.

CN: The most important thing is to make great grades in rigorous courses — that’s probably the number one thing if you want to get into a college. Then have one or two activities that you’re investing in, and hopefully, by the time you’re a junior or senior, you can have a leadership position in that club or activity.

FD: How important is taking challenging classes? Will it help you get into a better college?

HS: It’s always important to take the most challenging class that you are capable of. Colleges do look at the rigor of course load, which means pre AP or AP. It’s really important that students have balance in their lives — taking challenging classes and also doing athletics, choir or other activities after school.

CB: Yes and no. Colleges want to see students challenging themselves, but I think the mistake that most students make is that they have to take everything AP, and they end up getting really overwhelmed. Balancing classes that you are really strong in and getting involved in clubs and activities will help you get into college.

FD: What are some things you wish students would do?

HS: I wish students would ask questions of counselors or teachers and really rely on the resources that we have here and not ask other students

about colleges and school.

CB: The number one thing I wish students would do is to not compare themselves to other students. Everyone has different interests and hobbies so you shouldn’t mimic other students.

CN: Learning how to study. The biggest flaw I see is students, especially the really smart ones, come into high school thinking that it’s enough to be smart and that if they listen in class then they don’t have to study.

Learning how to study and how you study best is one of the keys to getting into college.

FD: What are some misconceptions that people have about college and the college application process?

HS: I think a major misconception is that A&M and UT are the only colleges students should try to get into. There are thousands of colleges and there are many colleges that don’t have big names like Ivy League schools and A&M and UT, and they give just as good information. I also think a big misconception people have is that, if I’m not in the top 10 percent or if I don’t get all A’s, then I’m not going to a college, which is not true. There’s a college out there for everybody.

CB: I think the biggest one is that you have to take AP classes in order to get into college. Colleges want to see that you’re challenging yourself, but also they want to see well-balanced students who are not getting C’s in AP classes. They would rather see someone taking one or two honor classes and also getting involved in school.

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MAKING THE CUT Writing a college resume that will get you accepted

In this era of college prep and ridiculous GPAs, it can be hard to get noticed by colleges. However, the application process allows for a simple, easy way to stand out from the crowd — the resume. Many students struggle and worry over their resumes, and so should you. Fortunately, The Featherduster has provided a basic outline that should get you started. As you build your resume, remember that these are just

the bare essentials to remain competitive. To really stand out, consider improving on these entries. For example, give away your cure for cancer for free to show your commitment to community service. If you do all this, you will probably get into college; anything less, good luck at ACC. Everyone knows only Harvard grads can be successful.

—Jack Stenglein

president of multiple clubs

sob story Did you have to walk uphill to and from school in freezing rain while carrying your infant brother on your back? Were you doing your homework at the same time because at home you’re too busy toting water from the well five miles away to alleviate your ailing greatgrandmother’s fever? If not, you should make sure to do this as soon as possible. Also, don’t forget to mention how this has shown you your true calling in life: ending world poverty and providing education for all.

Leadership is important to colleges, and what better way to exemplify it than leading your fellow students in exploring your true passions? Being the president of large-scale clubs, such as National Honor Society, is preferable, but if this is not an option, consider heading The Underwater Basket Weaving Club, The Mario Kart Club and The Member of More Than Seven Clubs Club. Seven clubs is a good starting point, but make sure not to join more than 15. At that point, it looks like you’re trying too hard.

Art by Zoë Jentzen

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Colleges love to see that students have mastered the physical world as well as the academic world, and how else to show that than by being the star quarterback?

To make this entry just a little more powerful, perhaps be the top wide receiver in addition to the quarterback. Throwing the ball to yourself shows independence and a go-get-it attitude.

international volunteer work A must-have on any resume, this entry shows not only that you have the money to travel to multiple continents, but also that you still care about those worse off than you. The rich-but-down-to-earth persona is basically a requirement for college, and building schools for underprivileged children is one of the best ways to embody this role. Of course, while on the trip, you were emotionally touched by the children and found your true self.

cured cancer As said multiple times now, academics are extremely important. But these days, test scores aren’t a guarantee of acceptance. Colleges want application of the knowledge as well as the scores. Curing cancer is a great way to show you’ve really learned your chemistry and will probably make you a few extra bucks on the side to pay for tuition. If you’re more of a physics person, splitting the atom with your homemade proton collider will probably work as well.

top football player

perfect test scores Students across the nation are scoring higher and higher on standardized tests. The best way to combat this and stay ahead is to get a perfect score on your PSAT, your SAT, your PLAN, your SAT subject tests, your ACT and even your Bar, your LSAT and your MCAT. Perfect is gradually becoming the new standard for colleges.

If this is something that worries you, consider scoring higher than perfect. A 2600 out of 2400 on the SAT never fails to wow admissions officers.

brains + brawn westlakefeatherduster.com

GAME

PLAN Colleges recruit players younger, cause undue stress

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Approaching the plate, the batter nervously adjusts her gloves. She eyes the pitcher and gets into her stance, ready to hit the ball.

This is a vital play — the team needs a run to stay in the game. This is stressful already, but she knows that there are several college coaches in the stands watching her, waiting to see what will happen. Sophomore Jillian Hefner knows first-hand what this is like. Jillian verbally committed to Abilene Christian University in July 2015, right after her freshman year.

High school athletes are being scouted and recruited as early as middle school, a controversial trend that has affected many Westlake players.

“Abilene Christian gave me that offer a year ago, when I ended eighth grade, and I told them that I needed to have one year of high school before I made any big life decisions,” Jillian said.

More and more frequently, college coaches are looking for high-level athletes in lower grades, putting excessive pressure on players.

Lacrosse player junior Oliver Dina verbally committed to Denver University in February 2015 during his sophomore year and was scouted as early as his freshman year.

“I mean especially with lacrosse, colleges are sometimes even trying to pick up freshmen that have never played high school lacrosse before,” Oliver said. “They are getting committed to a school before they have even played a high school game, playing with like 18-year-old seniors. They’ve played for club, and they’ve done camps, so obviously they are good. But I mean, it’s hard to judge someone because they haven’t taken that next level from middle school to high school.”

Soccer player junior Renny Moore was also recruited early in high school but chose to wait before making a decision.

“Belmont asked if I was going to make a verbal commitment, and I said no, it was too early for that because it was the summer be-

fore my sophomore year,” Renny said.

Renny verbally committed to Texas State in February 2015 during her sophomore year.

But all sports are different. Many colleges are recruiting out of club teams, especially select leagues. Some athletes don’t even play high school sports because colleges rarely go to those games or recruit from high school teams.

Oliver plays for both the high school team and for an Austin club that is actually Dallasbased. He said the club definitely gets more exposure to college coaches.

“There are more recruits from the Dallas [club] team because with travel teams that’s where coaches are really going to look at you,” Oliver said. “There are special team tournaments, but there are also individual showcases for players so they can watch you.”

Playing in front of scrutinizing college coaches can be difficult, especially for young players who feel pressured to make a big decision before they are ready. “[It] is very nerve-wracking because looking at all the college coaches and playing, you don’t want to make any mistakes,” Jillian said.

“And I do get nervous. But you just have to try your best and know that if a college is watching you, they will try to see some potential in you as you play.”

“

[It] is very nerve-wracking because looking at all the college coaches and playing, you don’t want to make any mistakes. But you just have to try your best and know that if a college is watching you, they will try to see some potential in you as you play.”

—sophomore Jillian Hefner

Junior Oliver Dina will be playing lacrosse at Denver University.

Lucy Wimmer and if they had the minimum to get in. Now a continued from page 13 Because of the lack of maturity and lot of the golf scholarships are tied to academdevelopment of young athletes, University of ics.”

But before college coaches come to high Texas at Arlington athletic director Jim Baker said he wishes the trend of recruiting them this school and club games, players have to get their attention. Making a good first impressoon would turn around.

“I think it’s too early,” Baker said. “Recruit- sion is the best way to let a coach know about a ing kids in eighth and ninth grade is not a good player’s interest in the school. Communication thing in my eyes. It puts too much pressure on is very important.

“You have to write tons of emails, saying a kid that age, and I think they need to wait who you are, what until they get older.” position you play Baker said colleges actually focus on “It puts too much pressure and why they should come to your games,” a lot more than just a player’s game. Pro- on a kid that age, and I think Jillian said.

Athletes who get grams need to make they need to wait until they drafted to colleges sure players are emosend an average of 70 tionally and academi- get older.” to college cally mature enough —University of Texas at messages coaches, while those to make it at the collegiate level.

Arlington athletic who never commit an average of Many athletes are director Jim Baker send only 22 messages to also getting scholarthe coaches, accordships that are linked ing to soccerrecruits. with their academics, which makes the standard rise even higher for com. Another way players get college coaches’ attention is to go to many different college those who want to play in college.

“They are looking more and more at [ath- sport camps and showcase themselves. Renny letes’] grades than they have been in the past,” used her summers to travel around the country boys assistant athletic director and head golf to visit different colleges.

“I went to an ID camp, which is a regional coach Callan Nokes said. “It used to be where it was more about how well they play the sport camp where college coaches are there evaluat-

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Sophomore Jillian Hefner has committed to Abilene Christian University.

Junior Renny Moore has committed to Texas State for soccer.

Claire Schaffer ing, coaching and scouting you,” Renny said.

“After that I went to Stanford, Alabama, Belmont, Nashville, Rhodes and Memphis. Then I went to Chicago and visited Northwestern.”

It takes time and persistence to get coaches’ attention. Colleges that athletes are interested in also expect the players to go to their camps or showcases over breaks so that they can watch the players and evaluate them. Individual players go to college camps while entire teams go to showcase tournaments. But going to these events can be costly. The range for going to these varies from sport to sport. Camps can range from $75 to $700, depending on the length of the camp. Showcases can cost $950 and are usually weekend-long ventures. But it’s not just the camps that are costly. The actual cost of a club can deter some players from joining, which can put some who can’t afford this expense at a disadvantage. Club dues vary from sport to sport, ranging from $3,000 to $4,000. Distance is also a big factor due to travel costs.

“It’s super expensive,” Oliver said. “A lot of lacrosse is in the Northeast, so you have to pay to fly up there and pay for hotels.”

It’s not just the cost that puts some players at a disadvantage but also which high school they attend. If a school has a better track record than another, college coaches would expect a better set of players and would be more inclined to watch those athletes instead of the

other school’s players. At Westlake, this can be beneficial to the athletes.

“If a player is from Westlake, [college coaches] know that they probably have won a lot and are a pretty accomplished player and know how to compete,” Nokes said.

Players who develop skills later in high school may find themselves shut out of scholarship opportunities. Athletes who haven’t been recruited by their junior or senior years could be losing spots to people that are committing earlier.

“Your late bloomers are the ones that are really getting hurt by all these early commitments,” Nokes said. “While they might actually have become a better player than the one that committed as a sophomore or freshman, they are having a hard time having somewhere to go. And they may go somewhere that is viewed as having a [lesser] program, when in fact they have become the better player.”

There are many risks of recruiting athletes at a young age. Injuries, slumps and failure at academics could become big problems that colleges cannot foresee in a high school freshman or sophomore. For the athletes, there’s also a risk of making a life-changing decision too early. Colleges expect players to honor their verbal commitments to the college, but there’s always the chance that an athlete will get a better offer from a different school that they may be tempted to take.

Claire Schaffer This trend was started by some colleges always positive for athletes as well. wanting to lock up the best players and get “I don’t understand why kids would have to them to commit to the school’s program be- be scared,” Nokes said. “Why would you have fore other schools could recruit the athletes. a bunch of pressure on you about not being This practice then forced other colleges to step recruited yet in your sophomore year? I hate up their recruiting as well and make offers how it has gotten to that point. Y’all can’t even to younger and younger athletes. Nokes says enjoy high school because you are starting to that colleges think this type of early recruiting worry about college. I worried about just being makes sure students commit to their program. a good player.”

“Once a kid verbally commits to a school, The earlier recruiting is causing athletes the other schools back off a bit,” Nokes said. who haven’t been drafted yet to become exces“So if they can get sively worried about this kid they desire to not being recruited. commit pretty early, “I mean, a lot of they are probably go- “Why would you have a bunch people I knew were ing to get them.” of pressure on you about not getting looks, friends However, Baker of mine,” Oliver said. said he believes that being recruited yet in your “People were starting recruiting so young get committed and sophomore year? I hate how to doesn’t benefit the spots started to get colleges’ programs. filled up, so I was getit has gotten to that point.”

“I think there are really worried.”

—coach Callan Nokes tingThere too many unknowns is currently at that age,” Baker no way around this said. “A 14-year-old? trend; athletes are Do you know what they are going to be like still going to be drafted at a young age by colwhen they are 18? You’re going off potential leges. and not what’s really happening. Maybe they “The fact of the matter is I’m going to be don’t grow, or maybe they don’t progress. I having to talk to college coaches about freshthink the earlier you do it, the riskier the out- men and sophomores,” Nokes said. “That’s come.” where we are right now.”

Nokes said he believes that the trend isn’t —Claire Schaffer

W

Westlake’s expectations coming into the season were sky high. Returning one of the best secondaries in the state, along with several talented wide receivers, the Chaps were hungry for their first perfect season in 15 years.

The Chaps started off with several quality wins this year, but head coach Todd Dodge thought that the 24-9 Bowie win at Burger Stadium Oct. 2 was their best victory since it was a District game they lost last season.

In arguably the biggest game in the Westlake-Lake Travis rivalry history, both teams went in undefeated, but the Chaps were favored by several media outlets. On the stormthreatened Oct. 23 game night, the Chaps were unable to pull out a victory, falling to the Cavaliers 14-35. This loss made it eight consecutive losses to Lake Travis. To put that in greater perspective, the last time Westlake won the matchup, President George W. Bush was still in office.

As tickets were going for upward of $50 on Craigslist, the “Battle of the Lakes” game was one of the most anticipated high school football games in all of Texas. And since everyone was expecting a crowd larger than the 10,000 Chaparral stadium can hold, some members of the media were speculating a possible venue change, maybe even to the University of Texas’ Darrell K. Royal stadium, where the teams played back in 2010 and 2011. But the idea of taking away a traditional high school football atmosphere was something Dodge would not even consider.

“It’s a home game for us, and I want to play right here at Chaparral stadium,” Dodge said.

“I would rather play a high school football game in a 10,000 seat stadium with 14,000 people than a 100,000 seat college stadium with 30,000 people. It just makes for a better atmosphere.”

With one of the best regular seasons since the early 2000s, people are making parallels to the undefeated 1996 State Championship team, which was led by now NFL quarterback and former Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees.

While some might consider that comparison an honor, some members of the team don’t

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Path to playoffs In a 56-12 win over Austin High Sept. 18, senior Reed Klubnik catches a touchdown pass during the Homecoming game.

like it, as they want to be remembered for their own legacy.

“It’s flattering, no doubt,” defensive end senior Ty Henderson said. “But we’re not here to be like teams before us. We’re a unique team; we want to leave our own Mary Beth Burns mark in Westlake football history.”

Mary Beth Burns Comparisons to teams as good as the ‘96 team can put a lot of pressure on high school students to perform at a high level, but Dodge makes sure that most of the pressure is alleviated from his players.

“It’s all about taking it one day at a time, one game at a time, one practice at a time,” Dodge said. “And I know it’s cliché, but that’s what you have to do when you want to be good.”

When it comes to playoffs, teams tend to change their practice routines due to an increase in talent, colder weather, etc. For Dodge, though, consistency is key, and he thinks a shift in their tendencies could hurt Evading a defender, sophomore them in the long run.

Steven Crider carries the ball “We’ll still practice Monday afternoon; against Austin High on Sept. 18. we’ll practice at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Mary Beth Burns Wednesday,” Dodge said. “We get in a routine, and the routine is what gets us ready to play no voids with other talent. matter what team it is.”

“Our linebackers have really stepped it Reaching a third place ranking in the state, up this year,” Dodge said. “Even though they the Chaps started off the season with wins weren’t starters last year, we’re really getting against two very strong opponents: Southlake great production from [junior] Levi Jones and Carroll, who hadn’t lost a regular season game [senior] Bryce Boisvert.” since 2013, and 2014 5A State runner-up The defensive line was a potential probTemple. Westlake won both games in exciting lem also, returning only one starter. Rather fashion, beating Southlake 20-14 and Temple than turning to specific people to fill vacan28-17. cies, Dodge instead relies on a group of seven Just because their season opened 7-0 D-linemen, rotating in the four different posidoesn’t mean that Westlake didn’t start with tions on the line. any imperfections, as they suffered from a Some areas did begin the year strong, like loss of senior talent from last year’s team. The a wide receiver corps containing three D-I Chaps lacked experience in several key posi- prospects. But even there, Dodge has relied tions, from offensive line to running back. on some newcomers, pointing out that firstThe biggest hole, though, was at linebacker, as year receiver junior Andrew Boykin has really Westlake lost three players, all of them three- stepped up, catching two touchdown passes to year starters. That kind of loss could have been help seal the win over Bowie. crippling, but the Chaps were able to fill those Not only did the Chaps lose talent from

Westlake looks to capitalize on best season in 12 years

By the

numbers: Near the end of the game, senior Matt Gibson picks off Hays’ quarterback in a 55-3 win Oct. 16.

sure for a perfect season since it often takes several years to build a successful program.

However, in only his second season as head coach, he’s outperforming expectations.

“I felt that year two would be different,” Dodge said. “We’ve built a culture to the way myself and my staff want things done. And we’ve been with our players now through two spring football practices, an entire offseason, while this point last year we hadn’t even been through a single offseason.”

Dodge also noted that the relationships between the players Jedaiah Falone and the coaches have Senior Hunter Spencer solidified. cheers on his team “Our coaches are during the 14-35 loss much more personto Lake Travis Oct. 23. able and more approachable than any coaching staff I’ve ever had,” Mack said.

“Every Wednesday, we meet for dinner with all the defensive backs, and coach [Chase] Hargis and coach [Jason] Jones always join us, which is something most people wouldn’t expect from your coaches.”

With the playoffs now underway, Claire Schaffer the Chaps look to last year’s team, but they also lost a lot of their go deeper than last year, where they were leadership from that senior class. And while bounced out in the first round by Round Rock. this year’s captains, seniors Mack Kelley, And going in with the team’s best record in Max Mangum, Elias Garcia, Brycen Foreman, 12 years, the Chaps hope to reach the State Kylen Granson and junior Sam Ehlinger, have Championship match, a game they haven’t stepped up, they’ve also done it better than seen since the 2009 season.

“At the beginning of the season, we agreed anyone ever has, according to Dodge.

“We’re getting much better leadership on as a team that our goal was to bring a State title this year’s team than we did last year because back to Westlake,” Brycen said. “Even with a the captains are buying into their roles,” Dodge loss on our record, we still know that we’re said. “I’m really proud of how our team leaders fully capable of competing with anyone in the state.” and captains have conducted themselves.”

—Dylan Webber And for Dodge, there wasn’t a lot of pres-

3 The highest rank Westlake reached in the State of Texas this year.

6 Westlake players with D-1 football offers.

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Years it’s been since Westlake had an undefeated regular season.

25

Touchdowns quarterback junior Sam Ehlinger has thrown without an interception this season.

43.6 Westlake’s average points per game this season.

441

Westlake’s total yards per game.

*As of week 8

Can you dig it?

Volleyball team goes undefeated in 14-6A,

T

he varsity volleyball team has once again shown that it is one of the top programs in Texas, steamrolling its way to a 37-6 record and an undefeated District record of 16-0.

With a 25-17, 25-19, 25-15 stomping of Lake Travis Oct. 23 in their final District game, the undefeated Chaps sealed the

Photos by Bailey Gold Junior Jessi Dolezal serves the ball to Akins at their Oct. 9 District game.

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championship for the 24th time in 27 years.

“Anytime you have an undefeated District Championship it is a great accomplishment,” head coach Al Bennett said. “Doing it on senior night, for our seniors’ last game at Westlake, makes it even more special. Doing it for [assistant] Coach Lynne Bryant’s last game in our gym because of her retirement makes it a special gift from the players to her. After losing 12 seniors and returning only two starters, it shows the overall depth of our program and the high expectations all of the girls had for themselves, regardless of classification. Tradition never graduates.”

While the Chaps have enjoyed many successful seasons, they faced unexpected adversity before this one even began. Bennett suffered a stroke in March and was out for most of the spring.

“We all felt terrible after Coach Bennett had his stroke,” junior Rebecca Ross said.

“We all deeply respect Coach Bennett as a person. All of the seniors assumed leadership responsibilities — they made sure everyone was doing her part to make the team the best as it could be.”

The team’s captains took charge of the team as Bennett recovered from his stroke.

“It was hard during the off season without him,” captain senior Taylor Flaherty said. “But us four captains have done our best to help lead the team to victory. This season is definitely different from the others, but Bennett is the same coach he has always been and we’re glad he’s back.”

Without a head coach to lead them, the team was forced to rely on one another to prepare for the upcoming season.

“Everyone had to step up,” junior Taylor Wissman said. “Coach Bennett has a major impact on our lives every day. We all stepped up so that when he came back he was proud of what we had worked on and gotten better at. He also didn’t have stress about training us if we were behind.

Last spring, we found new trust between each other. We created bonds we hadn’t seen before because we had to rely on each other.”

The Chaps’ 37-6 record is one of the best résumés in the state so far, a winning percentage of .860. Their body of work can be reflected by their scoring differential, a hefty margin of 98 sets won to only 22 sets lost. To put that into perspective, this would be the same as scoring 196 points in basketball and giving up only 44 points.

“I think our record reflects just how well we have played so far,” Rebecca said. “We have played some of the best teams in the state and battled with them through several close matches. Since those losses early in the season, we have improved as a team, and we can only get better. I think we have the potential to win it all. We consistently learn from our mistakes, and we work hard in practice.”

The Chaps have won 43 straight District games. They have complemented their hard work with four State Championships, and they hope to boost that number to five at the end of this season.

“Our ultimate goal is to win State, and we haven’t reached the start of playoffs yet,” Rebecca said. “But I think we have really improved since the start of the year. We have beaten Lake Travis and Bowie [twice], our two biggest competitors.”

The Chaps have again proven they are one of the State’s top teams.

“We play for each other and win as a team,” Rebecca said. “No matter what happens, we always strive to play at our highest potential and win every match.”

—Nelson Aydelotte

takes District title for 24th time in 27 years

Jumping in preparation, sophomore Samantha Bray spikes the ball during the team’s Oct. 9 win over Akins.

Preparing to pass the ball, senior Elois Caswell competes against Akins Oct. 9.

Spiking the ball, junior Jessica Schwenke faces Akins Oct. 9.

“

Last spring we found new trust between each other. We created bonds we hadn’t seen before because we had to rely on each other.”

—junior Taylor Wissman Diving for the ball, senior Claire Hahn leaps forward during the team’s final District game Oct. 23 against Lake Travis.

Junior Taylor Wissman attempts to hit the ball over the net during the team’s Oct. 23 win against Lake Travis.

ROAD TO RECOVERY Volleyball coach Al Bennett recuperates from stroke

I

n March 2015, head volleyball coach Al Bennett was still reeling from the recent announcement that he was named national co-coach of the year and had achieved his 900th win when he found himself in the emergency room. At first, he thought it was vertigo, which he had experienced in the past, but to his surprise it was something much worse.

“I ended up having an ischemic stroke, caused by hypertension and high blood pressure and some blockage from higher cholesterol,” Bennett said. “It was in my basilar artery, which is up in the back of your skull.”

The two March strokes came as quite a shock to both Bennett and his team members, who were very worried about their coach when it happened.

“They visited me in the hospital after the incident, and they were all very supportive,” Bennett said.

Bennett, who spent eight weeks in inpatient rehab after the stroke, said that some of the most influential people in his recovery process were his nurses, doctors and physical therapists, some of whom were former volleyball players and Westlake graduates. Caitlin Schlegel, his main physical therapist and an ex-volleyball player from Washington, was incredibly instrumental in his recovery process. She introduced exercises to help him do simple things, such as touch his nose, pick up a pencil and walk again.

“To learn how to walk again she put me in a harness to hold me up while I practiced walking on a treadmill,” Bennett said. “I had no balance; I couldn’t even walk on a line at first.”

Bennett said that his initial recovery was much quicker than average stroke patients. Statistically, it takes months for someone to recover from a major stroke, but Bennett credits his work ethic as a coach and teacher to his progress.

“I came in with a wheelchair and left with a walker, and that was just in two to three weeks,” Bennett said. “The other people in [the hospital] couldn’t believe I was already walking.”

Although he was quick to get back on his feet, Bennett’s full recovery has still been a long journey. The process of re-learning things he had known how to do all his life wasn’t something that could be done in a day, or even a month.

“The combination of [the players] and their parents wanting me to return helped give me purpose,” Bennett said. “They were supportive of me overcoming the disadvantages that I had from my stroke.”

The obstacles from the stroke obviously served as a major setback for the Westlake coach of 26 years, but thanks to the help of his family, colleagues and players, he was back on the court sooner than expected.

“We always have to remind him to sit down because he always gives 150 percent and never gives himself a break,” outside captain senior Carly Turner said. “We started bringing a chair to all of our games so that he can sit during time outs to get some rest. He is always losing things, especially his keys, so we try to help him keep track of things.”

There has also obviously been a major change in his behavior. Certain things about his stamina have affected what he is capable of and what the players have to take on now. Most of his responsibilities were dispersed during the off season of last year when Bennett was in the hospital.

“In offseason, we had to take charge and help run practice more often,” right-side senior Ava Gruzen said. “We kept everyone motivated in offseason, and we helped remind him of things a lot.”

Bailey Gold Volleyball coach Al Bennett stands with his wife, Cathy, after the game on Oct. 23. Bennett has made a quick recovery from his stroke in March 2015.

After his stroke Bennett came back to watch some of the varsity team’s offseason practice.

“He was just as passionate but did not have as much energy as he did before,” Carly said. “He definitely had a lot more positive outlook on everything and said this was because of his stroke.”

It wasn’t just the players who had to take on a bit more this year but the coaches as well. Coach Lynne Bryant was moved into the position of assistant head coach alongside Bennett this year, and Tanna Fiske was moved from Hill Country to coach the JV team. When Bennett first entered the hospital, Bryant was responsible for taking care of both the JV and varsity teams. Although both were in offseason, this was still a huge responsibility.

“Coach Bryant has been a huge help through all this,” Bennett said. “If the coaches hadn’t stepped up and done what needed to be done, I wouldn’t be here today.”

The decision of whether or not to come back to Westlake after his stroke was one that had to be made quickly. Replacing a head coach on short notice is not ideal, so Bennett knew he had to make a choice. “[I] had all the reasons in the world not to go back, but [I] also had all the reasons in the world to go back, so it helped me knowing I had that support system to make that decision,” Bennett said.

The school’s administration also did a lot to accommodate Bennett’s changing needs. He is teaching only one history class this year, and the rest of his day is either spent at volleyball or helping out in ISS. “[The administration] helped me in making it possible for me to come back and still deal with some of the issues that I have to deal with,” Bennett said. “I feel like I had a great support network in place. It was a whole community effort to get me back and to really want me to come back.”

—Eliza Fuller

“If the coaches hadn’t stepped up and done what needed to be done, I wouldn’t be here today,” —coach Al Bennett

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Cleaning the court Tennis team stays unblemished through Area

A

fter finishing the District season Although undefeated, their triumphs have in first place with a flawless 12-0 not come easily. Injuries have plagued their record, the varsity tennis team lineup, which has forced players to compete at continued its strong form in the a higher level. playoffs, beating Bowie and Lake “We’ve had some injuries that have hurt us Travis in the first round Oct. 14-15. 10-1 victo- a little on the boys’ side, but we’ve had players ries over both Bowie in semi-finals and Lake step up and fill some shoes, which is something Travis in finals saw the team become District they aren’t used to,” Riley said. “People have champions for the second time in a row. stepped in and done what has been needed to “I think the team played great,” senior Nick get us to [12-0] despite being down two players Glover said. “We shut out everybody and then for the majority of the season.” we played Lake Travis. Even though it was Although defending State Mixed Doubles a really close match, we won 10-1 and only champions Fernanda Contreras and Charles dropped one match, so I think the team played Tan have graduated, others will look to carry great. We did everything we could have done, on the flame this season. Riley says that Nick and I think it was a very good performance.” and sophomore Loli Perim head the list to repThe momentum gained throughout the reg- licate that success. ular season, especially in the 12-4 win against “Those are some big shoes to fill,” Riley Lake Travis and the 10-9 win against 2014- said. “To win a State Championship in mixed 2015 6A team tendoubles is a pretty nis State Runnerbig accomplishment; up New Braunfels, it’s huge. But Loli is was carried into doing her part. She’s “We’ve had players step up the playoffs. Wins a tough cookie, but and fill some shoes, which is against Pflugershe’s got a lot of years something they aren’t used ville and Anderson left in her here, so on Oct. 20 and 21, there is going to be a to.” respectively, saw lot of improvement.”

—head coach Kim Riley them advance into The nine seniors the Regional Touron the team have had nament, which dethe special opportutermined what teams will participate in the nity of finishing their high school careers being State finals Nov. 11-12. a part of a side that achieved the dream sea“We’re very confident, but the unfortunate son of finishing with an unbeaten record. They thing is that we come out of the strongest re- have contributed their part in the success and gion,” varsity head coach Kim Riley said. “We hope to continue it through the postseason. have the number one team in the state which “It’s definitely a really fun time,” Nick said. is Highland Park. They haven’t lost a match in “Winning’s always fun; it’s definitely a great six years in our region. We could be the num- feeling. We [have] a lot of seniors on the team, ber two team in the state right now [and not and we’re all friends, so it’s fun that we can all make it to the State Tournament.] To make it share this experience. I’m just very excited to to State, we have to beat the number one team see how this great season will conclude.” in the state, so that will be a big hurdle. We The seniors have been instrumental in getcan’t have any mistakes that day; we’re going ting the team together as a community to build to have to play perfect tennis.” around. With five sophomores and five freshAlthough they started the season with a men in the squad, it is important for the upperscare against Vandegrift High School, it’s been classmen to build a strong sense of community all positives since. that will help improve the entire team.

“I honestly believe that was the best out“It’s a lot different from playing individual come we possibly could have had [against tennis where you’re out just doing your own Vandegrift],” Riley said. “First match out and thing,” Riley said. “To get these individual we find ourselves down 9-5 against Vandegrift athletes to perform on a team takes them out and possibly losing our first match and start- of their comfort zone. The juniors and seniors ing out 0-1 which is a position no one wants specifically do a great job teaching them that, to be in. But then it went to 9-6, 9-7, 9-8, 9-9 ‘Hey, this is about the team and the team win, and [senior] Clara Miertschin [had] a chance not just about your individual match and who to win it for us. I think that really set the tone you are comfortable playing with.’” for this season.”

This has also led to close bonds between the

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players on the squad and a sense of camaraderie in the locker room.

“We’ve been very cooperative, and we [the seniors] don’t try to act like we’re high and mighty,” Nick said. “We’re one of them; they’re one of us. We’re all friends, we’re all part of the same team and no one is better than the other.”

—Aro Majumder

Senior Hannah Sutton hits a ball to her Bowie opponent on Oct. 14 during the District playoffs for varsity tennis. Westlake won 10-1.

Claire Schaffer

Kendall Chase Returning a volley, senior Travis Fulcher warms up for a match against Bowie on Wednesday Oct. 14.

Roadrunners

Girls cross country takes season in stride The girls cross country team has placed in the top five in every meet this season. At many of those meets, the Chaps placed second overall with certain runners finishing first.

At District Oct. 16, the team placed third with Bowie in first and Hays in second. Sophomore Maria O’Neal placed fifth with the team’s fastest time at 19:47. Senior Sarah Zagorin placed 10th at 20:21, and senior Grace Langston placed 14th with a time of 20:38.

“I’m really happy with how I did,” Maria said. “For Regionals, I am hoping to run a [personal record], and I’m just hoping to make it to State. I’m so proud of how my team did this season.”

The JV team won District with Bowie taking second. Sophomore Ava Milligan placed fourth. Sophomore Hannah Jinks placed fifth at 21:25, and freshman Carly Rose placed sixth with a time of 21:32. The freshman team won at District as well, with Cristina Salas placing second at 23:56.

At the Chaparral Invitational Oct. 9, Sarah placed fourth with a time of 19:25. Overall, the team placed fourth. In the JV race, Westlake’s fastest runner, Ava, placed sixth at 22:12.

Overall, JV finished in first place. The freshmen finished second with Chloe Harms in the lead in sixth place at 23:54.

“I think this season has gone pretty well — it’s my first year doing cross country, and I’ve improved about a minute each time,” Ava said.

At the Cy Woods Invitational Sept. 26 in Houston, the varsity girls took the win with 67 points. Sarah placed first with a 19:55 min-

Jedaiah Falone Sophomore Catherine Moy runs the Lady Bird Lake Trail on Oct. 21.

ute 5K. Westlake’s second and third fastest runners were only apart 70 hundredths of a second, with Maria at 20:23.00 and Grace at 20:23.70. The JV team got third place in Houston, while the freshman squad took the win alongside varsity.

Coach PJ Lantzy said the varsity girls got out much faster early in the race and ran with strength, which led them to take first. He said there are only little tweaks that need to be done to improve and get better for the upcoming meets, hopefully leading to State.

“All of our teams need to get a little bit better from a mile and a half to two miles about moving up,” Lantzy said.

Since most of the season’s physical training has been done, a big challenge for the girls is just keeping up with the mental state they need to have in order to do better at each meet.

“The hardest part is being strong mentally and having confidence, especially during racing,” Sarah said.

The team has been continuing to train hard every day at practice and doing things like threshold workouts to gain more speed and strength for upcoming meets.

Boys win District meet The varsity boys cross country team has placed in the top five teams at each meet they have raced in this year. In early September, sophomore Matthew Kearney was the third fastest sophomore in the country with a time of 15:34 for a 5K. Since then, his time has only gotten better.

At District Oct. 16, the team placed first, with Matthew in the first place slot — solidifying his undefeated season — at 16:07.

Senior Aidan Buck finished 11th with 17:03, and sophomore Sam Hewitt finished 13th with a time of 17:13. JV took the win as well with junior Dougal Cormie in first place at 17:57, and sophomore Connor Machon in second place at 18:16. The freshman team placed fifth with Max Marshall in fifth place at 19:50.

Twenty-six seconds separated Westlake varsity’s first place runner and the second place runner at the Cy Woods Invitational Sep. 26. Matthew finished at 15:41 in first place. The team’s second and third place runners were senior Jacob Slaughter with a time of

17:08 and Sam at 17:15. Boys varsity finished in fifth place overall.

“We’ve been training since the beginning of summer, slowly building up, trying to run as a team as fast as we can,” Matthew said.

Recently, coach Bert Bonnecarre has begun some new workouts for the team.

“We have Matthew that runs out way ahead of everybody and so psychologically a lot of those guys don’t think that they can run that fast when in reality they can, they just don’t believe they can,” Bonnecarre said.

They have started doing a new workout at practice where they run 3,000 meter repeats. The team is given a head start of 40 seconds and then Matthew begins. He has to try and pass them and they have to hold him off.

This has been showing the team members they are fast, while tackling the mental aspect of cross country as well as the physical and getting them ready for State.

A big goal is for the team to be able to run together at the meets

to get a better team score and have more people qualify for State.

“We’re upping the mileage, and we’re trying to do all of our running together as a team Boys varsity cross country runs in so we can have a Zilker Park on Oct. 21. good team score,” Jacob said.

Chloe Mantrom to make it State.”

Although Sam The JV team placed third overis in the top three runners in varsity, he is a new participant to the all in Houston, and sophomore Luke Marshall led Westlake with sport.

“Actually, Matthew got me a time of 18:00.

At the Chaparral Invitational into it,” Sam said. “I didn’t know anything about cross country, and Oct. 9, Matthew continued his undefeated season with a time of this is my first year doing it.”

He wants to make personal re- 15:27. Jacob broke 17 minutes at 16:55, and Sam was at 17 minutes, cords in the upcoming meets.

“My goal is for my time to be putting him extremely close to his sub 17, maybe mid 16s,” Sam said. goal of sub 17. JV finished first Matthew, Sam and Jacob have place with junior Nick O’Cleirigh set their ultimate goals to qualify leading them at 17:59 in the second place spot. The freshmen finfor the State meet.

“They have an honest shot, but ished in fourth place, with Max it’s really up to them,” Bonnecarre leading the team in fourth place said. “With the physical aspect of at 20:05.

—Maite Napoliello training complete, it’s up to them

Zoë Je ntzen

Jake Breedlove rides high in international competitions The cold air creeps onto the lake as sophomore Jake Breedlove flips the switch to lower the boat from the lift. He pulls on his wetsuit and grabs his board as he hops into the frigid fall lake. As he takes a warm-up run, he is accompanied by the familiar passion of wake surfing that he has come to know over the past three years.

Wake surfing — debatably one of the fastest growing water sports in the world — is the act of surfing the wave behind a ski boat at 10-12 miles per hour. This is most commonly achieved by using fat sacs, which are bags filled with water to add weight to the preferred side of the boat. These large bags are made of a material called Valmex, most often used in white water rafts. The added weight makes the wake larger and more pronounced for better ride-ability.

As the sport of wake surfing has developed, two different styles of surfing have emerged. The “surf” style, which Jake prefers, represents a more traditional ocean type of surfing while the “skim” style consists of a flatter board with smaller fins that allow for better spinning.

Back in 2011, Jake casually began his interest in water sports by watching his older brother, Ben, wakeboard on the weekends. Prior to wake surfing, Ben taught Jake other water sports such as skiing, wakeboarding and wake skating.

“Ben taught me almost everything I know,” Jake said. “It took him a while to get me on the water, but once he did, I began to like wake

boarding.”

Jake also began to like water sports because he was able to spend copious amounts of time with his older brother on the water. These times are precious memories for Jake because Ben passed away Dec. 25, 2011 from complications from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

“Ben and I would have the best times on the boat together,” Jake said. “He would always encourage me to try new tricks. When I learned a new trick, he would have to learn a new one too. I know every time I learn a new trick in wakeboarding or wake surfing, it’s all because of him.”

After Jake became increasingly comfortable with wake boarding, Ben introduced him to a sport which he had recently tried — wake surfing. After Jake’s first day, he was hooked.

“I remember one day when Ben was telling me about the world’s best wake surfer, Chase Hazen,” Jake said. “He also told me about how Chase was the only person ever to land an air 360. I never knew that I would be doing the same trick later in life.”

Jake says that wake boarding provided an introduction into water sports that eventually led him to love wake surfing. Starting in 2012, Jake began wake surfing every weekend and then added weekday practices on to become better.

Jake’s first sponsor, Boat Beautiful, contacted him in 2013 when he was only 14. Founded by Andrew Hayslip, Boat Beautiful is a company

“After they announced me as the world’s best Men’s Amateur Wake Surfer, I was relieved and thankful that all my hard work had paid off.”

—sophomore Jake Breedlove

that refurbishes and cleans boats all over Texas. Hayslip, who had been Ben’s YoungLife leader, contacted Jake when he heard of the talented young surfer. After he gained Boat Beautiful as a first sponsor, Jake started taking lessons to continue to get better. Once he became good enough, Jake decided to compete in tournaments for himself and to represent his sponsors. Other companies also began to see Jake’s potential.

As of 2015, Jake is sponsored by a variety of companies including Boat Beautiful, Thrive Clothing, Electric, Volcom, Day1 Wake and Curlview.

“My sponsors are like food — without them, it would be tough to keep on keepin’ on,” Jake said. “They provide me with a clean boat, boards, clothes, GoPro mounts and travel money. I have to give a lot of credit to my sponsors because they are very generous and they help me a ton.”

Wanting to experience wake surfing on another level, Jake’s first wake surfing tournament of this season was with the Northwest Wake surfing Association in Montrose, Washington from July 24-26 on Lake Tye. Being his first competition, Jake earned first place in his division, which is amateur. After the NWWSA tournament, Jake continued to practice almost every day on Lake Austin to keep up his pace for the next tournament. His dad drives their Super Air Nautique G23 boat while Jake surfs in the afternoons.

After getting his first competition under his belt, Jake was more than ready for his next tournament Aug. 28. With a month to train, Jake focused on capitalizing on placing first in the previous event. Competing in the Nautique USA National Wake Surf Tournament near Columbus, Georgia on Robin Lake, Jake surfed in front of dozens of judges as well as other surfers and brought home first place.

“I was nervous after my first run because I didn’t do so well, and I could’ve done much better,” Jake said. “On my second run, I did much

better than the first. I landed the tricks I wanted, and it was a big relief.”

In his run, Jake landed a few airs with grabs, two 180s, an air reverse, a few bottom turns and some chop hops to make him stand out from the other competitors.

As he set his mind on the World’s Wake Surfing Championship Sept.

24 in Parker, Arizona, he began practicing up to four days a week for four hours at a time. Jake returned from Arizona clutching the first place trophy yet again.

“After they announced me as the world’s best Men’s Amateur Wake surfer, I was relieved and thankful that all my hard work had paid off,” Jake said. “Without Ben, none of this would ever have happened.”

The main reason that he placed above all the other competitors in this particular tournament was because of his trick consistency. By landing persistent air 180s with grabs, as well as air reverses, Jake was able to raise the bar of the competition.

“My favorite trick is an air 180 because I can do it like no one else,” he said. “I can land it, ride it backwards, then I grab the board as I switch back to normal. It’s a smooth, good looking, fun trick, and I love it.”

As the summer temperature sneaks away and the competition season ends, Jake tones down his hours on the lake for the first time in months. Just for fun, he takes the boat out every once in awhile, often accompanied by a cup of hot chocolate and a thick wetsuit to hold the chilly temperature of the air and water at bay.

“There’s just a peace that I get whenever I’m around water, whether it’s swimming in a pool, out on the lake or even just some rain,” Jake said. “I just get an energy like nothing else, and being able to wake surf and wakeboard allows me to access that feeling whenever I want.”

—Cullen Lowder

Recently named number one in the world, sophomore Jake Breedlove practices wake surfing almost every day after school on Lake Austin. “I was very excited and extremely amped that my goal was finally accomplished,” Jake said.

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brains + brawn westlakefeatherduster.com

Photos by Mary Beth Burns

[ AD ]

COPING

We’ve all got issues.

So how do we move forward?

Breast Cancer (28-29) Chronic Medical Issues (30-31) contents: Neuroblastoma (32-33) Depression (34) Anxiety (35) Misophonia (36) OCD (37) Moving (38) Job and School (39) AP Stress (40) Learning Disabilities (41)

BRIGHT FUTURE

Westlake comm unity comes together to support scien ce teacher battling breast cancer

O

n the first day of school, crammed full of syllabi, new classes and summer stories, things couldn’t get any more normal. You walk down the chemistry hall in search of your next period. But nothing could prepare you for what is to come. As you enter your class, a woman with bright pink hair wearing a black shirt with neon letters stands at a desk.

“Welcome to my class.”

Last May, science teacher Denise DeMartino headed into what she thought would be a summer of travel and I-Present Summer Institutes. But on July 4, she became suspicious of a lump in her breast. The next month involved one doctor’s appointment after another until she was officially diagnosed with breast cancer on Aug. 3. DeMartino had recently lost a sisterin-law and brother to cancer, so she was terrified about what might happen.

“The first thing you think about is, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m gonna die,’” she said. “But, [to my oncologist] the idea of dying was never on the table. I wasn’t at peace until I talked to [him].”

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coping

westlakefeatherduster.com

Denise DeMartino wears her Chemo for Demo T-shirt, the sales of which will help offset her medical bills.

Jake Breedlove

Upon diagnosis, DeMartino’s cancer was a stage 2 invasive, ductal carcinoma. In basic terms, it means that the cancer has spread into surrounding tissue. This is the most common type of breast cancer, making up 70 to 80 percent of all cases.

She began her first chemotherapy treatment Aug. 11. Since then, she has finished her final of four chemo procedures known as the Red Devil Treatments — the most intense ones.

“Everyone I talked to, including my doctors, said that the Red Devils are the hardest of the treatments,” DeMartino said. “The worst is the day after the treatments and three days following. [I experienced] very strong flu-like symptoms and nausea. It feels like you got hit by a truck, and I’m not exaggerating.”

After just one treatment, the tumor responded. DeMartino then finished her first couple of treatments and the doctors said that the tumors are no longer palpable. They even had trouble locating them.

“I had a huge sense of relief that the worst was over,” DeMartino said.

DeMartino is now doing weekly taxol infusions and is hoping to complete all 12 soon.

Unlike the Red Devil Treatment which has two

drugs, the taxol infusions are just one drug that attacks the cancer in a different part of its replication process.

“The side effects are less difficult to deal with [compared to Red Devil Treatments],” DeMartino said. “My last treatment will be on Christmas Day.” With 15 to 20 doctor appointments a week, the early stages of her cancer were overwhelming. These days, other than occasionally being tired, DeMartino has noticed few adjustments to her everyday life. “[Even when I’m tired], it’s a manageable fatigue if I take a lot of naps,” DeMartino said.

“The biggest effect that cancer has had in my life is the amount of support from former students and teachers.”

The news of DeMartino’s cancer shocked her current and former students, but many expressed confidence in her strength.

“My favorite thing about DeMo is how real she keeps things,” 2015 graduate Lulu Allen said. “She does not sugarcoat anything, which is refreshing. DeMo is a badass, and she is not going down without a fight. I have 100 percent confidence that DeMo can beat this cancer.”

Allen had DeMartino for her junior and

senior year, and they worked together on the prom committee. The love that DeMartino has for her students is obviously reciprocated. She has taught students to recognize their appreciation of science while simultaneously impacting their lives outside the classroom. Perhaps her influence contributed to her being named Westlake’s Teacher of the Year last May. “She’s a passionate person and not just about teaching or her hobbies,” said 2011 graduate Maya Hunt, who had DeMartino for AP and Organic Chemistry. “When you speak with her, she truly cares about you as a person and wants you to succeed. She’s been one of the biggest inspirations in my life as I enter the science field as a woman.”

DeMartino is a role model for many students, and she shows them that they can do anything they set their minds to.

“Any frustrations or doubts about myself that arose were eased by thinking about what DeMo would likely say,” Maya said. “[DeMartino would say to me] ‘Just do the damn thing, why are you worrying before you have to?’

She never once doubted my abilities or intelligence.”

DeMartino continues to help students and inspire them in many ways in her everyday life.

“DeMo is an amazing woman and an amazing teacher,” senior Natalie Walker said. “I am so lucky to have her in my life. This woman has taken the extra mile to help me succeed in her class. She is such a role model to me. I hope one day I can be so wonderful at something I love doing.”

DeMartino cannot imagine not teaching at Westlake and misses very few days despite her treatment schedule. She wears bandanas, hats and colorful wigs which show off her personality.

“I roll my eyes when people complain about silly things now,” DeMartino said. “[People say,] ‘Oh my hair is such a mess today, I need to get it dyed,’ while I’m thinking, at least you have hair.”

DeMartino’s diagnosis affected both her students and her friends. Jenna Nelson, who is DeMartino’s roommate, fellow teacher and close friend, was devastated upon hearing the news of DeMartino’s diagnosis. Nelson has been friends with DeMartino for seven years and made the initial doctor’s appointment to see if anything was out of the ordinary. After DeMartino was officially diagnosed, Nelson was there for her friend.

“It was hard to balance being scared and trying to be strong for her,” Nelson said.

She and DeMartino came up with a slogan to help focus on what’s important during this situation. It’s called “Forward.” They made it to help themselves focus on the future rather than what has happened in the past. Besides this, Nelson believes that DeMartino is a fighter and a champion.

“She could be having the worst day and have just gone through the hardest treatments but always puts friends, students and colleagues first,” Nelson said.

Working together, DeMartino and her fellow teachers set up a website, youcaring.com/ chemofordemo, that gives updates about her well-being to those who are concerned. It also has a fund set up to help pay for her medical bills and once you donate to that fund you get a Chemo for DeMo shirt which can be seen worn all around the campus. In addition, students in National Honor Society are selling shirts to members of the club and all the profits are going to DeMartino’s fund.

This whole journey has been a humbling experience for DeMartino.

“It is flabbergasting to me how many students from years past reached out and told me what kind of a difference I made on their lives,” DeMartino said. “It really motivated me and gave me a new appreciation for what I do every day. It makes me want to fight this and continue what I do as teacher. It reinvigorated my love of teaching.”

—Amanda Goldsmith

By her side Chemo for Demo is an organization that supports chemistry teacher Denise DeMartino in her fight against breast cancer. A support group of present and former students, staff and many other community members are representing and aiding DeMo as she overcomes obstacles.

If you would like to support DeMo or buy a Chemo for Demo Tshirt, you can donate at her website:

youcaring.com/ chemofordemo

Three students struggle with different chronic medical conditions

The facts of life 30,000 people

live with cystic fibrosis in the United States

10,000

babies and infants are diagnosed with cerebral palsy each year

100 deaths

per year occur due to Lemierre’s syndrome

Lemierre’s syndrome

30

coping westlakefeatherduster.com

Photos by Eliza Fuller

Lemierre’s syndrome is a disease that is a complication of a bacterial sore throat infection that occurs in the jugular vein. It is caused by bacterial buildup in the throat which has some serious side effects. These include headache, memory loss, muscle pain and decreased ability to open the jaw according to the Lemierre’s Awareness Foundation. Junior Lily Morris was first diagnosed with Lemierre’s syndrome when she was 14.

“Before I knew I had Lemierre’s syndrome, I had super bad neck aches and headaches, and my throat also hurt really badly,” Lily said.

Lemierre’s syndrome is so rare that when it was first diagnosed as a disease, it was called “the forgotten disease.”

“Since it’s so rare, it took a while for me to be diagnosed,” Lily said.

“I was very sick and ended up in the ICU on life support. The doctors did three major sinus surgeries, since the infection was along the base of my skull.”

Lemierre’s syndrome has some long-lasting effects, even years after the diagnosis. Lily could be considered one of the lucky survivors. There are stories of people who have had to have hip replacements, clavicle replacements and other various operations. Survivors have also had to deal with lifelong seizures. On top of the long-term effects, Lily also missed three months of school due to hospitalization.

“I am still constantly tired and have headaches daily that I am still trying to sort out,” Lily said. “I am very grateful to be back at school with the love and support of my family, friends and teachers at Westlake.”

Cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis is a chronic disease that builds up mucus in the lungs and blocks the airways to the lungs. There are about 1,000 new cases per year, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Cystic fibrosis is a recessive disorder, which means that both parents must pass on the defective gene for any of their children to get the disease.

Freshman Mac Rung knows firsthand about the effects of cystic fibrosis and has to do a number of things daily that may seem like a burden to those who do not have to deal with the disease.

“My daily routine involves doing chest therapy for 30 minutes two times a day and taking lots of pills with food,” Mac said.

Chest therapy consists of putting on a vest that inflates and vibrates, and the vibrations help to clear the mucus that builds up in the lungs.

“I have to make time to do treatments and always take pills with me,” Mac said. “I also have to eat a lot more and get lots of exercise

Cerebral palsy

to keep my lungs healthy.”

Cystic fibrosis would normally limit someone from playing sports because it would make it more difficult to breathe.

However, for Mac due to his good health, these problems do not affect him as much.

“I’m very healthy so I don’t have to do as much as a normal CF kid would,” Mac said.

“I just have to be very cautious about germs and other things that could get me sick.”

There is no known cure for cystic fibrosis, but there are treatments that can help, such as antibiotics in pill form, injections or vaccines. There are also procedures, such as chest wall oscillation and postural drainage, which are less common and much more expensive than the antibiotic route.

“I am currently taking a drug called Kalydeco that treats the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis, and not just the side effects,” Mac said. “There are also many more new drugs on the way to limit the disease’s effects.”

Cerebral palsy is a disorder caused by an abnormal development or damage in one or more parts of the brain that control muscle tone and motor activity. Cerebral palsy is thought to be caused by factors such as infections and birth asphyxia that affect the developing brains of babies. Asphyxia occurs when the body is deprived of oxygen. Some effects of cerebral palsy include muscle stiffness, poor muscle tone, problems with posture, balance, coordination, walking, speech and many other functions, according to United Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral palsy is a nonprogressive brain disorder, meaning that the brain damage does not continually worsen through life.

Senior Marcus Montes is one of the many people in the U.S. who has been diagnosed with CP, and he’s doing something about it. Marcus currently has a gofundme account that is helping to raise money for a memoir he is writing. Marcus has more than 100 shares on Facebook and the numbers are continuing to grow.

“When I first started my gofundme account, I didn’t have any success, but recently I started it back up again,” Marcus said.

The cause of Marcus’ cerebral palsy was birth complications. The doctors weren’t sure if he would make it. When Marcus was born, the doctors told his mother that he would not be able to walk, talk or grow taller than 4’1’’. Marcus proved them wrong — he walks, talks and is now 5’5”.

“I think a lot of people don’t understand what it means to have Cerebral palsy,” Marcus said. “If I’m walking with someone, they won’t take into consideration that it takes longer for me to get to where we’re going.”

Although the effects of CP are hard to live with, Marcus has a positive outlook on his life.

“I don’t think I would do anything differently,” Marcus said. “I think I would do things faster, but I can’t think of anything I would change.”

Sometimes people without disabilities fail to reach out and get to know disabled people, partly because they don’t know what to expect or how to relate with them.

“I would want to tell people who aren’t educated or don’t know much about CP that we’re the same on the inside,” Marcus said. “I wish many wouldn’t see those with a ‘disability’ differently and would try to get to know them.”

—Maia Fink

win the day

on our behalf,” Mrs. Ryan said. “It was important for us to be able to share with our own voice the emotions behind what we were experiencing as well as just the factual pieces.”

Although the positivity and determination to eradicate childhood cancer are major drivers of the Ryan family, going through cancer treatment wasn’t an easy journey for them. Another purpose of the Ryan’s Posthope site was to help other people see that their family’s experience was real and that stories like theirs were all around.

“Our whole experience wasn’t just ‘Look at our cute, smiling, bald kid,’” Mrs. Ryan said. “There are days where this is grueling, and we’re afraid we’re going to lose our kid. And we’re not the only family in our city and in our state and in our world who’s experiencing this. This is a global issue.

And if you think this isn’t in your backyard, you’re wrong. It is. This affects everyone.”

The Ryans have taken this frustration and fear and channelled it into activism.

“Every family has a cancer story. Everyone,” Mrs. Ryan said.

“Every individual has something that has touched our lives, and

Eanes family copes with neuroblastoma cancer

“Our whole experience wasn’t just ‘Look at our cute, smiling, bald kid.’”

—Lesley Ryan

Rex Ryan runs in the race at the second Run WIth Rex event on April 11, 2015.

I

t was only a shudder.

One-year-old Rex Ryan was a baby who sometimes looked surprised, which could be normal or even endearing in some ways. After a while, though, Rex’s father, new assistant principal Casey, and mother, Eanes Elementary principal Lesley Ryan, decided to consult a neurologist about the shakes. Three weeks after that, it all seemed to have passed. Until Rex got sick, and the shuddering came back. Just from looking at

32

coping

cent of funding goes to pediatric cancer. It’s infuriating. Because it doesn’t impact you until it does.

Until it’s your kid. And then you’re like, ‘Wait a minute. Let’s evaluate the equity and how we’re serving the people in our nation.’”

For the Ryans, a personal struggle quickly turned into a mission to eradicate childhood cancer. They have established the Rex Ryan Endowment Fund, Mrs. Ryan has rappelled down the W Hotel in Austin for a Make-AWish fundraiser and they have also started Rexstrong, a community that organizes the yearly Run With Rex races, which raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research.

“When this started, statistically speaking, he should’ve died,” Mr. Ryan said. “I mean, if you look at just the simple data with his diagnosis, what his situation was, as serious as it was, he wasn’t supposed to make it. So I think all along it wasn’t just about us; it was how can we use this to get more support. And then obviously we developed a network through people at [Dell Children’s Medical Center], and even with Make-A-Wish and some other organizations. And that just kind of became something that we felt

Tim Whaling Rex, the neurologist told Mr. and Mrs. Ryan that Rex likely had neuroblastoma cancer, and Mr. Ryan, Mrs. Ryan and Rex stayed the night at Dell Children’s Medical Center for tests the next morning.

“A lot of [memories] over time you lose, but at that exact moment, I can tell you who was in the room and where they were standing, how they were positioned,” Mr. Ryan said. “And then the oncologist came in and said [Rex] has stage four neuroblastoma. [He] rattled off all the other stuff with the bone marrow and the bones.

I just remember saying over and over, ‘He’s just a baby. He’s just a

westlakefeatherduster.com

baby.’ And I lost it. I was a mess.”

On Sept. 12, 2013, Rex was officially diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a malignant tumor that develops in the adrenal gland from immature nerve cells. Mrs. Ryan’s reaction to the diagnosis was not what she would have expected from herself.

“As a mother, I would’ve assumed that my response would’ve been to completely lose it and cry and yell,” Mrs. Ryan said. “That wasn’t my response at all. It was, ‘All right. Let’s fix it. What are we going to do? What are our next steps? I want to know short-term [and] long-term ramifications for

later in life.’ And so I think that what we’ve experienced as a couple and as a family is that when one of us rises in anxiety and stress and fear and emotion that the other one balances naturally by being calm, and that is a shifting pendulum in terms of how we support one another.”

After Rex’s diagnosis, the Ryans decided to start a blog at posthope.org/rexstrong on which they could document what was going on in all of their lives — Rex’s, Mr. Ryan’s, Mrs. Ryan’s and their daughter Elle’s, who was in kindergarten when Rex was diagnosed.

“It wasn’t anyone else sharing

cancer had touched our lives prior to Rex being ill. [Mr. Ryan] lost his dad to brain cancer; he had glioblastoma. I had had thyroid cancer, myself; it was treated with just surgery, but everyone’s lives have been impacted somehow by someone with cancer. I think that for us [it has] just [been] funneling our advocacy towards what’s most recently really impacted us, and it’s been childhood cancer awareness. Being told that your child has cancer is unbelievable in the worst possible way you can imagine. You go through those grieving processes, and the plan you had for your kid is different than what you originally set out to have. And then you find out that only 4 per-

very strongly about, that we had a message. It’s so fortunate that [Rex] is alive and that he is here.

That message is very important too. [We want] to show that with the right care and medicine and a whole lot of luck, some of these kids do make it.”

For Rex, part of that medicine was Unituxin. Rex was part of an experimental trial of the drug that led to its FDA approval. Unituxin decreases the relapse rate and increases the survival rate for neuroblastoma. As part of their advocacy, the Ryans went to Washington to speak to Congress about the Creating Hope Act, which incentivizes creating pediatric cancer drugs for pharmaceutical compa-

nies. The act allows the companies to fast-track another, possibly more profitable drug for FDA approval as long as they also work on childhood cancer drugs as well.

“When Rex went through this opportunity with the immunotherapy, it wasn’t FDA approved, but through the Creating Hope Act, which is what we spoke about in Washington, this was the [third] drug that was approved in the last 20 years specific to childhood cancers,” Mrs. Ryan said. “Because we positively benefitted from resources allocated and from that research that’s out there, I think we can speak to it from a different perspective.”

The experience was one where the family could see and feel the impact of their work for childhood cancer research.

“The fact that we were invited to go to Washington, D.C., and to speak with the members of Congress was kind of one of those things [that made us think], ‘All right. We must be doing something right. We’re obviously getting his message and our family’s story out there,’” Mr. Ryan said.

“When people say they know about Rex and Elle and their story, I’m proud of them. It makes you proud of your kids and what they’ve done.”

One person in the Ryan family could easily be overlooked through all of this — their daughter Elle, who is in second grade now. The entire process of treatment was just as hard on her as it was for everyone else in the family. While it wasn’t easy, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan think it has helped her to become a better person.

“Being flexible and resilient throughout [treatment] was really important,” Mrs. Ryan said. “And she did it. I think it has really enriched who she is as a young woman and as a human being. We’re very proud of her because it’s not easy being the sister to someone who’s most certainly in the light.

You see Rexstrong shirts everywhere, and she was a part of that.”

Going through cancer treatment has also provided new skills for their work. Both parents work in Eanes ISD as administrators (she as the Eanes Elementary principal and he as an assistant principal at Westlake). This experience has given them not only different viewpoints in life but also education.

“It’s given us great perspective in our practice and what we do

because [we are] able to say to a student or to a parent or to a staff member, ‘Is this a big problem or a little problem? Is this something we can solve easily?’” Mrs. Ryan said. “And we could say we’ve lived through big problems. I think to be able to convey that perspective is really important because to everyone in different circumstances, it is a big problem.”

Rex is now 3 years old, and he has been in remission since Oct. 18, 2014, when his scans were clear. This definitely caused relief and happiness for the Ryans but also some confusion as to what would be in their future.

“It was strange,” Mr. Ryan said.

“A strange feeling because for over a year it had been something that we had so identified with, but it was a great feeling, obviously. It’s just kind of this relief, but it was also this ‘What’s next?’ thing.”

“How do you go back to being normal?” Mrs. Ryan said.

Rex is young enough that he might not even remember his treatment, and Mr. and Mrs. Ryan would be happy for that to be the case. However, they don’t want him to forget that he’s a cancer survivor because they want him to be proud of that part of his life.

“He’ll always have scars on his chest and stomach from surgeries,” Mr. Ryan said. “I guess part of me, selfishly, always wants those scars to be there. I think that’s part of his story and part of who he is.

Those are his battle scars.”

After the family’s Make-AWish Trip to Disney World in January, when Rex had scans soon afterwards to see if he was still in remission, they gained an appreciation for living in the moment and what they had at the time. Being at Disney World, a place thought of to be happy and joyous, while also dealing with the worries about Rex’s future was a situation with such stark contrast that it became very clear to them that the future could go a number of ways.

“I think it’s just getting that perspective, just kind of stepping back sometimes,” Mr. Ryan said.

“And I think we should all do that now, even when we’re on a family trip. Taking that moment to just look around and be present [is important].”

“Win the day,” Mrs. Ryan said.

“Yeah,” Mr. Ryan said. “Just take every moment and every day for what it’s worth and maximize it.”

—Madeline Dupre

A sinking feeling

Students cope with depression By the end of the year, approximately 4,800 adolescents will have taken their own lives, and 157,000 more will have received medical care for self-inflicted injuries (according to www.cdc.gov). This makes suicide the second leading cause of death for ages 15-24.

And while mental illness is one of the most serious health problems among high school and college students, it is very seldom discussed.

According to counselor Katie Bryant, more teens suffer from mental illness than one might expect.

“If you sit in your classroom and think that one in five is struggling with something, or could potentially be diagnosed with something, that kind of helps put it in perspective,” Bryant said.

This is an alarmingly high statistic, and because it is difficult for a lot of people to talk about what they struggle with, those who are not affected are largely unaware of the prevalence of depression, anxiety or other mental illness among adolescents.

A lot of people tend to keep mental illnesses private from others because they are afraid of judgment or rejection.

“If we have mental illnesses, especially with anxiety and depression, we are not crazy; we shouldn’t be sent off to some asylum,” senior Mallory Clark said. “It’s a chemical imbalance that a lot people are born with.

We can’t help it and there is treatment, but people shouldn’t treat us any different because we have something that they may not have.”

After her father passed away her freshman year, Mallory began to struggle with depression and anxiety. It reached a peak her junior year, but medication and therapy have helped dramatically. Although she has taken steps toward recovery, she still deals with anxiety today.

“I have been to doctors about it, I talk to people about it, and it does take a while, because it takes longer when it’s a traumatic event,” Mallory said. “Some people never really get past that traumatic event. It’s a long process, but it has gotten a lot better.”

The misunderstandings about mental ill-

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ness could be contributed to the fact that people view it differently from physical illnesses.

“If someone was to break their foot, people might say ‘I’m so sorry,’” Mallory said. “But if I was to tell someone I don’t know well that I have anxiety and in the past I had depression, they’re kind of standoffish about it.”

High school students face many different kinds of pressure, and as Westlake is such a high-performing school, the pressure to succeed academically and get into a good college is even greater than normal. With a graduation rate 15 percent higher than the national average, Westlake is known for its competitive environment.

According to Bryant,

Zoë Jentzen

the “over-involved student” at Westlake tends to be the most susceptible to an anxiety or depressive disorder.

“It’s harder to find a good balance [between academics, activities and social life] when you’re in this environment,” Bryant said.

For over-involved students, pressure from teachers and parents can make stress even harder to deal with. Many students get the impression that teachers or parents do not truly understand how much pressure they feel.

“Junior year when everything got bad my grades started dropping, and my teachers didn’t really understand,” Mallory said. “I just got more work and more work until I switched to The Learning Center. Some of the AP teach-

ers I feel don’t really understand that people are struggling.”

Recognizing mental illness in adolescents can be extremely hard, as disorders manifest themselves differently in teenagers than in adults. In teens, depressive symptoms tend to be more complicated than just acting sad or oversleeping. Furthermore, many teens without depression can exhibit depressive symptoms, making it harder to recognize.

“Sometimes kids really overcompensate on this happy side, or some kids are really angry,” Bryant said. “Some kids act out with risky behaviors, some of which is their age and where they are maturity-wise.”

Treating mood disorders is the second problem. While there are plenty of inpatient hospitals where kids can get stabilized, continuing treatment can be difficult once released from the hospital, and, according to Bryant, Austin lacks adequate resources.

However, professional counseling, rather than medication, is considered by Bryant to be the best route to recovery.

“I think [medication] can be a shortcut, because on the surface it’s easier,” Bryant said. “Therapy, when it’s done right, is the best thing. But it can be a hard process, so that’s why people are sometimes inclined to start with medication first.”

Mallory, however, advocates that medication can be a huge aid and claims that it has helped her anxiety tremendously.

“I was pretty worried about taking anxiety medication because I didn’t want people to think I’m crazy,” Mallory said. “But it has really helped me be a much happier person, and I am more excited to go and hang out with friends.”

In addition to medication and therapy, Mallory said that talking to her friends and youth pastor are a huge help. According to Mallory, anything that “helps to get the stress off your chest” is extremely helpful.

“For anyone with anxiety or depression, don’t ignore it, you should really go to someone,” Mallory said. “You need to get whatever you’re feeling out. Once you get the pain and stress and everything out of your body, then it’ll help you immensely.”

—Reese Armstrong

WASHED OUT

Obsessive-compulsive disorder creates difficulties in life, school

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Getting home, I drop my backpack by the door and head for the bathroom to wash my hands.

I have been at school all day, and finally being home makes me realize how unclean I feel. After I’m done washing my hands, I don’t change my clothes and I don’t get out my homework. I plan to leave my backpack sitting by the door until the morning, unless I absolutely have to do something for school that can’t be done on my phone or my computer. School is dirty to me.

Eating dinner is the only thing I can do before I jump into the shower. Once I get out of the shower, I am then able to change into clean clothes and do the things I normally do at home. For me, this is a daily routine, every day and every night.

Most people don’t understand what obsessive-compulsive disorder really is, thinking that it’s needing things to be neat and perfect. However, that is only a small fraction of what OCD is. There are different things OCD can cause and make a person do as well, as it has become an illness that’s deeply misunderstood.

School is a major trigger of my anxiety. I have to sit in my classes and touch the desks and papers that I’m afraid are contaminated somehow from other students. Almost everything causes me anxiety in school, from the classrooms to the hallways.

The thing about OCD is that most people with it know that what they do is irrational, but it’s hard to stop because it takes over in the worst way possible, telling you what is fine and what is not.

Currently, I am at the worst I have ever been. I no longer enjoy doing things that I used to, be-

Obsessive-compulsive disorder can manifest itself in washing hands until raw and bleeding.

Lucy Wimmer cause I’m too afraid of what might be contaminated. Some of the things I used to think were fine will now, in my mind, possibly make me dirty and feel unclean.

My OCD has made me think badly of myself and hate myself, too. I have thought that many things, including my OCD, were my fault. My OCD has made things difficult for my family as well, as they have become stressed and angry. They have had to do things cautiously to make me feel better, and it has made everything stressful.

Most people don’t know that OCD is a form of anxiety that can be confused with normal worrying. Because of this, many teens and adolescents don’t know that they have OCD. Parents also might not know, or even care, that their child has it. According to The Anxiety Disorders Association of America, one in eight children suffer from an anxiety disorder and 80 percent are not getting treatment. I am lucky enough to not be a part of that percentage, though I still have my own difficulties, even with being treated.

Exposure and Response Prevention is the most common and effective treatment of anxiety and OCD, where you slowly work your way up to do things that will cause you more anxiety, so that your body will get used to being exposed to things you fear, called exposures. As you repeat the same ones over and over again, your anxiety level goes down.

Many of them have helped me to control my OCD. A previous one was to touch my shoe after my mom had touched it, until my anxiety level was cut in half, such as from 3 to 1 or 4 to 2. It sounds like a simple and, frankly, stupid task. For me, though, it was a step toward doing higher-level exposures, such as my mom touching my ankle.

Though I am being treated and working to get rid of my OCD, it is worse than ever. The way the exposures work is that when you start doing treatment, your anxiety is at one level, but goes up as you begin the exposures, as your body is not used to it. After doing the exposures for a while, your anxiety level goes back down to

where you had begun, and from there you can see a change.

I want to be able to not be afraid, without feeling unsafe or unclean. These exposures will help me toward this goal, but I am constantly battling with my OCD. I avoid things that will cause my OCD to come out as much as I can, and that is my main strategy, though not the best one. It works most of the time, but avoiding my fears is not something I can do anymore.

I have to calm myself down most of the time on my own, but I sometimes need some assistance from my music or some reassurance from my parents that I will be OK. Though I’ve never had a panic attack, I sometimes am on the verge of one, and these things help me.

My parents and I believed this would go away, so only now am I being treated, after having it for so long. It changed the way I think about things, as well. I now feel that it will be more challenging to treat my OCD after waiting so long; it is already challenging. But I now fear that I will never get rid of it. Even with these fears, I must try.

Though I have similar symptoms that most people with OCD have, not everyone with OCD has the same fears or does the same things. Many people also mistake having OCD with being OCD, which no one is. OCD is not the person themselves, it is something else that is not fun and not to be glamorized.

My hopes are high for what I can accomplish to get rid of this burden, but it is not coming soon enough, so all I can do is try my best to fight it and hold on.

—Turi Sioson

Culture Shock 38

coping

Students share thoughts on moving to Texas from foreign countries

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ith the traveling oppor- the car and watch the trees go by as we drove down tunities available in the 21st the road. I used to find that really entertaining. I also century, it has become sur- miss the coconuts falling from the sky.” prisingly easy to pick one’s self Texas’ culture is very unique. Throughout our hisup and go somewhere else. It in- tory, we have become a melting pot of customs and creasingly seems as though fami- traditions. For someone who hasn’t lived here for lies are often moving to new places very long, like Mihaela, it can be a pleasant differin the world. This can be a gigantic ence. change for anyone, but even more so for children “People are super nice and polite,” Mihaela said. who have to adjust to new academic and so“You go to the grocery store and everyone’s cial lives. It’s tough to move anywhere, like, ‘Hi, how are you?’ That’s just not but for people moving to Texas what it’s like in Moldova, or even things get even stranger.

Europe in general. People also From the outside, people talk about guns a lot here. It’s have a very wrong idea not like that in any part of of Texas. In the media, Europe.” we’re portrayed as desertEnglish can be a chaldwelling cowboys with lenging language to unheavy accents. Jokes derstand no matter who are often made both you are. With so many in and out of the state rules, and exceptions about these stereoto rules, you have to types. For those who be a really skilled perdon’t know better, these son to make sense of the jokes may be mistaken for language. Even the people reality. who have grown up speaking “All my friends in Singajust the one language can have pore were like, ‘Good luck finddifficulty. For those who haven’t ing water,’” said freshman Amangrown up speaking English, it gets da Chen, who lived in Singapore before even more challenging.

Lucy Urdahl moving to Texas. “And they’re all convinced “I know English,” Mihaela said, “but it’s I’m really good at riding a horse. Which I’m not. They hard to make my brain think in English when I’m not still ask me, ‘Did you saddle up your horse and ride to translating it from Romanian. It took a few days to school today?’ That’s all I expected from Texas really: get my brain from Romanian to English.” lots of horses.”

Texans share some similarities with other people That’s what most people from the outside expect. around the globe. Australians, Singaporeans and But Texas is anything but an old western town. Tex- Texans all have an uncanny ability to strike up a ans, along with the rest of the country, traded its conversation with anyone, no matter who they are horses for automobiles in the early 1900s. Texans are or where they’re from, and learn about their life and fond of big cars, especially trucks. history.

“You have a lot of really huge cars,” said junior “I remember one time I was talking to a taxi Mihaela Utica, an exchange student from Moldova, driver on the way to meet my friends while I lived a former member of the Soviet republic between Ro- in Singapore,” Amanda said. “I asked him if he liked mania and Ukraine. “I don’t understand why, but I’m his job, and he said he loved it. He said that he didn’t over that now. I’ve gotten used to it. Everything’s just really make that much and his family was struggling, bigger here than in Moldova.” but he liked getting to meet and talk to people, and While Texas is diverse in its landscape and wild- he liked getting to drive around the city. We talked life, not many places have the same look. We have for about an hour about all sorts of things that were a beautiful state, especially in the spring when the happening in Singapore, and he was giving me advice bluebonnets are blooming everywhere. Amanda no- on how to live my life. He was talking about how you ticed some major differences between her homeland should love the little things in life rather than focusand Texas right away. ing on the bigger picture. That maybe sometimes life “There are no palm trees here,” Amanda said. seems to be terrible, but it’s really not. I still think “The first thing you notice in Singapore are the palm about that to this day.” trees lining the roads. I would look out the window of —Kendall Carroll

westlakefeatherduster.com

All in a day’s work

Amy’s employee deals with job, high school recognize what flavors with the combination of toppings would best satisfy the five senses of the tasting palate.

So while it has brought benefits, it has cost me a great amount of free time. Whenever I get my work schedule I have to balance that with the other activities related to school. Study sessions are usually after school, so when I have a test the next day, working an evening shift makes studying nearly impossible. By the time I come home, my mind is clouded with thoughts of ice cream, and I can’t focus. Adding to my stress, I also have photo meetings, editor meetings and orchestra concerts. I’m pretty much constantly overwhelmed during the school year. I try and keep a planner to remind myself of the many things in my life that I need to keep track of.

Since I’ve had a job, I’ve learned many things. I’ve learned that remaining professional, confident and mature must always be present when I’m working. I’ve learned that I can’t let myself slip in school, even for a second, or I will fall behind in grades and assignments. Ultimately, I’ve learned that having a job in high school is hard — but it isn’t always bad.

—Julia Rasor

Different perspectives

“

The difficulties of having a job and school are hard. I cope with it by playing football to take out the frustration and stress.

—junior Danny Padron (Austin’s Pizza)

“

Often times I will be so tired from working during school weeks that the only solution to help me stay awake is by drinking lots of energy drinks.

—senior Aline Lavigne (Bee Cave Riding Center)

“

day every time I go into work. I want to leave a good impression on my customers, and I would prefer if my coworkers would regard me as a friend and not an associate. It’s physically and emotionally tiring. On the days I work, it’s important for me to manage my time wisely. I try to finish my homework during the day so that I don’t have to do it after work when it’s literally the middle of the night. Having a job has added a lot more to my load, and sometimes I ask myself if it would be better if I didn’t have a job.

However, there is a plus side.

It has allowed me to realize that I need to have good time management, and every moment of free time I get is cherished. I now have a sense of responsibility which helps me act professionally when I work. Not only that, but I have also acquired a fair knowledge in understanding the products that I sell to my customers. Ice cream has a sort of art to it. There is so much to understand. In the beginning, I was a little overwhelmed because I had to remember so many things — what ingredients are used in the ice cream, whether or not it was gluten free, being able to tell the differences between flavors and especially being able to

“

“

I had to learn how to manage my time really well, juggling schoolwork, robotics, and my part-time job.

Sometimes it requires staying up really late to finish work.

—senior Gabriel Blankemeyer (Technical Assistant Longuist & Co.)

“

The sound of an alarm, blaring in the corners of a room. The moon is awake, and the birds are still sleeping. I leave the comforts of a warm bed to drive a younger sibling to morning band practices. Heavy eyes from a long night of work and finishing homework early in the morning make first period an exercise in staying awake. This is how my days go.

I push myself non-stop because otherwise my life wouldn’t be sustainable.

School alone has numerous commitments to which I must devote myself on a day-to-day basis. When I started high school, I had orchestra and school work to focus on. Now, as a junior, I have those, plus I work on the newspaper and have a part-time job.

Since Aug. 31, 2014, I have worked at Amy’s Ice Creams.

Having this job means I need to be punctual. I work on weekends and two to three days during the school week, with each shift lasting between four and six hours.

When I’m there, I need to perform at a level that is expected of me. Often times, it means I’m staying late at the store on a school night. I usually leave for home around 10:30 p.m., but it’s sometimes past 11 when I lock up. Having a job is hard.

I strive to make a customer’s

Julia Rasor

Junior Julia Rasor puts the final touches to her art on the Amy’s Ice Creams flavor board during her Friday shift on Oct. 9.

Pressure to perform

Classmates manage stress of AP exams

en ntz

Je Zoë Last May, Westlake broke its record of the number of Advanced Placement exams given: 3277. While accomplishments such as this help Westlake to be ranked in notable publications such as Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report and The Washington Post, some wonder whether the late nights of homework and added stress of taking a college-level class are worth it. “[APs] show you’re close to the pace of a college class, and I think every student should see that,” counselor Caty Broderick said. “I don’t think every student needs to do them in all of the core classes; I think it’s great to at least try one in the student’s favorite subject, and if they feel that’s manageable I think it’s something they can pursue in other subjects.”

Taking one AP class may not be too difficult for most students. Scoring well on the AP exams often translates to not having to take that course in college, saving students money and time. But added stress often comes from taking multiple APs. Many students taking APs said they have about half an hour of homework each night per class, which can add up for people who are in a number of AP classes.

“I take at least one hour to study for a test [in an AP class], and it goes up from there depending on how much is going to be on the

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test,” senior Ziyan Ali said. “I sometimes have to say no to playing basketball because of my [school] work, but I knew that when I chose that class. I knew that I would have a load of work and that I would have to balance school, work and friends.”

“A lot of the students compare themselves to each other and feel the need or pressure to take multiple AP classes.”

—counselor Caty Broderick

Competition in Westlake is high, and many students take APs to raise their grade point average and get in the top 10 percent. Students strive to go to their dream college, and they know that they will have to compete with their peers. Competition is so high that a few years ago Westlake even had to add a policy requiring students to take at least four regular classes before graduating.

“A lot of the students compare themselves to each other and feel the need or pressure to take multiple AP classes,” Broderick said.

“I think the best advice to give students is to not compare yourself to other students. I don’t think that’s a relevant conversation because we all have our strengths.”

Despite this advice, many students still end up comparing themselves to others. They look at what classes other students take and base their decision on that.

“I only take APs to raise my GPA,” sophomore Ziyan Prasla said. “Why else would I take them? I take them because all the smart people do and so I can compete with them. I’m not in the top 10 percent, so I don’t have as much pressure as they do. I can’t imagine how much pressure they have, but I still find it very hard to keep my GPA up.”

—Mubsar Dhuka

Another state of mind

Chloe Mantrom

Teenagers grapple with learning disabilities Types of learning disabilities Dyscalculia — severe difficulty in making arithmetical calculations, as a result of brain disorder Aphasia — loss of ability to understand or express speech, caused by brain damage Language processing disorder — having extreme difficulty understanding what you hear and expressing what you want to say Visual processing disorder — a reduced ability to process information through the eyes Auditory processing disorder — affects how the brain processes spoken language, making it difficult for the child to process verbal instructions or even to filter out background noise in the classroom

Senior Erin Reichle remembers sitting in a doctor’s office when she was 5 years old, her mind taking in the environment around her.

“I first realized I had a learning disability when I was in kindergarten, when my parents had me tested,” Erin said. “I talked to a doctor, and she watched me play with toys and do puzzles and tried to have steady conversations with me.”

The American public has many misconceptions about people with learning disabilities such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia. According to the Understood Organization, more than 56 percent of people surveyed about LDs think that they are attributed to factors such as laziness, bad parenting, and watching TV, when in reality LDs are mostly genetic.

Learning disabilities affect the brain’s ability to retrieve, analyze and store information, making it hard for students diagnosed with learning disabilities to learn in a traditional school setting. Currently, one in five Americans are recognized by the National Center of Learning Disabilities as being diagnosed with one of the 41 known types of learning disabilities, the most well known being ADD, ADHD and dyslexia, while some less common ones such as dyscalculia and dysgraphia still seriously affect an individual’s ability to learn.

In fact, a lot of Westlake students deal with learning disabilities, and their experiences vary.

“I have very minor dyslexia which

makes it hard for me to write and especially read,” junior Emily Pullen said, “and my ADD makes it hard to focus and be calm. I wouldn’t necessarily say that my dyslexia has shaped my school experience because it’s so minor, but it has made me work very hard to stay at a high level of reading.”

Erin suffers from ADHD. She used to take medication to help her focus but doesn’t anymore due to side effects.

“Focusing in class is near impossible for me,” Erin said. “Some days I can be a lot more focused and diligent than others.”

The school has done a lot to try and help people with learning disabilities, with different programs such as 504 accommodations, which help students by providing services such as extra time on tests, and filled out versions of study guides.

“Up until high school I had a class that helped me with my dyslexia,” junior Miller Williams said. “Now I just have 504 accommodations that help me a lot. I don’t see letters and words flip around; I just read more slowly than most people.”

Westlake also has The Learning Center, which helps students by providing a different learning environment from the conventional classroom setting.

“The school has helped me a ton,” Erin said. “I go to the TLC for two of my classes now, and it makes my day a lot easier and less stressful. Schooling at the TLC is different in that your work is self-paced. There are no due

dates, except for the fact that all your work needs to be turned in before the end of the semester.”

Students handle their disabilities differently, ranging from a rigorous work regimen to extra classes and after school tutoring.

“I handle my disability by giving myself a strict homework schedule,” Erin said. “I study for 20 minutes, then take a 20-minute break, then study for 20 minutes. I do this for an hour and 40 minutes, give or take.”

According to the Learning Disabilities Association of America, children with learning disabilities who participate in extra tutoring have a much easier time because tutors go at the student’s pace and can go over specific problems that the student has.

Miller uses extra tutoring and it helps him stay on top of his workload.

“The tutor is very helpful because he helps me stay organized and to review any material that I didn’t fully grasp the first time around,” Miller said. “The tutor offers a one-on-one scenario absent in the classroom setting.”

Emily handled her dyslexia early on, and it has not been a major factor in her life since.

“In elementary school, I went to classes during the day that helped me get to the same reading/writing level as my classmates which helped me overcome my dyslexia,” Emily said.

“Because of that program [at Bridge Point Elementary], I now don’t need any help with my dyslexia.”

—Alan Ancira

peopleandplaces

the life and times of childhood royalty

princess diaries

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“With school and lacrosse season starting soon, I decided it made sense,” Jake said. “I thought Blake would be a great person to take over my business. The whole negotiation thing was pretty fun. It was a very exhilarating experience to sell the company. Blake’s done a great job growing the company, which is awesome.”

Now that Blake owns Wala Westlake, the operation is a little different. The focus for the business is more on doing work than delivery, and he changed the payment system so that workers are paid at an hourly rate instead of having a flat fee. Blake also expanded the area that Wala Westlake serves from just Westlake to all of Austin.

“From the beginning I saw a fatal flaw in how his business was operating, in that the population density of the Westlake area is not as much as it is in a big city, so delivery isn’t a very profitable service,” Blake said.

“My main concern with the Wala company was increasing how much it could make on a given day.”

Blake also uses a system of payment where the customer decides what is a fair hourly wage beforehand instead of having a set rate. He thinks it not only improves profits but also allows him to show the customer the character of the business.

“If you ask them, they’re willing to pay more because they see that you care about the value and that you’re not just trying to make money,”

Blake said. “It’s also letting them see that you’re not just in it for the money, because you’re not. If you start a business just wanting to make more money, then that’s all you’re going to do, you’re going to make some money. But if you start a business wanting to contribute, like improve people’s lives and give them a product or a service they actually want and need and do it well, then word of mouth will give you that momentum. And it’ll keep spiraling and snowballing, and you’ll end up making more money that way than you would if you were just trying to make money in the first place.”

Like any entrepreneur, Blake cares about the profits, but for him it’s more of an indicator that he’s accomplishing what he wants to.

“Obviously the money is somewhat of a motivator, but I’d say that the primary reason I bought it is because I knew that I could improve it and make it better,” Blake said. “And I have done that, thus far. Seeing the increased profits is not necessarily a good thing to me because of the money that I make, but it’s a good thing to me because it’s kind of a scorecard for myself. I see that, because that number is increasing, that I’m doing a good job and I can create value within myself.”

Blake sees himself becoming an entrepreneur in the future. He thinks that creating things is a part of his nature, and he has advice for anyone considering entrepreneurship as well.

“If you’re thinking of starting a business or doing anything like that, I would advise you to stop thinking about it and dive into it,” Blake said.

“Because if you assess all of the risks and everything that can go wrong, you’re not going to be able to take it anywhere. So if you just dive into it and let your natural ability and skill carry through, then you’ll be successful in whatever you’re trying to do.”

—Madeline Dupre

Jabour

B

lake Moore is a typical senior. He works on college applications, has a job and studies for his classes (five of which are APs). But unlike most students, Blake is also an entrepreneur. He has run Wala Westlake, an on-demand labor service in the greater Austin area, since early August.

“Basically, people will text the Wala number with something that they need done like yard work or painting or moving stuff around,” Blake said, “and either I or someone I know who wants to work will go and help them out.”

Although Blake currently runs Wala Westlake, he didn’t create it. He bought the business from its founder, senior Jake Nathan, who created it at the beginning of the summer.

“The idea for Wala Westlake came to me during February of 2015,” Jake said. “I wanted to order something from Favor, a popular food delivery service in Austin. I went to their website and saw that they didn’t deliver to many residents in the Westlake area, and that’s when the idea was born. I officially started [Wala Westlake] on June 1, 2015. There was a ton of research, website building, etc. that went into the business before that, though.”

Although “Wala” isn’t a real word, Jake took it from a French word he loved while in the class — voila — which means “here is” in English.

“I thought that if I called my business ‘Voila Westlake’ people wouldn’t understand what it meant, so I decided to spell it how one would pronounce it in English — Wala,” Jake said.

Jake eventually sold the business at the beginning of August. He’s happy with the decision he made to sell and the direction in which Blake is taking Wala Westlake.

Justin Whaling

Senior leads company, utilizes new strategies

you're married?’ And I have to be like, ‘Oh, mermaid years are different than human years.’ I've had some close calls, but for now I think they still believe.”

Being a princess can be demanding for Julia, and the hardest part of her job is the kids — and the questions they like to ask.

“I personally love being Anna the most,” Julia said. “That character is really bubbly and clumsy which is pretty much me, so it's easy to play her.

And the kids really love having a Frozen character at their party. It's hard to explain why Princess Anna in the movie has blue eyes, and I have brown.”

While the kids can demand much of Julia, she is still glad she took the job, for both the experiences she has and those that she gives to the kids. “[This job] has taught me that little kids have the biggest hearts ever,” Julia said. “They’re so sweet, and they look at me like I’m the most important person they’ve ever seen. It’s adorable when they’re so kind, especially when they give me presents. I think the reality is that I’m making dreams come true. As cliche ‘Disney’ as that sounds, it’s true. What little kids wouldn’t want Elsa to come to their birthday party?”

—Cooper Kerbow

Samantha

taking care of business

ou throw your backpack on your bed after a long day at school; you hop into your bright pink princess gown and glittering tiara and then you head to work — an 8-year-old’s birthday party. This is life for junior Julia Brown, whose job is working as a princess for Princess Parties and More. “[My job is] extremely fun,” Julia said. “I usually do parties for kids from about 3 to 8 years old, so they have no doubt in their minds that I'm actually whatever princess I'm playing. It's so cute. I'll show up at the party, and there's lots of screaming. For them, it's like the real life Queen Elsa came to their party.”

Julia plays a variety of roles and entertains kids during parties by playing games, singing songs and teaching “princess etiquette.” A lot of kids dream of being a prince or princess, but for Julia, it isn’t a dream. It’s a reality.

“I did an Ariel party for my neighbors a few months ago, and now I babysit for them regularly,” Julia said. “Every time I babysit, I have to be Ariel.

It was cute at first, but then it just got weird. They'll ask me a ton of questions like, ‘How old are you?’

And, not really thinking, I say 17, and it confuses them, ‘Wait, you're 17, but you have a daughter and

“

[People] are willing to pay more [when] they see that you care about the value and that you’re not just trying to make money.”

—senior Blake Moore

HUMANS OF

WESTLAKE

"I went to school in Germany for a year. I learned a new language, how to be more independent and how to adapt to new cultures. We went on a three-week trip with the group of exchange students. We went along the entire border of Germany and got to meet people from every country and every continent."

“This sweatshirt is eight years older than me.

[My dad] used to wear it so much that it’s full of holes. You can see all of the places where my mom tried to sew them up, but they all tore back open.”

“My little brother tried to light a tiki torch once, and he lit the grass on fire.”

Everyone has a unique story to tell. We talked to some students to hear theirs.

Quote collection and photos by Mary Beth Burns and Lucy Wimmer

“We kept stealing this person’s sign. We ran over it. It was a Hyline sign. We kept taking it and putting it back, but it was out of friendliness, not hate. Dang, now she’s going to know it was us.”

“He's really sweet and caring. He gets me mums even though he hates everything about school spirit.”

“We found love under the starlight.”

"Shut up. We met at ACL."

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“I was new when I came to Westlake. I had to get out of my comfort zone and start talking to people. The best thing about being new was the new start. I could make a new reputation about myself.”

taking up

space

Your living space says a lot about you — meet senior Julia Schoos photos by Samantha Jabour Quote collection by Madeline Dupre

“[Jonathan Safran Foer’s] writing [in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close] feels very honest. And I’ve been told [mine is too], and it’s what I strive for, because what’s the point of expressing myself if I’m not going to express myself honestly?

I try to be honest in what I write because it’s for me above all. I write for me.”

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“[The guy I bought the record player from] was like, ‘Let me just give you my entire $600 sound system and roughly 30 records.’ And I was like, ‘Ah! Are you sure?’

Because, bear in mind, I paid $120 for all that. He was like, ‘Just pass on the kindness at some point.’”

“It has really nice informative diagrams. I started reading it at some point, and I got like 30 pages in, which is an achievement because it was about embryology. And I was like, ‘I have no clue what this is saying, but I’m just gonna keep reading.’”

“I’m pretty sure it had the worst sound quality out of all the violins that I tried, but I just loved the dark and scratchy sound that it had.

I’ve had it ever since sixth grade [orchestra], so that thing’s gotten me through every single audition.”

“Can you tell where I got my glorious, luscious locks?

They come from my dad.”

“Opening [the letters from my relatives and friends in Germany for my 18th birthday] was really exciting because it was all these family friends, which I low-key expected, but there were also friends of my mom’s who I had never met, but were just like, ‘That’s such a cute idea! I want to join!’... I got a bunch of stuff from my cousin, family friends [and] my old teachers, going as far back as first grade.”

Getting involved Junior Berkeley Barnett talks about her type 1 diabetes, raises money to help find a cure

D

Deciding what to wear for Halloween; getting picked last in a dodgeball game; learning a new song on the recorder — this is the extent of most kindergartners’ worries. However, from a young age, junior Berkeley Barnett was forced to cope with an issue far more worrisome than those of her peers. When she was 5 years old, Berkeley was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes is an immune system disorder that destroys insulinproducing cells in the pancreas. Without a certain amount of insulin, glucose cannot move throughout the body and instead remains in the blood, resulting in damage to the body’s organ systems and possible death, if not treated. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 is not caused by an unhealthy lifestyle and cannot be prevented or delayed.

“When I first found out I had diabetes, I didn’t really know what was going on,” Berkeley said. “I remember being in the hospital for about a week, and a bunch of people came to visit me. I think that really helped me get through the early stages.”

Berkeley’s everyday life has been greatly affected since her diagnosis.

Simple activities that are taken for granted by the average student present challenges for diabetics.

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Cooper Kerbow

“Having diabetes has made my life so different, especially when it comes to school,” Berkeley said. “If my blood sugar’s high or low, I’m not allowed to take tests. Sometimes it makes me feel uncomfortable, because I’m scared people will think I’m playing the system, but I’m really not. I used to dance a lot, and if my blood sugar got low, I’d have to sit out for a little while. I have to check my blood sugar before [I drive], so that’s always a scary moment. I’ve had to sit in the school parking lot for 15 minutes because my blood sugar was low.”

Despite all of the challenges that diabetes has brought on, Berkeley has been able to rely on friends and family to get her through the hard times.

“Everybody is so supportive of me,” Berkeley said. “I know that I can always go to any of my neighbors or friends if I’m having an issue. If I need them, they can help me check my blood, but they know I can do it on my own, so they never question me. My friends are all understanding if I have to take a break from an activity. They’ll let me sit down for a while, no questions asked. Most of my teachers have been understanding as well. If I can’t take a test, they won’t hold it against me — they just let me make it up.”

Immediately after her diagnosis, Berkeley’s father began brainstorming ways to get involved with diabetes organizations. A couple months later, Berkeley began fundraising for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for type 1 diabetes. Berkeley does everything that she can to help the cause. She has already raised a total of $50,000 for diabetes research, but she’s not stopping there.

“I’m not at the point where I could do in-depth research for diabetes, but I still want to do everything I can to help find a cure,” Berkeley said. “Every year, I send out letters to family and friends, asking for donations. When I was little, I went around my neighborhood asking people [to donate].

In elementary school, we had a kids’ walk where everyone gets to take home envelopes filled with little sneakers, and if someone donates, they get to put their name on the sneaker, and we line the halls with those.

I’ve also been on the news a couple of times to get people to help out with the cause. My goal for the future is to do everything I possibly can to help find a cure.

I really want there to be a cure for diabetes before I go off to college.”

All of the fundraising and research has proven to be beneficial.

As science improves, so does the chance of Berkeley’s goal being achieved. A new discovery is made every day, bringing scientists one step closer to finding a cure — or at least a permanent solution — for type 1 diabetes. For Berkeley, it is easy to picture the advantages of potential new technology for diabetics.

“Right now, my insulin pump gives me insulin, or automatically suspends it if my blood sugar gets too low,” Berkeley said. “What [scientists] are working on is a pump that does the same thing, but also has glucose, so that if my blood sugar were to get oto y ph too low, it would give me glucose, and then also give courtes me insulin. This would make it so that I wouldn’t need as many juice boxes and snacks when my blood sugar gets too low. They’re also working on a thing called the encapsulation project, which is a little Band-aid sized device that they put under your skin that will help you produce insulin for about a month at a time, and then you change it out.”

Berkeley spends much of her free time at the JDRF Austin chapter. Because she has been working there for so long now, she has formed a strong bond with the other volunteers. Her relationship with the staff and her determination to make a difference caused her to look for new ways to help others.

“Because I was already so involved with fundraising at JDRF, my mom and I wanted to do even more,” Berkeley said. “Soon, she and I started volunteering at the office and helping out at the walks. My dad joined the board for the JDRF Austin chapter, and since I was volunteering over there so much anyway, I became a part of JDRF Children’s Congress. And, since I did so much with them, they invited me to go national.”

JDRF Children’s Congress is a group of children, age 4 to 17, who meet once every two years to speak with lawmakers to gain their support for diabetes study. In July, Berkeley joined the 160 other delegates in Washington, where they spent a few days educating senators and representatives

about what it is like to live with diabetes. The delegates hoped to get Congress’ support of a bill that would grant Medicare coverage of continuous glucose monitors to all diabetics.

“My continuous glucose monitor is something that I definitely take for granted,” Berkeley said. “I didn’t realize that once you hit 65, Medicare doesn’t pay for those. Mine monitors my blood sugar at all times, so if my blood sugar is too high or too low, an alarm will let me know that I need to check my blood.”

Although going to conventions in Washington, and others similar to them, were enlightening experiences for Berkeley, she is most apprecia-

“My goal for the future is to do everything I possibly can to help find a cure.

I really want there to be a cure for diabetes before I go off to college.” tive of the strong relationships she made through her involvement.

“Now, I have so many friends all over the world that have type 1 diabetes,” Berkeley said. “I have best friends in Washington, New York City and even Australia who know exactly what I’m going through. I can text any of them when I’m having a rough day, and they really understand me. I know I always have someone I can reach out to, and I think that’s just the most positive thing I could have taken away from this.”

Berkeley recognizes that she cannot ignore her diabetes, as much as she may want to sometimes. Instead, her involvement in conventions and fundraising and the enormous support she has garnered from her community have helped her come to terms with her diabetes and the lifestyle that comes with it.

“The most important thing that I’ve learned is not to be ashamed of my diabetes,” Berkeley said. “It’s not something I could prevent. It’s not my fault that I have it, so I have to embrace it and just know that it’s a part of me. I can’t be ashamed of it, because if I am, I could go down a very bad path.”

—Lexy Connolly

Junior Berkeley Barnett talks to senator Ted Cruz at the JDRF Children’s Congress in Washington D.C.

[ AD ]

A TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW To achieve their big dreams, students pursue acting

The men and women you see on Broadway and in your favorite blockbuster movies all had to start somewhere.

Students all around you are spending hours each week trying to accomplish this. How do they do it? By being in Shakespeare plays like junior Cal Ussery, experiencing playwriting like sophomore Emma Parsons, participating in theater productions such as Ragtime like junior Ben Roberts and performing in musicals like senior Taylor Thomas. —Lexy Connolly and Sage Sutton

Lucy

W im m

eth

Bu r

Featherduster: Did you always know that you wanted to go into acting?

Taylor Thomas: I didn’t actually know. When I was little, I wanted to be a chef who sang and cooked at the same time.

I didn’t get serious about singing and acting until about fourth grade.

FD: What made you realize that you wanted to act?

TT: The first Broadway musical I saw was Beauty and the Beast when I was about 8, which spurred my love of singing. Then, when I was 12 I saw Wicked on Broadway, and that’s when I decided I wanted to perform for the rest of my life.

FD: How do you balance school work with acting?

TT: It’s a lot of scheduling and a lot of planning; it’s a lot of knowing what you have to do ahead of time. I have my planner, which is my life, and I am always in contact with my all my teachers and all my directors. I’m always making sure that when there is a conflict that we work it out as soon as we can.

FD: What kind of acting do you do?

TT: I am a musical theater actor. I sing, act and dance simultaneously on stage. I love all three of the areas of musical theater equally, so it’s nice to be able to combine those three areas. Musical theater is a challenge for the performers, yet entertaining for the audience, so all of the work is worth it in the end.

FD: Are you considering moving to somewhere for better opportunities, or do you think Austin prepares you just as well?

TT: Austin has a lot of good programs. The Zach Scott Theater is where I do most of my acting. It’s a great program, but I hope to move to New York City and work in the big leagues.

FD: What was your favorite thing to perform in?

TT: My favorite performance was probably Shrek last year. I was Fiona. It was the most fun I have ever had in a show. It was an amazing production that I was able to put on with my peers for our fellow Westlake students. The Westlake TEC department is phenomenal, and their work was absolutely stunning. The fact that Westlake choir is able to take a show that is usually a cast of about 40 people and use a cast of almost 300 students is amazing. It was an honor to be cast in that show, and I loved every second of it.

FD: What are some important lessons you’ve learned by being in acting and having to balance everything?

TT: I’ve learned a lot of life lessons like responsibility; I’ve learned how to take criticism; I’ve learned how to take rejection; I’ve built up my confidence; I’ve learned how to make amazing friends and relationships. It’s really been a great experience.

CAL USSERY

Lucy

W im

m

Featherduster: Did you always know you wanted to act? How did you know?

Cal Ussery: From a very young age I performed a lot. It wasn’t really until the end of middle school that I started being in shows more often, and I realized that it was something I was really passionate about.

FD: What kind of acting do you do?

CU: Most of what I’ve done has been theater.

This summer I was actually in my first feature film. It was an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, but it’s set in a modern day boarding school. It’s still his words and story, but transposed into this modern setting to make it more accessible. That’s been a really awesome project and we’re hoping to have it go up at South by Southwest and other film festivals.

FD: How old were you when you started acting?

CU: I think the first real play I was in, was in early elementary school. Getting into acting at a young age has definitely helped because I’ve been around it long enough to have some experience that someone who is just starting doesn’t. I think really what that helped was recognizing how important acting was to me.

FD: Have you performed in anything notable? What was your favorite thing to perform in?

CU: The very first Austin community theater show I did was when I was in eighth grade, and I was in a production with this theater company downtown called the Trinity Street Players. They’re a completely volunteer-run organization, and their whole goal is to make theater more accessible to people with lower income. Every time they have a show, people will show up that have never seen a play before. This past year I was actually in my first professional production; that was really exciting. It was Tom Shoppard’s The Invention of Love, with Austin Shakespeare. It’s really a cool experience to finally be able to say I can get paid for doing what I love.

FD: What advice do you have for other aspiring young actors?

CU: Don’t be afraid of doing the work. It can seem kind of daunting; you’ve got scripts to memorize, school work to do and auditions to go to, but really the only way to get better is to do as much of it as you can. Go to every audition you can because even if you don’t get the part, you’ve got the experience and that means something.

FD: What are some important lessons you’ve learned by being in acting and having to balance everything?

CU: I think definitely it has helped me be more organized and as an actor you deal a lot with body language, emotions and interacting with people. I’d like to think it’s helped me be better with communicating with and understanding people.

EMMA PARSONS

Jul ia

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TAYLOR THOMAS

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Featherduster: What first made you want to be an actor?

Ben Roberts: My mother was an actress, and she always sang showtunes to me and my sister when we were little. That’s what made me really love theater.

FD: How old were you when you began acting?

BR: I started acting in fourth grade. Most serious actors start much earlier, so it’s put me behind in that sense, but I feel I started at a good time. Right now I’m experiencing the transition between accepting child roles and young adult roles, and it’s very interesting. I’m glad I started when I did.

FD: How do you balance schoolwork with acting?

BR: Balancing schoolwork with theatre really depends on what I have going on at a particular time. Right before a show opens, we have about a week of tech rehearsals. This is when the designers add the lighting and sound and costume elements. The rehearsals can be from 10 to 14 hours long. Usually during techs I can work out extended deadlines with my teachers or do [homework] backstage. I’ve had to turn down things because of interference with school.

FD: How many hours of acting do you normally do a week?

BR: Right now, I’m only spending about five or six hours a week on voice lessons and classes. When things pick up, I can be spending up to 20 hours a week rehearsing. It all depends on what I have going on. In the summer, I was in a company that called me almost 60 hours a week.

FD: Are you considering moving to somewhere for better opportunities, or do you think Austin prepares you just as well?

BR: Austin is a great town to grow up in for young actors. There are a lot of opportunities to get good training. As an adult though, even the most hired actors in Austin need a day job. There aren’t enough regional theaters here to make a living as an actor, exclusively. I’m not sure if this is what I want to do as an adult, and so far, I haven’t made any plans to move.

FD: Do you have any other skills in the performance department?

BR: I play trombone, sing and compose jazz and orchestral music, in addition to acting.

FD: What are some important lessons you’ve learned by being in acting and having to balance everything?

BR: I’ve learned that if you want to perform, you have to discipline yourself. Through performing, I’ve become a much more responsible and organized person.

er

BEN ROBERTS

Featherduster: When did you first realize that you wanted to act?

Emma Parsons: There wasn’t a specific moment.

Before I started classes, it was more of just the idea of it, but after I actually tried a class I thought it was really fun. I could just let myself loose.

FD: How old were you when you began acting?

EP: I was probably about 6 when I went to my first acting class, and I loved it. There have been shows that I’ve done where I’ve been really hard on myself because I hadn’t done as well as I wanted to, but that just makes me stronger. I just know that I have to do better next time.

FD: What kinds of acting do you do?

EP: I love theater, so that’s always what I fall back on, but I think I want to end up doing film. In the last few years, I started gathering some experience in film. I like doing more of the serious stuff as well, like dramas.

FD: What are your favorite or most notable performances?

EP: I did a show this summer, and it was “devising.” That means that we wrote the show, and it was about our lives. That was a really cool experience because it was so different than anything else that I’d ever done. I also played Patty, the cheerleader in Grease, which was a very different role than I normally play, so that was interesting to explore.

FD: How is acting outside of school different than acting in school?

EP: It’s the same concept. You audition for the show, get a role and start working on the show. Outside of school it’s just a lot more competitive.

FD: What advice do you have for other aspiring actors and actresses?

EP: As soon as you think that you want to do it, start classes. The more experiences you get with different people, the more connections you’ll make and the better it will be. Also, just keep living.

Acting comes from your own experience, so you really need to know yourself.

FD: What have you learned in your experiences as an actress?

EP: It’s really helped me stay true to who I am. Even though the whole time you’re playing different characters who aren’t you, you still have to be yourself in it. Otherwise it’s not believable. So it’s helped in connecting to myself more and knowing who I am as a person.

rantsandraves

Sweeter than fiction

Fan offers insight into online community When I was 6 or 7, my uncle gave me a “Make Your Own It is not that we dislike living in this world — it’s that we’d rather exBook” kit for my birthday. Filled with sheets of paper, the shiny box ist in the others. We dream of sitting by the fire in the Gryffindor compromised to send back a hardcover copy of whatever story I wrote on mon room, of having super powers and experiencing daring adventures the dotted lines they provided, complete with my name on the cover. with our team of friends that we will never know, of falling in love with Since I had just finished reading The Prisoner of Azkaban with my someone we might never actually meet. Fanfiction is not the denial of mom, I informed my uncle that I planned to write a story about the this world’s reality, but the extension of that of others. It is our fight book from Hermione’s point of view. My idea was met with a frown against leading an average life painted in the grayscale tones of this uniand a suggestion that I write something I came verse, when another sunset exists right beyond the houp with myself. Discouraged, I wrote a short rizon, if we can just run fast enough to catch up to it. story about a squirrel who couldn’t We have to protect our ideas of the “what if,” of find his friends. I didn’t ever “happily ever after,” of alternate realities. We are end up sending that book to be more than the children who refuse to grow up — published though — the squirwe are students, doctors, grocery store clerks, rel didn’t inspire me like Harry salespeople and teachers. Fanfiction is for evPotter did. It wasn’t special. My eryone who wants to continue dreaming. It is idea — the first fanfic I ever tried a community where you can find a talent, to write — was. a friend, a reason. It is a place where Today, my most popular fanyou can find yourself. fiction has more than 5,000 hits Fanfiction is more than just and 200 comments, my least practice for real writing, because viewed piece clocking in at a mere fanfiction is real writing — the 300 views and eight comments. kind that offers anyone inspired The exposure to a community of enough, no matter how busy, talpeople who care enough to take the ented or different they might be, time to comment on my writing and tell the chance to continue living in a me what they loved about this week’s chapter, world they have fallen in love with. who send me messages talking about perfect When I think of my first love, it’s not Zoë Jentzen characterization, who give me tips on what a person I imagine, but instead a could be better, is electric, and has shaped me lightning-shaped scar and all the not only as a writer, but as a person as well. To magic in the world. Why would I me, fanfiction is more than a place to tell a story — it is the place where ever want to let go of something that means so much to me?

I discovered myself. I write my own stories now, for newspaper and for We write for these universes because we do not want to forget the my novels and books of poetry, but fanfiction is an old friend whose characters who taught us bravery and courage, and we do not want to embrace I will always love. let a world that feels like home die. Fanfiction allows us to live in a world I think that we write fanfiction to find the happy endings again. To where SAT scores do not define us, where we can choose our friends and prove to the world, head held high in defiance, that we do not believe family based on more than just blood, a universe in which we can fight that stories are defined by the barriers placed around them, that we do back against people who hurt us. It is a world in which we are brave not have to accept an ending we feel we can change for the better, that if enough to punch back, to stand up and say, “No, this is who I am.” we love something, we do not have to let it go. Fanfiction is a rebellion.

—Sophia Ho

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Canon:

AU:

RPF:

OC:

The material officially accepted as part of the universe of that story. (ex: Ron and Hermione have a ‘canon’ relationship).

An alternate universe in which elements of the source work’s canon is changed, but the same characters are kept.

Fanfiction about real people. Most often centering around celebrities, this is considered the most controversial brand of fanfiction.

An original character created by the author to insert into the universe where the fanfiction is taking place.

rants + raves westlakefeatherduster.com

{

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Fanfic glossary of terms:

It’s a metaphor, you wouldn’t get it.

Dissatisfied reader expresses contempt toward John Green I read John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars when I was a freshman, and I thought it was kind of cool. I was stoked that an author finally understood how deeply misunderstood I was. Of course, at the time, I was 14, had neon green hair and wore American Apparel disco pants twice a week that I’d gotten at Buffalo Exchange for a third of the price. I also had a Pinterest board titled “piercings.” Thankfully, when the movie adaptation of TFIOS came out a year and a half later, enough time had passed that I could look back on that phase of my life and laugh about the fact that I used to think John Green was the modern-day equivalent of Friedrich Nietzsche.

If no one has yet pointed your eye bones toward the TFIOS movie adaptation, consider this your recommendation, but prepare yourself for the equivalent of Troll 2 as opposed to The Godfather. The experience of your brain melting into primordial soup as your eyes melt into their hollow sockets is like no other. It’s really difficult to convince yourself that teenagers kissing in the Anne Frank house is romantic when facing the IMAX high definition video of it on the big screen.

These days I hate John Green, and it sucks that he’s everywhere.

He’s like the plague in that way, gross and smelly.

One of the cool things about John Green is that he thinks he invented feminism by smashing the patriarchy with his giant forehead or something. I hate him. He sold posters and t-shirts with the angsty quote from his book Paper Towns: “I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met,” which later turned out not to be a quote from his book, but rather a quote from a 13-year-old girl’s fanfiction based on his book.

Little known fact about John Green: he wrote a free downloadable novella called Zombicorns which isn’t about a zombie unicorn apocalypse but rather a zombie apocalypse about actual corn, or something.

Apparently it’s very #deep. Also, the word nerdfighters (what John Green likes to call his minion worshippers) makes me want to die. Also, his forehead is too big.

Reading a John Green book is practically an insult. I feel like he is

constantly shouting at me. He has this really cute tendency of dumbing down vaguely philosophical concepts to the point where I feel like I could read them to my 9-year-old step-sister, and she would understand. Every one of John Green’s novels is another sad attempt at deconstruction of the manic pixie dream girl, and it shows. It feels like he started writing with the intention of deconstructing sexism and forgot. Then, within the last twenty pages or so he remembered what he was supposed to be doing, so he tacked on some cynical comment about “human nature” or “society” or just killed off the character he was supposed to be deconstructing if he got lazy.

John Green ultimately has no integrity. There is no reasonable excuse for inventing a character who regularly spends $7.99 on a pack of cigarettes so he can pretend to smoke them in public.

There is also only so much credit I can give to a fully-grown man who created disabled characters in an attempt to break Hollywood boundaries, yet profited off of characters who were cast as quintessentially attractive white people in his movie.

John Green has discovered this craentzen J zy concept that people are people. ë Zo Girls are not accessories to the male identity; they’re actual human beings too! Radical! And if that actually feels radical to you, you’re probably scum, but also remember that John Green is a white, male, self-proclaimed feminist whose first movie featured no people of color, whose newest movie did not even pass the Bechdel test and who makes millions off of his books which are filled with characters who vehemently despise capitalism.

The reason the term manic pixie dream girl exists is to point out the sexism in the trend of using Zooey Deschanel as delicate props and glittery perfume clouds that sweep into the lives of sad male characters in order to make them happy. It’s great that John Green wants to deconstruct this, but endearing quirks and cynical views on humanity do not a three-dimensional character make. Writing a sexist book in the name of pointing out sexism doesn’t negate your misogyny. John Green doesn’t understand what teenagers are like, or people, or anyone or himself for that matter, but he sure knows how to utilize the niche market of 13-15 year old Tumblr users with Manic Panic dyed hair and Peter Pan complexes to make a buck.

—Michelle Fairorth

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Green Eggs and Ham Green Eggs and Ham, written in 1960, is the fourth-bestselling English children’s book and one of Dr. Seuss’ most widely-known stories. Featuring only 50 different words, the book focuses on the characters Sam-I-Am and an unnamed protagonist. Sam-I-Am wants the main character to try the title’s dish in hopes that he will enjoy it. Sam tries many tactics to persuade the main character to eat the green eggs and ham.

Sam-I-Am finally convinces the stubborn protagonist to try the dish at the end of the book.

The main character enjoys it, thus improving his mood and making him more open to new experiences. But the People’s Republic of China had something else to say about the beloved children’s book — that it promoted types of Marxism. China then banned the book in 1965. The ban was finally lifted in 1991, 26 years later, following Dr. Seuss’ death.

The Chinese government said that Sam’s repeated attempts to get the main character to try the fare is a type of brainwash. In the book, Dr. Seuss writes “Would you like them in a house? Would you like them with a mouse? Would

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you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox?” Despite the insistence of the main character that he won’t eat the green eggs and ham, Sam-I-Am continues to propose options. This book would seem harmless to the average reader; I don’t understand how China could compare these lines to Marxism. This is a story by Dr. Seuss, not The Communist Manifesto.

The book’s message puts forth the idea that new experiences are not a bad thing. It’s good to have an open mind when growing up, so you can try all the things you might come to love. People take a while to make up their minds and encouraging them is not by any means a type of indoctrination.

I grew up with Dr. Seuss’ writing — Green Eggs and Ham was my favorite book as a child. I see no need for this ridiculous ban.

Children will not be able to subliminally pick up the “apparent undertones of Marxism” in an entertaining bedtime story. Dr. Seuss’ tales will always be remembered not just as children’s booksbut also as stories that contain messages that leave an indelible mark on readers of all ages.

—Spencer Zagst

rants + raves westlakefeatherduster.com

The Giver Before impractical mazes, disparate factions and adolescent revolutionists were trendy, The Giver’s publication in 1993 rallied a profound doublethink across schools. Defying tradition, Lois Lowry’s bestseller intersected young adult fiction with a dystopian setting despite an 11th place ranking on the most frequently challenged books in the ‘90s according to the American Library Association.

The Giver depicts a society free of pain, poverty and war at the expense of love, climate and even the perception of color. The community designates our protagonist Jonas as the Receiver of Memory when he turns 12. This new job requires his predecessor, The Giver, to bestow Jonas with the memories of previous generations. The more he experiences, the more he questions the ethics of a society that sacrifices human sensations for the sake of sameness and safety.

Critical acclaim along with the Newbery Award warranted school districts to incorporate the novel into their curriculums.

Still, some schools challenged the book for its harrowing portrayal of a corrupt civilization’s misuse of euthanasia and disturbing family values.

These criticisms, however, imply that The Giver somehow

promotes these atrocities, a strange accusation considering the hero openly rejects the principles of his community. In this light, advocates of censorship assume the minds of children and young adults are so impressionable they cannot differentiate between good and evil. If anything, The Giver’s simplistic plot and character progression caters to younger audiences.

I still remember my third grade teacher reading The Giver to my class. It introduced the concept of a flawed society, one that’s even repressive toward its citizens. The novel encourages individuality and emotional expression in spite of oppressive cultural norms, maintaining an insight into profound themes that’s balanced and accessible but not pretentious.

More credible judgements of The Giver point out that the unrealism of the setting and lack of explanation toward specific story elements undermine the potency of its messages. While books such as Brave New World delve more into the consequences of sacrificing individuality, The Giver still serves as a solid introduction to the dystopian genre and facilitates the healthy skepticism incoming generations should internalize.

—Michael Wiggin

The Adventures of Tintin: Tintin in America Many people have heard about the movie The Adventures of Tintin, but most do not know about the book series of the same name. The entertaining collection of comics describe a young reporter, Tintin, and his faithful dog, Snowy, on their journeys across the world. The creator of the series, a Belgian cartoonist named Georges Remi (pen name Hergé), managed to weave great story plots for all 23 Tintin books. The most amazing aspect of this is, although Tintin travels all around the world, Hergé himself never left his home country.

A great feature of the series is the humorous characters, which add life to the pages. Tintin himself is quiet and thoughtful, but other characters are much more prone to fits of anger. Tintin’s close friend, Captain Haddock, a very likeable old sea captain, appears later in the series and is quick to lose his temper.

Along the way, Tintin also meets Thompson and Thomson, identical twin detectives who can never achieve proper word order, hilariously mixing-up whatever the other one says. For example, in King Ottokar’s Sceptre, they greet the king, saying “Majesty, your sire is very good… Good

majesty… no, I mean…” then “To be precise… it’s a majesty, your pleasure…”

However, because some of these books were published back in the 1920s and 1930s, they do reflect the ideas of that time period. Since Hergé himself never traveled outside Belgium, some of the background he gathered to write Tintin contained the racist ideals of others who had seen the native peoples of Africa or America. One particular book, Tintin in America, has been challenged this year by the Winnipeg, Canada public library system after being described as racist and bigoted. The book does to an extent showcase the American Indians Tintin encounters as less “civilized” than the Westerners. Regrettably, at that point in time, those beliefs were thought to be correct. One then has to take that into consideration when reading the books.

Anyone who wants a quick read, likes graphic novels or comics and enjoys good artwork and scenery should take a look into the Tintin series. Even though it can have politically incorrect connotations, it is still a great series and fun to read.

—Conor O’Bryon

Reviews of stories on banned book lists

Animal Farm “Is it not crystal clear, comrades, that all the evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings? Only get rid of Man and the produce of our labor would be our own. Almost overnight we could become rich and free.”

Animal Farm takes place on the Manor Farm where the prize pig, Old Major, has a dream of freedom for the animals. Following his ambition, the creatures strive to overcome the cruelty of humans. However, while trying to stand up for animal equality as a whole, there are many problems that brew within the farm itself. The story progresses as the cleverest of the farm animals, the pigs, lead the animals in a revolution.

The characters in the story, being animals, add a unique touch to the narration, but George Orwell keeps each action and thought realistic and lifelike.

Each one has a unique personality and contribution to the plot, which makes the characters all the more likable. The story was absorbing, and there was never a dull moment in the entire book.

Throughout the novel, the author weaves a dark and thrilling tale. Both the steadily-rising intensity and the frequent hints at a twisted plot will keep any reader thoroughly engaged. Orwell not only keeps this tone from start to finish, but he also manages to fuel this tension with sly and evil subplots, which become more obvious later on.

Orwell finished the book in 1943 but couldn’t find a publisher due to its criticism of the Soviet Union. Once published, it was banned in the USSR and other communist countries.

Most characters in the story resemble people in real life, and the villains symbolize leaders like Joseph Stalin. Animal Farm is a unique classic that I wouldn’t mind reading again.

Every character was memorable in some way. Although the story becomes more and more bitter, each subplot flowed smoothly into the next. This is a good book for anyone; it is entertaining, but the novel also holds a deeper meaning that adults can appreciate as well.

—Ariana Eshraghi

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crack ing up Stories of amusing injuries leave readers in stitches “I told someone I was so tough that I could staple my hand,” senior Kevin Trayers said.

“It was more of a masculinity thing. I was trying to become the alpha male of the Robotics team. In hindsight, it really wasn’t that difficult considering it’s Robotics. The guy said he’d pay me five bucks and — lo and behold — I did it. I stapled my hand. Everyone screamed, and the dude with five bucks ran away. I never got my five bucks. I did it again later [the same day] because someone didn’t believe I did it the first time.”

Kendall Chase Kendall Chase

Kendall Chase

“When I was a kid, I would always pull my shirt over my knees and hop around,” junior Huxley Kuhlmann said. “Eventually it got to the point that it was happening constantly and ultimately led to more than six months of inability to walk from severe bone bruising.”

“I was on a bike, riding through a yellow light at an intersection when a Mazda hit me,” sophomore Eve Churchill said. “It was an accident, no one’s fault. My friend sent this photo to Mazda’s twitter with the caption ‘My friend got hit by one of your products, and now she’s back on the road to f*** you up.’”

“I was walking with my dad at a hotel by the pool while he described a hackysack move that his twin brother broke one of his ankles doing,” senior Sawyer Sprott said. “Naturally, my immediate thought was to try it, and I ended up rolling and spraining both of my ankles. The irony was a bit hard to see from the ground while in so much pain, but in retrospect it’s pretty funny.”

Sam Jabour “I was a counselor at a summer camp, and we were playing capture the flag,” senior Michael Wiggin said. “I was on defense because my team was terrible, when this little brat comes running across. As I was chasing him, I started to stumble and right before I fell, my foot got caught. The momentum broke my leg, but I still got the kid. My team lost, though.”

Chloe Mantrom

Jake Breedlove

“When I was 6, I had just watched Looney Toons and decided I wanted to be the Road Runner,” freshman Emerson Stack said. “I was spinning around in circles saying ‘meep meep’ when I fell and cracked my head open.”

Go ahead, you write it ...

CHAP

LIBS

It was just another day in ____________ for _________________. While he was supposed to class name

name of student

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Mr. ________ was giving each student a cursory glance to assure that they were working on the male name

_________ material, when he _______________ _______________’s ________. “What are adjective

verb ending in “ed”

same name of student

noun

you ______________, ______________?!” Mr. __________ said. ______________ began to verb ending in “ing”

same male name

same name of student

same name of student

_______ nervously. “This is the last straw,” Mr. _________ shouted. “If I catch you _____________ verb

same name

verb ending in “ing”

again, I’ll have you sent to the principal’s ________.” “It’s not what it ____________ like,” noun

present tense verb

_______________ said. The class proceeded to watch an educational video on __________. Mr. same name of student

topic

__________ began to sip his _________ Gatorade vigorously. same male name

flavor

The next day, ______________ skipped class to make an emergency trip to Honey Ham. He orsame name of student

dered a _________, ________ and ________breakfast taco before sitting down with his fellow Chaps. topping

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“Yeah, bruh, I totally totaled my Range Rover yesterday on my way to Cane’s after I realized my GPA of ___________ was lowered by half a point,” said one ___________ bro in particular. “I feel that, bruh,” name of sport

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said ______________.” “It was such a bummer,” the aforementioned jock said. “Not as much of a bumsame name of student

mer as being in Mr. __________’s class.” same male name

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rants + raves westlakefeatherduster.com

verb ending in “ing”

‘Tis not the season Angsty teen rants about the holidays

It all starts at the stroke of midnight on Halloween — the giant blow-up turkeys are placed in front of grocery stores, and your festive neighbor falls off the roof from trying to hang two-month early Christmas lights. Next thing you know, the stores are stocking cheap Santa figurines, and everything starts to take on the taste of pumpkins.

It’s holiday season. And there is no turning back now. Technically the season starts right around the first week of October, but that whole month is a blur of binging on candy and finding mysterious items that you bought from a pop-up Halloween store that you’re not sure you even went to. After the 31st is when the Thanksgiving spirit cranks up.

Cliche fall Instagram posts are trending, and cranberry sauce is literally spilling out of people’s kitchen windows. You have four tests, you have to write an essay on why you’re thankful (with sources and MLA formatting), you have to lend your room to your super-annoying third cousin once removed and your group members won’t answer their phones, so you have to do the powerpoint. Teachers are piling on the work, and your family is giving you the most responsibilities. This is because a teacher’s favorite time to give you 25 hours of homework is when you have a flock of distant relatives crowding your house and asking you to bring them toilet paper when they’re in your bathroom.

Americans like to focus on how Thanksgiving is centered around peace, love and Macy’s, but have we actually done our research? The pilgrims and natives did make a pact on the original Thanksgiving, but they also slaughtered an entire village of people together. The reason we’ve overblown this historic event into such a great extreme was for an excuse to eat and eat and eat.

The average American gains five pounds every holiday season, which seems like an under-estimate to me. Some may blame it on the cold winter; they need to develop a thick layer of warming fat so that hibernation goes well this season. Others blame it on not wasting food.

Instead of letting all the extras go in the trash, storing it in the fridge and sneaking into the kitchen at midnight to have a post-Thanksgiving dinner works just as well. It doesn’t help that gluttonous consumption is encouraged in America. People even name their food babies. We made a holiday for it. Does that not scream freedom?

Not only do many use the holidays as an excuse to over-eat, certain family members use it as an excuse to drink their common sense away, whether it be beer-gutted uncles, chardonnay moms or the insane vodka-loving grandma. And these types of slurring drunks are not only annoying to family members, they’re annoying to everyone. Doctors and nurses spend their Thanksgiving performing surgery on wasted Uncle Bob who accidentally shot himself in the foot during the annual family turkey hunt. Herds of drunks will flood throughout the streets howling to classics such as “Don’t Stop Believing” and getting involved in other humorous injuries. Just ask the emergency room medical staff — they deal with these crazy folks every holiday season.

But the emergency room isn’t only dealing with the daredevil drunks.

They have to staff up for the darkest and most terrifying day of the year

Zoë Jentzen

— Black Friday. The annual stampede of shoppers marks the beginning of Christmas season. It’s ironic how the holiday aesthetic is love and family, but at the same time there is a strong culture of impulsive buying fueled by the temptations that sales have to offer. Bargain-hungry monsters shove at one another through crowds of soccer moms fighting over the latest style of Xbox for their spoiled children, and innocent cashiers are sacrificed to the clearance gods while a Michael Bublè Christmas song rings throughout the store. After the casualties have been counted and the last HD TV has been won over, the month of Christmas begins.

I don’t call it December or the winter season. I call it the month of Christmas. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” video views spike dramatically, Starbucks amps up the peppermint and traffic is bad because there are too many cars trying to find parking to decorate trees on 360. Companies are leading the crowd in the festivities by doing their absolute best to commercialize anything they can get their hands on.

Yes McDonalds, we have all heard you loud and clear. Your McCafe menu now has a new variety of white-chocolate gingerbread flavored coffee with multi-cultural hipsters in your endorsements. How exciting. And the car advertisements? I am talking to you, Lexus, Honda and Chevrolet. I can smell the fake snow through my screen. You can’t fool me this time, Los Angeles. Also, has no one noticed how creepy the Folgers ads are? It’s disturbing how functional the families look. If I woke my mom up at 7 in the morning with coffee, she would kick me out of the house. And how many families owning a golden retriever dressed as a reindeer is too many?

Some may call me a pessimist, but holidays are stressful and overrated. No high schooler wants to be forced to sit at the kiddie table again to babysit all their younger cousins or have to watch ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas for eight hours straight on a Saturday because their parents are too worried about the ⅛ centimeter of ice on the roads. If I hear one more jingle bell, I think I’ll get an ear infection. Why do children have to sit in malls one day a year and receive false hope from an adult man with a beard on? If I could ask Santa for one thing, it would be that New Year’s arrive faster this year.

—Raine Lipscher

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{ staff editorial }

none of your

business

Labeling is a growing, dangerous problem shaming is such a damaging thing.

Not only does slut-shaming make girls feel like they are less valued based on their private sexual life, it can put them in danger of sexual assault or rape. Dehumanizing a girl to the point where her sexual activity defines who she is can encourage rape culture (a culture where sexual assault is acceptable and victimblaming is encouraged). According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, only 20 percent of

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s Raine Lip

Note: this editorial discusses topics that are associated with rape.

“Hey girl, why is a pretty little thing like you walking around all alone?” Girls can’t take midnight strolls. They can’t walk down the street alone. They can’t wear something as simple as a T-shirt and jeans without stressing out about the inevitable cat-calls. They can’t even give their number out without being worried about receiving harassing messages.

Living in a world where girls are seen as submissive objects comes from sexism, but one of the biggest problems that contributes to this issue is slut-shaming.

Slut-shaming is the verbal degradation of people based upon their sexual life or on physical appearance. Hurtful rumors and humiliating labels are thrown around carelessly, and although they are aimed at all genders, girls are often the main targets. Girls aren’t able to express themselves freely in an environment where they are either mocked or treated like an object to be wolf-whistled at.

Unfortunately, most people are guilty of slut-shaming someone at some point. We all use excuses to justify the bullying: her shorts were too small so she deserved the unwanted attention; she hooked up with two guys, so treating her like an object is OK; she’s flirtatious, so telling everyone she is a skank should be expected. From the moment a girl starts wearing a bra, she also learns that others think they have the right to judge her based on her private decisions.

This message is subconsciously or perhaps consciously spread by the media. This is portrayed in movies when the male dominant figure protects his sister or daughter from other suitors. Magazines send mixed messages encouraging girls to be sexy, yet also reminding readers that a promiscuous woman is not one a man would want to marry.

These tactics are used mainly to decrease a girl’s sense of worth and to place her in a traditional gender role of doing whatever men think is best. Slut-shaming is embedded deep into the roots of social acceptance in our community, so many don’t even realize that slut-

female students from the ages of 18-24 report their rapes to police. This is because countless girls are blamed for their own rapes, a phenomenon known as victim-blaming. The rapist will rebuff that the girl was “asking for it” by wearing revealing clothes or being flirtatious.

Women are afraid to come forward about traumatic sexual assault cases because of accusations aimed at the victims such as “Rape is like football, and you’re the quarterback; when you look back on a game, Annie, how would you have done things differently?” This is what one college counselor told a victim at the University of North Carolina.

Whenever anyone says no or fights back, there is absolutely no excuse for continuing.

Whether it be day or night, sober or not, no matter what type of apparel, no means no.

Sadly, males are not the only ones who are guilty of slut-shaming. Females often times judge one another even more harshly. Magazines and TV purposefully pit women against each other with segments such as “Who wore it better?” and feed off of the Twitter “catfights” that they encourage for the sake of entertainment. According to psychologytoday.com, women who are seen as beautiful or have admired characteristics will threaten other women and encounter hostility.

While slut-shaming tears down the self-esteem of girls, there is another type of shaming that has the same effects: prude-shaming.

Prude-shaming is just like slutshaming except that instead of being taunted for having a short skirt or dating too many boys, girls are mocked for not doing anything at all. It guilts a woman into feeling bad for refraining from sex or covering up and makes them walk on a tightrope between being classified as a prude or a slut.

On the other hand, males get a different reaction to the amount of “action” they receive, and this double standard is not addressed enough. If males are sexually active, they are generally seen as cool “legends” while those who aren’t are put down for being virgins.

Just like it’s not OK to slut-shame women, it’s not OK to prude-shame men. They deserve equal respect for their decisions, and being pressured to be involved in sexual activity is harmful to a male’s self-value.

Changing culture is never easy, and going straight from sexism to feminism is going to take time and work. All we ask is next time you hear someone gossiping about the “slutty” girls, you don’t join in. Next time you see that girl who keeps switching boyfriends, hesitate before judging her based on her private life.

Maybe next time a group of boys are bothering another guy because he is a virgin, intervene.

All people need to be treated with equal importance regardless of their gender or their sexual status.

STUFF WE LIKE Comic Sans

Bee Movie

Ah, Comic Sans. The one font to rule them all. A font that says, “Look at me. Look at me in all of my unholy glory.

Do it.” The reason Comic Sans has earned its way into the hall of infamy is that it has the incredible ability to detract virtually all authenticity from a sentence. Take this otherwise deadserious sentence for example: “Mr. President, your life is in danger.” See? The meaning is completely lost in the haze of clownish letters. This is your fault, Comic Sans. You killed the president.

Jerry Seinfeld. The man, the myth, the legend. He’s produced Seinfeld, one of the most beloved TV shows ever made, and become an indisputable icon in comedy. Yet alas, poor Jerry. You reached for the stars, but burned alive in the sun. In just one movie, Jerry ruined everything he had ever earned with the now-infamous Bee Movie. To be clear, this is not a “Haha, this is so bad it’s good” kind of movie. This is the “Oh god, please pour as much bleach as you can into my eyes” kind of movie. In some sort of bizarre fever dream, Jerry decided that producing a film about a bee named Barry (voice acted by himself) who falls madly in love with a human (who somehow is not disturbed by this bee hitting on her and is kind of into it) was going to be a smash hit. Let’s just politely say he was wrong.

J Zoë en entz

Comic Sans

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en ntz Je

Raine Lipscher

Dad Jokes “I’m starving,” you groan, clutching at your stomach. Suddenly, you freeze as the dreaded words escape your father’s lips, “Hey starving! I’m Dad!” The dad joke, common in almost every family, usually featuring a pun, is cringe-worthy, beautiful and a gift. It seems that no matter how old we get, our dad is the one who will never grow up, or more specifically, grow out of dad jokes. We may disgustedly roll our eyes or sigh dramatically, but it’s time to face the truth. Where would humankind be without that special someone to tell us that five out of four people are bad at fractions? How could we survive without the hero who asks what to call cheese that isn’t ours? As much as we claim to loathe them, dad jokes are a crucial part of existence, and we need them, just as much as they need us.

Horoscopes The world is a beautiful place, and I am no longer afraid to die. You know why? Cause the stars, man. They get me. Neptune’s in retrograde and my dog’s feeling especially productive today. So says your daily DogScope. It’s defecated twice — outside! Lucky color: fuschia, lucky number: π, best time of day: 4:19. Are you abnormally dark and brooding today? It’s probably a Scorpio thing. Something vague and universally applicable is in your future, Aries. Sorry, but if you’re a Libra, this isn’t going to work out. It’s not you, it’s your sign.