The Stang by Houston Christian High School

December 2011

Volume11 Edition 3

the

Stang

Houston Christian High School 2700 W Sam Houston Pkwy N Houston, Texas 77043

Juniors and Seniors take a look into their possible futures by Brian Trieglaff, Editor in Chief

One day during the school year, juniors and seniors receive a free day off from school--well sort of. This day, also known as Job Shadowing Day, is the day of the year where Juniors and Seniors go off and job shadow professionals. These students have the opportunity to shadow a person from the profession that he/she might want to pursue in the future, such as business, education, sports, and the medical ﬁeld. Students went all over Houston job shadowing different professionals, and here are some of their experiences.

Haylee Hoelscher12

David Holewyne12

Cullen Cosco11

Nathalie Simoes11

Where did you go?

Moeller’s Bakery

Ridgecrest Elementary

Matthew’s Lawsone and Johnson P.L.L.C.

Village Veterinary clinic

Who did you job shadow and how did you know that person?

the manager if I could job shadow the company for the day and he said yes.

that elementary school and he was the gym teacher when I was there.

Tim Johnson. He is a partner in Ramzey’s grandfather’s company.

How was your experience? What did you do?

How was your experience and what did you do?

Who did you job shadow and how did you know that person?

Who did you job shadow and how did you I did not know anyone there. I just asked I job shadowed the gym teacher. I went to know that person?

It was a very fun day. We got to make cookies and decorate them and eat them all day.

Would you pursue this as a career?

Probably not. Making cookies is hard work and is more frustrating than you would think.

It was an awesome experience. We played basketball and dodge ball all day. All the kids thought I was huge and a star.

Would you pursue this as a career?

I don’t think I would pursue it as a career. I have a feeling I would get very frustrated with the kids and I do not have a high patience tolerance.

It was really cool how he works and what he does. We looked at some cases he had coming up and what he was going to do for his client.

Dr. Miller. I went to school with her son.

How was your experience and what did you do?

It was an awesome day. I helped with an ultrasound and two surgeries.

Would you pursue this as a career?

Yes I would, but I would want to do it with exotic animals because they are cooler.

Would you pursue this as a career?

Yes I would, because I am very argumentative and I would make a great lawyer.

HC makes a conference switch from TAPPS to SPC This is the last year in TAPPS before HC joins the Southern Preparatory Conference by Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff On November 7, 2011, after being a part of TAPPS 5A for two school years, the administration announced that we will be moving to the Southwest Preparatory Conference for the 2012-2013 school year, making us the 19th member school in the SPC. We had shown interest in moving to the SPC for a few years, and ﬁnally received the acceptance from the historical conference. HC has been looking for a conference which has historically shown a deep commitment to providing a model academic and athletic experience for young competitors at the private school level in Texas and Oklahoma. The SPC accomplishes exactly that. The Southwest Preparatory Conference was established in 1952, and has been growing in membership and variety of sports ever since. It is currently representing 19 of the best college preparatory

In the News

compete in the SPC next year,” said Rusty schools in the nation. The conference is Rogers, HC athletic director. spread over both Texas and Oklahoma, and offers competition in 21 difIn the 2011 SPC footferent sports. HC ball season, Kinkaid currently particiwon the SPC champate in 23 differpionship against ent sports. “We their rival Housare committed ton school, St. to an exemplaJohn’s. The game ry educational was played at environment, Rice Stadium. In and athletics is previous years, an important part the SPC has not had of our school’s cula play-off system due ture. The SPC proto lack of teams, but vides a great arena for with the addition of HC, our kids to show their Godthey now get to hold to add given talents in whatever IT’S A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME, a four team playoff bracket sport in which they excel. HC sports will be up against brand within the teams. The best We will be honored to new teams next year that will surely change up the standards. photo provided by: Google Images

5 Check out our very own school chaplain Samuel Kaestner12, as he gives students the low down on the book Crazy Love on pg. 5

We got the spirit at HC! Learn about why school spirit is important at any school on pg. 12.

two teams from the South and the best two teams from the North will advance to the playoffs after a nine game regular season. The move to the SPC will eliminate our sports teams from being able to play for a “State Championship,” but an SPC Championship is just as signigicant. The conference is well known throughout the nation, which will set Houston Christian in a new light and a new conference. Overall, the move to the SPC is a win for Houston Christian. It is exactly what the school has been looking for, and will bring HC to top status as a member of one of the greatest college preparatory conferences in the nation. The athletics and academics ﬁt HC very well, and we are now part of a very distinguished group of schools.

14 Guess what? Soccer season has started, so go to an HC soccer game sometime soon. To catch up on what’s going on check out pg. 14.

2Cain Falls Amidst Allegations December 11

COMMUNITY

This GOP candidate emerged as a frontrunner in the presidential race, but now faces allegations

by Michael Dunn, Stang Staff As the race for the Republican Presidential nominee is beginning to hit full swing, candidates are attempting to do anything to get an edge, and for the opposition, the best way to ruin an opponent’s campaign is by digging into his past, and shining a bright spotlight upon the indecencies of an opponent’s past. The man is Herman Cain, a former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and the charge is sexual assault of a former employee. Cain shockingly took the lead in many of the early primaries and caucuses throughout the United States; however, perhaps even more shocking is the fact that his campaign has not withstood this unforeseen shot at his character and image. Cain had become a favorite among Republican candidates for his skills as an orator, and his appeal to large corporations in wish for reduced taxation in proportion to their income. Cain’s most appealing policy to conservatives was his taxation plan, in which he claimed, “The plan would replace the current tax code with a 9-percent business transactions tax, a 9-percent personal income tax, and a 9-percent federal sales tax.” This offered a stark contrast to the current system under President Barack Obama;

however, opponents to this level of unregulated capitalism would, in the words of Rick Perry, “Lead to anarchy and a lack of control.” Despite great levels of skepticism, Cain held his ground, and as a result he had been gaining traction in the polls for the better part of a month. However, one of the front-runners is still Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, whose economic expertise has become a very attractive attribute to voters who are trying to escape from the “black hole of today’s economy” claims Fox TV analyst Neil Cavuto. Romney claims his main goal is to restore the greatness that is The United States, claiming “It is time that we put America back on a course of greatness, with a growing economy, good jobs and fiscal discipline in Washington.” Romney also aims to use his experience in the 2008 election in order to improve not only as a politician, but as a man better equipped to handle the stress associated with the campaign trail. He hopes to no longer be labeled as a “flip-flopper”, and to stay true to his policies and claims. With the other Republican nominees, Rick Perry losing traction at an unprecedented rate, and Newt Gingritch taking over the lead in Iowa, it seems as if

AT A PRESS CONFERENCE, Herman Cain denies allegations that he has had affairs with mistresses. At this point, multiple women have come forth claiming they had prolonged interaction with Cain.

the ﬁght for the Republican Nominee will continue to be undecided. At the moment, all the energy and momentum in the primary race seems to keep switching back and forth between candidates, which is something political scientist Michael Crowley “never ever thought [he] would see.” His inital popularity in voter polls were promising to Cain, however, recent forthcomings have tarnished his

reputation among American families. He has been nailed with allegations of immoral activity with several different women as of late, and now has been accused of having been involved in a 13 year affair. Cain has denied all allegations, but suspiciously warned the media of another accuser before she came public. Cain dropped out of the election Saturday, December 2nd, leaving the race once again up for grabs.

NBA Swats Season Basketball Goes to Disney Due to an inability to compromise a deal, NBA is on lockout and has already missed games by Michael Vaughan, Stang Staff

Sports fans throughout the world, especially the US, are dismayed at the current situation of the NBA lockout. Just a few months ago, this was not among the least of a basketball fan’s worries. Over the summer, all the attention was given to the imminent non-existence of the NFL, had players and owners not settled on an agreement. But only a few weeks after that problem was solved, the players and owners of the NBA began to face disagreements. Unlike the NFL lockout, this disagreement remains unsettled. With the ofﬁcial regular season scheduled to begin in early November, things are already getting behind. Players and owners are now looking at the possibility of a shortened season, or worst-case scenario, no season at all. Basketball players and fans everywhere are distressed by the unsettled contract agreement and what it means for the NBA. Preston Drake10, a regular

Lady Mustangs head to Disney’s Wide World of Sports over Christmas break by Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff

attendant at the Rockets’ games, is upset about the whole situation, saying, “I wish the players and owners would just sort out whatever is going on, I love going to the games with my family and friends. The whole situation feels to me like everyone is just being selfish.” Many agree with Preston that both parties are being selfish. What is essentially going on is both the owners union and the players union were dissatisfied with the profit they were being allotted through contract agreements. Because both parties wanted more, they did not reach an agreement on time for the 2011-2012 season, resulting in the lockout. Rockets fan and season ticket holder Ryan Reeter12 is optimistic about the current dilemma, saying, “I really think they’ll work it out soon. If not, at least I get to go to all the other events and concerts that go on at the Toyota Center.” Meanwhile, some NBA players are taking their athletic talent to other fields and courts. Kevin Durant, the face of the Oklahoma City Thunder, has recently played in an intramural football game at Oklahoma State University. Connecting through twitter, a student invited him to join their team and he was all in. Durant threw four touchdowns and intercepted three passes in the game. Rockets forward, Chase Budinger, has returned to an old love of his, playing professional volleyball. While they are momentarily entertained, fans and players alike are ready to get back to the court.

The girls’ basketball team has started their season off strong with a record of 6-1 through their ﬁrst seven games. Their only loss came against district opponent, St. Agnes, in a 39-35 shootout. The game was in the Charlie Thomas Tournament, meaning the Lady Mustangs still have two more shots to take down the Tigers. Junior, Alyssa Mckinzie says about the Agnes game, “It was a really close game and we didn’t have Jaela. We didn’t play as good as we could have, so we should deﬁnitely beat them next time.” Unfortunately, sophomore superstar, Jaela Dejean, suffered a season-ending knee injury in a win against Second Baptist in the Charlie Thomas Tournament. The Lady Mustangs took out district rival, St. Pius X, 46-39 to get third place in the tournament. The district is looking tough and with the Lady Mustangs at their best this could be a very exciting year, but the girls have more than a tight district to be looking forward to. The team is going to Disney World and Universal Studios from December 19-22 for a Tournament. The Lady Mustangs are extremely excited to get to go to Florida over the Christmas break to play basketball and go on a little vacation to Disney World. Senior, Kaitlyn Hirschbuehler, said, “I am so excited about having the opportunity to go to Disney World with the basketball team. This is my last year playing basketball, so I am excited that my last team trip will be spent with Mickey Mouse and most

importantly, all the rides.” Since the Stangs will be in Disney World and Universal Studios for four whole days, they will get plenty of time to ride all the rides they want. Junior, Miranda Rogers said, “It’s going to be the highlight of our season! We get access to all the amusement parks or something like that. We don’t know what teams we play yet, but I heard that there are some Canadian teams that are going. I think it will be a lot of fun to play teams from another country. We got invited to the tournament but it’s really expensive so we raised a bunch of money so that we could go! I can’t wait, it’s going to be a ton of fun!” Amusement parks, International competition, team bonding and playing the game they love really make this a special trip for the Lady Mustangs. It sounds like it’s going to be a great trip, and the girls aren’t just focused on the fun, they want to bring a trophy back as well. That will really top off a fun and well-deserved vacation for the girls basketball team. District starts soon after they get back. It’s going to be an exciting year for the Lady Stangs.

NEWS

The Stang

Citizens Protest Financial Inequality

Distraught Americans rebel against the happenings within Wall Street.

College Corner Texas Christian University

by Michael Dunn, Stang Staff The Occupation on Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations led by a Canadian activist group known as “Adbusters” with the goal of fighting for social and economic equality. They believe that corporations and lobbyists have done nothing but facilitate greed and influence over the government. The protesters are using the motto “We are 99%!” to indicate that the severe concentration of wealth within the top 1 percent of the American population is simply unfair and corrupt. Occupationists refer to the data of the Congressional Budget Office, which shows that between 1979 and 2007 incomes of the top 1% of Americans grew by an average of 275%. During the same time period, the 60% of Americans in the middle of the income scale saw their income rise by 40%. In 2007 the richest 1% of the American population owned 34.6% of the country’s total wealth, and the next 19% owned 50.5%. Thus, the top 20% of Americans owned 85% of the country’s wealth and the PROTESTORS TAKE A STAND In New York, citizens make their bottom 80% of the population owned 15%. case in signs and numbers. Hundreds have been camped out for This movement is the weeks protesting, defacing property and even getting arrested. result of pent up frustrations and annoyances in regard to the inequality on Wall Street, and the demographics are not simply Liberals and Democrats. On October 10 the Associated Press reported that, “There’s a diversity of age, gender and race” at the protest. However, most of the protesters have a deep commitment to left-wing policies: opposition to free-market capitalism and support for radical redistribution of wealth, intense regulation of the private sector, and protectionist policies to keep American jobs from going overseas. Although the demonstrations have had little impact on changing the landscape of Wall Street, it is hard to ignore the determination and fortitude of the protestors. Canadian writer Naomi Klein claims, “This is a young movement still in the process of determining just how powerful it is, and that power will determine what demands are possible. Small movements have to settle for small reforms: big ones have the freedom to dream.”

Legendary Coach Loses Job In Scandal The winningest coach in CFB history, Joe Paterno, is fired after failing to report the immoral and illegal behavior of staff coach

by Michael Dunn, Stang Staff On Wednesday November 9, 2011, Pennsylvania State University ended an era that stretched for more than 60 years. It fired an individual whose family has donated over 4 million dollars to the university in an attempt to further advance the opportunities of students around the world. It fired an individual who has won 409 games, more than any other coach in Division I college football history. It fired an individual with no previous accusation of breaking NCAA rules, which helped facilitate the notion that Penn State was a university that always did things the right way. Joe Paterno’s firing is not for something he did; it was because of something he simply did not do, which is where the mistake lies. More than six decades of undeniable achievement and excellence could not withstand the sin of omission in connection to the grotesque acts of a former employee, Jerry Sandusky. The former Penn State defensive coordinator, Sandusky has been charged with 40 counts of sexual abuse of young boys over a 15-year period after a 3-year investigation by Pennsylvania authorities. A grand jury identified eight boys that had been singled out for sexual advances or sexual assaults by Sandusky, taking place from 1994 through 2009, six of which were while he served under Paterno.

By Brian Trieglaff, Stang Editor in Chief

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The crimes committed by Jerry Sandusky will echo throughout the Penn State community for years to come, and more importantly, it will effect the victims for the rest of their lives, which is where Paterno and his staff shoulder the blame. On a fateful September day in 2002, graduate assistant Mike McQuery witnessed ﬁrst hand the indecencies Sandusky was committing within Penn State facilities. McQuery said he was so ridden with shock and disbelief he did the only thing he could do: run away. After conversing with his father, he came to the belief that he must call his superior, Coach Paterno, and alert him of the news. However, Paterno refused to notify the police, opting to alert his superior, an Athletic Director that was ironically a Paterno understudy. According to the Grand Jury report, Paterno ordered the athletic director to “never speak of it again” or in other words,

sweep it under the rug. What followed was a series of coverups, and more victimized children; unfortunately, with no consequence. Paterno is not legally bound to the horrific acts of Jerry Sandusky; however, the legendary Paterno failed in his moral obligation as a human, and as a man in such a influential position. He had the opportunity to save numerous children, but instead he opted to ignore the possibility of a blemish on his otherwise perfect program, and simply returned to designing plays and re-ordering his depth chart. The fall of a legend of this magnitude transcends sports, and has never before been seen. Surrounded by a program of such clout and influence, virtually everyone in a position of authority at Penn State has, thus far, seemed to come up very small. A program that is so commonly associated with honor, truth, and valor, is now associated with deceit, despair, and dishonesty.

Enrollment of 9500 students 131 undergraduate areas of study 1,900 employees Boy: Girl Ratio – 40:60 Founded in 1873 Total cost of attendance-- $43,000 Tuition cost--$33,000 School colors: purple and white Mascot: Horned Frog $500 million of reconstruction occurring Baseball and Football games are huge attraction Now in Big 12 Conference Located in Fort Worth, Texas Known for awesome sororities and fraternities

December 11

FINE ARTS/Spiritual Life

A Season of Symphony

After lots of practice, the Band and Orchestra impresses student body yet again

by Jason Comis, Stang Staff Over the years, the band and orchestra have captivated audiences with their fantastic performances. This year’s concert hoped to capture the Christmas spirit with an array of festive pieces. Cello player Mark Driscoll said,” The concert ﬁlled the audience with Christmas cheer.” Some of the songs were “ The Nutcracker”, “Christmas Quatrain”, “Christmas Concerto”, “and “Concert Grosso.” A lot of hard work and preparation went into this concert and when asked about the work load Driscoll stated,” Early morning rehearsals, a lot of practice and dedication is what it took.” The amount of work put into this concert was tremendous, and for the students who supported the band and orchestra at the concert will be thrilled to hear them again when they play for entire student body during chapel in December.

AWESOME LAST HOLIDAY PERFORMANCE

Senior Band and Orchestra students, under the direction of Mrs. Allison Redmon and Mrs. Karen Kline exhibit leadership while performing as well as in rehearsals. Seniors give this last Christmas performance their very all, knowing they won’t have this opportunity again. The Band and Orchestra shared their Christmas music again in a middle school tour on December 2nd.

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing! Choir lights up the Christmas Season with Music

by Natalie Galerne, Stang Staff The holiday season is always the busiest time of year for choir. Even before the decorations in the choir room go up, students are busy at work singing the songs everyone loves to sing during the holidays. Leading up to the annual Christmas concert in the chapel were a series of smaller appearances at school related events. Earlier in November, the choir performed a patriotic piece at the annual Veterans Day assembly. When it came time to rise for the National Anthem, president Haylee Hoelscher12, VP Haylee Short12, Caroline Taylor10 and Katherine Gualy10 sang their hearts out in a beautiful four -part harmony. On November 14th, the choir performed at the Pledge and Praise dinner for families and benefactors of the school. This event was designed to demonstrate and elaborate on the new plans that are in place for the new Student Center, and having the choir perform a well-rehearsed piece about love and compassion was a great way to welcome every guest and family member. Once that performance was ﬁnished, choir members were ready to focus completely on Christmas carols. Among the pieces performed include the classics, “Walking in a Winter Wonderland,” and a newer rendition of “Sleigh Ride.” On December 5th, the choir will be sure to inspire hearts everywhere to embrace the spirit of Christmas. Come join choir for a wonderful evening as the good news is shared once again that Christ is born.

Choir Congrats The ﬁnal round of auditions for selections to the All-State Choir has taken place. We had three students that were in this round and all three made the All-State Choir! Please congratulate the following students:

9th grade Rebecca Glenister

10th grade Katherine Gualy

12th grade James Whitcomb

FIRST TO FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT

The choir performs a salute to each branch of the military for the Veteran’s Day assembly earlier in November. After fall festivities came to a close, the students are preparing for their biggest performance of the year- the Christmas concert!

FINE ARTS/Spiritual Life

The Stang

Chaplain’ s Corner

Upcoming Fine Arts Events

by Sam Kaestner, Student Body Chaplain Recently I have been reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan. This book is amazing and I recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about the All-Powerful Loving God that we serve, and the purpose that he has in all of our lives.

Francis Chan writes, “Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace towards others, or our tight grip of control.” When we are stressed about anything, we are worrying more about those things Ephesians 2:10 than our relations with other says, “For we are his people and our relationship workmanship, created in with God. Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before Philippians 4:4 says hand, that we should walk in that we should “Rejoice in them” (ESV). the Lord always,” but our stress hinders our ability to A part of Crazy Love see the forgiveness and the that I want to share is the purpose that God has for section “Justified Stress.” As each of us. high school students, stress is a word that is common in As we approach most of our daily vocabulary. finals in December, and I hear the word stress at least as seniors are closing in once a day, and I am also on college application as guilty of having stress- deadlines, do not let stress related thoughts. Students, take precedence over God myself included, stress about and his plans for you! homework, tests, quizzes, college, sports, what outfit to wear, and even who is dating who.

by Paige Adams, Stang Staff

Band and Orchestra The Annual Band and Orchestra Christmas concert is back on Thursday, December 1, 2011 and free. This concert is open to the public, so come to the Pampell Chapel at 7 pm to hear all your holiday favorites. The concert band will perform classic Christmas music and traditional Russian Christmas carols. And the Orchestra will perform pieces from the infamous Nutcracker ballet as well as other carols.

The Orchestra will be playing at The Terrace, a retirement center, on Saturday, December 3, 2011.

The Band and Orchestra will be playing for the Christmas Assembly on Monday, December 12, 2011. At each performance, the program will include traditional Christmas carols, music from the Nutcracker and a medley of Russian Christmas songs.

Choir The Annual Christmas Choir concert is coming Monday, December 5, 2011 in the Pampell Chapel. The concert is free and open to the public, so bring your friends and family to enjoy Christmas classics sung by an award-winning choir.

INSPIRED READING Crazy Love,

by Francis Chan is a great read for anyone in need or in want of some spiritual refreshment. Ms. Chan tells the reader of the good news that God has a huge plan for every individual.

On Friday, December 16, 2011 there will be a Choir Progressive Christmas Dinner Party hosted by the lovely choir parents. Sorry students, but this party is only for choir members and will be at a choir parent’s home around 6 p.m.

KENI THOMAS, performer and chapel

speaker for Veterans Day, Nov, 10, 2011, shared his experience of what it was like to give his life to the service of America. After sharing his testimony, Keni brought out his guitar and sang for all of the student body, staff and their family members. Hearing Keni’s testimony and his renewed faith as well as a new appreciation for his family inspired many students to get a fresh perspective for the Holidays.

FEATURE

December 11

Top 10 Best Christmas Movies

Christmas movies, entertainment for your holiday season--take their word for it by Gianna Tiedemann, Stang Staff

Google images.

#1 Elf “It’s funny and I love Will Ferrell.” –Jackie Bruegging

#2 The Polar Express “I like the story it tells…and hot chocolate.” – Connor Pryor #3 The Year Without A Santa Claus #4 A Christmas Story “I mean…he gets a bb-gun for Christmas, it’s awesome. Oh, and my parents think I look like Ralphie.” –Randy Faulk #5 Home Alone “Shoot dawg….it’s some kid chillin by himself at home, livin’ tha’ life, who wouldn’t like that yo?” – Basem Chammas

#6 A Charlie Brown Christmas “I love a Charlie Brown Christmas because Charlie is my favorite and I like the songs.” –Rachel Berry #7 How the Grinch Stole Christmas “I like it because Jim Carrey is hilarious.” – Cullen Cosco #8 A Christmas Carol

#9 Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

#10 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is hot…I love that little deer.” – Rachel Henry

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year Christmas traditions help make the season brighter by Natalie Galerne, Stang Staff Students have many different traditions when it comes to celebrating Christmas. Whether it’s a time-honored tradition or a celebration that’s special to a certain family, every custom is wonderful and worth special mention during the Holiday season. Let’s take a look at what a few students do every year to get in the Christmas spirit. Some traditions include those of charity. Leslie Lamoreaux11 and her mother participate in the National Charity League’s annual Christmas drive. “I’ve been involved with NCL since 6th grade, and this has always been a highlight of the year for me.” Members of the institution help load gifts and bring them down to the

Children’s Hospital. “The best part is distributing the gifts and seeing the children’s excitement.” You don’t have to do a Christmas drive in order to bring joy to others, however. Family traditions are among the greatest memories one can have, whether you’re all grown up, or you’re still a kid. Hannah Gustafson10 says that her family “opens their presents in their pajamas. It takes practically all day,” says Hannah. “But we always wait for everyone to get up and then we make a special breakfast then open presents!” Counseling’s own Meagan Weaver shares what usually ends up happening in her family every year. “The Weavers don’t have a whole lot of

Christmas traditions but we do have a disagreement that happens every year. Kelly always wants to open her presents early. She begs and begs and begs (and begs) and then claims it is a “tradition” that we get to open at least one present the day before Christmas (there may or may not be tears sometimes). I, on the other hand, like to wait to open all my presents till Christmas day (I love surprises and anticipation) and so every year we ﬁght over this. Its silly, I know.” Every tradition is magical in its own way, and there are an inﬁnite amount of special things to do this season. Whether new or old, they all add a little something extra to this season of hope and joy.

Christmas food around the world by Kandis Harding, Stang Staff For most Americans, the traditional Christmas dinner and treats, including ham or turkey, stufﬁng, casseroles, bread, cookies, cake, pie are the norm. But to others around the world, their traditional Christmas dinner can be much different than ours. In Italy, panettone is one of the most likable sweets. Panettone is bread that consists of ﬂour, eggs, butter, candied orange peel, and raisins. This tasty sweet is one of Italy’s most prized desserts and is shared among friends during the Christmas season. For Germany, they enjoy their signature gingerbread cookies also known as lebkuchen. These cookies have been baked since 1395 and have been cooked for people around the world. Today, there are large companies and small family-run bakeries that sell these delightful treats for people not even from Germany. Mexico doesn’t always look at the delicious foods for their Christmas season. Mexicans brew their very own warm Christmas punch, ponche.

They take the fruit of a hawthorn tree and blend its flavors to make an unforgettable drink. The punch has been around for decades and Mexico continues the ongoing tradition. Slovenians take their desserts to the next level. After smoked meats, they begin their feasting of desserts. They’re most famous dessert is potica, a treat of pastry dough filled with a sweet, nutty filling. This dessert is also found in Eastern England in many variations. While many enjoy delicate and mild foods, Christmas in Ethiopia consists of a spicy chicken stew. They usually celebrate with praying, chanting, and dancing and then ending the festivities with a feast of their homemade spicy chicken stew. Christmas around the world is one holiday that many people look forward to every year with their festivities, family time, and more importantly, food. Different cultures enjoy their signature dishes and treats during the Christmas season.

EVERYTHING CHRISTMAS

The Stang

Houston’s best Christmas lights Need something to do? Go look at Christmas lights. by Gianna Tiedemann, Stang Staff

All images from Google images.

#1 Post Oak

#3 Royal Oaks #4 River Oaks #5 Briargrove Park 5

#6 The Heights #7 Town & Country Area #8 Downtown #9 Highland Village #10 Galleria Area 2

Top 10 Best Christmas Gifts The gifts that everybody wants this year by Rachel Driver, Stang Staff pending on how many gigabytes you want. With this buy, you get the new software and get to pick between black and white for your color preference. 4. A pony Every girl’s dream is a pony for Christmas. A poor little pony, the “mutts” can start around $1,000 dollars at least. The well trained, groomed, and proper ponies are at least $100,000. A little information before you decide to get a pony-it is recommended to have

iPhone 4 vs iPhone 4s Is the upgrade truly worth it? by Kendall Maddox, Stang Staff

#2 Discovery Green

1. New car A new car can range anywhere from $15,000 to $50,000+ depending on your preference. This gift will require a lot of persuading of the parentals. 2. iPad2 The iPad from the Apple Store starts at $500 and can go up to $900— depending on storage size. 3. iPhone 4s The new iPhone starts at $200 and goes up to around $400 dollars de-

somewhere to put it—like a lot of land or a stable. 5. Jewelry (girls) Jewelry in today’s world can range from a dollar to a million dollars, depending on the designer you pick. Are you for David Yurman or Claire’s? WARNING: watches, rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings could really put a hole in your parent’s pockets! 6. Video games (boys) Guys! Those video games you spend long nights playing can range from 5 bucks to 60 bucks depending on how old the game is. Skyrim, Knights of the Old Republic and Assassin’s Creed Revelation are just a few of the new choices. 7. Camera Nikon, Canon, or Kodak? All Camera brands can become very pricey. Most digital cameras start around $200.

8. Clothes (shoes, purses, jackets, shorts, jeans, pants, etc.) This Christmas gift is almost guaranteed every Christmas to be under the Christmas tree. These prices are all over the pocket book. 9. A puppy Puppies, just about the cutest thing on planet earth, can be pretty pricey depending on your qualiﬁcations for the pup. If it is a mutt, a puppy can be around $100. If it is a Labrador, poodle, German Shepherd, Husky, or any other highly pedigreed dog, it could cost you lots of money, even in the thousands. 10. Lots of Money Well… $$$$$$. Money is always a great thing to get—you can buy whatever you want—within limits of how much you can manage to talk Grandma out of!

On October 14th, the newest addition to the apple family was released: the iPhone 4S. This phone came as a let-down for some who were anticipating the iPhone 5. Unfortunately, the iPhone 5 will not be available until 2012. The good news is that the 4S is a big step up from its predecessor, the iPhone 4. Although there aren’t any new cosmetic changes to the outside of the phone, the iPhone 4S is loaded with features. Several of these innovative updates include the voice recognizable talking technology known as “Siri”, an extra hour of 3G talk time, a faster processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and airplay mirroring for those owning an Apple TV to watch what is on their iPhone screen. Probably considered the biggest update to the iPhone this year is the new Siri technology. By simply talking to your phone, Siri can answer almost any question you have. It understands the user’s voice and even responds with an answer. It’s a great way to text on the go, get directions, set reminders, and even research things on the internet. On Apple’s website, they explain that, “Siri is so easy to use and does so much, you’ll keep finding more and more ways to use it.” Another addition to the iPhone 4S is Apple’s new and improved dual core A5 processor. The A5 processor is replacing the former A4 processor used in the iPhone 4. Apple claims that the new A5 processor is, “up to twice the processing power and has up to seven times faster graphics.” Geekbench, a program for Mac computers that lists processor speeds, shows that the 4S is 63% faster than the iPhone 4 and a stunning 120% faster than the older iPhone 3GS. The improved 8-megapixel camera has 1080p HD resolution. It takes videos at 30 frames a second with 30% better clarity. It also includes a macro feature for close up pictures that need the added focus. This new updated camera will benefit those who are notorious for taking pictures all the time with their iPhone. Overall, the new iPhone 4S is a major upgrade from the former, iPhone 4. It may look the same, but the technological specifications show that the performance of the 4S trumps over the iPhone 4. Go out and pick one up in time for Christmas!

8 SUPPORT HCHS SPORTS WINTER AND SPRING SPORT TEAM ROSTER CARD SPONSORSHIPS Support a Mustang winter and spring sport by sponsoring the team’s roster card! The 2-sided cardstock roster card features the team, individual athletes and the team schedule. Sponsors will have a minimum of a 3” x 8” space on the card to promote their business. See samples below.

SPONSORSHIP RATE $500.00 • Full Color • Winter Sport Deadline: October 15, 2011 • Spring Sport Deadline: January 22, 2012 CONTACT: Juli Vaughan 713.569.6061 vaughanfive@gmail.com

Sponsorships

NOW AVAILABLE for These Sports! Girls Basketball * Swimming Boys & Girls Soccer Baseball * Softball Boys & Girls Lacrosse Tennis * Golf Track & Field Note: Boys Basketball has already been sponsored.

The Stang

Thanks for a great Football Season!

Great Job Junior Football Players! From the Consoli Family

December 11

Landry’s offers something for everyone with a wide variety of Restaurants, Hotels and Entertainment Destinations from Coast to Coast!

KEMAH BOARDWALK

DOWNTOWN AQUARIUM

RAINFOREST CAFE

SALTGRASS STEAK HOUSE

LANDRY’S SEAFOOD

visit www.landrysinc.com for a complete listing of restaurants nearby.

ESQUIRE ETIQUETTE Character Before Achievement

Seminar Details

Manners Matter Seminar Esquire Etiquette offers “Manners Matter” seminars tailored for young men ages fourteen to eighteen to help them become confident in various social situations.

Saturday, January 21, 2012 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. At ESQUIRE ETIQUETTE we are proud to offer this educational seminar in:

Includes

Etiquette training in: • Home • School • Job • Special Occasions

• $200.00 includes the seminar, materials, and lunch • a three-course lunch provided

Fine dining etiquette

• Register online at: www.esquireetiquette.com

Interview techniques

• Enrolment is limited. Registration ends January 17, 2012

talleyk@esquireetiquette.com 713.877.0484 www.esquireetiquette.com

Suggestions on grooming and apparel for various occasions Three-course formal lunch

The Stang

12 November 8, 2011 marked a historical release for every red blooded American youth. Boys, girls, and even parents marked this day on their calendars as the day GPA’s would drop and time spent doing productive things would wither into nothing. I am talking, of course, about the release of Modern Warfare 3. C o m m e r c i a l s everywhere claim it is the most highly anticipated game of all time, however they said that about the last four games. Going into the launch, my expectations were low because I was pretty certain it would be similar to Modern Warfare 2. Having said that, yes I still attended the midnight release at Memorial

December 11

OPINION

What Grinds My Gears by Jason Comis, Stang Staff City Mall on Monday night. Having been vastly disappointed by the past three Call of Dutys, I was not as excited as every other kid in America was at the time. It is almost like I keep disappointing myself on purpose, after I have an aneurism from every Call of Duty since Cod 4, I vow to myself I will not waste sixty bucks on the next disgrace that comes out. Being the weak person that I am, I am drawn in by the snazzy additions that Infinity Ward or Treyarch promises in the next installment. In World at War, it was Nazi zombies, in Modern Warfare 2, it was the customizable kill streaks, in Black Ops, it was the money system and wage matches and now with only the promise of improving on all they mistakes they have made in the past I find myself in the line of the midnight release. Infinity Ward, the developer of Modern Warfare 3, promised to listen to upset gamers and remove the huge mistakes they put into Modern Warfare 2, such as

the Commando Perk and One Man Army Perk, overpowered explosives, secondary shotguns, and the tactical nuke kill streak. So, I gave Modern Warfare 3 the benefit of the doubt. To my dismay, I pretty much bought Modern Warfare 2: 2. It’s the exact same game. Yes there are new guns, a new kill streak program, and some refined mechanics, but other than that it’s a carbon copy of Modern Warfare 2. I will give credit to Infinity Ward for attempting to address some of the shortcoming of the game, however it seems as though they listened to all of the players that I hate playing against. For example, the only way to counteract a player using perks to hide themselves from radar and kill streaks is to use explosives. Unfortunately for me, Infinity Ward heard their voices and made all explosives close to worthless. In conclusion, I was very annoyed with my experience with Modern Warfare 3 due to how the community of players has transformed into a bunch of little kids looking for ways to get easy kills.

Hearing the Voices of Heroes by Michael Vaughan, Stang Stafff Several weeks ago, at a National Honor Society meeting, Mrs. Doxtater proposed several ways that we as a school can give back to the community and our country as a school. Most of these proposals were fairly conventional ideas, but one of them stood out. She informed us of Cell Phones for Soldiers, an organization that provides an opportunity for the armed forces overseas in remote areas to call home and talk to their families and loved ones. Each phone that is donated and recycled gives an hour of talk time to a soldier, which is incredibly valuable to them. When they heard this, juniors Meg Goode, Kelsey DeBerry, and Jordan Zeal jumped on the opportunity. From the week of November 7-11 these girls were working hard to get as many phones as possible from the school community. This process involved speaking before the student body in chapel, and making sure that the project was announced every day on the morning announcements. Their work is proving to pay off. The community has responded in a wonderful way to this project. Though the phones cannot be turned in for community service hours like some other projects, students have shown they understand giving back is not all about gaining credit, but about helping those in need. The most phones turned in by a single student thus far into the project is thirty-three. But how can a non-functional phone turn into an hour of talk time for a soldier? Every phone donated is given to an organization called ReCellular, which recycles old cell phones. In return, ReCellular gives Cell Phones for Soldiers the money needed to give one hour of talk time to a soldier overseas. All in all, this campaign allows those ﬁghting for our freedom to stay in contact with those they miss back at home. We owe them so much for putting their lives on the line, and this is just one small way we can give back.

Google Images.com

Keeping Christ in Christmas

by Kendall Maddox, Stang Staff

Google Images.com

School Spirit is Important

School spirit is an important part of education communties. by Ashley Richards, Business Manager

The growing issue of political correctness in American society is ruining the Christmas spirit. For example, you can hardly walk into any store these days around December and see something that says “Merry Christmas.” Today’s society tells us that we should hide our faith and not express it publicly. Instead, people are forced to say “Happy Holidays” when referring to the holiday season. In a nation that is founded on Christian principles and the freedom of speech, we shouldn’t have to be worried about people getting offended by the words “Merry Christmas.” As Roland Martin of CNN news said, “This seeming backlash against Christianity is bordering on the absurd, and we should continue to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.” If it weren’t for Jesus Christ, the holiday season would not be what it is today. In America, Christians make up sixty to seventy-ﬁve percent of the nation, so we should be recognized as the majority. In my eyes, the majority should be allowed to openly celebrate their cultural traditions. American citizens are granted the freedom of speech and religion, so why is it wrong for them to practice their rights? Merry Christmas!

School spirit is highly important for the success of any high school or college environment, in my opinion. Having an appreciation for one’s school can beneﬁt not only that person’s success at a school, but also the success of the school itself. For business reasons, raising school spirit is very important because it advertises the school. For private schools and colleges, it’s very important for the current students to have school spirit because it attracts

prospective students. When students enjoy their school, then it can inﬂuence other people to apply to that school based off of the appreciation that the current students have for example. Colleges with devout fans always seem to be most appealing for students. Colleges such as A&M and UT always have a great number of applications due to the alumni’s love of the school. My parents went to A&M and because of their great school spirit A&M has always been one of my top choices to apply for in college. Nothing is more appealing to me than a college that has devoted fans, especially including the years after they graduate. School spirit uniﬁes the community. Enjoyment and love of a school can unify students, teachers, and coaches who otherwise would have no common interests. The success of teams at a school is based on their common goals and

common interests, and if a team has a love for their school then it will help improve their game. Team sports are all about unity. Pep rallies, tailgates, and “5th Quarter” are ways in which schools can encourage and promote school spirit. I think having pep rallies are necessary for schools because it raises awareness for school sporting events and it brings more students and teachers to the games. As a cheerleader myself, I think that keeping pep rallies and fun activities that all students can participate in is an awesome way to keep everyone in the school involved in clean fun. Nothing is more intriguing in a school than its sense of community. Our school needs to keep investing time and energy in raising school spirit. We can set an example through our love of our school and we can improve our sense of community through our spirit.

OPINION

The Stang

He said/She said

Rachel & Michael address Pet Peeves about the opposite gender By: Rachel Driver and Michael Fertitta, Stang Staff hair. Then again we’re at a school that doesn’t allow it, so maybe that’s a good thing for you. Me personally, I like having facial hair but as to why, I don’t know. How about girls who make such a big deal about having to put on makeup? Or feeling like they can’t walk outside without eye liner? I can’t tell you how much time is wasted when a girl “gets ready.” I’m almost positive girls spend longer getting ready for homecoming then attending the actual dance itself. RED: We’re both dating people Michael, so chill out! But a lot of girls wear makeup for a lot of reasons! A huge portion of those reasons is probably because of guys that comment on it, or make fun of a girl for not wearing makeup. Other girls wear makeup just because they like to and want to, I know I do! That’s how I feel about makeup. Are there any other things that drive you crazy about girls?

RED: Hey Michael, so my friends and I were talking the other day about things that drove us CRAZY about the male gender. Not to be rude, but you seem like the sort of guy that could be ticked off or irked pretty easily. Since I am curious about the guy’s side, what are some of the things that just drives you crazy about girls? MCF: Well Rachel, to be completely honest, borderline everything. No offense to you, but girls just do not make sense. They never say what they mean and always have a tendency of sending mixed signals. (Just in case you were wondering) RED: So, the whole girl code language thing bugs you? You know, in a girl’s mind it makes total sense. MCF: No, no, no Rachel. A code is when you replace words with other ones just so a few can understand. Girls use code because what they say doesn’t make sense to anyone but other girls, so they speak nonsense-girls speak nonsense. RED: Michael, I think you are being a little dramatic here. Girls do make sense; there are just very few guys out there that can actually understand us. I agree girls are not simple, we are complex! Are you one of those guys that can’t seem to understand anything? MCF: Okay Rachel, do me a favor then, please break down

a girl’s coded language then, because I’m willing to bet not even you could. But thanks for saying I don’t understand anything, I really appreciate that. RED: Michael, you do understand some things; just not most things when it comes to girls. You have been a boyfriend to multiple girls so you should know this code by now. Let me give you a little example here. Let’s pretend you dated someone that lived in Alaska. This ex-girlfriend (but still friend) from Alaska is coming in town to Texas and wants to see you just to catch up. Your current girlfriend trusts you and everything, but she really, really, is not okay with the idea of you meeting up with her, but you ask her if you can go anyway. You: “Hey can I go meet Alaska girl for lunch tomorrow? I promise nothing will happen.” Anne: I really do not want him to go; it makes me sick to think about him going, but... she says, “It’s fine, do whatever.” What Anne really wants to say is it is not fine, and she does not want you going, because she knows you will get mad or not understand her. In other words, girls use code to say things with out actually saying them. Whenever a girl says she’s “fine” she is not fine; when a girl says “everything is fine,” everything is not fine. Do you see what I am saying Michael? Girl’s code language is not going away anytime soon, so you will have to get used to that. MCF: I beg to differ Rachel. But

yes, I have cracked a few girl codes. One of the most obvious ones is, “do whatever.” If a guy ever hears a girl say this then that is a straight up red ﬂag to stop whatever you are doing and stop what is about to happen, because from then on everything goes to pieces. But you know what Rachel? If my girlfriend really did trust me, she wouldn’t be paranoid about me meeting an exgirlfriend. That is what I don’t get; if she doesn’t want me to go and she says, “It’s ﬁne, do whatever” and I “do whatever,” then she has no right to be mad since she said to do whatever. Girls need to say what they really think and stop playing word games. RED: Congratulations Michael Fertitta! You actually comprehend a part of a girl’s mind. About the whole “girls need to stop playing word games,” it is not going away anytime soon. On another note, we haven’t even brought up my pet peeves of the male gender, because I happen to have a few. One: guys should always be clean, and smell clean! If a guy has B.O. we have big issues, and if a guy has any facial hair we also have issues... but that’s just me. MCF: Well Rachel, I really don’t think you should be worrying about how other guys look on the account that you date Spencer, but hey maybe y’all are into that kind of thing. I don’t think any guy tries to get B.O. Rachel, it’s probably just because we play sports and forget to shower, but some guys like to have facial

MCF: A reason we might comment on a girl not wearing makeup is because she looks different, but if she never wore make up then that’s another story. Do you really want to know what

else bugs me? How a girl can’t walk to the restroom by herself. She always needs a pack of girls to go with her even if they’re strangers. RED: Well it seems you have a lot that bugs you about females! But here’s a secret: when girls go to the restroom with other girls it is most likely because she has something she wants to talk about! Gossip, comments, freak outs, and endless chitchat happen during those bathroom trips. That is why girls always take friends to the bathroom. MCF: Well Rachel...secrets, secrets are no fun, secrets are for everyone! RED: Good point Michael, but I just told you a secret. Anyway, I think we all fully understand your pet peeves about girls. Any more you’d like to share? MCF: Y’all need to calm down. RED: Okay Michael. I think we’re done… MCF: Good chit chat Rach! RED: oh ya, it was fabulous.

STANG 2011-2012

Editors-in-Chief--Brian Trieglaff and Paige Adams Business Managers-- Ashely Richards and Michael Fertitta Stang Staff Jason Comis, Stephen Consoli, Rachel Driver, Michael Dunn, Natalie Galerne, Kandis Harding, Preston Lyle, Kendall Maddox, Alexa Reinhart, Gianna Tiedemann, Michael Vaughan Advisor

Heidi McCurdy The Stang is published 8 times per year online at www.houstonchristian.org, and is free to the student body, faculty and staff. Advertising is available to businesses, parents and students, but The Stang reserves the right to refuse advertisement based on appropriateness for HCHS Students. For advertising information please contact Heidi McCurdy at 713-580-6044 or email at hmccurdy@houstonchristianhs.org.

The Stang is a student run newspaper and the views and opinions of The Stang do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the faculty, staff and Board of Houston Christian High School.

Letters to the Editor: To respond to The Stang, please email your comments to hmccurdy@houstonchristianhs.org. The Stang reserves the right to refuse or edit inappropriate content of comments.

Mission Statement: The mission of The Stang is to inform, entertain and encourage the readers by provising insight through school, community and global affairs, in order to raise questions and provide answers. To obtain the truth, which is the basis of our paper, we will incorporate research from a wide variety of sources. Although we write to entertain, we will balance our humor with real information about the world around us. In all we do, we promise to uphold our Christian values by writing with quality and integrity

14 Basketball teams take the court

SPORTS

December 11

Boys and girls basketball start the season to victories by Preston Lyle, Stang Staff

As the Football season comes to an end, players take off their helmets, and put on their basketball shoes. Both boys and girls basketball teams have hit the ground running. The boy’s basketball team has won their ﬁrst two games and are planning on “carrying their momentum into the third game,” as Drew put it. The girl’s team on the other hand has a solid record of 5-1, almost as perfect as the boys. As the boys look towards their exciting new season, they are conﬁdent with the team they have assembled this year. Drew Peters, two-year starter, has

decided to “put the team on his back.” Peters, along with fellow captain Zach Evans, fellow seniors Brad McClintic, and Chase Burns, have their sight on one thing: a state championship. Ashi Peters, transfer student from Aleif Taylor, hopes to help the team with his extreme athleticism. This tightly knit group of seniors has helped the team reach their high shooting percentage. The girls are also offto a great start, beating their rivals, St. Pius by eleven points. Captains Morgann Davis, Kandis Harding, and Kaitlyn Hirschbuehler are taking the initiative to lead the team to a successful season. The team believes they set the bar high last hear with their 18 game winning streak, but also believes they can surpass last year’s season. Even with their exciting start, the girls were hit with a huge loss. The team’s star player, Jaela Dejean, dislocated and fractured her knee at the St. Thomas University tournament. This was upsetting because according to Kaitlyn,“ Dejean was playing the best I’d ever seen.” Even with the loss of Jaela, the girls still placed 3rd in the tournament. Both teams have just started their season, but are looking forward to two successful years.

Soccer excited to begin season Soccer team kicks their way to victory this new season by Gianna Tiedmann, Stang Staff

It’s the winter season and that can only mean one thing: a new flow of sports for the season. There is basketball, swimming, and last but not least, soccer. Pre-season began in early October and both the boys’ and the girls’ teams are already doing extremely well. The girls’ Varsity and JV teams, led by Coach Josh Haney, have already begun to scrimmage. Varsity won their first scrimmage, but it was a close call for the second scrimmage. In the second scrimmage, Varsity played the first half and JV got the chance to play the second. Although the girls didn’t win, it was a good practice game for both the JV and Varsity. Christi Harrison, a junior on the Varsity team, is really excited to play this year. She says, “This season looks like it’s going to be a really good one for us. Everyone is working really hard so far and I can’t wait to go deeper into the season.” Christi’s experience in soccer will benefit the team greatly. As for the fellas, the season, according to Sam Siegel, looks like it’s going to be a pretty good one. On the first scrimmage of the year, junior, Karl Stuewer, took a nasty fall and ended up breaking his collarbone. “Besides KarKar getting hurt, the season is going really well and it can only get better with the oncoming football players now that their season is over,” Sam says. As for the boys JV, Sam says that they could be pretty

good too. He says that the team, “has some great ﬁshies like little Stuewer (Chris Stuewer) and Parker Dice.” Malachy Lyons-Letts is the defensive leader, Jeremy Biar is the Captain, Michael McColloch is the co-captain, and Brooks Lehle seems to be leading the offense for now. Recently, both teams participated in the annual soccer fest, a two day tournament held at school. Both teams did extremely well in the tournament. This year, the girls’ Varsity came in ﬁrst place while the boys’ Varsity came in third. Do you like watching soccer? Well, come out and watch the boys and girls teams play on Tuesday and Thursday, they would love your support. Bring family, bring friends, but most of all, bring your voice to cheer on the soccer teams.

UT AND A&M GAME During half time, the University of Texas band thanks Texas A&M for hosting their last rivalry game. Texas later went on to beat the Aggies by pulling out a last second win. Losing this game was frustrating for the Aggies because of their talented team this year. On the other hand, UT fans now have bragging right until they play once again.

Coach Braden joins the swim team New swim coach takes the swimmers into new direction by Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff

The swim team is very excited about the start of their season. Both the boys and girls are hoping to improve on their success last season. Despite their old coach retiring just before the season started, the team is optimistic and conﬁdent that they will be better than last year. Senior, Randall Faulk, said, “Last year the boys got Top 5 in State. Our goal for this year is to get in the Top 3.” Randall is one of the top swimmers in the state and he wants to lead the team to a great ﬁnish this season. Success is no easy journey for the Mustang swim team though. They pay a price to be great. Every morning they swim at the YMCA from 5:307:00. After practice, all of the swimmers have to take showers and get ready for school and drive over to the campus from the YMCA and have to be on time. Senior Allison Fehrenkamp says about their new coach, “Our coach for the past 3 years resigned at the beginning of this swim season, so we have a new coach, Braden Keith, who coached at St. Thomas last year and played water polo in college at A&M. And this season we’re hoping for a majority of our team to qualify for the state meet and for our relays to place well.”

Coach Braden Keith has the same goals in mind as his team and wants to lead them to a State championship in swimming this season. It’s going to take hard work and a lot of lost sleep to get this done, but everyone looks committed and devoted to being successful. The season looks good for the swim team. Swim team fan and sophomore at HCHS, Preston Drake, says, “I love to go and watch the swim team. Sometimes my family and I go and support them. They are a real joy to watch and I can’t wait to see how well they do this season.” So far this season both teams, boys and girls, have looked great and given HCHS a lot to look forward to the rest of the season. In the Lufkin Invitational, both teams placed 4th and were the highest placing TAPPS team at the meet, including beating out District rival St. Pius X. Freshman, Kai Mosvold, also broke a school record that was previously held by Randall Faulk. Overall, the swim team is looking awesome and is on track to have a great season. Led by good senior leadership, the boys and girls’ teams could both do very well in state and bring back a trophy for HCHS. Mustang swimming is on the rise!

SPORTS

The Stang

Honoring September Athletes of the Month Ivan Morris11

Ivan spent the month of October wrecking havoc on opposing football team’s offensive units. The outside linebacker’s greatest contributions of pressuring quarterbacks and protecting areas of the ﬁeld are not easily recognized by average spectators. Statistically, he ranks in the HC top ten all-time quarterback sack list and has blocked ﬁve kicks in this season alone! If you add in an interception, caused fumble, fumble recovery, and numerous tackles and assists, his ability to make plays as a defensive specialist is uncanny.

15 Stang Shorts Soccer Update

Despite a nagging hip injury that limited her to just four competitive meets the entire season, senior Kathryn Quandt persevered to establish a new school record (October 5) and place fourth at the TAPPS 5A State Meet (October 22). Her 3200 meter time of 11:57 at the Calallen High School meet in Corpus Christi broke her own school mark and then she bettered her 2010 ﬁnish of 5th place (12:10.8) at the State meet with a 4th place (12:08.2) on the tough Baylor University course in Waco. Kathryn was also named to the TAPPS Academic All-State team for the second consecutive year.

Kathryn Quandt12

Girls soccer wins 3rd annual Soccer Fest. They defeated Loretta Academy of El Paso 2-1 for the title. “Soccer is the best! I love it! Go STANGS!” said Madeline Sneed. Obviously these ladies are ready for the upcoming season.

Basketball Update FOOTBALL SENIORS LEAD THE TEAM

Football Captains take one of their last walks across the field in leading the team. Senior Captains are Justin Anderson, Sam Kaestner, Zach Finger, Hayden Sterling. They finished their season by taking the team to Playoffs.

Where are you going for Christmas?

Corvette or Mustang

Favorite Christmas Movie

Oregon to visit family

Corvette

Elf

My silver steed (charger)

Staying home with family

Corvette

A Christmas Story

XBOX 360

New Orleans

Mustang

Home Alone

Seeing Family

Favorite Christmas Gift

Girls place 3rd in St. Thomas University defeating their rivals St. Pius and 2nd in Mustang Classic. The noys team ﬁnished third in the San Antonio tournament. According to Drew Peters The boys team are getting “pumped for their upcoming district games.”

Cross Country Update Boys team got 8th place in state as a team. Girls ﬁnished 12th in state as a team .

Drew Peters12

Zach Evans12

Ashi Peters10

Dallas

Ryan Leiss11

Mustang

Home Alone 2

Rock em’ sock em’ robots

Football Update The Mustang football team managed to make it into the playoffs but lost to Nolan Catholic. Despite their loss, Ivan Morris is “excited for the upcoming season, and happy to be joining the SPC.”

16 Once Upon A Time--No Really December 11

ENTERTAINMENT

E! News

by Rachel Driver, Stang Staff

The TV Series, known as “Once Upon a Time,” appears on the ABC channel at 7:00 o’clock on Sunday nights. The series is classified as drama and fantasy. From watching the first episode, a few things stood out to me; the costumes are amazing, each outfit full of intricate details, every scene has something going on, and most importantly, the acting is amazing. This TV Series has extremely talented actors, and actresses. “Once Upon a Time” is not a series that you can relate to, but a series that is pure fun to watch. When I first heard of “Once Upon a Time”, the first thing that came to mind was

Movie Review by Kandis Harding, Stang Staff Many teenage girls waited a long time for the showing of Breaking Dawn Part 1 on November 18th. But they weren’t the only ones that made it to the premiere. Even guys made an effort to see the thrilling movie. Mitchell Buchanan12 saw the midnight premiere with Taylor Poulos12 and his mom, calling the movie “amazing and a must see for both girls and guys.” Although the movie was only Part 1, many look forward to seeing Part 2 as well. Mitchell Buchanan claims ,“I can’t wait to see Part 2 in college. I will be taking all my fraternity brothers for a bro-date to enjoy the wonderful love between Edward and Bella.” Vampires are currently the biggest hit, and everyone is starting to fall in the trend of seeing the Twilight movies whether you’re young or older or girl or boy. Breaking Dawn Part 1 is the one movie everyone must see.

an animated fairytale world full of cartoon princesses, princess, witches, and furry little creatures. The series is nothing of that sort, but instead consists of two very different, very real settings. The TV Series has the present day time setting, but ﬂashes back to the past, which is a world full of princesses, princess, witches, and furry little creatures, but nothing is animated. Some of the main actors and actresses that ﬁll these roles are Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills, Jared

Gilmore as Henry Mills, Raphael Sbarge as Archie Hopper, Jamie Dornan as Sheriff Graham, Robert Carlyle as Mr. Gold, Josh Dallas as John Doe, and many more amazing actors and actresses. The plot kicks in when the two, very different worlds combine. Each character has a life in the real world and a life in the fairytale world. Chaos strikes and tragedy is creeping up on these “normal” humans. Snow White, Cinderella, Rumplestiltskin, Prince Charming, and the Wicked Witch all make an appearance in this series, and a great one at that. Take the old stories, and old characters, and mix them all together, then apply them to your world today, and you have the TV Series, “Once Upon a Time.” This show is a great excuse to get the family and friends together to watch this fun, and realistic fairytale on your next Sunday night.

A Day in a Life of Santa Claus by Michael Fertitta, Business Manager So it’s Christmas time and we all know who’s at work--good ole Saint Nick. This man works constantly and it’s all for one day out of the year--Christmas. Everyday Santa gets up and spends hours having to watch his countless TV screens constantly monitoring kids to see if they’ve been naughty or nice. According to Santa, it is actually very easy to get on the naughty list; this year both Alexa Reinhart13 and Kandis Harding12 made the naughty list simply because they wouldn’t give me any ideas for what my “Day In the life of article” should be over, so I guess they got what they deserved. After writing down his list that is around 5.3 miles in length, he then goes down to his workshop to make sure all his lil’ workers are not slacking off. When walking down to the workshop Santa said, “ I do not know where everyone got the thought that I have elves working for me. This isn’t ‘The Lord of the Rings;’ this is the North Pole, and we have gnomes.” Gnomes work much harder as everyone knows. At the workshop there are 196 conveyer belts, one

for every country. Santa has to walk to every single conveyer and spend ten minutes to an hour at each one making sure that each place is getting the same quality of work, because Santa loves everyone except those on the naughty list…… Kandis and Alexa. After the workshop, Santa still has to check on his new reindeer, that’s right NEW reindeer; the others have gotten old and no longer fly. Santa’s new reindeer are Balto, Kingfisher, Mr. Cadillac, Bismarck, Judge, Ducky, Murdoch, Alabaster, Croc, Rocco, and Hurricane. Santa has to make sure they are all healthy daily because taking one to the vet is a whole 3 week process, and they don’t have 3 weeks to wait. These reindeer are constantly training to learn how to fly and get around the world as fast as possible. After all of this hard work, Santa finally gets to go home to his little cottage just in time for a midnight snack. After his snack, he says goodnight to the Mrs. and goes to sleep, just to wake up and do this all over again next year. Maybe we should be grateful to the big man…

by Alexa Reinhart, Stang Staff

No Prince Charming for Kim

Kim Kardashian ﬁled for divorce from her husband Kris Humphries after a marriage that only lasted 72 days. This divorce was not much of a shock because of the short six-month dating period prior to the marriage. Sadly, Kris was completely blind-sided. E! released a two day exclusive look at the wedding by airing Kim’s Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event in the beginning of October 2011. After much speculation that Kim made millions off of her wedding and the exclusive show, all claims were denied. As for now, Kim and Kris will be spending a special holiday without that special someone.

fandaily.com

T-Swift defends the Highest Honor Entertainer of the Year: Taylor Swift Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert Male Vocalist of the Year: Blake Shelton Vocal Group of the Year: Lady Antebellum Single Of the Year: “If I Die Young” –The Band Perry

To Prison or Not: That is the question

On Monday, November 7, 2011, Conrad Murray pleaded guilty to the charges of involuntary manslaughter because he supplied Michael Jackson Propofol to allow him to sleep. The drug is only used in hospitals under certain conditions because of the strength of the drug. The prosecutors portrayed Murray as an incompetent doctor who was not prepared if anything went wrong. The defense claims that Jackson took an extra dose when Murray was not looking. Jackson’s doctor has been sentenced to jail for up to four years, along with the removal of his medical license. But, some are saying that he may never go to jail because of his lack of criminal history and over crowding in the jails.

www.mixmatters.com

ENTERTAINMENT

The Stang

Fertitta’s Foods

With a city full of restaurants, sometimes it may be overwhelming. That’s where I come in. by Michael Fertitta, Business Manager Red, it’s a color that represents energy, danger, strength, power, courage as well as determination. Red is a powerful color in that it can almost provoke people and because of this, it is used as an attention getter. Oh did I forget to mention it’s also the name of a kick splendid restaurant? One recent afternoon, Jason Comis and I decided that we wanted to go somewhere different that day to go eat. We were feeling we wanted to go somewhere far and that we could have fun and then it hit me, The Kemah Boardwalk. Jason also decided to invite two of his friends, Shelly Perlick and another lady who asked to remain anonymous. When we arrived, there were a lot of choices of restaurants but we all had our eyes set on “Red,” which is a sushi and hibachi grill. We sat down and were seated immediately, so service already stands out as amazing. The menus were small and only about 4 pages. At ﬁrst I felt like this was a negative, but after reviewing the menu, I realized all restaurants should be this way. I feel like it was better because even though the menu was small, it was very plentiful and they only included things on the menu that you would enjoy. There wasn’t 10 pages with a clutter of stuff that no one would eat. The food wasn’t super speedy but you know what, in an environment like that you don’t want the food to get there fast. You want time to kick back and relax with some friends with some jokes and good conversation. They had a plethora of different roles, from the Crunch Roll to the Rockin Roll. I ordered the Las Vegas roll, and I had never had sushi before so I was skeptical on how it would taste.

CHRISTMAS QUIZ

Long story short, ever since I have eaten at Red, I have been craving sushi ever since. When we asked for the check, we for some reason got red carpet treatment with the manager himself coming to my table to give me the check and to personally ask how my meal was. RED is truly a place that cares about their customers. After our dinner I officially put “RED” under “Fertitta’s top 5.” When we left, we couldn’t help but have to visit the amusement ride section. I wasn’t much for rides, but Kemah offers 9 different rides, enough for anyone to be able to find one they could ride. This was the first time I had come to Kemah in high school and my only regret is that I waited till my senior year to do so. This is me telling all the under class men out there to go to Kemah now.

What is your favorite Christmas Treat? A) Christmas Candies B)Christmas Cookies C) Hot Chocolate

Mostly A’s You are most like Santa’s sweet helpful elves!

What is your favorite Chrismas tradition? A) Wrapping the presents B) Giving gifts to the less fortunate C) Singing Christmas Carols

Mostly B’s

You are most like Santa! You would rather give than recieve

What is your favorite Chrismas decoration? A) Stockings hung by the fire B)Christmas Tree C) Christmas Lights

Mostly C’s

You are most like Frosty the snow man! You love classic Christmas traditions!

18 Top 10 Things to Do on Christmas Break THE BACK PAGE

December 11

The Stang

by Ashley Richards, Stang Staff

The Nutcracker Ballet is a Houston Christmas tradition that almost everyone will enjoy. Although this activity is expensive, it is de�initely worth it.

Christmas Concerts 104.1 KRBE and Hot 95.7 put on concerts during the Christmas season featuring of all the year’s best artists.

A Christmas Movie day Going to see all of the Holiday Season’s movies at the movie theater is a fun way to spend a cold December day. Get a group of friends to go see the newest Christmas movies at your local theater.

Christmas Shopping There are great sales and new trends to go shop for and nothing is more fun then going shopping for your friends and family during the Holiday season. Check out the Galleria and the ice rink.

Ice skating at Discovery Green is a fun activity that is very cheap. Ticket prices start at $10 and the view of Discovery Green makes this experience super memorable.

The Woodlands Winter Wonderland is a combination of ice skating and a lights tour with all of your favorite Christmas characters.

Seeing Santa at the Memorial City Mall may have been something you did when you were little, but it is still a great tradition that you can continue even in your high school years.

Hot Cocoa and S’mores are a great treat while sitting around a camp�ire with all of your friends. Keeping warm while eating yummy treats is a fun thing to do with all of your friends on a cold day.

Picture Guess

Building a Gingerbread House with your friends is a cheap but yummy way to get into the Holiday spirit.

Answers: Angel, Fruit Cake, Home Alone, Nutcracker, Snowman, Santa

Lights in the Heights has some of the most beautiful Christmas decorations in Houston. Visiting this attraction is a great trip for your friends during Christmas Break! There is also a lights tour that is great for taking your date on.