The Stang by Houston Christian High School

In the News Community 2-- Head to page

two to read about one of the biggest conferences in the world: Passion.

Sports 3-- What’s hot and happening with athletics?

Find out about all of the new sports coming up. You can also get an inside look at our basketball team’s motto for the season..

Entertainment 6-- Check out this month’s tweets from all over campus. If you have a great tweet to share, let the Stang know.

6-- Head to the

School 3-- Here you can find out about the

entertainment page to read about the new hit movie, Nashville.

Basketball team’s road to the SPC Championship.

Fine Arts 7-- Read about the

band, orchestra, and choir performances at the annual Chrsitmas concert.

Feature 8-9-- The feature is full of everything 2013!

Find out about the most popular New Year’s resolutions, and your fellow classmate’s choices.

the

Stang

January 2013

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

New Years eve party by Spencer Traver, Stang Staff On New Year’s Eve, tens of thousands of Houstonians poured into Discovery Green in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center for a citywide party. Fireworks, music, lights, ice skating, and many other attractions lured in local residents from all surrounding areas. From 7pm until 1am, residents poured into the area to ring in the new year of 2013. Though the celebration began at 7pm, the real party came in the later hours close to midnight. There was an illuminated parade with trucks, buses, convertibles, motorcycles, and other vehicles covered in as many lights as one could possibly imagine. Following the parade, there was a DJ duel between DJ Gonz and Elroy Boogie. The two battled it out from illuminated towers throughout the park. Sadly, the live musical entertainment that was supposed to be provided by KC and the Sunshine Band for the

evening was cancelled due to rain. The party was not all centered around adults though. There was kid’s soul train and disco area for the kids that would not be able to stay awake past their bedtimes for the midnight countdown. In the 70’s-themed area were stilt walkers, rock climbing, glowing bungee trampolines, and quad jumpers. The main entertainment of the whole midnight party came right as the clock struck twelve with a show of fireworks. Hundreds of flaming fireworks were set off the top of the George R. Brown convention center leaving a beautiful sight for those in attendance, as well as the viewers at home watching the live broadcast on the news. While many in Houston celebrated downtown at Discovery Green, a large number of Houston Christian’s students celebrated their own ways. For instance, senior Ryan Leiss12 went with fellow students to a

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S K C Discovery Green O R Downtown Houston comes to life for 2013.

neighborhood party. Ryan described his special night by saying, “When the clock struck midnight, I became the happiest man alive. What a great New Year’s!” Fellow senior Vika Wyman12 agreed with Ryan by saying, “Though the whole celebration was great and all, I really enjoyed that spectacular feeling when the clock finally struck midnight.

I can feel the excitement just by thinking of it right now!” Some students decided to take a different approach to celebrating New Year’s Eve. Likewise, seniors Emma Loo12 and Matt Hook12 decided to go and experience a murder mystery dinner with family. Emma said, “I enjoyed watching fireworks and spending time with my best friend and his family for

New Year’s.” Ryan, Vika, Emma, and Matt are just four of many students that enjoyed their celebration of ringing in 2013. Fireworks, loud music, and plenty of lights seemed to be the common denominators for the fun around Houston this New Year’s Eve. This New Year’s Eve was a great success for the entire Houston community.

January 2013

Community/School

Over 60,000 come together in Jesus’ name Passion 2013 unites a new generation of young Christians by Michael Vaughan, Stang Staff

THE GEORGIA DOME reverberates with singing, applause and praise as the Passion 2013 conference gets underway. Nine seniors attended this year with Chaplains Mike Maddry and Lisa Porter Ever been disappointed in our generation? Ever feel like we just won’t amount to much? If you are a Christian, have you ever looked at our waywardness and been flat out discouraged? For better or for worse, I have. To some in our society, our current generation is viewed as lethargic, narcissistic, and unfocused. We are overcome in this age of technology with so many distractions that all people see is our inability to be productive. Many fear we will amount to nothing. However, not everyone feels this way about us.

There are people everywhere who care about us enough to invest their lives in our generation and withdraw the potential we hold. Many of these people teach us in our classrooms every day. Another person who is devoted to raising up the next generation of Christian young adults is Louie Giglio, an Atlanta pastor who founded the Passion Conferences. The Passion movement was started in 1997 after Louie and his wife, Shelley, had been inspired by a similar movement in South Korea. Since then, Passion has grown to a worldwide

movement, with five conferences in 2012. The main conference is held in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, and other locations include Vancouver, Kampala (Uganda), and three in South Africa: Durban, Pretoria, and Cape Town. What distinguishes the Passion Conference is its size, unbelievable worship with many of the world’s favorite Christian artists, and an all-star line-up of speakers. The conference was initially meant for college students only, but has recently been opened up to high school seniors. This year, nine HC seniors were able to attend the conference. Chaplain Mike Maddry led a group of six boys including Chambers Swiggart, Keith Crawford, Spencer Traver, Ricky Wolfe, Kyle Garman, and myself. Lisa Porter led a group of girls including Kelsey DeBerry and Gianna Tiedemann, and Matt Yochum went with his church. This year’s conference featured music from Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Jesus Culture, and rapper Lecrae. The speakers were equally as impressive and impactful. They featured Louie, Beth Moore, Francis Chan, Judah Smith, and John Piper. While this conference was intended to unite a generation, it also featured a call to action. During the four days there, we were informed of modern day slavery and human trafficking in the world today. Slavery is more prevalent today than it ever has been, with around

27 million slaves. Passion launched the End It Movement, a cause to fight modern day slavery. While at Passion, the students and online viewers raised over $2.9 million that will go to 19 organizations that are involved internationally in freeing slaves. When asked about the experience as a whole, Kelsey DeBerry12 said, “It was amazing to see 60,000 people thirsty to know God all gathered in the Georgia Dome. Passion restored my hope that God is faithful even when we are faithless, and He will always do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine.” The verse Kelsey refers to here is Ephesians 3:20, which was the unofficial theme verse of Passion 2013. Senior Chambers Swiggart12 had a funny way of describing the experience, saying, “That’s pretty neat.” Passion 2013 referred to our generation as the 268 generation, which is derived from Isaiah 26:8 which says, “Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.” If you are a junior, I would urge you to try to go this life changing event next year.

Johnny HeisManziel: Freshman Phenom wins award Red shirt freshman ends up winning the biggest award in college football by Matt Yochum, Stang Staff

Johnathan Paul Manziel, more widely known as “Johnny Football,” is a red-shirt freshman quarterback who plays for the Texas A&M Aggies. Johnny Manziel first got a lot a notoriety after he was announced the starter in the Spring, but most didn’t realize he would be starting until the beginning of the first game against Florida. Sophomore Pete Chronis also hadn’t heard of him saying, “I thought the Aggies were in for a long season after I heard Johnny was starting. No one had really ever heard of him!” After winning the Heisman and Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, Manziel is here to make an impact for the Aggies. Johnny was born in Tyler, Texas, to Michelle and Paul Manziel, and has a little sister who is still in high school.

Johnny was always had a fixation with sports playing basketball, baseball, golf and football as a kid. At Tivy High School, Johnny became a star being compared to quarterbacks like Brett Favre, Michael Vick, and Drew Brees in the Kerrville area. His first two years in high school, he was primarily a wide receiver, but moved to quarterback during his sophomore season. He finished the season though with 1,164 yards passing, 806 rushing and 408 receiving with a combined 28 touchdowns. Going into his junior year, he was the starter at quarterback and after a break-out season he was voted All-San Antonio Area Offensive Player of the Year and District 27-4A MVP. In his senior year he ended up with 77 touchdowns and again was honored as the MVP, class 4A First Team

All-State, and a plethora of other awards. He ended up being named the number one quarterback in Texas. He was highly recruited going into college; in addition to Texas A&M, he also received offers from Baylor, Colorado State, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Oregon, Rice, Stanford, Tulsa, and Wyoming. In the last season that the Aggies were a part of the Big XII, Johnny was red-shirted behind soon to be NFL Quarterback Ryan Tannehill. After his red-shirt freshman season, he was arrested and charged with three misdemeanors (disorderly conduct, failure to identify, and possession of a fictitious driver’s license), which stemmed from a late-night fight in College Station. After this act of immaturity, Manziel showed he had a right to be on the football team. Before being named the starting quarterback, Coach Sumlin was asked about the incident and he replied saying, “He’s handled those and has probably done more than people even know.” This speaks to how even though he made a bad decision, he didn’t let that make him a bad person or man. Throughout the 2012 season, Manziel created some hype with his ability to run out of the pocket and create plays for himself, scoring a rushing touchdown in all but two games this year. Manziel led the Aggies to an impressive 11-2 beating the number one team in the nation,

Alabama, along with other ranked teams like Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech, and finally Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. He also put up Cam Newton-like numbers, being able to run as well as pass. Going into the Heisman induction, Johnny was highly scrutinized for his status as a red-shirt freshman and his past. Going up against Manti Te’o didn’t help either. Senior Alex Roys said, “If Manti doesn’t win then I’ll never watch the Heisman again, or maybe even college football in general.” Even with criticism like this, Johnny ended up taking the award, winning pretty convincingly with 2, 029 votes to Manti’s 1,706 votes. After he won of course everyone was saying things like, “Johnny only won because there aren’t any Heisman worthy players this year.” But it didn’t matter because Johnny was that Heisman caliber player. He has the great comeback story, the stats, the wins, all in the Aggies first season as an SEC team. He showed this in the Cotton bowl by rushing and passing for over 200 yards as well as scoring 4 touchdowns. After the game, freshman Pete Huggins said, “I think that everyone that doubted Johnny this year because of his Heisman status now will agree he deserved to win the award after Johnny’s great play in the Cotton Bowl and Manti’s sorry play in the National Championship.”

News

The Celebration of the Year

The Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration tradition carries on by Gianna Tiedemann, Stang Staff York Times renamed what was formerly known as Longacre Square to Times Square, after his paper. The Times Tower, was (at the time) Manhattan’s second tallest building, and was the focal point of the celebration. From this building’s base, a show of fireworks would rocket into the night sky as part of the excitement and celebration the New Year brings. During the day, crowds would line the streets and festivities would begin, but when the ball would drop, cheering from the immense crowds of people could be heard for miles. Speaking of the ball, how did a giant ball come into play anyway? EACH YEAR, thousands gather in Times Square Well, two years after the celebration to watch the ball drop. This nationally telehad first begun, the city of New vised event is an American tradition. York had banned fireworks; in order to maintain the excitement, Alfred “Three..two…one….Happy New Ochs created the gigantic, 700 pound iron Year!” These are the words that ring from and wood, lit ball that was lowered from New York City’s Times Square as thousands the tower as a way to symbolize that the upon thousands of people celebrate the New Year was here. Although this tradition lowering of that illuminated ball signaling lasted for many years after, the ball was that the New Year has arrived. As many provisionally retired in 1942 and 1943 due of you may already know, this exciting to “wartime ‘dim-out’” (History of New celebration is not a new tradition. Year’s Eve) of the lights in New York City. Before ringing in the New Year But, as we all know, the ball has still been at Times Square, many people celebrated around to celebrate the start of a new year. the coming of the next year at Lower Broadcasting has also been a huge Manhattan’s Trinity Church. The first part of the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration began in 1904 when Alfred celebration. Early on in the celebration, Ochs, owner and producer of The New

Dick Clark, owner and producer of ABC’s New Year’s Rockin Eve, hosted the celebration and helped many people celebrate the New Year. It was not until recently that E! News’ Ryan Seacrest cohosted the celebration with the famous, Dick Clark. Unfortunately, Dick Clark’s vibrant and energetic commentary came to an end when he died in 2012. Although he was not there, his celebration still went on and his legacy was remembered. Other competing broadcasters that cover New Year’s Eve are Carson Daly from FOX, who is one of the most notable in this celebration, Country Music’s, Rodney Carrington, CNN’s, Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin, and not to mention CBS’s Guy Lombardo. Although ringing in the new year in Times Square seems fun, there are many people who prefer to watch it from the comfort of their homes or at parties around the U.S. Senior Emma Loo said that “it would be crowded, freezing, and I’d be standing there for hours, but I know that once the ball drops it would all be worth it.” On the other hand, senior Jordan Zeal has been to New York on New Year’s Eve. She said, “It was so much fun to be in such a big crowd of people who are all excited for the New Year like I am.” So, whether you prefer to spend your New Year’s Eve at home, at a party, or in Times Square itself, you can always watch and join in the fun of the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration.

Texas college football ends on season high What many consider to be the most exciting season of the year is finally done

by Connor Kelley, Stang Staff All of college football fans favorite time of year is during the end of the season with all of the college bowl games. This is where all of the top college football teams go head to head. It is a very exciting time for both the college athletes and fans. Junior John O’Carroll says, “This the best time of year for college football that is full of great games and exciting plays.” There are also many crazy bowl names due to the advertising and sponsoring of business. Such as names like, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, GoDaddy. com Bowl, Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, and many more business named bowls. Freshman Justin McCormack says he “finds some of these names to be extremely long and strange.” The BCS rankings and NCAA Conference rankings determine which teams get to play in these bowls. The BCS standings mostly deals with the top 25 teams and which teams get to play in the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and BCS National Championship Game. The BCS National Championship Game rotates between these four bowls from each year. Throughout the season, everyone was debating whether the Texas A&M Aggies made the right choice to switch into the SEC before the season. The

Aggie’s proved that they were fit during the whole season by playing great, exciting football that had them competing in every game. With the help of Redshirt Freshman Quarterback, Johnny Manziel, the Aggies were able to finish with a highly successful season. The Aggies finished 11-2 and with a ranking of ninth in the nation. They also had a huge win against the Alabama Crimson Tide, which were ranked first in the nation at the time, and were able to go on win the 2013 Cotton Bowl Classic against the Oklahoma Sooners. Johnny Manziel was also awarded the Heisman Trophy; being the first Freshman and only the second Aggie ever to win the award. So in most regards the Aggies proved they made the right decision to move into the SEC. This year, the top teams in the BCS rankings were Notre Dame Fighting Irish, in first place, and Alabama Crimson Tide, in second. Before the game, Notre Dame were the biggest underdogs from a point spread, even though they were ranked higher and undefeated for the whole season. Before the game, huge Texas A&M Aggie fan, Chase Harris said, “If Alabama wins, that would make the Aggie’s win over them so much bigger.” All SEC school’s fans were rooting for the Crimson Tide to pull out a win for the SEC schools to prove they are the best

conference in college football. Finally, the game was played and it ended up not even being close. Just like it was predicted Alabama blew out Notre Dame winning 42-14. This made for Alabama’s third BCS National Championship Title in a row. The Fighting Irish were no longer undefeated and left behind the shadows of the Crimson Tide’s huge dominating game.

The Stang

HC Basketball takes a shot at the title by Connor Kelley, Stang Staff

This year the end of the season came down to the very end with seeding and placement for who would get a bye in the wild card round and who would have to play it out for a place in the divisional round. The Texans went into week 17 against the Colts as the number 1 seed in the AFC. After week 17 and a lose to the Colts the Texans dropped to 3rd because the Patriots and Broncos ended up winning their games giving them byes and forcing the injury riddled Texans to play the Bengals in a Wild Card rematch from last year in which the Texans edged it out with a 19-13 victory. Also in the AFC the Ravens (4 seed) and Colts (5 seed) played with the Ravens easily winning with a 24-9 win. In the NFC the Seahawks (5 seed) and Redskins (4 seed) played in a controversial game in which Robert Griffin tore his ACL and was taken out after being told he was already hurt. The Seahawks ended up advancing with a 24-14 victory. Finally in the Wild Card the Packers (3 seed) and Vikings (6 seed) matched up as Christian Ponder the starting quarterback for the Vikings was sidelined forcing their below par backup quarterback Joe Webb to play. Basically handing the game too the Packers with a 24-10 Packers win. The next round brought about new challenges and controversies as the Patriots (2 seed) and Texans had already played earlier in the season in which the Texans were killed 4214. In this game the Texans put up a more valiant fight, but were still beaten 41-28. As the Ravens advanced to play the Broncos they had a lot of confidence going to Denver to play Peyton Manning and their high scoring offense. This game came down to the very end going into double overtime. The Ravens would walk out of this one victorious. On the NFC side the Packers and 49ers (2 seed) faced off in what was assumed to be a fight till the end. The 49ers ended up with the win in a 45-31 victory. Then to finish out the divisional round the hot Seahawks took on the number one team in the league, the Falcons. This game started out as a blow out, but with a 2nd half surge by the Seahawks the game came down to a 30-28 win by the Falcons. The advancing teams will fight it out on January 20th to see who will get to play for it all in the Super Bowl! Check in on the action to see who ends up winning!

January 2013

Opinions

Rachel’s thoughts on 2013 at Times Square From Broadway shows to a chinese performance, there was some great entertainment in NYC. By Rachel Driver, Editor-in-Chief Stang Staff The guys were all over the stage, giving everyone out in the crowd a glimpse of the concert. It was a fun and entertaining concert that I thought was really great. Neon Trees performed the song Everybody Talks. There was also that one performance no one will forget coming into the New Year. The song that has become popular all around the world, known as Gangnam Style, was performed by the one and only PSY. I cannot say that he was one of my favorite performers to watch, but he was entertaining. This show included a lot of dancers, fun lights, interesting costumes, and a guest appearance by Hammer. Another performance that I really liked was when Cassadee Pope sang. Her song was Before I start to hand over my opinion on the performances at Times Square in New York on New Year’s Eve, I must first fill you in on all the artists that had the privilege of hitting the stage that night. For those of us who were not quite lucky enough to experience these performances live, we gathered with friends and family to watch it on the TV. Although watching a concert from a small television screen is no comparison to actually being in the midst of it all, a great performance is a great performance and every year some of the world’s best artists are asked to put on a show that will entertain people all over the world as a new year approaches. Performing at Times Square on New Years Eve is a dream of artists and performers everywhere, so being chosen is quite the accomplishment.

Performances that led the world into 2013 included bands such as The Revelers, Train, Cassadee Pope, Neon Trees, the “Million Dollar Quartet” Broadway Cast, Carly Rae Jepsen, Tiffany Alvord, PSY, Yuri, and Taylor Swift. There were also a couple of performances that were internationally inspired and very interesting, such as the Chinese Cultural Performance which included the Panda Dance. Out of all the performances, there were some that I really enjoyed. The performances that stood out to me had certain things in common. For instance, a fun party song, a beat you can dance to, crowd involvement, movement on stage, and an interesting show were parts of the performances that I enjoyed. I thought Neon Trees had a great performance.

not the typical pump up party song, but it was different than the other performances. I thought the song was very inspirational, and it was another good performance that kicked off the New Year. It was hard picking favorites from such a talented group of artists. Every artist put on a great performance and pleased everyone in New York and at home. Along with the great concerts and performances, there was some other fun additions to the night. Something I never knew about was the Kiss of the Year contest on the Nivea Kiss Stage. This fun and cheesy event was presented by Mario and Courtney Lopez. To be apart of this contest, a couple must share their incredible, adorable love story via Facebook to be chosen to have a New Year’s kiss on the big Times Square stage in New York. This is a fun way to raise money for Nivea. New York on New Year’s Eve is a historic event that happens in Times Square and has been going on for 108 years, and is still going. These performances and events just add to the tradition of welcoming the New Year.

What makes Alexa sleepy?

STANG 2012-2013

Editor-in-Chief-- Rachel Driver Junior Editor-- Ashley Richards Managing Editor-- Gianna Tiedemann Copy Editor-- Alexa Reinhart Stang Staff Amanda Brown, Stephen Consoli, Ryan Hooker, Connor Kelley, Samantha Moore, Matt Scott, Spencer Traver, Michael Vaughan, Matt Yochum 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 HC Students. For advertising information please contact Heidi McCurdy at 713-580-6044 or email at hmccurdy@houstonchristian.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: Please email your comments to hmccurdy@houstonchristian.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

Watching movies, rainy days, and soda By Alexa Reinhart, Copy Editor

This month, I am going to inform all of my wonderful readers about what makes me tired. There is an abundance of physical activities that make me tired, but I am going to talk about things that specifically make me sleepy, not just tired. Watching movies, rainy days, and soda all make me extremely sleepy. Sometimes I am “that girl” at the sleepovers that falls asleep immediately after the movie starts. Just kidding, if I am being honest, I am always that girl. Something about movies at night time makes me so sleepy. But, movies during the day or morning make me even sleepier and they start off my day of overall laziness. How could you not feel sleepy while watching a movie, cuddled up and comfy? If I cannot fall asleep, I pop in a movie, cuddle up with a blanket and fall fast asleep. Listening to the rain hit my rooftop, watching the raindrops trickle down the window, feeling sleepy is just a natural reaction. Everyone loves those rainy days every once in awhile where we can just stay in our pajamas, watch movies, and sleep. Well, maybe not everyone does, but I do for sure. Rain also helps me sleep a million times better. The nights when it is storming outside are the nights that

I sleep the best. This may sound strange, and you probably think I am weird (not that you probably didn’t already), but there is this website, rainymood.com, that plays the sound of rain all of the time. Call me desperate for a good night’s rest, but some nights I leave my computer screen up, with the brightness down, and I fall asleep listening to the rain, well fake rain, but rain nonetheless. I think everyone should try it out if you love rain as much as I do. Side note: rainy days call for whipping out the super cute rain boots. I mean hello, who doesn’t like to wear their rain boots? (Silence) Exactly. Lastly, soda makes me tired. Theoretically, soda, which contains caffeine, is supposed to make you hyperactive and jittery, but it has the exact opposite reaction on me. I used to drink a Dr. Pepper before bed, and I would actually fall asleep faster because it made me sleepy. Strange right? I have heard of some people not being able to drink any caffeine past lunch because they won’t be able to sleep at night, but I have the complete opposite reaction. Although many other things make me sleepy, these are three of the top ones that make me sleepy. Zzzzzzzzz.....

Opinions

The Stang

Stephen’s Sports Report: Griffin vs Luck By: Stephen Consoli, Stang Staff Like my last article about Lebron and Kobe, I am going to discuss two more athletes that will be compared for the rest of their careers, whether they like it or not. One became the Heisman Trophy winner and the other was the runner up. They were drafted first and second in the NFL Draft. They both play the same position, and the most important position on the field at that. All of these different variables bring about a lot of comparisons, and even more expectations. In fact the winner of the most coveted award in college football was drafted second behind the runner up in the NFL Draft. So what can you take from the flip flop of the two? Well, one thing we know for sure, the debate of who’s better between Heisman, Robert Griffin III, and number one overall draft pick, Andrew Luck, will never end. Robert Griffin III was a quarterback who could do it all when he was in college. He made every throw you are asked to make as a quarterback and was very accurate. He had a ridiculous completion percentage of 72.4% and threw for 4293 yards, 37 touchdowns, and a mere six interceptions. To add to his remarkable passing numbers, Griffin III ran for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns. His most impressive stat, however, was his quarterback rating. He had an unheard of 189.5 rating. Although Russell Wilson set the record for quarterback rating last year at 191.8, RG3’s 189.5 is second in FBS history. These stats led Robert Griffin III to bring Baylor University their first Heisman Trophy ever. Griffin’s Heisman campaign warranted him to get drafted second overall to the Washington Redskins in the 2012 draft. Coming out of college, Andrew Luck was considered NFL-ready because of the pro-style offense that he ran at Stanford, his ability to make good decisions, and of course, his physical skill set as well.

Despite being the runner up to Robert Griffin III in the Heisman race, these three things earned Luck high consideration as the best quarterback in the 2012 draft. Andrew Luck’s last year in college was not one to be forgotten. He completed 71.3% of his passes and threw for 3517 yards. He added 37 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions with a quarterback rating of 169.7. He also ran for 150 yards and two

from inevitably keeping himself in the discussion for Offensive Rookie of the Year and continuing to the debate between him and RG3. Luck orchestrated multiple fourth quarter comebacks this season as he led his colts to an incredible 11-5 record, seizing a wild card spot after being just 2-14 a year ago. He showed great resilience in bouncing back from his 18 interceptions this year. These 18 interceptions were

touchdowns. He went on to be draft first overall by the Indianapolis Colts. Of course this comparison began during their college years, but the real debate will be settled over the course of their NFL careers. So that’s the direction I’m going to go in and I will compare each of their rookie seasons. To start, I’ll just mention that both, Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck, took their teams to the playoffs in their first year in the league. Andrew Luck took the Colts from 2-14 to an impressive 11-5. Robert Griffin III helped double the Redskins win total from a year ago to get to 10-6. Unfortunately though, the Colts and the Redskins lost in the first round of the playoffs. Andrew Luck had an impressive rookie year in the big, bad NFL. He had his struggles, but this did not keep him

actually tied for second most in the NFL, which some see as a surprise, but as a rookie, not everyone can have the kind of rookie season RG3 did. Apart from the 18 interceptions, Andrew Luck posted fantastic numbers including 4,374 yards, despite having a below average completion percentage of 54.1. His completion percentage was actually so bad, it was thirty-first in the league, just in front of Chad Henne who only played in 8 games this season. Luck actually ran for 255 yards and five touchdowns this year. Everyone knew Luck had some wheels coming out of college, but the five touchdowns is something to be noted. Although Luck had an exceptional rookie season, I do not believe he did enough to beat out Robert Griffin in their first real year of debate. Robert Griffin III lit up the NFL

in his first season. For the majority of the season, he led the league in passer rating, but fell to number three by the end of the year. Only Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning bettered Griffin’s notable 102.4 rating. RG3 only threw five interceptions this year, which was the least in the league by starters of more than six games. Normally, NFL coverages and secondaries are a tough adjustment for rookie quarterbacks, but this year Robert Griffin III proved otherwise with his 65.6 completion percentage. It was also good for fourth in the league. He threw for 3,200 yards this year and 20 touchdowns. His 20 to four touchdown to interception ratio was second best behind Tom Brady who barely edged him out with his 34 to eight. Aside from his outstanding passing stats as a rookie, RG3 also ran for 815 yards and seven touchdowns. He was in the top 20 in the league in rushing this year, and let me remind you, he is a quarterback. He ran for the most yards by any quarterback this year as he shattered Cam Newton’s rookie record by over a hundred yards. Robert Griffin III showed this season why, in my opinion, he deserves rookie of the year and the best rookie quarterback in his class. Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III are two amazing athletes that can do it all and make every throw, but in a debate over who had the better rookie season, there has to be a winner. My opinion may not be the majority (we will find out when they announce the OROY), but I think that Robert Griffin III clearly had the better season of the two. We will have plenty more years to come to continue and debate and discuss who the better quarterback is, but in their first campaigns as the futures of the NFL, Robert Griffin edges out Andrew Luck in this one. If you have a different opinion, I’d love to hear it and discuss it with you, so don’t be afraid to shoot me an email.

New Year’s Resolutions are worth your time

Goal setting can lead us to become better people By Spencer Traver, Stang Staff As I have grown older and matured, I have found several people asking, “Are New Year’s resolutions worth the hype?” Goal setting is not meant to create in us an achiever of achievements, but simply a master of one’s self. I promise it is not as confusing as it sounds. The true goal behind setting goals is the person that you become through a resolution, not the reward that you receive at the end. Gaining things in this world is all a wash, but setting goals and resolutions is most definitely worth the time if it is done to become a changed person for better. After researching the resolutions of other people, I found myself somewhat taken back by the vagueness behind each other’s goals. USA.gov recently surveyed the American public on New Year’s resolutions to compile a list of the most popular ones. Among the final results were to get fit, manage debt, save money, take a trip, help others, eat healthy food, and more. Please do not misunderstand my message. All of these goals are good, but where is the purpose that seems to be lacking behind each goal? Does taking a trip or saving money make you a good

person? It certainly does not. For example, imagine that I set a goal to become a millionaire by 25 years old. Is the true goal to gain a million dollars, or is it to learn to how to become successful and efficient enough to earn money in excess? Each goal on the list of popular resolutions posted by the government was legitimate, but they all lacked purpose. This is because the eyes of our world are too centered on materialism, when they should be focused on the heart of God and the character of man. I could list countless millionaires that achieved their goals, but then needed to set new goals to beat greediness and all that comes with it. With that in mind, I have set goals for myself to resolve over the next year. Over the next year, I strive to complete writing a book titled More Than Conquerors based on the famous passage in Romans 8 that relates to Christians being more than conquerors in the love and power of our Lord Jesus Christ. I also have made it a goal to graduate high school with a higher GPA than when I began schooling freshman year. While this may seem like an easy goal, as I am on

track to finish high school and have been accepted to 6 universities, it has helped me keep my efforts focused on finishing strong. After transferring from Fort Bend Baptist Academy to Houston Christian for my final two years of high school, my GPA began to plummet. I slacked off, but more importantly, I allowed the excuses of the transfer as well as moving to Navasota to interfere with my effort. In response to this, I put forth my best effort my first semester of my senior year, and proudly finished with a much higher GPA. In fact, I raised my high school GPA 1.3 points to get back on track to my original GPA. I

accomplished this not for numbers, but for learning that my academic abilities are far greater than what I allowed them to sink to. I was taught perseverance, focus, and even humility as I went and got help from other students, teachers, and educated people. Lastly, but most importantly, I have made it a life goal to live by Micah 6:8, which says, “…What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” It is not too late to set goals for yourself. Set smart goals, and be sure to give them purpose. January 2013 is a new beginning for all, but so is every day.

January 2013

Fine Arts

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy

Ugly colored smoothies, rich in nutrients and vitamins, are delicious and healthy by Alexa Reinhart, Copy Editor Hey guys, I hope Christmas break treated all of you nicely, but I am sure you couldn’t wait to come back to the good ole HC, huh? Nonetheless, this month will be about GREEN SMOOTHIES. Yes, green smoothies. Some of you may not know what I am talking about, and some of you will probably quit reading this article once I tell you what they are. Green smoothies are smoothies containing leafy, green vegetables; hint the name “green smoothies” (hello to the few that are still reading). For Christmas, Santa gave me a Vitamix, which is a high-powered blender specifically, made for the blending of whole foods, such as the ingredients found in these smoothies. Before any of you judge my excitement on receiving a Vitamix as my “big gift,” in

my defense, I would like to say that I have broken three blenders in the past three months prior to receiving the Vitamix, so this gift was very much appreciated by the whole family. Anyway, back to the green smoothies… despite the strange color of these smoothies, they are extremely healthy and actually taste pretty good. Of course these smoothies have an enormous amount of antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin A, C, and E. They are also loaded with nutrients that will boost your immune system that will prevent diseases and infections. Many doctors, like Dr. Oz, suggests that you drink one every day, or a few times a week, which obviously I know practically no one is going to do, or does at all, but these drinks do provide crucial vitamins

that will benefit you. Also, since these drinks are purely fruit and vegetable (besides a few occasional supplements or juices), the smoothies are extremely low calorie and very filling. There are many different recipes for green smoothies out there, but personally, I just stick to something simple. Because I just started drinking these smoothies, I only add two vegetables, spinach and kale, but cucumber and celery are two vegetables to add too. Additionally, you could add whatever leafy green you would like, but I am starting out small so that I can get used to the taste. Along with the vegetables, some great fruits to add are the following: strawberries, apples, oranges, bananas, mangos, papayas, blueberries, kiwi, raspberries, blackberries, pineapple, etc. If this article

has convinced you enough to want to try a green smoothie, I suggest you use frozen fruits, and you add more fruits than you do vegetables. Frozen fruit adds thickness and makes the smoothie creamier, almost like ice cream was added. But of course if you like thin, watery smoothies, then fresh fruit will do fine. I suggest using more fruit your first few times because the taste will be strange at first, so adding more fruits will make the smoothie sweeter. There are many recipes out there you can follow, but personally, I do not use any recipes. I choose my vegetables, a few fruits (three or four), water, ice, and occasionally yogurt, or a type of juice and that is about it. Flax seed, bee pollen, and whey protein are also great to add for energy and nutrients. In

case you want to follow a recipe, here is a great recipe to try if it is your first time drinking a green smoothie. Bon Appetit. Kale and Berry Smoothie Approximate ingredients: --1 large banana --1/3 C plain, low fat yogurt --1 C kale (without the stock) --1½ C (about) frozen berries (suggestion: a berry medley ie: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries)

--1/3 C Juice (apple or orange) --ice Blend the Kale and juice first. Add the fruits and yogurt next. If the fruit is frozen, completely blend all of the fruit first. If the consistency is too thin, add ice and if it is too thick, add water. If the smoothie is still too “green-y” for your taste, add the desired amount of fruit.

Guitar is Rocking and Rolling 75 minutes of music and fun by Samantha Moore, Stang Staff

Having a class dedicated to learning how to play the guitar offers a unique challenge to the students. Students learn to not only play, but also to read music. However, it is not an easy talent to pick up. Learning how to play an instrument involves an immense amount of time dedicated to practicing, but it is very rewarding to be able to play a song on your own. Mr. Phil Sweger, an experienced guitarist, teaches the fine arts class. He has been playing the guitar for “roughly 13 years, beginning during his senior year of high school.” Teaching the class gives him the opportunity to teach kids who know nothing about music to

play complete songs with groups of students. This is his favorite part of the class. He says, “Going from no musical knowledge to performing full songs is very rewarding.” According to him, it is quite the challenge and accomplishment to play an instrument correctly. Guitar class is more than a place to learn to play an instrument; it offers students a fun, different experience compared to math and science classes. Many unique memories are made in the class with each student’s talents and challenges revealed. Mr. Sweger’s favorite memory from the year so far is “just about anything that Max Morris says.” Each class is filled

with laughter and fun as Mr. Sweger creates a comfortable environment, free of embarrassment, for the students to learn something totally new. Chandler Dugan10, says his favorite part of the class is “getting a break from intellectual classes.” Musical knowledge is different from core classes, and the students enjoy having a class to exercise their brain in a different, more fun way. Learning how to play the guitar is a fun and different skill that many people enjoy. It offers an escape during the day to spend a class period doing something more than taking notes and writing papers, something many students are grateful for.

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree

The HC Fine Arts Department Puts On Many Great Performances by Amanda Brown, Stang Staff Each year around Christmas time, the HC Fine Arts department participates in two major performances: a chapel service and a concert which includes the band and the orchestra. This year, just like every year, the Fine Arts department’s performances were awesome and everyone enjoyed listening to them create sweet music. The Fine Arts department worked very hard to put together these performances, and it really showed when they were performing. First of all, the chapel service was devoted entirely to Christmas music and brief readings of the story of Christmas in between each song. This was a fun and refreshing way to worship, and the students thoroughly enjoyed the whole arrangement of songs. From the powerful first song to the fun African-inspired song, the concert was enjoyable and meaningful for everyone in the audience. Senior

JP Hennessey12 had a solo during this last song, and impressed everyone with his vocals. This fun Christmas chapel was a good end to the first semester. The other concert was also a huge success. This concert was held one night in the chapel and featured the band and the orchestra. The orchestra played a few songs with great historical meaning. One song that was played was written by a guy who would stand in his city’s downtown in the midst of a dangerous war in his country to give people peace about the Christmas season. The band played one of the oldest Christmas carols ever written, and the choir sang Christmas songs that are used to worship Christ’s birth in Nigeria. This concert was not just enjoyable for the audience, but also for the artists involved. Madison Sheehy11, who is in the choir, said that the concert was “an awesome experi-

ence. It was cool to sing about Christmas alongside the band and the orchestra. I liked how the fine arts department came together to celebrate the holiday spirit and the gift of music.” Band member Cristi Keeter11 said that this concert was her favorite so far. “Mr. Sweger is a great director and performing with the orchestra and choir was a fun time!” Lauren Evans11 plays in the orchestra and thoroughly enjoyed playing in this concert. “I liked playing Christmas music so much and love the feeling I get when I play together with a large group,” she said. These two concerts were an awesome way to get in the holiday spirit and to help us remember what Christmas is truly about. The Fine Arts department, headed by awesome directors, truly did a great job performing and the next collaborative concert is highly anticipated by all.

Entertainment

The Stang

ABC’s Nashville is Captivating Chaplain’s Corner With characters full of depth and sets that are very realistic, Nashville is gripping and a great watch.

by Liz Constatinou, NHS Chaplain

by Ashley Richards, Junior Editor

FIND A NEW SHOW

If you need a new show to watch on Wednesday nights, you might want to give Nashville a try. It stars Connie Britton and Haydon Panettiere.

With characters full of depth and sets that are very realistic, Nashville is gripping and a great watch. One new show that has caught my attention is Nashville. Since I am a huge fan of Glee and Friday Night Lights, this show is one of my favorites because it combines my favorite elements of

both of these shows. It has the musical element of Glee, while also being romantic and dramatic like Friday Night Lights. The plot is really complex, but essentially, it is about a woman named Rayna Jaymes who is struggling to keep her music career, family life, and romantic affairs balanced. Her music career is fading

and is being taken over by a younger singer named Juliette Barnes. Juliette is trying to smooth over the negative effects of a scandal (when she stole a bottle of nail polish) while she is dealing with her drug-addicted mother. Other characters are mixed in who do not play as large of a rolein the show, but still add to the drama of the show. What I also really like about Nashville is how not all of the characters interact with one another, but they all are connected in some way. It makes it interesting to see how the drama in one character’s life is going to connect in the lives of the other characters on the show. Nashville is starting up the second part of its first season on January 9th. But if you missed the first part of the season, you can watch it all online. You can

also buy all of the music on iTunes; I strongly recommend listening to some of the songs that they have produced. All of the songs are written for the show and sung by the actual actors in the show, and the music is really good too. It is not a remake of any of any other songs like on Glee, which makes it more fun to listen to, because you are not comparing to the original version. Nashville is a great show and I definitely recommend it because you can watch it by yourself, with a parent, or whoever, and it is enjoyable for anyone who wants to watch it because it mixes drama, romance, politics, and much more. The cast and set are really realistic as well. Overall, I would definitely recommend Nashville for anyone looking for a new TV obsession.

by Spencer Traver, Stang Staff

Favorite Christmas present?

What was your New Year’s Resolution?

Favorite Car?

Have a more frequent quiet time

Nissan GRT

PSP

Win the online Madden league

Mustang GT

Nexus 7

Give God everything in my life

Scarf Alex Roys

Jordan Watkins

Hennessey Venom GT

Dream Date?

Dean

New Bible

Read Everyday

Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

Students – Senior Keith Crawford (@kcrawford22) – “Listening to God’s Great Dance Floor on repeat in the car!! Can’t get enough! @passion268 @headedtothedome” Senior John Rasplicka (@lickitysplick) – “Don’t wait for daylight; don’t run from tonight. Just open your eyes. #NEEDTOBREATHE #nightdriving Senior Alexa Reinhart (@lexipink12) – “’Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.’ Proverbs 16:3 #goals #westchase320 #trustingHim”

Kim Kardashian <3

Lynette Botes

Joshua Keith

Chambers Swiggart

This verse is one of my favorites, and I even have it in my email signature. I love it because of the powerful message it provides. God loves each and every one of us so much, that even when we make mistakes, He is still with us and takes great delight in us. How amazing is that? God has unconditional love for us, which means this love is extended to us even when we sin. Can you imagine loving someone when they have wronged you? Pretty hard, right? But God does this for us. We bring him joy!. Our God is a loving God. Remember this throughout the next month, and you will feel His love!

Monthly Tweets

Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Rob a bank with Courtney Smith

Faculty – Mrs. Metoyer (@TXTchr4life) - “I’m in it to END IT. #ENDITMOVEMENT http://enditmovement.com #makeitknown” Alumni – Baylor student Dale Wallace (@DaleWallE) “Wake up, open your eyes, no longer dead, we are alive... Rise up, children of Light, open the doors, go let it shine... #passion2013” Popular – Christian Blogger/Pastor Jarrid Wilson (@JarridWilson) – “The majority of us give God the last few minutes of our day, when in fact He’s looking to be our first priority. #HeartCheck” Christian Blogger/Pastor James MacDonald (@ jamesmacdonald) – “A big part of peace of mind is choosing what not to think about anymore.” NFL Running Back Steven Jackson (@sj39) – “Blessed Sunday. When u walk with GOD u will ALWAYS reach your destination. Every day will not be rosy, but know there’s purpose in your pain.”

January 2013

New Year’s Resolutions: Do people keep them or not? New Year’s resolutions are a tradition, but do people keep them? byMatt Scott, Stang Staff Well with a new year comes new goals. The tradition of having a New Year’s resolution seems to be diminishing. Urban dictionary describes New Year’s resolutions as,”A commitment that a person makes to one or more personal goals projects, or the reforming of a habit. A key element to a New Year’s resolution that sets it apart from other resolutions is that it is made in anticipation of the New Year and new beginnings. People committing themselves to a New Year’s resolution generally plan to do so for the whole following year. This lifestyle change is generally interpreted as advantageous.” The top 10 New Year’s resolutions for 2012 were: 1) Lose Weight, 2) Getting Organized, 3) Spend Less, Save More, 4) Enjoy Life to the Fullest, 5) Staying Fit and Healthy, 6) Learn Something Exciting, 7) Quit Smoking, 8) Help Others in Their Dreams, 9) Fall in Love, and 10) Spend more time with Family. Just about half of Americans actually make New Year’s Resolutions like these. But after six months, just about half of the people that

made a resolution will give up. Only 8% of people are actually successful at the end of the year; this is because people approach these resolutions in the wrong way. The top ten reasons why people fail are: Doing it alone, extremely lofty goals, giving up too easily, time management, financial burden, unrealistic resolutions, no plan, lack of honesty, and last but not least-- not believing in yourself. Some of our students made New Year resolutions of their own. Brooks Lehle12 said that he wanted to, “write a novel on the legend of the black knight and his rise to fame.” Most New Year’s resolutions have to deal with being healthy. Clara Russell’s12 New Year resolution was to stop drinking Diet Coke. While Heather Bergeron12 simply “just wants to drink more water.” Usually a New Year’s resolution is to benefit your health, but people like Simon Doucet12 said, “My New Year’s resolution is to eat more foonsoon.” Weather you believe in New Year resolutions or not they are still alive in our society. So if you decide to pursue one next year make sure you purse it right.

Feature Your New Year’s Resolutions

by Samantha Moore and Amanda Brown, Stang Staff Mr. Davis- read the Bible every day and finish the whole thing in a year, run five times a week every week Lauren Kattapong- nothing Senor Sam- be more involved in his son’s extracurricular activities Mr. Craig- fail two students in every class Mike Maddry- be content in all circumstances Shelby Barhorst- stop drinking soda Renee Alphonso- be more organized Corey the Coffee Guy- quit Facebook because it’s stupid

Dexter Robinson- work on his rock hard abs Preston Drake- survive the year Kathleen Burt- “not be such a trainwreck” Amanda Brock- grow closer with Christ Rachel Henry- actually follow through on whatever resolution she picks Grace Munford- be intentional in her relationships Harrison Cromwell- get more cats for his car Patrick Mulvey- go hard in rugby

2 0 1 3

Winter Break Whereabouts

Over the Christmas break the newspaper staff kept very busy. Just like the rest of the students, they enjoyed time with their family and friends. But, here are the best memories from Christmas break. Connor Kelley watched the Texans at every home game that they played over winter break.

Alexa Reinhart enjoyed spending time with the Mustang basketball team. They all traveled to Fiesta Texas together right after Christmas day. Samantha Moore spent time in Colorado with her family and her friend Kirsten

Binkley.

Gianna Tiedemann, Spencer Traver, Michael Vaughan, and Matt Yochum went to the Passion conference in Atlanta, Georgia. They spent time with a lot of other Houston Christian students, and they met new friends that wer from all over the country. Amanda Brown spent time with her friends, but her favorite memory was New Year’s Eve. She and her friends had fun with fireworks and sparklers and celebrated the beginnning of 2013. Ashley Richards enjoyed having her older sister home from the University of Oklahoma. She spent time with

Wings ’n Things Proudly Supports Houston Christian

her family and friends. But her favorite part of her Christmas break was playing with her new puppy, Buttercup. Stephen Consoli spent his winter break with family and friends. He spent a lot of time with Matt Yochum. Rachel Driver celebrated Christmas, New Years, and her friend’s birthday. Her favorite part of her winter break was celebrating Courtney Smith’s birthday. Ryan Hooker’s favorite part of his Christmas Break was spending time with his cousin who is in the Navy. He enjoyed being with his family and his friends.

It’s a new thing

The Stang

Winter is Wonderful: The Newspaper Staff had an Exciting Christmas Break

Samantha and Kirsten in Colorado Amanda and Shelby on New Year’s Eve

Spencer at Passion Conference

Ashley, Rachel and Buttercup in their Christmas Card

Michael at Passion Conference

Rachel celebrating her friend, Courtney’s birthday.

Alexa and Miranda are chilly at Fiesta Texas

Matt Yochum at Passion Conference

HAPPY NEW YEAR! - Stang Staff 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013

Connor and Ashley at the Texan’s Game

Gianna at Passion Conference

Ryan with his cousin, an American hero from the Navy

Stephen modeling while at the carwash

January 2013

The Back Page

The Stang

Girl Code & Guy Code What girls want guys to know 1. Being able to make us laugh is so much more important than how much you can bench-press. AR: This is so true...all girls want a guy that can make her laugh all the time, instead of always bragging about how much they bench because that does not really matter. It’s great if a guy is in shape and toned, but bragging about how much you bench press is not the way to keep a girl. GT: Exactly, Alexa, I couldn’t agree with you more. What’s even more irritating about that is I’ve heard that guys will tell a girl that they could bench them if they wanted to; this is unacceptable. AR: HAHA I honestly would not know how to take that comment... 2. “Wife Beaters” are not an adequate form of fashion. AR: Hahaha okay this one is just great...I honestly do not know how to comment on this one besides saying that they are just not attractive. Now I’m not talking about “manks,” AKA man tank tops, but I am talking just about the extremely thin, usually black or white colored tank tops some guys wear. Whatcha think, G? GT: Yeah, no these are definitely not okay. If it’s tight and I can see straight through it, you probably shouldn’t be wearing it.. 3. You should be worried once you start receiving one worded texts. GT: This is huge, guys. Seriously. If you and this chick are texting and having an awesome conversation one day, but then the next day you get one worded texts from this girl, there are two reasons why you would be receiving these harsh, one worded, “Yeah’s” or “K’s.” First, you were probably being rude or said something (intentionally or unintentionally) offensive that really made us angry. Or, it may not even be that you offended the girl which brings me to my second point, she probably just doesn’t want to talk to you. Either way, when girls answer with one word texts, we want you to be worried and ask, “What’s wrong??” so that we can explain to you how hurt we are and then feel comforted when you say that you’re sorry. Now, there’s always just the obvious third option that we’re just extremely busy and can’t talk. AR: Let’s be real, it’s never really option three. GT: #ButReally 4. Chivalry is not dead. AR: End of story. I think guys do not realize how much it means to us girls when y’all open the door for us, especially a car door. It shows that you respect us, and we love that...so be chivalrous! GT: Seriously, I always appreciate it when a guy opens a door for me or helps me pick up my bags, etc. Although I usually say, “aw you don’t have to do that!” It still means a lot, and I still truly appreciate it! The small things DO NOT go unnoticed!

2. Don’t lie to yourself. Matt: Nothing is worse than dealing with a girl that is not even honest with herself. Stephen: So true. If you aren’t honest with yourself, then you aren’t going to be honest with us. Then stuff gets messy, and let’s be honest, you don’t want messy, and neither do we. 3. Be straight up with us, don’t beat around the bush. Matt: This is the worst thing. If you don’t wanna do something, if you don’t like us, whatever it might be, say the truth; trust me it’s way better than getting lied to. Stephen: If you’re nervous about what we might think, you shouldn’t be. If a guy really cares about you, he will want what you want, but he needs to know the truth. 4. Don’t just say things because you are mad. Mean what you say. Stephen: Don’t let emotions control what you say. Don’t say anything when you’re mad. You aren’t going to make the right decision when your mind is in the wrong place, thinking about the wrong things. Take time to calm down and think about the results that will come from the decisions you make.

by Gianna Tideman and Alexa Reinhart, Managing & Copy Editors

5. When we say we’re okay, we’re probably not. AR: A guy should be worried if he asks “Are you okay” and she responds as “I’m fine.” Never is a girl actually “fine” or “okay” when she says that she is. GT: Oh Alexa, NEVER. Fellas, if you know your girl well enough, you should be able to tell when she’s not okay even when she says she is. We usually say “I’m fine” so that you will get curious and ask us why we’re feeling how we’re feeling. Yes, we know it’s some strange logic, but hey, it’s how we work. Never hesitate to ask if she’s okay, yet when she reassures you multiple times that she is, DON’T push it by asking her over and over again, because that gets annoying and then she won’t be okay.

If a guy says that he is sorry about something, but continues to do the same thing, that is where actions speak louder than words for sure. Only some can talk the talk and walk the walk. GT: Most definitely. You can tell us that you enjoy being with us as many times as you want, but we’re not going to believe it until you start showing it! I’d also like to make a quick point here about Christ centered relationships; if you say and you’re actually actively pursuing Christ, she’s going to notice that. For me, seeing that warms my heart.

9. We want to know how you’re feeling, so tell us! GT: Goodness gracious, girls hate playing games just as much as y’all do. Think about how stressed out and frustrated y’all get when we have to force you to ask us how we’re feeling, that’s 6. Lie to us and we will find out. exactly how we feel. What girl’s think is, “They’re guys...they GT: It’s creepy, but girls have a way to find out anything. shouldn’t be confusing and try to hide their feelings.” Here’s If you haven’t noticed already, girls talk a lot, so if you tell something that you may have never thought of before fellas, someone else (especially one of her friends) and don’t think if you don’t tell your girl how you’re feeling if you’re upset she will find out, boy were you wrong. Alexa and I can reassure with her, mad at her, hurt by her, or even happy with her, she you that it’s only a matter of days (or even hours/minutes) that will never know how you feel! So speak up! The one thing that she will find out, her emotions will rage, and she will confront really frustrates girls a lot is not knowing something. This could you. So you better be prepared on what to say to win back her ultimately save your relationship. heart. Oh and if you read that and thought your next move AR: All girls want to be reassured of how their guy is feeling, would be to make up a lie to cover up a lie, well, that will make no matter what he is feeling. So, guys, don’t bottle it up, and it worse. Best of luck! do not, I repeat, do not go and tell other people your feelings AR: Word travels fast in the world of chatty girls, so just don’t about them and not tell her: recipe for disaster. Be honest, guys! get into this mess and be truthful. Yes, lies on lies on lies is just Honesty is the best policy..yeah, I just went there. asking for fights on fights on fights. 10. Breaks are dumb. 7. Comparing us to your ex-girlfriend is not okay. GT: Breaks are a lengthy game of tug-of-war on a girl’s heart. GT: Ha! Congrats! You’ve found a way to make your If you have absolutely no intention of getting back together with girlfriend feel absolutely and utterly worthless! If you’re her, tell her (nicely) and save her time and heartache. ‘Nuff said saying, “Oh (insert ex-girlfriend’s name here) was really good for me. at knitting,but you’re pretty good at it too, I guess,” or “My AR: I agree completely. When a guy wants a break, don’t agree (inset ex-girlfriend’s name here) really enjoyed peanut butter, with him, because if he wanted a break in the first place, then but...” HECK NO! If she’s so good at knitting and really enjoys he obviously does not want to be with you. I am not trying to peanut butter and your new girlfriend doesn’t, then why don’t sound harsh or rude, but it is the plain and simple truth. All you stop wasting this girl’s time and go back to your ex? Harsh breaks do is prolong your attachment to a guy. but simple. What do you think Alexa? AR: Couldn’t agree more. Honestly, if your guy is still thinking 11. We’re not perfect, so don’t expect us to be. about his ex-girlfriend like that and talking about her a bunch, AR: We all make mistakes and mess up every once in awhile. I would be worried. Also, if you are on a first date with a guy Also, sometimes we just want to veg out in sweat pants without and he mentions his ex-girlfriend every chance he gets, for any make-up and our hair not all nice and curled; so boys, don’t example, he asks “What’s your favorite animal?” and you reply expect us to always look perfect, because it just doesn’t happen. with “an okapi” and he responds with “Ohhh...that was my GT: Seriously, I can’t tell you how many times I just don’t want ex-girlfriend’s favorite animal...” then be cautious because he to dress up. I just want to chill in my yoga pants with my hair probably isn’t over her, and even if he is, he is still thinking up and no make-up on. For example, don’t expect me to get all about her. dolled up if we’re going to sit on my couch and watch The Big GT: Yeah, and you do not want to be with him then. Bang Theory. I’m sure Sheldon Cooper doesn’t mind me not looking perfect. 8. Actions speak louder than words. AR: I know this is extremely cliche, but it rings so much truth.

What guys want girls to know 1. Don’t assume. We can’t read your mind. Matt: Yeah this is number one on our list. Seems like when we don’t wanna hear you guys talk... you talk. And when we need you to talk.... you don’t. Stephen: Yeah, and don’t assume things that you don’t know about us, as well. If you have questions, ask, but don’t assume if you haven’t talked to us about it first.

by Stephen Consoli and Matt Scott, Stang Staff

Matt: This one is so annoying. Just because you’re mad does not justify that you can say whatever you want. It’s not my fault that you girls overreact to everything. 5. Don’t cry in front of us just because you want attention; it doesn’t end well. Stephen: When you cry, we feel awkward. And we don’t always know what to do to make you stop or feel better, so... Matt: I don’t even know what to say to that one. 6. We don’t always want to be the ones that initiate to hang out or talk.. we wanna know that you want to also. Matt: I understand that we need to take initiative in the relationship, but it should not be absolutely forbidden for a girl to ask the guy to hang out. In reality, any guy would love for that to happen from time to time. Stephen: Yea, just like y’all want us to make you feel special, so do we. :) 7. Don’t get mad when we can’t think of “fun” things to do. Matt: Do I look like a party planner? Do you want me to throw you a carnival? Geez you guys can be so demanding. Don’t complain unless you have a better idea. Stephen: Honestly, Houston isn’t fun... sometimes we need help thinking of stuff. 8. Get the hint when I just want to “chill and hang out.” Matt: Yeah... do we look like an ATM? Stephen: ^hahahahaha. But really...

Sidenote: If anybody has suggestions for any “Girl or Guy Code” subjects for the upcoming articles in the newspaper, feel free to email one of us! We would love to take your suggestions!

9. Don’t act like you can do whatever you want. Matt: Yes, we all have come to the horrible reality that you guys hold the whip. In other words, you usually have everything your way and always do what you want to do. But do not think just because you’re a girl, you can do whatever you want and think your reason is legitimate. Stephen: At least think about it this way, if you don’t let us do something, then you can’t do that something either. 10. Don’t make us your personal punching bag when everything isn’t going your way. Stephen: If something isn’t going well, just tell us and let us help, because we want to. Don’t take it out on us if we didn’t have anything to do with it. Matt: Yeah, we are here to listen and help you deal with whatever you’re dealing with. But believe it or not, we have feelings too, so we would appreciate it if you don’t stomp on them. 11. Don’t make excuses so that you can cover up the truth. It’s obvious. Matt: This kind of goes with don’t beat around the bush. Again, no matter how bad you think telling us the truth will be... nothing will be worse than lying/avoiding us because you think it will make things better. Stephen: Yeah, we would much rather know exactly what you’re thinking/doing because finding out after the fact... well, that’s just kind of a bummer for both of us.