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theHAWK
Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pf lugerville, Texas 78660
Volume 12, Issue 5 February 8, 2019
INSIDE: Teacher couples... pages 12-13 Foreign foods... page 20
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News Volume 12, Issue 5
state of the
UNION The Facts
Bryan Ross | Reporter The national government concluded its longest shutdown ever on Jan. 25. It started on Dec. 21, when the budget bill wasn’t passed due to of a dispute over whether or not to approve the $5.7 billion funding for President Donald Trump’s wall to improve border security between the US and Mexico. A government shutdown occurs when certain parts of the government become inactive due to the budget bill not getting passed by Congress. Not all branches of the government are shut down, departments such as education, health care, disability checks, veterans benefits, and several others remain unaffected. However, many
government employees went through the shutdown without pay, but essential personnel, such as TSA workers, first responders, and national security, will receive back pay for paychecks missed during the shutdown as of Jan. 16. This government shutdown left many government workers in doubt about their upcoming financial payments. Roughly 800,000 workers from the Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, State, Transportation and the Treasury branches were furloughed or had to work without pay at some point.
The Effects Seth Deaton | Reporter
The Dates Dec. 22, 2018
The government shut down because of the House of Representatives not agreeing on President Donald Trump’s Jan. 3, 2019 border wall budget. The now Democrat-controlled house, passes two bills that would reopen the government until February. Trump does not pass these bills because of his budget still not being met.
Jan. 8, 2019
Trump addresses the country in an Oval Office address.
Jan. 10, 2019 Jan. 12, 2019
The government shutdown sets the records for the longest shutdown in history.
Approximately 800,000 government workers have been furloughed or have to work without pay. Branches at least partially affected: Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, State, Transportation and the Treasury. Notable branches/government things unaffected: Medicare, Medicaid, and the Health Insurance Marketplace (aka Obamacare). Social Security, disability checks and veterans’ benefits. Getting a passport. And the U.S. Postal Service, an independent agency whose operations are funded by sales of postage and services, not taxes, keeps delivering mail. Many TSA workers have been furloughed, while some are considered “essential workers” who are working without pay. A greater number of workers have called in sick than usual, but airport lines have not been noticeably longer. Some planes have been left without inspections and pilots training is not being inspected. Roughly 40% of FDA workers have been furloughed, resulting in the agency suspending all routine inspections of food processing facilities. Food stamps will be paid through February, however they will be paid early, as The Department of Agriculture cannot fund past 30 days since the shutdown, so food stamps through February will be paid by January 20th. Federal scientists can’t travel for work. Coast Guard members still work, but it is unclear whether they will be paid. Immigration Courts have been shut down. Some National Parks have remained open, but without workers. Many others have shut down.
Trump travels to Texas to visit cities along the border. Trump threatens to declare the border to be a national emergency so that his budget would be met.
Jan. 17, 2019
Bryan Ross | Reporter
Previous agreement in the works between House Democrats and Trump: $25 billion wall funding in exchange for path to citizenship for DACA Dreamers.
Via NPR
Longest U.S. government shutdown in history ends
Jan. 19, 2019
Trump offers Democrats a protection for people under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in exchange for border wall budget. Democrats decline the offer.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi advises Trump to reschedule his State of the Union address due to the government shutdown.
Jan. 25, 2019
Trump announces that the government shall be reopened until Feb. 15 as they have three weeks to agree on a budget for the border.
The Aftermath Megan Fletcher | Co-Editor The federal government reopened on Jan. 25 after President Donald Trump agreed to end the shutdown for three weeks, with negotiations for increased border security still going on. Until Feb. 15 (the end of the three-week period), all branches that were shut down, such as the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of the Interior, are in full operation. In the aftermath of the longest government shutdown in United States history, lasting five weeks, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced a loss of $11 billion, and the New York Times reported the money will even-
tually flow back into the market as federal workers receive back pay for the five-week shutdown. With many political analysts predicting no clear end to the standoff between House Democrats and Trump in sight, it’s not clear if the government will again shut down operations come Feb. 15. On the other hand, the long-contended State of the Union address, in which the Speaker of the House invites the president to speak on the House floor, is scheduled for Feb. 5, 10 days before the impending deadline.
News February 8, 2019
By the Numbers Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month sheds light on domestic abuse McKenzie Quiroz | Asst. Editor
Females between the ages of 16 and 24 are
Angelyna Rosales | Reporter
This month, awareness is being brought to teen dating violence (TDV). Dating violence is defined as a pattern of controlling or abusive behaviors perpetrated by a current or former dating partner. The difference between TDV and
adult domestic violence, are the forms and experience of TDV, as well as the challenges in seeking and providing services. The following graphics highlight statistics and information compiled from DoSomething. org, youth.gov, and justsayyes.org
3
76
3x
more likely to be abused by an intimate partner.
percent Rates of
Victims of digital abuse are
EMOTIONAL
2 TIMES
HIGHER THAN
as likely to be physically abused
2.5 TIMES
and psychological abuse are far
PHYSICAL violence for youth
as likely to be psychologically abused
5 TIMES as likely to be sexually coerced.
of teens report emotional and psychological abuse during relationships.
50% of teens who experience rape, physical abuse, or sexual abuse will attempt to commit suicide.
1.5MILLION
high school boys and girls in the U.S report being intentionally hit or physically harmed in the last year by someone they are romantically involved with.
Grow From the Pain
Victim uses past experiences to spread awareness about teen dating violence Camryn Sadlier | Reporter At age 14, sophomore Catalina Alamillo* was in an destructive relationship with an 18 year old. In a month full of reminders about dating violence, she strives to advocate safe dating. “For five months, I was in a mentally and physically abusive relationship,” Alamillo said. “I got cussed at, hit, restricted from going places, and so much more. I would have to be with him at all times, he would have to know where I was, and I was not allowed to have any male friends or any friends at all, to be honest. It was horrible.” Statistics based on ethnicity say that African American and Hispanic relationships are two to three times
more likely to report instances of abuse. In adolescence, the impacts can be detrimental. Victims may be more susceptible to eating disorders, substance abuse, and additional domestic violence. “If I said the wrong thing or did not respond with ‘yes, I understand’ or ‘yes sir’, he would get upset,” Alamillo said. “So many things were not right with our relationship. If I wasn’t home on time to call him, if I sat next to a boy even if they were my arranged partner, he would lash out. One time, he saw me sitting next to an assigned partner in class who was male and he tried to barge into my classroom. I tried to break up with him over and over
again but nothing worked. The littlest of things would push him over the edge.” Alamillo believes that the emotional impact upon a victim of abuse lasts beyond the act itself. Her confidence decreased, relationship morals were momentarily altered and her personality was changed forever. “Since then, I have moved on and have a now loving boyfriend. But just because I have moved on, my brain is still affected,” Alamillo said. “If I ‘play fight’ with my boyfriend, I still see my ex-boyfriend hitting me. I get vivid visions that cause me to have breakdowns and become very upset.”
A study by Healthy Teen Network in October 2018 says that about 20 people are being physically harmed within intimate relationships every minute. Almost 33 percent of teeneagers have never told anyone. “If you are in that position, you need to leave immediately. Letting these awful things happen to you because you ‘love’ him or her is not the mindset that you want to have,” Alamillo said. “Under no circumstances should you let yourself be treated that way. I wish I would have known sooner that it was okay to leave.” *pseudonym
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News Briefs
News Volume 12, Issue 5
Open mic night brings awareness Anna Schulze | Asst. Editor
Kelly Daoud | Photographer
Nora Groenvold | Photographer
Senior Mikayla Woods controls the ball during the district game vs. Round Rock on Jan. 8.
Senior Isaac Bullard dribbles the ball down the court during the district game vs Leander on Jan. 22.
An open mic night in the library on Feb. 13 will focus on teen dating violence and healthy relationships. This event, hosted by social worker Lori Carl in the library will be complete with poetry readings, music, coffee, and food. “It is important to be aware of the topic of teen dating violence and healthy relationships so students can know how to identify red flags,” Carl said. “Awareness events allow teenagers to get the information as well as the resources to help them.”
This event though hosted by staff is student led, they are encouraged to read poems, perform songs, or simply talk about their relationship experiences or struggles. “I believe that what we are doing is causing students to really think about their relationships and evaluate if it is healthy or not,” Carl said. “We have had a great response every year from our students about this event. Students really embrace the importance of educating themselves and then in turn bringing the information to their peers to help in our awareness effort.”
Basketball team advances to playoffs
District decides schedule for next year
Carolina Yanez | Asst. Editor
Brisa Espinoza | Asst. Editor
As the seasons come to an end, the beginning of both the Girls and Boys basketball teams playoffs run begins. With only one loss this season, girls’ varsity basketball won an overall of 35 games, including tournament games. The team remains undefeated in the district with a record of 15-0. They have also reached the longest winning streak in the team’s history.
The boys varsity basketball team have put on a strong fight throughout their season winning over 21 of their games and losing seven games in both tournaments and district games. The team secured the playoffs with their win to Cedar Ridge. The girls’ team plays at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station on Monday, their first post-district game.
Science Olympiad competes at Rice Taylor Hedlund | Reporter The Science Olympiad team competed at the Rice Invitational tournament on Jan. 12. The invitational hosted 36 different teams that competed in the tournament. “It was really exciting to go to the tournament,” freshman Marah Kluge said. “It was a good experience to learn about and look around a college campus.” The events that were placed in were Herpetology, Circuit Lab, Disease Detectives, Astronomy, and Geologic Mapping. In regards to the placements of the events, sophomore Josh Manigsaca and senior Madeline Lloyd placed 3rd
in herpetology, senior Soomin Cho and Pranit Arya placed 4th in circuit lab, senior Erica Masi and junior Trey Selissen placed 5th in disease detectives, Selissen and Manigsaca placed 6th in astronomy, and Kluge and Lloyd placed 6th in geologic mapping. “I was really happy with both teams that we took,” senior Madeline Lloyd said. “We placed not last and we placed pretty high on the lower teams.” Each event was set on a schedule within a specific hall that corresponded with the main topic of each event.
After months of considering changing high schools schedule from its current A/B Day blocked schedule to a seven period schedule, the district has reached a decision. The superintendent announced that he will keep the high schools on block schedule for the 2019-2020 school year. This
schedule has four periods each day, eight periods in total. Students will continue to rotate between their eight periods rotating between the A and B days. Changing the blocked schedules has been in consideration since the second semester of last year.
Swimmers place at regional meet Brisa Espinoza | Asst. Editor
Rachel Schulze | Photographer
The swim team competed at the 6A regional swim meet on Feb. 1-2 in Mansfield, Texas. At the meet, no swimmers qualified to state but were still able to place in the final for their race. 8th place 200 yard Medley Relay: Juniors Sara Somma and Camryn Sadlier and Sophomores Rachel Simonds and Konner Faust
14th place 400 yard Free Relay: Juniors Sara Somma and Camryn Sadlier and Sophomores Rachel Simonds and Carlea Wyman Sophomore Rachel Simonds: 15th place 50 yard Free and 5th place 100 yard Back Sophomore Konner Faust: 16th place 500 yard Free and 15th place 100 yard Fly
Sophomore Konner Faust swims the 500 yard Free race during the regional meet.
Sophomore Rachel Simonds talks to swim coach Justin Oderkirk after her race.
Retraction In our previous issue, page three featured coverage of various options for students’ futures, including four-year colleges and two-year colleges. According to counselor Wresha Torrez, some of our information regarding the transferability of ACC credit to private and out-of-state four-year colleges was incorrect. “ACC credit hours are actually very transferable,” Torrez said. “They have the same transferability as the OnRamps and
ChemBridge courses. Texas State University and colleges are required to accept them. Private colleges and universities as well as out of state universities have the option to decide which credits they will accept and not, but in most cases both private schools and out of state schools accept transfer hours. Students need to check with the schools they plan to attend to determine which credits will transfer.”
Awards & Accolades Student-made films advance to UIL State Four student-made films advanced to the State level. The films were submitted and judged, and were selected to move on. All four films are available to be watched on YouTube. In Animation, “A Small Wolf” by Marley Smith; in Documentary
“The Appalachian Trail” by Riley Morrow and Nyah Mitchell; in Narrative, “Weeb Patrol” by Koby Rodriguez, Dominic Sanchez, Cody Lien, Mia Rogers, Hailey Billings, and Bryan Ndubisi; and in Narrative “Nightlife,” by Danny Tran and Lauren Bishop.
News
February 8, 2019
Seniors place at UIL debate tournament On Jan. 24, seniors Dylan Scott and Trey Gutierrez won the UIL District Championship in Policy Debate, with seniors Mahnoor Faheem and Alejandro Castaneda taking silver at the same event. Both teams will advance to the 6A UIL State CX Tournament at UT over spring break. “We won it last year, so we went into the tournament with the mindset of ‘we should win it again’,” Gutierrez said. “I wouldn’t say there was pressure on Dylan and I to win, it was more motivation to do as well as we did last year going into the state tournament.” Scott and Gutierrez have now advanced to the
UIL State Tournament three years in a row, and will attempt to defend last year’s State Title. Senior Dylan Scott and junior Bekla Kouakou were crowned tournament champions at the University of Houston, earning a TOC bid, with Scott earning Top Speaker honors. Senior Jenna Dammen and junior Eliana Galan both earned TOC bids at the Winston Churchill tournament, with Dammen placing third and Galan reaching semifinals. Juniors Jared Williams and Claire Martinez advanced to quarterfinals of domestic extemp. Williams and Dammen advanced to finals in Congressional Debate. Senior Sydney Stogel advanced in semifinals of Original Oratory.
A scene from “Nightlife” by Danny Tran and Lauren Bishop
Band members named to All-State Twelve band students competed at the Area level for the TMEA All-State bands in Duncanville on Jan. 12, completing a process beginning with an All-Region band tryout on Dec. 8. Of the twelve, seven earned the right to perform in San Antonio next month with the All-State bands: Junior Brayden Heath, fIute (1st
chair All-Area), sophomore Hoang Nghi Nguyen, oboe (1st chair All-Area), senior Marc Abdallah, oboe (2nd chair All-Area) senior Ghivon Bilal, clarinet, senior Aidan Grivas, bass clarinet (1st chair AllArea), senior Samuel Simcik, trumpet, and sophomore Mason Willy, euphonium (2nd chair All-Area.)
Seniors Trey Gutierrez and Dylan Scott won the UIL District Championship in Policy Debate for the second straight year, with Alejandro Casteneda and Mahnoor Faheem taking silver. David Do and Joseph Ye also competed.
UIL participants place at academic competition
Senior earns recognition in UIL debate tournament Senior Rene Otero took fourth place at the 6A UIL State Congressional Debate Tournament. As the Informative Speaking champion in 2017, this is Otero’s second trip to UIL State. “I must say it was fun a lot of fun and it was really good seeing all of the competitions around the state,” Otero said. “In my four years of Speech and Debate, there’s a lot of confounded between the things I was speaking about.” After four years of exceptional work and astonishing achievements received
from many tournaments and championships he has competed in, Otero continues to strive in hopes of going to school after graduation. “My intentions really are to go to school,” Otero said. “I decided to utilize my skills [in speech] in order to advocate and speak for under-served communities.” While Otero receives his challenges at UIL, there were also a few students who competed at qualifying tournaments for the Tournament of Champions (TOC).
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The UIL Academic team competed at Hayes High School on Jan. 26. The following students placed in their respective events:
Senior Debator Renee Otero placed 4th at the UIL State Congressional Debate, his second consecutive appearance at State.
Accounting Lily Croix-Blust – 3rd Sebastian Carzola – 5th Computer Applications Alex Barrientos – 1st Sarah Moore – 2nd Current Events Matthew Raggio - 2nd Landon Self - 3rd Editorial Writing Bryan Ross – 3rd McKenna Lucas – 6th Feature Writing McKenna Lucas - 2nd Bryan Ross - 3rd Ikram Mohamed - 6th Headline Bryan Ross - 3rd McKenna Lucas - 5th
News Writing Bryan Ross - 3rd Copy Editing Bryan Ross - 6th Number Sense Blake Nisely - 3rd Social Studies Michael Fortanely – 1st Bryce Hann – 5th Sebastian Carzola – 6th Calculator Applications First Place Team Blake Nisley – 1st Thomas Alexander – 2nd Caiden Golder – 3rd Allison Thompson – 6th Mathematics – Blake Nisley – 3rd Thomas Alexander – 4th David Do - 6th
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Opinion Volume 12, Issue 5
Your Turn
Staff Editorial
Do you think vaping is healthier than smoking? "In a way, it is healthier. Traditional cigarettes contain a large amount of tobacco and tar, which really messes up your lungs, while a vape contains none of those. However, a vape does have many chemicals in it, many will say these are worse for your body, but from my point of view, nothing can compare to a cigarette," Darryl Tran, 11
"I think that vaping is a cool way for people to smoke without using tobacco, however we don't have enough information to know if they're actually healthy or not." Minhea Thomas, 9
Vy Bui | Cartoonist
Vape pens marketed toward teens riddled with health consequences This year, many students can testify we've had an increase in the number of people vaping on school property, especially in the bathrooms. In fact, contestants at Mr. HHS cited this issue, chanting, “It’s a bathroom, not a Juul room.” While the vast majority of people who vape in these bathrooms say, ‘It's harmless’, vaping has too many negative health effects to even begin to make an argument in favor of them. Many teen e-cig users cite how much safer vape pens are compared to conventional cigarettes. It's partially true: vape pens don't put tar in the smoke's lungs. However, a fluid cartridge in a vape pen has at least twice as much nicotine as a conventional cigarette, leading many teens with a nicotine addiction they never asked for. An increasing number of teens In fact, there's been an increase in the number reports of injuries from exploding vape pens, usually with lithium-ion batteries. (Recall the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 debacle.) The New York Times cited a report from the United States Fire Administration stating these fires happened as early as 2009. Somehow, it's reminiscent of the microwave fire caused by burnt popcorn last year:
it's supposed to smell good and then, "pop." Freak accidents aside, defending vape pens by saying, ‘It's just water vapor’, is the equivalent of attempting to compare Nicorette gum to a child's gumball. It may contain water, but the sheer nicotine content of vape fluid is enough to get countless teens addicted without much of a way to stop them. The truth is, the vaping epidemic isn't really teens' fault. Marketed as a "safe cigarette," e-cigarettes originally caught the attention of smokers trying to quit. But even with laws against purchase under the age of 18, vape pens spread like wildfire through countless high schools all around the country, and Hendrickson is no different. Like conventional cigarettes in the mid-twentieth century, this is the trial period for vape pens: No one knows the long-term health outcomes, and it's anyone's guess. At the end of the day, vape pens are an uncontrolled experiment. In using them, both rarely and regularly, teens subject themselves to high amounts of nicotine and other harmful substances. While it may not be illegal, vaping, simply put, isn't anything to risk an addiction over.
The Hawk, the official student newspaper of Hendrickson High School, is an open forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions.
Hendrickson High School 19201 Colorado Sand Drive Pf lugerville, TX 78660 http://www.pfisd.net/HHS (512) 594-1100 Student Population: 2450 Staff: 230 Adviser: Kari Riemer Principal: Daniel Garcia www.facebook.com/HawkNewspaper
Opinions expressed reflect the beliefs of the student author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the entire Hawk Staff, the Hawk Adviser, the Hendrickson Faculty and Staff, or the Principal. Letters to the editor are welcomed, and may be dropped off in E211. Corrections will be printed when brought to the attention of the staff.
The Hawk is printed monthly at Community Impact in Pflugerville, Texas. 1,000 copies are printed each run, and are distributed to the student body for free through an advisory period and on newsstands throughout the building.
Editorial Staff Co-Editors: Megan Fletcher & McKenna Lucas Assistant Editors: Brisa Espinoza, Abigail Hill, Kaitlin Mackey, McKenzie Quiroz, Anna Schulze, Carolina Yanez.
Seth Deaton Anabella Galan Taylor Hedlund Addison Hildebrandt Maya Lewis
Reporters
Ikram Mohamed Angelyna Rosales Bryan Ross Camryn Sadlier Lauren Saenz
Maria Torres Zachary Valdez Kyla White
"I do think that vaping is definitely better than smoking because cigarettes contain way more dangerous and harmful chemicals than vaping. Even though it is better, vaping can contain nicotine and could cause addiction," Jaden Soto, 10
"I don't think that vaping is healthier than smoking because smoking and vaping both contain chemicals that can ruin your liver and basically just ruin your life," Deena Fashho, 9
"No, I do not think that vaping is healthier than smoking because in a commercial I saw, one Juul pod is equal to 20 cigarettes." Kaitlyn Ma, 9
Associations Interscholastic Press League Texas Association of Journalism Educators Journalism Educators Association National Scholastic Press Association Columbia Scholastic Press League
t i b a fh s o s t o c g h i e rs w s e u p e a v t n 1 rre u c nd 1 , a x E s 10 g e p a
Honors ILPC Bronze Star, 2014 & 2015, 2017 Columbia Scholastic Press League, Gold Medalist 2016, 2017 Silver Crown, 2017, 2018 Pacemaker Finalist, 2018
t h e HAWK
H e n d ri c ks o n H i g h Sc h o o l Volume 12, Issue 5 19 2 0 1 C o l o ra d o Sa n d D ri ve February 8, 2019 P fl u g e rv i l l e , Te x a s 7 8 6 6 0
INSIDE: T e a c h e rc o u p l e s . . . p a g e s 12 13 F o re i g n fo o d s . . . p a g e 20
Design by Megan Fletcher Photo by Abigail Hill
Hit or Miss School Wi-Fi ineffective, forces data usage Many teachers include websites such as Kahoot, Quizlet, and Focus in their lesson plans to make classes more exciting and interactive. However, the Wi-Fi makes connecting to these websites inconvenient. It's slow and sometimes doesn't work at all. It's nearly impossible to connect to these websites, or any website, without logging off of the Wi-Fi and use personal data. This can be expensive for those that don't have an unlimited plan. It isn't always necessary to log off of it, but in many cases the websites won't load or are so slow they're barely functional while connected. Connecting to the normal PfISD Wi-Fi is a much better alternative. The normal Wi-Fi can be accessed with an S# and current password. The district Guest Wi-Fi is a miss.
NHS offers new program With National Honor Society members trying to fulfill the required community service hours this semester, the newly adapted Passion Projects give students more service opportunities. Each semester members are required to complete 10 hours of community service, two of which must be "group hours," which are hours spent participating in community service provided by the volunteer coordinator with other NHS members. Passion Projects give members the chance to find and organize their own group service projects, if the project is approved by the NHS officers. The sheer size of National Honor Society can make it hard to sign up for volunteer hours as the semester progresses and group hour projects decrease. Passion Projects not only give members the opportunity to find their own community service group hours, but it relieves stress from the volunteer coordinator making Passion Projects a hit.
Broken locks waste time, cause frustration Bathroom stalls with broken locks are not a recent problem. This reoccurring annoyance has been around for a while now, resulting in problems such as having to go from bathroom to bathroom looking for a working lock or having to hold the door closed for friends in the girl's bathroom. Bathrooms with broken clasps are normal now and if students started to tell administrators about the problem it'd be less prevalent. Some repairs have been made, but broken locks in bathrooms are a miss.
Lack of paper towels causes problems In an effort to conserve trees, paper towels have been phased out from school bathrooms. While an admirable effort, it causes more problems than it solves. Hand dryers are good for drying hands, yes, but that's all. Problems such as spills and bloody noses cannot be fixed with a hand dryer. Hand dryers have been connected to spreading fecal bacteria by studies per USA Today, and overall simply aren't worth the trouble they cause. The answer to this is simple: put paper towels in all school bathrooms. Concerns for saving trees are simply misguided. Per the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program, paper companies are responsible for the planting of 1.7 million trees per day. Putting paper in bathrooms will solve problems, improve hygiene, and help the environment. Replacing paper towels with hand dryers is a miss.
My Turn Caught in a Trap
Opinion February 8, 2019
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Editor looks back on experience with domestic violence Kaitlin Mackey | Asst. Editor Growing up, kids are told, "If a boy or girl is mean to you, it's because they like you;" This is something many kids believe growing up, including me. I started talking to this guy I had met through my friends. We eventually started dating quickly afterwards and everything was going well. Until it wasn't. We had little fights at least once a week with him initiating most of them. I would brush it off every time because I knew that every couple argued. Each time he had the same three excuses. "I'm sorry, you know that I'm sensitive." "I'm sorry. I swear I'm only acting like this because I miss you." "I'm sorry, I just don't want to lose you." Eventually, the phrase "I'm sorry" meant nothing to me. I would talk to my friends about it in the hopes that I would get some advice. They told me that I shouldn't have to deal with these sort of problems and that I should end it, I didn't want to hear that and I kept my relationship problems to myself after that. One month into the relationship felt like 10 years, Vy Bui | Illustrator when in reality a month into a relationship should feel like 10 days. At the time I was oblivious to the signs. Our fights occurred almost daily. I became numb to the feeling of getting blamed; it felt natural. I remember one specific fight. One that should have ended it all, but didn't. We had fought the night I was going out of town for my birthday. I remember sitting in the car at night, crying my eyes out. No one knew. It was the silent cry; the cry I had gotten used to. The cry I had done at school and at home in the middle of the night practically daily because of all the fights. I told him I wanted some space to breathe and I wanted to take a break so I could think about things. He refused to let me do that. I'll never forget those controlling words. "You either stay here and figure this out with me or break up with me." That same night, he told me he was sorry and that he
loved me and didn't want to lose me. Almost two months into the relationship, things escalated. He moved onto the sexual parts of the relationship. He would tell me that it was "part of every relationship." He pressured me to the point where I would feel like I had to do those things to keep him happy and to keep us from fighting. I kept telling him I wasn't ready yet. But that just led to more fights. The fights would go back and forth between who I was "allowed" to be friends with and whether or not we should have sex. My stress and anxiety levels increased drastically within that period. At times I didn't want to go hang out with anyone because I didn't have the energy for it. I was a whole different person without realizing it. I was irritable, genuinely unhappy, drained, stressed, my grades were getting lower due to the fact I was so focused on trying to avoid fights; I was at my alltime-low. The National Domestic Violence Hotline refers to domestic violence as a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship. Experiencing an abusive relationship, I easily got manipulated into believing that the relationship I was in was love, when in reality, it's what my partner had me believing is love. And by the time I realized it was not a healthy relationship, it was too late for me to get out easily. After two months in a relationship filled with tears, stress, frustration, and many fights, I ended it after learning he cheated on me more than once. Initially, after ending it, I was hurt. I realized what I had gotten myself into and I felt dumb for letting someone like him manipulate me so easily to believe that that's what love was. But even after all of the pain and stress I went through in the relationship, what hurt me the most was ending it because I knew I had hurt someone I had actually cared about by leaving him. I had to get out of the relationship for my own sake, even if that meant hurting somebody I learned to care about.
Your Turn Dear Editors, In response to the Hit or Miss in the December issue No Lunch in Library Results in Limited Places to Eat. You recently reported there are limited amounts of seating in the cafeteria. Every day I sit in the cafeteria with my students during lunch and watch gen-ed kids leave 8-10 seats empty at tables because there is a or multiple special education students sitting there. If you are worried you will cause an issue, ask. Otherwise, take advantage of all those empty seats and sit next to a kiddo that would love your company. Signed, One Educational Associate
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Feature Volume 12, Issue 5
Editor describes sleeping habits, effects of various experiences Carolina Yanez | Asst. Editor I’ve always had weird experiences during my sleep. I would talk in my sleep at sleepovers with my friends or wake myself up at the same time every single night. Within these past few years, I’ve woken myself up at around 3 a.m. for a couple of days in a row. I wouldn’t set an alarm or anything; my body would just wake myself up and it’d be difficult to go back to sleep sometimes. Once I slept over at my friend’s house with a group of girls. While they were deciding which movie to watch, I woke up, sat up and mumbled a few words over what I had thought the movie was about, even though
being completely wrong, my friends were still terrified of my awakening because for all they had known, I was sound asleep. After I creepily said my input, I laid back down and continued to sleep. In September, I began working at H-E-B. Once I started on a check stand I began to wake up in the middle of the night and it felt like I was actually at work. I felt like I was in the setting of my H-E-B and ringing up customers’ groceries. This would happen a few times a week when I first started on the register. One time I had actually stood up from my bed as if someone had asked me to grab them something from the store, and in the moment I stood up I woke up and realized the situation wasn’t real or
actually happening. A few months ago I faced my first experience of sleep paralysis. I believe that it was triggered by the dream I had that night, which consisted of me in my previous house running away from my brother because he had a scorpion in his hand. I was running away from him and he had placed the scorpion on me, and in that moment I instantly woke up. I was lying at in my bed, facing up, and I couldn’t move, as if my nightmare had sent me into sleep paralysis. I couldn’t move. I remember being scared because of my inability to move my legs or arms. Although I know it only lasted seconds, it felt like I was lying there for minutes.
These all only occur in my own room and bed, whenever I’m at a friend’s house or in a different room. I hardly ever wake up once I’m sound asleep, except that one instance. Most of these experiences make me feel tired and out of energy by the time the alarm wakes me up in the morning. When I share my dreams or sleep tendencies, no one else has really experienced it to the same extent or as consistently. I often wonder if these experiences I’ve had are all triggered by something I’ve heard or seen, or perhaps something from my daily routine that affects the way I sleep. Every time I wake up the only thing that comes to mind is ‘Why again?’
Cousins and Galvan refIect on experiences with sleep paralysis Carolina Yanez | Asst. Editor It happened again. He couldn’t move or speak, laying frozen, but Senior Adam Cousins isn’t surprised. Cousins has experienced sleep paralysis twice within the past year. “They were both around the same time,� Cousins said. “It hasn’t happened since.� Both times, Cousins was unable to move. He believes they were triggered by videos he had watched about the science behind sleep paralysis.
“I was thinking about it right before I went to sleep both nights it happened,� Cousins said. “Afterwards, I just get on my phone and go on Snapchat and Instagram to take my mind off of it.� When Cousins had sleep paralysis he tends to not be affected by the situation. “It’s kind of scary but I’m not really phased by it,� Cousins said. “I just wait for it to be over. I can’t really control it.� Similarly, junior Jessica Galvan experiences this condition, however hers happens repeatedly.
“It happens randomly about two to three times a month,� Galvan said. “It doesn’t matter what position I’m lying in. When it happens I always feel like a pressure pushing down on my back and my head into my bed.� Although it happens often for her, she still hasn’t gotten used to the condition. “One time I was laying on my stomach and it felt like someone was pushing my lower back and head into the bed,� Galvan said. “They used to last a while but I read something on how to wake yourself out of
it and it works for me. All I have to do is try to wiggle a toe and I usually come out of it but you have to be really calm.� Galvan has informed her mom over her sleep paralysis yet her mom finds it hard to believe. She tells her experience in order for others who haven’t experienced to understand. “I would say for the first time for someone it’s really terrifying if you don’t know what it is,� Galvan said. “It’s like you feel hopeless and you try screaming for help but you can’t talk or move, you’re just there.�
Freshmen’s siblings cause distress, confusion over sleepwalking Seth Deaton | Reporter Some people talk, others wander their house, there are even stories of people cooking or doing laundry in their sleep. Freshman Connor Arndt and Max McGuire experienced this phenomenon first hand. According to Arndt, the first time he saw his brother sleepwalk was extremely unnerving. “My brother would walk around the house in his sleep,� Arndt said. “It started when he was eight and it was really weird because he looked creepy when he walked.� Sleepwalking is much more common in
kids than adults. A study done by healthline. com shows most people, like freshman Max McGuire, start when they’re between six and eight years old and outgrow it by the time they turn twelve. “I used to sleepwalk when I was in the first or second grade but I haven’t done it in a while,� McGuire said. “I would climb down the ladder in my bed and go to my brother’s room and climb into his bed. I was really confused when I woke up because I didn’t know how I got there.� While the experience can be unsettling for the sleepwalker it can be especially alarming to family around them.
“I was scared out of my mind when my brother would sleep walk,� Arndt said. “I thought he was messing with me at first.� The experience often leaves the sleepwalker disoriented. McGuire knows from experience that people retain little to no memory of what happened and what they do remember is always very vague. “When I woke up I was really confused, I was in my brother’s bed and didn’t know how I got there,� McGuire said. “I remember seeing a glimpse of outside my bedroom door but I thought it was a dream.� For Arndt, having a sibling that sleepwalks
made him feel helpless because he had no idea what to do. “My brother would wander around the house and after a little while I’d just go to sleep because I mean what am I going to do about it,� Arndt said. The whole experience can be frightening for everyone involved. When a loved one tries to help or intervene while the person is asleep they can end up hurting the other person or getting hurt themselves. “Don’t mess with whoever is sleepwalking,� Arndt said. “If you chill and relax nothing bad will happen, it’s that simple.�
Feature February 8, 2018
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Statistics unfolded in light of various sleep episodes Abigail Hill | Asst. Editor With the recent exposure of sleep stories, including sleepwalking, sleep terrors, and sleep paralysis, we reviewed the commonality of these occurrences. Below are statistics on how often these phenomenons occur among adolescents and adults.
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Feature Volume 12, Issue 5
Ex,
e p a v t curren
h g i e w users
t i b a h f costs o
Junior overcomes addiction despite peer use
Brisa Espinoza | Asst. Editor
As junior Jake Sanders* hangs out with his group of friends, “pass the vape,” can regularly be heard. The words are not uncommon to him, as he is now used to the popularity of vaping. Sanders often sees a vape being passed around, everyone taking a hit or two. But when the vape eventually ends up handed to Sanders, he tells them “no,” since he hasn’t vaped for over six months. Sanders first began vaping at the end of school last year. The hype of vaping is what attracted him from the start. He noticed all his friends were beginning to use the nicotine-filled device. As vapes began to gain popularity, talk of the effects sparked Sanders into buying his first ever vape. “I asked one of my friends that knew someone over 18 to buy me a JUUL,” Sanders said. “I wanted to understand the hype around it and why so many people were doing it, so I found a way to get it so I could see what it was all about.” After vaping for the first time, he started to notice the affects that it was causing.
Abigail Hill | Photographer
Headaches and stomach pains began to become common occurrences, as well as regret afterwards. “I quit vaping about the middle of July,” Sanders said. “I started to see that it was pretty dumb and pointless. It didn’t make me feel good. I would feel gross and nauseous. Whenever I’d do it, I’d feel bad for thirty minutes afterwards. It lost its purpose to me.” Sanders doesn’t regret quitting, but he hasn’t been able to isolate himself from the vaping scene since its use became popular with teens. “When I’m around people who are vaping I feel pretty comfortable,” Sanders said. “I know they’re not getting like high out of their minds or anything crazy; they’re just trying to be cool. I
don’t do it when my friends are doing it, simply because I don’t feel the need to. I don’t feel pressured or anything when I’m around people who are vaping.” Despite being marketed to adults, e-cigarettes’ main users have been high school studenys that are too young to legally purchase a vape pen. They have found people to legally purchase the vape for them. These people also sell to the students that cannot buy one for themselves. “I think vaping is so popular just because of the image and hype around it,” Sanders said. “I think it makes kids feel grown up and rebellious. It is also so
“I started to see that [vaping] was pretty dumb and pointless. It didn’t make me feel good."
Jake Sanders*, 11
popular because it’s so easily accessible by teens, usually through older siblings or friends. I also think teens want to get high and vape is the easiest way for most kids to do that.” Vape pens’ effects are typically what attracts people to use them. The product’s nicotine content is not a main concern for people using the vapes, but it causes health problems. As it still has a high usage with high school students, Sanders recommends others to quit and follow in his footsteps. “Nicotine, especially at a young age, isn’t good,” Sanders said. “I think people who vape just try to look cool should get over themselves and realize they don’t look cool at all. Adults should discourage their children from vaping and talk to them about the negative effects of vaping. They should also work to get rid of the fIavors of vape that are attractive to teens and make vapes less accessible for them.” *pseudonym
Feature February 8, 2019
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Vape user opens up about current addiction, path leading there Anna Schulze | Asst. Editor Walking out of the school bathroom, senior Mike Porter lazily wanders through the halls not entirely in a clear state of mind, buzzed from vaping. Vaping is a relatively new form of addiction to enter the world of substance abuse. Originally intended to help cigarette smokers end their addictions, they have created a whole new addiction of their own. “One time, I got nicotine poisoning from hitting the vape too many times,” 18 year old Porter said. “I just felt really sick, like I was going to throw up for a minute, and then it was over just like that. But really other than that, I’ve never seen anyone seriously affected and my experience wasn’t serious either.” These electric versions of cigarettes
Abigail Hill | Photographer come in many shapes and sizes and are charged like phones. Porter can carry one in his pocket throughout the day unnoticed if he wishes. “I started vaping at the end of my junior year,” Porter said. “I saw one of my friends with one and was curious, so I tried it. It wasn’t really peer pressure just because I wanted to know.” Porter, now admittedly addicted to vaping says he believes it has no
noticeably negative impact on his health, and the fruity fIavors that are available make the experience more enjoyable, despite multiple reports. “It’s better for you than s m o k i n g cigarettes,” Porter said. “You can adjust the nicotine level in vapes, but most of the time I leave it around 60 percent because the buzz you get is better the higher the nicotine level is, and some of the fIavors actually taste good.”
“I will stop eventually, probably sometime in college, just because I know it will eventually begin to affect me."
Mike Porter*, 12
The buzz Porter gets from vaping is his reason for continuing to do it. Though it only lasts for a short time, it is strong. “It’s debilitating,” Porter said. “You get really tired, but in a good way, and everything just goes kind of numb.” This is not a habit Porter plans to have for the rest of his life. Instead, to him, it’s something entertaining to do for now. “I don’t think vaping is a bad thing, I actually enjoy it,” Porter said. “I will stop eventually, probably sometime in college just because I know it will eventually begin to affect me, but for now, while I’m young. I don’t see why not.” *pseudonym
Studies reveal composition, effects of e-cigarette fIuid Megan Fletcher | Co-Editor
Propylene Glycol Glycerin 95%
Once inhaled, propylene glycol enters the bloodstream and usually leaves the body after 48 hours. While generally harmless, it can cause irritation to the eyes and skin, Although it is usually used in food, propylene glycol is also a main ingredient in antifreeze.
Glycerin, also called glycerol, while usually harmless, can cause headaches and nausea when inhaled frequently within a certain time period.
Nicotine Flavors 5% Flavors used in vape pens are foodgrade, meaning they’re also used in products like ketchup and mustard. However, some fIavors from certain brands have proved to be cytotoxic, meaning they are harmful to cells.
E-cigarettes with a high nicotine concentration cause mutations in lung cells, similar to the ones caused by traditional cigarettes.
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Feature Volume 12, Issue 5
Married To The Job
Teachers describe experiences, benefits of working together The Cosseys
Bryan Ross | Reporter
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It was his first day at Texas Lutheran University. Like most freshman, he was lost. And like most freshman, he found a helpful upperclassman to find his dorm. But there was one small difference: the helpful upperclassman would later become his wife. Kevin Cossey, an AVID teacher and coach, married his wife, Victoria, five years ago, and has been working with her ever since. “She asked me out,” Cossey said. “It’s funny we reversed the sides. She asked me for my phone number the first day, but I had a girlfriend at the time, so I told her, and we were still friends. Then me and my girlfriend didn’t work out and she was there, kind of a shoulder to lean on. We became closer and closer and closer, and we started going on dates around the campus, late nights walking around, just talking about different issues we were going through and next thing you know I was meeting her family.” While both Cosseys have busy schedules to work around because of their jobs, Cossey says that working together gives
The Chambers HIM
Angelyna Rosales | Reporter
them a chance to sit down together at least once a day. “Because we’re coaches, we don’t really get to see each other a lot,” Cossey said. “Our lunches are paired together. I get to actually sit down and eat lunch with her, because half the time we don’t even get to eat dinner together, because when I get home, she’s either putting the kids to bed or going to bed herself, so working with my wife has been a time where I get to see her, eat lunch together, just give her a hug and say hello.” While working together has been good for their relationship, Cossey said that it has also been good for the students they teach to see them as an example. “We’re really mature for our age and we know and understand that we do have young people looking at us,” Cossey said. “And I think that’s been the biggest blessing for us is that a lot of people where we come from, they didn’t really see Mom and Dad together at home, so having Mrs. Cossey and Mr. Cossey on campus to tell them how a family actually works and how a marriage works was really really beneficial to them.”
HER
It was her first day as a sophomore at Texas Lutheran University. As she helped freshman find their way, she came across the boy who would later become her husband. English teacher and coach, Victoria Cossey has been married to basketball coach and AVID teacher Kevin Cossey for five years. The two worked side by side through their entire marriage after meeting in Seguin. “We met when he was a freshman and I was a sophomore in college,” Cossey said. “We were both athletes and had a lot in common.” Even though the couple has similarities, their differences are what make them work well together. “We complement each other well,” Cossey said. “He is the super outgoing ‘coach-mode’ guy all the time, and I am the ‘keep calm and carry on’ type of person.” While both Cossey’s have busy coaching and teaching schedules, working together gives them a chance to see each other throughout the day. “Because we’re always busy with our jobs it is nice to get to eat lunch
together every now and then,” Cossey said. “Sometimes it›s the only time we have to see each other.” Working together allows the couple to provide an example to students about family. “The best thing about working together at a school is the example we get to be to young people of faith and family, we love what we do as far as coaching and teaching,” Cossey said. “It’s a blessing to see students strive to be better people and achieve their goals.”
Abigail Hill | Asst. Editor McKenzie Quiroz | Asst. Editor
Athletic trainer Scot Chambers taped up athletes, completely unaware of the fact that his future life long partner was there in the same school. He and his wife, Jean, worked at the same high school for four years before ever meeting each other. After dating for a year, Chambers proposed to her at the same restaurant where they went on their first date, and got married in 2010. “There’s no downsides to working together because even though we work in the same building, there are sometimes where I will go days without seeing my wife,” Chambers said. “I’ll get up and leave
before the sun comes up, and then I’ll have a game where I get home at night and they’re already in bed, so the only time I’ll have ever seen my wife is when she’s sleeping next to me.” If they need to pick up their kids from school early, they do not need to worry about a daycare service, dropping them off in Mrs. Chambers classroom or Mr. Chambers office. “If I ever needed anything, whether it be to deal with the kids or a simple ‘hey by the way,’ all I would have to do is walk up to her room or she could come down [to my office,]” Chambers said. “It’s just the matter of communicating, and we’re both here to talk, and are really close to one another, so there’s no worry of a lack of a communication.” With the exception of the year where Mrs. Chambers worked at a separate school district, they have always worked at the same school. “It’s kind of hard to pick out the positives, because I’m so used to us being together at the same school,” Chambers said. “What I can say is working together feels great. I’ve never known our relationship any other way.”
Although science teacher Jean Chambers didn’t meet her husband right away at her job, it wouldn’t be long before she encountered her husband, Scot, a trainer, who she now works with every day. “I was a single mom and I started coaching because I needed extra money, and he was a trainer, so I had to talk to him about paperwork,” Chambers said. “We eventually started to get to know each other and finally one day he said, ‘Can I call you sometime?’” About a year and a half later, the two got married, and this year the two will be married for nine years, teaching most of the time together ever since. “We taught in South Texas, and we’ve taught every year together except for one when I was at a different school district to be a science coordinator,” Chambers said. According to Chambers, teaching at the same school has been good for the most part, unless they are both frustrated at something that affects the whole school. “But a lot of the time, he’s just in his little world of athletics, and I’m over here in [science],” Chambers said. “Sometimes
HER
It’s frustrating whenever he has to work late hours and coordinating our school schedules because he sometimes works longer hours than I do, and I have to get the kids.” From time to time, Chambers gets the same students her husband has, and she believes it makes it easier to work with them. “He has some of the same kids I do, and gets frustrated at the same kids I do,” Chambers said. “He also gives me insight on kids that I have no idea about.” Working together has brought the two closer, Chambers said, and has helped her understand her husband better. “When there’s something stressful going on, it’s easier to understand because I’m in the same environment as him, whereas when I was at a different school, it was harder for him to understand where I was coming from,” Chambers said. “If we had totally different professions, we might share more about the day, but at the same time, it’d be more difficult to get where the other person is coming from. But, it’s great working with him.”
Feature February 8, 2019
The Lucases
Maria Torres | Reporter Anna Schulze | Asst. Editor
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Walking through the halls, one may catch a glimpse of government and economics teacher Tom Lucas wandering down C-hall, far from his F-hall classroom across the school, but there is a purpose behind his seemingly aimless walks. “My wife teaches US history,” Lucas said. “We can go the whole day without seeing each other because our schedules are so different, so I always try to sneak by her room to peak in and see how she’s doing.” Lucas and his wife, Sara, met during graduate school at the University of Texas, and since then have been married for 16 years. However, they have only shared the same workplace for four. “I think the best part is the fact that we both are on the same schedule, for the first time in our marriage really,” Lucas said. “We both know what’s going on with the other, so if one of us wants to stay later to work that’s cool because we’re each here,
The Pearces
When students in middle school, Raina Pearce moved into the same town that Douglas Pearce. Not only did they grow up to be high school sweethearts, but ended up working together years later with Raina being a math teacher and Douglas ending up as a coach. Throughout the Pearce’s twelve years of marriage, the couple has worked at the same schools on and off; sometimes working together and sometimes not. Both of the Pearce’s worked together at Connally High School
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and you know if we want to come in early or whatever- it just meshes very well.” Though this is the first job Lucas has shared with his wife, it is not the first time they have worked closely together. Previously Mrs. Lucas worked for the district’s central office, which oversees the school district and its teachers, which Lucas said caused some tension. “It was really just a conflict of interest,” Lucas said. “We have no tension working together now though, and the reason I think it works so well is because we don’t actually, physically work together on the same material. We don’t mix too much, but I still get to see her.” Lucas described working with his wife as more than just good, stating that he has thoroughly enjoyed working with his spouse. “Working together is fantastic, “Lucas said. “Every day I learn that I love her a little more.”
Brisa Espinoza | Asst. Editor
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Back when I first moved to the U.S., I lived in California and it was so easy to meet people back then. You could just approach people and talk to them. I remember this one guy told me ‘I dig you’ and because of the language barrier, because I had only just started speaking English I was like, ‘I dig you? What is that!’ Another time, a guy approached me and
United States history teacher Sara Lucas is unmatched in the art of breaking up teenage public displays of affection. “I threaten to go get my husband and teach them how to kiss,” Lucas said. “It usually breaks it up.” Her husband, Tom Lucas, teaches AP Government and Economics. They’ve been married for 16 years. “It is great to have somebody to talk to social studies with, nerd stuff together, and get ideas from,” Lucas said. “It’s fun to be in the same building. We’re both introverts so we wondered a little bit about we’d be in each other’s faces [all the time].” Lucas says working with her husband helps her cope with her grief after the death of their son, Will. “It is very helpful to have
someone who knows me here,” Lucas said. “So when something bad happens and it triggers the grief, just being able to talk to him and just know that I have a hand to hold, and that I’m here for him too is very lovely.”
Kaitlin Mackey | Asst. Editor
when they were newly married. Eventually, the two ended up working at Hendrickson at around the same time. “I hardly ever see [Mrs. Pearce] because of my busy coaching schedule, so it’s almost like we don’t work together,” coach Pearce said. “It is nice though if I forget something or need money because she always helps me out and it definitely helps if we need to pass off our kids to one another after work.” Mrs. Pearce received the “Teacher of the Year” award towards the end of the 2017-2018 school year. Coach Pearce being able to celebrate her award and getting the opportunity to work at the same school as her during this time was a rewarding moment for him. “As long as we are both teaching I am sure working together will always be a possibility and I don’t mind it at all,” Coach Pearce said. “I always know that she is close to me if I need her for anything and she is safe.”
asked me out. We were going to dinner and a movie afterward. The dinner was very satisfying, I was so full. He was so excited about the movie and I think because I was so full I fell asleep during the movie. That’s not even the worst: I started snoring. He even told me so. I think we went on maybe one more date afterward, but he was upset. -Liliane Brockington, French
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Algebra I teacher Raina Pearce runs into her husband History teacher, Douglas, in the hallway . This encounter is not anything unusual since they have been working together at the same schools for over 16 years. Raina Pierce has been working with her husband since they both first began teaching. The two have transferred to multiple schools and school districts together throughout their careers. “We started working together in 2006 at Connally High School,” Pearce said. “We taught there for four years until we moved to Seguin where we worked for four years. We eventually moved to Pflugerville and started working at Hendrickson where we’ve been for five years. We’ve been working together the whole time.” Starting their friendship in Ennis, Texas when they were 11. The two’s friendship lasted throughout their college years, before eventually ending up together. “We both lived in Ennis, Texas,” Pearce said. “I moved to Ennis when I was in sixth grade. And I have known them since then. We went to the same high school but we didn’t date then. We were in the same
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I used to be a gymnastics teacher and one day we had to all dress up as the band, Village People-they sing YMCA-and I had to dress as the Native American. Before work I had a date at a sushi place and I knew I had to wear my costume because I had to go to work afterward. I showed up to the date with this costume on and I could tell that this guy was like, ‘Oh
group of friends so we would all hang out. But luckily we kept in touch through college and he was like my best friend.” Teaching together is their ideal situation throughout their careers but the two wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of not working together if the situation came to be. “We don’t necessarily always plan to work together,” Pearce said. “Our goal is to always be working together but if it doesn’t work out that way then I think we’d be okay but our goal is to try to be together. When we moved to Seguin, he taught at the high school and I taught at the middle school, but we were still in the same school district.” As they begin their twelfth year as a married couple, both value their jobs as a way to always be around each other despite their lack of being able to see each other throughout the school day. “The best part is that he’s always around,” Pearce said. “Its’s convenient that we’re both at the same school and our kids are both at Murchison. Just knowing that we’re both in the same place and if we ever need anything one of us just has to go up or down the stairs.”
my God, this girl is insane’ but I didn’t think about it because to me it wasn’t weird. I could tell he was super embarrassed because everyone was staring too. Then he never called after that. He was in one of my college algebra classes and the following day I had to see him again in class and that was awkward for him. -Kathryn Gurganus, English
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Feature Volume 12, Issue 5
A House United
Teacher holds class discussions over controversial topics Anabella Galan | Reporter
Sharing differing views and opinions with one’s peers may seem like an easy way to divide a group of students, but English teacher Mackenzie Guthrie’s sixth period class proves otherwise during the class’s daily thought provoking discussions. “Topic of the Day is when we bring up a controversial topic that’s happening either in our school, in the world, or in the news, and we talk about whether we agree or disagree with it or what side we’re on,” Guthrie said. “Usually, I just come up with a topic based on what I read in the news, if I know that kids are talking a lot about something at the time, or something that I’ve talked about with other teachers.” Reminding Guthrie to start up the discussion is something her students haven’t failed to do ever since it became a part of the class routine in the first month of school. “It became a thing at the beginning of the year when we read ‘House on Mango Street’, which led us to talk about Trump and the wall,” Guthrie said. “After that, a student suggested that we continue to do it every day, so now we start our days with a topic. It happened very organically. It wasn’t anything that was assigned, it was just something that we did already and wanted to keep doing. Now, one of my students always reminds me to start our
topic of the day. Sometimes, people just Guthrie said. “Everybody in the room was come up to me and ask for a certain topic agreeing that yes, black people can be to be talked about, but most of the time, racist because racism can be just saying I’ll just say something any topic derogatory and people based on will jump somebody’s right in on race. Then, it with their we got onto opinion.” the topic Students of the term in the class ‘Africane n g a g e American’ in these and how free-fIow p e o p l e discussions don’t feel by sharing comfortable t h e i r using the opinions word ‘black’. and finding One of my p e r s o n a l English II teacher Mackenzie Guthrie keeps her class students was relations to engaged when allowing them to participate ‘Topic of the like ‘Yeah, the topics Day.’ By doing this activity, students are able to express it always b e i n g their ideas in an open environment. makes me discussed. feel really “The one discussion that I’ll always weird when people call me Africanremember the most was when a student American, like just call me black.” I think suggested the topic ‘black racism’ and that was fun because we actually don’t then we got into a whole conversation have a bunch of black students in that discussing ‘Can black people be racist, or class, but I think it was really fun to see can only white people be racist?’ because how a lot of people in class think of race black people were historically oppressed,” and how we make it a bigger deal than it is,
when really everybody’s super chill about it.” Getting a break from what’s written on the lesson plan and letting students be able to express their views on certain issues is Guthrie’s goal in holding these conversations. “I think it’s a really good thing for people to see that it’s okay to have different opinions and for them not to judge a person by what they believe, but just by who the person is,” Guthrie said. “I’m a pretty in the middle-road person with my political views, so I always think it’s fun to play both sides of the argument and show my students that there’s literally nothing bad about being a Republican or Democrat. If you’re a bad person, you’re a bad person, but just because you voted one way, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re a horrible human being. My students seem to like talking about the topics. I know that there’s certain people in our class that are really passionate about a couple of topics, so I think doing this is a fun way to get a break from what we’re teaching in class and just a fun way to get into the class by opening up and starting the day with a conversation instead of just coming in and being bored. Topic of the Day brings some good energy into the room.”
Breaking the Bind
English teacher creates safe environment for seniors to express thoughts McKenzie Quiroz | Asst. Editor Moving the tables back to gather in a circle, novels in hand, students begin to answer the first of many questions: “So, what did you think of the book?” In AP literature teacher Aaron Holman’s class, seniors have the chance to discuss novels in a formal matter, expressing their ideas and asking questions along the way. “In most cases, students look forward to those days,” Holman said. “They control the topics. They control the direction the conversation goes in. They get to hear about what others thought. The reality is, students do this already on their own time through group chats, at lunch, before school, the five minutes before class in which they simply talk about the work. No pressure to find arbitrary literary devices, just talking about the work and the connections they made to their self and even to society.” Holman picks the novels for the entire school year ahead of time. These novels are not traditionally taught, but are generally read without a lot of interference from a
teacher, and can be used on the AP test. “I think [Holman] selects books that have themes that can be widely interpreted and will be great for discussions,” senior Lorena Fraga said. “My favorite novel was Under the Feet of Jesus because it was one of the first books I’ve read that I felt represented as a Latina.” The Socratic seminars occur every few months, after students finish an assigned independent reading novel and a refIective essay. “The Socratic seminars let me see things in the book from different students’ views,” senior Gabby Emken said. “By hearing the different interpretations from around the room it makes me think about how things are applied to people besides me. It just feels nice to learn about new things and hear the opinions of your classmates every once and a while. It’s like curriculum based gossip.” Holman allows his students to fully take control of the discussions. With no help from the teacher, students must ask
their own questions, or convey their own observations and interpretations. Students are not graded for the amount of times they talk, but they must stay involved in the conversation by listening. “Because we all come from different walks of life, this infIuences the way we read and see connections,” Holman said. “When we share those ideas, those ideas that are unique to that individual, often others would have never seen it that same way because their life experiences are so different, that it prevents them from seeing it that way.” Even though Holman does not interject, he models active listening, gathering knowledge from the insight from his students. “I am a fIy on the wall, just listening,” Holman said. “I tend to not interject or participate. It is about the students’ learning and I don’t want to interfere in that process. [The seminar] always shapes my views. I come from such a different generation. I grow up differently than my
students. This allows me to see what only infIuences them in their current life, but it also allows me to see what has shaped them into the awesome person they are today. So many times they will say something and I’ll think, ‘I never thought of it that way.’ I tend to learn as much, if not more, than the students during the seminar.” Novels read thus far include: Never Let Me Go, Under the Feet of Jesus, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. These novels allow students the freedom to write and talk about a variety of topics. The refIective paper gives them the opportunity to put their thoughts on paper, with no specific format to follow. “The biggest difference it has made is that it takes the fear away and allows for some very interesting conversations,” Holman said. “Without the pressure of your typical ‘analyze this novel’ hanging over their heads, they are able to connect back to a time when reading was just reading, filled with thought and wonder.”
And The Winner Is...
Feature February 8, 2019
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Staff reviews Best Picture-nominated films BlacKkKlansman
A Star Is Born
Abigail Hill | Asst. Editor
Abigail Hill | Asst. Editor
A story of the first African-American detective to serve in a police department, BlacKkKlansman is nominated for six awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Original Music Score, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Its depiction of the true story of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), and its spot on story of his partner, Flip (Adam Driver), another cop going undercover to become a KKK member, contribute to the entertaining, but also educational movie. The two team up to take down the extreme hate group, and brings to light the racism faced in the 1970’s. Its humorous, thrilling, and almost tragic story make BlacKkKlansman worth its nominations and popular recognition.
A Star Is Born portrays Ally (Lady Gaga,) a young singer, who meets a famous musician and alcoholic (Bradley Cooper,) who quickly fall in love and make music together. Because of it’s incredible acting and storyline, the movie is nominated for six awards: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. The movie stands strong against the other nominated movies, and is expected to take home the main titles. The compelling romance and true-tolife story became an extreme hit and is a movie worth watching.
Bohemian Rhapsody Maya Lewis | Reporter
Released on Nov. 2, Bohemian Rhapsody tells the story of the rock band Queen and their journey to success along with the battles that tag along. The story follows specifically Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the band, and his personal triumphs and struggles concerning music, sexuality, and fame. Mercury’s character is one that deserves to be played genuinely and with heart and no other actor besides the talented Rami Malek could do it justice. Scenes taking place on stage especially had the best color scheme, costumes, and set. The plot told Mercury’s story with grace and displayed the perfect amounts of heartbreak, pride, joy, and sorrow. Bohemian Rhapsody is nominated for five awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Editing. Freddie Mercury died only 27 years ago but lives on in Bohemian Rhapsody, and I think he would proud of the way his story was told.
Oscars deal with no host after Hart controversy Addison Hildebrandt | Reporter
Other movies also nominated for Academy Awards:
The Favourite
Black Panther
Green Book
Vice
Roma
Cold War
For the first time in thirty years, the 91st Oscars could premiere without a host. Kevin Hart decided to step down as host after some of his old homophobic tweets from 2011 were released in early December. The Academy asked Hart to either apologize for his actions or to step down as host. Hart refused to apologize, claiming he already apologized for his actions and is trying to be move on from his past. Weeks after Hart stepped down, the Academy asked many other celebrities such as Dwayne Johnson to host the Oscars but no one else wants to host them. On Jan. 4, Hart was invited to be on Ellen. While on the show, Ellen kept asking Hart to reconsider hosting but in the end, Hart still opted not to. During the Golden Globe Awards, comedian Chris Rock was asked to host The Oscars and he said he had no interest of hosting them again. On Jan. 17, actress Constance Wu said that she and her co-star on Fresh Off the Boat, Randall Park should host The Oscars. Whoopi Goldberg also suggested Ken Jeong due to the success of Crazy Rich Asians, which was released in Aug. 2018. Without a host people watching at home people might not enjoy the awards show as they normally would.
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Entertainment Volume 12, Issue 5
The Pita Shack’s Chicken Shawama plate and Veggie Supreme Pizza.
On the Menu
Co-Editor McKenna Lucas with her Grilled Tofu rice bowl from Moi Vietnamese Grill.
Staff reviews restaurants with high ratings on Yelp The Pita Shack
Moi Vietnamese Grill
Lauren Saenz | Reporter
McKenna Lucas | Co-Editor
The Pita Shack, located on FM 685, is a recently opened family owned and operated restaurant serving Lebanese and Mediterranean food. The shop welcomes you with its cozy, relaxing atmosphere and friendly staff. The Pita Shack offers a wide variety of Mediterranean pita-wraps, plates, appetizers, and salads which includes beef and chicken shawarma wraps, falafel (fried patties consisting of chickpeas, onions and herbs), baba
ghanouj (grilled eggplant with tahini), hummus and many more traditional dishes. All plates are $7.99 and wraps start at $5.99. The restaurant also offers pizza with a Mediterranean twist, including a chicken shawarma pizza (thin crust, red sauce, chicken shawarma, and mozzarella cheese). A 10’’ pizza is $7.99 and a 14’’ pizza is $12.99. The Pita Shack is a hidden gem and offers great food whether you’re just looking for a quick snack or a full meal.
Rated the #2 restaurant in PfIugerville on Yelp, Moi Vietnamese Grill exceeds all expectations with a clean dining area, diverse food options, and beautifully crafted dishes. The grill serves food “Chipotle-style,” allowing the customer to pick and choose what they want in their meal. Serving the food this way makes the wait for food relatively fast and easy and ensures that the customers get precisely what food servings they want
and how much is in their meal. Along with serving fresh vegetables, grilled chicken, pork, and beef, Moi also serves grilled tofu, accommodating to the needs of vegan or vegetarian customers. Located at 16051 Dessau Road, the restaurant also takes online orders at www.moivg. com. With a quick wait, healthy food, and accommodating menu, Moi Vietnamese certainly deserves its spot at number two.
Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue New Sitara Indian Cuisine Ikram Mohamed | Reporter Tucked away in an inconspicuous plaza, largely blocked from the Foothill Farms loop traffic by a run down corner store, Brotherton’s Barbeque doesn’t stand out all that much. It’s front doors are riddled with various stickers, and stepping in, the restaurant exudes a homey feel and the delicious aroma of smoked meat. The menu is split into three sections; sandwiches, meats, and sides. There is a various arrangement of sandwiches, ranging from a brisket grilled cheese, a roasted turkey sandwich, and a brisket banh mi. One dish, the PfIugerville Pfilly, is an average philly cheesesteak made with brisket, queso, and an array of peppers. Immediately after unwrapping the
Brisa Espinoza | Asst. Editor sandwich, noticeable oil stains were splattered all over the wrapping. With many foods, especially meats, a few oil stains are expected, but after taking my first bite the few oil splatters turned out to be a lot more than just ‘stains’. The meat seemed as though it was soaked in grease, as both its texture and flavor refIected that. Three bites was all that was manageable before the oil ridden taste became all too much to handle. Many people have nothing but good things to say about the local barbeque joint, but sadly this experience didn’t come to the same verdict. In conclusion, this experience would have to receive a 2 out of 5.
Having recently opened on Wells Branch Parkway, New Sitara Indian Cuisine has lived up to every review and rating it has been given since its opening. According to Yelp, it has earned the spot as the tenth top restaurant in PfIugerville. The smell of herbs and spices throughout the air welcomes customers instantly causing hunger to strike in their stomachs even more. The Indian restaurant offers a wide variety of Indian cuisine. From its appetizer to dessert options, the New Sitara menu options will leave customers unsure of what to order because of the
options but in the end satisfied with whatever is placed on the plate. Regardless of being a first time customer or not, the staff at New Sitara helps customers along the way while ordering, making sure to answer any questions over the food and educating those that have never eaten Indian food on what is the best to get. Despite New Sitara being a little bit away from the central part of PfIugerville, it is well worth the drive to experience this Indian cuisine.
Entertainment February 8, 2019
A Beck’s Prime Hickory Cheeseburger with a side of fries and a glass of water.
PfIugerville Taco House’s breakfast tacos and Chicken Tikka Masala.
Beck’s Prime
PfIugerville Taco House
Bryan Ross | Reporter
Brisa Espinoza | Asst. Editor
A two-story restaurant with a balcony overlooking Heatherwilde, Beck’s Prime is a nicer casual restaurant that specializes in made-to-order hamburgers. With a diverse menu that features salads, sandwiches, steaks, hot dogs, and the aforementioned burgers, it’s a menu that should have something for everyone. An average entree plus a side ranges from $12-$15 while a steak dinner ranges from $20-$30.
The service was friendly, and reasonably fast considering they actually make your food at the restaurant, but unfortunately the food was less than spectacular. Although the food was good, it simply ended up being more expensive than it’s worth. While customers can have a good overall experience with a nice, clean restaurant, the mediocre food does not hold up to the relatively high price tag.
The moment customers walk into PfIugerville Taco House, they’re immediately welcomed with a homey feeling and a sense of comfort because of its small layout and relaxed vibe overall. The small restaurant located on Railroad Avenue known to locals as “Downtown PfIugerville” is a top rated restaurant according to Yelp, rated as the third best restaurant in PfIugerville.
The restaurant offers a variety of breakfast and lunch tacos, burritos, tortas and plates. There are also “Pfunky Tacos” offered which are tacos with a mix different meats and sides. The food is obviously made to order with its sense of authenticity that is found throughout the different types of food. PfIugerville Taco House is easy to miss if not looked out for, but keep an eye out for this restaurant. It’s worth it.
Mr. Pfranks
Pecan Street Deli & Grill
Camryn Sadlier | Reporter
Addison Hildebrandt | Reporter
With a rustic persona and an abundance of outdoor seating, Mr. Pfranks is the place to be this spring. The atmosphere is pet friendly, great for kids, and unmatched to any restaurant in the area always serving pfranks hot and fresh. This family and veteran-owned hotdog eatery is affordable with many variations of Hebrew National
hotdogs offering an assortment of frito pies, nachos, chips, drinks, and of course hot dogs. Open Tuesday-Saturday, the restaurant features delivery and takeout as well as tax-included prices. Mr. Pfranks is a perfect place to see friends from school or meet new people and is at the top of the list for an appetizing afternoon snack.
Pecan Street Deli & Grill is a family friendly restaurant located just west of downtown PfIugerville. The restaurant offers many different salads and sandwiches that come at affordable prices. The sandwiches are large and can come toasted, grilled or cold. They also have a variety of burgers, potatoes, and a salad bar. Meals come with a side of fries,chips, or onion rings and a medium drink which is an extra cost but is worth it since you will get more food for
Iron Fish Sushi & Grill
Cafe Eden
McKenna Lucas | Co-Editor
Taylor Hedlund | Reporter
Iron Fish Sushi & Grill, located in the shopping center off of Pecan Street and FM685, serves a wide variety of sushi rolls and Japanese cuisine. As customers wait for their meal, they’re offered a chance to watch a sushi cook prepare their sushi roll. The menu showcases a diverse range of sushi rolls of varying flavors and prices, with fun names like Volcano, Mt. Fuji,
Firecracker, Redbull, Playboy, and Spicy Susan. Overall, the restaurant has a nice atmosphere, however, the grill is located in a small building, which results in the place getting fairly crowded during busy nights. For those PfIugerville foodies looking for a little spice in their palate, Iron Fish Sushi and Grill is a great place to look into.
Tucked into a simple shopping center on Windermere Dr. is the Korean Fusion restaurant Cafe Eden. The restaurant, known for its hospitality and food, brings light to the themes brought on from the story “The Little Prince.” The walls are carefully decorated with lovely wall “Little Prince” art and many areas are freshened up with small plants that decorate parts
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just a little extra money. The staff checked on us frequently to make sure everything was good, the food also came out in a very short amount of time. The turkey and cheese sandwich has smoked turkey, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes on Italian white bread and the broccoli cheddar soup which was very cheesy and a good flavor. Overall, the food was tasty and the restaurant is a good place to have a nice quick meal.
of the restaurant. The food has a wide variety of salads, bento boxes, sushi and more, each with a different possible fIavor from seasoning or preparation. They have started serving refreshing bubble tea and hot teas which are selling quite well. This is a must have stop for anyone who is interested.
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Sports Volume 12, Issue 5
Game Changers
M.K- Madison Kusano, 11 O.D.- Olivia Draguicevich, 12 A.O.- Aysha Ogden, 12 K.A.- Kenzie Arrington,12
Varsity team captains reveal plans for team success
Q& A Angelyna Rosales | Reporter
How do you help the team stay motivated? M.K- “I can’t be on the field right now, but off the field I know the formation and I know what we did last year. I’ve played the last two years so I know how to help others, but I really just coach. I’m pretty aggressive, passionate, and I say things and everybody’s like yeah, only you would say things like that.” O.D.- “For me it’s all about encouraging them even if we mess up, just keeping their heads high and saying something positive keeps them motivated.” K.A.- “I keep the team motivated by just trying to keep a positive attitude and competitive atmosphere with the girls so that it’s fun, but also everyone is working hard.”
How do you and the other What did you write your What's something people would not usually know captains work together to captain speech about? help the team function? M.K.- “I wrote it about how even though about being captain? M.K.- “Actually we’re all pretty close, we all know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Most of the time the players on the team listen. So we just all talk together like someone will say one thing and then someone will say something else. Most of the time I’m in charge of bringing things because I usually have all my stuff, and I’m in charge of revving them up. The other captains are more in charge of game time stuff, like warm up.” O.D.- “I think a lot of the time we come together and discuss the things we need to work on, if any of us see something not working on the field, we address it with the team so we’re all on the same page.” A.O.- “We text each other a lot and make sure we’re on the same page before we go to games, or do things as a team, so none of us are saying the wrong thing.” K.A.- “The captains work together by communicating and working together a lot to come up with ways to help the team. We also meet and stay in communication with coach Fulton on what we need to work on, and how we can execute that in order to be successful.”
I’m injured and tore my ACL, I’m here, Everyone else who has torn their ACL in the past doesn’t show up to anything. I still go to physical therapy, I still do all my other things, but I show up to everything, I’m committed to the team, I help the team whenever I can: I’m here. I also said I’m an echo: an echo can’t do anything on its own, like I can’t do anything on my own on the field. An echo can really emphasize and strengthen the team because it stays there, and is always there.” O.D.- “I wrote it about teamwork because I feel like everyone has a role to play even if they don’t play. I also wrote it about seniority, because I don’t like it when seniors try to control everything and the hierarchy of all of it, and I feel like everyone should be viewed as equals on and off the field.” A.O.- “I wrote my speech about empathy, and how important it is for us to be there for each other, it’s not about the soccer, it’s about the individual.” K.A.- “I focused on the idea that every player on this team has a crucial role and in order for our team to be successful, we all need to believe that idea, and be confident when it’s time to step up.”
M.K.- “The behind the scenes stuff, like we have to organize who takes the balls, who takes the cones, organizing how people are going to arrive at places, organizing food, you would think that other people would be doing this kind of stuff, but we do it. Normally, we just have a set play, but with the new coach we get to set up things. O.D.- “I think that most of the time people assume that being captain is just telling people what to do, but what most people don’t know is a lot of the time it’s just leading by example, and being a good role model for people, not just verbalizing it.” K.A.- “One thing people don’t always think about when they think about being captain is how you communicate with your team. Not everyone responds the same way to the same type of communication. It’s so important to know each of your teammates and what they need in order to respond to your leadership. While some people respond to yelling out instruction, others don’t, and need a specific type of communication. It’s all about knowing what they need in order to help them, and the team succeed.”
Girl Power
Sports February 8, 2019
19
Senior discusses aspects of being a wrestler
Kyla White | Reporter
Rafael Villarreal | Photographer
People don’t mess with senior Emmaleigh Gowland. This may be her first year on the wrestling team, but she doesn’t let that stop her from packing a punch on varsity. “Everybody thinks I’m a little intimidating,“ Gowland said. “‘Oh, what are you? The WWE or something?’ as if I’m going to jump off of something and slam them, but that’s not really how it works. But it’s kind of nice sometimes, people don’t mess with you.” Gowland uses wrestling as a way to cope and deal with any unnecessary stress in her life. “I joined because I just needed a way to release some anger,” Gowland said. “Beating up people is
fun, but of course it’s regulated and nobody gets hurt or anything. It’s just a fun way to cope with stuff.” The wrestling team has a district tournament that is this weekend. If successful, the team will advance to regionals. “Competitions can be really intimidating, but that’s the fun part, you get to put on a show while you’re there,” Gowland said. Other than Gowland herself, there are three other girls on the team, and she says that the team all together works really well. “We’re really close, and we normally go to Whataburger after practice,” Gowland said. “We’re supposed to be cutting back weight, but we can just smell the fries.”
“Wrestling is something I really enjoy. Its different than everyone thinks, but not in a bad way.“
Freshman power lifter benefits from cross country Anabella Galan | Reporter
Brisa Espinoza | Photographer
Comparing her accomplishments to her brother’s had been something freshman power lifter Bianca Anderson did her whole life. Individuality can be hard to find, especially while sharing a sport with a well excelling older sibling, but Anderson found her uniqueness through running cross country. “I chose to do cross country because I wanted to do something that my brother wasn’t doing,” Anderson said. “I felt like for my whole life every time I did a sport, my brother would also start doing that sport. I wanted to do something that my brother wouldn’t do, and I knew that he wouldn’t do cross country. I wanted to do a sport like that because he’d always been better than me.” Even with the drastic differences between power lifting
and cross country, Anderson finds that both sports have helped create a positive impact on her self image. “Cross country keeps me in shape because powerlifting isn’t a sport that makes you slim, by any means,” Anderson said. “Power lifting is a sport that can make you a lot bigger and cross country balances everything out for me. If I didn’t do cross country, I think I wouldn’t be the way I want to look. I still want to have a girly appearance. I think both sports are kind of hard to balance out because for power lifting you’re really supposed to be eating protein, and then for cross country you’re supposed to eat a lot of carbs, so they kind of get in the way of each other, but since the cross country season’s over, it’s easier.” Learning to appreciate both sports and the amount
of effort it takes to prosper in each has driven Anderson to continue participating in both throughout high school and this has benefited her relationship with herself and her brother. “Cross country is hard, but it’s worth it,” said Anderson. “In a way it’s like power lifting because you can see a lot of improvement after you keep practicing. To me, it’s a lot harder than power lifting. Cross country takes a lot of dedication because it’s something that you could easily give up on. It’s something I almost gave up on. My brother’s not looking down on me whenever I’m power lifting. He’s been helping me and giving me pointers because he wants me to be better at it as well. At first I joined power lifting because I wanted to be better at it than him, but now it just brings us closer.”
“My expectation for the team is that it grows, and for myself to place in state eventually. “Its hard getting girls interested in powerlifting. I use to wear shirts to cover my arms I’m just a freshman and I see so much potential in what the team could become over the because muscles were seen as unattractive. I’m learning to love them though because I know I’ve worked hard for them.“ four years, and what I could achieve.”
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People February 8, 2019
Pass the Plate
Teens explain how traditional meals connect them to their culture, family
McKenna Lucas | Co-Editor
Kyla White | Reporter
Reem Fashho, 12 on Palestinian Food “[Eating traditional meals] really makes a difference because you know it’s coming from a place of love. My mom doesn’t have to make these kinds of meals, there are a lot of meals that are a lot easier, but whenever she takes so much time to make certain foods, you know it’s for more than just the food. [Cooking Palestinian food] is a way to keep up with the culture, because we are living so far away from there. It’s teaching us about middle eastern culture, like maintaining the language, food comes along with it. They complement each other; you act as a Palestinian at home, because you do everything you would do there. Food is a way of keeping it close. Frequently Palestinians put cinnamon and nutmeg on their meat because it gives it an Earthy smell. When we go to Palestine, whenever we go out for food the first time, they take us to a place that makes only Musakhan. They usually sell it on the streets. So around Easter time, for what would have been [Jesus’s] crucifixion, they make these cakes. It’s called Maamoul, which means ‘cake filled with dates’. It’s supposed to resemble the crown around Jesus’s head when he was crucified. You’re supposed to make them with the indentions, to symbolize his head with the crown on it. So during Easter, everyone makes them, and you give them to your neighbors and the people around you. Even when you’re not Christian, like most people in the Middle East are Muslim, but it’s a tradition that when you make them you give them to people around you, just to celebrate the holidays.”
Moness Ziari, 10 on Iranian Food “I’ve been learning how to cook ever since I was nine. I remember watching my mom in the kitchen all the time, cooking some of my favorite meals to this day. She doesn’t do it as much she did when I was younger, but when she does, it’s like I am a kid all over again. I wasn’t born yet when my parents lived in Iran, but I’m glad that my culture was with me growing up despite living here. The Jeweled rice I made is one of my favorites because its relatively easy to make compared to what other foods I could’ve made. I also like the mix of sweet in the rice with it because rice isn’t something that has sweet in it. All the ingredients are very different from each other but they go well together.”
Olivia Phommavanh, 12 on Laotian food “There’s never a time where my mom’s not in the kitchen. She spends so many hours throughout the day in the kitchen. Whenever I eat her food, or just Laotian food in general, I feel at home because I know a lot of love and hard work went into it. At the same time, when I go to family reunions and I eat someone else’s cooking I’m like ‘This isn’t as good as my mom’s.’ My mom is always the best chef in my mind. I wrote this little thing in kindergarten. ‘Dear mom, you are a ray of sunshine. I appreciate you because you are a caring mom and also a great cook. Ms. Gregory wants egg rolls.’”
Nina Phommavanh, Olivia’s mother, on Laotian food “The most popular dish in Laos is Larb. You can make it with pork, beef or chicken. First, you boil all the organs with galangal. It’s sort of like ginger, but a lot stronger. You boil the heart, intestines, lungs liver with galangal, onions, and lemon grass and then once it’s tender you slice the organs into really thin strips. You grill the meat and then chop it really finely and then season it with fish sauce, lime juice, a little bit of salt, and then top it off with cilantro, green onions, mint, with chili pepper. So after you got your meat grilled and chopped meat and your organs sliced, the first thing you add is the roasted chili pepper, then fish sauce. The very traditional way is with fermented anchovy sauce, but we don’t like that, then salt, chili powder, and roasted rice powder. If you make Larb you have to have this, if not, than it’s not Larb. There are other versions people can make it with shrimp or fish, and then you serve it with sticky rice. The meaning of this dish is to bring luck. They would make this dish when you are having a housewarming, wedding, or baby coming. It’s for special occasions only. They will cook this dish on New Year, on Laos New Year. They celebrate it with putting water on each other for three days, to wash away the bad luck. And then they would bring the Buddha statue down from the temple, and let people pour cumin perfume, with rose petals, or any special flower sprinkled in it, over the Buddha for luck. The water that pours down from the Buddha people will collect and sprinkle in their homes or on their loved ones’ heads to bring good luck and wash away bad luck.” *Nina Phommovanh posts cooking videos on her YouTube channel Lao American Lady