New attendance policy causes students stress, frustration
By Fallon Head Editor-in-Chief
Due to a district policy, attendance has been tied back to final exceptions. Students can have a maximum of four absences a semester to be able to exempt final exams. The district has implemented this to address the drop in attendance after COVID. However, the change has frustrated students.
Sophomore Kailyn Suarez is one of several students who has already missed four or more days due to illness.
“I didn’t want to [miss school] because I really want to exempt my finals,” said Suarez, who had pneumonia during the second week of school. “But also I don’t want to come to school sick and get other people sick. And it’s like I’m not wanting to stay home, because I really want to come here and see my friends, but also I don’t want to get them sick. It’s just annoying.”
To discourage sick students from spreading germs at school after COVID started in 2020, the district stopped tying attendance to exemptions. Prior to 2020, kids could only have three unexcused absences and still exempt.
Students were first told about the policy change during advisory the first week of school.
“Overall motivation is we want kids in school,” principal Wes Solomon said. “We believe in kids being here every day. We think schools have a positive impact, and attendance just helps. The
exam exceptions provide another factor, ensuring that we maximize our time with kids on a daily basis.”
Chronic absenteeism increased across most districts since COVID, but Humble’s numbers were especially high. To qualify as “chronically absent,” students missed at least 18 days in a school year.
According to the Houston Landing, 22 percent of Humble ISD students were chronically absent in the 2022-23 school year. That was an increase of 13 percent since the 2018-19 school year. The only Houston-area district with a higher increase over the same four-year span was Houston ISD.
According to Humble ISD’s assistant superintendent of high schools Dr. Todd Hicks, the district decided on the four-day rule by comparing other districts’ policies and using that as a guide.
“The goal of the policy is to provide an incentive to students to focus on their academic success,” Hicks said via email. “A portion of that strategy is to assist students in understanding the importance of not only attending class, but to also instill the importance employers place on punctual attendance as students transition from the public-school setting to the workforce.”
Excused absences that still allow students to exempt exams include school-related events, college visits and doctor visits if the student attends school for part of the day. Absences that do count against exemptions include parent emails
and an all-day absence with a doctor’s note.
“[When I first heard about it] I thought it was kinda dumb,” senior Madison Wilson said. “As a person that does get sick and has doctor appointments quite regularly, I didn’t know how I’d [manage] that and [exempt] finals.”
Wilson had an ear infection for over two weeks in August. While it was not contagious, it still made learning hard. If the old policy was still in place, Wilson said she would have stayed home a couple of days and thinks her ear infection may have healed faster.
“It just makes it harder to stay focused when teachers are talking and, [I can’t] like, fully hear what the teacher actually has to say,” Wilson said. “So sometimes I have to ask a friend what they actually said, because I’m not sure.”
As dictated by state law, a student can come to school with a doctor’s note. If they attend at least 15 minutes of class on the day the note specifies, they can
then return home to recuperate with the entire day being an excused absence.
This year, school nurse Mary Fischer said there have been some recorded cases of strep and flu, some doctors diagnosed upper respiratory viruses, and several cases of COVID. If students get COVID or any other feverish illness, they are supposed to stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours without any medication.
Students worry that their classmates who are getting sick are not always following those guidelines. Fischer advised students to wash their hands, use hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available, keep hydrated, eat proper meals and get plenty of rest.
“Anytime our body is compromised from stress or lack of sleep or lack of food, it does give our bodies the opportunity to become ill,” Fischer said. “So just optimize your bodies by doing all the good things.”
Students check in and out each day at the attendance office. Photo by Fallon Head.
New tech improves experience for students, teachers
By Preston Carpenter Staff Writer
Over the summer, interactive panels and Chromebook carts were given to the school as a part of the Humble Technology Bond to give students greater access to new technology. Schools across the Humble ISD district have been receiving new technology since 2022.
“I think they will really have an impact on learning in the classroom,” principal Wes Solomon said.
Included in the bond were 32 Chromebook carts. This allows every teacher to have a cart in every class. Most carts have 30 Chromebooks, which is usually enough for every student in the class.
In previous years, teachers had to request a Chromebook cart weeks in advance because of the limited number on campus.
“It’s definitely been nice, allows me to get my work done,” senior
Tristan Samson said.
The interactive panels were installed in every classroom to replace the projectors previously used. These projectors required consistent maintenance with the bulbs needing to be replaced often, leading some classrooms to be without a projector for weeks at a
time. With the Newline interactive panels, fewer maintenance issues should arise.
The panel can serve as a whiteboard, a tablet or a desktop. Teachers can also plug their laptops into the screen and project off of there when needed.
With all of the panels’ capa-
bilities, some teachers have found unique ways to utilize the panels inside and outside of class.
“My daughter loves it,” Economics teacher Luke Gorney said. “I can display a template for a coloring picture and she can color it in like a coloring book up on the screen.”
The addition of the interactive panels has also made teaching easier for Gorney in many aspects. In his economics classes, Gorney can draw graphs on the panels and then interact with them to give students a more visual representation of what’s going on in the graphs.
Compared to the projectors, Gorney is able to show students more in-depth looks at economy with the use of the Interactive Panels.
“I tend to be a little bit reluctant to accept change, but since I’ve played with it and started messing around with it, I actually really like it,” Gorney said.
Redesign inside school adds personality to hallways
By Kaitlyn Sitton Editor-in-Chief
Walking into the school is a different experience for everyone this year. The halls are lined with new artwork, showcasing the various activities and accomplishments of students.
Much more branding for Kingwood Park is scattered throughout as well, including the KP logo, panther eyes and panther faces.
“There’s some really nice things that we’ve put up,” principal Wes Solomon said. “I think it looks great and makes it look a whole lot better.”
Around the halls there are photos of students, inspirational quotes and murals. The main thing students noticed when walking around were pictures of themselves on the walls.
It was an unexpected surprise for many, including sophomore Jeremiah Head, who is pictured as
the mascot.
“It just made my day better,” Head said. “It makes me smile thinking about how out of a bunch of photos, they chose one of me.”
The athletic building has a full wall mural that includes volleyball and basketball photos, which were taken by students on the newspaper and yearbook staffs last year.
Included on the wall is sophomore basketball player Rionna Martin, who was shocked to see her photo. Seeing it, however, has motivated her.
“It kind of pushes me to do better in anything I do,” Martin said. “My coach told me, ‘You’re an example now.’ Anytime something happens, people will know.”
These decorations were put up to help make the school look more lively after having gray floors and gray walls last year. The new additions were meant to help give the
school a “facelift.”
“I think it just is a more welcoming environment,” Solomon said, “I mean, that’s what you want when you walk into a place that you’re
going to spend approximately seven and a half, eight hours a day. You want it to be a welcoming, warm, safe environment.”
Students walk through the new hallway in the athletic wing, which now showcases photos of volleyball and basketball players. Photo by Emily McKithern.
Kristel Sortelli demonstrates a math problem on her newline interactive panel during her 4th period class. Photo by Shelby Townsend.
Theater production class expands reach
By Olivia Brenner Staff Writer
The theater production class offers a unique opportunity for students with special needs by creating an inclusive way for students to learn about theater. In addition to analyzing plays and learning about the basics of theater, students put on four performances a year.
Theater teacher Brandi Perkins ensures that students have a safe and inclusive classroom environment by providing “soft spaces,” personal space, adaptive equipment, and white boards for communication. The class also has three adults in the room, instead of just one teacher.
“In a safe and inviting environment, we take students of all levels and incorporate them into a performance class,” Perkins said. The class watches movies and plays and analyzes them, as well as learns basic theatrical concepts, like props and staging. The students also play games and do fun activities while learning about theater. In the past, they have colored Julius Caesar comic books and learned about famous playwright William Shakespeare. Perkins does her best to make the class very engaging.
“I love, love, love our warm up to get them excited and vocal,” Perkins said “We watch a quiz video at the beginning of class, and they are so excited when they know the answer, when they figure it out on their own.”
“Frozen
new class for students with special needs who have limited options for classes. They get to learn things they would not normally get to learn about in a fun way.
For example, last year they did a play about Christmas traditions all around the world.
“The theater production class is an inclusionary exploration of theater.”
Brandi
Perkins,
theater director and co-teacher of the theater production class
Glendaliz Ramos is Perkins’ coteacher, and this is her first year teaching the theater production class. As an outsider to theater, she is learning along with the students. She likes that it offers a
“I know throughout middle school, one of the things I hear a lot from parents is just, they’ve done art for the last couple years,” Ramos said. “And there’s nothing wrong with art, but I think this is a little change for them outside of their usual schedule.”
If they can get their schedules lined up, Perkins hopes she and orchestra director Evan Farmer can split the theater production class and add a musical element. If they are able to do so, this
would add more opportunities for learning for students with special needs. Perkins also likes the idea of the class eventually rotating through even more fine arts classes
Courtney Neuwirth, the technical theater director, brought her technical theater class to see one of the theater production’s shows last year. They usually do well-known reader theater pieces, one of which is performed at the graduation ceremony for students
with special needs who can not attend regular graduation.
“I think it teaches a lot of really valuable skills in a practical way, but also a low stakes way most of the time, which helps them get more comfortable,” Neuwirth said. “But I definitely think they’re great skills that they’re learning: communication and collaboration.”
Theater director Brandi Perkins helps students calculate the cost of supplies for a trip to the frozen tundra after watching a video recording of
the Musical.” Photos by Tricia Darcy.
Theater student Tyler Humphrey laughs with peer Brandon Ray during class.
Foster families walk halls for final time before demolition
By Preston Carpenter Staff Writer
Last month, Foster Elementary opened its doors to give former students the chance to walk the halls for the final time before it is torn down. Kingwood Park students participated in the event since many attended Foster, including senior Courtney Daniel. She especially wanted to see the cafeteria mural one more time.
‘My grandmother painted it,” Daniel said. ”She painted it when my mother went here.”
Opened in 1971, Foster was the first elementary school in Kingwood. Foster received its name from the Foster Lumber Company which originally owned the land that Kingwood was built on.
With over 50 years of history, Foster’s campus was starting to get rundown and repairs were having to be made with increasing prices.
“It’s being rebuilt because the cost to fix all of the problems and rebuilding the school is way more expensive than starting from the ground up,” said Principal Brandy Heckman.
When the Humble ISD 2022 bond passed, Foster Elementary was looked at and deemed worthy of a total rebuild of the campus to provide students with more technology and safety features.
The walkthrough happened due to the efforts of Foster Elementary staff. When talking about the rebuilding process, Heckman and the rest of the staff decided that the community could use a final farewell to a school with so much history and impact.
“We wanted to give them an opportunity to reminisce, think back on the memories that they have,” said Heckman.
During the walkthrough, alumni from all of Foster’s history gathered to honor the school one last time. Mary Ann Grayson originally went to Foster in 1971 as a part of the opening class. After graduating, Grayson became a teacher in the Humble ISD district and sent her kids and grandkids to Foster.
“It’s an honor and a privilege because it was a great school, great education,” said Grayson.
Senior Courtney Daniel looks at the mural in Foster Elementary that her grandma drew years ago when Daniel’s mom was a student at Foster. Photos by Shelby Townsend.
Foster Principal Brandy Heckman greets incoming attendees of the final Foster Elementary walkthrough.
by
Hurricane Beryl brings Kingwood
DEVASTATING DESTRUCTION
By Sydney Ortiz Sports Editor
Sophomore Soleil Cavallo did not want to see her house. It had been almost four days since she was lying in bed when a tree fell onto her home, crashing into the bedroom next to hers as Hurricane Beryl swirled around Kingwood on July 8.
When her parents and older brother Luke made plans to go watch the tree get removed on July 11, Soleil wanted a distraction. She wanted to help others. She went to clean up debris at Trailwood pool where she is a lifeguard.
While she helped clean up the community pool, her family went back to their home in the North Woodland Hills subdivision to watch as a tree removal company made a plan to lift the tree off their home.
“I feel like watching doesn’t really help much,” Soleil Cavallo said. “It is sad to see.”
The Cavallos were like so many in Kingwood, who expected the Category 1 storm to pass with little damage. However, Beryl carried with it sustained winds of 80 mph and caused mass destruction. Trees in the “Livable Forest” started falling, crashing into homes, crushing cars and wiping out power. By Monday morning, the entire Kingwood community was completely powerless.
The storm altered plans and lives for Kingwood Park students.
The night before the storm hit Soleil Cavallo was planning a
trip to the mall with a friend for Monday. Her brother Luke was laughing about the hurricane’s name sounding silly.
The storm was the heaviest in the morning, which left many families waking up to the sounds of trees falling and winds crashing.
“It kinda sounded like what I thought a tornado would sound like,” said junior Bryce Gerbasich, who lives in South Woodland Hills.
Gerbasich was woken around 6 a.m. when his dad wanted him to look at the fallen fence outside. The family lost five sections of
their fence and two trees
“I think the scariest part was when me and my dad came to look at the fence, one of the trees came down right next to us while we were looking at it,” he said.
Class of 2024 graduate Luke Cavallo woke up to the sound of a tree falling onto his home.
“It was really crazy,” Luke Cavallo said. “I’m super close to it. So I could feel the entire house shaking. It felt like it was going maybe a foot back and forth. And you could hear things just snapping and breaking.”
He didn’t realize the magnitude
of what had happened, however, and he tried to go back to sleep. His mom and dad rushed upstairs to get him and his sister to safety.
As the storm started to calm, community members realized the damage caused by the Category 1 hurricane.
Some families had trees blocking their driveways, fences blown away and branches completely covering streets.
Senior Garrison Moritz walked into his backyard to see a snapped tree and a downed power line lying on the grass.
Sophomore Addison Blons and
Sophomore Soleil Cavallo’s house had a tree fall through the middle of the second story on July 8 when Hurricane Beryl hit. The Cavallo family stayed in a hotel before moving into a rental home while repairs continue. Photo by Sydney Ortiz.
Photo
Sydney Ortiz
BY THE NUMBERS HURRICANE BERYL
Sources: CNN, Houston Landing
Number of Texans who died when Beryl hit or in the aftermath of Beryl.
12
Days Hurricane Beryl lasted. It started June 28 and ended on June 9.
her family did not realize a tree had fallen from their neighbor’s yard onto their garage until the storm had calmed.
Soon after families assessed the damage, the community began to rally together.
Girls basketball coach Andrew Cross was driving around when he noticed the Gerbasich family trying to move their tree that was blocking the entire street in front of their house. Cross stopped and helped.
“It sped up the process a lot and made it way easier than it was going to be for my family to move it,” Gerbasich said.
The Kingwood area saw temperatures top 100 degrees in the days following the storm. The heat hit hard for the majority of Kingwood Park families who had no way to escape the heat as the community remained without power.
The buzz of generators could be heard on a number of streets. Some residents had generators that cooled one room, allowing them to run fans and keep their refrigerators running.
A select few, like Moritz, had full-home generators. His generator was installed only seven days before Hurricane Beryl hit. His family ordered the generator after the last rainstorm in May left him
3
Million people lost power at the height of the outages after Hurricane Beryl hit.
1
Hurricane Beryl registered as a Category I hurricane when it reached Houston.
12 The number of days it took to restore power to all homes in Houston. The final homes had power restored on July 20.
98 Miles per hour. The strongest wind gusts reported in the Kingwood area.
Visit KPTimes.com for more coverage of Hurricane Beryl and the impact it left in Kingwood.
it to be. She is already working on plans to help with Kingwood’s preparedness going forward.
Instead of scrambling to gather water and food for the community center after a storm hits, she wants it already stocked and ready for the next emergency.
“One of my goals for the city is that we prepare these centers just the same as we encourage the citizens to do,” Carter said. “I feel blessed and fortunate to be standing here in a community that really does stand up, show up and support each other.”
Carter also urged people to remain patient when disasters happen. Recovery was slow after Beryl for Kingwood families, some of whom were without power for up to two weeks.
without power for a few days.
School was not canceled during that time, so Moritz lived in his brother’s apartment and commuted until power returned.
With his family’s new generator, they repaid the favor his brother gave him two months ago. Moritz’s family took in his older brother and grandma, so they could stay cool during the heatwave.
To help with the heat, local city
council members Twila Carter and Fred Flickinger worked to create a cooling center and led efforts to distribute ice and water bottles.
The Kingwood Community Center provided snacks, water bottles and bags of ice. It also provided air conditioning and WiFi for residents.
With this being just a Category 1 hurricane so early in hurricane season, Carter said the community was not as prepared as she wants
The Cavallos’ patience was tested early as they tried to maintain a little normalcy despite moving into a hotel. The same day as the tree hit their home, the Cavallos took Luke to his college orientation at Texas State. They returned to manage the repairs on their home, which finally had the tree removed from it on July 12.
Despite high levels of stress, the family was also simply grateful to be safe and together.
Along with the debris-filled roads in Kingwood, the greenbelts in the subdivisions near Kingwood Park were impassable for weeks with fallen trees and power lines. Photo by Fallon Head.
Potter’s rebuild after tree destroys home
Junior Maebeth Potter appreciates the distraction of school, theater and friends after a tree destroyed their home while she slept July 8.
By Fallon Head Editor-in-Chief
At 9:30 a.m., a thunderous clap sounded out and the house shook. Junior Maebeth Potter, half awake, thought it was just a wave of thunder from the sky. She rolled over and almost fell back asleep. That was when she heard her brother yelling.
She went to open her bedroom door when she first saw the tree. The family’s 200-year-old tree was lying horizontally through the family’s dining room, her brother’s room and slightly in her own room. Above her bed, the tree rested on the air conditioning unit, ductwork and vents, which is all that kept it from hitting her while she slept.
“I saw a tree and I stood there for a second, like shocked,” Potter said. “And my mom was like, ‘Leave!’ And then I just started crying because I was like, what is happening right now?”
The Potters were not new to natural disasters. Their house flooded during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Ever since, they had a plan in place for emergencies. When Hurricane Beryl hit on July 8, the family put their plan into action. Maebeth gathered the pets, her older brother Craig grabbed the “oh no” box, and her parents, Jennifer and Bryan Parks, collected other essentials from around the house.
“I did not expect that I would be coordinating my own disaster,” Jennifer Parks said. “I couldn’t gather all of our stuff, put it into two vehicles and then we went to leave. I’m not sure where we thought we were going, but there were trees down everywhere, and we couldn’t get out of our neighborhood.”
When they saw they were unable to leave their street, they went across the street to their neighbor’s house.
Just as they were settled, generator hooked up, WiFi going and morning coffee brewing, a tree fell through the back of the house.
They then stayed with another neighbor until the sun came out and they were able to go home to assess the damage done to their home. They packed up everything else that they could.
When the tree hit Potter’s house, it damaged the air conditioning unit and an important
Junior Maebeth Potter stands where her bed used to sit in her North Woodland Hills home. A tree crashed through the middle of her family’s one-story home on July 8. The reason she remained unharmed while she slept was because the top of the tree was stopped above her ceiling by the air conditioner, vents and ductwork. Photo by Sydney Ortiz.
structural pillar on the house. The roof was split in half by the tree. Throughout the rest of the storm, rain caused notable water damage as well.
“My kids are resilient,” Parks said. “[Mae]’s just handled it really, really well. She’s had a great support system. Her theater friends have just loved on her and taken such good care of her. And me too. They call me Mama J, and they make me so happy every single time that I talk to any of them.”
Potter’s friends came to pick her up from her house after the storm passed. When they pulled up to her house, they saw the tree and all the damage it did.
“It made me really emotional because that’s my friend’s house,” senior Harper Toth said. “I’ve been there a lot, like we call it our party house. My whole friend group has spent a lot of time there. So even though it’s not my house, seeing the house that you have made so many memories in – I care so much about Mae and Mrs. Parks, and I know that family so well – that seeing their house like that made me emotional.”
Potter already had a lot of her stuff packed up because she was planning to move into her brother’s room after he went to college. Unfortunately, several of the boxes that contained awards, photos, sentimental keepsakes and her Taylor Swift vinyls were crushed by the tree.
“I just miss my actual house and also losing some of my most important belongings that were irreplaceable to me, so some of that has been really hard,” Potter said.
The family packed up the rest of their belongings that weren’t damaged by the tree or the rain, and took most of it to a storage unit until they can move back home. They took their essentials to a hotel in Kingwood, where they stayed for more than a month. They moved into a rental house near Kingwood Park on Aug. 28.
“I saw a tree and I stood there for a second, like shocked. And my mom was like, ‘Leave!’ And then I started crying because I was like, what is happening right now?”
junior Maebeth Potter, who woke up to find a tree in her house during Hurricane Beryl
that the family will be back in their home by Christmas.
“It’s been so chaotic,” Potter said. “Every day there’s a new thing about it, because we’re going through the process of rebuilding. So like, every day there’s either like an update about our rental or an update about our actual house. We have to pick wall colors or floors or roofing, and then there seems to be a new challenge with it every day.”
While dealing with the struggles from Beryl, Potter is focusing on her classes and theater’s early shows.
The repairs to their one-story home in Woodland Hills are well underway. The roof, electrical and air conditioner have been replaced or repaired. Work on the windows and rest of the supports are in the works, and then they will start on the walls and floors. It is anticipated
“It’s a traumatizing thing, so we’re all dealing with the emotions of it,” Potter said. “And so it’s definitely been hard, but I think coming to school actually makes it easier because I get to see my friends and stuff, and it’s an escape. And I know I have support from all the people that are close to me.”
After Hurricane Beryl hit on July 8, the Potter family’s 200-year-old tree fell into the middle of the home. The repairs on the home continue, but the family hopes to move back home in December. Photo courtesy of Maebeth Potter.
Junior Maebeth Potter stands outside her home, which is being rebuilt in the North Woodland Hills subdivision in Kingwood. Potter was asleep when her family’s 200-year-old tree fell into the middle of her home. Photo by Sydney Ortiz.
With a tree splitting their home in half, the Potter family has had to completely rebuild since Hurricane Beryl. Photo courtesy of Maebeth Potter.
“I am most looking forward to the banquet because since I was a freshman I have kind of envisioned what my speech would be. I am just really looking forward to that, and just me crying, because I know it is going to be such an emotional time.”
senior
Emily Pavel, volleyball captain
“Honestly [I’m looking forward to] about everything. It’s my senior year, and I kinda want to make it the best it can be with the football season and just my grades and my old friends.”
Landon
“I am most looking forward to having a senior season with a lot of the guys I’ve played with for multiple years. All the seniors together are kind of leading and so that will be a fun process.”
senior Ryder Grabner, varsity football linebacker and wide receiver
“The player I most look up to is Jalen Ramsey, because he is a professional football player in the NFL, and I try to simulate my game like his.”
senior Aaron Andrews, varsity football cornerback and wide receiver
“This year we’re doing heavy weight training to try and get stronger. I’m excited about that to see how it works. I’m definitely focusing on my speed work and endurance, like finishing races stronger and making sure that I have that quick twitch I need.”
senior Lucy Foltz,
“I look up to Elijah Merino. I just look up to him because I mean he’s fast, he’s one of the top ten in the state. I look up to him. I want to be like him. I want to be as fast as him. I want to just be better than him one day.”
senior Carson Brown, returning State qualifier
“My dad has impacted my football career the most. He has coached me the whole way, motivated me, and has been by my side.”
senior Aaron Gilliam, quarterback
girls cross country
senior
Morrison, varsity football center
Photo by Sydney Ortiz
Photo by Jordan Hutchinson
Photo courtesy of Tim Sullivan
Photo courtesy of Tim Sullivan
Photo by Jordan Hutchinson
Photo by Jordan Hutchinson
Photo by Tricia Darcy
ATHLETES TO WATCH
“[My favorite athlete is] Serena Williams, because she is one of the best athletes of all time. I’ve looked up to her for a long time. Since I was little, she’s been one of the few really recognized and appreciated Black female athletes.”
“Our team goal is just like staying united as a team. Making sure that we are all working hard and being with each other and cheering each other on and having a good team spirit.”
senior Andrew Carson, tennis captain
“The seniors from my sophomore year [have impacted my cross country career the most] like Osvaldo Jasso, Jose Maldonaldo, Solomon Karash, Corey Foltz, and Christian Smith just because my sophomore year was my first year on the varsity team and they were really good leaders. They were super nice and kind of helped fuel the passion that I had for running.”
senior Elijah Moreno, two-time State qualifier in cross country
senior Olivia Licona, tennis captain
Photo courtesy of Tim Sullivan
Photo by Jordan Hutchinson
Photo by Tricia Darcy
Fantasy leagues add fun dimension to NFL season
By Zachary Ford Staff Writer
The long awaited and much anticipated NFL season opened on Sept. 5, and along with it the fantasy season started as well.
There were a lot of disappointments in last year’s draft, like 1st rounders who just didn’t do as anticipated – Austin Ekeler, Bijan Robinson and Josh Jacobs. Many of the new commissioners are trying to not make the same mistake for the upcoming draft.
“With the struggles of last year’s fantasy football season, I had to look back on my old team and saw I needed better running backs,” senior Major Dalby said. “This year, I decided to draft two running backs off the bat because there are more good wide receivers than there are running backs and my team is a lot more balanced now.”
Some commissioners wanted to make sure they had a well-rounded team and looked at mistakes from previous years to fix for the upcoming one. Not all commissioners had this thought though.
“I decided to wing it this year,” senior Diego Medina said. “Didn’t feel the need to do any mock drafts. I wasn’t as prepared, but I stuck to my gut feeling. On every pick, I feel I drafted a very decent team this year and can see it going far.”
When doing a fantasy draft, the
two most important positions are running back and wide receiver. Even though it’s often for quarterbacks to be the center point of the team, in fantasy the points that wide receivers and running backs get your team highly outweighs what a quarterback can get you on a given week. Fantasy teams need at least one elite player at either of those two positions to have a game changer on its squad. These two positions are essential to have a strong team and a successful season.
“I wanted to get wide receiver Tyreek Hill again this year because he is such a game changer but ended up getting the next great running back Breece Hall,” junior Luke Elliott said. “He’s going to be huge this year and I’m excited he’s on my team.”
With the first week complete, commissioners have early indications of how their draft is looking. Lots of weeks and roster changes will still be ahead as the commissioners vye for the final prize.
“With 12 people in our league and everyone putting in $25, the prize for the winner of the league gets $300,” senior Carter Hawkins said. “In the final weeks (leading up to the playoff games) people get very competitive making last second adjustments to their lineups to make sure they have the best chances to win that upcoming week. I look forward to the fantasy football season every year.”
Beryl delays opening of golf team’s practice courses
By Tricia Darcy Visuals Editor
The Kingwood Country Club took a hard hit in Hurricane Beryl, losing more than 600 trees. Due to the destruction, the golf course made changes to the courses that affected the golf team.
As the country club has repaired the courses, they made the decision to renovate the Marsh course into a par-3 course and a practice area. With the Marsh course being one of the golf team’s main practice areas, the team remains without a practice course.
Coach Angela Chancellor said she hopes to resume practice at Kingwood Country Club before the season starts.
“I think the plan going forward is to renovate four or five of the holes into a par three course, “ Chancellor said, “then make a big, gigantic practice area out of the rest of it.”
Once the country club opens the new practice areas, the team will see benefits from having more space. Between the heat advisory and the courses being shut down, the golfers
have worked in the classroom to attempt to better their games.
Since the clean-up started at the course, the country has re-opened the Lake, Island and Deerwood courses. The golf team plans to return to the country club when the Forest course is open to the country club members.
“They shut down the Forest again to do the bunkers because they didn’t do the bunkers before,” Chancellor said. “Now the bunkers are complete, and they’re about to open the Forest.”
While work has been happening, the team’s practices on golf courses has been at a standstill.
In the past, the team used the Marsh course to do qualifying rounds and practice tournament-like situations. The course was more closed off from the rest of the country club, making overall practice for the team easier.
“We had to wait until they got back fully functional before we could come back in and kind of take over,” Chancellor said. “We’re hoping to get regular access back now that it’s open.”
More than 600 trees fell across the five golf courses at Kingwood Country Club. Photo by Tricia Darcy.
Athletes benefit from third gym
By Tricia Darcy Visuals Editor
During the first month of school, Humble ISD had strict heat restrictions that made it difficult for athletes to practice outdoors. This caused the athletic building to use all available spaces to help various teams work out to prepare for their seasons.
With the addition of the third gym in the past year, practice during heat advisories has become easier than before.
During the heat restrictions in August, the third gym and weight room were utilized to ensure every team could work out. During 7th period, sports like tennis and basketball often shared the third gym, while volleyball practiced in the main gym and freshman football worked out in the second gym.
“I mean you go from two gyms to three gyms, so you have another gym you can put some bodies in,” said boys basketball coach Jeffrey Hamilton, who is in charge of the scheduling of the gyms. “So it’s been great. It’s really helped out as far as giving everybody the same opportunity.”
With Hamilton being tasked with the large chore of dividing teams and spaces, he has worked to prioritize the teams and make it as fair as possible.
“The heat advisory kind of comes into effect at different times off the day,” Hamilton said. “Sometimes it’s last minute that you’re finding out somebody needs a gym. So trying to coordinate that last minute to accommodate everybody, that’s been the biggest challenge.”
The tennis team has seen multiple challenges since the start of their season. Being an outdoor sport that has been restricted to practice indoors has made the team focus on the things they haven’t necessarily prioritized, such as their technique.
“The hardest thing is we’re allowed to compete, but there’s restrictions more on the prac-
tice,” tennis coach John Macapaz said. “At one point we had more matches than we had actual practice days to practice on the court.”
Without having practice outside, the team struggled to acclimatize to the heat when it was time to compete.
By utilizing all the space available in the athletic building, the majority of teams have been able to prepare for their season. While
in-season sports get the gym priority, off-season sports have to utilize the hallways.
“Because a lot of sports are using the weight room or using the athletic building or the track, pretty much everywhere is taken,” softball player Abbey Papadimitriou said. “Since we’re not in season, we usually just go in the building because there’s a lot of space.”
Softball has worked in the regular building to do conditioning after school and in the batting cages to work on fundamentals. Other sports, like football, have moved their practice times to be early in the morning to beat the heat.
During zero hour, after school on Thursdays, the athletic building becomes busier because all sports at all levels have the opportunity to practice. Because of the busy atmosphere, sports like tennis stopped offering zero hour for their players.
In recent years, the heat has proved to be a challenge to deal with, and coaches have helped make adjustments.
“It’s been an ongoing thing for us these past few years as the heat has gotten worse,” Macapaz said. “We’ve adjusted our practice times and we adjusted when we actually started practicing during the summers, so that we aren’t wasting time.”
Soccer coach White watches his seventh period soccer class participate in their weight room work out in the athletic building hallway to prepare for the season. The team has been using the hallways to work out while in-sport teams use the gyms. Photo by Shelby Townsend.
Varsity cheerleaders work on a stunt during class in the third gym. Cheer is one of many organizations who have already utilized the new gym. Photo by Emerson Harris.
America brings adventures, fun in exchange program
If you were in the United States for the first time and wanted to get to know the whole culture, what would you do?
I have been in the USA for over a month now and have already experienced so much.
My adventure began on July 24 with the flight from Hamburg, Germany, via London to New York. It was a little bit frightening to fly without adults, but I flew with a large group of other exchange students who were all in the same situation.
In New York, I had Welcome Days from my exchange organization Education First. Me and other exchange students from all over the world stayed for three days in New York, we learned to solve problems and tackle some challenges we’ll face during our exchange year. We had a lip sync battle and went sightseeing in New York. It was fantastic and the time went by far too quickly.
all so cool.
I was so nervous on my first day of school. In Germany, I always knew people when I first came to a school and now I didn’t know anyone and had to communicate in a foreign language. Everyone was very friendly and I immediately found people to sit with for lunch.
By MICHELLE KLANKE
The school is so different from Germany because there are different schedules every day. In Germany, we mostly have all our classes with the same group of people for several years. Also, the teachers don’t have their own rooms, but each group has its own.
After the first few days of school, I was very tired because of all the speaking and listening to English, but slowly I got used to it.
College Football 25 lives up to the hype
By Cameron Minatrea Staff Writer
In February 2021, it was announced that a fan favorite franchise – EA’s College Football – would be returning. The franchise was discontinued following licensing issues in 2014. Now almost a decade later, the game is back and arguably better than its closest rival Madden 25.
no huge difference from the current edition and the one released two or three years ago. Nonetheless, it still provides the most authentic experience for players who want to play with their favorite NFL teams and players, due to EA having full rights over them.
IN YOUR WORDS
“It’s so much better than Madden, and College is my favorite form of football.”
Hagen Smith, 11
Then it was time to fly to my host family and I was so nervous, but I flew with other exchange students who were just as nervous as I was. When we landed, I met my host sister Maya, who was from Sweden. It was strange going with our host parents because I only met them online and now I live with them.
In the week and a half before school started, I went to a pool party, chose my classes, went to Target and Walmart for the first time and ate at Taco Bell. It was
After starting school, I went to an American mall for the first time. I also went to Gator Country Adventure Park, where I could feed alligators. It was so funny. When I was at Buc-ee’s, it was very special because we don’t have anything comparable in Germany. I ate at Crumbl Cookie, at Whataburger and Raising Cane’s – the typical places every exchange student wants to eat. I went to a pep rally, a football game, a baseball game and went homecoming dress shopping – the typical things we see in movies.
In the month that I have been here, I got closer to my host family and my host dogs.
With the exception of a couple athletes, EA was able to get licensing for all FBS teams and players. This allows fans to take over their favorite college and act as the coach for the team. Whether that’s keeping a dynasty alive like Alabama or Georgia or taking a smaller school to the top, the game offers many options that allow for replay-ability. Players can also play as their own collegiate athlete in the “Road to Glory” game mode, which also brings more options to experience.
College Football 25 adds something different for football fans. Madden, which has been around ever since 1988, has produced a new game every year. Although there are changes from game to game, fans often feel like there is
Just because College Football 25 is long awaited, doesn’t mean it’s a perfect product. Fans say that certain parts of the game can feel bland and lack detail. They also left out some fan favorite game modes from CFB 14, like “Mascot Mode” and “Heisman.” There are also glitches within the gameplay, like random dropped passes and missed tackles.
Overall both games are good in their own right. It all comes down to personal preference, and what kind of atmosphere you want to be around. Some people love the crowd and challenge of College Football, while others like the professionalism and feeling of Madden. Overall, College Football 25 allows for more opportunities and options to play, while providing a new and fresh experience, making it the more enjoyable game this year.
“It’s way better than Madden. There’s much more you can do in College Football.”
Aiden Garcia, 9
“I feel like the graphics are much better. Madden, they’ve been doing the same thing since I don’t know how long.”
Fabian Smith, 11
“It’s more of a fast-paced game. If you’re playing Madden in 2024 you’re lame.”
A’Drese Parker, 11
“It’s the first College Football game in a while and Madden comes out every year.”
Michaello Farinetti, 10
Electronic Arts media kit
Exemption policy needs more flexibility
This school year, the district has tied absences back to exemptions. In order to be able to exempt finals, students can only have four unexcused absences per semester. Excused absences are rare, especially where illnesses are concerned. Students have to return to school with a doctor’s note on the day the student receives the note for an absence to be excused. If a doctor suggests a student stay home multiple days, the days count against the student as unexcused.
STAFF
EDITORIAL
This rule needs to change in regards to final exemptions. A doctor’s note should cover all sick days because there should not be a punishment to students who get sick and do the responsible thing by staying home.
The main issue with this policy arises with illnesses like strep or COVID, where doctors recommend a minimum of a 24-hour quarantine while they wait for the medicine to kick in and make the illness less contagious. Right now, these “manda-
Kingwood Park TIMES
September 2024 Volume 11, Issue 1 Kingwood, Texas 77339
EDITORS
tory” quarantines count against exceptions. Because of the new exemption policy this year, kids are coming to school sick and germs are spreading like wildfire.
There are more than 2,000 students and staff members in this building. When kids come to school sick, they are spreading it to everyone
with whom they come in contact. In addition, they are unable to focus in class because they don’t feel well. Yes, kids are in the building, but they aren’t actually learning in class and are actively doing worse on assignments and tests than if they’d take the time off to get healthy and take a makeup test when they returned.
There is no denying that Humble ISD has a chronic absenteeism problem, with around 22 percent of students missing 18 or more days of school in the 2022-2023 school year. Last year, there were students who abused the ability to miss 10 days each semester, which is the state mandated law for the required amount of time kids need to be in school.
Truancy is a problem that should have consequences. But staying home when sick and contagious is responsible. Students who listen to their doctors and stay home should not be considered truant.
A doctor’s note should be able to count for all days a student needs to miss due to illness. The 10-day state law must still apply, however, sick days should not be tied to exemptions. There are people who get sick easily and people who are at high risk with low immune systems. Allowing doctor’s notes to cover all required sick days would help keep students safe and healthy while still cutting back on the number of days people are missing.
KP MEDIA EDITORIAL POLICY
Fallon Head, editor-in-chief
Kaitlyn Sitton, editor-in-chief
Tricia Darcy, visuals editor
Sydney Ortiz, sports editor
STAFF WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
Olivia Brenner, Preston Carpenter, Soleil Cavallo, Zachary Ford, Michelle Klanke, Rionna Martin, Emily McKithern, Cameron Minatrea, Danielle Nalley, Pilar Retamales, Bishop Scott.
Adviser: Megan Ortiz
Cover Photo by Sydney Ortiz. Caption: The tree rests on the center of the Cavallo home after Hurricane Beryl struck on July 8. The tree fell into the empty upstairs bedroom between the rooms where sophomore Soleil Cavallo and Kingwood Park 2024 graduate Luke Cavallo were sleeping.
KP Media is the official student-produced media of news and information published/produced by KP Media students. KP Media has been established as designated public forums for student editors to inform and educate their readers as well as for the discussion of issues of concern to their audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisers may – and should – coach and discuss content during the writing process.
Because school officials do not engage in prior review, and the content of KP Media is determined by and reflects only the views of the student staff and not school officials or the school itself, its student editorial board and responsible student staff members assume complete legal and financial liability for the content of the publication.
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The media will cover community, state, national, and international news if it is directly relevant to the school community, and includes local angles.
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See the entire editorial policy at KPTimes.com.
Freshmen Steven Jackson, Fabio Salima and Victor Motiu work on the murder mystery lab in Advanced Biology this year. Photo by Peyton Smithson.
because we finally won a competition and we have a lot more spirit
LAST LOOK
In the first month of school, students turned out for pep rallies and sporting events. This month will be capped off with spirit week and homecoming.
Junior Madison Staggs screams after winning the pyramid competition in the patriotic pep rally. “I was really excited
this year,” said Staggs. Photo by Emily McKithern.
Senior Aniah Cross celebrates with the senior student section after English teacher Abby Wylie hits a 3-pointer in the Faculty vs. Juniors basketball game during the Gold, Fight, Win pep rally. Photo by Emily McKithern.
Girls basketball coach Andrew Cross celebrates after scoring a 3-pointer on junior Frank Smithers in the Faculty vs. Juniors basketball game. Photo by Emily McKithern.
Freshman Kalei Naea shows off school spirit during the red, white and blue pep rally. Photo by Fallon Head.
Senior Emma Frazier poses at the end of her Silver Star performance during the first pep rally of the year. Photo by Sydney Ortiz.