February Illuminator

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL ISSUE 06 FEBRUARY 2015 9450 RAY WHITE RD, FORT WORTH, TEXAS 76244

ILLUMINATOR FEBRUARY 2015

ENTERTAINMENT PAGES 4-7

& STUDENT LIFE

PAGES 8-17

& SPORTS

PAGES 18-19

Valentine’s Day

PAGES 12-13

CONTENTS

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INSIDE THE ILLUMINATOR FEBRUARY 2015

4 6 7

Entertainment Amnesia Classics Reimagined Oscar Fever

student life

8 Caffeine Connoisseur 9 Time After Time 10 Below Average 11 Snacks 12 Valentine’s Day 14 Humans of Central 16 Vinyl Revival 17 Man of the Year

4-5 Amnesia

sports 18 19

New Seasons LCS vs. CFC

9

MISCELLANEOUS 20 21 22 23

Caffeine Connoisseur

I’m Here. I Made It Color of the Year Consumed Watching from the Sideline

On the cover: Felicia Murray, (12) Photographed by: Leah Kayppayil, (12)

12-13

Valentines Day

CONTENTS

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LETTER FROM

THE EDITOR EDITOR IN CHIEF: Rachel Murray It's that time of year again. That time of year where the underclassmen have finally learned the ways of high school, and the upperclassmen are just counting down the days until they can walk across the stage, grab their diploma, and finally say "I did it." As winter comes to an end, Valentine's Day is here to bring couples together, but unfortunately, it also leaves others alone. In this issue of the Illuminator, we've provided you with many ways to be happy this Valentine's Day as we are covering a variety of topics such as music, entertainment, education, sports and news.

I am so ecstatic about how The

EMAIL: Rachel.Murray4696@gmail.com Illuminator staff has been so open about what we write this year; we have a lot of opinions and we are not afraid to share it.

In this particular issue, many of our writers would like to share with you their daily struggles with life. Whether it's stress from school, family, friends, health, or work, everyone has some kind of stress they can relate to and as you read on (I hope that I'm not boring you and that you will) I wish that you will take something that you read and apply it or relate it to your own life. With it being Valentine's Day, or for others "Single Awareness Day," we, The Illuminator, wish everyone happiness with anything that you are going

Published by: Greater Dallas Press, 601 Shephard Dr. Garland, TX 75042

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Rachel Murray rachel.murray4696@gmail.com MANAGING EDITOR: Abby Goodman abbyg619 @gmail.com ONLINE EDITOR: Emily Mitchell emily.mitchell 8 @yahoo.com DESIGN EDITOR: Mary Clark maryclark907@yahoo.com ADVISER: Mrs. Natalie Brown

staff writers Zach Aguayo Steven Colaianni Brady Dunn Joanne Hershon Raygan Janowski Leah Kappayil Alexis Karpenko Connor Kirkwood

Rachel Murray Editor in Chief

illuminator

magazine contacts editorial board

through.

To conclude this letter, I'd just like to say that the most important thing in your life is to be happy. Don't focus on the irrelevant things. Don't try so hard to fit in.

Don't look back on something from years ago and still have feelings of regret about it. Put a smile on your face, and be happy.

Be confident. Be yourself. With whatever you have planned, may you find comfort and joy this Valentine's Day. We hope you enjoy the second issue of the 2014-15 Illuminator.

Jonathan Mitchell John Molhoek Felicia Murray Madeena Payenda Samantha Reed Aaron Spivey Ambriehl Turrentine Amy Woods

Not Pictured: Mary Clark, Amy Woods, Natalie Brown

ENTERTAINMENT

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pictured: Maddie Sickmen (left) and Connor Powell (right)

Frontman: Connor Powell Bassist: Maddie Sickmen Guitarists: Alec Burd, Ryan Rico Drummer: Cole Heffllin

ENTERTAINMENT

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Amnesia Five seniors are making their mark in the local music scene with their harmonic metalcore band, Amnesia. They have played live shows in local venues such as The Door in Dallas and Starwood Studios, the largest venue they’ve been involved with.

Amnesia began when guitarist, Ryan Rico (12), and frontman, Connor Powell (12), left their own respective bands, and started throwing around the idea of starting their own. They approached bassist and vocalist, Maddie Sickmen (12), and then found their drummer, Cole Hef lin (12) and guitarist, Alec Burd (12). It started with five auditions in my living room - each of us showing off what we can do.” Powell said.

Amnesia started out playing covers of songs, but now, they write and play their own music. Each member of Amnesia bring their own inf luences into their music: bands such as Being As An Ocean, Dance Gavin Dance, Slipknot, Van Halen, and Avenged Sevenfold.

“Tilian Pearson, the vocalist for Dance Gavin Dance, is out of this world amazing and they have brilliant instrumentals.” said Sickmen.

Powell reveals what inspired him to pursue music in the first place - his first concert, where My Chemical Romance, who broke up in 2013 after a 12-year run, were performing.

“A thought kept going through my head,” He said, “‘That’s my spot.’ I want people to hear me. I want my words to make a difference.”

Bassist and vocalist, Maddie Sickmen, has a different story. “I have been in bands my entire life, and everyone in my family plays an instrument or has been in a band so it just happened,” She said, “Music is the most amazing thing on earth, and to be able to make something so powerful and amazing has always fascinated me.”

Powell and Sickmen both describe their relationship with the band as a family. “We don’t constantly get along, but we try to take care of each other.” Powell says. Sickmen adds, “There is absolutely no judging [each other] and everyone shows who they really are. Seeing each others f laws it what makes us write music.”

On playing for live audiences, Powell said, “It’s second nature. I feel like it’s where I be-

long. I can act better for crowds than I can for meeting new people.”

“We’re never going to hold back when there’s something between us and our dreams.”

“The worst part is preparing to go out in front of the audience because that is when your mind is thinking about everything that can go wrong.” Sickmen said, “When you actually get on stage to perform, you remember why you do what you do and there isn’t a better feeling in the world. If the audience sees your passion there is no way you can disappoint them.”

“The first time I sang for an audience, I was so scared I didn’t think I could do it.

I didn’t even want to get on stage, then the second I opened my mouth to sing every fear I ever had went away and I felt like I could f ly.

That’s when I realized this is what I need to do with my life.”

Powell describes being a part of the local music scene as competitive, facing successful musicians and bands, knowing they have similar goals and lifestyles. “It’s extremely competitive,” Powell says, “I want what they want, and not everyone has the motivation, talent, and heart to really chase this dream.

We’re never going to hold back when there’s something between us and our dreams.”

“Meeting smaller/local bands is cool because they are just like us and understand our struggles.” Sickmen added. She described meeting more successful bands, or artists that she idolizes, as unreal. “They see us small bands and act like our mentors.

Musicians are a close knit family and they all take care of each other and share advice. It’s pretty amazing when a person you idolize, who had succeeded in something you dream

about, tells you to never give up and that they were once like us. Meeting other artists is always a great experience and I think its extremely important for artists of any kind.”

On giving advice for others who want to make music, Powell said, “Find people with the same goal. You need like-minded, dedicated people to be in a band. You can’t be the only driving force in a music group.”

“Music is not easy. It is not for the faint of heart.” Sickmen said, “It will consume your entire soul but it will be the most beautiful thing you have ever done. Music is a gift, so respect it and love it - and when you play, never mind who listens.”

At this moment, Amnesia do not have any upcoming performances. Currently, they are in the process of writing songs for an in-progress album.

By: Mary Clark, Design Editor

Entertainment

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Classics Reimagined By: Madeena Payenda, Staff writer

Cinderella Not unlike the original storyline, this 2015 remake of a childhood tale told through many generations follows Ella, the daughter of a loving father and she leads a happy life. When he passes she turns into nothing but a peasant girl under the rule of her “evil” stepmother and stepsister. 65 years after the original release date, February 15, 1950, you can see it on the silver screen this year.

Jurassic World In this remake 21 years after the original (June 11, 1993) the movie features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park visited by thousands.

But of course, there is a new threat to those visiting the park.

Fantastic Four A Marvel classic, which first came out 1994, the Fantastic Four is being re-branded for the big screen. The team misfits must come together to save Earth from a former friend.

I, Frankenstein A tale told from Igor’s perspective we see growth of the legend known as Frankenstein. This movie with a new perspective on medical student Victor Frankenstein which first came out 1931 is out on DVD.

Mad Max

The Poltergeist –

Mad Max tells a story of a man on a hunt for serenity after losing his wife and child, and a woman believing that making her way across the desert back to her childhood homeland is her path of survival. Released May 9, 1980 in the United States, see in again in 2015.

A movie that’ll make you afraid to use the bathroom by yourself for months. What appeared to be a friendly ghost moving objects around, to the amusement of the family, quickly turns sour when the ghost terrorizes the family. After the original was released in the early 80’s you can watch a revamped version this year.

Entertainment

Oscar Fever By: Aaron Spivey, staff writer

Best Picture American Sniper Birdman The Imitation Game Selma The Theory Of Everything The Grand Budapest Hotel Whiplash

The 87th Academy Awards will take place on February 22nd. Academy Awards are granted every year to works in the film industry. The most well recognized Oscar categories include Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress.

This year’s categories are majorly dominated by movies that portray real life characters and events.

Best Picture nominee Selma tells the tale

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February 22 on abc

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper- American Sniper Steve Carell- Foxcatcher Benedict Cumberbatch- The Imitation Game Michael Keaton- Birdman Eddie Redmayne- The Theory of Everything

of Martin Luther King and his fight for equal rights.

Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper stars Bradley Cooper as the late Chris Kyle, a former United States navy seal. American Sniper is nominated for 6 Oscars including best picture and Best Actor (Bradley Cooper).

The Theory of Everything follows the story of physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife Jane Wilde. Eddie Redmayne and Felicity

Actress

Marion Cotillard- Two Days one Night Felicity Jones- Theory of Everything Julianne Moore- Still Alice Rosamund Pike- Gone Girl Reese Witherspoon- Wild

Jones, who are both up for Best Actor and Actress, portray Hawking and his wife.

Candidates at this year’s awards include familiar faces like Bradley Cooper and Reese Witherspoon, combined with new nominees such as comedian Steve Carell.

022 008 Caffeine Connoisseurs Student Life ENTERTAINMENT

Tired of the same mediocre Starbucks frappucino? Check out some of these local and not so local coffee houses that we visited that prove as worthy, if not superior, alternatives. These ratings are based on a combined factor of each shop’s student/ study friendly atmosphere and their coffee rating. Each “bean” represents one star (out of five).

RATING: Roots Coffeehouse -9101 Blvd. 26 North Richland Hills, TX 76180Situated on Texas 26 #101 across from the Northeast TCC campus and NRH20, Roots offers a multitude of hot and chilled drinks to choose from and is a popular venue for studying sessions. If you’re looking for a place to relax and meet up with friends after school, check out Roots and let us know what you think!

RATING: World Blend -5410 Basswood Blvd. Fort Worth, TX 76137World Blend is a locally owned coffee shop with an array of food and beverage options to choose from. Pick from one of over fifteen signature drinks such as “The Slap” (five shots of espresso, vanilla and cream) for picking you up after an all-night study session. Not in the mood for coffee? Not a problem; World Blend also offers ice cream, freshly baked pastries and organic snacks and drinks in addition to their sure-to-please coffee and drinks. There are over hundreds of drink options since it’s all about customization at this coffee shop. be sure to stop by World Blend and bring in this article to get 10% off any drink!

Rating: Buon Giorno -915 Florence St. Fort Worth, TX 76102Located in Downtown Fort Worth on Florence Street, this coffee shop features a studious and cozy environment, friendly baristas and a unique atmosphere. Buon Giorno is big enough to not be too overwhelming, yet small enough to where you’re not packed in an uncomfortable. Their unique atmosphere offers patrons areas for both studying and catching up with friends.

For those who do not want to go all the way into Fort Worth, there is a joint location situated on Hall Johnson Road in Colleyville, but we recommend the one in Downtown. This is by far our favorite coffee house that we visited based on their ability to provide excellent customer service and their incredibly fresh coffee.

We recommend trying their famous hot chocolate, which we give five out of five marshmallows…you go Glen Coco(a)!

By: Leah Kappayil, Opinion Writer/Photographer Felicia Murray, Opinion Writer

Time After Time By: Steven Colaianni, Opinion Writer Photographs of dear memories, household items that hold sentiment, and any other relic or simple bric-a-brac that you hold dear can be stuffed into a time capsule, a tradition that has been around for several centuries, and as you can imagine, centuries to come. If you were to make a time capsule, what would you put into it?

“I would put any of the awards I have from theatre or oral interpretation into my time capsule. I think it will be interesting and heartwarming to see how far I’ve come in that area when I am older,” says Blake Grissom (11).

Several years from now, we will look glance into our pasts via Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets such as Instagram to see how far we have come. Apps such as “Timehop” are

already gathering data and posts from all of the above compiled into a linear display going back as far as you have had your accounts active on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, providing an Internet based time capsule.

Items with great sentimental value can also be uncovered in a time capsule. “I think I would put my adoption papers into my time capsule.

It’s very dear to me,” says Audrey Townsend (11). It is not uncommon to hold adoption papers or birth certificates in time capsules.

The earliest time capsules date back into the early 19th century and often hold items that were telling of the times. For example, the 1939 New York World Fair time capsule contained a vial of food crop seeds, a microscope, a newsreel, and a Sears catalogue. Historians often criticize

Student Life

time capsules for not holding significant information, “To be honest, there is just so much stuff in the world, I wouldn’t know what to put in my capsule if I had one,” said Tanner Worley (10).

Despite the criticism, time capsules still maintain the museum-like goal of preserving the culture of a particular time, which encompasses just about anything.

Time capsules are not only interesting, but serve as a reminder of the world’s continual societal shift. These objects show us a glimpse back into time, and dually serve as a watermark for the progression of people, ideas, movements, and culture as a whole.

WHAT’S IN YOUR TIMECAPSULE?

Maybe some math memories?

Or a beloved iPhone?

By:

Reminders of how badly your hand hurt after an essay?

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Or written evidence of what was important to us?

Student Life

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How The Times Have Changed By: Zach Aguayo, Opinion Writer Four years ago, some of us started our high school life while most of us were still living the fun life of a middle school teenager. We have all come a long way from four years ago, and the world around us has also changed.

Within the last four years, the high school we know today has changed in every way possible.

Our football team made their first playoff appearance in 2011 and since then has made it every season. The life of a student has changed also to the point where students can’t be exempt from finals anymore unless you are a senior and take a math, English or science class. The seniors have now had to go through their 2nd bell schedule change and have had to adjust to many changes in the rules around the school. Both the school and our entire lives have changed Since late 2011, we all have gone through huge transformations in our looks, personality, and the things we use. The phones we have gone through has varied all the way from the tiny

iPhone 3Gs to the giant iPhone six plus. We have seen the rise and fall of Justin Bieber, the upcoming of many great artists from shows like The Voice, and also have seen many great performers retire from touring like George Strait. While our entertainment has taken a complete 180, our academic, athletic and maturity ways of life have changed as well.

The school has now gone through two head basketball coaches with Coach Pehl leaving to go to Coppell High School and Coach Sledge taking over the program and is still leading it today.

Coach Mahr has become a golf coach to pass on the reigns of the soccer program to Coach Cottrell, who is leading a very good bunch of players towards playoffs. The baseball program has also had two head coaches with Coach Ziegler becoming the head golf coach and now Coach Holly controls the team while trying to lead a very diverse group to playoffs for the very first time. Our school has also seen a lot of firsts

in the past few years including the introduction of the 2000’s kids into high school while the 1990’s babies are growing up and entering the real world.

Our curriculum in school has undergone a big change from the TAKS test, to the STAAR Test and now to picking a career path before you can even legally drive a car down the road. Not Kimmel (12) onlyAustin has this made it a little bit easier for students to get through their classes but it has also has helped get kids ready for a career after high school.

While many things in the world have changed, we are all still the same person we were four years ago. People have changed in the way we talk, act and carry ourselves but nothing has really changed deep inside ourselves. We have all grown older and wiser and we will keep on learning who we are as the times change.

Below Average

By: Alexis Karpenko, Staff Writer As the education system continues changing, especially since our parents generation, more and more is being cut out of the curriculum because it’s seen as just “a big, old waste of time”. The United States spends between $9,500 and $11,000 on each student in the public school system while other countries spend between $4,000 to $5,000 but, as of 2012, the U.S. was ranked 27 out of 34 in education. So if all this money is spent per student then why are we considered to be “below average”?

“Japan is way harder,” said Coral Starich (11) “The expectations were higher.” Starich lived in Japan for 7 years and attended a Department of Defense (DOD) school up until she moved back to the states after her freshman year of high school. DOD schools outperform public schools every year in reading and mathematics, which is largely because DOD schools individually decide what they need to work on. They don’t prep at all for standardized testing, unlike us who spend more time on prep. DOD school’s believe that a standardized test is only to discover a student’s strengths and weaknesses. “Here you can just do your work and get like an A or

a B,” said Starich, “but there if you just did your work you’d get maybe a C.” While many choose to blame the public school districts, as our society has become increasingly technology driven, we are partly to blame for being “below average”. At the “Academy of Holy Names”, a private Catholic school in Florida, iPad’s were distributed to the class of 2016 in the start of their sophomore year. “My class is the first one that got the iPad’s and I’ve heard that we have the lowest GPA’s in the schools history,” said (11), Gracie Hancock.

Our technology is getting smarter than we are and Google seems to have become our brains.

Just looking around a classroom most of us have our phones in our faces, distracted by the latest Twitter drama. Grades have been dropping because teenagers are so enthralled by social media or texting someone from across the room.

“I guess we just like Pinterest more than math,” Hancock said.

In 2013 it was realized by school boards across the country that “useless” skills like cursive weren’t being taken seriously anymore. A lot of students in high school don’t even remem-

ber how to write something that even resembles cursive but the tests we take now, like SAT’s or PSAT’s, require us to copy a statement in cursive in addition to our signature. You’re pretty much left connecting your print letters if you don’t have this skill, resembling the writing of a little kid.

With the intention of eventually going paperless cursive just isn’t seen as the best use of the time we have in the classroom anymore. “I grew up reading it. I can actually read it better than print.

I think it’s a shame they don’t teach it anymore,” said Karen McCrary, culinary arts teacher. Cursive might be seen as a waste of time but it does look more formal, maybe even giving the illusion that we actually know what we’re doing. There’s something about your ideas f lowing on the page just like your pen.

We are the next generation, the next people to run the country. Our lack of knowledge or ability to do basic skills will be our downfall unless America wakes up and begins to notice that everybody will soon be “below average”.

Student Life

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High school is hard...here are some snacks Ritz Peanut-Butter Chocolate Sandwiches You will need: 1 sleeve of Original Ritz™ Crackers 2 cups of chocolate chips (or substitute 2 cups of chocolate almond bark)

Peanut butter Tongs Pan and bowl to melt your chocolate in (or you can use your microwave)

1

2 While the chocolate is heating up, sandwich

4

5

Melt down 2 cups of chocolate chips in either a microwave or over stove top with

3

Once the chocolate chips are melted down, use the tongs to completely coat the Ritz sandwiches

peanut butter in between the Ritz crackers (recipe makes approx. 15-18 sandwiches)

Place the chocolate covered Ritz sandwiches on wax paper and freeze for about 20-30 minutes, or until the chocolate has completely solidified.

Peanut-butter Chocolate Haystacks You will need: 1 sleeve of Fiber One Original Bran cereal 1 cup chocolate chips

Enjoy!

1 cup peanut butter chips Microwave-safe bowl Icre Cream Scoop

1

Mix 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup peanut butter chips in a microwave safe bowl

2 Completely melt down the chips in the microwave and mix thoroughly

3

Pour 1 sleeve of Fiber One Original Bran cereal into the melted chocolate chips and stir until the cereal is completely coated

4

Scoop up the cereal and place on wax paper. Freeze for about 20-30 minutes or until solidified.

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Enjoy!

By: Connor Kirkwood, Staff Writer

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HOW TO Get A HEART ON HUSH DAY 8 Ways to Win their Heart By: Abby Goodman, Opinion Writer Cheesy pick up lines Serenade them with a 90’s boy band ballad (I Want it That Way is a classic) An interpretive dance for their beauty Bring them their favorite candy Make them a friendship (or more than friendship) bracelet Give them a really cute, personalized Valentine Be polite and respectful (that’s really cute) Win their heart in a rap battle

DATING SPOTS FOR DUMMIES By: Amy Woods, Opinion Writer

Dine in movie theatre

The Moviehouse and Eatery which recently opened up on Rufe Snow in Keller would be a good place to take a date if you want to do the classic dinner and a movie, but not spend as much money or drive out of the way for some good food.

Drive in movie theatre

The Coyote Drive-In in Fort Worth shows back-to-back movies and is the same price as a movie theatre. You can bring your own snacks, and for even more fun, you can skate at the ice rink there.

Stockyards

Walk around the stockyards, one of the traditional places of Fort Worth. Walking around and watching the stampede is free, but the stockyards also have a variety of good and well-priced restaurants and multiple barbecue venues.

The Melting Pot

The Melting Pot often has sales that make it cheaper, but what’s better than dipping food in other food, right? It is a good place to go on a date for an anniversary or for Valentines Day.

Top Golf

Good place to go on a group date or double date, you get to golf while listening to music, all while looking at the background lights of the Dallas Skyline.

Student Life

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Valentine Playlists By: Alexis Karpenko, Opinion Writer

Happy Love Songs: • • • • • • • • • •

Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran Love Shack by B-52’s Love On Top by Beyonce L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole She Looks So Perfect by 5 Seconds of Summer Pretty Young Thing by Michael Jackson Cupid Shuff le by Cupid My Life Would Suck Without You by Kelly Clarkson The Only Exception by Paramore Don’t Go Breakin My Heart by Elton John

Sad Love Songs: • • • • • • • • • •

Take a Bow by Rihanna Say Something by a Great Big World Stay With Me by Sam Smith So What by Pink Independent Women by Beyonce Forget You by Cee Lo Green Misery by Maroon 5 Don’t Speak by No Doubt Battlefield by Jordan Sparks Torn by Natalie Imbruglia

WHERE DOES CENTRAL WANT TO GO OUT ON A DATE?

“A dinner would be pretty nice, maybe some neat gifts, maybe watch a movie.”

Allison Westbrook (11)

“Spending time with the guy I really like, maybe going to a movie or doing something spontaneous.”

Susan Garza (12)

“Take her to the movies and to dinner and buy her f lowers and chocolate.”

Gustavo Lopez (10)

“Going to Six Flags.”

Bryan Nguyen (11)

Humans of Central

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HUMANS OF CENTRAL By: Felicia Murray, Staff Writer

A glimpse into the lives of friends and strangers of Central High School...

Gerrymil Garcia (11) “I got held back in second grade because in the Philippines, their school starts around summer, so when I got here I had to repeat the second grade.”

Holly Torman (10) “A couple years back, I had really kind of bad depression because I wasn’t really being myself, and I was trying to make other people happy, and I was always miserable and crying. Once I got to high school, things started to change, and I stopped caring about what other people thought and I found myself a lot happier for that, and I made good friends that liked me for who I was and that helped a lot.”

Humans of Central

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Denise F r agoso (12) “My biggest fear would be not being successful in the career that I want to be in, and not being accepted into the job I want.

My biggest dream is to be able to travel the world; it sounds cliché but I want to go explore different places.”

Damon Metzter (9) “Since I came from ISMS, not many people come from that school to here, so I don’t know that many people. I would try to make as many friends as possible. Be active, get into clubs, be social in your classrooms and try to get to know everybody.”

Adam Caldwell (11) “9/11 effected my family, especially my dad.

My dad worked across the street from the twin towers. It was one of those things that changed him and changed my family.”

Humans of Central Follow the original @humansofny

Student Life

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Vinyl Revival

By: Ambriehl Turrentine, Staff Writer “It’s so nice to actually look at and hold the music rather than looking at a screen. It makes the music-listening experience much more personal,” said Pranil Zaman (12). Their nostalgic feel, vintage sound, and overall value are just three of many reasons people claim why they are f locking back to purchasing vinyl records.

Nielsen SoundScan, which monitors music sales, tracked close to 8.3 million LP sales in 2014, and almost 38 percent increase since 2013. This marks the highest vinyl sales since 1983. Record players or turntables have also increased in sales. Sales of these items on shopping sites such as Amazon shot straight toward the top of the Best Sellers list, especially during the holiday season.

A major cause of the increase in

Places to buy Records:

vinyl sales is the internationally celebrated day – Record Store Day, which falls on the third Saturday of April. Owners of struggling record shops officially founded Record Store Day in 2007 in Baltimore, Maryland. Since then, the event has spread to over 1,000 record stores in the US, UK, Canada, Japan, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands.

The return is also linked to a youth movement - a very powerful demographic. The average age of people purchasing vinyl records is under 21.

Artists like Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake have both released new albums on vinyl in major retail stores such as Target, aiding in creating a more vibrant vinyl culture for youth.

Digital music is still predicted to remain the dominant musical art form

Half Price Books – Fort Worth, TX

Urban Outfitters – Fort Worth and Dallas, TX

Mad World Record – Denton, TX

Ernest Tubb Record Shop – Fort Worth, TX

Forever Young Records – Grand Prairie, TX

Forever Young Records shop in Grand Prairie, TX

as vinyl sales still account for only 2 percent of industry sales. However, vinyl manufacturers are overwhelmed and unable to keep up with the growing demand – a demand that has not been this large in decades. Meanwhile, CDs are beginning to fade away as vinyl did in the early 90s.

Pranil Zaman described his experience at Forever Young Records in Grand Prairie. After roaming for about an hour, he exited the shop with his new purchases of BANKS and Lykke Li albums, eager to listen. Pranil glimpsed at his receipt and realized that he had spent nearly $60 on just two records. “It’s expensive, but was worth it,” he said.

“Definitely worth it.”

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Man of the Year Contestants:

2015

Mr. January- Dylan Cure

Mr. July- Sam Calloway

Mr. February- Jordy Henrotin

Mr. August- Austin Kimmel

Mr. March- Eric So

Mr. September- Ricky Hesles

Mr. April- Ryan Rambo

Mr. October- Jair Campos

Mr. May- Riley Baker

Mr. November- Jacob Hundley

Mr. June- Michael Davis

Mr. December- Devin Thibodeaux

ReCAP:

By: Aaron Spivey, Staff Writer The 8th annual Man of the Year competition took place on January 29th, and was hosted by the CHS Lightning Dancers.

Twelve senior contestants participated in a series of events including swimsuit modelling and a talent portion followed by a Q-&-.A. Eric So won first place taking home a Prom ticket and free tux rental. So’s talent of choice was math. On stage he used his mathematical skills to guess crowd members birthdays. He also solved extensive

equations that transformed graphs to messages, reminding the audience “All we need is love”.

“I did math because I knew it would set me apart but honestly, I find math fun and I wanted to share the joy,” said So. Second and third place went to Jair Campos and Michael Davis. Campos sang the song Uptown Funk while Davis serenaded fellow student Steven Colaianni.

The show also featured a dance performed by the Lightning Dancer Officers

and was capped off with a Voices Of Central competition routine.

“I think it turned out really good, except for some minor interruptions that caused some stress,” said dancer, Sara Baumbach.

“Overall I thought the show was a success and enjoyable to all,” said So.

SPORTS

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SPORTS

A new year, a new team the 2015 Men’s Basketball team is focused and motivated for this season Brady Dunn, Staff Writer The Central High basketball team has officially started their 2014-15 season. Now yes you might be thinking that the Chargers are going to be struggling this season because they did lose a lot of really good players such as, forward J.R Rodgers who was the teams leading scorer last season, and they also lost Juan Najera who was a very solid shooter from beyond the ark.

With all the losses the team has had its a new year and a new season.

The Chargers are lead by Head Coach Gerald Sledge who is in his their full season as the leader of the chargers.

This year the KISD District looks a lot different from last year because Denton Ryan, Denton Guyer, and Byron Nelson were added to the district.

The Chargers are 7-18 overall

this season while just starting district with a 1-6 record and picking up their first district win with a victory over Fossil Ridge. This year team is going by the motto #PushThru, and that is motivating them to play for each other’s as brothers on a team. “ This year’s team has a lot more younger players that play multiple sports with all but two of players coming back next year or for the next two years if they don’t get passed up by the kids that only play basketball. ‘’ It’s a lot more of a competitive environment where people are fighting for playing time constantly. Said Head Coach Gerald Sledge.

The Chargers have not really set a goal for the season, but as a team ‘’ our focus as a team, as individuals, including coaches and players is to get

better each day, and to protect our brand of basketball that will win at all levels in the near future.

One thing is for sure, and that’s the vibe around the bas-

ketball program. A new Year, and a new team.

starting the season on the right foot By: Joanne Hershon, Staff Writer As the school day ends, track practice begins. Every day after school you’ll see athletes making their way towards the field house with a look of determination on their faces as they prepare themselves for about an hour and a half of hard work.

Lap after lap, they train with the ultimate goal of advancing past district. Last year, there were many athletes who did just that but the coaches are changing things up this season to try and advance even more.

Coach Russell asserted, “We’re going to raise our game in volume and intensity. There are four new coaches on staff, so their perspectives will help out what we need to change.”

Each athlete has their own personal goals that they set for themselves even before the season begins. Many times, that simply includes preventing injury.

Angie Buchholz (10), who advanced to area her freshman year,

The 2015 Track and Field Season has started and has members ready to dominate

confirmed saying, “I just want to stay healthy all season and hopefully earn a new personal record.”

Athletes don’t just simply set goals, however, they also pave the

way to achieving his goal this season “is to run harder in practice” and that “setting smaller goals will help [him] ultimately achieve [his] biggest goals.”

road and create a game plan to achieve them. Numerous obstacles may come in between them and their goals, but determination and hard work makes the difference.

Clayton Cutburth (12) said the

The little things really do count and make a difference according to Coach Russell, who said that training involves “proper warmups, taking advantage of every day to improve, good nutrition,

and rest.”

Expectations are high this year for the athletes and they are willing to put in the work to meet them.

Runners are constantly training to increase endurance as well as speed and pole-vaulters, throwers, and jumpers practice improving their technique throughout practice. No matter rain, intense heat, or freezing cold, track athletes practice very day after school even if the weather forces them indoors.

They sacrifice homework and social time to become more competitive and proudly represent Central as well as some weekends when track meets can go on for hours on end. Even though it sounds like a difficult sport to keep up with and balance with school work, track athletes somehow find a way to get everything done despite the odds and their love of the sport keeps them going.

SPORTS

019

Q&A

LCS

CFC

Rachel Murray, Editor in Chief

Follow your favorite soccer teams on Twitter! @CHS_LCS and @CFC_Soccer

Fabian Linares

Rebekah Perea

senior

sophomore

Q: What is your favorite thing about

Q: Do you have any pre game tradi-

LCS?

tions?

A:

A: “I like dancing before a game be-

“Being able to play the sport I love with all of these amazing girls. I love the memories I’ve created so far.”

cause it gets me pumped up.”

Kaylee Rose

Payton Bates

senior

sophomore

Q: What music do you like to listen to Q: before a game?

What do you think is the worst part of training?

A: “EDM music, Diplo, and Yellow

A: “The worst part about training we

Claw because it gets you pumped up.”

have to do is gassers. As much as they get you into shape, they make you pretty sore the next day.”

Maddie Kramber

Joey Cox

sophomore

Q: What’s the hardest thing about being a goalkeeper?

A:

“Worrying about letting your team down, because as a goalie, when you let a ball in, you feel like it’s your fault.”

senior

Q: If you score, how do you celebrate?

A: “Hit the whip.”

Coach Padilla

Coach Arias Q: What’s your favorite thing about

Q: What’s the hardest thing about

being a coach?

being a coach?

A: “The relationship with my girls because I get to watch them grow both as young women and athletes.”

A:

“Time, commitment, preparation, and always making sure that the athletes are prepared both mentally and physically.”

NEWS

020

Here I am By; Abby Goodman, Opinion Writer I am ill with daydreams. Every day in class, I find myself drifting off in a futile attempt to satisfy my insatiable wanderlust. I try to stay awake – focused on the subject at hand – but who would do that when dreams offer you pictures of crowded streets filled with fashion forward women shrouded in unimaginable colors with a grace so strong and aggressive that it is near murderous? New York can become a haven for me in these sways from reality - wild and chaotic and mean but once I conquer that place, as I often do in these dreams, I will conquer the world.

It is a struggle to stay focused when my mind and my heart long to be in my romanticized version of a city I’ve never been to. Who would sacrifice that for a cold place that is filled to the brim with cynicism – Or realism, I suppose. Depends who you ask.

That’s also the hard part. Admitting that I will probably never get to string sentences together as a living in a city that never sleeps while feeding off ambition is the equivalent of giving away all of your money by throwing it into the street. You’re throwing your livelihood – your precious

safety net – into the street for some lucky son of a gun to grab and take.

I can’t allow that. No matter how sick I am with that absurdity – hope is better when felt passionately, no matter how insane.

In high school, we are constantly beaten down with statistics and likelihoods and stories of people who gave up everything they wanted to have what they have been told they needed. Security is important, I can’t deny that. But there is a difference between safety and self-suffocation.

And I will not wrap my hands around my own neck to let others

I Made It

breathe. I will seize those dreams right from the air until I am there.

Daydreams are wonderful to fuel ambition - no matter how frustrating it is to only be grasping for dreams while hands are reaching for your ankles. But I cannot wait for the day when my struggle to stay awake is brushed aside by a sunset against a skyscraper, the chatter of strangers filling my ears, while I resist the urge to break out in a grin because through all of the car horns and talk, the only thing I can hear is, “Here I am. I made it.”

OPINION

021

Marsala

The 2015 color of the year By: Felicia Murray, Opinion Writer

Marsala enriches our mind, body and soul, while radiating warmth and subtle seductiveness. As color of the year 2015, marsala will be seen used in fashion, make-up, home furnishings, and more.

Fashion: While being equally appealing on men and women, marsala is an organic shade for clothing and accessories, one that exudes confidence and authentication.

Make-up: Flattering against any skin tone, dramatic yet elegant marsala is a great go-to color for beauty, providing enormous highlight for the cheek, and a captivating color for lips, nails, and even hair.

Home Furnishings: Striking and at the same time earthly, the rich and concentrated oxblood marsala brings color zeal into home interiors.

Opinion

022

Consumed By: Samantha reed, opinion writer First period you have a project. Second, you have two pages of homework. Third, you have a review for a test over a subject you don’t understand. Fourth, you can’t stop thinking about everything you have to do tonight and you miss two pages of notes. Fifth, you take a test that you didn’t study for. Sixth, you scarf down your lunch and go to tutorials for that test in third.

Seventh, you try to relax when you realize you’re just watching a movie, but thoughts of the ever-expanding mountain of responsibilities haunt you. Eighth, you take more notes, and get assigned more homework. Ninth, all you can think about is going home and sleeping, until you realize that you won’t have time to sleep.

High school students face a lot of stress, from grades to sports teams, to families, to jobs, and still getting the recommended eight hours of sleep a night. If you type “why does school…” into a Google search bar, some of the first suggestions that appear are “why does school stress me out,” and “why does school make me want to cry.” Stress not only upsets our bodies mentally, it can also have effects on our physical health, and it’s taking a toll on the students at Central.

Stress can and will completely consume you. I take two PreAP classes, I’m not athletic, and I can’t get a job. Yet for some reason at any given moment I feel like a time bomb about to explode. I thought for some time that I was the only one who felt this way, but after talking to some of the students at Central I realized that I wasn’t alone. “It overwhelms me because so many teachers don’t think about how we have 9 periods a day and many of us are in Pre-AP or AP classes. We get assigned projects after projects with homework on top of that. I just wish teachers would put into consideration how much of our day we spend doing school work and being at school. We spend more time doing work than we do with our families. Not to mention people who do sports, work, and other extracurricular activities,” Zayn Mees (10) said. When you start high school, stress is all you think about, your thoughts will stack up like a Tetris game you’re bound to lose. At times it feels like the assignments are endless and it seems like teachers are completely oblivious to the harm they are causing us.

According to WebMD, some of the many effects of stress include inability to focus, insomnia, low energy, constant worrying, poor judgment, frequent colds and infections, and feeling bad about yourself, depressed, lonely, and worthless. If these are only some of the side effects, why do schools continue to allow teachers to pile homework on us? Viviane Nguyen said, “Sometimes it’s hard to catch even a small break. There’s just always too much to do every minute of the day and it can be so overwhelming.”

Most students share similar opinions, when asking a few of my friends what stresses them out they all answered, “school.” Yeliana Benitez said, “It feels like stress sometimes consumes my life.

I go to school, work, do homework, and go to sleep very late only to wake up early for drill team the next morning.” When students have so many responsibilities that it results in sleep deprivation, teachers should realize that something is wrong. With this year’s eight class schedule stress is at an all time high for students. Benitez said, “I believe the nine period schedule is affecting KISD negatively, considering test scores are at in all time low, according to Mr. Teel. With more classes come more homework, deadlines, tests, and projects. It leaves less time to do fun things that can improve out quality of life rather than degrading it.”

Tips to “De-STress” It’s extremely important to take care of yourself First and worry about school later. Making a 70 in a class won’t hurt you, but overworking yourself will (I say this at 2:04 AM on a Thursday.) Some tips to de-stress are:

1. Drink water 2. Take breaks when studying 3. Try to manage your time well 4. Take a bath 5. Walk outside.

6. Breathe. Know that this won’t last forever

Opinion

023

Watching From the sidelines By: Aaron Spivey, Opinion Writer “Alright man, you guys have fun.” The amount of times I have spoken this phrase increases every week. The sounds of Nikes squeak against the gym f loor as my friends dribble up and down the court. They run and jump, shoot and pass, laugh and scream. As I watch. And will forever watch.

I f lash back to a room full of white walls.

As I sit back relaxed in a chair, my dad and I talk about my upcoming game on Saturday.

Winter was here. Football season had ended, and basketball had begun. Smiles and jokes carry on until the door opens and a middle-aged woman enters.

She spoke softly, but her voice didn’t

relax me. For the first time in that cardiologist office, I began to feel uneasy. From a clipboard she begins to show me pictures of a heart. Mine.

The game intensifies as my friends began to play harder and faster. I watch as they argue about the score. I watch as they scream about what they believe to be a foul.

I just watch. I watch and think of that day, the day that put me on the sidelines. Those who say sports are just games are wrong. They are much more than that.

As my parents search for more and more answers from the doctor, I am left sitting there in the room. The subject of the con-

versation but I am completely disengaged.

I am stuck imagining a life without football and basketball.

My thoughts take me away from those white walls to a shiny wooden court. I am dribble down and searching for the open man. I shoot and sprint and dive for loose balls. I can feel my heart racing as I move up and down the court guarding my man.

As sweat streams down my face I am very much engaged in this game. In my head I do not watch my friends play from the sidelines, I am out there with them.

FOCUS By: Emily Mitchell, Opinion writer Losing focus is easy. We can’t feel it but the Earth is spinning on its axis right now. It’s always going. And so is life. Life is spinning out of control, sometimes upside down or in too many directions for you to hold your balance.

Sometimes, when I look around me, I swear that my veins are filled with liquid hurt but other times I feel almost numb to what I see.

Tragedy has conditioned me to be able to f lip a switch when it comes to emotions. If I don’t f lip the switch I think the hurt in my heart would rush through my arteries and burn me into a hollow shell of a person.

How do you keep your eyes shining with joy after you’ve witnessed the world’s pain?

Your own pain. It’s beyond difficult to balance.

There are so many gloriously beautiful aspects of the world, but there is a lot of terrible and awful existing at the same time. They fill the

same moments. Each one fights to eclipse the other and I struggle with what to feel.

I see an innumerable number of shades in the fallen leaves and a young boy having his life ripped in a few stunning and confusing moments suspended in time. A few seconds that left half the nation holding their breaths and the other half in utter turmoil.

I see a rolling fog being carried by the wind with unfathomable grace and another young boy lose his valiant struggle with a bitterly cruel disease.

I see a night filled with the most glorious and awe inspiring splatter of stars and 12 men, seeking truth and wielding only their writing utensils, being gunned down in cold blood.

The horrors are just as vivid as the morning glories I see every morning.

I see a sky thick with a blue that is deeper

than anything I have ever seen, but again, I see so much hurt playing out underneath it.

People are hurting, people I knew, people I still know, people I see in passing every day.

And it’s awful to know that I can never fully fathom these things. Nor can I figure out which I should focus on. The beauty and pain are weirdly similar in their struggle for my attention. But I can smile and I can cry and I can feel my feelings. I can be grateful for what I have and sad for what I don’t. They do not lessen each other. I can live my life and maybe when I am older, and hopefully wiser, the beauty and pain can co-exist more harmoniously, but for now it’s okay to just feel them when they are present.

CHS Happy Valentine’s Day from The Illuminator