2020-2021 Edge Issue 4

Sneak Peak

3

Making Some Changes Schedule to change to eightperiod day in the fall

11

Talking to the Coaches

21

Is It Really Dirt Cheap?

The Many

Soccer coaches talk memories, coaching and best post-game meals

Inexpensive appliances, clothes and home goods are found at chain overstock store

the

edge The student newspaper of Pleasant Grove High School

Faces

of

Homelessness [Pages 12-13]

5406 McKnight Road Texarkana, TX 75503 Vol. 35 #4 Feb. 11, 2021 pgedgeonline.com

[Photo dtuttlebee]

2 news

the

edge

BIRD’S EYE VIEW 2

Pleasant Grove

a look at this issue’s events, activities at the grove

things to know

“We’re so happy that we succeeded in our tournament to make it to state. I hope this has motivated the younger kids coming up in the future.”

The Edge staff will be holding a toiletries drive for local homeless shelters from Feb. 22- March 2. The best items to bring are miniature or travel size soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, and other hygiene items.

Graduation will be held at Hawk Stadium on May 28. It has not been decided how many tickets each graduate will receive.

- Austin Bradley (12)

1.

OTHER PLACES TO LOOK FOR THE EDGE: Keep up with Pleasant Grove news by following @pgstudentmedia on Instagram.

Stay up to date with dress up days, student section themes, updates, and more by following @stucopghs on Instagram.

High School

5406 McKnight Road, Texarkana, TX

@pg_ccp keeps followers informed about everything happening in the Theatre Department.

top hawk moments

“

reporters:

Haylie Akin Emma Boehmke Emma Crabtree Allie Forand Sarah Hale Nathan Hutcheson Sarah Johnson Alysha McClure Nistha Neupane Cadence Pov Noah Rayburn Spencer Richardson Addison Simmons

photographers:

Savannah Hoehn Emma Beck Andy Hilton Easton Jones Kelsey Clark Macey Wright Lexi Carr Jacob Jones Sydney Williams Abby Jenkins

editors:

When the baby cried, I always tried to feed it first and then if that didn’t work, I would change its diaper. If that didn’t do the trick, then I would burp it.

Delaynie Keeney Alex Norton Delia Tuttlebee Gillilan Knowles [online]

adviser:

”

Charla Harris

principal: Todd Marshall

- Ramsey Noble (11)

3.

2.

4.

/pan•han•dl•ing/

1. Working together, Cade Haak (12), Austin Bradley (12) and Jacob Jones (11) focus on their performance at a tournament in Grandbury. The team qualified for the state robotics tournament [ahilton] 2. As her ‘baby’ cries Ramsey Noble (11) tries to comfort it Students in Child Development were assigned a computerized baby for a week.[charrelson] 3.

Staying focused, Ayesha Aslam (9) traces a picture for her art project. [swiliams] 4. Doing the Bhujangasana pose, also known as the cobra pose, Rhett Gatlin (10) warms up with his in theatre class.

A legal term for unlawful forms of public begging. Proponents of such legislation advocate placing limits on these activities. Some opponents lament what they perceive to be the “criminalization of homelessness” and argue that such laws are discriminatory or unevenly enforced. ( see page 14)

editorial policy:

The Edge is the student newspaper of Pleasant Grove High School Students in the publications department are responsible for its production and content. The newspaper serves as an open forum for student expression and the discussion of issues of concern to students.

Unsigned editorials represent the opinions of the student staffers and do not necessarily reflect those of the administration. Signed columns and reviews reflect the opinion of the author only.

Edge encourages and accepts letters to the editors. Letters must be signed and will be edited to eliminate obscenity and inappropriate content. Letters may be submitted to the editors in room 603.

Edge is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

news 3

Modifications

New CTE building renovations underway, building to be ready for select classes this fall

ONSchedule

Upcoming school year will start with an eight-period day replacing current block schedule

Emma Crabtree

Delaynie Keeney

reporter

co-editor

W

hen elementary students moved out of their old building on Richmond Road last fall, the CTE department went to work.

As planned, that building will be repurposed into a new CTE center.

Administrators visited the site and decided what would go where, and how the school would use new, extra space.

“The old library will turn into a robotics presentation space, arena space, and workshops. It will be classroom style with a hospitality room for judges,” CTE director Jennifer Gibson said. “Behind the library will be getting new landscaping so some students will eventually be allowed to work outside.”

PGTV will also be moving to the new center this fall.

“It will also give PGTV a place to work. They will have their space to have a studio with soundproof and blackout windows. We would update it and modernize it,” Mrs. Gibson said. “They will also have an adjacent classroom for editing and classroom things. There will be a state of the art editing bays, with a conference table to track events and productions.”

The plan is for classes to start in the new building to start the upcoming school year. Other renovations and additions will be coming to the building where many current students attended elementary school.

“It is kind of sad that we will be going back as high schoolers, and we have something new to enjoy, but it is exciting that we will have a new building for our robotics competitions,” junior Campbell Jackson said.

Administrators believe this will give students ample opportunity to grow and expand their education further.

“It is about having a lot of freedom in a nice facility that’s a great experience that you will remember, and really look back on it and say man, that was a really good experience doing that,” Mrs. Gibson said. “So, that’s where we are. It’s a lot of work, but it will all worth it.”

[Photo by swilliams]

Making

Eight is eight.

That’s what Principal Todd Marshall said students should remember when the schedule moves from a modified block to an eight-period day this fall.

Instead of having five classes a day — two 50-minute classes and three 90-minute classes, students will go through their entire schedule each day, attending all eight classes.

“We’ve been having conversation about this for awhile now but decided to table it when COVID hit,” Mr. Marshall said. “We looked at it again and did the research. This isn’t a change for change sake. We want what’s best for the kids.”

Classes will be 45-50 minutes instead of the current 90 minutes, allowing students to see each teacher every day. Mr. Marshall said that research shows the attention span of a 16 year old is 32-48 minutes, which is much shorter than the current class periods.

“Sitting in the same class first period and then going to that same class third period, you notice the student engagement is different,” Mr. Marshall said.“Things fight more for our attention. It’s a different world than it was even ten years ago and that’s why I think this change is needed.”

Mr. Marshall said that administrators ran data from the high school campus and discovered that students in first and eighth periods (the shorter class periods that meet every day) in the modified block schedule have scores that are significantly higher than those that meet every other day.

On an eight-period day students can be in the classroom every day, five days a week.

That’s almost double the time a student is in the classroom on the modified block.

“Teachers aren’t seeing their kids as much.

Those students aren’t getting that core content before their AP tests and EOCs [end of course

exams],” Mr. Marshall said. “I think if you have a chance to see your teacher every day before your test, it makes sense that you’ll have a chance to do better.”

Mr. Marshall said he hopes an eight-period day will not only improve scores, but also promote better connections between teachers and students.

“There’s the social aspect and potential to build relationships, which is huge,” Mr. Marshall said.

“Teachers say they have stronger relationships with students who they meet with everyday.”

Change on this scale can make students feel uneasy. There are concerns teachers will hand out double the workload at a faster pace, but Mr. Marshall said teachers will have to adjust as well.

“You can’t take an old system and make it fit into the new system,” he said. “Teachers will have to adjust because they may have to cover the material in a new way, and they may have to adjust the length of their tests. Students may not have homework every night.”

Mr. Marshall explained that the district’s mission statement is to ensure high levels of learning for all students.

“The data shows this is a change that needs to happen to achieve that mission statement,” Mr. Marshall said. “The impact of this change ensures students can learn at high levels. What it’s about, truly, is learning.”

Because this new schedule is different from the current one, Mr. Marshall said there’s going to be an adjustment period.

“I know change is hard and scary, but I believe in the leadership of this campus,” Mr. Marshall said. “I do understand how hard it is to change when you are accustomed to something. [But] I believe in the hearts of our teachers because they want what’s best for the students.”

Band members take All-State honors Issac Neuman (11)

Hunter Digby (10)

What’s new?

Students can expect changes this fall, but some things will stay the same The schedule will have eight classes just like the current schedule, but students will attend every class every day.

Lunch will decrease from four to two periods.

The WIN period will remain in the schedule and the testing center will remain open The same number of core classes and electives will be available for students The change in schedule format will not do anything to hurt students’ class rank or GPA

Two Pride in Motion Band members made the All-State Band in tryouts last week. Students across the state try out for a limited number of places.

“I was glad to make it this far because there were only 25 trumpet players that made it to the All-State Band,” Hunter Digby said.

Isaac and Hunter will perform with the All-State Band in June at the ATSSB [the Association of Texas Small School Bands] All-State Clinic in Melissa, TX.

4 news

Experts say vaccine necessary to eliminate COVID-19 in the coming months No prom. No Sadie. No baseball. No tables at lunch.

It’s been nearly a year since the first cases of COVID-19, and students are still struggling to get back to “normalcy.”

Why the vaccine matters: A COVID vaccine would mean normalcy. A vaccine would mean prom. A vaccine would mean baseball. But that vaccine isn’t available to students.

At least not yet.

Right now, the vaccine goes to the elderly, the nurses, the firefighters, the essential workers.

So the question of when students receive it is still up in the air.

And most of them aren’t concerned about it.

“I feel scared to take it because I don’t know how I’ll react to it,” junior Gracie Carr said. “But I’ll get it too when it’s been around longer and I’m comfortable with it.”

What the experts say: Experts say the vaccines are the main hope in getting a sense of normalcy and preventing unnecessary deaths.

“It’s literally the only way we’re going to get out of this,” Texas A&M University biology professor Benjamin Neuman said. “If we vaccinate properly, COVID-19 will go completely extinct worldwide but will take cooperation.”

Dr. Neuman said when people don’t do their part to stop the virus, it gives it a home — the human body.

“Over and over, I’ve thought that surely we won’t keep making mistakes,” Dr. Neuman said. “You would think we wouldn’t let anything stop us from doing the right thing, but here we are.”

But Dr. Neuman said getting to that “normal” requires not just wearing masks, but also getting vaccinated.

“The pieces are all right there,” he said. “Now we can use them to build what comes next.”

The two doses of the vaccine, masks and social distancing are required to get life back under control.

“I think when this is over, we’ll have a unique chance to decide what the future will look like,” Dr. Neuman said. “A pandemic is a series of preventable mistakes.”

Until the vaccine’s in everyone: Workers at St. Michaels have had an extra hard time since cases spiked from holidays and gatherings.

“It’s pushed our resources to the brink,” said Dr. Randy Jackson, a local physician said. “But we’ve maintained adequate supply, and the staff have bound together to work through these tough times.”

Seeing the effects of COVID-19 firsthand has affected Dr. Jackson in an eye-opening way. “The ones who struggle are the ones that really touch you,” he said. “Most are scared and you can see and hear their fear.”

The harsh situation led the hospital to provide devices for patients to see their friends and family.

“We try to be as compassionate as possible as their only live interaction,” Dr. Jackson said. “You can see the joy on their faces when they’re able to see and speak to their loved ones.”

And when COVID’s gone: Eventually, there will be some normalcy — Sadie. Baseball.

Lunch tables. And a prom.

Nistha Neupane reporter

Who gets it first? [nneupane]

GETTING BACK TO NORMAL

Phase 1a 1. Those in long term care facilities 2. Health Care Personnel (Doctors, Nurses etc.)

Phase 1b 1. Those 75 and older 2. Essential workers: fire fighters, police officers, grocery store workers, public transit workers, educational sector workers

Phase 1c 1. People aged 65—74 2. People aged 16—64 years with underlying medical conditions 3. Other essential workers, transportation and logistics, food service, housing construction... (cdc.gov)

F

or the past nine months, school nurse Becky Riles has been careful. Very careful.

Turning around every time she sees someone unmasked. Having a tub of sanitizer by her front door. Wiping down her groceries after every trip to Walmart.

Her perspective on the pandemic has changed now that COVID-19 vaccines are available to healthcare workers.

“It makes me feel so hopeful,” she said.

“Because COVID-19 is real. And I’d much rather be safe than die a painful death on a ventilator.”

With the 5.9 million people to receive their vaccine, art teacher Nicole Brisco was one of them. But only after waiting in a four hour line at 6 a.m. outside Christus St. Michael hospital.

“It was really sad to watch,” she said. “The elderly stood in the cold without a place to sit. Without water. And without a restroom.”

Mrs. Brisco said the main reason she put her trust in science was because of her

autoimmune disease.

“I didn’t want to put myself in that place,” she said, “Because I know those who’ve died from it. Had their leg amputated. And been in a coma.”

After already taking the flu shot, Mrs. Riles knew the COVID-19 vaccine was no different.

“It was all worth it,” she said. “The effects were a small price to pay for the chance to get past this pandemic together.”

Despite the millions taking the vaccine, there are millions still unsure about it’s effectiveness.

“I wouldn’t say it scares me,” math teacher Samantha Durham said.“Ultimately, I don’t feel like a virus controls my life because God is the author of everything.”

Mrs. Brisco realized after getting vaccinated that some Americans think staying safe means being “scared.”

“It’s not right for people to think that,” she said. “ The vaccines and masks are what work. They’re science. And it’s such a simple

thing that saves lives.”

She said people always claim how only one percent of patients die from COVID-19, but it’s different when that one percent is a loved one.

“It’s selfish that some don’t care,” she said.

“People get way too involved in their own heads. We have to trust our medical leaders to get us through this.”

She said there’s something most Americans don’t realize about the COVID-19 vaccine: It’s a privilege.

“There are those who would’ve begged for this kind of vaccine growing up (like for polio),” she said. “If they had one, some of them might still be alive.”

Art teacher Melissa Manning said if everyone was compliant to wear a mask and get vaccinated, life would be different right now.

“We need to understand it’s up to all of us to do the best we can so the community can heal,” she said. “Only then will we have our freedom.”

95%

The PfizerBioNTech

effective

vaccine is:

“

“It was all worth it,” she said. “The effects were a small price to pay for the chance to get past this pandemic together.”

-Becky Riles, nurse

“

TAKING A SHOT

Vaccine the right choice says teachers who have taken it

news 5

Freedom of Speech- the legal right to express one’s opinions freely. It’s a First Admendment right that protects you from government censorship, not from private platforms and companies.

Policy

Terms

Poll

Service

Do you have an account on…..

97.5% Twitter

50%

Snapchat

97.5%

Facebook

55%

Have you read the terms of service?

2

co-editor

of

*52 students surveyed

Instagram

Delaynie Keeney

10

out of students have

Do you think PresidentTrump should have been removed from some social media platforms?

22.5%

77.5%

Yes

No

1. Raising American, Confederate, and other flags, Trump supporters march on the Capitol Building. 2. Police officers mobilized to calm down the incited crowd. 3. Rioters occupy the steps to the East Front of the Capitol. Photos courtesy of Greenpeace.

Rights, responsibilities and social media: understanding what’s what Do you have the right to post things that aren’t true?

Do social media sites have the right to monitor and censor user content?

Those are the questions that arose after President Donald Trump was banned from his social media accounts. Supporters argued the sites were “trampling on his civil rights.”

Others believed his comments on social media provoked the riots at the U.S. Capitol in January.

So what are your rights?

Social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are private companies that offer a platform for users to express their opinions and post content.

And because they’re private, First Amendment privileges don’t apply.

“You can face consequences for what you say, period,” history teacher John Strunc said. “The government can’t prohibit your speech, but private companies can and they can take action.”

So should President Trump have been kicked off some social media platforms?

“No I don’t think so,” senior Cade

Norris said. “Twitter and every other social media platform did a terrible job in being unbiased. The media doesn’t want him to express his opinions.”

If it can happen to President Trump, can it happen to you?

Social media sites are private companies and under their terms of service have the right to refuse service to anyone. In other words, they can ban a user or terminate an account.

“I would never let that happen,” Cade said. “I would never do anything so extreme to get my account terminated.”

I’m not posting anything fraudulent or unlawful. Why does this matter to me?

What students may not understand is whatever they post can be owned and used against them by media outlets AND law enforcement.

“Once you put something on social media, it’s out there,” Mr. Strunc said. “It’s on the internet and there’s nothing you can do to take it down because it’s not yours anymore.”

1.

2.

The chaos of

misinformation Thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump came from across the country for a rally on Jan. 5 in Washington, D.C. The supporters disputed the results of the 2020 presidential election, and gathered on the US Capitol grounds to protest while Congress was certifying the presidential Electoral College votes. Some of the crowd then stormed the building, and five people died in the ensuing riot.

What do you sign up for?

Community guidelines for each social media platform include different rules. Let’s walk through what you agree to when you “read” them.

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Snapchat

Users can’t post or share content that’s unlawful, misleading, discriminatory or fraudulent. It can’t infringe or violate someone else’s rights, including their intellectual property rights. Any violations to these terms can result in a permanent ban.

You may not post nude, partially nude, or sexually suggestive photos. Users can’t abuse, harass, threaten, impersonate or intimidate other Instagram users. We reserve the right to modify or terminate the Instagram service for any reason, without notice at any time.

You may not promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.

Snap Inc. respects the rights of others. Users may not use the services in a manner that: violates or infringes someone else’s rights of publicity, privacy, copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property right, bullies, harasses, or intimidates, defames, spams or solicits our users.

3.

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sports 7

Take this quiz to find out if you’re a fan or foe. Look at the bottom left hand conner of the page for answers.

STANDING

From yelling at refs to sitting in the stands, soccer and track fans are a big part of the game

Check all that apply ____ Been to 5 football games or more ____ 4 or more hawk shirts ____ A vinel sticker for a car ____ Been to all 3 state games ____ Been to all the playoff games this year ____ Have a picture with at least 2 players ____ Been to at least 3 games of volleyball ____ Have a yard sign/made a sign

I

Who is the Lady Hawks volleyball’s biggest rival? ____ Gilmer ____ Paris ____ North Lamar What does the letter “B” on the back of the football reffef’s uniform mean? ____ Behind the players ____ Back judge ____ Ball keeper What’s the distance between the bases in softball? ____ 80 feet ____ 75 feet ____ 60 feet Who are the captains for the Lady Hawks soccer team? ____ Emma Sanderson and Sapana Pokhrel ____ Aubrey Oller and Delia Tuttlebee ____ Supriya Sharma and Francy Martin

Results:

If you got 1-3 you might be on the wrong side of the stands If you got 4-9 you know your stuff If you got 10-12 congratulations you’re a super fan

crowd

t’s the end of overtime and the Hawks are tied 2-2.

Freshman Rylie Williams bumps a Texas High player inside the box.

The ref blows his whistle, raises his hand, and pulls out a small yellow card.

“Come on ref that’s not a foul!”

Yelling from the stands, senior Emma Sanderson’s dad Chuck Sanderson tries to get the ref ’s attention On the field Emma hears her dad’s voice but doesn’t look up. It’s something she’s been used to since she was four.

“Most of the time he doesn’t affect my play because I’ve grown used to it, but sometimes it can be embarrassing since everyone knows he’s my dad,” Emma said.

Mr. Sanderson and other soccer parents are loyal fans who both cheer and interact with the game.

Senior Delia Tuttlebee’s dad, Andy Tuttlebee, coaches from the stands by shouting out commands to the girls.

For some girls on the team, the coaching is very helpful.

“I like to hear him from the stands because he can see the field better, and he can let us know things that we can’t necessarily see all the time,” Rylie said.

Mr. Tuttlebee has coached a majority of the senior girls, and he believes his cheering can be helpful.

“They hear me more than most and that’s probably me being louder and more enthusiastic. The girls are used to the sound of my voice,” Mr.Tuttlebee said. “I’ve joked before that I need to get all the girls little ear-pieces so I can just tell them all what to do throughout the game.”

Parents have different styles and reasons for cheering on their kids. Senior Connor Damron has mixed emotions about his dad, Mark Damron, shouting from the stands.

“I tried to get him to stop, but he said he wasn’t going to because it makes it more exciting,” Connor said.

Parents aren’t the only ones that come out and support the teams. Teachers also come to the different sporting events to root on their students.

“I like to go to my student’s games because I’ve gotten to know them personally,” history teacher Stephanie Knowles said.“I hope it makes the players feel inspired and

Sarah Johnson reporter

pumped up. Half can’t hear me and half say ‘Oh that’s Mrs. Knowles, she’s crazy’.”

The stands aren’t just filled with soccer fans. Track parents also travel to watch their children’s games and events.

Junior Jazmin Hever runs the 400m and 800m dash along with being part of the cross country team. While running on the track, Jazmin can always hear her mother cheering from the stands.

“I would have to say I’m a super fan because I adjust my work schedule around Jazmin’s events,” Jazmin’s mom Lisa Hever said.

It’s easy to think we know best but “It’s importoften have to remind ourselves ant to me as that [the ref] is a little closer to a mother for the action. I’m pretty sure they Jazmin to know don’t appreciate the ‘help’ much how supportive but it’s sometimes hard to keep to I am of her and yourself. I’m working on that that I’m right -Andy Tuttlebee there cheering (parent) her on through the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Despite going to yell for their own children, sometimes parents can be heard ‘encouraging’ the refs.

“Frustration with the referees decisions can creep in it’s not easy keeping those frustrations to yourself at times,” Mr. Tuttlebee said. “I’ll admit, I have been known to ‘encourage’ the referee to use his whistle to help our cause.”

However, the parents don’t constrain themselves to just their own kids. If a student from Pleasant Grove is competing, then Mrs. Heaver can be heard yelling for them.

“If the parent isn’t there due to work or whatever the reason and can’t be there, I’m there to help support everyone on the team,” Mrs. Heaver said. “Whether I know them or not, they should know someone is noticing their hard work.”

“

1. In the stands, junior Emliano Mejia cheers for the girls’ soccer team. “I felt angry at the refs because they weren’t making good calls, so I decided to stand up and yell to let them know how I felt. I also tried to add onto what Chuck said to make the game more intense,” he said. [ejones]

“

“

an out

I’ve joked with some of the parents before that I need to get all the girls little ear-pieces so I can just tell them all what to do throughout the game.

-Andy Tuttlebee, parent

Answers: North Lamar, back judge, 60 feet, Aubrey Oller and Delia Tuttlebee

“

What kind of fan are you?

1.

8 sports

By the

Numbers

Big and small, spring sports teams finishing their seasons in different ways

BASKETBALL I

1.

3.

2.

Allie Forand

1. Looking for an open teammate, Sapana Pokhrel (12) throws the ball in bounds in a scrimmage against Texas High. [ejones] 2. Focusing on the rim, Emma Henard (10) gets ready to shoot a free throw. [mwright] 3. Running down the field, Riley Williams (9) looks to make a pass. [ejones]

reporter

Soccer The varsity girls soccer team is kicking it into the next gear this season. The Lady Hawks are 6-2-4 in their preseason.

“We have a lot of potential this year,” junior Sarah Johnson said. “I think we have a really good group of girs because we have so many players that have different skill sets.”

Varsity players describe their team as very selfless, meaning giving others the opportunity to score if they don’t have a good shot. Everyone wants a

Largest team in school history prepares for district with state in mind

win for the team rather than themselves.

“One of the best things about scoring a goal is the celebration that comes with it,” Sarah said.

“Everyone runs up and gives you hugs while you’re running back. The girls scream and cheer for you when you get back on the bus.”

Between JV and varsity, there are 41 girls in the program.

“It’s a lot more competitive,” sophomore Hensley Whitten

said. “When we scrimmage, it makes us better because there’s someone else on the sidelines who can take your place.”

The girls practice on Monday’s and Thursday’s until 5:30 and watch film every Wednesday.

“Practicing helps us a lot for our games,” freshman Maggie Clark said. “My favorite part is practicing before the game because we get hyped up.”

returners has come with many challenges,” Lexi Snyder (11) said. “Coach [Marsha] Cowling always says we have to handle that adversity to get over the hump.”

Having only ten players has also been a challenge. Post player Peyton Mathews joined the team again this year after not playing last season.

“Basketball had been on my mind throughout summer, but I was nervous to get back in,” Peyton said. “ I talked to my mom about it. My parents supported me 100%, and I was able to meet with coach Cowling the next day to talk about playing.”

The Lady Hawks finished their season Friday night against Gilmer.

“One thing coach Cowling talks to us about after each game is ‘don’t give up on me and I won’t give up on you,” Lexi said. “We’ve going into each practice as a new day and try to get better for next year.”

“

Places...

Places ...

Childhood sports turn into the future for these seniors

Lacking numbers and senior leadership, Lady Hawks face challenges during the season t this had been a normal year, the Lady Hawks’ game against North Lamar last Tuesday would have been senior night.

However, this isn’t a normal year. With no seniors on the team, there was no need for the traditional recognition.

“Being a completely new team with no seniors or varsity

Going

#beyondthetilt Football has ‘full tilt,’ meaning giving it their all, but with soccer I felt like it was something different and we needed a way to express us giving out all to the sport we play. When we think of beyond the tilt, it is sort of funny to us, but we’re also pretty serious about it.

-Francy Martin (12)

“

Senior Tucker Anderson has been playing baseball since he was three years-old. He started out as a catcher and now plays in the pitching position.

Tucker is committed to Ouachita Baptist University.

photo submitted

Since she was four years-old, senior Zoe Smith has been playing softball and has been a catcher the entire time. Zoe is committed to Missouri Valley College.

“I’ve felt so accomplished because it’s been something I’ve been working my whole life for.” photo submitted

Senior T’vondrick Henry has been playing basketball since he was three years-old.

T’vondrick is committed to Ouachita Baptist University. “If I work hard enough anything is possible.” photo submitted

sports 9

EXTREME Alex Norton co-editor

100- Mile Race Fifteen hours and 60 miles later, he stopped running.

Sophomore Emiliano Mejia is training for a 100-mile race that he plans to run this August.

“I felt like I wasn’t running enough and I just really wanted to push myself. I just woke up and decided I wanted to run 100 miles just for the fun of it, just to do it,” Emiliano said.

“I felt like a marathon wasn’t enough either because I knew I could push myself more. I’ve already ran a marathon, so I thought I might as well just go further and further.”

As a top runner for the cross country team since middle school, Emiliano has had a lot of experience

running long distances.

“Compared to cross country, obviously the mileage is a big difference. The longer distance is really a mentality thing, you gotta put it in your head things like the 40% rule, like you think you’re done but you really have 40% more,” Emiliano said.

“You just have to push yourself a lot harder in this race than you do in cross country.”

Training for the race has given him more than just a stronger mentality.

“I have a lot better endurance now and it helped me in cross country a lot,” Emiliano said. “I was running an 18 minute 5k and now I run a 16 minute 5k. It just builds up my leg

Triathlon The starting pistol is fired and senior Caitlyn Dyer takes off for the water with dozens of other athletes. Over the next hour, Caitlyn swims 500 meters, bikes 13-14 miles, and runs 3.2 miles.

“I did triathlons my freshman and sophomore year because my cousin did it and it kept me in shape,” Caitlyn said. “It kept me running throughout the summer because we didn’t really have cross country practice and it kept me in shape so that I’d be ready for cross country and soccer.”

With competitions as intense as a triathlon, it takes a lot of time to train.

“My grandparents had a lake and they had a farm, so I would run around the farm.

When we had cross country and soccer I was already fit in the legs, so I just kept running every morning, and I would go out to the lake and I would swim 500 meters and then come back to get 1000 meters total,” Caitlyn said.

Now that she is graduating, Caitlyn has found a different reason to do triathlons.

“I’ll keep doing triathlons to stay fit and just to have fun mostly because I do find them very fun and I haven’t done them in a while,” Caitlyn said. “Every time I did it I grew, and I liked that, that I was getting better at it. I feel like now when I go back it’ll be like two hours. I grew because every time I did one it made me want to keep doing it.”

E

SPORTS muscles a lot more and I can kick the ball a lot farther in soccer.”

Since the race can take anywhere from 12 to 48 hours to complete, people have questioned Emiliano’s ability to complete the race.

“I’ve had one doubt because it’s going to be like 100 degrees and the humidity is going to be insane.

But I just want to push myself, so I just really want to keep the doubts out,” Emiliano said. “A lot of people doubt me, but it’s pushing me more to prove them wrong. Getting closer to the race will motivate me more because I’ll get a lot more excited and push myself even harder.”

Even as he realizes he’s going down the steep hill too fast, science teacher Thomas Strawn only thinks about how much fun he’s having.

Being the longer, wider versions of skateboards, longboards have become a popular mode of transportation and source of entertainment.

“I actually just picked longboarding up over quarantine,” Mr. Strawn said.

“I’ve always wanted to do it because I liked the idea of carving and feeling like I was surfing on the land, so I just decided over quarantine that I was going to do this. I ordered a cheap one off of Amazon and picked it up, then I liked it so I ordered an actual, better longboard and I’ve improved significantly.”

Because he’s limited on where he can

ride, Mr. Strawn takes his longboard with him to parks and out of town.

“We were at Queen Wilhelmina State Park and I had taken the board with me and we were on top of a mountain, so I thought it was going to be awesome.”

Mr. Strawn said. “I was going to go down these big smooth hills with no cars, but I had never taken a hill that steep. I did not have the proper shoes on, I was wearing hiking shoes at the time so they were really thick and I couldn’t get my balance on the board right.”

As Mr. Strawn found out, longboarding is more dangerous than skateboarding, causing a lot more injuries.

“I had to have been going over 20 miles per hour and the board started wobbling and threw me and I went

2.

Athletes go beyond the field, the court and the track

1.

Longboarding scraping down the pavement,” Mr. Strawn said. “It destroyed my brand new phone that was in my pocket, and I grinded across the concrete, so now I have some scars. I had to do the walk of shame back up the hill and into the lodge and Mrs. Strawn had to doctor me up. I was kinda scared to ride it for a couple of weeks after that, but I picked it back up and it’s all good now.”

1. Rounding a curve, Emiliano Mejia (10) approaches the finish line at the Pittsburgh cross country meet. “I started out strong and my first mile was 5:30. I just kept thinking that I needed to beat the guy in front of me, I didn’t succeed, so I kept pushing. It wasn’t my best race, but I put a lot of effort in.” [ejones] 2. Finishing a drink, Caitlyn Dyer (12) runs in a triathlon. “When I’m swimming, biking, and running, what keeps me going is the finish line and the food at the end. When you finish there is a crowd of supporters cheering you on and a meal waiting for you once you cross the finish line.” [submitted by cdyer]

art by [anorton]

10 feature Winter guard to compete virtually in upcoming contests

I

WAVE THE

FLAG Cadence Pov

n a ‘normal’ winter guard season, the team would go to Dallas and wave their flags to music in front of a crowd.

But this isn’t a normal year.

During practice, COVID-19 protocols have been enforced. The team has to wear masks and there are no ‘two person tosses.’

More importantly, there are no in-person competitions or championships this season.

“I loved going to the ‘real’ competitions so I’m kind of hurt about the virtual competitions,” junior Kacye Tuberville said. “I love meeting new people and watching others perform. It’s just so fun to be able to put on a show for so many people.”

Practice started on Jan 5. The virtual competitions will be recorded and submitted on or before a certain time on Saturdays. Their first competition was Feb. 2.

The current show is inspired by “Alice in Wonderland,” specifically the Mad Hatter’s tea party.

With the bright colors and music from the musical ‘Wonderland’, the show differs from past shows in terms of the mood and setting.

Coach Megan Law said she wanted to do something out of the box.

“Since COVID-19 has kind of put a damper on a lot of things, I wanted [the team] to do something that is fun and lighthearted,” Law said. “Think of yourself walking into ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and you run into the Mad Hatter hosting his tea party. It’s just

crazy and fun and all over the place.”

The show’s elements rely on the team’s choices and creativity. They get to create their own character for themselves, decide what colors to wear and have all artistic freedom and expression with the show.

“I like how we get to create our own character instead of being assigned one,” freshman Lissy Pich said. “It’s just an all around fun and wacky show.”

Props will be in the show, including a rolling table and chairs to complete the tea party look. Along with the flag and rifle work, dances will be in the show.

The virtual competitions put a pause on the in person competition experience of making friends and watching other teams perform in real time.

“A lot of the time, we talk to them and wish them good luck and everyone is really nice to each other,” she said. “Also, seniors get to wear crowns at championships which Autumn Wakefield and I won’t get to do this year which makes me sad.”

Despite the virtual competitions and COVID-19 protocols, winter guard has learned to overcome it and tried to make the best of the season.

“I just want them to have fun,” Megan said.

“Trophies are great and all, but I want the kids to walk away having a fun and enjoyable experience and spread their love for guard.”

reporter

The Basics : Guard Season Color guard begins along with marching band. They perform and travel to competitions with band. Winter guard is solo and focuses more on dance and movement skills.

Practice Every Tuesday and Thursday, from 5 p.m. to 8, winter guard practices from 5-8 p.m.

After rolling the mat, guard stretches and warms up for their tosses and spins.

Rifles Along with flags and dancing, rifles also make up winter guard. Rifles are made out of wood and are heavier than flags, so they require more energy to toss and catch.

Double Toss Your right hand should grip the silk and left hand should be on the pole. Then make a spin on the bottom [called the bottom carve] and while at the cross, the push your left hand down and pull your right hand up.

Cross Toss To do a cross toss, start by crossing your hands on the pole. The cross toss should do a few rotations in the air.

45 Toss A 45 toss is at a 45 degree angle on a flat plane, hence the name. The pole should be over your shoulder when you are throwing and catching it.

feature 11

1

What have you learned about soccer since you started coaching?

2

Allen: I grew up playing but I had never coached it. Once I started getting more skilled girls after the first couple of years I started developing offensive attacks instead of working on fundamentals. Then it evolved to learn how to move people around and experiment to find the right mix.

Grey: I have learned a ton. When I first found out I was coaching soccer I was a little intimidated, because I had never played soccer before. Coach Allen has taught me so much about not only the game, but the strategy that goes into the game.

Darby: There’s a lot more to the sport than I thought there was. It’s pretty quick paced and constantly moving and there’s a lot of moving parts with it.

Reeves: Allen and Grey… Coach Darby and I would most likely receive red cards and foul out.

How did you get into coaching?

Allen: I read the book Wild at Heart by John Eldridge 20 years ago and I felt I was called to coaching.

Grey: My mom is a coach and I have been around sports my entire life. My parents told me to figure out what I like to do and find a way to make money doing it. I love sports and I love the character that is built in athletics, so coaching was a natural choice.

Reeves: I started off coaching my base football team in the military and coached my sons in youth sports.

Darby: I finished playing football at Southeastern Oklahoma State and right away I was offered a graduate system position. That’s when I first started coaching. In 2012.

Allen: Coach Grey doesn’t have much soccer experience. Darby’s pretty big and strong and rough. I’m not in very good shape right now so I’m not sure it’ll probably end in a tie.

Grey: I think that Coach Reeves and Coach Darby would be really aggressive. Coach Allen would have the skill, and I would bring a lot of competitiveness, so I’m not sure who would win.

Reeves: The rules… I’m still learning.

3

Which coaching squad would win in a 2v2 soccer game?

[art srichardson]

Girls soccer coaches Paige Grey and Andy Allen. [dtuttlebee]

6

5

Questions With the

Soccer Coaches

Nathan Hutcheson

The soccer season is starting back up reporter and the coaches are ready for action.

The coaches for the boys are Kevin Reaves and Jonathan Darby, and the girls’ team is coached by Andy Allen and Paige Grey.

What’s your favorite soccer memory?

Allen: When I first got here we were basically in a 5a district with Texas High and Mt Pleasant.

We always played Texas high tough but we’d lose 1-0 . That year we beat them two out of three games. My best memory was in that last game Renae Walker was taking it down the side, cutting inside and shooting and scoring and the stadium roaring here at Pleasant Grove. It was a pretty special moment.

4

Best place to eat after a soccer game?

Allen: I have my opinions for the best place to eat but the girls are pretty picky so I try to keep them happy. They usually like Braum’s or something with ice cream.

Grey: Panda, always.

Reeves: Cicis... all you can eat.

Darby: Braum’s or Cicis.

6

Which coaching squad is better?

Allen: I don’t want to answer that.

POW

Grey: I have so many, I truly enjoy being around these girls, and getting to see all of their hard work. They are a fun group and they keep me laughing.

Reeves: Winning the city and middle school district championship in Bryan while coaching my oldest son’s 8th grade team in 2007.

Darby: The girls soccer coaches because coach Allen is a stud.

[art anorton]

Boys soccer coaches Kevin Reeves and Johnathan Darby. [srichardson]

Grey: I think both groups have their strengths. Coach Allen Wins for Soccer Knowledge, but Reeves and Darby bring so much intensity. Coach Darby and I have been in a competition for best assistant soccer coach, and it keeps going back and forth so I guess we will see.

Reeves: Both sets are PG coaches, therefore they’re equally great. There is no better on the PG coaching staff.

Coach Gibson has hired coaches who equally bring their own qualities and strengths to the table.

Darby: Tie.

centerspread 13

12 centerspread She could buy the three-hours-of-bread-making jacket, but the six-hours-of-bread-making jacket was warmer, softer.

It would last so much longer, and if she did two hours of bussing tables, then she’d have enough to get a full tank of gas.

Art teacher Melissa Manning was homeless. No way around it, no way to soften it. She was out on her own.

But, despite being alone, she wasn’t ever...really... alone.

“I had a good support system when I was at school,” Manning said. “Without that - it would have probably been bad.”

could get my homework done in class with help and not have to do it at home,” Manning said. “There was nobody at home to help me.”

She had no time to stop. Because if she stopped, then people would see how she was holding everything together.

And Manning didn’t want people to know. She was ashamed, despite having nothing to be ashamed of. But being homeless, having no home…

To her, that was shameful.

Manning had people to lean on, but the only person she could depend on - herself. From the age of 15, she was out on her own.

Everyone knew the homeless were dirty. They were lazy vagrants, sometimes crazy.

Days where she worked from 5 pm to 1 am at JOB #1, then from 4am to 8 am at job #2 — not uncommon. Manning falling asleep in a booth at job #2 before waking up to work once again — very common.

But the booth was there, and the restaurant was safe, and she could cram in three hours of sleep. That was all she needed.

From there, the rest of her day was simple. Get to school by eight, go to her classes, do her homework during library aide where she had someone to help her, then go to work, and find somewhere to crash for the night.

“The block schedule really helped me because I

So she had to get creative. She did laundry at friends’ houses, little excuses slipping out.

Staying busy

And Manning wasn’t any of those things.

“My mom is out of town.”

“Our washer is broken.”

“You mind if I do a quick load since I’m here?”

Then she would hurry off, off to one of her jobs.

Ice girl, hostess, manager, busser, baker, waitress.

Dancer.

So many things to do. Never enough time.

But she always made time for ballet. That was the one thing - the one extra Manning allowed herself.

“It was hard to maintain, but I really loved dance

and I didn’t want to quit,” Manning said. “I didn’t have to pay for lessons because I would trade out.”

She would teach or do book work for them, ordering costumes and working in the office, to sub out for her lesson. Anything over the lesson, they would pay her.

Anything over would go towards gas. Or food. Or rent. Or bills.

Sometimes, she could scavenge from one of the restaurants, getting a meal for her shift or a discount on the already inexpensive food.

But a discount was a discount and a meal was a meal.

And she had earned it. Earned it herself.

There was no shelter to go to, no food pantry to collect from. Not that Manning knew of. Or could bring herself to visit.

There was no one to bail her out, no one to go crying to.

No one else had gotten her into this, so Manning was going to have to be the one to get herself out.

Those shelters, those resources, they weren’t for people like her. They were for the homeless homeless, for the people who couldn’t take care of themselves. And Manning could take care of herself just fine.

She was desperate, tired. But she could work.

“At shelters, you are with people who have exceptionalities they’re dealing with that are beyond their means. I honestly didn’t have good information on shelters,” Manning said. “When you realize you don’t have anywhere to go, you don’t want to go there. You just don’t.”

Instead, there were other places for her to go, places

that didn’t ask questions, places with free coffee and comfy chairs and warm rooms made for people to sleep in.

Places like the hospital.

The rooms were made to be sat in, magazines waiting to be read, coffee waiting to be drunk. The nurses were sweet, all tight-lipped smiles and comforting gazes.

And when Manning fell asleep, she knew she’d wake up warm.

She knew the nurses thought she was waiting for news, playing the part of a doting family member.

But that was fine by her. Because it meant she looked like someone with someone to wait on.

Sure, her clothes were a bit rumpled, and her eyes had bags, but she looked… clean. Taken care of. Just… not homeless.

“A lot of people can be homeless and not look homeless, not look ragged or filthy,” Manning said.

“There are a lot of homeless people out there who are incapable of taking care of themselves. But there are a lot of homeless people you would never know.”

People like her. People who could work hard, hard enough so no one asked questions.

Hard enough so no one even thought to ask questions.

But working hard took a toll.

It was tiring and exhausting. Manning had to fight to take up space in the world. Fight to earn a spot on the Earth.

Fight to earn anything.

“Everything I’ve ever owned or had or gotten, I’ve appreciated 125 percent because it took a lot for me to get it,” Manning said. “Now I look back, and I don’t think I would have the drive and determination and will to do what I’ve done.”

You don’t know this . . .

Teacher meetings were always tense, usually with teachers on the edge of their seats, ready to be dismissed the same way students did in their own classes.

This staff meeting was tense with worry, balancing on eggshells. No one knew what would happen for the school year, not really.

Teachers didn’t know what they would teach, what would change, what would be allowed, if they’d get to teach in their classrooms.

They didn’t even know if they’d get to see their students.

That’s what worried the staff the most. What would happen to their kids. Because, to the teachers, their students were their kids.

Watching the kids grow, getting to learn more about them through the year, being able to connect.

That was half the fight.

But learning that for some of the students, school was their safe place...that was the knock-out blow.

There wasn’t much teachers could do to protect their kids. They could offer them a warm classroom, even if

just for a few hours, but they couldn’t warm the kids over zoom. And they couldn’t tell which students needed the warmth, either.

Over the camera, you couldn’t tell much about a student’s life.

But Manning knew you couldn’t really tell much about a student’s life when they came to school.

As she looked at the faces of her peers, she saw what they couldn’t. A student’s life may not be what the teachers perceived, or even what the student portrayed.

Manning knew this. But her peers didn’t. So, she stood, steadying herself with a deep breath.

She had hidden this, her grand secret, for years. She’d grown up here, gone to school here. She lived here. And she’d never had to tell anyone, never had anyone she didn’t want to know find out.

This was her community, the one that raised her, cared for her, bought her a prom dress.

Now, it was her choice. Manning knew this was right.

This was her secret to share, her skeleton to dig up, her story to tell.

Because maybe, just maybe, by exposing herself just a little bit, a student could, too. A student could reach out for help the way she never did.

So Manning took a deep breath. Then another.

Then she spoke.

“You may not know this about me, but . . . ”

nO place tO call

Home

Home

home For art teacher Melissa Manning the challenge of homelessness is personal

Gillian Knowles editor/writer

Delia Tuttlebee co-editor

Sarah Hale

3.

4.

reporter

1.Manning poses with her aunt on the night of her high school graduation 2. Manning smiles for a yearbook photo with her high school cheer team. She was Grover, the mascot. 3. Manning and her husband, Craig, have three children, Jett, Stella and Willow. 4. Manning and her husband, Craig.

1.

2.

[art by dtuttlebee]

it’s not always easy to see hunger and homelessness stastistics from usnews.com

86 homeless individuals are currently living in Tearkana

23 %

of people in Texarkana live below the poverty line

34 %

of the district is economically disadvantaged meaning those students qualify for free and reduced lunch

18%

of students in the high school are considered economically disadvantaged

14 news

the way we see things Student attitudes about homelessness, poverty vary

18% of students in the high school are considered economically disadvantaged

34 %

of the district is economically disadvantaged meaning students qualify for free and reduced lunch

77 %

of students prefer to give the homeless food instead of money

86

SIGN of the TIMES

[jjones]

Gillian Knowles writer/editor

Delia Tuttlebee

Sarah Hale

co-editor

reporter

Panhanlders pop up on streetcorners, police say don’t help

total homeless people living in Texarkana

3%

jjones

40 %

of students have volunteered at a homeless shelter

of students have been frightened by a homeless person

13 %

of students believe people are homeless because of the choices they make

The money is out of your hand and into their pocket before you “I think it makes the community look bad from the outside,” Mr. can blink. Panhandlers.

Vaughn said. “But there’s no legal mechanism in place that would The people you see at every street corner, people with their palms allow the police department, or the city for that matter, to address outstretched, reaching into your car, your wallet. The people you try the issue.” to ‘help.’

But there is something students can do to help: educate Con artists. themselves and others.

“Some of the people you see panhandling are what you’d consider Recently, the city launched a new resource for the homeless homeless, but you also have people who are population, the Texarkana Homeless Coalition. fully capable. They aren’t homeless. They’re just Together, the Texarkana Homeless Coalition, Randy “You handing [the out there trying to make a quick buck.” Shawn Sams Shelter, and the Police Department urge citizens panhandlers] a dollar to help those in need. Responsibly.

Vaughn, public information officer and crime really does nothing in prevention correspondent for the Texarkana The Responsible Compassion program is a terms of solving the Police Department, said. nationwide coalition that enables communities underlying problem.”

It’s common to see good samaritans open their to educate themselves on how to actually help the wallets, making their pocketbooks less full in homeless populations in their communities.

-Shawn Vaughn, the name of helping out their fellow man. But in “At some point if enough people come to realise Public Information reality they dig a deeper hole. that [handing money] is not really a solution, if that Officer “You handing [the panhandlers] a dollar really well dries up, they [panhandlers] are going to look for does nothing in terms of solving the underlying something else” Mr. Vaughn said. “If you feel like you problem,” Mr. Vaughn said. “As long as they are want to help them, the best thing you can do instead of getting money, there is no incentive for them to seek out services handing them $20 is to take that $20 down to Randy Sams, Mission that would actually help them solve those underlying problems.”

Texarkana, or Salvation Army.”

The uptick in panhandlers is attributed to a recent court ruling Through a system of checks and balances, shelters ensure that the protecting panhandling under the First Amendment. Until recently, homeless will be able to access what they need to get back on their panhandling was banned under a citywide ordinance for both feet.

Texarkana, Arkansas and Texarkana, Texas. Now, panhandlers are “Take it to [a charity] where you know that that money will go allowed at every street corner, every public plot of land, anywhere to actually helping somebody, as opposed to 15 minutes from now they choose to stand. Police officers are only allowed to step in when buying a bottle of booze or paying for a prostitute, or whatever their the panhandlers become a dangerto the flow of traffic, themselves, intent or hope for the money is for,” Mr. Vaughn said. “That’s how or each other. you actually help people.”

feature 15 What’s in your closet? Students pull out their go-to outfits

BETTER FOR THE WEAR

Spencer Richardson reporter My favorite pair of shoes are my Off-White Vapor Max’s. I like them so much because I am a big fan of the creator, Virgil Abloh.

He took apart the basic Vapor Max’s and redesigned them his own way.

I only wear them in nice conditions, like during the spring and summer. I typically shop for shoes by seeing what is in style at the time and then narrowing it down to a silhouette (the style of shoe) and colors.

Rubber Duck Button Up

My favorite outfit has to be these pants and this turtleneck. I bought it all from Shein (online clothing store).

I love the turtle neck for sure. I love the color and the material. This outfit really gives me the hippie vibe I want. I save a lot of outfits on Pinterest and use them for inspiration sometimes, but usually I make all my outfits in my head.

My favorite article of clothing has to be my rubber duck button up. It gives off a vibe and people tell me that it looks nice. It makes me feel good because when I wear it, people laugh and it lightens the mood. I bought it on amazon after I looked up “weird clothes” and it was one of the first things that popped up.

Under Armor Blue Sweatshirt My favorite article of clothing is my blue Under Armor sweatshirt. It has a furry material on the inside that is really soft and comfortable.

I wear it all the time.

I feel confident every time I put it on and I go to school and I know that today is going to be a good day.

Nike The 10 Men Air Vapormax FK ‘OffWhite AA3831-100

Green Turtleneck and Corduroy Pants

Tyler Foreman (12)

“I like ripped jeans are better because they give the jeans more unique. I wear ripped jeans everyday and I have jeans with all different types of rips. I just think regular jeans are too boring and all the same.

- Cassidy Rogers (9)

89%

11% button-ups

regular jeans

ripped jeans

38%

“

“

62%

graphic tees

What’s hot and what’s not: student poll reveals results

“I prefer to wear outfits with ‘pop colors’. My outfits are usually a neutral colored base with a colorful top. It’s not as boring as wearing all neutral colors but still lets you mix and match pants and tops.”

- Mrs. Strawn, teacher

“

“I wear button-ups rather than just a regular t-shirt because sometimes I like dressing a little fancy. I like the way they look on me and my outfits. I prefer to wear simple ones with flannel patterns.”

- Reese Cooper (9)

24%

76% neutral colors

“

FASHIONISTAS

colored clothes

Landon Prejean (10)

“

Chance Tutulo (10)

“

Bridgette Lundy (10)

16 feature

On The With anxiety comes

Sitting in her floor, Maddy Ramsey (9) displays the aftermath of her Tricotillomania. [photos submitted by mramsey]

Out Of My

Head

Alex Norton co-editor It starts with one strand.

Then another.

And another.

Then clumps and chunks.

Then bald spots.

And all freshman Maddie Ramsey can see is hair.

Her hair.

Coating every surface. Clogging the drain.

Her mom’s braiding Maddie’s hair one day when she notices a bald spot.

“She asked me about it,” Maddie said, “and I was scared to tell her because I had been hiding it from them for a while.”

What Maddie’s hiding is a compulsion to pull out her hair - Trichotillomania - a disorder that involves the recurrent, irresistible urge to pull out hair from the scalp, eyebrows, or other areas of the body.

For Maddie, Trichotillomania started in third grade in Mrs. Stanfill’s class.

“I started getting very anxious and stressed out,” Maddie said, “so I took one strand of hair and I pulled it, and since then, I have not been able to stop.”

By the summer before sixth grade, the Trichotillomania worsened.

and Side physical emotional changes

Mental feeling tense, nervous, or unable to relax

Anxiety leads to hair-pulling addiction

“My mom tried everything. We went to a therapist and got medicine to help calm me down, but my dad thought that just saying, ‘Stop,’ would help, and I told him it’s not that easy.

It’s something I can’t control,” Maddie said “That’s something people think, just don’t [pull your hair]. I wish I could not do it, but it’s not that simple.”

Nearly one in three teenagers will experience an anxiety disorder, and more than 200,000 people are diagnosed with Trichotillomania in the United States every year according to the National Institutes of Health.

Trichotillomania isn’t an easy problem to fight, but Maddie has found ways to cope.

“I have tried to stop myself from doing it, like putting on gloves, beanies, my hair in a bun, or keeping my hands busy drawing,” Maddie said. “Or when I’m playing soccer, I don’t pull my hair out or anything. It keeps me occupied.”

Like any other illness, it’s important for anyone struggling with anxiety to have a good support system.

“My family put me in a therapy program and it’s helped to talk to someone else,” Maddie said. “My friends have stuck with me the entire time. They’ve loved me no matter what. They have nonstop conditioned me with love, and they support me and accept me for who I am.”

Even with the continuous love and support, Maddie’s compulsions are ongoing.

“I did stop for a good period of time - I overcame it - but it comes back at you and you have to fight back,” Maddie said.

“I still do it to this day, I mean I grew out all my hair, but I was bald at a point because of how anxious I was. And I grew it all out and I’m proud of myself for that, so I know that I don’t want to take steps backward and I want to keep moving forward.”

feeling a sense of dread, or fearing the worst feeling like the world is speeding up or slowing down feeling like other people can see you’re anxious and looking at you feeling like you can’t stop worrying or that bad things will happen if you stop worrying worrying about anxiety itself, for example worrying about when panic attacks might happen wanting lots of reassurance from other people worrying that you’re losing touch with reality

Physical stomach pain, nausea, or digestive trouble headaches insomnia or other sleep issues weakness or fatigue rapid breathing or shortness of breath pounding heart or increased heart rate sweating trembling or shaking muscle tension or pain increase in blood pressure

Habit Reversal a type of cognitive behavioral commonly used to treat Training therapy Trichotillomania instead of medication 1

4

art by [anorton]

keep a diary of your hair pulling

2

3

working out the triggers for your hair pulling and learning how to avoid them

replacing hair pulling with another action, like squeezing a stress ball

involving loved ones to provide emotional support and encouragement

Trichotillomania

Treatments

A mental disorder characterized by a longterm urge, resulting in pulling out one’s hair.

As well as habit reversal training, other treatments include counseling and medication.

Causes

Habits

Stress and anxiety, chemical imbalance in the brain, and changes in hormone levels.

People typically pull hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, beards, or mustaches.

70% of teens say anxiety and depression is a major problem among peers

32% of adolescents have had an anxiety disorder

feature 17

going

ANOTHER

ROUND Shotgun Club wins big at shooting tournaments

For members of the Shotgun Club, practice and tournaments are just an extension of what they already love to do.

“Most of our members hunt — almost all of them duck hunt,” coach Jeffrey Parker said.

“We practice as a school team every Sunday afternoon, but the guys shoot two or three times a week on their own.”

The team competes in meets, some school evens and some meets that are sanctioned by the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation. PG club members have already qualified for the state meet in San Antonio in June. From there, athletes can qualify for national and then world competition.

trap talk Terms defined

trap

The PG Shotgun Club will host its first ever sanctioned meet Saturday, April 24 at Rocky Creek Shooting Range.

Coach Jeffrey Parker said he expects eight to nine schools to compete.

“We need about 10-15 volunteers to help us out,” Mr. Parker said. “We need students to load machines and serve food.”

Five man stations set up in a line where each member alternates shots to equal 25 shots. Clays fly away from the shooter to simulate a pheasant hunt.

skeet

Five man teams that alternate shots on eight different stations to equal 25 shots.

Clays shot side to side to simulate a duck hunt

saucer shaped object clay ausually made from baked

clay or limestone. They are thrown from a trap to be shot for sport

3.

4.

1.

1. At the Hooks FFA tournament, Luke Meyer, Easton Jones, Matthew Thomas, and Peyton Stringer finished first. Matthew finished first in trap overall. 2. Easton Jones (12) waits his turn to shoot. 3. Logan Knowles (10) waits for the target. 4. Luke Meyer (10) watches his competitors shoot at the Hooks tournament. 5. Luke Meyer and Mathew Thomas (10) take turns shooting.

2.

5.

18 entertainment

Swirl &Twirl

Experiments with zoodles yield both success and failure

Delia Tuttlebee co-editor

Emma Boehmke [shoehn]

Noodles Alfredo: We are normally die-hard Alfredo fans,

but after tasting it on zoodles, we were able to pick out some flaws with the classic dish. Although it was largely because of our use of only cream, cheese, and butter to make the sauce, the dish was extremely heavy, almost overpoweringly so. The textures were extremely similar, causing us to rank the standard plate below the zoodle dish, putting regular Alfredo in an unexpected spot at 4/6.

Pesto: Unlike the Pesto Zoodles, the noodles held

the oil based sauce well and provided a subtle but delicious taste. The dish was light, and although it did not burst with flavor, that was a relief alongside many of the other dishes. We originally thought the dish was bland, but with enough sauce and Parmesan cheese, we can say this dish is a successful one, giving it a pleasing 2/6.

Tomato: The Tomato Noodles were a sigh of relief

after much of our taste testing. The dish tasted like a classic red sauce on pasta combo, and we successfully added enough but not too much seasoning. Because of the addition of red pepper flakes, it contained a slight spice that was delicious. The flavor was evenly spread through the noodles, making it simple but delicious, placing it a spot at 3/6.

reporter

vs Zoodles Alfredo: From the start, we predicted that Zoodle

Alfredo would be the worst of the dishes, and we were scared to eat it. In reality, the creamy texture perfectly complimented the slight crunch of the zoodles, and we couldn’t stop eating it. Once we’d tried all the dishes, we finished this dish completely and have since even admitted to craving the combo.

The dish ended up being a clear winner in our rankings, giving it a spot at 1/6.

Pesto: Pesto sauce on zoodles sounds about as

good as it tasted. The bowl not only looked mushy and disgusting, but it actually tasted like the color green. With that much vegetable on vegetable, there was barely any flavor, and we were left with a mostly watery tasting dish. Ultimately, we thought it had very few positives to add, but had less negatives than the Tomato Zoodle. We decided to give this dish a spot at 5/6.

Tomato: We knew this dish was going to be bad.

Even with intense seasoning of the sauce, the bowl was slimy and extremely vegetable-y. It was not only scary to look at, but we genuinely regretted trying it.

The heavy seasoning mixed terribly with the watery zoodles. Unfortunately the dish didn’t lack taste, but was full of horrible flavor. After a second taste, we confirmed this dish deserved to be last, 6/6.

After experimenting with zoodles (zucchini noodles) in the past and loving them, staffers Delia Tuttlebee and Emma Boehmke were inspired to determine whether zoodles or regular noodles were superior.

We decided to prepare three of the most iconic pasta sauces: a simple tomato sauce, Alfredo Sauce, and Pesto Sauce. We then tried each on a bowl of noodles and a bowl of zoodles and compared the results. In the following paragraphs we’ve laid out the joys and horrors of zoodles.

Groceries Beyond basic mixing knowledge, here’s what you’ll need to prepare your own sauces

unsalted butter cream Parmesan cheese salt & pepper garlic Hunts Tomato Sauce basil oregeno thyme crushed red pepper Barilla Pesto Sauce

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20 entertainment

What movie should you watch next?

What is your favorite pastime?

Entertainment PREVIEW

New entertaining movie and television releases coming this year

Haylie Akin

reporter

A: Playing a sport B: Reading my favorite book C: Watching TV or updating social media D: Relaxing

A Quiet Place Part II DescriptionThe Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they fight for survival in silence.

What was your favorite game as a child?

A: Hide and Seek B: Puzzles C: Board games D: Playing alone

What do your friends & family say about you?

A: Energetic B: Smart C: Talkative/extroverted D: Quiet

Results

Review“The film is just as tense and terrifying as the first one. There are some sequences in this film that are a masterclass in suspense,”

-Eric Davis, movie comentator

RatingPG- 13 (graphic warning)

Release DateSept. 17, 2021

The Umbrella Academy DescriptionA dysfunctional family of adopted superheros must reunite to find their estranged father’s killer and stop an impending apocalypse.

Review-

Rating-

“The comic is a little bit better, but the bar scene where Istanbul plays over a fight scene is really cool.”

TV-14 (graphic warning)

-Josie Veal (11)

Not determined

Release Date-

Mostly A’s- Space Jam:

A New Legacy

NBA superstar LeBron James teams up with Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes cast for this long-awaited sequel, which will release on July 16.

The Promised Neverland

Mostly B’s- Little Fish Releasing Feb. 5, this romance/ sci-fi movie features a couple struggling with a memory loss virus that risks their relationship.

Mostly C’s- Spider-Man: Into

Description-

Rating-

Review-

When three gifted kids, Emma, Norman, and Ray, at an isolated idyllic orphanage discover the secret and sinister purpose they were raised for, they look for a way to escape from their evil caretaker and lead the other children in a risky escape plan.

TV-14 (graphic warning)

“It has a good plot, and I like the tense moments in it as the children try to act as though nothing is wrong.”

Release DateJan. 8, 2021

-Sage Thomas (10)

the Spider-Verse

Miles Morales, the one but not only Spider-Man, meets Peter Parker and uses his newfound powers to fight a portal wielding madman.

Mostly D’s- In The Heights The story explores three days in the characters’ lives in the New York City Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights. The score features hip-hop, salsa, meringue and soul music.

Godzilla vs. Kong The biggest monster showdown set to release March 31, 2021.

“

I think Kong will win because he’s faster and he can use tools. Even though I’m a Kong fan and I really want him to win, I’m just looking forward to the fight itself. They’re both iconic monsters in their own movies, so when you put them against each other I think it’ll be amazing to see.

-Brett Ledford (10)

“

entertainment 21

is it really

Furniture

Savannah Hoehn photo-editor

Emma Boehmke

Staffers review chain overstock store

reporter

What is Dirt Cheap?

Miscellaneous

Dirt Cheap is a secondary market, so they sell merchandise from the original retailer who either had trouble selling the product or it was a customer return. They typically receive overstock, liquidation, and closeouts from companies as large as Target. They offer amazing deals up to 90% off the original market price.

Throughout the store there were a few key items we found that stood out to us, but didn’t really belong in a section. As you walk through the aisles, there’s always those random things you find on shelves that someone thought they wanted, but ended up leaving behind. These are some of your best finds. From phone cases to cute llama car ornaments, there’s a little bit of everything. We found so many random things that were fun or cute, that we would consider buying. Again, many of these items are overstock from Target, so we are promised good quality. These items would be hard to recommend to a friend since they’re so scattered, but could surely make some good gifts.

How does pricing work?

Pricing at Dirt Cheap works a little different than at your normal store. For clothing, each item has a tag with a letter on it that corresponds to the banner hanging up in the middle of the store. Each letter will tell you how much the item costs. Other products either have a price tag telling you the reduced price or a sign displaying a percentage off of the items below. It may get a little confusing, as many of the items are scattered frantically scattered throughout the store.

Seasonal

Appliances

Clothes The clothing department was definitely the most stocked up section in the entire store. They had a little bit of everything for each season and a variety of sizes available. Although most of the clothes were women’s, they did have a nice men’s selection as well. On top of that, the quality of the clothes was really nice. Most of their items are pieces from Target that didn’t sell, so you’re guaranteed to have a long-lasting product. We even found a few Levi jeans and jackets. This would definitely be a good place to recommend to a friend.

The furniture department did have some quality items, but they weren’t very consistent. Some of our best finds included an outdoor sofa, nice counter tops, and an assortment of chairs. We did find that some of these items were a bit pricey to be in dirt cheap, but there were a few gems.

Overall, this wouldn’t be something we would first think to recommend to a friend.

The Appliance Section had a lot to offer from basic pots and pans to juicers and popcorn makers. They also had a nice selection of grills outside, that looked like they were in good shape. They also had varieties of vacuums and microwaves to choose from, which could be a great, affordable find for future college students. However, the organization was not great and you really had to hunt to find something good. Overall there wasn’t the best variety of each item, but it would get the job done. We would recommend some of the items here to a friend, but hold back on a few.

The seasonal department was unquestionably the best section in the store. Not only was it organized, it also had a lot in stock for several holidays. The main items were related to Valentine’s Day, Easter, and St. Patrick’s Day, with a few remnants from Christmas. All of their seasonal items looked brand new and untouched, and they were very organized. Many of the items were brands from Target, but for much more affordable prices. Overall, we would definitely recommend it to friends.

Home Goods

Home goods was a very large and spread out department. With a variety of bed spreads, blankets, and throw pillows, there was something for almost any bedroom. It would probably take a while to hunt for what you want, but they definitely have something for everyone. One thing to consider is not all of the packaging is in great condition, but the items would definitely be good after a wash. For the most part, we would recommend this department to our friends.

photos by [shoehn]

Top Finds Keurig

While we were gazing through the appliance section, we found a brandnew unused Keurig laying on a shelf. It was in perfect condition and was one of the fancier models. This was definitely one of our best finds.

Air Fryer

Sitting on the floor in the appliance section, we found a hidden gem, a brand new air fryer. It was originally from Target-most likely a return--and was in really good shape.

This was a great find.

Massage Chair The massage chair was the coolest thing we saw in the whole store. It was in the furniture section of the store and was marked down $3,000 from its original price. It was high quality, with special sleeves for your arms and legs..

22 opinion

All Glitter Gone

It doesn't matter what the people look like on TV, or does it?

Staffer experiences lack of diversity in media from childhood

Cadence Pov reporter

All the glitter’s gone. And all color. Everything that makes younger-me love the cartoon. I sit there in my room looking at Netflix’s live action adaptation of my favorite childhood cartoon.

And then I see the worst thing. The very worst thing.

They cast the two beautiful, the two important characters … as white actresses. Musa and Flora.

I’m disappointed – but not necessarily surprised.

I grow up in a home with foreignborn parents – our cultural practices and holidays always at home.

Speaking Khmer at home, the Cambodian language my parents grew up with eating traditional Cambodian food at home.

Nhoam svay kcha (green mango salad). Nom banh chok (rice noodle). Bai sach chrouk (pork and rice).

Celebrating Cambodian New Year at home, dozens of aunts and uncles coming over and cooking dozens of Cambodian dishes. But those practices don't change this fact – I’m living in a predominantly white town.

Always surrounded by white people. Always seeing white celebrities on the news. Always seeing white characters on shows and movies.

Life as a first generation immigrant child and the oldest sister isn’t always easy.

Both my parents? Born in Cambodia but eventually moving to the United States to raise me and my sister.

Seeking a better life in the land of opportunity.

My sister and me? Born in America.

But even as a kid, I struggle with self-image, struggle with the feeling of wanting to fit. Even as a kid, I don't want to look different. I want bigger eyes, blonde hair, all the things I think will make me NOT stand out as a person of color.

But I get older, start embracing my differences. Even if the pressure from my family and my insecurities weigh me down, I have some time to relax . . .

And do the things I love.

At my old childhood home in Oklahoma, I spend hours watching cartoons on TV. And then it happens. I’m immersing myself in an episode of Winx Club, when I notice it. Notice Winx Club’s different – different from all the other cartoons I watch.

The cartoon has GLITTER! And MAGIC! And EVERYTHING a little girl loves.

AND it has THREE GIRLS of color! COLOR! Aisha and Flora and the girl who looks most like me, MUSA! I feel so happy, so represented – as a child – the moment I see Musa. This girl who looks different from her fairy friends, but she’s still a powerful, strong female character.

This girl – Musa – makes younger me feel so much better about myself.

Most of my favorite shows and my favorite movies from my childhood have white people as main characters.

But once in a while the rare occurrences happen – people of color are in the spotlight Sometimes, historically speaking, Hollywood loves to cast their people of color as harmful stereotypes. Or just shoehorn one person of color into a show without any real reason.

And in some cases, people of color aren’t even cast.

I’ve researched . . . I know Hollywood’s bad track record of ‘whitewashing.’ And it makes me angry – to say the least – to see strong, positive characters of color essentially have their identities erased.

And replaced.

The evidence of Hollywood’s history of whitewashing starts

Day in the life Noah Rayburn Being Noah Rayburn.

Waking up, and this part I’m not making up; reporter I hover out of my bed; I brush my teeth using telepathic signals from my head To move the toothbrush; smack my alarm so it’ll hush Now here’s a part that’s pretty cool; I live in a secret base under this school Exit my hidden elevator, greet an educator Make my way to my first period class, today in animation we draw blades of grass I’m a fine animator, the best grass creator So I win, then of course I step into WIN The period where we do “work," in there I use my time to smirk In the mirror, I’ve never seen clearer Skin, that's the headspace I’m in Bell rings, the noise stings

piling up – in embarrassing and shocking ways.

Breakfast At Tiffany's kills two birds with one stone. It casts white actor, Mickey Rooney, (STONE 1) as the only Asian person with a strong accent and buck teeth (STONE 2).

Ghost in the Shell stars Scarlett Johansen – as a Japanese girl.

The Last Airbender live action movie – white characters play East Asian and Inuit characters.

And now it’s the latest Winx Club remake.

The list goes on and on.

But this racist history raises the question . . . WHY? Why would the media whitewash or offend people of color such as myself?

I wish I could answer that question, but I can only form theories from my own observations and experience.

I believe people in the media make up excuses.

“This character HAS to be white.”

“This stereotype is the PEAK of comedy,” “We couldn’t FIND a person of color to cast.”

This whitewashing is deeper than stereotyping. It’s been going on for years.

Now – FINALLY – Hollywood, and media in general, are beginning to progress. I’m finally starting to see more and more minorities cast as main characters – MAIN characters in BIG NAME movies and TV shows.

Parasite and Crazy Rich Asians and other movies star people of color in a positive light.

And I’m beginning to believe – to hope – I’m not just another statistic.

I am SEEN. I CAN do great things.

I’ll never forget – and I hope the world won’t ever forget – Hollywood’s history of whitewashing and harmful racial stereotypes.

But I do appreciate – celebrate – the effort going into finally stopping the whitewashing of people of color in the media.

And now I’m still searching for – and seeing – glitter and color in more positive representation in the media.

Just as I did when I was a young girl of color watching the original Winx Club for the first time.

Taking troubles in strife, staffer puts words into poetry

Graphic Design, it’s time to mine For an idea, wait now I’ve got it I’ll make an ad for a trip to a galleria Now I strut into the newspaper room, it’s quieter than King Tut’s tomb It’s crunch time, how sublime Paper’s due today and I’ve got no time to play But that’s okay, I fear not because I know there is a way Call up my ghost writer, my phantom reciter My spectre word collector Floats in through the ceiling, he types and types with feeling We shift again, to a subject that tests my zen In English we have a mountain of papers, taller than skyscrapers So I back out, turn the lights off and make a black out When they come back on all that’s left is a dummy with my face Glued on, my get out of class pawn

Finally it’s time for film 101, then my day’s done and done My classmates are all gone, some theater thing they have to work on I don’t stress, I decompress, I leave the classroom a mess but I have to stress the success of my daily process I click my heels, no need to use wheels Finally, I am back in my house; on the menu for dinner: fried grouse.

opinion 23

STAFF EDITORIAL

now you’re

talking

Do you believe there is life on other planets?

[nrayburn]

Look around. Make a difference.

In a district often referred to as the “rich school” in town, the majority of students are believed by many to be affluent and thus spoiled. This inaccurate generalization often leaves both teachers and students in the district, as well as those who aren’t a part of Hawk Nation, blind to the 18% of our high school students who are considered economically disadvantaged.

Because of this percentage — which is low compared to the national average — it can be easy for students to feel distanced from those who need support, not realizing that the needs are great. It becomes easy for teenagers to see only their comfortable situation and not have empathy for those around them, whose lives may be very different.

Our center spread this issue deals with that fact. The fact that not everyone who is struggling actually looks that way.

Students with financial need don’t want the pity of their classmates; however, Pleasant Grove students should be more sensitive to the fact that all students they rub shoulders with may not be as well-off as they are, and this fact should challenge them to take initiative and make a difference.

From Feb. 23 to March 2, the journalism department will be collecting toiletries to donate to local homeless shelters, giving

students an easy opportunity to become active in a solution.

The Edge staff hopes that many students will be unselfish, even with their own money, and will give generously to support this project.

But students need to do much more — a change of attitude is required, not just the donation to a local food pantry or socks to the local homeless shelter.

Unfortunately, it is too easy for us to make a single donation towards an issue while remaining untouched by the problem. Students must not only rise to give physical support, but step out of their campus bubble to become more aware of surrounding needs. By becoming aware of needs on campus, we can create a more accepting atmosphere with sensitivity towards peers.

If we change from the inside out, the school can work to lose the reputation of spoiled, entitled kids looking out for themselves and make a tangible difference.

You can drop off your items in room 603 or to Ms. Abston, Mrs. Watson, Mrs. Edmonds, Mrs. Clevenger or Mrs. Riddell.

We will recognize the academic department with the largest contribution.

We challenge you to donate and make a difference.

A first round of UFO documents have been released online recently by the CIA. Thousands of declassified documents regarding unidentified flying objects are now available to the public. The agency was forced to release them in January after the owner of a popular website, Black Vault, filed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests. Additional documents will be released in the coming months.

“I totally believe it’s possible.

We’re told at a young age that extraterrestrial life does not exist, yet we are told that there are other galaxies and planets inside those galaxies.

So whose to say that some other life form doesn’t exist on one of those other planets?”

Ashten Waddill (12) Yes I do believe in alien life.

There is no way we are the only ones. There will definitely be something.

We are so small compared to the outside space. I would be surprised if there was nothing, actually.

Lizbeth Silva (11)

“I’m not sure.

I think it’s sort of unlikely because I feel like if there was other life we would have heard from them already.

I don’t think there’s much or they wouldn’t release it.

Anna Guan (10) “Yes I think there’s life on other planets because there are an infinite possibilities of planets out there, and theres no way there is only life on one.

I think we should know if they are real or not.”

Hayden Howell (12)

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