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October 2011 Volume 2, Issue 1

The ‘Stang Express

The ‘Stang Express Volume 2 • Issue 1 • October 2011

It’s been ten years since the attack. What’s changed? What do you remember?

CONTENTS

The ‘Stang Express

Volume 2, Issue 1 October 2011

The ‘Stang Express

9/11/01 - 9/11/11

North Shore Middle School 120 Castlegory Houston, TX 77015

by Jocelyn Ramirez page 8

CONTACT Mailing address: 120 Castlegory Houston, Texas 77015 Phone: (832) 386-2600 School website: http://www.texasschools.net/ nsms Email: stangexpress@yahoo.com

RESPONDING Letters to the editor will be accepted. Letters may be submitted in Room C107 or placed in the mailbox of Mr. Burke. All letters must be signed. Names will be published. Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

PURPOSE The ‘Stang Express is a student publication distributed to the students, teachers, and parents of North Shore Middle School and the administration at North Shore High School and Galena Park ISD. Opinions expressed are the opinions of the student writers and are not necessarily the opinions of the Galena Park ISD.

That fateful day, ten years later. What do you remember? What’s changed since? You’ll get a recap of that day and see several teachers’ perspectives and a former student who was here that day.

The ‘Stang Express is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Association and earned an Award of Distinguished Merit and was nominated for the ILPC’s prestigious Star Award in 2011. Only 10% of the state’s student scholastic publications earn this distinction.

Teenagers need to learn about the dangers that the internet can pose. by INGRIS MONTOYA & SARAH GUILLEN

Advertisements are sold in full, half-page, quarter-page, and 1/8 page sizes and are printed in black and white while PDF versions remain in color.

STAFF Co-Editors in Chief Cindy Barrera & Jocelyn Ramirez News Editor Cindy Barrera Features Editor Cindy Mai Opinion Editor Asada Samin Sports Editors Bryant Badie & Megan Gray Entertainment Editor Abigail Sanchez Photo Editor Toni Van Bibber Social Media Mgrs Sarah Guillen & Shabab Karim Photographers Toni Van Bibber, Aliyah Hawkins, Idalia Santos Writers Alejandro Alonso, Jazmyne Dickson, Bradley East, Antoine Fontillas, Gricelda Jasso, Tayvien Joseph, Shabob Karim, Nathalie Lopez, Jennifer Lozano, Ingris Montoya, Jareny Ortiz, Dalila Rodriguez, Idalia Santos, Britaini Statum, Toni Van Bibber, Amber Wofford. Cover Story Jocelyn Ramirez 15 Minutes of Fame Cindy Mai Adviser Mr. Ron Burke Principal Mr. Paul Drexler Superintendent Dr. Angi Williams

5 Galena Park ISD promotes internet safety

6 Tablet growth fuels consumer buys Wealth of popular tablets can lead to confusion. What’s the better buy? by ALEJANDRO ALONSO & SHABAB KARIM

7 North Shore welcomes former student as teacher Josh Vlasich and James Holler on playing for the New England Junior Revs this winter. by GRICELDA JASSO

11 Team takes one step forward and two steps back Seventh grade B team suffers a loss, learns importance of practice. by BRYANT BADIE

15 Lady Mustangs dominate Forest Brook in big win Communication, teamwork help Lady Mustangs in win against the Bulldogs. by MEGAN GRAY

16 Just one touch, one contact and you’re dead Real-life scenario played out on the big screen. Could it happen for real? by ABIGAIL SANCHEZ

SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook: North Shore MS Journalism Twitter: #StangExpress Flickr: StangExpress

PLEASE HELP RECYCLE THIS ISSUE! If you’re not keeping this issue, give it to someone else so they can read it and be informed.

October 2011 Volume 2, Issue 1

The ‘Stang Express

Commentary

Media monster robs teens of their Innocence Music, television, movies, and video games do more to kids than you think by BRITAINI STATUM Media has influenced the behavior of teenagers all around the world. Over many years, and still happening today, television, music, movies and video games have played a role in everyone’s life. Media has been used for informational purposes, entertainment, and relaxation. But teens sometime abuse these things and use them in a negative way…some without even realizing it. Teenagers are easily influenced by certain types of music they listen to, the television shows and video games they watch and play, and the movies they go to see. Television can affect us negatively in many ways. Most teens tend to live like celebrities these days. In fact, not only do we talk them, dress like them, walk like them, perhaps even eat like them, but we also begin to behave like them. For example, on Jersey Shore, the way the people act it’s like they have no common sense. Do you really want to be like Snooki, getting drunk and arrested almost all of the time? According to Family Circle’s article “Under the Influence of television,” three out of four parents say that they’re concerned about this, yet few actually restrict viewing, and when they do, it’s usually to make sure kids do their kids do their homework and chores before plopping down in front of the tube. Another way that teens can be influenced negatively is music. We hear music no matter where we are. According to the New York Times article “Under the Influence of…Music?” about fourteen percent of songs relate to marijuana use, twenty four percent speak of alcohol use, and another

twelve percent included references to other substances. Only about four percent included anti-drug and alcohol messages. Most parents are concerned about what their children hear, but as they get older, they pay less attention to the music that holds their childs’ attention. In addition to television and music, video games also affect us negatively. “Grand Theft Auto”, “Call of Duty”, “Modern Warfare,” any of those sound violent? I think so! According to Wolf Print’s article “How do video games influence teenagers?” the average teen plays video games up to seven hours a week. Students who report spending more time playing video games had poor grades in English. Eighty nine percent of games contain some violent content, and most games are full of violence. In some video games, the best way to beat an opponent is to punch, kick, knock him out, or most likely kill him. Some video games teach kids that violence is acceptable. Then we wonder why so many kids are violent at a young age. Honestly, I do watch a lot of television, and yes I do play a lot of video games a lot, and even listen to bad music sometimes, but I try my best not to behave like what I see or hear. I mean if you want to act violently, sure it’s your life, but think to yourself that if you constantly act like a bully or a celebrity with no sense, you could grow up dealing with the law a lot. Next time you pick up your television remote to watch wrestling, your iPod to jam out, or visit a movie theater, think about how you’re going to act afterwards, because after a couple of times, you may seem fine, but it may slowly change you.

Reacting to the flu can be hurtful or helpful Flu season promises aches and sniffles. Beef up your defense by being active. by ANTOINE FONTILLAS People all around the U.S. have different reactions to the flu during the outbreak of flu season. Some people tend to overreact while other people think it’s no big deal. I think that people should stay calm, and stay active to help fight the flu and its effects. The flu, also known as influenza, is divided into three types, type A, B, and C. Type A and B are mostly responsible for affecting the respiratory system, mostly in the winter. Type C causes mild illness in humans but does not cause epidemics or pandemics. A great majority of people usually just stay in bed and watch TV, but I believe that people should exercise, or stay active when they find out they have the flu. For example, if you have the flu, it will be able to infect your body even more if you’re not actually willing to exercise and fight the flu. That is why you should at least walk around for ten minutes instead of lounging around or staying in bed watching TV. Unfortunately, sometimes the flu can make you so sick that you have to stay in bed, so just talk with your doctor to find out what to do. I also believe that people should be more worried about the flu, than a common cold, since the flu is actually more dangerous than the cold. The Center for Disease Control estimates that from the 1976-1977 season to the 2006-2007 flu season, flu-associated deaths ranged from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people. Also stated on the same website, people should be more worried about the flu since the effect of a cold’s symptoms are less than the flu’s. For example,

the cold only makes you cough normally, like it just comes and goes, but the flu, it can make you cough way worse than the flu. When you have the flu, almost every minute you cough, which can damage your trachea, and makes it vulnerable to airborne diseases. Lastly, I believe that overreaction to the flu could be dangerous, that’s why people in my opinion, should stay calm, and do what your doctors tell you do. Believe it or not, overreacting to the flu can speed up the process of the flu infecting you. Imagine you’re a tiny germ in a human body, and you’re stuck in the throat. Suddenly, you start to feel the shaking due to coughs and scratches in the throat start to appear. The germ starts infecting the victim, resulting in the person becoming sick or showing flu-like symptoms. Basically, in my opinion, people should be careful of the flu more than the cold, also must stay active, and never overreact with the flu. I think that if people will not overreact with the flu, and exercise if they can when they find out they’re infected with the flu, you might get better faster.

Did you know? Flu shots are readily available at many locations around North Shore Middle like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and Kroger. In some cases, your insurance covers the cost of getting flu shot so you don’t have to pay anything out of pocket since it falls under preventative medicine. Check with your parents and get a flu shot.

NEWSwire

The ‘Stang Express

Volume 2, Issue 1 October 2011

New students experience continuous cycle Seventh graders endure transition from Cobb to North Shore by DALILA RODRIGUEZ Do you remember your first couple of days when school started at North Shore? The 7th graders this year were full of mixed emotions. This is a continuous cycle, every year a new set of 7th graders arrive full of questions about how their school year will end up. “I remember my first day as a 7th grader. I was scared to come, I didn’t know what was going to happen,” said 8th grader, Alonda Barragon. There are obviously a lot of differences between Cobb and North Shore. A lot has changed since the 6th grade class from 2009-2010. We’ve enjoyed Cobb being only one grade level, and a one story building. Now the 7th graders are at a school larger than the 6th grade campus. Also today’s 8th graders have

experienced a lot since they were sixth graders like dealing with time management and responsibility as they transitioned from Cobb to North Shore. “I’ve went through so much in 6th grade from having to carry around those binders to wearing black pants, but now I’m able to carry my very own backpack,” said 8th grader Emily Gallegos. As for the 7th graders, the majority of them like the transition to North Shore. “I like the changes because a lot of the electives are pretty cool and we actually have real sports, also the classes are fun and so are the teachers,” said 7th grader Samuel Zamora. There were a couple of 7th graders who weren’t to happy about these changes. Everyone has their likes and dislikes. “Coming to North Shore I felt kind of sad because a lot of my friends were

going to Cunningham and I was leaving some of my teachers behind,” said 7th grader, Robert Martinez. Every year there are positive and negative statements about North Shore because you don’t know how your school year will turn out; come second semester you may learn to love North Shore just like many of the 8th graders do. The new seventh graders could actually look to the eighth graders regarding this continuous cycle and all their changes. They’ve been there, done that. Each year students from Cobb are going to transition to North Shore and go through all sorts of changes, and the 7th graders can learn a lot this year because the 8th graders have already experienced this cycle. Next year, they’ll be the ones with the experience.

Major differences between Cobb and North Shore: Cobb has only 9 electives for students. North Shore offers 35 different electives and some are only for 8th graders.

Students can participate in gym at Cobb. At North Shore, students can actually begin competing in football, volleyball, basketball and track.

Cobb has only one gymnasium where all P.E. activities take place. North Shore has 2 gyms: a boys and a girls gym so more actitivies can take place.

North Shore community welcomes new restaurant Italian eatery joins list of new spots on Wallisville to eat out by NATHALIE E. LOPEZ On October 3rd, our community welcomed a new Olive Garden, located on 15525 Wallisville Road, which is a benefit to many people because it is now closer than other Olive Garden restaurants, some being more than 10 miles away. Many people are glad about the convenient location. “It’ll be better than going to the one that is farther,” said eighth grader Aaron Cantu. It is easier going on average 3 miles from our campus than going 11 miles from NSMS. It’s even better if your house is closer to the new Olive Garden restaurant! Having an Olive Garden closer also encourages people to go out more often to eat. Gabriela Arredondo, a seventh grader, said, “It’s pretty good because whenever my mom feels like it, she’ll take me [to Olive Garden].” Olive Garden is an restaurant that serves many different types of Italian foods. When construction began almost a year ago, the community was buzzing with

excitement as the ground was cleared, foundation laid down, and the building was taking form. Brianna Martinez, an eighth grader, said “I think that it is great because they have good food there.” Now you can see the sign and they’ve finished the landscaping. Mrs. Cynthia Cipriano, the eighth grade keyboarding teacher, said, “I think that it [the restaurant] is a good idea, it increases the number of restaurants and gives people more choices of places to go to

because sometimes it gets too crowded in the [other] restaurants.” It is good to have a variety of restaurants to choose from. We have your general fast food restaurants where we eat and leave or drive through; now we have another restaurant where we sit down, talk, and enjoy our food. There are approximately 9 Houston area Olive Garden restaurants, one now closer to us. You may even be inspired to learn a little Italian.

Basic Italian you can use for dining purposes: What do you recommend? Che cosa mi consiglia lei?

Good evening. Buona sera.

Good bye! Arrivederci!

What would you like to eat? Cosa vuole da mangiare?

Enjoy your meal. Buon appetito!

I would like to see the menu, please. Vorrei vedere il menu, per favore.

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October 2011 Volume 2, Issue 1

The ‘Stang Express

NEWSwire

Galena Park ISD promotes internet safety Teenagers need to learn about the dangers the of the world-wide web by INGRIS MONTOYA & SARAH GUILLEN Do you think you are safe and secure when you are on the Internet? According to Love to Know Safety, a website for teens and adults, that gives out information about different safety tools, 70% of teens ages 13-17 use social networking sites and 37 % of those teens are not concerned about the possible dangers of the internet because they think they think that nothing bad will happen to them if they don’t take any safety precautions. Internet safety is about making sure you are safe and secure online. You can do this by having software such as Norton (anti-virus) to help keep your computer clean. By scanning your computer it also helps block lots of things that can harm your computer like Trojan Horses, worms and email viruses which can be found in items that you download on to your computer. Also though you may think your profile on Facebook or even MySpace is on private mode, people can still see your name, pictures, where you live, and what school you go to. Anyone that can access your profile on a social network site can copy or screen-capture information

and pictures you may not want the whole world to see. So don’t rely on the site’s default settings. Read each site’s instructions or guidelines to make sure you’re doing everything to keep your profile private. In the virtual world there are a lot of opportunities to interact and share with people around the world. Also it’s a place where nothing is temporary and there are “no take backs.” A lot of what you do and say online stays online even if you delete it, it’s a breeze for others to copy, save, and forward your information. Keeping us safe on the internet is not only about keeping things safe, but it’s also about making sure you don’t talk to strangers. According to an article on MSNBC news about online sexual predators, Facebook and MySpace actually attract people looking to appear younger to attract teens. “We need to watch out who we chat with online, because you never know if it is who you think it is,” said 8th grader Litzy Galvan. According to Internet Predator Protection, a website about cases in the past involving online sexual predators, a 14-year old girl chatted online with a person she thought was another kid on the other end. For nine straight hours

they chatted. He learned a lot about her, and even watched her through her webcam. In August of last year, she was in an internet chat room where she often was, chatting with some friends when a stranger wanted to talk to her. In less than 24 hours after his very first hello, he was on the girl’s doorstep. Instead of being a 14-year old boy, he was a 28-year old man. To make our teenagers aware of the dangers on the internet, Galena Park ISD added Internet Safety Showcases on Moodle to help us be aware about safety on the internet. The showcase show monthly and it will give us knowledge about being safe online, and the reasons for having firewalls. Each month the showcase will talk about something different of safety online. “I think that the students will learn about how to protect themselves online, how to stay out of danger” said Ms. Mullinax, our technology information specialist. Also this year’s multimedia festival will be based on internet safety. The multimedia festival will be held at the North Shore Senior High Campus on March 22, 2012. So make sure you’re being secure and safe online and watch the showcase on Moodle every month.

Teachers get FIT into healthy routine by CINDY BARRERA Teachers working out. When you hear that sentence, you would never think that those three words could even be in the same sentence because all teachers do is teach at school, right? Well, the teachers and staff here at North Shore Middle have been proving that idea wrong. Mrs. Belland, the “founder” of the FIT Club, wanted a way where she, and other teachers and staff could become healthier without all the struggle of having to drive to a gym to get exercise. “[When I came up with the idea] I thought about how much time I already spent at work, when I approached Ms. Castaneda, an Assistant Principal, with ideas of how we, as teachers, could work out on campus,” Mrs. Belland said. And since the beginning of the school year some teachers and staff have been meeting after school in the teacher’s weight room to work out by doing many different exercises such as Zumba (a Latin inspired dance-workout),

Pilates, P90-x (a home exercise workout system), and Insanity (a workout which does not need any equipment, just your body). For one Zumba session, a licensed Zumba instructor had come to the class. “It was a blast,” Mrs. Belland said, “The movements were fun and they were creative. And they were dances everyone could do.” While participating in these workout sessions, teachers are becoming healthier in many ways. “[When you exercise] you’re definitely healthier and your immune system works better if you’re physically active,” Mrs. Nguyen, the school nurse, said. According to nutristrategy. com, a nutrition and fitness website which gives tips on how to stay healthy, regular exercise cannot only help you live longer but it can also help improve your mood and prevent you from getting certain diseases such as type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. With regular exercise you will soon notice a difference in yourself, physically and mentally.

PHOTO / TONI VAN BIBBER

Variety of new exercise program helps teachers adopt healthy routines

Ms. Andrade, a visiting Zumba instructor leads Mrs. Van Vleck, Mrs. Belland, Ms. Penaflor, Mrs. Comeros and other members of the FIT Club in a Zumba workout after school in the teachers’ weight room.

“A healthy body gives us a healthy mind,” said Ms. Comeros, an 8th grade science teacher and the Zumba instructor for the workout sessions, “I’m a teacher, and if I wasn’t healthy I would be absent all the time.” With all the good benefits the teachers are getting from participating in the FIT Club, teachers can teach with more energy, feel happier, and live longer, giving students the chance to have a more energized classroom environment, helping them learn more.

NEWSwire

The ‘Stang Express

Volume 2, Issue 1 October 2011

New school year opens with schedule problems Mixed up classes, multiple periods create chaos for students and teachers by IDALIA SANTOS In many student opinions, this school year’s first couple of weeks were the craziest the school has had compared to the past several years. Many students came to school, were handed their schedules, and found they had many schedule problems, like wrong classes listed and having missing or multiple classes or periods. This led to the counselors becoming really busy changing students’ schedules. One of the problems that happened was when the seventh and eighth graders went to wrong classes. All students who had Ms. Hargis, an eighth grade English teacher in C203, went to Ms. Alvarez, an eighth grade science teacher in C207,

because their schedule had the wrong room number. “There is a new Skyward system, and changing from the old to the new has some defects,” said Ms. Suazo, the school registrar. Another problem was that students didn’t have their main or core classes listed. Some students who didn’t have most of their classes had to wait in the Multi-Purpose room or the library for several hours or even the first two days. “I had to wait almost two days in the library and read books the whole time I was there,” said Deanna Rosales, an eighth grader. Also, some students had their main classes repeated which meant that students would be learning the

same thing twice. Many students in the eighth grade had two classes like English, science, social studies, reading and/or math. It was a big mess. On top of all this, some students wanted to change their classes for another teacher or to be with their friends, overloading an already swamped counseling staff. “About 70% wanted to change their classes so they can be with their friends,” said Ms. London, one of the counselors. After all that the counselors have been through, everything was finally fixed and things began to get into full swing. Every student who had a schedule problem was in their proper class and began focusing on a new school year.

Explosion in tablet manufacturing lead to better choices for consumers Wealth of popular tablets can lead to confusion. What’s the better buy? What’s light, small, easy to use, and portable? They’re super fast and have cameras. They’re the new revolutionary inventions that many companies are making to satisfy demand.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 seems to be one of the lightest and hottest tablets out on the market to date. You are able to watch and listen to hours of music and video with its 720p HD screen and 2.1 surround sound speakers. It has cameras on both sides, so you are able to record and video chat with people. If you take pictures, your Picasa account will automatically sync. The pictures will be with full resolution and there is a new way to zoom in on the pictures. It also has its own video recorder and music library. The dual core processor and Android 3.1 Honeycomb operating system make it easy to surf the web and download apps with super fast speeds. With the tablet’s multitasking capability you’ll be able to take notes, and you can also search something that you might not know.

IMAGE / APPLE.COM

Of course, Apple started it all. The iPad2 is the new, upgraded version of its successful predecessor, the iPad. It is thinner, lighter, and comes installed with a front and back camera for Facetime. Battery life is no longer a problem. It has a 25 watt rechargeable lithium polymer battery. With this battery you are able to have 10 hours of entertainment which is longer than most laptops. Not only does it have a longer battery life it also has a dual core A-5 chip which makes it 9 times faster than the original iPad. With this power and speed you’ll be able to play popular games like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja with no problem. Apple TV is also an option to watch movies and TV shows just like normal TV. There are also educational apps that could help you with what you’re learning in school, like maps, books on science fair projects, chalkboards, worksheets, and

The Motorola Xoom is like the cousin of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. It too has Android Honeycomb, but it has the newer version, 3.2. With this version of the operating system you’ll be able to use this tablet more smoothly. It comes in an optional 3G plan and a Tegra dual core processor for great internet speeds, or you can get

it just with Wi-Fi. The battery life can go from 10 hours to 3 days depending on what you do. It has a 5 megapixel camera on the back and a 2 megapixel on the front for video chatting. The Xoom also has a HDMI output, an output that allows you to transfer images to TV’s and external monitors. It can help you research for a project and take notes. There are also the Google Maps 5.0 with 3-D interaction, which could help you find certain places for science and social studies. All of these tablets are designed for their own special purposes, Take the iPad2 for example; it would mainly be used for entertainment, because of the thousands of games, apps, and music the App Store provides. Although they are the same price at $500, the Xoom, and Galaxy Tab are good for business, multitasking, and entertainment. With our experiences using the tablets, we would say the galaxy Tab outperformed the other tablets. It just had more raw power and is easier to carry around. The iPad2 was just better for entertainment and good for schoolwork, with all of the educational apps and the iBooks store. Our final scores would be on a scale of 1 to 10, the iPad2 as an 8, Motorola Xoom a 7, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 a 9.

IMAGE / MOTOROLA.COM

language development apps. IMAGE / SAMSUNG.COM

by ALEJANDRO ALONSO & SHABAB KARIM

October 2011 Volume 2, Issue 1

The ‘Stang Express

Features

North Shore welcomes former student as a TEACHER by GRICELDA JASSO Some students know him as their math teacher, some teachers recognize him from when he attended North Shore. You guessed it, it‘s Mr. Ramirez, the new 8th grade math teacher and math club sponsor. Mr. Ramirez attended the University of Houston for four years, where he studied economics because it included his favorite subject, math. After he graduated in 2009, Mr. Ramirez decided to become a math teacher. His first job was teaching 5th grade math at Meyer Elementary in Spring ISD, for two years and then decided to transfer to NSMS to teach 8th grade math, so this is his first year here. His interest in math dates

back to when he was in high school, he originally wanted to become a history teacher but, instead, he choose math because of his love for numbers. “I would teach math to a 12th grader or a 4th grader, just as long as it’s math.” said Mr. Ramirez. Although this is his first year teaching here this isn’t his first time in the building. When Mr. Ramirez was a 7th and 8th grader he went to school here. “NSMS is my home, I grew up here. I had Ms. Van Vleck for Algebra, Mrs. Beauvais for Encounters, and Mr. Burke for yearbook,” he said. So far his first year here has been a blast from the past. The same can be said about his students. “Well…my students, they are different from my 5th graders,

but they remind me of myself when I was their age,” said Mr. Ramirez. Mr. Ramirez is a math fanatic, he loves what he teaches and plans to teach it for a long time. His students also enjoy the subject and are amazed at the things they learn. “I like Mr. Ramirez’s class because he is a fun teacher, he uses games and activities to teach us, and we’re always learning all sorts new and interesting things,” said 7th grader Aline Almazan. Once you enter his door be prepared to learn tough math and solve questions because Mr. Ramirez’s class is no joke. “I think his class is challenging and easy at the same time because we learn Algebra and other hard stuff, but he always

PHOTO / IDALIA SANTOS

Love of math and teaching brings him back ‘home’

makes sure we understand,” said 8th grader Jonathon Sampson, one of his Math Club students. So the next time you’re walking down A hallway, make sure you walk by room A101 and give Mr. Ramirez a quick hello.

Second generation teacher brings love of reading Former HISD teacher is welcomed by students and staff by ALIYAH HAWKINS

The Next Page Book Exchange PHOTO / IDALIA SANTOS

and that was what I wanted to do,” she said. Ms. Pendleton is one of the Many of her students also newest additions to the North have positive thoughts about Shore teaching staff and is a her class. second generation teacher in “I like Ms. Pendleton’s class her family. She teaches 8th because she gives us fun grade reading here and so far, homework and she has PAT, has enjoyed herself because which is Preferred Activity Time, of the wonderful students and where we can read her books everyone being so friendly. and do homework for other She is a 2009 graduate of classes,” said one of her stuthe University of Houston. dents, Rosa Sotelo. She decided to Her class attend U of H may be amus“My mom was a teacher; because of its ing, but it is she taught 6th grade great English also difficult, reading in Pearland, and I according to program, affordable price, grew up seeing how much another one and short of her stushe loved her kids,” distance from dents, Gerardo home. Since Govea. - Ms. Pendleton she knew what “Ms. Pendshe wanted to do, she majored leton’s class is challenging, but in literature. she is still a very nice teacher,” When she came to interview he said. for her new job, she had good Before Ms. Pendleton came thoughts about our campus. to Galena Park ISD, she was “The school was beautiful, an early elementary special everyone was friendly; it was an education teacher in Houston opportunity to teach reading ISD for two years. She was

first inspired by her mother to become a teacher. “My mom was a teacher; she taught 6th grade reading in Pearland, and I grew up seeing how much she loved her kids,” she said. She then decided to teach reading because of her love for books and how important reading skills are. Ms. Pendleton is looking forward to an amazing year and it depends on you to fulfill that dream!

Trade in your book for one of ours! Location: Front portable building next to the North Shore 9th Grade Center track on Woodforest Blvd. Hours: Thursdays 3pm – 6pm Saturdays 9am – 1pm Bring in your books to trade for ours OR All books $1 if you show this bookmark.

Features

The ‘Stang Express

Volume 2, Issue 1 October 2011

Sept. 11, 2001 Sept. 11, 2011 It’s been ten years since the attack. What’s changed? What do you remember?

he morning of September 11, 2001, began as any other. The sun rose and people went about their daily commute, but the normal morning soon became one like no other. Do you remember where you were during the September 11th attacks, ten years ago? Do you remember what you were doing? Do you even have any memory from that day? Ever since that September day most of the United States was changed forever, and painful memories were scarred into the minds of thousands. On that day, four airplanes were hijacked by al-Qaeda affiliated men; they intentionally crashed two of them into both towers at the World Trade Center in New York City. When the first plane, American Airlines, Flight 11, hit the northern tower people did not really know what was going on. Many people believed that it was an accidental crash. When the sec-

PHOTO-ART / STAFF

by JOCELYN RAMIREZ

ond plane, United Airlines, Flight 175, hit the southern tower, people instantly knew something was very wrong. All airports, bridges, and tunnels in New York and New Jersey were shut down. Within 30 minutes, the president of the United States at the time, George W. Bush, announced on live television that the country was under attack. Minutes after the announcement, all airports in the U.S. were shut down; this had never happened before. Forty minutes after the second tower was hit the third hijacked plane, American Airlines, Flight 77, crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. By 10:05 a.m. the first tower collapsed. The fourt hijacked plane, known as United Airlines, Flight 93, did not crash into the WTC., instead, it crashed in a rural field in Pennsylvania. The terrorists in control of the plane were attacked by the passengers and it crashed there. Everyone aboard that flight, passengers, crew members, and terrorists, died. Shortly afterwards, the second tower collapsed. At that point the whole country

stopped what they were doing and almost everyone was gathered around a television, watching the news. Throughout the following days the United States learned that former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was responsible for the attack. This tragic day changed air travel in America forever. After 9/11 the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), was created. The TSA is made up of security officers, air marshals, inspectors, directors, and managers that secure the nation’s transportation systems. They were the ones who checked your luggage back when airline security was simple. But, now due to countless terror attack attempts and the September 11th attack, airline security is much more complicated. Now airline security consists of going through full-body scanners, metal detectors for yourself and your luggage, and at times, intrusive pat-downs. Not only that, but the amount of liquids and aerosols you pack is very limited. All this has stirred much controversy, but we must remember these security measures are taken to make sure nothing as bad as what happened on see page 9

‘You need to turn your TV on.’ So when I came in [my classroom] I turned it on and it was when the first tower had been hit, and we didn’t know what was going on at first. Then the second plane hit the second tower and then we knew it was a terror attack and everyone started freaking out. Less than two years later I was in Afghanistan.” Mr. Drexler, our principal, was here as well on September 11 “I came to work that day, and like any other day, I expected our students to do great and our teachers to do great. At some point in that day someone came to me and told me a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, and I didn’t believe them. When a second person came to me and told me again, I decided to look into what was happening. When I turned on my TV, it was right when the second plane was hitting the World Trade Center. As I was watching I remember feeling at that time…a sense of shock and disbelief that this could be happening. As I was seeing the attacks it looked like one of those action movies, because everything was blowing up. Then I realized this was really happening,” he said. Ms. Raines, an eighth grade reading teacher, was a student here at the time of the attacks. She too remembers some of what went on during the school day on September 11 “I found out [about the attack] when I was in Ms. McFadden’s class and I remember an announcement being made to turn on the TV’s and I remember us [the class] watching replays of the first plane hitting the Twin Towers. We were all just kind of watching in shock because we didn’t know if it [the attack] was an accident or on purpose. We all got really scared when the second plane hit because it was pretty clear it was intentional. Parents started calling the school because they were scared for their children being in school. And basically there was just kind of a silent panic, we were all scared and didn’t know what to say or do.” This year, in honor of the thousands of lives lost 10 years ago on September 11th, the National September 11th Memorial was unveiled. The 9/11 memorial consists of two reflecting pools, each about an acre in size. Each pool has a 30-foot man-made waterfall which are the largest man-made waterfalls in North America. Bordering the enormous reflecting pools are bronze parapets that have a total of 2,983 names of the 9/11 and 1993 WTC bombing victims engraved on them. In addition to the 9/11 memorial, a new WTC building is being constructed. When completed, the building will be

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1,776-feet tall, making it the tallest building in the United States. Because we were very young when the 9/11 attacks happened, many of us might not have any memory of the attacks. We definitely have memories when Osama bin Laden was killed because we were much older when it happened and we had social media to inform us about the event. Regardless of the memory we have of the September 11 attacks, they are very important in our nation’s history. On that day, 2,977 innocent lives were lost, and that is why we honor the day of September 11, 2001. The new World Trade Center complex will have an estimated 3 million annual visitors, be composed of six office buildings to include the 9/11 Memorial, Plaza and museum, a performing arts center and transit hub.

Important changes since 9/11 1. The Department of Homeland Security 2. The Patriot Act 3. Better civc organization and emergency preparedness 4. War in Afghanistan 5. The War on Terror 6. Increasing prejudice against Muslims 7. Tougher restrictions on immigration 8. More restrictions and longer processes at airport security 9. No-fly lists 10. An increase in charitable donations

SOURCE / APA.ORG, NPR

GRAPHIC / AP

September 11 ever happens again. In 2001, most students here at NSMS were only 2 or 3 years old, so we may not have much memory of what happened on September 11. The teachers here at NSMS do though. Ms. Greene, a seventh grade reading teacher, had a very personal experience on September 11 because she witnessed the attacks in person from her job in New Jersey. “I lived in New York City at the time, and on that morning, I took the PATH train beneath the World Trade Center. I had to take the train there everyday to get to my job in Jersey City, New Jersey. So when I got to my job, fifteen minutes later, there was commotion and people were running towards one end of the building, where we could see New York City across the water. We saw the building [the northern tower] on fire, and we didn’t know what had happened. And when we saw the 2nd plane flying towards the building and I remember saying why is that plane flying so close to the building. At that instant the plane crashed into the second building [the southern-most tower]. People [around me] just started falling on the floor, and crying out to God. I was just shocked after I saw the plane crashing in the building, I was shocked to the root of my body; I couldn’t function.” Some teachers that still teach here today also taught at this school on September 11. They remember what went on that day. “We were in this classroom in the morning,” Mrs. Beauvais, the Encounters teacher said, as the motioned her hand around her classroom, “and it was just unbelievable watching the attack unfold on TV, and everybody was just stunned from watching the buildings fall.” Mr. Burke, an eighth grade Pre-AP English teacher said, “What started it all was when the bell rang and I went to my door to shut it like I normally do, and Mr. Dowdy, who was an assistant principal here and a former Naval officer, walked by as I was closing the door, and he said

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GRAPHIC / SEYENECO.COM

October 2011 Volume 2, Issue 1

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Volume 2, Issue 1 October 2011

15 Minutes of Fame: Double Vision Martinez twins show that there’s more than meets the eye by CINDY MAI Are you seeing double? No need to make an appointment with an eye doctor because you’re not the only one who thinks you’re hallucinating. To our eyes, Chloe and Savannah Martinez are exactly alike, but like they say, looks can be deceiving. If it wasn’t for their looks, we would have thought they were from completely opposite planets. Chloe and Savannah are eighth grade twins who may seem to be identical at first, but after getting to know them, you will realize they are nothing alike. They both have their own unique personalities and attitudes. For example, Savannah likes to sing and dance, while Chloe likes to sleep and shop. The twins also have different opinions about food too. Chloe is a vegetarian, where as Savannah likes to eat meat. “I read a brochure about these animals getting slaughtered and being abused. I started to feel sorry for them, so I stopped eating meat.” says Chloe. Besides their extraordinary personalities, there are also physical differences between the two, for instance Chloe has short red hair versus Savannah’s long brown hair. Chloe 1. When were you born? Who was born first? How far apart are the both of you? “I was born at 2:47 on March 31, 1998. A minute before Savannah.” 2. How do you describe your personalities? “Somewhat smart, funny, and nicer than Savannah.” 3. Why did you die your hair red? “It was actually an accident, but I liked it, so I kept dying it red.” 4. What kind of music do you listen to? Why do you listen to it? “Everything but rap

because I don’t like it when people talk too fast.” 5. What bands/artists do you listen to? “I listen to Elvis Presley, Justin Bieber, the Beetles, and Gunger.” 6. What are some of your hobbies? “I like to shop because I like to get a lot of clothes. I also like Math Club because it’s fun.” 7. Do you do any activities outside of school?

“Church” 8. Is it good or bad having a twin? Why? “In different case, it’s good, but I don’t see myself having a twin. I see myself having a sister named Savannah.” 9. Do you get annoyed when people get you mixed up with Savannah? Why? “It depends on who it is. If they don’t know any better then no.” Savannah 1. Who was born first? When were you born? How far apart are you guys? “I was born first by one minutes. I was born on March 31, 1998.” 2. What are some differences between the both of you? “My hair is longer than Chloe’s. Chloe has red hair. Her feet are bigger than mine.” 3. How do you describe your personality? “I am very loud and outgoing. I am never quiet.” 4. What kind of music do you listen to? Why do you listen to it? “I like country because it’s different.” 5. What artist/band do you listen to? “I don’t know, but I like Adele.” 6. What are some of your hobbies? “I love to sing because it’s fun. I’m in Fillies because I like to dance. I like to eat a lot because it’s yummy.” 7. Do you do any activities outside of school? “No.” 8. Is it good or bad having a twin? Why? “It’s kind of good, but very annoying. She’s always bothering me.” 9. Do you get annoyed when people confuse you with Chloe? “Yes because I’m not Chloe.” Twins like them are hard to find, so enjoy them while you can. There are little to no chances of meeting extraordinary people like them.

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Team takes two steps forward and one step back by BRYANT BADIE On September 20, the seventh grade white team played against the Null Stallions, following a 14-6 win the week before against the Crosby Cougars. The Mustangs were looking for their second win of the season. The game started with Null kicking off to North Shore. Then Brian Aranda fumbled the ball and Null recovered and the Stallion’s supporters rose in excitement. They rallied the team on and Null scored in thirty seconds. Null ran the extra point in making the game 0-7. Then The Stallions kicked the ball off to the Mustangs once again. The Mustangs picked up a few yards, but not enough to get the offense going. Next, Charles Gonzalez ran for 15 yards, and then fumbled! Null recovered and the Mustang defense ran on the field once again. The first play back on offense, The Stallions picked up twelve yards, then came back with the same play, and got another first down! The Mustangs were rattled, everyone was confused. “Timeout!” yelled Coach Rodriguez. The Mustang players walked to the sideline. “You see them running with the ball you go hit them, y’all look like y’all just ran a marathon,” said Coach Rodriguez. After the timeout, the team sprinted back on the field. The Stallions came back with the same play looking to run over the Mustangs again. Tayvien Joseph assisted by Roberto Martinez hit the running back and he fumbled the ball! The Mustangs recovered, the crowd roared and the Mustangs were back on offense. With 5:09 left on the clock, quarterback Nick Esparza booted out for a pass, met up with the defensive end and fumbled! Null recovered with 5:03. The defense came out on the field and forced another turnover, and defensive player

Roberto Martinez hurt their quarterback. The Mustangs called a timeout to make a game plan to score. “Guys, stop walking like you’ve ran a marathon. You run to the line and back. I expect more. Let’s score before halftime,” said Coach Thiel. Unfortunately The Mustangs were a long ways from scoring. At halftime the Mustangs went to the back of the end zone in the shade. “Y’all don’t know where to line up? It looks terrible; they’re coming to your house and whooping you. And you guys are taking it. Why get your parents to come out here, where’s the expectations?” said Coach Johnson during halftime. At the start of the second half, Null gained 27 yards after the kickoff. The Stallions continuously picked up yards and then broke up the middle for a forty-five yard touchdown. They ran in the extra point making the score 0-14. The Mustangs picked back up from where they started and weren’t able to move the ball the entire

7th Grade White

PHOTO / TONI VAN BIBBER

Seventh grade B team suffers a loss, learns importance of practice

The Mustang defense swarms to contain Null’s running back and knocks the ball from his hands, forcing a turnover during their game here on Sept. 20. Despite their tackling, the Mustangs suffered a loss.

quarter. The Stallions had the ball to start the 4th quarter. Their quarterback launched the ball a stunning 25 yards for a touchdown! They missed the extra point but it didn’t matter because the final score ended 0-20. The Mustangs didn’t have a clue what hit them. They came to practice and didn’t listen to what the

7th Grade Red

North Shore - 14 Crosby - 6

North Shore - 14 Crosby - 14

North Shore - 0 Null - 20

North Shore - 26 Null - 6

North Shore - 13 Forest Brook - 20

North Shore - 27 Forest Brook - 19

North Shore - 13 C.E. King - 6

North Shore - 24 C.E. King - 27

North Shore - 8 Alice Johnson - 0

North Shore - 33 Alice Johnson - 18

North Shore - 13 Galena Park - 12

North Shore - 26 Galena Park - 0

North Shore B.C. Elmore -

North Shore Woodland Acres -

North Shore Cunningham-

Record: 3-3

Record: 4-1-1

coaches had to say. When the stuff the coaches were telling them mattered the most, they didn’t know what to do. The Mustangs went on to lose their next two games putting their record at an inferior 1-2. This motivated the players to do better in practice, and they went on to win another game against C.E. King, evening their record at 2-2.

7th Grade Coaches Coach Banks Coach Rodriguez Coach Penny Coach Thiel Coach Johnson

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Volume 2, Issue 1 October 2011

Mustang defense shows up to stop Crosby by BRADLEY EAST On Sept. 13, North Shore and Crosby’s 8th grade A football teams met on the field to battle it out. The Mustangs were anything but nervous. They were ready to start their season off with their first win. “We’re about to smash on Crosby!” said Eric Monroe as he walked down the sideline before the game. The game started with the Mustangs winning the coin toss to receive the ball. They started the game off with a rough start, 0-6. North Shore looked exhausted when Crosby scored after driving deep into Mustang territory in the first quarter. “Let’s Go Mustangs,” cheered the crowd as the defense came in after another three and out. The Mustangs weren’t looking good at all. “Go, Go, Go”! Yelled North Shore’s sideline and the crowd jumped up and down as Darius Ivory intercepted the ball from Crosby and took off down the field to give the Mustangs good field position. The offense ran onto the field with a new founded energy. They were focused on one thing now…winning. Right after the snap, Crosby’s defense broke through the line, the play was blown, then Eric Monroe reversed the ball two times and ran for an amazing touchdown to even the score 6-6. Once again the Mustangs were looking tired and the offense was fighting every down for yards but couldn’t evade Crosby’s defense. The defense was ready to make something happen as they came onto the field with the half coming up. Alejandro Gonzales caused a fumble and Daniel Palomares recovered the loose ball with 49 seconds to go to end the quarter 6-6. “Halftime, Hustle, Hustle, Hustle!” said Coach DuBose running to the end zone for

halftime. “You guys look tired, I know it’s hot out here, they’re just as hot, I know you’re sweating hard, they’re sweating just as hard as you are. Get out there and get a stop,” he said during his halftime pep talk. After halftime both teams came out hitting hard and putting hits out on the offense which held both teams scoreless for the quarter. The 4th quarter arrived and both teams were tired from the last three hard-fought quarters. The teams were playing a good defensive game. Next, with 4 minutes left in the game, Colbaine Mitchell intercepted the Crosby’s quarterback and ran it back for a couple of yards until he was tackled. This allowed our offense to hold the ball and run out the clock and get the victory, 13-6. The Mustangs were on the road to an undefeated season winning their next four games, putting their record at an unstoppable 5-0.

8th Grade White

PHOTO / TONI VAN BIBBER

Big defensive plays, discipline allow the Mustangs to maintain undefeated season

Alexiss Molina and another defensive player work to strip the ball from Crosby’s quarterback resulting in a fumble and recovered by North Shore during their game here on Sept. 13. They won, keeping their undefeated record intact.

8th Grade Red

North Shore - 13 Crosby - 6

North Shore - 14 Crosby - 6

North Shore - 40 Null - 6

North Shore - 16 Null - 12

North Shore - 13 Forest Brook - 33

North Shore - 33 Forest Brook - 19

North Shore - 13 C.E. King - 6

North Shore - 22 C.E. King - 18

North Shore - 19 Alice Johnson - 22

North Shore - 22 Alice Johnson - 8

North Shore - 58 Galena Park - 7

North Shore - 19 Galena Park - 0

North Shore B.C. Elmore -

North Shore Woodland Acres -

North Shore Cunningham-

Record: 4-2

Record: 6-0

8th Grade Coaches Coach Dubose Coach Davis Coach Sanders Coach Atkins

October 2011 Volume 2, Issue 1

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Late-surging offense leads to nail-biting end Seventh grade A team has slow start but almost wins in dramatic end On October 4, our seventh grade red team played C.E. King here and two undefeated teams went head to head looking for their next win. One team will win and one team went home with a loss. Today’s battle would determine that. To start the 1st quarter, the Mustangs kicked off to C.E. King. During the kick off Rodrick Coffman made a mean hit on the opposing player running with the ball. The Mustangs started on defense hitting and dropping the running back in the backfield for a loss of 4 yards. The Mustangs looked like they weren’t scared but on the next play the runningback for C.E. King carried the ball for 23 yards, looking to score a first down! The next play, deep in our territory. The Jaylen Thomas plowed right Mustangs defense didn’t give through the defensive line for up though, forcing a fumble 6 yards. and gaining possession on “That’s how you run Jaylen!” their 7 yard line. Then a bad yelled Coach Johnson from snap from the center Kierthe sideline. On fourth down, rion Bishop forced a safety, C.E. King was determined to making the score 0-2 and make a stop and they were the opposing team’s sideline successful. The offense and yelled “Ahh!” defense switched. On the next play, C.E. King “Guys tackle him!” said drove down the field, and they Coach Rodriguez after seeing finally score on an 11-yard the Panthers running back run, leaving gaining yards. the score 0-8. “Jaylen Thomas then The next The Mustangs play Rodrick blasted through the weren’t giving Coffman up and stopped Panthers defensive came from the Panthers across the line, running for six during 1-point yards and picking up a field and hit conversion. the runningfirst down.” After the back, stopkickoff, runping them on ning back Cardell Robison fourth down and the Mustang ran 34 yards until he was offense was back on the field. brought down. Bryant Badie C.E. King stopped the Musthen came with a blitz, spun tangs for three plays and then off two defenders and gained Bryant Badie ran for 15 yards, 2 yards at the end of the 1st but still wasn’t able to get the quarter. The quarter ended first down, giving the ball to with the score 0-8, C.E. King C.E. King. The buzzer soundleading. ed the end of the half. Starting off the 2nd quarter, “Halftime,” yelled the refCardell Robison ran through eree and the teams ran to talk a defender for 8 yards and strategy.

PHOTO / TONI VAN BIBBER

by TAYVIEN JOSEPH

Andrew Bolden trips up C. E. King’s running back resulting in a fourth down here during a tense game against the Panthers on Oct. 4. Members of the North Shore crowd who left after the 3rd quarter missed an amazing fourth quarter surge.

“We’re bringing it right, they’re running right, and still gaining yards. We have to stop them, they’re just running outside,” said Coach Penny during halftime. “Come on you’re going to make mistakes. Pick up your head and run full speed,” he said. The Mustangs were back on offense to start the second half. Cardell Robinson caught a direct snap and got a first down, and two extra yards! The Mustangs were looking to make a strong comeback. Next, Bryant Badie caught the snap and reversed it to Patrick Davis, and carried it for three yards. Jaylen Thomas then blasted through the Panthers defensive line, running for six yards and picking up a first down. Finally, the Mustangs scored with a strong run by Jaylen Thomas, making the score 6-14. Next series, C.E. King returned with a 58-yard play resulting in a touchdown, North Shore 6, C. E. King 21. The Panther scored again to

end the third quarter. The Mustang fans started to leave, which baffled some people, because the Mustangs had an amazing 4th quarter. The Mustangs got a pass interference call which led to a touchdown and C.E. King fumbled the kickoff! Bryant Badie ran four total times for 27 total yards and got tackled in the red zone. This set up the Mustangs for a touchdown making the score 18 to 27. At the end of the day, even though the Mustangs lost, it was an amazing comeback with the score, North Shore 24 and C.E. King 27. It was one of the best games this season. “Good fight guys!” yelled Coach Rodriguez after the game. Follow Us! Follow the ‘Stang Express Twitter page @StangExpress for news updates and live sports coverage wherever you are.

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Lady Mustangs victorious versus Stallions Multiple rallies and lots of support help lead to Mustang victory by JARENY ORTIZ On September 15, the seventh grade white volleyball team played here, against Null in a tense game where both teams rallied against each other. Before the big game, the girls were working very hard during practice on proper technique like, how to move on the court and where to set up defense. In order for Mustangs to improve on their weaknesses such as serving, passing, setting, and hitting, practice needed to take place. “I think that A team’s strength is that they work together as a team and help each other,” said Coach Wait. On game day, the first serve led to a long rally, which is when the ball goes back and forth between both teams. The rally drove the whole crowd crazy and made them yell their support for the team and cre-

ated suspense. The ladies on the bench chanted, “Go Mustangs! Go Mustangs!” and tried to give the girls on the court support. As another rally began, the crowd became anxious as Null scored the point. North Shore did not give up and tied it up, 19-19. After a tense series, the game came down to 2424 tie, but suddenly another rally began and Null got the point putting them ahead once again, at 25-24. The Mustangs scored a point again and tied up with Null at 25-25. Volleyball rules state a team must win by 2 points. Again and again, the teams went back and forth. So, Null served and the Mustangs got the point, finishing up with 28-26, winning the first game. The Lady Mustangs didn’t do so well on the second game, as Null won 17-25. It was time for the third game, and the coaches,

players, and crowd were all nervous as no one knew who would win the last game. There was a high serve by Null and they scored a point, because our defense could not get to the ball up quick enough, making it an ace. The Mustangs came back strong though, also scoring a point. All of a sudden, Coach Parrot called out a time out. While in time out, she told them, “The game is almost over, we got this, don’t worry, just wait a little longer.” After the time out, the game got back on track. Then another rally began and the Mustangs scored another point and the Lady Mustangs won the game! Thanks to great defensive plays by Cindy Mai and Shalmayra Luna and also amazing serves by Claudia Martinez, Beatrice Cruz, and Megan Strickland, the Mustangs were able to pull out with a win.

C. E. King Panthers outlast Lady Mustangs Ladies work to get on track against tough opponent by AMBER WOFFORD On Thursday, September 29, the seventh grade A volleyball team played against the C. E. King Panthers in the girls gym. This was the girls’ third game of the season. “As their skills get better, their confidence grows” said Coach Wait during their practice. As the Lady Mustangs started the game, Maya Love served to the Panthers and scored four points for the Mustangs. During the game, the girls were serving, setting, and spiking the ball well. With the Mustangs far in the lead, the first rally, which is when the ball keeps getting hit over the net between the two teams, of the game hap-

pened. The crowd and the other teammates went wild cheering, “Go Mustangs!” over and over. The rally ended with the Panthers scoring, making the score 14-6. After that another rally happened and, since the Panthers couldn’t stop the ball, the Mustangs scored increasing their lead, 16-8. When the match was over, the Mustangs won with a score of 25-18. At the beginning of the second match there was another rally. As the crowd was on their feet, the Mustangs’ teammates were on the sideline cheering them on too. This led to the Lady Mustangs scoring, making the score now 2-4. The next serve started another big rally and the Panthers scored this time. Right after that came the 3rd

rally, and the Panthers scored again. “Make sure you are watching where the ball is at all times!” yelled Coach Wait as the girls kept on playing and trying to catch up. The final rally of the second match came late in the match, and the Panthers scored to end this one also. North Shore lost this match with a score of 11-25. In a tie breaking third and final match there was only one rally. At the beginning of the match, when the score was 2-1, the final rally of the game took place. The Panthers scored, tying up the match at 2-2. Although our Lady Mustangs fought hard, the Panthers won the game with the final scores being 25-18, 11-25, and 9-15.

7th Grade White North Shore vs Crosby 15-25, 25-10 North Shore vs Null 17-25, 18-25, 11-15 NS vs Forest Brook North Shore vs C. E. King 25-18, 11-25, 9-15 NS vs Alice Johnson 25-18, 21-25, 10-15 NS vs Galena Park 25-18, 17-25, 15-10 NS vs. B. C. Elmore NS vs Woodland Acres NS vs Cunningham Record: 3-3

7th Grade Red North Shore vs Crosby 12-25 North Shore vs Null 28-26, 17-25, 15-8 NS vs Forest Brook North Shore vs C. E. King 25-18, 11-25, 14-15 NS vs Alice Johnson 25-16, 25-20, 15-4 NS vs Galena Park 25-16, 25-20, 15-14 NS vs. B. C. Elmore NS vs Woodland Acres NS vs Cunningham Record: 3-3

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Mustangs dominate Forest Brook in big win Communication, teamwork help Lady Mustangs in win against the Bulldogs by MEGAN GRAY

PHOTO / ALIYAH HAWKINS

On September 22, our Lady Mustang eighth grade A volleyball team played here against the Forest Brook Bulldogs. The Mustangs played the game with confidence and energy. As players started the game, the crowd clapped and whistled for the team. Forest Brook started off the game and after three serves by Forest Brook, Tehya Moody set the ball to Courtnee Johnson and she spiked the ball over the net, giving us a side out. Cindy Barrera served the

ball multiple times and Forest Brook could not get the ball back over to our side of the net which put us in the lead with a score of 14-6. After great serves and spikes, the Mustangs began the path to victory by winning the first match with a score of 25-11. In the second match, after getting the ball, Tehya Moody started the Mustangs off with eight serves and poor defense by Forest Brook, which put us in the lead 8-1. The Mustangs fought for the ball in a rally and finally Forest Brook bumped the ball into the net and we got the ball back.

Eighth grader Ruth Ard sets the ball for Cindy Barrera (number 9) to bump during their home game in the girls’ gym versus the Forest Brook Panthers. The ladies dominated Forest Brook during all three games.

“Awwwwwwww….ACE!” the Mustangs on the court chanted after Diana Garza served the ball over the net and Forest Brook could not get to the ball quick enough and it hit the ground, in other words, an ace. Forest Brook then called a time out. “Ladies, we need to move our feet and get under the ball,” Coach Sanford told the team during time out, as they drank water and got ready for the next series. When the game continued, Diana served the ball six more times and puts six more points on the score board for the Mustangs. When Mariah Hernandez went up to serve, she served just enough to finish off the second match and the crowd jumped to their feet and cheered loudly, “Let’s go Mustangs, Let’s go,” over and over. The Mustangs went on to win the second match with a score of 25-5. “You girls need to talk and try spiking some more,” Coach Sanford said before the match began. In the third match, the Mustangs continued to bring great serves. When the Mustangs got the ball after a side out, Shanell Hareson took charge by stacking up the points and putting us in the lead 5-1. After a rally, the Mustangs got the ball by bumping it over the net and Forest Brook was not able to get it back over. Diana Garza stepped up to serve with only four more points to finish the game. Diana served the last points which helped win the game. “The girls have really learned how to serve better and work together as a team and I am very proud of them,” Coach Sanford said. The serves can win a game and in this game the serves, defense, and team work are what won the game. If they keep up all of this they could win the next the game against C. E. King also.

8th Grade White North Shore vs Crosby 20-25, 25-15, 12-15 North Shore vs Null 25-8, 25-6 NS vs Forest Brook 25-8, 25-9, 15-6 North Shore vs C. E. King 12-25, 25-21, 15-13 NS vs Alice Johnson 13-25, 12-25, 15-12 NS vs Galena Park 25-21, 25-18, 1-15 NS vs. B. C. Elmore NS vs Woodland Acres NS vs Cunningham Record: 4-2

8th Grade Red North Shore vs Crosby 25-11, 26-24, 9-15 North Shore vs Null 25-22, 17-25, 15-6 NS vs Forest Brook 25-11, 25-5 North Shore vs C. E. King 25-12, 25-21 NS vs Alice Johnson 17-25, 11-25, 7-15 NS vs Galena Park 19-25, 25-18, 8-15 NS vs. B. C. Elmore NS vs Woodland Acres NS vs Cunningham Record: 4-2

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The ‘Stang Express

Volume 2, Issue 1 October 2011

Just one touch, one contact, and you’re dead by ABIGAIL SANCHEZ Contagion, is a realistic movie about a deadly virus that begins with one person and infects hundreds all over the world, where no one is safe from catching it. This movie is by Warner Bros. Pictures, and directed by Steven Soderburg. The movie starts off with a business woman, named Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow), at an airport, who got sick the night before at a party held in a casino at Hong Kong, China. She ate lots of food and then shook hands with the chef, who touched something very contagious. From there Beth infected one person at the airport, then the virus spread to many all around the world. Mitch Emhoff (Matt Damon) the husband of Beth, was one of the few people who was immune to the virus. Mitch and his daughter, Jory (Anna Heron), go through their town, but then found out that almost everyone has been infected. Mitch, worried about his daughter being infected, does whatever it takes to protect himself and his daughter. So, to protect Jory, he himself goes out and gets the supplies needed for himself and his daughter to survive. Just as he gets out of the house, he sees people robbing and vandalizing other people’s houses. While Mitch and his daughter have their own problems, many doctors have started to work on finding the origins of the virus and the cure. Just when they thought that

it was too dangerous to continue, another doctor finds the origins, resulting in being closer to finding the cure. Dr. Orantes Leonora (Marion Cotillard) was testing multiple vaccines on monkeys, and all of them died except for one. Knowing that the cure had to be tested on humans, Dr. Leonora takes a dangerous risk giving herself the vaccine and going to visit her father, who was on the verge of dying because of the virus. With nothing to protect herself from her infected father, she hugs him. Days later, her experiment worked and she quickly sends the vaccine to the government. As soon as the vaccine was received, the government immediately mass produces it. After announcing that they found the cure, many desperate people kidnap close relatives of doctors, and even doctors themselves to get the medicine early. Eventually, every single person has got the cure and has no worries about getting infected. Doesn’t this movie remind you of something that happened in the past? Like the avian flu and swine flu? The flu, short for influenza, means a specific variety of influenza, usually named for its point of dissemination or its animal vector. Did you know the ‘Spanish Flu’ of 1918 killed estimated 50–100 million worldwide and in the United States, about 675,000 died? It’s funny how events seem to repeat themselves over and over again. This movie was just another event of a disease

MTV’s Awkward showcases teen drama Teen show relates real-life problems in hit series by TONI VAN BIBBER This year, a new show called Awkward has aired on MTV. It’s about a girl named Jenna Hamilton and the boy she has a huge crush on named Matty McKibben. In the beginning, Matty was embarrassed to be seen with Jenna because Jenna isn’t the typical girl Matty would date. Then Matty’s best friend Jake takes interest in Jenna and kisses her; Jenna is shocked! Jenna tells Jake that she only wants to be friends, but Jake still is trying to compete with the mystery guy named Matty. “It’s [the show] interesting and all about Jenna’s life and Matty and Jenna’s relationship,” said seventh grader Ariel Zaragoza. My personal view of this show is that it shows the complications that

every teen will go through like pressure, bullying & puberty. This might help other young girls going through the same issues. Awkward talks about friendship too; Jenna’s best friends are Tamara and Ming. Tamera is a very hyper, exciting person that loves to know what everyone’s doing and wants to be invited to every social event. Ming is the type where her parents want her to get work done before play but Ming is just trying to be a teenager. Ming also wants to know everything about Jenna & Matty’s relationship. Jenna relies more on Tamara more, but when Jenna is drunk and kisses Tamara’s crush Ricky, Jenna is in denial but then finds a picture of her kissing him. Jenna tries and tries to call Tamara

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Real-life scenario played out on the big screen. Could it happen for real?

outbreak when many people have die from it and doctors have to act or find a vaccine. I think that this movie is something that you will like because this is something that could happen in real life and gives you a warning of what might happen in the future. It’s also a very realistic movie and is really good, I give it 3 out of 4 stars, so you should go and see it. This is a Sci-Fi/thriller movie and it’s PG-13. but she doesn’t answer. She goes to her house; when Tamara opens the door she sees Jenna crying and could care less. Tamara shuts the door and comes out with their bestfriend picture and throws it on the ground. The next episode featured Jenna’s birthday where she turned sixteen. “Jenna’s sixteenth birthday isn’t very sweet as she suffers one embarrassing experience after the next,” quoted MTV’s official Awkward webpage. Jenna fails her driving test and she is embarrassed, because her counselor Valerie is rapping a very badly-written rhyme and gave her a birthday cake and told her not eat to much cake or she’ll get fat in front everyone in the cafeteria. After her alienation, Jenna wonders if she can repair her relationship with Tamara & Matty. My conclusion is that this show is fabulous show, the current season is over but tune in next season on MTV @ Tuesdays 9:00 p.m. for a great drama series.

October 2011 Volume 2, Issue 1

The ‘Stang Express

Entertainment

Disney’s The Lion King roars back in 3D by JAZMYNE DICKSON The Lion King in 3D is an animated movie about a cub named Simba, who is threatened by his uncle, Scar, and is forced to leave his home and never come back. The movie is rated G, produced by Walt Disney Pictures, and is directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. When Simba was a cub, his father, Mufasa the king, was killed trying to save Simba. He jumped on a rock and Scar was supposed to help Mufasa, but Scar made him fall instead, and Mufasa got ran over by a stampede of wildebeest. Then Scar made Simba believe that it was his fault that his father died and made Simba leave and never come back. He falls asleep in a very hot place and a meercat named Timon and a warthog named Pumbaa move him to a shaded area. Once Simba wakes up, they take Simba to the jungle and that’s where Simba grows up. After many years, a childhood friend of Simba’s named Nala comes looking for food because Scar has ruined their home, finds Pumbaa to eat. Simba, not wanting his friend to get hurt so he starts

fighting her until he realized it was Nala. Nala tries to convince Simba to come back because Scar has become king and has let hyenas come and live with the lions, but Simba refused to go back. Soon Simba gets a vision of his father and that made Simba go back and claim what is truly his. Simba sees what how bad things have become, and he knows he has to do something about it. Scar made Simba confess that he killed Mufasa but Simba didn’t, Scar did. Scar and Simba start fighting and Simba made Scar confess that it was his fault and not Simba’s. At the end Simba kills Scar, becomes king, marries Nala, and has a baby girl named Kiara. The reason The Lion King was shown in theaters again is because Disney wanted to put it in 3D. Today’s technology allowed for this and it was number one in the box office for almost three weeks. This movie teaches a lesson: how to keep what’s yours and if you do something bad you should admit to it and learn what’s right from wrong. I think that this movie is something that everyone would like because it tells

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Fan favorite gets technological makeover & theater-goers gather for another show

a great story and it’s good for people all ages. It’s an amazing movie and I recommend all to see it. I give this movie 4 stars.

Viewers get big laughs out of Ridiculousness A big laptop, slow motion video player and lots of laughter highlight MTV show by JENNIFER LOZANO

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Ridiculousness is a new series on MTV which is hosted by Rob Dyrdek, Chanel West Coast, and Steelo Brim. The show is basically similar to Americas Funniest Home Videos except Ridiculousness has more amateur undertakings of people getting hurt and, many times, it’s very funny. Ridiculousness also has a special guest each week. The guests join the ‘family’

to watch some web videos of worst–case scenarios and costly crashes. The show also has themes in the beginning that categorize videos and link them together, that way none of the videos will be out of order. Rob also stands on this big laptop keyboard and the laptop screen is the TV screen that we see. He’s laughing hysterically when presenting the videos. Steelo operates the remote that can rewind the videos in slow motion and speed them up, which makes the show even funnier, because when the video is in slow motion, it’s easier to see what happened or how someone had something bad happen. “I laugh so hard that I almost cry because it is so hilarious watching the video slowly,” said seventh grader Alejandra Salinas. One thing the show contains that ruins the show is when Rob shows the videos where people mess up on purpose. The people in the videos are supposed to be funny, but not to where

it’s so obvious. They’re supposed to make it look like they weren’t planning to get hurt. Some people don’t like the show because some may either think it’s a waste of time, they aren’t into things like this, or because it may not be funny to them but, everyone has their own opinions of things. “I laugh a little but, the show isn’t really funny, it’s kind of stupid,” said eighth grader Linda Lopez. Why does she think that? Linda added, “I don’t think it’s really funny because it’s just a bunch of people getting hurt or making a fool of themselves and to me that’s not funny.” Ridiculousness is very entertaining to some people, if you are into watching funny videos where people do dumb things or embarrass themselves. So if you love laughing…and laughing a lot, you should watch the show, Ridiculousness episodes are on Monday nights at 10/9c, on MTV.

Peace!

The ‘Stang Express

Volume 2, Issue 1 October 2011

Four new haunts to fuel your Halloween screams Abigail Sanchez’s pick

THE STRANGERS

DRAG ME TO HELL

After a wedding reception, a young couple staying in an abandoned house get a few surprising knocks on their door in the middle of the night. They are visited by three strangers wearing disguises. They soon find themsevles in a violent struggle and must go beyond what they either thought they were capable of in order to survive.

A woman who works at a bank has a great boyfriend. Everything is going great in her life until a mysterious lady comes to her bank begging for an extension on her home loan. She has to turn her down and the old lady places a powerful curse on her. She now has three days to rid herself of the curse or she will be dragged to hell by a vicious demon. Released May 29, 2009. Rated R. 1 hour, 49 minutes.

Toni Van Bibber’s pick

INSIDIOUS

THE RITE

After a family’s recent move to escape a haunted house, they try to get their life back on track. Their son gets ‘attacked’ in the new house and is unresponsive. They soon discover that an evil spirit is out to possess him...and it’s not the house that’s the problem. With an evil twist at the end, it’s a definite must-see with the lights off.

Inspired by true events, a supernatural thiller about a seminary student sent to study exorcism at the Vatican in Rome. He’s skeptical until he meets a priest who’s done 1000’s of exorcisms. A great portrayal of a faith that is triumphant, but extreme caution is advised for some scary moments and dramatic exaggerations.

Released April 1, 2011. Rated PG-13. 1 hour, 42 minutes.

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Jazmyne Dickson’s pick

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Released May 28, 2008. Rated R. 1 hour, 26 minutes.

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Jennifer Lozano’s pick

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Staff picks new horror movies to celebrate Halloween instead of iconic horror classics

Released January 28, 2011. Rated R. 2 hours, 13 minutes.

ZOMBIE

APOCAL

YPSE

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What’s coming in our next issue...no, wait, they’re coming...and you had better be ready.