The Warrior Post - January 2020

Thee Hea alt th iss suee

W h a t Y o u M i s s e d WP

The Warrior Post

4501 W.Pleasant Ridge Dr. Arlington,TX 76016 Meridith Moore Editor-in-Chief

Warming up for the winter concert, senior Allissa Winters practices ‘Sleigh Ride’ on her saxophone.

Photo by Aivrey Zaiger

Smashing a car, senior Dylan Huurman raises money for Bahama Bash. Many activties like this take place in order for seniors to raise money for the after-prom evening.

Photo by Payton Harris

Shelby Simmel Copy Editor Sara Blasingame News Editor Rylee Richardson & Caroline Brown Features Editors Humberto Rodriguez Sports Editor Wendi Rivera Opinions Editor Aisha Al-Refai Design Editor Aivrey Zaiger Photo Editor Tricia Regalado Adviser

As Senior KJ polk tackles a Duncanville Panthers receiver Nov. 28 at AT&t stadium, senior Christian Traylor assists. This was Martin’s last game of the season.

Photo by Meridith Moore

Performing on stage, Seniors Katie Cannon and Sam Saenz sing at their last dinner theater. The theme of dinner theater this year was ‘Jingle.’

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Photo by Meridith Moore

Marlene Roddy Principal Staffers: Collin Adams, Ethan Bagget, Brooke Betters, Jade Bostick, Jordan Clark, Mica Coulter, Grace Dean, Caroline Demby, Alysse Ellerbrook, Elle Forsythe, Makenzie Gaines, Leslie Gomez, Allison Greenwood, Lilly Griffiths, Payton Harris, Emma Henderson, Claire Loyd, Mallory Mendard, Grace Mihills, Colton Morrow, Jessica Saling, Haley Trussell, Daniel White The Warrior Post is the official publication of Martin High School. Opinion columns don’t necessarily represent the opinion of The Warrior Post or of Martin High School.

Powering UP

Class helps improve mental health

Emma Henderson • Reporter ers, and flyers,” Franco said. their own path.” class also covers othThe beginning of the school “But year after is when people find out where they Empowerment belong, so we tookThe it upon ourselves to about two weeks The Student er topics, such as examples of oom 250 houses the help y’all out.

These are the most identifiable students.

I quite literally saw zero re- Team class began smoothly, but

R

students of the “Student Empowerment Team (SET),” a full year elective course focused on the preservation and improvement of the student body’s mental health. But the real fascination lies in knowing that it is a student-created class.

Senior Matt Franco first proposed the idea to Principal Marlene Roddy at the end of his junior year.

“I was definitely scared,” Franco said. “I knew the idea was good, but allowing a student to front the inception was crazy.

The only knowledge I have is from psychology books I read.

It’s nothing like masters or even bachelors.”

In Franco’s meeting with Roddy, he pointed out that Student Council sponsor Courtney Briggs had an open section and she offered her extra section to have SET. “By making it a class, I hoped to gain more meaningful experience with the time that the class would have with one another,” Briggs said. “Originally Matt came to me with a club, but I thought it was so important for us to do this because I think that learning, understanding, and spreading awareness to the rest of the school about mental health and wellness is so crucial and turning it into a class could be the catalyst to do this at Martin.”

‘Pour my heart into an effort for’

Roddy agreed, allowing Franco to begin his recruitment process.

“I started with advertisements on Martin Student News, post-

sults. I realized an abundance of hindering factors: students have already set their schedule for the next year, my class isn’t weighted, and no one wants to ask for help when that admits you need it in the first place.”

Franco quickly changed tactics, altering broad, blanket recruitment techniques to personal invitations.

“From the people I knew, I was blessed enough to find students who wanted to give the idea a try,” Franco said. “It was these 17 students I would pour my heart into an effort for.”

After successfully recruiting students, the next step entailed creating a curriculum which Franco spent his summer developing.

“I designed the class to be systematic,” he said. “The first day of each week is allotted for the class to work on projects, the second day of each week is recalling memories and talking through their feelings, and on some weeks, the third day would be my mom, a trained therapist, coming in to give special lectures.”

Hurdle sharing

Once Franco constructed a system, his next hurdle would be learning how to properly facilitate practically a session appropriately.

“I first jumped into the basic fundamentals of active listening,” Franco said. “And I mixed it with the outline of client-centered therapy. My original intention would be for students to discuss their problems and for me to ask questions in a way for the individual to find

the uncomfortable unfamiliarity within the students of the class quickly became problematic.

“I didn’t realize how much of a hurdle sharing one’s problems would present, especially with other people in the class that they know,” Franco said.

Because some students were not ready to share with the class and talk about different, heavy topics, Franco adjusted and found a way to switch things up in the class.

“I adapted from asking students their issues to a more indirect approach,” he said.

“Each week I would research different topics of psychology relating to mental health, for instance, cognitive biases, and within the subtopic, I would research vocab terms I could bring to the class which would then elicit participation.”

This new way of learning and sharing helped the class feel comfortable and reassured with what exactly they were saying.

“A cognitive bias, for example, would be the anchoring bias, in which an individual would rely too heavily on a piece of information in order to make their decision and outside judgments would do little to sway their opinion,” Franco said. “Then, I would simply ask students to think of a time in which they have acted under this bias. The most important objective was to understand that then, and in the future, there would be biases controlling our thoughts.”

‘Rewarding in many respects’

so

healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms and familial roles people play.

“This entire thing has been rewarding in so many aspects, from every weekend when I sit down to learn about a new set of psychology terms, to seeing the light go off in a student’s mind upon realizing something about themselves,” Franco said.

The conversations held in this class help students make connections and give them a better understanding of mental health and why it is crucial.

“Every night preceding a b-day I become incredibly insecure and worried, hoping the students can receive some sort of benefit from the class,” Franco said. “But running this class has been rewarding in reminding me, and I know this is cheesy, to push through any sort of fear from holding me back.”

Current students in the student empowerment class have said they enjoy learning the new terms Matt brings each week.

Students are able to reflect on each class and apply each lesson to their day to day lives.

“I enjoy and appreciate the bond that we all have formed in the class and that it is a very open and understanding place which makes it easy to express yourself,” junior Jenean Adi said.

“My primary purpose right now is to provide the students of the class a comforting environment to develop their emotional intelligence,” Franco said. “Truly, I love them all and am so grateful to be growing with them.”

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Key changes Bond brings adjustments to fine arts programs wendi rivera • opinions editor

On November 5 2019, the AISD bond was voted into place and changed AISD forever. That’s $966 million that is now being poured into the district.

This bond package includes rebuilding four aging schools, new playgrounds, and a football field for Martin High School.

“I’m excited that it was something we could vote on,” senior Katie Cannon said. “I think people will be more invested, especially if they voted, to make the bond do its job.”

The Fine Arts are being impacted as well. Besides a new Fine Arts facility, the Bond will now locate a fine arts center at Arlington High school.

“I think the bond will help a lot of students in AISD,” Cannon said. “It sounds like we are really moving forward, which is not something we see every day.”

Arlington High School already has the IB program and will now expand to a fine arts/dual language academy. There is already a fine arts/ dual language academy in Corey and Jones Elementary and this would continue the pathway to the high schools.

“I’m excited,” senior Robert Tiraphatna, a student from Arlington High said. “I think this will do good for fine arts program.”

This academy would be like the STEM Academy at Martin, where students need to audition and be centered on the fine arts they are in. The question remains how these changes will affect Martin’s programs.

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“I’m not planning on moving,” Orchestra Director Caitlin Ravkind said. “I want to continue to make Martin strong in our fine arts area.”

Martin’s theater has advanced to State, our orchestra has made Texas Music Educators Association Honor Full Orchestra three consecutive times, our choir is full of All Staters, and our band has gone far in competitions.

“I think Martin fine arts will suffer, but not any time soon,” Ravkind said. “It will take some time for changes to be in effect.

It will take a couple of years for Arlington to fully turn into a fine arts academy, and it depends on who the directors are.

I’m just going to concentrate on making sure the choir is the best and focus on Martin.”

This change could potentially take away the talented students from Martin and put them in Arlington which could potentially slow down Martin achievements in the fine arts category.

“If I had had that opportunity, I might have applied there,” Cannon said. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Martin and am so appreciative for what this school has done for me.”

The Academy would offer opportunities for students to practice their skills and talents and prepare them for the highly competitive after high school experience.

Some considerations for the fine arts program include band, orchestra, choir, piano, art, theater, and dance.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Cannon said. “It’s just unfortunate that it’s not happening here.”

With that money...

mallory menard • reporter This past year, Arlington voters passed a bond worth $966 million dollars to benefit our school district. Many things can be bought with almost a billion dollars, but the district is using it for school revocations, building new facilities, and even giving our very own Martin High School a new football stadium.

Alternatively, if we wanted to forgo academic and athletic purposes, we could use the money differently. For the price of the bond items, we could buy: • A private concert for all of AISD with Khalid, Post Malone, Ariana Grande, Lizzo, Justin Bieber, the Jonas Brothers, Billy Eilish, and Beyonce.

• All of the following Major League Baseball teams: Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and the Cincinnati Reds • You could buy 322,000 2005 Honda Civics – four for each student in AISD, kindergarten through 12th grade.

• 27,600,000 Hydroflasks – 428 for each student in AISD • 805,000 Macbooks – 12.9 Macbooks for each student in AISD • 10,733,333 pairs of Nike Air Force 1 – 173 for each student in the district • 4,550 houses at Arlington’s median home price – one for every high school senior student in AISD • Four years of tuition for Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, and Stanford – and still have $964 million left over.

• Each AISD faculty and staff member could receive a $113,647 paycheck bonus • And last but certainly not least, you can top it all off with 241,500,000 Whataburger #1 meals

‘He always had a smile on his face’ Students remember sophomore Devin Carrillo Jordan Clark • reporter

D

evin Carrillo was a 16-year-old sophomore who attended Martin.

On Dec. 7, he passed away after a car accident during a hunting trip. Carrillo’s friends and teachers said he was loved by everyone and always wore his heart on his sleeve.

“He was such a good kid, very playful and always happy,” French teacher Ndioba Fall said.

“He was never mad or upset. He was so sweet and gentle.”

His family and friends held a viewing memorial on Dec. 12 and a funeral Dec. 13 to honor him and provide friends and family with a chance to pay their respects.

“I’m doing everything for him – trying to keep up his legacy and his name alive,” sophomore Angel Merida said. “Devin would always keep everybody up and make sure they’re happy,

he would stop in the hallways and ask everybody how they’re doing. He just passed away too soon. Too early.”

Merida said he still talks to Carrillo when he needs him.

“It’ll be 10 p.m. and I’ll ask my mom if I can go outside and I stand in front of Devin. I just talk to him like, ‘Hey Devin.

Whats up?’ Then I just think about how he’s probably roasting me. I feel like he’s touching me. Like those fake hugs.”

Carrillo was involved in several sports such as football and soccer.

“Some of the best memories I had with him were after school, playing soccer, and just hanging out,” sophomore Karsen Macias said. “He’d come to my house to spend the night, then we would just play soccer all the next day.

He was like a brother to me. I don’t know why God chose him to go first, but I remember he

always had a smile on his face.”

Carrillo had tried out for the soccer team, and on his last day at Martin, was anxious to see the roster.

“I saw him that Friday in last period and he squeezed my shoulders and yelled my name and said, ‘I’m nervous for soccer,’” sophomore Tatum Hernandez said. “I told him not to be nervous, that he’s really good, and that I would pray for him.

He asked me to come with him to find out if he made the team, but I couldn’t. He gave me a big hug and told me he loved me.

That’s the last time I saw him.

He made the team.”

Sophomore Juan Leal, a close friend of Carrillo’s, is playing in place of him on the varsity soccer team this year.

“I wear his number and one of the shirts that was made for him, underneath the jersey,” Leal said. “I’ve known him since

fourth grade, but I got him into sports in middle school. Since then he’s always had a passion for football and soccer. School wise, he didn’t like doing his work, but he kept up with his grades a lot. He wanted to go pro in football.”

Carrillo had a heart for music that he had been pursuing with choir since seventh grade.

“We were in the same choir class last year,” Merida said. “He didn’t even know Do Re Mi. I was like, ‘Bro, how do you not know this? We’re in the top choir!’ Sometimes when he sang in the car he would be a tryhard and I would just roll my eyes.

But it was pretty great.”

“He used to always sing the song ‘Talking to the Moon’ by Bruno Mars to me and I would always tell him, ‘Stop singing, you’re not good,’ when we all knew he was a good singer,” Hernandez said.

“He was such a good kid, very playful and happy.”

Editor’s note: In preparation for this issue of the Warrior Post, we were saddened to learn about the death of junior Cheyenne Moore. After giving her friends and teachers appropriate time to grieve, we will interview and write a story for her in our next issue.

news • 5

Honey, I shrunk the kids!

Students struggle with mental health issues which leads to the question, what we can do to help?

Caroline Demby • Reporter Mental illness is a common thing, especially in teens. However, the only thing the school system even comes close to teaching you about mental illness is to “tell a parent if you need help” or “tell a friend.”

It doesn’t do any justice for the students who don’t have a trustworthy adult or a dependable friend to rely on.

What students need is a trust-

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worthy adult who can give them advice and help when they may need it any time during the school day – like a therapist.

As someone who has had a therapist for three years, I think it’s safe to say that it’s very helpful.

The right one can help you through almost any struggle and it’s just good to be able to let out all of your problems without judgement.

I think the first and most important step would be to find the perfect candidate for this position.

After that, send out a letter to all students to give their parents to sign if they approve with their child having the option of seeing the school therapist.

After it’s signed by the parent or parents, they have the ability

to make an appointment to see the therapist at any time during school.

It can be a safe place where anything the student talks about will be completely confidential unless it involves them hurting themselves or others and will bring more awareness to mental health.

I started going to a therapist during freshman year. Within the first few months of going, I already felt like I was getting the help I needed. I would talk through any struggles with my therapist and she would give me the best reassurance and advice on how to handle certain situations.

She also helped me overcome my social anxiety. I struggled being around large groups of people or meeting new people.

But I worked hard with my therapist to find ways to push through the social anxiety I had, and it’s definitely improved.

Therapy doesn’t fix everything. But it is a helpful tool that has helped me, my family, and many other people I know.

If therapy can help me, I know it could help others.

I think it can definitely be possible if we can get the district to put some money aside for this therapist.

Of course we do have school counselors, but they get stretched thin with class scheduling and preparing students for college.

We need a licensed therapist who we can hire for the school in order to benefit students in helping them with their personal struggles.

Good grief

Students find methods to cope with loss

colton morrow • reporter

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oss. The feeling of all the muscles in the body tensing up. The world around seems to stop and all other stresses of life seem to be overshadowed by this feeling that there is a hole in your life that can’t be filled. Junior Griffin Dykema lost his cousin Nick to suicide last spring.

“For being a 13 year old kid he was inspirational,” Dykema said. “He was on the football team and he was so smart.”

The stigma of the split between how different people deal with loss is rooted mainly in how much they find comfort in others. In Dykema’s case, he chose to seek more time alone

to process his emotions in peace.

“I definitely separated myself from everyone,” Dykema said.

“Focusing on other things is just gonna make me focus on the problem more.”

At the other end of the spectrum is senior Jordan Bandy. In September of her eighth grade year, Bandy was faced with the death of her father John Bandy, and after the tragedy, Bandy allowed those around her to offer support.

“I remember a bit after it happened my friends would start coming to my house every day and it made me feel loved,” she said.

Peers often find themselves in a situation where they don’t

know how to approach or help someone who has experienced loss. When trying to comfort someone who is going through loss, the simple ways of showing you are there for them can have a big impact.

“If you’re trying to comfort someone, make sure that they don’t blame themselves,” Dykema said. “Just reassuring them that it isn’t their fault can do so much.”

The process of dealing with loss is unique among everyone who goes through it. The way younger people deal with loss is often different from how adults handle it, according to counselor Suzanne Bandy.

“Kids tend to be more resilient and they are good at com-

partmentalizing the stress of it all,” she said.

Students who go through loss often are surrounded by their peers in school, church, or the activities they participate in. They may find themselves in positions where everyone around them is trying to console or sympathize with them.

“If I had to give one piece of advice to a person going through loss I would say that you can’t bottle up your feelings,” Jordan Bandy said. “I tried to do that and the feelings won’t go away.”

If you ever feel like you are alone in your journey, the National Youth Crisis Hotline has operators on standby 24/7 at 800-442-HOPE.

The truth behind teen vaping The addiction of nicotine proves to be tough to quit Alysse Ellerbrook • Reporter

As the hours tick by, junior Nicole* anxiously waits for a pack of Juul pods to feed her nicotine addiction. Her hands begin to shake as the urge for nicotine begins to steadily increase.

Vaping has become a popular habit among young teens for about three years and is common inside the walls of Martin.

Nicole started to vape in freshman year and continues to vape now.

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“I’ve been doing it for two years and became addicted to the buzz,” Nicole said.

Nicole went through a period where she did not vape and experienced withdrawals.

“I quit for a while,” Nicole said. “But I was around it so much. I would always use my friend’s vape, so I just ended up getting a new one.”

The vaping epidemic has recently been popular in the news and the coverage is spreading awareness about the

harmful effects of vaping, but Nicole said she isn’t worried about it.

“I’ve heard many different warnings about how bad vaping is for you,” Nicole said. “But I think it’s overdramatized. It’s concerning and I do worry about it sometimes, but I keep it in the back of my mind.”

Nicole said she doesn’t plan on vaping forever.

“I’ll probably quit after high school,” Nicole said.“I don’t want to have the burden of having to carry around a vape my whole life and I know it’s unhealthy,” Senior Jake*, also had a vape but chose to destroy it and quit vaping altogether.

“I kept seeing so many different things on the news about people dying,” Jake said. “It scared me. I don’t want to die because of a nicotine device.”

Jake also said quitting vaping

helped his health miraculously.

“Once I quit, I felt better,” Jake said. “Almost like I wasn’t dragged down by anything anymore. I felt lighter and had more energy.”

Jake said that quitting nicotine wasn’t as difficult for him as he thought it would be.

“When I first quit I thought it was going to be a long process of craving nicotine,” Jake said. “But surprisingly it wasn’t that hard.”

Martin nurse Zerritta Worsham said that vaping has severe consequences.

“It is not regulated and you don’t know exactly what is in it and what side effects it could cause to the body,” Worshanm said. “It destroys the lungs, leading to cancer and shortens your life every time you take a puff, and who doesn’t want to live a healthy life?”

Time’s running out

Students and counselors go over how to manage stress, a social life, and a rigorous schedule Elle Forsythe • Reporter

T

he stress of school takes a certain toll on everyone, that’s no doubt.

But have you ever noticed how there’s that one person who always seems to go above and beyond? There’s someone who is always working hard and putting in their best effort.

This choice group of students certainly leaves some questions as to how they juggle so many tasks at once, but there are some aspects of their daily life that compare greatly to that of an average student.

Many of the students here are participating in some sort of extracurricular activity that adds hours onto their school day.

This is nothing irregular, but the stress and overwhelming need for time management comes when these activities begin to pile on top of each other and smother out any chance of a normal sleep schedule and social life.

“I’m in Orchestra, Martin soccer, club soccer, NHS, MNHS, Key Club, Girl Scouts,

Youth Leadership Arlington, and student council,” junior Christin Williams said. “I feel overwhelmed all the time.”

It’s imperative that there’s some sort of system to help keep stress to a minimum. The question is, Can school help provide more of these tools to help students?

“There are some classes that are doing more long term projects where you don’t have homework every single night,” Counselor Jana Lewis said. “We offer so many tutorials during lunch and it is a great time to go in and meet with your teacher and get some individual help.

We also have the Learning Lab on Tuesdays and Thursdays where you can go in and get help from additional teachers.”

The problems for the everyday student body isn’t that there aren’t any options for them to seek out help, but rather the amount of time they are allotted to do so.

Many students are struggling through hours of homework each night, and some of the time the only way to get away

from the workload is when they are taking part in their other extracurricular activities or just trying to get their few hours of sleep in.

While loading up on classes helps in certain aspects of school life, counselors say that every student should think carefully before committing to a more rigorous workload.

Sophomore Erin Blasingame is involved in STEM Academy, the Robotics Team, TSA, choir, and does Taekwondo.

“Make sure that you keep in mind how much work each class has,” Blasingame said.

“And weigh how much you think this class would be useful in future life and also if you’re concerned with GPA and rank.”

With eight classes and hours of homework for the majority of nights, these students find it essential to have a way to remember what they have to get done, while also being able to focus completely on the task at hand.

“Just take it one thing at a time,” Williams said. “First of all, I write it down because if

you write it down then it’s out of your head and you can just focus on what you’re doing at the moment and not think about what you have to do.

Start with the hardest thing that takes the most brainpower first and then work your way to the easiest thing.”

Through it all, these students said they will continue to dedicate their time and effort into these activities that they believe will benefit them in the future, whether it be in an academic setting like a college or in general social settings – something that each individual said they are looking forward to as an outcome of all of their hard work.

“Just the knowledge that they do have a point and all of this work will pay off in the future,” Blasingame said. “All these classes and extracurriculars will help me prepare and set me up for not just a better internship, not only on a resume but just experience and knowledge that I won’t be stressed when I get to college and that I’ll know what I’m doing.”

“Start with the hardest thing that takes the most brainpower first and then work your way to the easiest thing.”

features • 9

Cutting edge Senior Samuel Ladesma has been running his own barber shop in the MAC boys lockeroom for the past two years

Senior Samuel Ladesma touches up Senior Ryan Wallace’s haircut in the MAC boys lockerroom. Photos by grace dean

Grace Dean• Reporter

W

hen thinking of where to get a haircut, people generally picture salons and barber shops, but what if you could get one right here at school?

Many students may be surprised to know that senior varsity football player Samuel Ledesma has been running a barbershop in the MAC football locker room for the past two years.

Ledesma began learning to cut hair by observing his cousin who works at a barber shop. He started giving haircuts at school after learning about how much his friends and teammates were paying their barbers for styles that he could do for less.

“When I started cutting hair I was just learning from my cousin and I would watch what

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he was doing,” Ledesma said.

“There were kids paying 30 or 40 dollars for a haircut and I thought, ‘Why would they do that?’ I took it upon myself to do it for them for a cheap price.

Everybody pays me $10 for any haircut.”

The barber station came from humble beginnings, originally lacking a proper chair and instead using an upside down trash can for clients to sit on.

However, through support from his team and coaches, Ledesma’s station now houses a wall mirror, storage for supplies, and an actual barber chair.

“I got a chance to observe him using an upside down trash can a couple of times,” head varsity football coach Bob Wager said.

“All the coaching staff went in together and decided to put a barber chair in there for him.

We thought it’d be great for

him and great for the team.”

Varsity players now often get together in the locker room to receive haircuts from Ledesma, making the barber shop a bonding experience off the field for the football team. Many of his teammates have witnessed his growth as a barber and have given him rave reviews.

“The experience is fun because a lot of the team will come hang out while waiting for haircuts,” senior varsity football captain Ryan Wallace said. “I’ve gotten a haircut from Sammy every two weeks since sophomore year. He has come a long way from his first cut and is now the best mullet stylist in the country.”

The football locker room isn’t the only place he runs business.

He also offers haircuts outside of school and at his own station in The Art of Barbering barber

shop.

“Outside of school, I work with my cousin sometimes and I have my own little booth at his shop,” Ledesma said. “I normally just cut the football kids’ hair, but sometimes they’ll spread the word and kids will meet me either at my shop or at my house.”

In the future, Ledesma has hopes of continuing football as a career. However, his talent may still have an impact in his life ahead.

“If I don’t go to school for football then I have plans of opening my own barber shop to continue cutting hair,” Ledesma said.

“He’s serious about his aspirations,” Wager said. “It’s what he wants to do, and what a perfect training ground and a perfect group of people to train on.”

Manicare Jacob Mayes • Reporter Self-care. What is it? Honestly, I don’t even know. But I know you find it in Youtube

A man’s guide to self care

videos, all of which include pedicures, facemasks, romcoms and lots of ice cream. Youtube videos, Instagram pictures, and Twitter threads all peddle this subject of self-care to a certain audience. This audience is largely women.

When the topic is as broad as self-care, something every human being needs, everyone needs to be let in.

Speaking from experience, men, unfortunately, don’t quite get the same outlets to take care

of themselves as women do.

Maybe these tools for self-care are aimed at women because they really only benefit that demographic.

Maybe a pedicure just doesn’t quite relax a man the way it does a woman. Maybe face masks and rom-coms just flip a switch in the female cerebrum that helps them unwind and keep their mind off of what’s pressuring them.

So instead of just sitting here and theorizing, let’s test this.

I spent many hours taking a close look at what women do to relax. I watched hours of Youtube videos, and scrolled through hundreds of Twitter threads and Instagram pages.

I finally concluded that to truly feel stress-free, I needed to try out a face mask, get a pedicure and manicure, and watch more than one chick-flick.

I’m not sure how I’m going to get through this, but it’s going to take some courage and the killing of my pride.

So first, I used the Dr. Jart+ Face Mask and used it on – you guessed it – my face. Its main function is to moisturize the face, and it definitely did its job. While it worked on the outside, I was still plagued with the stresses of school and whatever lies beyond my bed. But this selfcare process wasn’t done yet.

I still had two romance movies waiting for me. I tried to get out of it, but I had to do this. The fate of the world—no, I’m not sure what was at stake but I still sat down and watched The Notebook and Jerry Maguire.

Apparently, these movies are even better when accompanied by a good cry.

Unfortunately, no tears escaped these eyes but trust me, I tried. I replayed the “You complete me” scene in Jerry Maguire way more times than I would want to admit, yet these eyes stayed as dry as my face before the face mask.

While the movies themselves were good, by the time the credits rolled in the second movie, I didn’t feel any more relaxed than I did before. So then I was 0/2. Yikes.

I still had a pedicure and manicure in a few days and because of the many rave reviews that I had heard, my expectations were high.

Over Thanksgiving break, I went with some female friends to Nails USA. I’m not sure what they were doing with my feet and hands, but I liked the way it felt.

Unfortunately, and I’m sure some are ahead of me, this did not change the levels of stress in my head.

D

id I do something wrong? Sure my face was softer, my nails had a weird coat over them, and I am now attracted to Rachel McAdams, but I spent a week dedicated to self-care and I felt no different than I did a week before.

Maybe I didn’t use enough face cream, maybe I didn’t replay that Jerry Maguire scene enough times, or maybe I went to the wrong nail salon. But then it hit me: People are different.

Self-care isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of process. A person with

a broken arm needs different treatment than a person who is going into cardiac arrest.

So while I do believe the overall topic of self-care should be intended for everyone, the specific type of treatment you take must be discovered by you or someone who understands what you’re dealing with exactly.

Take time to experiment and discover what relaxes you, because it won’t be the same as your favorite Youtuber. features opinions••

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Mental illness and us Students share struggles with mental illness Claire Loyd • Reporter

W

ith mental illness becoming a more prominent issue in today's society, we are left to wonder what it’s like living with a mental health condition.

Mental illness is defined as a wide range of mental health conditions that may affect your mood, thinking, and behavior.

Mental health conditions including, anxiety, depression, and PTSD, are some of the conditions many students at Martin face every day.

“It’s a disease of the brain where the chemicals needed to make you feel certain emotions are not present or aren't present enough, or your brain simply lacks the ability to perform certain functions such as feeling empathy,” senior Abby* said.

Students have many different perceptions of what mental illness is.

“It’s an issue in the brain, and someone who has mental illness gets to a point where they can’t go through with whatever is the issue by themselves,” sophomore Grace* said.

Although mental illness is seen as different things to different people, many students face mental conditions everyday. When it comes to Martin students, anxiety seems to be the most prominent condition in students’ lives.

“I get feelings of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome,” Grace said. “It’s extremely hard to function, sometimes to a point where all you can do is break down.”

Anxiety disorders are treatable, but, only a staggering 37 percent of those suffering seek help and treatment.

“You can’t really control it,” sophomore Maddie* said. You don’t get to decide if you’re happy or sad.”

These students said they feel there is not enough emphasis put on mental illness at school.

“It's the same as if a football player broke their leg,” Abby said. “You wouldn't tell them to get up and walk off, so don't just tell them to be happy.”

One in five adults living in the US has some form of mental ill-

ness, which roughly equates to 46.6 million people in 2017.

To put that into perspective, roughly 14 percent of the US population has kidney disease, 20 to 30 percent have Celiac disease, and 10 percent of people over age 65 have Alzheimer’s disease.

“I know certain people think of mental illness as someone being crazy and not normal,” Grace said. “Although it can feel like that sometimes, a mental illness shouldn’t define who you are as a person.”

A common struggle among students with mental illnesses is panic attacks.

“Imagine you’re sitting in a room full of people enjoying life,” Grace said. “You began to breathe heavy, not knowing why at first. Your breathing becomes extremely shallow and because of your breathing, you begin to shake. After this, you begin to feel the world collaps-

ing on your back and you lose sight of what's happening in front of you. You begin to cry because you don't know how to stop it.”

While the struggle of facing an “invisible” condition can be extremely stressful and solitary, making them feel alone in the battle, many students find solace in different activities and arts they feel tranquility while doing.

Coping mechanisms are different for everyone and many people rely on different strategies and game plans to feel a sense of peace.

“Music is my coping mechanism, and my dad holds me and sings,” Grace said. “Singing and playing the piano really help.” *The interviews used in this article are from current, Martin students, but their names have been changed for privacy and confidentiality reasons.

“You can’t really control it. You don’t get to decide if you’re happy or sad.” features • 13 features • 13

What’s the hype?

Rylee Richardson • Features Editor

Caroline Brown•Features Editor

Aesthetically-pleasing sites like Instagram and Pinterest rack up interest and people suddenly have a new box on their To-Do lists. So, we chose three different glorified fads including Nekter, Soul Cycle, and a juice cleanse. We put their reputation to the test to see if they were indeed worth the hype.

Soul Cycle

14 • features

Soul Cycle is a company that takes a normal cycling class and transforms it into a full mind and body exercise for every individual cyclist. Many social media influencers have stressed how utterly amazing cycling classes are here, so we decided to test it. This was going to be a challenge because, let’s be honest, Caroline was the only one who had worked out purposely in the past month.

Initially, we were a spectacle since the studio was in a very nice part of uptown Dallas, and we didn’t really fit in driving a 2005 Jeep Liberty. Immediately walking into the Soul Cycle building, we were greeted with at least five employees who already knew our names and offered almost too much assistance. They gave us cycling shoes, showed us our new lockers, and then proceeded to give us a tour of the rest of the studio.

The bathrooms were incredibly clean and offered many different materials any person would need after a workout, including shampoo and conditioner, all types of soap, hair ties, feminine supplies, and

even dry shampoo.

Before our class started, the instructor, Berkley, approached us and made sure to learn each of our names so she could encourage us during the class.

Soon after, we made our way into the dim-lit cycling room and were assisted with adjusting our bikes’ accommodations.

The class was incredibly hard, and we underestimated how intense it would actually be. While biking, the instructor plays pounding music and screams instructions to us that correlate movements to the beat of the song.

We felt very out of shape sitting in the back struggling to keep up with the rest of the class. Our instructor kept encouraging us throughout the whole class by name and never failed to keep pushing us to the extreme limit we could endure.

As hard as the class may have been, we felt amazing afterward with the tremendous amount of endorphins pumping through our system followed by a better appreciation for people who can do every single move in that class. Soul cycle was indeed worth the hype.

Juice Cleanse Juice cleanses seem like a great way to be healthy and rid your body of toxins – all you have to do is not eat for three days. Yes, three days. When the idea to try a juice cleanse initially popped into my head, I thought it was a good idea. All you do is drink six juices a day for three days, and you’ll cleanse your body.

Simple.

Well, it wasn’t that simple.

After $103 each, the 18 juices arrived and were set into the fridge in an aesthetically-pleasing manner. I was honestly excited to do it.

However, that excitement went away after just a couple hours into the first day. The hunger was out of control, and the disgusting juices were not hitting the spot.

I told myself, just two and a half more days, it’s not that bad.

But it was that bad.

By the time I got to the fifth juice of the day, I was close to

breaking. I was also reminded of my hunger all night because I had to work at a restaurant and handle food. Sadly, at the end of the night, I caved, eating chips and salsa in my car.

The next morning, I turned over a new leaf.

I was determined to not eat for the following two days and wasn’t going to break again. Rylee and I had come to the agreement that if we could power through the next two days, we could eat dinner a little early on Wednesday night.

I chugged the unsavory juice all day and by the time I was in bed, I felt hungry, but invincible.

Day Two was a success, but Rylee began to struggle, almost throwing up one of the juices and hitting a breaking point.

She was ready to quit, and soon

Nekter Juice Bar Nekter is a juice bar in Fort Worth that offers cold-pressed juices, smoothies, and acai bowls. We set out to Nekter to try the acai bowls, mainly because of how hyped up they were.

Upon arriving at the empty juicery, we were met with high prices that immediately set a standard that it would be good.

After we paid $9.25 for an acai bowl, Rylee made the staff aware that she was allergic to nuts. They made accommodations for her and then asked if they could use coconut milk since it had nut in the name, which was disappointing and

humorous because coconuts do not affect nut allergies, but hey, at least they cared.

The acai bowl Caroline received was a rich plum color with different fruits on top and it was very aesthetically pleasing. However, Rylee’s bowl didn’t look good at all, being a muted brown color and not having many toppings.

Of course we snapped a few pictures and then put all judgments aside and tried it.

Sadly, it didn’t impress either one of us. For the price point, and the amount of people that rave about it, Nekter’s acai bowls were not worth the hype.

I was too.

When I woke up for Day Three, that great mentality was gone, and my stomach was in knots and wouldn’t stop making loud whale-like noises all throughout class. So we decided to cut the cleanse short for the sake of our mental and physical health, and eat at lunch.

We both drank one and a half juices, and then decided it wasn’t worth it anymore. We

were done.

We threw away the remainder of the juice and ate a victory meal for all the hard work. I don’t think of it as quitting, I think of it as saving myself.

While a juice cleanse seems healthy, it’s not.

Going without food for days at a time is the opposite of being healthy, and I can honestly say that the juice cleanse was not worth the hype.

16 • sports

Talking the talk

Lack of sex education can lead to danger, myths JessicA sALING • Reporter Sex. It’s a scary word. Especially in high school, sex can be incredibly taboo, but the influx of misinformation has resulted in adolescents accounting for 50 percent of STDs, despite being only 25 percent of the sexually active population.

In fifth grade, we watch the only piece of Texas-mandated sex education we get in our entire schooling process. This short video, which briefs girls on periods and boys on hair growth, is almost entirely silent on educating about sex.

Federal law says nothing on sexual education, leaving it under the states’ public schooling jurisdiction. As a result, only 25 states have mandated sex ed, the quality and content of which is inconsistent and not always required to be factual.

The federal government funds multiple abstinence-only initiatives, budgeting $176 million annually, in addition to matching state funds. These programs teach that sex should be saved for marriage and restrictions of their funding forbid the mention of contraceptions or other

safe sex practices.

For senior Joseph*, his parents were the only ones to talk to him about sex, and all they taught him was abstinence.

“I wouldn’t even know how to have safe sex if I wanted to,” he said.

All his knowledge of birth control comes from outside sources and peers, and he is unaware of most forms of birth control.

This can lead to dangerous practices, and for girls especially, can lead them to harmful situations. Sophomore Cara* who has only ever discussed abstinence with her parents, said she is grateful for other people in her life who taught her to know better.

“A guy told me that having sex standing up would prevent pregnacy,” she said. “I would’ve gone along with it if I hadn’t already known it was fake information from my friends. It’s really dangerous to not know what you’re doing.”

Nearly 25 percent of Texas schools now mention contraceptives in sex education, but the information is incredibly limtited, and still doesn’t in-

clude information on myths and ineffective methods.

AISD, the ninth largest district in Texas, maintains an abstinence only method with no requirements to take any health course. According to Principal Marlene Roddy the only sex ed course available for use in the district would have to be approved by the entire AISD for use in any one of our schools.

Martin’s Health curriculum has few restrictions on its sexual education portion, but other schools in the district, in the state, and in the country, aren’t able to teach as openly.

This may seem like a non-issue to many who have parents who talk to them, or who feel fully educated with what their

schooling has given to them, but look around you. For junior Jayce*, despite being consistently sexually active, he has never had a talk with his parents about sexual activity of any kind – including abstinence.

“It’s a danger to me and my girlfriend’s health,” he said. “A lot of the stuff I’ve been asked about today, I didn’t really know about.” *Names have been changed for privacy purposes Sources: • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Sexual Risk Behavior: HIV, STD, & Teen Pregnancy Prevention.”

• “Sex education in Texas Public Schools” Texas Freedom Network.

Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Youth risk behaivor surrveliance survey, 2009

features • 17

‘I had completely lost myself’’

Anyone can struggle with eating disorders

leslie gomez • reporter

A

m I skinny enough?

That’s the question that runs through my mind every single day as I compare myself to the girls around me in the halls and on social media. I have the constant urge to skip a meal and to lessen my intake.

I’m finally ready to talk about my eating disorder and how I’m currently trying to recover from it. I know that my case is not as extreme as some cases, but I believe that it is so important to talk about this sensitive topic to guide people to get the proper help that they deserve.

From a very young age, I was pressured in my own dance company to be the pretty and skinny girl, so I would strive to feel the praise from my instructor, especially since I was the youngest in the company.

This pressure haunted me for years but I never acknowledged the psychological effect it was having on me.

Near the end of my junior year, I started noticing my weight a little more than usual since I had just quit the soccer team.

The spark of my disorder was the harmless act of beginning to

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check my weight every morning.

After a couple of weeks of watching over my weight, I began to do portion control, which eventually led to me skipping meals. As things intensified, I became more obsessed with the thought of being skinnier.

I wasn’t happy with the amount of weight I was losing so I began to cut back on meals, and as time went by, I got to the point where I was only eating one meal a day and checking my weight every single time I walked past the restroom in my house.

I became obsessed with the thought of being skinny and the desperate need to feel accepted by the people around me at school and on social media. I didn’t feel relief until I started seeing the numbers on the scale go down.

In the span of three months, I had lost a total of 20 pounds. I felt so proud of myself and this terrible achievement.

People began to notice how small I was getting and I started feeling my confidence skyrocket.

I didn’t start to notice how harmful this was for me until my mom started noticing my weight loss and her concern for my health shot through the roof.

I began to look past my temporary happiness of my weight loss, and started noticing the terrible headaches and constant naps I would take at any chance I could.

There were days where I couldn’t even remember the last time I had eaten anything.

I felt myself changing with each pound I lost and I had completely lost myself. After I had reached my desired weight, I couldn’t stop. It got to the point where none of my clothes would fit anymore.

I became irritable with everyone around me. My relationships with my friends and family members were falling apart, and I began to feel alone and lost. I didn’t realize that this disorder would affect everything in my life.

After my family sat me down for a talk, I knew I had to change. This disorder had taken over my life. I felt selfish for letting this disorder affect

my loved ones’ lives and I was finally ready to go back to my old self.

My mom helped me get professional help and my family supported me through this journey. I have friends who will ask me if I have eaten yet.

Ever since I got help, all of my relationships have gotten stronger, and for the first time in months, I feel like myself again.

I still struggle with my weight to this day, but I’m slowly starting to gain weight again. There are times where I want to skip a meal, but I don’t want to go back to that person I was. Seeking help was one of the best things that I have ever done.

Meridith Moore• Editor-in-Chief

The training

I once could refer to myself as “fit.” My JV cross country, sophomore year self, who ran five miles a day and hadn’t seen the horrors of the stress of junior year, would’ve jumped at the opportunity of accomplishing this lifelong dream.

However, in my current state – an overworked senior who never runs and lives only off of Dr. Pepper – the idea of completing this race seemed challenging. Knowing how I get out of breath when I walk up a flight of stairs, I made a choice any logical, sane person would do: Instead of training for months, getting back to my fit self like in any good, inspirational Rocky montages, I impulsively signed up for a race that was three days away. Referring to my pre-race experience as ‘training’ oozes with irony.

My pre-race diet consisted of pizza rolls and Sour Patch Kids that I consumed, fully knowing that in a couple of days, I had to run a half marathon. If running for all those years on track and cross country teams taught me anything, it’s that eating pasta the night before the race is a must. Besides a five mile run that made me extremely sore, eating pasta Friday night was the only piece of preparation I did. The day of the race, I lined up at the start line, extremely sore and among moms that were ten times healthier than I am. Setting off at the start listening to my 1960s hits playlist, I accepted every possible triumph or comical failure this half marathon had to offer.

The race

While I could go into an inspirational account of the trials and tribulations of my race, I believe a story about my sole motivation, a Twizzler, sums it

20 • features

up perfectly.

What kept me going during lap two was the promise of getting another Twizzler from the lady passing them out in the first lap. To my pain and betrayal, the lady was gone. Maybe they ran out or maybe they didn’t want to stay and pass it out to the slow people, but all that matters is that there wasn’t a Twizzler. The universe blessed me with a sliver of hope: On Mile 12, to my delight, I found a pristine untampered packaged Twizzler on the ground. I squatted down like a predator about to pounce on its prey and beelined for the Twizzler. A poor innocent mom turned around in horror to see some random, unprepared teenage crouching over, gently removing the package and proceeding to eat the Twizzler from the ground.

Nothing could prepare for how amazing it tasted. Sadly it was one of the most delicious thing I’ve ever had. With the sustenance of the Twizzler and the lyrical genius of “Fergalicious,” I was able to finish all 13 miles of the race.

The reflection

Something was really surreal about the whole experience.

I’ve always had goals I wanted to accomplish but when all is said and done, I put it off for the unforeseen future thinking that I’ll be more prepared then.

I’m always inspired by the motivational rhetoric that fills our lives via Instagram posts and home decor, but when do we ever truly live by these quotes?

Actually going out and accomplishing something showed me there’s never going to be a “perfect” time. While my race wasn’t ideal, it was still my race, still my dream. When it comes to accomplishing your goals: If not now, when?

Going the extra mile Running a half marathon with three days notice

Allison Greenwood • Reporter

The training

On the Tuesday before race, I casually asked my mom if I could run a half marathon, which prompted her to say, “Tell me a little more.” She then volunteered my dad, who has run marathons in the past, to run it with me. My dad agreed to set my pace. My dad and I then persuaded my mom to run it with us as well. Unlike my extreme amount of training, a.k.a. none, my mom ran a total of 14 miles the week of the race.

So considering that I signed up for the race less than a week prior to it, reveals the amount of training I did. The furthest I had ever run at one time was four miles. Although I don’t train in long distance running, I have gymnastics practice multiple times a week, conditioning, and strength training.

The day before the race, I carb loaded with a nice meal of pasta with chicken, and purchased Cliff Energy Gummies from Academy for the run. The next morning I woke up, prepared my playlist, prayed I would finish, and hopefully, not pass out.

I accepted the dreaded 13.1 miles ahead and the post-race, unable-to-walk soreness.

The race

Throughout the race, while passing the water stations, I wanted to stop running. But there was an unspoken motivation of wanting to finish with the best time I could. My dad was also running next to me and I didn’t want to be the one that slowed down or stopped.

I knew that if I began to walk that I would be unable to start again, so I decided not to stop.

During the race at Miles 6 and 7, my knees began to hurt because it was a steep part of the course and I wasn’t used to the constant pounding of concrete on my legs for an hour. At this point of the race, the ener-

gy gummies began tasting like snails and I wasn’t really here for that. Shakira really pushed me through these tough miles.

Even though my legs were going numb, I am a competitive person, so at Mile 11 I passed five other runners and that adrenaline pushed me to finish the last two uphill miles.

The second I passed the finish line and was handed my medal, I could hardly walk. After stretching for a few minutes, they began calling awards for the categories and unexpectedly called my name for finishing first out of my age group. Who knew I could win first out of two, without training?

The reflection

After the race, there was a profound feeling of accomplishment for what I had just completed. I never imagined that I would be able to run for this amount of time. I am so thankful I put this spontaneous idea into action (which I would not specifically recommend) but it definitely became a rewarding experience. I am astonished that my body and mind were able to run this distance, and it revealed how much determination can push you to do great things.

No time will be ideal to run a race like this and you will never be one hundred percent prepared, so why not run it with a three-day notice?

Time: 2:14 Place:1st in age group Status: Sore

features • 21

Mind games

Video games address mental health issues

ethan baggett • reporter Lately, themes of mental health have been making their way through the media in forms of posts on social media, music, movies, and occasionally video games. These video games, that incorporate ideas of mental health, reveal to their players the real message behind what might just be a regular game.

That Dragon, Cancer

Celeste

That Dragon, Cancer is an autobiographical game about a kid with cancer and the strain that it puts on the family’s mental health. The game takes you into the perspective of the Green family, who have learned from doctors that their 12-month-old son, Joel, has cancer and will most likely not be able to live for more than a few months.

However, through a miracle, he made it all the way to the age of 5. The game plays as a diary, throwing you into different parts of Joel’s life. As you continue throughout the game, it shows the uplifting moments the family goes through and the many heartbreaking moments as well.

At one point, you play from Joels’ perspective and drive around in a toy car in the hospital with a little set up race track. At another point the game you are the perspective of Ryan, Joel’s dad, who is trying to calm down Joel’s sad painful cries in his crib.

While the game on the outside seems like a huge experience about death and depressing elements, as you continue on, you will soon notice that it is in fact the opposite. The game does its best to give a message about living, rather than how we perish. Their father-son moments are what really make you appreciate the game and put a smile on your face and give you the true message of living life to the fullest and trying to enjoy every moment you have.

That Dragon, Cancer originally started back when Joel had reached the age of four. His parents wanted to relay their experiences of raising Joel to a larger audience and make an inspiring story dedicated to him. Unfortunately, in March 2014, Joel passed away due to his illness, which caused Ryan and Amy to become even more devoted to completing the game in honor of Joel’s memory.

You can pick up That Dragon, Cancer now on Steam. Profits will go to Morgan Adams Foundation and Family House SF.

Celeste is a tough-as-nails game about timing jumps and avoiding obstacles, also known as a platformer, that follows a girl named Madeline as she climbs the mysterious Celeste Mountain. As Madeline continues her challenge of climbing Celeste Mountain, you slowly learn why she is climbing it in the first place while also learning the mysterious power it holds deep inside it.

The game reveals that Madeline is suffering from depression as well as anxiety, and at some points, it even shows her facing a few panic attacks while also alluding to the fact that she has faced them in the past as well. While you continue through the game, another side of Madeline manifests into another person and is revealed to be the insecure part of her and is afraid of being left alone. As Madeline faces the hardships that Celeste Mountain throws at her, she learns more about herself and you start seeing determination build up in her as she slowly starts to overcome her depression.

The music and gameplay both fit the overall theme of Celeste.

Once you start to see the light and overcome the obstacles, the music starts to take a more invigorated beat and gradually becomes more intense for each chapter.

As for gameplay, the game takes a focus as a platformer that doesn’t let up with its difficulty. You will most certainly miss a jump and get frustrated. At the end of each chapter, the game shows you the number of times you failed during a chapter, but this isn’t to try and discourage you, it’s to make you want to do better.

At moments in the game, you will die countless times, but reaching the end of a chapter or a new checkpoint always makes you feel accomplished in the end. The gameplay perfectly matches the struggles that Madeline goes through and ultimately makes you connect with her even more. After Celeste’s release, many people have praised it for its amazing story and gameplay.

22 • entertainment

Love or delusion ?

30 years after his execution, Ted Bundy impacts women as they continue to romanticize his appeal Makenzie Gaines • Reporter Often when people think of serial killers they think of sick, twisted, evil masterminds.

However, not everyone in the public believes this to be true.

Some see a sweet and caring person when they look into the eyes of a serial killer.

Ted Bundy was a serial killer who was killed in the electric chair at Florida State Prison on January 24, 1989.

He raped, battered, and murdered his victims, which were mostly women. However, one woman, like many others, fell in love with him.

Carole Ann Boone met Ted Bundy at the Department of Emergency Services in Olympia, Washington, around the same time she was going through her second divorce.

“I guess I was closer to him than other people,” Boone said in an interview Alle McMahon.

“I liked Ted immediately, we hit it off well.” At this time Bundy had already murdered and raped his first victims.

In 1975, Bundy was arrested and convicted of the kidnapping and assault of a 12-yearold girl.

Even though he was convict-

ed, Boone and Bundy’s relationship grew stronger.

At first, Bundy insisted he didn’t kill anyone, which Boone believed. She believed that he would never do such a thing, that it would be so out of character. During one of the trials, Bundy had asked Boone’s hand in marriage.

Though a courtroom is a very inappropriate place to ask for someone’s hand in marriage, Boone didn’t mind.

She said yes and they were married in 1979, and later even had a child together. Though things seemed to be going well for Boone, the case against Bundy grew more and more sour.

Soon Bundy had no choice but to confess.

In 1989, Ted Bundy confessed to killing 30 victims, though police believed that he killed more than a hundred victims.

Once Bundy admitted to the murders, Boone was quick to get a divorce. She had fought by his side through the whole case believing full-heartedly that he was innocent.

Feeling betrayed, she couldn’t stay by his side, and said she didn’t feel right supporting someone who not only lied to

her, but murdered countless women.

Though Boone was smart to leave Bundy, many women in today’s culture would have loved to take her place.

In the new series on Netflix called Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, movie star Zack Efron playing as the serial killer. Critics were concerned that the show was idolizing a relationship with Ted Bundy.

However, the fantasy of being with Ted Bundy isn’t new.

Women are attracted to Ted Bundy, not just because of his looks, but because they’re attracted to the thought of having someone willing to possibly kill for them by their side.

However, it is very likely that Bundy’s Antisocial Personality Disorder had played a part in it. One of the symptoms in this disorder, antagonism, means to be manipulative, deceitful, callous, and hostile. This is, and it can have a great impact on anyone, not just women.

Though Ted Bundy is very much dead, some women are still very much attracted to him.

The women who are attracted to Ted Bundy want confidence in a man, not someone who is awkward and quiet.

Unfortunately, Ted Bundy was an extremely smart man who has made women adore him left and right, even in death women are still fantasizing about this crazed killer.

entertainment • 23

24 • features

Kickin’ It

Photo by Ali Shirazi-Nejad

Students find support and an outlet through taekwondo Sara Blasingame•News Editor

A

mong the student population of about 3,500 that walk through the halls of Martin, a small group of students have something in common that only few others know about: they all have achieved their black belts in Taekwondo.

A black belt in Taekwondo is an accomplishment that these students have been working on for years to achieve.

“You have to stay in Taekwondo for at least five years to reach first degree black belt,” sophomore Ali Shirazi-Nejad said.

Shirazi-Nejad is a second degree black belt at the Lone Star Institute of Taekwondo.

“I’m focusing on teaching and giving back,” Shirazi-Nejad said. “For the last seven or eight years, I’ve been taught, and now it’s my turn to give back before junior year.”

Senior Aiden Johnson is a first degree black belt who trains at Lake Arlington Karate Academy. He will be testing for his second degree black belt in May. “It gives me something physically to do,” Johnson said. “I’m not in athletics and I don’t go

work out very often, so Taekwondo is a way that I can stay somewhat in shape.”

Senior Augistine Nguyen is a second degree black belt who trains at Lone Star Institute of Taekwondo. He hopes to test for his third degree black belt in the spring of 2021.

“I started Taekwondo because my parents made me,” Nguyen said. “I started when I was six or seven.”

Taekowndo has many benefits that help kids to learn life skills and give them a safe place to let loose.

“I have ADD, so it helps a lot with self control and discipline,” Johnson said. “Taekwondo really did help me learn more self control, focus, time management skills and the ability to continue doing something even if I don’t enjoy it.¨ The five tenets of Taekwondo: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, indomitable spirit and self control, are stated at the beginning and end of every belt test that the students take.

“In regards to the tenets of Taekwondo, it has helped me keep up with especially perseverance,” Nguyen said.

Shirazi-Nejad said that Taekwondo has given him a safe

outlet to assist him in balancing school and life.

“It’s given me a safe place to be where I can just walk in there and be relieved of all stress and just do what I love to do,” Shirazi-Nejad said.

Although Taekwondo has many benefits for students, it can be hard for students to juggle their school work and Taekwondo classes at night.

“I do my best and there are some points where I just go to class and I come home and I have homework really, really late or I do it during school,” Shirazi-Nejad said.

School also takes priority over the student’s Taekwondo classes and can prevent the students from attending martial arts classes.

“Usually, I go to Taekwon-

do on Saturday morning, and even then I don’t get to go all the time because I’m busy doing college tours or homework,” Johnson said.

Taekwondo has been a place for students to receive emotional and mental support in a safe place.

“I have friends inside the taekwondo school that I can go to about stuff outside Taekwondo and it’s a safe place,” Johnson said.

The biggest thing that students of Taekwondo said they take away from their experience are the life-long lessons that will serve them for years to come. ¨I learned that nothing comes overnight, Shirazi-Nejad said.

“From the beginning, I knew I was going to be doing this for a long time.¨

Senior Augustine Nguyen at a tournament

sports • 25

Practice, practice, practice Track Runner Attends football and soccer practices to gain experience of other sports Lilly Griffiths • reporter

Soccer

Soccer was during 10th period, so I showed up at 1:12 with a tank top and shorts on.

I walked in and no one other than my friends knew who I was or recognized me. I immediately got self-conscious as I realized how many dedicated soccer girls there were.

We warmed up with a half mile run around the turf field in the MAC and quickly after we stretched in a circle. We did drills and then reported to the weight room to do five workouts with three sets by eight reps each.

Once we got outside we grabbed a ball and did juggles and other small ball warmups. After that, we divided into groups and played a game called “keep away” where there are two defenders and you try to get six passes without letting the defenders get full possession three times. If the defenders get possession, the offense has to run and vice versa.

I soon realized that I cannot kick a soccer ball for the life of

26 • sports

me, but it was fun getting to experience a new sport without any prior training.

Football

The players were super nice and social with me at first. They were easy to talk to, and they were understanding that I’ve never played football before.

The coaches did take it easy on me, but they did expect me to complete all the drills like everybody else.

After a couple of drills I crossed my arms, Coach Wager took notice of this and he came up to me and said, “We don’t cross our arms. We don’t want the other team to think we’re tired.”

We got the plays and #33 (who turned out to be junior Demario Shorten) said, “You ready to do this play? Here’s how we’re gonna do it. You’re gonna line up with the offense and drive back. If the ball comes your way either catch it or hold up an ‘x’ with your hands.”

I felt a lot of pressure from that, but I was going to do it either way.

I completed the play and the guys were hyping me up, so it made me feel part of the team.

PPhoto by Meridith Moore After that, I went with the runing backs and we did “the blaster” drill. I saw them run through with full force and I was expected to do the same. I got stuck halfway through. The boys didn’t hesitate to cheer me on and walk with me to complete the drill.

Afterwards, I watched plays and they turned on speakers that had a “crowd” cheering.

It was really overwhelming and I couldn’t hear anything being called whatsoever. At that

point, practice for me was over.

I’ve never been more confused while playing a sport, but it was such a good experience and it was really life-changing.

Coach Wager called out players and told them how to proceed at the next playoff game against Odessa Permian.

As they were running through tapes, they’d call out the boys and asked them questions. and they answered with ease. I could easily tell that they knew a lot about football.

Sophomore Lilly Griffiths caught the ball while doing drills up and down the field. PHoto by Meridith Moore

Taking a knee

Student athletes talk about how injury has affected them

Humberto Rodriguez • Sports Editor

Injury is something that all athletes dread because the only outcome is time away from play.

“ACL injuries are more common in girls and it depends on the sport,” Athletic Trainer Joey Peña said. “There are different variants when it comes to strength and conditioning and how common they are.”

When the injury happens, sometimes athletes don’t feel it right away because of the adrenaline is running through their bodies.

Junior Kyron Askey talks about his injury in a game against Rockwall on Sept. 20.

“It was the very first play of the game I tried to make a block but my leg twisted and it caved in and that is how I tore my meniscus,” Askey said. “Later on throughout the game, coach gave

me a reverse play I was running and as I got tackled it caved back in and it popped my ACL and tore it.”

When an injured athlete is not able to come to school because of the injury the support that they receive from their family and teammates means a lot.

“I got a lot of support from my family, and teammates,” Askey said. “My teammates gave me a lot of support on the daily.

Somebody was texting me almost every day checking up on me and I enjoyed knowing I had caring teammates.”

Support after an injury is what keeps the athlete motivated to keep working to come back stronger than ever.

“Usually a lot it starts with the parents,” Peña said. “Parents are very supportive. Then it goes to

the coaching staff. You know you never want to see an athlete get injured so they are always there to try and keep them motivated.

From the staff then it goes to teammates. Teammates are there to keep them motivated and keep pushing forward.”

When a serious injury happens, the physical therapy and training can take a long time.

“I was in physical therapy for a whole two years because I had four ligament tears in my ankle,” junior Zoe Koenigseder said.

“But for my knee, it was six to nine months.”

When recovering from an injury, motions that were able to be done without thinking before, now require a second thought.

“Things that I was able to do without even thinking about it, now I am very cautious because I don’t want to risk tearing it,”

Koenigseder said. “Now I have to think about what I am doing because otherwise I think I am going to tear it.”

They spend a lot of time in the training room and at physical therapy, which can sometimes be isolating.

“We always try to have rehab around with the sport that they’re a part of,” Peña said. “If they are outside we will have rehab with them with the team so they don’t feel isolated away from everyone, so that helps with that.”

With a season-ending injury, athletes are more serious of returning than realized.

“It momentarily made me stop playing the game that I love doing,” Askey said. “It made me more hungry to get back on the field and do better for my senior year and increase my chance at playing in collge.”

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