April 2017 Warrior Post

the warrior post

Martin High School - 4501 W Pleasant Ridge Rd., Arlington, TX 76016 - Volume 35 Issue 4 April 7, 2017 During a game against Seguin March 3, freshman George Davey winds up to pitch. The freshman baseball team won 14-0.

Photo by Savannah Fouts

the wellness issue what’s inside Changing of When a heart Behind the the guard breaks facade

Music box

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Representing the Warrior Nation Mr. MHS candidates serving looks and serving laughs March 2

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1) Mr. MHS contestants congratulate senior Myles Rice as he gets crowned as Mr. MHS 2017.

2) Seniors Jackson Hall, Joshua Soroka, Patrick Grady and junior Nickolas Hight dance to Jingle Bell Rock.

3) Junior Spencer Trussell and senior Ali Alirezaieyan show off their moves in a dancing skit.

4)Seniors Johnathan Wong and Robert Kim perform in a skit for Mr. MHS. Wong plays a disappointed dad, while Kim plays the son who can’t get an A. 5) Junior Will Grindstaff shows off his lifeguarding skills in the swimwear category for Mr. MHS. Photos by Jessica Owens

‘I would have loved to see who he grew up to be’ Friends and teachers remember senior David Crews Ashley Byrd & Brooklin Bruno • Reporters Senior David Allen Crews passed away Sunday morning, Feb. 12 in Arlington. His friends and teachers say that Crews will be remembered as an inspiration to many and as a kind-hearted person.

“I was friends with him for only four months, but he could still always tell when I was upset,” senior Mariah Martinez said. “He could always get my mind off of the negative things and put me in a better mood.

He taught me not to care what people thought. He was funny and awkward, but the good

kind of awkward.”

Friends and teachers say he was reserved, yet could bring a smile to any face in the classroom, and that his humorous personality was contagious.

“I would describe David as quiet, nice and funny,” Algebra teacher Karen Peters said. “He was always very quiet in my class, but brought a good attitude. I had a special bond with David.

After he moved on from my class he still stopped by everyday to say hi to me in my room.”

He brought laughter, joy, and encouragement to his friends and

family. Those who knew Crews said they will remember him as a funny and caring person.

“I only had him for a semester, but he was always pleasant and had a smile on his face,” Psychology teacher Rachel Peterson said. “He seemed to have quite a few friends and was very easy-going. I was very saddened to hear what happened to him.”

Crews’ kindheartedness was admired by the people around him. He was secure in himself and was always his own person.

“David had such a kind heart, quick sense of humor and a

sweet gentle soul,” counselor Amy Benson said. “I am so sad the world will no longer be impacted by him anymore.

He was such a good friend and impacted so many others. I would have loved to see who he grew up to be.”

Constructive criticism

Teachers, students speak about various construction projects Lauren Worth & Ashley Odom • Reporters It’s not every day that you come into school and see water pouring out of the ceiling in the Upper Gym Lobby, like we did on Valentine’s Day, but it wasn’t really a surprise considering all the work that was being done.

Martin has been under construction for the past few months, but what is all of this really for? And more importantly, when will it end?

“The big things are roofing, and people have to move for that,” Assistant Principal Scott Johnston said. “They are also changing out controls and air conditioning units, and they have to move people out for that too. And they are installing new projectors and screens in the classrooms.”

Due to safety precautions, along with the constant noise and smells that the construction brings, several teachers are having to relocate. Having a new classroom every day creates some problems for the students and

teachers.

“In many classes, we had to go to different places, like the library, because it smelled so bad or because the construction was loud,” junior Tatum Tran said.

While moving class around doesn’t seem impossible, it’s an inconvenience to the teachers and students, and it’s not always easy to recreate the same learning environment in the different places that classes are moved to.

“They had the tar kettle right outside my window and the fumes were so strong that within ten minutes, I had a headache,” English teacher Pam Tracy said.

“It was an inconvenience to not be in the classroom, but I’m just glad that the library was open and able to accommodate us.”

Teachers also had to move because of the construction going on in their classroom, and, in some cases, water pouring into the building.

“Of course being in the library, we don’t have all the resources

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we need, so I’ve had to change the curriculum around, but the students have been very flexible,” English teacher Olivia Basham said, whose room was inches deep in water.

Flooding in her room and some other teachers’ rooms has ruined some of their work, books, and supplies.

“I lost a lot of my teaching materials and some of the students’ work,” Basham said.

“Class time was lost with students recreating assignments that had to be turned into the state. They were writing poems that were lost and lots of students were very upset about that.”

It was also hard for students to miss the river of rainwater flowing down the stairs next to the cafeteria, but even though the flooding was an inconvenience, students were able to find humor in it. All of the unwanted water was due to the unfinished roofing on parts of the building.

“The roof is not finished until they gravel it, and there are

temporary drains up there,” Johnston said. “Debris clogged the drains so the water backed up on the roof and and as it gets heavier it starts looking for the weakest spot.”

Unfortunately, the school will continue to deal with disturbances and relocations since the construction will not be done until after summer break.

“On Aug. 31, everything is supposed to be finished,” Johnston said. “The air conditioning, roofing, and auditorium will all be new, as well as some technology, like the projectors and white boards.”

Although a lot of the negative effects seem to be coming from changes that don’t directly benefit the students, like the new roof, the repairs are necessary and putting the bond money to good use. Administrators said that while none of this is ideal, it’s all in efforts to improve the school, and they’re working on finishing as efficiently and as quickly as possible.

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Not-so-foreign exchange Students feel at home on Spring Break Italy trip

Martin exhange students on a bridge in Venice.

Photo courtesy of Morgan Damon Curt Leland • News Editor “Gli americani stanno arrivando” or “The Americans are coming!” is plastered in big letters on a poster in a small high school hallway in Udine, Italy.

Teachers and host families get ready to allow seemingly random American teenagers into their life for a week.

During the Fall semester, students have the opportunity to host Italians as exchange students. The students come to explore American culture and give presentations, but not many people even know we have a two-way exchange program.

“First, we went to Venice, and then we stayed at people’s houses for three days,” sophomore Sophia Biggs said. “We went to school with them for those three days and gave presentations on what life is like here, so it was fun.”

One of the main purposes of an exchange program is to share cultures, so the group had to find any way possible to do so.

“We had to do a Texas dance at their school,” sophomore Courtney Peterson said. “We had to do the Cotton-Eyed Joe. We had to do it in front of the whole school and we learned it

in the London airport when we were waiting for our flight.”

The Italians said they thought the dancing was really entertaining and fun. Besides going to high school along with the students, the Martin students were led around Austria and Slovenia. The Italian students served as tour guides for the Americans to help them practice their English skills. While the Italians are practicing for school, the Americans got unique culture shock.

“In Venice it’s not a problem for us because they know English,” trip sponsor Rhonda Pugh said. “We eat different food, and yes, we listen to different music. Italians take a lot of time in fellowship and that is somewhat of a shock.”

One simple difference is the fact that Italians walk almost everywhere they travel which may seem tiring for Americans.

“One year we had a situation where the Italian exchange students were here, but we were giving a test and didn’t need the Italians to be in the building,” Pugh said. “So I suggested they walk to Kroger to see a modern supermarket with a Starbucks to have some coffee.

There are also some businesses

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to have an economics lesson.

Our kids were going, ‘We can’t have them walk to Kroger!’ The Italians thought nothing of it.”

The simple difference in walking may seem small, but it was one of the main differences the students noticed along with other cultural contrasts.

“All their buildings are super old and the history is really important to them,” sophomore Morgan Damon said. “So whenever we toured around places they always gave little presentations about history of all the building and cathedrals.”

The students were not only surprised by the buildings, but by the actual environment.

“I felt a lot safer than expected,” Biggs said. “They talked about how we would need to watch out and be suspicious.

It’s not safer than here, but safer than I thought it would be.”

Even though the vast amount of history and scenery changes were amazing to the students, simply being with the Italians was the most impactful. The students said that the experience was life-changing and recommend more students participate in the exchange next year.

“They were all nice and friendly,” Damon said. “We had our own personal exchange student to live with, so it made the experience more personal.”

What's up, Doc?

HOSA tem members placed second and advanced to state. The competition tests medical terminology and knowledge. Photo by Tiffany Mei

HOSA advances to state competition Emily Hale • Copy Editor & Elizabeth Prickett • Features Editor Fingers poised over the tiny red buttons, students prepare to enter the intellectual fray. Ten minutes later, the tension dissipates. A winner is crowned, and the next round looms ahead.

This is the format for Health Occupation Students of America’s teamwork competition: HOSA Bowl.

HOSA Bowl is an event in which two teams compete in a trivia tournament with a medical twist. The teams sit at long tables facing the moderator in the middle of the room. The moderator reads off a question, giving the teams five seconds to buzz in the answer.

Three teams from Martin qualified for the HOSA Bowl

area competition held Feb. 4.

One team advanced to state competition, on March 30, but did not advance to national competition.

“It’s kinda like the Mean Girls Mathlete competition,” Biomedical Science teacher Michele Davda said. “It’s very fastpaced and exciting.”

At Area competition, the teams answered questions regarding the HOSA organization, as well as medical facts. With such a variety of information to cover, teams need to learn communication skills and effective collaboration in order to work as a unit.

“Junior Luke Overman was responsible for diet and

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nutrition,” junior Matthew Luu said. “Junior Abram Qui was responsible for anatomy and physiology and medical terminology. Senior Connor Greenwood was responsible for history and names, and I had medical law and bioethics.”

Though covering such a diverse range of information may seem daunting, the teams practice by competing against each other in order to simulate opposition much like the ones at Area. Though the different teams from Martin study together, they are sometimes pit-

ted against one another during the Bowl.

“We wanted the other teams to win, but they lost by one point in the last minute,” Luu said. “It was disappointing.”

The pertinence of the information learned for the competition however, does not end with the final buzzer.

“HOSA Bowl gives you a better knowledge as to what’s out there for medical careers,” Greenwood said. “It supplies you with more information so you know what it is that you’re choosing.”

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Roll call “My mom and my dad have these friends who live in Alabama and for their 50th wedding anniversary the husband gave his wife a poem called Ode to Avigail,” junior Avigayle Burgin said. “My mom really liked that but, she didn’t like the spelling so she switched the spelling and it means, ‘Her Father Rejoices.’

We liked that because of our faith and my dad rejoiced when I was born and the Lord rejoices too when he’s watching over me” • “My mom knew this girl name Shayne, and she really liked the name and found out it meant beautiful,” sophomore

Have you ever thought about how you got your name? These stories are a little different.

Interesting spelling, pronunciation and backstory, Martin has it all.

Erin Rosenbaum & Sofia Viscuso • Reporters said. “It’s kinda cool because it means brown and my last name is brown. When I go to the horse races I always bet on the sorrel horses. They always lose. I don’t know why, maybe they’re just slow.”

• “My dad was a Marine Corps pilot and he really liked the movie Top Gun,” senior Maverick Luke Skywalker Culp said. “I was actually supposed to be a girl, but when I was born a guy my dad got to name me. He named me Maverick after Tom Cruise in Top Gun, but because I’m Catholic we have to have a saint’s name within our name, so he chose Saint Luke and

Shane Burleson said. “She later figured out she spelled my name the boy way instead of the girl way.”

• “My dad wanted to name me and at the time my mom was pregnant with me, one of her friends was getting married and her name was Kandilaria and my dad saw the invitation and was like, ‘Wow, that’s such a pretty name,’ and shortened it to Kandi,” senior Kandi Kendrick said.

• “There’s a type of horse called a sorrel horse and it’s a chestnut color and as you can see, I’m a chesnut brown color,” junior Sorrell Brown

‘I will always be trying to improve’

then added Skywalker after it because Star Wars is his favorite movie.”

• “People always ask me what my name means and I don’t know,” English teacher Perinza Reddic said. “My mother said she got the name from a beautiful little girl named Perinza who she took care of.

I got in touch with the other Perinza through Facebook and asked her how she got her name and she didn’t know either. Neither of us know what our names mean, but there are two of us with this name spelled the same way and we actually are very similar. In fact, we both have three boys and have a lot of other things in common.”

Senior Kristen Wilson becomes vegetarian to improve her health Emily Britt • Reporter Senior Kristen Wilson decided to become a vegetarian and change her eating habits for the better two years ago.

Because of this diet change, and an increase in physical activity, she has lost approximately 70 pounds and said her overall outlook on life has improved.

In the past 30 years, adolescent obesity has quadrupled.

Nearly one-third of today’s youth are overweight or obese.

This increase in weight gain has also been linked to an increase in mental illnesses such as depression, low self-esteem, and social isolation. Wilson said she knows these statistics firsthand.

“Before I lost the weight I struggled with self image a lot,” Wilson said. “I was super hard on myself, and I still am, but I will always be trying to improve. I struggled with being physically active. I would feel like people were judging me when I tried to work out and feel bad about myself for trying. I was also a lifeguard at Hurricane Harbor and I would compare myself to the other lifeguards and their bodies because the uniform was a bathing suit and shorts.”

As a general rule, weight loss is 75 percent diet and 25 percent exercise. Most of Wilson’s journey to improving her life was changing her diet.

This change was difficult because although her family

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supported her change, they were still eating the average American diet.

“My parents are really proud of me,” Wilson said. “It is kind of difficult because they still eat a whole bunch of junk food. It’s hard when we go out to eat because there are only certain foods I can eat. I’ve been vegetarian for almost two years, but I mainly just try to cut out carbs.”

Wilson said her friends have also been very supportive of her lifestyle change. They said they admire her for taking risks and improving her way of life. It has even brushed off on some of them.

“I have known Kristen since we were in Girl Scouts back in kindergarten,” senior Olivia

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Reames said. “Over the years I’ve seen her become a confident, strong and determined young woman who’s ambitious and focused on her future and goals. She’s always been a really great friend and I can always count on her to be there for me.”

Wilson’s German teacher, Andrea Bonner, said she believes that even while struggling with the challenges of trying to lose weight, Wilson has remained steady in her studies.

“Kristen is an amazing student,” Bonner said. “She’s always helpful and comes into class wearing a big smile. Over the years I have had her, I have seen her become way more outgoing and matured in how life has shaped her.”

Changing of the

New director and junior high team lead Color Guard success

guard

Photos by Brandon Chrabasz

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1. Senior Kelsey Culton rehearses for the color guard Coal Mine show. The show placed ninth out of 40 teams at the WGI Super Regional competition March 19.

2. The Junior High Color Guard team, The James Martin Cadets, rehearse their show Bounce. This is the first year for the Cadets. They placed fourth at their first competition March 11.

3. Color Guard director Casey Snead gives last minute direction and encouragement to the teams before a community performance March 9.

4. Sophomores Sabrina Conaway, Abbi Weglicki and Brooklyn Robinson perfect their show before a community performance.

5. Freshman Hannah Rogers, senior Kelsey Culton and junior Caroline Mixon practice a pop toss move in their Coal Mine show.

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The writing's on the stall

Sometimes inspiration hits in the strangest of places Gabby Benavides • Editor-in-Chief Whether you were just trying to get out of class or you actually had to go to the bathroom, you’ve probably been in the Martin stalls and seen the art that covers them. There’s a huge variety of writings and drawings and some people have even used this platform to ask for advice. While the vandalism can certainly be entertaining, some think that the graffiti is disrespectful and should be painted over. Whether interesting or profane, you can decide.

“One time I saw, ‘Love your slef ’ written on the wall,” senior Kareema Nadurath said. “I think they meant to put self, but they spelled it wrong.”

“I think they need to paint over or wash off the graffiti, but I feel like even if they do, then people are just gonna write on the stalls anyway so I think people just need to stop writing on them,” sophomore Maddie Cendrick said.

“I like when people have conversations or ask for advice on the bathroom walls,” senior Elissa Mentesana said. “I just think it’s funny that they think people in the bathroom are a reliable source.”

“I used to write on the stalls in elementary all the time,” senior Ben Bui said. “I would just doodle on them because I didn’t want to go back to class.”

“Sometimes people will write inspirational quotes on the walls which I don’t think is necessary when you’re trying to pee,” senior Kami Pompa said.

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Health hacks

Leading a healthier lifestyle can seem daunting and sometimes impossible. However, there are some small changes you can make to your life to live a little bit healthier every day.

Kendall Hendrix • Design Editor

Diet: • Bring a reusable water bottle to school every day.

• Put a straw in your water to encourage you to drink more.

• If you like to go off campus for lunch, limit your fast food intake to once a week or a few times a month.

• If you live close to the school, go home for lunch instead of going out.

• Sprouts has a build-your-own salad bar for $7.99/lb. One serving of lettuce is 3 oz.

• Bring a snack from home rather than bringing money and getting a snack from the vending machine.

Exercise: • The outdoor running track is open evenings after school for public use.

• Try to take breaks from sitting in class. Walk across the classroom to get a tissue, or do your science lab standing up.

• Take a walk around the hallways during lunch.

• Instead of going home and sitting on the couch, take a walk or do some small exercises.

Sleep: • Reserve your bed for sleeping only. Do your homework somewhere else.

• Light from your phone and computer stimulate your brain, so charge your electronics in another room.

• Most people sleep better in a colder room, around 65 degrees.

• Try to block out as much light as you can while you sleep.

• Try to avoid naps. If you can’t, don’t nap longer than 30 minutes.

• Keep your sleep and wake schedule constant, even on the weekends.Your body craves consistency, so it can prepare for events like eating and sleeping in advance. 9

Art by Carson Johnson

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Springing out of break

Students used the week off for world travel

Jun io r P a m Ramos Miami, Florida

“It was definitely a cold Spring Break, but so worth it being around such great music.”

• sophomore Elizabeth Evans - Nashville, Tennessee

Cruising around Central America, Sophomores Mikhala Street and Daphne Watson

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When a heart breaks

How junior Victoria Manterola’s near-death experience made her a stronger athlete and person Olivia Dague • Reporter

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operation.

“They were really supportive, but it was hard for them because my chances were iffy,” Victoria said.

he hospital’s many the doctors knew something machines beep and can was killing me, but they didn’t be heard from down know what.” the hallway. Two anxious Parent's worst nightmare The rush to save her life parents impatiently wait What was supposed to be Victoria had an emergency for their 11-year-old little a 30-minute medical test open-heart surgery, which girl to wake up from a 14- turned into a 14-hour surgery meant they opened her rib hour emergency open-heart nightmare for the Manterola cage from her sternum to get surgery in the waiting room family. to her heart and remove the at Cook Children’s hospital. “They were running a test infection.

Just the beginning where they sent a camera Just like any surgery, Victoria’s Junior Victoria Manterola down my throat to look at had several risks, but these had a near-death experience my heart, but when they saw risks were higher due to the when she was just 11 years old, the infection, they didn’t have emergency situation. which resulted from a pre-ex- time to wake me up and put “The first risk was containing me back under again,” Victoria the disease, because if my isting condition. heart ruptured, the disease “I was born with a heart said. murmur, which is basically a Victoria’s parents, Sharon would have gone straight hole in my heart,” Victoria said. and Victor Manterola, were to my brain,” Victoria said.

“Since a lot of people are born informed of their daughter’s “But once the doctors put with them, my cardiologist condition by a team of three my heart on bypass, which said it wasn’t that big of a deal, doctors who helped keep them means they connected it to a but when I was 11, I developed calm during the difficult situ- machine to stop my heart so ation. a staph infection.”

The doctors later presumed “It’s hard to take news like that the infection was caused that,” Victor Manterola said. by a mosquito bite on Man- “Especially since it wasn’t a terola’s ankle when she visited simple surgery.”

California a month prior to The doctors informed Sharon and Victor Manterola that they her hospital visit.

Victoria said she experienced had located the infection in fatigue for weeks and then got their daughter’s heart. They exreally sick over a short period plained that the infection was of time. The doctors dismissed compacted like powder, and if her with the flu. Tired of not one particle broke free, the ingetting any answers, her fami- fection would enter her brain ly sent her to Cook Children’s and she could have a stroke.

“As you can imagine, hearing hospital.

“Her fever was really high, the news was just awful,” like 105 degrees, and she Sharon Manterola said. “We Victoria Manterola was hallucinating,” Victoria’s both collapsed on the floor. We plays golf at Tangle mother Sharon Manterola said. were out of our minds upset.”

The doctors suspected a blood Victoria’s family was given Ridge Golf Course to infection, but were unaware of a few minutes to see their celebrate her 17th the location of the infection daughter after the doctors birthday. Manterola them of the that was killing her red blood informed is on the Varsity Golf complications with the test cells. team at Martin. Pho “I didn’t know I was going to while their daughter was still have the operation,” Victoria under anesthesia, just in case to courtesy of the said. “I had been sick, and there were problems with the Manterola Family

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they could operate on it, they had contained the disease, and they also closed the hole in my heart.”

Pause on life post-op

After the operation, Victoria experienced several physical limitations that impacted her day-to-day life.

“I was not very flexible,” she said. “It took me a long time before I could lift my arms all

the way up. I also really liked running, and that was hard to get back into because every time I tried to run I would pass out.”

Victoria participated in many athletic activities like track, cross country, golf and even climbed mountains with her father prior to her surgery, however, the doctors assured continued on page 12

Junior Victoria Manterola FaceTimes her grandparents, who live in Santiago Chile, a few days after her surgery. Photo courtesy of the Manterola family

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When a heart breaks Continued from page 11 Manterola’s parents that their daughter would be able to do all of those activities and more after she made a full recovery.

“She was an athlete,” Victor Manterola said. “She was very strong. So when I talked to the doctors about the surgery and how it would affect her, he told me she would just get better and stronger.”

Trying to stay positive

The burdensome recovery after her surgery also affected her spirits and her self-esteem, at least until her attitude changed.

“For a while, I felt weaker,” Victoria said. “I just felt like I had been defeated. Eventually I started realizing that I had overcome something major.

Now I’m a little bit stronger and my perspective on life has changed, too.”

After returning from the hospital, her parents still continued to see Victoria’s bright personality and positive outlook, despite her struggles to regain her strength.

“I remember Victoria told me, ‘There was always more good going on in that hospital than there was bad,” Sharon Manterola said. “That good outlook really helped me focus on the positive because it was so painful to watch as a parent.”

Keeping up in school

The surgery also affected her studies as she was finishing up her sixth grade year at Mary

Moore Elementary school.

“I missed a little bit over two months of school,” Victoria said. “It was really hard to get back into the routine of things.”

Even when she ventured into junior high, she still struggled to be motivated and keep up with school.

“When I went into junior high I felt uninspired,” Victoria said. “Everything that happened in the hospital took a toll on me.”

Changed for the better

However, even through difficult times, Victoria said the people around her proved to be loving and supportive throughout her recovery.

“I felt a lot of support from

people who I wouldn’t have even expected to care a whole lot,” she said.

Her friends also provided support while she was in the hospital and during her recovery.

“Some friendships grew a lot stronger and lots of friends and family came to visit me in the hospital,” Victoria said.

Victoria said this isn’t an experience she’d wish on anyone, but overcoming this obstacle has made her a better and stronger person.

“I think I’m more focused on what I want in life and what makes me and the people around me happy,” Victoria said. “My family and I are all more grateful.”

ADHD in the classroom

Students and teachers share how they live with ADHD on a daily basis Josephine Wei • Reporter Staring the teacher in the eyes, she trains her thoughts in a single file, attempting to pay attention and learn. “Focus, focus, focus,” she whispers to herself. For some reason, school did not come easy and assignments were forgotten or failed everyday.

Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder is commonly diagnosed among young children. An average age for ADHD diagnosis are children seven years old, and 11 percent of American children are diagnosed annually. Within young minds, it is especially difficult to focus in stressful or boring times.

“I learned that I have ADHD

in second grade because I kept getting really bad grades,” junior Kyla Clift said. “At my elementary school, the teachers performed a diagnostic test to see if anyone had disabilities, and that’s when I found out.”

When it comes to medication, many ADHD patients have found that their focus is renewed, but their personalities can be altered while on the medication. The complication of personality versus medication often can be seen when doses are missed or forgotten.

“I take my medication in the morning before school,” junior Victoria Manterola said.

“When I forget to take my medication, I find that I am more like myself, but it’s harder to concentrate.”

Young adults are not the only

ones affected by ADHD. Even adults are affected, and learn to cope with their hyperactivity.

“I was diagnosed with ADHD the end of my freshman year at college,” World Geography teacher Jennifer Brandenburg said. “However, when I don’t take my medication, I find it harder to sleep and I am more easily frustrated.”

Hyperactivity does not affect people every day, but certain situations can trigger the anxiousness and the endless irrelevant thoughts.

“Whenever I take tests, even if it’s something important like the SAT, I’ll zone out and think about something else, so I have to make sure I take good notes in class so I can go home and teach myself,” Manterola said.

People often consider the

“People think it’s just a bad day so they don’t really

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effects that ADHD has on students in the classroom, but it also affects teachers outside of the classroom. It’s hard to focus in class, but it becomes hard for teachers as well.

“When I’m grading papers at home, I tend to want to do other things and it’s hard to focus,” Brandenburg said.

“It’s like multitasking, but not focused on one thing.”

Due to their daily struggle with ADHD, people still have misconceptions about this disorder.

“People think it’s all in their head,” Brandenburg said. “They say, ‘You had sugar or you drank coffee, that’s it.’ People think it’s just a bad day so they don’t really treat invisible illness. But as an adult, you just get used to it.” treat invisible illness.”

"Nobody could picture me as a depressed kid" Students share their expierences with handling depression Cameron Mayes • Reporter There is no hiding the fact that depression has run rampant in our generation and in our society.

Furthermore, there seems to be no remedy for it except a wave of anti-depressants and a parent who tells you to “get over it” or to “be happier.”

“I was helped by a variety of people, but the main source of help in my life came from my close friends, my therapist, and my family,” junior Vanessa Tarango said. “It was super special to me that they were there every step of the way.

Honestly, it was against my

word because I had a extremely bad habit of keeping everything that was going on in my life to myself and one day just all of that exploded and that’s when my doctors came into play.”

Tarango said she worked hard to keep her depression hidden.

“I bottled everything up and made everyone else who wasn’t in my circle think that I was happy and joyful, when in reality that wasn’t the case whatsoever. The hard part was that nobody could picture me as a depressed kid. I acted happy and told people I was fine however I always put on a mask to

Indentifying mental illness Signs of common mental illnesses Serena Corwin • Designer Mental illnesses are hard on everyone involved. They often go undiagnosed.

Here are some signs and symptoms to look for if you or a friend are struggling but don’t know what is going on.

Depression Symptoms • Persistent “sad” mood • Feeling hopeless or helplessness • Decreased energy • Insomnia or oversleeping • Dramatic change in appetite • Restlessness • Irritability • Social isolation

Anxiety Symptoms • Palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate or sweating • Trembling or shaking • Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering • Feelings of choking • Chest pain or discomfort • Nausea or abdominal distress • Feeling dizzy, unsteady, light-headed or faint • Chills or heat sensations • Numbness or tingling sensations • Derealization or • depersonalization • Fear of losing control

hide what was really going on in my life and just tried to be the best actress. After lots of therapy and me actually talking about, it helped.”

Tarango offered some advice to whoever was currently dealing with depression.

“My advice for somebody who is struggling with depression and anxiety is to never keep things to yourself, never bottle it up,” she said. “Your problems aren’t irrelevant and you’re not bothering anybody when you spill those feelings and emotions to somebody. Please go talk to somebody. Don’t choose to be alone when dealing with this.

Let your loved ones know and let them help you.”

Junior Joseph Avendano helped a friend who was suicidal and depressed.

“It’s pretty sad and frustrating to see them go through it,” Avendano said. “You want to help but you can’t. What I learned is that the person who you least expect is struggling, and so it’s important to be mindful of that. My friend was open to talking to me about what he was going through, it took a lot of time to build trust. It was never a burden on me to help them. It’s truly a blessing.”

Anorexia

Bipolar

Symptoms • Extreme weight loss • Thin appearance • Insomnia • Dizziness or fainting • Hair that thins, breaks or falls out • Dry skin • Dehydration • Swelling of arms or legs • Obsession with tracking calories • Preparing food and eating very little • Severe mood swings • Refusal to eat • Excessive exercise • Social withdrawal • Irritability • Preoccupation with food • Possible use of herbal products or diet aids

People having a manic episode may: • Feel very “up” or “high” • Have trouble sleeping • Become more active than usual • Talk really fast about a lot of different things • Be agitated, irritable or touchy • Do risky things, like spending a lot of money

Sources: rosewoodranch.com/anorexia-signs-symptoms/ adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/depression/symptoms adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/panic-disorder-agoraphobia/symptoms

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People having a depressive episode may: • Feel very “down” or sad • Sleep too much or too little • Feel like they can’t enjoy anything • Feel worried and empty • Have trouble concentratin • Forget things a lot • Eat too much or too little • Feel tired or “slowed down” • Have trouble sleeping • Think about death or suicide

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Change your mental script Changing what you tell yourself can make a difference

Faith Smith•Reporter As teenagers we’re held to the responsibilities of being an adult, but still treated like kids.

Oftentimes we have jobs along with school and extracurricular stuff we’re a part of, and we also still try to make time for friends and family.

We’re told, “Just wait until you’re an adult, then you’ll have real problems” as if my problems now aren’t important.

Finding balance in all these stressful things can feel almost impossible.

Although it’s certainly not impossible to find balance, feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed are emotions that I and other high school students feel on a daily basis.

What many teachers fail to remember or recognize is that their students could be struggling with issues at home, resulting in lack of attention

in class or not getting their homework done. They simply did not have time to finish the four chapters of reading assigned that night because they were at work having to provide for their family.

Okay, I’ll admit, high school is supposed to prepare you for the real world, but sometimes my stressors get so out of hand that I forget that I’m still a kid. I know plenty of people who stay home every weekend and study.

I’m not saying that studying is bad, but when you’re constantly so stressed about school that you can’t even go get lunch with your friends on Saturday or go to the park with your little brother, that’s when the problem comes in.

In ten years, your high school Algebra grade is not going to be relevant in your life in any way.

Adults and parents often times think making good grades is the most important thing in life, when actually it is not needed for happiness. Happiness does not come from material things.

In my Psychology class, my teacher gave us a sheet of paper with all of these alternative things to tell yourself when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed:

Art by Bihn Le Instead of: “Oh my Gosh, I’m going to lose all control!”

Try: “This is painful and upsetting, but I don’t have to go to pieces.”

Instead of: “This will never come to an end!”

Try: “This will end, even if that’s hard to see right now.”

Instead of: “How can I go out there? I’ll look stupid.”

Try: “So you’re not perfect. That doesn’t mean you’re going to look stupid. And so what if someone thinks you look stupid?

You can live with that too. Stop worrying and have some fun.”

Instead of: “My heart is going to leap out of my chest! How much can I stand?”

Try: “Easy – hearts don’t leap out of chests. Stop and think.

Distract yourself. Breathe slowly, in and out.”

Instead of: “What can I do? There’s nothing I can do.”

Try: “Just because you can’t think of a solution right now doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do. Take it a minute at a time. Breathe easy.”

Want more WarPo? Check out our website: mhswarriorpost.com for more stories, photos and videos.

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Find me in my happy place

Students and teachers reveal coping mechanisms that help them deal with the struggles of everyday life Adalyn Arce • Reporter

On a yoga mat…

“When I want to get away from the stress and worries of politics, or the commitment that is school, I go outside, or to my gym, and do yoga. It’s a great way for me to relieve stress and tension. I found that yoga and the sauna are relaxing and I decided to do it once or twice a week, for 90 minutes. I needed something to do for offcampus PE, and ended up really enjoying it and sticking with it.”

• senior Payton Wasemiller

Behind a drum set…

“I sit at my drum set and play what I feel. When I’m mad or angry, I’ll play faster and harder. When I’m sad, I’ll play softer. It’s the only place I can go to think. It helps me forget about the world and zone out.”

• senior Foch Bailey

Photo courtesy of Payton Wasemiller

Photo courtesy of Zane Daniel

Photo by Zane Stewart

Photo by Zane Stewart

In a notepad…

“I tend to write, not just during stressful times, but during happy times, too. I am able to express myself better on pen and paper than through speech. This may seem cliché, but your pen never betrays you. When I can put my thoughts on paper, I can think more clearly.”

• English teacher Tonji Lewis

Offering a helping hand…

“If I can make others feel better, I can make myself feel better, too. If I feel down, bringing others up is my way of coping. The tiniest things are the most meaningful. If I feel down, I shouldn’t let others feel down. I try to be hopeful. I try to remember that stress is all in the moment. Time will go on without you.”

• sophomore Woody Stone

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Freshman discusses struggles with anorexia

whale

' I thought I was a but in reality I was underweight'

Elena Regalado • Reporter

T

he toilet flushes. Lettuce, tomatoes and carrots spiral down the pipes. The food whisks down the drain to avoid being noticed by others. A sense of satisfaction and guilt fills her as she leaves the stall. The ticking of her clock alerts her as she looks down. Ten more hours until she can exercise. Thoughts of calorie numbers, exercise drills and jean sizes fill her mind.

It’s the one thing in her life she can control.

Freshman Sarah Johnson* was diagnosed with anorexia in October 2016. Anorexia is an eating disorder where the patient restricts food from their diet, obsesses over their weight and exercise, and consistently craves calories.

“When I was diagnosed, I went to the Eating Recovery Center of Plano,” Sarah said.

“I had the eating disorder for two years, and heavily for a year and a half. I got fed up with the eating disorder and the rituals around it.”

Sarah initially self-diagnosed her sickness. She read articles about eating disorders, and noted the symptoms she had.

“I knew I had anorexia for about a year of having the disorder,” she said. “After I figured it out, I was okay with it. I had been this way for so long, I was fine with it. I thought I knew what it meant, but I didn’t fully know. There was a mental block there.”

Misleading yourself

The eating disorder was not

only impacting her thoughts, but her appearance and attitude as well. When Sarah was at her lowest weight, she weighed less than 70 pounds.

“Your hair starts falling out, it affects your skin color, and your heart strains to pump blood,” Sarah said. “My fingers were literally purple. You constantly think about calories in food.

You think more about food and exercise than you do with your life.”

At that time, Sarah was restricting herself to 400 calories a day in her diet. For six months straight her diet consisted of only vegetables, causing her to be malnourished.

“I’d fast and drink coffee, water, and green tea to speed up my metabolism,” Sarah said. “I thought I was a whale, but in reality I was still underweight. I tried to exercise, so during the night I’d sneak out and go on two-hour night runs at 3 a.m. to burn calories of nothing,” Sarah said.

Anorexia isn’t the only medical dilemma Sarah faces. She also has celiac disease, so she is not able to eat grain or gluten. Sarah was on a medication, and one of the symptoms was weight loss. These issues helped mask the fact that she was struggling with anorexia.

“She can’t eat gluten, so I had made these gluten free muffins,” Sarah’s mother Natalie Johnson* said. “I was trying to be Super Mom and she wouldn’t eat it. I was trying to force her to eat it, and she’d just spit it out. Lat-

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er, she was taking off without breakfast or a lunch. I grabbed a granola bar and her lunchbox.

She started screaming, ‘I don’t want it. I’m not going to eat it, I’ll just throw it away!’”

The first steps

After dealing with her illness by herself for over a year, Sarah took steps to get help. In early fall, she sat her mother down at the kitchen table.

“I said whatever this is, we need to figure it out,” Mrs. Johnson said. “This is not okay.

She told me she needed to show me something, and she got all formal and made me sit down.

She pulled up this site about eating disorders and she just left the room. I just sat there reading. It all made sense. She’d starve herself for a while, and then she’d binge eat.”

Within the next few days, Mrs. Johnson took Sarah to a therapist who diagnosed her with anorexia. The secret she had been holding in for so long was now out and needed to be attended to.

“I was seeing that she was eating a decent breakfast,” Mrs. Johnson said. “I packed her a lunch, which I thought she was eating. She would come home for dinner, and sometimes she would snack and not eat a lot of dinner, but sometimes she ate a good amount.”

The doctor recommended that Sarah be sent to the Eating Recovery Center of Plano, the ERC, for treatment.

“It was a couple hundred dollars a month just in toll money from George Bush

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tollway,” Mrs. Johnson said.

“But all we kept thinking was that it’s going to be worth it in the end because we have to do whatever we can do to get Sarah back. It was like she had been hijacked by this eating disorder.”

A new home

When Sarah arrived at the ERC with her bags, she was overwhelmed.

With her condition, it was critical that she stay and be monitored in the facility for a few months.

“We had to plan out our meals for the week and I was extremely stressed,” Sarah said.

“When I was first there I tried to calculate the calories of all the meals I ate. It took me three days to even touch the silverware.”

Anorexia can occur in people who believe that they weigh a lot more than they actually do.

In Sarah’s case, her actual weight was deceiving her mindset.

“She was born four months early and weighed a pound,” Mrs. Johnson said. “Her whole life she’s been small. It didn’t come out of someone being chubby and going on a diet.

In seventh grade she started developing and it didn’t go any further. When we would go to her annual checkups, her weight was hovering in the same five pound range for two years.”

Numbing agents

Eating disorders are not strictly found in females, but in the majority of cases involve young teenage girls.

“Rapid loss of weight,

ale

'

Art by Carson Johnson having to go to the bathroom immediately after they eat, continuously eating and then using the restroom are common signs of an eating disorder,” counselor Susan Kingen said.

At the ERC, Sarah learned more about reasons for eating disorders, nutrition, and even the clothing industry’s sizing mechanisms. In her spare time, she read through the entire Bible twice and wrote letters to old friends.

“Eating disorders are horrible coping mechanisms, like a numbing agent,” Sarah said.

“They’re very controlling, and give you a false sense of power and control. When I first had the disorder I isolated myself a lot from my friends. With friends, you go out to eat and I didn’t have the energy and didn’t want to be around the food. I had to rebuild my friendships through letters while I was at the hospital. I realized who my true friends were. A lot of them faded away because they didn’t want to deal with my disorder.”

The best part

But within all the pain of having a feeding tube up her nose, tiredness with the same predictable schedules everyday, and frustrations of coping, there were some days that were different than others for Sarah.

“My favorite part of each day was when we got to go outside for about ten minutes,” Sarah said, “I was also at the ERC for Halloween, my birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

For the holidays, the ERC clinic did their best to make things fun for the patients.

On Halloween, the nurses all dressed up in costumes when they made their rounds to attend to the kids like Sarah.

On her birthday, a few of her friends were able to stop by, and on Thanksgiving the kitchen staff prepared a dinner for patients and their families.

“At the Thanksgiving dinner Sarah had turkey, mashed potatoes, and peas on her plate,” Mrs. Johnson said. “She just ate half the peas one at a time. It was so painful because we had heard that she had been making a lot of progress.”

But to Sarah, that was a lot of progress. When she first arrived she couldn’t even go near food without having a panic attack and spontaneously calculating calories in her head.

When Christmas came around there was a world of difference, Sarah was now able to eat reasonably-sized helpings.

“For Christmas at the ERC, we had a fake tree with nothing on it,” Sarah said. “Our

stockings had to be sewn shut incase you were to hide food.

We wrote positive affirmations and put them in Ziploc baggies and gave them to each other on Christmas Day. Anyone who had a feeding tube could decorate it festively. I got home on a pass the day after Christmas. The first thing I did when I was home was lie down on the floor, and look up at our big beautiful tree with lights. It was the most beautiful thing.”

Sarah is now living at home, is back at Martin, and goes to the ERC three nights a week for dinner and discussion groups.

However, she said she thinks she has started to relapse a bit.

Lunches are becoming difficult to finish, and the temptation to flush untouched foods down the toilet is strong again.

Training the body “The patient’s recovery is a lifelong challenge,” Mrs. Johnson said. “They have to learn. You have to learn new techniques to train your body not to go back to old habits. There are coping mechanisms like twirling one’s hair. It’s the one thing in their life they can control. It’s a hard addiction to break.”

The struggle to not relapse is a strong one. If motivated to and unsupervised, Sarah said she will flush her lunch down the toilet. This is a common way that teens with anorexia avoid finishing an entire meal while fooling their parents.

Attitudes are not the only thing that has changed in the Johnson household. Mealtimes have too. Mrs. Johnson has to balance calorie intake levels, portion sizing, and of course taste now when making meals.

When the food is just sitting on a plate, it tends to make Sarah uncomfortable. The two try to do other activities while eating, such as playing games like I Spy. However, there are still some bumps in the road at dinner.

“I could make something

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great for dinner, and if the eating disorder voice is loud, she’ll have a panic attack,” Mrs. Johnson said.

Lunchtimes are difficult for Mrs. Johnson because she isn’t able to keep an eye on Sarah and motivate her to finish eating. Sarah has supervised lunches where an adult makes sure she finishes her meal.

“She’s supposed to have supervised lunches, but it gets awkward because there are no distractions from the food that’s facing her,” Mrs. Johnson said. “When she didn’t have any supervisors she’d go flush her salad down the toilet. I had to withdraw privileges at home.

We didn’t work this hard and come this far for her to throw it all away.”

Healthy can win

But throughout the battle, Sarah said she has come out stronger.

Her motivation to continue on the path to recovery has grown and she continues to inspire patients at the ERC who are beginning the journey she started on in the fall by sharing her story with them when she is at the ERC for her own therapy.

“There’s more to life than your bodyweight,” Sarah said.

“There’s more to a person than how they look. The number on jeans are a guideline. You are not determined by that number.”

Mrs. Johnson said she is proud of her daughter’s strength and perseverance to continue fighting the battle against anorexia everyday. “I’m proud of the work Sarah’s put in,” Mrs. Johnson said. “She’s come a long way in understanding herself and made so much progress in communication.

The healthy Sarah wants to win.

We just have to help the healthy Sarah come out.” * Names have been changed

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THE

WARRIOR POST Martin High School • Arlington, TX Gabby Benavides Editor-In-Chief Emily Hale & Allison Beatty Copy Editors Haleigh Trevino & Curt Leland News Editors Kamryn LeFan & Elizabeth Prickett Features Editors Nikk Hernandez Sports Editor Dean Kelly Entertainment Editor Kayla Mattox Opinions Editor Zane Stewart Photo Editor Serena Corwin & Kendall Hendrix Design Editors Binh Le & Carson Johnson Staff Artists Tricia Regalado Adviser Marlene Roddy Principal Staffers:

Adalyn Arce, Madeline Barnes, Taylor Barnett, Emma Beard, Sara Blain, Jonathan Blinn, Emily Britt, Brooklin Bruno, Ashley Byrd, Chloe Christenson, Breanna Cochran, Olivia Dague, Maria Deloera, Alyssa Deluna, Caitlin Harwell, Cameron Hayes, Morgan Lloyd, Rayn Martin, Cameron Mayes, Madi McLean, Ashley Odom, Elena Regalado, Marleigh Richey, Erin Rosenbaum, Nicole Salas, Michael Sandoval, Faith Smith, Jason Stephenson, Sofia Viscuso, Curtis Warren, Lauryn Warren, Lauren Worth and Josephine Wei

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.

Dress code punishments need to be scaled back Martin is widely regarded as one of the top schools in the district.

One facet of that excellence is the way we present ourselves as representatives of Martin in our speech, character, and dress.

Dress code has long been an issue protested by students and argued in front of school boards. We’re all quite familiar by now with the AISD adage “Ready, Respectful, Responsible” – all traits every student should exhibit. In terms of responsibility, there should be no excuses for breaking a rule such as dress code at school.

However, respect is also a concept taught within AISD. And respect includes kindness and forgiveness. While students should always strive to adhere to the aforementioned dress code, more leniency should be given out, at least for a first infraction.

When I was a freshman, I was new to public schooling. I was also a big rule-follower, and therefore, I adhered to dress code as strictly as I could. Then, a couple weeks into my first semester of high school, a bad morning resulted in my wearing Nike shorts to school. I bought

[STAFF editorial]

extra large pair of capris stashed in another office.

That would’ve kicked me out of National Honor Society before I could apply, and I would’ve been unable to attend any field trips for the rest of the year.

Why do we issue such a harsh punishment for this? It’s not my fault both my parents have to work. I didn’t mean to break rules or to cause problems. Others have shared with me similar issues where the corrective action went from zero to 60 in much the same fashion.

There needs to be a system in place with more leniency towards those who find themselves in this tough spot. It’s unfotunately true that some would attempt to take advantage of this leniency, but the system of corrective action could account for that, or function on a scale based on how blatantly out of dress code you are. Wearing a bikini to school is one thing; wearing shorts a centimeter too short is another.

This system needs to not address such trivial infractions with such harsh punishments.

them a size too big for me, uncomfortably baggy, just so they met dress code regulations.

As the day went on I found that my struggling work ethic was improved by being comfortable, and learning came easier to me.

Then, in fourth period, I got sent to the office for inappropriate attire. In the office, I was presented with the following options: I could call a parent and have them bring me more appropriate clothing, but they were both working, so that was out. I could rummage through the box of spare clothing in the office and wear something from there for the rest of the day, which I eagerly did, but the box in question had zero bottoms in it, only shirts. My third option was to spend the rest of the day – an hour – in OCS. One hour within the first six weeks of freshman year that would’ve had permanent consequences throughout the rest of my high school career. Luckily for me, a wild goose chase throughout Martin revealed an

- Allison Beatty • Copy Editor

A letter to the editor: I read your article [“Avoiding the messiah complex,” February Warrior Post] on racism and how you feel as if you’re unable to fight aganst it. I want to point out some misconceptions and over exaggerations within your article.

First, you point out the stories about white police officers shooting African Americans, and you make it out as if police are hunting and preying on African-Americans, which in a few cases, is true, but not on the scale you make it out to be.

You also bring up, and I quote, “White people have a history of believing in the white man’s burden seeing themselves as civilizing people from other cultures.”

Well would you say it’s true? The British would discover places that had no meaning or purpose, with primitive tribes that didn’t have a written language or have yet to discover how to control fire, and then leave massive civilizations with means of expansion behind them.

The part of your article that offends me the most is when you state that, “White people are on top of the financial and social pyramid.” No they’re not. Asians are the ones on top, in terms of population, financial power, and social stance, so why aren’t they blamed?

This article that you’ve created isn’t helping to stop racism, it’s causing it by giving minori-

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ties a group of people to blame for their economic and social struggles. Absolutely nothing is going to get done within society if people like you are just going to point fingers at people for the negative impacts that happen to other people.

And why did you call it a Muslim ban, when in reality it’s a 90-day ban on citizens from the Middle East to prevent terrorists from entering as “refugees.”

In the end, hatred and descrimination have existed since the beginning of mankind. If hatred hasn’t been eradicated for thousands of years, it isn’t going to be stopped anytime soon, not that I’m saying it’s acceptable.

- freshman Stephen Gleason

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My social media diet A 9-day break from technology was eye opening ing silent and just thinking.

My brain was much clearer, but urges to check Twitter and Instagram were still very much present.

Cameron Mayes • Reporter

n this day and age, phones and social media are definitely problems for teens and even adults. I decided to take a nine-day break from social media and my phone in general due to the amount of time I was spending on my phone and how absent I was in family conversations.

I

Day 1: The first day was filled with a whole lot of nothing. I paced back and forth through the house trying to get my brain to think of something to do, “What to do… what to do?” I literally found myself thinking of what to do for an hour and a half.

My mind became so used to having technology and social media at my fingertips that when it was stripped from me, I didn’t know how to act or how to function, sadly.

Day 3: The third day was a bit better. I went to the gym, took my dog to the park and I was able to actually sit down outside and enjoy be-

Day 5: The urges started to disappear. Twitter and Instagram no longer had any influence on my thinking and my perception on what was going on in the world. I was able to think and create my own ideas.

I found myself getting more done during the day and even sleeping better at night now that I didn’t have my phone in my face during the early hours of the morning.

down to their phones.

By this point, my interaction with my brothers and my family in general improved significantly. It was so cool to me to be sitting down in the living room, not having my phone, and having conversations that were meaningful and having nothing to distract me.

Unfortunately, Day 9 was my last day of being away from technology. I did return to social media, but now I’m super careful on how involved I get with Twitter and Instagram, and I always plan a time where I leave my

Day 7: Being away from my phone helped my communication skills and my social skills. This is really when I started to notice the urges being completely gone.

My mind no longer craved the text messages and the Twitter updates and newest Instagram posts. I just had a sense of calmness. I can’t explain how clear my mind was. My thoughts were jumbled up, but they were completely organized.

Day 9: I started noticing others being absolutely buried in their phones. I would walk by people at the mall or even at Wal-Mart and try to smile at oncoming strangers down the food aisle. They’d just glance up and then back

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phone in my room and just experience life without it.

Technology has so many benefits – lightning fast news, funny memes, getting to check up on your friends – but technology has undoubtedly clouded our minds by making us create our ideas based on a retweet from another friend or a post from a famous celebrity.

We’re all diverse and different, we all have our own ideas and thoughts, and social media does not help you come up with your own ideas and clouds your perception of the world around you.

Discovering what I love to do Listening to my heart made all the difference

Caitlin Harwell • Reporter Finding something that I love to do, something that just comes as naturally as breathing, was my main goal once I started high school. I thought high school meant it’s time to figure out your whole life in 720 days.

And I thought I had done just that before high school even started.

I have basically been singing since I could talk. From when I was a very young age, my whole family talked about me pursuing a career in singing, so that’s what I felt like I should do.

My weekdays were spent in voice lessons and my weekends were spent at singing contests for choir. And that’s how I liked it. But it’s how my mom loved it. It never occurred to me that maybe there was something other than singing I could love.

As a freshman, I slowly began becoming less interested in singing – and it showed – but my parents still pushed me to “finish what you start,” so I did, but not by giving it 100 percent. When we started putting our schedules together for sophomore year, I took choir off my schedule for the next school year and replaced it with Digital Design and Journalism, even though my parents weren’t exactly ecstatic with my choice to drop something I had been

pursuing for the majority of my life. But I was ready to move on and find something I loved as much as they loved me singing.

When the year started, I quickly started to love working with Photoshop and learning about journalism. I started writing in my free time and got a camera. I began looking into ways I can do more to get better at both photography and writing. My parents said I go through a lot of phases, so at first they weren’t sure how serious I was and how much they wanted to invest in my “new phase.”

I didn’t blame them. At one point I wanted to play volleyball, and they threw money there. I wanted to play select soccer and so money went there. I wanted to be a figure skater, softball player and dancer, so money went to all of those as well. My parents have always been supportive in allowing me to test the waters with different hobbies, but their viewpoint was that I’m in high school and needed to narrow my choices down so I could start looking at colleges.

Junior year started and I started my first year of being on Newspaper staff. From the first day, I knew writing was something I wanted to stick with and I could combine photography with it.

I got a new camera and an internship that will teach me more about the photography business and also about writing. These are things I spend my weekdays and weekends doing and I’ve never loved doing something so much.

Once my parents realized this wasn’t some side hobby I was

going to ditch in a few months, they really started supporting me more on it. They push me to stay on top of things like finding classes, having me bring my camera everywhere and their friends even hire me to shoot at events.

I believe that in order to figure out what you love to do, you for sure have to try many things and don’t think you have to have your whole life planned out in a set amount of time.

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Once you have found what you love to do, everything will fall into place on how you will use those talents in life.

Don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. Be openminded to trying different sports, fine arts or activity you think you would find interesting to you.

If I hadn’t followed my gut, I would have never discovered what I love and makes me happy.

Want more WarPo?

Check out our website: mhswarriorpost.com for more stories, photos and videos.

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Be a shoulder to lean on How to help out a friend that is dealing with depression

Emma Beard • Reporter Hollywood has given us the misconception that we all need a partner to fix us or to make us happy, but really we all just need some type of passion. Getting close to people will probably never be an easy thing for me, but having a great group of friends in high school who understand me has made a big difference in my life.

I’ve woken up and instantly dreaded the thought of having to complete another day in school, but my friends have helped keep me sane by listening to me and consistently treating me the same.

For me it’s always been the little things that have kept me lying in

bed awake past midnight. The thought of things in life playing out in a different manner and what it would be like if I had just reacted differently to some situations. For a while I kept everything bottled up because when I opened up, I’d be treated as some type of project that could be fixed.

Some things are easier said than done, but before jumping into conversations with friends who are struggling, taking a second to stop and think is critical. Telling a person cliches like, “Just be happy. You’re blessed.” or “What can I do to make you happy” aren’t constructive comments. Instead of

trying to say the right thing to them, if you just let them know that you are there for them and they can come to you if they need anything.

Instead of focusing on what we’re going to say next during a conversation, we need to figure out how to make each other feel comfortable enough with one another so that we can all freely discuss our struggles.

When we feel as if we’re at our lowest and no one could possibly understand what our situations is exactly, that’s when someone else needs a shoulder to lean on. If we can instill trust in one another, we can hold conversations about what eats away at us when we’re alone.

We can be part of making a positive change to an increasing

number of untreated depressed and anxiety-ridden teenagers.

In the United States, suicide is the third leading cause of death between the ages of 10 and 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And untreated depression is one of the leading causes of suicide.

We see these numbers again and again, yet leave the healing and listening to the therapists and doctors. Teens sometimes get therapy for anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and supposed irrational thinking, yet most of the time what’s also missing is someone to devote more of their time and quit visualizing another person as something that needs fixing.

Forced positivity is not helpful

Carson Johnson • Reporter Have you ever met someone who was so unwaveringly sweet that you found yourself worrying for their well-being? As a sort of introvert, I’ve always been mindful of the fact that a lot can be going on inside a person’s head without the world knowing.

This isn’t some rant about how we shouldn’t trust bubbly people. If you’re happier than the average Joe, that’s great,

keep doing you. If you’re sitting here saying to yourself, “Well hey now, writer, I gain satisfaction from acting happy around others,” then that’s cool too. I’m not about to tell you how to live your life.

There have been too many instances where a life has been lost, and people all around are left scratching their heads and saying things like, “It doesn’t make sense. He/she always seemed so happy....”

To everyone out there who feels like they have to be in a perfect mood all the time: please just take a second to breathe. If your friends are good ones, they’ll want you to be your real self around them.

If you’re having a bad day, they aren’t the ones you should need to hide it from. Instead

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of bottling up your emotions under a happy mask, find someone who you can truly depend on for emotional support. Whether it’s through simple conversations or giant ranting fits, even the toughest people need someone to be their rock (regardless of what they might say otherwise).

Even if there’s not much that can be done to change your situation, at least you won’t be alone. This small truth can be life-saving.

On the flipside, don’t be that person who tries to force positivity on others. I’m sure you have only good intentions, but there’s a clear difference between taking the time to help someone to feel better versus telling them to.

If you’ve got a friend who’s

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in a bad place, just encouraging them to “be happy!” or “smile!” is the wrong way to go. You’re their friend, not Barney the dinosaur.

If you pull some junk like this, don’t be surprised when that friend of yours offers up a very unpleasant response, because you’ve basically just insinuated that their current feelings are superficial.

You won’t be able to completely understand what they’re going through because you aren’t them, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least try.

The difference is simple: instead of telling them that they should see things the same way you do, try to humble yourself a little and show that you’re willing to level with them, to see eye to eye.

Recovering from depression How I felt and what I did about it Jonathan Blinn • Reporter should start by saying I’m not an expert on mental health.

What follows are my experiences. Others with depression or other mental health issues may tell another story.

I was a lonely kid when I was little. I was never mistreated, but I never felt connected to any of my siblings. I was a resentful creature. I think I was nine or ten when I realized that I wanted to die.

At the time, this seemed perfectly reasonable. What few hobbies I had were merely means by which I tried, futilely, to escape reality. I distracted myself however I could. I read anything I could get my hands on, watched Netflix, wasted days on gaming – anything to pass the time.

I was suicidal throughout it all. The greatest escape I could imagine was to quit life altogether. Life was empty to me.

There was nothing I knew that could fill that void.

There were two things that prevented me from killing myself: fear of pain and fear of failure. The fear of pain is a simple thing. It’s one thing to want to die; it’s another to go through

I

Art by Carson Johnson & Binh Le with it. I was afraid of the cut of a knife, the burn of a noose.

I hated life, but it was a familiar hate. Physical pain was a different beast. It was an unknown fear, one I could neither rationalize nor defend against.

But more than the fear of pain was the fear of failure.

I was afraid that I would try to do it, and only get the job partway done, and then I would be alive and depressed, without a shield of lies to hide behind.

So I endured, and I was ashamed of my endurance, my self-proclaimed cowardice.

I spent several years in a sort of stasis, never hurting enough to convince me to go through with suicide, but never healthy enough to find any real relief.

This is the part in the story where there’s usually a happy ending. “And then I discovered the miracle of love and friendship.” Yada yada. That’s not really how it worked for me.

The first step was telling someone I had a problem. The

person I told wasn’t family, or even a really close friend at the time.

He was just an acquaintance – someone I could say was lying if I needed to. I think I was pretty lucky there.

He never really gave advice, but he was willing to listen. So I talked, he listened, and I improved.

It wasn’t a fast process, nor is it a complete process. But I spoke to him, and I heard myself speak.

Bearing my issues out in the open gave me a new perspective. I had an opportunity, for the first time, to separate myself from my illness.

I could see it objectively. I was forced to consider the possibility that I could exist apart from depression.

So I issued myself a sort of ultimatum. I was either going to die, or I was going to heal. Both prospects were daunting. Death is terrifying, but so is admitting you’re emotionally compromised to people you don’t trust and certainly don’t love. Eventually, fear of death won out.

When I talked to my parents, I laid down strict boundaries. I established that I did not want to talk to them about my depression, nor was I willing to turn to religion for help.

Either they would help me get professional psychiatric treat-

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ment, or I would find someone else to help me.

They weren’t pleased with the restrictions I put on them, but they acquiesced. I got help. I started taking a daily antidepressant.

In my experience, antidepressants don’t work the way they’re portrayed in a Cymbalta commercial. You don’t take one and turn into a new, happy-golucky version of yourself.

Depression is indicative of a chemical imbalance in the brain, and it took my brain weeks to re-establish its natural balance, even with medication.

When the medication did take effect, it was subtle. A day would go by where I didn’t feel quite so bad, even if I wasn’t precisely happy. And then another and another. I didn’t fixate on pessimism as often.

I still have bad days, but I rarely have suicidal days. The good days aren’t any better, but the bad days are never quite as awful as before.

My problems never disappeared, but they’ve been cut down to a manageable size.

So now I function. I’m not up to 100 percent, but on a day-today basis, I don’t have considerable symptoms.

I don’t know what I want people to take from this. When I was still deeply depressed, I rolled my eyes at people who told me, “It gets better.” Generalized encouragement sounds ridiculous and idealistic when you want to die. But perhaps an honest story that doesn’t end in tragedy will help someone. If it does, that’s worth it to me.

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Galentine's Day Celebrate the day with friends Rayn Martin•Reporter

7.

Breathe in, breathe out Coping with anxiety on a daily basis Marleigh Richey • Reporter

Being a teenager with anxiety has affected nearly every aspect of my life. My mind is constantly jumbled with the thoughts of whether or not I passed that math quiz last class or how many minutes it will take for me to walk from the bus stop to my house.

When the walls start closing in, and the air begins to thin, these are the things I do to cope.

My breathing quickens and my hands shake. Deep breath in, breathe out, repeat. My mind races. Look around, find three colors. Blue sky. Yellow flowers.

Green grass. Deep breath in, breathe out, repeat. My vision blurs. I hone in on the sounds around me. A bird chirping. The leaves rustling. Children laughing across the street. A dog barking in the distance. Deep breath in, breathe out, repeat. “I am going to be okay.” Deep breath in. Deep

breath out.

I’m constantly stressing over my grades, and the more I stress, the more they slowly start to slip.

Down, down, down they go until the last minute when I’m scrambling to pick them back up off the floor. When my grades begin to drop, I start to wonder what my teachers think of me. Am I lazy?

Not focused? When I’m shut in my room just wanting to be alone, I wonder what goes through my parents’ minds. Am I antisocial?

Disrespectful?

When I start to think about something, whatever that something may be, I begin to play out different scenarios in my head over and over like an overplayed song on repeat.

There are always going to be different ways to cope with different situations. If I’m stressing out about a project that’s

due tomorrow, it really helps to get everything organized. I make some sort of checklist of what’s complete and what’s incomplete.

I figure out all the materials I need and what I can do to better prepare myself to be ready.

Obviously, not all situations will be this simple to cope with.

For instance, At six years old my parents began fighting a lot and eventually, it led to a divorce. For a long time I thought that somehow this was my fault. Being able to talk to someone really helps.

A friend, a trusted adult, or even counseling can help sometimes just to be able to let out how you feel to someone who wasn’t there first-hand. As I started talking to my mom about how I felt and the older I got, I began to realize

whatever they were going through had nothing at all to do with me.

I used to write notes to my biological father all the time, asking why he did certain things or how he could just walk away from a family he helped create.

I like writing down how I’m feeling. Although the letters to my bio dad were never sent out, it felt really good to write my feelings down on a piece of paper.

Whether your way of coping is talking to someone, writing things down, staying organized, or even something completely different from that, you just have to find a way of coping that works best for you.

Regardless of what you may be going through, keep in mind that you aren’t alone.

The seven-letter word The little things that help me deal with anxiety

Alyssa Deluna • Reporter Shaking hands, sweaty palms, heavy breathing, everything seemed to be racing by, and my head started to hurt. All of a sudden I was in a panic. My chest started to ache and I couldn’t breathe. I was trying to get to my next class as fast as I could but I couldn’t seem to move.

Anxiety is a seven-letter word with 100 different ways to break a person down. People with anxiety have different ways of

dealing with it. Here are some things that help me out.

When I’m by myself and anxiety comes around the corner, I like to listen to a playlist of songs that remind me of a time when I was happy. Music has a way of calming me and making me feel safe.

Walking through the halls of high school is like I’m a fish in the sea upon millions. I’m constantly worried about being shoved into a wall or pushed into another

person. Everyone is walking so fast to get somewhere and I have no clue what’s happening, so I like to put on essential oils that remind me of something random, like the smell of tangerines to distract me from the constant panic.

I like to put some on my wrist and behind my ears when I get to school so it’s fresh and stays on all day.

Another way I cope with my anxiety is painting. When I’m feeling a little overwhelmed I pull out my paints and take a wet brush and push it across my canvas,

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causing all the colors to blend.

I paint things like landscapes of the beach or a field of flowers.

Painting has a way of calming me and taking me somewhere only I can go, where there is no stress, no panic, no anxiety.

Talking to someone who will understand and can listen to what you have to say helps.

Anxiety has played a big part in my life and is changing it every day. It can be really hard to deal with sometimes but having someone there makes things easier.

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Behind the facade It’s not always easy to see what goes on behind closed doors art by Binh Le

Lauryn Warren • Reporter “What’s wrong?” That was the most common question I was programmed to answer with just a simple, “Nothing.”

But it wasn’t nothing. No. There were many things that were wrong, but I was too afraid of letting my problems be known. I had many qualms that kept me from acting my usual self. At first, I didn’t see it. I thought that the people close to me were just exaggerating their concern for me.

But as time passed, it became more apparent. I had severe depression.

There are multiple types of depressions people may experience throughout their lifetime. Severe depression, persistent depressive order, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, psychotic disorder, peripartum depression and many others. I was diag-

nosed with severe depression two years ago and I still struggle today navigating my life and trying not to let my doubts affect my aspirations.

The first time I went to a psychiatrist was when I was 15.

My mother told me I needed to see someone and talk about my problems. I was in denial at first.

The first thought that came to mind when I heard that was, “I don’t need help.” I was so angry that my own mother signed me up for something that I didn’t even agree to.

When we were outside of the building, I refused to get out of the car. I told her, “I’m not going to talk to someone about my problems that I won’t even talk to you about. So, what makes you think I’m going to walk in that door right now?”

Despite my strong refusal, I still had to walk through those doors. A sense of nervousness coursed through my body as I sat on the couch waiting for the psychiatrist to walk in. I had anticipated her arrival so deeply, that it almost felt like a wave of butterflies fluttered around in my stomach.

When she arrived, the aura that came off of her was so calming that I felt comfortable

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enough to talk to her. She started off with simple questions at first. However, her questions became more complex as the clock ticked and I found myself not even noticing. I thought, “How can I have told her all of that? What does she think of me now?” But she simply listened. There was no judgement in her eyes as I revealed a part of my life that I was too afraid to let anyone else know about.

Pouring my heart out brought me so much relief. I didn’t know holding in so many emotions could affect my mood until I realized how it felt. I felt a curtain lift from over my face, as I revealed a different side of me to that psychiatrist that day. And even though I had my doubts about it, I had come to enjoy finally talking with someone who was willing to listen everyday. I learned that sometimes it’s not bad to open up to others.

It’s astonishing how much depression can impact a person. It can change how a person feels, thinks, acts or talks. Most of all, it can stop you from doing things you love. For a long time, I lost the aspiration to do things that made me happy. I didn’t have the will or the motivation anymore.

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I often secluded myself from people who were close to me. It took a long time for me to get back into things that I loved to do. Somehow, I found myself feeling more creative and inspired by doing the things I love.

Depression is like this constant burden weighing you down. You never know when things will look up because you’re always in this void of loneliness that keeps you locked up.

In a way, I don’t see depression as a complete negative aspect of my life. I see it as something that has molded me into the person that I have become today. No matter what misconceptions take control of my thoughts, I still try to see that there is good for what the world has to offer.

I am a crusader for the suicidal, the anxiety-ridden, the depressed, and the bullied.

We are not broken, damaged, or in need of being cured.

Sometimes all we need is a kind word and a shoulder to cry on, without the questions and judgements. And when things take a turn, we chant these four words to ourselves, “Everything will be okay.”

Organized≠OCD Stop appropriating mental illnessess Kayla Mattox • Opinions Editor You hear it all the time: “I’m SO OCD!” or “This class has me depressed!” We have become so desensitized to mental illness that these real disorders have become mere adjectives in our vocabulary.

In using mental illness in common conversation, we have begun to appropriate mental illness.

Appropriation is taking something for one’s own use without the owner’s permission. This is a pretty transparent definition of what you do to someone

suffering from a mental illness when you use their disorder to describe a mundane aspect of your life. You take from them the legitimacy of their illness and reduce it to slang.

The appropriation of mental illness can be a dangerous thing. It can confuse people living with a mental illness.

If something is viewed as commonplace, it loses its severity and seriousness. People with a mental illness won’t speak up and seek help because they feel the symptoms they are

experiencing aren’t legitimate.

In using mental illness as an adjective, although it may be unintentional, we are trivializing and mocking people’s suffering. For instance, saying you’re “SO OCD!” because you have to have your binder organized a certain way could make someone actually suffering from OCD feel uncomfortable. Enjoying organization is a far cry from not being able to function unless you repeat a task over and over again.

In addition, appropriating mental illness romanticizes

theses disorders in a way. People often associate very surface-level definitions of mental illnesses with what they are feeling. Being sad sometimes is normal. It does not always mean you are depressed.

Depression is a much deeper and heavier than occasional sadness. Depression reduces people to shells of their former selves and leaves them feeling hollow.

It is not darkly romantic.

Mental illness is not an adjective. Mental illnesses are as real and legitimate as any other chronic disease and should be regarded as such.

Tips for dealing with depression Trying to work through it together 1 step at a time

Madi McLean & Madeline Barnes • Reporters About 10 to15 percent of high school students are depressed.

Often, people who don’t have depression don’t treat it as a real illness. It’s clinically proven that depression affects your daily activities. We have some tips to help those dealing with depression.

• If you can’t get out of bed and nothing seems to motivate you, go see a doctor or talk to your parents.

• Do physical activity and take care of yourself.

• Force yourself to get help. Seek a counselor.

• Find what makes you happy.

• Make sure you have a supportive adult helping you.

• Don’t isolate yourself.

• Eat healthy, drink plenty of water and get enough sleep.

• Don’t self medicate with drugs, alcohol, and energy drinks.

• Write about your feelings in a journal.

• Look at your thinking and try to change negative thoughts into positive thoughts.

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Being a second priority

The reality of living with a parent who struggled with adddiction

Kamryn LeFan • Features Editor

G

rowing up with a parent addicted to alcohol, I saw every side of addiction. Once you’re so far absorbed into the substance, it’s difficult to live without it.

My father relied on alcohol to fulfill his life, and eventually he let it have the power to control him. Any time he was given the opportunity to drink, he took it without regard to how it affected other people, even the people closest to him: his family.

As a child of a parent with substance abuse, there are many fears that I faced. Would I become like him? Am I the reason he drinks? Does he not care enough about our family to quit drinking? What can I do to make him stop drinking? These questions may seem irrational to some people, but these were questions that haunted me.

For years, my family tried getting him to stop drinking, but when my father gave alcohol the upper hand, he started losing everything he spent his whole life working for.

Every night before bed, I would think about how life would be if I didn’t have to worry about my dad and his drinking habits.

Every day, I would sit down

with my dad and convince him to stop his habits and explain to him what he was losing, but nothing seemed to get through to him.

When someone suffers from substance abuse, they have to be willing to change their behavior to recover from it. I have always believed that people can change, but their mind must match their actions in order for that to happen. For my dad, he wanted to change for the good of our family, but his actions didn’t reflect the same idea.

After my father passed away from substance abuse, I began to think about what I could have done differently to help him. If I convinced him a little harder, could he have stopped?

Was I doing something wrong that kept him from recovering?

Today, six years later, I am still affected by my dad’s actions. I catch myself blaming myself for his habits even though it was never my fault. I tell myself that it was his decision to not help himself, and that no matter what I said or did, it meant more to me than it did to him.

Addiction is a disease that can only be fixed by the person who is going through it. If someone suffers from this disease, don’t blame yourself if the result didn’t work out in your favor because not everyone is ready to be helped.

Addiction has a stronger connotation than many people realize. Exposure to toxic substances early on in someone’s life can start addiction at a young age, and throughout their life, it can worsen.

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Art by Carson Johnson

Scientifically, addiction changes the way the brain experiences pleasure because the nerve cells are altered in the brain.

Neurotransmitters release chemicals that send sensations

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throughout the body. With addiction, a person’s tolerance increases, so more of the substance is needed to reach the full pleasure level. As tolerance increases, the chance of addiction also increases.

The final farewell

Highlights of Varsity boys’ basketball season

Morgan Lloyd • Reporter & Nikk Hernandez • Sports Editor

Martin’s athletic programs

have a history of being very successful, but this year, one program has had a season for the record books. Finishing 22-10 on the season, the Boy’s Varsity basketball team took home the district title for the first time in four years.

Before the season began, the team decided to switch up the training process.

“To get ready for the season, we learned to play as a team more which helped us prepare for our opponents this season,” senior Deaven Stovall said.

From lifting more weights to shooting more shots, the basketball team members dedicated themselves to making this season the best one yet.

“We worked out harder, ran more, and practiced longer,” senior Courtland Brooks said.

“Our team this year knew we had to be very focused if we wanted a shot at state this season.”

Starting off the district season hot with a 9-0 record, the Warriors were rolling through

the start of the season.

“This year’s team had good chemistry,” Varsity Coach Clint Schnell said. “The guys played for each other and there weren’t a lot of egos.”

As the Warriors took home the district champion trophy, it was time to get locked in for playoffs.

“Taking home the trophy for district felt great,” Stovall said.“It gave us the confidence we needed headed into playoffs, especially since we are one of the only teams in Martin’s history to win district in basketball.”

Post-season called for everything the Warriors had.

At this point, it was either go hard or go home. The playoffs called for longer practices, more weight room time, and extra attention to every small detail.

“We had a two-hour practice every day that was either an hour and a half on court and time in the weight room, or an hour and a half on court and a small film session,” Schnell said.

The intense practices seemed

The Varsity boys’ basketball team celebrates after a close win against North Crowley Jan.13. The team was named district champs before losing in Round 2 to El Paso Americas High School. Photo By Brandon Chrabasz to have paid off when the Warriors rolled over Keller Timbercreek Feb. 20 with a final score of 78-43, allowing the team to advance to Round 2 in the playoffs.

“We felt good,” Brooks said.

“We felt like we accomplished a big goal, and the hard work definitely paid off.”

On Feb. 24, the Warriors were matched up against the El Paso Americas in Round 2 of the Playoffs. The Warriors battled back and forth throughout the

Beanies and baseball caps

game with the Americas, but sadly fell short as the final buzzer ended the Warrior’s season with a 45-37 defeat. Each of the seniors collapsed to the floor in sadness of their high school career coming to an end.

“This was the worst feeling I’ve ever felt,” Stovall said. “I don’t think any of us saw that game as our last game, so when it came to an end it hit us really hard.”

While none of the players have officially committed, many of them hope to play in college.

Baseball players wrap their heads around traditions Curtis Warren • Reporter Baseball season is up and running and it’s time for the wacky hair bleaching and shaving.

Bleaching players’ hair has been a tradition here for a long time.

The freshman team bleaches their hair blonde, junior varsity black. First-year varsity players get their heads shaved by returning varsity players.

“At first I didn’t want to do it but then freshman Collin

Adams convinced me to,” freshman Cade Williams said.

“It burned pretty bad at first and itched for a few days.”

The tradition has been at Martin High School for more than 20 years, and it doesn’t look like it will be stopping any time soon. The Junior Varsity team dyed their hair black Feb. 26, prior to the second tournament of the season.

“I tried to see what it would look like in a girl’s hair dye app,

but it wasn’t that good of an app so I just went along and did it.” sophomore junior varsity pitcher Zach Griffith said. “I think I look great.”

However, what most of the people on the team and in the school are interested in seeing is the first-year varsity players’ shaved heads. Players who are returning to the varsity team shave the newcomers to any design they want.

“Senior Josh Avery did

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mine, but he was horrible,” sophomore Kyle Franklin said.

“He shaved my whole head off.

It feels good though after I get out of the shower because my head automatically dries off.”

The traditions are meant to be fun and are embraced by players, coaches, parents and fans.

“The tradition has been here well before I graduated in 2007,” freshman baseball coach Jake Mizell said. “I got it pretty rough. They took no prisoners.”

sports

Home running

Varsity baseball team kicks off winning season with 16-5 record

Nicole Salas • Reporter

Martin’s varsity and junior varsity baseball teams complete their running drills as they start their daily after-school practice to prepare for a game against Mansfield. Both teams are in contention for district championships.

Photo by Brandon Chrabasz

Junior varsity and Varsity team members discuss their pasts, their futures and the love they have for this year’s Warrior Baseball program.

How long have you’ve been playing baseball?

Senior Tristen Lutz: Since I was seven.

Sophomore Nathan Lange: About five years old.

Sophomore Zach Griffth: I think I started playing about 12 years ago.

Senior Kenneth Waller: Probably since I was five or six.

What pushed you to play baseball?

Lange: Dad told me to try baseball and I liked it. Also, I was good at it so I kept playing.

Waller: My brother played and my dad always wanted me to play baseball.

Lutz: It was something my dad did and I fell in love with it at a young age .

Do you plan on playing baseball is college?

Senior Spencer Johnston: I’m

going to Frank Phillips Jr. College.

Lange: Honestly, I’ll go anywhere that offers me a D1 scholarship.

Waller: I’m going to Texas Tech.

Do you feel like the Martin Baseball program has prepared you for college?

Waller: A lot of the guys who go through here go on to play in college and the coaches are really good about encouraging baseball at the collge level.

Lange: The baseball program here has a lot of competition so you feel like you’re always getting improving and getting on the next level.

Lutz: It has showed me what I need to do to be successful at the next level. And the hard work and dedication that it will take.

Johnston: There’s a lot of competition here and we have some of the best players here at Martin.

How has baseball im-

sports

pacted your life?

Griffith: Just kept me from doing bad things, cause I know I have to do the right thing to be in baseball.

Lange: It just made me a better person and a better athlete. I’m always doing the right thing and surrounding myself with the right type of people that will keep me on the right path.

Lutz: By showing me how discipline you need to be to reach your goal and also how to to interact with different types of people.

Johnston: It’s impated everything. It’s who I am.

Waller: It’s given me something to do instead of just sitting around. I’m active all the time, and I’m with my friends doing something that I love.

How is your team like your family?

Lange: We are always together and hanging out. We work out together and play baseball together

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outside of school.

Waller: I have played with a lot of the guys since I was little and even in elementary school so I feel like we have grown up with each other and they’re my brothers.

Lutz: We definitely have a brotherhood, but I think that’s what makes a successful baseball team like the one here at Martin.

What’s your plan involving baseball after high school?

Griffith: I hope to get a scholarship to play baseball. If I can’t do that, then I’ll just walk on to whatever school I can get into.

Then eventually I’ll play slowpitch softball with a bunch of old people.

Lange: Eventually I want to be a high school baseball coach.

Lutz: I want to major in business, but I also want to keep baseball mixed in with whatever I do.

Maybe I’ll open my own sports facility one day.

Real prom vs. movie prom

What Hollywood thinks happens and what doesn’t Dean Kelly • Entertainment Editor

We’ve all seen it – the fantasy prom where everything sparkles and glows perfection. A disco ball shining a beautiful white light on the girl who managed to beat the mean popular girl and become Prom Queen.

Everyone cares and claps, then credits roll. What we never see is what a real prom is like, with all its graces and faults.

First off, why is it always in the gym? Prom isn’t in the gym, it’s in some third-party facility far away. That way, no one has to clean up. Plus, gyms are gross and sweaty. You can’t fit all those people in a gym, especially when you have to fit in a tiny little stage to announce Prom King and Queen.

And let’s be honest – no one unexpectedly wins Prom

royalty. You usually get a pretty good idea of the candidates who’ll take it during sophomore year, and no matter who wins, it’s usually pretty “Eh.” No one goes to prom thinking, “Gee willikers, guys! I wonder who will get the crown!” because it just does not matter. If you go, you go for yourself, your date, or your friends.

Naturally if you or a close friend happen to win, that’s awesome, congrats, but that shouldn’t necessarily change your experience or anyone else’s in any way.

As much as we all secretly want it to happen, there’s no unexpected romance either.

The “unlikely couple” doesn’t form on Prom Night. The guy

or girl at the center of a love triangle doesn’t decide who she truly loves. The best friend who you’ve always loved, but never loved you back probably won’t change their mind.

As much as we may wish for it, the real world isn’t so kind.

That’s why those tropes exist in the fantasy world to begin with. Even if it did happen like that, prom wouldn’t be the place to do it. Prom’s for slightly awkward dancing and celebration. Ideally, it’s nothing too heavy. It’s just a fun experience.

Although prom may not be the magical Disney-esque, John Green teen novel type of event, it’s still fun and worth the time.

After all, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that everyone should go through.

Monogramming Mammas

Junior Overalls and Senior Coveralls 817-296-1954 817-296-0793

monomammas@ gmail.com

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www. monomammas. com entertainment

Music box A look into emotions and genres

Other

Pop

Hardcore

EDM

Rock

Hip hop

Dean Kelly • Entertainment Editor & Binh Le • Staff Artist

No matter who you are or what you listen to, music has a way of conveying emotions to its listeners. All genres of music do this, and many different songs convey many different emotions. Knowing what you want to listen to and what you want to feel will make it easy to either find a new artist you like or completely step out of your comfort zone and find something entirely new you could enjoy.

Romance

Sad

Upbeat

Angry

• Sincerely - Atlas • Lotus Flower Bomb - Wale ft.

Miguel

• Mockingbird Eminem • Dear Mama Tupac

• ProlteR Mayflowers ft.

Taskrok

• Love the Way You Lie - Eminem ft. Rihanna • X Gon’ Give It To Ya - DMX

• The Reason • Here Without Hoobastank You - 3 Doors • I Don’t Wanna Down Be In Love - Good • Boulevard of Charlotte Broken Dreams • The Diary of Green Day Jane - Breaking Benjamin • All I Ever Wanted - • All Time Low Basshunter Jon Bellion • Miracle - Cascada • I Remember • Closer - The - deadmau5 & Chainsmokers ft.

Kaskade Halsey • Prayer in C Robin Sculz

Calm

Dance

• Rebirth of Sick - • One Dance Digable Planets Drake • Feather - Nu• Drop It Like jabes It’s Hot - Snoop Dogg

• Warriors • I Hate Everything • Again - Amalee • Dance, Dance Imagine Dragons About You - Three • I’m Alive - Fall Out Boy • Novocaine - Fall Becca Days Grace • Monsters Out Boy • Bring Me Back to • Piano Man Matchbook • The Middle Billy Joel Life Romance Jimmy Eat World Evanescence

• I’m Sorry (feat.

• Turn Down Shiloh) - Swell for What - DJ • Shelter - Porter Snake Robinson & • Girls That Madeon Dance - Masego • Ethereal - Nosaj and Medasin Thing & Pretty Lights • In Friends We • Small Victories • Follow You - • Don’t Tell Dave • Our Last Night • The Angst in My Veins Capsize Trust Chunk!

No, Knocked Loose - Dance Gavin Bring Me The - Falling Away • Hail To the King - Captain Chunk! • King for a Day Dance Horizon (Acoustic) Pierce The Veil • Here I Am - Ask- • Do It Now, • Your Guardian Avenged Sevenfold • Hardwired - Me- ing Alexandria Remember It Later Angel - Red tallica - Sleeping with Jumpsuit Sirens Apparatus

• 1, 2, 3, 4 - Plain • I Want It That White T’s Way - Backstreet • Marry You - BruBoys no Mars • Pity Party - Mel• Unsteady - X anie Martinez Ambassadors • Shape of You - Ed Sheeran • It’s Not Like I Like • House of Cards You!! - Static-P & - BTS Amree • Crooked Teeth • The Girl - City - Death Cab for and Colour Cutie

entertainment

• Money - Mystery Skulls • How Deep is Your Love - Calvin Harris • Get Lucky - Daft Punk

• Uma Thurman - Fall Out Boy • It’s Gonna Be Me - NSYNC • Uptown Funk Bruno Mars • Bad Apple - Ashe & Rockleetist • Very Nice Seventeen • HandClap - Fitz and The Tantrums

32

• Feint- Snake Eyes (ft. CoMa) • EDEN - Wake Up • Lanterns ft.

Sarah Howells Vexare

• So What - P!nk • Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne • We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift

• Wild - Troye • Can’t Stop the Sivan Feeling - Justin • All of Me - John Timberlake Legend • Circus • Unwritten Britney Spears Natasha Bedingfield

• No Children - • Flowers - In Love • Something Good Mountain Goats With A Ghost ft. Can Work - Two Nori Door Cinema • Oh Wonder • Lost in Thoughts Club Drive All Alone - AmaLee • Don’t Recall • Sky High - FreeT- (Hidden Ver.) EMPO K.A.R.D