The Warrior Post - November 2018

beliefs

the warrior post at martin high school

the 2018

The

importance of being Earnest Earnest

page 5

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issue volume 37 issue

ONE

warpo

What you missed

A look back at events this Fall

1. members of the varsity cross country team celebrate their 16-point district win oct. 11. photo by trevor evinger 2. Senior Yui Doss celebrates volleyball’s win against Lamar. photo by trevor evinger

3. The fundancers perform at the Homecoming pep rally Oct 5. Their dances were choreographed by the varsity cheerleaders. Photo by Isabella Lozano 5. Martin Choraliers perform at the Fall Choir Concert oct 9.

Photo by Annabel hernandez 4. Ap psychology students draw out graphs with chalk. photo by brandon chrabasz

2 • news

Visit it

Hanna Clausen • Reporter

Looking for new hip places to go? Here are a few:

The it list Listen to it

Normal Girl- SZA In this song, SZA sings about how she wishes she could be the person that everyone wants her to be.

Caroline Brown • Reporter

Hypnotic Emporium: 109 S Main St, Mansfield This trendy new ice cream parlor serves extremely tasty, new, out-of-the-box ice cream flavors and toppings with their famous cloud cone. The Hypnotic Emporium has a hip and modern vibe and is a hotspot for anyone looking for a delicious sweet treat.

Spiral Diner and Bakery: 1314 W Magnolia Ave, Fort Worth The Spiral Diner Bakery is an original vegan bistro located in Fort Worth. It has a very unique and retro atmosphere.

With a wide range of options on the menu and meat substitutes, you’ll hardly even notice it’s not meat.

Trinity Overlook Park 110 W Commerce St, Dallas Trinity Overlook Park is a public park that stretches 20 miles over the Trinity River and goes over I-20. The famous park has everything from nature trails to high-end restaurants. Trinity Overlook is most popular for its late-night, beautiful views of the highway and skyline.

Strawberry Fields ForeverThe Beatles The Beatles’ timeless song talks about feeling misunderstood and different than others.

All Yours- APRE Features a warm guitar to accompany APRE’s captivating voice in this pop/ alternative song.

Drink it

WHO? WHAT?- Travis Scott This catchy song is a reflection of Travis Scott’s life, like where it’s taken him, and how he plans to change it.

Dreams- Fleetwood Mac The iconic song, “Dreams” was written in 10 minutes by Stevie Nicks after her split with her husband and fellow bandmate.

Bon Giorno Coffee 915 Florence St. in Fort Worth

Rylee Richardson • Reporter Coffee

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I ordered the blueberry cobbler which I would get every time. It isn’t bitter and has a hint of blueberry which makes it almost taste like a muffin.

Distance

5

The store is located in Fort Worth, which can be a hassle at times to drive out that far for coffee.

Cost

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The most expensive things on the menu don’t go over $5 regardless of size, which makes it fairly affordable.

Snacks

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I had the croissant which mixed well with the flavor of the coffee.

Study Environment

8

At times it can get a little loud, but the seating makes it perfect for individual or small study groups.

Chatting Environment

9

It is never too noisy for conversations, but can sometimes be a little too quiet for sensitive topics.

entertainment • 3

Read it

Aisha Al-Refai • Reporter

Girl, Wash your face: Stop believing the lies about who you are so you can become who you were meant to be •

by Rachel Hollis In this authentic and inspiring novel on how to be a successful woman in a male-dominated society, Hollis teaches the importance of self value and to stop making excuses.

She expresses that we are responsible over our own decisions and happiness, and to be happy with ourselves instead of comparing ourselves to others. Although this book is for females, there are plenty of life tips that apply to men and non-binary people as well.

Hollis gives the kind of peppy inspiration that can get readers through the struggles of comparison in our society.

Turtles All The Way Down •

by John Green In this eye-opening novel, 16-year-old Aza investigates the recent missing person case of Russell Pickett’s billionaire father. While she’s on this case with her BFF Daisy, Aza has to learn how to keep her crippling OCD in check. This novel is about finding what’s lost about yourself, besides an actual missing person.

This book represents the struggles of being a teenager, and how high school affects mental illnesses. Not only is this a self-discovery novel, but it highlights what it’s like to lose a parent and how that affects kids and how they grow up – whether that’s with abandonment issues, anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – or with kindness, love, support and laughter.

4 • entertainment news

The it list Play it

saber lamb • Reporter

It is an exciting time for gamers as both the fall and winter seasons will be packed full of amazing titles to try out.

Red Dead Redemption 2 The spectacular Red Dead Redemption finally received a sequel, and many think that it could be a contender for Game of the Year for 2018.

Wear it Alyssa Deluna • Entertainment editor

Stay cozy and warm this fall season with this list of top 5 fall items you should have.

1. Flannel: Add a flannel to your look to stay toasty and stylish.

2. Beanie: A beanie will keep your ears from getting cold and an added plus you won’t have to do your hair.

3. Boots: Boots are essential for autumn, whether it be riding boots or rain boots or even super stylish boots, they keep your feet and legs from getting wet or cold.

4. sweaters: Sweaters act as a warm blanket wrapped around your body making you feel safe and secure from autumn winds.

5. Scarves: Scarves are not only cute but they add a layer of protection to your neck from the freezing harsh weather this time of year.

Watch it Brooklin Bruno • Designer

Black Ops 4 and Battlefield 5 Call of Duty and Battlefield have both announced their upcoming titles, Black Ops 4 and Battlefield 5 this November.

Spider-Man SpiderMan for the PS4 recently released and fans have been loving the overall tone and story.

Maniac 2018 • Netflix The charm of Emma Stone and Jonah Hill’s captivating performance leave you wondering, “What’s going on?!”

It’s a pseudo-futuristic dream woven together with illegitimate medical practices and consciousness-expanding experiments. Every episode felt like waking up confused from a fever dream, but in the best way possible.

Dream role

Senior dresses the part for ‘Earnest’ play

Senior Ivan Friend poses for the audience after being fitted by junior Maddy Anderson for the Importance of being earnest play. photos by meridith moore

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Caroline Demby• Reporter

e sits in the chair as one person is fixing his wig, and another is struggling to glue on his eyelashes. Senior Ivan Friend snaps together the front of his corset as someone tightens it and takes his breath away.

This costume preparation was for the role of Lady Bracknell in the play, The Importance of Being Earnest that was performed in the auditorium Sept. 19, 20, and 22.

The tale of deception, confusion and comedy features the part of Lady Augusta Bracknell, one of the most iconic character roles in the history of stage comedy, historically played by a male.

“It really is quite fun to play other genders because I’m so good at it in real life,” Friend said.

Friend said he tried out for this role because he had always wanted to play a female role.

“The part of Lady Bracknell is

very close to my heart because it’s always been a dream role of mine,” Friend said. “When I was younger I would pretend I was Mary Poppins, so I sort of derived some characterizations and facial expressions from her.”

The theatre directors Jordan Chambers and Kelly Groves said they knew they wanted to do this particular show because of how popular and wellknown it was.

“It’s the most popular come-

dy in the English language,” Groves said. “I taught British dialect in my Theatre Two class for about two weeks, and found lots of student interest.”

The set for the show had the audience sitting on the stage, which lead to a more personal experience for the actors and the audience.

“The audience enjoyed intimacy and actors enjoyed the challenge of the audience being so close,” Chambers said.

news • 5

Nexflix and unrealistic expectations Caleb Martin• reporter When you ask a person, “What is love?” some people may say an intimacy or passion between two people, some may say a choice, and others will say baby don’t hurt me. In the cinematic world, love is represented in a warped way. Over the summer Netflix released The Kissing Booth, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and Sierra Burgess Is a Loser. All are cute, fun, adorable little love stories with happy little endings, but these three movies are everything BUT “what is love.” Here are six reasons why:

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Sierra Burgess was the one romcom that was for the ugly people, like me. Though it was cute and fun, I couldn’t get over the kissing scene. The fact that Sierra, who catfished a guy as Veronica, and Veronica, who Sierra pretended to be, swapped places to get Sierra a kiss from the guy she catfished is weird. It’s even more bizarre that they had to cover his eyes to get the kiss.

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Catfishing is gross and should never happen at any point in time, and we definitely should not normalize it in some teen romance.

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In The Kissing Booth, the main character Elle Evans runs shirtless into the boys locker room to clean up after a paint fight with her best friend. And instead of immediately running out or covering herself up, she yells at Noah Flynn after he asked her to leave. Not only was her refusal to leave unrealistic, the fact that no adult or administration had any punishment to execute is even more strange.

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Along with some questionable decisions made in The Kissing Booth, everything the boys in that movie find attractive about Elle is her body. Not one bit about her intelligence or determination, just the short skirt she wore on the first day of school caught every boy’s attention. That’s not so much unrealistic as it is just bad writing. We’ve dealt with the sexist phase of society. Get over it.

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I loved, loved, loved To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. But come on.

Who on Earth would ever keep addressed letters to people they had a small crush on in the seventh grade? Also who would react so calmly to an addressed letter from some person who had a crush on you in the seventh grade? I wouldn’t, I’ll tell you that.

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Tea: Lara Jean has a problem. She voluntarily chose to date Peter, who was using her to get back with his ex who was so rude to her.

Why? Who in their right mind would choose to help the boy she had a little crush on in seventh grade get back with the girl who gave her snide remarks all the time? Lara Jean did, in a completely and totally unrealistic way.

6 • entertainment

Fall back

The top 5 Autumn movies Brooklin Bruno • Designer Slow down and enjoy the chill finally hitting the air, and what better way to do that than with a great movie? Enjoy these timeless classics as you plop onto something comfortable and maybe throw on some fuzzy socks.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

If nothing else, this cinematic masterpiece just looks like Fall.

Orange tones flood the screen throughout the whole movie, and the characters are the absolute jewel of the film. I firmly believe that the scrappy Mr. Fox could win the hearts of anyone and everyone who gave him a try. This movie is clever and witty and is worth the watch.

Good Will Hunting (1997 )

This movie is practically guauanteed to warm your heart and leave you feeling at ease. A true classic. Starring Robin Williams and Matt Damon, sincerity is constantly a component as the misguided but brilliant Will Hunting is mentored.

Imparing feelings of rapport and slight antiquity, this is a great film for autumn.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Giving you the perfect balance of magic, mystery and moxie; J.K. Rowling presents her masterpiece in movie form. The entire Harry Potter series transforms you directly into a beautiful, hazy world that’s perfectly fitting for the fall feel.

Atonement (2007)

Delivering something for a more acquired taste, this movie is a bittersweet period piece. It takes place during World War II and affords every ounce of silently-implied love and sadness a movie can.

Emotions are conveyed subtly, yet so profoundly, and the film demands your attention. It encompasses stories of love and family, failure and heroism – so if you’re interested in dizzyingly beautiful and thought-provoking works, then this is a movie you’d enjoy.

The Princess Bride (1987) Nothing too serious, but one of my absolute favorites, it’s a true storybook come to life. This movie is perfectly crafted with elements of humor, romance, action, and anything else you could ask for. This film is charming, and chivalrous.

It encourages the inner child in all of us – which in my opinion, is a noteworthy accomplishment.

Make me a believer Students give input on popular theories

Erika Karaganis • Reporter

The Slenderman Theory

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hispers echo and opinions spill out through the halls as faculty and students alike discuss and debate what they should choose to believe – and what they never can.

Many people believe that conspiracy theories are just the results of an overactive imagination and an immense amount of paranoia.

Others, however, hold their beliefs high and try to explain what others can’t.

“I think my age group is really fascinated by the concept of conspiracy theories,” senior Abbigael Weglicki said. “I know that a lot of my friends and people my age are interested in it and look into it.”

Beliefs in these theories allows people like Weglicki to feel like they belong to a group.

With their prevalence in the media, many people can find a place to share what they believe, or find a group that agrees with them and find new theories that may affect them or that they support.

“It gives a platform for people who have a lot of views or followers or things like that to voice their opinions,” senior Galadriel Masters said. “And it gives viewers or followers a platform to be able to find other people with similar beliefs.”

8 • features

The Mandela Effect The Mandela Effect is arguably the most widely-known theory.

While it, in and of itself, is just one theory, there are many variations of it different people choose to believe in.

“The Mandela Effect is like you remember something being one way but you see it again later and it’s not that way,” Masters said. “It’s really confusing. Like the ‘Berenstain’ instead of the ‘Berenstein’ Bears or like ‘Where’s Waldo’ is now ‘Where’s Wally.’”

This belief is popular among many theorists, but the details of it vary from person to person. While Masters’ definition is agreed upon by many, there are a myriad of explanations and understandings where either major or minute details are changed.

“Someone will go back in time basically and change a little detail and it will change the present and change the present’s truth,” Weglicki said.

“And there are different theories about that. About how it really works. About different timelines colliding.”

While many theories may be well known or even considered to be “basic,” not all conspiracy theories are like this. The Slenderman Theory surprises or even frightens some people when they first hear about it.

The theory argues that Slenderman is real and can be summoned.

Sophomore Derron Strickland is one student who finds this theory particularly fascinating. While his beliefs may not be the most widely accepted, he holds onto them and tries to accept that his theories may not be popular among the general population.

“I know everyone has their own beliefs,” Strickland said.

“I can’t judge you for what you believe in and you can’t judge me.”

These fascinatingly terrifying stories and ideas that have been put together to create this theory can send chills down your spine.

“I’ve read articles that people have tried to summon him,” Strickland said. “A group of friends almost killed their best friend over trying to find him.”

While this theory does occasionally lead to violence, it is still a major and important part of his beliefs.

“Everyone has their opinions,” Strickland said. “There’s that belief that something is real. Like myths.”

The JFK Assassination The 1963 assassination of this well-known president is one that our country will not be forgetting any time soon.

While the event itself is widely accepted as fact, the story of how it happened has stirred speculation.

Some believe the government was involved, some believe it was the FBI or CIA, and others still believe the Mafia may have had something to do with it.

But, no matter what the details, these theorists hold strong in their beliefs.

“I believe that JFK’s assassination was planned by the government,” Weglicki said. “I think that one’s a fact.”

This theory is shared among students and teachers alike.

Criminal Justice teacher Patrick McCray is one of the adults in the school who said he believes this tragic event may have had a little more going on than what was said.

“I think that Oswald was involved in it, but I think there were a bunch of people kind of like spurring him,” McCray said. “I think it’s not as much a conspiracy as it just wasn’t investigated thoroughly enough.”

Honeym Senior makes life-changing decision by getting engaged to her soulmate Caroline Brown • Reporter

A

t the mere age of 17, deciding what to do in life can seem unimaginable.

Yet, senior Rachael Rodriguez knows exactly what she wants in life: to marry her fiancé, Dalton Phoenix, and enlist into the Army with him by her side.

After the two met in junior high and established a strong friendship, their relationship grew in depth through the years.

Soon enough, they began to have stronger feelings towards one another.

“We’ve been best friends for about five years now,” Rodriguez said. “As we got closer to this year, we became boyfriend and girlfriend and now we’re engaged to each other.”

The couple’s decision to get married was made due to a complicated situation they were faced with. The only way they can stay together after enlisting in the Armed Forces is by making an eternal commitment to each other.

“Both of us want to join the Army together, but if I don’t marry him, then I would be deployed somewhere else,” Rodriguez said. “When we get married, we won’t get separated and we’ll be closer to each other, have our own apartment together, and share everything together.”

This choice wasn’t just made upon the conditions of enlisting

10 • features

in the army. Rodriguez said her fiancé has helped turn her into the best version of herself and continuously motivates her to push herself to her full potential.

“I’ve been in relationships before, but when I’m with him everything about the world changes,” Rodriguez said.

“When I’m with him I’m happy and I can be free to be myself.”

Dalton popped the question during dinner at Joe Pool Lake.

With hundreds of people watching, he approached the band playing at the restaurant and asked if he could make an announcement.

“We were playing Truth or Dare and I dared Dalton to go up on stage, ask the band for the mic, and ask to marry Rachel in front of everyone,” senior Hannah Polkey said.

With forming an eternal bond at a young age comes the approval of parents.

Although they were unsure of their daughter’s decision at first, Rodriguez’s parents eventually agreed to the marriage.

“Rachael’s mom seems to love that I proposed, which surprised me, and she said I’ve been the best boyfriend she’s ever been with,” fiancé Dalton Phoenix said.

Her parents’ blessing was also received because of the powerful, positive change they’ve seen in Rodriguez since the start of their relationship.

“I’ve made some bad decisions in my life, but ever since he’s come along, he’s changed

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phase me into a better person,” Rodriguez said. “I know that my parents see he can change me into an even better person in the future.”

Even though getting married to Phoenix might have sounded risky to Rodriguez at first, the thought of being with the one person who enhances her life quickly suppressed that thought.

“I’m not scared because I get to be with the man I love for the rest of my life who makes

me the happiest person in the world,” Rodriguez said.

Starting this new chapter of her life might be unpredictable, but Rodriguez said she knows the future will be promising for her and her soon-to-be husband.

“I see us in the future on our porch together outside of our house with a white picket fence, sitting in rocking chairs, and watching our little kid playing ball in the yard,” Rodriguez said.

“When I’m with him everything about the world changes. I’m happy and I can be free to be myself.”

Changing seasons Elena Regalado • Editor-in-Chief Photos by Brandon Chrabasz

[ ] “I didn’t think there would be moments where we saw really beautiful things.”

features • 11

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ith an outstretched hand, a flying baseball whips snuggly into the leather glove. The adrenaline rush and bubbling gratitude soars through senior Tristen Woolsey’s body. This was in elementary school, and the sport can’t host its star player anymore. One year ago, epilepsy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) stole that from Woolsey, but it didn’t take away the feeling of success.

More has changed in the past 365 days than just the seasons. Senior Tristen Woolsey has endured a year of ALS treatments, and said he has steadily watched his body change while his high spirit and admirable personality have remained the same. Woolsey was crowned as this year’s Homecoming King Oct. 5 when his peers also recognized his inspiring character.

“When we surprised him with Homecoming his smile was the best,” Tristen’s friend Tatum Baffa said. “It’s a struggle for him to smile and talk sometimes, so him smiling so hard is so awesome.”

Homecoming gave Woolsey the opportunity to participate in a senior tradition that he said many of his peers take for granted.

“A year ago I was a different Tristen than now,” Woolsey said. “I wish I was like how I was before. I wasn’t the same.”

An inspiring mindset According to his mother, Tracy Woolsey, as a kid Tristen was determined – a quality he carries with him now.

“When he wants to do something, or believes something, you’re probably not going to get to sway him in any way,” Tracy said. “The fact that he’s always more concerned about everyone else and how they’re dealing with it impresses me.”

Tristen’s friends said that when ALS and epilepsy push at him, he pushes back harder and

12 • features

chooses kindness as his weapon of choice.

“He’s caring,” Baffa said.

“Even with everything he’s going through, he’a a good friend and puts others first. He takes his situation with grace. He doesn’t let it ruin him. I’m sure he has his bad days, but he takes it in stride and gets through it.

He still perseveres to do everything he needs to do.”

Standing by principles Character defines Tristen as much as strength does. He weaves commitment through every relationship he has.

“He’s loyal to a fault,” Tracy said. “He will fight to the nail, and you’re not going to sway him. He wouldn’t participate or let a friend doing something bad for them, even before he was sick. He’s such a rule follower.”

Tristen put this statement to the test one day when he stood up to peer pressure.

“One time I had to use my epilepsy as an excuse to not smoke marijuana,” he said. “I told them I had to take pills for my brain. I was wondering, ‘How do I get out of this without looking like a loser?’”

Refusal to quit Baffa has known Tristen since the first grade, when she used to cheer for him on the football team.

“I remember I used to get so mad because they weren’t letting Tristen play,” Baffa said.

“I would always yell, ‘Why aren’t they letting Tristen play?

Put him in the game!’ My mom

had to have a long talk with me about epilepsy and how that was why he wasn’t playing.”

Even as a kid, giving up wasn’t his style.

“They made him stop playing in the sixth grade,” Tracy said.

“At first they wanted him to quit, but we said we wouldn’t until they made us stop.”

Baffa said Tristen’s wittiness and caring heart are some of his best attributes.

“One time he knew I was upset in seventh grade over a guy or something stupid,” Baffa said. “He invited me over to his little sister’s birthday party. He always wanted to play basketball. We would chunk things at the basket because I was mad at a boy. We would throw it pretending it was his head.”

Older on the inside At school, Tristen has seemed to make a friend with his witty comments.

“I’m best friends with the security guards,” he said. “I have a freshman sister and I told them, ‘I’m not going to be the big brother that protects her. I’m going to be the big brother that runs her over with my wheelchair.’”

His mother said she has seen his humor remain part of the person he has become since he was little.

“He’s funny in a way that’s above some people’s own age, even before he was sick,” she said. “A lot of people say when they talk to him it’s like he’s 40 because the way he views things is very different. He’s like an old person in a young person’s

body. He was a different person after he got the epilepsy. He says all the time that that’s why he seems like an old person.

Even before he got the ALS, he didn’t take things for granted.

Things his friends could do that he couldn’t do.”

You would not know The journey Tristen has endured separates his views of simple activities from those who haven’t faced circumstances that align with his.

“He’ll say, ‘I wonder if the baseball guys know how lucky they are?’” Tracy said.

“Unfortunately, they probably don’t because you wouldn’t have if you were 15 and you weren’t sick. He’ll say, ‘I think the epilepsy prepared me for this situation.’ I think it made him way older than his years.

He has such a different outlook than most kids his own age.”

Tristen has triumphed several times in his life, but to him his most proud moment was when he overcame a hurdle that others may take for granted.

“Freshman year before I got the ALS, I started losing my epilepsy,” he said. “I didn’t know it was ALS doing that, but I am the most proud of that because I went a year, or year and a half without any seizures.”

Emotional remedy As helpful as medical treatment is to Tristen’s condition, company has a reassuring and comforting effect too.

“When he is around kids his own age, we see a massive difference,” Tracy said. “When

he hasn’t seen his friends in a long time, he will decline. And when he’ll see them, he is a totally new person physically and emotionally. It’s one of the reasons why he still goes to school – it’s good to him.”

Tristen is on a modified courseload to accommodate his schedule, though he still plans to graduate with his class in June.

“I go for third period and leave at lunch,” he said. “I’m doing one individual class at a time. Right now I’m doing Economics.”

students didn’t know this was going on. That went on for a year.”

Highs and lows One of Tracy’s area of importance is encouraging Tristen to have faith through this course of events.

“We talk about faith a lot,” Tracy said. “I am impressed because he has had some down times, but we have times of clarity.”

Tristen’s doctors told his parents his ALS diagnosis two months before they told Tristen.

Doctors knew he would have A year of waiting questions, and they wanted to Tracy said that although this make sure they had every bit of journey isn’t what she pictured, testing in first because they were she is grateful for the beautiful hoping to have more answers. events that have come out of it. “We were dreading for two “When you have kids you months of just breaking his think, ‘What if something heart,” Tracy said. “I thought happens?’” Tracy said. “I think he wouldn’t survive this, and for ourselves, we wonder, ‘Wow, I’m not going to survive telling what if I was that guy over there him this.” in that wheelchair?’ This is not who I thought I would be. Holding onto hope Everything has been different Tristen’s siblings Tatum, Trent than what I thought.” and Tyler have taken on a role as Before Tristen’s condition was siblings that they didn’t expect. identified, his sophomore year “The boys are angry,” Tracy was frustrating. said. “I wasn’t expecting that.

“There was a year before he I just thought when I told was diagnosed where we didn’t everybody they were all gonknow what he had,” Tracy said. na cry, and that was gonna be “He was falling, limping, and that.” getting bloody cuts. I had to With Trent overseas serving in come get him almost every day.” the Marines, he hasn’t been able These incidents were to see Tristen everyday through happening more often, and his journey. grew more concerning as they “Every time he came home progressed.

I was worse because I was just “One time I tripped in the getting the ALS,” Tristen said. doorway, and it just busted “The first time he came home I both of my knees open,” was on a walker. The next time, Woolsey said.

I was in a wheelchair. Each Without a diagnosis, Tristen time he came home I had just struggled to get the proper declined. It was hard because support at school – making every time I saw him I was an already hard situation even worse.” more difficult.

Through the times that “It’s a very big deal to get into seemed abysmal, the Woolsey Special Ed, even with ALS,” family has held onto hope.

Tracy said. “It took us nine “I didn’t think there would months. I was having to wheel be moments where we saw him to every class. A lot of the really beautiful things,” Tracy

said. “There are a lot of really good parts about it that you don’t expect, and there are a lot of ugly parts and you’re not handling it the way you thought you would.”

Embraced Martin has been known in the past to embrace students and their families when they’re facing a hard time. The Woolseys are no exception.

“Teachers and administrators have been amazing,” Tracy said. “We are so lucky. We’ve really had a good experience at Martin. It’s been such a good community for us. For 18 months we were trying to help him be a normal student, and it was literally impossible. I didn’t think he would ever be able to graduate. They’ve done their best to help us out.”

Despite the hardships he has faced, Tristen said he is grateful for the support he and his family has received.

“I have a million different blessings that come to mind with my mom and dad,” he said. “I can pretty much tell you that they wouldn’t be able to handle it all by themselves.”

Organizations at Martin found ways to involve him when he wasn’t able to participate.

“I stopped baseball in junior high because of the select team, and then I came to Martin,”

Tristen said. “I wanted to try out, but you have all these kids who’ve been playing for years. And I was like, ‘Woah, there’s no way.’ So I didn’t end up trying out, but the baseball program has done a lot to include me so I could still be involved. I wouldn’t play, but I was still a part of it.”

Something special Through it all, Tristen said he is most looking forward to graduation.

“They offered to let him graduate early, but he wanted to graduate with his class,” Tracy said. “Making it to graduation is going to be a huge deal.”

In typical Tristen fashion, he is placing the well-being of others at the top of his priorities.

“He says a lot that he’s glad he got it because he already had been sick,” Tracy said. “He felt that if one of us had gotten ALS, that we wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”

Woolsey doesn’t only inspire his peers and teachers, his family is proud of his ability to make every opportunity a good one with a smile on his face.

“I could not do this,” Tracy said. “I don’t know what it is when you get told you have something like this when you’re 16 years old, what makes you keep functioning. He definitely has something.”

Seniors Tristen Woolsey and Maddie Cendrick were crowned Homecoming King and Queen Oct. 5. features • 13

Magick W

is everywhere

Aivrey Zaiger • Photo Editor hen you hear the word witch, you probably envision pointy hats and bubbly cauldrons, but that’s not the case at all. Wicca is an actual religion with followers who walk among these very halls.

“The whole curses and hexes thing is a stereotype,” senior Galadriel Masters, who is Wiccan, said. “We’re not just gonna curse you because we don’t like you. You need to give us a really good reason. We don’t just sit over a bubbling cauldron putting in eye of newt or stupid things like that. So it’s not as creepy as people think it is.”

Most religions have certain entities that they have to worship, but in Wicca, followers get to pick their patron.

“My main one is probably Rhiannon,” Masters said.

“Mostly because I’m named for her. My middle name is Rhiannon. She and I have that type of really close connection and she stands for a lot of what I stand for, so it just really fits.”

Although Masters was born into Wicca, she has researched the religion.

“Once you find something that works with you, a lot of the time, you don’t really pick your deity, they pick you,” Masters said. “If you’ve done a bunch of research with it, you’ll start to notice little signs. My best friend started doing some research on specific deities and then realized this one has been with her for a long time, so it just kind of happens.”

Although Wicca seems like a very obscure religion, there are actually festivals held in Texas.

14 • features

Student shares what it’s like to be part of the Wicca religion

senior Galadriel masters conducts a ritual in front of her fire pit. masters said she enjoys doing magick with fire because it comes naturally to her. Photo by Aivrey Zaiger “There’s this festival that I go to twice a year,” Masters said. “The one for fall is actually coming up in October and that’s where I do a lot of my worship and things like that.

It’s out in central Texas and it’s a designated religious ground and so there are lots of different sacred spaces that you can go to.”

One of the first things people think of when they hear the word “witch” is about their magic which is actually spelled, magick with a “k” so that it is not confused with the magic of illusionists. Witches can also develop a talent towards one type of magick.

“There are so many different types of magick,” Masters said.

“My mom does a lot of weather magick and she fuses the magick and the science because she works with pressure systems to shield certain spaces from super bad weather or for the festi-

val that we’re going to. She does months of preparation to make sure it doesn’t rain in the festival. I personally like fire type of magick. I work really well with fire.”

Masters was born into the religion and her mom is a high priestess.

“I grew up with it and it’s definitely something that I can relate with better than Christianity or something like that,” Masters said. “It fits better for my life.”

Although Wicca is not an exclusively ethnic religion (meaning you can only be born into the religion), having a family member in the family may help you learn certain types of magick.

“Definitely certain aspects of magick can be hereditary or certain traits can be,” Masters said. “My mom’s been trying to teach me healing magick and I think it’s come a little easier to

me because she’s done a lot of work with that in the past.”

Certain aspects of witchcraft/ Wicca are actually en vogue right now with more and more people buying things like crystals and tarot cards, but buying and using these items doesn’t necessarily mean a person is partaking in the religion.

“If they’re doing it just because it’s cool then or if they’re doing it just for the sake of doing it then I wouldn’t consider it Wicca,” Masters said. “But if they’re actually interested in learning about it and learning the history behind it and really getting into it, then I would consider it magick or Wicca.”

Another thing that may scare people away from dabbling such practices is the possibility that it could become dangerous or attract unwanted energy.

“As long as you’re not causing harm to yourself then I don’t think there’s any harm,” Masters said. “There are certain aspects of it that could cause harm like Ouija boards. I don’t mess with Ouija boards, like straight up I can’t stand them. I hate how people just play with them like they’re toys. They’re not toys.”

Masters’ mom, High Priestess Willow Masters said that even non-Wiccans can still experience magick every day.

“Magick is everywhere, you just have to be willing to see it,” she said.

“There’s always a little bit of magic in everything I do which sounds so cliche but it’s true,” Galadriel Masters said. “I just try to make sure I’m holding true to my word, speaking my truth and making sure that I’m walking the path that I’m meant to be on.”

Express yourself

“I really don’t care what people think of me when they see me walking past them on the sidewalk.”

Isabella Lozano • Reporter

Photo by Aivrey Zaiger

S

he stands in front of the bathroom mirror, eye to eye with herself. She takes one last look, straightens her outfit, and leaves for class, caught between social norms and who she truly is.

Senior Donavyn Wesson is a male-to-female transgender student.

As of the fall of her sophomore year of high school in 2016, she has been dressing in traditionally female clothing.

The transition, although recently made public, was long awaited.

“When I was growing up, I always had very feminine tendencies, and that was very quickly corrected out of my behavior by my parents,” Wesson said.

Her family’s rejection did little to stop her. In junior high, she began to take small steps towards self expression with the help of a few supportive friends.

“I would have my friends do my hair a certain way, or do my nails or my makeup a little bit,” Wesson said.

During her sophomore year, Wesson got her very own “girly” clothes from her friends. Life was good.

Everything from romantic relationships to personal identity had fallen into place within the

short start of that school year.

The good times did not last long.

One morning in sophomore year, Wesson decided to do her makeup on the bus, like a lot of high school girls tend to do.

She used her compact mirror to meticulously apply products to her fair skin, periodically making eye contact with the bus driver, a seemingly meaningless experience.

The fallout, though, was quick on Wesson’s heels.

“Later that day I got called into the office because I got a citation,” Wesson said. “It wasn’t like a complaint or a little writeup, it was a citation pink slip saying that my makeup mirror was blinding the bus driver.”

Wesson’s assistant principal told her she was sympathetic to the complexity of the situation, but due to AISD policies regarding citations, she had to call home.

Although the citation was about the mirror and not Wesson’s lifestyle, one question led to another, and her efforts to hide herself from her parents fell apart.

“I basically got outed to my parents, and after that, I got pushed back to square one,”

Wesson said. “Since then, I have been slowly trying to get little parts of my life in where I can actually express that side of myself.”

Despite the culture at Martin, which promotes acceptance, the more people noticed Wesson’s transition the more it sparked marginalization.

Classmates sneered and stared. Friends drifted away.

The criticism peaked so quickly and harshly that Wesson hesitated to be herself at the only place she could: school.

“The reason I would hesitate to dress the way I want to junior year and this year is because the new freshman, being as morally stilted as they are, are a lot more harsh than the upperclassmen,” Wesson said.

The school’s administration now actively works to counteract social tensions among students.

In fact, counselors are trained to work with students in tough situations, but only if the student asks for help.

“Our job is to work with each student who needs help, but they have to come to us about the problem first, or we won’t know about it,” counselor Connie David said. “Individually, we have to see how they’re

feeling. Number one, we have to make them feel good about themselves.”

By the beginning of her senior year, she successfully turned a rough patch in her life into a basis for self improvement.

Music became a comfort, which allowed her to dabble in several instruments.

She worked hard to improve her skills in cooking and the culinary arts so that she could have a way of connecting with her peers in a way that allowed her to escape being marginalized.

Nobody bites the hand that feeds them.

“I love cooking,” Wesson said. “It is my absolute passion. Seeing the joy on people’s faces when they like what you cooked them is absolutely heartwarming.”

Her heart slowly filled with hope and anticipation for the world that awaits her after graduation.

With a bright future in sight, she slowly let go of the stigmatism she felt at Martin and used her experiences to build a newfound self confidence.

“I really don’t care what people think of me when they see me walking past them on the sidewalk,” Wesson said.

features • 17

R evive tradition

Student-led ministry brings groups together

Rylee richardson • reporter When the bell for lunch rings on Tuesday, students fill up Gym D, a place normally busied with those seeking physical education, but instead it’s filled with teenagers who are looking for something beyond the teachings of school.

Revive, the new Christian ministry, was created this year by a group of students involved in separate ministries within Martin, to achieve a goal of

unity. By combining all the separate clubs, they were able to create a community that is more welcoming and open.

“Christianity is about complete love,” junior Matthew Franco said. “That’s what most modern-day Christians are trying to portray. We had a school with three seperate ministries and that looked divided. We didn’t want that representation of our image.”

Ending the other ministries

at Martin, like Ignite, was a hard decision to make, but it gave Revive a fighting chance to thrive as the only Christian ministry within the school.

“Ignite was more of a safe haven for Christians instead of reaching out and converting others,” Franco said. “So they stopped pulling funds from Martin. As for 2020, they ended because they decided to make a pact with the other ministries so they could come together instead of being separated.”

The club begins its meetings with greetings, pizza, a message from one of the student leaders and then worship. The worship normally consists of two songs, led by students.

“We try to base our song choices off of what the speaker is talking about that day,” sophomore Jordan Bandy said.

“I feel closer to God whenever I’m singing and showing what I have to say about my love for Him. It’s easier for me to feel

the connection that way instead of just listening to someone speak.”

The club is able to provide free pizza to those attending through the school funding and from churches who donate.

“As a faculty sponsor, I allow students to use my room for meetings and advise them when they ask questions about what they need to do,” Revive sponsor Rynthia Clements said.

“We are the managers of the funds, so I let them know what they can and can’t use the funds for. I attend and sit in to listen to the leadership meetings.”

The club invites everyone to attend, whether you are Christian or not.

“Revive is a very open environment and we are welcoming everyone,” Franco said. “No matter what race, religion, no matter the background, we will embrace you and love you, and would be so excited if you joined us.”

With backlash and support, athletes decide if they chloe christenson • sports editor shelby simmel • news editor

take a knee

A

s a familiar chorus moves through the filled stadium, men of all ethnicities and backgrounds kneel for one common purpose: respect. Through backlash and support on various levels, NFL, college and even high school players have stood up or knelt, strong in their beliefs.

Many well-known and respected athletes, such as former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, have regarded kneeling during the National Anthem as an act of human-rights. And many have not.

Martin athletes and coaches discussed their views on the controversy.

“I think we all have the right to stand up for what we believe in, or kneel for that matter, if that’s what you believe.

Me personally, I don’t think that’s the way to handle it. But if that’s the way you feel you need to protest, then that’s called the freedom of speech.” senior captain Willie Roberts

18 • features

“I don’t think that police brutality has anything to do with kneeling. It’s been happening. Not only to minorities, but to a lot of people. I feel like it’s happening a lot more in the media to minorities, which does have something do with how public we’re making it. But there is not a direct correlation, I don’t think.” varsity tight end coach Eric Stephens “Right now it’s mostly NFL players who kneel rather than the highschoolers.

They are the top tier of players and they really have a right and platform so their opinion means a lot.” senior Jayce Godley

Disc nnected Teachers say technology is supposed to help modern day schooling, but it’s hurting it.

Michael Sandoval • Opinions Editor Bell schedules and raised hands for bathroom breaks.

Loud blistering music blaring through speakers to indicate the end of lunch.

Both under and upperclassmen have complaints and suggestions when it comes to what the school is and what it could be – ideas for an ideal school where teachers insert grades on time and tests are spread out evenly throughout the six weeks grading period.

But some teachers say that while the district is – and rightfully should be – geared towards the bettering of the student body, what’s been lost over time has been the humility that comes with knowing that school isn’t a playground for teenagers, but a place of work for over 300 educated adults.

Both teachers and administrators have complaints and suggestions of what Martin could be and should be. The faculty are not just teachers or administrators but professionals who’ve made a career out of pursuing difference making – teachers who pursue making a difference by enabling the ability for students to gain greater knowledge through teaching them life skills within short stints of 90 minutes every other day.

While students have staff editorials and student councils representing them, what’s further detailed is an anomaly – a point of view from the not so teenagerish people who also spend eight hours at school every day, but by choice.

“Over the last few years what’s become a huge problem has been the phones,” Corporal Mark Kamphues said. “We deal with students who come to a place that’s giving them the opportunity to get an education that most kids around the world would die for, but don’t seem to appreciate it because of their phones. Phones have become an addiction that’s not being monitored or controlled as it should be.”

Technology is creating several different avenues for both parents and students to communicate with teachers about learning environments and retention rates that lead to better grades. But the multiple opportunities for communication has actually rescinded the involvement of parents and their willingness to know what’s going on in the lives of their children.

“What we’re seeing now is parents have the opportunity to communicate with the school faculty through several different venues,” psychology teacher Griffin Goldstein said. “But for whatever reason, they’re communicating less with teachers than ever. While I do think it’s important for kids to problem solve on their own, most of them don’t seem to have parents checking on them through the venues they’ve been given to do so.”

While strides have been taken over the last decade in pursuit of a better environment for students, and technology can be labeled as a tool that enables

higher-level thinking, 31-year teaching veteran and creator of Algebra 3, Marilyn Broyles said that in 2018, the education system isn’t riddled by anything that takes place in a classroom, but more so what doesn’t happen at home.

“What’s been brewing for north of five years now has been the lack of responsibility high school students have conducted themselves with,” Broyles said. “What a teacher is riddled with now is having to teach a curriculum and also hold students to standards that they aren’t held to at home.

Discipline used to be instilled by the parents, but so much of the class time now has to be devoted to redirecting kids to get out of their own way and to pay attention just enough to learn something that day.”

Although technology has added another hurdle for teachers to jump over for the last several years, the district has made large strides in the classification of students and their intellectual abilities and what students can and can’t handle and the amount of support they need in order to be successful in the classroom.

“We’ve become better as a district at not just labeling students as one thing more so than another,” assistant principal Dr. Mychl Buckley said. “Now we take the time to listen to students more and understand why it is they’re acting the way they’re acting. We aren’t just relying on our own understanding now, but we have social workers and counselors giving their professional point of view too.”

features • 19

It‘s all

political

Meridith Moore • Features Editor & Brandon Chrabasz • Reporter

Gun control

Gay rights

rights

Abortion

Throughout history, there has been a political divide between groups. We hosted lunch with students from varying political beliefs to diminish the divide between political groups. Here’s how it went:

“As a conservative, I definitely believe the Second Amendment is something we should uphold and it was written in our constitution to protect tyranny of the government,” junior Cole Dodson said. “Even though there are arguments out there, they are not valid because even with all the new weapons all the new equipment it is still very valid. If we take the Second Amendment out, repeal it or increase gun control, then we are putting weapons in the hands of bad guys and the good guys do not have arms. We do have background checks, people are checked and stable most people who want to buy guns usually know how to handle a firearm.”

“Restrictions should be placed on people. Certain people should get guns, but not somebody who either committed a felony or has a history of mental illness,” senior Brendon Mercer said.

“As a conservative, I believe that most conservatives believe that it’s very simple – there is male and female,” Dodson said. “As a Christian, I have a full understanding of my faith as much as I can. I can say that I respect everyone equally. If you choose to be gay, that’s your choice because if you’re gay as a Christian, that’s a sin and I could go off and lie to someone and that would be a sin too. They are two equal sins in my mind. You have the right to choose what you do in America.”

“Nobody chooses to be gay,” Mercer said. “I’m not going to wake up one morning and be like, ‘Oh I like men.’ I grew up in the church all my life and I’m still here. I still identify myself as transgender and gay. I understand that growing up in the church and believing what the Bible says: ‘that man shall not lie with man.’ I understand where you get that political view, though people use that against gay rights. Your brain is born a sex and your body is born a sex. Most of the time they match up, so your brain is female and your body is female. Everyday I wake up and feel dysphoric. I feel like my body does not match my brain and a lot of people are like that.”

“It’s a life and they do not have the right to take “I’m a very active feminist,” junior Jessica Sailthat away,” junior Jeremy Chaney said. “I know ing said. “Obviously I take the liberal standpoint that with rape you don’t really have a choice that on that it is the women’s choice.” you are holding a baby, but there are more options.”

Feminism

“They have different perspectives being female, but I think in a broad view I equal rights are already there,” Dodson said. “If you can find an issue that doesn’t have equal rights and protest about it, let me know and I will back you up on it. Until then, I don’t see a purpose.”

“The basic discrimination that we receive is the basic fear we have as we walk down the street,” Sailing said. “The literal fact is that we can’t walk in certain neighborhoods at night because of the danger towards us. We are by no means equal. I don’t think I can explain it to you because there is nothing I can compare it to because white males don’t receive any discrimination similar to that.”

Immigration

“You want to keep families together, but parents shouldn’t illegally cross the border,” Chaney said. “If you stay together to start with, get your citizenship, and come into the country, then there is nothing to worry about.”

“These kids were also born on American soil and they never commited a crime, so shouldn't they at least have a chance to work towards their citizenship if it isn't granted to them immediately?” Sailing said.

20 • features

Police brutality

“That’s the officer’s goal, not the department’s goal, not the broad spectrum officers in general, but that one officer’s bias,” Dodson said. “There are thousands of good cops out there and very very few bad cops.”

“I feel like all of those problems stem from one thing: racial profiling,” Mercer said. “Anybody who doesn't have the ‘correct’ skin tone can face some sort of discrimination whether or not they are actually of that ethnicity or not.”

All the participants agreed on the fact that there needs to be some change in the adoption/ foster care process in America, there should be a stop to gun loopholes at gun shows, people should not come in the country illegally and that there needs to be more of a rehabilitation period for drug-related crimes.

Watch the discussion here: Junior Jessica Sailing, Senior Brendon Mercer, Junior Cole Dodson, and Junior Jeremy Chaney listen attenively to the next question in their debate. Photo by Brandon Chrabasz

Fish are friends, not food

An inside look at what it’s like to be a freshman katie kohutek • features editor

F

reshmen quiver in fear as they prepare to face the hallways during one passing period. For a freshman, maneuvering through the hallways is an art form.

Apologies for getting in the way will go unheard and unacknowledged, but they are still uttered by the ninth graders.

As the butt of many jokes and constant belittlement, freshmen do not always get a chance to have their voices heard. The following interview was conducted to shine a terrified light on these often ignored opinions and thoughts of the youngest students at Martin.

What have been your favorite parts of high school so far?

“Freedom,” Elizabeth Ronemus said. “We can have our phones more often and we can eat basically wherever we want for lunch and no more walking in lines.”

“It’s easier to avoid people you don’t like,” Josh Landin said.

“I like how a lot of the teachers are more strict,” Makenzie Gaines said. “Most of the teachers at my old school were a lot more laid back. They didn’t care about your grades really.”

Would you say that high school so far is easier or harder than junior high?

“I like how easy it is so far,” Alaena Dodson said.

“It’s a lot more work than junior high,” Landin said. “The standards are higher. So I can’t get away with stupid stuff that I used to pull.”

“I think it’s a lot easier because you might have a lot more work for sure, but the teachers explain it more than they did in junior high,” Gaines said. “They give a lot more explanations and explain math, science, and geography much better.”

“I feel like the homework is worse but the actual being in class part is better,” Ronemus said.

How have upperclassmen treated you?

“Being short is difficult,” Ronemus said.

“It hasn’t been that difficult for me,” Amanda Kohutek said.

“I’m tall and I can pass for someone other than a freshman. So I kind of cheat at life and drag Elizabeth around.”

“In a lot of my classes I’m the only freshman so they treat me pretty well,” Ronemus said.

“With my photography class, there are not really any freshmen in there,” Mark Regalado said. “So I thought it was gonna be awful, but actually I’ve made some cool friends.”

“I know that some choir kids, at least the seniors and juniors, have been really really nice and helpful with show choir auditions and All-State auditions and all of that,” Kohutek said.

22 • features

How do you feel about the seniors getting to sit at the front of the student section at football games?

“I can’t see over all of the tall seniors,” Ronemus said.

“That’s not fair. I literally don’t go because I can’t see.”

“One time I went and you couldn’t see the first half of the field,” Regalado said. “If the play went closer to the sideline, I couldn’t see what was happening. I had to jump.”

“Here’s my thing,” Kohutek said. “If you take the time to get there early and if you stinkin’ love football, it shouldn’t matter if you’re a freshman or a sophomore or a junior or a senior because you took the time out of your life to get there early.”

What about being booed at pep rallies?

“I think it’s funny because we boo the upperclassmen, and then they boo us back. It’s a booing relationship,” Gaines said.

“I think we just expect it,” Kohutek said. “We don’t expect them to be nice to us.”

When you’re in a group with upperclassmen (band, theater, orchestra, etc.) do you feel that they treat you differently?

“The freshmen tend to separate themselves from the rest of the kids,” Landin said. “But it really depends on your skill level.”

“In my choir class there are a lot of tenth graders and they think because they’ve been there before us that they’re a lot better than us,” Gaines said. “I have a lot of tenth graders that sit behind me and talk bad about the girls I sit next to and me.”

“In theater there’s our student teacher and then there are some older kids that come in and they’re all really nice to us,” Kohutek said. “I don’t think they look down upon us. They want to help us.”

Do you feel that teachers treat you worse than older students in these groups?

“In marching band it depends on how good you are,” Landin said. “If you’re awesome as a freshman then you’ll be treated really well. Everything revolves around skill.”

Are you finding that in high school you are treated a lot more like an adult than in junior high?

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“In some classes my teachers will give lectures and my teachers will say that just because we’re freshmen doesn’t mean that they are gonna treat us like freshmen,” Gaines said. “It makes me wonder what they mean by ‘treat us like freshmen.’ Is it a stereotypical thought to hate the freshmen?”

“I feel like an adult but I don’t feel as much like an adult as the upperclassmen,” Ronemus said.

“I think that’s fair, because as you get older you have more responsibilities,” Regalado said. “They’ve been in the school longer and they probably know more than most of us do.”

Are you scared or excited for the upcoming years of high school?

“I’m excited for the advantages,” Gaines said. “Prom is exciting.

Being a junior you get a ring, which is pretty cool. Junior year is what most colleges look at so you have to do your best, which is pretty pressuring.”

“I like the idea of being with all your friends and maybe having a free period,” Kohutek said. “But I do think that the college applications and the GPA is stressful and kinda scary.”

Do you feel pressured right now to have your lives figured out?

“I don’t know what I want in two years,” Regalado said. “I don’t even know what I want for dinner. I understand planning for college if you’re a junior or a sophomore, but not a freshman.”

“I am the odd one out here, but I’ve had all that college stuff planned out since I was in third grade,” Ronemus said. “I knew where I wanted to go and I knew why.”

How do you feel about the stereotype of freshmen?

“For some people the stereotypes are very very true,” Ronemus said.

“I feel like it’s just one of those things that has to fall in place,” Landin said. “The first year of high school, you’re going to be a stupid freshman. It’s just how it is. We have no clue where we’re going. I know we think we know where we’re going but we don’t.

We just have to accept the fact that we’re freshmen and it’s just a class system.”

“I think looks have to do more with the way you’re treated,” Kohutek said. “If you look like a freshman, then they’ll treat you like you’re lower than them, but if you look older or even act older they won’t really notice or care.”

Any final thoughts?

“I feel like being a freshman is not that bad as long as you don’t act like an idiot the whole time,” Ronemus said.

“I still think that seniors should at least give freshmen a chance,” Dodson said. “Don’t just assume that because I’m a freshman I’m an idiot,” Dodson said.

“Education wise, you need to not get caught up and master the art of not caring,” Landin said. “I think about busy work, in the long run it’s not gonna matter, so that’s my philosophy.”

“I understand being rude to us because it’s tradition and soon we’re gonna be sophomores and juniors and seniors and we’re gonna be able to do that,” Gaines said. “It’s a cycle. Now we’re feeling the pain, and next year, the next generation will get to feel the pain. It’s like the circle of life but in high school.”

Photo by Meridith Moore

features • 23

She won’t bend

Anti-straw activist explains reasoning behind her stance A group of friends all reach for their plastic straws and lids next to the soda fountain as they fill up their drinks during lunch.

But one girl reaches inside her purse and pulls out a stainless steel straw instead.

She refuses to even touch single-use plastic items, such as straws and lids found commonly at fast food restaurants.

Senior Isabelle Sonntag is very strongly against single-use plastic items. She

Katie kohutek • Features editor said she despises the harm and in pain while marine biologists destruction that they can cause pulled a plastic straw out of its to animals and the environment. nose, the world began to realize “It’s so pointless,” Sonn- how harmful such careless use tag said. “Even today, in the of plastic could be. lunchroom, they’re going to “It’s just going to sit in a landthrow away hundreds of plas- fill or get dumped in an ocean tic spoons, forks, and trays and start harming animal life,” with little plastic cups for fruit Sonntag said. “It’s not just foand sides. From Martin, I bet cused on marine life. The plaswe would have at least 10,000 tic harms animals on land, too.” pounds of plastic in our trash.

Recently, Seattle banned All of that can’t decompose be- single-use plastic straws. cause of what it’s made out of.” Starbucks has also announced When a video went viral a few that they will stop producing years ago of a turtle crying out plastic straws, though they will

eggie

When the bell rings marking the beginning of lunch, sophomore Maddy Seeyle pulls out her lunch box and begins to take out her all-plant-based meal, she watches as her friends begin to eat their deli-filled sandwiches and meat products.

Seelye has been a vegetarian for almost three years now.

She’s passionate about what she’s doing and she said she believes she’s making a change.

“I’ve always loved animals since I was a little girl,” Seeyle said. “I hated seeing them suffer and I didn’t want to be a part of something that involves cruelty to innocent beings. I watched a YouTuber and she exposed me to the vegetarian lifestyle. I thought it couldn’t be too hard, so why not try it.”

Seelye said she has been challenged during her two years of being a vegetarian with social

24 • features

still use plastic lids for the time being. While Sonntag said she believes that these steps are a good start, they are nowhere near the solution.

“Not giving out straws with drinks will just annoy people at first,” Sonntag said. “But eventually people will wonder why they didn’t get a straw with their drink.

That will lead to more awareness. It’s not gonna do anything huge yet, but it’s a good first step.”

Sophomore describes her struggles of living as a vegetarian

ales

scenarios, as well as the urge to eat meat.

“I struggle with a lot of social conflict,” Seelye said. “People will either make fun of it, tell me that I’m not making a change, or that I’m sort of weak in a way. It’s hard when I go out to eat sometimes because most fast food restaurants don’t have a big supply of vegetarian options, so I’m tempted to get a meat product. But something that helps me with that temptation is thinking about what that animal went through and how much it suffered. It’s just not worth it to me.”

Seelye’s mom, Alisha said she fully supports her daughter but worries about some of the health problems that could come with being vegetarian.

“I worry about her getting

Alysse Ellerbrook • Reporter all the nutrition and protein she needs,” Alisha Seelye said.

“We’ve gotten her blood work done to check her iron and calcium levels and everything seems to be fine. I have her on certain supplements just to be extra careful that she’s getting all the nutrition she needs.”

Seelye said she has a supportive atmosphere around her and is thankful for her family and what they’ve done to support her.

“My family has always been supportive of my decision to be vegetarian,” Seelye said.

“They’ll cook me seperate foods and sometimes we’ll all have a vegetarian meal.”

Seeyle is also vegetarian because she feels compassionate toward animals’ lives.

“I’ve always thought we can survive without meat,” Seelye said. “Everything we need for our bodies we can find in other

resources. I believe we’ve gotten to a point where we feel we have the right to slaughter and torture animals for our own personal gain.”

Seelye said she hopes to become a full vegan (not eat or wear any animal products) in the future and doesn’t plan on ever going back to meat.

“She’s super passionate about it and I know she has real reasons for doing this,” Alisha Seelye said. “She believes in what she’s doing and I have so much respect for her.”

Seelye said she has gotten many negative comments in the past about being a vegetarian, but she chooses to ignore them and continue to move forward with her meat-free lifestyle.

“People often think I’m a softie or a ‘basic vegan,’” she said. “But I have real reasons for why I do this and I’m not going to let anyone change my mind.”

‘I’m focused around energy’ HANNA CLAUSEN• Reporter Senior James Villanueva doesn’t define his himself as an atheist or agnostic, but said his ideas feed off of energy and the universe.

“I have one frim belief that if there is a God, then God is a part of everything, and energy cannot be created or destroyed,” Villanueva said.

He started to question his religious beliefs when he was in junior high.

“I actually started looking into religion and science and eventually I ended up believing there really wasn’t a God,” Villanueva said. “I believe there was evolution behind the whole thing, and there was a lot of stuff that didn’t really make sense in the Bible.”

Energy is what Villanueva’s main belief is focused around.

“I am really focused around energy, positive energy, negative energy, and taking that energy

and turning it into something else,” he said.

Villanueva said he thinks all people have control over their own energy and have the power to change or influence others in a positive or negative way. Villanueva said he believes he can feed off of other people’s energy, he tries to stray away from that because he wants to stay positive and not let others ruin his vibe.

“I try my best to stay away from taking off of others energy and letting it affect me,” Villanueva said. “You never really know what someone else is going though.”

The afterlife, to him, is the soul leaving its capsule of the human body and moving on somewhere else.

“I think of the human soul leaving the body and going on into a new place, which could be vastly searching the infinite universe or going to a place like Heaven or Hell.”

Too Cuul

Students vaping at school increases

S

enior Will Thomas* rolls over to hit his alarm clock, and then his Juul. As the vapor fills his lungs, the high from the nicotine rushes through his body. As the buzz fades, he can continue through his day, or at least for another ten minutes before he needs to take another hit.

E-cigarettes have been declared an epidemic by the FDA because of their highly addictive substance, nicotine.

Because e-cigarettes contain nicotine, a person must be 18 to purchase them. But not all convenience stores check for an ID. “I bought my Juul myself,” junior Johnathan Smith* said. “People just don’t card.

There are certain places that don’t care.”

Like most prohibited substances, students obtain their Juuls in other ways, like through older friends.

“I received my Juul from a friend who didn’t want it,” senior Ethan Jones* said.

“She sold it to me.”

The rise of the Juul

Juuls, small e-cigarette devices, are extremely popular with teens because of their small size, and they look like a USB flash drive, making them easily concealed.

“Freshman year, I saw e-cigs first and they were stupid

26 • features

Olivia Dague • Copy Editor big mod box ones,” Thomas said. “But then I got a Juul, and that’s much better. The big ones are so big you can’t fit it in your pocket, and it takes so long to charge. The Juul is more concealable, and it’s magnetic.”

“It’s pretty easy to hide.

You just pretend like you’re sleeping and you just take a hit,” Thomas said, motioning with his arm propped up on the desk with his hand toward his mouth. “Or you can go to the bathroom or go out to your car.”

E-cigs have become popular in the last few years.

“Sophomore year was when they started getting big,” Jones said. “I remember everyone just saying, ‘No more cigarettes, it’s all vaping now.’”

The appeal With flavors like creme brulee and mango, Juuls have become very popular with Martin students.

“I’ve smoked cigarettes before and it’s disgusting,” Thomas said. “I feel like this is the best of the worst. It’s a good alternative, that’s how I’ll put it.”

In a vape device, an atomizer heats the “e-juice” to its boiling point, which becomes vapor a person can inhale, or most importantly for students who do tricks

with the smoke, exhale.

“I just think it’s fun,” Jones said. “Maybe that’s dumb to say, but I guess it’s just different. I don’t want to say I’m just doing it to follow a fad.”

When nicotine is inhaled through an e-cig, a surge of endorphins, like dopamine, rush to the reward circuits of the brain, causing a brief high.

“I get lightheaded, and it feels good,” Jones said.

“It gives me a buzz, and it’s enough to calm me down.”

Addicted Nicotine is a highly addictive drug because it re-wires the reward circuits in the brain that normally accept dopamine to accept nicotine instead.

“I take 100 to 150 hits a day,” Thomas said. “The second I wake up to the moment I go to bed. I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.”

Nicotine withdrawal is more severe the longer a person has been smoking.

“I went four days without one one time and I just couldn’t take it,” Thomas said. “If I don’t have it, I get really bad headaches all the time, really shaky sometimes.”

There is a social aspect that comes with vaping for some students.

Twice as many males vape than females

1 in 5 high school students vape

One Juul pod has as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes

“I did it a year ago with my friends,” Smith said. “I’d say most of my friends vape, but not all of them.”

Some even argue that Juuling is a way for people to connect.

“I meet a bunch of people now,” Thomas said. “You’ll be in the bathroom using it and someone will come up to you like, ‘Hey, can I get a hit?’ and then you’ll be talking. I make good friendships.”

Most of these students claim they weren’t pressured to vape, they were just curious about vaping and wanted to see what the hype was about.

“I just wanted to do it,” Thomas said. “I thought, ‘Wow, that seems pretty cool.’ I had already been doing other stuff, like smoking weed and drinking and stuff like that before I did this. It wasn’t a big thing.

I thought, ‘Sure. I might as well just try it.’”

The side effects These students claim that e-cigarettes aren’t harmful compared to normal cigarettes, but they still experience harmful side-

“It’s all vaping now.”

effects.

“You don’t get cancer, so that’s one good thing,” Thomas said.

“My grandparents smoke cigarettes all the time, so I thought, ‘Man, this must be better.’”

But like any inhalant, putting things in your lungs besides air isn’t exactly healthy either.

“It’s something new, and all of the research is not in on the dangers or the side effects of it,” Intervention Specialist Deborah Vation said. “It can cause coughing, headaches, dizziness and nausea.”

Diacetyl, an ingredient in e-juice causes bronchiolitis obliterans, also called “popcorn lung”, which causes a scarring of the tiny air sacs in the lungs, making it hard to breathe.

“I’ve heard about popcorn lung,” Thomas said. “It scares me a little bit.”

Students are even experiencing these sideeffects early on.

“I was an athlete but I stopped because I couldn’t breathe,” Thomas said. “I used to run a lot for fun, and I played baseball my freshman year. I used to be

able to run a six-minute mile no problem, but now when I run, I wheeze and it’s hard to breathe.”

Like, really bad side effects.

“I’ve heard some people talk about how the lungs will not expand,” Vation said. “I have heard one student tell me that she lost a family member who died from vaping. His lungs became coated and would no longer expand so he could not breathe.”

Still, students argue that there are positive aspects to the effects that nicotine has on their mental health.

“If I feel really stressed out or have a lot of things going on, sometimes I need a hit to calm me down,” Jones said.

Students are not only choosing to endure these side-effects, but pay lots of money to do so. A Juul retails for around $35, and a four-pack of Juul pods is $16 dollars.

“It’s expensive and costs a lot of money,” Smith said.

“Vape nation” Vapes were originally intended for adults who are trying to quit smoking cigarettes, however, the product is becoming

“The second I wake up to the moment I go to bed. I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.”

increasingly popular among high school students who post pictures and videos of themselves vaping on social media.

“It is a market that caters to young people,” Vation said. “My issue with it is that young peoples’ bodies are still developing, still growing. It’s not legal unless you’re 18, but we have so many young people still doing it.”

For some, vaping is keeping them out of trouble and keeping them from partaking in more dangerous activities like marijuana or alcohol.

“My mom thought it was stupid,” Thomas said. “I explained that I was doing this so I didn’t get into other stuff and she understood.

For the most part I feel like it’s kept me from doing a lot of other stuff. I know that it would be worse if I didn’t vape.”

Vaping may be a trend, but a nicotine addiction can stay with someone for their whole life.

“Things come and go, things are popular,” Vation said. “But I believe this is here to stay with us for a while.” * not his real name

“ I was an athlete, but I stopped because I couldn’t breathe.” features • 27

Ask

Mr. T

English teacher William Thorburn believes that becoming an effective teacher, takes three qualities: caring, connection and competence. Here are some other things he believes.

time

Marleigh Richey • Reporter Photo by meridith moore How do you feel about the funding between sports and school?

“Having played sports in high school, singing in the choir and being in theater, I absolutely support extracurricular activities to make a student more well rounded. We just need to make sure we balance the expenditures for extracurricular activities and classroom activities accordingly so that there’s not an exorbitant amount of spending done one way or another.

“I absolutely believe in the fact that extracurricular activities like football, theatre or choir, just to name a few, keep kids engaged in the classroom, keep them wanting to come back to learn.”

Thoughts about college?

“Not everybody needs to attend college.

When I was growing up, that was kind of an expectation, but college was less expensive and college degrees led to decent jobs for the most part. College has gotten much more expensive and some of the students I see aren’t real interested in reading and writing which is what college is all about. They’re good with their hands and they’d be great in a trade like fixing air conditioners or plumbing. These are jobs that a robot can’t do right now.”

“That’s how kids should be thinking, not necessarily, ‘I gotta go to college because it’s a societal expectation,’ but ‘What do I wanna do? What do I like doing?’”

“I encourage kids to think of the things they have an affinity for and then match up the education criteria for that and then set your goal and do it. One thing I really agree with that the AISD has put into place is the CTC. It gives kids the opportunities to work on those careers and go into those fields.”

How do you feel about future generations coming in?

“For the most part, the younger generation is more caring, more civic-minded, more open to new ideas and new ways of thinking than my generation – which is a good thing.”

“I feel positive about the kids I see doing service projects and interacting with people from different cultures and different races. From that standpoint, I think that the younger generation is much more advanced than my generation ever was.”

Are teens angry and lazy?

“Angry lazy teenagers are t h e reason I do this job. Not the trainings, not the technology. The only reason I get up and do this crazy job is to see you smile or to see a kid laugh or to hear someone say, ‘You know what? English wasn’t so bad today.’”

“I’ve done other jobs in my life and you just don’t get the high you get when you’re helping out a teenager or any kid.”

“When you see them laugh and maybe take a little stress off their shoulders that day, you can’t get that at any other job. I poke fun of the angry, lazy teenagers, but I like to maybe help take the stress away for five or 10 minutes or maybe 90 minutes of your day.”

Are social media and cell phones evil?

“Technology isn’t necessarily good or evil, but it’s the way in which we use it. Kids have access to their parents at all times and that’s a really great use of technology.”

“When we work in class doing a ‘Kahootee’ or something, that’s a great use of technology as well.”

“Where I’m concerned is the ‘Snapshoot’ stories and the streaks and the ‘Facegram’ and ‘Instabook’ and all that being portrayed as real life when everyone knows it’s fake.

“It’s glossed over lives and teenagers know it, but still sometimes wanna be in it. It’s like a glossy picture on a magazine cover and the dark side of it is people are mean and disparage others.”

“When we’re behind a keyboard, you can just type into a keyboard your thoughts, whereas if I’m looking at you eye-to-eye, it’s much more difficult for me to

be mean to you.”

“I see you as a human being, I see your face, I see you’re just like me, skin and bones just trying to get through this day the best we can.”

opinions • 29

WP

the warrior post

4501 W. Pleasant Ridge Dr. Arlington, TX 76016 Elena Regalado Editor-in-Chief Olivia Dague Copy Editor Shelby Simmel News Editor

Katie Kohutek & Meridith Moore Features Editors Chloe Christenson Sports Editor Alyssa Deluna Entertainment Editor Michael Sandoval Opinions Editor Brooklin Bruno Design Editor

Rethink exam exemption policy No more long nights cramming for knowledge. No more stressing over a test pulling your average down below sea level.

Once the end of the first semester arrives, and finals dawn upon us, all students know that if they have stellar attendance and at least a B average for the semester, they are promised exemptions from finals.

But the long-tenured exemption system is flawed and isn’t geared towards students.

While it can be said that enforcing attendance through exemptions can give students an incentive to pursue greater knowledge, it is also really causing students to come to school sick.

Those under the age of 18 who can’t take themselves to the

Marlene Roddy Principal

Staffers: Collin Adams, Aisha Al-Refai, Sara Blasingame, Caroline Brown, Brandon Chrabasz, Hanna Clausen, Caroline Demby, Alysse Ellerbrook, Tristan Flores, Erika Karaganis, Saber Lamb, Isabella Lozano, Caleb Martin, Rylee Richardson, Marleigh Richey, Wendy Rivera, Humberto Rodriguez, Leila Schwitter 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.

30 • opinions

can no longer stay home.

Attendance is linked to funding.

There is no shame in pursuing the best possible pay for educators who give their time to pushing future leaders towards greatness, but we shouldn’t, as a district, attempt to dress up exemptions backed by attendance as putting students first.

Instead of acting as if attendance necessarily means a greater understanding of the material, we need to put a new system in play.

An alternative is giving students exemptions by achieving a simple B average for the semester in a course.

Just like in college, students

who miss class should be expected to come into the next period prepared and on the same page.

If the material is too complex to process through personal study, students should be expected to seek out the instructors for tutoring and ask questions outside of class.

This reinforces responsibility and effort to further prepare for students for not just college, but for life.

Let’s pursue higher retention rates and preparation for life itself through a dedication to greatness.

Trying to make a difference in the community backed by graduation and exemptions rather than merely attendance will cause our students to suceed even more.

‘I don’t want to be the next headline’

Aivrey Zaiger Photo Editor Tricia Regalado Adviser

[staffeditorial] doctor

chloe christenson • sports editor Frozen. I close my eyes and try to escape to a reality that is not this one. Endless news stories flood my mind, I don’t want to be the next headline.

••• Today’s culture allows boys to escape punishment for sexual misconduct, leading to the acceptance of rape culture.

Our society is not taught the significance of the word “no.” It does not mean “persuade me.”

It does not mean “maybe later.”

My consent is not granted. Do not ask again. Do not touch me.

You do not have permission.

••• I hold my breath, bite my

tongue. Naive, I was afraid of damaging his dignity. I had convinced myself that it “isn’t that bad.” It’ll be over soon.

••• Women are taught to be polite.

But there is no justification to discredit women. I have a voice, more so, a responsibility to use my platform to speak for those who don’t have the ability or the courage yet.

••• Snippets of that night repeat in my mind. I criticize myself for what I should have done differently. I no longer feel safe in my body, it doesn’t feel like mine anymore. If I didn’t freeze, I wouldn’t have to live in a constant state of fear, terrified of being touched nonconsensually. If only I had fought back. I would have ended up with temporary physical pain, not these mental wounds. Maybe I could still sleep in the dark. Now, I

watch for the signs. I want to see it coming, because I didn’t then.

I will use my voice to call attention to the objectification of women. We are not the clothes hung upon our bodies.

Strength. Finally, I had mustered up the courage to come forth and report that I had been assaulted by my well-respected superior in the workplace. Shut down, I was told there was no action that could be taken since “it didn’t happen on the job.”

To anybody who has survived sexual assault, I believe you. You are not overreacting. You are not playing the victim. I believe you. Do not have shame. Do not let them discredit you. I believe you. You are strong, valuable, and salient. You may not have the voice to speak right now, but when you do, I believe you.

‘Nice try cancer.

I’m still here’ Sophomore Gavin Sheppard battles brain cancer Wendi Rivera • Reporter

A

s the words, “You have a brain tumor” come from the doctor’s mouth, shock fills the room.

At that moment, sophomore Gavin Sheppard’s life completely changed.

Most 15 year olds would immediately think of the all the things that they are losing and feel completely lost, but Sheppard had different things on his mind.

“I didn’t really have any crazy emotions,” Sheppard said. “But the most reaction was from my mom. I had to be strong for her.”

Sheppard was diagnosed in August and has been changed ever since.

“I really underestimated what I was going to go through because I made the mistake of believing that I was going to feel better after the surgery,” Sheppard said. “But I felt way worse than before.”

Sheppard has ependymoma, a rare tumor of the brain or spinal cord.

Sheppard said he never imagined he would have a brain tumor.

“There were signs before that I was basically just toughing through,” he said. “In the mornings, I had nausea and would dry heave and puke every morning. The thing that got pretty bad was that I had double vision. Another thing was I had hearing loss. We thought that it (hearing loss) could be causing the vertigo, but the EMT told us there was no way that something like that could mess with your eyes.”

32 • opinions

Surgery

Sheppard went through brain surgery to attempt to remove the tumor and was able to get 99 percent of it successfully.

“I didn’t even realize it happened,” Sheppard said. “You don’t know anything because anesthesia and you sleep all the way through.”

Sheppard was given antibodies and giggle juice, which is laughing gas but through an IV, to help him through the surgery.

“I don’t really remember anything after that until waking up,” Sheppard said. “The only thing I remember was them putting a mask on my face.

Then I woke up and the first thing I thought was, ‘Why can’t I just fall asleep so we can do the surgery already?’”

During the surgery, Sheppard couldn’t move and, because it was so long, not moving caused him to feel horrible pain.

“Probably the worst was the stomach because that’s really hard to wake back up,” Sheppard said. “It wasn’t that there was something in there blocking it, it was just that it wasn’t running. It felt like it was about to explode constantly for the whole three days I was there. I think I used all their hot packs.”

Side effects

Sheppard had gone through a successful 12-hour surgery, but it had many negative effects.

“I think the first thing I said to my mom was, ‘It’s really hard to talk without a tongue,’” he said. “I do have a lot of limited mobility because of my legs and nerve damage, since I was laying on my stomach for

12 hours. I said, ‘I can’t feel my thighs.’ They said, ‘Oh it’s probably going to get better in two days, and then maybe a week...maybe six weeks. It’s been a month.”

Although Sheppard admits he feels worse than before the surgery, there were many positive outcomes.

“They were preparing my mom and dad with, ‘He might wake up and still need a breathing tube and a feeding tube’ because the tumors were so close to my brain stem, and I might not be able to swallow properly or breathe. So they were completely expecting it and I woke up fine,” Sheppard said. “I should’ve spent two or three days in the ICU. Instead I spent 10 hours and remember the whole thing. I have like a superhuman immunity to anesthesia because I remembered all of it when I woke up. I should have completely forgotten the last two days.”

A new normal

Because of the surgery, normal everyday things became extremely hard to do. From having to miss out on marching band to walking, life took a difficult turn.

“When I first woke up, I couldn’t stand at all,” Sheppard said. “It took all my energy to move, then I realized I couldn’t move my legs at all.”

Because of this huge obstacle, Sheppard has been feeling down and not all himself.

“They have given me an antidepressant which is also mainly for pain, but it also helps me come back to more of what I am,” Sheppard said. “I used to

basically never cry at all. Before the surgery, I only cried once, and it was the night before. Afterwards, I cried every night.”

Sophomore Joey Sevy noticed his friend’s change in optimism.

“He was still his bright little self,” Sevy said. “Just not as joyful as he normally is.”

Blessings

Aside from the pain and the new changes in his life, Sheppard said he has felt the continuous love and support from his church, school, band family, and friends.

“The biggest help was from my friend Joey’s dad,” he said.

“He brought me to tailgate and things. I remember a lot of band parents showed up. A lot of people from church showed up. There was a huge help from Martin that they gave those gift cards. I really hope they help my mom. And a lot of it’s helping my mom which helps me.”

The Martin Band raised money for Sheppard and goes through the stand every football game for extra change that people may have to donate.

“I taught Gavin trombone at the junior high,” Band Director Brad McCann said. “It’s been incredible to watch him grow in the last four years.”

Sheppard said he feels loved because of the support he is receiving.

“So many people have signed up to offer up rides and time (to Care Now),” Sheppard said.

“It’s quite humbling, you don’t realize how much you’re loved.”

Sheppard has also started a homebound program so that he doesn’t fall behind in school.

“It’s quite humbling.

You don’t realize how much you’re loved.”

Sophomore Gavin Sheppard plays the baritone in the marching band and trombone. Photo courtesy of Martin Band

Road to recovery

Although the surgery is over, the road to recovery has just begun. Sheppard said he is anxious to get better and be a normal kid again.

“I’m going to proton therapy which is a radiation that uses protons to treat cancer,” he said.

“This is the newest type so they can stop it instead of going all the way through, so it’s a lot less detrimental to my brain. The proton center is in Irving which is very lucky. If this happened two years ago, we would be in Houston for six weeks because there are only about 40 proton therapy centers in the US. We were very lucky. God’s tender mercies were in the works.”

Sheppard said he has big hopes for a bright future ahead of him, and he’s not afraid to show his strength.

“I’m planning on going back to school this year hopefully, that’s my plan,” Sheppard said.

“The biggest hurdle is my legs.

As soon as they get better, I’ll be a lot more willing to do things and I’ll be a lot more able to do things.”

Clinical trial

Sheppard is in a clinical trial to add to to the proton therapy in hopes of getting rid of the cancer forever. Some participants in the trial will receive chemo and some will not.

“The idea is, ‘Should we apply chemo to ependymoma patients to see if they reduce the likelihood of it coming up again?” Sheppard said. “The standard of care is proton therapy, and because I’m 15, I’m able to make the decision myself to do the clinical trial. It’s a really hard decision, but if it does help and become the standard of care, then kids don’t have to make that decision themselves.”

Even though getting the chemo could maybe help Sheppard, chemo itself is very scary and has many side effects.

“I think the hardest part is losing my hair and I would spend four months of just being sick,” Sheppard said.

Sheppard was recently notified that he would be one of the participants who receives the chemotherapy.

Light at the end of the tunnel Even while Sheppard has to go through the pain, he still tries to think of others and shows his kind spirit.

“Gavin is a really sweet kid who is always trying to get better,” McCann said. “Always does the right thing, and is really easy to like.”

Sheppard is a strong Warrior and he is improving every day.

“Nice try cancer,” he said. “I’m still here.”

Brain sugery is extremely expensive and the Sheppard Family is accepting donations. This link leads to Gavin’s gofundme page:

gofundme.com/gavin-sheppard

The X Ray shows Sheppard’s Brain tumor that was removed in surgery.

Photo courtesy of gavin Sheppard

features • 33

Why I am a Hispanic for Trump He really is making America great again

Tristan Flores • Reporter

T

rump supporters are often labeled as racist, homophobic, white, anti-immigration, and even redneck. What about me though? I love all races. I support my friends in the LGBTQ community. I’m not even white, I’m Hispanic. I support immigration – I just hope it’s done legally. And though I like guns and trucks, I am NOT a redneck.

I was raised in a very supporting family with a mix of Democrats and Republicans, so I could have gone either way politically, but at the end of the day, it came down to who was going to represent the American people in the way I thought best. In this past election it was the Republican party nominee, Donald J. Trump.

This wall isn’t for you

I’d like to start off by talking about the wall, which throws many Hispanics off. This wall isn’t for you, my fellow Hispanics, so please don’t take offense to that.

Fox News reports that over $64 billion of drugs cross the United States border from Mexico annually. The wall will also help prevent illegal immigration.

Immigration is among the best things for a country like

America. It allows diversity, new ideas, and along with that, there are several jobs that Americans refuse to fill, that immigrants are more happy to.

Although there can be benefits, immigration needs to be proper and legal. If not, it can lead to extreme problems.

With illegal immigration, we have no clue who enters into our country – which can be extremely dangerous due to the fact that they could be violent criminals. Though legal immigration can take years, we can dictate if a person has what is needed and what it takes to enter into this country.

However, not all illegal immigrants are evil criminals, a lot of them just want a better life for themselves and their families. But at the end of the day, immigration must be done legally and properly. And Trump’s wall, if built right, and as planned, will certainly help that problem.

Bringing back jobs

Jobs, the center point of American life, are among the several aspects that President Trump has succeeded in bringing back. The Hispanic unemployment rate under Trump is nearly half of what it was under Obama’s administration, and it’s the lowest America has seen on record. Time after time, the Democrats have had the Hispanic vote, but they’ve failed to deliver too many essential needs.

With jobs being a large factor in why many immigrants come here to the United States, it puts a big smile on my face to see America succeeding in bringing back and creating jobs.

Easing foreign tensions America. Trump has constantRelations with North Korea don’t pertain just to Hispanics, but America as a whole. North Korea, which has formerly been one of America’s biggest enemies since the Korean war, is slowly becoming one of our allies. There’s a lot of work still to be done, but slowly it seems it will all come together.

In June, President Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to discuss issues relating to both sides at the Singapore Summit. The biggest issue discussed was the denuclearization of North Korea. In past years, there has been constant threats of nuclear war between the two nations, but President Trump has been motivated to ease tensions.

Since their meeting in June, North Korea has verbally agreed to destroy its underground nuclear sites, and though since backing out from that plan, they have been extremely less vulgar and threatening than in years past.

Trump also tried to better the United States’ relationships with dominant world powers like Russia. Though the United States and Russia have not agreed to anything huge, the meeting with President Trump and Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, at the Helsinki Summit is something I believe is worth toasting towards because it slows tensions and keeps us in a better relationship with Russia.

The most misunderstood man in America

To me, President Trump is the most misunderstood man in

ly been harassed and beaten by words from evil news sites.

They label him as a bigot, a racist, a sexist and far worse.

What these news sites often times fail to look at though are the facts, and this is where they throw not just themselves off, but their fellow supporters.

For example, Trump, since taking office, has donated all of his salary to charities, but the media would rather talk about his love for Diet Coke.

A good political example could include Trump’s strides in ending unfair trade agreements such as NAFTA, and bringing up new agreements like the USMCA, which grants the United States several positive outcomes.

I do understand that Trump isn’t perfect and that he certainly has made mistakes, but I do believe his success should be made known.

He has lowered the unemployment rate not just for Hispanics, but for African-Americans, Asians, and Caucasians.

He is working towards bringing peace between the United States and North Korea. He’s made continuous strides to lessen the beef between Russia that has been constant since the Cold War. He is also working to enforce immigration laws, which all Americans can benefit from in ways, such as stopping billions of drugs from entering our country and controlling who we allow to enter.

President Trump continues to put America first, and for as long as he does, I will be a Hispanic for Trump.

features • 35

Finding a second

home

Life in Texas is very different than Switzerland

Leila Schwitter • Reporter

Tthe cold air on my skin. I

he door opened and I felt

saw the bricks and the colorful posters all over the walls. I took a deep breath of the cold air and walked into my new school.

I’m from Switzerland and I have been in Texas for about a month and a half. This has been my first time in the United States. Overall, I love Texas because it's really nice and you can do so many things that are amazing. But mostly everything here is different.

For example, the streets look so different. I enjoy driving on the roads because they are so new to me. Although that may sound stupid, it’s true to me because it’s so cool to watch all these stores and trees that are next to the roads.

The school is very different.

The town I’m from has the same amount of people as this high school. My old school doesn’t look really different from the outside. However the inside looks a little different.

We have different desks and also different chairs. We have

36 • opinions

no lockers in the hallways and the parking lot has maybe 20 parking spots. But on the other hand, we have a lot of bike parking racks because we all use bikes to go to school or we just walk.

The funniest thing is when there is snow on the streets and it is really slippery and we still ride the bike to school. Yes it is really dangerous, but my friends and I always had so much fun.

Something that is also really different is lunch. In Switzerland all the people go home for lunch. Nobody stays at school or goes to a restaurant. We just go to this little concession stand when we have a special occasion at school and that’s maybe two times a year. I think we don’t go there a lot of times because the cheapest meal there is $10 and not all of us have that much money because mostly nobody has a job.

I just want to say you that you have so many opportunities in school because of all the different classes you can take and you can also join so many clubs. That’s just great because like this everyone can find something they like. In my old school we had just the normal classes like math and German – one foreign language and sports once a week and they didn’t offer you clubs or something else after school.

Something that is also a very new experience for me is the school spirit everyone has shown through the black and red t-shirts. This is something that I never saw at school in Switzerland.

In Switzerland, nobody would

wear something like that. You wouldn’t see someone wearing a shirt that says "Switzerland."

I actually don’t know why nobody is wearing a shirt like this, but I think it’s just because the most of the teenagers are not proud to be Swiss. We are happy that we live there and that we have a good life, but we are not proud that we are Swiss.

And when we already speak about clothes, there is also so much difference between your clothes you wear to school and what the people wear to school in Switzerland.

For example, a lot of girls wear oversized shirts and shorts to school. You would never see someone going to school like this. Everyone wears long jeans and most of the girls wear skinny shirts. I like it so much that everyone can wear what they want and nobody is going to judge you at Martin.

While for students here it’s normal, and that’s just so nice.

This school is really modern with all the computers and programs like Canvas. We had computers in my school, but not Canvas and all these other websites. We just used Word, Powerpoint and Excel.

Our teacher told us what homework we had, and that was it. Maybe it’s less complicated to me, but both have their disadvantages and advantages.

I think the advantages in Switzerland include not having to look all these school apps just to know what to do since the teacher would talk to you, and because of that you can’t miss something.

At my old school we had

to use really old computers.

They often didn’t work and the internet was so bad so we couldn’t do anything in school – we had to do everything on our own. An advantage at Martin is that the school offers you computers, but the downside is that if you didn’t grown up using technology with that it’s really hard to get used to it.

But it’s not just the technology at school that’s different, but also the people in general. For example, you walk around and a random person compliments you for no reason. I think everyone from here can recall a moment like this, but it was so new to me.

When you walk on the streets of Switzerland and you say something nice to a stranger, everyone looks at you really weird and they think you are joking. There is so much to love about America, but the compliments and being able to talk to strangers without someone staring at you is definitely the best thing ever.

While the difference between the two countries can be lengthy, the biggest difference is not having my family and close friends around.

Making new friends is not really easy. I think it’s almost the most difficult part of all these new things because all the people know each other already, and I don’t know anyone.

But I’m doing my best to get to know people. I’m staying positive and I’m keeping in mind a quote that I learned from an organization a while ago: “It’s not right. It’s not wrong. It’s just different.”

To infinity and beyond

Photo by Aivrey Zaiger

Astronomy teacher goes to moon and back for students

By Saber Lamb • Reporter very so often students are lucky enough to have a teacher who strives to make a difference in their lives.

These teachers not only teach them the material for their course, but more importantly, provide them with valuable support to help them in and out of school.

One of these teachers is Dr. Roy Miller, an Astronomy teacher in room 181C. A phrase that he tells his students on day one is “All is all, y’all.”

“This phrase resonated with me because you may not be able to teach a child today, because they are unresponsive, but you can always love them today,” Miller said. “I don’t turn away from these challenging students because I can’t fail to recognize that by validating and raising up this student that I may be the person that makes that difference in their lives.”

As a teacher, Miller said he

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tries to create a very personal relationship and familyoriented classroom that helps his students not only bond with him and the subject matter, but also with each other.

On the first day, instead of reading a syllabus or explaining the rules, he took everyone outside to individually learn their names one by one through a team building activity called “Grandma’s Attic.”

“Educating is the job description,” Miller said. “But validating them is the noble work that I am doing, and recognizing that, for me, time is running out, allows me to always tell my students exactly how I am feeling, because I don’t know if I’ll ever get another chance.”

Miller’s students seem to cherish his teaching style and they appreciate the respect that he shows them, which allows for a very self paced and laid back environment.

“Doc is one of the few teachers I’ve seen that connects with his

students,” senior Shawn Alberts said. “He gives the classroom a casual and comfortable atmosphere, and he respects the time and effort students put into their projects and is proud to show them off.”

Miller said he understands that some students may have hardships to cope with outside of school, or personal issues that may affect them during class, so he always assures them that his classroom will always be a family environment where they can vent or share anything to anyone.

“I grew up with low self esteem,” Miller said. “I know many people in high school do as well, so I just try to do my best to tell them the things that I wish people had told me when I was their age.”

An entire class day was dedicated to having students sit at the front of the class and share their stories while their classmates listened and offered support, and although the discussion got very emotional

at times, no one checked a phone or seemed disinterested in the speaker.

“Someone said to me during class that ‘hurt people hurt people,’ so I try to do my best to mitigate this damage by raising up these young people,” Miller said. “It is emotionally taxing, intensive and time-consuming, but it is the most highly rewarding thing I do, and I would never want to change it.”

Miller’s incredible dedication to his students has paid off, as he was given a Martin PBIS award, was appointed as the district curriculum writer for Astronomy, and serves on the AVID Site Team. He continues to raise his students up using positivity and encouragement.

“I have read thousands of science essays and I treat science as a hobby,” Miller said. “And I say that teaching Astronomy, because it is not a tested subject and we can go at our own pace, is like being handed the dessert tray of science.”

features • 37

Serving her way onto varsity Freshman makes the varsity tennis team two years after picking up a raquet

Freshman Kenzie Feist is one of the few freshmen on the district champion varsity team. photo by Aivrey zaiger SarA blasingame • reporter

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hat started out as a PE credit became a passion for freshman tennis player Kenzie Feist.

Feist is ranked within the top 16 players, landing a spot on the Martin varsity team to start off her high school career.

“Originally my dad wanted me to do tennis and I didn’t want to take the PE class at Boles, so I said, ‘Sure, I’ll do tennis,’ Feist said. “My first tennis experience, was going to a tennis camp that was run by Martin and Coach Moore.”

This summer she took third place at a Southwest Tennis Circuit tournament at Lamar in July, prior to trying out for the Martin tennis team. However, Feist has found high school

38 • sports

competition to be tougher than junior high competition.

“Junior high was a lot more relaxed and high school is more competitive,” Feist said.

Although Feist began playing for fun, she said she has grown to love the game.

“At first it was just about coming to play tennis,” Feist said. “After I realized that I was decent, it became more about improving my game, and becoming the best that I can.”

Feist said she appreciates not being in the spotlight in front of the entire school.

“I like that it’s not a big sport like football, so I’m not in the spotlight all the time,” she said.

Head tennis coach Derek Moore attributes her success to hard work. ¨She has spent the past few years, spending almost every day up here during the sum-

mers trying to get better on her own,” Moore said. “She pushes herself harder than most of her peers do, so that’s why she was able to go further in the class than most people her age.”

Feist’s tennis story however hasn’t always been a fairytale.

She’s run into a few obstacles along the way.

“I hit a wall with my service game one summer and I worked all summer on it, and it wasn’t improving at all,” Feist said.

“After finding a different mentality, my serve got better, and now it’s pretty decent and it’s my favorite part of my game.”

Moore said he thinks Feist has adjusted to the varsity level of competition seamlessly.

“Because of her personality, she fits right in with the upperclassmen on the team,” he said.

A key to Feist’s success is listening to music.

“To prepare for a match, I’ll listen to music to help me get into the right mindset and I’m not as nervous as I normally would be,” Feist said. “Before a match, I focus on mainly what we’ve been working on such as volleys or serves.”

As well as having a good work ethic, Feist’s teammates said she is also very supportive of other tennis players.

“She is always supportive, she is always cheering on everyone whether they’re JV or Varsity,” junior Sydney Bailey said.

With her work ethic and supportive and humble attitude, Feist has the potential of a long tennis career ahead.

“I can absolutely see her playing in college one day,” Moore said. “She works hard, never complains and does her job the best she possibly can each and every day.”

Books before fame The student athlete within Willie Roberts has propelled him towards a 4.0 through dedication gained on the field

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Michael Sandoval • opinions editor

ne Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Quarterback Willie Roberts spun in and out of the pocket with only a few seconds left to get rid of the ball before being sacked. With a wicked turn and a stiff arm that would leave even the Heisman trophy in awe, the senior athlete made his presence known by running it in for six against the reigning state champions, Lake Travis.

The 5’11,” 180-pound athlete holds offers to seven universities – all of them being schools that he could attend regardless of his football skills, like Rice University. He crushes the perceived anomaly that athletes aren’t competitors in the classroom too. Roberts doesn’t just hold defenders in check, he also holds a 4.0 GPA average.

“Since freshman year my grandmother has made me take tough classes to stay on my toes,” Roberts said. “Looking back on it now, the best thing for me has been accepting the challenge to be great in the classroom because it’s also translated onto the field and into life. The 4.0 is mostly a reflection of the standards my grandmother has held me to.”

The best example though for the student-athlete looking to go to a Division I school in the fall of 2019, has actually been his father, a man who’s been riddled with mistakes that have served as life lessons for Roberts – lessons that his Grandmother Toni characterized as examples for what Roberts shouldn’t

mold himself after.

“My grandmother has always told me to take the good from not only everyone, but every situation I’m placed in by being the best man, student, and athlete I can possibly be, without necessarily molding myself after anyone other than my experiences themselves,” Roberts said.

“I’ve lived with her my entire life, and she’s never accepted anything other than the best version of myself.”

The precise routes and the quick feet that have set him apart on Friday nights haven’t been the attention grabbers in any of the AP classes Roberts has been in over the last three years. His surprisingly quiet nature and kind attitude have spoken louder than words in the eyes of his teachers.

While freshman classes have the tendency to come off as louder than the student section on Friday nights, Roberts stood out early in high school for his willingness to pursue knowledge instead of a letter grade.

“Willie was one of the brightest and quietest students I had during his freshman year,” PAP Biology teacher Heather Sanders said. “His bright smile stood out, but what I’ll never forget is how open he was to being taught and to learning new material no matter how difficult any of it was for both him and his classmates.”

What his grandmother has prepared him for all of his life hasn’t been four quarters worth of a football game. The demand

Minutes before kickoff against the reigning state champ lake travis, senior Willie Roberts prepares for what will be his last season in a Martin uniform. photo courtesy of roberto hernandez for excellence on her part has been in hopes of seeing to it that Roberts lives life like a champion who pursues betterment for others before himself in all aspects of life.

“I’ve been Willie’s teammate since the eighth grade,” senior

Chase Lundt said. “I’ve seen him grow as a vocal leader and as a football player over the last five years, and I’m really proud to be his brother on and off the field. He’s been a winner at life even before high school football.”

SPORTS • 39

Refuse to be victims

Self Defense coach Bethany Gonzalez teaches sophomore nadiya jenkins and freshman alyssa hill how to take charge of their own safety. Photo by brea flores

Senior offensive tackle chase lundt pushes through against Arlington High Oct. 19. Photo Courtesy of Chase Lundt

Self defense class teaches girls to be aware of their surroundings Olivia Dague • Copy Editor

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tudents walk down the hallways with headphones in, music blaring, completely unaware of their surroundings.

Attempting to bring awareness of the mindless state of being unaware, Coach Bethany Gonzales teaches skills and awareness so girls may learn to be safer wherever they go.

“After the big school shooting in Florida, the event kind of sparked my interest for self defense for the kids,” Gonzales said. “Defense skills that kids need aren’t taught unless they pay to go somewhere to learn it.”

The all-female class consists of 35 students during ninth period, with a mix of students from all grade levels. Because Self Defense is only a one-semester course, students must pair it with another semester class to get their PE credit, such as Weight Training or Archery.

“There are fitness components to it,” Gonzales said. “We do push ups, squats, and basic body weight training, just so their muscles are moving.”

Because this is a new class, Gonzalez creates the curriculum with skills students should learn.

“We’ve learned different types of punches and different kicks,” sophomore Ryan Sheehan said.

“We’ve learned how to avoid certain situations that may seem a bit suspicious or sketchy and how to be prepared.”

Gonzalez’s class is giving girls confidence when they are walking alone, empowered with the knowledge of being aware of their surroundings.

“I think it’s a great class for girls,” senior Taylor Thomas said.

“I think it’s really good for those who are insecure, and it’s good for girls to know how to protect themselves.”

Gonzalez said her main goal is to teach students to notice their surroundings so they don’t get into a situation where they need to defend themselves.

“If they learn, ‘I shouldn’t be on my phone walking through the parking lot at night,’ that would be the biggest success for me,” Gonzales said. “A lot of these things happen when we’re distracted and they’re preventable.”

Signed up

Senior leader commits to University of Connecticut humberto rodriguez • reporter

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n a hot summer morning, big news came from senior varsity football Co-Captain Chase Lundt.

Committing to play for the University of Connecticut would be the biggest day of his life.

Going on college visits can make a person’s decision on if they want to go to school there or not.

“When I went on my visit I thought that this is the one place I’ve been that I have never seen before,” Lundt said. “It was the best place I have ever seen and I felt at home.”

As captain, Lundt has been described as being a good leader on and off the field.

“By surrounding yourself by leaders it boost your work ethic, and your confidence level,” senior co-captain Willie Roberts said. “It’s contagious. Chase started to emerge as a leader during the offseason. He started to bring people in closer and get on people as leaders do and he just naturally got into it.”

Committing to college for a sport can be a big deal for the

person and their family because they will not have to worry about paying for college, and they’ll get to see their own child do what they love.

“At first they were all proud of me and excited for me,” Lundt said. “They came up and gave me a bunch of love it was truly the best feeling I’ve ever had.”

Having a position change is a big deal for players because it means change. They have to relearn everything and get a grasp of their new position.

“That occured last year just before the first playoff game at the time we had a great Tight End that was the position he was at,” Offensive Line Coach Robert Clark said. “We knew moving forward into this year that we were going to have a young offensive line and his skill set and size best suited him to move to left tackle.”

Good athletes can be overwhelmed when college coaches approach.

“The process was difficult with all the college coaches coming towards me,” Lundt said. “But I made the right choice.”

SPORTS • 41

Volleyball defeats Sam Houston in three sets Brandon Chrabasz • Reporter The second the ball goes up, time slows down as if it will never come back down. The faces of the crowd fade away so all that’s left is the ball and the other team. Nothing else matters in this moment except scoring that point.

Martin is known for going above and beyond to achieve greatness in every aspect of its school life when it comes to academics, fine arts, and athletics. The Lady Warriors Varsity Volleyball team is no exception. Tuesday, Sept. 18 the Varsity Volleyball team faced off against Sam Houston in an effortless victory. The girls defeated Sam 25-7 in the first game, 25-12 in the second and 25-11 in the last game.

“This season our chemistry is a lot better and we hustle a lot more this year as well,” senior Zoe Shaw, a four-year varsity athlete said. “Our conditioning has upped so I think we’re just faster all around.”

The coaches play a big part in the success of the players by teaching different playstyles, optimizing each player to play in their best position, and keeping the chemistry between the girls high.

“A lot of the times I am thinking about how I can put them in a position to be better, to make the team better, maybe even notice some details to help them find their technique,” JV coach Rhonda Dunn said. “I’m also watching the opponent and seeing how we can take advantage of their schemes and their systems.”

42 • sports

Athletes from other sports join the cross country team Sept. 27 to improve their training and skills. Photo by Sara Blasingame

Soccer and basketball teams join cross country to run at a meet Meridith Moore • Features Editor n the midst of the frenzy that is a cross country race, deep down in the woods of the course where the chaos of the spectators cannot reach them, there is a moment of peace.

The only noise is the sound of heavy breathing and footsteps.

Their legs eventually become numb to the pain.

In that brief moment all the pain, all the doubts, and all the stress vanish and are replaced with sheer motivation – the motivation to finish the race.

On Sep. 27, the Cross Country junior varsity team ran a meet at Lynn Creek Park in Grand Prairie.

The varsity team ran at the McNeil meet in Round Rock Sep. 29.

“I run because I’ve done it since I was really young and I grew to enjoy it,” junior Madeline Pederson said. “When I tell people I am a runner people are like, ‘Oh you’re crazy, you run

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for fun.’ But to me it’s fun.”

Not only did the regular junior varsity runners run, but also members of the girls soccer and basketball team ran as a way to stay in shape and build endurance which has been a tradition for them to run a meet for years.

“Cross country requires a different kind of mental toughness to keep pushing yourself when stopping would be so easy,” senior Bella Whitmore said. “The cross country team welcomed us with open arms. Being with them in the mornings at 5:45 and all of us ‘suffering’ together, allowed for a sense of team and camaraderie. Overall the entire experience gave me confidence in knowing how far I can push myself.”

Cross country running is a team-oriented sport where the runners compete to win individual and team awards.

“I like the comradery of being around each other,” junior

Matthew Garcia said. “We’re bonding over a sport that we all enjoy.”

Running on the cross country team is a time commitment with 5:30 morning practices and a first period class dedicated to off season training for track and cross country runners.

“When I’m coaching, there are two things I enjoy probably the most,” track coach Gerri Brown said. “The first thing is building relationships when I am with my kids. I think it’s always helpful to have someone there to knock things off of or have a mentor, and it’s nice to see them grow both athletically and physically. It’s also nice to see them grow and mature as they get older.”

As the runners cross the finish line, a rush of pain flows through their bodies. It lingers until they are faced with their fellow runner friends, smiling proudly at them no matter how well they did.