The Warrior Post - October 2022

The

WP the warrior post

Martin High School

4501 W Pleasant Ridge Road

Arlington, TX 76016

Editors-in-Chief

Trinity Orosco and Laynie Stroup

Copy Editor

Katie Nguyen

News Editors

Katy Dixon and Helena Snegon

Features Editors

Noelle Pond and Sally Rodriguez

More questions than answers

Opinions Editor

Inde Atwood

Sports Editor

MacKenzie Estes

Entertainment Editors

Zizi Belvin and Molly Maddock

Photo Editor

Lorelai Hofer

Adviser

Tricia Regalado

Principal

Marlene Roddy

Staffers:

Khaylani Bailey, Liv Bell, Olivia Branch, Ellie Camarillo, Kailah Cobbs, Caiden Cole, Addy Davenport, Ava Dunlap, Adam El-Kassih, Mia Gondola, Celest Harbrink, Jordyn Hentz, Sirinity Hubbard, Terry Jackson, Maham Khan, Alyssa Lee, Ashlynn Lee, Ashlyn Long, Chloe MacFoy, Morgan Martin, Jessica Nguyen, Corrina Reyes, Emonje Richardson, Camila Rivas, Dewey Saracay, Jaylia Spotwood, Avery Whipple, Asia Wilkey

TheWarrior Post is the official publication of Martin High School. Opinion columns don’t necessarily represent the opinion of TheWarrior Post or of Martin High School.

{Staff Editorial}

The violence and turmoil that occurs in the hallways at lunch has been a huge topic of discussion, both within the student body and from the administration, to the point where our lunch is shorter than last year and they’ve threatened to shorten it even more, at least for freshmen.

These events have mostly been attributed to the behavior of freshmen, and it looks like a plan is finally in the works to put a stop to it.

Under discussion is a plan to confine the freshmen to eating in the cafeteria, gyms, and possibly also the courtyard.

Freshmen would be divided into two lunches, while sophomores through seniors would keep the same lunch times.

This plan raises many questions, however.

How will they enforce no kids in the hall at lunch? Freshmen already break the rules to leave campus at lunch, so containing them to one part of the school seems impossible.

Cleaning the gyms after lunch would also be another tough task for the custodians, who are already burdened with cleaning the bathrooms and the rest of the school.

The hallways are where

a lot of these fights occur. What is the school going to do to keep them clear? Not everyone can fit in the cafeteria, even if the gyms were open.

Would teachers of freshmen just have shorter lunches than other teachers? That seems like it’s asking for serious blowback from those teachers.

Finally, not all of these fights are caused by freshmen, and the exact people they’re trying to contain are the ones who will ignore the rules about where they’re supposed to be.

An interesting prospect from this plan is the move to open up the courtyard.

This decision would make a lot of sense, since it’s a contained outdoor space that currently sits unused during lunch hours. It also isn’t hard to monitor since half the walls are glass and anyone in the cafeteria can see what’s happening.

It’s impossible to deny that lunchtime chaos is a problem. The solution, however, is not to keep shortening lunches for everybody to try and remove “extra time” that lots of students benefit from.

Punishing a large, generalized group of people is a bad idea, and the troublemakers should be dealt with individually.

Changing lunch to stop fights penalizes everyone for the actions of a few

Freshmen: 1,049

Maxing out Martin

Student population reaches highest level ever

Sophomores: 974

Juinors: 911

Seniors: 868

If this year’s hallways feel like walking through the hot and crowded State Fair, it’s not just you. Martin has more students this year than ever in its history.

Our school’s population has grown tremendously over the years. At 3,820, it now exceeds or matches the population of half of the cities in Texas. Due to Martin’s growth, it has caused congestion and crowding issues at times.

“There are a lot of people and it can be overwhelming sometimes,” junior Larry Hicks said.

And he’s not wrong, the student body population has increased this year.

“It’s a diverse community, but we all mesh together,” junior Bode Collins said.

Martin has a good amount of transfer students who play a role in our school’s population growth along with its recent effects. Martin has a lot of opportunities, extracurricular activities, and clubs. That’s why population plays a big role here. Lots of people like to

experience what we have here.

“If the transfer students here at Martin like it, they continue to enroll, but if they don’t, they unenroll,” principal Marlene Roddy said.

Being at Martin offers you possibilities that you won’t get from other schools, like the STEM Academy, active clubs, athletics, and fine arts programs – and that’s why we have so many transfer students.

“If they haven’t been here, then everything is new –new school, new environment, new rules,” senior Jakinda Opondo said. “It’s way more packed and we get more and more students every year.”

Martin hallways are a wall-to-wall experience for students, especially in the shift to second period.

“I wish there was something to push kids along towards the end of the passing period,” debate teacher Seth Newton said.

Tardies can be a result, in part, of the crowded hallways. Teachers expect us to get to class on time every single day and the halls are full.

Bathrooms are also a big issue during the passing periods. Teachers tell students to go to the bathroom during passing periods but don’t want students to be tardy. Halls are full and bathrooms are full. Everyone has had to adjust.

Opondo, who has attended Martin since the start of his freshman year, has experienced multiple years of Martin as well as its different changes and traditions. This year, Martin has warned students about taking away our one lunch that is almost an hour long, due to misbehavior during lunch, mainly by the lower classmen.

Opondo said he isn’t totally against this idea.

“If they do it, then it should be separated by upper and lower classmen,” Opondo said. “Not everyone should be punished for what the younger ones do.”

Although some lowerclassmen like to take for granted the time and leniency we get with lunch, others don’t. Students like to enjoy their time with friends, but now there’s a possibility of lunch being shortened for freshmen.

Hallways are noticeably more crowded this year since Martin’s population has grown to almost 4,000.

PhotobyTylanRichmond

Some underclassmen have had issues with yelling and fighting at lunch.

“I love our lunch,” sophomore Kaylee Nguyen said. “I love how it’s an hour long and we’re all together.”

Nguyen also said that being around all of the classes helped her get more comfortable being around so many people her freshman year.

Thoughts on how to make our school more stable and more controlled have crossed all of our minds at some point.

“More security guards could help bring stability to our school,” Collins said.

One area with visibly increased safety precautions is the student section at home football games at Choctaw Stadium. The student section is layered by grade level.

“The majority are seniors in front, then juniors, then all freshmen and sophomores in back,” Collins said.

AVID counselor Edwina Thompson said that even back in 2010 when her sons graduated, she felt like Martin seemed to be the biggest school.

“There are a lot of kids, but I feel like we have the faculty, teachers, and assistant principals and we make it work,” Thompson said.

Kailah Cobbs, Mia Gondola and Jaylia Spotwood • Reporters

Evolving for school safety

New security policies go into effect this year and impact students

The sun rises as a student approaches the school. Several staff members stand on the other side of the door, and a security guard is counting heads as students file in. They pause when they get to her, and pull her aside for a random search, leaving her confused and feeling called out.

In recent years, school security has become more of a priority all over the country. Often, parents are afraid to send their children to school, and the children are afraid to go. In order to offset the fear, schools have begun to implement various new security measures.

“All metal detectors are part of the district’s school

safety plan,” assistant principal Gregory Cartwright said. “It’s going to be increasing, kind of evolving, to meet the needs of the school.”

Previously, students would randomly be pulled out of class to be searched and walk through metal detectors. But now, on top of the usual procedures, students will be pulled randomly out of the stream of people entering the school, be asked to walk through a metal detector, and sometimes their bag may be searched.

“I just walked up to the school after lunch, and they were counting off the people,” junior Kristina Johnson said. “Even though I

Bouncing between schools

SRO has daily challenges at multiple campuses

As if keeping our school safe wasn’t enough, district school resource officer (SRO) Scott Burnett juggles between three schools.

“My normal day starts at 7:30,” Burnett said. “If I am not at a school where the SRO called in sick, then I’ll bounce between high

schools. Now I’m primarily at a junior high since that officer is out with an injury, but I’m still out in the hallway for passing periods and depending on the school, I’ll walk around during class.”

Burnett said he has mixed feelings about the metal detectors.

“I think the metal detectors are good but they take

didn’t have anything on me, all I had were my keys, my water bottle and my phone, they still pulled me aside and checked me.”

The security guards who stand by the door are not tasked with picking a student to search or a number of heads to count.

Rather, the district informs them of a number and which door to be at. The staff are simply following orders. This can happen multiple times a week, once a week, or even skip weeks. It is entirely up to the district.

“It’s a random number that is picked, and if you land on that number, you’re the student that is selected,” Cartwright said.

In addition to this new searching procedure, a clear bag policy has been

added to Arlington ISD events as well. For all after-school events and activities, students are no longer allowed to bring items that were once considered necessities such as backpacks, cinch bags and camera bags.

“We don’t need clear bags, they should just look through our bags,” senior Macie Greenawalt said. “It’s just getting in the way.”

Though this new policy is designed to create a safer environment and speed up the entry process, it is irritating to some students who have a routine that they like to follow.

“Some kids will try to get out of practice early and sneak into the game ahead of time, and they can no longer do that,” security guard Jamien Jenkins said.

Enforcing new policies, officers prepare to carry out metal detector tests and bag checks. This year, security staff have begun conducting improved safety policies.

too long,” he said. “When used at the right time, they’re useful. They help but are usually used after something has happened.”

He said his biggest challenge is Martin’s size.

“Martin has the most students of all high schools in Arlington and maybe the fewest security officers,” Burnett said. “There should be 200 to 300 students to a

security guard. That’s probably a low estimate.”

Although he’s not always here, Burnett makes it known when he’s present.

“I try to be as visible as possible so kids will see me in various places and not know where I am or will be,” he said. “Just that I’m there somewhere and not easily predicted. That way they might be less inclined to fight or worse.”

Liv Bell •Reporter

Zizi Belvin • Entertainment Editor

Photo by Addison Smith

Lots of fun

Parking lot party scheduled for Nov. 15

Celest Harbrink & Corrina Reyes•Reporters

Food, bounce houses, music, and candy. These are some of the things you will see at Martin’s parking lot party this November.

Although it’s still in the planning stages, ideally Martin’s students will be able to gather with each other for an exciting night full of fun activities to remember.

Inspired by the parking lot party four years ago, there will be many activities and events inspired by the holidays it surrounds.

“Clubs will be sponsoring booths to help raise money for the school, like a fund-

raiser,” junior StuCo officer Ayesha Domingo said.

The plan is for most of the clubs at Martin to set up their own booths for games. Student Council officers said they would like to have games like darts, a dunk tank, a bounce house, water balloons, and more.

Although it’s still in the works, many seniors said that this would contribute to their last year in high school and give them a night to remember.

“It’s my last year and it would be nice to experience it again,” senior Gabriella Reyes said.

Four years ago, Martin hosted a parking lot party for Homecoming that many people loved and heard great stories about.

“All the clubs set up booths, and there was music playing and bubbles,” senior Adriana Olivas said.

Although this party is later in the fall, StuCo officers said that it will be more of a social event and a time to let students gather together for a fun night.

“This will be more like a festival or party than a trunk or treat,” Student Council sponsor Molly

Haney said.

Originally the plan was to do a trunk or treat, but because Homecoming was so early this year, StuCo officers wanted time to organize..

“We didn’t think they would have the time to plan it accordingly,” senior Vivian Nguyen said.

StuCo members said they hoped that this will let clubs and organizations bring their own creativity and personality to this event.

be nice to experience it again.”

“It’s my last year and it would

Stay alive. Don’t drink and drive

Students cope with losing loved ones to drunk driving

Camila Rivas • Reporter

Nearly 13 percent of high schoolers in Texas admit to drinking and driving, according to attorney Brian Laviage. Imagine the percentage that goes undocumented and unrecorded. Imagine the amount of students who have been affected by drunk driving who are too afraid to speak up. Picture the suffering that parents and family members go through because of the dreadful consequences of one person’s selfishness.

Senior Pamela “Bry” Caro shared her perspective on drinking and driving after losing her two- year-old niece in a car crash last month.

“Some students take this topic seriously, some take it lightly,” Caro said. “Some have the mindset of, ‘Oh if I don’t get caught it’s okay. If I don’t kill anyone I am fine,’ but in reality they are just at the risk of hurting others and yourself.”

Around 3 p.m. Sept. 24, a drunk driver hit Caro’s family’s sedan on Highway 121 while at a high speed. Her two-year-old niece was killed almost instantly due to blunt force trauma.

“My whole family has been affected by this,” Caro said. “Everyone has been more cautious about drinking, some haven’t even had anything to drink at all since the incident. I don’t think it

is talked about as much as it should be. We’re only 16, 17, 18, we have our whole life ahead of us. People wanna ruin it by having one night of fun. It’s high school, everyone goes through things, but it is not worth breaking somebody’s family apart by drinking and driving.”

Arlington police officer Fred Kemp worked on street patrol for more than six years. He is now a coordinator for the Hometown Recruiting Program and teaches at the AISD Police Academy in the Career Tech Center.

Although he said that he had not come across many DWIs among teens, he still has sympathy for families affected.

“Everyone has similar opinions, hopefully, on public safety, and that they wouldn’t want their parents or friends to get killed by a drunk driver,” Kemp said. “I think it’s universal. People don’t want harm to be done to someone else due to drinking and driving or driving under the influence.”

“Oftentimes, younger people have a hard time understanding the totality of the consequences to others, not necessarily them,” Kemp said. “Juveniles haven’t fully formed cognitive abilities. They are surprised by the totality of that because they never considered it prior to committing the act.”

Teens can be easily influ-

enced by the people they associate with. But school administration and rules can only reach so far off of school grounds. At this level, Kemp said that parent involvement is crucial.

“Parents should ensure that their children are sur-

rounding themselves with positive role models and peers,” Kemp said. “As for the teens who currently commit this act, it is important that they understand the harsh repercussions of the offense they are committing.”

Boosted

Helena Snegon•News Editor

Sports, fine arts and other organizations at Martin have booster clubs that are run by dedicated parents who volunteer their time running the clubs for their respective organizations. First Event is held on the first day of each school each year where money is raised for the booster clubs by selling merchandise to show spirit for each organization. The most popular table this year was the orchestra table that had a crowd of people buying pajama pants. The pajama pants have been a staple of the orchestra booster for three years now.

“All the money goes towards the orchestra program and the orchestra students who benefit from it,” orchestra and tennis booster club president Angie Snegon said. “Also, the money raised goes towards scholarships for trips, seniors and private lessons for the orchestra program.”

The orchestra booster club isn’t just about pajama pants, it’s a booster that is run by parents who volunteer their time in helping and fundraising for the orchestra program.

“The booster club is going really well because we have some very awesome parents that are very dedicated and they look for out-ofthe-box fundraising activities to do,” head orchestra director Jamie Ovalle said. “They’re really supportive

of the orchestra’s needs because they’re really interested in helping out with the program.”

With the parents running the booster and helping out the orchestra, the directors said they are grateful for them and what they do every year to make the booster and orchestra program successful.

“I think the most important part is support,” Ovalle said. “Not only from that core group of parents, but just emotionally because they really do help. By telling us thank you for what you’re doing for the kids and everything, but also financially. They just go above and beyond to make sure that we’re supported. They’re just like our cheerleaders that give us some extra money to spend on orchestra supplies.”

It’s extremely rewarding”

One of the biggest organizations on campus this year is band with 245 students. This group of band kids has been the biggest in the last four years and has one of the biggest booster clubs with 25 board members.

“Our Band Booster Leadership Team has many positions because we are active all year long,” band booster club president Lisa Starr said. “Our positions help us make sure the band is running efficiently and effectively throughout marching/competition season, concert season, winter guard season, percussion competitions, jazz band competitions, summer band camp and more.”

Running one of the biggest booster clubs is no easy task.

“While it is challenging to be president of an organization of this size and caliber, it is extremely rewarding,” Starr said. “I have met so many wonderful parents who give so freely of their time, talents and energy, and we have a lot of fun together. Also, it’s so much fun to get to know the band students and have a front row seat to their growth throughout the years. Band teaches students so much more than music, and I love being just a small part of that learning,”

Martin PTSA supports Bahama Bash?

In elementary and junior high there is PTA (Parent Teacher Association), but in high school it changes to PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association). Other than level of student involvement, there are no differences between them and they both stand for the same thing.

“PTA has been around for over 125 years,” former PTSA president and cochair of Bahama Bash Misti Kidwell said. “We provide different events to teachers and students to benefit from, including activities and opportunities throughout the year and within the community. PTAs are big advocates for the children by engaging families and communities. This helps our students and teachers know that they have a support system behind them.”

“Bahama Bash is the alcohol and drug free after prom party that is put on for the seniors and their dates,” Kidwell said. “This event is solely funded by the parents and community through donations, sponsorships, fundraisers and spirit nights. This year we have a total of 35 senior parents who have been working on this since April of this year. We also have three junior parents who ‘shadow’ us to prepare for next year’s event. We plan spirit nights at different restaurants, fun activities at Free Play, car washes, plant sales, Flamingo Flocking, Silent Auction. All of these activities help fund the $50,000 event.”

Some students who attend Bahama Bash might not know the story of how Bahama Bash started.

“The tradition of Bahama Bash started 37 years ago when a mom’s son died after prom in a drunk driving accident, so they decided to have a safe place for students to go after prom, and the tradition of Bahama Bash began,” Kidwell said.

“It is now an event that seniors look forward to that kicks off the end of their high school career.”

“We have great support at Martin”

Tennis is a program and

Continued on page 20

What it takes to run a booster club for the biggest and smallest organizations at Martin

“PTAs are big advocates for children”

to make sure that we’re supported.”

“Theyjustgoaboveandbeyond

Our ascot - What is it?

Martin Warrior” is something everyone in this school can identify with, but when it comes to the school mascot, not everyone can even name it. Since the founding of the school in 1982, Martin’s logo has been the Native American headdress with a pronounced, red nose.

The original logo was removed in 2020.

“You don’t want a mascot to represent people in a way that is offensive or hurtful,” principal Marlene Roddy said.

This leaves the Rockin’ M as the school’s mascot, which some students are not a fan of.

“The M is boring,” sophomore Lilly Torres said.

“I just expected it to be not a letter,” senior Stephon Hollingsworth said.

The Rockin M’ is not the only remnant of the school’s identity, however.

“What we did is change the trademark of the Warrior head,” Roddy said. “We can still use feathers, arrows, and other connections to what a Warrior is. We wanted to continue to be ‘Warrior Strong.’”

In a 2020 letter to the community, Roddy offered a competition for students to submit ideas for a new warrior-themed mascot. However, this was the first year of “Covid school” and in-person student attendance was in the hundreds.

“I had only one submission of an alternate logo,” Roddy said. “It didn’t seem like I could get a lot of student involvement at the time.”

Despite the lack of involvement, students agreed school spirit would be higher with a real, live mascot.

“Going to the games would be a lot more fun,” Torres said. “It would make it easier for us to stand out as a school.”

The warrior head was removed somewhat recently in 2020, but the Rockin’ M has been around since the founding of the school.

“The football team actually was the first to move away from the Indian head back in the 90s,” Roddy said. “A lot of schools moved away from their Indian logo, and Stanford University was one of the first to remove their mascot back in the 1970s.”

The Indian head is no longer a part of Martin, but ev-

ery other aspect of the Warrior is.

“We will consider the characteristics that are representative of the modern day Warrior,” Roddy said in her student letter. “These traits are persistence, grit, determination, and champions.”

What’s the status of the Martin Warrior?

Inde Atwood • Opinions Editor

Warrior Strong.”

“We wanted to continue to be

Life in

Katy Dixon • News Editor

After two years, the Italian Exchange Program is back up and running for Martin students and Udine students to partake in.

Students from Uccellis come to Texas for a week and get to experience the Martin High School experience, as well as popular places located all over the DFW Metroplex.

“When they come here, they’re getting a grade for presentations, how well they’re able to communicate, articulate, and answer questions that our students ask them,” history teacher and Italian Exchange coordinator Gerri Brown said.

The program is not just a great experience for both groups of students, but also an enriching one.

Students explored popular locations and learned more about Texas.

“Beyond just the normal travel benefits, you get to have really close relationships with somebody that’s in another place,” Brown said. “It’s awesome to meet somebody and for them to stay with you or for you to stay with them, but what’s even cooler about that is that now you have a friend for life in Italy, and they have a friend for life in the United States.”

After months of matching people up and planning, the Italian students came to Martin Oct. 7 and spent the week with their host families.

Instead of being assigned

Italia

their own schedule, they get to attend classes with the Martin student hosting them.

“There are two schedules,” Brown said. “When they don’t have presentations, they’re trailing their hosts trying to see how the classes are, what the passing periods are like, what it’s like to have 4,000 people in this massive school, when their school is not like that at all.”

Not only is Uccellis a different school, but a different school in a different educational system.

“The main difference between here and Italy is students do not change classrooms, the professor does,” visiting student Tommaso Pillon said. “So we have the same classmates over five years of high school.”

Every school has its pride piece, something it’s known for that plays a significant role in everyday workings.

“We start school at 8 a.m. and it usually ends at 1 p.m., then we go home, we eat, and we study for the next day.” visiting student Lorenzo Cicuto said. “Homework isn’t evaluated like here. Instead we have tests every month for the subject and we usually have 10 to 14 subjects.”

The differences are not only in school, but also in their normal everyday life. Martin host families become their home away from home.

“I like my host family because they are so kind and they make me feel like at home.” Pillon said. “Yes-

on Martin while visiting

terday I cooked them pasta. They were so happy and we like sharing those cultural traditions.”

Other than school, they visited multiple places including Six Flags, the Fort Worth Stockyards, Klyde Warren Park, the Martin versus Sam Houston game, and other places that their host families decided to take them.

Sights that we’ve grown up with, we can’t help but wonder what they’re thinking about them as they experience them for the first time.

“Cutting Edge, I enjoyed that so much.” Cicuto said. “We don’t have haunted houses in Italy.”

Above: Martin student sponsors greet the Italians at DFW Airport on Oct. 7. This is the first time since 2019 that the exchange has taken place.

Left: Senior Kyla Simmons and her Italian exchange student enjoy pizza in the courtyard Oct. 14. PhotoscourtesyofKaty Dixon

After a week of American learning and exploration, the students went back home. And just like any travel experience, we all have a favorite part of the trip.

“The musical show I saw in Six Flags was beautiful,” Pillon said.

Coming to Martin for the program was a trip to remember.

But the program hasn’t concluded yet. This spring break, participating Martin students will take a trip to Italy and experience what education is like in Europe and get to see famous sights like San Marco Basilica and Doge’s Palace, among others.

A look into the everyday life of a student in Italy and their take

Fallout

Ellie Camarillo & Adam El-Kassih•Reporters

We see the fights on video and social media, but what’s the fallout from conflict at school?

“It’s human nature to want to know what’s going on around you, and if it’s not a good place to be, you can get hurt,” counselor Amy Benson said.

“None of this will ever be relevant, so why even bother now?” debate and AVID teacher Seth Newton said.

Fights at Martin have caused a negative reputation for the school and may result in the lunch schedule being changed for freshmen. Sophomore Slim

Students face consequences of fighting at school

Hodges said he believes the fighting at Martin has caused unnecessary chaos that needs to be solved.

“Don’t fight at school,” Hodges said. “Make high school fun and keep it clean.”

Students said they felt that these fights are also increasing due to the spread of videos on social media giving the students in the videos their “15 seconds of fame.”

Newton said that he thinks these fights are traumatizing. As teachers are legally not obligated to break them up, most won’t. But for the teachers

who see their own students, it’s hard to watch.

“Some kids have a thing for violence and I don’t understand it,” Newton said.

Students who fight can get OCS, suspension, and a ticket for students over 17.

Sophomore Steven* and another student fought each other over drama that was built over social media. They had an argument one day, then fought it out the next. Steven said he has regrets about fighting in school.

“People looked at me differently afterwards,” Steven said.

“Think before you act, talk

it out, or fix it before resorting to violence, and avoid confrontation,” sophomore Trenten Etzweiler said.

“Think about how this will affect you in the future,” Benson said. “Think about your goals in life before ruining them over drama.”

Kids will always be drawn to drama, and no one knows this like Benson.

“It’s not a good way to handle things,” she said. “Kids are quick to fight without using critical life skills. It will never get fixed.”

*Students’ names were change to preserve their privacy

All-Star All-Star In memory of an

A look into Tristen Woolsey’s life and his legacy

This is a story about a boy. A beautiful boy. A boy who exhibited his radiant smile to the world even through the triumphs of difficult life. A boy who brought immense bliss and laughter to those around him without fail each and every day, with sparkling eyes to look at the world kindly with.

2019 graduate Tristen Woolsey was an admirable student, son, brother, and individual who fought Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) for the last years of his life. Living with a diagnosis of ALS and epilepsy since 2016, Tristen endured many treatments and challenging life adjustments throughout his teen years and into adulthood, and later passed away on July 16, 2021.

Who was Tristen Woolsey?

Tristen grew up with three siblings, and from the start, he had a burning love and excitement for baseball.

“He loved playing outside in the cul-de-sac, riding down the driveway, pitch-

ing and catching until the sun was down,” Tristen’s mother Tracy Woolsey said.

Tristen was a manager in Martin’s baseball program. He always picked up the field and made sure to perfect the pitcher’s mound every day.

“Oh, he loved it,” Tracy said. “It was around that time that smaller physical tasks would make him become weary more easily, and that is when we knew something was up.”

This was shortly before Tristen’s ALS diagnosis his freshman year.

Life at School

Tristen still attended school after his diagnosis and as he got physically weaker, up until the second semester of sophomore year. When he first began the year, Tristen was able to hold his body up on his own, but as time went on, he needed more support.

“I tried to help him by propping him up with pillows in class,” Algebra teacher Briana Lavelle said.

Even still, he was an absolute ball of joy to be around every single day, with a bright spirit.

“His smile was unforget-

table,” Lavelle said. “There was a time I was teaching and looking at the board when I heard Tristen say, ‘Mrs. Lavelle, I might need some help.’ And when I turned around, he was leaning out of his chair, falling, and I looked at his face, and he was smiling so

wide there was drool on his lips. He made me smile so much, and made the whole class laugh.”

Highlights of his life

Tristen was nominated and then crowned Homecoming king in 2018, which was an incredibly memora

Avery Whipple • Reporter

“I believe if there’s a reason for grief, it’s to make someone better than they were before...”

Tristen’s dad Jason Woolsey walks Tristen through the bases of ‘T-Bone Field’ for the first time after it opens.

Tristen excitedly smiles for a photo with Houston Astros player Jose Altuve.

ble and big day for him, according to his family.

“Homecoming was one of the best days of his life,” Tracy said. “No one knows how big of a deal it really was to him. It was like his wedding and college graduation all rolled up in one because he knew he wouldn’t have those things in his future. That night was unforgettable.”

Another notable day for Tristen was the long-awaited opening day of a baseball field, called T-Bone field (T-Bone was one of his nicknames).

His family coordinated the building of a baseball field in their back yard, in Tristen’s name. He was overjoyed to see it once it was completed.

“It was such a happy day!” Tracy said.

Family on his passing “Life is just so different now,” Tracy said. “There’s no way of putting it into words. When Tristen was sicker, I was taking care of him no less than every hour of the day. He was the main person I talked to and was with every day, so we were very close. I miss him so much, and nothing feels as special as those moments we shared.”

His sister, 2022 graduate Tatum “Blue” Woolsey, shared how she and her brother were best friends growing up.

“He was always there for me,” Blue said. “I didn’t always have someone to talk to, but he would always be there, listening to me. It’s like we were in our own world together. I knew him and he knew me. No one else in the world un-

derstands me the way he did, because of our shared childhood experiences.”

Tracy said that even though this tragedy has been a very difficult thing to face for the family, she is so grateful that they have all come together to be with one another. After his passing, all of the immediate family came back home to stay for about a week.

“It is pretty cool to see all of my grown and out of the house children and their spouses all right here in my own living room spending days in a row of time together,” she said. “That doesn’t happen very often with most families I know. That week was incredibly special to my heart.”

Changes & Memories

“The house is a lot quieter now, even though Tristen was never loud,” Blue said. “The energy is just different now.”

She said that although she and Tristen were very close throughout all of the years, the dynamic of their relationship changed as they got older.

“It used to be like he was my protector,” Blue said. “He was my older brother and had to always look out for me and make sure I was okay, but as he got sicker, it’s like I became his protector instead. I wanted to always look out for him.”

Taking a stroll down memory lane, Tracy gives some insight into some of the things she and Tristen used to do together, and things they would all do as a family.

“I made everything special because I knew we wouldn’t have much time together,” Tracy said. “We went out all the time. ‘Who are we having lunch with

today, mom?’ was a question asked many mornings. We had one inside saying where we’d say, ‘Mom/ Tristen, have I told you that I love you today?’ I told him that we had to remind each other throughout the day because I’m getting too old to remember just the one time. Sometimes he’d say it three times in a row to get it out of the way for the day.”

The family put on “floor shows” for Tristen, according to Blue and Tracy.

“We never wanted him to feel scared or sad, so there were nights that we would sing and do musical dance numbers in the living room for fun,” Tracy said. “They were never good, so he got a good laugh.”

Because the Woolsey family has an inside perspective on the experience of ALS and its impact, they try to spread awareness and lend help to other families going through similar things whenever they can.

“We really try to help others in the community with ALS whenever it’s possible,” Tracy said. “There’s so much that people don’t know and that we’ve learned throughout the years, so spreading awareness is always important.”

Through the peaks and the valleys, the highs and the lows, Tracy opens up about how she needs to keep going, keep living, for Tristen.

“He wouldn’t have wanted me to die with him, so I have to keep going,” she said. “Even on days that are harder than others. I believe if there’s a reason for grief, it’s to make someone better than they were before. You have to put all that love for that person somewhere.”

Tristen smiles moments after being crowned Homecoming King in 2018.

Showstoppers

The hours of preparation it takes to make a halftime show

Asia Wilkey • Reporter

Halftime shows: Seven minutes of people marching around the field with flags and instruments. But few people know how many hours go into the preparation for our halftime shows. It’s shocking how much the band, colorguard and Sundancers devote to performing for our school at the football games.

7 a.m. on a summer morning. For most people, this calls for a nice morning of sleeping in, relaxing, and hiding from the sun, but for those in band and colorguard, this marks the start of a very long day in the scorching hot Texas

heat.

“We’re out there a lot during the summer, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., so it’s a nine-hour practice,” senior Jayton Skari said. “It’s hard for people to realize how much work is being put in when they aren’t there to witness it. The band learns a seven-minute marching show in just about a month. It’s something special that I don’t think people fully recognize.”

With how much work everyone involved puts into the halftime shows, band and colorguard members said they expect some recognition. However, students involved said they feel that students, staff, and

parents all underestimate the exertion they endure that goes unnoticed.

“For just a seven minute show, we practice so hard to get the routines done and most times they go unnoticed by everyone,” junior Gina Nino said. “It’s such a bummer, and it makes it hard to stay motivated.”

During the school year, practice for both color guard and band takes up one respective class period and three hours after school from 3:30 to 6 p.m.. For those who have jobs or other extracurricular activities they have to attend, this schedule can affect their entire evening.

“I have to go to work

straight after practice sometimes,” junior Julia Snyder said. “I barely have time to change into my work uniform, and then I don’t get home till 10:30.”

The reality is, being a part of the halftime show is no walk in the park. These teens have to give a huge amount of time and effort to be a part of this seven minute show. The next time you get to witness a halftime show, keep in mind the amount of work that’s going on behind the scenes.

“It really makes a difference when people look interested in our performance,” sophomore Zoie Bustamante said. “It makes us feel appreciated.”

Students and teachers share their perspectives on STEM

New school, new people, new classes, and new teachers.

The STEM Academy is offered by Martin for students interested in pursuing science, technology, engineering, and math pathways. Once the students are admitted, they’re surrounded by a particular group of students all four years. Part of the benefits that the program has to offer are the free materials: laptops, backpacks, and calculators, which they get to use all throughout high school.

“I like the environment that the classrooms are in, because I know most of the students there are actually paying attention or are motivated,”said Brandon Kim.

In some cases classes overflow, and some STEM kids get non-STEM teachers.

“I don’t have a preference,” English teacher Kristin Linn said. “I just love all my AP kids. It doesn’t really matter whether they’re STEM or not. I’m very fortunate I have good students.”

Many teachers teach both STEM and non-STEM students which gives them students with different resources.

“I think it makes it easier as a teacher knowing that all my students come into my classroom on an even playing field,” math teacher Meribah Treadway said. “So half my students are STEM and half of them aren’t. For my non-STEM students I know that I have to plan around if everyone has ac-

cess to a computer or calculator. I think it really helps them all have the same materials and resources so I can plan accordingly.”

The difference in the resources sometimes becomes more beneficial for those who had it versus those who didn’t have the same materials.

“I think it doesn’t necessarily guarantee good grades, but from the point of view of having the same materials and technology access, I do think it helps them become successful and it makes my job easier to plan certain things,” Treadway said.

STEM students are typically in a lot of rigorous and challenging classes in order to achieve their career pathway goals, along with many others who are doing the same.

“It’s a really competitive environment,” Kim said. “There are a lot of kids who are better than me in other stuff so sometimes I feel like I can’t reach their level.”

In order to become a STEM teacher, there is a selective process that contains a lot of requirements to ensure the teacher is fit for the job.

“At the end of every year we fill out a form saying which classes we would like to teach next year,” Treadway said. “I think part of it has to do with scheduling, but the way I became part of the STEM academy is because they needed an engineering teacher and I do have a degree in science and physics. I was no longer teaching engineering and I had requested to be in

a STEM math position and there happened to be an opening.”

Students tend to work well in environments they view as a safe and nurturing place.

“The teachers are really nice,” Kim said. “I thought because it was STEM that they were very rigorous and a lot of work but they’re really average on how much work they give.”

Many non-STEM teachers work alongside the STEM teachers in their respective courses. This allows for similar teachings and assignments.

“The work environment with the other teachers is very collaborative, very positive,” Linn said.

Being a STEM teacher has

its perks and benefits, such as trips and other leisure events.

“It’s the best whenever we do things outside the school day, like Homework Center, or sometimes we have a staff retreat,” Treadway said. “It’s really just a thing after school where all the teachers get together and get to chaperone and that’s one of my favorite parts about my job.”

STEM teachers deal with different types of communication.

“There’s a lot more that goes into communicating with the parents and the students because they care a lot about their grades and what’s going on inside the classroom,” Treadway said.

Sophomores Alyvia Bitterly and Haley Firmin work on a project in their Prinicples of Biomed class. Curriculum in STEM and non-STEM classes sometimes overlap. PhotobyEmirsonDavis

CollegeBoard: The monopoly that makes you pay to slay

A deeper look into the nation’s most popular testing organization

Maham Khan • Reporter & Noelle Pond • Features Editor

Academic validation, scholarships, and self fulfillment: the widespread motivators over high school students as they prepare for their AP and PSAT tests all year long. Nerves and uncertainty strike at high schoolers with multiple AP classes, but what is the root of the workload and stress, and how ethical are the companies that determine our college credit opportunities? Do AP classes adequately prepare you for the tests, and are the tests truly standardized? A significant amount of people would beg to differ based on personal experiences.

“100 percent CollegeBoard makes the tests ridiculously harder than they should be,” junior Pilar Montelongo said. “One big test shouldn’t prove someone’s knowledge, intelligence, or worthiness.”

According to others, the positives of AP tests can outweigh the cons for people in lower income households and communities.

“The district pays for part of the AP tests and gives opportunities to kids whose parents don’t have a college background, which opens these types of students up to scholarships and grants,” Testing Coordinator Rachel Barker said.

In addition, making the process of taking these ex-

ams a lot simpler, they can also make quite an impact.

“Doing well on AP exams, the SAT, ACT, or PSAT is one of the most helpful ways to get scholarships and to get into schools that can end up changing a student’s life,” AP History teacher Olivia Basham said. “So no matter what kind of school you come from, even if it’s underperforming, the system creates opportunities to showcase individual excellence.”

Many students prefer dual credit courses over AP classes, although both routes can challenge them in unforeseen ways that may be able to be prevented, based on the student and the situation.

“APs are more specific with where certain scores are worth something, but some colleges might not even accept the AP course you’re taking,” senior Vivian Nguyen said. “Dual credit ensures you get the credit.”

Personal negative experiences can waive the perspective of what courses are crucial to take and what benefits are worth the brainpower.

“My AP experience hasn’t been too rough, but after finding out the truth, I have

limited myself to only two AP classes this year when I had the opportunity to take five to eight,” Montelongo said. “I know that they don’t make things fair and the risk of passing or failing the AP test wasn’t enough to convince me to choose it over dual courses.”

Taking advantage of your resources is a key move that will benefit students.

“Students should take both SAT and ACT if they can,” Barker said. “Go into it with an open mind. You never know what you do or don’t know. For the SAT, if you don’t answer a question it isn’t marked wrong. Study and do research. Khan Academy has practice tests. See what the benefits are. Do the colleges you want to go to require the scores? Don’t be afraid of the test – you’re already at school anyway. It can only benefit you.”

Many people are skeptical of CollegeBoard’s integrity and values due to its fairly costly system reflected in the way that SAT tests, AP tests, and PSAT tests brought in $1.1 billion in 2019. For comparison, AISD pays for $80 of our AP tests, where students in other parts of the country are paying the full amount, $93. The SAT costs $53 in other states, while AISD provides

the test free the first time around. The ACT without writing is $60, and with writing it is $85.

However, individual districts are supposed to try their best to make the classes as accessible as possible.

“It can be expensive, but the district works really hard to subsidize the cost of the exams that they give,” Basham said. “I think CollegeBoard changes students’ lives, and I think that it helps students get out of poverty, have opportunities, and a way for people to measure what they have done in high school.”

Contrary to popular belief, nonprofits like College Board do make revenue. They just have to be transparent about where the income is going, and it should be going back to the people it’s geared to help.

“It’s definitely not transparent enough,” Basham said. “It’s very strange how much money they are taking in for them to be able to say that they are not making any money. When I was in high school, an AP exam was $90, and now they’re still around $90. Why haven’t they gotten cheaper? Why do digital tests cost the same as paper tests? There are a lot of questions that should be explored. The board actually welcomes and acknowledges this kind of criticism. They just don’t answer the question.”

“One big test shouldn’t prove someone’s knowledge, intelligence, worthiness”

Dressing for success

A hot topic, dress code is something students and teachers have a lot to say about. Dress code being one-sided has been a subject for years.

From cheerleaders to geometry teachers, everyone has something to say about the dress code.

“I’ve been told I was too curvy to wear an outfit, and I think that us kids shouldn’t have things said like that said to us,” sophomore Ashlee Duhon said. “We need to teach boys how to be respectful, instead of controlling what girls wear.”

Some students said they hate the whole idea of dress code itself, and others said they just don’t care at all.

“It doesn’t affect me, and I don’t think I know enough to decide the dress code,” senior Sam Mendez said. “But people should have some professionalism.”

This topic is so massive it causes arguments between the students. Some of the people at Martin will go very far to prove a point.

“I will chain myself to a tree to protest against the dress code,” sophomore Colleen Malloy said. “Even if I am always in the dress code, I am still against it.”

Sophomore Cheyenne Winston said she thought that there was a double standard between girls and boys.

“Guys can walk around in

see-through tank tops and not get anything said to them, but if a girl is showing an inch of her stomach it’s distracting, or if her shoulders or bra strap show,” Winston said. “They are punishing girls for guy’s behavior.”

To many students, geometry teacher Kyle Chaney is infamous for being bold about cracking down on students for pushing dress code rules.

“If I do feel like the student is a distraction to the learning environment, I will write them up,” Chaney said. “If a student is showing too much stomach or up top area, I will write them up.”

Sophomore Nassir Marley, an avid protester against dresscode, shared traumatic stories he experienced in the hallways of Martin.

The difference in opinions of boys and girls dress code is a long debated topic, and the effects on the students are definite.

“They have a whole file on me,” Marley said. “The school told my parents about my clothes, and my parents threw all my clothes away including my skirts and dresses. I would most likely remove the dress code rule entirely. It makes no sense to dress code people for wearing what they want to wear.”

Lightning never strikes in the same place, so why does dresscode? The biases of the dress code students face strikes again and harder than ever. Certain students are getting away with it, but some aren’t. Yet, with all these strictly enforced rules, there seems to be many inconsistencies.

“I don’t know why me and

too rare.

Another student faces a similar circumstance.

“I don’t get dress-coded that often, but when I do, it seems like maybe it’s more than what I’m wearing,” sophomore Ryann Singh said. “More of, how I’m wearing it?”

Many other female students, ranging from curvier to less curvy, tall, short, athletic all seem to have different dress code stories. Students who stand out and don’t fit the criteria of petite and athletic appear to have far more dress code stories than curvier students who do. Unfortunately, it’s not just the students it’s affecting, it’s about who’s dress coding the students, too.

“There are teachers who are stricter on dress code,” archery coach Jaylee Holland said.

a size double zero can wear the same clothes, but I end up in the office and she’s in class,” junior Tiffani Silva said. “Then again, I’ll wear what I want.”

Biases happen all too often within the dress code. Students with curvier figures don’t seem to get away with wearing the same outfit as someone without curves.

Students also report teachers being inconsistent. Whether it ranges from athletes or just solely being their favorite student. This situation isn’t all

With that being said, even teachers notice the inconsistencies between the enforcement of dress code.

“It’s not necessarily about distractions but safety too,” security officer Jamien Jenkins said. “I’ve dress-coded males too for being out of dress code.”

There may be inconsistencies but we can always know who we can rely on to make things fair.

“We can either wear it or we can’t,” Holland says. “Let’s stay unbiased as teachers.”

Dress code enforcement gets called out for being selective

Ava Dunlap •Reporter

Ashlyn Long •Reporter

Girls and boys face different dress code issues and consequences

“I don’t get dress-coded that often, but when I do, it seems like maybe it’s more than what I’m wearing,. More of, how I’m wearing it?”

Budgeting for

dummie$

Emonje Richardson •Reporter

It’s all about the Benjamins. Some say money itself isn’t the problem but how you use it may be. Budgeting doesn’t have to be that hard. All it takes is for you to have a budgeting goal and stick to that goal.

Whether it’s a down payment on a car, house, or even a vacation, it gives you something to look forward to. The American dream isn’t always the dream if you don’t have your Benjamins in order.

Before becoming a high school teacher, AVID Coordinator Perinza Reddic was a college recruiter who realized students would wait until the last minute to make good grades, and it would be too late for them to get scholarships, so she decided to start in the classroom.

“Having a budgeting or savings goal gives you something to look forward to, instead of having your money just sitting,” AVID Coordinator Perinza Reddic said.

Put your money in a savings account so it can collect interest.

“Putting back 50 percent of your income is a great way to save money,” sophomore Mark Mahoney said. “Whether it be before your expenses are taken care of or after.”

“To help save money as a student you should stop spending money on vending machines and Uber

Eats and other things of that nature,” Reddic said.

“A decent hourly wage to make is $12 to $14 a hour, or even a salary of $60k to live a nice and stable life and be able to have fun,” Mahoney said. “Being able to make that kind of money should be good for you to survive and be able to have a fun life.”

The 50-30-20 rule is a budgeting method that can help you manage your money better while being sustainable. Divide up your income into three categories: 50 percent for needs, 30 percent for wants, and 20 percent for saving or paying off debt.

“The 50-30-20 rule does work, but you should also add a 10 percent to that rule by paying your tithes,” Reddic said.

Reddic said she takes the 10 percent off the top of whatever she makes and then applies the rest of the rule to the remaining amount of money. She also said her budgeting ways change from time to time because of her growing children.

Being able to let your money work for you and not worrying about working for your money is a great way to budget.

“The stock market is a great way to do that,” Mahoney said. “Knowing the different trends of the stock market could help you better understand the market.”

Budgeting isn’t the hardest thing in the world, but the commitment of bud-

Students and teachers have tips and tricks for saving money

geting might be. Learning different ways to help you budget your money the 5030-20 rule might or might not work for you. Budgeting is all about flexibility being able to make changes to your budgeting plans or goals.

For example, say you make $24,000 a year and put $12,ooo in your account by the end of the year. If

your savings account generates three percent interest, when you collect the interest you would now have $12,360 in your savings account. Saying you don’t have any budgeting tips is like saying coffee doesn’t have caffeine. The bigger problem is whether you decide to use the tips or even start budgeting. The choice is yours to make.

Booster Clubs: Continued from page 8

booster club at Martin that doesn’t get a lot of recognition for the accomplishments that they have done – like winning all five district championships. The tennis program has 80 students in the high school program and 50 in the junior high program, making it the biggest tennis program in the district.

“I feel like we have great support at Martin,” head tennis coach John Stafford said. “We have a huge program from junior high through high school. It would be great to have more people come to our games and tournaments, but we have more than most schools that we compete against.”

The tennis booster club is working to shine more light on the tennis team.

“It starts with our tennis community and we try to, of course, be accessible to all our tennis families,” Snegon said.

It’s not just the booster board working hard on getting more information

about tennis out there, it’s also the coaches too.

“Talking about our tennis program or just getting information out there about our tennis program,” Snegon said. “Our coaches do a wonderful job. Like the tennis summer camp for elementary and junior high kids and so it’s slowly getting out there and I hope that it continues to build upon that.”

The tennis coaches said they are also very proud and grateful for the parents who run their booster club.

“Since we have a large program, we are able to have a very successful booster club that can help us with anything we might need, like supporting our tennis program in a lot of ways,” Stafford said. “It also helps provide funds for many things like letter jackets, scholarships, travel, and more. It serves as a way to get parents and families involved and can help our tennis program to serve our community.”

What’s new here? A look into Martin’s newest clubs

Chloe MacFoy

& Sirinity Hubbard • Reporters

Every year at Martin, new clubs emerge and others are brought back to life. We talked to some upcoming clubs and their founders to get the inside story on their new groups.

Black Student Union (BSU)

Sponsor, History teacher Gerri Brown and the founder, sophomore Kamryn Braden.

The Cultural Awareness Coalition was a club started in the mid 90s that went on until the late 2010s. The club was in the books, but was inactive. Since the goals of the Cultural Awareness Coalition lined up with the Black Student Union’s goals, the groups combined.

Who founded the club?

Brown: Kamryn Braden

Why did you start the club?

Braden: I started the club because I felt like I didn’t really know that many of the Black students here. I don’t really have Black students in my classes, so I felt like being surrounded by Black people would give me kind of what I’ve been looking for, like that feeling of, not home, but that feeling of community. I feel like this was something that Martin needed. I feel like we Black people not really represented here, and I feel like BSU can kind of build that community or build that sense of connection with Black students here.

Why did you as a teacher decide to sponsor the club?

Brown: It’s something that a lot of students that come to me over the years try to start, and I always talked to the students and told them that I would be interested in doing it, if they can get enough people together to make the club work. Kamryn is the first person that followed through and stuck with it to get the club going.

Do you think the club is well known among the Black students at this school?

Brown: I think it’s getting to be more known.

Braden: I feel like it is to a certain extent. However, I feel like it can definitely be bigger.

What is the population of the club?

Brown: There’s roughly 120 students. The deadline for dues is Oct. 28.

Why do you think people should join the club?

Brown: I think there’s an interesting group of people that are in the club or that are showing interest in the club right now who don’t necessarily see each other on a day-to-day basis. It’s a really great place for networking, camaraderie,

to discuss really great things that are happening, and to discuss some challenges that might be happening here at the school or outside of school.

I think that we have a lot of African-American students here at Martin that feel sort of isolated. It’s providing a place once or twice a month for people to pull together and maybe get to know some people so they’re not so isolated for their time at Martin.

Braden: I think Black students at Martin should be a part of this club because it allows us to build a community, but we also empower each other and empower ourselves. Also it just lets the public know that there are Black students that are doing well and are doing their best to succeed and show off that Black excellence.

Do you know what you’re going to be doing in the club?

Brown: They’re talking about it now but, they are thinking of doing a cookout. We have some people who are putting together something for February’s Black History Month. I think they are trying to do an open mic for Black History Month.

BSU is looking to host a cultural festival. That’s really interesting because here at Martin, we have so many cultures, and having a place or day that everyone can kinda celebrate that would be amazing.

I think they are looking at doing a movie night one day. I know one of the things they’re thinking about also doing is posting members of the club on social media when they do something great. So if they’re in a play, do something in sports, do something academically, whatever it is, giving people their props. At this point, I think when the members actually kind of all pull together, they are going to fill in the other months. The goal is to have something monthly.

Braden: I’m trying to have meetings at lunch that are knowledge-based, so we talk about certain topics like colorism and things of that nature.

Continued on page 24

1. Celebrating their new title, seniors Asher and Vivian Nguyen were crowned Homecoming King and Queen by last year’s winners Zella Baresh and Trey Cochran. The pair was nominated by the FBLA Club.

PhotobyLanaeTerry

2. Cheering on the team, seniors Trinity Powell and Pace Jordan celebrate the scoring of a point during the game against Allen. Students wore their red, white, and blue gear to school and to the game in honor of Sept. 9.

PhotobyLorelaiHofer

What you

missed

3. Huddling up, the girls varsity cross country team gets motivated before the race. The team placed ninth in regional competition Oct. 24.

PhotobyLorelaiHofer

4. Proclaiming their love, junior Paige Rohan and senior Seth Raymond take center stage as Romeo and Juliet for the first fall semester show. Both said they were excited to make their debut as leads for the this year’s theatre season.

PhotobyArlieCoker

5. Senior Benjamin Flores intercepts Grand Prairie’s pass in a blowout win 58-2 on Oct. 21. “Ben doesn’t care if he plays much, but he always is the first one on the field,” senior Austin Punzalan said.

PhotobyAddisonSmith

6. Pushing back his opponent, senior Michael Barrow protects the ball from the other team. The team won the game against Lake Travis with 39 to 31.

PhotobyLorelaiHofer

Katie Nguyen • Copy Editor

What type of people are in your club? How would you describe them?

Brown: They’re very diverse actually, which is really great. The way that the by-laws were written, it’s certainly like African-Americans, people of African descent, and also allies. So, we have a diverse group of people.

We have students from multiple backgrounds here. We have some students that are South Asian, we have some students that are from East Asia, we have some students that are white, and we have some students that identify as Hispanic. We have all of that sort of happening in the group.

The majority, of course, is African-American, but we have a lot of students who either themselves or their families are from various countries in Africa.

We have some students whose families are from Kenya, Ghana, and Tanzania. I want to say we have a student whose family is from Sudan, so it’s really diverse. And, of course, Nigeria. We have some people whose families are from Nigeria too, so we have people from everywhere, but the large majority is African-American.

Braden: For the record, I just want to say non-Black students can very much join the Black Student Union. It’s not just limited to Black people, but also the type of people that should join BSU are people that are willing to learn, be open-minded, want to have fun, and will put energy into the club. Not people who just say, “Oh this is something I’m in, but I don’t really do anything with it or it’s just like another thing on my list.” We want people who are involved.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Brown: Come join us. If you are interested, come see me in room 207. We have some really great things. Bring your ideas. Be prepared to become a member. We are really excited about where this club is going to take things.

Senior Jordan

Smith-Acquah and leaders

senior Braynt

Otiri, junior

Andre Williams and junior

Alannah Lynn

speak at Black Student Union meeting Oct. 18 in Gym

A. This is the first year for Martin’s BSU.

PhotobyArlie Coker

Role Playing Game Club

Founder

Senior Andrew “Cass” Clennon

Why do you think the teacher decided to sponsor this club?

Clennon: We actually have multiple sponsors. We have Astronomy teacher Roy Miller, English teacher Pam Tracy, and physics teacher Amanda Benson, and I have stories for each of them, but mainly it’s because most of them have a soft spot for nerds.

Why should people join the club?

Clennon: The club is more of a safe space for nerds. Year after year, we’ve never had a school space to be “nerds” and share what we care about. And I needed the club when I was a freshman, but I’d like to make the space welcoming to anyone who wants to be there. Anyone can join, and if you’d like to, we’ll be welcoming to you. We are willing to teach people how to play the games and build connections with other people.

What do you do in the club?

Clennon: The answer, of course, is to be a nerd. It’s not just Dungeons and Dragons. In the office, the paperwork is defined as non-digital games, so card games and rolling dice are also involved. Anything you want to bring to play, we will play with you.

Explain Dungeons and Dragons

Clennon: D&D is anything you want it to be.

So there was an old Dungeons and Dragon Club that is basically forgotten?

Clennon: It’s been a while since the old D&D club met, and it’s officially been disbanded in the office. They didn’t have a way to pass it on. Basically, it was a group of nerds who wanted to be themselves. They didn’t plan to pass it down to the next generation. We have a set plan for passing it down to next year’s class.

Do you already have people lined up to pass it down?

Clennon: Not yet. But there is an election for who’s going to be president and vice president and so on, but those are in February.

Do you think Stranger Things portrays Dungeons and Dragons accurately?

Clennon: Every time I bring up Stranger Things, someone asks me that. Yes, but no. The reason the monsters in Stranger Things are named the way they are is because the old D&D club didn’t have pictures of the monsters. The kids in the show are going off descriptions of monsters and matching it to what they’re seeing.

For more information about this club, see Mrs. Tracy in room 132.

“The Dungeon”

Underground storage is legendary and secretive

Morgan Martin • Reporter

Martin is a large school that has many rooms and many areas that most students and staff members don’t know about like “The Dungeon.”

The Dungeon is basically the basement of the school that is still in use for storage to this very day.

“It’s like a big, empty space with things that have just been thrown in there,” sophomore Ruby Lecroy said. “There are holes in the ground that are covered by wood. There is not much light. It’s terrifying.”

Freshman Jenna Nguyen had a similar description about the Dungeon.

“It is really dark down there,” Nguyen said. “It basically looks like an old faculty parking lot with sand on the ground.”

Despite the description of the Dungeon, it’s primarily a storage space and some students can go in there with a teacher or adult to either get an item from storage or to put something away that isn’t in use.

“We keep big props like chairs that we don’t use down there,” Lecroy said. “If you watched She Kills Monsters, we have a throne for our big, demon, overlord person that was made of bones.”

The Dungeon’s location is secret, but is somewhere near the Band Hall.

“It’s just a really dangerous place down there,” Lec-

roy said. “I almost tripped into a hole once when going down there.”

Students can’t go into the Dungeon without an escort from a teacher or faculty member.

“Things can get lost down there very easily,” Lecroy said. “You can actually see the holes. Some are really deep. Like if you stepped on it, there’s a piece of wood covering it.”

Rumors surround the Dungeon, speculating on its original purpose and why it was built.

“There was a theory or a rumor that it was supposed to be a parking lot but there’s a lot of foundation stuff that they can’t pull out.” Ruby said.

“We went to get some equipment and then we heard lots of loud banging from outside of it,” Nguyen said. “We got very scared and there was a lot of construction going on during the summer.”

Nguyen said she also almost fell in a hole while on this spooky adventure.

“There is sand everywhere,” she said. “There is like a ramp that goes down and is also covered in sand, so you need to walk down it carefully or you will fall.”

The school has many other secret places for different things like the roof access, the underground paint room for cheerleaders, the “Batcave,” and the catwalk.

The Dungeon is a place of rumors, stories, darkness, storage, and secrecy.

Gymnastics program vanished slowly

Jordyn Hentz • Reporter

Gymnastics coach Amber Kelly hurts to see the program go the most.

“As a coach it hurts, but as a former athlete it hurts even more,” Kelly said.

This program was like a family and it brought together girls and boys throughout AISD with the same drive and dream, which makes team members wonder why the district would discontinue a team with such a great bond.

The gymnastics program applied for a grant from the district that was to be used for the stadium and for a new gymnastics facility. Instead, AISD, citing low enrollment, left them off the grant.

“It made us feel as if AISD didn’t care about us as much as they did the other sports,” junior Kamillie See said.

The athletes were told at the end of last season that the program would be phased out with no more new gymnasts able to join. Their old gym facility at Webb Elementary got torn down and they weren’t getting a new one built.

“I quit the team because I didn’t see a point in being in it,” See said.

There are two Martin girls who still are involved in the district gymnastics program, but both of them said they are not planning to competing collegiately.

“No one wants to see their program closing, unfortunately,” Kelly said. “It was

so unexpected.”

The low enrollment of the program was just taking a toll on how much money AISD could use for the program.

Gymnastics is a very expensive sport, so using lots of money for a sport with only six or seven athletes didn’t provide enough benefit.

The girls on the team said they were all so close even though most of them went to different schools in the district.

They saw each other every day and grew a very close bond with each other.

“The coaches did a great job on keeping gymnastics enjoyable,” junior Kim Ngyuen said.

This is the program that Kelly went through as a stu-

dent at Seguin High School when she was a teenager and she didn’t see this ever happening. Webb was the exact gym she used a while back.

“Once it was torn down, we just weren’t given a new spot,” Kelly said.

Now they practice in a club gym during fourth and tenth period and the district provides this gym space for the athletes.

“I’m thankful that we still have two or three years until it’s fully phased out,” Kelly said.

The girls will be able to have until 2024 till the program fully phases out.

“This is the only program I know and love,” Kelly said. “It hurts to see it go, but we’re gonna make the best of it.”

Upcoming prodigy

Sophomore Elijah Tinsley aka ‘Kqazy’ breaks into the rap scene

With Martin’s outstanding programs such as sports, choir, band, and theater, it’s no surprise why it’s one of the most successful schools in its district. Martin has produced a lot of notable alumni such as Pentatonix, Myles Garrett, Jason Huntley, Stacy Oristano, Tay-K, etc.

The Upcoming Prodigy we’re covering this month is an Arlington-born rapper, sophomore Elijah Tinsley, aka Kqazy.

to take this journey in music?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Who do we have here?

My name is Elijah Tinsley, aka Kqazy, and I am a sophomore.

What brought you into music?

I used to listen to music a lot as a kid and watch music videos, and I thought it was just so cool, and I thought I could do that too. So, I used to make videos to music that I made on my iPad at around 11 or 12 years old. Then, I chose to actually take it seriously. So me and my friend decided to make a song together and continued doing it. Eventually, I fell in love with it.

What made you gravitate towards hip hop?

It sounds weird for me to say, but it’s just easy to do for me. Like, some people just can’t rap but they can do everything else. I think you just have to have a certain type of rhythm, and I feel like I have acquired that rhythm. It’s also the type of music I enjoy the most.

Who inspires you the most or made you want

The person who inspires me the most is probably Kanye just because like he’s really “him.” I had listened to his music, and I thought it was amazing because of all of the creativity and work that went into it. Another inspiration for me is Frank Ocean. He is really the definition of music for real. Also, Travis Scott because he really knows how to create an album. He’s really good at making a project instead of just putting a lot of random songs together.

What is the main goal you want to reach in your career?

I want to go as high as I can go.

What type of fan base would you want?

I want a fan base of people who will be down for me no matter what and won’t diss me, reject me, or call me washed up.

What hobbies or interests do you have outside of music?

I love playing basketball, working out, making videos, and playing video games.

My voice will be developed, I’ll be out of high school. I want to have at least one viral song. I plan on saving most of my money from my job so I can buy features and promotions and have a fully mastered album out. That’s just the bare minimum.

What type of album do you plan on putting out?

I have one coming up right now. It’s mostly just the feel good type of music. I used to take it so seriously and try putting in a lot of meaning into it, and it’s still meaningful in the newer songs. But it’s just more fun and I feel they have more replay value and they’re more likely to go viral than songs with a deeper meaning. Whenever I blow up off of this stuff, I want to get more into the deeper meanings in my music and then I want to switch it up into RnB and just experiment with different genres. What is your process for making songs?

Usually, I’ll just hop on my computer or I’ll just be listening to music and it’ll inspire me. I’m usually listening to Carti, and he

really inspires me. I also like hanging out with my friends, and we’ll just be throwing bars off of each other, and sometimes we’ll just make a bunch of music in one day.

How long does this all take?

Three to four days a week, but it can range from one song to five a day. Sometimes if I’m really locked in, it could take a whole day. I’ve had some days where my friend would come over, and we’ll literally spend all day in the room working on ideas and writing and never come out. It’s all about the grind, though, because I can make all the music I want, but it’s kinda pointless if I’m not promoting like I should. Do you have a manager?

I’m currently a free agent. I used to have a manager, and he helped me get around 6k streams on my album through telling people around the school, but I’m currently looking for more of a real professional manager.

Where can we listen?

Kqazy is on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music.

Terry Jackson Jr. • Reporter

“What if we were next?”

Students speak out on new district safety precautions

Caiden Cole and Addy Davenport• Reporter

It was more than just a drill when the locks clicked and the rooms went silent. Mourning friends and teachers became a part of their life story. School would never be the same.

More than 311,000 students in the United States have faced gun violence in their schools since the Columbine High School shooting occurred in 1999.

However, the headlines stand unwavered and one school after another has a story associated with their name. As a society, we have had to adapt to and learn from the reality of our schools not always being safe places. Each casualty seems to add a case to the never-ending epidemic of violence sweeping the nation.

We polled more than 100 Arlington ISD students to investigate how safe they feel at their home campus to bring awareness to our district’s role in providing a secure learning environment. Students from different schools disclosed their fears and solutions about their school’s safety.

Here are a few things people had to say:

“I now judge my classes not on the teacher or the quality of learning inside the classroom, but on what classroom I feel I can get out of easily,” Arlington High sophomore Rylan Daniels said. “I now value a classroom’s ground level windows, hidden away closets, and distance from an exit more than any other aspect.”

We are a generation that has been taught repeatedly to be overtly aware of our surroundings. So when our students vocalize that their safety is on the forefront of their mind rather than learning, we have an issue that can no longer be ignored.

“We’re kids trying to live and have fun,” Sam Houston junior Jennifer Cruz said. “We do our best, and you need to believe that. Help our school be safe, instead of making it feel like we’re going to jail.”

As students, we want to feel heard. We want our worries to be legitimized, and sometimes the misbehavior of a few is insight into the hurt of many.

“Students and staff shouldn’t have to pay for other people’s actions,” an Arlington High student said.

From the perspective of students, they just see the restrictions placed on them by schools.

“How am I supposed to respond or know what is happening from the outside if I am locked down?” another Arling-

ton HS student said.

Although it may not seem like it, teachers feel that stu dents should be relieved to know there are many safety precautions that schools take that go unrecognized or un detected.

“Martin is as safe as a 3800 student and 220 staff member school can be,” Martin principal Marlene Roddy said.

Martin has taken on the task of recognizing its weaknesses and proactively working to create a safe environment.

In its original design, Martin was designed to optimize student access. But architects in 1982 didn’t account for a day and age where school shootings would be a pressing issue 41 years later.

That being the case Martin has upgraded to:

• real time and high quality security cameras in every major hallway

• closing all but four of its 26 entrances and having security officers stationed at the main entrances

• daily lock checks

• a metal detector system with more frequent checks

• teachers are trained in LACE (look, assess, combat, escape) an acronym to serve as a course of action in case of emergency

While physical prevention methods are important, many of the survey responses reflected students’ hope for more focus on mental health in a school atmosphere.

“I’d feel safer with an actual focus on student mental health, instead of just putting up posters and using buzz words to give an illusion of effort on the school’s part,” Daniels said.

Echoing that concern, Martin has a program to reach out to high risk students to connect them with support.

“If we have a high risk student then we actually work with those students,” Roddy said. “A high risk student isn’t necessarily a student that could threaten the building. It’s more about threatening themselves. We actually do a lot of work with those students to help them.”

Students all have a part to play in moving past our fear. Bringing awareness to how they feel, and what it’s like being a student in 2022 is the first step toward our youth feeling hopeful for a future without violence. Students all need to work together and fix these problems.

In addition to security measures put in place by the district and the school, sometimes student safety comes down to students themselves holding each other accountable.

“The student body needs to exert pressure on each other,” Roddy said.

The district’s “See something, say something” campaign, Crimestoppers, and not letting in people through unsecured doors are ways students can help make that change.

“One of the things we’ve tried to stress to our students is the importance of honoring what we’ve requested to keep us all safe,” Roddy said.

Martin security upgrades

• real time and high quality security cameras in every major hallway

• closing all but four of its 26 entrances and having security officers stationed at the main entrances

• daily lock checks

• a metal detector system with more frequent checks

• teachers are trained in LACE (look, assess, combat, escape) an acronym to serve as a course of action in case of emergency

• increased emphasis on student mental health, particularly with high-risk students

We polled 100 students in Arlington ISD to see how safe they felt in their buildings on a scale from 1 to 10. This is the average of the responses from each school.

‘I can breathe now”

Senior Karly Beel’s long road to recovery after a heart transplant

Lorelai Hofer • Photo Editor

Climbing up the stairs, she can’t breathe. Taking her dog on a walk, she can’t breathe.

Being around too many people, she can’t breathe.

Being born with a heart defect was a normal part of senior Karly Beel’s life until she finally was able to get a heart transplant over the summer.

“I was born with half a heart,” Beel said. “It just didn’t get developed.”

Before she even received the transplant, Beel went through four other open heart surgeries. The first three surgeries were all to reroute her heart to try to fix the issues caused by her undeveloped heart. The fourth surgery was to repair a leaky valve.

Beel found out she needed a heart transplant in seventh grade.

“The wait really didn’t feel like anything because it took so long,” she said. “Towards the end, I really didn’t believe I’d ever get a transplant.”

Her fifth surgery was the heart transplant surgery, which came as a great surprise to her family.

“When the hospital had a perfect match, I was almost in shock,” Karly’s mother, Molly Beel, said. “I was thrilled, happy, and then terrified. I’ve known since before she was born that

someday she would need this. She’d been on the list for four years and four months. I broke down and cried – for happiness, fear, for the donor family, and so many other emotions, but mostly fear.”

Beel herself said she was shocked to finally be able to get the transplant after the long wait.

“So I got the call from my mom,” Karly said. “She said they found a heart, and I didn’t believe it because it had been so long. I was shaking and calling all my friends.”

On the day of her fifth open heart surgery – the transplant – mixed feelings arose amongst her family.

“The actual surgery took almost 12 hours, so I had

many feelings,” Molly Beel said. “Biggest was probably fear. I’m not a very religious person, but I did pray

Posing for a photo, senior Karly Beel smiles with her father Lev Beel. Karly said her family showed support before and after her heart transplant surgery.

Senior Karly Beel gives a thumbs up to her family after a successful heart transplant surgery this summer.

a whole lot. I prayed for the doctors and surgical team, for her, and especially for the donor’s family. I was

so grateful for their kindness. I was happy Karly was going to have such a better life now that she had a new heart. I was full of fear, hope, happiness, exhaustion, over and over again. It was a very long day. Thankfully the transplant coordinator called or texted pretty much hourly to keep us updated.”

Karly’s friends also had to experience the anxious waiting by receiving text updates about their friend from her family.

“Even though a heart transplant surgery is very high risk for complications, I was never that worried about something bad happening because of how resilient and strong Karly is as a person,” junior Sophia Dalke said. “She is a firecracker, and it’s hard to stop her.”

After surgery, Karly didn’t wake up for 20 more hours. Then the recovery process began: two physical therapy appointments per week for the first few weeks, then once a week appointments all lasting about six to eight

hours. Though her transplant has improved her life, she will continue to see her doctors on a regular basis.

“It is so cool to watch her doing physical therapy and having strength and improving her endurance,” Molly said. “She’s never been able to do these things in her whole life. It’s amazing. She’s amazing.”

After having to do the first few weeks of school from home, Karly was finally able to come back to school on Sept. 19.

“Even when she wasn’t physically here, her light has never gone out,” AVID coordinator and Karly’s former teacher, Perinza Reddic said. “Some people hide their scars, but she’s become a living testimony to make the most out of bad situations.” Before the transplant, Karly’s condition made her struggle with the basic action of breathing.

“I couldn’t breathe,” Karly said. “Like I couldn’t really do anything, because I couldn’t breathe. Even walking short distances.”

Right: The new, transplanted heart Photoscourtesyof KarlyBeel

Many common actions people do daily without a second thought were new to Karly post transplant.

“I can do so many things that I couldn’t do,” Karly said. “They’re so little, like I can breathe now. I’ll be able to go to Colorado. I couldn’t go there before, because it’s too high.”

By a few months after her surgery, Karly was able to start doing simple activities with her friends that she couldn’t before.

“Because of her transplant, we’re able to walk our dogs together, ride bikes, and do all sorts of fun things together that she’d never been able to do with me before,” senior Katherine Fugate said.

Beyond new physical abilities, her outlook on life has shifted, too.

“I notice how much happier she is,” Dalke said. “Seeing her accomplish things, like being able to ride a bike again and going back to school has made me feel excited for where her life is going to go.”

Karly’s persistence

throughout her fight with heart disease has inspired change in her family’s life.

“Before she was born, I was a business person,” Molly Beel said. “After spending many months in the hospital when she was a baby, I decided to become a nurse. That’s my personal take-away from the perception that ‘everything happens for a reason.’”

Karly’s humbleness and positivity have motivated both her classmates and teachers. Her dance with death inspires others to be grateful for the time they have and to seize the moment.

“She’s a living testimony to make the most out of bad situations,” Reddic said. “I usually share with my students every year a poem called ‘The Dash.’ It’s about how when you die, on your tombstone they’ll put when you’re born and when you die, but what really makes a difference is that little dash. How do you live within the dash? She’s living.”

Left: Karly’s Heart

Smiling for the camera, senior Karly Beel, her grandmother, parents, and family friend pose for a group photo. After her surgery, Karly’s family visted offten to help her through the recovery process.

Good to be Martin

It’s good to be back, especially for Martin’s athletic programs.

This summer, several athletics and extracurricular activities had the opportunity of being featured in a commercial for Under Armour, one of the world’s biggest athletic equipment brands.

Students from girl’s soccer, softball, boy’s basketball, band, and football were selected to be recorded for Under Armour’s “Good to be Back” campaign. This opportunity gave our athletic and extracurricular programs not only publicity, but also a variety of free Under Armour equipment and gear.

The types of equipment students received range from items like shoes, sweatpants, hoodies, bags, shirts, and shorts, as well as many other items. Because of this, participating athletes are fully supplied with any sports equipment that they may need.

“They make sure that we get our kids taken care of,” football coach Bob Wager said.

In addition to receiving gear, students featured in the ad also had the privilege of participation in a 10 percent off event at one of Under Armour’s stores.

“We had an event for Under Armour at the Grand Prairie Outlet Mall where we received a discount that one time,” junior Ava Mauldin said.

Despite the emphasis of a “onetime deal” regarding the event, other sports like football, still receive many benefits from this partnership.

“Anything we want, the coaches give it to us, and they give it to us freely,” senior football player Micheal Barrow said.

For many sports, athletes

said they feel as if football gets an advantage due to its overwhelming popularity. However, they said that this understanding comes with no hard feelings.

“Football is a big part of the school and a big part of Texas,” junior baseball player Bode Collins said.

While a variety of sports were rewarded from the commercial, other sports like baseball (who was not considered for the ad), are left to find alternatives for acquiring their needed equipment for the year. This includes having to do their own forms of fundraising.

“Most of the equipment we have, we work for,” Collins said. “We do a craft fair, and that’s what gives us our money for jerseys and stuff like that.”

Students from other sports that were recorded and not used for the ad said they were left feeling disappointed after being hopeful for a feature in the commercial.

For example, boy’s basketball, who had a whole day of filming and had to sign consent forms to have their faces shown, ended up only having a short clip included in the ad.

“We were kind of annoyed football got a big part, but that makes sense,” junior William Warren said. “We

just wanted some gear or something.”

However, eventually, boy’s basketball did receive Under Armour gear, but not from the “Good to be Back” commercial. Instead, the team was chosen this summer to act as XFL football players for a commercial due to Martin’s football team being busy with the season.

“Hey Bob, we’re fitting for XFL, and we need some kids to run around and make sure the gear fits them right,” Coach Wager said when recalling the phone call he received from XFL. “But this was during football season. So instead, we said, ‘We need this size body,’ and boy’s basketball was the closest.”

Because of this ad, basketball was given an even larger amount of equipment than other teams received for the “Good to be Back” commercial.

“We recorded on a football field wearing their jerseys,” Warren said. “We weren’t pretending to be Martin football players –we just had to wear jerseys and do stuff they told us to do.”

While the free gear was a large importance to many programs, some students said they just felt excited for the opportunity to have

How the Under Armour commericial came to be and what it means for Martin and its athletes

Ashlynn Lee • Reporter & Sally Rodriguez • Features Editor

Photo by Lanae Terry

their face displayed on a large scale.

“When you’re put on a platform like that, everybody looks at your school because they believe you’re successful,” senior football player Gage Wager said.

But how did Martin manage to get the privilege of this important opportunity?

The answer is Coach Bob Wager himself.

Fresh out of college, Wager had attended the American Football Coaches Association National Convention. Here, he saw a particular table run by a man wearing something he had never seen before.

“And in the very far corner of that exhibit hall was a guy that had just a card table,” he said. “One guy and a card table, where he had a spandex t-shirt. This was the first time I had ever seen a spandex t-shirt.”

Wager saw promise in this man and his idea and exchanged numbers with him. Later, he continued to keep in contact.

“The man’s name was Kevin Plank,” Coach Wager said. “Kevin Plank is the founder and CEO of Under Armour.”

As years passed, Wager continued to show support for Plank and was always ready to help. This eventually led to the sudden phone call that secured Martin the commercial. After being given about a 10-day prior notice, Wager agreed, but on one condition.

“I said, ‘It’s not like we’re going to be dropping everything that we’re doing,” Coach Wager said. “This is our schedule, and you need to fit into our schedule.”

This meant that for the majority of the filming process, students just went about their normal practices. All that was different was that a large filming crew was recording now.

“It was really routine,” Gage Wager said. “We still did what we normally did. They were just kinda there.”

Along with Martin, a handful of schools around the country were selected to be known as Under Armour’s “Undeniable” schools.

With Martin being recognized as “Undeniable,” many students realize just how football driven Martin really is.

“When I think Martin, I think football,” Barrow said.

Because of this, football was a main focus in the ad. Gage Wager said he believes this is partly because of how popular the sport is among people.

“I think they just put what they thought would get the most attention from viewers,” he said. “Business is business.”

However, according to Coach Wager, there’s something about Martin that sets it apart from the rest.

“There are 30-or-so ‘Undeniable Schools’ that are football driven, and we’re one of those schools,” Wager said. “But then, I took that and tried to morph it into not only all of our other sports, but also band and cheer and everyone across

the board.”

Being an “Undeniable School” opens up a world of benefits for Martin’s sports and extracurriculars.

“What might be unavailable to the average person becomes available for the Martin Warriors,” Coach Wager said.

Even if there’s a certain spotlight on particular sports, Coach Wager said

he believes that Martin, as a whole, has benefitted greatly by the commercial and sponsorship.

“At the end of the day, our school is featured worldwide, and it’s all positive publicity,” coach Wager said. “And I think anything we can do to promote the greatness of James W. Martin High School, I’m all about it.”

Photo by Lanae Terry

“When I think Martin, I think football.”

Silent stands

Martin is dedicated to giving all students equal opportunities, but fan support falls short when it comes to all athletes

Stadium lights shine bright on the field.

Sore, sweaty players put hours of practice into their performance. Empty stands illuminate with reflection as little to no fans come to cheer the athletes on.

Martin is known for our hard-working football, volleyball, and basketball teams. However, there are a multitude of outstanding sports teams whose hard work goes unnoticed.

“Honestly, we get overlooked a lot, and nobody cares about it,” junior softball player Sydney Bearden said. “We are the shadow behind baseball.”

These athletes all share a similar view of what their “game days” look like.

“No one comes to games, except for some parents,” junior soccer player Harry Davidson said.

Many athletes said the stands are empty with the occasional parent or friend.

“Sometimes JV players come to watch, but it rarely happens,” Bearden said.

Another shared struggle these athletes face is the little recognition.

“We win district every year, and still no one talks about us,” junior tennis player Alexis Lozano said.

Last year boys soccer won district for the first time in

many years, and very few people showed up to cheer the players on.

“Last year was great with playoffs but it felt like no one talked about it,” Davidson said.

Some of these athletes said they are even questioned if they are “true” athletes. Tennis players stay after school every day, just like many supported sports, and yet they are still faced with insulting comments.

“We are always looked down on for playing tennis for no reason,” Lozano said. “But if you’ve ever played, you realize it’s actually hard.”

These comments can harm an athlete’s confidence and affect their play. Many of these athletes just want simple support to benefit their confidence and per-

formance.

“A lot of people don’t know how to cheer for soccer, but we’d love to have them to teach them the culture,” boys soccer coach Joey Lockhart said.

Along with acknowledgement, these teams struggle financially.

“We have to be the poorest sport,” junior softball player Aly Perez said.

Softball players have to find their own rides to home games (located at Workman Junior High) and are not provided by the

school.

Tennis players said they had to scale down their banquet because booster club funds went to equipment and scholarships.

“Our banquet was literally at a park and we just played cornhole and ate pizza,” junior tennis player Victoria Lam said. “All I want is a nice banquet.”

Coaches and athletes said that to create a better and more successful athletic department, all students should support our hardworking, talented athletes.

“Our boys would love to have 1,500 of their friends screaming their name when they get a goal,” Lockhart said.

Alyssa Lee • Reporter

Empty stands reflect the lack of fan support for some Martin teams. PhotobyAddisonSmith

“Last year felt great wtih playoffs and it felt like no one talked about it.”

At the beginning of the year, an unofficial Martin Barstool Instagram account began receiving a lot of attention. Memes and jokes were posted, not only targeted at our opposing teams, but our team, and even parents of rival football players.

I had a big plan. I was going to find out the owners and content contributors of the account and find out why they made such vile posts.

I talked to students and found out they thought this account helped rally up school spirit, which they felt had died. I talked to teachers who were appalled by the account’s content and wanted something done about it.

My story was coming along perfectly, until I found the account’s original creator. I went to interview him and got nowhere. Later that night, the account was gone – along with my prospective story.

After reflecting back on my story, I realized something: People are rarely ever sorry for their actions.

It’s something I had thought about before. “If you were truly sorry, you

A false sense of

security

wouldn’t have done it,” is something I try to hold myself to. Obviously, in heat of the moment situations, words can slip out, but if I have the ability to reflect, I will.

I had talked to three of the account contributors. The account had stopped posting but that might have been due to the recent loss against Allen.

Other than that, nothing happened to the account.

I spoke to a teacher about this account, who said they would use this as a “learning opportunity” for these students. Finally I found the creator and went to talk to him.

That’s when they finally shut the account down.

There were many people who knew about the account, and they were aware my story would be published to read, yet until the account’s complete anonymity was gone, it remained up on Instagram.

Based on my interviews, there was not a lot of embarrassment from the students involved in the account.

They were posting questionable content, but it didn’t matter because no one knew who it was.

In the end, they made a choice. They opened Instagram, chose to make a new account, and kept contributing to it.

That’s the magic of the

internet. Now you don’t have to feel sorry for your actions. If you are able to remain anonymous, then did you really do anything wrong?

You hear it all the time, about how the media desensitizes us, and it’s true. Not only are we used to seeing questionable, hurtful content, but we’re used to creating it, too.

Social media gives us a way out. We are no longer held accountable for our ac-

social media.

We think we are safe until we are discovered. But that’s okay, because we can just delete whatever we said, right?

Nothing is ever fully deleted. Screenshots are taken, sure, but pay the right person the right amount of money and they can uncover anything once thought to be “deleted.”

Anything we post online has the ability to follow us forever. They can ruin our ability to get scholarships, internships and jobs.

tions and this is something everyone should be concerned about.

That doesn’t mean these actions can’t have a huge effect on our lives or their own. The anonymity only extends so far.

The creators and contributors on this account told a few people what they were up to, and with a little digging, I was able to find them.

I assume they took the account down because they feared the repercussions. Some of the account contributors had something to lose by having their names attached to the account.

That’s something a lot of this generation does not realize.

Our actions have the ability to follow us, especially actions showcased through

Anonymity doesn’t exist. For those of us who make seemingly harmless accounts about sports teams, random gossip, or even people sleeping, it’s not so easy to remain completely in the shadows.

We need to be more cautious of what we post, even if our name is not directly attached to our accounts. Collectively, Generation Z believes we are indestructible. No matter what we do, it will be okay because no one can touch us.

The truth is, as the capability of technology increases, the amount of privacy we have decreases.

Right now, in this day and age it’s harder to get away with things. It’s harder to hide.

We are teenagers. We should be allowed to make mistakes and mess up.

But some things are unforgivable. Some things will haunt us forever.

This wasn’t the first story I was going to write.

Social media posts can follow you

Dewey Saracay • Reporter

will haunt us forever Some things

Medical mystery

Senior track athlete overcomes bizarre accident within months.

Trinity Orosco • Editor-In-Chief

Asingle moment can change an entire life. For senior track star Marquis Shorten, this couldn’t have been more true.

In April 2022, right before the Regional track meet where he was expected to qualify for state, Shorten started to experience excruciating pain in his sleep.

“I just woke up with back pain, and I tried to go back to sleep but it was too much,” Shorten said. So, he drove himself to the hospital where his mother works.

“When I got to the hospital no one was really helping me, because they thought that it was a back spasm or something,” Shorten said. “So, I was just laying in bed not being able to move my legs.”

When the doctors finally did see him, they discovered that Shorten had a blood clot in his spine, which caused him to lose the temporary feeling in his legs.

“They made me do an MRI, but I couldn’t because it hurt too much and I was screaming, so they put me to sleep,” Shorten said.

However, not even medical anesthesia could pull his mind away from track practice.

“The first thing I said when I woke up was when I can leave, so I could go run,” Shorten said.

After doctors reviewed the MRI, Shorten was taken into emergency surgery where they performed spinal decompression on him.

“They put me under, took out half of my spine to decompress it, burned the veins together that were split open, and then put me back together,” Shorten said.

Before being “put back together,” Shorten had to have several laminae removed to allow more room for his nerves.

“They took out four laminae, and since that was removed, the upper and lower part of my back is only being held up by muscle for the rest of my life,” Shorten said.

Though he knows all that happened during surgery now, Shorten didn’t know much at that time.

“My family didn’t tell me specific things until a couple of days after the surgery, because they knew it was gonna be traumatizing for me,” Shorten said.

During this whole journey, Shorten said he still believes one of the worst things to come of it was all the attention he was receiving.

“I knew that a lot of people were gonna be like, ‘Oh are you still gonna run?’ and I don’t like hearing stuff like that,” Shorten said. Many questions arise when something so unexpected happens. Shorten’s off-season track coach SaDonna Thornton said she couldn’t believe the news.

“The day before he came to practice with me and he was fine, I thought,” Thornton said. “So how does something this extensive happen overnight?”

Thornton prompts a question many have wondered. However, an even more peculiar thought was how Shorten went from a complete loss of leg mobility in April to being back on the track in August, a mere matter of months.

“Everything is back to normal,” Shorten said. “Until I’m fully healed of course I’ll feel my back, but it’s nothing that bothers me to where I can’t do something.”

This miraculous recovery is something doctors can’t even make sense of.

“They still don’t have a diagnosis,” Shorten said.

“They think that it’s just some freak accident.”

Senior Marquis Shorten restores his strength for track season after a season-ending injury and surgery last year.

Medical mystery or not, with track season starting in February, Shorten said he is just trying to work on strengthening his legs and getting back into his groove.

“We’re just starting off his practices and stuff so it hasn’t been anything too strenuous,” Thornton said. “I’m interested to see as we start to build, and as things start becoming harder, how his body will react to it.”

Shorten is just picking up where he left off, which is a sentence that many would not have expected him to say.

“A lot of people in his position would’ve been like, ‘I can’t do it anymore,’ or they would’ve been afraid, but he has come back with the same enthusiasm and the same drive he had pre-injury,” Thornton said. Shorten said he plans to race at the state meet this year and come back stronger than before.

“I think Marquis is a true testament that nothing can stop you,” Thornton said. “Once you have your mindset, you can do anything you want to do.”

PhotobyShelby Zimmerman

A freshman on varsity?

Freshman Caitlyn Cavitt’s strengths led her onto the varsity volleyball team

things to say about her and her advanced skills that she uses during the games.

“I think adding a freshman to the team has impacted us really well,” junior Ashley Howland said. “She brings positivity and energy which we all love. I think Caitlyn fits well with the team. She is consistent and is a good all around player. From the very beginning we have gotten along with her. It took her a bit to get comfortable with the players, but now she is one of us and we love her.”

Cavitt’s place on varsity definitely took some hard work and she has developed some major strengths as she has been training as a varsity member.

“She has a lot of strengths,” Howland said. “I think a few of her main strengths are putting the ball away. She also has good shot selection and she has a fast arm swing.”

may be skeptical that they might not get along, but teammates say Cavitt has fit right in.

“It was different at first because we had already been in season for several weeks, but she adjusted very well and even got a starting spot quickly,” senior Desiree Reinwand said.

With how long she has been playing volleyball, she has definitely expanded her variety of skills.

“She has definitely stepped up and shown her mental maturity as well as physical capability,” Reinwand said. “Caitlyn fits in perfectly, and it really wouldn’t be the same without her. We love to joke around with her and make fun of her being a freshman, but she is actually very special to us. She is incredibly athletic, a team player, and the most lovable person you will ever meet.”

The spotlight is on freshman Caitlyn Cavitt, as she enters her first year of high school on the varsity volleyball team. Being put on varsity has already created a lot of new opportunities and friendships for Cavitt as she’s only a freshman.

“I think being a new addition to the varsity team, I would say my teammates have treated me very well and I know more upper-

classmen than I thought I would,” Cavitt said.

Cavitt had been playing volleyball for several years before trying out at Martin.

“This will be my seventh year playing volleyball and I plan on playing all four years of high school,” Cavitt said. “I’ve played outside of school and last year I played for EMV. I also plan on running track this year so I won’t be playing club.”

Cavitt’s teammates said they are so happy that she is on the team and have great

Working with a new teammate is not always easy but these upperclassmen have made it their priority to welcome Cavitt and make her feel included.

“With us being a team of all ages it was easy for us to get comfortable with her and she’s been a positive impact on the team,” junior Sophia Salas said. “She was a very easy person to get along with and brought a different perspective to the team. Everyone loves Caitlyn. She is a very powerful hitter and is very athletic. She has a great vertical for such a small person.”

Being a freshman on a team with seniors, some

When picking Caitlyn for the varsity squad, head volleyball coach Rhonda Dunn said she saw potential in Cavitt’s advanced skills.

“Caitlyn is a very explosive athlete and has a high ceiling for growth as a player,” Dunn said. “She is a player that can handle a heavy load. She is even-tempered. She plays with a lot of energy, but doesn’t get distracted by her emotions.”

With the new addition of such an exceptional freshman, the team’s crowd and student section has changed as well, with many more students in attendance at the varsity games.

“People love cheering for her,” Dunn said.

Freshman Caitlyn Cavitt prepares to spikes the ball against Arlington High School on Sept. 27. Cavitt is the first freshman to make the varsity volleyball team. PhotobyAddisonSmith

Mackenzie Estes • Sports Editor

Special worlds

Khaylani Bailey • Reporter

She’s not breathing, she’s not breathing!

Oh my God they can’t resuscitate her she’s gone!” This was the call that my family got from my hysterical aunt on June 25 this year when we found out that my non-verbal special needs cousin, Kenna, who had epilepsy, passed away.

My family and I were three hours away when we got the call, and I had never been in more of a rush to leave from vacation.

The drive felt like years and my body was limp with overwhelming emotion that felt indescribable. When we got to my aunt’s house, I couldn’t look my family in the face, as seeing them hurt too much.

All I could think of as I was staring at the couch my cousin died on was, “How could this happen? Why my family? She always made it, so how could she just.. not?”

Kenna was like the big sister I never had. I always boasted about the fact that I understood her when others didn’t and will forever miss her asking to come stay the night with me. School started two months later, and I told no one about the incident because it hadn’t fully processed for me, and for the first time, I was in the stages of grief.

School felt like a drag and work was a burden on my

mental health. How could I function at school when first day pictures were sent in our family group chat, and hers wasn’t one of them?

The school year had already started out rocky for me and I was absolutely oblivious to my peers – except the special needs students.

Normally, walking in the hall, I wouldn’t pay much attention to the special needs students because in my eyes, they were just like me and every other student who are just trying to make it through high school. However, something about this year made me feel magnetized towards them. At first I didn’t know what it was, but every time I saw a special needs student, something in me wanted to know more about their story.

Hearing the kids make fun of or mock them felt like a shot to my heart. How could my peers be so insensitive about things they know nothing about? Their ignorance angered me and hurt me.

Stupid and ignorant jokes made about things like seizures and special needs never used to bother me, and uncomfortably I would even laugh, but those jokes had a new meaning for me now.

They brought about anger, sadness, and emotions that were unfamiliar to me, emotions that I’ve been scared to unlock because I

didn’t understand them. I was already constantly asking myself how was I going to make it, so what if these new feelings didn’t come with a solution?

I consistently had to remind myself that others had different views on these hurtful types of jokes. To them, it was something funny that their friend group could laugh at and even an inside joke that they share at others’ expense, but for me it was a constant reminder that I was never getting my cousin back. It was a never-ending replay of my aunt’s voice, and the tension as I walked in the house and saw my cousin’s room with the door shut.

How could I be mad at their unawareness though?

Neither Martin High School nor any school that I’ve been to has ever educated their students on disabilities and special needs. It would be wrong of me to expect people to respect something they don’t understand.

Despite the fact that it may feel like all hopes are lost, I believe that there’s still a way to bring awareness to students. Disabilities like epilepsy, along with many others have movements, colors, and months such as Breast Cancer Awareness.

The same way schools advocate for the awareness and support of breast cancer, they can also use their platform to educate and enlighten students on differ-

ent disabilities.

In addition, this could be a way for students to be able to engage with their disabled peers and see them for who they are, not for their diagnosis or obvious differences.

Martin has spirit events and pep rallies for sports like football, volleyball, and basketball, but only one of them (Special Olympics clap out) includes any type of awareness for disabilities or special needs.

Here at Martin we have an immense number of 3,820 students, and a portion of those students have disabilities or special needs, so why not use this opportunity to spread awareness to our advantage?

The only way to make a change is if we also feed into the process and not allow offensive, disrespectful comments be said without shutting it down and addressing the issue.

My story is one of many that families of disabled students go through – the never-ending worrying and not knowing when it will be their last day, having to cherish all the time you have with them, and all the tears, stress, and exhaustion that goes into taking care of the disabled daily.

We should allow the stories of our fellow special needs students, encourage us to speak out and bring awareness to their special worlds.

Many special needs kids are bullied and misunderstood and nobody speaks out

Not just a water girl

Athletic trianers express frustrations with underappreciated work

Laynie Stroup • Editor-in-Chief

Countless hours spent providing treatment, setting up for practices, and aiding athletes’ needs.

Athletic trainers do more than just hand out water.

“Being called a water girl is a little insulting,” senior Kennedy Robinson said.

The biggest misconception trainers face from athletes is that their only job is making sure athletes stay hydrated at practice.

“We try to teach them more than that, first aid, bandaging, and CPR,” athletic trainer Joey Pena said. “They definitely do more than just give water.”

Martin’s athletic training program consists of 22 student trainers this year.

“The hardest part about being a trainer is probably the time commitment,” junior Ashlon Taylor said. “On top of the class period, you work after school three or four times a week, so you have to make adjustments in your schedule.”

The application process for being a trainer starts in the spring of the previous school year. They use spring football practices to see if these students have what it takes to be in the program.

“After those four weeks of practices, we have them work at our spring game,” Pena said. “We split them into teams and see how they are working with everyone.”

Pena and Johne Booty,

the head athletic trainers, make sure the students’ grades won’t get in the way of being a trainer.

“If they have failed twice, we won’t let them in,” Pena said. “We try to hold our standards higher than other programs. If you fail during the season, you are no use to us.”

These trainers take their own time after school to make sure athletes can be healthy and the best on the field, and often their work gets overlooked.

“I think they are the most unrecognized group in athletics, and I always tell them we don’t get into this profession for the gratification,” Pena said. “But it does go a long way when someone says thank you or shows appreciation for the amount of hours they put in.”

Senior Katiana Holloway said the hardest part of being an athletic trainer is working football games.

“It’s very chaotic when we take care of the injured players,” Halloway said. “It is very stressful having to get them fixed up in time to go back on the field.”

Not only do trainers provide treatment for athletes, but every day the third and ninth period classes are responsible for making more than 100 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and filling cups of chocolate milk for each football player.

“It’s so messy and gets all over my clothes and all over the floor,” Robinson said.

The trainers in the class have made a system for

making the sandwich process smoother.

“We make a total of nine loaves of bread a day,” Holloway said. “Each side of the table has five loaves, one side is peanut butter, and one side is jelly. Usually, we have two people on each side spreading and we have one person that slaps them together and puts them into the finished pan.”

During these class periods, the trainers get to know each other and build relationships.

“The atmosphere in the training room for the most part is great,” Taylor said. “But there are times where some trainers don’t get along and we just try to

make things work because problems in the program affect everyone.”

Over the school year, these trainers get to grow bonds with athletes while taking care of their needs.

“If the athlete is respectful to us then we tend to get along, but it really just depends,” Robinson said.

These trainers give up their time in the student section on Friday nights to work on the field during football games in case football players face injuries.

“During the Lake Travis game, I really wish I was in the student section,” Robinson said. “I feel like it’s so different being up there, especially being a senior.”

Junior Ashlon Taylor works with players and other trainers at a football game. PhotobyCami Cortinas

Senior Katiana Holloway tapes an ankle during the athletic training class. Photoby LanaeTerry

Expires 12/31/2022