October 2016 Warrior Post

the warrior post

Martin High School - 4501 W Pleasant Ridge Rd., Arlington, TX 76016 - Volume 35 Issue 1 October 25, 2016

Junior Grace Wright and senior Josh Goodman rehearse a scene in Macbeth in which their characters discuss a prophecy of Goodman becoming king.

Photo by Zane Stewart

relationships issue what’s inside Odd man out Won’t skip a “Blood Will Diving to win beat Have Blood”

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Crowning moments

Oct. 7 Homecoming was full of surprises

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1. The Warrior football players race onto the field against Mansfield.

The final score was 28-47.

2. Newly-crowned senior Homecoming King and Queen Caleb Garcia and Jasmine Moriano take the field.

3. Senior Drew Mott goes up for basket toss during a Fundancers performance. Moments later, Mott fell to the gym floor, but was not injured.

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Photos by Zane Stewart • Photo Editor

Hard work pays off Full Orchestra places first in Texas music contest Emily Hale • Copy Editor

The final chord of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 1 in D Minor reverberated through the hall. Tearfully taking a bow, Martin’s Full Orchestra concluded their performance at Carnegie Hall March 21.

Applause rang through the hall. As director Michael Stringer dropped his baton, he felt as if he had just conducted a professional orchestra.

“I couldn’t believe what we had just done,” Stringer said.

“It was humbling because high school kids are not supposed to be able to perform that rep and especially at that level.”

Four months later, on Sept. 21 when the results for Honor Full Orchestra were posted, Martin High School was listed first.

“Honor Full Orchestra is the best high school orchestra in the state of Texas,” sophomore Anthony Mirabelli said. “We record our performance and then we send in our recording and it gets judged against the other recordings. Fourteen advance to state and then they’re judged.”

To perform such challenging repertoire at such a high level,

Game on Binh Le • Staff Artist Heart racing, hands clammy and eyes fixed on the giant screen in front of him. The cheers from the crowd gave him a surge of energy for him to push himself further and ultimately winning the tournament. There was chaos as the onlookers erupted with cheers. All pandemonium broke loose as everyone rushed towards the winner of the tournament with

the Full Orchestra had to put in long rehearsal hours.

“In addition to our everyday class time, we met twice a week for two hours with the winds,” Mirabelli said. “We would also work on our parts outside of class.”

Although Honor Orchestra was quite an achievement for the program, it was not the end goal.

“Mr. Stringer never really mentioned winning Honor Orchestra,” sophomore Lucy Xin said. “We focused on our performance at Carnegie and making that the best it could be. It’s as Mr. Stringer says, ‘Do what you’re supposed to do and rewards will come.’”

Texas Music Educator’s Association (TMEA) rotates Honor Orchestra category years.

Years ending with odd numbers are recording opportunities for 6A Honor Orchestra without wind members, while even numbered years are for 6A Full Orchestra recordings.

Once a group has been named Honor Full Orchestra, they are not eligible to win two consecutive terms. Essentially, a group

may win Honor Full Orchestra and then a year later win Honor Orchestra, but they are not eligible to compete the following two years.

“We have to continue to improve, whether it’s for a contest or not,” Stringer said. “I want us to have an experience of a lifetime every time we perform.”

In their performance at Carnegie, they opened with Dvořák’s Carnival Overture, continued with Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma and finished with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 1 in D Minor. Although all the pieces were of extremely high caliber, one in particular held a personal weight.

“Stringer chose the Rachmaninoff because it was his favorite piece in college,” Mirabelli said. “As a college student, he would get his score and go to his dorm room and he would conduct along with Symphony No. 1 in D Minor.

According to Stringer, Carnegie Hall seemed like the perfect place to display such an important piece.

“After the performance was over, Mr. Stringer was crying

and so were we,” Xin said. “And he said, ‘Thank you for making my dream come true.’”

For wining Honor orchestra, the Martin Orchestra will perform at the TMEA conference in the spring.

The TMEA conference held in San Antonio hosts the allstate band, orchestra and choir groups. It is additionally meant for music educators and composers to collaborate and try out the latest technology in music.

“Just being able to communicate with everyone what the TMEA conference is, is probably the most difficult part,” Stringer said. “We won this honor and now we put on a concert of honor, and I don’t think that has really sunk in yet.”

Although Martin’s Full Orchestra program may seem like just another organization, for some it represents much more.

“I’ve learned that personal achievement in music can bring temporary happiness,” senior Eunice Yoon said. “But working together in music, you can achieve complete joy.”

Martin’s new club strives to create a home for gamers words of acknowledgement and compliments of his plays.

Many of the finalists applauded the winner in recognition of his skills as some of them were outplayed.

Junior Elijah Chapman smiled brightly then let out a sigh of relief.

This was how Chapman felt when he won the Super Smash Bros 4 tournament hosted by the eSports Club.

“I didn’t think that I would win, honestly,” Chapman said.

“It feels amazing to be recog-

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nized for your efforts.”

The eSports Club was created last year for students to play competitive video games that test their cooperation, skills and quick thinking in order to achieve victory.

So far, they have successfully hosted a Super Smash Bros and Rocket League tournament.

“I wanted an environment for nerds and gamers alike,” senior Ruben Monsivais said. “A place where they can talk about

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Senior Dylan Stubblefield games in the new eSports club. Photo by Matthew Flores

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Nurse's pet

Students hail the return of Marcus the Wellness dog Olivia Dague • Reporter Students who walk into the nurse’s office are not only greeted by friendly nurses but a furry dog at their feet. Marcus, an AKC-registered, long haired golden retriever, serves as Martin’s “Wellness Warrior” in the nurse’s office. To some, Marcus is a positive presence who can turn their day around, but to others, a potential health hazard.

Nurse Victoria Ray said she hopes to bring emotional and mental wellness to students and staff by having Marcus, a comfort dog, in the clinic.

“Our goal is to see if we can bring in a dog, a comfort therapy dog, to help kids and staff kinda regroup and recover and make it through the day,” Ray said. “What we’re hoping through our research and collecting data in here over the next two years to show a successful, measurable decrease in kids being sent home for minor ailments.”

Those who were Warriors last school year may remember Marcus being in the clinic last spring.

“He was here for almost two weeks last year, and so many people loved him so we decided

to officially begin a plan for him to return during the next year,” Ray, who is also Marcus’ owner, said.

One of the goals for Marcus’s stay is to decrease time that kids spend out of class.

The clinic hopes that kids will spend a few minutes with the dog to calm down, rather than going home or spending an hour out of their day in the nurse’s office.

“What we’re trying to do is if someone has a headache and they ask for a pill, we give them an alternative way to have a healthier and happier lifestyle,” Ray said.

A wellness dog at school has been something that Ray has wanted for a while. Marcus had to go through a series of trials and demonstration tests to be able to come to school, but Ray said it was worth it.

“There is so much research out there in the national news about how dogs can just help people feel better,” she said. “I have been very, very happy with the response. There is so much joy that animals bring to people who like animals.”

When students feel anxious at school, Marcus aids with their anxiety.

“If I have an anxiety attack I

eSports ... continued from page 3 games and not be afraid of others judging them for it.” eSports has been slowly gaining worldwide recognition as a form of legitimate sport. Similarities between gaming and traditional sports include strategy, reaction times and occasionally teamwork.

Like traditional sports, many eSports teams also engage in scrimmages, or an informal game that is played for

practice, to hone skills before a professional match.

The biggest criticism that eSports receives is the lack of physical movement. While traditional athletes train their bodies, many pro-gamers tend to train their mind more. On average, an elite pro-gamer spend 14 hours a day in front of their computer.

“One of my concerns is the fact that it is a video game club,”

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Senior Isaiah Hernandez spends time with Marcus at lunch. Marcus is a certified Wellness Animal available to students. Photo by Bella Whitmore sit on the floor and pet Marcus behind the ears,” sophomore Emily Mercer said. “It helps knowing something is there for me. I’m in here a few times a week.”

Others can be found with Marcus when they are stressed out about a test, are having a rough day, or just want to come visit an animal on campus.

“He’s always up for cuddles and everything, and if he knows you’re having a bad day, he’ll come up and nuzzle you and sit next to you,” junior Ryan McCorkle said. “You can just pet him and all your struggles go away.”

Although Marcus has brought positive emotional and mental relief to students and faculty, some have had concerns about the physical harm he could bring to students with allergies.

Junior Kallie Menard is extremely allergic to all animals with fur and has even been hospitalized several times

due to animal-related allergic reactions.

“For a lot of kids with allergies, like me, it has become a real issue,” Menard said. “The nurse’s office is supposed to be a safe and healthy environment for everyone.”

Menard suggested the dog stay at school and continue helping kids, but not in the nurse’s office.

“I love all dogs and animals and the good they bring, it’s just hard to visit the nurse’s office with severe pet allergies,” Menard said.

The nurses’ staff recognizes that pet allergies are an issue and they’re taking measures to make sure that the clinic is safe for all kids.

“We are implementing a very rigid and stringent hygiene routine for him to keep dander off of him,” Ray said. “I also have an air filter and mop floors and wipe counters every day, and his bedding is always washed.”

Monvivais said. “Parents might think all we do is play games, getting nothing out of it.”

Video games can often be seen as a negative influence on children due to their tendency to contain violence, however, many overlook the positive influences games actually have.

Several video games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Smite, Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch strongly encourage players to effectively commu-

nicate and strategize with their teammates to ensure their victory. Video games also present the opportunity for players to create friendships with other players around the world.

“Video games teach students the importance of working as a team,” social studies teacher and one of the eSports club sponsor Marcus Blanchard said. “If one player is being toxic, it could affect the whole team’s mood.

Growing minds What it means to be an AcDec student Carson Johnson • Staff Artist One of the first things you notice when walking into the Academic Decathlon room is the atmosphere. As the students gather into small groups at their tables, the heightened stress of the day seems to ease. The class converses freely until physics teacher Jay Atman stands to greet everyone, and then the day’s lesson begins. Throughout the lecture, the students listen intently. They are not overly tense, even as Atman announces that they will now have 20 minutes to prepare for an inclass assessment. These students know what they’re doing, and they’re confident – not because they’re geniuses who ace every test they take, but because Academic Decathlon keeps them at the ready.

The United States Academic Decathlon (USAD) is a 10-event high school competition that occurs annually throughout the entire nation.

These teams are limited to nine competitors each: three “A” students, three “B” students and three “C” students.

“Students usually need to study for about three hours a week,” Atman said. “And when you think about things like school and sleep, you only have roughly 53 free hours. But then, there are working students who have even less time. Even working for something like 20 hours a week would only leave you with 33 hours to do basic life stuff. AcDec helps people deal with time management and get ready for life.”

This year’s main theme is World War II, but the competition itself also tests basic knowledge in many core subjects as well as the public speaking abilities of each student.

Regional competiton will

take place at Lamar Jan. 20-21, State in San Antonio Feb. 2426, and Nationals in Madison, Wisconsin, Apr. 20-22.

For Martin’s team, the past few years have not been the most successful. Last year, Martin’s entire AcDec only included eight people, with no students to compete in the “C” student division of the competition.

To prevent a repeat of last year, the AcDec coaches did some heavy recruiting by reaching out to students in their classes and encouraging them to spread the word to friends.

Now, with more than 30 students, Martin’s AcDec team is ready to dominate.

“Arlington High has won for the past five years, and there’s no reason for that to be,” Atman said. “Warriors have what it takes to be successful.”

For students like senior Andy Amadio, the primary reason for taking the class is actually “to get the first AcDec win for Martin in years. And it looks amazing on college applications.”

“The type of success we’re aiming for is progressive,” Atman said. “We’re aiming to get through regionals. From there we’ll aim for state, and so on.”

The USAD aims to include a wide variety of students, but this doesn’t mean the class itself is for everyone.

“We want students who have a basic willingness to work and a love of learning,” Atman said.

“An AcDec student is someone who wants to be prepared for college.”

History teacher Marc Blanchard, AcDec’s other coach, said he believes that an AcDec student should be “well-rounded, and feel comfortable working in small groups with strong communication skills” because

Seniors Matthew Bannister and Randy Donaldson speak to the class about one aspect of AcDec’s musical studies. The program has grown to more than 30 students this year. Photo by Zane Stewart

the class is clearly very team-oriented. However, Blanchard said he believes that these skills can be improved in class, as one of the key features of AcDec is the opportunity it provides for students “to push themselves in ways they haven’t been able to before and grow individually.”

Academic Decathlon is not meant to be intimidating or

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scary for students who don’t normally like to pour over the books. The class helps students to practice critical thinking while also learning other important life skills.

“The class isn’t too difficult,” senior Adib Chowdhurry said.

“If you can take time to study the material then you’ll be okay, but it’s really a matter of focus.”

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Odd man out

Junior Zane Stewart learning new tactics at Fire Academy. Stewart dove into photography, journalism and Fire Academy programs. Photo by Matthew Flores Michael Sandoval•Reporter

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he whistling hum of the six kids swinging back and forth together rings through the elementary school courtyard. On the steaming basketball court, nine kids are shooting hoops and attempting to dribble the ball between their legs. In the trimmed green grass, a group of girls are talking about whose house they’re having snacks at after school.

All different types of kids are involved in games or group conversations, except 10-yearold Zane Stewart, who thinks he lacks too much athleticism or social status to be included.

Now as a junior, Stewart said he is who he is because he was

never welcomed by others to participate in anything.

“It has definitely been a process not letting certain things get to me as a kid,” Stewart said. “But being involved in publications and the fire academy in the past year has really helped me as a person.”

“Zane is different from other guys,” junior Elizabeth Prickett said. “He’s kind and doesn’t really care what people think.”

While some of us come into high school with expectations to accomplish things or be seen a certain way, others arrive not knowing what to expect from the four years ahead.

Sitting in his Journalism class

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Junior branches out and broadens his horizons

freshman year, Stewart said he was consumed by the idea of defining himself as a person in the midst of his first year of high school.

Early in the school year he was shown a video of a man who drops everything to take pictures in the middle of a war zone for a job.

“That day I knew what I wanted,” Stewart said. “From that moment on, I understood my passion for people was something I’d want to be known for.”

What Stewart said he saw that day wasn’t just a man fulfilling his job, but someone who had purpose and, most importantly, someone who was making a difference, something that for a period of time he longed for.

Time taught Stewart a lesson the past 17 years had not.

Being unique doesn’t make him a less of a person than any other guy, but friends and teachers said it makes him an interesting person to be around.

“Zane is a refreshing student to have because he reminds you to appreciate the hard workers,” Yearbook adviser Erin Adwell Teague said. “Sometimes teachers get caught up on only correcting behavior or students who are doing the wrong thing instead of appreciating kids like Zane.”

Students at times feel overlooked or unappreciated by classmates or teachers, but Zane finds a way to appreciate even the most unorthodox of classmates and teachers by being never judging them for who they are or what they believe in.

The kid within Zane who saw himself early on as a student who wasn’t liked because he was different, now embraces people who feel like he used to by appreciating them as they are.

“Time has helped me realize what kind of person I am and want to be,” Stewart said “I know how to treat people and how I do and don’t want to be treated, thanks to giving myself time to appreciate life.”

Stewart now represents the group of people who at one point where left out of of events just like him by writing about them or by taking pictures and the events they enjoy attending.

From feeling left out to making a difference, Stewart said he has found himself within himself.

Not only was Stewart a part of three different publications and theater arts last year , he’s expanded his horizons this year by becoming a member and a lieutenant of the Fire Academy. Stewart said he realized his passion ranges wider than just writing about people.

“I’m involved in everything not because I like to keep myself busy,” Stewart said. “It’s because trying new things always helps you figure out what kind of person you are.”

At 14, he wanted to find his purpose and passion all at once, not realizing some adults are still confused about what makes them one of a kind.

Within the confines known as high school he found his passion without even realizing it.

“Zane is so different it’s contagious,” sophomore Keely Bryan said. “He’s a leader in his own way and always takes people’s opinions into consideration.”

“Looking back on everything that I’m involving myself in during high school, I probably won’t find use for everything I’m doing now,” Stewart said.

“But I’m also involving myself in things to inspire others to try new things.”

Shooting down stereotypes Students open up about their differing social interactions Allison Beatty • Copy Editor

Most people function under the false assumption that introvertedness and extrovertedness are two completely separate categories, and every person is either one or the other.

But it’s foundationally untrue. Introvertedness and extrovertedness aren’t two different things – they lie on a spectrum, with extroverted at one end and introverted at the other. Some people are extreme introverts. Some are extreme extroverts.

And some occupy the delicate middle ground directly between the two, with attributes of both.

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unior Kaelyn Williams speaks with a naturally soft voice. She seems shy, but once you get to talking to her, it becomes apparent that she doesn’t care what others think of her, and therefore keeps to herself most of the time.

“I do like to hang out with close friends, if it’s not around

Art by Binh Le

too many people,” she said.

Williams said she considers herself an introvert, and that is something that is apparent from the moment you meet her.

But being an introvert doesn’t mean she doesn’t connect with people.

“Most of my friends are a little bit of both,” she said. “I think

that we just bring the extrovert in each other out when we’re together.”

Introverts often find themselves mentally or emotionally drained by social situations unless around a select handful of people, like the friends Williams described. However, this doesn’t mean they’re prickly

people to get along with.

“If you approach me, I’ll be very nice, and I’ll just go with the flow,” Williams said. “I can have a conversation with anybody if they approached me, but I wouldn’t just approach somebody, and that’s the thing.

That’s one stereotype that I’d like to just throw in the trash.”

ophomore Mia Moore’s voice is recognizable from a distance. She’s bubbly, and seems to exude confidence, to the point where people around her just naturally come alive in her presence.

“My personal group of friends are incredibly introverted,” Moore said. “I tend to bring out the extrovert in them.”

Despite her energy, however, initial impressions aren’t always accurate. Moore said she has never thought of herself as an extrovert.

“Honestly, I would describe myself personally as an

extroverted introvert,” she said.

“Everyone thinks I’m really extroverted, but I’m kind of not. In class, I’ll volunteer for stuff or talk to people, but if I was put into a social situation I wouldn’t be the first person to interact. I’d just go along with it.”

On one side of the coin, Moore shares some characteristics with Williams that are typical of introverts.

“Even if I am enjoying myself a lot, I find any social situation really emotionally draining,” she said. “I kind of do like staying at home a lot, just

because I find going out really just to be exhausting.”

On the flip side of that coin, Moore also has a tendency to bring out the more outgoing side of people simply by being outgoing herself.

“I tend to bring out the extrovert in a lot of my introverted friends,” she said.

Living in today’s world, where people are expected to pick a side on the introvert/extrovert spectrum, Moore dares to walk the line.

“Just because someone is loud or bubbly or talks a lot or likes being around people

doesn’t necessarily mean they’re an extrovert,” Moore said. “I consider myself very introverted, but I also am really spontaneous and loud and bubbly, and my teachers tend to think that I’m an extrovert, and my friends who don’t really know me that well think I’m really extroverted.

And then I kind of I feel like people don’t really realize.

They just put a name on it that you’re an introvert or you’re an extrovert and it’s just this face value instead of the multi-dimensional person that someone is.”

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social with other people.

“I like to be social,” Washington said. “So I’ll overbook myself and then I’ll realize, ‘This is way too much.’”

He told a story about a time he was physically exhausted after a full weekend of spending time with other people.

“I had to do something Friday night for my church then had to get up super early Saturday to hang out with somebody,” he said. “And then two hours after that, I had to go back to church because I was helping with this Vacation Bible School, and then Sunday morning had to

get up again and go and it just really drained me.”

Washington didn’t seem to understand the feeling of being drained on a mental level as opposed to a physical one.

“I like hanging out, but not where I can’t sleep at all,” he said.

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ophomore Michael Washington is, plainly stated, about as extrovert as they come. Like Moore, he speaks with such confidence that one can’t help but engage in conversation with him. He will be the first to tell you that he’s an extrovert who loves to be

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Home away from home

Students find second families in their friends Madeline Barnes•Reporter You have your family, then you have your second family – the fun one where you can really be yourself and not get yelled at for it, the one where they stick by you, or the one that accepts you as their son or daughter’s friend, and sees you as their own as well.

Sophomores Dusty Thomas and Tony Morelan are a couple at Martin, and Thomas has grown close to Morelan’s family. The two spend almost every day together whether it’s at Thomas’ or Morelan’s house.

Spending so much time together, they have grown close to each others’ parents.

Thomas said that she and Morelan’s dad, Mr. Marty Morelan text all the time. Since Mr. Morelan treats Thomas like his daughter, he gives her advice as well, saying to kill people with kindness, and he always makes sure she’s doing okay and telling her how much she means to his family.

“My relationship with Mr. Morelan has influenced me to be a better person,” Thomas said.

They even hang out together, often going to get food while Tony is at baseball.

“Dusty said she came over just to hang out with my dad

and brother, and that ticked me off because she always says she comes for me,” Tony Morelan said.

Sophomore Trevor Evinger and sophomore Ashley Byrd’s mom, Jami McBroom, are close as well.

“When we were in kindergarten, I was swinging, and as Ashley walked by, I kicked her in the face, knocking one of her teeth out, leaving her tooth in the Wood Elementary gravel,” Evinger said.

They’ve grown up together having their ups and downs with friend breakups. However the real relationship lies between Evinger and McBroom.

Can I sit here?

“At least three or four times a week, typically in the summer, he’s at our house, and goes on all of our trips with us,” McBroom said.

When Evinger does go to Byrd’s house, he hangs out with McBroom. The two make crafts, sing together in the car, go to their favorite spot, Whataburger, and have dance parties together.

McBroom said she doesn’t think of Evinger and Byrd equally.

“Ashley is my own and nothing could be as strong of a bond as with my own,” she said. “But Trevor comes in as a close second.”

How to deal with social anxiety when finding a seat Taylor Barnett • Reporter

Where are you going to sit?

Who are you going to sit next to? Are you nervous that you won’t be accepted for who you are?

These are questions that teenagers struggle with, but are afraid to face. Social gatherings may be the scariest thing to some people because of the awkwardness that they feel when they walk into a room full of strangers.

“I don’t think I’m alone in this battle because I know that some people just don’t want to admit that they struggle with social anxiety,” sophomore Audrey Gerzsenyi said. “I think that for me, the scariest thing is going somewhere, knowing I’ll

be sitting alone.”

She explained that most people don’t understand the pain and suffering that people with social anxiety feel, unless they also deal with it.

Some people will start shaking and sweating while others don’t make their anxiety as noticeable.

Teenagers will sometimes even change their entire appearance, personality, or scene just for acceptance of their peers.

They feel like if they have that approval from a person, it may get a little easier for them, and they’ll have someone to sit with.

“I try to make the students feel more comfortable by making sure every student feels

welcome here,” biomedical science teacher, Kristen SessionBrown said. “I want each student to feel comfortable, even if they’re different than the stereotypical highschooler.

I want them to feel as if their awkwardness brings something to the table. To me, if you’re a teacher that lets every student know they’re special, you’re doing your job right.”

Session-Brown also said that if teachers aren’t making every student feel included, they’re not necessarily doing their job correctly.

“It’s important to take the time and get to know every student that you’re in contact with,” counselor Suzanne Bandy said.

“You never know what could

be running through their minds if you don’t try to talk to them, and make sure they feel comfortable. Students will talk to me about their social awkwardness and their social anxiety, and I always ask them, ‘Can you remember a time when you did have somebody to sit by at social events? Can you go back to a time when somebody genuinely made you feel included? What has changed since that time?’ or ‘What makes you feel like somebody wouldn’t want you to sit by them?’ I just really think that these are some questions that can lead to the students opening up to me, so I can help the situation in some way.”

“I think that for me, the scariest thing is going somewhere, knowing I’ll be sitting alone” features 8

Cancer can't keep up Former Martin student, Peyton Jones, beats cancer with help from her friends Ashley Odom & Lauren Worth • Reporters Former Martin High School junior Peyton Jones’ Florida vacation was disrupted by annoying shoulder pain, but a trip to the emergency room revealed a 20-pound tumor in her liver.

“When I first found out, I thought it was stupid,” Jones said. “I thought they were wrong. There was no way I actually had a tumor.”

When Peyton’s insignificant shoulder pain led her to find out that she had a rare form of cancer, her entire world changed within a minute.

Instead of worrying about what her hair would look like when she went back to school, she was wondering if she would even have any. Instead of wondering what outfit she would wear for the first day of school, she was wondering if she’d even get to go. The important things that 16-year-olds seem to worry about suddenly became the least of her worries. Surgeries, chemo, hospital rooms, and blood counts took their place and became way too familiar.

Jones was diagnosed with Embryonal Sarcoma, a deadly form of cancer. However, since doctors were able to surgically remove any trace of the cancer during summer, her prognosis was that it wasn’t terminal, so the five rounds of chemo to follow were just precautionary to limit her chances of relapsing.

While the cancer and treatments affected her body, they also made it difficult to keep up relationships with her friends.

“Something that comes with this is seeing who your true friends are,” Jones said. “Some of the people I thought would be here I guess couldn’t handle

it. There are definitely some friends I was close with who aren’t taking it as well as others, and I think it was just the initial shock of it when they didn’t know what to say, so they just kind of backed away.

My true friends have supported me through everything and it’s really cool to see who’s stepped up to help and be there for me.”

Her friends have risen to the occasion to show their continuous support through her chemotherapy.

“Friends, friends of friends, and strangers are all praying for her recovery,” Peyton’s mom, Lesa Jones said.

The support started with texts, phone calls, and posts on social media and quickly turned into cards everyday in the mailbox and gifts on the porch every time they got home.

Peyton’s friends especially have shown her their support in so many little ways. The varsity volleyball girls put green beads on their shoes before games, a group of friends sat with her while she shaved her head, and Chemo Fairies surprise her when she gets home from the hospital after each round of treatment.

“The Chemo Fairies are little gifts that are anonymous just to let her know that through the whole thing, everyone is still thinking about her and not just when she first got diagnosed and everyone was really into it, but that we have to be there the whole time and support her through it all,” Chemo Fairy Madi* said.

Peyton used to be part of the Martin Volleyball program, so she said she was so excited to see that they’re thinking of her with the green beads at every

Junior Peyton Jones (middle) and juniors Kylee McGuire, Miller McCurdy, Mallory McCurdy, and Ashley Odom show off the overall patches they got to support Jones. Jones transferred to Northstar School while undergoing chemotherapy. Photo by Lauren Worth

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practice and game.

A friend of Peyton’s, junior Kylee McGuire, ordered green cancer ribbons in support of liver cancer and offered them to any and all of Peyton’s friends to put onto their school overalls and surprise Peyton.

“It was a good way to support her and show her and others that we’re there for her,” McGuire said.

Under the ribbon, most girls stitched #TeamPey to show her that they are all on her side and rooting for her.

After just her first round of chemotherapy, Peyton unfortunately lost her hair so she decided to shave it off. Her friends rose to the occasion yet again to show their continued support when Peyton had her closest friends over to be with her while she shaved her head.

Peyton’s friends say that she has taken on everything with such positivity, so it’s no surprise that she embraces being bald and is even brave enough to go to school without her wig on.

“I walked into my class and people were wide-eyed like, ‘Oh!’ because it’s just kind of shocking I guess,” Jones said on her first day going to school

without her wig.

Cancer and chemotherapy have affected Peyton’s everyday life in countless ways. Normal tasks have become harder for Peyton to do due to her fatigue.

“It’s just harder to get up and down the stairs and to your classes and to catch up with schoolwork,” Peyton said.

It’s also affected her social life, often making her too tired to go out and have fun on weekends.

One thing her friends said they love about Peyton is her ability to stay positive. The things cancer has put her through aren’t easy to handle, yet Peyton has put up more strength than ever.

“Losing your hair isn’t something that every teenage girl is thrilled to do, you know shave their head,” Peyton said.

Her happiness radiates, shining through everyone around her, and all of her friends are drawn to her positivity that she never seems to lose.

“I think Peyton is handling it really well and taking such a positive side and viewpoint on her cancer and I really respect her for that,” junior Sofia Viscuso said. *Name has been changed

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Grace in her name and grace in her heart How Grace Ahern was able to rise above in a difficult situation Elena Regalado • Reporter

W

hen the bell rings announcing the beginning of a pep rally, and the mob of students rush to the gym in their spirit day getup, for sophomore Grace Ahern, it’s all bittersweet. Sweet in the way that, like any other teenager, it’s exciting for your school to be gearing up for a big game. But a bit sad because of the flood of memories that come over her of her seven-year-old brother, Micah, sitting in the gym beaming at her, ready to watch Grace perform.

Grace was on Martin’s Sundancer team her freshman year, but had to quit due to the small availability of time in her schedule while Micah was battling cancer.

“I joined Sundancers because I wanted to be involved,” Grace said. “I saw them at the Homecoming pep-rally my eighth grade year and knew that’s what I wanted to do. But then the doctors told us that Micah wouldn’t have too much longer, and I didn’t want to spend his last days dancing.”

The Ahern family first learned that Micah was sick when they were living in China, where they were studying Mandarin, so they packed up, sold their belongings, and moved back to Texas where Micah could be treated for cancer. After several years of Micah’s courageous battle against neuroblastoma, he passed away this past summer.

“Micah’s death has been a big event, and usually you’d think something like this would kind of tear someone down and be monumental, and it should,” Grace’s friend, sophomore Elizabeth Evans said. “But instead, she’s just

chosen to finally let herself feel something. As friends, we try to make her feel more like a 15-year-old girl by picking Grace up to go on dinner dates, or having her spend the night with us during the school week, or really anything that I can do to try to be as best of a friend as I can be.”

While this event could’ve taken a different toll on her life, according to Grace’s friends, she has not let it define her.

“The really funny thing is that I didn’t really see much of a change with Grace’s attitude because she just kept going and doing her, the positive and happy self, but at the same time she’s always been really, really strong,” Evans said. “And I’ve caught more moments of her letting herself fall apart, which is a good thing because you can gather everything up.”

Grace is the oldest of all the Ahern children, and besides Micah, is also a big sister to nine-year-old, Nolan, and five-year-old, Eden Kate. Since Micah’s passing, the Ahern family still uses Micah’s motto in their lives.

“Micah used to always say, ‘Never ever give up,’ so we say that too,” Grace’s mom Linda Ahern said.

For Grace, the mention of Nerf guns or Mexican food reminds her of Micah.

“He’d say, ‘Hey mom, come put your face right here!’ And then he would just fart in our faces,” Grace said. “He would shoot people with Nerf guns and water syringes and spray nurses.”

Once Micah was put on hospice care, the Aherns did everything from spontaneous weekend trips to casual fami-

ly dinner dates. In this special time, every day was a day to celebrate.

“We’d go to On The Border for dinner and that was always fun,” Grace said. “It was Micah’s favorite place, and he loved Mexican food, so we went almost every day, especially when he was on hospice.”

Not only has Micah’s attitude impacted people, but Grace’s response throughout his battle has been inspiring to her friends.

“I love how motivated she is, and just her positivity,” Evans said. “She constantly would fall apart, and quickly bring herself back together, and go to her next class. I have no idea how she did that. She likes to think she isn’t smart, but she really is.

She’s brilliant. She’s very smart, and she’s going to do amazing things.”

With all the events going on in the Ahern household due to Micah’s treatments, Grace had to take on extra responsibilities in order to keep her younger sibling’s lives as normal as

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possible.

“I think because Grace is so much older than the other two kids, she definitely helped around the house, and helped me with things that needed to be done,” Linda said.

Grace had to take on responsibilities and jobs due to all the changes that have occurred since the beginning of Micah’s treatment. But according to her friend, it’s made her a stronger person.

“As her friend, I think one of the biggest struggles to see her go through is her having to kind of pick up the role of a parent, and take care of the other little kids,” Evans said.

Throughout Micah’s battle, the Ahern family was fully supported by friends, family, the TCU baseball team and Martin. Sometimes the little things make a big difference.

To the Aherns, they definitely meant much more than what people think.

“Meals were definitely a huge help,” Grace said.

continued on pg.

12...

Sophomore Grace Ahern takes notes in math teacher Gary Goodman’s Algebra 2 class.

After the passing of her brother, Ahern vows to honor his legacy. Photo by Annabel Hernandez

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continued from page 11 Even the smaller acts of kindness expressed to them had a much bigger impact on the Ahern family than many people would assume.

“Little things like sending a card with $10 in it, and that may seem small or insignificant to the person that sent it, but when you get a card and someone’s written in it that they’re praying for you and Micah, it means a lot,” Linda Ahern said.

According to Grace, Nolan, Micah, and Eden Kate all look up to her as their role model, just as she admires each of them. From her standpoint as a sister, she’s experienced a sense of pride when her siblings excel, or a pang of sadness when they are hurt. And in the case of Micah’s battle, both emotions were felt.

“They think I’m a good sister

and role model,” Grace said.

“I’m very protective of them, especially with bullies. I’m proud of them in everything that they do because I get to watch them become these amazing people, and it’s just really rewarding.”

For the Ahern family, some days were better than others, each with different challenges and sweet moments.

“I feel like scans were the hardest, because they’re just so long, and as a little kid you just want to move around all the time,” Grace said.

Grace said that her positivity throughout the whole situation has also changed her own point of view on life.

“You really do only live once,” Grace said. “So I tell people how I feel about them, and I don’t spend my time doing something when there could be better things I could be doing. I don’t want to live a life if I’m not making the most of everyday because that’s what

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Micah did, and I want to be as great as him.”

Evans’ friendship with Grace has evolved since Micah passed away.

“She’s using Micah’s memory, and living in the graceful manner that he would want her to,” Evans said. “It was really hard to see because you don’t want to see your best friend go through something like that. It just hurts. She’s still using what he did here to kind of keep her going, and she’s been handling it all really well. It’s crazy how close we’ve gotten over these past couple years, but especially during this time, because we’re there to pick each other back up whenever we need it most.”

The multiple support systems that surround Grace have helped keep Micah’s memory alive. Memories of Micah bring smiles, happy tears, and laughs, like the story of how the Ahern family almost missed his birth.

“Aww, I haven’t thought about that in a long time,” Linda

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Ahern said. “Grace was there, and that was super special.

Micah came very fast, I mean no one was there. While they were gone, Micah decided he was ready to come. Thankfully, they all got back about five minutes before he was born.”

Just like any typical boy, Micah always had something funny and sneaky up his sleeve.

“You just never knew what he was going to do,” Grace said.

“He was that kid who’s always planning a trick, and just always being silly. Even when he was one and a half, he’d always do things to make people laugh.”

While the Aherns continue to grieve the loss of Micah, they said they also remain comforted by the support of others, as they know that they are doing what Micah would want them to do, and honoring him by the way they live.

“Micah gives us this strength,” Linda Ahern said. “If he can’t keep living, then we can, and we should. We will.”

No money, no problem Hanging with friends without breaking the bank Elizabeth Prickett • Features Editor

r Go to a thrift store and try on weird hats It’s Elementary, Watson…

r Extreme Grouponing

r Dog Park Dogs. Everywhere.

r Pinterest clothing hacks Should shirts really be dresses?

r Skate Park Shred it!!! r Thrift Store Scav-

r Random dance party iCarly style!

enger hunt

Make it as hobo-chic, indie-esque as possible.

r Go Trick or Treating Dress up. Don’t be that teenager. r Eat all samples in Costco Go on Saturday. Jackpot.

Art by Binh Le

r Walk down a street and blast music Sing opera like Pavaratti. r Make memes together Show us all Harambe isn’t dead. r Go to Walmart and watch lobsters fight Red Death takes a violent uppercut to the thorax, leaving Crimson Reaper to take the championship! r Watch old movies and make fun of the poor

quality

r Have a baking day Make pumpkin anything and everything. r Geeky movie marathon Star Trek. Original and Next Generation. Just saying. r Inspiration board Be like everyone else who wants to think they will get their lives together one day.

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r Skatium Round and round the centrifugal rink!

I tried to kiss Kaylan,” Tran said. recalled. “I asked her if I could Tran and Meier have found kiss her and I had to hold my their own type of love and grow breath because I was so nervous as a couple and individuals everyday they spend together. about her reply.”

The two said they know how “Micaela is the only person to have fun on good days and who can make me laugh when I more importantly know how to want to scream, and she’s stuck with me for the long run,” make the most of the bad ones.

“We usually need to be apart Meier said. from each other when we fight, but after a couple hours we cool down and I always pick Micaela up and we work things out,” Meier said. Meier said that though the two are tied at the hip, they also have their differences and that’s something to celebrate.

“Micaela gets hot too fast and I get cold, so we never have the right amount of covers,” Meier

Better together Couples give insight into their relatonships Kayla Mattox & Emily Wadley • Reporters Finding someone you can feel completely comfortable with is an overwhelmingly relieving feeling. Most people search for years to find a lasting connection, but a lucky few find it early. Whether the love of your life is your high school sweetheart, or you meet them when you’re 50, love makes you feel safe and secure.

Seniors Micaela Tran and Kaylan Meier have been dating for one year and four months.

“When we met in sophomore English class I looked at her and I knew I wanted her to be my girlfriend,” Tran said.

In the 16 months that followed, they developed a very strong relationship.

“I remember the first time

Photo courtesy of Micaela Tran

Michelle and Barney Fratto met almost 30 years ago at Boles Junior High.

“I was teaching there already and she got added on,” Mr.

Fratto said.

“I would have taken a different job had I known,” Mrs. Fratto said.

Upon her arrival at Boles Junior High, the teaching staff concocted a plan to get them together.

“I called my mother and said I will never go out with him.

Never ever,” Mrs. Fratto said.

Obviously she was wrong and agreed to go on a date.

“I still remember our first date, I remember the exact outfit she had on,” Mr. Fratto said. “Big dog sweater, black skirt, boots.”

“Remember you were so nervous, that you had to stop at the Arby’s and go to

the bathroom,” Mrs. Fratto laughed.

The couple has now been married for 24 years and have two kids. They have been on many adventures in their years together.

“We went out to Fort Davis once and that was the greatest thing ever,” Mr. Fratto said.

“I have never wanted to throw up more in my life,” Mrs. Fratto interrupted. “Then he couldn’t drive, and his car was a stick, and I can’t drive a stick so we had to stay in a Motel 6.”

The motel room was plucked straight out of a slasher film to make matters worse.

“There was blood all down the

Seniors Glory Hall and Shazib Haseen met in the seventh grade.

“We had the same advisory class,” Hall said.

They started dating shortly after meeting, and five years later they are still going strong.

“We aren’t bored with each other, which I think is nice after five years,” Hall said. “I love him as much as seventh-grade Glory did as twelfth-grade Glory. My feelings have only grown.”

They said they just love being

together. Even when they are fighting, or having a bad day, they still want to be near each other.

“We kinda just sit in silence together,” Hall said. “I guess we stew right next to each other.”

For them, a date is any time they can be alone together.

“I like having his full attention,” Hall said. “My favorite memories of us are when I have his full attention.”

Hall and Haseen are proof that opposites attract. Their

personality types are completely different. She is very structured and loves a good plan. He, on the other hand, is laid back and likes to go with the flow. Sometimes couples work because their personalities complete one another.

“I like everything about her,” Haseen said.

They balance each other out.

Hall and Haseen said they have something special.

“He shows me that he loves me in ways he doesn’t show

Photo courtesy of Michelle Fratto

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bathroom walls,” Mrs. Fratto said. “It was dried blood, but still it was blood. So we stayed there for two hours and I cried the whole time until he said we could go.”

Mr. and Mrs. Fratto describe themselves as polar opposites.

They complete one another in a way.

He’s the morning person.

She’s the night owl. He’s the outdoorsman and she’s the shoe shopper. Sometimes you just can’t pinpoint the thing that makes a couple work so perfectly together.

“I don’t know how it works, it just does,” Mr. Fratto said. other people,” Hall said. “It’s the little things.”

Photo courtesy of Glory Hall

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Won’t skip a beat Junior leads the band as center drum major Curt Leland • News Editor Staring straight into the mirror, he keeps calm and in focus. Sweat begins to bead on his forehead. “One...two... three...four...one...two...three... four,” he thinks repeatedly.

His hands moving in immaculate synchronism with the tempo provided. He must be perfect to get the job.

His hands fall to his side in relief as a long sigh escapes from his lungs. He wipes the sweat from his brow. Done.

Drum majors are students chosen to lead the band and show the tempo. This year, there are five drum majors, but junior Noah Hollabaugh is the one standing on the highest metal podium. He is just one of the drum majors, but has the rare honor as a junior to be in the center.

“It is a lot of pressure,” Hollabaugh said. “Especially when it’s your job to start the show.

There is a lot of pressure to keep the tempo right, but luckily I have the drumline. They’re really the ones who keep the tempo. I am the one who mainly just shows it to the band.”

The drum majors are in leadership positions, but they don’t have direct authority over the whole band.

“There is a chain of command,” head director Brad McCann said. “If a student has a problem they’ll go to their section leader, and if it doesn’t get resolved there, then they would go to the drum major, and if the drum major can’t solve it, then it goes to the directors. If the directors have information to get out to people they’ll tell the drum

majors, and the drum majors will spread it. They don’t get to say, ‘Hey do this’ or, ‘Hey do that. Go clean the band hall.’

They are considered to be the number-one leaders of the program, but they can’t dish out orders and punishment.”

Luckily the drum majors don’t have to hold up the entire band by themselves.

“There is a leadership team in place,” Hollabaugh said. “Certain people in the band have been chosen to lead their part of the band, so that takes some pressure off of me because it’s a group effort. They’re doing a great job.”

The drum majors have to do a lot of work to achieve the skill level they desire.

“They go to some classes after school, but the ones we currently have practiced every day and asked directors and previous drum majors for help,” junior flute section leader Darci Fulcher said.

The road to have the opportunity to carry the pressure was a long one.

The band directors had to choose who would have this opportunity.

“We typically see the kids for two or three years, so we know the kind of person they are,” McCann said. “We need strong leaders first and then we base it off of how well they conduct and how well they keep temp, a solid beat.”

The interviewing process is a little more intense for those trying out.

“Basically, a couple weeks leading up to the tryouts you go

into a mirror room about once a week,” Hollabaugh said. “You look into the mirror, start conducting, and the directors will judge you on your conducting.

A couple of weeks later, you would go into an interview room and conduct a certain pattern at a certain tempo they tell you to do. Then, you’d sit down for about a 15-minute interview. They ask you questions about how you think the band should be run, what can be better, and what makes you qualified the most.”

Hollabaugh said he wasn’t even planning on trying out until he had several people approach him. They told him he would be a great fit. So he decided to give it a try. But, he did not go into the process empty-handed.

“I didn’t bring my Bible into the room, but I did bring it with me,” he said. “It was right there with me. You got to lean on something.”

Many people have noticed how Hollabaugh’s older brother, senior Aaron Hollabaugh, is also in the band, but below him in authority. Aaron is in the drumline which is the most independent section of the band.

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Junior Noah Hollabaugh prepares to conduct during the Homecoming game Oct. 7 at Cravens Field. Hollabaugh was appointed to the drum major position before this season after an extensive interview and tryout process.

Photo by Matthew Flores “We don’t have very much interaction in the band,” Aaron Hollabaugh said. “It would be a waste of time for us them to come to our rehearsal, or waste of time for us to go to their rehearsal. It wouldn’t be beneficial for either of us, so we spend a lot of time apart, but when we’re together he likes to let me know he’s boss. He likes to tease me about it.”

Hollabaugh doesn’t actually believe he has that much actual authority over his brother.

“It’s weird,” Noah Hollabaugh said. “My brother is on drum line, so I don’t necessarily have a higher position than him. The drum line is sort of run in its own unit. Of course they are a part of the band, but they do stuff differently than the rest of the band. I can’t tell him how to do things.”

Even though it is a lot of pressure and hard work, Hollabaugh said he knows he has a smart band below him. And the directors know they have smart drum majors below them.

“They’re the model band student in leadership and in musicianship,” McCann said.

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Students and staff share their appreciation for officers Assistant principals Scott Johnson and Tunya Redvine talk with officer A. Alford.

Emily Britt • Reporter Security officers. The usual stereotype is a big, mean, tough dude whose job is to keep all the kids in line. Ten are stationed at Martin. Their job, like all security officers, is to keep us safe, secure and out of trouble.

As students walk the halls at Martin, they can feel comfortable knowing that our security guards are close by.

Whether they feel unsafe or simply need a helping hand, the guards are always positioned at major points of the school and on alert for kids needing help.

“I like the security guards because every time I walk past they smile and wave at me,” senior Katelin Drost said.

Students said that the security guards not only make the students feel safe, but they also strive to make the faculty feel secure that if a situation arises, an officer is in the area and can diffuse the circumstance at hand. An occasional brawl is inevitable at any high school, but security officers are here to do their job and keep the students and faculty as safe as possible.

“I feel safe knowing the security officers are right around the corner in case we need them here in the library,” librarian Stephanie Korenek said. “When we had an incident here in the library involving students, the officers responded quickly and satisfactorily took

Photo by Maisoon Haboul

care of the situation.”

While students and faculty express their appreciation for the security guards, the guards also express their appreciation back. Although they may maintain a tough, unbreakable appearance, the portrayal is not as advertised. The officers here have shown that they are not afraid to get in the middle of flying fists, but have also been seen giving kids an encouraging word along the way.

“I deal with all kids here at Martin,” Corporal Mark Kamphues said. “Band kids, athletes, preps or whatever they call them nowadays, I see them all. At Martin the kids are more respectful. They seem nicer and more mature than kids at other schools. They seem to have a love for tradition and participate more which I really like.”

Martin’s demographics, average teacher-student ratio, and a focus on the safety of all 3,298 students enrolled have ranked us 165 out of all schools in Texas and earned us a silver medal in a USNews survey.

“Our school has such a nice environment which makes it seem easier for the security guards to work at,” Drost said.

“Whenever they have to enforce the rules, like telling you to take off your hat or something, if you cooperate with them, they’re very respectful and kind.”

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Martin in the morning

Early-rising Warriors share their morning routines Dean Kelly • Entertainment Editor & Gabby Benavides • Editor-in-Chief

Erin Jacobs

Ethan Martchenke

Sommer Eddleman

Kami Pompa

Activities:

Activities:

Activities:

Activities:

Morning Routine:

Morning Routine:

Morning Routine:

Morning Routine:

Cross Country, Track, NHS, Hope Club

“The days we have cross country practice, my mornings are kind of a frenzy panic. As soon as I get up, I jump in the shower because it helps me wake up and then I have my toast with butter and honey and I’m out. It’s still pretty regular, just fast-paced.”

Swimming, Orchestra

Sundancers, NHS, Spring Creek Worker

“I usually wake up, cry a little, make my lunch, get dressed, and then I leave. I have to be at the TCC Southeast campus, for swimming, before 6. My parents have to take me and they’re not too keen about it.”

“I get up, wash my face, get in practice clothes, and then go to school. You’re supposed to be at practice at 6 because practice starts at 6:15, but I get there at 5:45 so if I need something to do, like if I have to get a hat and boots, I have it.”

Yoga, Varsity Cheer, NHS, Key Club

“I wake up at 5, brush my teeth, put on my workout clothes, then leave. After yoga, I get home, I take a shower, and then I go back to sleep until 8.

After that it’s my usual routine of getting dressed and eating breakfast.”

How do you wake up? How do you wake up? How do you wake up? How do you wake up?

“A lot of the times I’ll set six alarms in 10-minute increments because I will sleep through some of them or I’ll turn them off and fall straight back asleep, but I’m pretty used to it.”

“I struggle getting up. My mom usually comes in and takes the pillows out from under my head which usually helps.”

“I don’t have a problem getting up. I’m kind of like a morning person, so I don’t really struggle.

I get about seven hours asleep, so it’s not too bad.”

“I set my alarm for 5 really, really loud, and I set a alarm for every five minutes in case I fall back asleep. So really, I usually don’t get up til 5:15.”

Breakfast?

Breakfast?

Breakfast?

Breakfast?

How do you function?

How do you function?

How do you function?

How do you function?

“I have to skip breakfast all the time. It’s the worst because I hate running when I’m hungry and my tummy is growling.”

“During lecture classes or when they show a video and turn off the lights, it is horrible. I’m trying to punch myself in the face to stay awake. When we’re taking tests, my mind will start travelling to practice that morning. By the time I’ve reached fourth period, I’ve had such a full day that I’m hardly ever focused during that class.”

“I sometimes skip breakfast, but I usually have time to eat. I try to make sure I eat breakfast every morning, though.”

“I don’t get enough sleep at night. On average, I get about five or six. I always have the times where I’m super tired, trying not to fall asleep in class, on the daily. I also have afternoon practice from five to eight so after that and homework, I usually don’t get to bed until midnight.”

“I have to skip breakfast every day. I keep it in my locker, so that I don’t have to worry about it later. I have granola bars and stuff.”

“Well my parents are really old, so I go to bed pretty early.

Normally I go to sleep at 9, but when I work I get home at like 10:30. However, I get really tired in class. I just fall asleep sometimes, I’ve never actually fallen asleep in class, but I’m really tired and then my work sucks.”

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“I don’t eat breakfast before I go to yoga. I eat breakfast after, when I get back from yoga.”

“I go to bed at 11, so I only get six hours of sleep. One time I fell asleep during summer school and was out for the entire class.

If I have to turn something in, I’ll still do it, but I do sometimes fall asleep in class.”

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The ups and downs an Students open up about friend dumping

Caitlin Harwell • Reporter They know your fears, secrets and desires, and they could do anything with that knowledge.

“My boyfriend, Hunter, and I were talking about gossip and I said, ‘That’s like you getting with my best friend,’” junior Ana Brush said. “And all of a sudden he got really defensive, as if it actually happened, and told me to talk to my best friend Callie*. I finally confronted Callie and she asked to talk to me in person. It was true. My ‘best friend’ and my boyfriend betrayed my trust.”

Brush said she never thought she would have to have this talk with the people who meant the most to her at the time.

“I don’t wish we were still best friends,” Brush said. “I also don’t wish what happened to me on anyone. It sucks. I miss how close we were, though.”

She said one of the hardest things for her to understand was how Callie was able to hide it from her.

“At first when I saw her I really did try and avoid her,” Brush said. “It was awkward for me, so I can’t imagine how it was for her.”

The first couple weeks, maybe months of not being friends with someone and seeing somebody else take your spot can be hard, but for Brush, it wasn’t.

“In the beginning she would really try and make an effort to earn my trust back and be my best friend but now, I have other best friends and I have moved on,” Brush said.

Counselors have seen several friend break ups.

“I have a little over four people every six weeks come into my office with problems,”

counselor Jana Lewis said.

“Mainly girls coming to me about friendship problems they are having because of a boy. Girls get upset, girls get mad, a boy is usually involved.

I understand young love, but again, take a step back and ask yourself, ‘Is it worth losing a friend over and is that a boy you really want to be with?’”

Surprisingly, a story about two senior boys, Tristen Lutz and Spencer Sackett have a similar experience on friendships ending over trust being betrayed with one another.

“We first became friends because of baseball,” Lutz said.

“We had been best friends since freshman year up until our fight. Then, junior year Spencer and I weren’t friends anymore because he did something I told him not to and then I did the same to him.”

Sackett and Lutz stopped being friends towards the end of the year and it was hard for their whole friend group. Sides were taken and things got awkward. But after a few months, the boys said they both agreed that they liked life with each other rather than without.

“After a while we talked it out, made up and became good friends again, we both look back on that time now and it just seems so stupid,” Lutz said. “It’s not worth losing a friend over.”

Junior Grace Wright opened up about a best friend she lost and just now recently rekindled the relationship with after two years.

“In the seventh grade

Kourtney* and I did not like one another. At all,” she said.

“Then, in eighth grade we became really good friends while being in choir, show choir and theatre together, and after that we could never be separated. We were like family.

And then one day we were strangers that knew lots about each other.”

People end up going different ways and grow apart.

“It would have happened eventually, so I am glad it happened earlier rather than now,” Wright said. “It was a sad time though.”

Sadly, not all friendships have civil or happy endings.

“Casey* tried to play my friend and I against each other,” junior Serenity Wells said. “There was constant lying. I don’t trust anything she says a n d s h e blamed

something on me that she did.”

Wells and Casey* were still friends even after that, but the two girls then got into a fight later after the story was brought up again on social media and turned into a bigger deal.

“She was one of the main people I hung out with freshman year,” Wells said.

“We had a lot of fun together, but she just lied so much and because of that I don’t wish we were still friends. It was stupid, but I wouldn’t take back what I did or said.”

Sometimes you need to make adjustments to your life and decide what makes you happy and that might mean sacrificing a friendship.

“Even though we are not friends anymore I still hope she is doing well and happy,” Wells said. “I just don’t need the negativity she brought into my life.”

ns and the in betweens Navigating LGBTQ+ relationships in high school Marleigh Richey • Reporter Since Nancy* was a little girl, she knew something was different, something that made her stand out from the ordinary crowd. She’s always liked people for their personality, regardless of their gender.

But, how do you know someone’s sexual preferences?

“You just have to wing it, talk to them first and get to know them better,” Nancy said. “As you get to know them, you should probably be able to figure it out. It’ll most likely get brought up.”

Since seventh grade, Nancy has openly chosen personality over gender and at times that can get difficult, especially since not everyone is as open-minded to the thought. This makes it harder for LGBTQ+ kids

because some people may get offended and problems could potentially arise.

“You kind of just need to know the person,” GSA sponsor Geneice Mayeaux said. “You can’t really like someone if you don’t know them, right?”

“One time, I liked this girl, but she was already in a relationship so we never became anything,” Nancy said. “We just stayed friends and it was kind of awkward.”

However, Nancy says that she has been in relationships with girls before.

“I dated a girl for about a month and we were practically babies,” she said. “I was only 12 at the time, so clearly it wasn’t going to work out.”

One day during seventh grade,

walking to class, Nancy overheard a group of girls talking about her.

“They were talking about how my girlfriend and I were going to Hell because in the Bible it’s considered a sin, they were talking about how being gay is gross.”

But Nancy and her girlfriend continued to be open about their relationship.

“People were usually open minded with it, they didn’t really say anything negative and if they thought something, they never really said anything to me.”

“At the beginning, I got a lot of negative attention,” Nancy’s ex-girlfriend said. “I never let it bother me, I’m not ashamed of my sexuality. If anything, I’m

one to embrace it,” Nancy said that she hasn’t come out yet to her parents because she doesn’t feel like they would understand her.

“They’d be confused,” Nancy said. “My friends and family don’t really know I’m bisexual because it isn’t something I really talk about much. I don’t really see a point in bringing it up.”

She’s open at school, but she hasn’t come out to her family yet because she isn’t sure how to bring it up or how the conversation will go.

“I’m comfortable with who I am,” Nancy said. “For the few who do know me, I’m pretty open about who I am. There’s nothing wrong with being you, whether you like boys or girls or both. Just be you.”

son that will be there for you.”

••• “It’s really hard seeing him talk to other people because I feel like he’s putting other people in the same toxic relationship that we were in” junior Leah Reyes said.

Being in a toxic relationship with a person can really affect you, it’s interesting how people can change without even realizing what’s happening.

“My close friend turned me into a type of person I didn’t want to be and I just convinced myself everything was normal” Reyes said.

There are many things to consider when cutting ties with someone, from how their reaction will be to how exactly you’ll benefit from your decision. No matter how alone

you feel, there’s always someone who cares and will listen to everything you have to say.

“I get about 30 percent of kids who struggle with toxic friendships and relationships,” counselor Edwina Thompson said. “Some of my students just draw in toxic people and some it’s only a one-time thing.”

Everyone struggles with something and it’s nice to have an adult to go to just to vent to.

“I don’t like to give advice because I don’t want to make your decision for you,” Thompson said. “I ask the question ‘What do you get out of the relationship, and how is it benefiting you?’ That way they make the choice for themselves.”

Warning: Toxic Faith Smith • Reporter They talk more than clingy and convinced all of our they listen. They are other friends that I was ditching never wrong. They them, when in reality she was force relationships. just jealous and I was being a Drama follows them normal person in a relationship. wherever they go.

Once she became so done with All of these me and went on a rage to conthings are vince everyone to hate me. She w a r n i n g stole my group of swim friends signs. Toxic from me and now I don’t even friendships talk to them.” and rela- Sometimes removing yourself tionships are from the situation is the only something that solution to the problem. everyone en“My advice to others would counters. be to just know that you are “We were best better than whatever that perfriends,” junior son is putting you through and Natalie Panella said. you deserve more,” Panella said.

“But right as I got “Even when you feel alone, a boyfriend, she know that high school and started to get really friendships are always changing and that eventually you will Art by Carson find your group of people/perJohnson

*Names have been changed

What's up with that?

Martin students share their unusual quirks that makes them unique Kamryn LeFan • Features Editor

Everyone has those weird traditions, superstitions, or quirks that make them unique. For some, it could be mixing your favorite two foods together that usually wouldn’t go together, or random things you naturally do throughout the day that other people might think are unusual.

Match the student with their wacky habit.

Zach McVeigh

Audrey Gerzsenyi

Danielle Beberstein

Tatum Tran

Josh Stringer

Jordan Hill

Can you match the people with the quotes?

1.“Sometimes when I feel the urge to sneeze I’ll say ‘watermelon’ to prevent myself from sneezing. If the sneeze comes out, I usually turn into a Grammy-award winning artist and make a nice tune out of it. The regular ‘Ahchoo’ sneeze isn’t very satisfying to my senses.”

2. “I have eaten a peanut butter tortilla everyday for lunch since the second grade.

I haven’t gotten tired of it.”

3. “I have trypophobia, meaning I’m scared of the holes in the PVC pipes and clusters of holes or dots.”

4. “I like to eat carrots with whipped cream.”

5. “I hum while I eat.”

6. “On my left foot, my second and third toes are stuck together.”

Answers: 4.- Audrey Gerzsenyi 5.- Jordan Hill 6.- Danielle Beberstein

1.- Josh Stringer 2.- Zach McVeigh 3.- Tatum Tran

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Sometimes early is on time Junior graduates early to pursue his goals Emma Beard & Sara Blain • Reporters At 14, students get thrown into a whole new environment called high school, quickly realizing they aren’t quite an athlete or at the top of the social ladder.

Not knowing what you want from yourself or from four years in a new environment, human nature leads you to ask other people about what you should expect from your last years with people you’ve been going to school with since the age of five years old.

Subsequently, we build an idea of what high school should and shouldn’t be because of our internal fear of not knowing what’s next or what to expect.

In a way, misconceptions and preconceived ideas give us something to overcome. We speak to others looking for guidance but usually we only receive what worked for them not necessarily what works for everyone. This leaves us with the idea that high school or any other new beginning has to be a certain way.

These misleading opinions leave the idea that unconventional routes aren’t favorable routes.

Junior Ahvi Oderberg walked into high school the first day of freshman year not knowing where his first period was, much less knowing what he wanted to define himself as throughout the next couple of years.

“So what else do you do except throw yourself into everything and anything possible,” Oder-

berg said.

He not only threw himself into new experiences, but also into new friendships and new adventures to figure out what it really was that he wanted from himself. He slowly understood that school wasn’t just about throwing himself into books or friends, but himself and his own happiness for whatever it is that drives him.

With time, adversity and obstacles that impede us from succeeding eventually take their toll, and we either choose to grow from them or let them consume us completely.

Odergerg at one point said he felt lost within himself regardless of the number of people around him. He felt he was starting at square one again and wanting to figure out how he was going to get through the next two years of high school Oderberg chose to do what he’s wanted to do since he was 15 and new to the whole idea of school with 3,000 other people: get through high school and follow his dreams, regardless of how far he has to travel to accomplish them or how much he has to sacrifice to succeed in his pursuit of happiness.

Months before his third year in high school started, Oderberg made the decision to complete two school years in one by graduating early. Choosing the unconventional route three years ago wouldn’t have even been an afterthought, except

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Junior Ahvi Oderberg prepares for his role as Banquo in the MHS theater’s production of Macbeth.

Oderberg plans to graduate early this spring. Photos

by Zane Stewart now Oderberg knows exactly what he wants from life and how to achieve it. During a rough patch, he picked up on the fact that to find himself, only his actions and personal decisions would make him happy, and for him to be happy and successful he’d have to be done with high school in general.

High school actually made Oderberg realize what he didn’t want to be when he was older more then what he did want to be. The 14-year-old boy who could barely find his class now knows what he needs to do to be happy, and that’s to be himself unconditionally.

“Ahvi is a smart individual and he seems to me that he’ll be fine in his future,” theatre

teacher Jordan Chambers said.

Graduating early has allowed Oderberg and students like him who don’t feel the need for four years of high school to follow there dreams sooner than later. Today students are given the opportunity to accomplish future goals more quickly, but also have to sacrifice recreational activities and time with friends. The idea of success and finishing high school sooner than later is beautiful but is nothing without hard work and dedication.

“I’ve had to sacrifice time with family and friends so i could finish out high school all in one year,” Oderberg said. “But it’s worth it because I know this is what I want.”

You’ve got a friend in me

Students discuss acts of kindnesses shown by friends Yasmin Himsieh & Megan Mitchell•Reporters

“My friend bought me a Bible that had my name engraved,” junior Karina Brena said. “She knows I’ve been trying to get closer to God.”

“Whenever I’m having a bad day, my friends always act much nicer to me than usual,” junior Regan Schenck said. “They can always tell when I’m not in a good mood and they take time out of their days to help cheer me up.”

“I was at Starbucks once and this random guy in front of me paid for my drink,” sophomore Meredith Usry said. “I was having a really bad day and the random act of kindness was really nice and put me in a better mood.”

“During the summer I was rode my bike to Subway and fainted after I got there,” junior Prem Desai said. “I woke up, but my only way to get home was to ride my bike back, so my friend drove all the way to my house in Grand Prairie so that way I wouldn’t have to walk home.”

But on the bright side

Positives and negatives of coming out as gay Brooklin Bruno • Reporter

There was no one exact moment when it hit him. There was no blank fire of a rifle to ring in his ears to mark the start, nor a ribbon to run through to mark the end.

“I label myself as gay,” sophomore Matthew* said. “I was confused at first, but it kinda clicked when I got a real feel of who I liked and discovered that I just feel better being with a guy or someone who is not binary.”

Being gay came in strides of exploration and experimentation for Matthew. Once he was sure of himself, he began to confide in others. He didn’t have anyone to walk him through the process of coming out. The first person he told was former girlfriend.

“That was really hard,” he said. “She didn’t take it very well at all, but I knew I had to do it. She reacted by calling me a bunch of names and telling me that I was a liar. After that I started openly telling my friends, ‘Hey, I think I’m gay.’”

Matthew found support from many vessels in his life. The Gay Straight Alliance, or GSA, is a place of safety. Matthew is the president of the club offering asylum and information to other kids in the school.

“GSA is a community of students just wanting to understand one another,” GSA sponsor Geneice Mayeaux said. “It’s something that Matthew has definitely pushed as president.”

Not everyone is as understand-

ing as the GSA kids are however.

“The word ‘fag’ or ‘tranny’ will get thrown around, but I try not to let that bother me,” Matthew said. “GSA is helping a lot because you have so many people coming in and being supportive and you get to meet people that are exactly like you.”

Being openly gay may come with some problems, but Matthew said he chooses to focus on the positive.

He pridefully claims responsibility for inspiring people.

“I’ve made a lot of friends,” he said. “There are people who have come to me and told me they like my story or the way I’ve handled things and it helps me to help them.”

Matthew’s freshman year he met one of his current best

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friends, sophomore McKenna Schenck. Schenck said she supports him in his decisions and is not affected by the fact that he is gay.

“He can be whatever he wants to be,” she said. “I see Matthew as a person, not as a gender or a sexuality. I see Matthew as Matthew, and that’s that.”

Matthew said that throughout his struggles he manages to keep on the bright side of things. Thankful thoughts float through his head daily.

“I found support from everyone, and supported them too,” he said. “But regardless, this is something you really have to go through on your own. The people in my life support me and help me get through every day and I am so grateful.”

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THE

WARRIOR POST

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

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

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

Let us vote on spirit days

One of the most popular traditions here at Martin is that of the school spirit days. Each year students come together to show their support by dressing up in themed outfits every day for a week.

These themes range from fairly mundane such as Pink Out Day, where students try and deck themselves out in as much pink as possible, to the more complex like Tacky Tourist day, where you’ll often see people dressed head to toe in tacky t-shirts and hats.

While these have worked well in the past, it’s becoming increasingly evident that the themes need to be changed up. People are becoming bored with wearing the same themed

[STAFF editorial]

outfits every year, albeit with one or two minor alterations to the formula.

After four years of Nerd Day, Tacky Tourist Day, and Martin Colors Day with little to no changes in the lineup it just doesn’t evoke the same feeling of fun and spirit that it used to.

There are hundreds of schoolappropriate themes to choose from, and yet every year it seems the same five or so days are chosen.

Where are the Pajama Days, 90s Days or Disney Days? It’s time to mix up the formula so that we can keep these days as exciting as they were when we first dressed for them our

freshman year.

Why not have a vote at the beginning of the year using the Vote4Schools app? The student body gets to pick from a list of approved themes to decide what they want to dress up as on their spirit days.

This would lead to much happier and interesting days that students would look forward to each year, rather than throwing the costume from the previous year they had on and coming to school for just another school day.

These days are used to unify the school. They’re intended for the students. Perhaps it’s time to hand control over how we celebrate them back to the students.

Alone, not lonely

Why it’s acceptable to be single in high school

In high school, there is an added pressure to be in a relationship. Events like Homecoming and Prom reinforce this pressure. There is nothing more awkward than showing up dateless to an event when your friends are with their significant others.

Why does it have to be like that? Why do I feel all eyes on me when I walk into a room with no one on my arm? It shouldn’t be that way.

As a freshman, I thought I was ready to be in a “real” relationship, not a middle school one. I was ready to go on actual dates and be a stereotypical teenager. However, when I went to Homecoming alone when all of my friends had dates, I went home and cried.

I have only been in three relationships in three years, all of which lasted about two weeks. Being single for long

Serena Corwin • Design Editor periods of time has made me you reach a level of physical think about what I want in the and emotional maturity with long run. I realized I am not your partner, you should give ready for a “real” relationship yourself to them and as a result and that is okay. I have become they will love you. I believe comfortable enough in my own someone can love me without body to ignore the stares I get that physical aspect. But I’m when I am alone at the movies. not ready for that relationship.

Sure there are times when I I’m not ready to fall in love. would like to have a boyfriend, And you may not be either. but there are also many times And that’s okay. when I am happy I am single. It’s easy to see people fall in love When applying to schools, or and want it for yourself but you thinking about moving, I don’t need to know if you’re ready for worry about my relationship it. If you don’t know, then don’t and if it will succeed. I don’t jump into a relationship. Figure worry about a relationship out who you are. Learn to love possibly holding me back from every aspect about yourself first. what I want to do. I have a lot Or learn how to play the guitar. of independence with what I Or try to understand math. As can do after high school. cliche as it is, life is short and Movies imprint on us that it’s a lot easier when you figure you need someone to fix your out who you are and what you problems. I don’t need to be love. And maybe you love being saved by a knight in shining in love with someone else, that’s armor. I don’t need to be saved. okay. I love being me and com Many movies show once fortable enough to be single.

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opinions

Soul searching through different denominations Teen struggles with differing views from parents

Haleigh Trevino• News Editor It’s Sunday morning and the church is filled with other families listening to the gospel. A man you don’t know is preaching to you about how you should live life and the morals you should live by.

Everything feels so uniform.

I shake hands, exchange smiles, and get my blessing.

However, I daydream through the entire sermon. When my mom asks what the reading was about, I say what I say every other week: to be kind to others.

My mom tells me I should listen for the deeper meaning in church and see how the story relates to my life, but I don’t feel or see the connection. In the Catholic church, it’s custom to pray on your knees, donate money and take communion.

It’s all uniform and traditional, something that’s not really my preference. I don’t understand why everything has to have strings attached. They say if you don’t donate enough, you’re not a good Christian or if you have too much money or too many nice things, you’re not a good Christian. And you can only be accepted into heaven if you are a perfect Christian in this life.

To me that’s not what being a Christian is about. It’s about being a good person and doing everything you do with love in your heart.

I’ve always known I believed in God and I’ve known that Catholic church wasn’t where I belonged. It’s what I was born into.

When you’re Hispanic, nine times out of ten you are a Catholic as well. With my grandparents being extreme advocates of Catholicism, the rest of my family has followed the tradition. I agree with the beliefs of Catholicism, but as far as customs, they are strict.

Growing up in a Catholic family was a traditional experience, not necessarily a bad one, but it was not how I wanted to learn about God and his love.

When I would go to church with my friends, it was all so fun. I understood more about God in that one-hour service than a year of Sundays in a

Don’t babysit the juniors

Catholic church.

But with my parents not liking the casualness of a modern church, I continued to go to Catholic Church.

I respect my parents as Catholics and their way of worship.

I just don’t think it fits my lifestyle or how I wish to worship. I was not baptized as an infant, so I have a choice in my religion and how I want to worship God, which is something I’m really grateful for.

I am still not sure how I want to worship God. I know I believe in God and I want to one day be with God, but as for today I want to find my own way of worshipping God. It may be next week, it may be in 20 years, but I want it to be my choice.

Equalize treatment for dual credit classes

Kendall Hendrix• Design Editor Seniors in TCC dual credit classes are allowed to leave campus when class is not in session, while juniors are forced to stay in “babysitting rooms” during that class period.

Juniors should be given the same right to leave campus as seniors.

Keeping the juniors on campus doesn’t help keep them be productive with their time. All they can do in that room is sleep or do homework.

However, if they were able to leave, then they could go to another teacher’s room to complete make-up work, have extra practice time for their sport or instrument, or make themselves productive at home.

To take dual credit classes, students must pass the TSI test, TCC’s college admission test.

By passing the test, students prove that they are capable of completing college-level work.

Dual credit classes help to

opinions

prepare the student for college, so all dual credit students should be treated like college students.

In order to give the juniors a room to stay, teachers have to volunteer to give up their conference period.

Not only are the juniors tied down, but these teachers can’t freely leave the room to complete their necessary duties, like preparing for classes, grading papers, or attending meetings.

The district also must pay these teachers one fourth of their daily salary to watch the students, costing the district

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money they could be saving otherwise.

If the district gets rid of the babysitting room model, of course, there are going to be juniors who can’t drive and have to stay on campus, but that problem still exists with seniors.

The school could offer the opportunity for students to be a teacher’s assistant or office assistant during their off periods, so that the students can stay productive and teachers can keep their conference period.

Either way, juniors shouldn’t have to sit and do nothing while seniors get to leave campus.

Strumming towards success Ukulele Club brings people together by learning an instrument Erin Rosenbaum • Reporter A cacophony of strings can lele Club is for aspiring players be heard around the hallways to learn from peers about techupstairs. The strumming is niques and different songs. The coming from a lone classroom, levels of experience range from but when people look inside, it beginners to experts, yet everydoesn’t hold an orchestra. one is learning new things from However, it holds a multi- each other. The club meets tude of students carrying and bi-weekly, and the meetings are playing a single instrument: a always announced on the anukulele. nouncements “I started this club for many “I wanted to be better at playreasons,” Ukulele Club sponsor ing the ukulele,” sophomore Sharon Balthrop said. “I enjoy Sarah Mozingo said. “I wanted the ukulele. It’s easy to learn to to learn and develop my ukulele play. Unlike guitar, you play all skills better.” the strings all the time so you Many players learned from don’t have to worry about re- Youtube tutorials or websites membering what not to do.” pertaining to the instrument.

The main goal of the Uku- Even those who don’t know

Furry friends

how to read music can learn and play the chords.

“I have played the ukulele for about half a year,” Adrienne DeVoll said. “I learned from many Youtube tutorials and from my boyfriend.”

The club has open membership to get together for fellow ukulele players to learn songs and play together. Balthrop said she just wanted fellow players to learn and grow together with the instrument. Many people around the halls instantly became excited at the prospect of a Ukulele Club.

“I had gotten really excited it sounded like a really fun thing

Maria DeLoera • Reporter

Small Animal Management is a class where students get to learn facts about different types of animals, play with them, learn how to treat and care for them.

Photos by Breanna Cochran

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to do,” sophomore Adrienne DeVoll said. “I thought a lot of people would be there and be a nice new way to make friends.”

With growing interest in the instrument, the club is growing slowly due to pure curiosity.

The instrument is growing popular in the music industry right now.

More than 30 people have joined the ukulele club, wanting to learn more from their peers.

“For the past several years I’ve seen kids carrying ukuleles and playing ukuleles,” Balthrop said. “And I thought they know stuff that I want to know.”

" Blood will have blood" Martin's new theater directors take over with ambitious ideas Cameron Hayes • Reporter

Cast members Rajiv Awasthi, Josh Goodman, Carrera Howard, Brendan Mercer, Kayla Mattox, Ruben Mosivais, Ahvi Oderburg, McKenna Schneck, Regan Schenck, Amanda Singleton, Hannah Stevens and Grace Wright rehearse and perform Martin’s production of Macbeth.

Photos by Zane Stewart

A

ugust 2016. The school year has not begun, but the Martin Theatre department is cleaning up the Art Courtyard for their upcoming show, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. While the show is older than America itself, the iconic show had a different twist this October.

“I updated the setting from Scotland in 1611,” director Kelly Groves said. “And we set it in a sort of post-apocalyptic Game of Thrones that meets The Walking Dead. It’s really an undefined future that I hope will let the students connect with something that they are more familiar with.”

Macbeth is the first show that Martin Theatre has done without director Larry Cure, who retired last year after 38 years of teaching at Martin,

since the school opened. Now, Groves and co-director Jordan Chambers are both in their first year of teaching at Martin.

“It’s definitely a huge honor to come into a program that is so established,” Chambers said, “It’s a great undertaking, but we take everything with pride and responsibility. It’s been stressful at some points but we love what we do.”

Being an outdoor theatre, there are also many technical problems with making the set outside in the Art Courtyard.

“Making Macbeth outside gives problems like the heat for the actors, hanging lights up outside, and weather,” Chambers said.

There are also many innovations that the department did in this show that have never been done before – like live drummers that

quite literally pick up the pace of the show.

“When I first thought about it, I just heard the drums in my head,” Groves said. “I wanted it to reflect war and the beating of a heart, but I didn’t want it to be canned or fake. I wanted it to be real.”

The show has one of the largest casts ever done at Martin. With 30-plus cast members, it proves to be quite a challenge.

“Managing the cast is tough,” Groves said. “With a large cast, it’s hard to see everyone, and there is also a large crew to handle, but with all of the management that we have it isn’t as much of a problem.”

With a large cast, this is many of the actors’ first shows.

“It’s a very excellent experience,” junior Andruw Rogers said. “I’ve been blessed

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with the opportunity to work alongside many veteran actors, and they’ve showed me so much respect that it feels like I have been with them through all the years they have done theatre.”

The show opened Oct. 13 and had a smooth run, but tragedy struck on Friday the 14 when the tech for the show all failed at the same time. The tech crew worked for over an hour trying to fix the problems, but the show could not be performed that night. A performance was added on Tuesday due to the amount of tickets sold for the other nights, and audience members who could not see the performance on Friday were able to go on tuesday. This show has become one of the best-selling that Martin Theatre has ever produced, with every night being sold out.

news

The problem with how we handle the election Political discourse doesn’t have to be divisive

Gavin McGowan • Opinions Editor The 2016 presidential election has proven to be one of the most dividing elections in recent memory.

My mother and I constantly argue and debate about the subject.

Luckily we are sound enough in our relationship to not let our differences in opinions ruin it.

But that isn’t the case with

a lot of Americans. Another friend of mine lost connection with one of her closest friends because their ideals conflicted so radically. This should not be the case. America was built on the back of debate and compromise.

When you dismiss someone’s opinions and cut off communications, you effectively halt the forward progress that debate stirs in our nation.

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of this election is the fact that it seems to be more important who you aren’t voting for then who you are.

Whenever you ask someone

why they favor one candidate over the other, often the response you get is concerning the moral standing of the opposite candidate.

They want to vote for Clinton because they think Trump is crooked, or they want to vote for Trump because they don’t trust Clinton.

A candidate should not have their standing based solely on their competitor’s morals. A candidate should make his or her foundation on policies and plans for what they want to accomplish when they reach office. Using personal attacks leads to much more personal elections focusing on the people

instead of the nation.

We all, as a collective, need to take a step back and reconsider how we choose our votes.

The current state of politics in America is startling, and it needs to be reexamined.

Furthermore we need to discuss with those of differing opinions instead of secluding them or dismissing them.

This is how America has progressed in the past, and this is how America will continue to progress.

For the sake of the future of America, we need to begin separating the personality of the candidates from the policies they represent.

Hold your tongue Rethink the way we communicate

Jonathan Blinn • Reporter Argument and dissent have invaded every arena in my life. People scream from the rooftops their opinions on politics, religion and sexuality.

Anywhere from the halls of Martin to Twitter, the life of a modern teenager is filled with slurs, gossip, conflict and defamation.

Frankly, I’m tired of it.

Life would be better if we

could all take a step back and quiet down. People will never come to true agreement.

Human beings are far too stubborn and proud to come to a compromise.

It doesn’t matter if everyone hates one another, so long as they do it silently.

There are some issues that should not be ignored.

Social freedoms should still be fought for and defended.

But judgements on personal subjective belief? Those aren’t constructive.

It is necessary that Americans have the right to free speech. It is preferable that they choose not to exercise it.

The solution is counterintuitive.

Typically, people solve their problems by airing them out. But that doesn’t work, empirically.

Man has argued the same half dozen arguments for the past five hundred years. Whose religion is the truth? Who has which rights, and why?

In America, we have reached as near an equilibrium as imperfect man can find.

Americans have social mobility, religious equality and racial equality in greater commodity on a larger scale than any nation in history.

Men and women of all races, belief systems, ages and orien-

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tations have the ability to live freely, participate in government and engage in the free market with more freedom than anywhere else on earth.

America is imperfect, but it’s the best we’ve got. Be glad about it.

We have the unique and powerful freedom to say whatever we want. Do not abuse it.

Before shouting your personal opinion from the rooftops, ask whether it’s an issue important enough to sacrifice the peace for.

Value coexistence over consensus, and remember that silence is not a vice.

opinions

Furthering the gap AP credit awarded to top Fine Arts but not Varsity Sports

Sofia Viscuso • Reporter In recent years, the Fine Arts programs have been working to give AP credit to students who have earned their way into the top band, choir, and orchestra. This year is the first year that this program has been implemented across AISD high schools for sophomores, juniors and seniors. The top Fine Arts students who want to receive AP credit must complete a research paper/project, participate in competitive events, critique concerts and do evaluations in order to receive AP

credit.

AISD argues that Fine Arts have become Advanced Honors Credits for these reasons: “To give students an opportunity for a more rigorous curriculum in the Fine Arts program for college readiness, to provide advanced credit for the higher level of Fine Arts achievement within a curriculum structure, and to offer the opportunity to remain competitive with their GPA corresponding to other advanced honor courses.”

I am thrilled that the Fine Arts students are getting more recognition and credit for the great amount of time and energy that they put into this program.

There is no doubt that our Fine Arts program excels, not only from a competitive standpoint but also from an intellectual one. Many of the top students in each grade are involved in

Choir, Band and Orchestra.

But we cannot overlook the fact that there are also academically competitive students involved in Athletics, defying the stereotype that athletes are nothing more than “dumb jocks.”

Many schools across the district, and across all sports, consistently have athletes that are recognized for being Academic All District. Additionally, about 6 percent of high school athletes go on to compete at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) schools. Athletics can help students get into college, including many who may not have been able to go otherwise. Athletics helps students learn how to manage their time wisely, teach leadership and teamwork skills, and can help students further their education and career after college.

To award the top Fine Arts

courses AP credit opportunities and not extend that opportunity to varsity Athletics is a completely unfair decision. Athletes should be able to remain competitive with their GPAs and should not be punished for choosing a sport over a fine art. Athletes put just as much, if not more, time and work into their sport as participants in Fine Arts programs do. Many athletes have to forego their involvement in other areas in order to commit to their sport.

AISD should reward all students who dedicate themselves above and beyond the everyday challenges of the curriculum.

This new AP Fine Arts program is only furthering the gap between fine arts students and athletes, giving credit to the Fine Arts for having top-ranking students while ignoring scholar athletes.

The impact of MPAC The district needs to rethink its priorities

Cameron Mayes • Reporter “Okay ladies and gentlemen, everyone right now, bow to the Multipurpose Activity Center, Hummm.”

My teacher made that remark and bowed jokingly three times to the MPAC after our lesson couldn’t be continued after his laptop wouldn’t function.

The district put $10 million dollars going towards the

MPAC, but stop and think what we could do with that money for the classroom. It may not impact you directly, but it may impact you in the classroom. My teacher’s laptop shut off and wasted 20 minutes of our class time just trying to reboot it and get into Word.

There are many things in the classroom that could be upgraded. What about teachers not having enough desks and Chromebooks for every student? Furthermore, what about when teachers need technology in the room, but the Chromebooks are assigned to another teacher that day, and not every student has a cellular device.

There are too many obstacles

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that have been made due to shortage and misuse of money and opting not to supply teachers and staff with the necessary equipment to help relieve the obstacles that have been generated. Meanwhile, $10 million dollars being used for something that is not required. How long have teachers asked for upgrades in the classroom and around the school in general?

However, the MPAC has huge positive impacts on the sports programs, a 7,500-square-foot weight room, 1,600-squarefoot meeting room/study hall, equipment storage, and a 60yard football field, for football, baseball, softball, soccer. There are drop down nets for the bat-

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ting cages for the baseball team.

And the sports program isn’t the only group to benefit from the Multipurpose Activity Center – the Sundancers will also be using it.

Maybe the MPAC is important to coaches and other trainers and medical staff, but I’ve talked to teachers and other staff members and they don’t approve of the MPAC. Others do approve of it and love it, but think things in the classroom and around the school that should have been refurbished first.

The MPAC is awesome no doubt, but I believe that the priorities were out of order with the district.

What’s Cook(ing) this season Cook family takes over MHS Chloe Christenson • Reporter The Cook family has taken the Martin football program by storm. With Matt Cook as the freshman coach, senior Matt Cook Jr. as the varsity quarterback, and sophomore Jackson Cook as the junior varsity quarterback, Martin has become the new home for this football-filled family.

A year ago they were all in the same positions, but at Nolan Catholic High School. The family moved to Martin after being presented with a job opportunity and a top school for the kids.

“Overall, my goal is to get my boys in the best school athletically and academically,” Coach Cook said.

The change has been a new experience, but Matt said he has fit right in.

“Coming to a new school was tough, but you learn to feel comfortable with the people and teammates that surround you,” Matt said.

Being new to a school with a job as big as the varsity quarterback is bound to be difficult to keep up with. The task of being a quarterback is a lot alone. The weight of the team rides on your shoulders.

“Being a senior, varsity quarterback, and new to Martin is a lot of work,” Matt said. “The experience is really teaching me a lot.”

On the sidelines is Matt’s number-one fan, coach and father. Coach Cook is a major supporter of his kids.

“I love coaching my boys,” coach Cook said. “It gives me the chance to watch them grow.

Sports teaches character.

The Cook boys continue to

grow as players and people in the school atmosphere. Matt, with 92 completions and 1243 passing yards, still strives to improve. The wins and losses push each of them to get better on the field and as teammates.

“I try to take it day by day,” Jackson said. “Learn the offense better. Improve as a team and I need to as a player.”

Getting better is exactly what Matt and Jackson said they want to do.

“I have a lot of room for improvement, but as a team I think we are doing so, rapidly,” Matt said.

Much of pressure comes with the spot that each of the family members chose, especially at Martin – a coach who guides the way for all of the aspiring football players to be, and two starting quarterbacks who set the standards and push the limits.

Jackson has moved to a school that is very involved with football. That comes with high expectations and the willingness to work.

“Martin is a very competitive school, especially when it comes to football,” Jackson said. “We all are playing to be the best, but also playing to improve.”

Matt said the community here at Martin High School is very different from other schools.

“The athletic culture here at Martin is grand,” Coach Cook said. “You are expected to win and work hard. That’s something I wanted to teach my kids.”

Matt has seen the ups and downs to the “expect to win” nature that Martin possesses.

“Being quarterback is hard,” Matt said. “You take all of the blame and all of the glory, so you never know how to feel.”

Senior Matt Cook Jr. prepares to take the field before a big district game agaisnt Paschal Sept. 29.

Cook is the varsity starting quarterback. Photo by Haley Riley

Sophomore Jackson Cook takes constructive criticism from his coach and father, Matt Cook at the junior varsity game Sept. 28. The family moved to Martin from Nolan this year. Photo by Chloe Christenson

Playing up Freshman joins varsity volleyball

Photo by Matthew Flores Chloe Christenson • Reporter With a whopping six kills against North Crowley on Sept. 23, freshman Jenna West (volley)balled out in her first varsity game. West, the first freshman to be on varsity in

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six years, seems to be starting off pretty well.

West stepped through the Martin doors with much expected of her, but even she was shocked when she was placed on the varsity roster.

“I walked into tryouts thinking I would be put on the freshman A-team or even junior varsity if I was lucky,” West said. “I didn’t even consider varsity.”

It’s controversial. Does a freshman deserve a spot on a team made for upperclassmen even if they play just as well?

Teammate senior, Aundrea

Continued on page 38

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Junior Vivian Tran swimming at a monthly swim meet.

Photo by Annabelle Hernandez

Diving to win

Jumping into the life of Martin swimmers

Josephine Wei • Reporter Students jump into cold water only minutes after they wake up, their eyes still adjusting to the light as their hearing is muffled once they’re emerged in the pool.

Arms pumping and legs kicking just to keep themselves above the water. Welcome to the everyday routine of the Martin swimmers.

The amount of sleep for swimmers is very limited. Not only do they have to balance school and extracurricular activities, but they also must discipline themselves to wake up early enough to swim.

“I have to wake up at five every morning,” junior Vivian Tran said.

Waking up painfully early is not the end of the struggles.

“Jumping into cold water right after I wake up is terrible because it’s tiring and I’m half asleep,”

junior Allison Bui said.

Because of the intense daily cardio, swimmers must maintain a healthy diet to keep themselves in shape for competition and meets. Meets happen a few times every month from October to February, so it’s important to stay consistent with dieting.

“I eat a lot of protein and make sure I’m getting all my meals in, or I won’t be able to keep going,” senior swim captain Susie Donaldson said.

There are also financial needs that are expected to be met.

“After paying for caps, suits, goggles, and equipment, the amount comes to $50 to $80,” Tran said. “I think it’s better than cheer that costs around a thousand a year.”

Through it all, there is always a beginning that inspired the swimmers to endure and do what

they love everyday.

“My dad was a swim coach, so I was introduced to swimming when I was very young,” swim coach Jon Ivonen said. “I ended up being very good at it, and followed through in college and majoring in physical education. My father was potentially an Olympian, but that was when World War II was occurring, so he didn’t have the opportunity to try, but he was one of the top of the nation at the time. He had a very strong work ethic which I try to emulate. He is my role model, and to live in his shadow would be a success.”

After the Rio Olympics this summer, swimming became more widely-recognized and appreciated more as a sport.

“The changes I saw in the team after the Olympics is that a lot of people joined the team,” Bui said.

Although Martin swimmers only

swim for the school, a few will actually reach further goals.

“I’ve had several kids make it to Olympic trials, and national finals,” Ivonen said.

In the category of swimming, individual swimmers have certain strengths that other swimmers don’t have mastered.

“My fastest time is my 50 fly in 26 seconds and I swam in the relay and went to state last year,” Donaldson said. “My main goal is always going to be best times, but our coach is trying to put together two state relays again. I’m going to focus on my 200 free for the state relay this year.”

Through challenges and success, swim teaches self-discipline, endurance and teamwork.

“Swimming helped me stay determined so I can follow through with a goal and eventually achieve it,” Bui said.

Martin introduces new sports multi-purpose facility Nikk Hernandez • Sports Editor & Curtis Warren • Reporter In the summer of 2015, AISD began to build each high school a multi-purpose sports facility. All six AISD schools got 10 million dollars to build new facilities to benefit their athletic programs with more space, and to help with the weather conditions in the future. The facility was supposed to open in August, but due to weather conditions, it has been delayed.

One sport in particular that the facility has benefited is football.

According to head coach Bob Wager, the new facility will help

the team prosper throughout their journey to state.

“The main purpose of the facility is more room for our players,” Wager said. “We had guys who are tripled up in lockers and it’s too crowded and guys are losing their belongings too often.”

Another purpose of the facility is that bad weather won’t alter workouts or practices.

“We will never miss another workout because of weather and our guys can get better to prepare for the next opponent,” Wager said.

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The facility includes training rooms, coaching offices, a weight room, a locker room, and an 80yard field. With the new facility giving the football team new locker rooms, other sports such as wrestling will take over the former football locker rooms.

Beating the heat is a problem for football players during practice.

Varsity wide receiver Zach McVeigh explained the benefits of having air conditioning in the new facility.

“It gets pretty hot outside during the summer and being able to go inside, it will be a lot better,” McVeigh said. “We can get more work in whenever we want instead of going to the gym

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because you can’t get much done in there. Weather won’t be a problem for us getting better.”

The sub-varsity locker rooms are not big enough for all players on the football team. While being overcrowded during the season, junior varsity running back sophomore Avery Taylor said he was relieved to have bigger locker rooms.

“We have more room and our new locker rooms are way bigger than the old ones,” Taylor said.

“Therefore, we can get to the field faster without having to wait on locker partners to get ready and there is not a lot of space between each other’s locker. so that won’t be a problem.”

Takedown the pounds

Wrestlers risk unhealthy eating habits to stay in weight class Sofia Viscuso • Reporter & Gabby Benavides • Editor-in-Chief When participating in any sport, athletes feel pressure to work out and stay in shape in order to perform the best that they can. Athletes have to maintain a certain level of health and pay attention to their eating habits. Eating too much or too little can be detrimental to an athlete’s ability to compete successfully in their sport.

Wrestling requires its competitors to manage their weight so they are able to wrestle in their specific weight class. Some wrestlers adopt extreme eating habits to drop or gain the necessary weight they need to stay in their intended weight class.

“I would be cutting from 120 to 108 pounds in a week,” junior Brett Taylor said.

While these extreme dieting patterns are commonly seen in competitive wrestling, they can have serious effects on the wrestler’s body, mind and future.

“There are some parents who really dislike it,” former Martin wrestler and now coach Pete Huang said. “A lot of times it will affect your sleep, it will affect your grades, it will affect everything else you do.”

Added pressure from coaches, teammates and parents can force wrestlers to go to extreme measures when dieting.

“If your coach tells you to go to a weight class, the team is expecting you to go to that weight class,” sophomore Harley Thomas said.

“Not ending up weighing in your weight class not only lets yourself down, but you let the whole team down,” senior Meredith Inman said.

Although Martin’s wrestling

program is one of the top teams in the district, the coaches take responsibility for their athletes’ physical and mental health.

Fluctuating between severe weight losses and gains puts stress on the immune system and negatively affects the way the body functions.

“It’s really easy to get into eating disorders with wrestling so you have to watch that and be careful not to get into the habits of not eating,” Inman said.

According to the National Eating Disorder Association, approximately 33 percent of male athletes develop an eating disorder among sports that emphasize appearance, weight requirements, or muscularity such as gymnastics, diving, bodybuilding or wrestling.

“Usually the last day before weigh ins, because you’re really close, you don’t eat or drink any water which makes you a lot weaker than what you expect,” junior Connor Manderfeld said.

Developing these eating habits can severely affect our wrestler’s futures as well. Unhealthy diets not only affect athletes physically, but also puts a strain on their mental and emotional health.

“All of us who were cutting weight hard had panic and anxiety attacks and breakdowns,” Taylor said. “It was awful.”

This kind of harmful behavior can follow these wrestlers into their adult lives, putting their futures in danger.

“When I was in high school, a kid on my team was doing the crash dieting so much that he developed a heart murmur,” Huang said. “His heart started

double beating. It was so much weight gain and lose that it was stress on his heart.”

Huang emphasized that the wrestling program develops ways for its competitors to stay in their weight class, but also maintain a healthy lifestyle.

“Make sure you’re not eating a bunch of junk food and that you’re not undereating or overeating,” Inman said.

All athletes need to take care of their bodies to perform their best, but should also keep in mind that there are right and wrong ways to do it.

“My parents are definitely concerned for me, but I decided my weight class so they support me,” Taylor said.

“It was really tough both

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mentally and physically,” Brett’s mother, Tammy Taylor said. “It makes them moody, sleep can be difficult, and it takes a lot of focus to maintain grades.”

Support from coaches, teammates and parents is also necessary for athletes. With things like health, it’s important to not be discouraging to others. Huang said that for the coaching staff, providing guidance is one thing, but being corrosive can be destructive on an athlete’s attitude towards health and nutrition.

“We try to teach them to eat healthy so they don’t have to cut too much water weight or crash diet like I did,” Huang said. “But at the same time you know, it’s part of the sport.”

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Continued from page 35 Boyland said she thinks so.

“Jenna has really worked hard for her spot on the team,” Boyland said. “She fits in very well with us, even if she is a freshman.”

Making friends with people up to three years older would be difficult, but when everybody has the same goals and interests, bonds are created.

“I am kind of a lone wolf on the team,” West said. “These girls have been playing together their whole time at Martin. I really get along with all of the girls on the team and I have played with two of them before during the club season two years ago.”

The past two years Jenna has improved a lot, along with her two previous teammates, sophomores Zoe Shaw and Nya Blair.

“Jenna has improved tremendously throughout the

past two years,” Shaw said.

Being the youngest on the team, she will have to play up to a skill set that is beyond her years.

“It’s nerve wracking,” West said. “Everybody is older and really good, so the pressure is all on me.”

Varsity volleyball coach Tracy Perez said she thinks West is handling the pressure just as she needs to be.

“Jenna is good at doing what we need her to,” Perez said.

“When she plays, she takes care of the ball and doesn’t let her teammates down.”

Even being a freshman, West has been working hard to be what her teammates and coaches need from her.

“It’s not about being the best person on the team,” volleyball coach Ronda Dunn said. “It’s about being the best person for the team.”

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Finding the best coffee around

M

any high schoolers live on coffee at the beginning of the day and there is nothing worse than getting a bad cup of coffee on the go. These are my rankings of fast food coffee.

I added a few things which I refer to as “my stuff” – three little on-the-go cups of CoffeeMate French Vanilla Creamer and two packets of sugar.

McDonald’s

Price- $1.49 Taste- After I added my creamer and sugar it was still the good kind of bitter. However it didn’t reach the sweetness I need in my coffee. But the aftertaste was weird.

Cup Style- It was okay. It didn’t appear or feel very thick and I still ended up with a burning hand.

Lid Type- Closeable lid, which is awesome. It didn’t let a lot of coffee over when I went over bumps in the road and things like that.

Aftertaste- It left a weird kind of metallic taste in my mouth.

Not a fan.

Energy After Drinking- It was okay. I got a decent coffee high but it went away after about an hour or so.

Overall: It definitely was not my favorite of the bunch. The aftertaste was too much for me to handle. Also when I added my stuff, it still didn’t achieve the flavor I wanted or needed.

Rating: 4 out of 10

Serena Corwin • Design Editor

Starbucks

Price- $2.10 Taste- I had a hard time drinking this even after I added my stuff to it. I don’t know what it is, but I was so excited for Starbucks and it’s by far the worst out of everyone.

Cup Style- With the little sleeve the heat coming through the cup is bearable. Without the sleeve you might as well say goodbye to your hand because it felt like my hand was going to melt off.

Lid Type- Non-closeable lid, but it did come with that little hole plug thing. I like that. It kept my coffee inside my cup, which is always good.

Aftertaste- I ended up with that same metallic taste. It was worse than the McDonalds coffee. It kinda felt like I had a piece of tin foil in my mouth. I also got coffee breath.

Energy after drinking- I did get the most energy from this cup. I got steady energy for about two hours and it was a slow come down. No wall was hit.

Overall: I did get the most energy from this coffee but it was too gross to drink the whole thing. I got that metallic taste and coffee breath but even with all my stuff I added to it, I couldn’t handle the taste. I was extremely disappointed in this coffee. I expected it to be the best and was in fact the worst.

Rating: 1 out of 10

Whataburger

Price- $1.44 Taste- Amazing. I was very surprised with how much I loved this coffee. After I added my stuff it was the perfect combo of sweet and bitter. It was like a match made in heaven.

Cup Style- The best cup of the bunch. It was insulated so it kept my coffee warm, but also didn’t give me third-degree burns. However, the styrofoam felt flimsy and like it would break if I held too hard.

Lid Type- Non-closeable lid, which is a problem if you are driving around. Coffee went everywhere when I went over bumps and because of the insulation, the coffee burned me.

Aftertaste- The usual film was left over my tongue and I got coffee breath, so there is that.

Energy after drinking- Got immediate results, well as immediate as they can get. I felt awake, but then I crashed – and when I say I crashed, I mean like into a brick wall.

Overall: So far, of the three that I have had, this one is the best. The only drawbacks are the lid style and the crash. My hand didn’t receive third degree burns and my coffee was honestly good.

Rating: 7 out of 10

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Jack in the Box

Price- $1.39 Taste- After I added my stuff, it was too sweet. If you want to add stuff, then I would recommend not adding as much as you normally do.

Cup Style- The second-best cup. Very thick, but still that paper material they use. Easy to hold, but I still got a burning sensation.

Lid Type- Closeable lid with a small hole for the coffee to go through. I think this is the best lid because I don’t get too much coffee at once.

Aftertaste- I got that weird metallic taste again. It isn’t as strong as McDonald’s, but it’s still noticeable.

Energy after drinking- Honestly I didn’t get a lot of energy from this coffee. It felt like it took all of my energy oddly enough.

Overall: As much as I hate to say this, I think this coffee was the second worst of the bunch.

With the aftertaste, temperature, and the energy after drinking there were too many cons and not enough pros.

Rating: 2 out of 10

Coffee cups from McDonald’s, Jack in the Box, Whataburger, and Starbucks.

Photos By Zane Stewart

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