2 | seniors | the roar
friday, may 17, 2013
n many ways, Eugene Ryoo is a stereotypical band Irarely student--he finds solace in the band hall, and he’s without his saxophone. Unlike many fellow band students, however, Ryoo will be continuing with music after he graduates. devin dakota, senior editor
Alyssa salazar
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I did it for a grade, the night before.” devin dakota, senior editor
Becoming a wellknown playwright was never in the plan. Jumping backwards several years, Alyssa said her life never even included theater. “My family is volleyball all year-round for forever,” she said. With a mother and two sisters who play volleyball, Alyssa considers herself “the weird one who was able to break away.” “I really honestly had found something that I loved,” she said. “I knew this was something I could do for the rest of my life and not get tired of.” After a year of an awkward Theater I class (she described herself as “the weird kid who sat in the corner that did pretty much anything Williamson asked her to do”), Theater II sophomore year was the turning point for Alyssa. “All I wanted to do was be on stage,” she said. “I realized that this is what I was going to do.” After acting in several plays, Alyssa discovered her love for directing. She got her first opportunity to write and direct for a Theater II assignment for teacher Beth Creel. “Creel said we had to come up with an idea and write a 20-page script on it,” Alyssa said. “I did it for a grade, the night before. I sat down, I was watching ‘Friends,’ pretty sure I was eating Ramen, and I wrote this story.” Inspiration for her play came from her eight year
old brother, Cody, who suffers from autism. “I knew I wanted to do something about people with disabilities,” she said. “I wanted to open people’s eyes to something they didn’t know. I wanted people to see cruelty of another human.” “Jake Bright”’s plot consists of the trials and tests of relationships between an autistic boy and his best friend throughout high school. When it was performed at Consol, nearly $500 was raised for the charity Autism Speaks. Weeks after submitting her play to a national playwrighting competition, during a workday for “The Tempest, Creel told her that “Jake Bright” had been chosen. “I just ran up to her and cried,” she said. “I cried for hours. It really took off from there.” Several performances of “Jake Bright” in Houston led to an extreme explosion of popularity for Alyssa. “It was weird. People followed me around and asked for my autograph. They asked for copies of the script so they could perform it,” she said. “I had to go get a legal copyright of the play so that people couldn’t steal it.” Though “Jake Bright” was an enormous part of Alyssa’s high school career, she says it was theater as a whole that truly changed her as a person. “Theater as a whole made me find myself,” she
said. “This place has seen me at my absolute worst to my absolute best. I don’t have to pretend to be anything I’m not. I don’t have to worry about impressing anyone. Theater really opened me up. When I came to theater, I found my home.” Despite her love for theatre, Alyssa has decided to pursue a major in Youth Ministry at Abilene Christian University, a decision that surprised a lot of her peers. However, minoring in Theater Direction will allow Alyssa to achieve her dream of combining her two passions, faith and theater. “I want to start a faithbased camp that reaches out to kids who don’t usually feel welcome at church,” she said. “LGBT kids, kids with drug problems, suicidal kids, rape victims; I want [them to know] that they don’t have to be perfect; they can come broken and as they are and find themselves, just like I did in [theater].” Alyssa says her involvement in theater has helped her learn about herself and the world around her—lessons that will stay with her after graduation. “There are no limits,” she said. “It reminds me of my faith; there is no limit on how much God loves you and how much you can love anything. There are no limits to what you can do on stage. You can be anything. There are no limits to what I can do.”
Eugene explained how his parents were not immediately ecstatic about his passion for music. “At first they weren’t really happy how I [was so involved] in music,” Eugene said. “But now they’ve gotten used to it and really just want me to be happy.” Eugene said that band taught him about discipline and dedication. “Band kids are a little more unified, they tend to stick together and help each other out, even in situations outside of band,” he said. Upon reaching high school band, Eugene’s workload increased. “In middle school, band is just that little extra class,” he said. “But in high school, it takes more time to be in band, with marching band and region band. The amount of my dedication really changed.” Aside from Eugene’s involvement in school band, he pursues music on a grander scale, participating in The Northgate Philharmonic as well as marching with the Macy’s Great American Marching Band in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City and playing with the US Army All American Marching Band. “Those experiences were phenomenal,” he said. “It was just a week of [nothing but] music.” Eugene said that he was
intimidated at first, but he soon got used to it. “It’s kind of nervewracking to see other people from different countries,” he said. “But once you’re there, none of it matters, because you’re all there together working on one goal.” Though the experiences generally centered on music, Eugene laughed and said that music was the last thing he learned during those weeks. “[I learned] how to interact with a group of random people and work together, how to put myself out there, and how to be a [good leader],” he said. Eugene considers himself lucky to be chosen and hopes he inspired other students. “It was an honor to be a part of those groups,” he said. “I hope I inspired at least a few people to get out there and do something like this, because it’s not an impossible thing to do.” “[It’s important to] cherish those moments,” he said. “Those experiences don’t come very often; you have to remember to have a good time.” Though his accomplishments have shown his true musical skill, Eugene knows there is still much more to learn. “Sometimes I feel like I’m still not good enough,” he said. “I’m still at a high
Eugene ryoo
school level, and there is so much more that I can improve on.” Eugene says that performing in those ensembles have inspired him to become a better musician and helped guide him in figuring out his path for the future. “Those experiences have pushed me more,” he said. “I know that if I work harder, I’ll be able to be a part of those experiences later on.” Eugene plans to attend the University of Texas at Austin to study Music Education and Performance. He also plans to participate in The Longhorn Band. “It’s going to be challenging, you’re going up to a new standard,” he said. “You’re basically taking your music to the next level.” His futures goals include participating in the Graduate programs at UT, and either becoming a band director at the collegiate level, or participating in a military premier band. Though becoming a recognized musician will always be a part of his dreams, Eugene explains that fame is not the most important. “Fame isn’t what [I] want,” he said, “I just want to be respected for my music.”
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friday, may 17, 2013
the roar | seniors | 3
ost students would shy away from acting out and giving a speech over the complete works of William Shakespeare in a ten-minute presentation. But then again, most students haven’t won their state speech and debate competitions--that’s because most students simply aren’t Jeff Kettle. dana branham, managing editor
GRace wright
than 24 hours before the beginning of senior year, Lfromess Grace Wright flew home from Scotland, returning over a week of practice soccer games against
the Scotland Under 19 team.
laura everett, editor-in-chief During junior year, Grace began pursuing an international soccer career. “I’ve been to U.S. national camps and the U.S. only has official games during World Cup years,” Grace said. “I wanted to get international experience for traveling, college, and playing out of my comfort zone.” With her father’s English citizenship and grandfather’s Irish citizenship, Grace could play for the U.S., English, and Irish teams. After a tryout involving a trip to Belgium, Grace secured her position on the “Under-17” Irish team. “It’s given me a lot of opportunities to travel and see places. I wouldn’t’ve chosen to go to Serbia,” Grace said. “Norway was surprisingly my favorite trip because it was so pretty. We were right at the Olympic site.” During the last 16 months, Grace has traveled over 100,000 miles with the Irish team, her father, Dave Wright, said. “Grace has quickly acclimated to the exhausting demands of international soccer. On the surface it appears so exciting to be flying to different countries to play soccer during school time,” Dave said. “But this involves travelling long distances not knowing if you will play one minute during these trips.” Overseas, Grace has noticed a different style of playing. “Even the American
versus European style of soccer is different,” Grace said. “The U.S. is very athletic-based. Everyone is super fit, fast, and strong; whereas, in Europe, everyone is way more technical and better on the ball. They’re putting a lot of pressure on you in saying, ‘you’re representing a country,’ and people take note of it.” Dave Wright concurs. “Expectations from the coaching staff increased a few notches,” Dave said. “What were small errors before are no longer tolerated at this higher level.” This mental strength is key to playing in international championships. This year, now as a player for the “U-19” Irish team, Grace traveled to Serbia and Slovenia for the first round of the European Championship. This successful round allowed Ireland to progress to the second round in Holland, where they unfortunately did not progress. While Grace began making college commitments far before most of her peers, this process really began during sixth grade, when Grace joined a club soccer team in Houston. “At that time, I narrowed down that all other interests were not as high on my priority list,” Grace said. “Once I joined the Houston team, it was a fast track and once you make that commitment, it is like deciding that you’re going to play in
college somewhere, so it took off from there.” This fast track took off when as a freshman, Grace started narrowing down her options. By sophomore year, she took unofficial college visits, and before junior year was over, she had her final SAT scores and a verbal agreement with Texas A&M. Along with being a part of A&M’s soccer team, she will major in business at Mays and plans to look into the pre-med route offered. She is unsure as to whether or not she will join Ireland in the European Championship this year, saying that grades will come first. Although school and soccer consume Grace, she only spent one year on Consol’s team. “Our club team really discourages high school soccer,” Grace said. The fatigue and injuries that come along with high school soccer would jeopardize her club team success. “I loved high school soccer. My freshman year, it was great because I was playing against kids three years older than me, so it was really challenging and I had to play faster,” Grace said. “I just made the decision, personally, that I wasn’t going to be playing soccer socially and it was more serious to me than that.”
Jeff, a current senior, started his involvement in the school’s forensics team with little prior knowledge of what exactly he was getting into. “When I first joined, I didn’t even know about the speech stuff. I just thought I could argue really well, like everyone else who ever took a debate class,” Jeff said. “It’s like ‘Whoa, there’s a cutting literature and interpreting part? What is this? I came here to argue about the nuclear bombs in China.’” Of course, it wasn’t long until Jeff ’s accomplishments began piling up— during his sophomore year, he qualified for nationals. “I started freshman year, but we had an entirely different teacher. We didn’t learn anything. We didn’t go to any competitions or anything,” Jeff said. “So, I didn’t really start until sophomore year. Mr. Rodriguez stepped up and single-handedly brought us to nationals.” Reflecting on his relationship with Rodriguez, Consol’s director of forensics, Jeff could only say that they were “best friends.” Rodriguez jokingly recalled his first encounter with Jeff, when the latter was in his sophomore year. “He was kind of unruly, kind of like a wild horse,” Rodriguez said, jokingly.
“He had this big, humongous hair—that’s what I remember about Jeff. He had this huge white-guy afro, a curly little fro-—that was Jeff Kettle.” After Jeff ’s “unruly” beginnings, Rodriguez said that he began to focus on his talent in performing. “He’s still crazy, but he and I are like BFFs now,” Rodriguez said. “He’s changed--his hair’s different, he’s really focused, he loves speech and debate. He’s kind of a model; he shows that you can take someone kind of wild and unruly and basically make them a really good performer and presenter.” While Jeff primarily competes in events that allow him to act—much like a condensed theater production—he tried his hand at more traditional speech events, reflecting on a rather somber event from his childhood. “The one time that I did that event, I wrote a piece about my dad’s death, and how American spirit supporting our troops really does a lot overseas,” Jeff said. “I cited some statistics that showed different levels of happiness depending on how many people are supporting them—and that’s not even just troops overseas, but families of troops
here.” Jeff ’s father’s death in 2007 while he was overseas serving in the special forces branch of the Army certainly impacted his family life—shortly thereafter, he and his family moved from a small town in North Carolina to College Station to be closer to Jeff ’s aunts, uncles and grandparents. Of course, while Jeff said that the academic opportunities were plentiful at his new schools in College Station, the grief felt by his family could not be overshadowed. “My grandparents took it pretty hard, but I guess he was away for so long before he died that it wasn’t so traumatic. I couldn’t imagine a parent dying in like, a car accident—like, you saw them yesterday and then they’re gone. But for me, it was less traumatic because I hadn’t seen him in so long.” Though he said he took it easier than, perhaps, a student who sees his parent everyday, Jeff said that there certainly was a change in him after losing his father. “It really forced me to become a stronger person,” Jeff said. “I can’t really explain how, but there’s something in you that just drives you to do better.”
jeff kettle
4 | seniors | the roar
friday, may 17, 2013
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he first goodbye came from her father when she was twenty days old. The next, from her mother, came two years later. dana branham, managing editor
kyle chism & ryan kreider
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here’s only one real way to describe seniors Kyle Chism and Ryan Kreider’s friendship. nicole farrell, sports editor “It’s a serious bromance,” junior choir member Kelsey Kipp said. It all started in eighth grade, when both seniors moved to College Station and started going to the same church. A closer friendship began to form when both played football in high school, and Krieder recruited Chism for choir. “He wasn’t in choir previously,” Kreider commented, “should have been, but he wasn’t.” Laughs were exchanged as Kreider’s pattern of recruitment continued, inviting Chism to join the Aggie Wranglers dance team during their junior year. “That’s why we’re doing three extracurricular activities together,” Kreider said of his invitations. “They take up a lot of time!” When asked if all these activities bring them closer together, they laughed. “We kind of hate each other,” Chism quipped. Both quickly backtracked, however. “No, no, even when we’re not doing these activities, we’ll hang out at each other’s houses,” Kreider said. The two bantered back and forth when asked to describe each other. The best description was perhaps the most honest.
“He’s a true bro,” Chism said. Kreider took more time to come up with characteristics, and settled on goofy. “Just plain goofy,” he said of Chism, “but those are the kind of people I like.”
“High school’s a lot better when you have good friends to rely on.” senior Ryan Kreider Chism and Kreider both highlighted the Lake Travis game and their America’s Got Talent audition as senior year moments most important to the both of them. Both described the auditions in San Antonio as a worthwhile experience and both thought they did well, adding that they had not heard back. “Well, they said they’d let us know by the end of February and it is now April,” he said. “So we probably didn’t make it.” Perhaps the simple
moments are what really defines this awesome relationship. “We love harmonizing together,” Chism said, a tenor, and Kreider a bass. This harmony is so evident, it makes one jealous of such a close and complementary friendship. “They make choir funny,” junior choir member Kambrie Kissman said. “They definitely balance each other out.” Their contribution to choir is significant, earning the respect of director Travis Angel. “If I need things done, they’re the guys I can rely on,” Angel said. Their deep friendship and level of character could not be expressed better than by the seniors themselves. Both are attending A&M and rooming together in the Gateway program. Chism adds that their shared faith in God makes their friendship “ten times stronger.” The two are ready for new experiences they can share together, but are thankful for knowing each other at Consol. “High school’s a lot better when you have good friends to rely on,” Kreider said.
Her parents were strangers to her, each having moved to the United States when she was only an infant. For the first time, ten-year-old Zulma Vigil was traveling to the United States to meet them, after she had lived with her grandparents in Honduras for eight years. “I was ten or eleven when everything happened: new family, new everything,” Zulma said. Ten-year-old Zulma arrived in the United States accompanied by her grandmother and her cousin, but she said their company didn’t last long. “My grandma came with me—I was with my grandma and my cousin. He was like my brother, but he had his own family, so he had to go with his family and I was alone for most of the time,” Zulma said. “I felt like an outsider.” On the first day Zulma spent with her newfound family, neither she nor her younger sister—who was born in the United States— seemed very keen on the new arrangements. “The first day I was with her, she was like ‘When is she going to leave?’ She said it in English, you know, because she didn’t know who I was,” Zulma said. “She was only five, and I was like ‘I want to leave too; I don’t want to be here.’” At school, she faced different obstacles, recount-
ing how she had to begin taking English as a Second Language classes to catch up with her English-speaking classmates. “[The teacher would] show me pictures of like, what an airplane was and what different people were called,” Zulma said. “It wasn’t hard at first, but afterwards, you start realizing that you’re not part of a group because you don’t speak the language.” The next step to Zulma’s future successes was her involvement in the AVID program. In eighth grade, the AVID teachers sought her out, impressed with her grades, and suggested that she apply to be a part of the program. “The AVID teachers, they were always there. When I had Mrs. Stanford and we had ACT or SAT testing, she’d wake us up at six in the morning to go, and she was like ‘If you guys come here, I’ll give you breakfast and then you go and take your test,’” Zulma said. “Little things like that, they make you feel important. They make you feel special.” Not only did Zulma grow close to her teachers, but also to her fellow classmates through the AVID program. “We all come from different backgrounds, but in the end it’s the same general story. We’re not necessarily outsiders, because there
are a lot of people in there who are really talented and athletic, but we all understand each other to a point. We know what suffering is,” Zulma said. Of course, Zulma also credits her parents and her siblings with providing unrelenting encouragement in her studies and personal life. “Five years ago was when everything started changing and getting to the better part,” Zulma said. “I was always good in school, but my family life was kind of messy because, I don’t know if it took three years to get to know [my parents] well, but after about five years ago, we’ve become really close.” While Zulma initially felt resentful towards her family—especially her siblings, who lived in the United States while she was in Honduras—she believes the experience, obstacles and all, affected her for the better. “At first, I would think, ‘They left me, they abandoned me with my grandparents.’ I had a kind of grudge against [my parents]. I didn’t want to be close to them,” Zulma said. “But after those three years, I realized that it was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. My sisters and my little brother, they haven’t been with [my grandparents], they haven’t experienced the life I did.”
zulma vigil
the roar | seniors | 5
friday, may 17, 2013
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hile her classmates might be bogged down with difficult math classes next year in college, senior Miranda Canatella is taking a more nontraditional approach–one that involves more braids and curls than biology and calculus. laura everett, editor-in-chief
Shankara anand
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.K. Anand was twenty years old when he wore a pair of shoes for the first time. His first son went to Rice University. His second, senior Shankara Anand, is bound for Stanford this fall. isabel drukker, opinions editor “My parents are the epitome of the American dream,” Shankara said. “I don’t think I idolize anyone as much as [my father and] he always supports me.” With his father’s guidance and support, Shankara has been accepted to Stanford as a chemical engineer major. He’s also vice president of Consol’s Gay Straight Alliance club, vice president of Interfaith and plays in the orchestra. He’s been playing the violin since he was in kindergarten. “Music is the biggest thing for me,” Shankara said. “It’s kind of amazing that music tells a story without any words at all. Each person will play [a piece of music] their own way and it means something to them in their own way. It’s really personal to you, but it’s also personal in how you share it with everyone.” Shankara also plays the guitar and the ukulele and he intends on continuing his practice for each instrument by finding fellow musicians to have “jam sessions” with at Stanford. Until then, he has his senior recital on May 18th where he will play his senior piece, “Zigeunerweisen,” by Pablo de Sarsate. In addition to his scholastic and musical
achievements, Shankara has also prioritized learning about religions and faiths other than his own, a trait he said he learned from his brother. “Since I’ve been brought up in one faith my entire life, it’s important that I find my way on my own,” Shankara said. “I think indoctrinization is a little dangerous, because although it’s combatting ignorance, it’s kind of ignorance in itself.” Shankara’s father taught him much of what he knows concerning his religion and culture, and he intends to keep hold of what he has learned when he goes to Stanford in the fall. “I want to hold on to my culture,” Shankara said. “And I think a part of my religion too. [My father] has this really strong, incredible moral compass, it just takes me away at times.” Despite his exceptional achievements, Shankara remains modest, admiring his father who came to the United States with about one thousand dollars in his pocket to attend graduate school at Kansas State. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to work as hard as my dad,” Shankara said. “He always [tells] me ‘If you die today, you’ll live tomorrow,
if you live today, you’ll die tomorrow.’ That pretty much means that the more work you put in today, the more you’re going to get out of it for years to come.” So work Shankara did. Throughout his high school career, Shankara took 12 AP classes, participated in 8 clubs, played in the orchestra for four school musicals, with it all leading up to the moment he started his car in the school parking lot back in December, checked his phone and found an email from Stanford admissions. “That whole days was surreal,” Shankara said. “I was driving like five miles an hour, and I opened [the email] up and it said ‘Congratulations!’ at the top.” His friend Jeana Nam had been driving by when she saw him standing next to his parked car, dancing around with his face buried in his hands. “She was asking me, ‘What happened, what happened?’” Shankara said. “I told her I got into Stanford and gave her a big hug and twirled her around. I think that moment was the summation of my high school career. [It was] everything I had worked towards, it was my dream.”
“I always liked doing other people’s hair when I was younger,” senior Miranda Canatella said. “I didn’t have an interest in anything else, so I put hairdressing as my backup plan. But, then I realized more and more as I thought about it that I wanted to do it.” In the fall of this year, Miranda will go to Manuel & Theresa’s School of Hair Design in Downtown Bryan. To allow herself to get a job and save money to support herself, Miranda has opted to go to Hair School part time. Miranda will be in classes for a few hours from Tuesday through Friday learning hair technique and skin care facials, which are also a part of the degree. After eighteen months of earning her degree at Manuel & Theresa’s School of Hair Design, Miranda will be able to perform most of the services offered in most salons. While styling and cutting hair will obviously make up a large amount of her degree, she also enjoys the factual side of hair care. “It’s really intriguing to me to figure out how to do things,” Miranda said. “I don’t care just about the aesthetics of it or the looks. It is more of a creative outlet for me. I love to learn the facts about hair care too.”
Towards the end of the 18 month stretch at Manuel & Theresa’s, Canatella will take classes through Blinn to earn a business degree. “I want to get a business degree so I have that background in case I want to own something,” Miranda said. “I’ve heard of people owning hair salons without a business degree, but I just want that background so that if I do own my own place, it is more
“I don’t want to just do hair; I want to do this for the social aspect as well.
senior Miranda Canatella
stable.” Apart from her goals to potentially own her own salon one day, Miranda aspires to work in a high end salon and she has even toyed with the idea of doing hair for weddings. “Even if the economy is really bad, I will still have a job because people are still going to go get their hair cut,” Miranda said.
Miranda understands, however, that this career path will require patience. “The job may be a lower paying hair place, but I’ll still find something,” Miranda said. “I want to work in a really nice salon, but I may have to start at the bottom.” Although working her way up to finding a stable clientele basis and a nice salon to work in may take time, Miranda says that her parents have been supportive of her somewhat unconventional career path. “My parents were happy with [my decision,]” Miranda said. “I didn’t want to just tell them, ‘hey, I’m going to hair school.’ I came to them with a plan. They’ve supported me with what I want to do.” Not only has Miranda had the support of her parents, but her own hairdresser has played a vital role in her inspiration. “I have a really close relationship with my hairdresser, so she inspired me to be that person that can talk to someone and build a really close relationship with their clientele,” Miranda said. “I want to do that for someone. I don’t want to just do hair; I want to do this for the social aspect as well.”
miranda canatella
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6 | seniors | the roar
friday, may 17, 2013
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-Jacob Mathews
My friends and I pulled each other in a fridge along the ice, but that was a pretty bad idea because I slipped and slammed into the ice and got a nosebleed.
-Abby Lestina
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During our freshman year, a vandalism attempt went wrong when Consol students mispelled “Vikings” in an effort to blame Bryan students. It was funny because I still don’t know to no one knew whether this day whether this the guy was serious was an attempt at or not at the time. snarky humor or just -Abel Jacob someone being dumb.
The softball team had a snowball fight and we built a snowman.”
-Ashley Esparza
fighting 3policy
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2snow day sub power 1 0 line 9 outage dead week 7 powderpuff “ “ 8“ “ “ The older kids had told us all about how great dead week was and I was looking forward to it. I appreciated how Student Council pushed for it after the deadline had passed. Even so, I feel like we missed out on the full expeierence.
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-Ian Ray
Sophomore year, we had an unusual holiday when we were gifted with a snow day Feb. 4, 2011.
In 2012, the junior and senior class witnessed a mock carwreck to show students the effect of drinking and driving.
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Traditionally a match where seniors easily defeat the juniors, last year’s Powderpuff team gave the seniors quite a fight. This was the first time in almost ten years that the seniors didn’t outright win. Shout out to Tanner Jasperson for being an awesome head coach and making it possible.
My friends and I went to play hide and seek in Lowes. My best spot was under the sink cabinet.
- Frank Ashley
We invited everyone over to my house. It was a lot of fun because it was a random free day of school!
- Amanda Rodriguez
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Junior year, students arrived to school with a surprise after the power had gone out. Students were sent home and had the rest of the day off.
In the midst of senior year, the sub sandwich line in the cafeteria was removed. Students were greatly upset.
“It was one of the healthier options and they removed it. This is a travesty.
-Samantha Wang
I just felt that our sub lovers were being hurt emotionally.
-Joe Spelce
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- Mary Catherine McCord
thirteen
toremember
compiled by the Roar staff, with help from the Tigerland Yearbook staff
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“ “ “ -Daryl Taylor
-Miranda Canatella
I miss Buddy saying that to me. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Now there is a cold, empty void where his words once rested.
-Tyler Rego
Buddy Reed became principal the year before we started ninth grade. Our class has grown especially attached to our former principal and his famous “eye of the tiger” catch phrase.
During the seniors’ last homecoming game, our football team went into four overtimes as it began to rain, stressing out the players, fans, and maroon men, who eventually reached a distance of 2,200 yards.
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We had an away football game on 11/11/11 so the 11 Belles in 11th grade took a picture at 11:11 while we made a wish. It was awesome.
-Conneley Sears
5prom camel To enhance this year’s Egyptian themed Prom, Student Council rented a camel to pose for pictures. His name was Earl.
-Alex Carrillo
12senior homecoming “ “
It was the longest, nastiest, and most amazing football game of my senior year. We made history and I got a crown. -Jamarcus Ransom
The 11th graders celebrated 11/11/11 at 11:11 a.m. together at school. Most students made a wish.
Even though we didn’t win our homecoming game, it showed a lot about our team and how we never give up. -Randy Whited
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n o i t a u d a gr
g nticipatin nsol. a r a e y r o io spent sen t times spent at C s a h 3 1 0 of 2 abou The class and reminiscing , n graduatio
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It is surreal to think it is happening in a week. I watched my brother and sister walk the same stage. I feel like I am still the same kid that watched them.
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from the class of
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-Jeana Nam
It was a horrible experiment. Everyone just sat down.
His tiger spirit made everyone fall in love with him.
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One word: Awkward.
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6split sadie Junior year, the administration split the dance floor into two sections in an attempt to eliminate grinding. Everyone was disappointed.
You can’t stop the beef, yo.
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- Clare McDougal
Everyone was talking about how gross and weird it would be, but he was actually kind of cute. - Mareya Stearns
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Buddy Reed planned to end fights at Consol by presenting an idea that we would be rewarded with off-campus lunch for every thirty days without fighting. We recieved only one. I think the administration underestimates the students here. Most students love runing something -Megan James for everyone else.
the roar | seniors | 7
It’s been trained not to spit.
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friday, may 17, 2013
- Kyle Lovas
“As far as speaking at graduation goes, I think I’m simultaneously terrified, horrified, nervous, and excited out of my mind that everybody in the senior class will be forced to hear what I have to say.”
- Yanni Georghiades
08 | seniors | the roar
friday, may17,
Oh, the places we’l
Cons. of Recording Arts & Sci
emerson college
Gianfranco Hidalgo Tyler Wise Phil Bruxvoort
Lauren Hodges
Gilbert, AR
harding university Ethan Smith
Searcy, AR
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AK
Katie Brice Kami Harris
McLean Moore
california state university
Long Beach, CA
Joy Cope
Stanford, CA
Shankara Anand
american academy of the dramatic arts Los Angeles, CA
Reagan Reynolds
Teresa Defigueiredo
smith college
North Hampton, MA
Linnea Hetland
university of minnesota Deyu Deng
Minneapolis, MN
university of mississippi
Oxford, MS
university of missouri
Columbia, MO
Laura Everett
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Kelly Zhou
university of california Austin Beltrand
massachusetts institute of technology Cambridge, MA
Sydney Wiesepape
stanford University Emma Ford Kensen Shi
Los Angeles, CA
university of california
Berkley, CA
Jingqi Wu
Boston, MA
cornell university Brooke Cohen Vilja Jarvi
Ithaca, NY
Betty Oliva
rensselaer polytechnic institute
university of california
Davis, CA
Ellie Chapkin
Troy, NY
Jonathan Yax Argueta
university of rochester
colorado mesa university
Isabel Drukker
Leah Vitale
Grand Junction, CO
Rochester, NY
university of north dakota
colorado school of mines
providence college
Casandra O’Connell
Abby Lestina
Keith Howerton
ohio state university
colorado state university
Belmont university
Andy Wu
Skylar Roberts
Callie Rogers
University of cincinnati
Golden, CO
Fort Collins, CO
fort lewis college
Durango, CO
Boone Flynn
university of colorado
Boulder, CO
Thomas Shomaker Jimmie Gilbert
University of connecticut
Storrs, CT
Hayley Cmajdalka
Grand Forks, ND
Cody Green
Emily Sloan
Sarasota, FL
Thomas Anderholm
Stillwater, OK
university of oklahoma
Norman, OK
Kyle Syptak
george washington university Yasmina Marden Washington D.C. ringling college of art+design
Cincinnati, OH
oklahoma state university
reed college
Fernando Zambrano
Columbus, OH
Portland, OR
carnegie mellon university Samantha Wang
Pittsburgh, PA
pennsylvania state university
University Park, PA university of central florida Amanda Matthews Orlando, FL
Drummont Govan Jr
georgia Institute of Technology Matthew Lawler
Atlanta, GA
Dillon Moore
university of chicago Viivi Jarvi
Chicago, IL
Louisiana state university Caroline Waller
Baton Rouge, LA
university of pennsylvania Wanda Lipps
Philadelphia, PA
Olga Belyanina
university of pittsburgh
Pittsburg, PA
Hannah Jung
brown university Kaley Brauer
Providence, RI
Providence, RI
Nashville, TN
hardin simmons university
Abilene, TX
vanderbilt university
Weston Garner
Kelli Klein
houston community college
Nashville, TN
Alec Lindner
abilene christian university
Daisha Washington
Jonathan Bradford Josh Hailey Sara Hailey Megan Kriger
hill college
Abilene, TX
Ryan Richardson Rebecca Stark Gabe Sager Alyssa Salazar
Logan Howell Ryan Roderick
Houston, TX
Hillsboro, TX
Ben Kennedy
art institute of austin
houston baptist university
Chancy Bader Kaylinn Klepac
Jessica Wagner
Austin, TX
Joshua Turner
howard college
austin community college Rosselen Castellar Jacob Dysart Eri Flores Jeffrey Kettle
Austin, TX
Kyle Lovas Haaris Saqib Natalie Strawn Madison Wagner
baylor university Will Bonds Patrick Lenz
Houston, TX
Waco, TX
Jamarcus Ransom Angela Yip
Carlton Smith
Big Spring, TX
lamar institute of technology Daniel Casper
Beaumont, TX
midwestern state university Kyle Stewart
Wichita Falls, TX
university of mary hardin baylor Belton, TX Thomas Middleton
rice university Jeana Nam Janet Ni
Houston, TX
Mei Tan Amanda Yang
tarleton state
trinity unive
Shelby Winder
Kirsten Bevan
texas christian university
sam houston state university Maggie Drummond Maddie Becker Matthew Brossart Claire Chabot Michael Clouston Chanler Havel Kaylee McCabe
Huntsville, TX
James McKee Rebekah Scholz Darian Soares Jocelyn Volkmar
Kasey Pritchard
Houston, TX
southern methodist university
Dallas, TX
Alex Arreola-Garcia
Camile Aucoin
Esther Lim Ian Ray
southwestern university Anne Finch
Jarred Jeter
Georgetown, TX
university o
Texas Southern University
stephen f austin state university Tanner Gregory
Keagan Brooks
Zach Grubbs
Brandon O’donovan
Ranger, TX
San Marcos, TX
Katelyn Armatys Grace Estakhri Andrew Gehring Mary Inovejas Emily Venuti Cheryl West
Houston, TX
Shamara Lewis
Ashley Esparza
texas tech university
Nacogdoches, TX
Carolina Orsi
Universal Te
Brett Allen Clay Duckworth Travis Hilton Hannah Jones Kristen Swann Christina Vaughn
ranger junior college
Dallas, TX
tyler junior
texas state university
Mark Torres
Riley Simms
Waco, TX
Nathan Hosey
st. edward’s university
Austin, TX
Dominic Simmo
Zach Thomas
dallas baptist university
Scott Wilding
Seguin, TX
texas state
texas state technical college Megan Hogan Dalton Box
san jacinto college
Fort Worth, TX
texas lutheran university
Charis Brantley Bri Holtkamp Megan James
Merritt Nolte-Roth
Stephenville, TX
Shane Rae
Lubbock, TX
Payton Traugott
William Cashion
university o Alex Feese Halle Jones
university o Devin Dakota Claudia Lee Zach Powell
the roar | seniors | 09
, may17, 2013
a breakdown of the class of 2013’s future
’ll go
Joanna Field Haley Henry Daricia Henson Sean Miller
blinn College
university of texas
nity university
en Bevan
San Antonio, TX
xas state technical college Waco, TX
minic Simmons Austin Livingston
ler junior college
gan Hogan
Tyler, TX
iversal Tech. Institute
h Thomas
blinn College
Houston, TX
Jared Alexander Michael Bettati Nafis Deen Victoria Fazzino Yanni Georghiades Noah Giese Lauren Gray Kevin He Joshua Ho
Austin, TX
Ariana Koufteros Ryan Lawrence Elizabeth Medina Jorge Romero Eugene Ryoo Mareya Stearns Akshans Verma Tiffany Wu
university of texas
San Antonio, TX
Shani Hayes Taylor Oberg Asad Panjwani
Xiaoyi Zang Caleb Vandevanter
iversity of dallas
west texas a&m university
iam Cashion IV Anthony Macha
Matthew Mikeal
Dallas, TX
iversity of houston
x Feese e Jones
Houston, TX
Kennosha Turner
Amarillo, TX
brigham young university
Provo, Utah
Makell Garlick Tim Nixon McKenzie Forsyth
utah valley university
Orem, Utah
iversity of north texas
Hannah Sturtevant
in Dakota udia Lee h Powell
james madison university
Denton, TX
Joe Spelce Jessica Taylor Ty Thomas
Rachel Kagle
Harrisonburg, VA
Nazia Ahmed Kelsy Alexander Brett Allison Jarod Anderson Rey Banuelos Desirae Barnett Tiffany Becerra Alex Becker Kadijah Benson Ambreen Bhimji Jason Bishop Blakely Boriskie Kirby Bramson Eriele Briggs Kyla Brown Braxton Bunner Austin Burns Luke Bush Shane Campbell Alex Carrillo Jennifer Castrejon Jaylan Cheshire Jordan Cienega Hannah Daily Tadryan Davis Jessica DeCoste Anna Dement Juan Diaz Moreno Estefania Diaz Tracy Dinh Lauren Douglass Lindsey Douglass Kyle Eddens Francesca Escalon Michael Etheridge Lori Evans Eric Fann Connor Fink Raychell Freeman Jordan Fritsche Ernesto Garcia Austin Gardner Misty Garner Bryn Garza-Button
Sadie Garza Kollin Goodman
Brenham, TX
Vincent Morgan
DaLyric Rittenhouse
Amanda Schaefer
Bryan, TX
Donald Lancaster Zachary Larson Jeremy Lee David Lindsey Chelsea Lochte Krishnia Lopez Jared Mancuso Cadee Maraist Macy Martin Rocio Massa Parra Corbin McCleary Taylor McDermott Ryan McKinney Samantha McLeod Darian Miller Christina Monroe Maria Monsivais Ashlie Moon Deena Mooti Nikki Murphy Chris Nguyen Brandon Noble JT Norman Emily Northcliffe Chandler Norwood
Shelby Overby Ashlyn Pias Cameron Pitts Alec Prevost James Pye Aamir Qadeer Tyler Rego Wesley Remschel Lili Rendon Andrew Roberts
Tennessee Robinson
JD Rockwell
Amanda Rodriguez
Sydney Salyers Jazem Saripada Misty Seek Ana Sevilla Preston Shafer
Samantha Shugart Kayla Shuttlesworth
Roshni Siddhartha Monserrat G. Diaz Dallas Skidmore Kirstyn Greenwade Tanner Slaten Payton Grisham Mayra Soto-Cazares Ben Guzman Aislin Southerland Katherine Hammond Tyker Spaw Cory Harris-Schaffner Austen Speakman Garrett Haynes Lindsey Spiller Emily Hejl Adrain Steen Diana Hernandez Porsha Taylor Samantha Hernandez Lanie Teinert Zachary Hill Brooke Thomas Payton Holderman Crystina Tovar Natasha Holub Ariel Tran Moses Hong Nicole Turner Stewart Horton Gabriel Valles Stephanie Huff Stacy Wilkinson Kellye Hunter Taylor Wilkinson Clark James Cody Williams Jacob Jean Robert Wilson Johaneisha Jefferson Kiera Witzenman Garrison Jenkins Gabriel Wooley Christopher Jolly Jacob Yanez Jarrett Jones Nedda Yazdani Kyle Kavanaugh Kayla Yendrey Jasmine Kennedy Johnathan Young Stephen King Nigora Zuparova
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
Bella Abouelkheir Anas Abu-Odeh Katelyn Acker Kohl Anderson Jacob Ayres Jessica Ball Joseph Boring Alexis Bowen
Shannon Lindley Shane Lockett Rachel Lucht Sofia Marediya
texas a&M corpus christi
Corpus Christi, TX
Lee Thomas II
Texas A&M Galveston Taylor Bounds Sam Crenshaw
Galveston, TX
Elizabeth Venuti
texas a&m kingsville Frank Ashley IV Sarah Cruz
Kingsville, TX
Joshua Hafer
texas a&m prairie view Mustary Akter Taylor Goodman
541
Prairie View, TX
Christopher Perez Cierra Thomas
seniors to find out their plans for next fall.
of these graduates
87% plan to pursue
Cameron Marquardt
Jacob Mathews Mary McCord Clare McDougall Chandler Bowersox Megan McGinnis Kensey Boykin Taylor McGinnis Nathan Bright Calli McIntyre Jordan Brown Katherine Miller Joshua Brown Nazish Momin Kyle Brown Joseph Motley Madison Brown Kyle Nelson Chad Burrus Megan Nicholson James Byrd Zachary Norwood Katie Byrne Daniel Ochoa Katie Cannon Marcus Orzabal Garret Carstens Esther Parulian Lauren Carstens Jeremy Parulian Hawraa Charara Michal Pate Kyle Chism Chris Paulus Matthew Cline Natalie Pratt Meredith Cole Lauren Privett Frankie Colunga Haley Reim John Culpepper Emme Rettenmaier Donald Dennis Adian Riley Anne Ealy Alexis Roach Mackenzie Edwards Heidi Rockwell Omar Elhassan Gustavo Roman Joshua Fang Brandon Roquet Valerie Flores-Meath Taylor Rowland Madeline Gaines Hannah Rudder Micayla Gooden Rachel Salzer Amy Gore Sean Schumacher Curtis Grice Conneley Sears Nicole Gunnels Jordyn Slocum Emily Hall Zachary Smith Henry Hansen Janson Soltis Daniel Havens Austen Stephen Macon Heath Wally Strzelec Quianna Hebert Cooper Svajda Daniel Hulse Caroline Taylor Carl Ivey IV Erin Taylor Abel Jacob Safavion Terrell Cheyenne Jacobson Boyce Unger Aravind Jayakumar Diana Vaught Karis Jochen Cristina Vazquez Nicole Kash Claire Weaver Chan Kim Rachel Welch Katherine Kimball Fredrick Wenck Josh Kipp Shay Williams Ryan Kreider Laura Woods Alexander Lampo Grace Wright Eric Lan Ziwei Xi Lucas Lawrence Su Youn Matthew Legg Yichi Zhang Victor Leon Bear Zitterich Taj Florence Amanda Ness
The Roar contacted
higher education most popular schools
28%
22%
Blinn College
3%
Texas A&M University
University of Texas
most popular majors
12% 11% 5%
4%
Engineering Business Nursing Kinesiology
6% are enrolled in honors programs farthest university
Angelique Gratton
university of guelph Guelph, Ontario
Marine corps navy
Cody Brack Grant Dikes Joseph Hutson Ryan Williams
Army Rangers
Bain Marze Devon Harris
ARMY
Brandy Cobbs Quindrake Robertson Jordan Wren
Bain Marze Devon Harris Mitchell Jackson Nathan Molchak Blake Price
national guard
Christopher Judie
Air force
Colton Anderson Jasmine Hart Karla Montes Gonzalez
3% plan to join the
Armed Services
Military service in South Korea: Seonghoon Kwon
10%
Undecided/Other Buthaina Alshaqsi Devin Banks Jay Bernheim Briley Blackshear Enrique Bobadilla Colton Brickey Jacob Carrell Alex Coats Juwan Cole
Christopher Collins Cherise Doane Caroline Eddens Alex Evans Kaylee Everett Austin Farmer Tyler Fridrich Dequon Grant Stormy Graves Jasmine Harris
are undecided or will join the work force.
Savannah Hedge Jake Hodges Janaya Holbrook Yan Yan Jiang Xavier Jones Christopher Kately Jose Martinez Jose Mauricio Austin Mirth Ethan Olden
Charles & sue’s school of hair design Kirby Kubelka Alexandria Petter Mission trip Callum England Tanner Jasperson
Clay Patterson
Valerie Conchola
Tiyler Renchie Cory Rogers Joshua Rush Roy Sauseda Michael Shao Kiara Shepard Jesse Stephens Tyrell Thomas Daniel Tran
Gabriele Tucker R. Uvaldo-Ramirez
Keith Vela Zulma Vigil Randy Whited Colten Winder Ashleigh Woodall
Nazokat Zuparova
Manuel & Theresa’s School of hair design Miranda Canatella Sterling Dance theatre in kansas Maggie Ellison
10 | seniors | the roar
friday, may 17, 2013
senior salutes seniors send farewells to freshmen siblings
Dear Christi, I know you and I have many differences apparent enough when people are bewildered when they find out we are related but I want you to know that I will always be there for you. High school is full of secrets and hurt and classes that make you want to give up, but you must learn to persevere and become a better person out of these trials. Patience is perhaps one of the most important things to learn in high school. You can’t always get what you want, and sometimes you just have to wait for the right timing to come along. And by all costs, try to avoid spats with teachers or administrators. My best advice to you would be not to overload your schedule. I know you have a competitive streak, but the worst thing you could possibly do is try to be in too many classes that you can’t handle. I don’t want to see you break down into tears from school-related stress. High school can be intensely frustrating, but you must remind yourself that all good experiences come with a healthy dose of negativity. And above all else, be yourself.
Love, Your older (but admittedly smaller) sister, Ariana.
Dear RYAN,
I’m really excited to graduate and embark upon a new chapter in my life, but I am also going to miss you a lot. Since I am attending Texas A&M, you’ll see me a lot less, but I’ll still be close to home. My advice to you is to work as hard as you can these next few years, because your hard work will pay off in the end. Take responsibility to do your own work and studying, because while Mom and Dad are awesome and helpful, high school is a measure of how well you can do. Also, moderate your use of the PlayStation by making sure you finish all of your work first. Some of this advice may be hard, but it will be extremely effective if followed. I have all the faith in you to succeed throughout high school and beyond. You may be taller than me now, but you’ll always be my little brother.
megan and ryan nicholson
ariana and christi koufteros
Love, Megan
Dear JILLY BEAn,
I cannot believe you have grown to be so old. I remember when we used to sit up on top of our bunk bed and tie hangers to string and pretend we were fishermen and how we would make gigantic fortresses of blankets and chairs in the living room. Even now that we are older we still find that dancing in the living room is fun. You have been such a comfort to have at home whenever I am feeling lonely or under the weather. I could not even begin to tell you how much it hurt this year to see you in your surgery. I felt so helpless and couldn’t bear the thought of losing you. You will always be my little sister. No matter how loud, crazy, and annoying you are, I will always love you and cherish all the times we spent together. It seems like all of that is going to change now that I am leaving, but don’t worry I will be back Christmas for sure and will have so much to tell you. I will miss your quirky attitude and your obsession with Tom Cruise, and if I meet him while in Los Angeles I will definitely try to convince him to marry you. Anyways, I guess this is just me telling you to work hard in school and do your best, but don’t stress yourself out!
Love you Little Sis, Joy Cope (your big sis)
joy and jill cope
friday,may may13, 17,2011 2013 friday,
HOMEDOGIT, AYYY. Look who made it past their freshman year! Sorry to tell you this, but freshman year is one of the easier ones; junior year will definitely be the worst. And have fun being the only Slocum at Consol the next three years, be sure to carry on the flawless image Tayler and I created. Lawlz, jokes. But on a more serious note (not really), here are some tips for the rest of your high school days: When you get your license, don’t park near anyone in the school parking lot. People will hit you and they won’t leave a note. I learned that one the hard way…I’m not bitter…Really. Don’t try to get away with Nike shorts—it never works. Always get overly excited for fieldtrips, they don’t come around that often. Don’t completely slack off until senior year. when you apply for college, only your grades up to junior year will be complete, so make sure you try up until then. Also, senioritis is real. It’s an actual disorder that you will contract, but don’t worry, everyone gets it so you won’t be getting on the struggle bus alone. Make sure you have room to take off periods your senior year, THEY ARE LIFESAVERS. My most recent tip, though? Wear sunscreen to senior wellness, even if it’s cold outside because if you don’t, you’ll end up with one of the worst sunburns of your life. As I sit here writing this letter I can feel the heat radiating from my face. It’s great. But I guess the most important (and most cliché) thing is to have fun, it really does go by super fast so U b3$t 3nj0y it dawg.
jordyn and haley slocum
the roar | seniors | 11
MuCh LoV3 H0Mi3, Jordyn
taylor, Bryson and clayton bounds KYLEE FAITH, Although it was only one year and a few short moments at a time, I cherished sharing a school with you this year and getting to see you in the hallways. I remember watching Cheaper by the Dozen for the first time and when Hillary Duff said about her sister “There are some days when I want to kill [her], but I would kill for her ANY day” and I thought about how that is exactly how we are. There are some days when I just really don’t want to share my clothes or time but I would share my heart any day. I know that our relationship can only grow and I can hardly wait to compete for the coolest aunt spot and stand next to each other on our wedding days. I love you to the moon and back.
-Hannah
P.S. Dylan you’re cool too, sorry you couldn’t be the chosen one this time. P.P.S. Don’t forget that THEY ALL QUACK ANYWAYS so don’t beat yourself down
HANNAH AND KYLEE RUDDER Hey Stevie! Just three more years until you’re out! Until then, you’re the baby so you’ll be stuck at home alone with just mum and pops. Keep taking apart those computers and exercising your curiosity and imagination – one day, you’ll invent or discover something amazing. If you stay positive, work hard, and do your best, I know you can do anything. Don’t forget to appreciate the good things in life and remember that wherever we end up, I’ll always be here for you.
Love, “Mei-mei”
samantha and steven wang
BRYSON AND CLAYTON:
From everything I’ve learned in high school is to be kind to everyone, even when they aren’t kind to me and other people. And it really does mean everybody. What matters to me is that I’m a good person. I stand up for what is right and for what I believe in, and I try so hard to care for everybody who wants my help with anything I can offer them. I care about the friendships that I made, and what I’ve learned from the friendships that didn’t necessarily last. I care about my family (aka you guys) and I care about being happy and bringing happiness to others. Please know how much strength it took to not write something super embarrassing in this.
With much love, Taylor
12 | seniors | the roar
friday, may 17, 2013
SENIOR SURVEYS 200
What was your favorite year of high school and why?
Garrett Carstens: “Off periods, varsity football, preparing for college.”
150 100 50
Chandler Bowersox: “I got to spend lots of time with friends.”
Ryan Lawrence: “I discovered Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
35
46
51
9th
10th
11th
Suin Youn: “Football and track. I was buff. “
0
FAVORITE BOOKS: 1) The Hunger Games 2) The Great Gatsby 3) 1984
Memorable Places at Consol
all the desks “They were great pillows.” -Janson Soltis
Mr. Hogan: “He taught me how to keep an open mind in life.” -Calli McIntyre Mr. Salerno: “He has love for everyone around him.” -Cooper Svajda
Mr. Faulk: “Faulk helped shape my artistic identity and prepared me for the future.” -Phil Bruxvoort
Impactful teachers
class of
2013 2013 What school rule would you change? “They should change the no fight rule. There should be areas where students can settle things with ...
183
...strength and stamina.” —Patrick Lenz 12th
ADVICE FOR NEXT YEAR’S STUDENTS?
exit doors “Because I like to leave.” -Aaron Cruz
“Don’t sleep in class. Other students will take embarrassing photos.” -Esther Lim
“Run. Run fast.” -David Deng
As a lesson learned from Disney, never forget your innocence. -Gustavo Roman Jr.
theater “It’s where we create new worlds.” -Maddie Becker
favorite teachers from left to right:
Science: Matthew Young Math: Julie Pye Social Studies: Jason Pratt English: Chauncey Lindner Elective: Travis Angel
the roar | seniors | 13
friday, may 17, 2013
Isabel drukker
anne finch
opinions editor
assistant editor
Lack of existential crisis causes concern, distress Plans remain uncertain as graduation approaches
I’ll be spending the next year as a freshman at the University of Rochester. (Knock on wood.) If I were given a free year though, I think I’d spend it rereading The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. I once heard a teacher say that The Catcher in the Rye only makes sense to certain boys confused about certain subjects at a certain time in their life. I read the book to spite him. I didn’t get it. It’s not that I thought it was dumb. I could sense the brilliance, but it was behind a screen that I couldn’t remove. Having asked certain other teachers about it since then, I know why Holden asks where ducks go in the winter, why he wears a red hunting cap and why he uses the word “phony” so much. With all respect to the first teacher, though, I doubt it was my gender that kept me from comprehending Holden’s crisis, more so my own way of life and thought. I’ve had way too much confidence in what I want to do with myself to question what I should currently be doing. I first wanted to become a full-fledged, tweed coat, only-uses-a-typewriter author in the second grade, when I read a book about hot air balloons. Entering high school, I wanted a MacBook Pro, but the basic gist of my dreams was the same, if not having only grown more. As it does to everyone, high school had opened my unwilling eyes to the rest of the world. By my junior year, I had established that I wanted to write, and I wanted to help people, and through books and Microsoft Word, I had begun to take the necessary steps to achieving my goal. But I would still, just really appreciate an existential crisis or something. As New York’s fictional finest, Holly Golightly (from Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote) would say, I’ve never had an existential crisis before. I haven’t had anything threaten my life or make me question what I do, and like the Pulitzer prize winning, all around
super-fly guy, Cormac McCarthy has said, nothing is worth writing or reading if it isn’t about life and death. Nothing has affected me like this, not in the way that I could write a novel about, as far as I know. So, I stick my wet head out the window and hope to catch a crisis. In all seriousness, though, I know this plea means nothing, and not only because my audience is an assortment of teachers, friends, unknown peers and eventually ILPC judges, and not the existential crisis giving gods. What I want can’t be manufactured. Life can’t be learned in a classroom, it can’t really be learned at all, so much as it can only be experienced. I want be impactful and I want it to happen with my writing, such as the way Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn changed so much. I know this much already, but I still have to find what I want to change exactly, and to do that, I have to change and mature myself, perhaps in a way that even rereading The Catcher in the Rye cannot do. Considering this, I guess I won’t run out on my parents, steal a car, take my two dogs and live on Luna bars in Giddings, Texas while working as a waitress at the 290 Grind coffee shop on 173 East Austin Street. (No more hints at how close I was to actually doing that.) Instead, I’ll go to the University of Rochester (knock on wood) and just hope that the year ends with my being different than when it began. I can only spend my time welcoming whatever change the universe gives me and then returning the favor and I can only advise everyone else to do the same. This fall, Isabel will attend the University of Rochester as an English major, where she will deeply regret no longer having to count mountains of surveys. Additionally, she will miss the newspaper staff and the excellent English teachers she has gotten to know through it.
“I’ve had way too much confidence in what I want to do with myself to question I should currently be doing.”
When I was in elementary school, I wanted to be a courtroom lawyer…and save the South American rainforests. In my mind, those two things were connected, though I’m not sure how. I guess I wanted to be like the Lorax, but in suit. When I moved out of my short-lived Save The Earth phase, I decided that teaching was the job for me. This was another miss, because even when I was a kid, I was scared to death of kids. (Children are terrifying. They don’t understand anything but they always look at you like they know something you don’t know. Tell me your secrets, children.) The idea of being a librarian was dropped for roughly the same reason. But that was then. Now I’m about to graduate from high school, I’m an adult in the Wizarding World and I’ll be a legal adult muggle in three months. In August, I’m headed to college at Southwestern University. So what do I want to do with the rest of my life? I’ll let you know when I figure it out. That’s right. I’m the kid who doesn’t know what she wants to do after college— or during college, if we’re being super duper honest. If you’re like me, you’ve grown to resent those kids who already have their lives together, almost as much as adults at social events or family reunions whose first question always seems to be “so now that you’re graduating from high school WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH THE REMAINING SIXTY-ODD YEARS OF LIFE ALOTTED TO YOU, ESPECIALLY THE NEXT FOUR?” (This is hyperbole, but only slightly.) I’ve been in community theatre for eight years, I’m on my school’s newspaper staff, I recently cut off a decentsized portion of my hair, and am completely incapable of crossing my eyes, but does anyone ever begin a conversation by asking me about those things? Nope. (With the exception of the eye-crossing thing, which my dad often uses to introduce me to his coworkers.) I always get the questions about the future, and honestly, it kind of freaks me out. People always say the years immediately after high school will be amazing, and I’m
willing to believe that, if it’s only true by comparison, but as my graduation date approaches, the reality of leaving Consol and College Station is becoming more…real. In my time at Consol I’ve held onto title as The Chick Who Reads All The Time, probably helped by the fact I’ve spent roughly a bajillion hours in the school library. In the last four years I’ve also realized what the big deal with Doctor Who is (siriusly, go watch it right now) befriended people who hate(d) me and dropped twenty pounds. From my backpack. But next semester, I’ll be gone, and so will my library street cred, which I firmly maintain is a thing. And (slightly) more importantly, next year, I won’t have my BVTROUPE family. I won’t have my newspaper family. I won’t have my Interp family. Not in the same city/building, anyway. I realize I’m moving to a different city in Texas and not the moon or Nebraska or someplace ridiculous, but you’re sort of a captive audience (unless you turn the page or put down this paper, which you shouldn’t do because SHAME ON YOU), so bear with me. To all the teachers who’ve put up with me—Wellmann, Williams, Rodriguez, and everyone else—thank you. To my amazing friends who are way cooler than me—Banana, Sara, Claire and every single interper or TROUPEr who might read this—thank you. To everyone reading this— (except for you. You probably don’t know who you are, and I think that’s for the best, but just know I’ve excluded you specifically) — thank you. If you see me next year, ask me what I’m up to. I’ll totally tell you. But compliment my hair first. I guarantee it’ll look pretty cute. Anne is attending the University of Southwestern next year, majoring in English (probably). Next year she’ll miss all the stuff listed above, as well as the awesome posters and people in the newspaper lab.
14 | the roar | seniors
friday, may 17, 2013
rachel kagle
janet ni
executive editor
photography editor
Peculiar friendships cancel out high school blues
Mother’s patience leads to realization of bigger truths
“I can’t wait to get out of here.” “I’m done with high school.” “Can I leave yet?” We’ve all said it. We’ve all thought it. We’ve all counted down to summer, to graduation, to the end of this chapter in our lives. But when it’s all said and done, I’m not sure I’ll feel the same way. Maybe I should have attended a Sadie Hawkins Dance. Maybe I should have taken certain classes. Maybe I should have saved my GPA and not taken others. Maybe I should have tried more. Or less. But I don’t want to be trapped in looking at what I should have and could have done rather than what I did do, so I’d like to take some time to thank those of you who have made my high school experience worthwhile. To the ten most beautiful, hilarious, and strange girls at Consol: Thank you for dealing with me at midnight when I dance in the street with my arms in my sweater, hitting you all with my sleeves. And thank you for being weird with me. Do you remember when we tried to curl a Disney Princess doll’s hair and created a disaster? Or when we cut open a Mexican jumping bean? Or when we drove around town with the horse mask to see how many weird looks we could get? And thank you for letting me read and sometimes write in your spiral in middle school, because if I learned anything in science class – it’s definitely that “Joe Jonas is totes sensi.” To the one that makes me laugh: Thank you for super gluing my pencil to a desk junior year. I can’t think of a better way to become friends with anyone. And thank you for dealing with me when I’m too sad and when I’m too happy and whatever else I am.
I’m Chinese. Now this may come as a shock, but my parents are also Chinese. Mom and Dad grew up in China and moved to Texas about twenty five years ago. That’s when my sister and I came along: the first generation of our family to be born outside of China. In my earlier years, at home, we spoke in Chinese and ate Chinese food, but outside of the house our lives were perfectly American. With time though, that balance shifted. Maybe it was my American schooling or environment in general, but English began to replace Mandarin, and I would have more play dates with my white friends. I can’t place my finger on when I began to notice my mother’s strong accent, or if there ever really was a distinct moment (Dad moved here before my mom did, so his accent is slight compared to hers). Once I got to fifth grade my priority became fitting in with all of my friends, a good portion of which were white. Every week day for eight hours, I would go to school and hear countless accent-free voices, then come home to my mom. Gradually, my mother’s accent began to irritate me, just because it was different. Why doesn’t my mom just talk normally? It’s not that hard, I’d say to myself. In middle school, I started to correct my mom on words she mispronounced severely. It was more of a gentle reminder initially, but I’m an impatient person by nature. Over time I began to get fed up by her slight mistakes, snapping and saying “it’s refrigerator, Mom. Not rifrerator or whatever you’re saying.” I knew that her having an accent was reasonable, growing up in China for three decades. But I would brush that off, because I’d had a bad day and she was frustrating me. By high school, little had changed. A few months ago my mom and I were running errands. The last thing on our shopping list was a flyswatter and we couldn’t find one (seriously, try and think in what aisle you would find a flyswatter). So she said, “Janet, why don’t you go ask one of the workers where it is? I don’t want
To the one who is a lot like me: Thank you for spending too much time in the newspaper lab with me. And for the times we’ve matched with our v-necks and rolled up jeans or run into each other in public, buying food for our vegetarian friends. To the crazy one that makes my bad days better: Thank you for ironing my shirts on every school trip. And thank you for buying a JMU shirt to match me. I won’t thank you for liking random Facebook statuses on my account. To my teachers (especially senior year): Thank you for putting up with my late work, and more often than that – my missing work. Thank you for not hating me when I fall asleep in your class, and for letting me sleep. To my parents: Thank you for always believing in me. Thank you for putting up with me being tired and stressed most of the time. And thank you for encouraging me to take chances and make the most out of my experiences in high school. Maybe I’ve wished too many times to graduate now and maybe I could wait, just a little bit. It’s now May 17, 2013 and time flies. Rachel is attending James Madison University in the fall, majoring in Pre-med. Leaving the Roar, she’s sad to know that she’ll no longer sprint out of school with Devin to make Happy Hour at Sonic to get two Vanilla Dr. Pepper’s- easy on the ice. She’s sad to know that she won’t come back to school for unofficial late nights and that overall, she will no longer be living in the school newspaper lab.
“...I don’t want to be trapped in looking at what I should have and could have done...”
to embarrass you with my accent.” No sarcasm, no accusing tone, just an honest statement. I was so overcome with guilt that I could barely manage a “sure, Mom.” In the years that I’ve berated my mom with snappy remarks on her accent, she has never said a word about it. She’s never pointed the complete hypocrisy in my comments because my Mandarin sounds more like Yiddish. She’s never grounded me in retaliation. She has quietly stood there and taken my cutting words, and continued to do my laundry, pay for my gas, and cook meatloaf for dinner sometimes as a surprise because Janet, it’s your favorite and you seem stressed. And each and every day, she makes sure to say I love you I’m proud of you before I go to school and before I go to bed. Every New Year, I say to myself “this is the year I’m going to stop being so mean to Mom.” But I get aggravated over something trivial the next day and my resolve is broken. Now I find myself with no more years to try and be nice to Mom. I’ve run out of chances, run out of time. In the time that I was seething about a minor verbal slip-up, I could have been watching Ellen with her (her favorite show). I could have been talking about what she wants to do next with her garden. I could have been just chatting with her and I might have realized earlier what a bright, funny person she is. I guess the main message of this little memoir goes to all of you non-seniors. Every teenager is going to snap at their parents (unless you are one of those people who are filled to the brim with patience, which if you are, I salute you). For the rest of us, that whole argumentative stage is just a part of growing up. Even though that’s true, try to remember that when you become an adult and say goodbye to the people who raised you, the way your mom says refrigerator really won’t matter. Janet is attending Rice University in the fall, majoring in architecture. Janet will miss late nights in the newspaper lab with loud music and lot’s of food.
friday, may 17, 2013
devin dakota
Laura everett
the roar | seniors | 15
senior editor
editor-in-chief
Moderation provides enjoyable experience, no regrets
High school reveals unknown distastes
In two weeks, I will cross the stage with the other 650-odd kids in my graduating class. Plenty of them will have “more to show for themselves” with high GPAs, Ivy League schools wanting them, and Summa Cum Laude I’m Super Smart collars around their necks. While I am not going to Harvard or MIT in the fall, I would still consider myself successful. My acceptance into a highly esteemed journalism program more than satisfies any standards I had previously set for myself. Despite this, I measure my success in high school by far more than the 3.whatever I’m going to carry around on my final transcript. Because, if you’ll allow me to indulge in the stereotype, I’m sure many of these Top Ten Percenters have spent countless nights perfecting essays that they wrote two weeks before the deadline and pulling all nighters to study for some physics test when they are already making a 98 in the class. Personally, I’ve never had to come to school with a thermos of coffee and red, tired eyes from pulling an all-nighter. Sure, I’ve cried over grades during the first few years of high school, but then it clicked. I was able to find a balance. Sophomore year, we read John Knowles’ “A Separate Peace.” Over the summer, the characters wreak havoc and the rules become rather bent. In one particular passage, the narrator unapologetically describes how he regretted not taking more advantage of the lack of responsibility he had. Out of all the books you’ll read for English, this passage should be remembered, because high school is indeed the only time in our lives where we will have so many safety nets. So, make the most out of it. Everyone says that, sure, but with reason. You’ll learn far more in high school if you’re not bogged down with grades. You’re not going to “find yourself ” in a chemistry textbook, but you’re certainly going to learn through social interactions and mistakes. Sure, I’ll probably never know physics. (And let’s get real - that’s almost impressive
I hate writing. I hate it. Photography isn’t my passion. I don’t want to be a graphic designer. And the last thing I want to be is a journalist. For the last two and a half years, I have submerged myself in all things journalism at Consol. My involvement on the Newspaper and Yearbook staff has made an enormous impact on my high school career, and I can easily say it was the best thing I did in high school. I’m so thankful for everything I’ve been lucky to learn and experience. I’ve been taught how to interview, write, design, and photograph and be successful doing it. I have mastered programs on the computer that some people don’t even know exist. I’ve been able to talk to people about their passions and goals. I’ve been lucky enough to speak to students from every side of the social spectrum; students who, without my involvement in these staffs, I would have never known existed. My best friends work on these staffs with me. People I never would have spoken to before have become my favorite people at school. They are the people who push me to be better, and the people who calm me down when I’m too stressed from being pushed. I love Newspaper. I love Yearbook. The experiences I’ve had are unforgettable, and I’ve learned so much. The most important thing I’ve learned, though, is that I don’t want to do any of this after high school. Between all the interviews, I’ve managed to realize that I don’t want to write stories as a career. I love knowing how to talk to people, and how to use words to make an impact. I admire people who love it; it’s just not for me. I’ve taken thousands of photos at countless football games, and it’s showed me that I don’t
considering I’ve taken it both junior and senior year.) But, that’s partially because it is the last class of the day and predominantly because I sit next to my best friend, Katie, and quite frankly, who’s going with who to prom is far more important. But is prom really more important than physics? From my parents perspective, definitely not. But, ultimately, at this point in my life, I am better served by talking to Katie about what he-said-she-said than learning Faraday’s laws. There are a couple valid reasons: 1.) after narrowing down my career choices to exclude sciences, I am quite certain I won’t be using physics or calculus on a daily basis, and if for whatever reason I do, god help me; 2.) I’ve got my whole life to learn physics if and when the need presents itself (here’s hoping it doesn’t!), but I’ve only got a few weeks left of high school, only one more high school dance, and only one more class with Katie before we move to separate states. So, yes, paying attention in class and working towards those 4.7 GPAs is important, but not at the cost of missing valuable facets of high school life. While I’m the biggest advocate of scrambling to complete homework at the last minute, I would in no way encourage anyone to completely skive off school. The key is to find that balance without sacrificing moments you can’t get back. So, yes, work hard towards getting into that dream school, but keep in mind that“it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” Because, ultimately, when I look back on high school, I’m going to look through the 13,000+ photos in my iLibrary before I pull out old tests and homework assignments. Laura is attending the University of Missouri in the fall, where she will major in journalism. She will be greatly missed as the Roar’s 2012-2013 editor-in-chief. She herself will miss the newspaper, her unofficial late nights with Rachel and Devin in the newspaper lab and putting things off until the absolute, very last moment. The last part, she admits will probably continue throughout college.
want to view everything from the sideline for the rest of my life. I’ve designed twenty yearbook spreads and seventeen newspaper pages, and I’m beginning to look forward to a future where I can go a day without thinking about picas or fonts. I’ve had an amazing experience in high school. I absolutely love the Yearbook and Newspaper staff. I wouldn’t take being involved back for anything. It was the best way I could have spent my time. I’m most grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to realize that this isn’t my calling. It’s only because of my involvement in these staffs that I know now that I don’t want to do this as a career. Everyone tells you that you should try new things in high school, because you could find an unexpected passion. More than likely, you’re going to learn what you don’t like, that you’ve hated going to stupid Student Council meetings and sitting at cold football games. Don’t be afraid to be negative. High school isn’t all mushy gushy, it isn’t perfect. High school is the last period in your life where time isn’t the most valuable thing you have. Waste your time. Waste your time learning anything and everything possible, get out and be open minded, discover new passions, new interests, have adventures. Most importantly, figure out what you don’t want to do. The minute we walk the stage, we are forced to make decisions; decisions that impact the rest of our lives. Take advantage of high school and cross some things off the endless list of possibilities. Devin will attending the University of North Texas, majoring in Radio/TV/Film. She has truly found a home through newspaper and will miss the immediate friendship she made with everyone on staff.
“Don’t be afraid to be negative.”