Vol 23, Issue 2

THE ROAR NEWS

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1801 HARVEY MITCHELL PKWY. S., COLLEGE STATION, TX 77840 | FRIDAY, NOV. 3, 2017 | VOL. 23 NO. 2 | THEROARNEWS.COM

interaction

Challenging WORKload rewarding overFLOW grades lesson plan tiring SPACE

Increased class sizes lead to necessary, innovative practices drew howerton & jennifer zhan | senior executive editor & editor-in-chief Despite teaching the same amount of AP US History classes, the amount of essays that Bobbi Rodriguez must grade has doubled since last year.

Her class is among one of the largest at Consol this year, with 37 students. Several other classes of similar sizes are all upperclassmen courses, which Dean of Students Christi Cheshire said is intentional.

“As incoming freshman, it’s a whole new world and they have to learn how to learn. If you have more than about 22 or 25 kids it’s really hard for the teacher to get in contact with the kids and really build that relationship,” she said. “Those junior and senior level classes, at that point the students know what they’re doing, they know how to study, so if a teacher can’t get all the way

“large classes” continued on page 3

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38 inthisissue

around the room, then that student is probably going to be okay.”

These large class sizes can present a range of challenges, the most prominent being the amount of effort teachers need to invest in grading.

“In terms of grading, it is a momentous task because in my two classes of AP US History, I have the same number of essays as Mr. Pratt and I did last year in four classes,” Rodriguez said. “It’s hard to get timely feedback, to get all of these essays graded and give them back to students quickly, so it’s pretty intense.”

news pages 2-4

opinions page 5

viewpoints page 6

feature pages 7-11

sports pages 12-13

reviews pages 14-15

brief | the roar

UPCOMING

2 | in

NOV. 2-4 NOV. 10

Performance of Dracula Football @ Rudder Bob Stalling Swimming Invitational NOV. 18 Wrestling @ Cinco Ranch NOV. 6-10 Howdy Week NOV. 17 AMCHS Fall Blood Drive Game Wars NOV. 22-24 Thanksgiving Break

NEWS

friday, nov. 3, 2017

IN THE

Tennis wins fouth consecutive regional championship

Consol defeated Georgetown in the Region III Final on October 31. Senior doubles pairs, Peter Hong and Josh Prochanska and Kylee Markowsky and Hannah Tindall, played well as did singles players senior Mehr Khan, junior Darce Markowsky, and sophomore Joey Tindall.

Consol choir competes in TMEA All-State Choir audition

On September 30, juniors Sam deFigueiredo, Aubrey Hay, Isaac Harris, and Grace Moore qualified for the All-Region Choir after participating in auditions. deFigueiredo, Harris, and Moore will move on to compete in the Pre-Area Auditions on November 4.

Consol Tiger Orchestra students qualify for Region orchestras

During the Consol vs Waco University game, senior Trevor Williams holds the football steady for his teammate, senior Kevin Leonard to kick. PHOTO BY MAYA GIRIMAJI

On October 7, thirty-two A&M Consolidated High School students earned positions in the region orchestras after auditions at Temple High School. Seniors Hannah Chang, Jackson Lacey, Jennifer Zhan, Melissa Yang, and Jackson Derbes; juniors Jennifer Zhou, Corina Ramont, Nicholas Aparicio, Noor Bains, Michelle Wu, Shiva Saravanan, Aimee Deng, Luke Henderson, Arthur Erickson, and Selena Li; sophomores Kathleen Bellon, Eric Gan, Alexander Hilty, Jon Sullivan, and Michael Holtzapple; and freshmen Ruby Perry-Mize, Bill Wang, Celine Choi, Joyce Choi, Zane Krinhop, Dallas Krinhop, Zachary Trenary, Aimee Li, Claire McAdams, Madhu Kannan, Gaston Schweitzer, and Sophia Wu will perform on December 9 at Baylor University.

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the roar | news | 3

friday, nov. 3, 2017

Larger class sizes affect workload, class instruction, student-teacher interaction “large classes” cont. from page 1

As the effort required to take care of grades grows, teachers feel that something else is lost.

“Think about if you had 300 teachers. Are you going to remember their names, especially that one teacher that never talks to you?” Economics teacher Jason Pratt said. “The biggest problem with big classes is not knowing kids. And that bothers me, I like to know kids individually.”

Pratt said that the fact that many of the largest classes at Consol are AP courses can become an issue since AP students seek more discussion with the teacher.

“One of my classes is way behind because they keep having these individual questions and the class is kind of big. There were like 3 [topics] I didn’t even get to,” Pratt said. “They’re asking good questions, but I need to say, ‘come after school and I’ll answer [it]’. And of course that doesn’t make AP kids happy.

But I need to tell them, ‘I don’t have time to answer your question. We’ve got to move on.’”

One-on-one interaction is one of the things that French teacher Maria Houchins, who teaches 32 French I students, misses about smaller groups of students.

“In years past, in a French 1 class, during the course of a class period, I could go around and talk to every student if they were working on an assignment and answer questions,” Houchins said.

“But with a big class, I cannot get to everybody anymore. ” Cheshire said that as a former teacher, she would consider any class over thirty as too large, but that at Consol there are many teachers with the ability to handle larger classes, and in fact, choose to take them on.

“We’ve really been encouraging people to take this class,” Rodriguez said.

“This is a place where I want people to feel welcome. I think even for students who maybe are never going to get a five, there are huge benefits for being in this class, like learning to read and study and time management.”

For that reason, Rodriguez and Pratt openly embraced larger classes and worked with World History teachers in recommending students for their classes.

“Increasing our numbers can make things more complicated, but I would

rather have a student get in here and decide, ‘This is going to be hard, but I think I can benefit from this,’ than have them sitting in an Honors classroom when they could’ve been here,” Rodriguez said.

NOT TOO BIG, NOT TOO SMALL Bigger classrooms have their own advantages as well.

“I kind of view it as more kids to love. I feel like every kid that’s put in my class is put in there for a reason and so if they’re in there, they’re in there,” math teacher Belinda Pruitt, who teaches 31 Pre-Calculus students, said. “I’m happy that they’re in there, it’s fun to get to know more kids. It’s a good thing, I love it.”

Rodriguez said that she’s lucky to have classes where students are ready and willing to learn.

“We do have the benefit of teaching a class where most people want to be here and so I don’t think we see the same challenges we would see if it was a huge class at another level,” Rodriguez said.

“I can’t imagine having a classroom of forty students when more of them are unmotivated.”

Freshman and French 1 student Gabrielle Leoue Ngoko Djomo said that she enjoys big classes because she gets to interact with so many other peers that are interested in the same subjects as her.

“It’s just a larger environment to learn in,” Leoue Ngoko Djomo said. “You make more friends, obviously. And I’m French, so it makes me happy to know that so many people want to learn the French language.”

Moreover, small classes don’t always translate into less work for teachers.

“When you have thirteen students, it is a challenge to get people to talk because even if they would be talkative otherwise, it feels so much more intimidating with so few people, especially if you get thirteen quiet people,” Rodriguez said.

“There definitely is an ideal class size and it’s not tiny.”

Houchins, whose smallest class of the day with only 4 students comes right after her largest, said that even though the transition to a smaller class is relieving, she still prefers a medium-sized class.

“With 20 students, we really get to know each other and kind of feel more like a family rather than a big class of a ton of people,” Houchins said. “There’s a huge difference between 20 and 30.”

LIMITATIONS However, with limited teacher availability, student schedule conflicts, and available resources, the perfect system is not always attainable.

“The computer labs only have twenty four computers. Those rooms could probably hold thirty, so we have to try to find the funds to supply them with what they need so that their classes don’t get so big that they can’t handle them.

Same idea in the science classes,the labs can hold maybe thirty students but not safely,” Cheshire said. “We’ll see what happens as we grow.”

Pruitt agrees that at some point, physical space and student comfort must be taken into account.

“I’ve had classes of 37, 38. I think the limitations come with space,” Pruitt said. “I think for the comfort level for the students, I’m pushing it right now.”

Besides space limitations, ensuring that every student has the materials required for the course can be a challenge. Pratt recalled the difficulties he had when distributing AP US History and Government textbooks after unexpectedly high enrollment in those courses.

“Last year we were way short on textbooks, way short. This year we had APUSH textbooks but we didn’t have Government textbooks,” Pratt said.

“That’s just because so many kids signed up for our class.”

However, Rodriguez said the school administration is always willing to listen to teachers and order necessary resources, which differ depending on curriculum. “[In math] we have our curriculum and it’s just a matter of making copies so [resources] are not really an issue,” Pruitt said. “We have enough calculators for all our kids, so that really isn’t a problem.”

For other courses, sacrifices must be made.

“I know that some students who want to take French cannot take it because I just cannot teach all of them, so they’re either forced to wait until their sophomore year to take it or they are put into a Spanish class instead,” Houchins said.

At the school Pruitt taught at previously, she said it was the norm to teach classes with over 30 students.

“They hired a floating teacher that floats from conference period to conference period and so you can fit in

some more classes that way that could open up more sections,” Pruitt said. “And since there were only so many rooms, one teacher did roam around.”

FUTURE OPTIONS Cheshire said Consol is considering such solutions for the future.

“We would definitely need to hire more teachers at some point, I think we’ve got enough cushion right now and we could probably make it work,” Cheshire said. “The problem is that we run out of rooms.”

Another possible solution is putting more people in the classroom, such as grading aides or co-teachers, to take some of the pressure off of teachers.

“I know there are also a few cotaught classes here and they’ve been extremely successful,” Houchins said. “I don’t even know what that would be like, but I would imagine that it would be really, really helpful.”

Pratt said that both he and Rodriguez have gotten close to achieving a cooperative teaching method with their decision to alternate Government and Economics. However, he believes that the method is most effective when both teachers are in the same classroom.

“She would teach and we could go back and forth, and I could help her on [Government] and she could help me, that’s the best thing to do,” Pratt said. “There’s a lot of schools that have cooperating teachers that teach side by side. It’s actually a really effective classroom, we just don’t do that here.”

Until permanant solutions are found, teachers and students must continue to be understanding and work together.

“Students tend to give me incredible grace. I try to do the same but let’s not pretend that students don’t forgive me when it takes me a little long to get their essays back,” she said. “I stay up really late and grade. I get a lot of grace from the students and other teachers.”

Ultimately, Pratt believes that the benefits of large classes outweigh the challenges when he remembers his mission as a teacher.

“I want to teach every kid in this school,” Pratt said. “I want every kid to have a high-quality, high-intense thinking class. The downside is you have less individuality and discussion, but I like big classes because I want to have an impact on and engage with every kid.”

4 | news | the roar

friday, nov. 3, 2017

Back to school

Teachers pursue further education, experience challenges, understanding of subject kaleigh waguespack | staff reporter Some students want nothing more than to be done with their education and continuous workload; however, several faculty members not only teach but are also taking classes to further their own education.

“Time management has become really important,” video game design teacher Patrick Powell said. “I would get all my stuff done at work and then I go home and have thirty minutes to an hour to unwind and then I’m doing homework until class starts everyday.”

By furthering his education in the field he teaches, Powell also hopes it might later provide additional job opportunities. However, physics teacher Ryan Cote believes that getting another degree will simply benefit himself in his own job.

“I didn’t want to do something just to have a masters degree,” Cote said. “This is specifically about teaching physics which is what I do everyday.”

For Cote, it’s not all about getting a second degree to go places and do different things. It’s more about learning something he is passionate about and willing to spend time on.

“Pursuing another degree has made me think more

read

deeply about the physics topics that I teach,” Cote said.

“It’s made me better at teaching physics for sure.”

Both Cote and Powell believe that continuing an education in the subject they teach are important and helpful in doing their job everyday.

“I’m getting this degree to further my own knowledge in video game design,” Powell said. “Anytime

three hours doing stuff.”

Just like Powell, it’s difficult for Cote, to balance everything from staying up to complete homework, to taking time to spend with his family.

“I have two kids as well so I just have to plan everything out a lot better,” Cote said. “I have to be really good about time management.”

For AP Physics teacher, Michelle Jedlicka, time management also consists of doing homework at any given chance possible.

“I tend to do school in the nooks and crannies where it fits,” Jedlicka said. “It’s not so much the work in school that gets me, but the fact that I have to drive my kids to their different activities makes it difficult.”

Jedlicka finds it challenging to finish her own school work while also having several different responsibilities, however she manages to get it all done to further her own education. Although Powell does not yet have the responsibility of being a parent, he agrees with Jedlicka that his own education is critical.

“It’s always important to continue your education no matter what,” Powell said. “You should always be striving to learn something new.”

“Pursuing another degree has made made me better at teaching physics for sure.” physics teacher RYAN COTE

that I’m not doing stuff for Consol is spent doing stuff for my program.”

Finding time to do school work is not always the easiest thing for Powell to do. Balancing both work done as a student and life at home is a challenge for him.

“My classes actually start at 9 p.m. and go till midnight,” Powell said. “[My wife] goes to bed about the time I’m going to class and then I’m still up for another

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friday, nov. 3, 2017

facing reality

kaleigh waguespack staff reporter

Mother’s illness teaches endurance October was never a significant month to me, even if I looked forward to gathering candy on Halloween or decorating the house with fall decor. It only took one word to change not only my perspective on the month, but also my entire life.

Cancer.

My mother was diagnosed with DCIS, an early stage of breast cancer that would eventually develop completely into breast cancer.

I was familiar with the word at an early age. When I was about six years old, my grandfather lost his battle to colon cancer. As I sat with my family in the somber pews during the funeral, tear after tear rolled down my cheeks.

My grandfather played an extremely important role in my life. He would always go out of the way to make our family happy and made it very evident that he loved us all so much. Ever since that day, cancer has scared me because it took someone that I love so much away from me. I was terrified to think that “cancer” could come back again and take someone else that I love so much. For the next twenty four hours I was haunted by the word.

Cancer. Cancer. Cancer.

It was like someone standing behind me was whispering it in my ear and never letting me forget. I couldn’t even escape from the word in my sleep.

Every single emotion built up inside of me as I layed there hopeless and helpless. Tears started to slowly work their way from my eyes as I pondered over the thought of my mother overcoming cancer.

The dreadful, gloomy week went on as the the word cancer uneasily settled in. Each day went by slower than they day before. The waiting game was only partially complete, however surgery was approaching faster than I had expected.

Cancer.

Family came into town and the seriousness of the situation became appar-

ent. It was the day before my mother’s surgery. I was more scared than she was herself. Person after person stopped by to talk, drop off food, and send their luck. Eventually the steady flow of people slowly trickled to a stop until no one was left. Reality was in full force now.

Cancer.

It was time for her to kill the cancer, not let the cancer kill her.

Unfortunately, I had to be in school the next day. I found myself absentmindedly watching the clock tick throughout the day. Time crept by at snail-speed. All I could think about was how my mom was doing, if the surgery was going good, and when I would finally get to see her. When the last bell rang, relief washed over me. I rushed to my car and headed straight to the hospital to visit my mom. I entered the room there she was sitting up in bed as she talked with my grandparents. She saw me enter and immediately smiled, in return I greeted her with the biggest hug ever. Her smile radiated and lit up the whole room that evening and before long I had to tell her goodbye.

Cancer.

Hearing that my mom had cancer was the last thing I ever wanted to hear.

I never knew how she did it. She persevered through one of the most difficult times in her life and in the process, she acted like her world never skipped a beat. She showed me that even in the worst circumstances, I can endure anything with faith.

Cancer.

I never thought that a word so small could contain so much power. Cancer is strong, but my mother is stronger.

Want to talk about family obstacles together? Contact Kaleigh at the.roar. waguespack@gmail.com.

the roar | opinions | 5

For almost all of my life, I lived in a small town called Paint Rock in West Texas. A teacher once told me that “it’s full of nothing but landfills and desert.”

For me it was so much more than that. It was where I went to school and walked around at 3 in the morning without having to worry about my safety. Most importantly it was home and the only place I truly knew. My whole world crashed down on top of me the day I was told my family was moving to some college town in East Texas called College Station.

I was very against moving to say the least. In two weeks, I was supposed to start my high school year at a school I had gone to all my life with all my friends. Instead, I would have to go to a school filled with unknown people. I did not want to leave my home just because of my dad’s job. The only possible solution was to convince my parents to let me live with one of my friends, but I knew that conversation would end badly. So, in the end, I began reluctantly packing my belongings and texting my friends the tragic news.

Hanging out with my best friend for the last time was one of the worst things I had to do. We both started crying as I left.

It was almost as bad as having to drive for an hour while sobbing the whole time.

When we finally stopped at a gas station and my mom saw me squalling, she let me ride with her. I could only drive a total of 1 hour out of the whole trip.

By the time we finished moving, school was already three days in. When I walked through the front doors of the school for the first time, I longed to be home. Not to my new apartment, but my home that was now eight hours away. I knew after going to such a small school all my life that I was going to have to adapt to such a big school, I just didn’t anticipate on how much. During my first week of school I got lost over a dozen times, cried twice as much, and got in trouble because I was out of dress code.

tessa matthews staff reporter

I felt like such an outsider. The only ray of light in my day was getting to go home and be by myself in my own room.

Eventually my wounds from moving turned into scars as days went to weeks, months and years. I finally accepted something my mom had told me since the 7th grade. She used to tell me, “Not everyone you’re friends with now you will be friends with in the future.

Some you may never see again after high school.” I hated it when she told me that.

I didn’t want it to be true, but I learned the hard way the truth hurts. From the people in my hometown, I only keep in contact with my best friend and one other person but even then we only talk on occasions.

Now I am to my senior year, I have been reflecting on my past. I have learned to appreciate my parents uprooting me from where I was. I believe many good things have come from it. I definitely would not be the same person I am today if I would not have moved. I have experienced so many things here that don’t happen in a town with about 290 residents and a 1A school. I have learned to adapt to very dramatic changes fairly quickly and easily. I have had a bigger academic opportunity here than if I would have stayed at my old school.

I think about the person I would be if I never moved. Would I be as meek and antisocial as I was? Would I have still had the same friends or would something had happened that drove us away? Honestly, I don’t want to know the answer to any of these questions. I am happy with the person I have become. I can only hope my friends would be happy with who I am today.

Want to talk about the struggles of moving together? Contact Tessa at the. roar.matthews@gmail.com.

new beginnings Moving leads to difficulties, benefits

6 | viewpoints | the roar

friday, nov. 3, 2017

is “taking a knee” a fair way to protest? the roar’s consensus ment spurred a reaction of over 200 players sitting or kneeling during the anthem.

NFL players should find another way to protest police brutality and racial inequality because their actions have directed the attention away from the actual issue at hand. These actions have instead resulted in debates on whether or not kneeling during the pledge is respectful towards the country rather than focusing on fixing police brutality and racial inequality.

High profile athletes have every right to use their standing and platform to bring about social justice, but there may be other effective means of accomplishing this same goal rather than kneeling during the national anthem.

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The Roar is produced by the Advanced Journalism class at A&M Consolidated High School, 1801 Harvey Mitchell Parkway S., College Station, Texas, 77840. The opinions expressed are those of the writers and are not reflective of the administrators, faculty or staff of the College Station Independent School District.

Submissions to the editors are welcomed but must be signed and should not exceed 300 words. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions in the interest of clarity and length or to not print a letter at all. Letters containing obscene or libelous material will not be considered.

“I think kneeling is fair because evThe Roar is a member of the Interscholastic League Press eryone has the freedom of speech and Conference (ILPC), the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). the players have the right to a peaceful The Roar is a winner of the CSPA Gold Crown, the 1997, 1998, protest just like any of us would.“ 2000-2016 ILPC Award of Distinguished Merit, the CSPA Gold Medal Award, the NSPA All-American distinction and 2005, 2014, junior patrick quinn 2016 ILPC Bronze Star and 2007-2013 , 2015, and 2017 Silver Star.

College Station Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex or handicap in providing education services. Monica Jones, Director of Human Resources, 1812 Welsh, College Station, Texas 77840 (979-7645412) has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements ofTitle IX. Molley Perry, Executive Director of Special Services, 1812 Welsh, Suite 120, College Station, Texas 77840 (979-764-5433) has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

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In 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat and later kneeled during the National Anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality. This season, numerous NFL players other professional athletes have adapted the same form of protest.

These protests have resulted in mixed reactions. Some support it because taking a knee is quietly and peacefully raising awareness for racial injustice. Yet, some see it as disrespectful not only of the U.S. flag but of the military, veterans, and the National Anthem itself. Many view this act as unpatriotic.

President Donald Trump spoke on this debate on September 24, 2017, requesting owners of the NFL teams to fire any players who take part in this form of protest. This state-

The Roar 2017-2018 Staff Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Senior Exec Editor Online Editor Opinions Editor Section Editors Staff Reporters

Jennifer Zhan Maya Girimaji Drew Howerton Olivia Conway Sam de Figueiredo Sueji Han Tessa Matthews Kaleigh Waguespack

Faculty Adviser Assistant Adviser

Michael Williams Chauncey Lindner

The Roar Editorial Board Jennifer Zhan • Maya Girimaji • Sam de Figueiredo

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Social media went ablaze following Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem. The intended effect was to draw attention to inequality issues, but the timing of the protest begs a controversial question: Is kneeling during the anthem a sign of disrespect or is it merely a high-profile way to protest?

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, but I think there are other ways to protest that don’t disrespect the men and women who fight for our country in the process.”

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junior abby cotter

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the roar | snapshots | 7

friday, nov. 3, 2017

skin deep

Permanent body art serves as constant reminder of connection to faith, family drew howerton senior executive editor When senior Dany Gonzales landed in Las Vegas, she knew that she wanted to remember her trip forever. She decided to commemorate her visit with a tattoo.

“I’ve never been to Vegas before and I thought I probably wouldn’t be back in Vegas for a while,” she said. “So it would be cool if I left with a tattoo.”

Gonzales initially didn’t have a design in mind; she simply walked into the tattoo parlor on a whim.

“I thought of the design on my way to the tattoo parlor, I was at the bus station,” she said. “It wasn’t something I had planned for years, I decided while I was on the way there.” The final product, ocean waves above the word ‘Balance’ inscribed on her wrist, was meant to honor her mother.

“I got ocean waves for my mom because that’s her place to go when she’s not feeling well and in her honor,” Gonzales said. “Then, I got balance because just as the ocean has high tides and low tides, in life there’s going to be high moments and low moments but it’s all about finding your balance in the middle of the two.”

For fine arts teacher Marissa Pena, her tattoos serve as reminders to follow her faith. Her two tattoos, the words ‘Walk by Faith’ on her foot and the word ‘Beloved’ in Greek on her wrist, both relate to her strong Christian beliefs.

“I’ll always have my faith regardless of what life throws at me. The one on my wrist just reminds me of how loved I am

by God, my family, and my friends,” Pena said. “They’re just little reminders to myself.”

Conversely, senior Abby Medina chose you must be her tattoo to commemorate her new18 or older to found adulthood. Medina had get a tattoo in her tattoo done the day Texas after her eighteenth birthday.

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the price of tattoos can range from $50-$300 per hour

the FDA advises to always investigate tattoo parlors before getting inked

photo of Abby Medina by drew howerton

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“It makes me feel like an adult, it’s like something you can only do as an adult,” Medina said. “Also, I like the idea of art on my body and how it’s going to be there forever, I like the permanency.”

Medina’s tattoo, a stylized rose surrounded by green leaves, takes up a large portion of her left shoulder and can be hidden by clothes. Although she initially wanted it on her ribs, pain “was a factor in deciding”.

“I always liked the idea of placement on my back, it can be easily hidden but it can take up a large surface area of my body,” she said. “I thought about getting it on the front of my body on my shoulder, on my ribs but ribs are the most painful place to get a tattoo.”

But while the process can be time consuming and painful, Medina believes that it was not as painful as she previously thought.

“First they do the outline, they draw it up for you and stain it with a temporary tattoo on your body in purple ink and they do the outline,” Medina said. “It took about four hours and the bulk of the time was coloring and shading. Of course, the shading was more painful than the outlining. It didn’t hurt as much as people say it does.”

Before getting inked, both Medina and Gonzales made sure they had their parents blessing. “[My mom] never said no because she’s usually like ‘It’s your body, do whatever you want to, I’m not going to stop you,” Gonzales said. “When I asked her if I could do it, she told me to think about it. She was never against it.”

Unlike Gonzales, Medina’s parents were a bit more uncertain. “[My parents] were very weird about it. They’re just not tattoo people, a lot of the people in my family have tattoos but my parents don’t,” Medina said. “They weren’t angry by any means because they respect that it’s my body. They respect that I didn’t get anything super weird and my mom actually thought it looked pretty.”

When Pena was hired by the school district, she was initially unsure how her tattoos would be received in a professional environment.

“I wore a band-aid over it because I wasn’t sure what the policy was and I was afraid to ask. I saw another teacher who had something similar on her wrist. That’s small, not distracting,” Pena said. “If they’re larger, they need to be covered up but some people don’t even realize I have it until I point it out.”

Despite the common stigma that those with tattoos will regret their decision, Gonzales believes that her tattoo will mean something to her for years to come.

“It means something to me. I think if I had gotten something pointless, in a couple years I would regret it,” she said. “Since I got it in honor of my mom, and because it’s a life lesson that I’ll use my whole life, I won’t regret it.”

photo of dany gonzales by drew howerton

8 | student

life | the roar

ONE TWO STEP ODISSI

When she was just five years old, junior Avha Mohanty was approached by a college student who offered to teach her an Indian form of dance called Odissi.

Odissi originated in Odisha, the state in India where Mohanty’s family is from. It portrays different stories and aspects of gods in Hinduism through curves, making it more feminine, unlike most Indian classical dances. During the performance, the dancer squats and never straightens their arms.

“There’s a set of different movements that I had to learn before I could actually start dancing,” Mohanty said. “When I got those down, the first dance I learned was called the Mangalasherun which is called the “Welcoming Dance”. [In Odissi] we start by doing dances that involve body movements and not much facial expressions. Then we start doing dances called Abhinayas. And you have to use the face more than the body.”

Mohanty does group and solo performances.

Recently she had her Manch Pravesh, a two-hour public performance the student puts on when they graduate and can teach dance.

“I was really nervous [but] it’s easier to perform in front of large audiences because [I] can’t see individual faces,” Mohanty said. “Even though [people] are not judging, it looks like they are because they’re not smiling. But it went well.”

friday, nov. 3, 2

Students find

maya girimaj managing e

BA

Juniors Darce Mar soon as they step in the Both students take who has been learning since she was 10, both p “At a showcase we meal. We eat and then the middle is the actual The diversity of ba range of dance, but also “Ballroom dancing most memorable part summer,” Smith said. “ dancing and help them in the process.”

Along with trainin on the soccer field.

“Soccer and dance learned how to work w

The Manch Pravesh wasn performing under immense p school, she auditioned for “Am with a small group from her d “The actual dancing part us because usually our dances and we had to fit an entire pro minutes,” Mohanty said. “The dancing, though. It was the ex Mohanty, a swimmer and confidently says that no other strictness of Odissi.

“When I went to India [fo was not like America,” Mohan aren’t afraid to tell exactly wha not going to sugarcoat it. I don taught me discipline as much Her hard work is the reas recently won an international and has won several other com intensity of Odissi hasn’t weak for the sport.

“It definitely gets hard. So are really difficult and long. So enjoyable,” Mohanty said. “Bu work. And that’s why I plan on future and maybe even teach.”

the roar | student life | 9

, 2017

joy, meaning in practicing unconventional forms of dance

ji & sam de figueiredo editor & opinions editor

ALLROOM

At a first glance, they seem like polar opposites- a studious swimmer, a small tennis player, a fashionable basketball player and a tall soccer player.

However, these Consol students are similar in more ways than meets the eye.

They share a passion and love for a graceful sport: dance.

Through their unique styles of dance, they have learned priceless morals that they apply to all aspects of their life.

rkowsky and Noah Smith are ferocious athletes, but as e spotlight, their aggression transforms into grace. e lessons through dance teacher Susan Quiring. Smith, g for a year, and Markowsky, who has been learning perform at Quiring’s annual dance showcase. dance at the beginning, then we have a three course dance and then eat and dance,” Markowsky said. “In l showcase. It’s open for anyone.” allroom dancing not only allows students to learn a o teaches Markowsky and Smith lifelong skills. ng has taught me a lot about formal etiquette. [The of my dance] was helping at an etiquette camp this “I got to see other people my age discover ballroom m grow to become better dancers and enjoy themselves

ng Smith to learn etiquette, dance has helped Smith

e both deal with collaboration,” Smith said. “I’ve really with others to be successful.”

n’t Mohanty’s first time pressure. In middle merica’s Got Talent” dance company. was very different for s are 20 minutes long oduction into two biggest part wasn’t the xperience.” d former ballerina, sport compares to the

or some lessons] it nty said. “The teachers at is wrong and they’re n’t think anything has as Odissi has.” son for her success. She dance competition mpetitions as well. The kened the love she has

ome of the dances ometimes it’s just not ut that’s part of the hard n continuing in the ”

Markowsky also agrees that her sport and ballroom dancing are closely connected.

“I can actually relate a lot of things from tennis to dance,” Markowsky said. “For example, the quickstep is really fast so we need to have stamina and control, just like tennis.”

Although the sports are similar in many ways, they present different challenges.

“I have to keep my fray, which means I’m looking towards the audience, ” Markowsky said. “It freaks me out because I don’t like looking at people when I dance.”

The complexity of the routines keeps the performances energetic and exciting.

“It’s not a ‘boring, old-fashioned, useless thing for adults’ that many people see it as. It’s actually quite fun and enjoyable if you’re open to learning new things,” Smith said. “I hope to continue dancing as much as I can.”

Smith doesn’t see himself pursuing a career in dance in the future, but he appreciates the uniqueness of the sport.

“Dance is about expressing yourself while having fun and building relationships with your partners,” Smith said. “It’s not only a sport; it’s a form of art.”

Senior Francisca Rosales grew surrounded by Latin dancing, but it wasn’t until she was nine that she began seriously dancing herself.

“I’m in this dance group called Salsa Fusion. My sister was in it when she was in college, and I want to be in it when I’m in college,” Rosales said. “I’ve made friends with everyone on the team. Even though there’s an age difference, there isn’t any separation between us.”

Rosales’ sister and the rest of her family first encouraged her to get involved in Latin dancing.

“My mom and my dad love to dance and they have always listened to Spanish music,” Rosales said. “I got interested [in dancing] when I learned that Spanish music has some meaning and it goes with [a] certain dance.”

Rosales dances all types of Latin dance, including salsa, bachata, and merengue. To polish each routine, she has to attend rigorous dance practices. “[Practice is] repetitive. It’s constant.

You’re doing steps over and over,” Rosales said. “You have to perfect every move because the teams are really strict about moving as one. It’s really hard.”

Despite the long amount of time spent refining each movement, rehearsals can sometimes result in accidents involv

LATIN

ing other dancers.

“Keeping up with someone that’s really good is hard because they lead you,” Rosales said. “One time, someone was turning me and I was scared I was going to fall, then I elbowed him straight in the face.”

Although the practices are eventful and fast-paced, the group makes sure to keep them inclusive.

“You see old people and college kids.

Everybody does their own thing at the same time,” Rosales said. “I really like that because there’s people teaching other people to dance before they turn down the lights and start the party.”

Rosales enjoys spending weekends performing with the group, but she feels that dancing is deeper than flashy performances and late Saturday nights.

“It’s not what [dance] means for me, it’s more of what it represents to me,” Rosales said. “It represents me, it represents my culture, my family, it represents my relationship with my sister.

It’s really special to me.”

10 | feature | the roar

Extra specialties

friday, nov. 3, 2017

Teachers pursue unique activities outside school

olivia conway | online editor Contrary to popular belief, teachers actually do have lives outside of the classroom.

Social studies teacher Jason Pratt spends his free time practicing and playing music with his band, Astrochimp.

“I play drums, I play guitar, I play bass, I sing, I play trumpet, I play bagpipes, and I enjoy playing the recorder,” Pratt said. “We play heavy rock, doom rock is what you would probably call it. It’s mostly covers but we’re working on some originals.”

While hardcore rock may seem like a far cry from teaching, Pratt managed to combine his love for his subject with his passion for music.

“Astrochimp is a US History reference,” Pratt said.

“We sent a monkey named Ham to space and called him the Astrochimp.”

Science teacher Chad Bronowski also discovered a connection between his teaching and his enjoyment of pottery. His interest was piqued when a teacher pointed out the connections between pottery and science.

“I did a pottery unit in my last district where the kids learned how to make a bowl and then in chemistry we talked about formulating the glazes,” Bronowski said. “I think [art and science] go hand in hand because

a long time ago, you had to be an artist to do science.”

Similarly, Spanish teacher Linda Bendiksen also found parallels between her job as a teacher and her hobby of competing in trivia competitions, which she has been hooked on since she discovered it while instructing a gifted and talented program “You’re constantly learning more because you’re constantly filing away more information that you didn’t know, and as a teacher you always want to be learning,” Bendiksen said. “[It’s also a] huge stress reliever, because ultimately at the end of the day it is trivial. But at the same time you feel like you’re doing something vital.”

The other teachers also attest to the calming powers of having a hobby outside of school.

“I’m a perfectionist and pottery has helped me let go of that a little bit,” Bronowski said. “My brain shuts off and stops going a thousand miles an hour and it’s just relaxing and soothing.”

For English teacher Ryan Goodwyn, it’s extreme sports challenges like swimming the English Channel, competing in the Ironman triathlon, and biking across Texas that allow him to overcome self-doubt and fear.

“I break down and cry [after finishing] every time.

I cried when we got to my grandparents’ house on the

bike ride, I cried at the finish line of every triathlon, I cried crawling out of the English Channel,” Goodwyn said. “It’s because that thing scared the heck out of me and then I did it anyways and that feels really good [I’ve learned] that I’m stronger than I think I am and that maybe I’m not the loser that I sometimes think I am.”

Trivia competitions have also helped Bendiksen improve her self-esteem. “ I think it gives me [an opportunity to] feel like I’m winning at something and [that] I can do something really well,” Bendiksen said.

Pratt enjoys music for similar reasons in that it offers him the unique opportunity to express himself. “[Performing is] just a blast [because] you can be nuts and goofy,” Pratt said. “I love firing crowds up, you could even play a terrible song, but if you get them all fired up it doesn’t matter.”

Due to the benefits of participating in these hobbies outside of school, all four teachers would recommend them to others.

“It’s a blast, everybody should do it,” Pratt said.

“More kids should do it. Pick up an instrument and rock, [or] grab some drums and slap the skins.”

the roar | feature | 11

friday, nov. 3, 2017

Out of state transfer students reflect on educational changes, regional differences tessa matthews | staff reporter

IL

NY

PA

Moving deep into the heart of Texas from other areas of the United States has led several students to a state of shock...culture shock, that is.

“Most of [my former] school [was] upper class and Jewish,” senior Max Carrino, who moved from New York his junior year, said.

“When you live around those kinds of people and then you come down here where it’s predominantly Christian and [is a] very traditional part of the country, it’s a little unexpected.”

Not all places in the United States feel strongly about school pride and where they live like Texans do.

“There is so much pride [in] the whole culture with Aggies,” senior Michelle Pappoe, who moved from Illinois at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, said. “We didn’t really have that where I lived.”

Moving to a new, diverse place can mean leaving behind people that are held close to the heart.

“I really miss my close friends,” senior Casen Connell, who moved to Texas his freshman year, said. “ I feel like the friendships I made there are going to last forever. One of my friends ended up having a kid and they call me uncle Casen which feels really nice.”

However, there are positives to a new start.

“I could be whoever I wanted and be in any of the so-called cliques I wanted to but I chose not to be in any specific one and just be friends with everyone,” Connell said.

Starting friendships is part of moving schools but adapting to the new environment is part of it as well.

“I feel like the Texas schooling is more

thought out and detailed than it was in Illinois.

Here everything is so new and I have to get used to the way things work,” Pappoe said.

Because of the diverse way that subjects are taught, Texas schooling has had a positive effect on Carrino.

“I think [moving] improved my academic scores in a positive way,” Carrino said. “I feel like classes are a lot easier here and because of that I am reaping the benefits.”

Schools do have their faults, but they also have great strengths.

“You have an opportunity to choose more electives [here] and you can learn more about things you like to do outside of the core classes,” Pappoe said.

Although class opportunities vary from school to school, the biggest variety of classes seems to be in the Lone Star State.

“I like that there are more extracurricular [classes],” Carrino said. “My old school had a film studies club but it’s nothing compared to what it is here and [audio/video production] is my passion, it’s what I want to do.”

Classes are very diverse in Texas when comparing them to other states.

“We didn’t have a state history class,” Connell said. “It’s incorporated into the [other history] classes. We would visit Independence Hall and The Liberty Bell for field trips.”

All in all, the Texas way and opportunities can be underestimated until it is experienced firsthand.

“I thought it was going to be less diverse but I was absolutely wrong,” Carrino said.

“I would say it’s going from a homogeneous school to a more diverse school. I think people judge books by its cover. It’s easy to do but you really have to figure things out for yourself .”

A NEW STATE OF MIND

12 | sports | the roar

no train, no gain

friday, nov. 3, 2017

Trainers build relationships with athletes, acquire skills for future professions maya girimaji | managing editor

will understand everything behind the things that we do. But it’s not fully required,” Pfeiffer said. “[To join] just come in and fill out a little sheet and then start working practice with us and we’ll see how they fit in.”

A football player lies on the ground, clutching his shoulder and screaming in Once a trainer has joined, Pfeiffer said that they’re incorporated into the group agony. While everybody in the stands quiets down and watches anxiously, others run pretty quick. Because the players rely on them, the trainers quickly learn who’s who, out onto the field, the voices that calm the player lying on the ground. They’re the what they need and why they’re in the training room. ones who pop the shoulder back in place and convince the player that he isn’t dying.

Being a trainer is time consuming, demanding 20 They’re the athletic trainers. hours a week from the trainers. But [that freshman] “We tape everyone and we have to set up said that all of it is worth it because they get to help the the sidelines [in the fall semester]. We set up the players and make sure that they can do what they’re benches, fill ice coolers and bottles [and] get the passionate about. kits ready. We’ll take care of blood,” junior Molly “It’s really hard doing honors classes with this Pfeiffer said. “Our job is to run out to them on because most of us take honors classes on top of being timeouts and get to them as quick as we can. a trainer.

There’s always papers and books that we have At halftime we’ll give them food and drinks to junior to read [for this class]. I go to sleep around 2 in the refuel them. After the game we have to clean up morning every day because of it,” Tatiana Woods said. everything on our side and the visiting side.”

MOLLY PFEIFFER “But building a relationship with the athletes is the best During the fall semester, the trainers work part. They’re like a second family.” football. This consists of going to every single

Many of the trainers plan on continuing this in game, practice and morning treatment. In the spring semester, the trainers pick the the future.

Zachary hopes to go to Texas A&M and then become a trainer professport they want and spend the whole season with it. sionally.

Pfeiffer wants to be a trainer and a strength and conditioning coach. The In order to become a trainer, freshman Zachary [last name] said that it is imrelationships they built and their experiences have shown them the excitement of portant to show initiative and go to varsity games to help even before entering high being an athletic trainer. school.

“Everybody is really funny. We just get along,” Pfeiffer said. “And even if we “Last year I was in middle school and I didn’t want to do football. One of the don’t get along, the next day we’ll start anew.” coaches said that there’s trainers over at the high school [and asked if] I wanted to help out at game,” Zachary said. “I went and I liked it. I enjoyed the atmosphere.”

While most of the trainers started working in the summer before ninth grade, it isn’t the only way to become a trainer. Pfeiffer said that one great way to learn about what trainers do is to take Sports Medicine I. “It will help to take sports medicine first because [the new trainers]

“We’ll take care of blood. Our job is to run out to them on timeouts and get to them as quick as we can.”

PHOTO BY JENNIFER ZHAN

the roar | sports |13

friday, nov. 3, 2017

holding Court PHOTO BY SUEJI HAN

Varsity, JV volleyball players reflect on triumphant season, appreciate team dynamic sueji han | section editor

“It’s fun because you are playing at a higher level because the pace [in varsity] is faster,” McCorkle said. “My best friend is the setter on varsity and so I [have the opUndefeated in district play and planning a deep run in the playoffs, the volleyball portunity] to play with her.”

Compared to the previous years, Kazmierski thinks this group is special in team already has a great deal to be proud of this season, including a sweep of CSHS. “[Varsity] beat them [College Station High School] twice this year, last year we finding their way to success.

“This group is very balanced, we rely on a lot of different kids to get their jobs only beat them once,” volleyball coach Jennifer Kazmierski said. “It was an emotional done to be successful,” Kazmierski said. “We win especially the first one at their place, it rehave kids that are extremely talented but they ally motivated [them] and built [up their] conare humble, they know that they always have fidence.” something better to work on so I think they are Kazmierski thinks that due to the girls’ doing a good job.” hard work in offseason and their consistency While most seniors will not be continuing throughout the season they were able to be volleyball coach volleyball in college, senior McKenzie Dimery successful in placing first in district.The playhas committed to a junior college, Seward ers on both varsity and junior varsity were also JENNIFER KAZMIERSKI County. Her high school career has taught her excited about their wins against CSHS. an important lesson.

Senior Sydney Green attributes the team’s “Don’t take everything for granted besuccess to their leadership.

“The upperclassmen need to try and build stronger relationships with the people cause you are going to have games where you mess up,” Dimery said. “All of the [games that are younger because they sometimes feel excluded,” Green said. “It’s really impor- are] going to come to an end eventually so just live in that moment of that game and it will be alright.” tant that you try to build them up and encourage them.”

Kazmierski finds it exciting for the seniors after all the hard work that they have To help improve the player’s skills and become more competitive, joint practices put in during their years in high school. are often held.

“It’s nice to see them putting a stamp on their senior year and leaving a legacy here “[Varsity] is very kind [to] us and it’s not that they are very open to us coming [in and] practicing with them,” sophomore Addie Wright said. “They want us to learn and of success,” Kazmierski said. “[Ever] since I met them, they have always talked about act like we are on their team too, they don’t act like they have a higher place [than us].” wanting to win district and going to state and so I think it’s awesome to see them being Sophomore Sydney McCorkle finds excitement in being able to practice with the able to create that for themselves.” varsity.

“This group is very balanced, we rely on a lot of different kids to get their jobs done to be successful.”

14 | review | the roar

friday, nov. 3, 2017

the roar reviews: apps, extensions designed to improve productivity Sleep Better sueji han section editor

Ratings & Reviews

3

Blink

Qapital

jennifer zhan editor-in-chief

drew howerton senior executive editor

Ratings & Reviews

4

Ratings & Reviews

5

out of 5

out of 5

out of 5

Tap to Rate:

Tap to Rate:

Tap to Rate:

I reviewed Sleep Better. The interesting features is that after every night of sleep, you are able to select the mood you are in after a night worth of sleep and whether or not you had dream and whether the dream was happy, scary or had no dream at all. Also if the setting of your sleep changes there are a couple options to pick from before like you worked out or had a stressful day.

I personally like it that it’s able to give me an exact percentage on how much sleep I got and the severity of the sleep. I also thought that the moon phase analysis is interesting because then it shows the percentage of how much more sleep someone can get, and the chances of getting better sleep. Depending on how many hours of sleep I got, it helped me decide what times were the best for me to sleep so that I wouldn’t just lie awake in bed for hours. I’m a bit picky about where I sleep and the environment because based off of those things it depends on how much proper sleep I get. I think it gives a good representation of how much someone can get per day, so if I would recommend this app.

Qapital is a free app that uses behavioral economics to help users save and budget money. Qapital links to my bank account and uses a simple way to save: users create “goals” to put money towards.

Once a goal has been set up, the app has a range of “rules” that dictate how to save for a goal. Rules can be simple, like rounding up transactions and saving the difference, to customizable options such as putting away an amount every week.

The app also notifies me when I’ve saved money.

As someone who struggles with saving, Qapital has been a huge help. I have a much easier time saving for things that I want in the moment, instead of putting away money for no other purpose than to save. The best part of Qapital, however, is that it helps me save while I spend; Qapital uses the spending habits I already have to help me save. A great example of this is the Round Up Rule: Qapital rounds up my purchases by two dollars and the extra two dollars goes toward my goals.

Still, Qapital is just a tool, not a solution to bad money habits. I still like to sit down and plan out what my minimum balance should be, how much I make in a given pay period, and what I can do to cut back on my spending. I don’t need to go book shopping every weekend, or pickup food on Fridays after school. But when I do, I can count on Qapital to help me save.

Blink is a virtual assistant that pairs with Facebook Messenger and other social media apps. This adorable bee will send you message reminders of things on your to-do-list. What sets Blink apart from the Reminder feature built into most smartphones? Well, for one, it’s a lot easier to set reminders. I text Blink throughout the day and add to a growing list of tasks. If it’s an event or something that only needs a one time reminder, typing out the time or date in your text will keep your list from getting clogged up.

There are more advanced features that you Blink will tell you about if you ask, but Blink’s defining feature is its simple, easy-to-follow design. The messaging interface somehow makes it harder to ignore, easy to understand how to use, and convenient to use throughout the day.

If you’re a forgetful student, or someone who likes to stay organized but have found options like planners and setting alerts and alarms ineffective, Blink is the perfect app for you.

reviews | the roar |15

friday, nov. 3, 2017

UR

A PIZZA MY HEART BA

the roar reviews: pizzerias

NB

drew howerton | senior executive editor

RIC

KS

Urban Bricks pizza is a pizzeria that uses old-fashioned brick ovens in order to cook pizza instead of traditional ovens, as well as making their dough fresh every day. When I was younger, my dad would make us pizza with fresh dough; this made Urban Bricks a must eat for me. When I arrived, I was given the option to customize my own pizza or choose from a selection of pre-made pizzas. I opted to try the Three Little Pigs, a three meat pizza with bacon, pepperoni, and

Italian sausage. I was initially worried that a pizza for just myself would be too big, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a perfect amount of food for one person. The slices were big and loaded with cheese, and no toppings were spared; every slice had generous helpings of meat and cheese. The pizza itself was baked to perfection, and the crust was both thick and well seasoned. Not only was the pizza delicious, but the staff was friendly and just as enthusiastic about pizza as I am.

AN TO N

IO’ S

olivia conway | online editor I first went to Antonio’s Pizza when I lived in Massachusetts in fifth grade. I remember it as a warm, bustling place that served interesting pizzas and quelled my ten-year-old loneliness. During the major snowstorm that caused a week-long power outage and left me and my family shivering, Antonio’s was a warm reprieve because even though the rest of Amherst, Massachusetts was dark and unheated, the brick pizza oven was still cheerfully churning out pizzas. Antonio’s brings back memories of snow, the carefree nature of childhood, and a year that made a huge impact on my life. The night before I left, my friend and I got pizza and then walked around town together, providing a bittersweet ending to my time in Massachusetts. When I moved back to College Station, I was overjoyed

to discover an Antonio’s there as well. Unfortunately, it was too far away to visit regularly but their pizza remained one of my favorite foods. My favorite kind of their pizza is tortellini pizza, which combines two of my favorite foods in the entire world: pizza and pasta. The slices are huge and covered with warm, melty cheese and just the right amount of pesto sauce. My memories here of Antonio’s take place in summer, when the air is warm and the sun lingers on the horizon. Long nights with my friends filled with chatter and life. Binge-watching netflix with my mom over cheese pizza and soft breadsticks drizzled with icing. While Antonio’s Pizza is delicious and the service is excellent, it is the memories I have made that make their pizza and restaurant so special.

16 | etcetera | the roar

friday, nov. 3, 2017

Sophomore starts business raising, selling ants and habitats jennifer zhan | editor-in-chief A lot more than ten ants are tenants in sophomore Garrett Pany’s house, because since July, he’s been operating his own home-based business, American Ant Store.

“I’ve always been fascinated with bugs, ever since I was a kid,” Pany said. “I started off collecting ants as a hobby and then realized that I could make colonies out of them and sell them.”

Pany’s customers find him through his store’s website, Instagram, and user-targeted ads he pays Google to run.

“My main customer base is private collectors. So for example, I’ve been in contact with somebody up in Washington who’s interested in having leafcutter ants on display,” Pany said. “There are potentially others, like museums and stuff that want them, it’s just a matter of getting in contact with them because you can’t really ship ants.”

So far, he estimates that he’s sold at least 50 to 60 queen ants, valued between 50 and 300 dollars each. He catches the insects after their nuptial, or mating, flight.

“You can just look, go outside and you’ll see them on the sidewalks or really anywhere,” Pany said. “It’s weird, but you look on the ground for bigger ants. You have to know what they look for, and that there will be certain geological areas that have certain types of ants.”

Over the past three years, Pany has come into contact with others that he buys ants from for resale or who help him get ants. One of these people is his friend and fellow sophomore Cade Slaydon.

“Last spring, he kind of got me into the whole craze about it,” Slaydon said. “Me and him like to drive around town and look for ants in different places. We have places in town that have a lot of ants, and we go there and look for them. If we see a queen ant, then we pick it up

range of price of queen ants

$50-300

and put it in a little container, take it home, and put it in a colony.”

Pany creates his own habitats, known as formicariums, that are also popular products in his store.

“There’s two factors of temperature and humidity, so I order stuff and incorporate it all into one thing,” Pany said.

“For humidity, I have a moisture tray that I wet cotton balls in that delivers humidity to the formicarium. For the temperature, I have a heating mat that I keep at around 78 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Every day after school, Pany spends one to two hours researching ant behavior so that he can improve his designs.

“Every species requires a different type of environment to live in,” Pany said. “So at first the nests were all generally the same format, but as I started experimenting by getting several test species for the habitats, I found out what they prefer and what they don’t, and how some of them actually prefer like a more naturalistic set-up versus the plastic industrial look.”

He said the most challenging part of running the business is the process of actually fulfilling orders.

“Even though it’s not hard, it takes 12 hours total to complete a whole set of a formicarium, like the tray, the habitat itself, and the cover,” Pany said. “Even though I could get multiple sales in a day, it still takes time, and then I’m busy after school, so I can’t make it to the post office. Usually Saturday mornings, I just work and fulfill the orders.”

Slaydon said he knows that a lot of people don’t understand his friend’s hobby.

“It’s very important to him and he loves to do it,” Slaydon said. “I guess you could say it’s weird, but it also makes him money.”

For now, Pany doesn’t see himself ending the business any time soon, and hopes to continue taking orders through high school and possibly college.

“Formicariums [are sustainable] until the ants outgrow them, so the thing that’s good about selling habitats is an ant colony always keep growing, unless it’s winter and they’re going through diapause,” Pany said. “So it’s really like a commitment. Once you have an ant colony, it’s always going to grow, so you’re always going to need more habitats, which is why selling [them] is a good idea.”

But Paney stresses that the money is just a bonus, not the reason he’s doing the business. He sometimes keeps ant species like solenopsis invicta [fire ants], which are illegal to sell, because he simply enjoys the activity.

“It’s just satisfying,” Pany sid. “A single queen will start off and within the first month you’ll have a couple workers called nenantics, the first generation. After that it slowly progresses, and then around two to three months, they grow exponentially. It’s rewarding catching a queen and then watching it grow over the course of six months into a colony of five or ten thousand workers, and keeps growing from there.”

@americanantstore www.americanantstore.com

12

hours to make a formicarium