Vol. 23, Issue 5

THE ROAR NEWS

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1801 HARVEY MITCHELL PKWY. S., COLLEGE STATION, TX 77840 | THURSDAY, MAR. 29, 2018 | VOL. 23 NO. 5 | THEROARNEWS.COM

Recent school shootings prompt search for gun violence solution In 1999, when one adult and 12 students were killed in the 1999 Columbine school shooting, superintendent Clark Ealy remembers watching the news coverage, sick to his stomach and thinking that the event was going to fundamentally change what happened in public schools.

In 2013, when six adults and 20 students were killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, the Roar wrote in a cover story that the tragedy would finally force the country to reevaluate school security and gun control once and for all.

Five years later, over 180 more school shootings resulting in injury or death have taken place in the United States. The most recently widely publicized was

the shooting that took the lives of 17 high school students in Parkland, Fla., on February 14, an event that once again brought the issue of safety to the national stage.

“We had a community meeting in the boardroom at 4:00 p.m., and I found out about [Parkland] at about 3:30 p.m.,” school superintendent Clark Ealy said. “I remember going in — we had teachers and parents and community members in there, and I just shared with them how my heart was heavy. We were still trying to figure out how many people had passed because it was an emerging situation. It just sucks the wind out of you, it’s very difficult to deal with.”

“shootings” continued on page 3

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ruby perry-mize & jennifer zhan staff reporter & editor-in-chief

: school shootings from 1997 to present

inthisissue

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

MAR. 30 APR. 02 APR. 6-8 APR. 10 APR. 12 APR. 14 APR. 20 APR. 28

NEWS

thursday, mar. 29, 2018

Good Friday (No School) Staff Development Day SkillsUSA State Conference EOC English 1 EOC English 2 UIL Region Competition Consolapalooza Prom

IN THE

Tiger Speech and Debate qualifies for national contest

Seven members will go to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for the National Speech and Debate Association in the upcoming summer. The team consists of freshmen Lars Deutz, Saanya Patel and Ruby Perry-Mize, junior Aabid Razvi, seniors Caroline Coopersmith, Cassie He and Elizabeth Palazzolo.

Consol choir advances to UIL State competition

On February 28, choir competed in UIL Vocal Solo and Ensemble. The following 31 students will advance to state: Freshmen Libby Scott, Hudson Allen Grace Johnson, Shannon Kaspar, Rayleigh Cade, Lauren Moore and Tanya Nguyen, sophomores Liam Abney, Eren Akelman, Grace Barrow, Madison Key, Nico Macri and Mia Maness, juniors Sam de Figueiredo, Lucy Harper, Kyleigh Harrell, Tyler Stuart, Isaac Harris, Aubrey Hay, Madeline Henderson and Kaitlyn Hobbs and seniors Moriah Crager, Nathan Goble, Luke Henderson, Natily Mayberry, Jacob Parks, Nicole Patterson, Madeo Suarsana, Brittany Waggoner, Aimee Walden and Christina Williams.

Science fair students compete in Regional Fair

The junior Powderpuff team poses for a picture as they celebrate their win against the seniors.

PHOTO BY MAYA GIRIMAJI

Four students competed on February 22 at the Austin Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Three of them moved on to state. Junior Avha Mohanty placed 3rd in the Animal Sciences category. Senior Maya Girimaji won first place in the Biochemistry category. Senior Michael Sprintson won the US Air Force Award and placed first in Physics and Astronomy.

UIL academic team wins second place at district meet

The UIL Academic team competed in UIL district on March 20. 44 students will be advancing to regionals. Teams in Accounting, Current Issues, Cross Examination Debate, Journalism and Literary Criticism were named district champions.

The Computer Applications, Computer Science, Mathematics and Number Sense teams came in second.

theroarnews.com

Junior Jacob Hrncir tracks down the ball against Waco. The March 2 game ended with a tie.

PHOTO BY JENNIFER ZHAN

the roar | news | 3

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Administration examines security, students seek government accountability

“shootings” cont. from page 1 The following week, Ealy had to send out communications to all parents and district employees after two CSISD students, in keeping with a nationwide trend, made threats of gun violence.

Ealy said he needed to let the “on edge” community know that the administration, Brazos County Sheriff ’s office, College Station Police Department, and district attorney’s office were following up and taking every threat seriously.

ADMINISTRATION ACTION Ealy said he considers school safety an important component of his responsibilities as school superintendent.

For a number of years now, he said, CSISD has worked to develop and drill different procedures to prepare for the event of an unwanted intruder. “[Our district safety team] just got out of a meeting from 9 to 11 today to talk about some of the changes we potentially might make as a result of what’s happened in Florida, and we talked a little bit about what happened in Maryland yesterday as well,” Ealy said on March 21. “I think what’s important to know is that we don’t just think about this whenever there is a tragedy, somewhere else. We think about this all the time.”

Consol’s administration team has also been looking at the gamut as far as school safety, including various safety drills, the 45 doors on campus, and security vestibules. Although principal Gwen Elder will not publicize specific changes for security reasons, she said students returning to Consol next year can expect to notice some differences on campus.

“Safety is our number one priority,” Elder said. “Yes, we’re here for our students to be educated, but in my opinion, kids cannot be educated if they don’t feel safe and protected on campus.”

On the national scale, the shootings have prompted debate over whether increased gun regulations would decrease the frequency of gun violence, a conversation social studies teacher Debbie Lange, who has family members in the NRA, said often becomes polarizing.

“I agree that people have the right to have guns. I grew up shooting guns,” Lange said. “The responsibility of those guns is what [my family] gets into big arguments about. If you have guns,

you need to be able to understand the use of the gun. The legislature doesn’t necessarily need to be telling people what to do, but they need to be putting money into education of gun safety, education of mental health, and anger management.”

Lange said she does want to be as protective of her students as possible, but feels that the suggestion that teachers be armed would create more questions than answers.

“If you’re in a situation where you might be confronted, you have to make that decision. Can you take someone’s life on this?” Lange said. “Where is that gun 99% of the time? Who has access to that gun? We can lock it up, but is it secure?

How do you access it in a split second?”

Texas legislation allows for a school marshal program where employees who pass background checks and complete training can be appointed as school marshals and carry concealed weapons, or, if they are regularly in contact with students, keep their gun locked on school premises within their immediate reach.

For now, Ealy said he’s not sure that the program meets the district’s needs.

“There’s about 1030 public school districts in the state of Texas. I think what’s important to understand is that half of those school districts have less than 1000 kids in them, and can be in very remote rural places where there’s no local police department and the sheriff ’s office may take 30 minutes to get there,” Ealy said. “In College Station, we have CSPD, who’s right around the corner, and we have the Brazos County Sheriff ’s Office, which is trained law enforcement in all of our secondary campuses right now.”

Meanwhile, others believe that instead of adding more weapons into the equation, the solution should involve making it harder to access guns by enforcing stricter regulations and background checks. Since the issue of school shootings invites such a wide range of opinions, Ealy said the district has taken the time to listen to parents and community members that reached out with suggestions after being worried by what they saw in the media.

“Our executive director for facilities has sat down and met with a number of people, he’s had phone conversations with them, he’s had email exchanges with people who want to give us feedback,” Ealy said. “We have a mechanism to work through with our leadership team to say,

‘Is this something we want to consider?

Yes, we need to do more research, or no, because we already have this in place and it wouldn’t really work that way.”

For her part, Lange said that she feels like beyond the debates over guns, more attention should be given to the underlying causes of the violence.

“Teachers need to be aware of their students. One of things Mrs. Elder really pushes is that we need to learn the students in our classroom, not just teach our subjects,” Lange said. “When a student has a place to go or somebody to talk to, whether it’s the counselors, the teachers, even their friends -- that’s what we need to be promoting.”

That type of cooperation, Ealy said, will be key to any type of solution.

“It’s not about whether we put bulletproof glass or locking doors- that’s an important part of that, but we want to be working with kids on the front end to help them avoid being in crisis,” Ealy said. “It’s about knowing our kids and being willing to step up and speak about these things, and [being] willing as young adults to talk about people you see because we want to be able to get them the resources and the help that they need so that we don’t get to a situation that ends up in violence.”

STUDENT VOICES Senior Caroline Coopersmith said that she feels fortunate to be in a community where she and her peers feel safe and where the administration is dedicated to safety. However, she believes that students also deserve attention from a different group of adults: their government representatives.

“I remember once when I was on vacation, somebody tried to take liquid explosives onto a plane. We had to throw out all of our liquids before we got on the plane,” she said. “We immediately saw regulations, the ways TSA was amped up.

We continue to have mass shootings and innocent people dying every day because of gun violence, but we continue to do nothing about it.”

But after the Parkland shooting, students like Coopersmith across the nation began speaking out. The momentum of the movement culminated in the March for Our Lives in Washington that inspired similar protests and school protests throughout the country, with Consol as no exception.

“On April 20, we will be walking out

at 10 a.m. and standing in front of the school for 17 minutes to represent the 17 victims in the Florida shooting,” senior and walkout organizer Avery Wright said.

“We’ve designed shirts that have all of the school shootings since the beginning of 2013 listed on them. It sends a powerful message that this happened too many times, and we are the victims.”

Sophomore and fellow walkout organizer Coleman Maxwell said that the purpose of this walkout is to raise awareness of gun violence in general, and to urge legislators to reform gun laws.

“A lot of people take gun control as gun banning. And that is not what gun control is. I think restricting, or raising the age limit for buying any weapon is reasonable. It shouldn’t even be discussed after this shooting,” Maxwell said. “I mean, I’ve said it multiple times, you either believe more in upholding the right to bear arms or saving kids’s lives.”

Maxwell, Coopersmith, and Wright approached Elder to ask for permission to hold the walkout in light of threats of suspension to student protesters in other districts. The fact that Elder was open to the idea, Wright said, shows that Consol takes great care in its students.

“I am not going to tell someone to be silent because I think everyone has a voice and their voice matters,” Elder said.

“I told them we’re going to sit down and have a discussion. I think every action can have a reaction and it can be chaotic if it doesn’t have the right intent. Why are we choosing to participate? What kind of impact do we want to leave?”

Maxwell said he hopes that these kinds of actions will help call attention to gun control issues and effect the changes that dialogue hasn’t been able to before.

“I don’t think there’s a way to stop [gun violence] indefinitely, but I think the government is capable of doing what they need to do to stop this from happening again,” Maxwell said.

So will the same story play out again?

He hopes not.

“The thing I think is different about this time is that there are a different age of kids, old enough to understand what’s going on and what has happened. These kids are fueled by anger but also hope for the future, and they want to stop this from ever happening again,” Maxwell said. “To make any of these changes actually happen, not just be talked about, it’s up to these kids. It’s up to us to do that.”

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4 | news | the roar

French students culturally immerse themselves competing in state-wide symposium drew howerton | senior executive editor Students in the French program traveled to Conroe, Texas on March 23 and 24 to compete in the 54th annual Texas French Symposium, a statewide competition where high school students taking French compete in a range of events relating to the French language.

“Students from all over Texas come to participate in events that have to do with academics, so just regular tests, they can also do poetry and prose, so it’s kind of like a speech and debate competition but in French,” French teacher Maria Houchins said. “There are speaking activities, do sight reading, and organize plays. There’s a lot of different events to compete in, and they are cultural but also deal with linguistics as well.”

Students’ competition levels are based off of the level French class that they take in school. There is also a category for participants, like senior Hans Sapo, who fluently speak French.

“If you’re in the Experienced level, that means you speak French fluently and so it wouldn’t be fair for me, a fluent French speaking person to compete against a French 1 student,” Sapo said. “They even out the playing field.”

At the beginning of each school year, Houchins announces French Symposium and opens up participation.

From there, she meets with students and helps them pick out competitions and materials to memorize.

“I try to talk it up and say ‘this is really cool.’ During the last part of September and first part of October we

have the auditioning process,” she said. “I sit with them and we try some events and pick the best events for that student.

Although French Symposium is primarily for students taking French classes, Houchins said that most practice and preparation takes place outside of the classroom. Participants are usually placed in groups, with group leaders in French IV mentoring students in lower level French.

“During Success time every day there are groups coming [to practice], we practice before and after school as well,” Houchins said. “The group leader usually works with students one on one while they’re working on tests.

The group has students from different levels in it so they learn from each other.”

Throughout the year, Houchins meets with competitors to help them memorize their pieces and refine their performances. Sapo said a deep understanding of the French language is required in order to deliver the pieces in a way that sounds natural.

“Not only do you have to memorize it but you also have to understand it and be able to like express the poem correctly because if the poem is about someone who is angry and you’re saying it like in a happy mood, it looks awkward and the judges will notice that,” he said.

“You have to actually understand the words and what they mean.”

Although most events in French Symposium are individual, competitors practice in groups. Senior Cassie He said that group practices create a friendly atmosphere

that is unlike other competitions she attends.

“In French Symposium rather than it being one on one it’s like our school meets with another school so you form a lot of great bonds and friendships with your team,” He said. “It’s something we all work toward for the year, it’s a great kind of bonding and familial activity.”

Both Sapo and He said that Houchin’s enthusiasm for French Symposium inspires them to work harder.

“I really appreciate [Houchins] dedication to Symposium. She doesn’t just want us to just do good in symposium, she wants us to become better French speakers and she is extremely dedicated to the French language and the French culture,” Sapo said. “It’s nice to have a teacher like that who’s not just going to do it half way.

She’s going to do it all the way, and she really cares about this.”

“Without Houchins, I don’t think this couldn’t have been possible, she organizes so much and makes sure everyone gets everything done on time and she organizes as many meetings with the competitors as possible,” He said. “Organization of the activity is really indebted to her for putting so much effort in.”

He said that French Symposium not only helps her practice her French skills; it gives her an outlet to experience French culture in Texas.

“When you take French out of the classroom and you get involved with it through acting or art or music, it becomes something you can appreciate more,” He said.

Senior Hans Sapo portrays a friendly old man in his play

French Symposium Results

Consol scored 2nd out of 36 schools, and had two students in the top 10 out of 756 students: Selena Li in 3rd and Olivia Conway in 10th.

The Advanced Drama Group placed 6th, comprising of Logan Parker, Caleb Kitchen, Cassie He, Michelle Pappoe, Selena Li, Olivia Conway, Irma Castro, and Hans Sapo.

Seniors Caleb Kitchen and Cassie He rehearse before their event

thursday, mar. 29, 2018

system failure

kara garza staff reporter

Lack of real applications in curriculum frustrates I have memorized 25 different isotopes. I know how to calculate the wavelength and frequency of light. I can identify the sum of exterior angles in any polygon. I know the generals that lead to America’s success or destruction in major wars and battles. I could name each tool the Mycenaeans developed and used in their day to day life. I can find the themes and motifs in any given novel.

However, I failed to learn how to balance a checkbook. I don’t know how to get a job. I wasn’t taught how to create a resume. I don’t know how to take care of my own finances, or purchase a home, or even pay rent. I haven’t the slightest idea how taxes work.

I don’t know my own human rights. I don’t know what insurance is or how it works. I wasn’t taught how to properly take care of my health, in science classes. I wasn’t taught how to communicate in a workplace, in my English classes.

Am I not the only one who sees this clear break down in our education?

I believe complex sciences and math skills, English and history understanding are useful depending on what field one pursues. However, knowledge of adult life and how to ensure a successful future is much more essential.

Children spend more time learning trivial sciences that won’t be used unless they’ve chosen to major in a science field. Why don’t these courses focus on things such as health, how to care for one’s body, the magnitude of harmful drugs, and the raising of children? By keeping mandatory sciences at a general understanding and introducing these new concepts, students will retain and put these life skills to practice, ultimately making for a brighter future for themselves and those around them.

Social studies classes need to efficiently prepare students for government, economics, and politics post high school. History focuses too much on the details of past events and spe-

cific persons, and not enough on why these events took place and how to deal with them. For example, how are we to prevent tragic disasters like genocide and slavery if we don’t understand how it originally came about to be able to identify when corrupt problems arise.

Our social studies classes barely spend time stressing and teaching our human rights, our country’s laws, how our judicial system works, and the function of our economy.

Math classes are geared towards advanced algebras, intricate geometries. Realistically most of Consol’s students won’t go onto use these advanced maths in their day to day lives. However schools fail to teach accounting, and financing, all maths that one is guaranteed to need at one time or another.

English classes should spend less time teaching our children how to create marketing campaigns and analyzing literature so that they may spend more time learning how to communicate in a work environment, how to create a resume, to send out work related emails and powerpoint shows, or apply for a job.

All of these important assets should not be left an optional additional elective or a last minute senior class.

Theses should be taught and engrained in children’s brains from as early as middle school.

Detailed knowledge of maths, sciences, social studies, and our own English language is very useful, but they are not however nearly as vital as some of the things listed before. The skills children are learning are not skills that are likely to be consistently used throughout adulthood. Our school curriculum should stop setting children up for failure and let them learn how to properly live, provide, and be independent.

Want to talk about the problems within the education system? Contact Kara at the.roar.garza@gmail.com.

the roar | opinions | 5

“When are you going to throw it away?” my mom asked at the dinner table. The only answer I gave was a day that was not today.

I love to keep everything that I own and have always been troubled when I am forced to throw something away.

My room was starting to overflow with “junk” as I stared indecisively at the floor.

Somehow, it seemed as if I were in stuck in the same cycle: buying and keeping everything that was in my possession.

Although I’ve managed to throw away a couple of items, it just never seemed to be enough for my room to be clean.

The past few years have been a blur – I focused more on school and friends and thought less and less about my room.

I took time to join a couple of clubs, and life seemed just fine. Everyday, when I came home from school, I would ask myself when I would decide to throw my old things away. The answer remained the same: tomorrow. This endless cycle of procrastination dominated my life. The pile of Legos and The Magic Treehouse books slowly started to gather dust and began to decay. As a new day began, my mind would begin learning the due dates for assignments (so that I could do them the night before).

When summer began, “free time” once again flowed into my schedule. I was able to raise my head from the table which was blanketed in paper in order to gain an opportunity to grasp the aspects of my room. More installments of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson added onto my expansive book collection. Quite surprisingly, there were no more toys besides the Legos, just a stash of electronic devices (marking the transformation from the Stone-age-me to the modern-era-me). As I learned that there were more and more interesting things in this world, I would nevertheless continue to stash those items in my room.

Much to my relief, the summer swiftly passed by, and school had started once

allen zhang staff reporter

again. I was again able to use my “too much homework” excuse to avoid cleaning my messy room, which looked like a battlefield. My mother frequently complained about how it was almost impossible to get through the war-torn room, but I argued that I could remember where everything important was.

But even with my good memory, I was quickly starting to forget about where I had set my belongings. I was often forced to search for hours for items.

This extremely frustrated me. Within just a few weeks, I had to surrender in the battle of my room: my mother and I agreed to entirely clean my room, in and out.

My first Lego set that was given to me on my 6th birthday.

The Nerf gun that I first acquired.

The first chapter book I’d ever read.

The items I found while cleaning my “dumpster” went on and on. It was hard for me to know that after that day, I would never be able to see those things ever again.

But despite those challenges, I forced myself to not think about what I was actually doing: throwing away my most valued items. With shaky hands, I managed to empty most of my valuable items, with an exception to a few extraordinary ones.

After a few hours of working and reminiscing while being filled with extreme sadness, the room was finally cleaned.

Suddenly, I was once again able to recognize the room that was staring back me. And it hit me:what if my room turned into a dumpster once again? Would I have to go through all of that emotion and hard work again?

No. I would always keep my room clean.

We all have to learn how to move on in life, and sometimes, it’s easier to begin with good decisions, so we don’t have to dig ourselves out of deep holes.

Want to talk about the struggles of quitting a hoarding habit? Contact Allen at the.roar.allenzhang@gmail.com.

out with the old Cleaning room reveals necessity of moving on

6 | viewpoints | the roar

thursday, mar. 29, 2018

should students participate in the gun control walk-out?

On Mar. 20, 2018, some Consol students will walk out of school for 17 minutes to honor the 17 lives lost in the Parkland school shooting and to protest in favor of stricter gun-saftey laws. Some believe the protest is unproductive, while others think the protest draws attention to the issue.

the roar’s consensus In response to the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., students have planned a walkout as part of the larger National High School Walkout protests taking place around the nation. The walkout, planned for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting, will be 17 minutes long. The student organizers have coordinated with school administrators in order to ensure that the walkout is as productive and safe as possible.

The student walkout is ineffective because it causes participants to miss class and encourages delinquent students to leave school under the guise of a noble cause without finding a concrete solution to the issue of gun violence. Instead of a walkout, students should contact their representatives over the issues that matter to them.

Performing a walkout is disruptive to school functions because it interrupts class and causes those participating to miss material that could be important. While the duration of the walkout may not necessarily cause students to miss important material, it nonetheless causes a disruption that may distract others for considerably longer. Additionally, while many of those participating may walk out with good intentions, there’s nothing stopping students who wish to skip school from pretending to participate in the walkout and then leave campus for the day.

Although the National High School Walkout allows students to express their concerns over gun violence, a walkout by itself does not help solve school shootings. A protest without action behind it does nothing to solve the real issue of gun violence in America, and instead only adds fuel to the back and forth surrounding the issue. Students should instead take the protest to their lawmakers. Any students of voting age should vote in this year’s upcoming elections and attend town halls where they can make their voices heard.

While the April 20 walkout is noble in its cause, it is ultimately a gesture with no action or definitive solution accompanying it.

“Walking out of school to prove a point is ineffective and counterproductive. Students who decide to walk out are missing scholastic opportunities, as well as distracting their peers. There are ways to create change without doing so at the expense of other students.” junior mia boatner

“Students should participate in the walk-out because if the government is going to mandate us to go to school for eight hours a day, they better do everything in their power to make sure we are safe when we do it.

Thoughts and prayers don’t protect people from bullets.” junior aabid razvi

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

Faculty Adviser Assistant Adviser

Jennifer Zhan Maya Girimaji Drew Howerton Olivia Conway Sam de Figueiredo Sueji Han Ashley Barnes Kara Garza Tessa Matthews Ruby Perry-Mize Alex Roeder Elise Sawyer Jessi Shipp Allen Zhang Michael Williams Chauncey Lindner

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

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. The Editorial Board consists of the editor-in-chief, managing editor and opinions editor.

The Roar is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC), the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). The Roar is a winner of the CSPA Gold Crown, the 1997, 1998, 2000-2016 ILPC Award of Distinguished Merit, the CSPA Gold Medal Award, the NSPA All-American distinction and 2005, 2014,2016 ILPC Bronze Star and 2007-2013 and 2015 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 (979-764-5412) 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.

the roar | snapshots | 7

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Metal Works Ag Mechanics students learn valuable skills for workforce, hands-on experience maya girimaji | managing editor The smell of barbeque fills the CATE hallway. But instead of the usual suspect, the Foods 101 class, the smell comes from the ag mechanics room. Inside, the students are testing the BBQ pit they built for a recent project.

Ag mechanics is the study of electrical power and structural systems and how they are operated and constructed.

“There is an in-class portion where we take notes and get taught the basics of it and safety,” sophomore Dustin Hepburn said. “Then there is a hands-on part inside the shop itself where we actually build the products and use the equipment.”

Students are allowed to join the class when they enter their second year of high school. As sophomores, students learn basic welding and cutting, electrical, plumbing, engine, concrete and construction theory. In the advanced classes, the juniors apply their knowledge to group projects and the seniors work on their own major construction projects. “[The class] gets people ready to go into the workforce instead of just coming out with a general education,” junior Garrett Gola said. “This is something they can choose to do in high school, especially if they’re interested in a career, and take away

skills they could use in the job force.”

Ag mechanics teacher John Templeton agrees, saying that the community has a need for welders, plumbers, and electricians. And this class is training students to fill those spots.

“If you take away what we do there would be no food, fiber and power/structural systems in place for our society,” Templeton said. “We have always had to grow food and fiber to feed a growing population. Agriculturists have made it possible and are continuing to make it possible to produce more with less inputs and environmental impacts.”

Even though the class gives students the technical skills needed to succeed in the agricultural field, Templeton said that it also teaches a work ethic that will last a lifetime. “[I wish people knew] the amount of hours these kids put into their projects.

They get little recognition for all their hard work,” Templeton said. “[I] give the kids room to make mistakes but also make sure they are trying their hardest. God placed me here to make a positive impact in young people’s lives and show them their purpose.”

Ag Mechanics students work under their teacher’s supervision.

The BBQ pit the class constructed for a project.

Ag Mechanics students interact with the class tractor.

PHOTOS BY OLIVIA CONWAY

8 | student

life | the roar

thursday, mar

Students, staff discuss growing role of modern technology in classrooms, education Instead of shopping for folders and notebooks, students of today search for the school supply they actually need: a smart device.

“I like the idea that everything is in one place, [and] that for some classes your phone or your device is like your binder and everything,” freshman Georgia Carrino said. “We use technology in classrooms to play games like Kahoot or Quizizz, or just to research definitions of vocabulary words or [online articles] we need to look at.”

Carrino feels that in this day and age, technology is almost necessary to participate in class.

“For a lot of classes, if you don’t have a phone then you are at a major disadvantage because there’s a lot of activities that teachers integrate with phones,” Carrino said. “[Teachers] assume that everybody has a phone, and if you don’t, you can’t participate in the activity.”

Junior Noah McGuffey, who doesn’t own a smartphone, experiences this exclusion on a daily basis.

“I feel left out especially when we do group activities, because I can’t pull out my laptop in all my classes and everyone else is basically using the same [type of] device,” McGuffey said. “I sometimes have to work with someone else if we’re doing a Kahoot, so I can’t play by myself.”

McGuffey isn’t the only one who went through high school without the help of a smartphone, according to physics teacher Michelle Jedlicka. She argues that smartphones aren’t necessary to be successful in school.

“I don’t feel like parents should feel pressure for their kids to have smartphones,” Jedlicka said. “But, I also think it’s important for teachers to be aware of the fact that not everyone has one and offer those kids access to either an iPad or a computer.”

Although Jedlicka sees the value of devices in the classroom, she believes there should be limits to when students use technology.

“When I’m lecturing, you shouldn’t have a phone out. If you’re in a meeting or your boss is presenting, that phone better be put away. If you are sitting at your desk working, and you get a text, you can pull it out and read it. That’s the same as sitting in a school desk,” Jedlicka said. “In any ways we can, [teachers] need to teach students how to use [technology] appropriately so they’ll be able to do so in college and in the workplace.”

Jedlicka avoids using websites like Edmodo because she says they encourage students to be dependent upon everything but themselves. “[Classroom websites] make students feel like teachers should be available to answer their questions and help them at all times of day,” Jedlicka said. “[Students] feel like [they don’t] have to take notes because they’re going to be online.”

Jedlicka also feels like classroom websites gives students unrealistic standards of a teacher-student relationship.

“Given the fact that I teach mostly AP classes, I feel like students need to be trained like they’re in college,” Jedlicka said. “Every professor is not going to put notes online or give you a printout of the notes. I’ve tried to not do that so students don’t think that is the expectation.”

However, Carrino believes that the integration of technology could further prepare students for the future.

“By using technology, students are able to be organized and get used to the future [when] technology will be used more often. We’re not going to have pencils and paper for everything,” Carrino said. “Schools should have more access to laptop carts or iPad carts, because smartphones are hard to work on and they bring down students that can’t afford them.”

Carrino saw the benefits of integrated technology at her old school, which provided Chromebook carts and the online classes. Another opportunity that some schools provide is a one-to-one system: a system that provides the same technology to every student. Animation and graphic design teacher Shannon Jones believes that a one-toone system would tremendously benefit Consol. “[A one-to-one system] gives you the ability to automatically know that every kid has access to the exact same piece of technology, [so] I can do [a] particular thing in my classroom,” Jones said. “It’s harder for most teachers to do [a] really cool thing that’s on

a phone [when] only 90% of [their] class has a phone. [Teachers have] to be considerate of the people who maybe don’t have access to the same kind of technology.”

This system could potentially help students like McGuffey, who feel disadvantaged without access to the same technology as their classmates.

“I think it would make [schoolwork] a lot easier if the school gave us iPads or something, but I don’t think it’s [the school’s] responsibility,” McGuffey said. “I have a computer, but I would rather use an smartphone. I can feel tied down by my computer and I can’t do as many of the apps on it.”

Jedlicka acknowledges the advantages of school-wide access to devices, but she advises students to fully take advantage of technology to extend their learning.

“If your teacher goes over a concept in class and you don’t understand it, find a video over the same thing. If your teacher says something in a history class about some event that happened, go research it,” Jedlicka said. “Use it to expand your learning and to solidify subjects or topics that you’re unsure of, instead of finding every meme.”

Meanwhile, biology teacher Stephanie Owens believes technology itself is the problem. She adds that in recent years, a term has been developed to describe students unwilling to learn: ‘socially illiterate’.

“While a lot of the students are very intelligent, [they] have huge gaps in their knowledge because they have headphones in their ears all the time, and they’re on their phones,” Owens said. “They are not paying attention to society and listening into conversations that would give them common knowledge.”

However, Carrino thinks that technology has enhanced her ability to learn. She says generalizations teachers make against students create a generational divide.

“I have a phone, and I’m on it a lot, but I still can get my work done. It’s not too much of a distraction, unlike what some people argue,” Carrino said. “I feel like a lot of teachers don’t understand the value of technology in the classroom.”

Carrino feels that part of this misunderstanding comes from teachers’ different circumstances growing up, as mentioned by several teachers.

“When I was in school, we had to look things up in dictionaries, and go to the library, and pull things out, and it was very time-consuming,” Owens said. “The amount of time now that students get back from researching through the internet is beneficial.

They’re able to complete more tasks, and get more things done, because they do have a computer in their hands.”

Jones says that she prefers growing up ‘old-school’, because it allowed her to disconnect.

“There was a lot less drama, a lot less social anxiety in students, and I feel like I wouldn’t have made it in this day and age with everybody’s opinion mattering and being out there at all times,” Jones said. “It’s actually okay [without phones]. You value your friendships and your teachers’ time more because you don’t see them as often, and you’re not as connected.”

Carrino feels the opposite, saying growing up with technology has made her life and schoolwork easier. “[We] have more of a voice, [we] can communicate more, and there’s just so much more information that [we] have access to. Teachers that don’t understand technology don’t understand students and how they learn,” Carrino said. “The teachers that do understand technology understand how we connect better with things that we know, but teachers that prefer the older methods don’t really connect with their students as well.”

Similarly, Jedlicka believes that a ‘gap’ between teachers and students only exists if teachers don’t put forth enough effort.

“Having kids in our classroom that are tech-savvy gives us an advantage,” Jedlicka said. “If teachers are willing to use students to teach us, it can bridge the gap as opposed to widening it.”

Jones agrees, saying teachers must meet in the middle with their students to effectively teach. “[We should] definitely try and push the boundaries with integrating technology more,” Jones said. “It can’t just be a ‘put your phone away’ thing. We’ve got to figure out a different way to teach, and a different way to try to get students to retain information.”

the roar | student life | 9

rsday, mar. 29, 2018

STAYING CURRENT sam de figuieredo & elise sawyer opinions editor & staff reporter

thursday, mar. 29, 2018

10 | feature | the roar

crazy hair, don’t care Students dye hair unconventional colors as form of expression olivia conway & kara garza section editor & staff reporter Sophomore Jasmine Washington found the cure for boredom in a box of hair dye. She and other students at Consol use their colorful locks to represent themselves and mix it up.

“I’ve had pretty much every hair color on the planet,” Washington said. “I just feel more like myself when my hair is colored.”

Washington has been coloring her hair since she was eight, but not out of discontent for her natural hair. She simply wanted a change.

Washington drew her inspiration from alternative popular culture, but refuses to let those stereotypes define her.

“If you have dyed hair or colored hair [others] just peg you as a certain kind of person,” Washington said. “And that’s just not always how people are. People color their hair for a lot of different reasons.”

Washington stands by whatever purpose her fellow pigmented peers have for their personal hair decisions. She uses her own hair as a platform to encourage acceptance and individuality.

Similar to Washington, junior David Columbus also cited individuality as a main motivation for his own vibrant hair. Columbus has been experimenting with his hair for several years now.

“I think my natural hair is just fine, [but] I wanted to do something a little different” Columbus stated. “I like it because it shows that I’m fun and outgoing.”

Columbus changes his hair frequently, often to match with a particular event or season. “[Sometimes] I choose certain colors seasonally,” Columbus said. “ Like for example I had pink during breast cancer awareness month. I had planned on dying my hair green and red during Christmas.”

While Columbus chose colors to reflect and embrace an important event or time of year, junior Wynter Houpt’s color holds a more personal meaning. Earlier in the year, she dyed her hair a vibrant pink to represent how her views on the color have changed.

“I chose pink recently because when I was younger, I hated the color pink. I thought it made me seem too girly,” Houpt said. “Recently I discovered that [even though I] like pink [that] doesn’t mean [I’m] weak.

Now [pink is] one of my favorite colors. I feel better accepting that just because you like a color doesn’t mean you are a certain way.”

Changing her hair color has not only allowed Houpt to express herself, but has also provided meaningful bonding experiences

with her friends.

“I think [all of my dying experiences have been] fun because I did them all with friends, even if the dye didn’t last or anything, I still had a fun and platonically intimate experience with my friends,” Houpt said. “There’s something about doing beauty stuff like makeup and hair that really brings you closer to each other and I think that’s cool.”

Houpt isn’t alone in her passion for cosmetic expression. Washington too uses beauty products for confidence and self-expression purposes. She combines her love for hair color with her enthusiasm for acceptance to set an example for other people of color. “[I want] to end stereotypes about people of color,” Washington said. “I try to educate people [that] we can also be alternative and belong to those types of subcultures.”

Dying her hair has been similarly rewarding for sophomore Jordan Roueche. Her blue and purple hair has had a positive impact on her self-confidence and her social interactions.

“People talk to me more in general,” Roueche said. “[For me, self expression means] having the courage to not only stand up to be yourself but [also] knowing that you are strong no matter what people think about you.”

Houpt also admitted that although she was initially worried about others’ reactions to her change in hair color, she received overwhelmingly positive feedback.

“I can talk to people more easily [after dying my hair] because strangers will come up to me and [compliment my hair],” Houpt said.

“I’m not a very social person, so that excuse to talk to people has really helped me feel more confident.”

Unfortunately, there is still a negative stigma attached to unnatural hair colors.

“People think [dyed hair] makes you unprofessional or immature,” Columbus said. “But there are a lot of people that are still perfectly fine in the workplace. My aunt [has] purple hair and manages a Subway.”

Houpt was also wary of how others would view her, but she refused to let her nerves keep her from dying her hair a color that she loves.

“I have a pretty conventional family, so I was worried that they would react badly to whatever I did to my hair,” Houpt said. “[But] afterwards I realized that it definitely wasn’t going to be as bad as I thought it could have been.”

Dying her hair has been such a positive experience for Houpt that she encourages anyone else who is curious about the world of bright hair dyes to try it for themselves.

“It’s super fun. Just do it if you want to,” Houpt said.

“Any color you want. There’s no such thing as a bad color.”

PHOTOS BY OLIVIA CONWAY

the roar | feature | 11

thursday, mar. 29, 2018

TYLER’S TALENTS

Junior pursues enthusiasm for music through multiple instruments, genres ashley barnes | staff reporter How many instruments can you play?

Zero? One? Junior Tyler Stuart is a one man band, able to play instruments such as guitar, piano, violin, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, and ukulele.

“My first instrument was sort of a piano I had in my house or around whenever I was a kid, so I taught myself,” junior Tyler Stuart said.

Without taking any lessons, Stuart single-handedly learned how to play guitar and piano.

“There are two different ways of playing guitar. You can either can play with perfect technique or go just with the flow,” Stuart said. “Perfect technique is Van Halen, every note is exact and every song is how the artists want it to be. Jimi Hendrix didn’t really have technique, he just let the music flow and it [music] just happened.”

Meanwhile, finding creativity can be difficult for some, especially when aiming to influence.

“I have to work on being more creative with my music. Making stuff is my big challenge,” Stuart said.

Stuart further mentions how playing music can be rewarding despite needing to be restricted to a sheet of music “Most of my favorite songs are written by Mumford and Sons. Every single song that they play starts out quiet with one or two instruments then it builds into horns, synthesizers, banjos, guitars,” Stuart said. “All their songs are masterpieces.”

Additionally, Stuart mentions his appreciation for other songs like, ‘Let It Be’ by the Beatles and how the song holds sentimental value to him.

“The message it sends can be interpreted in many different ways,” Stuart said. “The piano, guitar solo, lyrics are a piece of art from beginning to end. [The song] can be whatever you want to take be.”

Just like Stuart’s love for music has transformed, he has grown from being reserved in choir to hosting auditions and rehearsals for Jungle Jam in last spring as well as being a leader in vocal ensemble. Last year in the spring Jungle Jam Tyler, his brother senior Clayton Stuart, Luke Henderson and Jackson Derbes performed ‘The Scientist’ by Coldplay.

“He was the person I could count on for the entire year,” former choir director Lathrom said. “He’s musically smart, he understood what had to happen before I would tell him.”

Through Stuart’s commitment to the choir program time management is not a difficult task for him.

“The more time you put in, the more rewarding it is,” Stuart said. “Choir is a big time commitment so, I choose to do a lot of those things.”

When Stuart first started high school he realized that his entire musical experience in choir had opened his eyes to pursue in choral conducting in education.

“Having passion for music is important,” Lathrom said. “Learning how to read music is a necessary skill and you have to be good at it especially, if you’re going to continue music in college.”

Along with Lathrom’s advice, Stuart further advises students that practice makes perfect and to be eager to learn.

“Take advice from other people who already know how to play an instrument. Don’t let it [advice from others] restrict you,” Stuart said.

12 | sports | the roar

GIRL POWER

thursday, mar. 29, 2018

Senior wrestler leads team, advances to state despite injury

Common Wrestling Techniques

pin A combination of holding the opponent’s shoulders on the mat for a period of time

chicken wing A pin where one grabs the arm and wraps the leg around the head.

allen zhang & sueji han staff reporter & section editor Historically, wrestling has been an ancient sport generally practiced by men. From WWE to Wrestlemania, many of the covers tend to include more men. Throughout most of her high school years, senior Nadia Vejar has been one of the few girls on the wrestling team.

However, Vejar doesn’t see a gender problem in wrestling; instead, she manages to enjoy the sport despite the challenges.

“The fact that I could have been the only girl made me nervous,” Vejar said.

“When my brother told me [that] there was another girl in wrestling, I felt relieved.”

The other girl wrestler, sophomore Mikayla Hodnett, is thankful for help from Vejar. As Vejar’s teammate thinks highly of her, wrestling coach David Salyer found characteristics that has led her to success.

“She stays focused, doesn’t get stressed out about different people.

[Vejar] wrestles everybody the same way and stays inside [of] what she knows to do,” Salyer said. “She’s gotten into better shape and a lot stronger. [She’s] more serious about [wrestling], and [has] stayed healthier.”

Vejar’s determination has propelled farther than most people have expected, as she also has characteristics marking her as a leader.

“She’s definitely a good example for pushing yourself really hard,” Hodnett said. “[She] really helped me at state, [which] was very motivational.”

With Vejar’s determination to become a better wrestler, she has understood the worth of wrestling as a sport, and realized that wrestling requires lots of time and effort.

“During the [wrestling] period [it’s] more conditioning, we run [on] Tuesdays and Thursdays and do weights Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays,” Vejar said. “Then we have practice from 4:10 to 6:10 and start focusing more on the actual wrestling. We stretch, practice takedowns, or sometimes coach decides [what] to work on.”

Even though she has worked hard and endured hard workouts every day, unfortunately she dislocated shoulder in a match her freshman year.

“Ever since then, [my shoulder] just comes out when I wrestle,” Vejar said. “[This] kind of limits my actions, and is a challenge that I still have to overcome.”

To this day, Vejar still reflects back to that day and wonders how she could have avoided the injury. “[If I had not] lost my second match, then I wouldn’t have gotten my shoulder dislocated,” said Vejar. “Maybe I would have made it farther and did better [in wrestling].”

While she’s made it into semi-finals a number of times, she’s often set against the competitor that usually gets first place.

“I tried my best and ended up in 2nd place,” Vejar said. “[But] I think trying is what counts.”

Her hard work has led her to rank in the top 12 at state. She has also placed 3rd at regional and district with 5 wins and 1 loss.

“It’s more like an achievement that I could make it so far,” Vejar said. “I [was] challenged [by] the injuries that I had over the years, [it was] something that [I] feel proud of.”

Under her leadership, she wants to encourages girls not be afraid to try something new. “[Wrestling is] not easy, it’s going to be a challenge,” Vejar said.

[But] at the end of the day, there’s something [to] take from wrestling, like gaining more confidence.”

PHOTO BY SUEJI HAN

the roar | sports|13

thursday, mar. 29, 2018

GOLDEN GIRL Freshman swimmer sets new records in backstroke, 50 free maya girimaji & alex roeder managing editor & staff reporter Standing by the pool, swim coach Ryan Goodwyn told the young freshman girl that this was her coming out party. A few minutes later, freshman Kaitlyn Owens made her debut at her first state meet by winning the 100 backstroke.

“We all kind of knew that there was a very good chance of her winning,” sophomore Sydney Cristicello said. “But actually watching her do it was awesome, especially as a freshman. She can only get better in the next couple years.”

Freshman Kaitlyn Owens has been swimming for nine years. With the encouragement of the people around her, Owens has taken her natural talent of swimming fast and trained to be one of the top girls swimmer in the state.

“My practice schedule is hectic,” Owens said. “Depending on how close I am to swim meets, I practice twice a day, so 4 hours a day, and then everyday for UIL I practice 2 hours in the morning.”

Owens’ passion for swimming is shown everyday through her dedication to improvement during practice and winning during races. Her love for the sport drives her to work harder.

“You can tell that she works hard in the pool. She doesn’t miss practices, and doesn’t slack off,” Cristicello said. “She is super focused and determined. She doesn’t let other factors get in the way of her swims.

She’s confident too, so that confidence helps her do what she needs to do in the pool.”

At the state meet, Goodwyn said he already knew that Owens would win big. He told her that this was her

chance to let the whole state know that for the next three years they would have to compete against her.

“We knew going in that her qualifying time was so ahead of everybody else,” Goodwyn said. “It’s not cockiness.

It’s confidence. It’s okay to go into this race and know that you’re the best backstroker at this meet and know that none of these girls can touch you.”

In swimming, Goodwyn believes that if the athletes are loose before their event, they’re going to perform better.

Owens is a good example of this. At meets, she is known to show her excitement before her race.

“Yes, I do get nervous. I do this weird thing

where I shake my arms out before the blocks,” Owens said. “It’s weird. I look like I’m dancing.”

Her enthusiasm is infectious, even to the upperclassmen on the team. She knows the girls who have a tendency to get nervous and intentionally distracts them from their upcoming event to help them relax.

“She’s always there for you. She’ll go win state, and then come cheer you on in practice,” Cristicello said. “That’s just the kind of friend she is. It’s great having her as a teammate and friend.”

Owens is also known to really motivate the girls on her team in her ‘lead by example’ style of leadership.

“There are girls that I can directly point to and say ‘These swimmers got better this year because they were pushing themselves with Kaitlyn everyday,’” Goodwyn said. “Sydney and Kaitlyn even swim in the same lane or right next to each other so they’re always pushing each other in practice.”

Even though the swimmers race as individuals, they get better as a group. Being a part of a team motivates them to give their best for the benefit of their teammates and the team score.

“Goodwyn always talks about how we’re a family,” Owens said. “Honestly, it’s true.

I’m really appreciative of all the support that my team has given me, and it [shows] through all the work that my coaches and my friends have seen me [do].”

Kaitlyn’s Stats: UIL 5A Region 5 Championship

50 yard free: 23.81 100 yard free: 53.11 50 yard back: 25.72 UIL Texas 5A State Championship

50 yard free: 23.65 100 yard back: 55.70 Source: collegeswimming.com

14 | reviews | the roar

thursday, mar. 29, 2018

LETTUCE EAT

maya girimaji | managing editor

sam de figueiredo | opinions editor It turns out that all of my favorite food has a ridiculous amount of carbs. I was really motivated when I began the Atkins 20 diet. Logging everything I ate into the Atkins app was interesting because it provided the full nutritional information. but I quickly began to hate it. I started each day with an egg and sometimes an avocado, and throughout the day, I snacked on almost every vegetable imaginable. It was hard for me to eat a healthy amount of calories each day, because I got bored of salads and grilled chicken. On the fourth day of the diet, I cheated and ate so much bread. On the fifth day, I began to feel dizzy after working out, so I decided to stop the diet. I was shocked to find out I lost six pounds in three days. I also became more conscious of what I was eating. Overall, this diet is a good choice if you are trying to rapidly lose weight or if you just love veggies, but I think I’ll stick to an overall balanced diet.

No processed fo

Od

S

ar V eg et i a n

i n s 2 0 D i et k t A

Recently I decided to try the no processed/packaged diet. My mom is a nutritionist so all of the meals I had for lunch and dinner were made with fresh, natural products. On the occasional times that I would eat breakfast, I would make myself a bowl of oatmeal and sprinkle different fruits on top. Overall the main meals of the day were taken care of and I didn’t struggle with following the restrictions of my diet. But snacking was a completely different story. I have a tendency to eat snacks when I get home from school. Before the diet I would reach for a granola bar or a leftover slice of pizza. But with the diet I suddenly had to pay close attention to what I was eating. Instead of eating a few Thin Mints I would eat a bowl of berries. Instead of eating my favorite Bluebell ice cream after dinner, I forced myself to grab an orange. As time went on, replacing junk food with fruits became a habit. Even though my diet is now over, I’ve started incorporating a lot more healthy snacks into my day.

Hopefully, I can continue this habit in college and won’t have to worry about Freshman Fifteen.

the roar reviews: healthy diets

ruby perry-mize | staff reporter I’ve given up meat for short periods of time before, so this wasn’t my first time telling Veggie Tales. However, I’ve never been the only vegetarian in my household before. This simple fact made it a much less pleasant experience. The world is not particularly accommodating of vegetarians, and finding filling, nutritious food without meat was a difficult prospect. The “nutritious” part of that equation was particularly tough. The easiest way to be vegetarian is to eat cheap processed foods, such as chips, meat substitutes, and pastries. To be healthy, I had to eat mostly eggs and potatoes. For a lone vegetarian in a family, it is difficult to go fully meatless without investing a lot of time and energy into meal prep. Simply put, vegetarianism is an admirable, but impractical choice for a member of a household that does not accommodate that diet.

the roar | reviews | 15

thursday, mar. 29, 2018

elise sawyer | staff reporter As someone who is not an “athletically-inclined” person, the idea of doing a cycle class never even entered my head (although I do go to the gym regularly on my own). When I decided to do this review, I had no idea of the surreal, fatigue-laced dreamlike experience that would occur. As I signed into the Longmire Tru-Fit gym using my membership, I put my name on the sheet for the 6:45-7:45 AM Cycle class, wondering if I would survive the hour. In the cycling room, there was nobody close to my age, which made me wonder if different classes were more geared towards different ages. Before I had time to ask, loud music

drew howerton | senior executive editor Before I could drive, I biked everywhere. My grandfather brought me a used mountain bike on one of his frequent visits, and it became my primary mode of transportation in middle school. I started biking to friends’ houses and to parks by my house, and I realized that not only was biking a good way to get around, but it’s a really good workout. On average, biking at a leisurely speed can burn over 500 calories per hour. Biking stimulates lots of leg muscles, like quadriceps, calf muscles and hamstrings, as well as abdominal muscles.

Although the workout you get from riding a bike can be achieved from taking a cycling class, I

immediately began blaring as the instructor started the class and disco lights began to flash around the room. Not only did it immediately start at my maximum level of stationary biking, but the class immediately started doing positions while on the bike. Although at first it was incredibly difficult, over time I got used to the higher difficulty, enthusiastic instructing, and biking positions, to the point that I was sad to leave once it was over. The atmosphere of the workout was incredibly different compared to what I was used to, but the group workout helped me push my workout limits and attempt a new form of stationary biking.

would argue that biking is a lot more fun because you get to experience nature while you exercise. I love to pull my bike out on a clear, sunny day and ride around my neighborhood, sometimes listening to music or podcasts. I understand why cycling classes are popular; some don’t want to buy a bike, or can’t. At the same time, a bike is a worthwhile investment. It doesn’t need gas or electricity, and can go places a car can’t. And while cycling classes are social, there’s nothing saying that you can’t grab a couple friends and bike around.

Cycling classes are a great workout, but the same workout can be achieved by biking, all while experiencing the great outdoors.

NO HANDLEBARS

s: cycling w e i v e r v r s a . bik o r i e n h g t

PHOTO BY DREW HOWERTON

thursday, mar. 29, 2018

16 | etcetera | the roar

ACTING UP Preparation for One-Act competition inspires camaraderie, creativity tessa matthews | staff reporter As people are preparing for the spotlight, minds are racing and everyone is on edge. As the lights dim, the haunting consequences of improvising too much or performing over the time is thick in the air. Then, curtains open: One Act play competition begins.

“If you are in theater production you can audition for One Act,” senior Todd Gray said.

“If you want to be in One Act without being in production you can also join by teacher recommendation.”

Getting into One Act is based on the potential the director sees in an actor or actress.

“Auditions are based on how well they have done in the past, what I have seen in the past, and whether [the student] can handle the role or not,” theater teacher Randy Williamson said.

After auditions, there is a meeting the next day about expectations and other topics concerning One Act and then they begin to rehearse the play.

“The students will get in costume, run the show, make sure we are under time and I will give the students notes,” Williamson said. “Then we

will do a run scene and make it better and better.”

To keep everyone’s minds sharp, new ideas are constantly being thrown around.

“They question me, I question them, we keep each other honest and on task. We keep each other going,” Williamson said In One Act, everyone works together to improve the play.

“It’s not just me being a theater god telling them what to do,” Williamson said. “We all work together in this process and a lot of times their ideas are better than mine.”

One Act may be a UIL event but, to the students, it is much more than that.

“One act is like a big family,” junior Mennatallah Khattab said. “It doesn’t matter if you are crew or not, [everyone] treats you like family.”

One Act can be fun and games, but there are some struggles that come along.

“One of our biggest difficulties this year was people were missing rehearsals because everyone was getting the flu and it messed us up a little bit with our scheduling, but we [were] able to reboun-d from it,” Gray said.

There is a thick rule book One Act has to follow. Students have to be passing, the play must be

done within 40 minutes and if the team goes one second over, they get disqualified.

“We can’t go over the time limit so we have to do [the play] over and over again until we don’t go over the limit,” Khattab said.

Although rules are limiting, they do not slow down Williamson and his students from making the play unique.

“There are all these rules and it limits what we can do creatively but it also makes us more creative because artwork is best when it is limited,” Williamson said.

Keeping a positive outlook on competing is a key component to having fun.

“I’m not about winning,” Williamson said.

“I’m about if the students are happy with what they have done. If we are satisfied and we advance, great but if we don’t, that’s fine too.”

His students share that opinion.

“It is a good extracurricular, it’s fun, and it makes you feel good,” Khattab said. “If a person is really committed and they really want to do [acting] in their future then go for it.”

PHOTO BY DREW HOWERTON