Senior Issue 2019

CLASS OF 2019 the senior issue

2 | seniors

| the roar

friday, may 17, 2019

table of contents senior profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 senior college map . . . . . . . . . . 6 letters to siblings. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 staff columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 a look back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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the roar | seniors | 3

friday, may 17, 2019

Jacob Speakman

by Sam de Figueiredo

Senior Jacob Speakman considers himself proud to toot his own horn -after six years of playing in bands and orchestras, he will continue his studies at the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

Speakman said he discovered his desire to become a professional musician in a middle school orchestra rehearsal.

“I just realized there’s no ‘lose’ scenario in this game,” Speakman said. “Yeah, you’ll suffer some anxiety when you have a really

stressful program to play, but you’ll get over that -- just don’t be a baby about it. I figured, this is really the way to go.”

Since then, Speakman said he immersed himself in all things horn. In addition to being first chair horn in Consol’s band, he has been a member of the TMEA All-State Band. Most recently, he was accepted into the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYOUSA), something Speakman describes as “one of the most prestigious things you can

Senior Eric Zhang was involved in everything--orchestra, basketball, AP level classes, robotics--but his passion is computer science.

“I just really like how it's a lot of technical skill, but also you need creativity to think outside the box,” Zhang said.

“There are multiple approaches to solving these programming problems and it's just putting all of those different techniques that I know into accomplishing something practical.”

Zhang was introduced to computer science through summer programs and the programming classes at Consol. He plans to study computer science at Cornell University next fall.

“The ultimate goal right now is I want to work for the CIA from a computer science perspective,” Zhang said. “I want to be able to do something meaningful and noble, just trying to make a difference.”

Zhang remembers that the first time he was able to understand code was an eye-opening experience--later influencing his decision to pursue computer science in college.

“Before I would look at a wall of code and it was all gibberish to me,” Zhang said.

“Being able to interpret what some of that meant was really enlightening. It was just an amazing feeling like ‘holy cow I get it now’ and knowing that this is what I want to do because it clicks.”

Programming I and II teacher, Diane Rister, also noticed that Zhang expressed a genuine interest in studying computer science. “[He’s a] very bright and focused young man, and you can tell that he really likes this course because he just studied it, even if class was over, he continued on with the assignment,” Rister said. “He was really focused on getting everything done and even learning more, taking the problem to another level.”

Zhang’s dedication to understanding computer science has helped him to persevere, even when a problem seems particularly difficult--a lesson that he considers useful both in programming and in life. “[Sometimes] it just won't work and you won't know why and you just have to keep attacking a problem from different angles,” Zhang said. “Just keep going at it even if you get deterred, and you'll find your way out eventually.”

do as a high school musician.”

“We’re going on tour and doing eight different concerts in the nicest concert halls in Europe. The conductor of the Royal Opera House is our conductor,” Speakman said. “You get to tour the world and play with not only the best high school musicians in the country, but you get to play with professional conductors and soloists.”

While Speakman is excited for his upcoming opportunity, he said he expects the difficult programs to create “killer” anxiety before performances.

“On horn, you could virtually put down the same fingering and play a million different notes. We’re also given the stupidest stressful solos,” Speakman said. “When you go to a concert, the people that will miss the most notes is the horn section. It’s not our fault. It happens.”

While fumbled notes could go unnoticed in the viola or violin section, in which multiple people play the same part, Speakman said that isn’t the case in the wind and brass sections.

“You’re like one on a part, so everything is exposed,” Speakman said. “If you mess up, everyone’s gonna hear it, and you instantly get judged by a lot of people.

You could even potentially get fired in a professional orchestra.”

Speakman said this pressure makes meticulous practice even more necessary.

While he enjoys practicing, he said it makes completing school work a difficult balancing act.

“It’s annoying when I have a really busy schedule, and school tries to make you do a lot. When I’m gone or busy with music stuff, that’s the stuff that’s actually gonna help me,” Speakman said. “If I need to prepare an audition or something, I mean, it’s just a waste of time to do the other stuff.”

But even with his overwhelming schedule, Speakman said he has never once questioned following this path.

“My friends and I never say ‘Why do we do this,’ but we always joke like ‘I wish I picked violin,” Speakman said. “We always make jokes, but never seriously, because we always enjoy it.”

Speakman added that he doesn’t see his passion going away anytime soon.

“There’s so much left to learn about being more efficient, about how to win a job, about how to convey your meaning.

There’s never going to be a point where anyone in their life will ever know everything.” Speakman said. “There’s too much music to learn in a lifetime, which is great because you’ll always have stuff to keep you going.”

Eric Zhang

by Olivia Conway

After teaching him for two years and witnessing his work ethic first-hand, Rister is confident that Zhang will succeed in college and beyond.

“He's going to Cornell, [which is a] very good computer science university, so the potential is there and he will see to it that he's going to learn everything he can,” Rister said. “He can be anything he wants

to be.”

Though programming, and high school in general, might have been difficult at times for Zhang, he is thankful for his experiences.

“It helped me grow a lot as a person, helped me find myself,” Zhang said. “It wasn't always easy, but looking back it was all good for me, all the trials, all the good

4 | seniors

| the roar

Senior Jessica Peng is just as comfortable in a swimming pool as she is in a classroom. Earlier this year, Peng committed to swim for Columbia University, an Ivy League school with a Division 1 swim team. She considered several schools with strong acadmemics and good swimming teams during the recruiting process, but ultimately chose to attend Columbia after visiting the campuses.

“You have to reach out to the [college] coaches first and you have to keep the coaches updated and you keep updating them until they stop ignoring you,” Peng said. “The ones I considered the most were Cornell, Columbia, Rice, and UChicago, [but] I liked Columbia the most.”

Peng has been swimming competitively with the Aggie Swim Club since she was seven years old, but she recalls that she didn’t really like it until a few years later when she seemed to improve almost overnight. “[Swimming] was my parents' [idea] when I was little, but once I turned ten I really enjoyed swimming because I got better at it,” Peng said. “I'd been swimming and I was just like ‘I want to quit’ and then I went on a month-long vacation and I came back and then something happened.”

Since then, Peng has seen success in swimming--from making the competitive

friday, may 17, 2019

cut for Winter Junior Nationals to qualifying for an All-Star team after one of her first open-water competitions. Her talent and dedication in regard to swimming are evident to her coaches including Henry Clark, who has coached Peng in Aggie Swim Club for the past five years.

“She's very competitive, she's very strong, she's talented, she perseveres, she listens well, she's a good teammate, she just makes all the right qualities for what we want to see,” Clark said. “Jessica is just the role model for all of that, she always has herself under control and we've never had any issues with her about discipline or wondering if she's really understanding what we're trying to get from her.”

While Peng’s coaches are impressed with her accomplishments and dedication, for her swimming is just a normal part of her life.

“It's basically always been a thing, like I'll just keep swimming because it's so much of a normal routine,” Peng said. “I think I'm just going to keep swimming in college because it's so normal.”

With several practices a week, as well as dry land practices and other conditioning exercises, swimming takes up a large portion of Peng’s time. While Peng said that she did not mind the time commitment since many of her friends swam with

her, Clark noticed that Peng struggled during her junior year to swim and still have enough time to study.

“She was taking way too many AP level courses at school and it really affected her--she had a hard time because she was having to study so much and at the same time she wanted to do well on her swimming,” Clark said. “But after school was over we had a really good summer, she was much more relaxed, and this year going into her senior year she had a great season

this past fall and spring.”

Clark also credits swimming with helping Peng to leave her comfort zone and prepare to go to college with a new group of people. Rather than focusing on being nervous, Peng is enthusiastic about meeting her new teammates at Columbia.

“We actually have a group chat already--they're really cool. It's going to be pretty exciting to meet new people,” Peng said. “I mean I guess I'm nervous in general, but I'll think about that later.”

“A lot of times you see books about teenagers, but adults are the ones writing them. It’s interesting, but not necessarily authentic,” Gopal said. “With my book, it’s a teenager writing about being a teenager, so people can relate to it more.”

Gopal said she put plenty of thought into the creation of her book, meaning her

schedule was almost always full.

“I did take a lot of AP classes, so that took a lot of time and work,” Gopal said.

“You do what you’ve got to do. Balancing passion and studies is definitely hard, but it doesn’t really feel like work if you’re doing what you love.”

Her twin brother, senior Neel Gopal, noticed and admired her work ethic.

“I was really impressed by the way she was able to balance writing a book with school and tennis,” her twin, senior Neel Gopal, said. “It took her awhile to finish the project, so the patience and dedication she has is really admirable.”

Neha Gopal said she’ll need to bring that discipline with her at Southwestern University, where she will major in Neuroscience and play tennis.

“I’m gonna keep up writing as a hobby for sure or join some sort of writing organization in college,” Neha Gopal said.

“I’m still just trying to take in publishing my first book, but I know I want to publish another book another day.”

But Neha Gopal said it might be awhile before she publishes another book, considering it took three years of hard

work to publish this one.

“There were times when I wanted to give up, because I’m telling you, the writing I did was crap,” Neha Gopal said. “But my dad especially pushed me. He’s a really good writer, so he put the passion into me.”

Neha Gopal added that her longtime friend, senior Darby Hurley, also helped her reach her goal.

“Throughout her writing process, Neha would sometimes send me working manuscripts that I would read through and give feedback on,” Hurley said. “Honestly, she didn’t need my help for the book to be amazing, but I was still happy to support her.”

Neha Gopal said Hurley’s help made a tremendous impact, saying she even influenced certain aspects of the book.

“She’s one of my best friends. I put some of her personality, like her ambition, into one of the main characters,” Neha Gopal said. “My favorite part is taking a lot of personal experience and little bits of myself -- every day little inspirations from day to day -- and putting it into this story.”

Neha Gopal

by Sam de Figueiredo

In between school and tennis practice, senior Neha Gopal developed her hobby of writing into somewhat of a career -- earlier this year, she published her first book, titled "10."

Gopal said being a teenager has given her a unique perspective among fiction authors.

Jessica Peng

by Olivia Conway

the roar | seniors | 5

friday, may 17, 2019

Senior Ellie Miller first brought up the idea of graduating from high school early while on a church choir trip.

“I called my mom, I was on the bus, and I was like ‘hey mom, I was wondering how would you feel about me graduating early and doing the [World Race],’ and she was like ‘we'll talk when you get home’,” Miller said. “She had known I'd been interested in doing the [World] Race, but graduating early was never in the picture.”

In September, Miller will start the World Race, a nine-month mission trip that will take her to Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Thailand to serve others and spread the word of God. “I just kept feeling called towards it,” Miller said. “At first I wanted to push it away because I'm very motivated with school, but the Lord kept opening up pathways for me and being like ‘this is what I want you to do’.”

Though the World Race is an intense, international mission trip that will take up most of the next year for Miller, her friends, like senior Abby Sawyer, were not surprised with her choice to participate.

“A lot of people will go to church [and] go through the motions, but for her I think it's more than that,” Sawyer said. “She's so

invested in sharing what she believes with other people that [the World Race] was the perfect thing for her.”

But Miller says that her faith was not always as strong or personal as it is now.

“It wasn't necessarily something I'd chosen for myself or something I was super passionate about, it was just something I kinda did,” Miller said. “It wasn't until high school when it became more of my own religion--my own relationship with the Lord.”

Besides providing an opportunity to spread her faith and serve others, Miller also hopes that the World Race will help her to find a new perspective on her life.

“So many people get stuck in the small mindset of what's going on in their lives-our whole lives are a lot of selfishness.

This will be the first point in my life where I’m truly just pursuing selflessness,” Miller said. “I really hope to come back with a personality of wanting to serve others.”

During the World Race, Miller will interact with different cultures and live in rather rough conditions--her packing list included a two-person tent. However, Sawyer thinks that Miller is well-suited for the trials she may encounter.

“This trip is really intense, [but] I

consol crossword

Ellie Miller

by Olivia Conway

think her outgoing personality will make her able to push through,” Sawyer said.

“She's always willing to try new things, [and] she's not afraid to go out and start conversation.”

While Miller says she is looking forward to experiences doing missionary work abroad, she maintains that opportunities to help others at home

1 2

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across

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2. "each happy memory... to ___" 5. "thanks, and have a _____ day!"

7. the ghost of consol 8. our mascot 11. Consol's joint music festival with CSHS 13. the english teacher with the most (visible) tattoos

down 1. popular fast-food restaurant after football games 3. to opt out of a final 4. users only allow select friends to follow this type of "secret" social media account 6. a funny post or joke that is copied and spread across social media 9. everyone's favorite 30 minutes of the school day 10. consol's dance team 12. the assistant principal known to dress code

should not be overlooked.

“People think you have to leave the country to serve others and be kind, but you can serve others just as well in the United States,” Miller said. “You don’t have to be living in a hut overseas, you can be in your classroom or in the hallways and you can just be kind--that in itself is spreading the love of Jesus.”

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t he first 20 people to turn in a finis crosswo hed rd to M r.

Williams (room 2147) w ill win a prize!

friday, may 17, 2019

6 | seniors | the roar

the roar | seniors | 7

oh, the places we’re going...

ALABAMA

auburn university Joelle Benjamin

ARIZONA

arizona state university Zoe Keller

ARKANSAS

university of arkansas

MICHIGAN

university of michigan Mitchell Kuppersmith

TEXAS

Jason Record

Makenna Calliham

university of mississippi

Athalie Schooler

Maya Rios

NEW JERSEY

Avery Lake Grace Moore Ryan Loden

Leah McAleer Naya Noffsker

angelo state university

Mia Boatner

baylor university

Charlie Waller Payton McGinnis princeton university Emmanuel Muyia Zachary Hassan Shiva Saravanan Mack Callaway

blinn college

Aaron Alcorn Alejandro Barrenechea Vela CALIFORNIA columbia university Alexia Loreto university of california, berkeley Jessica Peng Alexus Brown Noor Bains Selena Li cornell university Amber Daniel university of california, santa cruz Eric Zhang Amya Mitchell Iyan Cirillo new york university Anastasia Howeth Ritika Annapareddy Angelika Contreras COLORADO rochester institute of technology Bailey Brock colorado school of mines Hannah Alvard Blanca Guerrero Kyleigh Harrell Bryianna Taylor university of colorado, boulder NORTH CAROLINA Brytan Quartemont Payton Concklin elon university Christian Bacani university of colorado, denver Allison Aramburu Christopher Noegel Zade Tobeh north carolina a&t state university Cristian Garcia Nakylah Carter Daylon Ratliff FLORIDA Derrin Jones Jr. university of florida OHIO Diamond Roberson Naeliz Lopez university of cincinnati Edward Venegas Thomas Gilmore ILLINOIS Edwin Hard university of cincinnati college loyola university chicago Emily Stovall conservatory of music Byron Wright Faith Paull Jacob Speakman George Fayek IOWA Hailey Condor OKLAHOMA grinnell college Haily Brown university of oklahoma Grant Edens Oscar Escobar Villar Reed Parry Hayley Tatum simpson college Hannah Odle oklahoma state university Mason Kruljac Jada Jackson Zane Montgomery Javier Garcia-Saldana KANSAS Jonathan Browne OREGON ottawa university Joshua Valenzuela portland state university Timothy Campbell Joshua Walker Riley Daniel KENTUCKY Justin Souza

NEW YORK

murray state university Jackson Newkham

northern kentucky university Mackenzie Mitchell

LOUISIANA

centenary college of louisiana Xavier Noyola-Ramirez

university of louisiana, monroe Khyj Thomas

prairie view a&m university

abilene christian university

MISSISSIPPI

RHODE ISLAND

rhode island school of design Aimee Deng

SOUTH CAROLINA

the citadel: the military college of south carolina Garrett Golla

houston community college JaTavia Ford

lamar university Olivia Taylor

lee college

Madeline Henderson

Abigail Robles-Ramirez Mackhi Thompson Naomi Henderson Phoenix Barrera

Rekiyia Nelson Sharian Brown Trinity Preston

recording conservatory of austin Barret Carmody Brodie Shea

Willie Allen II

sam houston state university Kaitlyn Harris Kaytelynn Malacara Kelsey Saxe Lucy Harper Luke Parrent Madison Letendre Mennatallah Khattab Michael Barondeau Miguel Barrenechea Pena Mikayla Mader Mohammed Ali Molly Pfeiffer My’Yona Strange Nadia Lopez Naomy Diaz-Posada Nhu Nguyen Payton Newman Quinisha Davis Rachel Swartz Raven Barrera Reed Larson Sabrina Zallar Sarah Gallagher Sierra Kostic Susie Choi Sydney Kostic Tanner Rodman Tashavion Tucker Tetherance Miles Tiffany Acosta Tyriah Tindle Wynter Houpt John King Jr. Ta’Neka Olds

Morgan Cole

lubbock christian university

the roar su rve seniors abo yed 300 ut their pos t graduation plans

Samuel Henderson

Andrea Hernandez-Gomez Mary House

southwestern university

Melissa Horn Sawyer Nowak

Neha Gopal

texas a&m university Aabid Razvi Aaron Becker Abby Cotter Amanda Schlueter Andrew Perry Andrew Tremblay Avery Henderson Ayden Tran Basty Vejar-Sandoval Callie Garner Camryn Sevcik Caroline Lawrence Cole Catalena Corina Ramont Daniel Pugh Jr. Darby Hurley Darce Markowsky David Nguyen Derrion Elder Ellie Garrett Emmanuel Preciado Ethan Avila Ethan Martinez Harper White Harrison Kuhn Isaac Harris Isabella Garza Jack Chivvis Jack Ealy Jacob Hrncir Jacqueline Culpepper James Rude Jamie Taylor Janelle Thomas Jennifer Wu Jolee Fedora

Jordan Gray Joshua Ellison Joshua Martin Joyce Benjamin Kaleigh Waguespack Kyle Gibson Lauren Sorrells Lillian Cloud Madeline Altendorf Madi Booth Madison Stubbs Maggie Ealy Mason Wright Megan Schlather Meredith Poling Michelle Wu Miles Versaw Miranda Holmgreen Muhammad Sajid Mya Phelps Nicholas Aparicio Noah McGuffey Noah Smith Pete Lange III Roger Wang Sam Cook Sam Presnal Sarah Kassam Savannah Brooks Shelby Bruffett Travis McAleer Tristan Ament Tyler Jennings Wells Peterson Will Harris

texas a&m university commerce Freddy Yax-Argueta

Nathaniel Summer

texas a&m university, corpus christi Brandie Webb Jie Zhang Kaitlyn Hobbs

Landon Lipscomb Mohammadmasoud Karimipour

texas christian university Tyler Stuart

texas state technical college Colton Harper Colton Phillips

Nathan Reeder

Allyson Fisher Becca Keefer Rees Newman

Sam Orihuela Shelby Cave

texas state university

texas tech university Aubrey Hay Bradley Arthur Jonathan Farrell

WORKFORCE

university of texas, austin Abby Sawyer Andrew Zhang Avha Mohanty Connor Fredericks Jacob Eaker Jennifer Zhou Julia Deutz

Leah Liu Amelia Carson Neel Gopal Caleb Garner Olivia Conway Caleb Martinez Riley Garrett David Schmiediche Sam De Figueiredo Dylan Hudspeth Sarah Morgan Jeff Donaldson Jovaun Gonzales

Arthur Erickson Hayden Kratz

Sam Chandler

university of texas, dallas

Madeline Stromberg university of texas, san antonio Taylor Burke Shriya Satish

TRADE SCHOOL

Braden Buche

Connor Bell Gunnar Coker Joshua Delatorre

Emily Edwards

MISSION

tyler junior college university of houston university of the incarnate word Reid Francis

university of mary hardin-baylor Caitlin Quave Gavin Ethridge

Rachel Dvoracek

Caden Fedora

Jack Slayton

CJ Anaya

Melissa Flores

university of north texas

university of texas, arlington

Megan Easterling

Amy Gaspar

Ravin Perales

Cody Reeves

TraQuilian Allen

airforce

coast guard

Brandon Dunlap

marines

Julius Howard

navy

Sarah Wigington

OTHER / UNDECIDED Adrianna Sims Alexandra Corona-Gutierrez Ariah Kadinger Chassidy Morriel Filip Malik Gabriel Pazmino Parra Hannah Jackson Javius Dennis

Bryson Foust

army

Reagan Sheffy Whitney Lackey

Connor Hickson Ellie Miller Nicholas Ashcraft

MILITARY

Messiah Dennis Michael Soto Mikayla Becker Rachael Heiniluoma Ryan McLean Ty Williams Vincent Sheffield

Jesus Mendoza Tadeo Julia Kinney Megan Shurtleff Robert Toback-Wolf Samuel Button Summer Klingler Victoria Hightower

Jonah Hetland

8 | seniors | the roar

words of advice

friday, may 17, 2019

letters to freshmen siblings

ellie & abby garrett molly & addie pfeiffer tristan & audrey ament

I thought having a freshman sister would be nothing short of annoying. I am happy to say that I was mostly wrong. (Remember that time you convinced me that I had to give you a ride home because Mom said you had to hang out with my friends too???) The other 99% of the time you are a smart, incredibly witty, passionate young lady I am proud to call my sister.

Before I graduate, I want to share a few of the most important things I’ve learned in high school.

Let yourself have fun. Yes, grades are important, but so is having a social life. I picked studying over spending time with friends far too often. When I look back on high school, I won’t remember the times I scribbled answers for a completion grade or the times I studied the class period before a test. I’ll remember the nights I stayed at Whataburger so late I nearly fell asleep there. The nights I cheered so loud at soccer games I didn’t have a voice the next day. The times I went to “study” at Blue Baker but really spread all the gossip and laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe.

When you find your balance, you will learn that it is possible to excel in school while also making those fun memories.

Find friends that make you a better person. Surround yourself with people who lift you up and motivate you to be the best version of yourself. Make sure these same people call you out for bad jokes, tell you when your outfit needs fixing, and let you know when you’re acting out of line. Always remember that it’s okay to grow away from old friends and make new friends.

Remember that you are capable, you are wise, and you are unique. In your years of high school, I hope you cheer loud at sports, actually dance at school dances, and try to do your homework before you find the answers. I am so incredibly proud of you and cannot imagine not seeing your pretty face everyday next year. FaceTime me often. I love you dearly and I am going to miss you SO much.

Dear Audrey, Your time at Consol is one which will bring several different experiences. The opportunities that will present themselves can lead to whole new roads that you didn’t know existed. Remember to take every opportunity that is given to you, it may not seem beneficial immediately, but in the long run you will appreciate your hard work.

Also, always remember to follow your passions and dreams. Plans may change, but it is important to follow your goals. The dedication you put in now will pay off in a few years when you start applying to colleges.

Your favorite brother, Tristan

Dear Addie “Dee”, The day you were born, I was able to leave school early and also enjoy yummy cupcakes celebrating you! I knew this sister thing would be a sweet deal. Addie - you have already impacted my life in so many ways. From being in and out of hospitals with you, sharing a room together, and telling each other everything (and I mean EVERYTHING), you quickly became my best friend, who I also call sister. We have bonded over everything, but also have enough weird face pictures of each other to start World War III, if we ever felt necessary. I was so excited to spend my last year of high school with you. I am going to miss riding to school with you listening to whatever sad music you play or music you choose that I actually know. I am going to miss being able to hear you laughing all the way down the hall. I know you will succeed in school, in life, and in every endeavor you encounter. I cannot wait to see you walk the stage at Consol, and eventually Harvard. There is never a dull moment with you. You are fun to be around (when you’re nice) and can light up every room. Smile big, dance a lot (randomly), learn a lot, and you will go far.

I love you, Bb

the roar | seniors | 9

friday, may 17, 2019

Olivia Conway

Sam de Figueiredo

managing editor

There’s a supervolcano underneath Yellowstone National Park that could destroy half of the American population if it erupts.

When it erupts. According to scientists, the eruption is overdue—as in any day the sun could be blotted out by clouds of ash, the plants covered in films of dust, thousands of lives lost in the explosion. Yet everyday people take their families to see the geysers, pointing out the wildlife and watching the arcs of water shoot into the sky. Yet everyday I wake up and leave my house, thoughts of imminent destruction pushed to the back of my mind. Yet everyday life goes on.

This is what I admire about humanity: even against adversity, natural disaster, and sorrow, we go on. For generations humans have picked up the broken pieces of their lives, left their war-torn nations, and journeyed in search of a better life. Unsure of the future, but still hoping for prosperity, they went on.

Rather than flee, they changed and adapted and thrived.

My mother considers typing to be the most important skill she learned in high school. Mine was this: how to continue, how to adapt, how to flourish. There were weeks when I felt like my future was evaporating in front of me, one bad test grade marking the difference between fulfillment and despair.

But these weeks ended; life went on. I walked out of Consol’s doors into bright sunlight and marveled at the fact that I was okay.

On the second floor, between the staircase and the English hallways, there is a row of windows. The glass is spotted and chipped in places, but on sunny days all I can see when I look through them is an almost limitless expanse of blue. Deep, brilliant, bright, sky blue. Soft golden light spills from these windows, pooling on the floor like water. The flaws only make the windows more beautiful. That something imperfect could

editor-in-chief

hold such intense beauty, that something imperfect could be so luminous, inspired me.

I am grateful for these windows.

At the end of junior year, Goodwyn wrote personalized letters to all of his AP English students. Included in mine was his wish that someday I would be able to recognize my own abilities and talents. I have spent the past four years listening to my own mind tell me that I will never be good enough or smart enough or insightful enough to succeed. Imposter syndrome and anxiety have permanent front-row seats watching my every move. I have no idea who I am or who I will become. But my teachers and my parents have always known. They have believed in me since the beginning. I am grateful for the people who never grew tired of reassuring me that I was not worthless.

And I am also grateful for you: whoever is reading this newspaper. Maybe you’re one of my best friends and you’re smiling as you remember all of our embarrassing moments over the past four years. Maybe you’ve dress coded me multiple times on my way to class.

Maybe you’re the guy who met my eyes and asked me if I was going to be okay when I handed him a newspaper one cold, winter Friday. Or maybe we’ve never spoken, perhaps only shared a smile as I rush to sixth period. But regardless of who you are, I am grateful that our paths have crossed--I would not be who I am without all of you.

Consol, and all of its people, have protected me, taught me, inspired me, and saved me for four years. Now, I must go and find my own way.

Olivia will be attending the University of Texas at Austin to major in Biochemistry and Plan II.

I started this column 10 minutes before it was due.

This isn’t necessarily unusual for me. As an self-proclaimed procrastinator, my high school career has been a whirlwind of finishing homework last-minute and flipping through Quizlets just before the test is handed out. I’ve become accustomed to having multiple tabs open in my brain just to catch up to myself.

I have usually complained about the constant state of stress caused by my own doing. I claimed time-consuming assignments are ‘unfair,’ even if I’ve had an entire semester to work on them. School remained in the backseat of my brain as I made it my goal to simply make it to the moment I’d finally walk across the graduation stage in one of those giant maroon parachute-like gowns.

As I kept this mentality, I not only rushed raced past assignments, but also high school dances, football games, choir concerts, musicals and movie nights without truly recognizing how much fun I’ve had. I thought I wanted nothing more than to just graduate already.

But as the moment I’ve been dying for approaches quickly, I’ve found myself hoping it would slow down.

Even as I sit here now, frantically typing on a dusty computer that could be from the 1970s, I realize that this time is different.

This is likely the last time I will type in this journalism lab with a scratchy couch that always smells slightly like burnt popcorn.

This is the last time I’ll come to a newspaper late night that will inevitably last a little too long.

In one week, I’ll no longer have anything to procrastinate (until college, of course.) And though I’m looking forward to no longer having to cram for Spanish quizzes or staying at the school until 11 p.m. for newspaper, I’m starting to realize why people call these ‘the good old days.’

Sam will be attending the University of Texas at Austin to major in Journalism.

10 | seniors

senior survey

| the roar

friday, may 17, 2019

228 seniors surveyed

Did you go to a high school football game?

82% NO 18%

YES

Z

Z

Have you gotten dress-coded?

83% NO 17% 91% NO 9%

60% NO 40%

46% NO 54%

YES

Have you gotten a school parking ticket?

YES

YES

Did you go to a school dance?

70% NO 30%

Have you hid from a teacher in public?

YES

Have you fallen asleep in class?

Z

Have you eaten a lunch from the cafeteria?

P

Did you read all of the books in English class?

YES

Have you cheated on a test?

Did you play a school sport?

YES

YES

62% NO 38%

Did you have a glo-up?

59% NO 23% WHAT'S A GLO-UP? 18%

32% NO 68%

YES

61% NO 39%

72% NO 28%

YES

YES

Have you used someone else's school ID? A&M

Scho

58% NO 42%

YES

ated

olid

Cons

High

ol

ior

Sen

Have you pulled an all-nighter for school?

Have you gone to a party?

Did you lie on this survey?

YES

YES

YES

56% NO 44%

64% NO 36%

11% NO 89%

friday, may 17, 2019

the roar | seniors | 11

a walk down memory lane 2017

de”

na Beyonce’s “Lemo

goodbye to vine

Taylor Swift’s new “Reputation” qui uid o q aut mm net pl ibuso , i t t s m i co e n Bu Aper andel quis ri l m ommo quid qui i to rem rem inBus cte mi, Qu o i ? b u r Buplaut la iliq remAperi atu quat. conet sm i, am itate elaborem r a landele sntibuse i m qu hilla lo. BuApe ommo aud onseam i inctemquist niliqui ab abore ri co quid l g c t a e n m tori r aim e Qui m en eatur? r d auditate e l o and et plau qui t Um dre a ip iliq ele t aesconsequia uri aud quat.ui i cus ectat re itate e nctem ntibus con a n Ume magnihilla q t o u n Um sequ r? Q uist cusdaes torent labo. Bus u cus e magn ia qua i tori t. dae ipide nonectaturia i h il non s ecta torent la turi l a ip abo. B us ide

taylor swift

reputation

Bus mi, ommo quid qui remAperi conet plaut laborem landele ntibusam iliqui inctemquist auditate eatur? Qui tori re consequia quat.

Ume magnihilla cusdaes torent labo. Bus nonectaturia ipide

uin

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Welcome to “Riverdale”

2016

2019 End Game...

“I’ve got the horses in the back”

ey

s Ram n o as y: M o B eling Yod Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next”

ThaNk u, NexT

2018

thank you

& have a tigeriffic future