The Roar Vol. 17 No. 3 by The Roar

the

Roar

A&M Consolidated High School

Rave about student humanitarianism on pages 12 and 13

1801 Harvey Mitchell Pkwy. S., College Station, Texas 77840

eyes,

wandering

Friday, Dec. 9, 2011

Vol. 17 No. 3

minds

questioning

Student, faculty opinions conflict on effects of cheating by dana branham, features editor

*names have been changed to protect student identities The classroom is nearly silent, the air conditioner emitting a low on his phone. Some may feel guilt as they do this, only desiring a good hum as students busily scratch at Scantrons, periodically flipping over grade. To others, it’s just a habit or a way to succeed without trying. their papers. The students are in the middle of taking one of many Cheating occurs not only in this classroom, but in many, whether it is normal tests that come along with the high school experience. in the form of copying a homework assignment, simply telling a friend Aside from test-taking, a few students in the room are participating what was on a test or quiz, or plagiarizing a test or paper. in what is a "normal" activity for them—cheating. One student nonchalantly peeks at another’s answer sheet. A different student sits see "cheating" on page 3 in the back of the room, scrolling through answers a friend texted him

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AMY ZHANG

tolook

where News Viewpoints Snapshots Student Life

pages 2-5 Health and Rec

page 14

pages 6-10 People

page 15-18

page 11 Sports

page 19-21

pages 12-13 Entertainment/Etc. pages 22-24

nthis ssue

Students and staff at Consol find a healthy approach to eating as vegetarians. PAGE 14

Students who have hunted since a young age find the hobby exhilarating. PAGE 17

n the news

2 | news | the roar

friday, dec. 9, 2011

A qu ck view

Junior wins theatre award

Robotics team places at region

Junior Alyssa Salazar was selected to produce and perform her original play for the Texas Educational Theatre Association’s annual convention. Her play “Jake Bright” focuses on the challenges that special needs students face in school by showing the relationship between a high school girl and an autistic boy. This statewide competition is open to all high school students, with only two selected for performances. The TheatreFest convention will be held in the Theatre District of downtown Houston this January.

The Tiger Robotics team placed second at the Southeast Texas B.E.S.T (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) Robotics competition hosted at SHSU in Huntsville, Texas. This program provides an opportunity for students to learn about and experience the engineering process, teamwork, problem solving, strategy and public relations. To win the B.E.S.T. award. students must create a business marketing strategy, which includes an engineering notebook, an oral presentation and a promotional booth that explains the robot from conception to competition.

Speech and Debate, Interact support Brazos Valley Food Bank Tiger Speech and Debate along with Interact Club hosted a canned food drive for the Brazos Valley Food Bank on Tuesday, Nov. 22. Students purchased strips of duct tape for a $1 donation or a can of food. The students used the tape to stick either History teacher Jason Pratt or English teacher Mike Williams to the cafeteria columns. Overall, the two organizations raised $250 dollars and over 70 cans of food.

FFA teams compete in Leadership Development Events Eight FFA teams recently competed at the district leadership development events in Franklin, Texas. Quiz team members seniors Brianna Hubbard and Mitchell Isbell and juniors Jordan Brown and Charis Brantley placed first and advanced to area. The Public Relations team members seniors Kristin Kasper, Hannah Neely, Kayla Hanson, Jayme Holden and Paige Littlefield placed first at district and eighth at area.

Junior wins state cross country, runs at two national meets Junior Karis Jochen won the 5A Girls Cross Country Championship at Old Settlers Park in Rock on Nov. 12. She finished the two-mile course with a time of 11:12. Jochen then competed in the Nike regional on Nov. 19, finishing the 5K in second place, which qualified her for the Nike national cross country meet in Oregon on Dec. 3. There she placed 31st in the 5k. Jochen also placed ninth at the Foot Locker Southeastern Regional in North Carolina on Nov. 26 and qualified for the Foot Locker national meet tomorrow in San Diego, California.

Musicians selected for All-State Violinists Tiffany Wu, James Wu and Serena Wang were recently selected to perform on the 2011-2012 Texas Music Educators Association AllState Orchestra.

Junior Wesley Remshel duct tapes teachers Mike Williams (left) and Jason Pratt (right) to a cafeteria column on Nov. 22 as part of a service project to collect cans and raise money for the Brazos Valley Canned Food Drive. See more info in news briefs. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ROY RODRIGUEZ

Com ng up Dec. 9:

A Taste of Christmas choir concert 6:30 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church, $10 for dessert and concert

Dec. 9-11: “A Christmas Carol” theatre play at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 16:

Finals: 5th, 1st, & 7th periods

Dec. 19:

Finals: 6th, 4th, & 2nd periods

Dec. 20:

Finals: 3rd period

Dec. 21:

Winter break begins

Jan. 9:

First school day of 2012

Jan. 16: Feb. 20

Bad weather make-up day Student holiday, Staff development

Friend Roar Newspaper on Facebook for the latest news, photos and polls!

If you ever need caring, confidential help, there’s always Hope. We’re here for you.

www.hopepregnancy.org

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Check out our Flickr at www.flickr.com/theroar for more pictures.

the roar | news | 3

friday, dec. 9, 2011

“Cheating” continued from page 1

Increase in cheating, plagarizing results in detrimental effects WHY STUDENTS CHEAT

James Brown*, currently a senior, admits to having cheated most significantly when he, as a sophomore, used his phone on a test using photos he had taken of maps to identify countries on his test. Brown, like other cheaters, takes a passive, not malicious, stance on academic dishonesty. “I just didn’t feel like studying,” Brown said. Senior Ashley Jones* cheated for different reasons. Her involvement in time-consuming extracurricular activities created a conflict. “I have [after school activities], and I was at school every day until eight or nine o’ clock,” Jones said. “By the time I get home, I didn’t want to do my homework. It was just easier to come in the morning and copy off someone who had some time.” To remain eligible for extracurricular activities, students like Jones must maintain a passing average in all classes, which is another reason students cheat: to maintain good grades. Jones said she cheats less often now. “I still do the occasional glance over at the person next to me, and I’ll help out my friend who’s taking a test and doesn’t really know anything,” Jones said. However, “helping out a friend” can be putting other academically honest peers at a disadvantage. For example, if a student and a group of her friends cheat to make high A’s on a test while the rest of the class works honestly and scores an average of a C or D, the grade curve is made false and the non-cheaters suffer. Carl Pickhardt’s article “Why Adolescents Cheat In School and What To Do” even goes so far as to say that cheating is “anti-peer.” He compares it to athletes taking performance enhancing drugs to improve their playing, saying that cheating is not only going against authority, but it is going against the friends a student may think they are helping.

TECHNOLOGY & CHEATING

Whether or not cheating is beneficial or detrimental to peers, both teachers and students agree that technology now plays a role in the accessibility of cheating. Aaron Hogan, on-level and AP English III teacher, finds students’ use of supplementary reading tools, such as SparkNotes or Cliff Notes, understandable because of how “technology rewires our brains.” “If we’re used to reading Facebook posts and tweets and very short summative sentences, then when we get a whole book, it’s like ‘Man, how do I deal with this whole passage?’” Hogan said. Hogan said that he does not find the use of SparkNotes or Cliff Notes understandable, but rather, how the frustration of long books and texts can drive frustrated students to cheat.

cheating by the numbers

However, Jones found that reading tools like SparkNotes saved time and did enable her cheating in the past. “Now, I use SparkNotes to back up or refresh what I’m reading, but freshman and sophomore year, I literally would not read the book,” Jones said. “The only thing I would read was SparkNotes.” Also generally English-specific, another form of cheating Hogan has experienced in his classes is plagiarism. Hogan said that he has caught a handful of students who chose to copy online content verbatim in their essays. Some students who plagiarize claim that they only do it because the copied work is allegedly better than work that they could complete themselves. Hogan disagrees. “Students shouldn’t plagiarize because they have so many great things to say that never are given a voice when they depend on the ideas outlined in notes and papers elsewhere,” Hogan said. “The idea of you imitating something else to become better is simply a lie.” To discourage students from copying online sources or even other students’ papers, most of the English faculty requires students to submit major writing assignments to turnitin.com. This database checks student work against thousands of online journals, websites and archived student papers. Casey Akin, chemistry teacher, said that dishonest behavior is not necessarily enabled, but rather, hastened by technology, especially when it comes to AP testing and other standardized tests. “[Students] take an oath saying that they won’t talk about [the AP test], but I can guarantee you it’s all over their email within minutes of walking out of the exam room,” Akin said. “They can put it in their phone, upload it to their email, and post it on Facebook, and then that security is just creamed.” The speed at which information now may spread with the Internet, cell phones and the like can encourage cheating behavior, according to Gwen Elder, associate principal. “We’re a microwave type of generation and we want everything instantly,” Elder said. “A lot of times, instead of explaining how something is done, we either want to do it for [each other] or give [each other] the answers how to get [an assignment] done.”

MORAL DILEMMA

Pickhardt’s article on adolescent cheating states that the cheaters of today are the adults of tomorrow, which leaves us to believe that cheating is not a solely academic issue, but also a moral issue. Kayla Crowder, honors world geography teacher, feels that academic honesty relies heavily on the concept of integrity. “When I catch a student cheating, I have a really hard time trusting that student again,” Crowder said. “[When

you cheat], you’re losing a teacher’s trust, and you’re losing your ability to develop a rapport with that teacher.” Like Crowder, Elder feels strongly about the importance of emphasizing integrity in students, especially through the interaction of parents and children. “I think that it goes back to how [parents raise] children with integrity and trustworthiness and honesty and doing what’s right,” Elder said. “[One day, when you are] in a situation where [you] have to rely on what [your] parents have taught [you] to do, [you’re] going back to [your] character. It’s not what people see you do but what you do when no one is watching.” Hogan’s ideas on the moral aspect of cheating can even relate to his English class assignments and how his students learn from what they read—or, are supposed to read—in class. “If you do well on a test about a character whose pride is his downfall because you cheated to get there, it’s like, really?” Hogan said. “Did you get anything out of that at all?”

SHORT & LONG TERM IMPACTS

Because cheating may be a quick impulsive decision (with that quickness intensified by technology), its benefit is often only short term. “I think that students do see a benefit in cheating, but I don’t think they think about the consequences that could occur. “It’s like people who steal,” Elder said. “Because [they’re] just thinking ‘let me get through it, and then it’ll be better for me’ but they do not think about the consequences associated with their actions.’” Like Elder, Crowder believes students who have cheated in her classes only see the short term benefit. “They just want the grade, if that’s the way that they’re going to get the grade, then that’s the benefit that they get if they don’t get caught,” Crowder said. Jones said that she often cheated simply “because it was convenient,” but now has realized that its long-term impact is not worth it. “I know that cheating is not going to benefit me in college. It’s a lot harder to cheat in college,” Jones said. “I’ve learned that cheating is pointless because you can get in trouble and you don’t learn anything from it.” Akin agrees that the detriments outweigh the benefits to cheating. “[Cheating] is going to catch up with [students] eventually,” Akin said. “I knew plenty of students who I suspected of cheating, and then they went to college and now they’re just getting blown out of the water because they didn’t learn what they were supposed to learn.” In the end, cheaters are not only cheating their classmates, but themselves as well. “Cheaters never prosper,” Akin said. “They grow for a while, but then that’s it.”

PHOTOS BY DEVIN DAKOTA AND COMPILED BY DANA BRANHAM

82 students surveyed

4 | news | the roar

friday, dec. 9, 2011

Information Technology classes offer unique learning experience, useful skills BY AMY ZHANG

editor-in-chief

It’s not uncommon for a student to walk by Mr. Bart Taylor’s room and have to take a few steps back to stare. Within, a infinite number of attractions appear—the piles of networking equipment; the blinking lights from all around the room; the wall of photographs on the back of the room under the heading “T’s Elite”—but what might be the most intriguing is the atmosphere, with students occasionally playing StarCraft or Defense of the Ancients, calling out strategies or hackling calls. However, the knowledge and skills learned in any of the Information Technology classes go far beyond fun and games. “When you think about technology nowadays, such as how your phone sends messages, works, gets online and stays online, checks email, or even gets on Facebook, all that support, all the networking and all the computer stuff behind it is what we do as a foundation,” Taylor said. Taylor is the sole teacher for all four levels of information technology and works to make sure that his students are receiving an up-to-date instruction and the newest technology in the classroom. For the students, an involvement in any of the courses goes far beyond just meeting an elective requirement, as students have to write an essay and fill out an application in order to progress beyond the basic introductory class. Students can also study to receive A+ (computer technician) or N+ (networking) certifications through CompTIA. “Computer maintenance is focused on finding out as much as you can about the hardware of a computer, how a computer works—the processors, the RAM, everything

in general,” junior Jody Boring said. “We’re learning about telecommunications and networking.” Boring is part of the Telecommunications and Networking class, known more commonly by those in it as Tech II. The school offers four levels of technology classes: Principals of Information and Technology (the introductory course), Computer Maintenance, Telecommunications and Networking, and Problems and Solutions in Information Technology. “Computer maintenance really only encompasses the first class you take, where you work with the physical computer itself,” junior Shannon Lindley said. “You’ll know how to open it up, work with everything inside it, know how to fix it if you need to. In Tech II, we work with servers. The classes are about becoming a better technician and knowing how to do things that you otherwise never would have learned.” In the third level, students are primarily seniors who work on their own independent projects. Since most Tech III students are certified, they can fix common computer errors for teachers in the school, or even for students with personal computer problems. “We needed money for our Skills USA club, and we were thinking about how we could fundraise,” senior Michael Giedritis said. “We know how much it sucks to take your computer to Best Buy and be forced to pay $100 for them to look at it and even find out what’s wrong, so we said we’d fix people’s computers during our time at the school for $25 or a plate of cookies, anything like that. It’s a suggested donation; we don’t [have a set charge].” The group of eight students, which meets every day during 7th period, is willing to take on any challenge presented to them. “Anybody brings in a computer who’s

Caroling for Project Sunshine

FINAL

Sophomore Kenneth Le solders a circuit board in Computer Maintenance class during first period. Each student must complete one on his or her own. PHOTO BY KELSEY GAINES

willing to pay for it, we’ll look at it,” senior Tyler Tesch said. Currently, Lindley is the only girl in Telecommunications and Networking, and no girls are enrolled in Tech III either. Despite this ratio being highly disproportionate, Lindley is incredibly proud to be involved with the information technology courses. “I always had an interest in technology, but was a bit awed by the fact that I’d be the only female,” Lindley said. “It was the support that Mr. Taylor showed (since he wants girls in his class) that made me want to do it—in fact, I want to show the world that girls CAN do this.”

EXAM

SCHEDULE

Fri. Dec. 16:

5th: 8:20 a.m.-10:15 a.m. 1st: 10:20 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Open Campus Lunch: 2:15 p.m.- 1:45 p.m.

7th:

Mon. Dec. 19:

1:50 p.m. -3:45 p.m

6th:

8:20 a.m -10:15 a.m.

4th:

10:20 a.m-12:15 p.m

Open Campus Lunch:12:15 p.m.-1:45 p.m.

2nd:

1:50 p.m. -3:45 p.m.

Tues. Dec. 20: Juniors Vivii Jarvi and Ellie Chapkin sing familiar Christmas songs during Tiny Tim on Dec. 2 to benefit Project Sunshine. Project Sunshine purchases gifts for students and their families who otherwise wouldn’t have any over the holidays. PHOTO BY AMY ZHANG

3rd: 8:20 a.m. -10:15 a.m. Advocate: 10:20 a.m.-10:45 a.m.

Open Campus Lunch: 12:15 p.m.-12:45 p.m.

Early Release:

12:45 p.m.

Happy Holidays

Beyond technology, the classes have also had a positive influence on students outside of the classroom. From job perks— Taylor has former students working at Cisco, HP, Google, and even a few at Microsoft who co-wrote Windows 7—to basic life skills, students take away much more than just technological information. “It’s made me a better leader, a better public speaker, a better socializer,” senior Eric Hailey said. “It’s really just made me nicer, as far as customer service is concerned. You have to know about dealing with other people, and you learn what to do in specific situations.”

the roar | news | 5

friday, dec. 9, 2011

Foreign exchange students develop perspective on new culture

BY KIMMIE CESSNA

assistant sports editor

Imagine being in a place where people talk so fast that understanding most of the things they speak is a challenge. Living in a place where loved ones are far away. For some students at Consol, this is what being a foreign exchange student entails. “I thought it would be a good opportunity to grow up and be independent by stepping out of my comfort zone,” said junior Rach Chinupakanpong, an exchange student from Bangkok, Thailand. Being a foreign exchange student requires the ability to accomplish many different challenges from the language to the new atmosphere. “I started taking English classes in first grade,” said sophomore Erik Lukas, an exchange student from Stuttgart, Germany. “At first it was hard, but I got used to the language.” Living away from loved ones for an extended period can make staying in touch difficult, but with technology it can make the distance easier. “I stay in touch with friends and family through Facebook and Skype,” said junior Mathilde Haas, who is with the Rotary youth foreign exchange program from Arlon, Belgium. Making the switch to a new country can present a tough transition into a new routine. “The most difficult transition was the school being so big,” said junior Cara Bresser, an exchange student from Speyer, Germany. “My school in Germany had only 700 students, while this school has a couple thousand students.” Chinupakanpong attended an American school in Thailand before coming to the states. “The school is not much different from Consol,” Chinupakanpong said. “The teachers are very helpful here.” Being away from home can make missing something or someone a tough issue to deal with. “One thing I miss about Germany is my border collie dog, Fanny,” Lukas said. “She is very calm and sweet.” Living in a different country often involves

having diverse traditions and holidays. “In Belgium we do not have Santa Claus, we have St. Nicholas,” Haas said. “We celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6th by putting out our shoes for St. Nicholas to fill with chocolate and other treats. Coming to America can be a difficult change because foreign exchange students stay with a host family. A host family takes care of them like one of their own. “I like my host family because they are open and treat me like I am a part of their family,” Chinupakanpong said. “My host dad even took me to an A&M football game, which was my first time to be at an American football game.” Being in America brings the opportunity to try new experiences, even the different varieties of food. “My favorite food here in America is the American pancakes,” Lukas said. Adjusting to another country can bring many friends, new places to visit and new sports to experience. “One thing I will miss is the sporting spirit,” Bresser said. “We do not have football in Germany and I really enjoy football now.”

Erik Lukas, Mathilde Haas, Cara Bresser and Rach Chinupakanpong point to their countries on a world map. They traveled from their countries to be foreign exchange students at Consol this year. PHOTO BY LAURA EVERETT

What’s your favorite thing about America? “People are really nice and the teachers are very helpful.” -Rach Chinupakanpong from Bangkok, Thailand

“Everybody is relaxing, so it relaxes me.” -Mathilde Haas from Arlon, Begium

“Everything is huge here because there is not as much space in Germany.” - Erik Lukas from Stuttgart, Germany

“I like the whole American attitude.” -Cara Bresser from Speyer, Germany

Compiled by Kimmie Cessna

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6 | viewpoints | the roar

friday, dec. 9, 2011

After past experiences, teen looks back to aspire new zest in life we might judge others and decide their worth based on the college they attend, the way they make their income, where they live, or what they look like. My concern is that my generation, a group of young adults who have incredible opportunities, will lose sight of what it is to live. The world’s expectations have been drilled into our minds since we were young: try our hardest in school because that’s what matters most, go to college, find a job that makes us successful and rich, get married, have a family, and then, when that is all said and done, we will When I was seven, I had more aspiration and a better be happy. We’re taught to follow the guidelines. My point outlook on life than I do now as a seventeen year old is not that these are goals not worthy of pursuing, but that teenager. When I was seven, I found joy in the simple these shouldn’t be goals pursued out of duty. Our world things, I was blind to outer beauty, and I opened my heart to has so much to offer; so many great and beautiful places anyone who showed me kindness. When I was seven, I was to discover, different cultures to explore, and a million certain that my dreams would one day become my reality. different roads to travel that could all lead to a fulfilling I dreamt of the day when I would live in New Zealand, life. Success is not what college someone attends, or the become an artist because painting was what I loved, and salary that a person makes. The key to success is faith. Faith in the greater good, faith in meet my prince God’s plan, and faith charming. Now, at that no matter where seventeen, I look life may lead each back on that girl and individual, success envy her for her free-spirit, her passion for life, and happiness is her courage, and her ability to love. I look back achievable through and wonder when I lost that innocent zest for life. hope, passion, and Time and experiences shape us all, and a youthful heart that somewhere along the way, many people lose seeks out the beauty sight of the bigger picture. Somewhere along of every situation. the way, we let the contradictions of the Over the years, world invade our pure hearts with judgment, I’ve struggled with expectation, routine and pain. We learn how rekindling my youthful to guard our hearts, manipulate others to get passion for life. Somewhere what we want, and we lose sight of those along the way I allowed my initial dreams, which at one dreams to be rearranged so that time seemed so simple, they might fit the mold of society’s because society has definition of “success”. However, I like painted its own “rational” to think I’m regaining that youthful spark. guidelines that we have Again, my mind is opening to the bigger picture been taught to follow, of what life has to offer, and I’ve begun to allow and our big dreams my old dreams to leak back into my mind. Whether don’t fit that mold. my life leads me into an office cubicle in a large city In our nation, we or into a small cottage in New Zealand, with a canvas in are all blessed. We Artwork by Maurice Vellas front of me and my prince charming at my side, I know are presented with the To listen to the writer read his editorial, that I and anyone else can find real and genuine success by opportunity to learn and attend college, to make an income go to http://www.theroarnewspaper. trusting in the Lord and keeping in touch with our youthful so that we may live comfortably, and to express our blogspot.com for the podcast thoughts and beliefs freely. However, too often these God- hearts- those not afraid to pursue what brings us happiness, given blessings are tainted by man-made expectations. to love openly, and to strive to live out our dreams. We God did not give us the gift of knowledge so that we might must not lose ourselves in the midst of the world’s base our identity on grades and ranks. God did not give expectations. We must not lose our innate zest for life. Elena is Opinions Editor for The Roar. If you us individual and unique talents to be wasted or pushed to the side because they don’t qualify us for a well-enough have comments about zest of life, please contact by email at the.roar.edwards@gmail.com. paying job. God did not give us speech and thought so that her

elenaedwards

Absence Policy returns to original procedure

With the new school year well on its way and first semester finals lurking in the near future, the question of exemptions is slowly yet surely beginning to leak into the student body’s minds. With that, students are also reminded of the “big factor” that determines their exemption fate: absences. This year, the number of absences that students can have while still being able to exempt has dropped, making the possibility of skipping out on those dreaded semester tests a much more difficult proposition. Due to an outbreak of swine flu two years ago, the original number of absences allowed for exemptions increased from three to five for those with an A in their classes, and from two to four for those with a B. By the school board’s good graces, these standards remained last school year as well. Now, with the outbreak of swine flu behind us and the fear of catching a malady at school no longer plaguing the student body, the allowed number of absences has once again dropped to its original count. While such a change raises protests in the best of Consol’s students, the change is understandable. As long as students don’t take advantage of what being “sick” really is, the new absence rule can easily be met and might also encourage students to stop skipping school frivolously. The guidelines might also encourage students to try harder so that they can enjoy the advantages of having three absences, as opposed to two or one for lower grades in classes. Don’t forget, exemptions are a privilege, not a right. So, Consol students, remember this: in your time of illness, please stay home. Exemptions are by no means the most important thing in such a situation. Your health, and the health of your peers, is. However, if you utilize your sick days responsibly, and if you try your hardest in school and make high grades, exemptions should still remain a very real and achievable opportunity. If you would like for your opinions to be read, contact the editorial board by sending your letter to the editor. Review our policy for letters before submitting. E-MAIL the.roar@ymail.com

The Roar Staff Editor-in-Chief: Amy Zhang Managing Editor: Alina Dattagupta Senior Editor: Kate Williams Executive Editor: Kendra Spaw Photography Editor: Laura Everett Opinions Editor: Elena Edwards Features Editor: Dana Branham Sports Editor: Rachel Kagle News Editor: Abigayle English Assistant Sports Editor: Kimmie Cessna Assistant News Editor: Kelsey Gaines Assistant Editors: Isabel Drukker, Anne Finch Staff Reporters: Devin Dakota, Janet Ni Faculty Adviser: Courtney Wellmann Assistant Adviser: Michael Williams

The Editorial Board TheRoar Roar Editorial Board Amy Zhang, Editor-in-Chief Alina Dattagupta, Managing Editor Elena Edwards, Opinions Editor

The Advanced Journalism class at A&M Consolidated High School, 1801 Harvey Mitchell Parkway South, 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, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 ILPC Award of Distinguished Merit, the CSPA Gold Medal Award, the NSPA All-American distinction and 2005 ILPC Bronze Star and 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 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. Glynn Walker, Director of Human Resources, 1812 Welsh, College Station, Texas 77840 (979-764-5412) has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of Title IX. Catherine George, 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 | viewpoints | 7

friday, dec. 9, 2011

Accidental revelation brings end to childhood belief know), and together, we took pleasure in the smorgasbord my aunt would prepare. Later in the night, the Swedish Santa, called Tomten, would make his annual visit with his bulging bag of toys for all of the children. Really, though, it was just my Uncle Kenny, who would conveniently slip away from dinner early to don a fake beard and hat and then return in an hour or so to surprise the kids as Tomten. I suppose I can’t blame anyone else. There were vital clues I should have noticed all along. The tags on the presents under our Christmas tree, as well as a signed wish list of mine, all had the same familiar handwriting. One Christmas morning, I saw the letter I had written to Santa taped to a present under the tree. I excitedly tore it DISCLAIMER: If you still believe in Santa Claus, do off and waved it around, showing my little sister how I had not read this article. It could potentially shatter Santa Claus’s autograph, and she didn’t. Actually, though, every one of your childhood memories. the paper I was flaunting, as well as the nameLikewise, if you have younger siblings who tags, were signed not by Santa, but were still believe, I suggest that you hide this signed by my dad. As a child, I never newspaper from them immediately. made the connection. The whole “Santa Once, I was innocent too, much like Claus” façade became more and more the kind and hopelessly naïve souls who disappointing as I looked back to see have frantically flipped the page to avoid all the clues I’d overlooked when I was reading the truth. But one day, during the younger. winter break of my fifth grade year, the As traumatizing as my realization realization of a lifetime slapped me in of The Santa falsehood was, I understand the face. that I was lied to with good intentions. There I was, sitting quietly in the Up until my dreams were crushed, I backseat of my parent’s car—so quietly, in thoroughly enjoyed Christmas time and fact, that they briefly forgot my existence. waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. I’m “Randall, we need to buy Santa presents glad that my parents went to the lengths for Dana and Erica,” my mom said to my Artwork by Joy Cope they did to keep my belief in Santa alive dad as they drove down the road. I scrambled during my younger years. Still, I can’t help to make sense of the words, realizing that she’d forgotten I thinking that it’s a bit of a cruel holiday tradition—tricking was sitting right behind her. Then, I made a series of small, kids into thinking that a bearded, jolly fat man will slip down whimpering sounds as I came to terms with reality—Santa their chimney to deliver presents to them? Who thought of Claus was a fake. that? Anyway, I digress—I don’t believe in Santa anymore. How could I have been lied to for so long? Thinking Still, that leaves me to wonder why I hear reindeer on back to my earliest childhood memories of Christmas, I the roof each Christmas. never saw it coming. There were the fun Christmas Eve Dana is the Features Editor for The Roar. If you would nights at my aunt and uncle’s house. It was always a huge like to argue Santa’s existence with her, email her at the. gathering of family and friends (most of whom I didn’t roar.branham@gmail.com and she’ll promptly respond.

W hat’s you favorite ho r tradition? liday

danabranham

“My family and I put our Christmas tree up in May.”

-Ariel Salas, freshman

“My family does this thing where my mom hides a pickle in the tre e, and whoever finds it gets an extra present.” - Liz Burley, sophomore

r “My sister and I alternate each yea our on r sta the with who gets to put Christmas tree.” -Maddie Gaines, junior

[insert creativity] By Maurice Vellas

“Final Stretch”

““The last twelve seconds of the year my family eats grapes, one for each second.”

How do you feel about hunting animals? Agree

Disagree

Neutral = 65 students

- Alexa Cepeda, senior

58% 16% 26% 672 students surveyed

“My husband and I feed 60 people around our neighborhood.”” -Jami Bevans, art teacher

8 | viewpoints | the roar

friday, dec. 9, 2011

Handy tips help with college applications, senior year

amyzhang I love senior year, and being at the top of the metaphorical ladder certainly has its perks. If you’re not prepared though, college applications can easily become the pinnacle of your miserable existence—miserable because you’ll be stuck doing work while all your friends are celebrating their completed applications. Therefore, have my tips to planning out your college application process— maybe my errors will help you succeed. Slaughtering the SAT (or Acing the ACT, maybe) Everyone knows about it, and everyone dreads it. As awful as it might seem, standardized testing is a crucial part of the admissions process. Therefore, why give yourself less chances? Take the SAT early (make sure you’re prepared though), so you can give yourself enough time to make sure you get your maximum score. Just remember that while you can pick which scores to send to some colleges thanks to CollegeBoard’s ScoreChoice program, many colleges still require that all your scores be sent, and the observational process is definitely quality over quantity. It’s much better for colleges to see improvement over a period of time than three or four test scores that remain the same or even drop. Some people also choose to take the ACT, depicted as much easier for people who are good at math and science (which actually doesn’t characterize me). I took it randomly without studying a lot and ended up doing pretty well, but I definitely got lucky. Make sure you’re prepared for the test—and keep in mind that not all colleges accept the ACT yet, in case that affects whether or not you take it.

Artwork by Maurice Vellas

Overachieving (It’ll actually feel good!) Don’t be the kid asking teachers for recommendation letters a few days before the due date. If anything, be the one who requests one the first day of school, leaving your teacher with plenty of time to think of all the great things he or she wants to say about you (make sure you thank them profusely after). While you don’t need to go to such an extreme, earlier is certainly better than later. Similarly, don’t be worried about being the geek who’s starting college essays in the summer—just know that you’ll be the one enjoying your winter break. Organized: Your New Middle Name Staying organized is incredibly important—you don’t want to be pressing “submit” on that application when the abrupt realization occurs that you didn’t send your SAT scores to a certain college, or forgot a recommendation

speak out Discussion Board Each issue, students can submit responses to The Roar’s Speak Out forum. These questions will be posted on Facebook.

Question: What is your definition of cheating? Yanni Georghiades, junior [Cheating is] any means by which an individual or group gains an unfair advantage in a measure of skill or adeptness. The individuals gaining the advantage against the rules are cheaters and those giving an advantage are not. Brittany Naumann, sophomore Cheating is taking something of someone else’s and claiming it and using it as your own. Nafis Deen, junior Cheating is any act of attaining benefits by exploiting others. The per-

son committing the act is gaining success that is deserved by someone else. Examples of cheating [are] looking at someone’s answers on their test, copying their homework or simply applying another student’s idea as his/her own. Cheating can be perceived as lying and deceiving because the cheater is implying that the work is his/hers. Add your opinion and see more responses: Friend Roar Newspaper on Facebook. it’s fridayyyy fridayyy gotta get down on fridayyy

letter, or any of the other scenarios that occasionally show up in my nightmares. Find a system of organization that works for you, whether it’s a handmade checklist or an electronic spreadsheet— whatever your organization-savvy self desires. Become a Novelist! Well, only if you want to. But seriously—English process papers can occasionally kill your natural voice, and you don’t want to sound robotic when writing. To avoid this, you might need to practice freewriting a bit to get back into writing like you have emotions and feelings. College admissions don’t want to read bland generic essays, and I’m sure your traumatic experience about getting tackled to the floor by a troublesome toddler at church will impress them much more. R-e-l-a-x. Sure, it might seem neverending, but I promise—you’ll eventually be done. With this in mind, don’t become a hermit when you’re applying for college! Work your hardest, but don’t forget to take a break once in a while. Go grab lunch with a friend, or spend 30 minutes catching up on your favorite TV show. Really, taking a break won’t kill you—if anything, it might end up inspiring you. So, class of 2012, good luck in this last month of applications. We’re almost there! And underclassmen….just wait. It’s coming for you. Amy Zhang is Editor-in-Chief of the Roar. For more helpful hints on how to survive until college, contact her at the.roar.zhang@gmail.com.

Paper Clips By Joy Cope

“Busy Days”

the roar | viewpoints | 9

friday, dec. 9, 2011

Social networking site reaches peak, becomes passé

lauraeverett For those of you who have managed to successfully avoid civilization for the past several years, Twitter is a social networking site launched in 2006 that allows users to publish 140 character “tweets” answering the question “what are you doing?” (which has since changed to “what’s happening?”). Somewhat late to the game, I joined the Twitter world midway through 2009, around the time when Ashton Kutcher (@ aplusk) raced and eventually beat @CNN as the first account with over one million followers. While most were transitioning from Myspace to Facebook, a small handful of us were busy tweeting and “@replying” each other, allowing Twitter to quickly become

essential to documenting every minor event. Jump ahead a couple of years, and, as to be expected, the Twitter community has grown. As more people took to tweeting, businesses utilized the services for advertisement purposes and charities began to raise money and awareness via this social networking site. With Twitter’s expansion, we not only gained followers, but the hashtag atrocity began. Originally, hashtags were to organize tweets so that one could easily search for a specific topic such as “#genericsportingevent” or “#popularTVshow.” Newcomers to the Twitter world seized and exploited this proactive feature. Soon, every tweet ended in “#somethingnotfunny” and “#imanidiot” and “#myspacebarisbroken.” Sure, 140 characters is limiting, but there is no need to completely abandon common sentence structure. Despite my grievances, Twitter has become as necessary as any other vital organ. Like other social networking sites, it allows me to stay up to date with the important people in my life (so, when Mom asks if I

speak out

have heard from my brother lately, I can recite, “well, seventeen minutes ago he was at such-and-such with @so-and-so.”) while simultaneously holding me accountable (because I cannot possibly lie about

Artwork by Joy Cope

what I have been up to if earlier that night I tweeted “doing [insert generic activity] with @so-and-so.”) At the very least, I am continuously informed of breaking world news and who ate what for breakfast. Long story short – I love Twitter. But

that does not mean I would encourage others to get an account. Sure, it will decrease productivity and potentially endanger your privacy. But, more importantly, the close-knit Twitter community is quickly becoming filled with hashtag abusers and has become as dramatic as Facebook. So, do yourself a favor: do not get a Twitter. Is that hypocritical? Sure. But at this point, you are just far too late. You won’t be “cool,” but rather, all preexisting Twitter members will hate you. If you want to maintain any level of originality, your best bet is to avoid Twitter at all costs and have a claim to fame of “never joining that stupid Twitter craze.” Laura Everett is the Photography Editor for the Roar. You can follow her at @ lauraeverett. But if you don’t have a twitter -keep it that way! -- just email her at the. roar.everett@gmail.com.

New scheduling threatens precious sleep, haunts exhausted student

rachelkagle Whether it is some high-pitched repetitive beeping, a radio station or soothing sounds of nature, we all dread that early morning alarm. According to the American Sleep Disorders Association, as teenagers, we are supposed to have a minimum of nine and a half hours a sleep a night. Personally, I am lucky if I get five hours on weeknights, and the same can be said for a majority of the students at our school. Without these nine and a half hours, we often do not function as well as we potentially could. Our grades might be lower than they could be and there are probably wide margins for improvement on almost everything we do. While the school board and district administrators decided at the November board meeting that an early school start time of 7:25 will not happen in the immediate future, it is still a possibility in years to come. If school were to begin at 7:25, we would have an extra hour in the afternoon. During this hour, we could spend more time with friends

and continue to wait in the parking lot traffic, both of which would come before any homework in most students’ priority lists. But unless we are expected to go to sleep at 7 p.m. every night, all an earlier start time would do is reduce the already small amount of sleep we receive. Those with a job or other commitments that do not get home until 10:00 every night or those in sports that do not get home until after midnight have absolutely no way to get their nine and

time spent doing homework. Or not. We constantly hear the “don’t procrastinate” and “get your priorities straight” rants from our parents; however, in high school, as neither of these seem a possibility, we will most likely continue to add to our sleep during class. I t has been proven by the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement that if schools begin later, test scores improve. The in-

rtw a or half hours of sleep. kb Band, cross country and yJ oy swimming depend on morning practices that Co would either need to be made earlier or completely elimipe nated. With an earlier practice, students lose even more sleep and with a later practice, they are then at practice in the hotter part of the day. A lot of sleep that we, as students, lose comes from

creased productivity that comes from more sleep is immense. People are more alert and perform better. Therefore, by making school an hour earlier, students will only continue to utilize their class time doing something productive, at least for themselves. Sleeping. Rachel is the Sports Editor for the Roar. If you can find the time to comment on her editorial, email her at the.roar.kagle@gmail.com. She’ll be awake.

{opposing viewpoints} 10 | viewpoints | the roar

YES

friday, dec. 9, 2011

Is vegetarianism a beneficial practice?

by Isabel Drukker, Assistant Opinions Editor

by Rachel Kagle, Sports Editor

During Thanksgiving dinner, my favorite meal of the year, the plates lay on the table, complete with every type of food imaginable. Turkey, ham, roast beef and countless side dishes sit beautifully across the table. I can’t even begin to imagine this holiday without the different types of meat my family readily indulges in. While vegetarianism may appear to hold many health benefits, hidden consequences lay within this lifestyle. Everything is okay in moderation; which goes for both meats and alternative options. Too much meat is definitely unhealthy, and too many alternatives are as well. Often, people believe that vegetarians lose weight; however, that is not always the case. Some people who switch to vegetarianism actually gain a lot of weight. They consume too many carbohydrates because without meats, it is harder for them to feel full. They blindly eat carbs to satisfy their hunger and, in turn, gain weight, and in some cases, they overpower their protein intake and develop protein deficiencies. Proteins are necessary for proper body function, and without meats of some sort, it is incredibly difficult to find complete proteins that offer nine essential amino acids that everyone’s body needs. Without meats of some sort, it is incredibly difficult to find complete proteins, which are necessary for body function. While alternative foods do offer proteins, they do not offer an adequate amount, making vegetarians susceptible to deficiencies. Often, a health risk posed against those of us who are a bit more carnivorous relates to food borne illnesses. However, the recent illnesses from cantaloupe, overload of arsenic in apple juice and the severe outbreak of salmonella in spinach recently prove that food borne illnesses will reside in any food. While I disagree with vegetarianism, I fully respect those that make that life choice. They should choose what they do with their own lives. I don’t consider myself unhealthy for indulging in a cheeseburger or a steak every now and then, and I certainly don’t believe that by eating such foods I am hurting my health. By choosing to eat meat in moderation along with vegetables, I’m doing my body a favor and keeping healthy.

Vegetarianism. The word brings a lot of low-carb, low-cal, gluten free baggage. The stereotypical vegetarian dragging this baggage is often a pretentious type who babbles about deforestation, complains about how “meat-eaters” are responsible for polluting the Earth and cries at the thought of a chicken nugget. This is simply another stereotype in today’s culture. (For the record though, seven football fields worth of forest is bulldozed every minute to make room to sustain for farm animals, cows are the number one source of smog in the world, and there are enough lovely facts about how “free-rang” isn’t all that friendly to fill this page.) Having voluntarily chosen to eliminate animal meat from my diet and knowing I make a statement over such cruelties makes me proud to be a vegetarian. However, stepping down from my tall tower of tofu, I have to admit, there are various factors of becoming vegetarian that benefit me more than the ozone layer. Meat, dairy products and eggs can lead to heart disease, obesity, diabetes and even cancer. Unless I’m laughing so hard that I choke, tofu has never once threatened my life, which I find makes it easier to enjoy a meal. Furthermore, those who argue that meat alternatives such as tofu, beans or peanuts are inadequate, should read the facts first, because, if anything, the lack of the unnatural chemicals often pumped into farm animals, make them a better replacement. With simple planning, vegetarianism or veganism is perfectly possible and healthy, just eat some peanut butter for protein and spinach for iron. If it was good enough for Popeye, it’s good enough for me. The assumption that something good for you can’t be good for society is dangerous to those who are forward thinking. As people who belong to one of the richest countries in the world, we should take advantage of the food technology available to us. Life isn’t fair, as illustrated in the many cows who find themselves next to obnoxious plastic toys in happy meals. However, when you sacrifice eating meal and animals products, I’m proud to say the response is a healthy body and clean conscience.

student responses. The Roar surveys students to find out their opinions on Vegetarianism. Would you ever consider being a vegetarian?

“

Vegetarianism is all about personal choice. I don’t think it benefits anything,

Which of the following do you consider yourself? Meat Lover

sound mind.

7.2%

92.8%

“

”

Tyra McCloud, junior

49% 0%

Vegan

57%

but gives the vegetarian a

Yes

15% 9%

Meat & Veggie Lover

49% 11% 2% 8%

Vegetarian

It’s certainly healthy. You have more energy, and you don’t get fat. It’s just better for you.

”

Matthew Durham, sophomore

No Yes 49.3% 50.7%

Do you think vegetarianism is healthy? 78 students surveyed

the roar | snapshots | 11

friday, dec. 9, 2011

Figure skaters partake in unique sport, discover dedication By Devin Dakota staff reporter

nderneath bright spotlights, sophomore Alex Hueste glides across the ice with a feeling of victory, knowing she just mastered a trick that took weeks of practice. “I actually get butterflies when I accomplish something new,” Hueste said. That feeling of success does not come easily. Figure skaters practice up to several hours daily to achieve certain jumps and routines. “I’ve learned that you can’t do everything you want to on the first try,” Hueste said. “You have to practice.” Ice skaters must constantly stay motivated and continue to work towards their goals. “It takes a lot of practice to gain just a little bit of stamina,” junior Angela Yip said. Long-time skater senior Macey Lively understands the great amount of effort and hard work that figure skating requires. “Basically, if you aren’t falling, you aren’t trying hard enough,” Lively said. Though falling is a major part of a figure skater’s practice time, skating can be therapeutic and acts as a destresser. “Some of the best moments are when I’m going slowly around the ice in circles, listening to my iPod and just being out there

for myself,” Lively said. The sensation of “wind in your face” that figure skating creates is arguably one of the best feelings that skaters enjoy. “When you’re out there, you get this feeling that you’re flying down the ice,” Hueste said. Figure skating offers several benefits over more common athletic sports. “Figure skating is different because you don’t always have to try very hard to get that feeling of going really fast,” Yip said. The individuality skating requires teaches skaters qualities like responsibility, creativity and accountability. “Knowing that you’re alone on the ice, and that it’s all up to you, teaches you that you have to be self-motivated,” Lively said. With figure skating routines as complicated and intricate as they are, it is easy for skaters to become disappointed and discouraged. “Sometimes, [to stay motivated] I have to tell myself that it can only get better from here,” Yip said. Figure skating teaches many valuable lessons that skaters can use in all areas of their lives. “Skating offers so much freedom of expression and teaches you about channeling your emotions,” Lively said. “The feeling is so liberating.”

Senior Macey Lively performs a routine to the song “Imagine” during Arctic Wolf’s The Magic of Christmas on Ice show on Dec. 3. Along with this solo, Lively skated to “Carol of the Bells” with six other skaters. PHOTO BY LAURA EVERETT

Junior Angela Yip skates at Arctic Wolf Ice Center. Yip has participated in all but one Christmas show at the rink. PHOTO BY DEVIN DAKOTA Sophomore Patricia Zhang skates to “O Holy Night” at Arctic Wolf’s ice show on Dec. 3. Zhang began ice skating during the summer of 2005. PHOTO BY LAURA EVERETT

Junior Angela Yip practices at Arctic Wolf Ice Center. Yip has been figure skating since the rink opened a few years ago. PHOTO BY DEVIN DAKOTA

Sophomore Alex Hueste and her younger sister Anastasia Hueste perform a routine to “Let It Snow” on Dec. 3 at Arctic Wolf’s ice show. “I still get butterflies when I accomplish something new,” Hueste said. PHOTO BY LAURA EVERETT

12 | student

life | the roar

All for

Africa

the roar | student

friday, dec. 9, 2011

life | 13

Uganda, Africa is where Invisible Children sends money to aid young children used as soldiers.

Philanthropic students join together to influence the lives of individuals in high risk areas of Africa by Isabel Drukker, assistant opinions editor

sk. T he m ap of er ri Afr “You kind of wonder what his everyday life is g n ica da like and how it’s different from yours,” Stewart is gh i co said. “Just getting to see the contrast between h lo a that is interesting.” t This same employment of looking at situations from another point of view inspired the project “Sounds for Somalia”, held on Nov. 19th . “I know that there are people in desperate need here” senior Katy Turner said. “[But in Somalia], It’s a different level of desperation and need.” Turner and a number of other seniors, led by senior Kate Williams, have spent the last few months working on “Sounds for Somalia”, an organized rave where the proceeds benefitted World Vision, a charity that aids those endangered by the drought in Somalia. “Somalia caught my heart because I saw the need in these human beings Somalia, Africa is who don’t have the necessities for living,” suffering from the Williams said. “It really made me happy to worst drought in know that I could share my passion with other six decades, causing people and they could get involved.” senior Kate Williams Williams gathered a group of fellow seniors to help to hold a fundraiser organize the rave from setting up to cleaning up. raising $450 “They’re struggling really hard right now,” senior and official to their aid. DJ for the rave, Will Davis said. “We’re raising money for the people of Somalia to get them water they can drink because they can’t get it anywhere else.” The event raised more than $400, bringing Williams to declare it as a landmark in her life. “All our hard work was put into that at one moment in time, and it felt so great to see it in action and see it be successful,” Williams said. Turner claims that she entered the project in time to help coordinate decorations and Kenya, Africa music. is the home to “This project is a chance for all Consolidated teenagers, whom some adults view as the pen pal of maybe not able of putting a huge project together,” Turner said. “It’s kind of our chance the Consol’s to unite and show we can make a difference.” Jos re

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College Station youth gather to dance the night away at a fundraiser to aid people suffering in Somalia, Africa. Senior Will Davis was the DJ of lights and sound at the event making it a true rave. PHOTO BY LAURA EVERETT

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he longest running war in Africa is 23 years and counting. Children in the Ugandan area have been born and brought up with idea of peace being foreign and far away. In Somalia, a famine has devastated the population to the point of desperation. Tragedies such as these have left countless children as orphans all across the continent. Despite the distance, the cries for help are loud and clear, and the students of Consol have stepped up and answered. “I have been blessed, so I feel a responsibility to also bless others,” senior and president of Consol’s Invisible Children, Lisa Hsiao said. Invisible Children works to repair the damage throughout Africa caused by the war between the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Ugandan government, which has resulted in a total of 966 civilian deaths and 1810 abductions as of December 2009. “[Uganda] is a country that is half a world away,” junior and fashion show coordinator of Consol’s Invisible Children, Lauren Hodges said. “They’re not really making any economic contribution to the world so their voices aren’t really heard by anybody.” Through the members of Consol’s Invisible Children last year, over $7,000 were fundraised, mainly through their annual fashion show, and donated to organizations in war struck central Africa, mainly Uganda. “We fund a lot of rehabilitation centers where child soldiers can go and receive therapy and be able to assimilate back into their communities and be affective members after they’ve gone through this traumatic experience,” Hsiao said. Hodges says that even above the money itself, awakening students to the issues occurring in Uganda is their most important work. “When people are aware, they want to help,” Hodges said. Other efforts at Consol include the girls varsity and junior varsity soccer teams collecting and sending money as a team to support a six-year-old boy, Joseph from Kenya. According to sophomore Hannah Wilson, the team had been hoping to involve themselves in charity work for some time. Inspiration struck when she and sophomore Alex Stewart went to a benefit concert and learned about a little boy from Kenya who shared a common interest with all of them. “He loves soccer,” Wilson said. “We keep a jar in our locker room and basically just go around, tell people what we’re doing and then we gather it all up every month and send it in.” Doing so has paid for Joseph’s schooling, food and church related activities. In return, the team has received a letter from Joseph and a grown a stronger bond as a team. “We just got a letter,” Stewart said. “I was really excited, he drew pictures and it makes it feel like it’s real and you’re actually helping somebody.” United with a new purpose, the team now meets on certain mornings to discuss soccer, the Bible and Joseph. “We all read the letter [as a team],” Wilson said. “It really has [brought us together]. Some of us go to the same church, others don’t go to church at all, but through Joseph and our Bible studies, I feel like we’re getting together and then we’re also getting closer to God as a team.” The team plans on writing back to Joseph and keeping close communication with him over his fondness for the game and aspiration to be a doctor.

“

I just feel like there’s people out in the world just like us except they don’t have all the blessings and things that we have and this gives us an opportunity to reach out to those people.

”

– sophomore and girls soccer player, Alex Stewart

Glow sticks scattered the floor inside the Southwood Community center to add to the night life atmosphere. The Southwood Community center was willing to donate the facility for free that night. PHOTO BY LAURA EVERETT

12 | student

life | the roar

All for

Africa

the roar | student

friday, dec. 9, 2011

life | 13

Uganda, Africa is where Invisible Children sends money to aid young children used as soldiers.

Philanthropic students join together to influence the lives of individuals in high risk areas of Africa by Isabel Drukker, assistant opinions editor

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mos ta

ar ow et

s that are t area

m colors t ur ning

sen

y el

pre

r nc

is k .

b lu

o stly re m

n e u t r a l,

h il e

as t

girl’s soccer team.

ep h

imi Kir

“

I just feel like there’s people out in the world just like us except they don’t have all the blessings and things that we have and this gives us an opportunity to reach out to those people.

”

– sophomore and girls soccer player, Alex Stewart

14 | health

& rec | the roar

friday, dec. 9, 2011

The Veggie Life

Vegans, vegetarians give insight to reasons for diet By Kate Williams, Senior Editor Staring at the menu, a vegetarian carefully reads the fine print for any dish associated without meat. As the options narrow to just a handful, the individual on a strict diet places a very specific order and takes one small step for animal rights, religious culture or a healthier lifestyle. Sophomore Tiffany Hammond, a vegetarian of six years, feels being a vegetarian is influential. “When I tell people I am a vegetarian, I get to bring light to the subject of what cruelty happens in the slaughterhouses,” Hammond said. “I am just one person, but every person that doesn’t eat meat counts.” Junior Diana Vaught has been a vegetarian since the beginning of her freshman year. She decided to make the switch after listening to a friend give a convincing speech describing the animal cruelty associated with fast-food companies. “After my friend gave her presentation in my speech class, I was very affected,” Vaught said. “That’s when I started researching it and finding out more information.” At the beginning of her journey, Vaught was faced with some medical issues due to her diet. “When I first became a vegetarian, I lost fifteen pounds,” Vaught said. “I lost the color in my skin because I didn’t have enough iron in my system, so I started taking supplements to account for it.” Vaught describes the reaction over the past couple of years from her friends and family as challenging. “With friends, sometimes its awkward when I can’t eat anything,” Vaught said. “My family is okay with it, but sometimes they make food that I can’t eat. A lot of people don’t understand how I can give up meat, but they respect it.” Considering her future as vegetarian, Vaught hopes to pursue alternatives. “I could go to organic meat someday,” Vaught

Photo by Kate Williams

said, “but I will never eat fast food meat because of the way the animals are treated.” Junior Maddie Hirsch has been a vegetarian for two and a half years and faces the challenge of being a competitive swimmer and maintaining a meat-free diet. “As and athlete and a vegetarian, I really have to be careful,” Hirsch said. “I ask my coach for good ways to get protein.” Hirsch chose to become a vegetarian after researching animal cruelty and the meat consumption in America. She describes her conversion as challenging but rewarding. “I learned that you can be healthy without eating meat,” Hirsch said. It has opened me up to foods I would have never tried otherwise. It has taught me a lot of discipline and self control.” Nutritional Benefits Orchestra Instructor Jeff Hill has been a vegan on and off since 1974. “When I was in college, I couldn’t afford to buy beef and meat products,” Hill said. “Being a [vegan] was very inexpensive at the time.” Once he started the diet, along with many of his peers, it became a lifestyle. “I was the President of the Student Programming Committee at Oberlin College,” Hill said. “It became easier to maintain that diet because it was what everyone in that co-op was doing.” After stopping his diet later on, he returned to being a vegan for health reasons. “When I first came to Consolidated, I was a big barbeque guy,” Hill said. “But I started having digestive problems, and once I went back to my vegan diet, I lost eighty pounds and even started sleeping better.” Hill is particularly interested in the nutritional benefits associated with being a vegan. “For me it was never really a moral issue,” Hill said. “It was more about the health aspect. The body really has a unique way of regenerating itself, and for me that’s really why I am into it now.” Medical Advice Dr. Phillip Alexander at the College Station Medical Center recommends a vegan diet. As a vegan himself, he said he finds the results very beneficial and classifies it as a healthy lifestyle. Alexander speaks at seminars frequently to raise awareness and to provide information about the diet. Alexander said that the American culture influences nutrition exponentially and has resulted in poor eating habits for society. He explains that the five major disease in the United States directly correlate with poor diets and inefficient nutritional value. Alexander said that medically, a plant-based diet provides all the nutrients needed for living without supplements or additional medications. Religious Reasons Junior Shankara Anand is a vegetarian as a part of his culture and religion. “I have been a vegetarian my whole life,” Anand said. “My whole family is vegetarian, so there wasn’t any question of why I couldn’t eat certain things. That’s just how I grew up.” Shankara explains that this tradition varies among Hindu families. “Hinduism is a very cultural religion,” Anand said, “so it varies between families and what their eating habits are. There are a lot families that are devout Hindus, but not vegetarians.”

Vegetarian Tacos

Ingredients •

1 tablespoon(s) olive oil

•

1 small onion, sliced

•

1 medium red pepper, sliced

•

1 teaspoon(s) chili powder

•

Salt

•

1 can(s) (15- to 19-ounce) black beans or other favorite beans, rinsed and drained

•

2 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

•

1/4 cup(s) (loosely packed) cilantro leaves, chopped

•

8 (6-inch) flour tortillas

•

3 cup(s) thinly sliced romaine lettuce

•

1/2 cup(s) shredded Monterey Jack or mild Cheddar cheese

fresh

• Directions •

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium 1 minute. Add onion, pepper, chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 10 minutes or until onion and pepper are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans, tomatoes, and cilantro, and cook 3 to 4 minutes to heat through, stirring occasionally.

•

Just before serving tacos, place stack of tortillas between paper towels on microwave-safe plate; heat in microwave on High 10 to 15 seconds to warm.

•

To serve, divide romaine lettuce and bean mixture among tortillas; top with Monterey Jack cheese and fold over to eat out of hand.

source: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/ recipefinder/vegetarian-tacos

friday, dec. 9, 2011

the roar | people | 15

SHAVE VEMBER beards of Consol

By Laura Everett, photography editor

The hallways at Consol can be a bit of a hairy place, especially during the month of November, when an abundance of beards appear on the chins of both faculty members and students. The practice of beard growing has a rich history, with “No Shave November” dating back to 1999 with a group of bearded men in Adelaide, Australia. In the following decade, men around the globe have followed them in casting aside the clean shaven look. While many participants view November as a month for some lighthearted beard growth, others forgo their razors to participate in “Movember” (combining “moustache” and “November”) to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer. “My dad had prostate cancer,” Hicks said. “So, I do it for him and to raise money for [prostate cancer research and support] because I am getting to the age where I have to worry about that too. My dad’s prostate cancer was cured through a lot of radiation. We’re lucky we have him because we thought we lost him a couple of times.” In support of prostate cancer, Hicks donated $10 per day that he did not shave during the month of November. “It doesn’t bother me [when participants do not recognize the affiliation with prostate cancer],” Hicks said. “It is all in fun. But, I remind the [students] I have what I’m doing it for. If they think about it, that’s a start.” Through this publicity, awareness for prostate cancer has spread. “Some of my friends are doing it,” junior Anas Abu-Odeh said. “I thought it’d be kind of fun [since] I am kind of infamous for my beard. I wasn’t originally [growing a beard] for a cause, but then somebody told me about Movember.”

Facial hair growth raises awareness for prostate cancer

However, some participants grow their facial hair for other reasons. “[For me,] it started out as a contest with some friends of mine,” English teacher Chauncey Lindner said. “We had this sort of manliness contest to see who could sprout the manliest beard the fastest. I was pretty certain I could win because all the men in my family just had ridiculous powers of facial hair. This year, [there is a] contest between me and the Maroon Men. I’m totally going to win.” Despite the competitive nature of the event, some men find themselves excluded. “My teacher friends don’t want to do it because of school,” Lindner said. “Or, it looks kind of patchy and weird while it grows in, so they’re kind of embarrassed. Some people – Jason Pratt – can’t grow a beard at all, so they don’t do it.” Regardless of facial hair growth capabilities, occasionally significant others prevent men from growing the luscious locks. “The first thing I did was ask permission from my wife,” Chris Kovacs said. “She is not a fan of this much facial hair.” junior Anas Abu-Odeh However, not all participants were so courteous. “I didn’t ask my wife,” Stephano Salerno said, “She pointed it out and said, ‘okay, what’s going on here?’ on the fourth day.” While some wives may discourage the growth of facial hair, women can also participate in No Shave November by abandoning their razors and adopting an au naturale look. “I did it last year, and it was pretty fun,” junior Megan Kriger said. “It is an excuse to be lazy.” Amongst the various reasons for donning whiskers, one of the most important reasons is unity. “I think it brings people together to have a collective aim,” Salerno said.

“I wasn’t originally [growing a beard] for a cause, but then somebody told me about Movember.”

the

beneath beard & below belt

men with a in related death father, brother or son with the men will be occurs every disease are diagnosed in more their lifetimes minutes likely to develop of cases occur this cancer in men over 50.

90%

Seniors Trey Salas and Thomas Switzer proudly display their beards. Students and faculty members at Consol grew beards during November in support of prostate cancer and for lighthearted competition. PHOTO BY LAURA EVERETT

“It itched after about five days, but on about day eight, it stopped. It is pretty dope.”

“[My friends] can’t grow the beard that I can. They can only grow the chin beard or a goatee.”

2.2

Source: www.us.movember.com | compiled by Laura Everett

Junior Jaylan Cheshire

Junior Jacob Ayres

curable with early treatment

higher chance of this diagno- diagnoses sis than wom- occur en have with every breast cancer. minutes

English Teacher Billy Hicks

Assistant Principal Matt Caffey

prostate cancer

men have a

CATE Teacher Mark Langwell

“Someone brought it up to me in October, so I started researching it.”

a closer look at

35% 15.6

97%

English Teacher Stephano Salerno

“The kids give me a weird look in the morning. It kind of feels weird when I look in the mirror.”

Junior Anas Abu-Odeh

Senior Ted Cross

16 | people | the roar

) s s ro

Walking the (c Walk

friday, dec. 9, 2011

By Janet Ni, Staff reporter

Security patrolman learns lessons through years of experience It is 8:03 a.m. in the Consol parking lots. He stands mood and he cares about the students. He’s just a on the sidewalk, watching the bustling activity in the good person.” parking lots. Parents and students alike rush about the The most difficult part about Forehand’s job is crowded lot. All the while, the lot teems with students dealing with the always-changing Texas weather. pouring into the school for refuge from a biting Texas Other than that, he said his job is mostly stress-free chill. He helps a group of students across the street and he really enjoys being around young people. with his trademark red sign, making sure each gets Forehand thinks very highly of the students of the there safely. Although most Consol students see him school. nearly every day, “Most are few know much some of the about parking greatest kids lot security “When I first came here, I just did what I needin the world. patrolman Even those that W i l l i a m ed to do, but I really didn’t get involved. Now, I have given me Forehand. problems are Forehand really good kids. was born in the try to do as much as I can and do extra things They just have stands of Kyle had bad luck, Field during the that might change or improve somebody’s life.” and I know that,” Thanksgiving Forehand said. security patrolman WILLIAM FOREHAND Game in 1958. Forehand He graduated describes from Consol in 1977, and after attending the American himself as fatherly and has the safety of the students Trades Institute he took up his position at Consol as in his best interest. “I want to see them graduate,” he parking lot security patrolman. said. “I want to see them walk across that stage, not Forehand said that his job’s duties include on crutches, not in a wheelchair. I want to see them patrolling the parking lots, writing tickets, securing going to get a good job somewhere.” the gates to the parking lots, serving as crossing guard Hester also defined Forehand as a very fatherly before and after school and checking people who man. come and go through the lots. “He is a family man,” she said. “He is a great Outside of school, Forehand doesn’t have too father and husband and his family is his priority.” much free time. Forehand’s two oldest daughters, Ariel and Laura “I have four teenagers, and I work on the Forehand, both attend Blinn College while his two weekends at Texas World Speedway at the front youngest children, Shelby and William Forehand, gates,” Forehand said. are sophomores at Consol. Forehand’s wife, Carla Former Principal Chrissy Hester, who originally Forehand, also works at Consol in the cafeteria. hired Forehand, commended his work ethic. Forehand has learned much from his job here at “He is dependable and works hard to do exactly Consol. what he is told to do,” Hester said. “He is on time “When I first came here, I just did what I needed and willing to stay late if needed, and he follows to do, but I really didn’t get involved,” Forehand said. directions and always does what is expected of him.” “Now, I try to do as much as I can and do extra things Fellow parking lot security patrolman Michael that might change or improve somebody’s life.” Dickson also praised Forehand’s character. Forehand said that when he retires he would like “[My job] would be boring without him,” to travel. William Forehand regulates traffic during school on Monday, Dickson said. “He’s taught me a whole bunch about “I’ve been working most of my life,” he said. “I Nov. 28. He has been working at Consol for 11 years. PHOTO BY the school. He’s always smiling, always in a good would like to do things I haven’t been able to do.”

UPTA

JANET NI

PHOTOS BY JANET NI

the roar | people | 17

friday, dec. 9, 2011

Hunters learn strategy, patience from family-oriented sporting

ith the sun still hidden in the night, at age nine senior Justin Benden was awakened

by his father at 4 a.m. for his first ever hunting trip. After a short nap in the car on the way to their hunting lease, Benden was soon walking with a careful step, and a cold gun in hand, to the deer blind.

As he waited patiently, still drifting in and

out of sleep, he finally spotted his deer. With his father’s guidance he lined up the shot and tried his best to stay silent. Excitement pulsing through him, he pulled the trigger and in a quick instant his first deer fell to the ground. “That moment was monumental for me,” senior Justin Benden said. “In my family, once you shoot your first deer, you have proven yourself as a hunter.” Benden’s family has always been involved in hunting, and it shows a sort of maturity in the family, he said. “I grew up watching my dad hunt but he wouldn’t let me hunt till I was a certain age,” Benden said. Traditionally in the Benden family they aren’t allowed to hunt until they earn the right at the age of nine, he said. Senior Tyler Harmon had a similar experience his first time hunting that made him discover a fondness for the activity. “It was freezing cold, and I was with my dad,” Harmon said. “It was cool to be there with my dad, and it was good bonding time, and I knew pretty quick it was something I like to do.” Senior Heather Brewer has grown up hunting and has changed from those first days as well. “When I was younger I would just shoot at random things, I had no control of where I was going or what I was doing, but as I got older [I learned] to strategize,” Brewer said. “You learn different aspects to it, like being completely quiet or how to get the biggest animal.” Brewer has shown some of her younger extended family members the joys of hunting and they have grown to love it as she does, she said.

Senior Justin Benden looks through binoculars, searching for animals to hunt. Benden has hunted since the age of nine. PHOTO BY KENDRA SPAW

“[Hunting] is a fun thing to do so to share it with others makes me happy because I know the joy it brings me and how much I love it, and I just hope they love it too,” Brewer said. Harmon and Benden have influenced and mentored their siblings and friends to hunt as well. What causes these individuals to share hunting with others is the exhilarating fun involved. When getting ready to shoot an animal, Brewer gets nervous at first even though she’s done it many times before, she said. “The moment before I shoot I get so jittery as the excitement is building,” Brewer said. “As soon as I pull the trigger, I just explode, and I want to run out there to [the animal].” For Benden the pressure physically affects him. When lining up to take the shot, Benden gets an adrenaline rush, he said. “My heart starts beating, my hands start tingling, and it’s a rush every time,” Benden said. According to Harmon some people call this feeling “buck fever”--the moment when the shooter starts shaking and getting excited, yet usually misses the target from all the excitement. Although many hunters are not successful on their first hunt, Brewer was and that experience was one of her favorites when it comes to hunting.

“It was a doe, but she was really big, weighing in at about 150-160 pounds,” Brewer said. “It was just so exciting because it was my first thing, so it was my prize.” Harmon’s best hunting experience was when he shot a trophy class white tail deer, he said. A trophy class deer is an old deer with big horns, and Harmon scored over 175. The scoring of a deer depends on the length width and mass of its horns, Harmon said. On the other hand, not every hunting experience is that successful. In fact, many things can go wrong while hunting, and for Harmon such complications were what caused his worst hunting experience. While hunting last dove season, he was peppered, or shot, in the back. His dad had to remove the pellets from his back with a pocket knife, and luckily he healed fine. According to Harmon, this is occurs often during dove hunting, especially when people are shooting really close to others and over their heads. One of the most rewarding parts of hunting is displaying the animals that one has killed. When it comes to displaying her hunted animals, Brewer’s family currently only have mounted horns. She hopes to get a buck this season and mount the entire head, she said. Harmon’s family displays all their game around their living room, he said.

One of the most unique animals they display is the hooded merganser duck, which is very rare. Benden’s family has an entire room dedicated to hunting, displaying all the many animals they have shot over the years, he said. From coyote hides to stuffed ducks and bucks, the hunting room is a big hit with visitors. Hunting is enjoyed by many people for many different reasons. Being an “adrenaline junkie,” Brewer loves the exhilaration hunting provides her, she said. She also sees hunting as a good way to bond with friends and family away from the everyday life. Hunting can be fast and exciting for couple of moments but it also involves a lot of sitting silently in nature. Brewer loves being outside, and to walk around outside and explore land all day is fulfilling to her, she said. “It’s great if you are a nature person,” Brewer said. “You get to see all creation, and it’s so beautiful to see the things you get to see.” Benden feels the same and enjoys being surrounded by nature while doing something fun. “[Hunting] is very peaceful just sitting in the woods by yourself,” Benden said. “You usually get to escape from the craziness of life, and you get to appreciate God’s creation and all its beauty.”

18| people | the roar

friday, dec. 9, 2011

determined to be doctors by kelsey gaines, assistant news editor

Seniors practice for future professions, gain experience through school program

Interested in the

medical science field? Take these classes. freshman year:

Introduction to the Health Care field (½ credit)

sophomore year:

Introduction to Medicine (1 credit)

junior year:

Problems and Solutions in Health Science (CNA) (1 credit) or Basic Medical Practice H (only after going through Intro to Med & going through the application process) (2 credits)

senior year:

Career Preparation in Health Science (3 Credits) or Problems and Solutions in Pharmaceutical Science (1/2 credit) or Problems and Solutions in Health Science (1/2-1 Credit) Source: Consol Course Registration Book

Senior Sarah Morgan has been interested in pursuing a profession in the medical field since her freshman year, and through enrolling in Consol’s Basic medical Practice she has been able to get a taste of what her future job could include. “I do everything from filling up ice water in their cup to checking on residents, showering them, and making beds,” Morgan said of her time interning through Basic Medical Practice. The Basic Medical Practice class is a year long, block class offered to juniors and seniors at Consol who have previously taken Introduction to Medicine and have gone through an application/interview process. The students who are enrolled in this class study to get their Certified Nurse Aide License (CNA) and work one-on-one with residents and staff in a nursing home during the first semester, which then allows them to work with a wide variety of health care professionals at the College Station Medical Center during their second semester. Morgan believes the class and the experience is beneficial for her career goals. “It gives you an outlook if you want to become a CNA,” Morgan said. “It’s a great opportunity to figure out what exactly your niche could be.” The nineteen students who are enrolled in Basic Medical Practice arrive at school at 6:25 a.m. Monday through Thursday to travel to a nursing home in Navasota where they work with and alongside their designated CNA. The experience has given her a new outlook on CNA’s as well as the residents. “I’ve gained so much respect for nurses because they have to go through a lot and also have respect for the elderly,” Morgan said. While Basic Medical Practice is the only way to get hands on experience through the school, senior Laura Moore also is getting a similar experience of working in a professional setting outside of school on her own time with Dr. Garland Watson, a local orthodontist. Moore has been given the opportunity to shadow Dr. Watson on Tuesdays and Thursdays for two hours after school. Since she was five years old, she said she’s always wanted to be an orthodontist and the chance she’s been given to observe and help out has helped her to be certain that pursuing a career like Dr. Watson’s would be worth her

time in the future. Moore said she thoroughly enjoys what she is able to do and is benefitting through

“It’s a great opportunity to figure out what exactly your niche could be.” senior SARAH MORGAN Dr. Watson’s leadership. “I love it,” she said, “more than I loved working anywhere else. [Dr. Watson] strives to make me better.”

Watson said he takes his time to teach Moore seriously. “Part of my responsibilities as a professional is to be a mentor to all young people, to lead by example and to encourage them to enter the health profession,” he said. “I enjoy this part of my profession immensely and find it very rewarding. She is going out of her way to expose herself to the ‘real world’ of orthodontics as it is more than straighting teeth.” Both Moore and Morgan have been able to get a taste of what they see themselves doing for their careers and have both grown and learned through their different experiences. The girls believe that their experiences are helping them in making a career choice that they will be satisfied with. “When I get into college, I’m going to know what I want to do, and I won’t be in general studies worrying about what I’m going to do with my life,” Moore said. “I know this is what I really want to do.”

Senior Laura Moore works to create a retainer mold at Dr. Garland Watson’s orthodontic center. Moore works on Tuesdays and Thursdays for two hours after school each week at Dr. Watson’s office. PHOTO BY KELSEY GAINES

friday, dec. 9, 2011

just keep swim min g

the roar | sports | 19

Time-consuming sport greatly impacts life of team’s co-captain by anne finch, assistant editor

Swimming, to many students at Consol, may only evoke images of summer pool parties and the odd trip to the beach, but for members of Consol’s swim team, including junior Teresa de Figueiredo, swimming not only comprises most of the school year, but involves teamwork, competition and commitment. “I began competitively swimming when I was ten, and I really started to get serious as I started high school,” she said. “I guess I was really wanting to do really well at the beginning of my freshman year.” De Figueiredo, one of the 24 girls on the swim team, serves as the girls’ swimming co-captain this year, along with Junior Kelli Klein. Captains are elected at the beginning of the year by the other members of the team. “It was a big honor, and it comes with a lot of responsibility. I’m so glad I have Kelli as well,” de Figueiredo said. “ Without her, it’d be really hard because it does take up a lot of time, but it’s really worth it, because it makes a big difference, and you get to start new traditions and really try to bring the team closer together.“ Being a team captain involves not only party and social event planning, as de Figueiredo and Klein both noted, but also the ability to motivate, encourage and help other members of the team. “We also try to encourage everybody and have motivational things we do,” de Figueiredo said. “We really try to push everybody, even the people who aren’t necessarily the top people on the team, but everybody as a whole to do well because when we get scored out, everybody really contributes. “

Klein cited de Figueiredo’s notable abilities as a leader and captain. “She is an amazing leader,” she said. “I know the girls look up to her, and she probably doesn’t hear this, because obviously they look up to her when she isn’t listening, but they’ll talk to people and be like ‘I asked Teresa this, and so I’m going to do this.’ She gives them advice on a lot of different things, and they listen to her all the time.” Swimming Coach Ryan Goodwyn also praised the leadership capabilities of both de Figueiredo and Klein. “Together they are the two best captains I’ve ever had,” he said. “They’re just doing an amazing job as our girls’ team captains, being leaders in every sense of the word, in the way they work and the way they support their teammates. They’ve just done amazing things of organizing our girls’ teams and really making everybody feel like part of the team, making everybody want to succeed. They’ve just done a great job.” Although a leader, Goodwyn said de Figueiredo is also an important component of the Consol’s undefeated swim team. Besides her being less than half a second away from breaking Consol’s 100 Fly record, set in 1999, she has done consistently well at competitions, as has the undefeated team as a whole. “We’re undefeated in our dual meets, which is really great,” de Figueiredo said. “The girls’ team in our district is pretty solid, but it’s really great that the guy’s team is still undefeated, because there’s only a handful of them, so we have a lot of quality on our team.” Achieving and maintaining such excellent results at

competitions requires a rigorous and sometimes challenging practice routine. De Figueiredo said that some members opt to swim doubles, which involves swimming for two hours in the morning and afternoon every day. “Definitely most of the upperclassmen [swim doubles],” she said. “Some underclassmen [also] do that, which is really impressive. I’m really proud of them. We end up swimming the mornings with the high school team and the afternoons with the club team, and we end up swimming over a marathon a week with the yardage we swim.” With swimming practice, competitions and schoolwork, de Figueiredo has a lot to deal with, but said that despite her busy schedule, the rewards and importance of swimming in her life vastly outweigh the difficulties. “[Swimming] definitely impacts my life,” she said, “because twenty hours of my life are devoted to swimming, and probably more than that because I talk about it. I just love swimming. It’s really great, and at the end of the season when you do your best time, or get first, you just know that everything you did, all that getting up early and everything really paid off.” Klein added that de Figueiredo’s swimming aptitude and grades are only a couple of the reasons she is so liked and respected by her teachers and peers, including other members of the swim team. “Teresa is definitely someone to look up to, whether you’re on the swim team or not,” Klein said. “She takes all AP and PreAP classes and swims four hours a day and gets everything done, and she’s an incredibly nice person. I think she’s one of the greatest people I know.” PHOTO BY AMY ZHANG

Past Events: Bob Stallings Meet on Nov. 12: Girls: First place, Boys: Fifth place

swimming

Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association Gulf Championships: Girls: Eighth place Record: 6-0 in dual meets against Tyler, Bryan, Brenham, Belton, Cedar Park and Huntsville.

Junior Fernando Zambrano swims freestyle on Nov. 12 at the Rec Center. Zambrano was a regional finalist last year. PHOTO BY RACHEL KAGLE

Junior Maddie Hirsch swims freestyle at the Bob Stalling’s meet on Nov. 12. Hirsch has been swimming for nine years. PHOTO BY RACHEL KAGLE

Freshman Laine Johansen competes in the Bob Stalling’s meet at the Rec Center on Nov. 12. Johansen began swimming for the Tigers this year. PHOTO BY LAURA EVERETT

20 | sports | the roar

friday, dec. 9, 2011

Senior signs to play for Division I school

having a ball

BY ELENA EDWARDS

varsity basketball

Senior Quinton White plays against Pflugerville on Nov. 29. White was injured the first two games. PHOTO BY LAURA EVERETT

Overall Team Record: 6-2 Past Games: Nov. 29: vs. Pflugerville 57-65 Dec. 1: vs. Duncanville 75-48 Dec. 5: vs. Stony Point 49-35 Next Game: Thurs. - Sat., Dec. 8-10: Montgomery tournament Tues., Dec. 13: Bryan

With the familiar squeak of the slick gym floor resonating from under his shoes, a basketball cradled between his hands, and a masterfully laced net in front of him waiting to be disrupted from its still form, senior Alex Caruso finds himself at home on any basketball court. With the love for this sport embedded in his genes, ingrained in his mind and pulsing through his heart, Caruso has played his way into a future he has dreamt of since childhoodplaying basketball for Texas A&M University. “I started playing basketball in the first grade,” Caruso said. “I just played it naturally as a little kid like with any other sport, but as I’ve grown older, basketball’s just kind of stuck with me over the years.” Caruso has developed both his skill and a personal love for basketball throughout years of rigorous practice and dedication. “It helps that I’m pretty good at it, but skill aside, I just love playing the sport. It’s enjoyable. You don’t need other people to play and you can just shoot by yourself, or you can invite a bunch of friends and play at the park,” Caruso said. “I play every day anywhere from two to three hours whether I have practice or not.” Caruso has developed many lasting relationships through basketball, which he cherishes and continues to pursue to this day, he said. “I’ve made a lot of really great relationships with people through basketball, and a lot from playing in Austin this past summer,” Caruso said. “We went to a lot of places, like Vegas, Denver, Los Angeles and South Carolina. I had really great teammates and coaches, and I made like 20 new friends who I still go down and visit every now and then.” Growing up with basketball ingrained in both his genes and his lifestyle, Caruso believes that both natural talent and hard work are important factors to being a good basketball player. “I think my natural talent is a big factor to my success,” he said. “My dad played and coached in college, so that’s kind of rubbed off on me genetically. That’s always gotten me far, and right before my junior year is when I took over and started really getting into the drills, which I think pushed my talent to the next level.” Caruso finds the inspiration to play his hardest through his father and previous A&M basketball players that heightened his passion for the sport. “The people who have influenced me are my dad and some of the early basketball players at A&M that I would watch when I was young,” Caruso said. “They got me really excited for basketball. I just saw how much fun they had and how competitive they got, and it just gave me a stronger desire to play. My dad has influenced me because he’s always been there, every game I have he goes to, and he enjoys basketball just as much as I do, so we talk about it. He’s always there to keep me going and to correct me when I do something wrong.” As with any sport, Caruso believes that in order to succeed, a player must have a drive to want to grow stronger and be better at what he or she does. “I think the biggest factor to succeed in basketball is just having the drive to succeed and never being satisfied,” he said. To be a good team or a good player, you’ve always got to want to be better,

Freshman ScheduleA

basketball

opinions editor

Statistics Freshman B

Senior Alex Caruso dribbles in the game against Pflugerville on Nov. 29. Caruso has played basketball for eleven years and will play for the Aggies next year. PHOTO BY LAURA EVERETT

always want to do something else or something more, and have the drive to keep succeeding and trying. I think my willingness to succeed no matter what it takes is what makes me a good basketball player. Like, If I have to score 20 points then I will, or if I have to dive on the floor for a ball I will. I’ll do what I have to do to win. “ It wasn’t until the end of his junior year that recruiters began to seek interest in Caruso. However, over the course of a year, Caruso has received several offers from various colleges, including A&M, where he recently signed to play in college. “I’ve never considered not playing basketball. I’ve always played and wanted to play, but up until last year at the end of the season, I didn’t really think that I would be playing with a major college like A&M. At one point, I thought I was going to just play basketball for fun and enjoy it throughout college, but now it’s going to be my life,” Caruso said. “I’m so excited about playing for A&M. I love it because I don’t have to go anywhere, I’ve got a bunch of friends here, and my family will be able to come watch me. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid and it’s all worked out to be so perfect.”

Junior Varsity

Overall Team Record: 11-1

Overall Team Record: 5-3

Overall Team Record: 7-6

Next Game: Dec. 8-10: Woodlands Tournament Dec. 12: Bryan

Next Game: Dec. 12: Bryan Dec. 19: Elkins

Next Game: Dec. 8-10: Hearne Tournament Dec. 12: Bryan

the roar | sports | 21

friday, dec. 9, 2011

Wrestling team captain gives credit for success to teammates BY RACHEL KAGLE

sports editor

The buzzers go off, weight classes are called, the crowd cheers, the team shouts encouragingly from the bleachers and all eyes fixate on the center of the mat. Wrestling team captain, senior Jacob Wilson, shakes hands with the opposing team and the match begins. “[Being team captain] is just making sure that the team works hard, pushing everybody, being a leader,” Wilson said. “When practice gets hard, I can’t slack off. I have to make sure everyone works.” For Wilson, wrestling is more than a sport. It has become a life lesson. “[Wrestling] gives you so much discipline and will power,” he said. “When you’re tired and you’re all worn out, you can’t give up, you’ve just gotta keep going.” Throughout his success, Wilson does not necessarily agree with being the face of wrestling at school. So many others work hard, too, he said. “They’re all really big parts of the team,” Wilson said. “We’re just a big group of guys that like to hurt people. But we’re all nice!” However, there are also girls on the team. “It’s pretty fun being a girl on the wrestling team,” freshman Kaley Kruse said. “It’s different.” Kruse only started wrestling this season. “My first meet, I pinned a girl in one minute seven seconds,” Kruse said. “I’ve only been wrestling for about three weeks.” Through their success, both Wilson and Kruse agree that the best part about wrestling is having fun. “My favorite part about wrestling is mainly slamming people’s faces in the mat, Wilson said. “In every other sport if you hit someone, you get a penalty, but in wrestling, you get a trophy for it.”

Coach Brian Wessel teaches senior Ruben Pensado a wrestling move during practice. Coach Brian Wessel coaches with Lucious Clemmons. PHOTO BY AMY ZHANG

Senior Wes Cox wrestles with a Klein Collins opponent during their match on Nov. 16. Cox won the round to help Consol win the match. PHOTO BY RACHEL KAGLE

Junior Andrew Roberts puts another teammate in a head lock during practice Nov. 29. The wrestling team practices after school every week . PHOTO BY RACHEL KAGLE

Senior Wes Cox pins down a teammate at practice on Nov. 29. Cox has been wrestling with the Tigers since his freshman year. PHOTO BY AMY ZHANG

Seniors Jacob Wilson and Jacob Weiss practice on Dec. 2. Wilson has been team captain since his sophomore year. PHOTO BY RACHEL KAGLE

Senior Wes Cox and junior JD Rockwell practice on Dec. 2. Rockwell has been wrestling for three years. PHOTO BY RACHEL KAGLE

22 | entertainment | the roar

friday, dec. 9, 2011

Seasonal Suggestions

The Roar compiles holiday activities for the winter break With family...

With friends...

Have a family game night by playing board games such as Catch Phrase and Apples to Apples.

Make marshmallow guns and then have a marshmallow fight with your friends. For instructions on how to make one, go to www.instructables.com.

Listen to Christmas songs while you decorate the tree. Enjoy the indoor ice skating rink at Gaylord Texan Hotel in Dallas (for more information, go to www.gaylordhotels.com) or the indoor water park at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine (for further information, go to www.greatwolf.com). Go to the Bluebell Creamery in Brenham and taste ice cream, including their special Christmas flavors.

Go to Goodwill, find funny holiday sweaters and then host a sweater party with your friends complete with photos. Make a customized gingerbread house. For a great recipe www. foodnetwork.com. Host a holiday music karaoke night. Serve eggnog and cookies.

Bake (but don’t eat) sourdough cookies. Afterwards, paint

Check out the lights on Congressional Court in Pebble Creek subdivision. The lights are timed to holiday music you can hear

them for ornaments. For a recipe go to www.allrecipes.com.

on your car radio.

With a significant other...

On your own....

Build a fort and watch a Disney movie with Kettle Korn.

Work a holiday-themed puzzle and wrap gifts for friends and family.

Go to Santa’s Wonderland and walk through Santa’s town. Or rent a horse and carriage for a romantic ride through the area ($32.95 per person).

Go to Barnes and Noble Bookstore, get a Starbucks holiday drink and grab a book to pleasure read.

Go to U Paint It and paint holiday ornaments or other pottery for each other.

Take skiing lessons at Mount Aggie on the Texas A&M campus. Open on Wednesday nights.

Enjoy live performances, Christmas lights, free hayrides, cookies and hot chocolate at Christmas at the Creek tonight and tomorrow from 6 to 9 p.m. at Wolf Pen Creek.

Play a round of golf at the Texas A&M Golf course for a reduced winter fee of $12 - $17.

Take a walk through Downtown Bryan. Enjoy dinner and the lights in the area.

Go to an Aggie Men’s Basketball game on Dec. 22 (vs. Rice) or Dec. 29 (vs. Arkansas Tech) for a reduced price. Attend a holiday workshop at Brazos Glassworks in Downtown Bryan on Dec. 11. Cost will be supplies.

graphics from Google images

the roar | entertainment | 23

friday, dec. 9, 2011

delightful dining

Hullabaloo Diner provides unique review and photos by amy zhang, editor-in-chief atmosphere, incredible food To be honest, my friend and I missed the turn when we were looking for the place. I don’t know what we were expecting—a blockish building, maybe reminiscent of oldtimey décor, or perhaps an obnoxiously large sign—but the building that looked like a metal bunker certainly wasn’t it. Said bunker ended up being our intended destination, Hullabaloo Diner. Located in Wellborn on FM 2154 (Wellborn Road), a few minutes outside the College Station city limits, the diner had already solicited immensely positive reviews from the staff. Among the compliments for its food, I’d also heard of its success with being featured on the Food Network’s popular series, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. We were greeted at the portal-like door by a cheerful waitress, who welcomed us then asked if we wanted to wait for a table or just sit at the counter. We opted for the latter, and were led to two squishy orange seats near the end of the counter. I was quite pleased with our location, as it gave me an excellent vantage point to observe the rest of the diner. The long room was certainly aesthetically pleasing, being color-themed in shades of light orange, sky blue, and a sandy tan. Scattered on the walls were various records and black-and-white pictures, which contributed to the homey, vintage feel of the restaurant. Modern influences were also visible, with shiny silver Christmas decorations already making an appearance and an autographed poster of Guy Fierri, the host of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, hanging proudly on the wall in front of us. Sunlight shone in from large windows that lined the walls, infusing the room with hints of bright light, and country music played softly in the background the entire time. Since we went around 1:30 p.m. on a Saturday, the lunch rush was dying down. Promptly, we were handed menus and given a few minutes to make our decisions. I decided to get the Chicken Cordon Bleu, a sandwich with grilled chicken, ham and Swiss cheese, while my friend chose the Chicken Fried Steak. While we waited for our food to arrive, my friend and I people-watched, observing our fellow diners as they ate their food. Other than the occasional inquisitive glance in our direction (since I had my camera out, taking in the diner’s environment), all the diners seemed quite content, digging into their food hungrily. By this time, I had rediscovered the joys of sitting on a spinnable chair and was enjoying myself considerably—the chairs were definitely comfortable, if you’re about 5’4”. My friend, who’s considerably taller,

didn’t have as much fun and complained about having to figure out how to sit comfortably. Before I had too much time to stalk any fellow diners, our food was in front of us. I had to take a few minutes to just appreciate the food—our meals just looked gorgeous! The true beauty came with the realization that the food tasted as good as it looked. I had been a bit nervous about my sandwich, since I realized the bottom was almost soggy with greases, but the first bite blew away whatever hesitations my calorie-observant mind was worrying about. The burger was pretty massive, and the flavors blended together in a surprisingly incredible fashion. I never thought ham and chicken would work together on one burger, but they complimented each other really well. The fries were golden, oily, and wonderfully crispy on the outside while having a really soft center—basically everything you could ever want in a fry. My friend’s chicken fried steak received nothing but compliments. The meat was apparently really firm, yet chewy—“a nice change from the cafeteria’s version,” he said. The sides tasted genuinely homemade, with a certain homey texture that isn’t easy to replicate. Our service was superb, with a waitress refilling our drinks periodically with a smile, humming along to the country music all the while. When she asked if we wanted dessert, we had to oblige. I got the last piece of the Carnegie Deli Cheesecake (as recommended by our waitress), while my friend chose the Key Lime Pie. No exaggeration here—my cheesecake was phenomenal. It stayed firm throughout its existence on my plate, not falling apart, yet was miraculously creamy. The crumbly cookie crust paired well with the cheesecake filling, combining for a lovely dessert. Overall, the cheesecake complimented the whipped cream on the side really well— my taste buds were definitely pleased. I had a few bites of the key lime pie as well, and found it to be as spectacular, if not even more so. The pie was a great example of how opposites could work well together, with the sweet crunchy crust contrasting with the tanginess of the soft lime filling. Overall, our experience at Hullabaloo Diner was unparalleled. The prices are reasonable (though a little on the pricey side), with most meals costing $9 and up. Their desserts in particular are more expensive than I’m used to, being $5 to $7, but the extra cash is definitely worth it. If you have a chance, definitely pay Hullabaloo Diner a visit—you won’t regret it, no matter who you go with.

quick picks chicken fried steak

$8.99 [small]; $11.99 [large]

chicken cordon bleu $8.99

key lime pie $5.99

24 | etcetera | the roar

friday, dec. 9, 2011

Brilliant Bakers

Confectionists dedicate time, talent to hobby to find passion in baking for others by Alina Dattagupta, Managing Editor

“My favorite things to bake are homemade oreos, snickerdoodles, peaches and cream pie, and anything with pumpkin,” she said. Zhang, whose specialty is her salted caramel brownies, also is After a stressful Wednesday, senior skilled in creating a diverse amount of treats. Katherine Nunley stands in the middle of “[I bake] really every kind of dessert and pastry, except for her kitchen pondering over the recipes strewn across the counter. pies,” she said. “I don’t particularly like pies except the ice cream After picking one, she gathers all of her ingredients and measuring kind, though I have made them before as an obligatory Thanksgivtools needed. Once everything is mixed together and prepared, she ing dessert.” sticks the batter into the oven. Soon, a sweet smelling aroma fills Malave enjoys taking a simple recipe and putting a modern the room. Nunley then pulls her creation out of the oven and packs twist in it. it away so that she can share it with others the next day. “I [especially] like to make cupcakes and finish them off with “I bake every Wednesday night,” Nunley said. “Baking is a something crazy by adding some secret ingredient,” she said. “I like way for me to think freely, just like running is for some, and [it’s a to take something that is original and make it different.” way] for me to clear my mind. I love it. And now, it’s just a habit. Zhang’s love for the hobby often hinders her school work. Wednesday night is my baking night.” “My parents are very Senior Kristina supportive of my culinary Raphael agrees that it adventures and aspiraserves as a stress relievtions, though they have er. their limits,” she said. “I love baking,” she “There are multiple occasaid. “I feel joyful and sions where my mom forpeaceful when I bake. I bade me to bake because love cooking and trying I was baking on a school new things, but I ennight with homework still joy baking more. I like unfinished.” it better than cooking Nunley feels that a probably because I have large part of the joy that such a sweet tooth, and comes from baking rebaked goods are easier sults from sharing with to share.” others. Junior Patricia “I [enjoy] baking Zhang, who has been sweets for my friend’s baking since she was ten birthdays, Young Life years old, prefers baking Campaigners or just to to cooking because it is brighten someone’s day,” more exact. she said. “I think part of why Senior Kristina Raphael presents her baked oatmeal craisin cookies on Zhang has considered Dec. 1. Raphael bakes delectable treats on Thursdays for her Bible study I love baking more than making her hobby a career friends to enjoy. PHOTO BY KATE WILLIAMS cooking is the science on multiple occasions. aspect,” Zhang said. “I “My plan is to go to college first, get an engineering degree, always love to read stuff like blogs about food science, so I can take a couple years of culinary school and then open a bakery-ice learn more about baking, and I will be able to reach the point where cream shop-restaurant,” she said. “I’d definitely take a job doing I don’t have to strictly follow recipes and I can experiment with what I love to do. Even now, I’ll do requests from people for combaking with confidence.” pensation.” Raphael, who began baking at a young age, was greatly influMalave also faces a similar situation. enced by her mother and her grandmother in the hobby. “I used to want to go to culinary art school when I was younger, “[They] have influenced me the most in my love for baking,” but I also want to be a doctor,” she said. “I’m contemplating doing she said. “Baking was the way that I spent quality time with them. both so that when I’m a doctor, I can bring my patients treats.” I have fond memories baking, which is probably why I love it so Zhang, who has been told that cooking is a housewife’s hobby, much today. My friends are also wonderful at encouraging me to wants to break out of the typical stereotype of baking being a female bake. Their simple compliments are really [uplifting].” activity. Senior Celina Malave, who started baking in elementary school, “There is a misconception that baking is limited to women was greatly influenced by her father. when in actuality, even if you don’t want to put much time into it, “I like to cook with my dad,” she said. “He usually does the cooking and baking is a very valuable life skill for all people,” she food part and I just make the sweet thing at the end. I’m in a family said. “Many celebrity chefs are men. Gender doesn’t matter. Cookof six kids, and it’s just really nice because whenever I bake, everying and baking are not emasculating, or limited to women, or something is always eaten. It’s nice because I’ll bake a lot, and it’s gone. thing to be ashamed of, or a motive to disparage people.” There are no leftovers.” She said that she bakes for the pure joy of it, not as a result of Nunley’s love for baking was also greatly influenced by her anything or anyone else. grandmother, as well as famed chef Emeril Lagasse. “I bake and cook because of my enjoyment and nourish“I loved watching Emeril when I was a little kid. He was my ment,” she said. “Even if you may not find it fun, I assure that it’s role model,” she said. “My grandmother found my interest in bakworth learning. I plan only to be an awesome chef, who will bake ing fascinating and completely supported me in my baking [endeavonly for myself and for other people, but never because of other ors].” people, and especially not because of societal stereotypes.” Raphael has a wide range of baking abilities and creates a variety of items.

By Alina Dattagupta, Managing Editor

PHOTOS BY KATE WILLIAMS

Oatmeal Craisin Cookies Recipe 1 c. butter flavored Crisco 1 c. packed brown sugar 1 c. white sugar 2 eggs 1 t. vanilla 2 c. quick cooking oats 2 c. flour 1 t. baking soda 1 t. baking powder 1 t. salt 2 c. dried cranberries or chocolate chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, cream the Crisco, sugars, eggs and vanilla for 5 min. In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time. Stir in raisins and craisins. Drop by spoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 min. Source: Kristina Raphael