Vol. 19 No. 3

the

Roar

A&M Consolidated High School

Meet Lucy and Bailey, Consol's furriest students, on page 16.

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

Friday, Dec. 13, 2013

Vol. 19 No. 3

short

how our attitude towards on-level classes is making the problem worse

There’s a stigma surrounding “regular” classes: The kids who take them are lazy, intellectually inferior, and the classes are easy and a waste of time.

And while these statements hold varying levels of truth from class to class and from student to student, part of the problem lies in the terminology.

Teachers, students struggle in on-level classes dana branham | editor-in-chief We call them “regular” classes. Not “onlevel” classes—as in, classes appropriate for one’s grade level. No, we call them “regular” classes— as in, nothing special.

WHAT’S SO DIFFERENT? “Saying ‘regular classes’ is just something that starts off saying, ‘This is going to be a hassle,” biotechnology and aquatic science teacher Matt Young said. “Even the terminology is a problem—and I’m not a huge fan of trying to limit terminology because it’s always changing

wheretolook news

pages 2-3

people

pages 10-11

viewpoints

pages 4-6

sports

page 12-13

snapshots

page 7

entertainment pages 14-16

special feature

pages 8-9

what's new on the roar online theroarnews.com

Read about juniors Sydney Garrett and Dahlia Rohm, who attended the National Model OAS convention.

and moving the ‘problem’ word to something else.”

But what’s the real difference between onlevel and advanced classes? Besides varying levels of workload, not much, assistant principal and former English III on-level and AP teacher Aaron Hogan said.

“The more I got to know my students, the more I realized what I had long suspected was true—many students have similar struggles regardless of the courses they take,” Hogan said.

“They want to be accepted by their friends, they want to have a place where they feel they belong, they want to do right by their family, and they "on-level" cont. on page 9 want a challenge they can complete." "on-level" continued on page 9.

Hear the orchestra and band's combined performance of "Sleigh Ride" and Beethoven's "5th Symphony."

2 | news | the roar

friday, dec. 13, 2013

Math Club prepares for competition, furthers passion dana branham | editor-in-chief

meets, agreed that Math Club covers topics broader and more satisfying than those Each Tuesday after school, a group of taught in traditional math classes.

“We usually go much deeper into gestudents camps out in a room in the math hallway, discussing geometry theory and ar- ometry, and there’s number theory that we guing over the correct answer to a problem don’t do in school,” Sun said. “The math is very different. It’s more in-depth and gets in one of their many practice tests.

“It’s like ‘guys, stop,’” Math Club presi- into topics that school math doesn’t cover dent junior Shreya Shankar said. “There’s which we usually do.”

Of course, students don’t have to be more than one right answer. You have a bilmath lovers from birth to enjoy what Math lion different ways to solve a problem.”

And therein lies the beauty of Math Club has to offer. Sophomore Erika SalzClub—it’s a group of kids who have a pas- man, an active member in the club, said she sion for problem-solving, and who work to- spends time outside of school practicing for competitions gether to find one of and hopes to make the “billion” ways to one of four covthe right answer. eted spots on the Shankar exUIL math team plained that Math “It’s difficult to get people this year. And, beClub, which spends excited about math, but lieve it or not, she many meetings prewouldn’t even call I think if people gave it a paring for upcommath her “passion.” ing UIL meets and try, a lot of them would “It’s kind of American Mathfind that they actually like strange for me—I ematics Competidon’t actually pastions through pracit.” sophomore Erika Salzman sionately love tice tests and group math, but it’s kind discussion, allows of fun,” Salzman students to break said. “I’ve always out of the monotobeen doing math ny of math taught since I was really little. It’s something I’ve in school and challenge themselves.

“With competition math, people know been doing for so long that it just feels natuhow to think—they’ve learned to think criti- ral to do it.”

Shankar also expressed that math had cally. It makes math more enjoyable, because no one likes to just sit there and apply been a part of her life since she was young, formulas,” Shankar said. “It’s fun to do math but when asked if she really likes math, she problems that are applicable in life. We do a didn’t hesitate in her response: “Oh man, I love math,” Shankar said. bunch of word problems, and they actually “But the thing is, you don’t have to be inmake you think.”

Sophomore Yusha Sun, who competes nately smart to be in Math Club. You just in Mathematics, Calculator Applications have to get used to the problems, get used and Number Sense competitions at UIL to the way you have to think, and then auto-

matically, math will start coming super easy to you, physics will come super easy to you, and chemistry will too.”

Shankar also noted that while much of Math Club’s success lies in individual competitions, they also owe their success to the dedication of their sponsor and former Consol teacher, Jamie Bassett. Though Bassett does not teach at the high school anymore, he continues to lead Math Club’s weekly meetings, as they have yet to find a different sponsor.

“I am only teaching two classes at CSMS, but I continue to work with the high school competitors mainly because I have

not been able to get anybody else to help me out,” Bassett said. “There are some very talented math students at Consolidated, and I hate to see them struggle to compete because a sponsor isn’t available.”

Above all, Math Club is an outlet for students to challenge themselves and learn to think in new ways, and Salzman said that a fear of math shouldn’t keep a student from giving the club a try.

“Math has a really bad reputation,” Salzman said. “It’s difficult to get people excited about math, but I think if people gave it a try, a lot of them would find that they actually like it.”

Want to see if you can handle UIL competition math? Give these problems a try.

Calculator Applications: Use a calculator to solve the problems. Your answer should have 3 significant digits. a. (0.539 + 0.183 - 0.0802) x 0.222= b. (2.74 -1.4 +1.63 + 0.83) / (-6.11)= Number Sense: No calculators, 10 minutes, 80 problems.

Sound daunting? Here are some examples. c. The vertex of y=x^(2)+ 8x is (h, k). Find h. d. (34 + 65 + 96) ÷ 3 has a remainder of...

ANS

a.

0.142

b.

- 0.622

c.

-4

d.

0

SOURCE: UILTEXAS.ORG

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Roar

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the roar | news | 3

friday, dec. 13, 2013

Enrollment in dual language class broadens scope of cultural awareness rojas oliva | entertainment editor Groups of kindergarteners currently enrolled in dual language programs will soon grow up to be the freshmen in AP Spanish classes who raise their hands and speak in a fluency that puts even native speakers to shame. This is the surface-level outcome of an education spent learning bilingually, an addition that adds excitement to the classroom.

“I have to look for somebody who’s comfortable in an interactive classroom because it’s really important for the students to be able to interact with each other for those languages to develop,” Director of Special Programs Robin Oberg said. “You can’t develop a language if you’re not using it.”

Sophmore Marley Hays started the program in kindergarten as a non-native speaker and has seen the effects of this interactive environment that makes students engage with the language.

“I’ve learned that anybody can learn a language if you take time to appreciate and understand the value in it,” Hays said. “I think that if you go into learning a language blindly, thinking you can just pick it up because you are part of the dual language program then you’re going to have a harder time than if you really see the value in [it].”

For Hays, the reward for this value-oriented mindset and the dedication required are clear.

“The value of language over any other thing in the world is that it’s something that you can carry with you forever,” Hays said.

“It’s something that’s developed entirely in your brain and communication is such a large part of who we are as human beings, it’s how we interact with each other and just having the ability to speak another language

is like having a passport to the world.”

There are academic benefits to a bilingual education, too: at the end of sixth grade students are given the opportunity to test into high school-level Spanish classes.

“One thing that dual language was really really good about was giving you conversational skills, really giving you fluency in the language, while the high school program we have now is very good at improving your grammar so there’s been a good balance,” Hays said.

Oberg also stressed the long term benefits of exposure to another language.

“There are cognitive benefits to being bilingual and there’s a lot of research behind dual language and what they’re finding is that children who go through bilingual programs of this kind and take college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT outperform monolingual English speaking students,” Oberg said.

The bilingual program CSISD offers, currently available in South Knoll, Southwood Valley and College Hills, starts in kindergarten and is a mixture of native and non-native Spanish speakers learning the same curriculum as English classes, only with certain classes being taught in Spanish.

For freshman Shelly Zhou, the combination of native and non-native speakers was one of the most valuable rewards of the program.

“I became friends with a lot of native Spanish speakers and we could communicate not just through the language but [through] a special bond between people in the dual language program,” Zhou said.

Junior Mati Castro found the same bond when she joined the program in fourth grade as a native speaker.

“Everybody classifies me as being white, but I feel like now I don’t have to be classi-

fied [that way] because I am Hispanic and this program has proven to people that I am Hispanic,” Castro said. “When I walked into the classroom on the first day everybody was like ‘qué hace esta gringa’ like ‘what’s she doing here’ then I spoke in Spanish and everybody was like, okay, she’s okay.”

After completing the Spanish track through Spanish V Castro found that she started speaking less Spanish, and came to realize the more personal benefits of the program.

“For me, Spanish is more a connection to my family,” Castro said. “I’m losing my communication with my little cousin, I’m losing my communication with my dad’s side of my family because I don’t know how to express myself, and that’s terribly aggravating. It just gets pushed to the wayside now that I’m not in the program anymore.

I’ve seen a clear difference from where I was in the program and now. I’ve seen the dropoff and it’s killing me.”

Hays had a similar revelation.

“It wasn’t until recently that I learned how much it mattered to me and how much it has become a part of who I am, the ability to communicate in Spanish, what the program has given me, so to anybody who wants to enroll their kids in the program if you really want to add another dimension to your child’s life, what better way to go than with another language,” Hays said.

The value of this dimension extends beyond personal gain.

“When you expand a kid’s views of the world [with language], you’re getting a more open-minded citizen,” Castro said. “And this is just a personal belief, but I think that the world can only move forward if we have a large number of open-minded citizens.”

Cuentos Chistosos (or, funny stories)

sophomore Marley Hays “One time in third grade a boy from our class brought a crawfish in a bowl and he was the class pet for the day. Then by three o’clock the crawfish died and everyone in dual language hauled out to mourn Cesar’s crawfish.

We buried it right outside of College Hills and had a ceremony. It was actually really tragic because we’d all grown to love this crawfish.”

junior Mati Castro “I think it was after the TAKS test. We were just sitting in a classroom and saw a squirrel in the window, but it wasn’t just any squirrel.

It was a giant squirrel. Like, 3000 pounds of squirrel, and we just looked at it and started laughing. It was the dumbest thing ever, but every time after [that] we’d bring it up and laugh about it.”

compiled by Rojas Oliva

2013 FALL FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE Wednesday, Dec. 18 8:20—10:15 5th period 10:20—12:15 1st period 12:15—1:45 lunch 1:50—3:45 7th period Thursday, Dec. 19 8:20—10:15 4th period 10:20—12:15 6th period 12:15—1:45 lunch 1:50—3:45 2nd period Friday, Dec. 20 8:20—10:15 3rd period 10:20—10:45 Advocate 10:45—12:45 lunch 12:45 early release

4 | viewpoints | the roar

friday, dec. 13, 2013

INTROSPECTIVE PERSPECTIVE

The Roar asked 19 English classes* how they would change the English and history

HONORS PROGRAMS HERE'S HOW IT BROKE DOWN: 38% wanted the honors GPA scale to be lower than PreAP/AP

50% wanted to keep the honors system the same

Writing philosophy allows for creative freedom

There’s plenty to be afraid of: like, did you know that if you were to get rabies, by the time visible symptoms appeared it would already be too late and you would basically be guaranteed an unpleasant death, or that the little warning signs about eating undercooked meats at the bottom of every menu aren’t some silly health concern—you can actually get tapeworms in deeply personal areas of your brain!?

But mortality-related fears aside, what may be the real concrete daily fear that colors our consciousness in ways we’re not fully aware of is the fear that comes from being watched.

This adolescent fear goes beyond loneliness as the central human fear, but addresses a similar terror of dying without ever finding something to mean; to never get outside of yourself enough to say something free from the idea that you’re being watched, forever calculating and preparing a pleasant self for the people

around you. A fraud from yourself.

Consciousness can be loaded with the type of path that begins innocuously:

"Writing, really intense and personal writing is a kind of a magic and is one of the rare places where a self can be grappled with and a way out illuminated."

“Well goodness, it seems to me that most of what I do is really selfish or manipulative—desperate attempts to reach whatever short-sighted idea of personal happiness I have by creating some impression of myself on others, a realization that has led to some serious but justified self hatred."

But then it also seems that to really hate yourself requires a self-obsession bordering on solipsism: an almost unbelievable unawareness of the world around you. Likely only a narcissist could truly hate themselves, and doesn’t the

disgustingly unfair and into the comically surreal.

To be fully consciously aware of where we sit in this world where words like ‘selfimmolation’ and ‘human trafficking’ exist would be unbearable.

We’d probably sit very still in soft padded rooms.

Finding something to say free from this position is like trying to navigate in terms of left and right instead of North and South.

Writing, really intense and personal writing is a kind of a magic and is one of the rare places where a self can be grappled with and a

way out illuminated.

The maybe hoary analogy is that in writing you hold up a mirror to this disheveled, drooling and wholly repulsive self image; all of the most selfish, lonely, needy, prurient and perverse parts of yourself splayed out at once. And you have to tolerate this image.

But now you have time to reflect, to pick apart all the weird traps of a privileged life, to see yourself as if you lived in a vacuum and never had the need to be loved.

What were flaws become truths, unchangeable and powerful in their permanence.

This is impossible to explain, maybe.

The discipline and focus required to achieve this in daily consciousness is otherworldly, but in writing it becomes a matter of time and toleration.

Once you’re not aware of yourself as a series of subjective ideas but as facts, thoughts on a paper no soul will ever see, the infinite traps of self-consciousness just don’t even come up.

Welcome home. It’s a terribly ephemeral stay.

Rojas is the entertainment editor for The Roar.

Contact him at the.roar. oliva@gmail.com if you want to discuss the disgustingly unfair, the comically surreal or any other aspect of writing or life.

8% wanted to remove the English and history honors programs altogether

VERSUS

rojas oliva entertainment editor

fact that I’ve realized this sort of prove my own paralyzing amounts of introspection?

Otherwise, I likely wouldn’t be aware of this issue which seems to be derived from deplorable traits and so by extension worthy of hatred.” And so on.

Every action and inaction arrives pre-packaged with double binds, contradictions, hypocrisies, and paradoxes.

Our lives are largely so ungodly privileged that they cross the realm of the

71% 21%

4% had other ideas

of honors English students wanted to keep the honors system the same. of Pre-AP/AP English students wanted to keep the honors system the same.

41%

of those surveyed said that students take honors classes to raise their GPA.

* we distributed surveys to one Pre-AP/AP class, one honors class and two on-level classes per grade level plus three dual classes (a total of 440 students)

the roar | viewpoints | 5

friday, dec. 13, 2013

Impact of mental illnesses in student’s life leads to desire for positivity

channing young | sports editor

when skies are gray

Emotions are what we let control us. Our moods depend on whether we let something get us down or not. We are surrounded by a world of complaints and rarely see the good in things.

If you get on Tumblr, it is hard to scroll without seeing a post that has to do with depression; the site almost worships it. Twitter is the same. I have yet to scroll down my feed without seeing some sort of complaint or complaining myself.

Some of us are so focused on what is going wrong with our lives that we forget the good. Constantly absorbed in our own lives and problems, we forget about others and their problems that might be more tragic and extensive than our own.

Our society is filled with people dealing with anxiety and depression, and yet it is hidden and seems so unreal. All these mental

illnesses (depression, anxiety, eating disorders) seem so rare, yet so many of us face them. They affect families, friendships and relationships. We live in a world where mental illness plays a huge role.

Almost every other person suffers from some sort of case, whether it is minor or major. All this just gets me thinking, why is that? Why is it that so many struggle with things such as depression and anxiety?

When you first think about it, it might seem rare. You might think nobody takes medicine or deals with these issues. It might even seem dramatic, but when you look around, you see that so many people hide their suffering.

So many relationships are hurt due to such mental illnesses, much like any other sickness; the difference is that most people do not treat these issues as such.

So many visit psychologists and psychiatrists, take medicine,and sometimes even have to go to hospitals for such sicknesses. I myself am close to someone who struggles with this, someone who had to leave school multiple times and go to a hospital in order to be healed. It kills me seeing him like this. He is truly sick, and it is even worse when people don’t under-

stand that it is a true problem and believe them to just be dramatic. It overcomes and drains the victims, and talking to them is often like talking to a brick wall. We should realize how much these sicknesses can affect people and how we may not be aware of it. Our attitudes towards people dealing with such issues can greatly change their attitudes as well. Just like when you are around someone who is always smiling and positive, they begin to cheer you up.

Why not think about all the great things going for us instead of the little things hurting us at any given time? If we put it on ourselves to be that cheerful person, as cheesy as it is, cheerfulness is contagious, and wouldn’t it be great to be known as the person who can brighten everyone else’s day? It’s so selfish of us to constantly complain about our own problems when others are out there dealing with so much more. So my little goal for all of us is to find the positive, the good in our lives and share it with everyone else, to be that little sunshine in everyone else’s life.

Channing is sports editor of The Roar. Have happiness to spread?

Email her at the.roar.young@gmail. com.

Renewed love of Star Wars leads to questioning of ‘nerds’

aaron ross | assistant editor One of my earliest memories is watching “The Phantom Menace” on VHS at my aunt’s house. As a kid I loved “Star Wars”: the whole series, too, not just the original saga. My favorite movies in the series were Episodes 1 and 6: the one with the funny talking rabbits and the one with cute little teddy bears who play the drums (on the helmets of the dead soldiers they brutally murdered). Over time, though, I grew out of them.

I realized that they were for little kids. I realized that George Lucas was a total sell out hack fraud. I realized that “Star Wars” was just another dumbed-down action movie.

That is until this summer, when I decided to watch “Star Wars: A New Hope” for the first

time in years.

Was I wrong. The movie was fantastic, and not solely from a nostalgic point of view either. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie. Everything was superb. How could I have been so wrong?

I’m just going to go ahead and say it. Some people think “Star Wars” is a little nerdy; it’s a shocker, I know, but it’s true. This nerdy stigmatism, along with the idea that things that are popular culture can’t be “high” culture, nearly ruined what I now consider one of my favorite movies.

According to Wikipedia a nerd is someone who not only pursues “intellectual, academic, or technical hobbies,” but also has an “interest in the fine arts, nonmainstream music, comic books, trading cards and videogames.”

Also included are people who have a heavy obsession with anything: sports, TV shows, movies, etc. etc.

Basically anyone with a passion for something could be considered a nerd.

With basically everyone technically being a nerd in some

respects, why is it still viewed with a negative connotation?

There have, for a long time, been the stereotypes of nerds being these horribly repressed intellectuals beaten down by society, but recollect back to elementary school, where bullying was at its most basic level. Kids didn’t pick on kids because they were smart or were into nerdy things. They picked on them because they looked different or acted different. Sure, being exceptionally bright could make someone a target, but so could practically anything else.

The problem we have is not realizing that the idea of the “nerd” is almost entirely a myth.

The problem is that “nerds” believe themselves to be a persecuted minority, when they’re really a celebrated majority. The problem is, while certainly people should be more accepting of others, they should be more accepting of themselves first.

Aaron is an assistant editor for The Roar. Agree with Aaron’s stance on the misleading term? Email him at the.roar.ross@gmail.com.

let the nerdy win

friday, dec. 13, 2013

6 | viewpoints | the roar

OPPOSING YES

nicole farrell senior editor

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vine and the like are social media programs to project

yourself into the world.

College admissions officers, future employers and your parents should be able to look at it and not cringe.

If they do, fix yourself and social media will follow.

NO

channing young sports editor

Colleges should not be allowed to access students' social media accounts because to do so would be an invasion of

students' privacy.

Students should be accepted into college

based on their grades and extracurriculars:

evidence of inappropriate activities should not play into the colleges' decisions.

Should colleges be able to judge applicants based on social media profiles?

the roar's consensus

Keep personal doings out of public eye Snapchat promises they don’t keep your selfies. You haven’t (probably) uploaded photos onto your Facebook in ages. But with looming college app deadlines and the constant buzz of iPhones in hand, chances are, there are more than a few students unaware of what a mere Google search might reveal.

Here at The Roar, we find it simple: keep your profiles on lockdown.

Simply going through The Roar’s Twitter feed yields some of the following: weed, bongs, the word “bish” and nearly-naked chests (The Roar doesn’t endorse shaming women for how they present themselves, but that doesn’t stop potential employers or admissions officers from judging anyway). A few clicks further, and beer bottles and cigarettes start appearing. If the newspaper’s official account can see drugs, alcohol and profanity, there’s a good chance anyone else looking up students’ names will be able to as well.

It’s not about lifestyle choices (as unhealthy, unsustainable and/or illegal as they may be). What it is about is professionalism, and being “just kids” shouldn’t give students the leeway to dabble in exposing these choices to the Internet. The horror stories of acceptance letters being rescinded for “bad” behavior as caught by social media, of competitive applicants screenshotting each others’ crass Facebook statuses and sending them to college officials—they’re out there for a reason! Admittedly, many admissions officers don’t make it a habit to check profiles—but why make it easier for them to not admit students?

Being conscious and aware of what we post isn’t just for the short term—it develops the habit of keeping tabs on ourselves, knowing what’s appropriate and setting up foundations for cultivating good networking skills and online presences in the long run. According to Kaplan, 27% of admissions officers surveyed say they Google applicants and, according to Career Builder, 37% of hiring managers research job applicants through social networking sites. Given statistics like these and the growing trend of employers and officers doing so, students' social profiles weigh greater on the implications of their future than ever before.

Students should, in essence, set their privacy settings with greater care and think before they post.

The Roar 2013-2014 Staff Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Senior Editor Executive Editor Opinions Editor Photography Editor News Editor Sports Editor Entertainment Editor Assistant Editors Staff Reporters Faculty Adviser Assistant Adviser

Dana Branham Michelle Liu Nicole Farrell Leah Crisman Shilpa Saravanan Eva Araujo Annie Zhang Channing Young Rojas Oliva Tiffany Hammond Aaron Ross Stephanie Palazzolo Elizabeth Reed Michael Williams Chauncey Lindner

The Roar Editorial Board Dana Branham • Michelle Liu • Shilpa Saravanan

Should colleges check prospective students' online profiles?

"It's totally fine, because people need to be aware of what they're putting on the Internet." freshman

Kade Flynn

"I don't think colleges should be able to look at that stuff, but if it's public... then it's public." sophomore

Olivia Garrett

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

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

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

The Roar is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC), the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). The Roar is a winner of the CSPA Gold Crown, the 1997, 1998, 2000-2011 ILPC Award of Distinguished Merit, the CSPA Gold Medal Award, the NSPA All-American distinction and 2005 ILPC Bronze Star and 2007-2013 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 | snapshots | 7

friday, dec.13 2013

brushing

UP

Young artists demonstrate quiet expression through talent

T

eva araujo | photography editor

he calming stroke of a brush, the significant ease of a pencil and the quiet smile of accomplishment while admiring a finished piece is what makes these artists love what they do.

Seniors Anjali Yadav, Bethany Anderson and sophomore Jenna Leland have been blessed with a certain creative streak. For Leland, it’s in her blood.

“My dad is the art teacher and I grew up watching him draw or paint,” Leland said. “So ever since I was little I’ve been drawing. I know I got my artistic side from my dad.”

Anderson enjoys the quiet aspect of art and takes pride in the modesty of her talent.

“I don’t think art is cool, it’s actually super dorky,” Anderson said. “I guess if you’re really good at singing or sports everyone knows about it, but with art no one knows. It’s kind of nice, but super lame at the same time. I kind of like how it’s a really quiet form of expression.”

Leland percieves art in a different light. Running track and cross country combined with having to maintain her grades, Leland says art helps her relax after a long day.

“Art is releasing,” Leland said. “You get to have freedom and not have to focus on school or stress.”

Yadav’s thought provoking paintings show off her empressionistic style as she says she prefers “orange skin and blue hair” rather than the typical. While she finds herself committed to impressionism, she pulls her inspiration from all around.

“I love Edward Munch,” Yadav said.

“He has a lot of cool art that no one knows about. He has a very dark style. I actually like [senior] Meredith [Stromberg] too. She is not a famous artist, but she is a good source of inspiration.”

As of now, Leland and Anderson have decided to leave art a hobby. However, Yadav would like to take art much further in her future by majoring in advertisement.

“I really love art and want to do something that requires that side of the brain,” Yadav said. “But at the same time, I’m not at the talent level or commitment to be anreal artist. Advertising implements that artistic element well.”

Fine arts department chairperson and art teacher Jami Bevans believes that art is inescapable.

“They will always be artists because of who they are,” Bevans said. “You can’t stay away from the arts. They will always find you again.”

Senior Bethany Anderson finishes up an untitled self portrait. Anderson says she is most relaxed when painting on her bed or the floor. PHOTO BY EVA ARAUJO

Sophomore Jenna Leland adds the finishing touches to her favorite piece. Leland will enter this pastel self-portrait into the upcoming VASE art competition in the spring. PHOTO BY EVA ARAUJO

Senior Anjali Yadav perfects a painting titled, “Process to Show.” This painting was one of Yadav’s first assignments of the year meant to help practice playing with texture and layering. PHOTO BY EVA ARAUJO

8 | special

feature | the roar

the student’s dilemma

friday, dec.

shilpa saravanan opinions editor

a ‘regular’ day The Roar talks to senior Jordan Scamardo about going from honors to on-level classes after her sophomore year.

What made you decide to drop back down?

In honors, there was so much homework–I feel like I sound like a slacker but–in regulars we hardly ever have homework and it’s a lot easier to make a straight 100. An 80 [in honors], even with the 10 points, is not as good as my grade in regulars.

Has any of that affected how you view your schoolwork and your grades at all?

It could just be me getting senioritis as well, but I think it definitely has to where I’m almost slacking more because I’m still making a better grade than most people in the class so I’m just like, ‘Oh, I’m okay with that.’

What would you like to change about what classes you’ve been in?

The teachers–not [necessarily] treating [all students] the same, but not thinking that just because you’re not in an honors class that you don’t get it or that you can’t do it. They should still hold you to high expectations.

Academic levels prove stark in contrast

F

our versus five—what’s a difference of one here or there? Add a decimal point and a zero to the tail end of those numbers though, and a crowd of worrying students may well run you over in their anxiety.

AP classes (including the equivalent Pre-AP classes) and honors classes have long received the same ten-point bump for their increased difficulty when compared to on-level classes.

However, AP classes differ greatly from honors classes in that they are more rigorous and must adhere to College Board-approved curricula, while honors classes have no set curricula.

THE TRANSITIONS “In honors I can cover as little as I want: we’re state-required to follow the state curriculum, but it’s nothing like the AP curriculum,” economics teacher Jason Pratt said. “I can teach as much or as little as I want.”

This disconnect often leads to more variance between different classes of the same course in honors levels than on AP levels, simply because honors courses do not have to teach to a particular test.

“It’s sad to see other people in the same course doing completely different assignments,” junior Thomas Morgan said of his honors classes. “[The difference] can become a bit worrying when it comes down to who’s more prepared for standardized tests.”

Morgan transitioned to AP English III from his freshman and sophomore year honors English classes. He cites the AP stress on “quality over quantity” as a major reason for his switch.

“In AP, we don’t have as much work as we had [in honors], but the work we do do operates on a very high level of thinking,” Morgan said.

Sophomore Simon Kapler plans to make the same switch when deciding on his junior year courses, but his motivations differ slightly from Morgan’s.

“It’s all about minimizing the time I spend on English,” Kapler said.

“I don’t want to have to take English

again in college. I’d rather take AP and get the credit over with now.”

Kapler started out with honors English in his freshman year because his counselor recommended that he balance out his Pre-AP courseload, but said that he had “way too much spare time” throughout the year. He decided to take AP Human Geography, but remained in honors English for one additional year because he “didn’t feel like moving up”—a decision he ended up regretting in the end.

Morgan concurs that honors classes are not as rigorous as Pre-AP and AP classes, but maintains that honors classes can still provide a challenge to the right kind of student.

“Honors classes give students the opportunity to push themselves beyond regular classes. There are definitely students that an honors class would be right for, but an AP class wouldn’t,” Morgan said.

Morgan moved from AP Human Geography to honors US History because of an otherwise heavy courseload.

“I do miss the deep discussions, but I tell myself that it’s okay because I’m not going to do something historyrelated,” Morgan said.

THE FIGHT “Honors students get the same ten points [on their GPAs] as AP students do, and the perception is that because honors classes are not AP, they should be easier,” English teacher DeAnn Aalbers said.

Those ten points combine with that perception to create some ill will between students in honors classes and students in AP or Pre-AP classes.

“As someone who will take multiple honors classes in his high school career, I think I can say that honors classes skew class ranks,” Kapler said.

“They’re a good thing, but really unfair for people who take AP and Pre-AP classes, which are a lot more effort for lower grades.”

Senior Emily Caruso agrees with this idea, but says she can also see the reasoning behind the equal bump.

“AP students choose to take the AP classes that they can get credit for,” Caruso said. “So maybe the ten points for both [AP and honors] is okay.”

Morgan believes that the heart of the problem lies in the student population’s perception of GPA and class rank, and says that people ought to place less emphasis on GPA and class rank.

“The stress over GPA—and especially AP students getting all competitive over honors students getting the same GPA—is silly,” Morgan said.

“Your GPA shouldn’t matter that much. Your GPA is for you.”

Pratt, though he favors a higher grading scale for AP, agrees with this sentiment.

“Y’all are crazy about getting into college,” Pratt said. “Calm down. It’s not that big of a deal.”

GOODBYE, HONORS? Pratt attempted to get senior-level honors economics offerings removed from the district’s course catalog, wanting students to choose either onlevel or AP classes.

“The district chose not to [eradicate the classes],” Pratt said. “From that point on, I started doing harder stuff with my honors kids. They need to learn to think.”

Students who have taken honors classes, however, vouch for their value.

“A decision like that would be hurtful to students,” Morgan said. “For example, some students’ extracurricular schedules don’t allow them the time to complete AP coursework, but they’re too smart for on-level classes.”

Aalbers agrees, believes that onlevel classes could “benefit greatly” from the potential influx of honors students.

Pratt agrees, saying that honors students could light the spark for more rigorous on-level classes.

“Well, there are some people who are really on that cuff: they can’t really do AP, but they still want to be challenged,” Pratt said. “Great! Challenge them in on-level.”

74

of the 9 and AP stud veyed by wanted to the grad to reflec ference honors AP/AP

the roar | special feature | 9

13, 2013

4%

9 pre-AP P English dents surThe Roar o change ing scale ct the difbetween and preP courses

senior emily caruso on dual-credit classes

I’m not as concerned about the ten points.

Even though my GPA might not be as good, I know that if I pass this class I’ll get college hours, which are better.

Student apathy requires innovative teaching, attitude on-level cont. from page 1 A CLASSWIDE MINDSET

Science department head Charlotte Wiggins said that on-level classes sometimes collectively adopt a mindset not to work. Once that mindset begins to spread, she said, it’s hard to get it under control.

“It can be a distraction, when you have kids who want to be off task,” Wiggins said. “I know a lot of kids get frustrated with that. That can happen when a teacher doesn’t have the management skills to keep students under control or to know where to draw the line.”

Young agreed that the mindset of an unruly classroom—generally attributed to on-level classes rather than honors or AP classes—often falls on the teacher.

“A lot of that attitude has to do with the teacher’s expectations for the class,” Young said. “If it’s a teacher saying, ‘This whole class doesn’t want to do their work,’ or they start it and they stop, that’s on the teacher, because you’re letting them get away with that.”

Junior Jasmine Daniels, who has taken English I, II and III at three different levels (on-level, honors, then

AP), said that her on-level class in particular was prone to becoming collectively off-task.

“If one person wouldn’t be doing something, another person would follow,” Daniels said. “Usually, the teachers are used to that, and they know how to control it more than AP and honors teachers.”

CHANGING THE MINDSET Wiggins mentioned that projectbased learning classes, like Principles of Technology, can be effective in changing this mindset.

When she taught Principles of Technology years ago, it was a Response to Intervention course, where students who had failed math and science TAKS test and “pretty much hated school and hated science and math,” Wiggins said, learned principles of physics through projects that they built on throughout the year.

“For the first six weeks, they would build mousetrap cars. When we got to speed and distance and time, then they could race their mouse trap cars,” Wiggins said. “Then they’d want it to go faster. Then you can teach them about tension and lever arms and torque and all of the sudden they’re going, ‘You mean I can calculate that?’”

English II on-level and Pre-AP teacher Daniel Posey said that part of changing the slacking-off mindset in his on-level English class required that he make his class activities and lessons engaging—when he can do that, he said the class is thoroughly enjoyable for him.

“While it can be difficult, I can have a lot of fun with my on-level classes,” Posey said. “They’re goofy, and there are days where we can just have a blast, especially when I have an activity that can really engage them. I really enjoy that too.”

Rather than teaching methods and strategies to engage the class, Young said that an important way to remedy the problems that on-level classes face is to recognize that our attitude towards them as a whole needs to change—otherwise, we’ll only cut these students short of their potential.

“I think there’s an overall attitude towards ‘regular’ classes—oh, you’re teaching the ‘regular’ students. Like, they’re such a hassle and they’re not as great as our wonderful AP students,” Young said. “That’s an attitude that I think is widely held in education as a whole, but I feel like we won’t be any better as teachers and you guys won’t perform any better unless we get rid of that sort of attitude.”

Every second of every day, they feel like they have to be doing what’s most important in that moment.

– English teacher Daniel Posey, on his pre-AP students

10 | people | the roar

friday, dec. 13, 2013

a hairy affair

Enthusiastic fundraiser brings new life to time-honored tradition aaron ross | assistant editor

BEARD

A

B

C

T

he end of this November marked the end of the phenomenon known as No Shave November. No Shave November, or Movember, is an annual event in which men put down their razors and shaving gel for a month to see who can grow the best facial hair and raise awareness for men’s health issues. Teachers and students have participated in the event widely on an individual basis to raise awareness for years, but this year, teachers strived to do more than that.

“This year we have taken this long tradition of No Shave November that’s sort of been just an amusement in the past, just kind of a goofy thing for guys to do,” co-creator and English teacher Chauncey Lindner said. “[And] we decided to try and create a fundraiser about it.”

The fundraiser, dubbed “The Noble Men of No Shave November,” was conceived by Lindner and technology teacher Bart Taylor as a fun way to get more people to participate in and donate to the cause of Movember. “[One of] the original ideas was that we’d have teams sign up, and you can grow your beards, and then at the end of the month, you shave it off on a piece of paper, then you save the hair. The ideas were crazy,” Taylor said. “The tricky part was, how do you make this available to everybody? It’s great for the guys who can grow facial hair, but most teenagers can’t grow facial hair. Some are just lucky and they get to, so how do we reach out those who don’t get to? So that’s why we have [the] leagues.”

Eighteen different teams signed up to participate in the event. Each team was made up of three to twenty people, with a mandatory fee of five dollars per team member.

Teams could compete in either of two leagues: league

one, “The Art of Beardery” and league two, “Fabulous Fabricated Facial Fur.” Teams in the event signed up for either league, with league one being for people who wanted to attempt to grow actual beards, and league two being for those who wanted to create fake beards.

“We’ve had a lot of sign-ups and donations,” Taylor said. “It just humbles me that people give so much to support our community and to support our own family members here in our faculty.”

Voting took place in the cafeteria on Nov. 25 and 26. Students and faculty voted by making donations in the buckets of different teams set up in the cafeteria. The winning teams— “Brotherhood of the Beard” in league one, and “Lords of the Beards” in league two—each received a gift basket full of assorted No Shave November items.

Students and faculty raised $1500 through the event. The total came to over $2000 including the faculty jeans fundraiser that principal Gwen Elder ran in conjunction with the event.

“We had some teams with as many as twenty people register; I know we had one student’s family make a sizable donation just because they wanted to help the cause,” Lindner said. “The idea is just to participate in this show of solidarity and respect for [art teacher Bob] Leland as he goes through his health issues.”

This year, all funds raised by The Noble Men of No Shave November were donated to Leland, who is currently battling prostate cancer.

“I couldn’t believe we raised that much money. I was afraid people would be afraid to participate, that it would be too kooky or weird,” Taylor said.

“I was very impressed with the student body’s involvement in No Shave November to support Mr. Leland and his fight against cancer.”

REASON

the

GUESS the

for the

SEASON

No Shave November

& Movember

raise awareness of prostate & testicular cancers

1 in 6 men

will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime prostate cancer is the

second leading

cause of cancer death in the United States the United States is home to

2.5 million

prostate cancer survivors source: American Cancer Society

A. Chauncey Lindner B. Stefano Salerno C. Jason Pratt

the roar | people | 11

friday, dec. 13, 2013

-serving up-

-cafeteria manager-

LASMIA MOORE

SMILES

Managing a cafeteria that serves around two thousand students is no piece of cake. Cafeteria manager Lasmia Moore walks us through a typical day at work:

6:00 a.m. ARRIVE

at Consol. Workers arrive in shifts throughout the day, but the manager must always be

available.

6:30 a.m. BAKE

cookies and bread.

The frozen dough is prepared in-house every day.

8:30 a.m.

COMPLETE

paperwork and other miscellaneous duties.

11 a.m.1 p.m.

all four lunches.

1:15 p.m.

CLEAN

3:30 p.m.

LEAVE

SERVE

up the preparation areas.

the school.

PHOTOS BY EVA ARAUJO

Cafeteria staff find fulfillment, enjoyment at jobs tiffany hammond | assistant editor When students think about who makes an impact in you get a smile back,” Molchak said. “You’re able to contheir day-to-day lives, right away they’d think of their par- nect. You know if they’re having a rough day, and you can ents, friends and teachers. do something to brighten it a little bit by just acknowledging However, they might be forgetting a key partaker in something isn’t right and hoping they have a better day.” students’ lives—the cafeteria workers who feed them breakSchulz said that, if she had to tell students one thing, it fast and lunch each day. Serving meals every day to the hun- would be to treat people with respect, even when they’re not dreds of students, the lunch ladies play a bigger role in stu- having the best day. dents’ lives than they might think.

“They need to always reThe cafeteria workers don’t just member that everybody has "I wake up to kids. I come to bad days. Just because you offer meals, though—they take it upon themselves to reach out to work to kids. I go home to kids. have a bad day, doesn’t mean students and offer them smiles [It’s important to] show a child you have to make my day bad,” and kindness. kindness when they don’t get it at Schulz said. “Always be considMany of the lunch ladies said home." erate of the people on the other they have found a home at Conside of the counter.” sol, some even fulfilling long-time Cafeteria worker Brandy dreams of serving meals to stuRisinger explained that while dents.

Consol students certainly “I never thought about applyaren’t the only kids she works ing, but my husband was working here as a custodian, and with, she makes sure to show students kindness. he said, ‘Why don’t you apply here?’ and so I did,” cafeteria “I have an 11 year old son and two nephews that live worker Laura Schulz said. “I’ve always wanted to be a lunch with me, and I help raise them and their two sisters. I’m lady, [and here we’re] all a big family.” [also] a Cub Scout leader for ten boys,” Risinger said. “I Many of the cafeteria staff said that the job suits them wake up to kids. I come to work to kids. I go home to kids. perfectly, and they are enthusiastic to be a part of Consol’s [It’s important to] show a child kindness when they don’t faculty. get it at home.”

“It’s always fun when you’ve really fulfilled who you’re Molchak had no real complaints about her job—in fact, meant to be,” assistant cafeteria worker Sherri Molchak said. she said she loves it.

“I’ve really found my niche.”

“I just really enjoy my job. I enjoy the kids. I love the Molchak said that one of her favorite parts about her fact that we strive to provide healthy meals that taste good job is her opportunity to impact the lives of each student and [have] diversity [in] our cafeteria,” Molchak said. “I love and potentially brighten their day, even if it is in a small way. the fact that lunch is [the students’] favorite time of day and “I love the energy. I love the fact if you smile at them, that when you add a smile, you make a friend.”

-cafeteria workerBRANDY RISINGER

12 | sports | the roar

FRESH FROM

friday, dec. 13, 2013

BELLAIRE , Houston

Senior transfers schools, provides leadership for varsity team PHOTO OF LULU MCKINNEY BY ELIZABETH REED

elizabeth reed | staff reporter

F

ormer Houston High School senior point guard Lulu McKinney transferred to College Station in August, just in time for a new season on a new court.

In her last year of high school, success has followed McKinney. Recently, she signed with University of Texas in El Paso to play basketball. McKinney’s achievement of signing with a college can be traced back to her sister.

“My older sister used to play when I was really young and she used to make me rebound for her outside,” McKinney said. “I told my dad I wanted to start playing ever since then.”

From then on McKinney has worked every day to improve her performance in basketball. Whether that requires working out or running drills, she has aimed to increase her skill.

“I work out every day after practice,” McKinney said. “The only time I might get an off day is Sunday, maybe.”

Her performance in each game determines what she works on.

“If I have a bad shooting game, the next day I might work on my shot,” McKinney said, “If I have a lot of turnovers one gamem, I might work on my ball handling and passing.”

McKinney is not only improving herself: head basketball coach Karen Heintz said she thinks she sets an example for the rest of the team.

“She’s a great example to our other players because what she’s had to do to get a Division I scholarship is a great model

for kids who aspire to go to college,” Heintz said. “It also always feels good that someone wants to go on and extend their career in the sport that I love as well.”

The University of Texas was not McKinney’s only option. Other schools such as San Diego State University, Florida Atlantic and the University of Arkansas were also interested in her. However, there were qualities of the University of Texas that set it apart from the other schools for McKinney.

“When I went on my visit, I absolutely fell in love with it,” McKinney said. “The summer before, they supported me one hundred percent, and they came to most of my games.”

McKinney is excited about the basketball preparation she will be going through in the summer to get ready with her new team, but she is a little anxious too.

“Of course I’m nervous,” McKinney said. “It’s a big step from high school to college; college basketball is different from high school ball.”

Even when nervous, McKinney takes each day as an obstacle she waits to overcome.

“I have to work harder every day because there’s someone out there that’s always better than you,” McKinney said.

“You have to work harder every day to be the best.”

McKinney hopes to continue with University of Texas for four years. In the meantime, she focuses on her love for basketball and the effect it has on her.

“When I’m playing I feel like a different person; it takes me out of everything else. I feel like a new person,” McKinney said.

McKinney directs the team as she prepares for a play. The Lady Tigers beat Belton, 57-31.

PHOTO BY NICOLE FARRELL

Dec. 17 vs. Lufkin

Lady Tiger Varsity Basketball Schedule

(games at 7 p.m.)

(home)

Dec. 20 vs. The Wood-

lands (away) Dec. 26-28 McDonald’s Tournament (home @ various times) Jan. 3 vs. Bryan (home) Jan. 10 vs. Oak Ridge (home)

the roar | sports | 13

friday, dec. 13, 2013

Swimmers prepare over Christmas break for upcoming season Freshman Hunter Scott prepares to compete in the 100 meter freestyle in B finals at the Bob Stalling's meet. Scott enjoys having the opportunity to swim alongside his siblings senior Rachel and sophomore Danielle Scott this year. PHOTO BY ANNIE ZHANG

annie zhang | news editor While most people eagerly wait for the food, sleep and fun that come with Christmas break, lamenting only its brief length, a select few dread its arrival, wishing for an even shorter duration. For the swim team, Christmas break brings to mind one word: pain.

“Basically, my Christmas break routine is wake up, swim, eat, sleep until the next practice, eat some more, swim, and then I go back to sleep for the night,” junior swim captain Kaitlyn Ong said.

During the break, swimmers are required to participate in the winter workout, which consists of three hour practices in the morning and two hour practices in the evening. The only days they get a break are the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

“Whenever I think of them, I think of long, miserable practices in a hot, sticky pool that take all day,” Ong said. “And when we get our Christmas break schedules, and I see that it’s only two weeks long instead of three, I get really excited.”

Not only that, their attendance is closely monitored, and as the final, they have to fill out a sheet that says when they’re in town, and “if our attendance record doesn’t line up with that, then [the coaches] get really mad at us,” Ong said.

For those who go to both morning and

upcoming meets:

evening practices, the average mileage is around ten. After the entire winter workout, a total of eighteen or twenty practices, the total mileage adds up to around a hundred miles, the distance from College Station to Houston.

“This is the time that most people develop shoulder problems,” Ong said. “If that doesn’t happen, then you still get sore muscles.”

One of the most infamous sets is the 100 100s (about six miles), which takes up all of practice.

“It’s not the longest set we do, but it is the most tedious,” sophomore Ras Goodwyn said, citing it as his least favorite set.

However, the coaches do try to make the sets as fun as possible for the swimmers.

“It’s kind of like catching lightning in a bottle, where [I] write a practice that they’re really into, they push each other, the attitude and effort are right, and the set just comes together,” swim coach Ryan Goodwyn said. “The trick is to try to capture that as many times during the Christmas break.”

Because the district meet and the other major meets occur in January and February, swimmers must stay in shape so they can soon taper.

“The problem with Christmas break is that when they don’t train like that, and when they come back from the break and they’ve been out of the water for two weeks,

all of a sudden, it’s time to start resting for districts,” Ryan Goodwyn said. “They’re completely out of shape, and they’ve added on that Christmas candy and weight, so we have to combat that to make sure we’re not going backwards.”

No swimmer ever looks forward to the winter workout, even though designed for a good cause, especially since one year, the heater broke down at the pool and “everyone turned blue," according to Ong. “The freshmen get more freaked out about it than the rest of us, though,” Ras Goodwyn said. “We like to tell them horror stories of some of the sets we’ve done or people throwing up during training.”

Nonetheless, both Ong and Ras Goodwyn agree that the pain is “good pain, because it pays off at district,” as Ong said, though it may not feel like it during the workouts. After all, last year’s T-shirt had the words “Pain is Candy” on the back.

But as much as they complain, Ryan Goodwyn believes that there is still a feeling of satisfaction about completing the winter workout.

“When they practice like that together as a group, even when they’re complaining, there is a sense of pride that they accomplished something, that we did something that others aren’t willing to do,” Ryan Goodwyn said. “When they see their times drop, and when they see those championship banners go up, they’ll know it was worth it.”

Jan. 9: Crosstown Splashdown

Feb. 7-8: Regional Championship Meet

Jan. 25: District Championship Meet

Feb. 21-22: State Championship

Junior Karly Waguespack particpates in the backstroke in the Bob Stallings meet. The next meet will be held Jan. 9. PHOTO BY ANNIE ZHANG

Freshman Yanichka Ariunbold prepares to start her race. Ariunbold won the Arizona 50 meter breast girls state championship in 2012. PHOTO

BY ANNIE ZHANG

14 | entertainment | the roar

friday, dec. 13, 2013

what we’re Sounds of the Seasons roaring about: Roar staffers review festive seasonal albums

Santa’s Lap leah crisman | executive editor

*SPOILER ALERT—KEEP AWAY FROM SMALL CHILDREN* In the spirit of investigative journalism and Christmas and all that is not age-appropriate, I was sent by The Roar to the mall to discover a) if they allow teenagers to take a picture with Santa and b) how awkward such an experience would be. So with that in mind, I and the fellow staff member I dragged along waited with the hoard of toddlers and moms for our turn with Santa.

The elves waved us over. The sofa Santa sat on could’ve fit President Taft, so my cohort and I (I’ll call her “Ellemich” to protect her privacy) ignored his knees and sat delicately on each side of the jolly Mr. Claus. I could practically see the driedup tears of generations of small confused toddlers clinging to his red and white faux-fur suit.

The three of us smiled and sat very still so Santa’s helpers could take our picture. Santa then turned to us and motioned with a white-gloved hand for us to sit on his knee. Ellemich and I glanced at each other and perched ourselves on his knees and affixed smiles on our faces. If you haven’t been picking up on this already, I’ll tell you: it was awkward. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Santa and elves and the whole shebang; one Christmas morning, back when I was still young enough to Believe, I got so excited at the thought of presents from Santa that I threw up. Things are different now. I still like Santa, but I don’t want to have any personal contact with him.

Oddly, Santa declined to ask me what I wanted for Christmas, so to fill up the decidedly unChristmas-y void between us, I asked him what he wanted for Christmas.

Without hesitation he told me that he wants to go home. Not back to the elves at the North Pole, but back to his retirement in Tampa, Florida. We listened politely as he told us about how RentA-Santa (or whatever the agency was called) had sent him here because he asked to go to a city that didn’t have cold weather.

I then asked Santa if he would take a selfie with me, but he said no, sorry, the elves don’t allow it. Well, he never said the word ‘elves’, but I could see his eyes flick to the three or four matching attendants.

I nodded regretfully and clambered off his knee. Twenty dollars later, I had a printed memory of the experience. Long story short, I decided never to look at it again (well, until the editor-inchief printed off copies for public display).

The Smooth

The Quirky

The Classic Christmas Album- Kenny G

The Hotel Cafe Presents: Winter Songs

dana branham | editor-in-chief

shilpa saravanan | opinions editor

Bringing back memories of walking through toocrowded department stores too—close to Christmas, Kenny G’s Christmas album fills you with warm, fuzzy feelings. Nearly every song will make you want to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate, and it’s practically impossible to deny the sultry saxophone sounds in every song. Kenny G switches between soprano saxophone (his usual instrument of choice) and tenor saxophone throughout the album, but his extra-smooth style of smooth jazz brings all the Christmas cheer a kid could ask for.

The majority of the album has a light, breezy feel that evokes the smell of a warm latte and the quiet bustle of a hotel lounge, but the album isn’t all indiepop so sugary it could cause stomachaches. Some of it is, and it’s good: KT Tunstall’s “Sleigh Ride” is essentially a lighter version of the jazzy Christmas classic, and “Winter Song” is a gorgeously minimalist matching of vocals between Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. But tracks such as the sultry “Maybe Next Year (X-Mas Song)” and the a cappella “Silent Night” keep the album grounded and prevent it from becoming too airy.

It’s hard to pick just one, but “Sleigh Ride” stands out as the most indicative of Kenny G’s style of being just too smooth.

The album’s downfall? It’s just too smooth for its own good. Rather than basking in the joy of familiar holiday songs, you’ll find yourself laughing at just how smooth and gratuitous this album is. Want an album for casual listening while you wrap gifts?

This isn’t the one, because you may be laughing too hard to see what you’re wrapping. With an overabundance of glissandos from note to note and over-exaggerated vibrato at every turn, you can’t help but picture Mr. G wailing on his saxophone, swaying to the tunes of “Jingle Bells” and “O Holy Night,” to name a few. In short, this album is some of the smoothest jazz you could ask for, and that’s exactly why it’s so hard to take seriously.

“Maybe Next Year (X-Mas Song)” by Meiko covers some atypical subject matter for a Christmas song: its constant refrain of “maybe next year I’ll be good, maybe next year I’ll be better” has a haunting, alluring quality that makes it the most unique track on the album.

Breezy doesn’t work for some artists as well as it does for others. Katy Perry’s overly twangy rendition of “White Christmas” is more appropriate for a touristy hotel’s elevator than a sophisticated cafe, and arrangements of more familiar Christmas songs such as “Silver Bells,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “Winter Wonderland” (despite the great vocal powers of Fiona Apple and the like) sound no different from the songs that generally fill the ears of mall-goers at this time of year.

The Classic

A Charlie Brown Christmas

michelle liu | managing editor

“A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the soundtrack to the 1965 TV special of the same name, fills small spaces and large ones alike with a warmth that’s as unpretentious and gentle as the special itself is. The quiet holiday songs are evocative of Charlie Brown’s message as he, despairingly, tries to bring back the real meaning of Christmas‐ there’s nothing showy or overtly commercial about this soundtrack, only the captivating compositions of jazz musician Vince Guaraldi.

Small Christmas trees and unassuming Nativity pageants will parade in front of your eyes with as much ease as Schroeder plays “Für Elise.”

“Christmas Time Is Here” is, undoubtedly, a warm welcome to the season that doesn’t sting.

And if you’re somehow not in the mood for such explicitly festive fare, there’s always “Linus and Lucy” —which feels all too familiar, but in a good way.

Only a Lucy (or someone incredibly unfamiliar with the plotline of the TV special) might have misgivings towards this album.

Even Charlie Brown himself would appreciate the soundtrack to his very own Christmas.

the roar | entertainment | 15

friday, nov. dec. 13, 1, 2013 2013

watch like them

can’t stop, won’t stop nicole farrell | senior editor

Binge-watching television shows on Netflix proves widespread among student body

T There’s no line. If you’re going to watch a show, you need to do it. I looked up one day and it was 5 a.m.

— senior Karly Stavinoha

he bar loads in the middle of the red screen, instantly streaming happiness and relief.

This is the era of Netflix, the video-on-demand site that is an immense enabler of an extremely widespread activity: the binge-watching of television.

When The Roar tweeted the question, “Are you guilty of television addiction? Do you binge-watch on Netflix?” the tweet almost immediately garnered user response.

Junior Mati Castro (@maticastro6) replied: “the question is who doesn’t binge watch [sic] Netflix,” to which @TheRoarNews replied, “And that’s why we’re writing an article.”

Concentrated television consumption is not something entirely new, but the easy access provided through Netflix streaming and third-party sources has stimulated its diffusion.

Long sequences of episodes are available with a click of a button.

Live television and accompanying commercials are becoming a thing of the past.

“It’s less of a routine,” sophomore Susie LeBuffe, avid watcher of “Doctor Who,” Supernatural” and “Sherlock,” said. “It’s not something where it’s like every Tuesday night I’m going to watch this. I can watch it online whenever I want. It feeds the addiction.”

But is television a real addiction? Stetson University associate psychology professor Dr. Christopher Ferguson clarifies that television addiction is not outlined in the DSM-5, a compilation of details concerning mental diseases published by the American Psychiatric Association.

“It’s not an official diagnosis,” Ferguson said. “But, ultimately anything fun can be overdone. That compulsivity [to overdo something] comes from certain personality

styles that have existed long before TV. If it wasn’t TV it would be something else.”

LeBuffe struggles with 20-minute shows, like “How I Met Your Mother” and “Arrested Development.”

“They’re super bad because you’re like, ‘Oh, well, I can watch seven and it’s okay,’” LeBuffe said.

Time is an issue for senior Karly Stavinoha as well, who watches shows like “One Tree Hill”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” “[I watch] however many I want to watch,” Stavinoha said. “There’s no line. If you’re going to watch a show, you need to do it. I looked up one day and it was 5 a.m.”

Stavinoha started with the crime procedural show “Bones” at the suggestion of her sister, who told her it was available on Netflix.

Since then, Stavinoha has taken on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Psych,” “Heroes,” “Fast Forward” (which Stavinoha said “wasn’t very good”), “Grey’s Anatomy” and currently “One Tree Hill.”

Senior Steven Cot����������������� é���������������� is also a television enthusiast; he said he watches “everything.”

“I just finished ‘Parks & Rec,’” Coté said. “I watched ‘Portlandia,’ ‘Mad Men,’ ‘Breaking Bad’, and I’m currently one-half of the way through season four of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.’”

Coté added: “If you want something impressive, I finished ‘Portlandia’ in a weekend.”

Television is a huge priority in Coté’s life—he’s planning on going into the film industry. “[My love of television] was honed by my involvement in the [Media Tech] program,” he said.

“I was originally in animation, but when I came over, I realized my love for camera work and acting.”

All three students commit se-

rious time to their shows: LeBuffe watches after school, Coté watches during lunch and advocate periods and Stavinoha watches it during class.

“I deleted my Netflix app, but then I just started bringing my laptop to school,” Stavinoha said.

Which begs the question: is television a distraction, and does it affect the way students think?

“I think it’s important again to caution we have a tendency to exaggerate the effect TV has on us,” Ferguson said, referring specifically to his research involving violence in media.

“But that said, TV can reinforce our existing attitudes in some areas and some of my previous research on gender roles suggested that may be one area,” he added. Ferguson and a team from Texas A&M International University developed the “Buffy effect,” which studies the effect of strong women in television roles.

Stavinoha minimizes the effect TV has on her personally, especially regarding the subjects of homosexuality and violence, which are now more common in television.

“I don’t respond to it, I just watch it,” she said. “It doesn’t affect me as much. It doesn’t get absorbed in my mind.”

When it comes to characters, however, Stavinoha is more invested.

“When Buffy was depressed, I wore black for a while,” Stavinoha said. “Yeah, it was a little crazy.”

Stavinoha, encompassing the majority in the binge-watching movement, initially denied her need for television, but when asked if she would quit it all at any time, she didn’t think twice about her answer.

“Peyton [from One Tree Hill] just had her baby and I want to see what happens,” she said. “I can’t just leave off on that.”

Susie LeBuffe

minutes watched: 22,740 top shows completed: “Supernatural” “How I Met Your Mother” “Arrested Development”

Karly Stavinoha minutes watched: 14,903 top shows completed: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” “Heroes”

Steven Coté

minutes watched: 9, 506 top shows completed: “Parks & Rec” “Breaking Bad” “Portlandia”

*combined total:

47,149 minutes

(that’s 32.7 days) numbers are approximations based on interviewees’ responses

16 | etcetera | the roar

friday, dec. 13, 2013

Bailey

classroom companions

Lucy

Specially trained dogs offer assistance, comfort stephanie palazzolo staff reporter

E

very morning, two special guests come out to greet both students and teachers coming to school. On some days, they wear matching sweaters. On others, they dress in costumes. And on some days, they stand near the bus line as they are, wagging tails and all.

Meet Lucy and Bailey.

The five-year-old Pomeranian and two-year-old Miniature Schnauzer are classroom dogs that teach students how to interact with and take responsibility for animals. Students have different tasks every day, such as walking the dogs in the morning and around lunchtime and feeding the dogs, who have come to the classroom since they were eight weeks old.

Classroom dogs are not a new installment either; in fact, they have existed at Consol for over 10 years.

“They’re here to teach a life skill,” assistant teacher Cheryl Moye said. “Everywhere you go, there are dogs and animals. A lot of our kids don’t know how to interact with them appropriately, so it’s just better to learn how to interact with them here instead of just running up to a

stranger’s dog and getting bit.”

The daily rituals of school can get boring for any student, but the classroom dogs provide a unique environment that allows students to be more excited about school.

“I think they help the classroom as a whole,” teacher Shannon Warhol said. “They give our kids something to look forward to other than the same things they work on day after day, so I think that just brings a different aspect to the classroom.”

Although there are some downsides to the classroom dogs, such as barking at strangers who enter the classroom, most of their effects are beneficial.

“I’m really good at communicating with the dogs,” a senior in the class said. “When I’m sad, they make me feel better, or when I’m crying, they make me happy.”

Teachers throughout the school play with the dogs as a way to relax after a hard day.

“Several teachers have come in to de-stress,” assistant teacher Ann Lipscomb said. “I’ve had people stop me and say, ‘It makes me feel so good when I walk up in the morning and see the dogs. They put a smile on everybody’s face.”

The classroom dogs have also supported and consoled students and teachers during times of tragedy, such as a car accident eight

years ago that killed a student they knew well. People would “come in and find comfort in having the dogs,” Moye said.

As with any new addition to the classroom, many students find it hard to adjust to the classroom dogs and can be frightened of them. However, this problem is fixed by the dogs’ calm and easygoing natures.

“Students who are very scared of animals learn how to accept them and even come to greet and hug them when before they would just run and be scared,” Moye said.

“It’s amazing to see that change when they realize that dogs are okay and aren’t going to harm them.”

Aspects of school classrooms can be intimidating to the dogs as well.

“Wheelchairs can be scary to the animals because they are hard to dodge, but eventually the puppies learn to love the students that are in the wheelchairs,” Moye said. “They also have to adjust to the students that run up, anxious to touch them. The longer [the dogs] come here, the more willing they are to love those kids who they were scared of at first.”

canine signs Lucy and Bailey respond to sign language commands from their teachers. Here are a few of the commonly used gestures.

Sit Stay No

Wait

PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE PALAZZOLO & NICOLE FARRELL