The Roar Vol. 28, Issue 4

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Teachers reflect on post-pandemic learning

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a third of high school students reported poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another study by the Brookings Institution showed that the pandemic led to a sizable drop in reading, writing and math test scores. As schooling now returns to a more conventional model, teachers and administrators are forced to pick up the pieces and take on the responsibility of restoring a sense of normalcy in the

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unforeseen event that caused many changes

to the conventional way of schooling and required many adjustments. However, teachers at both A&M Consolidated High School and College Station High School collaborated to create a cohesive curriculum that suited the dynamic situation.

“We didn't have any instruction as far as teaching virtually, but I had a really good team [of teachers] at the other high school,” chemistry teacher John Tollett said. “[We] worked really well to put the curriculum together [even though] we had no experience doing it prior to this.”

“recovery” continued on page 3

dhriti kolar & evy hairell | online editor & section editor

Feb. 20 Staff Development Day

Feb. 28 Girls Soccer vs. CSHS

Mar. 13-17 Spring Break

Mar. 16 Baseball vs. Montgomery

Mar. 21 Baseball vs. Brenham

Apr. 7 Good Friday

Apr. 9 Easter

Apr. 10 Staff Development Day

INNEWSTHE

Tiger swimming team places first and second at district championship

Tiger swimming went to Magnolia, TX for their district meet on Jan. 27. Twenty four swimmers in 34 individual events and all six relays each qualified for their Regional Meet. Girls swimming placed 2nd overall and the Boys team were district champions.

Freshmen gymnasts win first in all events at first meet

Lady Tiger gymnastics competed against eight other high schools on Jan. 26 at Rudder High School. Freshmen Avri Ramos and Tyne Taplin won first place in all events. The gymnasts’ next event is on Feb. 27 at Kingwood High School in Kingwood, TX.

Over 30 BPA students qualify for state competition

The Tiger Business Professionals of America (BPA) attended the Regional Leadership Conference at Pflugerville High School on Jan. 14. Junior Amy Chae was re-elected as the 2023-24 Regional President for the second year in a row. Over 30 students will be attending the state competition in Dallas, TX on Mar. 2 through 5.

Sophomore Christina Yum and seniors Nathan Taylor, Dash Jasperson, Owen Troy and Sam Kaspar walk the halls during their send-off for all-state Orchestra, Band and Choir.

PHOTO BY MYLA CATHEY

Student Council members and juniors Rachel Kumar (left) and Domino Williams (right) hang hearts with students’ names written on them on the rails of the main staircases for Be-You-tiful week.

PHOTO BY EVY HAIRELL

Aftermath of pandemic increases attention, concern toward mental health

“RECOVERY”

continued from page 1

Teachers also had to make amendments to their prepandemic teaching routines, such as using new software like Schoology and making sure individual students were attended to. They also created separate lesson plans for virtual and on-site students to match their respective learning environments.

“Before [the pandemic], we hadn’t used Schoology for putting assignments or grading tests, so that — [along with setting] aside a time to be face to face with each [online] student — took a while to figure out,” German teacher Tanya Foster said.

Although some teachers managed their own classes, other teachers, including Tollett, chose to share the workload with other teachers within their departments.

“Initially, for the first semester, we all taught our own students; so I had ten total classes,” Tollett said. “[However] the second semester, my counterpart [chemistry teacher Tara] Wodzicki took all of the advanced chemistry classes and I took all the AP classes.”

While online modules allowed students to work seamlessly between home and school with minimal contact, social distancing and sanitization during hands-on activities was still a challenge.

“It was difficult to manage supplies in the classroom because so much of what we have is community supplies,” art teacher Lindsey Gough said. “So being really conscious about sanitizing one class [after] another was

difficult.”

CHANGE AND CONTINUITY

Furthermore, the CSISD school board implemented new measures to ensure that students’ grades were not negatively affected by quarantine, sickness or any other changes brought about by the pandemic.

“The district had us change our grading policies,” Tollett said. “[So] we had to accept late work that was submitted whenever students wanted to submit them but that’s gone back pretty much to normal now.”

Even though the prepandemic grading scales and exemption policies were restored, and virtual school has been discontinued, many responsibilities like making online modules and uploading lesson slides to Schoology that arose during the pandemic still continue today.

“There is an expectation that everything we do within the classroom should be available to students on the web, or on Schoology, or via YouTube [and] that teachers will do significantly more than [what] we did prior to the spring of 2020,” Tollett said.

Since video modules made during the pandemic are owned by teachers — many of whom have left — rather than the district, many of these modules are no longer accessible.

“The assumption [is] that everything we created and used during COVID is still available today,” Tollett said. “Teachers have quit since then [and] deleted

these [videos] that they created— so now we are recreating those [modules].”

MENTAL HEALTH

Social interaction — or lack thereof — during the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental wellness of students and teachers alike.

“Being isolated can cause someone to feel more sadness, depression or [anxiety],” psychology and sociology teacher Lindsay Zahn said. “We’re social beings; even though we’d like to have alone time, we’re not meant to be isolated from the world.”

As students return to the standard way of schooling, teachers have noticed that the modified academic standards during the pandemic have an underlying effect on student performance and motivation.

“Being intrinsically motivated is not something that comes naturally to everybody,” Gough said. “I feel some of that has changed [and] there’s a general sense of defeat even before trying sometimes.”

Additionally, the absence of social interaction has also resulted in students missing out on various aspects of social development. As students get adjusted to a new routine post-pandemic, they have to relearn social skills such as conflict management, interaction with adults or even just reading the room.

“The main [difference] all of the teachers have noticed is that students aren’t quite up to where they would normally be if COVID hadn’t happened,”

Foster said. “We’re trying to catch them up, [but] a lot of it is more behavior-wise, not so much the actual learning.”

Teachers and administrators strive to make sure students feel safe — both emotionally and physically — by helping them navigate through disagreements and anger.

“When [students] don’t know how to handle conflict, we see a rise in behaviors of students acting out,” Zahn said. “[But] our administration was very patient [and] supportive of [teachers] trying to understand the impact of the pandemic on students.”

Along with the growing attention toward student mental well-being, Gough also expressed the need to re-examine the current academic standards in order to maintain their relevance in the present day.

“I think the bar needs to be reevaluated realistically so that we can assess kids and hold [them] to standards that make sense,” Gough said. “Holding people to the same standards as before doesn’t seem right.”

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, priorities have changed for many teachers; students’ mental wellness now takes a front seat as opposed to teaching curriculum in a limited time.

“Because of the pandemic and all the issues that came along with it, we realize [now] more than ever, that sometimes taking care of our students’ mental health is more important than the information that we have to get across,” Zahn said.

A Taste of Victory

CSISD educators compete in culinary fundraiser

may sarin & atticus johnson managing editor & section editor

50 Men Who Can Cook, the CSISD Education Foundation’s largest fundraiser, is a cooking competition for male district, faculty and community members. Guests pay $75 to sample and vote on recipes after the competitors spend the day preparing their dishes.

The event, which also features a silent auction, was held at the Brazos Valley Expo Center on Feb. 3 and managed by Director of CSISD Education Foundation Teresa Benden.

“We rent [the Expo] out, and we provide tables and piping for the cooks to put their backdrops on,” Benden said. “We provide them tablecloth and all the stuff they need to serve their dish, like plates. Then they provide everything else — the food and their decor.”

When the event is set up, guests arrive to eat and converse with friends. After they sample all of the foods, they vote for their favorite booths.

“When a guest comes in, we hand them a bag of tokens, and they get to vote for each category,” Benden said. “At the end of the night, we actually weigh the tokens — that’s our trick. It’s a lot faster than trying to count them.”

Competitors must be male, have food handling certificates and be able to cook 500-700 servings on contest day. Spanish teacher Bonifacio Solis-Mora’s team consisted of members from the elementary school where he used to teach, although they are now at different schools in the district.

“The principal and two male teachers used to participate, but it got to a point where the principal got too busy,” Solis-Mora said. “He invited me to take over because we were only the only males in the building.”

Contestants had to submit their recipe by November in one of

four categories: entrée, appetizer, soup and chili or dessert. SolisMora has had trouble buying mass ingredients on cook-off day, so his team pre-ordered food and other materials, like props and decorations, and used an industrial kitchen.

“We contact the supermarket, usually HEB, and tell them, ‘Hey, by this date, we need this many pounds of meat,’ because on a single day they won’t have it,” Solis-Mora said. “We have a connection with somebody who owns a food service business. He let us use his kitchen [to] prepare the food.”

The event includes an auction and setup where teachers can present grant opportunities that community members can immediately sponsor. A new addition to this year’s cook-off is a booth sponsored by jewelry store Kendra Scott.

“It’s called the lockbox,” Benden said. “You go up to it and you make a donation of $60. For that donation, you get a key and you can pick which door you want to open. Every door has a piece of jewelry behind it.”

CSISD Education Foundation puts all of the money that gets raised at their events directly back into schools and the classrooms in the district. Librarian Chauncey Lindner, who has competed before, appreciates the fundraiser for this reason.

“It’s a worthwhile cause for me to make sure that good things are happening at those schools and that those teachers have the funds to make cool stuff happen in their classrooms,” Lindner said.

The event allows faculty and community members to get together, make donations and have a good time. This is especially fun for Solis-Mora, who gets to reunite with his cross-campus team members each year.

“Once, we were all on one campus, but now we’re on different campuses,” Solis-Mora said. “This is a good excuse to get together and catch up with life beyond this event.”

It felt like my world shattered. I thought, “This is it. I'll never be able to live normally again.” I’m being dramatic, but I genuinely was scared when I found out I had to have surgery. Back surgery. I’ve had surgery before–two minor eye surgeries–so I was familiar with anesthesia and the IVs. Unlike my previous operations, this one wasn’t minor at all.

This all started back in elementary school. My class had to do a routine scoliosis check where you bend over and the nurse checks your spine curvature. When it was my turn, I touched my toes and waited for my cue to stand back up and leave like everyone else. Instead of letting me go back to my class, the nurse pulled me aside, filled out a note, and put it in an envelope to give to my parents. The nurses told my parents that it wasn’t a huge deal, so we shrugged our shoulders and moved on.

Years passed and I completely forgot about it, until one day when I noticed a hump in my back. You could clearly see a huge curve in my spine. I was the Hunchback of Notre Dame. When I showed my mom, she immediately booked a doctor’s appointment. Then, COVID hit. I was stuck in lockdown, uncomfortable with how my body felt and looked.

We finally got in with a doctor months later. The curve had gotten so bad that there was no point in a back brace. The only option was surgery. When the doctor said those words, I was struck with an overwhelming amount of fear. I didn’t cry. I just sat there with a dumbfounded look on my face.

We immediately started looking into hospitals. After an exhausting search, we found a hospital that specializes in scoliosis and has some of the best doctors in America. We secured a date for the surgery: March 31.

A few months later, I was finally in Louisiana, and it was officially hitting me: I was getting surgery. But there was no time for a panic attack. By 5 a.m. I was sitting in a hospital gown, anxiously waiting to

a back breaking experience

I never get a break. As a student-athlete, I can't slack off on schoolwork, or else the coach punishes me.. When joining the Bengal Belles, we sign a contract with a bunch of rules. When we break them we get these things called demerits. Some ways you could break rules are by grades, behavior, social media and talking bad about the team.

from turning against each other by keeping the drama at the door. It's a lot of work and time commitment. It's really important that when I become an officer I don't get lazy on my schoolwork because being an officer is itself a lot of work.

be wheeled into the operating room. They stuck a bunch of IVs in my arm, and I was on my way to a straight back. Three hours later, I woke up with rods and screws in my back and felt like I was hit by a truck.

I spent a few days at the hospital, nauseous, drowsy, and uncomfortable. The hardest part was physical therapy. Against my will, they made me get up and walk around the hallways multiple times a day when I just wanted to close my eyes. My whole body ached like never before, and nothing was helping. My mom and the nurses kept saying how strong I was, but those words began to lose their meaning.

After what seemed like an eternity, I was sent home with a fresh scar. I got home, and I started to become comfortable with my body again. I was in a familiar environment with a bed that was cozy and was reunited with my soft, warm dogs that I missed immensely. My family visited and made me feel like I was loved and cared for.

Once I recovered, I was excited to leave my bed for the first time in days. I was healed in no time and was ready to get back out into the world. No matter how challenging the process was, I pushed through it. I wouldn’t have changed anything. The shards of my world were picked up and pieced back together again.

Demerits are a way coaches can keep track of rules we break. If we get over a certain amount of them, we could get kicked off the team. You can also get merits that get rid of demerits.

You could get demerits for being late to practice, missing clothing, forgetting shoes and not wearing the right uniform. My parents make it very clear that if I forget something, it will be on me.

There are also rules for bad grades. Being a student that already struggles with schoolwork due to my dyslexia, I have to work twice as hard to keep up my grades if I want to become an officer in my senior year. To get there I need to make a good impression and make an impact on my coaches, but I also have to be on top of my school work, or I'll never have the chance.

Officers have so many different roles for this team. They make up some of our dances and keep the team

During school, I try to get most of my homework done so that when I get home late from dance practice, I don't have to worry about it, and the next morning I can get up early for practice. It’s good to start getting into good habits.

Some tricks I use to keep track of my school work are keeping a paper calendar and putting important events on my phone, such as tests, assignments due dates, quizzes, and maybe sports events. It is hard but if I want to be a captain I have to work harder and smarter.

staffer discusses the challenges of balancing responsibilities

ainsley guzman staff reporter

freshman shares her scoliosis surgery experience

trinity craig staff reporter

demerit demand

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 editorin-chief, managing editor and opinions editor.

The Roar is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC), the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA). The Roar is a winner of the CSPA Gold Crown, the 1997, 1998, 2000-2016 ILPC Award of Distinguished Merit, the CSPA Gold Medal Award, the NSPA All-American distinction and 2005, 2014,2016, 2021, and 2022 ILPC Bronze Star and 2007-2013, 2015, and 2018 Silver Star.

College Station Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex or handicap in providing education services. Monica Jones, Director of Human Resources, 1812 Welsh, College Station, Texas 77840 (979-764-5412) has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of Title IX. Molley Perry, Executive Director of Special Services, 1812 Welsh, Suite 120, College Station, Texas 77840 (979-764-5433) has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Should CSISD Switch to a Four-Day School Week?

After a district-wide survey yielded overwhelming support from parents and staff, Anna ISD became the latest Texas school district to move to a four-day school week, joining over 40 other districts that have approved the switch.

These districts have seen increased teacher retention and recruitment, and in some cases, improved test scores. Four-day school weeks are a good idea in general, but due to state regulations we believe it is not a viable option for CSISD at this time.

The state of Texas requires school districts to be in session for 75,600 minutes per year. The districts that are moving to a four-day school week can compensate for the shift in two ways: increasing the length of the school day, or increasing the length of the school year.

CSISD high schools already have school days over seven hours long. Increasing that length forces extracurricular activities to be even later in the day. Students already have trouble balancing all of their commitments; they deserve to have time in the day to rest and be with their family.

The other option is increasing the length of the school year. However, the summer break gives both students and teachers not only much-needed time to decompress from the daily rigors of school, but to work on any number of other ventures. Some students take summer courses to get ahead on credits. Others spend the break working, interning,

traveling and undergoing enriching experiences that are not necessarily academic. A four-day week would cut into these activities drastically.

Switching to a four-day week also fails to account for students who do not have a safe place to stay or depend on school for meals. Some districts have instituted measures to help these students, such as offering pick-up lunches on Fridays. But none of these efforts can replace the value of having a safe, comfortable environment where all students do not have to spend their extra day off searching for a place to stay.

All of this is assuming the switch is even necessary. The districts that have adopted the trend are smaller, rural districts such as Athens, Jasper and Mineral Wells. They have struggled mightily to attract and retain teachers, and the change was put in place to help on that front. While it has been successful, and CSISD has experienced retention struggles lately, we do not feel the situation is desperate enough to warrant that adjustment. We are not against a four-day school week as a concept. A switch does offer many benefits for both staff and students. The issue is, as it often is, state regulations. The state-mandated 75,600 minutes means that the change in schedule would be worse than what we currently have now. If the increase in the school day or school year would not be so drastic, we would support CSISD adopting a four day school week.

The Roar 2022-2023 Staff

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Executive Editor Opinions Editor

Myla Cathey

May Sarin

Ian Curtis

Emily Chen

Debkonya Banerjee

Dhriti Kolar

Elena Alaniz

Aliza Jacob

Atticus Johnson

Evy Hairell

Masie Johnson

Trinity Craig

Ainsley Guzman

Michael Williams

Adviser

Chauncey Lindner

“We should have four-day [school] weeks but take Wednesday off rather than Monday or Friday. In Europe [students] don’t have the same classes everyday, so I think if we alternated classes and made them longer then we would get more out of the day.”

- Freshman Andrea Salgado Soto

Myla Cathey

Ian Curtis

May Sarin

Chen

“I think four-day school weeks could be very beneficial if we did them right. 10 hours of school is a lot, so if we have a longer lunch break or some kind of extended break in the middle of the day, it could increase the efficiency of our days.”

- Freshman Ajay

Gundanna

the night away

Winter semi-formal dance brings students together for a night of fun dancing

WinFo02-11-23

emily chen & evy hairell opinions editor & section editor

Juniors George Bickham, Maddie Knoop, Georgia Sledge, Matthew Winn, and English teacher Lisa Cochran take a group picture together.

Freshmen Presley Johnson and Ethan Walton dance to the last song of the night, “Breaking Free”, from High School Musical.

PHOTOS BY MYLA CATHEY & EVY HAIRELL

Juniors Evy Hairell and Brenna Hutchins talk excitedly at the dance.

Seniors Ian Curtis and Ari Granda dance together.

Sophomores Hailey Cowan, Perri Newton, and Leila Azure get their picture taken at the photo booth.

A group of students huddle together for their picture.

Senior Leah Miller waves her arms to the beat of the music.

Junior Jenny Jeong poses at the dance.

“The most difficult part is the time limit,” sophomore Nathanael Tremblay said. “We are used to having days or even weeks to work on a project. If you mess up, you have to just keep going.”

skills and

thrills

SkillsUSA contests

“One thing I enjoy about SkillsUSA is the connections I make withing the field I am interested in,” Kannan said. “You get to meet other students that are similar to you, as well as professionals that specialize in that field.”

“The things you learn and the people you meet are incredible,” senior Esteban Gonzalez said. “It’s a great time to do what you do.”

“[SkillsUSA] has taught me so much about the automotive industry,” Fix said. “It has given me an opportunity to do what I love — working on cars.”

“I love how creative I’m able to get for the contest,” Livingston said. “I try all sorts of new things that I’ve never even thought about doing before.”

myla cathey & ian curtis editor-in-chief & executive editor

CTE programs compete in

PHOTOS BY IAN CURTIS

PHOTOS BY MYLA CATHEY

PHOTOS BY MYLA CATHEY

PHOTOS BY IAN CURTIS

Seniors Johnathan Kissee and Marigrace Ivie cut and install ethernet cables for their IT project.

Senior Patti Livingston and junior Grayson Devore work on their graphic design projects.

Senior Samuel Bayeh picks up evidence while junior Mahathi Kannan conducts a building search.

Senior Breanna Barnett and sophomore Luke Melton film and edit a broadcast news segment.

Seniors Garrett Hearen and Kathryn Fix examine a truck engine.

THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC-AL

Fine arts programs perform production of “Mamma Mia!”

The vibrant sounds of ABBA’s timeless hits filled the air as the cast of the school musical, “Mamma Mia!, The Musical”, took the stage and the fully-packed audience waited in anticipation.

“Mamma Mia!” is a musical that follows the story of a young woman named Sophie who is getting married on a Greek island. Sophie invites three men from her mother’s past who could possibly be her father to her wedding in hopes of finding out who her real father is.

For junior Georgia Sledge, who played Sophie, playing her favorite character in the production was more than just a performance. It was an opportunity to channel her inner spirit and bring the role to life in her own unique way.

“I’ve always admired her character,” Sledge said. “She reminds me so much of myself [because of] her spunkiness and her character. It’s been really fun stepping into that role, taking it on and making it my own.”

Junior Maddie Knoop played Lisa, one of Sophie’s best friends. She says the communal aspect of theater — where every scene became a dynamic exchange between the actors — is one of the things she enjoyed the most.

“I love having the accountability that I’m not just doing it for myself — my own enjoyment — but also for others,” Knoop said. “They’re gonna go off me, and I’m gonna go off them.”

Many cast members have past experience in musical theater, which helped them easily connect with their roles and work as a whole. This was the case for senior Jacob Lane, who played Sam Carmichael, one of the three potential fathers.

“[My past experience] helps me learn how to work with others much better, [and it helps] them further their characters as well as help with mine,” Lane said. “It really is a more fun experience

knowing exactly what I have to do and getting to enjoy myself more instead of stressing about it.”

Sledge has also participated in Consol’s previous two productions, “Little Mermaid Jr.” and “The Addams Family, The Musical Comedy”. However, being the main lead brought a new set of challenges.

“The past couple of years I have been in the ensemble, so this experience [of] being a lead is so different but so exciting,” Sledge said. “I’ve been able to watch past students in lead roles and learn from them in order to play the part.”

Stepping into the shoes of a role requires more than just memorizing lines and songs. The transformation from actor to character is a process that requires equal parts of technique and passion.

“I get to incorporate my own feelings within the emotions of the character and just feel like I’m in that world,” Lane said. “[Everything] needs to blend together.”

For Lane, the rehearsal process was not just about perfecting the performance, but also about the personal growth that comes with embodying a new persona. With each run-through, he became more immersed in the character and enjoyed the opportunity to showcase his growth on stage.

“Rehearsal feels long, but it’s worth it,” Lane said. “It’s a time to be able to relax and kind of give in to a character that you don’t normally get to be. [Then] you get to show that in front of people you know.”

With this mindset, Sledge put everything she had into the musical, reveling in the joy of the process and the thrill of the performance.

“I’m only going to receive what I’ve put my heart and soul into, so I’m going all in with it,” Sledge said. “It’s been such a fun process [and] I’ve enjoyed every step of the way.”

emily chen & trinity craig opinions editor & staff reporter

PHOTOS BY DHRITI KOLAR

Actors of “Mamma Mia!” dance across stage during “Lay All Your Love on Me”.

[Left to right] Miracle Sanchez, Ashton Vollentine, Hannah Viergutz, and Georgia Sledge performing a scene during act one.

cyber services

Student-run nonprofit builds computers for community members in need

ian curtis & debkonya banerjee executive editor & online editor

There are few devices in today’s society more ubiquitous than a simple computer. More than just an entertainment device, it has become an almost mandatory fixture in homes across the nation.

Despite the digitization of everything from education to public records, nearly 10% of American households do not own a computer, according to a 2018 U.S. Census study. A 2020 U.S. Census survey conducted while virtual education was prevalent nationwide found that over four million households with students lacked consistent access to a computer.

Project Computer Donation was founded by students to provide a solution for those in Bryan-College Station who cannot afford a device.

“Our primary goal is to reduce the digital divide in our community,” vice president and senior Kyler Larsen said. “Everything is online. You need technology to be a full participant [in society]. We can provide access to computers to people in need.”

The organization is a registered non-profit run entirely by students. Those in need of a computer fill out a form on the charity’s website, and the organization’s members do their best to assist.

“We have a form that you [can] fill out,” senior Kenny Lin said. “You give us your contact info and what you need, and we try to [respond] to your requests as fast as possible.”

The program spawned from the students’ previous interest in computer technology, says founder and CEO and senior Michael Yang.

“I like building computers,” Yang said. “I like seeing this metal behemoth that I’ve made with my own hands come to life and be able to serve someone and help them out.”

Once the students involved in Project CD realized how essential computer devices are to the basic functions of society, they resolved to ensure everyone could learn the same skills they had.

“More and more people are realizing that programming and computers are an essential part of kids’ futures,” Yang said. “We want to be able to provide equal opportunities for everyone, equal access to education [and] equal access to information through these computers.”

The scale of the project is limited by the fact that it is made up solely of students.

“Hopefully we can [branch out to other cities],” Lin said. “But it’s kind of hard because we’re just a bunch of high schoolers.”

But that weakness is also the organization’s greatest strength.

“It doesn’t feel like a work meeting,” Larsen said. “It feels like hanging out with my friends. But we get to do stuff that’s helpful to the community. That’s been one of the most fun things about it.”

Their bond has allowed the organization to grow and plan for the future.

“We want to have an event where people can build computers or learn how to build computers and learn for themselves,” Lin said. “I hope it keeps continuing to help people out.”

To continue their contributions to their community, Project CD is funded entirely by donations, either monetary or material in nature.

“Everything we do is just a result of people that donate to [Project CD],” Larsen said. “We rely on donations solely, and it’s

worked so far. But we need more money.”

Yang says the most enjoyable part about the charity efforts is the reaction to their work.

“[I] get a sense of accomplishment,” Yang said. “Giving the computer to the people who need it and seeing the smile on their faces when they realize they finally have access to the internet and education and information is an indescribably good feeling. That’s why I keep doing it.”

Senior Brooks Dodgen checks to see if the motherboard firmware is working.

Seniors Jonathan Li, Johnathan Kissee, Will Wang and Michael Yang check the battery life of laptops and apply cooling solution to the computer processor unit. Senior Michael Dessler and others

Leading the Lads

Relationship between boys soccer coach, players fuels victories on pitch

For head boys soccer coach Jarrod Southern, soccer – or rather, football – is a lifestyle. Growing up in South Africa, a country enamored with soccer culture, and witnessing his father play at the professional level, his athletic disposition was practically prophesied. His love for the field began at the age of three amidst the frequent games of street soccer, rallied together by the neighborhood kids, barefoot and spirited.

“There were always kits and footballs at home,” Southern said. “When [my family] first got a TV in South Africa in the early 90s, we always had football on. It was always very much a part of our household.”

After leaving South Africa and relocating to College Station in 2013, Southern began his educational career at Pebble Creek Elementary School, where he worked as an adaptive behavior assistant. In 2015 he was hired as an assistant boys soccer coach at A&M Consolidated. Southern was hired to work full-time at Consol in 2019, where he would teach world geography and, predictably, be promoted to head coach.

“I’ve had other coaches that are passionate, but sometimes there’s not a lot of meaning behind it, because although they enjoy coaching, [club soccer] is a business,” sophomore Will Ferris said. “[With Southern], it’s clear that he coaches with so much passion and intensity because he cares so much about the betterment of the team.”

Southern gladly submerged himself in the Consol spirit, carrying with him his veteran expertise and tactical knowledge of the field, and notable celebrations. His infamous sideline reputation precedes his love for soccer.

“Southern is definitely our number one supporter,” co-captain and senior Bryce Marianno said. “Whenever I score a goal, he is always one of the first people I look for. He’s always the happiest guy on the field. He’s jumping, throwing his hands in the air, screaming, and yelling. My freshman year when I scored a goal, I remember Coach Southern [ran] onto the field and [hugged] me and [threw] me in the air. He was so excited.”

Unlike other Consol athletic teams, the boys soccer team adopted a nickname unique to their

masie johnson section editor

fraternity: Lads. This title, recognized as legitimate by both the administration and student body, can be seen on posters hung up in the hallways, cited on Twitter, and featured on the school announcements. The team wears their name like a crown – and Southern’s South African diction can be credited for it.

“I have a lot of family in England and South Africa, and there, ‘lads’ [means] a group of men,” Southern said. “One day in 2015 when I first started coaching here, I called the boys ‘lads’ in a training session. I never thought anything of it because it was just a part of my [vocabulary] growing up. One of the boys picked it up, and it just snowballed from there. Eventually, we put it on our sleeve. It’s what everyone refers to us as now. It has bonded us, really. To be able to say ‘I’m a Lad’ – it’s so rewarding as a coach.”

For the first time in Consol history, the word “Lads,” is worn proudly on the boys’ jersey sleeves this season. Perhaps it’s their strengthened unity this year, by virtue of their matching sleeves, that has driven the team to heightened success.

“Those boys intrinsically want to get better. They are unbelievably hardworking,” Southern said.

On Jan. 5-7, the Lads played at the Kilt Cup, a pre-season tournament in The Woodlands, where they were set to face a majority 6A school roster. Consol has been attending the tournament for many years, but this was the first time the Lads took home first place. With a record of 11-1-1 this season, the Lads’ success can be partially attributed to their team camaraderie, which co-captain and junior Luke Henderson believes is a major influence on their play.

“The time we spend together outside of school correlates directly to our on-the-field chemistry,” Henderson said. “[It’s] one of the reasons we can play so well together.”

Southern strives to maintain a sense of diligence and respect in his role of head coach by actively setting high standards for his players and reciprocating those expectations with compassion

and support.

“I think the most important thing for me –outside of football – is giving the players a sense of belonging and something that they can be proud of,” Southern said. “I want them to build relationships with each other, and I myself build relationships with them. Creating an environment where the boys can make it their best hour of the day – that’s really important.”

Southern recognizes his team’s talent–and potential too.

“This particular group that we have now is probably the best in 10 years,” Southern said. “They’ve all really bought into what we as a coaching staff have tried to get them to do – that ‘never give up’ attitude and ability to fight for each other. It’s been really incredible. These boys have taken to the philosophy and the approach and how I want to attack the game. The intensity is unbelievable.”

Ferris notes how his teammates’ “all in” attitude has improved their performance.

“I think a huge mental feature is our positivity this year,” Ferris said. ”There is a lot less harping over small mistakes and a lot more praising of achievements and good actions. In this team culture we’ve created, everyone is always giving 100%. I’m excited for the end of the season, when hopefully we go to district playoffs because that’s something we’ve missed out on the last three years – and it’s something we’re not going to miss out on this year.”

Though he appreciates winning, much like any passionate player does, Southern’s love for his Lads far outweighs any potential losses the team may undergo as the 2023 season progresses. Ultimately, Southern feels his purpose as a coach is to lead and inspire.

“I’d love to coach soccer full time, so if the opportunity arises then it’d be something I really think about. [Soccer] has been my passion since [I was] a little kid,” Southern said. “But I’m happy here. I’ll continue to work hard and develop young men into good, hardworking men, and make them good football players.”

PHOTO BY IAN CURTIS

C URT CONNECTION

Coaches, players discuss camaraderie, effect on play

elena alaniz & ainsley guzman section editor & staff reporter

A new era of boy’s varsity basketball for the Tigers has officially started. Winning the title of district co-champs, shared with Rudder, it is easy to see that the team holds an abundance of promise.

Head coach Andrew Daily saw the potential in this year’s team right from the beginning.

“The initial reaction was that this could be a special year,” Daily said. “This could be a special bunch.”

The success of this “special bunch” stems from what senior Zay Jessie believes is a shared aim.

“The team comes together when we all realize [we] have a common goal, which is to win, and we all feed off each other,” Jessie said. “When one person’s really excited, we all get excited.”

The Tigers have been playing together for years, and this bond has resulted in improved play, junior Adam Jackson says.

“We’re doing better because we’ve been together for a little minute now,” Jackson said. “We’re more experienced, smarter [and] play better together.”

When on the court, the team works together as part of a larger whole.

“Everybody has a role to play,” Daily said. “Once they learn how to understand their role and [that] one role is not greater

than the other, the better off we become as a team.”

While coaches and players alike agree that connection during games is important, perhaps the most crucial part is behind the scenes at practice.

“An average practice starts off with strategy,” Jessie said. “Then we’ll get into conditioning and running. Then we’ll go through our plays and our offenses and defenses. [After], we finish with free throws.”

Jackson explains that mindset is a vital part of the team’s strategy given the natural chaos of the sport.

“Typically, before games, we all go into the locker room [and] get our minds right,” Jackson said. “We get focused. We [also] pray before the game.”

Getting your mind right, so that the players are only focused on the game.

“It’s a competitive situation,” Daily said. “It’s chaotic. So many things go into a game for thirty-two minutes that, if you’re not paying attention, you can miss something. That’s the beauty of the game of basketball, you have so much going on at one time.”

When things start to go wrong, the team practices making adjustments instead of panicking.

“When our plays aren’t working, we come up with something to fix it,” Jessie said. “We either go into one of our basic sets, find someone that’s open, or we will ask coach [what to do.]”

However, the trust between the team is

something just as important as manpower, Daily explains.

“They trust each other. They may have a relationship with the coaching staff,” Daily said. “And so their work ethic on the court trickles down from the mindset [and] attitude of the coaches but it fits the mold of what they envision themselves being able to do. It allows them to feed off of one another, [and] their play can ignite a fire and each individual in some type of way.”

This trust sparks a bond both on and off the court. While practice is serious, it can have jokes here and there.

“We joke all the time as a coaching staff, and even players, stating that we could have a reality TV show with our team,” Daily said. “There’s never a dull moment.”

Junior Jaimeon Chambers recieves a pass.

Senior Ryan Ballard dribbles the ball up the court.

PHOTOS BY ELENA ALANIZ

entertainment station

myla cathey & mo rye

editor-in-chief & comic artist

Hint: Featured in this issue.

Down

1. How many Dutch Bros locations are in Bryan/College Station?

2. CTE programs are currently competing in this competition.

3. What team did boys basketball beat on Feb. 14?

Across

4. The last song played at winter formal.

5. Who played the role of “Harry Headbanger ‘’ in Consol’s Mamma Mia?

6. The nickname given to Consol’s Boys Soccer: The ______.

Unscramble the Words

Hint: Counting down the days until Spring Break!

SCAN FOR ANSWERS!

the roar reviews: Dutch Bros

The Nutty Irishman Dutch Freeze is the perfect drink for when you want to feel a little nutty and a little Irish. The drink has flavors of hazelnut and Irish cream and is super yummy. But as someone who prefers milder flavors, I definitely think Dutch Bros could tone it down a little and not dump as much sugar into the drink. Also, for a 16-ounce drink, this sure was expensive for my unemployed self. I recommend Dutch Bros (and the Nutty Irishman Dutch Freeze) to all who are financially stable.

NUTTY IRISHMAN

Coffee shops are the go-to for people to kick start their day with caffeine. But I am one of those rare people who can’t stand the taste of coffee, caffeinated or not. Thankfully, Dutch Bros offers a variety of noncoffee-infused frosts, sodas and smoothies. My drink of choice is the blended Tuxedo Frost, a white and dark chocolate milkshake.

The taste surpasses most other milkshakes I’ve had from chain restaurants. The drink has the perfect consistency — not too thick, but just chunky enough.

myla cathey | editor-in-chief

TUXEDO FROST

I ordered a blended Palm Beach Rebel which is a pomegranate and peach flavored drink. The Rebel is the part in the drink where it gets its energy from, and has a tart taste. When blended, the Rebel is mixed with ice and is in a slush form. Since it’s blended it’s really sweet, which makes it difficult to taste the peach. On the other hand, the pomegranate is overpowering and refreshing. After a while the drink starts to melt, allowing you to taste the peach. Overall, the drink is refreshing and good, but I don’t like waiting for it to melt just to taste the peach. I will get it over ice next time to taste both flavors together.

ainsley guzman | staff reporter

PALM BEACH REBEL

SHOWSTOPPERS

Student models share advice from experience in industry

Fashion is a style of expression, but it begins as a world of imagination. Junior Molli Larson grew up trying on clothes that her mom sewed and playing dress up with her cousins in her mom’s old dresses. Playing in dresses eventually turned into wearing pairs of cute jeans to school, yet the imagination never left. Dreams turned into reality, and heels now click skillfully down a runway. And with every step, the little girl deep down who used to spin in a pretty dress grows a wider smile.

Larson began her career at age 11 and has already achieved many milestones. She has modeled wedding dresses for a brand called Ese Azenabor, attended a conference in which she participated in interviews with ten to fifteen agencies and travels every other month.

“I’m with a manager, [and] we’re working on getting an official agency, but it’s harder to do it when you’re younger,” Larson said. “But he’ll find shows, and then he’ll send [my photos] to different designers.”

Senior Campbell Gattis fulfilled her own dreams of being a model after feeling a desire to step out of her comfort zone.

“I had an urge to do something that made me uncomfortable or something that I haven’t done before and just really wanted to do something that would push myself,” Gattis said. “I’ve always wanted to do

myla cathey & aliza jacob editor-in-chief & section editor

modeling.”

Gattis signed with her agency, Page Parkes Corp, in Houston shortly after taking modeling classes in July 2020 that grew her confidence.

“Aside from finding a good agency that would want to work with you, having a positive mindset through the whole thing is very important,” Gattis said. “It’s draining being judged by so many people for so many little things. It all can wear you down.”

Sophomore Kate Wellborn also started modeling at a young age with the same agency her mom is signed with, so the transition to the industry was rather smooth.

“Growing up as a girl [is] hard in the [modeling] industry,” Wellborn said. “And I’m not very tall, so that’s also a limiting factor, but other than that, there wasn’t any struggle really,”

The connections and friendships Wellborn has gained make it worthwhile, but the modeling world has certainly proven to be an adjustment.

“It affects my daily life in a sense that I have to make time for decisions based on diet or working out,” Wellborn said. “I definitely have to hit the gym, and sometimes [my diet is] limiting, which is really hard.”

Additionally, situations that trigger body image issues or eating disorders are a widespread obstacle in the modeling world, a fact that made Larson’s mom hesitant.

“My mom was nervous about it because it’s scary to get into,” Larson said. “A lot of girls go through body issues and stuff like that.”

Taking classes from seasoned models to learn how to walk and pose is a good first

step for an aspiring model. The next task involves finding an agency.

“My advice to people that want to start getting into modeling and just don’t know where to start is do your research and figure out what agency works for you,” Gattis said. “There’s so many different agencies that work with so many different people.”

At an event for the International Model and Talent Association, Wellborn got the chance to travel to Florida and compete with people from various walks of life. She placed third in her division for acting and first in modeling.

“I love meeting other people, especially when the shoot is diverse,” Wellborn said. “You get to meet a bunch of people from different backgrounds and different places.”

Walking the runway as a teenager, Gattis is inspired by people who were once in her shoes and are now successful. Even though her contract has recently expired, she would not hesitate to get back into the business if given the chance.

“I met so many people that have grown so far and done so much,” Gattis said. “I’ve also met people that started out just like me that have already gone to Milan Fashion Week. It’s crazy how fast someone my age can grow to make it so big.”

Senior Campbell Gattis poses for her digital headshot.

Molli Larson models wedding dresses for Ese Azenbor.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CAMPBELL GATTIS

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MOLLI LARSON