Vol. 19 No. 6

the

Roar

A&M Consolidated High School

Short hair is sweeping the hallways of Consol. Read more on pages 10 and 11.

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

Friday, May 16, 2014

Vol. 19 No. 6

inthisissue reviews

brison park

extinguished why consol’s recent streak of bad behavior isn’t the end of the world

19

by shilpa saravanan, opinions editor

sports

Administration insists unsavory image not reflective of campus as a whole

J tennis

16

people

BV TROUPE

9

wheretolook

news viewpoints snapshots student life people sports entertainment

pages 2-4 pages 5-8 page 9 page 10-11 page 12-14 page 15-17 page 18-20

ust after the beginning of first period on March 20, the students of A&M Consolidated heard a fire alarm for the second time that month. Taken unawares, many students assumed that the subsequent evacuation was simply a drill—but as the time they spent outdoors in the spring breeze turned from the typical two minutes to fifteen minutes to an hour, most came to the conclusion that something rather more sinister had taken place.

The police department’s conclusion?

Arson. That word, coupled with the equally highly publicized incident of indecent exposure that same week, ignited a news and social media frenzy involving Consol students—and, as one would expect, the publicity wasn’t ideal.

DISCIPLINE AT CONSOL

“It’s like the saying about one bad apple,” principal Gwen Elder said. “Two or three bad choices won’t spoil a whole school.”

Elder acknowledges that the media “covers what sells”—and sensationalist happenings at a local high school do, in an otherwise uneventful area, attract the attention of the wider community and cause a general brouhaha—but she prefers to focus her attention elsewhere.

“I’m not going to look at those two negative issues and say, you know what,

what’s going on at Consol?” Elder said. “I look at them and say: what can we do to address this type of behavior, and how can we move forward?”

A&M Consolidated has moved forward in other directions with plenty of pomp and circumstance. Elder can reel off a list of Consol’s accomplishments with ease, beginning with the number of National Merit semifinalists the school has produced each year. Less well-known, though, according to Elder, are the ways in which the student body has progressed in discipline: for example, 400 fewer referrals have been filed this school year than were filed last year.

“We’re not a bunch of hoodlums, or thugs, or whatever the perception is out there,” Elder said. “We have some bright students who are paving the way for a better tomorrow.”

School resource officer Keke Johnson concurs that there has been a noticeable improvement in student behavior over the past year.

“With the number of students we have on our campus, our problems are very minimal,” Johnson said. “This is the time of year when we usually start seeing more fights, but so far, it’s actually been really good.”

Johnson’s presence on campus is intended to serve as a deterrent to criminal

behavior: the responsibility for day-to-day disciplinary issues usually falls to the assistant principals, and, according to assistant principal Omar Espitia, the team has made several changes that contributed in their own ways to the relative tranquility of the 2013-2014 school year.

“We’ve got a new administrative staff across the board,” Espitia said, who himself moved to Consol at the beginning of this year after spending time as an assistant principal at Cypress Grove Intermediate School. “They come in with that vigor to do a good job and be out there.”

The administration has indeed made a concerted effort to be present throughout the school, in both space and time—the assistant principals are out in force during passing periods and before and after school. Espitia is aware that students have taken issue with the increased scrutiny regarding IDs, but he maintains that IDs are first and foremost a safety issue.

“It’s one of those things where, you know, I don’t want to say it, you don’t want to hear it,” Espitia said. “It’s been enforced a lot more heavily this year, and that’s because—with the world the way it is—I don’t want to be in the newspaper for the wrong reasons when [preventing dangerous incidents] is as easy as being able to check an ID.”

“Image” continued on page 3.

2 | news | the roar

friday, may 16, 2014

Alumni discuss senior campout experiences, faculty stresses safety michelle liu | managing editor *names have been changed for student confidentiality

The second annual senior campout will begin the evening of Wednesday, May 21 in the school parking lot and will extend to the morning of May 22, the last official day of classes for seniors this year.

“I’m excited. It’s our last hoorah before the year ends, ” senior Zach Griggs said.

Griggs, who might be considered the unofficial coordinator of the campout, says there are plans in place for basketball hoops, improvised hot tubs (made from tarps, water and truck beds) and casual games of football.

Principal Gwen Elder notes that last year’s campout was the first time she had heard of any event of this kind being held on campus, and that it came about as a collaborative effort between her and students to create a “prank” that wasn’t disruptive to the school environment.

“I’ve been here for 20-plus years, and this is the first time that I can recall that students actually camped out. They did basketball, they cooked—almost like a tailgate—and they stayed up all night,” Elder said. “They didn’t disrupt the school environment, and they cleaned up after themselves. It worked out well.”

For Consol graduate Alex Clay*, the 2013 campout boiled down to a few things

(besides tents): “Drugs, alcohol, that’s probably it. I mean, lots of reckless driving inside the parking lot. [It was a] typical high school party inside the parking lot,” Clay said. “A lot of the rich kids in the class got together and got a party trailer [with a] big sound system, and that was definitely an orgy fest.”

2013 graduate Laura Woods noticed these same few elements (partying, drinking), in addition to a couple of pranks (loud air horns, preventing students from exiting tents by zip-tying the flaps) that she viewed as malicious rather than funny. “[I was] pretty sure people were doing drugs—I mean I wasn’t, and I’m not into that,” Woods said. “I just saw a lot of that happening. But there were a lot of fun parts—everyone had their cars and set up little campsites.”

One former student’s experience at the campout transcended the usual—his first foray into marijuana began on the school soccer fields.

“Some person had weed, and I was just like, ‘Weed...that is not what you’re supposed to do near school grounds, but we’re going to get in trouble and we’re going to die,’” 2013 graduate Henry Hamilton* said.

“We were like, ‘Okay, we’re going to get in trouble, let’s go smoke in the soccer fields, that’s a good idea.’ And so we did.”

Hamilton’s experience continued.

“I was just like, ‘I can’t feel anything,’

but as I was doing so I was rocking back and forth more vigorously than the average sober man does,” Hamilton said. “It just hit me that I was high as a kite.”

Hamilton recalls both the innocent— booth games like ring toss, students playing tennis against an outside wall of the school—and slightly more controversial details of that night, such as “a bunch of hot girls in bikinis dancing next to this Confederate flag [that students had hung up],” he said. He, like Clay, also referenced sexual activity occurring over the course of the campout.

Elder said that she had emailed parents beforehand to inform them that the event was not sanctioned by the administration, and that no school officials would be present at the campout.

“I had one negative email, but I sent 600-something, so one negative email out of 600—I’m not going to lose sleep over it. I had a lot of positive feedback,” Elder said. “I think you have to have that communication with your child to say, ‘Yes, I can support you and trust you to go and have a good time at the campout,’ or ‘You know what, you tend to follow others and it may not be the best decision at this moment.’”

Elder stresses that parents and students must own up to the consequences of their actions—although students may be camping out on school property, their actions are solely their own. She said that she had in-

formed the College Station Police Department as simply a “precautionary measure.”

Hamilton says that although he should have been more concerned about the authorities given the “pockets of blatant illegal activity,” he wasn’t. Woods didn’t even notice any police cars.

“As it later got into the night, people realized, ‘Oh, the police won’t do anything.’

I think that’s when it got to be like, ‘Yeah, let’s just all drink and do drugs on school property,’” Woods said. “I didn’t actually see any [police].”

Regardless, the consequences are there.

Elder reminds students that limitations on their actions on campus are outlined in the Code of Conduct.

“Be on your best behavior! You can go somewhere without drinking, smoking, whatever. It’s up to each individual student to say, ‘You know what, do I want that consequence to be a positive consequence, where I can move on and graduate?’” Elder said. “Or if it’s a negative and we hear about it, we [might] have evidence to say that we’re going to have to assess the consequence.”

In the end, the senior class of 2014’s campout has a lot to live up to, good and bad.

“Senior campout was the greatest night of my life,” Hamilton said. “I think I was an exception.”

the roar | news | 3

friday, may 16, 2014

Consol-related crime brings student behavior, quality into question Image continued from page 1 ID or dress code violations, though, are as much trouble as most students get in, Espitia said: the number of fights has decreased dramatically, and even considering the two more high-profile incidents in March, Espitia too agrees that “it’s been a very good year”—and he foresees many like it in the future.

“We’ve got juniors who are going to step up as seniors, sophomores who’ll step up as juniors, and so forth,” Espitia said.

“This will last if we cultivate it.”

STUDENTS & SOCIAL MEDIA

Though the administration may be over the aforementioned hype regarding the attempted arson and the incident of indecent exposure, the Internet certainly isn’t.

As the media coverage of these two events waned, a user known only as @TXSchools_ began popping up on students’ Twitter feeds. The account, which currently bills itself as “YOUR TEXAS GOSSIP GIRL!” is, essentially, a constant flow of often-dirty “confessions” sent in from high schools across Texas. Some tweets, though crude, could apply to any high school, but seem to target a specific person: a tweet about A&M Consolidated asserts that it is a place where “sluts send 90 nudes to a guy with a girlfriend.” Several

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other tweets gripe, accompanied by varying degrees of profanity, about the school’s ID policy or the recent Bieber Blast fundraiser.

And every so often, the Consol fire of 2014 pops up once more.

The account itself admitted in a tweet that it “all started as a joke”—but now, with over 20,000 followers and counting, the school “confessions” show no signs of letting up, and the creator of the account shows no signs of ever revealing his or her true identity. (Texas Schools did not respond to repeated requests for comment.)

As the fervor over Texas Schools began to build up, another Twitter account, this one tailored specifically to A&M Consolidated students, appeared out of the blue.

“Consol Confessions”—a place for A&M Consolidated students to anonymously send often sexual “confessions” about themselves and others—had previously appeared, disappeared and reappeared several times with no real effect on the student body whatsoever.

This time, however, the (still unknown) owner of the new account ventured into lawbreaking territory: the account was taken down after mere hours of being live. On the night of April 15, Consol Confessions posted a collage featuring nude photos of three girls accompanied by the question “Guess who?”. The response from both current and former students was overwhelmingly negative.

“[Consol Confessions] had nothing better to do than to embarrass other people,” recent Consol graduate Nicole Monsivais, who spoke out publicly on Twitter against the account, said. “Why would you want to embarrass anyone like that? That’s so messed up.”

Monsivais feels that the anonymity of both Consol Confessions and Texas Schools encourages and facilitates the spreading of rumors—something she feels has changed since she attended Consol.

“You don’t know who’s sending anything in, so it’s just like—who is it?

Obviously they know me well enough to know this, so—who is it?” Monsivais said.

“You don’t really know who to trust now.”

Senior Nabeel Virani, who followed both Texas Schools and the short-lived Consol Confessions, sees a clear difference between the effects each has had on A&M Consolidated’s public image. The Consol Confessions incident, Virani said, was “really bad for [the school],” whereas Texas Schools, in his opinions, has been relatively kind considering that several other schools are “getting trashed” by, presumably, their own students.

“A lot of people did not like Consol Confessions,” Virani said. “I thought it was stupid, too. Talking about your school--like on Texas Schools is one thing, but singling students out is different.”

Virani considers Texas Schools “pretty

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idiotic,” but enjoys its tweets nevertheless, and he doesn’t blame the account’s owner for the quality of the “confessions.”

“It’s really a student-based account,” Virani said. “Students submit confessions about their schools, so they’re really defaming their own schools. But not a lot of the Consol stuff is completely bad.

In fact, Consol students have received non-negative publicity from Texas Schools: sophomore Allen Lambert is still proud of his prized shout-out. (The account tweeted a photo of Lambert holding a drink from the local Fuego Tortilla Grill in mid-April.)

“I don’t know how many favorites it got—probably like 200—but it was pretty cool anyway,” Lambert said. “The glow’s kind of faded, but it was cool to get shouted out by somebody who had over 12,000 followers at the time.”

Lambert, like Virani, continues to avidly follow the account’s everproliferating tweets for their entertainment value—he enjoys seeing what other local students have to say about their schools, but doesn’t completely buy into them.

Indeed, he doesn’t feel that the many tweets about Consol reflect reality, either. “[People from other schools] probably think we’re pretty ratchet—that we like to start fires and stuff,” Lambert said. “We like to say we’re ratchet, because it’s funny, but we’re not really ratchet. We’re a pretty normal high school.”

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4 | news | the roar

friday, may 16, 2014

Freshmen taking world history classes face challenges managing workload The most demanding courses at AMCHS are the Advanced Placement (AP) courses, the high school equivalent of a college class. But these classes—long the realm of seniors, juniors and adventurous sophomores—now have a new constituency with the addition of AP World History, freshmen.

According to the College Board, AP World History (or WHAP, as all the freshmen call it) “is the study of world history from approximately 8000 BCE to the present.” More specifically, students have to understand the five main themes of world history: environment, cultures, state building, economic systems and social structures. Then they are tested over this with 70 multiple-choice questions and three essays.

Unsurprisingly, freshmen have found out that WHAP provides a stark contrast to eighth grade history.

“WHAP is definitely one of the hardest classes in our school,” freshman Benjamin Lamb said. “It is the history class with the most challenging writing and the most material to cover.”

Other students and AP World History teacher Sarah Manning, agree with Lamb.

“WHAP is extremely difficult, it isn’t meant to be a freshman course.” Manning

said, “They are working their tails off for high B’s and low A’s.”

Students declare Manning is not exaggerating. Many say they are constantly doing homework.

“We get up to six hours of homework on the weekends,” freshman Lexi Kuppersmith said. “It is mostly history reading and watching Crash Course World History videos.”

What adds to the workload of this class is the heavy reading required for the AP test.

“We take weekly and bi-weekly open note quizzes,” Lamb said. “They go into great detail and require us to spend two to ten hours of notetaking for every quiz.”

Due to its difficulty, current eighth graders have been given the choice of either taking geography or world history as freshmen next year.

“In the future, we may be transitioning to a sophomore class,” Manning said, because AP Human Geography, currently a sophomore class, is considered to be easier than WHAP. Yet, for all the challenges this class throws at students — or because of them, many appreciate the skills it has taught them.

“It has exponentially helped me in essay writing,” freshmen Kelly Krenek said.

“And it has been really helpful in teaching

Could You Survive WHAP? Test your knowledge on this mini-quiz!

1) Which of the following European developments is most closely associated with the revolution in Haiti?

(A) The Protestant Reformation (B) The Russion Revolution (C) The French Revolution (D) The Industrial Revolution 2) Which of the following best explains why myths are useful to historians?

(A) Myths clarify how ancient technology worked.

(B) Myths analyze how great heroes created the first societies.

(C) Myths provide insights into the values and traditions of their societies.

(D) Myths give detailed plans showing how ancient leaders achieved power. source: released AP World History Exam me study skills and time management.”

WHAP has also helped students understand the world better.

“We talk about what is going on in Crimea, and how that fits into the prior history of that region,” Manning said. “Having a historical perspective on current events gives them a really good view of the world.”

WHAP helps students achieve this worldly view because it is not Eurocentric.

1) C 2) C

alex coopersmith | assistant editor

While honors and on-level world history focus on history as it relates to the western world, WHAP students don’t even begin to talk about Europe until the 1500s.

Though this class is one of the hardest offered at the high school, the students enjoy it.

“I think incoming freshman should take it,” Kuppersmith said. “It makes all other classes you are taking seem much easier.”

the roar | viewpoints | 5

friday, may 16, 2014

relevant

READS

started from the bottom Inspiring, controversial figure often underappreciated shilpa saravanan

opinions editor Alexander Hamilton started from the bottom. Now, he’s on the ten-dollar bill.

Granted, he’s not on the twenty or the fifty or the hundred, so he’s not as much of an all-American hero as, I don’t know, Ulysses-Fake-Middle-Name-Grant.

Then again, Hamilton wasn’t even born in today”s America, but his success story is quintessentially American. Hamilton had arguably the greatest success—and has had the greatest influence—of any immigrant, in the traditional sense, to the United States. Here’s the real kicker: Ulysses S. Grant isn’t getting his own musical anytime soon. Who is? Alexander Hamilton.

The life and times of Alexander Hamilton, then, can provide some useful tips for those among us interested in one day having an entire musical written about them— n addition to appearing on legal tender and

1. START (FROM THE BOTTOM, THE MIDDLE, OR THE TOP).

This step seems fairly obvious, but if you’ve grown up in a comfortably bourgeois household, you may wonder if you ought to suddenly ditch all your worldly belongings for a Hamiltonian hovel on a little island in the Caribbean. Don’t. Simply be thankful for what you’ve got, and appreciate the fact that—though you’ll never be able to make quite the jump, class-wise,

that Hamilton did, and thus never have such an inspiring rags-to-riches story— you won’t have to work nearly as hard as Hamilton did, or possess his superhuman resilience, to get on his level.

4. MAKE FIENDS.

Alexander Hamilton, even while heading up an export company at a tender age, found time to teach himself almost everything under the sun: multiple languages, the sciences, philosophy, you name it. His lifelong love of reading contributed in an obvious manner to his intelligence—anyone who’s read Lemony Snicket knows that being well-read is an excellent characteristic in a person (though by no means an indication of good character).

History’s interesting characters are rarely angelic. Accordingly, an integral part of Hamilton’s mystique is, well, the sheer number of political enemies he made and the rumors—truthful or not—they spread about him. Take the Maria Reynolds affair, a veritable stew of scandal, in which the Jeffersonian press accused Hamilton of both speculation and adultery. (The latter charge would indeed prove true; the former, false, but not without detriment to Hamilton’s reputation.) Hamilton’s known as much for taking part in the first real scandal in American political history as anything— and we only know this because of his greatest enemies.

3. MAKE FRIENDS.

5. GO OUT WITH A BANG.

2. READ.

The more powerful the friends, the better. Where would Alexander Hamilton be without the care and protection of George Washington, the only man to make it through history with a squeaky-clean reputation? Lawyering away somewhere in New York, probably; making plenty of money, but never fulfilling his insatiable ambition. (Hamilton’s reputation, interestingly, proceeded in marked contrast to his early mentor’s and took numerous hits throughout his career. But Hamilton gave as good as he got, culminating in—spoiler—his untimely death, but we’ll get to that later.) You can have normal friends, too: Hamilton, the Marquis de Lafayette and John Laurens formed a formidable trio during their time in the Continental Army, but neither man had nearly as much influence on Hamilton as did George Washington.

To do this figuratively rather than literally would be best: that being said, what people remember most about Alexander Hamilton isn’t that he wrote most of the Federalist Papers or that he served as the first Secretary of the Treasury. It’s that Aaron Burr mortally wounded him in a duel. (Speculation still surrounds the incident: did Burr intend to kill Hamilton?

Did Hamilton miss Burr on purpose? Was the whole thing an elaborate plot to wreck Burr’s reputation?) Now, don’t go around offending people to the point that they challenge you to a duel and eventually kill you: that’s not prudent, and certainly not Hamiltonian. But make your mark when your time comes.

Shilpa is an opinions editor for The Roar. Want more advice on how to have your life turned into a musical? Contact her at the.roar.saravanan@gmail.com.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON Ron Chernow

This is the essential Hamilton biography—partly because today, 210 years after Hamilton’s death, it remains the only Hamilton biography in wide circulation—but it’s also an excellent, if lengthy, read.

SCANDALMONGER William Safire

A novel pieced together from real letters exchanged between and speeches given by the Founding Fathers, Scandalmonger offers a riveting look at the dirty politics played by both Hamilton and his enemies in the new nation. source: wikipedia.org

6 | viewpoints | the roar

friday, may 16, 2014

Is technology taking over your life?

The Roar asks students for their opinions on technology.

technology takeover senior brady barnett “I think that technology is a really important lifestyle to go towards. I know why people say that it ruins personal contact and makes a barrier. But at the same time, it’s not the technology that does that, it’s how we use the technology. “

sophomore minha kim “People think of [texting] as their way of expression, but it’s taking away from actually looking at somebody and seeing their expressions. That’s more deep than just adding a smiley face at the end of a text.”

PHOTO BY DEVIANTART USER COLDBROKEN

Technological advancements create unfounded fears zach kluver assistant editor

Should we be afraid of the ‘Digital Age’?

In the song, ‘Everyday Robots’, noted songwriter and singer Damon Albarn softly croons: “We are everyday robots on our phones […] looking like standing stones, out there on our own.” As a person raised in another generation, Albarn finds the changes in technology melancholic, as society transitions from face-to-face socialization to another, strange, less human way of contact across electronic networks. This is where the main comparison of the song comes into play, revealing his view that as we use technology that inhibits our way to communicate normally, we gradually will become less human, and more electronic, like the devices we use. Generational differences aside, is his fear a legitimate concern? Will our lack of human contact lessen our humanity? Should we be afraid of the future?

Technological landmarks come and go at the speed of light-years nowadays. To see this, all you have to do is look at the history of television sets in the past few years. In 2006, only eight years ago, scientists finally discovered how to decrease the monstrous size of TV sets with plasma and LCD televisions (a refining of a past technology), which

quickly became all the rage. Only a few years later, in 2010, companies began to introduce 3D TVs. Even more recently, smart TVs that behave more like mobile phones with the inclusion of apps like Netflix and Facebook, have started to appear. And today, new 4K televisions, with pixels supposedly so small that they are impossible to see from a few feet away are being introduced to the market.

With tech advancing this fast, it is understandable why people are afraid of what could come in the future, especially with the way mobile and smart phones (particularly the iPhone) have already changed our lives and society. Rather than talk to people or read newspapers like the masses were used to, all of a sudden people could check the news on their phones and listen to music, shut off from the rest of the world. In fact, technology seems to be advancing so fast that the future may actually be unimaginable from a decade away.

But it’s the effect on society that truly scares people, not the technology itself.

When you look at historic technologies and what they lead to, it is plainly obvious why people can be afraid. For example, the TV, possibly the world’s biggest time sink ever, was a bomb on productivity, and some thought younger generations would cease practically all conversation in favor of television. A half-century later, however, we have adapted it to our everyday (robots?) lives and it is generally accepted all around the world without too much eye rolling from parents(Because they do it too).

So, my belief is that the Internet and digital era will not be a disaster upon Western civilization, as some particular extremists seem to think. A seemingly common fear among said extremists is that the younger generations will simply shut themselves up in their rooms and not talk for hours, preferring instead to message through the Internet. But people are not so simple that a few new technologies will completely destroy the way people interact forever, even though texting and Facebook messaging is admittedly a pretty fun thing to do. Most people I know definitely prefer face-to-face communication. It’s just a lot more personal. There’s a noticeable difference in the way people respond when it’s through a keyboard as opposed to talking; Saying that texting will replace talking and normal socializing is a bit like saying that astronaut food will replace regular food. Texting is a condensed, dried version of real human conversation, that was never meant to replace it.

In the end, no matter how much we fuss and worry about generations of the future, we will just have to wait and see what happens. Paranoia, particularly about technologies that ‘threaten’ our existence is in the end, a little silly, and we should wait for the fad of smartphone usage to phase away before we start throwing around rubbish apocalyptic visions that took us less than a few hours to create.

Zach is an assistant editor for The Roar.

Do you think technology is taking over our lives, or is it just a natural part of society?

Email him at the.roar.kluver@gmail.com.

the roar | viewpoints | 7

friday, april 4, 2014

pages of importance

Interest in people, stories sparks passion for newspaper rojas oliva entertainment editor In order to avoid some of the more insidious and despair/angst-inducing feelings you get from watching a particularly clever advertisement or spending a long time with someone who just wants something from you, I’ll make it clear right from the start that the purpose of this writing is to convince you, in a weird way that’s gonna force you into the second person, to join the newspaper.

Hopefully you’re an underclassman: young blood and whatnot.

So here’s the idea: It seems that one of the cooler things about English class is that it’s able to take this experience that’s usually all about the self (likely for a whole swath of your life, art was something you consumed in isolation and generally didn’t talk about a lot), and sort of flip that on its head during group discussions: suddenly what’s cool and maybe even prettier than whatever reactions and internal life confirming type stuff art cooks up in you, is the sort of communal

and exponential growth of that same stuff in a group of people.

All the old and worn clichés about art meaning totally different things to people depending on their experiences and belief templates and so forth sort of snap into place once you get past the analysis level of charting the plot and visualizing character arc and get into the wooly terrain of feelings and sort of raw

It’s a little peek into the adult world of trying to make some sort of order. story and experience. You get far more interested in how other people react and the endless possibilities of thoughts and stories that stem from any happening.

If you’re nodding your head emphatically to all this, then you should definitely—for sure, not even kidding— think seriously about newspaper, and/ or journalism in general, because the whole process (from interviewing people, to hashing out the story, to handing the physical paper out) is a sort of grander

and more communal version of the same feelings of wonder at sharing a story and seeing what’ll happen.

It’s a little peek into the adult world of trying to make some sort of order: taking whatever is going on outside of you, actively deciding whatever you think is worthwhile and cool about it and doing your best to communicate that to other people.

If that all sounds almost comically pretentious, its because I think most of us know and understand the serious pragmatic, civics-type purposes of journalism and what I’m trying to get at is a more abstract and personal meaning-but really, that’s still just one way of looking at it. For some people, it’s conducting interviews or the more literal artsy stuff of photography and page design that makes newspaper so valuable. But ultimately it doesn’t matter if you join because you think you have some sort of primal calling, or because we’re actually the most adorable group of people ever—whatever gets you to consider it works.

Rojas is entertainment editor of The Roar. If you are really diggin’ what he is puttin’ down, e-mail Rojas and see how you can become involved in the newspaper: the. roar.olivia@gmail.com

Steps to join newspaper 1. Sign up for journalism Journalism is an one semester elective avaiable for all grades. The class goes over interviewing, the different jobs in a newspaper and how to write stories, such as news features.

2. Apply for newspaper After taking journalism, get an application for newspaper. The application consists of questions about why you would like to join, teacher evaluations and writing samples. After recieving your application, The Roar staff will schedule interviews.

3. JOIN STAFF! Once recieving notice of acceptance, change schedule to fit in newspaper class period, which is 7th. Get to know editors, brush up on writing skills and get excited.

8 | viewpoints | the roar

friday, may 16, 2014

OPPOSING YES

nicole farrell senior editor

Even if a college degree won’t guarantee a job in today’s job market, only having a high school diploma is worse.

College is a time of invaluable personal and intellectual growth, and the pursuit of higher knowledge in an established academic setting is integral to success.

Both college and the application process to get into college teach adult responsibility and accountability.

NO

dana branham editor-in-chief

College tuition can leave students in debt for years after they graduate, which can hinder career plans.

Students whose families make “too much money” to receive financial aid often still have difficulty when paying for college tuition.

College can be beneficial to one’s “intellectual development,” but it is not always practical for every student to attend college.

Is a college education worth the ever-rising cost of tuition?

the roar's consensus

Take action to combat rising tuition costs

Will/did finances play a big role in your college decision?

O

ver the past decade, tuitions and fees have risen 4.2% at public 4-year institutions, according to the College Board. Stats say that in Texas, 56% of 2011-2012 students graduate with debt, while the average student debt is $24, 030.

Given the rising prices and rising debts, is college worth it?

The Roar takes a pretty balanced approach. Our senior map statistics show that more of Consol’s class of 2014 is going to Blinn than to any other school, and we think it’s important that students recognize that college isn’t the end-all, be-all: community college is perfectly fine (after all, it’s less expensive and will still give you a slew of skills that you can carry into the workforce), as are trade and technical schools.

But then again, there’s also a widening gap between the annual income of degree-holders and those without. Pew Research says that college graduates make $17,500 more than those with only a high school diploma.

Of course, that’s not taking into account the median starting annual salary of a petroleum engineering major ($103,000) versus that of a music ($35,700), or a Harvard graduate ($60,000) versus that of a 4-year DeVry graduate ($45,000).

The important thing is this: it’s not us. If we, as students, want to afford college, we need to let people know. Call your lawmakers, write your petitions, take action.

The last budget that passed the House of Representatives cuts federal aid to students: Pell grants would now have a limit, and Congress would now have discretion over the budget of the federal aid program as a whole (right now, it’s mandatory spending).

The bottom line: yes, a college education is expensive, but its relevance in today’s workforce and society means we have to either deal with it or learn to stand up for the education we think we deserve.

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 Reporter Faculty Adviser Assistant Adviser

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

The Roar Editorial Board

Dana Branham • Michelle Liu • Shilpa Saravanan

"My mom told me to worry about the quality of my education—she’ll worry about the money."

senior

CYNTHIA ZHANG "Yes, because if I get into an elite school and don’t receive financial aid, I don’t want to graduate with too much debt." junior

ANISHA DATTA

“Finances will play a role, but that doesn’t weigh heavily on my mind at this point.”

sophomore JONATHAN CHAPMAN

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, 2000-2014 ILPC Award of Distinguished Merit, the CSPA Gold Medal Award, the NSPA All-American distinction and 2005 & 2014 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 | 9

friday, may 16, 2014

all hands on deck Performers develop experience, skill participating in local theater group Starting May 16, junior Evan Bendiksen will be released from his apprenticeship to a group of pirates and fall in love with the daughter of a general only to discover that due to a curious hiccup involving a birthday that falls on leap year, he’s in fact bound to the pirates until his 63rd birthday, preventing him from being with his one true love.

Bendiksen will be playing the lead role of Fredric in Brazos Valleys TROUPE’s (Texas Repertory Of Unique Performing Arts and Entertainment) upcoming performances of the comedic operetta The Pirates of Penzance.

“Hilarious madcap mayhem abounds with this nutty storyline,” managing artistic director of Brazos Valley TROUPE, M.A. Sterling said.

The show, and others like it, is just a fraction of the total work that TROUPE offers; they have a group for song and dance performances, theatre writing, a ‘Dream Team’ for those who want to learn production design skills and an improv group who call themselves the Oxymorons. This diversity comes with a purpose.

“I want [our members] to find their niche here so that it will be easier to do that in life. I want them to discover, hone in on and refine their God-given talents and, in turn, share them with the world,” Sterling said. “I have a strong personal belief that we are meant to do this with our talents and gifts.”

For Bendiksen, TROUPE has accomplished just this.

“I feel like I’m good at acting and I enjoy it and the social aspect [in that] everyone at troupe is one big family. We’re one very interesting and often quarreling family but we do love each other and anyone that joins is accepted,” Bendiksen said. “That helped me keep going. It felt like somewhere where I could go and people liked me. It's a really nice and comfortable atmosphere.”

Freshman Grace Manuel has taken ad-

vantage of almost all of TROUPE’s programs and was initially involved through family ties to the group. For her, performing goes hand in hand with the social community of TROUPE. “I've always loved performing; the best thing about it is the process [of preparing for a show and] the people in it,” Manuel said. “We have a lot of fun.”

This familial community may have developed due to TROUPE having no age requirements for performers, so its members come from all sides of the age spectrum. This also brings a unique chemistry to their shows.

“Older performers, of course, have more life experience, which can be a good thing or a bad thing,” Sterling said.

“Younger performers tend to feel more comfortable taking risks, which is usually a good thing and their energy level is usually on a higher plane.”

Bendiksen certainly brings his own experiences into performing.

“Generally speaking I like to put my own twist on [a character] so I can still hang on to the fact that I'm a person but obviously I’m acting as someone else,” Bendiksen said. “But at the same time if its a character who's particularly mean or a jerk or a bully I don't like to think that I'm that person so I let go of myself more depending on how the role fits into how I really am as a person.”

The outcome of this diverse, and focused group is a truly unique venue for performing arts.

“The confidence level and performance levels are always beyond our audiences expectations,” Sterling said. “And it is always great to see our patrons and guests leave with an incredible energy that comes from enjoying something and from spending a couple of hours being entertained by some of the best artists, young and not-as-young alike, on the planet.”

rojas oliva | entertainment editor

Junior Evan Bendiksen rehearses a song for TROUPE’s upcoming musical “The Pirates of Penzance.” PHOTO BY ROJAS OLIVA.

Freshman Grace Manue carries out her duty as stage manager during rehearsel. PHOTO BY ROJAS OLIVA.

life | the roar

friday, may

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10 | student

io sen

any Anderson h t e rB

ah senior Hann

Friedman

seni or Kayc e Campbell

junior Sydney Garrett

It’s a boy! It’s a girl! It a girl with short hair!

The pixie cut trend has been tak over Consol, and people have notic Hair defines us, but why?

“I’m not particularly attached this dead keratin on my head,” sen Hannah Friedman said.

And the subset of short-haired g at Consol agree. It’s just a stereotype.

“Women have typically had l hair for so long,” junior Sydney Gar said. “It’s sort of been used to different between genders.”

Garrett has sported a short s since her freshman year. The decis was sudden, and some of the few frie she told beforehand thought she “crazy for doing it,” she said.

Friedman, who exchanged l curls for a pixie cut right before start of this school year, was ready

the roar | student life | 11

y 16, 2014

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t’s !

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girls . ong rrett tiate

style sion ends was

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, r i a h

r e w o p e r o m Cutting off locks leads to feelings of empowerment nicole farrell | senior editor

a change, despite the input from her family and friends.

“My mom said that it would be ‘boy short’ and all my friends were like, ‘Don’t do it!” Friedman said.

She explained that she was “bored” with her average hair, which frustrated her. Originally planning to trim her ends into a zig-zag pattern, she decided fairly close to her appointment to cut it all off.

“My hairdresser is really cool and adventurous and was excited about it,” Friedman said. “She braided my hair and then cut it off with clippers and then was like, ‘Wait, did you just go through a break-up?’ It was funny.”

Friedman was encouraged by her boyfriend’s positive response when seeing her new haircut.

“He was really receptive, which was very self-confidence boosting,” Friedman said. “But ultimately I was prepared to say, ‘This is for me, not for you.’”

With change comes reaction. But not everyone reacted as positively as in Hannah’s experiences. In a society where the average female sports medium to long hair, girls with “boy hair” stand out.

“Walking into a store and seeing a girl with short hair, it’s different,” Garrett said. “But it’s great.”

Garrett explained that she’s had a variety of experiences over the years based off of her hairstyle, most positive, but some uncomfortable and disconcerting.

“I was in jazz band last year and this one guy talked a lot and didn’t really censor,” Garrett said. “Anyways, we were talking about Ellen Degeneres and he said something like, “Well, of course she’s lesbian! She has short hair.’ It just made me aware of people making judgments about me that weren’t necessarily true.”

Garrett said having short hair may be some type of way of accepting masculinity, but for her, it was just

something easier and different.

Senior Bethany Anderson was simply inspired by a girl who frequently visited her workplace. As for reactions, she too mostly received positive feedback, but expected negative comments.

“I expected boys to not like it,” Anderson said. “People are a little too caught up in a ‘long hair is feminine’ mindset.”

Some of the girls have received lighthearted jokes at their expense.

Anderson has a co-worker who calls her “Boy-thany” and senior Kayce Campbell, who cut her hair short last month, is either seriously or jokingly mistaken for her older brother.

“My good guy friends appreciated the diversity,” Campbell said. “But I know I’ve heard from word of mouth that some people said it’s just not attractive on girls.”

Campbell, along with the other

girls, doesn’t take the negativity to heart.

They represent a shift from appearance as a presentation to appearance as a personally empowering statement.

“I did it for me and I love it, and that’s all that matters,” Campbell said.

“I’m not a crowd pleaser. It’s not their hair, so it doesn’t matter.”

Campbell originally cut her long hair to a shoulder length bob before going even shorter.

“The shorter I cut it, it felt right,” Campbell said. “When I look at myself with long hair, I don’t miss it. It looks natural how it is now.”

Friedman, Garrett, Anderson and Campbell all hope the trend catches on even more.

“I know how freeing and fun it was,” Friedman said. “The weight lifted from your head is like the weight lifted from who you are and everything you can be or something, even if it’s just a haircut.”

12 | people | the roar

friday, may 16, 2014

SUPERINTENDENT CSISD superintendent retiring after eight years, reflects on experience and interactions

PHOTO OF EDDIE COULSON BY TIGERLAND YEARBOOK

nicole farrell | senior editor Dr. Coulson has held his position as superintendent for eight years, but was previously involved in human resources and was deputy superintendent, serving in the district for a total of 17 years.

“It’s been a sea of people,” Dr. Coulson said. “People are the most significant.”

The people he has met and formed relationships have greatly contributed to his love for his job. Not only that, but Dr. Coulson’s wife, Sally, has worked in the district and their two children went through the school system in College Station.

“This is home,” Sally Coulson said.

“CSISD has been a wonderful place for them to grow up —and maybe we grew up too, who knows?”

Dr. Coulson notes that the district itself has grown, notably with the new high school, and experience that he said was a challenging process but was the only “logical conclusion to match the growth of College Station.”

Through his eight years as superintendent, schooling itself has changed with technology – notably, the full integration of internet into the classroom.

“It’s been a significant shift as society and technology shifts and information is

Dr. Eddie Coulson, superintendent of College Station Independent School District, is a well-spoken, bespectacled man who has been the “moral and intellectual leader” of our schools and administration, according to current deputy superintendent Dr. Clark Ealy, who will be taking Eddie Coulson’s position next year.

at a premium because of how readily accessible it is,” Dr. Coulson said. “But at the same time, a teacher is still a teacher who works with students and we work together, providing the best education.”

Dr. Coulson has enjoyed his involvement and position to witness how school has changed since he was a child, and also in the years he has led our district.

give me “ Students a tremendous sense of hope.

superintendent Eddie Coulson “There wasn’t much choice [when I was a student] and not a lot else out there,” Dr. Coulson said. “But today we design lessons to engage students, which is one important thing I see that has changed.”

CSISD students are not only just interested and involved in school both Dr. and Sally Coulson said, but also very successful at local, state, and even national levels, and seeing this kind of representation for College Station is rewarding.

Dr. Coulson is a common presence at extracurricular and academic events, mak-

ing his hours long, but enjoyable.

“People always say, ‘Oh, poor Sally, Eddie is always on call,’” Sally Coulson said.

“And that is true: it’s a very busy job and we have to go out a lot and we get tired, but every time we go out, something wonderful has happened.”

Sally Coulson explains that with Dr. Coulson’s job within a school district, she feels that they are both “in the heart of the community.”

Even when his job is tough and involves change, financial issues, or even loss of students and employees, Dr. Coulson said his experience was enriched by the students in College Station.

“Students bring me a tremendous sense of hope,” Dr. Coulson said. “The [negative] news that you see with young people is news for a reason, but the number of bright, creative, and innovative students with the drive to succeed is what I see here.”

Ealy describes Dr. Coulson as the “chief learner of all of us” and praises him as a “tremendous leader” who contributed to his personal growth in administration and as a leader.

“He has a vision for education,” Dr. Ealy said. “He finds things that are relevant to students’ needs.”

Dr. Coulson is confident in Dr. Ealy’s takeover of the role next year, describing

him as “great leader, strong communicator, and certainly familiar with what is going,” all descriptions of Dr. Coulson himself from Dr. Ealy and his wife.

Dr. Coulson’s legacy of effective communication and connections with those involved with the school district is confidently expected when Dr. Ealy takes over next year. These past eight years have been good to CSISD and Sally Coulson expresses her pride in her husband, who was a great leader in his work and also at home.

“In marriage, women should be able to respect the man and it’s always been very easy for me,” Sally Coulson said. “Any superintendent can’t do everything absolutely right, but he wants to do everything right.”

Dr. Coulson embodies CSISD’s vison for success and has strived to facilitate a constantly evolving technological culture and a “environment that values the people who work [for the district,” Dr. Coulson said.

Although Dr. Coulson will be officially leaving his position in June and retiring from the public school system, he still plans to be involved in education and will always cherish teachers and staff, community members, and the students.

“Student and stories drive the district,” Dr. Coulson said. “I will always value the relationships.”

the roar | people | 13

friday, may 16, 2014

“

You think, ‘Come on, French symposium? No one in Texas is [interested]’ but it’s a serious event.

It’s a thoughtout and wellplanned event.

”

sophomore Marley Hays

French students earn high honors in state language competition aaron ross | assistant editor Unbeknownst to most students, likely as a result of the huge 7:1 Spanish to French teacher ratio, Consol has one of the best UIL competing French teams in the state.

They are better known as French Symposium.

“French Symposium is a competition that has a lot of different categories concerning French foreign culture and language,” French teacher Maria Landry said. “You can compete at anything from poetry, drama groups, art events and prose tests. There’s a question ball, there’s soccer, vocal solos, instrumental groups.

There are all sorts of things we compete in.”

Auditions for the team took place in October. Of the 120 students in French, 40 were taken to symposium.

“A lot of people want to be on the team but I can only take the most dedicated, the best of the best,” Landry said.

“We need all 40 people because

there are so many different events, and we want to try and do all of them so we have the opportunity to score points on everything.”

French I students only compete against French I students, French II students only compete against French II students, and so on. The only events where this doesn’t apply are the non-academic events, Baccalauréat (a game show like event), Drama Group Débutant (Levels I and/or II combined) and Drama Group Avancé (Levels III, and/or IV).

“I was amazed at how great the lower levels are, and Madam Landry is seriously such a great teacher, and I’m not just saying that,” senior Anjali Yadav said. “I have had three teachers in my four years, and she’s hands down the best. Last year the last two weeks before Symposium we spent crunching all of our events into the 50 minute class period, because we wasted our time and didn’t prepare. It was way more organized this year.”

At the beginning of the year all the students who had made the team were divided up into groups with at least one French IV student watching over them.

Yadav was one of these leaders.

“As a group leader we are assigned a day of the week and about five or six students that we help with their events such as prose, guided speaking and poetry,” Yadav said. “We guided them and helped them with pronunciation, dramatic pre-

ILLUSTRATION BY SHILPA SARAVANAN

sentation, and fluidity of speaking. It’s cool because you connect with them because you worked with them. After the symposium last year everyone was like a family which is super cliché but seriously you get so close with people.”

This feeling is not limited to just upperclassmen.

“Everybody is very supportive of each other and it’s a very good environment and everybody is very enthusiastic about French,” sophomore Marley Hays said. “We did well and it was definitely a journey but we were all happy with each other in the end. You think, ‘Come on, French Symposium? No one in Texas is [interested]’ but it’s a serious event. It’s a thought-out and well-planned event.”

Overall the entire general consensus was that this year they were more prepared and more united than previous years.

“Last year was more about ‘let’s have a fun little field trip,’” Hays said. “This year was much more about let’s support each other and let’s use this to improve our French. It really improves your ability to communicate in a language rather than just regurgitate lines. We placed third overall last year and we placed second this. The difference between second and third is a pretty large margin. It was definitely a journey but we were all happy with each other in the end.”

The King

14 | people | the roar

friday, may 16, 2014

PHOTO OF BRANDON ZHAO BY AUSTIN COATS

Nationally rated chess player adapts to local scene austin coats | staff reporter With Sir Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” and the clicks of a camera in the background, freshman Brandon Zhao only concentrates on his pieces, precisely arranged to defeat his opponent. Zhao makes efficient movements, taking out his peer’s pieces with no regret, and destroys his competitor in this game of chess, a game that Zhao has been preparing for since his youth.

“A huge part of chess is to memorize sets of moves and repeatable situations,” Zhao said.

However, a player like Zhao, who was once rated nationally, has also learned to adapt.

“I was playing against someone whose rating was 200 higher than mine and he was pretty much destroying the left side of my board,” Zhao said. “Except there was just a random check [I could get] if I sacrificed my knight. I could actually get a checkmate that he overlooked so I was down a lot in material but I came back [to win].”

Though he believes that this rating did not truly represent how talented he was, Zhao, at his peak, had a rating of 1400. To put this in perspective, a master in chess has a

2500 rating.

“He is a pretty strong chess player because he thinks really logically so he can usually see several steps ahead,” his sister, junior Emily Zhao, said. “It’s almost like he knows what you’re doing.”

Zhao began his chess career in second grade in New York where his community embraced the game more so than in Texas, allowing Zhao to find a niche in chess.

“There were a lot of people who played chess [in New York] and they had a chess center where kids who played chess could get together,” he said.

Eventually Zhao was skilled enough to play in state and even national tournaments. While he was thankful for the great experience that these tournaments provided, Zhao racked up most of his medals and trophies in schoolsponsored chess competitions. “[They were] like a sports tournament for chess and I’d usually end up with first place,” he said.

But when Zhao moved to Texas, he became disconnected from his chess playing community.

However, because his love of chess didn’t depend on success, he was able to adapt to the lack of a competitive atmosphere. So now Zhao

still gets to play, only through a different take on the game.

“When they’re having bughouse games [at ping pong club] I’ll go over and play,” he said.

Bughouse is similar to regular chess, with the same piece movements. The big difference is that two games are being played cooperatively. Teammates are set up with the opposite color pieces of each other, and when they capture an opponent’s piece, they can give it to their counterpart to put it anywhere on the board.

Zhao compared the two games with his analysis of the most important piece for each game.

“In bughouse, you have the potential to get more than eight pawns,” he said. “Knights are also important because you can’t block them with set pieces, [while in normal chess] I’d have to say [the] queen and rooks [are superior] because you can do a lot.”

Zhao’s experience with major competitions in chess certainly helps him in bughouse. While he once excelled in the game, Zhao is now using it as a tool for leisure and nostalgia.

“I usually don’t get too disappointed when I lose a chess game because it’s still really fun,” Zhao said. “It’s just a game, bottom-line.”

more than just a game: variations on traditional chess atomic chess When a piece is captured, it’s actually detonated and all other pieces within a one square radius go down with it.

fischer random chess Pawns still start on the second line, but the first line’s arrangement is completely randomized. Once the game begins the rules are traditional.

suicide chess Pieces must be taken if at all possible and so the objective of the game becomes to lose all your pieces first.

kriegspiel Players cannot see the opponent’s pieces, or their moves, so you’ll need an arbiter to play. The objective remains to get a checkmate.

the roar | sports | 15

friday, may 16, 2014

run with your sole PHOTO BY ANNIE ZHANG

Girls track finishes third at district, expresses high expectations for next year elizabeth reed | assistant editor You might have seen them on the way out of school, shoes kicking up and ponytails swishing, running the track no matter the weather condition. “Them” would be girls track, who practices every day, even off-season. Reaping in the rewards, their hard work has paid off as they finished third in district, putting another successful season under its belt.

“This season has gone really well,” Veronica Juarez, sophomore varsity track runner, said. “I made a big recovery from last season because I was injured through the entire thing.”

Juarez, who injured her hips in cross country last summer, went through about a year of physical therapy to get healthy.

However, the challenges of this season weren’t just physical.

Juarez found difficulty in keeping on top of her classes.

“I miss important classes all the time,” Juarez said. “For some people it’s not that hard to balance it out, but for me it was difficult to balance my school work and track time.”

Though track can be tedious to Juarez, she finds that it relieves a lot of stress. Sophomore JV long distance runner Valerie Rodriguez agrees that track has helped her calm down at the end of the day.

“Track is a way of relaxing myself,” Rodriguez said. “I get my mind off of everything.”

Rodriguez, who participates in track because of her passion for running, also pushes herself to improve her times, which paid off.

“During the middle of track, I beat my personal record,” Rodriguez said. “That was the best race of my whole season.”

Rodriguez does not believe that the place she earns matters, but rather focuses more on her personal times. Juarez, however, felt proud when she placed second in the 800 meter at a meet.

She attributes this win to her motivation.

“You have to be really motivated to do well, or else you’re just [going to] slack off,” Juarez said.

Along with motivation, Rodriguez, who considers herself the “negative one” on the team, receives support from her teammates on track.

“They’re always like ‘Ok, you need to be more positive; you can do this,’” Rodriguez said. “They’re always there for me.”

Through her teammates and track, Juarez has learned a couple of lessons.

“Track has taught me how to be patient with people because you don’t choose your teammates and it’s not like you’re going to be

in there with your best friends,” Juarez said. “But this is your team; you’re always going to be with them: after school, during meets, and in their hardest moments when you push them on.”

But although they don’t get to choose their teammates, Rodriguez feels that she and her team have become more tightly knit this season.

“This season I think our team has become closer,” Rodriguez said. “I was in JV so I was considered the leader for our group, and I think I took a step forward.”

Next year, Rodriguez is hoping to step forward into varsity.

However, if she is in JV again she hopes to bring everyone, including new runners, closer and to encourage them to “work harder.”

Juarez hopes to continue in her place as a varsity runner for future goals.

“I have to be in a sport for my parents, because they want me to be well rounded for going to college,” Juarez said.

Girls track head coach Shawn Schroeder hopes for the team to place even higher next year.

“I want to win the district title, we’re dropping down a classification,” Schroeder said. “Kids have run and competed with 5A talent all year long. I don’t see why we can’t win next year.”

The girls varsity track team, including junior Paris Jones, trains with medicine balls on May 14. They finished the season third in district. PHOTO BY ANNIE ZHANG

TEAM RESULTS JV Huntsville Montgomery Bryan Oak Ridge Waller

Varsity 3rd place 5th place 2nd place 6th place 3rd place

Atascocita

3rd place

Woodlands

3rd place

North Shore

1st place

Oak Ridge

4th place

16 | sports | the roar

friday, may 16, 2014

Tennis player reflects on rigor, time commitment of sport zach kluver | assistant editor Junior Diego Cruz-Vespa stands in a ready position, eyes on the ball, preparing to strike. His stance doesn’t betray any of the monotony of practicing, although it is often just hitting a ball back and forth with another player. So it is a little surprising that Cruz-Vespa doesn’t always enjoy practice.

“I have a lot of homework, and I have to stay until five o’clock. So, some days, I’d really rather not,” Cruz-Vespa said. “But, whenever you make the coach mad, you have to run miles,” Cruz-Vespa first started playing tennis when his soccer team broke up five years ago.

“I quit soccer and my mom wanted me to keep playing sports, so I started playing tennis,” CruzVespa said.

Since then, he has practiced extensively, and started to become one of the best players on the tennis team.

Although tennis is often viewed as the “lazy guy” sport, Cruz-Vespa and the rest of the team still practice all of seventh period and every day after school.

Sometimes things take a turn for the worse, such as when Cruz-Vespa broke his hand playing doubles with friends.

“It was a rainy day, and very slippery outside. My [double partner]’s racket hit my hand and broke it. It made me realize how much I take my hobbies for granted,” Cruz-Vespa said.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances that come with breaking your hand, Cruz-Vespa still remains insistent that tennis will be good for him in the long run.

“It helps keep my physical fitness up, and helps keep my mentality of ‘if you work hard, you can do anything,’” Cruz-Vespa said.

PHOTO OF DIEGO CRUZ-VESPA BY DANA BRANHAM

Cruz-Vespa must remain in tip-top physical condition all year because, although tennis has official seasons, he participates in tournaments almost monthly. This dedication can lead to undesirable circumstances when he drives out of town.

“One time, I had a tournament at Wichita Falls (which is six hours away) which had a two year drought, and right when the tournament began, it started to rain.

And then the tournament got delayed for a whole day, and then 5060 mph winds came,” Cruz-Vespa said.”And then, of course, it was a terrible tournament.”

Cruz-Vespa believes tennis is different from other sports, as it is less reliant on working out and body shape.

“Tennis is mainly a mental game: you can be short, small, and you can compete just as well as anyone else. For football, you have to be big, or basketball, tall, but in tennis, there’s no requirements,” Cruz-Vespa said.

Although Cruz-Vespa and his doubles partner, junior Chad Nguyen, lost to Lake Travis at regionals this year, he still holds out hope for next season, given that Consol will be in a lower, less difficult region.

When Cruz-Vespa heads to university, he intends to major in kinesiology, a major broad enough for him to pursue many opportunities in medicine and health, he said. Cruz-Vespa plans to integrate tennis into his college career, regardless of how it happens.

“I definitely want to play college tennis,” Cruz-Vespa said. “I may get a sports scholarship, but it’s probably more likely that I get an academic one.”

the roar | sports | 17

friday, may 16, 2014

PHOTO OF CONNOR DUNMAN AND SHERIDAN SCHOLTZ BY DANA BRANHAM

on the double

Juniors’ friendship leads to greater bond on court

annie zhang | news editor

Being in the same grade and being equally ranked in tennis, juniors Connor Dunmore and Sheridan Scholtz have known each other for many years. But, their friendship and communications doesn’t just stop at a simple hi in the hallways—their success as a mixed doubles team relies on it.

While the duo began playing mixed doubles together at the beginning of this semester, both have been playing tennis for much longer.

Dunmore began at age nine after watching the U.S. Opens with his father and felt that “soccer got old.”

“My dad also played tennis when he was young, so we would go out and play a lot, and soon I became used to it and started private lessons,” Dunmore said. “It eventually became the sport for me. It’s more one-

on-one, so it’s much more fun, especially if there’s someone you really want to beat.”

On the other hand, Scholtz started a little later, right before freshman year.

“It seemed like a fun sport, and it was a goal that I had set for myself that I wanted to reach,” Scholtz said.

Both played singles initially, but have found mixed doubles to be their preferred choice.

“Singles is on a smaller court and I have to be more focused and composed and not myself, but with doubles, I can be at net and hit people with the ball, and it’s easier because more than one person can score,” Dunmore said. “Mixed doubles is a bit easier than just boys doubles since normally, the girls are weaker, so you try to hit at them, but there definitely are some girls [who] are stronger than the guys.”

But more importantly, the game lies on their communication skills.

“If you don’t talk with each other be-

tween or after the point, there’s no communication, and that means lost points. So then you get upset and won’t talk to each other even more,” Dunmore said. “If there’s that interaction, you win more points, become more ‘together’” communicate better and just have that “up” spirit and laugh at every point, game or match.”

Scholtz agrees, saying that “the closer you are as partners, the better you are on the court.”

“We’re good friends off the court. He makes me work hard, and if I’m feeling down, he brings me up, and vice versa. He plays great doubles and he’s great at the net,” Scholtz said. “We have the same goals that we work towards together.”

Being in the same grade and maintaining a strong friendship outside of the court have broken many barriers faced by other mixed doubles teams.

“If we hadn’t known each other beforehand, our relationship on court would have

been much weaker, and it would have been much harder to get along,” Dunmore said.

“She really has helped me; I get mad on the court, and she’s always there to coax me, to remind me that everything will be fine.

Their healthy relationship and stable communication skills have not gone unnoticed by the rest of the varsity tennis team.

“Sheridan has always been an outgoing, fun and uplifting-about-everything person, and Connor is also very willing to work with other people,” sophomore Rachel Tindall, a fellow teammate, said. “They don’t get mad at each other and work very well together, and they always carry their excitement onto the court. They just complement each other.”

Dunmore acknowledges that cooperation is certainly the key to mixed doubles.

“It’s a team effort, and without [Scholtz], it wouldn’t happen,” Dunmore said.

18 | entertainment | the roar

friday, may 16, 2014

book blurb “What if he tried to separate us?

RUN AWAY

with your imagination

What if this is the end?

What if I never see you again?!”

I said with tears forming in my eyes.

He took my hand, looked me in the eyes, smiled, and said,

“Then I guess we’ll just have to

run away.”

To read “Runaway” and other books

by Libby Davis, scan the QR code.

Runaway Stats

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE PALAZZOLO

Sophomore publishes novella online, discusses challenges, rewards stephanie palazzolo assistant editor This book summary sounds like one straight off the back cover of a published novel that anyone could pick up and read in a bookstore. The only difference is that it’s not. This book blurb is from sophomore Libby Davis’s popular online novella “Runaway” that boasts over 15,000 reads.

“I write simply to live as a different person,” Davis said. “When I write, I am that character. I choose what he or she feels. I can control anything. It’s weird to say, but it’s like I’m some sort of god of a world.”

Davis began writing in September and hasn’t stopped since.

She publishes her novels on an online writing website called Wattpad. Wattpad serves as a forum for authors all over the world, with online clubs and opportunities to receive and give constructive criticism. In addition, authors with a high amount of reads sometimes get the opportunity to become published.

Although writing started out as a hobby, it has grown into much more for the sophomore, who has over 16,000 reads combined from all of her books. “[‘Runaway’] has a clichéd plot, but at the end it’s all a dream that she wakes up from,” Davis said. “I did that to send out a mes-

Genre: Romance

sage to the readers that they’re all looking for this Prince Charming that they see in movies and books, and I want them to wake up like the main character. They need to realize that everyone is flawed, and there’s not really a Prince Charming that’s perfect and amazing.”

Davis came up with the idea for “Runaway” after hearing a song on a commercial repeating the word “runaway.” Some may find it strange that a single word could inspire someone to write, but Davis can find inspiration anyplace, anywhere.

“I can just look at a word in a book or on a sign and I’m inspired,” Davis said. “Sometimes it can be annoying, but it’s also really great because it’s like watching a movie 24/7 for me. I think it’s [because of] my ADD, which I always looked down upon as a bad thing because I didn’t get work done because of it, but I’m realizing now that it’s more of a gift rather than a curse.”

Week after week, the number of reads on Davis’s books have grown exponentially, a feat usually unheard of for most teenage writers.

At first, I thought the amount of reads I had was a normal amount, but it’s surprisingly not,” Davis said. “Typically, the average writer may get 500 reads tops on a completed book. But considering I get about 1,000 a week makes me feel accomplished. I hope that some of my other books

Chapters: 39

can get more success to the point that Wattpad notices, and I get my dream of being published.”

Davis’s readers have supported throughout her writing journey, Davis said. Davis often interacts with her readers, who come from all over the world. “[People have read my book] in Canada, in the U.K., in many places,” Davis said. “It’s really cool to know I’m a topic that comes up in conversations with people that are complete strangers to me.”

However, a large fanbase usually creates more pressure for an exciting and interesting story, a goal that Davis has worked hard to achieve, writing on her phone in any free time she has.

“At first, the hardest part was taking the constructive criticism well because you take it as them insulting your book, but eventually you learn that they’re just trying to help you,” Davis said. “The second hardest thing is not necessarily writing, but, for me, coming up with plot twists. I see the book as everyone’s favorite TV show, and every episode always ends with a plot twist or cliffhanger.”

In addition, Davis has to deal with criticism and discouragement, even from the people closest to her in her life.

“I haven’t really told my parents about [writing] because they look down upon the creative side of my family; they look more towards the intelligent side,” Davis said. “If they knew I wrote any-

Pages: 90

thing that doesn’t fit their morals or standards, they’d investigate me and discourage me from it.”

All the hard work is worth it, though, when Davis learns about the effect writing can sometimes have on the reader. “[Her writing is] sometimes sad, but you can definitely relate to it,” sophomore Bailey Radcliffe said. “I know that it’s one situation, one scenario, but I feel like everybody can relate to that.”

As successful as Davis has been, many people still argue that teenage writing could never reach the level of writing of adults. However, Davis disagrees.

“I feel like teens who write books can be successful as long as they have experience and good story ideas,” Davis said. “Adults have more experience so they may connect with any sort of age group, [but] teens connect with teens.”

Davis has recently finished “Runaway” and has started another novel called “Guardian Angel,” a story about an angel who loses her wings after falling in love with a mortal and saving his life on his death date. She is also beginning several other writing projects, always making sure to leave a little part of her in every book she writes.

“There’s always a piece of the writer in their stories, and often times my readers relate to my conflicts,” Davis said. “Writing has helped me realize I’m not alone in many situations.”

Reads: 15,893

parks & rec.

the roar | entertainment | 19

friday, may 16, 2014

Wolf Pen Creek

alex coopersmith | assistant editor

Although Wolf Pen Creek is known for its music performances from the likes of Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw and the Starlight Music Series, Wolf Pen Creek Park is so much more than just an amphitheater. From running trails to Frisbee golf, this park has everything.

Wolf Pen Creek is actually two parks, intersected by Holleman and Dartmouth Streets, with the amphitheater as its nucleus. Surrounding the amphitheater is a picturesque lake, grassy Frisbee golf fields, hiking trails and an appealing playground.

What makes this park stand out is the great design and layout of the grounds. The hiking trails, picnic areas and playground all have excellent shade, necessary for the persistent Texas heat. Additionally the paths and trails are

devised in a manner that allows for both a group of friends to have a fun time, and a lone individual to discover nature.

The hills in and around the amphitheater along with the mostly flat hiking trails, make Wolf Pen Creek a more engaging place to explore.

With green grass, blooming flowers and trees and the jovial atmosphere of people in a park, Wolf Pen Creek is a beautiful place to visit.

The only drawbacks are that some of the public restrooms are locked during the week and swimming is prohibited in the pond at the center.

If you want a nice place to go for a run, a live music concert or even just a place to take a leisurely stroll, Wolf Pen Creek is the place to go. Just don’t forget sunscreen!

Emerald Forest If you’re looking for a nice place to relax or take a walk, Emerald Forest neighborhood has a lovely park that is highly recommended.

Not only does the park offer a swimming pool to cool off in on a hot day, but it also has a great grassy space next to the pool that could be used for picnics. There are various large trees that provide some shade and a couple of benches for

Brison Park

eva araujo | photography editor

Simplicity is what makes Brison Park the perfect place to spend a relaxing day accompanied by a nice summer breeze.

Because the park is located in the middle of a quaint neighborhood shy of any busy roads, the atmosphere is peaceful and inviting. The park itself is also far from crowded as it is quite hidden and allows its visitors a pinch of privacy.

Colorful hammocks are seen hanging from the enormous tree in the middle of the park which is perfect

Roar staffers review College Station’s outdoor attractions

for peaceful naps, good reads, and silent studies beneath its beautiful green branches. Not to mention the famous red wooden swing that hangs boldly inviting passersby for a joyful swing.

The park is also outlined by a white cemented sidewalk trailed with park benches and vibrant flowers. This allows for delightful strolls or enjoyable runs.

Simply put, Brison Park is a true delight so grab a picnic basket and a few friends for a nice time in the sunshine.

tiffany hammond | assistant editor people to sit down and enjoy the moment. On the other side of the pool, there is a small playground for kids to play on (no swings, though, unfortunately) and two sidewalks which trail off into a more wooded, secluded area.

Additionally, the park wasn’t over-crowded providing serenity and some quietness.

Overall, the park would be a pleasant place to visit on a nice day with plenty of places to sit down and hang out with friends.

Directions Wolf Pen Creek is...

On Holleman, but the park extends to the intersection of Harvey Rd and Texas.

Emerald Forest is...

In the heart of the Emerald Forest subdivision off of Appotomax Dr. Brison Park is...

Near the intersection of George Bush and Dexter and just a short walk from the school.

20 | etcetera | the roar

friday, may 16, 2014

WHERE THERE’S SMOKE

by EVA ARAUJO PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY EVA ARAUJO

Electronic alternatives to cigarettes carry different chemicals, stigma ing them. Seniors Brooks Holmes, Denzel Roe* and Shy Mosley have all become part of the vapor craze.

Roe confesses to smoking almost anything and everything, and when he heard of e-cigarettes, he thought of no reason not to give them a try.

“It was just a new thing to try, so I was like, why not,” Roe said. “Your main goal is to get a buzz and e-cigarettes give me one.

I’m concerned about the consequences, but not really because I don’t smoke all the time.”

Mosley, a former cigarette indulger, started e-cigarettes to move away from the harsh chemicals found in regular tobaccofilled cigarettes.

“I like them because it felt like I was smoking an actual cigarette, or at least it gave the same effect,” Mosley said. “Sometimes you just need to calm down. It makes me feel really mellow and chill. Whenever I am overwhelmed with stuff or have a test, I will just sit back and smoke.”

Interestingly enough, even teens like Holmes, who would never think about holding a cigarette up to their lips, enjoy ecigarettes. Holmes describes smoking cigarettes as an ignorant habit.

“I never smoked cigarettes before this,”

Holmes said. “I think it’s disgusting. I have seen what cigarettes have done to oncehealthy people. Their arteries fill up with gunk and tar and there are just too many toxins in it. They don’t even know what they are inhaling into their body every day.”

Holmes is conscious of the image he has when he smokes e-cigarettes and doesn’t wish to condone smoking in any way. He has even deleted Vines that depict him smoking.

“I don’t think you should do it in public, because it looks like smoking a cigarette,” Holmes said. “Other kids will be like ‘oh, it’s okay to smoke’ and think it should be fine.”

E-cigarettes are advertised to an obviously younger crowd as “cool” and “safe”.

However, some teens, like Roe, have no idea if they are dangerous or not.

“I guess they could be seen as a good thing or a bad thing because they are seen as healthier alternatives to smoking cigarettes, which have all these dangerous chemicals,” Roe said. “Actually, I don’t know if e-cigarettes are bad for you or not, but if you are going to do something it might as well be the e-cigarette, which is way safer. I think.” *name has been changed to protect the source’s identity

SMOKE SCIENCE The FDA has not evaluated any e-cigarettes for safety or effectiveness.

However, concerns exist that quality control processes used to manufacture e-cigarettes are substandard.

The FDA has issued warning letters to five distributors of e-cigarettes for making unsubstantiated claims and having poor manufacturing processes.

SOURCE: FDA.GOV

S

moke dances in the air as the sense of euphoria travels throughout the body with every inhale. It’s a relaxing habit, but the consequences are fatal. Cigarettes are filled with toxins so damaging to the lungs that most teenagers stay clear of these small sticks of addiction. The danger of smoking cigarettes is well-known to every citizen exposed to advertisements. The warning “SMOKING KILLS” is even plastered on every box of purchased cigarettes.

However, teens are still drawn to the idea of smoking.

In 2009, there was a 10 percent decrease in cigarette sales in the U.S when electronic cigarettes, more commonly known as ecigarettes, were introduced into the game.

These tobacco-free products are burn-free, as they are actually vaporizers. Instead of burning tobacco, an e-cigarette heats up a liquid called propylene glycol. The liquid turns into vapor, which is then inhaled, or “vaped.”

Although e-cigarettes are smoke-free and tobacco-free, they’re not nicotinefree unless the buyer asks for a nicotinefree cartridge. The attraction to these new mechanisms is the ease. They are portable, odorless, can be inhaled with the push of a button, and teenagers everywhere are buy-