Vol. 21 No. 5

the

Roar

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

Friday, April 1, 2016

Vol. 21 No. 5

in the

SHADOWS

Unaccompanied minors immigrate illegally to United States in search of opportunities

darcey rydl & olivia garrett | news editor & entertainment editor

F

reshman Carlos Jaramillo* walked on foot through the desert for a week. Though it rained for two days, the only water that he had with him was unclean and more fit for an animal to drink than a person.

Before Jaramillo started school at Consol, he was a part of the steady annual stream of migrants that attempt to reach the United States illegally.

“My dad died and then I lived with my mother,” Jaramillo said. “Then, I came [to the United States] with my friend. He wanted to go to New York, but I had a cousin here [in College Station] when I crossed the desert. I decided to come here.”

Despite the obvious dangers, thousands attempt to make it to the United States each year. And while some, like Jaramillo and freshman Felipe Estrada*, successfully cross the border, many other hopefuls never do.

“I was afraid that the same thing that happened to my uncle would happen to me,” Estrada said, referencing his own luck compared to others whom he has known.

Estrada’s uncle tried unsuccessfully to come to the States three times, eventually ending up in a Guatemalan prison, where he died.

Turbulent political and social situations in many countries, such as Jaramillo’s and Estrada’s native Guatemala, have motivated a unique, new demographic group to travel to the United States without papers — unaccompanied minors.

“immigration” continued on page 3

inthisissue

news pages 2-5 opinions page 6-7

viewpoints page 8

snapshots page 9

people pages 10-14

sports pages 15-17

entertainment pages 18-19

2 | news | the roar

friday, april 1, 2016

Debaters learn life advocacy through competitions josh weimer assistant online editor

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It’s easy to assume that debate is merely about arguing with people, but senior Marley Hays will tell you that’s definitely not the case.

“Above all, the purpose of this activity is education, not proving people wrong,” Hays said. “It’s about encouraging other people and creating a world of advocacy through education and through knowledge.”

For Hays, the incentive to begin debating came from her experiences living abroad.

“My perspective on the world changed, and I wanted to be able to be involved in an activity that saw the world as larger than this high school, and saw the world as larger than Texas,” Hays said. “I suddenly cared about the faces that lived on the other side of the world, and I wanted a way to make sure that those voices were heard in the best way I knew how.”

Aspiring debaters begin in the Debate I class, where students learn about different speaking and debating events.

They then can move on to the Debate II class, where they focus on competing.

“Our class is the only hour in the day that we have together. What’s most important to us changes, it varies greatly” sophomore Parth Sarin said. “We do anything that we need to do to get prepared for a tournament. Somedays it may not involve writing anything. We could just be talking, or having a normal conversation.”

ing about a carbon tax. So we would use ‘scholar.google’, and search carbon tax and read basically as much as we could on the topic before we started any argumentative development.”

Students then travel to competitions to present their cases to judges and compete with other debaters. Freshman Aabid Razvi, who started debating in middle school, would compare them to UIL competitions, except much larger.

“There’s going to be thousands of students there from all over the state of Texas,” Razvi said. “It’s kind of all over the place.”

This year, the Consol debate team had seven students qualify as competitors or alternates for the National Speech and Debate competition.

“There’s been a lot of change about emphasis on nationals just during my time in speech and debate,” Hays said.

“The focus of our team has entirely shifted, we used to be focused on interpretation events, but now we more like debate and speaking events focused… it takes a bit of time for all of us speakers and debaters to get up to speed to where we are qualifying for nationals.”

“My perspective on the world changed, and I wanted to be able to be involved in an activity that saw the world as larger than this high school, and saw the world as larger than Texas. ” MARLEY HAYS senior In order to compete, students must prepare a case, or thesis, to argue for or against certain topics.

“You start off by reading a bunch of stuff that is relevant to whatever we are trying to talk about,” senior Kevin Choi said. “Last month we were debat-

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Danger in immigrants’ homelands overshadows stigma, obstacles faced in America “immigration” cont. from page 1 THE JOURNEY

Inevitably, these young migrants end up in homes and classrooms all over the country; some end up here in College Station. While English as a Second Language teacher Mala Farmer knows that some of her students are not residing here legally, she supports all of her students.

“I don’t know [who] in my classes is legal; I don’t know who is illegal,” Farmer said. “It doesn’t matter to me. I just teach whoever’s in my room.”

Over the years, Farmer has noticed this increase in migrants, who face different challenges than the average student.

“We have more migrant kids [who] are coming in, some of [whom have] big gaps in their education, and then they come to high school,” Farmer said. “They’re expected to take all these things when they don’t even have a background in their own language.”

Despite these struggles, Farmer says that her students focus not only on their studies, but also on finding jobs so that they can help their families.

“A lot of them are so determined to get ahead, and they are going to do everything it takes,” Farmer said. “It’s a struggle, a fight, because they’re working at the same time that they’re going to school. Most of them are working really hard because they want to get ahead. I’m really proud of them.”

For the thousands of illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States, getting here was much more than just crossing a river. Many migrants pay peoplesmugglers, known as coyotes, to lead them over the border.

THE ROAR ONLINE

Both Jaramillo and Estrada agree that while their own experiences were hard, for others it can be much worse.

“There are also women [who come], but [the coyotes] don’t respect them,” Estrada said. “They rape some of them.”

The development of stricter border controls dividing the southern United States and the possibility of a presidential candidate with a tough take on immigration allow Jaramillo and Estrada to recognize their luck in establishing a life in the United States.

“It’s harder to come over now; they’re watching every day,” Jaramillo said.

This increase in border security has successfully hindered the abilities of coyotes to bring more people, especially minors, into the country.

“The coyotes tell us that they will bring us, but they stop at the river, outside of the United States,” Estrada said.

To the sheltered American, taking such enormous risks to reach a country where they don’t even speak the language is incomprehensible. However, the motivations behind these journeys are actually quite relatable.

“I came here because I want to work and I want to study,” Jaramillo said. “There isn’t as much work [in Guatemala] and it doesn’t have the same worth as it does here.”

Even with such a perilous journey and a destination that can be less than ideal, thousands still find themselves standing in the same position that generations of migrants have, considering the draw of America.

“For me, [the dangers] are the same,” Jaramillo said. “Because to do anything is a risk – to work and to go to school, it’s the same [risk] as being in your country. The

thing is that [Guatemala] is one of those places where there are dangers.”

A VOICE

Farmer, who has taught children from all over the world, from Vietnamese refugees to Central American migrants, works to ensure that her students have a voice.

“These kids need a champion. They need somebody who fights for them,” Farmer said.

Throughout her career, Farmer has found that many people, even fellow educators, fail to see the worth in her students.

“I even had a principal [from a previous job] one time who said to me, in my face, ‘I don’t care if these kids are six feet under’,” Farmer said. “And I thought, ‘Wow, who is there that is going to fight for these kids if he’d rather they’d just be dead than be in class?’ ” Years of working abroad and here in Texas have given Farmer a unique insight into her students’ lives. While working in Micronesia, Farmer experienced prejudice that is comparable to how some of her students are treated.

“I’d go into the grocery store and they would just look at me like I was dirt,” Farmer said. “I thought this must be what it feels like to be hated just because you look different from these other people. So it was really kind of scary because I felt like, ‘Wow, I really don’t belong here.’ I was just trying to be helpful, but they definitely made feel like it was their world and I didn’t belong.”

Once here, many migrants face considerable backlash from American citizens.

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fence [about illegal immigration in the U. S.],” Farmer said. “I think that if I didn’t know my students, I would probably be against illegal immigration.”

Farmer, like many others, wishes that there were more options for people who wish to move into the United States.

“I think there should be a process, because you can’t walk into any other country and just say, ‘Oh, I think I’ll come here and live’; they have their rules and their regulations and I think we should have more of that in place,” Farmer said.

“But I can certainly see why people are here, because a bad situation here is nothing like a bad situation in their country. They will sacrifice so much just to come here and have a job. So, in a way, I feel for them because I know they’re here just so they can help their families.”

THE FUTURE

According to Farmer, many stay connected with their families by sending money back to their families in their home country. “[One of my students is] amazing because he’s saving money to buy a house for his family [in Guatemala]. He works all the time; I bet [he] works four or five hours a night,” Farmer said.

Far away from home and after sacrificing so much, both Estrada and Jaramillo have a strong desire to succeed and work towards their goals, much like any other high school student.

“I want to learn English and keep studying,” Estrada said. “I want to graduate.” *Names have been changed to protect students’ privacy. Quotes have been translated from Spanish to English.

4 | news | the roar

friday, april 1, 2016

THE ROAR PROFILES

BRAZOS VALLEY POLITICIANS june jeong & rachel lamb | assistant editor & senior editor

mayor

state representative

NANCY BERRY

JOHN RANEY

John Raney’s introduction to politics was with his father in 1952 while listening to the Eisenhower election. Fifty six years later, John Raney was elected as a state representative in the Texas House of Representatives.

“I did a lot of things in the community [before I was elected],” Raney said. “Of course I was a member of my church, I was active there in various church committees, I was very active in Masonic stuff, I was active on the chamber of commerce board and was one of their vice chairmen and vice president.”

As state representative, John Raney sees his first duty to listen to community members.

“I’m always willing to listen,” Raney said. “That doesn’t mean I’m always going to jump and say yes I agree with you.

You can’t do that all the time.”

One accomplishment Raney would like to see is less government.

“We all would like less regulation.

We would like smaller government,” Raney said. “But then the next thing comes along. We need highways. We need education. We need water. So it’s always a push and pull whether we want more regulation or less regulation.”

A huge focus for Raney is higher education as he serves on the higher education committee.

“I’m very interested in higher education. We have two very good higher education institutions in Blinn College and Texas A&M,” Raney said. “Blinn was actually larger than A&M was when

it started in 1965. So it’s a bit of an economic driver in our community, as is A&M.” Raney sees the key issues facing the community in the upcoming years as similar to current large issues.

“Education is always going to be a key issue,” Raney said. “Transportation is a key issue. We need better transportation in this community.”

Yet Raney does not think these issues will slow down the development in the Bryan-College Station area.

“I think that Bryan-College Station is about in the same place as Austin was 40 years ago. We’re booming,” Raney said. “We’re going to continue to boom.

We’re going to have half a million people here in 30 years. I’m confident of that.”

Raney hopes to continue to represent the community honestly and intelligently.

“It is kind of a pull one way, pull the other way. It never stays the same. But we do have to try to find a middle road that will work, that makes government continue to work in as efficient manner as it can,” Raney said. “I don’t think government ever is efficient. But it needs to be as efficient as it can be and it needs to be transparent and open so that people know what we’re doing. Those are important things to me.”

Questions about local politics? Contact John Raney at john.raney@house. state.tx.us.

Nancy Berry was inspired by her mother to pursue a political career and eventually become mayor of College Station.

“Although she passed away before I ran for public political office, [my mother] was always interested in politics and current events and was active in the career,” Berry said.

Before she was elected as mayor, Berry was heavily involved in the community.

“I was president of the Arts Council, I’ve been the president of United Way, I’m on the board of Habitat for Humanity, the School District Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club, the symphony,” Berry said.

After a few months, Berry’s political career will change; she recently won the Republican Precinct 3 county commissioner primary held on March 1st.

“I’m term-limited so I can’t run for mayor again; my term is up in November. So the county commissioner will start in January,” Berry said. “I won the primary, so I’ll be on the ballot in November to be elected county commissioner, but I’ll be elected since there was no Democrat and I won the Republican nomination.”

The job of the county commissioner, similar to the mayor, requires a variety of time-committing activities. “[I work on] roads and bridges, and funds the county, the sheriff ’s office, the county district attorney and the courthouse, the jails, the justice service,” Ber-

ry said.

Through the process, Berry must have a system of checks and balances to carry out the financial aspects of the job of county commissioner effectively.

“The way you establish policy is essentially through the budget process,” Berry said. “You put your money where your mouth is, where you think you need to improve, where you think you need to put the resources, so that the programs can be implemented.”

The primary features of the county that Berry wants to address center around growth and transportation.

“We need to bring more businesses into employ the people who are moving here, to have good quality jobs, and to provide the infrastructure necessary to support them,” Berry said. “I think that the county has not been visionary in terms of transportation.”

As Berry leaves her position, she hopes to leave behind a strong legacy.

“As [the community] continues to grow, people are going to move here because university students need services, dry cleanings and fast food restaurants, regular restaurants, different retail companies,” Berry said. “[I want to be remembered] as someone who has made a positive impact.”

Questions about local politics? Contact Nancy Berry at nberry@cstx.gov.

the roar | news | 5

friday, april 1, 2016

district attorney

councilman

JARVIS PARSONS

Jarvis Parsons had been serving the Brazos County as a prosecutor for ten years before he became the district attorney in 2013.

“The district attorney is responsible for prosecuting criminal cases in Brazos County,” District Attorney Jarvis Parsons said. “In Brazos County there is a county attorney that handles the misdemeanors and the district attorney in Brazos County that handles the felonies.”

The district attorney’s office work as prosecutors in court, representing victims in cases including physical and sexual violence, white collar crime, child protective services and other felony cases.

“We get the chance to meet with so many different people,” Parsons said. “It’s interesting because as a prosecutor, you get the chance to really do justice and speak for people who never have a voice.”

Parsons sees his duty to the community as making sure that citizens “know that there are people out there fighting to make sure that it is safe.”

“Our job is not to get a conviction but to seek justice,” Parsons said.

“Sometimes justice means a conviction, sometimes justice means dismissing a case, [and] sometimes it means putting somebody on probation.”

Unlike in other states with district attorneys, in Texas, the district attorney is an elected official. “[People] say your office should not be political,” Parsons said. “And that’s true. I think that one of the things

STEVE ALDRICH

that is important about justice is that not only that justice is fair, but it is seen to look fair, meaning that people know who is prosecuting the cases, and they have trust in the person that is prosecuting those cases.”

The Brazos Valley district attorney sees around 3000 different cases every year.

“I always say that if you want to have the funniest stories just ask a prosecutor because we deal with just really interesting people,” Parsons said.

“There is not a typical day.”

While being able to to be a voice for victims is one of the most rewarding parts of the job, the district attorney cannot always help everyone.

“I would say [the most difficult tasks are] if we have a case and something really bad has happened to someone, but you can’t help them,” Parsons said.

Parsons’ hopes to represent the Brazos Valley fairly and well.

“I think my job to the community is to let them know good or bad,” Parsons’ said. “There are some times when people will not agree with what we do, but we have to go out there and take the fire and take the heat, explain our position and let the judgment fall where it may and make sure we tell the truth as much as possible.”

“As a prosecutor, you get the chance to really do justice and speak for people who never have a voice.” district attorney JARVIS PARSONS

Questions about local politics? Contact Steve Aldrich at jparsons@co.brazos. tx.us

Steve Aldrich, the winner of the persona takes away from your profesRepublican primary for Precinct 1 sional persona,” Aldrich said. “There’s county commissioner, believes that also the realization that nothing in the each individual has a number of dif- job description says that your job is to ferent personas that when combined, make everybody happy.” make for a successful career.

Over the course of the next several “We have a professional persona — years, Aldrich predicts that the main how we establish our standard of living issue facing the community will be — but we also have a public service per- growth. sona. And that public service persona “If you take a look at CSISD itself, is how you contribute back to the com- CSISD used to grow pretty much at munity,” Aldrich said. “And I’ve found about a three percent annual rate. In the that I also have a passionate persona. last couple of years, you’ve had back-toYou need to have all three elements of back years of six percent growth. But the who you find you are and balance them fact is that the faster you grow, the more appropriately.” often you need Before he was those new faelected as county cilities,” Aldrich commissioner in said. “So that’s the Republican the real issue. primary, Aldrich We’re at about served on the 12,500 students CSISD school board now; if we grow as a trustee for 12 6 percent per years; through his year, that means experience, Aldrich that we’ll be tohas learned what tally built out by councilman the job entails.

25,000 students “I think that in 12 years.

STEVE ALDRICH you are elected by When Althe community to drich starts his make decisions on job as county behalf of the entire community in order commissioner, he has many goals he to maintain and produce the quality of hopes to accomplish for the commulife where we all work together collec- nity. tively,” Aldrich said. “[I want] a much better and more As city councilman, Aldrich has a collaborative planning for our commuvariety of duties to the community. nity’s growth between the two cities and “The major part of [my job] is in the county,” Aldrich said. budgeting and setting the tax rate in The process is an exciting one; Alorder for the city to be able to provide drich is glad to see that so many people what it needs to provide for its citizens,” want to relocate to the BCS area.

Aldrich said.

“It’s kind of a Catch 22: if we mainWith such responsibilities come tain our high quality of life, [College sacrifices and difficulties in the posi- Station] is going to attract a lot more tion. people,” Aldrich said. “Growth is inevi“You’re not compensated when table, it’s just a matter of how fast.” you serve on either a school board or a Questions about local politics? Concity council. So all of the time to spend tact Steve Aldrich at saldrich@cstx.gov is being donated. Your public service

“There’s also the realization that nothing in your job description says that your job is to make everyone happy.”

6 | opinions| the roar

friday, april 1, 2016

Familial struggles against illness inspire appreciative outlook on life

katerina kountakis staff reporter The sound of seconds ticking away from the clock hanging on the wall is the only thing I notice after a while. The burning in my eyes and nose from a disinfectant called Iodoform eventually goes away after breathing and standing in the building for a while.

I even get used to the annoying beeping sound from the heart monitor in the room, and the blinding white walls that make me believe I know exactly what being in an asylum is like. To some people, this sounds like a place relevant to hell. To me, this sounds like a hospital.

I am no stranger to hospitals, and neither is the rest of my family. I could have written a small novel describing the physical and emotional pain I have witnessed my loved ones go through, and unfortunately, if such a novel existed, I would still be writing it today.

It all started with my mom long ago, riding her bike one second, and then waking up in a hospital the next. A motorcyclist deliberately hit my mom, sending her to the hospital with several bones broken. I remember her later undergoing several surgeries to fix the injuries, like getting a knee replacement. My mother is a warrior in her own right, beating all the odds that were against her. It is only natural for her to marry someone who was also a fighter.

If you get chicken pox when you are young, there is a chance of you getting Shingles when you are older; this is what happened to my dad. I remember having to visit him in hospital for a long time. He was incredibly sick, but he came home a few months later and got his strength back.

But a few years later, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. His health was a constant worry until finally, he got part of his small intestine out. So of course, when you have warrior parents, you are going to get a child that won’t back down.

My oldest sister is my number one role model when it comes to never giving up. When she was 15 years old, she was diagnosed with Scoliosis. Because her back formed a perfect ‘S’, she had to wear a brace for about a year, but it wasn’t enough. At 16, she underwent major back surgery, rearranging her spine by placing metal rods

and screws into it. The road of recovery was not an easy one. Seeing my best friend vulnerable and in pain was probably one of the hardest things to do. But my sister faced it head on, letting nothing slow her down.

As people get older in age, they start to slow down and they don’t move as fast as they used to, except my grandfather. Unfortunately, neither did his habit of smoking. Recently, my grandfather has been in the hospital for several weeks because of C.O.P.D. His breathing problem made his heart start to flutter and slow down, causing his organs to fail. Fortunately, my grandfather’s heart and lungs got stable enough to transport him to rehab. He is currently learning how to live life dependent on an oxygen tank.

Then there was one more: me. I had some major injuries, but I never had any major surgeries like my other family members had. It seemed that luck was on my side for a while, until I had a surgery myself. I tore my ACL and a small part of my MCL in my left knee early sophomore year of high school. I got surgery last year in January, and it was a shattering experience, because of the realization that I had to make my family go through the same feelings and frustrations that I felt when they were in the hospital. The heartache of seeing someone who you love in pain and the fact that there is nothing you can do

about it. The agonizing wait while they are in surgery. The endless worrying that invades your thoughts and heart.

I hated that I had to make my family feel those feelings again. Every time I enter a hospital, all the memories and emotions when my family was in one come back. The vulnerability of not having control of your life and realizing you never had it to begin with. But after every great suffering, there is a lesson to be learned; to live life in the best way possible.

Everyone hears, at least once in their life, to be grateful for what they have. People go through suffering every day, and the fact that you woke up today alive and breathing is a blessing. Yes, there might be something going on in your personal life that is hurting you right now, but it does no good to only look at the negatives. Things are not always going to be dreadful, but if you start looking for something as common as the sun rising every morning to be a blessing, life won’t seem that sorrowful anymore. Being more aware of blessings in life, and to appreciate life more will make an ordinary day be an amazing day.

Katerina is a staff reporter at The Roar.

Have you faced illness in your family? Talk to Katerina about your situation at the.roar. kountakis@gmail.com.

Prioritizing personal opinion of self provides key to self affirmation

drew howerton staff reporter I care what people think. I probably always will. It seems like every decision that I make has to be approved by others before I decide to do it. Without the approval of other people, I feel like nothing I do is really important at all. But for the past year, the need to feel like I matter has become something I can’t ignore any longer.

I went clothes shopping over the break, and I found two hoodies that I really liked, and I was horribly indecisive over which one to buy. The first hoodie was tight in the sleeves, and it was pretty cute, while the other was slightly baggy but was better looking than the first hoodie. Although I had begun to lean towards hoodie number two, I decided to ask my friends, hoping they would

validate my choice. But to my dismay, my friends told me that the first hoodie was better, and against my better judgement I bought it. I left the store unhappy because I had let my need for validation overpower my own wants and needs.

Lately, social media has become less of a place to connect with friends and family, and more of a way to garner attention from both my peers and people I didn’t even know.

In my own digital corner of the internet, I could share my opinions, and through constant posting I could gain the illusion that people cared what I had to say.

Eventually, I got a Twitter, and I wasn’t constricted to only sharing pictures, but I could literally spew an endless stream of thoughts. I could see when people agreed with me and saw my content, which validated me like nothing else could. By using, or rather abusing, social media, I could get the affirmation I craved at the press of a button.

For a while, I was content with living in my fake digital world, where I had the illusion that I was liked by everybody.

However, there came a point where I could not keep on living the way I had been,

because eventually the feeling that came from every like and retweet wore off. It stopped being healthy, if it ever was to begin with. I act like this is an ex-habit, but to be truthful I still post things just so I feel like someone is paying attention to me. Although I’ve come to realize my problem and I’ve come to not rely so much on social media, I can’t help but feel a disconnection, not with my peers, but with myself. If I’m not getting attention from strangers or people I barely know online, how do I feel like anything I do carries any weight?

I’ve never considered myself to have a lot of friends, because talking to strangers is the rough equivalent of putting myself in front of a firing squad. But maybe having a ton of friends isn’t the solution to feeling important. There’s an expression that says “quality over quantity” that is always applied to companionship; it’s better to be close to a couple of good people as opposed to being friends with a myriad of really terrible people.

Uncomfortable clothing and cluttered Instagram profiles aren’t the only product of my approval addiction; I spend nearly all of

my free time worrying about whether or not those I surround myself with really like me the same way that I like them. I spent all of my time seeking the approval of my peers, and the only thing I really got out of it was more stress and anxiety. It’s taken me almost fourteen years of my life to even realize my problem at all, and now I’m tasked with the solution of solving it. Funny enough, the most overused and cliche solution is the best one: stop caring what other people think.

Though I really hate the idea of just not caring, I also really hate continuing feelings of inadequacy that come from lack of approval even more. But a month into this ‘not caring’ thing, I have to say I feel a lot happier. The other day I went out and blew thirty dollars on a toy lightsaber that I didn’t need, because it made ME happy. While spending money fruitlessly isn’t a very good philosophy, I would argue that it’s still better than having to validate every choice I make. Small steps are better than no steps at all.

Drew is a staff reporter at The Roar.

Want some advice on how to ignore the haters? Email Drew at the.roar.howerton@gmail. com.

the roar| opinions | 7

friday, april 1, 2016

SHE DOESN’T EVEN GO HERE Initial fear from constant moving later results in newfound emotional resilience

maya rios

staff reporter

I am the new girl. I sat at the back my history class on the first day, watching my new classmates reunite with their old friends. I kept my eyes to the floor as friends regrouped and lovers hugged in the hallways. At lunch, instead of risking to sit in someone else’s lunch spot, I decided to play it safe and hide in the bathroom. This isn’t a new occurrence. I’ve gone to five different schools in my elementary and middle school career. Before every move, I would tell myself that I should be used to this “new girl” routine by now, but each time I find myself feeling empty.

When I first moved, transitioning was easy. I was too young to worry about making friends or fitting in.

When I did ask, my parents’ answers would always be something along the lines of “it’s for the best.” I always struggled with the fact that I’m the only child of parents who didn’t get a college degree. My father barely got his diploma, while my mother when I was younger didn’t have one. Being the only child, I bore witness to the hardship of my parents trying desperately to make sure there

was a roof over their daughter’s head, and food for her to eat. My parents’ constant search for work was always the cause of the moving. It only got harder as I got older.

One particular incident I remember was in the beginning of 4th grade, when the teacher called my name and the whole class turned at the unfamiliar voice in their classroom. It was like they knew I was a foreigner to the town. From that point on I felt the need to impress my new classmates by looking as organized as possible. I was afraid of them, the students, who had been born and raised in that little town, who knew the functioning of the school and its inhabitants. They did not speak to me or interact with me in any way. Over the next couple of years, I eventually made friends, but when middle school registration came around, I refused to fill out the form.

The counselors called me down from class for my registration form, but it didn’t make any difference to me. I was leaving all of my friends behind me to tackle one of the hardest places to be a new girl.

Eventually, I moved here to College Station a year and a half ago. My first days of school were difficult for me, since I had enrolled days before the first day of school and none of the teachers had me on their roster.

The counselor had emailed my schedule to us; I wrote it down on a notepad for me to follow (getting lost several times) throughout the day, and no one told me how lunches worked, so I ended up wandering the school until someone pointed me to the cafeteria filled to the brim with kids. Terrified, I hid in the bathroom until lunch was over.

At night, I used to lie awake in bed, thinking about home at my grandmother’s house and the family that I left behind. I was 8 years old when I decided to go live with my mom in Pflugerville. I had been staying with my

dad for a long time, but I missed my mom so I left. That one decision started a long cycle of endless moves and growing distance between me and my family.

People often say that high school is a place where young adults really grow into who they want to be, but I have a hard time realizing who I am and who I want to be. I’ve had so many different personalities and different friends that it’s hard to navigate what I want because I’m afraid of commitment. My family always tells me that when I was little I used to smile all the time compared to now where it’s hard to catch me smile in my own house.

I feel like behind me is a trail of pieces of the smiling little girl my family used to know, in every town and every school that I left behind. I’m afraid to commit because I’m afraid of losing another piece of me. Losing pieces of yourself is just the life of a new girl. I am left with the shattered reflection in the mirror of the smiling little girl my family used to know and that I don’t know how to repair. I’m afraid to let people in and let them help repair the mirror because I know at some point they will be gone too and I’ll be left alone again eating my lunch in the bathroom.

But I know that eating lunch in the bathroom is only how being the new girl starts. Over the years, I’ve learned that it’s easier to move on from the new girl stage if I open up a little and talk to the people around me. Coming to College Station, I’ve been treated kindly by strangers and fellow students that took me a while to get used to because back home (or any other town that I had lived in) no one was this kind or nice to a stranger in a new town.

Maya is a staff reporter at The Roar. Want to discuss your experiences with being the new kid? Contact Maya at the.roar.rios@gmail.com.

8 | viewpoints | the roar

friday, april 1, 2016

SHOULD PRICE GOUGING BE LEGAL? Price gouging is the spiking of a good’s price to an unreasonable extent. It’s generally accepted as immoral, but should there be preventative legislature against the practice?

consol’s two cents “I think that the free market should regulate how the economy stands. It’s not fair to people who can’t afford the products, but ideally if people are price gouging the market will stabilize itself through supply and demand.” sophomore peter simmons “ You can’t depend on either people to complain to get prices back to a normal amount. A lot of people will care about something like an AIDS drug, but if it was something important to less people, maybe it wouldn’t get national attention. We need laws otherwise those prices will never go down.” junior vivian ramont

The Roar 2015-2016 Staff Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Executive Editor Senior Editor Online & Photography Editor Assistant Online Editor News Editor Features Editor Opinions Editor Entertainment Editor Assistant Editors Staff Reporters Faculty Adviser Assistant Adviser

Annie Zhang Stephanie Palazzolo Vi Burgess Rachel Lamb Haley Mitchell Josh Weimer Darcey Rydl Maya Girimaji Jennifer Zhan Olivia Garrett Yanichka Ariunbold June Jeong Drew Howerton Katerina Kountakis Maya Rios Michael Williams Chauncey Lindner

The Roar Editorial Board Annie Zhang • Stephanie Palazzolo • Jennifer Zhan

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. GlynnWalker, Director of Human Resources, 1812Welsh, College Station, Texas 77840 (979-764-5412) has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements ofTitle 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’s consensus One night, Americans suffering from AIDS and toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease, went to bed paying $13.50 for a life-saving pill. The next morning, they woke up paying $750 — a 5,556% increase.

The recent uproar surrounding this incident, where CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals Martin Shkreli bought the manufacturing license for the drug Daraprim and raised prices exponentially, brought to light the shadowy underworld of price gouging. Although Shkreli has since been arrested for securities fraud charges unrelated to the drug controversy, many wonder how U.S. citizens will be protected from the next product price hike. Sure, a 5,000% increase in the cost of a 50-year-old drug is obviously terrible from a moral standpoint — but how much should the government intervene in pricing in general? Where is the line between making a reasonable profit and price gouging? How will we balance the autonomy of businesses and the comfort of American citizens?

On one hand, high prices for products — drugs and otherwise — aren’t necessarily bad. Manufacturing can cost a lot in certain industries, and supply-demand economics keeps prices in check, as consumers flock to cheaper versions of products until all reach similar equilibrium prices. However, when a company, like Shkreli’s Turing Pharmaceuticals, has a monopoly over a product, there’s no competition to prevent them from hiking up the price to exorbitant levels.

Therefore, it is up to the government to regulate and control companies after a point by encouraging normal competition. For example, a newly introduced FDA process would allow companies that create a generic version of a monopolized off-patent drug will go through an expedited review process. Therefore, the fast-tracked drugs will quickly enter the market, and their lower prices will bring competition and force the original companies to lower their prices as well. New laws such as this one are the keys to protecting Americans from being conned again by the greedy corporations.

In the end, price gouging is simply bad business practice. Although each individual product may gain more profit, consumers will always find alternatives, leaving the original company worse off. For the benefit of the consumer and business, the government must make sure to keep prices at reasonable prices.

stemming creativity

friday, april 1, 2016

the roar | snapshots | 9

katerina kountakis staff reporter

Floral design students learn botany, artistry through hands-on arrangements For many, the words “Azalea,” “Bluebell” and “Primrose,” conjure up images of a female rapper, ice cream, or “The Hunger Games”. But for the Floral Design students, these words are the names of just a few the 150 flowers they have to memorize.

“The class, at times, can be difficult, because learning all the different types of flowers can be a challenge since some of them are similar,” sophomore Brynne Adamson said. “But it is really fun because you work with more hands-on projects and not so much busy work.”

In Floral Design, students memorize and are tested on different types of flowers, several floral tools and diseases that can affect those flowers.

Their projects entail making bouquets, centerpieces for banquets and weddings, corsages, boutonnieres and mums. The students also design their own wedding portfolios.

“As a kid, you dream about what kind of wedding you are going to have, and then you actually get to put it together,” junior Caitlin Crowder said. “You can make your own wedding bouquet. You know what boutonnieres are. It’s really fun to make your dreams reality.”

Even though centerpieces and bouquets apply to any shower or wedding, Floral Design students do more than that.

“After the centerpieces, I start teaching random holiday things; like for Christmas, we did a wreath and for Thanksgiving, we did cornucopia,” CATE teacher Rebecca Luna said.

“We learn more of the artistic side of things.”

Students not only learn about flowers, but also about different principles of art. At the end of the year, students can even get certified.

“For the first year, my students [who] are interested can pay $100 to get a certification at the Texas State Floral Association,” Luna said.

“The good thing about that is it makes the student more employed, and helps the student get a job if they do have an interest.”

Floral Design students learn basic aspects that can be applied to art and interior design.

The class can be challenging for some because not everyone is artistically inclined. For some

people, it comes naturally, while others have to work for it.

“There is more to Floral Design than putting flowers together,” Adamson said. “You have to think about harmony, balance, line, shape and colors.”

The students have to know what they are selling, what the customer wants, what occasion they are doing, the season, and what kind of flowers they are using. Floral Design students learn all these techniques and more every day.

“That is the first thing we did: learn what colors go together, different lines of symmetry, what a certain kind of arrangement will be used for an occasion,” senior Tara De Leon said. “It’s really cool to be able to take random flowers and then make beautiful arrangements.”

ABOVE: A Valentine’s Day centerpiece done with Gerber Daisies, Baby’s Breath, and hydrangeas.

LEFT: A centerpiece done for a spring wedding. Floral design classes regularly cater local weddings.

PHOTOS PROVIDED

BY REBECCA LUNA

10 | people | the roar

Concussion victims struggle with balancing love of sports, personal health maya rios & vi burgess staff reporter & executive editor

friday, april

When freshman football player Nathan Reeder got his second concussion, he took three blows to the head, tumbled down the forward down lane and hit the ground.

“Looking up was difficult because the football lights were bright, and it’s hard just to see when you get a concussion,” Reeder said. “It makes you feel like you’re going to throw up, and so the whole time I was gasping for air and just feeling [like I was going to] to vomit.”

Reeder didn’t initially know that he had had another concussion.

“My whole team was there, just standing there watching me freak out because I went into a panic attack,” Reeder said. “The trainer from Huntsville came and talked to me, and I ended up having to go to the hospital. I had a bruise on the left side of my brain, and that ended up causing vision and memory problems.”

After his two serious concussions, Reeder decided to quit football.

“I didn’t want to get to the point where I can’t do anything with my life, [where I] have memory problems and forget the day before and forget everything I’ve done,” Reeder said. “It’s a scary moment when you just think that you’re going to forget your whole life.”

Reeder took two full days out of school to recuperate, but he lost his chance to participate in football and powerlifting. “[The trainer] told me that if I didn’t take a break from school for at least two days, I would end up being dysfunctional for sports, lifting, for anything,” Reeder said. “It was a sad moment in my life knowing that I wouldn’t be able to do sports anymore. At that point it was like ‘what am I going to do now because I don’t have sports?’”

Like Reeder, junior and former goalie Matthew Spencer quit soccer after a severe concussion.

“There was a player on the other team that was coming toward me, and he was putting the ball more in front of him than he probably should and he had to charge after it,” Spencer said. “I dove down to get it and instead of kicking the ball, he whiffed it, so

...and then it hit me PHOTO BY STEPHANIE PALAZZOLO

the roar | people| 11

l 1, 2016

he completely missed it, and preceded with his kick to hit my head.”

Despite taking a serious blow, it wasn’t obvious that Spencer had a concussion.

“I didn’t get knocked out and I didn’t throw up, which are the first signs of the concussion, but my head really really hurt, so I asked the coach to pull me out of that and he did,” Spencer said. “I sat out one game. Then I played the next one.”

After his hit to the head, the Brenham trainers gave Spencer his first concussion test. Despite the test, concussions are still difficult to diagnose due to the individuality of each case.

“The trainer [asked] me to count backwards by seven from 63 and do the months backwards; I could do them, but it took me a really long time,” Spencer said. “He didn’t think that I actually had a concussion. I went on to play a third game, and it wasn’t really until that morning that I really felt like I needed to go see the trainer here.”

Though Spencer knew what a concussion was because of other athletes on the soccer team, he “didn’t ever think [he’d] get one.”

“I knew a concussion was your brain rattling around, but when they told me that it’s possible that I fractured my neck, it kind of freaked me out,” Spencer said. “I was worried about paralysis and stuff because the brainstem and all that junk is down there and I couldn’t imagine being paralyzed.”

Though Spencer hasn’t suffered permanently from his concussion, he still endures episodes of insomnia and headaches a year later, which followed the immediate shortterm effects of the concussion.

“I could still do everything I could do before, but it was four times slower. It was like the wiring in my brain was significantly twisted,” Spencer said. “I still tried to do everything that I could because it really ticked me off that I couldn’t do anything or that I was just slow.”

Unlike many, Spencer quit soccer after his first, and hopefully only, concussion.

“I do not want to live through that again. I decided that it wasn’t worth it,” Spencer said. “I took those three half-days, and it took me about three months to get where I needed to be again. So I’m not doing that again.”

In contrast to Spencer and Reeder, senior and swimmer Maria de Figueiredo chose to continue with swimming after her concussion in which another swimmer flipped over and kicked her in the head.

“I passed out in the water so I had to be pulled out. I didn’t know what was going on because I was really confused,” de Figueiredo said. “My coaches could tell just based on my reaction right afterwards that it was a concussion.”

Like many injured swimmers, de Figueiredo spent her time on land yearning to be back in the water.

“I couldn’t swim for a month and so I realized I hated not being able to swim,” de Figueiredo said. “I was like ‘I just want to get back.’ It made me want to return and get back to where I was more than before.”

While she was recuperating, however, de Figueiredo found herself struggling to remedy the academic repercussions of a concussion.

“Honestly, I should’ve been worried about if I was ok, but I was annoyed that I wasn’t able to swim or take the SAT,” de Figueiredo said. “My PSAT was so horrible I don’t even remember what I got. Obviously, the day after the concussion it’s not going to be that good.”

Despite the setback, de Figueiredo was able to recover and is planning to sign with a college to swim next year.

“It was really frustrating because I was putting in a lot more work to have the same results,” de Figueiredo said. “[It was hard] being able to do less for the same and then having to do so much more and not even doing better. I had to work a lot harder to be where I normally was.”

THE RECOVERY PROCESS

that, but you’ve got to understand that the kid’s safety is the most important thing,” soccer coach Stefano Salerno said. “It’s better to be safe than to be sorry for something as major as a concussion.”

Salerno, who has overseen approximately five concussions in his four years as head coach at Consol, is extremely careful with his players’ safety.

“A lot of players try to rush through and they’ll tell the trainer that they’re okay when they’re not 100%,” Salerno said. “The first thing I always tell them when they come back one or two days after a concussion is that they have to be patient. They cannot rush through something so serious because with the research that we’re getting on concussions, it’s something extremely serious.”

Though coaches have a reputation for valuing athletics over academics, Salerno’s soccer players with concussions take the soccer period to catch up on their schoolwork.

“We’ve got to make sure that a student athlete is a student first and athlete second,” Salerno said. “School comes first; we’ve got to try to make sure that we take care of the kid’s health. I mean absolutely, academics comes before soccer for sure.”

However, all are quick to emphasize the importance of prevention and recuperation after a concussion.

“For me, it sucked to sit out for a month and also not be able to perform in my classes as highly for a month,” de Figueiredo said. “But imagine having that for your whole life, so a month is a really small amount of time. I think it’s really important to allow yourself to heal.”

Athletic trainer Kali Utsey compares the brain to an egg.

“I like to explain concussions as an impact to the brain, which can happen from a direct blow, an indirect blow or what they call the contrecoup,” Utsey said. “If you imagine an egg and you imagine the egg yolk inside, that’s how our brain sits in our skull. So if we’re whipping forward or back, the egg yolk bounces against the skull and bounces backwards.”

Utsey is the head trainer; she’s seen over 100 concussions in her career. To aid athletes on the path to recovery, she uses the “Return to Play” protocol.

“There is a five phase graduated process prior to them even participating,” Utsey said. “We have a day one of light cardio of about ten minutes, day two would be a little bit longer of cardio, maybe some sport specific skills but all non-contact, and then the third day would be some type of resistance training but still non-contact.”

After the first few days, the trainers communicate with the doctors to move through the next stages of the process to eventually return to play.

“Some athletes get frustrated with us because it’s 24 hours between each step,” Utsey said. “[We] constantly record their symptoms and check on them, and they’re probably not used to having that much attention.”

Like de Figueiredo and many other athletes, the coaches are also anxious for the athletes to return to play. However, they are extremely cautious for their players’ safety.

“Coaches want to win, and everyone understands

12 | people | the roar

friday, april 1, 2016

Students’ love of superheroes important aspect of lifestyle, encourages growth drew howerton staff reporter Humanity has long been captivated by stories that depict larger than life characters who are still down to earth. For the ancient Greeks, this figure was Odysseus.Today, those characters are often superheroes.

Senior Ras Godwyn says his interest in fiction such as Star Wars and Marvel superheroes stemmed from his art he made as a young child.

“It’s kind of something I always grew up with.

My dad would say whenever he had his drawings, they would be of football players,” Goodwyn said.

“And mine would always be of superheroes.”

While Goodwyn remembers his passions manifesting at an early age, junior Logan Darwin, who collects comic books, became a fan more recently.

“A couple years ago, I was going through my dad’s collection of comics,” Darwin said. “I realized how cool and interesting they were.”

Darwin attributes her interest in comics to the stories that come from their nearly never ending legacies, and how superheroes are able to balance both normal human problems and superhero duties.

“Writers of comics would go on about one superhero for 300 or 400 issues, and it wouldn’t for a second be boring.” Darwin said. “I liked the idea of a normal dude having the weight of the world on their shoulders, but still resume everyday life.”

Along with their stories, Goodwyn was drawn to

the spectacle and larger than life qualities of characters in movies such as “Star Wars” or “Captain America”.

“That’s my generation’s mythos, it’s like our version of the Greek gods,” Goodwyn said. “My generation was the first to have these characters be part of the mainstream, and a lot of the reason for that was these movies that came out whenever I was growing up.

Those mainstream characters is one of the reasons Goodwyn doesn’t believe that fiction and fandom are exclusive to only a few people.

“I’ve heard stories, in the old teen dramas where it’s people getting stuffed into lockers for reading Batman,” he said. “But now, a Batman movie can be worth like $250 million. It’s nerdy, if you want to use that word, but it’s definitely still mainstream. I don’t even think it’s considered nerd culture, because that kind of implies that it is pretty niche.”

Because of Marvel’s mainstream popularity, stigmas, like kids getting stuffed into lockers, aren’t much of a worry anymore.

“I’ve never gotten crap for the stuff I’m a fan of,” Goodwyn said. “Because it’s so mainstream. I’m not the first to discover this stuff.”

But Darwin, who collects comics in her spare time, would argue otherwise.

“Anyone I meet that finds out I like comics or superheroes in general automatically has something to say, along the lines of ‘wow that’s lame’ or ‘you don’t look like a nerd’,” Darwin said. “I think it’s weird to assume that someone who collects comics is a nerd.”

While some see their interests as influential to their careers, others see it as a defining feature of themselves.

“I use my collection of comics and the stories in them as my own personal outlet. It’s my little thing,” Darwin said. “I think I’d be super boring if I didn’t have something.”

Although superheros may have influenced his career, Goodwyn says his interests come in phases throughout the years.

“It’s usually when I first discover something for the first time, like my freshman year,” I really got into Star Trek. I usually go into waves of what I like.”

Unlike Goodwyn, Darwin says her passion for comics has only intensified over time, to the point that she “needs someone to tear me off of my comics.”

While social norms place a division between sports and superheroes, Goodwyn, who is on the swim team says that he doesn’t have a problem knowing where his passions lie.

“I can’t picture myself going back and forcing myself to like something I know i’m not really passionate about.” Goodwyn said. “I like participating in sports, but football and baseball, I couldn’t care less.

Whether or not fans are influenced by their passions, there can be a comfort that comes from an interest that is larger than themselves.

“Getting lost in the stories and the nice feeling I get when I walk into a comic book store,” Darwin said. “It’s nice.”

the roar | people | 13

friday, april 1, 2016

Manners Matter

Former cotillion students relate benefits of etiquette class maya girimaji features editor

ARTWORK BY ERIKA SALZMAN

Chivalry is not dead.

Neither is etiquette.

“It started in the French court of Versailles when King Louis grew tired of his staff wiping their mouths on their sleeves,” owner of Susan’s Ballroom Dance and Class Act Etiquette Susan Quiring said. “So he created the napkin.”

Quiring adds that a child’s ability to interact with others and have good social skills is the number one factor that will affect their future.

“Teenagers often don’t know what to do,” junior Jackson McGuffey said. “Sometimes parents want their kids to know what to do but don’t know how to teach them, so they send them to etiquette classes.”

In etiquette classes, students learn many skills from common courtesies to poise and appropriate dress. “[Etiquette classes] are generally after school.

They teach you a few dances, how to eat and how to act with a lady,” senior Ayden Rodriguez said.

“They also teach you how to converse. It’s a really interesting class because you learn a lot.”

The classes have also helped dramatically increase confidence in the young people, along with learning manners and accepted behaviors.

Quiring has noticed that whether the class is taken for a week or for several years, the skills obtained last a lifetime.

“I wish [people] would realize that they’re not just old-fashioned.”

senior ELYSSA STEBBINS “Over the years, I have had students tell me how beneficial our Cotillion and Etiquette camps have been,” Quiring said. “One 18-yearold stopped me in Wal-Mart and said, ‘Dr. Susan, I took your Cotillion in 5th grade but saw no relevance at the time. Now I am in college, dating and have a job. All that you taught me has come back. Thank you.’”

Along with former students, current students have also appreciated and noticed the benefits from taking these classes.

“It’s definitely affected me positively,” Rodriguez

said. “I’ve learned things that I wouldn’t normally learn from what society ‘teaches’ you, because [what we learn in the class] is not done as much today as it was back then.”

But many outsiders don’t realize the benefits etiquette classes have and think they’re out of date.

“I wish [people] would realize that they’re not just old fashioned. People still use the etiquette that they learned at the etiquette classes,” Stebbins said. “We’re not just learning it for old time’s sake. We’re learning it for a reason.”

Senior Elyssa Stebbins states that she can now go out to fancier places and act appropriately and the skill sets that she’s gained will help her later on for interview. She said that she can even show off at prom because she “knows how to actually dance.”

Despite the generic stereotypes that come with the idea of cotillion and etiquette, Quiring said that her classes “are all about building character, confidence and courtesy,” and her students have fun.

14 | people | the roar

friday, april 1, 2016

MORE THAN A NUMBER Recovery from eating disorder sparks discussion of body positivity, stigma yanichka ariunbold assistant editor Junior Jadyn Jemaa remembers lifting her shirt in the mirror and thinking she was “fat” when she was just eight.

“A normal eight-year-old just doesn’t do that,” Jemaa said. “I would cover my stomach up in pictures — I would do so much to prevent myself from looking like what I believed to be ‘fat.’”

For nine years, Jemaa has struggled with eating disorders ranging from Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder, commonly known as OSFED , to anorexia, the latter of which she is currently in the process of a committed, “stabilized” recovery after relapsing in January.

“Before, I would go two months without eating and lose an insane amount of weight and then jump into recovery, but with the last relapse, I’ve lost so much weight that now I actually have to do a typical recovery where I have to eat slowly,” Jemaa said. “I used to be able to jump into it and be good and then relapse, but I don’t want to relapse this time. I really don’t.”

According to the updated Diagnostic

and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or the DSM-V, people have to fit in three criteria in order to be diagnosed anorexic: they have to experience a restriction in eating that leads to a significantly low body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight or of becoming overweight and a disturbance in the way they perceive their body.

Although she agrees that this criteria is mostly sufficient, Jemaa believes that popular understanding of anorexia should expand to include people who, though not underweight, still suffer from the disorder.

“One time, I told someone that I had anorexia, and they looked at me, up and down, and asked, ‘You do?’” Jemaa said.

Due to the ease of becoming “swallowed in the disorder,” Jemaa stresses the importance of getting help immediately if someone has any sign of developing of anorexia or other eating disorders.

“I always told myself, I’ll get underweight, and then I’ll recover, but that didn’t happen,” Jemaa said. “You have to get help before it gets to be too much because it’ll impact everything. I almost got fired from work, and I’m almost truant this semester because of it. I didn’t want

to come to school to face the reality of it; all I wanted to [do] was lose weight.”

Jemaa further details the distressing influence that anorexia has had both on her personal life and perception of food.

“It shelters you because I wouldn’t go out with friends or anything, and I would have breakdowns every day,” Jemaa said.

“Just by looking at and touching food, I would think I was gaining weight, and I would weigh myself about ten times a day.”

Despite the disorder’s controlling nature, Jemaa has dedicated herself to recovery, which she says starts with “finding a way to cope.”

“There are these things called negative and positive coping skills, and that’s basically how you deal with your surroundings and everything around you. Eating disorders are negative coping skills because they’re about control,” Jemaa said. “But, there are things like stress-coloring books or going into therapy. One of the things I did one day was write all my negative thoughts in red on a sheet of paper and change those to positive thoughts in green. It’s a really hard process, but you have to find something to want to recover for.”

Friends close to Jemaa have also aided her recovery by encouraging her to eat while still respecting her privacy.

“I’ll stare at food for ten minutes before I eat it, but my friend of ten years will be like, ‘Yo, fam, it’s okay to eat,’ and then I’ll take a bite,” Jemaa said. “And if I just can’t eat at the moment, my friends will understand that, but then later they’ll remind me to eat, because I’m so used to not being hungry and convincing myself I’m not hungry that my stomach has shrunk and I actually forget to eat.”

Jemaa prefers the emotional growth that comes with the process of the recovery to the “unattainable” end goal weight that anorexia encourages.

“Everyone with an eating disorder thinks that destroying yourself, your body, the chance of having kids, having a life, is worth it, but in reality, you’ll never be happy with your weight, ever,” Jemaa said. “So, I tell myself it’s worth it to recover, even though at the time it doesn’t seem like that. I remember there was one week when I saw my body as okay — so I want to recover just knowing that I can be happy for a minute, without an eating disorder. I’ve never had a good relationship with food, but I want one.”

PHOTO BY HALEY MITCHELL

the roar | sports | 15

friday, april 1, 2016

RIDE OR

DIE

Junior Daniel Ioerger and senior Connor Thomas round a corner during a mountain biking practice.

haley mitchell | online & photography editor

PHOTOS BY HALEY MITCHELL

Mountain biking team promotes outdoorsmanship, healthy living, community The arrival of any mountain biker can be hailed by the stomp of Chacos on linoleum tile, the faint scent of fresh soil and pine and the unmistakable sense that someone with great calves and a sock tan has just entered the room.

“You’re not focused solely on speed as much as you are on skill and trying to maneuver around the corners as effectively as you can,” junior Graham Waller said. “[It’s] really just trying to move your bike around while staying upright and just trying to ride the trails as fast and effectively as possible.”

The nature of the trails make these rides challenging.

“These trails are like a foot wide, and they’re covered in rocks and roots. You’re legit in the middle of nowhere most of the time,” junior Daniel Ioerger said. “Ever since I was a little kid we’ve gone camping, and when we’d go camping, we’d just bring bikes and ride the trails at the state parks and places like that.”

Ioerger’s early involvement in mountain biking is a rarity among the team’s twenty-something members, most of whom began their involvement after hearing about it from friends in high school.

“You can do it with no previous experience,” Ioerger said. “You can have never ridden a bike and in a month’s time you can race a bike.”

Both parents and members of College

Station’s mountain biking community organized the College Station Composite High School Mountain Bike Team five years ago.

“There’s friendly competition going throughout the team, but we’re all working together,” freshman Aubrey Hay said. “Sometimes we’ll play games and we’ll compete against each other or we’ll race when we’re trying to practice a skill. It’s definitely a learning process. They teach you the skills on smaller things, and you gradually work up to the bigger things. All those obstacles are really daunting, [but] it’s been exciting and kind of scary at the same time.”

After learning how to handle the technical aspects of mountain biking, like learning how to turn sharp corners and maneuver over large obstacles like logs and rocks,speed becomes the most important aspect.

“You always feel like you need to get better and that’s nice; just having a constant goal to work towards,” Ioerger said. “It’s almost impossible to get to the point where you think you don’t need to train anymore or get better, you always feel like you can get better.”

The College Station Composite High School Mountain Bike Team competes with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association, although several members like junior Kade Flynn compete in races outside of the national league.

“I’d like to continue racing outside of high

school and being involved in the sport for the rest of my life,” Flynn said.

However, mountain biking affects more than just physical fitness.

“The culture around mountain biking is so defined and well-developed. It kind of becomes more of a lifestyle,” Flynn said. “It pushes you to not only participate in the sport of mountain biking, but also become more of an outdoors person. You end up just spending a lot more time outside.”

Most are enticed by the outdoor element, along with other benefits.

“It’s a great way to exercise and stay fit, [and] it’s really just a great community to foster friendships and build new ones, and memories as well,” Waller said.

The team grows closer not only through practices together, but also at the races themselves, where they camp out as a team the night before the day of the actual event.

“It’s a really cool bonding experience. A lot of people who do mountain biking are really fun and they spend a lot of time just outside, just doing crazy awesome stuff,” senior Fallon Wenck said. “It’s something fun to be a part of but it’s not a lifestyle for me... yet.”

Overall, mountain biking is about the challenge.

“You can never get too good at it,” Ioerger said. “It teaches you the limits of your own physical and mental capacities.”

MEET THE VARSITY RIDERS: senior fallon wenck

junior kade flynn

junior daniel ioerger

junior matthew arthur

HITTING IT OFF

16 | sports | the roar

friday, april 1, 2016

Varsity baseball strengthens team dynamic, begins season with multiple wins stephanie palazzolo managing editor

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE PALAZZOLO

Ending last year’s season with a disappointing 7-20 overall record, Consol’s baseball team started this year as the district’s underdog. Already, though, the team is looking more like a “top dog,” as they’ve won more games in the first few weeks of the season than the entirety of last year.

“We know that the other schools look down at us and say that we’re not going to be doing much,” senior Junior Herrera said, “but that’s when we have to come in and say, ‘Alright, let them doubt us. We’ve already played together, and we’ll set those high expectations for ourselves.’”

To replace the loss of the many seniors from the 20132014 school year, Consol’s baseball team took on ten sophomores last year, creating a team that possessed talent, but not experience.

“It was very difficult to get along with the seniors,” junior Korey Goodman said. “You kind of have that pressure to do good because if you don’t do well, then [it was like] you weren’t part of the team in a sense.”

The age gap between athletes caused a divide in the team, leading to a lack of trust that hurt the team’s performance throughout the season.

“We just didn’t have that bond because we all came from different tournament teams,” Goodman said. “We were just

new to each other, [and] we had to learn to play for the same team. And after we gained the experience, after we started doing better, we started trusting each other.”

A year later, however, many of them would now call their teammates some of their closest friends.

“This year, I’m confident that I can hang out with any of the guys on the team like it’s nothing,” junior Landon Hux said. “Now, we go to Pebble Creek on Saturdays and play basketball, [and we] have a team dinner once a week. The team dinners, those are scheduled by the parents, but we hang out by ourselves more, and I think that helps a lot.”

Their friendship off of the field has been reflected in their performance, as they are entering district with only a single loss.

“This year, we all have varsity experience, and we’ve all played together for a year. After coming off of last year, we want to flip things around,” Goodman said. “We’re not too far. After we gained the experience, we started doing better, we started trusting each other.”

In addition, many of the athletes attribute the team’s success to the hard work put in during off-season and breaks, when some players even stay home to practice while families leave for sunny vacations. “[During] off-season, we do a lot of conditioning, running,” junior Hector Dominguez said.

“But this year we tried some-

thing new — we [divided our team into] a ‘Maroon’ team and a ‘Grey’ team, so your team is your family, and the other team is their family. We have to go through all of these little competitions and win for your team, which made us work together more this year.”

A crucial part of their closeknit team is sacrifice, whether that means switching positions last-minute or giving up personal stats for the overall success of the team.

“Last year, I started at second base and Sam Ramirez started at short, and Coach wanted us to move, so we just switched places,” Dominguez said. “Those kinds of sacrifices, where you’re going to have to sacrifice your playing time for another person, is a big part of the team. We just need to agree and say, ‘Yes, sir!’ If it’s going to make the team win, you’re going to have to sacrifice.”

The baseball team is hoping to continue their momentum through the season, playoffs and state, showing their true talent and potential.

“Almost everyone was new to varsity last year year,” Hux said. “I think that’s why we’re considered the underdogs. But now that we’re 12-1, I think we’re showing that we’re not underdogs at all.”

the roar | sports |17

friday, april 1, 2016

THAT’S HOW I ROLL

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Junior takes gold in Special Olympics bowling jennifer zhan | opinions editor Junior Mark Reinberg is no stranger to the awards podium. This spring he took home a gold medal in Special Olympics bowling, making him a two-time state champion in the event.

“Mark’s competition was really good. My husband and I didn’t know whether he would be able to pull it off, but he did,” mother Nell Reinberg said. “When they put the gold medal on his neck, I was jumping up and down; I was just giddy.”

The Special Olympics may provide an opportunity for students with disabilities to participate in sports like basketball and soccer, but coach Randi Daniel says there’s not a big difference between standard and Special Olympics sports.

“My athletes who compete in Special Olympics are athletes like any [other] athletes,” Daniel said. “They each want to do their best, strive for success and be part of a team that celebrates.”

And having multiple disabilities hasn’t stopped Mark from achieving that.

“Mark competes at a high level in bowling,” Daniel said. “He takes criticism very well and is always looking to do better.”

Mark practices with the Special Olympics team during the school year before upcoming competitions for a couple hours a week. In the summer, he also bowls on a weekly basis with the Challenger Sports program.

“At practice, we just bowl and when opportunities arise for a coaching moment, we take that opportunity to help Mark figure out what he should do in that situation,” Daniel said. “Which

pin he should go for, which side of the pin to try and hit, and so on.”

Daniel says bowling can be complicated due to its many working parts, including hand grip and strength, arm and shoulder movement, trunk rotation and release.

“One of my strengths is I am good at focusing,” Mark Reinberg said. “I am able to look at where I want my ball to go and throw it so that it gets there.”

However, he doesn’t bowl just to win.

“The best thing about bowling is having fun,” Mark Reinberg said.

Nell Reinberg says it’s been exciting to watch her son’s maturity in the sport progress over the years.

“He makes us proud every time he bowls,” Nell Reinberg said. “He’s really taken ownership of what he can do.”

Mark has shown that he can overcome obstacles. “[Because] I have scoliosis, sometimes my back hurts when I bowl,” Mark Reinberg said.

“So my dad and I started going to Aerofit two or three times every week to lift weights and do exercises that help me strengthen my back.”

Mark’s proved that bowling is just part of what he’s capable of. Aside from also being a state medalist in Track & Field events, Mark is taking classes at Consol to become an athletic trainer. He hopes to continue working with the Special Olympics after he graduates.

“We love watching him because if he can do this, there are all kinds of things that he can do,” Nell Reinberg said. “In his future, all he has to do is set his mind to it, work really hard, and he can do whatever he wants to do.”

“I am able to look at where I want my ball to go and throw it so that it gets there.” junior MARK REINBERG

18 | entertainment | the roar

friday, april 1, 2016

RE-MAKE-SPEARE Are you sick of watching cheesy re-makes of Romeo and Juliet, but still want some of the Bard in your life? If so, check out these entertaining film renditions of three of Shakespeare’s plays that you might not have read yet.

10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU jennifer zhan I opinions editor To the characters in Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” the Minola sisters couldn’t be more different. Beside the gentle and gracious Bianca, Katherine is a “shrew” — stubborn, brash and hostile. Worried that his older daughter will never secure a husband, their father decides his younger daughter will not marry until Katherine does.

Director Gil Junger gives the plot a modern makeover in his 1999 rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You. This time around, it’s not about Bianca wanting to get married, it’s just about her wanting to date. Julia Stiles is delightfully caustic as Kat, a high school student who argues with her teachers, listens to indie feminist music, and despises the frivolous partying lifestyle.

SHE’S THE MAN rachel lamb I senior editor She’s the Man is a cute romantic comedy based on Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”. The hilarious movie follows the journey of Viola Johnson (Amanda Bynes) after Viola’s school, Cornwall, cut the girls’ soccer program; after not being allowed to join the boys’ team, she disguises herself as her twin brother, Sebastian, and goes to her school’s rival, Illyria, to play soccer on the boys’ team.

That may not sound Shakespearian, but the

“The Taming of the Shrew” Bianca, anxious to date narcissistic model Joey, enlists the help of desperately lovesick student Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to find someone willing to woo her sister. Cameron then convinces Joey to pay resident bad-boy Patrick (Heath Ledger) to try and “tame the shrew,” and mayhem ensues.

In a word, the movie is sweet — predictable, perhaps, but no less touching. Of course, the cast’s comedic timing is great, and there are definitely plenty of witty one-liners I’ve stored away for future use. But it’s ultimately memorable because it explores the relationships that connect family, friends and lovers, showing us that people don’t always need fixing.

10 Things I Hate About You doesn’t just pay homage to Shakespeare by having scenes in the English classroom — it’s a crowd-pleaser with a message, like every work of the Bard.

“Twelfth Night” madness that ensues, including love triangles and rivalries, constitutes a classic Shakespearean plot line and creates a cute movie that’s fun to watch.

While the wit of Shakespeare gets a little lost in the cute, slightly unconvincing plotline, the similarities are extremely obvious, like the fact that Olivia is struggling over the fact her boyfriend dumped her, while in She’s the Man her brother and father are dying, which is definitely a more modern version of the tale. She’s the Man offers a charming, modern twist on an old classic.

RAN annie zhang editor-in-chief The final epic directed by celebrated Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, Ran is based on one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, “King Lear.” Ran, which translates into ‘chaos’ or ‘turmoil,’ is exactly that — three hours of brutally vigorous battles, gory executions and disastrous betrayals.

Like in “King Lear,” Lord Hidetora Ichimonji, an aging and ruthless warlord, decides to divide his kingdom among his three children (though while King Lear’s successors are female, Hidetora’s are male). His eldest two sons, Taro and Jiro, fawn over his accomplishments and vow to expand the kingdom, but his youngest, Saburo, laughs at Hidetora’s naiveté for believing that the three sons would be able to work together.

Hidetora: One arrow is very easy to break, but it’s impossible to break a bundle of three arrows.

Saburo: But what if the three arrows are bad arrows? What if they’re already corrupt?

With that, Hidetora banishes Saburo, forbidding him from ever returning to his kingdom, and almost instantly, Jiro and Taro begin to devise ways to strip Hidetora of his remaining power. But behind every scheme is Lady Kaede, Jiro’s wife whose parents were killed by Hidetora and is bent on destroying the Ichimonji clan. A deceiv-

“King Lear” ing woman with painted eyebrows just below her hairline (seriously, it’s creepy), Kaede sleeps with her brother-in-law, Taro, after own husband is killed and demands Taro to kill his own wife.

Tatsuya Nakadai’s portrayal of Hidetora is truly superb; Hidetora’s descent into madness shines through his crazed eyes, and every one of his gestures, sighs or stumbles attest to his downfall.

What sets Ran apart from “King Lear” is that it emphasizes more of Hidetora’s background: the warlord had ravaged the neighboring lands, killing thousands and forcing more into his service. Undeniably, it’s tragic that he destroyed by his own children, but just as tragic is his treatment of those he mauled in battle, including Lady Kaede’s family.

Though it was filmed in 1985, Ran was produced with a $12 million budget, making it the most expensive Japanese movie at the time. Even without the extensive CGI, Kurosawa masterfully employs various camera techniques without distracting from the plot of the film; each scene is simple yet powerful and purposeful.

At 162 minutes, Ran is a timeless work of art — albeit a little long — that itself retells the classic story of betrayal, family relationships and chaos. For those of you who find yourselves with an extra afternoon, I highly recommend this epic, and if you’ve read Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” Ran is a must.

the roar | entertainment | 19

friday, april 1, 2016

the roar reviews:

KAI’S DOUGHNUTS

annie zhang, maya rios & vi burgess

editor-in-chief, staff reporter & executive editor Kai’s Doughnuts, a local donut shop located just next to the intersection of University and Wellborn, is home to some (dare we say all?) of College Station’s best donuts.

The building itself is unassuming and small, but the aroma of freshly-baked donuts within certainly compensates for that.

Along with the more traditional donuts, like chocolate, glazed or red velvet, Kai’s also offers impressively creative and beautiful donuts ranging from Maple Bacon to Torched S’mores to seasonal donuts (we visited during Easter, so they were selling Peeps & Sprinkles donuts).

Between the three of us, we tried five donuts — red velvet, Reeses, S’mores, regular chocolate sprinkles and Oreo. Unlike the standard Krispy Kreme or Shipley’s, these donuts had more dough and were less grease and empty pockets of air; the donut part matched each of the different icings and toppings that we tried.

Besides donuts, Kai’s sells sandwiches, kolaches and breakfast tacos. We (meaning Annie, because she couldn’t stop herself from buying more food) tried the jalapeño sausage kolache: the mildly-spicy sausage perfectly complemented the

sweet dough, and the slightlysalty taste added a nice finishing touch to a breakfast of two donuts.

In addition to food, Kai’s also serves Vietnamese iced coffee and Thai milk tea (as well as regular, strong hot coffee), and it looks pretty legit, because the owners actually are Asian and were using the right type of coffee (we would know).

The only major downside of the shop was the seating, which consisted of three tables outside — Kai’s really isn’t a place to sit down for a leisurely brunch. In addition, you may not get food, as they sell until they run out of food (but at least you know the donuts are really, really fresh).

With a friendly staff that doesn’t judge while you gawk at the hundreds of donuts and go back for seconds, Kai’s Doughnuts should be your one-stop breakfast shop. Budget-wise, all items on the menu were very affordable. If that’s not reason enough to stop by one day, each purchase comes with two free donut-holes! (And who doesn’t like free food?)

PHOTOS BY ANNIE ZHANG & ARTWORK BY ERIKA SALZMAN

torched s’mores & red velvet

peeps & pink sprinkles

our rating:

reese’s peanut butter

20 | etcetera | the roar

friday, april 1, 2016

AIMING

TO PLEASE

PHOTO OF JOSH KIM BY ANNIE ZHANG

Success in national, world archery competitions follows years of dedication, love of sport annie zhang | editor-in-chief For seniors Josh Kim and Tonie Sahm, the bow and arrow are more than historical tools for survival and certainly aren’t just the symbols of a certain Marvel superhero; archery today, though overshadowed by more popular sports, has evolved into a calm, focused and impressive sport.

“The atmosphere and the people [who] are in it are different from a whole lot of other sports; they’re really friendly and not overlycompetitive,” Kim said. “For instance, if you’re at a competition and your equipment breaks down, your own competitors will lend you equipment to use.”

Kim, who has been shooting for about nine years, is a 4-H member and is also involved in Junior Olympic Archery Development, a national program under USA Archery, and the Brazos Valley Archery Club, which focuses on a particular style of archery.

Before that, though, Kim was a soccer player with only a vague idea of what archery was.

“Since Kindergarten to about fourth grade, I was in soccer and my team wanted to move to a competitive league, but I wasn’t really interested in that, so I wanted to find something else that was also sports-related,” Kim said. “I’d gone to some camps that [introduced me] to archery while I was a Cub Scout, so I started from that.”

Since then, Kim has competed in numerous indoors and outdoors competition, set at various distances and each with different targets.

“I’ve been shooting national competitions for a while. They’re open to the public — anybody can shoot — and I’ve been doing fairly well in those,” Kim said. “A couple years ago, I went to a qualifying event for a world competition in field, where you walk a course and shoot at spot targets. There, I qualified fourth, which then let me shoot at the 2014 World Archery Field Championship.”

Likewise, Sahm also started out as a soccer player before realizing that “something a little different might fit [her] better,” and in the eight years that she’s been shooting archery, has also won several competitions.

“I just shot in a state level 4-H competition.

I haven’t gotten results yet, but I’m hoping that I did well,” Sahm said. “Last summer, I shot in another big competition and I placed first in the state in one of my favorite events called Clout, which is designed to mimic medieval archers [who] had to shoot over huge walls.”

But to Sahm, the best part about archery is “the satisfaction [she] gets when she sees just how much her work has paid off.”

“It can be hard to see noticeable changes in my skill just at practice, but when I compare scores from years before to recent ones, I see just how far I’ve come,” Sahm said. “Those results just makes me really proud of myself and my accomplishments.”

Although archery is largely considered an individual event, the bond between the club members is much deeper than just archery itself.

“We all practice together every week and we celebrate everyone’s success together,” Sahm said. “Many of the older members have been friends since we were kids, so it’s even more meaningful when someone does really well in a competition. There’s a big sense of community in the group.”

Sahm and Kim are both officers in their 4-H club and occasionally assist in coaching the younger archers in their club.

“I help kids a lot in the monthly parliamentary meetings to teach them about the procedure we use, and on the range I usually help them score their arrows and teach them about the different rings on the target,” Sahm said.

The two also have plans to shoot for Texas A&M, whose archery program is ranked among the top ten in the nation.

“I’d really like to shoot [for the school]; during the last Olympics, [A&M] produced three out of four members of the women’s archery team,” Sahm said.

Sahm was even able to observe a closed Olympian practice.

“All four of the team members were in town and my coach invited me to meet them,” Sahm said. “Two of the girls were shooting, another was in class and wasn’t there, and the fourth was chilling with me while we watched the others shoot. She was super cool and encouraged me to keep up with archery.”

And for both Sahm and Kim, keeping up with archery is a definite yes.

“Archery is a sport that can really help you in other aspects of your life. It teaches you patience, self-control, diligence, serenity, and numerous other skills,” Sahm said. “On top of that, the reaction you get when you tell someone that you do archery is fantastic; it’s a pretty obscure and interesting sport so people generally think that you’re super awesome and a total badass just because you’re an archer. Which is true, because archery is definitely awesome and completely badass.”