The Roar Vol. 28 Iss. 2

PROP-ER COMPENSATION

ARTWORK BY DHRITI KOLAR

dhriti kolar & may sarin online editor & managing editor

Back in June, the school board approved a primary compensation package for educators and administrators. The package increased teacher base pay—salary at zero years of experience—from $47,000 to $47,725. Teachers, librarians and nurses received a 2% raise from base pay. Professionals, clerical, and auxiliary employees earned a 2% raise off pay grade midpoint, and administrators earned a 2% raise off their pay grade midpoint.

There is a limit on the amount of money

local government can collect through taxes. To stay within that limit, this year’s school tax rate was decreased by six cents, but an alternative plan was created to decrease the rate by three cents, allotting the rest of the money to compensating educators and administrators. Voters can approve this plan if they so chose in a Voter-Approved Tax Ratification Election on Nov. 8.

If voters approve the new tax plan, then the additional compensation plan, “Proposition A”, would increase teacher base pay to $49,600. Teachers, librarians and nurses would receive an additional 4% pay raise, totalling to a 6%

increase. Professionals, clerical, and auxiliary employees would earn a 4% increase of their pay grade midpoint—totalling to a 6% pay raise— and administrators would earn another 2% of their pay grade midpoint, adding up to a total of 4%.

“The state controls how much can be collected based on the valuation, so we are simply going to be lowering our tax rate because of the valuation,” AVID teacher Grace Stanford said. “[But] if you approve [the district’s] keeping three cents of the six cents, they wrote it into the law that it can only go to teacher pay.”

Community to vote on CSISD "Proposition A" which would increase staff base salaries

Nov 4 Football vs. Leander Glenn

Nov 5 Cross Country @ UIL State Meet

Nov 15 Boys Basketball @ Hunstville

Nov 21 Girls Basketball vs. Madisonville

Nov 21-25 Thanksgiving Break

Nov 24 Thanksgiving

Dec 14-16 Fall Final Exams

Dec 16 Early-Release Day/End of Semester

UPCOM ING INNEWSTHE

Boys cross country makes state

The boys cross country team and sophomore Maddie Black of the girls team competed at the Region III meet in Hunstville on Oct. 25. Black was the first girls runner to qualify for region in three years, placing 41st with a time of 20:51. The boys team finished in 4th place, qualifying for state for the second year in a row.

Girls golf wins Viking Invitational

Girls golf placed first as a team at the Viking Invitational in Bryan on Oct. 18. Individually, senior Ashtyn Vollentine ranked first with a score of 94, freshman Emma Ford ranked second with 110 and sophomore Karina Ji ranked third with 111. Senior Bella Nolan scored 115 and sophomore Kate Bobbitt scored 119. Varsity and JV will compete in Burnet on Nov. 15.

Hour of Code week set for Dec. 5-11

BY MYLA CATHEY

PHOTO BY EVY HAIRELL

Hour of Code, a program designed to teach students how to code at a young age, is set for the week of Dec. 5-11. Teachers are encouraged to participate by showing provided materials throughout that week, including lessons, tutorials and games.

The Roar News

Sophomores Meghan Rasmussen (left) and Anne Marie Simmons (right) analyze senior Hazel Schloss, a psychiatric patient, in theater’s dress rehearsal of “The Island”. They performed on Oct. 26 and 27 and will do their last show on Oct. 29.

PHOTO

Junior Lilsy Avila (front, black shirt) and senior Ryan Lee (back, neon shirt) race to lie on the floor so their team can table-surf across their backs in the Oct. 21 pep rally game.

Increased compensation meant to bring CSISD pay closer to surrounding districts

“teacher

salary raise”

continued from page 1

Teachers were also given a onetime retention stipend.

“They [gave] a $2,000 bonus for returning teachers,” English teacher Lisa Cochran said. “Half of it was paid [in] August, and then the other half is going to be [paid] in January.”

Teacher salaries vary by school district. Under CSISD’s current pay scale, teachers get a 2% increase in their salary each year until they have 20 years of experience; after which their pay increases by 1-2% each year.

“It works out differently for teachers who have more years of experience,” Cochran said. “2% does not mean as much as it does to a first year teacher [for whom] 2% of that salary actually comes out to be a larger percentage of the entire thing.”

Additionally, when a teacher retires, they receive a pension that is 60% to 70% of the average of their five highest-earning years, divided into monthly payments.

“If you work extra [years], then you can get [the rate of pay up to] 70% of the average of your five highest years,” Stanford said. “So if this is my highest year, and they take the preceding four years and average those together, I get 70% of that [after retirement].”

Based on a teacher’s circumstances—family status, health, time—a district’s pay scale can play a major role in whether they apply to a school.

“I’ve seen it affecting other

teachers, especially when two teachers are married to each other,” math department head and teacher Belinda Pruitt said. “It becomes a struggle because there’s the cost of childcare that factors into it, especially if they’re working moms, working dads.”

Although CSISD’s pay is not competitive with neighboring districts, the salary increases are beneficial regardless.

“All teachers are hopeful that voters will pass this,” world history teacher April Wilson said. “This is a good district where teachers, students, administrators are committed to academic excellence, and that’s quite unique. We don’t always see that in every Texas city.”

Many teachers see the potential pay increase as a sign of appreciation.

“Anytime that we can be recognized for what we do in our pay, in a way, that makes a difference in the lives of the teachers and the lives of our families,” Cochran said. “When I’m looking at saving for college for my three kids, just having that additional income makes a huge difference in our lives.”

OVERWORKED AND UNDERPAID

It’s a common perception that a teacher’s workload far exceeds their pay. Unlike most office jobs, a teacher’s responsibilities extend long after they leave the school building at the end of the day. Even though they have months off in the summer, they begin preparing for the school year before students even set foot in the

door and are required to complete staff development material.

“Teaching is not an eight to four job by any stretch of the imagination,” Pruitt said. “I guarantee you, every teacher is working outside of that.”

Besides teaching, teachers are required to take on other responsibilities like chaperoning events such as prom and homecoming, and attending graduation ceremonies, all without additional pay. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has redefined the role of a teacher.

“There’s a change in expectations,” Wilson said. “I don’t know if this is a result of COVID or a result of becoming Internetbased, but I get emails every evening from students and parents, over the holidays, over the summer. Something is shifting in the culture where they’re expecting you to be available 24/7, and you’re seeing teachers who are very distressed.”

Teaching is extensive in itself, as teachers make video notes, lesson plans, offer tutoring and grade assignments beyond classroom hours. For a small handful of clubs, teachers receive a stipend for becoming a sponsor, but this also adds an additional responsibility to their schedules.

“There is so much rigor in the curriculum out there today that you’re not looking at 2-3 hours per class. You’re looking at 4-6,” Wilson said. “If we have to grade essays, one class might take you 4-6 hours, and you teach 5-6 classes. If you do the math, it’s an additional work week.”

A CALLING

In spite of the severe undercompensation for their work, teachers believe in the importance of providing a good education.

“Teaching is definitely a calling,” Cochran said. “I doubt that any of us got into it for the big bucks. [Teachers] have that servant’s heart where they believe that what they’re doing is making a difference in the world. It’s like any job that you go into where you believe in the mission more than doing it for the pay.”

That mission impacts teachers and students alike. Pruitt enjoys attending her students’ extracurricular games and performances to see them outside of her classroom setting.

“We didn’t get into this career because we wanted to make a lot of money,” Pruitt said. “I want to go to the football games and orchestra concerts to support the kids. I love seeing kids in their element. I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve never seen that personality in class.’”

Apart from the studentteacher interactions, a supportive administration is crucial in providing better teacher working environments.

“It makes it feel like the district is understanding that it has been a hard couple of years, [and] that the community sees the value of teachers pouring [their] lives into [their] jobs and kids,” Pruitt said. “Through COVID, maybe people saw a glimpse of all that teachers had to do and realized, ‘Oh my, [it] is hard to teach kids.’ It shows that they appreciate what we do day to day.”

dottie marvin & evy hairell social media editor & section editor

Previously altered for the sake of students who contracted COVID, final exam exemptions will now be determined by attendance rather than solely grades. In order to be eligible to exempt final exams, a student’s semester average needs to be a 90 or higher with, at most, five absences, 80 or higher with four absences, or 70 or higher with zero absences.

The old rules from the 2019-2020 school year were reinstalled this year to incentivize students to come to school and improve attendance as the state contributes a small sum of money to the school per each student in attendance.

“It definitely made it a lot easier for [students] to be able to exempt when it was just going by the average,” assistant principals’ secretary Kristen Treider said. “In some ways, y’all weren’t expecting that change. Some of y’all are shocked that, all of the sudden, [absences] count. This is just to ease the public into doing that again.”

While the policy encourages students to improve attendance, junior Mo Rye prefers the previous rule from the last two years that students could exempt any class in which

they maintained a B semester average.

“It’s a good idea, but I think there’s too many ‘what if’ situations that it wouldn’t be applicable to,” Rye said. “I think a grade that is given to you is a good enough score to see whether you’re grasping the class, which is the whole point of exempting a final is [that you know] the information. It’s pointless to test you again on it.”

Taking a cumulative test isn’t always necessary for students in high school, but factors beyond their control can force their hand and put them at a disadvantage.

“You can’t control whether you miss a day because you have strep throat or something,” junior Brenna Hutchins said. “I think it’s just a little ridiculous that that gets counted against you.”

On the other hand, students may seem to take it for granted that they get to exempt finals instead of taking one for every class, Treider says.

“Not having to take your final is a privilege—not necessarily something that y’all have to work at,” Treider said. “Finals are only worth 15% of your grade, so it doesn’t influence your grade

a lot. It’s not like it’s going to kill you all if you have to take it. It’s not going to hurt your grade that much.”

However, the policy seems to have the opposite effect on the student body. The idea of not being able to exempt finals is making some students not want to miss school, even when they need to.

“If anything, it’s just made me more scared of missing school, especially for being sick and stuff,” Rye said. “A semester is a long period of time, and that’s not that many days that you [can] miss.”

After learning about the change through the weekly announcements, the students have responded with ideas for solutions, such as getting rid of the policy entirely, allowing more than 3-5 absences, or changing which circumstances allow for an absence.

“It’s a step in the right direction, in terms of judging your proficiency in a subject,” Hutchins said. “As for things could change, maybe [administration] could increase the absence number or just take excused absences because sometimes, life just happens.”

Friendship is something I learned at a young age. It taught me a different type of love—one that’s not blood-bound or romantic but incredibly strong in its own way. In friendship I found laughter, affection, and the instinct to care and be cared for.

In elementary school, I was in a program called Dual Language. We learned the same things as the other kids, but half our subjects were in Spanish. I grew up surrounded by the same group of kids, and those were my friends and my whole world simply because I didn’t know anyone else.

The friendships I made in elementary were ones that impacted my life the most.

One was a boy who I wrote stories with, and he’s one of the reasons I’m still in love with writing.

One was a girl I called my best friend, and even though she’s moved far away now, I still call her on the phone every now and then to hear about her life.

One was a girl who’s stayed with me since, who is my oldest friend that is still physically near me. Then there were girls I met in intermediate and middle school, who I call my friends now. I love them all very much.

There’s something about the softness of that love that I find in

them. There’s something about growing with them—experiencing life and youth together. There’s something about interlaced hands and heads on shoulders and the ability to see a face and recognize it as one of your own.

When I thought my friendships were missing something, I met another girl who made me realize what it was. During the art period we share together, our conversations last the hour. If we weren’t limited by the bell, I think we could talk for hours. If we don’t talk, the silence is comfortable and easy. I’ve only been close to her for a few months now, but if you ask me, I could tell you her dreams for the future, parts of her past, her habits of the present. I realized that while I loved my friends greatly, I was missing the ability to talk to someone in a mutual, personal manner. I’ve never met someone so similar yet so different from me, nor have I connected to someone so quickly.

I think that it’s easy to take friendship for granted, because it’s not always as noticeable as other types of love, like romantic love. A friend might not make your heart beat faster, your cheeks flush, and you might not think about them as often as you might a crush, but they provide steadiness, safety, and a place to confide in. Like a home.

bonded together

aliza jacob section editor

may sarin managing editor

senior explains power of music and its impacts

life in lyrics

In 2020, a Bollywood song came under fire for a controversial lyric, which roughly translated to, “Just looking at you, oh fair lady, Beyoncé will feel shy.” The meaning? The female lead in the movie was so beautiful, particularly due to her light- colored (“fair”) skin, that even a powerful celebrity like Beyoncé couldn’t compare to her.

The lyric promoted colorism. Typical Indian beauty standards state that the more light-skinned a woman is, the more attractive she is. This issue has consumed the Bollywood industry: many songs praise light skin, and most movies feature light- skinned actresses. Darkskinned female representation is almost nonexistent.

After receiving backlash on social media, the song creators changed the lyric to “Just looking at you, the world will feel shy,” removing all colorist references. Lyric changes are not unique to Bollywood, though: Beyoncé herself removed ableist references from her song “Renaissance” in August.

There’s no doubt that songs are a powerful and invasive medium. I can’t survive without playing the car radio

on my way to school. All day long, I see students wearing AirPods, tuned into their Spotify playlists. When I make movies in AVP, assembling a solid soundtrack is always a crucial step.

A song is a form of communication; the lyrics convey a story, a feeling. The thematic messaging in songs is constantly on repeat in our heads; it becomes familiar when we sing along to it. In a way, it becomes part of our vocabulary. Thus, it’s crucial to understand when the messaging is problematic.

Public backlash caused these artists to change their lyrics, which shows how communication is often a two-way street—fans listen to artists, and artists listen back.

Although lyric changes aren’t new, the Bollywood incident was the first time I’d ever heard of it. Even then, it takes a considerable time, effort, and expense to re-release songs. I’ve always thought of songs as a permanent, unchangeable medium. In light of these events, it’s fascinating to see the power of fan-artist communication to influence a seemingly unvarying art.

staffer expresses her views on importance and value of friendship

Should everyone take the PSAT?

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

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

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

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

The Preliminary SAT, also known as the PSAT, is a standardized test administered by the College Board that serves as the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program. In past years, the PSAT was optional for freshmen and mandatory for sophomores and juniors. This year, all of Consol’s non-seniors were required to take the test.

Being forced to take a standardized test is admittedly annoying, but we believe the importance the college admissions environment places on standardized tests means the PSAT should be mandatory for every non-senior student.

Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT are a major factor in college admissions. The PSAT gives students a chance to take an SAT-like test before having to take the actual SAT or ACT for the first time—providing students with experience that will benefit them when they take the actual test. Even though the PSAT is not a carbon copy of the SAT, the testing environment serves as the best simulation of the latter test.

It is true test scores have begun to play a lesser role in the admissions process. Some schools have either made submitting test scores optional or

gotten rid of the practice entirely. But even still, test scores are a significant piece of a different part of the college process: scholarships.

Several universities, including the University of Missouri and Texas Tech University, give automatic scholarships based on a student’s SAT score, while third-party scholarships often ask for students’ test scores in the application.

Additionally, the test serves as a qualifier for the various awards provided by the National Merit Scholarship Program. Other universities, including the University of Alabama and Texas A&M University, give scholarships based on those honors. In these instances, taking the PSAT specifically is essential in granting students thousands of dollars in financial assistance.

College is expensive, and student debt is a major concern for anyone pursuing higher education. CSISD should provide its students with every opportunity to lower the cost of acquiring a higher education. The district cannot be blamed for a college admissions environment that overemphasizes standardized tests. Requiring the PSAT is an easy way to both improve both a student’s chances of admission and help them afford college in a broken system.

“It’s good practice, but it shouldn’t be a thing that everybody has to take.”

— Sophomore Mayah Gentry

“It’s unfortunately necessary because even though they’re really boring and horrible to take, it’s better to practice for the SATs.”

— Sophomore Michelle Harry

passion project

Teachers share their hobbies outside of school

alaniz & emily chen | section editor & opinions editor

will do is fun to me.”

sketches, material studies just to explore the next project I

“I’ve purchased some homes and then I remodeled [them]. [I] do all the cabinetry and woodwork in the homes and I’ve done projects for other people. [I like woodworking because of the] time spent alone and there’s a working product when you’re finished. That’s something that you can enjoy.”

really expect. Going through research, word-lists,

something that leads to an outcome that you can never

“I like art because I enjoy the process of creating

JOHN TOLLETt: WOODWORKING

elena

Dakota Rodgers, Art I & Painting teacher

John Tollett, Adv. & AP Chemistry teacher

PICTURES PROVIDED BY DAKOTA RODGERS, JOHN TOLLETT

DAKOTA RODGERS: ART

PHOTOS BY MAY SARIN

Senior

class president Alejandro Hinahosa lights the torch for the annual senior passing of the torch.

pep rally

group of freshmen Student Council members paint decorative signs for the dance.

Body Vice President and senior Caylin Darnell crowns senior Jordan Cobb homecoming king.

carnival

Topf

night a starry

The events of homecoming week

cathey & masie johnson editor-in-chief & section editor

set up

Council member and sophomore Jackson Pelosi and parliamentarian and senior Trey Bohne hang up lights before the dance.

Students dance to the music.

students skipped the tradtional suit and dress and instead opted for pajamas.

Two

homecoming

friday,

Student Council members set up balloons and stars for a photobooth.

Juniors Annie Dickerson and Georgia Sledge pose for the camera amidst the crowd of dancers.

Student

A

Junior Madison Jackson face paints junior Domino Williams’ face as a part of the Art Club booth.

Junior Reagan Hughes plays a game of chess at the Chess Club booth.

Student

Working at the Chior booth, senior Ryan

hands a prize-winner a bottle of Coke.

Cheer team perform stunts for the student body.

PHOTOS BY MASIE JOHNSON

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY HANNAH MCKINNEY

PHOTOS BY MYLA CATHEY

on the case

Criminal justice classes prepare students for future in law enforcement

While math students take a math test, English students write an essay, and history students listen to a lecture, Law Enforcement students are busy practicing handcuffing, arresting suspects, and even simulating crime scene investigations.

The criminal justice courses consist of two topics: Forensic Science and Law Enforcement. In Forensic Science, taught by Chad Bronowski, students simulate mock cases as they collect and analyze staged evidence. In the law enforcement classes, instructed by Jeff Schafer, students learn skills, such as handcuffing and executing a warrant.

“You can’t just teach it,” senior Samuel Bayeh said. “You actually physically do it. A lot of it’s just built off of teaching us what police officers do in training us and all the fundamentals and runnings of the justice system. It teaches us lessons that we can use and apply.”Despite the large enrollment in Law Enforcement 1, only six students are currently enrolled in Law Enforcement II, but junior Mahathi Kannan finds this number helpful yet discouraging as she wishes more students participated.

“I’m elated [to take these classes] because I know law enforcement is rarely a course people want to take,” Kannan said. “I’m extremely grateful for [being able to learn] about my passion for law enforcement and criminal justice and being able to experience that every day.”

One of the hardest aspects of

teaching forensic science for Bronowski is introducing sensitive topics since part of instructing criminal justice includes murder and death.

“Some of the concepts can be a little bit touchy,” Bronowski said. “There [are] a bunch of different cases that some students are uncomfortable with.”

Unlike some other topics, like medicine, which are the same universally, criminal justice and the law is interpreted differently by each state.

“I feel like Texas is a good state to be learning a lot of law enforcement stuff,” Bayeh said. “In the future, there’s gonna be a lot of positions open for police departments.”

Learning law enforcement is considered important not only from the standpoint of a student wanting to pursue the career but also because the knowledge can be used for other purposes.

“I think it’s important even if someone decided not to go into criminal justice,” Schafer said. “I think we learn a lot of things in class that a normal citizen can use on a daily basis that helps them understand things about the law that might serve them in the future.”

The reasoning is the same for Forensic Science.

Though the class may consist of using science to investigate crime scenes and analyze offenders, the students can pick up skills that will last a lifetime. “It’s

emily chen and atticus johnson opinions editor & section editor

practicing critical thinking skills, collecting different pieces of evidence, and putting [them] together to tell the story,” Bronowski said. “So I think that not only applies [to] science, but it applies in real life. [I’m] teaching a skill that is useful outside of the class.”

The role of the criminal justice system is to protect society and individuals against offenders. In recent years, the police force faced opposition, but Schafer encourages people to stay open-minded.

“I think there are some misconceptions in today’s world about what police officers do, how they act, [and] why they do the things that they do,” Schafer said. “And so I think having an open mind can be an eye-opening experience, and [you] might learn some things that [you] never knew.”

A career in law enforcement comes with challenges that not everyone can handle. But that is what makes the career so unique as it is a social service of significant importance. “I think it’s a very noble career,” Schafer said. “I think it’s a career,greatand so it is definitely a calling. It’s not for everyone. I think that you need to really look deep and explore before you decide that’s what you want to do because it does take a special kind of person, [and a] special personality to [be in law enforcement].”

community organizers

Student

council arranges activities, enhances school spirit

debkonya banerjee & aliza jacob online editor & section editor

It takes people maneuvering the ropes behind the curtain to make a play. It takes a crew to make a movie successful. It takes the government to run a country. It takes the force of the Student Council to power the school activities.

StuCo organizes all major school events, from dress up days that make ordinary days fun to school dances that will live in students’ memories forever. The Student Council works to help the school and everyone in it.

“Everything we do is not necessarily for the school, but it’s for students in general,” sophomore class president Stella Bales said. “We try to help them make decisions for themselves.”

StuCo has many duties, such as fundraising and making posters, that contribute to integral events.

“We organize the Senior Sunrise and Sunset, senior gift, and Homecoming Carnival,” junior class treasurer Amy Chae said. “[We also create] dress-up days and [plan] Spirit weeks like Red Ribbon Week.”

However, some of these duties go unnoticed by the students.

“I feel like the student body doesn’t really know about how much fundraising we do,” Bales said. “We work really hard to gain money for all the students’ benefit so we can give them a fun time.”

StuCo is different from other organizations and clubs because they are directly involved with school administration. As a unit, they work to motivate the student body to share in the school spirit and be a part of something bigger through spirit weeks

and pep rallies. Individually, executives have their own duties.

“My responsibility is mainly planning, coming up with stuff to do, and helping my class, the sophomore class, understand what we’re doing and how to approach it, because I [feel] like that’s my main thing—leadership,” Bales said.

While members of StuCo enjoy their responsibilities, they also put a lot of time and energy put into everything the school sees. Junior class president Makenzie Ramsey works hard to provide her peers the best possible environment for Prom.

“I work on Student Council for at least 30 minutes to one hour each night just because Prom hasn’t passed yet,” said Ramsey.

As representatives of the student body, StuCo members find that a challenging feature of StuCo is simply carrying that weight.

“[StuCo is] scary just because I have to stand up for what the people want,” said Ramsey.

While StuCo may be challenging at times, the members have created a strong bond to help and encourage each other through high stress situations, and support each other’s accomplishments. The mixture of experiencing both highs and lows creates a close-knit group.

“We are all one family so we’ve all built a connection,” Ramsey said StuCo will continue to be the force behind the school.

“We just try to make the school a better place,” Bales said.

PHOTOS BY ALIZA JACOB & DHRITI KOLAR

Members of Student Council listen to student body president Trinity Pitman during their Oct. 24 meeting.

Sophomore Josefina Medina-Perez explains an upcoming event for the Energy & Enviorment committee.

Student Body President Trinity Pitman speaks to the crowd at the Aug. 26 pep rally.

setting the bar

Freshmen volleyball teams finish undefeated, bring new attitude, closeness to program

ian curtis & masie johnson executive editor & section editor

When it comes to receiving attention from their fans and fellow students, varsity teams usually stand in the spotlight. It’s not uncommon for freshmen to be overlooked when considering the success of an athletic program.

But this year’s volleyball freshmen are quickly taking center stage, as their Maroon and White teams went undefeated in district play and both earned district championships.

Freshman A coach Emily Hubacek believes that the difference this year has been a product of the freshmen class’ attitude.

“This group is so special because no matter who is on the court, who is off the court, or who [they substitute] for, they are genuinely happy for the success of their teammates,” Hubacek said. “They’re the most selfless players I’ve ever had.”

Many of the freshmen have played on the same club teams for several seasons, which has proved to be beneficial.

“I’ve been playing volleyball with them for years,” freshman Sara Kavanaugh said. “We support each other 24/7. We never beat each other down. We’re always helping each other out any way we can.”

That previous experience has given them a bond that has elevated their play.

“That chemistry that you can’t teach—they just already have it,” Hubacek said. “So we can focus on

practices, skills, and development rather than effort and attitude that is already instilled in them.”

The freshmen’s performance has not gone unnoticed by the upperclassmen, especially by varsity co-captain and junior Jasmine Rau.

“They just trust each other,” Rau said. “If they do happen to be losing, they trust each other to make up for a mistake.”

Their attitude has developed into a catalyst for their play. Down 12 to 7 in the third set to Lake Creek on Sept. 27, the freshman A team rallied back for the victory—much to Hubacek’s amazement.

“I told them, ‘This is going to be a hard set, but I want you to try,’” Hubacek said. “And I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a change in attitude and desire. If you could literally flip on a switch for a team to just turn it on, they did.”

While the sport can become a grind, the freshmen teams haven’t let that take the joy out of the game.

“I look at other teams, and they don’t look like they’re having as much fun as us when we go out there,” freshman Berkley White said. “We compete, we play hard, and we have fun.”

Their attitude is reflected in their practice just as much as it is in their play.

“Whenever [they] practice in the morning, or come to morning lift, they always have such a great attitude,” Rau said. “I’m just proud of them for being positive in everything that they do.”

The freshmen’s idea of a dependable teammate extends beyond the gym.

“[When] I go on the court, I feel like I’ve known them forever,” White said. “I don’t have to see [them] all the time off the court [to know] that when I get on, [they’re] going to have my back.”

The future of Consol’s volleyball program is hopeful. While this year has been prosperous, the freshmen are looking forward to the next three seasons.

“I know that some of the freshmen girls now are going to make varsity,” Kavanaugh said. “I’m excited to see them play and see them succeed. And I’m just really excited to do it all again next year.”

The White (left) and Maroon (right) teams celebrate after winning a rally.

PHOTOS BY MYLA CATHEY & MASIE JOHNSON

Freshman Julia Dewitt hits a kill off a set from freshmen Jill Vinal in the A team’s win at CSHS.

Freshman Olivia Kriel digs a pass while playing Rudder High School.

parks & refs

Athletes work as coaches, referees for youth sports to improve their own game

myla cathey & elena alaniz editor-in-chief & section editor

An elementary-aged soccer player is in the middle of an intense game. She finds an opening and kicks, scoring her first ever goal. She runs up to “Coach Addy,” full of excitement, and hugs her proud coach. Coach Addy embraces the young player and tops the celebration off with a high-five and a cheer.

Senior Addison Kieschnick gained her title of “Coach Addy” when she started coaching youth soccer two years ago.

Integrating sports into a child’s schedule can have lifelong effects, like improved physical health and time management. Getting that training from someone closer to their age can eliminate the intimidation factor that causes many kids to pass up the opportunity to play.

“I want them to be able to have the basic skills to become really good,” Kieschnick said. “I want them to be excited for practice and excited for games and create bonds with teammates.”

Refereeing youth soccer also provides sophomore Will Ferris the chance to give

constructive criticism to child athletes from the point of view of a young but experienced player.

“If they make a mistake, [or] they do something against the rules, I’ll always try to explain it to them and try to help them improve in their game,” Ferris said.

As athletes themselves, student coaches and referees see a brand new dimension to their sport by participating from a new perspective.

“It helps me understand the pressure of [referees] not wanting to make a mistake, but you also have all these eyes on you,” Ferris said. “The players are expecting you to make the right calls, the coaches are expecting you to make the right calls, and the parents are expecting you to make the right calls. I think it helps me empathize with them a little bit more.”

While teaching swim lessons for the last two summers, junior Sam Poole has gained experience helping beginners and competitive athletes alike. Getting back to the basics with kids has assisted her in her own performance.

“You kind of have to look at your own stroke and be like, ‘What do I do in my own stroke that works?’” Poole said. “You really have to break down your own skills in order to teach them.”

Student coaches aren’t limited to teaching beginners. Senior Sam Nitzke works for the College Station and Bryan Little Leagues for ages 10-12. He finds working with the athletes beneficial.

“It’s important to me because I like helping kids,” Nitzke said. “This is something that I’m good at as well, and it’ll keep me in touch with the kids which is something I like to do.”

Kieschnick has played soccer since she was four, so the job was a great fit for her. She coaches her little brother’s team with her mom and directly witnesses the importance of sports in a child’s life.

“Whenever I was little, rec soccer was the highlight of my life,” Kieschnick said. “It’s the one time kids get to have that outlet where they get to go and have fun with their friends but get something in return.”

For high school athletes, being a part of youth sports allows them to not only get back to their roots, but also help train new players.

“I wanted to become an umpire because I love the game of baseball and figured it’d be a good way to stay on it as well as making some money too,” Nitzke said. “It’s a lot of fun and just brings the excitement back from when I was a little kid playing.”

While the entire season is exciting, Poole thinks the most rewarding part is the end.

“The most rewarding thing is, at the very last lesson, seeing their progress and how comfortable they became,” Poole said. “And just knowing that you’ve taught someone a very important skill that could save their life one day.”

Senior Will Ferris referees a soccer game.

Senior Addison Kieschnick with her little brother, who she also coaches.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY WILL FERRIS

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ADDISON KIESCHNICK

To BeReal Or To Not BeReal

the roar reviews: BeReal

atticus johnson | section editor

After using BeReal for a few days, I don’t see the point of it. All it is is another Instagram with less features. BeReal has a unique format of the picture that you post, but that’s it. You take a picture of yourself and then of your surroundings with or without a caption, then your friends like and comment on the picture—just like Instagram. It’s harder to get distracted for hours on BeReal like you would on Instagram, but I feel like most people just hop on Instagram right after they exit out of BeReal, which defeats the purpose of it. BeReal also has a time frame for when you should post your image—which is pointless because you can still post after the time limit. The app is a waste of time.

BeReal is the anti-Instagram. Instead of being based on posed or edited photos, BeReal is focused on the “real” you: the unmodified version of you. One of my favorite things about the app is that you never know when the notification to “be real” is going to go off. It can happen at any given moment—sometimes not in the best moment—but that makes for interesting or even funny reactions. I like that the app is mostly picture-based because it ties into the whole purpose of being real. Not only do I like the content of the app, but I also like the setup. The home page setup is similar to Instagram and the friend system is set up similarly to Snapchat, giving it a familiar feel. BeReal is a fun thing to take part in, especially with friends. It can be really exciting to guess when it’s going to go off, who’s going to take the picture, and what poses you’re going to do.

senior Patti Livingston

elena alaniz | section editor

junior Kendall McKinney

background photo provided by Paris Pavlas

blender splendor

the roar reviews: smoothies

ian curtis | executive editor

This is the smoothie for people who think they hate smoothies but, in reality, have only had their parents throw some random stuff in a blender and call it a smoothie. Smoothie King isn’t a random bunch of fruits mixed together; the flavors are complementary, and the texture is smooth. You won’t be downing a mouthful of seeds at this place. This flavor in particular is excellent, as pineapple and banana go together surprisingly well. Despite their insistence on using adjectives in every flavor name like they’re marketing a yoga course to middle-aged moms, Smoothie King is well worth a visit.

dhriti kolar | online editor

I’ve always steered away from Jamba Juice under the impression that their smoothies would match the quintessential idea of a smoothie that’s too sweet or is healthy to the extent that it lacks any real flavor. But the Peanut Butter Moo’d smoothie made me question my prior opinion. Having tried smoothies of similar flavors, I really liked that the smoothie was not very sweet, and managed to strike a balance between two overpowering flavors–chocolate and peanut butter. However, this delightful smoothie is not one of the healthier options on the menu. It has a greater calorie value than most other smoothies and bowls available at Jamba Juice, making it one of the ‘cheat day’ smoothies instead of a regular one. On the spectrum from smoothie to milkshake, this particular smoothie would be somewhere in the middle, creating the perfect starting point for milkshake-lovers who are yet to explore the world of smoothies.

Peanut Butter Moo’d - Jamba Juice

Pure Recharge Pineapple - Smoothie King

PHOTO BY DHRITI KOLAR

PHOTO BY IAN CURTIS

Socialmediaconnects studentorganizationsto schoolcommunity

For all of its well-publicized faults and failures, the advent of social networking has revolutionized how today’s students communicate. Several school organizations have found ways to capitalize on that fact and use it to their advantage.

For teams like girls soccer, a major goal of their social media presence is to showcase their athletes’ performances.

“The biggest thing is elevating the girls and letting what we’re doing be seen,” head coach Caleb Blakley said. “We knew we needed to grow the Twitter account and start the Instagram because we realized the best way to highlight the girls was through the [media] that they use.”

Student Council’s Instagram account, run by public relations representative and senior Maddie Wilson, is a valuable resource for students unsure about upcoming events.

“People will message the Instagram account and just ask questions if they’re a little bit confused,” Wilson said. “Whenever we posted about having to wear tennis shoes at Homecoming, we got a lot of texts about, ‘Why do we have to wear tennis shoes?’ Once we were able to post and tell them why [to protect the court] and what the situation was, everybody was happy with it.”

Social media is also a way to provide parents and other members of the community with updates during games.

“Parents appreciate it when they can go to

Twitter,” Blakley said. “I know as a fan of our football team, if I can’t make a game, I’m checking Twitter for updates, and if someone isn’t [livetweeting the game] I have to text someone who is there to see what’s going on. It’s important to keep the community informed during and after games.”

Other programs, like the baseball team, use their platform for entertainment just as much as informing the community of their activities.

“At first, a lot of us thought it was kind of funny at times,” assistant baseball coach William Burton said. “People would say, ‘Hey coach, I saw y’all on TikTok. It was kind of cheesy.’ But they watched it, and they [kept] watching, and now it’s grown to where more people are looking for it. They’re looking forward to it, and asking when the next one is going to come out.”

While these accounts are an important resource for the school community, those running them are not blind to the dangers of social media.

“There’s a culture in our country of being addicted to social media,” Blakley said. “So there’s a question of, ‘Are we feeding into something that’s already unhealthy?’ But we want to bring in more followers so people can see how important the program is. It’s a double-edged sword.”

These posts can be as much of a time commitment as homework, says sophomore Karina Ji, who manages social media for the speech and debate team.

“The most demanding part is the time aspect,” Ji said. “I spend 45 minutes to an hour on each post. It’s fun, so I don’t really mind, but it’s hard to find time to sit down and do it sometimes.”

However, the difficulties are minimal compared to the significant impact social media has on students.

“We try to make Instagram more like a meeting place,” Wilson said. “Yes, it has Student Council information on it, but it’s also for the entire student body. We like to showcase clubs there.”

These networks serve as more than a method of distributing information.

“I love getting to celebrate and share the achievements of my team knowing how much time and effort they have put into preparing and competing,” Wilson said.

A strong social media presence can benefit the team just as much as their viewers.

“It’s definitely created an atmosphere where [both] players and coaches are enjoying it,” Burton said. “We can have fun, and we can be relaxed. It’s created a camaraderie.”

Despite the effort put in, Wilson believes it is fulfilling to share such achievements with the students on social media.

“I enjoy the creativity aspect of it,” Wilson said. “It’s fun to be able to take information and present it in a way that I know our student body will engage with.”

ian curtis & debkonya banerjee executive editor & online editor