The Kinkaid Falcon - Issue 5, Vol. 71

THE KINKAID

The Kinkaid School 201 Kinkaid School Dr. Houston, TX 77024

FALCON

April 20, 2018 Volume 71, Issue 5

Ross Abdallah Alameddine Brian Bluhm Austin Cloyd Kevin Granata Caitlin Hammaren Rachael Elizabet Hill Jarrett Lane Henry Lee G.V. Loganathan Lauren McCain Juan Ramon Ortiz Daniel Perez Cueva Mike Pohle Mary Read Waleed Shaalan Maxine Turner Christopher James Bishop Ryan Clark Jocelyne Couture-Nowak Matthew Gwaltney Jeremy Herbstritt Emily Hilscher Matthew La Porte Liviu Librescu Partahi Lumbantoruan Daniel O’Neil Minal Panchal Erin Peterson Julia Pryde Reema Samaha Leslie Sherman Nicole White Derrick Brun Dwayne Lewis Chase Lussier Daryl Lussier Neva Winnecoup Rogers Chanelle Rosebear Michelle Sigana Alicia Spike Thurlene Stillday Naomi Rose Ebersol Anna Mae Stoltzfus Marian Fisher Mary Liz Miller Lina Miller Ryanne Mace Julianna Gehant Catalina Garcia Gayle Dubowski Dan Parmenter Katleen Ping Judith Seymour Lydia Sim Sonam Choedon Grace Eunhae Kim Doris Chibuko Tshering Rinzing Bhutia Charlotte Bacon Daniel Barden Rachel Davino Olivia Engel Josephine Gay Ana Marquez-Greene Dylan Hockley Dawn Hochsprung Madeleine F. Hsu Catherine Hubbard Chase Kowalski Jesse Lewis James Mattioli Grace McDonnell Anne Marie Murphy Emilie Parker Jack Pinto Noah Pozner Caroline Previdi Jessica Rekos Aielle Richman Lauren Rousseau Mary Sherlach Victoria Soto Benjamin Wheeler Allison Wyatt Christopher Michaels-Martinez Veronika Weiss Katie Cooper Cheng-Yuan Hong George Chen Weihan Wang Andrew Fryberg Shaylee Chuckulnaskit Gia Soriano Zoe Galasso Lucero Alcaraz Treven Taylor Anspach Rebecka Ann Carnes Quinn Glen Cooper Kim Saltmarsh Dietz Lucas Eibel Jason Dale Johnson Lawrence Levine Sarena Dawn Moore Alyssa Alhadeff Scott Beigel Martin Duque Anguiano Nicholas Dworet Aaron Feis Jaime Guttenberg Chris Hixon Luke Hoyer Cara Loughran Gina Montalto Joaquin Oliver Alaina Petty Meadow Pollack Helena Ramsay Alex Schachter Carmen Schentrup Peter Wang Ross Abdallah Almeddine Brian Bluhm Austin Cloyd Kevin Granata Caitlin Hammaren Rachael Elizabet Hill Jarrett Lane Henry Lee G.V. Loganathan Lauren McCain Juan Ramon Ortiz Daniel Perez Cueva Mike Pohle Mary Read Waleed Shaalan Maxine Turner Christopher James Bishop Ryan Clark Jocelyne outure-Nowak Matthew Gwaltney Jeremy Herbstritt Emily Hilscher Matthew La Porte Liviu Librescu Partahi Lumbantoruan Daniel O’Neil Minal Panchal Erin Peterson Julia Pryde Reema Samaha Leslie Sherman Nicole White Derrick Brun Dwayne Lewis Chase Lussier Daryl Lussier Neva Winnecoup Rogers Chanelle Rosebear Michelle Sigana Alicia Spike Thurlene Stillday Naomi Rose Ebersol Anna Mae Stoltzfus Marian Fisher Mary Liz Miller Lina Miller Ryanne Mace Julianna Gehant Catalina Garcia Gayle Dubowski Dan Parmenter Katleen Ping Judith Seymour Lydia Sim Sonam Choedon Grace Eunhae Kim Doris Chibuko Tshering Rinzing Bhutia Charlotte Bacon Daniel Barden Rachel Davino Olivia Engel Josephine Gay Ana Marquez-Greene Dylan Hockley Dawn Hochsprung Madeleine F. Hsu Catherine Hubbard Chase Kowalski Jesse Lewis James Mattioli Grace McDonnell Anne Marie Murphy Emilie Parker Jack Pinto Noah

INSIDE

News | P. 2 Arts & Culture | P. 6 Features | P. 9 Op-Ed | P. 15 Entertainment | P. 18 Sports | P. 20

p. 5 | Culture Fest

p. 6 | ISAS Arts Festival

p. 14 | Field Day

p. 21 | Spring Signings

2 NEWS | The Kinkaid Falcon | April 20, 2018

News in

BRIEF

BY SARAH KATE PADON

Debate Update At the TFA (Texas Forensics Association) State Tournament Kinkaid students competed among 224 other schools. Among the debaters that qualified for this tournament are seniors Minhhy Truong and Lauren Ho, juniors Amy Ho, Dani Knobloch, and Hannah Shi, sophomores Spencer Powers, Karm Ghei, Sasha Pun-

jwani, and Shreya Mehta, and freshmen Olivia Fowler and Alison Zhang. Ho and Knobloch reached elimination rounds in policy debate placing in the top 16. In addition, Mehta placed in the top 64 of almost 200 competitors reaching the elimination rounds in Lincoln-Douglas.

Book spine poetry In honor of National Poetry Month, the Upper School holds an annual Book Spine Poetry Contest in the library. Throughout the week of April 9-13 students and faculty were challenged to create a mean-

ingful poem by stacking books so the titles string together to create a cogent poem. The first place faculty winner was Harlan Howe and the first place student winners were freshmen Lauren Moak and Lilly Tanabe.

Book spine poems lined the shelves of the Upper School library. Photo by Emma Gilliam.

Student’s scientific work recognized Seb Seager (11) won second place at the Science and Engineering Fair of Houston on March 3. By using a twopart genetic system that can manipulate gene expression to control dopamine receptor expression in both neurons and the blood-brain barrier cells, he was able to observe the effects of dopamine on mating habits of fruit flies.

Seager also developed an iOS app that facilitates the timing of the activity and can automatically organize data.

His work with fruit flies won the recognition of the Houston Academy of Medicine and the Harris County Medical Society. In addition to his achievements in the Science and Engineering Fair, Seager has been selected for a program at the Johnson Space Center as one of the NASA High School Aerospace Scholars. In the selection process, Seager’s recommendations from a teacher and his state legislator won him a

spot in the program to study the STEM aspects, such as engineering and exploration of the environment, of a journey to Mars and work with NASA’s engineers throughout the process. Seager was also congratulated by the astronauts on the International Space Station who recognized the importance of these high school students’ work.

Distinguished Young Alumnus presents to students As the Associate Deputy Attorney General, Sujit Raman (class of ‘96) has distinguished himself as a young alumnus of Kinkaid.

However, the story of his successes in rowing he shared with the Upper School during assembly on April 4 showed how he used the skills he learned at Kinkaid in an unexpected yet valuable way. The Upper School laughed as he spoke of the time when he scored two goals on his own team in his last soccer game against St. Johns as a senior at Kinkaid.

Although Mr. Raman continued bringing hu-

mor into his story about mastering the position of the coxswain in rowing at Harvard, the qualities he established at Kinkaid such as his attention to detail, generosity towards others, patience and preparation, and perseverance allowed him to succeed not only in rowing, but in all of his other experiences in life.

Mr. Raman left current Kinkaid students with the challenge to be persistent and demand from themselves that they go just one inch faster everyday, like he did with his rowing team.

Barbara Bush’s legacy of childhood literacy endures As the widely admired Bush believed began with wife of the 41st president learning how to read. Mrs. and mother of the 43rd Bush was an incredible role president, Barbara Bush model for the nation as a inspired many through her strong woman who promotdedication to her family ed kindness and generosity and passion for philanthrothrough her actions. py. The loss of the former first lady on April 17 was mourned across the country after she died peacefully in her home at the age of 92. Mrs. Bush worked to promote worthy causes, especially childhood literacy, not only during her time as first lady, but throughout her lifetime. She founded the Barbara Bush Family Literacy Foundation in 1989 to expand literacy programs throughout the country, and later her son Neil Bush and his wife Maria Bush founded the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation of Houston to work towards providing ev- Former First Lady Barbara eryone equal opportunity to Bush. Photo courtesy of “People Magazine.” succeed in life, which Mrs.

Upcoming Events April 22 at 2 P.M. Choir and Encore Concert April 25 at 7 P.M. Creative Writing Readings April 28 at 7 P.M. & 29 at 2 P.M. Theater Company One Acts May 2 at 3:30 P.M. Senioritis Art Show May 3-5 Spring Sports Teams compete at SPC in Dallas

Seager smiles after receiving his awards at the Science and Engineering Fair. Photo courtesy of Seb Seager.

May 6 at 6 P.M. Film Festival screening of student films

THE KINKAID

FALCON staff

The Kinkaid Falcon’s mission is to be an accurate and reliable source of information for the Kinkaid community by informing readers about topics that are interesting, thought-provoking, and impactful from the school, local Houston area and Texas, as well as other parts of the world.

Questions or comments?

We welcome your voice and feedback. Please email student. publications@kinkaid.org or use the Contact form at http://thefalcon.kinkaid.org.

Corrections will be addressed on our website and published in the subsequent issue. Please direct advertising inquiries to sterling.elias@kinkaid.org & jordan.jafarnia@kinkaid.org.

The opinions expressed in The Kinkaid Falcon belong solely to the writer and are not a reflection or representation of the opinions of the school or its administrators.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Arman Badrei & Allison Favaloro ASSISTANT EDITORS Katherine Berman & Nia Caldwell WEB EDITORS Ali Ammons & Katie Erikson NEWS EDITOR Caleigh Doran ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Emma Stout FEATURES EDITORS Emma Gilliam & Sarah Kate Padon ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Hana Keleta & Marley Orange OPINION EDITOR Megha Neelapu SPORTS EDITORS Mac Friday & Jordan Jafarnia BUSINESS MANAGERS Sterling Elias & Jordan Jafarnia STAFF WRITERS Madi Babine Brady Brazda Sally Buck Nicole Fernandez Charles Garrison Eliza Griggs Lily Gunn Culley Harper Maggie Johnston Wilson Kelsey Ayush Krishnamoorti Allison Le Olivia Marrus Katherine Montgomery Megan Riley William Scott GUEST CONTRIBUTORS Shreya Mehta Jessica Liu ADVISER Kristen Bird The Kinkaid Falcon is published six times a school year.

Approximately 700 print copies are distributed for free to Upper School students and faculty members, and more than 200 copies are mailed to subscribers. The Kinkaid Falcon is a member of the CSPA and NSPA.

April 20, 2018 | The Kinkaid Falcon | NEWS 3

Snapshots around school

BY EMMA GILLIAM & SARAH KATE PADON

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Ayush Krishnamoorti (10) celebrates Holi on campus with classmates by covering participants in color. Photo courtesy of The Culture Fest Committee.

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Students enjoy the variety of cultures celebrated at the annual Culture Fest. This year’s theme was “The Silk Road” on the Harrison House Green. Photo by Eliza Lawrence.

2

3 The orchestra and

band perform a song from “Pirates of the Carribean” during Upper School assembly as a preview for their spring concert. Photo

by Sarah Kate Padon.

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Guest speaker Sujit

4 Raman (class of ‘96)

shares the impact his Kinkaid experience has had on his life in the Distinguished Young Alumni Ceremony. Photo by Olivia Marrus.

COLUMN:

Meet the leaders of next year

BY ELIZA GRIGGS In this issue, we will introduce another six of the rising seniors who will fill Kinkaid’s leadership roles in the 2018-2019 school year.

Avery Looser will serve on the Fine Arts Leadership Board as president of the visual arts department. She has served on the board since her sophomore year and has taken six semesters of arts classes at Kinkaid.

Her main focus is filmmaking, but she has also participated in the majority of Kinkaid’s performing arts events, and she has had some of her writing works published in Falcon Wings. “I wanted to take on this role because I have an extreme passion for storytelling,” said Looser.

Her goal as president of the visual arts department is to “create a fully immersive Kinkaid art community,” as well as display equal importance to all forms of art offered at Kinkaid. Looser would like to see Kinkaid students expressing their creativity to the fullest extent.

Seb Seager will be on the Fine Arts Leadership Board as president of performing arts. “I believe that the arts are about telling a story

Farise Cravens Student Athletic Advisory Council President

Avery Looser FALB President of Visual Arts

Ellie Lucke YAL president

Seb Seager FALB President of Performing Arts

Jack Mitchell YAL Vice president

Merrit Cozby Upper to Middle School Peer Mentor Leader

and about using various media to search for a greater meaning.” He started in the arts at an early age by partaking in many endeavors in lower and middle school. During his time in upper school he was sound designer for “Two Gentlemen of Verona.” Seager also writes poetry and is a flute player in Kinkaid’s band.

“It is my goal to increase awareness and appreciation for Kinkaid’s phenomenal Performing Arts programs, both through continued development of established Arts events and by implementing new, ambitious ideas,” said Seager. He wants to get more students

to experience the performing arts offered at Kinkaid, and most importantly, to participate.

Ellie Lucke is excited to be next year’s Young Alumni Leader President.

This will be her second year being part of YAL. The program is fairly new (next year will be its third year), and Lucke’s goal is to expand and spread awareness about it. She also hopes to raise the number of alumni who remain involved in the Kinkaid community after they graduate. “I really like the idea of helping people stay involved in the community,” says Lucke. Lucke will be accompanied by

Jack Mitchell as VP of the council. Mitchell strives to help Kinkaid students make connections that will lead to fulfilling opportunities after their time at Kinkaid.

“I hope to encourage more people to sign up for YAL, and make YAL meetings open to more students,” said Mitchell. He feels passionate about YAL and its mission and hopes to expose more students to it.

Varsity field hockey and soccer player and track runner, Farise Cravens, will be next year’s Student Athletic Advisory Council President. The council has only been in place for three years, and next year will

be Cravens’ second year, so she is very familiar with the council and its mission. She is experienced with working with children and Kinkaid’s lower and middle school, which is one of the council’s priorities. As president of the council, Cravens would like to encourage more activities with Kinkaid’s middle school students. She also plans to work more with team captains. There is a council in place called the Captain’s Council, in which Kinkaid’s team captains, along with the SAC council, discuss what they can do differently or better.

Cravens said, “We never really use the captain’s council for anything productive, and I would really like to do more with that.”

Merritt Cozby will be next year’s Upper to Middle School Peer Mentor Leader. She will lead the talks in which upper school students discuss relevant social topics with middle school students, such as body confidence and social media. Cozby enjoyed the program when she was in middle school and would like to give current middle school students the same experience. She was a peer mentor in eighth grade and has a passion for helping the community. Cozby said that her primary goal is “to teach them something valuable and help their transition to high school.”

NEWS 4 | The Kinkaid Falcon | April 20, 2018

Kinkaid is recognized for artistic excellence

Crazy for You earns top awards for choreography and costume design

BY HANA KELETA

NOMINATIONS Best Musical Best Direction Best Choreography Best Musical Direction Best Stage Crew and Technical Execution Best Lighting Design Best Costume Design Best Scenic Design Best Ensemble/Chorus Best Featured Performer: Ameer Mustafa as ‘Moose’ Best Leading Actor: Ashton Lambert as Bobby Child

AWARDS Best Choreography Best Costume Design Ruth Denney Scholarship Sara Burpeau Sean Rudolph Scholarship Ashton Lambert

‘Big Bang Theory’ star Jim Parsons announced the 2018 Tommy Tune Awards nominees via a video presentation.

Kinkaid’s Crazy for You secured 11 out of 15 nominations.

This year was the 16th annual Tommy Tune Awards. The Tommy Tune Awards recognized and rewarded the excellence in high school musical theater created by students and educators in the greater Houston metropolitan area. More than 45 area schools participated in the program.

The Awards Program celebrated the educational value, artistry, and community of high school musical theatre all around Houston.

According to Tuts.com, Tommy Tune judges saw a production of each show and evaluated them on each element. The judges didn’t compare one school to another, but rather challenged the schools to create the best possible work they could within their distinct circumstances.

“We are thrilled with

the recognition that Theatre Under the Stars and the Tommy Tune Awards has bestowed upon this production,” said Mr. Scott Lambert, Director of Visual and Performing Arts. “While all the nominations are thrilling, we are particularly excited by two of them: Best Technical Execution and Best Ensemble. Both of these awards recognize the collaborative nature of what makes theater great. How great to be recognized for those!”

On Tuesday, April 17, Kinkaid’s Crazy for You cast traveled to the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts to attend the Tommy Tune Awards. After spending the entire day rehearsing and performing the show, the cast attended the awards ceremony.

The team won Best Costume design and tied with Friendswood High School’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame for Best Choreography. Seniors Sara Burpeau, Ashton Lambert, and Mia Munn were recognized with scholarships for their academic and artistic excellence.

The cast poses for a photo before the award ceremony.

Photo courtesy of Scott Lambert

Scholarship winners line up on stage while Sara Burpeau (12) is awarded the prestigious Ruth Denney Scholarship.

Accreditation impacts strategic plans Why students should view ISAS as more than an annual Arts Festival

BY EMMA STOUT

Dr. Trusty is the head of the Accreditation Committee at Kinkaid, managing commitee visits and annual reports. Photo by Emma Stout.

ISAS is not just an arts festival. With over 88 school members, 56,378 students, and 6,361 teachers, The Independent Schools Association of the Southwest is an organization which provides a rigorous accreditation process, or education certification, to independent schools throughout Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Louisiana.

Accreditation is sometimes brushed over by students. However, faculty are active participants during the process. Ms. Tamasine Ellis, a history teacher for the Kinkaid Upper School worked on the Accreditation Committee during Interim Term and said, “We spent several months discussing and then writing up

our vision for the department; ensuring vertical alignment and rigorous curriculum.”

The ISAS accreditation process is essential to Kinkaid because it affects the student’s educational lives, but what is it?

In general, accreditation officially recognizes companies, schools, or other programs that conform to set standards. For Kinkaid, these educational and operational standards are set by ISAS. The accreditation process encourages Kinkaid to push past isolated thinking and receive input from the ISAS board, and often other schools in the program, in order to improve the environment, culture, and

learning opportunities. Essentially, the ISAS board acts as an outside pair of eyes, recommending and assessing changes made by the Kinkaid faculty, staff, and Accreditation Committee.

Dr. Ed Trusty, head of the Accreditation Committee, said that “over the course of time and in addition to the feedback from ISAS, Kinkaid has made various items a priority.” These include “space needs, curricular and programmatic considerations, strategic planning, diversity, faculty evaluation, technology, admissions, legal and benefits matters.”

Dr. Trusty also mentioned that although Kinkaid itself often marks these items as areas

of growth during the annual “self-study report,” feedback on these topics by ISAS reports often solidify them as priorities for the school.

ISAS report forms are obtained by a visit to Kinkaid by an ISAS committee, a group comprised of up to 20 professionals that take notes on the school “in action” for two and a half days. So when you see unfamiliar visitors stepping into your math class, you can know that these individuals and their feedback may affect how the school functions next year.

ISAS “recommendations” however, are just that. Schools are “not required to implement any of the recommendations unless there are some legal or safety concerns,” said Dr. Trusty. “There is such great diversity within independent schools that it would be very difficult to legislate what a school can [and] should do–single sex, co-ed, small school, large school, sports offerings, etc . . .” he remarked.

After the ISAS reports are released, in the fifth year of the accreditation cycle, Kinkaid will send comments to ISAS on what it has done to improve on the feedback. Currently, we are in the fifth year of the cycle.

The first step of the cycle involves Kinkaid forming dozens of committees of faculty, administrators, alums, and sometimes students that discuss areas of growth. Second, a complete report is sent to ISAS before the visiting committee then attends classes at Kinkaid to reflect on the report,

which they give to the school.

Kinkaid then provides abbreviated reports regarding changes and important goals in the school. Finally, Kinkaid submits a response to the ISAS report from the school visit before preparing for the next round of accreditation.

So, why should this matter to students? Primarily, students can only apply for federal grants (student loans or scholarships) if they are attending an accredited school. Additionally, accreditation can affect the focus of the school. For example, Dr. Trusty said that accreditation helped Kinkaid decide to currently focus on demographic diversity, professional development for faculty, curriculum (both vertical and horizontal flow), and space needs. The school embarked on a strategic plan in 2017, which also addressed some of the other priorities, including balancing arts and athletics while maintaing academic rigor.

ISAS also hosts an annual Arts Festival, where member schools of the association are able to exhibit student’s artwork and “foster high standards and stimulate creativity,” according to the ISAS website. Students at member schools are able to perform or present their artwork and are judged by professionals, where they can then grow from their feedback.

The festival is not just for the students, however. It provides an opportunity for the member schools to assess and “appreciate qualities in one another’s programs,” according to ISAS.

April 20, 2018 | The Kinkaid Falcon | NEWS 5

Teachers take learning beyond classroom Four classes in the Upper School include service learning in their spring curriculum

BY JORDAN JAFARNIA

This spring several teachers have continued the effort to learn beyond the classroom through a number of service learning projects. Ms. Sarah Shea’s Marine Biology class took a trip to Galveston where they worked in the bay to benefit the ecosystem.

Ms. Carolyn Clancy’s Topics class and Dr. Tara McDonald Johnson’s Heroes or Beasts Class created projects for Bruce Elementary and Landrum Middle School respectively where they played games and designed activities for the students. Lastly, the Children’s Theater cast has been working on their show which they will perform at Bruce Elementary.

Earlier this semester the Marine Biology class traveled to Galveston where they built oyster reefs, which would help prevent erosion and increase the oyster population in the bay. Ms. Shea said she liked this service opportunity because it gave the students a chance to give back to a community that they are very familiar with

and have a direct relation to.

“I really enjoyed visiting our local marine ecosystem with my marine class because when I go to Galveston it’s for recreational purposes, so it felt good to help ‘save the bay.’ Everyone worked together and had a fun time building these oyster reefs because it was for a good cause,” said Barrett Crosswell (12). The seniors worked with the Galveston Bay Foundation, known for their trips for students and their work towards restoring the ecosystem.

The students spent their morning on the bay building the reefs and their afternoon learning about the Galveston Bay ecosystem.

While Mrs. Shea’s project focused on the marine ecosystem, Ms. Clancy’s Topics class planned a service learning project on Tuesday, April 17 that focused on promoting an appreciation for math to the students at Bruce Elementary. Everyone in the class was partnered

with a student, and each group created two booth ideas that included fun math games for the kids to play. The booths were set up at Bruce’s gym, where the kids walked around and played mathrelated games. A few weeks prior to the event, Malcom Hedgepeth (12), Jae LeDee (12), Michael Horne (12), and Elizabeth Baird (11) visited a Bruce Elementary pep rally and talked to the students about Math Night. “It was The book fair at Landrum Middle School. Photo courtesy of so much fun! The kids had Kate Carmain. a ton of energy and all a bananagram booth, and Theodore Thud and the seemed so excited to be at a music and poetry booth.

Quest for Weird Beard” school,” said Baird.

In addition to Literacy throughout the duration of Dr. McDonald Johnson’s Night, the class partnered the second semester.

Heroes or Beasts class with Kate Carmain (11) They will perform also worked with students, who collected 700 books to the show to students at but this time at Landrum distribute to the families Bruce Elementary, a K-5 Middle School on April and students who attended HISD school. The Kinkaid 13 to promote literacy.

Literacy Night. students will be there for Similar to Math Night, “It was awesome seeing about three hours - first the English class provided the students picking out they will perform their Landrum with Literacy their books and enjoying show, then they will spend Night. the fun activities that Dr. time with the children by The students in Dr. J’s class had planned for playing theatre games, MacDonald Johnson’s them!” said Carmain. bringing them snacks, and classes set up booths The Children’s Theater doing arts and crafts. around the gym which cast has been working on included a slime booth, their musical “Pirates: a journal creation booth,

Annual Culture Fest celebrates Silk Road countries

BY LILY GUNN

Inara Khan (10) and Anish Odhav (12) serve guests.

Juniors Sanders Green and Celeste Santos enjoy their night at Culture Fest.

Ayush Krishnamoorti (10) after a dance performance with his peers.

Photos courtesy of Culture Fest Committee & Sofia Bajwa.

Members of the India Club perform a traditional dance.

The Culture Fest Committee describes Culture Fest as “a plethora of different nations [that] offers an opportunity to experience their histories, ethnic foods, and even performances.”

One night a year, the Harrison House Green is transformed. This year, the theme was the Silk Road—an ancient network of trade routes connecting the East and West.

Thirty seven booths, put together by student clubs and parents, represented countries along the silk road. Intending to transport their peers to the countries along the Silk, clubs replicated many aspects of their country’s culture, such as music and food. A team of nine teachers judge the booths based on three categories—booths, entertainment, and food—and present awards to the winners at the end of the night.

This year, the Vietnam booth won first place. The Young Liberals Club, led by President Jiya Ghei (12) and Vice President Minhhy Truong (12), worked to replicate Vietnamese culture.

“Vietnam was chosen because Minhhy Truong is Vietnamese, so he already knew a huge portion of the culture,” said Ghei. At the booth, egg rolls and Mrs. Truong’s homemade sticky rice,

among other traditional Vietnamese foods were served. An educational poster designed by the club featured cultural elements like the lunar New Year dragon, traditional Vietnamese clothing, like ao dai, an instrument called dan tranh, a “non la” (farming hat), and traditional Vietnamese music.

“Winning first place was awesome, and the club was really happy about it!” said Ghei, on winning first place.

The China booth designed by the Chinese Club was awarded second place. The booth featured many different aspects of Chinese culture: an array of foods such as pork dumplings, homemade egg rolls, homemade sausage sticky rice and tea eggs; an arts and crafts table where members of the club taught Chinese calligraphy and origami; and two performances — a lion dance and a Chinese song.

The Culture Fest Committee, led by senior Christos Papandreou, spent many weeks working to bring the Silk Road to Kinkaid. Sophomores Sahar Punjwani and Shreya Mehta, along with junior Amy Ho were the booth chairs and organized all of the booths presented this year.

May Moorefield (11) at her booth, Lebanon, talks about the culture of the country.

Ayush Krishnamoorti (10) and Anish Odhav (12) wait to preform on stage.

The Indonesia booth designed by Inta Bozkurt was a popular destination at Culture Fest.

6 ARTS & CULTURE | The Kinkaid Falcon | April 20, 2018

ISAS val arts festi

BY MEGAN RILEY

The festival had something for everyone.

Art galleries filled with museum worthy pieces, rock band concerts seemingly straight from the eighties, and musicals resembling Broadway performances. One thing they all had in common were the student artists.

The festival was a place for the next generation of influencers to gather and share their ideas with each other through the medium of art.

Each school year, more than 90 independent schools from five different states—Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico—gather together to participate in the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) Arts Festival.

The festival includes workshops from numerous fields of the performing and visual arts. This past weekend, Kinkaid took nearly 140 students to attend the festival at the Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas. On the morning of April 12, students loaded into a bus headed to Dallas. On arriving, an assortment of food trucks lined the gates: anything from grilled cheese to coffee to boba could be found, and when not enjoying the cuisine, students participated in numerous activities.

Administrators provided workshops like Zumba or Origami for students while visual art students had their artwork critiqued by professional artists from around the nation who spoke to students about the work students brought to showcase during the festival. The critique offered advice to the upcoming artists on how they could further their talents. Performing artists, specifically the choir, performed a preview of their upcoming spring performances. Solo singers also participated in critiques by singing in

From top to bottom, left to right: Grace Muir (10), sings at Coffee House. Cameron Rudin (11), Woodley Burrow (12), Arman Badrei (12) and Colin Monteith (12) make music during free time. Leona Chen (12) and Cammy Turboff (12) dance at a high school rock band concert. Meredith Burpeau (10), takes photos of the many flowers around campus. Celeste Santos (11) plays guitar during free time at night. Isha Popat (10) and Inara Khan (10) perform at Coffee House.

front of a professional who gave them feedback.

For some down time, students gathered in a grassy field near the designated Coffee House stage where students performed a cover of a song or poem throughout the day, but that was not the only time participants at the festival had the opportunity to see and hear other student’s work.

Kinkaid had a film screening on Thursday where other schools could

watch what they had been working on throughout the year. The featured film “Unprecedented” was a collaborative class piece about the effect of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, and film makers in this piece interviewed people about their personal stories and experiences during the storm. Kinkaid film students also had the opportunity to visit the screenings of other schools.

Students also performed other things they had

been working on during the year including One Acts, scenes from the fall play “Almost Maine”, and band and orchestra previews. A significant part of the festival was the school showcases. This included a preview of the high school musical and dance company. Kinkaid performed scenes from this year’s spring musical, “Crazy for You” and numbers that highlighted the students’ talents.

Finally, Kinkaid’s Dance

Company performed a preview for their upcoming performance this spring.

It included a variety of dance styles from tap, contemporary, showtune, and ballet, featuring senior choreographed pieces as well. Besides the numerous activities that kept students running around all day, students were able to connect with aspiring artists from other schools.

April 20, 2018 | The Kinkaid Falcon | ARTS & CULTURE 7

A Mac ‘n’ Cheese heaven

BY MAGGIE JOHNSTON

Smoked bacon, creamy white cheddar cheese, shaved parmesan. Distinct smells fill your nose, a paradise for mac and cheese lovers as you enter a macaroni and cheese paradise.

The idea of a festival centering around 40 different types of pasta and cheese combinations sounds like a dream: a long narrow building packed with hundreds of people and 40 tables displaying some of Houston’s best restaurants. This competition featured chefs gourmet takes on the childhood favorite–mac and cheese General admission tickets were $55 per person and a portion of ticket proceedings went to the non-profit Washington Avenue Arts District. The leftover food was donated to Second Servings of Houston.

I almost didn’t try this particular mac and cheese because the restaurant Jonathan’s The Rub is not specifically known for it. However, they had the most votes for best mac.

Their Smokey Mac and Cheese With Bacon ended up being my favorite

out of all 12 that I tried.

It was perfectly creamy and rich without being overbearing, and had the perfect balance of white cheddar and gouda along with a underlying hint of bacon. Although it did not end up winning the best mac and cheese award at the festival, it was a crowd favorite. If you have never been to the restaurant Jonathan’s The Rub, I highly recommend it.

I was very skeptical of this mac and cheese due to its unappetizing appearance. The restaurant This Is It Soul Food gave each person a large scoop of mac’ n cheese and then topped it with a dollop of watery, brown liquid meat labeled “Oxtail.” Oxtail, the culinary name for the tail of cattle, is often slowcooked and served with a rich sauce or as a garnish.

Little did I know, Oxtail is one of the most popular and unique dishes on the menu at This Is It Soul Food.

Despite my hesitations, the meat provided a central smokey flavor once mixed together.

Despite the fact that it was cold by the time I got to try it, it was still one of the best mac and cheese dishes I had ever had because of an interesting twist I cannot fully describe. This mac and cheese won the award of “BEST MAC & CHEESE” dish of all 40 different restaurants featured at the festival.

Main Kitchen provided a basic mac and cheese dish topped with bacon and lots of cheddar. Anyone would see their dish and want to stand in line. From the surface it looks like the original cheesy and rich mac and cheese that comes to mind when ordering macaroni at any restaurant. Although I was very excited for this sample, it did not meet my standards in the slightest. It was watery, cold and lacked any original flavor. Although it was very simple and bland, some people seemed to enjoy it due to the simple cheesy taste.

Houston queso rankings and reviews

BY ALI AMMONS My mom looks across the table and screams, “Don’t do that, Ali!” I didn’t know why my mom was upset, but her next command cleared up my confusion: “Go wash your hands now!”

Five-year-old me had one goal in my mind and wanted to complete it as fast as possible At the time, I didn’t realize taking your hand and dipping it in a pot of hot cheesy queso, and licking that hand clean was not the proper way of enjoying this dish.

Just like me, many Houstonians have had an experience with and understand the happiness that is queso.

In order to figure out which Mexican restaurant serves up the best queso in town, the staff of The Falcon performed a taste test focusing on the restaurants that Kinkaid students visit frequently: Chuy’s, Molinas, Torchy’s, Escalante’s, and Armando’s.

We ranked the quesos from one to five in five different categories: creaminess, spiciness, uniqueness, chip quality, and overall taste.

Here are the results:

5

Armando’s

Armando’s came in last place, with an average score of 6.08 in the overall taste category. Their chile con queso is traditional and simple: red chilies blended into the cheese. The restaurant itself is an upscale Tex-Mex dining experience, and on Thursday nights after 9 p.m. the main dining area transforms into a dance floor. The restaurant’s most popular dishes include the signature fajitas and queso flameado which is prepared tableside.

So, when going to Armando’s, skip the chile con queso and instead put on a pair of dance shoes and enjoy some queso flameado if you are feeling cheesy.

4

Molina’s

Molina’s Jose Dip came in fourth place.

Molina’s puts a spin on traditional queso by blending regular queso with spicy taco meat.

The restaurant has strong roots in Houston and was founded in 1941 by Tex-Mex food pioneer Raul Molina, who started in the restaurant business 20 years earlier as a busboy and dishwasher, but went on to help establish the popular Tex-Mex scene in Houston. So if you are a meat lover looking for some queso with a rich history head on over to one their two locations: 7901 Westheimer or 3801 Bellaire.

3

Chuy’s

Receiving an average overall taste score of 7.19, Chuy’s queso came in third place.

Despite the low overall taste score, its light and thin tortilla chip received a high score in chip quality. Originally located in Austin, in the 2000’s, Chuy’s started to branch out.

The restaurant is famous for each location having unique decor.

In addition, it serves moderately priced delicious cuisine. The most popular items on the menu are the queso (a mixed blend of cheeses served with a fresh green chile and ranchero sauce) the creamy jalapeno dip (originally an off-themenu item) and the Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom enchiladas (chicken and cheese enchiladas served in a cheese sauce.)

2

Torchy’s

Torchy’s green chile queso, topped with guacamole, cotija cheese, cilantro, and diablo sauce earned second place. The queso did well in the taste test and received top scores in three of the five categories: spiciness, uniqueness, and chip quality. Torchy’s was started in Austin by founder Mike Rypka who decided to spend his life savings investing in three things: a Vespa, a food trailer, and tacos. His tacos soon became so popular that he moved into a restaurant location.

The menu of Torchy’s includes a variety of tacos famous for their unique names. The restaurant now has five different locations in Houston, each of which serve up the famous, spicy, and unique queso dip.

1

Escalante’s

Escalante’s received an overall taste score of 9.03, making it the best queso out of the five restaurants. In addition to a high overall taste score, it also got the top score in creaminess (9.23). Escalante’s queso is known as “queso blanco” and is a simple queso made with plain white cheese and onions. The restaurant itself is very popular within the Kinkaid community and has a location that is only two minutes away from campus, so if you are ever craving some creamy, white, traditional style queso head on over.

8 ARTS & CULTURE | The Kinkaid Falcon | April 20, 2018

Holi

BY SHREYA MEHTA, GUEST WRITER

1

2

3

4 1. Evan Godinich (10) surprises Inara Khan (10).

2. Ayush Krishnamoorti (10) proudly displays his love of color.

3. Lizzie Markovich (10) dumps a bag of blue color on Gillian Huston (10).

4. Isha Popat (10) laughs as her friends pour color on her.

Photos by Allison Favaloro.

Vivid neon color, shades of blue, green, red, orange, yellow, and purple, drifted with the warm breeze in Kinkaid’s front lawn. By 1 p.m. on March 25, the Harrison House Green was transformed into a reception with a buffet, stage for performances, crates of water balloons, and bags of color. The chatter surrounding the lawn grew louder and louder as students, families, and teachers began filing in, buying tickets, and settling down to enjoy their food and the performances.

The smell of tangy Indian dishes like chicken tikka masala wafted in the warm spring air.

Kinkaid’s India Club hosted the annual Festival of Color celebrating the classic Hindu holiday, Holi, with performances by students and the tradition of throwing color to mark the start of spring.

The Hindu holiday Holi originated from a story representing the triumph of good over evil, centered around the evil demoness Holika who attempted to murder Prahlad, a devout Hindu devotee, but failed as Prahlad’s faith in God was too strong and overpowered her evil attempts.

According to Kanti Shah, teacher of Young Adult Religious Studies at the Vallabh Vidya Mandir in Houston, “Holi is a celebration of goodness/evil and a message of forgetting animosity. It is an community celebration of the pleasure of being human.”

Holi is also a key holiday for diversity: the goal is that when individuals come together to throw colors at each other, issues of race, class, religious belief, and gender become insignificant as every individual feels included and a part of the celebration, appreciating the holiday, the season, and the community around them.

Each color has a special significance and represents a key aspect of the holiday. For example, Mr. Shah said pink powder is a “symbol of good luck, good wishes, and blessings.” Each color is uniquely important as a part of the celebration, and the festival celebrates the diversity of color within Indian culture but also within everyday life.

Holi also marks the start of new beginnings: taking place in early March, it marks the start of spring and of new relationships, goals, or ideas.

The event opened with speeches from India Club President Anish Odhav, Vice President Isha Popat, and Treasurer Shreya Mehta of India Club thanking their sponsors Anjaly Thakkar and Eric Emerson, Kinkaid faculty and staff, and parents, as well as speaking about Holi. Mr. Emerson remarked, “Festival of Color is an incredible opportunity for students, teachers, parents and the community of Kinkaid to get together and celebrate diversity through play. The meaning of Holi is symbolically powerful while building community through fun.”

Next, as the rhythm of the Indian music began growing faster, India Club members performed a group dance to “Badam Pichkari,” a song celebrating Holi.

Finally, talented dancer and sophomore, Inara Khan, performed an upbeat solo Bollywood dance.

To conclude the celebration, students rushed to the ticket counters, grabbed bags of color and headed to the lawn where students, faculty, and even some parents began gleefully throwing powder and spraying water at each other, one of the highlights of the event that entertained guests of all ages.

Sophomore Spencer Powers exclaimed, “Festival of Color had the best food, the best color, the best times…

It was awesome!”

As the festivities ended, puffs of bold color filled the air as students posed together for pictures to remember the event. India Club stated that they were “happy to host a celebration that further exposed Kinkaid to themes of diversity and inclusion and look forward to hosting the Festival of Color next year.”

April 20, 2018 | The Kinkaid Falcon | FEATURES 9

Terrorism changes as tech advances

BY SALLY BUCK

Sitting around the dinner table with your family, you turn on

the news and immediately hear the booming reporter’s voice: there has been yet another terrorist attack. Fear runs through your veins. When will they come for your city?

Your neighborhood? Your family? You live in fear of this concept of terrorism.

With the media allowing for the quick spread of information, it is important to remember terrorism is not a new phenomenon. Accounts of terrorism have been recorded throughout the last 2,000 years (dating back to Jewish Zealot attacks against Roman rule in 1st century CE), but global awareness was limited without a constant news cycle.

Terrorists use the internet to create effective propaganda and use satellite images to more accurately plan out attacks. Additionally, the internet allows for terrifying videos displaying executions to be distributed

to a large audience with ease, frightening many.

While terrorism accounts for only a small percentage of deaths worldwide, the fear of these attacks cause the media to buzz around them. But this is exactly terrorist’s goal.

Terrorists rely on public fear to influence policymakers and force them to comply to their wishes.

Perhaps the biggest concern is not the violent propaganda put out by terrorist organizations, but the ability to reach out and communicate with potential recruits.

The rise of social media allows all types of terrorists to recruit from anywhere in the world.

The Islamic State (ISIS/ ISIL) was one of the first organizations to take advantage of the internet to advertise their movement and recruit. That being said, most Americans recruited by ISIS are young: many 15 and 16-year-olds leave home to join the group. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, 13 people have traveled to Syria to join ISIS since 2013; however, because of FBI efforts to monitor passport and bank account

activity, they have arrested at least six people on accounts of terrorist activity.

Since violence is quickly and easily broadcasted, terrorists no longer need a large-scale attack to make headlines. People across the world see propaganda and a new form of terrorism aris-

Terrorists rely on public fear to influence policymakers and force them to comply to their wishes. ing: individual terrorism.

Aspiring extremists from all over the world can see “calls to action� posted by terrorists that sometimes even instruct them on how to carry out attacks and take it upon themselves to fulfill this call.

This makes it increasingly difficult for govern- ments and anti-terrorist organizations to take action, because oftentimes these people have no other ties to the groups.

Although technology can be utilized by terrorists, it can also be used against them. Drones

allow governments and anti-terrorism organizations to monitor the activity of extremist groups, and new algorithms help to interpret complex data. Companies such as Facebook and Twitter have begun to use artificial intelligence to shut down accounts and delete posts supporting terrorism and share databases of suspicious material, but the threat remains a considerable problem because of the vast amount of material uploaded.

Additionally, big media companies have founded the Global Internet Forum where representatives from tech companies and governments meet to discuss counter-terrorism strategies, specifically regarding the digital use of terrorists.

Technology aids terrorists in expanding their movement to the international scale. In the coming years, as technology continues to advance, terrorism could follow, and governments will have to advance their techniques to counteract.

Austin bombings debated as act of terrorism or hate crime

Photo courtesy of Tactics.com

BY KATIE ERIKSON

Mark Anthony Conditts, the 23-year-old bomber from just outside Austin, Texas set off five bombs during a span of three weeks, killing two and injuring four others, then promptly blew himself up.

It sounds reminiscent of recent events. For example, the Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock who, after killing 58 people at a Jason Aldean concert, shot himself before the authorities got to him. Also, the bomber who attacked the Manchester Arena in 2017, Salman Ramadan Abedi,

killed himself by his own bomb.

With attacks like this happening around the world increasing in frequency, each beg the question whether or not they were acts of terrorism. So, what does it actually mean to label something an act of terrorism? The first definition that comes up when Googling terrorism is “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the

"There is no mistaking the fear these attacks inflicted on an entire city. That makes this terrorism" - the Austin American Statesman newspaper pursuit of political aims.�

The F.B.I. defines terrorists as “individuals and/

or groups inspired by or associated with primarily U.S.-based movements that espouse extremist ideologies of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.� When it comes to the Austin bombings, differing views and definitions of terrorism lead people to argue whether or not the series of bombings qualify as such. With no universally held definition of terrorism, it is hard to definitely classify these acts.

In Conditts’ confession, he never mentioned anything about terrorism, or even about hate. Austin police chief Brian Manley said that the confession was “the outcry of a very challenged young man talking about challenges in his personal life that led him to this point.� The public had trouble with this statement, which lead listeners to believe they should feel empathy for the man. Whether or

not empathy should be felt for Conditts, the confession shows no evidence that his actions were fueled by political purpose or ideology, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Conditts was not backed by these things. It just means he did not mention them specifically.

So what makes Conditts different from a serial killer? Serial killers commit a series of murders with oftentimes no apparent motive or reason. He seems to fit this description, so is that what he should be called?

The Austin American-Statesman, an major Austin newspaper, does label Conditts as a terrorist, writing, “There is no mistaking the fear these attacks inflicted on an entire city. That makes this terrorism.� There is no doubt that he terrorized the city, but is that enough to label him a terrorist?

Many people believe that

Conditts would have been labeled a terrorist had he been a person of color. They believe that because he was white he received more empathy and was thought of as a troubled man as opposed to a terrorist. “As a country, we need to be more aware that if you are killing people for a political or ideological purpose, regardless of what the perpetrator looks like, they have to be thought of as terrorists� said Victor Asal, a professor and a director of the Project on Violent Conflict at the University of Albany.

While there is no known motive for the bombings, the possibility of one leaves the public unsure of how to truly define the acts, leaving continued debate and speculation on the topic that is not likely to be resolved anytime in the near future.

10 FEATURES | The Kinkaid Falcon | April 20, 2018

Front Row: Barrett Taylor, Colin Monteith, Antonio Salman, Thomas Garrison, Robert Hamilton, Edward Chamblee Back Row: Jamie Moseley, Aidan Reed, David Liang, Wesley House, Jack Tower, Binz DeWalch, TX Harris, Woodley Burrow

The measure of a man

Photo courtesy of Kay House.

Fifteen seniors rise to the challenge, achieve rank of Eagle Scout

BY ARMAN BADREI Fifteen graduating seniors will join the company of one U.S. president, the first man on the moon, the founder of Wal-Mart, and thousands of other dutiful, hard-working men who have earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

According to the Boy Scouts of America, only 4 percent of all Scouts meet requirements to achieve the Eagle Scout Award. To do so, Scouts must remain active for at least six months after reaching the rank of Life Scout (one step below Eagle), provide letters of recommendation that can attest to the fact that the Scout adheres to the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in daily life, earn a total of 21 merit badges, create and execute a service project in one’s community, and stand before an Eagle Scout board of review.

Seniors Woodley Burrow, Edward Chamblee, Binz DeWalch, Thomas Garrison, Robert Hamilton, TX Harris,

Wesley House, David Liang, Colin Monteith, Jamie Moseley, Alexander Nevins, Aidan Reed, Antonio Salman, Barrett Taylor, and Jack Tower are members of this group. Their accomplishment is the product of years of preparation and commitment, however few understand all that goes into the entire process.

TX Harris (12) began his scouting career like many, as a Cub Scout, in first grade. It wasn’t until seventh that he entered the more mature realm of Boy Scouts. He initially joined Troop 55 after moving to Houston from East Brunswick, New Jersey. Although difficult on various levels, the move offered him new opportunities and resources to go on campouts.

Harris was heavily influenced to continue his scouting because of his dad, Upper School History Chair and AP Government and Economics Teacher Dr. Ed Harris, who is also an Eagle Scout. TX Harris wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, and to do so, utilized

TX Harris and his father Dr. Ed Harris pose after TX’s Eagle Scout Ceremony held at St. John’s Church. Photo courtesy of Ed Trusty and TX Harris.

every piece of advice from his dad, who had the perspective and experience of a successful Eagle Scout, of Assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 55, and of a father. The younger Harris said that the most important lesson his dad taught him was the value of punctuality and how critical this trait is in a

"Harris realized one of the most important skills is resilience: that “there’s never going to be a perfect plan” and that one must “deal with issues that come up” because inevitably, they will." program designed to make you into a responsible man and where Harris learned to “be on top of your work and learn how to be an adult.”

Aside from that, Harris loves the development and importance of self-sufficiency that Scouts helps facilitate.

The ability to exercise levels of independence and choice is also refreshing; for example when deciding what merit badges to work for, what camp outs to go on, and other opportunities.

Like all other Scouts at his rank, Harris had to complete an Eagle Project, and decided to work with the Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation, organizing and collecting for a book drive. Originally, Harris strived to collect 5,000 books for the organization but blew his goal out of the water, amassing 14,000 by the end of the project. He put approximately 200 hours into the project by himself, and roughly 375 with the combined help of his father Dr. Harris. The planning process took three months as he worked with the

board of directors at the Foundation to discuss the logistics and specifics of every aspect of the project, from collection to filtering the books to transportation. It is this project that also led to a period of reflection to which Harris realized one of the most important skills is resilience: that “there’s never going to be a perfect plan” and that one must “deal with issues that come up” because inevitably, they will.

What Harris will miss most is that same outdoor aspect he fell in love with in the beginning of his scouting career.

Specifically, he will cherish his memories from the Northern Tier camp in Minnesota, where he canoed and backpacked the lakes and rivers bordering the U.S. and Canada.

Since 1912 and the very first Eagle Scout, Arthur Eldred, over 2.4 million young men have completed this process. Their effects on both their immediate and larger communities are apparent, through the 8.46 million hours of service in 2017, for example, and through the cultural, economic, and political impacts these men make later in their lives through their careers.

Baylor even conducted a study in 2012 that found that Eagle Scouts, compared to those who never attained that rank or those who were never Scouts, exhibit higher levels of participation in healthy and recreational activities, show greater interpersonal relationship connections, engage in more environmentally-protective behavior, are committed to setting goals in all spheres of their lives, and exhibit signs of higher levels of planning and preparedness. The Boy Scouts of America, as shown by the work of these 15 seniors, is a truly formative organization which shapes young men into respectful, socially conscious and contributing individuals.

Eagle Scout Service Projects

A list of the organizations these Scouts partnered with for their projects Woodley Burrow: DePelchin Children’s Center Edward Chamblee: Stoney Creek Ranch Binz DeWalch: Arms Wide Adoption Services Thomas Garrison: Cristo Rey Jesuit School Robert Hamilton: St. Martin’s Elementary School TX Harris: Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation Wesley House: Spring Spirit Baseball David Liang: Sugarland Park and Recreation Department Colin Monteith: San Francisco Nativity Academy Jamie Moseley: Comp-U-Dopt Alexander Nevins: Robert C. Stuart Park Aidan Reed: Hermann Park Centennial Gardens Antonio Salman: Houston Arboretum Barrett Taylor: Memorial Park Jack Tower: Cristo Rey Jesuit School

April 20, 2018 | The Kinkaid Falcon | FEATURES 11

Public transportation underused Kinkaid students rarely take advantage of extensive network of buses and rail

BY AYUSH KRISHNAMOORTI

It is rush hour on one of the busiest Houston streets, and the bus slows to a stop. One person gets on, two people get off. Clearly undervalued, public transportation is centered and works well, but almost no one in Houston uses it.

On a good month, upwards of seven million tickets (Metro Ridership Report) are bought for Metro buses and light rail, which translates to only 270,000 tickets bought each weekday. Basically, this means only about 200,000 people use public transportation each day, which is just four percent of Houston’s population. To compare, 50 percent of New York City uses public transit, which translates to four to six million people a day.

The Houston Chronicle describes the issue perfectly: “Where area homes, shops and offices were developed more with cars in mind–parking lots in front and block after block of curb cuts for entrance and exit–transit usefulness diminishes.” While most

transit systems are useful for the people in a city center, great ones reach into the suburbs and are convenient for all. This rule should apply evermore to a city as sprawling as Houston, yet many say that they only take the light rail, but never taken the bus.”

One issue with transportation is its inconvenience, with none of the buses or rails offering the route they need. For many, public transportation twice as long as driving. To add to this, parking is mostly free everywhere, so there are even fewer incentives to take the bus or light rail. The only few locations where parking is expensive is Downtown and the Medical Center, but few live there.

Also, many have significant issues with the safety associated with the bus. Many are afraid to take the bus late at night. However, many statistics point out that the issue has gotten better.

Despite these issues, Houston is improving its public transportation with new projects. Light Rail along the Main Corridor has plans to expand further northward, possibly reaching from NRG

TIPS AROUND TOWN BIKE

Biking around Houston can be beautiful and efficient. With the new bike rack at Kinkaid, you can bike from your home to the school. While San Felipe and many of the throughways towards Kinkaid are dangerous, many roads have designated pathways and sidewalks. I personally have biked from my house to Kinkaid using South Rice and San Felipe, sticking to the sidewalks during the more intense hours. If you are looking for safety, Memorial provides a great bike ride and is beautiful. One route that I would suggest many try is at Memorial near I-610,on a path that leads you straight to downtown and takes less than an hour to complete. However, if you are looking for efficiency to go through the city, then bikes are not for you.

BUS You pay your $1.25 and get on the bus, heading to wherever you are planning to go. For me, it was the Medical Center. One bus route later, and a short walk, and I arrived at my mom’s work, ready to go to dinner. The bus system in Houston works very well within the city and is a safe and efficient way to travel. Contrary to popular belief, the buses are clean; however, if you are traveling away from downtown and the Medical Center, the buses become less and less efficient. For me, the ride to Kinkaid took 1 hr and 20 min, almost three times as long as the same distance by car. The buses are comfortable however, and the stresses of driving during rush hour aren’t there, so that is one advantage. One key disadvantage about Kinkaid’s location is that the closest bus station only has buses that run every 30 minutes, and the one at the intersection of Voss and San Felipe is a 16 minute walk.

LIGHT RAIL

While Light Rail does not go towards Kinkaid, it is by far the fastest way to get to anywhere in Downtown, the NRG Center, and soon the Galleria. If you are heading to a playoff Rockets game, or a Texans game, the Light Rail (Red Line) should provide fine access to these events. I personally have taken the Rail multiple times to and from NRG for both Texans games and the rodeo, and it is extremely efficient because it skips the steps needed to park. Additionally, they are the cleanest form of transportation, and sometimes the events provide free tickets for the rail. I would highly suggest you try out the rail instead of parking and paying and driving the whole way because it gets rid of that hassle and is a kind of adventure.

Stadium all the way north to International Airport of Houston.

The other two rails, the Green Line and Purple Line, can expand further towards Hobby Airport, or westward, possibly connecting to the Northwest Transit Center.

This could connect most of Houston so that everyone could use light rail.

The Northwest Transit Center is located between I-10, I-610, and 290. The importance of this station is its future. The Texas Bullet is a plan for a bullet train from Dallas to Houston that could transport people within 90 minutes–a drastic improvement from the lengthy four-hour drive. This speedy train will bring people from Northwest Transit Center to Downtown Dallas. However, the key is for people to be able to access this station. For sophomore Meredith Huston, a repeated traveler to Dallas, “This project is a great relief on the three and a half hour boring ride to Dallas,” as now the 90 minutes will be filled with leisure time.

One important new project that will connect to the station

is the construction on Post Oak Blvd., which can be attributed to the Uptown BRT project, and is going to create a fast option for public transportation from North Bellaire to Northwest Transit Center. The construction should continue until early 2019, when the first buses should begin on these routes. The plan is to convert this transit into a light rail to make it faster and further connect through Houston.

These projects aim to accomplish more than just convincing people to take public transportation. Several independent studies have proven public transportation to be the foundation of a high-functioning city: it makes the city more livable and helps create greater happiness all around. Also, with the issue of climate change growing, it reduces emissions to not drive cars but take buses or rails instead.

Despite the inconvenience of public transportation, the uses of it and the push to create new ones can help make Houston more beautiful and efficient overall.

12 FEATURES | The Kinkaid Falcon | April 20, 2018

S T U DENT ACTI VISM

A student-led movement is changing how Americans address gun violence

BY MEGHA NEELAPU

of student activism INFOGRAPHIC BY NICOLE FERNANDEZ

1766 Harvard's Bad Butter Rebellion

1860 University Antislavery and Abolishonist Protests

1920

Racial Protests Anti-Militarism, a Women's Suffrag

April 20, 2018 | The Kinkaid Falcon | FEATURES 13

Young people have a history of being abused and killed.

One third of homicide victims are between the ages of 15 and 24; more than two-thirds of women who suffer from intimate partner violence first experience it between the ages of 11 and 24; and 50 percent of active duty personnel are 25 and under.1 But young people also speak out and fight against the forces that claim the lives of their peers.

They protested their deaths at the hands of the Vietnam War in the 1960s. Young men and women have protested deaths of young black men at the hands of police with the Black Lives Matter movement since 2013. And now, in 2018, another young generation protests deaths of classmates, concert-goers, church members, and the American population at large at the hands of mass shooters.

On Valentine’s Day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., 17 students died in a mass school shooting. About a month later, protesters marched in solidarity with Parkland student activists for legislators to pass gun control reform.

The March For Our Lives in Washington D.C. that hosted 200,000 people was supported by sister marches around the world including in Houston, where 15,000 protesters attended the march downtown at Tranquility Park, and hundreds more marched in other Houston locations.

The march has become a movement with subsequent protests and calls to action. The movement is not calling for extreme measures, but rather for common-sense gun legislation, said Camila Vicens (10), who organized a student group at Kinkaid to attend the protest in Houston.

“There’s a lot more to it,” Vicens said.

“Something that’s not talked about often is the domestic abuse laws in relation to guns, the boyfriend loophole (a loophole in domestic abuse laws that allow abusive partners who have not been married to, had a child with, or lived with their significant others to own guns).

When I marched, I marched for things like the banning of bump stocks, raising the minimum age to own a gun, and consolidation of background checks.”

Notable Houston politicians such as Mayor

s and ge

1968 Opposition to Vietnam War

Sylvester Turner and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for Texas’ 18th Congressional District protested alongside students and teachers like Dr. Shannon Hardie.

“I give so much credit to the Parkland students for not backing down and standing up for what they believe in,” Dr. Hardie said. “I wanted to do something to support them and to show our government that common sense gun legislation is something that a large number of people in our country believe is necessary.”

Children as young as fifth grader Desmond Floyd gained internet fame when after the Parkland shooting, he posted on Facebook how he would die for his classmates. “If it came to a point where a shooter came down my hallway, I want to be the one who took the bullet,” he said in the video. “I want to be the one who saved my friends' lives. Even though I am 10 years old, I feel like I have lived the life I deserve.”

The protesters in Houston marched to Sen. Ted Cruz’s office, chanting, “What do we want?

Gun control. When do we want it? Now.” Vicens explained the goal of the march: “Obviously we can’t vote—that’s the main argument against us. People say, ‘Go back to school, study, and then when you can vote you can have a voice.’ But I don’t think it’s voting that gives us a voice. I think it’s us choosing to use our voice because everybody has one.”

Student survivors at Parkland like Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg have used their voice and become symbols of the movement, organizing protests, lobbying politicians, and leading hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.

However, the student-led movement for gun control has faced backlash since gaining traction. The Parkland students have been attacked by trolls and accused of being crisis actors, which the Falcon covered in last month’s issue.

However, several public figures attacking the students have faced consequences. Mr. Leslie Gibson was a Republican candidate running for the Maine State House unopposed when he called Hogg a “moron” and a “baldfaced liar” and Gonzalez a “skinhead lesbian.” When Hogg called for someone to run against Mr. Gibson on Twitter, at least two candidates entered the race, one a Democrat and another a Republican. Furthermore, Mr. Gibson dropped out of the race after widespread condemnation on both sides of the aisle.

Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham mocked Hogg on Twitter, claiming that Hogg “whines” about being rejected from colleges. Again, Hogg took action using Twitter, calling for advertisers to boycott Ingraham’s show. More than 20 advertisers dropped her show, and Ingraham apologized and took a week-long hiatus. Hogg’s response to Ingraham has been met with a mixed response, some praising the boycott while others perceiving it as an attempt to silence opposing voices.

At Kinkaid, political conversations about the March for Our Lives have mostly been respectful, but Vicens says she has also faced petty retaliation.

“I’m not gonna sit here and say ‘take away everybody’s guns.’ I think that’s what a lot of people are labeling me as,” she said. “I got . . . backlash from going to the march because

1970

Kent State University Shooting

people think I’m some super leftist.”

Given this political climate, many are skeptical about change. “I've seen school shootings happen too many times," Dr. Hardie said. "Even with significant public outcry, the most minor restrictions to gun ownership like mandatory waiting periods and universal background checks get thrown out by Congress. This time feels different, though. My hope is that we, as a country, are finally fed up with school shootings and gun violence. If you guys—Kinkaid students, Parkland students, and students everywhere—continue speaking out, continue pushing for change, and vote as soon as you're able to, maybe something will finally change."

Vicens is also optimistic about the current movement. “There has to be change, and I think we can achieve that,” she said.

While federal level policy has not yet changed, local and state governments have made moves to prevent gun violence. In an impassioned speech, Mayor Turner announced the creation of the new Mayor’s Commission to End Gun Violence, which will research and recommend local solutions for ending gun violence. “Students are not leaders for tomorrow, they are leading right now,” Mayor Turner said.

“This is a defining moment for our city, our state, and our country.”

In Florida, one of the most gun-friendly states in the country, Gov. Rick Scott signed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act into law, which includes provisions raising the minimum age from 18 to 21, creating a three-day waiting period and banning bump stocks.

On April 7, students organized dozens of “Town Halls For Our Lives” to encourage their representatives to answer questions about gun violence. The March For Our Lives branch in Houston held a town hall at Rice University, which featured prominent voices such as Ms. Laura Moser and Ms. Lizzie Pannill Fletcher, who are running for the Democratic nomination for the 7th Congressional District. While conservative politicians were invited as well, including Rep. Ted Poe of the 2nd Congressional District, Rep. John Culberson of 7th Congressional District, and Sen. Ted Cruz, none were present at the town hall.

The panel answered questions that students asked, including those about gun violence in minority communities, domestic violence, an assault weapons ban, and increasing bipartisanship.

Student-leaders of the Houston March For Our Lives, namely Paige Cromley and Marcel McClinton, are further empowering students by creating a non-profit called Students Rise, which is "driven to increase young people’s involvement in politics and activism,” as McClinton said at the town hall.

Follow-up events include a national school walkout on April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine shooting, with thousands of students across the country planning to participatie.

This movement is not going to die any time soon.

1. Statistics from the CDC and FBI

2013

2018

Black Lives Matter

March for Our Lives Photo by Emma Stout

14 FEATURES | The Kinkaid Falcon | April 20, 2018

Purple wins Field Day

BY EMMA GILLIAM & OLIVIA MARRUS

8:30 a.m.

Choir and Encore performance

9:15 a.m.

Choir and Encore began the day by performing “Thinking Out Loud” and “Galway Girl” by Ed Sheeran.

These songs each featured solos by Chance Allshouse (12) and Ameer Mustafa (11).

Lambert Family Karoake

Director of Fine Arts Scott Lambert and English Department Chair Kate Lambert performed karoake to “Summer Nights’” from the musical “Grease” with their sons, Duncan (9) and Ashton (12).

10 a.m.

Ms. Cross’ Talk

Dodgeball Championship In the dodgeball championship, two teams, Gang. golf and JV gold baseball, valiently fought against each other. After winning the championship, Gang. golf faced off against the coaches, where the coaches emerged victorious. For more on Dodgeball, check out page 22 in the Sports Section.

11 a.m.

Ms. Lara Cross spoke to the Upper School students about asteroids, comets, and meteors. Through a variety of pop culture references as well as historical data, Ms. Cross discussed the probability of a sizable meteor strike on the Earth and its prospective impacts.

3 p.m.

2 p.m.

Field Day Competition Dr. Andy Martire welcomed the Purple and Gold teams that gathered on the field to celebrate the 93rd annual Field Day. Pre-K started off the races as they ran around the Maypole and to the end of the football field, and the seniors closed out the games with Tug of War.

Post-lunch Games Parents work hard to set up Field Day rides and games for students and faculty to enjoy.

As always, tickets went fast for the animal raffles: Among this year’s prizes were puppies, kittens, and goats.

Dear Middle School, Middle school is rough.

We’ve all been there. It’s awkward. You just can’t wait to get to high school and get away from the confines of uniforms, miniature lockers, and the dabbing-ban. You want to grow up and distance yourself from the stigma that being in middle school often carries. On behalf of your older and slightly wiser peers, please set down the fidget spinners and the Musical.ly for just a minute and allow me to give you a few pieces of advice to guide you through the next few years.

First: realize that the way you brand yourself stays with you.

The dissent you have for adolescence is just now ramping up, and it’s easy to get lost in tween rebellion by sharing an edgy VSCO or finsta post.

Be mindful of the image you are putting out into the world; in our sphere of existence, any mistake you make could be used against you.

That being said, it’s okay to make mistakes.

That’s the only way that

Cartoon: “Test Day”

BY JESSICA LIU, GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

April 20, 2018 | The Kinkaid Falcon | OP-ED 15

you can grow and learn as a person. Just remember that someone is always watching.

When I was in middle school, my Instagram was full of cringey selfies and bad filters. I consistently broke the “only-post-oncea-day” rule. I must honestly say how impressed I am with how mature your Instagrams look (especially when compared to mine when I was your age). I realize that even though we are only a few years apart, your childhood was pretty different then mine.

Instagram, Snapchat, and all the other large social media platforms weren’t popular until I was in about the sixth grade, which means that they began to gain popularity when the youngest of you were in kindergarten.

We are the first generation of this new frontier.

We are the guinea pigs; no one has been through the social media age yet. It is hard to figure out how to conduct yourself and how to act with all of this newfound media. Nothing is private anymore.

Your Facebook profile reveals all of your personal information while your Instagram showcases

everyone you know and your Snapmap shares your location. I advise you all to be careful; I am only a few years older than you, but I have seen the damage social media can do. When presented with two choices, take the high road. Be smart. Don’t put yourself in a position where you could be hurt.

Second: don’t try to rush things or act older than you are.

I have never heard anyone seriously say, “Man, I really peaked in middle school!” In middle school, everything seems permanent. I can assure you that the bad test grade you just received doesn’t define you, the fight you are in with your best friend will be resolved, and the braces will come off.

Enjoy your time in middle school. You know what they say: you are only twelve once. Relish the time you spend with your parents in the car. Remember what it feels like to consistently go to bed at 9:30 p.m. Go as hard as

possible when “Cyclone” (if you even still listen to that) comes on at all the bar mitzvahs you attend.

You don’t have to grow up yet.

Finally: be nice.

You would be surprised how far kindness goes.

Don’t earn the reputation of a mean person. These years of our lives are spent trying to figure out who we are. If someone is different from you, don’t judge them for it. Love them for it. No one expects you to get along with every single person you meet, but it is incredibly childish and immature to belittle or disrespect someone you might not particularly like. There is something admirable about people who have the ability to work with and appreciate everyone around them.

Middle school is one of the most confusing times in your life, but don’t worry. Once you get to high school, you can dab, whip, and nae-nae to your heart’s content.

Sincerely, Olivia Marrus

16 OP-ED | The Kinkaid Falcon | April 20, 2018

What the MSD shooting should teach us about mental health Media needs to focus more on the role of mental health

BY ALLISON FAVALORO

Nikolas Cruz had a long history of mental health issues.

Cruz was an outcast. He had a violent temperament and an alarming obsession with guns and hurting animals. He had been suspended from school for fighting on numerous occasions and was eventually expelled for his erratic behavior. He had received treatment at a mental health center for a while, but he had not visited them for more than a year.

An at-risk kid who experienced the death of his mother in November 2017 should indicate to his family, friends, and neighbors that Cruz was at major risk of depression, if he didn’t already have it. But no one noticed him. He fell off the radar.

Until he pulled the fire alarm and killed 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. on Feb. 14, 2018.

In wake of the shooting, the media has shed light on the lack of gun regulation in America. It’s very alarming that Cruz, with all of his mental health issues, was able to legally purchase an AR-15 assault-style rifle without issue.

But we need to focus on the importance of mental health and its role in acts of violence.

Cruz is one of many infamous criminals who suffered from mental health issues.

The shooter of the deadliest school shooting at Virginia

Tech in 2007, Seung Hui Cho, had undergone treatment for depression and mutism (a symptom of a severe social anxiety disorder) as an outpatient at a mental health facility and according to “The New York Times�, he told his roommates that he had a supermodel girlfriend from outer space named Jelly. Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder long before the incident in 2012. In 2009, Lanza refused to leave his room and would only communicate to his parents via email, according to Newsweek. After the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, psychologist Peter Langman, who wrote the book “Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters,� diagnosed Dylan Klebold with schizotypal personality disorder as well as severe depression. Klebold’s friend and killing partner, Eric Harris, was deemed a psychopath on psychological terms.

While each of these killers all possess two things—a gun and a mental illness—why is it so important to focus on the mental health aspect? People buy guns, knowing that they can be dangerous. Since childhood, society tells us that guns are dangerous, and we should not play with them. But people don’t realize the gravity of mental illness and the dangers it poses if not properly treated.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 25 percent of all U.S. adults have a mental illness, and about 50 percent of U.S. adults will develop at least one mental illness during their lifetime.

The CDC says that mental illness “refers collectively to all diagnosable mental disorders.�

More alarmingly, rates of diagnosis of severe depression in youths have risen from 5.9 percent to 8.2 percent in the last five years, according to Mental Health America, which indicates an upward trend in mental illnesses.

To fully understand the significance of those numbers, one must understand the seriousness of mental disorders. Though there is not one official definition of a mental disorder, most can generally be identified by a prolonged change in mood, thinking, or behavior. Mental disorders are a problem because they disrupt daily functions.

Most mental illnesses are treatable with medication in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy in which the therapist helps the patient solve problems he or she faces by methods that help change their thinking or behavior. If a mental illness is not treated, however, the illness will only progress. Additionally, it can lead to other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, epi-

Letter from the editors

Dear Reader, February 14 is supposed to be a day of love. We buy red roses, chocolates, and cheesy stuffed animals to reassure the ones we love that they’re wanted. But this year on the day of love, February 14 became a day of horror for those at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The country was disgust-

ed, horrified by this event.

The country felt the deaths of 17 lives as if we knew every single one of them. But something we as a staff have been in inspired by is the response.

We have kept up with M.S.D.’s student publication, The Eagle Eye, since the shooting, and we have been blown away with their extensive coverage of the event and its aftermath.

The first issue The Eagle Eye published was a glossy 40-page newsmagazine that didn’t cover what the nation has read in numerous newspapers, but rather an obituary for each of the lives lost on Feb. 14, 2018. We are so impressed with the dedication and maturity of The Eagle Eye staffers as they reported the news at their

school; this student publication has turned their pain into art.

We are also in awe of the activism in response to the shooting, which is why we focused on this topic for this issue. What’s unique about this activism is the people who organize events, recite speeches in front of thousands of people, and march for what they believe: students.

The fact that many of the students cannot vote does not muffle their voice; it only amplifies it. The March for Our Lives in Washington D.C. and across the country was organized by two organizations-the Never Again Movement and Everytown for Gun Safety. The latter is a non-profit led by Michael

lepsy, and cancer.

Fifty-six percent of American adults with a mental illness did not receive treatment.

One reason why so many people didn’t seek treatment is that therapy and medication can be very expensive, and many insurance plans do not cover the complete costs of the necessary treatment.

Another reason is that there are not enough professionals from whom to seek treatment.

In Alabama for example, there is only one mental health professional per 1,260 people.

The big overarching problem is that not enough Americans are educated on the signs of mental disorders, and there’s a huge cultural stigma preventing individuals from seeking therapy. Many people who actually need help refuse to get treatment until the condition puts others in danger.

To solve this problem, we need to realize that mental health is just as important as physical health. Though not as many Americans suffer from mental illnesses as physical illnesses, the mental illness can result in risking the lives of others if not treated correctly.

Insurance should provide more coverage for mental health issues. According to NPR, behavioral care was “four to six times more likely to be provided out-of-network than medical or surgical care� in 2015, meaning that patients

who seeked out-of-network care are a lot more likely to be paying with their own money.

Additionally, many therapists and other mental health professionals do not contract with insurers because of the low reimbursement rates, making the number of therapists available to people even smaller.

There also needs to be more widespread education on mental health in schools. Education could cover the symptoms to look out for in peers, stress management, and the importance of speaking to a mental health professional, even when people are mentally healthy.

Education would combat the cultural stigma society has about mental health being a weakness and create a more normalized attitude on seeking professional help. It could put talking to a mental health professional annually on the same level as getting a checkup at the doctor’s office.

Many more restrictions need to be put in place when it comes to purchasing arms. We need to have more thorough background checks, especially when it comes to purchasing assault rifles. But what we really need to focus on is the mental health crisis rampaging across the nation and how to get help before it’s too late. It’s not enough for our hindsight to be 20/20 in these situations; we need to recognize and combat the issues before it’s too late.

Bloomberg, the former is a movement organized 17-yearold Alex Wind, an M.S.D. shooting survivor, along with four of his friends. The National School Walkout which takes place today, April 20, 2018, was organized by Lane Murdock, a 16-year-old from Ridgefield High School in Connecticut, along with three of her friends.

Two nation-wide events, led by two minors.

Being four-year members of the staff of The Kinkaid Falcon, the two of us have learned to value the importance of free speech. But seeing so many people our age and younger use their voice on an international level simply gives us hope for the future. Hope that our generation is one that will be better

informed and bolder than any generation before us.

So, now we challenge you to do some research. Find a topic you’re passionate aboutno matter how monumental or seemingly small-that you feel needs to be changed in the world, in the country, in Houston, or even in school.

Then act on it. Fight for what you believe. No one is too young to make their voice heard.

What will you advocate for?

Sincerely,

Arman Badrei & Allison Favaloro

April 20, 2018 | The Kinkaid Falcon | OP-ED 17 I enjoy texting and browsing social medias, just like many other kids, teenagers, and adults. And although I spend a lot of time on my phone, I have come to the realization that smartphones are truly hurting the moral fabric of our society.

Our smartphones create a great deal of negative repercussions, and the pros do not outweigh the cons. My realization came in the most tragic way possible: my 15-year-old cousin was walking across a crosswalk when struck, and killed by a teenager who was texting and driving. This has led me to fear and dread not only the physical consequences of having a smartphone, but also the emotional and mental impacts that come with this device.

Over a decade ago and before the time of smartphones, kids spent their time playing outside, not worrying about who was where, and not concerning themselves with the amount of likes they got on their Instagram post or what their friends were doing on their Snapchat Stories. But in 2007, things began to rapidly change. Apple released their brand-new product, the iPhone, jumpstarting the worldwide phenomenon of smartphones.

Ever since, our smartphones have given us all great opportunities to capture life’s greatest moments, play games, explore the world, and even reconnect with lost friends.

According to Pew Research Center, in 2011 the percentage of smartphone owners was at 35 percent. Today out of the 325 million people who live in the U.S., 77 percent own a smartphone; moreover, 73 percent of teens own a smartphone of some kind. In the span of seven years, the percentage of smartphone owners has risen over 42 percent.

Our smartphones are becoming a burden to our society.

According to CBS, in 2013, texting and driving accident rates and deaths surpassed drinking and driving, making it the leading cause of car accidents. Our constant need to check our phones and answer a text or phone call is what is killing on average 3,500 people each year, and the number is on the rise despite more cities instilling laws banning texting and driving.

Still, so many people continue to text and drive despite these alarming facts. Never would I have thought that such a small action like finishing a text while driving could have affected my life so greatly.

Something most of us perceive to be miniscule as sending a text, unfortunately can have such a permanent negative effect.

Smartphones teach us to be “connected” with people all the time, and as a result, texting and driving accident rates have skyrocketed. Texting and driving is a reckless and irresponsible mistake that can be easily avoided.

Not only does using Smartphones improperly cost lives, it also inhibits real-world rela-

It’s smart to put the smartphone down

People unlock their phones 80 times a day on average.1

“We know that engagement with our cell phones releases a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is the chemical that makes us feel good when we smoke, when we drink, and when we gamble...We have age restrictions on smoking, gambling,

BY MADI BABINE and alcohol, and we have no age restrictions on social media and cellphones.” -Simon Sinek, a British author and motivational speaker

53% of U.S. teens do not think they could go more than a day without their phones.2 89% of Americans say that during their last social interaction, they took out a phone.3

tionships. Our phones actually disconnect us from the world around us. In spite of our smartphones supposedly connecting us to the world, we are genuinely distancing ourselves from what matters because they are not increasing personal, meaningful interactions.

Walking into class every day, I see most people are on their phones scrolling through Instagram or replying to their Snapchats; they are not talking to their peers.

Nancy Colier, a physiotherapist explains in her book “The Power of Off,” that “...it’s connections to other human beings—real-life connections, not digital ones—that nourish us and make us feel like we count. Our presence, our full attention is the most important thing we can give each other. Digital communications don’t

result in deeper connections, in feeling loved and supported.”

Smartphones create these irrevocable emotional and physical impacts as well as mental effects. The mental consequences that our phones bring upon us are causing damage to our mental well-being. Phones are becoming addicting because when someone get a text or a like on Instagram, their brain gets a spike of dopamine throughout their body, which makes them feel good because they know that someone is thinking about them. Dopamine is also the neurotransmitter involved with drugs, smoking, and alcohol; therefore, it is very addictive.

I’m not blaming our phones for all the mental diseases that have come about. However, my question is: why is an addiction to our smartphone socially acceptable, whereas any other

addiction is treated as a disease? Nomophobia is defined by Merriam-Webster‘s Dictionary as “[the] fear of being without access to a working cell phone.” It is arguable that the word “phobia” is misused because missing and needing phones could be more of a disorder rather than a fear.

Colier said, “Without open spaces and downtime, the nervous system never shuts down—it’s in constant fight-or-flight mode . . . we’re wired and tired all the time. Even computers reboot, but we’re not doing it.”

In response to Marley Orange’s iPhone article in the previous issue, she cited a study in which no connection had been made between anxiety and depression to our smartphones; however, that was aiming for “young people who used smartphones

simply to ‘escape boredom’ or for entertainment.” Moreover, the researchers in this study found “heavier technology use was tied to greater risk for anxiety and depression, particularly among those using the devices as a ‘security blanket’ to avoid dealing with unpleasant experiences or feelings.”

Therefore, there was a connection found between anxiety and depression to young adults who used their phones as a “security blanket” rather than simply for entertainment.

At the University of Maryland, teenagers participated in the “World Unplugged Project.”

In this project, college students around the globe were challenged to be “unplugged” from their phones for 24 hours, and in the ten developed countries studied, a “clear majority” of the teenagers felt distress without their phone, causing them to feel lonely and depressed.

Many of the teenagers experienced anxiety, not knowing what their friends and family were doing and described their day as simply “a blue one,” saying that they felt “dead” throughout the day.

If the majority of students in the study felt like this, and the endless studies which link anxiety, depression, and other mental diseases to smartphones are accurate, I cannot help but think we are addicted to our smartphones because we struggle to limit our time spent with them.

We probably won’t know the true effects of smartphones until decades later, but I believe that our smartphones are slowly picking away at our society. We are becoming so comfortable with this fake reality in which we communicate and post as if our life is a perfect fairytale. We have lost a great deal of our ability to converse face-to-face in just the past ten years, and it has become socially acceptable to be on our phones all the time; some even bring their phone in the shower or bath with a waterproof case. MIT sociologist Sherry Turkle has spent the last 20 years studying the impacts of technology on how we behave in groups and alone.

In her study, she said, “If you put a cell phone into a social interaction, it does two things: First, it decreases the quality of what you talk about, because you talk about things where you wouldn’t mind being interrupted, which makes sense, and, secondly, it decreases the empathic connection that people feel toward each other.”

Despite the fact our smartphones offer us the benefit of endless information and tools, is it worth losing our ability to personally interact with the outside world?

We must face reality and realize our phones are addictive, and if our society does not become aware that our smartphones are doing more harm than good, then who knows what our society will look like in 10 years?

1. King University 2. YouGov; eMarketer 3. Sherry Turkle

18 ENTERTAINMENT | The Kinkaid Falcon | April 20, 2018

Ways to stream the shows you love

BY ALLISON LE

Cost:

$7.99 a month (most popular)

Cost: $14.99 a month

Cost:

Cost:

Hulu features:

HBO NOW features:

Prime Video features:

Netflix features:

Popular originals:

Popular originals:

Popular originals:

Popular originals:

Access to various TV shows and movies and unlimited access to channels for an extra fee (episodes are usually updated after airing)

“11.22.63” – a thriller mini-series about a high school English teacher who goes back in time to prevent JFK’s assassination {based on a book by Stephen King} “The Mindy Project” – a romantic comedy series about a romance-obsessed Ob/Gyn doctor trying to balance her personal and professional life

$12.99 a month (free with Amazon Prime subscription)

Access to every episode and every season of every HBO show ever produced, including movies, sports, comedy specials, and documentaries

Access to movies and TV shows available for downloading for offline viewing (extra fee required if not labeled ‘Prime’ or for access to more channels)

“Game of Thrones” – a medieval fantasy drama series about families fighting for a throne that has control over the kingdom (includes violence and dragons) {based on a book by George R.R. Martin} “Girls” – a comedy-drama about the lives of a young writer and her three friends navigating their twenties in New York City

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” – a comedy-drama about the life of a 1950s housewife trying to become a stand-up comedian after facing struggles in her marriage “Picnic at Hanging Rock” – a drama surrounding the disappearance of a group of young schoolgirls from an Australian boarding school {based on a book

by Joan Lindsay}

$10.99 a month (most popular)

Access to various TV shows and movies; ability to download from selection of shows and movies for offline viewing (shows updated after season)

“Stranger Things” – a science-fiction horror thriller-drama series about a mystery in a small 1980s town relating to a disappearance of a young boy “Orange Is the New Black” – a comedy-drama about a woman learning how to survive 15 months in prison and how to deal with various struggles {based on a book

by Piper Kerman}

Pick your journalism prom date

BY MARLEY ORANGE

Nia Caldwell

Katherine Berman Your perfect girl is:

punny quick-witted

Going to a concert

What would be the perfect night out?

Going to dinner

Where would you find her at a school dance?

Doing the splits

Surrounded by her friends

What emoji best describes you?

Jordan Jafarnia

Olivia Marrus

April 20, 2018 | The Kinkaid Falcon | ENTERTAINMENT 19

P O P C U LT U RE C H A RT The Pop Culture Chart: where we get to know the Kinkaidian tastes and takes on what’s the talk around campus

BY ALLISON FAVALORO

What quote would you put in your Instagram bio if you were a middle schooler?

If you could perform karaoke on Field Day, which teacher would you perform with and which song?

Where is the best cup of queso in Houston?

“You know my name, not my story.”

-Zack Nicolaou (10)

“This princess wears cleats.”

- Walker Marrus (9)

“Always give 100% unless you’re giving blood.”

- Mary Cravens (12)

“Life’s a climb, but the view is great.”

- Ellie Lucke (11)

“‘Bad and Boujee’

by Migos with Dr. Scott.”

- Julian Fertitta (12)

“‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gaynor with Dr. Hardie.”

- Camila Vicens (10)

“‘Mr. Brightside’ with Mrs. McCarthy.”

- Jacob Magelssen (11)

“‘Crazy in Love’ by Beyonce with Ms. Hawkes.”

- Lexy Pakzaban (9)

“Nothing hits the spot quite like a nice warm cup of Velveeta.”

- Zoya Virani (12)

“Lupe Tortilla just because it’s tasty.”

- Mary Katherine Rice (10)

“El Tiempo because it’s hot and spicy.”

- Will Mitchell (9)

“Escalante’s because it’s perfectly ‘thique.’”

- Tate Toussaint (11)

“My electric skateboard.”

- Christos Papandreou (12)

“Battle Bus.” - Lovett Baker (10)

What’s your favorite mode of transportation?

“The ‘Little Einsteins’ rocket ship!”

- Gabrielle Byrd (9)

“My horse.”

- Jake Adamson (11)

Illustrated Interview with Madeline Crist (9) & Jackson Lane (9) Madeline

Draw yourself.

What’s your biggest pet peeve? (People taking my food.)

What’s the most random item in your backpack? (A moldy piece of bread.)

Who’s your favorite artist at the moment? (Migos)

Draw yourself.

What’s your biggest pet peeve? (People who talk too much.)

What’s the most random item in your backpack?

(Headphones.)

Who’s your favorite artist at the moment? (Drake.)

Jackson

20 SPORTS | The Kinkaid Falcon | April 20, 2018

SPC preview by the stats

BY KATHERINE BERMAN & WILSON KELSEY

BOYS LAX

15.3

average number of goals by boys lax varsity lacrosse Alex Garcia (10)

7

number n umber of home runs hit by the baseball team so far this season

James House (11)

11

individual matches won by the boys varsity tennis team Woodley Burrow (12)

66 Cole Hammer’s (12) score when he broke his own school record

Mason Nome (11)

9:44

minutes it took for DZ Zavitsanos (12) to break the school record for the two mile run Myles Black (12)

The boys lacrosse team is heading to the SPC tournament in Austin this weekend as the number two seed in the south. They suffered a tough loss to St. John’s 13-14 in March, giving St. John’s the number one seed in the south. They will face Greenhill on Friday at St. Andrew’s. “We’ve had a good season so far. We just beat Strake 13-11 to head into the City Tournament as the number two seed with home advantage,” said CC Jeffers (10). The boys lacrosse city tournament willl begin on April 24.

GIRLS LAX

The Falcons suffered a hard defeat, breaking their winning streak with a nail-biting game with a final score of 13-14 against the also undefeated Woodlands team on Monday night. They rallied, however, on Tuesday night to defeat Houston Christian 19-0. “We are currently 13-1, which is the best record Kinkaid lacrosse has ever had.

We’ve been working hard in practice, and it’s paying off. We’re about to head into the heights of our season with city playoffs, SPC, and the state tournament,” said captain Belle Martire (12).

#1

girls varsity lacrosse’s ranking in Texas

Chloe Hunter (11)

BASEBALL

The baseball team is currently 21-4 overall and 2-1 in SPC. They won their most recent game against Northside High School 5-3. They have two important SPC counter matches this weekend versus St. Stephen’s and St. Andrew’s from Austin. Led by senior captains Wesley House, Michael McKean, and Johnathon Thomas, the baseball team is looking to finish their season with a strong performance at SPC. “It’s been a good season! We’re hitting and pitching really well. I think we have a really good shot at winning SPC,” said McKean.

SOFTBALL

With a record of 8-5, this year’s softball team is on the hunt for success in SPC after a ten year drought. “This team is definitely my favorite out of my four years of softball...

Our first game together was one of my favorites; even though we had less than two weeks of practices together and were down to only eight players (which is not enough to fill all the positions), we beat St. Pius 5-2. We came to the game barely knowing each other and left feeling like we’d been friends for years.

I feel very good about our season and our team dynamic,” said Cammy Turboff (12).

BOYS TENNIS

131 number of runs scored by the softball team Megan Frankel (10)

The boys tennis team is currently 1-3, but the team has played some very close and intense matches this year. “The new courts have completly improved our practices. We are finally able to play sets and matches during practice, and this helps us prepare for the actual matches,” said captain Woodley Burrow (12). “We aim to go west and play too big in every match.”

GIRLS TENNIS

The girls tennis team is looking to win SPC for the first time in eleven years.

With two important new additions, freshmen Andrea Le and Ella Brissett, at line one and line two singles, the tennis team has come out very strong so far this season. They are currently 3-1 overall and 2-1 in SPC after a hardfought match against St. John’s that ended in defeat after a tiebreaker for the third set when the match score was 2-2. Earlier this week, the team had a very successful match versus Houston Christian winning 5-0. “We are working very hard to become the 2018 tennis SPC champions and have done an incredible job in all of our matches so far,” said Lauren Rice (12).

BOYS GOLF

The boys golf team has had many successful showings in all of their tournaments thus far. Cole Hammer (12) and Mason Nome (11) have led the team to two exciting victories. “We have continued to play very well in preparation for this year’s SPC Championship. Hopefully, we can repeat last year’s performance and take home the title in back to back years,” said Wilson Kelsey (10).

225

number of games won in four matches by girls varsity tennis Jordan Jafarnia (11)

4

GIRLS GOLF

The girls golf team has performed well in all of their tournaments. Their latest showing at the Episcopal High School tornament brought them a fourth place finish. “Our team more than doubled this year, we gained 7 freshman and had 5 returning players. With each tournament we have gotten better as a team. And we have only one more tournament, next Tuesday at Meadowbrook Farms until SPC, “ said Lindsay Wells (11).

BOYS Track and field

The boys track and field team has been working very hard this season with multiple team members currently ranked in the top five for SPC. Chance Allshouse (12) is ranked fifth in the 200 meters, Andres Melendez (12) is ranked fifth in the 800 meters and fourth in the 1600 meters, Myles Black (12) is ranked fourth in high jump, and Noah Chan (12) is ranked third in pole vault. “What I can personally say is we have great senior leadership and a team that wants to go out and show why we’re the best team in SPC. Everyone doubts us but we’re ready to prove some people wrong.

We’re hitting plateaus, sticking with it and finally pushing through. We’re going to show everyone what we’re about and make them regret doubting us,” said Allshouse.

Girls Track and field

The girls track and field team has placed first in several meets so far this year. They have a strong team with several members currently ranked first in SPC like Kennedy Gamble (12) in the 100 meters and 200 meters, Emma Sykes (11) in the 100 meter hurdles, Audrey Ho (11) in pole vault, Marilyn Nwora (11) in shot put, Lydia Patterson (10) in long jump, and the 4x100, 4x200, and 4x400 relays. “We have had a really good season so far and have some really good new freshmen. We have had some girls out with injuries, but everyone is back, and we have girls in the top eight of every event going into SPC,” said Ellie Lucke (11).

number of top five placement by the girls golf team in their tournaments this year Lillian Rosenfield (12)

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number of times Kennedy Gamble (12) has broken a school record this year Marilyn Nwora (11)

April 20, 2018 | The Kinkaid Falcon | SPORTS 21

Seniors seal the deal at spring signings

Dedicated student athletes sign their National Letters of Intent

BY CALEIGH DORAN

Five seniors signed their formal agreements to play college sports on Wednesday, April 11 in the Melcher Gym during lunch.

Katherine Berman Washington and Lee University Field Hockey

Nia Caldwell University of Pennsylvania Track and Field Nia Caldwell (12) has decided to continue her throwing career at the University of Pennsylvania.

Caldwell began throwing when she was in the seventh grade, but never thought she would compete at the collegiate level until the beginning of her junior year when she started to get serious about the sport.

In addition to being an All SPC athlete in the shot put, Caldwell made the Junior Olympics and USA Track and Field Championships last summer. Caldwell’s goals for her college throwing career include gaining determination and strength through difficult workouts, throwing personal records, and making friends on the various sports teams at Penn.

(From left to right): Nia Caldwell, Chance Allshouse, Noah Chan, Malcolm Hedgepeth, and Katherine Berman pose after their signing to their respective schools. Photo by Caleigh Doran.

Chance Allshouse Rice University Track and Field

Chance Allshouse (12), the three time Varsity Track and Field captain, will compete as a decathlete at Rice University next year. After a tough junior year, in which Allshouse went through four shoulder surgeries, he was able to attend a clinic at Rice where the coaches expressed interest in him, and eventually offered him a spot on the team. In college, Allshouse hopes to continue to grow and contribute to the success of Rice’s track program.

Noah Chan

Franklin & Marshall College Wrestling Noah Chan (12), an All-American and four-time SPC Champion, will continue to wrestle at Franklin and Marshall College.

Chan looks forward to the renowned environmental science program and brotherly nature of the wrestling team. After a recruitment process full of “twists, turns, rejection, and redemption,” as Chan described it, he is both grateful and excited to compete at Franklin and Marshall, where he hopes to be an All-American at the NCAA D1 tournament.

Malcolm Hedgepeth Illinois Wesleyan University Lacrosse

Growing up in New Jersey, lacrosse has always played a large role in Malcolm Hedgepeth’s (12) life, so it is no surprise that it will continue to be in college where he plans to attend Illinois Wesleyan University.

Hedgepeth is an All South Zone athlete who dominates the midfield. His favorite part of playing is watching his mom cheer for him. After seven years of dedication to the sport, Hedgepeth has high hopes for his college lacrosse career.

Katherine Berman (12) was initially drawn to field hockey because of her friends, her love for the outdoors, and her desire to follow in her mother’s footsteps, who played field hockey when she was younger. After picking up a field hockey stick for the first time in sixth grade, Berman is beyond excited to continue playing in Lexington, Virginia at Washington and Lee University.

Berman was one of the four senior captains who led the 2017 Girls Varsity Field Hockey team to their victory in the SPC Championship. Berman is also a member of the Varsity Soccer and Tennis teams. After a stellar high school career, Berman said goal for her college career is to do her best and help the W&L field hockey team continue their success in the ODAC Conference.

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22 SPORTS | The Kinkaid Falcon | April 20, 2018

Mac’s Facts

BY MAC FRIDAY

From March Madness to April Absurdity Seniors Adam Harter and Will Kunetka take on freshman Elliot Gottsegen’s team in Dodge Ball on Field Day. Photo by Falcon Staff.

A look into the competitive world of Kinkaid Dodgeball

BY STERLING ELIAS

Confetti rains down from the rafters as the Melcher Gym, full of fans, erupts into cheers. No this isn’t March Madness, it’s April Absurdity— welcome to Kinkaid Dodgeball.

Ten minutes. Ten minutes is all that separates the winners from the losers, the boys from the men.

Ten minutes before the confetti releases and the crowd pours out their emotions and the game is in the history books; all that stands are two teams of six and a row of dodge balls between them.

Silence fills the gym as the two teams We’re Just Here to Have Fun (WJHTHF) and The Colorado Roli Polis (CRP) line either side of the court. The players’ hearts pound until they feel it in their ears. A nervous stumble causes the squeak of a shoe on the side of the Roli Polis. WJHTHF, on the other hand, doesn’t hesitate.

They entered the tournament as the number one seed, securing a first round bye on the way. While one side drowns in the silence, the other revels in it—the referee slowly raises a whistle to her lips, blows, and the game commences.

Suddenly, the members of the CRP frantically sprint to the line to collect the balls, but WJHTHF knows better. They methodically send their two most agile players, Taft Foley (9) and Ryan Furlow (9), to throw all the balls back to their four strategically spread teammates. Despite the mismatch of bodies on the line, both sides acquire a relatively equal amount of balls to begin the showdown.

As the CRP straggle to get into formation following their all-out sprawl on the line, WJHTHF takes the opportunity to pounce early with their signature move: “The Airstrike.” The rest of the team members rain down balls on the CRP, as the team’s muscle, Trip “Shrimp” Horlock (11) hangs in the back, picking them off

one-by-one as deftly as Ninja when he finds a gold sniper; he hurls the balls with so much power that the CRP stand no chance of getting out of the way. However, in all the chaos, Brian Shortt, one of the CRP’s scrappier players, catches a ball, eliminating a player from WJHTHF. After “The Airstrike,” WJHTHF maintains an early lead with three tangos already knocked.

A period of little action follows as both sides scramble to collect balls. The teams each shuffle around on their respective sides, looking for a weakness in the other. Every few seconds a member of either team tosses a ball, but they either sail over the targets or are blocked by them.

As the match rapidly grows stale, Horlock calls out to his teammates to capitalize on the mismatch, and chaos ensues.

WJHTHF once again attacks, taking out two members of the CRP, while only capitulating one as the match falls to four-two.

But just before the teams begin their recoveries, “Shrimp” Horlock, in all his guts and gusto, commits a crucial mistake: he hurls a ball at the bent-over, ball-retrieving CRP member Payton Herleth (10), but his aim lands just too low. The ball flies through the air, but lands directly between the unsuspecting Herleth’s knees and sticks. The referee blows the whistle, signaling a catch, and calls Horlock out while a member of the CRP returns. At three to three, the players find themselves in a brand new ballgame. The CRP have earned themselves a second lease at life while WJHTHF are left without a star.

Once more, each team shuffles to recover. The CRP excitedly bounce around preparing for the next bout while

WJHTHF frantically strategize without the strength of their star. After a makeshift, lazy huddle from either side, the CRP rapidly emerge, firing, and WJHTHF hardly expect it. The CRP eliminate two members of the opposition, leaving only Taft Foley alive. During a final, brief period of peace, the giddy crowd begins to rumble, knowing full well that the end of the match draws near.

With the three-one mismatch, the action begins. The CRP amasses the majority of the balls in the meantime, and now they fire. Foley, expertly engaging his evasive maneuvers,

swiftly eludes the onslaught. After 30 seconds of a stalemate, the CRP commits a fatal error: Eren Senyuva (10) throws at Foley, but he leads with the wrong foot, sending the ball on a rainbow trajectory rather than that of a bullet.

Foley seizes the opportunity and snags the floater out of midair, thus eliminating Senyuva and reviving Ryan Furlow. As Furlow sprints back from the sideline, Taft has already tossed a ball precisely where Furlow stands on the court, arming them each with a ball. Without a signal, without hesitation, Foley and Furlow simultaneously launch at both members of the other team, eliminating them in walk-off fashion.

As the balls hit both members of the CRP and fall to the ground, the crowd erupts as fans storm the court. The confetti cascades from the ceiling and the gym floods with cheers. No, this is not the championship; it is not even the semis. It is just another day in April, and it is just an early round game of Kinkaid Dodgeball. But for this one moment, We’re Just Here to Have Fun are champions.

This past fall, I sat on my living room couch watching Game 7 of the 2017 World Series.

Two outs, no one on, Corey Seager at the plate. Astros pitcher Charlie Morton threw his 52nd pitch of the game, a 96 mph fastball.

Seager drove the ball to shallow right field, where it was grounded

by Jose Altuve and thrown to Yuli Gurriel. Gurriel threw his hands up behind his head in jubilation; the Astros had finally claimed their first World Series Title.

Back in my living room, I captured the whole thing on Snapchat. I hugged my family in celebration, trying to absorb the magnitude of the moment. As a Houston sports fan born in 2000, I had experienced some very disappointing lows. I watched the Astros get swept in the 2005 World Series by the Chicago White Sox, as well as Damian Lillard’s buzzer beater in Game 6 of the 2014 NBA Playoffs, knocking the Rockets out of the first round, and don’t get me started with the Houston Texans.

We all know their history.

However, in the spring of 2018, I can safely say things have turned for the better. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, our Astros brought the city back from disaster, winning the franchise’s first world title. The Astros are pursuing another title this year, but have encountered problems due to poor offense and an untrustworthy bullpen. However, don’t be discouraged because last year they started slowly as well. Expect the explosive Astros’ offense to shed their poor start and heat up as the season progresses.

The Houston Rockets look to be the next Houston team to win a title. With a regular season record of 65-17, the league’s best, the sky is the limit. The play of MVP candidate James Harden in addition to Chris Paul and Clint Capela launched the team to the first seed in the Western Conference, pairing them with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. The Rockets currently lead that series.

The Houston Texans are coming off a dreadful season, but there are some things to look forward to, like the return of Quarterback Deshaun Watson, as well as the incredible Deandre Hopkins and Jadeveon Clowney. Free agency for the team has been quiet besides the signing of Safety Tyrann Mathieu. With JJ Watt and Whitney Mercilus returning from injuries, the Texans have great pieces in place to make a run for the playoffs, but their ability to stay healthy is the deciding factor for their success.

Houston is a thriving sports city with two teams on the top of their respective sports, one of which is coming off a world championship.

This is the best time to be a fan of Houston sports, and if you aren’t a fan now, I highly recommend becoming one. There’s certainly more success to come.

April 20, 2018 | The Kinkaid Falcon | SPORTS 23

Texans reload roster with new additions After the signings of Mathieu and Colvin, the Texans look to the draft to adress other lingering needs

BY NIA CALDWELL

After a disastrous finish to the 2016-2017 season, new General Manager Brian Gaine and the Houston Texans snagged a few vyed-for free agents this offseason to help secure their position as one of the rising teams in the league.

Although the Bulls on Parade strengthened their defense by signing former Patroits CB Johnson Bademosi and former Jaguars CB Aaron Colvin, they most notably made waves within the NFL world by picking up dynamic Safety Tyrann Mathieu for a one year, seven million dollar contract. Pro-bowler Tyrann Mathieu or the “Honey Badger” hails from the Arizona Cardinals after deciding it was best to move on from the team; after a few texts from JJ Watt, Mathieu quickly confirmed the Texans as his desired destination.

Although the Cardinals offered him more money, Mathieu wanted “to come to a group where the guys were hungry.” He said on the Houston Texans website, “ I had other options on the table, obviously

more money but I think ultimately, the Texans were the best decision for me.”

While at LSU, Mathieu set an SEC record of 11 forced fumbles, and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2011. And despite being out for two full seasons, Mathieu has made a name for himself in a league where being 5’9’ does not prove kindly for a lot of players.

The signings of the two veteran CBs and a defensive star somewhat cures the

team’s desperate need of a boost; they lost Photo courtesy of their 2018 first round pick Mathieu_Era on Twitter in efforts to draft Deshaun Watson last year, so the team knew that the draft could not be their source

for talent to alleviate their defensive woes.

Last year, the defense slipped from the best to one of the worst in the league, allowing 320 yards a game and ranking last in points per game allowed; granted, the injuries of JJ Watt and Whitney Mercilus crippled the pass rush, but losing AJ Bouye was detrimental to the Texans’ already vulnerable secondary.

Protecting Deshaun Watson, the Texans’ budding star Quarterback, was another top priority for the team especially since G Xavier Su’a-Filo, a perennial starter, chose to head to the Tennesse Titans.

The Texans then signed veteran OL Zach Fulton from the Chiefs to a multiyear deal for $7.5 million dollars a year. And also continued to bolster their offensive line with the signings of veterans Senio

Kelemete and Seantrel Henderson.

While the Texans have signed several contracts, more work can be done to strengthen the team with three picks in the third round. If they are still on the table, Alabama’s CB Tony Brown and Oregona’s OT Tyrell Crosby could be valuable additions to fortify the team’s weak spots. Also, due to C.J. Fiedorowicz’s retirment after suffering three concussions in one season, Penn State’s 6’5 TE Mike Gescki is an attractive option to back up Stephen Anderson.

And even though the the team re-signed Brandon Weeden this offseason, it would serve them well to draft a QB who plays similarly to Watson’s style.

Weeden, 36, has 31 touchdowns to 30 interceptions and isn’t exactly the most reliable backup if Watson’s knee problem lingers.

Overall, the team made substantial changes that will no doubt translate onto the field this fall when they look to rebound from last year’s tragic 4-12 year.

Astros open strong after World Series win

BY STERLING ELIAS

As fans poured into Minute Maid Park for the first time since historic game five of the 2017 World Series, they were greeted by a sea of orange, white, and a touch of gold.

As the smell of hot dogs, the yell of beer vendors, and the crack of peanuts filled the air, it was clear that baseball is back in Houston.

Astros owner Jim Crane rode out on the field atop the famous Budweiser chariot pulled by the famed Clydesdales; in his proudly raised in his arms sat the Commissioner’s Trophy. After Crane completed his lap around the stadium, greeting every fan in attendance, Astros GM Jeff Luhnow emerged from the home dugout with a microphone in hand. He proceeded to address the Astros fans by first thanking them and then speaking about the determination of Houston’s 2017 squad. He commended the team’s extraordinary efforts and

accomplishment and said that none of Houston’s achievements in 2017 would have been possible without such appreciative and dedicated fans. Finally, Luhnow completed his address after saying, “We are Houston proud, we are Houston strong, and we are 2017 world champions.”

Next, former Astros first-base coach, Rich Dauer strode to the mound to deliver the first pitch in his return to Minute Maid since suffering a life threatening experience following November’s World Series parade. Luckily, the Astros medical staff rushed him to the hospital, where he was given around a 3 percent chance to live, and he pulled through. His appearance and delivery of the first pitch led to a standing ovation from the entire audience at Minute Maid as he broke down in tears.

Finally, the giddy crowd stood on their feet, excitedly awaiting the last pregame festivity: the raising of the World Series

banner.

On the field, a procession emerged carrying an enormous American Flag that they extended over the expanse of the outfield.

Afterwards, the home crowd stood up, removed their caps, placed their The Houston Astros win against the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of the hands over season. Photo courtesy of Google Images. their hearts, pennant as the workers the pregame festivities and sang the national frantically scrambled to with an easy win against anthem. The announcer unhitch the cover.

Just as the Baltimore Orioles, signaled the unveiling of the Astros struggled for sending the fans home the banner. happy.

First, he explained that so many years but ended their strife with a World As the Astros returned the 2005 National League Series victory, the banner to Houston for the first pennant has been moved was covered for over a time since setting the to the other side of the minute while the crowd league on fire in 2017 and light pole as the workers awkwardly laughed and winning the World Series released the black covlooked around. But despite for the city, they made er and revealed its new such a mistake-ridden it apparent that they location. Finally, he anunveiling, once the banner were not going anywhere nounced the unveiling of fi nally emerged, the crowd anytime soon. And neither the World Series Pennant, erupted in triumph. were the fans. And neither but in true Astros fashion, The Astros capped off was the city. the cover caught on the

24 SPORTS | The Kinkaid Falcon | April 20, 2018

Road to the NBA Finals BYAYUSH KRISHNAMOORTI AND CHARLES GARRISON

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Rocketing past the Dynasty

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A New King in the East In a conference that has been known to belong to Cavaliers’ star LeBron James for the past decade, 2018 looks like the year he is upsurped.

The first round matchup between the top-seeded Toronto Raptors and the bottom Washington Wizards should end in a dominant victory in four or five games for Drake’s hometown of Toronto. The backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and Demar Derozan is one of the best in basketball, and their roster depth is impressive.

Prediction: 4-0 Raptors Sitting in the second seed, the Boston Celtics face Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round.

The lack of superstar point guard Kyrie Irving will most definitely hinder the Celtics, but they remain one of the best teams in the East. The young talent in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will step up to the challenge under their veteran leadership in Al Horford in an exciting series.

Prediction: 4-2 Celtics Directly below, the red-hot, third-seed Philadelphia 76ers who entered the playoffs on a 16-game win streak, face the Miami Heat. While the Heat have certainly outplayed their expectations for the regular season this year, the Sixers, led by potential Rookie of the Year, Ben Simmons, advance to the next round comfortably.

Prediction: 4-2 76ers For the final first-round matchup, LeBron James and the defending Conference

champion Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Indiana Pacers led by breakout star Victor Oladipo. Like the Heat, the Pacers exceeded almost everyone’s preseason predictions, but emerging victorious against LeBron James in the playoffs is no simple task. The Pacers will be a good challenge, but the Cleveland Cavaliers should advance.

Prediction: 4-2 Cavaliers In the first matchup in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Philadelphia 76ers will head to Boston seeking to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. While both teams have faced injuries to their stars, the return of Joel Embiid to the Sixers should shift the series in their direction.

Prediction: 4-2 76ers On the other side, the Cavaliers head to Toronto for their next challenge to retain their Eastern Conference throne.

This series could possibly be the most interesting of the entire conference, as it should constantly go back and forth; however, due to the Raptors’ regular season record and home court advantage, the perennial kings will fall.

Prediction: 4-3 Raptors.

In the series to play for NBA Finals, the 76ers square off against the Raptors. With both teams playing at their best under some of the brightest lights, the Sixers’ inexperience and the Raptors’ previous postseason background will be the deciding factor in this series.

Prediction: 4-3 Raptors

The Houston Rockets look to end the Golden State Warriors’ Dynasty by winning the championship for once.

The Rockets, who set a franchise record with 65 wins this season, are the 1 seed for the first time ever, and are projected to beat the measly 47-35 Minnesota Timberwolves. The Rockets then have to face the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder/Utah Jazz series.

Prediction: 4-0 Rockets This series should be the one to watch as the big three of the Thunder snuck their way into fourth place, with Russell Westbrook leading the way.

After an amazing statistical season, averaging another triple double, Westbrook should shine. However, if any upset is to happen, this series would be the one, as the Jazz are on fire since early March, going an astonishing 17-4.

Prediction: 4-3 Jazz On the other side of the bracket, we have an interesting Golden State Warriors vs.

San Antonio Spurs, which at the beginning of the year, was a projected Conference Finals matchup. Unfortunately, injuries have plagued both teams, as Kawhi Leonard missed the entire season and postseason, and the Warriors haven’t had all of their star players play in over a month. With the return of Stephen Curry, however, the Warriors should dominate.

Prediction: 4-1 Warriors The Pelicans’ story could have rivaled the Sixers as comeback story of the year,

as they were looking to be a top-ranked seed in the West; sadly, star center Demarcus Cousins injured himself right before the All-Star Break, and the Pelicans will be without him throughout the playoffs.

Despite the injuries, the Trail Blazers have been on the decline lately, with only Damain Lilliard showing dominance.

Prediction: 4-2 Pelicans With the return of Steph Curry to the already powerful Warrior group, the Peicans-Warriors series might not be as interesting, as it is expected to be a quick ending to the Pelicans season.

Prediction: 4-1 Warriors In similar fashion, except with more interesting play, the Rockets should beat the Jazz swiftly, with the season series going in the Rockets 4-0. While the playoffs should be slightly more interesting, with a potential Rookie of the Year facing the likely MVP, the Rockets will probably be looking ahead towards the matchup of the year.

Prediction: 4-1 Rockets Our matchup of this year, most likely more hyped up than even the NBA finals, is the Rockets-Warriors series that many have looked forward to. The Warriors offense may finally have an answer, but not in the Rockets’ defense, but rather in their fast-paced offense. Home court advantage should be the key between this matchup, and for once, the Rockets hold the advantage.

Prediction: Rockets 4-3

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