The Marquee Volume 29 Issue 3

MARQUEE THE

Volume 29 • Issue 3 • Dec. 12, 2014

verTurning GENDER R 3

Flower Mound prepares for construction of town’s first hotel.

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Bridlewood Elementary teacher recovers from car accident.

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les The Marquee explores less expensive Secret Santa gift options.

Edward S. Marcus High School • 5707 Morriss Road, Flower Mound, TX 75077

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COVER WI LLI A M L E G R O N E

The Marquee Staff

Swimmers (left to right) Michael Wright, Nick Greer, Conner Dimoush and Jacob Bonneville work together on style trends each week (pg. 24).

CONTENTS

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News

GRADE CHANGE

New grading policy sparks controversy within Denton ISD.

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Feature

SMALL SPACES Former substitute builds

tiny, sustainable home to reduce living costs.

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Entertainment

EMMY WINNER

Graduate wins Emmy award for work in broadcast journalism.

Games SWEATER WEATHER

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Discover which crazy Christmas sweater fits you best.

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TEAM PLAYER

Sports

Disabled senior completes career as football manager.

EDITOR IN CHIEF Austin Rickerson MANAGING EDITOR William Legrone DESIGN EDITOR Molly Webber PHOTO EDITOR William Legrone ONLINE EDITOR Alyssa Schmidt COPY EDITOR Alex Helm BUSINESS MANAGER Molly Webber NEWS EDITOR Victoria Price FEATURE EDITOR Alex Helm ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Rachel Ramirez SPORTS EDITOR Darci Walton OPINION EDITOR Jaime Hardison REPORTERS Cara Crocker, Sanika Sule, Brooke Wyant, Jacob Fontaine PHOTOGRAPHERS AND DESIGNERS Averi Collen, Abby Schlichter, Taryn Welch Anna Kate Hutton, Riley McClure ADVISER LaJuana Hale PRINCIPAL Gary Shafferman The Marquee newsmagazine is a student-generated publication of Marcus High School. It is produced, edited and maintained through the efforts of the school’s advanced journalism class. The Marquee is designed to serve the school and community as a forum for open discussion and student expression.

The Marquee encourages letters to the editor as part of its mission to educate, inform and provide an open forum for debate. All submissions must be signed.

The staff reserves the right to edit all material. Editorials reflect the opinion of the staff, not necessarily that of the administration. Signed columns or reviews represent only the opinion of the author. Advertising rates are $70 per 1/8 of a page, with discounts available. For more information call 469-713-5196.

The Marquee is a standing member of ILPC, TAJE, ATPI, CSPA, NSPA, JEA and Quill and Scroll.

NEWS

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Riverwalk at Central Park to be construction site of first Flower Mound hotel, other amenities STORY J ACOB FO N TAI N E

The first hotel built in Flower Mound will be located at The River Walk at Central Park. The motion was approved during the October Town Council Meeting. Council members anticipate development of the hotel to be finished by early 2016.

The developers are planning a 5-story, 145-room hotel that will have numerous designated areas for meetings and conferences.

The hotel will also include a restaurant, indoor pool and a furnished outdoor area facing the riverwalk. The hotel brand - either Marriot, Hilton, Hyatt or Starwood - will be announced later this month.

The hotel will also provide access to the many amenities and restaurants available in the development. Already named restaurants includes Primo’s Tex Mex Grille, Sfuzzi’s Upscale Italian Bar and Parquet Sports Bar. “This is a big win for Flower Mound,” council member Mark Wise released in a press statement.

“Flower Mound residents will finally have a local destination to welcome visiting family members and friends.”

According to Economic Development Director Mark Wood, the hotel is expected to generate $3.3 million in revenue per year once completed.

“With Flower Mound’s close proximity to the DFW Airport, business travelers and visitors will be able to contribute to our local economy and enjoy all the town has to offer,” Wood said. “Flower Mound has pursued a hotel for quite some time and I’m excited we’re finally able to add this amenity for our residents.”

The plotted land contains 676,000 sq. feet set aside for retail, 298,000 sq. feet of medical office space, 1,100,000 sq. feet of office space, and 1,100 condos, single- and multi-family and senior living complexes.

Despite the benefits, hotels in some communities have brought crime. According to a 2009 USA Today Report, the

DESIGN AND GRAPHICS TARY N WELC H

introduction of a hotel into a community results in a 6 percent increase in the area’s crime rates on average.

Though it varies across different companies, the minimum age required to rent a room at some hotels is 18. Since many teenagers at the school turn 18 during their senior year, some students realize the potential for possible illegal activities.

“It could be a really big problem if you only have to be 18 to check in,” sophomore Alex Fernandez said. “Briarhill experienced a

similar situation with the addition of short term apartments which later became drug and alcohol magnets.”

However, the Flower Mound Police Department is not anticipating any major changes. According to the Police Captain, Kurt Labhart, they will adjust and handle issues at the hotel as attention is needed. “[The Police Department] has no worries at this time,” Captain Labhart said.

“Any service call made by the hotel will be answered by local patrolling officers.”

River Walk Updates - 27,000-square-foot building with upscale restaurants and dessert and coffee shops approved.

- 1,100 condos, single-andmulti-family and senior living complexes.

-New anounced restaurants include Primo’s Tex Mex Grille, Sfuzzi’s upscale Italian bar, and Parquet Sports Bar.

- Three medical office buildings containing approximately 298,000 square feet of medical office space approved.

HOTEL

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4 NEWS

Denton ISD enacts new late work, testing policy Words

STORY C ARA C RO C K ER

Denton ISD has implemented a new grading policy in their district this year, which changes how students take tests and turn in assignments.

While LISD policies only let students retake tests that they failed for a maximum grade of 70, DISD now lets their students retake any test, regardless of their first grade. The district’s stated goal is to make sure that the students actually learn the material and are not just rewarded for good behavior. DISD has said it intends to raise the students’ grades with this new policy.

“Any time a student shows that they need to basically learn more, they have to go through a process, which would be like tutoring or doing extra assignments to show the teacher or instructor that the learning took place,” DISD Director of Communication Mario Zavala said.

Zavala said he believes that this policy helps students and teachers care more about learning rather than grades on a report card.

Denton ISD’s new policy also doesn’t give deadlines on

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assignments. Students can complete assignments on their own time. Unlike regular deadlines, students have no penalty for turning in their work later. Assistant Principal Rusty Hamric said the new policy may not be effective.

“The students won’t prepare,” Hamric said. “I hope it stills keeps them accountable.”

Even after being informed of the policy, some Denton residents don’t see the benefit it will bring to DISD. Despite the district’s intent, there has been negative feedback on this new policy.

There is doubt from LISD parents, such as Vanessa McDonald, that it will actually benefit the school.

“I believe that it’s going to enable kids to be lazier and not apply themselves like they need to,” McDonald said. “And it’s actually going to be hard for the kids that do study and put the work in to have a good grade.”

Sophomore Adam Luqman said he wonders how this new policy will affect the future of those students in college.

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NEWS

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“I like the retest policy because academically-striving students can have the opportunity to perfect their grade,” Mullings S said.

R’ E M Despite some pushback, Zavala le EL ab lue k h said that they remain confident that asool G Stic W h it is going to be ultimately helpful to Sc

students.

“We’re trying to do what we feel is the best for our students and really trying to capture what they’re learning,” Zavala said.

“[The new policy] won’t prepare [students] at all,” Luqman said.

“College is much harder, and students will go there thinking they could retake any test, but their grades will fall because they’ll have lower expectations.”

However, some positive feedback has been coming back from parents and students about the policy and how it is working. Although this new grading policy is not implemented in LISD, some students, like sophomore Michelle Mullings, said they think that the policy could be beneficial to the school.

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FEATURE

Kindergarden teacher recovers from car accident, receives school, community support STORY J AC O B FO N TAI N E

was unhurt.

“Camden had been kicking the seat so we thought it was time to turn him around,” Bambi said. “Richi and I knew it was early for a toddler only 20 months old, but he’s a lengthy kid so we thought it was the best move.”

This random decision would protect him during the collision that left their car totalled. The stroller in the car could have hit Camden directly had his carseat not been turned around in the backseat. In addition, every window in the car had been crumpled and shattered when the car flipped except for the one next to Camden.

Bambi Trotter, a kindergarten teacher at Bridlewood Elementary, doesn’t remember the day of her accident. She doesn’t remember the one-hour struggle the first responders undertook to cut through the hood of the car and remove her from the wreckage.

She doesn’t even remember the helicopter ride to the hospital.

However, her husband remembers the day vividly.

Richi Trotter, a football coach at Byron Nelson High School, was on the field coaching his first day of freshman camp when his phone rang. Since it was a number he didn’t recognize he let it ring. Then two more calls from the same number came. When he listened to the voicemail all he could hear was police department.

When he called them back, the police told him about his wife.

“Has anyone told you? Your wife has been in a serious accident,” the officer said.

A highway patrol came to the school and told him the same thing. Though all the officers agreed it was a terrible accident, no one could tell him how serious her injuries were. He knew he had to drive to the hospital to get answers.

When he arrived, Bambi was in intensive care.

She had sustained serious injuries, including compound fractures in one leg, a crushed foot on the other leg, a cracked vertebrae, a broken pelvis and traumatic brain injuries. It was clear to Richi that his wife’s recovery would be a long and difficult one, but from the beginning he believed positivity would help the process.

“With a situation like this you can’t On Aug. 4, Bridlewood teacher Bambi Trotter and her son had a headon collision with another car. She sustained many injuries and has been expect a full recovery overnight,” Richi recovering since. said. “You have to look for anything positive each day, or any one percents. It’s great when these one percents really start to add up.”

“We believe a guardian angel One of the things that helped her to be positive in the recovery came down and took his big old was her gratitude that her son who was riding in the car with her wings and just surrounded M HS MARQUE E.COM

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him and just said, ‘You’re not going to get hurt,’”Bambi said. “[It was] definitely an act of God.” Bambi’s one percents would come few and seldom at first. Thirty days passed before Bambi even came into consciousness.When she woke up she was unable to speak full sentences or write.

“When they first had me start writing stuff it looked like a 3-year-old’s handwriting,” Bambi said. “From the start I knew this wasn’t okay.”

The accident had caused damage in her left fronto temporal lobe, which affected the right side of her brain, responsible for skills such as writing and typing. But she was determined to once again write.

At first she began by filling out the hospital’s meal menus with little checkmarks and rewrote her room number again and again. She then moved on to words in regular print as she began to remember letters. With consistent practice she taught herself to not only print again but also how to write cursive, teaching herself just as she had taught her kindergarten students for the past 10 years.

“Being able to write again was definitely a big step,” Bambi said. “But speaking was one of the best feelings.”

Following her accident, when family and friends came to speak to her she usually would just utter, “Hi.” Her thoughts were there, just not the words to share them. This would continue for two more weeks. But she improved every single day. The one percents didn’t stop.

In one instance a friend of Bambi’s came to visit her. After they began talking, the friend burst into tears. Though, at the time, Bambi thought her friend was pregnant, it would become clear to Bambi that the reason for her friend’s tears was not a pregnancy or even Bambi’s physical appearance.

Her improvement in speech was what was so miraculous.

This friend wasn’t alone in the support of the Trotter family. While Bambi was fighting through the recovery, many families that personally knew her or that had kids that had been taught or coached by one of the Trotters wanted to help in any way they could. A Facebook page updating others of her situation and an online donation service was created.

About three weeks after the accident, green ribbons began appearing all over the neighborhood of Bridlewood. Tied to lamp posts, mailboxes, and trees, the ribbons covered the area in DESIGN ANNA K AT E H UTTO N

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every direction, and still do. The color green had been chosen because of a video Bambi had posted of her son.

“He loves watercolor and he kept saying he wanted to paint ‘the green,’” Bambi said. “From that people thought his favorite color was green and made that the color to represent their support.”

When she first saw the ribbons she was overwhelmed. She had been teaching for 10 years at Bridlewood Elementary with an average class size of 20, so she had always thought she had just touched 200 families. Nonetheless, the green ribbons reflected an entire community’s gratitude and support of her family.

“I see myself as just a kindergarten teacher,” Bambi said. “I’m nothing special. People just came out of the woodworks to support us and it was really amazing,” Additionally, the online fundraiser raised $34,119 in just three months to help pay for Bambi’s multiple surgeries she had after the accident. She said she plans to give back to the community by publicly speaking about her accident and the recovery process.

“What [I’ve] ultimately learned is you can get through anything with your family and your faith in God,” Bambi said.

Bambi will be returning to Bridlewood to teach as soon as she’s able, but she hopes to deliver her message to more than just her class in the future.

“Though I plan on returning as a kindergarten teacher, I no longer want to be just a kindergarten teacher,” Bambi said. “I want to touch many lives and help others.”

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The Trotter family, Richi (left), Bambi (right) and Camden (bottom), pose together for family picture before the car accident occurred in early August.

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8 FEATURE

Small spaces Former substitute builds tiny, eco-friendly home “It’s an interesting design project because it makes you have to get really creative and innovative on how you approach the design because you only have so much square footage to work Former Briarhill Middle School substitute Joel Weber, with,” Weber said. nicknamed Tarzan by his students, stood looking out at the Weber started the project during late August and travels Nicaraguan community around him. He came to Nicaragua from Austin to Flower Mound on the weekends to work on the to experience a new culture and a new language. The off-thehouse, which he is building in his parents’ backyard. He hopes grid town was small, and often electricity and running water to finish the house and move in during the were not available. But they didn’t need that spring so that he won’t have to live in and stuff. He fell in love with the environment pay for student housing. and the people around him. He was happy “I wanted something where any changes living simply.

I left on it would stay, [unlike a dorm], and After living abroad in Central America for something that was my own,” Weber said. three months in 2012, he came back to Texas “Why put all that money into something with a new outlook. He was going to live a that’s not even mine and I’ll have nothing simpler, more sustainable life. He soon began to show for it?” his design major in the College of Fine Arts But building an entire house, even if at the University of Texas, which inspired only 18 ft. long by 8 ft. wide, roughly him to begin researching ways to cut down the size of an SUV car, wasn’t something not only on debt from school and housing, Weber had ever tried to do. He had a but also on his environmental footprint. Now background in landscaping and plumbing. a sophomore, Weber decided he wanted to He had even installed things like ceiling build his own tiny home. These eco-friendly Joel Weber, former fans and light outlets, but he had never homes are small, usually less than 150 square substitute framed a house before. He knew he ft., and can be driven around on trailers. would need some help.

“I had this idea and I thought, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do this, but I’m just going to start putting it out there,’” Weber said. “People said, ‘I like that project, I’ll talk to this person and see what they can do. I’ll talk to this guy who frames houses. I’ll talk to this contractor.’ It just all came to pass.”

Through research, YouTube and word of mouth, Weber was able to find the people he needed to help him on his project. Because of donations and actual help with the building process, Weber’s house has come far in the past few months.

“To me, what makes it more of a home is the fact that there are many hands that are a part of it,” Weber said.

The main idea of building these tiny homes is to be as eco-friendly as possible. Instead of spending extra money and using building materials he didn’t need, Weber framed his house using repurposed wood. He’ll use low voltage LED PHOTOSU BM I T E D lights and an instant water heater, which heats water as it’s STORY ALEX H ELM

Yo u have to get really creative and innovative on how you approach the design because you only have so much square footage to work with.

The top of Joel Webers’ house has a slanted roof to allow for head space. Weber is a sophomore at UT-Austin.

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used instead of continuously, to reduce energy use.

He’s even working on installing solar panels and planting a green awning, which is a garden on a roof, to grow his own plants and food. One of his former students, sophomore Casey Meyer, said she thinks what PHOTO S UB MI TED Weber is doing is Former substitute Joel Weber stands in front of his future interesting. home. He started his project this summer.

“I never really heard of [tiny homes] until I saw that [Weber] posted about it on Twitter,” Meyer said. “But it’s good for the environment, it’s safe, and I feel like he’s one of those people who would build something like that.”

The main features of Weber’s tiny home include two lofts for sleeping, a storage area, a sitting area, a kitchen and a small bathroom in the back. The roof is slanted so he has more head space. To Weber, seeing his paper drawings come to life is one the most fun parts of building his home.

“It’s not like I’m denying myself square footage and I’m gonna suffer from it,” Weber said. “It’s like, ‘Wow, this is comfortable. This is great.’ I actually can spend more money living life instead of paying money to pay off a mortgage or student loans.”

Despite his positive outlook, there have been a few setbacks.

His windows didn’t come in on time.

And when they did, a few were scratched, so he had to get new ones.

Sometimes he is worried he won’t have enough money from jobs or donations to complete the project. Oftentimes, ordinances have restrictions on these homes, banning them from some areas. But he’s determined to finish despite these obstacles.

“I feel like it’s really the season for this movement,” Weber said “I’ve talked to so many people […] who are like, ‘I’ve heard about that. I’ve seen that.’ There’s such a hunger and curiosity about living simpler.”

Weber plans on bringing his

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finished home to Austin to live in through the rest of his time at school. But as to where his home will take him after he graduates, he said he doesn’t know yet. He said he plans on going wherever life takes him.

“If I end up buying land in the mountains or by a beach somewhere, it’s a great thing to have,” Weber said.

Weber said he wants to inspire others to consider their environment and think of ways to be more eco-friendly. But even Meyer said that she couldn’t imagine doing what Weber does and living in a house that small.

“I don’t think I could do that,” Meyer said. “I’d be very out of my element. That’s a big change.”

But to him, living more eco-friendly doesn’t mean downsizing in the extreme way he has. He simply wants others to ask themselves one thing.

“How can we all live simple and be more thankful [...] and come up with creative ways for the spaces that we do have?”

Weber said. “That’s what I hope these projects accomplish.”

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Weber’s house is built on a trailer so he can travel with it. The house is only 140 square feet.

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FEATURE

Altitude adjustment Junior spends spring semester in New Mexico skiing with family STORY S AN I K A S ULE

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s junior Madeline Stanfield packs her parka and ski boots, she knows she is one day closer to being in the crisp mountain air. She anticipates the next few months, which will be filled with gliding in the snow and relaxing. For Madeline, skiing is not just a luxury of vacations. It is her life for almost half of the year.

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For the first time last year, the Stanfield up while being homeschooled, the rigid rules family left their suburban lifestyle behind of the classroom are even more strenuous. from January to May to spend time at Sitting in a desk for extended periods of their cabin in the Taos Ski Valley of New time after getting used to being active all Mexico. Although they are not extremely day is the most difficult transition for her.

Ultimately, though, the experienced skiers, switch between public her parents’ flexible school and homeschooling jobs helped make the has made Madeline learn family’s decision to how to thrive in both spend six months away situations. from home possible.

Adjusting to the The family was eager self-directed aspect of to make the short homeschooling is not the move to both indulge only part of living in Taos in their love for winter that Madeline must endure. sports and to find a Madeline Stanfield, 11 The small mountain village more relaxing way of has few other residents, life.

“I just enjoy being there and being able leaving Madeline to find other ways to pass to slow down,” Madeline said. “It’s a lot the time. The lack of social gatherings with less stressful than being here. It’s just a friends creates opportunities for the family to spend time with one another. Madeline’s completely different lifestyle.”

The family owns a red A-frame cabin mother, Christina Stanfield, said that that is barely 1000 square feet, making for although living in Taos can be difficult close quarters for the family of five. For at times, she knows that the mountains Madeline, the lack of space is irrelevant can provide the opportunity of spending because she is constantly involved in various quality time with family.

“We spent a lot of time reading books outdoor activities. Madeline spends her day either working with children, running the and just being together,” Christina said. front desk at the local ski school, or skiing “There were rough times when sometimes on the blue and black slopes, which are the the togetherness was too much or the homeschooling proved difficult, [but] highest levels of difficulty.

Although the relaxing lifestyle has its perks, it also has some downfalls. Because Madeline and her siblings are taken out of school to enjoy the mountains, they must be homeschooled for half of the school year. After enjoying a day of skiing, she has to focus on her schoolwork. However, sometimes the relaxing lifestyle of Taos can affect her study habits, too. Madeline said that because she is able to pace herself, she sometimes falls victim to procrastination.

“I wasn’t very good with time management,” Madeline said. “So it ended up being more [work] than when I’m in public school.”

Returning to public school after having the freedom to focus on schoolwork when it was convenient also proved difficult for Madeline. Though at times her work piles

“I just enjoy being there and being able to slow down.”

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the positives definitely outweighed the negatives.”

In the height of ski season, the whole family is constantly involved in various activities on the mountain, but towards the end they begin to get cabin fever. Madeline begins to miss life at home with her friends.

She said that despite being able to stay in touch through phone calls and text messages, it’s not the same as being able to spend time with them.

“When it is busy, I don’t get bored, but when it slows down I miss my friends, and I want to come back here, back to civilization,” Madeline said. “It’s hard to be gone for that long.”

While absence from friends makes Madeline anticipate her return, Taos has become a second home for the Stanfield family. Although several months away from school and friends may take its toll at times, Madeline awaits their move every year. Christina said that living in Taos has fulfilled her family’s dream, and has allowed them experience the best of living in two totally different worlds.

“We are going to try it again this spring semester,” Christina said. “And as for future plans, we just take the six month plan approach and find ourselves so blessed to have the experience of suburban life and life in the ski valley.”

Madeline Stanfield (center) and her family gather with relatives for Easter.

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12 F E A T U R E

Back to school The school has been home to numerous successful alumni over the years. From coaches to administration, the school has produced many educators that have decided to return to their home turf in hopes of impacting the next generation of students.

STORY RACHEL RA MI REZ

Scan the QR code or go to mhsmarquee.com to read more alumni stories, including ones on teachers Shane Rogers and Kaitlyn Wilson.

Amanda Vara, Class of 1998 Psychology teacher Amanda Vara considers her opportunity to return to the school a literal answered prayer. After spending time teaching at Durham Middle School, Vara wanted to move on to older students. She interviewed at various campuses in the area, including Flower Mound 9.

“I just kept praying through those couple weeks when I came out of these interviews, just praying, ‘Lord, just please open the right door, but please, Lord, let that door be Marcus High School,’” Vara said. “And He did.”

Vara spent her entire high school career at the school and during that time, was heavily involved in drumline. When she was in drumline, they won the national drumline competition three years in a row. Vara said she really treasures her time that she spent with the drumline, whether it was before school, after school or during fourth period. She said her favorite memories were made under the Friday night lights.

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Vara is a psychology teacher at Marcus 9. She teaches both AP and intermediate.

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Vara takes a post graduation photo with one of her classmates. She was on drumline in high school.

“We just all cheered the team on and then just getting to play and pump up the crowd and everything,” Vara said. “Those were my best memories.”

Vara also considers her time spent on academics valuable. Many of her teachers then, such as Brad Brevard, Todd Knowles and Sohail Khan, still work at the school now. Vara said she particularly enjoyed her time spent in Khan’s class, where she said she experienced a healthy competition that motivated her to progress.

“One of the experiences I always think back to is Mr. Khan’s class,” Vara said. “He pushed beyond where we thought we could go, but it was still in a positive way.”

Whether it’s the familiar surroundings or faculty she remembers having herself, Vara said having graduated from the same school her students will graduate from has created a special bond with them. This common ground makes her able to relate better to her students.

“It’s just neat to have something in common with them,” Vara said.

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Greg Axelson, Class of 1993 The new student who had just transferred from Florida stood in the bleachers in the crowded gymnasium. The stands were buzzing with excited chatter from students and staff. Drinking the scene in, the student’s eyes widened as the lights turned off and fun music began. Screams filled the gym as the crowd grew more and more excited. Suddenly, as the music swelled, the lights turned on and there, on the once empty gym floor, stood the football team. In their hands, they raised up an axe for all to see. That was MHS9 Assistant Principal Greg Axelson’s first experience with the school’s black out pep rally.

“Football wasn’t that big where I was from in Florida, so that whole experience of the lights out, the axe, just the madness of that pep rally was a pretty fun memory,” Axelson said.

Axelson moved from Tampa, Florida the summer before his junior year after his father’s job moved to Dallas. A soccer player, Axelson quickly acclimated to his new home by making friends on his soccer team. His rapid adjustment positively impacted the remainder of his time at the school since he now had friends in his new town.

“That’s why I always tell kids to participate in some kind of extracurricular,” Axelson said. “If it’s a sport, a club, an honor society, get involved in something... because you automatically have a group of friends.”

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Axelson is now one of the assistant principals at Marcus 9. It is his first year at the school.

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Axelson poses for his senior yearbook photo more than 20 years ago.

Like many students at the school, Axelson was no stranger to the rigorous coursework. He found himself being frustrated by his classes and their difficulty at times, but once he entered college, he said he was grateful for them.

“Being a student at Marcus really prepared me for college because the classes, especially the junior and senior level classes, can be quite challenging at Marcus, but that prepares you for what you’re going to face in college,” Axelson said. His social interactions with his teachers also influenced his decision to pursue a career in education. Dallas Miles, a former teacher at the school, significantly impacted Axelson’s learning with his teaching methods and inspired him to major in history at Texas A&M and become a teacher. By encountering educators with hearts for their students both academically and personally, he could use his experience in his interactions with his own students. Talking to his students about their lives, families and hobbies became just as important to Axelson as teaching them historic content.

“I always wanted to try to establish some sort of relationship where I could get to know the kids as I was teaching them,” Axelson said.

Since he began his career, Axelson has always wanted to get into the district somewhere and eventually return to his alma mater.

During his time in education, he taught solely at freshman center facilities. That, combined with being an alumnus, set him up to be a viable administration candidate when the new freshman center opened this year.

“I really wanted to become a part of LISD and because I had graduated from here, it was always the place I wanted to end up,” Axelson said.

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GENDER ROLES

Controversy has surrounded gender roles for years. this has led to differences between children’s toys to the types of jobs that people have. But sometimes these roles society assigns to males and females can be restricting. This leads to the question if whether gender roles help or harm the world we live in. The Marquee decided to delve into this question and bring light to those who are redefining what gender means.

M HS MARQUE E.COM

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BREAKING stereotypes Female chooses career in male-dominated field [in college] to get their ‘MRS’ degree,” Hutley said. “Once they figured out that you were serious about your studies it wasn’t an One student was not like the others in the issue anymore.”

Lehigh University School of Earth and When Hutley graduated in 1981, the Environmental Science. One student had oil business was booming, which made to work harder to earn the respect of her it easy for her to get a job. Working as classmates and professors. One student was a geophysicist, Hutley gathered and female. interpreted data. She then recommended Chemistry teacher Janet Hutley is used where new oil wells should be placed. In to being the only girl. She grew up with her department of 50 employees, she was two brothers, had many guy friends in high one of four women. school and was the only girl in her geology Females were scarce in the field at the major. But that never bothered her. She knew time, about one for every fifteen males that being a geophysicist, a scientist that and were wanted by the head of the studies the Earth using magnetic, electrical company to move up the ladder into and seismic methods, was what she wanted higher positions. Because of her work to do. She was willing to work for it. ethic and capability, Hutley was one of “Until you gained their respect I think these women. Within four years of being Janet Hutley, Chemistry there was a mindset that women were still at the company, she had been promoted to assistant to the vice president. During those four years her raises were larger and more frequent than those of her male colleagues who weren’t chosen to move up the corporate ladder. While rising through the ranks, Hutley said she never felt oppressed due to her gender.

“The people in management were there because they were impartial,” Hutley said.

“Gender, race or whatever didn’t matter.

That’s how they gained the respect of everybody.”

It wasn’t until Hutley returned to her original department as a manager that she first experienced harassment for being a female in the workplace. Yet, even then, the comments were always said behind closed doors. The older generation wasn’t used to having a female boss.

“They’re kind of resentful that you’re coming in and making a lot of money and doing the same job they are and getting the same respect they are but they have been PHOTO AVE RI CO LLEN working for years,” Hutley said.

Chemistry teacher Janet Hutley prepares for an experiment with her 2nd period class.

She received some sexist comments from STORY D ARC I WALTO N

U

ntil you gained their respect I think there was a mindset that women were still [in college] to get their ‘MRS’ degree.

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Continued from page 15 coworkers, too. A few of the men snickered about the idea of exchanging sexual favors for data charts, maps or whatever else they needed. But Hutley just brushed off the comments, refraining from adding any fuel to their fire.

“If you’re pretty blunt with them you wouldn’t have to be blunt too many times before they realized you didn’t have to deal with them,” Hutley said. “You could always get the item from someone else.”

Although these remarks were unethical in a workplace, Hutley remained professional with all of those she encountered.

“I’ve always been pretty diplomatic and try to be forward with people,” Hutley said.

Despite some negativity, not all of the comments Hutley received while working as a geophysicist were intended to be snarky or malicious. Due to her occupation, Hutley occasionally had to travel to oil rigs. On the rigs Hutley stuck out like a sore thumb. She would be the only female on a structure that was full of superstitious men that thought a woman being there was bad luck.

Out of respect and to gain their trust, Hutley would always ask permission from the crew to go onto the rig.

“The blue-collar workers were certain the rig was going to blow up or something because I was there,” Hutley said. “If I asked permission they were nice to me. If I was there everyday and was in their position I would understand. They are in a very high accidentprone environment.”

Often, men working out on the rigs or on possible oil well locations would be caught off guard to see Hutley’s small frame working alongside the large brawny men in tattered work boots.

“I’m not some burly woman,” Hutley said. “I’m tiny and would come in a hardhat so they were definitely surprised.”

Despite entering the workforce as a female, Hutley doesn’t think that it would have mattered if she entered as a male but rather there would have been a difference if Hutley wasn’t as driven as she was.

Because of her work ethic, it was irrelevant whether her coworkers were sexist or not. She was simply not going to fail.

“It is a job where you have to prove your skill, you can’t ride on your own morals,” Hutley said. “You’re always proving yourself, whether you’re male or female.”

Hutley’s determined attitude carried over to her teaching career.

“She really makes a point to make sure that her students understand,” junior Eric Kennison said. “She never gives up on a kid.”

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women earn s t en

c 8 7

for every

men earn *Source: 2013 Census Bureau*

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male graduate studies to be elementary school teacher STORY J A I M E H A R D I SO N

The young elementary school children frolic across the playground after school in the crisp December air. Wood chips crunch under their feet. The sun creeps down under the trees. Faint laughter can be heard as small bodies make their way around the slides. They gather around the teenage boy, their Extended School Day teacher, as he gives instructions and laughs at their carefree attitude. This is what he loves.

Tyler Skinner, who graduated in 2014, loves acting silly with the children. He loves being a part of their everyday lives.

He loves interacting with younger brains and stimulating them to think further. And most of all, he loves that his career path will enable him to fulfill these passions.

“I want to give back to my community,” Skinner said. “But I want to give back to the future generations and just help them grow to become better than we were.”

And Skinner plans on accomplishing this goal through teaching.

When he was in seventh grade, he

had a male history teacher. It wasn’t his first male teacher, but this one proved to be more important than the others. Throughout the year, while Skinner learned about Texas history and all of the battles and important events, he saw his teacher as a role model.

“He inspired me,” Skinner said.

And suddenly a question he had never asked himself popped into his head. “Why not teach?”

As he delved further into this question in the years to follow, one thing was obvious. He hadn’t been encouraged to follow his passion by a female but by a male instead. This seemed unusual to him, because generally the field of teaching is female dominated.

The few male teachers that inhabit each and every school seem more like an exception to the rule.

In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 2 percent of preschool and kindergarten teachers are male, and only 18 percent of elementary and middle school teachers are male.

While there seem to be more male instructors in larger schools, there are usually no more than a few in elementary schools. And since Skinner dreams of becoming a fifth grade teacher, he will be a part of this minority.

But this fact does not seem to bother him at all. He’s perfectly fine with being one of the few. He doesn’t mind not being a firefighter or an engineer. He’s okay with not fitting into his accepted gender role.

“I can’t really explain it,” Skinner said. “But there’s just something different whenever you have a male teacher. It’s important for kids to have another male role model, especially when [they’re] growing up.”

During his senior year, he joined the TAFE club, or the Texas Association for Future Educators. The organization is designed for students who wished to enter the teaching field, especially those hoping to instruct elementary school kids. Although the idea of teaching had been a life-long dream, he hadn’t planned on joining the club. But fate brought him there. TAFE director and advisor, Kim Watson, saw potential in Skinner, and strongly urged him to be a part of it.

PHOTO S UB MITTED “He was really dedicated to wanting to learn about Tyler Skinner reads to elementary school students at Flower Mound Elementary. He works for the teaching profession,” Watson said.

ESD, the extended school day program.

TAFE gave Skinner many opportunities, including going to second and eighth grade classes to watch kids

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 and occasionally teach them. Skinner was able to acquire hands-on experience with children and begin instructing a younger age group. And even after he graduated, he still continues on his journey to teach.

While taking classes at NCTC, he looks after kids after their school day at Flower Mound Elementary’s ESD program. There, he witnesses the young children sending wood chips flying along the pavement, and watches carefully for skinned knees and bruised ankles. There, he gathers kids in a circle and reads them a story. And there, he begins to foster what he hopes will be his life-long career. And no matter which gender happens to dominate the career type, he and Watson believe that he has a lot to bring to the world of teaching, and to the future kids in his class.

“It’s amazing what male teachers in elementary schools will do,” Watson said. “It gives the little guys someone to look up to.”

23 percent

of texas public school teachers are men

and

t b n e c er p 8 2 A

C

of first-year Texas public school teachers are men

*Source: New York Times*

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Skinner participates in arts and crafts with an elementary student.

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Awarded alumni

Past journalism student wins Emmy for storm coverage only four months out of college,” Schuelke said.

As a recent college graduate working in the news industry, many On Apr. 27, 2014, tornados swept across several Iowa towns. of her colleagues were skeptical of her true value at first. Schuelke had to allow her actions and work to In Oskaloosa, Iowa, large trees bowed speak for themselves when working and snapped at the will of the 80 mph alongside 30-year broadcast veterans. winds. Debris was scattered about the

And prove herself she did. town. In Des Moines, Iowa, newscast

Schuelke was able to quickly producer and school graduate Michelle It is incredibly humlearn the ropes of producing and Schuelke was responsible for creating putting together a newscast. Soon, bling that I was 22 years old the storm coverage segment for local she was producing segments on the news station KCCI-TV. when I produced a show that TV station all by herself. Schuelke Schuelke, a recent graduate from attributes her success in the journalism the University of Missouri, stood was Emmy award winning. field to her involvement in the Marcus out from the other local coverage Organization of Broadcasting (MOB) because she didn’t simply use the same Michelle Schuelke, graduate when she was in high school. Learning footage over and over again. Instead, how to edit video, film events and write as her anchors were reporting, she was rushing about behind the scenes, rapidly shuffling through viewer scripts set her up to be ahead of the rest of her class when she went submissions of photos and videos of the tornado, contacting them to the University of Missouri.

“MOB gave me 2 years leg up on other students in the broadcast for the exact location and displaying the submitted content. Her innovative use of the audience as field reporters ended up being department,” Schuelke said. “MOB was a very influential time and Emmy-worthy, as she and her team received a regional award for … really helped me out.”

While her classmates were learning how to turn on their cameras, their work.

“It is incredibly humbling that I was 22 years old when I Schuelke was honing her skills and practicing more advanced produced a show that was Emmy award-winning and when I was techniques. She recommends that students take advantage of career STORY RAC H EL RAMI REZ

Schuelke joined MOB her junior year.

Fall 2010

Fall 2008

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Schuelke started her freshman year at the University of Missouri.

Schuelke graduated from Missouri School of Journalism after three and a half years.

December 2013

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PHOTO S UB M I T T E D

Michelle Schuelke holds her regional Emmy award for weekend newscast.

focused programs like MOB because even if they aren’t looking into journalism specifically, being able to perform tasks like shooting video and meeting deadlines can benefit students looking into any career. Similarly in other programs, like band and robotics, learning problem-solving and concentration skills can be abilities that boost a resumé.

“The fundamental tools and the things that you learn and the experience that you gain in these high school courses . . . can help you excel,” Schuelke said.

Since receiving the award, Schuelke said she thinks the culmination of her high school training, college curriculum and her experience in the broadcast world has led to improvements of her skills. When she considers the experience she has gained even over the past few months since her award-winning show, Schuelke finds that the growth is substantial.

“I feel like I have improved and I have learned so much since that first one that I won, so I would like to have another opportunity to have an awesome newscast like that that I could submit and go compare them,” Schuelke said.

Schuelke’s time editing, shooting and learning in MOB was spent under her adviser, LaJuana Hale. When Hale heard about the Emmy award, she said she was proud but not totally surprised.

“She is such a hard worker, so I know she deserved it,” Hale said. “If anyone could win an award right out of college, it would be her.”

April 27, 2014 September 13,2014 Se

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Schuelke’s Emmy award-winning newscast on the Oskaloosa tornado aired.

pt.

13

ar de

are am e t V Schue I- T lke and the KCC t. d th scas e reg w e n ional Emmy for weekend

, 20 14 :

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Secret Santa STORY D ARC I WALTO N

1

The holiday season is upon us and Secret Santa gift exchanges are almost inevitable.

However, the fun tradition is almost ruined by the stress of finding the perfect gift or the disappointment that comes with buying a gift card. The Marquee found some tips and tricks to be a cost-conscious Secret Santa.

Pick your store To get the best bang for your buck, pick a store with a clearance section or good deals on holiday items. Dollar stores are great for those who want to stick very strictly to a budget, but they may not always offer the best selection. Instead, try Five Below. The store has a wide variety of items and plenty of seasonal knickknacks. Plus, all items are

under $5.

If you really want something that screams “holiday gift” and aren’t as concerned about cost, Hobby Lobby is your place. Though items from their Christmas section can be more pricey, with most holiday items costing $10-20, the Hobby Lobby website offers a daily 40% off coupon that can be accessed on your phone and used in store.

Pick your present Time for the fun part. If you’re close to the person whose name you drew, make something from the heart to let them know you appreciate them. Wooden letters from Hobby Lobby are around $2. Try covering the surface of the letter with a picture collage of the two of you. To make it a little trendy, grab all of their initials to create a customized monogram.

If you want your gift to be more holiday-centric, pick up a stocking from the dollar section and fill it with their favorites: favorite candy, favorite coffee or tea bags,

3 MHS MARQUE E.COM

favorite fuzzy socks, etc. The more personable, the better. Sometimes you might not always know your Secret Santa person that well and it can be frustrating, but have no fear. Social media is here!

Going through someone’s Instagram or Twitter can help you figure out what they like to do or things they are passionate about. And if social media stalking isn’t your forté, when in doubt, bake it out. Everyone loves eating holiday treats, making them a perfect addition to any gift.

Wrap it up Though dollar stores might not be the best place to get the gift, they are great for getting the wrapping paper. Holiday gift-wrapping materials can become expensive and take up the majority of your budget if bought at a major retail store. Dollar stores have plenty of

2

options, ranging from traditional red and green wrapping paper to fun googly-eyed penguin gift bags. If traditional wrapping isn’t your thing or you don’t want to spend the money on it, construction and butcher papers work just as well and are blank canvases that can be decorated to your heart’s desire. But don’t stress out about the wrapping too much. They’re just going to rip into it anyway.

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Which Christmas sweater are you?

COMPILED BR O O K E W Y A N T

What is your favorite Christmas song?

Joy to the World.

Silent Night.

What is your favorite Christmas ornament?

Snowman.

Jingle Bells.

What is your favorite Christmas drink?

What is your favorite decorating activity?

Angel.

Decorating the tree.

Putting up lights.

How many people do you invite to a Christmas Party?

Lots. The more, the merrier!

You are organized and orderly.

You’re good at fixing problems and making sense of chaos. You are one of the few people that isn’t afraid to lead others. You act decisively when you need to. You are competent and rely on only yourself.

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Hot cocoa.

How early do you begin celebrating?

Just a few people.

Christmas Tree Sweater:

Warm apple cider.

December.

Why start early?

Christmas Cat Sweater:

You like to live life on your own terms. Above all else, you value your independence. You enjoy spending time alone and observing the world around you. You love the solitude of being alone with your thoughts.

Several months before.

Santa Sweater:

You are the type who is open and welcoming to everyone. You are a true people-person. You know how to lighten the mood, and how to get people to have fun. You are genuinely happy. You are also very hardworking, and have lots of ambition. You believe you will change the world for the better.

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On-point outfits

Swimmers collaborate on latest clothing styles, start trends STORY B RO O K E WY AN T

They said they hope their presence in the school and appearances It was a chilly day in the beginning of winter. Shorts could on social media sites will show other boys the correct way to dress, no longer be worn. Pants became necessary. With the longer pants so everyone can make the best first impressions and feel the best came longer socks. One Wednesday in his third period class, junior they can every day.

Conner Dimoush looked down and thought to himself, “Wow. “It deeply hurts me when there are those guys walking around These socks look good.” In that moment he realized he needed with Sperry’s and Nike Elite socks,” Dimoush said. “They should to make wearing the longer, snazzier socks a regular practice. And really put some effort into how they look.” soon some of his friends joined in too.

PHOTO A V ER I C O L L EN Dimoush and seniors Jacob Bonneville, Michael Wright and Nick Greer, all members of the varsity swim team, have a tight bond which has grown even more with their mutual interest in fashion. Every day they compete at swim practice and then go back to the locker room and pull out extravagant clothes, shoes and accessories to put on for the day.

Wednesday is especially important for these swimmers. They wear socks with unique designs, including animals, robots, food or just a traditional argyle pattern. After it became a weekly occurrence, they dubbed it “Work Sock Wednesday.”

When together, they discovered that they could bond over their beliefs and similar fashion tastes.

“We all came to a realization that . . . we need to rock what we got,” Dimoush said.

Wright said he first started to take pride in the way he dressed when he was a sophomore. He believes that the way a person dresses reflects who they are and how they feel about that day just in general.

“I personally just felt better about myself, and I cared more about not only looking presentable, but I cared more about my schoolwork as well,” Wright said.

They even bonded over clothing stores, like H&M, J. Crew and Forever 21. The whole group, especially Dimoush, refer to the “Fine Young Gentleman’s Rule of Dress,”which states the do’s and don’ts of men’s fashion. They also get a lot of their inspiration for the way they dress from certain Instagram and Twitter accounts they follow.

They believe that their whole outfit is based on the shoes they are wearing. According to Wright, shoes are the most important.

Once you have the proper shoe, you can plan the rest of your outfit. Another large part of their styles are accessories.

“It’s all about accessories,” Wright said. “I have two nice watches, both under 20 bucks, but they each make such a difference, like matching that with a belt and your shoes.”

These swimmers said they hope to make a difference in the way people dress. They said they don’t think it takes that much effort to look presentable. They hope people will catch onto the trends they set like “Work Sock Wednesday,” “Fancy Friday” and “Sweater Swimmers Nick Greer, Michael Wright, Jacob Bonneville and Conner Dimoush Week,” which is always the first week of November. work together to dress in the latest styles and trends.

“It’s awesome when people comment on our pictures and then post pictures of their own socks and tag us,” Bonneville said.

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Extra hours at the barn

Student uses external P.E. to compete in horseback riding STORY S AN I K A S ULE

The spectators in the stands and the other competitors become a blur as junior Katie Burton hears her name over the speaker. Her only focus is proving that all of her training has improved her technique. As she adjusts her helmet, Burton readies herself and her horse for a prize winning performance.

For 15 hours a week, Burton participates in competitive horseback riding as a hunter jumper. As a hunter jumper, her jumps are judged on accuracy and elegance, and points are deducted for faults such as knocking down rails. Burton’s time devoted to improving her riding has qualified her to participate in external P.E. Because she spends the minimum of 15 hours practicing at the barn, Burton is able to leave at the end of third period, giving her extra time to balance her extracurricular activity with school. Her long hours spent practicing at the barn lead to her placing second in the North Texas Hunter Jumper Club year-end finals.

“It’s mostly for fun, and I like doing it,” Burton said. “But getting out early is a necessity if I want to be able to ride and balance school.”

Burton leaves immediately from school for the barn, where she stays until 6:30 p.m. Apart from readying herself for future competitions, Burton is responsible for taking care of her two horses, Killian and Rambo. Burton said that her dedication to riding is time consuming, but external P.E. helps her to excel both at the barn and at school.

“If I didn’t get out early, I would have more stress caused by school and that would distract me from what I do outside of school,” Burton said. “It’s nice to have that extra hour and a half to be at the barn.”

Burton’s second place success came

through tireless trials of speed and jumps. The circuit consists of many high level competitors that challenge her. Every moment Burton spends preparing is essential for her to score well against her fellow horseback riders.

Burton said having extra time at the barn because of external P.E. is the only way to improve, and become Burton practices at Silent Knight Stables in Krum, Texas. She won a stronger competitor. second place at the year end “There are a lot of people, and competition. it’s a difficult class,” Burton said.

“It’s good to see that I’m improving, and I am getting better.”

She recalls that as she first started participating in horseback riding competitions, her nervousness overtook all other emotions.

As she became a more developed and experienced rider, her nerves were slowly overtaken by excitement. Right before entering the ring, Burton pays all of her attention to her trainer, Shannon Flanagan. Flanagan said that regardless of Burton’s result in the ring, Burton’s time spent training will have paid off. “[We] strive to develop great riders, but more importantly good people,” Flanagan said. “We are just as proud of a good show of sportsmanship as a good ride.”

Because of her long hours at the barn, Burton has developed lasting relationships too. Her success heavily relies on her instructor. Flanagan said she has seen Burton develop in tremendous ways, both as a teammate, as well as an individual.

“Katie has grown as a rider,” Flanagan said. “But more importantly as a person.”

PHOTOS A V ER I C O L L EN

Junior Katie Burton competes in the Hunter Derby at the North Texas Hunter Jumper Club Year End Show on her lease horse named Pretty Rambunctious. She has won several champion awards for her class.

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26 S P O R T S

Sideline player

Disabled senior continues his focus on football throughout high school as team manager STORY J AI ME H ARD I S O N

BE RED!

The wheelchair paves a way across the grassy field as its owner keeps his eye on the ball that flies through the air towards him. The shrill voices of second-grade children pierce his ears.

“Get the ball, the ball!”

Time is ticking towards the end of recess at Prairie Trail Elementary. But the sweaty boys don’t care. Their feet itch with the built-up energy that results from a morning of sitting quietly and practicing basic multiplication and division. Their eyes are glued to the ball. They cheer as their running back catches it and dashes downfield in his wheelchair. The boy smiles triumphantly and feels the rush of satisfaction that comes from an accomplished feat. He’s scored for his team. He enjoys being on this field. Perhaps just near it, even.

As the bell rings to end recess, the boy in the wheelchair reflects on his touchdown. He knows he’s different. He knows he can’t run like the other players. He knows it could keep him from playing in the future, but he wants to stick with football.

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PHOTOS SU BM I T T E D

Seniors Braden Woodruff, Zach Ashman and Braden Boyd surround Trey Parker after a football game. Parker has been a manager since his freshman year.

*** The wheelchair glides across the turf under the penetrating stadium lights. The boy riding along is not so young anymore.

Senior Trey Parker intently watches the varsity football game from the sideline. His second-grade suspicions were true. He can’t play anymore. The culprit that rendered him with little mobility is a force that cannot be beat.

Parker was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a recessive disease that causes muscle damage, weakness and leads to mobility deficiencies. He never had the chance to take a leisurely walk or to test his stamina by racing fellow classmates. He never chased other kids in a childhood game of tag, and he certainly never experienced the feeling of crashing into another football player while wearing full pads. But he makes sure he’s always in close proximity when someone else does.

“My parents raised me really well,” Parker said. “And they always said if I wanted to get something done, then I should do it.”

And Parker wanted two things: his friends and football.

“I probably joined more to be with my friends, because it took a lot of their time and it was a way for me to be with them,” Parker said.

At the beginning of his freshman year, he had high hopes of joining the football program, even with the knowledge that he could never play. After getting consent from former head football coach Bryan Erwin, Parker enrolled in the class as a manager. During his DESIGN A BBY SC HL IC TER

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first year, he filmed games from the press box, with hopes that filming would prove to be a hobby.

He was disappointed. He wanted to be on the field.

“I felt really separated from the team,” Parker said.

Although filming was not his favorite activity, Parker stayed with the team and attended all varsity games for the duration of his high school career.

“He’s there to be, essentially, just the best man all-around,” senior Kaleb Carey said. “He is really supportive of everybody.”

This year, he helped the team by recording statistics for the coach.

“I don’t think I envy people because there’s no real point to envy,” Parker said. “It’s not going to change anything. And so I’m happy for people with what they can do, and I’m happy with what I can do. And honestly I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.”

And what Parker can do is help the team in any way possible.

But he sometimes feels that his contributions aren’t as much as others can provide. Compared to the bulky and sweaty players who tire themselves during long hours of practice, he feels his work is minuscule.

“I’ve tried to do a lot and I always feel like it’s never enough,” Parker said. “But I always try to hang around and do what I can. It’s a fun way to spend my Fridays.”

Despite the few doubtful feelings, the pleasure that his job on the team brings him is immense.

“I don’t know where I’d be without it, but certainly not here,” Parker said. “And so to all the coaches and players, I would say thank you.”

*** The dark sky hangs over the illuminated field. On the turf, the harsh grunts of football players are heard. The shouting of stern coaches and the excited cheers of fans mingle. To the side of the field, just past the out-of-bounds line, is the boy in a wheelchair.

He’s not a running back this time, but he watches the game anyway and smiles as he looks over to one of his friends, who is out with a leg injury.

The game is close, and as it nears triple overtime, the apprehension grows. That’s one thing that Parker can be sure of each game: the nervous anticipation for his team to pull out a win.

The feeling of satisfaction that comes from a great catch, even if it’s not by his own hands, still courses through him. If the football team wins, so does he.

As Parker’s senior year becomes shorter with each passing day, his distance from football increases. With an engineering career path on the horizon, his days under the bright white lights are seemingly over. His Friday nights won’t be filled with screaming fans dressed in red, all cheering for the Marauders. He won’t be on the field, so close to the action. But he knows that his life suits him.

And just like his second-grade self on the makeshift field at recess all those years ago, he has enjoyed being a part o“I’m happy with who I am because without this disability, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” Parker said. “And I’m pretty happy with where [that is].”

27

Senior Trey Parker and assistant football coach David Weaver make laps around the field as they discuss the game.

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28 O P I N O N

Can’t count us out Darci Wa lton

@ d a rc iwa l to n _

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized over and over again like he had just ran over an adorable puppy. “Did I hurt you? Is there a bruise? Do you want some ice? I am so, so sorry.”

He hit me in the back of the leg with a frisbee. So what. After playing ultimate frisbee for two years I’ve become accustomed to a 175-gram plastic disc hitting me. Bruises constantly cover my forearms, wrists and hands. I even got a minor concussion during one game. A simple hit to the calf couldn’t do that much damage.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” he called after me as I already had my fingers curled around the edge of the disc in preparation to throw it back to him with a forehand throw. “You can just hand the frisbee over to Hunter and he’ll get it back

to me.”

I rolled my eyes with so much disgust that they hurt. I am a female, not an incompetent, fragile China doll. He doesn’t have the right to automatically rule out the possibility of a girl throwing a frisbee successfully. At a loss of words, I did the only thing I could think of to express my frustration.

I tightened my grip on the disc and snapped my wrist as hard as I could. The frisbee sliced through the air as if it was on a mission and hit its target, the boy’s stomach. Bullseye. Sure it was an immature thing to do, but I felt as if I had just stood up for all the girls who had ever been counted out because of their gender. As I anticipated, his jaw dropped, and he was utterly shocked by the power and accuracy of the throw.

“That was amazing,” the other boy gasped.

“Yeah,” the patronizer agreed. “I had no idea you had that in you.”

Of course I have it in me. But that’s the thing. You never know what someone is capable of until you bother to find out. Just because someone looks like they fit into a specific stereotype due to their age, gender or race doesn’t make the stereotype true. Yes, I am a 17-year-old white girl but that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to enjoy sports. Yes, I know that boys are typically better at sports but that doesn’t

Sweet tweets please block the entire doorway!!!! this is exactly what I want you to do!!!

- Carly Helm, 9 @carlyhelm13

M HSMARQUE E.COM

“one time when i was on a date the guy asked if he could brush my hair” -my mom - Kalli Matson, 10 @kallimatson9

mean a girl can’t play. It’s 2014. We have an African-American president. We live in a country where 33 states have legalized gay marriage. We can find out any piece of information in the world by talking to an iPhone. So why are we still so hung up on these ridiculous gender role ideas that girls are frail, sandwich-making beings and guys are macho, sport-playing heros?

*** I stand on the goalline anticipating the pull, the signal for the next play to start. My teammates and I assess the seven Coppell players standing 70 yards across from us.

Five boys, two girls. One less girl than we have on our line. I am picked to defend the extra guy.

Bring it on.

Coppell moves the disc halfway down the field before tossing a lofty throw. It hangs in the air with enough time to make a defensive play. It’s fair game. The guy and I jump, extending every muscle in our bodies to their maximum potential, both trying to ensure that we come down with possession.

I feel the smooth rotating plastic hit my fingers and I clamp down around the rounded edge. The disc is mine.

From the sideline I hear cheers and praises from my teammates, while the Coppell captain reminds his players that “you can’t count out the girls.”

COMPILED V IC TO R IA PR IC E

Lord….forgive me if I sleep with socks on...it’s really stinkin’ cold…

- Alex Albright, 11 @AlexAlbright20

DESIGN JA IME HA R D ISO N

OPINION

Deemed by dress Jai me Hardi son

@ ja ime ha rd is on

I walk through the busy commons and pass hundreds of students, girls and boys alike. I mentally note all of the cute outfits that I should try myself, and unknowingly judge the ensembles that I would never wear.

“I need to find one of those black vests,” I think to myself. “But I could never pull off that dress.”

My thoughts continue as I trudge into class, texting my mom that we need to go shopping. But I can’t help but remember something I noticed while walking the halls.

The girls are generally more well-dressed than the guys.

Amidst styled hairdos and sleek shirts, leggings and a variety of the latest shoes, I spot tons of T-shirts and basketball shorts.

Chapstick is too crucial this time of year - Parker Mitchell, 11 @parkermitchell3

DESIGN J AIME HARD I S O N

29

Which is fine, don’t get me wrong. But it’s obvious as to which gender has to spend more time altering their looks.

The fact of the matter is, there is a lot of pressure on girls, because clothing and looks are what we are judged on most. The same can be true for guys as well, but, it’s easier for males to pass the mental test that we put everyone through.

Sure, it’s ridiculous to picture a boy in full makeup, riding boots, or with curled hair. We would laugh at the thought of a guy in a skirt, or with tons of jewelry on.

But there are styles for males that are on par with the strict codes of girls’ fashion.

Yet, no one notices when these styles aren’t used. In fact, boys are praised when they dress with nice khaki pants or fancy sweaters or cardigans. Some guys can shove on an outfit and rush out of the house in 20 or 30 minutes.

While others do take heed of their appearance, most of the guys I know just don’t care. I would never think to judge a boy for wearing what would be considered a horribly “lazy” outfit if it was modified and placed on a girl.

People are so quick to judge a girl because of her looks, or what she’s wearing, or perhaps how thin she is. It is socially acceptable for boys to have a few hairs out of place, to slap on some thoughtless clothes, to not be on the skinniest side.

A male news broadcaster wore the same suit for an entire year, and no one noticed.

All he had to do was change the tie, and people thought it was a totally new style.

If his female co-worker had worn the same outfit within a span of two weeks, it would have been criticized with angry emails and phone calls to the news station.

The female must always not only alternate clothing but fix her hair into different styles as well.

And the standards apply to politicians as well. When male speakers advocate for themselves, their policies are commented on. But when females do the same thing, it’s not their ideas that are ridiculed, but their appearance instead.

As if that’s not enough, Susan B. Anthony’s looks were criticized when she was put on the dollar coin. Unlike males like Benjamin Franklin on other currency, Anthony ‘s accomplishments were not first recognized. Instead, the public discussed her physical appearance.

Of course, it is unrealistic to think that males and females will ever have to live up to the same standards. But sometimes, girls have more important things to worry about than how straight their hair is, or if their mascara is smearing. It shouldn’t matter if the fashion is always glamorous or not. Because it simply isn’t about the clothes, but who wears them.

I just want to go home, get all warm and cozy in my bed, and watch Elf all day

Me: Audrey, let’s go exercise!

Audrey: can we get a hot dog?

- Hannah Caroline, 12 @laviedehannah

- Lauran Popp, English @LauranPopp

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30 O P I N I O N

Unlikely beauty pageant Aust i n Ri ckerson

@ a us t in _ R 2 8

As I staggered back to the kitchen from the dining room, the 50-pound tub of dirty dishes in tow, I saw the two cashiers out of the corner of my eye, gossiping about some girl at school while twirling their hair and sipping on a soda. While my back was breaking under the weight of a busboy tub full of half-finished chicken pot pies and glasses of Ibis Moon tea, the girls were frolicking at the front counter of the restaurant, not a care in the world.

Busboy job description: Keep dining room and patio clean. Take dirty dishes to kitchen. Sweep and mop. Assist dishwasher. Maintain drink station by restocking bread tray, refilling silverware containers, making tea and coffee, emptying trash cans, restocking sugar caddies and refilling drink machine with ice. Run food to customers.

Slice more bread for bread tray and portion more jelly and jam. Tray up frozen bread to

MARQUEE Remarks

be baked tomorrow. Take out all trash in the restaurant and deposit in the dumpsters outside. Maintain clean bathrooms, including emptying used female-product waste bins.

Cashier girl job description: Greet customers. Take meal orders and payment for meals. Stand and look pretty when no customers are in line. Be attractive.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized those girls weren’t just having to do less work than I was. They were getting other perks, too. Whereas they had minimal cleaning duties and had been allowed to leave at the end of the night without any protest from the manager, it would take a miracle for me to leave any time soon. I knew that once I was done with my closing duties, the manager would come around with his dreaded flashlight and critique all of my work, something he would never do with the girls. Any speck or crumb he found would mean I would be cleaning everything again.

Earlier that night the girls had been allowed to take an extended break during dinner, although the company rules forbid it and I would be denied the same luxury.

The manager even bought them their meals, something that was also against company policy and that my strikingly good looks could never get me. One of them would even get a raise a few weeks from the same manager that bought her meals.

After thinking about it, I realized there

were also no girl busers. There was only one boy cashier, compared to the five or more girls. It seemed to me that the girls were being hired for the jobs that were more visible and less labor-intensive. The ones that focused more on appearance. Certainly no pretty girls would be stuck in the back with a stack of greasy plates to clean. But I guess it made sense. Most front-of-house jobs are solely comprised of attractive, well-dressed girls.

So really what that restaurant and our society reward is attractiveness, with the prettiest girls receiving unfair benefits and getting put out on display, regardless of if they are friendly or competent. My bosses were teaching them that the way to success was to use their looks, while forcing the boys to bear the main workload and deal with it. The busboys were being treated unfairly now and the cashier girls weren’t being prepared for a real career in the future.

Ultimately, they shouldn’t be rewarding girls based on attractiveness, while holding a different set of standards for guys or those unlucky girls society deems ugly.

Instead, my managers should have been looking for the most qualified worker for the job. The smartest applicant, regardless of gender. The most hardworking person, whether they were male or female. The best employee, whether it was a girl or boy. Because, in the end, society isn’t helping anyone by allowing these outdated gender roles to persist.

THE

How do you think people at our school handle gender roles?

“I think that a lot of the guys treat girls differently because they think [girls] are weaker than them.”

-Marissa Garcia, 9

“I think they handle it pretty well actually. I don’t think there is any tension or anything like that.”

-Josh Domergue, 10

COMPILED/PHOTOS B RO O K E WY AN T

M HS MARQUE E.COM

DESIGN JA IME HA R D ISO N

OPINION

31

District should not copy DISD grading policy S TAFF ED I TO RI AL

Denton ISD has implemented a new grading policy this year.

It gives students the chance to retake any test for up to a 100, regardless of their first score. There are also no deadlines given on work. This new policy may sound enticing to students, but it does not promote good study habits and should never be implemented in LISD. For one, this new policy may make students procrastinate due to the unlimited time they have to turn in work. When students are given the ability to push back the due date of their assignments, many take advantage of it. Students already turn assignments in on the latest date possible, or wait until the last minute to complete their work. This policy will only further that laziness and will promote more procrastination and a lower motivation to do work.

Students who do this may develop bad study habits and work ethic.

Soon they might not try to complete assignments at all.

But naturally, there are students that are hard workers and want to complete their schoolwork on time. This new grading policy not only encourages lazy students. It also doesn’t reward hard workers for their hard work and promptness. The students who wait a couple of weeks to turn in assignments may get the same grade as a dedicated student who turns in assignments earlier than expected by the teacher. Hard-working students don’t get the fair credit they deserve and their diligence to complete their work isn’t recognized.

Students who wait can get answers from their friends, giving them a greater chance of cheating and receiving a higher grade on assignments. With DISD’s new grading policy, the students who keep up with assignments and complete each one on time are not given the credit they deserve.

This new policy will also be detrimental to the future of students and their careers. When students aren’t given a specific due

“I don’t really think girls are treated fairly, and the school allows girls to be discriminated against in situations like dress code.”

date to turn in their homework, they are not being taught time management. In college and the workforce, they will not receive this same leniency. They will be expected to pay certain fees by specific deadlines for housing and other dues. They will have deadlines at their job that cannot be moved. If time management isn’t being taught to students before they leave home to start their independent lives, then they may struggle later in life. If they repeatedly miss deadlines at work, their bosses will likely fire them. It is important to teach students to turn in their assignments at a certain time, completed or not, so they can experience how it will be when they get a job or further their education.

The stated goal of DISD’s new policy is to be focused more on knowledge and less on good behavior. But students who don’t bother to study for tests don’t deserve to make a higher grade because they didn’t put forth the effort to learn the material. Education should be just as much about promptness and responsibility as it is the material being taught.

Although DISD students might love this new policy and its leniency, it will not help them in the long run. Repealing the policy would be beneficial to everyone affected by it. Going back to a more traditional policy, like in LISD, would not only help students now, but it would also help them in the future.

Requesting letters to the editor: Have something you’d like to share? Write a letter to the editor and drop it in S107.

“I believe that guys mistreat girls because it is easier to label girls than it is to label guys.”

“I think the students need to be a lot more sensitive to it. In general, I think we could do a better job.”

-Nick Robinson, 12

-Emily Speed, Foreign Language

-Nahee Lee, 11

DESIGN J AIME HARD I S O N

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32 S P OT L I G H T

Tip off

The Marauders started their home schedule with a 38-31 win on Nov. 21 against Colleyville-Heritage.

It was the first competitve game played in the Marauder Athletic Center, the new school sports arena which includes a press box, raised stadium seating and two oversized projection screens.

Senior forward Ty Stickley boxes out a Heritage player. The team overcame an early deficit to win.

The varsity players place their hands over their hearts for the National Anthem. This was the first home game of the season.

During the first quarter, varsity cheerleaders perform to encourage the players. Juliette Pujals (center) has been in Marcus cheer since her freshman year.

Guard Michael Mayhew (left) and forward Bryce Verplank (right) double-team a Colleyville-Heritage player. Mayhew and Verplank both started for the Marauders.

The student section cheers during an offensive play. The team edged out a 38-31 win in the first home game of the year.