December 2009 - Materialism

M A R C U S H I G H S C H O O L {5 7 0 7 M O R R I S S R O A D } F L O W E R M O U N D , T X 7 5 0 2 8

table of contents

the marquee n e w s m a g a z i n e editors in chief patrick iversen, shelby bookout

photo editor natalia chekha

assistant photo editor mark turnbull

graphics editors amy hillberry, shameer dhaliwal

business manager alexis sherwood

news editor kate o’toole

assistant news editor carley meiners

sports editor luke swinney

assistant sports editor erryn bohon

in-depth editor alexandra mehlhaff

feature editor natasha jordan

page 12

PHOTO BYALLISON PRZYBYSZ COVER GRAPHIC BY SHAMEER DHALIWAL COVER DESIGN BYSHAMEER DHALIWAL

assistant feature editor kelsey mccauley

entertainment editor devon miller

assistant entertainment editor taylor ross

opinion editor

{4} SEISMIC TESTING Proposed drilling on high-traffic roads causes a stir in the Flower Mound community. by kate o’toole

ashley solari

reporters samantha draper, lauren rose, jasmine sachar, joey ulfsrud

graphics and design

{7} NATION’S BEST

Junior Craig Lutz won first place at Nike Cross Nationals and fourth place at the Footlocker National Championship. by carley meiners

adan castillo, brandon prill, sean richmond, breyanna washington, nathaniel thornton

photography nathaniel katz, allison przybysz, sarah quinn,

adviser lajuana hale

{12} EVAN’S BATTLE Trish Verfurth details the life-changing night when her two-year-old son was diagnosed with meningitis. first installment of a three-part series by patrick iversen STORY BY ASHLEY SOLARIffdsf

{14} TOP TEN The Marquee lists the ten movies that should not be on ABC Family’s “25 Days of Christmas.” by devon miller

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.

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

ALL ORIGINAL MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED.

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{the marquee}

{NEWS}

PHOTO BY SARAH QUINN Cheering loudly, the band demonstrates their support for the Marauders at the first football game against Grapevine High School. The game resulted in a 62-28 win for Marcus.

Band wins big at Grand Nationals Band travels to Indianapolis, places as fourth best band in U.S. STORY BY JASMINE SACHAR Approximately 922 miles away from the empty parking lots where they practiced and the Friday night lights under which they performed, the band and colorguard perform their final note in unison. Quickly they walk off the field, sweat trickling down their faces, trying to suppress their smiles. Once they enter the tunnel leading off the green, they embrace, they burst out in tears, they chatter breathlessly in hushed voices. A wave of accomplishment hits them.

Countless hours of rehearsals, of competitions, of playing and marching to Prokofeiv’s “Classical Symphony” under a blistering Texas sun in the prime of summer, all seem worth it at that instant.

Though it was their first time at nationals, junior trumpet player Jacob Oller said he and the rest of the band had been trained to fight off nervousness. He compared the competition to the Olympics.

“That’s exactly what it felt like,” Oller said. “After prelims, everyone was jetlagged and antsy. After that it got pretty emotional pretty quick. I saw all the flute girls crying, people were yelling afterwards. They loved it.”

Drum-major Timmy Fitzgerald, most likely seen on a podium on the 50 yard line directing the marchers at football games, said that after 3 full days of travel, practice and competion, most of the band was extremely tired by finals.

“It was the first time we had gone to nationals so there were some nerves,” Fitzgerald said. “But I think especially by the end, the prevailing attitude was exhaustion.”

The competition was the finale to a long process that started in May with freshman marching camp. In June, band students attended music camp, where they learned the music of the show, stand tunes and drill team tunes. For three weeks in August, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., the entire band got acquainted with the new show. Morning were spent outside practicing marching fundamentals, and afternoons were spent inside practicing music. The practice continued for two hours after school Mondays through Thursdays. On Fridays nights, it was game time.

“Kids in marching bands everywhere are amazing,” band director Amanda Drinkwater said. “They get off the couch on August 1 and they come up here and practice in 110 degrees and they have to love what they do in order to be a part of it. It’s time consuming and it takes a lot of selflessness. It’s not for somebody who wants to be the superstar. It’s gotta be somebody who can be a team player and who can support the team goals.”

DECEMBER 17, 2009 {the marquee}

Fitzgerald said that despite setbacks due to inclement weather in the summer, these extra summer hours remained critical to the success of the band.

“The three weeks of rehearsal, it’s when the band is made,” Fitzgerald said. “The two hours after school every day is good and it helps but the band is really made during summer band.”

The 2009 show, entitled “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, was the brainchild of Drinkwater, who thought that the story it told would make for a moving show to bring to the national stage. Using music from Medelson’s “Midsummer Nights Dream,” Perkofiev’s “Classical Symphony” and Debussy’s “Bousoir,” the show was revealed to band students at the end of last year.

“I always think that after this season is over, (the students) won’t remember their drill steps in fifty years. They won’t remember what their sets looked like but they’ll remember the music.” Drinkwater said. “I always endeavor to select music that has withstood the test of time and music that will be a life long addition to their repertoire.”

Drinkwater estimates that staff put about 600 to 1000 hours of work into organizing the show. Arrangers spent 150 putting music together. Drill writing took 300 hours. Volunteer band parents spent up to 10 hours each weekend up at the school building sets and props for the show.

“There’s a whole set of gears that have to work in tandum for any large program to be successful,” Drinkwater said.

“You have to have a really dedicated group of students. You have to have a supportive band parent network. You have to have a really supportive administration and a hardworking staff. I just think the planets are aligned.”

According to Oller, Marcus was at odds with schools who had many advantages over them. For example, Texas UIL guidelines say that Texas bands can only practice 8 hours a week. This rule does not apply to schools in other states, putting Marcus at a slight disadvantage.

“We’re up against bands that have been rehearsing, 20-30 hours a week,” Oller said. “Compared to all the other bands in the nation, we march on a parking lot for our practice.

Most other bands we were competing against at nationals marched on actual football fields for their practice. We’re fighting the asphalt and the drain outside.”

Oller said that while Marcus doesn’t only focus on music, he thinks that it is their forte. He said that winning the Best Music caption was the most important thing for him.

“People hear this stuff and it just stirs something in

PHOTO SUBMITTED As the band finishes their performance at Grand Nationals, senior Patrick Casey and sophomore Kelsey Branson take their final bow bringing them to fourth place in the nation.

them,” Oller said. “If you’re watching a band and you’re like ‘Ooo there’s a straight line’, a straight line doesn’t really compel your heart. It’s not a tear jerking line.”

The Marcus band was one of 92 from across the country that competed in the Bands of America Grand National Championship in Indianapolis from Nov. 11-14. As of now Drinkwater said she doesn’t know what the future holds nor does she have standing plans to return to Grand Nationals, which she describes as an expensive endeavor.

It’s past 10 p.m. on Saturday night and the final band has performed. The 12 bands line up formally on the football field, the same field onto which just a few minutes ago, they poured their six months of hard labor, sore muscles and sweat. A field similar to the one 922 miles away, where the Marcus band charmed audiences sandwiched in between football quarters.

“You’re all winners at life,” the announcer says before he starts to read down the list of placements. “Best Music caption goes to Marcus High School”, “Fourth place over all goes to Marcus High School.” The other bands clap politely, while the Marcus band kids contain their excitement as instructed.

“With our student leaders, we always talk about running towards the finish line,” Drinkwater said. “It’s not like that with the band. You can’t run towards the finish line individually. You have to hold hands and run. We’re only as fast as we can go with everybody’s hands grasped. I think that one of the things I’m most proud about is that the kids support one another to get themselves to the goal.” design by adan castillo 3

{NEW S }

Salaries increase for faculty for the year’s budget

Freshman campus update

STORY BY ERRYN BOHON

In August 2013, the freshman campus is scheduled to be completed. The construction will break ground at the beginning of 2011. As of now, assistant principal Jason Mullin said that there isn’t a significant amount of information that is known.

What is known is that electives and sports will be run like Dale Jackson. Students who are on athletic teams, in foreign languages other then Spanish, and any other electives will be bussed to the main campus during the day.

There will be multiple busses that will cart the students back and forth. Other freshman campuses, such as Lewisville North, already operate this way. Mullin said that they won’t hire a large amount of teachers for electives on the campus that aren’t commonly taken by freshman.

“The whole process should run smoothly,” Mullin said.

“At the other schools the bus drivers just sit and load up and drive to the building they came from. It’s a non problematic procedure.”

The LISD School Board approved a new salary increase for all LISD employees on Aug. 10, 2009. Mainly teachers, full time nurses, librarians, counselors, diagnosticians and speech pathologists received a one step increase plus $800 annually, which is equal to about a 3 percent increase.

All other employees received a 2.8 percent increase over their salary in the 2008-2009 school year. Employees such as Athletic Directors, Assistant Superintendents and the superintendent received just a 2 percent increase over their previous salary.

Assistant Principal Jason Mullin said it all depends on what job the employee has and what degree they have such as a bachelor’s or master’s. He also said that the next salary change would not be for a while.

“Certain people get certain amounts of money,” Mullin said. “I don’t really know for sure about the next change.

We tend to look for it during the summer time.”

STORY BY CARLEY MEINERS

PHOTO BY ALLISON PRZYBYSZ

Choir hosted third Madrigal Feast

Between decorating the set and microphone checks, freshman Laura Peterson, sophomore Evan Stouder and freshman Nick Follet stand in the commons and talk before the Madrigal Feast on Friday Dec. 11. The feast began at 7:15 p.m., and the cost was $25 for dinner and the show. The meal was catered by Village Grill. The show was written by choir director Jason Dove. Students performed Old English inspired songs while guests ate.

Seismic testing faces opposition

Flower Mound town council debates seismic testing on roads STORY BY KATE O’TOOLE

“First off, all the pollutants in the air from seismic testing can cause radiation, leukemia, and cancer,” Allen said. “Also, the greed of people that are getting paid and not thinking Dozens of concerned citizens made their voices heard about the future.”

The testing would be done by the process of vibrosis, at the Flower Mound town meeting on seismic testing on Dec. 7. The proposal for seismic testing was on public involving large trucks, as big as garbage trucks, which are roads, which could include high traffic roads, such as Mor- equipped with plates that vibrate the ground. Although the main concern of seismic testing was the damage to public riss and Long Prairie.

Citizens were worried that the drilling of the ground to roads and infrastructure, the testing companies repeatedly check for natural gas would destroy roads and the nearby denied the evidence of damage in their other test areas, which include Denton infrastructure in the and Southlake. But if town, including houses. damage did occur, the In addition, residents proposal requires the were concerned about “They don’t make your city look ugly. companies to pay the the environmental and fuThey are big machines, but they are very town to replace the cost ture repercussions, such professional.” for designed streets and as earthquakes, seismic -TIM MARIN, GEOKINETICS other infrastructure. testing may have.

Lori Vadja, a conSophomore Chandler tributor to the Flower Allen went to the meeting Mound Citizens against with his father, who said they were both concerned with the chemicals and environ- Urban Drilling blog, was one of the leaders of the opposition against seismic testing. She said that she has researched mental damage that seismic testing could cause. seismic testing and urban drilling. She said that although the companies claim that there have been no lawsuits filed against them for seismic drilling, she has met with lawyers and found ones that have settled out of court and have a confidentiality agreements, restricting them from the public view.

“I am very concerned about the environmental and health aspects,” Vadja said. “I am not against drilling, but I do think we have a long way to go before they do it right. When they do it right, I won’t be here fighting against it.”

Benefits to the proposal included a better local economy, by bring jobs and money from oil and gas findings, as well as relying less on foreign oil.

Tim Marin, an operations supervisor for one of the Seismic testing companies, Geokinetics, said there are many misconceptions in the seismic testing industry. He said that PHOTO BY SARAH QUINN people’s concern of destroying Flower Mound’s natural beauty by the testing trucks is unfounded.

As many as 100 citizens went to town hall on Dec. 7 to “They don’t make your city look ugly,” Marin said. “They discuss seismic testing. Residents like Tony Robson and his are big machines, but they are very professional, and they son Nick spoke against seismic testing.

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http://www.flower-mound.com/ Many maps were placed around the town hall to show where the seismic testing would occur around the city.

are in and out. You got more traffic with your local construction than you would with seismic activity.”

Shankar Selvavinayagam, who attended the meeting with his family, said he opposes the idea of seismic testing moving to Flower Mound. He said he is very concerned with the issue because of the lack of information about seismic testing and the risks of chemical exposure to his family, especially his children.

“There are so many unknowns that are not being addressed,” Selvavinaygam said. “They just compare what happened in previous places, but I don’t think that is sufficient information to come up with a conclusion that they could do it in Flower Mound.”

John Todd, who has lived in Flower Mound for 30 years, and previously served in town council, said that the drilling would benefit the town. He said that it would be better to use the local natural resources than buy from the Middle East.

“I think people should have a right,” he said. “The city could get a lot of money on taxes. If they let them drill, the city could get millions of dollars.”

The council voted 4 to 1 to prohibit seismic testing on public roads. Although, town-owned roads can’t be tested, a previous ruling allows testing on private property. As for Tammi Vadja and her fellow supporters, she said they are very pleased of the ruling. {the marquee} DECEMBER 17, 2009

{SPORTS}

Offensive strategy caused by unity Change in coaching staff gives hope as team looks forward to district play STORY BY KATE O’TOOLE

PHOTO BY SARAH QUINN Dribbling, sophomore Marcus Smart shows determination to get to the other side of the court after stealing the ball from a South Garland opponent at the Dec. 1 game.

With 11.2 seconds on the clock, the race for baskets is fierce between the Marauders and Richardson. But in the end, the Marauders claim victory, 61-41. The team has a 14-1 record with only one previous defeat from Richardson. Leading the team is coach Danny Henderson who has been coaching for 21 years in various Texas schools.

He has led his former teams, Peaster and Liberty Creek, to the state championships four times, winning twice.

Henderson comes to Marcus with a record of 571-153.

Senior Josh Innman said the team is more united this year because of coach Henderson. As a result, communication with the team and the coach is better, he said.

“We spend so much time with the team,” Innman said.

“It is basically like a big family. We are always with the team, going to go eat, and going to hang out. Last year, we used to split up in little groups and would only play basketball games together.”

Senior shooting guard Tom Netsch said that Henderson is a great coach and unlike past years, he earns the respect of the players. Henderson’s preceding reputation and diverse coaching methods makes the team more attentive, he said. Not only does the team exhibit unity, but also their strengths are even better than before.

“Our offense is clicking right now,” Netsch said. “We

have a really good offensive strategy going. We just have to work on our defense.”

Henderson said building unity is from a positive angle and involves making his players believe in themselves. He also said the unity of the team is part of the reason they have been successful.

“Right now, they are really a tight group,” Henderson said. “They seem to be best friends. They seem to have a true love for each other, and anytime you combine that with great effort and talent, you have a special formula.”

Netsch said that defense was the main reason they lost the first game against Richardson, and once they improve their defense they will play better as a team. Netsch said he is hoping to go to state and play Duncanville who crushed the Marauders’ chance at state last year.

“With the new coach, I know we’d have a much better chance at (Duncanville) this year,” Netsch said. “We are a much stronger and tougher team.

Plus, we have a bunch of seniors to lead the team.”

As for Henderson, he said that he wants one thing for this season.

“I just want to build one of the best programs in the state here at Marcus,” Henderson said. “That is all I care about.”

Sister-like bond creates chemistry Basketball brings two players even closer together STORY BY LAUREN ROSE As their final season begins, and a game against Grand Prairie on Dec. 21 around the corner, mixed emotions begin to stir for seniors Raven Short and Jasmine Shaw. Their sister-like bond will be broken due to their plans to attend different colleges next fall.

Short plans to attend SMU and Shaw has decided to attend Louisiana State University.

Short and Shaw met in the second grade and have been playing on the same basketball team ever since then. The girls have played on teams like Spirit, the Sparks, and the Sooners.

“We’re like sisters,” Short said. “We’re best friends now. Being on varsity has strengthened our bond with each other.”

The Lady Marauders normally spend a lot of time together enjoying each others’ company. The girls have many team dinners and spend time together on the weekends.

But being with each other for long periods of time causes some fights to arise between Short and Shaw.

“We get along really well but sometimes we fight like we’re sisters,” Short said. “When we fight we never really mean it though.”

Shaw said she isn’t looking forward to the DECEMBER 17, 2009 {the marquee}

season ending because of the friendships she’s made, especially with Short.

“This is the closest team I’ve ever been on,” Shaw said. “We’re always together and never get tired of each other. Raven is like my sister since we’ve been through a lot together.”

Together the girls are the point producers on the Lady Marauder varsity team.

Short and Shaw had their abilities tested against the Frisco Raccoons, ranked number 2 in the state on Dec. 2 where they suffered a loss of 53-46.

“We’re the underdogs,” Shaw said. “People don’t expect us to win games against state ranked teams, but we’re going to prove everyone wrong.”

Though the loss was a disappointment to the team’s head coach Kit Kyle, she said she applauds the girls’ performance in the past few games and is looking for the Lady Marauders to be the best team this season.

“This team has high expectations, so as we get through December and begin district play in January, we should be seeing more and more consistency on both ends of the floor,” Kyle said.

Shaw said that the team has high hopes for the future, but they need to work harder

to improve and meet their goal of playing in the state championship game in Austin.

“Honestly, we haven’t been playing to our potential,” Shaw said. “We’ve been playing down to the level of other teams which makes it harder on us.”

The girls’ current standings are 8-4 and are expecting to do well in the district. The first district game will be on Jan. 8 against Flower Mound and the district season will be ending in February. If they don’t make the playoffs, Short and Shaw’s high school basketball career will end with it.

The sister-like best friends will be going separate ways in the summer after high school is over.

“It saddens me that we’re going to part,” Short said. “I’ll cry some tears. We’ll still visit each other a lot. I’ll go to Louisiana to watch her play and she’ll come watch me play.

We’ll still be like sisters even though we’ll live far away from each other.”

PHOTO BY MARK TURNBULL Junior Hailie Sample powers through the Frisco Raccoons during varsity’s Dec. 1 game. Marcus lost the game 53-46.

design by breyanna washington

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{SPO R T S }

Extra-period defeat not forgotten Overtime loss against undefeated Garland fuels winning streak STORY BY DEVON MILLER The players in the locker room are quiet as they listen to their captain, senior Bo Fulton, speak. He yells animatedly in an attempt to pump the team up for the game ahead. The players start clapping and when he finishes, they stand up and cheer. They make their way out of the locker room, on to the ice and into their positions. With the drop of the puck, the game begins.

The hockey team, whose season began in September, is on a six-game winning streak following their 5-0 defeat of Bishop Lynch on Dec. 10. Their next game is tonight against the Denton County Spartans. However, Fulton said the team wasn’t always this skilled.

“We had kind of a rough start,” Fulton said. “In the beginning of the season it was like we were going through the ‘get to know everyone’ stage and we won and lost every other game. Now everyone is friends, and we’re first in our division and we’ve just been tearing it up.”

Although the team struggled in the beginning, they now score more than five goals a game on average, an unusual feat for hockey. Junior left wing Mikey Dumlao said challenging practices and team bonding have helped the team get to where they are now.

“We practiced pretty hard and got everything figured out and now we’re doing pretty good,” Dumlao said. “We finally found out how to just get in our groove and everything started to work out. We’ve gotten a lot better.”

Coach Jeff Ramsay said one of the reasons the team lost at the start was their inability to play hard for the whole game.

“We’d play pretty good for about two periods,” Ramsay said. “Then we’d start to struggle in the third period and miss passes, but since then we’ve been playing good, complete games. They play for the whole game now.”

Changes in the varsity lineup also held the team back in the beginning. While last year there were two varsity teams, this year there’s only one due to the loss of eighteen seniors.

Fulton said the team has recovered well from the loss.

“We’re still doing good because we have six people that played varsity last year,” Fulton said. “It took us a few games to really come together as a team because almost no one’s really played together before. Now everybody’s really clicking and we’re getting it done.”

PHOTO BY MARK TURNBULL Junior Mikey Dumlao checks a Southlake player and takes control of the puck during their game on Dec. 3. Marcus went on to win their game against the Dragons (5-3) making Marcus first in the division with a record of 8-3-1.

Despite the team’s success lately, one team poses a challenge: the undefeated Garland Stampede. The two faced off before on Nov. 5, which resulted in a Marcus loss in overtime. Fulton said that even though they lost, the team is prepared for next time.

“I definitely think next time we play them they’re going down,” Fulton said. “That’s when the team really came together because we were like ‘Wow, we can beat every team in the league if we wanted to.’”

Though the team will not face Garland again until the playoffs, the players are focusing on overcoming their weaknesses as players and as a team. Dumlao said one of the team’s biggest issues is overconfidence.

“Sometimes when we’re winning we let up a little and let the other team get back into it,” Dumlao said. “It makes the game a little closer than it should be. We need to not be so

New coach, new wins

Wrestlers take charge

STORY BY ALEXANDRA MEHLHAFF With the fall tournaments coming to a close, the golf team now has a two-month period to prepare for the spring season which begins Feb. 1. Previously a basketball coach, Richard Miles assumed the role of Marcus golf coach at the end of last year. Their final fall tournament ended with a combined first place finish for the boys’ and girls’ teams. Miles said he is pleased with how the team competed during the fall.

Miles turns hopeful eyes to the spring semester. He has implemented new training techniques such as running, weights and exercises working their abdominal area. The new training regimen has been paying off as Miles said that both teams have been playing solidly. Miles said he feels they will be able to do well during the spring season, and that they will be able to compete for a district championship.

“I think they have the ability to get to the regional tournament in Lubbock,” Miles said. “Once we get out there, then there are only 12 teams that will have the opportunity to go to state, so you never know. There are all kinds of scenarios to give us the opportunity to go the state tournament, and that is what we want.”

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cocky and keep going and adding on to our lead.”

The close game with Garland has been a source of inspiration for the team as they continue with their season. Dumlao said the loss, rather than bringing the team down, has helped them excel.

“It makes us want it even more,” Dumlao said. “We know that next time we play them we can beat them because we’re getting better and better. Everyone on the team bonded and gets along and we have a chemistry that will help us.”

Ramsay said the team will succeed throughout the season because of the respect they have for him and their team.

“The players are really responsive to the coaching,” Ramsay said. “That makes a big difference. They make jokes and have fun but, when needed, they work hard. They’re a good group of kids. Things are starting to get going now because of that. Everything’s taking off.”

STORY BY ASHLEY SOLARI

PHOTO BY NATALIA CHEKHA

Season comes to end Fighting off a sack, senior Brode Boyd attempts to lead the team towards a touchdown on the Nov. 21 second playoff game versus Cedar Hill. The game resulted in a 41-17 loss for Marcus, and a 3rd place district standing.

Saturday Dec. 5 at Rockwall High School, junior T.J. Patel prepares himself to wrestle against Eric Greece from Clear Lake to get a win. With the same weight pushing against each other, the two switch off, pinning each other down in hopes they would come out on top. Time’s up and Patel stands up, disappointed in his first loss of his 17-2 season.

Marcus competes in District 11 with schools such as Flower Mound and Byron Nelson. The next varsity-only meet will be tonight and tomorrow at Coppell.

The varsity wrestling team is off to an 11-5 start. The team placed eighth in the 14-team field at Rockwall and the junior varsity won 12 medals. Patrick Braun follows Patel with a 15-4 record. Behind Patel and Braun follows Hunter Brickey with 13-7 and Steven Fineran with 10-7.

With a new, busy season, coach Mike Prado said that his team is doing even better than he expected.

“Most of the ones on the team are young,” Prado said.

“It’s not that we don’t have a lot of new people, it’s just a lot of freshman. I expected them to have trouble adjusting, but they work really hard and focus on drilling and health.” {the marquee} DECEMBER 17, 2009

Fastest in the nation

{SPORTS}

Junior runner wins title in national race STORY BY CARLEY MEINERS Sprinting to the finish line, he glanced back and realized his fierce opponent was only seconds away. He turned the corner and ran even faster to finish the race, leaving his opponent straggling behind. Junior Craig Lutz was only seven. This race against his godfather paved the way for his cross country career and his national win.

Craig said after that race he started running, and from there it was just small steps that had to be taken for him to becoming the fastest high school runner in the nation.

“When I started high school, I never thought I would be able to make it this far,” Craig said. “But over the last two years I began to realize I could do really well. I enjoy doing something I’m good at.”

Craig won first at the Nike Cross Nationals on Dec. 5 and improved on his fifth place finish last year. Craig said he decided to aim for winning nationals this year, so his training has all been based toward this goal. But Craig said it hasn’t really set in yet that he is the fastest runner in the nation.

“I’ve been looking forward and thinking I could win the race,” Craig said. “But to me it doesn’t feel as cool as it sounds to other people. Probably after next week it will really set in. I never thought I’d be here.”

Craig’s mom, Beth Lutz, said that Craig’s determination made it easier for him to win Nike Nationals and win fourth at the Foot Locker Championships on Dec. 12.

“Being the top runner in the nation is testament to all of the hard work he has put into his running,” Beth said.

“It’s exciting to watch him achieve goals he sets for himself and winning nationals was one he had on his list this year. I’m assuming it will be on his list next year too.”

Beth said that not only is she proud of her son’s accomplishments, but she’s also proud of his attitude.

“We are even more proud of the fact that parents, coaches, and competitors have gone out of their way to tell us how humble our son is as a person,” Beth said. “He encourages his teammates, and no matter how far ahead of others he finishes in a race, he always waits at the finish line to congratulate. That’s what makes us the most proud.”

Craig said one of his goals is to make it to the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Beth said it would be great to see Craig attend the Olympics.

“I would love to see Craig have a college career and possibly qualify for an Olympic event,” Beth said. “However, if none of that happens, we’d be satisfied with what his experiences have done for him and what he can take with him for the rest of his life.”

I CAN’T GAIN WEIGHT

New sport gives new passions

BRANDON PRILL

www.runnerspace.com

Junior Craig Lutz runs in the Nike Cross National race in Portland, Oregon. Lutz won first place with a time of 15:09.20, making him the fastest high school runner in the nation.

The four senior football captains discuss what their life will be like after high school football.

COMPILED BY CARLEY MEINERS

Have you Where do you plan to received any scholarships? go to college?

What’s your favorite memory of high school football?

Do you plan to play football after high school?

Stephen Hopkins

University of Michigan

Full ride for football

Beating Flower Mound Yes, I want to be for the first time in five in the NFL years

Rhett Butler Daniel Noble Daniel Rose

No idea

Full academic ride to Harvard No

Becoming closer with my teammates

I want to play football in college

Beating Flower Mound for the first time

Yes, at OU

Beating Flower Mound for the first time

No, I want to train to join the military

University of Oklahoma University of Arkansas

DECEMBER 17, 2009 {the marquee}

I have been applying

It is a one of a kind feeling, as if you are flying, as if you are invincible, as though you are on top of the world and nothing can hurt you. Then suddenly you snap back to reality, and you literally fly 15 feet and slam into the concrete.

With the loss of that feeling comes the realization that you are not invincible, on top of the world, and that things can hurt you, especially the laws of physics. That realization is often very painful. However, it is a small price to pay for the joy that long boarding has given me.

Long boarding is much like skateboarding, but is not intended for aerial tricks or stunts. Aside from the difference in board length, long boards are also made of more flexible and springier wood than skateboards are to absorb vibrations and shock from the rough concrete. Long boarding was intended to mimic surfing. The boards are designed for smooth curves and for gaining speed and racing downhill.

However, long boarding can also be simply for cruising at relatively slow speeds and is often very relaxing.

I used to skateboard all through middle school. I was never very good, could barely perform remedial tricks, and eventually found skateboarding as a means of getting from one place to another. I ultimately grew disheartened with the sport altogether, and finally gave my skateboard to my younger neighbor, hoping he could gain more satisfaction out of it then I ever could. Shortly after I turned my back on skateboarding, a friend introduced me to long boarding.

At first, I wrote off long boarding as no different than skateboarding. I could not have been more wrong.

I found a new rush in long boarding that skateboarding lacked. The key difference I noticed was that long boarding was, really, really fast. The comparison to me was something like driving the speed limit in a regular car and then switching into an Indy car. The first hill I cruised down gave me a rush unlike that I found in skateboarding. My heart races, my chest tightens as I bolt down the hill, and my adrenaline peaks. Every terrible emotion, be it anger or stress, vanishes away into the ground as you cruise down the hill, faster, and faster as your clothes whip around you. All you know is that everything simply dissipates, leaving in its wake an unwavering sensation of joy.

I have only been long boarding for a few months, yet it has an almost natural feeling for me as though a void has been filled. I would long board all day if I could. I spend entire days long boarding when it’s feasible, even daring to do so at night on one such occasion. That feeling of the unknown and not knowing what is two feet in front of your board only enhances the adrenaline. I lose myself when I long board.

Some of my peers think very little of my passions, because to some, long boarding is a nothing more than a hobby that will be outgrown just as a child outgrows an old toy. Long boarding is not just a hobby to me; it is a key part of my life and something I have grown to be very passionate about.

The experience is unlike any other and is one that everyone should experience at least once. design by nathaniel thornton 7

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{THEME}

I

n the modern world, it wouldn’t be uncommon for one to observe a family dining at a restaurant, with all family members completely absorbed in their mobile devices. The mother of the family could be seen texting her friends; the father is silently tapping the keys of his Blackberry phone. To the observer, the adults are ignoring their children who are, in fact, too enamored by their own portable devices to even notice their parents’ lack of attention. This is what our society has evolved into: a family completely devoted to technology rather than to each other.

Today, teens are the accused heralds for the increased levels of materialism. Expensive cars, designer clothing and impressive technology have continued to consume the lives of young people across the nation.

However, studies have shown that increases in materialistic tendencies are the result of the low self-esteem acquired during the phases of young adulthood.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

DECEMBER 17, 2009 {the marquee}

design by sean richmond

9

{THE M E } CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

According to the Journal of Consumer Research, a child begins to experience an increase in self-esteem during their early adolescent years (12-13). Gradually, this newfound confidence will decline during their high school years (16-18), where a harsher reality exists in the forms of peer pressure and the ensuing adulthood.

Modern teens, according to USA Today, have the most disposable income of past generations.

Teens have an average of $94 a week to spend on things they do not necessarily need such as clothes, movies and expensive food. This amount of money helps attribute to the growing materialism in teens by allowing them a large income without a lot of expenses. This can teach bad habits and thus, when they enter the real world, and are given

larger amounts of non-income, they spend more on materialistic items and actually work their way into debt.

Materialist tenancies come from the psychological urge to soothe stress or loss with expensive things according to teendepression.org. However according to the journal of Consumer Research, a simply gesture to raise self-esteem severely decreases materialistic tendencies in people.

So, a family sits at a table at a dining restaurant, together but isolated. Maybe the dad is stressed from work and is checking up on his business on his phone. Maybe the kids aren’t doing well in school and don’t want to tell their parents so they play their games. And maybe the mom needs to look good for a nightly meeting as she touches up her make-up. They all cling to their items and nothing else.

The amygdala, shown in blue, is believed to be the part of the brain responsible for controlling one’s emotions. Strong impulses, such as materialism, are thought to be controlled by one’s emotions.

Materialistic hypocritical analysis STORY BY JOEY ULSFRUD

**Disclaimer: This story is not based on real events. Any relation, in part or in whole, to actual situations is totally coincidental.

I woke up one morning to find that I lost my iPhone. After yelling at the obvious culprits, my immediate family, I found the iPhone laying in a pile of crumpled gold-laced velour bed sheets at the end of my king-sized canopy bed, probably because I spent too much time texting last night. I turned off my $400 Bose stereo that I accidentally left on last night, which I have to listen to or else I can’t get to sleep.

After checking my Facebook, Myspace, Xanga and Farmville pages, I decided to gather my things and head to school.

Necessity Roll Call: iPhone – check. Genuine leather wallet – check. Keys to my Rolls Royce – Check. Backpack of an old cartoon show that no one likes anymore – check. I slapped on one of my striped polo shirts, slipped into a pair of Ed Hardy jeans, then put my Sperry shoes on. I buckled up into the Royce that my parents bought for me and sped my way to school, top down, blaring Beethoven. If only my parents could have shelled out the money for a Lamborghini, I could be going to school in style.

Passing a few posers with concert T-shirts, I made my way to class. I saw a few people listening to iPods in the hallway and sneered. Get with the times – buy an iPhone.

10

design, graphics by sean richmond & shameer dalhiwal

It was refreshing to see at least a few people making timely, conscientious decisions, by wearing some Abercrombie. We shared a passing glance of respectful apathy. Some loser interrupted the moment with his zip-up video game hoodie, and stupid, undamaged jeans. I did my best not to gag.

Once I got into class, I was only greeted by further disgust. Those school club shirts and vintage tees plagued the room. I was checking the status of my polo shipment on my iPhone when a nearby kid started talking loudly. I reluctantly chose to listen, resolving to wash my ears twice today.

He complained that his car was in the shop, and the only way he was going to get home was to call his parents. His outright display of helplessness made me notice something.

I noticed that some people are ridiculously materialistic.

People like this guy, who is having trouble surviving without his material goods. He is enslaved by his car, and probably also enslaved by his phone, computer, and his clothes. I am simply glad to know that I am immune to this disease that seems to plague my generation. People should just learn to live with what they have, like I do. I am content with my Royce, no matter how crappy it is. My iPhone might not be the newest version, but I make do. I could go a day or two without my car. It would be simple. I would just have my but-

ler take me in the family limo, no matter how gaudy.

But, I digress. The cretin continued to talk about his car, detailing the accident with a drunk driver that totaled his car.

However, it matters not. I saw his car in the lot, a real piece of junk. I could live without that eyesore very easily. That fact doesn’t help his parasitic relationship with his car, and all of his material goods. He is a parasite that feeds off of the hosts, his goods, who cannot live without them. He can call the relationship symbiotic, but it stands that the car can live without him, and he cannot live without the car.

This idea of materialism is stagnant in my brain. I cannot rid myself of it. The world could fall away, and leave my house, and I would be fine. I don’t need all the extras in the Shakespearian play that is my life. As long as I have my 9,500 sq. ft. house, Alienware desktop computer, Bose stereo, walk-in polo closet and the absence of these ignorant losers, I could live my life in peace. I live the life of a person free of materialistic ideals.

I snapped out of the idea, and noticed that the people around me looked at me in an odd fashion. It is as if they have never seen a well-dressed person before. They should see me on Sunday. {the marquee} DECEMBER 17, 2009

{THEME}

To reveal how students have become materialistic, four staffers, juniors Allison Przybysz and Kelsey McCauley, along with seniors Patrick Iversen and Joey Ulsfrud, gave up the one thing they considered as something they would always need.

Makeup

Wearing no makeup for an entire week makes me so innately nervous; I’m horrified about how bad I’ll look without it. This morning I kept feeling like I was forgetting something when I had an extra ten minutes.

At school I felt like my face was naked and I was fully expecting someone to ask if I was tired or sick, but surprisingly nobody did. I felt a little self-conscious, but immediately felt better when people started complementing the way I looked.

Today I was thinking of all the money I waste on makeup, and calculated that I spend nearly $300 per year. That money could have been donated, or spent on something that is actually important, rather than makeup which is washed off my face every night. I felt really selfish actually, for wasting so much money on something that’s completely unnecessary. If I bought just half as much makeup as I usually do, I could donate the leftover money to families that actually could use the money for needs, like groceries.

It is my last day not wearing makeup, and looking back on this week, it wasn’t hard at all. It was actually easier than using it. I got to sleep in an extra ten minutes and I didn’t have to go through the hassle of applying it in the morning and removing it at night.

Cosmetics are unnecessary and wasteful. I’ll probably still wear a little makeup after this week, but nowhere near as much as I’d been wearing before.

DAY 1

DAY 4

DAY 7

Well, today was my first day without text messaging. I didn’t really think twice about it until I got my first unread text message…

The alert on my phone’s screen let me know my mom was trying to contact me. Normally when she texts, it’s only to remind me about a doctor’s appointment or “just to talk”, so I don’t necessarily go out of my way to respond. She was in a meeting this morning, so calling her was a definite “no.” Let’s hope it wasn’t something important…

There are 12 unread text messages sitting in my inbox right now. I’ve never known agony until today. If I can’t text any of these people back, they might be forced to believe that I’m ignoring them. Every now and then, I worry that someone from the workplace is trying to contact me, and text messaging is usually the preferred method of communication. Soon, I might create enemies at both school and work! There will be no refuge!

What started out as a single unread text message turned into 27 unread messages. This is ridiculous! I feel so handicapped right now, and I don’t care how politically incorrect I sound! Last Friday, one of my teachers was explaining to our class the growing dependency society has developed towards technology; we’ve basically become enslaved by it. I’m starting to realize how right she was.

This little, captivating, plastic device has got the better of me. Honestly, I can’t believe I’ve lasted this long.

DAY 1

DAY 4

DAY 7

Fantasy Football

Today is my first day of torture. All of the games were played earlier today. I just checked the boxscore of my fantasy match up, and I’m beating my brother 77-63. We each have two players to play tomorrow, so there’s still time for him to catch up to me. Especially when his quarterback Drew Brees is playing tomorrow night. He’s usually a lock for 30 points. But I can’t touch my roster for a week. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go prepare funeral arrangements for my team.

Well, I was right. Brees gained 34 points, and I ended up losing to my brother 104-101.

I am now on a six-game losing streak after winning my first four games of the season, and in fifth place, well out of a playoff spot.

I spent most of the day at school thinking of what roster moves I should make. I was basically ready to burn my entire roster and start from scratch. But then I got home and remembered that I can’t touch my roster. I then muttered obscenities under my breath.

Patrick Iversen

It’s the final day of pain. Actually, the matchup wasn’t all bad. Two of my players gained twenty points, which was good.

But two of my benched players scored over thirty points. That was horrible. So instead of throttling my opponent, I only lead by 46 points with one more game. Normally that’d be a nice cushion, but his heavyweights play tonight while my entire roster is finished playing. So basically this week away from my team has not only set me up to lose, but has guaranteed I’ll miss the playoffs. Again.

This sucks.

DAY 1

DAY 4

DAY 7

Videogames

I woke up this morning with a large smile on my face, only to remember that I was beginning a week with out any sort of video game.

I am a lifetime gamer, and not entirely sure that I have gone an entire week without video games. Which means I’m going to do my best to find out something new about myself.

I lose video games, so I have to find something else to do. Maybe watch some extra television or surfing the Internet, God forbid I talk to my family.

I did learn something already. Video games are my release. Without them, it becomes much more difficult to relax. When I get angry or fed up, I would turn to Azeroth in World of Warcraft, but I did not have that luxury for this week. It obviously isn’t exceedingly difficult, but at the very least, its pretty annoying. I tried television, which was too boring, and the Internet is way too annoying. My family seems to understand that I only have one option left, and the awkwardness is tangible.

Under equal circumstance, I have had the kind of week that would make Mahatma Ghandi start a fist fight with Mother Theresa. It is less raw anger that gets me, more irritations that plague me throughout the day.

All the little things that could be ignored – someone being rude or overbearing, bad coworkers, the little noise my window makes whenever it rains – they have been magnified a hundredfold. Today is the redemption, and at midnight, I am signing on WoW. You can bet someone is gonna get owned.

Joey Ulfsrud

DAY 1

DAY 4

DAY 7

Allison Przybysz Texting

Kelsey McCauley

DECEMBER 17, 2009 {the marquee}

design, graphics by sean richmond and shammer dhaliwal11

part one: the battle

{FEATURE}

12 design by shelby bookout

Synopsis:

On Dec. 21, 2007, two-year old Evan Verfurth was diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis, an often fatal disease that causes swelling in the brain and spinal cord. Evan survived, but the effects of the disease have changed the lives of him, his mother Trish, his freshman brother James and his sister Emily. Evan’s journey to recovery has been remarkable, and his story continues to inspire many every passing day.

PHOTO BY ALLISON PRZYBYSZ

Saturday, October 31, 2009 Hello friends, I have a wonderful story to share... Last night as I was giving Evan his meds, Jim sat down and started playing thumb war with him. Evan was getting mad because Jim kept winning. Jim said, “Ok, I’ll let you win this time.” Then Jim places his thumb under Evan’s thumb and proudly yells, “You win!” And Evan smiled so big and laughed! What an awesome gift of laughter we received.

I pray this is just the beginning of something wonderful.

Much love to all,

Trish

Brother fights for life STORY BY PAT IVERSEN PART ONE OF THREE No big deal. At first, it was the only way Trish Verfurth could describe her youngest son’s sudden illness. How could anyone blame her? The three-year-old little boy had endured a week of vomiting, diarrhea and fevers. Classic signs of winter flu, nothing a week of Motrin couldn’t fix. “No big deal,” Trish thought as she left for Christmas shopping. “It was fine.”

But by the time she returns that evening, things have changed. Trish walks to her bedroom, where the small, dark-haired boy with big, soulful eyes rests in her bed. It’s almost 4 pm, and Evan needs some liquids to stay hydrated. “Come on, honey, let’s go get some Gatorade,” Trish says as she begins to lift Evan up from the bed.

“That’s when he said ‘Mommy, my neck and back hurt,’” Trish remembers. “And I knew instantaneously that he had meningitis, because those were classic symptoms. I can’t tell you where I read that or how I knew that. It’s just something I had known.”

Trish hurriedly gathers her oldest son James and his sister Emily into the car with Evan, and rushes to Medical City Hospital.

They reach the emergency room at nearly eleven at night, and Evan is in increasingly more pain. It is only hours later, at nearly 3 in the morning, Trish waits for the results of Evan’s spinal tap. They had arrived at eleven that night, but the doctors had waited until now to take the tap. Trish still

doesn’t understand why. Finally, a doctor approaches, clipboard in hand and a solemn face. “When they came out to tell us he had bacterial meningitis,” Trish remembers, “I think my heart just fell out of my mouth. I knew that was fatal.”

After tossing and turning in ICU, Evan finally falls asleep after midnight. Then Trish notices something; a subtle movement from Evan. He turns over, moaning slightly, drawing his hands up to his chest. It isn’t an alarming gesture, but something, perhaps motherly instinct, that compels Trish to walk to her son and pull his arms and fingers. His arms are rigid, unmoving against her pull.

Whether by chance or fate, a doctor enters the room at that moment. “Doctor, my son is rigid, why is he rigid, I don’t think he should be rigid.’” The doctor takes look at him from the door and says “He’s seizing.”

Nurses and doctors flood into Evan’s room, and Trish is quickly ushered into the hall. Seconds later they emerge from the room with Evan on a stretcher. That’s when, at 4 in the morning, Trish hysterically starts making calls to friends and family, the beginning of a prayer chain that would have a greater impact than she could ever imagine.

An hour passes, and Evan’s condition worsens. The meningitis had spread, making it difficult for Evan to breathe on his own. A nurse hurriedly escorts Trish out into the hallway as doctors once again flood the room with ventilator equipment. Evan’s mother looks on anxiously.

“I saw Evan’s bed light strobing, saw peo-

part

1/3

ple were running in and out,” she remembers. “I saw the doctor at the head of Evan’s bed, shaking as he was putting the vent in, screaming and giving out orders. I had no idea what was going on. So I just sat down and started hysterically crying.”

An elderly man, perhaps a grieving visitor himself, approaches Trish and knelt by her side.

“Ma’am, is that your child in there?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Can I say a prayer with you?”

She nods yes, he takes her hand, and they pray silently.

In ICU, a doctor keeps watch over Evan’s bed, watching for signs of another seizure.

It’s unclear what kind of damage the last seizure inflicted on Evan’s brain, but the doctors agree another of such ferocity could have crippling consequences. So his doctors make a decision: putting Evan in a medicallyinduced coma to save his life.

A doctor approaches Trish and informs her of Evan’s condition. A strange feeling of relief and fear overwhelms Trish as a question continues playing in her brain.

What happens next?

Not even the doctors know the answer.

But what they do know is that there is still hope that Evan will survive, an incredible feat of its own. So at this moment, with an eternity of uncertainty ahead for herself, and her family, Trish Verfurth decides to put her faith in God once again.

She hopes, she prays.

And she waits. {the marquee} DECEMBER 17, 2009

{FEATURE}

PHOTO BY MARK TURNBULL Senior Alex Vasquez cuts metal with a torch at Dale Jackson Career Center’s welding class. This is Vasquez’s second semester in welding and she plans to pursue a career in welding.

Senior’s potential shines through welding STORY BY LUKE SWINNEY Sparks fly everywhere as the blow torch comes into contact with the metal she’s trying to weld. From behind her helmet, senior Alex Vasquez’s look of concentration shows her determination on doing a perfect job. Mistakes in welding can be costly. Even in the safety of the welding workshop, cuts and burns are common occurrences as molten metal and lit welding torches surround each welder.

Since her junior year, Vasquez has taken the welding class offered at the Dale Jackson Career Center. In the class, students learn how to fuse metals and create objects like computer parts or structures for buildings. Vasquez said before the class she knew nothing about welding and had to learn everything through the course.

“My grandpa inspired me to start welding because he works on old cars,” Vasquez said. “So he influenced me into coming into the welding class and now I get to teach him all the things I learn in here. I’ve helped him braze, which is a skill we learned in the class.”

Marty Rice, the welding teacher at DJCC for the past 16 years, started out working in different welding jobs until he fell and shattered his ankle. He was forced into a new field.

Since he already knew so much about welding, he decided to get his teaching degree.

“A good welder has to have good eye and hand coordination and be real flexible,” Rice said. “You’ve got to do a lot of bending and climbing since you’re on your feet all day. You have to be pretty tough. The main thing is to practice at it. It takes a few years before you’re even a decent welder out in the real world.”

Out of the forty students in the district that take the welding class, Vasquez is one of only three girls. She said that even though she usually doesn’t notice that she’s in a maleDECEMBER 17, 2009 {the marquee}

dominated class, sometimes competition against the boys place in district competition and one year even took first in can be fun. state. After winning first place in a state art competition, one “Having a few other girls in the class is nice, and it’s al- of Rice’s students gave him an exact duplication of his winways great to meet new people,” Vasquez said. “Some of the ning welded table. guys can be cocky, but most of them are accepting that I’m a “If you look at it you can see how hard it was to make girl. They say that when girls are compared to boys, the girls and how hard he worked on the replica,” Rice said. “He gave do a lot better because boys like to rush through it and girls that sucker to me. I’ve had everything (made) from tables, like to take their time and make it right.” pocketknives, a switchblade and one year a kid gave me In a real welding job like one Vasquez hopes to pursue, a .45 pistol. I’ll bet there’s not many teachers that can say workers use explosive they got that from their gases and dangerous students.” equipment that make Across the nation, “They say that when girls are compared to welding a risky profeshigh schools continue boys, the girls do a lot better because boys like sion. Rice said that workto cancel welding to rush through it and girls like to take their ing high up on scaffoldprograms due to budget time and make it right.” ing is also another way constraints, which has -ALEX VASQUEZ, 12 welders get injured. created a widespread “Equipment can fail or shortage of professional people can drop stuff on welders. Rice said that you and seriously hurt or students like Vasquez kill you,” Rice said. “I’ve seen three guys die myself on jobs. automatically have something to fall back on for the rest of It’s a really dangerous profession and you just have to watch their lives whether they continue with welding or not. out for yourself. They talk about defensive driving with cars, “I’ve got a kid who graduated from The Colony and only but it’s the same thing with welding.” did one year of trade school after my class,” Rice said. “His Even though in the welding workshop there aren’t as first welding job he went to China and made $80,000 that many dangers as in the real world, Vasquez has seen many year tax-free which is about $125,000 here. There’s some cuts and burns. She said the most important thing is to know huge opportunities out there, but you’ve got to really work how to protect yourself, which is why the first week of the hard for them.” class is devoted entirely to safety procedures.

Vasquez plans to attend Texas State Technical College af“One girl a couple weeks ago tripped and her hand was ter graduation and then get a well-paying job as a welder. She cut by a big piece of metal,” Vasquez said. “Another girl had said that Rice’s class has prepared her for the future. slag, which is molten metal, go through her shoes when she “I love welding and I like to consider that I’m pretty good wasn’t wearing the correct shoes. You really have to be care- at it,” Vasquez said. “If I keep practicing and doing it over and ful with safety and wearing the right clothing.” over I’ll get a lot better. Some people have natural ability, but For the past ten years, Rice’s students have won first it takes work just like anything else you’ll do in life.”

{

}

design by nathaniel thornton 13

{ENT E R TA I NM E N T }

TOP 10

Movies that don’t belong on ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas holiday countdown Pixar Short Films

COMPILED BY DEVON MILLER

Short films aren’t even real movies, let alone Christmas ones. Either ABC Family had a deal with Pixar or they were just trying to fill space on the countdown. If it’s the latter, they should’ve filled the slot with a more deserving movie, like A Christmas Story or one of the channel’s original TV movies.

Dr. Seuss on the Loose/Cat in the Hat Neither of these two Dr. Seuss classics have anything to do with Christmas.

The channel should’ve opted to show How the Grinch Stole Christmas! instead, which is nowhere on the countdown.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Another classic movie that was wrongfully put on the countdown. Willy Wonka does feature candy, wonder and imagination, three things Christmas is all about. What it doesn’t have is Santa, reindeer or a moral of giving back, three things essential to a real Christmas movie.

The Incredibles Showing three Pixar films on the same night of the countdown makes sense.

Showing The Incredibles on Christmas Day alongside Miracle on 34th Street doesn’t. While Miracle on 34th Street is a real Christmas movie, The Incredibles isn’t, so why is it being shown on Christmas, the biggest day of the countdown?

Ratatouille

Ratatouille is another Pixar movie that doesn’t involve Christmas. If ABC Family is going to show Pixar movies, they should at least choose the really good ones to air, like Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc.

Origami: a wonderful inspiration STORY BY LUKE SWINNEY After he graduated from Marcus and became a teacher in Japan, Eric Pearson never thought he’d have contact with his former high school. But after his students heard about the 9/11 tragedy, they wanted to send something to show they were thinking of America.

Taking inspiration from the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, where folding a 1000 paper cranes supposedly gives good luck, Pearson’s students went to work folding a 1000 paper cranes themselves. In the book, a young Japanese girl feels the effects of the atomic bomb when she is diagnosed with Leukemia because of the radiation in Hiroshima. While in the hospital, she attempts to make 1000 paper cranes in hopes that her wish of health would be granted like Japanese folklore says. She passes away before finishing all the cranes, so her friends made the remaining cranes for her and she was buried with them.

After running out of origami paper, the students used candy and gum wrappers in order to finish all the cranes. The brightly colored cranes came to Marcus in a box and were made into a mobile by teacher Kathy Toews and her artist friend Mark Pepper. With a little help from Student Council to string all the cranes up, the “Peaceful Flight” was hung up as the centerpiece to the library in 2002 for all students to enjoy.

Cars While Cars is a fun family favorite that appeals to children and adults alike, it doesn’t have anything to do with Christmas. There are lots of movies with Christmas scenes that are family friendly, such as Toy Story, that should’ve been on the countdown instead.

Happy Feet

Penguins are almost as common as reindeer around the holidays nowadays, so a movie about penguins should fit nicely into the countdown. This movie doesn’t have any holiday penguins, though, only regular dancing penguins.

While those are entertaining, they shouldn’t be on the countdown.

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins is an Oscar award-winning family movie that almost everyone has seen. However, just because it’s a family movie doesn’t mean it deserves a spot on the countdown, especially since it’s not about Christmas or the holidays.

Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day

Although the countdown is also showing Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too, it’s not even on the same night as this one, giving no reasonable explanation for why it’s on the countdown.

Harry Potters 1-4 Every year ABC Family has it’s Harry Potter Weekend during the 25 Days of Christmas. While it’s fun to see all the Harry Potter movies together and there are Christmas scenes in each, the plots don’t revolve around Christmas at all.

14 design by brandon prill

PHOTO BY MARK TURNBULL Paper cranes hang from the ceiling in the library at Marcus thanks to the efforts of Japanese students.

{the marquee} DECEMBER 17, 2009

New season brings new choices With dozens of new shows clogging the already jam packed arteries of TV, it can be difficult to pick which shows to watch. After many painstaking hours of research, The Marquee has discovered the perfect guide for TV this upcoming season.

STORY BY TAYLOR ROSS THURSDAY MONDAY The CW’s Supernatural is the story of two brothers who CBS’s How I Met Your Mother follows a fairly simple plot that takes the main characters through the world of dating in find themselves in the middle of Armageddon. The writing New York. Not to mention it’s accompanied by the comedic on the show is spectacular and the action scenes rival that of movies. The best part, however, is the amazing storyline that skills of actors like Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Siegel. makes the show feel more like a novel than a TV show. The writers never waste an episode without a revealing a major TUESDAY A mysterious plot accompanied by a well-developed story part of the story. and fantastic acting make Lost a great show. And given that FRIDAY this is the final season, these episodes are sure to make Though it’s not on one of the major networks, White ColTuesday an amazing night of television. lar on USA is a great comedy wrapped in the shell of an actual drama. White Collar follows the same crime solving WEDNESDAY Glee, FOX’s music-based TV show, is one of a kind. While template as Psych and Monk: intelligent crime-solver and shows like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars bring down to earth sidekick who keeps the main guy in check go music to TV, Glee is the first that carries a story and actually on adventures solving crimes. Its unique, however, with new back stories and interesting locations. feels like a musical on TV.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

7:00

How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

NCIS (CBS)

Mercy (NBC)

Survivor (CBS)

Smallville (CW)

8:00

Life UneXpected (CW)

Lost (ABC)

Glee (FOX)

Supernatural (CW)

White Collar (USA)

Castle (ABC)

The Good Wife (CBS)

Psych (USA)

Mentalist (CBS)

Numb3rs (CBS)

9:00

{ E N T E R TA I N M E N T }

Lock and Key by Sarah Dressen. It’s about a girl whose mom leaves and how her life spirals out of control.

Carley Meiners Asst. News Editor The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I like moral and meaning in a book but when I want to be entertained I read Dan Brown.

Joey Ulfsrud Reporter Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling. Malfoy’s finally a big part of the story and I love Malfoy.

Devon Miller Entertainment Editor Prey by Michael Crichton. It’s so detailed and you can tell he did his research. It’s scary realistic.

Sean Richmond Designer Running with Scissors

by Augusten Burroughs.

It’s interesting because it’s a charming tale of a disturbed existence.

Natalia Chekha Photo Editor

How to look smart without being smart COMPILED BY JOEY ULFSRUD Ingredients: You, Tweed jackets, glasses, collared shirts, hair pulled back, slacks, Pencil skirts, dress shoes, pocket protectors.

Guidelines: - Pretend to read books beyond your comprehension often, and in public places. Do your best to hide the cover of the book, so that to initiate conversation, those nearby must ask the title of the book you are reading.

- Carry around your laptop. Use the free Internet in McDonald’s and Starbucks. Nothing makes you stand out like a laptop in a coffee shop.

- Use ridiculously long words often and rapid-fire. “The conundrum in my cerebellum is complicated to articulate.”

- Use Latin phrases often, and out of context. “Carpe DECEMBER 17, 2009 {the marquee}

diem, boys! E Pluribus Unum!!!”

- Keep a messy backpack, but know exactly where everything is. Organization is a lower level of thought.

- Make sure to talk to the teacher about class content. It seriously makes you seem like the smartest kid in class.

- Try to incorporate quotes from Nobel Prize winners in normal conversation. It makes you seem really worldly.

- Join science club for the science club t-shirts, but quit soon thereafter. Show that you have priorities.

- You also should probably grab those thick-rimmed glasses, prescription or not. It’s total Geek chic.

- Always tell everyone you are going to fail before a test, and then ace it later. It makes you seem all the smarter.

- Talk to yourself under your breath about seemingly important things. The others aren’t worthy of any banter with you or your other personalities.

- Play a game of Trivial Pursuit and win. It is the ultimate measure of all knowledge in the universe.

- If someone asks you a question to which you don’t know the answer, quickly ask them another question about the meaning of life. It shows them that you have no time to think about such trifles.

- Raise your hand during the entirety of your teacher’s lesson, with prior knowledge that they won’t call on you. If they do call on you, act like it has been too long and the question is no longer valid.

- If you are answering a question wrong, just keep talking until you get it right.

- Make sure you point out how much salad you eat instead of other foods. You don’t necessarily have to eat salad.

- Try to ask questions so difficult that the teacher cannot even comprehend them. design by nathaniel thornton

15

$1

December 18

tickets will be sold during all lunches dec. 17 and in the morning dec. 18 {must be school appropriate}

{OPINION}

Dress code subjective to students The dress code section of the student handbook has been enforced by administration since the school has opened its doors. For example, no skirts or dresses allowed four inches above the knee and no sagging pants or undergarments of any kind showing. Yet on any given school day, pep rally, or game day you can pick out a handful or more of students out of dress code, including student body leaders. It shouldn’t be a game of picking and choosing among students. The Marquee staff has unanimously agreed that the dress code at school should not be subjectively applied to select student and athletic groups.

The school administration insists on enforcing a strict dress code for the majority of the students, but doesn’t apply it to certain athletic teams, such as cheerleaders. Their uniforms include extremely short skirts and sleeveless shirts.

Both, in the student handbook are against the dress code.

Yet, the uniforms are allowed to be worn on campus during school hours. It is questionable to why the administration strictly implements theses policies for everyone but these groups of students due to the role they play at school. That

should not affect the criteria for school appropriate clothing.

Other sports teams such as volleyball and the Marquettes do not wear their uniforms to school. Instead they use alternative uniforms during school hours such as sweat suits or t-shirts. The alternative uniforms still show spirit while staying in line with the school dress code.

On the same day of a pep rally, a student who is not wearing a cheerleading uniform, but is wearing a skirt of the same length would instantly be whisked away without question to ISS for being out of dress code. Yet the cheerleaders can wear the same length skirt, without any repercussions.

It just doesn’t make sense that one athletic team and set of students get to wear something, when the rest don’t. Students don’t get to wear the same attire, and other teams such as volleyball don’t get to wear their uniforms during school hours.

This call on the uniforms is not just Marcus’ administrative call; it is the LISD administrations decision as well. Every year they take into account what trends are in fashion for the majority of the student body as well as the trends for the

OMG! THAT’S SO HAWT!

OMG! THAT’S SO HAWT!

teams to wear. The cheerleading uniforms are approved to be worn during school indefinitely by the fact that it is a uniform for the school teaming during the day of a event. Some students and faculty believe that it is okay for the cheerleaders to wear what they do during school because it shows school spirit and pride, and wearing an alternative uniform may cripple their ability to show appreciation for the school.

However, we disagree. Other teams and organizations show just as much school spirit, while still staying in dress code.

Although there is nothing wrong with the uniforms outside of school and for games because it shows school spirit, the staff feels that it is inappropriate and subjective to allow a select group to wear articles of clothing that are banned for the rest of the student body. It either should be allowed for the whole population of the school or not. Double standards should not be set in place due to the role some play in school settings. Administration should take another look at either the student dress code in the student handbook, or the allowance of favored organizations to wear clothing out of dress code during all school hours.

I KNOW RIGHT!

OMG! THAT IS SO HAWT

I KNOW RIGHT

I KNOW RIGHT!

Letters to the Editors Dear Editor, I feel that the construction going on in the back parking lot of the school is a menace.

Because they fenced off such a huge area, there are fewer parking spots and much more traffic before and after school. I personally drive myself to school everyday, and I find all the construction very frustrating. A solution to the problem would have been to work on the parking lot during the summer so that it would not have affected the students during the school year.

Shelby Norris, Sophomore Dear Editor, What is up with the bathrooms? I mean, you walk in the boys’ bathroom and it smells as if something has died in there, and you try to go into a stall, but it’s dirty (the toilets and the walls.The walls have terrible writing on them and the toilets aren’t flushed. With how dirty these bathrooms are, I’m not even sure if Mr. Clean can clean them.

Eric Kolden, Freshman

DECEMBER 17, 2009 {the marquee}

Healthcare reform needed As Democrats and Republicans continue to bicker over healthcare, President Barack Obama is closer to having a decision on the healthcare reform. According to Obama, it will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance, and it will provide insurance to those who don’t have it. The new Obama plan cites many things to help out the country and benefit all citizens. We have voted in favor of the health care plan and the public option. We feel it will assist Americans, whether they are owners of insurance or not.

The plan will help those that already have insurance in certain ways. One way is it will end discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions. So even if a person has cancer or diabetes, the company can no longer drop them from treatments. A lot of insurance companies will stop paying for the treatments because they are more concerned with their profit rather than the individual clients, even if it’s a young child or a dying grandma. Also, the Obama plan will cap out-of-pocket expenses so people do not go bankrupt when they get sick.

For the people who do not have insurance, the plan will create a new insurance marketplace called the Exchange. It will allow people without insurance and businesses to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive prices. Obama is offering this plan, also called the public option, for people who cannot find affordable coverage with a real choice. Be-

lieve it or not, the United States is the only industrialized nation that does not have a universal health care system for its people*. Politicians should have created a better health care system a long time ago.

Opponents would say that Obama and his administration should not help the people without insurance and illegal immigrants. They have to go to the county hospitals, which are already crammed with people anyway. Some would say that the public option is not worth the time and effort, and it doesn’t help the majority in America. Without the new reform, children and adults will continue to die by not having health insurance because they will not receive the major surgeries and transplants they need. The lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States*.

Which we do value more in America, money or people?

Our country should have more health clinics than vet clinics.

In the Flower Mound/Lewisville area, we found there are 17 vet clinics, a high amount for pets solely. We should not put pets over our citizens. Although America leads the world in spending on health care, it is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not take care of its people. It’s important to spend a few extra tax dollars to save lives and not be so selfish. The United States needs to provide healthcare to everyone who lives in it. *Insuring America’s Health: Principles and Recommendations

design by shelby bookout 17

{OPINION}

JUST ANOTHER STATISTIC

The burden of responsibility Kelsey McCauley To Whom It May Concern: My name is Collin McDowell* and last February I legally became an adult. My parents tell me I’m a man now and that as a man I have certain responsibilities around the house, at school and most importantly for my country. I suppose they mean I should enlist when they remind me of my patriotic duties. But I’m scared.

I know I may not have much of a life here at home, but it’s a life nonetheless, one I intend to keep living.

The day after I celebrated my eighteenth birthday, four war veterans came to my school and set up a booth near the front entrance. They were dressed in camouflage jumpsuits, black boots and their heads were all shaved in a uniform manner, the hair barely measuring a centimeter. Each face grave, serious, ominous. I wondered if any of them had experienced the “glories of war.” It didn’t look like it.

I decided to approach their table.

Once there, I could feel every students’ gaze fixed intently on me, all curious, anxious to witness a fellow classmate prepare to sign away his childhood. When I finished leafing through the various pamphlets that were provided, I gave the soldiers a nod of acknowledgment, and continued on to second period.

It’s now December. Several months ago, I was sitting at a desk listening to facts and figures. The subtle “pop” from a student’s chewing gum has now become more pronounced, as bullets peal through the air. In these several months since arriving at the base, I find myself looking more and more like the four veterans that allowed me to become part of this war. My head has been shaved, and the features of my face have hardened significantly.

Small town suburbia seems so foreign compared to the desert and palm trees that thrive in this country. I know only one companion in this barren wasteland—the M16 strapped securely to my chest. There’s no one to make sure I go to bed at a reasonable hour and gun shots replace the steady tones of my alarm clock. I haven’t had much of an appetite since arriving at the base; dehydrated mashed potatoes were never a particular favorite of mine. Instead of “sweet dreams,” my subconscious continues to be plagued by visions of the enemy’s face and countless battered bodies.

To Whom It May Concern: War is imminent, and those who continue to invite it have to realize that for every action there is a consequence. As people, we must learn to take responsibility for those actions.

I came to this conclusion the day I enlisted. I’m responsible for my country, and it’s responsible for me.

Regretfully, Collin McDowell

Fun-raisers

All-around excellence

Aloha, delicious lunch

Santa coming to campus to visit children in the community for Habitat for Humanity is a change from the boring day-to-day academic routine. Lately, athletic teams and organizations have been coming up with unique ways to raise money. Local bands rocking out to win the title of being the best was a great way to appeal to all grades to support lit mag.

For the Texas Education Agency to find our academics “Exemplary” is not the only thing students have to flaunt. Campus athletics and fine arts alike have recently won awards including fourth place at Grand Nationals for marching band, first place in nationals for drumline and seventh place in JEA national competition for newspaper and literary magazine.

Going from unhealthy foods to healthy cardboard with high prices, it seems that school lunch has had trouble getting it right. But finally, after 28 years, the school decided to give a great addition to our menu, Hawaiian pizza. Hot melted cheese and cold pineapple are a perfect mix for the melt-in-your-mouth entrée.

{BOOMBAS} THINGS WE LIKE

BARACK IS MY HOMEBOY

Facing realities of life and death Jasmine Sachar It was the hardest thing in the world to do. Just walking into the room and looking at my father.

This wasn’t the normal father I was accustomed to seeing. He wasn’t watching CNN and mocking Sarah Palin. He wasn’t popping open a Heineken and balancing the check book. He wasn’t telling me and my sister to hurry up because we were going to be late to school.

He was lying limp on a hospital bed, entangled in a cradle of wires, tubes and electrical pulses, thin and pale, like a skeleton of the person who had been normal just a few weeks ago. Before he started having chest pains, before he narrowly escaped a heart attack, before his open-heart bypass surgery that left him bed-ridden for months.

I remember how strange it felt, how small and weak my dad looked sprawled against stiff white sheets, big machines roaring next to him, semi-conscious yet crying out in pain.

Something inside of me snapped in that moment. I felt my knees buckle and hot tears welled and rolled down my face.

If I had been thinking clearly at the time I would have realized the creeping epiphany that was about to come across.

Now nearing the one-year anniversary of the operation, I’ve seen a gradual shift in the way I view my parents. I used to look at these things---aging, forever, life and death-through the eyes of an oblivious child. That child saw that my parents as two immense towers who would hold me up

forever. For those 14 years, they weren’t vulnerable. They were strong, invincible even.

But on that hospital bed and for months after, my dad appeared strangely human. Gone were the days of lifting me up on his shoulders and talks of living forever. My dad realized, too, how close he had been from slipping away and what could have happened if not for a split second chance, sheer luck, divine intervention. What could have happened. These are the fears that haunt me to this day.

As a teenager, it’s hard to go through a day without complaining about your parents. These complaints occur almost subconsciously. Parents are a burden, parents nag and you wish they’d just leave you to your Facebook and loitering in public shopping centers. Like it couldn’t happen. Like it wasn’t a possibility. Part of growing up is realizing your parents aren’t superheroes.

In what was a slow, often torturous process, my dad slowly rehabilitated, slowly returned to doing the things he used to. Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to my parents, much more than I used to. They have stories, the novels of their lives, and I have found the ears to listen.

The nagging continues, but I scorn it less. I come out of every conversation, every moment spent with them, with a new sensation of wisdom and understanding for the world I’ll have to face alone someday.

Do you think

Marcus

STUDENTS are

materialistic?

COMPILED BY LAUREN ROSE PHOTOS BY MARK TURNBULL

“I think a bunch of the females are mainly into their cell phones. Guys, I don’t think so. It’s mostly girls.”

Drew Field, Freshman

“I don’t. I know people that are very fortunate and have expensive things, but they are grateful for them and do not show them off or brag about it.”

Jordan Hinckley, Sophomore

*This name and all events are fictional and in no way depict actual persons or events.

18 design by brandon prill

{the marquee} DECEMBER 17, 2007

{OPINION} Construction confusion

Childish manners

Taco traffic

Orange traffic cones are around every corner in the community.

Construction up and down 2499 and 407 make it difficult and timeconsuming for people to arrive to common places like Target and Walmart. Even those that live in Highland Shores have to deal with pesky highway construction.

In elementary school we learned our ABC’s, our 1,2,3’s and our ability to respect. The impatient, hungry student body seems to throw respect out of the window when it comes to getting food at lunchtime.

The excuse, “Oh I was already here. I just went to the bathroom,” is overused, and we have all heard it. Wait to pee or get in the back of the line, mister.

So maybe people can blame some of the reckless driving on crazy construction but that is even pushing it. It gets difficult to run errands in that shopping center when everyone heading to Taco Tuesday is too busy thinking about taco plates that they congest traffic. By turning left, they block the right lane to get behind a car in the drive-thru that clearly isn’t moving anytime soon.

{HEYS}

THINGS WE DON’T LIKE

SHELBY COMIN’ ROUND THE MTN

Shelby Bookout We have it in our heads that if we go on a date, we are either automatically “boyfriend and girlfriend” or somehow committed to dating that person indefinitely. We either try to guard our hearts or we pour everything out there. We often date people just to say we have a boyfriend or girlfriend, or we are many times scared to break up with theme because we don’t know how to be alone. We think dating has to be serious all the time, and we make way too big a deal of it.

I knew that I didn’t want to follow this trend, but now I know how easy it is to do. I learned from my mistake. Although it was “just a kiss”, we both knew that it was wrong for us. I’m not trying to tell you what things are wrong or right and telling readers to take my advice, but if it doesn’t feel right to you, don’t feel bad. Just learn for next time, because that’s what this is all about--learning.

Let’s make dating around, not sleeping around, more commonplace. I think our parents had it right when they simply dated to get to know people. Let’s bring back the idea that two people can go out once and maybe not connect the way they expected. Our parents didn’t get bent out of shape when it didn’t work out with one person. We shouldn’t be scared to get to know each other, but at the same time let’s try to have fun together and not make dating so serious.

Let’s get comfortable with the people we are dating, not the idea of dating them.

Marquee Remarks “I would say yes. If you just look around everyone is wearing name brands.”

Matthew Cummings, Junior

DECEMBER 17, 2009 {the marquee}

“It depends on the person you talk to. Not everyone at Marcus’ life revolves around designer things.”

Brianna Burton, Senior

Puppy love brings disgust

Natalia Chekha

Mistakes worth making We were watching I Am Legend when he leaned in. I didn’t want it to happen, but I let him kiss me anyway. The situation was everything but romantic. I was half asleep, and we hardly knew each other. It was not at all how I pictured my first kiss.

We had only met two weeks before, through friends of friends. It’s insane how fast things were moving without learning anything new about each other. I may be a bit naïve, but we had only hung out twice before he held my hand, and this night was only our third time to hang out together.

While we were “hanging out”, we either watched movies or told stories. We never talked about ourselves.

I’m not proud of what happened. We made the mistake of getting too comfortable, but not with each other…with the idea of having a relationship. I know it was a mistake. But in a way, it was a mistake that I’m glad I made. It woke me up and made me understand something about dating. I’m glad that this happened here, now, and in high school, rather than who knows where, later, and when I’m away from the support of friends. To me, that’s what dating in high school, even middle school, is all about. It’s a chance to make mistakes and learn from them. It’s about learning how to date and who to date, not finding you soul mate—that should come later.

Today, my peers are focused too much on the physical.

FROM THE MOTHERLAND

“I think that some can be but most kids have a pretty good head on their shoulders.”

Jesse Hood, Teacher

People are disappointing.

They lie, they cheat, and they steal, yet somehow one bizarre emotion makes them justifiable as humane and not quite as terrible.

Love.

It is something that people make movies about, write self help books to describe, and use eHarmony.com to find. It also happens to be one of the main reasons a number of teenage girls spend nights in their bedrooms singing along to Taylor Swift and dreaming of their own Edward Cullen.

Love is something I personally don’t believe in at this age. I don’t think somebody at this age is mature enough to experience such an emotion. I know so many of my friends that “go out” with a person for a week, “love them” and then they’re done. Just like that.

After a couple that I was friends with broke up, I asked the girl if she truly loved the guy. She responded with, “It’s just like having a favorite food, except my favorite food is men. I love them all.”

I don’t think quite the same way. Comparing men to a food is equivalent to men judging women in a sexist way.

Love should be more than that. It should build over time, much like a giant snowball in an avalanche coming down a slope of a mountain. It gets bigger and bigger and bigger, until one day the emotion bursts and the feeling is stronger than one can handle. When it hits the bottom, one ultimately has to come face to face with the realization that they have fallen in love.

I find it really hard to believe that teenagers truly love one another or can experience this raw emotion. It might be puppy love, it might be just the want to experiment, but I don’t think it is true love.

True love does not consist of unreal words claiming, “heY bab3 i luv U.” However, there are those couples who are lucky to have found each other and who stay with each other longer than a week to nurture the seed of love and help it grow into a flower. One couple that I’m friends with has been together for three years, another for almost four. Both couples plan to attend the same colleges, and one of the couples has a definite plan in mind for their future marriage, showing that love does exist among teens, its just a rare gem to find.

People often criticize my view on love, saying that I am in no place to judge other people’s feelings. This is true, yet, I still stick to my guns. I do believe in love, I just don’t think people who used to play Pokemon and obsess over Barbies a few years ago are mature enough to understand what this emotion really means and feels like.

Love means different things to all people: a hug, a kiss, or that special person that brings them food at work. Everyone will have a different experience with it, but one shouldn’t be so quick to fall for Lady Love’s tricks at a young age. design by brandon prill

19

{SPOTLIGHT}

Winter wonderland of goodwill

Local theme park helps raise money for charity during holidays STORY BY NATASHA JORDAN PHOTOS BY NATALIA CHEKHA

1

2

3

1. The Parker House Winter Wonderland Theme Park, includes many fixtures for visitors to see, including a light up Nativity figurine set. 2. Shining in the night, Rudolph, and fellow reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh along the house grounds. 3. Many details went into designing the special light show.

Some of the elements include a chain of brightly lit Christmas trees. Parker House also offers real Christmas trees on their ground for sale. 4. A giant 25” Christmas tree stands tall on the grounds, and candy canes adorn the base. 5. Thousands of lights flash during the light show, illuminating the park grounds in the darkness.

4 20

design by brandon prill

As the techno version of “Jingle Bells” plays in the background, Christmas lights flash and display patterns on the Parker House. Located in Lewisville this display is covered with 150,000 Christmas lights of blues, greens, yellows, reds, and whites.

Synchronized with each beat of every song, lights lined every window, door and outside frame and danced to the melody.

Mini Christmas trees and candy canes decorate the event.

Marc East, the owner of the Parker House, came up with the idea last year when trying to figure out another event to host after his haunted house. He originally decorated his own home in hundreds of lights and other Christmas decorations for the season, which thousands of people would flock to see. East would spend hours placing decorations on his own home which he found to be too much work for the short amount of time they were up. A solution to this problem, East decided to decorate the Parker House so that the hours he spent decorating it would be worth the effort for many to enjoy the holiday spirit.

The location has a 25-foot Christmas tree where Santa sits upon his chair and his helpers stand in for photos. A bounce house for children and vendors with unique products also fill the space. East said that he had to turn down expensive vendors.

He wanted businesses to sell products that people couldn’t find just anywhere. Glass blown ornaments and hand etched domino

necklaces are just two examples of original items sold.

The $2 fee to enter into the Parker House is donated to The Heroes of Denton County. It is an organization that helps out the families of fallen police or firemen, or those injured in the line of duty. Twenty percent of all proceeds made from the pictures with Santa and the other vendors go to support the Heroes of Denton County as well. The Parker House is known to support booster clubs of surrounding high schools with the money made during the haunted house. Within the next years, East hopes that the booster clubs would participate in the Christmas display as well.

Besides just the Christmas lights and the other activities, on Friday and Saturday nights the Parker House puts on a production of the “Twisted Christmas”.

This performance displays the influence that corporations have on Christmas and the holiday season, making it all about presents and greed. The “Twisted Christmas” has a sarcastic tone underlying the meaning it portrays. Funny scenes as well as a volunteers popping out from behind props creates a feeling of Halloween scare with Christmas fun.

East hopes that in years to come more songs and lights will decorate the Parker House. He also hopes that more vendors with unique ideas and new activities will come. The Parker House is an place to consider seeng for everyone if they desire to experience the spirit of this upcoming holiday season.

5 {the marquee} DECEMBER 17, 2009