MARQUEE THE
Volume 28 | Issue 5 | March 7, 2014 | mhsmarquee.com
MARCUS HIGH SCHOOL | 5707 MORRISS ROAD. FLOWER MOUND, TX 75028
]7]
Senior photographs Stars hockey team and meets players
]15]
Clay target team receives coaching from acclaimed shooters
]19]
The Marquee plans out last-minute spring break road trips
Table of Contents
cover photo Jacqueline Higgins
The Marquee [newsmagazine] Editor in Chief Marisa Charpentier
Managing Editor Amanda Collen
Design Editor Hailey Painter
News & Feature Editor Madison Ermenio
Asst. News & Feature Editor Miranda Chiechi
In-depth Editor Marisa Charpentier
photo Miranda Chiechi
Entertainment [18] FOOD ON THE MOVE The Marquee rates food trucks at Dallas’ Klyde Warren Park.
Entertainment Editor Anna Middleton
Opinion Editor Madi Schwem
Sports Editor Austin Rickerson
Photo Editor Kady Kohankie
Asst. Photo Editor
story Marisa Charpentier
William Legrone
Business Manager Hailey Painter
News
Social Media Editors
Patricia Qualls, Samantha King
[4] SCHEDULE CHANGE House Bill 5 alters graduation requirements for incoming students.
Online Editors
Alyssa Schmidt, Ben Horton
Reporters
Jaime Hardison, Victoria Price, Allie Loder, Molly Webber, Megan O’Hearn, Alex Helm, Rachel Ramirez, Darci Walton
story Megan O’Hearn
Designers
Feature
[9] HIGH SCHOOL MENTORS Athletes visit elementary classes through Adopt-an-Athlete. story Rachel Ramirez
Sports
[17] LA VIDA LACROSSE Students on Flower Mound lacrosse team prepare for season. story Victoria Price
Tori Allmendinger, Jacqueline Higgins, Lyndsay Hilton, William Legrone
Photographers
Luisa Diaz, Jaqueline Higgins
Adviser
LaJuana Hale
Principal
Gary Shafferman
The Marquee newsmagazine is a student-generated publication of Marcus High School. It is produced, edited and maintained through the efforts of the school’s advanced journalism class. The Marquee is designed to serve the school and community as a forum for open discussion and student expression. The Marquee encourages letters to the editor as part of its mission to educate, inform and provide an open forum for debate. All submissions must be signed. The staff reserves the right to edit all material. Editorials reflect the opinion of the staff, not necessarily that of the administration. Signed columns or reviews represent only the opinion of the author. Advertising rates are $70 per 1/8 of a page, with discounts available. For more information call 469-713-5196. The Marquee is a standing member of ILPC, TAJE, ATPI, CSPA, NSPA, JEA and Quill and Scroll.
NEWS 3
LISD shoots down new gun policy District decides against allowing teachers to carry arms story Austin Rickerson Despite Argyle’s new gun policy allowing certain teachers to carry firearms on campus, LISD is sticking with its current security plan after meeting with local law enforcement last year. “The consensus of the entire group (LISD) was that they were not in support of this type of policy,” LISD Safety and Security Officer Matthew Garrett said. “The safety and security of our students and staff is always our top priority, and we will continue to work with our public safety partners to ensure a safe learning environment.” Resource officers, locked doors, private campus security in the parking lot and tighter security at the front entrance are all precautions currently used by the district. Garrett said that preparation methods like lockdown drills are the main way to prevent violence. “LISD maintains a multifaceted approach to security,” Garrett said. “Planning, drilling and training are all components of the security program.” Argyle ISD passed a policy in late January 2014, allowing faculty members to possess concealed firearms on district property. At least two other school districts in the state have passed similar policies, including Union Grove ISD near Tyler and Harrold ISD near Vernon. The policy passed by the school board of neighboring Argyle allows teachers and faculty to volunteer to carry a firearm. Staff members will then be chosen from the pool of volunteers after a series of psychiatric tests, shooting practices and emergency training courses. The armed teachers, called marshals, will then be given the authority to use force to protect students if they are in danger. Economics and Street Law teacher Byron Crump said that although it is a good attempt to address school shootings and violence, there are too many variables for this to be the best plan of action. The AISD policy does not specify where teachers will keep their guns during school hours. Crump said that although a teacher could become a hero by saving students, the policy could also have an adverse reaction. “If a gun from a teacher ever gets in the wrong hands, everybody will cry foul on it,” Crump said. “You can’t really win either way.” In addition to the background checks and training marshals will endure, chosen faculty members in Argyle will be required to have a conceal-and-carry license. The AISD policy requires that signs are posted at each campus warning visitors that there are armed faculty members on the premises. Junior Jaden Amilibia said that she thought it would be a strong deterrent to those that would potentially harm students. “What other weapon are you going to have that is more effective than a gun?” Amilibia said. “A gun will elicit fear into the possible shooters.” Argyle ISD contemplated their gun policy for over a year before it was approved in January. Newtown, which actually has a lower annual crime rate than Flower Mound, did not have any armed teachers on campus during the December 2012 incident when 26 people, including 20 elementary school children, were killed. Newtown is statistically safer than 88 percent of U.S. cities, as opposed to Flower Mound, which is safer than 83 percent of cities. While it is unclear whether armed teachers could have The Marquee March 7, 2014
“Someone can take down a cop and get his gun,” Crump saved lives at Sandy Hook, Amilibia said that she thinks a gun policy like that in Argyle would ultimately be beneficial to the said. “The people that have [the guns] better make sure students and school. they’re keeping them secure and safe.” As an alternative to arming faculty members, Crump “[It] would kind of improve the safety at the school and the generalization that teachers do care for their kids in any way, suggested having more protected entrances, such as cameras shape or form and will do anything to help them,” Amilibia and alarms on all outside doors. Although the AISD gun policy said. may not be a cure-all to school Although it may protect students violence, Crump said he thinks it is still a progressive decision by the from violence, one of the main Argyle schools. concerns of the policy is that it does “If a gun from a teacher ever gets in “School districts tend to be not inform parents and students the wrong hands, everybody will cry which teachers have firearms. reactive instead of proactive,” Though she was not opposed to the Crump said. “I think Argyle is just foul on it. You can’t really win either AISD policy, Amilibia said that her trying to be proactive for once.” way.” biggest fear is the possibility of a Regardless of if teachers have teacher’s gun injuring a student. Byron Crump, Street Law guns or if a school resource officer “Even though they need to go patrols the campus, Garrett said through psychiatric process, there’s that the district continues to look always that fear that one day the teachers will snap and to improve the safety of its students and campuses. Through possibly harm another student if they’re not mentally stable,” his years of experience, he has learned that campus security Amilibia said. is not the job of one person or group. Crump said that he thinks the main concern in a policy “Everyone has a role in safety and security,” Garrett said. like in Argyle would be a teacher’s gun falling into the wrong “Sometimes it is as easy as having everyone stay aware of hands. He said that ultimately, those with evil intent will find their surroundings and report suspicious behavior, people or a way to arm themselves or do others harm. objects that are out of place.”
Argyle ISD’s new policies:
Armed faculty members will have to pass extensive psychiatric evaluation, emergency drills and ongoing shooting skills practice.
Armed teachers and the location of their weapons will remain unidentified.
Signs will be posted outside of schools warning visitors about armed teachers.
In the nation:
XX XXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXX XXXXXX
36
20 states already
allow adults to carry a loaded gun on school grounds
school shootings in 2013 www.huffingtonpost.com
design Hailey Painter
4 NEWS 18
New graduation guidelines allow for more class choices
Incoming students can receive endorsements, cater classes to interests story Megan O’Hearn Starting next fall, the current 4x4 graduation plan in all Texas high schools will be replaced by a 26-credit Foundation High School Program. The new graduation requirements will only go into effect for incoming freshmen, unless current high school students choose to switch to this plan. This new program, created by the passing of House Bill 5, creates more options for some third and fourth year core credits and allows students to earn what are called endorsements. The five endorsement areas are business and industry, public services, arts and humanities, multidisciplinary studies and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The incoming freshmen will choose their endorsement before entering high school based on interests, strengths or possible career paths. “They have to pretty much declare a major and declare what they want,” counselor Cheryl Richey said. “They are going to have to take the required classes, but they are also going to have to fulfill their endorsement.” To fulfill an endorsement, students must have at least four credits of courses within their chosen field. Students will be able to pick from a wide range of classes depending on which endorsement they choose. They will be
Mandatory English Classes
able to change their endorsement with parent Besides just the English IV class, several approval at any time throughout high school. options can fulfill the fourth English credit “If they don’t love that business thing or such as Advanced Journalism, Creative if they don’t love the science and math, then Writing, Debate and Humanities. The third they need to find out now, and I think the and fourth math credit can now be fulfilled endorsements will with Algebra benefit them in that II, Computer way,” Richey said. Science, Statistics While the and several other purpose of classes. And the endorsements is third and fourth to help students science credits discover career now have a wide paths they might range of options want in the future, including Animal not everyone agrees Cheryl Richey, counselor Science, Anatomy that it will have this and Computer effect. Science. “I dont know about pushing this on the In addition to the changes, Algebra II is no lower grades because kids change their major longer required. However, students can opt to all the time in college,” Economics teacher take this course to fulfill their third or fourth Byron Crump said. “How are they supposed to math credit. Junior Tori Buschow said she know at an even younger age?” thinks making it optional is a good change. Under House Bill 5, the addition of “I want to be a kindergarten teacher so I endorsements is not the only change to the don’t think I need Algebra II,” Buschow said. current graduation system. Instead of needing “If you are doing anything related to math, four social studies credits, the incoming you’ll need it, but for some people, I don’t freshmen will only need three in order to think they need it to be successful.” graduate. They will choose between World Although Algebra II will no longer be History and World Geography their first year necessary to graduate high school in Texas, it instead of being required to take both. is mandatory for most colleges. Some 4-year
“Our Marcus kids are going to take hard classes and are going to look ahead.”
Mandatory Math Classes
Mandatory Science Classes
schools even require up to Pre-Cal. Whether or not this will have an effect on students under this program while applying for college is debatable. “It is not really going to make a difference for college,” Richey said. “Our Marcus kids are going to take hard classes and are going to look ahead.” Communication Applications, now called Professional Communications, will also now be an optional course. According to Buschow, the class should have remained mandatory. “As much as I didn’t like Speech, I think that it actually did help me,” Buschow said. “You’re going to have to do job interviews, and a bunch of the stuff you learn in there I think really helps benefit you.” While some students may challenge themselves with this new plan, Crump said he thinks most students will not. “It’s not a very strong plan because the assumption is that our kids will take the upper level classes, but I think a lot of kids are just going to take the fastest way out,” Crump said. Despite some controversial changes, Richey said she believes that the new system will be an overall benefit to the students. “More than anything our goal is to start exposing them to the college world so it is nice and clear and they can just walk right in,” Richey said.
Mandatory Social Studies Classes
1. English I
1. Algebra I
1. Biology
1. World Geography
2. English II
2. Geometry
2. IPC or other Science
OR World History
3. English III
3. Third and Fourth Math options:
3. Third and Fourth Science options:
2. U.S. History
4. Advanced English options:
(English IV, AP English Lit. & Composition, Newspaper, Broadcast Journalism, Yearbook, Creative Writing, Debate III, Humanities,
Algebra II, AP or regular Calculus AB, AP Computer Science, AP Statistics, Engineering Mathematics, Foundations of College Math, Pre-Calculus
Public Speaking III)
3. U.S. Government
Advanced Biotechnology, Advanced Plant & Soil Science,
and Economics
Anatomy & Physiology, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, Physics, AP Physics I-III, Aquatic Science, etc.)
Extras- Physical Education (1) Electives (2)
design Kady Kohankie
(Advanced Animal Science,
Language or Computer Science (2) Fine Arts (1) Endorsements (4)
=26 State Credits Total March 7, 2014 The Marquee
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6 FEATURE
Animated dreams Senior receives scholarship offers from multiple art schools story Molly Webber At 18 months old, when most toddlers didn’t even know how to hold a pencil, senior Kimberly Best was drawing her first masterpiece. It was a drawing of the famous Walt Disney classic, The Lion King. Its detail revealed Mufasa, the crazy wise monkey, Simba and an animal kingdom. The elephant had a long trunk, and the lion had a poofy mane. She even included the height of Pride Rock. For most kids, an attempt at a young age to imitate a known movie would be invisible behind scribbles. However, her first artistic piece had a clear connection to the movie. And the Best family still marks it as an achievement, 17 years later. “I have been drawing since I was a baby, practically,” Best said. Paint brushes, pencils and pastels aren’t the only things that reveal her artistic capabilities. Her childhood interest in classical music has landed her in the school’s orchestra, where she plays the viola. She has enjoyed playing the piano since she was a child. However, her own art is what truly reveals Best’s creative outlook on life. “I have been drawing all of my life,” Best said. “Being an artist is the only thing that I can see myself as.” As a young artist, she won first and second place two consecutive years in the elementary school Martin Luther King Day Art Contest. In high school, her art teachers submitted her design Lyndsay Hilton
work into competitions, and she came out on top. Even though her training is minimal with two high school art classes, Best received the highest possible score in the Visual Arts Scholastic Event art competition this past year, in which she competed against other Texas high school artists to show her talent. The VASE graded her among the top talented artists in the state. Now, Best has gained admission to three of the top art schools in America. She is being offered scholarships that cover 20 to 50 percent of the total tuition. Her choices for college consist of Maryland Institute College of Art, Columbus College of Art and Design and Sacramento Art School. She has received scholarships from all three schools, with her largest one being $62,000 to use over the course of four years at MICA. “I was really excited,” Best said. “CCAD even sent me a sculpture in the mail with my admission letter, saying that they wanted me.” She is most interested in being a concept artist, laying out the settings and character designs for animated movies, children’s books or advertisements. However, the journey to become an artist has been challenging for Best. Her relatives questioned the reality of her dream career as an artist. But being an artist isn’t just a career to Best. “Being an artist means providing your own vision and offering ideas and visuals that no one else can,” Best said. Best’s Art teacher Melissa Bellevue noted that what makes her stand out among the rest is the depth of her art. In what seems to be a picture of an elephant, a detailed city sits on top. In what appears to be a bunch of doodles and scribbles, Best creates a deer and messages within it. “She has an original style,” Bellevue said. “She doesn’t really have one concentration in her art. She moves through different
mediums.” Bellevue pointed out that through Best’s use of multiple art tools, such as charcoal and paint, she creates an original and unique piece of art. “I think she could be a professional artist,” Bellevue said. “She definitely will be doing something with illustration.” Over time, her scribbles and Lion King characters have transformed into her own pieces of work. She hopes that in art school she will be educated in something that she loves, and has loved, since her first Lion King drawing. “It seems like my artwork is above average, but I am still learning,” Best said. “I have a long way to go.” photos Luisa Diaz
Senior Kimberly Best enjoys creating a world that she can make her own. She has been making sketches and drawings since she was first handed a box of crayons as an infant. March 7, 2014 The Marquee
FEATURE 7
Seeing Stars
Senior takes up hobby as photographer for Dallas Stars, prepares for future photo Ben Horton
story Jaime Hardison The players slid around the ice, gearing up for the upcoming game. Flashes of green jerseys whipped from one end of the rink to the other. An 18-year-old sat in the stands, camera in hand. It was a last-minute choice to bring the camera along, and he figured he could snap photos of the players before the game began. He moves closer to the glass, feeling the slight chill that the proximity gave him. Click, click and he's got two photos of the action. More follow.
After watching the practice, he looked back through his photos. Clear images of the hockey players appeared on the screen, the background a pristine white. In that moment, he realized his potential. "I looked at the pictures on the computer and I was like 'Hey, I could get something out of this,'" senior Dylan Nadwodney said. That's all it took - a moment. A moment for Dylan to realize that he wanted to take pictures of the Dallas Stars. The majority of Dylan's shots have the color green plastered front and center with
Kari Lehtonen is the starting goalie for the Stars. He was also the starting goalie for the silver medal Swedish Winter Olympic team. The Marquee March 7, 2014
a white number on the jersey. Sometimes a bead of sweat can be seen, or a chunk of ice in the corner. Maybe a puck or a stick will protrude from the side. And usually, a clear wall acts as the only thing separating Dylan and his Canon Rebel T3I camera from the players on the ice. "I've always had an interest in sports and an interest in photography, and I just wanted to blend the two in a way that I enjoy," Dylan said. While lingering around at one of the teams' practices last season, Dylan sparked an interest with player Brenden Dillon by the fact that they shared the same name. After Dylan tweeted a picture of Brenden and mentioned him in it, a connection was created. Shortly after, Brenden requested a few of Dylan's pictures to use on his own Twitter. In fact, several players have asked to use Dylan’s pictures for their own Twitter accounts. Both Dylan and his parents hope that with time, the photos will spread on social media and be used more often. "The connection with the Stars will help him further his goals," Dylan's father, Ron Nadwodney said. "I see that he has a passion for it, so I don't doubt that he will be successful." This passion made itself known years earlier, when Dylan took a vacation with his family. It was the family's last night in Destin, FL. The following morning, they would pile their bags into the car and drive home. But before they left, last minute photos had to be taken. Standing just outside a popular beachside restaurant by the name of “Pompano Joe's,” Dylan's parents asked him to take a picture of the small group by the building. So he did. And just as the shutter clicked, something inside Dylan did the same.
"There are these moments that you can never get back," Dylan said. "And pictures spark memories that are really vivid in your mind." That last night in Destin became one of those memories as Dylan snapped a photo of his family. Photography grew from a mere hobby to a full-fledged passion in Dylan's life. "We have always wanted him to do what he wants to do and pursue his passions," Ron said. And the second Dylan stepped up to the cold glass around the rink, his pursuit began. Throughout his high school career, Dylan has tried to make time for his hobby. However, his participation in other activities has stolen time from him. "I was mostly focused on band these past four years, but now that the bulk of it is finished, photography is in my schedule for me to pursue a lot more, " Dylan said. As a senior in his spring semester of band, Dylan's schedule is less hectic. This gives him more time to focus on the Stars and prepare to study photography at UNT. "I want to hopefully take photos for either the Stars or some other sports team," Dylan said. "My biggest goal would be to shoot for either Sports Illustrated or ESPN the magazine." He attempts to make almost every game and dedicates time to sit in on the open practices for the Stars. His parents support him fully in his goals as well. "When Dylan was younger, I just remember telling him to dream big and we will help him figure it out," Dylan’s mother Denise Nadwodney said. "As he got closer to graduating and deciding what he wants to do, we are willing to support his schooling and his hobbies if that's going to get him what he wants to do for a career."
Forward Tyler Seguin skates onto the ice before a game. Brenden Dillon is a defenseman for the Stars. This is his He was traded from the Boston Bruins over the offseason. first season playing professionaly in the NHL. design Lyndsay Hilton
8 FEATURE
60 seconds
R
R
Mommy’s helper
R
R
Junior works daily as a caretaker, learns life lessons story Allie Loder
Davis Gilmartin,10 @Randolphthered compiled Anna Middleton photo Amanda Collen
What’s your favorite dance move? “I love the cramp roll because every time I kick my heels, I sound like a horse.” What is your weirdest fear and why? “Crows. Crows freak me out. They fly around all creepy and stare with beady eyes.” What’s your favorite kids movie and why? “Peter Pan because he is amazing and I’ve always been infatuated with flying.” If you could be any fruit or vegetable, what would you be and why? “I would be a tomato so everyone could argue whether I was a fruit of a vegetable.”
If you could create a holiday what would you celebrate? “I would celebrate musicals... Everyone would sing show tunes all day.” design Hailey Painter
checks and references for parents to look at. Upon accepting her new job, Grace showed up to Roger’s house shaking with a combination of first For junior Grace Sauer, thinking like a child is a part of day jitters and anticipation. Although this was her her job description. After school each day, Grace switches second job, working with Roger was an entirely new her mindset from classwork to children’s games. Her teenage experience. This was a new family, a different age and world of AP classes, homework and college preparation is she had no idea what to expect. traded in for cartoons, toys and playing outside. Working as “Roger was different,” Grace said. “I just remember an after-school nanny, she becomes immersed in a toddler’s we played in his backyard for a while and Roger was just world. throwing a ball in the air for like two hours. But it turned out The minute she walks through the door, she can hear to be really fun.” the catchy tunes of The Wiggles blasting from the TV. Toys After that first day, Grace became accustomed to her new clutter her path from the door to the living room. A highjob after learning what her responsibilities would be. Now, she pitched laugh sounds out from the floor, where she can make has been working for Roger’s family for close to a year. out the top of 3-year-old Roger’s head. He sits entranced by Certain aspects of Grace’s personality are part of what the colorful musical numbers flashing across the screen. She make her good at what she does, according to her friend, smiles to herself, musters up her energy and goes to play with junior Taylor Brooks. Brooks said her people skills are not Roger on the floor. only apparent in her job, but in other aspects of her life as well. “Being 3, he has a lot of energy, so I’m running after him a “She works so well with so many people,” Brooks said. “She lot and carrying him, jumping around and dancing with him,” has a connection with children. She’s also really good with Grace said. “It’s very intensive, but it’s a lot of fun.” parents.” Grace does this each weekday after school for three hours. According to Grace, throughout this past year she has Getting paid by the hour, she watches and entertains Roger learned a lot from Roger. The knowledge that she has gained while his mother gets her work done in another room. She will not only help her now, but will also help her in the future. spends the afternoons playing outside and watching kids “Right now, my ideal future career path would be a programs to keep Roger out of his mother’s hair. pediatrician,” Grace said. “I think [nannying] helps you socially “Roger requires a lot of attention, so if I weren’t there, she understand children more and also have more sympathy and probably wouldn’t get any work done,” Grace said. motivation for that future job.” This is the second family that Grace has nannied for. She One way that Grace earns experience is by dealing with and was recommended to her first job by an older friend who understanding Roger’s different moods and needs. Aside from nannied as well. Grace realized that working with kids was being as hyper as any normal toddler, Roger is also mildly something that she truly enjoyed. After finding out that her autistic, which means he sometimes needs extra attention. current employers were moving, Grace knew that she didn’t “Sometimes when he’ll have tantrums, he’ll get so stuck want to give this job up. and focused on something or frustrated extremely easily, and “I went back onto Care.com and I looked for another job he’ll have meltdowns about it,” Grace said. because I liked it a lot, and I got Roger,” Grace said. Part of Grace’s job is to diffuse these tantrums when she Roger’s mother found Grace on Care.com, a website where sees them happening. people can either sign up as potential caregivers or look for “Generally I’ll first try and see if I can appease whatever the people to hire. The site comes complete with background cause is, but usually the cause isn’t the actual cause and he’s just upset,” Grace said. “So when that doesn’t work, I’ll try and distract him or just calm him down. Sometimes I’ll just hold him and let him cry it out because sometimes he needs that.” According to Grace, it can be difficult for her to not be able to help. Not being able to dry Roger’s tears is upsetting for Grace. But although there are difficult days on the job, Grace says that she still loves what she does. “I guess I’m extra motivated because I do care about him a lot, and I think that kind of helps because not everyone gets that with their job.” Grace said. Since Grace has such a close relationship with Roger and his family, she considers herself lucky to have a job that she enjoys so much. To her, working as a nanny hardly even feels like work. “I have fallen in love with him and I’m like a proud mom,” Grace said. photo Miranda Chiechi “I like kids and I like being around him. He makes my day happier.” Junior Grace Sauer plays with Roger’s toys. She nannies him daily after school for several hours. March 7, 2014 The Marquee
A special kind of adoption
FEATURE 9
Students dedicate time to visit elementary classes
story Rachel Ramirez Shrieks and giggles echo across the field. The group of young boys tosses a football. A whistle blows and the game comes to a halt as Prairie Trail Elementary teacher Jill Erickson calls her third grade class inside from a busy morning recess. The students reluctantly make their way toward the door while brushing off grass stained clothes and scrutinizing bruised knees. Several hang back to hug exhausted junior Cameron Osmond, their newfound playmate. Osmond, who is on varsity basketball, is one of several athletes who take time weekly to visit an elementary class as a part of the school’s Adopt-anAthlete program. “For many of these kids, they look up to those kids,” Erickson said. “When they see them at stores or restaurants or games, they get that connection and can say hi and are thrilled that those athletes recognize who they are.” As a part of the program, athletes bond with the classes over the course of a few weeks. They play the part of role model and do a number of activities with the kids. Science tutoring, updates about their team and spelling tips are just a few contributions athletes like Osmond make to the students’ morning routine. “I think the first time I was kind of nervous because I had never done it before, but now I enjoy coming every Thursday,” Osmond said.
In his time with the kids, Osmond says he has grown close to the class. Because they participate in virtually everything from Language Arts games to playing outside with the class, athletes get a chance to engage with a lot of different students. Third grader Daelynn Wood says she enjoys the days when the class gets to spend time with Osmond. “I usually just ask him questions if we’re staying inside because it’s too cold, and if not I just let him play with all the boys,” Wood said. “They usually end up playing football.” Osmond says that his relationship with the students has helped him become a more considerate person. Engaging with the elementary students taught him how to relate better to children. “I try to be friends with them,” Osmond said. “I ask them how their week’s been and what they’re doing this weekend.” Multiple students in Erickson’s class expressed how much they learned with their experience as well. Many found the time they spent with Osmond to be valuable and entertaining. “They teach us new things and we have a whole bunch of fun with them,” third grader Cora Seibert said. When they interact with the students, athletes must take on the responsibility of being a positive influence to them while they have fun. However, the elementary students are not the only ones who benefit from the relationship they develop. Varsity soccer player junior Lauren Terwege says that being a part of the program has built her self-confidence through her interactions with the kids. “There’s this one girl, she plays soccer, and thinks I’m the best player ever,” Terwege said. “It’s just pretty cool because they look up to you.” This is Terwege’s second year in the program. As a sophomore, she visited a fifth grade class, but this year Terwege spends her time with kindergarteners at Heritage Elementary. She says that although the fifth graders were fun to interact with, she feels that she has more of an impact on the kindergarteners because they are so young. She has the opportunity to assist them with critical skills, like reading and writing, that they will use for the rest of their lives.
“With fifth grade last year, they already knew how to do everything,” Terwege said. “So I think it’s cool that this year I’m teaching them more than just about me.” One of Terwege’s favorite parts is developing the bond she shares with the students. In addition to going outside and playing soccer and helping them with their classwork, she exchanges gifts with the students. Terwege’s class has one or two students a week assigned to preparing game day bags filled with treats like Gatorade and Chex Mix for her. Both Terwege and Osmond agree that the experience they have had with Adopt-an-Athlete has been a learning opportunity for them. They said they have enjoyed being able to engage with the students and learning skills like patience and positivity along the way. “They’re really sweet and I enjoy going,” Terwege said.
photo submitted Junior Lauren Terwege sits with her Heritage Elementary kindergarteners. This is her second year to do Adopt-an-Athlete.
photo Kady Kohankie Above: Junior Cameron Osmond gets hugs from his third grade students at Prairie Trail Elemetary. He visits them once every week. photo Kady Kohankie The Marquee March 7, 2014
Left: A group of third graders gather around Osmond. design Hailey Painter
IN-DEPTH 10
Steubenville rape case
Rape culture
With a recent song and several court cases demonstrating victim blaming, The Marquee takes a look at sexual assault and the culture surrounding it. photo Jacqueline Higgins
Controversy arose over a rape case in Steubenville, OH when a live CNN report of the trial in March 2013 sympathized with the rapists instead of the victim. The incident occurred in 2012 when a high school girl was intoxicated and unconscious at a party. She alleges that she was publicly and repeatedly raped by two star football players, Trent Mays and Mal’ik Richmond, while others documented it on their phones. The photos of the assault circulated around various social media sites. While CNN stated that the two were convicted of rape, there was nothing said about the victim. The CNN report focused on how the justice system had ruined the lives of these “promising” boys, rather than how their actions affected the girl emotionally and physically. “[It was] incredibly difficult, to watch what happened as these two young men that had such promising futures, star football players, very good students, literally watched as they believed their lives fell apart,” CNN reporter Poppy Harlow said In addition, some members of the community blamed the girl for bringing negative attention to the team and town.
“Blurred Lines”
There’s no denying Robin Thicke’s song “Blurred Lines” was the hit of the summer. Along with the fame came controversy. The song appalled many women’s rights advocacy groups due to its lyrics and its accompanying explicit video, which endorses rape and sexual harassment. With lyrics such as “I hate these blurred lines” and “I know you want it,” Thicke is implying that when a girl says “no,” she actually means “yes.” March 7, 2014 The Marquee
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Fear causes many rapes to go unreported story Patricia Qualls Daisy’s Nightmare Daisy Coleman was once just an everyday high school cheerleader in Maryville, OH. Now, she’s a national figure whose three suicide attempts symbolize the consequences of victim blaming. In January, she was rushed to a hospital, screaming that she was “falling down a black hole” after swallowing half a bottle of Benadryl with a cocktail of prescription drugs in another attempt to end her life. The nightmare she endured two years ago led her to feeling suicidal. When Coleman was a 14-year-old freshman, she snuck out one night to attend a party where she got drunk. Coleman says she was raped by 17-year-old Matthew Barnett while another boy video taped it on his phone. She suffered from frostbite that night after she was left barely conscious on her mother’s front porch in freezing cold weather. Coleman reported the assault to the police, and that’s when things got worse. Barnett was a star football player and the grandson of a prominent politician. All charges of sexual assault against Barnett were dropped because, according to the local prosecutor, there wasn’t significant evidence to prove he raped her. When the charges were first dropped, the Colemans tried to find a new district judge to hear the case. During that time, her mother was fired from her job and their house was set ablaze. Her community’s response led her to attempt suicide. A week after Coleman’s most recent suicide attempt, Barnett pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor child endangerment charge for getting her drunk and leaving her outside. He did not receive a rape charge. Coleman’s case has brought about a nationwide discussion on victim blaming. Victim blaming occurs when the victim of a crime is held entirely or partially responsible for what happened to them. In January, President Barack Obama renewed his call to
action to end sexual assault by creating the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. The goal of the task force is to decrease the number of sexual assaults and increase awareness. “It’ll be interesting to see how the new task force will affect report rates in colleges,” School Resource Officer Sgt. Devin York said. “Hopefully it’ll make the victims feel more secure in reporting.” A lack of reporting Flower Mound is not immune to consequences of rape. The town police have investigated six cases of sexual assault since January 2013. Though this is lower than the national average, York says the number of residents assaulted could be higher. “Just because they aren’t getting reported in Flower Mound doesn’t mean that it’s not happening,” York said. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), 60 percent go unreported. York said he believes that some victims are too afraid to tell someone what happened to them, keeping the number of reports low. “They’re scared of suffering from embarrassment or shame,” York said. “When they know the person, they don’t want to potentially make themselves an outcast. They’re afraid nobody will believe them, but I would want them to know that they’re doing the right thing.” York said it is important to report the assault shortly after it has occurred in order to begin collecting forensic evidence. Without evidence, the case against the perpetrator is hard to prove. “The longer the delay in reporting it, the lesser the chance it has of being successful in prosecution due to evidence being contaminated or destroyed,” York said. Even if it’s been too long to collect evidence, that doesn’t mean the victim can’t report it anymore, according to Counselor Cheryl Richey. “The most important thing is just tell someone,” Richey said. “Tell a teacher you’re close to or tell your best friend because somebody will help.”
On campus battle Part of Richey’s job as a counselor is helping students who have been raped. She said that in every case of sexual assault she’s dealt with, the victim was blamed for what happened. “‘Oh it’s your fault. If you would have let me, I wouldn’t have to use force. You shouldn’t have teased me,’ - that’s just what they’re told,” Richey said. “[The rapists] prey on girls that are weaker and aren’t really self-confident. They shame them into thinking they had something to do with it.” Supporting victims instead of blaming them is an important task, according to Interpersonal Studies teacher Karen Dyer. In class, Dyer teaches her students how to support victims and prevent assault. “We need the victims to know that they’re not alone,” Dyer said. “But we have to teach our kids how to protect themselves.” She said preventing rape is a two-way street - both the boy and the girl have their own responsibilities. “A woman needs to protect herself by going in numbers, letting someone know where they are and not drinking in order to avoid putting themselves in a vulnerable situation,” Dyer said. “Guys have to make sure they get consent. It’s not okay without it.” Richey said she fears for the victims who don’t talk to anyone about what happened. She said she believes the ones who keep it to themselves are sometimes the ones who need the most help, especially since rape victims are four times more likely to commit suicide. “What I’m worried about is the students who aren’t telling their parents or telling a friend,” Richey said. “The quiet ones are the ones that just make me so sad, and I’m so scared for them because at some point they’re going to have to deal with what happened and it’s so hard without support.” According to Richey, society needs to stop degrading rape victims and instead encourage them to seek help. “We have to empower our girls and we have to empower our boys,” Richey said. “We have to make sure that the kids feel comfortable talking about it.”
Round table speaks out on rape culture story Patricia Qualls and Samantha King
The Marquee invited two groups for a round table discussion - one boy and one girl group. The students were read a story and then asked for their opinions. Only a grade level is used to identify them. Here is the story: Once upon a time a 15-year-old girl and her friends sneak off to attend a party where there is alcohol present. While The Girl is hesitant at first, Her Friends convince her to start drinking, and to continue to drink, until The Girl is incredibly drunk, slurring her words, tripping over her own feet and barely able to stand. Soon The Girl meets a 17-yearold boy who shows some interest in her. They start talking, and talking turns into innocent flirting. The Girl continues to drink at Her Friend’s encouragement, until she gets so drunk, she passes out. Seeing His opportunity, The Boy carries The Girl to a separate room and has sex with her without her consent. She wakes up, her clothes are off, she doesn’t know what just happened. Whose fault is it that she was raped? These are some of the responses from each group:
The Marquee March 7, 2014
BOYS:
JUNIOR: “It’s both their faults. She shouldn’t have drank that much, but the guy should not have raped an unconscious person.” SENIOR: “Being a guy, you should have a set of morals when it comes to women. Whether they’re drunk or not, you should never take advantage of a woman. It was the guy’s fault.” FRESHMAN: “It’s the guy’s fault. Even though she was drunk, he should not have done that. Even if she was implying that she wanted it, he shouldn’t have raped her.” SOPHOMORE: “I think everyone is kind of at fault here. You have the faulty friends, underage drinking. You also have the upperclassmen who is taking advantage of a woman against her will. Everyone is at fault here. They were all faulty and it could have been prevented.”
GIRLS:
JUNIOR: “I think it’s the girl’s fault. She was dumb enough to drink so I think it’s her own fault. It’s the guys fault too, but I think it’s more the girls fault because she was drunk.” FRESHMAN: “I think it’s the girls fault because she gave into peer pressure and none of it would have happened if she hadn’t drank.” SOPHOMORE: “I think even though the girl was stupid, I think that it’s the guy’s fault because you can’t take advantage of someone just because they made a mistake. You have to know what’s right.” SENIOR: “It was more of the girl’s fault. Yes, the guy did do something that was wrong…First of all, the one girl kept drinking, and she should have known that she shouldn’t have been drinking so much. The other girls let her go so far to where she passed out, and I feel like if [they] were actual friends, they would have tried to help, but I feel like it’s all their faults.” design William Legrone
IN-DEPTH 12
Rape Culture:
here An environment w xcused by e is lt u a s s a l a u x e s nstrated society. It is demo , objectby sexist language ’s bodies ification of women and victim blame.
design William Legrone
Junior seeks support after rape story Alex Helm She was driving down the road to work, listening to the soft voices of her favorite country singers drift up from the radio. She started to sing along. But then her voice abruptly stopped as the flashbacks came. She was listening to this same music, but she was in another car with a man she just met. He was looming over her. Then, as the flashbacks continued, she was alone. Her shirt was wrinkled and her jeans were crooked. Tears were streaming down her face. She had just been raped. *** Junior Joanne* didn’t exactly have a normal life growing up. Joanne’s father had frequent outbursts of rage when things didn’t go his way. He’d yell and scream at his family. “It was scary,” Joanne said. “It was him lashing out and not really knowing how to control his anger.” Through elementary and parts of middle school, Joanne was made fun of because of her weight. Kids would tell her she was big and fat. The bullying got so bad that she had to transfer schools during fifth grade. Yet things started to look up in middle school. She joined choir and became friends with a nice group of girls, but in the back of her mind, she still felt self-conscious about how she looked. This feeling followed her through high school. She wanted acceptance. She wanted someone to pay attention to her. She wanted to be told she was beautiful. So she started working out. The pounds dropped, and she felt pretty, but she didn’t feel beautiful. She thought the only solution was to find somebody who would tell her what she wanted to hear. Even though she was only 17, she joined an online dating website. “It was a site called Meet Me,” Joanne said. “And you’d think that with the name of the site, I’d know that that was a red flag.” The site led her to a 30-year-old man. She thought he was good-looking, with a deep Southern accent. He had a tattoo on his arm, and wore cowboy boots. Despite their age difference, he and Joanne talked online and over the phone for a while before deciding to meet up at Kohl’s and then go to a movie. “He kept calling me beautiful and he kept saying things that he knew I wanted to hear because I told him how selfconscious I was,” Joanne said. “The worst thing I could’ve done was to tell him how I felt about myself.” But once they met up at Kohl’s, Joanne quickly realized that the simple date she had expected was not what he expected from her. They didn’t go to a movie or have dinner. They drove in his navy GMC pickup to an empty parking lot near the Flower Mound Public Library instead. He started to get physical with her, playing with her hands and hugging her. Once he started to move his hands up her shirt, Joanne knew what was going to happen. “He started touching me and I said, ‘We shouldn’t do that,’ but he kept doing it,” Joanne said. “I wanted to leave, but I didn’t know what he would do.” Joanne was afraid that if she resisted, he would hurt her. He was much stronger than her, and he was very firm with his movements. She was scared that he would not only force her to have sex with him, but that he would leave her injured and alone. But she had to say something before it was too late. “I told him, ‘No, we’re not doing that,’” Joanne said. “I got stern and he didn’t like that. And that’s when he pulled me over to the driver’s side for me to be on top of him.” After forcing her to have sex with him, he dropped her off by her car, and she was alone. She never saw him again. Crying, Joanne called her friend and told her what happened. As she drove to her house, she began to feel like it was her fault. “The more I thought about it, the more I was like, ‘oh my gosh, what did I just do?’” Joanne said. “I just humiliated myself in front of him, and he knew it and he was probably
laughing at me, getting what he wanted. So I played it off, like ‘oh, I just hooked up with a 30-year-old guy.’” But her other friends could tell that something bad had happened to her. Once she told them she was raped, they blamed her and told her that she shouldn’t have gone to meet up with him. “When they seem like they don’t care, you feel worse about yourself because you’re like, ‘Am I a target? Is this what happens to me? Is this just what my life’s going to be now?’” Joanne said. She said her friends made her feel like she deserved the rape. They called her a “slut” and a “whore” and said she was asking for it. “For my best friends to say that and not try to be there for me and tell me that it was my fault, [I felt like I was] in between a glass wall,” Joanne said. “I’m like, ‘I want you to be in my shoes, I want you to relive that night, I want you to be that person and then tell me how you feel.’” Things didn’t get better. She stopped enjoying the things she normally loved to do. She hated when people touched her. “I felt so bad about myself and so worthless because of what happened and how he saw me,” Joanne said. “He saw me as a vulnerable person that he could easily take advantage of and that’s exactly what I was.” Desperate for relief from those who blamed her, she felt like the only thing that would make her feel better about herself was to meet up with more guys. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rape often lowers the victim’s self-esteem. They were treated like they were an object, so they sometimes feel like they deserve more of that treatment, by engaging in high-risk sexual behavior, like Joanne did. “I knew after I would feel the same way, but I didn’t care,” Joanne said. “Now that I think about it, [I wonder if] that was my way of trying to cope with what happened without even realizing what I was doing.” About a month ago, she realized that what she was doing wasn’t healthy. She knew that meeting up with guys and pretending that the rape was really just a hook-up was not what she wanted to do anymore. Something had to change. “When I realized that, it was an out-of-the-blue moment,” Joanne said. “I thought, ‘I need to stop.’” Joanne’s friends still blamed her for the rape, and meeting up with the other guys made her feel worse. Though she didn’t want to deal with pressing charges against the man, she didn’t want to carry the burden of the blame by herself, so she decided to tell her mom what had been going on. “I was scared and nervous… but we were really open,” Joanne said. “I was glad I told her about everything, and now we are closer than ever.” Joanne also started talking to one of the few friends who did support her, Adam*, and he really made a difference. “I was a little taken aback when she first told me,” Adam said. “I wasn’t disappointed in her, but I was worried that she was searching for love in the wrong places.” Once she told him about the assault, things started to get better. She was able to come to terms with what happened. “He’s always been there for me,” Joanne said. “Sometimes when I feel down I call him and he always talks me through stuff. I think if I didn’t have him to talk to, I don’t know where I would be right now.” Today, Joanne pushes herself to make choices that are positive. She also wants victims like her to know that they aren’t the only ones who have been through sexual assault. “You shouldn’t blame yourself when you had no control over the other person,” Joanne said. “They had control over you, but they don’t have control over you anymore.” She advises victims to talk to somebody they trust, or join a support group. “You’re not alone,” she said. *Name has been changed to protect identity of those involved.
March 7, 2014 The Marquee
IN-DEPTH 13
Violent relations
Sophomore faces sexual abuse from past boyfriend, learns to cope story Anna Middleton The tile on the floor chilled the skin on her thighs. The dirt made her feel so disgusting, knowing that her bare skin was touching it. He got up from the floor and picked up her favorite jacket, and she watched as he used the old blue cloth to clean up. She sat up, trying to find some kind of emotion to feel and failed. He helped her up and told her that his mom had come to take her home. She just nodded. She felt nothing emotionally. Physically, she could feel a deep pain in between her legs that worsened with each step she took. The chatter from his mother took away the tension. She looked down. She was worried that his mother could see something. Did she know what happened? Could she tell? She felt some sort of relief once she was dropped off. She thanked his mother and walked inside. Once inside, she leaned on the door. That didn’t happen, she said to herself. Then she did what she could to get her mind off of the incident: she dove into homework. She didn’t want to think about it. She couldn’t think about it. She wasn’t ready. “I was trying to convince myself that nothing happened because I knew I wasn’t emotionally stable enough to handle it,” sophomore Maxine* said. *** In middle school, Maxine had long brown hair that swayed when she walked. She wanted to be a veterinarian, she adored her little sister, she learned how to sew and she loved to dance. Maxine had never witnessed an abusive relationship before. Her parents are still together, and most of the people she has encountered she has been able to trust. She never saw abuse but had heard about it and read about it in magazines. “I thought I would never let someone treat me like that,” Maxine said. “I would never let that happen.” During Maxine’s freshman year, she met a boy at a dance. He was nice to her, and they had a lot of friends in common, so they instantly got along well. They became good friends, and Maxine really liked him. She wanted their relationship to be something more. “He was sweet,” Maxine said. “He would tell me: ‘You’re beautiful’ and ‘I don’t want anyone to hurt you.’” However, Maxine said that he didn’t want to date her because she wanted to be a virgin until she got married. Eventually, the boy asked her out anyway and they began dating. The first two months were great. Although he was a bit protective, she didn’t mind because it was her first boyfriend. But according to Maxine, one day he transformed into someone else. One day after school, they were hanging out and he was angry. Maxine said she tried to comfort him by pulling him in for a hug, but he made it into something more. She fought back and pleaded for him not to hurt her, but he didn’t listen. She kept repeating “no” until she felt like it was useless. He raped her. Maxine couldn’t comprehend it. She couldn’t believe anyone would do this to her, let alone her first boyfriend. She thought that maybe this was normal for teenagers to do. She was in denial. “My mind was telling me ‘you’re wrong, it happened on purpose, you didn’t try to do anything to stop it,’” Maxine said. “I told myself that it was fine, that I wanted to do it.” The Maxine that used to be stubborn and playful started to wither away. Because she couldn’t comprehend what happened, Maxine said that she continued to date him because even though he was abusive, she still had feelings for him. After the rape, he became more controlling. He told her
how to dress, who she could and couldn’t hang out with and even what she could do with her free time. “He didn’t like me dancing because it would draw guys’ attention to me,” Maxine said. “He got so angry when I was in rehearsals because he would say, ‘You’re supposed to hang out with me. I’m more important.’” Maxine and the boy shared most of their friends, so she was afraid to tell anyone. He continued to force her into sex by holding her down and making her feel weak and helpless. It almost became a routine. “I knew what would happen when he was in that mood,” Maxine said. According to Maxine, there wasn’t one time where he would listen when she said no or fought back. However, Maxine still didn’t understand what was happening. She had never been with someone else. After a year, Maxine got the courage to tell her mother. Maxine wanted to break up with him, but she didn’t want to do it alone. They talked it over and her mother, Becky*, gave her some advice. “I wanted to make sure she understood that I didn’t think less of her, that I understood that it was not her fault,” Becky said. “And that I was there to support her and her feelings.” After she talked to her mother about it, things were over between Maxine and the boy. She was able to tell her friends and family about what happened, and she said that thankfully, all of them supported her. “None of my friends have been negative towards me,” Maxine said. “My friends are all really loyal.” However, she says that the hardest part is the conflict between blaming herself and blaming the boy for what happened. Almost every time her mind goes back to him, a small part of her will blame herself. She says that although he shouldn’t have raped her, she could have prevented it by breaking up with him “There were things I could have done that I didn’t and then I got to a point where I stopped fighting back,” Maxine said. “I didn’t break up with him, so I was basically saying yes.” The denial of her rape still lingers. Even though, her best friend and her current boyfriend have tried to help her understand that it is not her fault, emotionally Maxine can’t get rid of her guilt. She says that she can’t see him as someone sinister because she did like him. “I mean there were still aspects of the relationship that were fun,” Maxine said. “I still have a hard time thinking that he was just terrible.” Maxine said she has become more sensitive and, although she is very close with her male friends, she becomes very worrisome when they are angry or upset. During her relationship with the boy, she cut her hair since he would pull on it when he would abuse her. After they broke up, she made it even shorter. Now it is only chin-length, unlike her long locks from middle school. “After we broke up, I cut it so it was short in the back because ponytails are a big deal because rapists could pull girls off the street,” Maxine said. According to Becky, it is difficult for her daughter to have a personal relationship with somebody now. She says that even though Maxine has a boyfriend, they are in a long distance relationship so they are not very physical. “He’s very polite to her father and I, and she is happy,” Becky said. “They’re having a very hands off relationship because she is still unsure. He accepts that.”
“I thought I would never let someone treat me like that. I would never let that happen.”
Maxine*, 10
The Marquee March 7, 2014
She dresses more conservatively and says that she rarely wears makeup anymore. Her once bright and figure-fitting clothing has turned into baggy sweatshirts and blue jeans. Her favorite jacket that she had that night, with its playful paint stains and worn out fabric, has become a nightmare she doesn’t want to face. “I haven’t worn it in a very long time,” Maxine said. “It’s still one that I have kept because I have a bunch of other memories, but it’s tainted.” She didn’t press charges because she wanted this to be over. She said she didn’t want to be on TV or the news because of how society looks at rape victims. Even though she personally has not dealt with the negative feedback, she says that once girls go public, it feels like everyone is attacking and blaming them. “Because of the rape culture, with people yelling at us like it’s our fault, it’s like I wouldn’t want to talk to anyone about that,” Maxine said. Maxine said she is happier now that she has talked about it with her mother. Through all of this trouble, Becky says she has supported her daughter. She advises others to tell someone, specifically their parents, when they are assaulted. “I would urge them to tell their mothers as soon as it happened so they can get the care, counseling and help that they need,” Becky said. According to Maxine, at least one girl in all of her friend groups has been raped. She said that girls who are raped should get help, instead of dealing with the situation alone. “Do something, don’t ignore it,” Maxine said. “Don’t lie to yourself and don’t be in denial because it is not your fault.” Now that she has told someone, Maxine is able to hang out with her friends more, and she is no longer restrained by the boy. He is no longer a part of her life. Maxine said the best thing of all is that she gets to do her favorite hobby. “I hadn’t gone dancing for most of our relationship, and I loved dancing,” Maxine said. “I finally could dance again.” *Name has been changed to protect identity of those involved.
How to help National Sexual Assault Hotline - 1-800-656-HOPE What to do for a loved one who has been sexually assaulted: •Listen. Be there. Don’t be judgemental. •Be patient. Remember, it will take your loved one some time to deal with the crime. •If they are willing to seek medical attention or report the assault, offer to accompany them. •Encourage them to contact someone, but realize that only they can make the decision to get help.
What to do if you’ve been sexually assaulted: •Find a safe place. •Know that it was not your fault. •Preserve all evidence of the attack. •Report the attack to law enforcement immediately. •Seek medical care as soon as possible. design William Legrone
14 IN-DEPTH
Helping the unexpected victims His name is Booker, and for the longest time, he felt defeated. He was told there was no such thing. That a woman could Madi Schwem never rape a Opinion Editor man. That he obviously wanted it just as much as she did. That he was the problem, not her. But he didn’t see how he could’ve wanted the same thing she did when there was a pit in his stomach after it happened. When he feared for his safety every single time he was left alone. He spent his time dealing with feelings of blame. Day after day of hearing this over and over, day after day of being silent about what happened to him, Booker decided to tell me. Booker is a long-time friend of mine. When I was younger, I oftentimes hung out with my older brother’s friends, and Booker happened to be one of them. Despite being four years older than me, we’ve maintained a healthy friendship for years. If there’s anyone I feel I can discuss heavier topics with, like politics or religion, it’s Booker. And if there’s anyone I would believe to be honest about something with me, it’s Booker. “Men don’t get raped. You’re supposed to be the stronger gender. There’s no such thing.
It just doesn’t happen.” That’s a short list of things Booker was told when he finally took the step to speak up to someone, just one person, about what his girlfriend had done to him one night at a party. He believed his parents would be the first people he should tell. He figured they would take his word into account more than anybody in the world. “You’re the man. You wear the pants in the relationship. How could you let this happen to you?” That’s the first thing his father said when he brought up what happened. No pity, no sympathy. No offer to help him. Even his close friends, who also had every reason to trust him, shunned him and laughed in his face. “Yeah right. As if that could happen.” When Booker came to me, I’d known, judging by his quiet behavior, that something was up. But I didn’t fully understand until he called me in tears and told me what happened between sobs. He told me that no one believed him. I’ve always believed rape is one of the worst crimes you can commit. I’ve never excused it. I knew men could get raped, despite what some people think. I get it -- statistically, it happens more to girls. And, most of the time when it’s reported, the perpetrator seems to be male. But this isn’t every case. As Booker told me of the ordeal, I couldn’t tell if I was more horrified by the rape itself or the fact that no one did anything about it.
But--let’s be honest--I wasn’t shocked. Not even in the slightest. The gender stereotypes that men are supposed to be the stronger ones and women the weaker have been rampant throughout history. But women are capable of committing the same atrocities as men. And men are capable of being the victims. The roles can be and have been reversed. Men rape men and women. Women rape women and men. Rape is not discriminatory to gender. In an ideal world, it would never happen at all. But it can happen to anyone. The men who are not helped--the men who are told to shove down the trauma--are struggling. If they tell people what happened to them, they get told they’re liars. If they keep it to themselves, they’re dealing with an inner turmoil. Every victim--male or female--deserves someone to stand by them and support them every step of the way to recovery. Eventually, Booker did get help and court justice for the crime, but the memories still linger. His former friends are still doubtful. He struggles to campaign against victim blaming and show people the truth about rape culture. His past still follows him, but he’s now running an anti-rape culture blog to help show people on the internet its horrors. I want to live in a world that passionately stands up for every victim. We could make the world a better place because of it. I encourage everyone to fight until the world finally understands that raping someone, no matter the gender, is inexcusable.
The crime in numbers 16% of women in the U.S. have been raped.
3% of men in the U.S. have been raped.
38% of victims have been raped by a friend or acquaintance. Rapes where both victim and perpetrator had been drinking - 47%
Society needs to support victims, not rapists The teenage girl had spent the past hour turning over in her head the question of whether or not to tell her friend about it. She felt dirty. Samantha King Used. All she Social Media Editor wanted to do was curl into a ball and stay like that until she died. But she worked up the courage to tell her friend about the party, and the... horrors that followed. As she tearfully retold the story of her rape, her friend listened attentively, nodding with wide eyes. At the end, her friend had one question: “Well, were you drinking?” The victim’s heart sank as her biggest worry was confirmed: it was her fault.
design William Legrone
Suddenly her shoulder to cry on became a dagger of piercing truth as her reality became too painful to bear. It was her fault. She shouldn’t have been at the party alone. She shouldn’t have been wearing that dress. She shouldn’t have accepted that beer. It was her fault. Unfortunately, this is the line of thinking for so many rape victims. One way or another, they’ve been led to believe that the horrible actions of someone else is their fault. Questions like “were you drunk?” and “what were you wearing?” all imply that the victim was asking for it. This is never the case. No one wants to be raped. Period. I’m sick and tired of news anchors lamenting the futures of the “poor” kids who raped that girl and are now going to prison. I’m sick and tired of rape jokes in the halls and rape propaganda on the radio. Enough is enough. Asking questions like those defend the rapist. Situations like that are examples of
victim blaming, which is when the victim of a crime is held responsible for the actions of the culprit. This is unacceptable. There is never a time where it is okay to blame someone for a crime they didn’t commit. No one ever asks a bank teller what he was doing to make the robber pull a gun on him. No one ever asks if a door or a window was unlocked when a house is robbed. No one ever asks if a family in a car got in the way of a drunk driver. A crime has still been committed and the culprits face their punishment. So why is it different in the case of rape? Why does it suddenly matter what the person was wearing, or their sobriety? Why does it suddenly matter if they were dating for months, or they were going to meet someone they met online? Why are the actions of the victim more important than the actions of the culprit? Sure, women should should be aware of
their surroundings, or realize that they’re unable to function at full capacity when they’re inebriated. But even if someone does make a bad decision, their behavior does not justify the rape. The only thing they are at fault for is putting themselves in that situation. The rapist is still to blame and should be punished for their crime, regardless of the behavior of the victim. In the end, recovery from a rape is a longterm process. Victims need their friends to stick by their side, no matter what other people are saying. But sometimes people are not equipped to deal with the grief their friend is experiencing. In that case, an adult or trusted advisor needs to be consulted. Unfortunately, the victim still pays the highest price. They are still the ones who have to carry around that burden of being raped. And when people victim blame, it only adds to pain and suffering of the already vulnerable.
March 7, 2014 The Marquee
15 Sports
Under the gun Clay target team challenges shooting stereotypes, practices with acclaimed shooters sophomore Jackie Moake said. “It brought us all to another level of friendship.” The anticipation was high and everyone stood covered in Out of the 45 members that competed at state in June, 27 sweat. The June sun radiated down with no shade in sight at placed. They won third place in sporting clay team, third in the state clay target competition in San Antonio. But there was junior varsity trap team and second place in varsity sporting nothing to do but do their best. As the targets were pulled, clay team. They won an endowment totaling $20,000. they aimed, they fired and they broke clay. Although clay target shooting is an individual sport, the The draining day had little effect on the camaraderie that competitors earn points which contribute to an overall score. filled the school’s clay target team. After returning to the hotel, The more points a team wins, the more endowment money they all threw on their swimsuits and flocked to the pool. The they receive. Collectively, the team has won over $90,000. sun floated back in the sky as they waded and splashed for The money that they earn goes to many things, including four hours. Sunburned, but relaxed. scholarships for those who can’t afford to purchase the “It was the best team bonding that I have ever been to,” equipment. The state competition wrapped up the season, but a new one quickly approached. photo Submitted The clay target team is an activity that teaches students to compete in organized, adult supervised trap shooting activities that lead to the Olympic styles of skeet and bunker trap shooting. Head coach Roland Asebedo said that Marcus has become a top competitor in the clay target arena. They were the first to establish themselves as a team in North Texas, and they quickly have become one of the biggest oppositions. “All of the other teams throughout North Texas are really looking and asking about what we’re doing so that they can model their teams after ours,” Asebedo said. “Marcus is known to be the ones setting the pace. It’s important that we continue to be progressive in that way.” Every year at the beginning of the season, new and old members join to go over safety regulations. While relearning safety standards is redundant for some of the team, they place an high importance on them. Because many of the members are under 18, they are not legally allowed to transport their firearms in their cars. Their equipment is dangerous if not used properly. One of the main objectives is to teach the team that shotguns are only a weapon if they make it one. “Being on the team is a lot different than being on most teams,” Moake said. “We have to be professional and be careful of what we are saying and doing because it can reflect badly on the team. One bad mistake and the team will be shut down.” With all that the team has achieved, Moake said they have proven themselves and should be taken seriously. Sensitivity due to the number of public shootings in recent years caused the shooting team to rename themselves to the clay target team. Sophomore Lauren Farquahar practices shooting on a sporting clay course. The clay Moake said that the assumptions that target team practices every Thursday after school. story Alyssa Schmidt
The Marquee March 7, 2014
people make about the sport are usually wrong. The team’s strict regulations emphasize safety. They include limiting the number of rounds loaded in the gun at a time, only allowing the gun to be loaded while in the competition cage and mandatory eye and ear protection. “The team is usually given a bad name because it seems like a dangerous sport, but it’s really not,” Moake said. “I usually tell [people] that it’s a wonderful sport and that anyone can do it. It’s actually really safe.” The coaching staff has been a key attribute to creating strong bonds. Former DEA agent, Asebedo became involved with the team when his son, Jordan, showed an interest in competitive shooting. He said that his time as coach has been a positive experience. “We instill in them that this emerged as an elite sport,” Asebedo said. “We continually receive feedback from the different fields we shoot at commending the professional manner that our members compete.” Moake said that the reason she’s been able to grow both as a competitive shooter and as an individual is due largely to the support of the coaching staff. Asebedo, Youth Target Foundation founder Jeanie Almond, Shellee Robertson Enfinger, Melanie Sturgis and Sean McClelland make up the coaching staff and volunteers. With an emphasis on everyone competing and the individuals’ growth, the team members and coaches have developed close relationships. “They’re [like] our parents” Moake said. “They will always give you coaching advice, but also parental advice which is sometimes better than coaching. They have taught me to laugh and have fun with what I’m doing.” McClelland works for Youth Target Foundation, the organization that oversees the clay target teams in North Texas. McClelland was a high performing competitor in his youth and moved on to place second in Olympic trials in 2008, taking him to Beijing where he placed 11th. His experience brings a unique addition into his coaching abilities. “Working with him has been fantastic,” Moake said. “He’s opened doors for so many people on the team. He helped me purchase the shotgun I shoot, helped me figure out little tricks and he’s helped me break more clays.” Through working with acclaimed male and female shooters, the team has not only improved their shooting skills. They have begun to break shooting stereotypes, like that it is a sport for men or that it is unsafe. As one of the nine girls on the team, Moake said that girls bring new perspectives. Their new ideas have helped with party planning and team shirts. The feminine touch isn’t exclusive to behind the scenes work. Moake said that they can compete up against the boys. “With a male-dominated sport, females are usually not viewed as good, so it’s always fun when you outshoot a boy,” Moake said. “The boys never expect us to be that good, but when we prove them wrong, the looks on their faces are some I’ll never forget.” Short, tall or skinny, Asebedo said he encourages those that are interested to try it out. “As far as where we are as a society, everyone can compete,” Asebedo said. “Whether they are male or female.”
design Molly Webber
16 SPORTS
Tracking down success
Sophomore athletes compete on varsity, break records stories Darci Walton She settles her nerves, and she knows what she has to do. As the starter calls for the runners to set, she finishes her prayer and crouches in the familiar position. Pushing her spikes back against the starting blocks, she rests the silver baton between her hand’s grip and the track. This race is much more than her own performance. It’s about doing her job so that she doesn’t let down her three teammates cheering her on down the track. The official fires the gun. Sophomore Madison Smith explodes out of the blocks. Though her portion of the 4x100 meter relay takes her less than 13 seconds, it is packed with adrenaline, strength, hard work and dedication. Smith used those attributes to her advantage as she qualified for regionals in the 100 meter last year as a freshman. “Believe me, I got killed at regionals last year, but I was still so excited that I qualified to go and be a freshman running against seniors and juniors,” Smith said. Smith discovered her love for track in middle school and participated in a summer track program. At the beginning of the 2013 track season, Smith started as a junior varsity runner
Celeste Lattanzio, 10
and through her races, proved that she deserved her varsity spot by the time the season was over. “We brought her along slowly last year,” head track coach Steve Telaneus said. “But she ran some JV races, set some records and her confidence built.” Smith’s success of breaking records began early on in her high school career, and she said she has plans to continue breaking records with her team. Through the relay, Smith was given the opportunity to get to know her teammates well and is able to call them some of her closest friends. “The friendship part is totally there,” Smith said. “You have to work with them every day and have to trust that they will get the baton to you, and I don’t know how that would work if we weren’t so close.” In addition to relays, Smith competes in the individual 100 and 200 meter. “What I love about sprinting is how I just get a short burst of energy,” Smith said. “Sometimes during a race, I feel like I’m running so fast I can’t even feel my feet touching the ground.”
Taking a deep breath, she grips the end of the carbon fiber pole and takes off down the runway. Her running shoes strike the ground with force as she approaches the end of the 132 ft. strip. She plants the pole and begins to hoist herself over the cross bar. Some may be terrified by the idea of flying through the air at heights as high as 9 ft., but sophomore Celeste Lattanzio welcomes the thrill over and over again. Lattanzio began pole vaulting at Lamar in seventh grade due to her coach’s insistence on just giving it a try. Since then, her love for the sport and the height she jumps have only increased. Lattanzio started her vaulting career holding the school record at Lamar with a height of 8 ft. 3 in. Last year, she finished her season with a personal record of 9 ft. 6 in. Track coach Brad Brevard said he has faith that she will surpass the 10 ft. mark before she graduates and possibly before this year is over. “She’s just a wonderful child who is great to work with and
Madison Smith, 10 always does what she’s asked,” Brevard said. Lattanzio said she is proud to be a part of a successful team even though pole vaulting is not the most common sport when it comes to track. “Pole vaulting is just something different that not many people do,” Lattanzio said. “And I really just love the team. We are like one big family.” According to Lattanzio, even Brevard feels like part of the family rather than a coach. “He cracks me up all the time,” Lattanzio said. “He just always knows what to say to make your day better and give you advice on any situation you’re going through even if it isn’t about vaulting.” She said she knows things can go wrong and that injuries are likely when doing something as scary and unpredictable as pole vaulting, but when she’s in the air, Lattanzio is nothing but calm. “It’s kind of crazy,” Lattanzio said. “You just feel so free.”
photos William Legrone
Balancing school, home life, social life and one sport is difficult for many students. But for sophomore Karl Sralla, adding a second sport to his already packed agenda is just a normal part of his spring semester. He divides his time between being a pitcher on the baseball diamond and a discus thrower in the ring. Sralla’s exposure to the sport came at a young age when his dad bought him a rubber discus to play with. But at the young age of 5, the thought of ever throwing a discus at a varsity level never crossed his mind. “It’s not like I practiced [the sport] or anything, but I already had a feel for it when I tried out for the middle school team,” he said. Sralla threw discus in both seventh and eighth grade for Briarhill and decided to continue with it in high school even though it would be in season at the exact same time as baseball. Sralla has to make sure to work with both head track coach Steve Telaneus and his baseball coaches to prevent and resolve any scheduling conflicts. design Amanda Collen
“He has to make sacrifices in both sports,” Telaneus said. “To be responsible and communicate with a lot of different people is, fortunately for us, something he’s really good at.” One of the sacrifices he makes is not getting to know his track teammates until later in the season because of how little time he gets to spend with them outside of meets. Last year, some of the seniors on the team reached out to him, and some new teammates have already started making him feel welcomed and a part of the team this year, according to Sralla. “I mainly practice throwing in an empty cul-de-sac near my house since I don’t have a lot of time to practice at school,” Sralla said. Sralla said he is excited to see what this track season has in store for him and how his hard work pays off in the weeks to come. To him, discus is a way to measure his athleticism while doing something he enjoys. “I just like that there’s no opinions in it because you’re defined by your mark,” Sralla said.
Karl Sralla, 10 March 7, 2014 The Marquee
SPORTS 17
Girls lacrosse team overcomes injuries, improves rank
photo Luisa Diaz Sophomore Kendall Landorf tries to evade Highland Park defeders as she looks to score. The girls lacrosse team is currently ranked fourth in their district and 20th in the state. story Victoria Price Sweat glistened on her forehead. Her eyes jerked back and forth across the field. The ball landed in her net and she began to run even faster. She launched the ball suddenly towards the goal and the crowd went wild. For the girls Flower Mound Lacrosse team, made up of players from Flower Mound and Marcus, this energy rush is a weekly occurrence.
“Lacrosse is its own culture,” senior captain Alison Riggs said. “It has a different environment than any other sport.” According to firsthand experiences of girls on the team, this unique culture isn’t without its dangers. Senior captain Rachel Cole has endured some of these factors. During last year’s semi-finals, she tore her meniscus, a ligament in the back of her knee, and was unable to play in the finals. She needed surgery and couldn’t play for two months. That same year, she got a concussion and
was out of school for two weeks. “It was really hard for me to be out that long,” Cole said. “I missed it all way too much.” According to a National Lacrosse Association concussion and injury rates in 2010-2011, women’s lacrosse was ranked sixth most dangerous out of all high school women’s sports. Many precautions have been put in place to assure that severe injuries are prevented. Illegal contact such as checking over the body, hitting opponents near the face and tripping and pushing are against strict rules.
“With all the rules put in place, it’s pretty hard to get severely injured,” sophomore Megan Riggs said. “I’m very grateful for that.” Lacrosse has been a popular sport up north and on the East Coast for years but has recently made its way to become a popular sport in the South. Alison said that many of her teammates started playing the sport through northern roots. “A lot of the girls come from up north or have family from the north,” Alison said They may have their differences such as what school they go to and where they come from, but members of the team all share their love for lacrosse. “I’ve met people I never would have had the chance to meet before,” sophomore Gabbi Morris said. “I’ve made some of my best friends through lacrosse.” The closeness of the team becomes apparent when they step on the field and play together. As fast paced as lacrosse is, the players have to be in sync with each other to get the job done. “When we step on the field, we’re not just teammates,” Cole said. “We’re sisters, and we have to back each other up.” The team started out in Division I and has moved up a level every year. They are now a Division III team which is reserved for the most skilled team. They’ve even been featured as one of the top 10 ten teams in Texas in a Texas lacrosse magazine. The team manages to still have a good time outside of all their hard work and relieve some stress during tournaments. “At tournaments, we like to start dance parties with the teams we’re about to play,” Alison said. “We try and be the fun team.” Lacrosse isn’t just a sport for these girls. It has become a part of them. “Lacrosse has taught me that even though you may fail, you can brush it off and you can improve,” Morris said. “It’s given me a mental strength that I haven’t had before.”
Tasting victory
Boys lacrosse players look to defend title after state championship season story Victoria Price
Twenty-eight spoons cling against a foot wide metal bowl. The loud and rowdy boys all gather around the massive amount of Captain Crunch, taking a spoonful each. Their uniforms are dirty and they’re sweaty. Smiles adorn their worn out faces. But this isn’t just an average bowl of cereal. They’re eating cereal out of the Texas Lacrosse State Championship trophy that the Flower Mound team had just won. ‘’We were all obviously really nervous that day,” sophomore Alec Laird said. “But it was a great day to play and we were all excited to get on the field. After flying through semi-finals and competing in the final round of the championship the boys lacrosse team, made of players from Flower Mound and Marcus, became State Champions last year “That day was a lot of pressure,” sophomore Curtis Cross said. “We had a lot of people counting on us to do well, but we knew that playing the best we could was most important. No one was low on energy that day.” As the team prepares for the upcoming season as state champions, they now have a larger target on their back, according to Laird. “Since we’ve won, we have become the team to beat,” Laird The Marquee March 7, 2014
said. “All the other teams want to defeat the champions.” To make sure they stay at the top of their ranks, the team practices up to five days a week for two and a half hours each. “During our practices, we have to wear full sweats until it gets too hot,” senior captain Daniel Lambert said. “It’s not fun, but it pays off in the end.” Their practices begin with passing and catching and then move to drills. They split up offense and defense and then run some plays. At the end, they work on conditioning. “This year we have some really strong upperclassmen on the team,” Cross said. “Our team has also gotten a lot closer. We motivate each other all the time.” While they do their personal bests, they hope they can defend their title this year and make a tradition out of it. According to Laird, since their win, their confidence is up for this year’s competitions. “No doubt we’re good enough to win again,” Laird said. “It’s an honor to win once. But winning twice would be even better.” Although no longer filled to the brim with Captain Crunch, the trophy remains in a showcase, reminding the team of past success and future goals. “We are the reigning best division two team in the entire state of Texas,” Laird said. “The thought of that is thrilling.”
photo Luisa Diaz The boys lacrosse team scrimmages during practice in preparation for their upcoming game against Highland Park. design Amanda Collen
18 ENTERTAINMENT
Dallas’ driving diners
story Marisa Charpentier photos Miranda Chiechi
Just a Dart ride away, Klyde Warren Park in Dallas is hopping every weekend. Surrounded by office buildings and museums, the park is an oasis of grass and foliage equipped with a dog park, foosball, ping pong tables, a performance pavilion, seating areas and most importantly, food trucks. Every day from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. food trucks line up along the park. This trendy dining experience allows customers to experiment with specialty foods and gourmet, restaurant-level cuisine in the outdoors. Visitors can dine on anything from sushi and Asian cuisine to BBQ sandwiches and tacos. The Marquee taste tested four trucks to find out which truck is tops.
The Butcher’s Son sells sandwiches, sliders and quesadillas. Unlike typical delis, this truck is not afraid to experiment. The gourmet vendor offers unique food combinations like The Dead Elvis slider, which is Nutella, peanut butter and bacon put together on a Brioche bun. The melting chocolate and peanut butter flavors make the sandwich taste more like a rich dessert than lunch, but it is delicious nonetheless. Another selection, The Mac-N-Beefy slider, takes
meat and cheese sandwiches to a whole new level. The soft bun contains braised beef topped off with a baked macaroni and cheese square. The beef is bursting with flavor and is complemented by the soft, cheesy texture of the classic pasta. Although odd combos, these sliders are sure to excite any adventurous eater’s taste buds. The truck also sells more typical options, like The Southern Bell slider, which contains Jack chicken sausage, fresh onions, cheddar and BBQ sauce. Customers can order The Butcher’s 3-Way, which is any combination of three sliders for around $10. The service is relatively fast, considering the intricacy of some creations. Customers should find a table quickly, though, to avoid running into peckish pigeons that flock the area. A few trucks down sits Nammi, a vendor that specializes in Asian cuisine. The truck offers rice bowls, Asian tacos and banh mi, which are Vietnamese sandwiches served on a 12-inch baguette. They also sell basil mint lemonade and Vietnamese iced coffee. Hello Panda snacks (a brand of Japanese shortbread biscuits filled with cream or chocolate) also line the truck’s shelves, adding to the Asian vibe. The main attraction, however, is banh mi. Customers can select BBQ or honey grilled pork, lemongrass chicken or ginger soy tofu to put on the crispy baguette. With toppings to choose from like cilantro, sliced cucumbers, jalapenos and pickled carrots, Nammi is like Subway with an Asian flare. The chefs are
Cool Haus combines architecture and food into one delectable dessert – custom-built ice cream sandwiches. This decked-out postal van first appeared at Coachella music festival in 2009 and is now available in over 12 cities across the nation, including one right in the heart of Dallas. Ordering here is a two-part process. Customers first select the cookie they want. They can choose from flavors like chocolate chip, peanut butter, s’mores and snickerdoodle.
The menu also accommodates to diet-specific customers, as gluten-free coconut almond and vegan carrot cake cookies are also available. The next step is choosing an ice cream flavor. Options include Tahitian vanilla, raspberry sorbet, dirty mint chip, butter pecan and Nutella toasted almond. Then, the vendors put the masterpiece together into a topsy-turvy ice cream sandwich wrapped in an edible paper. Although the concept is creative and efficient, the edible paper falls short of success and lacks any real flavor. The cookies are soft and tasty, but the ice cream is somewhat underwhelming. The butter pecan’s taste lacked the salty, creamy flavor it typically has and seemed too sweet for enjoyment. Each one-story sandwich costs $5.50, and a twostory goes for $9.50. However, one is certainly enough. The food truck lineup wouldn’t be complete without a taco truck. Abe’s Flavor Flave is just the spot. This vendor seemed to always have a long line, but the delicious food is worth the wait. Individual tacos sell for $2.00 each, allowing customers to try a variety of different options, like the veggie or chicken taco. Corn and flour tortillas are both available. The veggie taco is a burst of flavor, filled with refried beans, fresh avocados, cilantro, lettuce and tomatoes. The Chicken Street taco is another hit. With toppings like cilantro, tomato and squirts of lime, this Tex-Mex favorite will satisfy any chicken taco connoisseur. In addition to tacos, Abe’s also
design Tori Allmendinger
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not stingy with the toppings either. An abundance of fresh vegetables covers every sandwich, so trying to keep all of the veggies inside is quite difficult. The lemongrass chicken is both flavorful and unique. Added cucumbers contribute the perfect amount of sweetness. However, there is a slightly fishy aftertaste. Each banh mi sandwich costs around $8.00, which is a little pricey, but the portions are quite large and provide enough food to share.
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offers nachos as well as gyros with lamb meat, which are Greek dishes of meat and vegetables served on pita bread. The tacos seem to be the crowd favorite, but props to Abe’s for also cooking up unique meals from other cultures. Overall, the truck’s name is certainly fitting, although it gives little insight into the type of food served here. The soft tacos are delicious, but also quite messy. Customers should definitely expect to pick up some napkins before venturing into the park. 5
heaven on wheels
March 7, 2014 The Marquee
ENTERTAINMENT 19
Spring break has arrived. If you find
yourself without any plans for next week, don’t worry. You can still break out of the regular hustle and bustle and go on a road trip with friends to these exciting places that are only a few hours away.
It will only take a few hours on the road to make you feel like you’ve landed in a whole other country. Turner Falls, a park in Davis, OK provides the perfect atmosphere to get back in touch with nature. Turner Falls is home to a 77-foot waterfall with beautiful surrounding wildlife and towering mountains. It is a breath of fresh air from Texas’ flat landscape. You and your friends can spend the day hiking on the park’s trails and exploring the three caves found on the campground. Then cool off afterwards by splashing around in the swimming areas or even the sandy beaches found at Turner Falls. After a day of outdoor adventures, you can spend the night at one of the park’s campsites or wooden cabins. Location: Davis, OK Distance: 2 hours Overnight cost: Cabins - $150 per night, four people Campsites - $12.50 per vehicle per night plus $4 per person per day Hotel - $150 per night (Turner Falls Inn)
Turner Falls:
story Miranda Chiechi
The “Live Music Capitol of the World” is the perfect place in which to partake in new and exciting activities. Besides humming with live music every day, Austin contains countless activities to keep you busy day and night. Zilker Park is 351 acres of gorgeous green terrain bustling with life. You can partake in yoga under the sun and go hiking or biking with friends on the trails. Next to Zilker Park lies a river where you can rent a kayak or paddleboard to venture through the waters and admire the park’s beauty. Once the day turns into night, hit up the town for a night of fun on South Congress or 6th Street where there are restaurants with all different types of cuisines, live music and eclectic shops. Location: Austin, TX Distance: 4 hours Overnight cost: $120-160 per night (La Quinta Inn Austin Capitol)
g n i r p S into a
y e n r u o j The Marquee March 7, 2014
The Guadalupe River is located in southeast Texas, just 12 miles west of New Braunfels, and is a great place to wind down and relax while still having a lively time with friends. You can lazily float down the river and admire the towering cliffs and lush forest around you. There are different routes to choose from depending on where and how long you want to travel. Visitors can even bring coolers with them so that they will have snacks and drinks all day. After a day in the sun, the Guadalupe River has a WhiteWater Amphitheater for nighttime entertainment. Unlike most concert venues, this one is surrounded by a creek on both sides. Bands from The Avett Brothers to Miranda Lambert have performed here before, so see if your favorite artists might be playing. Then wrap up your eventful day by staying at one of the numerous hotels or campgrounds in New Braunfels. Location: New Braunfels/Canyon Lake area Distance: 5 hours Overnight cost: From $115 (Days Inn) to $150 (Baymont Inn & Suites) Campground - $15 per person per night at Roy’s Rentals and Campgrounds
Guadalupe River Tubing and Rafting Austin, TX Galveston Beach If you are dreaming of California beaches this spring break, you can still fulfill your seaside desires at a beach right here in Texas. After the car ride, you can catch some waves off the shores of Galveston. Galveston Beach has a long stretch of road lined with with shops, restaurants and entertainment on one side. Bordering the other side of the road is a vast expanse of sand and seawater. Spend a day of fun in the sun swimming in the ocean, boogie boarding on the waves and building sandcastles. Afterwards, eat at one of the many restaurants alongside the beach, like Landry’s if you’re in the mood for seafood. Thirty minutes from Galveston Beach is another fun attraction - Kemah Boardwalk. This boardwalk has rides, shopping and dining to guarantee a full day of excitement. Location: Galveston Beach Distance: 5 hours, 30 minutes Overnight cost: $120-150 per night (Hilton Galveston Island Resort) design/graphics Tori Allmendinger
Boombas [things we like]
20 OPINION
@marisacharp21
Sweet servers The ladies who serve students their sweets at the Java City just so happen to be some of the sweetest ladies on campus. Whether they’re greeting with a smile or handing out delicious beverages with a grin, the cafe ladies can’t be beat.
Ready writers This time of year, a lot of applications are due, and that can be very stressful. Luckily, there are accommodating teachers who will write a last minute letter of recommendation. Students appreciate teachers who go out of their way to lend a helping hand.
Marisa Charpentier
Typically atypical
Okay, I confess. I am a typical white girl. I have remained faithful to the same pair of dark brown Ugg boots since the sixth grade. My yoga pants are folded neatly inside the drawer of my dresser, ready for wear. If I had the time (and the money), I’d probably spend most of my days sipping a white chocolate mocha at Starbucks. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for a good John Green romance novel. On the weekends, I often find myself holed up in my room watching reruns of Gilmore Girls or catching up on the latest Pretty Little Liars episode. And although I detest most of the vapid songs on 106.1 Kiss FM, I don’t change the station when Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” blares through the speakers. It’s possible that these qualities do in fact meet the criteria of a mainstream Caucasian female. You’ve seen the posts on Twitter and heard jokes about how white girls only care about their clothing and Starbucks. From the few details about myself that I’ve just laid out, I am the definition of typical. But then again, I take more pride in my bookshelf than I do my wardrobe. I didn’t read Seventeen when I was 15, nor have I found the new Endless Love trailer even remotely entertaining. My Instagram “Concert Pictures to Selfie Ratio” is about eight to one, and I’d rather spend my Friday night listening to live music at a local venue than at the mall. Before you start screaming “hipster wannabe,” let me just note that I wear contacts instead of glasses, and I wouldn’t say I pride myself in being different. In fact, I honestly believe that most girls are just like me - unique. It’s probably true that some may have a higher selfie count on Instagram or actually look forward to cheesy romance movies. But can anybody really be pinned down to this one stereotype? White girls can be intellectual and still order a non-fat skinny vanilla latte every now and then or enjoy watching The Bachelor. They can care about others and enjoy reading profound novels and still find pleasure in “fangirling” over the upcoming The Fault in Our Stars movie. We are all more complex than any stereotype. Yet the shallow persona that society has labeled as the common white girl continues to plague seemingly every joke and social media network, subtly encouraging many to conform to a, well, non-conformist way of life. In an effort to escape the degrading “typical white girl” label, many shuffle to reject all things common or “basic.” When surrounded every day by people who are our age and are therefore likely to enjoy the same things we do, it’s easy to feel an urge to be different. To strive to wear our uniqueness like a badge of honor on our chest each day. To tell the world, “Hey, I’m not cliche. I am the exception to every stereotypical tweet and joke.” It becomes cool to be atypical. But really, we all are unique – typically atypical, if you will. Calling out white girls only makes them feel ashamed for liking certain activities. But liking Starbucks or a particular pair of boots doesn’t define a person. People are more than their appearance, more than the sum of their individual tastes. High school is supposed to be the place where we figure out our identity in a four-year span. As we struggle to find where we fit in, what we like, who we want to be associated with, it’s easy to fear being even remotely connected to something that isn’t “cool.” But appearance is only skin-deep. A selfie is only screendeep. And coffee is only a cup-deep. I like Starbucks. I like infinity scarves. I like Katy Perry (sometimes). But I am not a typical white girl. Nobody is. design Jacqueline Higgins
@acollen14
Amanda Collen
Unexpected diagnosis
As the news I just received was swirling through my head, I pushed open the door and re-entered the waiting room. I glanced around at the small children who had masks over their mouths and no hair. Soon I was going to be just like them. I heard my mom talking to the lady behind the desk who wanted to set up my next appointment. At this moment, reality hit me. I collapsed in a waiting room chair, trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was going to start chemotherapy during the first week of my senior year. I was sobbing now. A child life specialist came to my side asking me what was wrong. I explained that meeting with an oncologist (a cancer specialist) was the last place I thought I would find myself. I was here because what I thought was a strained muscle in my thigh was a tumor. Although the doctors told me it was not cancerous, it has a 40 percent chance of re-appearing after surgery. Therefore, chemotherapy was recommended. Since my tumor is fairly large, the surgeon would have to remove almost all of my largest quadricep muscle. I would lose my hair, I wouldn’t be able to play ultimate frisbee due to the chemo port and I would have to wear a mask in and out of the school because of construction around Marcus. Why is this happening to me? How long have I had this tumor in my leg? How will this affect my future? All of these thoughts were spinning around my head as the floodgates opened. Tissues upon tissues piled next to me in the oncologist’s office. I couldn’t believe that I would not be able to play ultimate
Do you think
rape is treated too lightly at Marcus? compiled Allie Loder photos Jacqueline Higgins
Pasta place Recently, the cafeteria has seen the introduction of a new pasta bar to its menu. This offers a variety of new, tasty delicacies to broaden students’ palettes. Everyone’s current favorite seems to be the macaroni and cheese.
frisbee my senior year as a captain. I would have to stay and coach on the sidelines. Sometimes I would think about what it would be like to walk in the school with a mask on and get so many glances in my direction. I might as well be waving a red flag, saying “This girl is on chemo!” I didn’t want people to look at me in a different way. I didn’t want them to treat me differently because of my condition. I didn’t want my tumor to control my life. My mom and I even started searching for places that make wigs. We found a lady who could make one that was close to my real hair. My mom stayed as strong as humanly possible through all of this news. There were times where I would curl up in her welcoming arms, and we would just cry together. It took me a while to come to terms with all of these lifestyle changes that were going to happen in my near future. I didn’t always know what the next step was, but I’m so thankful I had support from all of my friends, my coach, my teachers, my church and my family. I don’t know how I could go through this process without all of them. One of my friends in Ultimate said he would shave his head for me in support. I know he might not have actually gone through with it, but it was still a nice gesture to know that I had so many people praying for me and supporting me. A few months after the diagnosis, we received advice from family friends to get a second opinion from another tumor specialist. So we decided to go to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The surgeon showed me my MRI scans and told me my tumor was the size of a lemon. My entire body tensed up as I prepared to hear her recommendations. I was preparing for the worst, but my jaw suddenly dropped when she said she wanted to watch and wait instead of proceeding with surgery and chemotherapy right away. I showed no symptoms like pain, discomfort or immobility at this time. She wanted me to see her every three months to monitor its growth and my symptoms. I glanced at my mom and dad in shock. Was she saying what I thought she was saying? Were my ears hearing things wrong? Other than going down to MD Anderson every three months, I have been able to have the senior year I envisioned, especially since the past two times I have visited, my MRI results have shown that it is stable and causing no harm at all. I have realized that I was given the gift of time. I now have time to finish my senior year with no complications. Chemotherapy and surgery are in my future, but now I can do the things I love as I plan for the next chapter in my life.
“We don’t really discuss it when we have meetings and stuff like that, so I guess you could say we handle it lightly.”
Danny Diez, 9
“Yes, I do. I think that people think it’s a joke when it’s not funny at all. It can be triggering to people that have experienced sexual harassment.”
Ryan Gossett, 10 March 7, 2014 The Marquee
OPINION 21
@MadisonErmenio
Some seniors are frustrated to find that their senior parking spot means nothing to parents visiting Marcus. Parents park in the spots in the mornings to avoid carpool traffic, forcing the seniors to relocate to the further recesses of the parking lot.
Madison Ermenio
Apart but not in heart
A tear rolled down my cheek as I stuffed more than 50 ticket stubs into an envelope that would travel 274 miles until it arrived at my best friend’s house in Houston. After she moved away in seventh grade, I tried to keep all of our memories alive. I sent her care packages like the one full of tickets from the trips we had taken to the movies almost every weekend during the first two years of middle school. I kept all of them, from Ghosts of Girlfriends’ Past and Whip It to My Sister’s Keeper and Avatar. It’s memories like these that I cherish most because ever since she moved, I’ve felt like I’m missing a part of me. I can still remember the summer night in Grapevine when she told me that she was moving. I can still feel the devastating heartache that made me sick to my stomach. I can still see the fireworks that lit up the sky on Grapevine Lake that night as my mom pulled over on the bridge on Fairway Drive to let me cry. Even though I’ve missed her every day since she left, lately I’ve been missing her a lot more than usual. As we near the finish line of our high school career, I can’t help but feel sad over all the things we didn’t get to do together. Homecoming, getting a license and driving a car, first dates, heartbreaks, prom, college decisions and graduation. I wish we could’ve done all the simple things we used to do, like going to the movies and getting our nails done. When she moved, we decided we weren’t going to let distance ruin our friendship. We had both moved several times when we were younger and lost touch with old friends, but we
Troublesome tweets It’s understandable that students want a snow day every now and then, but the hateful tweets need to end. It’s funny for a while, but when peoples’ twitters are filled with nothing but LISD hate, it can get annoying. They need to tone it down.
Heys
Many students have had a new counselor nearly every year of high school. This change can make it hard for students to develop a relationship with their counselors, who are often responsible for writing recommendation letters.
Perplexing parents
[things we don’t like]
Changing counselors
felt we were old enough to decide to continue our relationship and put in the effort to maintain it. I learned that some relationships are worth keeping, and it was worth the time, the money and the extra mile to keep our bond. I learned that a relationship is a two-way street and both people have to put in effort to make it work. It may be hard to stay connected in our busy lives and it sometimes feels devastating to be apart, but I now consider being with her a special occasion. Ever since she moved, I value our time together so much more. Even before either of us got a job, we would save up enough money to buy plane tickets and visit each other as much as we could during summer. We’ve gone to each other’s sweet 16s. We’ve gone on college visits together, and we’ve gone to camp together almost every summer. This time has become so important to me, and made me realize how lucky I am for a best friend that continues making our relationship stronger, even from across the state of Texas. As much as I wish we could walk across the stage together at graduation, I smile when I think of how she has stayed true to herself no matter what. She has moved multiple times throughout middle school and high school and has still made the most of every situation, no matter where she is. Even as the “new girl” at school, she made the varsity drill team as a freshman, and is still true to her lively, hilarious, fun self. Those who have met Kristin in Houston are so lucky to have her in their lives, and there are many days when I wish that could be us. She has thrived so much at her school and proven herself to be able to adjust to whatever life throws her way, and I am so thankful for a relationship with such an amazing person. Maybe if we get lucky, we’ll end up at the same college, but if not, I know we can make it no matter what. We’ve made it this far, and I know we’ll be friends for a long time. Being friends with Kristin (or K-Fred, as I call her) has taught me not only how to love but how to be loved. How to be a friend and how to have a friend. How to teach and how to learn. I’ve learned so many lessons from experiencing life alongside her. Honestly, that is true friendship. Looking back, I don’t know many 12-year-olds that are willing to put in an effort every day until they are seniors six years later to keep a friendship strong. But for that, I am extremely grateful. I think if a person is truly important to you, you can live hundreds of miles away and still call them your best friend.
MARQUEE REMARKS
“Yes. I don’t think we should be joking about something that serious because women and sometimes men get raped every day. I don’t think it should be a joke.”
Joey Morgan, 11 The Marquee March 7, 2014
“I think some people joke about it, but I think that overall if you knew somebody or something real happened, everyone would take it seriously.”
“Not among the teachers and students that I know. They all think it’s a really horrible thing, and if they hear somebody use the word incorrectly, they jump all over them for it. It’s not funny.”
Meghan Campbell, 12
Melisande Santos, Latin
@Alyssa_Schmidt7
Alyssa Schmidt
Breaking patterns
I’m often asked why I’m a feminist. While it seems like a simple explanation, there’s a lot that has influenced my thinking. The experiences the women in my family have had are one of the main factors in my decisions. My grandmother was scared of everything. Grandma Betty was a stereotypical 1950s housewife who never finished high school. She never drove more than 15 miles out of her hometown of Parsons, Kansas. She never had a job. She never stood up to her abusive husband. She died of a stroke before I met her, but my mother has often described her as the sweetest, most naive woman you could ever meet. Every day she did her hair and put on a dress. A home-cooked meal would be on the table three times a day. She sheltered my mother almost her entire life. When my mother was a freshman, her father died. After being absent for several weeks, the school gave her the choice to start the year over or drop out. The two women, both with very little life experience, sat in front of the principal and decided that my mom should drop out of high school. Whether she liked it or not, my mother was suddenly on a similar path as her mother. Sheltered from the real world, she didn’t know what the next step should be. She wanted to have a family, but she also wanted a career to be proud of. She went to a community college, a world that was much harder than she ever anticipated. By 19, she was married, had started a family and had a degree in accounting. After earning her Master’s degree and marrying my father, she started working at a hospital supply company. In the years that she worked there, she was continuously passed up for promotions by less qualified men who were “buds,” with the boss. Fed up with the double standards, she decided to start a business by herself. She works harder than anyone I know. She doesn’t let anyone take advantage of her when she is in work mode. Her business has grown and she has reached the point where we have a steady income. As I’ve grown up and watched what she’s accomplished, I’ve come to admire her work ethic. However, when it comes to relationships, I’ve noticed parallels between my grandmother and my mother. My mother has often explained to me her upbringing and how in her 54 years of life, she is just now realizing the impact that it had on her. It has all boiled down to how she has seen her mother live her life. I’ve observed subservient behavior in not just my mother’s relationships but also in others’ in my family. The most common has been the women giving up their jobs because their husbands felt uncomfortable. Some of them have been subject to abuse. Most of them never left. They stayed obedient until their husbands died. I’m not going to fall into that same pattern, whether it’s in the workplace or at home. I may have learned things the hard way, but I am now beginning to understand what it is to be not just a strong, independent woman, but a strong independent person in general. You need a strong belief in what you’re capable of, which doesn’t require you following a man around. My grandmother and my mother have shown me both sides of the coin. It’s not just the man’s job to earn the paycheck. What I’ve learned is that women’s rights isn’t just about equal pay. It’s about awareness. I’ve become aware of the stereotypes that surround being a woman and I see how history is the scapegoat. We say that patriarchy is the way things have always been. The only way to break the stereotype is to be aware and change our way of thinking. design Jacqueline Higgins
22 EDITORIALS
New graduation requirements provide benefits Staff Editorial After lengthy discussion, the Texas Association of School Administrators met and adopted new high school graduation requirement regulations for incoming freshmen. Several new changes were made, including the option for substitution of some classes. A student can now take Newspaper or Yearbook in place of their final English credit, and Statistics or Algebraic Reasoning in place of Algebra II. Certain courses, like Speech, have been removed as a required course altogether. The change in course requirements is an improvement because it creates new opportunities for students. To begin with, the new graduation requirements allow options that weren’t present before, which students should enjoy taking advantage of. This way, students know they have the choice to make better use of their time instead of spending it in classes they don’t need. Before the change, students were required to take on a more set-in-stone schedule plan throughout their high school years. The new change frees up room for the classes and the areas they actually do want to focus on. This plan is also better for students who don’t plan to go to college after high school. They don’t waste time getting skills
for a job they may not need a college degree for. High school can now be geared more towards the students’ control, rather than having the four years already planned out for them. In addition to adding more options, the new change is good for teens who have an idea of what occupation or major they want to move towards after graduation. It also provides a taste of what college will be like without the price tag that comes with it. If they want to pursue a career in writing or in journalism, they might consider taking more English classes. If they are considering a career involving the use of mathematics, these students might take Algebra II or Precalculus. Though not necessarily a test of college readiness, the change could be a way of finding out if college is a good next step for some students because it gives an insight into a what a certain college major might be like. On the other hand, if they feel college isn’t for them, they could consider other options. The choices are completely beneficial to them. With more options, students will have more room in their schedule to take career courses that could prepare them for jobs after high school. Along with giving incoming students a taste of college courses, new schedules are more flexible than before. If a student wants to take multiple math or English to impress
a college or maintain a high class rank, they can still do so. Within the option of choosing through five different fields, a four course credit school day is still required, but students will be able to choose from a wide list of classes based upon their field. Just in case the student discovers that their chosen field isn’t right for them, they are able to change it at any time with a parent’s approval, as opposed to before, where they might just be stuck in the class they chose. A sense of flexibility is important so students are able to choose what’s right for them, rather than being told that they are required to take a certain course to complete high school. Some current high schoolers will feel irritated that the same plan isn’t being implemented for them now that they’ve already taken the previously required choices. Although many will not have the opportunity to take part in this, it’s good that the changes will be implemented for incoming freshmen so they have a clean slate. The new change in requirements will be beneficial for upcoming high school students. It provides them with a flexible schedule and the ability to focus on areas that are the most important to them. Because there is more flexibility, parents and counselors need to help students figure out what they want to do and what is best for them.
LISD should take up new gun policies, teachers should be armed Staff Editorial Argyle Independent School District has recently allowed certain faculty members to possess a gun on campus. Employees that volunteer must undergo intense training, drills and psychological testing before they’re selected from the pool of volunteers to have a gun. They also must have a license to carry a concealed handgun prior to applying for the duty. There are four other districts in the area that are considering adopting these procedures. LISD has decided not to implement this essential policy. This must be reconsidered for the safety of the thousands of students among the 70 different campuses in the district. Shootings all across the country call for defense in school systems. In one instance in Newtown, CT, 20 children and six teachers were killed. In addition, a shooting at Lone Star College north of Houston left three people injured. According to neighborhoodscout.com, Flower Mound has a crime rate of 83 out of 100 - 100 being the safest. Newtown has a crime rate of 88, ranking even safer than Flower Mound, yet a large scale shooting occurred in their community. Arming faculty with guns would ensure that students and employees have defense against any potential attack or emergency like this. Supplying guns is practical and a less expensive alternative to hiring extensive security. Bearing arms on campus may keep intruders away from school because they have the knowledge beforehand that there is strong security. At Argyle, signs on campus warn all people entering the school of the policy, informing intruders that they are likely to be stopped quickly and could be harmed in the process. Not only is allowing teachers to bring handguns less expensive, but it also design Jaime Hardison and Victoria Price
maintains the peace of mind necessary for students to learn. Having security officers scattered throughout the building at entrances and other locations is a potentially disturbing reminder to students that security is needed. Along with this, getting through security or metal detectors would be a hassle that takes away from class time. On the other hand, while students may be aware of the guns on campus, concealed weapons provide the same safety in a less distracting and less visible manner. The precautions that accompany the policy are more than sufficient to protect students from harm. Teachers must go through the process of extensive psychological testing and emergency training to be approved for carrying a gun with them on campus. In addition, the location of the gun is undisclosed and unknown to students. This greatly reduces the possibility of a student getting a hold of a teacher’s gun. Regardless of school policy, a person who plans on bringing a gun into school with malicious intent will find a way to do so. However, with guns at school, better defense against a possible attack is available. It seems as though it is not necessary to have armed faculty in a seemingly safe area like Flower Mound, but tragedy can occur anywhere. In the event of a school shooting, guns are the best protection. Introducing guns into our education system may seem nonsensical, but in today’s society it is necessary to shelter students from violence. The proper response to the increase in school shootings across the country is to provide faculty with sufficient defense against intruders. Before it is too late, LISD needs to take up this policy to prevent unnecessary injuries and deaths.
Super Teacher
JH VP
March 7, 2014 The Marquee
Sweet Tweets
compiled Patricia Qualls
its a problem when my house is colder than the marcus cafeteria Lizzie Dull: @LizzieDull14
Lord Jesus, please help me. My mama bout to walk up in that school and ask my teachers about them grades. Cleo Lissade: @cleolissade
Plot twist: bye bye birdie is actually about losing at flappy bird Natalie Hess: @hess_natalie
I think the people making out in W hall in the mornings don’t even know each other. 1 person just stands alone until someone else comes over Mason Ferguson: @MasonRFerguson
I was actually so excited to hit snooze this morning I couldn’t go back to sleep bc I was thinking about how I could sleep in JP Wood: @thejpwood
I had a dream that I lost my baby and I don’t even have a baby Marissa Dickson: @marissalynned
I wonder if the people who work for skyward have used their own product.
Cell
Ana Mier
214.517.9064 123 Main St. Lewisville, TX 75057 @ the Historic Old Town 4 doors down from bridal boutique
Jack Sparks: @JackSparks96
My pit stains froze on the way into school.. I have a block of ice in my armpit. I HAVE A BLOCK OF ICE IN MY ARMPIT Luke Lancaster: @lukelancaster1
5000 Long Prarie Rd, Flower Mound, TX 75028 500 W. Main Street, Lewisville, TX 75057 The Marquee March 7, 2014
Ana’s Professional Alterations Original & Unique Gowns
972 420 8640
anasprogownalterations.com ana@anasprogownalterations.com
24 SPOTLIGHT
Winter Guard
photos Luisa Diaz
Recently, colorguard performed their winter program, “Umbrella,” at the school’s spring season pep rally. In late February, they won first place in the North Texas Colorguard Association Birdville contest. Sophomore Kelsey Leigh waves the flag during the colorguard routine, “Umbrella.” They use multiple flags throughout the program.
Senior Alyce Eyer twirls during colorgard’s show at the Pep Rally on Feb. 21, 2014. They have been practicing this routine since November.
Freshman Erin Ates does a flourish with her flag during the Red winter guard performance at the pep rally.
Sophomore Michaela Underwood catches her flag during the contagion part of the routine.
Red Guard Rifles, led by sophomores Devin Denkhoff and Kelsey Leigh, throw their rifles in a ripple. The guard members practice after and during school throwing and catching rifles, sabres and flags. design Molly Webber
The Marquee March 7, 2014