May 2010 - Cheating by The Marquee

the

VOLUME TWENTY-FOUR {ISSUE EIGHT} MAY 14, 2010

MARQUEE newsmagazine

70’s tucked in, pressed shirt

hidden face for modern rebel effect

stolen answers

sweatshirt for the indication of his teen angst

stealthy answer placement

Pg.4 - Mice found in theater classrooms cause disturbances Pg.15 - Ultimate Frisbee team ties for third at state tournament Pg. 21 - Staff supports district’s repeal of zero-tolerance policy

MARCUS HIGH SCHOOL {5707 MORRISS ROAD} FLOWER MOUND, TX 75028

cell phone

table of contents

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

photo editor mark turnbull

graphics editors amy hillberry, shameer dhaliwal

business manager alexis sherwood

news editor kate o’toole

assistant news editor carley meiners

p. 24 news

PHOTO BY ALLISON PRZYBYSZ COVER DESIGN BY AMY HILLBERRY COVER PHOTO BY ALLISON PRZYBYSZ

{6} Zero tolerance School suspensions and parents’ lawsuit

leads to elimination of district’s zero tolerance policy. by patrick iversen, devon miller and carley meiners

feature

{7} Lilly Haynes Senior will accept a silver star award in New

York City after winning for her pencil drawing “Lost Momentos.” by luke swinney

sports

{16} Drew Burns Baseball captain joins a new kind of team af-

sports editor luke swinney

assistant sports editor erryn bohon

in-depth editor alexandra mehlhaff

assistant in-depth editor kelsey mccauley

feature editor natasha jordan

entertainment editor devon miller

assistant entertainment editor taylor ross

opinion editor ashley solari

reporters lauren rose, samantha draper jasmine sachar, joey ulfsrud

designers

maria heinonen, nathaniel thornton, breyanna washington

photographers

kyle anderson, becca dyer, nathaniel katz, allison przybysz, sarah quinn, taylor thomas

adviser

lajuana hale

principal gary shafferman

ter being accepted into the United States Air Force Academy. by luke swinney

entertainment

{17} Top 10 procrastination causes The Marquee investigates

activities students would rather do than studying. by alexandra mehlhaff

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. Ediorials 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 $30 per 1/16 of a page, with discounts available. For more information call 469-948-7137. The Marquee is a standing member of ILPC, TAJE, ATPI, CSPA, NSPA, JEA, and Quill and Scroll.

ALL ORIGINAL MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED MAY 14, 2010 {the marquee}

Board elections bring heat

{NEWS}

Lewisville, Frisco residents make their voices heard in school board election STORY BY JASMINE SACHAR

The district school board saw a complete turnaround on May 8 as two Lewisville residents Jeffrey Knapp and Brenda Latham and Frisco resident Julie Faughty defeated 12 year incumbent members Fred Placke, Tommy Kim and five year incumbent Kathy Duke. Five out of the seven members on the board live in Highland Village or Flower Mound. All three members who were up for reelection live in Highland Village, prompting several Lewisville residents to run against them. Place 3 candidate Lewisville-based accountant Knapp said that his city did not have adequate representation on the board. He said Lewisville residents had virtually no say in the recent decision to split up Lewisville High School into three buildings with a new 9th and 10th grade campus in addition to the existing Killough North. He calls the plan a “three-ring circus.” “If all seven board members came out of The Colony, you really think they would know what goes on at Marcus, Flower Mound, Lewisville, Hebron?” Knapp said. Knapp said the board claims that both the community and experts were consulted in the decision to split the school. However, Knapp said that when those experts were contacted, they claimed they had nothing to do with it. “I don’t know if this was a lot of propaganda, I just know it smells fishy,” Knapp said. Place 4 candidate Latham said she believes the board has long-term plans to turn the Lewisville senior campus into a sort of tech school with more career-oriented classes, due to its lower percentage of college-bound students and overall economic status. Place 5 incumbent Fred Placke, 12 year school board veteran and a former Marcus Government teacher, said that what is left of LHS will remain a normal senior campus and that splitting up the school is the best thing for that population. He said it will continue to better the learning environment by

allowing for smaller classes and smaller teacher- student ratios. “(Lewisville) has the highest changing demographic of any school in our district,” Placke said. “Sixty percent of the people moving into our school district are Hispanic and low-economic. You got to do something different. It’s better for them academically. It’s better for them socially.” Place 4 incumbent Kathy Duke said campus split ups are happening in other parts of the district. According to her, the plan will make room for types of magnet schools within campuses if a student wanted to specialize in math or science. “But there are different circumstances for everything,” Duke said. “Splitting schools doesn’t break tradition. People, teachers, parents, students, they make the tradition.” Some current board members, including Duke and Place 3 holder Tommy Kim both graduated from LHS. However, Knapp said that the school has changed immensely over the past few decades. “I know Tommy (Kim) mentions in every board meeting that he graduated from Lewisville,” Knapp said. “Good for him. He doesn’t live in Lewisville. His children do not attend Lewisville High School. I live here. I know the teachers. I know the students. It gives you a lot of perspective on the school.” Kim said that members on the board, regardless of their city of residence, look out for the well-being of every part of the district. The board has taken on several beneficial Lewisville initiatives, he said, such as the rebuilding of Peters Colony and Lakeland Elementary and a new cafeteria at Central Elementary. “You only have to do one thing,” Kim said. “Go look around at all schools in our district, including schools in Lewisville and The Colony, what you’re going to see is that there are some great schools there. That’s the reason we’re at Recognized status. You can’t be Recognized status with just schools in Flower Mound or Highland Village.”

Election issue: Hiring a new superintendent

This year, superintendent Dr. Jerry Roy announced his retirement after nine years of holding the position. In the past 25 years, the district has only had two superintendents. Place 3 incumbent Tommy Kim said that the most important decision that the new board will make in the next term is choosing a new superintendent. “That helps with the consistency of our school district, with how well our school district is doing,” Kim said. “If you look at some of the other school districts in our area, they seem like they rotate superintendents every three to five years, and that’s definitely not a good thing for any school district.” Place 5 Incumbent Fred Placke said that hiring a superintendent with experience with a district of LISD’s size would be helpful. “If I could clone Dr. Roy, that’s what I want,” Placke said. “We need somebody who is a mixture of charisma, a person who will get out to schools and visit with the teachers and be involved in the community.”

MAY 14, 2010 {the marquee}

Board of Trustees candidates Place 5: Fred Placke (incumbent) Brenda Lynn Latham (winner) Patrick Michael Kelly Place 4: Kathy Duke (incumbent) Ryan Collinsworth Julie Faughty (winner) Place 3: Tommy Kim (incumbent) Jeffrey Allen Knapp (winner) Mike McDaniel

Election issue: Fighting the deficit

The district faces a projected $18 million dollar deficit for next school year. School funding from the state is frozen at the 2005-2006 level, though costs continue to rise. Brenda Latham said that the upper administration costs need to be scrubbed long before the classroom is affected. “We have our priorities in the wrong place,” Latham said. “We’re going to have to figure out how to be a leaner, meaner school district. I, like many other constituents within the district, demand a transparent government. I want to know exactly what the district is voting on. It is our tax money that they are spending.” Tommy Kim said that between the district’s $100 million dollar savings account, outside cuts like maintenance, electricity, utilities, food service and the Tax Ratification Election two cent tax increase that will generate an estimated $7 million, the district is in good shape to tackle its deficit without affecting students or teachers.

design by breyanna washington

{NEWS}

Rodents on campus Numerous mice make their way into theatre department rooms STORY BY NATASHA JORDAN

ABOUT

MICE... Female mice can give birth when they are two months old and are able to have babies six to ten times per year Mice have to build their homes near sources of food because they like to eat. Mice are good jumpers, climbers and swimmers. The average mouse lives only 1 to 2 years. sources: pestworldforkids, org scholastic.org

4 design by shelby bookout

Teacher Deborah Garoui walked into her room, finding a mouse stuck to a trap, gnawing off its limbs in desperate hope of escaping its fate. Other mice have been found with their faces stuck to the sticky surface. These mice are being found by teachers in the theatre section of Marcus and in other places in the school. Recently, ten mice have been found in Rita Powers’ theatre room as well as a rat snake which was found behind her school refrigerator, Garoui said. Six have been found in the theatre tech shop with the addition of two mice in Garoui’s room. Garoui walked through the theatre rooms with an extermnator. She said he told her that the source of the mouse problem was the bad weather stripping on the doors - the strip of rubber located on the outer edges of the door frame to prevent rain from coming into the school. Also attributed to the problem, Garoui said the exterminator told her that since the stadium is being built, the contruction is ruining the mice’s habitat and therefore they are finding refuge in the school. Garoui expressed her frustrated feelings about the mouse problem she is facing. “Everyday I clean off my desk,” Garoui said. “Then the next morning I come back and there are mouse feces all over the top of it.” Assistant Principal Jason Mullin, said this type of incident often occurs with the weather we are experiencing. “First off, I don’t really think it’s a problem, I think it’s just more of an isolated little incident,” Mullin said. “In spring time when it starts getting wetter, animals of all types try to get in and out of the rain so they look inside.” Mullin said that although administration is trying to fix the problem, he said that students and teachers need to get rid of the food regardless if it is in a container or not because it is attracting the mice. “I have been in frequent contact with our facilities maintenance department to put traps in place to try and catch the mice,” Mullin said. “They have also put some deterrants out outside the building to try and

scare the mice away. But the biggest thing is to get rid of the bait get rid of the food in the classrooms.” Garoui also said that part of the problem is that her garbage isn’t being picked up daily. Senior Jacob Tipping agrees that the source of the rat problem isn’t the food, because no food is allowed in Rita Powers’

{

“In spring time when it starts getting wetter, animals of all types try to get in and out of the rain so they look inside.”

-Jason Mullin, AP

}

room or in the auditorium at all. “I’m in theatre tech, so I work all aspects inside the theatre, down in the pit, backstage, and cleaning stuff up,” Tipping said. “It’s kinda like a fear. You don’t know what you’re gonna run into when you’re moving stuff around.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED Mouse traps like this are placed around the theatre classrooms and the auditorium in an effort to catch the mice that live in the rooms. This mouse was found on Thursday, April 29 in Deborah Garoui’s theatre room.

{marquee} MAY 14, 2010

{NEWS}

Texting preferred method of communcation, new study says Rise in texting may be due to addiction-like nature STORY BY JASMINE SACHAR

exting could soon become the new nicotine, as a recent study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project revealed an explosion in the frequency of texting among teens, giving way to speculations about addiction-like behavior seen with drugs and alcohol. The study said that one out of every three adolescents send over 100 texts per day. Texting surpassed all other methods such as face-to-face converse and phone calling, among others, as the preferred form of communication among teens. Board Certified Psychiatrist Nishendu Vasavadas, who has been practicing in Lewisville for 30 years, said he doesn’t find the study surprising. “It’s mindless, simple,” Vasavadas said. “You get a quick response It becomes an obsession where people just keep texting all the time useless information that has no bearing on anything.”

Junior Ria Romano said she got her first phone in the sixth grade, and now estimates she sends over 12,000 texts per month. After school ends, Romano said she texts “nonstop.” “I just want to talk to someone I guess,” Romano said. “I like to know that I have friends. I basically can’t live without it unless I try really hard.” Romano said she doesn’t see the harm in her self-described “addiction,” but Vasavadas thinks it could be considered just that: an addiction. When someone receives a text, according to him, the part of the brain that floods with the neurotransmitter dopamine, called the nucleus accumbens or the “pleasure” center, is the same place that lights up when humans consume alcohol or engage in anyother addictive activities. “As far as addictive behavior goes, across the board, it’s the same thing,” Vasavadas said. Over-texting, he said, is destructive to the sort of social

an Life Project.

Source: Pew Internet & Americ

Staffer named state champ

skills that teenagers need to develop. According to him, facial expressions are crucial. Misunderstandings run rampant. Meaningful communication over texting, he said, is “just not possible”. “The biggest limitation of texting is you really can’t express emotions and it’s extremely short,” Vasavadas said. “You really can’t say what you want to. Not to mention, it ruins your English skills too.” When senior Rodrigo Gonzales first got texting last year, he said that became all he ever did. He texted while driving. He texted at the dinner table despite his parents’ protests. He texted at night instead of sleeping. When the bills piled up, Gonzales decided to cut back, going from 7000 a month to 1000. “Eventually texting for me became a redundant form of communication,” Gonzales said. “It’s just a slur of smiley faces and short phrases.” Now, Gonzales’s preferred method of communication is talking on the phone, which he said eliminates room for misinterpretations. “Basically, I think the key to proper communication is using a voice because a voice is what dictates how we feel when we speak,” Gonzales said. “If I were to say all this in a text message, with periods at the end, no smiley faces, you’d think I was talking in a stern manner. It just helps the words to flow better and helps you know what emotions I have when I’m speaking to you.” It’s for that reason that Vasavadas sid he thinks texting should be limited to “concrete details,” or the sharing of basic information, but for social interactions sake, should be avoided in arguments or deep conversations. “In our generation, people want to talk but they don’t want to make direct contact,” Gonzales said. “They want to have the flow of communication but they never want to be eye to eye. Some people don’t like doing that. They’re like “Why don’t you text me?” and I say why don’t I just call you. It’ll happen a lot faster, and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.”

3-D ticket prices increase

STORY BY ASHLEY SOLARI

STORY BY ALEXANDRA MEHLHAFF

The Marquee’s Entertainment Editor Devon Miller competed in the state UIL Feature Writing competition on May 6 and won first place, making her the school’s only academic UIL state champion this year. “I’m so excited, but I’m still in shock,” Miller said. “There were so many great writers and I didn’t think I had a chance. I was surprised I won.” Preceding the UIL competition, the journalism staffs left the Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC) on April 11 with various awards. ILPC, held in Austin, Texas, is the nation’s largest state high school press association. The judges, previous teachers who have advised awardwinning publications, awarded both Newspaper and Yearbook the association’s highest rating of Award of Distinguished Merit. Along with being honored as top publications in Texas, Newspaper took home the “Silver Star Award” and Yearbook took the “Bronze Star Award.”

With the recent 3-D box office hits, Avatar and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, 3-D movies have witnessed an increase of almost 20-26 percent in some movie theaters. AMC prices have risen from $9.50 to a new price of $10.50. AMC corporate communication manager Andy DiOrio said the reason behind the increase in ticket pricing is the higher budgets for the making of 3-D films. The budger include spending on the new technology, production and associatied costs behind the films, resulting in the recent hit on the box office ticket prices. “Pricing varies based on many factors, including location, time of day, day of week and of course, the sight and sound presentation experience,” DiOrio said. “It is inevitable some of those costs will eventually appear at the box office. Even as those escalatie, we have commited to hold the line as much as possible on out 2-D pricing, as we want to continue offering great value to out guests.”

MAY 14, 2010 {the marquee}

photo by SARAH QUINN

Crash scene re-enacted On Monday, April 19, the Marcus S.A.D.D group re-enacted a drunk driving accident. Firefighters from the local fire stations volunteered their time to pull the cars apart and take five “injured” kids to safety. One student was mock arrested at the scene. The Care Flight helicopter also made an appearance, landing on the grass near the mock crash.

design by nathaniel thornton

{NEWS}

Long-term policy repealed

Texas bans zero tolerance rule in schools statewide, LISD forced to change guidelines as result of law change Story BY PATrick IVERSen, Carley Meiners and Devon Miller The Lewisville Independent School District school board repealed their zero tolerance policy on April 19, nearly nine months after a state law banned such policies. The zero tolerance policy required students to attend Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP) if they breached certain rules, particularly concerning those drugs and alcohol. Sophomore Matthew Kean was expelled on March 10 after administration discovered that Kean was given Hydrocodone tablets by another student, who had stolen them from his mother. According to Kean’s mother, Cindy, Matthew did not consume the pills, but threw them away in the trash. School administration filed the incident under zero tolerance, and Kean was sentenced to ten days in JJAEP. “The problem is, that course of action hasn’t been legal for months,” said Daniel Burns, the Kean family’s attorney. Burns pointed towards House Bill 171, passed in June 2009 by the Texas State Legislature requiring school districts to change their codes of conduct to specify that consideration will be given to self defense, disciplinary history, intent and disabilities impairing capacity to distinguish right and wrong. The bill says consideration must be given when considering “suspension, expulsion or placement in a JJAEP program, re-

gardless of whether the decision concerns a mandatory or discretionary action.” According to Burns, LISD’s ‘zero tolerance’ violates that law. “Either LISD blatantly ignored the law, or wasn’t paying attention,” Burns said. “The law virtually eliminates any legality a zero tolerance policy would have had. Matthew never consumed the pills, so consideration had to be made for intent. But under zero tolerance, no consideration was made. That action was not legal.” According to LISD spokeswoman Karen Permetti, the district informed principals in July that zero tolerance was an outdated practice and could not be cited as a reason for punishment. In the Kean case, Permetti said the zero tolerance was cited as the basis for punishment instead of citing Section 37.007 of the State Education Code, which allows principals to use discretion for that kind of punishment. Burns said a restraining order hearing was scheduled to re-enroll JJAEP students in school, but administration permitted them to return before the hearing took place. However, Burns said that a civil rights violation claim is still in place on the grounds that by sending students to JJAEP under zero toler-

the low down

LISD is in the process of implementing a disciplinary matrix that will be available for parents to review by the start of the 2010-11 school year. LISD School Board unanimously votes to rescind their zero tolerance policy, and students were allowed to return to school from JJAEP before a restraining order hearing could take place.

Sophomore Matthew Kean is expelled for allegedly receiving The Kean Hydrocodone tablets family sues the from a friend, and is district, sent to JJAEP for 10 days under a ‘zero tolerance’ basis. District meets with

LISD neglects to remove Zero Tolerance-policy and Code of Texas State Legislature Conduct for the passes House Bill 171, 2009-2010 school which effectively outlaws year. zero-tolerance policies in school district Code of Conducts.

June 1st 2009

6 design by amy hillberry

ance the district was harming their right to education. “We are glad the students are back, but that doesn’t erase the damage done to their education,” Burns said. “They’ve missed out on the education their peers have gotten, and it could be costly to help them catch up.” For the district moving forward, Permetti indicated that the focus would be on keeping punishment as consistent as possible. Principal Gary Shafferman said that he hopes that the policy is clear enough now so no more incidents like the Kean case will occur. “It just makes it not as cut and dry as it was in the past,” Shafferman said. “Unfortunately for all the people involved, they just got tied into something that was based on a policy in the past. So my hope is that nobody makes the same mistakes.”

July/August 2009

principals warning them not to cite zero tolerance because ‘it was outdated.’

september 2009

march 10th 2010

march 20 2010

april 19 2010

As of May 14

{the marquee} MAY 14, 2010

SADD

Students Against Destructive Decisions

STAY AWARE DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T DRINK

(or do drugs or have premarital sex, for that matter.)

Marauder Special 4 tenders 1 Side Order 32 oz Drink

$5.00

(tax included)

Until 5:00 PM every weekday

come on guys, just be smart.

Bring a Friend Buy one Service

getWhenone Free you PreSent your Student or Faculty id Expires 4/30/10

Appointments 972.899.2662 annaandfriendssalon.com 840 Parker Square, Flower Mound, TX 75020 {the marquee} APRIL 9, 2010

{FEATURE}

Teacher hopes to leave legacy after resignation PHOTO BY Taylor Thomas Coach Kevin Kilgo announced his resignation after three years of teaching Teen Leadership and defensive line on football.

Story BY jasmine sachar Don’t judge is the motto that coach Kevin Kilgo has always tried to follow. Don’t judge, he reminded himself during his years working as a P.E. teacher at numerous economically disadvantaged high schools in coastal Texas. Don’t judge, as 10 kids from all different walks of the hallway strolled through the door and sat down in his first Teen Leadership class in 2008. But after three years of teaching Teen Leadership and coaching the defensive line on the football team, Kilgo is leaving the school, moving to Texas City to be closer to his wife’s family. Still, Kilgo said teaching Teen Leadership has changed him in more ways than it has changed students. “Coming in, they pass judgment the first

day when they walk in the door,” Kilgo said. “They look at people and they say ‘Oh it’s her’ or ‘Oh it’s him.’ ‘Oh he’s a jock.’ ‘Oh, she’s in the band.’ After the first week, they begin to see that they don’t fit that judgment.” Kilgo stumbled into teaching Teen Leadership by chance, originally hired as a P.E. teacher and then as the Special Teams Coordinator on the football team. “It’s called Teen Leadership, but it’s more of like, growing as a person,” sophomore Erin Neff said. “And learning how to deal with others, not letting high school stand in the way of me being myself.” Members of the class were taught esentially to lead their own class and establish relationships with other students through the sharing of weekly personal speeches and other bonding activities. Usually, Neff said, Kilgo would make students sit down and have a 10 minute conversation with someone they had never talked to. “He made us say one positive thing that’s happened since the last class, even if it was what you had for dinner,” Neff said. “He made us dress up one day like we never would before and realize that people didn’t think it was weird. ”

Kilgo said the class fostered the type of environment where members would tell each other some things they had never told even their closest friends. “It’s one of the best benefits of the class, knowing the kids inside and out, their good points, their bad points, when they laugh, when they cry,” Kilgo said. “It gives them an opportunity for them to be themselves, to not worry about what other people think about them and to also teach lessons about what they’ve gone through or are going through.” Even on the football field, Kilgo said his techniques for working with kids remained the same. “They have to see the way you perform and the way that you hold yourself,” Kilgo said. “That opens the door for them to open up and be closer to you.” Sophomore defensive lineman Zack Miterko called Kilgo a “second father”. When Miterko’s grandma died, Kilgo comforted him and understood when he had to miss a few days of practice. When Miterko tore his AC joint in his shoulder and was out for eight weeks, Kilgo made him sit from 4-7 p.m. and watch practice. And when he returned, Miterko said Kilgo realized his

physical limitations. “His coaching skills were probably some of the best in the school,” Miterko said. “He’d point out what you did right first, and ask if anything you did was wrong and he’d help you fix that.” It was after an off-season practice when Kilgo broke the news of his resignation to the players. “Quite honestly, I cried,” Miterko said. “A whole lot of the other players cried too so I wasn’t the only one.” The next day, Kilgo told his Teen Leadership class and word spread from there. “My friend Emily and I were devastated,” Neff said. “We wrote him long letters telling him how much we appreciate him because we didn’t think we let him know it.” Kilgo said he is confident that both the Teen Leadership and football program will “not miss a beat.” He hopes that students and players continue to pass his message on to other members of the school community. “It’s beyond me,” Kilgo said. “It’s about the program. It’s not about the teacher. (Students) are the ones that make the class go. Whatever lessons they have learned, they continue to teach other people. They’re the teachers now.”

Student joins venturing scout group Scouting presents opportunities for senior Story BY carley meiners The 8 a.m. sun gleams down on her flustered face, as her right foot carefully takes another step. Only four more miles to the glacier on top of the mountain. Left foot, right, left. She stops, inhales and looks around her, taking in the air, craving the hot chocolate she is so close to getting. Senior Hope Morton is in Switzerland along with other boy scouts and her fellow Venturers. Hope is part of a group called Venturing, a co-ed version of boy scouts. The Venturers are accompanied by boy scouts for most of the activities that they participate in. They do multiple activities such as rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing, and camping. In February Hope traveled to Japan, and last summer she went to Switzerland. Hope said that if she had never joined Venturing she wouldn’t have the opportunities that she has had. “It opens a whole lot of doors,” Hope said. “I wouldn’t have been able to go to Japan, or Switzerland. My family is well known in the scouting community so I meet all these re-

8 design by amy hillberry

ally high up people that have important jobs. I feel like its really going to help me in the future.” Hope’s dad, Wayne Morton, is the district committee chairman for Venturing. He has been involved in the Scouting program since he was a young Cub Scout, which is a young Boy Scout. Wayne said he had spent a lot of time with his dad through scouting and his son Thomas Morton, so he was excited when Hope wanted to join the family

{

“My family is well known in the scouting community so I meet all these really high up people .”

-Hope Morton, 12

}

tradition. “We spend more time together through it than we might have otherwise,” Wayne said. “It gave us a common set of interests and activities to pursue together that we both really enjoy.” Hope said one of the main reasons she

wanted to join Venturing was to spend more time with her dad. When she was younger, her brother got to do the outdoor stuff that she wanted to do but wasn’t allowed to because she was a girl. Hope said sometimes she gets weird looks when she works as a counselor at summer Boy Scout camps. “I still get the comment of ‘Why are girls here?’,” Hope said. “At first it was definitely a little weird. I wasn’t used to being a part of it. But now its only weird if other people make it weird.” Hope is not only in Venturing but is also a Marquette. She said its tough to manage her schedule, but she does what she can. She is a certified COPE facilitator (team-building ropes course) and has earned two Venturing Bronze Awards and a Venturing Gold Award. Wayne said he is very proud of his daughter. “The Venturing program brings a huge number of opportunities to do things most kids never get to try,” Wayne said. “I know she’s gaining experiences that will positively last her the rest of her life.”

PHOTO BY sarah quinn Senior Hope Morton wears her Venture Scout uniform proudly on April 25 in the Marcus garden.

{the marquee} MAY 14, 2010

{FEATURE}

UESTION

NSWER

2 1 , s e n y a H y l l Li tist}

Garrett Bailey, 10 COMPILED BY LAUREN ROSE PHOTO BY TAYLOR THOMAS

{Q} If you could be any food product in a grocery

store, what would you be and why? {A} Chef Boyardee Canned Ravioli because I love that commercial where that can follows the girl home. It would be awesome to just roll into people’s houses.

{Q} What happens to all the socks that disappear in

the dryer? {A} They turn into giant balls of lint that you pull out of the dryer. It just pops up from nowhere and forms giant blobs.

{Q} If Barbie is so popular why do you have to buy

her friends? {A} She’s rich, annoying, and mean, so she’s relying on you to buy her friends and you to be her friend.

{Q} If aliens landed in front of your house and

granted you one wish, what would it be and why? {A} To know if the Mayan Calendar is right or not so I could predict the future or to be able to teleport.

{Q} If you were a bald man would you wash your

head with shampoo or soap? {A} I would probably use the old spice hair and body gel so it could cover both areas.

{Q} If people from Poland are called “Poles”, why

aren’t people from Holland called “Holes”? {A} Because it’s pronounced differently. Poland actually has “Pole” in it but Holland isn’t pronounced that way so they should be called halls.

{Q} What would you do if a hobo attacked you? {A} I would throw a quarter in the opposite direction and run away. Really fast.

{Q}If you had to eat Play-Doh, what color would it be?

{A} I’d want it to be tie-dye so I could get a little taste of everything.

{the marquee} MAY 14, 2010

ed r u t a e f {

STORY BY LUKE SWINNEY Lying in the grass, senior Lilly Haynes furrowed her brow as she focused on the small metal puzzle that forms a ring in front of her. Her hand carefully sketched the ring she had placed in the lawn, trying to concentrate and memorize the object’s every curve. Finally, she snapped a quick picture to preserve the lighting of the scene and took her supplies into the house. Only a few more hours and her summer drawing assignment would be complete. After completing her pencil drawing “Lost Momentos,” Haynes said she never thought it’d be contest material. However, when her art teacher Jim Neiswender suggested she enter the piece into the National Scholastic Art Awards Competition (NSAAC), Haynes ended up winning a silver star, which places her in the top 1% out of 165,000 entries. “I’d worked so long on it and since I hadn’t entered it into a contest yet, I decided to try it,” Haynes said. “I was really shocked when I got the award, but it’s a big satisfaction. I’m glad that all the work I put into the piece paid off.” Haynes’ silver star marks the first time a Marcus student received a national award in the competition. While she said she’s most proficient in pencil drawing like the piece she won with, she said all types of art inspire her. “I like expressing the world around me,” Haynes said. “When you draw something in fine detail, it’s like you know that object really intimately and you know every shade and curve. It’s a special feeling. I love making images that grab people’s attention.” After graduating as valedictorian this year, Haynes said she’s considering exploring genetic engineering as a future career path. Neiswender said that through Haynes’ art, he can clearly see her opinions on life. “Her pieces talk about what we, as a society, are going to do in the future,” Neiswender said. “She, as a young person, is thinking about that already and is exploring it through her artwork. Hopefully her images can be a political and social avenue to make people talk about issues.” After four years of working together, Neiswender said he’ll be sad to see Haynes graduate because she’s become almost like a daughter to him. However, he said that no matter what she chooses to pursue, she’ll be successful. “Lilly’s work has soul to it,” Neiswender said. “It looks like the spirit of the artist is coming through the materials, on to the paper and the viewer can see it. That’s a pretty unique gift. It puts her up there with the best artists in the

world and she could easily be one of them. Whether she pursues that, only time will tell. But no matter what, art will always be a part of her.” Haynes’ winning piece will be a part of the NSAAC’s exhibit, and she will receive her silver star on June 9 at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Back when she thought “Lost Momentos” would be simply for an assignment, Haynes picked a puzzle ring as her object because of their meaning to her. “They kind of signify my philosophy in life,” Haynes said. “You have to put in a lot of hard work and patience to achieve your goals, which in this case is a completed puzzle ring. But in life, it’s so much more.”

photo by BECCA Dyer Standing in the same spot that she created her work of art in last summer, Lilly Haynes displays her pencil drawing “Lost Momentos” on Monday April 19.

design by nathaniel thornton

05/30/10

{the marquee} APRIL 9, 2010

{IN-DEPTH}

s major tests such as TAKS and AP tests come to an end and final exams approach, The Marquee decided to take a deeper look into the cheating habits of Marcus students. MAY 14, 2010 {the marquee}

design by maria heinonen photo by allison przybysz11

{IN-DEPTH}

The Facts of

source: The Educational Testing Service and Ad Council

Cheat ing

the act of representing another’s work as your own or acting dishonestly in order to gain an unfair advantage.

cheating among high school students has increased

Dramatically since the last 50 years

Grades

students are now focused more on than they are on

are the areas where cheating occurs the most.

STORY BY PATRICK IVERSEN AND LUKE SWINNEY

As her Latin class quietly works on their tests, Melisande Santos keeps herself busy at her desk, occasionally glancing from her computer at her students. One turns around to look at her, and they make eye contact. He quickly looks back down at his paper, and she smiles to herself as the clock slowly ticks by. She knows what’s going on. “I think students assume that most teachers are naïve,” Santos said. “Some are. But we’re not stupid. Students think they’re being stealthy, but they’re usually pretty obvious when they’re cheating.” With the advancement of technology over the past decade, Santos said it would be easy to think that students would take advantage of it. But she said she notices that students still use old-fashioned methods to get ahead in class. “I do think the district policies have had something to do with it,” Santos said. “Now students can’t just whip out their iPods or phones in class to look at notes or answers. But even then, the methods haven’t changed much. They use papers on the floor, they write it on their arms or hide notes in their laps…it’s all things that we used to do when we were kids.” In his third year teaching, geography teacher Alan Kohutek has already noticed a cheating problem. While he said it’s not an overwhelming problem, Kohutek said it’s still something teachers need to be aware of. “I’m young enough to where the Internet age started when I was in high school,” Kohutek said. “I remember seeing cheating all over the place. So technology has definitely made it easier to cheat, but it’s also easier to catch them. Cheating will always happen, but

it comes down to teachers limiting it as much as possible.” Kohutek said desperation was the biggest reason students cheated when he was in high school and he still sees that problem now. However, he said it’s still no excuse. “Students are probably stressed out because they’re busy as heck or because they put off assignments until the last minute,” Kohutek said. “Very rarely does a student actually think that they’re stupid and they have to cheat because of that. If a student thinks they can get an extra hour of sleep by cheating on a research paper or something like that, they’ll do it. It’s easier.” Over the years, Kohutek said he thinks cheating has transformed into a bigger dilemma because of the added stress students have today. While it might seem harmless to cheat on an assignment, Kohutek said it will hurt students in the long run. “Most people realize that cheating is fake success, that’s all it is,” Kohutek said. “But our problems are so much different than how they used to be. I think the average teenager today faces more stress and pressure than the average teenager in the 70’s and 80’s. So because of that, they’ll be more willing for the easy way out. So they cheat.” Santos said that she generally catches only one or two students cheating on quizzes per year, but generally the most cheating is done on homework. According to her, cheating on homework is easy, but doesn’t help them later in life. “Ultimately, they’re only hurting themselves,” Santos said. “If you cheat at your job, you’re not going to get detention, you’re going to get fired. I have more respect for the student that writes ‘I didn’t study, I’m sorry, can I retake it?’ on the top of their quiz than for the person who cheats. You don’t have to lie to us, we’re here to help.”

of college students admitted to cheating in high school in the 1940’s. of college students admitted to cheating in high school today.

75-98%

Then: the stuggling Now:

low grade student was more likely to cheat to simply scrape by. 12 graphics by shameer dhaliwal

the college bound, above-average student is more likely to cheat.

The black li nes located n ext t the question numbers, is how the scantron grades, so th e theory is to erase the lin es as completely a s possible. L ike th chapstick it resulted in a zero.

{the marquee} MAY 14, 2010

{IN-DEPTH} I AIN’T YO GRANNY

Paying for refusal COMPILED BY DEVON MILLER

GIRL

BOY

It’s wrong. People who cheat should get a 0. - Savannah Rico, 10

AP STUDENT Copying other people’s work is wrong. It matters more to AP kids because they’re taking classes to get college credit. - JT Zamenick, 10

FRESHMAN It’s not using your own knowledge so that doesn’t allow you to be as successul as you want to be. - Madison McKay, 9

It’s really hard to cheat because teachers use different tests and stuff. You’re not really learning anything. - Jonathan Olmstead, 11

REGULAR STUDENT I think it can be wrong if someone cheats off you because it’s your hard work and they’re stealing it. - Shane Smart, 9

SENIOR Cheating is just cheating yourself. We’ve all done it but in the end you don’t learn from it and it’s really just hurting yourself. - Amy Payton, 12

COMPILED BY NATASHA JORDAN AND DEVON MILLER

k lines c a l b e n n th stick o mber has bee p a h c Placing e question nu g. The idea th atin h next to n way of che interfere wit o ill the a comm chapstick w bility to use ’a the is that ron machines n. However, nt tro re the sca rade the scan scantron sco g he light to resulted in t ck chapsti zero. to of

MAY 14, 2010 {the marquee}

The Marquee decided to try out some popular scantron cheating myths to see if they were true. All myths were busted and resulted in nullifying the students score.

This theory is opposite of erasing the lines, instead of removing them, you will mark on top of the lines making them darker so that the light can’t pass through. Again, a zero.

Breyanna Washington “I’m sorry. I can’t do it.” I turned the other way and faced the board, ashamed of myself for not being the friend that he wanted me to be. I couldn’t see him, but I knew he had turned away. I felt guilty. I felt like the worst friend in the world—yet I was satisfied with my decision. I had taken my seat in the testing room with a pencil in hand. The teacher scooted around the room, making sure our phones were off and our seats were far enough apart. I looked away from the teacher and toward the desk to my left. My best friend had sat next to me. “It’ll be a piece of cake, huh?” he said. “You bet. Stop worrying, you’ll do fine.” I replied. I knew he didn’t believe me whenever I said he could pass. An hour had passed. I closed my mouth, holding in a long sigh. My vision was blurry with black letters and question marks. The desk next to me was rattling, and I could hear the grinding of teeth on the wood of a pencil. My friend was trying to contain his frustration-knowing he had no chance of passing. He looked at me with pleading eyes, mouthing words so the teacher couldn’t hear him. I read the words and frowned, disappointed because it was an exam of all things--an exam that would determine if I would move on to the next grade, but my friend—my best friend—was asking me to cheat. I closed my mouth and slowly shook my head no. I could see him say the words: please, please Bre. I kept shaking my head, slower and slower, wanting to say yes. I was always told that cheating was wrong in any way or form, but is it cheating if you’re helping your best friend? Yes. Nothing was worth losing my dignity and forgetting my moral responsibility. If I didn’t have a best friend, it would be the only thing I would have left. But my best friend was always going to be the one I did everything for because he was always there for me, right? It didn’t matter. Cheating is wrong. I looked at the sleeping teacher and started to whisper to my friend. “No, it’s wrong and I won’t do it.” “Won’t do what? You won’t help your best friend because of some guilty conscience?” Why didn’t he understand? What kind of friend can’t respect that his companion has an issue with giving the answers away? I had studied, but he didn’t respect that. I had betrayed him because my moral obligation was higher on my list of responsibilities than cheating. What did it matter? I was glad I had done the right thing. He turned away, angry and disappointed in me. I wanted to hug him, but I knew that wouldn’t mend the friendship I had just broken. I didn’t cheat and I was proud of myself. He turned toward a buddy of his and asked the question he had asked me. I guess what he considered “giving your friend a helping hand” was really “cheating and forgetting what’s right and wrong.”

design by maria heinonen 13

{SPORTS}

Softball team bonding keeps spirits up despite mixed district record girl has her own special pre-game ritual. “A bunch of us go to someone’s house to The Lady Marauders have one goal in watch inspirational sports movies like ‘The playoffs this season: make it to state and take Blindside’ or ‘Remember the Titans’ to pump the title of state champions. At press time, us up,” Wentz said. “Towards the beginning the team trails behind Coppell and Flower of the games our intensity during the games Mound in district rankings and has a 22-10 wasn’t as high as it should have been. Like record for the season. Junior Tanner Pipkin the movies, both of our losses inspired us said she thinks the softball season has been and they became a reality check.” a success and credits their success to the The Lady Marauders faced a major 1bonding and chemistry between the girls. 0 loss against Hebron. Wentz said that it “We finished 7-3 in district, losing to two inspired them to work harder and become good teams,” Pipkin said. “ We have had our more prepared for playoff games. Wentz ups and downs and been faced with some said that team captain senior Courtney Flaunexpected nary keeps the challenges, but team inspired by luckily our team bringing to school “Like the movies, both of our chemistry and large plush monlosses inspired us and they behard work got ster-like creatures came a reality check.” us through.” wearing their op-Reygan Wentz, 11 The softball ponents’ school team spends shirt to school on time together game days. on and of the field. Whenever one teammate “In our most recent games we’ve played is having a bad day or is upset junior Reygan Lewisville, Southlake Carroll, and Coppell,” Wentz said that the team is there to comfort Wentz said. “We have come to find a witch one another and get everyone focused. Wen- wearing a Lewisville shirt, a dragon piñata tz also said she believes that the family-like and a vampire wearing a Coppell shirt.” bonding is a key factor for the Lady MaraudTanner Pipkin believes that along with ers’ season. team bonding the team’s success can be “We consider each other family which credited to each player’s ability. lets us know that we got each other’s backs “There are always troubles when it comes when we are out on the field” Wentz said. to the girls but we try to keep the drama to Before each softball season starts there a very minimum.” Pipkin said. “Bonding and is an annual sleepover that welcomes new- chemistry play a major role with the team. comers to the team family. Whenever district We are now in playoffs ad we will have a difcomes around the team has dinners before ficult path but hopefully we can pull together every game day. Wentz also said that each and continue on our winning streak.”

STORY BY LAUREN ROSE

PHOTO BY SARAH QUINN Senior Jacob Morris catches the ball at the second game of the best of three series against Colleyville Heritage in the first round of playoffs. Winning the first two games 10-5 and 5-0, the team advanced to the second round of area playoffs against Mckinney Boyd on May 13 and May 14 at home at 8 p.m. and, if necessary, on May 15 at Hebron High School at 2 p.m.

Catcher experience aids team STORY BY ERRYN BOHon Walking up to the plate with pads and gloves in hand, starting catcher senior Jacob Morris is ready to start the game off strong. He has been catching for seven years with multiple teams so this game will be nothing new to him. Morris has been playing baseball with many select baseball teams throughout the years and in between high school baseball seasons. He moved here for his sophomore year two years ago from California, and said his experiences there helped him join be on the Marcus baseball team. Morris said that a team weak point so far in the season is their hitting and the overall team mind set. Hitting was not something the team could count on, he said, but they have started to come out of that shell and improve. Morris said he enjoys playing catcher because he is one of the people in control of the game. He also tries to influence the team and bring them together. Morris said there is a down side to his postition as well. “The catcher is basically baseball’s version of a quarterback, but my knees hurt sometimes,” Morris said. “It is tough squatting for two hours straight. I also try to help the team through my actions. I can be a very vocal person. I just choose not to be an ‘up in your face’ kind of guy. Actions speak louder than words.” Morris said that the season has been very unpredictable. “The season has kind of reminded me of Texas weather,” Morris said. “You do not know what you are going to get. If you just wait for a few days, everything can change.” Morris said the Flower Mound game was exciting because the team has been talking

design by breyanna washington

about how they need to “gel” together and that game helped them. Morris said that they picked each other up when someone would do something wrong and thus played the game well. Morris said that the 7-8 district record is “not that big of a deal” because they have come a long way this season. “Sometimes people forget that baseball is a game of failure,” Morris said. “If a player gets only three hits out of every ten at bats, he is considered successful. That is how I think of record is so far: successful.”

An in-depth look Junior catcher Trey Walker also said that the season has had several ups and downs but has all been worth it with their 6-1 win against undefeated Flower Mound on April 24, cinching a spot in the playoffs. “That was a game I will never forget,” Walker said. “We were playing some of the best baseball we’ve played all season and spoiling their undefeated season was the best part.” He said that they could have done better but in the end, they broke their previous losing trend by making it to the playoffs. The team advanced after two wins game against Colleyville Heritage High School on May 6 and 7 to the second round of area playoffs. They played against McKinney Boyd High School on May 13 and will be playing tonight at home at 8 p.m. and, if necessary, tomorrow May 15 at Hebron at 2 p.m. Come support the Marcus team advance farther into the playoffs.

{

}

PHOTO BY MARK TURNBULL Junior Danielle Blocker makes a base hit during their game against Flower Mound on Wednesday, April 28. Marcus went on to win their game 3-0 placing them third in district.

{the marquee} MAY 14, 2010

{SPORTS}

View from the asphalt The Marquee looks into the district victories and regional experiences of four competitors after travelling to Lubbock on May 3 and 4. A total of 12 competitors qualified for regionals. Compiled by carley meiners

Rachael Apfel,12 Matt Nacier, 12

Jenna Bigbie,12

photo submitted

Apfel qualified for regionals with her 4x1 relay and triple jump. Apfel broke the school record in triple jump her sophomore year and re-broke her own record this year with a 39.3 m. At regionals, Apfel ended up placing 5th in the triple jump. In the relay, her team missed the finals by .1 second, placing 10th. Despite this, Apfel said she looks back on her four years in track as a “great experience”. “I got a lot of memories out of it,” Apfel said. “It’s not really a disappointment. It’s just something that would have been awesome.”

Nacier was the district champion in discus throwing. This being his first year on varsity track, Nacier said he was nervous to compete against the number one thrower in the state. “Regionals is going to be nerve racking because only the top two go to state.” Nacier said. At regionals Nacier placed seventh place overall with a 146 in discus. “Our district is the toughest district for throwing all the best throwers are in our region,” Nacier said. I was happy with what I did though. I did the best I have all year.”

Bigbie qualified for regionals in the 4x100 relay along with Erin Jones and Brittany Jacobsen. Bigbie said it was “fun” to travel with friends. “Making regionals was really fun because I haven’t made regionals in the past three years,” Bigbie said. At regionals, Bigbie broke the school record in the 4x100, but she failed to qualify for state. “It was really harsh not to have made at least finals,” Bigbie said. “But I think we just all did really well and it was a lot of fun.”

photo by kyle anderson

Craig Lutz, 11

Craig was the district champion in 3200 m and the 1600 m race. He broke the nation’s high school boys’ mile record with a 4.09.38. He said he didn’t get nervous until the last stretch of the race. “I was afraid the guy behind me was going to catch me in the end, because I made a move earlier than I usually do,” Lutz said. “I pretty much brought everything like I have the rest of the season.” Lutz was the only athlete to qualify for state. He is traveling to Austin on May 14.

Ultimate team ties for third at state tournament STORY BY CARLEY MEINERS

5’4 vs. 6’8. The disc flies through the air. Smack. Tall Guy falls straight to the ground as Short Girl grabs the disc and looks for someone open. She passes the disc to the inzone scoring a point for her team. Tall Guy struggles to get up. A point closer to catching up their score, junior Riley Martin celebrates in victory. The Ultimate Frisbee team placed third overall in the 2010 UPA-sanctioned Texas High School state tournament on the weekend of April 17. Martin said the best thing about going to state was going up against teams that had much bigger players. {the marquee} MAY 14, 2010

“Scoring points against teams with seven state tournament pleasantly surprised him. foot guys was awesome,” Martin said. “We “To be honest, I thought we were going got all dirty and dove for things. ” to get our butts kicked at state,” Walker said. On Saturday April 17, the team won four “But the team proved me wrong. We could out of the have played better in five games the semi-finals against they played. Highland Park. And we “To be honest, I thought we were The next day, managed to crawl back going to get our butts kicked at they played within three points of state.” three more them. We just couldn’t -Austin Walker, 11 games in sinput them away.” gle eliminaMartin and Walker tion winning both agreed that the the first two, but losing the third against team could work on conditioning and getting Highland Park. their players in better shape. Walker said he Junior Austin Walker said the end of the would like to see the team be more inclined

{

}

to maintain a higher stamina. “Ultimate is a nonstop running and sprinting sport, with points often lasting five minutes or more,” Walker said. “This lack of conditioning makes us very weak on defense occasionally.” This season, the ultimate team record is 8-3. Walker said he treats every subsequent game with great importance to help team become better. “Ultimate is like a drug for me,” Walker said. “Everything after an ultimate game just moves in slow motion. I still remember all my best plays, in a sort of highlight reel in my head. They’re pretty much the highlights of my life.” design by breyanna washington

{SPORTS}

Senior ready to report for duty

Baseball captain appointed to US Air Force Academy STORY BY LUKE SWINNEY “Hello, this is the secretary to Congressman Michael Burgess. I’ll put you through to the Congressman.” Senior Drew Burns was speechless. Ten minutes earlier

he had been sitting in calculus class, swamped with home- around in a wagon, but my mom wouldn’t let me. It meant a work on limits and derivatives. Now, he was on the phone lot that the team was there for me and that made me excited with a member of the House of Representatives. for the team mentality at the Academy.” “It was a little nerve-wracking,” Drew said. “He told me I Drew’s father, Michael Burns, was an ‘84 graduate of the had a full appointment to the Air Force Academy. I was ex- USAFA and served in the Air Force for six years in active cited and told everyone on my baseball team once I got to duty and almost 15 more in the reserves. Michael said that the field. It was a good day at practice.” although he knows Drew will be put in harm’s way overseas, After doing interviews and physicals, filling out stacks of he’s proud of his son’s patriotism. paperwork and writing numerous essays, Drew finally re“The world has changed,” Michael said. “When I went to ceived one of approximately 1,200 United States Air Force the Academy, it was a whole different era. Then I served in Academy (USAFA) appointments out of nearly 20,000 appli- the middle of the Cold War where we knew who the bad guys cants. To even be considered were. It’s all kind of changed now, for this full ride to the Acadbut I think it’s neat he’s following in emy, the President, Vice-Presimy footsteps.” “Baseball’s made me part of a dent or a Congressman had to As a captain of the baseball team, and now I have to transition nominate Drew based on the team, Drew said leadership plays into a bigger team at the Academy.” essays he wrote. a big role on the baseball diamond -Drew Burns, 12 “After putting in so much as well as at the Academy. Once work and writing probably 30 graduated from the AFA, Drew will essays once the process was be an officer, which puts him ahead complete, it was a huge relief to get my appointment,” Drew of people who simply enlist. said. “We started last summer and have been constantly fill“They want leaders at the Air Force Academy,” Drew ing out papers and forms. It’s been tough, but it’s worth it.” said. “In the acceptance process, it’s pretty equal between However, an unexpected discovery in one of Drew’s man- leadership, academics and athleticism as factors. Baseball’s datory USAFA physicals threatened to stall his application made me part of a team, and now I have to transition into a process and put his Air Force hopes in jeopardy. When doc- bigger team at the Academy.” tors tried taking his pulse, Drew had an irregular heartbeat Drew said that after the Academy he plans to go to flight and was forced to have a catheter ablation, a surgery in school and become a fighter pilot for the Air Force. While which faulty electrical pathways are removed from the heart. he knows that the 20+ hours of schooling each week and the Now he has recovered from his Oct. 30 surgery and is still rigors of military life will be difficult, he said he’s ready. healthy enough to be fighter pilot certified. Drew said his “It’s a little bit scary,” Drew said. “I’m going to have to grow baseball teammates helped him throughout his surgery and up next year because it is military life. I could be completely kept him positive. independent from my parents if I wanted to because I’ll have “The day after my surgery was Halloween so my friends health insurance and they give me a paycheck each month. tried to convince my mom to let me go out trick-or-treating,” I have to grow up soon and I’ll be in the real world whether Drew said. “I couldn’t walk so they were going to pull me I like it or not.”

{

PHOTO BY SARAH QUINN Senior Drew Burns warms up before the first game of the best of three series for the 2010 playoff season against Colleyville Heritage High School on May 7. The Marauders defeated the Panthers 10-5.

Conner raised his cup, smiling wide. The teammate raised his in response and then they both downed the remainders of their drinks. Tuesday, 2:35 p.m. Devon Miller The numbers on the white board slid in and out of focus as Connor tried to concentrate through the pounding in his head. He lifted Friday, 11:00 p.m. His teammates swarmed him as the game ended. They his pencil to attempt one of the problems but just dropped it tackled him in celebration of the defeat of their high school again. Someone nudged his left shoulder. He turned to see football rivals. The fans in the stands cheered for their star the girl next to him offering him a water bottle. “The only solution for a hangover,” she whispered with a player as he smiled up at them from the pile of athletes, raisknowing smile, “is more alcohol.” ing his fist in the air. Connor Collins* was a hero to them. She shook the bottle, disturbing the clear liquid inside. Later that night he made his way through the crowded party, trying not to spill the precious liquid in his plastic red Connor took it from her, opening it quickly and taking a large cup. He was congratulated from all sides, receiving pats on gulp. He coughed as the liquid burned his throat, alerting the back and high fives from everyone. He decided to go out- his teacher. She walked over and asked if there was a probside to get some air, but on his way to the front door he ran lem. Connor shook his head quickly, making the throbbing worse. He grabbed his head in pain as the teacher grabbed into a table, slipping and crashing into a dancing student. “Sorry,” he slurred out, gathering himself and continuing the water bottle. She started to open it, then closed it and to the door. Opening it, he walked on to the patio and saw put it back on his desk. She walked back to the front of the one of his teammates through blurred vision. Shakily, room. She knew what it was, but Connor was a good kid, the

MALFOY IS MINE

Star athletes get benefit of the doubt

design shelby bookout

}

star football player. Wednesday, 11:25 a.m. Connor slowly inhaled the fumes that were filling the room, feeling the buzz set in. The scent filled his nostrils and as he passed the joint to the boy next to him, a janitor opened the door of the locker room. He dropped it on the floor in surprise. The janitor picked it up and threw it away as the players rushed out. “Congratulations on the game,” muttered the janitor. Was there a point in telling anyone? he thought. Connor’s a role model. People look up to him. This would ruin him. Thursday, 8:00 a.m. He stood on the football field, laughing as he attempted to control the kids running around. He was at Adopt-an-Athlete, his favorite time of the week. He called a timeout and the kids gathered around him, smiling and laughing, eyes shining with adoration. To them, he was a role model. To them, he was a hero. The kids grasped his arm with their tiny hands and dragged him on to the field to play with them. As he grabbed the ball and ran away from the kids, a dip can fell out of his pocket. He kept running and didn’t notice as a small boy reached down to pick it up, wondering what it was. He’s the star football player. He opened the can, grabbing a bit of the brown stuff. He’s a role model. He put it in his mouth. He’s a hero. *All people and events are fictional. {the marquee} MAY 14,2010

Top 10 activities students use to procrastinate on homework

{ENTERTAINMENT}

COMPILED BY ALEXANDRA MEHLHAFF

clean room room 10 clean

5 hanging hanging out out with with friends friends

9 outdoor activites

4 hunger

8 napping

3 video games

7 reading a book

2 t.v.

6 cellphone cellphone

1 computer/Internet

In a desperate attempt to escape the horrors of nightly school work, students will sometimes surprise their parents by going on a little cleaning spree in their rooms. Little to the parents’ knowledge, their children will do about anything to avoid that homework. So why not ask them to wipe the floors or vacuum the carpet? They get home cleaning while their kids continue to procrastinate.

While bicycling and rollerblading outside have the wonderful bonus of a workout, going around the neighborhood a few times or riding down a few trails can also take more time than expected. You will be fit but not necessarily prepared for whatever comes your way.

Nothing is better than a wonderful nap after a long day at school. A half an hour to a full hour might just be perfect, but every now and then the alarm fails to go off and students may find themselves tumbling around in their sheets, waking up at two in the morning. Well, the homework didn’t get done, but at least the student got some nice shut-eye.

There’s always the alternative of reading a fascinating book instead of doing homework. Let’s be honest, if you are caught up in the Twilight book series and can’t seem to wait to find out if Bella gets her dear Edward back, then there is no way you want to focus on your homework. And hey, you might even develop a higher vocabulary about sparkling vampires when finished with that.

Calling up your friends always sounds like a fun plan, except when there is a ten page research paper due in history class, or those five pages of math homework that need to be turned in tomorrow. Maybe hanging out with friends isn’t such a brilliant idea as the amount of homework starts to pile up.

There’s always that little tickle in the back of your mind that tells you, “Hey, I think you’re hungry.” And, of course, teenagers listen to it. They chow down on food, munch after munch, eating away the hours until hey, guess what? It is now midnight and they have to get up early, but at least the stomach is satisfied.

Video games are a major detour on the path to getting things done. Instead of heading straight towards Finished Highway, students run into a dead-end along Xbox Lane and Playstation Street. Not to mention all those speed bumps they hit after facing bosses to get over to the next road. Kids should turn around and speed back towards finishing on that freeway to get everything done.

Cell phones are a distraction while driving and trying to uphold conversation with people, so homework doesn’t stand a chance against this mighty technology. Why type on a calculator to figure out the boiling point of a substance when you can play any app of the iPhone, or when you can text people who will actually have something interesting to say? Getting stuff done and finishing your homework definitely has to give up against to cell phones.

The second most common way kids procrastinate is by watching television. It’s hard to focus on your homework when a new episode of Jersey Shore comes on. Or what about those hours that fly by when a marathon of The Office starts up? Let’s face it, television is a deterrent to doing homework.

The number one way to procrastinate is...Hang on a minute. I need to check my Facebook. Wait a bit more; I need to check my MySpace. Ooh! Ooh! I need to look something up on YouTube. Oh, I love this music video. I think I will watch this for awhile. Better yet, get back to me; I will be on the computer for a few hours.

COMPILED BY ERRYN BOHON graphic by shameer dhaliwal

MAY Nickelback American Airlines Center 15 $35-$85 MAY Drake The Palladium Ballroom 19 $40 {the marquee} MAY 14, 2010

Buffet MAY Jimmy Pizza Hut Park 22 $44.50-$126 is What We Aim For MAY Cute The Loft 27 $13

Roadshow MAY Bamboozle Six Flags Over Texas 29 $15-$20 plus entr y ticket and Dunn MAY Brooks superpages.com 29 $25-$71 Starship and 3OH!3 JUNE Cobra The Palladium Ballroom 4 $25 And Jill Scott JUNE Maxwell American Airlines 8 $47-$150 design by amy hillberry

{ENTERTAINMENT}

S U C R MA STORY BY JOEY ULFSRUD PHOTOS BY MARK TURNBULL

ts e r c e s f o r e b st myth: cham 1 The myth comes from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, specifically the Chamber of Secrets. The myth itself is an obvious fallacy, specifically because it was spawned from a work of fiction. However, the Chamber of Secrets myth paved the way for the creation of the myth that Marcus has a hidden basement. As a result, the team decided to petition Mr. Mullin for a tour of said hidden basement. Let me start out by saying that no, technically, there is no basement. There is a tunnel that runs under a certain portion of the school, and there is also a boiler room, but no basement. The ‘Busters scored a tour of the boiler room, which only contained the water heating, rigging, and electricity that keeps the school running. So, all of this machinery, though mysterious, serves a purpose that is beneficial for the school, and there were no signs of a basilisk or of Tom Marvolo Riddle. However, the team was not able to be taken on a tunnel tour, due to safety reasons and insurance. However, as bona fide scientific specialists, we simply cannot rule out that there might just be a Chamber of Secrets down there. I didn’t hear any hissing though.

conclusion: Basement: Busted Chamber of Secrets: Plausible

f o o r e h t n o nd myth: pool 2

A student would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of the myth that there is a pool on the roof of Marcus. The myth is obviously well-circulated and is furthered by most of the administration at the school. However, the truth is a lot less fun, and leaves no room for mystery. Though the busters never got a tour on the roof, anyone we questioned about the pool on the roof immediately told us that it did not exist. With this quantity of secondhand Mythbusting, the team thought it would be okay to pass off the myth as busted. Mr. Mullin, however, did talk about a room on the roof that the maintenance crew calls “the penthouse.” Supposedly, this room houses air conditioning, but we once again have to state that we cannot say for sure that the penthouse is not a place for the Marcus administration to party.

conclusion: Pool : Busted Penthouse: Plausible

18 design by shelby bookout

Marcus High School is no stranger to myths. Fables that there is a pool on the roof or that there is a Chamber of Secrets in the S-hall girls’ bathroom have circulated through the halls and generations of MHS. Reporter and overall handyman Joey Ulfsrud and his crack team of Mythbusters, spelunker Lauren Rose, explosive expert Mark Turnbull, and special effects creator Shelby Bookout decided to take on the many myths of Marcus. Assistant Principal and honorary Mythbuster Jason Mullin graciously took the team on a tour to investigate the origin and possible existence of these myths.

apps e u s s i e h of t

REVIEWS BY JOEY ULFSRUD

FIELDRUNNERS GAME $4.99

Fieldrunners is the best game on the iPhone hands down. Defend your base from wave after wave of enemies, with your maze of tower-soldiers. Fantastic.

EMAIL ‘N’ WALK UTILITY $.99

Text someone on your iPhone while seeing the ground through the camera. Learn to walk and talk with your phone, in order not to stop and block. Limited app, though.

BLOWERREAL AIR NOVELTY $.99

This app is very odd; use your speakers to blow compressed air out of your iPhone. Extremely obscure, makes a wierd noise, but has some novelty value.

9-TOOL-BOX

ORGANIZATION $.99

The app is actually 9 apps revolving around organization and planning, a must-buy for all iPhone owners, and for anyone who wants a little more organization. {the marquee} MAY 14, 2010

d n u o R Table

{ENTERTAINMENT}

with

Remedial Remedial Coloring

With the Battle of the Bands on May 8 at the Lewisville Amphitheatre, The Marquee decided to take a closer look into one of the featured bands that performed, Remedial Coloring. The band features Marcus senior Sergio Garcia along with former students Sean Peters and Bryant Field.

STORY BY LAUREN ROSE PHOTOS BY TAYLOR THOMAS TheMarquee How did your band get started? Me and Sergio started to play around and jam because music is major to us. That’s pretty much the gist of it. I just knew them so I got into the band. We needed a bass player and Bryant was there when we needed him. Me and Bryant used to jam with a kid named David so were familiar with each other music wise.

Remedial Coloring band members agree that they appreciate all types of music so they decided to make a mixture of genres. What kind of music do you guys play and why do you play it? Because I play guitar, I get to decide what we play. I do a lot of blues, punk and ska music stuff so that’s what we end up playing. We play punk because it’s so easy and if you mess up no one knows. It’s like if Iggy Pop and Cher had a child or something like that happened it would be our band. Why Cher? None of us like her. Because she’s cool. She’s hip. None of us listen to her though. I listen to Cher. Wow I can’t believe I admitted that. We’re basically punk, but we do a lot of ska music and techno music too sometimes.

The band also believes that there are two types of music in the Denton music scene: indie music, where folk guitar is played with soft vocals, and metal music, where the base of the sound is the lead singer screaming. The band has many goals but mainly they want to make music that they and other music lovers can appreciate. The band also focuses on ways to have fun with each other like writing songs about their everyday lives and covering popular songs. Our songs are really random and weird. We don’t focus on serious stuff. We have a lot of fun together in that band but the word that represents our band best is sass. I mean if you get to know Sergio he’s really sassy. Bryant on the other hand is fairly sassy. You can just tell by looking at the little mohawk he has in his license

{the marquee} MAY 14, 2010

picture that he is sassy. I think that Sean is a really good leader. He puts us in the right direction. The dynamic of our band is that Sergio is pretty quiet and Bryant is the bassist so he is like a refrigerator. I just talk a bunch because I’m obnoxious like that. music.

No one is on top really; we all contribute ideas to the band in writing songs and

We play a lot of shows but we don’t do it really for other people. It’s more for our own enjoyment. We just go on stage and play whatever we want. We’ll play Blink 182. We don’t care what other people think.

Because successful bands make large sums of money in the music industry the band was asked if they play their music for money. Because of the lyrics the band comes up with they do not believe that anyone would buy their silly songs. I bet our parents would buy our music. My mom wouldn’t, are you kidding me? Yeah, I guess you’re right but my parents would because they go to every show. My parents probably would because they go to some of my shows and know I love to jam with people.

As the interview came to an end, Remedial Coloring revealed to The Marquee what they believe being in a band has taught them. Sean and Bryant have known each other since the fourth grade and later became friends with Sergio whenever he moved to Texas from Mexico. By knowing join a band and pick up an instrument. Our main message is to be open to all types of music because you could like everything even though other people may not. Success is not defined by numbers of records you’ve sold because Daniel Johnston didn’t sell a lot and he is a legend and great musician. It’s the good times that you have with your friends that matter. If you’re going to start a band then just go for it. Play what you want to play not what others want you too. We plan to rock and the rolling will eventually happen but primarily the rock is what matters.

design by amy hillberry and nathaniel thornton

CAROLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CARDS & GIFTS Your one-stop

graduation gift shop!

ate i g lle o! Co s to m ite

Located at: 5801 Long Prairie Road, Flower Mound TX, 75028 Phone #: 972-539-1700 Hours: 10-7 M-F, 10-6 SAT, 1-5 SUN

Snooze your Email, set reminders, never lose any important Emails again. Email assignments, attachments, tasks reminders to your inbox. Visit us at

www.informmelater.com 20

{STAFF OPINION}

Drug policy meets good change For years, the Lewisville Independent School District has strictly held to a zero-tolerance policy regarding punishment for students. The “one size fits all” method drew plenty of critics, and finally last month LISD did away with zero-tolerance. The disbanding of the policy is a major step forward in rethinking the district’s unflexible and at times excessive philosophy on punishment. The district’s zero-tolerance policy, along with the Code of Conduct, made it mandatory to expel students to JJAEP if they were merely in the possession of a banned substance. The rule was a sort of “blanket policy”: the same punishment for every crime, regardless of any mitigating factors. The issue here is that the Code of Conduct doesn’t specifically mention any consideration being given for disabilities impairing a student’s capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of the student’s conduct for any type of disciplinary action. More troubling, though, is that the district’s zero tolerance policy mandated a minimum 45 day suspension in JJAEP for any use or possession of drugs or alcohol. It’s reasonable to imagine that a student could have pills in his possession without knowing they are unprescribed and still go to JJAEP for 45 days. Whether he was guilty of consciously committing a crime didn’t matter. Under zero tolerance, he was guilty by mere possession and therefore suspension was justified. The Code of Conduct does vaguely mention that some consideration can be taken, but just having the policy of zero tolerance in the book is enough to make administration feel that

they are forced into handing down an immediate expulsion. That sort of thinking was not fair to students. Such a blanket rule was a cop-out for an administration that fears using actual discretion when punishing students. The alternative method is neither easy nor enjoyable. The administration will now have to treat suspensions on a case-by-case basis, fairly evaluating both the crime itself and the factors surrounding the crime. This is all according to a state law passed in June of 2009, one that the district neglected to take into account when forming its Code of Conduct in July. In this case, the law is undeniably correct. Crimes concerning alcohol and illegal substances are not always black and white. The contributing factors are often times enough evidence to prove a student’s innocence, so to simply punish without full evaluation of the circumstances only harms the student’s education. Supporters of the policy believed that a mandatory 45-day punishment was beneficial because it taught students to not surround themselves with the wrong sort of people. This might be the case, but the length of such a punishment seems excessive. If the first week is enough to teach a lesson, the remaining weeks are enough to teach the student to despise the district while depriving them of proper education. Factor in the students that are “blanket” punished despite their innocence, and you have an excessive policy that does more harm than good. Another issue that needs to be addressed is the timing of the Code of Conduct formation, which did not remove zero

tolerance. Whether LISD informed principals of the law afterwards is not as important as the apparent ignorance of the law. We don’t need to unnecessarily ruin the lives and futures of kids who make some bad decisions, and that is precisely what the zero tolerance policy accomplished. State legislature was correct in thinking that full consideration of the context of the crime was necessary before actual punishment was handed out. While it may have erased the effects of the drug bust a month ago, the raised awareness of the policy can only be a good thing. It will cost administration more time and effort, but ultimately a case-by-case approach to punishment will benefit students.

Looking Back:

S.D

Students, school at fault in soap issue As children, we are taught to always, always wash our hands. If we don’t, we risk the threat of illnesses transferred from contact with infected people like the cold or the flu. However, many years after criss-cross applesauce, Marcus went back on that one rule. After students put soap on the floor in several restrooms, the school removed all soap from the soap dispensers for a week when a teacher fell and was injured. But after just one day of soap-filled freedom, someone spilled more soap across the bathroom floor, proving how much the student body has grown up. If this problem is going to be solved, students need to show more class and act their age. It’s widely regarded as fact that as people get older, the maturity level is supposed to rise with age. However, after stink bombs in the halls or running through the halls dressed as Spiderman, students this year aren’t known for being mature adults like most would think. If the student body wants to be respected, and not have soap taken away

MAY 14, 2010 {the marquee}

from them like five year olds, they need to stop petty antics and act like adults. It’s not every student’s fault for a few kids covering the floor in soap or some other childish activity. However, that doesn’t mean everyone is innocent. Everyone is guilty of ignoring something wrong, according to the famous quote, “Evil prevails when good men fail to act.” Though spilling soap is far from an “evil” act, the point still remains. If no one stops these things from happening then they will never cease. If the students do cherish their soap, then they need to step up and stop kids from messing with it to begin with. If they don’t stop it, they really don’t have room to complain about not having it. Administration should not have to deal with such a childish issue like spilling soap on the floor. That is the students’ responsibility. However, there’s another solution that the administration could do. If someone spills soap on the floor or a toilet over-

flows, this makes it very uncomfortable for other bathroom users who must then guess the origins of the mystery fluid on the floor. A way to fix this is the school could instruct the janitors to make a few quick stops in every bathroom during periods and clean up the mess if there is one. By only having one or two checks a day by the janitors, it leaves much more time for things like overflows and soap spills to be a problem. Instead, the school could have more checks per period to make sure if someone tried to pull a prank or a toilet simply broke, that they wouldn’t endanger anyone on the slippery tile floors. Almost a decade ago, most of our students were in elementary school. It’s unlikely that in grade school students learned it is good manners to spill the soap on the floor. To solve this issue, students and faculty need to start working together. That means no spilling soap and other antics from students, and better, more practical solutions from administration. Stay classy, Marcus.

design by breyanna washington

{OPINION}

I RUN INTO PARKED CARS

Lack of ideas spurs change

Class “A” advisors

Adopt an english teacher

AP’s work on the DL

Throughout the year, English teachers show their dedication to their students by providing them with a better understanding of literature and a higher vocabulary. As a thank you, tables turned on the week of April 12 when select English Honor Society students gave gifts to these revered teachers, such as apples, pencils and various bookstore gift cards.

As a staff, we like to complain about the Assistant Principal’s crackdown on dress code, food and herding us into the red gates, but we took a closer look and realized they do a lot on our campus. Because of them our campus runs smoothly. AP’s work hard to make sure students get their textbooks, parking is under control and that maintenance is taken care of.

For the past year, all four journalism staffs have dealt with advisors that we would like to give a great thanks to, LaJuana Hale and Jodie Flolid. Even with it being Flolid’s first year at Marcus, they both did an outstanding job in leading their students to produce award-winning journalism publications. They may drive us up the wall, but we will always love them.

{BOOMBAS} THINGS WE LIKE

Patrick Iversen

What you are reading right now is my seventh attempt at writing a column. I’ve written, deleted, rewritten, redeleted, and rerewritten this thing for almost two weeks now, and gotten absolutely nowhere. So what you’re reading is my version of raising the white flag. I’ve tried writing about my family, but decided that was too cliché. Sorry mom. I’ve attempted to pontificate on the causes of our desolate society, but realized my vocabulary isn’t big enough. I actually finished nearly a paragraph about how much I hate squirrels. But it’s hard to rant when you’re in a good mood. So I eventually settled on sports. Only my editors hated it almost as much as I did. So I’ve given up. I don’t know what’s come over me, but the creative juices just aren’t flowing right now. I’ve written hundreds of columns in the past few years, you think I’d be able to come up with something. But instead I’m writing about my complete and total lack of any inspiration for anything anymore. I can’t be pushed to work on homework. When I get a bad grade on something, I just shrug and smile. I have to force myself to work on my blog, even though it’s a huge career opportunity. There’s a ton of stuff that still needs to be finished before I leave for college, but I lack any motivation to actually do it. It’s not laziness. That’s just not me. It’s not that I don’t want to do anything; it’s that I’m struggling to care about the consequences for not doing it. And I’ve never had that attitude before. I used to be a model student. Grades and responsibility came before anything or anyone else in my life. Organized and dependable, I always policed myself when I started veering off the right path. Part of it was my parent’s positive influence on my life. Part of it was the high standards I set for myself. But over the last two years, all that has changed. My backpack is a pit of death for my homework. I don’t care about grades and slack off at every possible opportunity. Even my reign as editor has been affected by my attitude shift. And now my entire life has been engulfed by it. I can’t really pinpoint the cause of my sudden lack of caring. It could be from senioritis. It might be from the unfortunate things that have happened in my life recently. Or it could just be that this is my natural state, that it’s part of my personality to begin to care less and less. I hope not. Because it has to change. I realize that. I’m going to be going to college soon, and I won’t survive a single semester with this philosophy still intact. My career in journalism will be ridiculously short if I don’t change. I need motivation. I need something to drive me forward. I used to think it was something material that I needed. I was wrong. My future should be more than enough to push me. And if I keep on the path that I’m on, I’ll put my future in jeopardy. So consider this column as my first step. What is it they say about alcoholics? That the first step to solving your problem is admitting you have one? I’ve got a serious problem. Now I have to turn this in and start fixing things.

22 design by amy hillberry

LEGEND...WAIT FOR IT...DARY

Two sides to politics not always effective Taylor Ross If you look at the political agenda today, what do you see? Two parties, the conservative Republicans and the liberal Democrats. There’s only two way to view things, conservative and liberal, right and wrong, black and white, correct? Listen America, there are more than two sides to every story and it’s the same for politics. Nothing is as simple as it seems. The way the government functions nowadays, the groups of liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats have been isolated by the two-sided ideology. If anyone attempts to take ideas from both sides, they are persecuted by both sides. There can be no compromise anymore. There can only be two answers to a question in Washington: right or wrong. Since there has been little if no major party rule in the last few decades, it should be painfully obvious that the two parties are no longer the powerhouses in Washington. With around 40% swing vote, voters now believe that they have to appeal to half of their beliefs, making them choose the lesser of two evils rather than another choice altogether that actually represents them. Now, admittedly, there are third parties like the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Tea Party that have attempted to change the views of politics from two differing

Do you think

? MARCUS

isp rev a l e n t a t

cheating

Compiled by kate o’toole Photos by kyle anderson

opinions. Truth is, the political leaders in Washington have made it nearly impossible to give the ever-growing swingvote what they really want. For a political hopeful to receive funding from the Federal Election Commission they must either receive 5% of the vote from the previous election or raise $5000 from every state from individual $250 dollar donations. Riddle me this Washington, how can a hopeful political party get their voice successfully heard like the Republicans and the Democrats can when they can’t even get their foot in the door? It’s true that parts of the government need an overhaul, like the new healthcare bill and the desperate need of a new version of the welfare system. It’s time to fix all the problems. America needs to hit a major reset button. Not rewrite the constitution, but maybe stop the politicians who base their ideology not on those they claim to serve but on tradition and expired ideas. Stop them from having a chokehold on American existence and let ideas flow into Washington, free of the corruption derived from money and power. Stop them from approaching all ideas with one view-point rather then the millions of views they are called upon to represent. Stop them from seeing in Republican and Democrat, right and wrong, black and white.

“I don’t think cheating is like a huge deal here, but we could do more things to prevent it when it happens.” Madison Brickey, Freshman

“Yeah, because I witness it. People do it all the time and they don’t really get caught.” Maddie Haight, Sophomore

{the marquee} MAY 14 , 2010

{OPINION} Waketon sleeps

Dirty Dancing

Students and staff that go through Waketon remember the unavoidable potholes that made heads hit the car roof and left tires distressed. As much as the newly paved road is appreciated; it was truly a hassle having the entrance closed during construction. Having all the drivers enter through Dixon took away valuable sleep-in time.

Dance is all about grace and beauty. It gets difficult for students to look graceful while dancing when the floor in the dance room is covered in shed hair. Any student that takes dance as an elective realizes the disgusting situation and is forced to deal with picking long locks off the bottom of their socks. Yuck!

Learn to new beat Sprint to TAKS is meant to be a learning tool to prepare students for the upcoming TAKS test, but that can get distracting when the videos have a clip of an obnoxious tune that gets stuck in student’s head for the rest of the day. Trying to remember that the square root of nine is three is nearly impossible when I can’t stop jingling “do do do do, ba ba bum bum bum.”

{HEYS}

THINGS WE DON’T LIKE

Future decision changes thoughts Natasha Jordan “Dad, why should I have children?” I asked. His simple response, “Because they can bring you joy.” After he told me this, my mind went straight to the history behind families and what they have become. In the 1950s, the new “American Dream” sprung up with the cliché white picket fence, the stay-at-home mom, two children, one boy and one girl, a dog, and the father bringing home the bacon. In some respects, that is still the American dream today. However, we are under the illusion that we will graduate from high school, go to college, fall in love, get married, buy a house, have kids, and then wait to be grandparents. This is a great picture for some. In the past four years I have realized I don’t want it. With watching my younger brother grow up, I have realized what true parenting takes and what has to be given up to do it. I have realized that my parents have sacrificed so much for my sister, my brother and I, and they never get true appreciation for all they do. They spend countless weekends at the soccer field, through the winter snow, rain, and summer heat. They spend countless dollars so that we can do pretty much whatever our hearts desire. And in all they do, they rarely get to go out by themselves or spend money on the things they truly want.

Brendon Lockette, Junior

MAY 14, 2010 {the marquee}

Death brings friends closer

Erryn Bohon

NOT TASHA

“Yeah, I think it is. Teachers don’t always watch and people can just get away with it.”

DANCING QUEEN

I do want children, don’t get me wrong, they are God’s gift to parents, but I don’t know if I am willing to give up everything my parents have for them. That may sound selfish but I have aspirations that I want to accomplish, and children quite frankly would get in the way of that. I want to go to college and experience the magnificent wonders of the world. People do bring children with them on trips, however, from experience it is a nuisance to bring a stroller everywhere you go, not to mention having to stop almost every hour because someone has to go to the bathroom. And when the fun begins, someone is cranky and everything must stop to take a nap. Again, don’t get me wrong, I love my younger brother, and he is one of the best things that has ever happened to my family, but if he weren’t here some aspects of our lives would be a lot easier. In considering my conversation with my dad about why people choose to have children, his response was rather simplistic yet holds so much truth. Even in giving up so much for his children, there are postitives of having them. He finds joy in the little things we do, like curling up next to him when watching T.V. or when we make good grades, or score the winning goal. Maybe in these simple things the good out weights the bad.

“No, there are way bigger issues here than cheating.”

Michael Washington, Senior

“I think it happens quite a bit. I usually catch someone cheating on vocab quizzes, especially in the beginning of the year and then I have to write them up.” Richard Treat, Teacher

“Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” Romans 12:15 NKJV One year, four months and two days ago. This was a day that I would never forget. That memory would never go away no matter how hard I tried. I remember the scene like it was yesterday. My friend, Carsyn Wegman, lost her dad that day. Charlie Wegman had been fighting lymphoma for over a year and was about to receive a bone marrow transplant a few days after Christmas. He was admitted into Baylor Medical Center of Dallas four days before the surgery because of complications and weakness. However, things started to get worse and family and friends were called in to say goodbye. When my family arrived at the hospital around 6:00 p.m, we found his loved ones gathered in the lobby. I couldn’t cry, because it didn’t seem real. He had been fighting for so long and I could hear his mother-in-law telling his children, “He has just a few more days left.” Carsyn, his oldest daughter, was my best friend. We have done everything together. From late night talks to crazy sleepovers, we were inseparable. Her dad was like my dad. It was almost unreal to see her going through this situation. She was so strong all the time. Out of the four kids, she was the closest to him. My family has known the Wegman family for many years. We met them at church several years ago and they became our family. We have gone on annual summer vacations with them since my fifth grade year and it all started out when we went to Colorado. Her dad drove ten people in a RV to Estes Park, Colorado. I can just picture the way her dad would be the “leader”. He would be the person to bring everyone together and make sure we’re all behaving. When our families are together, we bond, we enjoy it. On Jan. 5, 2009, Carsyn and I were closer than ever. Our bond because of that day will always be strong. At the memorial service on Jan. 10, I saw her cry probably for the first time that day. I know we will always be there for each other, in good times and bad. On April 24, 2010, The Dallas Chapter of the Lymphomathon was held in Fair Park. Over 125 family members and friends were there to support the Wegman family. There were t-shirts made that said “Charlie’s Angels” and “Charlie’s Wingman.” To be there in honor of Charlie was so uplifting for everyone. It was a positive experience reflecting on a sad time. Even though Carsyn and I both have less time together now than when we were kids, we always find time to talk through our hectic schedules. She is involved in three cheerleading teams and I am on the drill team. We only get time to see each other at church every Sunday. We share good moments and bad together just like any friends do. Memories of Charlie will always come back around each year, from birthdays to Father’s Day. He was a very respected and gentle person who always will be forever in my thoughts and prayers. design by amy hillberry

{SPOTLIGHT}

SHMALLISON SHMIBISH

Adopted pet warms student’s heart Allison Przybysz

3. 1.

At only six months old, pitbull terrier Sabrina

looks through the plexiglass front of her kennel.

Kennel technician Robin Vallee holds a six-yearold cat named Gabby on Tuesday, May 4 at the Flower Mound Animal Adoption Center.

A four-year-old Tabby cat named Alley peers

through her kennel. The Flower Mound Animal Adoption Center has seen a surplus of cats like Alley this spring. 4. Mix breed puppy Prada snuggles against Robin Vallee’s shoulder.

24 design by amy hillberry, photos by allison przbysz

“Just because we’re going to the pound doesn’t mean we’ll get a dog,” my dad told me. Yeah, sure Dad, whatever you say, but can you please hurry up and get in the car so I can go pick out the dog you’ll get me? It’s December 28, 2008, and after seeing how disappointed I was when I didn’t receive a dog for Christmas, my dad finally caved in and decided to let me go “visit” dogs at the animal shelter. Although he said we may not get one, I know he couldn’t resist the cuddly cuteness of a dog, or my powers of persuasion. Ten minutes later we pull up to the pound. I thought a pound was a nasty, depressing place full of sick animals and an odor of death in the air. This place, the Flower Mound Animal Adoption Center, was not like that at all. It was a large building with shining clean floors and a welcoming atmosphere. It was a five star hotel for dogs and cats without homes. They were shown compassion, and many of them were treated exponentially better than they had ever been in their lives. I first met a Pomeranian Chihuahua mix named Pretzel, and then a dog of an unknown breed named Gypsy. The two dogs were both beautiful creatures, but neither were right for me. As my dad and I were browsing through the kennels, I spotted one I must have missed. His tag read that his name was Max and he was male, 7+ years old, a schnoodle (schnauzer poodle mix), a lap dog, and did not get along with children. Max was a 16 pound hot mess of a dog. His fur was a dinghy white with cow-like gray spots, and he looked as if he’d never been groomed or bathed in his life. I ask the kennel technician if I could see just one more, and she retrieves Max from his room. The second I met Max, my heart melted into a big hunk of puppy love. He immediately jumped into my lap and licked my face. Max is a heart breaker, and it’s as if he was saying to me, “Loooook! Can’t you see how cute I am?! Save me, save me, save me! Please take me home!” So that’s exactly what I did. Max has lived with us for just over a year now, and he’s already taken over our household. He prances around like he owns the place, and he kind of does. Max is a celebrity amongst friends and family, and there’s rarely a day when I don’t bring him up in a conversation or pull his picture out of my purse. Max is my best friend. The warm fuzzy feeling I get when I look in his loving raccoon eyes is unparalleled. Max doesn’t laugh at me when I wear two different shoes. Max doesn’t get mad when I steal all the covers. Max doesn’t even mind when I blame him for the absence of my homework. All 16 pounds of Max, snaggletooth and all, have filled my heart up to the brim with puppy love.

{the marquee} MAY 14, 2010