The Marquee Volume 31 Issue 4

THE

marquee

Volume 31 • Issue 4 • jan. 27, 2017

Truth about anxiety stress “what it feels like” spacing out tension

“what it looks like to others”

restlessness

hyperventilation numbness

weakness

trembling

irritablity

panicky

tired paranoia

nausea

worried

dizziness

4

Seniors make club for girls seeking science careers

10

Iwo Jima veteran shares his story

22

Best activities to help beat the cold

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

The Marquee Staff EDITOR IN CHIEF Sanika Sule MANAGING / PHOTO EDITOR Vanessa Davis COPY / OPINION EDITOR Cara Crocker DESIGN EDITOR Nick Fopiano

PHOTO VANESSA DAVIS Junior Edward Price, senior Tristan McCrary and junior Esteban Valdez play a video game in the band hall. The MHS band hosted a game day where they hung out with the middle school band kids and got to know them.

Bailey Crocker, Michelle Mullings NEWS EDITOR Bailey Crocker

CONTENTS

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ONlLINE EDITORS

FEATURE EDITOR Michelle Mullings SPORTS EDITOR Keegan Douglas-Davis

News

NOT ME Local drug awareness group Winning The Fight showcasing drug documentary at school

ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Brady Pierce, Kelly Rowe GRAPHICS EDITOR Abbey Clouse

Feature

STAND IN THE LIGHT Female accapella group Fusion publishing an album

8

REPORTERS Morgan Maxwell, Sky Middleton, Shayla Sistrunk, Aidann Zuniga DESIGNERS Megan Clark, Jolie Mullings PHOTOGRAPHERS

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Adam Luqman, Grace Pecunia ADVISERS

Sports

MOVING IN TO PLAY Foreign exchange students share a love for different school sports

Entertainment

PLACES TO STUDY Identifying the best study spots around town

DESIGN NICK FOPIANO

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LaJuana Hale PRINCIPAL Gary Shafferman The Marquee newsmagazine is a student-generated publication of Marcus High School. It is produced, edited and maintained through the efforts of the school’s advanced journalism class. The Marquee is designed to serve the school and community as a forum for open discussion and student expression.

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

The staff reserves the right to edit all material. Editorials reflect the opinion of the staff, not necessarily that of the administration. Signed columns or reviews represent only the opinion of the author. Advertising rates are $70 per 1/8 of a page, with discounts available. Patron ads are available for $100. Online advertisements are also available. For more information call 469-713-5196.

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

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News

3

story Shayla Sistrunk Each month, Twitter has popular trending topics. Some are relevant for only a few hours, others remain in the spotlight for weeks. Take a look into this month’s popular hashtags.

#CorpusChristi

After Corpus Christi city workers discovered a chemical leak and corroded pipes, residents were informed their tap water is unsafe to consume. Schools were immediately shut down and emergency water bottle deliveries were sent to the town.

More than 100,000 cases of bottled water were donated to the city. Several area school districts cancelled classes on Dec. 15. On Jan. 18, the mayor of the city Dan McQueen resigned after only 37 days in office.

#ThankYouKubes

After Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak announced that he would be stepping down from his position, Broncos fans all over country were devastated. Kubiak only spent two seasons in Colorado and missed games due to his health. During his time with the Houston Texans, he collapsed on the field due to a minor stroke during halftime of the game against Indianapolis. He was hospitalized for two days. Although he had these complications, he led the team to a AFC championship and a Super Bowl L win. Kubiak left his legacy with the Broncos as the only man to coach a team that he has played for.

#Inauguration

On Jan. 20, Donald J. Trump was sworn in as President on the steps of the Washington Monument. Thousands gathered with their red “Make American Great Again” hats. After the swearing in ceremony, Trump joined many important political figures for the Capitol Lunch. While Trump gave his speech to the guests, he specifically thanked Hillary and Bill Clinton for attending the luncheon and prompted the crowd to give them a standing ovation.

#WomensMarch

On Jan. 21, the day after Donald Trump was inaugurated, millions of people took to the streets and marched. While many different ideas were expressed during the march, the main theme was women’s rights. Several celebrites gathered in Washington for the march including Madonna and Katy Perry. Signs were made that directly targeted Trump and the things he has said regarding women.

DESIGN Nick fopiano

Jan. 27, 2017

4

news

@

The Future of Tomorrow Senior starts women in STEM group to spark interest of unique careers cause there’s such a lack of them.”

According to Saunders, almost 50 story bailey crocker percent of bachelor’s degrees in scientifSenior Maddie Saunders ic fields are earned by women. However, plans to go to medical school, but she in the actual workforce this percentage feels that many girls aren’t encouraged to drops because many women leave the pursue careers in the STEM field. So this their careers to start families or they are year she started a Women in STEM club discouraged by the lack of females.

“A lot of women just don’t really know to help encourage girls to pursue careers that there are STEM fields out there that in this field.

STEM stands for science, technology, are more flexible,” Saunders said.

The club’s sponsor, AP Chemistry engineering and math- a field that typiteacher Jan Hutley, was Saunders’ first cally dones’t have a lot of women.

“There’s definitely a lot more options choice because of her background. Hutley, than a lot of people think there are,” who was initially a geophysicist, knows Saunders said. “Girls are very valued and about the shortage of women in science they’re going to be making a lot more fields. In fact, when she was working in money if they go to a STEM field be- the oil industry, the ratio of men to wom-

photo adam luqman

MHSMARQUEE.COM

DESIGN abbey clouse

en was 9:1. She says that women also have an advantage in STEM fields.

“Not only do you have great opportunities for being hired, because they try to find a balance, but you really got opportunities for promotion because they want their administrative staff to reflect across genders,” UNT Chemistry professor Diana Mason discusses her job with club members Hutley said. on Jan. 23. Guest speakers are scheduled to attend several future meetings.

Through this club, Hutley said she hopes to get rid of the stigma that are provided with many resources, such as Skype in Jan. 30 in room B212. being in sciences is “not cool.” She “Anyone can come who wants to. scholarships to local colleges, tutorials, a said that there’s nothing that makes They just have to library and daily nutritious snacks. men exclusively Though they haven’t set up a specific sign it and hopebetter at the sciencfully that way we fundraiser yet, they are discussing ideas es than women. can get more peo- of what to do, like selling goods at the “It always kind ple to come [to school. of crushes me when It always kind of crushes me “As soon as we think of something that meetings] regularI see girls intenly,” Anderson said. will most benefit us and raise the most when I see girls intentiontionally trying not The club doesn’t money for it and be worth everyone’s efto look smart beally trying not to look smart have dues, and it’s fort and time then we should be able to cause they think because they think somehow open to all stu- put that forward,” Anderson said. somehow it makes Hutley said that all schools should dents wanting to them more attracit makes them look more pursue a career in have a club like this. She wants people to tive and that’s just attractive. the STEM field stop being intimidated about going into silly,” Hutley said. or wanting to get the science field.

Saunders first “I think we need [Women in STEM] more information wanted to start the in all the schools, just anything to urge about it. club in March of “A lot of the women to look at that as an occupation,” last year. However, girls who attended Hutley said. the process of getthe meeting were ting it up and rununderclassman which excited me bening kept getting delayed, forcing her to hold the group off until the middle of this year. However, she was determined to set up the club and worked through all of the issues.

“It was a little more complicated than it should have been and hopefully in the cause I want [the club] to continue after future the process will be better,” Saun- we graduate,” Anderson said.

They hope to raise funds for Womders said.

Club vice president senior Jade Ander- en’s Education Project, which educates son said the first meeting was a success. women out of poverty into college and Saunders covered the purpose of the club. careers. The organization, which is deSaunders also talked about their upcom- veloped in India, “provides resources for ing guest speaker, Dr. Angela K. Wilson, young families living on less than $1.50 Head of the Division of Chemistry at the a day to graduate from college and begin National Science Foundation, who will a career.” At WEP centers, young women

-Jan hutley, teacher

DESIGN abbey clouse

january 27, 2017

6

NEWS

raising awareness Local drug education program to screen original documentary about addiction story michelle mullings DESIGN jolie mullings Local drug education program Winning The Fight, also known as WTF, will be screening their documentary “Not Me” on March 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium. “Not Me” follows the story of eight individuals—four youth in recovery, and four parents of children in recovery—who share similar narratives about the struggle through addiction, denial and redemption.

“It really was supposed to be a six to eight minute documentary about signs the parents missed... and it turned into 26 hours of film,” Executive Director Kathy O’Keefe said.

Kathy created the film to spread awareness about the disease of addiction. “Not Me” is one of the many projects WTF has created since its inception.

The Flower Mound Outstanding Citizenship Award was created to honor individuals and groups that are dedicated to bettering the community by bringing attention to a specific issue or concern. In December, Kathy received the 2016 Outstanding Citizenship Award for her work with WTF. “I was excited because [the award] brings more attention to WTF,” Kathy said. “It’s not about me. The more education

we get out there, the less judgement we’ll have and the less stigma we’ll have, and more people will come forward to get help.”

Kathy founded WTF as a small support group after her 18-year-old son Brett O’Keefe passed away from a heroin overdose on March 20, 2010. She said she wanted to help his drug-addicted friends, who she feared would go down the same path.

“We couldn’t save Brett, but I knew I had to do something for them,” Kathy said.

Marcus alum Rebekah Bermudez was one of these friends. Rebekah, like Brett, started out experimenting with marijuana. Before long, she had progressed to more serious drugs like ecstasy and meth. Rebekah was eager to get Kathy’s help after she saw what drugs did to her son.

“She didn’t want us, who loved Brett so much, to die too,” Rebekah said. “Because we were an extension of Brett, I think, to her.”

Like Brett, getting high was all Rebekah cared about. She lied to her parents about her drug abuse and stole money and pills from her father to support her habit.

“When you’re on drugs nothing else matters but getting high,” Rebekah said. “I didn’t care that I was hurting anybody else.”

not me A film of denial, addiction and recovery

March 8, 2017 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Marcus High SchooL Auditorium

But for Rebekah, Brett’s death was the first wake up call. She never had a friend die before, and the fact Brett died from the same drugs she was addicted to shocked her.

“I really dived into Kathy,” Rebekah said. “She knew we all needed help, but I think I was one of the only ones... that really sought her help, and we started Winning the Fight.”

Though Kathy says that though the acronym WTF jars people at first, she knows it gets their attention long enough to look into the organization’s mission. It also acts as a humorous honor to her late son.

“The reason we call it WTF is because Brett was very well known for saying the phrase in a kidding way,” Kathy said.

When WTF started, Kathy held meetings with Brett’s friends. But after a while, the kids stopped taking

‘‘

It’s a horrid disease and we have to make sure that people understand it’s a disease. Stop treating it like a moral issue, because it’s not a moral failure at all.

-kathy o'keefe it seriously. Rebekah tried, but couldn’t stay sober. Some would come to meetings high. Kathy said that the teens hadn’t quite gotten “tired” of their drug use yet, even after Brett’s death. She decided that WTF should focus on involving parents in the conversation about drugs.

“It’s really about letting the parents take that first step like she wanted to, but [Brett] was too far gone,” Rebekah said. “It turned into wanting to give the parents the education they need to stop it when it starts, or before it starts.”

What started as a small support group for Brett’s friends turned into a growing organization dedicated to helping parents who have children battling addiction.

WTF hosts a support group primarily for parents called Winner’s Circle, which meets every Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church.

“We had youth only to start with, then it kind of flipped over. As we started developing, it turned out that the parents needed more help than the kids,” Kathy

PHOTO

SUBMIT

TED Kathy O’K eefe fou nded Win died from ning The a Fight aft conversa heroin overdose er h . Throug tion abo h u t WTF, Ka er son Brett d rug abus addictio thy aims e and de n. to crease s tigma su open a rroundin g

said. “Because if the kids are smoking pot or doing drugs, they kind of like it at that point... It’s easier for us to work with parents and teach them methods that they can use to hunker down on their kids and set some rules and boundaries.”

Kathy’s phone number is listed on the website and Facebook, and she constantly answers calls from parents who need help.

“All I do is answer my phone and help people find solutions to problems,” Kathy said. “It’s not a job I picked, it’s a job that God picked for me.”

Following Brett’s death and the development of WTF, Kathy says she has learned not to judge people.

“I’ve learned that addicts don’t want to be addicts,” Kathy said. “It’s a horrid disease and we have to make sure that people understand it’s a disease. Stop treating it like a moral issue, because it’s not a moral failure at all.”

WTF continues to educate families about the devastation of drug abuse. Brett, the reason for the organization’s inception, continues to inspire Kathy and serve as a driving force behind every decision she makes. If Brett were still alive today, Rebekah said he would be proud.

“I think that he would say the same thing we all tell her— that he’s sorry and he loves her and that if he could go back and change it all, he would,” Rebekah said.

8

feature

FUsION Acapella group produces first extended play album

story Keegan Douglas davis & skyler middleton photos vanessa davis It was 7 a.m. and the girls of Fusion sat in the choir room, excited to hear their first ever recorded song. They recorded their entire extended play (EP) album “Stand in the Light” in one weekend, and were anxiously awaiting the release.

Choir director Wesley Davis entered the room and began to play the track for the first time.

Senior Jessica Obordo remembers how every girl felt when they heard their voices on the track.

“We were in complete shock,” Obordo said. “It was beautiful.”

Fusion began the extensive process of learning music Davis had chosen in August. The dream became a reality when he brought two microphones to the choir room to create a studio. Each girl sang their individual part while a track played through their headphones. Later, the recordings would be edited and mixed to make the tracks work together.

In total, Fusion spent around 35 hours at the studio in a single weekend, the lon-

MHSMARQUEE.COM

gest day of recording lasting from 6 a.m. to midnight.

“I figured if we can’t travel out of the state this year, this would be a great time to try something different that would still

I try to find music that resonates with who I think the girls are; every year we have a different group of girls with different strengths.

-wesley davis, choir director be a great experience for our students,” Davis said. “Something to challenge them and give them a different feel without

having to go out of the state.”

Tracks on the EP include music by Jordan Smith, winner of the television singing competition The Voice, Meghan Trainor and Sia. Smith’s song, “Stand in the Light,” focuses on owning who you are and finding confidence in yourself.

The EP, which will be named after this song, is centered around encouraging strong women to love who they are.

“I try to find music that resonates with who I think the girls are; every year we have a different group of girls with different strengths,” Davis said. “I came along the whole idea of finding your voice and your confidence. That’s been the theme of the EP, and it comes to a point with [Stand in the Light].”

The recording process took an entire weekend in October, and the album is still being edited. The EP is scheduled to be released on the second weekend of May. “It was a long process but it was definitely fun,” Junior Analyse Gordon said.

“It made you realize how picky you had to be in order to put something like this

DESIGN abbey clouse

60 Seconds

(above left to right)- Seniors Jessica Obordo, Emily Olsen, Jordan Dickens and Melissa Jitariu, rehearse a song with Voicemale after school. (side picture)- Junior Rachel Franks practices a worship song with the school’s acapella groups.

together.”

Recently a partially edited track was released and posted on Facebook. The teaser quickly gained attention from teachers, students and fans of Fusion.

Some of Fusion’s fans were attracted to the group after their consecutive first and second place finishes in the International Competition of High School Acapella, starting in 2015.

“I think we’ll get some publicity from [the track],” Gordon said. “We’ve been asked to host the International Competition of High School Acapella, so this should be a really good year for us.”

As they look back on their time in Fusion, the senior members say they are thankful for an opportunity different than singing live.

“Fusion just means so much to me,” Obordo said. “It feels really good that we’ll have something that we’ll be remembered by.”

EP PLAYLIST 1. Stand in the Light // Jordan Smith 2. Open Hands // Ingrid Michaelson 3. No, Bye Bye Bye & No Scrubs mashup // Meghan Trainor, NSYNC & TLC 4. Whisperer // Sia

compiled by shayla sistrunk

Melissa Bellevue art teacher

If you could change the mascot of our school, what would it be?

“Well, maybe like the Patriots or something. It seems very prestigious.”

If you had to pick a new name for yourself, what name would you pick?

“I’ve always liked the name Samantha because of Sam from the show Who’s The Boss.”

If you could ask President Trump one question, what would it be?

“I would probably ask him why he’s even on Twitter. I just feel it’s unnecessary.”

If you were guaranteed to be successful in a job, what would you want to do?

“I think it would be cool to open up after school fun places for kids and not just the typical daycare.”

What fictional character do you wish you could meet?

“I love Lumpy Space Princess from Adventure Time. It’s such an animated character.”

DESIGN abbey clouse

January 27, 2017

10 FEATURE

living history

WWII VET recounts experience in Iwo Jima As World War II veteran Don Graves recalls the battle of Iwo Jima, one of the bloodiest in the war, he doesn’t flinch.

While his sadness is evident as he relives the deaths of 7,000 of his fellow Marines, he is also prideful. He radiates the honor he felt as he witnessed Marines erect an American Flag on Mount Suribachi. And as he wears his Iwo Jima survivor hat 72 years later, he remains patriotic about a battle that would become an iconic image of American pride.

Graves regularly speaks to several student groups about World War II in hopes that stories of his service will inspire patriotism in the younger generation.

“We wanted to defend one another and protect our country,” Graves said. “We loved our flag. That’s the kind of people we were. I don’t see that today.”

• • • Life was different when Graves was a teen. He remembers watching westerns at his local theater for only a dime, and marching out to the flagpole to say the pledge of allegiance every school day. The day after Pearl Harbor, he recalls talking about it with his friends as jazz music filled their Model A car. The radio’s upbeat tunes were interrupted with the steady voice of President Franklin Roosevelt.

He spoke of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Graves listened intently as Roosevelt recited his historic words that would mark the beginning of the United States’ involvement in World War II — December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy.”

“It was the greatest speech I’ve ever heard,” Graves said. “I’ve never heard one like it since. I said I’m going to join the Marine Corps.”

When he first landed in Japan, Graves did not know what to expect. He stepped onto a barren land with no civilians or military. He only saw unmanned guns jutting out of the landscape.

Two weeks after their occupation began, children would slowly come to interact with the American soldiers. Graves and his fellow Marines would give them candy bars. Graves said that it was this simple communication that began to break barriers between American and Japanese cultures.

“They found out that we weren’t the kind of

people that their propaganda told them,” Graves said.

As Graves passed through a park in Fukuoka, Japan, a college town, he heard girls singing. He has always loved to sing, so he followed the tune. When he got to a one room schoolhouse, he was invited in and given a chance to discuss American culture and sing with the girls.

“The Japanese people are very kind,” Graves said. “They were very hospitable, they were so good to me.”

Several months later when Graves headed for Iwo Jima with the fifth division. His mission was to secure Mount Suribachi, the highest point on the island. As a flamethrower operator, Graves would burn out caves to force Japanese soldiers out.

From the beach to Mount Suribachi, his division had to travel only 560 feet. Despite the short distance, it took them three days to reach the mountain.

“That tells you the kind of fighting we had to do,” Graves said. “All night fighting.”

When Graves first arrived in late February, he was told he

PHOTO SUBMITTED World War II veteran Don Graves performed the national anthem to a crowd of 45,000 people at the Armed Forces Bowl in December. Louisiana Tech beat the Navy 48-45.

FEATURE would only spend three days on the eight square mile island. Five weeks later, he was still on Iwo Jima. He witnessed brutal fighting during the day, worse than any previous battles he had seen, with little relief at night. After hours of not sleeping, he would even begin to hallucinate. From the bloodstained sands to the smoke ridden sky, the decimated island reflected the heavy losses incurred by both the Americans and Japanese.

Graves’ battalion commander had given a few men the task of putting an American flag on top of Mount Suribachi. They erected the first American flag on Japanese soil although they hadn’t originally planned on it.

Graves said he stood just a few feet away of what would one day become one of the most iconic American images. When the flag went up, he saw and heard 500 naval ships sound their horns and send tracers in the air.

“It was just like the 4th of July in New York Harbor in the evening,” Graves said. “It was jubilant.”

Despite the American victory at the Battle of Iwo Jima, Graves said the United States suffered great losses.

According to Graves, 7,000 Marines were killed, and 20,000 were wounded. Graves lost several friends including his squad leader, captain and platoon leaders. Three of the six men Graves watched put up the American flag died within days of that moment.

After weeks of fighting, Graves was notified that he would soon be relieved. He was ready to go. As they left, Graves’ regimental commander asked them to file through the fifth division cemetery. Graves saw the headstones of several of his friends, including three high school classmates. He noticed an inscription written by some fallen soldiers on a box that food rations came in. It read, “Fellas, when you go home, tell the folks we did our best so that you may have many more tomorrows.”

“It just broke us down,” Graves said. “It was just devastating. There wasn’t a dry eye on a Marine as we came out of there.”

One consequence of his time in Japan was his newly found faith. As a child of the Depression, Graves said he wasn’t a frequent churchgoer due to the lack of church clothes. While in Japan, Graves said he prayed to leave the island.

11

“I buried my face on the sand of that beach and I said God if you’re real, if you can do for me what people say you can do, I will serve you the rest of my life,” Graves said.

Graves attributes his safe return to God and has maintained his faith since. He has even gone on to preach in six different states.

• • • Three years ago, Graves was one of 15 Marines to return to the site of the Battle of Iwo Jima. Although this was an opportunity for remembrance, Graves said much of the island had changed. The vegetation covered most of the landscape, and the site where he lost his battalion was inaccessible because it was restricted by the Japanese military. As they drove to the top of Mount Suribachi, a pole remains standing, but the American flag that once waved has been removed.

Despite the impact Graves and other World War II veterans have had on American history, he is afraid stories like his will fade with time. Currently, only about four percent of WWII veterans remain, and about 500 die every day. By speaking to teenagers, he hopes to instill an appreciation for the history he helped to create in today’s youth.

“It takes teenagers, young men, to win a war,” Graves said. “The older men just won’t fight like young men.”

Today, Graves still shares his love of country. For him, singing the national anthem is a perfect expression of his strong patriotism. He sings whenever he’s asked, including twice at a Rangers game and in December for a crowd of 45,000 at the Armed Forces Bowl. Graves stands tall as his rich voice reverberates throughout the stadium. Each note he hits is a reminder of the deep meaning of the anthem, and all he has done to preserve it.

“I just feel more patriotic because that’s a hard song to sing,” Graves said. “I want to sing it legitimately, the way it was written. I just open my heart up and visualize the American flag, and sing it.”

12 sports

Rock the Basket German basketball player adjusts to new life in America

ing somewhere new with new coaches and teammates terrified him. Coming to photo adam luqman America to play basketball was always a story morgan maxwell dream for him and when he finally got the Junior Henrik Thimm was nervous chance to come, he took it as soon as posand excited for his first game as he walked sible. He was nervous to go, but he knew onto the court for the first time in Amer- it was the right idea.

Thimm said that joining the Maraudica. With the game underway, Thimm started to create a closer bond with his er team was a big adjustment. Although teammates. He could see their hesitation he had played basketball in Germany, he to pass him the ball at first, but when he said that playing on an American team made his first shot, the hesitation with was much more physically demanding. everyone eased. Taking shot after shot As he began to adjust to the new style of game, he also began to form a bond Thimm helped run the score up.

After the game was over, parents with his teammates who have become a walked up to Thimm already calling him family to Thimm.

“I’ve made so many great friends “little Dirk.” The welcoming atmosphere was a relief for him, as he feared that he here. It’s like they’ve become my famiwould be criticized if he had taken anoth- ly,” Thimm said.

When Thimm walked into tryouts er player’s spot.

“Everyone made me feel so welcome, during the first week of school, JV they treated me like their family,” Thimm basketball coach Shane Rodgers was excited for Thimm to start playing for said. him. As RodI wish I could stay in America. It’s been gers watched Thimm, he the greatest adventure of my life. noticed how well he played and how he was motivated.

Rodgers wantFor a year, students submitting to the ed Thimm to play on varsity, due to foreign exchange system have to main- UIL rules he was unable to. However, tain good grades, get a visa and focus on Thimm has kept a positive attitude and being a good representation of Germany. continues to strive to be better. When Thimm always had the dream of coming Thimm shows up to practice ready to to America and playing basketball and motivate others and himself as well.

“He’s a great kid and he sets a good when he was finally approved to come, he example for the other players to follow,” was realized his dream was coming true.

Although Thimm has played basket- Rodgers said.

Playing basketball here has shown ball for two years, the thought of play-

Thimm that he wants to play in college, which he hopes to attend in America.

While Thimm has enjoyed his time at Marcus, he wishes he could stay even longer. Adapting to the speed of the game was hard for Thimm at first, but when he goes back to Germany he will be leaving with a better sense of what he will face in college basketball.

“I wish I could stay in America,” Thimm said. “It’s been the greatest adventure of my life.”

-henrik thimm, 11

Junior Henrik Thimm guards his Southlake opponent underneath the basket.

The boys JV team defeated Southlake 54-37.

DESIGN Abbey clouse

Exchange student follows dream of playing tennis in US photos vanessa davis story morgan maxwell As junior Desera Ahlberg walked up to the tennis court, she mentally prepared herself to play for the first time since she left Sweden.

She was about to play one of many matches that day, trying to prove herself to new teammates and coaches. When the season started early in the school year Ahlberg quickly adapted to her teammates and the game itself.

“I love my teammates,” Ahlberg said.

“They treat me like family.”

Although Ahlberg had been playing tennis since she was 4-years-old, adjusting to tennis in Texas was a challenge.

During tryouts she struggled to overcome the foreign heat, as Sweden is usually on the colder side. Her teammates constantly cheered her on, making her feel welcome.

At the beginning of the season, head tennis coach Kelly Langdon was hesitant about having Ahlberg play for him

because he didn’t know anything about mates have made her feel welcome. her. But once she started adjusting to the Playing tennis here has made Ahlcoaches and her teammates he felt at ease. berg think about playing college tennis She started at the bottom of their line in America. Although it is far away from up, but as the season progressed she ad- her home, she wishes she could stay here vanced. longer.

“She’s an open minded person who The excitement and the hope to exloves to try new things,” Langdon said. perience something new was the reason With spring season right around she came to America with the foreign exthe corner Langdon plans She’s an open minded person who on moving Ahlberg up to loves to try new things. varsity. He has high hopes for her to keep improving and become a better player when she goes back change program. to Sweden.

Ahlberg leaves in June to return to her • • • family in Sweden, but hopes to return Ahlberg had the dream of coming to soon.

America to play tennis, and since arriv“This has been an amazing adventure,” ing, she said her experience has been like Ahlberg said. “I’m so glad I did this.” a dream come true. She has enjoyed the school and her teachers, and her class-

-Kelly Langdon, head tennis coach

Rule the Court DESIGN Abbey clouse

-2017

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OVERMEDICATED OR UNDEREDUCATED?

In a poll taken by 300 students, over 20 percent have been to a doctor for their anxiety concerns. This is over twice the national average in teens. Students chose the terms “school” and “future” as the highest reasons for their anxiety. According to Psychology Today, this is in part because of the higher competition to get into college.

(Continued on pg. 16)

16 in-depth

epidemic of anxiety School, future play a role in increase in teenage anxiety levels story Aidann zuniga & Cara crocker (Continued from pg.15)

“When I first started working at Marcus I noticed that there were lots of students coming in for anxiety,” Nurse Margot Ell said.

Ell says that anxiety can develop from different things.

“It really kind of changed what I do as a nurse a little bit just that I’m dealing with it more than I have in past,” Ell said.

“So initially I thought well maybe it was because the school’s so academically high… but I’ve been corrected on that, I think all high school nurses are seeing it across the board.”

Even when a student does come in due to anxiety, Ell says that some don’t openly tell her what the problem is.

“I suspect that it’s more than what kids tell me,” Ell said. “A lot of times when kids have anxiety they actually come in and really complain about things like having a headache or a

stomach ache, a feeling nauseous or lightheaded so if the underlying reason that someone is having those symptoms is anxiety.”

These symptoms are called somatic symptoms.They are the physical characteristics of having a anxiety attack, and are often the most notable symptoms.

M9 nurse Susan Bright said that so far in this year about five to six students have come into her office for anxiety related issues. Typically those coming in are having a panic attack, indicated by increased heart rate and nausea. When Bright is dealing with a student having a panic attack, she does her best to help calm them down as quickly as possible.

“I usually talk to them [and] find out what’s caused [the panic attack],” Bright said. “Sometimes I have to refer them to the counselor. If a student has already seen the counselor they just come in here and lay down sometimes. This is a safe place.”

Bright says it’s important for someone having a panic attack to have support, which is why counselor and nurses office are close to each other. This provides students quick access to the resources they need.

Sophomore Marc Kidwell has seen some of his friends deal with anxiety and has helped them with it by calming them down. Whenever his friends call him while they’re having an

Student poll shows anxiety rate twice national average rate your level of stress from 1 (not stressed) to 5 (stressed)

<2 18.3% 3 26.7% *Polled out of 300 students

5 25%

Where does the majority of your stress come from?

Home Job 11.4% 5.1% Relationships

4 30%

8.4% School 53.2%

Future 21.9%

anxiety attack, he tells them to take deep breaths and to find something to distract themselves. He knows anxiety plays a major role on campus from what his friends have told him.

“I see it as a big problem because people who have anxiety sometimes don’t want to do the school work or can’t because it stresses them out too much,” Kidwell said. “Which is completely understandable but it’s really bad for that person because they can’t really function too well [because of ] it.”

Local Pediatrician Aimee Vafaie has seen the many ways anxiety can affect the lives of preschoolers to adults.

Vafaie says having anxiety is like an extreme sport. Some people are able to ride their bikes or their skateboards, but then there are those who are very talented at their sport

When I first started working at Marcus I noticed that there were lots of students coming in for anxiety.

Have you seen a doctor about your stress or anxiety concerns?

Yes 21%

No 79%

Have you been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder?

Yes 17.7%

No 82.3%

-Margot Ell, nurse

and do extreme tricks. Vafaie said that people with anxiety worry and they can’t control it, and sometimes it gets to the point where the anxiety can be debilitating.

Ell has also noticed the increase of anxiety in students and said she has become curious about what exactly lead up to this.

The anxiety diagnosis covers a wide range of disorders, such as General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The increase of these numbers can rely on many different factors, like school, work or the popularity of social media. Karol Mackowicz, a New York Post reporter, has even suggested that overbearing parents or how our generation enters independant life later than our grandparents have might be the culprit.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), approximates that 18.1 percent of American adults have some sort of anxiety disorder. However, there are still people who are either misdiagnosed, unable to receive proper help or are unaware they have an anxiety disorder which can raise the percentage to about 30 percent. One third out of that statistic have sought help, but only 10 percent are able to get the right resources.

“It can be from anything,” Ell said. “It can be from school, it can be from social stuff, it can be from a boyfriend issue. So there’s not always a pattern but [it’s] there.”

design Nick fopiano

Have you taken medicine for anxiety related issues?

Yes 10%

No 90%

Are you still on medicine for anxiety?

Yes 10%

No 90% *Polled out of 300 students

dealing with a diagnosis

Junior shares discovery of anxiety disorder STORY Kelly Rowe

Pins and needles filled her body feet first as Junior Rae Crabtree stood on the wings of the auditorium stage. But, this wasn’t stage fright.

She was accustomed to the risk and thrill of performing. This was something that put fear in the pit of her stomach and ice in her brain. It made her breathing hitch and her weight shift to each hip uncontrollably, making her wobble on her feet.

This was an anxiety attack, one that had been building and building before she took her first step on stage, losing her composure and fleeing the scene.

“Anxiety makes me obsessive,” Crabtree said. “It makes me feel like I have to be perfect.”

Crabtree first noticed she was experiencing something different towards the beginning of her sophomore year. For her, anxiety makes her panic, and makes things seem as if they’re flying past her with no control.

“It’s physically hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I can calm

photo adam luqman

down,” Crabtree said. “Or that it’s not that big of a deal.”

Her anxiety first showed itself when she developed a crush on a classmate after they were assigned to perform a scene together. Nervousness around a crush is

I just have this constant fear that no one wants me around.

-Rae Crabtree, 11

normal, but Crabtree’s affections began to make her so nervous, she could barely stand to be in the same room as her classmate. She began losing sleep, not eating and her grades suffered as she lost focus at school.

“When my first anxiety attack hap-

pened I was really freaked out,” Crabtree said. “I could not calm down, I started choking and coughing.”

Crabtree and her crush began rehearsing their final exam scene. Reciting half memorized lines and walking through predetermined motions, Crabtree did all she could to avoid eye contact. Her heart was racing, her breathing began to run short and adrenaline crawled through her veins.

Finally, the bubble seemed to burst, and Crabtree found herself rushing out of the room at full speed. Hot tears smeared makeup down her face, and with the tightness in her throat, she began to cough and hiccup. Squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to regulate her breathing and barricade tears, she gradually felt the panic come to a stop.

A few sniffles and stray tears escaped as her teacher followed her from the classroom, and kneeled beside her, asking what was wrong. At the time, she wasn’t sure what had just happened. But after research, and talking with her mother and friends, she learned what anxiety was and why she’d started experiencing it.

“I would get little anxiety attacks whenever I saw him,” Crabtree said. “I ended up failing the final because I physically could not calm down around him.”

Although feelings for her crush faded away after the performance, her anxiety stuck around. She still found herself anxious and panicked whenever normal stressors in life began to consume her thoughts entirely.

“I just have this constant fear that no one wants me around,” Crabtree said.

Crabtree described it as feeling like ev(Continued on pg. 20)

Junior Rae Crabtree practices a monologue she prepared for her JV theatre class. Being on stage is one of the main reasons that Crabtree finds herself having panic attacks.

in-depth

19

Senior describes ongoing battle with anxiety STORY Kelly Rowe She couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Senior Holly Riggs stuttered, stumbled over words and felt as if her world was caving in on itself. The annoyed voices of her friends rung in her ears, causing guilt to pool in the pit of her stomach.

She apologized repeatedly for cancelling their plans, but in reality, it wasn’t a big deal to her friends. However, for Riggs it was a matter of losing her friends or enduring an uncomfortable evening. She felt something like an electric shock run through her body until her chest was heaving.

“It’s as if every fiber of my being is telling me to get out of whatever situation I’m in,” Riggs said. “That it’s wrong, or I need to [get out] immediately.”

Anxiety can be hard to pinpoint for some people because of how it is generalized in movies and TV shows. Riggs says the portrayal of anxiety in movies is far from reality. It’s often depicted as rocking back and forth, accompanied by crying.

“It’s not always like that in real life,” Riggs said. “It’s different for everyone.”

Riggs recalls her anxiety growing inside her throughout middle school, around the same time she began to outgrow her group of friends. Conflicts and hostile feelings rose, and started to fill Riggs with a burning sensation from her chest to her throat.

Even little things like getting text messages began to fill her with dread.

“Somebody would text me, and my first thought wasn’t ‘Oh, it’s my friend,’” Riggs said. “It was more like, ‘Oh gosh, what is it this time?’”

Her anxiety also aided in the development of obsessive tendencies close to those of O.C.D. She finds herself washing her hands over and over if she touches anything she hasn’t touched before, or merely thinks of triggers like exposed metal anywhere outside.

photo adam luqman It feels to her as if her hands are set on fire, and the only way to stop the pain is to wash her hands almost until her skin is raw and pruning.

• • • Freshman year, Riggs sat silently among fellow classmates in her Humanities classroom. They were getting ready to walk around the business district of Dallas.

Student’s paired together in groups quickly, mutual friends

Senior Holly Riggs studying for a French exam.

Although her anxiety is now under control, she still prefers to study alone, on her own terms.

(Continued on pg. 20) 40 million adults in the US are affected by anxiety disorders.

Source: aada.org

design nick fopiano

Adults dealing with anxiety on national level While highly treatable, only one third of those suffering receive treatment.

20 in-depth

Junior girl shares discovery of anxiety disorder (Continued from pg.18) one wants me around,” Crabtree said.

Crabtree described it as feeling like everyone around her is judging her and hating her. Simple things like walking down the hallways became a terrifying walk off a plank, with staring eyes burning into her skin.

She feared her classmates were thinking awful things about pieces of her personality, causing those details to slowly rot in her brain. Her bold voice now seemed shrill and too loud to handle. Her charisma now came across as over dramatic and annoying to everyone around her. Thoughts like these swam in Crabtree’s mind rapidly, until coughs bubbled in her throat and tears threatened their way down her face.

Although her anxiety consumes much

With normal stress, once whatever is stressing you out dissipates, so does your stress. But with anxiety, it doesn’t just go away.

-holly riggs, 12

of Crabtree’s life, the majority of her days are still good ones. She surrounds herself with supportive and helpful friends to combat her anxiety.

“I have friends who are experienced with anxiety attacks and some who aren’t,” Crabtree said. “But I’m still able to find that good balance of people who know what to do and people who are just willing to learn more about [anxiety], and help.”

In Crabtree’s experience, it can be hard to focus on better times when anxiety affects every step she takes. But she is working to keep her anxiety from standing in the way from enjoying her passions, and living her life how she wants.

“My anxiety really...puts a damper on my life at times,” Crabtree said. “But just because I have it doesn’t mean I’m damaged or broken. I’m still me.”

Senior girl describes ongoing battle with anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder) GAD affects 6.8 million adults

(Continued from pg.19)

She was too riddled with shakiness and fear to speak clearly and she couldn’t push herself to take a step in anyone’s diSource: aada.org rection.

“Sometimes it feels like butterflies in my tummy,” Riggs said. “Other times, everything’s going five million miles per hour, or I’m paralyzed with fear and nervousness.”

Anxiety disorders develop Although Rigg’s teacher stepped in from a complex set of and guided her into an established group, risk factors, including she still couldn’t shake the anxiety. The genetics, brain chemistry, thought of having to explore a big, unpersonality, and life events. familiar city with people she barely knew Source: aada.org shook her to the core.

“I got so nervous about it that I 5.9% of all couldn’t go,” Riggs said. teenagers have Rigg’s anxiety is not only an internal a severe anxiety struggle, but it can also be seen in her disorder mannerisms — like shakiness and shalSource: Nimh.nih.gov low breathing. Sometimes a stutter will

also plague her words, and she’ll feel compelled to apologize obsessively.

“With normal stress, once whatever is stressing you out dissipates, so does your stress,” Riggs said. “But with anxiety, it doesn’t just go away.”

Although her anxiety and obsessive thoughts have grown inside her for years, she’s taught herself how to keep them under control. She has found multiple coping skills maintain her disorder, like mindful breathing and listening to music.

She often feels like a burden on her friends and family because of her anxiety and obsessive tendencies. But, Rigg’s said she believes that anxiety isn’t something you can fix overnight, or instantly. It is something that takes time, and support by those around you.

“If you’re in a place where you think you have an anxiety disorder, get help if it’s available to you,” Riggs said. “Seek help any way you can.”

DESIGN NICK FOPIANO

Kicking off a

SUPER

sports

21

PARTY

Football season is full of surprises, from your team making the playoffs to your favorite players breaking records. This sport is something that brings a nation together, but also divides us with playful competition. With the Super Bowl coming up, the parties are endless, and so are the ideas. Here are a few interesting ways to change up the ordinary football party. story cara Crocker & grace pecunia DESIGN staff

1. DESIGN Setting up for a Super Bowl party is one of the best things about the day. Hanging up streamers across the room with the different team colors helps to mix up the division of the opposing teams. To create memories, set up a green sheet on the wall and decorate it to look like a football field. Set up props like a football and helmet next to the sheet to allow people to take game-day selfies. To really get into the game-day mood, label different rooms that people will go in. The kitchen can have a sign over it labeled “Concessions” and the bathrooms can be labeled “Locker Room.”

2. PREPARE It’s never a Super Bowl party without the appetizers. While wings and a bag of chips may be the easiest options to grab, it’s so much more fun to make food at home. One of the quickest and tastiest options is a nacho bar. Grab a big bowl and fill it up with tortilla chips. Next, you can fill other smaller bowls with different types of toppings like sour cream, guacamole, salsa, olives, jalapenos or any other topping you enjoy. You can fill two separate crockpots with queso and beans or ground beef to top it off. Now you can make sure every guest, picky or not, can enjoy a meal without all the hassle of finding what everyone likes.

3. TAKING UP TIME Super Bowl commercials are one of the best things about the watching party, but sometimes they get too repetitive. While the commercials are running, create two different teams based on the teams people are rooting for. Create a host to regulate the teams. Then take turns acting out charades based on different things in football. Some ideas can be a cheerleader, huddle, kick off, calling a time-out and a half-time show. When the game is over, to make sure no one goes home too upset over a loss, hand out “Super Bowl Rings.” These can be Ring Pops or small dollar store rings with little jewels on them.

january 27, 2017

22 Entertainment

Winter activities Story Bailey crocker

Coyote Drive-in Cost: Ages 12+ : $8 Ages 5-11: $6 Ages 4 & under: Free Location: 1901 Midway Rd, Lewisville, TX 75056

Ditch the typical indoor theater for this old school drive-in. Coyote Drive-in is perfect for a simple date, a night out with friends or chilling with your pooch (yes, it ’s dog-friendly). The gates and restaurant open at 5:30 p.m., seven days a week.

They suggest that you arrive at least 60 minutes before the movie begins to avoid lines and get the

spot you want.

Outside food and drink isn’t allowed, but their restaurant serves your typical movie food, like popcorn and boxed candy. It also serves a variety of entrees, like pizza, hamburgers and hotdogs that you can take back to your car.

All tickets purchased are for two movies that will play back to back.

Galleria Ice Skating Cost: $11 + $3 skate rental Location: 13350 Dallas Pkwy, Dallas, TX, 75240

Grab your warmest pair of socks and a coat for this indoor ice skating rink. It is open all year round, perfect for those who love winter, but live in the DFW area, where weather rarely gets below freezing. It is placed in the center of a three-story mall, giving all shoppers a 360 degree view of your skills, or

MHSMARQUEE.COM

lack thereof. Skates are available for rent at a low price, however, they do have a “no in and out ” rule which means that once you leave the rink, you cannot go back and skate on the same ticket. No worries, though! If your feet do begin to get sore you can enjoy the hundreds of shops and restaurants offered througout the mall.

P

ENTERTAINMENT

23

Perot Museum of Nature and Science Cost: Ages 2-17: $12 Ages 18-64: $19 Location: 2201 N Field St, Dallas, TX 75201

The word “museum” has a bad rep., but this fun and informative hands-on museum will make you wish you never had to leave. Five stories and 11 exhibit halls contain state-of-the-art videos, interactive activities and educational games that are sure to exercise your brain.

Enjoy activities that are fun

for all ages, such as an earthquake simulator, flying with a bird’s-eye view, racing against professional athletes and giving a weather forecast.

It is said to be a “wonder of the world” by the Dallas Morning News, so make sure you check it out next time you are in the Downtown Dallas area.

Cutting edge Cost: $30 Location: 1701 E Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76102

If your favorite holiday is Halloween, look no further for a spooky, fun activity open throughout the year. Visit Cutting Edge every Friday the 13th and on Valentine’s Day for a unique and terrifying date.

This dark attraction, which is located in a 100-year-old meat packing factory, is filled with many different themed rooms, along with live actors and special effects. This experience is

DESIGN Megan Clark

real enough to have the whole group screaming and running.

It takesvisitors an average of 55 minutes to explore the haunted house, making it one of the biggest and best in the country. It even set the record in 2015 as the “World’s Largest Haunted Attraction.”

All events are cash only at the door and credit cards are accepted online.

January 27, 2016

24 in-depth

PLACES

Study

to

story kelly rowe photos vanessa davis

With tests and quizzes falling on our desks almost daily, we find ourselves searching for ways to successfully study our material. It can be hard to avoid procrastination in your warm, comfy bed, or with the distractions of your own family. So, we found the best places in town that are sure to make studying feel easy and possibly even fun.

yogurt story 3551 Justin Rd, Unit 100 Flower Mound, TX Pastel pinks and light greens give this place a playful vibe. Not many people know about this secret study spot, but it satisfies more than your frozen yogurt needs. It’s always pretty quiet and empty, leaving plenty of room to spread out your review sheets in semi privacy.

Sun-Thurs.

11am-10pm Fri-Sat.

11am-11pm

cost

$ $$$

Lewisville library 1197 W Main St, Lewisville, TX This two story library has everything you need for a successful study session.

Decked out with huge windows, private rooms and — of course — plenty of books. This is the perfect place to go if you need to buckle down and focus with no distractions.

MHSMARQUEE.COM

Mon-Thurs.

10am-9pm Fri-Sat

10am-5pm Sunday

1pm - 5pm

cost

$$$$

DESIGN NICK FOPIANO

ENTERTAINMENT

25

Coffee Holic 310 E Round Grove Rd, Lewisville, TX While this study spot resides in a farther away area of Lewisville, it is worth the drive. A dimly lit dining room furnished with bricks meeting chalkboard, with wifi and an array of delicious things to order, this place will make you feel warm, comfortable and productive.

Mon-Sat

11am-10pm Sun

11am-11pm

cost

$ $$$

edison coffee co.

2570 Justin Rd, Unit 140, Highland Village, TX This modern shop is a very popular spot.

Dim lights fall from tall ceilings, and several artistic chalkboards clutter the walls to give it a small town feel. With great coffee, free wifi and light music playing in the background, you’re sure to stay comfortably motivated.

Mon-Fri

6am - 9pm

Saturday

7am - 9pm Sunday

7am - 7pm

cost

$$$$

Trio Craft Coffee 2628 Long Prairie Rd, Unit 103, Flower Mound, TX This hidden treasure is pure gold, literally radiating sunshine from the moment you walk in. With all the essentials—wifi, coffee and good food—paired with smoothed wooden tables and a rustic aesthetic, this friendly coffee house is sure to help you relax and get your work done.

DESIGN NICK FOPIANO

Mon-Fri

6:30am - 6pm Sat

7am - 6pm Sunday

8am - 3pm

cost

$$$$

JANuary 27, 2017

Which event are you? story morgan maxwell

2016 was an exciting year for everyone, including major events, politics, sports, music and movie stars. Take the quiz below and find out which event you relate to most!

1

You’ve waited forever for something to happen and when it does you…

A) B) C) D)

Tweet about it Freak out Celebrate all night Tell everyone at school about it

3 MHSMARQUEE.COM

Your favorite person/team loses. You…

2

A) B) C) D)

Blame it on the weather Email thejudges Blame it on the Russians Sing about it

After you get home from school you...

A) B) C) D)

Turn on a sports channel Watch movies Look up breaking news Put on headphones and relax DESIGN jolie mullings

ENTERTAINMENT

4

When you’re in an argument you…

A) B) C) D)

Yell in your opponent’s face Give up and call it quits Bring up the other person’s mistakes Write a song about it afterwards

5 mostly a’s Your event was the Chicago Cubs winning the world series for the first time since 1908. You were hard-working and patient.

DESIGN jolie mullings

27

When you are not paying attention in school you...

A) B) C) D)

Watch highlights from last night’s game Look up award show winners Talk to friends about your political beliefs Look up new playlists

mostly b’s

mostly c’s

mostly d’s

Your event was Leonardo DiCaprio winning his first Oscar from his performance in The Revenant. You were eager and anxious waiting for a positive outcome.

Your event was the 2016 presidential election. You were outspoken and attentive to your surroundings.

Your event was Frank Ocean finally dropping his album, blon. You were patient and checked Twitter everyday for any updates.

JANUARY 27, 2017

28 Opinion

Lightning Bolt

Brady Pierce

@bradypierce17

The wall glared at me as I stared back at its beige face. It kept me both entertained and distracted, which I hated.

Writer’s block kept me anchored, staring at that wall, until I could think of something, anything to keep my story moving.

Thoughts raced across my half-asleep mind before one finally reached my muscles. I picked up my tablet, and got back to work—writing. Most nights I spend alone follow a similar detour from productivity, waiting for some rogue idea to strike me like a bolt of lightning and jolt me into a moment of frenzied writing.

It did me no good to think, even aloud. All my previous good ideas had come to me randomly, so it seemed reasonable to wait for one to stroll by. I knew one would come, I just didn’t know when.

The goal is to write a musical, something I’ve wanted to do for years, but not just any musical. In order to do justice to the landfill of misfit ideas and rhymes nestled in my head, this musical would need to be astounding.

I don’t want to spend my life surrounded by combovers and cubicles, and for that to be avoided I have to distinguish myself. I know I can do it, it’s just a matter of having a good idea.

My fingers sat perched and ready, practically twitching, above the blank tablet. I had spent the entire weekend day-dreaming about possible melodies and storylines.

I tried my hardest to be creative, but nothing seemed to work. There was no lightning bolt, in fact the sky wasn’t even stormy. I closed my eyes, nonsensical ideas and sentences line-danced across the black of my eyelids, but nothing seemed right. My inner hunger for good writing wouldn’t rest until I found exactly what I was looking for.

It’s hard for many, including myself, to call ourselves artists because we’re always comparing ourselves to the greats. Just because I have creative dreams and a hunger to reach them doesn’t make me Lin-Manuel Miranda or David Bowie, it just makes me Brady. The Brady who didn’t learn to tie his shoes until 8th grade, who still has a hard time talking to girls, who can barely read the music he so desperately craves to create.

However, it’s the same Brady who won’t rest until this musical is done and perfect.

Far too often we as artists expect greatness right out of the gate, which is always wrong.

Being great requires time, constant effort and most of all mistakes. We always want to write the final draft first, but the only way to reach that level is to screw up dozens of

Overheard

at

times.

Then an idea came, suddenly I was a lightning rod for an uncapped sense of creativity, and I immediately put it to use.

Musical notes and words danced across the page, the story was coming together, everything was going so well.

It went on like that for what I hoped was an eternity, the feeling of free expression was intoxicating. However, that feeling never lasted long. As the high faded and the Mario star wore off, I took time to read over what I had written. It was beautiful, complex but not confusing, which is a rare resource, I’m not sure is renewable.

Most days I don’t have writer’s block, and simply write average content until I’ve satisfied myself. The brick wall can at first seem like an obstacle or a hurdle, but then I remember how high I can jump.

Creativity is the force that keeps our feet on the ground but our head in the clouds, invigorating people with a mental energy they didn’t know they had.

But far too often people don’t act on this blessing and instead spend hours staring at walls.

To be able to create anything, not just art, is an incredible human ability that places us eons ahead of the rest of life on Earth. For many, at times including myself, we just don’t know where to start. For most of us, the first step is to stop staring at that wall.

MHS

compiled Aidann Zuniga “My aesthetic is those sketchy band lunchboxes.”

“I just got engaged to Spider Man.” “I don’t want it to be Titanic 2.0.”

“I may not be smart man, but I know what love is.”

DESIGN Vanessa Davis

“I have a kid.

He’s kind of like a son to me.”

“You know the dude from the Geico commercials? He’s an actual gecko.”

Opinion

Speaking Up

Michelle Mullings

@michellelolwhat

It was 7 a.m. on a school day and I could not get out of bed.

It wasn’t the normal hesitation most people feel before reluctantly rolling out of bed to go to school. I felt a different kind of tired. A sort of tired that drained my brain of energy and made the day ahead seem like one long, impossibly difficult task.

An exhausted hopelessness that overtook my body and kept me confined under those sheets, that weighed my heart and made me wish my mattress was a sinkhole that could swallow me alive.

My mother came into the room, as she usually does before school.

She tried to coax me from the warm entanglement of my sheets, telling me I had to go, but nothing could drag me out.

I had used the sick excuse for days, and I knew she wouldn’t let me miss school again. The worry about my attendance and if I’d even get credit for my classes started to burden my mind.

I thought about all the homework I didn’t have the energy to do and my grades, which kept dropping due to missing assignments.

I thought about the concerned texts from friends who wondered what was going on—all left unread.

Anxiety overwhelmed me knowing I was screwing myself over, but being so depressed I didn’t have the energy to do anything about it. All I wanted to do was disappear. I buried my face in my pillow and started crying.

Mom said she was going to take me to the doctor if I didn’t get up. I knew she didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to do either, and I was probably even more exasperated than her. With a deep breath, I lurched

DESIGN VANESSA DAVIS

out from under the safety of my sheets.

I’ve always known that whatever I was struggling with, it was serious. I was fed up with how intrusive it was in my day to day routine, and it happened every month with an eerie consistency. But I waited to speak up because my illness simply didn’t feel real to me.

There was no x-ray to show what was going on in my brain, no physical test to prove something was wrong with me.

So for years, I hid what was going on. I felt a sort of shame walking into my

Typical PMS doesn’t make you self sabotage, doesn’t make you jeopardize every important relationship, doesn’t make you want to just click a self destruct button so that it’d all be over. pediatrician’s office that breezy February morning, to tell my doctor that this time, it was my head that wasn’t working right.

I shuffled into the waiting room and started to panic. What if they blew off my concerns? What if they confirmed my fear, that I was just overreacting and I just have to deal with this on my own?

The nurse called my name. I followed her into the examination room and took a breath. Hands shaking, I pulled out the list of symptoms I noted over the previous months.

I told her everything, and burst into tears—both because it was hard to acknowledge the severity of this issue I had stifled for so long, and because I was so terrified that my cry for help would be met with casual dismissal.

That day, I was diagnosed with something called premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD. It is a depressive disorder that affects 3-8% of women, best described to me as “PMS on steroids.”

29

This wasn’t much of a surprise, as I’ve dealt with symptoms since around freshman year that only worsened as I grew older.

For me, PMDD means that for about a week or two out of every month, I turn into this completely different person—this “other” Michelle, who would rather sink into her mattress than face the world.

But I never felt like I could speak openly about my condition because having a mental illness tied to your period is a double edged sword.

Not only do I have to face the stigma and misconceptions surrounding mental illness, I’m expected to censor my language or just “deal with it” because my emotions correlate with my menstruation and that makes people uncomfortable.

I feel like I have to over explain the fact that this intrudes my life, and that no, it’s not just like PMS. Typical PMS doesn’t make you self sabotage, doesn’t make you jeopardize every important relationship, doesn’t make you want to just click a self destruct button so that it’d all be over.

I’m frustrated that I have to justify myself to others about the severity of my condition when 15% of people with PMDD suffer such debilitating symptoms that they attempt suicide.

I’m frustrated that when you break a bone everyone runs to sign your cast, yet the second you tell someone you’re depressed they all run the other way.

I am tired of being suffocated under expectations of how I should feel. I shouldn’t have been told that this was all normal, and that I was overreacting.

Nobody should be so ashamed of their feelings that they suffer silently and put off seeking help for years like I did. Nobody should feel like their mental health concerns are illegitimate because they’re invisible.

The most important thing I’ve taken from all this was the strength to rip off the covers.

Through suppression, I found selfadvocacy. Through shame, I found a voice for myself and others. And I will not be silent any longer.

JanUARY 27, 2017

30 opinion extent so much faster than a lot of people.

I would resent myself for not being able to control my anxiety.

In the end, the event I was upset about actually didn’t matter. That B I made on a test truly wasn’t a big life altering deal.

But the fact that I felt so guilty for being Keegan Douglas-Davis @KNicoleDD honest and upset, was.

If someone has an asthma attack, I walked into the choir room and they don’t feel guilty or apologize for stood in the corner until my two best coughing—because they have a genetic friends noticed the expression on my disposition to asthma—because they face. You wouldn’t know anything was can’t help it, and it’s not their fault. I wrong if you didn’t know me and had didn’t understand that when I had a panic just seen me in the hall, but the second attack, it was a chemical imbalance. I the words “Keegs, what’s wrong?” couldn’t help it, and it wasn’t my fault. escaped their mouth, I broke out into a I figured all this out while fit of sobs. horseshowing in Michigan this summer.

I didn’t even think I was going to I was dealing with a pretty nasty break cry, I was stressed, but it wasn’t that big up, and my mind was very obviously of a deal because I’m stressed pretty elsewhere the first week of competition. much everyday of my life.

I wasn’t sleeping more than four After I regained my composure, I hours every night or eating more than a apologized over and over again. That meal a day. It was clear to everyone that was my instinct, and always had been a breakup wasn’t the only thing bothering since I can remember. me. I told everyone that I was fine until Cry, apologize and keep apologizing my trainer caught me in my horse’s stall, until you cry again. Repeat. burying my head into his mane trying It took me years and a diagnosis of to hide my tears. I spiraled into my an anxiety disorder to understand why typical apologetic routine when she said I felt overwhelmed to a much greater something that stopped me in my tracks.

THE MARQUEE

Authenticity

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“You’ve done nothing wrong,” she said. “I don’t know what happened, but there’s nothing wrong with not being okay. No one here thinks any less of you for showing emotion.”

Her words stopped me from feeling so guilty for struggling. They stopped me from hating myself every time I couldn’t just grit my teeth and deal with the breakup, or whatever the problem was that day.

It was completely illogical of me to hate myself because of a human inability to be happy every second of everyday.

I wish I could tell you that coming to terms with the idea that my anxiety isn’t a weakness magically fixed everything, and I rode off into the sunset with my horse and a bunch of blue ribbons-- but I can’t. I can tell you it made everything bearable.

I can tell you that I started sleeping around six hours a night, and my appetite returned over the course of a month. I can tell you that I was okay with not being okay. I can tell you for the first time I can remember, I didn’t feel weak, I felt authentic. And to me, that was more valuable than pretending I was perfect.

Why do you think so many students have a prescription for anxiety medication?

REMARKS

compiled Adam Luqman

“School stresses [students] out, and maybe they have problems at home that no one knows about, so they might have really bad anxiety that they need medicine for.”

-Heath Hiltebrand, 9 “Because there is a lot of pressure on tests and they make it seem that as a teenager you need to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life.”

-Gabriela Thomas, 11

MHSMARQUEE.COM

“You guys are not taught as well to how to solve the problem and try to deal with it... Medicine almost to me sounds like a cop out a lot of the times. I realize there are some real extreme cases, but some of it you could’ve done without the medication.”

-Khysunja Frisella, Chemistry

“The stress from high school and then parents and then if they have a job, and expectations... all at once, that’s a lot to deal with it.”

-Lachlan Benford, 12

DESIGN VANESSA DAVIS

opinion

31

Teens should seek alternative solution for anxiety STAFF EDITORIAL

In our recent poll, over 20 percent of students have been to a doctor for their anxiety related issues, and 10 percent of students are currently on medication for anxiety. This is twice the national average for high school students.

The topic of over-medication should be a prevalent concern for today’s teens — as they might be over-medicated.

High school students should be cautious about taking medicine for what may or may not be an anxiety disorder.

Too many kids go to the doctor wanting pills for their anxiety, and a pill is not always the best fix. Anxiety can derive from many problems, such as relationship with parents and schoolwork.

While medication does help to treat the symptoms, such as feeling slightly overwhelmed to full blown panic attacks, it doesn’t solve the actual problem.

Students could try counseling first rather than taking anxiety medication and if they decide they need the medicine, they should use it in conjunction with counseling.

Counseling sessions allow these affected teens to discuss what problems they face. The counselor can then help to

find the root of the problem and overcome it if possible.

If there’s not an easy way to overcome it, counselors can help teens find ways to deal with their problems. While medicine can help deal with anxietyrelated symptoms, counseling provides a major benefit.

A lot of times people got to the doctor for regular life problems. It’s typical to feel anxious at times in life, especially to students. Whether it’s preparing for finals or applying for a job, anxiety can happen in many different ways.

While these types of situations happen to everyone in their lives, some people think these small anxious moments mean they have the disorder. But getting a prescription for anxiety for small moments in life doesn’t let people get experience in dealing with life’s stresses.

Medication shouldn’t be something that is handed out to every person who might think they need it. Taking time to calm down and resolve the issue may be all it takes.

Medicine is not the quick fix people think it is. When a person actually receives the medication, it’s not a one-size-fits-all

situation.

Many people have to go through different types of medication every few months to be able to find what works best for their symptoms and what can be paired with other medications they may be on.

One medication could cause fatigue, which then is a symptom of depression, while another could cause trouble concentrating, which is a symptom of ADHD. The moving from different medication to different medication can become tiring and expensive with going to many different doctor visits each month. Once a new medication is prescribed, it can take weeks or even months for the effects to set in.

While prescribing and taking anxiety medication can be a difficult process, those taking it should realize that the medication isn’t always the best answer.

Life is stressful a lot of the time and reaching for a pill once can lead to a lifetime of reaching for those pills.

A lifetime of being dependent on prescription drugs to get you through the day shouldn’t start in high school.

Modern Medicine CARTOON Jolie Mullings

JANUARY 27, 2017

Beauty & The Beast

On Jan. 23, the cast of the Marcus production, Beauty and the Beast, performed an exclusive preview of the show for local elementary schools. The show is tonight at 7pm and tomorrow at 2pm and 7pm.

PHOTOS SCOUT STREIT & KATIE BOOTHE

Senior Anna Rose Haines waits calmly as Marquette coach Alice Dack helps pin her costume together. Haines is a member of the chorus.

Sophomore Regan Rodgers sits still as his facial prosthetics are placed on his face. Rodgers, who plays the Beast, is a member of varsity theatre.

DESIGN vanessa davis & cara crocker

Senior Trevor Holcombe and Junior Ben Perry perform their scene for elementary students at a preview.

Holcombe plays Cogsworth and Perry plays Lumiere.