The Marquee Volume 32 Issue 2

M T H E

M A R Q U E E

VOLUME 32. ISSUE 2. DEC. 8, 2017

Fitting into the cloud 10 20 26

Junior’s father witnesses Vegas shooting Senior cross country star’s journey to state Find out what winter playlist is right for you

Edward S. Marcus High School • 5707 Morriss Road, Flower Mound, TX 75028

The Marquee Staff EDITOR IN CHIEF Kelly Rowe MANAGING EDITOR Nick Fopiano COPY EDITOR Jackson Bednarczyk DESIGN EDITOR Photo Jackson Bednarczyk Senior service officers Audrey Stoltz and Marissia Mazur lay in their Christmas show prop snow and reminisce about the three years they spent together in Marquettes.

Jolie Mullings PHOTO EDITORS Grace Pecunia & Sarah Newton NEWS EDITOR Chloe White FEATURE EDITOR

CONTENTS

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Skyler Middleton OPINION EDITOR Kendall Cooper

NEWS

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

VISTA RIDGE REBRAND New mall encourages teenage shoppers by featuring live music

Shayla Sistrunk SPORTS EDITOR Morgan Maxwell REPORTERS

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FEATURE BEHIND THE CURTAIN Theatre technicians share insight on their roles

Aidann Zuniga, Marc Kidwell, Arantza Azurmendi, Rosalee Rogers, Alex Anderson DESIGNERS Aeralyn Stinson, Shay Wegele, Gillian Overton PHOTOGRAPHERS Chase Martin, Hannah Klein

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ADVISER

SPORTS

LaJuana Hale

BEYOND THE SKATES Student finds unique passion

PRINCIPAL

ENTERTAINMENT CHICKEN CHOWDOWN Find the best chicken in town for the best price Cover Grace Pecunia

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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.

ePortfolios spark frustration with students, faculty Story Jackson Bednarczyk The recent ePortfolio push has met resistance from both students and staff.

Despite two advisory periods dedicated to the development of online portfolios, many are left confused about what should be uploaded and what the purpose is.

“Why are we doing it? What is it for?”

Calculus teacher Kelly Sudderth said. “A college professor is not going to want to see your Geometry 10th grade project.”

Digital Learning Director Michele Jacobsen responded to written questions saying that through the portfolios, students can create a positive digital footprint.

“It’s a wonderful way for students to show their individual learning and growth over time, without being compared to their peers by a standardized test score,” Jacobsen wrote.

On Nov. 17, all juniors were required to have three artifacts uploaded to their ePortfolio. Principal Gary Shafferman thought it would be easier if teachers encouraged every student to add content.

However, Sudderth said students don’t want to work on the district generated template.

“My concern with the ePortfolio is that you guys haven’t been taught or explained to why you’re doing it,” Sudderth said.

After becoming frustrated with the portfolios, senior Carson Moseley decided to offer constructive criticism to Shafferman. Moseley believes that the idea of ePortfolios is great—they allow students to actively think about the future and offer a place to show personality. But he says the implementation has been lazy.

“If you want to promote that individuality, that uniqueness—you want kids to showcase who they are and what sets them apart,” Moseley said. “We need to be able to customize. We need to be able to move away from a basic template.”

Sudderth said showing personality is the point of a portfolio, but the district is restricting this through the inflexible layout.

“We’re supposed to be giving you guys choices, yet we’re sticking to one format,” Design Alex Anderson

Sudderth said.

Shafferman said he has reached out to the district about allowing students to choose their own templates.

However, Jacobsen said that as of now the district is planning to stay with Google sites.

One complaint from students is that tabs cannot be altered. The core tabs such as “Technological Literacy,” “Social Responsibility,” and “Collaboration” must remain. Many students are confused about what these mean or what kind of artifacts should go under them and would rather have tabs that are personally meaningful.

“Ultimately, the heart of ePortfolios is about the artifacts and reflection process,”Jacobsen wrote.

Another tab is called “Graduate Profile.” This would suggest that colleges look at ePortfolios as a piece of the application process, but currently no

If you want to promote that individuality, that uniqueness—you want kids to showcase who they are and what sets them apart. We need to be able to customize.

- Carson

Moseley, 12

major Texas university is asking to see ePortfolios on applications. Also, they disappear after graduation, so colleges would not be able to view a student’s past work. Jacobsen wrote that the district is looking at ways to solve this problem.

The University of North Texas has recently adopted an ePortfolio initiative.

It was created for UNT students, so they can “document real-world experiences and marketable skills to help them stand out in job searches or pursuit of an advanced degree.”

Dec. 8, 2017

Since this initiative does not apply to high school graduates seeking to be admitted to the university, seniors like Moseley have not been motivated to develop their ePortfolios.

“For seniors especially, these just aren’t useful,” Moseley said. “We can’t really do much with them.”

Students are also frustrated that they are forced to add content that may be outside of their desired career path.

Shafferman agrees that students should be allowed to upload artifacts that demonstrate their interests.

“Eventually I hope if your pursuit is art, just put art artifacts in there,” Shafferman said. “If you want to be a writer someday, then put writing samples.”

Jacobsen sees ePortfolios differently.

She feels that there is value in artifacts and reflections from every curricular area, as well as non-school related activities.

“Some of the best ePortfolios I have reviewed housed artifacts pertaining to social responsibility and extracurricular activities outside of [the] school day,” Jacobsen commented.

Moseley hopes the district will reconsider the way they have implemented ePortfolios. In the meantime, he encourages students to voice constructive criticism to the administration and district instead of just complaining to each other.

“We need to be able to have something that teachers and students can agree on, and we need to do it in a way that everyone has an input,” Moseley said.

“And right now, it’s like bureaucracy has given all of their input and not much else, so we’re just left to be the hamsters.”

While the controversy continues, Shafferman believes students and teachers should remain positive because ePortfolios will become a valuable tool in the future. He tells students that nobody is going to brag about you more than yourself.

“You need to be able to show your work because you’re the one that’s going to have to sell yourself to your employer,” Shafferman said. “You’re going to have to sell yourself to your next professor. And I just think this is a great way to do that.”

News

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Handing out holiday cheer

New Horizons club brings gifts to foster kids

After months of fundraising, the New Horizons Club will be bringing personalized gifts to the foster kids at the New Horizons Ranch this Christmas season.

The students involved in the club split into teams and become responsible for one foster child’s presents. Once they are assigned their kids, the teams are given clothing sizes as well as a list of gifts that the kids have personally asked for.

“It’s one thing buying presents and actually sending it off to kids,” Senior Chase Barnes, one of the club’s presidents, said. “But being able to go and celebrate Christmas with them and spend time with them is a whole different feeling.”

Gift requests can vary from Pokemon cards to drones to clothing items.

On Dec. 16, the students will take a three hour road trip to the New Horizons home in Goldthwaite. Once they arrive, the kids open their gifts up with their team. Not only do the students attend

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this event, Santa Claus also comes along to keep the kids’ spirits high.

“You get to see these kids faces light up as soon as they open the presents,” Senior Agat Pugazhendi, another one of

My motivation to do this is to give these kids a little bit of hope.

-Agat Pugazhendi, 12

the club’s presidents, said. “It’s amazing.”

AP Psychology teacher Amanda Vara recently took over the club due to the retirement of previous advisor and Physics

teacher, Sohail Khan. When Khan was the advisor, his classes were in charge of the New Horizons Christmas plans. Vara was a student in Khan’s Physics class years ago and remembers preparing for the event.

When he announced his retirement, he offered the position to Vara.

As the advisor, she signs papers that the club needs to get approved for fundraisers and guides them to a successful year.

“I’m just very proud to see how these young people can really just take something that’s important to them and go with it,” Vara said.

Pugazhendi communicates with the New Horizons Ranch to plan the holiday trip.

The New Horizons Homes are for kids that have been taken out of the most abusive and dangerous home situations.

Since these can be severe cases, the Ranch provides treatment programs that help the kids with personal issues through therapy and exercises.

“They were neglected. They weren’t loved. They weren’t cared for,” Barnes said.

Without assistance from organizations like the New Horizons Club, the foster kids would rarely receive presents. Vara said gifts bring the kids holiday cheer,

while they are going through a really rough time.

“It’s a neat day to be able to spend time with them,” Vara said. “It’s really eye opening for our students to see what other people are going through.”

Vara remembers one year when she was in the club. They only had one week until they left to see the kids, and last minute, the home took in two more young kids.

Despite the rush, Vara was determined to make sure those kids would still receive the Christmas they deserved.

“I got just a little taste of the chaos that these kids are going through day to day, hour by hour,” Vara said. “I only had to feel it for four hours.”

Getting to see the faces of the foster kids light up when the students arrive with all their presents is something Pugazhendi says will stay with the members of the club for years.

“My motivation to do this is to give these kids a little bit of hope,” Pugazhendi said. “When everything seems lost for them.”

While the students can’t put themselves in the foster kids’ shoes, this experience is all about making the kids’ holiday the best it can possible be.

“It really makes you look at Marcus in a different way, seeing all of these people that want to help,” Barnes said. “It’s really something special.”

To join New Horizons go to Mrs. Vara’s room before or after school Wednesdays in

A213

Scan here to make a donation to New Horizons.

https://www.newhorizonsinc.com/ donate/

The New Horizons club attends their weekly meeting a month before their annual Christmas trip to the New Horizons ranch.

The New Horizon club leaders (Grant Klashinsky, Agat Pughazhendi, Jessica Porter, Chase Barnes, and Rithik Puppala) discussing plans for their holiday trip.

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Story Marc Kidwell Photos Chase Martin

Every year theatre performs their annual winter musical. Auditions and technical positions are open to the entire school. Soon It’s 7 p.m. on a warm Saturday night. A dimly after the cast and crew list are announced, the lit auditorium is packed full of attendees reading stress weighs in. technicians and actors biographies. Backstage, cast Drills, saws and screws are littered over the and crew are running on and off stage in a calm yet workshop floor. Pushing sets on stage and back into the shop for final touches, technicians run chaotic panic before the performance begins.

Red velvet curtains sway side to side. The themselves ragged up until the last week before auditorium turns pitch black, show lights blind the the performance. actors and vibrant yellow LED lights warm their Looking from the brightly lit stage, a boy in a faces. Actors walk on stage as the narrator sets the red and black flannel can be seen working in the scene. A full house has fallen silent, and actors begin. booth at the back of the auditorium.

Booming voices drown out whispers and hurried Rough sliders on his soundboard cue footsteps of theatre technicians moving in the lightning, than a snap, crackle and crash shadows. While audience members focus attention sounds throughout the auditorium. Sophomore on actors, no one notices them scurrying to their Harrison Miner has a huge smile on his face as the thunder’s echo leaves the room. positions.

Miner exits the booth and walks down the ••• auditorium aisles. Walking onto stage then quickly leaving, he returns from the shop with a wooden door.

Eight o’clock in the morning on a Monday and Miner is on stage carrying a wooden door he built. Three dark brown painted pieces of louver wood and 2x4 for support, painted black.

Miner holds the door into the 45 degree angled door frame and drilling commences. A second later, the door crashes down on his foot.

“I’m just running around on the stage yelling and I’m having a good time because it’s funny but also really painful.”

Miner said.

Being behind the scenes creates potential hazards for technicians but that does not discourage students from doing their jobs.

Junior Emily Vasquez has been an actor and technician since 9th ••• grade. Vasquez works with lights, and often goes up to the catwalk

Long dark brown hair follows down to to focus lights on actors performing on the stage.

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Design Shay Wegele

the shoulders and blends in with an all black long sleeve shirt. Black shoes hurry down the dimly lit hallway to reach the catwalk ladder.

Hands and feet move in a synchronized manner as junior Emily Vasquez hides in the shadows of the catwalk to reposition a light onto an actor.

Vasquez hurries down the ladder carefully stepping down, not missing a step and slithers down the stairs to the stage to call the next cue for the show.

“I’m a hands on person,” Vasquez said. “I like changing light bulbs and pushing the go button when it’s time to change a light cue.”

Adrenaline pumps through out her entire body. A resting heart rate of 60 beats per minute accelerates to 110 as she pushes a pure

actors have not seen life from a backstage perspective.

The red velvet curtain closed, Act I was over.

Audience members murmured to one another about the first act. Theatre teacher Alex Rodriguez approached Vasquez during intermission. He directed her to run up to the catwalk to change a burnt out light bulb.

Looking from the stage Vasquez was able to pinpoint the blown out light. Panic set in as Vasquez hurried up the ladder not missing a step. Her mind started to race, for taking out the light bulbs in the past never went well.

Putting her hand on the cold stage clap to hold the light in place she started to unscrew the backplate of the light.

Unscrewing with ease, she put her hand on the burnt out bulb, hoping the oils on her hand mixing with heat of the bulb wouldn’t cause an explosion.

Screwing a new bulb into the back of the light, Vasquez proudly put the light back together. She walked down to the stage and waited for Act II to start.

The audience claps and cheers as the actors run on stage for curtain call. The main actors run and bow in sections, the Sophomore Marrisa Munster building a prop for Dancing at Laugnasa side characters come up alongside them and for state competition. Munster has been building stage props since freshman year. the two main characters links hands with one black button to change lighting on stage while another on stage before the curtain rolls back. the play is being performed. The light changes Actors exit the stage to change out of their without a hitch and Vasquez sinks into her costumes, the technicians stay behind to turn stool, relieved. off the lights, roll sets off the stage and sweep Being an actor as well, Vazquez knows a the stage for tomorrow nights show. show could not happen without the technicians.

“We build the set, we light up the stage, we Working with former actors she had a realization make sound cues,” Vasquez said. “Without us that technicians don’t get credit because most ,you wouldn’t have a show.”

Design Shay Wegele

Dec. 8, 2017

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Terror in Vegas Father of junior witnesses deadly shooting

Story Kendall Cooper

10:05 p.m. Oct. 1 Las Vegas, NV The first shots were fired from the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino by Stephen Paddock.

David Dennis, the father of junior Katherine Dennis, was enveloped in bright lights as he was brought up on stage to participate in the final act of the Penn and Teller magic show. Suddenly, he heard a loud popping sound, but Dennis dismissed it as a jackhammer being used for construction. Later he would find out that the sound was a gun being fired into a crowd of over 22,000 people at the Route 91 Harvest Festival country concert.

As they were leaving the show, Dennis and his coworker were urged into a glistening, black limousine. Then, Dennis heard the announcement that there was an active shooter over the limousine’s radio. At that point, no one knew where the shots were coming from and there were reports of as many as four shooters.

Time began to move with incredible speed as Dennis recognized the harrowing sound of the erratic, rapidfire shots.

9:59 pm Hotel security guard is shot by Paddock on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

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10:05 pm The shots were fired on the crowd.

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Both Dennis and his coworker have experience with firearms, which allowed them to identify the gun as fully automatic just by hearing the shots.

While some people would panic and shut down, Dennis did the opposite. He

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People were running back into fields of fire because they couldn’t figure out which way was safe to run.

- David Dennis, father

began to analyze the situation so he could survive.

Everyone in the limousine went into overdrive as they desperately searched social media, listened to the police radio and communicated with other limousines in an attempt to uncover what was happening.

Although the weapon could be identified, it was still almost impossible to determine where the shots originated.

The structure of the buildings caused the sound to bounce off of the Vegas

10:12 pm Two of f icer s arrive on the 31st floor and realize that the gunfire is coming from the floor above them.

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hotels like pinballs.

“People were running back into fields of fire because they couldn’t figure out which way was safe to run,” Dennis said.

His thoughts turned to his family.

He then messaged them about the situation, wanting to assure them that when they saw the shooting on the news, he was okay.

They decided that the safest option was to stay inside the bulletproof limousine and continue to drive in circles until they were told to do otherwise. Dennis felt helpless. The fate of his life was no longer in his own hands.

They would drive until they saw groups of people running away from where they thought the gunfire was coming from. Then, the limousine driver would turn around and go in the same direction of the people.

“You probably couldn’t design a better situation for a terrorist,” Dennis said.

When Dennis looked outside the limousine windows, he saw police officers trying to organize the chaos by evacuating the strip. Other limousines picked up wounded people and rushed them to hospitals. People

10:15 pm 10:17 pm The last shots are fired by Paddock.

Two officers arrive on the 32nd floor.

Design Jolie Mullings

were helping in any way they could.

Ordinary people became extraordinary that night.

“The thing that amazed me more than anything else was the heroism of the average person that was there,” Dennis said.

10:15 p.m.

32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay. Paddock fires his last shots.

After they had concluded that the shooting had stopped long enough to get passengers to a safer place, the limousine driver dropped Dennis and his coworker off at their hotel, Caesar’s Palace. Dennis was hesitant because of reports that the shooter was in one of the hotels, but he ultimately decided to trust the driver and the limousine company.

The driver took them to one of the lesser known entrances of the building where members of the Las Vegas Police Department were waiting to protect them by creating a human tunnel to shield civilians from potential sniper shots

minutes.

The scramble for information continued after the shooting ended. On the local news station’s channel, Dennis saw a naked man covered in blood. The man had been in the VIP section of the concert when the shooting started. He tore off his clothes to use as tourniquets for the wounded and to put over the eyes of the dead while under fire.

“That’s an impactful vision,” Dennis said. “It restores my faith in humanity that people can do that.”

An eerie quiet enveloped the city.

No one knew that it was truly safe until around 2 a.m.

Oct. 2

Paddock killed 59 and wounded 527.

As Katherine came downstairs to leave for school, her mother told her that her father was safe and on his way home from Vegas. Katherine was

shocked because she had assumed that her father was asleep and out of harm’s way the night before.

That evening, Dennis looked up from the dinner table and focused on his family. He slid his hand into his wife’s as he proceeded to recount the horrors of the previous night. He began to cry as he expressed how incredible it was that people could perform such selfless and heroic acts in the midst of something so horrific.

Many days impact peoples’ lives, but some change them forever.

Dennis began to hug his family more. He even began offering to take his kids to school. Ultimately, the tragedy brought them closer together.

“Terrorism is a big thing now— it happens,” Katherine said. “But I didn’t really think that it would affect my family.”

11:20 p.m.

SWAT finds Paddock dead from a self

inflicted gunshot wound.

Dennis was near the window of his hotel room looking upon the entirely empty Las Vegas strip in complete surreality. An iconic place known for its constant flow of people had suddenly become abandoned in the span of ten

10:18 pm The security guard tells police he was shot and gives the gunman’s location.

Design Jolie Mullings

The Dennises took the monorail up to Pikes Peak over the summer before the shooting.

Photos Submitted

10:26 pm

10:55 pm

Additional officers arrive on the 32nd floor and begin to clear the hallway searching for any injured guests.

Eight police officers arrive in the stairwell nearest to Paddock’s room.

Dec. 8, 2017

11:20 pm 11:27 pm Officers enter the hotel room where the suspect had been shooting from.

Officers confirm that the suspect had committed suicide.

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Beyond the skates Junior finds passion in skating Story Arantza Azurmendi Photos Nick Fopiano

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“When you take private lessons, it’s when you start getting into it,” Gail said.

“All the other kids were practicing for a Ten years ago, Katie Connick tagged competition that they had in the spring, along with her mom, Gail Connick, and so they were showing off their new her aunt to go Christmas shopping at the competition dresses. We got one for Katie Stonebriar Mall. While at the food court so that she could feel inspired.” eating her favorite food, grilled cheese, Katie began to get more involved Katie looked over the ice rink and saw with figure skating and realized that her figure skaters gliding on the ice. She was favorite figure skater was Ashley Wagner, inspired. She saw how happy they were, an Olympic bronze medalist in the team radiating energy, and she knew she event in 2014. Katie looks up to Wagner. wanted to be a part of that community.

She says the Olympian is original and Years later, she joined a figure skating performs how she wants. She makes class at the Grapevine Mills Mall every piece her own and has Polar Ice Rink. Katie remembers being serious guts. impressed with herself because she “She tends to skate didn’t fall over as much as other to songs that are out kids due to her past experience of the box,” Katie from rollerblading and ballet. said. “It really shows Katie skated to her heart’s her personality.” content, twirling and jumping for There was a her family and friends on the ice. bump in the “She shines when “Once she set foot on the road for Katie ice, you could tell she’s out there” because of we found the problems with -Gail Connick, right thing for the rink that she mother Katie,” Gail skated at. Over said. “It was the course just the right of several fit.” summers, After seeing a the air woman on the conditioning wasn’t Olympics skate up to what it needed to be, so during around the rink in a summer the ice would melt and turn to purple sparkly dress, Katie wanted to feel a pool of water for about three months. like her. She pointed out the dress to her Polar Ice eventually ran out of business. mom and said that she really liked it, but Since she didn’t have many recitals due her mom said that she wouldn’t buy it. to the closing of the other rink, Katie Next time she went to practice, entered in competitions. In 2013, she Gail told her to go change. Katie went to the State Games of America questioned her. Suddenly, her mother in Hershey, PA. Connick said that the pulled out of a bag a similar dress to competition is like the Olympics, but the one Katie saw on TV. She said for kids. She skated to the famous song, that putting on the sparkly purple Hallelujah, and connected to the music dress with long sleeves, was like like she never had before. Her mother transforming into another person, or was nervous for Katie and was at the edge stepping into new shoes. This was going of her seat. to be a new part of her life.

Sports

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Design Aeralyn Stinson

Katie won first place in the competition, the first time she had done so. Her mother was shocked yet proud of what she had accomplished. Katie scored high in criteria such as how well she did elements like jumps and spins.

“She shines when she’s out there,” Gail said.

Now a junior, she has practice three to four days a week at the Dr. Pepper Star Center that usually last up to an hour.

During her practices, Katie either has lessons where she works on technique and new moves for programs, or she may run through her program by herself.

A couple of her favorite moves to do on the ice is the lutz jump and the camel spins. The lutz is when a skater jumps into the air, does a full spin, and lands back onto the ice. When figure skaters make a T with their body and spin around, that’s the camel.

“Sometimes it seems like the easiest thing in the world...but when you’re learning something new, it’s really hard to figure it out,” Katie said. “You’re not used to doing something like that, so you’re just a mess at first.”

Ice skating, at times, takes a backseat to the various clubs and organizations that Katie is a part of, but she never leaves it behind.

“It does have some effects on my grades,” Katie said. “But it’s not that huge of a difference for me that I would get stressed out and quit.”

Katie wants to attend a college in Colorado due to the good skating programs that they have to offer. She visited Colorado Boulder University once for a skating tournament and loved the campus and their figure skating program.

She remembers when she stepped out of the airplane, she saw the white snow spread over the city. She soaked in her surroundings as she had never seen that much snow all at once.

Although the university doesn’t have an ice rink on campus, it is really close to the school. Katie hopes to do her studies while still being able to do what she has loved to do since her childhood, figure skating.

“It’s my happy place,” she said.

Design Aeralyn Stinson

Katie is attending one of her practices at the Dr. Pepper arena in Farmers Branch, which she has four times every week.

Katie trains for her upcoming performance, Ramin Djawadi’s instrumental version of “Paint It Black” by the Rolling Stones.

Dec. 8, 2017

Sports

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Vape Nation Through the smoke

Photo Grace Pecunia

Vaping rises among teens Smoking alternative poses consequences in, out of school Story Chloe White While teen smoking is at a record low in 24 years, e-cigarette use has risen dramatically in popularity among high schoolers, according to the Center for Disease Control. As stated by the student resource officers, vaping is one of the most common issues they deal with.

SRO Joe Gray believes that as many as 70 to 75 percent of students on campus vape. ISS teacher Leeanne Hargrove estimates 40 percent of students in ISS are there for vaping in school, which she said is “a lot more from previous years.”

“Eighty percent of the time I walk into the bathroom, there’s some sort of vape [smoke/scent],” junior David Mowles said.

Senior Sam West doesn’t have a problem with students vaping off campus, as along as they know what they’re getting themselves into. He considers vaping in the restroom to be “a little bit disrespectful” to other students and the campus.

“It’s essentially like the kids in the 60s who’d smoke in the restroom. It’s just a different form,” West said. “Kids are always going to do that, nothing’s going to stop them. It’s just that rebellious angst that they’re trying to get out.”

Gray says that while vaping at school is common amongst students, students bringing alcohol to school and showing up

Did you know?

intoxicated hasn’t given them the time to focus on vaping.

Currently, to stop students from vaping at school, the SROs have to catch them in the act and confiscate their vape.

“A lot of these kids have $100-$200 mods that they can’t afford to keep buying,” Gray said.

The consequence for vaping in school is two days in ISS for the first offense, and increases after each offense. For repeated offenses at school, the SROs can send students to court, which has happened in the past though Gray says it’s uncommon. The SROs test the vape for THC alongside other drugs, and if drugs are found the student could be sent to jail. So far that hasn’t happened. Vaping devices may be picked up at the front office by the student’s parents if they’re taken.

Outside of school, students under 18 will be ticketed up to $250, and must attend community service or an E-Cigarette and Tobacco Awareness Program. They could also have their driver’s license suspended. In Flower Mound, vaping is subject to the same laws as smoking.

“Almost all the kids that are in [ISS] for vaping are underage,” Hargrove said. “So it’s a legal issue regardless of whether or not it’s a school policy.”

Alongside legal issues, vaping poses a health threat especially to young adults. Adolescents are more sensitive to the addictive effects of nicotine and it can interfere with development. Gray said that the SROs “know there’s athletes who [vape/smoke],” which can affect performance.

40% of Marcus students are in ISS for vaping

Source: Leeanne Hargrove, ISS

70% of Marcus students vape Source: Officer Gray, SRO

The consequence for vaping in school is

Two days of ISS 16

Source: Officer Gray, SRO

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Design Jolie Mullings

“Addiction — because nicotine is an addictive substance — alters the way your brain develops,” Gray said. “Because until you’re 25, your brain is still developing.”

On Aug. 8, 2016, the FDA announced they would regulate all vape, e-cigarettes and e-liquid — even those containing zero nicotine. This year, the deadline for regulation was extended to Aug. 8, 2022, and products under review by the FDA may still be sold. This allows retailers to sell e-cigarettes without FDA confirmation on the ingredients. Currently the only regulation on vaping is restricting the sale to minors.

A major health concern about vaping arose in 2015 when it was found that 90 percent of flavors of vape contain chemicals that cause “popcorn lung”, a permanent condition that causes coughing and shortness of breath. Without regulation by

the FDA, there’s no way to determine whether or not these chemicals are still in vape.

“It’s like the gilded age in a sense, all the flashy mods, lights, tanks, but if you break it down to its core, it’s still a serious deal, just like smoking,” West said. “It’s only a different version with fewer health risks.”

E-cigarettes and vaping devices are still a relatively new product on the market — they were first sold in 2007. It took several decades before the dangers of cigarettes were discovered.

Much about vaping still remains unknown.

“Just leave it alone. Wait until you’re older and if you want to make that decision, once you’re more equipped to do so, then do it then,” Gray said. “There’s no reason in starting to do something when you’re 15 or 16.”

Roundtable: Students Vaping 1) How do you feel about vaping at school?

I think it’s really disrespectful.

Some people just don’t care when they do it, and some people just go around blowing it on people who don ’t want it.

- Ila Telford, 10 If that's something you choose to do to your body that is your choice, but if you are around someone you need to ask them first and you need to be respectful of their space.

- Lauren Arment, 12

Design Jolie Mullings

2) What do you think the stigma behind vaping?

I feel like people just do it to be cool. high schoolers are like ’oh I’m cool.

I’m going to vape and put it on my snapchat story’.

- Mikaila Kenney, 10 Some people look at it as someone just trying to be cool and a lot of high schoolers do that but in reality a lot of people do it for anxiety.

- Nick Robinson, 11

Dec. 8, 2017

3) Do you think students should be more informed?

Tell us how to be careful and educate (us) on what happens, not just why you shouldn’t do it.

- Nick Robinson, 11 I think people don’t care at this age. They just want to fit in and be cool, they don’t care if it’s going to harm their bodies.

- Ila Telford, 10

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Change of taste Senior shares insight of battle with nicotine addiction Story Marc Kidwell

Pulling the flame of the lighter closer to the cigarette, white paper and tobacco catch ablaze as she took a puff, Inhale, puff, release. With every puff of a cigarette, allowing smoke to fill her mouth. An odor fills her room an addiction grows. quickly. She hated the smell, but could not stop. She felt According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) aesthetically pleased with smoking cigarettes causes 480,000 the way smoke floated in deaths per year. That means on the air. average 1,300 deaths occur every McGough often smoked day. in her car. She would leave Senior Hannah McGough started her house an additional 10 smoking when she was 16. minutes early, telling her With a driver’s license and a friends she was on her way. vehicle at her fingertips, McGough Not wanting the smell to drove down to a local gas station. linger and affect others, A brown and white package of she would roll down the Marlboro 27 cigarettes called her windows and drench the name. car with spray to remove She walked up to the counter the odor. and asked for one pack of cigarettes.

“I already knew it was Knowing McGough’s family were affecting me and my body,” regulars at the station, the man - Hannah McGough, 12 McGough said. “I didn’t trusted her word when she told him want to affect anyone else.” the cigarettes were for her mother.

McGough would attend Getting into her car with a fresh work often reeking of cigarette smoke. She said she just pack in her pocket, McGough drove home. got out of her sister’s or mother’s car, but she felt her co Arriving at her house in time for dinner, McGough workers always assumed otherwise. sat down with her family for a home cooked meal.

“I was embarrassed by it,” McGough said. “I didn’t After dinner she slid her bedroom window open—a want to be a smoker.” cigarette in between her lips and a bic lighter in her McGough’s mother never knew her daughter smoked other hand. A clicking spark sounds throughout her until one day she found a package of cigarettes in her car. room, and a second later the yellow-orange flame McGough’s mother has smoked since she was 13, and she burns bright at the tip of the lighter. didn’t want any of her kids to start. Determined to get McGough to stop, her mother snapped people a year die from the cigarettes in half. That night, she dropped the broken package into her daughter’s hands. tobacco use She was trying to teach McGough a lesson.

Source : www.cdc.gov However, it didn’t motivate her to stop, and soon her mom started to lose hope.

••• as many boys use Scanning the room every second, not able ecigs than girls to sit still anymore, thoughts of needing a cigarette filled McGough’s head.

Source : www.fda.gov “I like being dependent of myself and only myself,” McGough said. “So realizing I Vape and e-cigarettes are not was basically signing a contract to [smoking], currently regulated by the FDA it [was] sad.”

She found herself looking into a purse that Source : www.fda.gov belonged to her sister, thinking she could just

“

I was embarrassed by it. I didn’t want to be a smoker.

480,000

Two times

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Design Jolie Mullings

steal a cigarette and no one would find out. But she couldn’t bring herself to steal. It seemed so pathetic to her.

She then turned to vaping as a solution. It worked for a while, McGough started to feel less reliant on cigarettes.

She started to use three milligram nicotine juice in her vape. The addiction decreased day by day.

Then she relapsed. McGough found herself with another pack of cigarettes in her hands and a smoke between her lips. She swore to herself this was going to be her last pack.

She would go to the gym six times a week, and drinking a bottle of water helped fight the feeling of needing a cigarette. A boost of confidence came with every gulp.

Soon, McGough found herself not vaping or wanting a cigarette much anymore.

Vaping and the gym helped her finally quit. McGough, however, does not encourage others to start vaping if they have not tried other methods to stop their addiction.

She knows that anyone can quit smoking, sometimes it just takes a little push to get them on their journey. If she notices that a friend is struggling with a tobacco addiction, she offers to buy them Chick-Fil-A or treat them to a movie if they can stop for one week.

“If I went from cigarettes, to saying ‘I need it, I need it, I need it,’ to vaping, where I’m now like ‘I can go without it I’m fine,’” McGough said. “That’s an accomplishment and I know someone else can do it.”

"1 in 10 students smoke

cigarettes" - SRO Joe Gray

60 Seconds What’s your most embarrassing moment in freshman year?

The first day of school I walked into the wrong class and sat in there for 30 minutes without realizing that I was in the wrong class.

If you could trade lives with anyone for a day who would it be and why?

I would trade lives with Taylor Swift because she’s famous and and she sings. I want to sing, I want to be famous.

What are you most afraid of and why?

Losing all the people that I love the most.

Shalina Sabih

What’s your favorite tv show and why?

My favorite TV show would be The Flash, I just love everything, I love the writing, the scenes.

SOPHOMORE Compiled Arantza Azurmendi

Design Jolie Mullings

Dec. 8, 2017

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

When people call me by my last name.

In-depth

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Senior reflects on success as a competitive runner Story Alex Anderson Sharp breaths escape senior Quinn Owen’s mouth as her feet push her forward toward the finish line. Her heartbeat pounds in her ears. Sweat drips down the side of her face.

Almost there. She pulls every ounce of energy she has left in her. The footsteps of the other runners echo behind her. Their

looming presence pushes her further, closer to the finish line.

Cheers from the crowd boom around her, but the overwhelming noise seems distant. Other runners’ parents and teammates cheer them on. She pushes forward the last few feet.

Despite her physical exhaustion, she is strong. She is confidant. As she crosses the finish line, she smiles. She’s done. The

Photo Sarah Newton Quinn Owen stands on the stadium track before her cross country practice that occurs every weekday before school.

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weeks of preparation finally paid off. The small bits of doubt that lingered in her mind before she started the race are gone now. She steps aside from the finish line and tries to catch her breath.

She made it.

SOwen placed second in the UIL Regional Cross Country Championship with a time of 16:56, qualifying her for the State Championship. An accomplishment less surprising than one would expect.

“I was confident because times on paper showed that I should make it out,” Owen said. “There’s always that uncertainty when you get on the line.”

This is not the first success under Owen’s belt. During her freshman year, she placed 13th at the UIL state competition, her first year running competitively.

As a sophomore, Owen placed fourth in the 800m race at state. And just last year, she won first place in state at the 1600m race with a time of 4:47.32, a new personal record.

She’s even been called one of Texas’ best mid-distance runners by MileSplit US. On Nov. 4, Owen competed in the state competition in which she placed tenth overall.

Despite her great success in running, Owen has only been running competitively for three years. Before then, she played soccer, but she didn’t have passion for it. She said, for her, it lacked the true team environment that she was looking for.

She began running cross country and track in middle school. However, her heart wasn’t in it yet. It wasn’t until she began serious training that she started

Design Sarah Newton

to love running. So she quit soccer and focused all of her time and energy into running.

Intense athletic activity like running requires athletes to train and work their body year round, hardly ever taking a day off. All of cross country and track run

“

and paced workouts keep up the runner’s stamina and endurance.

Steve Telaneus, the head coach of the cross country team, believes that Owen’s commitment to the team and success boosts the confidence of the other people on the team.

I think she’s got the chance to have a fantastic collegiate career coming up.

- Steve Telaneus, Coach

almost every day all year round to ensure their stamina stays up for competitions.

Even when they take time off, their bodies are yearning to train again because they have grown accustomed to the intense training program.

Owen runs about 45 miles a week with daily runs varying from six to 10 miles a day. A mixture of short and fast, and long

“Everybody’s doing the same type of training,” Telaneus said. “She’s having a lot of success with it, so everybody will buy into the methods that are going on.”

Owen also found the team family she was looking for.

“You can’t be an individual in running,” Owen said.

She explains that for a sport that

seems very individual, the girls form a strong bond that carries over into competing.

Owen explains that if one girl is struggling during a run, her teammates help and support her through the end of the race.

“We’re all really close. It’s like a family,” Owen said. “I mean, we wake up and we die together every morning.”

On Nov. 4, Owen competed in the state competition in which she placed tenth overall.

2017 T rack State Champ ion

Owen recently signed with the University of Arkansas and is going to participate in their running program.

She will be attending next fall and hopes to make the traveling team, which has won multiple consecutive Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles.

“The sky’s the limit,” Telaneus, said.

“I think she’s got the chance to have a fantastic collegiate career coming up.”

Photo Malik Okojie

Photo Sarah Newton

Owen’s parents are proud as she signs with Arkansas in the Arena (left).

Before an early morning cross country meet, Owen warms up in the cold weather (right)

Design Sarah Newton

Dec. 8, 2017

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Story Rosalee Rogers Photos Hannah Klein

Almost all Christmas memories are centered around the object in the room taking center stage—the Christmas tree.

Everyone decorates their Christmas tree in unique ways that become traditions in the family, but there are similar ideas used universally.

1. Signature tree

This tree is definitely classy and more traditional, involving glittering lights and the widely used sparkling ball ornaments, along with ribbons artfully wrapped around as extra decoration.

With this type of decor, you stick to one or two colors with a simple light setup, and the Christmas tree radiates traditional holiday cheer.

This type of tree is set up every year in Dallas’ Galleria mall. It’s in the middle of an ice skating rink that family, friends and couples skate around to celebrate the Christmas season. The tree is 95 ft tall and has 10,000 ball ornaments of red, gold and white.

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2. Colorful and dramatic

This is fun and eye catching, and you can use as many bright colors as you want. The ornaments used are unique and colorful favorites among many families, keeping the Christmas tree bright and fun.

Family made ornaments or homemade ornaments usually fit into this theme as well.

Lights can be multi-colored, flashing or just classic. The decorations used are a variety of mismatched colors and holiday spirit thrown together to create a beautiful centerpiece for the living room.

This brings a warm and fun aura to a Christmas morning with family, and will usually remind families of Christmases past—an ornament that has hung on the tree since you were born or one that you made in third grade could all be topics of conversation. There can be so many personal memories that are attached to sentimental or homemade ornaments.

3. Marcus tree You can always use signature red, white and silver, or maybe even lanyards as ornaments. Lots of red tinsel, silver icicles, and red ball ornaments. To top it off, a big M on the top of the tree would show just how spirited you really are.

Truly, the possibilities are endless when it comes to decorating a tree for the Christmas season.

Design Aeralyn Stinson

Red and silver ornaments combine elements of the signature tree and a Maurader theme, mixing spirit with classic holiday style.

Germany started the tradition of the Christmas tree, and brought it to the United States. This is a traditional German ornament that is used throughout American homes.

Design Aeralyn Stinson

Dec. 8, 2017

A white tree and Marauder colored ornaments are a good way to show school spirit during this holiday season.

Chicken chowdown CHiCK OUT THE BEST CHICKEN SPOTS AROUND TOWN Story Jackson Bednarczyk

Photos Grace Pecunia

Friends argue about it at lunch. Families disagree on it over Thanksgiving dinner. Different cultures around the world debate the question—who’s got the best chicken? And though everyone has their own opinion, one thing can be agreed upon. Texas produces some fantastic fried chicken.

Here, we will try to tell you who makes the best fried chicken in the area for the most reasonable price—whose chicken is a-fowly good and whose is just wingin’ it?

Canes chicken

$$$

Overall: Opening its first location in Louisiana in 1996, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers has recently spread like wildfire across the Metroplex. Cane’s doesn’t have a ton of menu choices, rather, they’ve decided to perfect their classic chicken fingers.

At around eight dollars, Cane’s offers a nice value on their Box Combo that comes with four tenders and sides of Texas toast, fries, coleslaw and a fountain drink. Each chicken finger is made from “premium chicken breast tenderloin” and is battered in a special marinade that gives Cane’s chicken incredible juiciness. The chicken is taken to the next level with the mouthwatering Cane’s secret sauce that’s a little spicy and a little tangy.

Overall, Cane’s is must try if you’re looking for fried chicken on the more affordable side.

Pollo Campero

$$$

Overall:

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A global restaurant chain originating in Guatemala, Pollo Campero provides a unique twist on fried and grilled chicken. Campero offers chicken dinners infused with spices and seasonings from across the border, chicken empanadas and boneless wings among other menu items.

One of the must tries at Campero is their take on the Spanish beverage “horchata”—a cinnamon sugar flavored rice based drink.

The six piece boneless wing meal has a similar crispness and juiciness to Cane’s, but the “original Campero” seasoning is what makes this chicken different. The subtle Latin spice gives the wings a little kick that is refreshing amongst its competitors. And at $7.50, this great option if you’re not looking to eat or spend too much.

Located on Main Street in Lewsiveille, Campero brings a one-of-a-kind appeal to the Marcus area.

Prohibition chicken Overall:

$$$ chicken

Prohibition Chicken recently found a home in Old Town Lewisville, blending rustic design and cuisine with modern flavors and live music.

Like Babe’s, this restaurant keeps its menu pretty simple—pick either chicken, beef or fish and four sides. And if that sounds like a lot of food, that’s because it is.

Prohibition’s “crispy fried” chicken is destined to become a staple menu item. It’s classic comfort food but with a distinct yet simple Prohibition twist.

You’ll down three or four pieces thinking you’ve almost finished your meal until remembering that one order is half a bird.

No matter what sides you get, you’ll be satisfied. Our personal favorites were the decadent mac and cheese and creamy potato salad.

The Prohibition dynamic certainly is an intriguing new option to the area, but the price is fairly high. One meal starts out at $19 and can be more with additions like salad or biscuits. Still, Prohibition Chicken is a delicious new restaurant in Denton county.

babes Overall:

$$$

Classic fried chicken lovers are probably familiar with this Texasnative restaurant. Now 24-years-old, Babe’s is still doing what it does best—fried chicken and chicken-fried steak. Each chicken dinner comes complete with a thigh, wing, leg and half of a chicken breast along with bottomless sides of mashed potatoes and cream corn. It’s comfort food done to perfection.

Each piece of chicken is fried to a beautiful goldenbrown color and served hot and succulent on the inside, proving the fame behind the Babe’s name. And with all the different pieces of chicken served, everyone is sure to find the dark or white meat they prefer. At $13.99 a meal, Babe’s is a little more pricy than some of the other restaurants on our list, but it’s well worth the cost.

Locations are in Carrolton and Roanoake, so it’s a bit of a drive. But with great chicken, yummy sides and not to mention a fun atmosphere, Babe’s consitently shows that it’s one of the best restaurants in our area.

Design Nick Fopiano

facts -Fried Chicken was invented in Scotland Source: Odyssey Online

-National Fried Chicken Day is July 6th Source: Mobile Cuisine

-According to the National Chicken Council, more than 1.25 Billion Chicken wing portions (more than 100 million pounds) were consumed on Super Bowl weekend in 2012 Source: Mobile Cuisine

-Alektorophobia is the fear of chickens Source: Mobile Cuisine

-Chickens are the closest living relative to T. rex.

Source: Food Network

-The average American eats about 80 pounds of chicken a year.

Source: Food Network

Holiday_Mixtapes

Compiled by Skyler Middleton

The holidays are almost here and these playlists will spread festive cheer. These four Spotify playlists showcase a mix of classical tunes and new jams, so if you are baking holiday treats or decorating your home, one of these sets will get you in the Christmas spirit. Whether you are bold, unique, ambitious or sweet, there is a playlist for you.

{If you're Bold}

This playlist is full of upbeat and fun songs that are perfect to listen to with friends. If you are bold, playful and confident these songs will bring you all the holiday cheer you need.

•“Deck the Halls” - Nat King Cole •“Happy all the time” - Perez Hilton •“All I want for Christmas is You” - Mariah Carey •“Jingle Bell Rock” - Bobby Helms •“Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!” - Pentatonix •“Santa Claus is coming to town” - The Jackson 5 •“Santa Tell Me” - Ariana Grande

{If

•“Feliz Navidad” - Jose Feliciano •“I’ll Be Home” - Meghan Trainor •“Christmas Wrapping” - The Waitresses •“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” - Pentatonix •“Last Christmas” -Ariana Grande •“It’s Not Christmas Without You” - Victorious Cast

you're Unique}

If you are unique this playlist is just right for you. With a calm vibe this playlist fits you perfectly. If you are the wittiest intellectual out of your friends, these songs in this will fulfil all the joyous holiday spirit you need.

•“Let It Snow” - She and Him •“I’ll Be Home” - Meghan Trainor •“Santa Tell Me” - Ariana Grande •“All I want for Christmas is You” - Mariah Carey •“Santa Baby” - Ariana Grande •“What are you doing New Year’s Eve” - Rob Stewart •“Christmas Vacation” - The Carole King musical

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•“The Christmas Song” - Nat King Cole •“Joy to the World” - The Cast of Hamilton •“You’re Mean One Mr. Grinch” - Thurl Ravenscroft •“Fairytale of New York” - The Pogues •“It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas” - Michael Buble •“Cold December Night” - Michael Buble

MHSMarquee.com

Design Shay Wegele

{If

you're Ambitious }

Being the clever one within your friend group, these songs have a little jazz to them while staying at just the right tempo to match your personality. So If you are ambitious, these are the tunes you need this holiday season.

•“All I Want for Christmas is You” - Mariah Carey •“Santa Baby” - Ariana Grande •“You’re Mean One Mr. Grinch” - Glee Cast •“Christmas Wrapping” - The Waitresses •“Joy to the World” - the cast of Hamilton •“Last Christmas” -Ariana Grande

{If

•“The Twelve Pains of Christmas” - Bob Rivers •“Winter Things” - Ariana Grande •“I’ll Be Home” - Meghan Trainor •“Happy all the time” - Perez Hilton •“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” - Glee cast •“Little Saint Nick” - The Beach Boys

you're Sweet }

This playlist won’t fail to make everyone smile this Christmas season. If you are sweet, this is the perfect holiday playlist for you. Being the listener within your friends, these soft and upbeat songs are the perfect match •“Here Comes Santa Claus” - Glee Cast •“It’s Not Christmas Without You” - Victorious Cast •“All I want for Christmas is You” - Mariah Carey •“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” - The Jackson 5 •“Deck The Rooftop” - Glee Cast •“Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!” - Pentatonix

•“Winter Things” - Ariana Grande •“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” - Glee Cast •“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” - Pentatonix •“Christmas Eve With You” - Glee Cast •“Underneath the Tree” - Kelly Clarkson •“Holly Jolly Christmas” - Michael Buble •“Santa Baby” - Ariana Grande

[Bold, Unique, Ambitious, Sweet]

Scan here from your Spotify app to directly go to your winter playlist.

Design Shay Wegele

Dec. 8, 2017

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Having my voice heard Aidann Zuniga

I’m 18 years old and going. Exhausted by everything that comes with life yet excited to see what else it throws my way.

I’ve conquered obstacles, evolved my state of mind and set a rough path ahead of me to finish. I don’t look like it, though. Baby faced and barely taller than a 12 year old I look sweet and innocent to strangers. To the people in my life, I’m still just a lost child trying to make sense of the world.

••• It’s about 10 at night, everybody has just gone to bed leaving the usually lively house silent and dark. Two dogs have invaded my bed and are already snoring peacefully. I’m the only one up.

I spend most of my night watching Star Trek on my phone and lost in my own thoughts. Wandering aimlessly from thought to thought memories of my day come into focus. Every face I

saw passes through my mind, reminding me of conversations and emotions.

The only memories that stick out are disappointments.

The majority of my day was struggling to communicate with peers, family and friends. My words seemingly fall silent on their ears, unwilling to listen because they deem my conveyed thoughts unnecessary or useless. My voice becomes incomprehensible and my words turn into static the moment I need to express myself.

Breaking away from my thoughts, I see Captain James T. Kirk on my screen.

Everyone is listening to him, practically hanging onto every word he says as if he speaks nothing but wisdom. I wish I could hold an audience like that. I wish I was important enough to listen to, and old enough to be taken seriously.

I want my words to have an impact on people around me. Contrary to the stigma around high schoolers, I’m not wasting my time with meaningless remarks. I want to inform and discuss and share my thoughts on countless things, to have power that sparks inspiration in everyone I meet. How can I accomplish that when my words are viewed as insignificant.

I turn off and put my phone down. My eyes can barely stay open but my mind is still running wild. I go through a long list as to why my words are unimportant—

but all I can think of is my age. All anyone sees is a baby whose words are nothing but babblings about millennial things.

I think back to Captain Kirk. I wondered if, in his world, he ever felt like me. Felt too young for critical thinking, too small to make a big impression. I wonder how he would have overcome those thoughts. How he became so confident in his words. I wonder if he believes that maturity is a state of mind, not an amount of years. I wonder if he would listen to my thoughts.

I chose to grow up years ago, believing that’s what people wanted of me. I chose to grow up so I could change the world with my words. I know now it will take time but sometimes the child in me struggles to be patient. Sometimes I want to run when the world walks.

Over the years, I’ve seen grown adults quarrel over sports, throw tantrums about work or children and cry while watching Marley and Me. I’ve seen children whine endlessly over kickball, scream and kick to not go to school and mourn for Mufasa.

Growing old is part of life but growing up is an option.

For now, I’ll keep talking. I’ll continue to use my voice and develop my words, taking every opportunity I can to express myself. Being patient will be hard, but I’ll live. I can’t wait to look back on my life one day to see what I have accomplished.

Boom Bahs — Things we like Spirit days

Optional textbooks

Winter Break

It’s nice to have more variation than 20 different Hawaiian spirit days. From Disney, to Star Wars to 90s cartoons, there seems to be something for everyone. The spirit days this year let students be more expressive, and allow everyone on campus a chance to support the school and enjoy dressing up.

While many classes still receive physical textbooks, it’s nice that most textbook work is either homework or done using a class set of textbooks. Especially with the introduction of iPads, there’s really no use for lockers and carrying four textbooks on a daily basis.

Who doesn’t love a much needed break? While any break from school is something to celebrate, this one feels even more special since we get 17.5 days compared to the awkward 13.5 day break last year.

With exams just around the corner after break, it’s well appreciated.

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Design Jolie Mullings

Help I didn’t know I needed Alex Anderson

From the time I was born, it was apparent that my older brother Zach and I had a strong bond. My mother showed me baby photos of my brother by my side, or holding my hand. Photos of me lying on a blanket while he brought me presents. As a child, it helped me see his caring side versus the annoying side I normally saw.

Even in my early teens, I knew we had a special relationship that I didn’t see in other siblings. But it wasn’t until two years ago that we became unbreakable.

When my father announced to our family that he was filing for divorce, my brother and I sat on the couch, and my mom - holding back tears - sat in the adjacent chair.

As my father finished explaining, my brother started crying into the pillow next to him. I was laser focused on Zach as our seemingly perfect world crumbled around us.

A month later I was sitting in my

@aaallleeexxx16 bedroom when muffled cries echoed through my doorway. I turned the corner and found Zach sobbing into his hands.

As I approached him, he grabbed me and began crying into my t-shirt. I started crying because we only had each other to lean on. No one else understood what we were going through.

That August, I helped unpack his things in his first college dorm. I was taking out his shirts and hanging them on brand new hangers when I noticed his smile. His face beaming with happiness, excited for the year ahead.

I was torn. Seeing his excitement filled me with a happiness I hadn’t had in months, but him leaving meant I would have to fight my emotional battle alone. It wasn’t until I arrived home that night that I fully felt the empty pit in my stomach his absence left me.

I was struggling.

No one prepared me for how hard it was going to be. I had no one to show me around for my first day of high school. No friends. No one I was comfortable sharing how I felt with.

The person I confided in was now miles away. A part of me was missing.

••• My fingers tapped the wooden desk in anticipation. Two weeks had passed and there I was. Standing. Waiting. Staring at glass cases full of James Avery charms and jewelry.

The petite store clerk returned from the back room with a small, clear package in her hand. She took the ring out of the bag and placed it into my outstretched hand.

I looked down at the ring’s pristine, silver surface, and my reflection beamed back up at me. I picked up the ring. Tilted it. Rotated it. And there it was. The tiny engraving that made the small ring more valuable than any dollar amount.

“Z. R. A” - Zachary Ryan Anderson.

The store clerk watched as I slid the ring onto the ring finger of my right hand.

My mom asked me if I liked it and if it was what I wanted.

I smiled.

It was everything I wanted. The ring made up for the 275 miles in between my brother and I. I felt like he was with me, like myself again.

I was truly happy for the first time since he had left.

Now, Zach and I are no longer the happy-go-lucky kids that hid under the blankets when we were scared and built pillow forts when we were bored.

There’s a realism and a seriousness to our relationship. Built on strength, perseverance and an unmatched love for each other.

Our battles are far from over, but we will always have each other to turn to when everything seems hopeless.

Heys — Things we don’t like SEL activities

Vending machines

ID’s around your neck

When Marauder Time was announced, many students and teachers anticipated it to be a quiet study hall — not filled with the sounds of balloons popping at random. While it sounds like a good idea, in execution, it’s a disappointment. It would be better if we had shorter activities, or just a free study period instead.

It’s often difficult to find a vending machine that actually works. It would be nice to know when the vending machines operate, or have them work at all school hours. No one likes getting their money sucked up by the vending machines. The school and the students would benefit from having more operable vending machines.

As long as the ID is visible, it shouldn’t be an issue, but unfortunately it is.

While it’s an understandable measure that students have to wear IDs, it would be nice to be able to clip it on our backpacks whenever we’re wearing it.

Design Jolie Mullings

Dec. 8, 2017

Opinion

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I can see him in my eyes Morgan Maxwell Jackson Bednarcyzk

Waves lap up against the snow white shore of San Destin. The golden sunlight beams off the emerald green water, and the smell of salt hangs in the sea breeze.

Mom and Dad lead my brother Gabe and I down a wooden walkway onto the beach.

Dad looks like a Mexican tourist. His skin is caramel and his hair, black. His eyes are blue as the ocean.

When we find our spot, Mom kicks back in a chair. But we’re young boys, full of energy.

Shovels in hand, Gabe and I excavate the white sand for hours. We’re trying to dig the deepest hole we can—to China if possible. Dad joins in, and the hole becomes a foot deep, then two, then four feet deep and five feet across. To me, it’s a cavern.

Dad lowers me in, and I continue to scoop out layers of the beach. But I dig too much, and the top buckles. A waterfall of sand cascades down.

I’m almost trapped, but Dad reaches down, grabs my arm and pulls me up. He smiles and asks if I’m okay. I say yes as I brush sand off my body. Then I run off to the foamy sea to play with Gabe, and Dad chases behind. He probably wants to relax, but that’s not Dad. Dad’s the kind of man that comes to all of my soccer practices, even if he wanted me to play baseball. The kind of man to be first in his family to go to college. The kind of man that runs a banking company and competes in marathons. That’s Dad. ••• A few years later I’m 9. And I look even more like Dad. Same big red lips, same smile and the same blue eyes.

But Dad’s lips aren’t so red anymore,

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Opinion

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and his eyes not so blue. For the past few years, he’s been fighting colon cancer. He went through rounds of chemo, radiation, healthy diets—anything he could do. But it wasn’t enough.

On one of his last days, I walk into his room where he lies on the bed. The hum of medical equipment fills the room.

I look down at him and wince. His body’s there, but that’s not Dad. Under his half shut eyelids, I see a dull yellow tint in his irises. In his lips and skin. Everything’s yellow. The whole week I told myself that he would make

Please know that I didn’t want to leave you. I tried everything I could to fight this disease… if only to have just one more day with you.

••• Think of me whenever you see a pond, a lake, or an ocean.

••• I am at peace with our Heavenly Father. The pain of cancer won’t beat me! I get the last word. I am still with you.

I live in your heart.

But there’s nothing to do. He’s already gone. So I walk out feeling like I just got suckerpunched in the throat, trying not to cry.

I knew that in a few days I would lose the man who taught me to love the New York Yankees, who pushed me to be the best at everything I tried and who played with me in San Destin even though he was tired. Why did it have to be me?

••• Next summer we go back to San Destin. No Dad, but we’ve added my four year old sister Stella.

Before we leave Florida, Mom takes us to a little pier jutting into the Gulf. The breeze is calm and cool, and the ocean is still.

She hands me a white envelope with my name written in black pen—from Dad. With shaky fingers, I undo the seal and inside is a three page letter.

The first line: Jackson, I LOVE you more than I can ever put into words.

Saltwater tears drip down my face and stain the paper. Dad recounts the time he had with me—the times he watched my presentations, our trip to New York City—he gives me advice for the future.

I can see the letter right between my fingers, but Dad feels so far away. Why can’t he be here? My face streaming with tears, I read a line near the end line that stopped my tears.

Exerpts from my dad’s letter Hey! And we have something in common: our blue eyes!

it. I knew he would make it. I believed he would make it.

I lean down to his ear and whisper, “I love you.” He can’t hear me. His chest rises and falls. A clear plastic tube runs around his neck—a snake splitting off into both nostrils.

I try to breathe, but I can’t. I feel like the wind was knocked out of me. If there was something—anything I could do to help, I would do it in a heartbeat for all the heartbeats he’s spent on me.

I look out into the Gulf and I see it—crystal clear blue. The blue of Dad’s eyes and mine, too. I realize that he’s not that far away. He may not be here for my graduation, my wedding or my children, but he lives on through me and my legacy.

He lives on through Gabe and Stella.

Through memories of my soccer practices and his pictures from marathons and his office name plate in my room.

Those who have passed live on in their loved ones—in their smiles, in their laughs, and yes, even in their eyes.

ePortfolio should allow student creativity Staff Editorial Virtual portfolios are a great way to showcase skills. College students are using them more and more. LISD has decided to encourage their students to join this technology trend. The ePortfolios required by the district are great in theory, but the way they’re being implemented isn’t working.

“A student portfolio inspires learning and is owned by the learner, structured by the learner, and is told in the learner’s own voice.” - LISD ePortfolio Resource Page, “The ‘Why’ behind ePortfolios Students don’t want to participate because they don’t see the point. They don’t know why ePortfolios are important. They don’t know what they’ll help accomplish.

Asking students to trust that ePortfolios are beneficial is simply not enough. There is no drive to work on something that doesn’t have a clear purpose. It’s difficult

And if you’ll look here, you’ll see my 7th grade math project.

Cartoon Jolie Mullings

to identify the value of ePortfolios because students were never shown an example of a successful one.

It also vanishes once they graduate.

Which is another reason why students put zero effort into something that will ultimately go away before they can use it.

Another problem is how they’re designed. It’s less of an avenue for student expression, and more of a vessel for the district. With all the structural elements students must satisfy on their ePortfolios, real ownership is taken away. Required features like the large LISD logo, mandated content from each class and immovable and unclear tabs, mean it’s no longer controlled and structured by the learner. Students get discouraged because it doesn’t feel their own. That’s why they aren’t putting effort into making pretty content and design for their page.

Teachers are also discouraged and frustrated with ePortfolios. LISD’s teacher mission statement says that they must simply “guide” and encourage students to use ePortfolios. That’s it. With the required content expectations, teachers are put in a helpless position. It’s tedious going through each junior ePortfolio and reporting back on it. Additionally, ePortfolios can not be tied to grades. So teachers are having difficulty motivating students, when there’s no proven benefits or clear instructions.

Truly, ePortfolios may have many benefits for students in the long run, but until students get on board, they will not be successful. Getting them on board is where the district

Dec. 8, 2017

needs help.

Here are our suggestions for increasing student engagement:

1. Allow alternate platforms Google sites may be fine for elementary and junior high students, to start at a basic level. This satisfies the need for uniform portfolios early on. However, once students enter high school they should be able to move it elsewhere. Give them back the creative reins. It would also solve the issue of the portfolios disappearing on graduation. Students are pushed to find themselves in high school anyways. Letting them decide how their ePortfolio reflects their personality is what will appeal to colleges. It will really be told and structured in the learner’s voice, then.

2. Tie it to student endorsement This would also narrow down what is included in the ePortfolio and make the contents more relevant to student passions and interests.

Instead of mandating reflections from all classes, students could reflect on creations from classes relevant to their possible career choices. A STEM major won’t necessarily need to call back on their sophomore English class, just as a Theatre Arts major won’t need to reflect on a Math project from middle school.

But both could include accomplishments from classes that matter to them.

Although the district wants ePortfolios to “inspire learning,” all they inspire currently is frustration. The district may have requirements, but it’s important to remember that these are ultimately for the student’s benefit.

So if the district wants these portfolios to put students ahead, they need to stay true to their defined purpose. Give students freedom to display their personal talents and abilities in their own voice.

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A Very Merry Marquette Christmas On Dec. 1, the Marquettes hosted their first Christmas show. The show featured performances to Christmas classics including “Sugar Plum Fairy” and “All I Want for Christmas.”

Marquette military officers perform the dance “Wind Beneath My Wings”—a tribute to assistant director Shelby Hladky’s mother, who passed away this school year.

Senior Captain Shelby Fletcher, junior Lieutenants Grace Zimmel and Alyssa Smith lead in the finale song “All I Want for Christmas.” The girls end with their classic kick lines.

Design Sarah Newton

The Marquettes opened to “Be a Santa.”

During this dance, the girls awaited the arrival of Santa Claus, who made an appearance.

Photos Jackson Bednarczyk

Dec. 8,2017